[Ash: I never thought I'd catch so many different kinds of Pokémon in the future. This feeling is just amazing!]
Though the footage showed Koharu staring at Ash's Pokémon,
the eyes of those Pokémon never once strayed from Ash.
Their bond ran deep.
—On screen—
In the end, Koharu chose Sceptile and Swellow from among the many options.
Why those two?
Well, since they were in Hoenn, it made sense to use Ash's Hoenn Pokémon.
And of course, Koharu had picked wisely—
Those two were Ash's strongest partners from his Hoenn journey.
No surprise there, Koharu.
Professor Oak quickly transmitted their Poké Balls.
The moment they were released, Sceptile and Swellow immediately stuck close to Ash,
clearly thrilled after so long without a battle at his side.
Even if someone else would be commanding them this time—
That didn't matter.
Just fighting alongside Ash was enough to make them happy.
"This is Koharu. I'll be counting on you two for the next matches."
Introduced by Ash himself, even the proud Sceptile extended its hand toward Koharu.
A temporary bond was formed.
On the way to the venue, Ash carefully explained their movesets to Koharu.
No need for her to master them—
as long as she could call them out, that would be enough.
With that bit of preparation, the two arrived at the Battle Frontier arena.
The Glass Whistle Cup was simple.
A small-scale tournament, starting straight from the quarterfinals.
Two wins would put them in the finals.
For his own battles, Ash naturally chose Pikachu and Scorbunny.
He had a habit of using his newest partners in each journey—
and since Galar was his new beginning,
Scorbunny had to take the stage.
Pikachu, of course, was a permanent fixture.
Ash's first match was practically a breeze.
His opponent wasn't strong.
Scorbunny warmed up to the pace of battle,
and then Pikachu swept through the rest,
winning 2v1 to the crowd's shock.
(Author's note: Originally it was Mr. Mime, but using Hoenn Pokémon feels more fitting here.)
With Ash's victory secured, it was Koharu's turn.
But really, it was less her battle and more the grand return of Sceptile and Swellow.
For a tournament at this level, they were overwhelming—
beyond overwhelming!
If the audience had marveled at Pikachu's speed and power in Ash's match,
then Koharu's match was pure spectacle—
Sceptile and Swellow showing off as they pleased.
"Whoa! I give up! No more—I'm being bullied!"
Koharu was dazed the whole time,
while Sceptile and Swellow ran the show.
At one point, Sceptile even tagged itself out politely to give Swellow a turn.
Strength, speed—on every front, their opponents couldn't keep up.
One rival was even driven to tears.
The rest of the tournament passed quickly.
In the semifinals, Ash faced Hibiki from Lavaridge Town,
a supposed championship contender—
only for Pikachu to 2v1 him again.
The format ran fast, finishing within a single day.
Koharu's side advanced smoothly too.
Two crushing wins left the audience stunned…
and even more excited for the final match.
Would it be Ash's Pikachu versus Koharu's Sceptile?
The anticipation was sky-high.
Word spread quickly.
Ash—an Alola League Champion?
Wait—
Alola? Where's that? They have a League there?
And hadn't he once been a Frontier Brain too?
No wonder!
—The Finals—
Koharu wanted to forfeit at first.
But Ash stopped her.
"Since you chose to battle, you have to fight with everything you've got! You can't ever give up!"
His words lit a fire in her heart.
And so the battle began.
But to everyone's shock—
Sceptile and Swellow threw the match!
The mighty pair fell to Scorbunny.
Even Scorbunny stared at its own paws afterward,
doubting what had just happened.
Am I really that strong?
But it quickly convinced itself otherwise.
No, it wasn't me—
It was all thanks to my Master's training!
Perfect logic. Case closed.
[Bruno: Hahaha! That Scorbunny's expressions are priceless.]
[Diantha: Why are all of Ash's Pokémon such natural performers? Ash, come to Kalos! Join my company—you'd make the greatest Pokémon talent trainer alive!]
[Lillie: It's so cute… too bad I can't touch Pokémon, or I'd hug it in a heartbeat.]
[Misty: I demand an investigation! This was a rigged match!]
[Brock: A bet's a bet. Misty, don't forget to give me your sister's number.]
In Pallet Town—
Ash got a sudden glare from Misty.
Why?
Because she had lost a wager to Brock.
Seeing Sceptile and Swellow perform so well,
she'd bet Brock a free lunch.
But they'd betrayed her—
playing along with Ash's schemes instead!
They must've learned that from Pikachu!
—On screen—
Even Ash hadn't expected Sceptile and Swellow to ham it up like that,
both collapsing to Scorbunny.
Pikachu hadn't even been needed.
When Swellow fell, silence swept the arena.
Until the referee's announcement broke it:
"Congratulations to Ash Ketchum, winner of the Glass Whistle Cup!"
And just like that, Ash's career tally gained another championship.
After all, if a solo cup counted as a championship,
then surely this one did too.
He even received five shimmering glass whistles as his prize.
Koharu finally realized how absurd it was.
How could someone who'd never touched Pokémon direct such powerful ones?
Not only had they carried her through—
they'd even acted for her at the end.
Ash was truly incorrigible!
[Ash: Winning still feels amazing, no matter what.]
[Gary: Damn it! You actually won another championship!]
[Ash: Huh? Weren't you the one saying these little cups don't count? Why do you sound jealous, then?]
[Gary: Shut up! I just can't stand you, that's all!]
[Brock: That's some rock-hard denial right there. Harder than my Geodude.]
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