Pokémon Season 7: Advanced Challenge

Quick answers · Story Arcs · Episode Guide · Characters · Pokémon · Gyms & Contests · Movies & Specials · Side Stories & Crossovers · Music · TV Broadcasts · Dub Edits & Censorship · DVD & Streaming · Where to Watch · Trading Cards · Firsts & Lasts · Trivia · Reception

Pokémon: Advanced Challenge is the seventh season of the English-language Pokémon anime and the second season of Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire, known in Japan as Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation. It covers episodes AG041–AG092 of the Japanese series, which TV Tokyo broadcast from 4 September 2003 to 2 September 2004. 4Kids Entertainment’s dub ran on Kids’ WB from 11 September 2004 to 10 September 2005, with all 52 episodes dubbed and none banned — although Love at First Flight was held back and shown sixth.

From Mauville City the journey loops across the middle of Hoenn: through the desert to Fallarbor Town, over Mt. Chimney to Lavaridge Town, back through Mauville to Verdanturf and Petalburg, and north to Fortree City and Lilycove. Ash wins the Heat Badge from the rookie Leader Flannery, the Balance Badge from May and Max’s father Norman and the Feather Badge from Winona, catches Torkoal, and sees Treecko evolve into Grovyle and Taillow into Swellow. May has her breakthrough as a Coordinator, winning Ribbons in Fallarbor, Verdanturf and Lilycove, catching Skitty and Bulbasaur and watching Torchic become Combusken. Misty drops in for a two-part farewell to Togepi, Professor Oak visits Hoenn, James finally gets the Chimecho he always wanted, and Teams Magma and Aqua clash over a meteorite on Mt. Chimney and over the Weather Institute’s data on Groudon and Kyogre.

Behind the scenes the season brings a new English theme in David Rolfe’s This Dream, a new Japanese opening from AG070 — Rica Matsumoto’s Challenger!! — four different Japanese endings and 45 species making their TV debut. It is also the season in which the dub dropped Who’s That Pokémon? for the error-prone Pokémon Trainer’s Choice. Our complete episode guide below keeps the original synopses written for Pokémon Dungeon for the first 14 episodes and adds new ones for the other 38, with Japanese titles and air dates for every episode.

• 52episodes — all dubbed, none banned
• 3Gym badges: Heat, Balance & Feather
• 3Contest Ribbons for May: Fallarbor, Verdanturf & Lilycove
• 45Pokémon species make their TV debut
• 4evolutions on the heroes’ teams: Grovyle, Lombre, Swellow & Combusken
• 3new Pokémon for Ash & May: Torkoal, Skitty & Bulbasaur

Quick Answers

Story Arcs

Pokémon: Advanced Challenge runs for 52 episodes and takes Ash, May, Max and Brock from Mauville City to Lilycove — three badges, three Ribbons and one visit from Misty later. Here is how the season breaks down, with stills from our episode guide below.

Leaving Mauville: Bullet Seed, fireflies & a dream of flightAG041–AG043

With the Dynamo Badge won, the group leave Mauville City with two targets — May’s next Contest in Fallarbor Town and Ash’s fourth Gym battle in Lavaridge Town — and Max’s PokéNav shows that Fallarbor comes first. On a watermelon farm the self-styled “Melon Master” Natasha beats Ash in a Double Battle, but her Grovyle’s example finally teaches Treecko Bullet Seed, which it promptly fires at its own Trainer. At Lake May the Volbeat and Illumise of Romeo and Juliet rehearse a light show for the May Festival, while Ash, dressed as Juliet for Romeo’s confession practice, is chased round the porch by Brock. On a mountain pass Michelle’s analysis glasses guide a Bagon that keeps leaping off cliffs in the hope of flying, until a jetpack ride and a sunset evolution into Shelgon bring its dream a step closer. In the US, Love at First Flight was held back and shown sixth.

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Misty’s visit: the Mirage KingdomAG044–AG045

Misty, now running the Cerulean Gym, turns up by a river, meets May and Max and is lured with Togepi onto Team Rocket’s blimp — a fake hotel for a Togepi Trainers’ convention — which carries everyone across the desert to the hidden Mirage Kingdom. For once the trio want Togepi rather than Pikachu, and so does the ambitious Colonel Hansen, whose Shedinja and Ninjask hunt it through a hedge maze while Princess Sara searches in vain for the Togepi that must choose her as the next ruler. Togepi’s new Safeguard carries the group into the Togepi Paradise, where the Togepi are sickening; Hansen seizes the throne, the Paradise Togepi pour their energy into Misty’s Togepi and it evolves into Togetic. Misty reveals a Gyarados whose Flamethrower knocks out Shedinja, then tearfully releases Togetic to guard the Paradise — the last evolution of any of her Pokémon — and flies home to Cerulean City.

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Across the desert: the Winstrates, Skitty, Zangoose & the other MaxAG046–AG049

Rescued from the desert by Victoria and her Camerupt, the group are challenged to a four-on-four by the battle-mad Winstrate family, whose eldest son Vito has secretly decided that he would rather raise Pokémon than battle them. May’s Beautifly beats Victoria’s Roselia for her first win in a Trainer battle, Max borrows Corphish to pummel Vivi’s Marill, and Vicky’s Camerupt erupts before the decider can finish. At Eliza’s aromatherapy Greenhouse May nurses an exhausted Skitty, which catches itself by pressing her Poké Ball — and Max drags Brock away by the ear for the first time. Nicholai returns dressed as a Zangoose, and his Zangoose and Jessie’s Seviper act out their species’ ancient feud, while at a lakeside Pokémon Center Max quarrels with, and then befriends, another boy called Max and his Surskit.

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The Fallarbor Contest: May’s first RibbonAG050–AG051

In Fallarbor Town May meets Grace, a Coordinator with three Ribbons whose Medicham combines Ice Punch with Confusion, and learns that experience alone does not win Contests; Drew, also on three Ribbons, mocks her indecision and beats Ash’s Taillow with Stun Spore and Solar Beam. Team Rocket’s back-alley Pokéblock shop sells painted gold and silver Pokéblocks until Grace exposes the scam. In the Contest Beautifly squeezes into the last four by a tenth of a point with Silver Wind, beats “Jessica” — whose Dustox owes its rainbow sheen to a hidden device that breaks mid-battle — and then outlasts Grace’s Medicham, injured by Silver Wind and bound with String Shot, in the final. Grace had beaten Drew in the other semi-final, and May receives the Fallarbor Ribbon, her first, along with a rose from her rival.

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Mt. Chimney & the Heat BadgeAG052–AG056

Thatcher returns with Plusle and Minun as a convert to Sheridan’s cheering school, until Max exposes the hidden Pokémon behind the drums whispering Helping Hand and Aromatherapy. In the Fiery Path Julie’s Pokédex check reveals that Skitty knows Assist, which wakes her herd of Numel inside Team Rocket’s Numel-shaped mecha. On Mt. Chimney Team Magma under Tabitha and Team Aqua under Shelly fight over Professor Cozmo’s meteorite while the heroes and Team Rocket share sandwiches in a stranded cable car; Magma load the rock into a machine aimed into the crater, and Cozmo shoves the whole thing into the volcano. In Lavaridge Town the rookie Leader Flannery, secretly watched over by her disguised grandfather Mr. Moore, sees her Slugma Mag evolve into Magcargo. Next day Corphish, Treecko and Pikachu battle through Reflect, Yawn and the anime’s first burn until the waking Corphish flips Torkoal from the side to win the Heat Badge, Ash’s fourth.

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The long way round: Torkoal, Manectric & VerdanturfAG057–AG062

Rather than cross the desert to Fortree City, the group head back through Mauville towards Petalburg, where Ash can now challenge Norman for real. A heart-marked Spinda leads Claire to her fiancé Kain (and Brock to the one with a cracked heart), and in the Valley of Steel a Torkoal that seeks out strong opponents faces down a Steelix with Overheat and tearfully joins Ash’s team. Back at the Mauville Gym, Wattson’s Electrike evolves into Manectric and wins a friendly rematch with Shock Wave, while May’s Skitty beats Watt’s Ampharos; at Foothill Town the former Grand Festival champion Dr. Abby and her Delcatty Johnny teach Skitty Blizzard. Verdanturf Town’s Contest is haunted by the masked Phantom, really Timmy Grimm hiding his Dusclops from his mother. Brock stands in as the Phantom to fool her, Drew withdraws with an injured Roselia, and in the final a working Blizzard after a barrage of Assists knocks out Dusclops for May’s second Ribbon.

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Road to Petalburg: Lombre, Grovyle & the Balance BadgeAG063–AG070

Brock’s Lotad falls down a dry well and evolves into Lombre, the “Great Water Lord” of a drought-stricken village whose spring Team Rocket have been pumping dry; May nurses a Swablu that is afraid to fly after a forest fire and lets it rejoin its flock; and Professor Jacuzzi’s particle cannon turns Treecko and a Gulpin into giants. Treecko evolves into Grovyle, learning Leaf Blade, at the same moment as Guy’s Loudred becomes Exploud — Ash’s first evolution in 141 episodes — which makes Corphish so jealous that it loses to Poncho’s dancing Ludicolo. In North Petalburg Norman’s fans boo Ash while May’s Torchic beats Taillow and Team Rocket pose as Norman’s family, and in Petalburg the rumoured affair between Norman and Nurse Joy turns out to be an anniversary fireworks surprise for Caroline. The Gym battle pits Pikachu, Torkoal and Grovyle against Slakoth, Vigoroth and Slaking, and the first Abilities activated in the anime — Pikachu’s Static and Grovyle’s Overgrow — win the Balance Badge.

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Littleroot to Rubello: Oak, Bulbasaur & the R1 ContestAG071–AG078

Professor Oak visits Professor Birch in Littleroot Town, where May and Max meet him for the first time and help rescue the six Kanto and Hoenn first partners from Team Rocket’s waterfall base before the group leave by ferry for Fortree. Ash and May bicker through Ash’s first Tag Battle and lose to the devoted couple Oscar and Andi; in the Forbidden Forest May saves a Bulbasaur, the child of the forest’s Venusaur, which decides to follow her; and Ash’s own Bulbasaur visits from Oak’s lab when Team Rocket hijack a Pokémon Center transporter. A giant Whiscash swallows Ash’s Badge case and a fisherman’s Master Ball, and Calista meets her future self in the Baltoy ruins. Rubello Town holds an R1 Contest for Ribbon holders only, and the adoring Mothers for Pokémon make May overconfident: her stage-frightened Bulbasaur is paralysed by Savannah’s Lairon, the judges stop the semi-final, and Drew wins his fourth Ribbon.

