Honestly, the focus on the hat must be intentional. I think this might be an AU-story, the "new friends and new adventure" seems to be hinting at that as well.
I think I have a pretty good idea what's going to happen.
Ash packs enough underwear (
this is definitely an AU-retelling), Ash still starts off with Pikachu, still sees Ho-oh, then sets off to compete in the Indigo League, he captures a Caterpie, it evolves into Metapod, it battles a Metapod in the most anticipated battle ever, get chased by Beedrill, Ash crossdresses to enter the Celadon Gym, Ash releases Pikachu.
But then he didn't. Ash gets turned to stone by
Mewtwo, and Mew uses its Z-move to restore Ash to
flAsh, get chased by some Beedrill, Pikachu loves some Ketchup, Ash loses to Ritchie. Fade to black.. And then we see an adult Ash comatosed in a hospitalbed. And then a finger starts to
twitch.. The END! Postcredits: Adult Ash wakes up from the coma.. while Serena and their kids look on to see him awake.
Best.Movie.Ever...
I'm hoping this is an AU and Ash becomes the champion. I can see the narrator trolling the audience at the end by saying "And none of this is canon"
Obviously right after an adult Ash wakes up out of the coma, seeing Serena and their kids standing next to his hospitalbed..
I'm just hyped to see my favorite Poke-girl back in the spotlight where she belongs.
Iris! Back in action!
He better. And just not put Ritchie in it at all. He and Gary fight instead.
I hope the TRio are actually a serious threat when they show up too and have Pokemon they never had instead of being limited to Arbok and Weezing, and Lickitung and Victreebel. Nidoking and Nidoqueen would be awesome to see them with.
Nidoking and Nidoqueen are Gary's, hands off!
I am fully ready to drop the Pokemon franchise as a whole if this movie does not contain at the very least, a 4K Ultra HD remaster of the Metapod vs Metapod battle.
Just imagine the lighting while time drags on!
A good few people: That's Kanto stuff? Man, the nostalgia!
Me: Dafuq is this?
Honestly, I won't be able to connect with this movie if it is Kanto only. I don't like all the Kanto-centred special things for the games and anime, as I am a more recent fan and so connect more with regions like Unova, Hoenn and Alola and therefore don't get the experience that others get at all.
I think I felt exactly the same with origins. Especially as they haven't done an origins series for the other Generations so far.
What's the definition of "origin"?
The start of things... Red and Green/Blue were the start of the franchise, and THAT's exactly why there hasn't been such a series for GS/RS/DP/BW/XY/SM. Plain and simple. But hey, there's Generations that kinda plays with what you want.
And what is this whining about not being able to connect if the movie is set in Kanto? Not getting the same nostalgia-feel, that's one thing, but completely not being able to connect to it is just being overtly dramatic. For one, it still follows Ash.. Second, you're basically saying you can't handle a shift of location (basically a quick jump into Kanto-land), while you are saying you have connected to multiple storylines in multiple regions already (so you apparently
can handle a shift in location). Honestly, that does not make sense, it's hypocritical even. Or is this unableness to connect to anything Kanto just in spite of it getting some more love during the 20th anniversary, because that would be petty. What makes even less sense is that your screenname is
Nerdy McNerdface and you're claiming to not have played a game that's set in Kanto? 7.8/10: Not nerdy enough.
What if this is SM Ash giving a report about his past adventures and highlights from the OS-XY in the school he's attending as an assignment?
Then why the vastly different artstyle and differing hat?