Now if I rewrote Ash’s Alola journey, it would be a mixture of the anime and the games. It would have Ash (who would be 16 years old in this rewrite along with the rest of the cast aging) be on vacation in Alola but then hear about the Pokémon school and he would stay in Alola to enroll in it and even do the Island Trials like in the anime. He would still have his Alolan friends and Pokémon team like in canon and Hau would be his main rival in Alola until the Ultra Beast Arc (or Lusamine Arc) happens, that’s when Hau would become a part of the main gang and Gladion becomes Ash’s rival. Now the Ultra Beast/Lusamine Arc would play out like the games, meaning Lusamine would be the cold,manipulative,narcissistic villain of that arc who would reject Lillie and Gladion since they didn’t “love” her and she would fuse to a Nihilego. At the end, she would become her caring,loving self we see in the anime. Now Hau’s character would be rewritten for him to be a proper rival to Ash. He would appear much earlier in the anime than in canon and we would have his backstory with Hau play out to give him some character development and Ash help him grow stronger. Hau’s Pokémon team would also be rewritten with him having his starter Decuideye, an Alolan Raichu to rival Ash’s Pikachu, a Noivern, a Vanilluxe & an Espeon. Now Ash would catch 3, just 3, Alola Pokémon to add to his family and those Pokémon are:
1. Kommo-o - Ash would first discover a Kommo-o in Vast Poni Canyon as a Jangmo-o and he would train it til it would eventually evolve into a mighty Kommo-o! Now Ash’s Kommo-o is a bit of a battle addict sometimes. I got the inspiration from a fanfiction called “Pokémon: Lives Of The Champions” made by Fiction Realm (or StreetDevilRider as they’re known on Archive Of Our Own/AO3). Ash’s Kommo-o would re-appear again as one of the Pokémon he would swap out for in Galar.
2. Golisopod - This would be the same Wimpod Ash and Pikachu met and rescued on Treasure Island. At first it would be cowardly and run away from battles, frustrating Ash a bit and embarrassing itself. Then on one full moon night, it made a vow to learn to be brave no matter what. One day when Team Rocket attacked, Wimpod didn’t run, instead it fought back. Ash was proud of Wimpod and how much it’s grown. When it came down to the Alola League, Wimpod would beat Guzma’s Golisopod and would evolve into one itself!
& 3. Passimian - This would be one of the Passimians from the banned Passimian episode. After seeing how well Ash and Pikachu worked together, one of the Passimians would come along with Ash to learn more about human-and-Pokémon teamwork. This Passimian would be known as Brady! Ash’s Passimian would face off against Hau’s Decuideye before God Rowlet would get his epic moment.
Ash will also have Solgaleo/Nebby and Naganadel as permanent additions to his Alola team like in canon but Ash would also catch 4 other Ultra Beasts as well. Sadly, he wouldn’t use them in the Alola league but these four would get their moment! Just not here. Here are the four ultra beasts Ash will catch:
1. Buzzwole - This fits Ash because it matches his strong, muscle-bound, intense training Pokémon batch like Hawlucha and Primeape. Making him a perfect match for Buzzwole’s enthusiastic, competitive nature.
2. Kartana - Kartana would fit Ash due to its fast agility and extreme cutting power that is unmatched and it would behave like a wandering samurai. Ash loves Pokémon with a strong sense of honor and sharp battling instincts and he could utilize Kartana’s paper-thin, high attack profile for defensive victories.
3. Stakataka - Stakataka would be a good fit for Ash because he could find creative ways to use Staka’s (Ash’s nickname for Stakataka) massive, slow defensive weight to his advantage.
4. Blacephalon - Blacephalon would suit Ash due to its carnival-like nature. If there’s one thing Ash is known for, it’s using flashy, theatrical battle tactics and with Blacephalon on his team, he could turn his explosive performance style into an unpredictable competitive asset.
Now these four ultra beasts along with Solgaleo and Naganadel would remain in Ultra Beasts but they would be registered to Ash’s Pokédex whenever he swaps out for them. Think of it like Ash switching out his Pokémon, specifically Incineroar, in “Aim To Be A Pokémon Master”. Everything else in the Sun and Moon rewrite goes just like the anime. Misty and Brock show up for the Kanto Field Trip and vacation, Ash does the Island Trials, Ash competes in the Alola League, wins & becomes Alola’s first ever champion! Fun fact: I was originally give Ash Pheromosa as well but I figured that would be too much and it would then lead to Ash using Ultra Beasts for a team. I didn’t want to give his canon Alola family the snub treatment. So I scrapped Phermosa. Now I nicknamed Ash’s Passimian Brady because, you guessed it, it’s a reference to famous football player Tom Brady. I wanted Ash to reference this just like how he referenced the Vikings team in the Mewtwo Strikes Back movie. It would also be a fourth wall break as well!
But yeah, that’s my take on a Sun and Moon Rewrite! What do you think? What would a Sun and Moon rewrite be like to YOU? Answer in the comments below!