Ash and co. are continuing their way towards Goldenrod City, but right now they are taking a break by a river. Ash and co. are fishing. They haven't caught anything yet, and Ash is getting annoyed. Misty tells him to be quiet, and maybe they will catch something. Brock wonders if they are using the right bait. Suddenly, Misty's rod gets caught on something. Misty begins to reel it in. She pulls on her rod hard, and she finds out that a tea pot was hooked on her rod. Misty realizes that she has to do something different. She gets out a lure that looks like her. With the lure hooked on the rod, Misty is confident that she will catch something this time. Misty hopes to be a Water Pokémon Master, which is why she wants to capture something.

Suddenly, a Totodile jumps out of the water and lands on a rock. He begins to dance happily. Ash looks up Totodile in his Pokédex. Misty wants to capture Totodile so badly, but Ash wants to capture it, too. Misty throws her lure at Totodile, and Totodile catches it in its mouth. Totodile doesn't like the lure, and it spits it out. Then it winks at Misty. Misty thinks that Totodile is cuter than ever. Ash tells Pikachu to use Thundershock. The electric attack hits Totodile, and then Ash throws a Pokéball at it. Totodile escapes from the Pokéball. Ash and Misty begin to fight over who gets to catch the Totodile. Misty then throws her Pokéball at Totodile. Totodile jumps back on the rock and uses its Water Gun to Ash and co. Then Totodile jumps into the water and escapes.

Ash and co. get back onto their feet. They notice that Totodile is gone, and Ash and Misty run to find Totodile. Brock goes along with them, too. Totodile gets out of the water in a different location. It is hungry. Team Rocket is nearby, and Jessie and James are eating food. Meowth wonders how they can eat when they are lost. Meowth is afraid the boss may kick them off the team if they keep on messing up. Jessie and James don't seem to be worrying about it. Totodile sees Team Rocket and walks up to them. Jessie holds out a snack for Meowth. Totodile clamps onto Jessie's hand. Jessie screams and tries to shake the Totodile off. Then Totodile eats all the other snacks. Team Rocket is angry at Totodile. Totodile uses its Water Gun on them to blast them away.

Ash and co. spot Totodile walking by. Ash and Misty both hold out their Pokéballs to capture Totodile, but Misty holds out her Lure Ball. Misty says that Lure Balls are the best way to capture water Pokémon, so she wants to give it a try. Ash thinks it's a good idea, and he also gets out his Lure Ball. Both Ash and Misty throw their Lure Balls at the same time. Totodile jumps up and the Lure Balls hit it. The Pokéballs land behind a bush. Ash and Misty run to see who caught the Totodile, but they can't figure out which Pokéball belongs to who. Ash and Misty begin to fight over the Pokéball containing the caught Totodile. Brock takes the Pokéball. He says that the only way to decide who gets to keep it is with a Pokémon battle.

Brock declares a 3-on-3 battle, and whoever wins will get to keep Totodile. Ash knows that all of Misty's Pokémon are water types, so he chooses Pikachu to battle. Misty isn't worried at all. She has a secret weapon to beat Pikachu. She uses Togepi for the battle.

The battle begins. Togepi begins to run towards Pikachu. Pikachu becomes nervous because it doesn't want to attack Togepi. Ash tells Pikachu to try a Thundershock attack, but Pikachu doesn't listen to Ash. Togepi gives Pikachu a big hug. Then it uses its Charm attack. Pikachu runs out of the battlefield and loses. Misty wins the first round.

Ash knows that water Pokémon are weak against grass types, so he sends out Chikorita. Misty sends out Staryu, and round two begins. Chikorita starts off with Razor Leaf. Staryu dodges the attack and uses Swift. Chikorita gets damaged by the Swift attack, but then it hits Staryu with its Tackle attack. Staryu is able to stand its ground, and it fights back with Water Gun. Chikorita slides on the ground, still willing to battle. Chikorita uses Vine Whip. Staryu dodges it, and then uses Tackle. Chikorita dodges the attack and wraps its vines around Staryu. Then Chikorita whips Staryu to the ground. Staryu faints, and Ash wins the second round.

Now whoever wins the third round gets to keep Totodile. Ash sends out Bulbasaur, and Misty sends out Poliwag. The battle begins. Meanwhile, Team Rocket is on a log floating down the river. Jessie and James hope they never see Totodile again. Meowth thinks that they should see Totodile since Totodile is the type of Pokémon they need to bring to the boss. All they have to do is catch it. The log hits a rock. Team Rocket leaps into the air and lands into the water. Jessie sees Ash and Misty battling each other. Meowth suggests that they steal their Pokémon when the battle is over because Ash and co.'s Pokémon will be too tired to battle. Jessie and James like Meowth's plan.

