Manalo Conference
The Manalo Conference[1] (Japanese: アローラリーグ・マナーロ大会 Alola League Manalo Conference), also referred to as the Alola Pokémon League (Japanese: アローラポケモンリーグ Alola Pokémon League), is the Alola League general championship competition founded by Professor Kukui. It is intended to be a replacement for an old, abandoned part of the island challenge ritual in which trial-goers battled at the peak of Mount Lanakila.
It was officially unveiled in The Dealer of Destruction! during a press conference held on Aether Paradise. The tournament is held at the recently completed Manalo Stadium, and is sponsored in part by the four island kahunas of Alola and Lusamine, the president of the Aether Foundation.
Unlike previous League tournaments, in which Trainers were required to collect a given number of Gym Badges in order to sign up, the Manalo Conference has no entry requirements, meaning that any willing Trainer is allowed to enter.
The tournament began in Battle Royal 151! and concluded in Enter the Champion!, with the award ceremony being interrupted by the appearance of three Guzzlord. The winner was declared as the first Champion of Alola. Originally, the winner was meant to battle the Masked Royal in an exhibition 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 in Exhibition Unmasked! and concluded in From 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 a Battle Royal. Only the last 16 whose Pokémon remain standing at the end advance to the next round. The battles are refereed by the four island kahunas of Alola—Hala, Olivia, Nanu, and Hapu.
First round
The first round consists of one-on-one Single 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 by Professor 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 a Full 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 | 
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| Faba | 
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Ash | 
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| Hau | 
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Hau | 
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| Samson | 
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Ash |  
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| Ilima | 
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Guzma |  
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| Guzma |
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Guzma |
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| Mallow | 
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Lana | 
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| Lana |
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Ash |  
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| Kiawe | 
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Gladion |   
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| Acerola | 
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Kiawe | 
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| Sophocles | 
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Sophocles |
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| Mina | 
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Kiawe | 
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| Lillie | 
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Gladion | 
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| Gladion | 
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Gladion |
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| "Jessina" | 
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"Jamesio" | 
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| "Jamesio" |
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Exhibition Match
| Trainer | Pokémon | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ash | →   
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Win |
| Professor Kukui |
     *
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Loss |
Trivia
- This is the only Pokémon League Conference where:
- Any of Ash's friends, Jessie, James, members of another villainous team, and a Pokémon 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 of wild Pokémon is allowed.
- An exhibition battle is part of the ceremonies.
- Full Battles are not featured as a part of the tournament, barring the exhibition match.
- Every battle is at least partially shown.
- Ash has won.
- Ash had previously won the Orange League, although it was not a League Conference.
- Ash has had more than one Pokémon evolve 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 the Lumiose 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 the original 151 Pokémon of Generation I.
- The fake names and disguises Jessie and James use while participating in the tournament are based on Sina and Dexio's names and designs from the Alola-based Generation 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 a reference to the Champion battle from Pokémon Sun and Moon, where Professor Kukui serves as the player's final opponent at the Pokémon 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
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See also
References
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The Pokémon League | 
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| 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 • Orange* • 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 Admissions Exam • Pokémon Association PIA • World Coronation Series (Masters Eight Tournament) | ||
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |
