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Battling isn’t everything in the Pokémon universe, not when there are so many other ways to use Pokémon in a competitive capacity. There are several sporting events that are introduced at various points in the anime, but races are a more frequently featured type of competition.
These races can involve a trainer riding a Pokémon or simply just cheering the Pokémon on as they race against other species. Races are a great stop-gap between main points of plot progression, allowing characters to take advantage of these opportunities to earn little victories along the way.
10 Team Rocket Ruined A Promising Iceberg Swimming Race
In Pokémon Journeys, Ash and Goh travel to the Sinnoh region when they find out that a lost Piplup’s trainer, Lauren, is in Snowpoint City, and end up entering the Pokémon Iceberg Race there. It’s essentially a swimming race, going up to an iceberg and then back.
Goh enters Mantyke and Ash enters with Pikachu, but the main focus is the rivalry between Lauren’s Piplup and her Croagunk before Team Rocket interrupts and cancels the race, as they always do. This was one example of a race that was intriguing enough in its concept that the lack of a proper conclusion was frustrating.
9 Ash Had A Chance To Use All Three Of His Kalos Flying-Types In The Sky Relay Race
Ash’s Pokémon team in Kalos was arguably one of his best in the entire series. While the team included many strong battlers and had a decent type coverage, he did still have three Flying-types, but this came in handy when they came across the Pokémon Sky Relay Race. In this race, three Flying-types compete in a relay of sorts, passing a ribbon to one another until the third participant crosses the finish line. Ash jumped at the chance to enter this competition.
Ash’s team of Fletchinder, Hawlucha, and Noibat lost, but narrowly, and the camaraderie shown by everyone in supporting Noibat despite the defeat was a testament to how tightly-knit the Kalos group was.
8 The Camellia Town Pokéathlon Ended With A Close Race
During the Diamond & Pearl series, Ash competed in the Camellia Town Pokéathlon against a scientist named Daniel, who took pride in his work experimenting with his Snorlax, making it superior to others in a competitive environment.
The final event in the Pokéathlon saw Daniel’s Snorlax and Ash’s Pikachu take to the track and do battle in a hurdle race. Snorlax took the victory, but only because the size of its belly helped it stick out further and cross the finish line first.
7 Ash Learned About Serena’s Rhyhorn Racing Past
Towards the beginning of the X & Y series, when Ash and friends were still getting to know Serena properly, they inadvertently stumble across a Rhyhorn race track. Naturally, as soon as Ash finds out that newcomers can take part, he decides to enter and wants to learn how to ride.
He learns how to calm and control the Rhyhorn from Serena, whose mother was an accomplished Rhyhorn racer. The race itself is ruined by Team Rocket and their usual antics trying to steal all the Pokémon, but until that point, the Rhyhorn race had the potential to be one of the franchise’s best.
6 The Pancake Race Was As Entertaining As It Was Bizarre
Out of all of the races that take place in the Pokémon universe, the Pancake Race is arguably one of the most bizarre. The race is essentially a two-participant-per-team relay for both a trainer and a Pokémon, where the teams are tasked with safely transporting a stack of pancakes to the finish line.
There are of course, several mishaps, with Team Rocket disqualified for cheating and several others losing after dropping their pancakes. However, despite not dropping their pancakes, Ash and Pikachu are beaten in a surprise twist by Samson Oak and Komala.
5 Sophocles And Horacio Faced Off Again In The Vikavolt Race
Sophocles is once again reunited with his fierce rival Horacio when they face off in a Vikavolt race, following their Charjabugs evolving. The potential prize of winning a Buginium Z immediately adds further stakes to the race and their rivalry.
Like the Charjabug race, the Vikavolt competition requires trainer participation with the aid of VR armor and a camera, allowing the trainers to see what their Vikavolt is seeing thanks to VR goggles. In another close race, Sophocles wins once again, earning the Buginium Z.
4 Gary And Ash’s Rivalry Was Reignited By The Extreme Pokémon Race
On route to Mahogany City during their Johto adventures, Ash and friends run into Gary, who’s preparing to enter the Extreme Pokémon Race, where a Pokémon pulls the trainer along on a sled.
Ash enters with Bayleef while Gary enters with Arcanine, and their rivalry is reignited once more. For once, a Team Rocket interruption isn’t enough to stop the race completely, and after the villains are defeated, Ash narrowly edges out Gary to pick up the victory.
3 Danny’s Three-Part Challenge Made For A Unique Gym Contest
Ash meets a trainer named Danny while in the Orange Islands, who happens to be the Gym Leader for Navel Island. Their contest isn’t a battle, however, but a three-part competition where participants must freeze a hot water geyser, turn that ice into a sled, and then use that sled to race to the finish line and the end of the contest.
With Danny and Ash at one win apiece, the race is naturally the deciding round. It’s a close race until the destroyers of races and fun, Team Rocket, interrupt the contest, but they’re quickly foiled. The race is restarted and Ash eventually manages to surpass Danny and pick up the win, earning the Sea Ruby Badge.
2 The Charjabug Race Was Much Better Than Anyone Could Have Expected
When thinking about races featured in Sun & Moon, it’s easy to remember the Vikavolt race and overlook the fact that there was also a Charjabug race earlier in the series. The Charjabug race is vastly underrated, though feels like more of a legitimate race comparable with Formula 1, with Ash and Kiawe working with Sophocles as a complete team.
Essentially using Charjabug’s power to operate a mini racing car, the Charjabug race is where Sophocles forms a rivalry with a kid called Horatio and despite many hardships, Sophocles gets the victory.
1 Ash Won An Intense Race With Someone Else’s Newly Evolved Rapidash
At the beginning of his Pokémon journey back in Kanto, Ash is faced with arguably his toughest task: bonding with someone else’s Pokémon and competing in a race. However, he did just that, quickly befriending Lara’s Ponyta after she was injured before the race and forced to pull out.
Ash and Ponyta are neck and neck with Lara’s rival Dario and his Dodrio until the very end when Ponyta evolved into Rapidash, which gave it that extra boost of speed and earning them the victory.
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