Giovanni assigns Jessie and James to create a Team Rocket branch in the Hoenn region in an attempt to learn more about the plans of Team Aqua and Team Magma.
Ash and May encounter Team Magma for the first time.
Ash registers for the Hoenn League.
Max and Norman are both mentioned for the first time in this episode, though not by name: May tells Professor Oak that her brother never misses one of his Pokémon lectures, while Ash overhears some Trainers discuss the Petalburg Gym having a new leader at the Pokémon Center.
May tries and fails to catch an Azurill. Afterwards, Ash tells May that she needs to battle a Pokemon and weaken it first before she can catch it. This comment by Ash is a callback to Pokemon getto da ze! (1997) when Misty told him the same thing.