On their way to the Battle Arena, May insists that the group make a stop at a lovely cake shop that the guide mentions. The shop is located on a forest trail and there is already a line well out of the door and down the road. Ash doesn’t like wasting time waiting at the end of the line, but May says it will be worth it as the guide says that this place has the best cake in all of Kanto.

Suddenly, a large howl fills the area and the customers all look down the road. An Arcanine appears from the hill and rushes right at them. Ash scans it with the Pokedex as Max wonders where it is going. Brock raises his voice in fright, saying that it’s coming right toward them! The fire type, however, leaps clear over the crowd with an elegant roar. As it soars over them, May is instantly in love with it. The Pokemon lands and dashes down the road. Max thinks that it is awesome and May states that it is beautiful. Suddenly, a familiar voice rings out and the group turns to see Drew running from where the Arcanine came from, yelling for it to come back. His Flygon soars alongside him. May calls to him, but he ignores her and tells Flygon to use flamethrower. It launches the attack, but Arcanine sees it coming and dodges. It then sends a powerful heat wave attack right back at it. Flygon dodges nervously as Max chirps the attack’s name.

Arcanine then turns tail and uses extreme speed to make its getaway, disappearing down the road in a flash. Drew calls for it to come back again, and May asks Brock how it got away so fast. Brock explains that Arcanine is one of the few Pokemon that knows extreme speed, and it obviously wanted to escape so bad that it used the attack to flee. Drew approaches the group and pokes fun at May as he greets her, finding it funny that he has run into her in Kanto. May begins to retaliate, but Brock cuts in to ask Drew what he has been doing since the Grand Festival. Drew explains that he has decided to try his luck in Kanto’s contests and make it to the Grand Festival again. May says she plans the same thing, and Drew states that he already won one contest. He opens his ribbon case to show off his greenish ribbon.

May is annoyed that he already has one and she doesn’t yet. Drew then remarks that he is heading to the next contest and plans to catch Arcanine to use in it. May interjects, declaring that she also wants to catch the Arcanine. Drew tells her not to waste her time as she doesn’t have the skills to catch it. May begins to steam, but Drew and his Flygon rush off after Arcanine before she can physically attack him. Max says that Drew has a good plan and May states that she wants to try her luck at catching such a beautiful Pokemon as well. Ash agrees, remarking that it could do well for her in contests. The group then runs down the road after Drew, leaving the cake shop behind.

Team Rocket peers out from the doorway of the store and wonders if that was the twerps that they just saw run off. They wonder what the group could be up too when someone yells at them from inside. The Rockets are obviously employees of the cake shop as they are dressed in bakery uniforms. The one who was yelling is the owner, and is, in fact, the same boss that pestered them back during the Ever Grande Tournament! He demands to know why they aren’t working and they apologize profusely as he yells with rage.

Meanwhile, Brock has released Mudkip to help them find Arcanine. Max asks Brock what he’s planning and he informs them that Mudkip can use its fin radar to find the fire type Pokemon. May wonders if it’ll work and Brock says that it has before. Mudkip’s head fun suddenly flops to the group’s left and they turn to see Arcanine pick up a Pecha berry into its mouth just a few feet through the bushes from them. They all begin to watch it from the foliage, Ash telling May that her chance has come.

May acknowledges this by calling out Combusken. It lands on the ground in front of Arcanine and the dog Pokemon begins to flee. Combusken calls out and chases it down the path. It begins to catch up, causing excitement in Ash and co. Suddenly, Arcanine’s foot becomes surrounded by a funnel of wind and it propels itself forward with extreme speed, pulling away from Combusken and disappearing into the forest.

Ash watches it go, exclaiming that May’s chance just got away from her. He also makes a comment about Combusken not being fast enough and Pikachu points him towards the Pokemon. Combusken sits on the ground in shame and May runs to assure it that she is proud of how hard it tried. Max doesn’t think it will be possible to get Arcanine if it keeps running away and Brock wonders how Drew will try.

Soon the group stumbles upon an older man outside a cabin in the woods. He is chopping firewood as Brock suggests that they ask him a good way to find Arcanine. Max isn’t so sure that he is friendly, seeing as how he’s cutting wood with an axe, but Ash says not to worry. He approaches the white-haired man and greets him.

Meanwhile, Jessie is rushing back and forth behind the counter of the shop complaining that she has to work too hard. She passes by a very large cake as she goes and stops to admire how good it looks. She makes sure that no one is looking and then uses her finger to scoop some frosting off. She tries it and loves it, but James interrupts the moment by scolding her. He then takes a lick himself and is scolded by Meowth. Meowth then takes a chunk and sticks it in his mouth. The three then begin to take massive amounts from the cake and Wobbuffet joins in.

