Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series, Vol. 4

Ash and Pikachu are on their own, visiting new places and meeting different Pokémon, and their discoveries have them bursting with excitement! Professor Oak and Delia approve, too. The Professor previously loved to wander and discover new things, and Delia is excited about her son’s goal to make more Pokémon friends. While Team Rocket plots to steal Pikachu, Ash comes across the Legendary Pokémon Latias, and it’s injured! Our hero administers first aid, but Latias remains wary. The next day, Team Rocket targets Latias, but Ash and Pikachu put an end to their plan, and the trio blasts off. As Latias departs, Ash wonders if he’ll ever see it again...

Ash and Pikachu continue their journey with a trip to an ocean beach. Pikachu fishes up a Clauncher with its tail, and Ash becomes determined to catch it—but someone else wants it, too! Misty appears and explains that she’s been after the Clauncher for a while, so the two Trainers decide to battle for the chance to catch it. Unfortunately, Team Rocket is ravenous and sees Clauncher’s claw as a potential meal, but Corphish and Clauncher work together to send them blasting off. Then, Ash and Misty finally battle, and Misty wins! Clauncher joins her team, and soon after, Misty rejoins Ash’s traveling party, too!

Ash and Misty stop at a restaurant where they’re surprised to learn Brock is the chef! He’s helping out a woman who works there, but when he finds out she’s engaged to someone else, his mood turns sour. Outside, the group runs into Cilan, and they all take Brock to a flower field to cheer him up. Brock suddenly runs into the woods, so our heroes ask a Hatenna for help. It turns out a Hatterene is trying to trap Brock in the forest so it can feed on his negative emotions. A confrontation ensues, but when Hatterene sees Ash and Brock helping Hatenna, it has a change of heart!

Our heroes are on a mountain hoping to see Magikarp jumping up a waterfall, but they find the water has been frozen over! It turns out a wild Beartic is responsible, it’s been having trouble using its Ice-type powers, and it accidentally freezes its surroundings when it gets startled. After seeing the sadness in Beartic’s eyes, Ash becomes determined to help with some special training. Beartic becomes frustrated, but when it and Ash fall into a crevasse in the ice, it learns to control its power to return them to safety. Ash declares Beartic an Ice Master, and all the Pokémon who live on the mountain are happy again!

Continuing their journey, our heroes come across an ad for a Squirtle Firefighting Squad Show. Ash recognizes his Squirtle, the squad’s leader, so he brings out Bulbasaur and Charizard to see their friend. Everyone is excited for the show, and Squirtle is overjoyed when it sees Ash in the audience. But Team Rocket’s actions cause a misunderstanding, and Squirtle is upset when it meets up with Ash and friends. Just when it looks like the friendship is over, a fire breaks out, and our heroes join forces with Squirtle to put out the blaze. Friends again, Ash and Squirtle share a hug before the squad heads to the next town!

What starts as a nap for our heroes ends up going horribly wrong when Team Rocket fires a net at Ash and Pikachu! Ash manages to send Team Rocket blasting off, but Pikachu is sent along with them! Pikachu and Meowth then find themselves in a dangerous situation and must team up in the search for their friends. Meanwhile, Ash, Misty, and Brock must deal with a flock of Spearow, a clutch of Venipede, and Ash’s sadness over his missing partner. Jessie and James feel the same way about being apart from Meowth, but luckily Ash is reunited with Pikachu, and Meowth is picked up by the Team Rocket balloon shortly after!