Following Mr. Goodridge's introduction, the closing ceremony reached its climax as Ash and the six Pokémon he used in the finals stood ready on the podium.
"Everyone, this is our very first championship since we set out. Thank you all so much—I certainly couldn't have won this title without you," Ash said, looking at the six Pokémon before him with deep emotion: Pikachu, Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, and Snorlax. Aside from Snorlax, the others were the first five Pokémon he had ever caught. They had witnessed his journey from the very beginning all the way to the championship. Thinking of this, Ash also remembered his Butterfree that had gone off to mate and start a family, wondering how that fellow was doing now.
"Pika-pika, Pikachu!" Seeing Ash drift off into a trance, Pikachu chimed in at just the right moment to remind him that the award ceremony was about to begin.
Chapter 31