(edited.2020.04.01)
Locked Away, Chapter 19
Why was she surprised? Misty should have been used to this behavior by now! Gawking at the dark-haired trainer beside her, who looked smugly at Brock with his fist raised high into the air, she silently squeezed the bridge of her nose and let out a long, elaborate sigh. She would have growled save for being in the presence of another gym leader. She had to collect herself, pulling and cursing underneath her breath as she did.
"I can't battle Brock." Misty hissed quietly to Ash as he crossed his arms.
"Why, are you scared?" He whispered with eyebrows raised, obviously missing Misty's clear signs of frustration.
"No, I can't battle him, Ash it's against the league-" She said, but Brock cut in before she elaborated; having heard nothing of her evasive nature.
"Then step forward!" He boomed, the echo of the gym accenting his bold voice. Brock rose to his feet, walked from his throne at the end of the gym and toward the platform of the rock stadium when Misty threw up her arms in distraught.
"Hey, gym leader Brock!" Misty yelped as the lights came on, causing her to wince at the sudden electricity and bright lights. Ash covered his own eyes as they adjusted quickly to the surroundings; the gym was mostly the same as he remembered it from his dream. Unlike Misty's, which was larger, expanded in every direction and equipped with several new kinds of pokemon tech. Brock's gym was a standard dirt stadium with white stripes to indicate the battle area. The only difference rested against the far wall where bleachers used to sit; a large television screen danced beside them and the moment Brock walked into the trainer square, his name and face appeared on the screen.
Ash's mouth fell agape, a scoreboard; such a high tech one at that! When he was a kid, battles were monitored solely by defeat. He wondered why Misty hadn't installed such technology but was pulled out of his thoughts by her worried voice.
"It's me, Misty; the Cerulean city gym Leader. We actually can't battle." She said, stammering as she pressed her hand against her chest. Watching as Brock's eyebrows raised. Automatically, Ash saw Brock's face soften from one of a determined gym leader to that familiar, almost motherly look as he gazed upon the redhead.
"My friend here is a little confused about the rules, is all," Misty added.
Suddenly, the spark that Ash missed so often the last few months ignited in Brock's eyes as he made leaps and bounds to meet them at the door, throwing in a twirl that made Misty facepalm and Ash scratch at his cheek. The indication of battle on the screen beside the stadium darkened once again as Brock twirled before Misty.
"Ahh, the fourth sensational sister, it's been months!" Brock cooed cheerfully, falling to a single knee and taking her pale hand; an action that made Ash's hairs stand on end as he stomped his own foot to indicate his presence which was quietly ignored.
"What have I done to be graced by your dominant presence?" Brock managed, wagging his eyebrow at her with an alarmingly charming smile. Ash nearly choked. Was Brock hitting on Misty? In what world was this ever okay!? Misty's own face reflected this same disgust as she tried to rip her hand away, but Brock's surprisingly soft hands held her firm as he gazed into her green orbs.
"I'm not a very good swimmer—but I've heard you have exceptional lifeguard experience!" Brock gushed, his lips puckering toward the redhead.
"He-hey!" Ash managed finally, though it fell on silent ears as he watched the familiar twitch form in Misty's eye—one that he thought was long lost in this world.
Brock's hand massaged her's, daring to work up her arm but was stopped by Misty, whose intent to kill rose from null to one thousand in a split second. Her mouth twitched. There it was; the demon of the Cerulean City gym he knew so well from his fake childhood; those glowing green eyes shut as she snapped her hand away, and very swiftly uppercut Brock with a flick of her wrist, sending him backward, holding his chin.
"PERVERT!" She bellowed, a vein popping on her forehead as Ash reeled backward, cowering behind pikachu, who cowered behind an oblivious togepi—like pokemon, like trainer.
Watching Brock flop on the ground a few feet away, comically in more pain than he truly was, Ash winced.
"...Nice left hook." Then her sharp gaze fell on him and he held up pikachu as a mercy plea.
XoXs
They were seated in the kitchen section of the gym, which was designed with wooden floors and wooden panel walls. Brock busied himself by making snacks while Ash and Misty sat on pillows. Ash rubbed his sore arm, which Misty had ferociously smacked moments before apologizes were passed between the group and Brock led them away to ice his chin—thus, inviting them to sit with him. She was fuming in her seat, though Ash wasn't surprised. Never in his life had he imagined the day Brock Harrison would hit on Misty.
Already, he started to doubt that Brock remembered anything; but he still had his hopes up—he did generously invite them in, even after such a display of violence on account of Misty. Ash swallowed hard, looking anywhere but at her. Maybe Brock was just pulling his leg? Brock always did have a keen sense of humor.
It isn't every day another gym leader stops by! Brock said to them while he adjusted his sore jaw as if getting hit was a natural occurrence in his life. This action, acceptance, from Brock was only a layer of frosting on Ash's cake of memories. Pikachu seemed rather pleased himself; being treated with sugar cubes which Ash had to fight away from his small paws—but one demonic mutter from Misty ended pikachu's playful banter and it was seated with beads of sweat trailing down its neck beside Ash, who felt the same.
"No." was all she said, and the infliction of her venomous tone was enough to make Ash, pikachu, and togepi sit quietly and await their dark friend's return in utter silence.
Well, at least until Ash couldn't take it anymore.
"...How was I supposed to know you couldn't battle other gym leaders?" he managed quietly, barely audible.
"I thought you would assume! Plus, what kind of idea was that? Challenging him right away." She snapped automatically, still rubbing the fingers that Brock caressed against her jeans. Ash grimaced at the view; not understanding why it was such a big deal—she was clearly overreacting. After Ash's mistake, Misty fully explained that other gym leaders were not supposed to battle one another in order to save themselves from arguing who the strongest trainer was—it only caused turf wars, so the league created rules to prevent said action.
"It's not that big of a deal, is it? You sucker punched him—shouldn't that have alleviated some stress? You're lucky he didn't call the cops or something." Ash scolded her, but she glowered at him and then rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I guess." She paused. "I just don't like it."
"Like what?" Ash asked, pressing for any conversation to ease his own blistering nerves.
"Being hit on like that..." She rubbed her hair, "He has never acted like that at any league parties we've been to before; that's why I thought you were crazy when you'd talk about him." She grumbled, finally settling her hand down on the table; Ash watched her hands carefully and his fingers twitched. If Brock's germs were so nasty, couldn't Ash share his to make them go away? He thought better of it as he tucked his hands beneath him to prevent any unnecessary gestures.
To draw his attention away from Misty; he smacked his lips and nudged her with his injured shoulder.
