Recaps

Xia You kept Combusken in the Mauville Gym battle, but Wattson surprised him by sending out Magneton with Zap Cannon. Combusken and Magneton traded heavy blows until both fell, leaving Wattson with one of Xia You’s Pokémon defeated.

• Xia You chose not to switch Combusken before the second battle against Wattson began.
• Wattson ordered Magneton to use Zap Cannon, and Combusken narrowly dodged the blast with Quick Attack.
• Combusken struck Magneton with Ember, while Magneton answered with Thunder Shock and hit Combusken as well.
• Xia You sent Combusken in close with Double Kick, and it overwhelmed Magneton with a series of attacks.
• Magneton hit Combusken with Thunder Shock before both Pokémon fell, giving Wattson a consolation knockout.

Wattson sent out his ace Ampharos to face Xia You's Tyranitar in the third Gym battle, and the two began a fierce fight. Tyranitar overwhelmed Ampharos with a charge and followed up with Thrash as Ampharos lay unable to escape.

• Wattson sent out Ampharos, and Xia You chose Tyranitar to battle it.
• Ampharos and Tyranitar exchanged Signal Beam and Dark Pulse, whose collision filled the battlefield with smoke.
• Tyranitar charged through the smoke despite Ampharos's Thunder Shock, while Wattson urged Ampharos to use Thunder Punch.
• Xia You ordered Tyranitar to ram Ampharos, and the collision sent Ampharos flying.
• Tyranitar pursued the fallen Ampharos and raised its arms to attack with Thrash.

Xia You defeated Wattson’s Ampharos and earned the Dynamo Badge. As he and Misty left Mauville City, Wattson learned that Mute had retired and insisted he had no plans to follow suit.

• Tyranitar endured Ampharos’s Thunder Shock, then defeated the exhausted Ampharos with a long-range Dark Pulse.
• Watt declared Xia You the winner, and Wattson praised him before giving him the Dynamo Badge.
• Wattson spotted Xia You’s Heat Badge and asked if he had defeated Mura; Xia You explained that Mura had retired and Flannery was running the Lavaridge Gym.
• Wattson reacted with surprise to Mute’s retirement, while Watt urged him to retire too because of his age and injured back.
• Xia You and Misty left Mauville City, and Misty looked back at the city as they traveled toward their next destination.

Xia You and Misty traveled from Mauville City to Slateport City, where they unexpectedly ran into Ash and his traveling companions. Ash revealed that he had already earned two Badges and confronted Misty about traveling with Xia You instead of staying at the Cerulean Gym.

• Xia You and Misty chose to travel south to Slateport City before taking a boat to challenge the Dewford Gym and then the Petalburg Gym.
• They rented bicycles and crossed the long sea bridge, reaching land before nightfall.
• After more than a day of travel, Xia You and Misty arrived in Slateport City on the morning of the third day.
• They encountered Ash, Pikachu, Brock, May, and Max in the city, and Pikachu jumped into Misty's arms.
• Ash showed Xia You and Misty his Stone Badge and Knuckle Badge, then asked Misty why she was traveling with Xia You instead of staying at the Cerulean Gym.

Ash, Brock, May, and Max reunited with Misty and Xia You, and May and Misty formally met after comparing how Ash had destroyed both of their bikes. The group rested at a café, where May realized that the mishaps she had experienced while traveling with Ash were routine.

• Ash and Brock were surprised to find Misty, while May and Max watched their reunion in confusion.
• Misty told Ash that she was traveling with Xia You, then introduced herself to May and recounted how Ash had wrecked her bike.
• May explained how she had begun traveling with Ash and Brock, and realized Ash had also destroyed her bike.
• Ash asked Xia You about his Badges, and they learned they were heading in opposite directions to their next Gym challenges.
• The group went to a café, where Misty and Brock warned May about the troubles of traveling with Ash, and May recognized that her misadventures were common.

After meeting May in Slateport City, Xia You and his companions learned she had entered a Pokémon Contest scheduled for the next day, and Misty and May quickly became close friends. The group reached the Pokémon Center, where a crowd of contestants had filled the lobby.

• May told Xia You and Misty that she had entered the Pokémon Contest taking place the next day, and Xia You agreed they should watch.
• Misty and May bonded over their interests and worries, leaving the café arm in arm.
• Ash excitedly told Xia You about his Pokémon and wanted to battle after learning Xia You had evolved his Torchic into a Combusken.
• The group reached the Pokémon Center and found its lobby packed with people and their Pokémon.
• Xia You said the crowd was likely made up of Contest contestants and urged everyone to check in before the rooms were gone.

