Ritchie (Hiroshi): Ritchie and his trusty Pikachu, Sparky, battled Ash at the Indigo Plateau, and they have been friends ever since, even though they only met once again (in the Whirl Islands.) Ritchie does decide to go and meet Ash in Hoenn, but he apparently decides against it, because he is later seen in the Sevii Islands. Tracey Sketchit (Kenji): Tracey Sketchit travelled with Ash and Misty in the Orange Islands, and is now a lab assistant for Professor Oak.