The content discussed in this article is regarding episodes of Pokemon that have not yet aired internationallyUp until now, Ash has been doing pretty well for himself in the World Coronation Series, even earning himself a spot among the prestigious Masters Eight. While Pokemon Journeys has already caused quite a bit of controversy with the introduction of Goh (and the ease at which he catches Pokemon), Ash's character development has also been inconsistent and forced at times. Starting out as the goofy clown of the group, Ash suddenly does a 180 to advance to one of the top spots in the Tournament, potentially finally fulfilling his dream of becoming the greatest Pokemon Master in the world.
Without giving away too many spoilers regarding the actual quarter-final matches, considering that Ash's battle with Steven Stone has been a long-anticipated match-up means that episode 118 of Pokemon Journeys is likely a thoroughly entertaining occasion. Steven is one of few trainers who have yet to battle Ash, so this Masters Eight match-up holds a great deal of significance. The next set of visuals released on Twitter, however, revealed the victor of this event, the result of which opens up a contentious can of worms.
The Masters Eight Semi-Finals
New visuals for the Masters Eight Semi-Finalists have confirmed any suspicions of Ash's ascension through the ranks, as he is pictured alongside Cynthia (who beat Iris in the last round) in an official anipoke Twitter announcement. Viewers will have to wait for episode 122 of Pokemon Journeys to witness these two trainers in all their glory, but that doesn't stop anyone from making predictions.
Cynthia is most likely to favor her trusty Garchomp in this match, and fans are hoping that Ash will send his Lucario onto the field for an epic Mega-match-up. While this will likely be a captivating battle, choosing Lucario could put Ash at a disadvantage, as Cynthia also owns one of these Steel/Fighting-Type Pokemon and therefore has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. However, Lucario may still have the final say in the end, as he is resistant to Dragon-Types and has some handy moves in his arsenal against Garchomp, such as Dragon Pulse.
Pikachu will likely sit out of this match (after the draining fight against Steven's Metagross); Cynthia evidently has the winning formula against Dragonite (having defeated Iris in the quarter-final rounds); so Ash is left with Gengar, Dracovish and Sirfetch'd to work with. While these are all powerful Pokemon, Ash has had some good fortune partnering up with Gengar lately, so bets are on this Ghost/Poison-Type making an appearance. Sirfetch'd is also a great option because he is strong against Fairy-Type Pokemon, another favorite of the Sinnoh Champion.
Many fans believe that Ash vs Cynthia will be one of the greatest battles to emerge from the entire Pokemon Journeys series, so hopefully, the writers will take full advantage of this enthusiasm. Chances are the pair of trainers will each win a round, forcing them to call upon a third Pokemon to determine their victory. It would be lovely to see the most beautiful Pokemon in the world on the World Coronation Series stage, and Milotic's defense-boosing Marvel Scale attack makes her a formidable opponent. Ash, on the other hand, could easily take advantage of Milotic's weaknesses with his Dracovish or Pikachu. Cynthia would have a better chance defeating Ash with Glaceon, but is that really the goal here?
A Well Deserve Successful Streak?
Although the fandom is not necessarily displeased with Ash's success, many complaints are flying around regarding the blatant fan service of his advancement in the World Coronation Series. Viewers are not even given the opportunity to witness all of Ash's matches during the preliminary rounds of the Tournament (and are simply notified about it afterward), leading many to believe that this whole series is simply an over-glorified teaser for the expected battle against Leon.
Gary, who is a skilled trainer in his own right, is basically a non-feature in the World Coronation Series whereas Ash (who, let's face it, has been struggling to make a name for himself for the past 25 years) now suddenly holds a position on the leaderboard. He also began the Tournament with Pikachu as his only Pokemon, and the rest of his crew have been caught along the way, meaning that Ash does not have as strong a bond with them as his older teammates, such as Greninja or Charizard. Instead of reuniting with his strongest Pokemon to assist him in what is likely the most important event of his life, Ash bets everything on his latest acquisitions, who have not always had the best relationship with their trainer.
Another element of Pokemon Journeys that annoys many fans is the fact that even though Ash only has access to five Pokemon, most of his team barely gets any screentime, particularly in the case of Dragonite and Dracovish. Some expected Ash to parade his Dragonite around in public as he does with Pikachu, incapable of confining him to his Pokeball due to the overwhelming pride of finally catching a Dragonite (a tick off the bucket list). Overall, more attention is given to Goh and all of his Pokemon, all 107 of them, and those sweet inter-Pokemon exchanges shown in previous seasons are almost nonexistent.
While most fans will not deny that Ash is a great Pokemon trainer, his rise through the ranks of the World Coronation Series seems to just be going through the motions and does not contain that winning suspense-filled formula that earlier seasons do. The fact that Ash's match against Leon seems almost inevitable basically negates most of what happens leading up to it and is essentially (well, potentially) the biggest spoiler in Pokemon history.
Source: Twitter/anipoke_PR and reddit/@u/Bitter-Record-3831 (discussion page r/pokemonanime)