Chapter 175: Wei Wei and Brock

"Excuse me, are you here for a beauty treatment?"

The elegant female shop owner looked at Ash and his friends with a warm smile after sending off her previous customers.

"Uh…" Ash hesitated for a moment, glancing at Brock for an answer.

However, Brock had already fallen under the spell of the shop owner's charm. His eyes sparkled, his face was red, and his mouth hung slightly open as if he had lost the ability to form words.

"Wait… is that a Vulpix?" Misty suddenly exclaimed, spotting a Pokémon lounging on a chair nearby.

The Pokémon was small and fox-like, with sleek red-brown fur and large, pointed ears. Its deep amber-colored eyes held a mysterious glint, and the most striking feature was the six curled tails behind it—hence the name, Vulpix.

Vulpix – The Fox Pokémon

Type: Fire

Abilities: Flash Fire (Hidden Ability: Drought)

Flash Fire Effect: Immune to Fire-type moves. When hit by a Fire-type move, the power of its own Fire-type moves increases by 50%.

Strength Level: Basic

Excited, Misty instinctively reached out to touch Vulpix, eager to hold the adorable Pokémon. However, before she could get too close, Ash quickly grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"It's not polite to touch someone else's Pokémon without permission," Ash reminded her in a calm yet firm voice. "You don't know its temperament. It could get startled."

The shop owner had been about to warn Misty herself, but when she saw Ash intervene, she gave a small nod of approval.

"You're lucky," she said with a kind smile. "Vulpix is shy around strangers. If you had touched it suddenly, it would have reacted aggressively."

"Really…?" Misty took a step back, now feeling a bit nervous. She hadn't considered that possibility. If not for Ash, she might have been burned by a fiery counterattack.

Ash turned his attention back to the shop owner. "Is this your Pokémon?"

"Yes," she responded warmly.

Her gentle voice finally seemed to snap Brock out of his lovestruck daze.

"Miss Wei Wei!" Brock's voice trembled with excitement.

The shop owner—Wei Wei—turned toward him, smiling pleasantly. "Yes?"

Seeing her acknowledge him directly, Brock felt his heart race even faster. He swallowed hard, took a deep breath, and finally managed to speak—albeit awkwardly.

"H-Hello! M-My name is Brock! My dream is to become a Pokémon Breeder… just like you!" His voice cracked slightly, but he stood firm, determined to introduce himself properly.

Wei Wei chuckled softly, her smile growing even warmer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Brock. I'm happy to hear that you're aiming to become a Breeder."

Standing a few steps behind them, Misty leaned toward Ash and whispered, "Didn't Brock just meet her today?"

Pikachu, still perched on Ash's shoulder, let out a small squeak in agreement.

Ash smirked. "Yeah… and technically, Brock just said he wants to become a Breeder like her, not that he was aiming for her specifically. I think Miss Wei Wei misunderstood him."

"Or maybe Brock made it too easy to misunderstand," Misty whispered back with a giggle.

The conversation continued, with Brock looking more flustered than ever. But for now, it seemed he had found someone he deeply admired—not just for her beauty, but for her knowledge and skills as a Pokémon Breeder.