WMG / Pokémon Journeys: The Series

aka: Pokemon Sword And Shield Anime

Many of Ash's new Pokémon that he catches will be from top of the 2020 Pokémon of the Year polls

• His Gengar being #10 in general, Dragonite being #6 among the Kanto Pokémon, and his eventual Riolu who can evolve into Lucario being #2 in general.
  • Riolu is confirmed in JN021 when Ash catches a Riolu that hatched from an Egg. Evolution into a Lucario would be later on in the Sword and Shield Series.
    • Confirmed in previews with Riolu evolving during the Darkest Day arc.
    • Further confirmed with the capture of Gengar and Dragonite.
• A Ralts or Gardevoir which was rated the 9th Pokémon on the overall list.
• Mimikyu, Umbreon, and Sylveon were rated 3rd, 5th, and 6th.
• In the counting for other regions (not listed above, legendary, or already in Ash's team in some evolutionary state)
  • Kanto: Eevee and Arcanine
  • Johto: Scizor, Espeon, and Ampharos
  • Hoenn: Flygon, Metagross, Milotic, Absol
  • Sinnoh: Luxray, Piplup/Empoleon, Glaceon
  • Unova: Chandelure, Zoroark, Hydregion, Volcarona, Haxorus
  • Kalos: Aegislash, Dedenne, Tyrantrum
  • Alola: Golisopod, Primarina, Bewear
  • Galar: Dragapult, Toxitricity, Corviknight, Snom, Alcremie, Cinderace, Yamper, Wooloo, Inteleon
    • Granted Journeys has been all about bucking trends so far where it comes to caught Pokémon, especially since Goh is trying to catch as many as he can anyway, but typically during a season none of the current starters have ever been doubled up between main characters, so Inteleon can probably be crossed off since Goh has Sobble. Similarly, Ash catching a Yamper of his own would take focus away from Chloe's Yamper.

• With team evolution as of JN078, Scizor, Flygon, Absol, Cinderace and Inteleon have all been captured/evolved by Goh, while Eevee is Chloe's partner, and such are more likely Jossed than not.
  • With Journeys (and Ash's involvement in the anime) coming to a close, Ash's only captures were Dragonite, Gengar, Riolu to Lucario, Galarian Farfetch'd to Sirfetch'd and Dracovish, so this is Confirmed for the former three but Jossed everywhere else.

Many of Ash's Pokémon will return based on the 2020 Polls

• Including Greninja, Charizard, Garchomp (evolved from Gible)
  • While the involvement of the polls seems to have been Jossed for now, many of Ash's Pokémon do make a return at Oak's lab in JN068.
  • As of the main end of Journeys, Jossed. Ash's Pokémon tended only to appear in bulk, with a little extra focus given to Infernape in one episode. Aim to be a Pokémon Master also doesn't count, as each episode involves various team members of Ash's in rotation with no preference.

Ash's Gengar will fight another Gengar at some point

That is why Ash's has a different color than other Gengar. Sort of think of the Ash's Swellow vs Winona's fight where Winona's was shiny.

• Jossed. No such battle occurred.

Ash's Dragonite will Gigantamax for the World Pokémon Championships

Hence the decision to give him one to also promote the new games, its never-seen-before giant form towers over the stadium complete with glowing eyes (a nod to the anime episode Mystery at the Lighthouse) and a crucial member of his party that enables him to compete in the Master Class of trainers.

• Considering Pikachu has already been established Gigantamax, that seems unlikely...
• If you mean the Gigantamax part, (which I'll assume was an error) then it is instantly Jossed (since Dragonite doesn't have a G-Max forme). However, considering how we have multiple G-Max Pokemon on Ash's team now, I'd say that Dynamax Dragonite is unlikely.
• In JN116 a giant Dragonite did appear, airing 25 years since episode 13, Mystery at the Lighthouse, aired. Except it Dynamaxed, and the Pokémon was the one belonging to Lance, not Ash.

• As of the end of the Pocket Monsters saga of Journeys, Jossed. Ash's Dragonite never Dynamaxed.

Past traveling companions of Ash's will have guest reappearances

Since this season seems to be about traveling all over the Pokémon world, it only makes sense for Ash to run into old friends. Plus, it could make for development for Goh if he got jealous of all the different friends Ash has made over his journey.

• JN025 has the return of Korrina from the Kalos saga.
• JN037 features Ash and Goh visiting Alola and meeting all of his friends from that region, including a scene featuring Lillie and Gladion.
• JN065 features Ash travelling to Unova to battle Iris, who's since become the region's champion.
• JN068 features Gary, who then becomes a recurring character as part of Project Mew.
• The summer two-parter special JN074 and JN075 features the return of Dawn, who befriends Chloe.
• All of Ash's companions appeared as spectators throughout the World Championships.

