It's dark outside, and Ash and co. are walking through a forest. They are searching for the Pokémon Center. Brock is looking at his guidebook and he sees that a Pokémon Center is nearby. They turn the corner and face a gate. Suddenly, it begins to rain. They have no choice but to head inside the gate to stay dry. Brock still thinks that there is a Pokémon Center nearby. They notice that it is not raining on the other side of the gate, so Ash assumes that they should head that way. They begin to walk in the grass, hoping to find a Pokémon Center.
While walking, fog begins to form making it hard to see. Ash and co. are attacked by a flock of Crobat, but they manage to get away from them. Suddenly, they see a bright purple light. Ash wonders where the light came from. Suddenly, the fog disappears, and a Pokémon Center is seen. Excited, Ash and co. run towards the Pokémon Center. When they get inside, they greet Nurse Joy. Brock walks up to Nurse Joy. He is about to confess his love for her, when suddenly, Nurse Joy actually tells Brock that she loves him. She expresses her feelings towards Brock, and this makes Brock extremely excited. This surprises Ash and Dawn. Officer Jenny soon walks inside and takes Brock's hand. Nurse Joy takes Brock's other hand, and the two girls begin to fight over him. Brock realizes that his dream has finally come true. To make sure that it is not a dream, Brock wants Pikachu to shock him. Pikachu uses its Thunderbolt attack on Brock. Both Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny are still there.
Suddenly, Professor Oak and Dawn's mom walks inside. Ash and Dawn are surprised that they are here. Professor Oak wants Ash to enter World's Greatest Trainer Playoffs, and Dawn's mom wants her daughter to enter the World's Greatest Pokémon Coordinator Playoffs. Ash and Dawn both want to enter, so Professor Oak and Dawn's mom leads them to place.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket is walking through the fog outside. They suddenly see the purple light, and they notice that the fog has disappeared. They notice a restaurant close by. The man standing at the door tells them that it is a free All-You-Can-Eat buffet. Team Rocket runs towards the restaurant. When Professor Oak and Dawn's mom lead Ash and Dawn outside, they notice that there is daylight already. They are led to a huge building where the playoffs take place. When they get inside the building, the first thing Ash sees is a Pokémon battle. A Rayquaza stands on one side of the field, and Groudon on the other. Rayquaza uses its Ice Beam on Groudon to freeze it. However, Groudon breaks free from the ice. Dawn notices that Rayquaza's trainer is Cynthia, the Elite Four champion. Cynthia orders Rayquaza to use Twister. Groudon counters with Hyper Beam. Rayquaza then uses its own Hyper Beam, knocking Groudon out. Professor Oak tells Ash that his opponent will be Cynthia because his battle record was so good. Dawn's mom tells Dawn that she will also be battling a tough opponent. Dawn's mom holds out a dress for Dawn to wear, a dress that Dawn seems to adore.
Team Rocket is chowing down at the food that the chefs give them in the restaurant. A very famous TV producer from Jublife City appears in the restaurant. He wants Jessie to star in his next show. This makes Jessie extremely happy. James suddenly finds a rare bottle cap on the floor. He states that many bottle cap collectors have been searching for the cap that he found for a long time. Also, Giovanni suddenly appears in the restaurant. He tells Meowth that he is giving up his Persian, and he wants Meowth to sit on his lap.
The Pokémon Coordinator playoffs are about to begin. On one side of the field is Dawn, and on the other side is Dawn's mom. Then Ash and Cynthia are introduced on another side of the field. Cynthia sends out Rayquaza, and Ash sends in Pikachu. On the Coordinator field, Dawn sends out Piplup, and her mother sends out Feebas. Dawn knows that the battle with be very easy. Suddenly, Feebas evolves into Milotic. This evolution causes Dawn to lose over half her points. Meanwhile, a whole army of Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny runs towards Brock. They all surround him. The girls all turn into Croagunk and use Poison Jab on Brock. Brock wakes up and he finds himself back outside on the grass. His Croagunk is standing right next to him. Brock sees Ash and Dawn dreaming on the ground. Then he sees a Mismagius standing in front of Brock. Brock realizes that the purple light came from Mismagius, and it hypnotized him and his friends. Mismagius lets out another purple light, hypnotizing Brock and Croagunk.
Brock is transported to another place. All the Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny runs towards Brock. Brock falls in love with them, but he soon realizes that they are illusions created by Mismagius. Brock decides to return Croagunk back into its Pokéball. He runs out to tell Ash and Dawn about Mismagius.
The battle between Dawn and her mother continues. Piplup uses Whirlpool on Milotic. Milotic is knocked out by the powerful Whirlpool, making Dawn the winner. This makes Dawn the world's greatest coordinator. Meanwhile, Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on Rayquaza. The shock was too much for Rayquaza, so it faints. Ash wins the battle and claims the title of world's greatest Pokémon trainer. Dawn's mom and Professor Oak congratulate Dawn and Ash for their great work. Then they present Dawn and Ash with awards. Dawn receives a complete set of contest ribbons, and Ash gets a complete set of gym badges.
Brock runs into the stadium and tells Ash and Dawn about Mismagius and how everything is an illusion. Mismagius soon appears in the stadium, and Dawn looks up the Pokémon in her Pokédex. The whole crowd disappears, and the ribbon and badge cases turn to ash. Mismagius laughs at them. Ash and Dawn don't think it's funny at all. Ash and co. decide to leave the stadium, but the exit brings them back into the stadium. Suddenly, a Rayquaza bursts out of the ground. Mismagius merges with the Rayquaza, and the Rayquaza turns into a purple color. Mismagius begins to use its Hyper Beam attack on Ash and co. Dawn wonders if there is a way out of this mess. Brock states that Croagunk was able to wake him up before.
Team Rocket is also facing the same chaos. Jessie's actress career ends, James' bottle cap collection disappears, and Giovanni begins to strangle Meowth. Team Rocket meets up with each other outside. They see Ash and co. heading their way. Mismagius uses its Hyper Beam on Team Rocket. Team Rocket blasts off again, and they land right in front of a Groudon. The Groudon uses its Hyper Beam on Team Rocket, and they blast off again. Team Rocket lands in front of a Milotic. Milotic uses Hydro Pump on them, and they blast off again. Then they encounter three Persian who use Hyper Beam on Team Rocket. Team Rocket bounces back in forth getting attacked by all sorts of Pokémon.
Ash and co. see the gate right up ahead. Brock states that all of this started to happen when they went past that gate. Mismagius blocks their path. Dawn sends out Piplup, Brock sends out Croagunk, and Ash sends in Pikachu for battle. All their Pokémon attack Mismagius. Mismagius endures the attacks and fires its Twister at them. Ash and co. aren't giving up. Their Pokémon attack Mismagius again. Mismagius gets mad and uses Hyper Beam on Ash and co. Suddenly, Ash and co.'s Pokémon begins to grow. Once they are done growing, they attack Mismagius. The attacks are effective against Mismagius. It faints and returns back to normal. Then Pikachu, Croagunk, and Piplup return to their normal size again.
Suddenly, a bunch of ribbons and badges fall from the sky. A pile of Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys also appear. Mismagius wants Ash and co. to take the gifts. Ash and co. thank Mismagius, but they don't accept the gifts. Ash and Dawn state that they want to win their dreams their own way in the real world. Ash and co. pass the gate and head into the real world. Ash and co. soon wake up. Nurse Joy walks up to them hoping that they are alright. She explains that Mismagius like to play tricks on trainers that have lost their way. Brock falls in love with Nurse Joy, but Croagunk Poison Jabs him. Then Ash and co. follow Nurse Joy into the Pokémon Center.
