Chapter Summaries

After Wally lost his battle to Xia You, his uncle praised him and allowed him to challenge Gyms, while Xia You and Misty left the park. Reporters Mary and Dai then approached Xia You, and Mary secured his promise to give her interview request priority during the Ever Grande Conference.

• Wally's uncle praised his effort after his loss to Xia You and gave him permission to challenge Gyms and pursue his dream.
• Xia You praised Combusken, then left the park with Misty before Wally could speak with him.
• Mary and Dai, reporters from Mauville TV, caught up with Xia You and Mary asked him for an exclusive interview.
• Xia You declined an immediate interview but promised to prioritize Mary's request when the Ever Grande Conference arrived, and they exchanged contact details.
• Mary told Dai she hoped an interview with Xia You would improve their standing at the station and help them return to the studio.

Xia You and Misty enjoyed lunch and games in Mauville before returning to the Gym, where a moving-floor obstacle course carried them to an apparent Raikou. Xia You realized the Pokémon was an imitation as his Tyranitar confronted it.

• Xia You and Misty ate lunch at the Mauville Food Court, then played arcade games until Xia You won Misty a Starmie plush.
• Xia You brought Misty back to the Mauville Gym the next morning, and they rode a fast-moving elevator through its elaborate obstacle course.
• The elevator bounced across a pool and carried them to a room where a Raikou appeared to prepare an attack.
• Xia You sent out Tyranitar to confront Raikou and noticed that its empty eyes made it look like a machine rather than a living Pokémon.

Xia You and Misty entered the Mauville Gym, where Xia You defeated Wattson’s fake Raikou and met Wattson and his assistant. The official three-on-three Gym battle began with Wattson sending out Voltorb and Xia You choosing Combusken.

• Tyranitar tore into the fake Raikou and disabled it, revealing its wires to Misty.
• Wattson emerged from a hidden door with his assistant, Watt, and explained that the fake Raikou was a welcoming test.
• Xia You introduced himself and Misty, then accepted Wattson’s invitation to battle at the Gym.
• Watt announced the three-on-three battle rules, and Wattson sent out Voltorb.
• Xia You sent out Combusken, prompting Wattson to guess that he was saving Tyranitar for last.

Xia You’s Combusken battled Wattson’s Voltorb, countering its Screech and Rollout with Ember and Double Kick. Wattson’s Voltorb survived the flames, but Wattson struggled to find a way to land an attack.

• Wattson began the Gym battle by ordering Voltorb to use Screech as Combusken charged in.
• Combusken took damage from Screech but attacked Voltorb with Ember.
• Wattson ordered Voltorb to use Rollout to dodge the flames and close the distance.
• Xia You had Combusken use Double Kick to send Voltorb rolling back, then hit it with another Ember.
• Voltorb survived the flames, but Wattson realized his Pokémon could not reach Combusken and struggled to choose a new strategy.

Xia You’s Combusken defeated Wattson’s Voltorb by dodging its Spark and countering with Quick Attack. Wattson sent out Magneton for the next round, aiming to avoid another close-range contest.

• Wattson had Voltorb use Spark, but Combusken outran it instead of engaging at close range.
• When Voltorb’s Spark faded, Xia You ordered Combusken to turn back and use Quick Attack.
• Combusken struck Voltorb, triggering its self-destruction too far away to harm Combusken.
• Wattson declared Voltorb unable to battle and sent out Magneton for the next round.
• Xia You recognized that Wattson had chosen Magneton for mid- to long-range combat.

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.