AJ



AJ (Japanese: アジェイ Ajiei) is a hailed from  in the  region.

Unova
Shortly after Ryder's arrival in, AJ made his way into 's laboratory in order to obtain his. Juniper apologizes, having completely forgotten about his appointment, and brings out the Unova starters: The Snivy,   and  Oshawott.

The three Pokémon then assembled in front of AJ, allowing him to decide which one he wanted to take along with him. After a moment of deliberation, AJ announces that he would choose Snivy. The Grass Snake Pokémon smirks, leaving Tepig slightly annoyed and Oshawott extremely shocked. As is standard for beginning trainers, AJ is also given a which he uses to check the data of his new partner. He is also given five, along with Snivy's Poké Ball. After recalling Snivy into his Poké Ball, AJ takes notice of Ryder and introduces himself, and Ryder welcomes him into the "real world", and AJ laughs in response. AJ asks if he, too, had gotten his starter from Juniper, but Ryder says he was from and had been travelling for almost almost two years, and AJ, impressed, challenges him to a battle. Ryder seems hesitant and respectfully tells AJ that he wasn't ready to battle him yet, as he was on a superior level, but AJ insists on battling him, and Ryder finally relents.

Juniper leads both Trainers to her laboratory's battlefield and offers to officiate the battle, declaring it to be a one-on-one battle. AJ sends out his Snivy while Ryder chooses Incineroar, which surprises both AJ and Juniper, with the latter ecstatic at seeing an Pokémon for the first time. AJ starts the battle by ordering his Snivy to use which strikes Incineroar square on its chest, but Incineroar seems unfazed by the attack. AJ continues the assault with, but Incineroar easily bats the attack away with its hands. AJ changes his tactics and commands Snivy to use to increase its attack power, and orders three more Growths, before commanding a, but Incineroar grabs the vines and pulls Snivy towards him, who gets sent flying towards Incineroar, who uses , defeating Snivy with a single hit. AJ recalls Snivy and thanks him for the effort, and admits that Ryder was truly on a different level, but vows to become stronger and the two shake hands before AJ leaves for the nearest.

AJ and Ryder crossed paths once again at the in  when AJ was summoned by  to battle against Ryder, at the latter's own request. Ryder appears soon after the two exchange greetings, and AJ requests a. Ryder paused for a moment, and tells him that he has only four Pokémon. AJ states it was alright, and they would have a 4-on-4 battle instead.

Don George stands in the center-side of the field, reciting the rules of the battle while Ryder and AJ stand across each other, ready to battle. As Don George waves his hands and declares the battle open, AJ sends out. Ryder then sends out Oshawott. Ryder starts the battle by telling Oshawott to use. A jet of water was shot into the air, but Tranquill turns abruptly and dodges it. Under the command of its Trainer, it moves lower to the ground and uses - first striking the Sea Otter Pokémon from the front and knocking off his scalchop, then finally returning from the back and hitting him, causing him to faint. Don George, being the referee, declares that Oshawott is unable to battle.

Ryder was left awestruck, unable to comprehend what had happened as AJ tells Ryder that Tranquill has the Ability, allowing Tranquill to more easily land critical hits. Ryder recalls Oshawott, then sends out Tepig. Ryder starts the round again by telling Tepig to use. As red flames shot out from Tepig's snout, Tranquill dodges it again and sweeps past Tepig, clearly displaying its skill and speed. As Tepig continues firing into the sky, Tranquill continues dodging, until it breaks apart into a flock - AJ had told it to use. Tepig stares blankly at Tranquill when Ryder calls out to him - Tranquill is now using, increasing its attack power; it glows a bright red and turns around, facing Tepig and readying its next attack. Once again, AJ tells it to use Aerial Ace, and Tepig stares at the flock, unable to determine which one is real.

Quickly, the flock of Tranquill combines into one, it glows red again and flies low into the ground, straight at Tepig. With a bang, a repeat of what had happened previously to Oshawott had taken place: the Pigeon Pokémon had struck Tepig from the front and back, and Tepig now lay sprawled on the ground, fainted. Don George declares Tepig as unable to battle.

As Ryder recalls Tepig thanking him for his hard work, AJ urges Ryder perform better and suggests using Incineroar. However, Ryder refuses, telling AJ that his Pokémon needed to grow stronger, and by using Incineroar whenever the situation became dire, it would insult his Unova Pokémon by not giving them a chance to battle, and AJ smiles in return, satisfied with Ryder's answer. Ryder chooses Snivy next, and AJ assumes that should Snivy get defeated, Incineroar would be the last Pokémon remaining.

