Brock is stalking Ash...totally.

Awesome episode. I thought it was hilarious how Alder fell asleep during his battle with Ash. And I also liked seeing Trip again.

I'm not even sure if Alder even earned the title of Champion. If you remember the dialogue from the game, it says he could've actually been appointed by the Pokemon League. If I remember the Pokemon comics that came out in Nintendo Power around when Red/Blue came out, there was a mistake in the secondissue where Delia refers to him as Ashton, although I'm not sure where it is so I can't confirm it.

As eccentric as Alder was, I liked that he really was a good person who cares about Pokemon.

I really liked today's episode, Ash & co. meet Alder (SPOILERS!... as if you couldn't tell by the episode title) and he's on par with his game counterpart (plus some other little character quirks, but they do nothing to distract from his character) unlike a certain Flying-type Gym Leader that's coming two Gym from now. Anyway, focusing on today's episode, Ash & co. are about to leave Nimbasa City when they see a place called Performance Square where all the street performers are and they decide to check it out. While doing so they meet Trip again and find out that Champion Alder is nearby. He's so close by that as soon as they hear about how Alder inspired Trip to become a trainer they find him flirting with an Officer Jenny who tells him off and drives off as Ash & co. (+ Trip) go up to see him. After introducing themselves and talking for awhile, Ash challenges Alder to a battle which Alder accepts. How will Ash fare against Alder, the Unova League Champion? How did Alder inspire Trip to become a Pokemon trainer? What is Alder doing here (besides flirting with Officer Jenny)? Speaking of which, will any of Alder's advances to Officer Jenny or Nurse Joy (yes, he flirts with her too) be met? Well for the last one I can tell you he's as successful as Brock , but for the others you'll just have to see:

A Champ Encounter:
Ash & co. are getting ready to finally leave Nimbasa City, but before they can Iris spots a festival. Cilan informs it's actually a place called Performance Square where street performers go to perform. Ash & co. decide to check it out (going down the food stalls first, of course) when Ash sees none other then Trip standing a few feet away and he too sees Ash but quickly starts ignoring him (he must of heard about Ash's Gym Battle...). Opener, titl... wait, Ash vs. who? Eh, nevermind, when we come back Ash and Trip give their usual greetings (Ash gives an excited hello, Trip gives an annoyed and snobbish hello back) and Ash shows Trip his 4 Gym Badges and Trip shows his 5, and in true anime fashion he has 3 anime-only badges (nevermind that the badge case slots are shaped as the game badges, must have squeezed those others in there).

Ash: That's one more badge then me!
Trip: Of course, it's the difference between our skill level.
Comment: Geez, does everything that come out of your mouth have to sound a bit racist? Plus Gym Badges just mean how many Gym Leaders you've defeated so far, it really doesn't say anything about your skill level.

Ash challenges Trip to a battle but Trip says he's busy which Ash says it looks like he's standing around which Trip barks back that he's waiting for someone. Iris asks who Trip is waiting for and Trip tells them he's waiting for none other then Alder, Unova Champion, explaining that Alder's his goal and how he wants to beat the Unova League so he can take on the Champion League (I'm guessing that's the Elite Four?) and finally Alder. Cilan asks if Trip met Alder before and he said he did and Alder helped send him on his journey. Iris and Ash ask what Alder told Trip and we get a flashback of a younger Trip feeding Alder's Bouffalant and Alder asks him what he wants to be a younger Trip says he wants to beat Alder and become Champion which Alder tells him to battle a lot and become strong and promises with a handshake to remain Champion until they can battle. Ash says he wants to meet Alder while Iris says no one knows where Alder will be as he's always travelling though Trip says he had heard some people saying Alder is around here so he's checking it out (hmm, sounds like we need is a convenient circumstance to get them turned the right way).

