The episode starts with Dawn and Piplup facing off against a cuddly Buneary. Dawn orders Piplup to use Bubblebeam, but Buneary jumps up and swiftly dodges the attack as Ash and Brock look on in awe. Ash warns Dawn to look out for Buneary and Dawn tells Piplup to dodge the opposing Pokemon's attack and then to use Peck. Buneary dodges again and the two Pokemon go back to squaring off against eachother. Dawn shouts encouragement to Piplup, and Brock muses that Piplup seems to be getting a hang for Pokemon battles. Dawn tells Piplup to use Bubblebeam again, and Buneary counters by use Ice Beam to freeze the oncoming bubbles.

Earlier that day, we find the group being woken from their sleep by Dawn's screaming as dawn breaks. Ash, worried, runs over to Dawn's tent and asks her what's wrong. Dawn shouts at him to not come in as she's having a bad hair day, and Ash suggests that she just wear a hat. The two continue to bicker as Brock and Croagunk look on. Inside the tent, Dawn continues to try to sort her hair out but to no avail. Piplup laughs at Dawn's wild hair, and Dawn smiles as an idea comes to her. She tells Piplup to use Bubblebeam, as the two boys outside wonder what in the world she is doing. Brock then drops a potato he is peeling, and it rolls over to Croagunk. Brock asks if Croagunk could throw the potato back to him, but the frog Pokemon just looks at the potato and Brock on confusion. Brock repeats his request, and Croagunk picks up the vegetable and throws it back to its trainer with a little too much force causing it to go straight over Brock's head. Ash tries to catch the falling potato but ends up umping straight into Dawn as she comes out of her tent. Pikachu jumps up and manages to grab it in mid-air, as a wild Buneary watches from the bushes. Pikachu lands on the ground and Brock thanks it for catching the potato, and Buneary's eyes light up at the sight of the cool Pikachu.

Ash asks Dawn what the Bubblebeam was for, and Dawn shows him her shiny straight hair. She then asks him if he wants her to do it to him too, but Ash refuses and says that he's fine because he wears a hat... a hat that Aipom has just stolen and run off with. Ash tells Aipom to give him back his hat, and Pikachu goes after the mischevious monkey. Using Quick Attack, Pikachu manages to catch up to Aipom and grab the hat back. Pikachu, hat on head, lands on the ground in front of Aipom. The hat over its eyes however blocks Pikachu's vision and is about to be hit by an approaching motocycle driven by an Officer Jenny! At the last moment however Buneary jumps and pushes Pikachu out of the way in time. Ash runs over to Pikahu and asks his best friend if it is okay. Dawn checks the cute Pokemon on her Pokedex, and says that Buneary is amazing, it even saved Pikachu. Buneary gets embarrassed when Pikachu thanks it, and covers its head with its fur and hops off much to Dawn's dismay.

Officer Jenny apologises to Ash, and tells Pikachu to watch where it's going in future. Dawn thanks Officer Jenny for helping her the last time they met, but the Jenny looks at her in confusion. Brock smiles and slides up near them with a sly grin on his face. He pulls out a photo and explains to Dawn that the Police Force across Kanto, Johto, Houen and Sinnoh is made up of Officer Jenny. Dawn is confused when Jenny explains that she is the younger sister of the Jenny that Dawn had met before, as they look the same. Brock becomes annoyed and starts to rant about how each Jenny is different. In the middle of the rant however, Croagunk punches Brock in the stomach and drags him away. Jenny then asks the group if they have seen the three people on a photo she produces. Dawn wonders who the three people are, and Jenny explains that they had stolen a lot of machinary from a nearby factory.

Sometime later, the group sit down to one of Brock's delicious meals. Ash says how amazing Buneary was, and Dawn looks annoyed and asks if Ash is trying to capture Buneary too. Ash says that he is, and Dawn moans and says that she's the only one that hasn't caught a Pokemon yet so she should be the one to capture Buneary. Brock tells her to calm down and not rush herself. Dawn disagrees and shouts at Brock, saying she has to as she needs to increase her Pokemon team for the upcoming Pokemon Contest. From above, Jessie and Meowth look lovingly at the rice balls that Brock had prepared as James works on something behind them with a spanner. Jessie and Meowth complain about how hungry they are, and James tells them that they have to put up with it for now as they have no money.

Back with Ash and co., Dawn wonders why Croagunk hasn't finished its Pokemon food off. Croagunk looks suspiciously at the nearby bushes before jumping over to them and stabbing them with its arm. Buneary jumps out from the bshes and hops off. Ash suggests that they go after the Pokemon, and Dawn tells Piplup that they should follow. Running after Buneary, Dawn tells Piplup to use Bubblebeam to stop Buneary. Piplup fires off the attack and it explodes on the ground in front of Buneary causing it to stop dead in its tracks. Dawn tells Piplup to use Peck attack, but Buneary dodges skillfully. Dawn follows up by telling Piplup to use Bubblebeam, but the attack is stopped by an Ice Beam. Brock then runs up and remarks that it's interesting that Buneary can use Ice Beam like that. Buneary then runs up to Piplup and hits the Pokemon hard with a Piyopiyo Punch attack, confusing it.

