RS034: Having a Wailord of a Time!

is the 34th episode of , Season 6 of , and of .
==Synopsis==
May is eagerly preparing her Beautifly for the Pokémon Contest while Max watches her Torchic. He is debating which Pokémon he will begin with when he comes of age. May discovers a beached Wailord and contacts Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center. Joy and Brock rush to help while Ash and Max are left to take care of the Pokémon Center.
Team Rocket decides to try to steal the Wailord. At the Pokémon Center, Ash, Max and all the Pokémon are having a difficult time capturing a particularly troublesome Torchic. The Torchic evolves into a Combusken, which is an even bigger headache, especially because a new Trainer is coming to choose between a Torchic, Mudkip, or Treecko. Team Rocket tries to steal Wailord, but the newly evolved Combusken foils their plans and sends them blasting off again. The new Trainer chooses Mudkip and Combusken is invited to stay and guard the Pokémon Center.
==Episode plot==
The two weeks have nearly passed, as the Pokémon Contest is drawing closer. May is quite happy, but wishes to battle against Drew, as she remembers her last encounter against him. Torchic is sad, as May left it with the others while she goes away. While Ash and Brock are eating, are eating, Max thinks May should have taken Torchic with her, rather than leave it. However, Brock and Ash point out Torchic is May's first Pokémon and will always be special. Max does not understand, so Ash points out Max is not a trainer yet. Ash knows well all his Pokémon are special. Ash remembers his Pikachu was quite stubborn, but they later became friends. Brock believes even if the trainer and the Pokémon have started off, this makes the journey more meaningful. Max asks what was Brock's first Pokémon, to which Brock remembers when he was ten years old. He woke up and Onix, with a red ribbon, and his father were standing before him; they went to the mountains, where Brock's father wished his son happy birthday, knowing Onix would be Brock's friend. Max is amazed and wonders what his next Pokémon would be, but he stops when he thinks his father would give him a Slakoth. Thinking how Slakoth would only lie on Max, Max does not think it is a good idea.
Nurse Joy passes near the heroes, but Brock intercepts her with his charm. Joy notices all three starter Pokémon and praises them all for raising them properly. Nurse Joy needs to check her starter Pokémon, as a new trainer is going to pick one of them. To flirt with Nurse Joy, Brock promises to check up on the Pokémon, though Joy thinks they all can help her. Meanwhile, May is training her Beautifly for the contest, ordering it to use Silver Wind. May is impressed, but she points out Beautifly needs to have the attack last longer, to impress the judges and win the Contest. Suddenly, Beautifly and May spot a large Pokémon being on a beach. While Max, Brock and Ash are amazed by Nurse Joy's laboratory, she checks up on the Pokémon, with all of them being in good health. Nurse Joy asks Brock's Mudkip, Ash's Treecko and May's Torchic to give some pointers to the starter Pokémon, who accept the task. Joy gives Max the Poké Balls to send them out. He releases a mean looking Torchic, a crying Mudkip and an elegant Treecko. Suddenly, May calls Nurse Joy to report a Wailord stuck on a beach. Brock and Joy leave Ash and Max to take care of the Pokémon, asking they should not leave the building. Nevertheless, Max is amazed he will take care of Pokémon, as if he was an actual trainer. Team Rocket overhears the conversation, so they plan to capture the Wailord, for the boss likes large things, including Pokémon.
Suddenly, Torchic runs from Ash and Max, so everybody runs off to stop it. Torchic pushes May's Torchic and Brock's Mudkip and runs away. Pikachu stops it, but Torchic begins to cry. Pikachu lets its guard down and gets hit by Torchic's Ember. However, it is stopped by Treecko and Max holds Torchic. However, Torchic pecks Max's hands, so he drops it. Ash sends Corphish, who attacks Torchic, but Torchic jumps, scratches Corphish and goes away. Torchic is running away, with Ash, Max and rest of the Pokémon following it. Corphish is angry and speeds up, then tackles Torchic, clashing with it. Torchic retaliates, so Corphish falls down, defeated. Torchic taunts Corphish and goes away, surprising Ash and Max how powerful Torchic is. Meanwhile, Nurse Joy tends to the Wailord and heals it, seeing it just needs more rest. Corphish battles Torchic, but Torchic manages to defeat Corphish once more, using Ember. Torchic jumps, happy it won, then evolves into a Combusken, startling Ash and Max.
Max and Ash realize if the trainer saw Combusken, she'd be very scared because of it. Max thinks if they were to swap May's Torchic with Combusken, they would tell May it evolved. However, then they realize May would be angry, as she is no fool to believe that. However, Ash thinks of a new plan; the trainer should choose something else. May is back at the Pokémon Center and Max gives her some tea. However, May asks why is Max being so friendly with her; Max claims he is just being friendly to his sister, but she ignores it. The trainer arrived to pick the starter Pokémon. However, the Combusken, locked inside a room, tries to get out, but Ash claims it is just the wind. The trainer thinks of choosing Mudkip or Treecko, so Ash encourages her to pick either one. The trainer chooses Torchic, but Ash tries to persuade her Torchic is the worst choice, naming a lot of bad reasons. Brock wonders why is Ash so nervous. May finished drinking tea and asks where her Torchic is. Max is nervous and claims it is outside. May decides to find it, but Max tells he and May could hang out more. However, May begins to intimidate Max, demanding the truth for what happened to Torchic.
Ash claims the trainer can choose either Treecko or Mudkip, though the trainer's father sees they all look fine. May arrives to the room where the trainer is choosing her Pokémon, causing Torchic come to her. May demands the truth from Ash, while the Combusken gets out of the room. Ash and Max confess they wanted to switch Torchic and Combusken, since Combusken had run off and evolved. Suddenly, they see that Team Rocket has stolen Wailord, and are carrying it from their balloon. Nurse Joy fears Wailord will get seriously sick if it is not returned to the ocean. Pikachu goes to attack, but Combusken appears, attacking Team Rocket with Flamethrower. Combusken cuts the rope, causing Wailord to fall into the ocean. Team Rocket flies up from the force, but they return down. Still, Pikachu uses Thunderbolt, blasting them off. The trainer and her father clap for the success, seeing how amazing that was. The trainer chosen Mudkip to become her starter Pokémon, but Treecko is sad, so the trainer's father asks Treecko to come with him. Since Combusken wasn't chosen, Nurse Joy promises to take it as a guard for the Pokémon Center instead, seeing how brave it was.
Max comes to the top of the cliff and promises he will wait patiently for his first Pokémon, as the Wailord is swimming.
==Debuts==
===Character===
*Stephanie
*Stephanie's father
===Pokémon===
*Wailord
*Slakoth (fantasy)
==Quotes==
:Ash: "We're in trouble Max!"
:Max: "I know, we can swap out May's Torchic for the Combusken."
:Ash: "Uhh."
:Max: "And I know exactly what to tell her too."
:Fantsy Moment.
:Max: "Congratulations May, your Torchic evolved into Combusken."
:May: "Who are you kidding?! Do you think I'm some kind of idiot?! WHAT HAVE YOU TWO DONE WITH MY TORCHIC?!!!!"
:Back to reality.
:Ash and Max sigh.
:Ash: "Bad plan."
:Max: "You're right. She'll see right through that one."
==Trivia==
*Featured Pokémon: Lotad
*The episode title is a nod to the saying "Having a whale of a time".
*The Wailord washing up on shore is a reference to how real-life whales beach themselves when they feel ill or unwell.
==Gallery==
==References==
Category:Episodes focusing on Ash
Category:Episodes focusing on Max