Ryder tells Snivy to use, however Tranquill is able to dodge. AJ has Tranquill use Work Up again. The Flying Pokémon glows red again and attacks Snivy from the front and then the back with its Aerial Ace. Snivy lies on the ground, but she picks herself up. AJ is then determined to repeat what Tranquill had done to Oshawott and Tepig. He commands Tranquill to once again, use Aerial Ace. Ryder, spotting his attack pattern, asks Snivy to grab hold of Tranquill's feet. Snivy takes the hit, but grabs onto Tranquill's feet as it flies by and sends it (as well as herself) crashing into the ground. Ryder then tells Snivy to toss Tranquill, and Snivy responds with and swings Tranquill into the air and out of control. Ryder then commands a, and Snivy immediately powers up and unleashes her attack. AJ screams for Tranquill to dodge, but it's too late and Snivy scores a direct hit, and Tranquill is left knocked out and unable to battle, allowing Snivy to win the round.

AJ seems surprised at Snivy defeating Tranquill despite the type disadvantage, but nonetheless praises the Grass Snake Pokémon, and chooses his to battle. Ryder tells Snivy to use against Servine, and Snivy powers Leaf Blade up. AJ tells Servine to counter with, and Servine speeds along the ground and successfully blocks Leaf Blade using the attack. AJ then tells Servine to use. Servine whips up a tornado of leaves and grass and hurls it at Snivy, drawing her into the vortex. As the tornado lands, it smashes Snivy onto the ground and causes her to lie flat on her belly. Dazed, Snivy gets back up, yet seems confident to keep on battling, which surprises, but nonetheless pleases AJ and Servine.

Snivy uses Vine Whip, but Servine dodges them completely. She then attempts to use Leaf Blade, but misses and Servine follows up with a Leaf Tornado. The tornado, once again, draws her into the vortex then slams her onto the ground. Ryder asks Snivy to use Vine Whip, and Servine, once again, dodges it easily like it had before. Next, while Servine is distracted by her Vine Whip, Ryder tells Snivy to use. Snivy fires the attack, and luckily, as Servine is male, he becomes infatuated with Snivy, and he is thus unable to attack. Eventually with a series of Vine Whips and a well-aimed Leaf Blade, Servine succumbs to Snivy's attacks and fainted, leaving AJ with three Pokémon.

As Ryder celebrates, Snivy gives a wide smile. AJ recalls Servine and compliments Snivy's power, before sending out his. Seeing as Snivy was tired, Ryder decides to recall her for the time being and sends out Incineroar, despite the type disadvantage. AJ notes this, but Ryder remarks that Frillish was also part-, and Incineroar's attacks were super-effective against Frillish. Incineroar begins by using, only for it to be blocked by Frillish's. AJ tells Frillish to use, and the Floating Pokémon shoots a ball of water at Incineroar, causing him to be trapped in the sphere. However, Incineroar uses to free himself before charging towards Frillish, who allows itself to be struck by the attack. Ryder commands another Darkest Lariat, but Incineroar is unable to charge the attack, and AJ says that Frillish's Ability has activated, preventing Incineroar from using Darkest Lariat. Ryder then commands Incineroar to use Throat Chop instead, but Frillish once again uses Protect to block the attack, and as Incineroar bounces off the barrier, AJ commands multiple Water Pulses, and Incineroar gets surrounded by several water spheres, all of which strike Incineroar at the same time, which causes him to faint, which surprises Ryder.

Ryder sends out Snivy and tells her to use Vine Whip, and once again Frillish allows itself to be attacked, and its Cursed Body Ability activates once more, disabling Vine Whip for the time being. Snivy attacks again with Leaf Storm, but Frillish blocks it with Protect, followed by a : the partial Ghost Pokémon glows purple for a moment, and releases multiple light blue fireballs from its body at Snivy, who becomes as a result. As Frillish celebrates his achievement, Snivy uses Leaf Storm and catches Frillish by surprise. Immediately, Snivy attempts to use Attract, but fails as Frillish evades it, jumping away at the time when the Attract is supposed to hit its target.

Ryder decides to take a risk and tells Snivy to use Leaf Blade on Frillish. Snivy lands the attack, but unfortunately it isn't enough to take Frillish out as her Burn effect causes her physical attacks to become weaker, and even worse, Snivy is hit with Cursed Body again which blocks Leaf Blade. AJ commands Frillish to use Water Pulse again: Frillish creates a ball of water to form and shoots it at Snivy who becomes trapped inside. As the globe of water exploded, Snivy was flung out onto the field, confused. AJ now takes advantage of the situation, telling Frillish to use. As Snivy was already burned, the attack did more damage. Snivy's eyes glowed eerily before she could not take it anymore, and fainted. Don George then declares Snivy unable to battle, and subsequently AJ the winner of the match, and Ryder recalls Snivy, thanking her for her tremendous effort.