Xia You and his friends arrived at the Pokémon Center, where May prepared to practice for the Pokémon Contest while Xia You and Ash headed to the battlefield. Xia You chose a Water Field for their battle and sent out his newly caught fish Pokémon, leaving Ash ready to face it.

• Nurse Joy told Xia You and his friends that the last men's and women's dormitories were available, and the Trainers in the lobby eyed them as potential contest rivals.
• Brock flirted with Nurse Joy, so Misty and Max grabbed his ears and dragged him away.
• After settling into their dormitories, May went to practice at the beach with Misty and Max, while Xia You, Ash, and Brock headed for the battlefields.
• Xia You and Ash chose the Water Field for their practice battle, and Xia You sent a yellowish-brown fish Pokémon into the pool.

Xia You and Ash began a pool battle between Feebas and Corphish, while Xia You teased Ash and Brock about a memorable, troublesome Pokémon he had caught. Ash soon lost his enthusiasm when Feebas showed it could only use simple moves like Splash and Tackle.

• Ash scanned Xia You's Feebas with his Pokédex and chose Corphish for the battle.
• Corphish wandered to Xia You's side of the pool before Ash called it back, and the two trainers joked about their newly caught Pokémon being difficult to train.
• Xia You said he had caught a memorable and troublesome Pokémon in Hoenn, but made Ash and Brock wait until after the battle to learn what it was.
• Brock refereed as Ash and Xia You began their unofficial battle.
• Ash discovered Feebas kept using Splash and Tackle, and complained that the battle was disappointing.

Ash defeated Xia You’s Feebas and then his Beldum, only to realize Xia You had used both battles to train his Pokémon. Beldum began evolving after the second battle, leaving Ash angry at being used as a training partner.

• Ash’s Corphish defeated Xia You’s Feebas, disappointing Ash because the battle was too easy.
• Xia You offered Ash another battle and sent out Beldum on an open battlefield.
• Ash used Treecko to defeat Beldum, which had relied on Tackle throughout the battle.
• Ash accused Xia You of tricking him, while Brock recognized that Xia You had been using Ash to train his Pokémon.
• Beldum began evolving after its defeat, and Ash felt upset that his battles had helped it gain experience.

Beldum evolved into Metang, but Xia You declined Ash’s request for another battle and headed to the beach with Ash and Brock. They found May, Misty, and Max practicing in a secluded spot, where May was working with her newly evolved Beautifly, though the pair did not seem well coordinated.

• Beldum evolved into Metang, and Ash’s Pokédex identified its Steel and Psychic typing and abilities.
• Ash asked Xia You to battle Metang, but Xia You refused and recalled it so they could look for May and the others.
• Xia You and Ash dragged Brock away from the crowded beach after they failed to find May, Misty, and Max there.
• The group found May, Misty, and Max practicing behind a large rock, where May’s Beautifly was fluttering nearby.
• Xia You recognized Beautifly as May’s recently evolved Wurmple and noticed that it and May were not coordinating well.

May struggled to coordinate with Beautifly while practicing for a Pokémon Contest, and Shun arrived to criticize her and provoke Misty. Misty challenged him, then punched him before he could finish insulting her.

• Xia You asked how May and Misty’s practice was going, and Max said May’s performance and coordination with Beautifly were a mess.
• May demonstrated Beautifly using Gust to send flying discs back toward her, but she failed to catch the third one.
• Shun caught the disc and criticized May’s contest skills and appearance, introducing himself as a Pokémon Coordinator.
• Misty stepped in to defend May and challenged Shun to a battle, but he insulted her too.
• Misty punched Shun in the face as he tried to dodge.

Misty struck Drew for insulting May, and Xia You led the group away from Drew’s family’s private beach. They returned to training, where May and Ash began a mock Pokémon Contest battle as Xia You explained the contest rules to Misty.

• Misty slapped Drew and warned him not to mock May again, while Xia You stepped in to take responsibility for the confrontation.
• Drew revealed that the beach belonged to his family’s resort and ordered them to leave, so the group returned to the public beach.
• May thanked Misty for defending her, and Misty said she had acted because they were friends.
• The group resumed May’s training, and May agreed to a mock contest battle against Ash while Brock refereed.
• Xia You explained the contest’s performance and battle rounds to Misty, who remarked that ordinary Pokémon battles were simpler.

May battled Ash in a practice match, but her inexperienced Beautifly lost to Taillow. Afterward, a man mistook Ash for the Pokémon Contest entrant before realizing May was competing.

• May had Beautifly use Tackle and String Shot, but Taillow dodged and wriggled within the silk.
• May ordered Gust, which snapped the silk and knocked Taillow to the ground, but Taillow recovered.
• May tried Beautifly's unreliable Silver Wind, and Taillow broke free and knocked Beautifly out with Wing Attack.
• A man praised Ash's Taillow and asked if he was entering the Pokémon Contest, then apologized after Ash pointed out May was the entrant.
• The man told May that she and Beautifly seemed nervous and inexperienced at events like this.

May met Bisi, a former Coordinator with three Ribbon Medals, who gave her advice and Pokéblocks. After learning that he now made Pokémon-shaped fireworks, May asked him to help her practice for the upcoming Pokémon Contest, and he agreed.

• Bisi introduced himself as a nearby resident and former Coordinator, then praised Taillow's performance in Xia You's battle.
• May asked Bisi about his Contest experience, and he advised her to stay calm and organized during performances.
• Bisi answered May's questions and gave her Pokéblocks to support her Pokémon's condition.
• Bisi told the group he had left coordinating and now made fireworks shaped like Pokémon.
• May asked Bisi to help her practice for the next day's Contest, and he agreed to guide her.

Max led Xia You, Ash, and Misty to Slateport City's Oceanic Museum, only to find it closed, but director Kusunoki made an exception and let them in. They entered the main hall and stared up at a huge Wailord hanging from the ceiling as Ash asked whether it was real.

• Brock left to shop for ingredients and supplies while Xia You, Ash, Misty, and Max headed to the Oceanic Museum.
• Max found a notice saying the museum was closed and tried to climb through a window to get inside, but he fell onto the grass.
• Director Kusunoki appeared at the window, introduced himself, and invited the group into the museum through a side entrance.
• The group entered the main hall and saw a life-size Wailord hanging from the ceiling.
• Ash asked Director Kusunoki whether the Wailord was real.

Xia You and his companions toured Director Nanmu’s marine museum, where Nanmu showed them a heat-radiating stone he believed had been created by Groudon. Xia You suspected Team Magma might learn about the stone and try to steal it.

• Director Nanmu explained that the museum’s ocean Pokémon exhibits used models and showed the group his custom-built submarine.
• Misty told Max not to judge Brock and his sister for missing the museum tour, and Max fell quiet.
• Director Nanmu opened a case in his office and revealed a black stone that radiated intense heat despite being found deep underwater.
• Nanmu showed the stone’s scan and said he believed Groudon’s power had created it.
• Max described Groudon as an ancient Pokémon that embodied and expanded the land, while Xia You worried Team Magma might come after the stone.

After discovering the museum had been broken into during a power outage, Xia You and his friends found Team Rocket confronting Team Magma outside over the stolen box. Xia You sent Ash and Misty to cut off Team Magma’s escape while he approached with Max, and he saw Team Rocket’s new Cacnea and Seviper.

• Xia You suspected the museum’s power outage was caused by a break-in and led the others to Director Kusunoki’s office.
• The group found the office ransacked, Director Kusunoki and the box missing, and a hole smashed through the window.
• Xia You and his friends went outside and found Team Rocket facing Team Magma, who appeared to have taken the box.
• Xia You told Ash and Misty to circle around and block the groups’ retreat while he and Max approached from the front.
• Xia You saw that Jessie and James now had Cacnea and Seviper with them.

Team Magma’s Mightyena defeated the Team Rocket Trio, but the delay let Ash, Misty, Xia You, and Max confront the thieves. Director Kusunoki reclaimed the fight with his Sealeo, and Max caught the case before the Team Magma members launched another attack.

• Team Magma’s Mightyena knocked Seviper and Cacnea into the sea, taking the Team Rocket Trio with them.
• Ash and Misty confronted the Team Magma members and demanded the case and an explanation for what they had done to Director Kusunoki.
• Xia You arrived with Max, and the disheveled Director Kusunoki ran up with a Poké Ball and insisted on fighting the thieves himself.
• Kusunoki sent out Sealeo, whose Aurora Beam struck a Mightyena and knocked the case into the air; Max caught it.
• Team Magma demanded the case back, but Max refused, and Xia You, Ash, and Misty sent out their Pokémon.
• The Team Magma members ordered their Pokémon to charge at the group.

Xia You and his allies fought off Team Magma’s squad and helicopter, but Director Kusunoki stopped them from pursuing the fleeing members to avoid retaliation. They discovered Team Magma had stolen the stone, though Kusunoki kept a small fragment for his research, leaving Xia You to consider tracking the group to find Groudon.

• Ash, Misty, Director Kusunoki, and Xia You joined forces against Team Magma’s Pokémon, but a Team Magma helicopter arrived as reinforcements.
• Xia You sent out Dragonite and Scizor; Dragonite attacked the helicopter while Scizor overwhelmed the Pokémon on the ground.
• Team Magma used smoke bombs to escape, and Director Kusunoki stopped Xia You from chasing them because his business could face retaliation.
• Director Kusunoki opened the case and found the stone missing, then revealed he had kept a small piece for his research.
• Xia You realized Team Magma had taken the stone and considered using their lead to track Groudon.

