Ash Ketchum/History

This is the history of *Ash Ketchum* in the *Pokémon anime*.

## History

### Pre-series

Ash grew up in Pallet Town in the Kanto region with his mother, Delia, as his father spent most of his time traveling. Eventually, Ash would meet Professor Oak and his grandson Gary Oak.

In *Seeing the Forest for the Trees!*, Ash remembered getting lost in a forest while looking for Pokémon. He brought some wild Pokémon out of the rain and found them some shelter in a tree trunk. Ash's happiness about that moment made him think about how much he wanted to become a Pokémon Trainer.

At the age of six, Ash learned that Professor Oak would be holding a Pokémon Summer Camp, and eagerly asked his mother Delia if he could attend. Seeing her son's enthusiasm, she signed him up but also told him that she had things to do outside of the home during the day the camp would take place, so he would have to get himself there in time on his own. Unfortunately for Ash, he ended up breaking his alarm clock in his sleep and overslept, missing the camp.

Later, Ash managed to attend another one of Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camps. One day, another camper named Serena got lost in the forest and wounded her leg after getting startled by a Poliwag. Ash, who was looking for the Poliwag, came to her rescue and wrapped a handkerchief around the wounded knee to brace it. He then helped her up and guided her out of the forest.

As seen in *Lights, Camerupt, Action!*, Ash and Gary used to be friends at one point in time and even went to watch movies together. In *The Ties That Bind*, Ash recalled a day when he was about to start his Pokémon journey. He and Gary Oak both fished out an old, rusty Pokéball, which snagged on both their lines. After arguing about who would keep it, they broke it in two, each keeping one half as a reminder of that day.

### **Pokémon the Series: The Beginning**

In *Pokémon - I Choose You!*, Ash began his journey at the age of 10 as a warm-hearted and well-intentioned but stubborn, rash, and amateur Pokémon Trainer. He was forced to accept a stubborn Pikachu from Professor Oak as his starter Pokémon because he woke up late on the day he was set to get his first Pokémon. He was determined to achieve his goal and when Pikachu saw that he was willing to compromise his safety to keep it safe, the two of them formed an extremely strong bond that has been noticed and remarked upon by many characters in the anime. This unbreakable friendship would set his course for the future.

In *Pokémon Emergency!*, Misty told off Ash after she found her bike Ash had "borrowed" to save Pikachu with was wrecked. At the end of the episode, Team Rocket made it their primary objective to steal Pikachu after witnessing Pikachu's power. Misty continued following Ash as he headed for Pewter City, telling him in *Showdown in Pewter City* that she would continue following him until she was paid back for the bike.

Ash caught his first Pokémon, a Caterpie, in *Ash Catches a Pokémon*, followed by a Pidgeotto the next day.

In *Showdown in Pewter City*, Ash decided to compete in the Pokémon League regional championships by earning Badges from Gym Leaders across the Kanto region. Ash fought Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader, in a Pokémon battle and lost easily. During his rematch, Ash nearly defeated Brock but refused to give the final blow due to the intervention of Brock's younger siblings. Touched by Ash's kindness to Pokémon and with the return of his estranged father, Flint, Brock decided to go with Ash and pursue his dream of being the world's best Pokémon Breeder and gave Ash the Boulder Badge.

In *The Water Flowers of Cerulean City*, Ash reached the Cerulean Gym and was shocked to learn that Misty was one of its Gym Leaders. Though the match was interrupted when Team Rocket tried to steal the Pokémon from the Gym, Misty's sisters awarded Ash a Cascade Badge when Pikachu saved the Gym with a Thunderbolt. He continued his journey with Misty, who had dreams of becoming the world's greatest Water Pokémon Master.

Ash would go on to obtain the remaining Kanto starters. In *Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village*, Ash and friends found a Hidden Village protected by a Bulbasaur. Although hostile at first, Bulbasaur warmed up to Ash after he saved an Oddish from Team Rocket. Bulbasaur agreed to join Ash if he could defeat it in battle, which he did with Pikachu, adding Bulbasaur to his team. In *Charmander – The Stray Pokémon*, Ash and friends discovered a Charmander that had been left in the rain by his former Trainer, Damian. Brock carried Charmander to the Pokémon Center, while Ash held his coat over the Charmander's tail flame to keep it lit. After Charmander saved Pikachu from being taken by Team Rocket, Ash caught him. In *Here Comes the Squirtle Squad*, Ash and friends met the Squirtle Squad, a rogue group of Squirtle who were deserted by their Trainers. They were tricked by Team Rocket into capturing Pikachu, after which they betrayed and bombed them. Ash went back to rescue the Squirtle leader, which touched it enough to join his team. The remaining members left with Officer Jenny to become firefighters.

Every time he thought he was doing well, Ash would somehow cross paths with his childhood rival, Gary. Gary and Professor Oak reminded Ash that he was always a step behind Gary. In *Mystery at the Lighthouse*, Professor Oak told Ash that Gary had caught 45 Pokémon at a point when Ash only had seven.

In *Island of the Giant Pokémon*, Ash and his friends were swept away onto Pokémon Land, located on the Island of the Giant Pokémon, after a group of Gyarados triggered a cyclone using Dragon Rage. Four of Ash's Pokémon, including Pikachu, had gone missing during the chaos, but they found their way back to him the following day. Ash and the others took a ferry back to the mainland from *Tentacool & Tentacruel* to *The Ghost of Maiden's Peak*.

