Iris received her newly hatched Axew from the Dragon Village elder, entrusted to raise him into a powerful Haxorus. Initially traveling outside his Poké Ball, Axew preferred nesting in Iris's hair for comfort and mobility. His early personality was friendly, quickly bonding with Ash's Pikachu and developing a brotherly relationship with Ash's Scraggy. Despite this sociability, he showed timidness in battle, often crying when hit and struggling with uncontrolled Dragon Rage attacks—dubbed "Dragon Sneeze" by Ash and Cilan.

Axew's combat skills progressed: he mastered precise Dragon Rage during a Team Rocket confrontation. Later, in the Don Battle tournament, he learned Outrage mid-battle against Luke's Golett to secure victory. Training with Cynthia's Garchomp unlocked his Giga Impact, though it proved insufficient against the Champion. His dream of evolving, revealed early via Dream Mist, culminated off-screen; he evolved into Fraxure and then Haxorus between series.

As Haxorus, he adopted a more serious demeanor but retained loyalty to Iris. In the World Coronation Series, he defeated Ash's Dracovish but lost to Ash's Dragonite after it mastered Draco Meteor. During the Masters Eight Tournament, he knocked out Cynthia's Milotic with Psycho Cut and Breaking Swipe but fell to her Mega Garchomp's Draco Meteor. These losses upset him, though Iris's comfort reinforced their bond. He also developed a friendly rivalry with Ash's Dragonite post-defeat.

Beyond battles, Axew participated socially, like playfully interacting with Sylveon and others at the Eeveelution party. His fear of Ice-types mirrored Iris's own phobia, reflecting their close connection. Post-evolution, his size required residing in a Poké Ball, ending his habit of traveling in Iris's hair.