Episode 165: Follow the Breeder

Brock asks, "How much farther?"

Ash answers, "Almost there!"

Ash and Brenda are leading Brock along the streets of Kanaveral City. Ash is covering Brock's eyes, while Brenda pulls his arm to guide him.

Brock asks, "Can you give me a hint?"

Brenda shakes her head. "Nah ah. You'll be learning what it is soon enough."

Ash and Brenda stop Brock in front of a building. Together they declare, "Open your eyes!"

Brock looks to the sign on the building with surprise. "No way! A Pokémon Breeder Convention!?" He looks at Ash and Brenda with a great grin. "You guys are the best. This is amazing!"

A Pokémon Breeder Convention!? Wow! You might remember that Brock used to be a Pokémon breeder himself, before electing to train as a Pokémon doctor instead. A place like this is sure to bring back some very fond memories.

Brock eagerly enters the convention center with Ash and Brenda. The inside is full of all different sorts of breeders showing off a wide range of techniques and methods. Brock looks over it all with a sense of wonder and awe.

Ash steps up next to him and asks, "Tell me, Brock, do you ever miss being a Pokémon breeder?"

Brock nods as the nostalgia overtakes him. "I do. I was working towards being a breeder for far longer than I've been training to be a doctor. This place here, it's what so much of my life was like back then. And, to tell the truth, my love for Pokémon breeding never went away. I still love it just as much as I did back then." He continues to look around. "Wow…"

"Vul! Vul!"

Brock freezes in place. "Huh?" He turns around to find a Vulpix sprinting at him. It leaps into his hands. Brock is flabbergasted. "C-could it be…? Vulpix…?"

"Vul!" Vulpix nuzzles up against Brock's chest.

Ash asks, "Brock, is that the Vulpix I think it is?"

Brock nods. "It is! But, if Vulpix is here, then that means…" His jaw drops at the realization.

"Vulpix! What has gotten into you!? Get back here!"

Brock suddenly stands up rigidly upon hearing the voice.

"Brock!?"

Brock slowly turns around and waves awkwardly. "Hi…Suzie…"

Looking at Brock with almost as much surprise as he himself has, is Suzie, the famous Pokémon breeder.

Ash grins. "No way! It's Suzie!"

Brenda asks, "Who?"

Ash explains, "Suzie is a Pokémon breeder. Back when Brock and I were just starting out, he wanted to be Suzie's pupil. That Vulpix is hers, but for a while Brock was taking care of it."

Brenda gushes, "Oh, how sweet! It's a reunion!"

Brock stammers, "S-S-S-Suzie…" His fluster causes his entire face to turn red.

Meteorfight appears and is ready to attack, should Brock lose it, but it is surprised to see Brock instead suddenly gain control and greet, "Suzie, it's great to see you again." Meteorfight sulks and returns to its Pokéball.

Suzie grins back. "The same! I can't believe we both ended up at the same convention. When you stopped emailing me, I wasn't sure if our paths would ever cross again. Let's see… If I remember correctly, the last time we talked, you said you were traveling in the Sinnoh Region." Brock winces slightly. "Do you have your own booth at the convention?"

Brock winces again. "No…uh…I'm just here as a spectator…" To try to change the topic, he strokes his hand over Vulpix's head. "Wow, Suzie, Vulpix's fur is gleaming more than ever. You've been doing an amazing job taking care of it."

Suzie shakes her head. "That's only because of the great foundation you built. Not once have I ever regretted having Vulpix travel with you. You really are an amazing breeder, Brock."

Brenda questions, "Brock, aren't you going to tell her?"

Suzie tilts her head. "Tell me what?"

Brock panics. "Tell you that…um…that I really want to see your booth! Can you show us?"

Suzie grins. "I'd love to!" As she turns to lead them away, Vulpix jumps down from Brock's arms to follow her.

Brenda gives Brock a questioning stare, but he ignores her and follows Suzie.

As they walk through the convention, they see all sorts of different booths. One particularly noisy one features two stylists in fancy black getups. The woman with red hair wears red glasses with a flare, and the man with blue hair wears square glasses that sit below his eyes. A large crowd has gathered around them, thanks to their gaudy and loud displays.

They are working together on styling a wig on a Wobbuffet. In addition to the wig, the Wobbuffet is wearing a tuxedo and tie.

