Hau'oli City, Horizon Gym.
"Let's finish this! Flamethrower!"
A scorching blast of fiery breath swept across the field.
Oricorio fell from the flames.
"Oricorio is unable to battle!
The winner is Ash from Pallet Town!"
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu excitedly leaped onto Ash's shoulder.
3-0!
A clean, decisive shutout.
Ash's Master League debut had been nothing short of spectacular. Even Blue was momentarily surprised.
Dayou, Mizuki, Dawn, and the others watching Ash's match at the Theme Park were stunned, as were Kiawe, Lillie, and the others watching in person.
Dayou couldn't help asking the question on his mind.
"Is this really Ash?"
"We did it, Pikachu!"
Watching Ash celebrate with Pikachu on the field, Dayou and the others saw him in a whole new light.
Lance, Steven, and the others preparing for their matches at the Indigo Plateau also nodded slightly. "Looks like we'll have to reevaluate Ash."
At the rate Ash was improving, he would soon become a formidable opponent for them in the University League.
Of course, he wasn't quite there yet.
Still, Steven and the others weren't all that surprised.
After all, Ash had trained under Blue, then received coaching from Li Wei and Professor Kukui for a while.
If Ash hadn't improved at all...
That would have been the truly surprising part.
The real dark horses right now were Roland and Iris, who was improving even faster.
Both had dispatched their opponents decisively in their Midseason Championship debuts.
Ash's match was the last one of the day, so Li Wei left with Ash, Lillie, and the others.
While the Master League Points Tournament was in full swing, Pokémon School received another piece of good news.
This month marked the twentieth anniversary of Pokémon School's founding.
That was certainly something worth celebrating.
At Principal Oak's suggestion, they