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Towards Fortree: Swellow, Combusken & the Feather BadgeAG079–AG085

Giovanni threatens to replace the trio with Butch and Cassidy, and the Magikarp salesman sells Jessie a painted “Feebas”. In Crossgate Town’s aerial PokéRinger tournament Taillow evolves into Swellow inside a sand tornado and beats James and a borrowed Dustox in the final, making Ash an honorary citizen. Max befriends an emotion-eating Shuppet after a quarrel with May, and in the Shroomish Forest May’s Torchic, enraged on Corphish’s behalf, evolves into Combusken and fights a Breloom to a double knockout. At the Weather Institute Team Aqua’s raid for data on Groudon and Kyogre is beaten by Team Magma’s Brodie, a master of disguise posing as the new trainee Millie. In Fortree City James catches a real Chimecho at the Feather Carnival, and on Winona’s rooftop Grovyle downs Altaria, Pikachu and Pelipper knock each other out, and Ash’s Swellow uses the dust of its own Wing Attack to find Winona’s Shiny Swellow and win the Feather Badge.

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To Lilycove: Aerial Ace & the Lilycove RibbonAG086–AG092

The next Gym is in Mossdeep City, reached by ferry from Lilycove, and the road there is full of detours: Elijah’s travelling cinema, carried by his Camerupt, whose films include one starring Red and Clefairy from the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga; a Lunatone from space, escorted to Camerupt Point to recover by moonlight; a Snorlax eating the Banana Slakoth Garden bare until Marcel’s newly evolved Vigoroth beats it; and an amnesiac Pikachu whom Meowth persuades that he is a member of Team Rocket. In Lilycove, Kelly’s family teaches May to make Pokéblocks while Vladimir the Attacker coaches Swellow in Aerial Ace. May’s Combusken turns a runaway Fire Spin into a winning appeal, knocks out Jessafina’s borrowed Chimecho — which scored a perfect 30 — and beats Kelly’s Grumpig for the Lilycove Ribbon, her third. Catching the wrong ferry, the group land at Bomba Island’s referee school, where Jimmy’s Wartortle evolves into Blastoise, and the season ends with them sailing for Mossdeep.

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Episode Guide

All 52 episodes of Pokémon: Advanced Challenge are listed below in Japanese and home-video order. Every episode has its own page with our full synopsis, both titles, air dates, major events, Pokémon debuts, trivia and dub changes — click the title or the screenshot. The # column is the episode’s number within the season and the orange code is the Bulbapedia AG number used by most fan sites. The synopses of the first 14 episodes are the originals written for Pokémon Dungeon; the other 38 are new. One episode aired out of order in the US: Love at First Flight (AG042, #2 here) was held back until 16 October 2004 and shown sixth, after Candid Camerupt!. There is no Who’s That Pokémon? answer this season: Japan had replaced the segment with a plain eyecatch when Advanced Generation began, and from AG041 the dub swapped it for Pokémon Trainer’s Choice, in which Ash asks which of three Pokémon is best against, or evolves into, another — each episode’s question is on its own page.