"You didn't have to hit on me so hard." he gestured jokingly to his upper arm, which wasn't likely to bruise, but he fished for any brownie points that he could muster from the redhead, though, Misty seemed careless as she slumped her shoulders.
She glanced at Ash, a small, fabricated blush flushed over her cheeks and she pursed her lips, displeased with his reaction. Brock was a pervert—just like Ash described him when they spoke about Brock in the hospital. The professionalism he carried with himself at the league parties ended in so few seconds that she wasn't entirely sure what to think. Sure, she and Brock were far from friends, but they were acquaintances at the very least, and she would have never suspected the professional man to ever act so...
She groaned inwardly, revolting.
"Sorry, I got carried away." She apologized and balled her fists. Ash patted her on the shoulder. A nervous pikachu chimed in; to which Ash nodded, and slapped the disheartened redhead on the back.
"Pikachu is right, maybe being a pervert is a good thing! He's more like my dream than I could have imagined!" Ash suggested, but Misty wasn't hearing it; instead, she cupped her cheeks with her hands, slid her elbows onto the table before her, and narrowed her eyes.
"I worry about you." She slipped with an amused smirk bordering her lips.
"Someone has to." Ash chuckled with a broadening grin and eye contact that lasted few-too-minutes as Brock rounded the corner, holding three mugs and a pot of brewed tea.
As opposed to his typical facade, the gym leader had on dark brown pants that accented his long legs—he stood at least 6'4, and that wasn't including the spikes of his dark brown hair. He wore a plain, green long-sleeved T-shirt with a V-neck collar, bordered with black trimming over what the travelers could only assume was a well-toned chest. His face was slightly hidden behind shaggy bangs, but the omnipresent smile and slanted eyes were a familiar feature to both trainers for different reasons: Brock looked nothing like Ash remembered him—older, taller, much taller than Ash was, but he still radiated the same beaming personality. For Misty, the familiarity died right after his looks—the Brock preparing tea, and spouting a pink apron, was nothing like the gym leader she had come to know at their league gatherings. She almost struck her nose at him. He set the tea down and smiled broadly.
Awestruck, both visitors stammered for the proper words.
"Sorry about your chin." Misty gestured to her own with a wince while Brock poured three glasses and set down a tray of water for the pokemon.
"I can't say I haven't been punched before." Brock mused playfully, striking a powerful grin that made Ash inwardly roll his eyes; he knew that look. Even though dream-Ash had been too oblivious to acknowledge Brock's flirtatious nature, this world's Ash was grossly uncomfortable around it, especially when it was directed at Misty. Ash fidgeted and Misty's lips flat-lined from frustration.
"So, Ash, was it?" Brock asked, scooting the steaming tea in Ash's direction—void of asking if the raven-haired man even liked the bitter substance.
Truthfully, he did not, but wanting to be polite, Ash took a very calm sip. His taste buds recoiled as he fought the urge to gag as the bitterness washed down his throat. This had not gone unnoticed by Misty, who raised her eyebrows sipping her own tea nonchalant—accustomed to black coffee, tea was nothing in comparison.
Ash bit back on a cough; "Yeah, I'm Ash." Watching Brock carefully, he placed careful emphasis on his name, but watched nothing in the older trainers eyes spark—he looked as carefree as ever. Ash grimaced inwardly.
"Well, it's nice to meet you." Brock paused and raised his eyebrows the directed his next question to Misty, "I have to ask, why did you come to visit me? I'm not being assessed, am I?"
Ash's lips sucked inward at his astute question, luckily, Misty swooped in to save him.
"We came back from visiting some friends in Viridian City. Ash wanted to check out the gym—you know, see the different leaders."
"Ahh—so he is a student of yours." Brock said calmly, re-directing his gaze to Ash, and then back to Misty, now purely made up of professionalism. "Though, don't students usually travel on their own?" He asked, nodding in her direction. Ash saw the small curl of Brock's lips.
Pursing her own lips, Misty glanced at Ash who had been watching her.
"He got into some trouble; I bailed him out." She answered vaguely, though it had sparked Brock's attention.
He was grinning when silence enveloped the trio, Ash and Misty spared a glance at one another; his creepy gaze stinging them both unpleasantly. Brock didn't miss a beat.
"...Oh," he said knowingly in a sing-song voice, then a small smile trickled over his features. "I didn't actually expect the rumors to be true," Brock suggested, wagging an eyebrow at Ash who looked confused; trying to keep his emotions at bay.
"What rumors?" Misty questioned, keeping Brock's attention on. Ash watched the two of them—his two best friends in the world nothing more than strangers, his shoulders slumped. Brock certainly didn't show any reminiscence of Ash.
"About why you missed the last league gathering, of course." He pressed and then nodded gently, tucking his tea mug toward the center of the table, Misty took a sip of her drink while Ash pursed his lips curiously.
A mischievous gleam formed in Brock's eyes.
"Honestly, I never thought the tomboyish mermaid, a trainer with your reputation would ever date your own student."
It wasn't graceful the way Misty spit her tea from her mouth that coated the man before her in a film of mist. Brock was stunned by her reaction, her eyes bugged out and her lips twitched. She hacked on her tea and slammed her fist against her chest. Ash hadn't even the time to react as he was drawn to Brock's pained expression as he wiped his face off with the dry part of his forearm.
For a moment, no one spoke.
"...Oh..." Misty muttered, her face turning red instantly as she came to realize what he insinuated between the two of them and her reaction to such.
"I am so, so, so sorry. You took me by surprise. People are really saying that?" She gestured frantically towards him, flipping her arms forward to try to wipe off the tea she sprayed all over him with a napkin. With Misty's sudden jolt, she rattled the table, lifting its edges which caused the pot of tea to roll over. Spilling near-boiling liquid down the side of the table and directly on course to Brock's lap as Ash danced away, rolling with the pokemon to avoid the backsplash.
"Misty, watch out!" Ash tried to warn her, but the deed has already been done.
A nervous, red-faced, embarrassed Misty watched from only a few inches away from Brock's face as he let out a terrifying yowl and dashed from the dining area and into the kitchen for some cold water, leaving a surprised Ash and a red Misty standing over the tipped table. In her panic, she had managed to scald the gym leader, and as a result, pinched her eyebrows together painfully. She covered her face with her hand.
"Do I hear a fourth?" Ash asked sarcastically from his position on the ground, safely a good foot away from the puddle of boiling liquid that seeped into the wooden floors as they listened to Brock yelp behind the sound of running water.
"You've punched him, spit on him, and now you've burned him: what's next? Maybe we should bail before he really does call the cops or something? Try again later..." Ash said worriedly and sat up before his eyes fell back on his companion who had finally let her shoulders droop.
