Spontaneous Combusken! (LAoPtS)

Plot
Ash and his friends have arrived on the getaway destination Chrysanthemum Island for May’s next Pokémon Contest. Outside the Contest Hall, the registered Coordinators are preparing their prized Pokémon while Ash tries to hone Sceptile's skills following its heartbreak. Sceptile tries to use Bullet Seed, but it only manages to create a small plume of smoke. Ash calls for Sceptile to try again, when Drew confronts him, adding that he is only making Sceptile more stressed. May asks her rival about the letter she received back in Wisteria Town, though Drew replies that he didn’t send the letter. He explains that he isn’t even going to be competing in this Contest, and he instead traveled to Chrysanthemum Island to rest up. The admission leaves May curious as to who actually wrote her the latter.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket is by the beach with Jessie dressed in her Contest attire as she plans to use Mime Jr. in the upcoming Contest. In the distance, May begins to work on Munchlax and Combusken's skills. Munchlax quickly lunges towards Combusken with a Focus Punch, but misses and continues on to nearly hit a bystander and crash into the soft sand. As everyone tries to remove Munchlax from the sand, May goes to apologize for its actions. Brianna is pleasantly surprised to see her idol May in-person, adding that she was the one who sent her the letter. She then tries to hand May a solitary rose, Munchlax jumps forward and snatches it from her hand, devouring it in one bite. After learning that Brianna is a fan of Drew’s as well, she takes her to a nearby hotel pool to meet him. After a few quick words, the two shake hands and Drew wishes Brianna luck in the Contest. When Drew is finally out of sight, Brianna displays her affection for Drew. Her attitude turns from love-struck meekness to fiery determination as she tells May that she wants Drew's respect and the quickest way she'll get it is by beating May in this Contest.

The spotlight shines on Lilian as she begins announcing the Contest. The Appeals Round begins and the first contestant is Jessie with her magnificent Mime Jr. dressed in Hawaiian attire. When Mime Jr. is sent out from its Poké Ball, it rotates on its upper head while Jessie performs a small hula dance. The crowd roars for Jessie's performance. Next, May and her Munchlax take to the stage. May quickly directs Munchlax to unleash its Solar Beam, filling the stadium with a magnificent blend of lights and colors. Munchlax's next move is Metronome, so it begins moving its hands in synchronization. However, the move backfires and Munchlax is put to sleep, having used the move Rest. After a few moments of hesitation, May throws a Pokéblock into the air. Munchlax instantly awakens and devours the Pokéblock in mid-air while rotating. On its descent, Munchlax comes down with a Focus Punch, gracefully landing on the stadium platform. The third contestant is Brianna, with her Surskit. Surskit uses Ice Beam on the stage, allowing it to gracefully pirouette like an ice skater across the now frozen performance stage. It finishes the performance with a high-velocity spin. The crowd cheers for Surskit's performance as the Contest Judges give approval of Brianna's performance.

The other contestants include Hoothoot, Hypno, Blastoise, and Castform. With the first round of competition ending, the results are revealed and among the contestants are May, Brianna, and Jessie. The match-ups are then announced, with May to face Jessie in the first round of the tournament.

The stage is set with May and her Combusken facing off against Jessie and her Mime Jr. Combusken begins the battle with a Fire Spin, but Mime Jr. easily dodges and uses Mimic, sending an identical Fire Spin to Combusken. The tricky move deducts more points than usual from May's score. Combusken recomposes itself and rushes toward Mime Jr with Quick Attack, and they both clash. Mime Jr. maneuvers itself in mid-air to begin "tickling" Combusken, reducing a substantial amount of points from May. Mime Jr. follows up with another Mimicked Fire Spin, but as the flames engulf Combusken, it recovers and gains power. Combusken leaps through the ongoing Fire Spin and knocks Mime Jr. with a Sky Uppercut to win the round.

After clearing through their other battles, May and Brianna find themselves against one another in the finals. The crowd cheers as the final battle is started. May calls upon her Combusken while Brianna releases her Vibrava. As Combusken moves in for the attack, Vibrava uses its Screech attack, causing Combusken to cover its ears. As Vibrava continues with its Screech attack, Combusken launches a Fire spin for a direct hit. Vibrava retaliates with its Dragon Breath attack, nullifying the Fire Spin. Vibrava then uses its Sand Tomb attack to entrap Combusken's legs in a mound of sand. Combusken struggles, but is unable to remove itself from the tomb. Suddenly, Combusken's feathers begin to glow a faint blue. After a moment, Combusken bursts from the Sand Tomb using its new move, Mega Kick. Vibrava doesn't let up, unleashing another Dragon Breath attack and hitting Combusken for great damage, reducing May's points further. Combusken ascends into the air for a Sky Uppercut, but misses its target as Vibrava goes for another Sand Tomb attack. Combusken disperses the sand once more and descends down with a hard Mega Kick on Vibrava. The two Pokémon crash into the ground, and Vibrava is declared unable to battle. With this victory over Brianna, the Chrysanthemum Contest draws to a close and Mr. Contesta presents May with the Chrysanthemum Ribbon; her third overall.

As the sun is setting, May and Brianna reflect upon their Contest performances. May's friends join them on the beach, including Drew, who causes Brianna to blush and hide behind May. Drew acknowledges both of their good efforts and wishes Brianna luck, causing her to suddenly faint from swooning. Drew reminds May that she only has two Ribbons left until the Grand Festival. As he walks off into the distance, May watches him and begins to blush.

Major events

 * Ash and his friends arrive in Chrysanthemum Island and meet up with Drew again.
 * It is revealed that May's invitation was sent by Brianna rather than Drew.
 * James's Mime Jr. is revealed to know Mimic and Tickle.
 * May's Combusken learns Mega Kick.
 * May enters the Chrysanthemum Contest and wins, earning her third Kanto Ribbon.