Ash dreams of being at the Pokémon League, with thousands of people

cheering him on. He throws a Pokéball, but it grows huge and flies back at

him. It opens, and starts to suck him in. Ash wakes up to see Mimie vacuuming

his face. He yells at Mr. Mime for doing this, then goes downstairs to greet

his mother and friends. He tells his mom what Mr. Mime did, and his mom tells

him that Mimie cleans anything that looks dirty. Misty asks Ash if he could

go another week without a bath, and Ash tells Mimie to clean the smirk off

her face. Mr. Mime just stands there, and Mrs. Ketchum tells her son that he

only does things she tells him to do. Brock tells Ash that they'd better eat

quick so that they can get to Professor Oak's lab soon.

    Meanwhile, Jessie and James dejectedly remind each other how they haven't

stolen a single Pokémon, and they approach their Boss's mansion to tell him

that they quit. Suddenly, the whole house explodes, and the mysterious

Pokémon flies out, shedding its metal gear. Jessie and James notice the Boss

picking himself off of the ground, and he asks them why they are here. James

is about to answer, when a helicopter lands and picks him up. He tells Jessie

and James to do their jobs, and the helicopter takes off. They dash off

towards Pallet.

    Ash and his friends arrive at Professor Oak's lab, and he welcomes them

inside. He takes them into another room, and they see Gary sitting there.

Gary says that he's surprised Ash came, and Professor Oak tells them to calm

down. He then says that they are both Pallet Town's top trainers, to both of

their surprise. He tells them that they will both be Pokémon masters soon.

Ash's Krabby approaches with some refreshments, and Ash is happy to see him.

Professor Oak reminds Ash that four Pokémon trainers left Pallet, but he and

Gary have the most badges. Ash asks about the other two, and Professor Oak

tells him that they just didn't have the skill to keep going. He praises Ash

and Gary for getting so many badges, and Misty reminds Ash that the Pokémon

deserve some credit as well. Ash wonders if they deserve more credit than he

does. Professor Oak tells Ash that he can now participate in the Pokémon

League. Ash is about to leave when Gary asks him where the League meeting.

Unfortunately, he doesn't know, and he begs Gary to tell him. Professor Oak

speaks up, saying that they Pokémon League meets atop of Indigo Plateau in

about two months, and that there will be over two hundred trainers meeting

there. He tells Ash that he and Gary should use this time to train their

Pokémon, but Gary says that Ash would never be able to beat him.

    Back at Ash's house, Team Rocket, dressed as reporters, ring the

doorbell. They tell Mrs. Ketchum that they want to interview Ash for a show

called "Pokémon Masters of Tomorrow." Suddenly, Mr. Mime dashes out, and

starts sweeping them away. Mrs. Ketchum tells them that Ash is over at

Professor Oak's lab. Team Rocket quickly thanks her as they are swept off by

Mimie.

    Meanwhile, at the lab, Gary asks Ash if he's happy with Krabby. He says

yes, and Gary lets out his Krabby, which is much larger. Gary tells Ash that

he rotated all his Pokémon so that they'd all get some experience. Brock

agrees that that was a good idea, and Misty tells him that Ash always uses

the same Pokémon. Professor Oak sits nearby, eating, and Brock tells him that

he should intervene. Professor Oak tells him that he's a professor, not a

referee, and refuses. Gary continues to dump on Ash about how he hasn't been

a very strategic trainer, then asks him how many he caught. Professor Oak

stands up from the computer he was working at, and tells Ash and Gary that

Gary has seen 60 Pokémon, while Ash has seen over 100. Ash lets out a cheer,

but Professor Oak tells him that Gary has caught many more than he did. Gary

then tells Ash that he never took the time to check his Pokédex, he just went

ahead and caught it. He then tells his grandfather to show Ash exactly how

many Pokémon he has. He agrees that this is a good idea, and leads the way.

    They enter the lab, and they see shelf upon shelf of Pokéballs. Professor

Oak leads them to where Ash's Pokémon are kept, and there are quite a few.

