Ash and Barry stand outside the Pokémon Center and practice their moves. Dawn follows them out and states that she doesn’t know any rules for the Pokémon Ping Pong competition. Barry explains that the trainer uses a paddle and the Pokémon uses a part of their body. At the registration area, Ash and Dawn sign up to participate in the competition, and go to the ping pong tables to do a practice match. As they are playing, Ambipom makes an incredible save and strikes the ping pong ball with incredible force, sending the ball flying towards a passerby. The passerby catches the ball and compliments Dawn for her Ambipom’s incredible skill.

In the stadium, Barry mentions that the guy that Ash and the team saw when practicing was the winner of last year’s competition, and says that he will defeat last year’s winner with his overwhelming power. In the stands, Brock finds a seat with Piplup and meets James under disguise. Brock doesn’t recognize that the disguised James is from Team Rocket, and they get along well. As the competition begins, the announcer shows the prize of a trophy of solid gold ping pong balls and Pokémon food. Ash and Dawn encourage each other at their tables, and Jessie is told that Meowth is not able to hold a paddle as per the rules.

The tournament begins, and Jessie and Meowth are on the receiving side of the serve. Meowth uses Fury Swipes and slices the ball in three pieces, and is disqualified. At Ash’s table, Ash loses the point on the first volley after being unable to return the hit from his opponent’s Farfetch’d. At Dawn’s table, although she loses her first point due to being unable to find out which hand her opponent’s Alakazam is going to strike with, she recovers from her downfall by getting the next point using Ambipom’s incredible power. The scene then shows cuts from many different people’s matches, and shows Ash losing on the first match. Dawn and Barry manage to win their first few matches. Afterward, Dawn defeats the team Jessie and Meowth got disqualified to, but Barry loses to last year’s winner. Finally, the finals for the A Block winner come up as Dawn facing last year’s winner. Dawn breaks her paddle mid-way into the game, but Ambipom manages to cover for her.

The scene then switches to the Pokémon Center where Dawn is waiting in front of the healing room. Through the television, the announcer says that last year’s winner defeated the winner of Block B to become the champion again this year. Nurse Joy says that Ambipom was merely exhausted, and Dawn apologizes for putting so much responsibility on Ambipom’s shoulders. Then, the winner of the Pokémon Ping Pong competition comes up to Dawn and says that he wants to train with Ambipom and take it to the top. He asks Dawn to think about it and walks off.

In the next scene, Dawn rushes into Ash and Brock’s Pokémon Center room and tells them that she cannot find Ambipom anywhere. They go to the back of the Pokémon Center after hearing an unusual sound, and sees Ambipom practicing ping pong against the wall of the building. Dawn tells the others about the offer she received a while ago, and asks for Ash’s advice. A flashback plays of how Ambipom was an Aipom before it evolved, and the journeys it had with the team to reach this point. Brock says that the trainer must determine what is best for the Pokémon, and Dawn thanks Brock for his advice.

The next morning, Dawn rushes out and lets the competition winner know that she wants Ambipom to select what it wants to do. For a while, Ambipom takes a ping pong ball, Pokéball, Dawn’s hat, and Ash’s hat, and juggles them around. Finally, Ambipom returns everything except the ping pong ball, declaring that it wants to play Pokémon Ping Pong. As Ambipom departs, the team is shown waving at Ambipom and the car it is leaving in.

As the episode opens, Barry with Empoleon and Ash with Pikachu are seen practicing their swings for the Pokémon Ping Pong competition. Alongside the two pairs is Ambipom, also swinging its limbs. Kenny comes into the scene and suggests that Dawn instead practices for her Pokémon Contest. Dawn declares that she is prepared, and will place Ambipom in both rounds of the contest.

Inside a building, Dawn says that she and Ambipom are going to secure the victory for her fifth ribbon, and to make Ash happy that a Pokémon he traded to Dawn is going to win. Barry gives Kenny some words of encouragement, and Kenny is determined to win his fourth ribbon. Just outside, Jessie of Team Rocket is planning her contest entry, and is recounting her success with Gabite in her previous contest. Jessie points at James’ Mime Jr., and states that the fate of her third ribbon lies in Mime Jr.’s hands.

