Ash's Infernape

**Ash's Infernape** (Japanese: **サトシのゴウカザル** *Satoshi's Goukazaru*) was the third Pokémon that Ash caught in the Sinnoh region, and his thirty-first overall. He was initially owned by Paul as a Chimchar, but joined Ash's team after being released in *Glory Blaze!*.

## History

### Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

#### With Paul

Infernape was once a Chimchar owned by Paul. Prior to the events of *Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl*, Paul saw Chimchar being chased by a furious group of wild Zangoose and followed. The situation began to look bad for Chimchar as he was cornered by a cliff's edge, but in his stress, he pulled off an extremely powerful Flame Wheel and defeated all of the Zangoose. This impressed Paul enough to add Chimchar to his regular team. However, this first impression did not match up with Chimchar's normal abilities or personality, resulting in Paul looking down on him and criticizing him for being weak. Since then, Paul has been pushing Chimchar to the limit to duplicate the amazing power he saw before. Traumatized, Chimchar had also gained a morbid fear of Zangoose.

Chimchar debuted in *When Pokémon Worlds Collide!*, where Paul used him to battle Ash's Aipom. He fought well but lost in the end. Chimchar reappeared in *Different Strokes for Different Blokes* where he won against Ash's Turtwig.

In *Shapes of Things to Come!*, Paul used Chimchar in his Gym Battle against Roark and his Onix. Chimchar immediately took damage from Onix's previously placed Stealth Rock but remained standing. Chimchar then continued to use Dig until Onix was knocked out, having support from Paul's Elekid and its Static Ability slowing Onix down. Chimchar then went up against Roark's Cranidos. Paul used the same strategy again, having Chimchar dodge and attack with Dig. However, Roark had figured it out and dealt major damage from continuous attacks from Headbutt and Zen Headbutt, causing Chimchar to activate Blaze, something it turned out Paul had been waiting for. Chimchar attacked with a powered-up Flame Wheel and injured Cranidos' leg, following up with Dig, but was knocked out by a Headbutt, leaving Paul angry with Chimchar for his defeat and promising to deal with him later.

After losing to Cynthia's Garchomp in *Top-Down Training!*, Paul realized that Chimchar was not fulfilling his expectations. This culminated in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition in *Glory Blaze!*, where he was forced to battle alongside Ash. That night, Ash discovered Paul's training regime, which involved directing several of his other Pokémon to attack Chimchar in the hopes of recreating the power he had displayed against the Zangoose before. Chimchar accidentally struck Ash with his Flamethrower, causing him to panic and check on the trainer, but Ash simply complimented Chimchar on his growing strength. After both Ash and Dawn questioned Paul on his harshness towards Chimchar and not his other Pokémon, he explained that he was training Chimchar as it wanted, something the Fire-type nodded to confirm. Ash sadly tried to explain to Chimchar that there were other ways to get stronger, but a conflicted Chimchar still followed Paul to return to training when called on.

Paul's brutal methods soon left Chimchar unable to even stand, at which point Paul instructed Elekid to use Thunder on the defenseless Pokémon to wake it up: at this point, an angered Pikachu rushed in with Volt Tackle to defend Chimchar from the attack, and Ash finally intervened and took Chimchar to the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy sternly told an impatient Paul that he would be unable to battle and that he had to be given time to recover. Paul ignored this warning, however.

During the next battle, Chimchar and Ash's Turtwig were pit against a Metagross and a Zangoose, leaving Chimchar too afraid to even attack and having to be saved by Turtwig, who had been instructed by Ash to protect the weakened Fire type, when caught in Zangoose's claws. However, Paul commanded the reluctant Chimchar to attack with Flame Wheel even when Turtwig would be hit and seriously injured by the super-effective Fire move, which a remorseful Chimchar made up for when it acted against its fear to shield Turtwig from the Zangoose's Fire Blast attack. Realizing that being forced to relive the trauma of being attacked by Zangoose only frightened Chimchar instead of motivating it and activating Blaze, even as it courageously held off Zangoose's attack, Paul gave up on the Chimp Pokémon, turning his back and refusing to give Chimchar further orders. However, as all seemed lost, Ash stepped in and gave Chimchar commands instead, helping him defeat Metagross with a powerful Flamethrower, and the three soon won the battle. Chimchar celebrated alongside Ash and Turtwig, but his happiness was cut short as he noticed Paul's continued silence.

