Ash and co. are headed for Pummelo Island where the Orange League competition is held. A bump causes Ash to fall into the water. He sees a shadow figure flying across the water. Ash and co. walks into the building where Ash gets registered. A manager scans Ash's badges for verification. He sees that Ash Ketchum comes from Pallet Town. Tracey sketches a statue of a Dragonite. The manager tells Ash that he will battle tomorrow at Pummelo Stadium. Ash starts to walk out, but Misty says that they need directions to the stadium. The manager leads them to the stadium. Then he shows them a place called the Palace of Victory. Its nickname is the Orange League Hall of Fame. Tracey notices the same Dragonite statue again. The manager explains that everyone who has won the Orange League competition is in the Hall of Fame. In order to get in the Hall of Fame, a trainer must beat four trainers and the gym leader. Tracey asks the manager about the Dragonite statue. He tells Tracey that a Dragonite guards the island. Tracey wonders if the thing they saw earlier was a Dragonite. The manager tells them that they must be referring to the gym leader's Dragonite. The manager wishes Ash good luck.

Drake, the gym leader, sits in the stadium wondering if there will be any challenger that will beat him. Team Rocket appears in the stadium, and they say their motto. They want Drake's Dragonite. Drake can't believe that Team Rocket is serious about this. Dragonite uses Hyper Beam, and Team Rocket blasts off again.

Ash and co. are now at the Pokémon Center. Ash sends out all of his Pokémon to make sure they are healthy. Snorlax is fast asleep. Tracey admits that Snorlax won't do good in battle because it is sleeping all of the time. Nurse Joy asks Ash about the incident he is having right now. Ash tells Nurse Joy that he can't get his Snorlax to wake up. She tells him that Snorlax won't wake up until it is hungry again, and that could take days. They give Professor Oak a call. Ash wants to switch a Pokémon for Snorlax. It's a hard decision because they do not know what Pokémon the gym leader is going to use in battle. Professor Oak tells Ash that he can choose Kingler, Muk, or Tauros. Ash goes with Tauros. Misty reminds him that he has never used Tauros before, but with "Beginner's Luck," Ash is sure that he will win. They switch Pokéballs.

At sunset, Team Rocket is headed back to the stadium. Team Rocket hears an advertisement about free admission to the Pummelo Stadium. The advertisement reads that there is a new challenger battling Drake. Meowth thinks of a great plan to capture Dragonite. He tells it to Jessie and James.

The next day arrives. The fans crowds the stadium. Drake comes out followed by Ash. They shake hands, and Drake welcomes Ash to the stadium. Ash says that he is very happy to be here.

The judge explains the rules to Ash and Drake. It will be a 6-on-6 battle. After three Pokémon are defeated, there will be a field change. The gym leader is forbidden to switch Pokémon, but the challenger may do so at any time. Now the two trainers have to choose their Pokémon. Team Rocket is watching the whole thing on TV. They notice that the challenger is Ash. Drake chooses Ditto as his first Pokémon. Ash sends in Pikachu, and the battle begins.

Ditto starts off by transforming into Pikachu. Pikachu starts off with a Thunderbolt. The attack didn't have much effect on Ditto. Ditto uses Thunder, but Pikachu withstands the attack. Then both Pokémon use their Thundershock attacks at each other. The rocks that the Pokémon are standing on breaks apart. Ditto jumps onto the rocks, but Pikachu lands on the ground. The announcer states that not many challengers were able to defeat Ditto. Tracey tells Ash that he has to be focused. Ditto uses Agility, and Pikachu tries to hit Ditto with a Thunderbolt, but fails. Ditto uses Thunder, but Pikachu uses its tail to dodge the attack. Both Pokémon uses Quick Attack to get near each other. The electricity shocks both of them. Pikachu gets up first, and it slams Ditto away with its tail. Ditto is unable to battle, and Ash wins the first round.

The next Pokémon that Drake sends out is Onix. Ash recalls Pikachu back and sends out Squirtle. Squirtle starts off with Water Gun, but misses because Onix has digged underground. Ash tells Squirtle to dive into the water. As Squirtle runs towards the water, Onix rises up, hitting Squirtle. Squirtle recovers and tries to run to the pool, but Onix's Bind stops it. Squirtle attempts to use Water Gun, but it can't, so it withdraws back into its Squirtle. Then Squirtle uses Hydro Pump which does some damage to Onix. Unable to move underground, Onix gets attacked by Squirtle's Skull Bash. Onix falls to the ground, knocked out.

Drake recalls Onix back and sends out Gengar. Ash returns Squirtle back, and he sends out Tauros. Tauros uses Fissure attack. The field starts to shake. Then the attack is headed straight for Gengar. Gengar jumps up and dodges the attack. Gengar confuses Tauros with Confuse Ray. Tauros starts to ram into the rocks. Ash has no other choice but to return Tauros. After returning Tauros, Ash sends out Lapras. Gengar uses Hypnosis, but Lapras avoids the attack by diving into the water. A Water Gun from Lapras hurts Gengar a bit. Gengar jumps up and uses Night Shade. Lapras sends out an Ice Beam, and the two attacks collide into each other, and an explosion occurs. Which Pokémon will be left standing?