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New title confirmed (Haruka comes back)

Did anyone see the summary Pokébeach has?
May, who is attending the "Wallace Cup" contest, meets up with Ash's group and takes them to the popular Seven Stars Restaurant. However, when they get to the restaurant they are told that the Pokemon Battle-loving owner won't serve them unless they beat her in a Tag batle. So, Ash and Brock, then May and Dawn, challenge her to a match!

This has some differences from PPK's translation
By this translation it seems like the prize is a cup... which means as expected this isn't an official Contest with a ribbon as the prize
And also by this translation it seems like Ash/Brock and than May/Dawn battle the owner of the restaurant and not each other
 
Piplup said:
So just like they can be than May might be one too (from the beginning she could be a rival to her if only May came to Sinnoh... that would be perfect- May leave the cast to give Dawn her place but also doesn't disappear and stay as a rival to her... I think they really should have done that from the beginning of DP and let May go to Sinnoh instead of Johto)
It seems to me that the reason this did not happen then, and is unlikely to happen now, is that it would have created an awkward situation where a past character is relegated to a lesser role. To a certain extent, no role (or rather an occasional role) at all is preferable to that kind of role.

It seems clear that most viewers cheer for the main character, as the writers no doubt encourage us to approach the show in that direction. For this reason, the main characters face each other very infrequently, with the outcome usually being a tie. If May were to become a rival, then at the beginning her relationship with Dawn would be awkward not only for the viewers, but even for Ash and Brock; as time went by, no matter how many times May was seen, she would become a has-been-main-character. The irony is that without so much as being referenced for what is now a year and a half, her past status has nevertheless been kept in tact.

If May has finished her affairs in Johto, it should be because she won the Grand Festival, rather than having lost again and rushing for another try in Sinnoh. If she really has become a Top Coordinator, her interest in Sinnoh should concern events in the vein of Wallace's special contest, as opposed to more of the same routine. The problem in this novel idea is that it would require the writers to invest thought in what it is that a Top Coordinator does.
 
The problem in this novel idea is that it would require the writers to invest thought in what it is that a Top Coordinator does.

Based on what we've seen of Saori and Robert, it seems like they typically continue taking part in contests and Grand Festivals. Most likely to further hone their skills and win more Grand Festivals.

So there's no reason that Haruka wouldn't continue in that path even if she did win the Jouto Grand Festival.

I think it's more likely she'd be the runner up, though. She made the Quarter-Finals in Houen and the Semi-Finals in Kanto, so making it to the Finals in Jouto would seem likely.
 
It seems to me that the reason this did not happen then, and is unlikely to happen now, is that it would have created an awkward situation where a past character is relegated to a lesser role. To a certain extent, no role (or rather an occasional role) at all is preferable to that kind of role.

It seems clear that most viewers cheer for the main character, as the writers no doubt encourage us to approach the show in that direction. For this reason, the main characters face each other very infrequently, with the outcome usually being a tie. If May were to become a rival, then at the beginning her relationship with Dawn would be awkward not only for the viewers, but even for Ash and Brock; as time went by, no matter how many times May was seen, she would become a has-been-main-character. The irony is that without so much as being referenced for what is now a year and a half, her past status has nevertheless been kept in tact.

I don't see any reason why this would be "awkward"
If Ash can cheer for both Dawn and Zoey than sure he can cheer for both May and Dawn - and the viewers can do the same
And it's also alright to show May as a better than Dawn since she has more experience (and we see that with Zoey anyway)
May can win the Sinnoh GF to have some kind of closure... though she might continue her journey after that... it's irritating how they cut her story at the middle and gave us "May continue her journey and you won't get to see it" so that's why I so want her to be a recurring rival
Later when Dawn get better they could battle and end with a tie to show that Dawn managed to catch up and be equal to May (though with still longer way to go since May will always be more experienced)

If May has finished her affairs in Johto, it should be because she won the Grand Festival, rather than having lost again and rushing for another try in Sinnoh. If she really has become a Top Coordinator, her interest in Sinnoh should concern events in the vein of Wallace's special contest, as opposed to more of the same routine. The problem in this novel idea is that it would require the writers to invest thought in what it is that a Top Coordinator does.

