Will Ash & Pikachu ever return?

Welcome back to another week of pure, unadulterated Pokémon news and entertainment. I’m your host, Cooltrainer Ace, and THIS is Victory Road.

There’s no such thing as a slow news week ‘round these parts. Grab a beverage and buckle up, fellow Cooltrainers.

This week’s rundown (estimated read time 5 minutes):

• Will Ash and Pikachu ever make a comeback?

• 7-star Charizard raid breakdown

• Cooltrainer Chronicles Part 2!

RIP Ash Ketchum?

When we said so long to Ash & Pikachu last fall (at least in the English dub), it felt less like goodbye and more like smell see ya later as they began the next chapter in their adventure.

Fans waited for a cameo and spun up theories about the dynamic duo, including a (later debunked) speculation that Ash was Liko’s dad.

In a recent interview with Variety, Pokémon execs Andy Gose and Taito Okiura talked about the decision to move on from Ash Ketchum and what the future might hold for the most iconic Pokémon Trainer of all time.

Here are some highlights that stood out to me from the interview. The full article (linked above) is worth a quick read too.

When asked if this really was the end for Ash and if he would return to the series.

Gose: We’ve said farewell. Ash is still in the world. Anything is possible, I suppose. In the world of Pokémon, there’s so many possibilities.

Okiura: We hope Ash and Pikachu continue in their journey. Their journey is ongoing somewhere in the Pokémon world. It’s totally up to our fans’ imagination. For the time being, we would love to focus on the new story of the Liko and Roy. “Horizons” invites a new beginning.

When asked what the title “Horizons” means and how long they see this new show running for.

Gose: It touches on this sweeping sort of adventure of the show… That sense of adventure and growth, “Horizons” kind of bundles all that up neatly. We are committed to this show for now, and as viewers see that the story follows kind of an arc, I think that we’ll likely tell the story until the story is complete. That can be any number of seasons.

When asked where they view the Pokémon franchise in terms of its evolutionary stage.

Okiura: In terms of an ongoing “Pokémon” brand, it’s only the beginning of the long “Pokémon” saga. We are very passionate about having “Pokémon” longevity over 100 years. In that regard, it’s only the beginning.

The Mighty ‘Zard is back!

All hail the true king of the lizards!

If you didn’t have your copy of Scarlet/Violet back in December of 2022 (or weren’t far enough in the game to take part), now’s your chance to snag Dragon-Tera Charizard with the Mightiest Mark from now until Sunday, March 17 at 4:59 p.m. Pacific (PDT).

Unfortunately, if you caught Charizard in that first raid event, you still can’t catch another this time around. However, the Herba Mystica drops this time around may make it worth your while.

There are a variety of ways to go about this one. Take a look at the menu:

• Austin John Plays recommends Flutter Mane first, and Azumarill second.

• DanSquared goes with Sylveon.

• And PKMNcast has a few builds, including Alcremie and Fezandipiti (in addition to Flutter Mane and Sylveon).

The Cooltrainer Chronicles, pt. 2

I ran through my options for the hundredth time, mentally listing the wild Pokémon near Viridian City.

Excluding Viridian Forest, of course. No way was I wandering in there without a Pokémon of my own. 

More Beedrill than you can swing a stick at, at least according to the recent news story about a Bug Catcher who got a little careless wandering in the Forest. After a week in the hospital and a few gallons of antidote, the reporter said “Timmy” would make a full recovery. 

I personally doubted his Caterpie would ever be the same.

There were Beedrill in the other surrounding forests too, though not in potentially deadly swarms. A flock of Spearow with the right amount of pissed off was no joke either. The grassy hills to the south on Route 1 or the foothills to the west that marked Route 22 seemed like my best bet.

So, Rattata, Pidgey, Nidoran of both genders, Spearow, and possibly Mankey summed up my options. Mankey sounded like the best bet, especially considering an evolution to Primeape had been recently discovered in Paldea.

Adjusting my backpack straps, I squared my shoulders and headed west.

It didn’t take long to reach the outskirts of town. Viridian City hadn’t changed much in the years since Blue took over the gym. As a whole, Kanto remained the same as it had for decades.

There were less trainers across the region now than any time in the past two generations. As soon as they could afford it, top talent left home for the major tournaments held in Galar and other places with bigger payouts and more exposure.

The newly-opened Indigo Academy off in the distance to the north of me was the latest attempt at Kanto’s regional revitalization. The school claimed it would one day enroll trainers from all over the world.

Reaching the foothills, I veered from the well-worn path leading to Johto and Victory Road. I had a handful of Poke Balls and an entire journey ahead of me.

What could go wrong?

Card of the Week

Illustrator Orca’s Lickitung is trashing the dessert table like a pack of toddlers at a birthday party. Its even got the blue tongue to show for it. This full art mad lad is in the upcoming Temporal Forces expansion releasing March 22.

Random encounters around the internet

• Reminder: GO March Community Day this Saturday the 16 featuring Litten from 2-5 p.m. local time.

• That’s cool: As reported by PokeBeach, Pokémon is adding TCG vending machines across the United States.

• 🎁 Mystery Gift: Grab Yoasobi’s Pawmot in Scarlet or Violet with code Y0AS0B1B1R1B1R1

Obscure Pokémon Fact (from u/Mx_Toniy_4869)

Until next time,
Cooltrainer Ace