BA023

==Synopsis==
The day before the Saffon Contest, Yazmyne intends only to watch and cheer with Dante for Nick, but Yazmyne is convinced by Nick, Elsie, and her Pokemon to compete. 
On the day of the competiton, Nick and Yazmyne clear the appeal stage with Growlithe and Bulbasaur respectively.  In the first round of battles, Butterfree helps Yazmyne advance to the semifinals by cleanly defeating a Meditite on points. In the semifinals, Yazmyne and Butterfree are gives a much more difficult battle against a Ledian, whose Safeguard renders Butterfree's Stun Spore useless. The battle comes down to a matter of experience as Yazmyne saw nearly all of her attacks countered.  Yazmyne loses the battle, eliminating her from the competition.
Nick advances to the finals and defeats Ledian and its Coordinator with Hitmonchan, earning the his second Kanto Ribbon, the Saffron Ribbon.  Following the Contest, Yazmyne decides to pursue Contests so long as her Pokemon wish to compete. Nick leaves to continue his winning streak in the next Contest while Yazmyne and Dante head toward Lavender Town.
==Summary==
The day before the Saffron Contest, Yazmyne, Dante, and Nick are eating a late lunch with their Pokemon. Yazmyne is excited to cheer on Nick, who promises to put on a show. He says he wants to get a good look at the lighting for his appeal, so he wants to head there and practice. Yazmyne said that she'd train too, but since her Pokemon are eating they wouldn't be up for it. Bulbasaur and Butterfree nudge Yazmyne, expressing their desire to see Nick perform early. Dante says it's a good idea since they have time to spend.
At the Contest hall, the group encounter several other Coordinators sharpening their appeals and Nick registers for a spot. Elsie approaches the group and points out Nick and Yazmyne. Elsie first congratulates Nick on his first ribbon having seen the Contest on television. Elsie asks Yazmyne if she will be participating, but Yazmyne denies, saying that she is here to support Nick. Then she'll be off to Lavender Town for her next gym badge. However, Butterfree and Bulbasaur rush out to the open stage and attempt to put on an appeal with Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf and Butterfree's Silver Wind.
===Yazmyne Competes===
Yazmyne tries to recall her Pokemon, but Bulbasaur and Butterfree refuse. Elsie can clearly see that Yazmyne's Pokemon enjoy Contests. Yazmyne, however, refuses as she is simply not interested. Nick thinks that's alright but reminds Yazmyne that she is not the only one on her journey. Pokemon also have dreams and interests and Yazmyne should find balance with her goals and her Pokemon's, but if she can't make her Pokemon happy then she should give them to a trainer who can. Yazmyne says that she can't compete in both Contests and gym battles, but Elsie asks who said she cannot, citing Wallace as both the Champion of Hoenn and a Master Coordinator.
Yazmyne takes a look at her eager Pokemon and Elsie reminder her there is still time to register. Yazmyne gives in and agrees to agrees to register for the Contest with Bulbasaur on the appeal stage and Butterfree battling. The two are overjoyed and Nick says that it makes them rivals, so they can finally have their rematch. Yazmyne registers for the Contest at the registration table and decides to go practice with the two Pokemon behind her.
The next day, The Saffron City Contest is underway with Elsie acting as the host and announcer. The judges are Saffron City's Nurse Joy, Mr. Fuji, and Mr. Contesta. Elise then shows what the Coordinators will be fighting for, the Saffron City ribbon before beginning the appeals.
===Appeal Stage===
Backstage, Nick becomes nervous since Gurkinn and the Dojo Master are in the audience. Yazmyne isn't surprised since they want to support Nick. Dante advises to treat them like members of the audience. The appeals begin with a Coordinator showing off his Kadabra before Nick takes the stage. He calls out Growlithe, who shows off his teeth with a flaring Fire Fang. Growlithe follows with Hidden Power, holding the crystal orbs around his body to highlight his red fur. Growlithe then shoots the orbs into to the air, which are destroyed in a firework display. Nick's great appeal earns him a 27. A lot more appeals continue, and Yazmyne congratulates Nick's Growlithe for a great performance. Nick appreciates the comment, but believes Fire Fang was a little too strong. With too strong, intense flames, Growlithe's face could be covered up. Yazmyne says she has a lot to learn about the appeal stage.
