Ep 40. Top - Down Training!

Ash, Dawn, and Brock are continuing their journey through Sinnoh when they come across a Pokémon training academy. The academy is intended for trainers who want to learn the best techniques and strategies for training their Pokémon. The trainers at the academy are adamant that the best way to train is "top down," meaning that they teach their Pokémon the most advanced techniques first and work their way down to the easier ones.

While Ash and his friends are interested in the academy's methods, they quickly realize that the trainers there are extremely competitive. The trainers at the academy are all preparing for an upcoming tournament, and they're not particularly interested in helping Ash and his friends. Despite this, Ash decides that he wants to enter the tournament himself.

The tournament has some unusual rules. The trainers must show that they can train their Pokémon using "top-down" techniques, but they can only use Pokémon that are under level 30. The trainers must also train their Pokémon in a very specific way: they must start with the toughest moves and work their way down. This means that the trainers have to teach their Pokémon the most advanced techniques before they've even learned the basics.

While Ash is confident that he can train his Pokémon using the "top-down" method, he quickly realizes that it's much harder than he thought it would be. He spends hours working with Pikachu, trying to get it to master a high-level Thunderbolt attack, but Pikachu just can't seem to get the hang of it. Meanwhile, the other trainers at the academy are all making visible progress in their training, and Ash begins to worry that he'll never be able to catch up.

Dawn and Brock try to help Ash out, but their own Pokémon are struggling with the "top-down" training as well. In fact, some of the trainers at the academy are so good that they've already trained their Pokémon in the toughest moves, and are now working on the easier ones.

Despite the challenges, Ash and his friends keep pushing themselves, determined to master the "top-down" training method. They spend long days working with their Pokémon, trying to help them learn the advanced techniques they need to win the tournament. Eventually, Ash's Pikachu finally manages to master the Thunderbolt attack, and Ash feels like he's finally making progress.

On tournament day, Ash is nervous. He knows that the competition will be fierce, but he's also excited to see how much he's improved since arriving at the academy. The tournament goes well for a while, but then Ash and Pikachu face off against a trainer who is particularly skilled in "top-down" training. Ash is worried that he won't be able to keep up, but he manages to hold his own in the battle.

In the end, Ash comes in second place in the tournament. He's disappointed that he didn't win, but he's also proud of himself and his Pokémon for improving so much during their time at the academy. As the group continues their journey through Sinnoh, they reflect on the lessons they learned at the academy and how they can apply those lessons in their future battles.