While Ash does some preparatory battle training on his way to the Driftveil City Gym, our heroes run into a feisty and bossy Gothita, who is immediately smitten with Ash’s Scraggy. To keep Gothita happy, its Trainer Katharine asks Ash to trade Scraggy to her, but he refuses. Katharine then challenges Ash to a high-stakes battle: if he loses, he has to make the trade! After she taunts him for a while, Ash finally agrees.

Ash sends his Tepig up against Katharine and her Mandibuzz. After a few close calls, Tepig manages to take Mandibuzz down, so Ash wins—but Gothita is not pleased, and makes this very clear to Katharine. Gothita’s tantrum is interrupted by a sudden rainstorm, and Katharine suggests that everyone take shelter in a nearby mountain cabin.

In the middle of the night, Gothita convinces Scraggy to sneak away. But while the two of them are having fun playing, they disturb a sleeping Garbodor, who wakes up mad! Our heroes and Katharine arrive just in time in their search for the runaway Pokémon—her Deerling’s Aromatherapy calms Garbodor, and it happily wanders off, leaving Gothita and Scraggy unharmed.

But Gothita is still mad at Ash for beating Katharine earlier, and it challenges Snivy to a battle…which Snivy wins easily, infuriating Gothita all the more. It storms off in a huff, Katharine quickly bids our heroes farewell to run after it, and they resume the journey toward Driftveil City!