Team Rocket's failed attempt to catch Pikachu has left the little yellow Pokémon dangerously ill. Littleroot Town has no Pokémon Center so Ash turns to Professor Birch for help. Professor Birch thinks that Pikachu can be cured—but first they'll have to catch it. Delirious with fever, Pikachu has run off into the forest. Meanwhile, a girl named May is also going to see Professor Birch in order to receive her first Pokémon. She arrives just in time to save the professor from a pack of mad Poochyena. Before he can explain why he's running around in woods, Professor Birch runs off in search of the missing Pikachu. Time is running out and Pikachu is in danger of exploding. In a twisted turn of events, Team Rocket's latest Pikachu-catching contraption ends up saving the day.

Now that Pikachu is feeling better, Ash is ready to head to Oldale Town to sign up for the Hoenn League. May has offered to show Ash the way in exchange for his company to Oldale Town—which is only fair, seeing as Pikachu destroyed May's bike when it was sick! In Oldale Town, May visits her first Pokémon Center and is amazed with all of its services, and by the ancient ruins next door. Things quickly turn sour when Team Magma, a mysterious band of criminals, shut down the electricity at the Pokémon Center and kidnap Professor Alden in order to invade the ruins. With no electricity, all of the Pokémon are in danger—including May's Torchic. It's up to Ash and May to save the day—and in doing so they uncover mysterious, ancient Pokémon.

Ash and May have made it all the way to Petalburg City—the first city with a gym. Ash is very excited to take on the gym leader. May seems a little uneasy—perhaps it's because she hasn't yet told Ash that her father, Norman, is the gym leader in Petalburg! When Ash first gets to the gym, he meets May's little brother, Max, who is pretending to be the gym leader. Max knows a lot about Pokémon and can't wait until he's old enough to become a trainer. Once Ash finally meets Norman, he learns that he will need three Pokémon in order to battle at the gym. He only has Pikachu with him. When Norman agrees to an unofficial battle, Ash encounters his first Vigoroth. Ash realizes that he will have to train hard in order to win a badge in Petalburg City. After a quick scuffle with Team Rocket, Ash and May are ready to hit the road again. Max has decided to tag along, too!

Ash, May and May's little brother Max are now en route to Rustboro City—and they're hungry! No one remembered to pack lunch. As they fight over one remaining cookie, Ash remembers how nice it was to have Brock cooking for him and Misty. He's quickly brought back to reality when a Taillow takes off with the cookie. The gang follows Taillow to a grove filled with apple trees. Ash and May eagerly shake the trees, hoping to make the apples drop to the ground. Instead of apples, Ash and May shake loose an angry flock of territorial Taillow. There's too many for Ash, Max, and May to handle alone. Out of nowhere, Brock appears and saves the day with his Forretress—and his incredible soup! They manage to defeat and feed all of the Taillow except the one who took the cookie. Taillow are naturally resilient, but this particular one is especially tough. Ash can't seem to defeat it, so instead he decides to catch it

With his old friend Brock back travelling with him, Ash finds things are returning to normal with all the successful battles. However Ash & Co. see a Zigzagoon and a guy chasing it to capture it. it turns out his name is Nicolai and he is training Pokémon to be able to beat Norman. May & Max dont like this so May challenges him to a battle. Will she win her first battle?

Our heroes are headed for Rustboro City, where Ash hopes to have his first real gym battle in Hoenn. Team Rocket is making their way along the same path when they stumble upon a cage full of Ekans. Jessie is delighted that their work has been done for them and orders Arbok to attack. Arbok can't manage to attack the helpless Ekans, however, because it remembers when it used to be an Ekans. Jessie is sympathetic. James soon makes a similar concession when they find a cage of Koffing that Wheezing will not hurt. The cages belong to a poacher named Rico who uses his Fearrow and Pupitar to chase off Team Rocket. Team Rocket returns to the scene, now hoping to free the Ekans and Koffing. Things turn dangerous when Rico's Pupitar evolves into a Tyrannitar, and Team Rocket is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Pokémon that they love.

Deep in the woods, Ash spies a Treecko. He's wanted to catch a Treecko since he first saw one at Professor Birch's laboratory. He follows the Treecko to an enormous tree that seems to be dying. There, Ash's Treecko has an argument with all of the other Treecko. It seems that Ash's Treecko is very attached to the tree and wants to stay with it, while the rest of the clan wants to move on to a new tree. Ash watches as the lone Treecko struggles to save the tree. He and Pikachu feel badly for the Treecko and try to help. In the end, however, the tree dies and falls. Now that its home is gone, Treecko is ready to make a new home with Ash. He and Pikachu battle, and Ash catches his Treecko!

Ash's newly caught Treecko may be a bit standoff-ish, but the little green Pokémon is quite a fighter. When Team Rocket sees Treecko knocked down and hurt by a Seviper, they decide that they must have that Seviper. Jessie is very impressed with its "sneaky, snakey ways." Meanwhile, Treecko escapes from the Pokémon Center where Ash brought it to recover. When the gang finds Treecko, it is practicing its attack moves. Again and again, Treecko jumps from the top of a waterfall and tries to break a rock at the bottom with its tail. Ash is very impressed with the rigor of its training. All of Treecko's hard work appears to have paid off—when Team Rocket attacks and catches Pikachu with the help of their new Seviper, Treecko is able to save the day.

On the Way to the next gym, Ash & Co. discover a Shroomish, and it turns out none have come to the town for Ages. They appear to be hiding in a Mansion since humans are constantly cruel to them. However Team Rocket want to steal them. Will they?

While Ash and Co. continue their journey, they meet Anthony and his Pelipper, which is said to be the world's most powerful Pokémon. The reason is that his Pelipper knows Fire, Grass and Electric-type moves instead of only Water and Flying-type moves. How is Ash going to defeat Pelipper, and what are Anthony's Bellsprout, Magby, and Magnemite doing in Pelipper's mouth?

Whilst Ash and his friends are relaxing in a forest, three Mightyena and a Poochyena ambush them. While they are trying to protect themselves from the Pokémon, they are rescued by the Ranger of the Forest, Katrina. She wards off the wild Pokémon and takes the group to her house. Meanwhile, Team Rocket overhears that the forest is full of rare Pokémon. Back at Katrina's house, Max creates a bond with her Poochyena and tries to make it evolve, with minimal success. Is Poochyena going to evolve and is Max going to understand the importance of evolution?

Ash and co. are having a good time swimming at a lake when a crew of Lotad appeared and threw them out of the pool. Later, they figure out that these Lotad are taken care of three sisters, Nicole, Natalie and Rita, which are holding a flower shop with many kinds of Berries. During this time, Natalie develops a crush on Brock, which leads her to do something risky. At the same time, Brock helps a Lotad that doesn't know how to use Water Gun properly. How will this friendship go and what will happen with Natalie's crush?

Rustboro City is on the horizon, but they're not there yet. Ash, Brock, Max and May have just arrived at a Contest Hall. Janet and Chaz, two experienced Pokémon Coordinators, teach the gang all about Contests. Pokémon Contests are different from battles in that it's not the strength of the attack that matters, but the beauty of its execution. Winners get ribbons instead of badges. The gang decides that they want to try entering today's contest, but they're too late. All is not lost, however, because Chaz offers to teach Pikachu the Iron Tail attack. And Janet lets May assist her with during the contest. During the contest, Chaz and Janet both perform really well and make it to the final round. In the end, Janet's Beautifly steals the show! May is really impressed and she's determined to one day enter a contest herself.

As the gang continues to make their way towards Rustboro City, May spots a Wurmple that she's dying to catch—but she's not the only one with her eye on the cute little bug Pokémon. Jessie wants it, too. May ventures off on her own to catch her Wurmple, but Team Rocket follows and gives her trouble. Luckily, she gets some help from a trainer named Franklin. Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu are practicing Pikachu's Iron Tail attack. A trainer named Franklin sees them practicing and challenges them to a battle. Franklin teaches Ash about double battles, which are common in the Hoenn region. With help from her new friend Franklin, May catches the Wurmple she wanted. When she and Franklin go to meet up with the gang, everyone is really surprised. The Franklins are actually identical twins—Forrest and Forrester Franklin! All is not lost for Team Rocket, however. Jessie manages to snag a Wurmple of her own before Team Rocket blasts off at the end of the episode.

Ash and friends arrive at Rustboro City where he gets silly with souvenirs. Max then notices a Poliwag hiding and soon the gang meets Roxanne, teacher of the Pokémon Training School and Rustboro Gym Leader. Will Ash get his first Gym Battle in Hoenn, and what of May? And how can Max fair against the school bully?

Pikachu is getting pretty good at its Iron Tail attack and that's a good thing. Ash is finally about to take on Roxanne, the leader of the Rustboro City Gym. He's going to need all the help he can get to take down her Geodude. May, on the other hand, isn't really looking forward to the battle. In fact, she announces that she's not going to be a trainer anymore. She wants to become a Pokémon Coordinator and compete in contests instead. When the battle begins, it doesn't look like Ash has much of a chance. Roxanne's Geodude knocks out Treecko pretty quickly. It's all up to Pikachu. Electric attacks aren't going to help much against a strong Rock Type—but Ash is very clever and Pikachu not only brings down Geodude, but it wipes out Nosepass with its newly perfected Iron Tail Attack. Ash defeats Roxanne and receives his Stone Badge.

