"Some may call it 'holding a grudge,' I call it 'revenge!'"
Score: 6.2/10
The heroes have finally reached Saffron City, and May throws out her pokemon to tell them that they're finally here. Only Combusken actually cares, however, and then May remembers that she's never actually used Munchlax or Squirtle for... anything, really. Man, I hope she catches some new pokemon soon. Munchlax is comic relief when we already have Team Rocket, and Squirtle is just useless.
They decide to check out the stage in the arena for the next day, and find Lillian, Vivian's sister (the hostess in a dress from Hoenn). She uses her Espeon to test out the stage, and its performance really impresses Squirtle, who now desperately wants to compete.
May is worried about using Squirtle, realizing that although it's enthusiastic, it has absolutely no experience or training. Despite this, she wants to "use the new pokemon I've brought instead of falling back on the way I've done things before." I could explain the flaws in her logic, but honestly, I don't care enough.
We also learn that Harley will be competing, as will Jessie, who insists on using James' Cacnea. James is hesitant at letting Jessie use his pokemon even though, way back when the show started, Jessie commanded Weezing (and James Arbok) all the time and neither cared. He was hesitant with Chimecho, yes, but that was because Chimecho is fragile and Jessie is... Jessie.
Harley is also here, and again claims to no longer be evil.
This time even the heroes suspect he's lying when he claims that coordinators can switch pokemon between round 1 and round 2, but Nurse Joy confirms it. Thus, May decides to use Squirtle and Combusken for the contest. Harley tells May that her Hoenn Contest Pass will allow her entry into Kanto contests, which we learn is untrue. Gee, I can't believe Harley is evil. Seriously though, I can actually accept the heroes believing Harley because I honestly think they're all not very smart. At the very most, only Brock has above a fourth grade education, and even that's unlikely because he also had a full time job at fifteen.
Jessie and Cacnea get into an accident and are taken to Nurse Joy (even though Jessie is also hurt, so they should take them to an actual doctor), which ultimately leads to Nurse Joy having to give her a haircut because Cacnea gets trapped in her long hair. James and Meowth decide to use the time alone to steal everyone's pokemon. Fortunately, Harley uses his Ariados to stop them. Squirtle then finishes them off with ice beam, a move no one realized it knew. Everyone wonders how Squirtle learned a complex move that's not even of its type, and the answer is "shut up."
The next day, May learns that her entry pass is for another region, and she realizes that -- surprise surprise -- Harley lied. I find it really hard to emphasize with her when she trusted Harley again. Fortunately, Lillian shows up and convinces the woman in charge of pass renewal and registration to fudge the numbers and give her a pass anyway, frustrating Harley and allowing May into the contest.
Despite all of my complaints, there actually is a lot of good build up in this episode.
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Started: July 6, 2005