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Pokémon
7.6

Join Ash accompanied by his partner Pikachu, as he travels through many regions, meets new friends and faces new challenges on his quest to become a Pokémon Master.

Like it or Lup It!

It's a rough day for hero and villain alike, as Dawn's Piplup struggles to perfect a move for the upcoming Pokémon Contest and Team Rocket struggles to find something to eat. Team Rocket lucks out and finds a giant pile of berries in the middle of a field, but nearby footprints suggest the berries already belong to someone—or some Pokémon. Team Rocket steals the berries anyway, but a slip-up lands some of the berries in the possession of a Ludicolo trio. Then the berries' real owners, a Golduck and its Water Pokémon friends, show up and mistake the Ludicolo for the real berry thieves! Team Rocket steps in and defeats Golduck, all part of their plan to get the Ludicolo on their good side so they can snag them for the boss. Alas, this plan is quickly abandoned when the grateful Ludicolo turn out to be too energetic for Team Rocket to bear. As for the dejected Golduck and its friends, they have the good fortune to run into Piplup. Piplup take charges and goes right up to the Ludicolo, determined to show them the error of their ways. Team Rocket watches it all while feasting on their ill-gotten berries and, unsurprisingly, decides this is a great opportunity to steal a whole lot of Pokémon at once. Team Rocket pounces on the gathered Pokémon with the help of their Magikarp submarine. Piplup tries to save them, but Team Rocket launches a swarm of robot Remoraid that are just too much for Piplup to handle. That is, until Piplup finally pulls off a Contest-worthy spinning Bubblebeam move that wrecks the robots and turns the tide in our heroes' favor! Once it's revealed that Team Rocket had the berries all along, Golduck apologizes for falsely accusing the Ludicolo and the Pokémon join forces to beat Team Rocket. And with an amazing new move mastered, Dawn and Piplup can look forward to their upcoming Contest with newfound confidence!

Gymbaliar!

There's a new Gym in Sinnoh, and Team Rocket is in charge! With Jessie as Princess Powerzone, the Gym Leader, and James as a crooked referee, there should be no way they can lose to their latest challenger—yet somehow they do. After the battle, Meowth goes out to get snacks and comes back home with an ominous Croagunk on its tail. Croagunk isn't impressed by Team Rocket, but they're impressed by Croagunk's Poison Jab move, so they recruit the Pokémon to help them out. Elsewhere, our heroes encounter a Scizor and its Trainer, Minnie. Minnie is headed for the Powerzone Gym because she's heard that losing Pokémon can stay at the Gym to receive extra training. Minnie thinks it would be good for her Scizor, and Ash and his friends can't resist the chance to tag along. Ash wants to battle first, but Jessie wisely pretends not to hear him and chooses to battle Minnie instead. James' creative refereeing gives Croagunk the victory over Minnie's Scizor, so Minnie lends Scizor to the Gym for training. Ash and Aipom are up next, but when Aipom wins, Jessie declares that Ash must battle her again—with Pikachu! That's the cue for Team Rocket to unmask themselves and their Pokémon-grabbing plan... which turns out to be no match for our heroes. Another Team Rocket scheme, foiled! This still leaves the problem of all the Trainers who left their Pokémon with the Powerzone Gym. Minnie volunteers to watch over the Pokémon until their Trainers return, but Croagunk doesn't have a Trainer. So when Brock asks Croagunk if it wants to join him, it accepts. It's an easy catch, but it won't be that easy for Brock now that Croagunk is there to use Poison Jab every time he tries to swoon over a pretty girl!

Not on MY Watch Ya Don't!

Dawn's first Pokémon Contest is just days away, and in order to prepare, she's searching Jubilife City for a Pokétch—a handy accessory that looks like a watch but has multiple useful functions. To her disappointment, the stores' Pokétch supply has mysteriously been recalled, but she gets a free Pokétch from Team Rocket. For some reason, Team Rocket are just giving Pokétch away! But a Shinx and its owner, Landis, expose Dawn's Pokétch as a fake. Landis should know—he's the son of the Pokétch corporation's president! Landis introduces his father to Dawn and her friends, who learn that the Pokétch corporation withdrew its merchandise when it heard that someone was distributing fakes. But Landis' father does give our heroes a peek at the latest version of the real thing, a Pokétch that measures the Friendship between a Trainer and a Pokémon. As for the fake Pokétch, the truth is soon revealed: Team Rocket is using the fakes to transmit Psyduck's voice! Now lots of Pokémon are listlessly walking through the streets in a Psyduck-induced trance, headed right for Team Rocket's hideout, and Landis' Shinx is one of them! Of course, our heroes must now stop Team Rocket from scooping up all the Pokémon and taking off in their Meowth balloon. Pikachu and Piplup try to stop them, but Team Rocket just adds those two to the collection as well. Dawn isn't having any more of this nonsense, so she helps Buneary unleash an amazing Ice Beam that puts the villains' plans on ice. With the Pokémon freed, Shinx helps charge Pikachu up with electricity and Team Rocket are sent flying once again, without the benefit of a hot air balloon. Now Dawn can receive a real Pokétch of her own, and she's just about ready to take on the Jubilife Pokémon Contest!

Mounting a Coordinator Assault!

Dawn's mother Johanna has sent her a special outfit to wear for her first Pokémon Contest, which is just a day away! While Dawn tries on out her new Contest outfit, she meets another Coordinator, Zoey, who has a Glameow. Then Dawn is due for some friendly training with Ash and Pikachu, and Dawn's Piplup looks good until Ash's Aipom interrupts the battle to show off its moves. It seems that Aipom doesn't want to watch a Contest, it wants to be in one! So for Aipom's sake, Ash decides he'll enter the Contest too. As Ash soon finds out, not only do Coordinators in Sinnoh like to dress up for their Contests, they use some special effects as well. In Sinnoh Pokémon Contests, each Pokémon's Poké Ball is put into a Ball Capsule and decorated with seals that create quite a showy entrance! Ash and Dawn aren't the only ones hoping to make a big entrance in the Jubelife Contest; Team Rocket is around, and Jessie has her sights set on a big victory while James and Meowth have settled on starting a seal-selling scam. As the Contest begins, Dawn is backstage trying to fix her hair. Zoey shows up to help her out and as the two Coordinators talk, Dawn learns that Zoey already has her first Contest Ribbon. Zoey also has a Misdreavus which she shows off in the first round with some spectacular moves. Jessie borrows James' Carnivine to make her Sinnoh debut as Jessilina, and Ash and Dawn pull off their first round appeals without a hitch. All four Coordinators—well, three Coordinators and one Trainer—will move on to the next round!

A Staravia Is Born!

Ash is traveling through the forest on his way to Oreburgh City, where he hopes to earn his first Gym Badge in Sinnoh. But first he's helping Starly practice using Aerial Ace, a process that doesn't go entirely smoothly. Our heroes also catch the attention of Rosebay, a woman who monitors the Pokémon that live in the forest. Lots of Pokémon have been disappearing lately and she's not sure why, but it doesn't take long for Ash and his friends to decide they should help her out! Meanwhile, Team Rocket have set up a trap in the Valley Path, an area which Flying-type Pokémon often pass through. All it takes some netting and soon Team Rocket is happily snagging lots of avian Pokémon for their Boss. When Ash sends Starly out to look for clues, Starly is swept up by Team Rocket's criminal plans as well—but Starly isn't about to sit back and wait to be rescued! Jessie and James leave Meowth to guard their ill-gotten Pokémon, and Starly is ready to stage a jailbreak together with help from a captured Hoothoot. Hoothoot hypnotizes Meowth into letting the Pokémon go, but when Meowth snaps out of its trance, it calls for backup from Team Rocket's other Pokémon. However, Ash and his friends came across a Pidgeot trapped in Team Rocket's net and realized what was going on, and they show up looking for Starly! Jessie and James return and try to stop our heroes, only to discover that Brock's Bonsly can use Mimic to send their Pokémon's moves right back at them. Then Starly evolves into Staravia and pulls off a terrific Aerial Ace—which is also the term that describes Team Rocket as they go blasting off again. The trapped Pokémon are freed, Rosebay is happy, and now it's onward to Oreburgh City!

Leave it to Brocko!

On the way to Oreburgh, Ash and his friends see Nurse Joy trying to help an injured Nuzleaf. Nuzleaf is too upset to accept her help, so Brock steps in to calm Nuzleaf down. With help from Bonsly, who Nuzleaf seems to think is a Grass-type Pokémon, Brock wins Nuzleaf's trust and treats its injuries. This Nuzleaf must be lost, since an old tree on the other side of the mountain is the only place in the area where Seedot, Nuzleaf, and Shiftry are found. Ash and his friends volunteer to get Nuzleaf back where it belongs. Team Rocket spies on the scene and decides Nuzleaf would be a great prize for the Boss. They show up with Meowth dressed as a Shiftry, hoping to trick Nuzleaf into coming with them. Their ploy is foiled, so they grab Bonsly and Nuzleaf. Brock tries to stop them and ends up getting carried away by Team Rocket too! That's no problem for Brock—Team Rocket lowers their guard after he cooks them a delicious meal, and Brock escapes with Nuzleaf and Bonsly. During the break-out, Bonsly even evolves into Sudowoodo! Next Brock has to cross a river, but Sudowoodo dislikes water so Brock puts it in its Poké Ball. The problem is that without Sudowoodo, Nuzleaf gets upset! Brock has no choice but to bring out Sudowoodo and encourage it to be brave. Then Team Rocket catches up with Brock. Croagunk does its best but can't hold them off forever, so Sudowoodo pitches in to help fight. When Ash and Dawn arrive on the scene, Brock even tells them he and Sudowoodo can handle Team Rocket themselves! A real Shiftry shows up looking for Nuzleaf, and once Team Rocket is sent packing, our heroes can rest easy knowing that Nuzleaf will soon be back home.

O'er the Rampardos We Watched!

Ash may have lost his battle at the Oreburgh Gym, but he wants a rematch and he's down at the Oreburgh mine to train hard for round two. His hard work inspires Dawn to go back to town and train her own Pokémon for the upcoming Contest in Floaroma Town. But over at Oreburgh's museum, the fossil restorer machine has vanished, together with the fossil that was inside! It could only be the work of Team Rocket, who gets a big surprise when the stolen machine finishes reviving the fossil and a very irritated Aerodactyl emerges. After giving Team Rocket a good clobbering, it flies off toward Oreburgh City. Aerodactyl causes a big commotion as it soars over the city, surprising Dawn and alerting the museum's scientists to the fate of their missing fossil. In the confusion, a Kabutops and Armaldo break out of their quarters and the scientists go to get Roark's help. Ash and Brock team with Roark to stop the rogue Pokémon, but Team Rocket appears and snatches Kabutops, Armaldo, and Roark's Cranidos! Surprisingly, it's Aerodactyl who comes to the rescue—it swoops in and blasts Team Rocket once more, freeing the Pokémon and giving the scientists a chance to safely recall Kabutops and Armaldo to their Poké Balls. But now who's going to stop Aerodactyl? The guys all give it their best, but this time Dawn shows up to save the day! She has Piplup and Buneary team up to pin Aerodactyl so the scientists can put it in a Poké Ball. Then Roark's Cranidos evolves into Rampardos so it can take down Team Rocket, and the fossil restorer is returned to the scientists. All of which gives Ash an idea for his rematch with Roark...

An Angry Combeenation!

After several adventures, Ash, his friends, and Cheryl the treasure hunter are finally closing in on the elusive Amber Castle. They've spotted their first Combee Walls, clusters of Combee that surely indicate the Amber Castle and its trove of Enchanted Honey can't be far away. Cheryl's Mothim uses its keen sense of smell to lead everyone towards the scent of honey, and soon they're deep in a series of tunnels. But Team Rocket has found the tunnels too, and when they start digging for honey, the Combee become angry at all the intruders, including our heroes! Cheryl's Mothim uses Supersonic to confuse the Combee, letting our heroes ignored Team Rocket and continue the search for the Enchanted Honey. They find themselves in front of the biggest Combee yet, and pass through to discover the Amber Castle behind it. This glimmering golden structure has a Vespiquen living at its center, and Cheryl apologizes to it for the intrusion. Just as Cheryl asks Vespiquen for the gift of honey, Team Rocket bursts into the Castle and nearly wrecks it in their attempt to raid the Enchanted Honey. While Ash and his friends rush to repair the damage, Vespiquen and Cheryl's Mothim deal with Team Rocket, sending them flying before they can do any more damage. After some repairs, the Amber Castle is safe, and Cheryl receives a gift of Enchanted Honey for helping Vespiquen and the Combee. It's time for this treasure hunter to be on her way, and Ash and his friends are also eager to head for their next destination: Eterna City, where Ash's next Gym battle awaits!

All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go!

What could convince our heroes to take a time-out from their journey to Eterna City? A Pokémon Dress-Up Contest where Pokémon try to imitate other Pokémon! Ash and Pikachu, Dawn and Piplup, Brock and Croagunk, even Team Rocket—they're all entering the contest in hopes of winning the Pokémon Egg prize! But will any of them be able to beat the reigning champion, a singing Chatot? In this contest, the key is to stay in character. So when Piplup, pretending to be Weedle, gets a little too excited and uses Bubblebeam, Dawn and Piplup are knocked out of the first round. Ash and Brock make it into the second round along with Team Rocket, and James wants to win the contest fair and square. But to his dismay, dishonorable duty calls: Jessie can't resist stealing the prize Pokémon Egg, forcing Team Rocket to make a quick getaway. Together with Officer Jenny, our heroes chase after Team Rocket so quickly that Brock's Croagunk doesn’t even stop to take off its Politoed costume! There's no doubt who’ll win this showdown, especially once Mime Jr.'s Teeter Dance hits Team Rocket instead of its target. In all the confusion, Team Rocket drops the stolen Pokémon Egg. Buneary quickly catches it, Team Rocket is sent packing, and everyone returns to the contest for the final results. After the judges tally their votes, the final winner is Brock's Croagunk, who stayed in character as Politoed even while chasing Team Rocket! Brock accepts his Pokémon Egg, leaving him and his friends to ponder two important questions. When will the Egg hatch—and just what Pokémon will it turn out to be?