After winning the Stone Badge from Roxanne, Ash and co. head out to the next gym, located on Dewford Island. However, Max spills a drink on his PokéNav and rather than suffer her wrath, Max tries to find a quick solution. He sees an old man demonstrating new inventions but before he can go further, a younger man picks him up in a limo. Who is this old man, and can he help Max fix the PokéNav before May finds out it's broken?

May may be the new Misty but she is not as smart as she was. And she proves this when she, Ash, Brock and Max head to a pasta restaurant that May read up on the internet. The thing was May forgot to check the date and found that the place was closed. The date was exactly the same day, exactly the same month, ten years ago. Things go from bad to worse when they find the pier on the other side of town. May tries to find help and finds a kind sailor by the name of Mr. Briney. But when she returned with her friends, his personality changed for the worse. Could May have goofed up again? Or is someone else pulling Mr. Briney's strings?

After the incident with the Team Aqua agent and with Peeko safely returned to Mr. Briney, Ash and co set sail for Dewford Island. All is not calm on the way there however as a school of Sharpedo suddenly attack Mr. Briney's boat. Not to mention tear up a part of May's new swimsuit. Now how will Ash and co. get to Dewford with all the Sharpedo in the way? Is this going to be like "Jaws" all over again?

After a night at the Pokémon center, Ash is stoked to have another Gym Battle. He meets the Gym Leader Brawly, who would rather surf than battle, which infuriates Ash. Could there be more to this Gym Leader than meets the eye? And does May even have a shred of decency?

After being beaten by Brawly, Ash decides to stay at Dewford Island and do some serious training of one thing he lacks: patience. He does this by practicing the fine art of Fishing. He, along with May, Max and Brock, accidentally hook Team Rocket's Magikarp submarine and after a fierce battle, May notices something different about her Wurmple: it is actually Jessie's. Can the heroes find May's Wurmple before Team Rocket figures it out?

While exploring Dewford Island, Ash and friends notice a large cave and Max states that it's Granite Cave. They all enter and soon they fall into a pit trap courtesy of Team Rocket. Unfortunately, they fall in as well and the two groups are mixed and separated. This time around, there are three groups: Males being Ash, Brock and James. Females being May and Jessie and the rest being Max, Pikachu and Meowth. Can these groups be brought back to order and who is in Granite Cave along with our heroes and villains?

A mysterious Pokémon is terrorizing Dewford Town's beach. Ash and friends set many traps for the terror and discover its identity, Corphish. Will Ash and his friends be able to capture the feisty Water-type Pokémon, or will it set them out to dry?

With a new Pokémon in tow, Ash continues his training to prepare for his rematch with Brawly. However, Corphish is still a ruffian as it introduced itself by whacking all the other Pokémon on the head. Can it ever be more social with other Pokémon, and why is Jessie's Silcoon purple right after it evolved?

Get ready for a new episode of May's Expedition as she, Ash, Max and Brock stumble upon a swamp. There they find a swamp full on Mudkip and their caretaker, an elderly man named Old Man Swamp (or Mr. Swampy) who has the same whiskers as a Mudkip's fins. He explains that he gets Mudkip eggs from the Hoenn League and when they hatch they wait until they're old enough to give to Professor Birch. But Team Rocket also has plans for the Mudkip. What evil will they have in store for them, and will Brock get a new friend?

While Ash preps up for his rematch with Brawly, Corphish pinches the ears of a Loudred, causing it to scream. Corphish, along with Pikachu, Silcoon, Torchic, Lotad and Mudkip get lost and soon they encounter a tribe of Nuzleaf. Can Ash and co. find their Pokémon before it's too late?

As Ash continues his training, he, May, Max and Brock encounter Prof. Birch. Meanwhile, a boy's Nincada was captured by Team Rocket and it digs a hole to a temple. There they encounter the commanders of the teams they encountered before: Team Magma's Harland and Team Aqua's Isabel. How will this clash of Aqua vs. Magma go down, and can Ash and co. help the boy save his Nincada?

After the ordeal in the last episode, Ash and co. continue training and are joined by Prof. Birch. May is so happy that her Silcoon will soon evolve. Elsewhere, Jessie is still in denial of the fact that her "Silcoon" is really a Cascoon. After a fierce battle, Silcoon evolves into Beautifly and blows away Team Rocket with a Gust attack. How will Jessie get her "Silcoon" to evolve and how will she take it if it doesn't evolve into what she wanted?

Corphish's bad attitude is showing no signs of improving so Ash plans to humble it a bit by putting a good scare into it deep inside an abandoned mine. Later on, Team Rocket discovers an abandoned gold mine and goes in. Can Ash and co. brave this mine in order to be well prepared for his rematch with Brawly?

As Ash prepares for his rematch with Brawly, he, May, Max and Brock meet a Battle Girl by the name of Shauna, whose reason for battling was to prove she was better than Ash. During their battle, Brock noticed that while Ash's training is paying off Shauna battled like Ash used to. Just as the match was about to be decided Brawly appears with some mondo bad news: A hurricane was approaching which could wipe out the beach. Can our heroes manage to weather the storm, and why is Shauna so nervous around Brawly?

It is time for Ash to have his rematch with Brawly. He decides to shake things up a little by using his new Corphish instead of Taillow on a new battlefield. With all the training Ash had to do up to this point, does he have what it takes to beat Brawly, or will he wipe out again and let it be all for nothing?

On their way to May's first contest in Slateport City, Ash and gang travel across the sea on a motorboat. After Team Rocket fails in their latest attempt to steal Ash's Pikachu, the boat stops working. Drifting along, they spot a large, abandoned ship and decide to go inside upon seeing a smaller boat off to the side.

Inside, they meet up with Tommy, a trainer who lost his Marshtomp on the ship long ago. He promises to give Ash and company a lift after he is done searching. Several Pokémon start to go missing and soon May, Max and Team Rocket are captured too. A Swampert and a Spinarak reveal themselves as the culprits.

Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Tommy soon come across the Swampert and Tommy recognizes the Swampert as his Marshtomp, but it retreats further into the ship. After saving the others, Tommy reunites with his lost friend and apologizes for leaving it behind. After thwarting another of Team Rocket's schemes, Ash and company leave on Tommy's boat for Slateport.

After arriving in Slateport City, May begins her training for the Contest. However, just as she and Beautifly have some good results, a boy named Drew appears and starts belittling May. May does not give up and has a battle with Ash. Despite losing, a man named Mr. Big appears and teaches May about Contests. He takes them to the shop, where he finds May's Torchic had eaten his Bluk Berry, which is to be used in tonight's firework event. In order to make amends, May goes with her friends in search for the berry.

May is eagerly preparing her Beautifly for the Pokémon Contest while Max watches her Torchic. He is debating which Pokémon he will begin with when he comes of age. May discovers a beached Wailord and contacts Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center. Joy and Brock rush to help while Ash and Max are left to take care of the Pokémon Center.

Team Rocket decides to try to steal the Wailord. At the Pokémon Center, Ash, Max and all the Pokémon are having a difficult time capturing a particularly troublesome Torchic. The Torchic evolves into a Combusken, which is an even bigger headache, especially because a new Trainer is coming to choose between a Torchic, Mudkip, or Treecko. Team Rocket tries to steal Wailord, but the newly evolved Combusken foils their plans and sends them blasting off again. The new Trainer chooses Mudkip and Combusken is invited to stay and guard the Pokémon Center.

May enters Beautifly in the beauty contest, but Team Rocket is too late to enter their Dustox. At the competitions, the person in line right before May is none other than her rival Drew. Drew's Roselia gives an excellent performance, netting him an extremely high score. May is more determined than ever to beat Drew.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket is busy holding a "charity drive" scam for PokéBlocks. A little old man stops to talk to them about PokéBlocks. The contest is heating up with a Milotic stealing the show. May is up again in the contest and she and her Beautifly toss a disc back and forth, like they practiced before.

In the next round, she has to battle Drew who defeats her. He then looses to the contestant with the Milotic. May and Drew part on good terms and the scene ends with the old man still intently talking to a slumbering Team Rocket about PokéBlocks.

While Brock and May go shopping, Ash and Max go to the museum, only to find it closed. Max attempts to go in, but is caught by a boy, who claims they are thieves. Just then, Captain Stern arrives and the confusion is settled. While Ash and Max visit the exhibition, the members of Team Magma try to infiltrate the museum to steal Captain Stern's stone he recently acquired.

Oh no! Brock's worst fear has come to pass: A Pokemon Center without a Nurse Joy! IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! (Well, not really.) But Ash and co. did find that strange. Who or what could be behind such a heinous deed, and why?

Continuing their journey to Mauville City, Ash and co. are starting to get lost by heavy fog. After Team Rocket got taken care of, they notice a lighthouse in the distance by two people and how does it work?

As Ash and co. are a mere stone throw away from Mauville City, they soon notice a poster for the House of Tricks. Anyone who navigates this wacky maze will receive a grand prize of a year's supply of Pokéblock. Along the way, May meets a cute Jigglypuff, but Ash and Brock remember it all too well. Can anyone listen to its song all the way through?

