There are only a few episodes left of Pokémon until Ash Ketchum hands the reins to Liko and Roy. After the end of the current season of Pokemon: Aim To Be A Pokémon Master, it seems that the two new trainers won’t be working alone to capture Pokémon in the future. Four new trainers have been unveiled in the latest trailer from the official anime adaptation. 

Many characters who have crossed over from video games to anime, as well as vice versa, have been introduced to fans through the anime franchise’s video games, such as Pokémon Go, Pokémon Scarlet, and Pokémon Violet. These four new trainers fall into the latter category since they are identified as being part of the “Rising Volteckers,” a group of Pokémon enthusiasts that identify Professor Friede as their leader. Each of the new trainers that will appear during Roy and Liko’s journey has a main Pokémon that they are featured with, much like Friede who always had Captain Pikachu by his side. The question of if these new people will be friends or foes for our two forthcoming heroes now emerges.

Pokemon: Rising Volteckers

In the lead-up to the new season, simply titled “Pokémon,” Friede has been mentioned as an ally to Liko and Roy, although it has not yet been confirmed whether these four new trainers are all on the same tier. These are Ayane Sakura and her partner Metagross, Kenta Miyake, Kei Shindo, and their partner Chansey, as well as Ikkyu Juku. You can watch the brand-new anime season trailer that offers a first glimpse at this training group here:

There are just as many questions as there are answers in the Pokemon anime, even though there have been numerous facts given about Ash’s impending departure and the two new trainers who will take his place. Ash Ketchum has been reconciling with old friends — both human and Pokémon—in the meantime as the new global trainer seeks to understand what it means to be a Pokemon master. Despite Ash’s departure, it appears that the anime version of Pokemon will continue, and Ketchum may even make a reappearance at some point.