Charles Goodshow's letter to the Ever Grande Conference Committee (copied to all other League committees)
No.
That is my answer, but since I will be sending this to the other committees, I will explain my reasoning.
I have met Ash Ketchum before. Specifically, I have met him before the event which changed his species. It is not an alleged event, I can assure you – the boy is much the same as he was, except of course for how he has been forced to grow up a little.
Less than you might expect, at that.
Ash Ketchum is a young and skilled trainer. He is not perfect – I would hardly claim it – and his Pokémon are strong, but they are not beyond what has been seen in other League challenges.
What has really drawn my attention about him is the extent to which his Pokémon have improved.
Ash Ketchum's Charizard has vastly improved from his time in the Indigo League, where Ash was eliminated due to a rather shameful lack of discipline on the part of his Charizard. There are other irregularities currently under investigation in that match, but I will not go into them here as none of them relate directly to Ash's conduct.
Moreover, many of Ash's Pokémon as used in the Silver Conference were entirely new Pokémon. His Bayleef for example was new to his team in Johto, as was his Noctowl, to name but two; this kind of ability to improve old Pokémon and bring new ones up to their level is unusual and deserves recognition.
But that is all why we might want to make an exception for Ash Ketchum. And that is besides the point.
The point is that there is no need for an exception to be made.
Ash is now a Pokémon. This change appears permanent, though I wouldn't want to assume it was – but there is no by-law in any Pokémon League against the participation of a Pokémon as a trainer. There is no by-law in any Pokémon League against a trainer having more than six Pokémon on hand, so long as their selection of six Pokémon is locked in before the match begins. There is no by-law in any Pokémon League that a trainer may not be issued a new, valid Trainer Card. And there is certainly no by-law in any Pokémon League that holds the ability to understand one's Pokémon as an unfair advantage.
I would be extremely displeased if any Pokémon League introduced a by-law targeted specifically at disqualifying a bright young prospect who has already gone through a significant upheaval in his personal life.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day, and let's make this year's Pokémon League conferences a real spectacle to remember!
AN:
That's nice and clear then.