Before long, Yazmyne appeals with Bulbasaur. Yazmyne throws several balls, one by one up to five, which Bulbasaur easily juggles with Vine Whip. Backstage, Nick compliments Bulbasaur's talent with his vines. Bulbasaur adds a flare of spinning the balls with his vines. Dante says that Yazmyne and Bulbasaur practice Vine Whip a lot. One by one, Bulbasaur tosses the balls back to Yazmyne, ending the appeal as they bow. Yazmyne is acknowledged by the judges for a her simpler appeal than her performance on the Viridian Stage. They believe that for a beginner Coordinator it was a very smart move. Yazmyne is complimented for her and Bulbasaur being in great sync and her earns a modest score of 25 out of 30.
After Yazmyne's several more Pokemon and trainers perform their best until the Top 8 Coordinators are selected to advance to the next round. Nick claims second place on the appeal stage while Yazmyne is behind him in fifth, allowing both of them to advance to the battle rounds. Backstage, Yazmyne thanks Bulbasur for his efforts and looks to Butterfree to bring it home in the battle rounds, but Nick says that he and Hitmonchan will be winning the ribbon.
The battles begin with Yazmyne and Butterfree facing a Meditite. Meditite attacks with Hidden Power. The beautiful orbs cost Yazmyne some points Yazmyne commands Butterfre to repel the orbs with Gust. Butterfree generates a powerful storm that blows back the orbs to crash onto Meditite, taking away Meditite's points. Nick compliments Butterfree's Gust, which Butterfree has under more control. Meditite recovers and uses Confusion on Butterfree, taking control of him and spinning his around in the air. Butterfree uses Confusion on himself to regain control of his body and ties up Meditite with String Shot. Meditite struggles a lot, but its Coordinator tells it to use Meditate. Meditite becomes outlined in white and frees itself from the String Shot. Meditite tries to wrap Butterfree in the String Shot, but Butterfree repels the string with Gust. Butterfree then sprinkles Meditite with Stun Spore. Meditite is subsequently paralyzed and when the clock expires Yazmyne is shown leading by a large number of points, winning her the round.
Later, Nick battles with Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan counters a Drill Peck from a Dodrio with Mach Punch. Hitmonchan follows with a Thunder Punch to Dodrio's gut, defeating it and advancing Nick to the semi-finals. Hideki and Korrina are certainly excited by the way they imitate Hitmonchan's actions and roar in their chairs. Backstage, Yazmyne says that she didn't think about it, but in tournaments the battles don't become easier because the stronger trainers advance. Dante says that it's natural but doesn't understand the meaning. Yazmyne says that she's getting stronger as a battler, but so are her opponents.
===Yazmyne vs. Joshua===
Yazmyne battles Joshua, a Coordinator with a Ledian. She has called Butterfree back out to perform. In the back, Dante relays to Nick what Yazmyne had said and Nick interprets that as Yazmyne admitting that she possesses an equal chance of losing as much as everyone else. When the match begins, Yazmyne orders Butterfree to use Stun Spore to immediately paralyze Ledian. Butterfree releases yellow spores which show off his beautiful scales that Dante can't get enough of. Joshua loses points, but has Ledian use Safeguard. Ledian glows lime-green and generates a light green barrier that deflects the spores. Elsie explains that Safeguard briefly negates all status attacks and Yazmyne loses 1/5 of her original score. Yazmyne quickly recovers by ordering Gust. To Yazmyne's surprise, Ledian rides the wind of Butterfree's Gust unaffected by its force as a fellow Flying-Type Pokemon; Yazmyne loses more points. Ledian then overpowers Butterfree's Gust with Silver Wind which also hits Butterfree. Yazmyne's points plummet and Dante is confused saying Silver Wind isn't very effective on a Flying-Type, but Nick says it's not about the type effectiveness of attacks in Contests but simply landing attacks, the appeal and using the opponents attacks against him or her.
Yazmyne has only a little more than 1/4 of her original score remaining. Yazmyne says she knows how to battle in a Contest, so she cannot panic; she must think clearly if she wants to win. Ledian comes in with Acrobatics. The super-effective attack strikes Butterfree twice, lessening Yazmyne's score, but Butterfree manages to take control of Ledian with Confusion. Butterfree then follows with String Shot to wrap up Ledian, but Yazmyne forgot about the barrier of Safeguard, which is still active. A green barrier defends Ledian and renders String Shot useless. Butterfree then loses control of Ledian, who prepares Mach Punch. However, the clock expires first.