• In addition, the Aim to be a Pokémon Master miniseries to close off Ash's involvement in the anime involves Ash reuniting and travelling with Misty and Brock for a short time, with one-episode appearances by Cilan and Tracey.

At least one visit to the Alola Region will have Ash defend his title

He is the regional champion, after all.

• At the very least it would probably come up at some point and Goh would be 'WHAT!?' about it.
  • This later part is confirmed. In JN076, Ash meets two of his fans in Alola, and admits that he just forgot to tell Goh about it.

• Jossed.

Potential locations to visit include the following

• One of the haunted locations, like the Eterna Forest Old Chateau or Unova's Strange House
• A Safari Zone (at Fuchsia, outside Lilycove, the Great Marsh, or west of Cianwood)
• The Regi caves of Gen 3 (Do they want to write Goh capturing Regis?)
  • Given that the Regi seem to be integral to the plot of the Crown Tundra DLC, if this does happen, it would likely be in Galar, not Hoenn.
    • This last point is confirmed, with Goh visiting the Crown Tundra ruins and capturing Regieleki (alongside Gary catching Regidrago) in JN113.

Goh will create a team of Pokémon specifically made to capture Mew. Its lineup consists of:

• Cinderace
• Golurk or Misdreavus due to being Ghost-Types that are strong against Psychic-Types, the latter could also be a possibility if it learns Mean Look.
• A Pokémon who can inflict status conditions.
  • Jossed. When Goh finally encounters Mew as part of Project Mew in JN134, he only has Cinderace and Grookey on hand.

Chloe will meet a classmate who, like her, is struggling to find out what she wants to do in life.

• It would be a good way to develop Chloe's character more. The two will bond over their struggles and talk about their opinions on Pokemon. The classmate will reveal that they already know what they want in life, but are scared to tell their family/peers for fear of being judged or rejected. Chloe in turn will tell them that they shouldn't worry about what other people think and that they need to speak up...which will make her realize that she too has been hiding her feelings from her peers. Chloe will finally gain the courage to tell her schoolmates that she doesn't want to follow in her father's footsteps and is still trying to find her passion in life.
• Looking Jossed, as Chloe is becoming more and more involved with Pokemon. She does confide in Goh that that she wants to keep her options open, and he's understanding of this.
  • Fully Jossed.

Ash's Galarian Farfetch'd will evolve into Sirfetch'd during an intense battle

It is likely that the critical hit requirement is hard to pull off in the anime, but the intense battle part should work. The main requirement is it would likely be very intense (for example an equivalent of Dragonite's battle with Korrina's mons).

• Confirmed. It evolved during a rematch with Rinto's Gallade in JN060.

Ash will catch Grookey

Goh has Sobble and Cinderace, so the last starter would go to Ash. Though...

• Jossed.

Goh will catch Grookey

...The alternative is also true.

• Confirmed.

Possible Pokemon for Chloe

• Now that Chloe is officially a Pokemon Trainer, besides Yamper,^note  Though he technically belongs to Professor Cerise here are some potential mons for her:
  • Pidove: Based on an episode about the Cerise family taking care of the eponymous Pokemon after it had been injured.
    • Jossed. JN029 reveals that the Pidove already has a trainer.
  • Galarian Ponyta/Rapidash: The preview for an upcoming episode featured both Chloe and her Eevee riding a Galarian Rapidash and Ponyta, respectively. And a brief scene in the 3rd opening for Journeys showed Chloe with a Ponyta.
    • Jossed. Chloe befriends a G. Ponyta in JN055, but she doesn't capture it. However, the aforementioned scene in the 3rd opening still leaves things open for possibility.
  • Grookey: Goh already has Cinderace and Sobble, and unless Ash gets it, it would just make sense for Chloe to get the remaining starter.
    • Jossed, Goh catches it.
  • Chikorita and/or Comfey: Based on the Pokémon Shiritori (Mew to Zamazenta ver.) ending as both Pokémon were dancing alongside her Yamper, much like how Raboot is dancing next to Cubone and Metapod, two other Pokemon Goh currently owns.
  • Wooloo: The two strands of wool hanging from its head resemble Chloe's hair braid. Plus, Yamper are used to herd Wooloo, so it would be interesting to see Yamper interact with one.
  • Any Pokemon with a floral theme (Budew/Petilil/(etc.) and its evolutions). Fitting since Chloe usually tends to the flowers around her school.
  • Cherubi/Cherrim: Just to go along with the Cerise family theme.
  • Swablu: A nice callback to May and the Swablu she befriended in an earlier season. Also gives Chloe a potential Dragon-type with Altaria.
  • Eevee: Based on a couple of posters showcasing the new Japanese time-slot for the 2019 series, which have depicted Chloe with an Eevee.
    • Confirmed, she takes one as her partner in episode 49.
  • Rookidee: Unless Ash or Goh catches it, Chloe will have another option for a Flying-type along with Swablu.

