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In the Pokémon anime, Ash says "I choose you!" when he starts a battle. Why does he use the present tense instead of "I chose you" or "I'll choose you"? In the original Japanese version, he says "kimi ni kimeta", which literally means "I decided on you" or "I chose you", i.e. the past tense. He'd never use the present tense in this situation in Japanese.
Doesn't it sound right to say "I chose you" here?
This is what’s called a “speech-act.” He makes his choice official by saying it. Speech-acts are in the present indicative. The classic example is the traditional wedding ceremony, which has several of them: “Do you take ...?”/“I do,” “With this ring, I thee wed,” and “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
He (and his rivals) are saying this in the context of a sporting match, where it seems to be a rule of the game that trainers must announce the Pokémon they send into the arena. It’s therefore somewhat similar to players having to say, “Check!” in Chess, but even more like needing to say, “J’adoube” (“I adjust [it]”) to be able to touch a piece without moving it.
This could also have been phrased in the jussive mood. “Let Picachu battle!” would have been like “Let the games begin,” “Let there be light,” or “Red Rover, Red Rover, let Alice come over.”
You would say "I chose you" after the choosing has happened. "I choose you" is more appropriate in the moment of choosing. Since Ash typically says it as he is throwing the pokeball, the present tense makes sense. I can see an argument for the past tense being acceptable, as he would have necessarily made the decision before reaching into his bag to grab the pokeball, but the present tense is a little flexible and can be used for actions momentarily in the past.
Given that both options are acceptable, I can see why the translators would prefer using the present tense: using the present tense is more "active" and makes the statement a lot more energetic. The past tense would be a more passive statement, as the action has already happened in his mind in the past. Using the past tense could also create confusion, as it might be unclear whether Ash is referring to having chosen the pokemon in question just moments before (when he reached into his bag), or if he is referring to the moment that he chose to be friends with that pokemon in the first place, hours, days, or years prior. The past tense doesn't make it clear, but the present tense does.