Yazmyne has only five points remaining while her opponent has more than 3/5 of his original score. Joshua is the clear winner, advancing to the finals. Butterfree is very sad to have lost. Yazmyne is a good sport about the loss and congratulates her opponent on a good win. Nick tells Dante that Yazmyne has a knack for Contests and truly did earn her Viridian Ribbon, but for some opponents it comes down to experience.
Backstage, Nick and Dante asks how she is feeling. Yazmyne admits that losing hurts a lot. She though she didn't really care about Contests but losing especially in such an open setting hurts. Nick reminder her there will be more Contests and more chances to improve. Yazmyne says that she doesn't want to wallow in defeat or feel completely discouraged. But she says that if she wants to be a Coordinator, she'll need to improve drastically. Until then she needs to support Nick until he wins the competition.
===Nick Wins the Contest===
The scene cuts to the final stage between Nick and Joshua. Yazmyne and Dante are in the audience with Gurkinn, Korrina, and the Hideki watching. Nick is slightly leading his opponent. Ledian earns appeal marks in Joshua's favor with a glistening Safeguard. Ledian then attacks with Acrobatics, buts Hitmonchan uses Agility with sharp footwork to evade Ledian, causing Joshua to lose points. Ledian responds with Silver Wind. Hitmonchan can't avoid that attack, but he stays strong and uses Bulk Up to build defenses and both Coordinators lose points. Ledian leaps in with Mach Punch but Hitmonchan puts his guard up to block the attack then deal strong jabs with his own Mach Punch. Hitmonchan then lands a Thunder Punch, which knocks out Ledian with plenty of time left on the clock. Nick is met by an applause and Gurkinn comments that Hitmonchan's footwork has increased to which the Dojo Master proudly says "a little." On the center platform, Mr. Contesta awards Nick his second ribbon, the Saffron City Ribbon.
Following the Contest, Gurkinn and the Dojo Master treat Nick, Dante, and Yazmyne to dinner as a celebration for Nick's victory. Nick is with Growlithe and they are about to go leave the city as do Dante and Yazmyne. Dante asks where Nick is headed. Nick says he's on small winning streak so he'll follow the brochure and try to compete in the closest Contest after some training along the way. Yazmyne repeats that she and Dante are off to Lavender Town and Nick asks Yazmyne if she intends to compete in Contests. Yazmyne admits that Contests are growing on her and if Bulbasaur and Butterfree want to compete then she will compete with them, officially declaring herself a Coordinator. Nick then says that it officially makes them rivals, meaning Riolu and Bulbasaur will get to battle at some point. Bulbasaur and Riolu share glares that lead into handshakes. Nick then leaves the city for his next challenge and wishes Yazmyne luck on her next gym battle. Yazmyne, Dante, and Bulbasaur wish Nick luck as well and leave for their journey.
==Major Events==
*Yazmyne's Butterfree and Bulbasaur express their desire to enter another Contest, so Yazmyne registers for the Saffron City Contest
*Yazmyne is eliminated from the Saffron Contest during the second battle round
*Nick wins the Saffron City Contest, earning his second Kanto ribbon
*For her Pokemon, Yazmyne decides to become a Coordinator
*Nick leaves Yazmyne and Dante
For a list of all major events in this anime, please see Major Events/Battles Ablaze. 
==Characters==
===Human===
*Yazmyne
*Dante
*Nick
*Hideki
*Gurkinn
*Korrina
*Elsie
*Joshua
*Nurse Joy
*Mr. Suziko
*Mr. Contesta
*Coordinators
*Civilians
*Audience
===Pokemon===
*Bulbasaur (Yazmyne's)
*Butterfree (Yazmyne's)
*Hitmonchan (Nick's)
*Growlithe (Nick's)
*Ledian (Joshua's)
*Meditite
*Dodrio
*Vaporeon
*Kadabra
*Chingling
*Chansey
*Rapidash
Category:Episodes
Category:Episodes with Contests
Category:Battles Ablaze