	#	Episode	First aired	In short
	1AG041	What You Seed is What You Getキモリの新技！！スイカ畑のタネマシンガン！	Japan 4 Sep 2003 US 11 Sep 2004	After Ash’s victory at the Mauville Gym, May and Ash argue over their next destination. · Season premiere Episode guide →
	2AG042	Love at First Flightバルビートとイルミーゼ！愛のダンス！	Japan 11 Sep 2003 US 16 Oct 2004	While traveling the road, they stumble upon a lake. · Volbeat & Illumise light show Episode guide →
	3AG043	Let Bagons Be Bagons飛べ、タツベイ！明日にむかって！！	Japan 18 Sep 2003 US 18 Sep 2004	While walking through the mountains, Ash and the gang encounter a Bagon. · Bagon evolves into Shelgon Episode guide →
	4AG044	The Princess and the Togepiカスミ登場！トゲピーとまぼろしの王国！！	Japan 25 Sep 2003 US 25 Sep 2004	On the way to Fallarbor Town, Ash and the gang are waiting by a lake for a "special friend". · Misty returns Episode guide →
	5AG045	A Togepi Mirage!蜃気楼の彼方に！トゲピーの楽園！	Japan 2 Oct 2003 US 2 Oct 2004	As the smoke clears from Pikachu’s counter, Shedinja uses Solarbeam and the Ninjask use Hyper Beam. · Togepi evolves into Togetic Episode guide →
	6AG046	Candid Camerupt!かちぬきファミリー！４VS４！！	Japan 9 Oct 2003 US 9 Oct 2004	On their way to Fallarbor Town, Ash’s Pikachu faints from exhaustion, along with everyone else. · The Winstrate family Episode guide →
	7AG047	I Feel Skitty!エネコとアロマテラピー！	Japan 16 Oct 2003 US 23 Oct 2004	While taking a break from their walk to Fallarbor Town, May gets some practicing in before her contest. · May catches Skitty Episode guide →
	8AG048	ZigZag Zangoose!ザングースVSハブネーク！ライバル対決！！	Japan 23 Oct 2003 US 23 Oct 2004	On their way to Fallarbor Town, a Zangoose runs by Ash and the gang. · Nicholai returns Episode guide →
	9AG049	Maxxed Out!マサトとマサト！アメタマを守れ！	Japan 30 Oct 2003 US 30 Oct 2004	Continuing their journey to Fallarbor Town, Ash and the gang stop at a Pokemon Center. · The other Max Episode guide →
	10AG050	Pros and Con Artistsポケモンコンテスト・ハジツゲ大会！！	Japan 6 Nov 2003 US 30 Oct 2004	Ash and the gang finally make it to Fallarbor Town! · Arrival in Fallarbor Episode guide →
	11AG051	Come What May!VSチャーレム！コンテストバトル！！	Japan 13 Nov 2003 US 6 Nov 2004	It’s the first round of the contest and Drew’s Roselia got some pretty high scores from the judges. · Fallarbor Contest – May’s first Ribbon Episode guide →
	12AG052	Cheer Pressureプラスルとマイナン！応援の道！？	Japan 20 Nov 2003 US 6 Nov 2004	May is celebrating her contest win as Ash and the gang are on the way to Lavaridge Town for Ash’s next gym battle. · Thatcher returns Episode guide →
	13AG053	Game Winning Assistエネコとねこのて！ドンメルの牧場！	Japan 27 Nov 2003 US 13 Nov 2004	Skitty let itself out of its PokeBall again, this time angering some local Slugma and chasing Ash and the gang out of a cave. · Skitty’s Assist revealed Episode guide →
	14AG054	Fight for the Meteorite!マグマ団VSアクア団、再び！えんとつ山の戦い！！	Japan 4 Dec 2003 US 13 Nov 2004	Ash and the gang barely make it to catch the first Cable Car up Mt. · Team Magma vs Team Aqua Episode guide →
	15AG055	Poetry Commotion!新人ジムリーダー・アスナ！穴だらけのバトルフィールド！？	Japan 11 Dec 2003 US 20 Nov 2004	Arriving in Lavaridge Town, famous for its hot springs, the group are tempted by the sand baths where visitors are buried up to their necks, but Ash… · Flannery debuts Episode guide →
	16AG056	Going, Going, Yawnヒートバッジ！燃えるバトルでゲットだぜ！！	Japan 18 Dec 2003 US 20 Nov 2004	The day of Ash’s Lavaridge Gym battle arrives, and with Mr. · Heat Badge Episode guide →
	17AG057	Going for a Spindaパッチールがいっぱい！幸せさがして山の彼方に！？	Japan 25 Dec 2003 US 27 Nov 2004	With the Heat Badge won, the group debate their next move. · Route change for Petalburg Episode guide →
	18AG058	All Torkoal, No Playハガネの谷を突破せよ！コータスVSハガネール！！	Japan 8 Jan 2004 US 27 Nov 2004	Brock’s shortcut to Mauville City leads the group into the Valley of Steel, a barren wilderness ruled by aggressive Steel-type Pokémon. · Ash catches Torkoal Episode guide →
	19AG059	Manectric Chargeキンセツジムふたたび！VSライボルト！！	Japan 15 Jan 2004 US 4 Dec 2004	Back in Mauville City on the way to Petalburg, the group find a carnival with a toy stand run by Team Rocket in Gengar and Tauros costumes. · Wattson rematch Episode guide →
	20AG060	Delcatty Got Your Tongueエネコとエネコロロ！伝説のコーディネーター登場！！	Japan 22 Jan 2004 US 4 Dec 2004	On the road to Verdanturf Town the group are diverted by road works and fall into a pit. · Dr. Abby Episode guide →
	21AG061	Disaster of Disguise仮面のコーディネーター・ファントム登場！！	Japan 29 Jan 2004 US 11 Dec 2004	In Verdanturf Town, May and Skitty are preparing for the Contest when Drew appears with bad news. · The Phantom Episode guide →
	22AG062	Disguise Da Limitシダケタウン！ポケモンコンテスト！！	Japan 5 Feb 2004 US 11 Dec 2004	The Verdanturf Contest is about to begin, and May is nervous about entering Skitty for the first time. · Verdanturf Contest – May’s second Ribbon Episode guide →
	23AG063	Take the Lombre Homeソルロックとハスブレロ！聖なる森の伝説！	Japan 12 Feb 2004 US 29 Jan 2005	On the way to Petalburg City for Ash’s fifth Badge, the group run out of water and head for a famous freshwater spring, unaware that Team… · Lotad evolves into Lombre Episode guide →
	24AG064	True Blue Swabluチルットの空！ハルカの心！！	Japan 19 Feb 2004 US 5 Feb 2005	During a storm, lightning sets fire to a tree where a flock of Swablu and Altaria are sheltering, and one young Swablu, too slow to escape, is hurt… · May nurses a Swablu Episode guide →
	25AG065	Gulpin it Downゴクリン撃退大作戦！！	Japan 26 Feb 2004 US 12 Feb 2005	Lunching in a harbourside park near Petalburg City, where Ash hopes to win his rematch with Norman, the group lose their food to a Gulpin that slides… · Gulpin invasion Episode guide →
	26AG066	Exploud and Clear!一触即発！バクオングVSジュプトル！！	Japan 4 Mar 2004 US 19 Feb 2005	During a lunch break in the woods outside Petalburg City, Max notices that Treecko has withdrawn to the top of a tree and seems unhappy. · Treecko evolves into Grovyle Episode guide →
	27AG067	Go Go Ludicolo!踊るバトルだ！ルンパッパ！！	Japan 11 Mar 2004 US 26 Feb 2005	With Petalburg City just over the mountain, the group take a break and Ash lets out all his Pokémon to choose a team for his battle with… · Corphish’s jealousy Episode guide →
	28AG068	A Double Dilemmaパパはアイドル！？いつわりのジムリーダー！！	Japan 18 Mar 2004 US 5 Mar 2005	Arriving in North Petalburg, the group stop at the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy and a greengrocer named Rose recognise May and Max as… · Team Rocket pose as Norman’s family Episode guide →
	29AG069	Love, Petalburg Style!トウカジムの危機！家庭の危機！！	Japan 25 Mar 2004 US 12 Mar 2005	The group finally reach Petalburg City. Ash heads to the Pokémon Center to heal his team, while May, Max and Brock go home, where they are… · Arrival in Petalburg Episode guide →
	30AG070	Balance of Powerトウカジム戦！五つ目のバッジ！！	Japan 1 Apr 2004 US 19 Mar 2005	Ash’s long-awaited Gym battle with Norman begins, with Kenny refereeing a three-on-three match in which only the challenger may substitute, and… · Balance Badge Episode guide →
	31AG071	A Six Pack Attack!オーキド博士とオダマキ博士！秘密基地の戦い！！	Japan 8 Apr 2004 US 26 Mar 2005	Admiring his five Badges, Ash learns from Brock that the next Gym is in Fortree City and wants to set off at once, but May and Max remind him that… · Professor Oak visits Hoenn Episode guide →
	32AG072	The Bicker the Betterタッグバトル！サトシVSハルカ！？	Japan 15 Apr 2004 US 2 Apr 2005	As the group leave a Pokémon Center for Fortree City, May is still packing, and when Ash hurries her out she stops to fix her hair in a mirror. · Ash’s first Tag Battle Episode guide →
	33AG073	Grass Hysteria!禁断の森の王者！フシギバナ！！	Japan 22 Apr 2004 US 9 Apr 2005	Lost in an uncharted part of Hoenn on the way to Fortree, with their compass and PokéNav both malfunctioning, the group are attacked by a wild… · May catches Bulbasaur Episode guide →
	34AG074	Hokey Poké Balls!フシギダネとフシギダネ！モンスターボールを取り返せ！！	Japan 29 Apr 2004 US 16 Apr 2005	In a busy town, May lets her new Bulbasaur out to see the sights, but the curious Pokémon wanders towards a fruit stall and then climbs into a… · Ash’s Bulbasaur visits Episode guide →
	35AG075	Whiscash and Ash対決！巨大ナマズンと釣り名人！！	Japan 6 May 2004 US 23 Apr 2005	While resting by a lake, Ash polishes his Badge Case and reminisces about his five Hoenn Gym battles, until a gigantic Whiscash leaps out of the… · Master Ball debut Episode guide →
	36AG076	Me, Myself and Timeヤジロンと霧の中の遺跡！	Japan 13 May 2004 US 30 Apr 2005	Crossing Kirikiri Mountain in thick fog, Ash slides down a steep slope with Pikachu and is separated from his friends. · First time-travel episode Episode guide →
	37AG077	A Fan with a Plan強敵！？ママさんコーディネーター登場！	Japan 20 May 2004 US 7 May 2005	Arriving in Rubello Town on the way to Fortree City, the group spot a poster for a Contest the next day, and May decides at once to enter. · Mothers for Pokémon Episode guide →
	38AG078	Cruisin’ for a Losin’ポケモンコンテスト！ルイボス大会！！	Japan 27 May 2004 US 14 May 2005	Jessie is turned away from the Rubello Contest when she tries to enter with an oversized fake Ribbon, but when a woman offers to buy it as a… · Rubello Contest – May loses in the semi-final Episode guide →
	39AG079	Pearls are a Spoink’s Best Friendバネブーのさがしもの！？	Japan 3 Jun 2004 US 21 May 2005	Team Rocket make an awkward video call to Giovanni, admitting that they have nothing to report and that their Hoenn secret base has been destroyed. · Giovanni threatens the trio Episode guide →
	40AG080	That’s Just Swellow初挑戦！空中競技・ポケリンガ！！	Japan 10 Jun 2004 US 28 May 2005	Arriving in Crossgate Town, Ash and May rescue a Swablu struggling in the wind. · Taillow evolves into Swellow Episode guide →
	41AG081	Take This House and Shuppetカゲボウズの館！	Japan 17 Jun 2004 US 4 Jun 2005	Blasted off once again, Team Rocket crash-land outside an old mansion and start brawling, until a grey, ghostly Pokémon with glowing red eyes… · Max befriends Shuppet Episode guide →
	42AG082	A Shroomish Skirmish森の格闘王！？ ワカシャモＶＳキノガッサ！	Japan 24 Jun 2004 US 11 Jun 2005	Stopping for lunch in the Shroomish Forest on the way to Fortree City, Corphish gobbles its own food and then steals Torchic’s, starting a… · Torchic evolves into Combusken Episode guide →
	43AG083	Unfair-Weather Friendsお天気研究所のポワルン！	Japan 1 Jul 2004 US 18 Jun 2005	On the road to Fortree City, a sunny day suddenly turns to rain and then snow. · Team Aqua raid the Weather Institute Episode guide →
	44AG084	Who’s Flying Now?ヒワマキシティのフェザーカーニバル！！	Japan 8 Jul 2004 US 25 Jun 2005	Arriving in Fortree City, a town of treehouses built according to an old local tradition, Ash ignores the scenery and races to the Gym, where the… · James catches Chimecho Episode guide →
	45AG085	Sky High Gym Battle!ヒワマキジム！大空の戦い！！	Japan 15 Jul 2004 US 9 Jul 2005	Ash and Winona take their places on raised platforms above the Fortree Gym’s open-air battlefield, Winona first praying to the wind for… · Feather Badge Episode guide →
	46AG086	Lights, Camerupt, Action!映画はバクーダに乗って！！	Japan 22 Jul 2004 US 16 Jul 2005	Fresh from winning the Feather Badge, Ash is ready for his seventh Gym battle, and Brock’s guidebook reveals that the next Gym is in Mossdeep… · Travelling cinema Episode guide →
	47AG087	Crazy as a Lunatone神秘！宇宙から来たポケモン！？	Japan 29 Jul 2004 US 20 Aug 2005	At dawn a meteor crashes to earth, and Ken and Mary of the Pokémon Mystery Club rush to the crater in a vehicle fitted with robotic arms,… · Lunatone returns to space Episode guide →
	48AG088	The Garden of Eatin’バナナナマケロ園のカビゴン！！	Japan 5 Aug 2004 US 27 Aug 2005	On the way to Lilycove City the group see a banner for the Banana Slakoth Garden, home to the world’s largest Slakoth population according to… · Slakoth evolves into Vigoroth Episode guide →
	49AG089	A Scare to Remember!ピカチュウ、ロケット団に入る！？	Japan 12 Aug 2004 US 3 Sep 2005	On the way to the ferry port in Lilycove City, a falling tree nearly hits Pikachu, and Team Rocket’s latest machine, the Mean and Nasty, Grumpy… · Pikachu loses his memory Episode guide →
	50AG090	Pokéblock, Stock, and Berryミナモシティ到着！ポロックとつばめがえし！	Japan 19 Aug 2004 US 3 Sep 2005	The group arrive in Lilycove City, where a starving Ash and Pikachu head for food and May spots a poster for a Contest the next day. · Arrival in Lilycove Episode guide →
	51AG091	Lessons in Lilycoveポケモンコンテスト！ミナモ大会！！	Japan 26 Aug 2004 US 10 Sep 2005	The runaway Fire Spin threatens to engulf May, but Combusken shields her and uses Peck to scatter the embers across the stage. · Lilycove Contest – May’s third Ribbon Episode guide →
	52AG092	Judgment Day!あの三匹登場！審判学校の島！	Japan 2 Sep 2004 US 10 Sep 2005	Racing to catch the ferry to Mossdeep, Ash and May board the wrong boat and end up on Bomba Island, which, as Max points out, has no direct ferry to… · Season finale Episode guide →

Characters & Travelling Companions

The travelling party is unchanged from Advanced: Ash, May, Max and Brock walk a long loop from Mauville City through Fallarbor, Lavaridge, Petalburg, Littleroot and Fortree to Lilycove, and the season ends with them sailing for Mossdeep. Ash wins three more Gym badges — the Heat, Balance and Feather Badges, for six in all — catches Torkoal (AG058), sees Treecko evolve into Grovyle (AG066) and Taillow into Swellow (AG080), wins Crossgate Town’s PokéRinger tournament and fights his first official Tag Battle. He also loses rather more often than usual: to Natasha (AG041), Drew (AG050), Wattson (AG059), Poncho (AG067, before Torkoal wins a rematch), May (AG068) and, with May as his partner, Oscar and Andi (AG072). Pikachu activates its Static Ability (AG070) and, in A Scare to Remember! (AG089), briefly loses his memory and believes Meowth’s story that he belongs to Team Rocket.

May has her breakthrough season as a Coordinator. She wins the Fallarbor (AG051), Verdanturf (AG062) and Lilycove (AG091) Ribbons — three of the five she needs for the Grand Festival — but learns a hard lesson in Rubello (AG078), where overconfidence costs her the semi-final. Her team grows to four: Skitty catches itself by pressing her Poké Ball (AG047), a Bulbasaur from the Forbidden Forest follows her out (AG073) and Torchic evolves into Combusken (AG082). She also wins her first Trainer battle (AG046), beats Ash (AG068), meets Misty (AG044) and Professor Oak (AG071), makes her first Pokéblocks (AG090) and lets the Swablu she nursed back to health rejoin its flock (AG064).