The time has come, once again. Ash was super psyched to have another Gym Battle. This time, it was with the elderly, yet hilarious, Wattson. The battle was short as Ash's Pikachu took out Wattson's entire team with just one hit each. Devastated, Wattson gave Ash the Dynamo Badge. Will Wattson recover from this, and what has happened to Pikachu?

After earning the Dynamo Badge from Wattson, Ash and co. continue their journey. May insists to go to Fallarbor Town while Ash suggests they go to Lavaridge Town. Max suggests they go to both and Brock decides the order. During the trip, they notice some watermelons float down by the river and have some lunch. Ash then comes up with an idea: Teach Treecko to use Bullet Seed like the Shiftry that attacked them a while back, and as practice, they try it by spitting watermelon seeds. Can Treecko learn to master this move, and who do the watermelons belong too?

The heroes spot a pair of Pokémon bowing to one another, as dance partners would, and begin flying around one another in a wide circle. Brock identifies them for what they are (Volbeat and Illumise), prompting May and Ash to pull out their Pokédexes: May's identifies Illumise, and Ash's Volbeat. The two Firefly Pokémon are still dancing about. While watching, a Nurse Joy greets the group, asking of they are here for the May Festival, for the dance performance of Illumise and Volbeat. She notes that it is almost time for the practice runs, and indicated two people standing out on the lake's pier, saying they are Volbeat and Illumise's Trainers, Romeo and Juliet.

On the way to Fallarbor Town and May's next contest, Ash and co encounter a rare Bagon and its trainer, a girl named Michelle, who is trying hard to make Bagon's dream of flying high come true. So Ash challenges her to a battle to get it to evolve faster. Will his plan work? And what could Team Rocket do with a Bagon anyway?

Ash and co. reunite with their old friend Misty, who is happy to meet May and Max for the first time. Soon, they enter a kingdom dedicated to Togepi and soon meet Sara, princess of the Togepi Kingdom. Team Rocket also teams up with Colonel Hansen, who wants to rule the kingdom with an iron fist. What will happen to Togepi now, and has Max learned a way how to keep Brock from flirting with pretty girls?

During the reunion with their old friend Misty, Ash and co. discover Hansen wants to rule the Togepi Kingdom and the Mirage Kingdom. Will they be able to stop him, and will Misty say good-bye to the Pokémon she cared for so long?

Being exhausted and tired, the heroes collapse in a desert. Soon, they wake up in a lodge, being rescued by the Winstrate family. The heroes ask what could they repay for the family's kindness. The family decides to battle Ash, May, Max and Brock, in honor of their eldest son, Vito, who is watching the battle and wondering what to do, since he gave up on his dream to become the Champion of Hoenn League.

While doing her training with Beautifly, May's frisbee flies off. Torchic goes to retrieve the frisbee, but also finds a Skitty, who seems to be ill. May is amused by Skitty's cuteness and goes with her friends to a laboratory, where Skitty would recover through aromatherapy. Team Rocket plans on stealing the fragrances, but Meowth finds Skitty and falls in love with her. The heroes try to get the fragrances back, while Meowth starts wondering what he'll do with Skitty.

Traveling on the road, the heroes encounter Nicholai, who had caught a Zangoose. While having a battle with Ash, Nicholai notices Zangoose is acting strange. Just then, Team Rocket appears, whose Seviper starts battling Zangoose and injures it. Due to Zangoose being Seviper's natural enemy, Ash decides to help Nicholai in training, to aid Zangoose in defeating Seviper.

Heading to Fallarbor City, the gang meet up with a trainer called Max who looks identical to Max. He is having trouble with his Surskit. However Max doesn't like or trust Max. Team Rocket have their eyes set on Max's Surskit. Can Max & Max protect the Surskit and overcome their differences?

After arriving in Fallarbor Town, May starts doubting herself, seeing a lot of Coordinators that will participate, including Drew. However, the heroes meet Grace, a Coordinator, who gives May advice on the performances. May starts wondering what to do and tries to find an answer.

May reaches the second round of the Contest and defeats Jessica (who is Jessie, in disguise). Seeing Grace had managed to defeat her rival, Drew, May wonders if she could defeat Grace. During the battle, however, May displays new tricks she learned from Grace.

The heroes encounter Thatcher, the boy they helped at the lighthouse, who joined a band of cheerleaders, named Pep Squad. Team Rocket decides to ally themselves with the Pep Squad's leader, Sheridan, who gives them an advantage during their battle with Ash and Brock. However, Max starts having suspicions and goes to check out what is coming from the drums the squad is playing.

After running away from some Slugma, the heroes find themselves on a ranch, owned by a girl named Julie. The heroes decide to spend some time at the ranch, while Julie offers a battle with May's Skitty, who got them in the trouble with the Slugma. Team Rocket attempts to steal the ranch's Numel and ends up capturing May and Skitty. To get out, May has to awaken Numel and has an idea with Skitty's Assist attack.

The heroes (and Team Rocket, who hope to catch their enemy, Pikachu) take a cable cart to Mount Chimney. However, the cart suddenly stops and without any technical help, Ash climbs to Mount Chimney to find some help. Instead, he finds Professor Cozmo, who tries to hide the meteorite from Team Magma, who want to use it for ill purposes. Ash and Professor Cozmo make a plan to stop Team Magma's plan and set it into action.

After Ash and Co. reach Lavaridge Town, they meet Flannery, the Gym Leader. Having just inherited the Gym from her grandfather and determined to prove her abilities, she is just as eager as Ash to battle, but the Gym's battlefield is full of holes and therefore cannot be used. Deciding to help, the gang are hard at work filling the holes. Meanwhile, Team Rocket are standing by ready to snatch one of Flannery's Pokémon, a Torkoal that they can give to their boss.

Ash challenges Flannery to a Gym match. Ash hopes to have an easy fight by using Corphish. Flannery, despite sometimes acting a bit nervous, manages to display some clever moves to thwart Ash's tactics and sends Torkoal, who switches offense and defense, pushing Ash to his limits.

Ash decides to head to Petalburg City for his next Gym battle. On the road, the gang runs into a group of Spinda. A pretty girl named Claire approaches, and Brock's reaction to her scares all the Spinda away. She is looking for her lucky Spinda, which has a heart-shaped mark on its face. Ash and friends offer to help her.

Team Rocket tries to steal the Spinda using a vacuum, but the lucky Spinda fights back using Hypnosis and all of the Spinda escape. They also try disguising a Teddiursa (and later Meowth) as a Spinda to lure the real Spinda in, but fail.

The kids track the lucky Spinda down to a flower garden, where they are met by the Spinda's owner—Claire's fiancée, Kain. Brock's heart is broken.

Team Rocket shows up in a giant Spinda robot capable of repelling all the attacks of the Spinda. Brock sends out all of his Pokémon, and his Forretress destroys the robot using Explosion.

Ash and friends wish Claire and Cain the best, and depart for Petalburg.

On their way back to Mauville City, Ash and friends travel through the Valley of Steel, home of many different kinds of Steel Pokémon and a potential shortcut to Mauville City and then Petalburg City. On their way through, they come across a Torkoal being attacked by several Steel Pokémon. After using Pikachu to scare the Pokémon away, the Fire-type hears a noise, also scaring it off. Later, having reunited with Torkoal, Ash and friends become determined to help Torkoal defeat the Steelix that lords over the valley. Will they succeed in cutting through the valley unharmed or will the angry Steel-type block their way?

Ash and friends return to Mauville City, where they encounter a carnival run by Team Rocket. They let all their Pokémon out to enjoy the festivities, and Team Rocket tries to steal them. Wattson and Watt arrive to help fight off the thieves, and after the battle Wattson's Electrike evolves into a Manectric.

Everyone heads to the Mauville Gym for two practice battles. First up, May's Skitty faces off against Watt's Ampharos. Skitty is victorious with Assist, using Quick Attack and Double Slap in quick succession.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket falls into Wattson's new improved Gym traps, eventually encountering a group of robotic Raikou that they mistake for the real thing.

The second battle is Ash's Torkoal versus Wattson's Manectric. Torkoal uses Overheat too many times, and Manectric takes out the Fire-type with a Charge/Thunder Wave combo.

Watt tells May about a Pokémon Contest taking place in Verdanturf Town, so the kids make that their next destination.

After a battle with Team Rocket, May's Skitty accidentally inhales Torkoal's smoke. To cure her, the heroes go to a Pokémon Clinic, run by Dr. Abby. Abby, who manages to cure Skitty, is recognized by May as the Top Coordinator. Abby confirms this and even gives May some tips for Skitty before the Verdanturf Town's Contest. Team Rocket, however, plans on stealing Jonny, Dr. Abby's Delcatty.

As the heroes arrive in Verdanturf Town, they meet up with Drew, who cannot participate in the upcoming Contest, since his Roselia has been defeated by the Phantom and his Dusclops. May is surprised and decides to train for the Contest. Just then, the Phantom appears, so Ash challenges him to a battle. However, a woman arrives and starts chasing the Phantom, but fails. In order to find more about the Phantom, the woman requests the heroes to unmask his identity.

With Timmy participating in the Contest, May hopes to win her second ribbon. However, with May's Skitty's Blizzard not working properly, May starts worrying. Timmy, however, gets visited by his own mother, who watches her son's successes.