Solidad won the Kanto GF and continue to do the Johto Contests
So winning one GF doesn't make you Top Coordinator I guess (or it is but isn't really enough for the coordinators) just like winning a league won't make one a Pokémon Master


If someone can I'd like to know which of the two translations (PPK & Pokébeach) is more accurate
I'm almost sure at the beginning of the summary is "Wallace Cup" as the Pokébeach translation says
I really hope PPK is right... I prefer Ash/Brock VS May/Dawn than restaurant's owner VS Ash/Brock and May/Dawn
 
Based on what we've seen of Saori and Robert, it seems like they typically continue taking part in contests and Grand Festivals. Most likely to further hone their skills and win more Grand Festivals.

So there's no reason that Haruka wouldn't continue in that path even if she did win the Jouto Grand Festival.
Robert and Solidad were not important enough so as to force the writers to put much thought into their future. The same holds true for Johanna and other Grand Festival winners we have seen. On other hand, Marina seems to be an exception to the rule in that she has seemingly stopped participating in "ordinary" Contests since gaining her Top Coordinator title.

May is now a cross between her former self as a main character and what Marina is. Since her journey is no longer as pivotal to the viewers as it was before, her winning the Grand Festival after the progress she has made is by no means a stretch of the imagination. Should that be the case, she will be the first Grand Festival winner who is relevant enough to force the writers to develop ideas around the concept of a Top Coordinator.

I think it's more likely she'd be the runner up, though. She made the Quarter-Finals in Houen and the Semi-Finals in Kanto, so making it to the Finals in Jouto would seem likely.
This is not a probability test; the writers can set the course of events however they please. If they decide to wrap up her journey in Johto and make her stay in Sinnoh, I find it hard to believe that it will be so that she will become Dawn's rival in the Grand Festival. The remaining option is that she will explore new opportunities in Sinnoh, and for that she will need to have taken the final step as a "regular" Coordinator by winning the Johto Grand Festival.

Of course, if the writers' plan is to revisit her journey as well as the region of Johto, it will be in their interest to find an excuse for her coming to Sinnoh on a purely temporary basis. In which case, they may not be inclined to even entertain the notion of her being a Top Coordinator, which is apparently incompatible with being a focused character.

Piplup said:
I don't see any reason why this would be "awkward"
If Ash can cheer for both Dawn and Zoey than sure he can cheer for both May and Dawn - and the viewers can do the same
And it's also alright to show May as a better than Dawn since she has more experience (and we see that with Zoey anyway)
If May decided to participate in Sinnoh Contests, and Ash and Brock didn't find it the least bit odd that she came to Sinnoh to do the exact same thing as their new partner is doing, only separately from them - it would be bland character interaction. Her decision to leave the group was acceptable on the basis of pursuing an individual path that is not restricted by the others' needs. However, if that path suddenly merged with their own, how could it be interpreted as anything but elitist that she is still traveling by herself?

Comparing May to Zoey is very superficial on your part.
 
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But that could happen any day XD

James never entered a contest, did he? Since it's almost a rule that coordinators are flamboyant, he would do good I guess.

What I am trying to say is that.They have really much tag battles experience with the twerps and the prize are FOOD!It won't surprise me if they enter for the full-course meal since they're too hungry and win it.So they can have food legally.

Which is likely
I doubt she'd go to another region in the middle of her journey in Johto... no matter for what reason
And she was done with Kanto in 60 episodes with Ash and his journey + Max and Brock + TRio
Why she won't be finish Johto by now? they can even say she and her rivals came too close to the GF and had to work really hard and fast to earn the ribbons in time or something like that if they really must "explain" how she did it

But you know, Ash still have to wait for a few months when he got enough badges for the Indigo League.Since she travels alone, so her pace would probably be the same as Ash's in the Indigo League.So she's travelling around to train and she finds out that there is a unofficial contest which is run by the famous coordinate master, Wallace in SINNOH!She think that it will be a high quality contest since it's run by Wallace.And since it's in Sinnoh, she think that she may be able to met up with Ash so she go to Sinnoh but still haven't finished in Johto yet.
Isn't it a good reason?
 