• Aside from Eevee, all Jossed.

Yamper's backstory will be revealed

• It would be interesting to see how Yamper became part of the Cerise household. The most logical scenario is that Yamper was probably a wild Pokemon that was sick or injured. Chloe (before she developed her ambivalence) found Yamper and helped nurse him back to health. It would go a long way to explain why he's the most devoted to her. Additionally...
  • Jossed. It's revealed that Professor Cerise received Yamper as a gift from a friend living in the Galar region.

...We'll see what caused Chloe's indifference towards Pokemon

• Goh has mentioned that Chloe wasn't so jaded towards Pokemon in the past, and the latter herself has stated that she neither likes nor dislikes them. So clearly, something must've happened to make her develop this mindset.
  • One of these things that could've happened was Goh's obsession with Mew. If Chloe finally calls Goh out on this, then it should give Goh a huge wake-up call as to how he ignored his close friend.
    • Jossed. Chloe happily tells her father that Mew is Goh's inspiration, showing no signs of negative feelings or resentment. However, JN029 reveals that she did use to be jealous of Yamper getting everyone's attention.

Ash and Iris will have a battle with their Dragonite

• Should the creators decide to bring any one of Ash's previous travel companions back and it turns out to be Iris, it would only be fitting for them to pit their respective Dragonite against each other. Plus, it would make for some humorous moments with Ash's Gentle Giant Cuddle Bug trying to give Iris' raging Blood Knight a hug.
  • We may get a reference to the games - a revelation that Ash's next opponent in the Ultra/Master class is the Champion of the Unova region's Pokemon League. Ash is excited, then shocked to find he's facing Iris in the world championships.
  • The gender of Ash's Dragonite may be known at that point when they meet, as was the case with Clair's.
  • With Iris being teased in the latest opening for Journeys, this may be plausible.
  • Confirmed with Episode 65, although he doesn't find out Iris is champion until after accepting the battle invitation.

If Ash and Chloe get any interaction together...

• An episode featured Pikachu running away after seemingly getting fed up with Ash obsessing over training Riolu. The episode preceding it revolved around Yamper becoming jealous of a Pidove that the Cerise family had been taking care of. Due to having just recently experienced similar issues with Yamper, Chloe might show some empathy for Ash and try to help him make things right with Pikachu.
  • Confirmed since Ash mentions that Chloe chewed him out for focusing more on Riolu than Pikachu, although the interaction happens offscreen.
• Also confirmed in episode 38 where Ash and Chloe work together when they and Goh are digging for fossils. The first time we see them getting along.

Ash's Gengar will enter a losing-streak

• It'll end up losing more and more battles, and while Ash would never abandon it as did its original abusive trainer, it'll go into a downward spiral, furious at itself. Only to finally break that streak when it Gigantamaxes.

Each of Ash's Pokemon will get a specific rival to them

Borrowing from Sun and Moon giving each mon a rival (Pikachu had Guzma, Rowlet Hau, Lycanroc Gladion, and Torracat Masked Royal) Ash's Pokemon will have a rival figure to bounce off of. For some specifics

• Dragonite:
  • Flygon. The two are literal foils to each other in the Pokédex. One who ventures out to sea to save people, the other, the siren of the sands, luring people out into the desert.
  • Iris and her Dragonite when she makes her return and they have a battle together.
  • Raihan could be a potential rival to Dragonite if the two were to eventually meet and have a battle.

• Gengar:
  • The original trainer, akin to the Paul and Chimchar conflict if in a different flavor.
    • Jossed. The original trainer never appears again.

• Riolu:
  • Korrina, whose Lucario Riolu already admires and would likely want to fight.
  • Bea, given their first battle

• Farfetch'd
  • Bea, should she have her own Farfetch'd/Sirfetch'd.
  • Rinto, given their first battle.
    • Farfetch'd does a rematch against Rinto's Gallade in JN060, evolving into Sirfetch'd in the process and defeating him this time.

