Episode 1 (Season 9) - Fear Factor Phony

The kids are heading to Maisie Island on a ferry when they spot a Spoink floating on a log.  They quickly realize it's the same Spoink they helped before.  When they save it and bring it aboard, it trips, dropping its pearl overboard.  Ash's Pokemon go looking for the pearl with no luck.

When they arrive on the island, they meet a scientist named Isaiah who is doing research on Clamperl and their pearls - which end up as Spoink pearls.  The jewel of his collection is a rare blue pearl.

Team Rocket sneaks in and tries to steal the blue pearl, only to be beaten out by Spoink stealing it first.  Everyone goes looking for the little Psychic-type Pokemon.  Meanwhile, the blue pearl accidentally gets switched with the pink pearl from a wild Clamperl.  When this fact is discovered, everyone goes looking for the Clamperl and Team Rocket steals it away.

Team Rocket is trying to get the Clamperl open when the kids catch up to them.  Spoink protects the Clamperl, who uses Water Gun to send the thieves blasting off.  The Clamperl returns the blue pearl to Isaiah, and in exchange for the Psychic-type Pokemon's help, gives its pink pearl to Spoink.

Episode 2 (Season 9) - Sweet Baby James

When May's Munchlax gets sick and there's no Pokémon Center nearby, it's a kindly old couple (and their Mime Jr.) to the rescue! They meet May and her friends and offer to help them out. James' Chimecho has gotten sick, too. But he sees a grand manor nearby and takes Chimecho there for help - it's the home of James' beloved Nanny and Pop-Pop, who looked after him when he was a boy. To protect their feelings, James lies about his line of work. And since Nanny and Pop-Pop are the ones who came to May's aid, he needs May and Ash to help cover for him when he finds out they're staying at the house as well!

With the help of Nanny and Pop-Pop, Munchlax is well on its way to recovery, but Chimecho is still sick. James is deeply concerned, not to mention very busy trying to keep Jessie and Meowth from eating all the food and stealing all the other Pokémon around the house! The last straw is when Jessie and Meowth try to creep away with Mime Jr. and Munchlax. James catches them and unexpectedly teams up with Ash to put a stop to their shenanigans... and keep Nanny and Pop-Pop from discovering what's really going on.

Soon Munchlax is ready to hit the road again, and May and her friends gratefully take their leave. But James is distressed because Chimecho is too weak to travel. He must leave Chimecho with Nanny and Pop-Pop until it fully recuperates, and both Trainer and Pokémon are sad to see each other go. However, Mime Jr. wants to travel with James, so he says his fond farewells and leaves with Jessie, Meowth, and his new Pokémon.

Episode 3 (Season 9) - A Chip Off the Old Brock

Brock's Mudkip evolves into Marshtomp while training with Grovyle, but when it shows off its Mud Shot attack, it accidentally hit s a nearby Flaaffy! Luckily, Flaaffy's owner, Mariah, works at a pharmacy that makes Pokémon medicine. Soon Flaaffy is well, but Marshtomp has developed a crush on it! Mariah and her friend McCauley are helping the pharmacy's doctor, using Electric Pokémon to help make medicine. It's not easy, and McCauley is really starting to doubt his abilities.

A disguised Team Rocket tries to clean out the pharmacy using Meowth in a Snorlax suit, but McCauley and Brock drive them off. Team Rocket doesn't give up: later that night, they return with a rocket-powered balloon and steal the entire building while Mariah and Flaaffy are still inside! McCauley and his Ampharos leap into the building as it's carried off. Back on the ground, Ash and his friends try to stop Team Rocket, but Pikachu and the doctor's Mareep are hurt when Marshtomp's attack is deflected by Team Rocket's latest device.

Up in the flyaway pharmacy, McCauley and Mariah mix up a Pokémon medicine, then toss it to the doctor. The hurt Pokémon are restored to full health, and the Electric Pokémon pool their power to defeat Team Rocket. McCauley now has confidence in himself, but poor Brock and Marshtomp realize that romance with Mariah and Flaaffy will never pass! Yes, everything's definitely back to normal as our friends head towards the next stop on the Battle Frontier!

Episode 4 (Season 9) - Wheel of Frontier

Ash is about to reach the Battle Arena, but Team Rocket has gotten there ahead of him! They're pretending to be students of Greta, the Arena Tycoon, but the curriculum is a little too tough for them. Will this trick really let them get their hands on Ash's Pikachu? Meanwhile, Ash runs into Scott, who tells him that Greta prefers Fighting-type Pokémon. This gives Ash an idea...

Scott and Ash show up at the Battle Arena, where Greta has Ash spin a wheel to determine how many Pokémon they'll battle with. Ash spins a two, so Greta's Hariyama and Medicham will face off against Ash's Grovyle and Snorlax, who Ash brought back just for this battle. Grovyle is fast, but Hariyama uses its speed against it and Grovyle is soon knocked out. Ash sends out Snorlax and uses a defensive strategy to defeat Hariyama, whose powerful punches aren't as damaging to the big Pokémon. Greta's Medicham could be a different story, though!

Team Rocket is accidentally revealed during the Pokémon battle, but Pikachu zaps them before they can do anything. Then it's right back to the battle, where Medicham's attacks are proving to be pretty dangerous to Snorlax. After some close calls, Ash hits on a novel idea: have Snorlax use Hyper Beam to propel itself into the air and land on Medicham! This wins Ash the battle - and a shiny new Frontier Symbol! Greta tells Ash that the next stop on the Battle Frontier is the Battle Dome, and he's soon on his way!

