One of Ash Ketchum’s biggest benefits from being Pokémon’s main character is that he’s met, traveled alongside, and even saved the world with nearly all the iconic, illustrious trainers who hold the title of Champion. Ironically, Steven Stone is the only member of the Masters Eight whom Ash doesn’t know particularly well, and they’ve been paired up to do battle in the first round of this epic tournament. Pokémon battles are ordinarily more compelling when the two trainers have a personal relationship or history, but Ash and Steven’s lack of familiarity adds to the intrigue of their battle, as it’s a rare instance of uncharted territory for the 25-year-old series -- and one heck of a tough matchup for Ash right off the bat.

During the "Hoenn" arc, Ash fought alongside Lance to save the world from Groudon and Kyogre. He met Cynthia several times in Sinnoh and traveled with her for a stretch in Unova where he was also traveling with Iris, Unova’s new Champion. His unofficial battle with Leon inspired him to enter the World Coronation Series in the first place and the two have trained together. Ash also hung out with Diantha several times and even battled her during the "Kalos" Saga where he famously lost the Lumiose Conference Finals to Alain -- after which Ash, Alain, Diantha and Steven joined forces with the Kalos Gym Leaders to save the world from Team Flare. However, Ash and Steven didn’t have any meaningful interaction during this conflict, making him the only member of the Masters Eight who is a virtual stranger to Ash.

RELATED: Pokémon Has a Chance to Do Right By Its Most Underrated Champion

Steven Stone in the Masters Eight in Pokémon Journeys.

The fact that Ash and Steven don’t know each other well means their battle will be the first time either one of them experiences firsthand how the other fights. Ash has become famous in the World Coronation Series for his unusual battle tactics, while Steven’s Mega Metagross has gone toe-to-claw with the likes of Mega Rayquaza and Primal Kyogre – meaning it will be ingenuity vs brute force in the first round's final matchup. That Ash is essentially going in blind for his first match – and against the third seed, no less – will surely result in an interesting, surprising battle as the two Champions go head-to-head. And for his part, Steven seems genuinely excited to "finally" battle against Ash.

Ash’s goal during Journeys has been to battle Leon. Now that they have made the Masters Eight – on opposite ends of the bracket – a showdown between them in the Finals is all but inevitable. The Masters Eight is three rounds and seven of the competitors are Regional Champions, meaning just getting to the Finals will be a tough task, plot armor or not.

Considering Ash is close friends with Alain (the sixth seed) and Iris (the seventh seed), it seemed likely that Pokémon would make his first two rounds a relative cakewalk by battling them to justify how he could reach the Finals of this tournament. However, being pitted against Steven (the third seed) right off the bat means the anime is actually going to make it as difficult as possible for Ash to reach the Finals.

RELATED: Pokémon: Who Beat Lance to Become the Kanto/Johto Champion?

The Masters Eight bracket in Pokémon Journeys

What’s more, the winner of Ash vs Steven will advance to face the winner of Cynthia vs Iris (so, Cynthia), which means that Ash will have to knock off the top three competitors if he wants to win the World Coronation Series – as Cynthia holds the second seed.

Ash’s matchup against Steven won’t be a mere warmup like his first-round matches usually are in Pokémon League Tournaments. He's going to have to win the fight of his life just to get to an even tougher battle before reaching his dream matchup. It’s admittedly a bummer that someone as strong and iconic as Steven is doomed to get bounced in the first round, but no one will be able to complain that the Masters Eight pulled its punches for Ash's path to the Finals.

When comparing Ash to the rest of the field in the Masters Eight, it’s understandable to feel like he has no business being there. Steven was the best choice for his first-round opponent because triumphing over Hoenn’s Champion will prove that Ash isn’t the joke of a trainer he used to be without causing any of his battles in the Masters Eight to be easier than the previous one. And if asked, Ash would probably say the best part about battling Steven will be making a new friend, as he’s already friends with everyone else. Ash vs Steven is still a few weeks away at the time of writing, but it will no doubt be one of the most epic battles in Pokémon history as Pikachu looks to improve to 3-0 all-time when battling a Metagross.