Ash and his friends, with Verdanturf Town as their destination, were ambushed by Team Rocket on the road. Although Ash and the others successfully repelled them, May's Skitty accidentally inhaled the smoke Torkoal puffed out and hurt its throat, leaving it unable to speak!
Ash and his friends had no choice but to divert to the nearest town—Oakhaven Town. Though it didn't have a Pokémon Center, it did have a Pokémon Clinic!
After receiving an acupressure treatment from the female doctor, Ayako, May's Skitty recovered. Upon learning more about her, they discovered that Ayako was a former Grand Festival Champion and held the title of Top Coordinator! Moreover, her partner Pokémon was Skitty's evolved form, Delcatty!
Ayako and May instantly hit it off. Ayako taught May a lot of Coordinator knowledge and had her Delcatty teach Skitty its unique signature move—playing ball with its tail using Covet (or a similar move) followed by Double Slap—and even coincidentally sent the assisting Team Rocket blasting off again, during which Skitty learned the move Blizzard!
May decided to use the knowledge Ayako gave her in the Verdanturf Contest. Since Ash would also be participating this time, May was excited to use any strategy she wanted!
Verdanturf Town and the Masked Coordinator
Ash and his friends arrived smoothly in Verdanturf Town. The Pokémon Contest was set to start the very next day!
At the Pokémon Center, Ash and his friends saw a familiar figure talking anxiously with Nurse Joy.
May, full of fighting spirit, rushed over. "Drew, you're here too! Let's settle things this time!"
Drew turned and saw Ash and the others, instantly returning to his arrogant demeanor. "You're here, too. I was definitely going to participate in this Contest, but..." Drew looked sadly at his Roselia, which he had entrusted to Nurse Joy!
Everyone looked over and saw that Roselia was heavily injured. It was almost impossible for it to recover by tomorrow, so Drew would likely have to forfeit this Contest!
"How did Roselia get so badly hurt?" May, even as his rival, felt a pang of concern for Roselia's injuries.
"We just had a battle," Drew began, pausing. "The Coordinator who wears a mask—the Masked Coordinator. You should be careful of him!"
After giving the warning, Drew left, looking defeated.
"Drew..." May looked at Drew's retreating figure with worry.
Ash, however, shook his head. Giving up because of a single setback meant Drew wasn't mature enough. After all, Drew couldn't possibly only have Roselia! Even with a last-minute substitution, given Drew's talent, he still had a great chance of passing the first round, even if he didn't get a high score!
"Alright! Then I need to train hard, too!" May decided she would avenge Drew in the Pokémon Contest, and since Ash was also participating, she couldn't let her guard down!
Subsequently, Ash and his friends went to a nearby park to conduct Contest training!
"Alright, Skitty, take the stage!" May tossed her Poké Ball up gracefully. "Meow meow meow~" Skitty appeared and immediately started spinning around its own tail!
"Skitty, the Contest starts tomorrow. Let's do our best together!" May squatted down to encourage it.
"Meow~" Skitty cheered excitedly.
"By the way, Ash, are you going to use Beautifly or Jigglypuff?" May asked Ash.
"Jigglypuff, of course. Using Jigglypuff is sure to sweep the competition!" Ash said, releasing Jigglypuff. "Pudding~"
Ash squatted down to Jigglypuff. "You'll be on stage this time! Give it your all!"
Jigglypuff immediately flashed a brilliant smile. "Pudding~"
Afterward, Ash and May began their separate training. May mainly focused on practicing Skitty's inconsistent Blizzard attack, while Ash prepared his performance.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, carrying withered leaves and dust. A mysterious figure wearing a black cloak, a black top hat, and a Dusknoir mask on his face—a phantom thief, no, the Masked Coordinator—appeared before them!
The Masked Coordinator stood with his back to them, striking a cool pose. "I ask you, are you Coordinators planning to participate in the Contest?"
"Ah~ The Masked Coordinator really appeared!" Σ(°д°|||)?? May exclaimed in surprise!
Hearing that everyone recognized him, the Masked Coordinator immediately made a cool turn. "That's right! I am the Masked Coordinator—the Masked Imposter! I challenge you to a battle!"
"Alright! I accept!" Ash nodded in agreement to the battle. "Pika" "Eevee" "Pudding~" Ash's three Pokémon were united against the challenger!
Brock served as the referee, using the five-minute Contest battle rules!
"Go, Duskull!" The Masked Coordinator threw his first Poké Ball and sent out his Pokémon!
[Duskull] [Elite - Mid Stage] (Note: The original text said Dusknoir, but the Masked Coordinator is known for using a Duskull in this specific episode, which makes more sense for a quick match, and the power level seems to reflect a lower stage of evolution than a fully evolved Dusknoir.)
"I'm counting on you, Jigglypuff!" Ash said to Jigglypuff beside him. "Pudding~" Jigglypuff patted its chest with its small arm, signaling don't worry!
"Jigglypuff, Dazzling Gleam!" "Pudding~" A pink light surrounded Jigglypuff, instantly hitting Duskull and making it unable to battle!
"Duskull!" The Masked Coordinator's eyes behind his mask widened in disbelief at the scene! Before he could react, a luxury car suddenly sped toward them. The Masked Coordinator quickly recalled Duskull. "You win! Goodbye!"
Another gust of wind came, and the Masked Coordinator took the chance to run quickly into the woods!
The luxury car stopped in front of Ash and his friends. A wealthy-looking woman dressed in numerous designer brands stepped out and quickly chased after him into the thicket! The Masked Coordinator was being chased and accidentally scraped his hand, but the woman unfortunately couldn't catch up. She only managed to pick up a pen—her son's pen.
The returning woman immediately confronted everyone without any clear reason. "Are you companions of the Masked Coordinator, the Masked Imposter?"
Then, she grabbed Ash's shoulders and shook him non-stop. "What did you do to my adorable Kimimaro??"
"Kimimaro?! No, ma'am, the Masked Coordinator came to challenge us!" May quickly explained.
"Ah?! Is that so?! I'm so sorry! My name is Kimiyo." Kimiyo let go of Ash awkwardly.
Brock politely stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, who is Kimimaro?"
"Please listen to me! Here's what happened. Recently, my adorable son Kimimaro started skipping his classes and tutoring," Kimiyo said, wiping her tears with a handkerchief. "So I hired a detective to investigate him thoroughly, and the result showed that wherever Kimimaro went, the Masked Coordinator appeared! Therefore, Kimimaro must have been misled by the Masked Coordinator and taken away to do bad things!"
Ash's mouth twitched, speechless as he looked at Kimiyo. Didn't I just say the Masked Coordinator looks like a phantom thief? Look, even a detective is involved! And is there a chance, perhaps, that your son IS the Masked Coordinator?!
"Excuse me, are you Pokémon Trainers?" Kimiyo tearfully pleaded. "Please, help me expose the Masked Coordinator's identity! I can give you a reward!"
Seeing the mother's concern for her child, everyone sighed and agreed to help, stating they didn't need a reward!
Subsequently, Ash and his friends got into Kimiyo's luxury car and arrived at a magnificent villa. Everyone was completely stunned. As expected of a rich family!