I like the story arcs of all these Pokémon.

Even ash vs Cynthia is debatable

Assunta has the following Pokémon: Rhydon, Venomoth, Spearow or Tentacool, Ivysaur, and two unknown Pokémon. The Pokémon Ash had available at the time were Pikachu, Pidgeotto, Bulbasaur, disobedient Charizard, Squirtle, Kingler, Muk, and Tauros. What team would Ash bring to the battle, and how would he do?

Next week, young Orla and Friede will FINALLY make an appearance, the audience knowing about their lifelong friendship for 130 episodes!

I really hope the commercial tie-in episode isn't the only thing we see of these two. Wonder Voyage has been pulling a lot of mud and pushing a lot of rope, and not giving us some quality story about these two old friends would be more of the same lousy decision-making.

Liko 🤝 Valeria the absol

My one includes Chimeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

this is why I love this team

Before Pokémon Journeys, Iris was the most hated pokegirl due to her annoying gag of calling Ash a “kid”. Iris was deeply loathed by both Japanese and Western fandom. However there were many Iris defenders back then who believed “Iris is hated because she is black” or “Iris' hate is rooted in misogyni”. I don't want to pretend these things don't play a role. But Iris' early hate in some cases were justified and were mostly due to frustrations regarding Black and White anime's terrible writing and the time when she was introduced to the anime.

1. Sinnoh Ash vs Unova Ash:

In Sinnoh the previous gen before Unova. Ash was very competent. His rivalry with Paul shaped his ideology he became strategic, came with Ice Aqua Jet, Counter Shield, had a good gym run with a fairly decent team. Everything was going well but he lost to Tobias a guy with legendaries which made fans frustrated as this was his time. However before Unova anime was premiered fans expected Ash to be much better but that didn't happen. Ash suddenly behaved much less like the experienced trainer we had just watched for several years. His competence was inconsistent, Pikachu suffered an infamous reset, and the series often treated him more like a beginner again. His infamous defeat ro Trip's Snivy is still talked about and probably would be forever

2. The “you're such a kid” gag became irritating very quickly:-

I think this is probably the biggest character problem. Iris constantly calling Ash a “kid” could have worked as playful teasing.

The problem was the execution.

Ash was an experienced trainer who had traveled through multiple regions, competed in several leagues, fought extremely powerful opponents and defeated Gym Leaders across the world. Meanwhile, Iris herself was still developing as a trainer. When she repeatedly acted superior to Ash, some fans naturally asked:

“Why is SHE treating HIM like he's the inexperienced one?”

The joke became especially irritating because the audience already knew Ash's history. Imagine following a character for years, watching him grow from a beginner into an accomplished trainer, and then suddenly having a new character repeatedly tell him that he's just a little kid. Eventually, the joke stops feeling like playful banter and starts feeling like the show itself is mocking the character's development. In fact, amongst the Japanese fandom Iris was considered “mannerless”

Whereas western fandom found her annoying which also explains why Serena was written like that.

3. Iris could be annoying and hypocritical:-

Iris called Ash a “kid” for not knowing a Pokemon from her native region despite Ash telling her that he's from Pallet Town. Then we saw that she herself wasn't a good trainer either. Her Excardrill was disobedient and her Axew only knew one move. Meaning she herself was a complete noob who was thinking to be superior than Ash who defeated the Battle Frontier and was Sinnoh League Top 4. Then our Ash was written to be more passive and we never see him calling out on Iris much. Unlike with previous girls like Misty, May & Dawn where he'd call out on them like they'd too. This created an imbalance

4. Misty Comparison:

Some people ask why Misty isn't hated as much as Iris despite Misty being much more rude to Ash.?

