Editing Ash Ketchum (Alternate Movies) (section)

====Distant Blue Sky!====
While swimming in a river with Water Pokémon, Ash encounters a [[Gyarados]] that lifts him out of the water. He calls Pikachu, who uses Thunderbolt, but the attempt to capture Gyarados fails as it escapes. Unfazed, Ash waves goodbye before joining Len, another Trainer, for a battle where Pikachu defeats Len's [[Machamp]]. At a Pokémon Center afterward, Ash receives a call from his mom, [[Delia Ketchum|Delia]], who tells him she’s meeting his father in Tonari Town. Eager, Ash heads there, unaware that Team Rocket is following him, intending to steal Pikachu.

Passing through a tunnel and forest, Ash and Pikachu camp overnight. When Ash wakes up to find Pikachu missing, a boy named Sunny offers to help and reveals that strange people took Pikachu. Together, they find Team Rocket and Ash retrieves the key to Pikachu’s capsule, freeing him and sending Team Rocket blasting off once more.

Grateful for Sunny’s help, Ash offers a handshake, but Sunny instead asks what touching a Pokémon feels like. Ash describes it as warm and soft, and they try to find a Pokémon for Sunny to experience this himself, but each attempt fails. Fleeing a swarm of [[Beedrill]], they stumble upon an Oran Berry orchard next to a house, where they meet Sue and her husband, So, who invites Ash to take some berries and even shares berry bread. After leaving, Ash reunites with Sunny, who apologizes for disappearing, explaining he chased after a Pokémon. They share a meal together as they continue on their journey.

After seeing how well Ash understands Pokémon, Sunny asks for help retrieving a cap from a mischievous Mankey pack. Recognizing the hat as Sunny's favorite, Ash recalls a similar incident when his hat was taken by a [[Mankey]] and agrees to help, opting not to use Pikachu to avoid damaging the hat. Ash chases the Mankey until it accidentally runs onto an [[Onix]], and he saves it from falling, recovering Sunny's cap. Ash offers his own hat to the disappointed Mankey as compensation. When he tries to return Sunny's cap, Sunny silently leads him back to So and Sue's house, where the couple reacts with shock and sadness upon seeing it. Ash learns that Sunny was actually So and Sue's son, who had died a year ago after a long illness, explaining his ghostly nature, his reluctance to shake hands, and his refusal to eat. Sunny had loved the forest Pokémon and dreamed of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, while So, grieving his loss, only painted skies that Sunny had admired.

Ash shares that Sunny had chosen one particular painting as his favorite, a memory that helps So and Sue appreciate the joys of family and not take their loved ones for granted. Inspired, So decides to paint scenes beyond just skies, honoring Sunny’s love for the forest and Pokémon.

Continuing his journey, Ash encounters Sunny once more. He remembers Sunny’s wish to feel what touching a Pokémon is like, and he offers Pikachu to fulfill that dream. Although Sunny’s ghostly hand phases through, Ash holds his hand, using his Aura to transfer the sensation of touching Pikachu. Sunny finds the experience comforting, and with a grateful smile, he vanishes. As Ash leaves the forest, he glimpses a sky identical to Sunny's favorite, taking a moment to thank Pikachu for always being there.

Ash arrives in Tonari Town at dusk but learns from Delia that his father had to leave due to an emergency, though he left a new hat as a gift. Delia, noticing Ash’s hunger, serves him croquettes, even sharing some with a disguised and hungry Team Rocket nearby. Ash finds himself inexplicably tearful, touched by the memories of the day and the time with Sunny.

The next morning, hearing about an Entei sighting, Ash eagerly sets off in pursuit. Delia sends him off with a mouthful of toast, while Team Rocket, grateful for the food, resumes chasing him. Ash races into a wide field under the open blue sky, continuing his journey alongside Pikachu, ready for whatever adventures await.