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Literally any character with a starter gets league privileges in case the writers need them to fight alongside Ash, so of course Mallow wouldn't get too far in it.
Deluded are the ones who think Tsareena wasn't doomed the very minute Icy Breath hit her and of course Lana would take advantage of Tsareena's persistence until she would eventually fall due to Icy Breath damage in her legs. But of course, emotional struggles onto a opponent trainer are absolutely necessary to make Lana even above it because "special starter writer treatment".