Max, still without a Pokémon of his own, guides the group with his PokéNav, borrows Corphish to beat Vivi Winstrate (AG046), meets a namesake with a Surskit (AG049), finally meets his idol Professor Oak (AG071), befriends a Shuppet (AG081) and snatches the Balance Badge in protest at his father’s defeat before giving it back (AG070); from I Feel Skitty! (AG047) he also takes over Misty’s old job of dragging Brock away by the ear. Brock sees his Lotad evolve into Lombre (AG063), referees most of the group’s battles, plays “love doctor” for Norman and Caroline (AG069) and, unusually, shows no interest at all in the Weather Institute’s new trainee — who turns out to be Brodie of Team Magma in disguise (AG083).

Misty makes her first appearance since Gotta Catch Ya Later! in a two-part guest visit (AG044–AG045), wearing a new outfit and meeting May and Max for the first time. Her Togepi evolves into Togetic and stays behind to protect the Togepi Paradise, and she shows off a Gyarados that knows Flamethrower before flying home to the Cerulean Gym.

• Ash KetchumStarting over in Hoenn with only Pikachu
• MayPetalburg City’s budding Pokémon Coordinator
• MaxMay’s younger brother and a walking Pokédex
• BrockBack on the road as the group’s cook and breeder
• May’s Skitty catches itself (AG047)
• MayMay and Max meet Professor Oak in Littleroot Town (AG071)
• May’s Bulbasaur and its parentThe Forbidden Forest’s Venusaur (AG073)

Team Rocket

Jessie, James and Meowth spend the season in Hoenn with Seviper, Dustox, Cacnea and Wobbuffet, and James finally adds a new Pokémon. After the Magikarp salesman sells him a Hoppip with a bell tied to its tail, a real Chimecho — the Pokémon he longed for as a boy — joins him at Fortree’s Feather Carnival (AG084), his first new Pokémon since Cacnea. Jessie keeps entering Contests in disguise: as “Jessica” in Fallarbor, where a hidden rainbow device on Dustox gets her thrown out (AG051); as “Jesslana” in Verdanturf (AG062); with stolen Ribbons that she is talked into handing back in Rubello (AG077); and as “Jessafina” in Lilycove, where James’s borrowed Chimecho earns a perfect 30 in the appeals (AG091). She also trades Spoink’s pearl for a painted Magikarp passed off as a Feebas (AG079).

Giovanni appears by videophone in Pearls are a Spoink’s Best Friend (AG079) to call the Hoenn mission a costly failure and threaten to send Butch and Cassidy in the trio’s place, after they admit that their new secret base has been destroyed. Meowth sings the Japanese ending Polka O Dolka until AG044, fills in for Jessie (AG048) and, for the first time, for James (AG080) in the motto, and convinces an amnesiac Pikachu that the two of them are best friends (AG089). James borrows Jessie’s Dustox to take second place in the PokéRinger (AG080). Wobbuffet misses Poetry Commotion! (AG055), the first Ruby and Sapphire episode without it, and in Japan Akiko Hiramatsu stands in for Megumi Hayashibara as Jessie for the last eight episodes.

• JessieTeam Rocket
• JamesTeam Rocket
• MeowthTeam Rocket’s talking Meowth

Gym Leaders, rivals, villains & recurring characters

The season’s Gym Leaders are Flannery of Lavaridge Town, a rookie fighting her first official match as Leader under the eye of her grandfather Mr. Moore, who claims to be away on a poetry tour while spying on her in a string of disguises; May and Max’s father Norman of Petalburg City, whose Slakoth, Vigoroth and Slaking force a challenger to fight at his pace, with his assistant Kenny refereeing and their mother Caroline watching; and Winona of Fortree City, who prays to the wind before battling from a raised platform and leads the Feather Carnival’s formation flight, with Zachary as her referee. Wattson and his assistant Watt return for a rematch in Mauville (AG059).

Drew beats Ash’s Taillow (AG050), tosses May a rose after her first win and collects his fourth Ribbon in Rubello with a new Masquerain (AG078). The Contests also bring Grace (AG050–AG051), Timmy Grimm, the masked Phantom (AG061–AG062), Savannah and the Mothers for Pokémon (AG077–AG078) and Kelly (AG090–AG091), with Raoul Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and Nurse Joy judging and Vivian Meridian — given her surname by the dub in AG062 — as MC. Team Magma’s Tabitha and Team Aqua’s Shelly clash on Mt. Chimney (AG054), Shelly leads the Weather Institute raid (AG083), and Team Magma’s Brodie, a master of disguise with a Ditto, makes his debut there. Professor Oak visits Professor Birch in Littleroot (AG071), and familiar faces return: Nicholai (AG048), Thatcher (AG052), Ken and Mary of the Pokémon Mystery Club (AG087) and the Magikarp salesman (AG079, AG084).

• MistyMisty and Togetic in the Togepi Paradise (AG045)
• FlanneryLavaridge Town’s rookie Gym Leader (AG055)
• Torkoal joins Ash in the Valley of Steel (AG058)
• Norman and SlakingThe last line of the Petalburg Gym (AG070)
• DrewMay’s rival Coordinator, with Masquerain (from AG077)
• BrodieTeam Magma’s master of disguise (AG083)
• WinonaFortree City Gym Leader (AG085)

Voice cast

Character	English voice actor	Japanese voice actor
Ash Ketchum	Veronica Taylor	Rica Matsumoto
Pikachu	Ikue Ōtani	Ikue Ōtani
May	Veronica Taylor	KAORI (later credited as Kaori Suzuki)
Max	Amy Birnbaum	Fushigi Yamada
Brock	Eric Stuart	Yūji Ueda
Misty (AG044–AG045)	Rachael Lillis	Mayumi Iizuka
Jessie	Rachael Lillis	Megumi Hayashibara (to AG084) · Akiko Hiramatsu (AG085–AG092)
James	Eric Stuart	Shin-ichiro Miki
Meowth	Maddie Blaustein	Inuko Inuyama
Wobbuffet	Kayzie Rogers	Yūji Ueda
Giovanni	Ted Lewis	Hirotaka Suzuoki
Professor Oak	Stuart Zagnit	Unshō Ishizuka
Professor Birch	Dan Green	Fumihiko Tachiki
Norman	Dan Green	Jūrōta Kosugi
Caroline	Karen Neill (from AG069)	not confirmed
Flannery	Lisa Ortiz	Rio Natsuki
Winona	Amy Birnbaum	Hyōsei
Drew	Pete Zarustica	Mitsuki Saiga
Brodie	Andrew Paull	Katsuyuki Konishi
Princess Sara	not confirmed	Megumi Toyoguchi
Vivian Meridian	Lisa Adams	Yumi Takada
Nurse Joy	Megan Hollingshead (to AG042) · Bella Hudson (from AG049)	not confirmed
Officer Jenny	Lee Quick (to AG065) · Jamie Davyous Owens	not confirmed
Narrator	Mike Pollock	Unshō Ishizuka

Pokémon: Captures, Changes, Encounters & Evolutions

In brief:

• Ash catches one new Pokémon, Torkoal (AG058); May catches two, Skitty (AG047) and Bulbasaur (AG073); and James gains a Chimecho (AG084).
• We see the following Pokémon evolutions take place during this season: Misty’s Togepi into Togetic (AG045), Brock’s Lotad into Lombre (AG063), Ash’s Treecko into Grovyle (AG066) and Taillow into Swellow (AG080), and May’s Torchic into Combusken (AG082).
• Ash ends the season with Pikachu, Swellow, Grovyle, Corphish and Torkoal on hand; May with Combusken, Beautifly, Skitty and Bulbasaur; Brock with Forretress, Lombre and Mudkip. Max still has no Pokémon of his own.

New Pokémon captured or hatched

• Skitty#0300 · May · presses the Poké Ball button itself · AG047
• Torkoal#0324 · Ash · after facing a Steelix in the Valley of Steel · AG058
• Gulpin#0316 · Professor Jacuzzi · a giant, in a Heavy Ball · AG065
• Bulbasaur#0001 · May · follows her out of the Forbidden Forest · AG073
• Chimecho#0358 · James · at the Feather Carnival · AG084
• Snorlax#0143 · Marcel · Banana Slakoth Garden · AG088

Evolutions

• Bagon → Shelgon#0372 · Michelle · AG043
• Togepi → Togetic#0176 · Misty · AG045
• Slugma → Magcargo#0219 · Flannery’s Mag · AG055
• Electrike → Manectric#0310 · Wattson · AG059
• Lotad → Lombre#0271 · Brock · AG063
• Treecko → Grovyle#0253 · Ash · AG066
• Loudred → Exploud#0295 · Guy · at the same moment as Treecko · AG066
• Taillow → Swellow#0277 · Ash · in the PokéRinger final · AG080
• Torchic → Combusken#0256 · May · AG082
• Slakoth → Vigoroth#0288 · Marcel · AG088
• Wartortle → Blastoise#0009 · Jimmy · AG092

Releases, departures and returns

There were a number of occasions where either Ash or another character released a captured Pokémon back into the wild for one reason or another.

This season it is Misty who says goodbye: her newly evolved Togetic stays behind to protect the Togepi Paradise in the Mirage Kingdom (AG045). May offers a place on her team to the Swablu she nursed back to flight, but lets it rejoin its flock (AG064), and Ash’s Bulbasaur, called from Professor Oak’s lab to meet May’s, is sent home the next day to keep the peace between the lab’s Grass and Water types (AG074) — the first time Ash calls up one of his pre-Hoenn Pokémon. Team Rocket lose two Pokémon that never really were: Jessie’s “Feebas” turns out to be a painted Magikarp (AG079), and James’s “Chimecho”, a Hoppip with a bell on its tail, blows away on the breeze (AG084).

Teams at the start and end of the season

Trainer	Start of the season (AG041)	End of the season (AG092)
Ash	Pikachu, Taillow, Treecko, Corphish	Pikachu, Swellow, Grovyle, Corphish, Torkoal
May	Torchic, Beautifly	Combusken, Beautifly, Skitty, Bulbasaur
Brock	Forretress, Lotad, Mudkip	Forretress, Lombre, Mudkip
Max	—	—
Jessie	Wobbuffet, Seviper, Dustox	Wobbuffet, Seviper, Dustox
James	Cacnea	Cacnea, Chimecho

Pokémon making their anime debut this season

Forty-five species make their TV-series debut in Advanced Challenge: 44 from Generation III plus Togetic, whose arrival in AG045 leaves Porygon2 as the only Generation II Pokémon yet to appear in the anime. Seventeen had already been seen elsewhere — eleven in Jirachi: Wish Maker (Camerupt, Numel, Manectric, Kirlia, Delcatty, Flygon, Dusclops, Solrock, Swablu, Altaria and Breloom), three in Destiny Deoxys (Armaldo, Lunatone and Grumpig), Volbeat in Camp Pikachu, Ludicolo in Gotta Dance!! and Skitty in the side story Big Meowth, Little Dreams. Several newcomers belong to the season’s Gym Leaders and rivals — Flannery’s Torkoal, Norman’s Slakoth and Slaking, Grace’s Medicham, Drew’s Masquerain, Savannah’s Lairon — and Castform appears in all four of its forms.

