Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page
Search the Web

Pokémon Battle Frontier Saga:

Welcome To Ultra Pokémon Fan Site Pokémon Updates: Pokémon Indigo League: Pokémon Orange League: Pokémon Johto Sega: Pokémon Hoenn Sega: Pokémon Battle Frontier Sega: Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: My Custom Pokémon Story Pokémon 9th Generation Pokémon Photo's: Pokémon Links and Other Links Pokémon Info





Pokémon Battle Frontier Saga:
Main Characters:
Ash Ketchum
Brock
May
Max
Rivals:
Drew/May's rivals during Hoenn and Kanto Pokemon Contests.
Harley/May's rivals during Hoenn and Kanto Pokemon Contests.
Soledad

In Episode 408 Begins peacefully back in Pallet Town, where Ash has returned once again after his tough battles in the land of Hoenn and its League. In Ash's house we find Mr. Mime sweeping while Delia ponders her sons return while cleaning the dishes and what she will cook for dinner that evening. A ring at the doorbell snaps her from her thinking, and Mr. Mime answers the door to find Bulbasaur, Combusken and Munchlax smiling happily. Mr. Mime is shocked to find three Pokemon on their doorstep, and Delia comes out of the Kitchen wondering who it could possibly be. Just as she does so, May pops her head around the door and greets her.

Over at Oak's Lab Misty, Max and Tracey are seeing to and examining the three starter Pokemon (Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle.) which will be soon handed out to a young Pokemon trainer so he or she can begin their journey. Max comments that they are cute, and attempts to stroke the young Squirtle, causing the Pokemon to start crying its eyes out in fear. Max apologises, and the Squirtle pouts and goes back to eating its food. While all this has been going on, Tracey has been busy drawing a picture of the three Pokemon, which Max is very impressed by. Max then goes on to say how Tracey must be a great Pokemon Watcher to be Professor Oak's assistant, and wonders what it would be like to watch Pokemon and sketch them like Tracey does. All this talking has apparently bored and tired out the three young Pokemon, and Misty suggests that they should take a rest in their Pokeballs, and Tracey agrees. Just as he is about to take the Pokeballs to do so, Max asks if he can call them back to their balls instead. Tracey doesn't see why not, and Max proceeds to call Bulbasaur and Charmander back to their balls. However, the young Squirtle does not understand where his friends have gone and so when Max tries to call it back too, it runs off crying. After being chased by Max around the lab, the crying Squirtle jumps into the arms of May who has just come up the stairs to meet them along with Ash's Mother. Max is shocked to see his sister, who scolds him and says that he needs to be gentler with Pokemon.

Just then Ash, Professor Oak and Professor Birch appear and Birch greets May. May is confused as to why Professor Birch is here, and Max explains that the Professorbrought him here. May apologises if her brother has caused him any trouble, but Birch relies that it was his pleasure... before Ash's Muk appears behind him and gives Birch a slimy hug. Ash tells Muk to get off ProfessorBirch, but Muk shakes its head; its having too much fun. Professor Oak smiles and sweat-drops, knowing exactly what Birch is going through.

Downstairs, the group are enjoying some afternoon tea as May asks Ash about the Battle Frontier. Ash explains that it is a challenge that is set across Kanto, with several different Frontier Brains to battle against, each one giving over a Frontier Symbol if you beat them... much like badges. May says that is sounds amazing, and Ash becomes excited at the challenges ahead. Delia mentions that there are Contest Halls in Kanto too, and May becomes excited at the prospect of any set of Contests to try. Ash asks if May wants to come along with him, and May agrees. However, Ash mentions that they will be leaving tomorrow, which shocks Delia at first before she remembers that her son has always been like this, coming back from one adventure and then leaving on another.

Outside Oak's Lab, Team Rocket are skulking about, in the bushes planning on breaking into Oak's lab to steal the Pokemon along with Pikachu inside.

Back inside the lab, Oak asks Delia if she's worried about Ash leaving again on another journey so soon after coming back. She isn't, however, as she knows that that is what he must do as a trainer and that she'll do whatever she can to support him when he comes back home.

