Did you watch XY? In that JN flashback, Chespin is seen with Clemont and Bonnie.
Ah right I forgot about the Chespin point. Still, it doesn’t really change my point about it not being an actual flashback.
The point by the narrator was that Clemont and Bonnie were former traveling companions of Ash that traveled Kalos with him, so they only showed them, dedenne and chespin so the narrator shows the audience who they are. They didn’t take an actual scene with the whole group, like the group camping or something, and erase Serena out of that scene in the journeys format.
Here's the thing. Ash talks about Greninja's bond with him. He mentions that he becomes Greninja and Greninja becomes him. What he doesn't specify to Goh is that this was more literal than he thinks. I suspect the flashback is how Goh imagines Ash's words.
Considering we see specific things in the flashback like Alain, someone Goh never met or heard of, or Greninja using a move Goh doesn’t know he learns, or scenes with Ash and Froakie, him and Frogadier, Alain having a Mega Charizard, it doesn’t make sense to think the flashback is from Gohs interpretation of what Ash is saying.
After all, if Ash reveals in the Master 8 that Greninja can actually transforms into Ash-Greninja, it will catch Goh, and in turn newcomers, by surprise. A similar thing happens with Serena. There are hints of Serena being part of Ash's group in XY, but the flashbacks and Serena's words cleverly avoid Ash himself. Serena mentions that she was inspired by someone but doesn't mention the name. The flashbacks to Eevee show Bonnie but doesn't show Ash, giving the impression that she was a guest character in XY rather than a travelling companion.
What is this part referring to? When she was speaking with Chloe? If so, this is a bad comparison since those flashbacks had nothing to do with Ash. They were about Serena’s Sylveons time as an Eevee and her journey from an Eevee to Sylveon. So of course they’re not gonna show Ash in them.
In fact, every time Serena used an Ash quote for Chloe, there wasn’t even a flashback.
It's only when Ash literally passes her by that those newcomers and Chloe learn the truth.
Yes but you also have to remember that Chloe didn’t know that Ash and Serena knew each other in the first place until Ash and Goh met up with them at the last minute. Just like Goh can’t imagine Ash’s words about Greninja, Chloe can’t imagine Serena’s words being about someone she didn’t yet know she knew.
Ash and Serena did travel together, and while the scene doesn't outright state, it's all but implied that this was person Serena got her speech from.
Yes, we as the audience obviously know that. But again, Chloe doesn’t, because she didn’t know these 2 were friends until the last minute.
With merchandise of Ash-Greninja being seen once again, and rumors of the Master 8 featuring a certain character from XY circulating, I can safely say that this was no retcon. They're merely hiding Ash-Greninja for the future. Keep an eye out.
I mean you can say this like others have been saying, but like some others have also said, I just don’t agree that they’re hiding it based on the presentation that very much resembles a retcon.
And If they’re hiding it, this is a very weird and terrible way at doing that.
