Ash Ketchum has been on his Pokémon journey for the past twenty-three years. He's been to eight different regions, befriending and catching all kinds of Pokémon on his way to become a Pokémon Master. Competitive and relentless, Ash also participated in numerous championships, often placing among the Top 10 and nearly reaching victory twice. It takes seven tries before he becomes a regional League Champion, though.
Still, Ash has two Championship titles. Most recently, he won the Manalo Conference, effectively making him Alola's first-ever Champion. Such an achievement confirms and validates his skill as a Trainer, and most importantly, brings him one step closer to reaching his goal.
9 World Coronation Series - Rank 99
In the current Pokémon Journeys anime, Ash is competing at the World Coronation Series, a massive contest that includes the top Trainers from every region. He already faced previous friends and foes, notably defeating Korrina and her Mega Lucario with his newly-caught and exceptionally strong Dragonite.
Most recently, Ash battled Iris, now Unova's Champion. The two had an intense battle, with Ash's Dracovish besting her Dragonite and his Dragonite beating her Haxorus. Ash is currently in the Ultra Class at rank 99, meaning he's already in the Top 100 Trainers in the entire Pokémon world.
8 Indigo Plateau Conference - Top 16
The Indigo Plateau Conference is the first championship Ash participates in, explaining why it's also his lowest placing in a Pokémon League so far. Still, he makes it to the Top 16 out of 200+ contestants, which is no easy feat.
Ash loses against Richie, who fans remember as the Trainer who seemed like an Ash clone, to the point where he also had a Pikachu. The battle is exciting enough, but Ash loses because his Charizard refuses to obey his commands. Instead, it lies down and takes a nap, leading to Ash's disqualification. Ash was still an inexperienced Trainer back then, so it makes sense that he lost this tournament. He wasn't ready to go all the way.
7 Silver Conference - Top 8
Harrison was one of Ash's best rivals, acting as both a wise mentor and challenging opponent that pushed him to become a better Trainer. The Silver Conference also made Ash more cunning, and even though Harrison bested him in battle, their match was one of the series' most thrilling.
Ash also faces Gary during the Silver Conference in one of the anime's most unforgettable and rule-breaking battles. He comes out on top, and his rivalry with Gary officially comes to an end. After his defeat against Harrison, Ash ends up placing in the top 8, but fans could see the young Trainer was on his way to greatness.
6 Ever Grande Conference - Top 8
In Hoenn, Ash enters the Ever Grande Conference and once again places in the Top 8. This time, he loses against the conference's eventual winner, Tyson, in one of the anime's most bizarre battles.
Going into the second half of the battle, Tyson and Ash seem evenly matched. Ash's Torkoal bested Tyson's Shiftry, but the latter's Hariyama defeated two of the former's Pokémon, Torkoal and Corphish. In the end, it all comes down to a battle between Ash's Pikachu and Tyson's Meowth. Both Pokémon put on a valiant effort, but Meowth comes out on top after a particularly energetic Iron Tail collapses Pikachu.
5 Lily Of The Valley Conference - Top 4
Ash's loss at the Lily of the Valley Conference still stings some fans. During his journey across Sinnoh, Ash exhibited real maturity and growth, making many in the community believe he would finally become the Champion. His battle against his reformed rival, Paul, seemed to confirm this, as Ash showed remarkable strategy and composure that eventually led to his victory.
Alas, things didn't go according to plan. Ash faces Tobias in the semi-finals, and he is no match against his opponent's Pokémon. Tobias has a Darkrai, a mythical Pokémon that he used to win all his previous battles. Still, Ash manages to defeat the Pokémon with his Sceptile, making the crowds cheer. Tobias doesn't even sweat because his next Pokémon is a Latios, and although Pikachu ends up fainting, it takes Latios down with it. It is too late because Ash no longer has any Pokémon left, and Tobias wins the match. Many fans still consider it unfair that Tobias won by using a Mythical and a Legendary, and they might have a point.
4 Vertress Conference - Top 8
During Unova's Vertress Conference, Ash's Pikachu once again takes center stage, acting as its Trainer's last hope. In his battle against Cameron, Ash chooses a balanced team of 6, but Pikachu is the only one left standing when Cameron takes out his newly-evolved Lucario.
The yellow mouse performs admirably but succumbs to the mighty Lucario, one of Generation IV's best mons. Ash takes his defeat with maturity and places among the Top 8 again, the last time he would do so. In his next two championships, he'd make it to the end.
3 Lumiose Conference - Runner-Up
If Ash's loss at the Lily of the Valley Conference stings, then his loss against Alain at the Lumiose Conference outright burns. Ash makes it to the finals with one of his best teams in the series: Pikachu, Greninja, Noivern, Talonflame, Hawlucha, and Goodra. Alain's team is no joke either, and his Charizard is a menacing foe similar to Tobias' Darkrai.
After a gruesome battle, both Trainers are down to their last Pokémon, Ash-Greninja and Mega Charizard X. Both Pokémon fire their attacks at once, creating a massive cloud of smoke. Once the smog clears and after an intense stare-off, Greninja succumbs. Alain's victory at the Lumiose Conference is still controversial among the community, as many feel that Ash was at the top of his game during the Kalos season.
2 Orange League - Champion
Ash first becomes a Champion during the Orange Islands arc in the original saga. His final battle is against Drake, the notorious Dragon Master. The match ranks as one of the anime's most exciting, as Drake's Dragonite single-handedly defeats four of Ash's Pokémon before being taken down by Pikachu.
The Orange Islands arc isn't very memorable, so most casual fans don't know about Ash's victory at the Orange League. Still, besting Drake in battle was one of Ash's best moments as a Trainer and cemented Pikachu's spot as his secret ace.
1 Manalo Conference - Champion
The news went around the world. After twenty-one years, Ash Ketchum was finally a Pokémon Champion. As previously mentioned, it wasn't entirely true because Ash was already the Orange League Champion. Still, his victory at the Manalo Conference made him a regional Champion, an honor that only the best Trainers achieve. Furthermore, he was the region's first Champion ever, making the whole thing even better.
His last opponent is Gladion, one of Sun & Moon's best characters. It all ends when Ash's Lycanroc uses Counter, sending Gladion's Lycanroc out of the field and winning Ash the match. It was a triumphant moment for every fan, a victory twenty-one years in the making, and arguably, the anime's most satisfying moment to date.
source https://screenrant.com/pokemon-every-league-championship-ash-participated-in-where-he-placed/
0 comments: