While May trains with Beautifly, Nurse Joy enlists Ash and Max to babysit a Treecko, Torchic, and Mudkip, one of which will be the first partner of a brand-new Pokémon Trainer named Stephanie. Torchic proves to be the most rambunctious of the group, and when Ash sends several of his Pokémon to convince it to behave, it evolves into a Combusken! Moments before the new Trainer arrives, Max and Ash think fast and ask May's Torchic to stand in for the evolved Pokémon. Despite Ash's protests, Stephanie decides she wants this Torchic for her first Pokémon, but just then May returns from training and reclaims her Torchic. After Combusken fends off an attack from Team Rocket, Stephanie decides to take Mudkip instead--and her father chooses Treecko as his own first Pokémon! Nurse Joy asks Combusken to stay at the Pokémon Center to protect her patients, and all's well that ends well!