Dawn is riding her bike on the road on Route 202. She stops for a moment and decides to run down the hill. Dawn sends out Piplup to play. Dawn then leans against a rock with Piplup in her arms. Peacefully, Dawn asks Piplup what the first thing Pokémon trainers do. Piplup doesn't know, and Dawn tells it that Pokémon trainers catch Pokémon.

A Buneary suddenly pops out of the bushes. Dawn spots it immediately, and she looks up the Pokémon in her Pokédex. Dawn wants to capture Buneary. She thinks to herself the steps she will need to take in order to capture this Pokémon. After that, Dawn sends in Piplup for battle. Piplup uses Bubblebeam, but Buneary quickly dodges the attack. Piplup tries to spot out Buneary. Noticing that Buneary is behind Piplup, Dawn tells Piplup to use Peck. Piplup uses the attack but misses again, and this time Buneary tackles Piplup. Piplup is knocked out.

Dawn runs to Piplup hoping that it is okay. Buneary bounces off of Dawn's face and hops away. Piplup is sad that Dawn failed to capture Buneary. Dawn cheers Piplup up with some encouragement. Afterwards, Dawn places Piplup in her bicycle basket, and she takes off on the road again. While Dawn is biking, she tells Piplup about Pokémon contests. Becoming a top coordinator has always been Dawn's dream. Dawn then mentions to Piplup that she will is heading towards Kotobuki City because that's when the first contest is at. Dawn wants to capture as many Pokémon as she can to prepare for the contest.

Suddenly, Dawn encounters a Burmy who is hanging from a tree. She looks up Burmy in her Pokédex. Piplup uses its Bubblebeam attack even without Dawn's command. Dawn is amazed at how Piplup weakened Burmy. She stares in awe and completely forgets about throwing her Pokéball to capture it. Seconds later, Burmy is gone. Dawn sulks down and apologizes to Piplup. Piplup tells Dawn that it is okay to fail at first.

Suddenly, Dawn and Piplup hear something rustling in the bushes. Ash's Pikachu, hurt and tired, comes out of the bushes. Dawn looks up Pikachu in her Pokédex. Not knowing that Pikachu is not a wild Pokémon, Dawn tells Piplup to use Bubblebeam. Piplup uses the attack, but Pikachu counters with Thunderbolt. Piplup then uses Peck, but Pikachu uses Thunderbolt again, causing Piplup to slam right against Dawn's bike. Dawn is angry at Pikachu for frying her bike. She throws a Pokéball at Pikachu, hoping to capture it. Pikachu isn't captured by the Pokéball because it isn't a wild Pokémon.

Team Rocket's Pokémon come out of the bushes and surround Pikachu. Dawn notices that Meowth is talking. She quickly looks up Meowth in her Pokédex. Jessie and James soon appear. They notice that Dawn is holding a Pokéball in her hand. Assuming that Dawn was trying to capture Pikachu, Jessie and James tell her that she shouldn't try to capture other people's Pokémon. Pikachu uses a Thunderbolt on Team Rocket. Team Rocket quickly recovers, and their Pokémon begin to attack Pikachu. Pikachu is able to dodge Team Rocket's attacks. Dawn senses that Pikachu is in danger. She has Piplup use Bubblebeam on Team Rocket's Pokémon.

Team Rocket demands Dawn to step aside, but Dawn refuses to do so. She asks Team Rocket to identify themselves. Team Rocket says their motto. Dawn doesn't recognize them because they aren't known in the Shinou region. Meowth suggests they build a base for the boss's sake in the Shinou region. Jessie gets angry with Dawn. She has Seviper use a Wrap attack on Piplup. Piplup uses Bubblebeam to free itself from Seviper. Then all of Team Rocket's Pokémon charge towards Dawn. Piplup uses Bubblebeam, and Pikachu uses Thunderbolt. Team Rocket blasts off into the sky.

Dawn, Piplup, and Pikachu cheer at their victory. A sharp energy decrease soon occurs in Pikachu. Dawn rushes towards the Pokémon Center immediately, and Nurse Joy begins to care for Pikachu. Meanwhile, Dawn calls her mother from the Pokémon Center. Her mother is happy that Dawn is doing well on her journey. She asks Dawn if she has caught any new Pokémon. Dawn tells her mother that it's a hard thing to do. Dawn's mother agrees, but all Dawn is practice.

