Pacifidlog at last! May is practicing for her contest, and Ash wants Snorunt to practice Ice Beam. But Snorunt's wild aim hits Team Rocket instead and scares another Coordinator's Aipom. Skitty chases it, and May chases Skitty. She finds Skitty playing with another Coordinator, Joshua, and the two talk about the upcoming contest. Erica, a Coordinator who really likes Joshua, loses her cool when she sees them together and gives May a piece of her mind.
Ash and the others show up, but so does Team Rocket! The villains grab Pikachu and Snorunt, so May and Joshua team up to stop them. Erica's so mad that May and Joshua are working together, she has Jynx use Hyper Beam to send Team Rocket flying. Then it's time to register for the contest, where Team Rocket also has a plan to enter the contest—with Meowth!
The first competitor in the Pacifidlog Contest is the Jester and her Meowth. Both of them look awfully familiar, as does the Giovanni ice sculpture Meowth carves using Fury Swipes! Joshua, Erica, and May all do well and move onto the second round along with the Jester. To May's shock, she'll be facing Joshua in the second round! Erica wants Joshua to win so they can win the ribbon together, but there's no way May is going to give up!
Finally in Pacifidlog Town, May enthusiastically prepares for the upcoming Pokémon Contest. Though she already has four Ribbons, she needs one more to enter the Hoenn Grand Festival. Because the Pacifidlog Contest is chronologically the last Pokémon Contest to be held before the Grand Festival, May must win this Contest Ribbon to be eligible to enter the competition. With that as motivation, May and her Pokémon start working on their performance moves. Just then, Skitty chases after an Aipom, May runs into fellow Coordinator Joshua.
Meanwhile, Ash is motivated by all of May's hard work to start training for the Hoenn League Championship, itself not far off. He calls out Snorunt to work on Ice Beam, which proves difficult for the playful Pokémon at first. Snorunt has soon mastered the force behind the move, but has no control over it. Nearby, Team Rocket wastes no time in making an attempt on Pikachu, though their impromptu spring from nearby bushes is cut short as a rogue Ice Bean freezes them solid. Snorunt use Ice Beam several more times, causing chaos for the nearby Trainers.
Elsewhere, May and Joshua have become acquainted. Joshua, a Pacifidlog Town resident, has entered the Pokémon Contest and is a local favorite. However, as May and Joshua chat, Erica, Joshua's girlfriend and also Coordinator, wrongly concludes that May is after Joshua romantically. As Erica watches and fumes from a distance, May reveals that she hasn't selected a Pokémon for the Contest yet. As Joshua comments that she should consider her Skitty because of its cuteness, Erica emerges from hiding. As Erica puts forth several accusations against May, she explains her master plan to go to the Contest finals together with Joshua and reveals her Pokémon, Jynx. Eventually, Ash, Brock, and Max find May, and the trio of Coordinators go to register at the Contest Hall together.
On the way, Team Rocket has regrouped and launches a balloon-born assault on the party -- however, May's Combusken quickly dismisses the balloon with a Sky Uppercut and Joshua's Houndoom rebukes Team Rocket's ragtag offensive. The addition of Skitty's Assist and Jynx's Hyper Beam send Team Rocket blasting off. May and Erica begin arguing over the battle, but Joshua points out that if they keep fighting, they will miss the registration deadline. May and Erica agree to resolve their argument on stage. Meanwhile, Team Rocket has landed and Jessie and Meowth enter the Contest in the persona of "The Jester". Ash resolves to keep training with Snorunt outside of the Contest Hall, leaving Brock and Max to root for May.
The Pacifidlog Contest begins as Vivian Meridian introduces the Contest Judges: Raoul Contesta from the Pokémon Activities Committee, Mr. Sukizo from the Pokémon Fan Club, and the Nurse Joy from the local Pokémon Center. She announces the start of the Appeals Round as Jessie, disguised as "The Jester" and Meowth take the stage. The performance consists of Meowth using Fury Swipes to carve out ice sculptures of Giovanni and Persian, the latter which he then reshapes into a Meowth. On his turn, Joshua commands his Houndoom to combine Shadow Ball and Swift for sensational effect. Erica's Jynx combines Blizzard and Psychic while May combines an Assist-spawned Razor Leaf, a Blizzard, and Double Slap to shower the hall in sparkling crystal. All four Coordinators advance to the Battle Round. May is assigned to fight Joshua, and Erica will square off against Jessie.