Ash and co. have arrived on Metallica Island, the place where Ash will win his symbol at the Battle Palace. Ash and May are training for their next battles. Brock is watching them train while feeding Bonsly. Max is sitting next to Brock. Brock is impressed at the battle skills Ash and May have. Max tells Brock that May is training Eevee because she wants to put it in her next contest. While May is training Eevee, Ash is training his Pokémon for his next battle. However, when Ash tells Sceptile to use Bullet Seed, Sceptile can't do the attack. Sceptile tries its hardest to use Bullet Seed, but the attack doesn't come out. Sceptile is angry at itself since it can't use the attack. Ash and co. hope that Sceptile will be okay. Ash walks up to Sceptile. He tells Sceptile that a good rest at the Pokémon Center is all it needs. Angry, Sceptile runs into the forest, and Ash and Pikachu chases after it.

Sceptile runs some more until it reaches a tree. It begins to bang its head against the tree. Ash walks up to Sceptile. He tells Sceptile that he understands how it feels and that everyone has bad days, however throwing a tantrum only hurts yourself. Ash offers to go back to the rest of the group.

Suddenly, Pikachu senses something. A swarm of Beedrill surrounds Ash and Sceptile. Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on the all, however more comes out from the bushes. Ash and Pikachu begin to run away from the Beedrill. More and more Beedrill begin to Ash. Ash wonders why the Sceptile are chasing him. Soon he comes to the edge of a cliff. Below the cliff is a current. The Beedrill come closing in on Ash and Sceptile. Sceptile steps up and blocks the Beedrill's attacks from hitting Ash. Ash takes out his Pokéball. He is about to return Sceptile back when the Beedrill cause Sceptile to knock into Ash. Ash drops his Pokéball and they all fall into the current. Ash grabs onto a nearby rock. Ash grabs onto Sceptile. However, Pikachu floats away down the stream.

Meanwhile, Team Rocket is hiding from the Beedrill. They hear Ash scream, and they wonder what he is doing in the forest. The Beedrill notices Team Rocket and they break through Team Rocket's protection. Team Rocket runs away, and the Beedrill follows them.

Brock, May, and Max are at the Pokémon Center. They wonder where Ash is at since he still hasn't come back. Scott says hello as he walks out of the Pokémon Center. Scott asks the group where Ash is at. May tells Scott that Ash ran in the forest. Scott is shocked. He tells everyone that the Kakuna evolve this time of the year. So Ash might've been attacked by the Beedrill. Scott runs back in the Pokémon Center to get a few things before they all go out to find Ash.

Ash slowly walks with Sceptile down the road. They both are crippled. Seeing how bad Sceptile looks, Ash decides to take a break. Ash hopes that Pikachu is alright. Meanwhile, Brock, Scott, May, and Max are in the forest looking for Ash. Scott pulls out a can of Repel which will protect them all from the Beedrill. Bonsly sees a Pokéball lying on the ground. Scott picks it up. They know that it is Ash's Pokéball, so they follow the river downstream. Ash has fed Sceptile some food. He tells Sceptile that they should get some sleep. Ash stares at the sky and prays that Pikachu is okay.

Pikachu walks out of the stream. It is very weak and sparks spark from its cheeks. It breathes heavily and then falls to the ground. Later, a Venusaur with a man on top of it walks up to Pikachu. The old man stares at Pikachu and smiles. Brock, Scott, May, and Max continue their search for Ash and Sceptile. Up ahead, Scott sees smoke coming from behind the trees. They decide to check it out. The source of the smoke is a fire that the old man made. He prepares some medicine for Pikachu. When the medicine is complete, Pikachu drinks the whole thing. Then Scott and the others arrive. They meet up with Pikachu who happens to be alright. Scott introduces Brock, May, and Max to the old man. The old man's name is Spencer. He is the Battle Palace's Frontier Brain. Since Spencer hasn't seen Ash, they still have to find him. Max's stomach growls. He is hungry. Venusaur offers them some fruit to eat. Spencer agrees to make them all a meal.

Everyone explains Sceptile's problem to Spencer. Team Rocket is listening to their conversation from behind the bushes. They think of a plan to capture Pikachu and Sceptile. Brock, May, and Max thank Spencer for the delicious meal. Spencer explains to them that the secret to his meal is from the forest itself. Their way with mother nature works out perfectly. Spencer says that his way of life is great. Suddenly, Pikachu stands up. It has fully recovered. Now that Pikachu has healed, they all begin their search for Ash.

The next day, Ash and Sceptile slowly walk down the road. Ash trips over a rock. His knee is slightly injured, but he is able to walk. Ash tells Sceptile that he can feel that they are really close to the rest of the group. Ash and Sceptile then come across a group of Kakuna. Ash doesn't see any Beedrill nearby, so he decides to walk by the Kakuna. Unfortunately, a swarm of Beedrill fly up to him. Ash and Sceptile do their best to run away from the Beedrill. Ash sees sunlight ahead. They are lead out of the forest but into a dead end. The Beedrill are still coming after them. Ash picks up a stick to defend himself and Sceptile. Eventually, one Beedrill knocks the stick out of Ash's hands. Ash remains defenseless. Sceptile steps in and tries a Bullet Seed. Unfortunately, Sceptile still can't fire any attacks. The Beedrill are closing in on Ash and Sceptile. Just before the Beedrill can hit Ash and Sceptile, an electric shock is fired and hits the Beedrill. This shock came from Pikachu.

The Beedrill then heads to Pikachu and the others. However, Venusaur releases a spore to calm the Beedrill down. Ash wants to know where the spore came from. Scott walks up to Ash and tells him that it came from Venusaur. Spencer tells the Beedrill to head back to their territory. The Beedrill do so. Ash wonders who Spencer is. Brock says that Spencer is the Frontier Brain of the Battle Palace. Ash thanks Spencer for saving him from the Beedrill.

Suddenly, two mechanical arms grab Pikachu and Sceptile. Ash and Spencer demand Team Rocket to let the Pokémon go. Team Rocket says their motto. Pikachu tries a Thunderbolt to get free, but that doesn't work. Team Rocket begins to float away. Ash runs after Team Rocket. He jumps on a branch and leaps off of it. Ash lands on one of the mechanical arms. Meowth uses his remote to try and shake Ash off. Since Ash isn't letting go, Jessie sends out Dustox. Dustox fires a series of Poison Sting attacks at Ash. Ash promises to Pikachu and Sceptile that he will save them. Suddenly, Dustox uses Tackle on Ash. The strong force releases Ash from the mechanical arm. Ash begins to fall! Sceptile sees this. With all its might, Sceptile uses Leaf Blade to free itself and Pikachu from the mechanical arms. Then Sceptile dives to catch Ash and make a smooth landing by using Bullet Seed. Ash is glad that Sceptile can use its attacks again.

Because Sceptile has used up a lot of its power, Spencer sends out Chansey. Chansey uses Heal Bell to restore Sceptile back to full health. Team Rocket lands on the ground. They still want a fight. Spencer tells Team Rocket that Sceptile has full health and that it's ready for battle. Team Rocket ignores Spencer's warning. Dustox uses Tackle and Cacnea uses Needle Arm. Sceptile uses Leaf Blade to knock out both Dustox and Cacnea. Then Sceptile finishes Team Rocket off with Bullet Seed. Team Rocket blasts off again.

Ash and co. are at the Pokémon Center. Ash asks Spencer for a battle. Spencer agrees to battle Ash. The next day Ash and Spencer are going to battle each other.