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| Season | Pokémon: Johto League Champions (Season 4) · The National Park & the road from Goldenrod arc (EP161–EP172) |
| Episode | Season 4, episode 12 · English episode 169 · Japanese episode 171 · Bulbapedia code EP169 |
| English title | Beauty and the Breeder |
| Japanese title | さよならロコン! ポケモンビューティーコンテスト!! Sayonara Rokon! Pokemon Byūtī Kontesuto!! — “Goodbye, Rokon! Pokémon Beauty Contest!!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 19 October 2000 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 6 October 2001 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Atsuhiro Tomioka |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | OK! – Rica Matsumoto · Pokémon Hara Hara Rirē (Exciting Pokémon Relay) – Rikako Aikawa |
| English opening | Born to Be a Winner – David Rolfe |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Quagsire (US) · Vulpix (Japan) |
| Previous episode | Hook, Line, and Stinker (EP168) |
| Next episode | A Better Pill to Swallow (EP170) |
Plot episodeBrock returns Vulpix
Beauty and the Breeder is the 12th episode of Pokémon: Johto League Champions, the fourth season of the Pokémon anime, and the 169th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 171, Bulbapedia code EP169). It first aired in Japan on 19 October 2000 and in the United States on 6 October 2001. It falls within the season’s The National Park & the road from Goldenrod stretch (EP161–EP172).
Synopsis
Brock reunites with breeder Suzie, returns her Vulpix and partners her in a Pokémon Beauty Contest in Bonitaville. An e-mail asking Brock to join her entry sends the gang to the contest, where Vulpix bounds into Suzie’s arms. They also meet Zane, a childhood friend and rival stylist with a Ninetales, who believes beauty is what you see on the outside, while Suzie insists that it comes from within.
Team Rocket, posing as Pokémon stylists, hijack the first slot on stage with a glittering line-up of Arbok, Weezing, Victreebel, Wobbuffet and a made-up Meowth, until Officer Jenny throws them out. They return as “doctors” announcing compulsory check-ups and herd every entrant’s Pokémon into a container beneath their balloon. Geodude breaks down the locked door, Noctowl pops the balloon and Pikachu’s Thunderbolt busts the lock.
Jessie’s Arbok and James’s Victreebel try one last attack, but Vulpix and Ninetales combine Flamethrower to burn away Razor Leaf and then Fire Spin to blast the trio off. Watching how naturally the two Fire types work together, Brock realises that Zane is the right partner for Suzie, and the rivals agree to open a salon together. Brock still takes the stage with Suzie and Vulpix, though the episode never reveals who wins.
Major Events
- Brock returns Vulpix to Suzie
- Suzie and Zane at the Pokémon Beauty Contest
- Suzie’s English voice changes to Megan Hollingshead
Trivia
- The English title plays on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast".
- The screenplay is by Atsuhiro Tomioka.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Johto storyline.
- The Who’s That Pokémon? segment features Vulpix in Japan, where it almost always matched the episode, but Quagsire in the US, where 4Kids picked the Pokémon at random.
Changes in the English Dub
- A shot of a Jynx contestant is cut, although her forearm and dress remain visible for a frame.
Part of our Pokémon: Johto League Champions guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.