Ash's Hawlucha

Ash's Hawlucha (Japanese: サトシのルチャブル Satoshi's Luchabull) was the third that   in the Kalos region, and his forty-fourth overall.

History
Prior to his capture, Hawlucha was the champion of a forest, where he helped maintain peace. Hawlucha gained this title after defeating the previous champion, a. After developing a rivalry with Hawlucha, Machamp retreated to some mountains so that it could train to become stronger.

Hawlucha debuted in The Forest Champion!, where he battled an that stole food from a group of Pokémon. Although he easily got the upper hand, Hawlucha missed his attempt to finish Ursaring off with Flying Press, leaving him open to attack. Ursaring was stopped by Ash and, who scared him off. Ash offered to help Hawlucha perfect Flying Press, which eventually ended in success after countless failed attempts. They were interrupted by the Ursaring from before, who teamed up with a so that they could trick the previous champion, Machamp, into believing that Hawlucha was the one terrorizing the forest Pokémon. Machamp challenged Hawlucha to a battle, and despite Hawlucha's power, it managed to easily take Hawlucha's attacks. Ursaring and Conkeldurr then stepped in and began double-teaming Hawlucha. Although reluctant at first, Machamp realized who the real villain was and defeated Ursaring and Conkeldurr. Machamp carried the two away and said its goodbyes to Hawlucha. Later, Ash challenged Hawlucha to battle with the condition that if he wins, Hawlucha will join his team. Despite the speed of Ash's Froakie, he was easily able to outmaneuver it, avoiding its and  attacks; despite this, the battle ended in a tie when Froakie's  collided with his Flying Press. Although Hawlucha didn't lose the battle, he decided to join Ash's team, even agreeing to reinstate Machamp as the forest champion.

In Battles in the Sky!, Hawlucha was used in a Sky Battle against Moria's. Hawlucha was quickly outmatched due to Flying Press being ineffective and Talonflame easily dodging all of Hawlucha's attacks due to being in the air. Hawlucha was defeated after missing with his Karate Chop and being hit by and  attacks.

In Forging Forest Friendships!, Hawlucha battled together with Ash's Froakie against Clemont's Bunnelby and. Hawlucha used Karate Chop a few times to counter Bunnelby's. But, when Bunnelby was going to use and Ash commanded Hawlucha to use Karate Chop again, Froakie used Water Pulse before he could do anything. Hawlucha started to get a little bit angry, but the battle continued. Then Froakie lets Chespin's hit Bunnelby, which faints, making Hawlucha very angry. Hawlucha attacked Froakie, who defended itself. Later, Ash came up with a great new move called Super Flying Cut. They trained but it didn't work out, until Ash was kidnapped by a wild. Hawlucha and Froakie pursued Trevenant, finding out that it only wanted help for its friends trapped by. Ash's two Pokémon have a battle against Team Rocket, sending them blasting off with their new Super Flying Cut, before giving each other's fist as a sign of their new friendship.

In Showdown at the Shalour Gym!, Hawlucha was used in his first Gym battle against Korrina as his first Pokémon in his Shalour Gym battle. Fighting against, Hawlucha followed Ash's dancing strategy he learned from. Hawlucha tried to dodge Mienfoo's attacks using this new strategy, but his moves were ill-timed, causing him to take a lot of damage from Korrina's Pokémon. This confused Ash, as Tierno's could block attacks easily. Hawlucha then went for a Flying Press but it was countered by. At this point, Ash realized he couldn't win by imitating Tierno and that he had to use his own rhythm, so he changed back to his own battle style. Mienfoo went for a High Jump Kick, but Ash had Hawlucha wait and dodge at the last second, causing recoil damage. Hawlucha then attacked with Karate Chop, dodged Mienfoo's Force Palm, and then defeated Mienfoo with Flying Press. He was then recalled. Later Hawlucha was then sent out to battle Korrina's Mega Lucario, but was quickly defeated by its and.

