Our heroes walk out of the jungle and see a clearing. Soon, they hear the rumble of a herd of Tauros. Desperate to catch one, Ash calls upon Pikachu and finds him sleeping instead, so he calls upon Charmander to attack them. Charm was about to use his attack when a Growlithe jumped on him. Using his Flame thrower attack, Charmander and the Growlithe use the same attacks since Growlithe was also a Fire-type Pokémon. Ash calls back Charmander and brings out Squirtle. As Squirtle was about to attack the Growlithe, a girl on a Ponyta knocks down Ash. The girl, Laura, says that Ash and the gang are on a Pokémon reserve and it's against the law to catch any Pokémon. Laura, Ash, Misty, Brock and Pikachu head back to Laura's ranch to talk. Laura invites them to a party tonight and if they stay for the night, they can watch the big Pokémon race tomorrow. Suddenly, they all hear a herd of Dodrio (Dodrio are fast Pokémon runners) running. At the front of the pack, a boy named Dario rides a Dodrio. He goes up to Laura and boasts that he'll win the race tomorrow. Later on, Laura and the Pikachu Clan walk through the party (it looks more like a festival to me) as Laura gets a wave of encouragement for the big race. Unexpectedly, Dario runs up to the gang and tells Laura that her Tauros are acting all crazy. Quickly, they head to the ranch to see the Tauros all excited. Laura calls upon Growlithe to calm them. Without warning, a black stone (or something like that) jumps out from the bushes and startlesPonyta, which still has Laura on it. Ponyta backs up and Laura falls down, breaking her arm. Ash manages to calm Ponyta easily. Not far from there, Team Rocket and Dario are spying on them. They are making some kind of agreement in which TR will help Dario win. Later that night, Laura announces that she can't race tomorrow because of her arm then, she asks Ash to race for her. Misty, Brock, and Pikachu encourage Ash to go and he finally agrees. After a hilarious practice that night, they are ready for the race. The next day at the race, Ash joins with Ponyta, Misty with Starmie, Brock with Onix and Pikachu with Squirtle. Dario races ahead and behind, some stone hits a Tauros and manages to cause a fight between some Pokémon. It's actually Team Rocket that slingshot the rock. The first obstacle ahead is the 45 degrees hill climb. Dario is leading as Pikachu and Squirtle are left WAY behind to struggle up the hill (this part was cute). Then, the track was downhill with Dario still ahead. Without warning, a boy riding on a Electrode comes speeding down really fast and beats Dario. Then, from behind some rocks, Team Rocket are laughing at the hole that they dug for the Electrode. The Electrode falls into the hole and suddenly lets out a big electric burst that throws all the Pokémon up. Ash and Ponyta get back up and the next obstacle they see is a wide river that they have to cross by jumping on the stepping stones. Brock and Onix are left back at the riverside as Rock-type Pokémon are vulnerable to water. Back at the lead, the next obstacle is a steep rockhill with some ledges that contain Pokémon food for the Pokémon to power up. Dario's Dodrio heads fight with each other on who's going to get the first bite. Ponyta and Ash come not far behind. Unexpectedly, some smoke appears and Team Rocket appears. Soon, Ash and Misty find out that they are behind all the problems during the face. A heated fight starts between TR's Pokémon and Ash's Pokémon. In the midst of the battle, Dario and Dodrio race ahead. In a flash, Weezing lets out it's poisonous sludge right at Ponyta. Reacting fast, Ponyta covers itself in a huge flame and comes in contact with the sludge, which causes a huge explosion. Determined to win the race for Laura, Ash and Ponyta went as fast as they ever could. Now, it seems like a two-Pokémon race between Dodrio and Ponyta. When both Pokémon head into the stadium, one of Dodrio's head pecks Ponyta which makes him fall behind. Dario and Dodrio are about to win when Ponyta suddenly evolves into Rapidash (second stage evolution of Ponyta). Going at about 100/mph Rapidash manages to win the race by one inch. At the end of the race, Dario and Dodrio are mad and try to bash into Rapidash but Rapidash hits back with its hooves. As usual, it's time to say good-bye. Laura tells the gang that the Safari Zone is just right up ahead on their path. Meanwhile, Dario is found being VERY angry at Team Rocket. And so our heroes head for new adventures in the Safari Zone.