Ash and co. have decided to take a lunch break before continuing their way towards Goldenrod City. Misty tells Togepi that they will eat as soon as Ash gets back. Misty and Brock are setting up the table. Ash finally comes back with water. Brock tells Ash to get the bread so that they can eat. Ash says that he left the bread in his backpack. He goes up to a tree but finds out that his backpack is gone. Ash wonders if someone stole it, but Misty and Brock say they haven't seen anyone or anything. Brock finds a footprint on the ground. Near the footprint are several other footprints. Ash knows that whoever stole his backpack left those footprints, and he plans on getting it back no matter what.

Nurse Joy and Chansey walk out of the grocery store with a bag of groceries. They see an ice cream truck and decide to stop for some ice cream. Nurse Joy places the bag of groceries on a bench. Up above is Team Rocket who plans on stealing some food. Nurse Joy and Chansey walk up to the truck to get their ice cream. James attaches Meowth to a string and reels him down. Meowth grabs the ham, and James pulls him back up. When Nurse Joy is done with her cone, she finds out that the ham is gone.

Jessie takes the ham out of the bag and holds it up high. Meowth bites into the ham, and Jessie tries to shake him off. Then Team Rocket begins to fight over the ham. A mysterious Pokémon walks up to the ham, takes it, and runs away. Team Rocket finds out that the ham is gone. Meowth blames Wobbuffet for stealing the ham, but Meowth says that it is innocent. Then Team Rocket hears Nurse Joy's voice, and they hide. Nurse Joy finds the empty bag on the ground. Just then, Ash and Misty walk up to Nurse Joy. Brock falls in love with Nurse Joy, and Misty pulls him away. Nurse Joy tells Ash that someone stole her ham. Ash says that he is having the same problem, only it's with his backpack. Suddenly, they find the same footprints on the ground again. They realize that whoever stole their items left the footprints. Ash and co. begin following the footprints. Team Rocket has been listening in the conversation. They are interested in the Pokémon that stole everything.

The footprints soon end. Misty wonders what they are going to do. Brock tells his friends that they will spend the night. He has a plan. At dusk, Brock begins carving some wood that looks like a sausage. He plans on using it as a decoy. When Ash has the fire ready, he sticks the decoy and a real sausage in the pot of water. Then at night, Brock puts the decoy on a plate. The wind will carry the smell, and the Pokémon will grab it. Ash and co. hide behind the bushes and wait. Pikachu hears something, and the Pokémon grabs the decoy and runs away. Ash is upset that the Pokémon got away again. Brock says that his plan went perfectly well. If the Pokémon has the decoy, it is sure to come back for the real food.

Suddenly, Ash and co. hear growls in the bushes. Pairs of glowing, red eyes are visible. A pack of Houndour come out. Ash looks up Houndour in his Pokédex. Brock thinks that tricking the Houndour wasn't a good idea. Up above on a cliff is the leader. The leader signals the Houndour to attack. Ash decides to battle the Houndour. He sends out Cyndaquil and Chikorita. Misty sends out Psyduck, and Brock sends out Onix. One Houndour attacks Cyndaquil, but Cyndaquil begins to dodge the attacks. Misty commands Psyduck to use Water Gun, but Psyduck stares at Misty with a confused face. Another Houndour begins to attak Psyduck, but Chikorita's Razor Leaf counters it. Onix uses Tackle. It misses and two Houndour jump on it. Pikachu uses Thunershock to get the Houndour off of Onix. Then the Houndour attack Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil recovers from the attack, and its flames light up.

The leader Houndour jumps down. Brock thinks that it wants to have a 1-on-1 battle with Ash. Ash decides to give the Houndour a battle. Houndour starts off with Leer followed up by a Flamethrower. Pikachu dodges the attack and uses Quick Attack. Houndour dodges the attack and comes charging towards Pikachu.

Houndour comes crashing towards Pikachu, but Pikachu dodges the attack. Houndour then uses Flamethrower. Pikachu dodges the attack again. Pikachu uses Thunder, but Houndour dodges. Both Pokémon face each other. The leader suddenly hears a cry. The pack uses Smog, and then they run away. When the smoke clears, Ash and co. decide to chase after the Houndour.

At the Houndour hangout, a Golem is attacking one of the Houndour. The Houndour is exhausted. Golem charges towards Houndour, but it's stopped by a Flamethrower attack. Golem looks up and sees the entire pack of Houndour. The Houndour on the ground falls. The pack jumps in front of their friend. Ash and co. run up to the edge of the cliff. Brock thinks that the Houndour that fell is sick. Misty notices a pile of stuff including Ash's backpack and Nurse Joy's ham. They realize that the Houndour were stealing things only so that they can help their sick friend.

