Jethro/Hoenn

Two years after the defeat of the Masked Man, Jethro and his family decided to move away from Johto towards the Hoenn region, much to Jethro's displeasure as he preferred Johto's modern cities over Hoenn's rural countryside. Already holding strong resentments towards his father, who disapproved of his love for Contests and his focus on a Pokémon's beauty instead of strength, Jethro decides to take action once and for all. While inside the truck heading towards Littleroot Town, Jethro knits his Pokémon outfits and comments on their beauty, until the truck abruptly breaks, sending them all flying. Jethro's mother, Stephanie, asks him to come out help as the truck got stuck in mud, but Jethro refuses, saying that his Pokémon would become dirty, and uses Ralts's Confusion to lift the truck out of the mud.

When they arrive in Littleroot Town, Jethro and his Pokémon pack their stuff in Jethro's new room, and Jethro gets a glimpse of Hoenn's mountains, commenting that the region was indeed beautiful, and the perfect place for his Pokémon to participate in Contests, as Hoenn was where Pokémon Contests first originated. After unpacking his stuff, Jethro notes a wrapped gift from his father, which contained sneakers, but Jethro coldly throws them in a trash can, calling the sneakers "ugly" and saying that his father didn't understand his taste in fashion, or couldn't care to understand. Jethro then notices his mother preparing dinner, and silently apologizes to her, before grabbing a rope and climbing down from his room's window, and fleeing from Littleroot Town, determined to become a Top Coordinator and prove his father wrong about his life choice, but not before grabbing the shoes that his father gifted him, saying that he could sell them for money.

On Route 101, Professor Birch is studying a wild Wurmple that is climbing a tree. The Wurmple begins to evolve, prompting Birch to open his Pokédex to gather more information. As Birch is about to leave to prepare a meal for his new neighbors, a pair of Mightyena sneak up behind him. As he walks down Route 101, Jethro notices Professor Birch dangling from the tree he was climbing earlier. After he falls downs, Birch asks if Jethro can help him defeat the wild Mightyena that are attacking him. Due to the risk of his Pokémon getting covered in mud, Jethro refuses. Upon seeing the Mightyena, Jethro considers the two Pokémon beautiful and asks if they want to join his Contest team.

The Mightyena attack Jethro, but he dodges every attack and notices Birch's dropped Pokédex on the ground. He picks it up and finds out their name, even piecing together that they are the evolved form of Poochyena. Jethro decides to battle the Mightyena, and sends out Poochyena and has her use Leer. The move doesn't do anything due to Jethro caring only about appearances and the Mightyena pounce on them again.

Jethro and Birch run away from the attackers, until the soles of Jethro's shoes begin spiraling, sending him dashing forward in a huge burst of speed. Jethro continues running until he jumps off a cliff, until a Pokémon covered in leaves swings by and saves him. Jethro later wakes up in a cave with Poochyena, where he gets a call on Birch's Pokégear that he accidentally picked up earlier.

Professor Birch introduces himself, and reveals that the shoes Jethro has are the Running Shoes, a special pair of sneakers made by the Devon Corporation that he gave to Norman as a gift to his son. As Jethro worries about his runaway plan being revealed, the "Pokémon" that saved Jethro earlier begins to talk to him and asks if he is okay. Shocked at the idea of a talking Pokémon, Jethro freaks out and Poochyena attacks the mysterious creature. Angered, the creature rips off its leaf cloak, revealing it to be a human girl wearing a leaf bikini and a Torchic on top of her head.

The girl sends her Torchic to attack Poochyena, causing Jethro to scream in horror as Poochyena's hair is burnt. After being informed of the situation, Professor Birch tells Jethro to take one of the two Pokémon in his bag for protection. At Birch's suggestion, Jethro chooses the Water-type Pokémon, Mudkip.The girl continues attacking, even easily beating Mudkip in the process, and demands to know why he attacked her.

Birch overhears her voice, and reveals to Jethro that the girl is actually his daughter, Gwendolyn. Now knowing the situation, Jethro tries to explain to Gwendolyn, but they are attacked by a wild Seviper. Gwendolyn attacks the Seviper and asks Jethro to help her, only to have him refuse her request at the idea of his Pokémon getting dirty. Gwendolyn defeats the Seviper, and they get into an argument over which is better: Pokémon battling or Pokémon Contests. Gwendolyn challenges Jethro to see who can complete their goal in 80 days, which Jethro accepts.

Suddenly, Gwendolyn faints, due to getting herself injured when she protected Jethro from the Mightyena that attacked him before. After giving Gwendolyn some first aid, the Seviper awakens and attacks Jethro again. Jethro reveals that even though he focuses on beauty, he does have the ability to fight, and quickly defeats the Seviper and runs off, much to the surprise of Mudkip.

Gwendolyn wakes up and discovers that Jethro had healed her wounds. She discovers a letter where Jethro explains that he had made her clothes in thanks for saving his life. Initially, she is angered, but quickly realizes that in order for Jethro to have made clothes for her, he must have taken her measurements, horrifying her.

In Oldale Town, Jethro has trouble deciding what to do with his newly-acquired Mudkip. As he tries to find various attempts to knit Mudkip some clothes, Jethro accidentally angers a wild Dustox. Back at Jethro's home in Littleroot Town, Professor Birch and Gwendolyn explain what happened to Jethro's mother. Stephanie calls Norman, who decides to look for his runaway son himself.

Back in Oldale Town, Jethro and his Pokémon continue to run away from the angry Dustox. Using the dust on its scales, Poochyena, Zangoose and Ralts are put to sleep, leaving only Mudkip awake due to it being too slow. The Dustox attacks again, forcing Jethro to hide under a bridge, only to be found by Dustox's radar-like antennae. Using the radar on its own head, Mudkip manages to track the quick Dustox and attacks it with Water-type moves, soaking its wings and rendering it unable to fly. Worried about his safety, Jethro decides to not return the Pokédex until his bet with Gwendolyn ends due to it being useful in finding out information about Pokémon. Jethro asks how Mudkip was able to detect the Dustox and consults the Pokédex. Impressed, Jethro decides to officially induct Mudkip into join his team. He then goes off to find out where he can obtain a Contest Pass and sets off to the next town.

Back in Littleroot Town, Gwendolyn puts on the clothes that Jethro made for her, shocking her father due to her normal choice in clothing. Professor Birch quickly realizes that she is going to conquer the Gyms, a suggestion that Gwendolyn confirms. Birch wishes his daughter good luck as she swings away on a vine with her Torchic and Aron.

Jethro reaches Petalburg City with his Running Shoes. After using Mudkip to pick some Berries, Jethro decides to find a place to stay for the night due to his father being in the vicinity. As he sneaks through the streets, Jethro is attacked by two Seedot, a Nuzleaf, and three Lotad.

After Mudkip manages to beat the Nuzleaf, Jethro decides to investigate what it was that startled the Pokémon. He discovers another boy, keeled over in pain from being attacked by the Pokémon. The boy thanks Jethro for defeating them and compliments the strength of Mudkip. Jethro immediately asks the boy to be friends with him from the compliment and introduces himself and his goal.

Jethro decides to help the boy capture a Pokémon, only to find out that someone is already coming to help him. Jethro's sixth sense immediately causes him to have an idea about who is coming to help the boy, and he goes to hide in the bushes. His suspicions are confirmed when his father, Norman, appears. Jethro tries to keep the boy he met quiet as he hides from his father. As Jethro tries to prevent the boy from exposing the both of them, a wild Breloom attacks Norman, only to be easily defeated by his Vigoroth. Norman reveals that he knew that the boy that Jethro met, now revealed to be named Lenny, was there the entire time and makes him come out of hiding.

Lenny asks if Norman came to teach him how to capture Pokémon, but Norman refuses because he wasn't informed of Lenny's illness. Due to Lenny being sick and his parent's making him move to a faraway place to get better, Norman can't ensure that Lenny would be safe. Norman quickly senses another presence and has his Slaking try to sniff it out.

Using Ralts's Teleport, Jethro manages to escape, but notices that Lenny has collapsed. Jethro takes Lenny back home, where Lenny's parents apologize for what Lenny had done. Lenny apologizes to Jethro for causing so much trouble, but guesses that his parents must not have wanted him to capture a Pokémon and asked Norman to refuse his request. Angered, Jethro decides to show Lenny's parents just what their son can do and invites Lenny to capture a Pokémon. Jethro lends his Ralts to Lenny, at the cost of not getting her dirty.

Jethro and Lenny are walking through Petalburg Woods. As they admire the beautiful night sky, Jethro tries to recommend some wild Pokémon for Lenny to catch. Lenny notices a zigzag pattern floating in the air, so the two investigate it. The pattern attacks, revealing it to be a wild Kecleon. Mudkip manages to fend it off, causing the Kecleon to run away. Much to Jethro's horror, Lenny decides that he wants to capture the Color Swap Pokémon and chases after it. They eventually reach Route 105, where Lenny finds the Kecleon again and battles it with Ralts.

Lenny tries to capture it with a Poké Ball, only to fail, but he refuses to give up. Despite his failure, Lenny begins to enjoy the battle, causing Ralts's horns to glow in response to his emotions. In thanks for helping him, Lenny gives Jethro a PokéNav as a gift. Lenny reveals that he bought it without his parents knowing and intended to use it when he became a Trainer.

The Kecleon, tired from the attacks Ralts used on it, decides to turn invisible to escape. Jethro and Lenny pretend that they can't see it, but are able to actually see it because it can't turn its zigzag invisible. The Kecleon runs away, but Lenny successfully manages to capture it in a Poké Ball. Overjoyed that he caught his first Pokémon, Lenny begins crying tears of joy and expresses that he can move to Verdanturf Town without any regrets.

Suddenly, an earthquake begins tearing the ground apart, sending Jethro into the sea while Lenny cries out unable to help. Later, Lenny awakens at Verdanturf Town with Ralts and panics about what had happened to Jethro. He tries to tell some adults, but Ralts assures him that Jethro is still alive due to her being able to sense Jethro's emotions.

Out at sea, Jethro wakes up in a ship's cabin and is distressed to find all of his clothes crumpled and muddy. He hangs them up as he remembers what happened to Lenny, assuming he got away safely. Suddenly, an old man barges in and asks whether Jethro is trying to crash his boat, and Jethro realizes this is the man that saved him. The man introduces himself as Mr. Briney, a retired fisherman, and says his Wingull, Peeko, found Jethro out at sea. Jethro thanks him for his help, even though the motion of the ship makes him seasick. Jethro questions why Briney is out fishing if he's retired, and Briney explains that there have been recent sightings of a mysterious fish that he's longed to capture his whole life. Supposedly, this fish has remained unchanged in the depths of the sea for a hundred million years, and legend says it can even carry humans safely down into the deep.

As the boat putters along, a sudden beeping noise distracts Jethro. Briney says that his Whiscash can sense earthquakes with its whiskers, and that it always warns him about any that are coming, also noting that there have been a lot of them lately. Remembering that Lenny said the same thing, Jethro admits that it was an earthquake that originally knocked him into the ocean. Briney tells him that most of the recent earthquakes have been happening near Sootopolis City.

Suddenly, Briney gets a bite on his line, although it turns out to be only a couple of Wailmer and not his mysterious fish. He catches them anyway, as he considers them a good catch anyway, and explains to Jethro that man has a lot to learn from Mother Nature. For example, Wingull hover over patches of sea rich in prey, and that helps show him where the best fishing spots are. He gets another bite on his line and thinks it might be the mystery fish, but instead, a Crawdaunt hauls itself aboard. With one hit, the Crawdaunt knocks Briney off of his own boat, and Jethro catches his hand, leaving him dangling off of the side. Briney questions why the Crawdaunt is there, as they usually live in fresh water and ponds. The Crawdaunt advances menacingly, ready to attack them both.

The Crawdaunt begins attacking Mr. Briney's boat with Hyper Beam. As Jethro tries to pull Mr. Briney back onto the boat, Peeko attempts to attack the Crawdaunt with Quick Attack. The attack fails, as Crawdaunt's powerful hide only causes Peeko's beak to start cracking. Defeated, Peeko falls down, only for Crawdaunt to pick it back up and smash it onto the boat. Mr. Briney realizes that Crawdaunt has the Shell Armor Ability, which protects its weak spots from attacks, making it nearly invincible. A wave hits the boat, knocking Mr. Briney into it and causing him to fall unconscious. As the Crawdaunt begins to attack again, Jethro stops it to recap that its Shell Armor prevents it from having any weaknesses.

Jethro then easily pulls Mr. Briney back onto the ship and puts him in a safe area. With no one around to see them, Jethro decides to battle and has Zangoose attack the Crawdaunt. Later, Mr. Briney wakes up to find Peeko bandaged up and the Crawdaunt defeated while Jethro lies seasick. Jethro lies to Mr. Briney about how he pulled him up and defeated the Crawdaunt, but Mr. Briney manages to figure out that Jethro used a clever strategy to win.

When they arrive at Dewford Town, Mr. Briney decides to let Jethro off before searching for his mystery fish again, and as they dock, Jethro meets up with Gwendolyn once again. Mr. Briney introduces himself to Gwendolyn and learns about the bet between her and Jethro. Seeing that Gwendolyn is wearing the clothes he made for her, Jethro is happy to see that she has "joined civilization", which angers her. Gwendolyn asks Jethro how many Ribbons he won, but after learning he hasn't won a single one, she brags to him about her recent Gym Badge acquisition.

The two quickly get into another argument about their training styles, but quickly go to Granite Cave after saying goodbye to Mr. Briney. Upon entering the cave, the two split up after discovering a fork in the area. Jethro reveals that he is there to find a Milotic, which he believes can only be found in ponds like the ones in the cave. Upon finding the cave, Jethro encounters a bunch of wild Mawile, which he finds to be cute. Despite their innocent appearance, the Mawile begin attacking, and one them traps Poochyena in one of their jaws. Before they can attack again, Jethro is saved by a man named Steven Stone. Poochyena, still trapped in their jaws, begins glowing. Steven reveals that Poochyena is evolving, and he asks if Jethro will help him deal with the Mawile herd, and Jethro accepts.

As Poochyena continues to evolve, Jethro documents the change on his video camera. When Steven asks him what he is doing, Jethro states that he is documenting the growth of his Pokémon. Steven doesn't have any time for this and grabs Jethro to drag him away from the attacking Mawile. Poochyena follow, having fully evolved into Mightyena. As they run, Steven reintroduces himself as a "Stone Getter", a person who collects and studies stones. They lure the Mawile to an area where Steven has his Pokémon waiting for him. Steven sends his Beldum to attack, but the Mawile defend with their powerful jaws. Steven has Jethro collect the Mawile into a circle, allowing him to defeat them all with his Metagross.

As they float outside on Steven's Metang, Steven grabs a Sun Stone and reveals that Stone Getters search for the energy in stones. Steven reveals that he isn't just there to collect stones, but to find someone to help him defeat two groups of villains that intend to harm Hoenn. After finding out Jethro's age, Steven is disappointed because he was hoping that Jethro could be a scout for him. Although Jethro tries to claim that he can't battle, Steven reveals that he knows about his true strength. Steven leaves, leaving Jethro confused about the two teams he had mentioned previously, but he shrugs it off and continues his journey.

Gwendolyn arrives at Granite Cave and begins searching for Jethro. Jethro quickly turns up alright and teases her by asking if she came to the cave to look for food to eat. Angry, Gwendolyn yells at Jethro, who tells her that he didn't ask her to come and save him. Jethro also reveals that he met Steven Stone, a person who helped him battle a group of wild Pokémon in the cave. Gwendolyn quickly asks him where Steven went, and Jethro points to the direction where he left. She reveals that she was supposed to meet him and drags Jethro to go and find him. She jumps off a cliff, and the two land on Gwendolyn's Wailord to go and chase after Steven.

On Route 108, a moss-covered, half-sunken ship that has been abandoned for centuries lies in a sea cemetery. This ship is known as the Abandoned Ship. At night, Gwendolyn and Jethro sail on Gwendolyn's Wailord. Jethro brushes Zangoose's fur, leading to Gwendolyn to complain about how a man enjoys feminine traits and tells Jethro that the son of a Gym Leader should learn things that should help in battle.

Gwendolyn decides to start training with Combusken, which bothers Jethro as their attacks almost hitting him every time. Jethro retorts to Gwendolyn's previous comments by stating that he isn't a barbarian like her and is only interested in Pokémon. This offends Gwendolyn, who states that she wore the clothes she had before were for helping her father with his fieldwork. Gwendolyn claims that Jethro should be grateful for letting him ride on Wailord, but he states that she dragged him there. When Gwendolyn threatens to throw Jethro off, Wailord begins shaking. While Jethro mistakes this for Wailord telling them to stop fighting, Gwendolyn confirms that Wailord is trying to tell them that something is ahead. They quickly find out that they have arrived at the Abandoned Ship, where Gwendolyn decides to have Jethro sleep at for the night.

Because her father will yell at her for sleeping in the same place as a boy, she tells Jethro to sleep on the ship for the night, despite his protests. Gwendolyn throws Jethro onto the ship and tells him to come back in the morning. Angry that a city boy like him has to camp out on a ship, Jethro looks for a place where he can sleep. He finds a place filled with different types of Berries growing and has Mudkip pick some. Mudkip goes to pick some Berries, but something attacks him before he can get them. Jethro realizes that it must be a wild Pokémon and tells it that it won't be able to hide from him. Using Mudkip's radar, Mightyena and Zangoose attack the Pokémon, revealing it to be a wild Plusle and Minun. Due to finding them cute, Jethro decides to let the two off with a warning.

When he asks what they're doing on the ship, Plusle and Minun point to an old diary that had withered with age. Realizing that they were either separated from their Trainer or abandoned, Jethro pities the two and tries to comfort them. Plusle and Minun give Mightyena, Mudkip and Zangoose some Aguav, Mago, and Wiki Berries, respectively.

Due to their tastes, the three Pokémon get confused due to their bodies being unable to digest the Berries. Angered, Jethro takes chase to the trickster duo. Outside, Gwendolyn hears sounds and believes that Jethro had come back due to being scared. She quickly realizes that she was wrong and hears voices outside. Gwendolyn quickly goes on guard knowing that more people have come to the ship.

Having sensed the presence of someone else, Gwendolyn tells Wailord to hide. Wailord dives underwater as Gwendolyn notices two figures land on the ship from the sky. Two people clad in red cloaks, a man named Tabitha and a woman named Courtney begin searching for something. Courtney tells Tabitha to go alone, but they get into an argument and settle it with a coin toss. Courtney wins, so Tabitha is forced to go on deck alone anyway. As Gwendolyn hides, Courtney reveals that she knew Gwendolyn was there the entire time and attacks. In their struggle, Courtney manages to grab Gwendolyn's face briefly before Gwendolyn calls out Lairon and Combusken against her Ninetales. Suddenly, Gwendolyn clutches her face, crying out in pain, which Courtney explains is because of her gloves that were soaked in Tamato Berry juice, causing Gwendolyn's eyes to burn. Courtney scoffs that her companion Tabitha was too dull to detect intruders, and says she can't afford to let anyone know about them. But Gwendolyn uses this time to escape, and does so which prevents from Courtney from finding her.

Gwendolyn, hiding again, considers her position. Lairon and Combusken have both been badly burned, and her eyes are still stinging too badly to open. Furthermore, Jethro is still on board, and Gwendolyn is sure he'll suffer defeat at the hands of the other stranger. She decides to try to find him before it's too late.

Back at Jethro's location, he continues to chase the trouble-making Plusle and Minun. He realizes that they've been keeping him from going near one particular door, and guesses there's a rare Berry behind it. Before he can make a move, however, a blow from behind knocks him to the floor, and a man with a Torkoal thanks him for this deduction before moving towards the door himself. Plusle and Minun try to stop him, but Torkoal takes them out, and Tabitha then discovers a diary on the floor that mentions the Scanner. He breaks into the room as Gwendolyn discovers Jethro, out cold, and hauls him up to safety.

When Jethro awakens, Gwendolyn explains that the two strangers seem to be here to steal something from the ship, and that she was attacked by the companion of the man searching the room below. Courtney herself appears soon, saying she's found the Scanner. The two realize both kids are missing, and Jethro and Gwendolyn realize they're in a tough spot, since Jethro's Pokémon are confused and Gwendolyn's are burned. Gwendolyn has the idea to use Plusle and Minun, though Jethro will have to give the commands, since she still can hardly see.

On cue, Jethro and Gwendolyn leap down to confront Tabitha and Courtney, and Jethro orders a Double Team before the real Plusle and Minun shock them both. Jethro and Gwendolyn make a break for it, and Jethro checks his Pokédex to see which attacks he can use with these two Pokémon.

Courtney uses her Ninetales's fire to destroy the Double Team, and Plusle and Minun wait for their next commands, while Jethro realizes the Scanner is what's most important to the two in red. Torkoal pins Plusle down as the two tell the kids that they've got to dispose of them both. Jethro cries out for the two to hold it, then reveals that if they make another move, he'll drop the diary that Tabitha saw earlier into the sea, explaining that while they may have the Scanner, the password to activate it is written inside. Tabitha tries to call his bluff, but Jethro demands they bring Plusle over for a trade. Courtney approaches carrying Plusle, and as soon as she sets it down, Minun runs up to join it. Their combined power shocks Courtney, making her drop the Scanner, which Jethro catches. Victorious, Jethro and Gwendolyn, along with Plusle and Minun, make their escape, leaping out of the Abandoned Ship onto Wailord. Gwendolyn is impressed that Jethro had Minun use Helping Hand on Plusle to strengthen it, saying that teamwork is the way to win double battles. But Jethro is less enthusiastic: they may have escaped, but they haven't won. The Scanner he thought he stole is just the empty case.

As Tabitha and Courtney fly away with their Swellow, Courtney complains that the kids were a waste of time, but at least they have the Scanner. She also says she didn't get a chance to see the boy's face, and Tabitha can't remember what he looked like either, since he only attacked him from behind. Courtney vows to find Jethro again and put an end to him. As Jethro and Gwendolyn continue on Wailord towards land, while Plusle and Minun wave goodbye on the Abandoned Ship.

Jethro and Gwendolyn reach the end of Route 109 on Wailord, with Gwendolyn disappointed that they never caught up with Steven. Jethro is frustrated, saying he wants to part ways because Gwendolyn only ever drags him into trouble and distracts him from his goal. Gwendolyn retorts by saying he should be thankful that she and Wailord gave him a ride. Jethro gets off onshore, and they each yell at the other to remember their promise.

Elsewhere, Tabitha and Courtney have joined Maxie in a hideout as they await the return of Blaise. Tabitha and Courtney want to stir up trouble now that they've got the Scanner, but Maxie pours himself a drink and insists they should wait for Blaise. Blaise then appears, reporting that the Submarine Explorer 1 being built in Slateport City is already 95% completed. Upon hearing this, Maxie orders the Three Fires to go after it, saying that the world will burn and the seas dry up under the scorching fire of Team Magma.

On the way to Slateport City, Jethro's Mudkip evolves into Marshtomp, much to Jethro's delight. He takes a few photos, saying that not only Marshtomp, but also Mightyena and Zangoose have grown stronger. As he organizes the photos he took, a man approaches him and asks whether he's carrying a Poké Ball. Confused, Jethro says yes, and the man praises all of Jethro's Pokémon before declaring that Jethro will become an honorary member of the Pokémon Fan Club.

The man takes Jethro to the headquarters of the club in Slateport City, revealing that he is none other than the club's chairman. The chairman says that Pokémon are adorable and that it's a waste to battle with them, to which Jethro heartily agrees, complaining that no one else has ever agreed with him on that point and that everyone seems only obsessed with battling. The chairman shows Jethro the local Contest Hall, and Jethro declares that it's finally time for his Pokémon to shine in Contests.

Unfortunately, inside the Contest Hall, the two discover that without a Hoenn Contest Pass, Jethro can't participate in Hoenn Contests. Since Hoenn passes are only issued in Verdanturf Town, and Jethro doesn't want his father to learn he's trying to enter Contests, he tells the Pokémon Fan Club chairman that it's all right and asks whether they can blend Berries into Pokéblocks instead. Wanting two more people so that they will have four to operate the Berry Blender, the chairman races outside and drags in two men who happened to be passing by the Contest Hall.

Outside, the Three Fires watch the four blending Berries inside the Contest Hall, Courtney complaining that it would be too much trouble to separate the man they need out of the group. Blaise suggests that they just grab all of them.

In the Contest Hall, the spinning of the Berry Blender is suddenly drowned out by the spinning of something else nearby. When it comes to a stop, it is shown to be a Torkoal, and the smoke it blows chokes the four of them until they faint. Tabitha, Courtney, and Blaise throw the four in a heap onto Torkoal's back.

Jethro wakes up to find himself and the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman tied up in a closed room. He wakes up the chairman, and the two of them remember that they had been making Pokéblocks in the Contest Hall before they were knocked out. They wonder what happened to the other two men, and peer out of a window slit in the door to see Blaise holding one of the missing men in the air by his throat.

Jethro instantly recognizes the Team Magma uniform from the incident on the Abandoned Ship and realizes that Tabitha and Courtney did not recognize him because on the ship, his face had been covered with Berry Juice. He also realizes that the man Blaise is threatening is Captain Stern of the Oceanic Museum, and the chairman deduces that they've been taken to the shipyard on the outskirts of the city. The chairman also reveals that Stern designs the submarines used for underwater research, and so the other man with him must be Dock, his research assistant. As Blaise continues to threaten Stern, Jethro and the chairman argue over who should try to battle Team Magma.

Blaise throws Stern against a door, demanding to know what else is needed to make the submarine work, and raises the submarine to the surface inside its tank. Dock tries to intervene, but Blaise sends out his Slugma, using it to injure Dock to pressure Stern to talk. Unwilling to let his subordinate suffer, Stern finally explains: while the Submarine Explorer 1 will travel underwater at normal depths, it will not be able to reach the Seafloor Cavern without a special heart component, which they have already ordered from the Devon Corporation. Blaise calls Tabitha and Courtney to report this information, and Jethro and the Pokémon Fan Club chairman, listening through the door, hear the entire thing.

When Stern demands that Blaise let Dock go, an angry Blaise pulls him, which causes the door to be opened in their struggle, causing Jethro and the chairman to fall out. Blaise realizes they've been eavesdropping and sends Slugma after Jethro, who runs away, saying he does not know anything, Pokéblocks falling from his bag as he dashes in a panic towards the submarine, Marshtomp right behind. Slugma follows, though Blaise had not ordered it to, and Blaise himself dives into the submarine behind Slugma, his suspicions aroused. The safety latch on the submarine hatch then closes, and the sealed sub begins to sink once more.

Inside the submarine, Blaise confronts Jethro, saying he lured Slugma into the sub on purpose by dropping bitter green Pokéblocks, which are its species's favourites. He demands to know who Jethro is. Jethro's stance suddenly toughens as he stops pretending it was not a trap. Slugma spits fire at Marshtomp, who counters, and Blaise orders Slugma to cover the floor in magma, so that the temperature skyrockets. As the heat builds, Jethro's vision distorts, and he tries to snap himself out of it, to no avail.

Blaise tells Jethro the story of the 'Little Matchstick Girl', a penniless little girl who sells matchsticks. When she lights one of her matches to try to keep away the winter cold, an illusion appears before her, and Blaise explains that he can do the same thing—use heat to create illusions in his victims' minds. As a demonstration, a formless monster appears and attacks Jethro, and Blaise brags to the shaken boy that he is known as the "Shadow of Fire."

Outside, Captain Stern, Dock, and the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman search for a way to bring the submarine back to the surface. Stern wonders why Team Magma is after the submarine in the first place. The Pokémon Fan Club Chairman suggests that since the strange people want the submarine and it can't work without its special component, they should stop the component from being produced. Stern says it's too late, the Devon Corporation has already finished it, and it was stolen from Mr. Stone a few days ago, who is still in the hospital. Since Mr. Stone alone knew about the component, no one in the world knows where it is now that it's been stolen, except the thieves themselves.

Inside the submarine, Jethro struggles in the sweltering heat. A vision appears before him of his father, Norman, looking cold and stern, and a younger Jethro runs up to him, begging his father to teach him about Pokémon battles. Norman does not respond, and the illusion shatters, bringing a gasping Jethro back to reality. Blaise taunts him, asking whether the illusion he saw caused him pain, and claims his illusions force people to relive their worst memories. Jethro, in turn, defiantly says that it's Blaise's unlucky day. He might have seen his worst memory, but that same memory is what inspires him to stand up again. He calls to a weakened Marshtomp to use Earthquake.

The force of the attack rocks the submarine, and Blaise angrily asks whether Jethro's trying to drown them both, but Jethro just orders another Earthquake before recalling Marshtomp and crawling over to the side of the cabin. He tells Blaise that he was able to tell Slugma's Nature simply by observation—that any Pokémon can be understood if you pay attention to its behavior and unique characteristics, and that he learned that from his father. Jethro then activates the escape pod he has managed to crawl into and shoots toward the surface, leaving Blaise behind in the sub.

With Jethro gone, Blaise steals the submarine, sailing it out into the ocean, and calls Maxie to tell him of the mission's success. He also explains that they need a special component from the Devon Corporation in order to make the submarine fully functional, and that once they have it, they'll be able to reach the Seafloor Cavern.

On Route 118, the escape pod of the Submarine Explorer 1 floats up to the surface as Jethro and Marshtomp sleep inside. Marshtomp quickly wakes up and alerts Jethro that they have arrived up to the surface. Checking his PokéNav, Jethro is surprised to see how far he had traveled from Slateport City.

As he floats, Jethro notices a television broadcasting a news report from a house. The report turns out to be about the theft of the Submarine Explorer 1, which Jethro is surprised to see have made the headlines. Fearing that his father will find him if he goes back to Slateport City, Jethro decides to wait until he wins all the Contests before seeing the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman again.

Back in Littleroot Town, Jethro's mother prays that her son and Norman will return home so that they can be a family again. As she watches the news, the television shows newly-acquired security footage from Jethro's encounter with Blaise at Stern's Shipyard. Upon seeing Jethro go into the Submarine Explorer 1 while tied up, Jethro's mother faints from the shock.

Back at Jethro's location, Jethro uses the escape pod to paddle through the water. He is stopped when the pod is caught in the line of a Swimmer's fishing trap. Angered, the Swimmer demands that Jethro help him capture a certain Pokémon, which Jethro reluctantly accepts. The two begin fishing, but Jethro continues catching a Feebas, which he considers to be disgusting, and throws it back into the water.

As the man talks about how he had been fishing there for several days, Jethro continues to catch the same Feebas and continues to throw it back each time. After capturing it again, the Swimmer reveals that he is actually looking for a Feebas and notices when Jethro captures the fish again. He jumps on Jethro to grab the Feebas, accidentally knocking Jethro's PokéNav into the water in the process, but it jumps into the water and swims away. When the Swimmer asks Jethro where he caught the Feebas, Jethro is unable to remember the spot where he found it.

Later, the Swimmer laments that he failed to get Feebas when it was right in front of him. Jethro apologizes for not realizing that he was trying to catch the Feebas due to his preference of cute Pokémon. The Swimmer agrees and reveals that he wanted to capture the Feebas to sell it to a person who'd pay a good price for the rare Pokémon. Sympathizing with him at the thought of missing the Pokémon he is also searching for, Milotic, Jethro decides to stay and help the Swimmer.

Back at Stern's Shipyard, Gabby and Ty try to report something to Captain Stern. Gabby reveals that even though Hoenn TV reported that Mr. Stone was attacked by wild Pokémon, he was really attacked by a team clad in blue. As Captain Stern gasps in shock, they are interrupted by Norman, who asks if he can cut into their conversation.

Seeing that the Gym Leader, Norman, is interested in the current situation, Gabby goes to inform him about what had happened to Mr. Stone. Before she can finish, Norman silences Gabby and tells her that he isn't interested in that. Norman dives to the bottom of the water and picks up a Pokéblock. He surfaces and takes some documents from the Submarine Explorer 1. Gabby demands answers, and Norman replies that he is only interested in searching for his son, Jethro. After Norman leaves to continue searching for Jethro, Gabby believes that they can get a lead on the team that stole the Submarine Explorer 1 if he manages to find his son. Realizing that the team that stole the submarine was clad in red instead of blue, they speculate that two teams may be at work.

Back at Jethro and the Swimmer's location, the two continue to fail in their capture of the Feebas. After hearing a rustling in the bushes, the two hide and see that a wild Zangoose has come out. Suddenly, a wild Seviper comes out and the two Pokémon begin fighting each other. As the two fight each other, Jethro and the Swimmer try to escape, but Jethro gets something on his fishing line.

This causes the two to notice them, which leads to them taking chase for thinking that Jethro and the Swimmer are there to interrupt them. Jethro looks for his PokéNav, but is unable to find it, which leads to the Swimmer telling him to send out his prized Pokémon to fight. Jethro tells the Swimmer to send out his Pokémon instead, which leads to an argument which ends in their Poké Balls sent flying and into the claws of their attackers.

Defenseless, Jethro and the Swimmer try to back away, but Jethro's fishing line begins shaking again. The line is revealed to have caught the Feebas from before, which has come to return Jethro's PokéNav. Zangoose and Seviper attack once more, but Feebas jumps into Jethro's arms and begins glowing. Suddenly, the attacker's claws and fangs are caught in a glass screen produced by the Feebas. The Swimmer confirms the move to be Light Screen.

As the Zangoose and Seviper try to pull their weapons from the screen, the Feebas uses Mirror Coat, which causes the claws and fangs to crack and shatter. In the process, Jethro's Zangoose, Mightyena, Marshtomp, and the Swimmer's Staryu are freed from their broken Poké Balls. Jethro and the Swimmer take this chance to try and escape, but continue to be chased by the wild Zangoose and Seviper.

As Zangoose and Seviper use their non-broken weapons to try and search for Jethro and the Swimmer, but are unable to find them. Inside a building, Jethro and the Swimmer hide from their attackers. Jethro states that they were saved by his PokéNav, but the Swimmer corrects Jethro and states that it was actually the Feebas that saved them. The Swimmer states that the Feebas has taken a liking to Jethro, hence why it decided to save him. He forces Jethro to keep the Feebas as thanks for what it did, but quickly reveals that he plans to have Jethro breed it so that he can sell them and become rich. As the Swimmer laughs at his plan, Jethro becomes distraught now that half of his team is completely different than what he wanted. Jethro decides to accept keeping the Feebas, but secretly plans to release it later.

Jethro decides to investigate the building they're in, and finds that they entered the Weather Institute, a place rumored to have machines that come alive at night. Marshtomp suddenly notices Pokéblocks being laid on the ground and he begins following and eating them. Jethro quickly notices that Marshtomp has disappeared and goes to look for him, finding the Pokéblocks on the ground in the process. Jethro quickly realizes that the Pokéblocks are similar to ones made by him, but a voice corrects him and states they were made by him. Suddenly, Norman appears behind Jethro and reveals that he can easily read his son's movements. The Swimmer, scared to be alone in the abandoned building, goes to find Jethro again, only to find the boy being thrown into a wall. The Swimmer asks Jethro what is happening, to which Jethro responds that he's about to witness a very violent family quarrel.

On Route 119, Gabby and Ty drive down the road as it begins to rain, causing Mr. Stone's Castform to change into its Rainy form. Free to cover their story, the two look for Norman and Jethro to get information about the team clad in red that attacked Captain Stern. Suddenly, Castform begins knocking on the car window, causing Ty to assume that it's being hostile again. Gabby, however, correctly guess that Castform is actually pointing at something——the Weather Institute. Upon checking, they find Norman holding Jethro up by his throat. Norman punches Jethro into a wall again and demands to know why he ran away from home. When Jethro informs the Swimmer of the situation, the Swimmer suggests that he should give up and go home.

In his head, Jethro calculates three different choices he has: one, to apologize to his father; two, to escape and run away again; three, to stay and fight his father. Having no choice, Jethro decides to stay and fight in order to show his father how serious he is about Contests. Although he admits to the Swimmer that apologizing would be better, Jethro chooses to fight and requests that he does not watch the fight between him and Norman.

Jethro charges into battle and sends out Zangoose and Mightyena to face Norman's Vigoroth and Slaking. Despite their strength, Mightyena and Zangoose are easily swept away because Norman knows all of Jethro's strategies, as he was the one to teach them to him. Jethro's confidence isn't shattered, as he reveals to his father his newest team member, Marshtomp, and that his first two Pokémon were nearly decoys for a trap he set up. Marshtomp fires a Mud Shot into a pipe, which sends several balls of mud flying towards Norman and his Pokémon. Gabby and Ty soon reach the Swimmer, who tells them about Norman and Jethro's battle.

Norman quickly figures out that Jethro had lured him to the pipes so that Marshtomp could shoot the attack through the pipelines. He quickly breaks out and has Vigoroth deflect the attacks, which are sent back at Jethro. Jethro quickly realizes that Norman had figured out his plan and now knows how to counter-attack, but keeps his cool due to having an endless supply of mud to attack with.

Inside, the Swimmer, Gabby, and Ty watch the battle in shock. Gabby tries to find a way to stop their pointless family struggle, as she needs information about Team Magma from Jethro and the help of a powerful Trainer like Jethro. Gabby looks around to think of a way to stop them when she finds a board listing some information about Castform. She figures out that not only can Castform change with the weather, but it can control it as well. She begs Castform to help her stop the two from fighting.

Back at the battle between Norman and Jethro, Norman has his Slaking boost its stats and swing a staircase at Jethro. Jethro dodges and quickly realizes that Slaking had stopped attacking to build up power, and now that it boosted its stats, it became even stronger. Slaking continues attacking with the staircase, which eventually is placed over the edge of the roof. Cornered, Jethro prepares another pipe and has Marshtomp prepare another powerful Mud Shot for a final attack.

Gabby once again begs Castform to help them, as she does not want to lose important people that can help stop the evil forces in Hoenn. Castform accepts, and it rushes into the air as Marshtomp fires another Mud Shot into the pipeline. The Mud Shot reaches Jethro, and he fires a giant ball of mud at his father, only for it to crumble and shrink before it reaches him. The culprit is revealed to be Castform, which had used Sunny Day to dry up the mud, which caused it to crumble and break. Exhausted, Norman and Jethro begin panting, only for the staircase they were standing on to shake and fall off.

Back at Jethro's house, Stephanie sits in her son's room and notes that Jethro didn't read the letter he received from Norman. She guesses that Jethro didn't know that there was a specific reason why they moved to Hoenn, and that they were planning to have a birthday party for him. As Norman and Jethro reach for each other, Stephanie reveals that Norman had already accepted his son's decision to do Pokémon Contests.

A few months ago, Norman reveals to his wife that he decided to let Jethro participate in Pokémon Contests. Stephanie is shocked at this revelation, but Norman states that he has decided to let Jethro learn how to behave like an adult. Although he prefers that Jethro do battles like him, Norman decides to let Jethro choose what he wants to do. He goes on to say that they'll move to Hoenn on Jethro's birthday and have a party with Professor Birch's family. Back in the present, Stephanie laments over the fact that Jethro had left instead of waiting a few hours more.

Back at the Weather Institute, the staircase holding Jethro and Norman breaks off, sending the two off the building. Luckily, Norman catches the pipe Jethro used in their battle and manages to keep himself and Jethro from falling to the ground. Norman struggles to keep his grip while trying to prevent the two of them from falling onto the broken tree shards and concrete below. Due to the rain, Norman's grip begins loosening, so he asks Castform to help by shining its Sunny Day to dry the pipe. The pipe soon breaks off, causing Norman and Jethro to fall to the ground. Suddenly, Feebas pops out of its Poké Ball, and begins freaking out at the current situation. Jethro asks Feebas to save them with her abilities, but her attacks don't have any effect. Norman commands Jethro to use his Running Shoes, which allow them to run off the Light Screens created by Feebas, saving them in the process.

The two land safely, but Jethro faints after realizing that the gift from his father saved their lives. Gabby, Ty, and the Swimmer are glad to see them okay, but Norman quickly gets up and readies a Poké Ball. Before Norman can continue, he receives a call from Winona, a fellow Gym Leader looking to investigate why he wasn't stationed at his Gym. Winona, along with fellow Gym Leader Flannery, have come to take him back to his Gym. Having no choice, Norman tells his "idiot son" to not return home until he accomplishes his goal, as a man must complete what he set out to do before he returns home. Although knowing nothing about Pokémon Contests, Norman realizes that Jethro needs his items to finish them and returns his missing Pokéblock Case. As Norman leaves, he tells Jethro to call his mother as well.

Driven to tears at this event, Gabby and Ty take Jethro into their car as the Swimmer says goodbye. While asleep, Jethro thanks his father as he leaves with Winona and Flannery. The Swimmer waves goodbye as they leave, but quickly realizes that he forgot to have Jethro breed Feebas for him and chases after them.

At the Desert Ruins, Team Magma lies inside of their base. While Tabitha reveals to Maxie that he failed to stop the death of Mt. Chimney, Blaise modifies the Scanner, and Courtney goes to look for a certain treasure. Before Courtney leaves, Maxie has her use the lighter to show him images about what had happened at the Abandoned Ship. After she leaves, Maxie decides that it is time for him to go out as well.

At the Pokémon Center in Verdanturf Town, Jethro finally obtains his Contest Pass and becomes eligible to compete in Contests throughout the Hoenn region, and finds out about an upcoming Contest occuring in Verdanturf Town, and decides to register to participate.

The Appeals Round begin, with Jethro being the first Coordinator to take stage. Jethro summons Mightyena, who begins by using multiple Shadow Ball attacks towards the sky, and the Shadow Balls hover around in the air. Then, Jethro commands Yawn and a giant bubble engulfs the Shadow Balls, before Mightyena destroys both with Hyper Beam, creating a sparkle shower of both shiny and dark lights, while also leaving the audience rather sleepy due to Yawn's effects, but nonetheless earning Jethro and Mightyena positive reviews, and subsequently, allowing them to advance to the next stage.

During the break between the Appeal Rounds and the Battling Stage, Gabby and Ty come in to interview him for his recent Contest performance. Although he would love to be on TV, Jethro refuses as he does not want himself to be shown as a kidnap victim and runs off when the Beauty Contest begins. Ty believes they should be reporting on the submarine incident instead of Jethro. Gabby replies that they should keep following Jethro, as she has a good feeling about him.

After sweeping through his opponents, Jethro reaches the finals of the Contest, battling with Zangoose against a Coordinator and his Dusclops. Dusclops starts off with a Focus Punch, hitting Zangoose. Zangoose tries a Slash, but as a Normal-type attack, it doesn't affect the Ghost-type Dusclops. Dusclops uses another Focus Punch, but this time, Zangoose successfully counters with Double Hit, sending the Focus Punch away. Dusclops next uses Will-O-Wisp in combination with Psychic to further damage Zangoose. Zangoose tries a X-Scissor attack, but Dusclops counters with Hyper Beam. Dusclops uses another Hyper Beam to damage Zangoose again. Meaning to end the battle, Dusclops uses one more Hyper Beam, but Jethro refuses to give up, this time having Zangoose use Detect. With Detect's assist, Zangoose dodges the attack, and charges foward with X-Scissor, striking Dusclops. As Dusclops suffers from overusing Hyper Beam, Zangoose strikes with multiple X-Scissors to cause massive damage. Dusclops recovers and uses the Will-O-Wisp-Psychic combo, but Zangoose counters with X-Scissor, and pushes the attack back towards Dusclops, leaving it burned. Then, Jethro commands X-Scissor once more, and Zangoose defeats Dusclops with it, making Jethro the winner of the battle.

During the ending ceremonies, Jethro is awarded the Verdanturf Ribbon for his victory, and celebrates with Mightyena and Zangoose. Outside, Jethro notices Lenny amongst the huge crowd leaving the Contest Hall and tries to catch up to him. Lenny tries to enter a bus, but Jethro has Feebas use Ice Beam and freeze the door to stop the crowd from entering it. He grabs Lenny out of the crowd, only to find that the person he had seen was only a girl named Wanda that resembles Lenny. Later, they introduce themselves to each other in Gabby and Ty's van. Wanda reveals that Lenny has moved again to a different location with a better hospital to better recuperate, much to Jethro's disappointment.

Suddenly, a news report comes on the television revealing that an accident happened at the Rusturf Tunnel. As they drive toward the tunnel, an Absol passes by them, causing Jethro to shudder before he calls it beautiful. Jethro decides to look it up in the Pokédex and finds that it only appears where disasters appear.

They arrive at the entrance, only to find people panicking about the cave-in. One of the people revealed to have gone missing is Riley, Wanda's boyfriend. Wanda immediately panics and drives into the cave to search for him. As they search, Ty sees the Absol watching over them and mistakes it for causing the cave-in. Gabby tries to calm Wanda down as she tries to rip the boulders caused by the cave-in out. Although she believes that there is no way to move the rocks, Jethro calls out Marshtomp to help them. Jethro sends Marshtomp under the rubble while Ty questions his actions. Jethro states that even as a Marshtomp, Marshtomp kept the radar it possessed as a Mudkip. Marshtomp uses his radar and dives down into a puddle of mud, which splashes onto Gabby, Ty, and Wanda's faces. Marshtomp eventually finds a huge boulder, which he breaks with Rock Smash.

Marshtomp emerges with an unconscious Riley in his hands, much to Wanda's joy. After Jethro gives Marshtomp a Pokéblock as a reward, Riley regains consciousness. Although Wanda believed that Riley had construction halted because of the danger, Riley reveals that they had to stop the construction because they were disturbing the wild Whismur inside. Finding the Pokémon cute, Jethro is moved to tears at the thought of them wanting to protect the Whismur.

Although they had taken precautions, the earthquake that caused the cave-in was unexpected. Riley believes that the earthquakes are a sign that something bad will happen to Hoenn soon, cluing Ruby into noticing that the Absol had disappeared. Suddenly, the Whismur begin screaming, which means that something bad is about the happen. The Whismur prove to be correct, as an earthquake suddenly starts and causes the cave to start caving in again. The group hear voices that are surprised to see people inside the cave, as they only intended to start a natural disaster. The voices reveal themselves to be Courtney and a bunch of Team Magma Grunts. The Grunts attack, forcing Ty and the others to defend themselves, while Courtney goes to search for the Red Orb. When Ty begs Jethro to help him, Jethro refuses, which causes Courtney to notice him. Using her lighter, Courtney memorizes Jethro's face and decides to change her plans. While riding on her Swellow, Courtney charges at Jethro.

Courtney dives down towards Jethro and takes him into the air. Ty tries to stop her, but he is blocked by the Team Magma Grunts. Courtney continues dragging Jethro into the Rusturf Tunnel, which she states Team Magma "helped" complete by crushing the boulders inside. Although Jethro tries to break free, Courtney's gloves are covered in Pomeg and Kelpsy Berry juice, creating a very powerful glue.

Jethro asks Courtney why she picked him up, to which she replies is because of their battle at the Abandoned Ship. Courtney introduces herself to Jethro and throws him at a wall with the intent to battle him. Courtney sends out her Ninetales to attack, which forces Jethro to defend himself. Although Jethro continues to feign ignorance in the ways of battle, Courtney isn't fooled, as she knows all about his skills. Courtney explains that the horns in the Team Magma member's costumes each contain a lighter. By igniting the lighter, they can create a memory and store images in them. By putting the flames together, they can share a memory, which is how Courtney knew about Jethro's skills. Having no choice, Jethro drops his facade and sends his team out to battle, which pleases Courtney.

Back outside the tunnel, Ty and the others struggle against the Team Magma Grunts. Suddenly, the Whismur reappear, having brought reinforcements in the form of their evolved forms, Loudred and Exploud. The Loudred and Exploud use Hyper Voice, which causes a huge explosion that defeats the Team Magma Grunts. The explosion also clears the rocks blocking the entrance to the Rusturf Tunnel, allowing them to go and help Jethro.

Back at Jethro's side, Jethro has trouble battling Courtney because of her Ninetale's ability to shoot out nine different fireballs at once. Although Marshtomp can block one or two of the fireballs, the others are unable to, and get hit in the process. Courtney reveals the skills of each individual members of the Three Fires: Tabitha, who uses his Torkoal to make others sleepy with its fumes; Blaise, who uses fire to create illusions; and Courtney herself, who uses fire for its most natural use, burning.

Knowing that Jethro likes Pokémon Contests, Courtney reveals that she likes beautiful things as well. However, Courtney states that her idea of beauty is different, which she demonstrates by burning a Ribbon. When flames engulf a victim, that is what Courtney considers truly beautiful. Courtney suddenly kneels down and ask Jethro if he wants to join Team Magma. Suddenly, a powerful sound wave shoots through the cave, sending them flying. Courtney quickly realizes that it must have been a Hyper Voice attack, which was fired from the Loudred and Exploud earlier. Confused at Courtney's offer, Jethro goes to check on his Pokémon, which are badly hurt from Courtney's attacks, including Marshtomp, whose water supply evaporates.

Courtney demands an answer from Jethro, but he decides to put his team into their Poké Balls and send them off with Marshtomp. Angered at Jethro's decision to sacrifice himself, Courtney decides to burn Jethro to death for acting like a hero. Jethro corrects her, as he reveals that he never intended to keep only his Pokémon safe. Courtney quickly discovers yarn tied around her head, which is also connected to Jethro's Pokéblock Case. As Marshtomp runs, the yarn from the sweater Jethro put on him unravels as it is put over a large boulder, pulling Jethro and Courtney into the air. Jethro reveals that with Marshtomp's radar, he knew that Gabby, Ty, Wanda, and Riley were driving into the cave. The others arrive in the Hoenn TV van, which Marshtomp and Jethro land on. As Courtney demands that Jethro come back, Jethro cuts the yarn line, dropping her into the raging flames below.

Later, Courtney walks out the flames, burnt but still alive. She gets a call from Blaise, who asks her how her search for the Red Orb went. Courtney states she has lost interest in the search and has changed her focus onto another subject. She then asks Blaise if he can take over the search instead, which Blaise figures out is because of Jethro. Courtney asks Blaise to tell their leader that she'll be gone for a while. As Jethro rides the van to safety, Courtney swears that she won't give up. Suddenly, the Scanner begins working, much to Blaise's surprise. He is shocked to find that the Red Orb and the Blue Orb are actually in the same location. He checks it to find that they are located at Mt. Pyre.

The Gym Leaders of Hoenn each receive a phone call simultaneously, except for the ones at the Mossdeep and Sootopolis Gyms. The caller is revealed to be Flannery, who calls for an emergency meeting between the nine Gym Leaders. In Fortree City, the Gym Leaders begin to gather, each in a different way. Roxanne rides on her Graveler, Brawly climbs the trees with his Machoke, Wattson rides on his Manectric, Norman rides on his motorboat, and Flannery takes an elevator.

After a while, all the Gym Leaders have gathered, although Roxanne is disappointed to see that only six out of the nine Gym Leaders arrived. Flannery reveals that she was not able to contact Tate and Liza, but Wallace will be able to join the group, only not in person. After Wallace shows up on a video screen, Flannery begins her presentation. Flannery reveals that the death of Mt. Chimney is unnatural and was caused by an evil group. Flannery states that the Gym Leaders should team up to beat the evil group threatening Hoenn. When Winona asks if it was Team Magma that attacked, Flannery states that the team she fought was Team Aqua, and that she was helped by Team Magma. Flannery believes that Team Magma is on their side, but Brawly wonders if Team Aqua is the better team, as he can swim more if the sea gets expanded.

This angers Wattson, who points out that Mauville City is suffering because of the lack of land. Because of Professor Cozmo's involvement with Team Aqua and her friendship with him, Roxanne believes that Team Aqua is the good side. Winona decides to side with Flannery based on her judgment of Team Magma. Worried that the choices on which team is evil or not is even, Wattson decides that Norman's vote will have to decide it.

Norman, however, decides to not choose either team and prepares to leave. Although Winona tries to stop him, Norman re-states that he chooses to remain neutral. As he leaves, Winona reminds Norman that he is a member of the Pokémon Association, which seems to irritate him. The others remain annoyed at his attitude, but Wattson tries to convince Norman to stay. As Norman tries to leave, he is attacked by a wild Shiftry, which knocks him off of his bike. With his Slaking, Norman easily defeats the Shiftry. Impressed, Wattson points out that Norman is easily the strongest of the Gym Leaders. Wattson tries to apologize about what the others said, as they don't know Norman's past with the Pokémon Association. Before he can say anything further, Norman ushers him to stop.

Back with the other Gym Leaders, they realize that their current numbers are lacking. Flannery tries to recommend a Trainer she knows, but Roxanne states that an ordinary one will only slow them down. Winona decides to call the Pokémon Association headquarters in Lilycove City to report their decision to the chairman. When she mentions that Norman left early, the chairman shows frustration at his actions. As Norman rides back home, he remembers what Wattson had said to him earlier.

Wallace interrupts Winona's call and points out that the death of Mt. Chimney caused the energy balance of Hoenn to affect Sootopolis City as well. He reveals that his journey to Fallarbor Town is to gather information from Professor Cozmo, as well as taking place in Contests. Winona reports this to the chairman, who replies that it means the awakening of the Legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre. He also reveals that due to the sea rising first, it means that Kyogre will be the first to awaken. With the threat upon Hoenn apparent, the Gym Leaders, whose opinions are divided, must learn to work together in order to defeat their opponents.

A few days after the incident at the Rusturf Tunnel, Jethro, Gabby, and Ty travel to Fallarbor Town in the Hoenn TV car. Gabby expresses happiness that because of the event that happened at the Rusturf Tunnel, the construction is almost complete, allowing Riley to finish it without disturbing the wild Whismur. Much to Gabby's annoyance, Jethro claims to know nothing about Team Magma, as he only fought in defense against them. As Jethro prepares for the Fallabor Contest, he flashes back to when Courtney asked him about what he thinks beauty is. He quickly shakes the memory off and goes back to focusing on his Contest preparation. Ty announces that they have arrived at Fallarbor Town. Jethro quickly steps in something, which he thinks is snow, only to be told that it is actually volcanic ash, which falls from Mt. Chimney.

Ty is initially confused, as the ash should be drifting all over town. Gabby quickly informs him that the volcano's activity had been stopped a few days ago, which they believe to be the work of one of the villainous teams. Jethro ignores them and uses his Running Shoes to go on ahead and enter the Contest. Later, an exhausted Gabby and Ty manage to catch up to Jethro as he continues making Contest preparations.

As Jethro continues to act more obsessed about Contests, Gabby notices that he might be trying to keep his mind off of something. Ty decides to take this time to discuss more about the evil organizations while Jethro participates in the Contest. Ty uses the various disasters affecting Hoenn and figures out that Team Magma and Team Aqua must be plotting something against nature. They decide to go and talk to Professor Cozmo, a researcher about nature, and see if he knows anything.

Back at Jethro's location, Feebas's performance in the Appeal Rounds begin, with Feebas using Water Pulse towards the sky, and as it drops back down, Feebas freezes it with Ice Beam. With the usage of Mirror Coat, Feebas begins playing ball juggling with the frozen Water Pulse to a thunderous ovation from the crowd, allowing them to advance through the Contest.

While watching other Contest battles from the sidelines, Jethro sees a Pokémon and Trainer silhouette obscured by a blinding light. The Trainer gets a perfect score as the Contest announcer states that the Trainer has won while in tears from the performance. The Trainer reveals himself to be Wallace, who claims that his Pokémon are always beautiful. Jethro looks in awe of Wallace's amazing skills. He notices that the look of Wallace's Whicash is far different than Mr. Briney's, which causes him to note that he is trying a similar thing by entering Feebas, an ugly Pokémon, into a Contest to prove that any Pokémon can win if it's trained enough. As Jethro stares in shock, Marshtomp notices a man rubbing out his cigarette onto the clothes of a woman, which accidentally sets it on fire.

Wallace quickly puts out the fire, which causes the woman to snap at the man who lit her clothes on fire. The two begin arguing, so Wallace has his Luvdisc calm them down as Jethro watches while enraged. When Wallace begins to leave, Jethro goes over to him and introduces himself. Jethro decides to have an unofficial Contest battle against him. Despite the protests of his cheerleaders, Wallace considers the challenge interesting and accepts. Feeling that Feebas might not be right for the challenge, Jethro omits her as he sends his entire team to face Wallace.

At Professor Cozmo's research lab, Gabby and Ty enter to interview Professor Cozmo. Professor Cozmo's assistants inform them that the Professor had gone on a trip days ago and hasn't returned. One of the assistants states that because of Mt. Chimney's death, the sea level is rising, which is tipping the energy balance of Hoenn. One of them says it reminds them of the battle between Groudon and Kyogre, which was also caused by an imbalanced energy shift. One of them gets data that states that Sootopolis City is still the most affected area of the energy imbalance, and that they need more information from the locals there. They reveal that they were supposed to meet a local, Wallace, the guardian of the Cave of Origin.

Back at Jethro's location, Wallace has managed to easily beat Jethro and his Pokémon. He looks down in shock at his defeat. Wallace's cheerleaders get worried, as they believe that Jethro might get angry and start attacking because of his loss. Suddenly, Jethro begins walking towards Wallace, much to the horror of Wallace's cheerleaders. Upon reaching Wallace, Jethro begs the man to take him as his disciple.

Jethro expresses his love of Wallace's beautiful and graceful moves that were used in their battle. Jethro acknowledges that he's finally met a Contest master, but Wallace refuses and leaves. Although Wallace drives away in his car, Jethro catches up to him with his Running Shoes. This annoys the cheerleaders, who tell Jethro to go away. Jethro notices a bunch of Soot Sacks in Wallace's car, and collects tons of ash for Wallace from the surrounding area in an attempt to impress him. As Jethro goes to the glass workshop with the ash, Wallace goes to Professor Cozmo's lab as he had been planning to.