Each of Ash's rivals will have a group of Pokemon set to specifically rival them

Taking the idea from the above and expanding it Ash will have rivals that, instead of getting a specific Pokemon, get species groups of Pokemon to get focus against them. As an example Bea will specifically get Lucario, an eventual Sirfetch'd, and a third Fighting-type (say Urshifu) while Iris may get Dragonite, Dracovish, and a third Dragon-type if she's a rival

Goh will catch a Pikachu...

• And Team Rocket will mistake it for Ash's Pikachu and steal it.
  • Additionally, if/when Goh captures a Meowth and a Wobbuffet, one of them will accidentally get swapped with Team Rocket. Ash and Goh will later use Goh's Meowth and Wobbuffet to parody the motto.
  • For the former point, Jossed. Goh caught a Pikachu in JN035, but it was a female Pikachu. Confusion did happen but only between Ash's Pikachu and a bunch of wild Pikachu that appeared in the episode. The Pikachu evolved into Raichu before the end of the episode anyway, probably to preserve the One-Steve Limit.
    • However, identical Pikachu confusion leading to a Team Rocket mixup does happen in JN048.

Korrina won't be the only Gym Leader Ash rematches.

He will battle the Gym Leaders that he didn't defeat in a Gym match.

• Partially confirmed. He does rematch Volkner as well, but he doesn't battle against any Gym Leaders that he never defeated prior to Journeys.

Ash's Lucario will soon activate its ability - Battle Bond.

Just like with his Greninja, or with Gigantamax Pikachu, Ash does nothing conventionally when it comes to battling. Instead of Mega Evolution, it achieves through Bond Phenomenon a powerful form that mimics its trainer's appearance◊.

• Jossed. It acquires Mega Evolution as its powerup.

Incineroar will rejoin Ash's team.

It evolved near the end of Sun & Moon, well after Journeys was already planned out. Its late evolution was done with the knowledge that Ash would soon return to Alola in the following series.

• Jossed in regards to the Pocket Monsters saga of Journeys, but confirmed for the Aim to Be a Pokémon Master miniseries portion.

The entire Alola team will come along

On the above, the notable absence of Fire, Grass, Rock, and Steel types on Ash's team could be easily filled that way.

• As noted above, they (including the Rotomdex) all appeared in JN037 but no mention of them returning with Ash was ever made.

Riolu will evolve into a Lucario during the rematch with Bea

Likely as a Heroic Second Wind after getting knocked down.

• Jossed. It evolved in the battle against Chairman Rose six episodes later.

Ren is from Kalos

Because his Magnemite is named François which is a French name.

James will obtain a Galarian Weezing.

He may re-catch a Koffing, then evolve it soon after while in Galar.

• Jossed. The only new Pokémon he obtained in Journeys was Morpeko.

The Mewtwo that appears in Darkest Day is the same one from Pokémon: Genesect and the Legend Awakened

Due to the well-known legal mess, the Pokemon Company doesn't own the rights to the Mewtwo from the first movie as Takeshi Shudō's estate does instead, they would have to use "her" character instead.

• This Mewtwo maybe the mystery Pokemon the merchandise keeps teasing us with. "She" in her soul-searching may want to come along with Ash as their paths to push beyond their limits is one and the same. While "she's" ridiculously powerful, he's gonna need "her" help if he's to stand a chance against Elite Fours and Champions in the Master Class of the World Tournament.
• It would set up a competitive spirit with Goh that culminates in a future and final episode of the series: Ash's Mewtwo vs. Goh's Mew.
• Jossed. Based on the voice acting, it's the Mewtwo from the first movie.

Ash's Charizard will return

Because one Charizard isn't enough, we need more of them. Why not the one that people actually love? Also some recent toys have featured a Charizard and a Dragapult and some fans question a two toy Leon set (the third toy being a Flygon, likely being Goh's or even Raihan's).

• Partially confirmed. Charizard returns along with a lot more of Ash's previous Pokémon in an upcoming episode set at Oak's lab. However, neither he nor any of the other Pokémon join the full-time Journeys cast.

The Mew that appears in the series is the same one from first movie

Both of the Mew usually play around but they also help people and Pokemon when they are in trouble. Mew will also be revealed to be the same one as the one in movie 8.

• As of the end of the season, unconfirmed. There are no given indicators that the Mew shown has been encountered previously.

Chloe will be able to Gigantamax Eevee

Her Eevee is unable to evolve, like the Let's Go, Eevee! starter and said starter is capable of getting a Gigantamax form. Similarly, an Eevee (or Pikachu) with the factor cannot evolve in general. Additionally...

• Jossed.

