Still on our way to Ectruteak City we stopped at a Pokémon Centre and strangely, the first thing Brock did was go to a computer and went through all of his emails, searching for one in particular. "Don't you think Brock's been acting a little strange recently?" I asked the others as we watched Brock scroll through his emails.

"Yeah, he hasn't even looked at Nurse Joy yet." Ash agreed.

"It's weird. Every time we get to a Pokémon Centre he goes to check his emails." Misty agreed.

"Yes!" Brock suddenly called, smiling with joy as he picked up a new email. "I finally got an email from Suzie!"

"Who's Suzie?" I asked curiously.

"Suzie's a Pokémon breeder who gave Brock Vulpix. She had her own Pokémon beauty salon, remember Ash?" Misty asked and he nodded his head.

"Yeah. She went away to learn more about Pokémon." He answered as we all stood up and joined Brock.

"So what does Suzie's email say Brock?" Misty asked as we crowded around.

"She says she's going to enter a competition and she's trying to find a Pokémon she can enter with." He told us, summarising the email for us.

"A contest huh?"

"What kind of contest?" Ash asked but Brock groaned in despair.

"Argh! It's a little out of our way but…I've got to see Suzie!" He declared, holding up his fists in a determined stance. And so out of our way we went. The streets were full of trainers with their Pokémon, all of which were groomed, beautified and primped to perfection.

"So what kind of contest is this anyway?" Misty asked as she looked around.

"A Pokémon catching contest?" Ash suggested hopefully but Brock shook his head.

"It's not a Pokémon catching contest Ash, this contest is to show off a Pokémon's beauty!" He snapped slightly as he continued to groom Vulpix, making sure there wasn't a hair out of place as she enjoyed the attention.

"So that's why you've been grooming Vulpix, you're going to enter the contest!" Misty concluded but Brock merely smiled.

"I'm not going to enter the contest but Vulpix is. I'll explain later, right now I have to get Vulpix ready." He said and I chuckled, hugging my egg in its incubator case as Vulpix bathed in luxury.

"You're enjoying that aren't you Vulpix?" I questioned and she beamed sweetly.

"Vulpix." She agreed as Brock continued to work on her back.

"Vulpix, I have to make you look beautiful." He said to her. "And speaking of beauty, you three could do with a little sprucing up. You can't meet Suzie looking all scruffy and scuzzy." Misty's face fell as she gave Brock a dark look, insulted by his lack of consideration.

"You don't look so great yourself Brock." She told him as I gave him a similar look.

"Besides, we've been out on the road for weeks with only a few breaks at the Pokémon Centre. I think anyone would look worse for wear after such an ordeal, don't you think?" Suddenly Brock whirled around, spinning quickly and somehow managed to change until he was wearing a dapper white suit and a goofy smile.

"How do I look now?" He asked but Ash just stared in bewilderment.

"You look like the ice cream man." So I smacked him on the back of his head for that as Misty laughed softly and quickly covered up Ash's tracks.

"What he means is you look very cool and very sweet." She corrected with a smile. Apparently we were to meet Suzie by the square so Brock, with Vulpix and fresh roses, led the way, practically skipping every step with excitement as he hummed a tuneless song that even had me shuddering.

There were even more Pokémon in the square, dressed up and groomed ready for the competition, however most of them had been painted on with makeup, which only made me frown and ask why on earth would someone make a Pokémon suffer in such a way?

"Hey Brock, some of these Pokémon look really pretty." Ash said but Brock was unfased.

"You're right about that but this contest isn't just about how a Pokémon looks, the judges also look at how a breeder has raised their Pokémon. Suddenly Misty gasped and ran off towards a Pokémon and its trainer so I hurried after her, not wanting her to be cut off and alone should we get separated, but then I saw the reason why she'd run off in the first place.

"Wow! Your Ninetales is amazing!" I breathed as Misty began to admire it from every angle.

"Yeah! It's the prettiest Ninetales ever! Do you mind if I touch it? Brush it? Please? How do you get it to look like that? Is it a secret?" She whittled off every question she could come up with and I watched as the trainer's face grew more and more agitated.