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Robert and Solidad were not important enough so as to force the writers to put much thought into their future. The same holds true for Johanna and other Grand Festival winners we have seen.

"Not important enough"? they are the ONLY ones we actually saw win a GF
We don't have any other characters to go by... if Robert and Solidad continue to another region after they won a GF than May wouldn't do that? I'm also sure if you win a league it won't make you a Pokémon Master (Tyson didn't turn into Pokémon Master when he won) s just like with leagues - winning one GF isn't enough but sure proves you're good
I think "Pokémon Master" and "Top Coordinator" aren't position that one can get but just terms to describe a very good trainer/coordinator... and for one to win one league/GF isn't enough


On other hand, Marina seems to be an exception to the rule in that she has seemingly stopped participating in "ordinary" Contests since gaining her Top Coordinator title.

How do you know what Marina is doing? @_@
She could win the Sinnoh GF and go to another region now (and she might even be in Sinnoh currently but still didn't meet the twerps)

May is now a cross between her former self as a main character and what Marina is. Since her journey is no longer as pivotal to the viewers as it was before, her winning the Grand Festival after the progress she has made is by no means a stretch of the imagination. Should that be the case, she will be the first Grand Festival winner who is relevant enough to force the writers to develop ideas around the concept of a Top Coordinator.

She should continue with Contests even if she win this GF
If she must do something of "high level" she might do a BF-like thing for Contests but that can wait for after Sinnoh
Also assuming Johto don't have these (we can't know until May tell us about her Johto Contests if she will do that) May still didn't do a double performance/battles in a Contest (though she did do the first double performance on the show in the Chatot BF episode) and also still didn't use the Ball Capsule and Seals... and didn't learn to make Poffin
I think doing Sinnoh and also getting to do these things she still doesn't know about can't hurt her and obviously will make her a better Coordinator

This is not a probability test; the writers can set the course of events however they please. If they decide to wrap up her journey in Johto and make her stay in Sinnoh, I find it hard to believe that it will be so that she will become Dawn's rival in the Grand Festival.

They don't really must battle at the GF
Just be a recurring character that participates at some Contests and possibly win the GF
I really can't see what bad about that
I want May to either get some kind of conclusion (which seems impossible since she still has a long way to go as a Coordinator even if she won the Johto GF) or just to continue her story in some way which seems possible only if May is a recurring character and not just one time visit

The remaining option is that she will explore new opportunities in Sinnoh, and for that she will need to have taken the final step as a "regular" Coordinator by winning the Johto Grand Festival.

Ash didn't advance to anything above Gyms after all these years that include great results at Johto/Hoenn (and I think Kanto was good too considering what Charizard he had and what TR did to him before the Richie battle) and also won the Orange League and beat the Battle Frontier - and the BF is sure above Gyms and Ash could be a Frontier Brain that were said to be about the Elite Four's level... yet he continue with Gyms
May has much more to go than Ash so if Ash is still doing Gyms I can't see any reason for May to stop with Contests

If May decided to participate in Sinnoh Contests, and Ash and Brock didn't find it the least bit odd that she came to Sinnoh to do the exact same thing as their new partner is doing, only separately from them - it would be bland character interaction. Her decision to leave the group was acceptable on the basis of pursuing an individual path that is not restricted by the others' needs. However, if that path suddenly merged with their own, how could it be interpreted as anything but elitist that she is still traveling by herself?

So you think Ash-tachi will think it's "rude" or something that May is in Sinnoh yet continue to travel alone instead of join them? that's ridiculous (not to mention Kenny and Zoey which are friends of Dawn- especially her childhood friend Kenny- could join yet they don't do that... I guess they're "rude" too? and not to mention how stupid it is for two Coordinators to travel together- each Contest they both will enter... so they'll have to participate at too much Contests to get enough ribbons each and get even more loses than Dawn already got)

True friends will accept her decision which was great character development that should never break- with all my love for her May should continue to travel alone and not join the twerps or anyone... she understood it's better for her that way and took such important decision that will help her achieve her goal so her friends should understand

Comparing May to Zoey is very superficial on your part.

