Episode 70: The Brockter Will See You Now

Ash, Brock and Brenda stand before the door of a building. Brock is between the other two and looking at the door with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. He says with uncertainty, "I don't know guys…what if I can't do it? What if I mess up?"

Ash encourages, "Come on Brock, you're a natural at this."

Brenda nods in agreement. "When it comes to this, you're the best I know. Maybe you're the only I know, but that doesn't mean you're not the best."

Brock points out, "But this is different. This time it's important. I'll only get this chance once. If it doesn't work out, I don't know what I'll do."

Ash responds, "Come on Brock, you've just got to be yourself and you'll do great."

Brenda encourages, "Yeah, now you go in there, and you show them your skill."

Brock nods with newfound confidence. "Right. Let's do this." He marches forward into the door.

Once he's out of earshot, Ash and Brenda both take a sigh of relief. Ash says, "At least we won't have to hear about this one anymore."

Brenda nods. "Yup, I almost feel bad for her though. Come on, let's go in too." They both enter as well. It turns out that the building is a Pokémon Center.

Inside, Brock is frantically looking around. Then he spots his target. Nurse Joy walks out from the back room. Brock is instantly kneeling in front of her. He declares with fiery passion, "Nurse Joy, oh beautiful, wonderful, amazing Nurse Joy, I have traveled all across the world and met your many, many sisters and cousins, but you my dear, you are special! For you are the 1000th Nurse Joy that I have encountered in my journey!"

Nurse Joy is experiencing a combination of confusion, embarrassment, and uncertainty all at the same time. She responds, "Oh…is that so…?"

"Indeed it is so! But this is not some random occurrence, for I have planned it so that it would specifically be you! You are so very special to me!"

Meteorfight appears and delivers its usual uppercut to Brock. What is not usual is the fact that Brock, without even looking away from Nurse Joy, catches Meteorfight's fist, stopping it cold. Meteorfight, Ash, and Brenda all gasp in surprise at once.

Still without removing his eyes from Nurse Joy, Brock declares, "Nothing will ruin this perfect moment, nothing at all."

Meteorfight is now sulking in a corner. "Meteor…"

Brenda says with amazement, "Wow, Brock's really on the top of his game today."

Ash nods. "Poor Meteorfight."

Brock continues, "As I was saying, this is a special occasion, and I am prepared to spend it with you, for am a certified traveling Pokémon doctor-in-training, and I am here to assist you in any way possible today."

Nurse Joy's eyes widen with surprise. "Really? Why didn't you just say so, I really need the help!" She grabs Brock by the wrist and drags him with her towards the back room. "Come this way, you can help me run some check-ups first."

Brock's entire body is completely limp as he's being dragged by Nurse Joy. His face has the look of pure bliss and content. He tries to say something, but nothing but random ramblings come from his mouth.

Brenda comments, "Well, that went over better than I expected."

Ash nods in agreement. "Good for Brock."

Meteorfight still sulks. "Meteor…"

Nurse Joy and Brock work together on giving check-ups to a group of Pokémon. Brock bends down to the level of a Magby and tells it, "Alright, open your mouth and say ahh." Magby opens its mouth and immediately spits out a stream of flames. Brock quickly takes action and ducks down before the fire can hit his face.

Nurse Joy sees this and claps. "Very good Dr. Brock. I should have warned you about that one, he can be quite a hothead."

Brock gets back up and shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. I know how to handle Fire-Types. In fact, I used to have a Vulpix of my own. And I can tell you right now just from the temperature of that Magby's flame that it is perfectly healthy.

Joy questions, "You can tell that from its flame's temperature?"

Brock nods. "You see, every Fire-Type Pokémon has a specific temperature that it prefers. Flames they produce when healthy will always be extremely close to this temperature. If it's unhealthy, then it will struggle to produce the right amount of heat, making its fire either too hot or too cold, but this Magby got it just right."

Nurse Joy is impressed. "Wow, they never taught me that in Pokémon medical school."

