Alola League Debate: Mon amounts and who is there

[KrspaceT]

With the Alola League likely for this year and the question of 'when' already covered, let's talk the how.

Because I am legitimately curious how the mon totals will be handled. I can see four options.

• Ash catches 2 additional Pokemon, giving him a team of six. He does not take old mons in.
• Ash only uses the 4 he has, league rules allow it. He does not take old mons in.
• Ash uses old and new mons, but only the Kanto Mons (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Kingler, Muk, Tauros, Snorlax)
• Ash uses old and new mons, but only ones who appeared in Let's Go and the wild of SM/USUM (Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charizard, Kingler, Muk, Tauros, Snorlax, Heracross, Noctowl, Swellow, Corphish, Torkoal, Glalie, Gible, Scraggy, Boldore, Krookodile, Talonflame, Hawlucha, Noivern), with possible wiggle room for Island Scan mons

With the way the season has brought back Misty, Brock, and Jigglypuff, I am not going to entirely rule out the return of released mons (I could see them using the Pidgeot in the Alola, Kanto episodes as a way to set that up, if in part because such an announcement could be used to create hype), but I am aware that isn't the most likely.

This far out I can't really rule anything out, but it will be fun to speculate.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Its unfortunately starting to look like its gonna be Ash using only Pikachu, Rowlet Lycanroc, Torracat, along with only his Kanto mon.

I still hope Ash will get a capture though or Poipole will at least return and evolve, but Poipole still doesn’t have much battle experience.

 

[KrspaceT]

Its unfortunately starting to look like its gonna be Ash using only Pikachu, Rowlet Lycanroc, Torracat, along with only his Kanto mon.

I still hope Ash will get a capture though or Poipole will at least return and evolve, but Poipole still doesn’t have much battle experience.

I am basing the idea on Ash using Alola-Dex mons on how Sinnoh went, so any reason why he might not pull them out of a hat too?

 

[KrspaceT]

Pokédex in the animé doesn't work the same way as in the games. Any Pokémon can be recognized through Pokédexes even if it doesn't belong to that region's dex in the games, unless the species is particularly new or undiscovered (this excuse is generally used for promoting next generation Pokémon). Which Pokémon are included in SM/USUM games or not is extremely irrelevant.

In the other hand, my bet is on Kanto Pokémon returning. There is a slight chance that another Gible-situation can be triggered, but it still leads to one missing spot on Ash's team, and I highly doubt the writers'd decide to trigger Gible-situation twice. Considering how Kanto promotion is put in the highest point shamelessly in this gen, I can see Ash calling some Kanto-native Pokémon for the league.

The mons we saw used in the non-Tobias fights Ash had were all either native to the Johto or Sinnoh regions pokedexes, which were the games at the time: Staraptor, Quilava, Heracross, Snorlax, Noctowl, Donphan, Gible, Pikachu, Infernape, Buizel, Torterra, Gliscor. Tobias has the odd factor of being a very odd fight without going into the rumors and speculation.

That's the reason I'm thinking SM/USUM mons are possible.

 

[BigDocFan]

I'm hoping Ash will use all of his Pokemon from Bulbasaur all the way to Torracat (maybe even Poipole if it returns)

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

The mons we saw used in the non-Tobias fights Ash had were all either native to the Johto or Sinnoh regions pokedexes, which were the games at the time: Staraptor, Quilava, Heracross, Snorlax, Noctowl, Donphan, Gible, Pikachu, Infernape, Buizel, Torterra, Gliscor. Tobias has the odd factor of being a very odd fight without going into the rumors and speculation.

That's the reason I'm thinking SM/USUM mons are possible.

They were also caught in the series that featured Johto and Sinnoh...

So any Pokemon not caught in Kanto or Alola seems unlikely.

I wish Poipole would’ve stayed, evolved and battled Gladion’s Silvally...

 

[IncineROAR]

I think the league by chance will have 3 on 3 battles up through the top 8 or 4, where Ash will lose by chance.

I just don't know how Ash will capture two more Pokemon and "develop" them in a short time period.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

I think they’ll just use Squirtle and Bulbasaur (maybe a Johto wildcard like Noctowl or Heracross if we're lucky) if there are 6 vs 6 battles involved.

