honestly why does team rocket even exist anymore? we shou;ldve gotten rid fo them at the end of johto

as far as abamasnow goes ihe was pretty strong. i though wood hammer was a hgrass type? so how did it kill grotle in one hit. and does anyone else notice how abamsnow sounds like its saying obama XD

We finally get to Ash's Snowpoint Gym Battle and boy was it a good one! Ash was doing pretty good from the start but of course they made Abomasnow pretty much a tank and had it crush Ash's Pokemon until Chimchar began to shred on a chunk of ice (read my review and you'll know what I mean, or better yet watch the episode). Though the real surprise here has to be Paul appearing right at the very end and challenging Candice to a Gym Battle. Well I guess no rest for the weary (and maybe why they had Abomasnow look like it could go another gym battle). But before we get to the end, you might want to read what happened from the beginning:

Getting Chills Down Your Spine:
* Of course, the gym field is covered in ice, at least we know Candice doesn't have any Fire-types that'll Fire Blast it into a pool...
* Hey, I just notice this, Candice is wearing her sweate... nevermind, apparently at the start of every Gym battles she slaps herself, pulls it off, and ties it around her waist... I don't know what's that about either.
* Ah yes, forgot Candice is where the Gym Leader's Pokemon count go up to 4 instead of the previous 3. But all that means is that this Gym Battle might span across two episodes (like that hasn't happened before).
* Jeremiah, when the teacher and principle isn't here it DOES mean it's time to play! DON'T YOU KNOW YOUR SCHOOLYARD RULEBOOK!
* Team Rocket is planning on stealing the Pokemon's School Pokemon again, but the school took extra security by chaining and adding a few dozen locks to the door... of course Meowth had before showed us his lockpicking skills.
* DURR! She's an Ice-type Gym Leader Ash, I kind of expected her to have a few Ice-types on her team and maybe start the battle with one! The only non-Ice-type she has is Medichan which knows Ice-type moves.

It Was A Brisk Battle But Then The Blizzard Came:
* GROTLE! Ash, now I know you strive on the "type adventages don't mean you win" motto, but being you have a Fire-type (Chimchar, remember?), maybe that would have been a better Pokemon to start off with?
* Anyway, it's Ash's Grotle VS. Candice's Sneasel, but things aren't looking good as Grotle missed with Energy Ball as Sneasel is skating on the ice and blasting Grotle with Icy Wind, though Grotle is taking it pretty well.
* But as soon as Sneasel switched attacks Grotle strikes back with a Razor Leaf and a Rock Climb and K.O. it. Now here is the major flaw with this strategy, it depended on Sneasel switching attacks, however Icy Wind was doing plenty of damage. If Candice didn't switch attacks, Grotle would have been K.O.ed.
* It's now Candice's Medichan VS. Ash's Staraptor, apparently Ash abandoning his "I don't need type adventage" strategy, for now. Meanwhile Team Rocket digs into the Pokeball room... Meowth, simple would have been picking locks like we know you can do, digging is a whole other complexity.
* Oof, Medichan keeps stopping Staraptor's aerials attack but luckily Close Combat got through... but so did Medichan's Fire Punch. Wait, Fire Punch? Shouldn't it know Ice Punch? It's not like Fire Punch has any use being no weaknesses of Ice-types is weak to Fire-type attacks.
* Two straight wins? Don't tell me this is going to turn out being another Crasher Wake battle! Fantina wiping the floor with Ash got him over any ego trip Ash might have had from that but who knows how long it'll be until Ash battles Volkner to get over this ego trip if it happens!
* Wow Team Rocket, you're actually afraid of Jeremiah and a group of kids who haven't even thrown out a single Pokemon? A starting trainer beating you is lame, but this is just pathetic. Plus being that cabin is on school ground they probably have a key for it or can use the Glameow door.
* And now Ash is back to using his "don't need those type adventages" by having his Gliscor VS. Candice's Snover. However at least Gliscor knows an attack that is quite effective here... and he uses it! And Brock, it wasn't just Super Effective, it was Very Super Effective as Snover have 4x weakness to Fire-type attacks!
* Gah! Unfortunetly Snover also lands a Very Super Effective his too as Gliscor is 4x weak to Ice-type attacks, and even more unfortunate is that Snover's Ice Beam got STAB in addition to that!
* So much for Ash getting a straight victory. And being Grotle and Staraptor are also weak to Ice-types, Ash will either keep to his strategy or...
* Nope, he's switching back to a "type advetange FTW" strategy once more (jeez, pick on already!). It's Ash's Chimchar VS. Candice's Snover, and now it'll be the Fire-type attacks that'll be getting STAB!
* Candice counter's Chimchar's Flamethrower with Icy Wind to create a steam cover, but using the power of closing its eyes, Chimchar finds Snover and burns it to a crisp (not like that any of Snover's attacks would have hurt Chimchar that much anyway).
* Ah yes, Candice's Abomasnow, but despite it acting tough it's really just a bigger stronger Snover with the same type combination meaning the same weaknesses... Chimchar would have to try a bit harder but it shouldn't have that much of a problem... nevermind...

