A peaceful day at Professor Oak's lab turns into chaos when a series of small incidents leads to a Tauros stampede! The mayor's son, Gilbert, is supposed to receive his first Pokémon, but the Tauros broke through the walls of the lab and now the starter Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur have all escaped. And when Gilbert does show up, he has a lot of attitude but very little affection for Pokémon: he just wants something cool and powerful, not a Kanto starter Pokémon! However, everyone's first priority is to catch the runaway Pokémon. Tracey and Ash's mom Delia will go one way, Professor Oak, Gilbert, and Ash's Bulbasaur head for the mountains.

In the forest, Tracey and Delia rescue Charmander from a stream. Up in the mountains, Gilbert is scared of the high, narrow path, and is ready to walk away even after he spots Squirtle stuck on a tree overhead.