I.

Soodo™ was a PokeNav app he was instructed to download by an airport attendant, but it nearly crashed his device trying to open it. For being the gym leader of Pewter, one might think he'd get hooked up with all the new gadgets, but leaving his post for so long had its cons. Soodo™ services was amongst the things he didn't expect to see, but with a single click a taxi had come to pick him up in Celadon and drove him to Cerulean. The Soodo™ driver was named Alvaro. They were nearly through Saffron and onto Route 5 before he broke the silence.

"You know, I actually came here from Alola to try and join Kiyo's Dojo."
Brock looked over at the man, he wasn't sure if he should just nod or initiate further conversation.

"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, me and my Bewear. You know, I'm a black belt. They said I didn't have what it takes. Make me laugh! Gonna open my own dojo once I make the right buck, for now I'm driving for Soodo™ though. Gotta pay the bills."
"I see that." Brock paused, he would've rather just taken the ride in silence but now he felt obligated to find a question. "Why the change to Kanto?"

"Alola is a beautiful country, don't get me wrong, but there's just such a chance for industry here. Kanto and Johto are on the rise, mark my words. I'm going to raise a family here, and once my children grow, they'll have all sorts of opportunities. Places like Unova are just too saturated, in all aspects. Ya know?"

Brock didn't answer but stared out the window at Route 5. It was paved, the tall grass and weeds that had once filled the route had gone missing, the cliffs had been leveled, and the daycare center was nowhere to be found.

"This is a road now?" He asked the driver, his first genuine question.

"Uh, yeah. Has been for a few years now, since I've lived in Saffron. Daycare Center got moved over near Pallet, quieter side of the country."
Brock nodded, but he wondered where all the meowth and other creatures that had once roamed the grasses had gone. There was no point in asking Alvaro, he probably wouldn't know.

"You from around here, then?" Alvaro asked, persisting on conversation.

"Yes, I'm the Pewter City gym leader actually,"
"You're the Brock? Ha-ha, wow! No kidding, I've heard the tales from your brother Forrest. You've been gone for a long time friend, it's great to see you back!"
"Thank you. It's nice to be home."
Had it really been that long? Now his little brother was talking for him in his stead. How old was Forrest now? He had to be about 14, or maybe 16, but Brock couldn't imagine. He tried to, but by the time he guessed what his baby brother would now look like, they were arriving in Cerulean. It had expanded, but the riverside town of his good friend Misty still seemed recognizable. Maybe not all was lost after all.

"Okay, Cerulean gym. This is where we part ways my friend," Alvaro said, bowing his head with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, be well now."
Brock exited the Soodo™ and took not three steps before his PokeNav vibrated. Unsheathing it from his pocket he viewed the screen. Rate your Soodo™ ride 5 Starmies! His finger hovered the option to rate the ride 5, but he put the device to rest and stuck it in his pocket. There were more important things to see to now, Misty's health at the forefront.

II.

The Cerulean gym, it seemed the girls were always redoing it. The long swimming pool had been reworked to include multiple slides and ladders, one of which turned to a tube and traveled underwater. A dewgong belonging to Daisy dove off a diving board and retrieved a plastic ring from the bottom of the pool.

"Cloyster, use Ice Beam!" Violet called, pointing her finger out and dashing to dodge an incoming Power Whip.

Violet's Cloyster cried and spun on its side, opening up and firing a beam of ice. Hurdling through the air it collided with a challenger's Tangrowth, sending it spiraling onto its back and rendering it fainted.

"The battle has been decided! Gym Leader Violet is the winner of today's gym battle, the challenger will have to try again in order to earn the Cascade Badge!" The announcer cried.

Considering Misty's fatal condition, Brock picked up rather lax vibes from the Water Flowers. The challenger fell to his knees in defeat, wrapping his fingers through his hair.

"Dewgong, gong!" Dewgong shouted, waving to Brock.

Brock slowly rose his hand to wave back, but wondered where Daisy was.

"Gotchya!" Daisy giggled in glee.

Squeezing her Luvdisc, Daisy had snuck up behind Brock and drenched him in pool water.

"Daisy! You really shouldn't use your Luvdisc as a water gun-"
Her voice on the phone had reminded him of her beauty, but seeing her was a whole other story. Heaven and Earth collided, a single spotlight of holy aura proclaimed their love in consecration, the waters of life filled his soul like a cherub's kiss. Daisy's blonde locks cascaded down her shoulders like crashing falls, forming licks at her neck like ebbing waves. He could reach out now, and if their lips locked he thought they'd never come unsealed.

