Ash, Dawn and Brock are heading towards Eterna City when interrupted by Rhonda, a TV reporter for a programme called 'Sinnoh Now'. Ash has only sporadically watched TV since leaving Pallet Town and aging no more twelve years ago, so he has never heard of it. Dawn has, though. Rhonda explains that there is a Pokemon training camp up ahead, and she and her camera crew are interviewing trainers from it. This news thrills Ash - not because he wants to be filmed, but because the thought of battling makes him salivate.

Bob the sound guy brains Rhonda with the boom. Then Team Rocket show up! Oh noes! Our Triad of heroes don't recognise them, though, because they've cunningly disguised themselves as cowboys with sunglasses. Jessie throws herself before the camera to announce that she, too, shall be attending the training school, and by the way, has she mentioned she's an actress? Rhonda and co. are totally disinterested. Bob the sound guy accidentally brains Jessie. She's dragged away by a random we can only assume is Rhonda's bodyguard. James and Meowth are morosely resigned. Ash et al proceed to the camp, and after a quick observation from Brock that there are tents there Ash speedily homes in on two boys expositing about some strong trainers that have beaten hollow their somewhat depressed-looking Lombre and Slakoth. Ash is insensitively overjoyed to hear it, and hastens to these fearsome trainers. En route to them they all cross a bridge, and nearly get flattened by a falling Nuzleaf. None of them try to catch it, as they frequently do their own Pokemon. Its own trainer grabs it and flees. Next they meet a concussed Doduo and its sobbing trainer. Ash and friends ignore both. Instead, Ash marches up to the perpertrators of this carnage - a pair of irritating twins called Ryan and Brian who own a Quilava and a Croconaw, and call themselves the Champ Twins - and demands a battle, as he does. They agree, but say they only do tag battles.

Dawn volunteers to battle with Ash, who is deeply uncertain, as one may well be when your prospective battling partner is focused on making their Pokemon pretty while your other mate used to be a gym leader. But no need to worry! One 'We're all in this together, guys!' sentiment from Brock later and they all think it's a brilliant idea. After a speedy Pokedex check each for Quilava and Croconow (it's anyone's guess how Ash managed to forget what they are between Johto and Sinnoh) Brock announces himself as the referee, Ash sends out Turtwig, Dawn sends out Piplup - And Rhonda arrives! She steps in to interview Ryan and Brian. Bob the sound guy brains her again. She threatens to demote him to the mail room. She asks them all if she can film their battle, and Dawn hastily does her hair, because she is a girl. Ash says he sees no difference, because he is a boy. Both agree they do not wish to look stupid on camera, and thus unity of purpose is restored.

Rhonda reports that the twins, if they beat Ash and Dawn, will have won their seventeenth consecutive victory. Jessie leaps back into shot, dragging James, and announces that they will trounce the twins. That guy from earlier who was presumably a bodyguard reappears and marches them away again.

And the battle begins! Ryan starts Quilava off with Flame Wheel. Ash tells Turtwig to dodge, because Pokemon are famously dumber than silt and wouldn't even try to get out of the way otherwise, and the attack misses. Ash turns to Dawn and tells her to get Piplup to take care of Quilava; it seems they neglected to discuss beforehand even this most basic of battle strategies with each other. Against all laws of Pokemon battles as we'd understand them, no one else makes a move this turn, so Ryan orders Quilava to Flame Wheel again. Again Ash tells Turtwig to dodge, but this time Turtwig hits Piplup as it does so.

This is a problem, because Ash and Dawn have a loose grasp on reality at best, and so start shouting at each other. When Piplup tries to get up it promptly trips over its own feet and high kicks Turtwig in the face accidentally. A comedy of errors unfolds as Piplup uses Bubblebeam and flattens Turtwig, and then Turtwig uses Tackle on Piplup. The excuse shouted by both sides is that the other gets in the way. Brian interrupts by Water Gunning the pair of them with Croconaw. Rhonda, meanwhile, is ecstatic at the amazing Pulitzer-winning material she's getting of two ten-year-olds messing up an extremely minor Pokemon battle and the breakdown of their close friendship. Jessie leaps back in shot again, and is again carted off by Presumably Bodyguard Man. Back in the battle, Ash calls for a Razor Leaf, Dawn for a Bubblebeam. As Turtwig moves to obey, Piplup grabs the leaf on its head and spins it around; Turtwig turns and kicks Piplup in the face, proving both are basically gritty little pub brawlers at heart. Ash and Dawn are horrified. Ryan steps in and orders a Swift from Quilava, which decks both. Croconaw follows up by hitting both with Slash. Over on the sidelines, James and Meowth are hanging off Jessie's arms trying to hold her back from molesting the cameras again. It's anyone's guess why she's still trying. Back in the battle the Chump Twins decide to finish off this spectacular train wreck in front of them with a Flamethrower and a Hydro Pump. Turtwig and Piplup are blasted off into the nearby trees, and land with the totally concussed look of Pokemon who are unable to battle. Brock announces that they are unable to battle, and the Chump Twins win.

