Zoroark, a Dark-type Pokémon, is captured by antagonist Grings Kodai. He exploits her illusion abilities by threatening the safety of Zorua, a younger Pokémon under her care. This coercion forces Zoroark to generate city-wide illusions of legendary beasts Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, inciting panic in Crown City. Kodai's media network falsely frames these illusions as malicious attacks.

Zoroark exhibits fierce protectiveness toward Zorua, whom she considers her adoptive offspring. Her primary drive throughout the narrative is reuniting with and safeguarding Zorua, enduring imprisonment and severe injuries. She breaks free from an electrified cage and confronts the real legendary beasts to reach Zorua. Her powers extend beyond disguise, crafting intricate sensory illusions that deceive humans and Pokémon on a massive scale. She fabricates a convincing replica of Kodai's airship to trap him and engineers a vision of Kodai succeeding in absorbing the Time Ripple's power, tricking him into publicly confessing his crimes.

During the climax, Zoroark collapses near death after overexerting her powers and suffering direct assaults from Kodai and his Pokémon. Celebi, a time-traveling Pokémon she aided, revives her using the Time Ripple's energy. Following Kodai's arrest, Zoroark leaves Crown City with Zorua, returning to their home region. While appearing in other media like *Pokémon Legends: Arceus* and *Pokémon Go*, her core traits of protectiveness and illusion mastery originate from this film.