Poison Jab

Brock felt the ever familiar blunt end dig into his side and leave him hunched over on the floor.

"Croa."

"Thank you, Croagunk. Brock can sometimes get a little ahead of himself!" Daisy said, grabbing onto Brock's ear and lifting him off the ground.

"You Cerulean girls are all the same. Cruel is in the name for a reason."

"I'm glad you made it," She said, bringing things back to a more serious note.

"Misty, where is she? How is she feeling?"
"Oh, well. I might've lied to you."
"Lied? What do you mean?"
Before he could get a straight answer, Brock looked over to where Violet had just won her gym battle. From one of the back rooms, Misty appeared. She looked perfectly healthy, in fact, she looked different. Without being perverted, Brock realized that she looked older, much older. He wasn't sure why, but it was like she had hit a growth spurt worth five years alone, more even. He almost didn't notice her.

"Brock," Misty said solemnly, approaching him, still a few inches shorter.

"Misty, I- I thought you were sick."
"I know, I'm sorry. I told Daisy to lie to you, I needed you here as soon as possible."
"Well, I'm just glad to see you. It's been a long time."
The two friends embraced, it was a hug that had been a long time coming. They were two parts of a greater whole, they had been since the day they set off with Ash on his adventure. Even if their group had shifted and changed over time, Brock had a special spot for their original trio plus Pikachu.

"Why don't we go in the back and chat. There's a lot I need to tell you," Misty said, a dash of concerned sorrow in her voice.

"That sounds good," He said, turning back to Daisy for a moment, "And let's please continue our talk later."
Brock winked, Daisy rolled her eyes, and Misty tried her hardest not to grab his ear.

III.

The two arrived in Misty's office, the shelves and counters filled with trophies, badges, and random baubles. It was oddly messy, Misty never struck Brock as the sort of person to have such an unorganized space but maybe time had changed her. She trudged to her desk and took a seat, dropping her elbows on it and putting her forehead into her palms.

"Brock, I had one of the strangest interactions of my life last week."
Brock gripped the top of an askew chair and lifted the stack of books off the seat so he could console her. Taking a seat across the desk, he readjusted her lamp so they had more light.

"Misty, why don't you just start from the top?'

She lifted her head and took a deep breath. She swallowed the lump in her throat and closed her eyes. Nodding, she started.

"I've been standing gym leader for the last year and a half, Daisy, Lily, and Violet acting as the trainer battles before me. This changed last week, after a challenger tore through my sister's pokemon and arrived at my mantle."

The trainer approached Misty, his team had proved stronger than he let on and so her sisters' teams were underleveled and unprepared.

"So, you're Pokemon are especially strong then? Even with so many type advantages."
He didn't say anything in response, just shot her a glare that was unreadable. Misty stood from her chair, rolling her fingers over the five sets of pokeballs which were separate teams that ranged in power level depending on her opponent.

"Misty. Right?" the deep voice boomed.
She looked at the challenger, a black hood dipped low over his eyes. Lick of black hair rolled down the sides of his face, but she couldn't discern more than that. It was an odd question, he must've known she was Misty, so why ask a rhetorical question?

"Yes, that's me. I should use my strongest team then, yes?"
"I don't want to battle you," he said, quick with his words, "I just want some answers."
She stepped down from her mantle and the figure took multiple steps backwards. He seemed on edge, nearly reaching for what seemed like a weapon to guard himself.

"What kind of answers do you want? You don't have to battle me if all you want is to ask some questions."
She wagered the threat this trainer posed, but she could handle herself. Plus, her sisters were all ready to jump into action if needed, their eyes hadn't left the hooded figure since he pushed onwards.

"Ash Ketchum, what makes him special?" He asked coldly.

"Ash- I'm not sure what you mean. He's an incredible trainer, his bond with Pokemon is special. Despite all his flaws, he's one of the greatest people I know."
"That's fine and dandy, but you know it's not what I mean. What is his secret? Do you know it?"
Misty stuttered and grinded her teeth. The figure was more correct than they probably realized, Misty did know something, but she wasn't so sure herself. There was something about Ash, something that was secret, but if there was a straight answer she didn't have it.