A Secret Sphere of Influence!

Ash and his friends are in Eterna City for Ash's next Gym battle, but first they have to help solve a heist at the Eterna Historical Museum! Someone has stolen the Museum's Adamant Orb, an artifact which is said to increase Dialga's power, and the security footage suggests a Sunflora was one of the culprits. Team Rocket stole the Orb with Meowth disguised as Sunflora, but it's the Pokémon bard Nando and his Sunflora that have been cornered by Officer Jenny! Luckily, our heroes and their recent acquaintance Gardenia, who turns out to be the Eterna Gym Leader, are ready to vouch for Nando's innocence. This is a day for duplicates, because there's another Officer Jenny in town from Viridian City, too! Everyone splits up to search the Museum for the real culprit, with the Eterna City police especially eager to find the Orb first and uphold the honor of their department. But it's Piplup, Pikachu, and Nando's Sunflora who spot Team Rocket gloating over their theft, and soon backup is on the way. Now that Meowth is no longer in the Sunflora costume, Team Rocket tries to bluff their way out of this jam. No such luck! But it's risky to battle Team Rocket while they're holding the precious Orb, so Officer Jenny from Eterna City has her Stunky stun Team Rocket with its powerful stench. Once Gardenia retrieves the Orb, it's a simple matter to defeat Team Rocket. Our heroes are then left to ponder the legends surrounding Dialga and Palkia... as well as the true motivation behind this attempted theft!

One Big Happiny Family!

Ash and his friends are taking the Cyling Road toward Hearthome City, but when the weather turns bad and Brock's Pokémon Egg is about to hatch, they quickly take refuge at the nearest Pokémon Center. However, the Nurse Joy at the Center has a serious case of the blues. Thanks to the Cycling Road, everyone pedals right past her Pokémon Center and she's convinced it's her fault that the place is so empty! With a little encouragement from our heroes, Nurse Joy gets back some confidence in time to help hatch Brock's Pokémon Egg, which turns out to be a Happiny. Everyone has fun taking care of Happiny, until Team Rocket shows up, snatches it, and makes a getaway in their Meowth balloon. Jessie wants Happiny to evolve into Chansey and become a nurse! Brock and his friends have to chase down Team Rocket while also trying to keep Nurse Joy's spirits up, but Team Rocket has an even more difficult task ahead: cheering Happiny up! Happiny likes to carry a smooth stone in its pouch, and it's not impressed by any of the rocks that Team Rocket has to offer. Now Team Rocket has another problem to deal with, because Brock and the gang have finally caught up with them. Nurse Joy is feeling confident enough to help our heroes battle, too! But it comes as a surprise to everyone when pint-sized Happiny turns out to be so strong, it can clobber Team Rocket on its own. Pikachu helps finish the battle, and then our heroes are ready to get back on the road to Hearthome City... and Nurse Joy is ready to get back to work!

Top-Down Training!

When word gets out that Champion League Master Cynthia is in town, our heroes can't resist a chance to meet her in person. But Paul is also in town, and he can't resist challenging Cynthia to a battle! The local Trainers are shocked that he has the nerve to challenge the Champion, and they're even more shocked when Cynthia agrees to a 6-on-6 battle. Against her mighty Garchomp, Paul's Pokémon don't stand a chance: Garchomp knocks out his Chimchar, Weavile, Murkrow, and even his Torterra! The battle ends there, and Cynthia has to remind Paul to take his Pokémon to the Pokémon Center right away. She even helps care for his Pokémon when Nurse Joy is called away to another urgent case. Ash tries to convince Paul that his training methods are too harsh, but Paul doesn't care and Ash starts to lose his temper. Ever the diplomatic one, Cynthia steps in to gently remind Paul that there's more to traveling with Pokémon than simply trying to be strong. While Cynthia gives our heroes a history lesson, Team Rocket sneaks into the Pokémon Center and steals Paul's Chimchar as it's sleeping. Paul and our heroes discover the kidnapping and Paul sends out yet another of his Pokémon—an Ursaring! Ursaring hits Team Rocket with a Hyper Beam and Chimchar escapes, but Paul is annoyed that it let itself be captured in the first place. Before she leaves for Celestic Town, Cynthia politely suggests that Paul take time to bond with his Pokémon. As for our heroes, she's given them something to think about... but it remains to be seen if her words managed to touch Paul!

The Electrike Company!

On a sunny day in Sinnoh, Ash is literally hit by a bolt out of the blue—an Electrike is practicing its Electric-type moves nearby, but it accidentally zapped Ash instead of its target! Jaco, the Electrike's Trainer, is a Pokémon breeder who's raising Electrike at the Pokémon Training Center. He doesn't think Electrike will ever be able to control its moves, but Brock knows better and offers to help both of them train. It's all about developing trust between Trainer and Pokémon so they can work together as a team. From daily care and feeding to learning Electrike's individual rhythm, Brock knows just how it's done! Even Team Rocket feels a little touched by the developing bond between Jaco and Electrike. At least, James and Meowth are touched; Jessie is just touchy. She wants to steal Electrike now, but not only do James and Meowth try to stop her, they also volunteer to help Electrike and Jaco train! They have plenty of experience at being zapped by Pikachu, so they're happy to run around in insulated jackets so Electrike can practice hitting moving targets. Jessie is still determined to steal Electrike, and she uses her own one-woman robot to grab it. But when Electrike evolves into Manectric, Jessie steals an easier prize instead: Pikachu! To stop her getaway, Manectric needs to hit the one exposed spot on her rampaging robot. Will Jaco and Manectric's hard work finally pay off? Of course! Manectric hits its target and sends Team Rocket blasting off. Now that it's finally learned to control its attacks, Manectric is ready to graduate from the Pokémon Training Center, and our heroes can say goodbye knowing that both Jaco and Manectric have grown from the experience.

Mass Hip-po-sis!

Ash's Turtwig brings everyone's attention to a young Hippopotas that's stranded on the ledge of a cliff. Ash hauls the Hippopotas to safety, and it insists on following him. Then Rhonda and the Sinnoh Now news team arrive on the scene, and they want to follow Ash around, too! Rhonda wants to see Ash reunite the Hippopotas with its migrating herd. Team Rocket, of course, wants to steal Hippopotas, but between Hippopotas's Yawn attack and Ash, Team Rocket barely even manages to slow our heroes down. Of course, Team Rocket won't quit that easily. They come back for another try, using a piece of fruit to lure Hippopotas into their balloon. But when Hippopotas uses Sand Tomb, their plans are sunk just as fast as their balloon, and Hippopotas happily returns to Ash. Next Ash has to cross a narrow bridge across a river, and when Team Rocket attacks, Hippopotas falls in the river! For a Ground-type like Hippopotas, that's bad news. Hippopotas is rushed to the nearest Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy has it feeling fine in no time. The quest for the Hippopotas herd resumes, and the gang encounters a strangely familiar group of sand salesmen. They turn out to be Team Rocket, of course, but the thieving trio didn't count on Hippopotas and that Yawn attack, which puts Jessie to sleep. Meowth and James' Cacnea are no match for Pikachu and Ash's Turtwig, and once they're gone, our heroes keep searching until they find the Hippopotas herd. The lost Hippopotas is back where it belongs and Ash is headed back on the road to Hearthome City—after a Yawn-induced nap, that is!

Ill-Will Hunting

Near Mr. Coronet, Ash and his friends come across Pokémon Hunter J's goons trying to snag a group of wild Shieldon. Ash is about to come to their rescue, but his old friend and rival Gary gets there first with his Electivire. Once the men are gone, Gary explains that he's here in Sinnoh as part of a project to turn the area into a nature preserve for the Shieldon. Now that J's men are looking to kidnap them, Gary decides to move all the Shieldon to a safer location, and our heroes decide to help. Pokémon Hunter J's minions aren't about to leave a valuable prize alone, and it's not long before they show up again to capture the Shieldon. Ash is ready to give J's men the battle of their lives, but Gary doesn't want to risk getting into a fight that could injure the Shieldon. Instead, Gary stirs up a Beedrill nest, and the angry Beedrill keep the minions distracted so our heroes can make a getaway. As Gary and Ash lead the Shieldon on a perilous escape route across nearby cliffs, Pokémon Hunter J figures out where they're headed and shows up on her Salamence to steal the Shieldon herself. Despite Gary and Ash's best efforts to hold her off so Dawn and Brock can get the Pokmon to safety, J still manages to snag one Shieldon and escape. Determined to put a stop to her crimes, Gary and Ash sneak back to her base and bust their way through in order to get Shieldon back. J is about to take them on when she gets word that her original client no longer wants to purchase the Shieldon; with no money on the line, she's no longer interested in the Shieldon and immediately leaves. The Shieldon are safe again, but who knows where J will strike next?

A Maze-ing Race!

Dawn needs to turn in her coupon for a new Pokétch application, but she has to do it at the Pokémon Center on the far side of the forest, and time is running out! Team Rocket, wearing disguises, hands Dawn and her friends a fake map and tells them there's a shortcut through a nearby cave, but first they want to take a photo of all our heroes' Pokémon. Before Team Rocket can complete their plot, a group of Graveler and Golem stampede through the cave, splitting up our heroes and all their Pokémon! Now Dawn, Ash, and Brock are wandering through the cavern and the outdoor maze at the cavern's end. Meanwhile, Team Rocket discover why the Golem and Graveler were in a hurry: they were fleeing an irritated Onix! After some misadventures of her own, Dawn and Croagunk are reunited with Brock and several other Pokémon, including Ash's Staravia. When Brock asks Staravia to search for Ash in the maze, Team Rocket swoops down and nabs it! Fortunately, Ash is nearby and he hears Dawn and Brock calling for him. He also sees Team Rocket with his Staravia! Ash has found many of Dawn and Brock's Pokémon, so he has them try to stop Team Rocket. Pachirisu accidentally shocks its own team and Team Rocket escapes-for now! Our heroes decide to work together to break through the wall separating them and soon the whole team is back together, except for Staravia. Team Rocket come back once again, unable to resist the thought of all our heroes' Pokémon together in one place, but Ash and Pikachu are ready for them. Pikachu frees Staravia, then sends Team Rocket flying into the stratosphere. And even after all this excitement, Dawn still makes it to the Pokémon Center in time to get the Coin Toss application for her Pokétch!

Sandshrew's Locker!

On the way to Hearthome City, Ash and his friends are approached by Mira, a friendly girl who offers them a shortcut. All they have to do is use her Abra to teleport there! The gang eagerly accepts the offer, but to their surprise, Abra teleports them to the top of a dam. Mira apologizes, but since they're there, she asks everyone to help her recover a piece of heirloom jewelry that's lost in the lake behind the dam.Was this a trick to get our heroes to help? However, the gang agrees to help Mira anyway. Mira leads them on a dive into the lake, where they find a submerged town. An angry Gyarados forces them to make an unplanned retreat, and Brock convinces Mira to tell them what's really going on. Mira finally explains that she used to live in the town before it was submerged, and her Sandshrew was left behind in its Poké Ball when the townspeople moved. This time, Brock has a plan: Piplup, Buizel, and Pikachu keep Gyarados busy while the others finish the dive and recover Sandshrew's Poké Ball. As soon as they find the Poké Ball, Team Rocket arrives on the scene in their Carvanha-shaped submarine and kidnap Mira and Abra. But Mira tricks Team Rocket into relaxing their guard and teleports away with Abra. At last, Mira is reunited with her Sandshrew. Team Rocket comes back one more time and seizes Abra, but Ash's Turtwig cuts it free with Razor Leaf. Sandshrew joins the group in defeating Team Rocket and after that, Mira's Abra teleports everyone to Hearthome City—for real this time!

Tag! We're It...!

Dawn is still feeling a little blue after her early exit from the Hearthome Pokémon Contest, so her friends convince her to compete in a tag battle tournament along with Ash and Brock. Our heroes head to the opening ceremonies to learn who their randomly chosen tag partners are. Dawn's new partner is Conway, a calculating Trainer with a Slowking. Brock's lovely partner is Holly, who will compete using her Wingull. And Ash's partner is—Paul? Even Paul's Elekid doesn't get along with Pikachu! Ash and Pauls chances of winning the Soothe Bell prize arent looking too great. Dawn and Conway are up first, battling a team using Koffing and Scyther. Dawn isnt so sure about Conway, but the two of them turn out to be a good pair! Conway has Slowking use defensive moves to cover for Dawn's Piplup, letting Piplup concentrate on offensive moves, and they win their match. Then Brock and Holly have their Sudowoodo and Wingull work together to defeat a Yanma and Bagon whose Trainers are too busy arguing to battle effectively. That doesn't bode well for Ash and Paul, who still aren't getting along. Ash and Paul are up against opponents using Magmar and Rhydon—not a great type match-up for Pikachu and Paul's Chimchar. When Rhydon uses Surf, Paul orders Chimchar to use Flame Wheel directly into the waves! Its incredibly risky, so Ash tells Pikachu to disrupt the Surf attack instead. That protects Chimchar and knocks out Rhydon, but Paul doesnt appreciate the interference. They manage to win this round, but at the rate they're arguing, they might not last through the next!

