Ash and Misty's journey has led them to Stow-on-Side in Galar, where they decide to relieve their hunger by stopping at a café. The sandwiches they're served taste familiar to them, and the reason turns out to be because they're made by their old friend, Brock, who explains that he's trying to win over the café owner Kathy's heart. However, Kathy suddenly informs Brock that her boyfriend is going to be returning soon and they'll get married once he does, resulting in Brock's heart getting broken once again. Later, while Ash and Misty try to cheer Brock up, they're approached by another one of Ash's old traveling companions, Cilan, whom Misty recognizes from the lure that Ash used recently. Misty introduces herself as the Cerulean City Gym Leader, with Cilan recognizing the Cerulean Gym as the place run by the Sensational Sisters, whom Misty sheepishly admits to be her sisters. Cilan, in turn, introduces himself as a Pokémon Connoisseur and demonstrates his profession by evaluating Misty's Psyduck. Ash tries to introduce Cilan to Brock, only to learn that they've actually met before in Johto and also watched his battle in the Masters Eight Tournament finals together, with Cilan also remembering to congratulate him on his victory. Up above, Team Rocket observes the reunion from their balloon while once again scheming to steal Pikachu.
Cilan figures that the sight of beautiful flowers could cheer Brock up, so the group takes him to see a flower field nearby. While the sight does momentarily cheer Brock up, he's quickly reminded of Kathy and falls into depression again. His negativity is sensed by a Hatterene lurking in the nearby woods, who uses her Psychic powers to create an illusion of Kathy for Brock to follow. The others try to run after Brock, but Hatterene induces headache on them to keep them from following until she and Brock are out of sight. Once the headache is over, the rest of the group runs into Glimwood Tangle as well, secretly followed by Team Rocket. When they fail to locate Brock, Cilan assumes his "Connoisseur Detective" mode. He deduces that Hatterene, which is able to sense emotions from 50 kilometers away, sensed the heartbroken Brock's negative emotions and used her Psychic powers to lure him into the forest. Also known as "the Forest Witch", Hatterene are said to lure in those with negative emotions and trap them inside their forest. Moreover, they are also known for violently attacking those who get too loud around them, putting Brock in serious danger.
While looking for Brock, the group finds a Hatenna. Ash scans her with his Rotom Phone, which reveals that Hatenna is able to sense the emotions of other creatures with the protrusion on her head. This gives Cilan an idea to ask Hatenna to help them find Brock. Ash agrees and asks Hatenna to do so, which she agrees to. It doesn't take long for Hatenna to sense Brock's negativity, but along the way to him, they encounter a Hattrem, which doesn't take kindly to the strong emotions they're exuding and angrily chases after them until they manage to lose her. Continuing on their way, Ash and Cilan both start feeling hungry again from all the running, while Misty gets scared of a Joltik hanging from a tree. Ash explains to Cilan that Misty loves Water types but hates Bug types. This prompts Cilan to ask her how she'd react to a Pokémon that's both of those types, like a Dewpider, which she doesn't have an easy answer to. Unnoticed by them, Hatterene appears behind them and starts casting illusions on the group: for Ash, she creates an illusion of his mother offering him some croquettes; for Misty, the illusion is a group of Water-type Pokémon; and Cilan's illusion is Ingo and Emmet offering out boxed lunches. While each of them chases after their respective illusion, Team Rocket encounters Hattrem and is chased by her due to their own strong emotions.
As Ash and his friends run out of the forest, the illusions they were chasing change into much less pleasant forms, with Ash being crushed by a falling tower of giant croquettes, Misty's Water types transforming into Bug types, and Ingo and Emmet driving away from Cilan on a railroad cart. Finally, Pikachu uses Thunderbolt on all three of them, snapping them out of their illusions. After recovering from the return to reality, the group resumes following Hatenna's lead, soon leading them to Brock and Hatterene. With Hatenna relaying the emotions she's sensing to Pikachu, Cilan is able to deduce that Hatterene is making Brock feel love and rejection in an endless cycle to feed from the negativity of each heartbreak. Fearing that this could permanently scar Brock, Ash rushes to help him, only for Hatterene's illusions to make Brock see him as Kathy's boyfriend. Wanting to defend his "love" from him, Brock sends out Steelix to confront him, with Hatterene also attacking Ash. When Ash tries to protect Hatenna from the attacks launched his way, Hatterene's influence on Brock starts to falter, ending completely just before Hatenna is struck by a Psycho Cut from Hatterene. He immediately rushes to help Hatenna, treating the injured spot with a Potion and bandages. With Brock's negativity gone, Hatterene also calms down, and she expresses her gratitude for Brock helping Hatenna. Above them, the invisible Latias resumes secretly following and observing Ash.
Later, Brock declares that he'll resume traveling with Ash and Misty to train his heart to become stronger. Ash and Misty look forward to tasting the delicious cookings of both Brock and Cilan, but Cilan informs them that he won't be traveling with them, as he intends to check out a new coach that Ingo and Emmet are about to unveil, as well as taste the boxed lunches they'll be serving. As such, Ash, Brock, and Misty part ways with Cilan and wave him goodbye. Meanwhile, Hatterene has found new "playmates" in Team Rocket, making them think they're eating endless food without actually satisfying their hunger.
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