AJ approaches Ryder and the two Trainers shake hands, with AJ specifically praising Snivy, exclaiming that she had extreme potential, but respectfully noted that Tepig and Oshawott required serious training as their skills were lackluster. Ryder welcomes the friendly criticism and ackowledges that both Tepig and Oshawott were in need of serious training, and AJ states that he would look foward to their next battle before leaving the Battle Club.

When was attacked by a large swarm of, AJ was one of many Trainers assembled by the  to battle against swarm of Venipede to clear them off the city, with AJ battling with his. While Ryder and were in the sewers attempting to persuade the leader of the swarm of Venipede to clear off, AJ suddenly appeared and attacked the Pokémon with Lampent's. Ryder tells AJ to stop, but AJ says that if the leader were to be defeated, the swarm would fall apart. AJ has his Lampent use Shadow Ball on the leader, but Ryder jumps in the way and takes the hit instead. Then, the Venipede that was stuck in the sewer pipe from before appears and crawls towards Ryder. Ryder tells AJ that the Venipede can be gentle Pokémon if they don't attack them. Burgh supports Ryder's statement by saying that their hearts have yet to reach them. Officer Jenny then returns along with and her. AJ recalls his Lampent and agrees to stay out of their way in their plan and apologizes for harming Ryder, who accepts his apology, and AJ walks off.

Days later, AJ and his were battling against a wild  in hopes to capture it, but their attempts were foiled by Ryder, who accidentally fell down a hill and interrupted the battle, causing Palpitoad to flee and prevent AJ from capturing it. Ryder then apologizes and explains that it was an accident.

AJ assures him it was okay and challenges him to a battle, wanting to test Ryder's current strength. The two agree to a three-on-three battle, where whoever gets the best two out of three wins is victorious. AJ begins the battle by sending out his. Ryder then sends out his Snivy, confident as Snivy had previously defeated Servine. The battle begins with Servine using where Ryder counters it by having his Snivy use. The two attacks collide and AJ immediately orders his Servine to use. Ryder orders his Snivy to dodge and then use. AJ counters the hearts of the Attract attack by once again using Leaf Tornado, causing all of the hearts of the attack to vanish and render the Attract attack useless. AJ explains that he won't fall for the same strategy again and that he learned from his mistake last time. He then orders his Servine to once again use Cut. Ryder orders his Snivy to. Snivy's Leaf Blade overpowers Servine's Cut and Servine gets sent flying, before Snivy finishes it off with Leaf Storm, which gives Ryder the first win.

Ryder and AJ move onto round two of the battle, where AJ sends out a Timburr. Ryder chooses Oshawott, and Oshawott then becomes scared when Timburr swings its lumber. Ryder explains to Oshawott that he thinks that he is very capable of winning the battle. Oshawott then becomes confident and ready to battle. Ryder orders his Oshawott to use and AJ orders his Timburr to use  to deflect the attack away. Oshawott then misses with Aqua Jet and Ryder sighs in disappointment. AJ asks if Ryder is playing around because it's hard to tell. Ryder states he is not and orders his Oshawott to try Aqua Jet again, but Oshawott still continues to miss and AJ takes notice of Oshawott and realizes the problem. AJ explains that Oshawott was using the attack with its eyes closed, which explains why it can't aim properly.

Ryder orders his Oshawott to use and AJ orders his Timburr to use, causing Oshawott to be knocked off his balance and miss. Ryder then orders Oshawott to use and AJ orders his Timburr to knock the blast out of the way with Strength. AJ then orders his Timburr to use and Ryder orders his Oshawott to use Razor Shell. Timburr's Dynamic Punch remains stronger and causes Oshawott to be knocked out of battle. Ryder and AJ are now tied for the battle.

Ryder sends out his Dwebble and AJ sends out his Vanillite. AJ begins the battle and orders his Vanillite to use and Ryder orders his Dwebble to use. Dwebble manages to break through the Ice Beam and hit Vanillite. Both Pokémon begin to show signs of fatigue at this point. AJ orders Vanillite to use and it lands a hit on Dwebble. Ryder orders Dwebble to use and it hits Vanillite. Again, both Pokémon are tiring out from their attacks on each other. AJ then orders Vanillite to use and Ryder orders Dwebble to use Slash. In the middle of Dwebble's attack, AJ orders Vanillite to use and Dwebble collides into Vanillite. Afterwards, both Dwebble and Vanillite finally faint from the multitude of attacks, causing the match to end in a draw. Ryder tells his Dwebble that he put up a good match and returns it to its. Ryder then congratulates AJ and says that he looks forward to another match in the future, and AJ returns the compliment and says that his Pokémon were gradually becoming stronger. The two shake hands as AJ walks away and Ryder returns to his lunch break.

