Jessie is in a battle with another trainer. She tells Dustox to use Stun Spore. The trainer's Marowak deflects the Stun Spore by using its bone. Then Marowak uses Bonemerang, but Dustox dodges it, however the bone spins behind Jessie and hits Dustox from behind. Marowak then finishes Dustox off with Bone Club. Dustox faints and the trainer, Jeffrey, is the winner. James sadly gives Jeffrey a badge as a reward. Jeffrey cheers and then walks out of the gym. James tells Jessie that she lost again. Jessie wants to battle a trainer with extreme talent.

Meowth has purchased some groceries, and he walks out of the store. He notices a Croagunk sitting near the store entrance. Meowth thinks that the Croagunk could mean trouble, so he walks along the road. The Croagunk stands up, and it begins to follow Meowth. Meowth is getting nervous that the Croagunk is following him, but he tells himself that they are just heading the same direction. Then Meowth stops, and the Croagunk stops right behind Meowth. Meowth wonders why Croagunk stopped. Meowth is begining to get scared, and it runs back to the gym. Croagunk follows Meowth all the way inside the gym.

When Meowth gets there, he tells Jessie and James that Croagunk has been following him. James finds information on Croagunk on one of his cards. Croagunk begins to speak. Meowth tells Jessie and James that Croagunk is saying that they are boring. Jessie thinks that Croagunk is being rude. James tries to fix Croagunk up a bit, but Croagunk uses its Poison Jab attack on James. Jessie then gets an idea for Croagunk.

Ash and co. are continuing their journey throughout the Sinnoh region. Suddenly, a Scizor jumps out and lands in front of them. Dawn looks up Scizor in her Pokédex. A trainer walks out and tells Scizor to slow down a bit. Brock immediately falls in love with the girl and tells her to come to his side. Ash and Dawn walk over to her. Dawn asks the trainer if the Scizor belongs to her. The girl tells them that Scizor is her favorite Pokémon and that it belongs to her. Then the girl asks them if they have heard of a gym close by. Ash says that the closest gym is in Oreburgh City. The girl states that a new gym just opened up, and it's called Power Zone gym. Ash thinks its cool, and he also wants to find it. Then the trainer introduces herself as Mini. Ash and co. introduce themselves to Mini.

While they are all walking, Mini tells them that the new gym takes any Pokémon from a trainer and trains it so that it can get strong. Dawn thinks it's a great thing to do. Then they approach a strange building which looks like the gym. Inside the gym, Jessie is battling another trainer. The trainer tells his Sandslash to use Fury Swipes. Jessie is battling with Croagunk. She orders Croagunk to dodge the attacks. Ash and co. walk in the gym, and they watch the battle. Dawn looks up Sandslash in her Pokédex, while Ash looks up Croagunk in his Pokédex. Sandslash then uses Sand-Attack. Croagunk dodges the attack and uses Poison Jab. Sandslash faints, and Jessie wins the battle. Jessie congratulates the trainer for doing well, but he doesn't get a badge. Then Jessie and James offer to train the trainer's Sandslash. The trainer is grateful, and he gives his Pokéball to them.

When the trainer leaves, Mini and Ash want to battle. Team Rocket sees Ash and co. and they huddle together for a plan. Ash wonders if there's a problem. Jessie stands up and says that there isn't a problem. She chooses Mini to battle first. James begins to explain the gym rules. It will be a 1-on-1 battle, and the winner earns a badge. Dawn asks to see the badge. Meowth is shocked because he gave away the last badge. James, however, comes out with a badge. The badge is really three bottle caps placed together. Ash and co. notice that the badge looks weird. James tells them that the badge is original and good. Then the battle begins.

With its fast speed, Scizor hits Croagunk with its Slash attack. Then it finishes up with Metal Claw, and Croagunk faints. James begins to slowly call that Mini wins. Before he can finish, Croagunk gets back up, meaning the battle is still on. Croagunk uses Poison Sting and hits Scizor. Then Croagunk finishes Scizor off with a Poison Jab. James declares Jessie the winner. Team Rocket then walks up to Mini. They tell her that they can train Scizor to be a winner. Mini is grateful that Team Rocket will do that. Now it's Ash's turn to battle. Jessie states that it's time for lunch. She tells them that her Croagunk is tired and can't battle anymore. Brock thinks that they should take a lunch break, and he invites Mini to join them. Mini puts Scizor in her Pokéball, and she gives it to Team Rocket. Then they leave.

When lunch is over, Ash and co. go back into the gym. Ash sends out Aipom for battle. Jessie is surprised that Ash chose Aipom, but they battle anyways. Croagunk starts off with Brick Break, but Aipom dodges it and uses Swift. Then Aipom hits Croagunk with Focus Punch. Croagunk is able to get up, and it strikes Aipom with its Poison Jab attack. Aipom manages to get up, but it's injured. Jessie commands Croagunk to use Poison Jab one more time. Aipom avoids the attack with Double Team. Croagunk becomes confused, and then Aipom uses Swift again. Then Aipom finishes Croagunk off with a Focus Punch. James declares Ash the winner.

Meowth tells Ash that before he can get his badge, he has to win two battles. Dawn doesn't think it's fair, but Brock states that gym leaders can make their own rules. With that being said, Jessie sends out Dustox. Ash decides to use Turtwig for battle, but before Ash can send Turtwig out, Jessie stops him. She tells him that another rule is that she gets to choose which Pokémon Ash battles with. Jessie chooses Pikachu. Ash doesn't have a choice, so he chooses Pikachu for battle. Then the battle begins.

Suddenly, a mechanical claw reaches out and grabs Pikachu. The whole gym falls down, and Team Rocket's balloon is revealed. Team Rocket jumps into their balloon, and they say their motto. Pikachu is trapped in a net along with a few other Pokéballs. Ash demands that Team Rocket comes back. Team Rocket begins to escape. James notices that they left Croagunk behind. Jessie says that Croagunk was never apart of their team. Ash and co. chase Team Rocket. Ash sends out Starly. Starly uses Quick Attack on the balloon. After a few hits, the balloon rips, and Team Rocket falls to the ground. Team Rocket isn't done yet. Jessie sends out Dustox. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt to shock Team Rocket, and they blast off again.

Mini is glad to have Scizor back. Dawn wonders what they are going to do with the rest of the Pokéballs. Brock says that they are going to have to go back to the gym and wait for the other trainers to pick them up. Mini offers to do that. She knows that she isn't ready for gym battles yet, and she knows that Ash and co. have to go on their journey. Suddenly, Croagunk appears behind Brock. Brock and Croagunk stare at each other for awhile. Then Brock asks Croagunk if it wants to go along with him. Croagunk nods its head yes. Brock takes out a Pokéball and captures the Croagunk. Ash, Dawn, and Mini congratulate Brock for capturing Croagunk. Mini decides to head back to the gym. Brock takes Mini's hand and bids a farewell to her. Croagunk pops out of its Pokéball and uses a Poison Jab on Brock. Then Ash and Dawn wave goodbye to Mini, while Croagunk drags Brock with Ash and Dawn.