Misty Meets Her Match

Plot
Now aboard a ferry from Trovitopolis, Ash and his friends find that Trovita Island is surrounded by whirlpools and huge spiked rocks. Pikachu spots a little girl and a Seel caught in the strong current, crying for help. Ash and Misty send out Lapras and Staryu, respectively, before Misty swims down to rescue the girl. As the group works together to bring the girl over to the island, a young man observes and is impressed by Misty's actions.

While riding Lapras the rest of the way to Trovita Island, Ash and Misty ask the girl what she was doing out on the current. The girl, who introduces herself as Mahri, says that she and her Seel were playing when the current sucked them in. As Lapras and the ship both arrive, the young man, who later introduces himself as Rudy, arrives to embrace Mahri, who is revealed to be his sister, and thank Misty for rescuing her by offering flowers. Rudy hands Togepi to Ash, and then dances with Misty. He compliments her and asks if she could train the other Trainers at his Gym, leaving the group awestruck. When Ash challenges Rudy, he tells him that he needs to pass a small attack test first.

The group heads off to Rudy's speedboat, where Ash must knock down all of the targets. Ash is successful with Pikachu on the first target, but Rudy is too preoccupied with looking at Misty. Ash sends out Charizard next, but it shoots a Flamethrower that burns Misty. He quickly returns it, apologizes to Misty, and continues with Squirtle and Bulbasaur. He eventually passes the test. As night falls, Rudy schedules the three-round Gym battle for the next day, and tells Ash to pick three Pokémon types they'll use to battle each other with. Ash chooses Electric, Grass, and Water, after which Rudy invites Misty to join him and Mahri for dinner, leaving Ash, Pikachu, and Tracey alone. Ash calls Professor Oak on the telephone, and Oak wishes Ash luck in his match with Rudy. Tracey then butts in and shows Oak his latest Pokémon sketches, while Ash and Pikachu sit down to eat their dinner.

Meanwhile, Rudy, Mahri, and Misty finish an exquisite dinner. They then head down to the Gym to see Rudy's Pokémon working out by dancing to music as a way of improving their skills. Rudy and Misty get out on the dance floor, shortly followed by Mahri and Togepi. Rudy asks Misty if she would stay with him and Mahri forever. She stops dancing to think about it, while Rudy tells her to make her decision after the match tomorrow.

The next morning, Ash and Rudy prepare to battle each other on top of one of the island's huge spikes. The spectators, including Misty, Togepi, Tracey, and Mahri, watch from a hot-air balloon, while one of Rudy's friends provides commentary while riding a Pidgeot. As the match begins, Ash sends out Pikachu, and Rudy uses Electabuzz. Pikachu tries to take down Electabuzz with Thunderbolt and Quick Attack, but Electabuzz defeats Pikachu with Thunder Punch, giving the first victory to Rudy.

For the next round, Ash sends out Bulbasaur, while Rudy sends out Exeggutor. Exeggutor easily avoids Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf by dancing around to avoid the leaves, then knocks Bulbasaur down with an Egg Bomb. However, Ash quickly orders Bulbasaur to use Sleep Powder, which puts Exeggutor to sleep, but also causes it to fall off the cliff. Bulbasaur immediately manages to rescue Exeggutor with its vines.

For the third and final round, Ash sends out Squirtle, and Rudy sends out Starmie before dedicating the final victory to Misty. Squirtle and Starmie both attack each other with Water Guns, and Rudy quickly plays some music, causing Starmie to spin so much, it uses Thunderbolt to knock Squirtle into submission, leaving Ash horrified. After thinking over Rudy's offer, Misty yells at Ash to win since he can release Squirtle's hidden power. This causes Rudy to lose his concentration. Ash orders Squirtle to fight back; it escapes the Thunderbolt with another Water Gun, Withdraws inside its shell as it is about to fall off the cliff, and then learns Hydro Pump, releasing it from its shell to fly back onto the battlefield. Squirtle then uses its new attack and Skull Bash to defeat Starmie, giving the final victory to Ash.

As the sun sets, Ash receives his Spike Shell Badge from Rudy, who also offers Misty more flowers. Afterwards, the group boards Lapras and departs.

Major Events

 * Ash and his friends reach Trovita Island and meet Rudy, the Trovita Gym Leader.
 * Ash's Bulbasaur is revealed to know Sleep Powder.
 * Ash's Squirtle learns Hydro Pump.
 * Ash defeats Rudy and earns the Spike Shell Badge.