"Shut up." She grunted, but Ash couldn't hear her because her hands muffled her words.
"...what?" Ash asked, sitting up to stare directly at her. Still red in the face—which he assumed was from anger—she spun on her heels away from him.
"Shut up!" She yelped in correction, and then with a spin; she trudged out of the dining room and back into the gymnasium, slamming the door behind her. She needed to clear her head.
Gawking, Ash was left alone in the dining room with pikachu and togepi who were left as awestruck as he had been—never had he seen her react so...horribly. What even caused that? He didn't have time to recall as he heard the water in the kitchen shut off, so he shifted to begin cleaning up the steaming mess with the help of pikachu who provided a dry cloth that hung from the wall.
"pi..." The small mouse mused sadly, and Ash sighed.
"I don't know." He whispered back as the door opened and Misty returned after gathering her breath. Her chest fell dramatically once she saw Ash cleaning up the mess that she made. She moved to help him, though neither spoke.
This was her luck. The league was more likely to talk about her personal life than her battling life—thus the existence of being female and in the league. They couldn't talk about how she defeated a three-man team with poliwrath alone? It had to be about a relationship with Ash? She glanced at him—he was trying his best to limit his contact with her, worried that she would shout at him again. She fumbled with the rag and set the table upright once more; picking and placing the teapot and mugs back on the small table.
A non-existent relationship with Ash, she corrected herself. Where did they even get that idea? They were only friends, after all; if anything, Misty had been his caretaker. Her heart pounded and a sweat formed over her brow and her eyes turned to watch Ash and pikachu fold the soaked rag into another dry one to avoid drips. Eyebrows furrowed together, she exhaled: why did it bother her so much? It wasn't like Daisy didn't joke about it—oh mew, Daisy joked about it. Suddenly, Misty's face went red again, and she slapped her forehead to reduce the heat with her forever frozen hands. What in the world was she thinking?
"What in the world were you thinking?" Ash suddenly hissed worriedly, wondering if they should go visit with Brock in the kitchen—to check on him. Misty twitched, his words echoing her thoughts terrified her and she snapped her attention at him. Could he read minds? he knew enough about her it seemed plausible. She snapped her arm away from his hand.
"I...you..." She stammered and then shook her head vehemently to regain her senses. Calm down! She told herself. "I was just taken aback is all. Don't worry about it...I'll... do something." She looked at the kitchen, and then went to pull Ash up by the upper arm, but then immediately retracted her hand upon making contact with his warm, muscular upper arm. Had it always been so?
"C'mon." She motioned to the kitchen, shaking the unprecedented thoughts from her head.
Unknown to her, Ash's thoughts were full of something else. The dormant race of whether or not Brock would be mad, and more importantly, whether or not he remembered. Thus far, it wasn't so—and unlike Misty—Brock, and Ash had no relationship at all, which meant that Ash was staring down one of his best friends as a stranger.
...and it might have been more painful than the moment he realized this Misty was not his Misty. Brock didn't even know him...
Tiptoeing around the corner with Ash only inches away from her—his body heat too close for comfort—she eyed the tall man dusting off his pants with a dry cloth in the kitchen. Ash breathed on her neck unintentionally, eyebrows knitting.
"...Are you okay?" Ash called to Brock timidly, a small smile twitching over his lips. Brock's eyes turned to his guests, his eyes wild when he saw Misty and took a few comforting steps away from her—as if the length of the room was not long enough.
"Yeah, it didn't go all the way through my apron, so I'm not scalded." Brock gestured to the pink cloth which was stuffed into the sink.
Misty grimaced. "I'm so sorry."
"I never thought you were one to be so jumpy." Brock admired quickly, pulling out a chair and motioning them forward from the doorway. Ash went forward immediately, hiding his surprise of Brock's hospitality behind a worried smile, though Misty was reluctant to move forward herself.
"She gets like that sometimes." Ash frowned, no she didn't—not unless it was about pokemon. In fact, her nonchalant behavior when someone suggested that they were dating was usually on the cold side of responses; or a simple melancholy shrug. Ash's frown deepened.
"But never about that." He echoed his thoughts, pointing accusingly at her. Brock followed his gaze amusingly; having caught a glimpse of their relationship—he grinned, resting his chin over his intertwined fingers.
Misty's face flushed, but she swallowed it down. "I was just alarmed that people are focused more on my personal affairs than my battling. is all." She lied easily, feeling a little guilty at the notion. She slipped into the chair beside Ash who shrugged his shoulders. Willing to accept that as her answer without a doubt.
Brock, however, pursed his lips.
"But shouldn't you have led with that?" Brock asked, gesturing to his damp shirt. "You know before you sprayed me? You could have asked what else the rumors were." Brock mused with a sudden grin, enjoying the twist of Misty's lips as she grew more uncomfortable. Luckily for both of them, Ash was slow to pick up and found himself helping pikachu to the table.
Misty almost spat at him, but instead, she crossed her arms defensively. "I was just taken aback that you would lead a conversation with that... You're usually so," She paused looking directly at him. "reserved." She decided was the best description. Ash looked at Brock who rolled his shoulders.
"I suppose that I am..." He muttered with a shrug that tore the tension away from the table. "Now, before I get physically maimed again, why did you two come to visit?"
Once again, Ash and Misty shared a look. Clearly, this Brock didn't know anything—or else this entire conversation would have gone smoother. Though, Ash still hoped that he had such wonderful patience because he recognized Ash at some level. Ash's mouth flatlined as Misty steeled herself to look at Brock once more.
"I wanted to know if you knew Ash from anywhere?" Misty asked suddenly, watching Brock's curious expression turn to Ash.
Ash's breath stalled in his throat, awaiting Brock's reply.
"He's the coma patient from Viridian City some ten years ago? Ash Ketchum. You made quite a few headlines back in the day." Brock nodded, thinking of the 'better' days; when the world wasn't quite so murky and they were all still young. Ash inhaled.
"That's it?" he blurted out, and Misty's eyebrows lowered pathetically.
"Yeah, that's it," Brock said, grinning slightly due to embarrassment of the question. "Should I know you from somewhere?"
Ash's features fanned out and he slumped his shoulders. So, people didn't remember. Did that make pikachu a special case? Maybe only pokemon remembered? But if that was the case, he needed to find another of his pokemon—and where would he even start?
"So you've never had someone beat you by turning on the sprinkler system?" Ash asked, eyebrows raised. Pikachu's ears finally twitched, being motioned by Ash to join him. Togepi rest forgotten in the background, watching Misty pathetically as the redhead raised her eyebrows.
