Warning: SPOILERS for Episode #2 of Pokémon - Aim To Be a Pokémon Master.
Misty returns in the second episode of Pokémon - Aim To Be a Pokémon Master and defeats Ash, proving that even after becoming World Champion the boy from Pallet Town is still not an unbeatable trainer.
Pokémon - Aim To Be a Pokémon Master is the final, farewell season of the anime that will have Ash as the main character. After the young trainer finally managed to achieve his dream of becoming World Champion, a new generation will take the stage, 25 years after Ash's debut as the protagonist of the popular anime. This final season will be a real trip down memory lane, showcasing all the Pokémon that Ash has met and caught over his career, and also reuniting him with his companions, starting with the very first one: Misty, the Water-type expert Cerulean City's Gym Leader.
Related: Pokémon Already Proved Who Ash Ketchum's True Love is, & It's Not Misty
Misty Returns To The Pokémon Anime And Defeats World Champion Ash
Episode #2 of Pokémon - Aim To Be a Pokémon Master opens with Ash and a new team of his fan-favorite Pokémon reaching the sea. While letting Corphish go for a swim, Ash meets a powerful Water-type Pokémon, Clauncher, and he wants to catch him. However, he is stopped by Misty, who is also pursuing the elusive creature. To settle things, Ash and Misty challenge each other to a fishing contest first, and then to a real Pokémon battle, which sees Ash's Corphish take on Misty's Politoed. Surprisingly enough, despite having just become World Champion, Ash loses the battle and Misty is free to catch Clauncher.
While Ash decided not to use Pikachu, who has a type advantage against Misty's Pokémon, to let Corphish show off in front of his newfound "rival" Clauncher, it's still surprising to see him lose so soon after his 25-years-in-the-making World Champion title. However, a loss to Misty does not look so outrageous, because the two characters share a deep bond. Misty was the first of Ash's companions (followed by Brock), meeting him in episode #2 of the original series, and she accompanied him through his journeys in Kanto, Johto, and in the Orange Islands. This is actually the second time that Ash and Misty battle over a Pokémon after they both wanted to capture a Totodile in Johto, who also shows up as part of Ash's team in this episode.
While some fans may be angry to see Ash go back to his habit of losing important battles so soon after his hard-earned victory in the World Coronation Series, this episode was a callback to many of the moments he shared with Misty, and that are still dear to fans' hearts after so many years. Pikachu not taking part in the battle (just like he did Cerulean City's Gym) made this a contest between Water types, giving Misty a clear advantage. At the end of the episode, Misty joins Ash once again on his journey, which confirms that Pokémon - Aim To Be a Pokémon Master is a true love letter to fans who have been in love with the series for the past 25 years.
