Ash and Pikachu technically departed the Pokemon franchise months ago, but it didn’t feel very official for an international audience until the English dubs dropped on Netflix. These came in the form of Pokemon Ultimate Journeys‘ 11-episode send-off for Ash and Pikachu (titled To Be a Pokémon Master), which concluded with “The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master.” But don’t worry, there’s still plenty more Pokemon on the way. Hopefully, we haven’t seen the last of our heroes, who have been the central focus of the franchise since 1997. As bittersweet as it is, let’s recap that emotional Pokemon Ultimate Journeys ending.
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What Happens in “The Rainbow and the Pokemon Master” in the Pokemon anime?
In “The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master,” we open with Ash, Brock, and Misty strolling along a dirt path. They eventually come to a fork in the road, where Misty tells them that Cerulean City is “this way” and steps off to the side. Psyduck emerges from its Poke Ball and hugs Pikachu, both of them crying. Misty remarks that traveling together with Ash and Brock again was really fun, a sentiment with which both Ash and Brock agree. Brock asks Misty to tell her sisters at the Cerulean City Gym that he sends his fond regards, and they part ways.
At the next stop, Ash bids farewell to Brock, who heads back to Pewter City alone. Ash and Pikachu head to Pallet Town, acknowledging the end of their journey. They sprint towards home, where Mr. Mime and Delia, Ash’s mother, await them. She runs them a hot bath, cleans their clothes, and prepares dinner.
Ash fills Delia in on his journey thus far, recounting how he traveled with Misty and Brock and met up with the Squirtle Squad. Delia encourages him to eat before the food gets cold, then they all retire to bed. While lying in bed, Ash wonders how Latias and Latios — the Pokemon he saved in the previous episode — are doing.
The next morning, Ash sleeps in, and Delia reminds him that he was supposed to go over to Professor Oak’s place. Delia offers him new shoes, but he declines. Ash runs into Tracey Sketchit outside Professor Oak’s lab, who informs him that Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur are being examined and prepped for their new trainers. Inside the lab, Professor Oak has lost Charmander, much to Ash’s dismay.
Ash nominates himself and his Pokemon to act as the search party to help find Charmander. Pikachu eventually finds the Pokemon trapped in a hole within the rocky structures outside the lab. Ash begins climbing down to assist Charmander, but loses his footing and falls. Charmander uses Ash as a springboard to jump out, but just as Ash begins to follow, he’s offered a helping hand by Gary Oak.
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Charmander is returned to the lab, where Oak performs health checks on the three Starter Pokemon. Gary congratulates Ash on his World Championship win, then asks how close he is to becoming a Pokemon Master. This leaves Ash to ponder the question on his walk home.
We see a montage of Ash enjoying his break. He’s eating Delia’s home-cooked meals, catching up on sleep, and helping out around the farm. Meanwhile, at Team Rocket HQ, Jesse, James, and Meowth are still at odds with one another after going their separate ways in an earlier episode. The trio have resorted to serving cafeteria meals to the Team Rocket grunts.
Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu plan a trip to Viridian Forest. Unbeknownst to them, Team Rocket are lurking around every turn, joining forces for one more Pikachu-napping scheme. The Team Rocket trio spring into action to capture Pikachu Just then, a Pidgeot swoops in to slice through the net and rescue him. Team Rocket are sent blasting off again with Pikachu’s timeless Thunderbolt attack.
Pidgeot announces that it wants to go traveling with Ash again, and Ash accepts. Lying atop a hill, Ash recalls what Gary had said about being one step closer to becoming a Pokemon Master. Just then, it starts raining, and Ash and Pikachu are forced to retreat under a large tree. As the rain falls down around them, Ash declares that being Champion was never his goal, and that he still considers himself a challenger.
Image via The Pokémon Company
He mentions wanting to meet more Pokemon and put all the things he learns to good use in due time, which includes meeting Latios. Ash believes that being a Pokemon Master means befriending all the Pokémon in the world.
When the storm passes, the clouds break to reveal a stunning rainbow. Ash asks Pikachu if he’ll be by his side when he becomes a true Pokemon Master, to which Pikachu replies by nuzzling his cheek against Ash’s. And so, Ash and Pikachu set off on yet another adventure. When Delia goes to wake Ash in the morning, he’s already gone. He does, however, switch out his old shoes for the brand new ones.
As Ash and Pikachu stroll along, Team Rocket watch from above. When Ash reaches a fork in the road, Pikachu hands him a twig to toss in the air, which will let fate decide the path they’ll take.
Ash’s final episode and the rest of the To Be a Pokémon Master: Ultimate Journeys: The Series anime are streaming on Netflix.