Chloe and Eevee will get an Eevium Z

If, at some point, Chloe and Eevee visit the Alola region and Eevee learns Last Resort, they'll be able to use the Z-Move, Extreme Evoboost.

• Jossed. Chloe did visit Alola in JN112, but her only interaction involving Eevee was meeting Lana and discussing evolution.

Ash's Farfetch'd is going to evolve soon

JN051 is titled The Great Farfetch'd Trial! and Galarian Farfetch'd evolves after landing three critical hits in battle.

• Jossed for this episode, but Farfetch'd does begin a Character Development arc of sorts, in which Ash will work hard with it to be more unified and refined in battle.
• Finally confirmed to evolve in JN060 from landing three critical hits with Fury Cutter against Rinto's Gallade.

An Ash and Bea episode will involve Ash's sensitivity to Aura and Bea lacking any talent for it

Bea notably doesn't have any Pokemon that can use Aura Sphere in her anime or game teams and she was caught off guard by the use of Aura to free Riolu in the second battle. This could manifest in a number of ways from a Technician Versus Performer conflict with Bea as a technician losing to Ash's aura-enhanced performing at some task to Bea trying to learn it from Ash and Lucario in a funny scenario.

• Jossed.

A second Ballonea/Glimwood Tangle episode will happen where Chloe reunites with and captures the G. Ponyta

It seems like the end of the episode was set up as if we haven't seen the last of it. Plus, it would finally break the long-standing trend of female companions being hyped up to catch a Pokemon they've befriended, only to end up not doing so (i.e May & Swablu, Iris & Deino, Lana & Dewpider).

• Jossed.

The members of the Masters Eight

The top eight trainers in the World Coronation Series so far only have the first, second, and seventh-ranked trainers identified (as of 3/9/21): Leon, Lance, and Raihan. Possible identities for the others include the other Champions.

In fact, a somewhat 'cheap' listing could be listing them in generation order as the first and seventh gens have 'the player/rival' as the champion, thus making it

1: Leon2: Lance3: Steven4: Cynthia5: Alder6: Diantha7: Raihan8: ?

(Due to their statuses Gary and Iris probably do not fit in the list)

While fans will fiercely debate how right or wrong Steven ranking above Cynthia is it, of course, not the only way to list them. It's just the laziest way to make a theme out of it.

The position of eighth could easily be another Galarian character, possibly Piers given how close he was in skill to Raihan in-game and maximizing the current-gen advertisement. Wallace as a Contest-Champion who was implied to have lost the title to Steven could also be a candidate.

A Frontier Brain like Palmer, Brandon, or Anabel could also work.

The fact that Melony has never lost a battle against Raihan and he's in the Masters's Eight, she could be a candidate.

Episode 77 confirms that Cynthia is a member of the Masters Eight.

Episode 100 reveals that Flint is a member of the Master's Eight.

The official members of the Masters 8 are finally revealed to be

1. Leon 2. Cynthia 3. Steven 4. Lance 5. Diantha 6. Alain 7. Iris 8. Ash

Lucas will appear in a future movie...

And be relevant to the plot. This will be to promote Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

• All but Jossed, with the COVID-19 Pandemic putting movie production on hold after until well after BDSP marketing is no longer relevant.

Steve will be Ash's first Hyper Class challenger

Makes sense seeing Visquez was his first challenger for Normal Class and her Assistant Tony was his first challenger for the Great Class. So he might be the first to continue said pattern..

• Jossed. His first Hyper Rank challenge is Volkner.

Ash's Gengar will Mega Evolve at some point

Ash has never gotten to play with Mega Evolution before; it's two generations late, but having two team members with Mega Evolution potential makes it possible that it'll happen in Journeys. Since Ash has already faced a Mega Evolved Lucario this season, it's probably more likely that he'll get Mega Gengar.

• Jossed. It received G-Max as its power-up instead.

Ash will battle a former companion each time he enters a new class

At the moment it looks like Iris is Ash's battle into the Hyper/Ultra class, same as Korrina was the one into the Super/Great class. With that pattern seemingly being in place he'll have to defeat someone he knows again to enter the Master class as opposed to a new character like Rinto, Bea, or Visquez.

• Jossed. Ash's entry battle to the Master class was with Raihan.

Iris evolved her Axew.

• Confirmed. Iris's Axew is now a Haxorus, which she uses to battle Ash in JN065.

All, if not most, of Ash's travelling companions will return, leading to a big team up arc

Bringing them back not just lets us catch up on how they are doing, but also introduces new viewers to them. This will lead into a series wide crisis crossover later on. This will extend to some other friends and rivals such as Korrina and Gary.

