Thankfully, the Sinnoh League made up for that later. While it wasn’t his most powerful lineup, this team showed Ash’s growth as a trainer who trusted his Pokémon and led with heart.

Sinnoh also has many other memorable characters, like the beautiful champion Cynthia, who ends up becoming something of a mentor to Ash, and she would be one of his final opponents much later on ...

In Gen 4, Ash builds a team in the Sinnoh region with Staraptor, Torterra, Buizel, Infernape, and Gible in the Sinnoh region. Ash also has some of his previously caught Pokémon make a return ...