The heroes, who are thirsty, wander the land. Brock shows them a spring, but it ran out of water. They go to the village, but find it deserted. Just as Lotad falls in a well and gets risen up, it evolves into a Lombre. Much to the heroes' surprise, the villagers start coming out of their houses and pray to Lombre and start cursing a Solrock, believing it is the reason for the local drought. In order to prove them wrong, the heroes decide to investigate.

The heroes, who got lost in a forest, encounter a Swablu, who has its wing injured. Along with the help of a local ranger, Morita, May spends time with Swablu, who recovers and heals its wing. However, due to its trauma, Swablu cannot fly, so the heroes try certain ways to teach Swablu how to fly once more.

During a break, the heroes get their lunch eaten by a Gulpin. They soon find out a group of Gulpin is eating away the food supplies in the city. They contact Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny, who receive help from Professor Jacuzzi, who decides to stop the Gulpin. After driving off the Gulpin, the professor uses a machine to launch Gulpin away. However, the machine malfunctions and oversizes Gulpin and Ash's Treecko, who battled the former.

Ash and friends are eating lunch in the woods when they notice that Treecko has wandered off. After failing to convince the Grass-type to come down from a tree, lunch is disrupted by a rampaging Loudred. Its Trainer, Guy finally catches up with his Pokémon and makes it stop.

Ash and Guy decide that both troublesome Pokémon need exercise, so they battle. While battling, both Pokémon evolve at the same time, into Exploud and Grovyle. The battle continues, but Exploud won't listen to Guy. It hits Grovyle hard and runs off.

Grovyle catches up with Exploud at a waterfall, and the two begin to battle again. Exploud still won't listen to Guy. Team Rocket interrupts, trying to capture Exploud, but Guy protects his Pokémon. Pikachu and Exploud send Team Rocket blasting off.

Guy and Exploud reconcile, and Ash and Guy decide to finish the battle.

While having sandwiches for lunch, the heroes are visited by a man named Poncho and his Ludicolo. They challenge Ash to a battle, who bets his sandwiches with Poncho, who is to buy cheeseburgers if Poncho loses. Corphish volunteers for the battle, but it seems distracted and eventually loses. This infuriates Corphish even more, who runs off while the heroes try to find out why Corphish is angry.

As the heroes arrive to Petalburg City, May and Max are visited by the crowd, who like Norman, Caroline and their children. While Max and May are dealing with the crowd and Ash battles a lot of trainers to prove he is worthy to challenge Norman, Team Rocket decides to disguise themselves to take profit from the situation.

Just as the heroes return to Petalburg City, Ash goes to the Pokémon Center to get ready for his Gym match, where he encounters Norman talking with Nurse Joy. Back home, May and Max, along with Brock, meet up with Kenny, who reports trouble. Caroline, Norman's wife, greets them as well, but something troubles her as well. Deciding enough is enough, Caroline goes with her children, as well as Kenny and Brock, to face Norman, who is hiding something. Ash, however, is at the greenhouse with Norman's Pokémon and faces Team Rocket, who want to steal them.

Ash faces Norman in a Gym battle. Norman switches offense and defense to baffle Ash, who tries to overcome this trial, having his Pokémon use abilities in the battle. After the battle, however, Max becomes upset over something.

The heroes decide to stop at Professor Birch's lab. Hearing Professor Oak will come to the lab as well, Ash and Brock decide to accompany Birch to escort Oak to the lab. However, Professor Oak arrives by a cart and greets May and Max, the latter being a big fan of his. Once Team Rocket steals Birch and Oak's Pokémon, May, Max and Professor Oak decide to go after them and rescue the Pokémon on their own.

Due to May being late, Ash is outraged, since he wants to go to Fortree City as quickly as possible. May becomes angry as well and soon, Ash and May are challenged by a couple named Oscar and Andi. Even during the battle, Ash and May bicker at each other, causing them to lose. Team Rocket gets challenged as well, causing Jessie and James to annoy each other. Just as they meet up with the twerps, James sides with Ash and Jessie with May to have another Tag Battle, which displeases Brock, Max, Pikachu and Meowth who just want the feud to end.

The heroes get lost in a forest. Just then, May gets taken away by a Skarmory. As Ash, Brock and Max try to get May out of the forbidden area, May befriends a Bulbasaur, but the other Grass-type Pokémon start attacking her.

With Bulbasaur being in May's team, Ash decides to call his own Bulbasaur to meet up. However, Team Rocket has modified the transporting machine, causing them to obtain the Poké Balls that are being transported. While Team Rocket blasts off during the battle, they manage to steal the Poké Balls. Fortunately, Ash's Bulbasaur returns and teams up with May's Bulbasaur to find Team Rocket.

While resting by a lake with his friends, Ash polishes his Badge Case and remembers all the Gym Battles he's won so far. Suddenly, a wild Whiscash jumps out and eats the case. Ash dives in to go after it to get his badges back, but nearly drowns. He is saved by a Fishing Master named Sullivan who has spent years trying to catch the giant Whiscash. Determined to retrieve the badges, Ash and the others start fishing. Meanwhile, Team Rocket are also trying to get a hold of the same Whiscash.

While separated from his friends, Ash encounters a girl and her Baltoy. He learns they were called to meet someone at a set of ruins, and her Baltoy is a key.

Arriving in Rubello Town, May finds Drew, who is going to participate in the Contest. She also meets Savannah, a wife, who is going to participate in the Contest. However, Savannah becomes nervous and asks for help from May, who has decided to use Bulbasaur, even if she didn't train it much. Since she can't compete without a ribbon, Jessie plans on stealing some.

May, confident in her Pokémon, enters the Rubello Contest with Drew and Savannah. While all three manage to pass the first round, May's Bulbasaur becomes nervous, which shakes May's victory. May tries to get Bulbasaur to battle, but this does not impress the judges or her friends when she takes her wins for granted instead of showing concern for her Pokémon's health.

Continuing their journey to Fortree City, Ash and friends come across a Spoink, who is upset after losing the Pearl it keeps on the top of its head. After Spoink tries to put on a couple of round Pokémon on its head, the Pearl is found. However, during a Team Rocket encounter, they steal the Pearl. After coming across a fair, James is approached by the same Magikarp Salesman who has made his life miserable in the past and offers to trade a Feebas for the Pearl. After discovering Feebas evolves into Milotic, Team Rocket agrees. However, when they let their new Feebas out to have a swim in a nearby river, they discover the Feebas is just a Magikarp painted with a Feebas' colors, meaning they have been swindled yet again. After Ash and the others find out what happened, they have to get Spoink's Pearl back by finding the Magikarp Salesman before Team Rocket do.

As they arrive to Crossgate Town, the heroes learn there is a tournament involving Flying-type Pokémon. May, Ash and, surprisingly, James, enter the competition. Just as James and Ash advance to next rounds, Jessie and Meowth decide to make another attempt at stealing Pokémon.

The heroes and Team Rocket, after another clash, have gone to the mansion. There, May argues with Max, who runs off and meets a Shuppet. Due to his fight with his sister, Max decides to play a prank on her, Ash and Brock with Shuppet. However, Team Rocket arrives and stirs trouble.

As the heroes have a meal, Torchic and Corphish start fighting. As Ash and May try to calm them down, Team Rocket arrives, and so do some Breloom, from whom they stole some apples from. The Breloom attack and blast everyone away, causing everyone to get separated. Max, Meowth, Torchic and Corphish try to find others and come to dead end, where they face the Breloom once more. Corphish decides to protect Torchic, who gathers all of its bravery to attack.

The heroes spend a day at the Weather Research Institute. Just then, Team Aqua, with Shelly as the commander, arrive to gather information about Legendary Pokémon. The heroes make a plan to protect the data, but an unexpected betrayal is among the scientists.

After the events that transpired at the Weather Institute, Ash and co. finally arrive at Fortree City. Ash couldn't wait to challenge the Gym Leader, sadly the Gym Leader is helping with the Feather Carnival. Later they meet the Gym Leader, Winona, who scheduled in Ash's request for a Gym Battle, but in the meantime they should have some fun. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has plans of their own. What sinister plot are they up to this time, and why does the carnival bring back such bad memories for James?

The time has come once more. Ash is ready to have his Gym Battle with Winona. Before the battle starts she evokes a prayer to all Flying Pokémon to give her strength. And now the battle begins. Will Ash fly high in the sky or will he crash and burn?

As the heroes continue onwards, they encounter a man pushing his Camerupt. After helping the man, the heroes are told the man, named Elijah, goes around villages and shows movies. The heroes decide to accompany them, while Team Rocket plans on stealing his equipment.

The heroes arrive in a deserted town and get rejected by Nurse Joy to stay in her Pokémon Center. They soon find out the PMC, Ken and Mary, whom Ash and Brock encountered in Johto, are here after a mysterious Pokémon. Arriving in the Pokémon Center, the heroes encounter Team Rocket, as well as the mysterious Pokémon, Lunatone. They soon find out Lunatone is weak and can be restored if it sees moonlight beams. While the heroes go to the place to heal Lunatone, they encounter the PMC guys again

The heroes come into the Banana Slakoth Garden, a famous tourist spot. However, they find it empty, save for a Snorlax, who is eating away the bananas. Marcel asks for their help and the heroes accept it. However, when they face Snorlax, it uses Yawn, putting everyone to sleep. To battle against such a foe, the heroes speak with Professor Oak, who shares some tips.

