Wow, this aged interestingly given Ash won the Alola league and became the world champion.

@Sunset’s Minion  
We can only dream. Ash has far overstayed his welcome. It’s time for new, interesting series to take hold. Maybe we could have a story without a day one obvious ending for once!

Welp, the writers did manage to surprise us… IN THE WORST POSSIBLE WAY!!!! Ash’s new power is now going kaput?!?
 
Do the Pokemon anime writers just love to troll their fans? Or are they just that stupid?
 
Lets hope Sun and Moon is on par with this series, because this could pretty much doom the anime line.

@Pepsi_Al  
Yep, just like Pikachu.

@Dig Dug: You mean, as long as he remains a favorite among favorite character polls in Japan. Which (unfortunately) sometimes rank a character highly just because they’re the main character.

ITT people fail to understand Ash’s neverending cycle of rebirth due to the $$$$ he brings. So long as he’s marketable, he’ll stay.

There’s also a rumor that says the Kalos League might have been rigged by Team Flare.

@Sunset’s Minion  
Indeed. After al, they’ve done nothing but surprise us since xyz started. Fighting some of the original legendary birds, having an anime exclusive evolution where the trainer shares the damage, overpowering a champion.
 
Many consider pokemon anime to be a full blown Shonen anime now.

You do realize the season isn’t over yet, right? The Pokemon writers might still be able to surprise us.

@Background Pony #8345  
I didn’t say winning the tournament make him a Pokemon master

@Background Pony #8345  
yes Ash winning the league would saddle him with that, then we could have a new character for once and let Ash you know Age XD

@Background Pony #8345  
Which can be where the Alola Region comes into play. Ash can take the Rite of Passage Trials to hone his newfound abilities!

Okay I know this is sort of semantics but is anyone else going to point out this character next to Sunset isn’t Ash Ketchum?
 
This is Mirror Ash Ketchum. He’s about 2 inches shorter then Ash and has far less of a tan then Ash.
 
@mrdoctorderpy  
Since when did becoming the annual tournament winner=pokemon master? Plus, even if he did become a champion of an individual region, he’d be saddled with that instead of becoming something greater. Let’s be happy he made it to the finals. That’s NEVER happened before.
 
Ash only enters the tournaments to settle scores and test his limits. He’s okay with losing the league as many times as necessary so long as it makes him stronger. One COULD of argued that such losses are fruitless, but now that he has powers no other trainer in the world has after 18 years of training, he now has the potential to be the ultimate pokemon master. All he has to do is master it.

@Pepsi_Al  
You were replaying to a post that said it was Ash’s high point, not the show’s, so I assumed you were talking about the same topic.

@Background Pony #D415: I kinda meant as an overall season. At least with regards to characters.

@Pepsi_Al  
The latter two are obvious, and there’s tons of examples of Ash being far more of a moron or inept at battling than in other seasons.
 
For example, when Ash assumed that he’d be able to beat Elesa with only a single Pokémon, so he literally left his other Pokémon at the Pokémon Center, and had to run back to get them after losing his first one.
 
Or when he only beat Roxie due to static activating, despite having twice as many Pokémon as her.
 
Or when his strategy for fighting Skyla was literally “I’ll try really hard” (and he said as much).
 
 
Ash had just come off of Sinnoh, where he was by far at his most competent yet (evolving most of his Pokémon, utilizing strategies specialized for his opponents, practicing between battles to use unconventional moves or to counter weaknesses), and was suddenly as competent as he was in Kanto, or even worse.

@Background Pony #D415: Can you be more specific in what you’re talking about?

@Pepsi_Al  
…the season where he got heavily downgraded in intelligence, didn’t make it as far in the league, and lost to a moron who didn’t even bring 6 pokemon with him is a high point?

@McGack: I would consider Unova more of a “high point”. Same with Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn.

@Nerdy The Mexican Unicorn  
Yes he did and only beat Darkrai

@McGack  
Didn’t he lose to some guy who had a team of legendaries in Sinnoh?

Ash’s High point was Sinnoh

Right now, this show is getting it’s head shoved up its own ass.

@Background Human: I probably would have retired him altogether after Hoenn at the latest.

@Krek  
rumor, just because apparently there is not league in alola