Shortly afterwards, AJ entered the tournament held in  and re-encountered Ryder once again, along with some of Ryder's other rivals. During the first round, AJ battles against Ryder's half-sister, Lazuli, and AJ expresses excitement at battling against Ryder's sister, and Lazuli exclaims that since she heard good things about AJ from Ryder, she expects a good battle, and AJ vows to live up to her expectations. Lazuli sends out her while AJ sends out his, which Ryder realizes has evolved from the Timburr he'd battled earlier.

Lazuli launches the first attack and Palpitoad flies forward with an. AJ tells Gurdurr to dodge and Gurdurr slams its iron bar into the ground, heaving itself over the bar and dodging Palpitoad's attack. Gurdurr spins itself in midair and thuds to the ground, chuckling at Palpitoad. Palpitoad goes in for another Ice Punch, but Gurdurr uses its steel beam to keep Palpitoad away and flicks Palpitoad overhead. Gurdurr sticks its beam into the ground and charges forward for a, but Lazuli calls for a , which connects with Gurdurr and sends it back towards AJ's side of the battlefield. Gurdurr attempts another Rock Smash, but Palpitoad leaps out of the way. AJ changes tactics and Gurdurr uses, hitting Palpitoad hard, but Palpitoad withstands as the attack wasn't very effective.

AJ then commands another Rock Smash, but Lazuli has Palpitoad fire on Gurdurr's feet, causing the field to break and rocks to fly towards Gurdurr, damaging it and cancelling out Rock Smash. This gives Lazuli the chance to command a, which lands and Gurdurr. AJ then orders a followed by a Stone Edge, but Palpitoad successfully dodges the attack, by leaping around the rocks created by Stone Edge, and knocks out Gurdurr with a close-range Hydro Pump, eliminating AJ from the tournament. Ryder seems rather surprised at AJ's loss, but realizes that Lazuli was simply far more experienced and shouldn't have been surprised at her victory. After healing his Timburr at the, AJ departed from the arena rather than watch the remainder of the tournament.

AJ later registered to participate in the tournament in. Soon, the tournament opens up and the participants all gather in the stadium. welcomes everyone and introduces the manager of the,. Don George then explains that the winner of the Clubsplosion tournament will receive a year's supply of Vitamins, containing, , , , , and. He then gives words of encouragement before opening the Clubsplosion tournament officially. Freddy O'Martian calls for everyone's attention to the screen then announces the first round match-ups. They are Tyrone and first,  and Lazuli second,  and Ryder third,  and Carmella fourth, with AJ and Kacey being the final match, amongst other Trainers.

When AJ and Kacey's match began, AJ chose his Conkeldurr to battle against Kacey's Emboar. Kacey orders an attack, which is blocked by Conkeldurr's concrete pillars. Emboar uses which is also blocked. Kacey tells Emboar to use, which is once again blocked. AJ tells Conkeldurr to use Bulk Up. Then Conkeldurr uses, doing lots of damage. Then, AJ orders, successfully trapping Emboar. Kacey commands Emboar to use Arm Thrust to break out, but it's no use. Finally, AJ tells Conkeldurr to finish the battle with. Stone Edge lands, creating a smoky explosion. Emboar is shown holding the rocks to everyone's surprise. Emboar the rocks at Conkeldurr, who uses its concrete pillars to knock the rocks away. Emboar grabs the pillars and Flings the pillar at Conkeldurr, landing a critical hit and defeating it. AJ picks his fully healed Conkeldurr up from at the. Ryder arrives and is disappointed that he could not face his Conkeldurr before he went down. AJ promises he will not lose to Ryder the next time they battle. Like he did after his loss in the Club Battle, AJ left Ambiga Town that night rather than staying and watching the rest of the tournament.

Sometime later, AJ registered to compete in the and re-encountered many of his rivals yet again, who were all participating. The first round matches are then announced: AJ versus, versus ,  versus ,  versus ,  versus Duke,  versus ,  versus Lazuli, and Carmella vs Ryder. The first battle pits AJ and his newly evolved Serperior versus Dino and. Serperior uses to lower Darmanitan's defense and uses a match-winning. When the smoke clears, Darmanitan is no longer able to battle and AJ is victorious.

In the next round, AJ's Serperior faces off against Manning's and wins despite the type advantage with  followed by. In the semi-finals, AJ and Serperior battle against Angus and his. Serperior uses and Solar Beam, and despite sustaining damage, Simisage endures the attack. Angus has Simisage use and, but Serperior dodges both attacks, and Serperior easily defeats Simisage with. comments that AJ battled well, but power isn't everything. AJ glares back at the, thinking to prove him wrong.