Episode 5 (Season 9) - May's Egg-cellent Adventure

As Ash and his friends head for the next Battle Frontier stop, May spots a lovely farm. But when she takes a closer look, she's zapped by Voltorb! The Voltorb guard the farm, where a friendly couple and their daughter Nicolette raise Pokémon Eggs. Nicolette has a Vileplume and wants to be a Coordinator, except she's afraid to leave home. She's not afraid to battle May and Munchlax, however - but May wins, proving her ribbon-winning skills!

Team Rocket hatches a plan to raid the farm by sneaking Meowth and an egg-shaped robot inside. The robot then transforms and swipes the Pokémon Eggs, including one that's about to hatch! Once Team Rocket's villainy is out in the open, our heroes must stop them without hurting the stolen Eggs. Nicolette has Vileplume knock Team Rocket for a loop, and after some scrambling around the Eggs are safely retrieved.

To everyone's relief, a Vulpix emerges safe and sound from the Pokémon Egg that was ready to hatch. Nicolette decides she's ready now to set off on her own and become a Coordinator - and someday compete against May! As for May, Nicolette's parents give her a Pokémon Egg to thank her for all her help. She resumes her journey with a new sense of excitement and anticipation!

Episode 6 (Season 9) - Weekend Warrior

It's time for the Silver Town Pokémon Contest, and May is ready to win! As the show starts, one last competitor arrives late: a businessman named Jeremy. He doesn't look like much, but after May makes her big entrance with Squirtle, she's surprised to see Jeremy dressed up like a rock star onstage with Butterfree! However, Jeremy's wife and son show up and demand that he stop his embarrassing Contest antics.

With encouragement from May, Jeremy stands up to his family and explains how important Contests are to him. No matter what, he's going to compete! Both May and Jeremy make it to the finals, but will Jeremy's family come back to watch? Outside the Contest, his wife remembers how she met him back when he was a real musician. As she reminisces, she starts to think what Jeremy's doing isn't so silly after all.

Back at the Contest, Jeremy sends his trusty Venusaur to battle May's Combusken. As a Fire-type Pokémon, Combusken should have the advantage, but Venusaur is too tough to be defeated that easily. Venusaur also has a powerful Frenzy Plant attack, and soon May is losing points fast. She risks it all on one last Sky Uppercut and Combusken knocks Venusaur out just before time is up. Victory goes to May! And Jeremy may not have won the ribbon, but his family finally respects him as a Pokémon Coordinator. A happy ending all around - except for Team Rocket, who goes hunting for berries and finds Beedrill instead!

Episode 7 (Season 9) - On Olden Pond

Ash and his friends visit a famous fishing spot that looks oddly abandoned. Ash still manages to hook a Crawdaunt, which he challenges with Corphish. But Crawdaunt wins and begins wrecking property until a woman named Tiffany chases it off. Tiffany explains that the lake was busy until a year ago, when Saridakis Industries wanted to fill in the lake and turn it into a spa. Tiffany wouldn't sell out, but Crawdaunt scared off all the fishermen and Pokémon.

Naturally, Ash and friends help her out. They track down Crawdaunt, which belongs to Mr. Saridakis himself! Team Rocket is there too, disguised as consultants so they can steal Crawdaunt. Tiffany confronts Saridakis, who says he didn't ask Crawdaunt to ruin the lake. But he'll battle Ash and Corphish tomorrow: if Saridakis wins, he gets the lake! He fell into the lake once when he was a boy and though he somehow survived, he's hated the place ever since.

To help Ash train for the battle, Tiffany's Granny Galea challenges him with her Vaporeon. By cleverly using the terrain, her Vaporeon is able to beat Corphish. The next day, Ash also has Corphish use the lake to its advantage while battling Crawdaunt. Except Team Rocket interrupts the match and steals Crawdaunt!

Ash and his friends stop them and rescue Crawdaunt, but in the commotion, Saridakis falls into the water. He's saved by none other than Granny and a Dragonair, who saved him back when he a boy, too. Saridakis realizes it'd be wrong to fill in the lake, and things return to the peaceful way they were as Ash continues towards his Battle Frontier destination.

Episode 8 (Season 9) - Tactics Theatrics

Ash has finally reached the Battle Dome, and what a reception! An eager crowd of journalists wants to meet the new challenger who's going to take on Tucker, the famous Dome Ace. Ash is whisked off to his first press conference and he's having fun until he admits he doesn't know who Tucker the Dome Ace is, to the horror of all the reporters.

Team Rocket knows who Tucker is - when they're not selling snacks at the Battle Dome, they're busy pretending to be his hairdressers. Tucker knows how to please a crowd, and Ash makes his big Battle Dome entrance only to be outshone by Tucker and his tons of screaming fans! Tucker sends out Swampert and Arcanine, so Ash chooses his Corphish and Swellow. But type advantage won't be enough against Swampert and Arcanine's teamwork and combos!

The battle heats up immediately and there are plenty of surprises in store for Ash. For one thing, Tucker's speedy Arcanine knows Aerial Ace, and goes head to head with Swellow! Ash also needs to find a way around Swampert's strong defense. It turns out Tucker's all about strategy as well as showmanship, so Ash has a rough time until he figures out how to counter Tucker's tactics with a few of his own. Corphish and Swellow then deal a knock-out combination to win the round. Ash leaves the Battle Dome with a shiny new Tactics Symbol and memories of an amazing experience!