In Oak's fields, Ash, May and Max decide to go meet and greet the rest of Ash's Pokemon from his previous adventures. May and Max are amazed when they see Ash's Snorlax, who then wakes up and waves at its trainer happily. Suddenly May remembers her Pokemon, and calls them out to say hello to Snorlax. Ash asks where Beautifly and Skitty are, and May tells him that she left them in Petalburg with her mother. The conversation is cut short however, as the group hear a load rumbling sound behind them, which turns out to be Ash's Pokemon running up to greet their trainer after a long time of not seeing him. Stampeding towards them are various Tauros, Bulbasaur, Tototile, Cydnaquil, Bayleef, Heracross, Noctowl, Heracross, Kingler and Phaphy. The Tauros don't stop however, and Ash is swept away by the stampede on one of the Tauros' back. Bayleef looks distraught at this, while Pikachu greets Phanpy and the two Bulbasaur shake vines. Bayleef runs after Ash, who is still on the back of one of his Tauros, but cannot catch up to them until Tracey and Misty appear and Tracey uses his Marill's Water Gun to push them back allowing Bayleef to save Ash with its Vine Whip.

Ash thanks Bayleef while the grass type Pokemon snuggles up to him. Misty and Tracey then run up with the three starter Pokemon, and Misty asks Ash if he is alright. Ash says that he is, and that he's a little surprised at how strong his Tauros are which prompts Misty to teases him about not being able to handle them.

Max and May come running with the rest of Ash's Pokemon, amd Squirtle once again jumps into May's arms. Tracey suggests that Ash should introduce his new Pokemon to his old ones, and calls them out. Corphish and Kingler shake claws, while Totodile dances with Glalie, Cyndaquil greets Torkoal, Noctowl greets Swellow and Pikachu plays with Phanpy. Grovyle and Heracross also shake hands.

As the group talks amongst themselves, Jessie, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet emerge from the bushes in which they were hiding posing as presenters from 'Pokemon Sunday' with Wobbuffet acting as cameraman. Jessie says that they are here to interview Ash after his amazing performance in the Hoenn League, and Ash blushes. Just as Wobbuffet is about to scream its name, James leaps over and covers its mouth and Meowth nervously suggests that they get a shot of everybody and their Pokemon. Max becomes excited at the thought of being on television, while May checks her hair and Misty blushes at the thought of being a star.

As the group and their Pokemon all line up, James asks them if they wouldn't mind stepping back to get into shot. The group does so, but end up falling into one of Team Rocket's pitfalls! Noctowl and Swellow try to fly up, but Team Rocket cover the whole with a net preventing them from escaping. Ash orders Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but the attack does nothing against Team Rocket's electric proof net. Misty wonders what is going on, and that prompts Team Rocket to recite their motto. When they finish, Misty asks why they are still following them around even after all this time. Jessie gets angry at this comment, but before she can do anything Ash orders Grovyle to slice through the net covering the hole with its Leaf Blade. Grovyle does so, and Noctowl and Swellow fly out.

Jessie, frustrated that they were able to escape, angrily asks Meowth why they were able to get out of the net... but Meowth only made the net Pikachu proof, and not other-Pokemon proof. Just as Ash and the rest of the group manage to crawl out of the pitfall, James tells Meowth that its time to go the Plan B, and Meowth presses a button on a remote causing the ground to start shaking. When the dust clears, a huge purple robot with sucking arms stands over the group, while Team Rocket laugh inside. They turn on the robot's sucking arms, which generates a huge sucking power which nearly gets Totodile and Charmander before Ash's Bulbasaur pull them back with Vine Whip. As Team Rocket continue to suck, Squirtle cries in May's arms while May attempts to confort the distraught Pokemon. Back in the robot, James tells Meowth to go to full power but is stopped when Ash tells Snorlax to attack the robot, knocking it over and sending Team Rocket crashing into the ground. Now out of the robot, they decide to get back to basics as they send out Seviper and Cacnea to fight against the group. Having different ideas however, Cacnea leaps back at James and hugs him as Professor Birch, Professor Oak and Delia come out of the lab to see what all the commotion is. Birch recognises them as Team Rocket, and Professor Oak remarks that those three at still at their old tricks. Not standing for them trying to steal Pokemon, Birch decides to deal with them himself and pulls out a Pokeball, but is stopped by Delia who tells him that he should leave it to her son and his friends to deal with: It's their fight.