Not caring for Chimchar's strengths and seeing only its failure to live up to his expectations, Paul went outside after the battle and released Chimchar back into the wild, before Ash and his friends arrived on the scene. As the dejected Pokémon began to head into the woods, Ash invited the Fire type to join his team instead. Paul rudely commented that the two deserved each other: both were pathetic. Despite this, Ash encouraged Chimchar to ignore his former trainer, and told him they'd prove Paul wrong he was together. As Paul walked away, a tearful and joyful Chimchar accepted Ash's invitation.

#### With Ash

Immediately after being released and offered to join Ash, Team Rocket arrived and kidnapped Chimchar with the extendable hand of their balloon, wanting to make him part of their team. However, after Ash assured him they would help him, a reassured Chimchar acted on his own and easily destroyed the mecha with a single Flamethrower, sending the trio blasting off. After being caught by Ash as he fell, Chimchar happily allowed a trainer to catch it once again.

In the final round of the competition, Paul and Ash selected Elekid and Chimchar for their last battle in *Smells Like Team Spirit!* against Conway's Heracross and Dawn's Buizel. During the battle, Elekid evolved into Electabuzz, and they both combined Thunder and Flamethrower on Buizel and Heracross to knock them out. This victory meant that Ash and Paul won the Hearthome City Tag Battle Tournament.

In *Tears For Fears!*, Ash and his friends had a picnic party. Chimchar watched as Ash, Dawn, and Brock's other Pokémon had fun playing, battling, and helping cook together. Chimchar began to have flashbacks of when he was still in Paul's possession, reflecting on how his former Trainer abused him and treated him like nothing more than a tool for battle, giving him a few minutes to eat before going back to extensive training and even putting him down as he celebrated his victories, as opposed to how Ash and his friends treat their Pokémon like friends, caring for them and not pushing them too hard. Chimchar began to cry, relieved but overwhelmed to finally be treated with patience and kindness, something Paul failed to provide as his trainer.

That night, Chimchar was woken up by a nightmare of Paul's training and wandered off, finding Meowth alone under the stars. To Chimchar's surprise, Meowth sat and spoke with him as they looked at the moon, listening to him and encouraging Chimchar that his friends would support him. The next day, after a scheme from Team Rocket went wrong due to a pack of wild Zangoose feuding with Jessie's Seviper, Chimchar was faced with the challenge of having to fight three of the Cat Ferret Pokémon in order to save Team Rocket and the rest of Ash and friends' Pokémon from being pushed off a cliff. Though still terrified, with his new trainer's protection and the support of his allies and even Meowth, Chimchar was able to overcome this fear and save the other Pokémon, getting rid of Team Rocket in the process as they tried to sneak away.

In *A Triple Fighting Chance!*, Ash used Chimchar in his Gym battle against the Veilstone City Gym Leader, Maylene. Chimchar battled Meditite, but was recalled after Meditite confused him. He was then sent out against Lucario where he was ultimately defeated, despite a valiant effort.

In *Chim - Charred!*, Ash, Dawn, and Brock ran into Paul, which initially caused Chimchar to hide. Ash and Paul entered an argument over their training methods which led to an enraged Ash challenging Paul to a battle, which the trainer ignored until a spirited Chimchar ran out and barked at him, causing him to accept. After Gligar was taken down, Chimchar volunteered to go up against his former trainer, facing Paul's Ursaring. Ursaring and Paul used brutal tactics and terrified the poor Pokémon, until eventually Chimchar was pushed to the point of Blaze activating - now in a state far more intense than even Paul had seen before. Chimchar quickly and easily defeated Ursaring with a single Flame Wheel, but went on an uncontrollable rampage. Ash ran up and embraced a flaming Chimchar, begging him to stop. Chimchar continued to struggle and yell, even biting Ash in his rage, but eventually, Ash's pleading got through and Chimchar calmed down, frightened by everything that had happened. Despite this, Ash assured him that Chimchar would be able to control his power despite Paul's doubts, managing to cheer him up.

