After a night at the Pokémon center, Ash is stoked to have another Gym Battle. He meets the Gym Leader Brawly, who would rather surf than battle, which infuriates Ash. Could there be more to this Gym Leader than meets the eye? And does May even have a shred of decency?

The episode was rated 7.49 from 43 votes.

After the incident with the Team Aqua agent and with Peeko safely returned to Mr. Briney, Ash and co set sail for Dewford Island. All is not calm on the way there however as a school of Sharpedo suddenly attack Mr. Briney's boat. Not to mention tear up a part of May's new swimsuit. Now how will Ash and co. get to Dewford with all the Sharpedo in the way? Is this going to be like "Jaws" all over again?

The episode was rated 7.50 from 42 votes.

On their way to May's first contest in Slateport City, Ash and gang travel across the sea on a motorboat. After Team Rocket fails in their latest attempt to steal Ash's Pikachu, the boat stops working. Drifting along, they spot a large, abandoned ship and decide to go inside upon seeing a smaller boat off to the side. Inside, they meet up with Tommy, a trainer who lost his Marshtomp on the ship long ago. He promises to give Ash and company a lift after he is done searching. Several Pokémon start to go missing and soon May, Max and Team Rocket are captured too. A Swampert and a Spinarak reveal themselves as the culprits. Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Tommy soon come across the Swampert and Tommy recognizes the Swampert as his Marshtomp, but it retreats further into the ship. After saving the others, Tommy reunites with his lost friend and apologizes for leaving it behind. After thwarting another of Team Rocket's schemes, Ash and company leave on Tommy's boat for Slateport.

The episode was rated 7.51 from 45 votes.

After winning the Stone Badge from Roxanne, Ash and co. head out to the next gym, located on Dewford Island. However, Max spills a drink on his PokéNav and rather than suffer her wrath, Max tries to find a quick solution. He sees an old man demonstrating new inventions but before he can go further, a younger man picks him up in a limo. Who is this old man, and can he help Max fix the PokéNav before May finds out it's broken?

The episode was rated 7.52 from 44 votes.

Corphish's bad attitude is showing no signs of improving so Ash plans to humble it a bit by putting a good scare into it deep inside an abandoned mine. Later on, Team Rocket discovers an abandoned gold mine and goes in. Can Ash and co. brave this mine in order to be well prepared for his rematch with Brawly?

The episode was rated 7.58 from 40 votes.

Deep in the woods, Ash spies a Treecko. He's wanted to catch a Treecko since he first saw one at Professor Birch's laboratory. He follows the Treecko to an enormous tree that seems to be dying. There, Ash's Treecko has an argument with all of the other Treecko. It seems that Ash's Treecko is very attached to the tree and wants to stay with it, while the rest of the clan wants to move on to a new tree. Ash watches as the lone Treecko struggles to save the tree. He and Pikachu feel badly for the Treecko and try to help. In the end, however, the tree dies and falls. Now that its home is gone, Treecko is ready to make a new home with Ash. He and Pikachu battle, and Ash catches his Treecko!

The episode was rated 7.59 from 56 votes.

Ash's newly caught Treecko may be a bit standoff-ish, but the little green Pokémon is quite a fighter. When Team Rocket sees Treecko knocked down and hurt by a Seviper, they decide that they must have that Seviper. Jessie is very impressed with its "sneaky, snakey ways." Meanwhile, Treecko escapes from the Pokémon Center where Ash brought it to recover. When the gang finds Treecko, it is practicing its attack moves. Again and again, Treecko jumps from the top of a waterfall and tries to break a rock at the bottom with its tail. Ash is very impressed with the rigor of its training. All of Treecko's hard work appears to have paid off—when Team Rocket attacks and catches Pikachu with the help of their new Seviper, Treecko is able to save the day.

The episode was rated 7.60 from 57 votes.

Team Rocket's failed attempt to catch Pikachu has left the little yellow Pokémon dangerously ill. Littleroot Town has no Pokémon Center so Ash turns to Professor Birch for help. Professor Birch thinks that Pikachu can be cured—but first they'll have to catch it. Delirious with fever, Pikachu has run off into the forest. Meanwhile, a girl named May is also going to see Professor Birch in order to receive her first Pokémon. She arrives just in time to save the professor from a pack of mad Poochyena. Before he can explain why he's running around in woods, Professor Birch runs off in search of the missing Pikachu. Time is running out and Pikachu is in danger of exploding. In a twisted turn of events, Team Rocket's latest Pikachu-catching contraption ends up saving the day.