Many of Ash's first Gym Badges were given to him merely out of gratitude for his assistance, rather than claiming an actual victory in battle over the Gym Leaders. Of the first five Gym Badges that had been given to Ash in Kanto, only Lt. Surge's Thunder Badge in *Electric Shock Showdown* was earned from a victory in battle.

Ash's troubles were not made any easier when his Charmander, after evolving into a Charmeleon, and then a Charizard, grew too powerful and refused to listen to him until Ash could prove himself.

Over time, Ash's dedication to his goal paid off. After earning his first eight Badges, Ash went on to compete in the Indigo Plateau Conference, advancing to the fifth round - one further than Gary - and ending up in the Top 16, his defeat coming in the form of his Charizard refusing to battle for him.

Following Ash's defeat in the Indigo League, Professor Oak asked him to travel to Valencia Island in the Orange Archipelago to retrieve the GS Ball from a Pokémon Professor named Template:Prof. While in the Orange Archipelago, Ash learned of the Orange Crew, an elite group of Trainers not unlike Gym Leaders, that provided challenges for Trainers to overcome in the Orange League. After Brock decided to stay with Professor Ivy and help her with her work, Ash and Misty were joined by an enthusiastic Pokémon Watcher named Tracey Sketchit. Ash, Misty, and Tracey traversed the Orange Islands on the back of a lost Lapras. Ash caught the Lapras during this time. He eventually defeated the four members of the Orange Crew and finally won the Orange League by triumphing over the Orange Crew Supreme Gym Leader, Drake, becoming an Honored Trainer and earning himself a spot in the Orange League Hall of Fame. Before leaving the Orange Archipelago, Ash managed to find his Lapras' pod and released it back into the wild.

Upon returning to Pallet Town, Ash discovered that Brock had returned due to some unknown incident that left the aspiring Pokémon Breeder in dread of even hearing Professor Ivy's name. Meanwhile, Tracey stayed at Professor Oak's Laboratory as Professor Oak's assistant, and Brock rejoined Ash and Misty. After his victory in the Orange League, Ash encountered Gary again, and after being defeated in a one-on-one battle, he learned that his rival had been training hard to participate in the Silver Conference in Johto.

### **Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver**

Excited at the prospect of meeting new Pokémon and facing Gary again, Ash and friends left for the Johto region to collect eight Badges from the Gym Leaders in the Johto region and compete in the Johto League. Much like his travels through Kanto, Ash, Misty, and Brock impacted the many people and Pokémon they met along the way (one of them being Kurt, to whom Ash delivered the GS Ball).

In *The Grass Route*, Ash competed in the Grass Tournament with Bulbasaur. He lost in the final round to Ephraim's Skiploom.

Ash, along with Misty, competed in the Whirl Cup in the Whirl Islands, with Ash placing in the Top 16. He was defeated by Misty in a 2-on-2; Misty ended up losing in the next round. Ash, along with Ritchie, then helped save Silver, a child Lugia, and its parent, from the evil machinations of Team Rocket.

Ash encountered Gary occasionally in Johto, and, while they were still rivals, Gary seemed to view Ash with slightly more respect than before. Ash's growth of character was evident throughout this story arc as he continued to think more and more about his Pokémon and less and less about himself. After earning eight Johto Gym Badges, Ash entered the Silver Conference with Gary. Finally, the two rivals battled in the tournament in a Full Battle. Although it was a close battle, Ash emerged victorious against his rival for the first time in his career as a Pokémon Trainer, marking one of the biggest turning points in said career. After the battle, Gary and Ash departed on good terms with each other, finally overcoming their boyhood animosity and recognizing each other as equals. Ash's journey through Kanto and Johto came to an end when he was forced to split up with Brock and Misty when the two of them received messages to return home.

### Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

After hearing about a distant region called Hoenn from Harrison, the opponent he lost to in the Silver Conference, Ash decided to journey there and take only Pikachu with him this time. In Hoenn, Ash met a girl named May and her brother, Max, who he later learned were Petalburg Gym Leader Norman's children, and both of whom decided to join Ash on his travels. Shortly after the three companions left Petalburg City, Brock rejoined the group when he saved them from a flock of angry Taillow and their leader. From that point onward, Ash journeyed through Hoenn with one old friend and two new friends, collecting Gym Badges in much the same fashion as before. Once May set her sights on becoming a Top Coordinator, Ash supported her whenever he could while maintaining his focus on winning Badges. During these journeys, Ash and his friends ended up being entwined in the plots of the region's two rivaling villainous teams, Team Aqua and Team Magma, with Pikachu getting possessed by Groudon in the summit of their conflict. Thanks to Team Rocket's unintentional help, they helped save the entire Hoenn region.

While Ash had no major recurring rival in Hoenn, he did encounter certain Trainers multiple times and formed friendly rivalries with them. One such friend was Morrison, who was very similar to and just as competitive as Ash and was first introduced close to the end of the group's travels in Hoenn. Just like the Indigo Plateau and Silver Conferences, Ash did not win the Ever Grande Conference, but he came very close before losing to Tyson, who went on to win the tournament. After parting ways with May, Max, and Brock, Ash returned to Pallet Town. As he passed through Viridian City on his way back home, he met Scott and Agatha and learned about the Battle Frontier in Kanto. He decided to take on the Battle Frontier and was surprised but happy to learn that Brock, May, and Max would join him on this adventure as well. Eventually, Ash conquered the seven Frontier Brains and was offered the opportunity to become a Frontier Brain himself, but declined in favor of continuing his Pokémon journey.

### Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

 File:Ash arriving in Sinnoh.png
Following Ash's victory over the Battle Frontier, May set her sights on Pokémon Contests in the Johto region and traveled there while Max returned home to Petalburg City in Hoenn. After encountering and battling his old rival, Gary (who has now become a Pokémon researcher), and learning of a new region with new Pokémon, Ash decided to leave for the Sinnoh region to earn the Gym Badges available there. Like before, he took only Pikachu with him at first but brought his Aipom along when she snuck onto the ship Ash was leaving on. While Brock did not directly accompany Ash to Sinnoh, he did meet with him while there and traveled with him through Sinnoh as he had for Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. This time, they were accompanied by another aspiring Pokémon Coordinator named Dawn. Ash enthusiastically supported Dawn in her endeavors to become a Top Coordinator. Unlike May, he watched all of Dawn's Contests without being distracted by the need to train. Just as he supported Dawn in her Contests, she supported him in his Gym battles. She would even go as far as dressing up as a cheerleader with her Pokémon sometimes and cheer for him.

While traveling through Sinnoh, Ash formed a heated rivalry with a Trainer named Paul. Throughout Ash's journey, Paul would constantly put him down and the two often argued over their nearly opposite training styles. While Paul was harsh, distant, and sometimes plain cruel to his Pokémon, Ash insisted that the best way to raise Pokémon was through patience, caring, and friendship. Their rivalry came to a head after they competed in a Tag Battle Tournament together when Paul released his Chimchar after it failed to meet his expectations. Ash then decided to take in the Chimp Pokémon and promised to make it strong using his philosophy. Although Ash always considered himself on par with him, Paul would often come out the better in their battles as his Pokémon were very powerful, due to him only keeping Pokémon that were naturally really strong. Ash's Pokémon, though they grew under his command and became strong in their own right, could not yet equal those of Paul's. Later events would soon lead to a particularly crushing defeat at Lake Acuity for Ash, losing a Full Battle while only knocking out two of Paul's Pokémon in return, this being Ash's heaviest loss in any battle up to that point. Following the defeat, Ash acknowledged that he had to take Paul more seriously and cautiously in the future.

 File:Ash Wallace Cup.png
 File:Hearthome Collection Ash.png
While in Sinnoh, Ash competed in two official Pokémon Contests, once in Jubilife City and a second time in the Wallace Cup upon Wallace's recommendation. He also competed against several Pokémon Stylists in the Hearthome Collection fashion show in *Arriving in Style!*, where he ended up in third place, winning the Unique Award for his original performance.

As Ash and his friends journeyed through Sinnoh, they ended up becoming heavily involved with the legends of Sinnoh, with Ash being personally chosen by Azelf of the lake guardians. Along with [[Cynthia}}, Looker and Team Rocket, they faced off against Pokémon Hunter J as well as the evil Team Galactic. Thanks to their efforts, the Sinnoh region was spared from Cyrus's insane scheme.

Ash eventually obtained all of the Sinnoh Gym Badges he needed to enter Sinnoh's Pokémon League Conference. During his battles in the Lily of the Valley Conference, he managed to advance to the Top 4. For the second time since meeting Paul (the first being in a PokéRinger tournament during which Ash's Staravia evolved into a Staraptor and defeated Paul's Honchkrow), Ash managed to defeat his bitter rival, notably using Paul's discarded Chimchar, now an Infernape, to deal the finishing blow. This confirmed Ash's beliefs in how to raise Pokémon, showing that though he took his time and raised his Pokémon with care and friendship they achieved the same results as Paul's methods. This caused Paul to finally acknowledge Ash as a Trainer of some merit, thus ending their arguments. Ash later fought against Tobias, becoming the only known Trainer to defeat his Darkrai. Although Ash ultimately lost the battle at the same magnitude as his loss to Paul at Lake Acuity, he was not overly upset as he was closer to his Pokémon than ever before. After *Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl*, Ash, Dawn, and Brock split up and went their separate ways, with Brock confirming that he would not be joining Ash on his later travels as he decided to pursue his new dream of being a Pokémon doctor.

### Pokémon the Series: Black & White

Shortly after returning home from his Sinnoh journey, Ash traveled with Delia and Professor Oak on a trip to the Unova region. After losing in a battle to Trip and seeing the power of the Legendary Pokémon Zekrom, Ash became interested in traveling to Unova to meet new Pokémon, as well as new friends. In Unova, he brought along only his Pikachu as he did in Hoenn.

Soon after he started his journey, Ash met Iris, a wild girl who is (as he later learns) a possible successor of the Opelucid Gym and wishes to be a Dragon Master, and Cilan, one of the Striaton Gym Leaders, who aspires to be the world's greatest Pokémon Connoisseur. After Ash earns their interest by telling Iris of his encounter with Zekrom and battling Cilan for the Trio Badge, the three decide to travel together. During his time in Unova, along with his quest for the Badges, the three friends also competed in the local competitions Club Battle, Clubsplosion, and Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup. Despite battling quite well, Ash failed to win any of the tournaments and managed to be the runner-up of two of the three. Despite these mishaps, he was not upset to see his friends win the competitions instead of him.