In When Light and Dark Collide!, Hawlucha was sent out to perform in 's Super Pokémon Battle play, after Pikachu injured the who was supposed to play the good guy. Hawlucha worked with Carl's Hawlucha, known as Dark Hawlucha. Hawlucha had trouble following the script, refusing to be sent flying into a wall and using too much force, and though he improved during the next rehearsal, he started a fight with Dark Hawlucha, after being hit with his Karate Chop until they were stopped by Ash and some crew members. Later, he trained with Ash after hearing about Dark Hawlucha being a former wrestling champion. During the play he teamed up with Dark Hawlucha to beat after they interfered with the play. When the real play started, Hawlucha suffered from stage fright and messed up with the beginning of the act. He and Dark Hawlucha decided to improvise and battle immediately, which reminded Dark Hawlucha of his former battling days. After a long battle, Ash's Hawlucha won. Before he left, he shook hands with Dark Hawlucha.

In The Green, Green Grass Types of Home!, Ash used Hawlucha as his second Pokémon in his Coumarine Gym Battle against Ramos where he went up against. Hawlucha used Flying Press, damaging Weepinbell, and followed up with High Jump Kick. But Weepinbell countered with, Hawlucha. Weepinbell then used, which Hawlucha was unable to dodge due to him struggling from the poison. Afterward, he was hit by Weepinbell's. He tried to use Flying Press, but he had grown fatigued due to the damage he had taken, and was caught by Weepinbell's, which slammed him to the ground. Hawlucha jumped backwards and made a successful hit with High Jump Kick, but the Flycatcher Pokémon was able to grab onto Hawlucha and used Slam again, knocking him out.

In The Moment of Lumiose Truth!, Ash used Hawlucha as his third Pokémon in his Lumiose Gym Battle against. He went up against his, with Ash choosing Hawlucha to match Heliolisk's speed. Hawlucha used Karate Chop, which scored a direct hit. Heliolisk then hit him with a super-effective, healing Heliolisk in the process. Hawlucha tried to use Flying Press, but Heliolisk's caused the attack to miss, and followed it up with another close-range Parabolic Charge. Following this, Heliolisk used its agility to confuse Hawlucha. Ash then remembered Heliolisk extending its collar right before attacking and came up with an idea. Ash had Hawlucha use High Jump Kick during the split second Heliolisk extended its collar, knocking Heliolisk out. He then went up against Clemont's last Pokémon,. Hawlucha hit Luxray with Flying Press, but he responded with, which increased the power of moves. Hawlucha used High Jump Kick, but Luxray countered with, overpowering Hawlucha and knocking him out.

In A Fashionable Battle! Ash used Hawlucha and Frogadier for his Double Battle against Sawyer. They went up against Sawyer's Treecko and. When Bagon used, Hawlucha countered with Karate Chop, but ended up getting hurt by Bagon's sturdy head. Hawlucha then used multiple, speedy Karate Chops until he was able to damage Bagon. Treecko then used, which Hawlucha dodged. Bagon then tried to hit Hawlucha with, but it got blocked by Frogadier's Water Pulse. After Frogadier defeated Treecko, Ash and Sawyer prepared to resume their battle, but they got interrupted by the commotion caused by Valerie's Fashion Show.

In Fairy-Type Trickery!, Ash used Hawlucha as his second and last Pokémon in his Laverre Gym Battle against Valerie. He went up against her despite the type-disadvantage. Hawlucha used Karate Chop, but Spritzee dodged and used, reversing their speeds. Hawlucha then got hit by a super-effective, dealing a lot damage. Hawlucha then used his new move, but Spritzee dodged, causing Hawlucha to hit the Trick Room barrier. This damaged the barrier, and gave Ash an idea. Spritzee used, which Ash had Hawlucha latch onto and withstand it. Hawlucha then used the momentum to create a spinning X-Scissor, which pushed through the Perfume Pokémon's and caused the attack to crash into the Trick Room, shattering it to pieces. With the Trick Room gone, Hawlucha was able to hit Spritzee with Flying Press, and after dodging another Moonblast, he defeated the Perfume Pokémon with a High Jump Kick, earning Ash the.

In Rivals: Today and Tomorrow!, Ash used Hawlucha as his second Pokémon in his three versus three battle against Sawyer. He went up against, despite the type-disadvantage. After avoiding the Meringue Pokémon's using his speed, he used Karate Chop. When Sawyer attempted to look at his notes, Ash had Hawlucha go for a Flying Press, defeating Slurpuff.

