With the Grand Festival ever so close, May has only once chance left to win her fifth and final ribbon needed to enter. Everyone is determined to see her win so she can make it—everyone that is except Harley, who's bent on making sure that she never wins that fifth ribbon, and turns to Team Rocket to help.
- Call-Back:
- Harley and Team Rocket recognize each other from their last encounter, during May's third Kanto contest.
- In his flashback, Harley eats small treats shaped like an Octillery, showing why he had one on his roster last time he and May fought.
- Confidence Sabotage: Unaware that James and Meowth were playing People Puppets on her with Ariados, May at first thought that her stumbling was due to her own nerves, leading her to briefly doubt herself after she barely qualified. Fortunately, Ash and Brock arrive to inform her of what really happened.
- Disappointed by the Motive: James and Meowth aren't all that impressed with Harley's dislike of May. Jessie, on the other hand...
- Evil Is Petty: Harley is really upping his game here, as he tries wrecking May's chances of getting into the Grand Festival...all because a girl who happened to look like her in his youth ate the last treat in his lunch.
- Freudian Excuse: Harley hates May because a girl who happened to look exactly like her ate the last treat in his lunch during elementary school.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Team Rocket's use of Ariados's String Shot to trip up May and Combusken ends up helping her make a huge recovery performance that just narrowly qualifies her for the top eight.
- Spotting the Thread: A literal example when Ash notices there's a slight bit of string hanging from May and Combusken. One look up and he spots Team Rocket using Harley's Ariados to mess up her performance.