In the finals, AJ and Serperior battled against Ryder and Emolga. To start, Ryder commands Emolga to use, which Serperior dodges. Ryder then commands Emolga to use, which Serperior again dodges. Everyone appears remarked by Serperior's lightning speed.

AJ commands Serperior to use Solar Beam, but Emolga steals Serperior's thunder and dodges. AJ then has Serperior use, which just barely hits Emolga. However, Emolga fires back with another Discharge, but Serperior dodges, making Emolga follow up with Hidden Power and, but both get dodged by Serperior. Serperior uses Leer, and Emolga dodges, only to make Serperior use another Dragon Tail, which Emolga also dodges. Emolga uses another Discharge but Serperior dodges again. Despite her exhaustion from her many dodged attacks, Emolga uses yet another Hidden Power, which as expected, is dodged by Serperior. Serperior uses Leer and Ryder again commands Emolga to dodge by flying up in the air. With Emolga in a vulnerable position, AJ knows this is his chance to strike, so he commands Serperior to use Solar Beam, which lands and hurls Emolga onto the ground.

Emolga gets up, and Ryder tells him that she needs to stay strong if she wants to beat Serperior. With Emolga back in battling position, Ryder decides to unleash Emolga's new attack: and Emolga gets commanded to unleash multiple Air Slashes at once. However, Serperior moves so fast that he fades into thin air and dodges the surrounding Air Slash attacks, and is subsequently commanded by his Trainer to use Frenzy Plant. The move lands and knocks Emolga out, making AJ the winner and Ryder the runner-up of the Junior Cup.

Ryder recalls Emolga and falls beside himself since he lost to AJ yet again. After this, Alder gives AJ the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup Trophy for winning, and explains that their battle will begin immediately. Finally experiencing the moment he has been waiting for since the start of the tournament, he rants about how he will easily beat Alder and become the champion. As Alder and AJ enter the battlefield, Alder sends out, and AJ chooses Serperior again. With everyone watching, AJ commands Serperior to use Solar Beam. Alder tells Bouffalant to rush toward Serperior, but Solar Beam is dispelled upon striking Bouffalant. AJ states that Bouffalant's Ability is, and Ryder wonders why he used aGrass-move when he knew it would not work on Bouffalant. Alder confirms the Ability and states that Grass-type attacks increase attack power instead of doing damage. Alder goes on to say that Bouffalant is unstoppable at this point, but AJ claims he will prove him wrong and that he is more powerful than Alder. Alder tells him to take his best shot to prove it.

Frustrated, AJ orders Dragon Tail, which hits Bouffalant's afro, but it is once again unfazed. Alder tells AJ to show him what else he has got. Serperior uses Leer to lower Bouffalant's defense, then jumps into the air and attacks with Dragon Tail. In his mind, AJ states that his strategy was to purposely activate Sap Sipper so that Alder and Bouffalant would let their guard down. Though Serperior is airborne, Dragon Tail strategically hits Bouffalant's unprotected underside, knocking it away. However, Bouffalant lands on its feet, surprisingly unscathed by the attacks. Alder commends the power, speed, and strategy AJ used, but notes that though they would take out a normal Pokémon, AJ is fighting a champion. Alder orders and Bouffalant charges forward. AJ desperately tells Serperior to dodge, but Serperior is struck and knocked out, giving Alder the win.

Alder congratulates his Bouffalant as it happily licks his face. AJ approaches Alder to ask what he did wrong for Alder to beat him so easily, and the champion replies that he had not done anything. Alder asks a confused AJ if he has any respect for him at all, and that he needs to think about what he has learned. Alder then asks him if he cares for Serperior. AJ is surprised, but before he can respond, Alder tells him that Serperior obviously cares very much for him and that he needs to feel that bond. AJ replies that he does, and Alder responds that that is probably where his strength lies. AJ asks Alder if they can battle next time they meet, and Alder replies that he would love to.

announces the end of the tournament, and Carmella tells Ryder that she is going to train harder to defeat Dragonite. Ryder and Lazuli spot AJ, so they approach him. Ryder says that Alder was amazing, and AJ agrees, adding that he and Ryder will meet again at the. Ryder notes that AJ seemed somewhat different, and wonders exactly what changed about him after his battle with Alder.

After obtaining all of his eight, AJ traveled to to compete in the , where AJ easily advances through his first round match-up, before facing off against Kacey in his first match of the main competition, pitting AJ's  against Kacey's.

