The Pokemon Anime was the gateway to the most iconic gaming franchise and to this day, I’ve been watching Ash Ketchem becoming the very best like no one ever was; becoming a hot headed novelist to a world champion. Yet it’s been a shock to hear that he and Pikachu will be retiring having to grow up with him for years, soon to be replaced by new protagonists for the Paldea season. So I thought that I could look back and talk about the top Pokemon battles that were brought to life by Ash throughout his journey. They include mayor battles that that happened to be epic as he thinks outside the box and coming out on top though also a few loses but are no less awesome. Be warned that they will contain major spoilers.
34) Vs Trip
(Curtin up, Unova League!/Mission: Defeat your rival!)
Trip is the kind of rival who is always one step ahead of Ash despite being a less experienced trainer during the Unova saga. But that’s what makes it awesome for Ash to finally defeat Trip in the Vertress Conference, especially when it appears that Trip have the upper hand with his Serperior who not only have the advantage against Pikachu but also limits his movements by constricting him like an actual snake catching it’s prey and sticking its tail onto the ground to conduct Pikachu’s Thunderbolt but Ash have managed to break out with a combination of Iron Tail and Electro Ball. Trip may not have as many appearances but hey, least it was worth the wait and he has become nicer to Ash since his own lost against Alder.
33) Vs Lt Surge
(Electric Shock Showdown)
The majority of Ash’s early Gym Battles during the Kanto saga have been rusty with Ash only starting out his journey as a beginner which most of the badges were given after doing a good deed or out of pity (least what Brock and Misty claimed). But here’s one of the few that he have legitimately earned and that’s his rematch against the Vermillion Gym Leader Lt Surge. Lt Surge is a rather arrogant Gym Leader who looks down at other trainers which he refers them as babies and unevovled Pokemon, preferring to evolve them as soon as possible. His Raichu proved to be too much for Ash’s Pikachu as an evolved form of Pikachu but during the rematch, it’s Pikachu who came out on top who have learned moves to outrun Raichu including Quick Attack and Agility, something that Raichu didn’t learned due to Raichu never having the chance to learn them before evolving. This makes it satisfying for Ash to win against Lt Surge, earning his respect.
32) Vs Blaine
(Volcano Panic)
Another one of Ash’s earlier Gym Battles which is his rematch with Blaine using his unruly Charizard against Blaine’s Magmar who became motivated to battle it after helping it to save the Cinnabar Island Gym. At first, it seems that Magmar is the victor having to push Charizard into the lava when they appeared to be evenly matched but it’s Charizard who became the victor using a combination of Submission and Seismic Toss which was one of the more spectacular scenes even by today’s standards, earning Ash the Volcano Badge even if they both still have ways to go for them to be fully synched with each other.
31) Vs Misty (When
Regions Collide!)
One of the few times when Ash gets to battle one of his former travelling companions who he reunites during the Alola Saga during his trip back to Kanto. He may have a Gym Battle against Misty but that never really took off due to it being interrupted by Team Rocket. This time, it was a proper battle. Even with Pikachu having the type advantage against her Gyarados, Misty is shown to be more than a match for Ash having to grown as a Gym Leader as she Mega Evolves her Gyarados which gives Ash and Pikachu a run for their money. But this is the Ash we’re talking about who is able to find ways to beat her Mega Gyarados including by escaping Hurricane using Quick Attack and showing Misty his own new gimmick; their Z Move Gigavolt Havoc.
30) Vs Gladion,
Kiawe and Professor Kukui (Helping the Hometown hero!)
Remember the Battle Royal from the Alola games? Ash’s return to the Alola region, battling against his old friends at the Battle Royal deserves a mention with this episode as one of the few that recognises Ash as the Alola champion which is really a satisfying feeling. Gladion, Kiawe and Kukui who he have faced before may have given their all but Ash truly shows how far he have come as the champion which also reminds us why he earns his place at the Master’s Eight, making this a warm up. We may did not get to see the full outcome but I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard to figure out who came out on top.
29) Vs May (Once
more with Reeling!/Home where the start is!)
It’s technically an unofficial contest battle rather than an actual battle but there are still some fighting involved as Ash and his Hoenn travelling companion May competing each other using their Pokemon’s moves so I’m counting this one. Anyway, it puts Ash’s Sceptile against May’s newly evolved Blaziken together with neither one letting up, pushing themselves to the absolute limits with their Overgrow and Blaze ability activated. It shows how much Ash and May have grown during their time together at Hoenn and Kanto and the fact that they were evenly matched, earning their fair share of the ribbon makes this a satisfying conclusion for the third generation saga.
