Pokémon: A Challenge
A fanfiction by Maeyan (maeyan@mailcity.com)
DISCLAIMER: While I have traded many pieces of paper for their goods, I have no ownership or rights to the characters, etc of Pokémon. May blessings shower upon those that do, for having introduced me to Jigglypuff, Dratini, Blastoise, and Gary Oak. ***************************************************************
Chapter I: Brock's Secret
It was a cool night, and the moon shone bright enough that Ash was having trouble sleeping. He sat up and looked across the long-dead campfire to where Brock was sleeping. Well, partly it was fault of the moonlight, but it was also the fact that Brock was having nightmares again. Ash hated it when Brock had nightmares. Brock was like an older brother to him, and he didn't like to think that Brock could get hurt that bad. It made Ash feel helpless- his friend was in pain and he couldn't help. He punched his jacket and laid his head down again. He needed to sleep - they would be heading into the next town by late afternoon, and he was looking forward to another Pokémon battle. Maybe Brock would feel better in the morning, Ash tried to quiet his own fears and insecurities.
Pikachu woke as Ash tried to settle into a comfortable sleeping position. "Pikapi? Pika pikpi" He asked softly, is everything all right?
"I'm okay Pikachu." Ash whispered, as Pikachu climbed onto Ash's stomach. "I just wish I knew why Brock left Professor Ivy. And why is he having nightmares again?" Pikachu sat for a moment, looking at Brock, who was struggling against his sleeping bag like it was an attacking Muck.
"Pi... pipika. PiPipika chuh pi a pik" wondered Pikachu, shaking his head sadly as he curled into a ball and fell back to sleep. Maybe it was something really serious this time?
Ash let his mind wander. Misty and Tracey had assumed it was just a break up. The same with his mom and Professor Oak. He thought about that for a while. That it maybe *was* just another botched affair for Brock. No. Ash discarded the idea and yawned. Finally. Maybe an argument over Pokémon? No, Ash thought, Brock wouldn't be this upset. Well, not so that he couldn't hear her name spoken, anyway. He'd be more likely to yell. As Ash drifted into sleep, his mind flooded with memories of his first meeting with Brock. Something struck him as being important about that meeting, but Ash was too far gone to try to decipher hidden messages. Of course, as he fell deeper into sleep, the dream changed. Now Misty was wearing the apron...
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The cries woke Misty. It was still dark, but the moonlight was bright enough that she could see Brock thrashing in his sleeping bag. "Not again..." She sighed as his voice cried out again. "Not another nightmare..." She looked over at Ash, who was also murmuring in his sleep. "No help there." She wiped the sleep from her eyes and tried not to wake Togepi as she got out of her sleeping bag.
Stretching slightly, Misty walked to the tree where her backpack was hanging and pulled out her extra canteen. She had filled it with sweet tea at the last town, half expecting this situation. Back home, whenever Misty would have a bad dream, her mother would always give her a drink of sweet tea. The tea, her mother had once told her, "breaks the hold that the fear has on your mind. You cannot taste the sweet and remember the bitter." Misty firmly believed that, and was herself fairly liberal with the sweet when the need arose. Especially with the kind of nightmares that Brock suffered...
Brock's first experience with the "Tea Cure" had actually been the very first night after they'd started traveling together. Misty had been glad to discover that her new friend's nightmares stopped as they journeyed on, but the break up with Professor Ivy seemed to have revived them.
"I hope he can get over this soon. I hate to see him hurting like this." She walked back, and kneeled beside Brock. Shaking him slightly, she managed to wake him from his terrors.
"HUH! No! Don't! I'm..! Uh" Brock came to, and his eyes took a moment to focus on his young friend. "Misty. I.. I'm sorry. I was having another nightmare." He sat up and ran his hands through his shaggy hair. He was covered in sweat, Misty noticed, handing him the canteen.
"Yeah." She smiled gently as he took the canteen from her and took a long drink. "I noticed. Are they getting better or worse, Brock?" She sat next to him and hugged her knees, trying to encourage her friend to talk to her. He held tightly to the canteen and she could see that he was wrestling to shake off the remains of the dream. Sometimes dreams are harder to forget than reality, she thought sadly, watching his struggles.
Brock sighed. He looked up and Misty knew that he still wasn't ready to talk about what had happened. "That bad?" she barely managed to make the question audible. Brock shook his head slightly.
"Not really." He handed her back the canteen and tried a tremulous smile. "I'm just not really ready to talk about it yet. That's all. It's still so fresh." He sighed and his face fell almost to tears. "It hurts, Misty. It really hurts this time."