Xia You showed Ash, Brock, Misty, and Max the Jigglypuff he had caught, reassuring them that its microphone was missing. While Jigglypuff searched his backpack for it, it accidentally swallowed Xia You’s Everstone, and his attempts to dislodge it failed.

• Ash worried that May had not returned to the Pokémon Center, but Xia You said she would come back when she was ready.
• Xia You released Jigglypuff, and Ash, Brock, and Pikachu recognized the Pokémon that had repeatedly lulled them to sleep with its singing.
• Xia You explained that Jigglypuff’s microphone was hidden away, and the group relaxed while it rummaged through his backpack.
• Jigglypuff threw a stone at the dormitory wall, and it bounced into its mouth and was swallowed.
• Xia You realized Jigglypuff had swallowed his Everstone and tried patting and shaking it, but could not get the stone out.

Jigglypuff swallowed Xia You’s Everstone and Nurse Joy could not remove it, leaving the group to wait for a chance to seek surgery or for Jigglypuff to pass it naturally. The next morning, May and Misty nearly missed the Pokémon Contest’s registration deadline and rushed to the contest hall.

• Xia You and the others rushed Jigglypuff to Nurse Joy, who took it into the emergency room for treatment.
• Nurse Joy said Jigglypuff’s life was not in immediate danger but she could not remove the Everstone, and Xia You chose to wait until they could reach a specialized hospital.
• May returned from practice confident that she was ready for the Pokémon Contest the next day.
• The following morning, Xia You learned that May had stayed up late with Misty after suffering from insomnia, and both girls had overslept.
• May and Misty hurried out to confirm May’s eligibility before the ten o’clock deadline, while Xia You was left behind.

May checked in just before the deadline for the Slateport City Pokémon Contest, where she met her idol Ayako and received advice before competing. Ayako turned out to be a fan of Xia You, and the chapter ended as the contest began and May waited nervously with her companions.

• Xia You used Dragonite to reach the contest venue ahead of May and gave cold drinks to her and the others as they arrived.
• May checked in just before the deadline, then recognized Ayako at a nearby restaurant and introduced her to the group.
• Brock made an awkward romantic advance toward Ayako before a girl and a boy dragged him away.
• Ayako examined Jigglypuff and said she could not remove its swallowed Everstone without proper equipment, so Xia You planned to visit her clinic in Twinleaf Town after challenging the Dewford Gym.
• Ayako recognized Xia You as the winner of the Johto and Kanto championships, asked for his autograph, and gave May advice about Pokémon Contests.
• May joined the other contestants in the waiting room, grew nervous, and heard the announcement as the Slateport City Pokémon Contest began.

The Slateport City Pokémon Contest began as Xia You and the others watched from the contestants’ lounge. May struggled with nerves while Drew took the stage with his Roselia.

• Vivian introduced judges Sukizo, Contesta, and Nurse Joy, then explained that contestants needed five Ribbons to qualify for the Grand Festival.
• Contestants began performing, and a Trainer with a Wingull received a score of 27.6 as later performances earned scores mostly between 25 and 28.
• May trembled as the contest began, and Xia You helped her calm down by reminding her to breathe slowly and avoid passing her nerves to her Pokémon.
• Drew appeared as contestant number 24, made a dramatic entrance, and began his performance with Roselia.

Drew earned the highest score so far with Roselia’s polished performance, then taunted May in the contestants’ lounge. May vowed to pass the first round as the broadcast introduced Robert and his Milotic, whose performance received the same score as Drew’s.

• Drew performed with Roselia, combining its moves into a glittering display that earned thunderous applause.
• The judges awarded Drew 29.4 points, and Contesta explained that his performance required careful training and precise timing.
• Drew entered May’s lounge and mocked her, but May stood up to him and vowed to pass the first round.
• Ash saw Robert’s Milotic on television and learned from Misty that it had evolved from Feebas.
• Robert finished his performance and received the same score as Drew.

May performed well in her first Pokémon Contest, earned a place in the second round, and was matched against Drew. Their battle began with Drew ordering Roselia to attack Beautifly with Magical Leaf.

• Drew left the lounge after Robert's performance made him recognize Robert as a serious rival.
• May performed with Beautifly, earning scores of 8.7, 8.9, and 9.1 for a total of 26.7.
• May was among the eight contestants selected to advance to the second round.
• The random bracket matched May against Drew, and Xia You joked about lending her a Pokémon before May said she would face Drew herself.
• May and Drew began their five-minute contest battle, and Drew opened by ordering Roselia to use Magical Leaf.