"With the sprinkler system...?" Brock asked, eyes going wide and eyebrows rising. "...er... No. That's never happened... but that's not a bad strategy. I should look into that." Brock said while scratching his neck. Ash inhaled and he turned at Misty, and then back at Brock.
"Can I battle you?" He suggested and Misty gawked.
"You're not allowed, Ash!" She hissed, knowing well that his temporary license did not cover battling gyms. Brock seemed flabbergasted at such a request and tilted his head.
"Do you have your license?" Brock asked, scratching his chin—completely unsure of why Ash would challenge him.
"I don't. But I would just like the practice—I can't pay you or anything... but... an unofficial match? Please?"
Misty growled beside him, but after watching his determined eyes watching Brock, followed by pikachu perking up beside him and togepi stepping towards the seated trainer's chair, her face softened.
"Just one match?" He asked, no pleaded with Brock, who seemed shocked at such a request. Accepting could mean having his license removed if he was caught because allowing a trainer without a license to battle a gym leader was illegal on the best days.
...it would be like it was ten years ago, when such a case was not jail-worthy. His heart pattered, watching Ash's determined brown eyes, and before he understood it himself; Brock found himself nodding his agreement.
"Alright. I accept your challenge."
"Really?" Misty chimed, blinking wildly. "Just like that?" She added while Ash threw his chair backward and pumped up his fist.
"Thank you!" he cried as Brock chuckled. Never had he seen someone want to battle him as much as Ash did—he hadn't seen such excitement to battle in years of being a gym leader.
"I'll meet you in the gym. I will go and change my clothes quickly." Brock suggested, standing up slowly and with much less enthusiasm than Ash who smiled happily.
As Brock moved to exit the kitchen and travel to the living portion of the Pewter City gym, Misty finally turned to look at Ash once Brock's figure was hidden behind the wooden door, and her face contorted into something of a worry.
"I could get fired for this—you could get banned from ever holding a license." She warned him with a pout.
"Who's going to tell on me?" He asked suddenly, looking down at her with such confidence her skin burned. "You?"
"I'm just saying is all..." She muttered pathetically while she scooted out of her chair to watch him. He gathered pikachu and togepi—his only two pokemon and she sighed sympathetically.
You're going to get slaughtered. She thought, but thought better than to voice her concern. "You should borrow some of my pokemon. Rock pokemon are weak to water pokemon." She suggested calmly and found his charming grin alarming.
"You know, you said something along those lines in my dream world, too? Almost the exact same." He grinned at her, and she couldn't stop the flush of her cheeks—but chose to ignore it.
She snorted instead, "Did you blindly challenge a gym leader you weren't prepare for there, too?"
"All the time." He assured her as they entered the gymnasium from the side door; Misty pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"And how many of those battles did you win?" She asked, eyebrows raised—amazed that this had never come up before. However, after being told that his dreams meant nothing by Dr. Abby, he seemed to stop talking about them as frequently; or at all. Only after discovering pikachu again did he begin to voice his wonderland again.
Surprisingly, he turned at her with such a confident smile her heart skipped; "All of them."
"No way!" Misty hissed automatically, unable to believe that he defeated her by luck alone. "No way you could have beaten me."
"Well, I didn't." Ash laughed, scratching the back of his neck as they walked toward the opponents box. "Your sisters sort of just gave the badge to me after I defeated Team Rocket."
"Defeated Team Rocket?" Misty repeated, "gave you the badge?" She added, slightly more alarmed.
Ash laughed, a haughty laugh that she grumbled at: "It's a long story. There never went a day when Team Rocket wouldn't try some strange antics to steal pikachu, right buddy?" He gestured to the small pokemon who poked up his right paw in support.
"Pika!" it cheered, and Misty shook her head, feet scuffing along the dirt of the gym floor.
"That's..."
"I know it's silly." Ash said, and then silenced her with his next comment. "But maybe if I battle him—he will remember something," he confessed to her, and she finally understood his intentions. Her face softened and she sighed at his hopeless case.
"Maybe you can't remember because we met in person before it happened... but maybe Brock is..." Ash mumbled, glancing at the floor. "He's so much more than a gym leader, Mist." He added and then offered a smile at her right as Bock entered through the same side door they had only moments ago.
Both watched him from the corners of their eyes as she circled the gym, wearing black jeans and a burnt-orange T-shirt under a green vest. Ash inhaled; the familiar outfit crashing into his brain like a tidal wave.
Now the real battle would begin.
XOX
"Since this is not an official match, and from the looks of it you only have two pokemon—this battle will only consist of a two on two match." Brock motioned, taking his place on the platform opposite of Ash.
Once both trainers were in position, the large screen beside the stadium kicked on. Brock's name was once again illuminated on the screen while Ash's remained empty—possibly because he had no viable license for the computer's network to connect to. Ash inhaled sharply as Misty slowly took a seat at the bench level with the stadium. He put her out of his mind the moment he laid eyes on Brock. Right now, he focused on the gym leader, hoping that some memories still existed for the two of them. They traveled through three regions together in Ash's dream world, to believe that was nothing to Brock... that everything was made up by Ash was...
Ash inhaled, before the start of the match, he knelt before his two pokemon. Togepi was frightened, as it should be; but pikachu looked as determined as always, grinning with pointed teeth.
"I know we're not ready for this," Ash told them quietly while Brock crossed his arms across the ways. "But we still need to give this our best shot; alright? Maybe if we do well enough—if we try hard enough, he will remember something."
"Pika!" The yellow mouse echoed his confidence in his trainer—even if it had technically been ten years since they trained together; togepi, though its time with Ash was much shorter, also nodded—the baby pokemon's bravery elated Ash as he stroked both pokemon's scalps.
"Thank you guys. Now let's give him a run for his money—even if we have the disadvantage?" Ash grinned, watching the fear leave togepi's eyes as it gestured forward—volunteering.
"You're using togepi?!" Misty hissed from the sidelines like a worried parent, Ash waved her off with a smug grin—wiping his nose with his index finger in an overconfident display as togepi jumped confidently away from Ash. Even Brock seemed against the idea.
"Is that a baby pokemon?" Brock asked, unfamiliar with the egg pokemon which seemed to confidently stare him down.
"He isn't a baby! He can do this!" Ash said positively, pumping up togepi's battle spirit as it spared a glance at Misty who fidgeted. She didn't like this at all. Baby pokemon were supposed to be cuddled and held—not battled against rock pokemon. The term scrambled egg never resonated through her mind more in her life. Ash was already at a type disadvantage with pikachu, now he was throwing an egg at a rock.