As they journeyed, Ash and his friends ended up again being caught up in Team Rocket's new plot, which was personally being supervised by Giovanni. This time, Team Rocket planned to take over the world using a Meloetta that Ash befriended to unleash the power of the Forces of Nature. Thanks to Cynthia and Ridley, Ash and his friends managed to thwart Team Rocket's evil plot.

After managing to obtain eight Unova Gym Badges, Ash was allowed to participate in the Vertress Conference along with his current and some new rivals. In the preliminary round, Ash battled Trip one-on-one, defeating him for the first time and ending their rivalry. Ash also defeated his friend and rival, Stephan, in the tournament. He then battled one of his newer rivals, Cameron, where he lost in *A Unova League Evolution!*, ending in the Top 8 of the Vertress Conference.

After the Conference, the three friends decided to check out some ruins that Professor Juniper's father, Cedric Juniper discovered, and on the way, they met with a strange young man named N. They soon became entwined in the plots of Ghetsis, Colress, and Team Plasma as they sought to take over the world using Reshiram's power. Ash and his friends, along with Looker, the Team Rocket trio, Professor Cedric, as well as N, Anthea and Concordia, managed to foil Plasma's evil scheme.

As their adventures started coming to a close, Ash and his friends decided to take the long way back to Kanto by sailing on a series of luxury liners through a chain of islands called the Decolore Islands. On the way, Ash met Alexa, a Pokémon Journalist, from whom he learned of the Kalos region. Soon after they reach Kanto, Ash split up with Iris and Cilan, who wished to go in separate directions to follow their dreams.

### Pokémon the Series: XY

 File:Baron Ash.png
After his brief visit to Pallet Town and having left his Pokémon in Professor Oak's care beside Pikachu, Ash arrived at the Kalos region with Alexa, first visiting Lumiose City, where he parted ways with the journalist and tried to challenge the Lumiose Gym at Prism Tower. He was forcibly ejected from the tower when the computerized security system, later revealed to be the Clembot, found out that he didn't have any Kalos Badges. He was rescued by Clemont and Bonnie.

Ash brought an injured Froakie to Professor Sycamore, who told Ash about an additional stage of Pokémon evolution he was researching called Mega Evolution. Assisted by Pikachu and Froakie, Ash calmed down an angry Garchomp belonging to Sycamore that was attacking Lumiose City. Ash saw a Mega Evolved Pokémon for the first time when a Mega Blaziken saved him and Pikachu from falling off of Prism Tower. Froakie then allowed itself to be captured by Ash, and Clemont and Bonnie started to travel with Ash.

Ash won his first Kalos Badge, the Bug Badge, after defeating the Santalune Gym Leader, Viola. The group was joined by Serena, who still remembered Ash rescuing her in her childhood and decided to start her journey to reunite with him, although he initially did not remember the two of them meeting. Ash and Serena learn that Clemont was the Lumiose Gym Leader, who was exiled from his Gym by his invention. They help Clemont face Clembot, and after the issue was resolved, the two boys promised to battle after Ash fulfilled the original conditions set by Clembot (even if it was no longer necessary), to earn four Badges. With that, the group set off on their journey again. During their travels, they occasionally met the ninja boy Sanpei, whose presence always led to progress in Froakie's (and later Frogadier's and Greninja's) strength.

Ash briefly traveled with the Shalour Gym Leader Korrina to discover more about Mega Evolution and Mega Stones.

Ash and his friends later attended Professor Sycamore's Pokémon Summer Camp, where they met the trio of Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor, with whom the group started a friendly rivalry with. In Ash's case, his rivalry would mainly be with Trevor and Tierno as Serena and Shauna pursued Pokémon Showcases.

During their journey, Ash caught a lost and traumatized Goomy, which he raised into a Sliggoo, and later, a powerful Goodra. After earning his fourth Gym Badge, Ash eventually faced Clemont in their promised Gym Battle, and won with Goodra's help, gaining his fifth Badge. Later, Ash and friends came across Goodra's old home, where they discovered it was taken over by a Florges and her companions. After saving Goodra's swamp from Team Rocket while simultaneously solving the issue concerning Florges, Ash left Goodra in the wetlands so it could act as the protector of its swamp and the Pokémon living in it. Some time afterward, when Ash reached Laverre City to challenge the Gym, he made a new rival in Sawyer, a novice trainer hailing from Hoenn. Along the way, Ash also supported Serena in her quest to become Kalos Queen and gave her some helpful advice when she eventually lost, telling her that losing is simply another step towards victory.

Later in their journeys, Ash and friends reached Anistar City and, together with Professor Sycamore, they met the Gym Leader, Olympia. She revealed his Frogadier's past as a Froakie from before meeting Ash and a glimpse of Frogadier's, his friend's, Sycamore's, Team Rocket's, and his fate, indicating that they would all play a vital role in Kalos' future. Ash challenged her to a Double Battle, which he won using Frogadier and Talonflame.

