Ash Ketchum/Original series (Kanto and Orange Islands)

Season 1: Indigo League
Years later, Ash started his Pokémon journey when he had just turned ten years old. However, he overslept and when he got to the Professor's Lab, there were no more Starter Pokémon left. The Professor had one Pokémon left, but he said the Pokémon wasn't very friendly and released Pikachu. Pikachu disliked Ash straight away and shocked him with its Thundershock attack. (This marks the start of his journey with Pikachu). Later, Pikachu starts to trust Ash. Upon challenging various Gyms, Ash started finding traveling companions such as Brock and Misty. On his journey he regularly encountered the wacky trio Jessie, James and Meowth of Team Rocket, who kept trying to (and still try to) steal Pikachu. He finished in the Top 16 in the Indigo Pokémon League Competition. During his journey he participated in a Pokémon race, was involved in a movie, got sucked into cyberspace and helped with the Flame of Moltres. Before heading to the Orange Islands, he picked up the GS Ball from Professor Ivy and bid goodbye to Brock who'd decided to stay with her.

Season 2: Adventures on the Orange Islands
During this time, Ash was sent to the Orange Islands by Professor Oak on an errand to retrieve the mysterious GS Ball as the transporter cannot send it to Oak's Lab back in Pallet Town. Ash found out that there were Gyms in the Orange Islands and decided to challenge them, winning a trophy for beating the Gym Leaders. During his time in the Orange Islands, Ash gained a new travelling companion in Tracey Sketchit, a "Pokemon Watcher", who observes Pokemon in their natural habitats and draws them in his sketchbook, and caught new Pokémon, Snorlax and Lapras, as well. He battled the Orange Crew in a style of battling much different than what he was used to. Eventually he battled Drake and became the next Orange Pokémon League Champion. Upon Ash's return to his lab with the GS Ball, Professor Oak couldn't open it either and asked Ash to deliver it to his associate Kurt in Azalea Town in the Johto region, where there are also Gyms for the Johto Pokémon League. Brock returned and Tracey remained behind to help Professor Oak at his lab. Team Rocket tried to catch Pikachu again, but they were stopped by Gary.