As Ash and Tyson await the results of a major explosion between Glalie’s Ice Beam and Sceptile’s Solarbeam, everyone else does too. The smoke clears and both Pokémon lay on the ground unconscious. The judge rules them both unable to battle, and the score becomes 1-1.
Outside, Jessie and James stand with their boss in front of an old looking shack. The boss says it’s theirs to do whatever they please with. He walks away as Jessie walks over to the shack and smacks her hands down on it. The whole thing falls down on her as the match inside the stadium continues. Meowth watches Shiftry dodge a fire attack from Torkoal; Shiftry attacks with Mega Kick and hits Torkoal hard. Next, it fires off a Shadow Ball attack which also hits Torkoal. Torkoal shoots a Flamethrower but Shiftry dodges it. Torkoal turns its head and the flames burn Shiftry. It falls down and faints, giving Ash the lead.
Tyson sends out his Hariyama and orders an Arm Thrust to block Torkoal’s Flamethrower. In the stands, Brock explains to the others that Hariyama has an Ability called Thick Fat that makes Fire and Water moves do less than half the damage than they normally would. Hariyama charges straight through the flames and knocks Torkoal out with Brick Break.
Ash releases Corphish and commands a Bubblebeam. Hariyama dodges the attack and uses Brick Break. Corphish blocks the attack with Crabhammer but then faints after getting hit with Focus Punch. With three of Ash’s Pokémon fainted, the announcer calls for a break and a Field Change. Inside, Morrison tells Ash that anyone that defeats him can’t lose to anyone else. Meanwhile, Team Rocket plans to steal a ton of Pokéballs once again.
Ash and Tyson head back out to the arena and the field is selected: Rock. Ash sends out Swellow as his fourth Pokémon as Tyson releases Hariyama again. Ash orders a Peck attack, which Hariyama grabs with its thick hands. Hariyama takes Swellow and jumps into the air, throwing the bird back down to the ground in a Seismic Toss. Swellow survives the hit and flies towards Hariyama as it prepares a Focus Punch. Swellow dodges with Aerial Ace and then smacks it with the same attack. Hariyama faints and has to face Tyson’s next Pokémon: Donphan.
Donphan starts the match out with Sandstorm to block Swellow’s vision in order to split Ash and Swellow up. Ash orders Swellow to flap its wings to stop the sandstorm. It works, as Donphan moves in for a Rollout. It bounces off a rock and straight into the air. Swellow lands hard on the ground, having taken a lot of damage. Donphan launches an onslaught of Rollout attacks on Swellow, each one hitting its target. All hope seems lost for Swellow as it sits on the ground worn out and Donphan rolls up one more time. Just as Donphan’s Rollout is about to hit, Swellow grabs it with its talons and throws it backwards. Donphan faints from the hit.
Next up for Tyson: Metagross. Metagross begins with a Psychic attack and Swellow becomes completely immobilized.
The bird manages to free itself and unleashes a Quick Attack on Metagross. Metagross hits Swellow with a Hyper Beam and Swellow faints. Ash sees a small dent on the top of Metagross and decides to focus all attacks on the one spot, sending in Grovyle. Grovyle uses its enormous speed to jump really close to Metagross before using Bullet Seed on that one spot. Metagross quickly runs closer to Grovyle and fires a Hyper Beam. Grovyle dodges and fires another round of Bullet Seed while Metagross recovers from the attack it launched. As Grovyle moves in for a Leaf Blade, Metagross hits it with Meteor Mash and knocks it out.
Ash has no choice but to send in his last Pokémon: Pikachu. Pikachu fires a Thunderbolt at the top of Metagross’ head as Metagross uses Psychic. Pikachu dodges the attack and uses Iron Tail on Metagross’ head. The Electric Mouse Pokémon grabs hold of Metagross as it tries to shake it off. Pikachu fires a Thunder straight through Metagross’ body, and it faints.
Tyson sends in his last Pokémon: Meowth in Boots, as Team Rocket’s Meowth watches eagerly. Meanwhile, Jessie and James continue to steal the Pokéballs as their boss storms in to see them; he gets flaming mad at them. Back at the battle, Meowth in Boots uses Slash as Pikachu uses Thunderbolt. Meowth blocks it with a Thunderbolt of its own. Pikachu tries a Thunder but Meowth blocks it again with Thunderbolt. Unable to use electric attacks against Meowth, Pikachu attempts a Quick Attack. Meowth uses Double Team to dodge and then attacks with Iron Tail, only to meet an Iron Tail from Pikachu. Pikachu tries Quick Attack again as Meowth uses Slash, and Team Rocket’s Meowth watches interestedly from the stands. Both Pikachu and Meowth in Boots have worn out almost to the fainting point but they keep going anyways. Pikachu fires a Thunder but it’s blocked again with Meowth’s Thunderbolt. Pikachu tries Iron Tail again to find it blocked with another Iron Tail from Meowth. Both Pokémon land hard on the ground. They slowly stand up as the pain in their bodies intensifies. Meowth starts to fall; Team Rocket’s Meowth screams from the stands. Pikachu hits the ground first and the judge rules it unable to battle. Up in the stands, Team Rocket’s new boss chases them to Meowth, where the cat joins them in getting blasted off again.
That night, the Moltres Flame burns brightly in Ever Grande City as the Hoenn League Championships come to a close. Tyson is awarded a trophy for first place by League President Goodsho. In the crowds, Max exclaims that he can’t wait to be a trainer. And with the Hoenn League finally over, it’s time to head back for Pallet Town...