Shortly after, the group came across a mysterious Pokémon, dubbed Squishy by Bonnie, who was being pursued relentlessly by the villainous team Team Flare, prompting the group to put it under their protective custody. Some time afterward, Ash and his friends got involved in a conflict in Sanpei's hometown, which led to Frogadier evolving into Greninja, as well as achieving Bond Phenomenon for the first time. During another confrontation with Team Flare in Terminus Cave, Ash learned Bond Phenomenon came at a cost, as he was able to share Greninja's senses, but also share its pain.

Later on, Ash met up with Alain, who became intrigued by Greninja's Bond Phenomenon and requested to battle Ash. Ash put up a decent fight but eventually lost. After his loss against Alain, Ash and Greninja began training to perfect Greninja's new form. Ash and Greninja later had a rematch with Alain and a battle against Diantha, during the latter Greninja even managed to reach its final Ash-Greninja form. Despite their training, the two were unsuccessful in mastering the transformation as Ash passed out during both battles from exhaustion from using the form.

After losing a rematch with Sawyer, in which Greninja even failed to transform, Ash began feeling doubtful of his ability to master the transformation. His confidence was shaken further after brutally losing to the Snowbelle Gym Leader Wulfric in a battle where all three of his Pokémon were unable to bring down Wulfric's second Pokémon, Avalugg. After seeing how badly Greninja got hurt during their battle and blaming himself for the loss, a depressed Ash left into the Winding Woods by himself. After an argument with Serena, Ash was able to get back to his old self. He later met up with Greninja, and while trying to save a wild Spewpa, the two were able to perfect Bond Phenomenon. With Greninja's Ash-Greninja form perfected, Ash was able to defeat Wulfric in a rematch, earning him his final Kalos Gym Badge and qualifying him for participation in the Lumiose Conference.

After returning to Lumiose City, Ash entered the Lumiose Conference. Following several notable victories, Ash had Goodra rejoin his team for his semi-final battle against Sawyer. After a narrow victory, Ash managed to defeat Sawyer and reach the finals of the Conference, marking his first appearance in the finals of a Pokémon League; where he would face Alain. On the night before the final battle, he and his friends learned more about the Ash-Greninja transformation. In the finals of the Lumiose Conference, Ash and Alain started a back-and-forth battle that eventually came down to Alain's Mega Charizard X against Ash's Greninja in its Ash-Greninja form. After a fierce battle, Greninja was defeated, causing Ash to end up as the Runner-Up of the Lumiose Conference. Ash showed great sincerity and principle following the battle, shaking Alain's hand regardless of the result.

 File:Ash and Pokémon captured.png
During the closing ceremony of the conference, Team Flare began their final operation, using the power of the blue Zygarde Core Z2 to cause massive roots to destroy parts of Lumiose City. Ash and his Pokémon were ultimately abducted by Team Flare and were taken captive at the top of Prism Tower, as Lysandre intended to use Ash and Greninja's Bond Phenomenon for his plans by using Team Flare's Mega Evolution energy ray to control them. However, upon hearing Pikachu's voice, Ash resisted the machine's influence, even getting Greninja to do the same thing. After talking some sense into Alain, Ash and Greninja broke free from their bindings by using the Bond Phenomenon. Ash and Alain soon engaged in a battle against Lysandre and ultimately managed to defeat him. When Ash later heard about the Giant Rock, he met up with the rest to combat it. Thanks to everyone's combined effort, Chespie was saved from the Giant Rock. Squishy and Z2 ultimately destroyed the creature, before the two Zygarde left.

Following the crisis, Ash helped Alain and Serena resolve their issues and bid farewell to his rivals. Later, after dropping Goodra off at the wetlands again, the group came across Xerosic, one of Team Flare's Scientists. Ash, his Greninja, his friends and the gang were ultimately able to foil Xerosic's plans and hand him over to Officer Jenny. The group soon reunited with Squishy and Z2, who requested Greninja's help to obliterate the remaining negative energy left by Team Flare's crisis. Knowing this was for the sake of Kalos, Ash bade farewell to Greninja before Greninja left with the two Zygarde. After releasing Greninja, Ash and the gang headed back to Lumiose City to say their final goodbyes. After bidding farewell to Serena, who headed for Hoenn, Ash separated from Clemont and Bonnie as well and returned to Pallet Town.

### Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

Ash traveled with Delia to the Alola region after Mimey won the trip via lottery. It was shown that Ash gave his Kalos Pokémon to Professor Oak, who gave him and his mother a Pokémon Egg to deliver to his cousin Samson. While on Melemele Island, Ash stumbled upon the Pokémon School, where he met Lana, Lillie, Mallow, Kiawe, Sophocles, Samson, and Professor Kukui and learned about Z-Rings and Z-Moves. Later on, he met Tapu Koko, the guardian of Melemele Island, who gave Ash a Z-Ring and an Electrium Z. With these discoveries, Ash decided to remain in Alola to study at the school and learn more about Z-Moves, living with Professor Kukui.

Later, Tapu Koko challenged Ash and Pikachu to a battle. Ash's Electrium Z broke after Ash and Pikachu used the Z-Move Gigavolt Havoc on Tapu Koko. Ash then decided to take on the island challenge to obtain new Z-Crystals and prove his worth.