28) Vs Iris (Trash
of the Titans/Club Battle Finale: A Hero’s Outcome!)
With Pokemon Journeys resolves travelling to multiple regions from Kanto to Galar, I anticipated for the return of Ash’s former travelling companions and I was right with Iris being the first travelling companion to meet up with Ash. This time, she have became the Unova Champion, becoming closer to her dreams of being a Dragon Master and is shown to become much stronger as she battles against Ash with her newly evolved Haxorus who was a far cry from the young Axew, even coming up with a strategy to overcome the confusion side effect of Outrage. But with the help with his own Dragon type Pokemon, he is able to show Iris that his is not a little kid as shown with his Dragonite using its newly learned Draco Meteor which led to victory, earning Ash’s placement in the Ultra Class for the World Coronation Series.
I’m also giving a mention to their battle at the Nimbasa Pokemon Club Battle. Yes, it may seem like an one sided battle with Ash’s Pikachu up against Iris’ Excadrill but remember that this is Ash’s Pikachu where’s talking about who actually put up a good fight, wearing her Excadrill down which was a good way to conclude Iris and Excadrill’s character arc.
27) Vs Clemont
(The moment of Lumiose Truth!)
Yet another battle with his travelling companion; Clemont. Even if they’re friends, Clemont is far from a push over who happens to be a smart inventor (even if his inventions often explodes on him) and trained really hard during his temporary time away from the group to prepare for his long awaited battle with Ash and it shows during their actual gym battle with his Pokemon learning new moves that caught Ash off guard. Nevertheless, Ash is proved to be just as smart while happened to be stronger with his Goodra able to overpower Clemont’s Luxray who appeared to have the advantage.
26) Vs Diantha
(Championing a Research Battle!)
One of the few battles against the champion; Diantha decides to have a battle with Ash using his Greninja in order to understand their Bond Phenomenon. As the Kalos champion, Diantha and her Gardevoir were proved to be no pushovers until Greninja transforms into Ash-Greninja which puts them into a corner even when Diantha Mega Evolved her Gardevoir who had difficulties blocking or dodging Ash-Greninja’s attacks. The effects were rather stunning with Ash and Diantha’s voice actresses giving it their all much like with Ash and Ash-Greninja reaching to the limit. If it weren’t for the power strain backout, Ash would have certainly won against Diantha.
25) Vs Korrina
(Showdown at the Shalour City Gym!/A Festive Reunion!)
What makes this Kalos Gym Leader battle stand out is that Korrina is one of the few who Mega Evolves her Pokemon Lucario and is shown to be powerful after going through their own arc involving their struggles with Mega Lucario knocking out two of Ash’s Pokemon even with type advantage after defeating her first two Pokemon. But it was Pikachu who became the victor which shows that even Pikachu is able to hold his own against powerful Mega Evolutions.
Ash’s other battle against Korrina during Pokemon Journeys also deserves a mention with Korrina being the first recurring character to make a surprise return. Her Mega Lucario is proved to be just as strong but it’s Ash’s Dragonite who is able to hold its own and win, allowing Ash to rise up to the Great Class.
24) Vs Volkner
(The Eight Wonder of the Sinnoh World!/Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start!)
Here’s another two for one battle against the same gym leader. In both of Ash’s battles against Volkner, he is proved to be the strongest Sinnoh Gym Leader with electrifying results (who have to get his love of battles recharged after watching Ash’s determination against his friend Flint) as first shown in Ash’s official rematch. That battle has helped his Infernape fully taking control in its Blaze ability which was crucial for Ash’s victory against his Luxray (although his Torterra deserves better).
Like with Korrina, Volkner makes a return in Journeys for the World Coronation Series where he is just as formidable as ever but Ash have pulled off a shocking victory by using his Pikachu’s Z Move 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt which would normally be absorbed by Volkner’s Electivire but it was proved to be too much for it to handle which was a spectacular sight to see.
