Normally, a Pokémon’s development is guided by the expertise of a caring trainer, but Pokémon are intelligent creatures with wills of their own, which means they may choose something different from time to time. The Squirtle Squad, which first appears in the anime, is an example of what happens when Pokémon take matters into their own hands.
This gang of sunglasses-wearing Squirtle banded together to cause mischief and, more importantly, to protect one another, distinguishing them from the rest. Even today, Ash Ketchum meets people he met on his journey across the Kanto region and beyond.
While Ash was still building his team on Indigo League, he and his friends wandered through a town with a Squirtle problem. Five local Squirtle, who had been abandoned by their owners for a long time, had formed a punk gang and were causing havoc wherever they went. One Squirtle stood out from the others, wearing pointed sunglasses rather than round ones, and was clearly the mastermind behind the chaos. Because these Pokémon had decided that no human would ever love or protect them, they banded together like stray dogs, relying solely on one another. The Squirtles clashed with Ash’s team, but that only lasted until Team Rocket arrived.
Team Rocket, still determined to steal Ash’s Pikachu, duped the Squirtles into assisting them. Pikachu required a Super Potion to recover from their attack, and the Squirtle Squad even held Misty hostage to ensure that nothing went wrong while Ash retrieved the Super Potion with their assistance. But, in the end, the five Squirtle realised that Team Rocket were the true villains and defeated them with Water Gun, sending them blasting off once more. The town was at peace again, but the Squirtle Squad still had a score to settle with Ash.
Squirtle, Ash’s boss, was impressed by Ash’s genuine concern for all Pokémon and decided that Ash was a trainer worthy of respect. As a result, the boss Squirtle gave up its glasses and officially became Ash’s sixth Pokémon, while the other four Squirtle became firefighters for this town and others in need. The Squirtles had transformed from delinquents to heroes, inspired by Ash’s team, and true to their word, the four Squirtles saved the day from accidental fires and other disasters time and time again. In the line of duty, Ash’s Squirtle occasionally reunited with old friends and did its fair share of fighting in between missions.
Despite not evolving into a Wartortle or Blastoise, Ash’s Squirtle proved to be a tough and resourceful Pokémon by challenging and defeating a wide range of opponents. Squirtle won nearly twice as many matches as it lost, but the entire time, Squirtle never forgot its delinquent tough-guy roots, remaining in its Squirtle evolution stage and fighting alone with incredible tenacity worthy of any good-hearted punk.
After a long journey with Ash, this Squirtle finally bid farewell and rejoined the other four as a firefighting team. Ash and Squirtle spent a lot of time growing up together.