Pop Goes the Sneasel!

Plot
The group continue towards Silver Town, and along the way they notice people gathered at a large closed gate. When they get there, Ash asks a pair of bystanders what's going on. The men explain that everyone is waiting at the Ho-Oh Shrine to see the official Johto League Silver Conference torch. Ash and his friends decide to wait with the growing crowd. A shrine attendant finally opens the gate and explains that the torch runner is currently delayed. While this is happening, Togepi runs through the gate, and Pikachu follows after it. The attendant notices the two rush inside and cuts them off in time. The group enters the area to collect Togepi and Pikachu before apologizing to the attendant.

Two Trainers suddenly rush down from the shrine. They tell the guard they cannot train at the shrine and rush off to the Pokémon Center to treat their injured Pokémon. The attendant is deflated, admitting that all the Trainers so far have been running away in fear. As he goes to ask Ash for a favor, another Trainer with his Houndoom steps forward and offers his assistance. He introduces himself as Harrison from Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region. Brock believes he has heard of Hoenn and suggests its somewhere on the other side of the ocean. With Harrison now on board, he and the group follow the attendant to the shrine building. The attendant explains that the torch runners are all ready to go, but they cannot reach the flame. He details that the Ho-Oh Shrine was where a terrible war was fought. People ravaged the place so badly that the Pokémon suffered because of it and the vegetation was wiped out. Ho-Oh appeared after a battle and unleashed a rose-colored flame that set the area alight and destroyed the weapons of war. From the ashes came new life and the area was restored to nature. But a bit of a tree was left burning for the longest of times. And they placed the fire in a shrine declaring the Sacred Flame that is now housed in the Ho-Oh Shrine.

The attendant adds that recently there have been reports of a Sneasel, a Machop, and a Machoke preventing people from getting near the Sacred Flame. Every Trainer who volunteered to try to stop the offending Pokémon ended up coming back with hurt Pokémon, broken bones, and other serious injuries. The attendant is really worried, because without the Sacred Fire, the ceremony for the Silver Tournament can't start, and thus, no tournament this year. Ash says he'll make sure he can get the Sacred Fire secure from the Sneasel, mainly because he wants to go compete. Harrison, on the other hand, wants the Sneasel and will help Ash out if he can get his hands on it. Ash asks where the shrine is and the attendant points the way up to a fleet of stone steps. Everyone soon goes up the stairs.

Somewhere else in the forest, Team Rocket are searching for the Sacred Fire. They plan to steal it and sell it off, and finally they find the shrine. As soon as they run towards it, Jessie and James get hit in the head by a Machoke. Sneasel and Machop soon appear. Meowth translates Sneasel’s speech, and Jessie is only infuriated by its tough talk. Jessie sends out Arbok to try to take care of Sneasel. She commands Arbok to use Headbutt, but Sneasel simply jumps out of the way and lashes Arbok with Fury Swipes. Jessie is immediately impressed by Sneasel’s prowess. Meowth retorts that he has seen better moves from a baby Weedle, leading Jessie to throw him into the battle to prove himself. Meowth tries to use Fury Swipes on Sneasel, but it dodges the attack and gives Meowth a Slash, which sends him crashing into Jessie and James. Sneasel orders its minions to attack, and they strike Arbok into the rest of Team Rocket and sending them all clear across the path.

The group is almost at the shrine, so Ash runs ahead. However, he almost gets battered by Machoke's arm, but he leans backwards to avoid it. Brock and the others support Ash in time to avoid a calamitous fall down the stairs. When everyone reaches the top, they spot the Machop and the Machoke that the attendant was talking about. Misty hands Togepi over to Brock before calling out her Corsola. Harrison has his Houndoom use Flamethrower on Machop. With the Fighting duo occupied, Harrison orders Ash to enter the shrine. He opens the doors and gazes at the magnificent Sacred Flame for a moment before Sneasel tries to take a swipe at him. Ash sends out Totodile for a Water Gun attack, but Sneasel leaps and avoids it. Sneasel strikes back with Slash and knocks Totodile down, but not out. Corsola and Houndoom finally knock out Machoke and Machop with a Tackle attack and Flamethrower respectively. The trio now run over to Ash. Totodile tries another Water Gun, but Sneasel dodges it again. Finally the Sneasel gives Totodile a Shadow Ball that throws Totodile right into Ash. Both get sent right back down the hill, and their descent ends when they collide into a tree. Harrison and the other rush to Ash's side. Ash picks himself up and declares that Sneasel is more powerful than he expected.