• Grovyle#0253 · AG041
• Volbeat#0313 · AG042 · TV debut
• Illumise#0314 · AG042
• Bagon#0371 · AG043
• Shelgon#0372 · AG043
• Ninjask#0291 · AG044
• Shedinja#0292 · AG044
• Togetic#0176 · AG045
• Swellow#0277 · AG046
• Camerupt#0323 · AG046 · TV debut
• Skitty#0300 · AG047 · TV debut
• Zangoose#0335 · AG048
• Surskit#0283 · AG049
• Medicham#0308 · AG050
• Numel#0322 · AG053 · TV debut
• Walrein#0365 · AG054
• Torkoal#0324 · AG055
• Spinda#0327 · AG057
• Manectric#0310 · AG059 · TV debut
• Kirlia#0281 · AG060 · TV debut
• Delcatty#0301 · AG060 · TV debut
• Flygon#0330 · AG060 · TV debut
• Dusclops#0356 · AG061 · TV debut
• Lombre#0271 · AG063
• Solrock#0338 · AG063 · TV debut
• Swablu#0333 · AG064 · TV debut
• Altaria#0334 · AG064 · TV debut
• Gulpin#0316 · AG065
• Exploud#0295 · AG066
• Ludicolo#0272 · AG067 · TV debut
• Slakoth#0287 · AG069
• Slaking#0289 · AG069
• Whiscash#0340 · AG075
• Feebas#0349 · AG075
• Baltoy#0343 · AG076
• Masquerain#0284 · AG077
• Lairon#0305 · AG077
• Spoink#0325 · AG079
• Shuppet#0353 · AG081
• Breloom#0286 · AG082 · TV debut
• Castform#0351 · AG083
• Chimecho#0358 · AG084
• Armaldo#0348 · AG086 · TV debut
• Lunatone#0337 · AG087 · TV debut
• Grumpig#0326 · AG090 · TV debut

Key Events, Gym Battles & Tournaments

Badges won this season

Badge	Gym & Leader	Leader’s Pokémon	Ash’s Pokémon	Result	Episode
Heat Badge	Lavaridge Gym · Flannery	Magcargo, Slugma, Torkoal	Corphish, Treecko, Pikachu	Win — Corphish beats the newly evolved Magcargo with Crabhammer; Slugma’s Reflect and Yawn send Treecko off burned — the first burn in the anime — and Corphish to sleep, before Pikachu electrifies its Smog cloud and finishes it with Quick Attack and Thunder; Torkoal’s Iron Defense and Overheat knock out Pikachu and Treecko, but the sleeping Corphish wakes, flips Torkoal from the side with Crabhammer and wins with Bubble Beam	AG056
Balance Badge	Petalburg Gym · Norman	Slakoth, Vigoroth, Slaking	Pikachu, Torkoal, Grovyle	Win — Slakoth freezes Pikachu with Blizzard but falls to Torkoal’s Flamethrower; Vigoroth beats Torkoal, then takes a deliberate Scratch from Pikachu, whose Static paralyses it before a double knockout; Grovyle’s Overgrow activates against Slaking, and a simultaneous Leaf Blade and Focus Punch leaves Slaking down — the first Abilities activated in the anime	AG070
Feather Badge	Fortree Gym · Winona	Altaria, Pelipper, Swellow (Shiny)	Grovyle, Pikachu, Swellow	Win — Grovyle drives Altaria down with a Leaf Blade launched from a totem pole; Pelipper grounds Thunderbolt with Steel Wing until its own Hydro Pump lifts it into Pikachu’s Thunder for a double knockout; Winona’s Shiny Swellow beats Grovyle with Aerial Ace, but Ash’s Swellow uses the dust thrown up by its Wing Attack to find its rival and wins the aerial duel	AG085

Pokémon Contests & May’s Ribbons

The Fallarbor Town Contest (Pros and Con Artists and Come What May!, AG050–AG051) is May’s second. In the appeals “Jessica”’s Dustox tops the board with 29.7, ahead of Drew’s Roselia (29.6) and Grace’s Medicham (29.5), and Beautifly’s Silver Wind earns 25.9 — fourth place by a tenth of a point. In the semi-finals Beautifly beats Jessica, whose hidden rainbow device breaks and gets her thrown out, and Grace’s Medicham beats Drew; in the final Silver Wind injures Medicham’s knee, String Shot binds its hands and May wins on points. The pink Fallarbor Ribbon is her first.

The Verdanturf Town Contest (Disaster of Disguise and Disguise Da Limit, AG061–AG062) goes ahead without Drew, whose Roselia was hurt by the Phantom’s Dusclops. Skitty fumbles its Blizzard in the appeals but recovers with a Double Slap juggling act for 24.9, behind “Jesslana” (28.5) and the Phantom (27.8). May knocks out Stefano’s Wartortle within seconds and the Phantom beats Jesslana, losing his mask to Pikachu’s Thunderbolt in front of his mother; in the final Skitty’s Assist borrows Gust, String Shot, Ember and Silver Wind, and a Blizzard that finally works knocks Dusclops out for the orange Verdanturf Ribbon.

The Rubello Town Contest (A Fan with a Plan and Cruisin’ for a Losin’, AG077–AG078) is an R1 event, open only to Coordinators who already hold a Ribbon and requiring two Pokémon, one for the appeals and one for the battles. Beautifly’s Morning Sun and Silver Wind take May into the last four with Drew, Sonny and Savannah, but in the semi-final her Bulbasaur freezes under the lights, Savannah’s Lairon sends Shock Wave down its Vine Whip to paralyse it, and the judges stop the match, scolding May for ignoring her Pokémon’s well-being. Drew’s Masquerain beats Sonny’s Girafarig, and Drew then beats Savannah for his fourth Ribbon — his only Ribbon win shown on screen. It is the last time May fails to reach a Contest final outside the Grand Festivals.

The Lilycove City Contest (Pokéblock, Stock, and Berry and Lessons in Lilycove, AG090–AG091) begins with a crisis: Combusken’s Fire Spin runs out of control, and May saves the appeal by scattering the embers with Peck, gathering them into a fireball and smashing it with Sky Uppercut for 23.6. Kelly’s Grumpig scores 27.7 and “Jessafina”, with James’s Chimecho turning Heal Bell into Astonish, a perfect 30. Combusken knocks Chimecho out in the semi-final and wins the final on points after catching Grumpig’s Iron Tail, smashing a Psychic fire-dragon and raining Fire Spin down from the ceiling. The bubble-patterned Lilycove Ribbon is May’s third, leaving her two short of the Grand Festival.

Mt. Chimney, the Weather Institute & Teams Aqua and Magma

Hoenn’s villains return twice. On Mt. Chimney (Fight for the Meteorite!, AG054) Team Magma under Tabitha and Team Aqua under Shelly — now called by their game names in the dub — converge on Professor Cozmo, who has found a meteorite fragment of an asteroid. Team Aqua seize the summit station and strand the cable cars, Ash climbs out along a rope, and a Team Magma Golbat carries the meteorite to a laser-like machine aimed into the crater. Cozmo warns that it could trigger a catastrophic eruption; once Pikachu’s Thunderbolt has overloaded the machine, he shoves it, meteorite and all, into the volcano, and both teams withdraw, each consoled that the other did not get the prize either.

At the Weather Institute (Unfair-Weather Friends, AG083) Shelly’s grunts seize the building and its weather-altering satellite dish to get at the institute’s data on Groudon and Kyogre. The trainee “Millie” copies the files to a disc and erases the master, hands Shelly a now-useless key card and then unmasks: she is Brodie, Team Magma’s male master of disguise, whose Ditto copies Shelly’s Crawdaunt and knocks out May’s new Combusken with Crabhammer before he escapes by jetpack. Shelly withdraws vowing to beat Team Magma next time, and the two teams’ rivalry over the Legendary Pokémon carries on into Advanced Battle.

The PokéRinger & other battles

The Crossgate Town PokéRinger (That’s Just Swellow, AG080) is an aerial sport in which Flying Pokémon race to grab a ring hanging in the sky and drop it through a goal. Competitors are split into three blocks of four: Taillow outlasts the defending champion Volt’s Volbeat, Shane’s Swablu wins the first block, and James, a former pupil of an early champion, rides Beautifly’s own Gust to the goal with Jessie’s Dustox to win May’s. Taillow beats a Skarmory in the semi-final, evolves into Swellow inside a sand tornado in the final against James, and wins Ash honorary lifetime citizenship of Crossgate and a place in its gallery of champions.

Elsewhere Ash loses a Double Battle to Natasha’s Grovyle and Slugma (AG041), a challenge from Drew’s Roselia (AG050) and, with May, his first official Tag Battle against Oscar’s Nidoking and Andi’s Nidoqueen (AG072), before a chaotic mixed Tag Battle with Team Rocket. The Winstrate family’s four-on-four (AG046) gives May her first win in a Trainer battle and Max a victory with a borrowed Corphish; Poncho’s Ludicolo beats Corphish before Torkoal wins the rematch (AG067); May’s Torchic beats Ash’s Taillow in front of a booing North Petalburg crowd (AG068); and the season ends with a mock battle between Ash and Brock for the students of Bomba Island’s Pokémon Battle Judge Training Institute (AG092). There is no League or tournament bracket for Ash this season — the Hoenn League follows in Advanced Battle.

Movies & Specials Released During the Season

The seventh movie, Destiny Deoxys (Sky-Splitting Visitor: Deoxys in Japan), opened in Japanese cinemas on 17 July 2004, between Sky High Gym Battle! (AG085) and Lights, Camerupt, Action! (AG086) — the first film without a Pikachu short. In the US it never reached cinemas: Kids’ WB gave it a television premiere on 22 January 2005, in the middle of the dub’s winter break, and it came out on VHS and DVD on 15 February 2005. Besides Deoxys in three Formes it introduces Rayquaza, Metagross, Munchlax — the first Generation IV Pokémon revealed in a film — and Armaldo, Lunatone and Grumpig, which reach the TV series in AG086, AG087 and AG090. Because the film aired in the US before Grass Hysteria!, English-speaking viewers met May’s Bulbasaur in the movie before they saw her catch it. It was the last Pokémon film distributed by Miramax and the last made mainly with cel animation, and its LaRousse City drew on a 2003 location hunt in Vancouver.