Later, Ash and Dawn continue to blame each other. Brock attempts to calm them down by suggesting they eat food. This does not work. Both lament that the absolute dystopia of a fight they produced will be on TV. Turtwig and Piplup stand to the side and watch this; Turtwig turns to Piplup, and offers its hand/paw/stump in friendship. Piplup is a brat, though, and punches Turtwig in the face. They start fighting again, in a cloud of dust and limbs. Rather than being the responsible trainers and breaking it up, Ash and Dawn just sort of stand and watch. Pikachu decides that as the only mature or useful character present it will step in and help. Pikachu approaches Turtwig and Piplup and says 'Pika' a few times, which to be fair usually works. This time, however, a flailing limb accidentally catches Pikachu, and knocks it backwards. Pikachu goes all Dark Pikachu, and brings some pain with a Thunderbolt. Obviously this works, since Pikachu must be at least level 100 by now. Piplup and Turtwig stop fighting, looking faintly dazed, and on pain of more pain finally shake hands (stump and flipper, whatever.) Brock is pleased at this, and makes a pointed remark about people making friends again after their Pokemon have had the sense to do so first. The Pokemon agree. Dawn is vaguely shocked by the suggestion, and Ash looks angry enough to punt all three of them back into the forest behind them, but Dawn leads the apologies, so he manages to man up enough to follow suit. Brock rewards them all by feeding them, because apparently he really meant it about the food. Over sandwiches, they decide to try again at fighting the Twins. This time, they discuss their type match-up strategy before hand.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket share a bar of Dairy Milk and decide with the inevitability of gravity to pinch the Quilava and Croconaw. Cut to the Chump Twins, wandering along with Ryan shouting about how great they are while Brian occasionally chimes in with 'Yeah!' They see a table laden with fruit ahead, in the middle of a wood, and decide with head-spinning stupidity that, rather than belonging to picnickers it must be there for them, as their reward for being the Chump Twins (ironically, with the deliberate mis-spelling, they actually become right.) Naturally, there is a concealed hole in front of the table, which they promptly face-plant themselves into. Team Rocket arrive in their balloon to Motto, and then use their robo arms to grab Quilava and Croconaw. Bizarrely, Rhonda is still on hand, and starts filming.

The Chump Twins escape their hole, and set off in hot pursuit. Ash, Dawn and Brock convieniently arrive and ask for a battle, and are hastily pointed at Team Rocket's balloon. Ash promptly sends out Staravia and orders a Quick Attack, which obviously makes the balloon crash, just like all the other times this happens. Heroes, Chump Twins and TV people all reach the stricken Team Rocket, who attack. James sends out Carnivine, and prises it off his head. Jesse sends out Seviper. Ash and Dawn send out Turtwig and Piplup, and just in case no one at home spotted the heavy direction of the plot, Brock remarks that it looks like a tag battle. Jessie leads with Poison Tail, which Turtwig and Piplup both dodge, and Turtwig answers with Razor Leaf. It hits Seviper. Piplup uses Bubblebeam, which also hits the luckless Seviper, and Ash and Dawn take a moment to shout compliments at each other. Turtwig and Piplup then dodge Carnivine's Bullet Seed before hitting it with Tackle and Peck respectively. Then they Razor Leaf and Bubblebeam the entire unhappy group that is Team Rocket, sending the lot of them into this week's blast off (again).

The Chump Twins are reunited with their Pokemon, and agree to a rematch. And so it is, that everyone returns to the field of the worst Pokemon battle ever seen to try again, including the TV people. Dawn redoes her hair, Ash still sees no difference. Quilava starts with Flame Wheel, which Piplup dodges, and Dawn moves Piplup smartly forward to Bubblebeam the hell out of that Flame Wheel. Turtwig moves in to Bite Croconaw, but Croconaw dodges it; Piplup Bubblebeams it as it moves, which does more damage than it by rights should. Rhonda is impressed. Ryan quickly orders Quilava to Flamethrower, but it's dodged, as is Croconaw's follow-up Hydro Pump; but then Quilava manages to hit both Turtwig and Piplup with a Flame Wheel, and then a Swift, and Croconaw's Water Gun follows too. Brian orders a last Water Gun, but Turtwig Razor Leafs it away, leading Dawn to shout about how brilliant Turtwig is for a moment. Croconaw uses Hydro Pump on Piplup instead, who is too slow to dodge, but Turtwig leaps in and knocks Piplup out of the way. Quilava uses Flamethrower, and Piplup begins to Bide. Croconaw Bites Turtwig. Piplup unleashes energy and decks Quilava. Turtwig uses Synthesis, but is therefore standing still, so Croconaw aims a Hydro Pump at it. Dawn directs Piplup in front of Turtwig, and then deflects the attack with a Bubblebeam. Turtwig finishes healing and uses Bite on Croconaw, and then throws it away. Piplup Whirlpools Quilava, and Turtwig Tackles Croconaw into Quilava before finishing it all off with Razor Leaf. Both Croconaw and Quilava are knocked out cold, and Brock pronounces Ash and Dawn the winner.

The Chump Twins shout about starting again and run away while Brian says 'Yeah!'. Ash and Dawn tell each other how great they were for a while, and then Rhonda makes their day by telling them they aren't going to air the first battle, "...because the second battle had much better combinations." Apparently, she really didn't care about setting fire to a pair of ten-year-old's self-esteem, but she does just about have what could laughably be called a journalistic instinct, and realises on some level that if she'd offered video footage of some children squabbling as an exclusive to her editor she may just have been fired, so this is better. And then they continue their journey to Eterna.

This episode guide has been written by Iceduck.

Characters appearing in this episode

Ash

Brock

Dawn

Jessie

James

Meowth

Ash's Pikachu

Pokémon appearing in this episode

• Pikachu belonging to Ash
• Meowth

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