At Professor Cozmo's lab, Ty decides that it's time to leave since they haven't gathered any information. Wallace arrives at the lab, with Jethro still following him. Much to Ty's surprise and the cheerleader's annoyance, Jethro claims to have become Wallace's disciple. As Wallace introduces himself to Professor Cozmo's assistants, Jethro takes a look at the Pokémon they have. Wallace overhears their conversation and learns that Jethro is the son of a Gym Leader.

Deciding to test Jethro, Wallace has his Luvdisc free the Anorith and Lileep from their cases. The two Pokémon begin attacking, which causes mayhem in the lab. Jethro decides to stop them, and after checking that no one can see, scares the two into calming down with a glare resembling his father's. As Ty puts the Pokémon back into their cases, Wallace decides to accept Jethro as his disciple.

Wallace tells him that the soot Jethro sent to be made into glass will take one night to be finished, while also telling Jethro that his Contest was still taking place, and Jethro needed to return before being disqualified, and Jethro uses his Running Shoes to return to the Contest Hall. Much to the disappointment of his cheerleaders, Wallace tells them to stay and help Professor Cozmo's assistants. Gabby decides to ask the assistants about the rise of the sea level, as that has not been covered by the news. One of the assistants reveals that the media already knows about it, but has been withholding information from the public despite the extreme danger.

Gabby decides to call Hoenn TV headquarters and asks the director about the truth of what happened to Mt. Chimney. The director states that he did it intentionally, as the truth could cause mass hysteria. The director, now revealed to be the leader of Team Aqua, Archie, tells Gabby to cover only Team Magma in the news today.

The next day, Jethro goes to Wallace after winning the Contest with Feebas. As they take off to the next location, Jethro wonders why Gabby and Ty had decided to leave instead of wanting to go with him. He shrugs it off, and asks where they're headed off to. Wallace reveals that they're going to what it considered the most beautiful town in Hoenn, Fortree City. As they fly there, a figure passes below them, which startles Jethro.

As Wallace's car lands, Jethro and Gwendolyn look in shock to see each other in the same location again. When Wallace and Winona ask if they know each other, Gwendolyn confirms that the two of them are rivals. When Wallace and Winona ask if they know each other, Gwendolyn confirms that the two of them are rivals. Jethro asks Gwendolyn why she had come, she replies it is because of her goal of conquering the Gyms. Gwendolyn retorts by asking why Jethro had come to a place where all the Hoenn Gym Leaders have gathered. Hearing this causes Jethro to freak out and hide at the thought of his father being here. Once he confirms that his father is not with the other Gym Leaders, Jethro calms down. Winona welcomes Wallace, and states that they'll discuss strategies once Tate and Liza arrive before dismissing everyone.

Jethro is shocked to learn that Wallace is a Gym Leader. Wallace reveals that he knows that Jethro is the son of a Gym Leader, although Jethro replies that his life is about Contests. Wallace immediately sends out his Seaking and has it shoot water into the air. Jethro is quickly impressed at this display and assumes it means that they are going to start their training. As Jethro prepares to train, Wallace inspects a leaf and uses the amount of dew on it to see how humid it is. When he sees how little was on the leaf, Wallace speculates that it might be because of the death of the volcano. To Jethro's disappointment, Wallace states that he is going to investigate something and has Jethro stay as it may be dangerous. Left alone by their mentors, Gwendolyn and Jethro decide to start a conversation. Much to Jethro's surprise, Gwendolyn isn't trying to fight with him as she usually does whenever they meet. Gwendolyn realizes that Jethro is right and apologizes for her previous actions, to which Jethro states makes her sound more like a girl.

Suddenly, an earthquake occurs, causing wild Spoink and Grumpig to start rampaging. They try to get away from the panicked Pokémon, but Gwendolyn is sent flying. Acting on reflex, Jethro has Mightyena defeat the Grumpig. As Jethro lies down exhausted, Gwendolyn is shocked to find out that he was this strong all along. She notes that Jethro specifically attacked the Grumpig's pearls, which isn't a technique a normal Trainer would use. Although Jethro feigns ignorance once again, Gwendolyn isn't fooled, and she has Lairon attack Jethro. On instinct, Jethro dodges the attack and has Mightyena swat Lairon away. Gwendolyn asks why Jethro lied to her, but Jethro refuses to answer her question. When she sees that Jethro doesn't want to talk, Gwendolyn grudgingly accepts, since Jethro being strong is a good thing. Confused, Jethro asks why that is a good thing.

Gwendolyn reveals that a catastrophe is hitting Hoenn, and with Jethro's strength, he will be able to help the Gym Leaders with her. Jethro refuses, as he states that his interests lie in Contests. Angered, Gwendolyn states that because of all the bad things that have happened, she isn't interested in challenging Gyms. Gwendolyn states that they should fight for Hoenn, but Jethro replies that since he just moved to Hoenn, he isn't all that interested in fighting for it and plans on moving back to Johto after beating the Contests, saying that Hoenn's problems weren't his, and Hoenn could sink to the bottom of the ocean for all he cared.

Furious, Gwendolyn immediately begins stripping her clothes off, much to Jethro's shock. Using the leaves from the trees, Gwendolyn fashions a leaf bikini similar to the one she wore when she first met Jethro. As she does so, she reveals that despite their quarrels, she never really thought Jethro was a bad person. Gwendolyn shows Jethro the letter he wrote for her, and points out that he said that he thought she would look nice in the clothes he made for her. She reveals that the compliment made her happy, as no one had told her that before, which is why she decided to wear the clothes in the first place. She points out that even though Jethro is so strong, he's not putting his strength to good use. Jethro tries to say something, but Gwendolyn refuses to listen to his words. Gwendolyn tosses the clothes Jethro made for her and tells him to never come near her again. Jethro, visibly regretting his words, complies with her demand and turns around to leave.

Back at the Gym Leader's location, Winona asks her teammates if they are alright after the earthquake. The others shrug it off, and complain about her decision to let Gwendolyn join them despite most of them not agreeing to it. Roxanne decides to wait until Tate and Liza arrive before making their decision.

As Winona wonders where the twins are, Tate and Liza walk through Mt. Pyre. They sense an evil presence and are on guard. They express regret at having to miss the Gym Leader meeting, but they cannot tell the others about their other job. As they continue on, they managed to track the presence at the heart of the cave. Suddenly, the cave becomes hotter, which is revealed to be caused by Team Magma. The Team Magma Grunts reveal that they have come for the Red and Blue Orbs, which they tracked using the Scanner. The Grunts attack, but Tate and Liza easily dodge using their combination. The two groups then begin their Double Battle.

Atop Mt. Pyre, an old woman tells her husband that enemies have invaded the mountain and Tate and Liza are fighting them. Although worried that the twins are too young to take the responsibility off their hands, the old couple vow to protect the Orbs no matter the cost. Back at Tate and Liza's location, the twins continue to face the Team Magma Grunts in a Double Battle. By boosting their stats with Cosmic Power in addition to the Rock-type that their Pokémon have, the twins gains a huge advantage in the fight. Tate and Liza continue to attack their foes with powerful moves that can hit both targets, which begins to whittle their opponents down. Liza begins bragging and tells her foes to leave, only to start staggering because of the intense heat.

Suddenly, their foes rise up again, signifying that they haven't decided to give up. As Tate and Liza continue to battle their foes, Blaise watches from above. Blaise reveals that the Team Magma Grunts the twins are fighting are only illusions he created with the heat. Tate and Liza are completely fooled, and they continue to wonder why their attacks aren't hitting. As the two fight something that isn't there, Blaise goes to search for the Red and Blue Orbs. Using the Scanner, Blaise finds the old couple and easily swats them away. He picks the two gems from their pedestals, confident over his victory.

Outside of the Hoenn TV station in the evening, Archie leaves work. In the parking lot, a voice calls to him, noting that Team Aqua has been busy lately, and a lighter whizzes through the air, slamming into the side of a car behind Archie. Archie calls out his Walrein and demands whoever is there to show themselves. The lighter begins releasing flames, which reveals the image of Maxie inside of it. Suddenly, Maxie and his Camerupt appear a few feet from Archie.

Maxie accuses Archie of making life difficult for Team Magma by using his influence on the media to cover up Team Aqua's activities and keep the spotlight on Team Magma. Archie agrees, and says that he's also been able to blame a lot of Team Aqua's actions on Team Magma as well, keeping his own organization's profile low. Enraged, Maxie attacks with Camerupt, but Archie counters with Walrein, and Maxie challenges Archie to a one-on-one battle, to which Archie concedes. Camerupt and Walrein clash, and Walrein manages to sink its fangs into Camerupt's back. However, Camerupt's Magma Armor prevents it from being frozen, and it unleashes an Eruption that blasts Walrein off of it.

Meanwhile, Gabby and Ty are driving back to the TV station. Gabby is still in knots over the accusation that her company has been keeping vital information from the public, and vows to ask the director about it personally. Ty worries that Gabby won't give up chasing this story until she has a straight answer. As they approach the TV station, the explosion of Camerupt's Eruption attack startles them so badly that Gabby skids the car to a halt. The pair get out and spy through the bushes, witnessing Maxie and Archie's confrontation.

Despite the force of the Eruption, Archie reveals that Walrein's Thick Fat Ability kept it from being badly damaged. The two men's Pokémon are thus equally matched. Faced with this standoff, Maxie reveals why he really came: Team Magma has possession of the Submarine Explorer 1, while Team Aqua has the heart component that lets it travel deep underwater, so that neither of them has the ability to actually get where they want to go. Maxie proposes an idea: the two teams will join forces just long enough to journey to the bottom of the sea, and then they can resume their fight as soon as they reach their destination. Otherwise, neither of them will ever get what they want. Archie agrees to the plan.

Nearby, Gabby and Ty witness the whole thing, and the only thing stopping Gabby from charging in and demanding answers from Archie is Ty grabbing her. They're both badly shaken by the revelation that their own director seems to also be the leader of Team Aqua. Gabby and Ty watch as Archie and Maxie drive away. The puzzle pieces come together in Gabby's mind. Gabby begins panicking, as she can't decide what to do. Ty tells her that they can't do any of the things they suggested, and if Archie was using the media for selfish reasons, then it's possible that the other employees are also with his cause. Ty decides that if they can't go and fight them, then it'd be better to go and inform the Gym Leaders and Jethro.

Meanwhile in Fortree City, Jethro beats himself up over revealing his secret. Suddenly, Marshtomp evolves into his final stage, a Swampert. As Jethro looks it up in the Pokédex, he realizes that Marshtomp evolved because of all the battles they had over their journey. Jethro notices Wallace coming back and going into Winona's tower.

As Jethro watches from the window, Wallace reckons to Winona and confirms that the death of Mt. Chimney has caused nature to be affected in a variety of ways. Wallace then questions whether the Gym Leaders can come together against this. This offends Winona, who believes that Wallace is questioning her leadership skills. Wallace corrects her, and points out that despite being the leader, she shouldn't do everything alone. Winona tells him to not speak up to his superior like that, as they no longer have the relationship they had in the past.

Jethro states that even though he doesn't know what they're talking about, he can tell it's serious. Jethro flashes back to when Gwendolyn asked him to help save Hoenn. Coupled with the fact that all the Gym Leaders have gathered together, Jethro believes himself to be a nuisance and runs away because he believes that he can't stay there.

As Wallace leaves the tower, he notices Jethro speeding away while riding on Swampert. He immediately chases after his student, but loses him in the trees. Wallace guesses that Jethro is going to do the Contest in Slateport City and goes there to meet up with him. Wallace flies to Slateport, only to find the city nearly submerged in water.

Not long after Jethro left Fortree City, a massive tsunami crashes over the land. The people and Pokémon panic as the water begins flooding the area. In the Team Aqua Hideout outside Lilycove City, Archie watches in satisfaction, saying that the increase in the sea's energy has caused the ocean levels to rise and that Hoenn is beginning to flood, according to plan. Suddenly, the Submarine Explorer 1 arrives inside the hideout, piloted by Team Magma. After Maxie apologizes for being late, a still-injured Matt, supported by Amber, remarks how great it is that they'll be traveling to the bottom of the sea.

Suddenly, Archie has his Walrein attack Matt by smacking him onto the ground. Because of Matt's loss at Mt. Chimney, Archie states that he is punishing him by not being allowed to join them, and is taking Amber instead. After Tabitha and Maxie look surprised at Archie's brutality, the two teams complete the Submarine Explorer 1 by adding its heart to it. They activate the submarine and set off to the bottom of the sea.

In Slateport City, a horrified Wallace watches as the city is plagued by floods. He pieces together that it must have been caused by the drop in the energy level created by the death of Mt. Chimney, but admits that it's much more than what the Gym Leaders had expected. Although he wants to search for Jethro as well, Wallace sends out his Pokémon to rescue the citizens from danger.

Somewhere else, a Pokémon Contest is being held, despite the immense danger. The announcer suddenly tips over, leading to a Swimmer to come up and rescue him. The swimmer berates the announcer for holding a Contest in such dangerous conditions, but the announcer points out that he can't stop due it being a special anniversary. The Swimmer gets frustrated, due to having thought he could find Jethro in Slateport and get his Feebas back.

He believes that not even Jethro would come to do a Contest in such a dangerous area, only to see the boy sitting on Swampert nearby. He notices that Jethro had already entered in other Contests and won them as well. As Jethro enters in the Contest, he remembers what Gwendolyn said to him, but he shakes it off in frustration. When he is asked what Pokémon he is entering in the Contest, Jethro notices Feebas straggling behind. Jethro snaps at her and tells Feebas that she should stay by his side.

The Swimmer watches from a distance, and notes that Jethro's current behavior is very strange. The Contest begins, but Jethro points out that he should automatically win because he is the only contestant. Jethro is shocked to find out that his Feebas has received zero votes, and that there is another hidden contestant there as well. Despite Jethro's best efforts, the mystery contestant easily counters Jethro's every move, and manages to beat him.

Furious, Jethro snaps at Feebas and blames her for their loss. He claims that she doesn't belong on him team, and that he should have waited until he had obtained a better Pokémon for Contests. Jethro's words scare his Pokémon, while Feebas tears up from his harsh statement. Feebas immediately runs off, but when Jethro tries to go to her, Wallace reveals himself to be the mystery contestant and stops him.

Confused and angry, Jethro accuses Wallace of trying to humiliate him. Wallace knocks Jethro down to calm him, and states that what Jethro said to Feebas was inexcusable. Jethro quickly realizes that he was wrong and goes to apologize to Feebas. Suddenly, the damage to the city gets worse, and the buildings begin to crumble. As Jethro desperately tries to search for Feebas in the water, she swims away. As the buildings of Slateport City break apart behind him, Jethro frantically searches for his runaway Feebas, only for a piece of rubble to fall on his arm. The Swimmer is shocked to see Wallace making no effort to rescue Jethro and goes to do it himself. Although Jethro tells the Swimmer to leave him alone, the Swimmer saves Jethro anyway as the building completely turns to rubble.

Wallace flies up near them in his car and notes that Feebas isn't coming back because of what Jethro said to her. He points out that when Jethro challenged him in Fallarbor Town, he refused to use Feebas despite the fact that she is used in Contests. After reminding him of his negligence in noticing when Swampert warned him of the fire in the Contest Hall, Wallace claims that Jethro doesn't trust in his Pokémon and only cares about himself. The Swimmer stops Wallace by pointing out that he even though he knows what he's saying is important, Jethro won't be able to hear as he had cried himself unconscious.

The announcer asks Wallace if he did the right thing, as the entire mystery contestant participation was simply an act. Due to Feebas having run away, Wallace decides to hold onto the Ribbon she would have won in the Contest. The Swimmer questions Wallace's motives, but Wallace ignores him and sends Jethro to a first-aid center before going back to rescue more people. As they fly away, Jethro apologizes to Feebas in his sleep as he continues crying.

Deep underwater, Team Aqua and Team Magma finally reach the Seafloor Cavern in the Submarine Explorer 1, where they sense the presence of Kyogre and Groudon upon entering. After reaching a fork in the road, the teams go their separate ways. Upon reaching the end of the tunnels, the two leaders stare in astonishment at their respective Pokémon in a deep slumber.

Back in Slateport City, Gabby and Ty search the city for Jethro, but note that they never expected the city to be flooded when they got there. Although Ty suggests going to Fortree City where the Gym Leaders had gathered, because it would be impossible to find Jethro in the city, Gabby states that there is another person they are searching for. They find Captain Stern being rescued along with several other citizens by a rescue boat.

Before they can tell him anything, Stern reveals that Tabitha's attack from before now gives him coughing fits because of the smoke he breathed in. In addition to his coughing fits, Stern reveals that Dock has been hospitalized. Although Stern believes the duo had come for an interview, Gabby corrects him by revealing that Team Magma and Team Aqua had stolen both components of the Submarine Explorer 1 and have now joined forces. Gabby reveals that the two teams are planning to go to the Seafloor Cavern. She asks Stern if there is any way to chase after them to stop them. Stern replies that if they've gone to the Seafloor Cavern, chasing after the villains would be impossible. He then calls Gabby and Ty to his side and reveals that even though he doesn't know what the two teams are after, he knows that there is an enormous power at the cavern.

At the Seafloor Cavern, Amber and his Pelipper attack the slumbering Kyogre, which allows it to awaken. Kyogre dives down into the ocean, and Archie gloats over his victory over the face that they awakened their Legendary Pokémon faster than Team Magma did. Due to Team Aqua having awoken their Pokémon first, Kyogre will have the advantage despite the two being evenly matched.

In Fortree City, the Gym Leaders look in horror at the flooding happening all over Hoenn. The destruction pressures Winona into increasing the emergency. They are soon called by the Pokémon Association Chairman, who reveals that a massive entity is swimming through the water, and the tsunamis are caused by it surfacing. The Chairman instructs Winona to alert all of Hoenn about the situation.

Suddenly, Kyogre emerges from the water, leading to the Chairman telling Winona to inform the townsfolk. As Kyogre swims through the water, the Pokémon Association informs Hoenn of Kyogre's awakening. Kyogre approaches the Abandoned Ship, which it easily blows apart with an attack. The attack sends Plusle and Minun flying, and they are carried away by the waves produced by Kyogre. Suddenly, Kyogre breathes a substance into the air, which causes a powerful storm to start.

Back at the Seafloor Cavern, Tabitha repeatedly attacks Groudon with his Torkoal. Eventually, he awakens Groudon, which immediately dives into the ground in order to surface later. Maxie assumes that Archie thinks that Team Aqua has the advantage due to their raising the sea level and awakening Kyogre first. However, Maxie has Tabitha present him the Red and Blue Orbs that Blaise had obtained at Mt. Pyre. Maxie activates the orbs and uses them to control both Legendary Pokémon to give Team Magma the advantage. As Groudon continues to dive into the earth, an intense heat wave causes plants to evaporate.

Back in Slateport City, Wallace arrives to rescue Captain Stern, Gabby, and Ty from the flooding. Stern gets worried and wishes that Steven were here to help them. When Stern asks Wallace if he knows where Steven is, Wallace replies negatively. Gabby asks where Jethro is, to which Wallace reveals that he put him in a first-aid center along with the other flood victims.

Jethro soon wakes up at the center, and gets confused at his surroundings. He quickly remembers about what he said to Feebas and goes out to find her again. He notices the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman and Dock and notes that they seem to be suffering from a disease. He notices Wallace, Stern, Gabby, and Ty coming into the building as well and hides. Jethro notes his behavior and berates himself for hiding and running away all this time.

