Hello there peeps! Thanks for all the reviews so far, they've been a great encouragement! But keep them coming cause I still need some feedback here, although judging by what a lot of you have said, I'm heading in the right direction.

Anyway, you asked for it, so here it is! Chapter Two! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Pokemon or Team Rocket. If I did, would I be wasting my time writing fan fictions? No, I'd be out spending my huge amounts of money and getting totally wasted.

Becoming A Woman.

Chapter Two: Desperate Measures.

"Shit." Brock swore, for lack of anything else to say. What could he say? He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. Being the foster mother for a family of twelve kids, he could handle. Maniacal Pokemon clones, he coped pretty well with that too. Hell, he'd even managed to put up with Ash Ketchum's stupidity for the past four years without going insane, so all in all, he'd been through a lot. But Misty's impending puberty? No way. He could already feel himself breaking under the pressure, and it was only nine o' clock in the morning.

"Shit!" He said again, clutching his head as though in extreme pain. How could he be so naïve? He should have seen this coming. He had even prepared for it when he was the legal guardian for his younger siblings. Five little sisters. One had to expect this sort of thing to pop up. Then all of a sudden his dad decides to come back home, freeing him of his bonds, and giving him the chance to pursue his dream of becoming the world's best Pokemon breeder. Sure, he had to tag along with a couple of kids at least five years younger than him, but he hadn't cared. Freedom, the great outdoors, and a chance to be a normal teenager was finally his. He could even remember one of the last things he had thought as he had raced joyfully out of the house to catch up with Ash- "Now I don't have to worry about telling the girls about that…thing they get when they turn thirteen or something! Dad can take of that!"

How wonderfully ironic.

Four years ago he would have been ready for this, but not any longer. Being a 'normal teenager' had made him complacent, and Brock had the distinct feeling that the entire world was having a good laugh at his expense.

"Ah, damn. Crap, damn, crap."

Misty smacked him in the back of the head, so hard he almost bit his tongue.

"Brock! Stop being such a potty mouth! I feel bad enough already, and sounding like your mouth is a sewer is not helping!"

Brock gingerly rubbed the back of his skull, and said meekly. "Sorry, Misty. It's just that, well…this whole situation has kinda caught me off-guard."

"Well," Misty said darkly, "guard yourself and tell me what's going on!"

He rose shakily to his feet, dusted himself off, and clasped his hands in front off him. The perfect picture of logic and reason, but inside Brock was ready to run off screaming.

"Okay then," he began uncertainly "let's start from the beginning, shall we?" He shifted uncomfortably, and continued. "So, you…came here to go to the bathroom and when you went to…you know….you discovered that you were….ummmm…that you…."

"…that I was bleeding from my unmentionable bits! God, Brock! Could you be any more awkward about it?!" Misty screehed, her anger rising. Pikachu, who had been content to lounge on her lap up until this point, squeaked in fear and scurried off her as fast as his little legs could manage.

The sheer volume of her voice almost sent him reeling back on his heels, but he managed to maintain his balance, and his dignity. He glared at her pointedly, frustrated that his efforts of assistance were being thrown back in his face.

"Listen," he ground out "it's not my fault that this has happened so don't start taking it out on me!" The instant the words fell from his lips he regretted it, and he steeled himself for a right thrashing.

However, to his utter amazement, Misty refrained herself from gutting him and instead broke down into more uncontrolled sobbing, her mood changing as swiftly as the wind switches directions. God,looks like P.M.S has already set in. Brock thought absentmindedly.

Guilt stabbed him, and he seated himself by her again, embracing her for good measure.

"I'm sorry Misty. I really didn't to hurt you."

She pulled away from him, her already scalded cheeks moist with tears. She hiccupped.

"It's a-alright, Brock. I understand. Yo-you hate me."

The pain in his chest tightened, and he pulled her into his arms again, despite her weak protests. He rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered soothingly.

"Oh Misty. I could never hate you.

