Here are the memories Ash, Jessie, James, and Dawn have had before they released a Pokémon, gave them to someone else for training, oder almost released a Pokemon and why they released them, gave them to someone else, oder almost released them.
Pokémon that have been released
* Ash's memories of Butterfree in "Bye Bye Butterfree"
1. Ash catching Butterfree when he was a Caterpie in "Ash Catches a Pokémon"
2. Caterpie evolving into Metapod in "Ash Catches a Pokémon"
3. Meatpod evolving into a Butterfree in "Challenge of the Samurai"
4. Ash and Butterfree battling against Misty's Staryu in "The Water Blumen of Cerulean City"
Ash released Butterfree so he could be with the rosa Butterfree and raise a family with her.
* Jessie's memories of Dustox in "Crossing Paths"
1. Jessie catching Dustox when she was a Wurmple in "All in a Day's Wurmple"
2. Wurmple evolving into Cascoon in "A Corphish Out of Water"
3. Cascoon evolving into Dustox in "Seeing is Believing"
4. Jessie and Dustox winning the Solaceon Town Contest in "Team Shocker"
Jessie released Dustox for the same Ash released Butterfree, so she could raise a family with Astin's Dustox.
Pokémon that have been gegeben to another trainer
* James' memories of Cacnea in "Once There Were Greenfields"
1. James' first meeting with Cacnea when he gave Cacnea a bag of kekse, cookies in "A Poached Ego"
2. Cacnea hugging James in "A Poached Ego"
James gave Cacnes to Gardenia so Cacnea could learn to use Drain Punch.
* Ash and Dawn's memories of Ambipom in "To Thine Own Pokemon Be True"
* Ash's memories
1. His first encounter with Ambipom back when she was an Aipom in "Slaking Kong"
2. Aipom grabbing Ash's hat while Ash and Pikachu were sailing to Sinnoh in "Home is Where the Start is"
* Dawn's memories
1. Ambipom after she evolved from Aipom in "Journey to the Unown"
2. Dawn and Ambipom competing in the Appeals Round of the Wallace Cup in "Staging a Heroes Welcome"
After competing in the Pokemon Ping Pong competition with Dawn, Ambipom was offered Von O to play Pokemon Ping Pong with him. Dawn didn't know what to do, but after seeing how much Ambipom loved Pokemon Ping Pong she decided to leave the decision up to her, so the Weiter Tag Dawn had Ambipom's Pokéball in one hand and a ping pong ball in her other, and she told Ambipom the choice was up to her. After juggling the ping pong ball, her Pokéball, Ash's hat, and Dawn's hat, Ambipom looked back and forth between her Pokéball and the ping pong ball, and after a long time of thinking she gave Dawn her Pokéball because she had made her decision to play Pokemon Ping Pong.
Pokémon that were almost released, but stayed
* Ash's memories of Pikachu in "Pikachu's Goodbye"
1. Ash first meeting Pikachu at Professor Oak's lab in "Pokémon-I Choose You"
2. Pikachu cuddling with Ash to keep him warm in "Snow Way Out"
3. Pikachu protecting Ash from a flock of angry Spearow in "Pokémon-I Choose You"
4. Ash trying to convince Pikachu to go inside his Pokéball in "Pokémon-I Choose You"
5. Ash teaching Pikachu how to box in "The Punchy Pokémon"
6. Ash and Pikachu's Gym battle against Lt. Serge in "Electric Shock Showdown"
Ash was going to release Pikachu so he could be with his own kind, but Pikachu wanted to go with Ash instead of stay with the Pikachu tribe.
* Ash's memories of Oshawott in "Crowning the Scalchop King"
1. Ash first meeting Oshawott at Professor Juniper's lab in "In the Shadow of Zekrom"
2. Oshawott saving Pikachu and Axew after they were taken Von Team Rocket in "Enter Iris and Axew"
3. Ash and Oshawott battling against Lenora and her Watchog in "Rematch at the Nacrene Gym"
4. Ash and Oshawott doing special training to help Oshawott use the scalchop Cilan's Dwebble made of him when his scalchop got Lost in "Oshawott's Lost Scalchop"
5. Ash and Oshawott battling against Clay and his Krokorok in "Battling the King of the Mines"
Oshawott won the Scalchop King competition and as his prize he got to stay on Scalchop Island with the Scalchop Queen, a female Oshawott named Osharina, and Ash didn't know what to do because he still wanted to travel with Oshawott, but then he saw just how much Oshawott loved Osharina, so as hard as it was for him, Ash was going to release Oshawott so he could be happy with Osharina, but then Osharina ran into the arms of Cadbury's Dewott (who was nicknamed Caesar), and Oshawott's heart/scalchop broke, and since Oshawott's scalchop broke he was disqualified from the competition and Caesar became the winner instead, so Ash didn't have to release Oshawott.