 File:Ash and Z-Ring.png
Ash caught several Pokémon on Melemele Island, such as his Rowlet, Rockruff, and Litten. Ash also got a Normalium Z after his fight with Totem Gumshoos on Melemele Island. Tapu Koko gave him a new Electrium Z after Ash won his grand trial battle with Melemele Island kahuna Hala. Also, Ash struck up a friendly rivalry with Lillie's brother [[Gladion}}. He then gained a Grassium Z and Rockium Z during his trial and grand trial on Akala Island. He also briefly reunited with Brock, Misty, and some of his Pokémon during a field trip to Kanto for an extracurricular activity.

One day, Ash was entrusted to take care of a Cosmog by Solgaleo and Lunala, which he saw in a dream. The Cosmog, nicknamed Nebby by Lillie, took a liking to Ash and frequently caused trouble with its ability to teleport people around. In *Faba's Revenge!*, [[Faba}} kidnapped Nebby while Ash's attention was elsewhere. When Ash and Lillie learned about this, they enlisted Gladion and [[Lusamine}} in helping them rescue it. When the four found Faba, they also found that he successfully forced Nebby to summon a Nihilego from an Ultra Wormhole. After Nihilego kidnapped Lusamine and retreated into the Ultra Wormhole, Ash discovered that the incident caused Nebby to evolve into a Cosmoem.

 File:Ash and Z-Power Ring.png
Ash, his classmates, and Gladion then watched as the [[guardian deities}} helped Nebby evolve into the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo and upgrade Ash's Z-Ring into a Z-Power Ring. With a Solganium Z he received from Nebby, Ash activated Solgaleo's Z-Move, Searing Sunraze Smash, and had Nebby open up an Ultra Wormhole, allowing everyone to traverse through Ultra Space on Nebby's back. There, after Ash's Electrium Z temporarily transformed into a Pikashunium Z, Ash and Pikachu used it to launch a 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. The attack defeated Nihilego, weakening it long enough for Lillie and Gladion to pull their mother free from its hold. The Pikashunium Z then reverted to an Electrium Z. With their mission finished, Lusamine was taken back through the Ultra Wormhole to the Altar of the Sunne.

During Kukui and Burnet's wedding reception in the aftermath of the incident, Ash and his friends were invited to join an [[Ultra Beasts|Ultra Beast}} response task force, known as the Ultra Guardians, which they all agreed to. On their first mission, Ash and his classmates were assigned to capture a Buzzwole that had appeared through an Ultra Wormhole. The Ultra Guardians encountered it at Mahalo Trail, where Ash eventually realized it preferred flexing to battling. As a result, Ash and Kiawe distracted it long enough for the former to throw a Beast Ball at it, successfully capturing it. Later, Buzzwole was brought to Melemele Meadow, where Professor Burnet temporarily opened a new wormhole, allowing Buzzwole to return home.

 File:Ash Ultra Guardian outfit.png
Later, Ash encountered a Poipole who seemed strangely attached to Pikachu. After a while, Poipole was confirmed to be an Ultra Beast. Ash was permitted to capture it, though he failed several times as Poipole thought the catching process was a game. After Ash helped it understand what was happening, Poipole allowed itself to be captured and was allowed to stay with the group until they could find its Ultra Wormhole and send it back.

Ash attempted to participate in the Ula'ula Island challenge, but he was rejected by Nanu and lost in an impromptu "pre-trial". Afterward, Ash decided to stay on the island and train under Tapu Bulu. This allowed him to formally participate in his island challenge, which turned out to be a battle against Jessie's Mimikyu, who recently gained a Mimikium Z. Ash barely won thanks to Pikachu learning Electroweb, as well as being able to once again use 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt. Finally, Ash participated in the grand trial, where he faced off against Nanu in a 3-on-1 battle in Nanu's favor and won, earning himself a Lycanium Z.

Ash led the Ultra Guardians' investigation into mysterious dark clouds that appeared over the Alola region, causing all of the adults in Alola to lose their energy and motivation. The cause was revealed to be a Necrozma pursuing a Lunala, which resulted in a massive battle against Necrozma. During this time, Nebby joined the fight; Necrozma possessed Lunala and then Nebby to become Dawn Wings and Dusk Mane Necrozma, respectively; and the Ultra Guardians pursued Necrozma into Poipole's world. There, they learned about how Necrozma needed to regain its true form to release Nebby. After Ash and Gladion acquired Z-Crystals for Nebby and Lunala, the Ultra Guardians, with the help of their Pokémon, Lunala, Poipole's friends, and everyone else in Alola, shared their Z-Power with Necrozma, causing it to release Nebby. Afterward, Ash and Nebby used Searing Sunraze Smash, while Gladion and Lunala used Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom on Necrozma. The combined Z-Moves fully restored Necrozma's light, giving it the strength to become its true form, Ultra Necrozma. Afterward, the Ultra Guardians, Nebby, and Lunala traveled back to Alola through the Ultra Wormhole, while Ash said farewell to Poipole, who chose to stay behind in its world.

Later, Ash and his classmates arrived on Poni Island for their research projects for school. Ash's project was to have a grand trial battle. In *A Grand Debut!*, Ash battled the newly-appointed island kahuna Hapu in a one-on-one battle and won. Letting Pikachu choose their reward for the completion, Ash received a Steelium Z.

