Nando is revealed to have obtained an Armaldo.
Ash defeats Nando in the first round, advancing to the second round.
Heracross uses Focus Punch via Sleep Talk. However, Sleep Talk cannot call Focus Punch in any generation.
Barry, Conway, Tobias, and Paul also make it through the first round.
This was the last episode to air before Pokémon: Zoroark: Master of Illusions (2010) debuted in Japanese theaters.