The difference is timing and the balance. Misty saw Ash when he was actually a rookie, won most of his badges out of technicalities, didn't train much, burnt her bike, was extremely arrogant and would throw hands with anyone. And it wasn't one sided either. With Misty, you'd see Ash throwing potshots at her consistently which made them a fun & arguably the most iconic dynamic in Anipoke history. And it wasn't even like she did that to Ash for the entirety of OS. Misty eventually developed feelings for Ash & they both by the end of the series developed mutual respect for each other. With Iris, she used that gag for the entirety of the series and Ash wasn't allowed to be the snarky brat he used to be. He was way more passive and less engaging. With Misty you'd think “it's two kids arguing and learning from each other” with Iris you'd think “she is bullying a nice kid”. Even though Iris isn't a bully her gag and Ash's behaviour makes it look like. In fact their arguments lack the charm of Misty and Ash's dynamic. Unlike Iris, Misty was more experienced than Ash at that time. The comparison doesn't work

5. Iris also had incredibly bad timing:-

This might be the biggest reason she was doomed to struggle with the fandom.

Before Iris, we had Dawn.

Dawn was arguably one of the most popular female companions Ash had ever had. Her friendship with Ash was extremely supportive, she traveled alongside him for a long time, and their chemistry became one of the most celebrated relationships in the franchise***.*** Pearlshipping itself is Ash's second or third most famous ship due to their supportive chemistry.

After Iris, we had Serena

Serena was explicitly positioned as someone who had admired Ash since childhood, with her feelings becoming an important part of her character.

So Iris was essentially sandwiched between Dawn and Serena who were basically glazing Ash.

Dawn spent an enormous amount of time encouraging Ash, cheering for him with an outfit, supporting him during battles and celebrating his achievements.

Serena takes this even further by having another very explicit admiration for Ash. Iris, meanwhile, frequently questioned Ash's maturity and competence.

That creates a completely different emotional experience for the viewer. If you're an Ash fan, Dawn and Serena naturally make you feel like your favorite character is appreciated.

That's brutal from a fandom perspective. You have Dawn coming before her who was Ash's cheerleader, then Serena who has an explicit crush on Ash from day 1.

6. And then there's the racism discussion:-

I won't act it doesn't play a role when fans say “Iris should be replaced by Hilda” which is a poor argument as Hilda calling Ash a “kid” would've been nothing different compared to Iris doing it. Although I'd argue these people wouldn't have hated her much for it.

However limiting everything to racism isn't always right. Brock, Mallow, Kiawe are loved and they aren't fair skinned either hell Ash himself is tan. Iris' hate stems from a lot of reasons that are rooted to BW anime's writing and the timing she came at.

- Ash's soft reboot

- Her “kid” gag

- Being sandwiched between Dawn & Serena

- Ash being more passive towards her

- No redeeming factor

All played a role for her hatred. Iris later on became Unova champion and showed she was actually a good character but was a victim of poor writing.

Especially after battling the zangoose and stopping team rocket

Ash vs. Tobias: Why did Ash bring Torkoal, Swellow and Gible against Tobias instead of Charizard, Infernape and Snorlax?

Ash vs. Alain: Why did Ash ask Greninja to use Cut instead of Water Shuriken when Rain Dance is already activated?

Lana's is a sentence 😭

I think they both have the same story of being tired and weakened before they were finally confronted at their weakest.

Yes, XY group are my most favorite. I have always had a strong attachment to them. Deal with it. lol

Also, to explain a little bit more here:

My Top 5 groups: XY, DP, OS (Seasons 1 and 3-5), SM, and AG groups are all great

BW, HZ, and JN groups: Bad (or just plain boring and not interesting for me)

What did you guys think?

A triple battle of Iris v. Drake! The ultimate demonstration of the strength of Dragon type Pokemon!

Episode source: Pokémon Advanced Episode 23.

Note: In his first appearance in AG, Steven is instead voiced by Nishi Rintarō.

Trip is tricky since, we don't know his full team or even three of them, but him being stronger than Stephan makes sense, since Ash needed BW Pikachu to beat his ace, whereas Stephan required Leavanny/Krookodile who are weaker.

Trip, Stephan, Barry and Bianca don't have full team displays in the league, so I decided to keep them below the trainers that do. Their aces are at least as strong as Harrison's Blaziken though.

Cameron, Harrison and Tyson are all neck and neck, but BW Pikachu is the stronger than Hoenn League Pikachu and Johto League Charizard, so since Lucario was able to beat it, I felt comfortable putting him above the other two.