Glory Blaze!

The good news for Ash and his friends is that they've entered a tag battle tournament in Hearthome City and everyone made it past the first round. The bad news? Paul is Ash's partner and the two of them just can't get along. Before the second round, Paul has his Pokémon team up against Chimchar to deliver some harsh training. Even Team Rocket thinks Paul is being cruel to Chimchar! It's all too much for Ash, who insists on taking Chimchar to the Pokémon Center. At the Pokémon Center, Brock asks Paul to explain himself. Paul describes how he first met Chimchar: it was cornered by a group of relentless Zangoose and looked to be in serious trouble. Pushed to its limit, Chimchar let loose with a mighty Flame Wheel that knocked out all its foes! Paul immediately asked Chimchar to join him, but since that day, Chimchar hasn't been able to recapture that same power. And now, Nurse Joy and Brock tell Paul he has to give Chimchar a rest. But at the tournament the next day, Paul sends Chimchar in to battle alongside Ash's Turtwig. What's worse, their tag battle opponents are fielding a Metagross and a Zangoose! Once again, Ash and Paul simply can't cooperate. Paul doesn't even care when Chimchar's Flame Wheel hurts Turtwig! But when Chimchar freezes in fear at painful memories of its battle with the group of Zangoose, Turtwig still comes to the rescue. Disgusted, Paul turns his back on Chimchar, and Ash gives Chimchar and Turtwig commands so they can win the battle. After the match, Paul releases Chimchar—for good. As Paul walks away, Ash asks the unhappy Chimchar if it wants to come with him instead...

Smells Like Team Spirit!

After a strange victory in the second round of Hearthome City's tag battle tournament, Paul has abandoned his Chimchar and Ash wants Chimchar to join his team instead. Team Rocket wants Chimchar's power for themselves, and they swoop in to steal it. Their hot air balloon getaway flames out when Chimchar toasts their balloon and happily returns to Ash. For the quarterfinals of the tournament, Chimchar will rest and watch Ash and Paul use Staravia and Torterra to battle Brock and his tag battle partner Holly, who are using Croagunk and Farfetch'd. Unlike Ash and Paul, who are getting along just as badly as ever, Brock and Holly work well as a team. But against a powerhouse Pokémon like Torterra, even Brock and Holly are unable to win. Paul sneers at Ash for celebrating and thinks his Torterra was the only reason they won, but it doesn't matter now. Ash and Paul move on to face Dawn and her partner Conway in the final round. And for this battle, Ash chooses Chimchar and Paul chooses Elekid to battle against Dawn's Buizel and Conway's Heracross. Dawn and Conway are good partners, too: they know how to work together and synchronize attack and defense. However, Conway's strategies didn't anticipate that Paul's Elekid would evolve into Electabuzz in the middle of the match! Buizel and Heracross do their best, but Electabuzz's power and Chimchar's Fire-type attacks win the day. Of course, now that he's evolved his Elekid, Paul couldn't care less about victory or the Soothe Bell prize. But Ash believes Paul's Chimchar will be a great addition to his team, and he's looking forward to the next Gym battle in Veilstone City!

Fear Factor Phony

On a dark and stormy night, Ash and his friends find a deserted town near an old mine. Inside the mine is a Haunter, who scares our heroes away! Team Rocket sees the commotion and investigates, only to receive a scare that sends Wobbuffet running in fear. Team Rocket then discovers that the Haunter was an illusion created by a team of Ghost Pokémon—but why? Camped out in an empty house nearby, Ash and his friends hear strange music in the night. The music is coming from Kirlia and its Psychic Pokémon friends, all having a dance party! But Abra sleeps right through it, using its psychic powers to block out the noise. Ash and Max accidentally crash the party and scare away the Pokémon, so they make amends by putting on their own party. Team Rocket learns that the mine's Ghost Pokémon don't like all this noise, so they offer to help restore peace and quiet to the town. Meanwhile, Wobbuffet catches sight of the graceful Kirlia and immediately falls in love. It joins the party and tries to woo Kirlia, but Team Rocket crashes the event with a giant robot that the Ghost Pokémon helped disguise as a huge Haunter. The robot snatches all the Pokémon, and Wobbuffet defies Jessie to free Kirlia and the other Psychic Pokémon. Kirlia helps defeat Team Rocket and the Psychic Pokémon and Ghost Pokémon face off! Pikachu tries to shock some sense into them, but it's Brock who figures out the solution. The Psychic Pokémon can party inside Abra's soundproof psychic bubble, and the Ghost Pokémon won't hear a thing! With the town back to normal, our friends can continue on their Battle Frontier journey.

Sweet Baby James

When May's Munchlax gets sick and there's no Pokémon Center nearby, it's a kindly old couple (and their Mime Jr.) to the rescue! They meet May and her friends and offer to help them out. James' Chimecho has gotten sick, too. But he sees a grand manor nearby and takes Chimecho there for help—it's the home of James' beloved Nanny and Pop-Pop, who looked after him when he was a boy. To protect their feelings, James lies about his line of work. And since Nanny and Pop-Pop are the ones who came to May's aid, he needs May and Ash to help cover for him when he finds out they're staying at the house as well! With the help of Nanny and Pop-Pop, Munchlax is well on its way to recovery, but Chimecho is still sick. James is deeply concerned, not to mention very busy trying to keep Jessie and Meowth from eating all the food and stealing all the other Pokémon around the house! The last straw is when Jessie and Meowth try to creep away with Mime Jr. and Munchlax. James catches them and unexpectedly teams up with Ash to put a stop to their shenanigans... and keep Nanny and Pop-Pop from discovering what's really going on. Soon Munchlax is ready to hit the road again, and May and her friends gratefully take their leave. But James is distressed because Chimecho is too weak to travel. He must leave Chimecho with Nanny and Pop-Pop until it fully recuperates, and both Trainer and Pokémon are sad to see each other go. However, Mime Jr. wants to travel with James, so he says his fond farewells and leaves with Jessie, Meowth, and his new Pokémon.

On Olden Pond

Ash and his friends visit a famous fishing spot that looks oddly abandoned. Ash still manages to hook a Crawdaunt, which he challenges with Corphish. But Crawdaunt wins and begins wrecking property until a woman named Tiffany chases it off. Tiffany explains that the lake was busy until a year ago, when Saridakis Industries wanted to fill in the lake and turn it into a spa. Tiffany wouldn't sell out, but Crawdaunt scared off all the fishermen and Pokémon. Naturally, Ash and friends help her out. They track down Crawdaunt, which belongs to Mr. Saridakis himself! Team Rocket is there too, disguised as consultants so they can steal Crawdaunt. Tiffany confronts Saridakis, who says he didn't ask Crawdaunt to ruin the lake. But he'll battle Ash and Corphish tomorrow: if Saridakis wins, he gets the lake! He fell into the lake once when he was a boy and though he somehow survived, he's hated the place ever since. To help Ash train for the battle, Tiffany's Granny Galea challenges him with her Vaporeon. By cleverly using the terrain, her Vaporeon is able to beat Corphish. The next day, Ash also has Corphish use the lake to its advantage while battling Crawdaunt. Except Team Rocket interrupts the match and steals Crawdaunt! Ash and his friends stop them and rescue Crawdaunt, but in the commotion, Saridakis falls into the water. He's saved by none other than Granny and a Dragonair, who saved him back when he a boy, too. Saridakis realizes it'd be wrong to fill in the lake, and things return to the peaceful way they were as Ash continues towards his Battle Frontier destination.

Queen of the Serpentine!

Ash heads for the Battle Pike ahead of his friends, and finds himself at a facility staffed by three suspiciously familiar faces and their Wobbuffet. Ever trusting, Ash challenges their "Pike Queen Lucy" to a battle. In the meantime, the real Battle Pike crew has come to meet the new challenger, and they're displeased when Ash doesn't show. Brock is instantly smitten by Lucy, the real Pike Queen, who comes to the rescue when Team Rocket reveals their fake Battle Pike and tries to run off with Pikachu. She bursts their bubble and defeats Jessie's Seviper with a powerful Seviper of her own. Now the real Battle Pike challenge can start! First, Lucy's Seviper battles Ash's Donphan. Even without using defensive moves, Seviper and its Flamethrower attack are tough to beat! Scott explains that Lucy's style is to forget about defense and just hit as hard as possible, but this strategy works against Lucy when Donphan uses a fiery Rollout to defeat Seviper. Next up is Milotic, who knocks Donphan out with a one-shot Hydro Pump. Pikachu enters the field, only to take the brunt of Milotic's powered-up offense. Ash has to think quickly and figure out how to use Milotic's strength against it, ordering Pikachu to take advantage of Milotic's moves to boost its own attack. This does the trick and knocks Milotic out, earning Ash the Luck Symbol. Ash and his friends are now headed for the Battle Palace and May's next Contest... but before they leave, Brock manages to make a sweet impression on Lucy after all!

Cutting the Ties that Bind!

Ash has arrived at Metallica Island, home of the Battle Palace. He's ready for battle, but Sceptile isn't—its attack moves still aren't working and it runs away in frustration. When Ash follows, they're attacked by a swarm of Beedrill and fall into a river, losing Sceptile's Poké Ball along the way! Pikachu is washed away, but Ash manages to grab Sceptile. Scott finds Ash's friends and tells them this is the time of year when the island's Kakuna evolve, so the Beedrill are extra vigilant—everyone had better grab some Repel and find Ash fast. Elsewhere in the forest, a kind old man and his Venusaur rescue Pikachu and take care of it at their campsite. Scott finds the campsite and introduces Ash's friends to Spenser, head of the Battle Palace! Spenser encourages everyone to take a rest before they resume looking for Ash. Ash and Sceptile continue to search for Pikachu, but the Beedrill chase them to a dead end. Ash is hurt protecting Sceptile, and Pikachu and the others arrive just in time to calm the Beedrill down. Team Rocket then swoops in, snatching Pikachu and Sceptile. Ash tries to stop them from escaping in their balloon, but Jessie's Dustox knocks him off. Seeing this, Sceptile uses its moves to rescue Ash, though the effort leaves it worn out. A little healing from Spenser's Chansey restores Sceptile's strength, and now it can finally send Team Rocket blasting off! With Pikachu found and Sceptile back to normal, Ash challenges Spenser to a battle—after a good night's rest for everyone, of course.

Ka Boom with a View!

Ash's Battle Palace challenge against Spenser is about to begin, and it's going to be one big battle when the island itself is the true battleground! Ash's friends take to the skies in a hot air balloon to watch, and since no regular referee can keep up, a hovering robot called Jamero will keep everyone informed of what's going on. The first battle will be Spenser's Shiftry against Ash's Sceptile, and naturally the pair take to the forest to have their battle. Sceptile, back and better than ever after its recent romantic woes, takes a dunking during the fight but comes back to knock out Shiftry. Next up is Spenser's Venusaur. Ash has brought Heracross in just for this match, although Heracross seems more interested in seeing if Venusaur's flower has anything tasty to eat. Speaking of tasty, after Venusaur's mighty Solarbeam defeats Heracross, Spenser takes time out of the battle for a snack break. After that refreshing pause, Swellow battles Venusaur on the beach, where the sun could prove to be an advantage for Venusaur. But the weather is unpredictable and a cloudy sky is no help for Venusaur's Solarbeam. That gives Swellow an edge that wins it the round, and now it's time for Spenser's Claydol. Claydol is packing a powerful Hyper Beam that knocks Swellow out in short order, so now it's up to Sceptile. Things could be tough when a sudden squall blows through, but the clouds part and this time the sun is shining for Ash! The sunlight helps Sceptile charge up and its Solarbeam finishes the match, winning Ash his fifth Frontier Symbol. Next stop: the Battle Tower!

Curbing the Crimson Tide!

There's big trouble in the big city when Ash and our friends pay a visit—a mysterious talking Pokémon known as Red Lighting has been battling all the Trainers in town, and it acts like a real bully when it wins! May's plans for a nice day out are ruined when Red Lightning humiliates her and her Squirtle, so now our heroes are out to uncover who or what is behind its activities. To catch up with it, our heroes commandeer Team Rocket's balloon and follow Red Lightning back to a huge house. There they meet Red Lightning's owner, a little girl named Luna. Luna isn't about to apologize, so Pikachu battles Red Lightning and the truth is revealed: Red Lightning is a Scizor in disguise! Luna was behind the whole thing, even equipping her Scizor with hidden speakers so she could be its voice. With or without a costume, however, her Scizor is incredibly fast. To keep up with its speed, Ash decides to call on Sceptile. When Scizor ends up on the losing end, Sceptile even saves it from a nasty fall, but Luna is less than grateful. Luna's butler explains that her parents are often away due to work, and that's why she has an attitude that started all the Red Lightning trouble. To help her feel less lonely, May challenges Luna to a real Pokémon battle. Squirtle comes out the victor in its rematch with Scizor, but Luna doesn't mind. She doesn't need to pick on Trainers now that she's experienced a fair Pokémon battle, and she'll be cheering for May as our favorite Pokémon Coordinator heads to the next Contest!

Three Jynx and a Baby!