In *Double Team Turnover!*, while battling Team Galactic, Chimchar protected Pikachu from a Poison Jab launched by Saturn's Toxicroak. Chimchar was incapacitated for the rest of the fight, and was later thanked by Ash after receiving medical treatment. Cynthia then comforted Chimchar about his past with Paul.

Ash later used Chimchar to battle Barry in *Barry's Busting Out All Over!*. Chimchar easily defeated Barry's Staraptor, using its superior agility. However, despite the type advantage, Chimchar lost to Barry's Roserade.

In *Shield with a Twist!*, Ash used Chimchar as his second Pokémon in his Hearthome City Gym battle, going up against Fantina's Mismagius. Chimchar used Flame Wheel, which was dodged before Mismagius used Psywave, hitting Chimchar. Chimchar then spun and used Flamethrower, creating a Fire Counter Shield, which hit Mismagius, but was eventually broken by Mismagius' Magical Leaf. Mismagius later used Psywave against Chimchar's Counter Shield, but this only blocked the Flamethrower, allowing Chimchar to hit with Flame Wheel, knocking Mismagius out. Chimchar was then recalled. Chimchar was later sent out as Ash's last Pokémon to battle against Fantina's Drifblim. His Flame Wheel was countered by Will-O-Wisp, but this gave Ash an idea. Chimchar then used Flamethrower, but was countered by Drifblim's Will-O-Wisp and Psychic Counter Shield. However, this only powered up Flamethrower, making it deal massive damage. After Ominous Wind was dodged by Dig, Chimchar came from behind and grabbed onto Drifblim, crashing it into the ground. Drifblim used Hypnosis, but Chimchar countered with Flamethrower, knocking out Drifblim and earning Ash the Relic Badge.

In *Dealing With Defensive Types!*, he was Ash's first Pokémon in his battle against Byron, taking on Byron's Bronzor. Roark quickly identified him as Paul's Chimchar that he had battled against before. First Chimchar used Flamethrower, but it didn't do much damage due to Bronzor's Ability Heatproof. Chimchar tried using Flamethrower again, but he was countered by Rain Dance, which dealt damage to Chimchar. Chimchar escaped by using Dig but his Flamethrower was countered by Gyro Ball. Chimchar's Flame Wheel clashed with Gyro Ball, knocking Bronzor out. After Ash's Buizel was defeated, Chimchar was sent out again against Byron's Steelix. After using a Flamethrower, Chimchar was shown to be weakened from his last battle. After using Dig to dodge Iron Tail, Steelix shook the ground to hurt Chimchar. This happened again when Chimchar dodged Bind, but just as Chimchar was about to be caught by a second Bind, the ground collapsed on Steelix due to it being weakened by Dig, allowing Chimchar to finish it off with Flame Wheel. He then went up against Bastiodon. His Flamethrower was countered with Iron Defense and then Metal Burst, which returned the damage, knocking Chimchar out.

In *Sliding Into Seventh!*, he was Ash's fourth Pokémon in his Snowpoint Gym battle, battling Candice's Snover. After dodging Ice Beam, his Flamethrower clashed with her Icy Wind creating water vapor. Ash told Chimchar not to panic and to sense Snover's movements. When he sensed her, he used Flamethrower, knocking her out. he then went up against Candice's Abomasnow. His Flamethrower was overpowered by her Blizzard, knocking Chimchar backward. Ash then recalled Chimchar. He was later sent out again against Abomasnow once again after Staraptor and Grotle were defeated. His Flamethrower was overpowered by Blizzard again but Chimchar was able to dodge. He struggled to dodge its next two attacks. Ash then decided to rely on speed after power wasn't enough, but didn't know how to go about it. After Chimchar dodged Blizzard, Ice Shard and Wood Hammer, Ash saw the ice break and told Chimchar to jump on an ice pillar. After Abomasnow broke the ice, Chimchar used a piece of ice like a snowboard, increasing his speed and letting him launch multiple successful Flamethrowers. After dodging more attacks, Abomasnow became tired. Flame Wheel went up against Blizzard, creating more water vapor, but Abomasnow was already knocked out. This won Ash the Icicle Badge.

