A group of wild Houndour is stealing stuff from people in town and terrorizing people in the forest, and people are becoming scared of them. But when one of them is attacked by a wild Golem, Ash and friends befriend them and make the long trek back to town to help the poor Houndour.

When Ash and friends hear of a unbeatable trainer operating nearby, they seek her out. They are quickly stunned when both Brock's Vuplix and Ash's Cyndaquil are easily defeated by her Skarmory, despite having a huge type advantage. Ash then sets out to train Cyndaquil and help it with its flame problem.