Ash and friends are heading for the Battle Factory where Ash hopes to earn his first Frontier Symbol. Brock looks through his maps trying to figure out where they are while Max looks in his PokéNav. He says that it is just around the corner and they’ll be there shortly.
Hours later, however, the gang is still wandering hopelessly. A full moon rises as Ash exclaims that they’ve been around over 50 corners and they’re nowhere near the Factory. Max replies that it was just good that it was his fault and not that the PokéNav was broken. Just as they’re about to set up camp for the night, what appears to be blue glittering snow comes falling from the sky. Everyone looks around for the source of the “snow” but they can’t seem to find it. Looking up at the moon, the gang spots a shadow fly past the moon. It flies past several more times, and finally Ash identifies it as Articuno.
May pulls out her Pokédex and scans the Pokémon. The Dex tells them all that Articuno live in mountains, which leads Brock to question why it is in the forest. Suddenly, a motor rumbles and a small biplane appears in the air. The plane flies alongside Articuno and Ash thinks the person inside is trying to catch it. However, nothing of the sort happens as the plane flies beside the Freeze Pokémon. Suddenly, the plane begins to have troubles. Smoke billows from it and it makes a landing. Covered in soot, Ash and friends wonder what happened.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket is setting up camp for the night. They, too, saw the Articuno, and they begin devising a plan to capture it. Meowth’s vision of Giovanni entails that he is roasting and has no way of cooling off but then Articuno shows up and chills him, and he plans to reward Jessie, James, and Meowth. James reminds Jessie and Meowth that none of their plans ever work, but he tells them that this one will because they are the new and improved Team Rocket.
Ash and friends, having chased Articuno around the forest, have now stumbled upon a Pokémon Center. They enter the building, Brock flirting with Nurse Joy right away. After Max drags Brock away, Ash asks Nurse Joy if she’ll give them directions to the Battle Factory. She tells him that she’ll give him directions in the morning, when it’s light out. Next morning, she is about to give them all the directions to the Factory when Scott appears and offers to drive them there. They get in his little red sports car and he speeds off, at speeds used on race tracks. The ride proves to be too much for Ash and the others, even though it was as slow as he went with his grandma.
Finally at the Battle Factory, Ash, Scott, and the others are about to enter when a rumble comes from inside. The doors blast open, and a machine comes racing out. Scott tells everyone to run for it as the machine swirls around everywhere. A voice from inside establishes the fact that the man inside has lost control of the machine and would like some assistance. Ash, May, and Brock release Grovyle, Combusken, and Mudkip to help out. Ash orders a Bullet Seed, May orders a Fire Spin, and Brock orders a Water Gun. The attacks manage to stop the crazy machine and a man clambers out.
Scott addresses the man as Noland and says that he’s still working on those machines. Ash asks what the machine is, so Noland tells them that it is the Noland J-9 before asking what they think. May puts in that it is different and Max agrees. Another man runs up and asks if Noland is still playing with his machines. Noland disagrees, telling the man that it’s his hobby. The man asks what the difference is so Noland introduces him as Sergio, his First Apprentice. Scott asks Noland why they haven’t heard an introduction from him yet. Noland replies that he was hoping the day would come when he didn’t need one, but since that day hasn’t come, he introduces himself as Noland, the guy in charge, which makes him the Factory Head. Ash asks what a Factory Head does, so Scott explains that he’s the Frontier Brain of the Battle Factory.
Ash quickly challenges Noland to a battle and Noland asks when he’s planning to do this. Ash responds that he wants to do it right now, making Noland excited. Meanwhile, Team Rocket watches from a tree branch, ready to steal all of Noland’s Pokémon.
Sergio calls for Noland’s Pokémon, telling them it is time for some Pokéblock, and all of them - Golduck, Manectric, Rhydon, Breloom, Venusaur, Sandslash, Machamp, Pinsir, Rhyhorn, Camerupt, and Lairon - come running. Sergio lays down the bowls of food as May’s Munchlax pops out of its Pokéball. It starts to eat out of Pinsir and Breloom’s bowl as May scolds it. Sergio reassures her that they’ve got plenty of Pokéblock.
