Ash's Lapras

Ash's Lapras (Japanese: サトシのラプラス Satoshi's Laplace) was the first  by  in the Orange Islands, and his twelfth overall. It had been separated from its family, so Ash promised to reunite them. It served as the main transportation through the islands until its family was found on the way back to Pallet Town.

Orange Islands
Ash first met Lapras on Tangelo Island when he and saw it being abused by three boys who were trying to get it ready to fight the Orange Crew. 's was able to send the trio running. examined Lapras and realized it needed help. He gave Ash medicine to give it while he went to tell Nurse Joy. However, Lapras refused to take the medicine from Ash. They then took it to the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy explained that Lapras was afraid of humans. Soon, Ash gained Lapras's trust after he saved it from. Later during that episode, Lapras decided to become a part of Ash's team.

Lapras was used extensively as a means of transportation. Ash,, and Tracey rode on its back as it carried them through the seas from one Orange island to another. Ash won a race against Cissy riding on Lapras in Fit to be Tide against Cissy and her, gaining his first Orange League Badge in the process.

He later used it against Danny in Navel Maneuvers when competing for his second Badge. Lapras had to use Ice Beam to freeze a geyser, but it lost to Danny's.

Lapras was also used against a in the final battle against  in the Orange League. The cliffhanger of Hello, Pummelo! was the collision of attacks between the two. Enter the Dragonite began with the revelation that the collision had knocked out both Pokémon. In Viva Las Lapras, Ash and found the school that Lapras got separated from. However, its school wanted nothing to do with Lapras, as it was accompanied by humans. They gained a hatred towards humans because of Captain Crook, who hunted the Lapras. After Ash and his Lapras defeated the large school of belonging to the captain, the Lapras began to trust humans, and Ash's Lapras was able to rejoin the school, as well as its mother. Ash and Lapras went separate ways from that point on.

Johto
Ash was briefly reunited with Lapras in the episode Lapras of Luxury, during which it was revealed to have matured into an adult. It eventually became the leader of its herd when the original leader stepped down in favor of Ash's Lapras, after witnessing it rescuing the herd from Team Rocket. It has never been seen since then. It also reappeared in a flashback in Gotta Catch Ya Later!.

Personality and characteristics
Lapras became afraid of humans at first when the three punks started to abuse it. Even with Ash winning against the three punks, Lapras was still afraid. When Team Rocket came by to steal the Lapras, Ash stopped them from doing so, and Lapras became more trusting towards humans. Since Lapras was with Ash during the whole trip on the Orange Islands, it became sad when it returned to the herd, as seen when it didn't want to leave Ash.

When Lapras later appeared in Johto, it was shown to have grown more mature, eventually even taking the leadership of its herd after helping to defeat Team Rocket and save the other Lapras they had stolen.

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
Ash caught a Lapras in The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga's chapter The Orange Islands. found Lapras being attacked by a group of. After Ash had managed to get rid of the Krabby with his, he captured Lapras after Pikachu had convinced it that Ash was harmless. Since then, Ash used Lapras to transport himself from Orange Island to another.

Lapras was also seen in You Bet Your Wife during Ash's dance battle with Rudy and in Pikachu's Plan during Ash's battle against Drake.

Trivia

 * Lapras is the first Pokémon owned by Ash.
 * Lapras is the only character that has been shown to indisputably age during the show's time frame: When Ash met up with it in Johto, he initially did not recognize it, and an image of it maturing from when it was with Ash in the Orange Islands was shown.
 * Lapras is the only Pokémon released by Ash not to be part of an evolutionary line.
 * Lapras appeared in the tenth Japanese opening theme, Spurt!. However, it did not return in any episodes aired with the opening.

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