"Just what are you asking. Be straight to the point about it."
The figure snickered, and hopped another step backwards. There seemed to be a tad of cheer to the character now, like his step had gained pep in the midst of his coldness.

"How does Ash Ketchum stay the exact same age? What did he do to remain ten years old forever?"
The question hit her like a truck, so much so that she nearly lost her footing. It was something she never mentioned, something no one ever seemed to notice, but ever since she parted ways with Ash, she had noticed. In the few times she had seen Ash since parting ways, he hadn't aged a day. Not a single soul had shared this insane observation with her until now.

"I- I don't know."
"But you do know this to be true. You do recognize Ash as forever young?"
"I-" Misty froze, she wasn't sure if she should answer or whisper or stop talking, "have noticed this. I didn't think anyone else noticed, but I have."
"And you don't know how or why this is? No guesses? Even though you were a close companion of his?"
Misty paused for a moment, this hooded figure knew a lot more than she could explain. The problem was, she had no good guesses, nothing she could recall at least.

"Why should I answer you? How do you even know all of that?"
"You have no reason to answer me, but know this. There are people at work, people who want to find Ash Ketchum. I'm here to stop those people from getting to him, because if they do, the world as we know it will be doomed. Trust my word on this, Misty. Till we meet again."

"And with that, the hooded figure was gone. Beneath his cloak a pokeball was opened, and the move Teleport helped them vanish. I'm not sure what to make of it all, but I'm still a tad shaken."

Brock turned his chin between his fingers, something about it didn't add up.

"What did they mean about Ash's age? They said he remained ten forever, as if he hadn't aged. Why did they say that?"
In an outburst of frustration Misty slammed her fist on the desk and stood. Shocked, Brock slipped back in his chair. She remembered herself and caught her fist, covering her mouth in desperation.

"I'm sorry, I just- I just had a feeling this is how things would go."
Falling back into her chair she began sobbing, her face falling into her crossed arms on the desk.

"Misty-"
"No," She cried, talking between tears, "It isn't your fault. I was like you too."
"Like what?"
She wiped her eyes, rising back up in her seat. She had to explain it to him, even if she had to force it out.

"After I parted ways with you and Ash, I returned to Cerulean. The first thing my sisters noted was how young I looked. I didn't think much of it, but within the year it was like I had aged four years. Then I realized, I had aged four years, yet when I was with you and Ash, I remained ten. I couldn't figure it out, but when I visited you and Ash again, I realized he had remained ten and your aging was slowed."
"So, what are you saying?"
"Brock. How long ago do you think we set off with Ash on our adventure?"
"I mean, it must've been a few years ago. Maybe- uh, I. I can't come up with a number. It feels like three, maybe, but you're telling me you aged four?"
"Brock, it's been eight years. I'm eighteen, you're twenty-three."
"No, I'm eighteen. At the most. Misty, what are you talking about?"
"This hooded figure, they asked about Ash's age, and it made me realize something. Us being around Ash, it fucked with our perception of time. Somehow, something about Ash slows time down, or something like that. I'm not entirely sure how or why, but."
Brock shifted in his chair, this wasn't the welcome home he expected. In some other timeline he returned to Pewter and taught Forrest how to be the rightful gym leader so he could go off and become a doctor, and not only that but Jasmine stops by and the two fall in love. Now, however, he found himself talking to Misty about Ash's apparent eternal youth.

"Misty, I think I need a moment to mull all of this over."

She perked up at this and shuffled some of the scattered papers on her desk.

"Totally, you're completely right. It was foolish of me to dump all this on your lap. I mean, look at me," She paused to gesture with her hands, "I'm a mess. I've just been stressed out waiting to tell you, since I think you're the only person who could understand."
Brock nodded, leaning back to really think about things. Clearly he hadn't noticed this, he hadn't even thought about it, but now that Misty was saying all of this, it made sense. It had been eight years, but he hadn't aged eight years. There was something to all of this, of that he was positive. There were others he could ask, like May or Max or Dawn, but they hadn't spent as much time with Ash as he had. In truth, Brock was the prime authority here. At this point, stuck in the Kantonian countryside with his old friend and an unsolvable case of temporal dissonance, there seemed to be only one place to go.

"I've got my sights set on Pewter, but I think there's one last place we should stop before then," Brock said, meeting Misty's eyes.

"And where is that?"
"Pallet. If anyone might have an idea of where to point us, it's Professor Oak."