Ash, Misty, and Brock are back in Viridian City and Ash needs to get his 8th Badge: the Earth Badge. As they walk through town, Ash notes that it's been a full year since they were there last. Misty points out that the Pokémon Center is back up and running, and they arrive at the gym. Ash knows that he'll be able to win with Pikachu by his side, and they hug. They prepare to go inside when a car pulls up. Inside is Gary and his cheerleaders. He acts surprised to see Ash in Viridian, and Ash tells him that he's going to get an Earth Badge. Gary shows Ash that he already has ten badges and tells him that he's in Viridian to see if the Gym Leader would like to battle with him. With that, he jumps out of the car and enters the gym, his cheerleaders close behind. Ash tries to follow, but the guards don't let him, saying that they only allow one trainer inside at a time. Ash says to himself that if he doesn't get in, Gary will be way ahead of him. Misty reminds him that Gary has been ahead of him from the very beginning and he gets depressed. Togepi climbs up on his back and comforts him. He turns around and yells in surprise, throwing the Pokémon into the air and into a Fearow's mouth. The bird flies off with Togepi, and Misty yells at Ash. They all start to chase Fearow.
Meanwhile, up in a building, Team Rocket sits watching for Ash and his friends. The Fearow flies overhead, and drops Togepi, who bounces off of James. He accuses Meowth of kicking him, and they are about to argue when Togepi walks between them. Jessie reaches for him, thinking about how the Boss will reward them. Togepi runs away, however, and starts to cross a board onto a building under construction. Jessie starts to crawl across the board after him, but it snaps and she falls to the ground. She climbs out of the crater she formed, and Togepi falls on top of her.
Back at the gym, Gary challenges the leader to a match while the girls cheer him on. The leader's voice sounds familiar... The rules are set at three Pokémon and the battle begins. Gary sends out Nidoking, and the leader sends out Golem. Nidoking makes quick work of Golem with a Tackle attack, and the leader sends out Kingler. Gary returns Nidoking and sends out Arcanine. Arcanine also makes quick work of Kingler with a Take Down, Fire Spin, and Fire Blast. The leader smiles and steps out of the shadows so that we can see him fully. He tells Gary that he wants to test out his most powerful Pokémon and snaps his fingers. A door opens, and behind it is a tall Pokémon in full metal gear. His eyes glow, and Arcanine is flung against a wall. Gary whips out his Pokédex, but it is unable to tell him anything. The leader tells Gary to go ahead and use two Pokémon to try to beat his, and Gary does so, sending Nidoking back out to help Arcanine. They charge at the leader's Pokémon, but his eyes glow again, and both Nidoking and Arcanine are suspended in the air. The leader laughs, telling Gary that the Pokémon cannot be defeated, and Gary looks on nervously.
Later, Team Rocket approaches their boss in the gym. Wait, their boss is the gym leader here?! Whoa. They show him Togepi, but he remains expressionless. He asks them what Togepi can do, but they have no idea. He pounds the desk and yells at them for being incompetent. The phone on his desk rings and he answers it. He listens for a few seconds, then slams down the receiver. He tells Jessie and James that there's been an accident, and he leaves them in charge of the gym. He tosses them three Pokéballs and hurries out. Jessie, James, and Meowth look at each other for a few moments, then cheer. The leader walks among several of his Pokémon until he reaches his powerful one from before. "We have an emergency assignment," he tells him, and the Pokémon looks up, eyes glowing.
Outside, Ash and his friends are running around, still looking for Togepi. The meet back at the gym, and Misty starts to sob. She yells at Ash again, and they all hear Togepi's cry coming from behind the gym doors. Ash and His friends pull them open, and Misty hugs Togepi. Brock wonders how he got inside and notices Gary and his cheerleaders lying on the floor, unconscious. Ash rushes to Gary, who wakes up and tells him about the mysterious Pokémon. He says that they Pokémon was both powerful and evil. His cheerleaders start to cry because he lost, and Ash and Brock cover their ears. Misty yells at them to quit it and says that if she cried every time Ash lost, she'd be waterlogged. Ash falls over, embarrassed, but Gary continues about the strange Pokémon. He says that no one will ever be able to beat it.
Suddenly, a laugh is heard, and the lights turn on. It's Team Rocket, who do their motto, only to be interrupted by Ash and his friends. Jessie and James tell them that they are the new gym leaders, much to their surprise. Jessie holds out an Earth Badge, and Brock asks them what the benefits of Team Rocket having a gym would be. Jessie and James don't know, but they fake it, telling them that it's classified. Jessie tells Ash to step into the ring, and two platforms rise up. Brock warns Ash that it could be booby trapped, but he climbs up anyway, refusing to run. Jessie sends out the three Pokémon their Boss gave them, and they turn out to be Machamp, Kingler, and Rhydon. Ash sends out Squirtle, but he is beaten by Machamp's Karate Chop. Ash gets a sharp shock, and James tells him that the trainer feels all the pain that his or her Pokémon feel. Gary says that Ash won't be able to win, but Ash sends out Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur uses Vine Whip, but it is deflected by Kingler's Harden. Kingler then uses Bubble, and Ash gets shocked again.
Gary tells Ash to give up, but he is tells him that he knows his Pokémon can do it. "Maybe he can," Gary mumbles to himself, and Ash sends out Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto uses Quick Attack on Rhydon, and Jessie's platform starts to spark. Pidgeotto then uses Double Edge, and Jessie gets shocked. She yells at James for rigging up the shock feature on both sides, and he meekly replies that he didn't think that it would matter. Meowth pulls out a remote and says that he can send Ash flying with the push of a button. He is about to do so when Gary leaps on top of him, knocking the remote from his hand. Jessie sends out Arbok and Weezing, and Misty protests. Ash sends out Pikachu, who shocks all five Pokémon. Jessie gets a huge wave of pain, and Rhydon, Kingler, and Machamp dash off. Arbok and Weezing are flung on top of Jessie. Ash has won, and he congratulates his Pokémon. Gary's cheerleaders cheer for Ash, and Gary himself says that he is impressed. He still maintains, however, that no one would be able to beat the Pokémon he saw.
James and Meowth ask Jessie if she's OK, and she hits them. Ash tells Jessie to give him the Earth Badge, but she refuses. Meowth notices Togepi playing with the remote, and yells at him to stop. It's too late, and Togepi pushes both buttons. The platform that Ash stood upon blows up, as does the one Team Rocket is standing on, flinging them into the air. As they fly off, Jessie drops the Earth Badge, and Ash catches it. The building starts to collapse, and everyone dashes out.
Later, Ash and his friends are walking through a forest. Brock wonders if they'll ever see the Pokémon Gary was talking about, but all Ash cares about at the moment is looking at his eight badges. Now he can enter the Pokémon League. Unfortunately, he doesn't know where it is. Brock tells him that Professor Oak should know, and they all run towards Pallet Town to ask him.