On his 10th birthday, he realized he overslept. Ash rushed to Professor Oak's Laboratory to get his first Pokémon. Originally wanting to choose Squirtle, Bulbasaur or Charmander, but he ended up receiving the Pokémon Pikachu instead, as he arrived late (thus leaving him with no other Starters to choose from even though this was his birthday). At first, Pikachu did not obey Ash and kept running away, so Ash had to tie him up.
After getting chased by a flock of Spearow later in the day thanks to Ash's recklessness, Ash attempted to save Pikachu from them. Seeing that Ash was so determined to help him, Pikachu protected Ash from the Spearow by electrocuting the entire flock (which was thanks to being struck by lightning at that exact moment and having his Electric-type move supercharged). From then on, Pikachu and Ash became best friends. As an unskilled Trainer, Ash traveled with Misty and Brock throughout the Kanto region, capturing new Pokémon along the way.Īsh eventually managed to collect every badge from Kanto's Gym Leaders (although some of his badges were earned out of gratitude due to varying circumstances), allowing him to enter in the Indigo Plateau Conference. Since then, Ash has continued to travel, journeying through the various regions and making new friends, from Misty and Brock to Chloe and Goh. With each new region he traveled to, Ash continued to challenge all the Gym Leaders, entering Pokémon League Conferences and catching new Pokémon while still following his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. Since this goal is so close to his heart, he sometimes acts a bit rash and rushes to the next battle he can as fast as possible without thinking.
While Ash was traveling, he was constantly pursued by Team Rocket's Jessie, James, and Meowth, who wanted his Pikachu.