 File:Ash Champion.png
Following this victory, Ash entered the first-ever Manalo Conference, along with his classmates. He eventually made it to the semifinals, where he faced off against the Team Skull Boss Guzma. After a tough match, Ash was able to defeat him and advance to the finals, where he was set to face Gladion. On the night before the final battle, Ash's Meltan fused with its fellow Meltan, evolving into Melmetal, which Ash ended up using as his first Pokémon in the finals. The match eventually resulted in a battle between the two Trainers' Lycanroc, with Ash's Lycanroc eventually emerging victorious, thus earning Ash the title of Alola League Champion.

After winning the Alola League championship, Ash was given the right to have an exhibition match against the Masked Royal. However, during a Guzzlord invasion of the Manalo Stadium, the Masked Royal's true identity as Professor Kukui was exposed. With his cover blown, Kukui decided to battle Ash as himself and make the exhibition match a Full Battle, which Ash agreed to. During the battle, Ash's Torracat was finally able to defeat its longtime rival, Professor Kukui's Incineroar, and evolve into an Incineroar itself. Before Kukui could send out his last Pokémon, Tapu Koko appeared and took its place in the battle. When Ash was down to his last Pokémon, Pikachu, Tapu Koko gave Kukui a Tapunium Z, while Ash's Electrium Z once again transformed into a Pikashunium Z, allowing both Pokémon to unleash their signature Z-Moves. In the end, Ash's Pikachu's Z-Move proved superior and defeated Tapu Koko, ending the exhibition match with Ash's victory.

After the Manalo Conference had ended, Ash was left unsure of what to do next. However, after hearing Olivia mention how important knowing the "outside world" is, he decided to return home and start traveling around the world. After saying farewell to his classmates, Kukui, and Burnet, he boarded a plane back to Kanto, leaving all of his current party Pokémon (excluding Pikachu) under the two Professors' care.

### Pokémon Journeys: The Series

 File:Ash goal JN.png
Sometime after his return to Kanto, Ash joined Professor Oak in attending the opening of the new Cerise Laboratory in Vermilion City. During the opening ceremony, the head of the lab, Professor Cerise, informed the attendees that a rare Pokémon would be appearing at the local port shortly. Ash eagerly rushed over there and found out the rare Pokémon was a Lugia. During this encounter, he also met a boy named Goh, and the two shared a ride with Lugia throughout Kanto. When they later returned to the Cerise Laboratory, Professor Cerise was amazed by the information they had gathered about Lugia, and he asked them to become his research assistants. They accepted the offer and were provided with their room to stay in. Delia also left Mimey at the lab to take care of Ash while he stayed there.

Later, Ash and Goh traveled to the Galar region to watch the finals of the World Coronation Series. The match ended in the victory of Galar's undefeated Champion Leon, thus making him the Monarch, the official strongest Trainer in the world. Inspired by this, Ash decided he wanted to battle Leon himself. However, before he could challenge him, a Gigantamax Drednaw went on a rampage and started causing havoc. While Ash and Goh battled it, Pikachu ended up Gigantamaxing as well, therefore giving him enough power to defeat Drednaw. Leon, impressed by Ash's performance, accepted his challenge to a battle. Ash also received a Dynamax Band from Leon. After Ash lost, he decided to take part in the World Coronation Series as well and climb through its ranks to one day challenge Leon again.

 File:Ash and Dynamax Band.png
Upon entering the World Coronation Series, Ash immediately started building up a winning streak, soon even reaching the Great Class after defeating Korrina. Ash's winning streak came to an end, however, when he encountered Bea, a Fighting-type Gym Leader from Galar, who was also aiming to defeat Leon. In their two-on-two match at the Fighting Dojo, Ash failed to defeat a single one of Bea's Pokémon, with her powerful Grapploct with its many limbs and Octolock proving especially troublesome. This crushing defeat caused Ash to start losing his self-confidence and led to him entering a losing streak, even resulting in him falling back into the Normal Class. This caused him to get depressed, until he was snapped back into his senses by a motivational speech from Goh. Thanks to this, he quickly fought his way back into the Great Class and challenged Bea to a rematch at the Cianwood Gym, managing to tie with her this time.

One night, Ash's Dynamax Band began to glow. After learning about cases of Pokémon Dynamaxing in Galar outside of Power Spots, Ash and Goh headed there to investigate. Soon after arriving in the region, Ash and Goh ended up getting separated while in the Slumbering Weald, where Ash encountered Zacian, whereas Goh encountered Zamazenta. Later, Ash encountered Leon and joined him in taking care of the Dynamax Pokémon rampaging around Galar. During this quest, they ended up encountering Chairman Rose and Oleana, and Ash accompanied them to dine and spend a night at Rose Tower. When he departed the next day to rendezvous with Goh, Eternatus emerged from the Hammerlocke Energy Plant, starting the Darkest Day and prompting Ash to head there. At the Hammerlocke Stadium, Ash re-encountered Rose and engaged him in a battle, eventually winning thanks to his newly evolved Lucario. Reuniting with Goh, the two then engaged in a battle against Eternatus, after Leon had failed to stop it. With Zacian and Zamazenta's help, they successfully defeated Eternatus and sealed it away, ending the Darkest Day.