Back in the forest, the man has taken a break from his wood chopping to talk to Ash and co at his picnic table. He has given them all something to drink and they inform him that they would like to know more about the Arcanine that lives in the area. He takes a sip from his mug and states that a boy and his Flygon came by a little while ago asking the same question. May asks the man if he knows where Arcanine is and he nods, saying he’ll show her to it. She thanks him with a happy smile.

Meanwhile, the massive cake has now become small and lumpy. Team Rocket wonders what they are going to do when they hear the barking of their boss from the hallway. James and Meowth think they are screwed, but Jessie has an idea.

Their boss enters and the group looks very innocent, and the cake is nowhere in site. Wobbuffet’s mouth, however, has grown to large proportions, indicating that they must have hidden the remains inside. The boss asks if they saw a cake in here and the three play dumb. Wobbuffet then opens its mouth to say its name, revealing the lump of frosting that was once a beautiful cake. He throws a fit and tosses the Rockets out of the door.

The old man is now showing Ash and co a map of the forest. He points to a heavily forested area, saying that Arcanine can usually be spotted there because there is a small stream nearby. He then shows them other areas, saying that there is a Pecha forest Arcanine visits and a place on the mountain that it goes to overlook the area. The group wonders if they’ll be able to find it in those spots. The old man wishes them luck and May thanks him once again.

The group finds the stream and waits in the bushes for Arcanine. Ash asks May what Pokemon she plans on battling with, and Brock suggests a water type since Arcanine is a fire one. The group grows bored and May wonders when the Pokemon will show. Brock remarks that it has run a lot today and should need a drink sooner or later. Ash’s stomach begins to growl and he embarrassedly apologizes. May yells at him, exclaiming that his stomach will give them away when Arcanine comes. A stomach growls again, and May yells at Ash once more, but he says that it wasn’t him. Max cuts in, saying that it was him that time. Brock suggests that they make camp and eat since they seem to have time. Ash agrees, but May seems a little mad.

Brock prepares a stew and some Pokemon food for Pikachu. As they eat, May hopes that Arcanine won’t show until they are done. The bushes then rustle and she turns to see Arcanine drinking at the stream. She lets out a startled scream that alerts the Pokemon to their presence. It stops drinking and runs off as May sulks.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket walks along the forest complaining of hunger. Meowth states that if they didn’t decide to fill their mouths on that cake, then they would still have a job and their boss would have supplied them with food after their shift. The humans argue back when they suddenly hear Wobbuffet. The three turn to see the blue Pokemon with an armful of Pecha berries. They rush to it and demand to know where it got them. Wobbuffet slips them all into its mouth and Team Rocket throws a fit. Jessie grabs Wobbuffet and hoists it into the air by its head as the other two yell.

Ash and co are now in a valley where they discover a ton of Pecha berry trees. May says that Arcanine has to come through here as the old man was right before and Brock comes up with a plan. He draws the surrounding area in the sand with a stick he found. It appears that there is a mountain chain surrounding the Pecha berry patch. He then says that if they position people at each corner of the valley, they can use water Pokemon to force Arcanine to go one way and trap it by where May will wait. The three all think it’s a great plan.

Ash calls out Corphish, Brock releases Mudkip, and May sends out Squirtle. They all wait in the bushes and May hopes the plan will work. Arcanine enters the field where Ash and Corphish wait. Ash had Corphish use bubble beam and Arcanine runs off. It approaches Brock’s hiding spot and Mudkip shifts its direction toward May by shooting a water gun at it. Ash calls to May, telling her to get ready. She tells Squirtle to attack, but realizes that her water type has fallen asleep!

May yells to wake her Pokemon up, startling the turtle to its feet. She says to get ready and it turns to face the opponent. Squirtle runs in Arcanine’s path, but the fire type just roars. Squirtle freaks out and a red light envelopes it, sucking it back into May’s Pokeball. Max knows this is the effect of roar and suggests that May try out Munchlax. She calls out the Pokemon and it lands in front of Arcanine. It begins to twirl its fingers, using metronome as Arcanine runs away. Max and May wonder what attack it will get when Munchlax begins to speed after Arcanine. It apparently got an extreme speed! Ash and co join May as she encourages her Pokemon to catch Arcanine. Arcanine uses extreme speed as well and the two Pokemon are now neck and neck.

