Among all the female characters in the series, Suzie was undoubtedly the one most closely connected to Brock.
Although Brock constantly acted lovestruck around Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy, it also revealed the type of partner he was looking for, namely, a mature, older-sister type of woman.
Since Brock had joined the group, Suzie was by far the woman who suited him best. That was only true during the original series, though. Later, in the Advanced Generation, another girl would also develop strong feelings for Brock. If things went well, Brock might finally be able to say goodbye to being single.
When that time came, Ash certainly wouldn't mind playing matchmaker.
But for now, he could only give fate a little push. Whether it succeeded or not was up to destiny.
"Hello, Miss Suzie."
After exchanging greetings with her, Ash grabbed Brock by the arm and pulled him forward.
"Miss Suzie, Brock has something he'd like to tell you."
Then Ash whispered to Brock,
"Brock, this is your chance. Don't let it slip away!"
With that, Ash released him and stepped back with Misty.
"Ash, what are you doing?" Misty asked in confusion.
"Just watch," Ash replied with a meaningful smile.
"M-Miss Suzie... th-this is... a small token of my appreciation. P-Please accept it."
Stammering nervously, Brock held out the bouquet with trembling hands.
By now, his entire face had turned bright red.
Suzie accepted the flowers with a warm smile.
"Thank you. I'm really happy to see all of you again."
"Not at all... M-Miss Suzie... Vulpix and I have gotten along wonderfully. Now, as we promised, I'm returning Vulpix to you. Thank you... thank you so much."
Brock gave her a respectful bow.
"The one who should be thanking someone is me," Suzie replied gently. "Just look at how healthy and energetic Vulpix is. You must have taken wonderful care of it."
"So you're really giving Vulpix back?"
"She already mentioned it in her letter," Ash suddenly said, stepping forward. He could see that Brock, despite usually being so proactive, completely froze whenever it truly mattered. No wonder he'd never found his true love.
"Besides, returning Vulpix doesn't mean you'll never see each other again."
Ash smiled before continuing.
"How about this? Since Vulpix is being returned today, Brock, as someone who was practically Vulpix's co-Trainer, should enter this Pokémon Beauty Contest together with Vulpix. Consider it the perfect conclusion to this chapter of your memories."
He then turned to Suzie.
"What do you think, Miss Suzie?"
Ash's suggestion was clearly intended to give the two another opportunity to spend time together. If someone else stepped in and stole the chance, that would be a real shame.
"I think that's a wonderful idea!" Suzie nodded happily. "Brock, let's enter the Beauty Contest together. I'm sure Vulpix would love that too."
Suzie's immediate agreement caused the already flustered Brock to feel a sudden rush of blood to his head. His eyes rolled back as he nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Ash caught him from behind.
Leaning close, Ash whispered into his ear,
"You'd better not mess this up. I've done all I can to help you. The rest is up to you, got it?"
He secretly pinched Brock's side to snap him back to his senses.
"What are you doing? I'm trying to examine Ninetales' coat under the sunlight. We're concentrating very hard here, so could you please keep it down?"
A sudden shout drew Ash's attention.
He turned and saw a young man angrily scolding Misty, who stood there with her head lowered, looking somewhat dejected.
It turned out that while Ash had been catching Brock, Misty had noticed a Ninetales with an incredibly glossy, radiant coat.
Completely captivated, she had circled around the beautiful Pokémon several times before politely asking its Trainer, who was brushing its fur,
"Excuse me... would it be alright if I pet it?"
What followed was exactly the scene Ash had just witnessed.
"Why are you treating her like that?" Before Misty could respond, Suzie stepped forward to defend her.
"Alright, alright, my bad. The contest is about to begin, so I guess I'm just a little nervous and on edge. Oh? Your Vulpix is back?"
The young man Suzie had called Zane apologized to Misty before turning his attention to the Vulpix in Suzie's arms.
The two soon fell into conversation.
Both of them were Pokémon Breeders, and both specialized in Vulpix.
So this was Suzie's childhood friend... and romantic rival.
Ash silently glanced at Brock, who was biting on his bow tie with tears streaming down his face. He could only sigh inwardly.
Compared to Zane, Brock had already lost right at the starting line.
However, the two Breeders clearly held different philosophies.
Zane emphasized a Pokémon's fur and outward appearance, almost like a Pokémon stylist.
Suzie, on the other hand, cared more about a Pokémon's inner qualities.
To prove his own beliefs, Zane had even evolved his Vulpix into a Ninetales.
Ash immediately realized that if things continued this way, events would unfold just like they had in the original anime.
That wouldn't do.
He had to do something.
Suddenly, he remembered a Pokémon from the Kalos region.
It resembled a poodle, and dedicated Trainers would style its luxurious fur into all sorts of elaborate designs. Those grooming sessions weren't just for appearance. They also strengthened the bond between Trainer and Pokémon.
That Pokémon was Furfrou.
Ash opened the system and, sure enough, found an illustrated catalog of Furfrou hairstyles.
It wasn't expensive at all, so he bought it immediately.
Pretending to take the book out of his backpack, he naturally revealed the catalog.
"Wow, Ash! What's that? It's so beautiful!" Misty immediately noticed the book in his hands.
"This is a collection of grooming styles created by Pokémon stylists from the Kalos region. The Pokémon is called Furfrou. Because of its thick coat, many Trainers strengthen their bond with it by trimming its fur into different styles."
"Wait a second," Zane suddenly interrupted. "Are you saying every hairstyle in this book was created through grooming? They don't naturally grow like that?"
"Of course not. Human creativity is limitless. Every one of these styles was crafted by professional stylists."
"Styling... Furfrou... Kalos..."
Holding the catalog, Zane gradually became lost in thought.
"Zane..."
Even Suzie seemed deeply affected by what she had just learned.
When the Beauty Contest finally began, both Suzie and Zane performed below their usual standards.
Fortunately, Brock remained calm throughout the competition. Combined with Vulpix's own natural elegance and charm, they ultimately won first place.
"It looks like I've lost."
Zane smiled bitterly.
"Suzie... I was defeated. You and your Vulpix were incredible."
"No... Brock deserves most of the credit. Zane, actually..."
"You don't have to explain."
Zane gently shook his head.
"I know what you're trying to say."
"My training still isn't enough. Looking at that catalog just now, I realized that even if I had it, I could never create such breathtaking styles."
He smiled with newfound determination.
"So I've made my decision."
"I'm going to continue my training and become a true Pokémon Stylist."
He had already decided to travel to the Kalos region to learn those incredible grooming techniques.
Although Suzie understood his reasoning, she hadn't expected him to make such a firm decision so quickly.
For some reason, her heart suddenly felt heavy.
But there was nothing left to say.
After exchanging sincere words of encouragement, the two shook hands and quietly watched each other walk away.
Brock instinctively wanted to go after them.
However, Ash stopped him and silently shook his head.
After saying goodbye to Suzie as well, the three continued on their journey.
If Brock were ever going to end up with someone, Ash figured the Queen of the Battle Pike from the Battle Frontier or that girl from Alola would be enough. Any more than that would just be too hard to keep track of.
...
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