Episode 009: The School of Hard Knocks The group stops to take a break in a foggy forest. As Brock prepares lunch, Misty volunteers Ash to go out and find some firewood. As Ash searches the forest for firewood, he runs into some kids hazing a smaller kid on a treadmill, asking him questions about Pokemon. The small boy, named Joe, falls off the treadmill and the other kids taunt him. Ash rushes to the Joe's defense. The older kids ignore Ash, telling Joe he isn't Pokemon Tech material. Misty joins Ash against the students, but they turn and leave Joe behind them. Misty tells Ash that the kids are from Pokemon Technical, a school for Pokemon trainers. If a person can graduate from the Tech, he or she can enter the Pokemon League without competing for Badges. Ash is irritated that someone can get into the League without battling in Gyms and demands to see the school. Misty wonders why Joe lets the other kids push him around and Joe tells her that the boys were just trying to help him learn about Pokemon. Ash demands to know who is in charge of that kind of help and Joe shows him a picture of the student, a girl named Giselle! While Brock and Ash drool over the picture of the pretty girl, Misty gets ready to straighten her out. Meanwhile Jessie and James stand outside the school, and confide in Meowth that they had gotten the lowest grades in the history of the school.

Joe brings the group into the Tech and tells Ash that Jazell is at the top of the class, which makes her stronger than someone with three badges and even though he's at the bottom of his class, he's much more powerful that someone with two badges. It irritates Ash but it really upsets Misty, who takes it that Joe thinks he can beat her. She challenges Joe to a match, who thinks he can win, since he's beaten Cerulean City Pokemon on a simulator. However, Joe's Weepinbell, despite having the advantage of Grass against Water, is beaten off the bat by Starmie. Giselle appears with the rest of Joe's class and berates him for not realizing that Misty's Pokemon are much stronger coming from the Cerulean Gym. Misty takes up for Joe and challenges Jazell to a match. Giselle chooses Graveler, but it's high level makes it almost invulnerable to Starmie's water attack, and it defeats the starfish Pokemon. Giselle attempts to challenge Misty again, but Ash decides to challenge her and prove that it takes more than book smarts to train Pokemon. Giselle uses Cubone against Pikachu, who is invulnerable to Electric Attacks. Cubone begins to beat Pikachu badly. Ash tells Pikachu to give it everything he has. Pikachu leaps onto Cubone and pulls back his skull, blocking its vision. Pikachu kicks and scratches Cubone and in the end, Cubone gets hit with its own Bone Club. Giselle admits defeat, but as she does, Team Rocket appears. Giselle and the other students team up and drive Team Rocket away. Joe decides to leave the Tech and start over like Ash and Giselle wishes him luck, leaving Ash wondering why he and Misty can't be like that.