Episode 32 of Pokemon XY&Z has our protagonist finally entering the Kalos League after three weeks of fillers and a break. Notable differences from past leagues this time around:
-Ash is going in with only 5 pokemon. We'll likely see his secret 6th pokemon in the final or semi-final match.
-The pacing is much faster. In one episode, Ash and company went from pre-reg to the first league match with two battles between, skipping the typical exposition of the venue or the league itself and shortening the pre-league setup to a mere few minutes
-64 contestants entered the Kalos League this episode, the preview appears to be much further along into the League already, meaning the majority of the contestants have been culled and all that are left are the 'big' matches between named characters
-The mega-evolution specials side series that aired alongside Pokemon XY are now tying in even more to the main storyline as it ramps up for whatever shenanigans team Flare has in store for the region/world. Besides Alan, another character from the side series (Astrid) is set to appear next episode. This implies that the League is not the final arc for the anime as it was in previous seasons.
All this is to say the possibility of Ash finally winning a proper League is in the cards. His portrayal this time around is exponentially more confident than any of his past incarnations, far beyond Indigo league. It helps that he has possibly the most Shounen Pokemon ever created, his Greninja, and that he has, as of Episode 28, mastered the special form that is unique to it. It would be kind of silly if he is supposed to face off against Team Flare and loses to their poster boy (Alan). As a longtime (and twice relapsed) fan of the anime, I have a lot of investment in seeing this guy finally win a league. Fans old and new will be paying close attention to the next few episodes.
-Ash is going in with only 5 pokemon. We'll likely see his secret 6th pokemon in the final or semi-final match.
-The pacing is much faster. In one episode, Ash and company went from pre-reg to the first league match with two battles between, skipping the typical exposition of the venue or the league itself and shortening the pre-league setup to a mere few minutes
-64 contestants entered the Kalos League this episode, the preview appears to be much further along into the League already, meaning the majority of the contestants have been culled and all that are left are the 'big' matches between named characters
-The mega-evolution specials side series that aired alongside Pokemon XY are now tying in even more to the main storyline as it ramps up for whatever shenanigans team Flare has in store for the region/world. Besides Alan, another character from the side series (Astrid) is set to appear next episode. This implies that the League is not the final arc for the anime as it was in previous seasons.
All this is to say the possibility of Ash finally winning a proper League is in the cards. His portrayal this time around is exponentially more confident than any of his past incarnations, far beyond Indigo league. It helps that he has possibly the most Shounen Pokemon ever created, his Greninja, and that he has, as of Episode 28, mastered the special form that is unique to it. It would be kind of silly if he is supposed to face off against Team Flare and loses to their poster boy (Alan). As a longtime (and twice relapsed) fan of the anime, I have a lot of investment in seeing this guy finally win a league. Fans old and new will be paying close attention to the next few episodes.
