Having entered the competition, Ash uses his Staravia while his opponent uses a Skarmory. Skarmory tries using Fury Attack. When Staravia dodges, Skarmory blinds him with Sand-Attack and steals the ring while Staravia can't see to prevent it. After recovering and snatching the ring after Skarmory dropped it due to a sudden gust of wind, Staravia and Ash are deemed the winners of their first round.