Said convenient circumstance comes from an Officer Jenny yelling at someone who's sitting in her motorcycle... and that someone is Alder! Alder says Officer Jenny is even pretty when she's angry (... he's not going to act like I think he's going to act, is he?...) which we quickly cut back to Trip saying it's Alder in shock surprising Ash & co.. Officer Jenny tells him to get off her motorcycle which Alder says he will as soon as she goes out with him for lunch (HE IS! HE IS ACTING LIKE BROCK!) saying it makes Herdier happy as it licks his face though Officer Jenny doesn't quite care and threatens to arrest him showing him a pair of handcuffs. Alder quickly falls off the motorcycle and Officer Jenny gets on saying "serves him right" and can't believe he's the Unova League Champion before riding off as Alder calls after her (And gets rejected just like Brock does too, can we replace Iris with him please?).

Trip walks up to Alder and asks if Alder remembers which Alder sort of does calling him "Tristan" which Trip corrects him on as Ash walks up to introduce himself and challenge Alder to a battle (One moment please *Pikachu31511 leaves the room and you can hear hysterical laughter outside before it stops and Pikachu31511 comes back* Phew! okay, better now). Ash and Trip start arguing who'll get to battle Alder which Alder gets a laugh from and says he'll battle both and says he'll battle them 1-on-2 but Trip says he wants to battle Alder himself which Ash agrees with. Alder agrees and starts thinking who will go first which Trip says Ash can go because he knows Ash will lose which will give Trip the chance to study Alder's strength which angers Ash but accepts with Alder accidentally calling him "Ashton" (so not only does he have Brock's running gag but has one of his own).

A Battle You'd Think You Couldm't Sleep Through:
Alder sends out his Bouffalant and Ash for once decide that maybe using his most powerful Pokemon to fight an important battle is a good idea and sends out Pikachu. Cilan says there's no type advantage between Bouffalant and Pikachu though Trip says for Alder type advantage means nothing *coughfanboycough* and Alder tells Ash that he can move first. Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt though Alder is standing still with his eyes closed as Bouffalant gets hit though of course it doesn't look to have any damage and... umm, Alder, your turn to make a move. Cilan, Iris, and Trip are also confused by this wondering if this is part of his strategy though Ash charges on in yelling "you snooze, you lose" telling Pikachu to do a Quick Attack which hits though Alder still does nothing (can someone make sure he didn't fall asleep?). Pikachu does an Iron Tail which Bouffalant shakes off as Iris wonders what Alder is thinking and Cilan says Bouffalant's thick fur can absorb attacks though that doesn't really answer the question. Pikachu is getting tired, probably putting its all in its attacks, though goes on to user an Electro Ball as Alder still stands there which even annoys Bouffalant who stamps its hooves to get his attention (or wake him up...). Electro Ball hits and sends Bouffalant sliding back though Bouffalant has gotten tired of not receiving orders and faces Alder... to find Alder did actually fall asleep (I WAS ONLY KIDDING WHEN I SAID HE FELL ASLEEP!)! Shocking everyone despite Cilan nervously trying to theorize the snoring is part of his battling routine though that gets thrown out the window as Alder says he's been walking non-stop since yesterday and admits that he must have fallen asleep! Ash too can't believe Alder fell asleep however now that he's up Alder tells Bouffalant to use Head Charge as it gives a sigh though Alder slaps its behind and Bouffalant uses Head Charge which Pikachu gets ready to dodge but just as Bouffalant reaches it turns around and starts heading for Alder!

Alder: Come on, are you mad? Stop being a...
*Bouffalant hits Alder sending him flying into a tree*
Comment: Note to self, don't fall asleep during a battle and then slap your Pokemon on their behinds, they kind of don't like getting hit either way.

Alder compliments Bouffalant on its Head Charge before "fainting" as Ash & co. (+ Trip) get around him only for Alder to jump back sitting and saying that he guess he lost. Trip points out that Bouffalant is still able to battle (though Bouffalant looks to have taken interest in a nearby bush for a snack) though Alder says he's done and that he's hungry. Trip asks about their battle but Alder says that they can have it another day though Trip says he promised.

