Ash and Dawn are in the middle of a Pokémon battle. Aipom uses Swift, but Buizel dodges it and uses Water Gun. A jet of water is fired straight at Aipom, but Aipom dodges the attack. Buizel then uses Aqua Jet, but Aipom avoids the attack with Double Team. Because Buizel doesn't know which copy to attack, Aipom is able to hit Buizel with Focus Punch. Both Pokémon still stand strong at the end of the collision. Brock and Pikachu are impressed at how Ash and Dawn are able to interact with their Pokémon very well. The battle continues. Aipom fires another Swift at Buizel. Buizel counters with Aqua Jet and blasts its way through the stars. It then fires a Sonicboom at Aipom. Aipom deflects the Sonicboom with Focus Punch, and the attack hits a tower of stones.
Ash realizes that they may be in trouble. The stones begin to glow, and clouds move over Ash and co.'s heads. Dawn feels a chill, and the clouds get darker and darker. Suddenly, a lightning bolt strikes the blocks. One of them floats into the air and a face appears. Brock thinks it might be a Pokémon, and Dawn looks it up in her Pokédex. It is a Spiritomb. Spiritomb launches a series of attacks at Ash and co. Ash isn't too happy about that, so he orders Buizel to use Water Gun. Buizel attack Spiritomb, but its attack goes right through it. Spiritomb then counters with an attack that leaves Buizel confused. Spiritomb then flies away
Meanwhile, Team Rocket is about to enjoy their dinner that consists of a cookie. Spiritomb approaches Team Rocket. Before Team Rocket can taste their treat, Spiritomb attacks them, burning the cookie. It then knocks Jessie in the head with its body. Spiritomb then flies away. James figures out that the Pokémon was a Spiritomb and that the object attached to its body is a keystone.
The next day, Ash and co. continue their journey in the forest. Ash wants to know what the Spiritomb was doing. They approach a village, but the village has been beaten down. Many of the trainers' Pokémon have been hurt. One of the trainers states that an odd Pokémon attacked them out of nowhere. Ash and co. assume that it was the Spiritomb. An old lady runs out and exclaims that Spiritomb has been reborn. Ash and co. know that the old lady knows the story about Spiritomb. She agrees to tell them the story.
She states that there was a time many years ago when Spiritomb caused trouble to the village. It always would try to make the peoples' lives miserable. Spiritomb would destroy peoples' homes, ruin the crops, and ultimately cause chaos to the village. Suddenly, a guardian and his Pikachu came along to the village and defeated the Spiritomb. He sealed the Spiritomb inside a keystone, which then was placed in a tower of blocks to make sure that it would never escape again. Ash, Dawn, and Brock know that they were the ones who broke the seal, and they begin to sweat. They show the rubble of stones to the old lady, and she freaks out. Ash and co. deeply apologize to her for ruining everything. Ash swears that they will be the ones who will solve the problem. The old lady reminds Ash that Spiritomb is a mean and nasty Pokémon.
Suddenly, Team Rocket appears in disguises. Jessie states that she can tell peoples' pasts and predict peoples' futures. She tells Ash and Dawn's pasts, even though they are all fake. Jessie then offers to help capture the Spiritomb. She also secretly plans to capture Pikachu too. Suddenly, one of the trainers runs up to them and says that the Spiritomb is attacking their village again. Meowth, who is dressed up in a Sneasel outfit, runs up to Spiritomb and talks to it. Then Meowth tells James who announces that Spiritomb wants Pikachu. So Jessie takes Pikachu out of Ash's arms and places it next to Spiritomb. Suddenly, a net drops onto both Spiritomb and Pikachu, and then Team Rocket's balloon appears. Team Rocket says their motto. Then they float away with Pikachu and Spiritomb. Ash, Dawn, and Brock run to catch up with Team Rocket.
Spiritomb blasts a hole right through Team Rocket's balloon. Team Rocket crashes to the ground, freeing Pikachu. Pikachu reunites with Ash. Jessie then sends out Seviper, but Spiritomb knocks Seviper out in one hit. Spiritomb is now very angry, and it chases Team Rocket away. Team Rocket finally gives in after a long run. Spiritomb is still right behind them. Team Rocket begs for mercy at Spiritomb. Spiritomb then begins to talk to Team Rocket. It says that it wants revenge on the guardian who sealed it up many years ago. Team Rocket doesn't want to be a part of Spiritomb's chaos, so they try to avoid it.
Meanwhile, Ash has sent out Staravia to search for Spiritomb, but Staravia hasn't found anything yet. Dawn wonders where Spiritomb could have gone. Dawn suddenly gets an idea. She knows that Spiritomb went with Team Rocket, so if they can lure Team Rocket to come out, Spiritomb might appear too. Ash and Brock like the idea. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is in their balloon tired out. They seem to have avoided Spiritomb again. Suddenly, they see Pikachu taking a nap on the grass. Team Rocket lands and runs towards Pikachu. However, they fall into a hole. Ash and co. soon appear and recite Team Rocket's motto. Jessie gets angry that Ash and co. are imitating them. Spiritomb soon appears, so Ash and co.'s plan has worked. Team Rocket jumps out of the hole, and Jessie tells Spiritomb that it can get its revenge on Ash.
Spiritomb fires an attack at Ash, but Ash manages to dodge the attack. The old lady tells Ash that he has to lure Spiritomb back to the stones. So Ash begins to run away towards the stones, and Spiritomb follows him. On the way, Spiritomb fires a lot of attacks at Ash. Ash tries to battle with Pikachu, but Pikachu can't do much towards Spiritomb. Team Rocket plans to capture Pikachu as soon as it tires out from Spiritomb. Ash and Pikachu are almost there. However, Ash wants Pikachu to battle again. Pikachu fires a Thunderbolt at Spiritomb, but the attack doesn't do much since Pikachu is completely worn out. Spiritomb fires a series of Shadow Balls at Pikachu, but Pikachu dodges them all. One of the Shadow Balls, however, blasts Team Rocket out into the sky.
Spiritomb then charges up for its final attack: Giga Impact. The old lady tells Ash that if it hits, the battle is over. Spiritomb unleashes the attack, and it hits Ash and Pikachu. Ash is able to move, but PIkachu is unresponsive. Dark clouds begin to fill the sky, and Ash gets an idea. He tells Pikachu to get up. Pikachu hears Ash's cry, and it is able to move again. Pikachu fires one last lightning bolt in the sky. The sky returns the attack, and a huge amount of energy recharges up Pikachu. Pikachu uses its Volt Tackle on Spiritomb, followed up with a Thunderbolt. Spiritomb is sealed away in the keystone, and the keystone drops to the ground. Ash and Pikachu cheer for their victory. The old lady states that they have to seal up the keystone in the stone tower quickly. Brock carries the keystone back to the pile of rocks, and they rebuild the tower again. The keystone is finally sealed inside, and Spiritomb won't be coming back.
The old lady takes a look at Ash and realizes that he looks very similar to the guardian. Ash tells her that he wants to become a Pokémon master. Dawn's stomach growls and realizes that all of their work has made her hungry. The old lady invites them back to her place for some food. Ash and co. agree. Before they continue on the road towards Solaceon Town, they have dinner first.
