[@Tyki], actually, in first season of the Anime, one of Ash's shticks [i]was[/i] winning the respect of the Pokemon in his team, including Pikachu and Charizard (especially Charizard), and his conflict with Gary was because the latter, for some time, used brute strength to overawe his Pokemon - although he doesn't do that anymore.

At the same time, though, Unova (an otherwise bad season) establishes Pikachu as vulnerable to an Attract from a female Pokemon, establishing him as male or as a lesbian, if her.

I am mixing the spirit of Pokemon's first season with the technical details of later ones.

Sorry for delay. Connection is bad.