Back to the battle, Jessie orders Seviper to use Poison Tail, and Ash counters by telling Bulbasaur to use Vine Whip. Bulbasaur does so, knocking back Seviper's tail and smashing straight into the snake Pokemon. James gets into the action, and tells Cacnea to use Pin Missile, and May tells her Bulbasaur to use Petal Dance, knocking back the Pin Missile and attacking Cacnea. Jessie shouts at the Pokemon to get their act together, and tells Seviper to use Bite attack and James tells Cacnea to use Needle Arm. Deciding to finish them off, Ash tells Bulbasaur to use Solar Beam which smashes straight into Cacnea and Seviper, sending them blasting off. Realising that they're beat, Team Rocket attempt to sneak away but are stopped by Tracey and Misty, who team up their Marill and Azurill and use a double Water Gun sending Jessie, James Meowth and Wobbuffet smashing into their robot. May then tells Combusken to use Flamethrower, and Ash tells Pikachu to use Thunderbolt causing the robot to explode and send them blasting off after their Pokemon.

As the group celebrate, Delia says that she knew that they would be alright.

Back in the lab, Tracey tries again to recall Squirtle back into its Pokeball, but the baby Pokemon is having non of it and jumps straight back into May's arms. Birch comments that maybe Squirtle would be better off with May, and asks Professor Oak what he thinks. Oak then asks May if she would like to take care of Squirtle, and May says that she would and thanks the Proffesor. Oak then asks her if she would like to leave her Bulbasaur at the lab, and May says that she will, because Ash's Bulbasaur will be able to teach it a lot. Oak is glad that he has another Pokemon to take care of in the lab, along with Glalie and Torkoal who Ash has decided to leave with him also. He then pulls out two brand new Pokedexes, and gives them to May and Ash who thank him. Max is a little jealous that everybody got something and he didn't, but Tracey surprises him with an updated Pokenav containing all the Battle Frontier data. Max excited, starts looking for the new data on the updated device, and tells the group that the nearest Frontier facility is near Cerulean City, and Ash says that that's near where Misty is heading so Misty decides to join the group on their way there.

Later that day, the group decide to leave and Ash says his goodbyes to his mother. Delia tells him to be okay, and Max jumps in and says that Ash will, as long as he is there. Just as they are about to depart, Ash's Phanpy runs up and Ash asks it if it would like to come along with them.

Saying goodbye, Ash along with a group of his friends, leave Pallet Town once more. Just as they leave, Brock, having seen his family in Pewter City appears to re-join the group again. The episode ends with the group of friends heading off into yet another exciting adventure.

In Episode 409 begins with Ash, May, Max, Brock and Misty relaxing beside a river having a picnic on their way to the first of Ash's Battle Frontier challenges, The Battle Factory. (With Misty leaving once they reach closer to Cerulean City.) The group, sitting on blue picnic blankets, have called out their entire Pokemon teams to enjoy the delicious snacks on offer, as well as the scenery. However, looking around, Ash notices that someone is missing... Brock's Ludicolo. Ash asks Brock where the dancing Pokemon is, and Brock explains that since his brothers and sisters had so much fun with Ludicolo while he was there, he decided to leave Ludicolo back home at Pewter City. Brock asks May about the Squirtle she received from Professor Oak, just as Misty receivesa call on her Pokegear. It's Daisy, who asks her if she can hurry up getting back to the Gym, as more and more people are visiting and they need help. Misty shouts down the phone, but eventually calms down and agrees.