She was silent for a moment, and then she sighed miserably.

"I'm a freak."

He squeezed her gently, then pulled away ever so slightly to lightly tip her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. She resisted for a moment, trying instead to focus on some distant object. But she soon found the silence between them and the burning gaze of his eyes unbearable, and she reluctantly lifted her lashes to meet his stare. The sight of his softly smiling face was comforting.

"Misty, he began, "I don't ever want to hear you say that. You're not a freak. Never were, never will be. You are an amazing person. The best damned water pokemon trainer I've ever seen."

She blinked, and for the first time that morning a real smile appeared on her face.

Wow, sweet talking works on her too… Brock realized with small amount of surprise.

"Really? She breathed, her voice trembling.

He nodded vigorously. "Yup. And if anyone says otherwise I'll…" he pondered for a moment, then grinned impishly. "…I'll bust 'em right in the kisser." He shook his fist mockingly. That includes you, Mr. Ash Ketchum.

She erupted into giggles, and Brock felt a wave of relief wash over him. He waited until her quiet chuckling had died down before continuing, his tone serious.

"So," he began, watching as she gently scooped up Pikachu and cradled him to her chest. "I assume this has never happened before?"

She nodded, tickling Pikachu's ears, who closed his eyes in contentment. She was  avoiding his gaze again, clearly ashamed.

"Did anyone ever talk to you about this sort of thing? Your parents, friends…your sisters maybe?"

She laughed derisively at his suggestion. "Come on, Brock. Between them my sisters don't have enough brain power to screw in a light bulb."

"I see…" He couldn't argue with her on that point. Her sisters were about as ditzy as they come, a painful fact Brock had come to realize once he had gotten over how incredibly hot they were.

"Brock?"

He snapped back into reality. "Yes?"

"What's wrong with me?"

And so it begins…Brock had been readying himself for this point in the conversation, and was pretty sure he could calmly explain everything to her with a minimum amount of freaking out on his part. However, now the time of judgment was at hand, and he could feel his mouth turning dry.

"Well actually…there's nothing wrong with you."

She seemed unconvinced. "What?"

"This thing that's happening to you, it's all part of growing up, of becoming an adult."

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't see you going through it. You don't, do you?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't." Thank God. "Only girls experience it. It's called menstruation, or a period, and it starts to happen to young girls roughly around your age. It's a perfectly normal thing to happen."

Understanding dawned on her, although she still seemed quite dubious about the whole situation. "Normal? Gross is more like it."

"Yeah, I know." He replied, his tone sympathetic. "But don't worry, you'll get used to it. It's not like you go through it all the time. Only about once every month."

"Every month?!" Misty suddenly screamed, causing Brock to flinch. There was a look of absolute horror in her eyes. "For how long?!"

"Erm…ahem…." He didn't really want to say. His mouth felt like a lump of wet cardboard and he knew that if he told her the truth she would almost assuredly break down into hysterics. He could lie to her however; try to soften up the brutal truth for her, but in the end that would cause them both more harm then good. Especially him, for she would certainly beat him to within an inch of his life when she discovered the truth. So, with a resigned sigh, he whispered softly:

"Until you're about fifty."

Misty's faced turned red, then blue, and for a moment Brock thought she was choking. Finally she managed to splutter out "F-fifty? I have to put up with this for thirty-five years?!"

He nodded sadly. "Maybe a little more."

She seemed ready to explode. She dropped Pikachu, who up until that point had been struggling in her vice-like grip, buried her face in her hands and wailed piteously.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Brock thought wretchedly to himself. He had been right the first time. There was no way he was prepared for this. He had succeeded only in making a bad situation even worse, and now poor Misty was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The only thing he could do now was get her to the nearest town or city, get the proper accessories for such situation and try to patch things up as best as he could. But even that probably wouldn't take back the damage he had caused. Poor girl's gonna need some counseling…

In a vain effort to rectify the situation, he patted her softly on the back and said what he hoped would somehow ease her suffering.