Dawn calls Professor Nanakamondo next. The Professor notices that Dawn and Piplup are scarred. Dawn reports to the Professor that she met a lost Pikachu who was attacked by a team called Team Rocket. Dawn mentions that she will search for Pikachu's trainer as soon as she arrives in Kotobuki City. The Professor wishes Dawn the best of luck on her journey.

Aipom is high up on a tree searching for Team Rocket's balloon. Ash calls out to Aipom asking if it found anything. Aipom climbs down from the tree and shakes its head. Ash sadly walks down the road hoping Pikachu is okay. Officer Jenny pulls up and sees that Ash and Aipom. She offers them a ride. Ash tells Officer Jenny the story. Officer Jenny suggests that Ash should wait at Professor Nanakamondo's laboratory. When Ash arrives at the laboratory, Professor Nanakamondo gives Ash Aipom's Pokéball, which was transferred by Professor Oak. The Professor also tells Ash that another trainer found his Pikachu. They give Nurse Joy a call. Nurse Joy tells them that Dawn left a little while ago. Ash decides to search for Dawn.

Team Rocket slowly is walking down a path. They are exhausted. James looks up and sees a building. They head over to the fence and see a familiar looking sign. James claims that it was his Holiday Villa from when he was a kid. They decide to go in it. Jessie and Meowth like the place, and they think they should make it their base. James walks in another room and notices a box. He opens the box and finds his bottle collection for years ago. James also sees a Pokéball in the box. James throws the Pokéball and out comes Carnivine. After a long time, James and Carnivine have been reunited again.

Jessie gets hungry. James calls over his assistant who graciously prepares them a meal. While Team Rocket is eating, the assistant tells James that his relatives including Rumika have already been contacted to see him in the morning. Jessie asks who Rumika is, and Meowth tells her that it is James's fiance.

Jessie and Meowth are relaxing on the couch. James suddenly stands up and states that they should leave. If Rumika were to come, his family would force him to marry her. Jessie and Meowth agree that they should leave. Jessie thinks they should get Shinou's uniform. Meowth contacts the boss. The boss tells Jessie, James, and Meowth that he is counting on them to bring him rare Pokémon from the Shinou region. Jessie, James, and Meowth are pleased.

Dawn gives Professor Nanakamondo a call. The Professor tells Dawn that Pikachu's trainer has been found, and he is heading her way. Dawn thinks they should go back on Route 202 to find Ash. She hangs up and faces the road again. Ash continues his run in search for Pikachu. A truck pulls up near him. Out of the truck comes Brock. Ash and Brock greet each other. Inside the truck is a girl named Torami who is the truck driver. Brock tells Ash that he has also set out on a journey as a breeder. He currently is going on a date with Torami. Torami gets a call. She answers it and it's her boyfriend, Tarin. Brock is surprised that Torami is already taken. Torami ends the call and tells Brock that he should travel with Ash because she has to go. With Torami gone, Ash and Brock continue their journey together.

Ash tells Brock the whole story about Pikachu. Ash looks at a map and sees that there's a Pokémon Center ahead. Aipom swings on the trees, and it crashes into another Pokémon. The two Pokémon begin fighting each other. Ash looks up the other Pokémon in his Pokédex. It is a Starly. Ash wants to capture Starly. Aipom starts off with a Swift attack. Starly endures the attack and uses Gust. Ash orders Aipom to use Focus Punch. Before Aipom can launch its attack, Starly hits Aipom using Quick Attack. Aipom flinches, and Starly slaps Aipom several times using Wing Attack. This time Aipom directly hits Starly with a Focus Punch. Ash throws the Pokéball and successfully captures Starly.

Ash caught Starly so that he could find Pikachu. Ash and Brock continue to run down the road in search for Pikachu. Dawn also continues to search for Ash. Meanwhile, a trainer has seen Ash capture a Starly. Who is this suspicious trainer? To be continued...