Oh boy; this couldn't get worse. She thought while hiding her face behind her hands. Brock, even though he did not approve of Ash's methods, watched the small, brave pokemon with concerned eyes.
"Alright..." Brock muttered confused. "Then I choose Geodude!" He called forth the rock pokemon, its tough fists poking out the side of its round body as the pokeball bounced back into Brock's hand; on the screen beside them, Geodude's health bar of sorts appeared on the screen and Ash watched it amusingly.
That's new. He thought, but then turned his attention back to the battle. He had worked with togepi for over a month at the Cerulean City gym; togepi could do this. Stilling his breath in his chest, he grinned once more.
Brock didn't hesitate, though he wanted to. "Geodude, use tackle!" He yelled, causing Ash to raise his own fist.
"Togepi, dodge it!"
"It can't move that fast!" Misty whined, covering her eyes with her fingers, waiting to see the egg turn into a scrambled egg—but at Ash's own confidence in the pokemon, and because of its own practice over the last month, the egg sidestepped away from the tackle moments before geodude went rushing beside it. Misty sighed in relief and uncovered her eyes.
"Great job!" Ash cried, "Now use growl!" Ash called, though Brock rubbed the back of his neck—Geodude followed suit. It wasn't very effective as an attack, but it was very effective in confusing the pokemon; togepi was such an innocent pokemon—even its threats were cute.
For a moment, geodude looked worriedly at his trainer, as if asking "are you serious" to Brock, who shrugged and threw out another command.
"Geodude, use rollout!"
"Togepi don't get hit by that! Jump into the air like we practiced!" Practiced, in reference to when Ash taught togepi to jump onto his shoulder; and as such, the pokemon was able to jump over the torpedo-like rock pokemon—Ash jumped gleefully as geodude rolled away in a furious spin towards one of the large rocks on the stadium floor; much to Brock's surprise.
"So you can dodge! That's impressive—but you won't get anywhere unless you can deal damage!" he shouted, throwing up his hand for another command and geodude came flying at togepi once again. He was pumped up for some reason; a huge grin drawing across his face.
Confidently, watching as geodude once again simply charged blindly at togepi, Ash grinned: "Counter it with charm!"
"No, dodge it!" Misty screamed, not wanting to see the pokemon get hit even once, but had to cover her mouth in return. Her outcry confused the egg, and togepi's short glance at Misty cost the opportunity to counter, and was instead met with a direct hit from geodude.
"Misty!" Ash shrieked painfully, watching togepi fly backwards and roll nearly out of bounds of the stadium. He disregarded her intrusion quickly, he would talk with her later—right now he needed to focus on the egg. In the center of the stadium geodude put up its arms, to which Brock shook his head slightly.
"Togepi are you okay?!" Ash yelled to the pokemon, expecting to see a shattered shell once the dust cleared—but when it did, the pokemon rose to its feet bravely; a small crack started at the center, chipping the front of its shell, but other than that, it was mostly bruised. Misty's heart pounded, unable to watch the battle—she covered her face once more.
"Call him ba-" Misty tried to argue, but Ash put his foot down before she finished.
"Would you stay out of this!?" he yelled, inciting a rather amused chuckle from Brock. Seeing Misty, who was known to be cold to her peers whine over a pokemon was almost... heartwarming.
"Now calm down you two..." Brock interfered, "This is his battle, Misty, let him battle." Brock scolded his fellow gym leader who felt anxious in her own skin watching togepi.
Last time togepi took a hit, from an oddish, no less, he cried. Looking at him now, he stood with strength and determination that she would have never imagined only a few days ago. She tucked her hands into her pockets, and she swallowed hard.
"Pi-pika chu!" Ash's long time companion cheered for the egg with such vigor that Ash balled his fists.
"Don't give up," Ash tried quickly, though Brock effectively cut his cheers off.
"You, too geodude, finish it off with rock throw!"
"Togepi!" Ash cried to the pokemon that looked up to him with worried eyes, tears dared to peak out of its black orbs; the pain was excruciating. It didn't look at the oncoming rock pokemon, or even at Ash- in fact, it looked past Ash, to the redhead sitting on the bench with her eyes covered and its small, pale cheeks inflated as the small nub arms ticked back and forth at the oncoming launch of rocks strewn in its direction.
"C'mon togepi!" Ash cried in the background, though his voice was drowned out as a white light ignited through the area, followed by a huge gust of wind that threw the rocks in every direction of the stadium as if they had been reflected by a tornado. Gust had been activated by togepi. Standing amazed at his side of the gym, Brock was only half as surprised as Ash; who cheered. The wind whipping on his face was refreshing; and invigorating! He had never battled outside of the gym; and feeling the adrenaline rush was unlike anything he had felt before.
"Hell yes!" Ash growled, kicking up his feet in excitement, followed by pikachu who twirled and togepi who glared at geodude. "You used metronome, togepi!" Ash yelled gleefully, inching forward as Brock nodded his approval.
"That was nice—but it won't win you the match..." Brock said flatly, feeling his palms sweat from excitement, geodude pumped its fists up. "Metronome is a gamble! You got lucky!"
"Maybe a little bit of luck is all that I needed!" Ash said and then pointed forward, glancing over his shoulder. "Are you watching this Misty? Don't doubt togepi anymore!" Ash growled before setting his sights back on geodude.
From her seat, Misty exhaled. Watching the baby pokemon, which she had taken to pampering over the last month rather than training, her heart twisted in her chest. She hunched forward; aching to protect the egg—and yet also trying to find it in herself to have the same overbearing confidence that Ash had. Her eyes fell on him and the way his shoulders stood stout. Even pikachu, who was typically gorging itself on food and lazily mocking the two of them, stood prepared and on edge. Brock, who she had known to be the calmest gym leader in Kanto, a gym leader not by choice, and a wise guru was worked up and enjoying being challenged by a baby pokemon; from an unlicensed pokemon trainer.
Simply put, Ash had a way about him that made it so damn hard lose faith. Misty cupped her lips with her hands. That's right. She had to trust him; just a little bit.
"Kick some ass!" She cheered in support, trying to bury her worry with words of encouragement. Words that had an effect on the egg and his resolve. He stood bit firmer as it prepared to launch itself forward, even before Ash's command.
"Togepi, use charm!" Grinning, Ash yelled as the egg activated its move; unable to dodge the attack, geodude froze in place, followed by a gentle blush of its stony features which caused his pumped fists to lower slowly. The rock swayed both ways before pounding its fists on the ground and shaking its entire body. Ash snapped his fingers.