On their way to the Battle Tower, Ash and his friends come across a stray Smoochum. But before they can get close, they get a very chilly reception from three Jynx who are very protective of Smoochum. Ash is upset at first, but finally realizes it's best to leave them alone. While everyone is distracted, Smoochum wanders back into the forest and finds Team Rocket fighting over food. Even though Smoochum innocently eats their last rice ball, Jessie forgives it when she decides its cute looks are their ticket to a show business fortune! Ash thaws out in town, but then the Jynx arrive looking for Smoochum. They're freezing everything in their path until they find it! With Swellow's help, the Smoochum snatchers are spotted, and our heroes chase them with the Jynx in hot pursuit. Team Rocket fails to fool the Jynx with Meowth, Mime Jr., and a couple of yellow wigs, but Jessie still won't give up "her" Smoochum. She escapes up a utility tower with Ash in hot pursuit, while the Jynx try to put both of them on ice. Team Rocket's getaway balloon is a little too late, and Jessie accidentally drops Smoochum. Ash leaps off the tower to save it, and the Jynx use Psychic to save him. Team Rocket won't give up, so Ash and the Jynx work together to send them on a one-way trip out of town. Now the Jynx understand Ash's good intentions and everything is back to normal, just in time for Smoochum to evolve! The Battle Tower will have to wait until tomorrow—until then it's time for a good night's rest after a busy day.

Talking a Good Game!

As Ash eagerly heads for the Battle Tower and his sixth challenge, he accidentally stirs up a horde of Beedrill who chase him down! Fortunately, he's saved by a stranger who calms down the Beedrill and an upset Gyarados nearby. Just then, Team Rocket makes another Pikachu snatch attempt, but they're stopped by Pikachu and the stranger's Alakazam. Ash's friends catch up to him and everyone is invited back to their new friend's house to dry off. Their new friend is named Anabel, but Ash doesn't stick around long—he has a Battle Tower to get to! Once he gets to the Battle Tower, he discovers that Anabel is in fact the Salon Maiden of the Battle Tower! Ash sends out Corphish against Anabel's Alakazam, but Anabel's uncanny ability to mentally communicate with Pokémon means Ash doesn't even known what commands she's going to give. It doesn't take long for Alazakam to knock out Corphish, so Ash brings out his Tauros, which he had sent over just for this battle. But brute strength won't win the day—Alakazam knocks it out too! Now it's up to Pikachu, but it's confused by Alakazam's Psybeam. To keep Pikachu from hurting itself, Ash throws himself in front of its Volt Tackle, which snaps Pikachu out of its confusion. Pikachu goes on to defeat Alakazam, but Anabel has another heavy hitter lined up: Metagross! Though Pikachu does its best, Metagross has powerful attacks and its Hyper Beam finally knocks Pikachu out. With his Battle Tower challenge ending in defeat, what is Ash going to do now?

Second Time's the Charm!
The Evolutionary War

En route to the ABC Islands, Ash and the gang are passed on the way to Island A by a group of children racing on top Huntail or Gorebyss. It turns out that there is a fierce rivalry between the citizens of Islands B and C: Clamperl evolve into Gorebyss on Island B, while they evolve into Huntail on Island C. The children all attend school on Island A, and fight often during class. At the Pokémon Center they find Professor Birch in a pool. He is studying the different Clamperl Evolutions, and the kids travel with him to a cave on Island C where Clamperl are known to evolve. They are followed by a boy named Keith from Island B. They travel to a similar cave on Island B, followed by Nancy from Island C. When everyone returns to the Pokémon Center on Island A, they find out that Keith actually wants a Huntail and Nancy wants a Gorebyss. After doing some research, Birch reveals that the Evolution is dependent on the items Deepseatooth and Deepseascale, but he doesn't know how. Team Rocket attacks them at the PC, but Keith and Nancy's Clamperl use Water Gun while Pikachu drives them off with Thunderbolt. Professor Birch and the kids return to Island B, where they put a Deepseascale on Nancy's Clamperl. On Island C they put a Deepseatooth on Keith's Clamperl. Neither Pokémon evolves, so Birch beams them to the Pokémon Center for further research. Back at the PC, when the kids take out their Clamperl, both Pokémon evolve: Nancy's into a Gorebyss and Keith's into a Huntail. Team Rocket attacks again, but the newly evolved Pokémon drive them off with Confusion and Screech. The rivalry between Islands B and C ends and the people start trading their Clamperl back and forth to get the evolved Pokémon they want. Ash and friends leave on a ferry for their next destination.

Where's Armaldo?

The kids travel to Wales Island, where both Ash and May have plans to train. May is thrilled when her Bulbasaur learns a new attack—Petal Dance. She shows it off to the others by having Bulbasaur blast through an ocean wave. Max is gathering twigs in the forest when he is surprised by a Cradily. He tells the others but they don't believe him, because Cradily are extinct. Max goes searching by himself, and eventually finds a lab full of Lileep. Ash and the others eventually run into the Cradily, along with a scientist named Annie. She takes them back to the lab, where they are reunited with Max. There, Professor Proctor and Annie explain to the kids that all of the Pokémon there were cloned from fossils. Someday Professor Proctor hopes to make the island a fossil Pokémon amusement park. One of the Anorith at the lab is about to evolve, so they bring it out and watch it become an Armaldo. Team Rocket shows up, and grabs the newly-evolved Armaldo in a net. It blasts them away on its own, but freaks out and starts trashing the lab, running off. The kids try to corral it with their Pokémon, but Armaldo won't be beaten. It heads to the tip of the island to find some fruit that it can eat. There, Team Rocket appears in a giant tank and grabs it again. It can't break out, and none of the other Pokémon's attacks affect the tank. May has her Bulbasaur use Petal Dance on the cliff above the tank which landslides, causing the tank to roll over. Armaldo breaks out, and Bulbasaur and Pikachu destroy the tank, sending Team Rocket blasting away. Armaldo finally reaches the berries, while everyone enjoys the sunset.

A Cacturne for the Worse

The kids are still headed for Izabe Island, where May will compete in her next Pokémon Contest with Bulbasaur. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has just bought a cartload of berries to make PokéBlocks out of. Unfortunately, they aren't a type that PokéBlocks can be made out of. On board the boat, May meets a Trainer named Harley and his Cacturne. He is quickly annoyed by her though, because she doesn't recognize what a Cacturne is, nor does she bestow highest compliments on his cookies! Just prior to the Purika City contest, Max is nowhere to be found, until he runs up alongside Harley. May goes out and impresses the crowd with her Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf and Vine Whip, while Harley's Cacturne stuns the crowd with its lightning-fast Bullet Seed. Both of them progress to the next round. In the next round, Cacturne quickly takes out an Azurill. Harley tells May that her opponent, a Surskit, is slow in battle, so her Bulbasaur moves in close to the Surskit. She is surprised when Surskit's Quick Attack deals a beating to her Bulbasaur—in fact, that Surskit is known for its impressive speed! May eventually recovers enough to claim victory. In the next round, May faces off against Harley, and she's doing well with a strong combo of Vine Whip and Tackle. Just then, a recording plays over the loudspeakers—it's Max, telling an embarrassing story about May to Harley. She is mortified and angry, allowing Cacturne to hit Bulbasaur hard. Ash calls out to May, giving her focus. She combines Petal Dance and Razor Leaf for a beautiful knock-out blow. May wins the ribbon, and the kids head off. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is dreaming of being highly-successful PokéBlock vendors...

Claydol Big and Tall

Ash and friends continue their journey across Izabe Island, where they spot a giant stone Poké Ball atop a cliff. They meet a sage named Sigourney, who tells them the story of the giant ball. Once upon a time, a great destructive power was released, but was sealed inside a giant stone Poké Ball by a powerful sage and left in the lake. Team Rocket overhears this and of course, wants to steal the giant Poké Ball. They show up at the lake and drop bombs on the stone ball, breaking it open. A huge Claydol emerges and headed toward the village, blasting energy that destroys everything in its path. Ash tries to catch it in a regular Poké Ball, but it doesn't work, and neither does attacking it. They realize they need to lure the Claydol toward the other giant stone Poké Ball. Team Rocket wants to help too, though they have their own wicked motives. Sigourney reads from an old book that Claydol likes eggplants, so Ash and James dress up as eggplants to lure the Claydol to the rock. It turns out Claydol actually hates eggplants, and they escape just in time. Next, they try to use beautiful maidens to lure the Pokémon in (also from the book), with May, Jessie, Meowth, and Wobbuffet dressing up. The Claydol ends up chasing Wobbuffet down a crevasse toward the Poké Ball. The kids push the Poké Ball down the hill, where it gets stuck. A combined attack from Mudkip, Lombre, and Pikachu frees it, and the stone ball finally rolls down to Claydol, capturing the giant Pokémon inside. Team Rocket then tries to get away in their balloon with the giant Poké Ball, but it's too heavy and they crash elsewhere. The ball rolls away, ending up in the middle of the lake.

Once in a Mawile

Ash and friends continue their journey across Izabe Island, where they spot a giant stone Poké Ball atop a cliff. They meet a sage named Sigourney, who tells them the story of the giant ball. Once upon a time, a great destructive power was released, but was sealed inside a giant stone Poké Ball by a powerful sage and left in the lake. Team Rocket overhears this and of course, wants to steal the giant Poké Ball. They show up at the lake and drop bombs on the stone ball, breaking it open. A huge Claydol emerges and headed toward the village, blasting energy that destroys everything in its path. Ash tries to catch it in a regular Poké Ball, but it doesn't work, and neither does attacking it. They realize they need to lure the Claydol toward the other giant stone Poké Ball. Team Rocket wants to help too, though they have their own wicked motives. Sigourney reads from an old book that Claydol likes eggplants, so Ash and James dress up as eggplants to lure the Claydol to the rock. It turns out Claydol actually hates eggplants, and they escape just in time. Next, they try to use beautiful maidens to lure the Pokémon in (also from the book), with May, Jessie, Meowth, and Wobbuffet dressing up. The Claydol ends up chasing Wobbuffet down a crevasse toward the Poké Ball. The kids push the Poké Ball down the hill, where it gets stuck. A combined attack from Mudkip, Lombre, and Pikachu frees it, and the stone ball finally rolls down to Claydol, capturing the giant Pokémon inside. Team Rocket then tries to get away in their balloon with the giant Poké Ball, but it's too heavy and they crash elsewhere. The ball rolls away, ending up in the middle of the lake.

Beg, Burrow and Steal

Lost in a desert, Ash and his friends see lots of identical pits in the ground—Trapinch burrows! A young woman named Elisa warns them they're trespassing on hazardous territory: these burrows connect to the many caves of the Trapinch Underground Labyrinth. Enter Hal, a Pokémon researcher and Elisa's old friend. He's being chased by a Donphan, but Elisa's Meganium clams Donphan down. It turns out that Hal once fell into a Trapinch burrow and discovered a lake in the Labyrinth—a lake where Trapinch gather and evolve into Vibrava! Now he's attached a transmitter to a Trapinch so he can find the lake again. Team Rocket appears and seizes Pikachu with their Diglett Supreme machine. But after Brock's Ludicolo breaks it and more Trapinch chew the machine to bits, Team Rocket and Pikachu don't have a leg (or machine) to stand on, and they fall into a burrow! Ash, Elisa, and Trapinch jump in after them, followed by Hal. As Max, Brock, and May wonder what to do, they fall into the burrow themselves and meet Elisa, Ash, and Trapinch. Trapinch wanders away just before the tunnel floods with water, sweeping Ash and his friends into the underground lake where Pikachu is already waiting. Trapinch strolls in, followed by Hal, and a happy reunion follows. Everyone watches a nearby group of Trapinch evolve into Vibrava—until Team Rocket swoops in and nets all the newly-evolved Pokémon. Brock and Elisa use Ludicolo and Meganium to free the trapped Vibrava, who then use Supersonic to deflect Team Rocket's attacks. Pikachu sends Team Rocket blasting off, the Vibrava fly everyone back to the surface, and all's well again as Ash and his friends head for the next town!

Absol-ute Disaster!
Who, What, When, Where, Wynaut?

When Ash and May see Drew training his Masquerain, May can't resist the challenge of a practice match. Beautifly and Masquerain battle it out in a Silver Wind showdown that's interrupted by who else but Team Rocket and their Magikarp submarine! They use a giant vacuum to snatch the Pokémon but accidentally snatch the Trainers as well, and in the confusion, Max bumps the sub's engine switch. The submarine rockets off until it hits an island, sending everyone flying! Now Jessie, James, and Meowth need to find Wobbuffet. Brock, Max, and Ash need to find Drew and May. And Drew and May are found by Roderick, a one-time coordinator who knows the ins and outs of Mirage Island. But when Drew and May try to get a closer look at Mirage Island's famed Liechi Berries, they fall into a river! Wynaut to the rescue! A herd of Wynaut rescue the pair and shelter them in their cave, where they've got plenty of Liechi Berries to eat. Elsewhere, Wobbuffet reunites with Team Rocket, and they're inspired to steal the Liechi Berries from the Wynaut. May is kidnapped when she tries to stop them, but Drew and the Wynaut come running. Roderick and Ash's group realize foul play is afoot and show up just in time to help Drew battle Team Rocket. Team Rocket is no match for teamwork—once Drew and May have their Pokémon perform a perfect double Silver Wind, it's all over! Team Rocket blasts off and Roderick helps everyone off the island. He also gives May a sweet souvenir that will help her in her upcoming contests: a basket of Liechi Berries to make great Pokéblock!

