The first round of the Vertress Conference rages on as Ash and Trip are locked in a fierce battle. No matter what Ash does Trip seems to have the upper hand and Serperior is able to counter everything he can do. Just when things seem to look bleak, Ash manages to think up some clever ways to use Pikachu's Iron Tail to free himself from Serperior, and then combine it with Electro ball to defeat Serperior. With Trip defeated, Ash manages to advance to the second round along with Bianca, Cameron, Virgil, and Stephan. The second round soon begins with the first match being Cameron vs Bianca. The battle gets off to a great start but only one will win and advance.