Excited to be back on the road, Ash suggests that they get going soon, and that they are near Mt. Moon, which prompts Max to also get excited as he thinks of seeing Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable. Just as he's finished saying that, a rustle in the bushes snaps the group out of their conversation... as it turns out to be a Cleffa! The Cleffa cutefully bounces up towards the group happily as the group look on amazed at seeing such a rare and cute Pokemon. Ash then pulls out his Pokedex to check its details, while the playful Cleffa bounces around waving happily at the group's Pokemon. May attempts to make friends with the Clefa, asking it if it would like to be their friend. The Cleffa doesn't seem to like her however, and hides behind Munchlax. Max smugly tells his sister that she must be too scary for the poor Pokemon to handle, and May angrily asks him to repeat it while Max runs and hides behind Misty. Misty, seeing that the Cleffa is scared, tells her Azurill to go play with it. Azurill does so, leaping out of Misty's arms and extending its tail out for Cleffa to play with. May thinks that it is amazing how Azurill was able to calm Cleffa down, and Max reminds her of her failed attempt at doing the same. Just as she is about to shout at Max again, a strong wind picks up and pulls Azurill and Cleffa away. However, as it turns out, its not a strong wind at all, as Team Rocket have decided to strike early in another suction device welded onto their balloon. Acting fast, Ash tells Swellow to fly up and catch the two baby Pokemon. Swellow does so, and brings them back down to the ground.

Not worried that their first attempt had failed, Team Rocket smirk at the group below them, and Meowth turns up the sucking machine to full power- Powerful enough to rip even the heavier Pokemon off the ground. Ash does manage to stop Pikachu from being pulled into their suction machine however. Not wanting to let their main prize get away, Jessie sends out Seviper to do the job that their machine didn't. Ash orders Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, but Jessie quickly tells Seviper to use Poison Tail, which smashes right into Pikachu, sending it flying backwards and into a rock. Seeing a moment of weakness, Jessie tells Meowth to turn the machine on again. The sucking of the machine starts up once more, but Ash acts quickly and manages to grab Pikachu again. James then tells Meowth to turn it up all the way up to maximum power, and Meowth does so, making the machine powerful enough to be able to lift Ash off his feet too. The rest of the good manage to grab ahold of Ash's legs and stop him for being sucked into the machine with his Pokemon, and Meowth quickly changes the direction of the sucking to confuse and weaken their hold on Ash. They keep hanging on however, which causes Jessie to become frustrated. She angrily pulls the controls from Meowth and attempts to operate the machine herself, but instead of increasing its sucking power, the machine begins to blow, sending all of the group's Pokemon tumbling out to reunite with their trainers. Becoming even more angry, Jessie, frustrated, tries to operate the controls again but the pressure caused by her actions cause the machine to overload and explode, sending Team Rocket blasting off. However, the cause of the explosion sends Misty, Max, who is holding Cleffa, and Pikachu hurling back. May tries to save Max, but she couldn't reach him in time and they fall into the nearby river where they are pulled away by the current.

Eventually, the river dies down and they are able to make it back to land. Misty asks Max if he is okay, and he says he is, but the same cannot be said for Pikachu and Cleffa who are hurt and tired. Max is worried, as there isn't a Pokemon Centre in sight, but Misty tells him that it'll be okay, as she'll take care of them. And that she does, as Misty then tells Azurill to use its Refresh move, healing the two other Pokemon back to full health. With the Pokemon recovered, Misty suggests that they go find Ash and the others, and Max agrees.

Back with the rest of the group, we find them looking for Misty, Max and Pikachu using Mudkip as their guide. However, Mudkip cannot seem to find anything, and May worries where her brother and Misty could be. Ash hopes that they are somewhere safe, while looking at the clouds which are getting darker by the second. They aren't the only ones that are worried however, as a Clefable and a Clefairy emerge from the bushes calling for their also lost friend. However, once they see the group, they quickly run off back into the bushes.

