Summery: As the group journeys onward to Vermilion City, Brock decides it's time to take a rest and eat some food. Unfortunately, a good cook needs a fire, so they send Ash to go get some firewood. Ash stumbles through a fog to find some boys his age dressed in suits and holding candles. They are questioning a younger boy running on a treadmill about different pokémon facts concerning Pidgeys, such as evolution level and attacks. The boy tries hard to answer them but ultimately falls off the treadmill. The other boys shake their head in disappointment saying that he'll never do well. Ash tries to put a stop to what they're doing saying that they are wrong to be so mean to the little guy, but they tell him to mind their own business and leave. The boy, who's name is Joe, on the treadmill thanks Ash for his help and explains that they are from Pokémon Technical: a school where you learn about pokémon and if you graduate, you get a diploma that acts like eight badges allowing you to enter the pokémon league. As they all discuss this (Brock and Misty show up by this time), Pikachu has an accident with a treadmill that looks cute but sounds stupid (the normal Japanese voice was dubbed over with a stupid English one). Joe further explains that his "friends" are only pushing him hard to make sure that he does well. Some students at Pokémon Tech stay for years and years and are still only at the beginning class, because they are too ashamed to go home. Because of how hard it is, some students have set up a system where they teach and push each other in order to succeed. Joe is actually pretty smart, but acts dumb so that the questions his fellow students ask him don't get harder. Ash wants to put a stop to this and asks who's in charge of this system. Joe shows them the picture of a girl called Giselle. Ash and Brock immediately go ga-ga over her, much to Misty's annoyance Team Rocket is spying on them and remember how horrible Pokémon Tech was - they got the lowest entrance scores in the history of the school. Meanwhile, Misty decides to take things into her own hands and marches into the school. Joe thinks she doesn't have a chance and Misty tells him that she was trained in the Cerulean City gym. Joe says that he always beat the water pokémon with their weakness (plant pokémon) on the simulator and so they have a fight to prove who is the better trainer. Joe's Weepinbell, however, gets beaten by Misty's Starmie proving that a much higher level pokémon will beat another pokémon it is normally weak against, as pointed out by Giselle who enters after the battle is over. She is quite arrogant at her abilities and Misty challenges her. Giselle brings out a Graveler who is weak against water but defeats Misty's Starmie. Giselle then goes on to scold Joe for his stupidity and Ash tries to stand up to her.  Cubone But all that gets him is more insults from Giselle about his own incompetence and inability to tame his Pikachu. Though Ash has two badges, Giselle equals that as a beginner trainer in Pokémon Tech (4 badges is intermediate and 6 is advanced). She says that training a pokémon to a higher level will help you win, but Ash argues that there is more to a pokémon than training and he and his Pikachu are close friends. Obviously a battle ensues, with Giselle choosing a Cubone this time and Ash using his Pikachu. Cubone severely hurts Pikachu with his bonemerang attack, but Pikachu is able to fight back without using a single electric attack. Such a move has never been recorded in the textbook and Giselle is shocked at her loss. Suddenly, Team Rocket comes in to try and steal Pikachu, but Giselle and her fellow students pelt them with pokéballs to drive them away. Later, Joe tells a humbled Giselle that he's going back home to train like Ash did and they all hope to meet again in league someday. As Joe and Giselle make up as friends, Ash wonders why Misty and he can't be that way. Misty tells him that they could be that way as soon as she gets her bike back, and again, they argue into the sunset.