While traveling on the road, fog starts to develop around the gang. Ash goes on ahead saying it's alright, but later he screams. He missed a step on a small cliff but was okay. Brock tries to go down but he misses a step too and falls. When Brock finally gets a hold of himself, he came face to face with a woman in a kimono with a Ninetales. She asked if he was okay, and Brock being the way he is instantly gets back on his feet. Ash and Misty meet up with him and become startled with the sight of the Ninetales. Ash checks it out with his PokeDex. The woman introduces herself as Rokoko and invites them over to her place until the fog settles, since it gets pretty bad in the area.
Team Rocket wonder when will they get their next meal. Meowth looks behind them and sees that the gang and Rokoko are walking along the path. They also notice the Ninetales, which would be easily two good catches in a row.
After a whiles journey, the gang come to a stop. Ash wonders where the place Rokoko is taking them when suddenly a big door appears in front of them. Rokoko said she'll treat them over for a snack, so looks like she can't be all bad. The door closes, but with a funny sound, Ash wonders what it was. Just as they walk in, Team Rocket support themselves up against a pillar to hide from them.
While they are eating, it seems like the Ninetales really has a favor for Brock. She sits halfway on Brock's lap, Brock petting her. Team Rocket on the otherhand look around for where the gang might be. When they open up one door, it's a treasure trove of...cookies! They all dive in and start chowing down.
Rokoko seems to notice this and taking advantage of Brock's little crush on her, asks him if he would like to stay over. Brock goes for the "yes" right away, so Rokoko gets everything ready, the Ninetales following her. Just before she exits however, Togepi notices something and Misty looks at a mirror in the corner. Rokoko is not there! She mentions this outloud and Rokoko uses a psi to close the mirror's shutters, only saying there must be a draft in here.
Later Team Rocket shuffles around a few more rooms, then coming to a hallway of Popcorn... well looks like this is one strange mansion. Rokoko comes back saying everything is prepared. Brock starts to run towards her just about to hug her but clearly goes right through her! Ash and Misty notice this and says that she's no real person. Brock doesn't care however because his love over her has gotten too far now. Ash and Misty grab Brock and excuse themselves for a minute. They try to knock some sense into Brock but it's no use, he still thinks Rokoko is as real as anyone else. She asks Ninetales if she could lead Brock out. As soon as they leave, Rokoko gets angry at Ash and Misty, using psychic to drive them out of the house. Both know that obviously there's something up with that Ninetales.
Out on a porch, Brock pets the Ninetales while Rokoko asks if he needs anything else but this is just about as happy as Brock can get. Soon some traditional clothes appears on Brock, not phasing Brock much. Ash and Misty spied on him in some bushes, and decided to go check out this mansion out. Misty checks out the study, realizing the books and scrolls are way over old. There seems to be a door to another room, when they open it, they get startled by one thing. On the wall was a picture of Brock and the Ninetales. Ash looks at a book that's on a desk and flips through it. To his surprise, not only was this the diary of the "Brock" in the picture, but the last entry was dated 200 years ago! And it looks like the ball next to it was the Pokeball that kept the Ninetales in. Well it looks like it's time to take Brock back.
Brock seems to just about enjoy himself on the porch when all of a sudden Ash makes the call. Totodile shoots a Water Gun towards the Ninetales but dodges it, hitting Rokoko. Brock asks them what's going on, and Ash notices that Rokoko is fading out. Actually, the whole mansion seems to be fading out into an old wreck, Brock's oriental clothes, even to what Team Rocket was eating, it was leaves! The Ninetales gets really uptight about this whole situation and starts to go rabid on the gang. Nothing that Totodile can do now so they all make a run for it in the mansion.
The gang makes their way back into the room with the picture, surprised to see that it's still there! There is some connection with Brock and the Ninetales! The Ninetales makes her way into the room, Rokoko appearing once more to say that they've caused a terrible mistake, but it seems obvious Ninetales is doing this. Ash tells Totodile to use Water Gun but Ninetales uses Psychic to lift it up in the air, Ash returning it. He sends out Pikachu but the samething happens, only this time Ash gets caught up. Ninetales uses this moment to shoot a Flamethrower to him but Ash manages to dodge, causing the flames to hit the roof instead. Ash resorts to reason with the Ninetales but it proves to nothing much than causing the Pokemon to be more angry.
Brock then gets an idea. He picks up the old Pokeball and says, "Return Ninetales!" Apparently the Ninetales thinks that Brock is her old master back then and has no problem jumping right into the Pokeball. Afterwards, the real apparition of Rokoko appears, thanking them. She tells Brock to release the Ninetales, which should be alright now. Brock does so and the Ninetales is in fact calm.
Rokoko begins to explain the whole story behind Ninetales. 200 years ago, her master left the mansion to go off on a journey, leaving everything but his possesions behind, friends, family, and Ninetales. The Ninetales waited everyday for him to come back, but as time went on, everybody left the mansion. With no one to take care of her, Ninetales had to fix herself everything, and it all started when she realized she was psychic. After sometime, the mansion was in shambles and was about to leave, but decided another approach. She used her psychic power to create illusions of the mansion, and lure just about anybody who came by, hoping they would be her master. Apparently, it didn't seem that way until now. Rokoko thanks them once again and fades away.
Just as everything seemed happy, Team Rocket release a net over Ninetales. They say their motto, getting interuptted in the middle before finishing all in one breath. (That happens a lot) Jesse sends out Arbok and James sends out Victreebel. Ash calls out Bayleef to cut the nets that Ninetales was in. As soon as Ninetales gets free the battle starts. Arbok sends a barrage of Poison Pins at them but Ninetales directs them back towards Team Rocket. With Arbok useless, James throws down his Pokemon directly towards Brock! Ninetales jumps in and pushes Brock out of the way, but Brock still holding Ninetales' Pokeball looses grip and it breaks. Then Pikachu and Ninetales do a double attack of Flamethrower and Thunderbolt, sending both of the Rocket's Pokemon back and blasting them off again.
Brock gives his regards to Ninetales, but he can't keep her, and there really isn't reason for her to think he was her old master. The Ninetales then runs off into the distance as the gang goes towards their next destination.
Who's that Pokemon?: Ninetales
To be continued...
Big thanks to Xeno Lugia for writing this review!
