Ash and his friends are interrupted by a lone Cottonee. Cilan explains that this is pretty unusual, because it’s the time of year when large groups of Cottonee visit the nearby Rainbow Valley to pair up and ride away on the Diamond Breeze. It turns out that this Cottonee wandered away from its group to pursue a prospective partner, but was rebuffed!

Our heroes offer to teach the rejected Cottonee the art of battling so it can gain some much-needed confidence. After some intense training, Cottonee is ready for courting once more. But the Pokémon’s plan is soon delayed—Team Rocket has been planning to take advantage of this gathering to swipe all the Cottonee at once!

With the aid of Pikachu’s Thunderbolt, all the Cottonee break free, overwhelming Jessie, James, and Meowth in the process. Team Rocket escapes and vows to fight another day.

With newfound confidence, Cottonee again approaches the object of its affection—who is already being wooed by several others! The battle training really pays off, as “our” Cottonee manages to fend off its rivals, and the Cottonee couple float off on the Diamond Breeze to live happily ever after!