Ash's Muk

Ash's Muk (Japanese: サトシのベトベトン Satoshi's Betbeton) was the tenth overall that obtained in the Kanto region.
==In animation==
===History===
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=====Kanto=====
In Sparks Fly for Magnemite, Ash and were traveling through Gringey City, which was in the midst of a power failure. The local power plant was being overrun by the mysterious . After the swarm was located, the Grimer's leader, a Muk, challenged the group, immediately ordering the Grimer to attack the kids. However, the vast numbers of and in the city combined attacks to clear out the Grimer, leaving only Muk. With the aid of and a Magnemite that was following it due to an electrical build-up, Ash defeated and captured the Muk. It was then immediately sent to Professor Oak's Laboratory because its stench was so rancid that it could seep through the . However, Muk's horrid smell seemed to have disappeared by its later appearances as neither Ash, nor anyone around him, has been affected by it since its debut.
Muk reappeared in Showdown at the Po-ké Corral when Ash, , , and visited Professor Oak's Laboratory. It was revealed that Muk's personality had become more like Oak's after spending so much time with him, and it lovingly tackled him to the ground to hug him.
Muk's first was in The Fourth Round Rumble, where it was selected for use in the Indigo Plateau Conference. After Jeanette Fisher's high-level had trounced and Pikachu, Muk made a surprise appearance as Ash's third Pokémon. Muk easily absorbed Bellsprout's physical moves and and then simply smothered it with , winning the match for Ash.
=====Orange Islands=====
In The Mystery Menace, Ash used Muk to help him and find Misty, , and Bulbasaur, who were kidnapped by a giant in the sewers of Trovitopolis. Muk and also offered to fight for Ash in the Winner's Trophy match against in Hello, Pummelo!, but Ash chose instead.
Muk was reunited with Ash when he returned home in A Tent Situation. Muk insisted on fighting , and Ash ordered it into battle instead of choosing Bulbasaur. Muk managed to resist attacks from James's Victreebel and 's was even less effective, wiping Muk's face ineffectively to the point of causing pleasure instead of damage. It was then put to sleep by but awoke after Gary intervened and drove Team Rocket away.
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In A Farfetch'd Tale, Muk crowded into Ash's screen with Kingler, Tauros, and to wish him luck for his next Gym battle with Whitney. In Air Time!, Muk listened to DJ Mary's talk show when she interviewed Ash about his Pokémon and aspirations. In Why? Wynaut!, it, along with Bulbasaur, Kingler, and Snorlax, abruptly ended a call with Ash when they crushed Professor Oak in their excitement.
Muk's only other major battle was when Ash called it up from Oak's Lab in Can't Beat the Heat!, along with Tauros, Snorlax, and to fight in the Silver Conference. It was sent out originally to fight , and the two fought to a stalemate, with Muk's deflected by and Blastoise's physical attacks absorbed into Muk's body. Ash pulled Muk for his quickly after. It was sent out to fight later, who dodged a Sludge Bomb easily. Muk absorbed both and , but Scizor was able to throw Muk using the latter attack, ultimately defeating it with .
====Pokémon Chronicles====
In Showdown at the Oak Corral, Muk was seen crushing Cassidy, Butch, and all of the stolen Poké Balls. In Journey to the Starting Line!, Muk was seen smothering Tracey when he opened the door to Oak's Lab for .
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In The Right Place and the Right Mime, Muk welcomed Professor Birch to Pallet Town with its usual friendliness.
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In An Old Family Blend!, Muk appeared at Professor Oak's lab. It was then transferred to Ash for a brief reunion. However, Muk was not seen participating in the Lily of the Valley Conference.
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In New Places... Familiar Faces! and Farewell, Unova! Setting Sail for New Adventures!, Muk smothered Professor Oak while Ash called him from Professor Juniper's laboratory.
Muk was reunited with Ash in The Dream Continues!, where it and the rest of Ash's Pokémon posed for a group photo with him.
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In Alola, Kanto!, Muk was sent out of its Poké Ball so it could be compared with its Alolan form. It immediately smothered Ash upon seeing him.