After another encounter with Team Rocket, Ash loses Pikachu. Pikachu, however, has hit his head and suffers from amnesia and is found by Meowth. Meowth takes the opportunity and states Pikachu was one of Team Rocket members. Pikachu starts believing and once Ash comes to him, Pikachu turns his back on him. Ash, however, does not give up on Pikachu and tries to find a way to bring his memories back.

As they arrive in Lilycove City, the heroes meet Kelly, a fellow Coordinator, who knows how to make good Pokéblocks. As Max stays with Ash, who wants to teach Swellow Aerial Ace, Brock goes with May, who wants to learn more about Pokéblocks from Kelly.

May's Combusken manages to control the Fire Spin attack it launched. Through luck, May enters the next round with Kelly and fights Josaphine. In the final round, Kelly battles May, who has a tactic to overcome Grumpig's psychic powers. Just as Grumpig and Combusken are to fall down, May makes an honorable gesture. Meanwhile, Ash misses the contest to help his Swellow learn Aerial Ace.

Due to a mistake, the heroes sail away to an island, with their actual destination being Mossdeep City. On the island, they find Jimmy, who trains to become a judge. With teacher Serena's help, Jimmy tries to be the referee of a Double Battle of Ash vs. Brock. After the battle, Jimmy recalls his past before he has to rescue his Pokémon, who were stolen by Team Rocket.

The kids are heading to Maisie Island on a ferry when they spot a Spoink floating on a log. They quickly realize it's the same Spoink they helped before. When they save it and bring it aboard, it trips, dropping its pearl overboard. Ash's Pokémon go looking for the pearl with no luck. When they arrive on the island, they meet a scientist named Isaiah who is doing research on Clamperl and their pearls—which end up as Spoink pearls. The jewel of his collection is a rare blue pearl. Team Rocket sneaks in and tries to steal the blue pearl, only to be beaten out by Spoink stealing it first. Everyone goes looking for the little Psychic-type Pokémon. Meanwhile, the blue pearl accidentally gets switched with the pink pearl from a wild Clamperl. When this fact is discovered, everyone goes looking for the Clamperl and Team Rocket steals it away.

The heroes encounter a man named Adam who's searching for treasure. They decide to accompany him to find an old ship, which is told to have lots of treasure on it. Just as they take the submarine down, they also encounter Team Rocket, who is also determined to take the treasure, which is connected to the Relicanth Adam saw earlier.

The heroes come to the A-B-C Islands, where they meet up with Professor Birch. The Professor wants to study more about Clamperl's evolutions, Huntail and Gorebyss. They also accompany two children, who are angry at each other, for they want to evolve Clamperl that goes against their principles. Birch, however, finds something that can settle the trouble, and give Team Rocket a new opportunity at stealing Pokémon.

Since they have to wait for the boat to Mossdeep City, the heroes spend some time with other trainers, who want to get physically fit for the battles. While Brock, May, Max, even Team Rocket exercise, Ash has a Double Battle with the coach, Rocky, who shows how much his Pokémon can be in sync.

Due to a twist of fate, the heroes get captured by Team Magma and face their leader, Maxie. After Maxie explained his goals, Team Aqua's Shelly frees Kyogre and reports to her leader. In a moment of confusion, Pikachu takes the Blue Orb, which gets absorbed into him. Just as the heroes try to escape, Ash gets captured, while Team Aqua's leader starts controlling Kyogre. However, an unexpected help arrives, a man whom Ash and Brock have met before.

Team Aqua has gained control over Kyogre and prepares to unleash its powers over the world's water levels. A Blue Orb-possessed Pikachu releases Groudon from its entrapment and the two prepare to take on Kyogre in a battle to end all battles. Will Groudon and Kyogre destroy the world with their legendary battle or will Lance, Ash and his friends be able to stop the world's imminent destruction?

The heroes arrive in Mossdeep City, but learn the Gym Leader Ash wants to battle is at the Mossdeep Research Center. Once they arrive there, the heroes meet up with Tate and Liza, who just had a battle. Learning these two are duo of Gym Leaders, Ash is surprised he has to fight them in a Double Battle. While spending some more time at the space center, Max and Tate go to a space shuttle, only to encounter Team Rocket, who wants to steal the space shuttle.

Once again, the time has come. Ash will have a double battle against the terrific twins, Tate and Liza. As the battle begins, he sees they don't get along very well and the battle could be an easy win for him. That is, until Team Rocket interferes and snatches Lunatone and Solrock. After thwarting their latest plot, Rachel suggest that Ash and Liza and Tate continue their battle, even though the Gym is destroyed they could have it on the cliff. As the rematch begins, Liza and Tate are more in-sync than ever. Will Ash be able to beat them this time? The answer might shock you.

After battling a trainer, Ash, as well as his friends, meet Drake of the Elite Four. Drake is impressed by Ash's skills and invites the heroes to his boat, where Ash will have a battle with him. Just as everyone sees Drake doesn't do much, the latter makes his counterattack and shows Ash where he went wrong.

Arriving on an island, Max encounters a Cradily, an ancient Pokémon that is supposed to be extinct. His friends do not believe him, so Max goes to search for it and finds a building. Ash, May and Brock eventually find a woman and are surprised to see the Cradily Max spoke about. They go to the lab, where they also find an Anorith, which evolves into an Armaldo. Team Rocket barges in and after failing to catch Armaldo, who goes on a rampage.

As the heroes sail to May's next Contest, May finds a boy named Harley. She speaks to him a bit and meets his Cacturne and eats his cookies. Harley is annoyed at the girl, who becomes his rival that he wants to crush. During the Contest, Harley gives May some false advice, which May accepts, only to find out Harley tricked her. Just as she faces Harley, he uses another trick up his sleeve to deceive May even more, wanting her to be defeated.

Continuing their journey across Izabe Island, Ash and friends run into an old man who tells them the legend of the giant Claydol. When Team Rocket hears the legend, they unleash the Claydol that's going on a rampage.

While on their journey across Izabe Island, Ash and his friends meet a girl named Samantha, who performs her ribbon dance in various towns, and her Mawile, who develops a crush on Brock's Lombre. In the next town, Team Rocket takes Mawile, but ends up taking Lombre by mistake. Now Ash and his friends must save Lombre and Samantha's show.

While traveling on Izabe Island, Ash and his friends end up above a Trapinch Labyrinth. They meet up with two people named Elisa and Hal, two of the reserve rangers. After a Team Rocket encounter, they all end up inside of the labyrinth. Will they find a way to get out of this situation?

Still traveling towards Sootopolis City, Ash and friends arrive in a town where the people hate Absol. They blame Absol for all of the troubles that have in their small town. Ash and friends decide to help a kid named Nicky find his missing brother Gordon, who went to solve the mystery of the appearing Absol, as well as try to solve the mystery of the Pokémon themselves.

Still heading for Cerosi Town and the ferry to Sootopolis City, Ash and his friends stop at a Pokémon Center to stay warm as a blizzard approaches. At the Center, a wild Snorunt steals all 7 of Ash’s Badges. Will he be able to get them back or will he have to train all over again?

Continuing across Izabe Island, Max finds a sick Ralts. Brock is unable to fully cure it and they must bring it to the Pokémon Center. However, Team Rocket wants to capture the Ralts. Ash, May, and Brock battle Team Rocket while Max rushes to the Pokémon Center as quick as can. However, he must get there before it is too late, and has to deal with Team Rocket again and also Kirlia and Gardevoir.

The final battle is approaching, Gym Battle that is. Ash and co. arrive in Sootopolis City, home of Ash's final Gym Battle. There they meet Juan, who is not only the Gym Leader but a Grand Festival winner as well. Does Ash have what it takes to beat an accomplished trainer like Juan?

The final battle for Ash's final badge continues as he has managed to beat Juan's Sealeo and Seaking. Now he must contend with the rest of his Pokémon, like Luvdisc who used Sweet Kiss to confuse Grovyle. With three Pokémon left against Juan's three, will Ash be able to win his final badge or will he be washed away with the tide?

While waiting to eat lunch in the woods, a Linoone comes by and steals two of May's Poké Balls. They find out that the Linoone belongs to a boy named Kimmy. Kimmy helps the heroes get the Poké Balls back before Team Rocket gets a hold of them and Linoone.

On the way to Pacifidlog Town, Ash and his friends run into Drew. May challenges him to a practice battle, but they get interrupted by Team Rocket. However, Team Rocket's sub gets sucked into a whirlpool and everybody winds up getting separated on the mysterious Mirage Island. Now, Ash, Max, and Brock must find Drew and May.

On their way to Pacifidlog Town, the boat Ash and his friends are riding breaks down, forcing them to make a pit stop on Donto Island. It is currently the Donphan mating season, which they end up being separated from each other. May now has to make the ultimate decision: stay to find Max and miss the final contest before the Grand Festival, or leave alone for Pacifidlog Island trusting that Ash will find Max and come to the Contest for the next morning.

After showing up in Pacifidlog Town, May prepares for the upcoming Contest, the one that she's determine to get her final Ribbon to qualify into the Grand Festival. When Skitty chases after an Aipom, May runs into two Coordinators named Joshua and Erika, who are entering the Contest as well. May and Erika don't get along to a good start. At the contest, May, Joshua, Erika, and the Jester (Jessie in another disguise) all make it to the next round.

