Brock and Misty sit outside a store while Ash buys some supplies. Brock checks a tour guide and comments on the beaches (and girls) on Volencia Island. He then wonders aloud about how they'll get there. Misty says that she wants to get there A.S.A.P. so she can work on her tan. Ash walks out the doors laden down with groceries and tells them that if they walk, they can get to Volencia Island in about a month. Brock points out that there are blimps that can take them there in less than a day, but they can't afford it.
Nearby, a man at a table rings a bell, announcing that they have a winner. Another man hands a woman and her daughter a set of kitchen magnets. They tell everyone nearby that all they need to do to enter is to give them a receipt from the store and they could win round-trip airfare on a blimp to Volencia Island. How convenient. Ash decides to enter, despite the fact that there is a slim chance they'll win. Much to their surprise, he does.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket is contacting their boss in the forest. He tells them that he is transferring them to the "Dirigible Division" aka the "Blimp Brigade." All three are honored that he did so and thank him profusely. After cutting the connection, the boss tells Persian that the blimps are really worse-for-wear. He snickers to himself.
Later, Ash and his friends arrive at the airfield. Misty comments on how beat up it looks, but Ash tells her not to worry. Two airfield workers ask them if they're going on the blimp. After Ash says that they are, the two men tell them that rumor is that the blimp is haunted by ghosts. Suddenly, two attendants (Jessie and James) appear and usher them aboard, telling them that the two men are from a rival blimp company. Nearby, Meowth speculates that the boss must have known that Ash and his friends would be riding.
Jessie and James board after Ash and his friends, and the stairs shut. Jigglypuff appears and see a lever as a microphone. He jumps up at it and it switches. A torrent of water gushes down on him and the blimp starts to rise. A rope attached to the nose catches Jigglypuff's foot, and he is taken along with it.
Ash opens the door to first class and they are all less than thrilled at what they see. The chandelier is broken, the windows are patched up, and there are patches on the rug. The floor gives way under Ash and he almost falls into the water below. Surprised that they are in the air already, Misty and Brock help him up. Jessie and James pop in and announce that dinner is served. The first course is soup, which is ice cold. James tells him that it's an old Eskimo recipe.
Suddenly, the blimp tips. Misty asks who's flying it, and Jessie and James rush off to check. They open up the door to the cabin and discover it to be completely empty. Meowth flips open the manual but before he gets very far, the blimp tilts forward again. Meowth reads that the blimp has two tanks of water in it to act as ballast. The pilot needs to empty these tanks every so often to retain balance. He says that there is a lever to let water out, and James pulls it. Jigglypuff is soaked once more, and he climbs up the rope to get his revenge. James continues to let water out of both tanks, always releasing too much. Ultimately, the tanks completely empty out and the blimp levels. Unfortunately, it is now heading straight into a storm cloud. James opens up the front tank, but nothing comes out. Jigglypuff climbs a bit further up the rope and jumps inside.
Meowth points to a red button on the wall. He says that pushing it will let all the gas out of the blimp and it will crash into the ocean. James doesn't think that this is a good idea, but Jessie points out that their boss won't care as long as they get Pikachu.
Back in the dining hall, Ash and his friends pick themselves up from the floor. Misty holds up what she thinks is Togepi to see if he's ok. She realizes that it isn't Togepi at all, but some sculpture that's about the same size. She screams and throws it into the air. She tells Ash and Brock that Togepi has disappeared and they set off to look for him. They spend several minutes, looking everywhere, but not seeing him anywhere. Jigglypuff, meanwhile, gets caught in a tablecloth.
Ash climbs up a ladder and is quickly followed by Brock and Misty. They walk around for a while, and see something white rush by in the distance. They walk over, but don't see anything. Suddenly, they see Jigglypuff in the tablecloth. They think it's a ghost and run off.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket walk along a catwalk above. James comments that they can't find Ash and his friends anywhere and Jessie wonders how they disappeared. Meowth makes a comment about ghosts and Jessie starts to beat him. Jigglypuff appears behind them, and they all run off. The tablecloth comes off, and the blimp gets almost hit by lightning.
Ash tells Misty and Brock that they should try to get off the blimp, but Misty refuses to leave without Togepi. Team Rocket shows up and says their motto, being interrupted by the jarring of the blimp. Meowth tells them to hand Pikachu over, and Jessie and James toss out their Pokémon. Jessie commands Arbok to use Bind, but Pikachu stops him with a Thundershock which shocks everyone as well. Misty reminds Ash that the electricity in the blimp could make it explode and Brock sends out Geodude to take on Weezing. They exchange blows, and Geodude hurls Weezing through the skin of the blimp. Seconds later, more holes appear as the wind gets worse and worse.
Misty notices Togepi walking on a beam just in front of a gaping tear, and they all go to save him. Misty starts to climb up a ladder, and Ash sends out Bulbasaur to hold her steady. Team Rocket notes that this is their chance. James points at a beam overhead and says that if they can move across it they can get Pikachu. It's very dangerous, however, for another hole in the skin is right below it. Meowth appears on it, and moves over the hole as the blimp comes out of the storm cloud. The sunlight blinds him, and he loses his grip. Team Rocket rush over to help him.
Jigglypuff lands between Misty and Togepi, and prepares to sing. The blimp wobbles, and Team Rocket falls out through the hole, ripping a piece of the cloth off in the process. Meowth scrambles with it for a moment and makes it into a parachute. Jigglypuff lands on top of it, however and starts to sing. Team Rocket falls asleep, and they fall into the water below.
Bulbasaur brings Misty down and she hugs Togepi. The gas starts to leak from the tanks, and Brock tells them that they have to land. They send out their Pokémon and, using their weight, pilot towards an island. It takes some doing, but they manage to land on the island, totaling the blimp in the process. A loudspeaker tells them that they managed to land on Volencia Island. They are very relieved. Now they need to find Professor Ivy...