There, an encounter with his old rival Gary Oak prompted him to consider if his recent victory had made him the ‘Pokémon Master’ he’d longed to be when he started his journey.
Meanwhile, the show’s equally long-running villains Jessie, James and Meowth were stuck working the kitchens at Team Rocket headquarters, having split up as a trio after another failed attempt at capturing Pikachu.
Plotting separately to capture their elusive prey, the three came across Ash and Pikachu in a forest, where for the roughly 1200th time they captured Pikachu and planned their mistake. In a final surprise for long-time fans, Ash and Pikachu were rescued by his Pidgeot, unseen in the anime for 24 years. Brought back into Ash’s team, Pidgeot’s return just highlighted the series longevity - when the oversized bird last appeared on American screens, the world was a few weeks shy of the new millennium.
Later caught up in a rainstorm, Ash and Pikachu hid under a tree surrounded by a hoard of wild Pokémon. There, Ash decided that he’d achieved his Pokémon Master goal by befriending so many Pokemon during his journeys - a slightly corny conclusion but one encompassing a consistent theme throughout the anime’s tenure.
With that in mind, Ash and Pikachu departed once again on their next adventure, with a newly reunited Team Rocket following behind, continuing the storyline that fans have grown accustomed to over the last 25 years - only this time, we won’t be following along in their next adventures.
Instead, a new anime, Pokémon Horizons, inspired by the recent video games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, will begin in Japan next month. Fans will now follow along with Liko and Roy in a plotline that appears to involve a school setting and a research group based on an airship. There is currently no official tie-in between the two, but the lack of a definitive ending leaves the door wide open for Ash and Pikachu to reappear further down the track if required to boost ratings.
It’s something some fans will undoubtedly hope for, as the final episodes did not provide the conclusive ending many wanted - no appearance from Ash’s long absent but seemingly still alive father, no conclusions for ‘shippers’ hoping Ash would enter into a relationship with one of his other pre-pubescent friends, and no clarity on just how old he is now given he’s travelled eight continents over 25 years without ageing a day.
But the producers are clearly hoping that now is the time to move on. Scarlet and Violet collectively sold 20 million copies in the first six weeks of release, putting the games just 11 million copies behind the original Red and Blue that kickstarted this juggernaut. With the franchise as strong as ever and experimenting with new platforms and ways of storytelling, the time for change is now. Fans are bound to miss them, but after 25 years of service, it’s time to bid Ash and Pikachu farewell - and hopefully, their off-screen retirement will go undisturbed.
