Well... I think making Gary lose in the preliminary rounds was a good thing. It's a deliberate anti-climax, subverting the audiences expectations. Everyone expected those two to fight, including the characters themselves, so when Gary gets knocked out early on it generates a moment of "Why am I doing this anymore?" That's an opportunity for character study and growth, see who they are when you take away one of their primary motivations. Of course, being a 90's kids show, obviously you couldn't go anywhere too special with it, but I personally think that anti-climax of an ending actually worked for the first season. It was something different for the time, not having the hero win in the end. Sure, Pokémon being what it is turned into a cliché quickly, but I still think that it's part of why the first season is special besides being first.

On the gyms... you could skip Fuchsia and Celadon and lose nothing to be perfectly honest. It's kind of how they were in the original show, being basically checkbox episodes. Possibly replace them with Bye Bye Butterfree or Pikachu's Goodbye, those I think are more important...

You know, much like my relationship with Star Wars, I always forget how much of a fan I am of the Indigo League until I start talking about it, as I'm remembering all these episodes from it.

But it also ruins a lot of the build up. Gary appeared incredibly sparingly during the Kanto era. He was built up to always be one step ahead of Ash, and they showed it by having him never interact with him simply because he was always moving forward.
Their rivalry felt non-existent because of it. We see he loses to Mewtwo, which shouldn't be surprising because it's effing Mewtwo, and then we see him again, losing in the freaking pools at the League.
Anti-climaxes subvert expectations, but in the end, you're still left at the finale ending with a fizzle. A little sparkler just dying off. When the biggest moment of the Indigo League was Ash's Krabby, a Pokemon that was never on his team for the past 50 some odd episodes, evolving, honestly, it wasn't a very satisfying end.
Ash loses to an Ash fan OC by Charizard falling asleep mid match, in a 3v3, auto disqualifying him, and he shamefully walks off stage.

Compare it to Johto, the most boring fucking seasons, where Ash showcases his growth as a trainer when he defeats his so called rival despite a type disadvantage, as well as coming in 2nd (I believe).
The Indigo League, however, doesn't build up to it. Ash still didn't have his encounter with Gary to showcase where their respective levels were at, and the one he lost to, Ritchie, he didn't overcome during the Silver Conference because he didn't show up.
The should've structured it better if they wanted to end things on an anti-climax...

It's weird to skip Fuschia when that's one of the badges he actually won in a fair fight :lol
Really, despite being the most memorable to a lot of fans, Sabrina brought the least in terms of relevance. Ash doesn't catch the Haunter, Sabrina loses by laughing (Which, because of a Psychic link, causes her Kadabra to laugh uncontrollably, too), and Sabrina's father gives him the badge. She doesn't really contribute much, either.

I think, if they want to retell the Kanto arc, Brock, Misty, Lt. Surge, and Blaine are the only leaders that matter.

Perhaps having Ash and Gary battle at least once or twice before the League would of helped. I'd probably just completely change Ritchie's character, make him a little less "Ash but BETTER!" and making that fight not end in an anti-climax.

I like having Ash not be a particularly great trainer or even some hotshot upstart. I like that he doesn't win it all, it's one of the few character traits that feels... real? I dunno, I just like seeing a Shonen hero who is nobody special, not the most talented or even lucky. He's also not the worst ever or dealing with some great handicap, he's just... average. In a setting like Pokémon, I honestly think that's for the best.

Heck, it's one of the reasons I didn't like Origins as much as everyone else, just because of Red being what he is, although, my first GAME was Silver, so Red doesn't have the same effect on me.

I enjoy the fact that Ash wasn't some child prodigy (Well, if you ignore the movies, that is. Otherwise he's fucking supergod), and him losing the Indigo League made sense because he otherwise won his battles through brute forcing his way through, or being given wins though his kind actions rather than skill. He wasn't really prepared for the league and it showed.

Come time for the league is when they fumbled. Building up a rivalry against this character to never have them face off, and an expy of Ash being introduced out of the blue (Rather than one of the numerous memorable characters Ash met along his journey), inexplicably becoming his bestest friend, beats him, then vanishes. No satisfaction to be found.

I actually found Origins to be lacking because of what I fear this movie will do. No progression of growth or story because every notable event is skipped over.
Mercifully, Ash does keep a consistent team throughout his journey, so each battle won't be featuring a new Pokemon he inexplicably caught only to never appear again, so that issue probably won't come up.

...You know what? They should of used AJ, from episode 8. You know, dude with the Sandshrew and the whip? Is kind of like a nice proto-Paul? That would of been cool as hell to see.

So this is what happens when you try to use Celesteela's animations on Lusamine.

Fascinating.

edit: man, Lusamine's hair flips the fuck out with some animations. I love it.

1 episode left after this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRvEVpdr8x8

Did that bitch just kick a kitty?

If you've played the postgame in XY you'd know it wasn't her choice.

Anybody able to help me evolve two or three Pokémon?