Walking along happily are Misty and Max, and Max compliments Misty on the Refresh move her Azurill performed, but then it was to be expected of a Gym Leader and that his sister could learn a lot from her. Misty points out that she did get in the Best Eight within the Grand Festival in Hoenn, though. Suddenly , Cleffa senses something and runs off happily. Misty wonders what Cleffa has gone running off for, and they follow to find that Cleffa has found some delicious Pecha Berries. Max feels a little depressed though, thinking that Cleffa had found the rest their friends. Misty says that they are delicious, and gives one to Pikachu to eat. After a short while, the small group collect a bunch of the berries to feast on, but just as they are about to tuck in, a swarm of Beedrill appear and chase them off. However, while being chased they fail to watch where they are going and end up falling off a cliff and into a the forest below.

Despite such a steep drop, they manage to land safely within the rather dark and gloomy looking forest. Max wonders where they are, and Misty notices the gathering dark clouds above, noting that it will rain soon. Seemingly cursing their fate, not only does it begin to instantly rain but some thunder and lighting starts up, scaring Cleffa. Looking around however, Misty spots a small cave that they can shelter in from the rain.

Back to Ash, May and Brock, we find them sheltering under a tree, with Ash worrying about Pikachu and the others. Brock reassures him, reminding Ash that Misty is with them. May is silent however, thinking about how she failed to save Max, and hoping that he is okay.

Having found a cave to rest in and shelter from the rain, Pikachu, Cleffa and Azurill have fallen asleep while Misty and Max talk. Max complains about some of the embarrassing things that his sister has done involving Pokemon, and Misty tells him that she also has an older sister... well, three. She explains that despite sometimes disagreeing with them, she does care for them and Max begins to feel a little guilty about some of the things he has said. As they reach an understanding about their older sisters, Misty notices that the weather outside has cleared up and that it is safe to go out. Once outside again, Max suggests that they hurry and go look for the rest of the group.

It seems that they aren't the only ones who have had that idea however, as Ash, Brock and May follow Misty and Max's footprints in an attempt to find their lost friends.

Back with Misty and Max, we find them walking along through the forest with Pikachu and Cleffa skipping happily while holding hands in front of them. Suddenly , another strong wind picks up and Max is pulled away along with Pikachu. However, just as he is about to be sucked into the depths of the forest, May suddenly appears and grabs Max's arm... this time managing to get their in time to save her little brother. The wind dies down. Ash and Brock soon follow, and Pikachu jumps into Ash's arms while Brock asks Misty if she is okay. In turn, Clefairy and Clefable enter the group also and are reunited with Cleffa. May, angry that they put her brother in danger once more, tells them to stop hiding and show themselves. They do so, floating out of the forest in their balloon which has kept its suction machine add-on. They then proceed to recite their motto as usual. When they are finish, Misty mocks them from the ground, but is ignored as Meowth tells them that they're going to nab Pikachu once and for all, along with Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable. Meowth then pulls out the machine's controls, and turns the suction power on once again. However, Misty reacts quickly and tells Azurill to use Bubble. Azurill does so, sending several Bubbles into the machine causing it to overload and explode, sending Team Rocket's balloon crashing to the ground. Having surviving the fall, Jessie, angry at another defeat, says its time for a Pokemon battle and sends out Seviper. James follows up by sending out Cacnea. Having none of this however, are Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable who call out into the forest. Sure enough, several of their kin appear out of the forest to help them out. The fairy Pokemon then start to use their Metronome while Team Rocket looks on bemused. Not wanting to be left out of the action, May's Munchlax breaks out of its Pokeball and starts to use Metronome too. The strange effects of Metronome start to kick in, as Seviper, Meowth and Cacnea are forced to dance under the fairy Pokemon's spell. Jessie smugly remarks that such a silly attack won't stop them, but is quickly silenced as the effects continue and they along with Wobbuffet and Chimecho start to dance also. Suddenly, due to the effects of Metronome, Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable along with Munchlax start to charge up a Solar Beam. As a last ditch attempt at clawing back victory, Jessie tells Seviper to use Poison Tail and James tells Cacnea to use Needle Arm. Ash is having none of this however, and orders Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, zapping the two Pokemon and allowing the fairy Pokemon enough time to charge up Solar Beam. Team Rocket attempt to run away from the attack, but the beam catches up to them causing an explosion and sending them blasting off again.