In A Not-So-Flying Start!, while training on a tree, he spotted a Pokémon Egg. After bringing it to Ash and then showing where he found the egg, it hatched into a. When Noibat became frustrated with his inability to fly, Hawlucha and offered to help, recommending a run up before jumping. Although Noibat performed better, he inevitably failed, forcing Hawlucha to catch him before he hit the ground. Hawlucha then suggested to go to the hilltops, where it was higher and windier, but the two Pokémon ended up being captured by Team Rocket. After cutting their ropes and attempting to sneak away, they were caught by Jessie and were chased by their Pokémon. Hawlucha attacked with High Jump Kick and, after Noibat failed to fly again, carried Noibat on his back while gliding away. After fending off Inkay and again, Noibat spotted a cave for them to hide in. Since the cave was pitch black, Noibat used his ultrasound waves to detect the unbeknownst trio, allowing Hawlucha to stealthily kick off their soundproof headphones and let Noibat attack Team Rocket with a powerful Supersonic, forcing the trio to flee. After Pikachu and defeated Team Rocket, Hawlucha and Noibat left the cave. After Ash captured Noibat, Hawlucha and Fletchinder continued their training with Noibat to teach him how to fly.

In A Relay in the Sky!, he continued to train Noibat how to fly along with Fletchinder. Noibat struggled at tackling high winds, but Hawlucha taught Noibat how to deal with it. Afterwards, they noticed a, and. They went to the source of this, the Pokémon Sky Relay, where they discovered that the birds belonged to the Sky Relay Champion, Orson. Later Ash used Fletchinder, Hawlucha and Noibat in the relay. Hawlucha was used in the second segment of the race. He started out in third place and despite being unable to fly, he managed to pass using his gliding and jumping abilities well. As Hawlucha passed, he was attacked by him in his mecha. However, Hawlucha was able to dodge Meowth's attacks, causing the mecha to crash into a rock, exposing Team Rocket's plan and causing them to blast off, thus disqualifying them from the competition. Hawlucha ended up being first at the end of the second segment when he passed the baton onto Noibat, with Staraptor not far behind. They eventually ended up second after Noibat barely lost to Starly, but he and the others were pleased with Noibat, who had successfully learned to fly.

In A Meeting of Two Journeys!, Hawlucha was used in the first round of another three round battle between Ash and Sawyer. He was briefly seen battling Sawyer's and defeated it with Flying Press.

In An Electrifying Rage!, Ash sent out Hawlucha to destroy a large rock which blocked the entrance to a cave as Ash had. Later, Hawlucha volunteered to battle a rampaging after Talonflame had been defeated. Hawlucha was able to score a direct hit on Zapdos with High Jump Kick, but the Electric Pokémon quickly recovered and struck Hawlucha with, blasting him off a cliff. As Hawlucha was falling down, he was saved by Ash's newly evolved Noivern, who then fought Zapdos in his place.

In A Full-Strength Battle Surprise!, Hawlucha was used in a three-on-three battle against Sawyer, where he battled Sawyer's. After dodging its -boosted attacks, he managed to score a hit with High Jump Kick. When Hawlucha tried to hit Clawitzer with Flying Press, Sawyer and Clawitzer caught Ash and Hawlucha off guard by using Dragon Pulse on the ground to launch Clawitzer in the air. Hawlucha jumped above Clawitzer to try to hit it with another Flying Press, but in doing so left himself open to Clawitzer's super-effective, knocking him out. In All Hail the Ice Battlefield!, Hawlucha was used as Ash's first Pokémon in his Gym battle against Wulfric, facing off against. Hawlucha started off with landing a Flying Press, before having a High Jump Kick countered by Abomasnow's, while continuing to be damaged by the , caused by Abomasnow's Ability. Hawlucha then dodged a and proceeded to hit Abomasnow with another Flying Press. He then outmaneuvered Abomasnow with his great speed and defeated him with High Jump Kick. Hawlucha then briefly squared off against Wulfric's, landing a Karate Chop after dodging its. Avalugg, however, was able to heal some of its damage by using its ability. After his High Jump Kick was overpowered by Avalugg's Gyro Ball, Hawlucha was immobilized by the Hail's damaging effect long enough to be struck by another Gyro Ball, causing him to be defeated. When Ash had left into the Winding Woods after his loss to Wulfric, Hawlucha along with Ash's other Pokémon kept on training. However, he was not used in Ash's rematch as he was substituted for Pikachu.

