On the way to the third Orange Island Gym, Ash and friends stop at an island inhabited by tons of bug pokemon (much to Misty's dismay). In the woods they find an injured Scyther and try to catch it so it can be taken to the Pokemon Center. Scyther tries to put up a fight but Tracey has Venonat put it to sleep and he catches it. At the center Nurse Joy tells them about how wild Scyther live and this must have been the former leader of its group. Later that day, Scyther break out of the center and goes to redeem itself. Meanwhile, following a encounter with the wild Scyther which causes part of Jessie's hair to be cut off, Team Rocket decide to capture all of them.

Ash, Misty, and Tracey are on Mandarin Island where Ash has just won three battles in a row. He starts to become cocky, and when he has a chance encounter with Prima of the Elite 4, he believes he can take her on. However, she ignores his battle request and talks about the sea and admires Pikachu and Togepi, causing Ash to go and battle a nearby trainer. Ash's arrogance gets the best of him when he uses Charizard in a battle and it goes out of control. Prima then comes and uses her Slowbro to stop it. She tells Ash that he should come and watch her demonstration the next day and learn something. They go, and Ash is still unimpressed. He once again demands a battle and she agrees. Will Ash defeat a member of the Elite 4, or will his arrogance get the better of him?