TheManalo Conference^[1] (Japanese:アローラリーグ・マナーロ大会Alola League Manalo Conference), also referred to as theAlola Pokémon League (Japanese:アローラポケモンリーグAlola Pokémon League), is theAlola League generalchampionship competition founded byProfessor Kukui. It is intended to be a replacement for an old, abandoned part of theisland challenge ritual in which trial-goers battled at the peak ofMount Lanakila.

It was officially unveiled inThe Dealer of Destruction! during a press conference held onAether Paradise. The tournament is held at therecently completedManalo Stadium, and is sponsored in part by the fourisland kahunas ofAlola andLusamine, the president of theAether Foundation.

Unlike previous League tournaments, in whichTrainers were required to collect a given number ofGymBadges in order to sign up, the Manalo Conference has no entry requirements, meaning that any willing Trainer is allowed to enter.

The tournament began inBattle Royal 151! and concluded inEnter the Champion!, with the award ceremony being interrupted by the appearance of threeGuzzlord. The winner was declared as the firstChampion of Alola. Originally, the winner was meant to battle the Masked Royal in anexhibition match afterwards, but when the Masked Royal's true identity was exposed to the public, Professor Kukui became the Champion's opponent in the exhibition match instead. The exhibition match started inExhibition Unmasked! and concluded inFrom Z to Shining Z!, bringing the Manalo Conference to an end.

Competition

Opening ceremonies

Before the competition starts, a party is held where contestants can interact with one another. Professor Kukui welcomes the participants and shows a video of Masked Royal explaining how the preliminary round works.

Rounds

Preliminaries

All of the participating Trainers compete in aBattle Royal. Only the last 16 whose Pokémon remain standing at the end advance to the next round. The battles arerefereed by the fourisland kahunas ofAlola—Hala,Olivia,Nanu, andHapu.

First round

The first round consists of one-on-oneSingle Battles. The 16 Trainers are randomly matched up by a computer. The winners advance to the quarterfinals. Each of the island kahunas referees two consecutive battles.

Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals consist of one-on-one Single Battles. The eight Trainers are randomly matched up by a computer. The winners advance to the semifinals. Each of the island kahunas referees one of the battles.

Semifinals

The semifinals consist of two-on-two Single Battles. The four Trainers are randomly matched up by a computer. The winners advance to the finals. A random island kahuna is selected before each battle to referee it.

Finals

The finals consist of a three-on-three Single Battle refereed byProfessor Kukui. The winner will be declared the winner of the Manalo Conference and is allowed to have an exhibition battle with the Masked Royal.

Exhibition Match

The exhibition battle consists of aFull Battle between the newly crowned Champion and Professor Kukui (originally planned to be a one-on-one with Kukui appearing as the Masked Royal), refereed by Hala. The result of the battle has no bearing on the winner's status.

Known contestants

Bracket

First round

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Final

Ash

Faba

Ash

Hau

Hau

Samson

Ash

Ilima

Guzma

Guzma

Guzma

Mallow

Lana

Lana

Ash

Kiawe

Gladion

Acerola

Kiawe

Sophocles

Sophocles

Mina

Kiawe

Lillie

Gladion

Gladion

Gladion

"Jessina"

"Jamesio"

"Jamesio"

Exhibition Match

Trainer	Pokémon	Result
Ash	→	Win
Professor Kukui	*	Loss

Trivia

• This is the onlyPokémon League Conference where:
  • Any ofAsh's friends,Jessie,James, members of anothervillainous team, and aPokémon Professor have participated.
  • Every named participant is a character who debuted before the start of the tournament.
  • Trainers can enter without having to meet any specific requirements.
  • The usage ofwild Pokémon is allowed.
  • Anexhibition battle is part of the ceremonies.
  • Full Battles are not featured as a part of the tournament, barring the exhibition match.
  • Everybattle is at least partially shown.
  • Ash has won.
    • Ash had previously won theOrange League, although it was not a League Conference.
  • Ash has had more than onePokémonevolve during the course of it.
• The Manalo Conference is the League Conference where Ash has placed the highest, ranking as the winner. This surpasses his preceding runner-up position in theLumiose Conference.
• This tournament has 27 named contestants, more than any other Pokémon League Conference.
• The Manalo Conference having a total of 151 competitors could be a reference to theoriginal 151 Pokémon ofGeneration I.
• The fake names anddisguises Jessie and James use while participating in the tournament are based onSina andDexio's names and designs from theAlola-basedGeneration VII games.
• This is the longest Pokémon League Conference to date, lasting 16 episodes (11 if the post-finals episodes aren't counted).
• The exhibition match against Professor Kukui is areference to theChampion battle fromPokémon Sun and Moon, whereProfessor Kukui serves as theplayer's final opponent at thePokémon League. Also,Tapu Koko's participation in the battle could be a reference to the battle against it in the same games.
• This is the final League Conference to date where Ash participates in.

In other languages

References

Related articles

• National Ash Ketchum Day

	ThePokémon League
	Participation Trainer •Battle •Gym Leaders Gyms •Badges •Referee Championship matches Elite Four •Orange League Champion League Pokémon League Conferences Indigo •Silver •Ever Grande •Lily of the Valley Vertress •Lumiose •Manalo	Regional Pokémon Leagues Indigo •OrangePtS •Johto •Hoenn •Sinnoh Unova (BB) •Kalos •Alola •Galar •Paldea Areas of jurisdiction Pokémon League Reception Gate •Hall of Fame Palace of Victory •Cerulean Cave •Area Zero Others Furfrou League Admissions Exam •Pokémon Association PIA •World Coronation Series (Masters Eight Tournament)

This article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation.

• Pokémon League
• Pokémon League Conferences
• Alola competitions