Ash's Noctowl

Ash's Noctowl (Japanese: サトシのヨルノズク Satoshi's Yorunozuku) was the fifth that in the Johto region, and his nineteenth overall. Noctowl is a Shiny Pokémon.
==In animation==
===History===
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Noctowl debuted in Fowl Play!, where it flew to a birdhouse. Dr. Wiseman was trying to capture the Noctowl using traps rather than Poké Balls, but each time Noctowl outwitted him and escaped the traps — usually leaving him hypnotized in the process. Ash was offended by Wiseman's tactics and plotted to capture Noctowl traditionally. Wiseman hypnotized Noctowl using its own Hypnosis and a mirror, but Noctowl managed to escape — just in time for to attack and attempt to capture it. Ash risked his safety to pry Team Rocket's mecha claw open and allow Noctowl to fly free before Noctowl marshaled the power of , , and to destroy the mecha and send Team Rocket blasting off. Following the rescue, Noctowl challenged Ash to a battle. Dr. Wiseman decided it was too smart for him to catch, so Ash should have a go. Pikachu was hypnotized and began to use on everything except Noctowl until he shocked himself to snap out of it. Cunningly, to avoid further hypnosis, Pikachu closed his eyes and listened for Noctowl's wings, then used Thunderbolt, knocking Noctowl out and allowing Ash to capture it.
Throughout Johto, Noctowl performed a lot of the group's scouting, doing so for the first time in Type Casting to search for a .
In Carrying On!, Noctowl used its Hypnosis on a to make it believe Noctowl was a , causing it to flee in fear. It then used Hypnosis on the traumatized victim, making it appear as a fellow Pidgey and allowing it to approach. Noctowl later led the gang to the lost carrier Pidgey that had been captured by Team Rocket and, alongside Ken, the Pidgey it rescued before, freed them and led the Pidgey into an attack on Team Rocket's balloon.
Noctowl was the Pokémon Ash based his Ecruteak Gym campaign around in From Ghost to Ghost. It successfully used Foresight on but had to be recalled because it couldn't land any other attacks. It was then sent out against , struggling to overcome the Ghost type but managed to win through learning Confusion. It was then left to battle Morty's Gengar, which was still fresh and looked vulnerable as Gengar could attack while invisible. However, Noctowl revealed Gengar's location by using Confusion throughout the building and then using Foresight to keep Gengar visible. It then finished Gengar off with a Tackle attack and Ash got the .
In All That Glitters!, Ash's Gym badges were stolen by a trio of , with Noctowl being sent out to retrieve them. However, it got knocked out due to the battle being three-against-one. It later got a chance at redemption by flying down next to the Darkness Pokémon and remaining completely still. This tricked the Murkrow into a false sense of security, during which Noctowl snatched Ash's last badge. The Murkrow gave chase, but the pursuit was interrupted by Team Rocket. Noctowl protected the Murkrow trio, and with a newfound respect for each other, the four Flying-types worked together to send Team Rocket blasting off.
Ash briefly transferred Noctowl to in Ring Masters so that Oak could study its unique coloring while Ash borrowed his .
In The Big Balloon Blow-Up, Ash used Noctowl during the Pokémon Balloon Race to tow their balloon. During the race, it teamed up with Pikachu and 's to defeat Team Rocket. In the end, Ash and Skyler reached the goal at the same time, making the race a tie. In Throwing in the Noctowl, Ash sent out Noctowl and used its ability to fly in order to carry a plane headed for Olivine City.
In Fangs for Nothin', Ash used Noctowl in battle with Clair's at the Blackthorn Gym. Noctowl managed to land a Confusion attack, but an attempt to telekinetically levitate Kingdra was broken by a attack. Hypnosis also failed and Kingdra was about to knock Noctowl out when the battle was suspended by Team Rocket's antics. Noctowl was not used in the rematch.
Noctowl was used in the battle against in the quarterfinals of the Silver Conference in Playing with Fire!. It was put at a huge disadvantage by fighting Harrison's , who blinded Noctowl with and then used to avoid Noctowl's Psychic attacks. A single took Noctowl out of the match.