Jethro eavesdrops as Wallace and the others are about to contact Winona. Upon calling her, Wallace apologizes to Winona for acting without her orders. Winona states that does not matter, as the two Legendary Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre have already awakened. After learning that Brawly, Roxanne, Flannery, and Wattson are fighting the two Pokémon, Wallace decides to go and join them. Winona stops him, as she reveals that fighting Groudon or Kyogre will not solve anything. When Wallace asks why, Winona reveals that the only way to stop the Pokémon is to defeat the person controlling them at the Seafloor Cavern.

Jethro sees Gwendolyn on the video screen, and notes that she has a new Pokémon, which he vaguely remembers seeing before. Overhearing their conversation, Jethro learns that it is impossible for them to reach their enemy without a submarine. Jethro flashes back to what Mr. Briney told him, and quickly remembers Relicanth is the Pokémon that has the ability to dive down to the deepest depths of the ocean. He decides to go outside and mull over what to do, but notices Feebas flopping around in the water. Jethro rescues her, only to find out that he only rescued a Magikarp.

Jethro hears a voice calling out for the Magikarp, which turns out to belong to a young boy. Jethro returns the Magikarp to the boy, who turns out to be blind. The boy thanks Jethro for saving his Magikarp and expresses envy for his skills as a Trainer. The boy states that if he had skills like Jethro did, he would use them to help people. The words of the boy cause Jethro to remember about how Gwendolyn and Wallace called him selfish and self-centered. He remembers about how his refusal to fight caused people to be injured even though he had the ability to do so. He briefly tries to think about what to do and eventually figures it out. Jethro apologizes to his team about what he did to Feebas and asks if they still want to stay with him. Later, Zangoose approaches Wallace and gives him a letter written by Jethro. Wallace reads the letter, which reveals that Jethro has decided to fight against Team Magma.

On Route 126, Gwendolyn is frustrated at the lack of an ability to follow their enemies. Gwendolyn decides to swim to the Seafloor Cavern herself, but Winona stops her as it would be impossible for a human. Winona expresses frustration that even though they want to do something, it is impossible to go to the bottom of the sea. Suddenly, a voice shouts out that there is a way to go underwater, surprising the two. The voice is revealed to be Jethro, who had arrived with Wallace. Gwendolyn gets irritated, as she is still angry with Jethro. Jethro reveals that Mr. Briney told him about a Pokémon that helped people get to the bottom of the sea. Gwendolyn's Relicanth happens to be the same kind of Pokémon, and with it, they can get to the bottom of the sea.

Winona gets angry, as she refuses to believe that any Pokémon has the power to do such a thing. Gwendolyn stops Winona and states that she believes what Jethro said because of what happened when the tidal wave was about to hit the two of them. Jethro is happy that Gwendolyn believes him and reveals that the move Relicanth can use to help them go underwater is Dive. Jethro calls Mr. Briney on his Pokégear and tells him about Relicanth's size. After finishing the call, Jethro reveals that because of Relicanth's size, it can go to the bottom of the sea, but can only carry two children while doing so. Winona quickly figures out what this means, as Wallace states that Jethro had volunteered to go the Seafloor Cavern with Gwendolyn. Winona has doubts about this plan, but Wallace decides to put his trust in Ruby.

Although Jethro expresses joy in going on an adventure, Gwendolyn gets angry at Jethro and demands to know what he has planned. Jethro notices Gwendolyn's bikini made of leaves and points out that it will fall off once they go underwater. Jethro presents Gwendolyn with a new set of clothes and states that he thinks she would like them. After a brief pause, Gwendolyn puts on her new clothes and throws away the leaf outfit. Wallace wishes the two good luck and tells them to defeat their opponents at the Seafloor Cavern. Jethro, Gwendolyn and Relicanth jump off of Wailord and into the water. Relicanth uses Dive and brings the two underwater. Wallace decides to help Brawly and Roxanne in order to reduce the destruction while Jethro and Gwendolyn go to retrieve the Red and Blue Orbs. Despite wanting to help fight, Winona decides to stay at the command tower because of her orders from the Pokémon Association.

Winona decides to call the Pokémon Association Chairman, but is unable to get a signal due to the weather. Wallace quickly notices a giant figure approaching them that is obscured by the heavy rain. The figure is revealed to be the Pokémon Association headquarters, which is being suspended in the air by a giant balloon. The Chairman reveals that because of the fires spreading in Lilycove City, he had to turn the headquarters into an airship in order to get to safety.

The Chairman tells Winona that he is taking over her duties, allowing her to go out and fight with the other Gym Leaders. Having heard her orders, Winona prepares to go and help Flannery and Wattson battle Kyogre. The old couple ask the Chairman if he can help search for Tate and Liza. The Chairman agrees to this, but states that it won't be an easy task.

Wallace and Winona briefly shake hands before seeing each other off. Suddenly, a man flying around in a small UFO approaches the headquarters airship and sneaks inside. Somewhere else, Professor Birch listens to a call asking the people of Hoenn to seek shelter. He notes that because of the raging floods and heat waves, going outside would be considered suicidal. Even though he notes that it's dangerous, Birch remains outside while atop of a tree.

Birch apologizes to Treecko, who was going to meet its Trainer today, but cannot due to the flood. Birch impatiently waits for the Trainer, who had said they would arrive no matter what, due to the flood potentially hitting soon. Suddenly, a wave of water crashes into the tree Birch is holding onto, sending him into the water. The waves knock the bag with Treecko and the third Pokédex out of Birch's hands and carries them away.

Inside the Seafloor Cavern, Archie asks Amber why Kyogre has stalled its activity while Groudon continues to move about. Despite the death of Mt. Chimney and the fact that Kyogre awoke earlier than Groudon, it's barely active, while Groudon continues to rampage. Furious, Archie realizes that Team Magma must have a hand in this, and sends Amber to find out what the problem is.

Elsewhere in the cavern, Maxie struggles while using the Red and Blue Orbs to control Kyogre and Groudon simultaneously. However, he suddenly falls back in exhaustion. When Tabitha helps Maxie up, Maxie explains that controlling two ancient Pokémon at the same time is extremely difficult; he didn't realize how much of a drain on his mental capacities it would be. Maxie asks Tabitha to take the Blue Orb a little distance away and control Kyogre himself so that Maxie can concentrate on harnessing Groudon's power. As Tabitha carries the Blue Orb back towards the submarine, accompanied by his Torkoal, Amber watches from a hiding place above. When Tabitha reaches the submarine, a sudden glow distracts and confuses him and his Pokémon. Tabitha recognizes it as the move Tail Glow, and has his Torkoal use Yawn to put the culprit, a Volbeat, to sleep. Tabitha demands that Volbeat's owner show themselves, at which point Amber steps forward, noting casually that Team Aqua should have done more research in order to discover the existence of the two Orbs. Amber orders another two Volbeat to use Signal Beam, and Tabitha counters with Heat Wave, using the time bought by the blast to escape into the submarine. As soon as he jumps inside, however, Amber catches hold of him from behind, having left his Pokémon outside in the cavern so that he could follow Tabitha.

Tabitha demands that Amber let him go, since Torkoal is ready to attack again, but Amber swears to steal the Blue Orb under any circumstance. Torkoal is carrying the Orb on its back, and Amber, has one of his Volbeat outside blast a light over Torkoal. At first it seems as though nothing happened, until Tabitha realizes the Blue Orb has become a Figy Berry. Tabitha grabs the ladder to try to climb back out and retrieve the Orb. However, Amber, who is still clinging tight to Tabitha, explains that he had Volbeat use Trick to switch the items the two Pokémon were carrying. Outside, Archie has been waiting, and receives the Blue Orb from Volbeat, mesmerized by its obvious power.

Having successfully retrieved the Orb, Amber calls for Archie to lend him a hand out of the submarine. Instead, Archie shuts and locks the escape hatch, and the submarine sinks on autopilot. As Amber and Tabitha gape in horror, Archie tells them through the intercom that he's removed the heart component of the submarine, so that it will break apart under the water pressure after reaching a critical depth. He thanks Amber for his hard work and tells them both to enjoy their tour of the ocean depths, then turns off the transmission and studies the Blue Orb. He is convinced that having it will finally put him and Maxie on even footing, and that nothing can stop him now.

Underwater, the Submarine Explorer 1 begins to buckle under the weight of the water as Jethro and Gwendolyn pass by it while making their way towards the Seafloor Cavern with Relicanth. Jethro and Gwendolyn reach the Seafloor Cavern. Although it does not take long for them to dive underwater, Gwendolyn states that it felt like it has been days. When Gwendolyn notes that she is holding Jethro's hand, she quickly shakes him off and states that despite his help, she has not forgiven him for what he said to her. Jethro ignores what she says and points out that there are two different tunnels in front of them. Gwendolyn decides to take the left path, but Jethro stops her and tells her to stay by his side.

Jethro reveals that Mightyena has sensed the presence of someone and has her sniff them out with Odor Sleuth. Suddenly, they are attacked by a group of Team Aqua and Team Magma Grunts and their Pokémon. Immediately, Jethro and Gwendolyn send out their Pokémon and prepare to fight and defend themselves.

Elsewhere, Tabitha and Amber are still trapped inside the submarine as it breaks from the water pressure while it sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Tabitha and Amber try their hardest to keep the water from flowing in, but to no avail. Suddenly, the submarine breaks apart, sending the two into the water. Amber tries his hardest to keep his breath, but soon looses consciousness, forcing Tabitha to save the both of them by swimming upwards to the surface.

On the surface, Blaise flies above the ocean until he notices a piece of the Submarine Explorer 1 float up to the surface. Blaise sends out Armaldo and rescues the two from drowning, revealing that Tabitha sent him an SOS signal earlier. As Tabitha is unconscious, Blaise takes his lighter and uses it to find out what had happened to the two. Feeling sorry for Amber, Blaise hopes for his teammates to save him and takes Tabitha away. Tabitha soon wakes up and asks Blaise where he is taking the two of them to. Blaise states that they are going to Route 121, as that is where the Gym Leaders are facing Groudon. Blaise calls Courtney, who reveals that she had seen the destruction Groudon caused. Blaise reveals that there are people trying to stop Groudon and tells her to come and help stop them. When Blaise requests Courtney's current location, she reveals that she is at the Mossdeep Space Center.

Back at the Seafloor Cavern, Jethro and Gwendolyn manage to easily defeat the Team Aqua and Team Magma Grunts. However, they are shocked when they hear two more voices commenting on the battle. They look in front of them to find the silhouettes of Maxie and Archie approaching them with the Red and Blue Orbs.

On top of the wreckage of the Submarine Explorer 1, a startled Amber wakes up. He remembers the last words Archie told him before locking him in the Submarine Explorer 1 and sending it to the bottom of the water. Amber immediately shakes it off as a misunderstanding and goes to help his teammates raise the sea level.

Elsewhere, Blaise and Tabitha continue traveling on Route 121, where they are joined by Courtney. At Groudon's location, it continues to easily overpower Brawly and Roxanne with its attacks. After defeating Brawly's Machoke, Groudon attempts to leave the battle. Roxanne immediately stops its movements with her Nosepass's Block. Although not her style of battling, Roxanne has her Pokémon continuously attack Groudon, preventing it from fighting back.

Suddenly, a voice from above praises Roxanne's skills and sends out a Sealeo to attack Groudon with Ice Ball. The voice is revealed to be that of Wallace, who came to help them stop Groudon. Before they can continue, three figures arrive and tell the Gym Leaders that if they intend on stopping Groudon, they'll have to face them first. The Three Fires jump down and take the Gym Leaders to the currently-abandoned Lilycove City. Blaise takes Brawly into the Lilycove Museum, while Tabitha takes Wallace to the Lilycove Department Store, and Courtney takes Roxanne to the Lilycove Inn.

Elsewhere, Wattson and Flannery continue their battle against Kyogre. Above them, Shelly and Matt arrive, angry at the Gym Leaders's attempt to stop Kyogre. Shelly gets a signal from Amber, which informs them that he is on his way to help them. As they decide on a course of action, a figure in the sky quickly approaches them. Shelly assumes that it's Amber, but she is proven wrong when they are hit by a Dragon Breath attack. The figure turns out to be Winona, the commander of the Gym Leaders that had been given clearance to help her fellow Gym Leaders. Winona continuously attacks Matt, preventing him from fighting back.

Shelly tries to stop Winona, leading to Flannery going to help while Wattson stays behind to stop Kyogre. Flannery attacks Shelly, preventing her from attacking Winona. Upon getting a good look at Shelly, Flannery is determined to defeat her after recognizing her from Mt. Chimney. Annoyed, Shelly charges into battle against her new opponent and dodges her attacks.

Wattson continues to battle against Kyogre, but regrets staying behind to battle it alone. He notes that Kyogre has gotten stronger, and is preparing for another attack. A voice appears to confirm Wattson's suspicions, and states that it's because of Archie taking control of the Blue Orb. The voice is revealed to be Amber, who slowly rises out of the water.

In Slateport City, Swimmer Jack moves about the flooded city to look for any people left. After finding no one, he assumes that everyone already left to New Mauville already. He notices a young boy left behind, and quickly goes to ask if he is alright. The boy reveals that he was so engrossed in reading that he simply didn't notice everyone had left. The boy reveals that he is reading in Braille, which impresses the Swimmer. The boy states what he was told by the Hoenn League Champion, Steven Stone. Elsewhere, Steven walks out of a building with Phoebe, Sidney, Glacia, and Drake, who are the members of the Hoenn Elite Four.

As Kyogre continues to press forward, Team Aqua clash furiously with Wattson, Winona, and Flannery. Amber has just arrived and has his Pelipper uses Stockpile and then Spit Up to strike Wattson's Manectric. The battle is now three-on-three, with Flannery and Shelly, Winona and Matt, and Wattson and Amber going head-to-head. Amber taunts Wattson, saying their fighting is giving Kyogre time to advance, but Wattson retorts that his own Electric-type Pokémon have the advantage in this fight. Wattson's Manectric takes out Amber's Pelipper with one hit, leaving him with no remaining Pokémon after his remaining team had been left behind at the Seafloor Cavern. Shelly decides to lend Amber her Nincada, which he happily accepts. Even with the Pokémon he borrowed, Amber is still easily defeated by Wattson's Manectric, confusing the Gym Leader.

Amber reveals that he picked Nincada due to the fact that it would evolve. Nincada quickly evolves into its next stage, Ninjask, and goes on the attack. With Ninjask's Ability, Speed Boost, it manages to easily out-speed Wattson's Manectric. Wattson manages to counter Ninjask's speed by ordering a Double Team, allowing Manectric to gain the speed to hit its opponent.

With its opponent pinned to the ground, Manectric uses a powerful Thunder attack, which defeats its opponent at the cost of knocking itself out. Due to Wattson still having more Pokémon able to battle, he confidently names himself as the victor. Wattson's victory is short lived, as he is quickly knocked out by a Shedinja. Amber reveals that Wattson made a careless mistaking of not knowing that when Nincada evolves, it leaves behind a shell that becomes a Shedinja. As Wattson falls into the water, Amber states that he lost the battle because he did not know about Nincada's abilities.

Flannery tries to rush in to help Wattson, but is stopped by Shelly, who states that she is her opponent. As Wattson falls off the island, Flannery cries out in horror as he falls into the water. Winona attempts to try and save Wattson, but her Altaria refuses to listen to her commands. Matt blocks her way and reveals that he had his Sharpedo use Taunt on Altaria, making it unable to listen to its Trainer. Although annoyed at this kind of tactic, Winona praises the SSS's teamwork. Shelly thanks Winona for the compliment and reveals that SSS stands for **Subleaders of the Sea Scheme**.

Enraged, Flannery orders her Vulpix to attack Shelly, but is stopped by an attack that comes from the water. Flannery assumes that it's the work of another Pokémon, but Shelly reveals that it's the effect of her Ludicolo's attack, Nature Power. Shelly explains that depending on the terrain, Nature Power can be attacks such as Razor Leaf, Hydro Pump or even Shadow Ball. Shelly states that her Nature Power comes directly from the sea and points out that Team Aqua wants to raise the sea because all life came from it. Shelly states that in order to achieve Team Aqua's noble goal, sacrifices are inevitable. Shelly commands another attack from her Ludicolo, and states those that have been sacrificed will be remembered in history.

At the Lilycove Museum, Brawly and his Machoke face off against Blaise. Due to the intense flames, Brawly has trouble seeing his opponent and is easily hit by a sneak attack. The attack burns Brawly's Machoke, but he still continues to attack his opponent. The attack hits Blaise's Slugma, but it quickly disappears, revealing it to only be an illusion. Annoyed, Brawly steps back near a painting of a woman, which suddenly springs to life and begins grabbing him. The two are instantly freaked out, and begin running through the building as more paintings spring to life. Brawly tries to calm his Machoke down, but it's too scared to listen to his words. Blaise confidentially tells Brawly to give up, as it won't be easy to stop his illusions, but Brawly refuses to stop fighting. Brawly reveals that through training, he mastered Jū, a fighting style that turns the attack of an opponent into an attack against them.

Brawly pulls out a pair of nunchucks, and states that when fighting an opponent that doesn't fight head on, he has to use a different style. As Brawly spins his nunchucks, he reveals that he met with an old friend prior to the battle he is currently in. He reveals that the friend taught him another fighting style, Gō; one that is the opposite of Jū. Brawly sends out his Hariyama and has it stun Blaise's Slugma with Fake Out, allowing it to repeatedly attack them with Arm Thrust. As he prepares one more attack, Brawly calls out to the friend that helped him: Bruno.

Meanwhile at the Lilycove Inn, Roxanne sees the blast from Brawly's attacks and realizes he must be getting the upper hand. Courtney tells Roxanne to pay attention, and has her Ninetales leap at Roxanne's Cradily. Cradily uses its tentacles to tie Ninetales down, preventing it from moving. Roxanne figures out that Courtney is trying to lift the Block set on Groudon; a plan Courtney agrees to. Though Ninetales attacks Cradily, it regains strength quickly by using Ingrain to root itself to the earth through the floor of the inn and absorb energy.

A sudden rattling noise startles the two, and makes Roxanne realize that there might still be people hiding inside the inn. Courtney melts down the door to reveal a programmer, graphic designer, and game designer who are still stuck inside the building. Courtney threatens to use the same mix of acid and Berry Juice on the three people that she used to melt the door. Roxanne, unable to act, is forced to see Nosepass defeated by Ninetales, lifting the Block on Groudon in the process.

Deep inside the Seafloor Cavern, Kyogre and Groudon continue moving about whilst being controlled by the Red and Blue Orbs. Maxie and Archie approach Jethro and Gwendolyn and introduce themselves. Immediately, both parties send out their Pokémon to battle against one another. After managing to hold down Maxie's Camerupt and Archie's Walrein, Jethro and Gwendolyn's other Pokémon charge at the villains, only to be knocked back by the power of the Red and Blue Orbs. The two quickly realize that the opponents they are facing are the leaders of the two teams they have faced during their adventure previously.

Upon figuring this out, Gwendolyn and Jethro realize that the gems in their hands are what's allowing them to control Groudon and Kyogre. Gwendolyn notes that even though they are clearly fighting in a Double Battle, their opponents aren't fighting together nor seem like they are even aware that the other one is there. Jethro decides that if their opponents aren't fighting together, then it'd be best for him and Gwendolyn to work together to gain an advantage.

Jethro and Gwendolyn send their Pokémon and have them work together by complementing their strengths and weaknesses. Archie and Maxie refuse to give up, and retaliate with a powerful attack that manages to defeat Jethro and Gwendolyn's Pokémon. Jethro also refuses to give up and sends out Swampert to attack the foes with Hail followed by Blizzard to defeat Archie and Maxie.