The man announces, "Welcome to the Salon Fuseé! Here we believe that it's what's on the outside that counts! After all, that's what you see!"

The woman adds, "And that's for the better, I don't think anyone wants to see what a Wobbuffet looks like on the inside!"

The man continues, "Now watch as our incredible technique turns this Wobbuffet from bland and drab to grand and fab!"

The woman steps aside and announces, "Viola!"

The crowd gathered around give various oohs and awes at the finished product, which is a combination of striking and overly gaudy.

The woman asks, "Now, who's next?"

Scores of trainers clamor to have their Pokémon styled in the same way.

By comparison, Suzie's stand is a modest affair. There is little in the way of decoration or advertisements. It features a simple styling chair for a Pokémon and a massage table, and that's it. Brock grins as he looks it over. "You haven't changed one bit, Suzie."

Brenda looks around. "I don't get it. How are you ever going to attract any attention with such a simple setup? Everyone's going to flock to those Fuseé people instead."

Ash explains, "The simplicity is the point. Suzie is all about bringing out a Pokémon's inner beauty. She doesn't need any of that gaudy stuff. Right, Pikachu?"

Pikachu, who was climbing its way up to the massage table, agrees, "Pika."

Suzie grins at the Pokémon and walks behind it to start messaging its cheeks.

Pikachu lets out a sigh of comfort, "Chuuuu…"

Brenda nods. "I guess that makes sense. It's kind of like what I do as a coordinator. I want my Pokémon to look pretty in their performances, but that doesn't mean I go and dress them up crazy or style their hair. It's their inner beauty that really shines through in the performances."

Suzie nods back. "It's exactly like that. Actually, I find that my breeding methods are appreciated a lot more in regions where Pokémon Contests are popular." She looks back at Brock. "But you're right, Brock. I suppose not much has changed about me. But what about you? Has anything changed much for you?"

Brock nervously stammers, "Huh? Wh-what? Change? Me? Of course not! Don't be silly! Nothing's changed! I'm the same old Brock you've always known and loved." He quickly realizes his mistake in word choice and adds a flustered, "Well, not loved, of course, but liked. Not liked-liked, but just liked. You know, in an entirely platonic way."

Suzie chuckles at him. "Yup, you're still the same old Brock, all right."

Ash laughs. "Well, there is one big thing that changed about Brock, he—"

Brock leaps between Ash and Suzie to cut Ash off and says with panic, "He…has a whole new wardrobe! Did you notice my new clothes? Do you like them? Not that I was trying to dress up to impress you or anything, but…I… These are just my normal clothes now."

This gets another chuckle out of Suzie. "I did notice. They're quite nice."

Brenda says, "Suzie, if you don't mind, Ash and I have to talk to Brock in private for a moment."

Suzie nods. "Of course. I'll just finish Pikachu's massage."

"Piiiik…"

Brenda pulls Brock away. Ash follows. Once out of Suzie's earshot, Brenda asks, "Okay, Brock, what's going on?"

Brock instantly denies, "Nothing! Nothing's going on!"

Ash crosses his arms. "You are acting really strange, Brock."

Brock sighs. "Suzie and I made a promise to each other. We promised that we would both become the best Pokémon breeders we could be. We were both partners and rivals. We each helped the other to grow. But now I'm not a Pokémon breeder anymore. I broke my promise to her and betrayed her in the process. How do I tell her that the dream that we shared is no longer mine?"

Ash suggests, "You just got to tell her. She's your friend. She'll understand."

Brenda nods. "Yeah. She has to. It's obvious she respects you. She'll respect your decision to change careers."

Brock takes a long, deep sigh. "Yeah… You're right…" He stands up a little straighter. "I'll tell Suzie that I'm a Pokémon doctor now, not a Pokémon breeder."

Ash and Brenda both freeze as they notice something.

Brock looks at them quizzically. "Guys? What's wrong?"

"You're not a breeder anymore…?"

Brock's entire body lurches. He turns around to see Suzie and Vulpix standing behind him. Suzie is holding Pikachu, but she stands frozen. Pikachu, sensing the drama, leaps out of her arms and runs back to Ash.

Brock gulps. "Suzie…I can explain…"

In almost a whisper, Suzie asks, "Brock…how could you have given up on our dream…?"