In *Evolving Strategies!*, Chimchar was Ash's sixth Pokémon used in the Full Battle Ash had against Paul. He was the last Pokémon that hadn't been knocked out by Paul's other Pokémon, which he still had the use of five. Chimchar quickly defeated Paul's Ursaring, which had previously taken down three of Ash's Pokémon, and evolved soon after into a Monferno, immediately learning Mach Punch. During the following battle against Paul's Electabuzz, he put up a very close fight, but was defeated in a clash of Mach Punch and Thunder Punch, and badly injured, resulting in a loss for Ash.

In *Uncrushing Defeat!*, Monferno, along with the rest of Ash's Sinnoh team, was under the care of Nurse Joy in the Lake Acuity Pokémon Center, suffering bodily repercussions from the rough Full Battle loss against Paul. He needed a Cheri Berry to heal, but the Pokémon Center didn't have any. After Brock went to get one by the lake, he recovered. Later, he helped rescue Pikachu from Team Rocket by hitting them with his newly-learned Mach Punch, before blasting them off with Flamethrower.

In *Bagged Then Tagged!*, he was used in a Tag Battle with Dawn against Lyra and Khoury. Monferno used Flamethrower on Dawn's Cyndaquil's Flame Wheel to defeat Lyra's Chikorita, and defeated Khoury's newly evolved Croconaw with a Mach Punch.

In *Fighting Ire with Fire!*, Monferno battled Barry's Empoleon. After being struck by a Hydro Cannon and sent crashing into the forest nearby, Monferno entered once again into an uncontrollable rampage with Blaze, but managed to control it at the last second in order to save Ash's Pikachu, Dawn's Piplup, Paul's Electabuzz, and Barry's Empoleon from Team Rocket's falling mecha, evolving into an Infernape in the process.

In *Flint Sparks the Fire!*, Ash used Infernape in a battle against Flint's Infernape. However, despite his power and speed, he was unable to keep up with Flint's Infernape and was quickly knocked out with a Mach Punch.

In *The Eighth Wonder of the Sinnoh World!*, Infernape was Ash's third Pokémon in Ash's rematch against Volkner, going up against Volkner's Jolteon. Infernape launched a Mach Punch only to be hit with a powerful Thunderbolt. After dodging one Shadow Ball, he blocked the others with Mach Punch. Infernape was able to use Mach Punch before another Shadow Ball was launched, knocking Jolteon out. Infernape was then recalled. He was later sent out against Volkner's last Pokémon, Luxray. Infernape's Flamethrower drew with Luxray's equally powerful Shock Wave. Luxray then dodged his Mach Punch with Double Team. Though Infernape destroyed all the clones, he was hit with Thunder Fang, but dodged a second with Dig. However, Luxray used Iron Tail to hit the ground, exposing Infernape and dealing lots of damage. Luxray went to finish off a downed Infernape with Thunder Fang but was interrupted by Team Rocket knocking out the power. Then Infernape's Blaze activated, initially sending it out of control, with Flamethrower hitting the wall and roof. But when Ash told Infernape to stop, he walked over to Ash and was able to listen to him, as he controlled Blaze for the first time. Obeying Ash, he launched an extremely powerful Flamethrower but was hit by Thunder Fang, which Infernape easily countered with Mach Punch. He then countered Iron Tail with a fast Mach Punch. He then knocked Luxray out with Flame Wheel, winning Ash the Beacon Badge.

Before the Lily of the Valley Conference, Ash decided he would need help from his previously caught Pokémon. Due to this, Infernape, along with Ash's Sinnoh party except for Pikachu were all sent to Professor Oak's Laboratory. Later during the tournament Ash recalled Infernape to his team and trained against Brock's Sudowoodo to improve Flame Wheel, when Infernape suddenly learned Flare Blitz. Ash originally planned to use him in his battle against Conway along with his Torterra and Glalie, but after Dawn said power may not be enough, he decided not to focus on sheer power and instead used different Pokémon.

