Pokemon Journeys to Make History with Episode Without Ash or Pikachu

Pokemon Journeys has done plenty of things that the franchise has never done before. Not only has the show followed Ash and Pikachu as they travel between regions, but they are going for a different title thanks to the World Champion Leon. And thanks to a new synopsis, fans have learned the show’s next episode will make history by forgoing Ash and Pikachu entirely.

The new synopsis for Pokemon went live this weekend, and it tells fans about “Celebi: A Timeless Promise”. The episode will focus on Goh and his journey to Hiwada Town years ago, and the cast list promises Ash and Pikachu will not be involved with the episode.

You can read the episode synopsis below (via AnipokeFandom):

“Three years ago, Goh met a young boy named Tokio on a family trip to Hiwada Town in the Johto Region. Tokyo was searching for the Mystical Pokemon Celebi, and the two kindred spirits decided to search for it together, but Celebi turned out to not be that easy to find. The two of them parted ways, promising to meet up again the next day to continue their search, but Tokio never showed up at the spot they had promised to meet that day. Flash forward to present day, when Goh once again visits Hiwada Town and ends up encountering…?!”

As you can see, this synopsis focuses on Goh’s past and his encounter with a mysterious boy who also wants to find Celebi. The synopsis implies the trainer will run into this boy once more, but fans are curious if Tokio and Celebi are somehow connected. Either way, neither the synopsis or cast list mentions Ash, and this will be the first mainline episode to snub Ash to date. And if this episode fares well, thee trainer might get more vacations as Pokemon Journeys continues!

Would you like to see more Pokemon Journeys episodes in the future follow this pattern? Or should Ash hold tight to his star role? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!