A decades-long mystery in the world of Pokémon might finally have an answer: what happened between Brock and Professor Ivy?
In season two of the beloved anime, Ash, Misty, and Brock set sail for the Orange Islands to pick up a special Pokéball at the request of Profesor Oak. During the arc, they meet Professor Ivy, and Brock, who instantly falls in love with her, decides to stay with the Professor on Valencia Island while Ash and Misty move on and hang out with Tracy.
Eventually, Tracy and the original trio meet back up at Ash's house before heading out to the Johto League. This is where the mystery begins...
When asked why Brock left Professor Ivy, he was never able to supply an answer. Whenever Ivy's name was mentioned, Brock curls up into the fetal position and mutters "that name," refusing to talk about what happened. This became a recurring joke in the series. Misty speculates that Ivy dumped him, but we're never given an explanation for what happened between the two on the show, which has lead to years of fan speculation.
Before he passed away in 2010, head writer of the anime, Takeshi Shudo, shared his own theory about what happened between the two in his book Pocket Monsters: The Animation.
He believed that Professor Ivy declined Brock's advancements because she is a lesbian and that the rejection may have hit Brock harder since he never had a chance with her to begin with.
Years later, the news of Professor Ivy's sexuality has gone viral.
The fan reaction to this news is a mixed bag. Some are celebrating it as "a win for the girls."
While others wonder why then would Brock get so upset?
This wasn't the only theory from the mind of Shudo. Some fans reminded everyone that the Pokémon series would've looked a lot different if Shudo had full control over its direction.
