Ash Ketchum just won the biggest tournament ever ahead of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s release

After 25 years of journeying throughout the world of Pokémon, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town has finally reached the pinnacle of battling and becoming the strongest trainer in the world after winning the Pokémon World Coronation Series.

With a team of Pikachu, Dracovish, Gengar, Sirfetch’d, Lucario, and Dragonite, Ash defeated Galar Champion Leon in the climactic battle of the tournament and likely one of the final moments for Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series. 

With this win, not only did Ash defeat the undefeated Champion, but he also capped off a run that lands him as the new top Pokémon Trainer in the world—or at least the title of Monarch of the Pokémon World Coronation Series. He also beat Steven and Cynthia to reach the final round. 

This title comes after all eight Champions from the main regions gathered to clash, including Ash, who won the title of Champion of Alola back in 2019. That was his first win in a major region, as before that he had only won the Orange League and finished as high as second in previous challenges.

While Ash celebrated his win with Misty, Brock, and a number of other returning characters from previous seasons, fans at home are left wondering just what might be coming next for Pallet Town’s top trainer and the Pokémon anime as a whole. 

Ahead of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s release, there has been no real news about an iteration of the anime that will bring Ash and Pikachu to the Paldea region. The series did partially skip over Sword and Shield’s Galar region, as Ash and friends didn’t stick to the region following his departure from Alola. 

That change marked the first time since the first episode of the Pokémon anime aired in 1997 that the series did not coincide at least mostly with a new game’s release—and Pokémon Legends: Arceus was only a special set of episodes too. So, with rumors floating around that Ultimate Journeys: The Series might actually be the final journey for Ash and Pikachu, finally achieving his ultimate dream would be a pretty good send-off.