Brock shakes his head. "It's not like that, Suzie! I swear!"

"We both promised…that we would be the best breeders we could be… That we would encourage each other to be better in the process…"

"Suzie, I—"

Suzie suddenly shouts in a completely uncharacteristic outburst, "No! I don't want to hear any excuses! That's why you stopped emailing me! You just tossed everything aside like it was nothing! Clearly being a Pokémon breeder meant nothing to you! Clearly our friendship and rivalry meant nothing to you!"

"Suzie! Please! Let me—"

"I said no excuses!" She turns around and retreats behind her stall.

Vulpix is left behind. It looks up at Brock for several moments before turning to follow Suzie.

Brenda asks under her breath, "How could I have misread that situation so horribly…?"

In a depressed slouch, Brock turns and slowly walks away.

Ash objects, "Wait, Brock, don't you think you should try to talk to her?"

Without stopping, Brock answers, "You heard her. She doesn't want to hear any of my excuses…"

Brenda protests, "But they're not excuses. They're valid reasons."

"Not to her…" Brock just keeps on going.

Ash and Brenda glance at each other with uncertainty. Ash suggests, "You try to talk to Suzie, I'll stay with Brock."

Brenda nods in agreement.

Brock sits at the edge of a fountain outside of a Pokémon Center near the convention hall. His head is supported by his hands as he morosely sits completely still.

Ash takes a seat next to him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." But despite the quick answer, Brock ends up saying, "Ash, I looked up to Suzie. She was my idol. I wanted to be just like her. To this day, I can't believe that I actually managed to become friends with her. But I just threw all of that away…"

Ash shakes his head. "No, you didn't. She was just taken by surprise. Give her a chance to get used to the idea, and I'm sure everything will be okay."

Brock slowly turns to look Ash in the eyes. "Did you even see her, Ash? She was completely betrayed by me. She hates me now."

"No, she doesn't."

"She does. And this is exactly what I knew would happen. That's why I stopped emailing her after I decided to become a Pokémon doctor. I knew this would be the outcome. It would have been best if our paths had never crossed again, and she just completely forgot about me…"

"Don't say that, Brock. Suzie could never forget about you. Remember how she let you take care of Vulpix? That was because of how special she knew you were."

"Yeah, and I just proved to her that she misplaced that faith. She thought I had great potential as a breeder. Not anymore."

"Suzie didn't only like you because of your skills as breeder."

"Why else would she care about me?"

"Brock, you are one of the best people I know. You're an amazing person and a better friend. Anyone who considers themselves to be a friend of yours is lucky. That has nothing to do with whether you're a breeder or a doctor."

Brock sighs as he turns away from Ash. Ash sighs too.

Who's That Pokémon!?

They form groups of roughly 20 individuals. Their mutual bond is remarkable—they will never let down a comrade.

At the Salon Fuseé stand, the two stylists, obviously Jessie and James in disguise, are working on styling the hair of a Litleo and a Numel.

While working on Litleo, Jessie announces, "Prepare for style!"

James adds, "This won't take a while!"

"With a cut cut here and a snip snip there."

"We can make a work of art out of hair."

"With a little gel after the shampoo…"

"We'll have invented a whole new hairdo."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Brushing and curling at the speed of light!"

"We take hair style to a whole new height!"

Below the booth, Meowth is counting money. He chimes in, "Meowth, that's right!"

Wobbuffet, still in its styled wig, appears to add, "Wobbuffet!"

"Mime mime! Mime Jr. is also wearing a wig, this one being a white powdered wig.

Jessie announces to the crowd that has amassed to watch, "Next, we'll be applying our patented, scientifically proven, beauty-enhancing technique for Fire-Type Pokémon." She pulls out a makeup brush and a bowl of orange powder. "This powder here is made from 100% powderized Fire Stones. We apply it to the Pokémon as such…" She brushes the orange dust onto the faces of Numel and Litleo. "…and they'll be more gorgeous than regular makeup could ever make them!"

Meowth hesitates. "Um…powdered Fire Stones…that sounds expensive…"

Jessie insists, "Real beauty is expensive. But don't fear, we'll make far more money selling the stuff than it costs."

Meowth shrugs. "Works for me."

