>People constantly going on about pity badges
The only 'pity badge' he got was from Brock, and it was ASH who was doing the pitying. He stopped the battle because he didn't want to hurt Onix any further, and because the sprinklers gave him an unfair advantage. Brock gave him the badge because he showed that he really cares for pokemon. True, he didn't get a lot of them with battling, but he got them because he actually helped the gym leader. He saved all the pokemon in cerulean gym from Team Rocket, so they gave him a badge (that, and he had an electric type, so they knew he would've won anyway) He risked his own life just to save Erika's Gloom, so she gave him a badge as thanks. Sabrina was sort of a bullshit one, but fuck it, if Ash can lose because his pokemon fell asleep or stopped listening to him, then it's only fair that he can win because his opponent started laughing and was literally unable to battle. He also helped her get her emotions back, so there's that, too.