Hawlucha was used in the quarter-finals of the Lumiose Conference in Valuable Experience for All!, where he was seen battling Astrid's. Hawlucha easily dodged Absol's and then defeated it with a Flying Press, causing Ash to advance to the semi-finals.

In Analysis Versus Passion!, Hawlucha was used in the semi-finals of the Conference as Ash's first Pokémon in his Full Battle against Sawyer, where he entered the battlefield wearing a special wrestling suit made by. He faced off against Sawyer's. Despite the type-advantage and Slaking's Ability, Hawlucha wasn't able to deal serious damage to Slaking as it was able to take his attacks with ease and restore its health using. As Hawlucha went for a Flying Press, Slaking finally retaliated with, knocking Hawlucha out with a single hit.

Ash chose Hawlucha as his third Pokémon in the finals of the Conference against Alain's, in Finals Not for the Faint-Hearted!. He first exited his Poké Ball to console Noivern with his defeat, and then vowed to defeat Weavile for him. Hawlucha first attempted to hit Weavile with Karate Chop, but Weavile used its great speed to dodge all of his attempts while leading him into the water stream. Weavile then attempted to freeze Hawlucha's legs, but Hawlucha dodged the incoming Ice Beam which froze the water. Afterwards, Hawlucha took every single one of Weavile's attacks head-on, enduring them and becoming stronger from them. As Weavile went for another, Hawlucha disrupted it mid-attack by throwing it to the ground, and then finished Weavile off with Flying Press. Next, he faced Alain's. Despite the type-advantage, Bisharp proved to be a tough opponent. It immediately used which  Hawlucha. After a collision between X-Scissor and, Hawlucha attacked with High Jump Kick. Bisharp, however, dodged the attack, causing Hawlucha to crash into the ground and suffer recoil damage. While being immobilized by his paralysis, Hawlucha was then hit by a Guillotine, a One-hit knockout move, and was knocked out.

In A Towering Takeover!, Hawlucha, along with Ash and Ash's other Pokémon, was taken captive at the top of Prism Tower by Lysandre. He could only watch in horror while Ash and Greninja were hit by Team Flare's miniature version of the Mega Evolution energy weapon, until Ash and Greninja freed themselves using Bond Phenomenon, in the following episode. Alain's Charizard broke Hawlucha and the other Pokémon free with, leaving everyone to battle Lysandre's Pyroar and his Shiny Mega together. During the battle, Hawlucha landed a devastating Karate Chop on Pyroar before Pikachu knocked the Royal Pokémon out with Thunderbolt. After Noivern had been defeated by Gyarados in The Right Hero for the Right Job!, he jumped in to avenge his friend and struck the Atrocious Pokémon with a super effective High Jump Kick. Gyarados, however, recovered and bit Hawlucha before throwing him to the ground, defeating him. In Battling With a Clean Slate!, Hawlucha and the rest of Ash's Pokémon received medals from Professor Sycamore for their heroic efforts against Team Flare.

Ash left Hawlucha at Professor Oak's Laboratory when he decided to go to Alola.

Personality and characteristics
Hawlucha takes great pride in his own battle style, preferring flashy, speedy moves, and insisting on finishing his opponents with a Flying Press. He also first takes his opponents attacks before attacking himself. He is shown to be cool, calm, and collected; similar to, and. Hawlucha is also shown to like flexing and showing off his muscles. Hawlucha is very determined in battle and never gives up, no matter how bad the situation may look and is always ready to improve himself. He has been shown to be quite powerful, as he was called the champion of the forest. Hawlucha is also shown to be kind and protective when he defended the smaller Pokémon's food from an Ursaring. Hawlucha also gets angry when someone interferes his battling as shown in Forging Forest Friendships!, where he got angry at Greninja as a Froakie. In When Light and Dark Collide!, Hawlucha suffered from stage fright before his acting performance. He was also mentioned by in the same episode that Hawlucha hated losing.

Hawlucha has no tolerance for unjust acts, has a strong sense of justice, and is willing to act upon these ideals. Despite Hawlucha's love of battle, he does not enjoy it to the point of outright chaos. Because of that, before joining Ash's party, he kept the peace in his forest home, and battled any Pokémon that preyed upon weaker Pokémon including Ursaring and Conkeldurr. Hawlucha enjoys organized battling which may be why he chose to travel with Ash.

