Jostling for the Junior Cup!

The Lacunosa Town Tournament Stadium is buzzing with excitement, as the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup gets under way! With commentary from Freddy The Scoop and Champion Alder, the tournament begins with an exhibition match between Cynthia, the Sinnoh League Champion, and Caitlin, a member of the Unova Elite Four. These two top Trainers show their stuff with an elegant and beautiful battle between Caitlin’s Gothitelle and Cynthia’s Garchomp, which ends in a draw when time is called.

Then it’s time for Round One! Ash’s rival Trip is paired up against the Pokémon Connaisseuse Burgundy, who only wants to battle her old nemesis Cilan. But Trip’s Serperior manages to take down her Darmanitan in a flash—despite the type disadvantage. Burgundy is furious, but Trip is quietly confident that he’ll win the whole tournament and go on to prove his strength by beating Alder.

Cilan, Ash, and Dawn defeat their first-round opponents as well—and then, in the last battle of the round, it’s Iris and her new Dragonite versus “Dragon Buster” Georgia and her Beartic! This is Dragonite’s first battle with Iris, and it’s clear they’re not connecting: Dragonite repeatedly ignores Iris’s orders to dodge, instead standing its ground as Beartic lands hit after hit. When Beartic’s supereffective Ice Beam freezes Dragonite solid, Iris has had enough, and screams at her headstrong Pokémon to pay attention and get serious. In response, Dragonite breaks free of the ice and—without a command from Iris—launches a powerful ThunderPunch at Beartic, knocking it out! Georgia insists that she lost to Dragonite and not to Iris, but Iris is thrilled about defeating her rival anyway.

Alder declares the day’s battles a success, the crowd erupts in excitement, and Round Two awaits!