Date Expectations

May and her friends are headed to Pacifidlog Island for the last Pokémon Contest before the Grand Festival. But their boat has engine trouble and the pilot, Carlos, lands on a nearby island. To reach Pacifidlog in time, our heroes must cross the island to the port and take a ferry. But the island is full of Donphan, and it's breeding season—all the male Donphan perform a Roll Out dance of love to impress the females, which can be dangerous for any Trainers who happen to be in the way! Along the way, May and her friends cheer on a Donphan who wants to impress a brown female Donphan. Snorunt's Ice Beam turns the ground into an ice skating rink, and Donphan trips. Ash chases Snorunt, who won't go back into its Poké Ball, but just as he gets it back, the Donphan send everyone running! May and Ash make it to the port as the last ferry is about to leave... and May bravely decides to turn around and look for Max. May's Grand Festival debut will have to wait another year, but everyone is reunited, along with their Donphan friend and the brown Donphan. Donphan does a dance of love that wins her heart, but Team Rocket shows up and captures them both. May, fed up with Team Rocket's constant schemes, calls on her Pokémon to free the Donphan and stop Team Rocket. Once the Donphan are freed, they Roll Out together and Team Rocket blasts off yet again. Carlos finds May and her friends sadly standing at the port. His boat is fixed, and he takes them to Pacifidlog. Now it's up to May to win her fifth ribbon!

Island Time

Ash is ready to board the ferry to Ever Grande City when May comes running up—she's won four plane tickets to Ever Grande! Except once the kids are onboard, the flight crew turns out to be Team Rocket in disguise, and the plane is headed for Team Rocket headquarters! Now if only Team Rocket had thought to fill up the fuel tank first... Out of fuel, the plane makes an emergency landing on an island in the middle of the ocean. As Ash and his friends exit the plane, they meet Robin, a traveling salesman who's been stranded on the island for ages. Luckily, he also made a Wailmer friend to help him out! But Wailmer wasn't strong enough to carry Robin past the whirlpools that surround Wailmer Island, as Robin now calls it. Team Rocket tries to swim for it themselves, and find out firsthand how dangerous the whirlpools are! Brock realizes that with help from their Pokémon, the group can convert the airplane to a ship. Once the ship is finished, Team Rocket grabs Pikachu and steals the ship, but once again they've forgotten about the need for fuel. The ship ends up wrecked in a whirlpool, and Wailmer helps Ash save Pikachu just in time. Together, Wailmer and Pikachu stop Team Rocket, and Wailmer evolves into a huge Wailord! Now Wailord is strong enough to carry Robin, Ash, and his friends through the whirlpools and safely back to the ferry. But Robin, who realizes he never truly enjoyed his job in the city, decides to return to Wailmer Island with Wailord and live life to the fullest. As he departs, Ash and company turn their sights towards Ever Grande and the Hoenn League competition two weeks away!

On Cloud Arcanine

May and Ash are waiting on line outside a popular bakery when an Arcanine runs past. May wants to catch it, but she sees that Drew is chasing it too! Thanks to Extremespeed, Arcanine easily escapes. May catches up to it while it's eating and sends out Combusken, but Arcanine outruns her Pokémon. So Ash and his friends stop to ask a woodsman about Arcanine, and he points them to locations where it sometimes appears—but he also told Drew the same information about an hour ago. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has been fired from the bakery for eating the merchandise, and a combination of Wobbuffet and hunger leads them to a Pecha grove. Ash and his friends are waiting in the grove; when Arcanine shows up, they send it towards May and Squirtle. Arcanine uses Roar on Squirtle, and May sends out Munchlax to use Metronome. Metronome gives Munchlax Extremespeed, speed it uses to eat all the Pecha berries. By the time Team Rocket arrives, the trees have been picked clean! They do spot Arcanine, however, and decide to nab it for the boss. May and Drew again run into each other on a high ledge and see Arcanine run off again. Irate, May challenges Drew to see who gets Arcanine, and Drew's Flygon quickly defeats May's Squirtle. Both Coordinators chase after Arcanine anyway, only to find it feeding Pecha berries to its young Growlithe. Team Rocket kidnaps Arcanine and the Growlithe, but Drew and May team up to free them and defeat Team Rocket. May and Drew then decide not to break up Arcanine's family, and they let it go on its way. Drew goes on his way too, but not before he tells May to try the Pokémon Contest in Saffron City. Excited, our heroes set their sights on their next destination!

Sitting Psyduck

A Psyduck is frantically running from a Machop, Machoke, and Machamp when it hurls headlong into Ash and friends, on their way to the Pokémon Contest in Saffron City. Ash sends out Phanpy, who drives off the three Superpower Pokémon. Brock feeds the Psyduck, who makes fast friends with Phanpy and Pikachu. Meanwhile, the Superpower Pokémon trio returns to their Trainer, a rich girl named Emily who orders them not to return unless they have Psyduck in tow. They dutifully head out again. The kids and Psyduck walk along until they reach a hill where a disguised Team Rocket coerces them into trying out "grass-sledding." But as they're coasting down the grassy hill, Jessie activates a trap that sends the kids barreling around like pinballs and then Meowth catches Psyduck and Phanpy in a net. Team Rocket begins to escape with the two Pokémon using their balloon, but Machop, Machoke, and Machamp show up just in time to pull them back down. Team Rocket is sent blasting off, and Emily arrives to take her Psyduck home. Back at Emily's mansion, everyone notices that despite the posh surroundings, Psyduck is not happy there. Ash and May have a practice battle on the grounds, and they find out that Emily never lets Psyduck battle. Brock speculates that it's lonely. Team Rocket shows up again, and this time Psyduck eagerly steps up to the plate to drive them off. Emily doesn't know how to battle, so Max gives her some advice. Psyduck holds its own against Cacnea, Seviper, and Meowth, just before Pikachu sends the thieves off with Thunderbolt. Emily realizes that she needs to bond with her Pokémon more, and considers going on her own Pokémon journey as the kids resume their own travels.

Hail to the Chef!

Chasing after a hungry Munchlax, Ash and his friends end up at Rhonda's, a restaurant run by a girl named Rhonda with Mr. Mime as its head chef. Team Rocket stumbles across another restaurant, Rhoda's, run by a girl named Rhoda with Sneasel as its head chef. Meowth quickly takes a disliking to Sneasel, but Jessie and James want it for Team Rocket. Back at Rhonda's, Mr. Mime puts on a fantastic show for Ash and company, but the food is terrible. Over at Rhoda's, Sneasel's food looks terrible, but it tastes fantastic—except for Meowth's, because Sneasel purposely made him a horrible meal. The two start to fight, breaking through the restaurant wall and right into Rhonda's. Rhonda and Rhoda are actually twin sisters who split up the family restaurant; Rhoda accuses Rhonda, and they challenge each other to see who deserves to run the place. Team Rocket coaches Sneasel while Brock advises Mr. Mime, and after a night's practice it's time to allez cuisine! Mr. Mime's presentation is great, but now Sneasel also puts on a show. It looks like a close battle until Team Rocket steals the chefs and Pikachu too! Team Rocket hops in their balloon to make a getaway, but Rhonda tells Mr. Mime to use Trick and Psychic. This frees all three Pokémon, who head home and send Team Rocket packing along the way. Impressed, Rhoda leaves the restaurant to Rhonda. But Rhonda makes Rhoda co-manager and Sneasel the head chef; with everyone working together, the restaurant is now better than ever! And after a wonderful meal, Ash and his friends can happily continue on their way.

Caterpie's Big Dilemma

On their way to Saffron City, Ash and his friends encounter a Caterpie and its Trainer-in-training, Xander, who mistakes them for lab robbers. Fortunately, Dr. Gordon, the lab owner and Xander's teacher, shows up and things are sorted out. The kids visit Dr. Gordon's lab, where he makes all kinds of strange inventions. Of course, Team Rocket wants to steal them all! Caterpie helps catch them in the act, but in the process, Dr. Gordon's briefcase opens and blue candies roll out. Caterpie eats some and grows until it's big enough to send Team Rocket blasting off. The Mystery Candy Complete keeps Caterpie growing until it's bigger than a building! The giant Caterpie heads into town as people flee in a panic. Climbing the local radio tower, it then evolves into Metapod. Elsewhere, Team Rocket discovers that Wobbuffet stole some Mystery Candy too, so they head back into town and kidnap Dr. Gordon. The Candy makes Dustox and Cacnea huge—Dustox is so big that Team Rocket hops on its back and flies away with Dr. Gordon! Metapod evolves into a giant Butterfree just in time for Ash and Xander to give chase. After some aerial maneuvers, Dustox suddenly shrinks back to normal size. Butterfree catches it but Team Rocket plummets into a pond. No sooner do they emerge than Officer Jenny arrives with Ash's friends, and when Team Rocket puts up a fight, Pikachu and Butterfree send them on their way once more. Eventually Butterfree returns to normal size too, and Ash says farewell to Xander and his newly-evolved friend—as well as Dr. Gordon, who's now more enthusiastic about his inventions than ever!

The Saffron Con

May and friends arrive in Saffron City, where May is so excited about the upcoming Pokémon Contest that she heads straight for the Contest Hall. She sees people going in to check out the hall, so she goes inside too. On stage is a woman who looks suspiciously like Vivian from the Hoenn region, practicing with an Espeon. May's Squirtle gets so excited that it runs on stage. It turns out that the woman is actually Lillian, Vivian's younger sister. May takes her Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for a check-up, and is surprised to meet Nurse Joy's new assistant—Harley! Harley is overwhelmingly nice to May, and even tells her that she can switch Pokémon during the contest, which turns out to be true. Harley also tells her that she can register with her Hoenn Contest Pass until 11 the next day—which isn't true. But May believes him since he was telling the truth before. Meanwhile, a disguised Jessie registers for the Pokémon Contest, and asks James if she can borrow Cacnea. But when Jessie tries to form a bond with Cacnea, it ends up getting stuck in her hair and James and Meowth rush her to the Pokémon Center. At the PC, they get the idea to steal everyone else's Pokémon so Jessie can win by default. May and Ash begin to battle outside when James and Meowth fly over in their balloon and start snatching Pokémon. May ends up teaming up with Harley to free the Pokémon, and even more unexpected help comes from Squirtle, who uses a newly-learned Ice Beam to send the thieves blasting off. When May finally goes to register, she turns out to be too late. Luckily, Lillian happens to be walking by, and after hearing mention of May's heroics, the attendant lets her register for the contest.

A Hurdle for Squirtle

The contest in Saffron City is about to begin! Harley ends up apologizing to May, but it rings hollow given his history of hating May. He goes first, and really impresses the crowd with his Cacturne's combination of Cotton Spore and Needle Arm. A disguised Jessie comes up to the stage, impressing and horrifying the crowd when she embraces James' Cacnea, followed by a firework-laden Pin Missile. May brings Combusken up, performing a great combination of Fire Spin and Sky Uppercut. All three of them make it to the next round. Jessie and Harley are opponents next, and Jessie's strategy is to send in Wobbuffet knowing that its defensive moves could knock out Harley's Ariados. Harley is quite aware of this, and orders his Pokémon to do nothing. Frustrated and annoyed, Lillian issues them yellow cards, knocking down their points. Harley finally strikes, using String Shot to tie up Wobbuffet and move it like a helpless puppet. Eventually Wobbuffet is thrown in the air and knocked out of battle. May makes through her next battle fine, and faces Harley in the finals. May has elected to use Squirtle, and the little Pokémon has a rough start, especially when it uses an Ice Beam that is too strong for it! Harley tries String Shot again, stringing up Squirtle near the ceiling. Ariados then uses Spider Web to cover the entire stage. May orders Squirtle to use Ice Beam again, which frees it from the Spider Web and freezes the stage—and Ariados! With the Bug-and-Poison-type out of the way, May wins the Saffron Ribbon. May is thrilled, and Ash is hyped for his next Frontier battle.

Pasta La Vista

Before they leave Saffron City, the kids have different things they want to check out. May and Brock want to try some awesome noodles. Ash and Max want to check out a Fighting-type Pokémon dojo. Unable to fully agree, the two groups split up. May and Brock arrive at the noodle place only to see the chef, Kyle, being dragged away by a girl named Terri. May, desperate for food, follows them with Brock. Meanwhile, Team Rocket have come up with their own noodle cart scheme, but abandon it when they see Ash and Max headed for the dojo. At the dojo, Ash and Max are quickly drafted by Master Hamm into being students at the dojo, even though they just wanted a demonstration. Terri happens to drag Kyle in while Ash, Max, and Pikachu are cleaning the dojo's floors. After May and Brock arrive, it is finally explained that Kyle is the son of Master Hamm, and that Hamm wants Kyle to take over the dojo. Kyle would rather make noodles. Unwilling to compromise, they decide to have a Pokémon battle to sort it out. Master Hamm's back gives out as they start, so Ash offers to take his place. Kyle doesn't like this, so May takes Kyle's place. Ash and May both practice, using Master Hamm and Kyle's Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. They soon begin a formal battle, but are interrupted by Team Rocket, determined to steal the Fighting-type Pokémon. Terri steps in with her Hitmontop, freeing Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan just before Pikachu sends Team Rocket blasting off. Everyone is disappointed that the battle wasn't finished, and Kyle admits he's been trying to make noodles as good as his father's all along. Terri offers to take over the dojo, since it happens that managing a dojo like that was her dream. It turns out that Master Hamm's dream was to sell noodles from a cart. In the end, everyone gets what they want, including May, who gets to try some delicious noodles made by Master Hamm!