With qualification for the Grand Festival hanging on the line, May is more determined then ever to win the contest to win her final Ribbon. First, Erika faces Jessie and Meowth and the latte somehow uses Transform. When the judges find out the truth, they get disqualified. Then May faces off against Joshua and after some battles, she pulls off a win. Erika finally apologizes to May and together the two have a great battle. After a lucky Fire Spin from Assist, May and Skitty won and the former qualifies for the Grand Festival.

On their way to the Grand Festival, the gang stops on an island filled with Berries. May decides to make Pokéblocks, but no one except a wild Munchlax likes it. When Munchlax is blamed of eating everyone's Pokéblocks, May decides to prove them wrong and capture Munchlax.

As Ash is training, he faces a new rival, Morrison, who tries to challenge Ash in any way possible. After having a number of challenges, Ash's Pikachu and Morrison's Beldum get captured. In order to rescue them, Morrison and Ash team up to battle Team Rocket by themselves.

While taking a boat to Slateport City, the heroes encounter Officer Jenny, who warns them of Brodie, an ex-Team Magma member, who came to steal an object of great importance.

This is a clipshow Unaired outside of Japan of Satoshi's (Ash's) gym battles and Haruka's (May's) contest battles.

The heroes are still on the boat looking towards the Grand Festival. Ash remembers all of his Hoenn Gym Battles with Roxanne, Norman, Brawly, Juan, Tate and Lisa, while May remembers her Contests with Drew, Grace, Kelly, Harley, Erica and Savannah.

May has arrived in Slateport City for the Grand Festival. Her mother, Caroline, has come to cheer her on, and her friends sent notes to wish her luck. With 247 competitors in the preliminary matches and only 64 slots in the main competition round, May will need more than just luck—especially when Drew and Harley are among the competitors, too!

Harley is friendly towards May, but her friends are suspicious of the advice he gives her. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has dressed James up as Norman and offers free counseling sessions. When Trainers show up, their Pokémon are stolen! Harley sees this and drags May off to see "Norman." When she and her friends see the false Norman, Team Rocket's number is up.

With Team Rocket's plan foiled, it's back to the competition. May uses Silver Wind just as Harley suggested, and it works great. She advances to the next round along with Harley and Drew. But Drew is still skeptical of Harley's motives as they prepare for the main competition.

May continues to take Harley's advice as she advances in the tournament. Drew, however, has his suspicions about Harley and continues to monitor him. Meanwhile, Ash and Max join forces with Officer Jenny to help a Coordinator, Anthony, whose ribbons and contest pass have been stolen.

May faces Harley, her dreadful rival, who aims to take revenge on her. However, May has collected a lot of experience from his previous battles, and uses her tactics to counter Harley. As she wins this battle, she ends up facing her other rival, Drew, in the quarterfinals. Much to her surprise, he sends out a Pokémon he trained just for the Grand Festival.

Tricked into another of Team Rocket's schemes, the heroes are stranded on an island. They encounter Robin, a former salesman, who was saved by a Wailmer. Like the heroes, Robin, too, wishes to get off the island, but due to the constant whirlpools, he is barred from doing so. With the inevitable teamwork between the heroes and the villains, Team Rocket plan on another sabotage attempt to take the ship everyone is building and snatch the Pokémon at it.

The heroes arrive at Ever Grande City, the site of the Hoenn League. On May's request, they go around town for a noodle shop, but end up getting assaulted by a group of Murkrow. In that moment, a Meowth, wearing a hat and boots, attacks the Murkrow and disperses them. Its trainer, Tyson, greets the group, and adds that he is also a participant of the League. Moreover, he is also a torchbearer of the Moltres flame, which Team Rocket intends on stealing.

Ash's new friend and rival arrives just in time to register for the Championships. Although, Tyson's Meowth has a strong showing as it displays uncharacteristic rage, even attacking its opponent after the battle.

The preliminaries are over and now the Hoenn League Championships begin in earnest. The qualifying round is all double battles and Ash goes to watch Morrison's match against muscleman Gavin.

Ash begins his third battle in the qualifying round of the Hoenn League Championships and knows he's up for a challenge. After getting three victorious in the qualifying round, Ash and his new friends ascend to the victory tournament. In his first victory tournament match, Ash goes up against a trainer famous for her keen strategy.

Ash struggles against an opponent whose strategy is a marked contrast to his straightforward style and tries to throw her off with Corphish, one of his spunkiest Pokémon.

Ash faces his off against newfound friend and rival, Morrison. However, Ash knows how to put friendship aside in battle while Morrison does not and the less experienced trainer is hesitating to battle against him. Will Morrison pull himself together and gives his all against Ash or will the match end in his favor.

With the Hoenn League still underway, Ash and Tyson battle it out to decide which one of them will move on to the final four. Since Glalie and Sceptile are already knocked out of the competition, who will get the upper hand?

On his way home to Pallet Town after saying goodbye to his friends, Ash meets Scott, Leader of the Battle Frontier. After losing to Elite Four member Agatha, Scott tells Ash about the Battle Frontier. The latter agrees to take the challenge but first he must deal with Team Rocket and return to Pallet Town. After coming home, Ash meets up with his old traveling friend Misty.

Ash and May prepare for the challenge ahead of them in the Kanto region. May left two of her Pokémon with her parents at Petalburg City in Hoenn. However, before their new adventure, Team Rocket shows up to steal all of Ash's Pokémon and the group must fight to stop their dastardly plan. After stopping Team Rocket plans, May leaves one of her Pokémon with Professor Oak but a Squirtle chooses her as its Trainer and accepts it to her team. Ash also leaves two of his Pokémon he caught in Hoenn with Professor Oak as well but one of his from the lab decides to accompany him on his new journey.

Ash and his friends set out for Mt. Moon, home to the Cleffa family of Pokémon. However, the young Trainers are surprised when they spot a lone, distraught Cleffa.

The Battle Factory is Ash's next destination—if he can find it, that is. He and his friends have become lost, but they see snow and an Articuno flying overhead, followed by a plane in distress. The group winds up at a Pokémon Center, where Scott gives them a ride to the Battle Factory. There they meet Noland, who's not just the Factory Head but also a bit of a mechanical mastermind, and the pilot of the plane they saw last night.

Ash can pick which of Noland's Pokémon he wants to battle. Noland has befriended an Articuno whom he helped once, and he takes Max and Pikachu up in his plane to fly with the Legendary Pokémon. Team Rocket wants Articuno for themselves, and they show up in their own plane to steal it. It's no match for Articuno, who quickly sends them on their way.

Impressed, Ash decides he wants to battle Articuno. What's more, he wants to battle it with Charizard! It looks like this is shaping up to be quite a match...

After surprising everyone by choosing to face the Legendary Pokémon Articuno in his first Battle Frontier battle, Ash calls upon an old friend to battle it as he plans to use fire against ice. Will Ash be victorious in his first Battle Frontier battle.

On their way to the Battle Arena, Ash and his friends take a break to rest. When they run out of water, Ash, May, and Brock go to look for some while Max stays and feeds the Pokémon. When Munchlax eats everyone's food, a battle ensures which angers some nearby Geodude who in return, attack the Pokémon and Pikachu, Corphish, Phanpy, Squirtle and Munchlax got separated from the group. Meanwhile, Team Rocket convinces an Onix, who is the king of the Rock Pokémon, that Ash and the others are evil and Onix sends its Rock-type army to capture them. Unknown to the Rock-types, Team Rocket wanted to use them to help steal Pikachu and the other Pokémon.

Ash and his friends meet a man that is trying to catch a Jigglypuff for his daughter's birthday. However, this Jigglypuff has proven to be the toughest one in the universe.

On their way to the Battle Arena, Ash and friends stop by a cake shop, but the line for it is long. They see an Arcanine come running by, and May decides to catch it. However, Drew returns and he also wants to capture it.

Ash and friends save a morose Psyduck from a group of fighting-type Pokémon, Machoke, Machamp and Machop, that are pursuing it. Meanwhile, Team Rocket decides that the Psyduck would make a perfect gift for their boss.

Ash and friends visit a restaurant that has been split in two by feuding sisters. The gang tries to get the two sisters to reconcile and work together as a team.

Team Rocket attacks an inventor's laboratory, startling his Caterpie into eating an experimental substance that enlarges it to dreadful proportions. However, the situation gets worse when Caterpie evolves into Metapod and then again into Butterfree.

Prior to her first Pokémon Contest in the Kanto region, May learns of several new rules designed to make contests and battles more strategically challenging. Also, Max and May are dubious from a warm greeting they receive from Harley.

The Saffron City Pokémon Contest begins and with May eager to win her first ever Kanto ribbon, she chooses to enter with her Squirtle. However, May's enemy and rival Harley is determined to make sure that she does not triumph.

Ash and his friends meet the owner of a Pokémon Dojo but they discover he's in a feud with his son. Can Ash and his friends help end the feud between them.

On the way to the next Battle Frontier facility, Ash and co. are lost. They soon come across a ghost town which is haunted by Ghost Pokémon. They are soon befriended by some friendly Psychic Pokémon who dance the night away. Will Ash and co. stop the ghosts from ruining the town, and does Ash and the rest of the crew sound different to anyone?