An Icy Reception:
* It'll be Ash's Staraptor VS. Candice's Abomasnow next and being half Grass-type Ash is hoping to outspeed it and do some super effective STAB Aerial Aces (maybe even a Brave Bird). However I do have one question, shouldn't there be a hail storm going on ever since Candice threw out Snover because of it's and its evolutions Snow Warning?
* That was quick... Ash, maybe you should have had Staraptor use Brave Bird being it's much more stronger, Staraptor is apparently covered in flames so would have protected it from Ice (maybe), and though it would be kncoked out at least you would have heavily damaged Abomasnow like you originally were planning on doing.
* It's now Ash's Grotle VS. Candice's Abomasno... oh good sweet Arceus... Ash's Chimchar VS. Candice's Abomasnow. BTW Pikachu, don't you stay in the stands during a Gym Battle that Ash doesn't use you in?
* Exit, stage left... exit, stage left... seriously, this is all Chimchar is doing... exit, stage left... exit, stage left...
* Oh, now instead of exiting stage left Chimchar is now snow boarding on a chunk of ice, this helps how? Oh, by getting behind it and burning it's behind, LOL !
* Huh? That "anger mark" on Abomasnow looks like a christmas tree star and they even placed it to look liek it's on top of Abomasnow's head! LOL! Did the writers forget this was a Gym Battle and decided to just play around a bit?
* Okay, back to the Gym Battle, and for some reason Chimchar got off of the ice chunk it was boarding on and did a Flame Wheel which Abomasnow stopped but fainted doing so. So with Ash having only Chimchar left and Candice having none...
* Ash wins his seventh Sinnoh Gym Battle! Hold on a second, how come Abomasnow is standing up and looks fine? I mean at least have it a but slumped over leaning against an ice mound to show that it isn't in battling shape.
* But before Ash gets his badge, first lets finish with the Team Rocket problem by having Jeremiah throwing out his Skuntank and pulling a Pokemon Ranger "crowd clearer" (those who played Shadows of Almia should know what I'm talkign about). Hold it Meowth, you don't have a nose and in the 1st season you were immune to Gloom's stink because of it!
* And now Ash receives his Icicle Badge and how come Ash isn't wearing his Lucas Platinum coat while everyone else is bundled up? And why is Pikachu in the group victory shot? It didn't battle! Oh, while the narrator was talking Ash realized he was in 10 degree weather and Dawn gave him is jacket (but that doesn't stop Dawn and Candice from not wearing anything to cover their legs).
* Now time to travel across most of Sinnoh over to Sunyshore Cit... PAUL! We didn't expect to see an appearance from you! Paul gets down to business and challenges Candice, so next episode we should be seeing Paul either breeze through the battle or see the end of it with probably his Magmar toasting Abomasnow. Anyway can't wait for the next episode now!

The battle did feel kinda rushed, but I still liked it. XD Chimchar on ice FTW~

A 4 on 4 Gym battle should be 2-episodes and I agree the matches were rushed. For Grotle & Staraptor's math, they lasted 1-2 minutes each. Same with Gliscor's loss. Chimchar VS Snover was 2-3. Abomasnow defeating Grotle & Staraptor took like a minute? Chimchar VS Abomasnow was 3-4 minutes, 3-5 minutes if you count that extra minute of Chimchar being recalled when first fighting Abomasnow. That was like 16 minutes! Then the 3 minutes of Team Rocket nonsense and 1 minute each from the beginning and then to the end. If there wasn't any Team Rocket scenes or they just watch from the window, it could have been a 5 VS 5 in one episode!

I just hope the last gym is 2-Part, makes it that much more excited. I will give it a 9/10, for the Japanese Version, for a few changed music for the background music...... 7/10. The Dub is just ok. Couldn't they just add music like the one when Chimchar fights Byron's Steelix, or the Sinnoh Gym Leader Music? The music used kinda sucks.