Nice Pryce, Baby

Plot
Ash is excited for his upcoming Gym battle. He declares that his Cyndaquil's flames will make quick work of Pryce's Ice-type Pokémon. Misty reminds him that Pryce's Piloswine and Dewgong will be tough opponents, and Ash realizes there is a big hole in his battle strategy.

Sheila arrives at the Mahogany Gym and is pleasantly surprised to see Pryce grooming his Piloswine. Pryce admits that he has been with his Pokémon all night. Having been reunited with Piloswine only yesterday, Pryce has come to realize that his own ambitions were also frozen in ice for many years. Ash and his friends suddenly arrive at the Gym, and Pryce happily escorts them into the facility. Inside, Ash is surprised to see the glistening ice battlefield. Brock mentions that the field's central pool might be key to winning this match. Meanwhile, Team Rocket plans to steal all of the Ice Pokémon.

Pryce and Ash soon take their positions on the field. Ash prepares to call out his first Pokémon, but Brock halts the match after noticing that there is no referee. Sheila chuckles and reveals her referee uniform before taking her position as the referee for the battle. The two-on-two match begins. Pryce calls out his Dewgong, and it dives into the pool. Ash sends out Cyndaquil and orders a Flamethrower, but Dewgong ducks underwater to evade the attack. Dewgong retaliates with an Ice Beam, freezing Cyndaquil in solid ice after it loses its footing. Ash has Cyndaquil turn up the heat, and its breaks free of the ice to dodge an incoming Aurora Beam. The unconventional strategy takes Pryce by surprise. He orders another Aurora Beam. Cyndaquil moves out of the way and fires a Flamethrower at it. Dewgong dives underwater once again to escape. Ash spots an opportunity and has Cyndaquil also enter the water. Dewgong approaches with a Headbutt, though Ash bides his time before hitting Dewgong out of the water with a Swift attack. Cyndaquil follows up with a Flamethrower to knock Dewgong out of the battle. Next, Pryce sends out his trusty Piloswine.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket prepare to steal the Gym's Ice Pokémon with a net. Jessie pauses for a moment and suggests they keep some of the Pokémon for themselves. James and Meowth are a little confused, but Jessie explains that they could establish a global ice cream chain. With the money earned they would be able to finally pay off their dues to the boss. Meowth springs into action and prepares to net himself some Pokémon. However, he slips on the ice and disturbs a sleeping Seel. Soon enough Team Rocket finds themselves surrounded by the angry Ice Pokémon. The trio are quickly frozen after an Ice Beam is shot their way.

The focus switches back to the battle, where Piloswine immediately unleashes a Blizzard attack. The snow cover helps Piloswine disappear into its surroundings, it then strikes Cyndaquil out with a Take Down. With one victory each, the round enters a sudden death match. Ash selects his most reliable Pokémon, Pikachu against Pryce's Piloswine. Things start out rough as Piloswine releases a barrage of Blizzard attacks on Pikachu, who struggles to stand up straight on the ice. Ash notices that Piloswine's Blizzard attacks form ice pillars on the battlefield, and so, he commands Pikachu to slide on the ice underneath Piloswine. This confuses Piloswine as well as Pryce. Then, Pikachu slides and ricochets off of the pillars, easily dodging the Blizzards. When Pryce tells Piloswine to use Blizzard on the whole battlefield, Pikachu slides under it and unleashes a powerful Thunder. Almost out of energy, Piloswine uses Rest. Ash tells Pikachu to use Quick Attack before it heals, but he's too late. With its new found energy, Piloswine uses Fury Attack and Take Down.

Pryce tells Ash to throw in the towel, but Ash refuses, so the battle then continues on. Ash commands Pikachu to counter Piloswine's Fury Attack with a Quick Attack. Piloswine is hit directly on the nose and slides backwards. Pikachu unleashes a massive Thunderbolt, which does nothing to it. Piloswine uses Take Down, and Pikachu jumps on its face and uses Thunder. This causes some damage and creates a hole in the field, which causes Piloswine to fall into the water. This time, Pikachu's next Thunderbolt causes more damage because Piloswine is wet. Piloswine shakes it off, leaving Ash and his friends astounded. It retaliates with Fury Attack, but Pikachu doesn't have enough control to dodge. Ash commands a Thunder, which sends Pikachu flying backwards. Pikachu looks exhausted, but stands up, ready to keep fighting. In a surprising turn of events Pryce then forfeits, which gives Ash the victory under a T.K.O.. Ash isn't pleased at first, saying he didn't actually win. Pryce admits that Ash's strength was impressive and explains he just didn't want his Piloswine to get hurt. With this in mind, Ash gladly accepts the Glacier Badge. Pryce once again thanks Ash for helping him to rediscover that being friends with Pokémon is important. Ash and his group wave goodbye and head towards their next destination, Blackthorn City.

Major Events

 * Ash has a Gym battle with Pryce and Pryce forfeits, earning Ash the Glacier Badge.
 * Ash and his friends head to Blackthorn City for Ash's final Johto Gym battle.