Let Bagons Be Bagons

Ash and friends are headed to Fallarbor Town when they are nearly hit by a Bagon jumping off a cliff. Ash sends out Taillow to attack the Bagon, but a girl named Michelle leaps out to accuse them of launching a sneak attack. After learning Bagon was at fault, Michelle apologizes and explains that her Bagon is trying to learn how to fly. Ash challenges Michelle to a battle so Bagon can get more experience so it will evolve into Shelgon and then Salamence (which can fly). With Michelle using her special computerized glasses to guide Bagon, Pikachu takes a real beating from Bagon's Skull Bash attack. The battle is interrupted by the arrival of Team Rocket in a helicopter. Meowth swoops down wearing a jetpack and grabs Bagon. Treecko hits the helicopter with Bullet Seed, causing Team Rocket to drop the remote control for the jetpack. Ash and the others run to find Bagon. Ash tells Michelle that she needs to encourage Bagon more so it can evolve. Team Rocket meets up with Meowth and Bagon, discovering that Bagon is thrilled because it got to fly (using the jetpack). Ash and the others catch up, and Pikachu hits Team Rocket hard with Quick Attack. But Team Rocket captures Pikachu, flying off in their helicopter. Bagon and Treecko use the jetpack to follow Team Rocket and attack the helicopter, freeing Pikachu. Pikachu zaps the helicopter, sending Team Rocket blasting off again. Bagon, Treecko, and Pikachu ride through the sky on the jetpack, and when they land, Bagon evolves into Shelgon!

The Princess and the Togepi

Ash and friends welcome an old friend—Misty! She's received an invitation to a Togepi Festival, and is soon greeted by Team Rocket disguised as the operating committee for the festival. They escort Misty and Togepi inside a large building, which turns out to be a concealed zeppelin. Ash and friends climb aboard before takeoff, and the aircraft makes its way to the Mirage Kingdom. Misty leaves the zeppelin and is met by Colonel Hansen, who demands that she turn over Togepi. Ash and Brock step forward to protect her, sending out Mudkip and Pikachu. Misty, May, and Max flee while Pikachu and Mudkip battle Colonel Hansen's two Ninjask. Colonel Hansen's Shedinja catches up with Misty, who sends out her Corsola. During the battle, Togepi is blasted away and found unconscious in a stream by the princess of the Mirage Kingdom. A servant tells the king that the princess has finally found a Togepi, and they all gather in the princess' quarters to look at it. Misty arrives and demands the return of her Togepi. The princess and the servant explain that Togepi are worshipped in the Mirage Kingdom, and in order to become ruler, the princess must have one in her possession for the coronation ceremony. Colonel Hansen wants the throne for himself, which is why he tried to steal Misty's Togepi. The princess decides to send Misty and friends home with Togepi. As the gang are about to board the zeppelin, a mirror image of the temple appears in the sky. Togepi begins to glow and float toward it. Colonel Hansen arrives with Team Rocket, and his Shedinja attacks the group using Solar Beam, which Pikachu attempts to block with Thundershock.

A Togepi Mirage!

Shedinja attacks Misty and friends, but they are protected by Togepi using Safeguard. Everyone is then transported into the Togepi Paradise, located inside the mirage floating above the temple. There they find a group of sick Togepi. It is explained that Togepi are only well based on the emotions of those around them, and the evil plotting of Colonel Hansen is making them sick. Colonel Hansen tries to break into the Togepi Paradise, and Misty's Togepi travels back to try and stop him. Instead Togepi is knocked out by Hansen's Shedinja and Ninjask. Misty and everyone else are transported back to the Mirage Kingdom. Back at the palace Hansen claims the throne, and has the king imprisoned. He kicks Team Rocket out. A ceremony begins in which Hansen is declared king. Outside, Team Rocket disguise themselves as fortune tellers to tell Brock where the king is being held. Ash, May, Misty, and Princess Sara confront Hansen at the palace, but Torchic and Pikachu are no match for Ninjask and Shedinja. The other Togepi suddenly emerge from the Togepi Paradise and and channel their energy into Misty's Togepi, using Safeguard to protect everyone. Misty's Togepi evolves into a Togetic. Misty throws out her Gyarados and uses Flamethrower to roast all of Colonel Hansen's Pokémon. The king arrives and has Hansen arrested. Togetic decides to stay and protect the Togepi Paradise. All of the Togepi leave, except for one who jumps into Sara's arms. With that Togepi, the princess can now claim the Mirage Kingdom throne. Everyone bids Misty goodbye as she heads back to Cerulean City aboard a zeppelin.

Candid Camerupt!

Ash and his friends are walking through the desert when they pass out because of the heat. They are rescued by the Winstrate Family, who in return for the hospitality offered, want to have a Pokémon battle between the four Winstrates and all four of the kids. Team Rocket also faints in the desert, where they are discovered by Vito Winstrate. He left home a while ago to battle in the Pokémon League, but he'd rather just raise Pokémon. His family is very proud of him going off to the League, and he's afraid of them finding out the truth. James offers to help him talk to his family. The battle begins back at the Winstrate residence. Brock uses his Mudkip against Victor Winstrate's Zigzagoon, but is knocked out by a surprise Thunderbolt attack. May takes out Victoria's Roselia with her Beautifly. Max doesn't have any Pokémon yet, so he borrows Ash's Corphish and easily knocks down Vivi's Marill, breaking the little girl's heart. Ash takes on Grandma with Pikachu. The battle is close until her Camerupt uses Eruption and begins to chase Pikachu everywhere. Camerupt gets confused and charges the Winstrate's house instead. Vito and Team Rocket are watching the whole thing, so Vito secretly has his Alakazam start a rainstorm to calm Camerupt down. Team Rocket tries to steal Pikachu but Vito uses his Pokémon to stop them. Grandma Winstrate realizes that Vito is helping them and never went to the Pokémon League. She announces that it's okay for Vito to choose his own path. Vito leaves the Winstrate farm, to become the best he can be at raising Pokémon.

Game Winning Assist

Ash and friends are fleeing a group of rampaging Slugma along the Fiery Path, when they escape down a hill and end up on a Numel ranch. They are greeted by the owner Julie and her Furret. Brock and Max offer to help with the chores on the ranch while Julie and May have a Pokémon battle. May looks up attacks in her Pokédex, and orders Skitty to use the move Assist against Julie's Furret. To May's surprise, Skitty uses Ember, then Silver Wind. Julie defeats May in the battle, and explains that the move Assist allows a Pokémon to use any of the moves known by their Trainer's other Pokémon. That night, while everyone is sleeping, Team Rocket shows up in a robotic Numel to steal the sleeping Numel. The kids wake up, and try to stop them. May and Skitty are captured by the robot. Inside the robot, Skitty wakes up the still-sleeping Numel and they try to escape. Team Rocket activates internal sprinklers to prevent the Numel from using their Ember attacks. Skitty uses Assist to recharge, and the Numel burn through the robot's shell to break free. Ash and friends are fleeing a group of rampaging Slugma along the Fiery Path, when they escape down a hill and end up on a Numel ranch. They are greeted by the owner Julie and her Furret. Brock and Max offer to help with the chores on the ranch while Julie and May have a Pokémon battle. May looks up attacks in her Pokédex, and orders Skitty to use the move Assist against Julie's Furret. To May's surprise, Skitty uses Ember, then Silver Wind. Julie defeats May in the battle, and explains that the move Assist allows a Pokémon to use any of the moves known by their Trainer's other Pokémon. That night, while everyone is sleeping, Team Rocket shows up in a robotic Numel to steal the sleeping Numel. The kids wake up, and try to stop them. May and Skitty are captured by the robot. Inside the robot, Skitty wakes up the still-sleeping Numel and they try to escape. Team Rocket activates internal sprinklers to pr...

Disguise Da Limit

Timmy (aka "Phantom") arrives late to register for the Pokémon Contest, because his mother gave him lots of homework to do. His father let him go, and confronts the mother when she comes to check on Timmy. Jessie is competing under an alias in the Contest, and her Dustox takes the lead in the first round. May's Skitty fails to do a Blizzard attack, losing points and putting May behind. May still progresses to the second round. In the second round May quickly dispatches her opponent, while Phantom beats Jessie in a tough battle. Jessie's disguise is blown off, and after losing she decides to try to steal Phantom's Dusclops instead. Pikachu sends them flying with Thunderbolt, also ripping off Timmy's mask. Meanwhile, Timmy's father talks to his wife and brings up the fact that she only hates Pokémon because her parents took her beloved Poochyena away from her when she was a child. She relents and decides to cheer Timmy on at the Contest. May and Timmy face off in the final round, and Skitty isn't doing so well until May instructs it to use Assist. Skitty quickly catches up and beats Dusclops. Timmy's mother encourages him to continue competing. Jessie is competing under an alias in the Contest, and her Dustox takes the lead in the first round. May's Skitty fails to do a Blizzard attack, losing points and putting May behind. May still progresses to the second round. In the second round May quickly dispatches her opponent, while Phantom beats Jessie in a tough battle. Jessie's disguise is blown off, and after losing she decides to try to steal Phantom's Dusclops instead. Pikachu sends them flying with Thunderbolt, also ripping off Timmy's mask. Meanwhile, Timmy's father talks to his wife and brings up the fact that she only hates Pokémon because her parents took her beloved Poochyena away from her when she was a child. She relents and decides to cheer Timmy on at the Contest. May and Timmy face off in the final round, and Skitty isn't doin...

That's Just Swellow

Outside Crossgate Town, the kids meet a Trainer named Shane and his Swablu. He is practicing for the PokéRinger competition, a contest where flying Pokémon battle in the sky to capture a ring and place it on the goal post. Ash and May both sign up with Taillow and Beautifly. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has also arrived in town. As a child, James received training from a champion PokéRinger, and decides to enter the competition as well. The competitors are matched up into three separate groups of four. In the first group, Shane and his Swablu use the wind to their advantage and win the round. Ash faces the previous PokéRinger champion in the next group, but knocks out his Volbeat to win. In the last group, May and James face off against each other, but Dustox (borrowed from Jessie) scores the goal. In the next round, Ash's Taillow faces off against a Skarmory and wins easily. Shane goes up against James, but his Swablu gets blinded by the sun, giving Dustox a chance to score. While the competition is going on, Jessie and Meowth have been tricking Trainers into leaving their Pokémon behind for a special "relaxing" treatment. They trap the Pokémon into a net and prepare to run. Meowth tries to order James to leave with them, but James refuses. Ash and James begin the final round, but they are interrupted by a freak tornado in the middle of the field that blocks their path to the ring. Ash sends Taillow into the swirling wind, and its determination causes it to evolve into Swellow. Swellow snags the ring and leaves the tornado, with Dustox on its tail. Swellow punts the ring onto the goal, and James is dragged away sobbing by Team Rocket. Swellow frees the stolen Pokémon, and then Pikachu sends Team Rocket blasting off with Thunderbolt. Ash attends the award ceremony, where his picture is displayed alongside the previous PokéRinger champions.

Sharpedo Attack!

Ash and company are sailing toward Dewford Town, thanks to their new friends Mr. Briney and his Wingull, Peeko. Mr. Briney stops at a small island so that Max and May can enjoy a swim while everyone else and their Pokémon relaxes and soaks up the sun. All the while, Team Rocket is tailing the happy sea goers underwater in their Magikarp sub. Team Rocket is not the only thing following our heroes, though. A dark shadow is following the boat as it turns towards the island. When they get closer to the island, May and Max dive in the water and begin swimming and splashing around. Suddenly Ash and Brock hear May and Max scream. The boat is surrounded by a group of Sharpedo! Ash and Mr. Briney send Peeko and Taillow to help Max and May. Both Max and May were hurt by the rough skin of the Sharpedo. Pikachu uses its Thunderbolt attack to ward off the Sharpedo long enough for Mr. Briney to dock the boat on the island. While Ash and company set up camp for the night, Team Rocket surfaces, complaining of hunger. The Sharpedo begin attacking their sub and Jessie sends Seviper after them. After one successful strike, the Sharpedo retaliate and send Team Rocket blasting away. The following morning, Ash tries to lure the group of Sharpedo away from the island, but the leader is not tricked. Brock challenges the leader using his Lotad and wins after just two attacks. Brock realizes the Sharpedo is poisoned and begins nursing it back to health, only to discover that it was Jessie's Seviper that poisoned it. Team Rocket attempts to steal Pikachu again, but is warded off by the gang's new found group of Sharpedo friends. The episode ends with everyone swimming happily with the group of Sharpedo, which, they discover, only have rough skin when threatened or are around enemies. Now it's off to Dewford to compete for a second Hoenn badge!

Brave the Wave

Ash charges out in the early morning, ready to challenge the Dewford Gym. He's followed by Max, May, and Brock who are all still wiping the sleep out of their eyes. Upon arriving at the door to the Gym, Ash is bowled over by a group of energetic surfers charging out of the door. The surfers are followed by a man who apologizes for the commotion and turns out to be none other than Brawly, the Dewford Gym Leader. Ash instantly asks for a match, but Brawly has plans to go surfing. Ash is irritated that Brawly won't accept the challenge, but he, May, Max, and Brock end up following Brawly and his surfer friends to the beach—much to his dismay. At the beach, Team Rocket is happily running a snack stand and they modify their motto to suit the service industry atmosphere. Of course, they see Ash and his friends arriving at the beach and begin devising a plot to steal Pikachu; although James is content to continue selling their frosty beverages. Brawly and his Makuhita begin surfing the waves. Ash charges out in the early morning, ready to challenge the Dewford Gym. He's followed by Max, May, and Brock who are all still wiping the sleep out of their eyes. Upon arriving at the door to the Gym, Ash is bowled over by a group of energetic surfers charging out of the door. The surfers are followed by a man who apologizes for the commotion and turns out to be none other than Brawly, the Dewford Gym Leader. Ash instantly asks for a match, but Brawly has plans to go surfing. Ash is irritated that Brawly won't accept the challenge, but he, May, Max, and Brock end up following Brawly and his surfer friends to the beach—much to his dismay. At the beach, Team Rocket is happily running a snack stand and they modify their motto to suit the service industry atmosphere. Of course, they see Ash and his friends arriving at the beach and begin devising a plot to steal Pikachu; although James is content to continue selling their frosty beverages. Brawly and his Makuhita...

