Pokémon Season 1 Recap: Ash's Whole Indigo League Run

Ash oversleeps on the day he’s supposed to get his first Pokémon. All the starters are gone. Professor Oak has one left, a Pikachu that shocks anyone who touches it and won’t go in its ball.

It doesn’t like Ash at all, until a flock of Spearow attacks them. Ash stands between Pikachu and the birds. Pikachu gets up and fries the whole flock. Afterward, a rainbow and a huge golden bird fly over them.

Misty shows up because Ash took her bike and Pikachu burned it to a crisp. She follows him to get paid back. Team Rocket shows up for the first time too, Jessie, James and Meowth, trying to steal Pikachu.

Ash catches a Caterpie and a Pidgeotto. Caterpie evolves into Metapod, then Butterfree. At Pewter City, Brock’s Onix beats Pikachu badly. In the rematch Pikachu’s attack sets off the sprinklers and Onix starts losing. Brock’s little brothers and sisters run in front of it, and Ash stops the battle. Brock gives him the badge anyway and leaves the gym to come along.

At Cerulean City it turns out Misty is one of the gym leaders. Her sisters run it. She battles Ash herself, Team Rocket crashes the fight, and her sisters hand Ash the badge.

This stretch is where the team comes together. A girl named Melanie looks after hurt Pokémon in a hidden village, and her Bulbasaur goes with Ash once he earns it. Then Ash finds a Charmander sitting on a rock in the rain. Its trainer, Damian, told it to wait there and never came back. Its tail flame is almost out. Ash takes it to a Pokémon Center and it joins him.

A gang of Squirtle is causing trouble in a town. Their leader helps Ash save Pikachu and chooses to come with him. Ash catches a Krabby too, but he already has six Pokémon, so Krabby goes to Professor Oak’s lab.

Lt. Surge’s Raichu beats Pikachu badly. Ash offers Pikachu a Thunder Stone, and Pikachu pushes it away. It wants to win as it is. In the rematch it uses its speed, and Ash gets the Thunder Badge.

The group boards a cruise ship, the St. Anne. Ash trades Butterfree for a Raticate there and regrets it immediately, so they trade back. The ship turns out to be a Team Rocket trap and sinks with Ash, Misty, Brock and Team Rocket still on it.

Then a flock of Butterfree flies by on their way to mate. Ash’s Butterfree likes a pink one. It’s a long goodbye. Ash lets him fly off with the flock.

Sabrina in Saffron City is psychic and scary. Her Kadabra beats Pikachu without much effort, and she shrinks people into dolls when they lose. Ash runs.

He goes to Lavender Town looking for a ghost Pokémon and comes back with a Haunter. When the rematch starts, Haunter wanders off. It comes back halfway through and pulls faces until Sabrina laughs, and she gives Ash the Marsh Badge.

Ash catches a Primeape that’s furious at him. At Celadon he gets kicked out of Erika’s perfume shop for saying he hates perfume. He sneaks into the gym in disguise. Then Team Rocket starts a fire, and Ash goes back in to carry out Erika’s Gloom. Erika gives him the Rainbow Badge for it.

Primeape ends up staying with a fighter named Anthony, to train for a tournament.

Ash catches a Muk at a power plant. It goes to Oak’s lab and hugs Professor Oak every time it sees him. At Fuchsia City he beats Koga, a ninja, for the Soul Badge.

Ash brings Pikachu back to the forest where wild Pikachu live and tries to leave him there so he can be happy. Pikachu chooses Ash.

Charmander evolves into Charmeleon and doesn’t care what Ash says anymore. A few episodes later it evolves into Charizard during a fight with a prehistoric Aerodactyl. Charizard saves everyone, and then ignores Ash completely.

Ash also catches a bunch of Tauros in a Safari Zone episode that never aired on US TV. They show up at Oak’s lab later.

Ash finds an egg. It hatches into Togepi, and Togepi decides Misty is its mom. Ash wins a contest for it, but Togepi only wants Misty, so she keeps it.

On Cinnabar Island, Blaine runs his gym like a quiz show and hides it behind riddles. Team Rocket wrecks the building, so the battle moves into a volcano. Ash sends out Charizard, mostly because Charizard wants this fight. Charizard beats Magmar and Ash gets the Volcano Badge.

The Viridian Gym is the last one. Gary goes in first and gets crushed by a Pokémon nobody can see clearly. The leader leaves, and three familiar faces fill in for the battle. Jessie, James and Meowth are running the gym. Ash beats them and finally has eight badges.

Then there’s a long stretch of side trips before the league. A Pikachu that surfs, Psyduck in a movie, a cabin snowed in. Ash also goes home to Pallet Town to get ready, and Brock and Misty come with him.

The first rounds use different fields, water, ice, rock and grass. On the water field Krabby finally gets to battle, and evolves into Kingler.

Gary gets knocked out before Ash does. Ash keeps winning and makes the top 16.

Ash meets Ritchie, a trainer just like him. Ritchie’s Pikachu is named Sparky. They get along right away, and then they’re drawn against each other.

It’s close. Ash is down to his last choice and sends out Charizard. Charizard lies down and takes a nap. Ash loses.

Ritchie gets knocked out in the next round anyway. Ash, Misty and Brock pack up and head home to Pallet Town.