Ash left Noctowl along with his other Johto Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory when he set off for the Hoenn region.
====Pokémon Chronicles====
In Showdown at the Oak Corral, Noctowl was seen on a branch and spotted Cassidy and Butch when they were breaking into Oak's Lab. It appeared later when it was showing and the way to Cassidy and Butch's helicopter.
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In The Right Place and the Right Mime, Noctowl reunited with Ash and met his .
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In An Old Family Blend!, Noctowl reunited with its Trainer.
In Working on a Right Move!, Ash used Noctowl as his first Pokémon in his battle against Conway in the third round of the Lily of the Valley Conference, where it went up against his . With Shuckle first using to Noctowl's and then using to switch its and defensive powers with each other, the was able to overwhelm Noctowl, forcing Ash to recall it. After Shuckle had been defeated by , Ash sent Noctowl back out to face . Using its ability to fly to its advantage, Noctowl was able to stay out of the reach of Lickilicky's tongue and dodge its long-range Thunderbolt before defeating it with . Next, Conway sent out , which immediately used , allowing its subsequent to outspeed Noctowl and take it out of the fight.
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Noctowl was reunited with Ash in The Dream Continues!, where it and the rest of Ash's Pokémon posed in a group photo with him.
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Noctowl, 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 was seen relaxing with and and later 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, Noctowl watched Ash's Masters Eight Tournament matches against , , and . In Partners in Time!, Noctowl appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Leon's Charizard. After Ash won the battle, Noctowl joined the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab in celebrating their Trainer's victory.
In Heroes Unite!, Noctowl, along with the rest of the Pokémon at the lab, welcomed Ash back to Pallet Town after his victory over Leon.
===Personality and characteristics===
Personality-wise, Noctowl was presented as intelligent, mischievous, and cunning — although these traits weren't usually emphasized or touched upon after its debut episode. It also presents a serious side to its personality, often going to sleep with dignity, or using its hypnosis on others in order to save them, instead of for prank purposes, as was the case in Carrying On!, where it was also shown to develop a soft spot for a small .
Noctowl is very loyal to Ash because he saved it from , and similar to , was captured in a fair contest with Pikachu. Despite being unusually small for a Noctowl during its time on Ash's team, it proved to be a very powerful Pokémon, being Ash's secret weapon in his battle with Morty and also performing well in the battle against Conway. In addition, Noctowl served as a scout to look for Team Rocket whenever they would get away with something.
Unlike Ash's other bird Pokémon at the lab, Noctowl does not often participate in their flight-based activities like races, searches, or training. Rather, it is much more likely to be seen relaxing and has instead become friends with Ash's Gliscor and , as shown in Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!.
===Moves used===
===Artwork===
Poster for
==In the games==
===In the spin-off games===
====Pokémon: Catch the Numbers!====
Noctowl appears in Pokémon: Catch the Numbers! as one of the Pokémon the player needs to get back from .
==In the manga==
===Movie adaptations===
Noctowl appeared in .
==Trivia==
* Noctowl is the first Shiny Pokémon seen in the , although it is not the first alternately colored Pokémon to appear.
** It is also the first Shiny Pokémon to be owned by a and the only Shiny Pokémon owned by Ash.
* Noctowl has the most appearances of all Shiny Pokémon in the animated series.
* Noctowl is the only one of Ash's bird Pokémon to have been fully evolved when it was caught.
* Noctowl is Ash's only Pokémon to have first used a move in a Pikachu short.
* Although Noctowl was stated to be smaller than other members of its , it is shown to be about its natural size in its appearances in . It's unknown if this is an error or if it means that it has grown during its time at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
* Out of the types Ash has caught in his journeys, Noctowl was caught the latest, being the last Pokémon Ash caught in the original series. Although and were obtained later by Ash in the original series, they were obtained as an rather than being caught from the .
* Noctowl is Ash's only Pokémon from the Johto region currently in rotation not to appear in the mini-series.
==Related articles==
Noctowl
Category:Shiny Pokémon
de:Ashs Noctuh
es:Noctowl de Ash
fr:Noarfang de Sacha
it:Noctowl di Ash
ja:サトシのヨルノズク
zh:小智的猫头夜鹰