Better Eight Than Never!

Plot
Ash and Clair are standing inside the Blackthorn Gym, preparing to start their rematch, which will be a three-on-three battle. Clair chooses her Kingdra, while Ash leads off with Snorlax, surprising Clair. Ash explains that he visited the Pokémon Center the day before and changed his Pokémon around. Ash starts the match with Snorlax's Hyper Beam, though Kingdra dodges the attack with Agility. Kingdra tries to hit Snorlax, but just bounces off of its bulky body. Clair has Kingdra follow up with Swift, but the attack once again harmlessly bounces off of Snorlax. Ash tries to use Snorlax's Body Slam, but Kingdra dodges it with Agility. Kingdra hits Snorlax again, but Snorlax is unaffected. Clair notes that her attacks aren't working against Snorlax's big body, and has Kingdra use Hydro Pump. Ash tells Snorlax to dodge the attack, but it is unable to, and is hit. Clair orders a Hyper Beam, which Snorlax narrowly avoids by diving into the battlefield’s pool. Ash congratulates Snorlax on its quick thinking before ordering a Body Slam. The attack lands, causing both Pokémon to sink underwater. However, Snorlax begins to weigh less, allowing Kingdra to float back to the surface unharmed. Clair tells Kingdra to use Hydro Pump once Snorlax comes up for air. This worries Misty and Brock, but Ash tells Snorlax to jump out of the water. As Snorlax leaps into the air and Kingdra fires a Hydro Pump, Ash orders Snorlax to lean back, and it manages to successfully dodge the attack without sustaining any damage. Clair orders Kingdra to use Swift, but Ash tells Snorlax to just take it. Clair orders another Hydro Pump, but it only douses Snorlax’s face. Kingdra is starting to look tired, and Brock realizes that Ash's plan must be to just wear Kingdra out, as Snorlax has a lot of endurance. Clair orders another Hyper Beam, but Snorlax dodges it once again by going underwater. With Kingdra's stamina starting to run low, Snorlax uses a Ice Punch which knocks Kingdra out of the match. After feeding Charla, Liza joins Brock and Misty on the sidelines to watch the unfolding match. Misty quickly pulls Brock aside as he begins to flirt, before filling Liza in on the current situation of the match.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket are trying to dig a tunnel to reach the Dragon Holy Land and steal the Dragon Fang. Jessie and James are beginning to question when they will reach their target. Meowth glances at his map and orders his teammates to strike the section above them. However, water begins to pour in and Meowth quickly realizes that they have been digging directly under a lake. The lake water starts flooding into the tunnel, washing Team Rocket away.

Back at the Gym, Clair sends out Gyarados as her second Pokémon. Clair orders Gyarados to use Hydro Pump, while Snorlax uses Hyper Beam. However, Snorlax is starting to tire out, causing Gyarados's Hydro Pump to overpower its Hyper Beam. Gyarados then uses Dragon Breath, and as Snorlax is still in the middle of recharging, it is unable to counter the attack. As such, the Dragon Breath lands a direct hit on Snorlax, paralyzing it and preventing it from moving. After taking a Hyper Beam, Snorlax finally faints. Ash decides to use Pikachu next in the hopes that its Electric typing will overcome Gyarados. Clair has Gyarados use Hyper Beam, but Pikachu avoids the attack before slamming into Gyarados with Quick Attack. Clair is momentarily surprised by Pikachu's speed, but quickly orders Gyarados to use Bite. Pikachu avoids the attack before retaliating with a Thunderbolt. However, Gyarados uses Dragon Breath to form a barrier that blocks the incoming attack. Gyarados follows up with a Hydro Pump, which Pikachu tries to dodge, but gets grazed by it and is knocked down to the ground. In a surprising maneuver, Gyarados leaps out of the water and starts squeezing Pikachu in a tight Wrap. This, however, allows Pikachu to land a close-range Thunderbolt on Gyarados, dealing notable damage on the Atrocious Pokémon before it can move away. Gyarados tries to use Bite, but Pikachu dodges the large jaws before finding himself trapped in a corner. Gyarados attempts to finish Pikachu off with a Hydro Pump, but Ash has Pikachu use Agility to race up the torrent to get into point-blank-range of Gyarados's face, before delivering another close-range Thunderbolt, knocking Gyarados out.