"May I ask a question?" He asked and Misty smiled.

"Sure."

"I'm minding my own business, trying to get my Ninetales ready for the beauty contest, then you come along and ask me a million questions, so my question is will you please leave me alone?" Becoming defensive when I saw Misty's face fall in hurt I stepped out in front of her and glared down at the jerk who had just shouted at my friend.

"Hey buddy, you should be more grateful that Misty's paying attention to your Pokémon! It means she thinks it beautiful and she was just trying to compliment you and be nice, but then you go and get all in her face like that! Why don't you smarten up or you'll never be as pretty on the inside as your Pokémon is on the outside!" I yelled right back but then a gentle voice spoke up.

"She's right you know, you could be a little more polite Zayne." I looked up to see a beautiful woman with bluish green hair holding Vulpix and Brock's flowers with Ash and Brock standing at her side.

"Suzie!" The trainer blinked in surprise.

"Suzie!" Misty echoed and now it was me blinking.

"Suzie? So you're Suzie? Hi! I've heard a lot about you." I said with a smile, giving her a wave so she smiled at me, giving a nod before turning to Zayne.

"Instead of being rude like that you should be happy that she thinks your Ninetales is so beautiful." She reprimanded gently so Zayne sighed then looked down, smiling softly.

"You're right. I'm sorry, I'm just so focused on winning the beauty contest." He said before looking up. "But now, I'm just focused on you." He said to Suzie. Woah there, that's a surprise. I glanced over to Brock to see him a little crestfallen so as the others decided to go for some light lunch, I gently nudged Brock along, shifting the egg into one arm to wind my arm through Brock's and led him forwards.

We all sat down together, ordering some tea and small cakes. "So you two must have known each other for a while." Misty said to Suzie and Zayne as the Pokémon all settled either on or around the table.

"Oh yes, since we were both in nursery school." Suzie nodded her head. "And even way back then we both wanted to be breeders. And we both started out with our own Vulpix." All the while Suzie had spoken, Zayne hadn't looked away from her.

"Suzie vowed she'd be the world's top Vulpix breeder, I said I'd do the same." He revealed but then Brock slammed his hands on the table and began to yell in his face.

"So you're a rival?! Suzie's sworn mortal enemy!" Zayne however didn't appear at all fazed by Brock's intimidation dance.

"Well we're rivals but certainly not enemies." He said as I grabbed Brock's jacket and dragged him back into his seat as Ash tried to diffuse the situation.

"Your Ninetales is cool Zayne." He told him as Misty leaned closer.

"It looks like spun gold." She agreed and Zayne gave a grateful nod.

"I hope you're right. Suzie and her Vulpix will be tough to beat. So, we decided that Ninetales should evolve. I like to win, just as much as Suzie does." Ninetales looked up at her trainer with soft adoration and it warmed my heart.

"Well it sounds like you and Zayne have a lot in common Suzie." Misty said to them as I sipped on my milkshake.

"We do Misty but we also have some big disagreements, especially about Pokémon. Zayne thinks that what makes a Pokémon beautiful is what's on the outside but I think beauty comes from the inside." Zayne looked away with a sceptical expression.

"That's so old school." He said and Brock's mouth twitched in anger as he tried to supress it. "If Vulpix belonged to me I'd cut and curl its hair and make it look beautiful." Zayne said as he gently stroked Vulpix's head. "You want to look beautiful, don't you Vulpix?" In answer Vulpix stood up and nestled herself into Suzie's arm, looking proudly up at her trainer.

"Well I think my little friend here looks beautiful just the way it is, and no amount of cutting and curling can match the beauty I can see in its eyes." Suzie said, turning an imploring look to Zayne who seemed to still not get it.

"You know, there's more than one way to look beautiful." I said and everyone looked to me, so I put down my milkshake and met their eyes turn for turn. "There's not one specific way a Pokémon or a person can look their best, there are many different styles that may either make them look prettier or uglier, however sometimes it's best to leave Pokémon as they are naturally, because that's when they can be their true self, and the same goes for us humans. We're more beautiful when we're natural, because it's a reflection of who we really are on the inside too." Everyone blinked at me so I looked down and blushed. "Sorry, was that dumb?"