Why? all I said was that if Ash can cheer Dawn and Zoey than he can cheer Dawn and May too
And the viewers can easily do the same - it looks like most of people like both of them so it won't be so hard to watch one lose when the other win (not to mention it's not like they'll battle every episode... May can be in 2 or 3 Contests and battle Dawn only once)


I think we better stop this
A little less than a month and we'll see what they decided to do with May

What I am trying to say is that.They have really much tag battles experience with the twerps and the prize are FOOD!It won't surprise me if they enter for the full-course meal since they're too hungry and win it.So they can have food legally.

It'd be nice to see them at a tag battle after how they were ignored for the tag battles tournament
But we have two translations now that are different-
By one Ash/Brock battle against May/Dawn
By the other Ash/Brock and after them May/Dawn battle the restaurant's owner
I hope it's twerps VS twerps... much better... or a combination of that- the twerps team that wins (hopefully May/Dawn) go against the owner


But you know, Ash still have to wait for a few months when he got enough badges for the Indigo League.

As I said they might say May and her rivals came too close to the GF so they had to work hard and win their ribbons really fast and did it very close to the GF

Since she travels alone, so her pace would probably be the same as Ash's in the Indigo League.

I think a better comparison would be how she did Kanto in 60 episodes (and I think maybe even 50 if you stop to count right after the GF and don't continue to the rest of BF) while she had Ash and his journey + Max/Brock + TRio
If she could do that than she should be done with Johto now that it's more than 70 episodes since she left

So she's travelling around to train and she finds out that there is a unofficial contest which is run by the famous coordinate master, Wallace in SINNOH!She think that it will be a high quality contest since it's run by Wallace.And since it's in Sinnoh, she think that she may be able to met up with Ash so she go to Sinnoh but still haven't finished in Johto yet.
Isn't it a good reason?

Go to another region at the middle of a journey? I doubt it
And she isn't supposed to know Ash is in Sinnoh unless she talked with Oak
 
I am sure she know Ash is in Sinnoh. Yes, she most likely don't talk with Oak personally, but Max most likely do, since he admires both Oak and Ash and sure want to know what Ash is doing now. And May most likely talks with her younger brother and there's big probability he talks her what he learns about Ash.
Or, she just can met professor Oak somewhere in Johto. We know Oak likes to go on explorations outside his Lab. And he most likely still do that radio show in Goldenrod City. So there sure are possiblities for May to met Oak and learned about where Ash is now.
How, on the other hand, she can know where exactly in Sinnoh Ash is, is another story ;-)
 
"Not important enough"? they are the ONLY ones we actually saw win a GF
We don't have any other characters to go by... if Robert and Solidad continue to another region after they won a GF than May wouldn't do that? I'm also sure if you win a league it won't make you a Pokémon Master (Tyson didn't turn into Pokémon Master when he won) s just like with leagues - winning one GF isn't enough but sure proves you're good
Simply put, the writers created Robert and Solidad with the expressed intent of having the identity of the Grand Festival winner have as little effect on the plot as possible. This holds true for Tyson, as well. These characters did not serve to shed light on what it means to be a Top Coordinator or Pokémon Master, because the very reason for their existence is the procrastination of the main characters' evolution to that next level.

There is a reason that Solidad did not stick around to discuss her plans for the future. The writers seemed to want her to continue the same routine in Johto so that she could become another rival to May, but at the same time, they knew that there was little sense for the character to do the same thing all over again. It is for this reason that Drew referred to her as heading to Johto instead of her saying that in the first place.

I think "Pokémon Master" and "Top Coordinator" aren't position that one can get but just terms to describe a very good trainer/coordinator... and for one to win one league/GF isn't enough
Combined with notable success in previous feats, it is. It would also hard be for you to convincingly argue otherwise in light of the recent explanation given by Lucian, which made it clear that League Champions have their own elite environment in which they can compete among themselves for a higher status - the most supreme of which being the regional Champion.