There was no way he was going to win using growl and charm they would only confuse the pokemon at best, and that did not include the fact that togepi should not take another hit. He looked carefully at the pokemon which bounced on its own accord to prepare for geodude's next attack. Togepi's shell was chipped. Chipped. He had seen togepi take damage hundreds of times in his dreams and never had it been injured. For a moment, he thought to end the battle—but as if reading his thoughts, the pokemon trembled and danced on. Ash grinned and shook his head.
He would ask togepi later why this match was so important, but for now...
"Geodude, use rollout once more!" an aggravated Brock called. Sure; he was naturally going easy on the young pokemon—Brock wasn't cruel, and Ash knew that, but there was also no reason a baby pokemon should have stood even a slight chance against a seasoned pokemon like geodude. This was absurd! Ash threw up his fists as togepi waited a command. A fluke, if Brock got serious, Ash was in big trouble—so he needed to end the match before that.
"Use metronome!" Ash cried, and the pokemon did once more as geodude rushed forward; as the attack set to land, another light flashed. Seconds later, an ear-shattering, window breaking, smoke rising, whistle blew through the air, followed by a white light, and both egg pokemon and rock pokemon flying in separate directions. Ash covered his eyes, temporarily blinded by the resulting explosion, and then blinked the spots away.
Misty was on her feet, rushing past Ash and towards togepi who had landed against the far wall.
"Explosion." Brock echoed, whistling to himself as he returned geodude to its pokeball; uttering a quick 'good job' before turning to Ash. "You must really have some luck after all." Ash rubbed the back of his neck shamefully as he watched Misty scoop the egg into her arms like a mother hen.
"I suppose so." Ash chuckled uneasily as he watched Misty carry togepi.
"Are you alright, togepi?" Misty asked, eyebrows lowered. Brock paused for a moment.
"Does that pokemon have a ball yet?" Brock asked, watching as Misty brought the pokemon over to trainers box so that Ash could check on togepi himself. However, Misty wouldn't let him touch the pokemon. In her defense, he did just make the egg explode.
Weakly, it looked up at the two trainers.
"...brrrrriiii" it cooed an apology, but Ash smiled down at it and put his index finger forward to bump its nub arm.
"You did great for a first battle. Thank you." Ash mused; Brock's hands fell on his hips.
"I'm impressed! I really am! I haven't seen beginners luck like that..." He paused. "ever, actually!" Misty snapped her head at Brock who was laughing loudly and her eyelids lowered.
"You have no idea." She suggested, recalling Ash's mention that he won all of his badges from luck, and then shared a very knowing glance at him.
"I'll take care of togepi, you finish the match." She pat him on the shoulder apathetically, mentally noting to talk with him after the match—had she not interfered, what kind of luck would he have had otherwise? She stared down at togepi which looked up at her with pleading eyes and she pressed her forehead against his.
"You did a great job." She whispered as Ash nodded his approval for pikachu to take the stand.
Flabbergasted, Brock blinked several times. "You do know electrical attacks have no effect on rock pokemon, don't you?"
"I'm aware!" Ash said with a cheeky grin; Brock found grinning back at Ash.
"Then... Let's see how lucky you are against an onix!" As he spoke, he threw out the pokemon in question and Ash let out a breath. This was just like his battle before—only he did not have pigeotto or butterfree. Only pikachu.
"Did you turn the sprinkler system off?" Ash joked though Brock pointed up.
"You won't have time to set it off!" Brock chanted. "Use smackdown!" Brock called to his giant pokemon; the assortment of large rocks moved quickly, too quickly—it was a numbing feeling watching onix move forward with a blind rush that ended with pikachu squealing painfully beneath the weight of the large pokemon.
"That was fast!" Ash said, shaking his head; pikachu groaned, rolling out from the pokemon as onix reared back to smack the pokemon again. It stumbled backward, staggered backward. Already, pikachu's pudgy body ached and it squealed painstaking.
"Pikachu, use quick attack!" but, given its current state of physical capability; it was instead launched once more, rolling like a ball to Ash's side. He knelt down to look at pikachu, which had swirls forming in its eyes already.
"C'mon, buddy! Don't give up yet." Ash said, but the mouse struggled forward, pressing its paws into the dirt. He heard Brock scoff from the other side of the stadium.
"See, it was just a one-time thing," Brock mentioned but not rudely...almost, disappointingly?
Ash's tempered gaze fell on Brock "I don't think so." Ash mused and then stood up confident.
"Pikachu, jump up and use thunder!" Ash yelled, pointing toward the ceiling for emphasis—he moved a lot during his matches, Misty thought, as she rocked the baby pokemon back and forth.
"Don't let him! Onix, use tackle!" The rock type pokemon pressed forward; its speed once again astounding to Ash, but given the order early; pikachu was able to bound over the rock pokemon and charge its attack. Thunder. It had used it once before in battle. In Ash's dream world, it was the attack pikachu knew best. It was his fall back—it was a devastating move that a pikachu wasn't supposed to know.
Once the growl started, the electricity poured into the pokemon's cheeks—the present curl of his paws into his chest and the upturn of its sharp teeth; Ash felt it. His entire body felt numb—the same way his body reacted during thunderstorms. Ash was anxious, and his stomach did flips. Suddenly, he heard nothing as pikachu let lose one loud, devastating hurl, igniting a spark along the entire stadium area that effectively shocked onix and activated the sprinkler system; as Ash had intended.
"Now you can't use electrical attacks! You'd electrocute yourself!" Brock screamed; though couldn't stop himself from standing amazed at the technique—rather, the creativity of the attack; would this technically be classified as street battling? Was this fit for a gym? The rock trainer inhaled; as did Misty who was on her feet once again, yelling at Ash wobbled strangely on his feet.
Brock shook his head; appalled—but his words fall on deaf ears as Ash's own eyes went deafening wide when pikachu fell from its height, dripping wet from the rain that splashed over their bodies. It landed with dust rising from its feet. Without a proper counter-attack called by Ash, pikachu was coiled between Onix's body and Ash was left breathless; wrapped in his own memory of that day.
Spearow had chased him out of route one's river; he peddled on Misty's bike violently trying to getaway. Thunder roared above his head, rain pelted on every corner of his body and blinded him. His injured friend laid in the basket staring up at him with dopey brown eyes. He told himself he could save pikachu—that they would survive this. For a moment, he was ten again; living in that moment when electricity echoed through every fiber of his being, his core—his muscles, his nerves, and his bones.