May, excited that her Munchlax just learned a new attack, praises her Pokemon who smiles happily and proudly in return. Also happy are the Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable who walk off into the sunset after being reunited with the baby Cleffa.

Later on that night, deep in the depths of Mt. Moon, we find the Cleffa, Clefairy and Clefable dancing around the Moon Stone under the moonlight as the group watch, amazed at being able to see such a rare and wondroussight.

The next day, the group are walking along discussing the events of the previous day. Just then, Misty receives another call on her Pokegear. It's Daisy once again, asking if Misty would hurry back to the Gym. Misty say she will, and Daisy hangs up.

After some more walking, the group reaches a crossroad. Knowing that it is here that they must separate, Misty wishes Ash and Pikachu luck on their Battle Frontier quest, and Ash tells Misty to do her best as a Gym Leader. She then wishes the same luck to May in her Contests, and May thanks her. Then, leaning down to Max and reminds him of the talk they had earlier. Max smiles and says that he will do his best while May listens on, puzzled.

The episode ends with Ash, May, Max and Brock walking in one direction towards the first Battle Frontier Facility, and Misty heading back to Cerulean Gym. Both Misty and Ash look onwards, wondering what possible challenges they may face in the future.

In Episode 410

Ash and company are on their way to the Battle Factory. It's nearing sunset, and they aren't sure exactly where they are. When Brock comments that he thinks they're lost, Max assures him that they're almost there.

Several hours later, they're still not there. The sun has set, the full moon is visible above the trees, and after Max's apology, they start preparing to set up camp for the night. Then, while they take a few minutes to admire the moon, a bit of snow blows by (even though it's a warm night), and they see something fly overhead. After a few brief glimpses, they finally see it clearly enough to identify. It's Articuno.

Articuno is soon joined in flight by a small biplane. There is an apparent mechanical malfunction, the plane emits a large cloud of smoke, and when things have cleared up, neither the plane nor Articuno is visible.

Team Rocket, who have also set up camp for the night not far away, also saw it. Meowth suggests trying to capture it, with the usual bizarre vision of what the Boss would do with it. Jessie and James are excited, until James points out that Articuno is, after all, an extremely powerful legendary Pokémon, and asks Jessie and Meowth if they really think they can capture it. They don't. He goes on to ask if any of their sneaky plans have ever worked out right. They haven't. He proclaims that they should go ahead and straightforwardly take Pikachu and the Pokémon from the Battle Factory.

Ash and company have been walking around trying to find Articuno again. The don't find it, but they do find a Pokémon Center. They spend the night there, and the local Joy promises to give them directions to the Battle Factory in the morning.

Morning comes, and Joy is about to give them the directions, when she is interrupted by someone telling her not to bother. It's Scott, and he offers to take them to the Battle Factory himself. It turns out that Scott is every bit as insane a driver as Professor Birch, and he takes a shortcut. Fortunately, everyone survives the trip.

They are about to enter the Battle Factory when they hear the noise of an engine. A large vehicle smashes through the doors of the Factory and nearly runs the group down. When a voice from inside the vehicle makes it clear that the thing is out of control, Ash, May, and Brock use their Pokémon to stop it. A hatch opens on top of the vehicle, and a man climbs out, complaining about how it doesn't listen to a thing he says. He thanks them for their help, and Scott addresses him as Noland. Noland goes on to introduce the vehicle as the Noland J-9, his latest and greatest super-machine. He is interrupted by an assistant, who runs out and, rather exasperated, asks Noland if he's been playing around with that thing again. Noland replies that he isn't playing; it's his hobby. The assistant asks what the difference is, and Noland doesn't have an answer. Noland introduces the assistant as Sugio, his number one apprentice. Scott asks Noland to introduce himself. He introduces himself as Factory Head Datsura, and Scott explains to Ash that that means he's the Frontier Brain of the Battle Factory. Ash introduces himself and says he's there to challenge Noland.