Jessie finishes her application and announces, "See how they sparkle? They're whole new Pokémon!"

Everyone gasps at the result. Although nothing seems all that different visually, the crowd seems to believe Jessie entirely. Trainers with Fire-Type Pokémon clamor to be next.

James announces, "Please form an orderly line! There's enough powdered Fire Stone for everyone. Everyone who can pay for it, that is."

Nearby, Brenda approaches Suzie's booth. "Hello? Suzie?"

After a moment of silence, Suzie says from behind a closed curtain, "I'm sorry, Brenda. Not now."

"Suzie, you really shouldn't blame Brock for keeping secrets. He really was about to tell you."

Another short pause before, "That's not why I was upset."

Brenda sighs. "I may not know you that well, but I do know Brock, and I can tell how important you are to him. Making you upset is the last thing he wanted. Please believe me."

"Then maybe he should have considered that before throwing everything away that we both found so important."

"But isn't Brock allowed to make his own decisions?"

"Of course he is."

"Then why are you upset at him for making one?"

"Because… Because… Because…" Suzie seems incapable of giving an answer.

"Can I come in?" After several moments of no negative response, Brenda pushes aside the curtain and steps into Suzie's private area. There she finds Suzie sitting on the floor with Vulpix on her lap. She's clearly been crying. Brenda sits down next to her. "Brock is one of the most selfless people I know. But even then, he still needs to make his own choices."

Suzie slowly nods. "I know… It's just that…" She finds herself at a loss for words once more. "I don't know…" Vulpix licks her cheek in an attempt to cheer her up. Suzie forces a grin at the Pokémon and pets it.

Brenda suggests, "Tell me about Vulpix. Brock never told me the full story."

Suzie hesitates for a moment before explaining, "Vulpix was one of my first clients. It was a wild Pokémon that wandered into my shop on my opening day. I had been having trouble attracting clients. But when Vulpix stepped out of my shop looking as gorgeous as it was, it attracted everyone. After that, Vulpix became one part mascot and one part model for my shop. Together we both grew in popularity until we became the famous pair that brought Brock to my shop. Despite everything we had accomplished together, something seemed to be missing. I could tell that Vulpix still had untapped potential that I just couldn't bring out, no matter how hard I tried. Then when Brock showed what a great breeder he was, and I saw how well Vulpix got along with him, I knew that Brock was the breeder who could achieve what I couldn't. He could bring Vulpix to its full potential. So, I asked Brock to raise Vulpix in his own way. And when we next saw each other, my suspicions were proven correct. Brock had done a better job with Vulpix than I ever could."

Brenda nods. "So Vulpix is like your shared project. It's what symbolizes your mutual bond as fellow breeders."

Suzie turns away. "Except Brock isn't a breeder anymore, is he?"

Vulpix looks at Suzie with worry. "Vul…"

From Team Rocket's stand nearby, the powdered Fire Stone floats on the air and drifts over towards Suzie's stand. As Vulpix nuzzles against Suzie, it breathes some of it in. Vulpix coughs. "Vul! Vul!"

Suzie looks back at it. "What's wrong, Vulpix?"

Vulpix coughs again, and then looks back to Suzie with a grin. "Vulpix!"

This gets a slight chuckle out of Suzie.

But then Vulpix suddenly collapses. Its tails begin to glow.

Suzie gasps. "Vulpix!"

Brenda asks with worry, "What's going on?"

Suzie shakes her head in dismay. "I don't know!"

Vulpix struggles on the ground. It shouts in pain, "Vuuuul!"

Brenda points at its tails. "Look, something's happening!"

Suzie realizes, "They're splitting! Vulpix is growing new tails!" As Suzie suggested, Vulpix's six tails have become eight tails.

Brenda questions, "Is it evolving…?"

Suzie shakes her head. "No. This is all wrong. This isn't how a Vulpix evolves. And it only has eight tails, instead of Ninetales' nine. And evolution should never hurt."

"Vuuuul!" The glowing stops, leaving Vulpix at eight tails.

Suzie asks, "Vulpix, are you okay?"

Vulpix starts to look up at Suzie, but then its entire body glows white momentarily before subsiding. Vulpix collapses entirely.

Suzie puts a hand to the Pokémon's forehead. "This is one of the worst fevers I've ever felt, even for a Fire-Type Pokémon. Something's wrong. Something's very wrong."