Infernape was later used in the Full Battle against Paul's Aggron, where he managed to burn Aggron with Flare Blitz before defeating it with Mach Punch. Ash decided to recall him when Paul sent out his Gastrodon. Later on he was sent out again to battle Paul's Ninjask. Ninjask's Agility was getting the better of him so Ash told him to use Dig then Flare Blitz, which heated up the field. This caused fire to erupt out of the ground and created a mist over the whole field, drastically damaging Ninjask but also cancelling Drapion's Toxic Spikes. After putting up a good fight, Infernape was able to put an end to Ninjask's lightning speed with a Mach Punch, evening the score.

Infernape was sent out once more after Pikachu's elimination against Paul's now fully evolved Electivire in *Battling a Thaw in Relations!*, as the battle came down to the final Pokémon on both sides. Infernape initially caused Electivire severe damage, but after multiple traded blows, his arm was caught by Electivire's tail, and he was shocked by a brutal Thunder attack while being held in place, causing him to collapse and the referee to begin to declare him unable to battle. Electivire stopped the referee, however, giving Infernape time to get back up. Seeing Electivire's goading and hearing Paul once again declare him pathetic, an explosive Infernape finally stood and roared as Blaze activated once again. With the increase in strength, he was able to give a final stand against the Thunderbolt Pokémon and push it to the limit with his attacks, leading into an explosive collision between a devastating Flare Blitz and Electivire's Thunder Punch that created a massive tornado of blue fire and electricity in the stadium - Infernape eventually overpowered Electivire's attack, and though visibly sustaining recoil from Flare Blitz, Infernape remained standing after one final stare-off as his opponent collapsed. Though worn from the battle, Infernape celebrated at finally proving his strength against his former trainer and rival, and giving Ash his first victory against Paul along with access to the Semifinal Round of the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Ash left Infernape at Professor Oak's Laboratory when he decided to go to Unova.

### Pokémon the Series: Black & White

Infernape was reunited with Ash in *The Dream Continues!*, where he and the rest of Ash's Pokémon posed in a group photo with him.

### Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Infernape made a return in *Advice to Goh!*. When visiting Professor Oak's Laboratory with Goh, Ash learned from Professor Oak that Infernape had picked fights with some of his other Fire-type Pokémon, before disappearing a few days earlier. When Ash and Goh went to look for Infernape, they met Gary, who told them that he was looking for Moltres. He also revealed to them that Infernape had continued to train on his own after Ash had left for Unova, so much to the point that he rarely saw him around his grandfather's lab. They then deduced that Infernape, evidently intent on growing stronger, must have left the lab in order to find and battle the Legendary Fire-type Pokémon.

They then traveled to a valley where Gary was expecting Moltres to appear and found Infernape there, calling out for Moltres. As Infernape reunited with Ash, Moltres appeared, having heard Infernape's calls. Ash used Infernape to battle against Moltres, but despite putting in his best effort, he stood no chance against the Legendary bird, and ended up backing down from the fight. After the battle concluded, Infernape returned to Professor Oak's Lab and shared his experience with his Fire-type comrades, making them understand his reasoning for picking fights with them.

Infernape appeared in a flashback of Ash's Gym battle with Volkner in *Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start!*.

Infernape, along with the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab, reunited with Ash in *Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!*. During the visit, he met up with his former Trainer and later joined Ash's other Fire types to help teach Ash's Gengar Will-O-Wisp. After this, he watched the battle between Ash and Paul. Before Ash left, he posed with the rest of Ash's Pokémon in a group photo with him.

In *Battling as Hard as Stone!*, Infernape was gathered with the rest of Ash's Pokémon to watch his Masters Eight Tournament match against Steven. He was later seen celebrating when Gengar managed to defeat Steven's Aggron.

From *Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder!* to *Whittle While You Work!*, Infernape watched Ash's match against Cynthia. During the battle, Infernape got excited when Lucario entered the match.

