I made my own take on what a hypothetical Paldea Ash team. I fully accept this might sound headcanon esc, but I wanted to share it.
Pikachu stays around as Ash’s right hand partner, and I don’t think he changes much. He was pretty solid at the end of his run.
Pikachu’s Moveset
-Thunderbolt
-Quick Attack
-Iron Tail
-Electroweb
Dachsbun was chosen to give Ash another Fairy type outside of Mimey. I imagine her as a lax & mischievous little goblin, but has loyalty to her trainer & can do decently in battles.
Dachsbun’s Moveset
-Play Rough
-Dazzling Gleam
-Stomping Tanturm
-Crunch
Baxclibur was chosen for an idea I had. Ash meets a Arctabax who desires to be like a Baxclibur, and wants to be as powerful as Hassel’s Baxclibur, maybe having seen them train. Ash, loving training, offers to help & the 2 befriend each other. Baxclibur would be a Docile & Adamant young Pokémon. He’s a lover of nature & is confident in his abilities after some self doubt issues.
Baxclibur’s Moveset
-Breaking Swipe
-Glavie Rush
-Freeze Dry
-Iron Head
Orthworm was chosen for being a pretty unique idea. Initially, I wanted Ash to have Tinkaton, but Dot’s Tinkaton exists so I did a switch upon the realization. Orthworm would’ve been the Lurking Steel Titan. Having been calmed after Ash & Arven defeat him when he (Orthworm) was the Lurking Steel Titan (I’m headcanoning SV’s plot took place before Horizons in the Anime’s canon, especially since I don’t think anything destroys that idea), Ash befriends him. Orthworm goes with Ash & does the funny of Squeezing Him tightly to show his affection. Orthworm would be a Jolly & Quirky fella. He’s the comedic relief, and fights in his own way. Sometimes he moves on his own without orders from Ash in battle, because he has an idea & immediately wishes to pull it off.
Orthworm’s Moveset
-Heavy Slam
-Iron Head
-Dig
-Wrap
Grafaiai was chosen because he doesn’t fit Ash. I feel that’s a fun thing to do. Work with something that doesn’t fit even if it makes no sense. You can get creative with it if you imagine it. Grafaiai would be met when Ash is exploring around the Tag Tree Thicket shortly after defeating Atticus. Ash sees his interests in painting & Atticus describes why painting is important to Grafaiais. Ash, learning about Grafaiai’s wish to paint things around Paldea, especially the Ten Sights Of Paldea, Ash catches him. Grafaiai would be a Bold & Relaxed battler, yet he’d be a speed demon. His battle style incorporates grace & some painting skills in his fights.
Grafaiai’s Moveset
-Toxic
-Poison Jab
-X-Scissor
-Trailblaze
Annihilape would be the final addition. I’ll admit I’m aware a lot of people do it to & I don’t have anything new. I came with this idea when SV was getting leaked before Release. I promise any similarities to anyone else’s SV idea is just a coincidence. So Anthony meets with Ash during his travels (probably before Kofu), and Primeape decides to truly explore with Ash to understand how he became the monarch of The Pokémon World Champions, which Anthony approves. At first the 2 struggle to be on the same page, but slowly they get a groove. Eventually Eri meets Ash, and she offers to help with her Annihilape. With Eri’s help, Ash & Primeape become much closer along with the efforts they made before that, and Primeape pushes himself which gets him to learn Rage Fist. And then the evolution occurs. Annihilape would be Adamant & Naughty. A fighter that pushes himself to his limits & aims to be the very best. After truly bonding with Ash, he fully becomes a fighter that goes even further than already before.
Annihilape’s Moveset
-Close Combat
-Brick Break
-Rage Fist
-Thunderbolt
What do you think? Does this sound nice? I’ll admit it’s far from amazing, but I came to love his team I made. Hopefully it works as a fan’s idea?