May orders Munchlax to attack, but the Pokemon speeds ahead of Arcanine and uses its new found speed to round up all of the Pecha berries in the blink of an eye. Ash and Brock remark that they almost had something until Munchlax’s stomach got in the way. Munchlax just happily eats the berries as Arcanine disappears into the woods. Wobbuffet is now leading Team Rocket to the Pecha berry patch. They are forced to climb down the hill to the valley, wondering if Wobbuffet truly knows where it is going. They finally make it only to see the trees are bare. Jessie picks Wobbuffet up by the head again and demands to know what happened to the berries. Suddenly, Arcanine rushes by and Meowth suggest they catch it and bring it to the boss. James wonders what the boss would do with it.

Meowth goes into a daydream explaining that even tough guys like Giovanni get lonely in the night. With Arcanine, the boss will finally have someone to lay his head on at night and keep him company. The premonition ends with Giovanni complimenting the three and they all cheer at the thought.

Ash and co are now waiting by the cliff’s edge for Arcanine. Brock remarks that Arcanine will most likely come up the path and they can corner it. Squirtle points to show that the fire type is indeed heading their way. It walks to the edge of the cliff and peers out. May and Squirtle leap out to challenge it, but Drew leaps in and cuts her off. May tells him to go away as she found it first but Drew states that he has been waiting here all this time for it. Arcanine takes this time to rush between them and up the hill. May sighs and begins to tell Drew off. Drew cuts her off, saying that only one will be able to catch the Pokemon. May suggests that they have a battle to determine it, and Drew agrees. The two now face each other on the edge of the cliff and Brock declares the start of the battle. May calls in Squirtle and tells it to use tackle. The Pokemon leaps towards Flygon, but it just flies away and Squirtle sails right by it. Drew says his Flygon has improved a lot since the Grand Festival. He tells it to use wing attack and everyone freaks out. May nervously commands a bubble, but Flygon easily dodges the attack and connects its wings against Squirtle to send it flying. Squirtle lands on its belly and starts to cry. May cuddles it as Drew declares himself the winner. He and Flygon then scale the mountain to catch up with Arcanine.

May and her friends follow but find only a small alcove at the top of the mountain. Pikachu then points up and everyone looks to see Arcanine a few feet higher, feeding some Growlithe puppies the Pecha berries that it collected. It apparently made its nest up here and went down to the valley to search for food. Drew says it would be cruel to catch it and take away the puppies’ mother.

Suddenly, a new flies down from above and snags the Growlithe puppies. Ash and co look up to see Team Rocket in their balloon. They say their motto and Ash tells them to give the puppies back. Jessie looks down and scolds Meowth for snatching the Growlithes instead of Arcanine. Arcanine leaps up and clings to the net that contains its puppies. Another net wraps around that one, trapping the whole family!

Team Rocket gloats and then begins to float away. May tells Drew to have Flygon go after them and it uses wing attack to put a hole in the balloon. The group then rushes down the hill and into the forest to catch up to the crashing aircraft. They find the balloon caught in a tree and Ash and Brock prepare to fight the Rockets. May interjects, saying that its her and Drew’s job to get this done.

Drew has Flygon slice open the net with a wing attack, freeing the dog family. They rush towards the forest and James calls out Cacnea to stop them. It turns and hugs him before launching a spike cannon. May has Squirtle deflect the attack with bubble and Drew compliments her. Jessie then calls out Dustox to use poison sting on Flygon, but the dragon just sends a flamethrower right through the barbs. Ash and Brock admire how well the coordinators battles together.

James has Cacnea twirl up a sandstorm to blow Squirtle back, but Flygon leaps in the way to shield the turtle. May thanks Drew and then has Squirtle climb onto Flygon. The Pokemon flies out of the storm and Squirtle leaps off to tackle Dustox. Flygon uses a wing attack on Cacnea and both Pokemon tumble backwards into their trainers. A water gun/flamethrower combo from Squirtle and Flygon then creates an explosion that sends Team Rocket blasting off again.

That evening, the group watches Arcanine give its puppies a tongue bath. Ash wonders if May still wants the Pokemon and she asks Drew if he does. With a flick of his hair, Drew states that he doesn’t want to separate the pups from its mother. May respects that and the group watches the Pokemon family head off into the forest. May then says her goodbyes to Drew and he tells her that there is a contest in Saffron City. She excitedly says she’ll head there and waves goodbye as he walks away. Max checks the Pokenav and states that the contest is on the way to the Battle Arena! They all agree to stop there before heading to the Arena, and the group then heads off towards their next destination.

Thanks to GoldenNoctowl for writing this for us