I don’t know about you, but when Pokemon was just beginning to become a craze in the US, I took the show to drop hints as to how to play the game. I went goo-goo over Eevee, laughed over Brock going bananas for the lady du jour, and cheered Ash on to victory.
But on one occasion of playing the game, Ash’s strategy actually worked in game.
See, back then, I had no clue you had to raise your Pokemon evenly, so by the time I got to Vermillion City, I had a high powered Blastoise, a decent Pikachu, and a very weak assortment of other Pokemon. I learned very quickly that Electric attacks are super effective against Water.
I knew Lt. Surge was about to wipe the floor with me, but I noticed my Pikachu, remembered that I had watched “Electric Shock Showdown” hours earlier, and got an idea: Why not do what Ash did in that episode?
I summoned my Pikachu and braced myself for the eventual defeat that seemed soon to come. Amazingly, Pika pulled through for me! If I had owned an Ash hat back then, I would’ve turned it back and done Ash’s “Got badge!” pose.
Since then, I have tested to see if Ash’s teams actually work in Netbattle conditions, named a few Pokemon “Ash”, and still dream of getting an Ash hat–but I have not replicated the Electric Shock Showdown feat again. Now that I’m a more experienced trainer, I shouldn’t have to.
Happy gaming,
SparklingBlue