When May's Munchlax and James' Chimecho both have fallen ill, they seek the Pokémon healing skills of an elderly couple named Nanny and Pop-Pop, who happens to be James grandparents. Team Rocket and the gang call a temporary truce until their Pokémon get better. Meanwhile, James tries to impress Nanny and Pop-Pop by pretending to be a business owner while also hiding his status as a member of Team Rocket.

During a training battle against Ash's Grovyle, Brock's Mudkip evolves into a Marshtomp. However, Brock's new evolved Pokémon accidentally hits a girls Flaaffy but is able to heal her Pokémon through a drug store. While there, Brock and Marshtomp both want to date the girl alongside her Flaaffy. However, little do Brock and Marshtomp know, the girl and her Flaaffy have feelings for someone else.

Ash finally arrives at the second Battle Frontier venue where he challenges the Battle Arena Brain Greta to a match. Will Ash be able to defeat Greta and get his second Battle Frontier symbol.

After winning the Guts Symbol at the Battle Arena, Ash's next challenge is the Battle Dome. However, before the continue their journey to their next destination, Ash and his friends come across a Pokémon Egg Shop. During their stay, May offers advice to the owner's daughter about Pokémon contest and how to be a coordinator.

May enters the Silver Town Pokémon Contest and battles Jeremy, an unusual contestant. However, Jeremy shocks May when he appears playing electric guitar and wearing leather.

On the way to the Battle Dome, Ash and the others decide to stop at a famous fishing spot but the lake is deserted. Tiffany, the owner of a fishing house tells them that a company wants to buy the lake and turn the land into a resort. In order to scare people away from the land so Tiffany and her Grandma get no business, the head of the company uses his Crawdaunt to terrorise the lake. Can Ash and his friends help them stop the company from getting the land or will he succeeded.

Ash finally arrives at the third Battle Frontier location where he challenges the Battle Dome Brain Tucker to a match. The battle begins with Ash using his Swellow and Corphish against Tucker's Arcanine and Swampert. During the battle, Ash learns how to combine his Pokémon's attacks and uses their power to defeat Tucker.

After Ash wins his third Battle Frontier Symbol, the Tactics Symbol, he and his go to their next Battle Frontier location, the Battle Pike. However, during an encounter with a wild Elekid, May's egg becomes stuck in the Electric Pokémon antenna and runs off. Now Ash and the others must find Elekid and get May's egg back.

On their way to the Battle Pike, Ash and his friends decide to ride along the Cycling Road. However, it is closed and they must go through the forest. After hearing a noise, Pikachu wanders off and finds an wild injured Celebi under some thick vines. Ash and the others then meet a Pokémon Ranger named Solana who agrees to help them find Pikachu. When they finally find Pikachu and Celebi, the reunion is cut short as Team Rocket shows up to steal Celebi.

Ash and friends arrive at a Ninja School. There they meet a wild Bonsly who cries a lot and does not get along with the other Pokémon at the school. However, Team Rocket appear and decide to capture all of the Pokémon in the school, including Ash and his friends.

After May's Squirtle runs away, May goes searching for her Pokémon. Once she finds Squirtle, May finds an elderly woman, Edna, waiting for a train. After hearing the sad story about Edna's past, Meowth and May go back in time in order to change history.

Ash finally arrives at the location of the Battle Pike, ready to battle. Team Rocket tricks him into coming into their own fake Battle Pike where they capture Pikachu. With the help of the real Frontier Brain—Pike Queen Lucy—they save Pikachu. Ash challenges Lucy to a battle, and even though it is her day off, she accepts as she has a crush on Brock. As the two begin their battle, Ash realizes Lucy is no pushover. Can Ash win? And who will Brock cheer for?

On their way to the Battle Palace, Ash and friends stop at Potpourri Island where they learn about the Pokémon Orienteering Contest. The contest is a race around the island where a trainer and one Pokémon must go to five different locations and get the special stamps at those locations. The winner will receive a special medal along with a ton of fruit. As the contest begins, Ash goes with Pikachu, May goes with her new Eevee, Brock goes with Bonsly, Max goes with Munchlax (lent to him by May), James with Mime Jr, and Jessie with Meowth. Who will win the contest and win all that fruit? That is if Jessie and Meowth don't succeed in stealing it along with Ash, May and Brock's Pokémon!

Ash and friends finally arrive in Wisteria Town where May prepares for her next contest. However, Harley shows up and this time he is not so friendly with everyone. Harley declares that he will win this contest and his Fourth Ribbon against May. Meanwhile, Team Rocket try to convince Harley to work with them as they'll help him beat May while he helps them get Ash's Pikachu. Will Harley accept Team Rocket's offer for their help or decides to beat May fair and square.

While on the way to May's next Pokémon Contest, Ash and friends must stop at a nearby island to switch to ferry to the next island. They let their Pokémon out to play and Donphan, still as playful as ever, tries to play with some Rhyhorn, only to be chased by their parents. After being saved by Nurse Joy and her Meganium, Grovyle gets into a conflict with a wild Tropius and is beaten badly. Meganium heals Grovyle and Grovyle falls in love with the Herb Pokémon. However, it is later revealed that Tropius also has feelings for Meganium. Grovyle decides to have a rematch against Tropius to see who will come out on top.

After losing a ribbon to Harley, May arrives on Chrysanthemum Island, ready to win her third ribbon. Ash is also working hard trying to help Sceptile regain its ability to use Grass-type attacks after breaking its heart. When Drew shows up, May finds out he didn't send her the letter. Later, while training on the beach, she meets a girl named Brianna who reveals that she sent the letter and rose to May. When Brianna finds out May knows Drew, she grows embarrassed as she has a crush on Drew and intended the letter and Rose to be sent to him. When she finally meets Drew, Brianna claims that she will beat May in the contest and win Drew's respect and love! Meanwhile, Jessie also enters the contest with James' Mime Jr.

Ash & co have arrived on the island of the Battle Palace which happens to be a massive Jungle. Ash, eager to make his upcoming battle with the Brain as good as it can be, decides to put extra emphasis on helping his recently evolved Sceptile to be able to use it's attacks. However in the process, Ash & Sceptile get seperated from the group and meet with the Frontier Brain, Spenser. Will Ash & Spenser get Sceptile to be able to use attacks again?

Ash finally arrives at the Battle Palace, ready to take on Spenser for the Spirit Symbol. As they head out to the battlefield, Ash learns that he has the entire surrounding jungle to battle in! As the battle begins, May, Brock and Max head up in a balloon with Scott to watch the battle. As the battle begins, Ash pits his newly "revived" Sceptile against Spenser's Shiftry and the battle quickly takes into the forest. Will Ash be able to beat Spenser while battling in a forest? And does he have a secret weapon waiting in the wings?

After a battle with Team Rocket, Pikachu, Meowth, Bonsly & Manene are seperated from their respective trainers. Lost in a town, the four Pokémon decide to team up to find their trainers...however three strange men have their eyes set on Bonsly & Manene. Will the Pokémon get back to their trainers?

There's big trouble in the big city when Ash and his friends pay a visit—a mysterious talking Pokémon in a crimson cloak known as Red Lighting has been battling all the Trainers in town, and it acts like a real supervillain when it wins! May's plans for a nice day out are ruined when Red Lightning humiliates her and her Squirtle, so now the heroes are out to uncover who or what is behind its activities.

May finally arrives in Gardenia Town ready to win her fourth ribbon. She gains a nice surprise when she finds out that her Eevee has learned Dig. While May prepares for the contest, Brock meets another Pokémon Breeder named Yuma. After seeing his Pokémon skills, she convinces him to enter the Gardenia Contest. After amazing appeals by Squirtle and Bonsly, both May and Brock make it to the battle rounds. Will May be able to beat her friend to win her fourth Kanto Ribbon?

On their way to the Battle Tower, May finds a Smoochum behind a bush. She tries to pick it up, only to be attacked by three Jynx, Smoochum's sisters. After a short battle, Ash and the others leave and head for town. Soon after, Team Rocket take Smoochum and plan to make her a star. The Jynx then begin to attack the town and Ash and May hold them back before luring them to where Smoochum is. However, when they get there, Jessie has no intentions to give Smoochum back to her sisters!

As Ash and the others finally arrive at the Battle Tower, Ash does some last minute training with Pikachu. He is suddenly attacked by a Beedrill and a girl comes to his rescue. After sending Beedrill away, they are attacked by a Gyarados and she once again talks to it and helps it calm down. Soon, Team Rocket attacks wanting Pikachu and this human who can talk to Pokémon. After fending Team Rocket off, she introduces herself as Anabel. Before Anabel can properly introduce herself, Ash runs off to the Battle Tower only to find out Anabel is the Frontier Brain. As the battle begins, Ash quickly falls behind as Anabel can speak with Pokémon through telepathy. Can Ash manage to get past her special ability and win his sixth Frontier Symbol?

After a devastating defeat at the hands of Anabel, Ash is eager to challenge her again, except this time he plans to think with his Pokémon like Anabel instead of rushing in. While training for the rematch, Ash is once again attacked by Beedrill and then Team Rocket after eating their lunch. After sending Team Rocket away, Ash and May try to learn how to talk to their Pokémon just like Anabel, however Corphish and Combusken just look on with blank looks. After finishing his little "lesson", Ash begins his battle with Anabel. Just like the last time, Anabel uses her telepathy ability to fight. Even though Ash is at disadvantage, he surprisingly does better than last time, even managing to win in the first round! Will Anabel prove to be too powerful with her telepathy or will Ash overcome it to win his sixth Frontier Symbol?