Brock nods. "It normally isn't. There are really so many things about Pokémon that they don't teach you in medical school. The only way to learn them is by actually being around Pokémon. Fortunately for me, I started off as a traveling Pokémon breeder, so I learned a lot of these secrets. Actually, that's the reason why I decided to travel across the Tenno Region before completing my degree at medical school. Now that I know I want to be a doctor, I've got to study Pokémon health up close and personal with the intention of doing so."

Nurse Joy nods. She's very interested in what Brock's saying. "And do you think you're better off for doing so?"

Brock thinks for a moment and then nods. "I do think so. It may take me longer to get my degree this way, but it also means that I will be much more prepared to become an actual Pokémon doctor when the time comes. I've already learned so much on this journey. Every Pokémon I heal is a lesson, and every Nurse Joy I help has advice. I've learned so much more than I ever could have studying in a classroom."

Nurse Joy nods. "I see." She seems to be contemplating something. After a moment of that, she asks, "Dr. Brock, would you mind lending me a hand with a specific Pokémon? It's been here for a while with a problem, but I haven't been able to solve it. I could use a second opinion."

Brock smiles. "I'd be glad to help out."

"Alright, follow me then." She leads him into another room. The room is dimly lit and mostly empty. The only piece of furniture in it is a single bed right in the middle of the room. On that bed lies a sleeping Chansey.

Brock takes a good look at it and asks, "What's wrong with it?"

Nurse Joy sighs. "That's what I'm not sure of. Chansey is normally my assistant here, but it just hasn't been feeling itself lately. It has no energy and can't seem to do anything. I know it's not just being lazy, there's actually something wrong with it. That's why I so eagerly accepted your help earlier, I've been shorthanded ever since Chansey got sick."

Brock nods in understanding. "I see. Let me take a look at it." He does various examinations and tests of the Pokémon. After several moments he declares, "Alright, I know exactly what the problem is."

Nurse Joy looks up with surprise. "Really Dr. Brock? Do you?"

He nods. "Indeed I do. It's nothing to be worried about, either. Tell me, right before your Chansey first experienced its energy drains, did it use its Soft-Boiled?"

Nurse Joy thinks about it for a moment and then nods. "Come to think of it, it did."

"You see, the egg that a Chansey carries is much more than just an egg. It's kind of like a power plant. Chansey stores much of its energy in that egg. When it uses Soft-Boiled, its lending its extra energy to the Pokémon it heals. But sometimes, Chansey just doesn't have enough extra energy stored up in the egg to give away, but being such a kind-hearted Pokémon means that it can't deny a Pokémon in need of that energy, so it will actually give away some of its own. Your Chansey is simply recovering from an extreme drain of energy. That's all."

Nurse Joy smiles joyously. "Wow Dr. Brock, you're great!"

Brock grins smugly. "I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. I can heal your Chansey right here and now." He pulls out a Pokéball. "Help me out, Blissey."

Blissey appears and happily greets, "Bliss!"

Nurse Joy looks amazed. "Wow, you don't even have your medical degree yet, but you already have a Blissey? That's amazing."

Brock smiles. "I hatched this Blissey from a Happiny egg in the Sinnoh Region. It's been my partner ever since. It's actually part of what inspired me to even become a Pokémon doctor in the first place." He turns to Blissey and tells it, "Alright Blissey, this Chansey gave away a bit too much of its energy the last time it used Soft-Boiled. Why don't you lend it some of your energy with a Soft-Boiled of your own?"

Blissey nods happily. "Blissey bliss!" It walks over to the side of the bed. Its egg begins to glow orange and it pulls the egg from its pouch. Blissey then holds the egg out over Chansey. The egg then dissolves into orange energy that trickles down onto Chansey.

As Chansey absorbs the energy, it begins to stir. Then it opens its eyes and happily greets, "Chansey!" It sits up.

Nurse Joy exclaims, "Chansey! You're alright!" She leaps at Chansey and hugs it. Chansey hugs back.