However, as Professor Oak points out, most are Tauros from the Safari Zone.

He then tells Ash that Gary has caught more than 200 Pokémon. Ash gasps, and

Misty concludes that he must've caught more than one of each kind. Gary tells

Ash that having many Pokémon is the key to success, but he replies that it's

better to make friends with your Pokémon, and make them strong. Professor Oak

tells them that they both have very valid points. He tells them that, since

they both have different personalities, they raised their Pokémon different

ways. He goes on to explain that Pokémon should be treated with care and

respect, and should be considered equal to their trainers. He tells them that

each and every one of the Pokémon have become part of himself.

    Meanwhile, outside somewhere, Team Rocket is making their way towards the

research center. James and Meowth complain that they are tired, and Jessie

kicks a rock against a tree. Suddenly, several Kakuna come down from the

branches. Team Rocket looks at them nervously, and start to run, only to be

chased by several Beedrill. They try to get away, but run into a Snorlax

blocking the path. The Beedrill close in.

    Back at the lab, Professor Oak describes his daily routine. First he

checks on the Pokémon to make sure that they are OK, and lets some out to get

some fresh air. He feeds them, and in the afternoon, he starts his research.

Recently he has been studying the differences between Pokémon of the same

species. He tells everyone that he built the reserve especially so that he

could study the Pokémon in their natural habitat, and has come up with a new

discovery. He tells them that Pokémon frequently take on the personality of

the trainers who catch them. This gives Brock an idea. He says that since

Susie trained Vulpix, and Vulpix loves him, that means that Susie likes him

as well. Gary stares at him and asks what is problem with him. Professor Oak

goes on to say that this trait of Pokémon only occurs when they are in

frequent contact with their trainers. He tells Ash that, since Muk and Krabby

have been staying at the lab, they have become somewhat attached to him. At

this, Muk races up and jumps on the professor.

    Elsewhere, Team Rocket climb up a mountain. James and Meowth continue to

complain, and Jessie puts her hand on a Geodude. She throws him off, but a

Sandshrew appears. The Sandshrew scratches her face, and flees. Jessie starts

to sob, when a loud rumble is heard. Suddenly, an Onix rises up from the

mountain, and starts chasing them.

    Misty looks with amazement and the several water Pokémon Professor Oak

has, and Ash asks the professor if he has every Pokémon in the world. He says

that he does not, as there are some Pokémon people have never seen. Brock

agrees, bringing up Togepi as an example. Ash remembers the mysterious bird

he saw the day he left on his journey. Ash tells Professor Oak that he wants

to find as many new Pokémon as he can, as does Gary. Gary tells Ash that

he'll train them to be strong. Ash and Gary look at each other, and Misty

wonders if they could maybe be friends. Gary asks Ash if he wants to have a

battle, and Ash consents. They are about to start, when a loud explosion is

heard from the Electric Pokémon Preserve. They rush over to see several

Electrode and Voltorb sitting in a crater, with Team Rocket climbing out.

Team Rocket jumps out, and Meowth tells Ash to hand over Pikachu. Professor

Oak and Gary stare at Meowth in complete surprise that he can talk. Professor

Oak asks him to talk some more, and he says the motto, with Jessie and James,

of course. They get annoyed, however, that he is stealing the show, and beat

on him a little.

    Ash and Gary refuse to hand the Pokémon over, and Gary challenges them.

They are about to comply, when a large herd of stampeding Tauros breaks

through a fence and butt them into the sky. Professor Oak thanks Ash for

saving the Preserve, as all the Tauros were his. Gary tells Ash that he is

going to go home, as it's been a long day. He says that he and Ash can battle

each other at the Pokémon League, and leaves. Later, Ash and his friends talk

about the fact that Ash needs to start training for the Pokémon League, but

Professor Oak has other ideas. He hands some boards and nails to them and

tells them to work together to fix the fence. After all, he says, working

together makes a people to be better friends. They start to work, with

Professor Oak looking on.