It did not hurt; it did not burn. No, electrocuting himself was numbing, he felt tingly all over. When his eyes cracked open from the sound of rustling above his head he saw the image of vibrant, golden yellow flying over his head followed by a colorful rainbow. Ash's breath left his body, looking upon the blue sky so far ahead of him—the rainbows etched above his head. Though he wasn't there now, he saw it; the rainbow covered bird that transcended his entire being moments before the image of a tear-stained ten-year-old redhead shook his body into consciousness.
"Stop the match!" Misty screamed while running at him. The two images crashed into one another; the sweaty ten-year-old with dirt on her face mashing into an older woman with traces of make-up and intense worry. Waving her hand above his face, his eyes finally reconnected to the match, to the gym, to the onix which was squeezing pikachu to an inch of his life.
He was on his back staring up at the ceiling, and his head ached.
"Ash!" Misty called for him, slapping his face gently. She was holding him upright; no, she had caught him. Her arm was draped tightly around his shoulders and his head was somewhere near her lap. He felt the sprinkler water still drenching him through his clothes when he exhaled.
"...rainbows." He muttered, looking up to see the colorful refraction of light that created a halo of colors over Misty's red hair before a sudden and abrupt darkness stilled his every movement.
XOX
"Does he usually pass out like that?" Brock's voice echoed in Ash's head. A weight rested on his forehead, from the sensation, he assumed it was a warm damp cloth and inhaled deeply as Misty's sweet voice cracked the silence. Sweet voice. He wondered when that became an observation.
"No, this is the first time since he woke up that this happened." She muttered; if she looked as pathetic as she sounded, Ash worried for a moment he might have actually really messed up. He felt the pressure of her fingers glide down his face, and he fought the urge to stiffen his features at her touch. He wanted to appear asleep. Curious what they would say.
"You're sure? Because that was pretty strange." Brock said, sounding a bit worried himself—though he had no good reason. Ash figured Brock didn't know him in this timeline—not even a battle could bring him back. Damn it. Ash had hoped following the same pattern would stir some emotion.
"I'm sure. I think it had something to do with pikachu's thunder attack." Misty grimaced; he heard the infliction of her voice—as well as pikachu shifting on his chest. Pikachu was heavy and let out a whimper under his breath to repeat that he was sorry for using the attack and causing this.
"It wasn't your fault, pikachu." Misty assured the defeated pokemon as she stroked its back gently. Ash smiled inwardly and Brock rolled his shoulders.
"And you're telling me I should know him?"
"Well," Misty paused. "You shouldn't know him. But we thought that since you were in his world you might... remember some things."
"That's kind of, you know, crazy." Brock ushered, and Misty's sigh sounded like one with a shrug attached to it.
"It is crazy." She turned to Brock, her voice weaved with concern. "But...scarily accurate."
"And you know this...how?" His skeptical voice made Ash's heart heavy.
"He knew me before I opened my mouth to who I was." Misty explained, "And his pikachu knows about everything, too." Misty added, as if that was enough of a reason.
"So you thought I might remember because I spent the most dream time with him?"
"He thought if he battled you, you would remember something... I don't know." Misty spoke frustratedly, standing up beside Ash's bed. "As I said, it's a really long story." She assured him, biting her thumbnail.
"And...in this dream, what role did I play?" Brock asked skeptically, but before Misty answered—and she would have—honestly. A flustered Ash peeked opened his eyes weakly.
"Misty...?" he grumbled, cutting her off before she revealed that Brock was considered his "Sexual frustration", that wasn't exactly an ice breaker he was wanting to explore at the moment.
"Oh, thank mew you're awake!" Misty mused, rushing back to his side and yanking him into a hug as he moved to sit up and roll pikachu into his lap. Beside him, at the crook of his neck, he hadn't noticed togepi was sleeping; wearing bandages on its head to account for the wounds it sustained in battle; as well as a gel over the crack in its shell. He hummed in his sleep.
"Ow, Misty. You're hurting me." He groaned, feeling her arms slack against his back before she wheeled backward and glared at him.
"You, Ash Ketchum." She said dangerously, forgetting about Brock, and he gulped in response. "What the hell was that?"
Ash feigned innocence, "Was what?"
"You fainted." Misty groaned as Brock stepped beside the bed. Ash couldn't look at him because he was slightly ashamed of his admittance that Brock, this stranger was apart of his dream world. Why would Misty tell Brock? How long had Ash been out?
"I did? How?" Ash asked, scratching the back of his neck.
"I don't know. One second you were standing up, and then the next second you were lying on your back. We ended the match there. Brock was kind enough to lend you his couch." She scolded, trying to look at him in the eye—perhaps he had only gotten light-headed.
"Maybe you got too excited?" Brock asked and Misty shrugged her shoulders; as did Ash.
"I'm not sure." He muttered, rubbing his head—vaguely recalling the image he saw before he passed out. "Sorry about the match..." Ash said, rubbing his shoulder and feeling a bit ashamed of himself.
"It's no problem—though next time, just ask if I remember anything. Misty explained your situation, at least the gist of it, while you were sleeping." Brock said while crossing his arms. Ash scratched his cheek timidly.
"I'm sorry, it's just weird I guess," Ash said while Misty nodded. Brock understood that; though, looking at these two trainers before him—one being a gym leader he had met a thousand times, but felt he only really met the real Misty today, he was simply astounded by their personalities.
"It's no problem." Brock assured him. "I would have done the same thing."
"Really? So you believe me, then?" Ash asked eagerly, hopefully.
"I didn't say that." Brock mused, taking a step back. "Misty explained some of it, but...well.."
"It's weird." Ash finished and scratched the back of his neck once more, rubbing the skin raw under his calloused fingers.
"Well, she said you gave her proof—where's my proof?" Brock inquired, intrigued by Ash who glanced at Misty for approval; the latter shrugged her shoulders gently.
"Well; to start, I know you always wanted to be a pokemon breeder—and that if you had the chance you would become a pokemon doctor; also that you have a billion siblings you were forced to take care of after your parents abandoned you."
"Yeah, that's right. But that isn't really uncommon knowledge." Brock guessed, but Ash wasn't finished yet.
"And your father came back to take over the gym—which makes me question why you never left." Ash pointed at Brock, who's face grew pale; as did Misty's.
"My father is dead." Brock smacked his lips, and then something cold washed over his face—the amusement gone. Ash's brown eyes grew wide at the notion, and his mouth hung open pathetically—he had obviously hit a sore spot, but wasn't sure how to fix what he said.
"Okay, I played along." He addressed the line to Misty who knew the gesture better than Ash and gathered her things to leave quickly.
"But trying to use someone who woke up with 'dreams' to bribe me into voting you in as an elite-four member... That's low for you, Misty." He hissed, glaring at Misty.