Brock grins. "It's always great to see someone when their Pokémon is healed, isn't it Blissey?" Brock waits for an answer, but Blissey doesn't respond.

Then suddenly Blissey cries out in pain. "Bliiiiiss!"

Nurse Joy and Brock turn towards Blissey to see what's wrong. Brock catches Blissey before it falls to the floor. By the look on its face, it's in very intense pain. Brock cradles its head in his arms and comforts, "It's okay Blissey, don't worry, I'll help you."

Nurse Joy asks, "What's wrong with it Dr. Brock?"

Brock does a quick look up and down Blissey. He quickly realizes what is wrong. There's no egg in Blissey's pouch. Brock says with horror, "Oh no…"

This worries Nurse Joy. "What? What is it!?"

Brock points to Blissey's empty egg pouch. "Blissey wasn't able to regenerate its egg. This is bad. This is very bad."

Who's that Pokémon!?

This Pokémon pulls out the leaf on its head and makes a flute with it. The sound of its flute strikes fear and uncertainty in the hearts of people lost in a forest.

Blissey is now laid out on the medical bed with Brock, Nurse Joy, and even Ash and Brenda gathered around. Its face is contorted with pain, but it barely seems conscious. With the utmost concern, Ash asks solemnly, "How could something like this even happen?"

Brock, full of sorrow, answers, "When Chansey and Blissey share their eggs with others after using Soft-Boiled, they're normally able to instantly generate a new egg to replace the one they gave up. However, there have been rare occurrences where the Chansey or Blissey wasn't able to properly channel its energy into making a new one. It's an extremely rare circumstance, and because of that there is very little known about the condition. The one thing that is known…is that it's terminal in all cases."

Brenda gasps in horror. "But…but how could missing an egg lead…well…you know…"

"It's more than just an egg. It's a vital part of Blissey's metabolism. Without the egg it has nowhere to store its excess energy, and nowhere to draw energy from in times of need, such as this one."

Nurse Joy suggests, "What if I have my Chansey give its egg to your Blissey? Couldn't it serve the same purpose? My Chansey should still be able to create a new egg for itself afterwards."

Brock shakes his head. "No…egg transplants never work. Each Chansey or Blissey creates an egg structure entirely unique to the individual, so unique that it could never use the egg created by another."

Nurse Joy lowers her head in sorrow. "Oh…I see…"

Ash comments, "There has to be something you can do though, right? Some sort of experimental procedure or new type of medicine."

Brock, looking utterly defeated, shakes his head. "I've gone through it all in my head, there's nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Brenda urges, "Come on Brock, you're the best doctor I know, I'm sure you can think of something, you've just got to try."

With a sudden fit of anger, Brock shouts, "That's what I've been doing! I have gone over every possibility in my head over and over again! There's nothing! Nothing can be done now! It's too late for Blissey!"

Brenda steps back, intimidated by Brock's uncharacteristic anger.

Seeing the look on her face, Brock shakes his head, ashamed of himself. "Brenda…I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that."

Ash asks, "Look, Brock, I know this is hard for you, but we're here for you too. Is there anything at all we can do to help?"

Brock sighs. "Right now, I think I just want to be left alone, is that alright?"

Ash and Brenda both nod with understanding. Ash responds, "That's fine. If you need us, we'll be in the next room." They both exit the room.

Nurse Joy is about to leave too when Brock asks, "Nurse Joy, could you do me a favor?"

"Yes Dr. Brock?"

"Can you go check the Center's medical texts and bring me anything you can find on Chansey and Blissey health? Also, get me a printout of anything you can find on the Pokémon Health Database."

Nurse Joy nods. "Of course, I'll be right back." She leaves the room.

Now alone, Brock looks down to the struggling Blissey and sighs. "I'm sorry Blissey, I'm so sorry."

It's Nuzleaf!

Brock sits at a desk next to Blissey's bed. On that desk is piles of books and papers, the research he asked Nurse Joy for. With strong conviction he turns from page to page, taking notes along the way. He takes a look over his shoulder towards Blissey to remind himself of what he's fighting for.