As Maxie and Archie stand, motionless, Jethro wonders if he overdid it, but quickly shrugs it off and goes to take the Red and Blue Orbs. Jethro tries to remove the gems from the Leaders's hands, but he finds that they have become attached to Archie and Maxie's hands, preventing him from taking them off.

Outside, the old couple sense that something has gone wrong. They quickly realize that Maxie and Archie, the ones who sought out to control the ancient Pokémon, have now become slaves to their power. Back at the Seafloor Cavern, Jethro and Gwendolyn watch in horror as the Red and Blue Orbs quickly recede in Maxie and Archie's hands. The patterns on Groudon and Kyogre's bodies glow on Maxie and Archie's hands as they grin evilly.

Jethro, realizing that they'll never be able to retrieve the Orbs if they're absorbed, sends Zangoose to take them back. Zangoose attempts to use Covet, but a blast from Archie's hand knocks her aside. The Orbs finally consume the two men's minds, causing a silhouette of Kyogre and Groudon's to appear in their shadows. This reveals that instead of Maxie and Archie controlling the Legendary Pokémon, it's now the other way around. With their new power, Archie and Maxie shoot a blast of energy at Jethro and Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn manages to save them both by having Lairon use Iron Defense. The attack proves to be too powerful for Lairon to handle, as it comes from the powerful Groudon and Kyogre. A now-insane Archie leaps at the two, but Jethro grabs Gwendolyn and manages to get out of the way in time. As Jethro saves her, Gwendolyn is reminded of a similar event that happened to her in the past.

Gwendolyn quickly shrugs it off as to not get distracted, only for Archie to grab her by the neck. Maxie does the same with Jethro, and the two begin flying up to the surface, glowing in a large sphere of energy the same color as the Red and Blue Orbs. As they fly upward, all of the fainted Team Aqua and Team Magma Grunts are absorbed into the energy spheres as well. Jethro guesses that Groudon and Kyogre must be calling out to the Red and Blue Orbs, a guess that he is correct about.

Elsewhere, the Gym Leaders have failed to stop Kyogre and Groudon's rampage. Groudon has reached Lilycove City, and leaves a trail of flames and destruction behind it as it reaches the sea. Meanwhile, Kyogre is heading for the same location as Groudon, and it raises tsunamis and storms as it does so. The two Legendary Pokémon continue to head where their original battle took place.

In Slateport City, the Pokémon Association headquarters approaches Gabby, Ty, Captain Stern, Dock, and the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman. After the others go and get rescued, Ty decides to stay behind with Gabby, much to her confusion. When Gabby asks why Ty did this, he reveals that he sensed a presence near them. Suddenly, the Absol from the Rusturf Tunnel leaps before them.

Ty notices that Absol has ashes on its body, meaning that it was there when Team Aqua killed Mt. Chimney. Ty accuses Absol of always being around when disasters occur, which must mean that it's the cause of them. Gabby questions Absol's intentions, and wonders if Absol isn't causing the disasters, but can actually sense them and has been trying to warn people. Gabby's guess is correct as Absol gestures for the two to ride on its back. Gabby asks Ty what could be the worst kind of disaster to happen. Ty guesses that it would be the battle between Groudon and Kyogre, as it could destroy the entire Hoenn region. Gabby agrees with this, and hops onto Absol's back and asks it to take her to where Groudon and Kyogre will meet.

Elsewhere, Jethro and Gwendolyn continue to fly towards the surface in the energy spheres created by the possessed Archie and Maxie. Jethro guesses that by the speed they're flying at, it must be because of Groudon and Kyogre calling to the power of the Red and Blue Orbs. As Maxie and Archie continue to growl like animals, the two orbs begin to fly in different directions. As they separate, Jethro and Gwendolyn call out to each other.

Gabby and Ty continue on Absol's back to where Groudon and Kyogre will meet and battle with each other. They see a light emerging from the water, which turns out to be the energy spheres with Jethro and Gwendolyn still inside. The energy spheres fly towards the same direction as Absol is heading to. Ty manages to figure out that Absol, Kyogre, and Groudon are heading towards Sootopolis City. Because Jethro and Gwendolyn are currently trapped inside of the spheres of energy, Gabby tells Ty to inform the Pokémon Association Chairman and Captain Stern about the current situation. At the Pokémon Association headquarters, Stern is informed about Groudon and Kyogre's upcoming clash. The old couple get worried, as the situation had become worse than they expected. They reveal that after Groudon and Kyogre awakened their bodies at the Seafloor Cavern, they must be heading towards the Cave of Origin to awaken their minds. If the two Legendary Pokémon succeed in awakening their minds, the next thing they'll do is fight. Groudon and Kyogre eventually reach Sootopolis City. Groudon digs through the walls surrounding the city, while Kyogre dives down underwater and enters through an undersea tunnel. As soon as the two see each other, they immediately begin a battle to the death.

Back in Lilycove City, Brawly continues his battle against Blaise at the Lilycove Museum. He has his Hariyama finish off Blaise's Slugma with Knock Off. The attack pins the two Pokémon into a wall, and knocks off a pair of hairpins. Brawly recognizes the hairpins as the ones that belong to Tate and Liza, which allows him to figure out that Blaise was the one who defeated the twins. Brawly demands that Blaise tell him where the twins are, but Blaise refuses, as Brawly used up all his energy to defeat him. Although Blaise is exhausted as well, he's fine with it as his goal is to keep Groudon advancing without any obstacles. As Blaise disappears into the flames, he praises Brawly for being the first to defeat his illusions. At the Lilycove Inn, Courtney also disappears in the flames as Roxanne laments her failure at stopping Groudon.

At the Abandoned Ship, Flannery's Vulpix continues to be attacked by Shelly's Ludicolo's Nature Power, which defeats it. Shelly decides that since they managed to keep the Gym Leaders from stopping Kyogre, the battle is over. Before she leaves, Shelly decides to finish Flannery off, but Winona steps in to protect her. This doesn't faze Shelly, who orders another Nature Power from her Ludicolo. Ludicolo attacks once more, but nothing happens when it uses it.

Shelly gets angry at Ludicolo for fooling around, but Flannery reveals that nothing is happening because of her Vulpix's Grudge move. Due to Vulpix being defeated by Nature Power, Grudge made Nature Power unusable. Annoyed, Shelly decides to flee, as there is nothing the Gym Leaders can do to stop Kyogre's advancement. Matt begs for Shelly to help him as he flops around in the water helplessly, but Shelly refuses and tells him to save himself.

Flannery tries to chase after Shelly, but Winona stops her as she doesn't want any more sacrifices like what happened to Wattson. Flannery reluctantly agrees as she mourns over Wattson's death. Suddenly, a large burst of water shoots up from the sea with Wattson on top of his Manectric. The water is revealed to be Gwendolyn's Wailord, who had saved Wattson with Water Spout. After thanking Wailord for rescuing Wattson, a small box is thrown near them. Winona figures out that it's the black box from the Submarine Explorer 1, which reveals that Team Aqua's base is located in Lilycove City. As they head off to go rescue Professor Cozmo, Amber watches them from behind a tree.

Meanwhile at the Lilycove Department Store, Wallace's Whiscash manages to easily defeat Tabitha's Torkoal. Wallace tells Tabitha that he has been defeated, only for Tabitha to suddenly lose it and go on a rampage. Tabitha begins chasing Wallace throughout the store, until they end up on top of the roof. When Wallace questions why Tabitha suddenly went crazy, a voice from above tells him that Tabitha had come in contact with one of the Orbs that control Groudon and Kyogre.

A Metagross comes down from the air and defeats Tabitha with a powerful Meteor Mash attack. Wallace berates the voice for taking so long to save him, revealing the voice to be from Steven Stone. Steven apologizes for being late, but tells Wallace to come with him because he needs his assistance.

In Slateport City, the blind boy and the Swimmer ride on the Swimmer's Gyarados through the flooded city. The boy asks the Swimmer if he knows about Ever Grande City, the place where the Pokémon League is held. When the Swimmer states that he does, the boy reveals that in the past, the Pokémon League was simply a tournament between Trainers, but recently, they added a new rule which states that in order to become the Champion, a Trainer must beat the Elite Four and current Champion before gaining the title.

The boy states that person who taught him that was the same person who told him how to read the carvings on the slab——the current Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone. The Swimmer gets annoyed because the Pokémon Association headquarters didn't notice them, meaning that they're stuck in Slateport for the time being. The boy states it's alright, as he doesn't want to leave because he promised Steven that he would protect the slab until Steven returns for it.

Meanwhile, on the roof of the Lilycove Department Store, Steven and the Hoenn Elite Four, Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Drake, approach Wallace. Wallace is shocked to see all five together, but Steven states that they were the only people he could think of to help him, and that finding all of them wasn't very easy. Steven sends the Elite Four away to their designated posts, and they fly up and in different directions. When Wallace asks him what he's doing, Steven removes his cloak and hands it to Wallace. Steven tells Wallace that since he entered the Hall of Fame, the cloak rightfully belongs to him.

In a flashback, Wallace defeats a Trainer, and is later seen being entered in the Hall of Fame. The Pokémon Association Chairman congratulates Wallace on his victory, and begins doing the paperwork that will make Wallace the new Champion. Wallace stops the Chairman, and reveals that he intends to become the Sootopolis Gym Leader and take over the role of his master, Juan. Back in the present, Steven adds that since it would be impossible to be a Champion and a Gym Leader at the same time, he becomes the Champion instead.

Steven reveals that he knew the real reason why Wallace stepped down from the position of Champion: because Winona had become a Gym Leader at a similar time. Steven correctly guesses that Wallace wanted to be near Winona at all times. Wallace states that the reason he became a Gym Leader was unimportant, because Steven proved to be a powerful Champion that went undefeated. Wallace realizes that this means that he needs a better reason to take up the Champion's cloak.

Suddenly, Tabitha awakens and begins attacking in a rampage once more. With his Metagross, Steven manages to fend Tabitha off, but barely. Steven worries that if Tabitha went crazy from only coming in contact with the Blue Orb, one can only guess what happened to the people that used both Orbs in the Seafloor Cavern. Steven decides to find out by following the rampaging Groudon. Wallace is confused, as Groudon should have been kept in place by Roxanne's Nosepass, which means that she had been defeated. Steven points out to a doubtful Wallace that even though it's midnight, the sun is shining in the sky, which means that Groudon had went to Sootopolis already and awakened a second time. As they dodge Tabitha's attacks, Steven reveals that he and his father knew about the Legendary Pokémon for some time, and have been thinking of a top secret plan to prevent them from fighting. In order to achieve their goal, Steven and his father will need as much help as they can get.

Elsewhere, three of the Elite Four members stand in front of three caves. Sidney, Drake, and Glacia each stand in three different ruins in different locations and announce to Steven that they're ready to execute the plan. As Steven continues to face Tabitha, he thanks them for their help. In his head, Steven reveals that once this is all over, it will be the end of his life's journey.

In the flooded, collapsing ruins of Slateport City, the Swimmer and blind boy attempt to make their way out of the storm. The boy refuses to leave because of his promise to Steven, but the Swimmer states that if he dies, then he wouldn't be able to keep the promise. Suddenly, a building collapses on top of the two, but a Shadow Punch from an unknown source immediately destroys it and saves the two. The person who saved them is revealed to be Phoebe, a member of the Hoenn Elite Four. After introducing herself to the boy, Phoebe reports to Steven, through her Pokégear, that she had found the person she was looking for. Steven thanks Phoebe, and has her tell the boy to read the code on top of the slab. Wallace asks Steven what he is planning, but Steven tells him to go to Sootopolis City and that he'll join him later. Wallace listens to what Steven says and takes off with the Champion's cloak.

Steven asks the boy to decode the slab, as it holds the key to awakening the three Pokémon that can help stop Groudon and Kyogre—Regirock, Regice and Registeel. The boy tries his hardest to decode the Braille, but due to a missing piece, he is unable to completely read the text on the slab. This causes Steven to lose hope, as the boy's sense of touch was the only thing they had that could help them awaken the three Pokémon.

At the Team Aqua Hideout, Wattson, Flannery, and Winona examine the abandoned building, where they find Professor Cozmo tied up. They rescue the Professor and take him to the Pokémon Association's headquarters, where he is reunited with his staff. Winona tells Wattson and Flannery to stay behind and tend to their injuries while she goes on ahead to help stop Kyogre and Groudon in Sootopolis. Winona calls the Pokémon Association Chairman and informs him of the current situation. As Winona and Wallace head towards Sootoplis, the Pokémon Association Chairman sends a message throughout Hoenn asking for the help of Trainers.

In Sootopolis City, the possessed Maxie and Archie arrive in front of the Pokémon that are controlling them. As they land on the heads of their respective Pokémon, Jethro, Gwendolyn and the Team Aqua and Team Magma Grunts are sent flying away. Jethro and Gwendolyn try to stop the two, but their Pokémon are just repelled by the force fields surrounding Maxie and Archie. The two leaders tell them to stand aside and witness the battle between Groudon and Kyogre.

Meanwhile, Gabby and Ty arrive at Sootopolis whilst riding on top of Absol's back. Noticing the danger Jethro and Gwendolyn are in, Gabby begs Absol to save the two. Absol complies with her request, and uses Magic Coat to produce a shield around Jethro and Gwendolyn. Gabby thanks Absol for its help and begs for it to help them fight against Groudon and Kyogre. Absol refuses, and Ty guesses that even though Absol warns people of disasters, it remains neutral as to the outcome.

Wallace and Winona arrive and rush in to help get their pupils out of the crossfire. They manage to wake the two up, surprising their students at the sight of their teachers being there. Jethro and Gwendolyn blame themselves for causing the destruction that's going on right now, and decide that it'd be best to just run away. Wallace and Winona shake their students out of their stupor by reminding them that they have loved ones they need to fight for and protect. Their words remind Jethro and Gwendolyn that they have a dear friend from their past that they'd like to see once more despite not even remembering their faces. They promise that when they meet their special person once more, they'll be able to show them how much they've changed.

The Magic Coat begins crumbling, so Winona and Wallace evacuate their students and encourage them to not give up. Upon regrouping, the group decides to think of a new plan to stop the destruction. Jethro suggests destroying the powers of the Red and Blue Orbs inside of Maxie and Archie's bodies, but using Pokémon attacks might harm the hosts. Suddenly, the meteor fragment that Winona picked up when Gwendolyn dropped it earlier begins glowing inside of her hand. They realize that with the meteor's ability to stop the power of nature, they can use it to stop the powers of the Red and Blue Orbs and turn Maxie and Archie back to normal.

Remembering that when the Orbs were absorbed in Maxie and Archie's bodies, they move from their hands, to their arms, and are currently located in their foreheads. Jethro decides to use the reflecting ability of Absol's Magic Coat to reflect the power of the meteor, as they are too far to hit them at their current location. With Wallace and Winona holding the Magic Coat in the air, Jethro and Gwendolyn have Swampert and Blaziken attack the meteor fragment, which sends a powerful blast of energy out. The energy hits Maxie's and Archie's foreheads, turning them back to normal, and creating a massive explosion of energy. The explosion consumes Sootopolis, with Jethro, Gwendolyn, and everyone else being caught inside.

On top of the Lilycove Department Store, Steven senses the clash between large powers happening in Sootopolis City. Steven wonders if Wallace and the others succeeded in their mission, but quickly realizes that the surge of power is just spreading throughout the region.

In New Mauville, several young Trainers from Mauville City approach Wanda and Riley to see the patient from Rustboro City that just arrived. Wanda and Riley tell the children to be quiet, as the patient, Mr. Stone, shouldn't be disturbed while in a coma. In his sleep, Mr. Stone begins to mutter out his son's name.

Back in Lilycove City, Steven talks to the blind boy about the problem with translating the slab. The other members of the Elite Four continue to try and awaken Regirock, Regice, and Registeel with their Pokémon, but are unable to. Frustrated, they demand that Steven hurry up and tell them how to awaken the three Pokémon. With the Devon Scope, Phoebe tries to scan the slab.

With no time remaining, Steven tells everyone to abandon the plan and go to Sootopolis. Steven decides to go first, and tells Sidney, Glacia, and Drake to stay their course, and for Phoebe to bring the slab to him. Seeing that the blind boy is disappointed, Phoebe cheers him up by stating that his efforts won't go to waste. Both Steven and Phoebe head off on top of Steven's Metang and Metagross, respectively.

In Sootopolis City, Gabby and Ty ride on Absol's back in attempt to escape the explosion engulfing the island. Wallace attempts to escape in his aircar, while Winona's Altaria carries its unconscious Trainer away. Jethro is engulfed in a huge bright light. Riding on his Metagross, Steven approaches Sootopolis City, only to be overwhelmed by the extreme power being emitted by the island. Because of the massive energy being shot out, the sea and earth begin exploding wildly, forcing Steven to defend himself with Metagross's Reflect. As the energy continues to push back Groudon and Kyogre, Steven sees a figure in the explosion and goes to rescue it.

He manages to rescue Gwendolyn, who had been searching for him all around Hoenn. Gwendolyn, glad to have finally found Steven, hands him the letter she had been given by Steven's father. Steven opens the letter and inside is a paper with the Braille that was missing from the slab. Steven reads it, and figures out that the missing components of awakening Regirock, Regice, and Registeel are the Pokémon Wailord and Relicanth.

Gwendolyn calls out to Wailord and Relicanth, who emerge from the water. Steven has the two line up with his four Beldum, which puts Wailord in front and Relicanth in the back. The slab begins glowing, and Steven reads the completed text out loud. A large surge of energy emerges from the group and shoots up into the sky. The energy splits into three pieces and flies off to where Regirock, Regice, and Registeel are sealed. After passing by Drake, Sidney, and Glacia, the blasts of energy come in contact with the three Pokémon, awakening them.

In his head, Steven flashes back to when he and his father were discussing how to stop Team Aqua and Team Magma. Mr. Stone reveals that Captain Stern is building the submarine, Submarine Explorer 1, but has not been told why it is being built. Mr. Stone tells Steven that he wants him to take a crew he trusts down to the Seafloor Cavern. Mr. Stone states that if they fail, then they will have to summon Regirock, Regice, and Registeel so that they can stop the clash between Groudon and Kyogre. When Mr. Stone asks Steven where the slab is, Steven reveals that he left it with a blind child with sensitive hands.

Regirock, Regice, and Registeel awaken, which causes the slab to break in Steven's hands. Sapphire worries for Steven, but he assures her that he is alright since it means that Regirock, Regice, and Registeel can be summoned. Gwendolyn, happy that they managed to succeed in their mission, reaches out for Steven's hand when he offers to save her. Suddenly, the burst of energy explodes once more, engulfing Gwendolyn entirely.

Later, Jethro awakens in a completely different location. After recollecting what happened, he finds Gwendolyn unconscious as well and wakes her up. They notice that despite the destruction ravaging Hoenn, the place they are at looks unaffected and is actually beautiful. A figure appears behind them, noting that they have been asleep for a long time. Jethro and Gwendolyn turn around to find Juan and the Mossdeep Gym Leaders, Tate and Liza, standing before them. Juan reveals that they are on Mirage Island, an island isolated from the rest of Hoenn. With the help of his Kingdra, Juan shows the two what is happening in the outside world.