23) Vs Roxie
(Rocking the Virbank Gym! – Both Parts)
Ash during his Unova league may not have been at his full competence, to say the least but he still had some of the best Gym Leader battles including the times when his Pokemon evolved to turn things around and up against Roxie who is a tough challenger even using three Pokemon against Ash’s full team. Not just because of their brute strength but because of the poison damage with her being a Poison type gym leader. But that didn’t stop Ash from turning it around as shown when his Levanny trapped her koffing with String Shot and knocked it out with Energy Ball which lowered its Special Defense (who normally would have a type disadvantage), Pignite roasting Scolipede with Fire Pledge and Pikachu’s static hindering his Garbodor’s moves though he probably wouldn’t have pull it through without the morale support from Cilan and Iris, giving Roxie and the Toxic’s fans a run for their money.
22) Vs Shamus
(Evolution by Fire!)
I am giving this one a mention for being one of the most
personal battles that Ash ever have outside of a league. During his time in
Unova, he caught a Tepig who was revealed to be abandoned by a trainer named
Shamus who they get to meet later on. Shamus proved to be a cruel, jerkass
trainer who abandons his Pokemon if he finds them too weak and pretends to have
good intentions which broke Tepig’s spirit when he finds out the truth during
his battle against his former trainer. But when Ash’s Snivy bravely took the
blows for him (who is the one who encouraged Tepig to face his former abusive
trainer), Tepig was able to gain the resolved and evolved into Pignite and
learned Fire Pledge to singly handily defeat Shamus. This makes it extremely
catharsis for Ash and Pignite to beat Shamus, even more when Pignite scored his
head with a Flamethrower when he tried to convince to rejoin his team.
21) Vs Rinto
(Beyond Chivarly...Aiming to be a leek master!)
Here’s a battle that involves a character arc for one of Ash’s Pokemon during Pokemon Journeys Galarian Farfetch’d which was concluded during his official World Coronation battle against Rinto who previous battle have given Ash’s Farfetch’d a wakeup call. Since then, Farfetch’d have learned to cooperate better with Ash (also with the help from its training from the Kalos Elite Four Wikistorm) which along with scoring three critical hits earned its evolution to Sirfetch’d, becoming closer to Ash for them to defeat Rinto’s Gallade in a truly gallant manner.
20) Vs Olympia
(All Eyes on the Future!)
Here’s one of the few battles which is a double battle. Olympia is a formidable Gym Leader with her Meowstic’s Psychic abilities giving Ash’s Frogadier and Talonflame some double trouble. But they were all able to work together with some help from Pikachu predicting Future Sight which was a creative way to work around this troublesome move. The effects and animation of the moves used was one of the most spectacular to date and the teamwork between Ash and his Pokemon were certainly put to the test which was a tester of what is to come for Ash and his Frogadier soon to become Greninja.
Conway is a rather smart trainer who comes up with specialised strategies. During his Lily of the Valley Conference battle with Ash, it appeared that Ash have the advantage until Conway gained control of the battle field using his Dusknoir’s Trick Room which made his Pokemon slower. But when it seems that Ash is put into a corner, his Gible became the MVP by mastering its Draco Meteor and taking a bite out of Dusknoir’s fists using Shadow Punch. This goes to show that thinking outside the box can be just as smart.
18) Vs Rose (Sword
and Shield: From here to Eternatus!)
Here’s another double battle and one of the few of Ash’s battles that involves an enemy team leader with Ash determined to stop Rose to save the Galar region. Rose’s Copperajah and Ferrothorn were shown to be roadblocks for Ash’s Pikachu and Riolu though they still hold their ground with their team work. But it wasn’t until the moment when Riolu evolved into the Pokemon that we’ve all been waiting for Ash to have; Lucario and using his trademarked Aura Sphere to defeat Rose that was the highlight. It was truly a start for Ash and Lucario’s testament for more official battles ahead of them.
I’m also giving a special mention to Goh whose Raboot evolved into Cinderace, defeating Oleana’s Milotic which fully helped to patch up their relationship as well as being impressive on its own, considering that Goh is less experienced than Ash when it comes to battling and it’s up against something that have a type advantage against Cinderace.
17) Vs Marnie
(Battling Turned up to Eleven!)
The fan favourite rival from Sword and Shield, this World Coronation battle against Marnie is a hugely explosive one with Ash’s Gengar and Marnie’s Grimmsnarl pitting against each other, both of which have a double edge advantage. The battle really did a good job of show casing their Gigantamax forms with neither sides holding back even in their base forms but it was G-Max Gengar who came out of top with its devious tricks including swallowing Grimmsnarl when he was using Darkest Lariat to protect itself from G-Max Terror.
16) Vs Wulfric (A
Real Icebreaker!)