"No of course not Ruby, that's exactly how I feel about beauty and Pokémon." Suzie said with a smile and Zayne sighed.

"Well, Ninetales and I had better go get ready. We wish you and Vulpix the best of luck." He said as he stood up before turning to his companion. "Come on, let's go Ninetales." Suzie sighed almost wistfully, watching after Zayne as he left.

"In his heart he's the sweetest boy in the whole world." She said before quickly remembering Brock was sitting next to her, fists tightly clenched and lip stiff. "Oh! I forgot about you sitting there Brock, of course you're very sweet in your own way too." In answer Brock thumped his fists on the table.

"That guy's not sweet! He's our number one competition, and we have to defeat him totally!" I quickly grabbed his ear and began to drag him back though he kicked and struggled all the way.

"Okay maestro, time for an interval and a time out." I said, taking him far away from the situation so that he could calm down, taking deep breaths until he was once more composed. When it was time I left Brock with Suzie and went to get my seat with Ash and Misty, the three of us sitting together and facing the stage which was for now, empty.

"See what number Suzie and Brock are." Ash said and Misty looked at her programme.

"According to this, they're number thirty seven." She said so I leaned forwards.

"And what about Zayne?"

"He's after Suzie, see?" I nodded my head. This is going to be a tough competition. People sure have strange ways of making their Pokémon look beautiful, if you could call it that. I remember seeing a Machamp that looked more like a clown, the poor thing. I just don't get it. What could be more beautiful than a Pokémon in its natural state?

"Well if you ask me, if I went up there with any of my Pokémon we'd wipe the floor with the competition." I said proudly. "All of my Pokémon are naturally beautiful as well as strong." The contest started with a man greeting us all on the loudspeaker, pictures of Pokémon showing up on screen and I even saw a Gengar with piercings. Now that to me was just cruel.

"Would entry number one come to the stage please!" We waited in anticipation, watching for someone to walk out but nothing happened. "Number one? Number one?" But still no joy. I wonder what had happened, had there been an accident?

"Hey, number one's not coming out." Ash frowned, looking around the stage.

"I wonder why?" Suddenly the stage filled with a single overhead beam and filled with smoke, spreading out across the stage and made everyone gasp, except the front row, they just coughed on the fumes. "What's going on?" Misty demanded, frowning as I leaned forwards, peering into the smog to see a Wheezing, Arbok, Victreebel, Wobbuffet and Meowth leap out on stage with their trainers with some really wacky designs. It was…kinda scary.

The crowd went wild, cheering for the rather inventive new style the two trainers had created. I watched them dance and prance about the stage, showing off their Pokémon's new looks whilst also styling on the go.

"Those guys are weird." Misty announced decisively and I heartily agreed with her.

"Hold it right there!" Officer Jenny yelled as she ran on stage with a trainer and his Marill at her side, heading straight for the first contestants. "These two are frauds. They locked up the real first contestant and his Marill in a closet and took his place." She declared and there was a deep gasp from everyone in the stands. Suddenly Officer Jenny blew her top in a way that even put Misty to shame and she dragged them all off stage by herself, everyone staring in shock.

So after that little hiccup everything went back to normal. I didn't really enjoy the contest, seeing as it was simply strangely made up Pokémon being brought out onto stage with no battling or real showing off of any kind, so I actually fell asleep in my chair, curled up with my egg and only just about heard Misty as she stood up.

"Hey, we're going to see Brock and Suzie. You wanna come?" Giving a sleepy yawn I nodded my head with a smile.

"Sure. I'm coming." So I got up and followed them both to the contestant waiting room to check on Brock, who by now must be sweating Buckets. We carefully picked our way through the Pokémon, avoiding feet, tails and paws until finally we spotted Suzie and Brock with Vulpix.

"Hey it's almost your turn Brock, how you feeling?" Ash asked and Brock gulped before answering hesitantly.

"I'm…just fine."

