Japanese Title: Let's Battle! Hassam VS Heracros!!
Original Airdate: March 23rd, 2000
US Airdate: February 24th, 2001
When the most promising trainee at a Pokémon dojo abandons battle altogether, opting to gather information for his comprehensive Poké-database instead, it's up to Ash and friends to convince him that battling, and life for that matter, is more than just a matter of probability.
Tropes
- An Aesop: Computer data and facts aren’t always the best substitute for experience.
- Art Evolution: This is the first episode to use instances of digital animation during Heracross and Blade’s battle.
- Awesomeness by Analysis: Shingo collects detailed statistics on Pokémon trainers, their Pokémon, and their battles to plan the best attack against them. This is deconstructed when he relies on checking his data for strategies during a battle. At first he seems to have everything under control, but when he faces an unpredicted situation, like Ash's Confusion Fu tactics, he panics and realizes he can't look at his laptop and the battlefield at the same time, putting him at a disadvantage.
- Call-Back: During Ash and Shingo's battle, Misty references their encounter with Lorelei/Prima when noting how well Ash is commanding Heracross.
- Confusion Fu: Ash's natural style, which frustrates Shingo's analysis.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Team Rocket suffers this twice, and both times against a Scizor.
- Don't Think, Feel: Muramasa wants Shingo to stop relying on computer analyses and data in favor of his natural instincts.
- Hopeless with Tech: Jessie tries to "download" by pulling the cable attached to a laptop.
- No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Shingo can so reliably calculate how to win, he's bored with battling.
- Old Master: Muramasa. His Scizor, Masamune, also counts, as its only loss was against Shingo's Scizor, Blade.
- Shout-Out: Team Rocket puts on The Matrix style Cool Shades. The backdrop to the scene resembles the Matrix Raining Code, although it's not moving.
- Technician vs. Performer: Shingo vs Ash. Shingo uses his computer to make decisions, while Ash goes with his gut.