Team Rocket are considering their options, but are still wounded by their swift defeat. Meowth is more optimistic and suggests that he could evolve into a Sneasel, but James corrects him and states that Meowth can only evolve into a Persian. Jessie adds, that even as a Persian, Meowth would still struggle to defeat Sneasel. Jessie suddenly pulls James over for a private talk. Jessie says that they should get the Sneasel, since it's more powerful than Meowth but no less different, as it's still a cat. Meowth eavesdrops on the conversation and is irritated to learn that his teammates plan on ditching him for the Sneasel. James is a little hesitant, since he can't picture someone replacing Meowth. Meowth hurries back before they're finished and soon Jessie and James return. Jessie tries to cover up their plot with some excuse and Meowth pretends to be happy about it. James on the other hand remains a little hesitant.

Later, Harrison and the others return to the shrine, but Machoke and Machop have recovered. Ash sends out Phanpy and Harrison uses Houndoom. Phanpy takes Machop down with a Take Down and Houndoom hits Machoke with Headbutt. This knocks the fighters back, but Sneasel orders them forward again. Houndoom and Phanpy lift them up and throw them down the hill. The duo crashes through a tree and hit the ground hard, much to the surprise of the shrine attendant.

Harrison turns his attention to the Sneasel, but Team Rocket soars into view in their Sneasel balloon. They soon land and perform their motto, with Meowth emerging in a Sneasel costume. Ash is quick to point out that Meowth is just wearing a costume, though Jessie and James still go forward with their ploy - the "Sneasel's best friend plan". Meowth approaches Sneasel with an enticing present box, which contains a smoke bomb. Meowth is determined to preserve his place in Team Rocket, so he whispers the plan to Sneasel. The wild Pokémon reacts by slashing at Meowth, and as he flied backwards the smoke bomb still hits the ground and explodes. Jessie and James rush into the black smoke to collect Sneasel before lifting back into the air. The pair happily declare that Meowth has officially been retired. As the pair laugh, Jessie is mortified to find that she actually grabbed Meowth. Out of revenge Meowth gives both Jessie and James a good scratching to the face. Jessie attempts to throw Meowth away. However, he instead lands on the Sneasel balloon and bursts it with his sharp claws, sending Team Rocket blasting off.

The smoke clears and the group is surprised to see that Sneasel is still there. With no time to waste, Harrison takes the chance and initiates a battle. He sends out a new Pokémon this time: Blaziken. Ash tries to scan it on the Pokédex, but there's no data. Brock realizes that this must be a Pokémon from the Hoenn region. The first attack Blaziken uses is Quick Attack, which the Sneasel has no chance of dodging. The Sneasel tries to counter with a Shadow Ball, but Blaziken dodges and counters with Flamethrower. Blaziken gives Sneasel a Fire Punch, knocking it down. Harrison throws a PokéBall at Sneasel and catches the Pokémon. Ash congratulates Harrison on his latest catch before turning his attention to the Sacred Flame.

With the obstacles now clear, the torch runners can finally begin the long awaited relay to the Silver Conference stadium. The shrine attendant thanks everyone for their efforts and reveals that he has decided to hire the Machoke and Machop to permanently protect the shrine. Harrison reveals that he'll be at the Tournament and he's looking forward to seeing Ash there. Ash on the other hand is left stunned, but declares that he is confident that he's going to win.

Major Events

 * Ash meets Harrison, his newest rival.
 * Ash and his friends learn about the Hoenn region.
 * Harrison catches a Sneasel.