Dawn tells Piplup to hang on as Buneary winks playfully at Pikachu. Piplup is confused, and Ash tells Dawn that she should return Piplup to its Pokeball to remove the confusion state. Dawn agrees but Piplup to hit hard again by Buneary before Dawn could return it. Piplup falls down to the ground and Dawn apologises to Pohama for her sloppy trainer skills. She then gets up and tells Ash that it's his turn to try to catch Buneary and Ash nods and steps forward telling Pikachu to attack. Pikachu jumps off his shoulder and Buneary becomes embarrassed and starts blushing again. Ash, Dawn and Pikachu wonder what in the world is going on as Brock smiles, knowing what's going on. Ash asks, and Brock tells him that he cannot be anything but love. Ash decides that he can use this to catch it, but Buneary fires off an Ice Beam and freezes the group in solid ice. Buneary then grabs onto Pikachu and starts to dance playfully with the confused electric Pokemon as Team Rocket watch on and plan.

After dancing around and around, Pikachu shouts at Buneary wondering if Ash and the others are alright. Buneary is taken aback at Pikachu, and its eyes start to well up. Pikachu is shocked and tries to calm the near-crying Pokemon down. Buneary cries anyway however, as Starly flies down and looks at the two Pokemon in confusion. Buneary's ears then prick up and it stops crying as she looks around wondering what she can hear. At that, a huge hand shoots out and grabs Buneary before putting it into a see-through ball and pulling the ball back into the large mecha. Pikachu tells Starly to go tell Ash, Dawn and Brock and Starly nods and flies off. Pikachu fires a Thunderbolt at the mecha, but a lightning rod next to Buneary's ball cage attracts the attack and it is absorbed into the captured Pokemon's cell, shocking Buneary. Team Rocket laugh and explain that Pikachu's attacks will just hurt any Pokemon they have captured. Meowth suggests that if Pikachu were to come with them, they'd release Mimimou.

Elsewhere, Croagunk is walking along a road and comes across Ash, Dawn and Brock frozen in a block of ice. After looking at the ice for a few second and pondering, Croagunk smashes it open with its fist. The group thank Croagunk, who continues to stand in silence. Back with Pikachu, Pikachu agrees to let them capture it. Team Rocket do so, and Pikachu tells Meowth to let Buneary go. Jessie laughs, thinking Pikachu naive to think that they'd let Buneary go. At that, Ash and co. arrive look angrily at Team Rocket as they notice that both Pikachu and Buneary have been captured. This starts Team Rocket off on their motto, and after they finish, Meowth laughs at Buneary trying to escape, explaining that they've used stronger materials this time. Ash runs to the mecha, saying that he'll save them both. Meowth pulls some levers however and uses the mecha's claws to keep Ash away. Officer Jenny then appears and produces the photo from before, realising that Team Rocket are the thieves who stole the materials rom the factory.

Inside its cage, Pikachu uses Iron Tail over and over, and eventually shatters the glass and escapes. Jessie tells Meowth to do something, and Meowth grits his teeth and presses another button causing the top half of the mecha to rise up into the air. Team Rocket laugh at the escape they are making, but Pikachu smashes Buneary's bubble cage. Ash then tells Pikachu to use Thunderbolt, and Dawn tells Buneary to use Ice Beam. Both Pokemon use their attacks on the mecha's rocket boosters, causing them to freeze up and explode and the mecha to fall to the ground. Ash catches Pikachu as it falls, and Dawn catches Buneary. The mecha smashes into the earth, and Team Rocket crawl out, rejected before running off as Officer Jenny chases after them- her bike somehow being slower than Team Rocket. Buneary huggles Dawn, and Dawn asks the cute Pokemon if it would like to come along with them. Buneary seems to agree, but Dawn asks if it would like to have a battle anyway.

Dawn orders Piplup to use Bubblebeam, but Buneary jumps up and swiftly dodges the attack as Ash and Brock look on in awe. Ash warns Dawn to look out for Buneary and Dawn tells Piplup to dodge the opposing Pokemon's attack and then to use Peck. Buneary dodges again and the two Pokemon go back to squaring off against eachother. Dawn shouts encouragement to Piplup, and Brock muses that Piplup seems to be getting a hang for Pokemon battles. Dawn tells Piplup to use Bubblebeam again, and Buneary counters by use Ice Beam to freeze the oncoming bubbles.

Buneary leaps at Piplup again and tries to attack, and Brock warns her that it's using Piyopiyo Punch again. Dawn tells Piplup to dodge and use Peck again. Piplup does so, smashing straight into Buneary and sending it flying back. Dawn throws a Pokeball, gritting her teeth and hoping for the best. The Pokemon wobbles back and forth and eventually stops... Buneary is now Dawn's! Dawn jumps up and down in excitement and thanks Pocham, and Ash congratulates Dawn on her new Pokemon. Dawn thanks him and Brock for helping her today, and then calls out Buneary. Trainer and Pokemon hug eachother tight.

The episode ends with Dawn vowing to them that they'll do their best in the upcoming Pokemon contest.

Thanks to Alfonso for writing this for us