• Adding on to this, the arc might be based off of Pokémon Masters.
• Jossed. During the main series the past companions were treated as guests, and none of them joined the main cast. While Misty and Brock did temporarily rejoin Ash during the Aim to be a Pokémon Master epilogue, and there were one-episode appearances from Cilan and Tracey, most of his past companions did not appear again. Nor was there any kind of crisis, with the Darkest Day storyline from Sword and Shield completed before the halfway point and Ash, Goh and Chloe's storylines all concluding separately.

Ash's Dragonite will replace Hyper Beam with Draco Meteor

It seems to be a move that exists to be blocked while the other moves (Hurricane, Dragon Claw, and Dragon Dance) function perfectly well. Additionally...

• Learning Draco Meteor is Confirmed. It was implied Hyper Beam is gone as it had recently used Draco Meteor, Dragon Claw, Hurricane, and Dragon Dance making 4 moves.

There will be an episode featuring Ash helping Dragonite train to master Hyper Beam.

The main problem is the move getting intercepted before Dragonite can use it, so maybe Ash will do some special training with it help it charge up the move faster.

• Jossed.

Bea will be Ash's final Hyper Rank opponent before the Master's Eight.

Seeing Bea serves as Ash's main rival in the series and the one trainer he still haven't managed to defeat her yet. It's most likely she will serve as his final opponent in place of a former travelling companion before facing off against the Master's Eight.

• Jossed. She ends up becoming his second Hyper Class opponent.

Hop will appear at some point

Hop is literally Leon's Brother, he will appear at some point. It's only inevitable.

• Confirmed. Hop makes his debut in JN115 at the start of the Masters 8 Tournament.

Cynthia joined the World Coronation Series this year, alongside those like Ash and Iris, and she replaced someone in the Masters Eight

The way Volkner talked about Cynthia was not quite a 'she's been in the World Coronation Series' as much as she's joined it as well. While the question of who was in the last season of it (whose final battle we saw with Leon and Lance) is unclear, it comes off as something like Cynthia had joined the tournament this year. Meaning that she had knocked someone out of the Masters Eight.

Odds are this person will be a major Ash opponent.

Also Raihan entered the current series this year, so there are likely at least two former Masters Eight members in the lower classes for Ash to potentially face.

• Unconfirmed. No indication is ever given of any prior Master's 8 competitors.

Chloe will meet more of Ash's former female companions

Most of Chloe's focus episodes involve her traveling to places so that her Eevee can meet her evolved forms. She's already met Dawn, which leaves things open for her to meet May and/or Serena, who have a Glaceon and Sylveon, respectively. Additionally, if she ends up going to Alola, she might run into Lana and her Eevee, Sandy.

• Jossed in the case of May, as JN087 shows a Glaceon belonging to a girl named Regina.
  • Confirmed, in the case of Serena.
  • Also confirmed with Lana, as a preview for JN112 shows Chloe's Eevee interacting with Sandy.
  • Jossed for all other companions.

Ash's Melmetal will be brought back at some point

And it turns out that Melmetal has the Gigantamax Factor.

• Jossed.

Ash will end up training under Mustard at some point in the series

Ash either loses a battle and catches Mustard's interest or just the second part happens during a PWC match which Mustard bears witness to, which leads to the boy training with the old master to become stronger, possibly even getting a Kubfu/Urshifu in the process.

• If that happens, it would involve Bea, who in game is a fan of Mustard.
  • Jossed. Mustard never appeared.

Quillon has a history with Pokemon hunters

The Alolan Ninetales they had to catch was stolen from its home by poachers, and Ash and Goh later get tangled up with Pokemon hunters while looking for the shiny Volcarona, with Quillon only appearing to help deal with said hunters rather than compliment Goh's efforts. It would also explain he's so cold towards Goh; he's aware that the latter wants to catch Mew, and given Quillon's experiences with Pokemon hunters, he could be one of those people who believe that Legendary and Mythical Pokemon like Mew should remain wild and never be captured. In other words, he equates Goh wanting to catch Mew with the poachers he's had to deal with during Project Mew missions, and thus doesn't trust him.

Chloe's Eevee will evolve into Leafeon

There seem to be subtle hints of Foreshadowing regarding Chloe and Eevee's storyline. Chloe is in charge of caring for the flowers at her school, and the Pokemon that Eevee seems to hang around the most is Goh's Grookey, who has the ability to revive dead/dying plants. Plus, Chloe herself has a spring/floral motif. This could well be the case if Leafeon ends up being the final Eeveelution that the two meet.

• Jossed with Leafeon being the last Eeveelution, though things are up for interpretation.
• Ultimately unknown. No decision was ever made.