Jellicent starts off with a, but Escavalier dodges and uses. Jellicent tries for another Hydro Pump, but Escavalier does the same thing: dodging and using Iron Defense. Jellicent then uses a, but Escavalier yet again dodges and uses Iron Defense. Everyone watching in the stands becomes confused at this since Kacey can't win on defense alone. However, Kacey does finally take offense and have Escavalier use, and Jellicent gets sent flying. AJ then commands Jellicent to use, and it successfully lands on Escavalier, leaving it in the process. Kacey then commands another Megahorn, but AJ quickly orders, and with Escavalier's burn, it causes double the damage, allowing Jellicent to knock out Escavalier.

Kacey recalls Escavalier and immediately sends out her Emboar. Ryder becomes surprised at this since like Emboar are weak to  like Jellicent. AJ has Jellicent use a combination of Shadow Ball and Hydro Pump, which both land and cause Emboar massive damage. However, Emboar is commanded by Kacey to use, and the impact causes Jellicent to get sent crashing onto the nearby wall, knocking it out. Everyone in the stands becomes impressed that Emboar was able to beat a Water-type, and Kacey praises him for the same reason. AJ recalls Jellicent and picks Conkeldurr as his second Pokémon.

Kacey commands an, but AJ commands Conkeldurr to dodge. Emboar then goes in for a, but Conkeldurr shuts Emboar's attack off with , and everyone watching the battle becomes impressed at Conkeldurr's impressive defense. AJ then orders Conkeldurr to use, which sends Emboar flying. Emboar gets up, but is immediately hit by two of Conkeldurr's in a row, landing on his stomach. However, this gives him an opening to grab Conkeldurr's leg and chuck it across the battlefield. After recovering, Conkeldurr dodges Emboar's Flamethrower and uses. As Emboar is beginning to look like he's on the brink of defeat, AJ commands Conkeldurr to use Rock Tomb, which lands and creates a violent explosion. As the smoke clears, Emboar is revealed to have fainted, making AJ the winner of this battle.

AJ and Ryder ultimately advanced through the tournament, where they both reached the finals and once again found themselves battling each other, although this time the title of the was at stake. As Ryder and AJ get ready to commence their battle, AJ chooses his first Pokémon,. Ryder sends out his Scolipede. Hydreigon starts out with, and Ryder commands Scolipede to dodge, but she doesn't do it fast enough and takes damage. Hydreigon then follows up with, and Scolipede takes damage from that as well. However, she recovers, and is commanded by Ryder to use, which Hydreigon dodges. Scolipede then goes in for a super effective, which is commanded by AJ to be dodged by Hydreigon. However, Hydreigon doesn't do it in time and takes super effective damage. Just when Ryder thinks he is gaining momentum, Hydreigon quickly recovers and fires back with a ground-shaking, and follows up with a second Tri Attack. After this, Ryder commands Scolipede to use, while AJ commands Hydreigon to counter with Dragon Pulse. Hydreigon's attack overpowers Scolipede's and knocks her out.

Ryder recalls Scolipede and becomes very surprised at Hydreigon's power. He then selects Samurott as his next Pokémon. The battle continues, and Samurott starts out with, which lands. Samurott then follows up with a, to which Hydreigon dodges and responds with a Dragon Pulse, causing Samurott halved-damage since he deflected with his scalchops. Samurott then goes in for another Razor Shell which lands and keeps the pressure on Hydreigon. AJ then notices how strong Samurott is, just as his Hydreigon is hit again, this time by Samurott's. However, Hydreigon fires right back with Tri Attack. Samurott gets his two scalchops to block it, but panics when he realizes there are three attacks to block. Samurott gets hit, but gets back up and uses, causing Hydreigon even more damage. Knowing this is his chance, Ryder commands another Razor Shell, but resilient Hydreigon shuts Samurott's attack off with, and finishes him off with a Dragon Rush, getting itself a second win.

For his third choice, Ryder chooses Snivy, attempting to use her incredible durability and strong power to defeat the already worn out Hydreigon. Snivy's first move is, which lands and causes Hydreigon great damage. However, Snivy is then hit by Hydreigon's powerful Dragon Pulse attack, but she recovers and plants another Leaf Storm on Hydreigon. Directly after, Snivy takes two big blows from Hydreigon's Tri Attack and Dragon Rush. However, she survives, and appearing surprised at this, Kacey and Tyrone both comment on Snivy's awesome spirit. Snivy fires right back with a combination of and, and everyone in the stands continues to cheer her and Ryder on. Hydreigon then goes in for a Double Hit, but Snivy dodges and uses Leaf Blade, which Hydreigon flies up in the air to dodge. This was a mistake, however, because it made Hydreigon vulnerable to Snivy's even more powerful Leaf Storm attack. Just as Hydreigon is beginning to look weak, Ryder commands Snivy to use a final Leaf Blade while Hydreigon is commanded by AJ to use a final Double Hit. Both Pokémon approach each other with their attacks ready, then Snivy's attack dominates Hydreigon's, and finally knocks it out.