Brenda suggests, "Let's get it to the Pokémon Center!"

Suzie nods. "Right!" She scoops up Vulpix and runs off with Brenda behind her.

It's Passimian!

As they run to the Pokémon Center, they pass by Ash and Brock. Ash asks with concern, "What's wrong?"

Brenda responds, "We don't know, but Vulpix seems really sick."

Brock looks up with worry. "Vulpix is sick?" He whips his doctor's coat out from his backpack and throws it on as he runs after them into the Pokémon Center.

Ash, Brenda, and Suzie sit in the Pokémon Center's lobby. Suzie looks extremely worried. Ash says encouragingly, "Don't worry, Suzie. Brock's one of the best Pokémon doctors there are. Vulpix is in good hands."

Suzie looks away from Ash.

Nurse Joy steps out from behind her desk and says, "The doctor says you can see Vulpix now."

Suzie asks, "Is it better?"

Nurse Joy solemnly shakes her head. "I'm afraid not. But Brock knew you would want to be with it."

Suzie takes a deep breath and nods. "Okay." She musters up the strength and walks into the medical rooms. Ash and Brenda follow.

There, they find Brock studying Vulpix, who is on a medical bed with a breathing mask over its face and several vitals monitors attached to it. At random, its entire body seems to glow white, as if it were about to evolve, but then the light dissipates just as suddenly.

Brock looks up to see them. "The best I can tell, Vulpix is caught in a state of mid-evolution."

Brenda questions, "Mid-evolution?"

Brock nods. "Yes. Its entire body is trying to evolve, but it's not able to."

Ash questions, "How does something like that even happen?"

"A blood test showed that Vulpix had trace amounts of Fire Stone in its system. I'm not sure how it got there, but it was just enough to start the evolution process without actually evolving it."

Suzie asks, "So…what's wrong with it then…?"

Brock takes a deep breath. "During evolution, a Pokémon's body puts out incredible amounts of energy. That energy is used to enact the physical changes of evolution. Currently, Vulpix's body is outputting most of that energy, but not enough to enact any changes beyond the two new tails. But since the evolution process isn't complete, Vulpix's body continues to put out that energy. The problem is that energy has nowhere to go. That's why Vulpix has such a bad fever. If we can't find a way to stop the evolutionary energy, not only will Vulpix burn itself up, but it will deplete itself of the energy necessary for it to survive."

Suzie looks away timidly. "Do you know a cure…?"

Brock takes a deep breath. "Mid-evolution has been encountered before…but no one has ever cured it… Based on previous cases, Vulpix…has about ten hours left…"

Suzie's eyes go wide. "Vulpix!" She runs to the Pokémon and does the best she can to embrace it despite all the equipment attached. She looks up to Brock as she cries. "Please, Brock, please! You have to cure Vulpix! Please!"

Brock puts a hand on Suzie's shoulder. "Suzie, I know that my promises don't mean much to you right now, but I swear on my career as a Pokémon doctor that I won't stop trying to find a way to heal Vulpix. I will do everything in my power to make sure that the two of you are reunited."

Suzie looks Brock in the eyes silently for several moments. She nods slowly and says meekly, "I believe you…"

It's the middle of the night. Ash and Brenda are asleep on a nearby couch. Suzie has pulled up a chair next to Vulpix and is petting the Pokémon. Vulpix has been put on top of an ice bag to keep its fever down. Suzie whispers to it, "Vulpix…I know you can pull through this… You're strong… I know it…"

Brock steps in. "Unfortunately, it seems that purging all the Fire Stone particles from Vulpix's system had no effect. I'm running a blood test right now to confirm that we did properly filter everything, but I already know it's going to say we did."

Suzie nods silently. After a moment of silence, she asks, "Do you have any other ideas?"

Brock sighs as he takes a seat next to Suzie. "I'm afraid I don't. I've been doing a lot of research into the medical side of Pokémon evolution, but there just isn't anything helpful there. I even got in contact with Professor Rowan, the leading expert in evolution, but he was as stumped as I am. Honestly, there's a whole lot more about evolution that we don't know than what we do. Medically speaking, it's entirely baffling. We have our guesses as to how it works, but no one is really sure." He stands back up. "I should go double check my research while we're waiting for the blood test results."

