Pokémon: Ash Has Finally Broken One of His Worst Habits

After 25 long, frustrating years, Pokémon Journeys finally sees Ash quit one of his most annoying habits.

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WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Pokemon Journeys Episode 60, “Beyond Chivalry… Aiming to Be a Leak Master!” now streaming on Netflix.

In Pokémon Journeys, Ash Ketchum has come a long way from the inept, hard-headed trainer we’ve all come to know and tolerate over the years. The aspiring Pokémon Master has long frustrated fans with the habit of leaving his Pokémon in the care of another trainer. Fortunately, the latest batch Pokémon Journeys episodes to reach the U.S. are showing Ash is finally past this habit, allowing his Sirfetch’d to avoid the same fate that befell other Pokémon like Primeape, Charizard, Squirtle, and Gliscor.

Ash’s Galarian Farfetch’d felt doomed from the moment he captured it. They didn’t have a good relationship as Ash struggled with its unique battling style, received helpful tips from another trainer, and formed a rivalry with another trainer’s Gallade, which fought using a similar style. Longtime Pokémon fans know how this trend would usually end: with Ash leaving Farfetch’d with the trainer who is better suited to its style. Yet even after it evolves into Sirfetch’d, this time Ash hangs on to his Pokémon so they can get stronger together.

Granted, Ash still needed help from other trainers, including Wikstrom of the Kalos Elite Four, to learn how to handle his unruly Farfetch’d. When Wikstrom taught Ash and Farfetch’d about chivalry and fighting like a knight, it felt like a goodbye was on the horizon. Later on, when Rinto’s Gallade defeated Farfetch’d with a more successful version of its own battle style, fans couldn’t help but feel like Farfetch’d’s days in Ash’s possession were numbered. However, Ash perseveres and eventually defeats Rinto’s Gallade with his newly evolved Sirfetch’d.

The point of a Pokémon journey is to get stronger together with your Pokémon, so it never made sense for Ash give them away so they can train with someone else. If anything it’s been detrimental to his development, refusing to adapt to his Pokémon’s style, instead preferring they adapt to his. Farfetch’d was reminiscent of Primeape with its general disdain for Ash, as well as his struggle to help it get stronger. So, when Farfetch’d evolved and gained a new respect for Ash, it seemed like the pieces were in place for Sirfetch’d to join the ranks of Ash’s abandoned Pokémon.

Once Ash and Sirfetch’d head home from their victory over Gallade, it protects Ash from a splash of water created by a passing truck. This is a far cry from its former habit as a Farfetch’d of using its Leek like a baseball bat to club Ash in the gut and send him hurtling into cliff-sides. It will be interesting to see how their bond continues to evolve now that Sirfetch’d is confirmed to be sticking around for the long haul. Hopefully, Primeape never finds out about this Fighting-type that Ash didn’t just give away at the first opportunity.

Pokémon Journeys has changed Ash dramatically, and in a lot of ways he has regressed as a character. It’s a rare but welcome indication of Ash’s growth that he is no longer so quick to hand off his Pokémon to someone else the moment he thinks they might do a better job of training them. Ash’s Sirfetch’d might just become his most loyal Journeys Pokémon after he refused to quit on it. As a result, Sirfetch’d will get the chance so many of Ash’s other Pokémon didn’t — to prove it was worthwhile for Ash to train it himself.

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