At Iki Town, the first round of the Z Battle ensues. The Masked Royal eagerly commands a Rock Throw from Rockruff, and a barrage of rocks is instantly sent hurling towards En. Despite being hit, the Litten stands its ground and retaliates with a fire ball as Sun nonchalantly orders an Ember, which smacks Rockruff hard on the face. The Announcer, who has dressed himself up in a costume that pays tribute to the Island Guardian Tapu Koko, exclaims that Litten appears rather reckless in its battle style, but sure has a great fighting spirit, which is in stark contrast to its trainer, Sun, who is yawning and hardly seems concerned.

The Announcer points out that Sun is known to the residents of Melemele as the Courier who has mastered the techniques of Poke Ride, but it would appear that he doesn't have much skill in battling. On the other hand, his opponent, the Masked Royal, is a very active trainer at Akala Island's new Battle Royal Dome facility. Although his true identity beneath the mask remains a great mystery, he is a top winner choice and would seem to have a high chance of beating Sun in this first round of the Z Battle Tournament.

The Masked Royal teases Sun, and thinks it would hype things up if he vows victory despite Litten's type disadvantage. However, Sun barely bats an eye, and the man wonders if he really feels no motivation whatsoever. The boy pouts that he honestly couldn't care less, since they aren't rewarding the winner any money or prizes that could be exchanged for money. Moon smirks at Sun's expected response, and the Masked Royal also laughs that the reply is so typical of the boy. As soon as he says that, both Sun and Moon have their attention piqued, and while the girl simply finds the voice familiar, Sun is bewildered that the man seems to know so much about him. Without warning, he jumps onto the man's shoulders and starts yanking off his mask, demanding that he show his true identity. The alarmed Masked Royal quickly protests and fights to keep his mask on, and the Announcer states that the trainers seem to have begun a battle among themselves. He wonders if this is allowed since Litten and Rockruff are now fighting on their own, and before long, the Island Kahuna Hala steps in, warning the two guys to start fighting properly or they risk getting disqualified.

Sun states that he doesn't really care, however, and apologizes to Hala for causing a scene. He continues to pull at the man's mask, and nearly chokes him as he wraps his legs around his neck. The Masked Royal relents that Sun has a point about motivations, and suggests Hala reveal the winner's prize since there is frankly no fun in fighting an opponent who is not giving his best. Standing among the other contestants, Hau hopes that the prize would be an all-you-can-eat offer of Malasadas, but Moon begs to differ with a cringe. After a moment of thought, Hala agrees that there is no reason to keep things a secret, and proceeds to reveal to the crowd the top prize of the Z Battle Tournament, which is a triangular ornament coloured in yellow, red, pink and purple.

Upon seeing the item, Moon naturally shows a baffled look, and Hau is disappointed that it isn't Malasadas. Yet, the residents in the audience exclaim in bewilderment that it is the Island Challenge Amulet, and many gasp that it is their first time laying eyes on the real thing. Their reaction causes Sun to reevaluate his current situation, and although he still has no idea what the Amulet is about, he realizes that it has to be some kind of great treasure that is worth a fortune. Quickly making up his mind, Sun disengages himself from the Masked Royal, and declares that he shall beat him and claim the top prize. The Masked Royal is pleased with Sun's new-found determination, and taunts the boy to show him what he's got. The man commands a Rock Throw, and Rockruff instantly doubles up the amount of falling boulders. However, En easily dodges them with its amazing footwork, and the Announcer points out that it is a drastic change from its prior reckless behavior. He notes that Sun has also become a whole different person, and watches with astonishment as he commands a well-timed Tackle from the little Litten, which instantly knocks out Rockruff.