Suzie grabs his arm and stops him. "Tell me the truth, Brock. Will re-reading everything help you find a cure?"

Brock sighs. "Probably not…"

"Then stay here and rest for a little. Maybe a rested mind will help you come up with an idea."

Brock hesitates. "Are you…sure you want to be around me…?"

Suzie sighs and nods slowly.

Brock sits back down next to her. The two of them sit in awkward silence for several moments. Then, at the same exact time, they say each other's names. "Suzie…"

"Brock…"

They stare at each other for another moment before Brock decides to speak first. "Suzie… I want you to know that I never once thought of myself as turning my back on being a Pokémon breeder. I became a breeder to take care of Pokémon and to help them live healthy lives. I think that being a Pokémon doctor is the natural extension of that. I wanted to do whatever it was that would help the most Pokémon. That's why I decided to become a Pokémon doctor. And it's not like I threw everything away. All my skills as a Pokémon breeder have made me an even better Pokémon doctor. That includes everything that you taught me."

Suzie sighs as she contemplates what to say. She shakes her head in disbelief. "I'm so stupid."

"Huh? What's that about?"

Suzie takes a deep breath. "I couldn't help but think that you were being selfish in changing your goals. But I know you better than that. You are a completely selfless person. How could you ever make such a major choice selfishly?" She makes a deep sigh. "I was the selfish one. I was the one who thought her own profession was too important to leave behind. I was the one that took offense at you making choices about your own life. I'm a terrible person…"

Brock shakes his head emphatically. "No, you're not. Suzie, you're amazing. You care about Pokémon more than anyone else I know. You also care about the art of breeding more than anyone else period. That's why it hurt you to know I wasn't a breeder anymore. Not because you're selfish."

Suzie buries her face in her hands. "I don't know… Can you ever forgive me, Brock?"

Brock grins. "I already have." He holds his arms out. "Still friends?"

Suzie looks up at him and forces a smile. "Always." They embrace in a tight hug. After separating, Suzie looks back to Vulpix as it flashes with evolutionary light once more. She pets the Pokémon some more. "It's ironic that its evolution that's tearing Vulpix apart. I was always so stubborn about not evolving it. So many people in this world just assume that evolving a Pokémon makes it more beautiful. But a Pokémon's inner-beauty is the same, whether it's evolved once, twice, or not at all. To think, if I hadn't been so stubborn and allowed Vulpix to evolve, then it probably wouldn't have been affected by that Fire Stone dust in the first place…"

Brock shakes his head. "Hey, this isn't your fault. Keeping a Pokémon unevolved is a valid Pokémon breeding strategy. There's…" He suddenly trails off.

Suzie asks with worry, "What is it? Is something worse with Vulpix?"

Brock mutters to himself, then shouts, "That's it!"

The shout wakes Ash and Brenda who both frantically look about in shock.

Suzie asks, "What is it, Brock?"

"Suzie, you're a genius! I've been trying to approach this problem as a Pokémon doctor, but so have all the other doctors who failed to find a cure! I need to approach it as a Pokémon breeder!"

"What are you saying, Brock?"

"Suzie, I think I know how to cure Vulpix."

"You do!?"

Brock nods. He looks about frantically. "I'll be back, no time to explain, but I have to see if I can find something!" He runs out of the medical ward and does a little skip as does so.

Suzie grins as she strokes Vulpix's fur. "Did you hear that, Vulpix? Brock thinks he knows a cure. And if Brock says so, then I believe him. You're going to be okay."

Vulpix twitches slightly. It's the first time it's moved on its own recently, as if to agree with Suzie.

Brock, Suzie, Ash, Brenda, and Nurse Joy have gathered around Vulpix. Brock pulls out a small round stone. "This is an Everstone. It's an item commonly used by breeders who are trying to bring out the beauty of their Pokémon without evolving them. It has natural anti-evolution properties, which stop a Pokémon from evolving altogether."

Brenda asks, "Will just giving that rock to Vulpix be enough to cancel the mid-evolution?"

Brock shakes his head. "No. Not on its own. This is where I'll augment my skills as a Pokémon breeder with my skills as a Pokémon doctor. I'm going to grind the stone and intravenously introduce it to Vulpix's system. My theory is that the direct exposure to the anti-evolution properties of the Everstone should be the cure that Vulpix needs. Nobody's ever tried anything like this before, but both the breeder and the doctor in me are telling me that it will work." He looks to Suzie.