The same should apply to Contests. As unfortunate it is for me to say this, it would appear that Wallace is a Contest Master and not the Hoenn Champion (though he may be said to have been one in the past). In other words, he is to Contests as Cynthia is to Gyms (as opposed to being to Hoenn as Cynthia is to Sinnoh). If that is the case, and May really has won the Johto Grand Festival, then Wallace's sudden introduction may be aimed to shed light on what lies in store for her.

How do you know what Marina is doing? @_@
She could win the Sinnoh GF and go to another region now (and she might even be in Sinnoh currently but still didn't meet the twerps)
The important point is she is that she is being recognized as famous to the point that it seems unlikely for her to participate in the same Contests as everyone else.

I think doing Sinnoh and also getting to do these things she still doesn't know about can't hurt her and obviously will make her a better Coordinator
From the writers' point of view, it would be altogether more sensible to make Sinnoh's novelty familiar to May from the get-go, which is entirely possible given that the audience has no idea what she has been doing in Johto.

They don't really must battle at the GF
Just be a recurring character that participates at some Contests and possibly win the GF
I really can't see what bad about that
I want May to either get some kind of conclusion (which seems impossible since she still has a long way to go as a Coordinator even if she won the Johto GF) or just to continue her story in some way which seems possible only if May is a recurring character and not just one time visit
For someone who likes May so much and wants her to recur, you certainly seem hell-bent on having her take the most predictable and least interesting path available to her in Sinnoh. Her role in the Diamond and Pearl series, if there is one, should be more notable than that of Zoey or any other character who has never been, nor will be, in the center of the show.

Ash didn't advance to anything above Gyms after all these years that include great results at Johto/Hoenn (and I think Kanto was good too considering what Charizard he had and what TR did to him before the Richie battle) and also won the Orange League and beat the Battle Frontier - and the BF is sure above Gyms and Ash could be a Frontier Brain that were said to be about the Elite Four's level... yet he continue with Gyms
The fact that Ash has never clearly stated his wishes to face the Elite Four, particularly after being offered to become a Frontier Brain, is a symptom of bad writing. Whereas his reasons for heading to Johto and then Hoenn were justified, the move from the Battle Frontier to Sinnoh was almost nonsensical and the writers went as far as to recycle plot elements (losing to Gary as in the end of the Orange Islands saga; leaving friends and Pokémon behind to start anew with Pikachu as in the beginning of Hoenn).

May has much more to go than Ash so if Ash is still doing Gyms I can't see any reason for May to stop with Contests
I am afraid that the only reason Ash is still doing Gyms is a combination of the facts that Gyms are still the main in-game quest and that Ash is still the show's main character.

May is different in that she is no longer an on-screen main character, and in that her chosen profession has very little to do with the games. In other words, the writers are not as limited in their options to let May's character evolve as they are with Ash's. Even if May is supposed to be less advanced than Ash (though the majority of viewers, who are young, may not be aware of that), the only thing that truly matters is that she does not suffer from the same character growth limitations.

I am also not suggesting that May quit the Contest field; I am puzzled as to how you got that impression. If to hazard a guess, Wallace may lead her to explore the possibility of membership in the Ribbon Syndicate - an environment that actually exists in the games and fits the bill of Elite Four-esque Contests.
 
I have nothing against May doing some kind of higher level Contests
But I guess that would mean we won't really see her much if at all since she won't be related much to Dawn's plot (since Dawn obviously won't do that thing currently as she has trouble in the regular Contests)
I prefer to see May continue her journey on screen in some way (like being a rival to Dawn) and not to have her visit one or two times this saga to say "I'm in the Ribbon Syndicate and doing there this and that"
I think there's nothing to discuss here- each of us can want whatever he wants... and soon enough we'll find out what the writers decided to do
 
I don't view this as a debate about whose wish will be fulfilled when the episode airs in over three weeks from now. This is one of the few occasions on which the anime invites an analytical discussion of what may happen next, and why it will.

It seems to me that there are four scenarios with varying plausibility of occurring:

A) May's stay in Sinnoh will be limited to the Wallace Cup saga; by the end of these episodes, the group will make their farewell to May as she heads back to Johto. May will not make another appearance until much later in the series when she again meets up with Ash and co. This will mean that the appearance of May and Wallace is merely a result of the writers' desire to satisfy long-term viewers.