Noland asks Ash which Pokémon he’d like to battle for his challenge. Ash confirms that he has a choice and then starts to try to decide. First, he thinks of Venusaur, and then he wants to battle Rhyhorn, and then Machamp. Rhyhorn and Sandslash are eating their Pokéblock when Munchlax comes up, steals their bowl, and runs off into the Factory. May and Max chase after it as Jessie, James, and Meowth watch from above. The brother and sister find it eating in a dark corner of a Factory Room. They also spot the biplane that they saw the other night. Suddenly, the glittering blue “snow” from before starts coming out from behind Munchlax. May thinks that Munchlax is using an Ice Attack but Max says that it isn’t Icy Wind or Blizzard. Just then, Articuno appears from behind Munchlax. Munchlax ducks as Articuno swoops out of the room. It flies out to where Noland, Scott, Sergio, Ash, and Brock wait for May and Max with Munchlax. Ash and Brock say “There it is again!” while Scott is merely amazed at the sight.
Noland says that his secret is out. May thinks that it is amazing that Noland captured a Legendary Pokémon like Articuno, but Noland interjects that it is still a Wild Articuno and that they are just friends. He then tells them the story of how they met. He was taking a plane out for a test run when he noticed an Articuno flying beside him. He was amazed at the sight. But then Articuno fell from the sky because its wing was hurt. Noland had heard that Articuno fly from one snowy mountain to the next and he figured that it had gotten injured in one of those flights. So he convinced Articuno to land on the plane, and then flew it down to the ground to help it. Max asks if Noland would take him up to fly with Articuno and he agrees. Max invites Pikachu to come too, and so it leaps off Ash’s shoulder and over to Max.
Articuno takes off with Max and Noland right behind it. Articuno speeds ahead of them, and Noland gets that it wants to race. Noland chases after Articuno in the plane, as Ash returns to the group on the ground. Brock asks where he went, and he says that he had to make a phone call. From above, a giant purple machine with a large red R on the front appears and lands on the ground. Team Rocket says their motto as Noland asks Max “Who are those yahoos?” Back on the ground, Ash shouts for Pikachu to attack Team Rocket, before remembering that Pikachu is in the plane. So he pulls out Grovyle’s Pokéball. James stops him from releasing Grovyle with the machine’s mechanical hand. Taking the Pokéball, Jessie, James, and Meowth praise their machine. Meowth tells everyone that it is called the “Good At Grabbing Mucho Extras!” James calls it the G.A.G.M.E. for short before Jessie tells him that it spells “Gag Me.” Several more hands extend from the G.A.G.M.E. and steal several of Noland’s Pokémon. From in the air, Noland rams Team Rocket with his plane. The machine falls over and all of the Pokémon are released, including Grovyle. Articuno swoops in and picks up the machine, taking it sky-high. James, Meowth, and everyone on the ground marvel at its strength. Jessie asks James and Meowth if it’s really time to start an Articuno Fan Club.
Articuno chucks the G.A.G.M.E way off into the distance, followed by an Ice Beam at Noland’s command. Later that night, everyone has a drink as Noland asks Ash which Pokémon he’d like to battle. May thinks he’ll pick Venusaur and Max thinks he chose Rhyhorn. Ash responds that he chose neither and says that he wants to go 1-on-1 with Articuno. Articuno agrees, and when Noland asks which Pokémon Ash will use, Ash responds that he’ll use “that one up there.” Everyone looks up to see a winged creature flying in from far away. As it gets closer, the silhouette becomes clearer and Max realizes that it’s Charizard. Charizard greets Ash with the usual Flamethrower as Scott says that he’s looking forward to the battle. Noland agrees as Articuno and Charizard size up their competition.