Hawlucha has a strong sense of personal pride, and has been shown to be hard headed to an extent, not taking it well when Froakie dismissed his battling style and interfered in his battle in Forging Forest Friendships! However, in the same episode, Hawlucha was demonstrated to be a fairly mature Pokémon, and swallowed his pride and attempted to apologize to Froakie.

Hawlucha has also undergone a slight personality change ever since joining Ash's party. For a while, he displayed very little emotion aside from facial expressions like determination and aggravation, and openly acting with and pride, only occasionally getting angry or nervous, which usually only happened when Hawlucha felt he was being challenged, as shown when he became angry with Froakie interfering with his battling, and with a shiny Hawlucha. However, Hawlucha has recently begun to show more traits he has, in addition to becoming more laid back and relaxed around Ash and his group. Hawlucha's voice also seems to have changed slightly, becoming borderline goofy, a big difference compared to his old self, which usually pretended indifference to most things. These are most likely due to Hawlucha spending a lot of time around Ash and his group.

Hawlucha has been quoted by Serena, along with the rest of his Pokémon, as being very similar to Ash. This reflects a few of the traits Hawlucha has. Hawlucha has been shown to enjoy food, specifically the berries that Ash gathered for him and the rest of the party. He also appears to not mind sharing his food with other Pokémon, unlike Clemont's Chespin, whom he held no qualms with for joining in on its feeding frenzy along with Ash's other Pokémon. Hawlucha has also been demonstrated as hard headed, and occasionally rushing into things without thinking, either out of frustration or pride, seen when he attacked Froakie out of nowhere for interfering with its battle. Hawlucha has also shown to be proud in victory, and almost boastful. He will usually either celebrate his victories by standing with his arms crossed and with a smug expression on his face, or by flexing his muscles and striking a victory pose. Hawlucha also shows camaraderie, as shown mostly with Froakie, when he fist bumped Froakie twice in the same episode as a sign of friendship. It's also worth noting that Hawlucha demonstrated his sense of camaraderie only a few episodes after his capture, which suggests that this was a trait he had even before he joined Ash's team.

Since his capture, Hawlucha has been shown to both like and be quite loyal to Ash, willing to battle with him in his first Sky Battle the episode after his capture. Over time, Hawlucha has become more willing to show his fondness for Ash. While in his debut, he remains calm and collected, showing little in terms of emotion, after spending an extended period of time with Ash and being in several battles with him, he has grown more openly expressive, as seen when he hugged Ash after his victory in the Laverre City Gym.

Hawlucha also seems to have good parental instincts, as shown with Noibat acting like a big brother figure to him, much like the relationship and friendship of Ash's Scraggy and Iris's Axew both being part Fighting-type and Dragon-type. He actively helped the young Sound Wave Pokémon learn how to fly, and trusted him enough to execute a plan to escape from Team Rocket. His friendship and closeness to Noibat was also displayed in A Windswept Encounter!, when he rushed to go help Noibat before anyone else upon hearing it scream, and trusted his abilities enough not to interfere with Noibat's battle with a wild. Their close friendship was also shown in An Electrifying Rage! when Hawlucha saved him from falling rocks and when Noibat saved Hawlucha, evolving in the process. During Finals Not for the Faint-Hearted!, he popped out of his Poké Ball to make sure Noivern was alright after he got defeated by Weavile and later that day in The Right Hero for the Right Job!, Hawlucha went to Noivern's side again, after it was badly hurt by Lysandre's.

In the movie adaptations
Hawlucha appeared in the manga adaptation of the, where he participated in a battle against Astrid.

Trivia

 * Hawlucha is the first of Ash's Pokémon that d against him to a draw before allowing himself to be caught.
 * Hawlucha is Ash's first basic stage Pokémon that is not capable of evolving.
 * Hawlucha is Ash's only Kalos region Pokémon that is not part of an evolution line.
 * Not counting (who had no evolution at the time of her catch), Hawlucha is Ash's first Pokémon that cannot evolve since, who was caught 502 episodes earlier.
 * Coincidentally, Torkoal was also voiced by Shin'ichirō Miki in Japanese.
 * Hawlucha's capture was first revealed in.
 * Unlike most Pokémon in the anime, Hawlucha has his own theme music, フライング サトシ！ (Flying Ash!), which debuted in the 17th movie.