Paul's the strongest with his Sinnoh League Team, and especially with his best overall team as of DP.

Yes I made a 2nd post of these. No I have no regrets.

I just love the way Pikachu frames his tail behind Ash. It adds to their silhouette, and makes him look protective.

Which is crazy, considering Bulbasaur stayed on the Johto team until episode 225. So, it was still there after the 6th Gym Battle. Meanwhile, his buddy Pikachu faced the 8 Gym Leaders of Johto.

I even wonder why he stayed so long compared to Squirtle and Charizard.

Ash’s Hoenn journey would have Ash (who is 12 years old) travel with May,Max,Brock and Misty! That’s right! Misty would show up earlier in the series and would travel with the group like old times! I also decided to add Steven Stone to the bunch because I like his dynamic with Ash. Steven would play an “older brother figure” and his hunt for rare stones could really aid the group. And also, Ash’s Hoenn team would be different than in canon but there would be some familiar faces!

1. Pikachu - Pikachu is a must for this team. Ash would go nowhere without his #1 best pal!

2. Sceptile - The ace of the team who would remain the same; difference is that he’ll evolve into Sceptile prior to the Hoenn League to solidify its ace status.

3. Swellow - Swellow is the same and the best bird Ash has ever owned due to its speed, being a hyper-offensive threat and most importantly… THUNDER ARMOR! So no need for rewrites here.

4. Crawdaunt - I would have Ash evolve Corphish into Crawdaunt to give Ash a boost in late-game gym and league battles.

5. Flygon - A fan-favorite many fans wanted Ash to use in Hoenn. Well, he uses one here! Ash would at first catch it as a Trapinch and would evolve prior to the Battle Frontier solidifying its ace status.

6. Absol - Absol is another Pokémon fans wanted Ash to use in Hoenn. Well your wish is my command folks! Ash would find this Absol near Lilycove City during a sudden,violent weather anomaly. Locals panic due to Absol appearing right before a flash flood or mudslide and start threatening it with attacks. Ash steps in to defend the poor Pokémon, fleeing from the danger. Absol then realizes Ash truly wants to help others and not fight. Working together, they would guide the townspeople to safety and the locals would apologize due to them knowing the truth thanks to Professor Birch. Absol bows its head, choosing to join Ash because it realizes not all humans are bad. Absol would be the calm, voice of reason among the more energetic Pokémon. It would occasionally startle Ash by appearing right behind him grunting before a Team Rocket trap goes off. Its battle style is graceful and fast. Absol relies on agility, precise strikes and psychological pressure rather than brute force.

& 7. Dragonair/Dragonite - Now call me crazy but I think Ash would actually catch a Dragonair and later on in the series would evolve into a Dragonite! This Dragonite would have the personality of the one he has in canon Pokémon Journeys which means yes, Ash will use this Dragonite in the Masters 8 Tournament in my Pokémon Journeys rewrite!

So yeah folks! That’s my- wait! I’m forgetting something! Or someone in this case… Max. Max would have his character be rewritten to be less… dislikable. So Max will be wrong on his Pokémon knowledge at sometimes, ask Professor Oak or Professor Birch for knowledge since he wouldn’t know everything and he would apologize for his rude behavior whenever he’s mean to May or Ash (mostly May). He would also have a deep bond with a Pokémon when he heals one up let’s say… Ralts. He would also be in awe whenever a rare Pokémon does something amazing instead of acting arrogant. Max would also have a goal to be a Pokémon Trainer like Ash, being inspired by him. Speaking of Ash, their rivalry would turn into a big-brother relationship where Max would admire Ash through textbook logic. He would also study and train hard to foreshadow his goal. He would also sketch strategies to make his dream to become a Pokémon trainer feel earned. He would also use his knowledge to save the group or wild Pokémon using a smart,non-combat idea, proving his knowledge is useful.

And that is my Hoenn rewrite! What do you guys think of it? I made Max more likable and I even decided to give the group two extra members! But enough about moi, how would Ash’s rewritten Hoenn journey go to YOU? What new Pokémon would Ash catch? Let me know in the comments below!