With Ash's Sunyshore Gym match delayed, Ash and friends head towards Lake Valor for the Grand Festival. They meet up with Dawn's mother Johanna who asks them to help out at a school. They help out, but things get hectic, especially when a kid takes a "liking" to Piplup. Dawn decides to use this time at the school to perfect some combos for the Grand Festival, while Jessie sets her sights on her fourth ribbon.