"Relax." Misty said to him warmly. "You all look just beautiful." She complimented with Pikachu chirping with agreement, making Suzie chuckle softly with a smile. Just then the doors burst open and two doctors stood there with serious expressions, their mouths covered with a surgeon's mask and their hair held back out of the way.

"Alright, attention please, attention please! We're Pokémon doctors from the Pokémon Breeder's Licensing Division." The first announced, a woman with slim glasses settled on her sharp nose.

"We're here to perform examinations on every Pokémon entered in the contest." The other revealed, some guy with an awful haircut.

"How come nobody told us?" Brock asked smartly as the two doctors suddenly turned and glared at us.

"That's strange, I never heard anything about an examination." Suzie mused quietly but the woman snapped at her quickly.

"The rules were changed. It's something new." Well they certainly changed their minds fast, what's the point of an examination halfway through a competition? Half the contestants had already showcased their Pokémon.

"This doesn't sound right to me." Brock told them honestly but the woman turned her piercing glare on him instead.

"Who cares how you think it sounds? Anyone who doesn't follow the rules will be disqualified." Suddenly there was a collective gasp and people began to whisper, worrying about their chances in the contest as the two doctors waited patiently.

"Disqualified?!" Brock gulped.

"Okay people, have your Pokémon line up outside the door." The man called and Pokémon began to move forwards as the woman came over to us and picked up Vulpix.

"Come now don't be shy, it won't hurt a bit." She promised, turning and carrying Vulpix away.

"Hey wait lady, you can't just take Vulpix!" I said and tried to reach out for her but she shrugged off my hand.

"You quit that tongue with its waggling, little girl, we're professionals and if you don't zip it then I'll be forced to disqualify your friends from the competition because of your rudeness." She warned so I quickly shut my mouth. I watched as Zayne's Ninetales was led away also and all the Pokémon were led outside, where the doors were then shut behind the doctors as they called out.

"There's no need to worry."

"Your Pokémon are safe with us!" The guy assured us all before they both chorused as one. "We're doctors!" Something smells fishy to me. Surely someone more official would have come down to tell us that this was going to happen, and why do it now when the interval is nearly over?

Zayne walked over to the door and tried to open it, turning the handle and tugging but it wouldn't budge. "Hey!" He began to bang his fist on the hard wood as he continued to try and force it open. "Unlock this door, we want to see our Pokémon right now!"

"Stand aside." Brock said seriously as he approached. "I'll take care of this. I choose you Geodude! Break down the door!" Brock let out his Pokémon without letting go of the ball and the moment Geodude appeared, he swung his fist into the door and broke both of them down with one punch. Now that's what I call muscle power!

Everyone ran outside into the open only to find the doctors and the Pokémon had disappeared. "Oh no!" Suzie gasped as we ran out into the courtyard. "Where did those doctors go?"

"They couldn't have just disappeared." Misty said reassuringly and as I looked up, I pointed.

"Look!" Laughter filled the air alongside a super powered Meowth hot air balloon and it carried a large crate underneath it. I bet you ten bucks it has all the Pokémon in it and those doctors were really Jessie and James.

"The doctors are right up here, or are they?"

"Now we'll take off our masks and show you who we really are!" With that they tore off their masks and hats to reveal themselves to be the false contestants that had tried to steal the first spot in the competition. Oh I see now. I should have known that would be Team Rocket, seeing as they're the only people who could have come up with such ridiculous fashions and act so weird.

"We appear to be those talented stylists…but underneath we're really…tah-dah!" Jessie and James crowed as they ripped off their outer costume to reveal their Team Rocket uniforms. Someone owes me ten bucks.

"You twerps would have been much better off if that officer of yours hadn't thrown us out of the contest." Jessie sneered as the balloon began to rise.

"Now you don't only lose the contest but your friends lose all their Pokémon!" James added with a smirk of satisfaction as Meowth popped up with laugh.

"Now we've gotta run-I mean fly!" Everyone began to shout and cry with fear as they watched the crate that carried their Pokémon inside fly away.

"Hurry Ash, you've gotta do something!" Misty told Ash but he already had a Pokéball in hand.

