The Pokémon anime follows an overzealous trainer, Ash Ketchum, and his Pokemon, Pikachu, as they travel the land, honing their skills in the hope of becoming the grand champions. Each region harbors new challenges, and the Indigo League is where Ash reaches the final destination for Pokémon Trainers collecting Indigo or Johto League Badges.
In Episode 76, "All Fired Up!," Ash finally arrives at the Indigo Plateau, the capital for the Pokémon League in the Kanto region, and home of the Pokémon League Conference. It's where the Pokémon trainers who have defeated all eight of the Gym Leaders of either Kanto or Johto battle against the Elite Four and the Pokémon Champion.
Ash has always been known for veering between brilliant and baffling in his strategic Pokemon battle choices, and he made both questionable and tactical decisions during his Indigo Plateau battles. Here are the highlights for each of Ash's battles, and an analysis of his volatile battle strategy.
Ash vs Mandi the Astounding - Best
To begin Ash's Indigo Plateau battles, he faces "Mandi the Astounding" as his first opponent. Despite the first battlefield being heavily advantageous to water-type Pokémon, it comes as a surprise to Misty and Brock when Ash responds to Mandy's choice of Exeggutor by sending out his Krabby. When Exeggutor uses a Psychic attack to capture Krabby in a whirlpool, Ash tries to withdraw it but is blocked by the mass of water. Krabby latches onto Exeggutor's leaves and distracts it long enough to land a Stomp and defeat it. Afterward, Krabby evolves into Kingler.
Ash's newly evolved Kingler easily defeats Mandi's second Pokémon, Seadra, but faces some difficulty with her third, Golbat. Brock expresses his concerns, because Kingler has a disadvantage against flying-type Pokémon. Misty recommends that Ash switch out Kingler for Pikachu, but Ash remains in high spirits and confident in Kingler's abilities.
Ash must have known he would need Pikachu in a more dire situation later on. Ash proves to have made the right decision, because, when Kingler is weakened and Golbat moves in for the kill with a Mega Drain, Kingler unleashes a powerful Hyper Beam. Ash's persistence and belief in his Pokémon's endurance not only led to his victory but also rewarded him with an evolved Krabby.
Ash vs Pete Pebbleman - Best
After Ash wins his second preliminary battle on the rock-type field with Squirtle, he faces his third opponent, Pete Pebbleman, on the ice-type field. Ash uses Kingler for the battle, while Pete sends out his Cloyster. Pete orders Cloyster to Withdraw into its spiked shell, helping it to defend itself from Kingler's barrage of Crabhammers.
While Ash fears Kingler will be exhausted, Misty and Brock encourage him to keep going, because Cloyster is still losing health, despite the defense boost. Kingler keeps hitting Cloyster with its Crabhammer until Cloyster's shell finally cracks and Kingler wins.
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Despite the victory, Ash still recalls Kingler when Pete sends out Arcanine choosing to send Pikachu onto the battlefield. Ash has Pikachu use Agility and it narrowly evades Arcanine's Fire Blast attacks. Pete soon reveals his strategy: the Fire Blast attacks were meant to melt the field. The technique takes Ash by surprise, but with Brock's suggestion, Ash has Pikachu dive into the water. Misty reminds him that water conducts electricity, so Ash has Pikachu use Thunderbolt, thus defeating Arcanine.
With the help of Misty and Brock, Ash utilized an electric-type like Pikachu on effectively another water-type Field was a smart solution to counter Pete's tactic. But his victory could still be classed as either pure luck or a timely intervention from his knowledgeable friends.
Ash vs Jeanette Fisher - Best
In the fourth round, Ash faces Jeanette Fisher from Crimson City, a trainer who almost defeated Ash in a regular battle prior to the Indigo Plateau. The battle takes place on the grass-type field, where Jeanette holds the advantage with her grass-type and bug-type Pokémon.
After Ash's Bulbasaur easily defeats Jeanette's first two Pokémon, Beedrill and Scyther before being knocked out by her Bellsprout. Ash mocks Jeanette's choice but soon eats his words. Once Bellsprout defeats Bulbasaur Ash comments on how well-trained it must be for Jeanette to use it in the championships before sending out Pikachu. Bellsprout uses his roots to keep him ingrained and immune to Electric attacks. Pikachu tries to punch and kick Bellsprout but is ultimately defeated.
Down to his last Pokémon, Ash pauses for a second and then sends out his Muk, which surprises his friends. Muk is able to absorb Bellsprout's Slam and Razor Leaf attacks with ease, then uses a Body Slam. Its powerful stench and weight smother Bellsprout, and it soon faints. With his back against the ropes, Ash had pulled out all the stops to defeat Jeanette, who was relentless and formidable.
Ash vs Ritchie - Worst
A twist of fate pits Ash and his new friend, Richie, against each other in the fifth round of the Pokémon League Competition. Misty notes that Ash is in trouble because of Ritchie's Pokémon type diversity, but Ash remains confident in his abilities. Ritchie sends out Butterfree against Ash's Squirtle, but Butterfree quickly puts it to sleep. Squirtle is automatically disqualified, as per the Indigo Plateau rules.
Pikachu battles Butterfree and wins, but after Ritchie sends out his Charmander, Pikachu's exhaustion takes its toll and he is defeated. Left without another option, Ash sends out his disobedient Charizard with the knowledge that it would likely cost him the battle.
Charizard's cockiness becomes its downfall and upon realizing that it could defeat Ritchie's Charmander if it wanted, Charizard lies down to take a nap. Ash becomes desperate and begins to beg Charizard to resume fighting, but it refuses. The referee eliminates Charizard, giving Ritchie the victory. Ash leaves the Indigo Plateau disappointed and upset, more than likely kicking himself for keeping Charizard in his team for such an important tournament.
Although Ash had fought valiantly during the previous rounds, his poor judgment cost him in the end and all of his efforts amounted to little more than additional experience. Ash suppresses his feelings and congratulates Ritchie. In the final scene of Friend And Foe Alike, Ash stands alone in the empty stadium, knowing that regardless of his loss, he still learned a lot.