Back with the team, the trainers and their Pokémon are training for their respective competitions. Suddenly, a large block of ice starts falling toward Prinplup. Ambipom quickly uses Double Hit to rid the ice, and Dawn notices that the ice was from Mamoswine’s Ice Shard. Dawn asks if Mamoswine is jealous because it also wants to compete, but Mamoswine shows no immediate reaction. When Dawn turns her back, Mamoswine unleases another Ice Shard to get Dawn’s attention. Dawn assures Mamoswine that one day, they will compete together in a Pokémon Contest. Brock concludes that all Mamoswine needs is a little more attention.

Now in the Pokémon Contest stadium, the team is in the stands ready to cheer on their friends. The announcer displays the ribbon the victor will receive and introduces the judges as the competitors and crowd look on. Jessie is up first, and releases Mime Jr. in a shroud of hearts. The first move Mime Jr. uses is Teeter Dance, and the entire audience begins dancing. After her performance, quick cuts of other competitor’s performances are shown, then Kenny and his Machoke come out when it is their turn. After starting off with Focus Energy, Machoke lifts a barbell three times its body weight with only one hand and swings it around from side to side. To wrap up their segment, Kenny jumps on top of Machoke and does a hand stand. Back stage, Kenny and Dawn have a quick chat, and Kenny assures Dawn again that he’s going to win.

Dawn’s turn is next, and she runs out powerfully with Ambipom. She starts off with a Double Team and Focus Punch combo. As her friends in the audience compliment her, the segment continues with Swift. Finally, to finish off, Ambipom uses Double Hit and makes the entire stage sparkle. After the performance, Brock and Ash ask if Mamoswine liked the performance, but Mamoswine chooses not to react again. While the judges’ scores are tallied, Dawn goes into the stands to visit her friends, and Ash assures her that her performance was excellent. As the results come up, the team cheers as they see both Dawn and Kenny made it to the next round. Kenny makes eye contact with Dawn, and again states that he’ll get his fifth ribbon before Dawn and make it to the Grand Festival.

Quick recounts of the battle scenes come up, and eventually Jessie faces Dawn. Just before the five-minute time limit, Ambipom uses Double Hit to lower Jessie and Seviper’s points enough to seize the victory. As Jessie grieves her loss, Dawn moves on to the final round to face Kenny in a one-on-one battle. To start the match, Prinplup uses Drill Peck, but Ambipom counters with Swift. Ambipom proceeds to use Double Team, but Prinplup quickly eliminates the duplicates using Bubblebeam. The real Ambipom then uses Focus Punch on the bubbles to send them flying back at Prinplup, but Prinplup sends the bubbles back again using Metal Claw. The Pokémon Contest soon turns into a Pokémon Ping Pong match, with both Pokémon hitting the bubbles back and forth at each other. Finally, Prinplup hits the bubbles back and adds a Bubblebeam, but Ambipom quickly eliminates the bubbles using Double Hit. Kenny tells Prinplup to use Drill Peck, while Ambipom is told to use Focus Punch. Both Pokémon collide in midair and fall back, and Prinplup retaliates right away with a spinning Metal Claw. Ambipom is told to head straight into the attack with Double Hit, but fails to do any damage. At close range, Prinplup uses Drill Peck at maximum power on a defenseless Ambipom to secure the victory.

Kenny is then shown receiving the ribbon from Mr. Contesto, and his friends are shown cheering for him. Dawn thinks she lost because she was too concentrated on getting her last ribbon, and encourages her Pokémon that at the next chance, she will get the ribbon. Back in the Pokémon Center later that evening, Kenny says goodbye to the rest of the team as he needs to move on with his journey. After Kenny leaves, Barry recommends that Dawn and Ambipom enter the Pokémon Ping Pong competition, as Ambipom has a natural talent for ping pong.