It looks like Pokémon fans are in for a treat! 23 years after making its appearance as the face of the Japanese media franchise, Ash Ketchum’s iconic sidekick Pikachu is slated to evolve.

Pikachu made its debut as the face of the franchise in the first episode. Along with the series’ protagonist Ash, Pikachu has made its appearance in over 1,000 episodes of the beloved anime show. In the show’s fifth episode dubbed Showdown in Pewter City, it turned down the offer to evolve.

From then on, Ash never asked the beloved Pokémon to evolve into its more powerful form Raichu, and it never did. If recently surfaced leaks regarding episode 1,122 are anything to go by, the Pokémon is gearing up to break its original rule.

The leaked description was shared on Twitter by Anipoke, giving fans of the franchise a brief glimpse of the new Journeys protagonist Goh, who is bent on having a Pikachu of his own. In the episode dubbed ” Got Pikachu, Ash — “Satoshi” in Japan’s episode also makes a significant decision.

Summary and VA List for PM035. #Anipoke pic.twitter.com/TqZDJIEanp

— Anipoke Fandom (@AnipokeFandom) August 22, 2020

“A lot of Pikachu has been digging Thunderstones… and used their power to evolve. Then Satoshi’s Pikachu finally evolves into a Raichu as well thanks to a Thunderstone discovered by a very obliging female Pikachu,” the description reads.

If the Pokemon Company is indeed gearing up to upgrade Pikachu 23 years after its debut, it will be a noteworthy moment for the franchise. The electric mouse has become the face of the well-received franchise over the past two decades.

With Pokémon soon approaching its 25th birthday, it looks like Pokemon Company is willing to take a few risks with the franchise. It would be hardly surprising if the developers go as far as getting rid of Ash completely in a bid to keep the series fresh.