The XY and Z arc showcases Ash and Greninja’s struggles with their bond phenomenon and their rematch against Wulfric (which was incredibly Ash’s last official gym battle) shows how it all pays off after patching things up and finally truly mastering it from the previous episode. Ash and Greninja have truly become in synch with each other during their battle against Mega Abomasnow, using their powerful moves including a giant Water Shuriken and using the frozen knives formed by cut to stake on the ice as a way to avoid the Ice Shards (which was replicated from their battle against Candice), showing how far their bond have come from.
15) Vs Harrison
(Playing with Fire!/Johto Photo Finish)
Here’s one of the few battles listed here where Ash have lost and happened to take place in a ledge but it was still a great battle with both sides giving their all with a couple of highlights including Ash’s Bayleef taking out Houndoom who have a type advantage and his Snorlax defeating Hypno after a rude awakening. But it’s Harrison who came out on top and is shown to be a formidable opponent with his Blaziken, making its early appearance with the speed and power that overwhelmed Ash (wonder if it had Speed Boost as its ability?) But that didn’t stop his Charizard from doing his best to overpower Blaziken with its flight, giving an impressive Fire type starter battle that could go either way. It’s just happened to be Blaziken who lasted a little longer but hey, it was a close battle with Harrison a cool guy and Blaziken is the Gen 3 fan favourite starter so we can forgive him for that.
14) Vs Alain
(Finals not for the faint - hearted!/Down to the Fiery Finish!)
A controversial pick but that doesn’t stop the battle from being less epic with so many awesome moments including Pikachu taking down both Pseudo Legendaries and Hawlucha avenging Noivern by defeating Weavile, not to mention the show down between Alain’s Mega Charizard X and Ash-Greninja that shows a lot of adrenaline with neither side letting up, helps with the incredible animation. Of course, it was Alain who happened to be a bit stronger but it doesn’t change the fact that Ash have came very close to winning the league, something of which he was able to achieve a generation later.
13) Vs Raiham (Aim
for the Eight!)
In order for Ash to reach to the Masters Eight to battle Leon in the World Coronation Series, Ash has to battle Raiham which shows what to expect for the Masters Eight. Raiham wasn’t going to make things easy for Ash with his Flygon overpowering his Dragonite but Ash was able to show that he have earned his placement in the rankings with his Gengar taking down Flygon and holding its own against Goodra in its G-Max form before resulting a double knock out. This leaves Lucario to stand out on top against Raiham’s G-Max Duraldon using his giant Aura Sphere which was an awesome sight to behold.
12) Vs Bea (Battle
Three with Bea!/A Battle of Mega Versus Max!)
Bea is one of the few Galar Gym Leaders who was lucky enough to make an appearance in Pokemon Journeys and have given Ash a run for money, beating him for their first battle and tieing for their second battle. But it was the third battle where it was third time lucky for Ash with a showdown between Bea’s G-Max Machamp and Ash’s Mega Lucario. It did an excellent job showcasing a battle with a Mega Evolution and a Gigantamax form, something that is not yet possible in the official games (asides from Pokemon Showdown). The battle really reached its peak when Mega Lucario ran on G-Max Machamp’s arms to fire its Aura Sphere straight in its face and learning Steel Beam when it intended to block Machamp with Force Palm. This battle has earned Bea’s respect for Ash by not just referring him as Lucario’s trainer.
11) Vs Drake
(Hello, Pummelo!/Enter the Dragonite)
The Orange Islands may not have been part of an in-game region but if there’s one thing to remember about this arc is Ash’s battle against Drake who had some troublesome Pokemon including a Ditto which many trainers have apparently lost their cool losing against a duplicated Pokemon and a Dragonite that knows more than four moves. But Ash have managed to triumph this six on six battle with his Tauros with beginner’s luck really on his side and Pikachu scoring a direct Thunder on top of Dragonite. This marks as Ash’s major victory and showing signs of growth as a trainer.
10) Vs Sawyer
(Analysis Versus Passion!/A Riverting Rivarly!)
Sawyer had a refreshing character arc with him being mentored by Ash yet he is proved to be an analytical trainer with smart strategies that made him hold his own against Ash as shown in the Lumoise League when he used Slaking’s Counter against his Hawlucha to get around with its Truant ability, using his Crawitzer to catch up to Talonflame and Pikachu with Aqua Jet and limit Pikachu’s movements by commanding Aegislash to cut down the surrounding trees. But Ash was able to overcome all of his tactics which brings down to his Ash-Greninja against Sawyer’s Mega Sceptile. Despite type disadvantage, Ash is proved to be the stronger, smarter trainer and shows the strong bond between him and his Ash-Greninja.