"It's alright Misty. It's all part of becoming a woman."

She sniffed. "Yeah? Well it sucks."

:P

By the time they made it back to camp Brock had already figured out what plan of action they would take. They would head straight for the nearest city, Olivine, if memory served him correctly. It was a six hour trek by foot, but if they rode Onix the traveling time would be cut in half. There, they would buy her the appropriate toiletries, give her a quick explanation on how to properly apply them, show her the ladies room and bang, done and done. Not exactly watertight, but he really didn't care. It was better than staying in the middle of the woods.

Loud snores welcomed them as they stepped into the clearing, and Brock ground his teeth in aggravation as he saw that would be pokemon master Ash Ketchum was still asleep. Taking long, purposeful strides, he picked up a conveniently placed pinecone and threw it at his head. It bounced off with a dull thunk, and he awoke with a yelp.

"Ow! Brock!" He unzipped his sleeping bag and stood up quickly, clutching his head in pain. "What is with you today?!"

"Get dressed and pack your stuff." came the curt reply. "We're leaving."

"Huh?" He watched as Misty pulled Togepi from her backpack, and grinned at her. "Hey Misty. What's up?"

She spun on him furiously. "Don't talk to me, Ash Ketchum. Don't even breathe near me, or I swear I'll shove my fist down your throat." The look of pure rage boiling in her eyes was enough to tell him that she meant business, and the smile on his face faded quickly. He looked at Pikachu, who had perched himself on his shoulder, but the mouse looked pointedly at Brock, indicating he should go to him for answers.

Ash slunk over, keeping his voice a low whisper so Misty wouldn't hear.

"What's wrong with her?"

"P.M.S" Brock said, not bothering to look up.

Ash blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Pre Menstrual Stress. It's quite common for women to experience it precluding and including the first couple days of their period."

"You wanna repeat that in English?"

Brock sighed. "Ash, do you remember a time when you asked your mom what those big white things in the medicine cabinet were? The things that looked like band aids but were heaps too big?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"And what did she tell you?"

He thought for a moment, then his face screwed up in pure disgust. "Ewww! That actually happens? I thought it was something she made up!"

"No Ash, it's true. And Misty is going through it right now. And I suggest that if you wish to survive it, that you start packing your stuff right now."

"Why? Where are we going?"

"Olivine. We're going to get some of those big band aids and…" he searched for the right words "…patch her up."

"Doesn't she have any of her own?" Ash groaned. "Olivine is a full day's walk!"

"This is her first time, Ash!" Brock hissed, trying very hard to keep his voice down. "She wouldn't have brought any cause she wasn't even expecting this to happen! When I told her what was going on she nearly hyperventilated! Besides…" he added, calming down a bit, "we're going to ride Onix. And in the meantime she can wear a couple of pairs of your underwear. Preferably clean ones."

Ash's face turned green. "No way, man!"

"Come on, Ash!" Brock pleaded. "Misty's our friend. We have to do all we can to make her more comfortable."

"Can't you make her something?" Ash sulked.

"With what? Rocks and twigs?" Brock asked sarcastically. At Ash's forlorn expression, he added softly "Look, I know that you feel really awkward about this. I do too, but for Misty's sake we have to do all we can to help her, and if that means getting your underwear dirty then so be it."

"If you were a chick you'd have the right stuff for her." Ash grumbled.

Brock chuckled. "Yeah, you're right. Hell, if there was an older woman around here we could go to her for help and stuff…"

He halted abruptly as something occurred to him, and Ash could almost see the forty-watt light bulb go off on over the top of his head.

"What?"

Brock smiled slyly. There just might be an easier way through this mess after all.

At Ash's dumbfounded expression, the smile grew wider.

"Ash, I think I know who can help us out here….."

Whew, my hands hurt. Anyway, what do you think? Still interesting? I hope so. Coming next, Chapter three: Team Rocket to the rescue!

See ya later!

Seveninchsprockets (SIS)