While continuing his studies, he begins to think back to all his experiences with the Pokémon. He remembers dressing his Croagunk up as a Politoed and winning the Pokémon Dress-Up Contest, the prize of which was an egg. Then he thinks to the moment he was biking on the Sinnoh Cycling Road when the egg first began to glow. It wasn't long until the egg hatched into Happiny. Brock has many fond memories of Happiny. He thinks of how he used to feed and bathe it. He remembers the multiple times it would show uncharacteristically huge amounts of strength to lift large boulders, Pokémon, and the like. He remembers when it first evolved into Chansey so that it could better help a group of suffering Pokémon. That was the moment that inspired Brock to become a Pokémon doctor. He then thinks to the time the two of them spent in Pokémon medical school, and then how they set off on another journey. While on this journey, Chansey evolves into the form it's in now.

Coming out of his memories, Brock flings the book he's reading to the side with aggravation. "Argh, there's nothing here! Nothing to help me at all!"

From behind him he hears a meek, "Bliss…"

He looks back in surprise. "Blissey, you're awake!" It may be awake, but it does not look any better. It seems to be struggling just to sit up as much as it is.

It reaches down into its egg pouch and rummages around for something. After a moment it pulls it out and hands it to Brock. It's a small, round, white stone.

Brock takes the stone gasps with disbelief. "This…this is the Oval Stone I gave you back when you hatched. You still have this?"

With a bit of a struggle, Blissey manages to smile at Brock.

The stone gives Brock a flashback to the day the two of them met. Brock holds the Oval Stone out. "Finally. Here you go. Hope you like it."

Happiny happily approaches the stone. It takes it, observes it, and then quickly inserts the stone into its pouch. It happily cheers, "Happ happ! Happiny! Happ!" It then pulls the stone back out and hands it Brock.

Brock asks, "Huh?"

Ash realizes, "I see, Happiny's just thanking you for such a great stone."

Brock looks down to Happiny. "Wow, you are? That's so nice, really." He reaches down to Happiny's pouch and places the stone back. "Then let's put this back where it belongs."

Back in the present, Brock observes the Oval Stone and says, "A Happiny will give away its Oval Stone as a sign of friendship and of trust." He clutches the stone tightly and looks to Blissey with newfound determination. "That's what you're trying to tell me Blissey, isn't it? You trusted me back then, and you trust me now?"

Blissey painfully nods. "Bliss."

Brock begins to think deeply. Suddenly, he looks to the Oval Stone in surprise. "Wait a second…" He frantically looks through the pile of books and papers he's already read and pulls out one specific one. He frantically flips through it until he finds what he's looking for. He points to a section and declares, "That's it! While young, Happiny like to use Oval Stones as make-believe eggs, however, there's evidence to suggest that these eggs might be more than just a childhood fantasy. Some researchers suggest that the type of rock used to make an Oval Stone has special properties of energy storage, similar to that of a Blissey egg. Since the rocks are generic, and don't exist just for one individual, it might just serve as a replacement until you can grow your own egg back! I'd just have to get a big enough Oval Stone." He slams the book shut and looks to Blissey with renewed vigor. "Don't worry Blissey, I'm going to make you the best Oval Stone I can, one even better than this one, and you'll be all better. I promise."

Blissey smiles. "Bliss." It nods, showing that it trusts Brock will succeed.

Ash asks Brock, "How do you plan on getting an Oval Stone that big?"

"I'll have to make it myself, just like I did with Happiny's original Stone. Fortunately, there's a quarry not too far away here that should produce stones of the right type."

Brenda asks, "And do you really think this will work?"

Brock nods. "I'm certain of it."

Ash grins. "Alright then, let's go."

Brock shakes his head. "No, I need you two to stay here and help Nurse Joy with Blissey."

Brenda objects, "But Brock-"

Brock shakes his head. "No, this is something I need to do alone."

Brenda nods. "Of course. And we know you can. Go get that rock."