Suzie nods back at him. "Then it will. Brock, you're the greatest Pokémon breeder and greatest Pokémon doctor I know. Let's try it."

Brock nods and turns away. He beckons towards Blissey, who was waiting on the side. "Okay, Blissey. Can you pulverize this for me? Make it as fine a powder as possible."

"Blissey!" Blissey takes the Everstone from Brock's hand and uses its massive strength to crush the rock between its hands. It then dumps the resulting fine powder into a bowl on a table.

"Thank you, Blissey." Brock takes the bowl and pours the contents into the bag of an IV drip connected to Vulpix. The clear liquid inside turns a murky gray from the powder. It travels down the tube and into Vulpix.

Ash questions, "How long will it take to work?"

Brock answers, "If it does work, we should know within moments…"

Everyone watches Vulpix intensely. After several tense moments, Vulpix begins to glow again. Everyone sees this as a sign that it's not working and gets disheartened. But this time, the glow lasts longer than normal. While glowing, Vulpix's extra tails begin to shrink away.

Brenda shouts, "It's working! It's working!"

Vulpix's glowing stops. Everyone watches it carefully.

Suzie cautiously asks, "Vulpix…can you hear me…?"

There's a moment of silence, but then Vulpix stirs. It weakly lifts its head to look at Suzie and Brock. "Vul…" That was too much for it and its head falls back to the table.

Brock grins as he announces, "Everyone, Vulpix is going to be okay."

Everyone cheers.

In the Pokémon Center lobby, Brock pulls off his doctor's coat and folds it to put away in his bag. Suzie is sitting nearby. She cradles Vulpix in her arms. Suzie asks, "Brock, do you realize how important you've been in Vulpix's life?"

Brock looks at her and grins. "I suppose saving someone does that."

Suzie shakes her head. "Even before today. Vulpix learned so much from you and grew so much during the time it traveled with you. I am still convinced that having Vulpix travel with you was the best decision I could have made."

"Suzie, taking care of Vulpix was my pleasure. I was doing my job and helping a friend. What could be better?"

Suzie nods.

Nurse Joy steps out from behind her desk. "Brock, I have something for you." She hands him an envelope which is marked with the emblem of the Pokémon Medical Corps.

Brock staggers back upon seeing the emblem. "No way…"

Suzie asks, "What is it, Brock?"

Ash and Brenda have noticed too. Ash asks, "Is that what I think it is, Brock?"

Brenda says, "It's from the Pokémon Medical Corps! It has to be!"

Brock takes a deep breath and prepares himself to open the envelope. After a moment's hesitation, he carefully opens it and pulls out the paper within it. "It is…"

Suzie asks, "A certificate…?"

Brock takes several deep breaths as he contemplates whether the situation is real or not. He explains, "This is a Certificate of High Medical Honors… You earn them by pioneering unique and innovative cures and medical techniques. If you earn four of them, then you're qualified to become a full-fledged Pokémon doctor without any further training or schooling." He pauses. "This is my fourth."

Suzie gasps. "Brock! That's incredible! Congratulations!"

"Vul vulpix!"

Ash praises, "You did it, Brock! You achieved your goal! You're a Pokémon doctor for real now!"

Brenda adds, "This is great!"

Even Nurse Joy adds, "I am honored to have had this happen in my Pokémon Center. Congratulations, Doctor Brock."

Brock staggers back. "Doctor Brock…"

Blissey, Meteorfight, and Guardgoyle all appear and cheer for Brock. Blissey runs up to Brock and gives him a hug. Meteorfight and Guardgoyle also join in.

With his Pokémon by his side, Brock holds up the certificate and announces, "The doctor is in!"

"Blissey bliss!"

"Meteor!"

"Goyle!"

"Vuuul!"

Blissey grabs Brock and tosses him celebratorily into the air.

Brock shouts, "Woah!"

Everyone else cheers, "Hip, hip, hooray!" as Blissey tosses him up and down with ease.

Outside the Pokémon Center, Suzie prepares to depart. "Well, with the convention over, it's time for me to get back to my salon."