In *A Flood of Torrential Gains!*, Infernape watched Ash's match against Leon. In *Paring Pokémon While Parrying!*, Infernape and the other Fire-type Pokémon were impressed when Leon used his Charizard in battle. In *Partners in Time!*, Infernape appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Charizard. After Ash won the battle, Infernape joined the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab in celebrating their Trainer's victory.

In *Heroes Unite!*, Infernape, along with the rest of the Pokémon at the lab, welcomed Ash back to Pallet Town after his victory over Leon.

In *Rocket Revengers!*, Infernape was shown to have rejoined Ash's team. During the episode, he, alongside Hawlucha, battled Jessie's Gourgeist and James' Carnivine. He later used Flare Blitz to prevent Team Rocket from capturing Pikachu.

## Personality and characteristics

As a Chimchar, Infernape suffered from extremely low self-esteem due to Paul's constant scolding and harsh treatment, making Chimchar fear Paul to some extent, always feeling fear and anxiety whenever he believed Paul would punish him by not living to his Trainer's expectations. This was also briefly extended towards Ash, as when Chimchar heard Ash yell out to him, Chimchar froze in fear, believing that Ash would punish him, but was greatly surprised to find out that Ash's yelling was out of concern rather than anger. Nonetheless, Chimchar was always a sweet and kind-hearted Pokémon, although he was forced to suppress and hide these emotions around Paul, as whenever Chimchar showed any emotion other than anger and ferocity, he was scolded or reprimanded by Paul. Despite this, Chimchar always did his best to please Paul, and even after all his mistreatment, Chimchar, after being released by Paul, pleaded for him to change his mind, albeit unsuccessfully.

After being taken in by Ash, Chimchar had difficulty blending in with his new Trainer's atmosphere, as he realized that unlike Paul, his new Trainer and fellow Pokémon were always happy and helped each other, and rarely showed any signs of hostility amongst themselves. Unable to suppress his feelings any longer, Chimchar cried his heart out while being held in his arms, being overwhelmed with joy at finally being treated with love, care, and respect, and not having to suffer from mistreatment again. Since then, Chimchar's strength slowly began to increase, something that Paul always tried, but was never able to do. Reggie speculated that Paul's training methods weren't suited for Chimchar, but Ash's worked perfectly, and Chimchar quickly became one of Ash's most used and powerful Pokémon in Sinnoh.

One of the keys to Chimchar's power Paul sought was his Blaze Ability, something his first Trainer would push him to exhaustion to draw out; even going so far as to trying to make him relieve the stress of its traumatic experience being cornered and outnumbered by Zangoose. However, when Chimchar faced down Paul and his Ursaring for the first time under Ash's care, Blaze emerged again with a drastically different new appearance, with Chimchar's eyes glowing red and his flames growing larger than his entire body. Ash, who had witnessed the Blaze Ability from other Fire-types and watched it activate in Chimchar's battle with Roark, described it as unlike any Blaze he had seen prior, and Brock noted to Dawn during this explosive Blaze's first appearance that they could be witnessing his full power. However, possibly as a result of his past experience of being pushed to his limit and of Blaze activating under immense stress, this incredible dormant power came with a drastic change in personality; Chimchar went completely berserk, attacking anyone and anything that stood in his way, friend or foe. This anger and rage caused Chimchar to lose any common sense, such as nearly fatally wounding his own Trainer, and it took Ash a large amount of effort and pain to finally calm him down the first time he entered this state, after which he was shown to be frightened.

Chimchar's fear of his repressed power remained a lingering insecurity for quite some time, as Ash refused to willingly activate Blaze in battle. While this worked to raise Chimchar's morale in the short term, it also left his special power unstable and volatile; this did not change after he evolved into Monferno, as when Blaze activated in a battle against Barry's Empoleon, he lost control yet again, greatly endangering his Trainer by enveloping him in flames. However, he ultimately overcame this issue to save his friends from being crushed by Team Rocket's mecha, evolving into Infernape in the process. Paul, who had witnessed the whole situation, noted that Infernape had turned the energy from Blaze into a new power, unlocking the true potential of his abilities. Infernape's control over his power was solidified in his battle against Volkner's Luxray. With the trust of his Trainer, he managed to retain his common sense and still listen to Ash's commands while Blaze was activated, finally gaining mastery over the incredible power its former Trainer had once tried to force.