Misty nodded, and reached for his hand. "I'm here when you need to talk about it, Brock." She squeezed his hand. "We all are." He nodded and she released his hand. She returned the canteen to her bag, making a mental note to pick up some instant tea and more honey while they were in town. She looked over at Brock again before returning to her sleeping bag. He was still sitting, staring into the trees, looking like a broken doll. Misty fell asleep clutching Togepi to her desperately, and wondering what could possibly have happened that such a good person was so tortured by his own thoughts.
--------------------------
Brock sat and went over everything in his head. He hadn't lied to his young friend. The nightmares weren't really as bad this time around. It was really the part where he was awake that hurt more.
He hadn't realized that he had grown so used to being used. When his father had returned to the Pewter Gym, he had been excited. Now he could go out and learn and experience and do! All for himself! Not be responsible to anyone? Wow, he'd thought at first, what a great idea.
And then, he was alone. His brothers and sisters didn't need him anymore. The Gym didn't need him anymore. He had no one. No one.
That terrified him. And so he went off in search of Ash and Misty. "To become the worlds greatest Pokémon breeder" he'd said. "and to never be alone" he'd added silently, thanking every god he knew that they had let him join their group.
And then the nightmares had started. They always began the same. A crowd of friends, each one leaving one by one until he was all alone. Crying into the emptiness, "What did I do wrong? Where is everyone? Why am I alone?"
And then his mind becomes really cruel.
Every begins to return, and they all walk past him. In every direction. Like he is standing on a busy street corner in a crowded city. All of his friends and family pass him. No one acknowledges his presence. He is still alone, even though he is surrounded by people. In terror, he cries out again, "I'm sorry! Please! Talk to me! Please! Forgive me. I'm sorry!" But they ignore him still.
In the end? Brock shivered in the cool night air. He had only made it to the end of the dream once. Misty usually got to him before then. But once, he had finished it, and that had really scared him.
But he had gotten over the nightmares. Brock laid back down and threw his arm over his eyes. He had conquered them. Or so he'd thought. Then Ivy came along. It was perfect. *She* was perfect. He was needed again, wanted. Loved? Maybe. Maybe not. But did it matter? He'd found his place again, the place where he thought he had truly belonged. A home. And then.
It was gone.
Again.
And so returned the nightmares.
Tomorrow, he promised again. Tomorrow I will tell them.
***************************************************************
A fanfiction by Maeyan (maeyan@mailcity.com)
DISCLAIMER: While I have traded many pieces of paper for their goods, I have no ownership or rights to the characters, etc of Pokémon. May blessings shower upon those that do, for having introduced me to Jigglypuff, Dratini, Blastoise, and Gary Oak. ***************************************************************
Chapter I: Brock's Secret
It was a cool night, and the moon shone bright enough that Ash was having trouble sleeping. He sat up and looked across the long-dead campfire to where Brock was sleeping. Well, partly it was fault of the moonlight, but it was also the fact that Brock was having nightmares again. Ash hated it when Brock had nightmares. Brock was like an older brother to him, and he didn't like to think that Brock could get hurt that bad. It made Ash feel helpless- his friend was in pain and he couldn't help. He punched his jacket and laid his head down again. He needed to sleep - they would be heading into the next town by late afternoon, and he was looking forward to another Pokémon battle. Maybe Brock would feel better in the morning, Ash tried to quiet his own fears and insecurities.
Pikachu woke as Ash tried to settle into a comfortable sleeping position. "Pikapi? Pika pikpi" He asked softly, is everything all right?
"I'm okay Pikachu." Ash whispered, as Pikachu climbed onto Ash's stomach. "I just wish I knew why Brock left Professor Ivy. And why is he having nightmares again?" Pikachu sat for a moment, looking at Brock, who was struggling against his sleeping bag like it was an attacking Muck.
"Pi... pipika. PiPipika chuh pi a pik" wondered Pikachu, shaking his head sadly as he curled into a ball and fell back to sleep. Maybe it was something really serious this time?
Ash let his mind wander. Misty and Tracey had assumed it was just a break up. The same with his mom and Professor Oak. He thought about that for a while. That it maybe *was* just another botched affair for Brock. No. Ash discarded the idea and yawned. Finally. Maybe an argument over Pokémon? No, Ash thought, Brock wouldn't be this upset. Well, not so that he couldn't hear her name spoken, anyway. He'd be more likely to yell. As Ash drifted into sleep, his mind flooded with memories of his first meeting with Brock. Something struck him as being important about that meeting, but Ash was too far gone to try to decipher hidden messages. Of course, as he fell deeper into sleep, the dream changed. Now Misty was wearing the apron...