Alder: Come on, have a heart, if your determined to never change your mind then why have one?
*Cilan and Iris make nervous faces and sweatdrop*
Cilan: I guess you can get away with those things when you're the Champion.
Comment: Just like a real celebrity!
Iris *sarcastically*: Not to mention that great sense of humor.
Comment: Hey, it's more then you have.

Trip decides to forget the battle and says he wants to tell Alder that he gave him advice and Trip has been working hard on ever since which Alder sounds surprised he gave advice. Trip reminds Alder that he said the more Trip battled the stronger he'll get and that he can become Champion, then going on to say that Alder said strength was the most important thing in a battle. Alder thinks on that but says that he wouldn't say it was "strength" shocking Trip as Alder asks if he really said that to him and Trip yells at him that he did and how could he forget. Alder tries to calm him down saying they should get something to eat (not helping the situation by calling him "Tristan") but Trip refuses saying this was a waste of time and starts to walk away. Ash asks Trip where he's going and Trip says he's following the path he believes in, the path to the Championship, saying if he wants to be the Champion he's going have to be a winner by beating Alder though Alder tells him to try and enjoy life before Trip fully walks away. Alder walks over to Bouffalant who's eating a bush telling it needs a balanced diet and gives it an apple which makes Bouffalant happy enough to start licking him which Ash notes saying they were at each other's throats before. Alder remembers he's hungry and asks Ash & co. if they can go to eat which surprises them though they agree and cut to Who's That Pokemon (hmm, I know what it is, but I don't know how it fits into this episode, foreshadowing maybe?).

At the Pokemon Center, Alder is flirting with Nurse Joy (It's like Brock never left!) while a dozen other trainers at the Pokemon Center are excited to see the Champion. Alder continues to flirts with Nurse Joy saying other trainers are torn between her and Officer Jenny though he says Nurse Joy got his vote which Iris sarcastically says is "adapting to one's environment". Alder asks Nurse Joy if she would like to go out for dinner though Jenny says she has to work but Alder points out she's the boss with Jenny backing up nervously though Ash interrupts saying telling Alder they should be going which saddens Alder. Though that sadness doesn't last for long as we see both Ash and Alder scarfing down food while Iris and Cilan watch in nervous awe (Ash's appetite, Brock's flirtation, does he also have a Misty trait?). Alder and Ash asks Iris and Cilan what's wrong and we find out they're not looking at Ash and Alder but rather every other trainer in the Pokemon Center watching Alder. Alder tells them he'll sign autographs later and asks them to wait outside which they do and then turns back to Ash & co. to asks them why are they on their journeys. Ash says he wants to become a Pokemon Master, Iris to be a Dragon Master, and Cilan to be a top ranked Connoisseur which Alder says it's good to have goals though asks them what they want to do after achieving their goals which Ash said he never thought about as well as Iris and Cilan. Alder then asks Ash what he thinks he needs to do to become a Pokemon Master (please don't open that can of worms) which Ash says to become as strong as he can and Cilan says that's what Trip wants with Iris saying they both seem right as that's also a way to become a Dragon Master. Alder thinks about this and asks them to if their sure that's all there is shocking Ash & co..

Rocking Against The Champion:
Just then Nurse Joy comes urgently running asking for Alder.

*Alder gets up and tries to hug Nurse Joy*
Alder: You don't have to beg sweetheart.
Comment: Do you think Alder has a lot restraining orders on him and that's why he's constantly traveling around?

Nurse Joy says this is no time to joke around and that there is a Gigalith on a rampage (oh, so that's where the "Who's That Pokemon" comes into play). Cut to said Gigalith knocking over vehicles and destroying stands as Officer Jenny tells everyone to keep back. Alder walks onto the scene and tells Officer Jenny to leave this to him as Gigalith starts charging and he sends out Bouffalant to hold back Gigalith back telling everyone to run. Ash & co. come running out of the Pokemon Center (being the show is about them I guess they have to be here somewhere) and Alder tells Officer Jenny to also stay back but she says she has a job to do though Alder laughs and says that if he fails he'll leave everything up to Officer Jenny which she agrees with.