The Masked Royal thanks Rockruff for its hard work as he retrieves it into a Pokeball, and turns to steal a glance at Hala and the Amulet, musing on what it implies that the Kahuna is making it the winner's prize. Sun mistakes the man's gesture as a desire for the item, and barks that he should keep his attention on the battle. The Masked Royal grins that Sun shouldn't feel too confident simply because he has beaten one of his Pokemon, and proceeds to send out his second team member, a Munchlax who instantly rolls itself in a ball to strike as soon as it lands on the stage. The powerful attack smashes hard into En, and Hau recognizes it as Rollout, which is a far more troublesome move to handle than Rock Throw. Moon agrees, and recalls that with each consecutive strike, the power of the attack increases. Indeed, as Munchlax chases En around and deals hit after hit, each impact escalates in intensity and the Litten is soon battered all over.

The Masked Royal wonders how much longer Sun plans to have Litten run around, and suggests he switch to his second Pokemon. However, Sun refuses, and his decision baffles the man since not only has Litten taken massive damage from Rock Throw and Rollout, the damage from its fire attacks are also halved by Munchlax's Thick Fat ability, making it highly unlikely that it would win. The Announcer echoes the Masked Royal's words, and lets out a cry when Munchlax rams into En once more. This time, the impact floors the Litten, and it can no longer get back on its feet. The Announcer states that the outcome of this combat seems clear, and couldn't understand why Sun still wouldn't switch Pokemon. Sun explains that he really has no choice, since his goal is to save up 100 million yen, and he must claim the winner's treasure in order to do that. That said, he cannot lose in this tournament, and has thus done things in a way that would secure his victory. Declaring his imminent win, Sun gestures to En, who starts breathing out an Ember on what appears to be a clump of fur on the ground. Instantly, the fur-ball catches fire to burn intensely, and sudden spark of flames astonishes Munchlax and everyone else. Moon notices that many more such fur-balls have been scattered on the stage, and they are quickly spreading the flames as they light up one by one.

The Masked Royal gasps in recollection that Litten is a Pokemon who builds up fur inside its stomach while grooming itself and could spew fiery attacks as it sets the fur alight. He realizes with amazement that En wasn't really just running around to dodge Munchlax's attacks, but was secretly laying clumps of unlit fur around, allowing it to set the stage for one big fiery blow. Sun grins that it is exactly his strategy, but wonders why the Masked Royal seems more happy than troubled about it. The man tries his best to feign frustration, and in the next instant, the flames on stage engulf Munchlax like an inferno, leaving it with no room to escape. As the smoke clears, Munchlax lays face down as it is knocked out, and the crowd roars in excitement as both Hala and Samson Oak declare Sun the winner of the first match. Sun quickly cuddles En into his arms with gratitude, and treats its wounds with a Potion as he grins that they are one step closer to 100 million yen.

Watching the scene with amusement, Nanu finds the outcome unexpected and states that their top winner's choice has lost. Olivia concurs, and Nanu giggles that this Z Battle thing is looking to become rough. As the first match comes to a close, Sun steps off the stage, and is greeted by Moon who compliments him for the great battle. Sun is happy to see the girl, whom he still addresses a Miss Customer, and wonders how much she thinks it costs. Moon is baffled as to what he is talking about, and Sun gestures towards the Island Challenge Amulet, stating that the Masked Royal has snuck multiple peeps at it during their combat, suggesting it should be worth a lot. Moon shrugs that she wouldn't have any idea how much it sells, and as Sun continues to make postulations on the amount of money he could earn from selling the Amulet, the Masked Royal once again ponders on the implication that the item is made a tournament prize.

At Kukui's Science Lab, Burnet lets out a cry of despair, and feels frustrated that the Masked Royal has lost. She thinks he might have won if she is at the tournament to cheer for him in person, but suddenly remembers the reason why she stayed at home in the first place. She quickly climbs up the wooden ladder to check on Lillie, and sees that the girl has fallen asleep on her sofa bed. While glad that the girl is getting some rest, Burnet notices how she curls herself up with a painful expression on her face. She recalls finding Lillie collapsed on her shore 3 months ago, and all this time, the girl seems to be afraid of something. Burnet wonders if Lillie managed to get any sleep at all when she was not around, and voices out a soft apology to her. She promises not to go anywhere tonight and tells the girl to sleep tight. Burnet then climbs back down the ladder, just as the Z Battle Tournament broadcast continues with the second round, featuring contestants Hau and Gladion. Soon, Burnet gets herself absorbed in television again, and Lillie stirs in her sleep, gently calling out for her brother and mother.

