If Ash truly retires as protag of the anime, then Pawmi will be his replacement's ace.

>It barely changes aesthetically as it evolves and thus solves the Raichu problem of being able to evolve while staying recognizable, cute, and marketable
>The only Pikaclone to have a full evolutionary line
>One of the first Pokemon introduced when SC/VL was first revealed
>It's a unique typing that's a first for the series: Electric/Fighting
>It's signature move revives a KO'd Pokemon and can be potentially very cinematic in an animated setting
>Unlike Pikachu who has garbage stats in-game and needs Light Ball as a crutch to be remotely viable due to it initially being designed as the first stage of a stronger mon, Pawmot's stats are considerably more well rounded even though he can be considered a glass cannon
>The final evo itself even has anime protag hair

People talk about Meowscarda being the shillmon due to it having Protean or it's signature move being ridiculous, but you're looking at the true shillmon this gen right here