Ash has improved a lot as a trainer as the series went by. However, he is still excited and strong-willed. During the first season of the series, Ash trained to catch more Pokémon than his childhood rival (person who you compete against), Gary Oak, although Gary was always shown to be the stronger trainer. He soon began to focus more on each of his Pokémon's abilities. Ash's primary enemy is a group of antagonists named Team Rocket. Ever since the second episode, "Pokémon Emergency!", two Team Rocket agents named Jessie and James, along with a talking Meowth, have tried to steal Ash's partner, Pikachu, as well as many others, but have always failed. While they fight a lot, they sometimes work together against a common enemy, like in "", where they help Ash in finding the three treasures in order to save the world.