If Kukui battles Ash I cannot imagine it being anything less than 6 vs 6. They could just give Gladion 6 Pokemon like Alain, since Gladion says while showing off Silvally's normal Z-Move that they’re improving.

 

[Nicolas721]

Ash will use either Poipole + Kanto mon or Poipole + new mon. I feel that there's still time for one, as the other necessary team changes (Brionne, Vikavolt, Eevee) have already been covered and it could receive experience from the Meltan Arc and whatever comes next.

Kiawe will be elimininated in the 3vs3 rounds, I don't see him using a farm Pokemon after they spent an episode developing Charizard. Gladion, Hau and Kukui will user filler from their games' team.

 

[PkmnTrainerV]

I’m still convinced Hau will be the one to show off Stoked Sparksurfer...

The pancake race would’ve been the perfect way to show it but they didn’t do it for some reason.

I think they’re saving it for Hau.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

I wish Poipole would’ve stayed, evolved and battled Gladion’s Silvally...

I’m hoping for this matchup. Ash’s Lycanroc still needs to defeat Gladion’s Lycanroc, and we need to see Ash battle the Pokemon designed to take down UB’s with a UB.

 

[Daenerys]

I'd find it funny if a team of six is required for the quarter finals and above, and Ash gets DQ'd for only bringing four Pokemon. Kind of like what happened to Cameron, except with an actual penalty this time (and this being SuMo, Ash would make a hilarious shocked face fault).

 

[nickdt]

The mons we saw used in the non-Tobias fights Ash had were all either native to the Johto or Sinnoh regions pokedexes, which were the games at the time: Staraptor, Quilava, Heracross, Snorlax, Noctowl, Donphan, Gible, Pikachu, Infernape, Buizel, Torterra, Gliscor. Tobias has the odd factor of being a very odd fight without going into the rumors and speculation.

That's the reason I'm thinking SM/USUM mons are possible.

Snorlax says hi.

 

[0cerge]

Looks like so far noone is expecting that Rotom will be in Ash's team for League battles.

 

[Gengarzilla]

This would have been so much easier if Ash actually caught the Wimpod he helped out in SM020. Going towards the league without a full team even when counting releases is just flat out ridiculous. If that little teasey moment actually went somewhere then we wouldn't be running around like headless Torchic.

Honestly, I'm gonna be really annoyed and disappointed if pure Gen I nostalgia dictates who fills those spots because I have personally had all I can tolerate from that stuff for one decade. DP did not pull that stunt.

 

[Daenerys]

Looks like so far noone is expecting that Rotom will be in Ash's team for League battles.

Is this shocking (pun intended)? Rotom doesn't belong to Ash, and there's probably a much higher chance of Poipole showing up again than of Ash recruiting Rotom's help at the League IMO.

 

[LuxrayOfTheWild]

Honestly, I'm gonna be really annoyed and disappointed if pure Gen I nostalgia dictates who fills those spots because I have personally had all I can tolerate from that stuff for one decade. DP did not pull that stunt.

The Gen I nostalgia has been my biggest issue of this generation. There’s been too much of it. From only Kanto mon getting Alolan Forms all the way to an actual revisit to Kanto in the games and anime, its been too much. Sure it gave us 4 episodes of Brock and Misty, but if they ONLY bring back Ash’s Kanto mon, I’d be pretty annoyed.

 

[Peppermint Phoenix]

One possibility I see is when it's revealed you need a full team of six, Ash and Kaki scramble to fill their teams last minute. At the end of episode it's revealed that Ash forgot he had his older Pokémon.

But I think it's more likely that he'll just use his current party until he gets to the full battle rounds then, he just withdraws two popular Pokémon. Then he'll lose that round. As for Kaki though....

But worst case scenario it's just a 3 v 3 tournament.

 

[Lightning Flame Blast]

One possibility I see is when it's revealed you need a full team of six, Ash and Kaki scramble to fill their teams last minute. At the end of episode it's revealed that Ash forgot he had his older Pokémon.

That... would actually be pretty in character.