Brock nods. "Make sure Vulpix is getting plenty of rest. And feed it two of those vitamin pills every night for the next week."

Suzie chuckles. "Of course, Doctor Brock."

Brock, still unused to hearing those words, can't help but grin giddily.

"Say, Brock?"

"Yes, Suzie?"

"I was thinking about hosting a Pokémon health and care seminar at my salon. Having an actual Pokémon doctor speak at it would be a big boost."

Brock smiles. "Huh. If only we knew one of those." They both laugh together. Brock nods. "Next time I'm in Kanto, I'll be sure to come by."

Suzie gets a little more serious. "Brock, I want you to make me a new promise to replace our old one."

Brock stares at her, unsure of what she's going to say.

"Promise me that you'll keep on doing what's best for the Pokémon in your care. And don't ever forget about your Pokémon breeding roots. As long as you don't, I think we can still work to make each other better."

Brock nods. "It's a deal. And this one I won't be breaking."

Suzie nods back. "Good."

"But you have to make me a promise in return."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Now that I'm no longer a breeder, that means you have no excuses. Become the greatest Pokémon breeder in the world. Do it for both of us."

Suzie smiles broadly as she nods. "It's a deal." She looks down to Vulpix in her arms. "Well, Vulpix, we better get going if we don't want to miss our ride. Say goodbye to Brock."

"Vulpix vul!"

Brock reaches out to pet Vulpix. "Bye, Vulpix." He looks back up to Suzie. "And Suzie…" He takes a deep breath. "Goodbye. Things may have started off ugly, but I'm still so glad I got a chance to see you again."

Suzie nods in agreement. "Likewise. Goodbye, Brock."

Ash and Brenda add, "Bye, Suzie!"

She waves to them. "So long." She turns to leave.

Brock watches as she walks away. As she leaves, he says to himself, "There goes an incredible woman…" Then he laments even quieter, "If only things could have worked out between us…" But he's scared off of that train of thought the moment he looks up to see Meteorfight standing staunchly in front of him.

Ash asks, "What was that, Brock?"

Brock backpedals, "Nothing. I didn't say anything."

A reunion, a fight, a reconciliation, a miracle, a dream achieved, and now a parting of ways. Today certainly was a day that Brock will never forget. Or, should I say Doctor Brock? With his goal officially accomplished, a great new chapter has begun in his life. But one thing's for sure, his journey continues!

The convention hall is completely empty, save for Team Rocket. Meowth is counting their money. "Guys, I don't know how to break this to you, but we actually made money. A lot of money."

Jessie questions, "How much money are we talking?"

James asks, "Enough to buy a fancy dinner?"

Meowth responds. "More."

Jessie asks, "Enough to refurbish the balloon?"

"More."

James asks, "Enough to fund a successful Pikachu-snagging scheme?"

Meowth grins. "That and more!"

They all cheer together, "Things are looking up!"

A voice announces, "Salon Fuseé, I have your order of Fire Stones." They look over to see a deliveryman pushing a cart loaded with crates.

James looks to Jessie suspiciously. "Jessie…did you order more Fire Stones?"

Jessie recalls, "Oh, right! We were selling the Fire Stone powder like hot cakes, so I thought I should order more. But don't worry, I only ordered five of them. It shouldn't cost much."

The deliveryman looks at her critically. "Five? Try fifty."

Meowth gasps. "Fifty Fire Stones!?"

The deliveryman shakes his head. "No."

James and Meowth breathe a sigh of relief.

"Fifty cases of Fire Stones."

Meowth chokes on air upon hearing the amount. James almost faints. They both shout in shock and outrage, "Fifty cases!?"

The deliveryman notices the stack of cash in Meowth's paws. "That should cover the cost." He takes it and walks away without another word.

James and Meowth look to Jessie with rage-filled eyes. Jessie slowly backs away. "Come on guys, I must have just hit the zero button by accident. An honest mistake!"

Meowth demands, "And the cases?"

"I…um…must have missed that they weren't sold individually…"

Meowth and James says angrily together, "Jessie…"

To Be Continued…

Be sure to read Pokémon Cosmic Quest the Movie 3: Cosmogogue and the Celestial Cornerstones, the third and final Cosmic Quest Movie! Chronologically, it takes place between this episode and the next.