As our heroes travel on towards Rustboro City, they stumble into a forest filled with many different kinds of Pokemon. It turns out that the area is actually a Pokemon preserve, and it's looked after by a girl named Katrina. Katrina takes care of all of the Pokemon in the area and helps to nurse them back to health when they are sick. Max takes a particular liking to a Poochyena. All of the Poochyena's companions who were born at the same time have already evolved, but this one Poochyena just doesn't seem ready. Max is determined to see it evolve before he leaves the preserve, and decides to coach the Pokemon and leads it out into the forest. Team Rocket has followed Max and they decide to play a trick on him to take the Poochyena. They claim to be researchers working on an evolution machine. Max is too smart too be fooled, but that doesn't stop Team Rocket from taking Poochyena. Ash and the others show up, but will they be able to get Poochyena back?