Which Wurmple's Which?

Everyone is getting up and getting ready for breakfast, but Ash is nowhere in sight. He is found outside the Pokémon Center, anxiously awaiting news on his Treecko. After breakfast, Ash and company head out to Granite Cave because they heard one of the elite Trainers is there. On their way, they pass an old man who says that this is the ultimate fishing spot where rare and unusual water Pokémon can be caught. The man then offers them some fishing poles to find out for themselves. What our heroes aren't aware of is that the old man is actually James and the other two Team Rocket hooligans are hiding in the bushes. After some time, May catches an Octillery. She tries to battle it with her Wurmple, but fails and the Octillery jumps back into the water. Ash has the same luck with the Corphish he caught. Throughout all this, Team Rocket is hiding in the water in their Magikarp sub, waiting for someone to snag their sub so that they can pull everyone, Poké Balls and all, into the water. May is the unlucky candidate, but instead of Team Rocket pulling her down, Ash, Max, Brock, and May pull them up and out of the water. After reciting their motto, Team Rocket jumps onto the shore and tries to steal all the Pokémon. When May defends her Wurmple, Jessie says she doesn't want May's Wurmple because Jessie's is better. A fight between the girls ensues over which one is better. Max concludes that the Wurmples are about the same. James tries to steal the Pokémon again and in the resulting confusion, the Wurmples get mixed up. Later, May realizes what happened when her Wurmple won't go back into its ball. Ash's Taillow helps the gang find Team Rocket to make the trade. When May and Jessie move to trade back, Jessie takes both Wurmples and tries to escape in Team Rocket's balloon. Ash sends Taillow to pop the balloon and a Pokémon battle results. The episode ends with May happily feeding her Wurmple.

A Corphish Out of Water

Everyone is relaxing on the beach as the episode opens. Ash is taking care of his Poké Balls and May is worrying about why her Wurmple isn't eating. Corphish, Ash's new Pokémon, is nibbling on some seaweed and starts to eat some rope before Ash can stop it. Team Rocket appears and snatches Pikachu. Wurmple uses String Shot to try and stop their balloon while Ash and company pull on the string to stop Team Rocket's escape. When Corphish tries to help, though, it snaps the string with its claws. Ash and the gang hunt down the balloon and a fight ensues between the two groups to regain Pikachu. After Pikachu is back in Ash's arms, May and Jessie begin to argue (again) about whose Wurmple is better. To everyone's surprise, both Wurmple evolve. May's evolves into a Silcoon and Jessie's evolves into a Cascoon. Jessie thinks that hers is also a Silcoon, though. After another failed attempt at trying to catch Pikachu, Team Rocket is sent blasting off again. Corphish faints at this point and Ash realizes he has to rush it to the nearest Pokémon Center. Along the way, he must cross a large river guarded by a school of aggressive Carvanha. Seeing no other way to cross and with Corphish's condition worsening, Ash decides to wade across the river with his Pokémon just barely keeping the Carvanha at bay. While all this is going on, Max, May, Brock, and the rest of their Pokémon hear an Aron down the beach. They go to inspect the noise and end up trapped in a cage by Team Rocket. Team Rocket only has a moment to be upset about Pikachu not being in the cage before they fall into their own trap. Taillow, the only one not to get trapped, takes a tape-recorded message to Ash. Ash, with Nurse Joy's help, hurries back just in time to send Corphish to free his friends before the tide comes in and immerses the cages in water. Team Rocket fails again at catching Pikachu and everyone happily thanks Corphish for its help.

A Mudkip Mission

As our heroes set out on their journey again, they encounter a waterfall. Brock ties a rope to a rock and, with Lotad's help, wraps it on a branch above the waterfall. After Brock helps everyone up the rope, they discover a lake filled with Mudkip. Brock notices a baby being washed away in the current and sends Lotad to help. Lotad gets caught as well and a larger Mudkip jumps in and saves them both. At this point an older man comes out, afraid that Ash and company are trying to steal the Mudkip. They explained what happened and are invited in for lunch. The man explains that he takes care of and raises the Mudkip in the lake. He even shows them a baby Mudkip hatching out of an egg. He explains that while most Mudkip leave to explore the world, the larger one stayed to protect the babies. Throughout lunch, Team Rocket is debating whether or not to enter the lake area. They of course, do so, knocking over some cans that the caretaker had set up as sort of a security system. The man hears the noise and goes to inspect what is going on. Team Rocket destroys the dam so that the Mudkip are washed away and they can catch them easier. Brock uses his Pokémon to save the Mudkip. The larger Mudkip jumps in the water to rescue a baby that was being washed away, only to get caught in the current itself. It clings to a rock on the side of the water fall and finally agrees to let Brock rescue it. Team Rocket arrives again, this time in a robot with scoops for hands, which they use to capture the baby Mudkip. Brock tells Lotad and Mudkip to use Water Gun at the base of the robot, which creates a mud pit and sinks Team Rocket. Pikachu then sends Team Rocket on their way. The show ends with the large Mudkip deciding to leave the lake with Brock.

Turning Over a Nuzleaf

Ash and the gang begin to head back through Granite Cave so Ash can have a re-match with Brawly. Along the way, Corphish startles the same Loudred that the group ran into before. While fleeing from the Loudred, Ash, Brock, Max, and May get separated from their Pokémon. Pikachu, Silcoon, Corphish, Treecko, Mudkip, Torchic, and Lotad end up falling into a river and landing at the bottom of a waterfall. Treecko and Corphish almost get in a fight, but are stopped by Mudkip and Pikachu. The Pokémon set off to find their owners. Throughout all this, Team Rocket ends up lost in the same cave and startles the same Loudred, which sends them blasting off again. While the Pokémon are trying to find their way back, they encounter a mischievous Nuzleaf. Corphish slashes its leaf and Nuzleaf retaliates by making a very loud noise. The Pokémon soon find out that the Nuzleaf was actually calling its friends who slowly capture and cage all the Pokémon except for Pikachu and Mudkip. Pikachu and Mudkip try to reason with the Nuzleaf group, but to no avail. Team Rocket appears again and, after observing all this, decides to capture all the Pokémon, including the Nuzleaf. Meanwhile Taillow is searching for the lost Pokémon and reports back to Ash and the gang when it sees them. Team Rocket captures the Pokémon using their balloon, but Ash and everyone arrive just in time to thwart their plans. Ash rescues the Nuzleaf group, who then hold a net for Ash to fall into from the balloon. Team Rocket is sent on their way by Corphish and Treecko teaming up. The episode ends with all the Pokémon happily playing with one another and their new Nuzleaf friends.

A Three Team Scheme!

The episode opens up with Brock helping Ash and his team train on the beach. They soon discover that Professor Birch is in the area doing research on Wingull. Professor Birch offers for Ash and the gang to join him in his research. They agree and soon come across a hidden doorway. They discover it is unlocked and it turns out to be someone's Secret Base. The owner of the base arrives and kicks them all out. They rush away before the boy's Nincada can attack them. Team Rocket sees all this and after Ash and company leave, they force the boy out of his base and claim both the base and his Nincada as their own. They contact their boss to gloat about their accomplishment only to be told that they should be doing a lot more. Outside, our heroes run into the boy again. The gang introduces themselves, and find out the boy's name is Keanu. They listen to his story and convince him, with their help, to go back and reclaim his base. In the meantime, some Team Magma grunts were dropped off nearby via helicopter and some Team Aqua grunts are somewhere near in a submarine. The Team Magma grunts reach the base and claim it for themselves using their Mightyena. Team Rocket then rushes from the base and the Magma grunts begin to drill. Eventually, the drilling leads to a secret cavern with some sort of shrine in it. Team Rocket is spying on them at this point, hoping to steal whatever it is Team Magma finds. Team Aqua suddenly arrives and a short battle and argument ensues between the rivals. Their bosses call them both back, claiming to have all the needed information. Team Rocket is marveling at how big their new base is when Ash and Keanu slide down a rope made by May's Silcoon to reclaim the base. Team Rocket is defeated again and the show ends with Keanu and Ash shaking hands as friends.

Seeing is Believing!

Ash, May and Brock show off their Pokémon to Professor Birch who compliments them all. The group begins walking toward a forest where they discover three Seedot that seem to be very unhappy. After Birch explains how to make friends with the Seedot, which involves rubbing them with leaves and rolling on the ground with them, the group tries to put the Seedot back into the trees. The trees seem to be too dry for the Seedot, so the gang decides to help them. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is devising a plan to capture the Seedot. Jessie is gushing over how wonderful it's going to be when her Silcoon (which is actually a Cascoon) evolves into a Beautifly. James and Meowth shudder at the impending doom. Team Rocket meets up with the group and attacks them, trying to capture the Seedot. May then uses her Silcoon to attack Jessie's Cascoon. May's Silcoon then begins to glow and evolves into a Beautifly! May is overjoyed with her new Pokémon. Corphish sends Team Rocket blasting off again with its Crab Hammer attack. Jessie vows to make her Cascoon evolve. After trying to pit it against their own Pokémon, Team Rocket hunts down Ash and company to challenge them again. Jessie attacks May's Beautifly with her Cascoon and it begins to glow. Meowth and James try to hide the newly evolved Dustox, but Jessie pushes them out of the way. She shocks everyone by being ecstatic by her new Dustox because she thinks is looks so much more powerful than Beautifly. After more fighting, Corphish send Team Rocket on their way again and Ash and the gang part ways with Professor Birch.

Ready, Willing, and Sableye

It's another relaxing day at the beach for Ash and his friends. Ash's overzealous Corphish cuts lunch a little short when it dices everything to inedible bits. Meanwhile, Team Rocket happens upon an abandoned mine shaft and investigates, hoping to find forgotten riches inside. Once inside, they discover a mining cart and jump inside to see where it goes. They soon are met with two glowing eyes. Jessie and James flee, leaving Meowth to deal with what turns out to be a Sableye. Outside the mine, Jessie and James see Ash and company approaching and decide to hide. Ash spies the mine and wants to go in to play a trick on Corphish. Sableye befriends Meowth and shows him the control room in the mine from which the entire mine can be viewed. They can see Max and May preparing to act like ghosts to play the trick on Corphish. Meowth convinces Sableye to help him steal Pikachu. Max and May's trick backfires when Corphish panics, attacks May and Max and sends them on a cart speeding down the tunnel. Sableye startles the two and May sends Torchic to try to capture it. After May's failed attempt, Meowth appears and drops a net over her and Max. Ash retrieves Brock and they go back in the tunnel to find the siblings. Meowth and Sableye terrorize Ash and company when they arrive in the cave, capturing Corphish and Pikachu. May and Max, freed by Torchic, try to stop Sableye. Jessie and James arrive and Sableye realizes it was tricked into helping them. Ash sends Taillow to stop Team Rocket and Jessie throws a smoke bomb, causing the shaft to cave in. Sableye motions to Ash and the gang to follow it and it leads them out. Sableye sides with Ash and helps free the captured Pokémon and send Team Rocket blasting off again.

A Meditite Fight!
A Different Kind of Misty!

The foggy episode opens up with Team Rocket stealing a stone from a small boy near a lighthouse. Ash and his friends hear Team Rocket passing by in their balloon and Team Rocket, noticing them back, take the opportunity to try to capture Pikachu. They not only fail, but lose the stone when their balloon bursts. After Team Rocket blasts off again, the boy from the lighthouse, joined by his sister, meet up with Ash and company. The sister calls Ash a thief and tries to start a battle with him. She makes her brother help with his Plusle and Minun combination. Team Rocket reappears and the sister finally understands who the real thieves are. Team Rocket is quickly taken care of and then the sister explains that the stone is the source of light for the lighthouse and that it is charged by Electric-type Pokémon. Ash and the gang go back to the lighthouse to relax. When Ash puts on his vest, the siblings get very excited. They explain that Ash fits the description given in a prophecy and that he must be the one who is supposed to not only protect the stone from an attack, but also teach the stone's protector how to fight. The boy is completely convinced that Ash is the chosen one. Ash spends the rest of the day mentoring the boy until the fog starts rolling in and the lighthouse needs relighting. When they all reach the lighthouse to replace the stone, Team Rocket attempts to steal it and Pikachu using a Zapdos robot. They almost succeed before Ash and company catch up to them and send them blasting off again. The stone is recovered and replaced, and the boy truly believes that Ash is his mentor.

Address Unown!

A strange energy is emitted from the sky and an Unown pops out, landing right on Misty's head. The Unown appears to be sick and missing its friends. Misty confirms this, as for a moment when their heads knock together, Misty reads its mind! She sees a wonderland filled with Unown, and is amazed by what it looks like. Brock heard a legend that Unown can telepathically connect with human minds, leading Ash to try to reunite the Unown with its friends. That task proves difficult, as scientists believe Unown live in an entirely different dimension! When Unown awakens, Ash reassures the Unown he will get it back home, no matter what. The next day, Unown seems better, due to the help Larvitar gave it; Larvitar understands what it's like to be without family and friends, so it bonds easily with the lonely Unown. Suddenly, Team Rocket step in to try and take Unown! Larvitar's tries to use its Hidden Power to stop them, only to have Wobbuffet Counter the attack. To keep everyone safe, Unown teleports Ash and crew to the Unown Dimension! Togepi and Pikachu appear much larger than normal, or Ash, Misty and Brock are smaller, depending on your point of view. Suddenly, the Electabuzz theme song begins, followed by a trip to Magby and Slowpoke, leading Misty to believe the Unown are creating a dimension off Ash, Misty, and Brock's most recent adventures. When they get to a shot of Ash in color and Brock and Misty in black and white, they discover that this world is taken specifically from Larvitar's memory! The Counter attack accidentally led the Unown to merge with Larvitar's mind. Ash gets sucked into a different part of the mind along with the others, who have all returned to their normal size now. Here, a voice in the background keeps repeating how scared it is, and images of the poachers who originally stole Larvitar's egg show up. They are blown away by Larvitar's mother Tyranitar, who was badly hurt in the process. This explains fully why Larvita...