 File:Ash Chloe Dawn Goh.png
Following his second battle with Bea, Ash entered another winning streak, steadily increasing his ranking. One day, he received a letter from Iris, challenging him to a World Coronation Series battle. He happily accepted her invitation, but was later surprised to find out that Iris had succeeded Alder as the new Champion of Unova. After an intense battle, Ash defeated his former traveling companion and rose to the Ultra Class as a result. In his first Ultra Class battle, Ash was pitted against Volkner and succeeded in defeating him. Following the match, Volkner informed Ash that Cynthia was taking part in the World Coronation Series as well, and had managed to climb her way into the Master Class.

 File:Ash showcasing his Key Stone.png
Knowing that he was going to be facing very strong opponents in the Ultra and Master Classes, Ash sought Korrina's help to Mega Evolve his Lucario. After receiving a Mega Glove from Korrina, Ash traveled to Mega Island and managed to obtain himself a Lucarionite, just in time to receive a message informing him that Bea was to be his next Ultra Class opponent. As such, Ash then traveled to Stow-on-Side to settle his score with Bea once and for all on her home turf. Using his newly acquired Mega Lucario, Ash was able to defeat Bea's Gigantamax Machamp, finally earning him a victory against his rival.

After defeating Bea, Ash sought Allister's help in Gigantamaxing his Gengar. Thanks to the Max Soup made by him, Gengar was able to unlock its Gigantamax potential, which proved useful in Ash's World Coronation Series battle against Marnie.

His victories kept bringing Ash more and more fame as the rising star of Kanto, causing the news of his next Ultra Class battle, this one against Drasna of the Kalos Elite Four, to gain widespread media attention. Following a reunion and a training session with Clemont and Bonnie, Ash took on Drasna and defeated her, putting him at the very top of the Ultra Class. As such, his next match was to be an entrance battle against Raihan, the lowest-ranked Trainer in the Master Class. After briefly reuniting with Greninja in Kalos and having his Lucario train its Aura with it, Ash felt ready for the match. Raihan, Leon's long-time rival, gave Ash a very tough challenge, even forcing him to use Gengar's Gigantamax instead of Lucario's Mega Evolution to bypass his weather strategy. Eventually, however, Ash managed to win, officially putting him in the Master Class along with the other reigning regional Champions and Alain.

 File:Ash accessories.png
During a visit to the Crown Tundra, Ash reunited with Lillie and her family just as they succeeded in finding Lillie's missing father, Mohn. He then proceeded to accompany them back to Alola, where he reunited with his Alolan family and friends. Ash also participated in a special Battle Royal that was organized to celebrate the homecoming of the Alola Champion. During the Battle Royal, the entire Alola region showed their support for Ash and encouraged him to win the Masters Eight Tournament as Alola's representative.

After some hard training with his Pokémon kept at Professor Oak's lab and Paul, Ash traveled to Galar once more to participate in the Masters Eight Tournament, along with the rest of the Masters Eight, reuniting with Iris, Alain, and the other regional Champions. His first opponent was chosen to be Steven. After watching the other quarterfinal battles, Ash and Steven began their battle. Although he had a tough time against the Hoenn Champion, Ash was eventually able to defeat him with the help of 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt, advancing him to the semifinals to face Cynthia. After witnessing Leon rather easily defeat Diantha, Ash took on Cynthia. Although Cynthia gained an early lead, Ash gradually evened the odds, until his Mega Lucario finally took home the victory, meaning that Ash and Leon's long-awaited battle was to finally happen.

 File:Ash winner.png
At the start of the finals, Leon surprised everyone by allowing Ash to use all three of Mega Evolution, Dynamax, and Z-Moves during the battle, which Ash accepted. During the climax of the battle, Eternatus appeared above Wyndon Stadium and granted both Trainers an additional use of Dynamax. The climactic showdown ended with a clash between Ash's Pikachu and Leon's Charizard. Ultimately, Ash's partner emerged victorious against the undefeated Charizard, fulfilling Ash's dream of defeating Leon and making him the new Monarch.

Following the Masters Eight Tournament, Ash announced his intentions to set off on a new journey alone to continue learning more about Pokémon and achieve his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. After departing from the Cerise Laboratory, Ash parted ways with Goh, who wished to go his way to achieve his dream.

 File:Ash Epilogue.png
Shortly after parting ways with Goh, Ash met an injured wild Latias. He helped to treat her injuries and protected her from being stolen by Team Rocket. As a result, she started to secretly follow him. Soon after, Ash reunited with Misty and Brock, who joined him in his travels once more as they continued to help out Pokémon in need and reunite with Ash's other old friends like Cilan, the Squirtle Squad, and his Lapras. Latias eventually reappeared before Ash and requested his help in saving a Latios from a Pokémon hunter. Once the hunter had been stopped, Latias left with Latios, who stubbornly didn't trust humans yet. He decided to return to Pallet Town following this, with Brock and Misty also deciding to return to their respective hometowns, although not before expressing a desire to travel again in the future. After returning home, Ash reunited with Tracey and his Pidgeot, the latter of whom returned to his party. During an encounter with Gary, he was asked what he'd do next to achieve his goal of becoming a World Champion. After spending a while pondering the answer, Ash deduced that to him, a Pokémon Master is a person who can befriend any Pokémon. Since he had failed to befriend Latios despite helping him, he figured he still had to work more to achieve his dream. As such, he resolved to resume traveling and left Pallet Town with Pikachu once more.