Once More With Reeling! (LAoPtS)

Plot
With Ash's victory at the Battle Pyramid passed, the group arrives at Terracotta Town. Everyone plans to go back home, with May and Max taking a ship to Hoenn, Brock returning to Pewter City, and Ash returning to Pallet Town. As the group checks out the town, May finds a sign for an informal Pokémon Contest. Ash shocks everyone by deciding to enter as well since he does not need a Contest Pass due to the competition not being officially established by the Pokémon Activities Committee.

Ash and May go to the Contest Hall and register. Ash signs Pikachu for the first round and Sceptile for the second. May chooses Eevee for the first round and Combusken for the second. This Contest is special in which only the two highest scoring contestants in the Appeals Round will move to the Battle Round.

The Appeals Round begins with the local Nurse Joy as a judge. May takes the stage first with her Eevee. It uses Dig to form several holes on the battlefield. From underground, Eevee launches Shadow Ball through the holes to create a fireworks display, impressing the crowd. Other Coordinators take the stage, some performing better than the others.

Finally, Ash takes the stage. Even though this is his Contest debut, the crowd cheers him on for being in the top eight of the Ever Grande Conference. Pikachu executes Quick Attack and Thunderbolt to create an electric ring before using Iron Tail to send him bouncing across the field. Pikachu repeats the move to create a group of bouncing electric rings. The Appeals Round ends, and the top two are decided. May takes first place with Ash as the runner-up.

During the break, Ash and May take time to practice. Team Rocket arrives in a giant ship float, attracting the competing Pokémon with food. They capture the Pokémon with a giant net. Ash and his friends confront them, and James launches another net to capture Pikachu. Combusken frees the Pokémon with Mega Kick, and Sceptile catches the net, sending them to safety. Combusken collapses, seeming exhausted, but it evolves into Blaziken. It easily dodges Team Rocket's net and uses Blaze Kick to destroy the float, sending them flying.

The second round pits May's Blaziken against Ash's Sceptile. Max doesn't want either of them to lose. May and Ash shake hands before the Contest Battle begins. It appears that May has the advantage, but the match is fairly even, both Pokémon matching opening executions.

Sceptile opens with Pound, Bullet Seed, and Leaf Blade. Blaziken dodges them all, and Ash loses points. To make up for it, Sceptile chases Blaziken towards the wall, preventing it from dodging Pound. Sceptile fires Bullet Seed, but Blaziken's Fire Spin neutralizes it and hurts Sceptile. Blaziken attacks with Sky Uppercut, but Sceptile dodges, taking May's points. Sceptile's Leaf Blade and Pound attack knock down Blaziken, setting points even at the halfway mark. Sceptile follows up with Bullet Seed and Pound. It tries Leaf Blade, but Blaziken dodges. Blaziken attacks with Sky Uppercut, but Sceptile matches it with Leaf Blade, negating both attacks. Blaziken uses Blaze Kick but Sceptile's Pound matches it as well.

With one minute left, the points are identical, but both Pokémon are exhausted. Sceptile activates Overgrow, and Blaziken matches with Blaze. Neither Pokémon can gain an advantage, with moves evenly matched. Sceptile's Leaf Blade and Pound match Blaziken's Sky Uppercut and Blaze Kick. Ash and May lose points fairly evenly. With ten seconds left, Sceptile unleashes Solar Beam while Blaziken fires Overheat. The attack creates a big explosion that covers the scoreboard. Time expires, but it is unclear who won. The outcome will be revealed in the next episode.

Major events

 * Ash and his friends arrive in Terracotta Town.
 * Ash and May learn about the unofficial Terracotta Contest and decide to enter, with Ash competing in a Pokémon Contest for the first time.
 * May's Combusken evolves into Blaziken and learns Blaze Kick.
 * Ash and May both pass the Appeals Round and enter the final round with Sceptile and Blaziken, respectively.
 * May's Blaziken is revealed to have Blaze as its Ability.