Outside, Groudon and Kyogre are still fighting each other. Juan reveals that when Jethro and Gwendolyn used the grand meteor on Groudon and Kyogre, it managed to free the Red and Blue Orbs from Archie and Maxie, but sent the two young Trainers flying away in the process. Because of this, Groudon and Kyogre are now evenly matched, but the power that is released from their battle continues to accumulate and is erupting throughout Hoenn. Juan reassures the two by stating that even though the disaster that happened to Hoenn is happening once more, there are people currently fighting to contain the power.

Juan reveals that Steven, Wallace, Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Drake are all controlling the Legendary Pokémon Regirock, Regice, and Registeel in order to suppress the power emitted by Groudon and Kyogre. Even though they can delay the power Groudon and Kyogre release, Juan states that it is Jethro and Gwendolyn who will have to be the final opponents of the Legendary Pokémon. Juan states that in order to prepare for this moment, he, Tate, and Liza will have to train Jethro and Gwendolyn.

Juan has Tate and Liza attack Jethro and Gwendolyn forcing them to defend themselves by dodging their Spoink's attacks. Jethro has Zangoose attack Juan with X-Scissor, but Juan easily blocks the attack. This convinces Jethro to trust Juan, as he moves just like his master, Wallace. Deciding that Juan is now his grand master, Jethro gladly accepts the training offer. Juan is pleased with the answer, and tells the two that they will first train in the art of Double Battle with Tate and Liza.

Juan states that they do not have much time to train, as the passage of time on Mirage Island is different than normal. Although Jethro and Gwendolyn were asleep for three days, in the outside world it was multiplied by seven, making it 21 days. Tate stops Juan from going any further, as Liza has sensed the presence of someone else on the island. As they try and find out what the presence is, the Plusle and Minun from the Abandoned Ship watch from afar. With the teamwork of Plusle and Minun, they manage to defeat Tate and Liza's two Spoink. Although defeated, Tate and Liza praise the excellent strategy that Jethro and Gwendolyn used. Gwendolyn, happy to be praised by Gym Leaders, thanks Plusle and Minun for their help and for meeting each other again. Tate and Liza state that in order to beat Groudon and Kyogre, they will need to master Double Battles. Assuming that Jethro and Gwendolyn are exhausted, Tate and Liza leave to take a break.

Gwendolyn looks around to see Jethro coming up with battle strategies for Pokémon other than Plusle and Minun. Gwendolyn quickly remembers what is happening in the outside world and decides that there is no time to rest. Elsewhere, Juan asks Tate and Liza about the results of their training. The twins state that their students are showing promise, and the training has caused their Pokémon to become much stronger. As they point this out, Lairon evolves into his final form, Aggron.

Juan is pleased to hear this, but states that he is not surprised as the two were recommended by Wallace. He states that it is Jethro and Gwendolyn's destiny to fight Groudon and Kyogre. Although pleased at Jethro and Gwendolyn's progress, the point where time moves faster outside is soon approaching. Back at Jethro and Gwendolyn's location, Gwendolyn has Blaziken master Sky Uppercut to help in their Double Battle training.

Juan approaches the two and states that it is time for their next lesson. He takes them to a spring and has them both look into it along with their Pokémon. Juan puts a coin in his hand and has Jethro and Gwendolyn guess which hand the coin is in. Jethro gets only a few correct, while Gwendolyn gets all correct, signifying that she has a better intuition than Jethro. Juan reveals that in heated battles, there are times where one has to come up with a plan on the spot, but this can be hindered by swaying emotions. Juan states that the next challenge will involve training their hearts.

Gwendolyn begins falling asleep due to the effects of the spring, so Juan decides to hold off on training until later. Later, while Gwendolyn sleeps, Jethro decides to talk to Juan alone. Jethro reveals that he knows that Juan is hiding something from his students, which angers Jethro. Jethro takes off his glove, which has the pattern on Groudon's body on it. Jethro states that Juan has been hiding the fact that the Red and Blue Orbs have been absorbed into Jethro and Gwendolyn's bodies. When Juan asks how he knew this, Jethro reveals that he found out because of the diary held by Plusle and Minun. After reading the diary, Jethro learned that the Red and Blue Orbs can control Groudon and Kyogre as well as put them to sleep. But, in order to maximize the powers of the Orbs, they need people to control them. The Orbs must be absorbed into their controllers, but sometimes they may choose their controllers.

Jethro states that even though Juan told him that the Red and Blue Orbs were forced out of Maxie and Archie's bodies, he was never told about what happened to the Orbs. After reading the diary, Jethro realized that the Orbs, after being knocked out of Maxie and Archie, went to Jethro and Gwendolyn to be their next controllers. Jethro later learned that he was right, as the symbol of Groudon later appeared on his hand. Juan congratulates Jethro for his impressive skills in deducing what happened and assumes that if Jethro guessed all of that, he must have figured out the purpose of the mind training. When Jethro asks what he is talking about, Juan decides to restart their training. Juan has Jethro's team concentrate on Jethro as he attempts to summon the Red Orb. After some initial trouble, Jethro manages to pull the Red Orb out of his hand.

Ecstatic at Jethro's progress, Juan reveals that this was the reason for their training. Because they only have one more day before they can leave Mirage Island, Juan states that the rest of the training will involve learning to control the Orbs. Juan states that when Jethro and Gwendolyn leave to face Groudon and Kyogre, they will use the Orbs to control and stop them. Juan points that if their minds are not strong, Jethro and Gwendolyn will be controlled instead, just like Maxie and Archie.

Although Jethro believes that he and Gwendolyn were chosen by the Orbs because they were the closest when they were knocked out of Maxie and Archie, Juan does not believe it was a coincidence. Juan states that the Orbs chose them because they were the best choice. Juan apologizes for not telling Jethro earlier, but pointed out that if he did, Jethro would have felt nervous when trying to summon the Red Orb. Juan ends their training session and tells Jethro to get sleep before they continue.

In his head, Juan reveals that he heard that Jethro was a selfish person, but instead, he was thoughtful enough to wait for Gwendolyn to go to sleep before confronting Juan about the Orbs. Jethro climbs up the tree that Gwendolyn was sleeping on and quickly notices that she is simply pretending to sleep. Gwendolyn reveals that she overheard the two talking so seriously, which caused her to eavesdrop. Gwendolyn apologizes for listening in on them, but Jethro states that it does not matter, as they have to continue training.

Later, Jethro and Gwendolyn are called by Juan to continue their training. Together with Plusle and Minun, Jethro and Gwendolyn continue their training until the time to leave arrives. After Jethro and Gwendolyn manage to successfully control their Orbs, Tate and Liza notice that Juan's hourglass has run out of sand, signifying that Mirage Island has connected to the outside world. Outside, at the Sky Pillar, the old man notices that Mirage Island is finally visible.

Back on Mirage Island, Juan congratulates Jethro and Gwendolyn for their success. Juan, Tate, and Liza, present Gwendolyn with the Rain Badge and Mind Badge, respectively. As Jethro and Gwendolyn prepare to leave, Gwendolyn begins to talk to Jethro. Gwendolyn confesses to Jethro that she likes him. Jethro, stunned, is too shocked to come up with a response. Before they can continue, Juan's Kingdra gives the signal that tells them that it's time to leave. Jumping on top of Gwendolyn's Tropius, Jethro and Gwendolyn take off of Mirage Island. Juan calls Jethro and tells him that he, Tate, and Liza, will be staying on the island to monitor their safe exit off the island.

Gwendolyn apologizes to Jethro about confessing to him at such a time, but points out that if she hadn't Jethro would have gone back to Johto before she could do so. Gwendolyn reveals that years ago, she met a boy that she really liked who had defended her from a wild Salamence attack. Hearing this causes Jethro to realize that Gwendolyn was the girl he met when he was younger. Gwendolyn describes the boy as the person who inspired her to become stronger and beat the Pokémon League before she turns eleven, just like Edge was when he beat it. But, as Gwendolyn continued to help her father in his field work, time passed and she realized that she would turn eleven soon.

Gwendolyn reveals that when she met Jethro again, it was only 80 days before her birthday, which is why she created the bet with him. Gwendolyn states that she is glad she made the bet, as it allowed her to get to know Jethro more, which eventually caused her to start liking him. Gwendolyn finishes her explanation, and asks if Jethro will stay in Hoenn and come back to Littleroot Town with her.

Back on Mirage Island, Tate notices that the passage of time is becoming unstable again, like back when Jethro and Gwendolyn had first arrived on the island. Juan tells Jethro to not go against the flow of time. As Jethro and Gwendolyn struggle against the flow of time, they eventually exit and arrive near Sootopolis City. Jethro and Gwendolyn push the Blue Orb out of her body and summons Wallace's aircar with his Pokégear.

Jethro immediately pushes Gwendolyn, Plusle, and Minun off of Tropius and onto the aircar. Locked inside, Gwendolyn demands to know what Jethro is doing. Jethro removes his hoodie and admits that he likes Gwendolyn too, which is why he can't let her fight with him. Gwendolyn sees Jethro's claw-shaped cars on his torso and realizes that Jethro was the boy she met years ago. A voice appears, and asks if Jethro is finished. The voice is revealed to be Courtney, who had come to help. Gwendolyn, locked inside Wallace's aircar, watches in horror as Jethro and Courtney fight Groudon and Kyogre. Elsewhere, Norman heads towards Sootopolis City whilst riding on top of Rayquaza.

Wallace, watching the battle on top of Registeel wonders why Jethro trapped Gwendolyn in his car and is fighting with a woman from Team Magma. Wallace, having put his trust in Jethro and Gwendolyn and called Juan to train them, wonders what is going on in Jethro's mind. Steven snaps Wallace out of it, and points out that they have to get Gwendolyn out of the aircar immediately. On top of Regirock and Registeel, the Hoenn Elite Four comment about how Groudon and Kyogre never seem to get tired. Drake notes that with the power of Regirock, Regice, and Registeel, the power erupting from Kyogre and Groudon is being contained. However, Glacia and Phoebe note that the power continues to increase, and with nowhere to go, it rises up into the sky.

As Jethro dodges the debris being sent up by the energy created by Groudon and Kyogre, he wonders if his decision was the right one. In his head, Jethro notes that he's surprised that not only could a nice girl like Gwendolyn actually like someone like him, but Gwendolyn is the girl he knew when he was younger. Courtney appears next to Jethro, and berates him for not focusing, which could end in his death. Jethro apologizes to Courtney and admits that he'd never thought he would fight together with her.

In a flashback to Mirage Island, Jethro tries to get his malfunctioning Pokédex to work. Suddenly, it begins to work again, and has been filled with the records of Gwendolyn's adventures. Jethro realizes that their Pokédexes must have been connected to each other when they were knocked around by the attacks of Groudon and Kyogre. While Gwendolyn sleeps, Jethro reads how much Gwendolyn had traveled on foot compared to how he had been moving around by car throughout his adventure.

Suddenly, a flame appears in darkness, which is revealed to be Courtney. Jethro immediately sends out Swampert to defend himself and demands to know why she's there. Courtney reminds Jethro that she had promised to follow Jethro everywhere he goes, no matter the cost. Jethro quickly realizes that when Tate and Liza sensed the presence of someone else, they sensed Courtney, not Plusle and Minun. Courtney gives Jethro the offer to team up and stop Groudon, shocking him.

When Jethro questions her motives, Courtney reveals that even though she helped free Groudon to increase the land, the entire thing has gone far beyond what Team Aqua and Team Magma had intended. Because there's no point in anything if Hoenn is destroyed, Courtney considers her and Jethro on the same side. Courtney reveals that she knows that Jethro and Gwendolyn are undergoing training to control the Orbs, but proposes the idea of what would happen to Gwendolyn if she lost control. As Jethro imagines a possessed Gwendolyn, he reluctantly accepts Courtney's offer.

Back in the present, Courtney notes that Jethro must really like Gwendolyn if he accepted her offer so quickly. Courtney expresses some jealousy at Jethro's caring of Sapphire, which confuses Jethro. Jethro hands Courtney the Blue Orb and the two prepare to end the battle. As the battle between Groudon and Kyogre continues, the energy created by their battle forces Sootopolis City and the earth surrounding it to rise up into the sky. The Hoenn Elite Four, as they watch earth rise, wonder what is going on in the city. As the energy grows between Groudon and Kyogre, Jethro and Courtney stand before them in front of the Cave of Origin. The two present the Red and Blue Orbs and command Groudon and Kyogre to end their battle.

The two Pokémon ignore the Orbs, which annoys Courtney. They decide to attack their opponents to get their attention, so Jethro sends out Swampert while Courtney sends out her Ninetales to attack Groudon and Kyogre. Their attacks have no effect, so Jethro comes up with the idea to attack their stomachs, as those aren't nearly as protected as their backs. The idea works, and Courtney notes that Jethro had become stronger since their last battle at the Rusturf Tunnel.

Jethro notices that the area they are currently in is the same place where he and Gwendolyn had used the Grand Meteor on the Red and Blue Orbs earlier. This distracts Jethro, which causes the energy of the Red Orb to be rebounded into his arm. Courtney tells Jethro to not get distracted, but doing so causes the Blue Orb to do the same to her body. Courtney regrets her lecture of Jethro, but decides to take this opportunity to try and control Groudon and Kyogre again.

They attempt to control the rampaging Pokémon again, which manages to get their attention. Immediately, the two begin attacking Jethro and Courtney in an attempt to stop them before continuing their battle. With Swampert's Endeavor, Jethro manages to knock Groudon away and on top of Kyogre. Kyogre attacks, but Courtney pushes Jethro out of the way, which causes pieces of the Cave of Origin entrance fall on top of her.

Jethro tries to help Courtney, but Groudon pins him to the ground before he can get to her. Courtney claims that they failed, but she isn't surprised as she wasn't chosen by the Orbs. Suddenly, Courtney, Groudon, and Kyogre, notice a figure in the sky quickly approaching them. The figure is revealed to be Rayquaza, which flies over Sootopolis. When Jethro asks what Pokémon it is, Courtney reveals that Rayquaza is the third ancient Pokémon of Hoenn that is rarely talked about. Rayquaza immediately begins battle with its fellow ancient Pokémon, surprising Jethro. Courtney, in her mind, reveals that she noticed a figure on top of Rayquaza's head earlier.

Courtney tries to tell Jethro that his father, Norman, had arrived on top of Rayquaza. The collective roars of Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza drowns out Courtney's voice, which prevents Jethro from hearing her. Courtney tries to pull Jethro close and tell him, but a tentacle shoots out of the Cave of Origin and drags her inside. Jethro and Swampert go inside the shrine to try and save her. A three-way attack from Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza causes a huge explosion, which breaks apart the Cave of Origin.

Jethro has Swampert try and move the debris, but Courtney tells Jethro to stop, as she can no longer move her legs. Courtney forces the Blue Orb out of her body and rolls it near Jethro. Courtney tells Jethro to face Kyogre and Groudon alone, as it's the end of the line for her. Jethro refuses and reveals that he wants to compete in a Pokémon Contest with her. When Courtney asks how he knew that she did Contests, Jethro remembers that when she burned a Ribbon back at Rusturf Tunnel, it couldn't possibly be his. Courtney flashes back to when she was younger and participated in Contests, which she guesses is why she has some affection for Jethro.

Courtney tries to tell Jethro about his father again, but the debris blocks her voice from reaching him. Instead, Courtney blows a bubble and covers it with Lansat and Starf Berry juice to increase the buoyancy and strength. She attaches her Memory Lighter to the bubble and sends it to Jethro. The battle between the three Pokémon causes more debris to fall, killing Courtney in the process, much to Jethro's horror.

Courtney's bubble balloon floats towards Jethro, who catches it. Jethro uses the light on a piece of paper, which comes out as an image of the Balance Badge. Jethro remembers Courtney's words, and notices that his father is standing on top of Rayquaza's head. As Courtney lies dying, she tells Jethro to bear witness to what she learned at the Mossdeep Space Center. Courtney reveals that after her defeat at the Rusturf Tunnel, she wanted to become Jethro's friend. Courtney reveals that in order to do this, she had to learn everything about Jethro, including that his father is the Gym Leader of the Petalburg Gym. Upon learning that Norman failed his Gym Leader inauguration test, she went to find out why he didn't retake the test in the five years since he initially failed it.

Courtney reveals that Norman didn't retake the test because he was banned from doing so for five years and was forced to look for Rayquaza, which he had lost. She states that the Pokémon Association Chairman intended to use Rayquaza to subdue Groudon and Kyogre. Jethro, learning that with Rayquaza and the Red and Blue Orbs he and Norman can stop Groudon and Kyogre, jumps on top of Rayquaza. Jethro, in his head, thanks Courtney for her help and considers them comrades from the start because of their love for Contests.

Jethro tries to talk to Norman, but when he is ignored, he decides to wait until the battle is over. Rayquaza flies above Groudon and Kyogre, at which point Jethro jumps off it. With the power of Rayquaza and the Red and Blue Orbs in hand, Jethro sends both Pokémon flying off Sootopolis City. Groudon and Kyogre, now calmed down, immediately leave to continue their long slumber.

With the battle finally over, Jethro tries to apologize to his father about everything he's done. To Jethro's confusion, Norman just stands there, motionless and unresponsive. On top of Registeel, Wallace celebrates with Steven over Jethro's victory. Steven tries to agree with him, but suddenly collapses. Jethro and Wallace try to shake Norman and Steven, but neither get a response. From the rubble of the Cave of Origin, two sets of eyes glow from within.

At the Pokémon Association headquarters, Captain Stern and the Pokémon Association Chairman confirm that since the two Pokémon have left, it means that they no longer intend to battle each other. Although slightly irritated that he had to have Norman help defeat Groudon and Kyogre with Rayquaza, the Chairman thanks the Gym Leaders, Hoenn Elite Four, as well as Jethro and Gwendolyn for their contributions. The Chairman decides to inform the entire Hoenn region of the good news.

Wallace calls and reveals that Steven had fallen in the battle. The Chairman tells Wallace to take Steven to the hospital, but Wallace states that it's too late because Steven has died. Wallace guesses that the strain of controlling Regirock, Regice, and Registeel was too much for Steven, causing his death. Phoebe notes that on the slab, it was written that the three Pokémon were sealed away by people out of fear for them. Sidney and Drake assume that the reason they were sealed was due to the danger of controlling them, and that if not controlled properly, they could become a threat like Groudon and Kyogre. Glacia notices that after Steven died, the team used to summon Regirock, Regice, and Registeel had fallen apart. Immediately, Regirock, Regice, and Registeel knock the Elite Four and Wallace off of them and fly off into parts unknown.

Back in Sootopolis City, Jethro tries to get a response from his father, Norman, but to no avail. Rayquaza flies past them, knocking Jethro and Norman to the ground. Norman begins to speak, and states that since Rayquaza is an ancient Pokémon like Groudon and Kyogre, it's impossible for it to be fully controlled. Norman reveals that Groudon and Kyogre can only be controlled because of the Red and Blue Orbs, but since no such Orb exists for Rayquaza, it can't be controlled like the other two.

Norman states that the Pokémon Association had been researching Rayquaza ever since they captured it, even trying to create a Green Orb for it, but failed. Norman tells Jethro that Rayquaza escaped on the day of his Gym Leader inauguration test, which is why he was forced to wait five years before he could take it again. In his head, Jethro realizes that the reason why he couldn't take the test was because of a punishment, and questions why he would have to be punished for Rayquaza escaping. Jethro wonders why a person like his father would have to be punished for something like that, which makes him realize that he must have taken the blame off of someone else. Jethro asks Norman if the person he took the blame of was him, a question Norman confirms.

