In the middle of a practice battle between Grotle and Chimchar, Ash and his friends are frozen solid by an icy blast from an unseen Pokémon. Once Chimchar thaws everyone out, they decide it's a sign to get out of the area. But as they try to leave, they're tripped up by a Grass Knot, tied up by Ingrain, and put to sleep with GrassWhistle! When our heroes wake up, they see the Snover who's behind all the attacks—but Snover isn't hostile, it's downright friendly! It just wants everyone to stop and taste the delicious berries that grow on its body. Snover looks so lonely, Ash even invites it to stay with the group for a while.

That night, Team Rocket sneaks over and kidnaps Snover, thinking its berries will be a big hit with their boss. The plan is cut short when Ash's Grotle easily rescues Snover, forcing Team Rocket to make a hasty retreat. The next morning, Grotle makes more new friends; wild Pokémon show up to eat the nuts that grow on Grotle's leafy back. But that just makes it an added bonus for Team

Rocket, who return and scoop up Grotle and Snover in a cage! Team Rocket takes off in their balloon, but Grotle escapes the cage and Snover uses Ingrain to break Grotle's fall. Snover itself is still trapped, and now Team Rocket is speeding off into the distance!

As Ash, Dawn, and Brock chase the balloon, Grotle struggles to catch up. Determined to save its new friend, it uses a new move, Rock Climb, to race up the walls of a canyon. This gets Grotle close enough to Team Rocket's balloon that it can leap into the air and burst the balloon, then catch Snover as it falls out of the cage. After Grotle is congratulated for its amazing save, Ash and his friends meet a teacher out for a stroll with her class. The teacher tells Dawn about an upcoming contest in nearby Sandalstraw Town, so our heroes make that the next stop on their journey to Snowpoint City. And since the teacher's students all love playing with Snover, it looks like its lonely days are over!