Nurse Joy steps up to Brock and says, "Good luck, Dr. Brock."

Brock smiles. "With such a beauty wishing me luck, how could I ever fail?" Nurse Joy blushes. Brock turns towards the door and steps out confidently.

Brock walks alone down a path through rugged terrain. He looks at his Pokéssistant and says to himself, "Alright, it shouldn't be that much further now." Suddenly, a cloud of smoke fills the air around Brock. He shouts with surprise, "What's this!?"

"Prepare for trouble, you should have been expecting us!"

"Make it double, without our screen time, we make a fuss!"

Jessie and James appear from the smoke, as well as Haking, the source of it.

"To protect the terms of our contract!"

"To annoy all people who think we distract!"

"To show up at least once in every episode!"

"To claim the spotlight that we're owed!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket pops up and all is right!"

"Surrender now, we're this show's highlight!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

"Mime mime!"

Brock shouts angrily, "I don't have time for you! I need to get to the quarry!"

Jessie responds, "And we'll be happy to let you pass, if you hand over all your Pokémon first."

James nods. "Yeah, and you don't have that Twerp and his Pikachu to save you this time!"

Meowth adds, "So just make this easy on yourself."

Brock shakes his head. "No way! Blissey needs me!" He throws a Pokéball. "Go, Meteorfight!" Meteorfight appears, but it instantly turns away from Brock and begins sulking. Brock questions, "Meteorfight?"

Meteorfight crosses its arms and declares crossly, "Meteor."

Brock realizes what's wrong. "Oh, this is still about me stopping your uppercut before." Meteorfight nods. Brock sighs. "Look, I'm sorry about that, Meteorfight. Help me stop Team Rocket and I'll never cut you off again. I'm a free target."

Meteorfight turns to Brock and grins. It accepts his offer. "Meteor."

Brock declares, "Alright then, Meteorfight, use Meteor Slam!" Meteorfight curls up and hurls itself at Team Rocket, leaving them no time to defend themselves. They're sent flying up into the air.

They all shout at once, "Curse you, one blast-off per episode clause! We're blasting off again!"

Brock beckons Meteorfight forward and urges, "Come on, the quarry is just ahead!" they both sprint forward.

Ash, Brenda, and Nurse Joy are all gathered around Blissey's bed. Ash replaces a wet washcloth on its forehead, Brenda strokes its hand, and Nurse Joy monitors its vitals. Nurse Joy shakes her head. "I don't like this."

Ash asks, "What's wrong?"

"Blissey is getting worse and worse, faster and faster. If Dr. Brock doesn't get back soon, it may not matter if his plan works or not, it will be too late."

Ash and Brenda both look to each other with concern. Ash says, "Hurry up, Brock…"

Suddenly the door bursts open and Brock proudly declares, "The doctor is in!" Together, he and Meteorfight carry a large Oval Stone, the size of one of Blissey's eggs.

Ash, Brenda, and Nurse Joy all shout in surprise, joy, and relief, "Brock!"

Brock says, "Alright, I need you all to help me put this thing in Blissey's pouch. It's very heavy, so be careful."

They all nod and step over to Brock. With all of them holding the egg, they guide it over to Blissey's bed and carefully insert it into Blissey's egg pouch. For a split moment the rock faintly glows orange.

After a tense moment of silence, Brenda asks, "Is it working?"

Nurse Joy looks to Blissey's vitals read-out. "It's hard to say, but I think Blissey's vital signs are leveling out."

Brock steps up to Blissey and places the original Oval Stone in its hand. He says to it, "I kept it safe for you. You trusted me to help you, now I'm trusting you to get better. Come on Blissey, you can do it."

Almost as if its responding to Brock's words, Blissey's eyes open up. It smiles meekly at him. "Blissey…"

Brock smiles and nods. That's all he needs. He announces, "Blissey is going to be just fine."

Everyone let's out a collective sigh of relief.

