>>57999192
I think they missed a great opportunity by not making this a school rivalry: Ash and Arven (with the SpongeBob and Squidward dynamic) against the crazy Mona and Smelly Penny, competing in treasure hunts and Pokémon battles where the winner could take the opposing team's treasure, only to introduce Kieran and Carmine as a third foreign school mid-season.

While this is happening in the background, the Team Star, Arven's parents, and the mystery of Area Zero plots are happening, with the occasional paradox slipping out.