Ash and friends arrive in a town where they find out that one of the last contests before the Grand Festival is going to be held. Since Dawn already has her fifth ribbon, however, she decides not to participate. As they're moving on, a woman comes up to them and asks them to follow, bringing them to a princess by the name of Salvia. Surprisingly, Salvia looks as if she could be Dawn's identical twin, and because of this, the former asks Dawn if she could take her place as princess for one day so that she could participate in the Pokémon Contest. How will Dawn react to this extraordinary request?
A young boy named Ash Ketchum embarks on a journey to become a "Pokemon Master" with his first Pokemon, Pikachu. Joining him on his travels are Brock, a girl-obsessed Rock Pokemon Trainer, and Misty, a tomboyish Water Pokemon Trainer who may have a crush on him. Ash and Co. end up traveling through various regions, including Kanto, the Orange Islands, and Johto, and then enter the Pokemon League competitions there.
Along the way, they run into many confrontations with Jessie, James, and Meowth, a trio of Pokemon thieves who are apart of an evil organization called "Team Rocket". But every time Team Rocket try to do their evil deeds, they fail thanks to Ash and his Pokemon.