After reaching his final evolved stage, Infernape gained an immense amount of fighting spirit, becoming fired up and determined to defeat strong opponents, while also always looking forward to battle an opponent stronger than himself, wanting to surpass his own limits and enhance his skills. Infernape is also incredibly feisty and resilient, being capable of withstand many powerful attacks and still continue battling, even as far as thriving while feeling pain, as Infernape uses the pain and exhaustion to motivate himself to continue battling and ultimately achieve victory. As noted by Reggie, Infernape's personality almost completely matches Ash's, which is why they are a perfect match for one another. He still retains some of his childlike and excitable personality from when he was a Chimchar, shown especially when he hugged Ash and let his Trainer spin him around after emerging victorious in the Gym battle Volkner, and like when he was a Chimchar, always takes any advice and motivation he receives, even from his enemies, such as Meowth.

From the moment they met, Infernape and Electivire had an intense rivalry, even from their days as a Chimchar and an Elekid. When both were under Paul's command, Elekid always looked down on Chimchar, thinking of it as inferior to itself and feeling pleasure whenever it belittled him. Over time, however, Electivire grew to respect Infernape's increasing power; as an Electabuzz, it was surprised yet amused and glad to see that Chimchar had evolved into Monferno during their battle at Lake Acuity, with Ash's Pokémon also returning the respect towards Paul's. Infernape and Electivire's growing mutual respect for the other's strength reached its peak during their final battle at the Lily of the Valley Conference; when the referee was about to declare Infernape unable to continue, Electivire angrily stopped him from ending the fight and taunted Infernape to get back up, despite the fact that Infernape's loss would mean Paul winning the battle. It seemed extremely delighted to see Infernape getting back to its feet, wanting to prolong their battle for as long as possible. After Infernape bested Electivire, it was visibly smirking at seeing Infernape on top, and finally viewed Infernape as its equal.

Since being left at Professor Oak's Laboratory, Infernape continued his training by challenging all of Ash's Fire-type Pokémon to battles, and even went out of his way to challenge the Legendary Pokémon Moltres upon hearing of its rumored appearance. Despite this, Infernape does get along with Ash's Fire types and is usually seen hanging out with them. Infernape also formed a friendship with Gengar when it began training with the Fire types for the Masters Eight Tournament. He appeared to be Gengar's main training partner during Ash's visit before the tournament, helping it learn Will-O-Wisp and cheering over its victory against Paul. During that same visit, Infernape was shown to have moved past his and Paul's once-strained relationship, accepting his former Trainer's orders and happily bidding him farewell.

## Moves used

### Moves improvised

 **Description:** A combination of Dig and Flare Blitz. During the Lily of the Valley Conference quarterfinals, Infernape went underground with Dig, and then used Flare Blitz while underground, causing the entire field to heat up and have fire erupt from the ground. This was used to destroy the Toxic Spikes that Paul's Drapion had set up and also damage Paul's Ninjask.

## Trivia

* The Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia featured at the end of DP067 is about Ash's Chimchar. He writes this senryū about him: 「ヒコザルは　やればできるこ　がんばるこ」 "*Hikozaru, you can do it if you try, so keep trying.*"
* Infernape is the only Pokémon owned by Ash who was previously owned by a rival.
* Infernape is Ash's first:
	+ Fire-type Pokémon to fully evolve under his ownership since Charizard, which evolved in *Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon*, 583 episodes earlier.
	+ Fighting-type Pokémon since Heracross, which was caught in *A Sappy Ending*, 479 episodes earlier.
	+ Fighting-type Pokémon to reach his fully evolved form while under his ownership.
		- If Pokémon that cannot evolve are not counted, he would be the only one to do so until Riolu's evolution in *Sword and Shield... The Legends Awaken!*, 501 episodes later.
* Chimchar's evolution into Monferno was first revealed in a Japanese movie poster for *Arceus and the Jewel of Life*, and Monferno's evolution into Infernape was first revealed in The Greatest - Everyday!.

1. ↑ "Tears For Fears!", Ash refers to Chimchar as a "he".