The sixth movie, Jirachi: Wish Maker, had opened in Japan in July 2003, before the season began; it reached US shops on VHS and DVD on 1 June 2004, three months before Advanced Challenge started on Kids’ WB, together with the Pikachu short Gotta Dance!!. It is the source of most of the season’s “TV debuts” of Pokémon already seen on screen — eleven of them, from Camerupt and Numel to Altaria and Breloom — and TV Tokyo showed the film on 13 July 2004 and Gotta Dance!! on 27 July 2004 around the release of Destiny Deoxys. The eighth film, Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, opened in Japan in July 2005, just before the dub’s summer break; it belongs to Advanced Battle.

Side Stories, Specials & Crossovers

Side-story tie-ins

• Weekly Pokémon Broadcasting Station, TV Tokyo’s Tuesday-night companion show hosted by Misty and Brock, premiered four side stories during the Japanese run: Training Daze on 30 September 2003,Celebi and Joy! on 7 October 2003, Journey to the Starting Line! on 14 October 2003 and Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl! on 16 March 2004, all four later dubbed for Pokémon Chronicles. The show itself ended on 28 September 2004 and was succeeded by Pokémon Sunday.
• Pokémon Chronicles, the English collection of side stories, premiered on Toonami in the UK on 11 May 2005 and on YTV in Canada on 9 September 2005, both during the US run of Advanced Challenge; Cartoon Network in the US did not show it until 3 June 2006.
• Pikachu’s Summer Festival (PK13) was first shown on ANA domestic flights from 1 August 2004 and released on DVD in Japan on 9 September 2005. Set to Pokémon Ondo, it was never dubbed — the first Pikachu short not released in English.
• Professor Oak’s Pokémon Lecture, with its closing senryū, still followed every Japanese episode. It was never dubbed; its first Hoenn subject, Torchic, came in AG091.
• TV Tokyo also ran a Destiny Deoxys preview special on 6 July 2004, with a report from Treecko (Kimori) and a guest segment from tommy february6.

Characters from the games, manga and specials

• Flannery, Norman and Winona are the fourth, fifth and sixth Gym Leaders of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, met in the same order as in the games, and their anime teams are drawn from their game line-ups — Flannery’s Slugma and Torkoal, Norman’s Vigoroth and Slaking, Winona’s Swellow, Pelipper, Skarmory and Altaria.
• The Winstrates (AG046), the battle-loving family that challenges passing Trainers on the road to Fallarbor, are game characters — the dub even uses their game name in place of the Japanese “Kachinuki family”. Professor Cozmo, his meteorite and the villains’ machine on Mt. Chimney (AG054), and the Weather Institute with its Castform and its raid by a villainous team (AG083), all follow the games’ storyline.
• Pokéblocks and the Berry Blender (AG090), the Lilycove Contest Hall, the Spinda that each carry a unique pattern of spots (AG057) and the Zangoose–Seviper rivalry (AG048) all come from Ruby and Sapphire.
• The Kanto first partners are everywhere in the second half of the season — Professor Oak’s Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle (AG071), May’s Bulbasaur (AG073), Ash’s own Bulbasaur (AG074) and Jimmy’s Ivysaur, Charmeleon and Wartortle (AG092) — after Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen went on sale in Japan on 29 January 2004, the day Disaster of Disguise (AG061) aired.
• Red and his Clefairy from the manga Pokémon Pocket Monsters appear in one of the films recalled in Lights, Camerupt, Action! (AG086) — the only time characters from a Pokémon manga have appeared in the anime. The title of the episode’s film-within-the-film parodies the Japanese title of Destiny Deoxys, which had opened in Japan five days earlier.

Opening & Ending Themes

Advanced Challenge is a season of changing themes. In Japan GARDEN’s Advance Adventure opens the first 29 episodes before Rica Matsumoto, the voice of Satoshi, takes over from AG070 with Challenger!!, her first opening since OK!. The ending changes four times: Meowth’s Polka O Dolka finishes its run in AG044, Toshiko Ezaki’s Because the Sky is There returns for seven episodes, her Smile takes over from AG052, and Naomi Tamura’s Full of Summer!! fills the summer of 2004 before Smile returns for the finale. The English dub opens every episode with This Dream, written by John Siegler and David Rolfe and sung by Rolfe; a shortened version with different lyrics plays over the end credits.

In Japan the score keeps reaching back into the archive. Vocal themes from earlier seasons play as background music — OK! for Torkoal against Steelix (AG058), Ash’s rematch with Wattson (AG059) and Grovyle against Slaking (AG070); Ready Go! in AG049, AG062, AG064, AG071 and AG084; Pocket-ering Monster-ing at the Mauville carnival (AG059); Face Forward Team Rocket! in AG066; and Type: Wild for Ash’s mock battle with Brock in the finale — while Team Rocket’s original theme plays in full for the first time since the original series in That’s Just Swellow (AG080). The movie scores are mined too, from Mewtwo Strikes Back to the Pokémon Heroes cues first heard in AG044 and Gotta Dance!! from AG087, and the Japanese flashback in A Scare to Remember! (AG089) uses one of the season’s vocal endings — sources disagree whether it is Smile or Because the Sky is There. 4Kids replaced almost all of it with its own library, and the Contest Hall theme is never heard in the dub, but it added music of its own: the vocal You & Me & Pokémon over Fortree’s Feather Carnival (AG084) and a brand-new song, You Can’t Remember, over a rebuilt flashback montage in AG089.

This Dream — the English opening used for every Advanced Challenge episode. Video: The Official Pokémon YouTube channel.

TV Broadcasts & Original Airing Dates

Japan. TV Tokyo broadcast the 52 episodes weekly on Thursday evenings from 4 September 2003 (What You Seed is What You Get) to 2 September 2004 (Judgment Day!). The only Thursday without an episode was New Year’s Day 2004, between AG057 (25 December 2003) and AG058 (8 January 2004). Delcatty Got Your Tongue (AG060) was the last episode before Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and Disaster of Disguise (AG061) aired on their release day, 29 January 2004; Balance of Power (AG070) aired on 1 April 2004, the seventh anniversary of the very first episode, and introduced Challenger!!; and Destiny Deoxys opened on 17 July 2004, between AG085 and AG086. Japan has no “season 7”: these are simply episodes 41–92 of the Advanced Generation series.

United States. Kids’ WB premiered the season on Saturday 11 September 2004, a week after the Advanced finale, and ran it to 10 September 2005 — Wikipedia’s dates (9 October 2004 to 29 October 2005) are shifted against every episode, and ours follow Bulbapedia, confirmed by pocketmonsters.net’s calendars. Ten Saturdays had double bills and 32 a single episode. There were no new episodes from 18 December 2004 to 22 January 2005 — the day Kids’ WB premiered Destiny Deoxys — and the series returned with Take the Lombre Home (AG063) on 29 January. After a skipped week on 2 July 2005 came a summer break from 23 July to 13 August; Crazy as a Lunatone (AG087) returned on 20 August, and the season ended with a double bill of AG091 and AG092 on 10 September 2005. Advanced Battle followed a week later. AG043–AG046, AG048 and AG049 each aired exactly one year after their Japanese premieres.

The out-of-order episode. Love at First Flight (AG042) was skipped in September 2004 and finally shown on 16 October 2004, after Candid Camerupt! (AG046) — long enough for some fans to assume it had been banned. Bulbapedia’s television and digital order, Pokémon.com and the Pokémon TV channel on YouTube therefore number AG043–AG046 as episodes 2–5 and AG042 as episode 6, while the VIZ and Australian DVDs keep the Japanese order, with AG042 second. Our guide follows the Japanese and home-video order. Either way the season has 52 episodes: Japan, US television and home video all agree on which episodes it contains.

Elsewhere. In the United Kingdom Sky One kept first-run rights to the season when its other pay-TV rights expired in May 2004, before new episodes moved to Toonami from season 8; CITV premiered the season on 16 March 2015. In Australia the series aired on Network Ten, in the Cheez TV block and then Toasted TV from 22 August 2005. South Korea banned Poetry Commotion! and Going, Going, Yawn (AG055–AG056) for reasons never explained, and Bulbapedia reports that The Bicker the Better (AG072) was banned in some countries, including Ireland. Finland aired its first complete season here, in home-video order, with the narrator reading every title card; this is the only Ruby and Sapphire season shown in Serbia; and India’s Hungama TV cut Brock’s flirting in AG043 and softened Max’s crush in AG046.

Later US availability. Pokémon TV added the season on 5 February 2021 and carried it until the service closed on 28 March 2024; since 6 December 2024 the Pokémon TV channel on YouTube has streamed seasons 1–11, and Hoopla’s BingePass carries seasons 6–13.

Dub Edits & Censorship

Changes in the English version

No banned episodes. All 52 episodes were dubbed and premiered on Kids’ WB; only Love at First Flight (AG042) aired out of order. The bans happened abroad: South Korea pulled Poetry Commotion! and Going, Going, Yawn (AG055–AG056) — the last episodes banned there, both later released on Korean DVD — and The Bicker the Better (AG072) was reportedly kept off the air in some countries, including Ireland, as a “battle of the sexes” episode.

Goodbye, Who’s That Pokémon? From What You Seed is What You Get the dub replaced its long-running mid-episode quiz with Pokémon Trainer’s Choice, narrated by Ash, which asks which of three Pokémon is best against, or evolves into, a given Pokémon; it ran until the end of Advanced Battle (AG145). Fans disliked it from the start, not least for its errors: at least nine wrong answers, misspellings such as “Foretress” (AG056), “Onyx” (AG072) and “Flaafy” (AG091), Nuzleaf’s name under other Pokémon’s pictures, and, most famously, the claim in A Fan with a Plan (AG077) that Arbok evolves into Seviper. In Japan the slot had held a plain eyecatch of the main characters since the start of Advanced Generation, and Japan’s post-credits Professor Oak’s Pokémon Lecture was never dubbed.