Pokémon that have been released
* Ash's memories of Butterfree in "Bye Bye Butterfree"
1. Ash catching Butterfree when he was a Caterpie in "Ash Catches a Pokémon"
2. Caterpie evolving into Metapod in "Ash Catches a Pokémon"
3. Meatpod evolving into a Butterfree in "Challenge of the Samurai"
4. Ash and Butterfree battling against Misty's Staryu in "The Water Blumen of Cerulean City"
Ash released Butterfree so he could be with the rosa Butterfree and raise a family with her.
* Jessie's memories of Dustox in "Crossing Paths"
1. Jessie catching Dustox when she was a Wurmple in "All in a Day's Wurmple"
2. Wurmple evolving into Cascoon in "A Corphish Out of Water"
3. Cascoon evolving into Dustox in "Seeing is Believing"
4. Jessie and Dustox winning the Solaceon Town Contest in "Team Shocker"
Jessie released Dustox for the same Ash released Butterfree, so she could raise a family with Astin's Dustox.
Pokémon that have been gegeben to another trainer
* James' memories of Cacnea in "Once There Were Greenfields"
1. James' first meeting with Cacnea when he gave Cacnea a bag of kekse, cookies in "A Poached Ego"
2. Cacnea hugging James in "A Poached Ego"
James gave Cacnes to Gardenia so Cacnea could learn to use Drain Punch.
* Ash and Dawn's memories of Ambipom in "To Thine Own Pokemon Be True"
* Ash's memories
1. His first encounter with Ambipom back when she was an Aipom in "Slaking Kong"
2. Aipom grabbing Ash's hat while Ash and Pikachu were sailing to Sinnoh in "Home is Where the Start is"
* Dawn's memories
1. Ambipom after she evolved from Aipom in "Journey to the Unown"
2. Dawn and Ambipom competing in the Appeals Round of the Wallace Cup in "Staging a Heroes Welcome"
After competing in the Pokemon Ping Pong competition with Dawn, Ambipom was offered Von O to play Pokemon Ping Pong with him. Dawn didn't know what to do, but after seeing how much Ambipom loved Pokemon Ping Pong she decided to leave the decision up to her, so the Weiter Tag Dawn had Ambipom's Pokéball in one hand and a ping pong ball in her other, and she told Ambipom the choice was up to her. After juggling the ping pong ball, her Pokéball, Ash's hat, and Dawn's hat, Ambipom looked back and forth between her Pokéball and the ping pong ball, and after a long time of thinking she gave Dawn her Pokéball because she had made her decision to play Pokemon Ping Pong.
Pokémon that were almost released, but stayed
* Ash's memories of Pikachu in "Pikachu's Goodbye"
1. Ash first meeting Pikachu at Professor Oak's lab in "Pokémon-I Choose You"
2. Pikachu cuddling with Ash to keep him warm in "Snow Way Out"
3. Pikachu protecting Ash from a flock of angry Spearow in "Pokémon-I Choose You"
4. Ash trying to convince Pikachu to go inside his Pokéball in "Pokémon-I Choose You"
5. Ash teaching Pikachu how to box in "The Punchy Pokémon"
6. Ash and Pikachu's Gym battle against Lt. Serge in "Electric Shock Showdown"
Ash was going to release Pikachu so he could be with his own kind, but Pikachu wanted to go with Ash instead of stay with the Pikachu tribe.
* Ash's memories of Oshawott in "Crowning the Scalchop King"
1. Ash first meeting Oshawott at Professor Juniper's lab in "In the Shadow of Zekrom"
2. Oshawott saving Pikachu and Axew after they were taken Von Team Rocket in "Enter Iris and Axew"
3. Ash and Oshawott battling against Lenora and her Watchog in "Rematch at the Nacrene Gym"
4. Ash and Oshawott doing special training to help Oshawott use the scalchop Cilan's Dwebble made of him when his scalchop got Lost in "Oshawott's Lost Scalchop"
5. Ash and Oshawott battling against Clay and his Krokorok in "Battling the King of the Mines"
Oshawott won the Scalchop King competition and as his prize he got to stay on Scalchop Island with the Scalchop Queen, a female Oshawott named Osharina, and Ash didn't know what to do because he still wanted to travel with Oshawott, but then he saw just how much Oshawott loved Osharina, so as hard as it was for him, Ash was going to release Oshawott so he could be happy with Osharina, but then Osharina ran into the arms of Cadbury's Dewott (who was nicknamed Caesar), and Oshawott's heart/scalchop broke, and since Oshawott's scalchop broke he was disqualified from the competition and Caesar became the winner instead, so Ash didn't have to release Oshawott.
