Vertress Conference

The setting for the competition

The Vertress Conference (Japanese: イッシュリーグ・ヒガキ大会 Isshu League Higaki Conference) is the Unova League general championship competition. All Pokémon Trainers who have earned eight Gym Badges from the Unova region are eligible to enter.

It is held annually in Vertress City. Competing Trainers are housed in lodgings in small villages similar to previous League locations. In Beauties Battling for Pride and Prestige!, Jervis informed Ash about the tournament. It took place from Curtain Up, Unova League! to A Unova League Evolution!.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Competition

The preliminary round match-ups

The scoreboard for the Full Battles

Opening ceremonies

The opening ceremony consists of Freddy O'Martian jumping down from a helicopter and Officer Jenny lighting the Pokémon League torch.

Rounds

Preliminary round

In the preliminary round, which consists of Single Battles, Trainers must use only one Pokémon. All the 128 competitors are randomly matched up by a computer. The 64 winning Trainers move on to the qualifying rounds.

Qualifying rounds

The qualifying rounds are divided in three portions consisting of Single Battles. In the first two, the competing Trainers must use two Pokémon, while in the third portion they have to use three Pokémon. Trainers are knocked out of the tournament when all of their Pokémon are left unable to battle. The winning Trainers proceed to the final rounds.

Final rounds

The final rounds are a series of Full Battles with the Top 8 Trainers participating. The Trainer who wins all of the final rounds is declared the winner of the Vertress Conference, earning the chance to participate in Unova's Champion League.

Known contestants

Virgil, the winner, with the Vertress Championship Trophy

Trainer	Place
Virgil	Winner
Dino	Runner-Up
Cameron	Top 4
Ramone	Top 4
Russet	Top 8
Antonio	Top 8
Katharine	Top 8
Ash	Top 8
Manning	Top 16
Kenton	Top 16
Flora	Top 16
Stephan	Top 16
Geraldo	Top 32 or Top 64
Emmanuel	Top 32 or Top 64
Bianca	Top 64
Trip	Top 128
Kendrick	Top 128
Ultimo	Top 128
Mikael	Top 128
Radley	Top 128

In the games

The You Challenge the Isshu League Too! in the Pokémon World Tournament is based on the Vertress Conference. This tournament was downloadable for the Japanese versions of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 games from December 3, 2012 to January 31, 2013 and featured Trip, Stephan, Cameron, and Virgil as the opponents in the tournament.

Trivia

• This is the only League where Ash regresses in his placement through the anime, placing in the Top 8 after having previously placed in the Top 4.
• This is the shortest Pokémon League Conference to date, lasting only six episodes.
• This is the only League which does not feature the Team Rocket trio, due to them having returned to Kanto at the time of the Conference.
• This is the only League in which Ash was not shown battling a female Trainer.
• This is the only League Conference held in the same generation where a new battle format was introduced where said battle format wasn't used in the League.
• This is the first League in which Charles Goodshow did not appear.

Animated series-exclusive Pokémon competitions

Multiregional Grand Festival • Pokémon Baccer World Cup • Pokémon League Conference • PokéRinger • Wallace Cup World Coronation Series (Masters Eight Tournament) Kanto Aura Guardian Festival • Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume Contest • Big P Pokémon Race • Indigo Plateau Conference Kanto Grand Festival • Magikarp High Jump Competition • P1 Grand Prix • Pokémon Grand Eating Contest • Pokémon Orienteering Queen of the Princess Festival Johto Extreme Pokémon Race • Fire and Rescue Grand Prix • Grass Tournament • Mareep Festival • Pokémon Balloon Race Pokémon Beauty Contest • Rock and Tumble One-on-One Tauros Competition • Running of the Tauros Seaking Catching Competition • Silver Conference • Sumo Conference • Sunflora Festival • Tour de Alto Mare • Whirl Cup Hoenn Battle Frontier Flute Cup • Crossgate PokéRinger • Ever Grande Conference • Friendship Festival • Hoenn Grand Festival Marine Athletic Race • Trick House Contest Sinnoh Croagunk Festival • Festival Battle Challenge • Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition • Hearthome Collection Lily of the Valley Conference • Pokémon Dress-Up Contest • Pokémon Iceberg Race • Pokémon Ping Pong Tournament Pokémon Summer Academy • Pokémon Triathlon • Sinnoh Grand Festival • Sinnoh Pokémon Hustle • Squallville PokéRinger Unova Club Battle • Clubsplosion • Eindoak Harvest Festival • Pokémon Performance Competition • Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup Pokéstar Studios Film Competition • Subway Bosses' Stamp Rally • Vertress Conference • Wishing Bell Festival Decolore Marine Cup Tournament • Pokémon Sumo Tournament • Scalchop King Competition Kalos Lumiose Conference • Poké Puff Contest • Pokémon Showcase • Pokémon Sky Relay • Pokémon Summer Camp Alola Alola Bread Festival • Charjabug race • Manalo Conference‎‎ • Pokémon Catch Adventure Race • Pokémon Pancake Race Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament • Pokémon Sled Jump Games • Vikavolt race Galar All-Alcremie Decoration Challenge Paldea Elite Four Tag Battle Unknown Pigton Town Multi Battle Tournament • Pokémon Catch Race

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.