Season-wide edits. Almost every episode loses four to ten seconds of padding — opening shots, pans after the breaks, the “To be continued” card — to fit Kids’ WB’s timing, the biggest single trims being eight seconds of repeated battle footage in AG043 and six seconds of a castle in AG044. The Poké Ball emblem on Ash’s Badge case is still redrawn whenever it appears (AG057, AG068, AG071, AG075, AG086). Wine glasses become plain tumblers (AG050, AG071 — where Team Rocket still act drunk and Meowth adds “I’ll drink ta dat!”), Giovanni’s wine turns to water (AG066) and James’s to strawberry milk (AG084); Wobbuffet’s pipe and the crosshairs on Team Rocket’s bazooka are erased on Kids’ WB (AG050, AG066); Jessie’s cleavage is painted over (AG056) and her skirt lengthened (AG061); and her eyelid-pulling taunt is cut in AG072 and AG077 but kept in AG073.

Food, toys and fists. In the finale a rice ball is replaced in five shots by a single static drawing of a sandwich (“stupid and disappointing”, said Dogasu’s Backpack); omurice becomes cheeseburgers (AG067), fruit becomes “apples” (AG082, AG089) and Team Rocket’s food wish-lists are rewritten (AG053). The Mauville carnival’s Pokémon plush prizes are repainted as Ribbon cases and jewellery (AG059), a scene of Spoink with trading cards is cut (AG079), Primeape’s punch is hidden behind an impact star (AG074) and Jessie punching James and Meowth is removed (AG081).

Rewritten stories. The heaviest rewrite is Love, Petalburg Style! (AG069), where Norman’s suspected affair with Nurse Joy becomes a forgotten-anniversary quarrel, his blush is painted out and Brock’s advice to “leave Joy” becomes “apologize and grovel” — censorship Dogasu called “pretty spineless”. In A Scare to Remember! (AG089) 4Kids rebuilt Ash’s 36-second flashback with different clips set to a new song, You Can’t Remember, cutting his memories of Roxanne and Norman and a scene of a sick Pikachu. The dub also avoids Abilities, explaining Bulbasaur’s paralysis in Rubello by “contact through Vine Whip” (AG078); calls Manectric’s winning Shock Wave “Thunder Wave” (AG059) and Solrock’s Fire Spin “Ember” (AG063); has Vicky concede the Winstrates’ unfinished match (AG046) and Raoul Contesta disqualify Jessie (AG051); implies that any Water type can learn Fire moves (AG045); has Max suggest that Norman could join the Elite Four (AG070); and implies that Contests are held once a year (AG091).

Names, voices and music. As usual the Japanese names were localised — Asuna became Flannery, Senri Norman, Nagi Winona and Shū Drew; Natchi became Natasha, Seera Princess Sara, the Kachinuki family the Winstrates (their game name) and Banba Island Bomba Island — and from Fight for the Meteorite! the dub calls Tabitha and Shelly by their game names. The dub gives Vivian the surname “Meridian” (AG062), keeps the Japanese voices of Volbeat, Illumise, Skitty, Poochyena, Nidoking and Nidoqueen, and leaves AG092 with the old Hoenn-map title card instead of Japan’s new Badge-and-Ribbon card. Grass Hysteria! (AG073) is the first episode with 4Kids’ new production logo, and the Japanese score and vocal inserts were replaced with 4Kids’ own music throughout.

Episode titles explained

Almost every English title is a pun. A few worth decoding:

• What You Seed is What You Get — “what you see is what you get”
• Love at First Flight — love at first sight
• Let Bagons Be Bagons — “let bygones be bygones”
• The Princess and the Togepi — the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea
• Candid Camerupt! — the TV show Candid Camera
• I Feel Skitty! — “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story
• Come What May! — “come what may”, from Macbeth
• Cheer Pressure — peer pressure
• Fight for the Meteorite! — “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right”
• Poetry Commotion! — poetry in motion, and Mr. Moore’s poetry tour
• Going, Going, Yawn — the baseball call “going, going, gone”, and Slugma’s Yawn
• Going for a Spinda — going for a spin
• All Torkoal, No Play — “all work and no play”
• Delcatty Got Your Tongue — “cat got your tongue?”
• Disaster of Disguise and Disguise Da Limit — “master of disguise” and “the sky’s the limit”
• Take the Lombre Home — Supertramp’s “Take the Long Way Home”
• Exploud and Clear! — loud and clear
• Love, Petalburg Style! — the TV series Love, American Style, the third title to borrow it after EP153 and EP267
• The Bicker the Better — the bigger the better
• Grass Hysteria! — mass hysteria
• Hokey Poké Balls! — the hokey pokey
• Me, Myself and Time — “me, myself and I”
• A Fan with a Plan — a man with a plan
• Cruisin’ for a Losin’ — cruising for a bruising
• Pearls are a Spoink’s Best Friend — “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”
• That’s Just Swellow — “that’s just swell”
• Take This House and Shuppet — “Take This Job and Shove It”
• Unfair-Weather Friends — fair-weather friends (and an echo of EP137’s Foul Weather Friends)
• Who’s Flying Now? — Journey’s “Who’s Crying Now”
• Crazy as a Lunatone — crazy as a loon
• The Garden of Eatin’ — the Garden of Eden
• A Scare to Remember! — the film A Walk to Remember
• Pokéblock, Stock, and Berry — lock, stock and barrel

DVD & Blu-ray / Streaming

In North America VIZ Media released the season on ten single DVDs in 2005–06 and as a Complete Collection in 2017, and in Australia and New Zealand it has been in print almost continuously since 2008; both keep the Japanese episode order, with Love at First Flight second. No UK release has been found, although a German Ruby and Sapphire seasons 6–9 DVD set appeared in August 2025.

North America (Region 1)

Release	Date	Contents
Vol. 1 Love at First Flight and Vol. 2 Maxxed Out! (DVD, VIZ Media)	6 September 2005	AG041–AG045 and AG046–AG050 — released four days before the season finale aired
Vol. 3 Cheer Pressure and Vol. 4 Manectric Charge	29 November 2005	AG051–AG055 and AG056–AG060
Vol. 5 Take the Lombre Home and Vol. 6 Go Go Ludicolo!	24 January 2006	AG061–AG065 and AG066–AG070
Vol. 7 A Six Pack Attack and Vol. 8 That’s Just Swellow	14 March 2006	AG071–AG075 and AG076–AG080; a retail stock image of Vol. 7 drops the “A”
Vol. 9 Sky High Gym Battle! and Vol. 10 Pokéblock, Stock, and Berry	9 May 2006	Six episodes each: AG081–AG086 and AG087–AG092
Pokémon: Advanced Challenge – The Complete Collection (6 DVDs, VIZ Media)	5 December 2017	All 52 episodes, eight or nine per disc, in a single case with slipcover — the first single-set North American release of the season
VIZ Pokémon All-Stars and Pokémon Elements compilations	—	Themed single discs including AG041, AG043, AG047, AG053, AG058, AG067, AG073, AG079, AG081, AG082 and AG092

Australia & New Zealand (Region 4)

Release	Date	Notes
Season 7 Super Wallet (10 Timer Ball discs, Magna Pacific)	8 October 2008	Five episodes per disc on discs 1–8 (AG041–AG080) and six on discs 9–10; no captions
Season 7 DigiPack disc set (6 discs)	3 November 2010 (NZ 10 March 2011)	Discs themed on Bagon (AG041–AG048), Skitty, Lombre, Loudred, Lairon and Swellow (AG084–AG092)
Re-releases (Beyond Home Entertainment)	2 April 2014 · 2016 · 5 February 2020 (NZ 18 March 2020)	Slimline, JB Hi-Fi 20th-anniversary and alternate-cover editions; also in the Hoenn Collection, the Ruby and Sapphire limited edition, the Heritage Collection and the multi-season box sets
Magna Pacific Pokémon All-Stars discs	—	Togepi (AG044–AG045) and Pikachu (AG089)

Japan

In Japan Media Factory and Shogakukan issued the episodes on a rental-only DVD series, Pocket Monsters Advanced Generation 2004, three episodes per disc: Vol. 1 on 30 July 2004, Vol. 2 (AG049–AG051) on 27 August 2004, Vols. 4 (AG055–AG057) and 5 on 23 September 2004, and further pairs on 29 October and 26 November 2004 and 28 January 2005. Exactly which volumes hold AG041–AG045 and the episodes from AG079 on has not been confirmed. Destiny Deoxys and the Pokémon TV Theme Song DVD Perfect Best 1997–2004 both followed on 21 December 2004.

Streaming

Pokémon TV added Advanced Challenge on 5 February 2021 and carried it until the service closed on 28 March 2024; since 6 December 2024 the Pokémon TV channel on YouTube has streamed seasons 1–11, and Hoopla’s BingePass offers seasons 6–13. Prime Video, Hulu, Google TV and iTunes sell or stream the series, but the iTunes versions of seasons 6–8 drop the Trainer’s Choice segments and the eyecatches. Netflix lists only seasons 1 and 20–22. Availability changes frequently, so check your local service.

Covers

• Vol. 1 Love at First Flight DVD (Region 1, 2005)
• Vol. 3 Cheer Pressure DVD (Region 1, 2005)
• Vol. 5 Take the Lombre Home DVD (Region 1, 2006)
• Vol. 8 That’s Just Swellow DVD (Region 1, 2006)
• Vol. 10 Pokéblock, Stock, and Berry DVD (Region 1, 2006)
• The Complete Collection (Region 1, 2017)
• Season 7 Super Wallet (Region 4, 2008)
• Season 7 DigiPack (Region 4, 2010)

Where to Watch & Buy

Availability changes constantly, so treat this as a snapshot (October 2026) and check your local service. Links will be added here once we have settled on referral partners.

• The Pokémon TV channel on YouTubeHas carried seasons 1–11, Advanced Challenge included, since December 2024.
• Prime Video, Hulu & digital storesPrime Video, Hulu, Google TV and iTunes sell or stream the series; the iTunes versions drop the Trainer’s Choice segments and eyecatches.
• HooplaHoopla’s BingePass offers seasons 6–13.
• DVD – North AmericaPokémon: Advanced Challenge – The Complete Collection (VIZ Media, 6 discs, 2017) has all 52 episodes in one case.
• DVD – Australia & New ZealandBeyond Home Entertainment’s Season 7 sets are regularly re-issued and included in the multi-season box sets.
• Not currently onPokémon TV, which carried the season from February 2021, closed in March 2024, and Netflix lists only seasons 1 and 20–22.

