Fight for the Meteorite (LAoPtS)

Plot
Arriving at Mt. Chimney on their way to Lavaridge Town, Ash and his friends hop on a cable car for an easy trip up the mountain. Team Rocket also scramble aboard, disguised as tour guides. On the ride up spy two large helicopters flying up the mountain, one colored red, the other blue. Unknown to everybody, these helicopters contain agents from Team Magma and Team Aqua, who have arrived on the mountain to obtain a special meteorite. As Professor Cozmo locates a meteorite for his research, he finds himself surrounded by Tabitha and a group of Team Magma Grunts. Tabitha demands that Professor Cozmo hand over the meteorite, but he is distracted when Shelly appears with her own group of Team Aqua Grunts.

The two groups begin to battle each other, giving Professor Cozmo the opportunity to escape. Noticing his disappearance, a small group from both teams begin to pursue him down the mountain. Meanwhile, a small group of Team Aqua agents storm into the summit cable car station and successfully overpower the workers. They shut down the cable cars, stranding both Ash's group and Team Rocket halfway up the mountain. Brock tries to use the emergency phone, but finds that nobody in the control room is responding. In the resulting panic, Jessie, James, and Meowth drop their facade as tour guides and reveal their true identities. The trio perform's their motto, but the group orders the trio to hold off battling because of the confined nature of the cable car. Realizing that they are on their own, Ash takes a grappling hook from the cable car's storage cupboard and uses it to latch onto a nearby support tower. He begins to climb across the rope to the tower, but is nearly knocked off when Team Rocket tries to jump on as well. The ensuing scuffle causes the rope to snap, leaving Brock, May, Max, and Team Rocket stranded on the cable car, while Ash finds himself on the tower. He promises to come back with help, then climbs down the tower and begins to run up Mt. Chimney. Along the way he crashes into Professor Cozmo, and realizes he is being pursued by Team Magma and Team Aqua.

Higher up on the mountain, Team Aqua fights a losing battle, realizing they are outmatched, Shelly orders a tactical retreat. Letting them escape, Tabitha orders his group to head to the summit so they can prepare for a test of some special equipment. Introducing himself to Ash, Professor Cozmo tells him that the meteorite is part of a large asteroid that fell from space. When Ash asks he says he has no idea why Team Magma or Team Aqua would want it, as it doesn't seem to have any special properties. Suddenly a Golbat comes swooping down and snatches the meteorite from Professor Cozmo's hands. It flies to its Trainer, a Team Magma member who orders his group to rendezvous with Tabitha at the mountain's summit. They depart, ignoring Ash and Professor Cozmo. At the summit Tabitha receives a message about the meteorite’s recovery. Laughing he orders his agents to start preparing the machine, a strange laser like device that points at the center of Mt. Chimney's volcanic cauldron.

Meanwhile, in the cable car, May and Max start to get hungry. Brock passes out sandwiches, and even shares some with the famished Rocket trio. Putting aside their differences for a moment, everybody sits down for a quick meal. Suddenly the cable car begins to shake, as the wind around the mountain starts to pick up. Everybody inside hangs on for dear life, Brock urges Ash to hurry up and save them. Arriving at the summit, Ash and Professor Cozmo watch as Team Magma places the meteorite into the laser, which they begin firing at the center of the volcano's lava flow. Professor Cozmo speculates that the device will cause the volcano to erupt, which would deal untold damage to the surrounding area. Ash decides that the only way to stop the machine is to sneak up and snatch the meteorite from inside of it.

With Professor Cozmo providing a distraction, Ash approaches the machine and attempts to grab the meteorite out of it. Finding it is protected by an electric lock, he has Pikachu use Thunderbolt in an attempt to overload the machine. It works, however the entire machine begins to go haywire. Looking back at the machine Tabitha notices Ash, recognizing him from their previous meeting he rushes down to stop him. At the last second Professor Cozmo arrives and knocks him back. Realizing that there was no time to get the meteorite out, Professor Cozmo shoves the entire machine into the depths of the volcano. With their mission failed, Tabitha orders a retreat. On a nearby ridge, Shelly watches Team Magma's departure, and orders Team Aqua to withdraw as well. Both sides conclude that even if they failed to secure the meteorite, at the very least they kept it out of their rival’s hands.

Later, a rescued Brock, May, and Max thank Ash and Professor Cozmo. Team Rocket attempts to nab Pikachu while they're distracted, but the sudden appearance of Wobbuffet causes the ledge they are standing on to break loose, sending them sliding back down the mountain. Waving goodbye to Professor Cozmo, Ash and his friends head down the Jagged Pass, towards Lavaridge Town.

Major events

 * Team Aqua and Team Magma battle again.