Back with the battle, Bulbasaur uses Razor Leaf. Poliwag counters with Water Gun. Bulbasaur dodges the attack and hits Poliwag with a Razor Leaf attack. Poliwag falls to the ground, and it looks like the battle is over. Suddenly, Poliwag begins to glow with a bright light. It evolves into Poliwhirl. Misty is excited that she got a new Pokémon, and she now has a higher chance to win the battle. Ash looks up Poliwhirl in his Pokédex. The battle begins again. Bulbasaur uses Tackle, and Poliwhirl use Body Slam. Poliwhirl's strong body slams Bulbasaur to the ground. Bulbasaur fights back with Razor Leaf, an attack that Poliwhirl easily dodges. Then Bulbasaur begins to charge up a Solarbeam attack. While Bulbasaur is charging up, Poliwhirl uses Bubble. The attacks surge into Bulbasaur's body. Bulbasaur is able to stand, and it releases a Solarbeam attack at Poliwhirl. Poliwhirl faints, and Ash wins the battle.

Brock congratulates Ash for winning, and he gives Ash the Pokéball containing the Totodile. Suddenly, two people come out. They are dressed up in funny costumes. A Wobbuffet appears, and Ash and co. immediately know that it is Team Rocket. Team Rocket says their motto. Meowth demands for Pikachu now that Ash and co. are worn out. Ash refuses to give them Pikachu, and he sends out Totodile. Totodile bites Jessie's hair. Jessie shakes Totodile off her hair. She finds out that some of her hair has been bitten off. She becomes furious and sends out Arbok. James sends out Weezing to help her.

Totodile bites onto Arbok's tail, whips it around, and hurls it at Meowth. Then Totodile begins to dance. Weezing uses Sludge attack, but Totodile continues to dance to dodge the attacks. Totodile finishes Weezing off with its Scratch attack. Finally, Totodile hits Team Rocket with its Water Gun attack, and Team Rocket blasts off again.

Ash and co. notice that Totodile is full of energy. Totodile begins to dance with Pikachu. Misty tells Ash that she is not angry that he won Totodile because she has herself a Poliwhirl. Now that Ash has Totodile, Ash and co. continue their way towards Goldenrod City.

English Official Summary

Ash and Misty's friendly rivalry is tested when they both try to capture a Totodile at the same time. Unable to determine whose Poké Ball had captured the wild Pokémon, the two must battle it out to determine the Totodile's new master.

Italian Official Summary

Il sano antagonismo tra Ash e Misty è messo alla prova quando entrambi cercano di catturare lo stesso Totodile. Chi sarà il nuovo Allenatore del Pokémon?

Portuguese Official Summary

A rivalidade entre Ash e Misty ressurge quando ambos tentam capturar um Totodile. Incapazes de ver qual Pokébola o capturou, eles resolvem decidir quem será o novo treinador de Totodile numa batalha!

Spanish Latin America Official Summary

La rivalidad entre Ash y Misty se reaviva cuando ambos tratan de capturar a Totodile a la vez. Como no saben cuál Pokébola lo capturó, tendrán una batalla para decidir quién será el nuevo Entrenador de Totodile.

Spanish Official Summary

La rivalidad amistosa entre Ash y Misty se pone a prueba cuando ambos intentan capturar a la vez un Totodile.

English Great Britian Official Summary

Ash and Misty's friendly rivalry is tested when they both try to capture a Totodile at the same time. Unable to determine whose Poké Ball had captured the wild Pokémon, the two must battle it out to determine the Totodile's new master.

Dutch Official Summary

De rivaliteit tussen Ash en Misty laait weer op als ze beide tegelijk een Totodile willen vangen. Ze weten niet welke Poké Bal hem heeft gevangen, dus houden ze een gevecht om te beslissen wie Totodile’s nieuwe Trainer wordt.

French Official Summary

La rivalité amicale entre Sacha et Ondine est mise à l'épreuve lorsqu'ils essayent de capturer tous les deux le même Kaiminus.

German Official Summary

Ash und Mistys freundschaftliche Konkurrenz wird auf die Probe gestellt, als beide gleichzeitig versuchen, ein Karnimani zu fangen.