"I'm not lying about it—he knows things." Misty grimaced, pulling a wobbling Ash to his feet and staring firmly into Brock's eyes. Under her breath she added: "and I'm not bribing you with anything."
"What's going on?" Ash asked her, while she carried togepi. Pikachu climbed onto Ash's right shoulder; Brock hissed at them. Ash grimaced as he came to the conclusion that Brock really didn't remember anything—no, the angry gym leader was the opposite of Ash's memories.
"You had me going for a minute there, I will admit. The battle, the lack of experience; but that story? Bringing my father into it? Really?" Brock scoffed and shook his head unpleasantly.
"What happened to him?" Ash asked, and Brock almost growled in return.
"None of your business. Just get out." He growled, pointing to the exit door that Misty didn't give Ash time to fight her on. Still wobbly from fainting, Ash allowed Misty to drag him away as he watched Brock's eyes cast downward as he sat back to look at the palms of his hands. Ash only looked forward when Misty flipped open the umbrella by releasing his hand.
"What happened?" Ash asked and Misty glanced back at Ash as the door swung shut behind them.
"Why did you bring up Brock's dad, Ash?" Misty groaned, rubbing her temples as Ash blinked innocently.
"Because Brock's dad is the one who took over the gym...?" he said matter-of-fact, confused beyond reason. He thought that their conversation was going well—he even got to battle, why was he now being escorted out so quickly?
Misty lowered her eyebrows at Ash and then patted him on the shoulder. "We'll come back later to talk with Brock." Misty said, avoiding the answer that Ash wanted; he seemed to suck back air and glower at the female.
"Why, what happened to him?" At first, Misty clucked her tongue; not wanting to delve into a gym leader's personal life, but since she and Ash were a rumor; what was the worst that could happen from telling Ash.
"I don't know a lot about Brock, or why he stays as a gym leader—these are things you would have to ask him." Misty said to verify and then a small, weak smile graced her lips. "But I do know that his father died some five years ago... Brock used to spend a lot of time running in and out of meetings to visit his father in the hospital."
Ash's mouth fell open as he glanced at Misty who smiled back at him; recalling Dr. Abby's words about why Brock had been so familiar in his dreams. His voice hitched in his breath.
"Do you know why he was in the hospital?" Ash asked weakly, and Misty shrugged her shoulders.
"There's been...rumors." Misty cleared her throat. "That Brock's father knew about Giovanni, and it was Team Rocket who caused the whole ordeal by blackmailing former gym leaders... but... it can't be proven."
Ash gaped at her comment: "Then we need to go talk to Brock and help him!"
"Ash, this happened years ago." she groaned, slapping her forehead. "Giovanni is in jail, and Team Rocket has been disbanded."
"I need to apologize." he said frantically.
"Do it later." She said hastily. "I told him everything—let him mull it over on his own time." Misty barked in return. Her stern composure made for Ash to lower his shoulders; feeling guilt wash over his entire body.
"How was I supposed to know?" Ash said pathetically looking down at his shoes.
Surprisingly, Misty wrapped her right arm around Ash's shoulders; a friendly hug that she followed by forcing herself to pat his shoulder and rock togepi. At the sudden touch, Ash looked up at her with wide, questioning eyes and a faint blush.
"I know, Ash." She said reassuringly, "But... there's a lot you don't know." she said, and then grinned, looking ahead. "But that just means that there is that much more to learn, right?"
When she turned to look at him, his height, which had always been nothing more than a number to her—as she always viewed him smaller than her, seemed to escalate, and under the umbrella, she saw very well how much his body had changed since he first woke up. He stood only an inch taller than her, but his spiky hair accounted for at least another inch as his brown eyes gazed down at hers. Physically, they were only a few inches apart; his arm was crushed beneath her raised arm which had wrapped around his wide back to pull him into the hug they were currently embraced in. In the protection from the rain, noise on the street disappeared and Misty found her breath stalled in her lungs and pain burst in her chest with each thump of her heart.
Ash watched her with a quizzical expression; probably wondering why she was looking at him with such wide eyes, and why she had insistently pulled him into a lopsided hug. Ash stifled his comment and watched the crinkle of her nose as she dropped her arm quickly, and reared backward; into the rain.
"What are you doing?" he hissed, watching the droplets of water stain his clothes wet and tried to approach her once again with the umbrella; but she seemed uninterested in it as she ran forward, face as red as a tomato.
"Misty!" he called to her, running after her as she shook her head violently. "What's gotten into you!?" He shouted painfully while a still slightly injured pikachu laughed from his perch on Ash's right shoulder.
XOXs
Brock watched their exchange with a glum expression; his body lax against the window sill as he watched Misty and Ash leave the gym. Misty knew without words that Brock was tempted to call the league on her for deceiving a gym leader—though he knew that he would never have done such a thing. Not to Ash... though he couldn't exactly recall why it was he couldn't bring himself to harm the trainer, or his pokemon. Geodude should have easily beaten togepi, whatever type of pokemon that was, and had Ash not violently passed out., Brock would have defeated pikachu, too.
...Only, he did not want to. Some part of him wanted this stranger to be unreasonably successful. Brock hummed to himself as Misty took off in a sprint—and smiled weakly. Seeing gym leaders with trainers again; that's what intrigued Brock the most. Ash went out of his way to not only battle Brock, but try to talk to him. Most trainers wanted the badge so they could move onto the next big-league match, the next tournament—in the end, gym leaders were only stepping stones for trainers; and they were usually treated as such. Brock grinned at their backs, though a swirl of uncertainly crossed into his chest.
Ash shouldn't have known anything about his father—surely, Misty didn't either. Yet he came in here asking—maybe Brock was a little rude to throw the trainer out; but... he couldn't take that chance. When his father died, so did Pewter Gym's association with Team Rocket—if Ash and Misty were delving into that—if this was Misty's way of threatening Brock with that knowledge... well...
Ash knew him, huh? Brock glanced at the computer resting in the corner of his office. He approached the desk and slid out the chair and plopped onto the seat where he smacked his lips together and cracked his knuckles; typing into the search engine "Ash Ketchum".
Brock would simply have to learn about Ash Ketchum, too.
XOXs
When they arrived back at the pokemon center bedroom they shared; a newspaper article headlined as "rampaging charizard" had been tossed beneath the door that Misty stepped on during her jolt to the bathroom.
Ash groaned at his friend—she was soaked, again.
"Pi!" The yellow mouse yelped from Ash's shoulder as he moved his foot to see the newspaper he had been standing on, and his face lit up as he quickly scooped up the article and looked at the mouse which has a bandage on its right cheek.
Could it be?
...