Back at Iki Town, Hau picks Pichu as his first Pokemon while Gladion sends out a Porygon. The Announcer introduces Hau as the grandson of Melemele Island's Kahuna Hala, and states that his favourite food is Malasada. On the other hand, they have essentially no information on Gladion's profile, and have no idea on his likes and dislikes. Hau orders a Charge Beam from Pichu, and Gladion retaliates with a Psybeam from Porygon. As the two attacks collide, Gladion wonders what Hau is fighting for. He wants to know if the boy is aspiring to be recognized as an individual rather than being just the grandson of his famous grandfather, or he is actually trying to surpass his grandfather. Hau finds himself stunned by the question for a moment, and thinks he will settle for simply liking Pokemon and Pokemon battles, and that he wishes to have fun. Gladion snickers at his reply, and states that those are words used by the weak to save them from feeling hurt even if they lose. With that, he orders another Psybeam from Porygon, and the attack lands a direct hit on Pichu, fainting it instantly.

The Announcer exclaims that one Pokemon is down, and Hau hurriedly retrieves Pichu to switch out a Komala. Gladion decides to switch Pokemon as well, and calls forward his Type: Null, which he addresses as just Null. Seeing the Pokemon, Nanu compliments on its impressiveness, and notes the mask, or rather restrainer, that is placed on it. He admits to have never seen such a creature before, and is curious if it would refuse to listen without the device. Gladion states that things will become messy if its powers are not under control, and Nanu wonders why he is still using it in that case. Gladion shudders at the question, and grunts that it is his way of letting someone understand that one cannot own a Pokemon simply with the notions of 'liking' and 'fun' in mind. The blonde boy's answer intrigues Nanu, but their conversation is cut short when Hala intervenes. He reminds the Ula'ula Kahuna not to speak to contestants during matches, and Nanu quickly apologizes with a grin.

Hau finds everyone's behavior too troublesome for his liking, and orders a Rapid Spin from Komala. The little blue koala instantly starts circling Type: Null, and the Announcer marvels at its amazing speed, especially taking into account the fact that it is actually sleeping. In contrast, Type: Null's agility leaves much room for desire, and the Announcer wonders if its metallic mask is too heavy for it to bear. In that instant, Type: Null lands an Iron Head on Komala, and knocks the Pokemon back as the crowd roars in excitement. At the Grilled Slowpoke Tail stall, the female Team Skull Grunt muses that Komala seems immune to paralysis, and male Grunt A recalls that it never gets inflicted by any status condition as it is always asleep. Just as male Grunt A takes another bite of his Slowpoke tail, a voice comes on to ask what he is doing. Before he realizes what is going on, he gets hurled onto stage and crashes with his face down, startling Hau and Komala who are still in battle.

Hala cries out in shock at what has happened to Grunt A, and the culprit of the act, who turns out to be no other than Guzma, shows up with his Golisopod, offering to take the place of Grunt A since the young man is now apparently too injured to fight. The sight of the Team Skull Boss causes unsettlement among the audience, and Olivia quickly intervenes, stating that the Z Battle Tournament has already started and late comers cannot just barge in as the wish. However, Guzma points out that Moon is also a last-minute replacement, and sees no reason why he should be treated differently. His argument immediately turns Olivia speechless, and the Akala Kahuna could only grit her teeth as she fumes with rage.

Taking charge of the situation, Hala decides to grant Guzma his request, and the man is glad that the old guy speaks reason. The Team Skull Boss then turns to face Sun, whom he addresses as the Part Time Boy, and states that he has come to bring him down…