Alder says that Gigalith is very agitated and tries calming it down by giving it an apple. Gigalith starts charging but despite Ash & co. telling him to get out of there Alder says that Gigalith will stop before it reaches him... and is sent flying into a pillar behind him much to the embarrassment of his Bouffalant. A bemused Officer Jenny says that's her cue and sends out Herdier to use Shadow Ball but Bouffalant steps in front of it which Alder gives it a good job and gets up saying he thought food was going to stop Gigalith. Officer Jenny tells Alder to stay back but he says he's fine and infact the blow to his head gave him an idea on why Gigalith is upset (and also a concussion, but that's beside the point).

Alder confronts Gigalith once more but this time is prepared telling Gigalith to "bring it" which Gigalith does with a charge however before it could land a hit Alder grabs the bottom of it and sends it hurdling into the sky! Ash & co. watch in amazement as Gigalith lands back down head first with legs sticking out of the ground. Alder apologizes to Gigalith saying he thought it would be easier to handle it this way and goes over to pulls out a 3 inch nail which was in Gigalith's foot saying you'd be in pain too if this was in your foot (and then probably die from tetanus...). Alder sprays some Super Potion (oh come on, your the Champion, you can afford a Full Restore or at least a Max Potion) on Gigalith's foot and it jumps back upright saying he understands the pain made it lose control and that it doesn't need to fear while petting it. Alder gives Gigalith a crystal which sort of looks like a smaller Adamant Orb which Gigalith happily eats and Alder says the more it eats the faster it'll heal while Ash & co. are amazed from Alder's wisdom. Just then Officer Jenny asks Alder to step away from Gigalith which Alder asks why.

Officer Jenny: Look at the property damage Gigalith created. I have no choice but to bring it into custody.
Comment: ... and do what with it? Put it in jail? It's a wild Pokemon, I assumed that if you're living in a world with elemental monsters you kind of accepted the risks of one going on a rampage. If you don't want that happening you should have done what Lacunosa Town did and construct a large wall around the city.

Alder says that isn't necessary as Gigalith is done being upset which puts Officer Jenny in a tough spot, though speaking of bad spots the pillar that Alder crashed into starts to fall and is heading toward Officer Jenny! Gigalith jumps in and protects Officer Jenny and then checks on her which Alder says Gigalith wants to make sure she's okay which she says she is and thanks Gigalith (PHEW! It's a good thing happened or otherwise we would have a law and moral struggle on our hand!).

At the city's exit Ash & co. (+ Alder and Officer Jenny) say goodbye to Gigalith with Officer Jenny having decided to let Gigalith go with no further trouble. Once Gigalith leaves, Ash asks Alder if he would finish telling them what he was telling them at the Pokemon Center which makes Alder nervous for a moment before Ash reminds him that he said strength wasn't the only thing they needed. Alder tells them what he thinks that, though he also wants to become strong, he wants people who see him battle become closer to Pokemon and vice versa which he says is the type of battling he lives for. Ash and Iris repeats this with Cilan saying he likes that as Alder says he likes seeing people and Pokemon working together in mutual respect and living in perfect harmony which Ash & co. agree with (it's a good thing there isn't a team with a completely opposite about people and Pokemon which would cause everyone to actually question their true relationship with Pokemon...). Alder tells them there are many different kinds of trainers, some in pursuit of strength while others happy to be with their Pokemon, so there is no one right answer and as they continue on their journey they'll find their own answers.

It's noon now and we're back where we started and Alder is telling Ash & co. to be safe (HAHAHAHAHA!) with Ash & co. also wishing him a safe journey and Cilan telling him not being reckless is best which shocks Alder and admits they got him there though grabs the top of Ash's head and shakes him a bit saying they should live life to the fullest anyway and laughs as Iris and Cilan step away. Alder says if they see "Tristan" to wish him his best which Ash & co. say they will (oh come on, at least correct him) before walking off as the narrator finishes this episode off.