I hate this episode, manly because it was interrupted by Satan's Helpers. These are just one of those battles you wish you can see who wins.

Now this is what an episode is to be like! I really enjoyed the episode and the bit of randomness that is thrown in there along with everything else really brings this episode above all the fillers that we see. It was also great to see a previous Gym Leader again, though it might have been obvious Roark would somehow appear in an episode along with Byron either in person or by flashback. But enough about mentioning how good the episode was and onto what about the episode made it good:

The Rock Doesn't Chip Far From The Ground:
* Finally we get to Ash's Canalave Gym battle with Byron, even though the last Gym Battle was only a few episodes ago (but that one took forever to get to and done with).
* Hey, it's the zombie guy, still looks like he needs some sleep but... WHAT DOES HE MEAN NOW IS NOT A GOOD TIME?!?!
* Byron's son? You mean Roark is here? Well other then Ash and co. seeing another gym leader they met already, I still see no problem.
* They don't get along? That is understandable, in the games Byron did question Roark's Gym Leader capabilities... why are they screaming they love fossils?
* Yo Roark, hows things been? Anyway, being Byron is Roark's father and Ash lost to Roark before winning his badge I hope Ash will be able to beat Byron in their first Gym Battle.

Rocky Relationship:
* Whoa! Calm down you two! They are just fossils, petrified remains of dead Pokemon. There are plenty of them to go around.
* Infact, Byron already has a steady collection in storage. Gah... that's one huge Anorith! Hate to see the size Armaldo it evolves into... *shudders*
* Okay, enough, enough! Being both Rampardos and Bastiodon are restored, why not have a battle instead of arguing? Even Dawn realizes that!
* Ah, so Roark is there to get his dad to come home to Oreburgh to celebrate his parent's anniversary... I wonder who's Roark's mother/Byron's wife?
* Yay Brock, he does sound like your dad Flint, but at least Flint came back and (eventually) returned to the family to let you journey with Ash.
* There are fossils on Iron Island? Who knew. But is that why Barry went there?
* Hold it Roark, if you're hear to get your dad to come back to Oreburgh for an anniversary, what is with this whole fossil ordeal?

Between A Rock And A Fossil:
* Ah yes, the shield that can't be broken vs. the spear that can pierce anything. The irresistible force paradox. This should be an interesting battle between offense vs. defense.
* Phew, I wouldn't want to get in a middle of those move collisions! Roark, you might want to switch to something less physical and more special. Fire is very effective against Steel if you know what I mean.
* Wait a second, Zen Headbutt is a Psychic-type move, a bad type match-up to use against a Steel-type like Bastiodon is half of. Infact, only move Rampardos could use effectively against Bastiodon would be Flamethrower.
* Bastiodon knows Flamethrower too? Well it wouldn't effect Rampardos much being resistant from it, but a Rampardos Flamethrower can be painful to Bastiodon like I've been saying.
* Oh, but what kind of episode of Pokemon is there that doesn't have Team Rocket popping up out of know where. And of course, they plan on snatching the giant Anorith (though I didn't know Anorith fossils were that rare).
* Geez! Byron is sure hard on Roark, especially considering he's his son! I guess Byron could be trying to get Roark to do his hardest but still...
* ABOUT TIME! I've been yelling at Roark to use Flamethorwer through the start of the battle! Though if that Flash Cannon hits Rampardos, it could be all over.
* But of course, in anime fashion, the attacks hit each other and cancel themselves out... huh? I guess Team Rocket tripped the alarm. Aww man, the battle is over.

Precision Over Priorities:
* *Face palm* That's right Byron, someone dug a large hole into your Exhibition Room, stole your prizes Giant Anorith Fossil, and all you can do is admire the hole?!?!
* *Falls down with Ash and co. (+ Roark)* Yay Byron, Team Rocket are good hole diggers but they like digging machines even more. Also my previous statement still applies but change it to all the fossils were taken.
* ... What was with that "whoop" sound effect when Ash and co. (+ Byron and Roark) rose their head out of the hole? Anyway didn't take long to find Team Rocket.
* Byron, what you have to say to Team Rocket better be a threat... of course not... he first wants them to stop using machines and dige holes with their hands and shovels. *sigh*
* Oh, NOW you remember they stole your fossils! For a person who "loves" fossils you sure forget about them. This is like Gardenia all over again except Byron thinks all of Team Rocket is good!
* Mechaman? That sounds more like a Megaman villian then a mech that drill holes. Hmm, Meowth's controller doesn't look to be based on any recent game console controller/handheld this time.

Wait Till Next Episode For More Rock/Fossil Puns:
* Uh oh, Rampardos managed to knock down the machine but it too got taken down. Though it looks like Pikachu's electric attacks didn't do that much.
* You know, it's just dirt and sand Team Rocket's machine is throwing at them, it's no worse then a sandstorm which Rock-type don't have a problem with.
* Though no need for them anyway as, of course, Pikachu destroyed the machine and did the launch off (I would have loved to see them get launched off from a Rampardos Zen Headbutt and Bastiodon Iron Defense combo).
* Oh, in all the commotion I forgot about the fossils! Them hitting the ground isn't good, though they look alright. What's with the box? A Sunkern Fossil, they existed back then too?
* Ah, it was Roark's first fossil that he gave to his dad as a present. So Byron shows that he does care and just wanted Roark to become a better Gym Leader. And of course this father-son moment makes Ash and co. miss their families.
* So I guess Ash will be having his Gym Battle with Byron next episode with Roark acting as referee. That shoudl be a good battle, and hopefully Ash can win it in one battle unlike with Roark.

A nice "whet your appitite" episode, with the debut of Byron and his Bastiodon, and the return of Roark was cool.

Unfortunately, Roark and Byron's intense battle gets interrupted by Team Rocket. Well, that's about it, I guess... Oh, Bastiodon was pretty awesome. But still, it wasn't enough to be absolutely amazing... In fact I found it a bit boring, but at least things will be picking up next week with Ash's battle.

Ancient Family Matters! receieves a 7.5

of course with every episode i will always have a rant so here is my rant for this episode:

every time pokemon has a good battle its usually interrupted by team rocket. whats that all about? cant they just have an intense battle with a clear consesus winner?

blah vs bleh: ok so bastidon should automatically have an advantage since its part steel type. and being part steel type means it balances out the flamthrower weakness it has. BUT its super weak to ground attack which is why i dont understand why rampardos didnt use oh i dunno, EARTHQUAKE?????? and i remember reading somewhere that rampardos can use surf O_o.

well i personally think that bastidon would win cause it has awesome defense and it's part steel type, not to mention more experienced than rampardos (as far as i know). besides isnt byron like the first or second gym leader you fight? that automatically makes him one of the weaker gym leaders in my book.

well rampardos still had a chance if it dodged attacks and used flamethrower with the right timing.

i was impressed with team rocket here. even though they blasted off as usual at least they were a threat this time. they should really start getting machines where the electricity can be absorbed and used to their advantage.. then again it could get overloaded and blown up -_-. ah well

overall this was a great episode despite the annoying interruption