For his second choice, AJ chooses. AJ immediately commands Unfezant to use, which Snivy successfully manages to dodge. AJ then commands followed by. At the last second, however, Snivy jumps and lands atop of Unfezant. Despite Unfezant attempting to shake Snivy off, Ryder commands Snivy to use and Unfezant becomes infatuated as a result. With his guard down, Snivy uses a point-blank Leaf Storm, sending Unfezant crashing onto the field, knocked out, and giving Snivy her second win.

AJ chooses his as his third Pokémon. Immediately, AJ commands a from Volcarona, and Snivy gets sent flying by the attack, but manages to keep battling. AJ then orders a attack, but Snivy uses her Vine Whip to bounce up and dodge. AJ quickly orders followed by another Hurricane, but Snivy gracefully dodges by spinning around the Hurricane and connects with Attract, which leaves Volcarona infatuated, allowing Snivy to defeat with a combination of Leaf Storm, Leaf Blade and Vine Whip, giving Snivy three victories in a row.

AJ recalls Volcarona and chooses as his fourth Pokémon, despite the obvious type disadvantage, but AJ notes that Snivy was exhausted from its previous battles. Ryder commands Snivy to use Leaf Storm, but Jellicent dodges and fires, which knocks Snivy down. As Snivy struggles to get back to her feet, Jellicent uses a combination of and  to finally knock out Snivy.

Ryder recalls Snivy and chooses Incineroar for his fourth Pokémon, much to everyone's surprise, as Incineroar's attacks were weak against a  like Jellicent, but AJ realizes that Ryder would rely mostly on Incineroar's  attacks, which are super-effective against a part- like Jellicent. Incineroar starts out with, but AJ steals Ryder's thunder and has Jellicent deflect it with Hydro Pump. Ryder has Incineroar go in for a. However, Jellicent overpowers Incineroar with another Hydro Pump, and follows that up with Shadow Ball. Jellicent then attempts to hit Incineroar with a Will-O-Wisp, but he dodges and goes in for. Thinking he can pull the same thing off twice, AJ commands Jellicent to counter with Hydro Pump again. However, Incineroar dodges and lands his attack on Jellicent, and moves right into another Darkest Lariat, causing Samurott even more damage. However, Jellicent's Ability activates, disabling Darkest Lariat for the time being. Instead, Incineroar uses, but Jellicent attempts to counter with Hydro Pump. Despite Fire-type attacks being weak against Water-types, Incineroar manages to push past Hydro Pump and collides directly onto Jellicent, surprisingly knocking it out, and giving Incineroar the win.

AJ recalls Jellicent and immediately sends out Conkeldurr. Conkeldurr goes in for, but Incineroar dodges. AJ then tells Conkeldurr not to stop launching attacks until one lands, but Incineroar is just too fast, and as such dodges every one of them. AJ commends Incineroar for his awesome speed, just as Ryder commands Throat Chop. However, Conkeldurr dodges and fires back with, which lands and causes Incineroar some damage. Conkeldurr immediately follows up with a combination of and Rock Smash, but Incineroar dodges both of them and knocks Conkeldurr out with a single Flare Blitz.

AJ recalls Conkeldurr, and both he and Ryder commend each other for the great skills of both of their Pokémon. AJ's sixth and final choice is none other than Serperior, and he points out that their journeys have come full circle, as Incineroar and Serperior were battling against each other once more. Incineroar starts out with Flamethrower, but Serperior dodges. Incineroar then uses Flare Blitz, but gracefully slides around Flare Blitz to dodge. Serperior then uses back-to-back to decrease Incineroar's defense, and subsequently follows up with, which connects with Incineroar and causes serious damage. As Incineroar slowly gets back to his feet, AJ quickly commands and Serperior squeezes Incineroar, who cries out in pain. As Serperior continues to squeeze him, Ryder commands Flamethrower, but Incineroar is unable to as Serperior is squeezing him too tight for him to unleash any attacks. AJ then commands Serperior to toss Incineroar aside and finish him off with, and Incineroar gets knocked out by the powerful attack, therefore Serperior finally gains his first victory over Incineroar.

Ryder recalls Incineroar and thanks him for the effort, and immediately chooses Pignite as his fifth Pokémon. Serperior starts off with another Leer, which hits and decreases Pignite's defense. AJ then commands Dragon Tail, but Pignite manages to catch Serperior's tail just in time and unleashes a point-blank Flamethrower, sending Serperior flying back. However, Serperior quickly recovers and uses another Leer, and Pignite's defense continues to decrease. Pignite then fires off numerous and  attacks, but Serperior successfully manages to dodge them all, and subsequently defeats Pignite with a single Frenzy Plant attack.

