Following Friday’s 25th Anniversary special, a new Pokemon trailer debuted in Japan that hints at what’s to come in what is presumed to be the final act of Pokemon Journeys. Throughout the series, Ash has been climbing the ranks in the World Coronation Series and preparing to take on Leon, the current World Champion. If he succeeds - and it sure seems like he will - then Ash will be the indisputable greatest Pokemon trainer in the world and, arguably, finally be a true Pokemon Master. Journey’s has been an amazing victory lap for Ash over the last 100 episodes, and if everything goes according to plan, we might even see Ash’s final send-off within a matter of months.
If you haven’t been following Pokemon Journeys, it’s unlike any previous season in the Pokemon series. Rather than staying in one region and climbing through the local Pokemon League, Ash and his new friend Goh have been traveling around the world to all the different regions from throughout Pokemon history, meeting old friends, and settling the score with old rivals. Along the way, Ash has been competing in the World Coronation Series, a global Pokemon League that ranks every trainer in the world. Ash finally won his first Pokemon League Championship in Alola, but becoming the champion of the World Coronation Series is an entirely different challenge. After this, there won’t be anywhere else for Ash to go - he’ll be the world number one.
Ash has lost plenty of championship battles in the past, but he’s never had a team like this before. Currently, he has Pikachu, Dragonite, Gengar, Lucario, Sirfetch’d, and Dracovish, and he’s been tearing through the competition with that lineup for months. It’s not just a great team with strong type coverage; Ash has also secured a number of hugely powerful battle tools that give him a huge advantage. Pikachu Gigantamaxed just before Ash battled and lost to Leon, which inspired him to enter the World Coronation Series in the first place. After raising Lucario from an egg, Ash secured Lucarionite from Mega Island and taught Lucario how to Mega Evolve. Recently, Ash also managed to teach Gengar how to Gigantamax, which he then used to defeat Marnie in a World Coronation Series battle.
The new trailer shows the return of Ash’s Greninja, which could end up taking the spot of either Sirfetch’d or Dracovish on his team. Greninja has a unique ability to transform into Ash-Greninja through the Bond Phenomenon, which makes it incredibly powerful. What’s more, Ash got his Z-Ring back while fighting Volkner when he reached Ultra Class late last year. With it, Pikachu was able to use its Z-Move 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt - the strongest Z-Move Ash has ever had access to. Ash could potentially be walking into a fight with Leon with a Z-Ring, a Key Stone, a Dynamax Band, and Ash-Greninja. If there was an Infinity Gauntlet in the Pokemon world, Ash is already wearing it.
Leon is prominent in the new teaser, and with Scarlet & Violet right around the corner, it seems certain that the climax of their rivalry is imminent. It would be a cruel twist to let Ash lose after everything he’s been through to prepare for this battle, but then again, what happens when he wins? We all want to see Ash finally become a true Pokemon Master, but once he’s crowned World Champion, there won't be anything left for him to pursue. There’s been speculation for a while that Journey’s was going to be Ash’s final send off, and with the way things are going, the end of Ash’s story could very well be right around the corner.