"Already on it Misty. Noctowl, I choose you!" Noctowl flew upwards the moment it was out of its Pokéball and pierced the balloon by flying through it, popping two holes so that it began to descend back to the ground, the crate landing with a loud thud.

"Okay Scyther, use Slash to break open the lock!" I called brightly, tossing my Pokéball directly upwards then caught it again once Scyther had been released. Scyther sped towards the crate with a cry, swinging one blade in a clean sweep and the lock was easily broken apart. Hm, tacky stuff.

"Scyther!" Scyther pulled open the doors and let all the Pokémon out and they all ran to their trainers with elated cries, jumping into their arms or snuggling against them to reassure themselves that they were safe.

"Well, does someone need a doctor?" Ash asked as he and I approached Team Rocket as they lay on the ground arguing between themselves but at Ash's little joke, Jessie sat up with a growl.

"Urgh, you think you're pretty funny?"

"We don't!" James announced, picking up a Pokéball as well.

"Let's see if you're still laughing after a Pokémon battle." They both leaped to their feet and let their Pokémon out of their Pokéballs, however Victreebel instantly tried to swallow James with a screech as he kicked his legs wildly before finally escaping.

Scyther easily skidded along the ground to a halt in front of me, joining the battle so that it was two and two and a fairer odd. "Alright Scyther, get ready." I told him as James shook out his head then pointed to Pikachu.

"Victreebel Razor Leaf attack!" The Razor Leaf came shooting towards us and I was just about to tell Scyther to use Fury Cutter when two Flamethrowers came from behind us and burnt out the leaves, stopping them in their tracks and we both turned to see Vulpix and Ninetales leap forwards to join the battle.

"Ninetales!"

"Vulpix?" I questioned after Ash's little exclamation. What were they doing? We turned around to see Zayne and Suzie standing together with disgusted looks on their faces.

"They're a disgrace to trainers and breeders everywhere. We have to teach them that they can't steal Pokémon!" Zayne declared but Jessie didn't like that thought one little bit.

"You teach us? You've got to be kidding kid. James and I are members of Team Rocket. You can't teach us anything." She told them stubbornly, looking away and folding her arms however Suzie answered her smoothly with an angry frown.

"If we could teach you you'd know how ridiculous your silly team is."

"That's the last straw! Alright Arbok, prepare to attack!" Jessie screeched as she pointed at us and I swallowed nervously, stepping aside with Ash to let Zayne and Suzie take over the battle.

"Ready Zayne?"

"Ready Suzie." They both nodded their heads before turning to face Team Rocket.

"Vulpix!"

"Ninetales!" They called out in turn before speaking together as one. "Fire Spin attack!" Both Pokémon leaped up and let loose their powerful fire attack, however I noticed how much colder Nintales's Fire Spin was and paler in colour. That didn't seem right, a Ninetales is meant to be just as hot as a Vulpix within, maybe something is wrong?

However the two differently coloured Fire Spins combined into a beautiful vortex, spiralling around Team Rocket and lifted them all off the ground and tossed into the air, yelping and wincing at the heat until they were left charred and burned.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Awesome! At least that show is all over.

"Alright!" Ash cheered with Pikachu, who leaped up onto his shoulder and I ran over to Scyther.

"You were a great help Scyther, thanks a lot!" I smiled, leaping up and flinging one arm around his neck as he smiled.

"Scyther! Scy…." He nuzzled his head into me until I stepped back and lifted my Pokéball.

"You deserve a rest now, so you take a break." I returned him then turned around to see Suzie and Zayne smiling at one another, both Vulpix and Ninetales glowing with pride. "Hey guys, how about we go and finish this competition?" I suggested. "I think the crowd is beginning to wonder where we are."

"You're right. Come on! Let's hurry up!" Ash said as some officials turned up to demand what had happened. We let Suzie and Zayne explain things as we rushed back to our seats, watching as the rest of the contestants appeared on stage. I managed to last until Zayne and his Ninetales had appeared, but after that? Well…let's just say it's a good thing I don't snore.