B) It will be explained that May has collected five ribbons and is now preparing for the Johto Grand Festival. She will return to Johto once she has made some accomplishment (probably winning) at Wallace's special Contest. We will later see several special episodes focused on the events that May sees in Johto as she is perfecting her skills, eventually leading to the Grand Festival.

C) May has come to Sinnoh to stay, now that she has won the Johto Grand Festival. She will no longer participate in ordinary Contests, and the Wallace Cup will mark the beginning of her new quest. Wallace, who is a Contest Master akin to a Champion, will be May's guide in acquiring membership in the Ribbon Syndicate. May will have an important role in the Diamond and Pearl series, but her appearances may not be very frequent.

D) May has come to Sinnoh for another try in a Grand Festival event after having lost her third Grand Festival in Johto. Whether or not she will become a rival to Dawn at any point in the series, she will go on to win the Sinnoh Grand Festival.

The following are my explanations for why the writers should opt for each scenario:

A) This case is self-explanatory: the writers failed to produce Wallace in the entire run of the AG series, and have also not so much as mentioned May in over a year and a half. Dedicating a few episodes to these characters will help the writers gain "brownie points" without actually changing anything in the show; they have done this sort of thing many times before.

B) The occurrence of this scenario hinges upon the forthcoming announcement of the Gold and Silver remakes. Should it happen, it will shed light on the reason for which May's Johto journey has so far gone completely ignored: the writers, or more likely the Pokémon Company, wanted the return to Johto stand out, rather than be spoiled by the time the remakes were actually announced.

For the show's purposes, May's Johto Contests interfere with Dawn's Sinnoh Contests, on the basis that they are almost identical (due to the writers' not adapting Super Contests) and arguably hold great potential of stealing the Sinnoh Contests' thunder (since May is not a beginning Coordinator). Therefore, the writers have avoided referencing the journey until the point when Johto can be revisited and fleshed out, and May's Grand Festival - take place.

C) This assumes that the writers want to make use of May's unique position in which she is not an on-screen character, and distinguish her as much as possible from the new Coordinator - Dawn. By having May take part in a more advanced brand of Contests, the conflict between her quest and Dawn's is removed.

Perhaps more importantly, the new direction will elucidate what it means to be a Top Coordinator, and what makes Dawn's quest worth following. This is more important in DP than it was in AG since the premise of the series was the departure of another Coordinator without any solid conclusion to her storyline; the viewers have good reasons not to invest interest in Dawn's quest as long as they feel their investment in May was in vain. Besides which, whereas the benefits of being a League Champion have been explained by Lucian, and Cynthia has been introduced as the epitome of the Pokémon League, it would so far appear that Dawn can only aspire to be like her mother - a has-been winner who is now a housewife. Both Wallace as a Contest Master and May as a Grand Festival winner who aspires to be even greater, can show Dawn and the viewers a new light, as it were.

D) The only credence to this scenario is that it gives the writers an opportunity to make the Sinnoh Grand Festival winner be part of Dawn's quest from from a relatively early point. However, it is questionable if most viewers would be satisfied with having May, the past main character, in a rival's role. Moreover, the fact that the writers could have gone in this direction all along without having to make up an unseen story about May in Johto, renders this scenario even more problematic.
 
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In response to above, we know she's in two episodes, (the restaurant ep and then the Contest), but I assume that will be it.

I don't think she's done in Johto, simply because the writers would have no other place to put her. She's not going to be staying in Sinnoh (even traveling on her own its unlikely), she has no reason to go back to Kanto, and I don't think she's going back to Hoenn either.

Most likely I assume she'll take out her ribbon case and show that she only has like 2-3 Johto ribbons and that she'll be heading back there to complete it. One theory I'm working on is that IF G/S remakes are released later this year in Japan, this is the writers way of reintroducing May to the audience in preparation for some sort of anime coverage of those games with her later on.

Since Sinnoh is dragging on forever I don't believe Ash will be going back to Johto like he went back in Kanto. There will just be no time by the end so covering it with another character would make a tad more sense.
 
