'Pokémon the Movie' 2017 release date, plot rumors: Movie to revisit Ash and Pikachu's first meeting

Twenty movies for 20 years — that is what The Pokémon Company will be achieving this 2017. "Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You," the 20th movie of the franchise, is set to hit theaters in Japan this year, and it is going to take back the fans to where it all began.

iDigitalTimes has posted the summary for "I Choose You." It states that the story is going to be about the "meeting" and the "promise" of the iconic duo, Ash and Pikachu. It tells the story of how Ash met Pikachu, on the day of his 10<sup>th birthday, in which Ash was supposed to be given a Pokémon that will become his partner at the Oak Laboratories. However, he overslept and the only Pokémon left for him was a Pikachu.

Their relationship was not easy at first since Pikachu was the kind of Pokémon that did not get attached to humans, but as time went by, their friendship developed, especially when they saw the legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh flying above them, as seen in the trailer. As the young boy held a feather from Ho-Oh's Rainbow Wings, he and Pikachu made a promise that they would meet the legendary bird someday. So, from there, Ash, together with his loyal buddy Pikachu, set off on a journey to become the world's greatest Pokémon Master.

While the movie is said to be a big-screen remake of the first season of the anime series, there are also new things to look out for. Apart from Ash and Pikachu's story, which every fan already knows, viewers will also be seeing Piplup hanging out with the duo despite this particular Pokémon not appearing in the early seasons of the anime series. Misty and Brock are not present in the trailer either, so there could be a chance that they will not be in the movie since Ash is said to be hanging out with a couple of other trainers named Makoto and Soji in "I Choose You."

However, according to Polygon, viewers will still get to see the infamous Team Rocket. Plus, they will still be wearing the same outfits and still be accompanied by Meowth as they hunt down Pikachu.

"Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You" is scheduled to hit theaters in Japan on July 15. The international release of the movie has yet to be announced.

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