The episode was rated 7.67 from 85 votes.

It is time for Ash to have his rematch with Brawly. He decides to shake things up a little by using his new Corphish instead of Taillow on a new battlefield. With all the training Ash had to do up to this point, does he have what it takes to beat Brawly, or will he wipe out again and let it be all for nothing?

The episode was rated 7.69 from 45 votes.

Pikachu is getting pretty good at its Iron Tail attack and that's a good thing. Ash is finally about to take on Roxanne, the leader of the Rustboro City Gym. He's going to need all the help he can get to take down her Geodude. May, on the other hand, isn't really looking forward to the battle. In fact, she announces that she's not going to be a trainer anymore. She wants to become a Pokémon Coordinator and compete in contests instead. When the battle begins, it doesn't look like Ash has much of a chance. Roxanne's Geodude knocks out Treecko pretty quickly. It's all up to Pikachu. Electric attacks aren't going to help much against a strong Rock Type—but Ash is very clever and Pikachu not only brings down Geodude, but it wipes out Nosepass with its newly perfected Iron Tail Attack. Ash defeats Roxanne and receives his Stone Badge.

The episode was rated 7.69 from 45 votes.

A mysterious Pokémon is terrorizing Dewford Town's beach. Ash and friends set many traps for the terror and discover its identity, Corphish. Will Ash and his friends be able to capture the feisty Water-type Pokémon, or will it set them out to dry?

The episode was rated 7.71 from 48 votes.

Ash and May have made it all the way to Petalburg City—the first city with a gym. Ash is very excited to take on the gym leader. May seems a little uneasy—perhaps it's because she hasn't yet told Ash that her father, Norman, is the gym leader in Petalburg! When Ash first gets to the gym, he meets May's little brother, Max, who is pretending to be the gym leader. Max knows a lot about Pokémon and can't wait until he's old enough to become a trainer. Once Ash finally meets Norman, he learns that he will need three Pokémon in order to battle at the gym. He only has Pikachu with him. When Norman agrees to an unofficial battle, Ash encounters his first Vigoroth. Ash realizes that he will have to train hard in order to win a badge in Petalburg City. After a quick scuffle with Team Rocket, Ash and May are ready to hit the road again. Max has decided to tag along, too!

The episode was rated 7.79 from 61 votes.

Our heroes are headed for Rustboro City, where Ash hopes to have his first real gym battle in Hoenn. Team Rocket is making their way along the same path when they stumble upon a cage full of Ekans. Jessie is delighted that their work has been done for them and orders Arbok to attack. Arbok can't manage to attack the helpless Ekans, however, because it remembers when it used to be an Ekans. Jessie is sympathetic. James soon makes a similar concession when they find a cage of Koffing that Wheezing will not hurt. The cages belong to a poacher named Rico who uses his Fearrow and Pupitar to chase off Team Rocket. Team Rocket returns to the scene, now hoping to free the Ekans and Koffing. Things turn dangerous when Rico's Pupitar evolves into a Tyrannitar, and Team Rocket is forced to make the ultimate sacrifice for the Pokémon that they love.

The episode was rated 7.92 from 59 votes.

Get ready for a new episode of May's Expedition as she, Ash, Max and Brock stumble upon a swamp. There they find a swamp full on Mudkip and their caretaker, an elderly man named Old Man Swamp (or Mr. Swampy) who has the same whiskers as a Mudkip's fins. He explains that he gets Mudkip eggs from the Hoenn League and when they hatch they wait until they're old enough to give to Professor Birch. But Team Rocket also has plans for the Mudkip. What evil will they have in store for them, and will Brock get a new friend?

The episode was rated 7.95 from 42 votes.

While exploring Dewford Island, Ash and friends notice a large cave and Max states that it's Granite Cave. They all enter and soon they fall into a pit trap courtesy of Team Rocket. Unfortunately, they fall in as well and the two groups are mixed and separated. This time around, there are three groups: Males being Ash, Brock and James. Females being May and Jessie and the rest being Max, Pikachu and Meowth. Can these groups be brought back to order and who is in Granite Cave along with our heroes and villains?

The episode was rated 7.95 from 42 votes.