Ash and May spot an amazing golden Sudowoodo at the edge of a lake, but it knocks Ash's Poké Ball away when he tries to catch it. Brock and the others don't believe it, until they reach the next town and find a saloon full of locals looking for the golden Sudowoodo. They also meet Keenan, the golden Sudowoodo's Trainer, who can't explain why it's golden or why it ran away from him. Our heroes happily decide to help Keenan find Sudowoodo, yet Keenan doesn't seem to want the help.

May is feeling the pressure at the Mulberry City Pokémon Contest, her last chance to get a fifth ribbon before the Grand Festival. To make things worse, Harley shows up! He has his ribbons already so he doesn't have to compete. But Jessie plans to enter in her Jessebella disguise, so when Harley spots Team Rocket, he offers to loan them his Cacturne and Banette to use against May in the Contest.

The competition is underway at the Mulberry Town Pokémon Contest, where Harley has teamed up with Team Rocket to plot May's downfall. While May is getting ready for her first opponent, Team Rocket lures her friends into a sealed transport container and sends them up, up and away with a Meowth balloon! But they didn't count on Drew being there to save the day. He frees Ash and the others, only for all them to then fall into one of Team Rocket's old-fashioned pit traps. While James and Meowth gloat, our heroes realize Team Rocket is working with Harley, and they have to get back to the Contest to help May.

Team Rocket decides to go their separate ways after yet another foiled Pikachu kidnap attempt. Elsewhere, our heroes come across a one-day Pokémon Battle Tournament secretly run by Butch and Cassidy, who are having their own problems getting along. Ash signs up, unaware that while he's battling, Cassidy is preparing to swipe the competitors' Pokémon! Cassidy runs into Jessie and James, and decides to make James her new team. As for Jessie, she fast-talks her way into a partnership with Butch.

Our heroes have finally made it back to Pewter City, where Brock once again comes home to find the Pewter Gym looking stranger than ever. When he gets in the door, he discovers that his mom and dad are headed off on a free prize vacation, leaving the Gym in the care of three suspicious Gym remodelers who promised to make the Pewter Gym fashionable. His parents even took his Ludicolo to carry suitcases! Of course, it's all another Team Rocket scheme in disguise.

Ash is really excited to get to the Battle Pyramid, but he falls down a hole into a strange ruin. When Team Rocket goes to check it out, they end up falling in as well. As Ash and his friends explore, they set off a trap! They're saved by a man and his Regirock—the man's name is Brandon, and he tells Ash off for messing with the ruins. The ruins, he explains, are where the King of Pokelantis sealed a Ho-Oh. But instead of being careful, Ash gets excited and runs off in search of Ho-Oh. He finds something much more sinister when he awakens the spirit of the King, who possesses him and demands everyone's Pokémon as part of plan to rule the world!

On the way to the Grand Festival, our heroes are swarmed by a group of Aipom who swipe Ash's hat and May's ribbon case! That's not all—the Aipom also cleaned out an orchard belonging to a farmer, Taylor. He says the local Pokémon have started acting strangely, and it might have something to do with a strange monster recently seen in the mountains. Everyone sets out to investigate and get May's ribbons back.

May has arrived at the Indigo Plateau Grand Festival, where there are many familiar faces in town. Team Rocket is turning over a new leaf as Contest commentators. And Aipom has followed Ash all the way there, but its latest hat-snatching spree is halted by Drew and another Coordinator, Solidad. Solidad is an experienced Coordinator and an old acquaintance of Drew, so it's no wonder that with all this competition, May is feeling a few butterflies.

May, Drew, Harley, and Solidad are all competing in the Grand Festival, and it's time for their Pokémon to show off their best moves. Only 16 Coordinators will advance to the next round, so the pressure is on! Although Drew and Absol do a great job, he's not at all happy with Absol's performance. May is shocked to see him angry at his Pokémon, and she's even more hurt when he takes some of his frustration out on her. Drew later calms down, but his tension showed how seriously he's taking his rivalry with May.

May and Drew are in a battle to reach the final four of the Grand Festival, and both Coordinators have some powerful combinations up their sleeve. May even picked up a few tricks from watching Ash's Battle Dome match against Tucker! Her Combusken and Squirtle give it their all against Drew's Flygon and Absol, and nobody in the arena can even predict which way things are going to go.

When Ash's new Aipom plays another prank on him, it leads them both to a village that's preparing to select this year's King. Whoever manages to hang onto the ritual crown until sunset will be King of the village for a year! Ash and Brock meet Hank, who wants to be King, and Brock wants to be King too—King of the village's lovely girls. But as Brock and the villagers race for the crown, Aipom runs away with it and tries it on for size. Once it puts on the crown, it can't get it off again!

On the way to Fennel Valley and Ash's rematch with Brandon, our heroes meet Chatot, a Pokémon that can imitate anything it hears. However, this Chatot keeps running away from its Trainer, Audrey! After Ash and his friends help Audrey get Chatot back, Audrey explains that she and Chatot are a stand-up comedy duo. The only problem is that Audrey can't travel to perform her act because Chatot keeps flying away.

On the way to Fennel Valley, Ash's Aipom scampers away and runs into a Weavile with an attitude. Aipom's up for a battle, but Weavile deals it a harsh defeat! Luckily, Ash and his friends meet a passing wilderness guardian named Kerrigan, who lets Aipom rest at his home. Kerrigan explains that the Weavile belonged to a local group of Weavile and Sneasel, but now it's alone and challenges any Trainer's Pokémon it sees. Ash resolves to help Kerrigan find the stray Weavile before anyone else is hurt.

Ash has reached Fennel Valley at last, where he plans to challenge Brandon to an official battle—but Brandon won't be back until tomorrow! Instead, our hero is welcomed by an enthusiastic Nurse Joy. This Nurse Joy loves Pokémon battles and Contests, and she even offers to help Ash train. Her Chansey may look sweet, but once its nurse's hat comes off, so do the gloves! Chansey quickly outpowers Ash's Corphish, teaching Ash a lesson about battle strategy that doesn't make him too happy.

Ash is still recovering from his defeat at the Battle Pyramid, while May is also melancholy about her own defeat at the Grand Festival. Professor Oak shows up at the Pokémon Center in Fennel Valley, with a special care package meant to cheer Ash up. It contains a poster with the prints of his Pokémon, a fishing lure from Misty, and food from his mother. There's even a postcard from Gary in Sinnoh, which gets Ash thinking about their rivalry and actually pulls him out of his funk.

At the Fennel Valley Pokémon Center, Ash is practicing attacks with his Pokémon while Brock is excited to be cooking with Nurse Joy. His excitement quickly disappears when he finds Nurse Joy unconscious on the floor. They put her in bed, and Professor Oak says she needs rest. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is incredibly lost from when Harley sent them blasting off, and to choose their path, Jessie throws a stick that hits several Pokémon and damages a small bus passing on the road below.

At the Fennel Valley Pokémon Center, Ash gets a special delivery from Oak's Lab—his Bulbasaur. Officer Jenny soon arrives with his Squirtle, and his Charizard flies in too. Ash is going on a retreat with these three Pokémon and Pikachu to train for his upcoming rematch with Brandon. Out in the forest, the four Pokémon work together to build a bed to sleep on, but Charizard hogs it at first and starts a fight. Eventually they calm down and rebuild the bed, get some food, and even practice their moves. That night Charizard lights a campfire, and Ash remembers how he met Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur.

With Charizard out of the battle for his rematch against Pyramid King Brandon, Ash calls out Bulbasaur. Dusclops performs Mean Look again, while Bulbasaur wraps the Ghost-type with Leech Seed. The two Pokémon are evenly matched, but Bulbasaur takes a beating from the Fire-type move Will-O-Wisp and is affected by Confuse Ray, which causes it to use Vine Whip on itself. Because Leech Seed is taking energy from Dusclops and giving it to Bulbasaur, the Grass-type manages to stay in the fight, using SolarBeam to knock Dusclops out.

The kids are at Terracotta Town, where May and Max will catch a boat back home to Hoenn. The town happens to be hosting a festival, complete with its very own Pokémon Contest. Ash figures it's unofficial, so he wants to compete. Both Ash and May sign up, with Ash using Pikachu and Sceptile, and May using her Eevee and Combusken.

Nurse Joy is the MC, doing her best Lillian impersonation. May goes first, impressing the crowd by having Eevee use Dig and Shadow Ball to create a fireworks display. Ash is equally impressive when Pikachu uses Quick Attack, Thunderbolt, and Iron Tail to create electric rings that buzz around the arena. At the end of the first round, May is in first place with Ash a close second, both of them advancing to the finals against each other.

The smoke finally clears at the Terracotta Town Pokémon Contest, and the winner is revealed—it is a tie between May and Ash! Both are declared the winner with only one prize medal between the two, so Sceptile cuts it neatly in half. That night, during dinner, May announces her intention to go to Johto and compete in Pokémon Contests. She doesn't want Max to come, though, because she'd depend on her brother too much. Max is sad, but Ash cheers him up by promising to battle some day.