A Dodrio outside caws, it's morning. Brock is in the kitchen, making breakfast, and Ash is asleep in his room. Mr. Mime sweeps his face, and he rolls over. Mr. Mime then starts to sweep Pikachu's face, and he shocks Ash awake. Misty wakes up, and they go downstairs. Ash's mom comes in, and asks Ash to help her in the garden. Ash instantly gets worried, and tells her that he's going to be training in the mountains. Misty never heard about this, but Ash tells her to play along. They all go outside, and Ash tells his friends that his mom would've worked him so hard that he would have been to tired to do anything else. His mom approaches them and asks them to pick up three or four-hundred pounds of fertilizer on their way home. They all yell, and run down the path.
After a few minutes of running, they stop for a rest. In front of them sits a large greenhouse, Xanadu Nursery. Ash tells his friends that the owner of the nursery moved away a long time ago, and he's not sure who owns it now. Brock looks inside and comments about all the beautiful greenery. He then sees a beautiful girl standing amongst it all. He runs up to the glass and points her out to Ash, but she's gone, a Gloom in her place. A man approaches from behind, with what looks like a flame thrower in his hands. It turns out to be a pesticide sprayer of some kind, and he takes them inside.
He introduces himself as Potter, and tells Ash and his friends that Pokémon trainers bring their grass Pokémon to the nursery because they love it so much. Ash sends out Bulbasaur, who walks among the flowers, sniffing them. Brock asks Potter about the girl he saw, and he tells him that her name is Florinda. Brock sighs, "What a beautiful name." Meanwhile, Bulbasaur comes across a patch of Pokénip, and starts to act strangely. He walks over to another plant, and falls to the ground. Ash is about to smell it, when Florinda stops him. She tells him that the weed is Stun Stem, and anything that smells it becomes paralyzed. Ash gets worried, as Bulbasaur smelled it, and Florinda tells Gloom to carry him into the house. Gloom struggles with Bulbasaur for a few seconds, and Ash helps him out.
Once inside the house, Gloom gives Bulbasaur a sip of nectar, and he wakes up. Florinda tells them that Gloom has worked with the Stun Stem for so long, that he's built up an antidote. Bulbasaur approaches Gloom, and looks very appreciative. Misty points over to a balcony overlooking the nursery, where Brock is talking with Florinda. Florinda tells Brock that her family has owned the nursery for a long time, and now want her to run it. Unfortunately, she doesn't believe in herself, as she can't even get Gloom to evolve. Inside, Potter tells Ash and Misty that she even got a Leaf Stone to evolve Gloom, but it didn't work. Florinda tells Brock that she thinks Gloom won't evolve because she hasn't loved him enough. Brock tells her that this can't be true, as Gloom is never Gloomy. Florinda perks up for a moment, but that becomes depressed again.
Suddenly, Professor Oak appears in the room, telling them that the problem has nothing to do with loving her Pokémon. He picks up the Leaf Stone, and tells them that it is a fake. He tells them all that he's heard many reports of a few people selling fake stones, and he decided to check it out. Brock asks Florinda what the people she bought the fake stone, and she accurately describes Team Rocket. Team Rocket just so happens to be in the nursery, and they look for some rare Pokémon to steal. Jessie finds the Stun Stem, and they start to pick it.
Up in the balcony, Brock tells Florinda that he'll find her a real Leaf Stone, but Ash reminds him that he has no idea where to find one. Brock then tells Florinda that he'll track down Team Rocket, but Ash reminds him that he doesn't know where to find them either. Misty notes that Team Rocket are the ones who find them, when suddenly the computer starts to beep. Potter tells everyone that someone's stealing plants from the nursery, and they see Team Rocket among the Stun Stem. They rush down, and tell them to stop. Florinda pleads with them, telling them that the plants are like her children, but the only mock her. Brock tells Ash to use Bulbasaur, and ties Team Rocket up with Vine Whip. Team Rocket only laughs, and tell them that they still have a trick up their sleeve. Everyone waits for a moment, and Team Rocket yells at Meowth to hurry up. Meowth jumps from behind them, and throws a ball filled with powder at Ash and his friends. Florinda tells them not to inhale, as it's Stun Spore, but she's too late and no one can move. Bulbasaur's vines drop off of Jessie and James, and they grab Pikachu. Brock yells to Florinda to use Gloom, but she isn't confident enough. Brock convinces her to try, and they dash down the stairs.
Team Rocket scoffs at Gloom, and sends out Arbok and Weezing. Jessie tells Arbok to use his Toxic attack, and James tells Weezing to use his Smog attack. Gloom cowers, and Brock urges Florinda to attack. She tells Gloom to use Double Team, and he makes several copies of himself, surrounding Team Rocket. Weezing and Arbok, confused, slam into each other, and release a lot of gas, blinding Team Rocket. Brock tells Florinda to use another, more powerful attack. She asks him if Solar Beam would work, and he tells her to go to it. Gloom collects some light into the flower on his head, and Pikachu frees himself from Jessie by biting her arm. He jumps onto Bulbasaur's back, and Gloom releases his Solar Beam, blasting Team Rocket out of the roof and over the horizon. Ash and his friends thank Florinda, and rave about the Solar Beam.
A bit later, Brock tells Florinda that Gloom is so strong, that he doesn't even need to evolve him into Vileplume. Florinda tells him that she now feels confident enough to run the nursery herself, just as long as she can find the right man. Brock blushes and offers to stay with her, but when he turns around, Ash and Misty are standing there. He looks over, and sees Florinda tell Potter that she loves him. Brock keels over, saying that he'll never find a girl like her again. Ash tries to reassure him by telling him that he'll find plenty of other girls to reject him, and he tells everyone to pick some flowers to take home to his mother. Misty reminds him that he didn't do any training at all, and he dismisses it, telling her that there's always tomorrow. I don't know Ash, you'd better hurry...