Some time has passed. Brock stands in front of the Pokémon Center next to Blissey. The two of them are watching the sunset together. Blissey still looks weak, but much better overall.

Nurse Joy exits the Pokémon Center ad approaches them. She asks, "How are you two doing?"

Brock looks to her and smiles. "We're fine. Blissey is still recovering, but it's getting stronger every day. We'll probably be safe to leave tomorrow."

Nurse Joy nods happily. "That's great to hear. Though, I'm not going to lie, it's been great having you around the past couple of days, Dr. Brock."

Brock smiles. "And it's been a pleasure to help you out."

Nurse Joy pulls out an envelope. "Here, I have something for you." She hands it to Brock.

Brock curiously takes the envelope and opens it. Inside is some sort of certificate. He questions, "What's this?"

"I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of contacting the Pokémon Medical Corps and told them of your breakthrough. They were quite pleased to hear of it, and sent you this."

Brock questions again, "But what is it?"

Nurse Joy smiles. "It's a Certificate of High Medical Honors. It's given out by the PMC to doctors who find new and innovative cures to the rarest of diseases. It's not just a simple piece of paper, though. If anyone, medical degree or not, earns four of them, they are awarded with the equivalent of the highest medical honors you can obtain. After that, you won't even need a degree to practice medicine. You may have thought that travelling around the Tenno Region would only increase the time before you obtain your degree, but this is something even better than you could achieve in medical school."

Brock looks at the paper with wonder. "Wow…really?"

Nurse Joy nods. "And now you have one of the four you need."

Brock looks to Blissey. "Do you hear that Blissey? We just took a large step closer towards our dreams, together."

Blissey nods happily. "Blissey!"

Only now does Brock notice that Nurse Joy is wearing a backpack. He asks, "Hey, what's that you're wearing?"

Nurse Joy grins. "You've inspired me, Dr. Brock. After watching you take care of Pokémon the past few days you've made me realize that even if I do have a medical degree, I don't have nearly as much experience as I could. You made me realize that if I want to be the best Pokémon nurse I can be, I need to travel around the world and study like you do. Working in a Pokémon Center is great, but I get nowhere near the amount of experience you do. I've been practicing Pokémon medicine my entire life, and you've only just started, and yet you are much further than I could ever hope to be. I plan on filling that gap. My cousin just arrived to take over the Center, so I'm free to leave now."

Brock is shocked. "Wow…that's great!"

Nurse Joy giggles. "I owe you so much Dr. Brock, I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Brock shakes his head. "No, you can. You can thank me by taking care of Pokémon."

Nurse Joy nods with motivation. "It's a deal, Dr. Brock."

Brock asks, "But wait, before you leave, can you tell me one last thing?"

"Anything."

"Why do you call me Dr. Brock? You know as well as I do that I'm not an official doctor yet. I haven't earned that title."

Nurse Joy laughs. "No, Dr. Brock, you have earned the title. Being a doctor isn't about some silly degree or certification, it's about doing the right thing in the right way, and that makes you the best doctor I've ever met. Goodbye, Dr. Brock." She leans in and gives Brock a kiss on the cheek.

Brock begins to blush. He babbles nonsense, too happy to even speak coherent words.

Nurse Joy waves, and then sets off on the road.

Ash and Brenda come out of the building. Brenda asks with surprise, "Did I just see what I thought I saw?"

Ash answers, "I think you did, Brenda."

Brock continues to babble, stuck in a state of pure bliss. Appearing to snap him out of it is Meteorfight, who delivers an extra powerful uppercut to Brock's chin. Brock is sent flying into the air. As he does so, he declares, "I am the happiest man alive!"

Ash, Brenda, Pikachu, Blissey, and Meteorfight all laugh at him.

The Narrator joins in and laughs too. If there is one person in the world we can all count on, it's Brock. He'll certainly never change. Or will he? Perhaps this experience has changed both him and Blissey for the better. With a clear path now ahead of them, the two of them will work harder than ever at their goal of becoming Pokémon doctors, as their journey continues.

To Be Continued…