Round One - Begin!

Plot
After registering for the Indigo Plateau Conference, Ash learns that he must first pass through four preliminary battles on four unique battlefields (Grass, Water, Ice, and Rock) to qualify for battling inside the Indigo Stadium. The lady at the registry has Ash go through a random selection, and he is assigned to battle on the Water field later that day against a Trainer named Mandi.

Since he is assigned to the Water field, Ash plans to rely on Squirtle for the battle, but Misty suggests that it might not be enough. The group runs into Gary, who is battling on the Ice field. He mockingly wishes Ash luck as he wants to be the one to defeat him, and he walks away laughing with his cheerleaders. At that moment, Ash receives a call from Professor Oak, who suggests he swap out one of his Pokémon. Ash decides to have Krabby sent through to boost his team. Misty is worried because Ash had never used Krabby before, but Ash is confident in the Pokémon. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is posing as a news crew and unsuccessfully trying to find rare Pokémon to steal.

Ash's battle on the Water field soon begins, and he starts off with Krabby, while Mandi uses an Exeggutor. Krabby jumps into the pool, but Exeggutor uses Psychic to create a whirlpool, revealing Krabby's hiding space. Mandi then orders an Egg Bomb, knocking Krabby into the whirlpool and preventing it from using any attacks. Ash tries to recall Krabby, but the whirlpool prevents him from doing so. Suddenly, Krabby escapes from the vortex, and Ash orders it to use Vice Grip on Exeggutor's leaves, stopping its attacks. Hanging on tightly, Krabby uses Leer to immobilize Exeggutor, and its Stomp attack knocks it out. As it stands triumphant over Exeggutor, Krabby suddenly evolves into Kingler. Mandi, still confident, sends out his second Pokémon, a Seadra. Seadra uses Agility to dodge Kingler's Water Gun, but Kingler manages to slow it down with Bubble and then knocks Seadra out with Crabhammer.

Mandi remains undaunted as he sends out his last Pokémon, a Golbat. Brock becomes worried, since Kingler is weak against Flying attacks. Misty suggests that Ash should switch to Pikachu, but Ash stands by his Pokémon. Golbat manages to evade Kingler's attacks, dealing a great amount of damage in the process. Ash then orders Kingler to use Hyper Beam. Kingler's shot hits Golbat dead-on, knocking it out and winning Ash his first Indigo League victory. Mandi is astounded by his defeat, with the commentator confirming that Ash successfully used only one Pokémon for the entire match. Misty and Brock watch on in shock as Ash jumps around, overexcited by his first win.

Major Events

 * Ash uses his Krabby in battle for the first time.
 * Ash's Krabby is revealed to know Harden, Vice Grip, Leer, and Stomp.
 * Ash's Krabby evolves into Kingler and learns Hyper Beam.
 * Ash's Kingler is revealed to know Bubble, Water Gun, and Crabhammer.
 * Ash wins his first round match against Mandi using only his Kingler.
 * Gary also wins his first round match.