Ash, Misty and Brock stop by a lake where they meet with Team Rocket. As they're about to battle each other, a Slowpoke with a flag comes and sits on a rock fishing. This lady comes and says the Slowpoke is looking for "enlightment". She offers everyone to take to Slowpoke Temple to learn this. There's a giant gold statue of a Slowpoke. They go through tests, such as having to concentrate so hard they won't move or else they'll be hit by sticks(!). The next is cleaning the temple, which Ash and Team Rocket compete in. Jesse and James go off to steal the statue, and Meowth distracts Ash by fishing with him. The same Slowpoke is fishing much better than Ash and friends, because the pokemon know they won't be captured. The gold statue is stolen by Jesse and James, but Slowpoke evolves into Slowbro and defeats them. Ash and friends head off, while Team Rocket stay at the temple, this time to truthfully learn enlightment.

On meeting up with a proud Pokémon trainer who dares all comers to face his Poliwrath, Misty and Ash quickly rise to the challenge. Misty, in particular, encourages her Poliwhirl to watch closely as it may someday evolve into a Poliwrath. As is often the case, the battle isn't long over before this challenger and Ash and Misty have become fast friends. Meanwhile, Team Rocket, having furtively observed this battle and been convinced that the Poliwrath is a match even for Pikachu, decide to first capture it and then use it to capture Pikachu. Unfortunately, this logic does not hold as they find capturing a Pokemon stronger than Pikachu even more difficult than simply capturing Pikachu. A surprise is in store for Misty, as her Poliwhirl evolves not into a Poliwrath, but into another Pokemon altogether.