The Ties that Bind!

Plot
Ash is shocked to learn that his first round opponent in the Victory Tournament will be against Gary, his eternal rival. After a sharp exchange with Gary, Ash is left enraged by Gary threatening to sweep him at the tournament. That night, back in his suite, Ash rummages through his backpack and shows his friends the smaller white half of a PokéBall, and he proceeds to tell Misty and Brock the beginning of his and Gary's rivalry. It had been a few days before Ash first left to start his journey as a Pokémon Trainer. Fishing by a stream, he managed to hook a Magikarp, which proceeded to slap him in the face before landing back into the water. Gary, on the other side of the stream, taunted Ash for being unable to name any of Magikarp's attacks, including the Flail that was used on him. The two had liked the stream as a fishing spot, and this caused their rivalry to escalate. When both Ash and Gary caught a bite, both reeled their lines in, but discovered that they had both hooked onto the same rusted PokéBall. After a brief tug-of-war, the Ball broke in two. Though Ash was willing to accept that the "fishing battle" was a draw, Gary had declared it a loss, as "tying with Ash was just as bad as losing", a position that he continued to hold. Ash explains that he has kept his half of the PokéBall as a good luck charm. He admits that losing to Gary and his Eevee had taught him that he wasn't ready to take him on at the time, but declares that he'll beat Gary. Misty reminds him that the next day is a rest day, with the Victory Tournament starting on the day after, so Brock advises Ash to use tomorrow to prepare his strategy.

The next day, Team Rocket reopens their newly expanded souvenir stand. Though Meowth tells Jessie that business might be slow over the rest day, James is confident that he can drum up some business by holding a one-day sale of limited edition collector's pins. Meanwhile, back in the suite, Misty is surprised to learn that Ash and Brock had buried themselves in books, preparing for Ash's match. Ash, for one, has not slept since last night. Brock is quick to point out that Ash is not as computer-literate as either himself or Misty, but has managed to get a web page up on Gary, displaying data on ten of his Pokémon. However, the monitor crashes just as he is about to demonstrate his computer skills to Misty, so she suggests they takes the opportunity to get Ash off the computer desk for breakfast.

Outside, Ash and company continue discussing strategy. Brock notes that Gary has no particular type preference, just like his grandfather, and that he keeps rotating his Pokémon. Ash confirms this, and says that he has been that way for as long as he has known him. As Brock reaffirms that his team-building strategy will be crucial, Ash sees a shadow flying overhead. Once again, the Flamethrower greeting is a dead giveaway that it is Charizard, having arrived from the Charicific Valley after Brock made a late night request to Liza. As Ash is greeting Charizard, Gary appears. After a frank exchange, the two stare each other down until Professor Oak arrives to break the silence, surprising both. Delia also appears, herself and Professor Oak having arrived to watch the Silver Conference live instead of on TV. Oak advises the two to lighten up before moving onto other matters. Having received a lot of new Pokémon data, Professor Oak updates the Pokédexes for both Ash and Gary. Though Misty and Brock are excited about the new Pokédex data and what they can learn from it, Gary stares at his Pokédex intently before leaving. Misty and Brock also remind Ash to prepare their strategy, so they also leave, with Delia offering Ash some encouraging words.

Later that day, Meowth and Jessie congratulate themselves for selling out their merchandise yet again, thanks to the Trainers that did not advance to the Victory Tournament also buying their pins. James, however, is working even harder, as he adjusts his new machines to make 3000 new commemorative badges just to meet the demand for the next day.

The next day, the Victory Tournament begins in earnest. Macy and Jackson are also in the crowd as the announcer explains the Victory Tournament conditions: a Full Battle with a random selection of battlefields between grass, water, rock, and ice-based fields. In the round's opening match, Harrison easily advances onto the next round when his Sneasel defeats a Machamp. Back in the locker rooms, Ash congratulates Harrison on his victory. Harrison reminds Ash that he will square off against the winner of Ash's upcoming match against Gary. Back on the field, Misty and Brock have already been seated, with Pikachu, Togepi, Politoed, and Psyduck ready to cheer Ash on. However, Gary has also brought his cheerleaders to cheer him on. After the announcer makes a brief note of Gary and Ash's accomplishments, the match begins on the rock field, and Gary is selected to choose his first Pokémon.

Gary leads off with Nidoqueen, while Ash calls on his Tauros. Nidoqueen charges forward with a super-effective Rock Smash that sends rocks flying into the air, causing Tauros damage. Tauros manages to push through the oncoming rocks and rushes towards Nidoqueen with a Horn Attack. However, Gary orders Nidoqueen to grab Tauros by the horns. She then launches a close range Hyper Beam, easily knocking Tauros out of the match.

Ash sends out Heracross as his second Pokémon, so Gary swaps Nidoqueen out for a Magmar. Gary begins with a Flamethrower, but Heracross evades the attack and throws its opponent into the air with a Fury Attack. Magmar uses the increased altitude to its advantage, landing into its own Fire Blast before ramming straight into Heracross. The flames engulf Heracross, causing it massive damage. Adding insult to injury, Magmar also adds a point-blank Flamethrower to the mix to cripple Heracross. Suddenly, Heracross manages to blow the fire away with its wings. It charges towards Magmar with a Megahorn, which overpowers Magmar's Flamethrower defense, knocking it out.

Unfazed, Gary sends out Blastoise - the final form of his starter, and the most powerful Pokémon on his team. Heracross starts with a Fury Attack, but Blastoise responds with Hydro Pump. The two attacks prepare to collide as the battle wages on.

Major Events

 * Gary is revealed to have obtained a Magmar, an Alakazam, a Houndoom, a Pinsir, a Fearow, a Kingdra, and a Skarmory.
 * Ash's Charizard returns from the Charicific Valley.
 * Ash and Gary receive a Pokédex upgrade from Professor Oak.
 * Harrison wins his first round Full Battle, advancing to the quarterfinals.
 * Ash begins his first round Full Battle against Gary.
 * Ash's Tauros is revealed to know Horn Attack.
 * Ash's Heracross is revealed to know Megahorn.
 * Gary's starter Pokémon is revealed to have been a Squirtle, which has since evolved into a Blastoise.