"What is that guy?" Ash asked in confusion as he took out his Pokédex and analyzed Mr. Mime's data. "Mr. Mime, the Barrier Pokémon. It excels at making people believe its illusions. It is said that walls created through mime actually appear."
"So it's Mr. Mime! To encounter such a rare Pokémon, we're really lucky!"
With that, Ash hurriedly grabbed a Poké Ball from his waist.
"Alright, I'll catch it right away!"
"Wait!"
Before Ash could make a move to catch Mr. Mime, a clear female voice suddenly called out from behind, stopping him just as he was about to throw the Poké Ball.
The three of them turned around in confusion, only to see a beautiful woman with blue hair, dressed in a gorgeous uniform, looking at Ash with pleading eyes.
"Please let me catch that Mr. Mime!"
"How could I? I found it first!" Ash said unhappily. He wasn't Brock—there was no way he'd just give in so easily.
"Don't be so impulsive, Ash!" Brock said anxiously as he stopped him.
Under Ash's puzzled gaze, Brock blushed and shyly looked at the woman.
"Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Brock. Miss, please go ahead and catch that Mr. Mime quickly!"
(As expected of you, Brock!) ×2
Red and Misty both looked at Brock speechlessly. They hadn't expected him to so decisively sell out Ash the moment a pretty woman appeared.
But while Ash and the woman were still discussing, the Mr. Mime above had already finished climbing the light wall and leisurely landed before leaving.
"Mr. Mime, I need you!"
The anxious woman immediately threw her Poké Ball, only to find it blocked by the light wall in front, dropping uselessly to the ground.
"What should I do?" the woman said dejectedly, covering her face.
"Miss, do you have some kind of difficulty?"
The warm-hearted gentleman Brock immediately stepped forward and asked kindly.
"Hm?"
The woman was clearly taken aback and didn't respond immediately.
"If there's anything I can help with, just say the word. It's no problem!" Brock insisted.
Soon after, under the disdainful gazes of Red and the others, they followed the woman to a Pokémon circus near Pallet Town.
After introducing herself, Red and the others learned that this woman was Stella, the director of the Pokémon circus.
"Stella, you're amazing! Becoming a director at such a young age," Brock praised, hoping to take the opportunity to express his admiration. Unfortunately, Stella selectively ignored him, leaving Brock crestfallen for a while.
Afterward, through Stella's explanation, the four of them learned why she was so eager to catch a Mr. Mime.
Because of Stella's excessive pampering, the circus's original Mr. Mime had become willful. It no longer cooperated in performances, refused even to participate in training, and just indulged in snacks, completely immersed in its own world.
"You raised it the wrong way!" Ash blurted out. It was his first time seeing such a lazy Pokémon, and the words slipped out before he could stop them.
But soon, Ash would pay a small price for his bluntness…
"But no matter what, I want it to regain its motivation. That's why I need a rival to stimulate it!" Stella explained.
"I see, so that's why you wanted to catch another Mr. Mime," Brock said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, just like how Ash is always so fired up about Gary!" Misty teased.
"Misty, what are you talking about? That guy doesn't even count as my rival!" Ash immediately retorted.
"See?" Misty said with a knowing smile.
"Your idea is too selfish. If you're only catching another Mr. Mime to stimulate this one, that's too cruel to the other Mr. Mime."
Red's words instantly plunged the scene into silence, because they struck directly at the truth.
For a moment, Stella fell into an awkward silence. Only now did she realize how selfish her thinking had been. Fortunately, she hadn't succeeded in catching that Mr. Mime earlier.
But now, she was troubled about how to arrange Mr. Mime's performances in the future—it was the circus's signature act, after all.
"I've got it! Leave it to me!" Brock declared confidently.
"Really? Mr. Brock, I'll be counting on you," Stella said gratefully.
"Just leave it to me!"
With that, Brock burst into a smug laugh.
"Here we go again… Is Brock even okay?" Misty complained.
"How are you planning to catch that Mr. Mime?" Ash asked helplessly, still thinking about the one that got away.
"Heh heh heh~ There's no need to catch it. We just need to make one~"
As soon as he finished speaking, Brock's eyes lit up as he looked at Ash. Originally, he had considered including Red as a candidate…
But after thinking it over, he decided against it. After all, Brock didn't want to die young…
"Make one?" Ash asked, confused by Brock's glowing stare.
"Heh heh heh~ Ash, don't worry. Just leave your body to me, Brock-sama, to handle~"
Brock wiggled his fingers as he approached Ash, giving off the unsettling vibe of a creepy uncle coaxing a little girl.
"This is getting way too weird…" Red complained weakly. If he didn't know Brock's personality, he might actually be worried about Ash's safety.
"Leave my body to you?"
Cold sweat formed on Ash's forehead as he asked nervously.
Then Brock placed his hands on Ash's shoulders.
"Ah—"
...
After that, everyone arrived at the circus's training grounds. Under Brock's "recommendation," Ash ended up dressing up as Mr. Mime.
"You're forcing me to play the role? Why don't you just do it yourself, Brock!" Ash complained, preparing to take off the costume.
According to Ash, Brock had made the promise, yet he was the one carrying it out—what a loss.
"I can't. I'm too tall!" Brock explained helplessly.
"I'm too cute, so I can't either~" Misty said shyly.
"Don't look at me, I'm half a head taller than you," Red immediately refused. He had no interest in doing something so thankless, though he was looking forward to Ash's performance.
"Ugh, Misty and Brock are way too shameless…" Ash muttered.
He didn't dare complain about Red, so he directed all his grievances at Brock instead.
"Please, Ash, help me," Stella pleaded.
"But…" Ash hesitated.
Seeing this, Misty and Brock also pleaded on Stella's behalf.
"The problem is, I don't know any circus tricks!" Ash said helplessly. Kind-hearted as he was, he wouldn't refuse Stella—but he truly had no experience in this.
"You don't need to worry about that. Miss Stella will gently, kindly, and carefully guide you step by step," Brock explained, turning to Stella. "Right, Miss Stella?"
"Leave it to me! If it's Ash, he'll learn quickly!" Stella promised, not forgetting to praise him and raise his goodwill.
Ash hesitated awkwardly for a moment, but then three circus girls approached from behind, pleading pitifully for his help.
"Since you're all asking like this… I'll do it," Ash said shyly, agreeing to everyone's request.