Team Rocket is watching from a nearby tree. Realizing Noland's affinity for machines, they decide to steal some mecha parts in addition to the Pokémon.

Sugio calls out that it's PokéBlock time, and about a dozen powerful-looking Pokémon come running. May's Munchlax comes out of its Pokéball to join them in the meal. May is about to call it back, but Sugio assures her that there are plenty of PokéBlocks for everyone. Ash asks Noland if all these Pokémon are his. Noland says yes, and that more Pokémon give more possibilities for battles. He asks Ash which ones he wants to battle, and says Ash can pick as many as he wants. Ash has trouble deciding. Does he want to face Venusaur, the final form of Bulbasaur? Rhyhorn, for a test of power? Machamp, with its Fighting type moves? While he's considering the options, Munchlax grabs one of the bowls of PokéBlocks, and runs off into a nearby building. May and Max give chase.

Team Rocket is watching from on top of a building. They're impressed by the apparent strength of the Pokémon, and plan to take them all. James is a bit worried about whether they'll be able to get so many, but Meowth says to just leave it to him.

May and Max enter the building Munchlax went into. It's dark inside, and they can't see clearly, but it doesn't take long spot Munchlax standing on a crate. Then Max notices something else: the airplane they saw the previous night. And then, a cold breeze starts blowing, apparently coming from Munchlax. May wonders if it's learned an Ice type move, but Max says it isn't Blizzard or Icy Wind. The truth is revealed moments later, as Articuno arises from behind Munchlax, then flies out of the building.

When everyone is back together, Noland explains that he'd been doing a little "night cruising" with Articuno the previous night. Max comments on how impressive it is that Noland caught such a powerful Pokémon, but Noland says it's a wild Pokémon. And his friend. He goes on to explain.

One night, while he was test-flying his plane, he was quite startled to find Articuno flying alongside him. Then Articuno started having trouble flying. It had apparently injured a wing somehow. He got it to land on top of his plane, brought it down, and helped it heal. Since then, it has come to visit him with some regularity.

Max says he wants to fly with Articuno, and Noland offers to take him up in the plane. Max invites Pikachu along, and they take to the air. Before long, Noland and Articuno are competing at fancy flying. May, Brock, and Scott, watching from the ground, are so enthralled that they don't even notice Ash is gone until he gets back. Brock asks where he was, and Ash says he was just making a quick phone call. Just then, Scott notices something else in the sky.

It's Team Rocket in a new mecha, making a very rapid descent to land near them. After the motto, Ash asks what they're there for. They respond that they're there to take the Battle Factory's Pokémon, of course. Ash orders Pikachu to attack, then remembers that Pikachu is up in the plane with Max. He decides to use Grovyle instead, but before he can send it out, one of the mecha's many hands grabs the Pokéball right out of his hand. The mecha then takes to the air, grabs about half of Noland's Pokémon (the other half run away), and is about to fly off when Noland rams it with his plane. The Pokémon are released, and the mecha comes crashing down. Noland comments that Team Rocket does make interesting mecha, before asking Articuno to get rid of them. It grabs the mecha in its claws, lifts it off the ground (at this point just about everyone comments on its strength), and throws it high into the air, where an Ice Beam finishes it off.

That night, Noland asks Ash if he's decided which Pokémon he wants to battle. Ash says yes. Max thinks he'll go for Venusaur, and May thinks Rhyhorn, but Ash says no. He wants to go one-on-one against Articuno. This surprises everyone, except possibly Noland. He just turns to Articuno, asks if it agrees to this, and when its reply is affirmative, asks what Pokémon Ash will be using. Ash looks up towards the moon, and says "that one."
Everyone looks, and they see something large and winged silhouetted against the moon. It's Ash's Charizard. The phone call he'd made earlier was to Liza at the valley where Charizard was training. Charizard greets him with the usual Flamethrower. Noland says he's looking forward to tomorrow, and the episode ends with both Articuno and Charizard eyeing the competition.