9) Vs Lysandre
(The Right Hero for the right Job!/Rocking Kalos Defenses)
The Team Flare arc is a personal favourite arc of mine and Ash and Alain’s battle against Team Flare’s boss Lysandre on top of Lumoise Tower deserves a spot on the list. Lysandre was a fearsome opponent as his ambitions with his Mega Gyarados and Pyroar knocked out most of Ash’s Pokemon and gave Alain some trouble despite being out numbered but Ash is able to come back at him with his sheer determination along with some of the best lines in the series. All of this has helped them both to overcome the battle which leads to many more awesome and emotional moments throughout this arc.
8) Vs Steven
(Battling as Hard as Stone!)
Ash’s first Masters Eight Tournament started off in a bang with his battle against the Hoenn Champion Steven who is tough as his Rock and Steel types including Cradily who traps Gengar while restoring its health with Ingrain and his Metagross who became speedy with Agility and have the ability to Mega Evolve. Nevertheless, Ash was able to break through his defensives by using Gengar to weaken his Aggron with Will-o-Wisp, weakened Metagross with his Dracovish Strong Jaw boosted Fishinous Rend and most importantly, using Pikachu to take down two of his Pokemon including Mega Metagross with his Z Move 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt which was followed by an Iron Tail. It’s a wonder why Pikachu is known as The Metagross killer.
7) Vs Brandon
(Pace – The Final Frontier!)
During the Battle Frontier saga, Brandon is a tough cookie having to defeat Ash twice in a row using his Regis. To stand a chance against the final Frontier Brain, Ash has brought three of his original squad and come up with innovative strategies for this intense match. It all come down to Pikachu against Brandon’s Regice who didn’t gave him an easy ride by using Rest to heal off the damage and freezing Pikachu which could have resulted a crushing defeat but Pikachu’s determination have broke the ice and defeated Regice, making him the second Ash’s Pokemon to defeat a legendary and earning Ash his long awaited win.
6) Vs Gary (The
Ties that Bind/Can’t beat the heat!)
Gary is well known as Ash’s long time rival, always bragging on how better he is than Ash but it wasn’t until they finally settle the score in the Johto League Silver Conference and it was an intense struggle for Ash with Gary having the momentum but in the end, it all paid off during the battle with his Charizard against his Blastoise who have a type advantage when Ash coming up with ways to take control of the battle field and working around Blastoise’s battle style, leading to a triumphant victory and putting an end to their rivalry.
5) Vs Professor
Kukui (Exhibition Unmasked – From Z to Shining Z)
Having to become the champion of the Alola League, Ash gets to battle his teacher and the true identity of the Masked Royal Professor Kukui, putting his Alola team to the test to suppress their teacher. Neither side backed down in four accelerating episodes which eventually lead Melemele Island Guardian Tapu Koko teaming up with Professor Kukui for an incredibly stunning outcome when two Z Moves have collided each other but it was Ash’s Pikachu’s 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt that overpowered Tapu Koko, obliterating the entire battle field. It was an awesome way to end the Alola arc. My only complaint is who the heck is Professor Kukui’s 6th Pokemon?
4) Vs Paul
(Familiarity Breed Strategy! – Battling a Thaw in Relations!)
Paul is Ash’s most fearsome rival who couldn’t be any more different to Ash with his philosophy for focusing on power at the expense of friendship as shown when he abandoned Chimchar. It has all come down to their intense battle at the Lily of the Valley conference which lasted for three episodes. The stakes were high with Paul giving Ash’s Pokemon a brutal beat down including with his Drapion and Electivire but in the end, Ash have managed to show that it’s the bond and trust for his Pokemon that beats relying on raw power alone, especially when it was his Infernape who was the last Pokemon standing against Electivire and when he appeared that he lost, it was Infernape who made a crushing, epic victory using his Blaze ability. This makes it satisfying for Infernape to get back on his former trainer who deemed it weak, concluding their rivalry,
3) Vs Cynthia
(Bewitch, Battle and Bewilder! – Whittle while you work!)
