Japanese Title: Enter Contest Master Mikuri!!
Original Airdate: April 17, 2008
US Airdate: September 6, 2008
Almost time for the previous region's cameo.
Wallace, formerly the Sootopolis Gym leader in Hoenn, has become a Contest Master, with his own top-level competition, the Wallace Cup. He has taken his contest on the road, and will open it at Sinnoh's Lake Valor. Dawn, Zoey, and Jessie are all interested in impressing Wallace—as well as a familiar face, also from Hoenn.
This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
- The Bus Came Back: May, calling Ash to tell him that she's over at Snowpoint City. Why she's there—both in Sinnoh, and specifically in Snowpoint City—we'll find out in the next episode.
- Famed In-Story: The first third of the episode is basically an As You Know to sum up Wallace's world-wide recognition as a Coordinator.
- Funny Background Event: Jack, the camera crew's boom mic holder, struggles to keep his mic in the air just above Rhonda's head while she's interviewing Ash, Dawn and Brock. Jack finally gives in, so the mic drops on Rhonda just as she turns around. Needless to say, she quickly reprimands Jack afterwards for it before regaining her composure and leading them away.
- Later, when Rhonda rants at having missed everything regarding Wallace with Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket because the camera's battery was dead, she clunks her head on Jack's boom mic again, knocking her silly and knocking her out cold, to the concern of her crew.
- The Glomp: Gligar does this to Ash, knocking him out in the process.
- Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Jessie taunts Dawn about past appeal failures after learning of her plans to enter the Wallace Cup.
- You Were Trying Too Hard: During Dawn's practice battle with Ash and his Buizel, Wallace notices that she is spending too much time trying to perfect her Pokemon's moves. He kindly suggested that she loosen up a bit and have some fun with her Pokemon instead of always being so serious about their performance. After hearing his advice, she realizes that her intense focus is keeping her from fully enjoying the time she spends with her beloved Pokemon. As a result, she felt like her performances in contests weren't as good as they could be because they didn't showcase the bond between her and her Pokemon.