With Ryder down to his last Pokémon, Ryder chooses Dragonite and Dragonite lets out a roar upon being called. AJ remarks he knew that Dragonite would be his final choice; the moment that Incineroar was brought earlier, was the moment AJ realized that Dragonite would be his final choice, as Dragonite was pratically the strongest Pokémon in his team besides Incineroar. Starting the battle, Dragonite strikes first with. Wanting to wrap the battle up as fast as possible, Ryder has Dragonite use two additional Thunder Punches. Serperior looks like it is almost beaten, so Ryder orders Dragonite to go in close with another Thunder Punch, but Serperior manages to slide away. Jumping up, Serperior comes in from above with Dragon Tail, throwing Dragonite across the stage. AJ has Serperior follow up with Frenzy Plant. At the same time, Dragonite lets off an. The attacks collide in midair and explode, throwing both trainer's Pokémon away. Both Pokémon are able to get up, but Serperior looks like he is struggling more.

Both Pokémon run toward each other. Serperior attempts to land a Dragon Tail, but Dragonite jumps over Serperior and dodges the attack. Not wanting to give up, Serperior follows and grabs Dragonite, tossing Dragonite high into the air with its tail. Dragonite somersaults in the air and lands lightly on his feet. Following up, Dragonite hits Serperior with a powerful Flamethrower and goes in close to hit with a Thunder Punch. Serperior gets sent flying back, as Ryder orders Dragonite to end it all with. As Dragonite flies up and rains down with the attack, AJ commands Serperior to use Frenzy Plant to counter. Just as Serperior prepares to unleash the attack, it suddenly stops and AJ gasps in shock as he notices that Serperior has become by Dragonite's Thunder Punch. As Serperior opens its eyes after suffering from paralysis, it looks up just to see Dragonite inches away from its face, as Dragon Rush connects with full force, causing a series of explosions, that even Ryder and AJ are caught in the middle. The audience gasps as they all stand up from their seats as the announcer roars in concern, as both Ryder and AJ are within the smokescreen caused by the explosions.

After an apparent neverending amount of time, the smoke finally settles, and both Trainers are alright, as they are staring down at the field without blinking an eye, and when the smoke clears off completely, the crowd sees that Serperior is lying down, knocked out, while Dragonite stands triumphantly over the Regal Pokémon, as the referee declares Serperior unable to battle, and declares Dragonite as the winner, and Ryder as the victor of not only the match, but of the.

After the match, AJ and his other rivals all congratulate Ryder on his victory, and they all share a brief conversation about their respective futures before going their separate ways.

Character
From the beginning of his journey, AJ is a reserved individual who tends to keep his feelings to himself, but nonetheless acts friendly and casual whenever meeting Ryder or any of his other rivals. AJ is also not above criticizing others for their lack of training or strategy, such as criticizing (albeit in a friendly manner) Ryder's Tepig for its lack of power and commented on how much training Tepig needed.

Unlike Ryder, AJ wasn't above ending conflicts in a non-pacifist manner, such as when AJ was one of many Trainers assembled by the to clear off the city from a large swarm of, despite both Ryder and 's pleas to instead convince the Venipede to leave without violence, with AJ himself claiming that violence was necessary, but nonetheless was convinced by Ryder after the latter protected the Venipede from his 's  attack.

Steeming from his friendly interactions, AJ occasionally helps others with their problems, seen as when AJ himself pointed out Ryder's Oshawott's reason for its aim being off, and informed Ryder that Oshawott's eyes were closed underwater. Nevertheless, AJ can become quite aggressive when faced off against a desperate battle, seen as AJ would often scream attacks whenever at the brink of defeat, but would quickly regain his composure.

As a result of his lifelong desire to defeat, AJ viewed strength as the most important thing to accomplishing his goals. As such, he deemed any activities that wouldn't increase his strength as unnecessary as seen when he left after his losses in the and the  instead of spectating the remainder of the tournaments. During the, AJ had shown a heightened amount of confidence in his own abilities to the point of arrogance, believing he could defeat both Alder and and would openly declare this. However, after losing to Alder, AJ began to realize the error in his views, and as such, he had a change in his attitude. This change in attitude was noticed by Ryder, although Ryder wasn't necessarily aware of what exactly changed about AJ. Despite his change in attitude, AJ still maintains his distance and prefers not to interact with the other rivals, and would keep his conversations with them as short as possible, or simply remain silent completely.

Unova Badges
This listing is of the AJ has obtained in the :



Pokémon League Rankings
AJ has competed in the following :


 * - Runner-Up

Pokémon Competitions
AJ has competed in the following :


 * - Top 16
 * - Top 16
 * - Winner