Serena is the Sylveon trainer Chloe will meet

Chloe has been meeting and learning from various trainers and their evolved Eevees throughout her journey. In a preview for the upcoming anime episodes Chloe is seen doing a performance, it may indicate she's in a contest but the dark room and bright stage matches with the setting for a Pokemon Showcase from X and Y. This all seems to come together for an episode where Chloe meets Serena and learns from her experience with Sylveon, her attempt to see if she wants to be a performing trainer, and an Ash and Serena reunion.

• Confirmed in JN105.

Ash's final Ultra Class opponent will be...

• Raihan or Lance: Traditionally Ash's class graduation battles have been opponents who he has met before, and having Ash battle them in the Ultra Class will free up a slot in the Masters Eight. Lance has more of a history with Ash, while Raihan is the most likely to drop down to the Ultra Class.
• Diantha: Especially if Greninja returned to Ash's active use, it would set up hype as a rematch of Ash's first battle with a Champion level opponent.
• Anabel or Brandon: The two strongest Kanto/Hoenn Brains are also the ones with the most time with Ash.
• Clair: Like Volkner she's seen as a elite four level Gym Leader, traveled with Ash for a bit.
• Barry: To tie into the remakes recent release.
• Kukui: Another Alola return trip, may let Ash use his Alola mons in a World Coronation Series battle.
• Paul: With his return confirmed in the third opening, he fulfills the history aspect that Ash's rank ascension battles have.
• Confirmed with Raihan, whom he defeated in an entrance battle to advance to the Master Class.

Either Ash or Paul's Torterra will learn Headlong Rush

With the anime's long-term ban of Earthquake, the new move that debuted in Legends could easily become a new Ground-type move for Torterra. While Paul is the most likely to appear with Torterra to battle, the move itself fits more with Ash's Torterra, potentially replacing Rock Climb.

• Jossed. Ash's older Pokémon do not learn any new moves in their appearances, and while Paul does appear, his Torterra does not.

Ash will start using his older Pokémon alongside his new ones once he reaches the Master Class

Because the thought of him reaching the top with just the team he put together in Journeys seems too boring.

• Boring as it may be, Jossed. Ash battled the Masters 8 with his Journeys team only.

Ash will hit a serious case of fame based isolation upon reaching the Masters Eight

A theory that started floating around following the reveal of the episode in Japan known as The Traitorous Battle Royale, along with an image of Ash looking depressed in an earlier trailer, is believed by many to be the result of Ash finding himself being isolated from other trainers following ascension to the Masters Eight. Being so high ranked, trainers no longer just treat him like a regular trainer, but someone so elite that them battling is considered unfair for a large swath of others to even consider battling. This will be linked with Ash and Leon's training/camping adventure where Leon pondered what it actually means to be considered the world's strongest trainer, and may in turn lead to Ash doing some soul searching of his own.

• While the episode of the Battle Royal has been clarified to be a Project Mew episode there's still a chance for this to happen.
• Jossed.

Alain won't battle Ash in the Masters 8 Tournament, instead he will be matched up against and lose to Leon

Alain loses in a Mega Charizard X VS Gigantmax Charizard battle. By defeating the guy who Ash never beat, Leon is hammered home as the strongest opponent Ash has ever faced, casting doubt on whether Ash has a chance against him and giving even more motivation to win. If Ash beats Leon, then he also beats Alain by proxy.

• Confirmed: Alain is matched against Leon during the first round of the tournament, and loses.

Goh will be the protagonist moving forward after this series, while Ash will make sporadic appearances

Let's face it, whether he beats Leon or not, there's just no going back to normal gym battles after he's made his way to the top 8 trainers in the world. Besides, Goh's taken up most of the story, and his goal to Catch all of the Pokemon can still extend past the series.

• Confirmed on Ash's time as the main protagonist finally coming to an end, but jossed on Goh serving as the new main protagonist; the upcoming series with Paldea will feature brand new main characters.

Gorman and Bluto are members of a cult

Blue, blue.

Goh was originally planned to be the sole protagonist of Journeys

Ash's involvement in the series definitely seems like was tacked on at the last minute once the writers realized that he's supposed to be in the series.

The Mew seen "belongs" to Professor Oak.

He "caught" it solely to keep others from catching it, and lets it roam free. Its empty Pokeball is in his lab somewhere. Because they had to have some reason to give him a Mew in Masters, right?

• Jossed.

