Wallace, a Coordinator star and former Gym Leader, is bringing his Wallace Cup event to the shores of Sinnohs Lake Valor. This Contest opportunity gets Dawn excited about entering a Contest again, but she's still uncertain about what she needs to change about her style to win. As Zoey said, Dawn has to concentrate on showing off her Pokémon—but how?

Meanwhile, the local media is sniffing around the area, hoping to get a shot of Wallace. Wallace just wants to avoid the spotlight and relax with his Milotic, but Dawn and her friends accidentally bump into him anyway. Even though it's his day off, Wallace still offers to take a look at some of Dawns Contest moves. That makes Dawn nervous, so Ash offers to let her strut her stuff in a friendly battle instead.

After Wallace sees Dawns Piplup go a couple rounds against Ash's Buizel, he suggests that Ash use Buizel to enter the Wallace Cup, too. As for Dawn, Wallace is impressed by her obvious hard work, but he reminds her to take time to play with her Pokémon and not worry about making every move dramatic. Then Jessie, using her latest Coordinator persona, tries to impress Wallace—but Milotic ends up impressing everyone with its moves, which also help send Team Rocket on their way. A day with the famous Wallace is already a fabulous treat, but there's one more surprise in store: May is coming for a visit!