Norman flashes back to five years ago, where, in the Johto region, Stephanie celebrates with Norman over his upcoming Gym Leader inauguration test. Professor Birch jokingly points out that anything can happen during the test. They wonder where the children are, only to see the two of them playing together. When Norman decides to go the area where he will take the test early, the research tower near them begins shaking. Immediately, Rayquaza flies out of the tower and begins attacking. Norman manages to fend off Rayquaza's attacks, but it escapes and flies off. Norman and Birch go inside the research tower and find an unconscious Salamence inside. They find an injured scientist, who reveals that the Salamence suddenly burst into the tower and began destroying everything. Norman notices that the Salamence is injured, but the scientist states that it was injured when it burst into the tower.

Upon checking the Salamence's wounds, Norman quickly realizes that the person who defeated it was Jethro. Due to Jethro being unlike most children, who would run from something like a Salamence, Jethro would stay and fight. Despite Jethro managing to defeat it, he didn't capture or prevent it from escaping, which allowed it to roam free and go on a rampage. At the Gym Leader test hall, the Pokémon Association Chairman and Wattson impatiently wait for Norman to arrive. Suddenly, someone bursts into the room to inform them about what happened at the research tower. When the director asks who set Rayquaza free, Norman steps in and lies by stating that it was him who did it.

A few days later, the Pokémon Association tells Norman that he is banned from taking the test for five years. They tell Norman that his punishment is to find and recapture Rayquaza, which Norman begrudgingly accepts. When Norman asks why the Association was researching Rayquaza, the Chairman tells him that it's none of his business, fueling their contempt of each other.

Later, Norman tells his sad family that he has to leave, but doesn't tell them why. As Norman prepares to leave, Jethro tries to get his father to take him with. Norman tells Jethro that he can't, and that he must continue his training without his father to guide him. Although Jethro continues to try and get his father to take him with, Norman has his Slaking restrain Jethro as he takes off. Riding on his Flygon, Norman searches for Rayquaza and approaches a small island.

Back in the present, Jethro asks Norman why he sacrificed everything just to protect him. Norman doesn't speak, but Jethro realizes after seeing Courtney's Memory Lighter that Norman did it because he loves him. Norman collapses, leading to Jethro shouting out his name his horror. Suddenly, an explosion bursts forth from the Cave of Origin's ruins.

Back on Mirage Island, Tate and Liza express joy over Jethro and Gwendolyn's victory. They note that Juan had a prediction of both of them fighting two powerful foes, but since Jethro stopped Groudon and Kyogre alone, it didn't come true. Juan agrees with this, but wonders if the foes he thought of were not Groudon and Kyogre.

Back at Wallace's aircar, Plusle and Minun begin shooting electricity everywhere, much to Gwendolyn's confusion. Gwendolyn quickly realizes that they must sense something happening in Sootopolis City. Back at Jethro's location, Maxie and Archie have appeared before him and prepare to attack. Jethro realizes that after he and Gwendolyn knocked the Red and Blue Orbs out of their bodies, they went to hide in the Cave of Origin. Maxie and Archie attack Jethro, and state that anyone who will stand in their way will die.

Archie and Maxie loom over Jethro, who is being restrained by Archie's Tentacruel's tentacles. Jethro realizes that they were the ones who dragged Courtney into the Cave of Origin and to her death. Maxie and Archie confirm this, and claim that she deserved it. Jethro repeatedly gets smashed around by Archie's Tentacruel. Maxie and Archie pick up the Red and Blue Orbs and prepare to use them to restart their battle. Archie and Maxie reveal that when they were hiding in the Cave of Origin, they agreed on a truce and have decided to work together to remove all obstacles in their goals. This includes the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Pokémon Association, Legendary Pokémon, as well as their underlings. Once the obstacles are out of the way, Maxie and Archie will continue their battle and create history.

Even though Norman, the one who controlled Rayquaza is now dead, Maxie has his Houndoom torch his corpse just to be safe. As his father's body is set aflame, Jethro cries out in horror. Soon afterwards, Wallace and Gwendolyn arrive, and while Wallace fights Maxie and Archie, Gwendolyn frees Jethro. Gwendolyn then notices Norman's burned corpse and becomes horrified, before becoming extremely worried about Jethro's mental health as seeing his father's corpse could damage his willpower and his mental state. As Jethro slowly drags himself over to his father's corpse, Gwendolyn gently clings into him, telling him to look away, but Jethro slams the ground, angry at his father's death, and swears vengeance upon Maxie and Archie. Gwendolyn becomes horrified at Jethro's tone, noticing that Jethro's killing intent was real, but she hugs him and tells him to remain calm, otherwise he would be no better than Maxie and Archie. Gwendolyn's words snap Jethro out of his murderous rage, and Jethro thanks Gwendolyn for always being by his side.

Maxie and Archie commend Wallace's strength, but reveal that they have a trump card. They reveal that there was a Gym Leader that had been annoying them for a while. Archie's Tentacruel pulls up an unconscious Winona and holds her tightly in its tentacles. Wallace tries to save her, but Maxie and Archie threaten to hurt Winona and commands Wallace to put his Pokémon back into their Poké Balls. Wallace reluctantly does so, and Maxie has his Houndoom burn the opening mechanism so that they can no longer open. Next, Archie has his Tentacruel grab Wallace by his face and smash him against the rubble repeatedly. Maxie and Archie comment about how they feel refreshed, and how standing on Sootopolis City makes them feel like masters of the universe.

Archie and Maxie confidently claim that with everyone else out of the way, there is no one left to stop them. Suddenly, a splash of water hits Archie in the face, which he assumes must have been caused by a lost Pokémon. However, the culprit is revealed to be Feebas, who jumps up and attacks the two villains. They easily knock Feebas away and begin stomping her and calling her ugly. After they knock Feebas away, Jethro picks Feebas up, who simply smiles at him. Maxie and Archie approach Jethro and tell him to just let Feebas rot as such ugly creatures don't deserve to exist. Jethro states that previously, he thought Feebas was ugly as well, but now he thinks of her as beautiful. Jethro expresses regret for being so mean to Feebas, despite the fact that she still came back to defend him despite knowing that she'd lose. Jethro states that outward appearances don't matter, and that Feebas's inner appearance is what matters.

Jethro recalls back to when he first met Wallace and how he stopped two people from fighting with each other with the help of his Pokémon. Jethro states that a Pokémon shouldn't have the ability to manipulate others's thoughts, but instead it was the warm hearts of Wallace and his Pokémon that did it. Jethro states that this helped him realize that gentle souls have the ability to encourage others. Jethro tells Maxie and Archie that they need to learn about how true beauty lies in the heart before they destroy everything.

An injured Wallace praises Jethro's speech, and gives him the Slateport Ribbon that Feebas rightfully earned back in Slateport City. Jethro thanks Wallace and takes the Ribbon. Jethro, realizing that he never made a speech for Feebas, recites a speech for her. This causes Feebas to evolve into Milotic, the Pokémon Jethro had been searching for. Jethro asks Milotic if she's ready to fight. Jethro looks to Gwendolyn and states that now that the ancient Pokémon are gone, it's their time to fight together. Jethro climbs on top of Milotic while Gwendolyn climbs on top of Tropius. Maxie and Archie send out their Camerupt and Walrein to fight back, but Gwendolyn has Blaziken send them flying with a powerful Sky Uppercut. Jethro follows up by having Swampert use Muddy Water, which Gwendolyn notes as the combination attack they learned on Mirage Island.

Maxie and Archie are unfazed, and send out more Pokémon to counterattack. As the battle commences, Wallace notes that Archie and Maxie must intend to battle to the end if they sent out their remaining team. Wallace's guess is proven wrong when he notices the two stealing his aircar and driving away. Maxie and Archie decide to let their opponents live, as with the Red and Blue Orbs, they can easily get rid of them later.

The Trick Master tries to stop the two from escaping, but is easily swatted away. Seeing what happened, Gwendolyn decides to use the New Mauville generator in addition to Plusle and Minun's electric energy to stop Archie and Maxie. By summoning the electrical energy stored inside the generator, Plusle and Minun shoot a powerful attack at the aircar. Maxie and Archie try to escape, but the attack reaches them and surrounds the car in a dangerous field of electricity.

Jethro gives Sapphire his Pokégear and has her put up the aircar's shield to protect Maxie and Archie. Stating that enough people have died, Jethro decides to simply retrieve the Red and Blue Orbs now that Maxie and Archie cannot move. Gwendolyn questions Jethro's motives, as no Pokémon they have could possibly move through the electrical field and survive. Jethro states that he has one Pokémon that can and prepares to release it from its Poké Ball. Gwendolyn recalls the pose Jethro is in from back when he saved her from the Seviper.

Jethro reveals that he doesn't know what the Pokémon he has is, as the Pokédex won't identify it, but he has had it ever since he came to Hoenn. Jethro opens the Poké Ball, and releases Celebi. Back on Mirage Island, Juan is shocked to see that Jethro has a Celebi. Juan quickly realizes that Jethro having Celebi makes sense, as it explains why time became unstable when Jethro and Gwendolyn entered and left Mirage Island. Celebi passes through the electrical field and takes the Red and Blue Orb from Maxie and Archie's hands. Back in Sootopolis City, Gabby notes that the energy field surrounding the city is disappearing, which means that it will fall back into place soon.

Somewhere, an exhausted Jethro lies with Gwendolyn right next to him, with the two of them holding hands. As Celebi flies past them, Jethro sees images of Courtney, Steven, and Norman——those who lost their lives in the final battle. Celebi smashes the Red and Blue Orbs to pieces, which break into two gemstones. Jethro and Gwendolyn begin floating into the air, while Celebi stays behind. Jethro and Gwendolyn suddenly wake up in the Pokémon Association's headquarters, where they are thanked by their friends and allies.

Jethro is shocked to see that Steven and Norman are alive, and sees Courtney flying past the airship as well. Courtney states that she feels like she had come back from the dead, and decides to take this second chance to pursue a life of Contests again. Jethro realizes that he had passed through a time slip and ended up in a slightly different future. Looking at Celebi's empty Poké Ball, Jethro guess that Celebi joined his team because it knew that all of this would happen.

The Pokémon Fan Club Chairman greets Jethro and notes that it's been a while since they last met. This causes Jethro and Gwendolyn to learn that the current day is September 19, which means that their bet only has one day left before it ends. The counter of the bet continues at one day. Jethro and Gwendolyn desperately ask Wallace and Norman if they can arrange a Contest and Gym battle for them. Wallace and Norman accept their requests, much to Jethro and Gwendolyn's joy.

The next day, Gwendolyn rushes back to her Secret Base on Route 101. She notes that Norman was a tough opponent, but if he wasn't injured, he would be an even tougher one. Despite this, Gwendolyn managed to beat Norman, and finally has all eight Hoenn Gym Badges. As she climbs into her Secret Base, Gwendolyn wonders if Jethro managed to beat the Contests, as it's only been a day since their exhausting battle. Upon entering her base, Gwendolyn is shocked to see it filled with various toys and furniture.

Jethro appears from inside a tent and reveals that he did it to brighten up Gwendolyn's base. When Gwendolyn demands to know what happened to Jethro's Contest challenge, Jethro reveals that he had won, as he presents his entire team and all five Ribbons. Jethro decides that since the both of them completed their goals on time, the bet ends in a draw. After seeing that Gwendolyn's team is covered in dirt, Jethro decides to groom them.

Gwendolyn, confused at Jethro's behavior, wonders if he remembers what they said back in Sootopolis. Believing that Jethro may have forgotten, Gwendolyn tries to remind Jethro of what they said but has trouble getting her words out. Suddenly, the television turns on, which is revealed to be Gabby interviewing Jethro's mother. On the television, Stephanie asks Jethro to come home so that they can celebrate his birthday as well as Gwendolyn's.

Around the Hoenn region, the people get back to their daily lives. Wanda brings food to Riley as he continues construction with the help of the wild Loudred. Mr. Briney and Peeko prepare to board the S.S. Tidal. Captain Stern, Dock, and the Pokémon Fan Club Chairman take deep breaths. In Fallarbor Town, Professor Cozmo and his assistant are joined by Wallace's cheerleaders. Lenny writes a letter to Professor Birch and Jethro, where he returns the Pokédex and Kirlia, respectively.

Roxanne and Brawly talk to each other. Wattson flies on the New Mauville generator with the Trick Master riding on a robot next to him. Flannery welcomes people to re-opened Lavaridge hot springs and sees Tabitha in the crowd. Elsewhere, Courtney grows Berries in the blazing heat. As Jethro and Gwendolyn run back home, Jethro asks how well he groomed Gwendolyn's Pokémon. Gwendolyn, imitating Jethro, states that he did a beautiful job. As they run, the two exchange a wink at each other.

Somewhere else, the gems produced by the destruction of the Red and Blue Orbs wash ashore. A figure picks them up, who is revealed to be Giovanni. He beckons to his new underlings, saying there is work to be done, and they leave the scene.

The next day, Jethro and Gwendolyn celebrate the latter's birthday, and both vow to win the Hoenn Grand Festival and Hoenn League, respectively. Three days later, Jethro arrives in the currently constructing Slateport City to participate in the Grand Festival, with Jethro noting that the arena for the competition was the first thing that workers had repaired. With 247 competitors in the preliminary matches and only 64 slots in the main competition round, Jethro knows that his victory would require skills, and luck, but after saving Hoenn from Groudon and Kyogre, believes that he was a winner regardless.

As many other Coordinators take stage, Jethro sees Courtney taking stage, but doesn't seem surprised. Jethro flashes back to a few days earlier, where he was talking with the Pokémon Association Chairman and explains his intention to have Courtney participate in the Grand Festival, despite her lack of Ribbons. As the Chairman questions Courtney's entry, as she was a former member of Team Magma, Jethro insists on allowing her to participate, not only wanting to fulfill his desire to battle her in a Contest, but also fulfill Courtney's dream of battling him in a Contest. The Chairman finally relents, and allows Courtney entry into the competition, and Jethro heads over to Courtney's house to tell her the news. Courtney becomes overjoyed at being able to participate in the Grand Festival, and tells Jethro that she didn't cared whether she won or lost, as she only wanted to battle him in an official match, to which Jethro agrees and the two vow to battle in the finals.

In the present time, Jethro watches Courtney's performance, with Courtney using her Ninetales. With Ninetales's Fire Spin, Courtney unleashes a vortex of fire towards the sky, before commanding Ninetales to use Hyper Beam, with the attack passing through the fire vortex and creating a bright light, combined with fire. As the fire vortex becomes engulfed in light, Courtney finishes her performance by ordering a Flamethrower, which collides with the shiny fire vortex, causing heated shiny sparkles to rain down, and with Ninetales's Flash Fire Ability, cause her fur to become enlightened by the sparkles, generating a loud reaction from the crowd, including Jethro, who sheds tears at the beautiful performance. Courtney earns 90 points for her performance, which more than guarantees her spot in the next round.

After many other Coordinators finish their performances, Jethro's turn arrives, and Milotic is summoned by Jethro. Jethro starts by ordering Aqua Ring, and Milotic becomes engulfed in a shiny blue aura. Then, Jethro commands Milotic to use Ice Beam towards the sky, and as it rains down back towards Milotic, Jethro commands Light Screen, and the barrier around Milotic becomes frozen, creating a beautiful ice barrier around her. Then, Jethro commands Milotic to use Safeguard, and the ice barrier glows a beautiful green before Jethro commands Water Pulse, which shatters the glowing ice barrier, creating a shower of shiny ice particles to rain down while glowing green, and the audience respond positively to Jethro's performance. Jethro and Milotic celebrate together as the crowd gives them a round of applause. For his performance, Jethro earns a perfect score of 100 points, and Milotic gently hugs her Trainer with her serpent-like body.

The results are revealed in a screen showing the 67 Coordinators that advance to the next round, with Courtney in second place, and Jethro in first place. Jethro and Courtney meet up backstage, with the two trading compliments before saying that their battle would become marked in history of Contests. As Jethro and Courtney successfully sweep through their competitions, the finals quickly arrive, with Jethro and Courtney facing off for the Ribbon Cup and title of Top Coordinator. As both make their entrances, Jethro and Courtney receive loud applauses for their earlier performances. Courtney summons her Ninetales and Swellow while Jethro chooses Kirlia and Zangoose.

The countdown is set for five minutes and the battle begins, with Courtney starting off by ordering Flamethrower and Aerial Ace from Ninetales and Swellow, respectively. As both attacks approach Kirlia and Zangoose, Jethro remains calm and orders Kirlia to use Protect, which blocks both attacks at once. Then, Jethro quickly commands Zangoose to use X-Scissor on Swellow, who collided head-first with the Protect, and sends it flying back towards Courtney. Courtney then commands Hyper Beam, but Kirlia swiftly dodges the attack, and uses Hypnosis, which puts Ninetales to sleep. Then, Jethro commands Dream Eater, but as the attacks charges towards Ninetales, Courtney commands Swellow to step in front of the attack, nullifying it as Swellow is awake and Dream Eater only works on Pokémon who are asleep.

Courtney then sprays Ninetales with an Awakening potion, which causes Ninetales to wake up, before ordering her to use Tail Whip, lowering Kirlia and Zangoose's defenses. Courtney then commands Swellow to use Quick Attack on both Kirlia and Zangoose, and with the lowered Defense, Kirlia and Zangoose suffer significant damage. As Swellow sweeps in for another Aerial Ace, Jethro commands Zangoose to use Crush Claw, which collides with Aerial Ace. As both attacks struggle with one another, Jethro tells Kirlia to use Confusion on Swellow, causing its Aerial Ace to cancel, and allowing Zangoose to strike it with Crush Claw, defeating it in the process.

As only Ninetales remain, Jethro becomes certain of his victory, but Courtney tells him not to underestimate her, and commands a Flamethrower from Ninetales. Kirlia blocks it with Protect, and Zangoose sweeps in with Focus Punch, but Ninetales quickly counters with Fire Spin, sending Zangoose flying back. Courtney then commands Ninetales to use Hyper Beam on Kirlia. Jethro orders Protect, but as Kirlia already used it moments earlier, it cannot be used again for now. As the attack reaches Kirlia, Zangoose jumps in front of the attack and takes the hit for Kirlia, sending Zangoose flying towards the wall, knocking it out, leaving only Kirlia and Ninetales battling.

As Jethro recalls Zangoose, Kirlia becomes saddened by allowing Zangoose to suffer defeat because of her, and becomes resolved to avenge her defeat. As Ninetales stares down Kirlia, Jethro tells Kirlia that everything was on her shoulders, and Kirlia responds by forcing herself to evolve into Gardevoir. Jethro quickly checks his Pokédex and sees that Gardevoir also learned new attacks. As Courtney smiles at her evolution, Gardevoir unleashes a barrage of Magical Leaf attacks, which Ninetales successfully manages to burn. However, Gardevoir proves it to be simply a distraction as Gardevoir charges up a Moonblast while Ninetales was busy with Magical Leaf, and sends the attack crashing head-first with Ninetales. As the smoke clears, Ninetales lays down, defeated, and Jethro and Gardevoir are announced as the winners.

Courtney smiles and recalls Ninetales, as Jethro and Gardevoir celebrate their victory with a hug. Courtney tells herself that she was finally "free" from her past, and walks away with a smile on her face. As the ending ceremonies occur, Jethro is awarded the Ribbon Cup by the Pokémon Association Chairman, and earns the title of Top Coordinator. As Jethro lifts the trophy over his head, he wonders about how Gwendolyn's performance in the Ever Grande Conference was going.