Ash, Misty and Brock are walking along a road. It's a very hot day, and Brock notices that the plants next to the road are all drying up. Misty gets out Staryu and has it use its Water Gun like a fountain, and they play in the water for a while.
Team Rocket is on the road also, and very thirsty. Jessie and James want their share of water from their canteen, but Meowth drank it all already. They get mad at him, but lucky for him he spots a well nearby, its base is carved to look like a Slowpoke. Meowth pumps for a bit, but the pump spouts sand instead of water, hitting J&J in the face. Next, Meowth tries a pair of divining rods. He finds a likely spot and tells J&J to dig, but they get tired quickly in the heat. So he brings out a remote control, and a giant machine appears that looks like a cross between a tank and a Diglett. Jessie angrily hits him with her shovel before they all climb aboard and dig into the ground.
Eventually they tunnel into a large underground chamber which contains a sparkling pool of water! They get out of the machine and run to take a drink, then notice that they're surrounded by many Slowpoke. Meowth finds a sign that says this is Slowpoke Well, and local legend has it that Slowpoke have the power to make it rain when they yawn. TR makes a plan to capture the Slowpoke and get rich by charging the townspeople to have them make it rain. Meanwhile, our friends have finally reached Azalea Town. The river has run dry because of the drought. Ash wants to go to the Gym, but Misty reminds him about his errand to give the GS ball to Kurt. They argue for a bit, then Brock reads a sign that says the Gym is closed because of the drought. So they all go to look for Kurt.
The town seems strange, there are signs depicting Slowpoke everywhere, plus there are Slowpoke everywhere. Ash accidentally steps on a Slowpoke's tail, and the townspeople get angry and chase the three of them down the street! They manage to lose the crowd temporarily in a park, then a man wearing a Slowpoke costume tells them to put on some Slowpoke costumes and sit still. The people reach the park only to see four Slowpokes sitting on the ground, and they give up their search and leave.
Brock asks the stranger why Slowpoke are so important, and the man explains that a long time ago there was a drought just like this in Azalea Town. One day a Slowpoke came to the town, and when it yawned it started to rain and the town was saved. Since then, Slowpoke have been treated with respect. Suddenly the man remembers that he had an errand to run and leaves.
At the Slowpoke cave, the man hears something happening and goes to investigate. He sees TR in their machine chasing the Slowpoke and yells at them to stop, but they mistake him for a large Slowpoke (he's still wearing his costume) and chase after him. He hurts his back trying to run away. In town, Ash and his friends are looking for Kurt. A little girl who turns out to be Kurt's granddaughter tells them that Kurt isn't home, he went to check out something at the Slowpoke Well. The three friends go to the well and enter the cave, and find the man inside. He tells them about the giant machine. Ash and Misty run ahead while Brock helps the injured man to stand up.
Ash realizes that the machine belongs to Team Rocket. TR captures more Slowpoke with nets, and Ash vows to stop them, but James points out that the floor of the cave is wet and any electric attacks will shock the Slowpoke. So Ash gets Heracross instead, and it throws the tank up into the air! However TR fires a missile at Heracross, which knocks it out, and Ash has to return it to its PokeBall. TR gloats and escapes by digging a tunnel into the floor of the cave. For some reason, the remaining Slowpoke all stand up and begin to walk out of the cave. Everyone follows them, and watch them line up on the edge of the cliff that surrounds the well. One by one they yawn, storm clouds gather and it starts to rain! The four are forced to climb up onto the roof of the well as the area around the well floods.
Water pours into the cave and down into the tunnel that TR's machine dug. The machine is washed out of the tunnel, and it breaks in half when it lands on the ground. TR crawls out of their wrecked machine to see Ash and Pikachu, and there's no escaping this time as Pikachu uses a Thunder attack to send them blasting off. The rest of the Slowpoke that had been captured are freed.
Brock wonders if the Slowpoke really made it rain. Ash believes they did, and the man simply says that the world of Pokemon is full of mysteries. Back at the town, the river is running again and the crops are recovering. The man has explained to the townspeople that Ash's stepping on the Slowpoke was only an accident, so they're off the hook. Then the man offers to take them on a tour of the town, but Misty says they have to find Kurt. The man takes off his costume head and tells them that he is Kurt!