Heroes Unite! (Japanese:ポケモン！きみにあえてよかった！Pokémon! I'm Glad I Got to Meet You!) is the 135th episode ofPokémon Journeys: The Series, and the 1,220th episode of thePokémon animated series. It first aired in Japan on December 9, 2022, in Canada on April 29, 2023, in South Africa on May 9, 2023, in Australia on May 11, 2023, and in the United States on June 23, 2023.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Now that Ash has won his battle against Leon and Goh has encountered Mew, our heroes have reunited. But Goh wants to become a more capable Trainer, so he contemplates going on his own journey, unsure of what Ash’s reaction might be. The two go camping with Chloe, and they all catch up and share memories of their lives with Pokémon. Suddenly, Ash declares that he wants to start a new journey with Pikachu, causing Goh to storm off in anger. After a heart-to-heart talk with Chloe, Ash meets back up with Goh, and all is peaceful again—but then Lugia appears! That means it’s time for a raid battle!
Plot
FollowingAsh'svictory againstLeon in the finals of theMasters Eight Tournament, he has returned toProfessor Oak's Laboratory inPallet Town to meet all ofhis Pokémon there and thank them for their help in reaching what he's now achieved.Professor Oak congratulates Ash on how far he's come since hisjourneyfirst started at this very same place, whileDelia, knowing her son well, can tell he is already planning on leaving again for a long while, which Ash confirms. Later, inCerise Laboratory,Goh gathershis Pokémon and thanks them for having helped in allowing him tomeetMew. Smiling somberly, he sits down and admits he wants to go on a new journey, which is overheard byChloe, who had come to fetch him for a camping trip between her, him, and Ash. Goh notices her, but is not mad at her for having unintentionally eavesdropped, instead just explaining that he wants to take a page out of Ash's book and travel to otherregions to grow as aTrainer who could hopefully one day properly stand up to Mew. He also admits he plans to go alone so he wouldn't be relying on Ash, but he hasn't broken the news to him yet, both because he figures Ash would accept his choice anyway, but also because Goh is feeling this decision is a betrayal of their friendship.
Just then, Ash shows up, and he and Goh fulfill theirpromise of reuniting with a smile. While taking the bus ride and walk to the campsite, Ash tells Goh and Chloe all about hisbattle with Leon, while Goh takes his time in describing his meeting with Mew. They finally arrive in the forest that Chloe andher father visitedthe other day and is filled withwild Pokémon. Eventually, they reach their campsite and set up their tent and table before heading out to gather someBerries. Along the way, they see many different Pokémon, with Goh reciting bits of information about each of them. Seeing anAbrateleporting away brings back memories for him, and he recounts a tale of how an Abra had started visiting him during his childhood days of being home alone, even once leading him to the local park, where he had seen loads Pokémon he hadn't known to live there before. Ash, meanwhile, tells that his childhood was him wanting to make friends with every Pokémon he came across. Upon finding aPecha Berry tree, they see aPoliwag knocking down a Berry from the tree, only for it to hit aSpearow, angering it and causing it to attack.Pikachu quickly defeats it, but in response, an entire Spearow flock comes out and starts chasing them. They eventually spot aSlowpoke at the side of a river, and Chloe hasEeveecopy itsYawn, putting all the Spearow tosleep.
Returning to the campsite, the group sits down to eat, with Poliwag briefly returning to thank them for saving it with some Pecha Berries as they wrap up their meal. Chloe notes how much Ash and Pikachu resemble each other, which Ash attributes to them having been together ever since he set off on his journey, during which he's met many Pokémon and even said goodbye to some of them. Goh, meanwhile, admits thatmeetingCinderace as aScorbunny that was willing to protectits friends had taught him to help out his own friends too, leading him to realizing how fun it actually is to make friends. Chloe also admits thatmeeting Eevee helped to broaden her horizons and spark her interest in Pokémon. All three of them express their gratefulness for having met their respective partners.
After witnessing a shooting star in the sky, Goh stands up and tries to tell Ash about his decision to travel alone, but is unable to muster his courage to say it out loud and instead says it's nothing. To the surprise of Goh and Chloe, Ash suddenly admits that he wants to set off on a new journey with Pikachu. Goh finds Ash's out-of-the-blue declaration an insult towards their friendship and runs off, declaring they're through. Chloe tells the surprised Ash about Goh's earlier decision to travel alone and admits he's the first true friend Goh ever made. Ash and Chloe set out to look for him, with Chloe attempting to contact him with her phone, but Goh refuses to answer her calls. Eventually, though, Cinderace gets fed up with Goh's attitude and snatches hisRotom Phone away before running off. Pikachu and Cinderace eventually lead their respective Trainers back together next to a pond. At first, Goh wants to keep his distance, but when they witness a group ofMetapod evolving intoButterfree on a nearby tree, the sight relieves the tension between the two, although they do start lightheartedly bickering about each other's respective decisions to travel alone while their partners and Chloe observe them with a smile.
The bickering is unexpectedly interrupted by an alarm from Goh's phone and the wind picking up. A ball of storm clouds forms in the sky and bursts apart to revealLugia. Ash and Goh run after it as it flies off, eventually leading them to a cliffside next to a mountain. They send outLucario andInteleon, respectively, and challenge Lugia to aRaid Battle.
In addition, like in that episode, Ash is chased by a flock ofSpearow and sees a member of thetower duo in this episode.
Out of all the Pokémon that Ash has officially owned for longer than one episode up to this point,Rowlet,Lycanroc,Incineroar, andMelmetal are the only ones to not appear in this episode in any capacity.
During the flashback to his childhood, Goh is seen checkinghis father'sPokédex, which is of the same model as Ash's original Pokédex fromKanto and theOrange Islands.
Starting this episode,Mimey is colored differenly, with its head, arms, and legs changed to more closely resemble its model inPokémon Legends: Arceus andHOME.
Mimey's new appearance
Mr. Mime's model inPokémon Legends: Arceus