Ash's Dragonite will defeat Cynthia

Ash will be up against the second strongest trainer/champion in the Masters 8 and World Championships, Cynthia, in the semi-finals. Things take a dire turn for Ash though, as she wrecks his team, leaving only Dragonite to more or less single-handedly defeat her, and redeem itself after losing to Paul and Raihan.

• Jossed. Lucario wins the battle as his last remaining Pokémon.

The Project Mew arc will lead into the Generation IX anime

Assuming Goh will stick around, either as the new protagonist or the Deuteragonist, then it'd be a convenient way to segway from one region to the next. Maybe the mountain they think Mew is on will be located there?

• Jossed. The Project Mew arc concludes onscreen in Journeys.

Rose and Oleana will return in the Masters 8 finale

The writers wouldn't just bring back, Alain, a fan-favorite rival, and the strongest trainers of each region just for a tournament. Rose and Oleana will return sometime before, during, or after the finals between Ash and Leon to unleash the Darkest Day once more with the stolen Pokeball for Goh's Eternatus. The reason why all the champions are conveniently gathered in one place is for them to stop whatever is happening.

• Confirmed on them reappearing, but jossed on them unleashing the Darkest Day again, with the two of them only making a small cameo appearance in JN132.

Chloe's Eevee will evolve into a new Eeveelution from Generation IX

• Jossed. Generation IX doesn't introduce any new Eeveelutions.

Butch's bakery and Cassidy's cafe are where agents receive missions.

Chronicles episodes "A Date with Delcatty" and "Luvdisc is a Many Splendored Thing" show a burger joint and a coffee shop, respectively, where Butch and Cassidy request a specific order; it contains a chip with a recording of Dr. Namba's voice giving them a mission, along with the location, and a hologram of their target, before disintegrating.

Butch and Cassidy's businesses could possibly have the same function.

Chloe's Eevee will evolve using the Moon Stone

It was shown that none of the previous evolution stones worked on Eevee and Chloe has three of them in her possession yet none of them work. However, the preview for Episode 120 shows Chloe and her family watching Clefairy evolve into Clefable using Moon Stones and Eevee decides to evolve using them.

• Jossed: Eevee didn't evolve at all.

Chloe's Eevee will use the Terastal system to change

As shown with the 8.3.22 Pokémon Presents, Eevee is capable of having different Tera Types through the Terastallization feature. Plus Chloe does have three Evolution stones that can be related to the phenomena.

• Jossed. Chloe's storyline ended before any Generation IX content appeared in the anime.

All of the recap episodes will be skipped when their block of episodes get dubbed

At least when the series gets to Netflix. They don't add anything to the plot, some of the stuff will be from episodes you literally just watched, and recap episodes have traditionally been skipped in the past.

• Confirmed.

Ash will beat Leon, but turn down the title of Monarch

Just so they have a reason to keep him for the next anime series.

• Confirmed on Ash beating Leon, jossed on both him turning down the title and retaining his role for the next series.

The anime will continue into generation IX

Despite Scarlet and Violet being out, there hasn't been any confirmation that this series will be ending (that this troper can find, anyway). Besides, there's still some loose ends, such as what Oleana and Rose are up to.

• Jossed. After the conclusion of Journeys, the following series moved into Generation IX while featuring brand new main characters.

The final episode of the epilogue miniseries will tie directly into the next series

For one reason or another, Ash will travel to Paldea and meet the two new protagonists. After having some kind of adventure with them, he'll leave on an undisclosed journey, Passingthe Torch to them as he leaves for parts unknown.

• Jossed. While Ash does set off on a new undisclosed journey, there is no lead-in of any kind to the new series.

Amourshipping will be endgame

• Unknown. Ash did not meet up with Serena during Aim to be a Pokémon Master.

Latias has taken on Misty's form and her Pokémon

Notice how Misty's personality changed after Latias was seen in the sky, right before Ash parted ways? The girl's no longer the confident gym leader we know, and sneaking after Ash through the woods? She's become shy. Infatuated with the trainer that was kind to her in the previous episode, the Legendary Pokémon does not want to follow him in secret, but accompany Ash on his journeys, as one of his travelling companions.

• Jossed. Latias is still shown to be following Ash in JN139.

Ash will capture Latias by the end of the epilogue miniseries.

At this point, Latias has very clearly taken a liking to Ash, following him in secret, as shown starting at the end of JN137. While it's unclear yet as to whether she'll stick around, it would also explain why Ash only has five Pokémon at him at a time, with the sixth slot being reserved for a future catch- and in this instance, Latias seems like the most likely option, probably joining Ash of her volition. It would also be fitting to have him cap off his tenure as the protagonist by capturing a legendary.

• Jossed. Latias ended up leaving with Latios.

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