En route to the Driftveil Gym, Ash and friends come across a trio of Maractus and their Trainer, Toby, who are rehearsing for their upcoming audition at the Pokémon Musical in Nimbasa City. As part of their rehearsal, they plan to enter the Pokémon Performance Competition, but they’re having some trouble with their grand finale, a move called “Over the Rainbow” that involves one of the Maractus (named Tussy) leaping into the air and landing on the arms of the other two.

Ash observes that the three Maractus aren’t in sync with each other, and suggests a Triple Battle to get the trio back on track. During the battle, Toby tries to pull off Over the Rainbow again, and it fails spectacularly, sending Tussy crashing to the ground. Toby finally figures out that Tussy is afraid of heights, but he’s still determined to make the performance work.

After another failed attempt, Toby gets upset and yells at Tussy, who runs away in embarrassment just as the Pokémon Performance Competition is about to begin. Ash, Toby, and the other two Maractus track down the distraught Tussy—and when they have to fend off a menacing Scolipede, Tussy gets over its fear of heights to leap into battle!

With Tussy’s fear conquered, the trio’s performance goes off without a hitch, and they win the competition! Toby and the Maractus Trio thank Ash and friends for their help and head off to audition in Nimbasa City, as our heroes’ journey toward the Driftveil Gym continues.