Part 3 of our “Did Ash Actually Earn This?” series! We seek to ask the following questions:
- How many Gym Leaders did Ash fight?
- How many Elite Four members did Ash fight?
- How many awards did Ash actually earn?
Seasons 6-9 cover the Hoenn Region and the Battle Frontier. Ash has made new friends, reunited with old friends, and even returns to his home region to build his skill. Ash still seeks to become a Pokémon Master (whatever the fuck that truly means), and become the Hoenn regional champion.
The criteria are still the same: Ash must defeat the Gym Leader, Elite Four member, or Champion, either by knocking out all the opposing Pokémon, or if the opponent forfeits.
I’m counting battles that happened in any season.
| Gym Leader / Badge Given | How did the battle finish? | Ash earned the badge because… |
|---|---|---|
| Roxanne / Stone | Ash’s Pikachu knocked out Roxanne’s Nosepass | Ash defeated Roxanne fairly |
| Brawly / Knuckle | Ash’s Treecko knocks out Brawly’s Hariyama | Ash defeated Brawly fairly |
| Wattson / Dynamo | Ash’s (artificially overcharged) Pikachu knocks out Wattson’s Magneton | Wattson was grateful to Ash for saving the Pokémon from being stolen after the battle |
| Flannery / Heat | Ash’s Corphish knocks out Flannery’s Torkoal | Ash defeated Flannery fairly |
| Norman / Balance | Ash’s Grovyle knocks out Norman’s Slaking | Ash defeated Norman fairly |
| Winona / Feather | Ash’s Swellow knocks out Winona’s Swellow | Ash defeated Winona fairly |
| Tate and Liza / Mind | Ash’s Pikachu and Swellow knock out Tate and Liza’s Solrock and Lunatone | Ash defeated Tate and Liza fairly |
| Juan (or Wallace) / Rain | Ash’s Pikachu knocks out Juan’s Milotic/ Ash’s Pikachu knocks out Wallace’s Milotic | Ash defeated Juan fairly |
The fight for the Dynamo Badge was odd, since Ash technically cheated. But, he didn’t understand why his team curbstomped Wattson’s until well after the battle ended. After fighting a robotic Pokémon earlier, Pikachu was given an overcharge, which boosted its power for the battle with Watson. After Wattson gave Ash the Dynamo Badge (and left to sulk), Pikachu got sick. The local Nurse Joy explains that an electrical overcharge causes electric Pokémon to have stronger attacks for a while before it negatively affects the Pokémon’s health. Ash didn’t feel he earned his badge fairly after hearing this. Later in the episode, after beating up Team Rocket, Ash tried giving the badge back. Wattson told Ash to keep it after helping stop Team Rocket. But, Wattson asked that he and Ash battle again in the future, which they end up doing, resulting in decisive victory for Wattson. This is a moot point since Ash already accepted the Badge.
In another odd situation, Ash’s battle for the Rain Badge was canon to the games, no matter which way you slice it. The Sootopolis Gym Leader in Ruby and Sapphire is Wallace, while in Emerald, it’s Juan. Ash fought both Juan and Wallace, (with the battles taking place several seasons apart) and earned a Rain Badge from both of them.
For Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the Pokémon League is actually within Hoenn’s boundaries in Ever Grande City. In the anime, the Ever Grande Conference is yet another single elimination tournament. But, would Ash qualify for the Hoenn League based on the games’ rules?
| League Member | Did Ash defeat this person? |
|---|---|
| Sidney | Never encountered |
| Phoebe | Never encountered |
| Glacia | Never encountered |
| Drake | No |
| Steven | Yes (in a later season) |
Again, the differences between the game versions come into play in a weird way. The Champion in Ruby/Sapphire is Steven, but in Emerald, it’s Wallace. Technically, Ash did battle with the Hoenn Champion, no matter which version you are working with. But, much like the previous series, I’m not counting Ash’s battle with Wallace as a Hoenn League win, since a badge was earned. Had Ash battled Wallace again, it would count towards his “Pokémon League” score. Once again, this doesn’t make a difference, since he didn’t even meet three of the other League members, let alone beat all of them in battle.
What about the Battle Frontier?
The Battle Frontier was an Emerald-exclusive zone, where players could challenge trainers and test their strategic abilities. Instead of facing Gym Leaders, players faced Frontier Brains, and earned Frontier Symbols and Battle Points instead of Badges and money.
In the anime, the Battle Frontier isn’t on an island in Hoenn; its buildings are scattered throughout Kanto. But, Ash still fights the same Frontier Brains as in Emerald.
| Frontier Brain / Symbol Given | How did the battle finish? | Ash earned the Symbol because… |
|---|---|---|
| Noland / Knowledge | Ash’s Charizard knocks out Noland’s Articuno | Ash defeated Noland fairly |
| Greta / Guts | Ash’s Snorlax knocks out Greta’s Medicham | Ash defeated Greta fairly |
| Tucker / Tactics | Ash’s Swellow and Corphish knock out Tucker’s Arcanine and Swampert | Ash defeated Tucker fairly |
| Lucy / Luck | Ash’s Pikachu knocks out Lucy’s Milotic | Ash defeated Lucy fairly |
| Spenser / Spirits | Ash’s Sceptile knocks out Spenser’s Claydol | Ash defeated Spenser fairly |
| Brandon / Brave | Ash’s Pikachu knocks out Brandon’s Regice | Ash defeated Brandon fairly |
| Anabel / Ability | Ash’s Pikachu knocks out Anabel’s Espeon | Ash defeated Anabel fairly |
Despite the order being weird, and having two rematches with Brandon, Ash fairly defeated all 7 Frontier Brains, earning all the gold Symbols. He was even offered the chance to become a Frontier Brain himself. That’s pretty impressive for someone who still doesn’t take Pokémon type alignments into account.
In total, Ash earned seven of the eight Hoenn badges fairly. His track record with the Elite Four and Champion still hasn’t changed, with him only defeating one (technically? It’s getting complicated) of the League members in battle, and not getting a spot in the Ever Grande Hall of Fame. But, by earning all seven Frontier Symbols, Ash earned a spot in the Battle Frontier Hall of Fame.
Despite the hiccup with the Dynamo Badge, Ash is definitely getting better, taking his losses and using them as learning experiences to improve. The Sinnoh Region will prove even more challenging. Especially since he’ll actually be meeting all the members of the Sinnoh League…
Interesting Times with CaptainHoneydew 
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