Mother of All Battles

Now that they have finally gaining Larvitar's trust, the group head towards the Pokémon Reserve on Mt. Silver, as led by Larvitar. While crossing the bridge onto the reserve, the group does not realize they are being watched by three poachers, Braggo, Blurt, and Chico, who are inside a submerged submarine! Ash, Misty and Brock come across a roar in the distance, which belongs to a Tyranitar. Brock notices its scar, which matches the scar from Larvitar's dream, proving that this is indeed its mother. When Ash nudges Larvitar over to meet its mother, Tyranitar misinterprets the gesture and fires a Hyper Beam right at them! It believes Ash, Brock, and Misty are the original poachers, and chases after them in a fit of rage; the problem is enhanced by Larvitar, as it refuses to leave Ash behind! Larvitar's Screech snaps Tyranitar out of it, as it realizes that Larvitar is its baby, and that Ash, Brock, and Misty pose no threat. The threat arrives soon after, as the poachers return, trying to capture Tyranitar by trapping it in a Pokébag! Ash recognizes the poachers from Larvitar's dream, and immediately tries to get Tyranitar back. When the poachers hear Ranger Mason approaching, they trap Ash in one of their bags and head off. Brock calls out Crobat to follow them, while charming up Ranger Mason. Mason informs them that they took the wrong road, as had they have not crossed the bridge, they would have made it right to the Preservation Center. As they work on finding the poachers, Team Rocket beat them to it and ask Braggo if they can join them. Braggo accepts, giving Jessie and James the packing machine in order to draw attention elsewhere, leaving an opportunity to escape with Tyranitar. Crobat reports back to Brock, giving Ash and crew an idea of where the poachers are hiding, but come across Team Rocket instead. Pikachu and Croconaw work together to redirect their attack, blasting Team Rocket off, while the poachers activate their poaching m...

Pop Goes the Sneasel

With Larvitar returned to its rightful home, Ash and company make their way to Silver Town for the Silver Conference Tournament. On the way, they find a group of people lined up by the Ho-Oh Shrine, where the Silver Conference Torch is ready to be carried! The torch runner appears to be late, and when an attendant goes to tell them the news, Togepi and Pikachu run inside. Ash and the others catch them, but not before they see two trainers leaving in a huff, afraid for their Pokémon's safety. The attendant is saddened that two more trainers have fled the Shrine, and turns to Silver Conference entry Ash Ketchum for help! Before Ash can answer, Harrison, a trainer from Hoenn, appears to help them out. The attendant tells the tale of the shrine and why it is here; a Ho-Oh put a stop to a battle by spreading its flame throughout the area. All weapons burned, and the land was left uninhabitable, until one day, plant and animal life returned. One flame remains, which has been preserved as The Sacred Flame at the Ho-Oh Shrine. At the top of the steps is a Sneasel, which is intent on stopping anyone from approaching the Shrine. Without being able to get close, they will be unable to use the Ho-Oh's flame to light the torch! Ash and crew approach the Secret Flame, just as Team Rocket get approached by the Sneasel, and its Machop and Machoke friends, for invading their space. Sneasel's Faint Attack sweeps Team Rocket into a frenzy and blast off before long. Ash makes his way to the shrine while Misty and Harrison deal with Machop and Machoke, but Sneasel shows up toss top Ash before he can take the flame. Totodile tries to stop the Sneasel, but gets taken out of the match before long by Sneasel's Shadow Ball. Ash and Totodile crash into a tree, but Ash refuses to give up. In the forest, Team Rocket talk about replacing Meowth with Sneasel, believing that Meowth is keeping them down, while Sneasel could help them start winning some battles. Meowth ove...

A Claim to Flame!

After arriving at Silver Town, Ash runs into his favorite person: Gary! Gary is set on entering the Silver Conference, and is determined that this time he will be able to make it all the way, and beat Ash! While Gary huffs his way into the Pokémon Center, Brock leads the way to the Athlete's Village. On the way, they bump into Mr. Goodshow, who is giving out balloons to greet the and, as part of his duties as Pokémon League Torch Committee President. Ash promises Mr. Goodshow that he will give it his all in the Silver Conference, which cheers Mr. Goodshow up even further than his normal level of cheer. Meanwhile, Team Rocket are working at a restaurant in order to try and get some money, but wind up eating their way out of a job. Ash, Misty, and Brock make it to the Athlete's Village, where they are treated to a luxury room, with a networked computer. They immediately head to the Trainer Screening, where trainers use their one best Pokémon to try and qualify for the Silver Conference. Ash is called to the floor to take on Salvador from Cherrygrove City, and the computer determines that Ash must draw his Pokémon first. He chooses Pikachu against Salvador's Furret. Furret's Dig seems to get the best of Pikachu, and goes in for a Headbutt to finish things off. Pikachu manages to jump on top of it before Headbutt can land, and performs a powerful Thunderbolt that leaves Furret vulnerable to a Quick Attack. That is enough to win the battle, as Ash gets his first victory. Phanpy and Cyndaquil take out Ash's next two opponents, allowing Ash to move on to the Semi-Finals! Harrison made it through the Screening as well, along with Gary. Mr. Goodshow reminds Ash that only 16 trainers will be able to move from the Semi-Finals on to the Victory Tournament, but Ash is determined to win it all, no matter what! Later that night, Ash is unable to sleep, and takes Pikachu for a walk along the shoreline. They stumble upon Gary, who is also out to clear his...

Love, Pokémon Style

Ash begins the Silver Conference Tournament in Division H, against two opponents. The Semi-Finals round-robin style, where a victory gives you three points, a loss gives you no points, and a draw gives each challenger one point. Whoever gets the most points wins! After his usual boast of confidence towards the match, Ash runs into one of his opponents: Macey. She is looking to know all about Ash so that she can crush him in the tournament. Just as they begin an impromptu battle, Team Rocket comes along and grabs Pikachu and Macey's Vulpix! Macey hurts herself running after them, leading Ash to use Bayleef to get rid of them fast. Its Vine Whip throws Team Rocket aside, and frees Pikachu and Vulpix before any harm is done. Macey is more than happy with Ash for "saving her life," and seems to be a bit smitten with him much the chagrin of Misty. She even threatens Ash with a date if she wins their match! Professor Oak sends Ash all his Pokémon for the match, and Ash goes through Macey's data in order to choose the perfect combination. She loves fire types, so Ash goes with Kingler. That is, until Kingler saves a group of Voltorb from falling, and winds up shocked! Kingler will be unable to battle, leaving Ash with a tough decision to make. The decision is made for him, as Officer Jenny and Squirtle arrive to help Ash out! The match begins with Macey's Slugma against Ash's Totodile. Totodile's Water Gun manages to see through Slugma's Double Team, leading Macey to switch it out very quickly. For her next Pokémon she chooses an Electabuzz, to which Ash counters with Phanpy. When Electabuzz's Thunderbolt proves ineffective, she switches back to Slugma, but Phanpy's Takedown finished it off! As her third Pokémon she goes with Quilava, who surprises Phanpy with its Flame Wheel! Phanpy is no match for it, and takes Phanpy out of the picture. Macy switches out for her Electabuzz against Totodile, who gets taken out with one ThunderPunch. Only Squirtl...

Right On, Rhydon!

Our heroes are camped out by a lake where Ash wakes up one morning and sees a Rhydon emerging from the water. A swimming Rock-type Pokémon seems impossible, but one of the local Rhydon has indeed learned to use Surf—and a girl named Pietra is out to catch it! She's trying to complete a tunnel to a nearby town, but Rock-type Pokémon flee the excavation site whenever water drips from the tunnel's ceiling. If she had that swimming Rhydon, though, it would keep digging the tunnel no matter what! Ash and his friends offer to help, of course. After chasing a wrong lead or two, they catch up with Rhydon in the middle of the lake. Pietra asks Rhydon to battle her, but Rhydon couldn't care less; it learned to swim so it could reach an island full of apple trees, and right now those seem much more interesting. Just as they catch up with Rhydon again, Team Rocket descends from the skies, grabs Rhydon, and flies away. They don't get far before Ash and his friends stop their escape, free Rhydon, and send them packing. Rhydon just wants to leave, but Pietra clings to it and demands a battle. She refuses to let go even when Rhydon dives below the water, so it takes her to shore before walking away. Pietra pleads for Rhydon's help one last time and Rhydon finally agrees to battle, though it takes some hard work on Marill's part to weaken it so Pietra can make a capture. With Rhydon's help, the excavation is soon complete. Ash and his friends exit the newly-completed tunnel and continue on towards Olivine City!

The Joy of Water Pokémon

The Nurse Joy at Lake Lucid's Pokémon Center is famous among Water-type Pokémon Trainers, so Misty is thrilled when our heroes' travels take them to the lake. Lake Lucid's Nurse Joy is the third generation of Nurse Joys who have turned Lake Lucid from a toxic pool to a crystal-clear lake where Water-type Pokémon come to rest and recuperate, and she's one of Misty's long-time heroes. Everything goes swimmingly until Misty asks Nurse Joy to examine her Water-type Pokémon. This Nurse Joy actually hates Water-type Pokémon, and she's hated them ever since some Remoraid frightened her when she was a child! Even though Nurse Joy says she still understands Water-type Pokémon and doesn't let personal feelings impair her ability to do her job, Misty refuses to believe a word of it. She's angry and distraught that her idol doesn't even want to touch Water-type Pokémon without putting on a special protective suit. Misty's tour of the Pokémon Center is interrupted by Team Rocket, who burst in with a beat-up Tentacruel submarine and try to steal the Center's Pokémon. They're soon defeated, but Nurse Joy's protective suit is lost and a Gyarados becomes agitated when its tank is destroyed. As the only one with the training and experience to handle the situation, Nurse Joy steps up and calms Gyarados down, suit or no suit—she may hate Water-type Pokémon, but her duty takes precedence over fear. Even though Nurse Joy isn't magically cured of her hatred for Water Pokémon, Misty realizes she may have judged too harshly and leaves with a newfound respect for Nurse Joy's dedication.

Got Miltank?

The way to Olivine City and Ash's next Gym challenge lies across a desert of sand and rock. Just as Ash and his friends start to cross it, Team Rocket ambushes them and scoops up Pikachu. Cyndaquil is injured in the battle with Team Rocket, which ends when it uses Flamethrower on Weezing's Smokescreen and triggers an explosion that frees Pikachu but knocks Cyndaquil into the depths of the desert. However, local tales say that sick or injured Pokémon that enter the desert will return to their Trainers in great shape, almost as if the desert contains a hidden oasis. Cyndaquil tries to find its way back, but when it collapses with weariness, other Pokémon come carry it away. After Team Rocket crash lands in the desert, Meowth is spirited away by other Pokémon too! Both injured Pokémon are whisked off to an oasis inside a hollowed-out mountain, where a Miltank heals them both. Team Rocket follows Meowth to the mountain, but they're turned away by a group of Exeggutor guards. Ash and his friends also find their way to the mountain, but use Brock's Onix to burrow past the guards. Once they get inside, the Pokémon in the oasis spring to its defense. As Meowth explains, this is no place for people—these Pokémon want to be left alone! Team Rocket drops in with their balloon and order Meowth to help steal the Pokémon, but Meowth refuses to battle. Team Rocket's other Pokémon refuse to attack, too! Undeterred, Team Rocket grabs Miltank and overpowers Meowth, but they're soundly beaten by Cyndaquil. Now that Miltank and the other oasis Pokémon realize Ash means no harm, he can reunite with Cyndaquil and peacefully continue on his way.

Fight for the Light!

Our heroes reach Olivine City and make a beeline for the Gym, where Gym Leader Jasmine accepts Ash's challenge. Jasmine sends out a gleaming Onix that easily defeats Ash's Totodile, even though Onix should be vulnerable to Totodile's Water-type attacks. But then the real Jasmine enters the room—the "Jasmine" that Ash battled is really Janina, Jasmine's apprentice! And as Janina later reveals to Jasmine, she coated her Onix in waterproof wax, a misguided cheat that earns Janina a time-out from the Gym. Jasmine herself is too worried about "Sparkle" to deal with a Gym challenge. This leaves Ash to wander the city, wondering what to do next. He runs into Janina, who apologizes to him and says that Jasmine is at the Shining Lighthouse on the wharf; since Ash wants to ask Jasmine when she'll be ready for a battle, he heads there right away. Inside the lighthouse are Jasmine, her grandpa Myron, and Jasmine's Ampharos, Sparkle, who provides the light for the lighthouse. Sparkle isn't feeling well and Janina's still on a time-out, so it's up to Ash and the gang to pick up Sparkle's medicine from Cianwood City. Before they can leave, Team Rocket attacks the lighthouse, catching Sparkle and Brock in a cage. Janina sees the commotion and comes to the rescue; without the wax coating, Onix can't pursue Team Rocket across the water, but it can certainly snag the cage and halt Team Rocket's getaway. Janina climbs up Onix to free Brock and Ampharos, then orders Onix to send Team Rocket for a loop. Janina is now back in Jasmine's good graces, and she gladly accompanies our heroes to Cianwood City!

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Trailers
Details Of TV
Location
Language Japanese
Release 1997-04-01
Producer TV Tokyo