Trading Cards Released During the Season

Advanced Challenge aired in the US through the heart of the trading card game’s EX era. EX FireRed & LeafGreen reached shops twelve days before the premiere, and four more expansions followed while the episodes were new:

• EX FireRed & LeafGreen — 30 August 2004 — twelve days before the season premiere
• EX Team Rocket Returns — 8 November 2004 — two days after the Fallarbor Contest aired
• EX Deoxys — 14 February 2005 — between the Kids’ WB premiere of Destiny Deoxys and its DVD release
• EX Emerald — 9 May 2005 — between the two Rubello Contest episodes
• EX Unseen Forces — 22 August 2005 — in the season’s last weeks

In Japan the run coincided with the later expansions of the ADV series, among them the sets that became EX Team Magma vs Team Aqua, EX Hidden Legends and EX FireRed & LeafGreen in English; the EX Deoxys cards were first printed in Japan as Clash of the Blue Sky.

Our TCG section has a full card list, print variations and the most valuable cards for every one of them.

Cards with a link to the season

Three cards from the sets of the US run tie straight into the season:

• Deoxys · EX Deoxys 16/107This Normal Forme Deoxys came packaged with North American DVD copies of Destiny Deoxys in February 2005, with the film’s logo foil-stamped on the art — weeks after the movie’s Kids’ WB premiere on 22 January 2005, in the break between Disguise Da Limit (AG062) and Take the Lombre Home (AG063).
• Slaking · EX Deoxys 15/107EX Deoxys (14 February 2005) put this holo Slaking on sale five weeks before Norman’s Slaking, the last Pokémon Ash has to beat for the Balance Badge, fell to Grovyle in Balance of Power (AG070, US 19 March 2005).
• Combusken · EX Emerald 25/106EX Emerald (9 May 2005) arrived a month before May’s Torchic evolved in A Shroomish Skirmish (AG082, US 11 June 2005); her Combusken went on to win the Lilycove Ribbon in Lessons in Lilycove (AG091, US 10 September 2005).

Firsts & Lasts

• First season with Pokémon Trainer’s Choice, the dub’s replacement for Who’s That Pokémon?: What You Seed is What You Get (AG041).
• First Contest Ribbon for May: Fallarbor Town (AG051) — after her first win in a Trainer battle, against Victoria Winstrate (AG046).
• First activated Abilities in the anime: Pikachu’s Static and Grovyle’s Overgrow in the Balance Badge battle (AG070).
• First Pokémon to suffer a burn in the anime: Ash’s Treecko, at the Lavaridge Gym (AG056).
• First Shiny Pokémon of the Ruby and Sapphire series: Winona’s Swellow (AG085).
• First Master Ball seen in the anime — swallowed by a giant Whiscash (AG075).
• First time-travel episode: Me, Myself and Time (AG076).
• First official Tag Battle for Ash, partnered with May — and lost (AG072).
• First evolution of one of Ash’s Pokémon in 141 episodes, the longest gap: Treecko into Grovyle (AG066).
• First Grass-type first partner owned by a companion other than Ash, and the first first partner obtained outside its home region: May’s Bulbasaur (AG073).
• First Japanese ending updated whenever a main character catches or evolves a Pokémon: Smile (from AG052).
• Last evolution of any of Misty’s Pokémon: Togepi into Togetic, released in the same episode (AG045).
• Only appearance of characters from a Pokémon manga in the anime: Red and Clefairy of Pokémon Pocket Monsters (AG086).
• Last episodes banned in South Korea: Poetry Commotion! and Going, Going, Yawn (AG055–AG056).

Trivia & Facts

• In The Princess and the Togepi and A Togepi Mirage! (AG044–AG045) the Japanese voices of Ash’s first three female companions share the screen: Mayumi Iizuka (Misty), KAORI (May) and Megumi Toyoguchi, who plays Princess Sara and would later voice Dawn. The Italian dub repeats the trick with Tosawi Piovani. Kunihiko Yuyama, the series’ chief director, storyboarded AG045 himself.
• Togetic’s debut in AG045 left Porygon2 as the only Generation II Pokémon never seen in the anime, and Togepi’s evolution is the last of any of Misty’s Pokémon.
  

  

• Balance of Power (AG070) aired in Japan on 1 April 2004, the seventh anniversary of the first episode, introduced the new opening Challenger!! and showed the anime’s first activated Abilities — Pikachu’s Static and Grovyle’s Overgrow, the first confirmed Ability of a first partner Pokémon.
• Treecko’s evolution into Grovyle (AG066) was Ash’s first since Chikorita became Bayleef in EP199, 141 episodes earlier — the longest gap between evolutions of his Pokémon.
  

  

• Whiscash and Ash (AG075) gives the Master Ball its anime debut, and still its only use: the fisherman Sullivan throws it and the giant Whiscash Nero swallows it. It is also the last aired episode in which Earthquake is used before an unaired episode, featuring another giant Whiscash, was shelved after the Chūetsu earthquake of October 2004 — see Advanced Battle.
• Me, Myself and Time (AG076) is the anime’s first time-travel story: the would-be archaeologist Calista is guided to the ruins of the Baltoy civilisation by her own future self.
• Lights, Camerupt, Action! (AG086) includes a film starring Red and his greedy Clefairy from the manga Pokémon Pocket Monsters — the only time characters from a Pokémon manga have appeared in the anime — and the title of its film-within-the-film parodies the Japanese title of Destiny Deoxys.
• The story of That’s Just Swellow (AG080) was recycled for Diamond and Pearl’s Pursuing a Lofty Goal!: both come ten episodes after a Gym battle, both feature an overconfident champion knocked out early, an evolving Flying type and honorary citizenship for Ash, and both preceding Gym Leaders were voiced by Dan Green.
• Pokémon Trainer’s Choice’s most notorious mistake, the claim in A Fan with a Plan (AG077) that Arbok evolves into Seviper, was still remembered two decades later, when an NPC in Pokémon Legends: Z-A referenced it.
• Megan Hollingshead’s last Nurse Joy for the 4Kids dub was Love at First Flight (AG042); she did not voice the character again until Working My Way Back to Mew!, 775 episodes later. Bella Hudson took over from AG049, Lee Quick voiced Officer Jenny for the last time in AG065, Karen Neill took over Caroline in AG069 and Eric Stuart voiced the Magikarp salesman for the last time in AG084.
• In Japan Akiko Hiramatsu voiced Jessie in the last eight episodes of the season (AG085–AG092) while Megumi Hayashibara was on maternity leave; Hayashibara returned in AG093. From AG085 Brock’s Mudkip also had a new Japanese voice, Natsuki Yoshihara.
• Delcatty Got Your Tongue (AG060) was the last Japanese episode before FireRed and LeafGreen, and Disaster of Disguise (AG061) aired on their release day. Dogasu’s Backpack read May’s Bulbasaur (AG073) as promotion for the remakes.
• Because Destiny Deoxys premiered on Kids’ WB on 22 January 2005, eleven weeks before Grass Hysteria! (AG073) aired, American viewers met May’s Bulbasaur in the movie before seeing her catch it.
• Jessie’s Wobbuffet is absent from Poetry Commotion! (AG055), the first Ruby and Sapphire episode without it and the first since Nerves of Steelix!, 105 episodes earlier.
• May’s Bulbasaur (AG073) is the first Grass-type first partner owned by a companion other than Ash, the first first partner obtained outside its home region and the only Poison type caught by one of Ash’s female companions.
• Smile was the first Japanese ending updated whenever a main character caught or evolved a Pokémon; Full of Summer!! got by with live-action waves behind recycled clips.
• Finland aired its first complete season with Advanced Challenge, in home-video order and with the narrator reading every title card; it is the only Ruby and Sapphire season ever shown in Serbia, and AG055–AG056 were the last episodes banned in South Korea.
• The games of the moment were Ruby and Sapphire, joined in Japan by FireRed and LeafGreen in January 2004 and followed by Emerald; the trading card expansions released during the US run were EX Team Rocket Returns, EX Deoxys, EX Emerald and EX Unseen Forces, with EX FireRed & LeafGreen arriving just before the premiere — see our TCG section.

Reception

Ratings. No Nielsen figures specific to Advanced Challenge have been found. The nearest data point comes from the following season: in the November 2005 sweeps Pokémon: Advanced Battle, in its 10 a.m. slot on The WB, tied with Xiaolin Showdown as Saturday morning’s top broadcast programme with kids and boys aged 6–11, as Kids’ WB won its sixteenth consecutive Saturday-morning sweep. Within this season’s run, Kids’ WB called the January 2005 premiere of Destiny Deoxys the series’ best ratings in its slot since 2003. Japanese ratings for 2003–04 are not reliably documented in English-language sources.

Fan favourites. IMDb episode ratings could not be checked for this page, and MyAnimeList scores only the whole 192-episode Advanced Generation series, at 7.16 from around 126,000 users (October 2026). Dogasu’s Backpack, which compared every episode of the season with the Japanese original, singled out the Heat Badge battle (AG056) as “one of my favorite battles of the entire anime”, “really really liked” May’s first Ribbon win (AG051), loved The Bicker the Better (AG072) as “your typical humorous Hoenn filler episode” and felt that A Fan with a Plan (AG077) “gives the series a freshness that it hasn’t had since the Orange Islands”. It also enjoyed the premiere, called Manectric Charge “a great episode” and found A Six Pack Attack! “actually fairly decent”.

Critical commentary. The same site was much harder on Misty’s visit, calling AG044–AG045 the “most hated two-parter” and “a sad attempt to boost ratings”, and on several others: All Torkoal, No Play “bored me to tears”, May “did not deserve” the Verdanturf Ribbon, the Norman rematch was “pretty disappointing”, the Fortree battle left it torn (“part of me likes this battle, and part of me doesn’t”) and the amnesia plot of AG089 was “about as clichéd as you can get”. On the dub side it objected to the spoiler-laden new opening, called the AG069 censorship “pretty spineless” and the rebuilt AG089 flashback “POINTLESS”. Fans in general took against Pokémon Trainer’s Choice, both for displacing Who’s That Pokémon? halfway through the Hoenn saga and for its factual errors; the segment was never revived. No reviews of the DVD releases have been found.

Continue the journey with Season 8: Pokémon Advanced Battle, go back to Season 6: Pokémon Advanced, or browse every season of the Pokémon anime.