The fan favourite Sinnoh champion is said to be one of the hardest Champion battles and her three part battle with Ash in the Masters Eight have certainly demonstrated her reputation with her unpredictable strategies and powerful team including her ace Garchomp who have not have any onscreen defeats, Spirtomb who took out three of Ash’s Pokemon and Togekiss which she Dynamaxes when it was thought that she would Mega Evolve her Garchomp and by switching out her Pokemon to catch her opponents off guard and gain momentum. But this is the Ash Ketchem who she’s battling with who is known to turn the tide of the battle with Pikachu defeating her Gastrodon who would have a type advantage against it which prompted her to quickly take Pikachu out with Destiny Bond to take him down with it and Ash Mega Evolving his Lucario stand against her Dynamaxed Togekiss and Garchomp. When it seemed that both Mega Lucario and Garchomp were knocked out, it was the former who was able to stand up, earning Ash’s placement to the finals against Leon after a triumphant victory.
2) Vs Gladion
(Final Rivals! – Enter the Champion!)
Of course, this list wouldn’t be complete without Ash’s first ever victory in the Pokemon League after twenty years against Gladion in the Alola League. The final round at the Manalo Conference shows a no hold barred showdown against Ash’s formidable rival Gladion with his Silvally and Lyconroc Midnight Form by his side, not to mention Zoroark who disguised as the latter. It was a tough, well fought battle throughout but in the end, it was Ash who became the champion with his newly evolved Melmetal who caught Gladion off guard, Pikachu who Z Move collided with Zoroark’s and more importantly, his Lyconroc Dusk Form who beaten Gladion’s Lyconroc with Counter against Counter. That was the moment when Ash has finally achieved his dream, making this battle forever remembered.
Honourable
Mentions
Vs Mandi (Round One –Begin!) – It was amazing to see Ash cubstomping the first round of the Indigo League with just using his newly evolved Kingler and that it’s first battle.
Vs Jeanette (The Fourth Round Rumble) – Who would have thought that Ash would use his Muk to win this battle against a rather formidable Bellsprout?
Vs Liza and Tate (Solid as a Solrock) - A Deus ex Machina maybe but it was still cool for Pikachu and Swellow to use their Thunder Armour technique against the powerful twins Liza and Tate.
Vs Noland (The Symbol of Life) – This one gets a mention for Ash’s Charizard defeating an Articuno, making it the first time that one of Ash’s Pokemon defeating a legendary.
Vs Anabel (Second Time’s the Charm!) – Anabel is a tough Frontier Brian with her ability to communicate with her Psychic type Pokemon telepathy but Ash shows that he can still be in synch with his Pokemon.
Vs Tobias (The Semi-Final Frontier!) – Say what you want about Tobias beating Ash with his mythical and legendary Pokemon but don’t forget that Ash’s Sceptile have managed to defeat his powerful Darkrai and Pikachu putting up a good fight against his Latios before drawing. Also, notice on what Ash does during that battle.
Vs Skyla (An Amazing Aerial Battle!) – It was satisfying to see Ash bringing an end to Skyla’s imaginary air battles by proving her wrong with the help of his newly evolved Unfenzant.
Vs ̶S̶t̶e̶f̶f̶e̶n̶ ̶S̶t̶e̶v̶e̶n̶ ̶S̶t̶u̶v̶e̶n̶ Stephan (Strong Strategy Steals the Show!) – It was smart of Ash to reserve his Krookodile who knows Aerial Ace to beat Stephan’s ace Pokemon Sawk. Also, I like to give a special mention to Stephan himself for his battle against Montogomery’s Throh during the Cubsplosion Tournament.
Vs Hodge (Serving up the Flute Cup!) – It mainly gets a mention for his Mr Mime taking part in that battle.
1) Vs Leon (A
Flood of Torrential Gains! – Partners in time!)
There’s no doubt that this goes down as Ash’s greatest battle of all time against the powerful Galar champion Leon at the final round of The Masters Eight. It puts all of Ash’s Pokemon to the limit as they face Leon’s powerhouse team which was an incredibly epic four parter battle with every one of his former companions witnessing his battle. In the end, it all came down to their ace Pokemon Pikachu Vs the previously undefeated Charizard. When it seems that Pikachu have lost against Charizard, he received a vision of every Pokemon that Ash have owned cheering him on along with Ash himself which granted him a heroic second wind and powered up electricity to defeat Leon’s Charizard. This truly awesome victory has fulfilled Ash’s dreams to beat Leon, becoming the World Champion and be the very best like no one ever was.