Underground, Team Rocket takes a snack break as their latest mecha digs a tunnel for them instead. The mecha soon detects signs of the Dragon Fang and they surface, but instead of the Dragon Holy Land, they discover themselves near the Blackthorn Gym. They spot Charla sleeping nearby, and, after examining her, they realize that the mecha mistook her fangs for the Dragon Fang. Charla suddenly wakes up and, clearly disliking her sleep getting disturbed, proceeds to send Team Rocket blasting off again with a Flamethrower. In the process, the Rocket trio drops their bag of food, which is taken away by an unseen Pokémon.

In the Gym, Ash and Clair's match continues as Clair sends out her final and strongest Pokémon: Dragonair. Pikachu repeatedly uses Thunderbolt, but Dragonair keeps dodging them all. Misty, Brock, and Liza wonder what Ash is up to, as Electric moves don't work well against Dragon Pokémon. However, Ash's intentions suddenly become apparent as Dragonair dives close to the ground as it dodges the attacks, giving Pikachu a chance to use Quick Attack. Dragonair once again evades the attack and knocks Pikachu out with a Hyper Beam. After picking Pikachu up, Ash sends out Charizard as his final Pokémon. Kaburagi pulls a lever, opening the Gym roof so that the two Pokémon can use their flying abilities to their fullest. Charizard attacks with Flamethrower, but Dragonair dives underwater to avoid the attack before countering with Hyper Beam. Charizard uses Flamethrower again, but once again, Dragonair dives into the water. Clair then has Dragonair use Dragon Rage, engulfing Charizard in a cyclone that smashes it down to the ground. Ash urges Charizard to stand up, and it does so, before attacking with yet another Flamethrower, which is yet again avoided by Dragonair diving underwater. Dragonair attacks with Hyper Beam, while Ash has Charizard use Fire Spin to block the attack. Misty, Brock, and Liza understand that Dragonair can use the water to its advantage, giving it an edge in the fight. Ash issues yet another command for a Flamethrower, promoting Clair to repeat the now common order for Dragonair to dive underwater. However, Ash then changes his attack order into a full-power Fire Spin. Ash's intentions are finally revealed when the Fire Spin evaporates the remaining pool water, leaving Dragonair without a place to hide.

Charizard attacks with Flamethrower, but Dragonair blocks it with Safeguard before striking Charizard with Iron Tail. Clair orders another Iron Tail, but this time, Charizard intercepts the attack and grabs Dragonair, preparing to use Seismic Toss. As Charizard is building up momentum, Dragonair uses Dragon Rage to disrupt Charizard, causing it to crash hard into the ground. Despite the heavy landing, Charizard is still able to stand up. After an exchange of Hyper Beam and Flamethrower, Dragonair rushes in for another Iron Tail, but once again, Charizard grabs Dragonair and goes for another Seismic Toss. Once again, Clair has Dragonair use Dragon Rage, but this time, Charizard adds its Fire Spin to the mix, engulfing both Pokémon in flames and turning Seismic Toss into a "Flaming Seismic Toss". The combo attack slams into the Gym floor with a devastating force. As the flames die down, Dragonair faints and Ash is declared the winner of the match. Clair recalls Dragonair and congratulates Ash on his victory before handing him the Rising Badge. Ash, ecstatic of having just won his eighth Badge, performs a victory pose with Pikachu.

Later, Liza heads back to Charicific Valley with Charla and Charizard, and everyone waves her goodbye as she sets off into the sunset.

Major Events

 * Ash temporarily returns his Snorlax to his team to help in his battle with Clair.
 * Ash's Snorlax is revealed to have learned Ice Punch.
 * Ash beats Clair in a rematch and earns the Rising Badge, qualifying him for the Johto League.
 * Ash's Charizard returns to the Charicific Valley.