In Show Me the Metal!, Muk joined Professor Oak in observing the data about that sent to him.
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In Advice to Goh!, Muk reunited with Ash during his visit to Professor Oak's Laboratory with Goh, smothering him on sight.
Muk, along with the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab, reunited with Ash in Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!. During the visit, it watched the battle between Ash and Paul. Before Ash left, it posed with the rest of Ash's Pokémon in a group photo with him.
From Battling as Hard as Stone! onwards, Muk watched Ash's Masters Eight Tournament matches against , , and . In Partners in Time!, Muk appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Leon's Charizard. After Ash won the battle, Muk joined the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab in celebrating their Trainer's victory.
In Heroes Unite!, Muk, along with the rest of the Pokémon at the lab, welcomed Ash back to Pallet Town after his victory over Leon.
 
In The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!, Muk assisted Ash in looking for a missing around Oak's lab, but to no avail.
===Personality and characteristics===
While in the wild, Muk was a very strong, authoritative leader, as shown by it ordering its followers to attack and chase down , , and in the power plant where it was first encountered. It was also a highly aggressive Pokémon, willing to harm anyone, human or Pokémon, who stood in its way.
However, after its capture, Muk's personality seemed to shift dramatically. It became an extremely happy and affectionate Pokémon. It is particularly affectionate towards . As a recurring gag first seen in Who Gets To Keep Togepi?, it would always smother the Professor whenever Ash would make a call to the lab.
Muk's affection also extends to its , second in enthusiasm only to , despite only having fought for him on three occasions. Muk obligingly crushes Ash in excitement whenever Ash returns to the lab or summons it to his party. Its affection also extends to strangers, as was seen when it completely ignored Jessie's Lickitung to hug Jessie, also smothering James's Victreebel in excitement. It also smothered Professor Birch upon meeting him in The Right Place and the Right Mime. Professor Oak suggests that Muk's overwhelming display of affection is simply because it loves humans.
Muk differs from most of Ash's other Pokémon in that it is a defensive Pokémon with low attack power and a small array of moves. It has never been shown to be damaged by a physical attack, with its opponents' moves always absorbed by its sludge body. Despite being quite powerful and good in battle, it has only ever defeated one opponent: Jeanette Fisher's .
===Moves used===
* In the English dub of A Tent Situation, Ash commanded Muk to use . In the original Japanese version, he simply called Muk by its name.
===Artwork===
Poster for
==In the manga==
===Ash & Pikachu===
Muk only appeared on the scoreboard in One Half Of A Poké Ball.
===The Electric Tale of Pikachu===
Ash caught Muk off-panel and later used it as his last Pokémon in his Pokémon League against Jeanette in Welcome to the Big Leagues. Jeanette's 's techniques were useless against Muk's slimy body, and Ash won the battle.
===Pokémon Journeys===
Muk appeared in Advice to Goh! at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
==Trivia==
* Muk is currently Ash's only pure Pokémon.
* Pokémon the Series: XY is the only series with Ash as the protagonist in which Muk has not appeared.
* Excluding , who didn't have an evolved form at the time, Muk is the first fully evolved Pokémon caught by Ash.
** Out of all the Pokémon that Ash has obtained in their evolved forms, Muk has been in his possession the longest, excluding Pikachu, who didn't have a pre-evolved form at the time.
* In , a game highly based on , Muk can be found while walking in the , making a direct reference to Ash's Muk, which was also found in a power plant.
* Muk is Ash's only .
* Muk is tied with for having used the least amount of moves out of any Pokémon that Ash has owned for longer than one episode, with only two.
* Muk is Ash's only Pokémon to appear in the Japanese version of the Pokémon movies, but not in the international dub of these movies.
==Related articles==
Muk
Category:Animated series running gags
Category:Electric Tale of Pikachu characters
Category:Ash & Pikachu characters
de:Ashs Sleimok
es:Muk de Ash
fr:Grotadmorv de Sacha
it:Muk di Ash
ja:サトシのベトベトン
zh:小智的臭臭泥