Ash, Misty, and Tracey are once again riding Lapras. Tracey is trying to make Togepi laugh, but doesn't seem to be doing to well. He notes that it's odd how Togepi doesn't seem to know a single attack (we know better). Misty agrees and remembers back to a time when she tried to teach it Headbutt, only to get a huge bump on her head. She hugs it, however, saying that nobody could have a better Pokémon. Ash starts to mumble to himself that maybe if Togepi had a better trainer, it would know more moves, but Misty cuts him off.
Suddenly, Lapras lurches. Tracey makes a horrible observation: it's a whirlpool! They get sucked in. Later, Ash wakes up on a sunny beach, Misty and Pikachu looking down at them. He asks aloud where they are, and Tracey tells them (with much enthusiasm) that they're on Pinkan Island. He goes on to explain that it's a mysterious island surrounded by whirlpools. Because of these, and the sheer cliffs that line the shore, very few people have seen the Pokémon on it. He proceeds to climb a cliff so he can see them. Ash and Misty follow suit.
Tracey reaches the top and is amazed at what he sees. Ash and Misty peek over the edge and see it too: a bright pink Rhyhorn. Tracey pulls himself up and moves closer to it, making sure to stay downwind. He hunches down in the grass and draws a picture of it, taking some visual measurements as well. Ash, never wanting to be left out, gets up and walks directly towards the Rhyhorn. Needless to say, it notices him and butts him into Tracey. It runs at both in preparing for a Take Down attack and they run toward the cliff and Misty. It barrels closer and closer and things look very bad. As the cringe, however, Togepi starts to wave its arms. They are all Teleported out of harm's way and the Rhyhorn falls off the cliff, catching on a shrub sticking out.
Ash and his friends look up and ponder who teleported them. Ash asks Tracey how he got so close, and he tells them the two basic rules of Pokémon Watching: Stay downwind so it can't smell you, and match your breathing with its breathing so it can't hear you either. It occurs to Misty that the Rhyhorn is nowhere to be seen, and they realize that it had fallen.
Officer Jenny roars up in a jeep and asks them how they got onto the island. Jenny scolds Ash for provoking it and asks them to help her get it back up. She lowers Ash and Tracey by two ropes, and they tie it up. She throws her jeep into reverse, and the Rhyhorn starts to rise.
Meanwhile, Jessie watches the situation through the periscope of the Magikarp sub. She cries out in surprise, and tells James and Meowth that there is a pink Rhyhorn with them. They get caught in a whirlpool, however, so we won't be seeing them again for another little while.
Jenny safely pulls the Rhyhorn up, and they set it walks off. Ash asks Jenny why it didn't attack her, and she tells them that it knows her. Suddenly, Tracey notices that Pikachu's tail and cheeks are pink, but Jenny tells them that it's nothing to worry about. She explains that there is a berry native only to the island called Pinkan Berries. She reassures Ash that the Pokémon only stay pink when they eat the berries all the time, and they start to walk to the small town on it.
Team Rocket has safely made it ashore, fortunately (or unfortunately for those of you who hate them). Jessie tells them to keep and eye out for pink Pokémon when Jigglypuff appears. They rave about the "pink Jigglypuff" until they realize that Jigglypuff are always pink. It starts to sing, but they run off just in time. As they run through the forest, they see several different pink Pokémon, from pink Primeape to pink Digletts. They imagine opening a theme park, making shows and such, and prepare to catch them all. James tosses out Victreebel and it eats him, like always (why does he bother?). Jessie sends out Lickitung, and it starts to chase a pair of Nidoran into a cave. He goes inside, but soon dashes back out. A very angry looking, pink Nidoking lumbers out and chases them all.
At the local police station, Jenny tells Ash and his friends that Pinkan Island is a Pokémon Reserve and that visitors are prohibited. She forgives them since they came on accident and because they helped her with the Rhyhorn. Misty suggests that Ash call Professor Oak and he does so. He tells them that researchers don't know much about them, but the secret is kept very quiet. If it got out, the island would become swarmed with poachers who would use the Pokémon for shows. Jenny and several rangers keep the Pokémon healthy. Muk shows up on the screen, and the connection is broken.
Suddenly, a buzzer sounds and Jenny runs out of her office. She tells them that people are on the island and that they could poachers. Ash and his friends ask to help out, and she brings them along.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket finally fights off the Nidoking with Weezing's Smoke Screen, Arbok's Wrap, and Likitung's Lick. They are about to capture it, when Officer Jenny pulls up in the jeep. Jessie and James do their motto, this time wearing a pink Tauros and a pink Gengar suit (all I can say is: why?). Meowth taunts Ash, saying that they'll never stop them. Pikachu jumps out and Thundershocks him. Jessie and James prepare to attack, but the Nidoking wakes up. It throws their Pokémon at them and Tail Whips them out of the episode.
Nidoking is still ticked off though, and starts to chase Jenny and the jeep. As she drives, Misty attempts to send out Starmie (wait a minute. I thought she left it with her sisters... Stupid plot holes...) but Psyduck comes out. He doesn't do much than run away, and Tracey sends out Marill. The Nidoking scares it though, so it doesn't help either. Pikachu tries to Thundershock it, but it doesn't have any effect.
Unfortunately, Jenny drives straight into a dead end, and they're trapped. Nidoking's horn starts to glow, and it prepares for Hyper Beam. Togepi starts to wave its arms again (did Misty notice this time?) and a Barrier forms around the jeep, deflecting the Beam. Jenny gets and idea and tells Ash and his friends to get out of the vehicle. She lassoes Nidoking and drives circles around it, tying it up and making it dizzy.
Later that evening, Jenny takes Ash and his friends in a boat past the whirlpools. She tells Ash and Tracey not to tell anyone about the island or the pink Pokémon and Misty tells them that she thinks Togepi helped them out that day. She says that when the Beam missed them, she noticed that Togepi was waving his arms. Ash and Tracey dismiss this, and Ash grabs the Tracey's sketchpad from his hands. Inside is a picture of Jenny and Ash teases Tracey. Misty tries to get Togepi to do what it did again, but it doesn't work. What will happen next?