Scott85 said:
I don't think she's done in Johto, simply because the writers would have no other place to put her. She's not going to be staying in Sinnoh (even traveling on her own its unlikely), she has no reason to go back to Kanto, and I don't think she's going back to Hoenn either.
That means you are in favor of scenario B. This is my own inclination; scenario C would be the most interesting to see unfold, but that very fact makes it less likely than B. At the same time, I would say it is still likelier than D. Unfortunately, the likelyhood of scenario A does pose a threat.

However, I don't agree with you that May will be shown to only have two or three ribbons. However important Wallace's Contest may be, a break from her journey will only be merited if she is said to be done collecting ribbons and now preparing for the Grand Festival (or otherwise past the Grand Festival).

As an advanced Coordinator, her accomplishments in ordinary Contests should be taken for granted at this point. Thus, it would be preferable to focus entirely on the Grand Festival event, which is the only real challenge left in her path. Other than that, if her special episodes are the only means of Johto coverage for which we are due, then the ones leading to the Grand Festival should emphasize the region itself - more so than any of the DP episodes focus on Sinnoh.
 
In response to above, we know she's in two episodes, (the restaurant ep and then the Contest), but I assume that will be it.

I don't think she's done in Johto, simply because the writers would have no other place to put her. She's not going to be staying in Sinnoh (even traveling on her own its unlikely), she has no reason to go back to Kanto, and I don't think she's going back to Hoenn either.

Most likely I assume she'll take out her ribbon case and show that she only has like 2-3 Johto ribbons and that she'll be heading back there to complete it. One theory I'm working on is that IF G/S remakes are released later this year in Japan, this is the writers way of reintroducing May to the audience in preparation for some sort of anime coverage of those games with her later on.

Since Sinnoh is dragging on forever I don't believe Ash will be going back to Johto like he went back in Kanto. There will just be no time by the end so covering it with another character would make a tad more sense.

Yeah she probably decided to pause her Johto trip for a while because of a big opportunity with Wallace there. I mean it's the perfect reason for May to leave Johto in the first place even if she's not done there.
 
just a little bit of update based on New Type: http://anime.webnt.jp/program/index.php?pg_page=tv_detail&detail=357

1. In Wallace's debut episode, they do mention that Wallace was the former "Champion Master" of Hoenn Region.

2. Then for the next episode, the formerly translated title "Restaurant Seven Stars" could, possibly, simply mean a "Seven-Star Restaurant", rather than being referred to as seven guys.

3. ...and earlier before we are told that the four will be partnered into two pairs to challenge the tag battle. Now we are given the exact names of the competitors: Chiaki, owner of the restaurant, and her fiance Chinatsu. (Sorry but I can't tell which name of the two is a woman's one, plus the Japanese word for fiance and fiancee is the same one, so there're chances that Chiaki is a he while Chinatsu is a she.).
 
1. In Wallace's debut episode, they do mention that Wallace was the former "Champion Master" of Hoenn Region.

I wonder, who is current champion. Daigo? Timeline retcon? Oh, I think we'll never know it. We can just assume...
 
If they were to acknowledge the identity of the current Champion, I would rather that it be Brendan. For Steven to replace Wallace as the Hoenn Champion would create a mess that would not have been created had Wallace been introduced in Hoenn; it would seem to be insignificant trivia.

On the other hand, if Brendan were said to be the Champion, it would be the first time in which the anime coincided with the climax of the games' storyline. It would actually reinforce the notion that Ash has a chance to claim victory in this day and age; the anime has so far been implying that it will takes years for him to reach the level of the likes of Lance, Wallace and Cynthia. Despite his achievements in the Orange League and Battle Frontier, he is very much in the same position as his younger self - struggling for a respectable place at the League.

I have no idea how likely this scenario is. In any event, I would wager that if it did happen, it would be in the form of a flashback to Wallace's loss to Brendan; the "mysterious" trainer's name would not be mentioned, much like his previous two cameos.
 
Ah, I totally forgot about Yuuki.

Anyway, I bet 5 bucks (once again) that it will never be mentioned. The current Houen Champion will be just some unknown, anonymous guy.
 
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