Pokemon Sets Up Ash vs Leon Match

The latest iteration of the Pokemon anime has been bouncing around the various regions of the franchise, but has been sprinkling in new elements from the Galar region from Pokemon Sword and Shield over the course of its episodes so far. After introducing the real dangers of the Dynamax power in a previous episode, the latest episode of the series showed us an even bigger example of its power as the newest Champion of the franchise Leon took on Kanto Elite Four Champion Lance with a huge new battle using its power to the max. But that’s not all as the end of the episode saw a wild Drednaw get hit by its power and go on a Kaiju-esque rampage.

Not only will Ash and Pikachu take on this Dynamax Drednaw in the next episode of the series, but it seems that after that massive battle he will be rewarded with a new battle against Leon himself. But given that Leon remains undefeated in the anime and video games, it’s going to be quite the tough battle for Ash to win.

Episode 13 of the series is titled “[As vs. Leon]! The Path to Power!!” and the synopsis for it (as translated by @Arkeus88 on Twitter) reads as such, “[Ash] and Go have been watching a Pokemon battle tournament. But suddenly panic breaks out in the venue as the Bite Pokemon [Drednaw] runs wild after [Dynamaxing] and growing huge?!”

Elaborating further, the synopsis states, “[Ash] and Pikachu confront the gigantic [Drednaw], but then Pikachu’s body starts getting shrouded in a red light…Not only that, but the Champion [Leon] and [Ash] actually end up battling?! [Ash] uses Pikachu to go up against the undefeated [Leon] and his greatest partner Pokemon [Charizard]!!”

In Episode 12 of the series as Ash and Go witnessed the battles between the two champions, Ash hilariously was inspired by the battle and stated he wanted to take on Leon himself. It seems like he’ll be getting that wish sooner than expected, and it’s only proper as he’s a champion himself!

What do you think of Ash’s chances in this upcoming battle? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter! Pokemon: The Series, is now airing new episodes weekly in Japan, but unfortunately is still not officially licensed for an English language release as of this writing. There’s also a brand new film on the way to Japan this Summer, Pokemon the Movie: Coco.