--------------------------
The cries woke Misty. It was still dark, but the moonlight was bright enough that she could see Brock thrashing in his sleeping bag. "Not again..." She sighed as his voice cried out again. "Not another nightmare..." She looked over at Ash, who was also murmuring in his sleep. "No help there." She wiped the sleep from her eyes and tried not to wake Togepi as she got out of her sleeping bag.
Stretching slightly, Misty walked to the tree where her backpack was hanging and pulled out her extra canteen. She had filled it with sweet tea at the last town, half expecting this situation. Back home, whenever Misty would have a bad dream, her mother would always give her a drink of sweet tea. The tea, her mother had once told her, "breaks the hold that the fear has on your mind. You cannot taste the sweet and remember the bitter." Misty firmly believed that, and was herself fairly liberal with the sweet when the need arose. Especially with the kind of nightmares that Brock suffered...
Brock's first experience with the "Tea Cure" had actually been the very first night after they'd started traveling together. Misty had been glad to discover that her new friend's nightmares stopped as they journeyed on, but the break up with Professor Ivy seemed to have revived them.
"I hope he can get over this soon. I hate to see him hurting like this." She walked back, and kneeled beside Brock. Shaking him slightly, she managed to wake him from his terrors.
"HUH! No! Don't! I'm..! Uh" Brock came to, and his eyes took a moment to focus on his young friend. "Misty. I.. I'm sorry. I was having another nightmare." He sat up and ran his hands through his shaggy hair. He was covered in sweat, Misty noticed, handing him the canteen.
"Yeah." She smiled gently as he took the canteen from her and took a long drink. "I noticed. Are they getting better or worse, Brock?" She sat next to him and hugged her knees, trying to encourage her friend to talk to her. He held tightly to the canteen and she could see that he was wrestling to shake off the remains of the dream. Sometimes dreams are harder to forget than reality, she thought sadly, watching his struggles.
Brock sighed. He looked up and Misty knew that he still wasn't ready to talk about what had happened. "That bad?" she barely managed to make the question audible. Brock shook his head slightly.
"Not really." He handed her back the canteen and tried a tremulous smile. "I'm just not really ready to talk about it yet. That's all. It's still so fresh." He sighed and his face fell almost to tears. "It hurts, Misty. It really hurts this time."
Misty nodded, and reached for his hand. "I'm here when you need to talk about it, Brock." She squeezed his hand. "We all are." He nodded and she released his hand. She returned the canteen to her bag, making a mental note to pick up some instant tea and more honey while they were in town. She looked over at Brock again before returning to her sleeping bag. He was still sitting, staring into the trees, looking like a broken doll. Misty fell asleep clutching Togepi to her desperately, and wondering what could possibly have happened that such a good person was so tortured by his own thoughts.
--------------------------
Brock sat and went over everything in his head. He hadn't lied to his young friend. The nightmares weren't really as bad this time around. It was really the part where he was awake that hurt more.
He hadn't realized that he had grown so used to being used. When his father had returned to the Pewter Gym, he had been excited. Now he could go out and learn and experience and do! All for himself! Not be responsible to anyone? Wow, he'd thought at first, what a great idea.
And then, he was alone. His brothers and sisters didn't need him anymore. The Gym didn't need him anymore. He had no one. No one.
That terrified him. And so he went off in search of Ash and Misty. "To become the worlds greatest Pokémon breeder" he'd said. "and to never be alone" he'd added silently, thanking every god he knew that they had let him join their group.
And then the nightmares had started. They always began the same. A crowd of friends, each one leaving one by one until he was all alone. Crying into the emptiness, "What did I do wrong? Where is everyone? Why am I alone?"
And then his mind becomes really cruel.
Every begins to return, and they all walk past him. In every direction. Like he is standing on a busy street corner in a crowded city. All of his friends and family pass him. No one acknowledges his presence. He is still alone, even though he is surrounded by people. In terror, he cries out again, "I'm sorry! Please! Talk to me! Please! Forgive me. I'm sorry!" But they ignore him still.
In the end? Brock shivered in the cool night air. He had only made it to the end of the dream once. Misty usually got to him before then. But once, he had finished it, and that had really scared him.
But he had gotten over the nightmares. Brock laid back down and threw his arm over his eyes. He had conquered them. Or so he'd thought. Then Ivy came along. It was perfect. *She* was perfect. He was needed again, wanted. Loved? Maybe. Maybe not. But did it matter? He'd found his place again, the place where he thought he had truly belonged. A home. And then.
It was gone.
Again.
And so returned the nightmares.
Tomorrow, he promised again. Tomorrow I will tell them.
***************************************************************