The leader uses Flamethrower, but Golem protects itself. Then Golem uses Rollout. The leader is knocked to the ground. Golem attacks again. Ash runs out and pulls the leader away before Golem can crush it. Ash sends in Chikorita who uses Razor Leaf, scaring Golem away. Misty thinks that Brock should check up on the sick Houndour. Brock does and finds out that the Houndour's leg is in bad shape. He takes out a Potion. The pack barks. Ash tells the pack to calm down. Brock sprays the Potion on the sick Houndour's leg. Ash returns Chikorita and Cyndaquil back to their Pokéballs. Suddenly, the sick Houndour begins to burn up with a fever. Ash tells the leader that they have to take it to the Pokémon Center. He promises the leader that he will get it their safely, but the leader has to trust him. Ash puts the sick Houndour on its back. The pack begins to bark, but the leader stops them. It trusts Ash.

Suddenly, Team Rocket pops out, and they say their motto. Ash tells Team Rocket to go away. Team Rocket wants Pikachu, the Houndour, and the ham they stole. Ash and co. realize that Team Rocket stole the ham from Nurse Joy, and the Houndour stole the ham from them. Houndour tells Ash to go on ahead while they take care of Team Rocket. Jessie sends out Arbok, and James sends out Victreebel and Weezing. The pack uses their Leer attack on Team Rocket's Pokémon, and they walk closer to Team Rocket. Arbok then use Poison Sting, and the Houndour dodges it. Then Victreebel and Weezing attack, but the Houndour dodges their attacks, too. The Houndour use their Flamethrower attacks. Team Rocket runs away.

Meanwhile, Ash and co. continue their way towards the Pokémon Center. Misty and Brock run out of breath from running. Ash keeps on going, but he too is tired. Ash tries to get up, but he falls down again. The pack of Houndour run up to Ash and co. The leader decides to carry Houndour on its back, and then everyone runs towards the Pokémon Center. When they get there, Ash puts Houndour on the stretcher, and Nurse Joy rushes it to the emergency room. Later, Nurse Joy comes out and reports that Houndour will be fine. Ash and co. are happy that Houndour will be okay.

Suddenly, Team Rocket appears in their balloon. Ash and co. run outside and see Team Rocket. Team Rocket notices Nurse Joy, the person who they stole the ham from. James gets out a remote and pushes a button. A net is shot out from the bottom of their balloon. The net captures the pack of Houndour, but not the leader. Then Team Rocket begins to float away with the Houndour. Ash, Pikachu, and Houndour run after Team Rocket. Ash realizes that Pikachu will never be able to Thundershock them since they are too far away. He tells Houndour to jump as far as it can. Houndour jumps and uses Flamethrower to burn up the net. The pack of Houndour is free. Then Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Team Rocket. Team Rocket blasts off again.

The Houndour all thank Ash and co. Back at the Pokémon Center, they are glad that the Houndour recovered. Brock gives the Houndour the sausage. Then Ash and co. wave goodbye to the Houndour, and they continue their way towards Goldenrod City. Meanwhile, Jessie's shirt is caught in a branch, and James and Meowth are holding onto her.

English Official Summary

Investigating a string of mysterious thefts, our heroes discover a pack of Houndour, struggling to survive in the wild. In order to help these thieving Pokémon mend their ways, though, Ash and friends will have to first earn their trust.

Italian Official Summary

Indagando su una serie di inspiegabili furti, i nostri eroi scoprono un gruppo di Houndour che sta lottando per la sopravvivenza. Ma per riuscire ad aiutarli Ash e amici devono prima guadagnare la loro fiducia…

Portuguese Official Summary

Seguindo uma cadeia de furtos misteriosos, nossos heróis descobrem alguns Houndour lutando para sobreviver na natureza. Para ajudar esses Pokémon ladrões a entrarem no eixo, Ash e seus amigos terão que ganhar sua confiança.

Spanish Latin America Official Summary

Siguiendo una serie de misteriosos robos, nuestros héroes descubren a unos Houndour luchando por sobrevivir en la naturaleza. Para ayudar a estos Pokémon ladrones a reformarse, Ash y sus amigos tendrán que ganarse su confianza.

Spanish Official Summary

Mientras nuestros héroes investigan una serie de misteriosos robos, descubren una manada de Houndour, luchando por sobrevivir en su hábitat natural.

English Great Britian Official Summary

Investigating a string of mysterious thefts, our heroes discover a pack of Houndour, struggling to survive in the wild. In order to help these thieving Pokémon mend their ways, though, Ash and friends will have to first earn their trust.

Dutch Official Summary

Na een reeks mysterieuze diefstallen, ontdekken onze helden een paar Houndour die met moeite overleven in het wild. Om de stelende Pokémon op het rechte pad te krijgen, moeten Ash en zijn vrienden eerst hun vertrouwen winnen.

French Official Summary

Alors qu'ils enquêtent sur une série de vols mystérieux, nos héros découvrent une meute de Malosse qui lutte pour survivre dans la nature.

German Official Summary

Auf der Spur einer mysteriösen Diebstählserie entdecken unsere Helden ein Hunduster-Rudel, das ums Überleben kämpft.