A/N: Thank you so much for your warm response! It really is great to be back, and so here's another long chapter, and nicely on time for a change ;) This chapter was so much fun to write! But I won't hold you up any longer, go on and read :)

To Guest: I'm very happy to hear you're enjoying the story so much, thank you very much :D And the tension will be over in approximately… never :P No, just kidding, there will be a happy ending… I hope XD And Brock definitely deserves a nice girlfriend, doesn't he? Let's cross our fingers for him. Thank you for your nice review! :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Leave It To Brocko

Chapter 27

We had been due to arrive around lunchtime, and the ferry did not disappoint; half an hour before noon, the ship docked.

Hoenn, at last. We'd gone through enough to get here, so it would be nice to relax here for-

"Let's battle!"

Or not.

With the baby Buneary and Team Rocket I had almost forgotten about Paul's promised battle, but Ash most definitely hadn't. Most preferably Ash would've gone off and battled Paul straight away, but fortunately we managed to convince him to have lunch first.

The lunch was not in any way relaxing, Ash made sure of that. He inhaled his food even faster than usual, and within half an hour we were outside again, looking for a suitable battle field. Even Paul looked vaguely annoyed by his rival's rush.

But he had promised Ash a battle when we arrived in Slateport City, and here we were, so a battle he would get. Not even Dawn, with a calm and reasonable explanation about how she and Paul would be with us until the crossroads towards Mauville City and that they would have time enough to battle, so if he please would slow down, could make him change his mind.

And so, within an hour of our arrival, we found ourselves sitting on the edge of the small battlefield behind the Slateport City Pokémon Center. Ash and Paul had agreed on an one-on-one battle, and Leaf refereed. Pikachu and Torterra were sent out once again, and this time they weren't interrupted by a panicked captain.

I was not surprised by the ferocity and brutality of the battle, as both sides were very experienced, and though I didn't know about Paul, I knew for sure that Ash and Pikachu hadn't had a proper battle in too long. That pent-up energy was now released, and it served for quite a spectacle. But whoever thought it was just raw strength was sadly mistaken, because strategies were laid out, tactics improvised, and tricks used and avoided by both the trainers and the Pokémon.

It was truly spectacular.

Both sides had taken some damage – Torterra a bit more than Pikachu – and Paul's strategy to capture Pikachu with the roots of Frenzy Plant had just failed. Torterra had been left open for attack, an opportunity Ash took with both hands, Pikachu's Iron Tail hitting the Grass/Ground Pokémon full on the head.

I cringed in sympathy, and Dawn clenched her hands in her lap. Her eyes shifted between Ash and Paul, and I suspected that she didn't know who she wanted to win.

Gary and Misty were both rooting for Ash, Misty quite a bit more enthusiastically than Gary, with full-blown yelling coming from her. It seemed like a combination of encouragements, threats and insults. Leaf was of course impartial, and I had to admit that I was mentally rooting for Ash.

But I could understand Dawn's problem. Paul was not an easy person to cheer for, and that his opponent was one of her best friends made it all the more difficult. Yet I knew with almost complete certainty that Ash would not be offended if Dawn choose to cheer for Paul. In fact, he would probably encourage it, glad that Paul had someone to cheer for him. Ash was selfless like that.

I leaned over to Dawn, and she started up from the battle. Torterra had finally managed to get in a Mega Drain, but the effect was decreased by the Quick Attack from Pikachu that followed. The huge Pokémon was simply no match for Pikachu's speed, even though its sturdy defenses managed to keep most damage at bay. Still, that wouldn't help any if Torterra didn't manage to get in a few hits itself.

"He's losing," Dawn muttered to me, and I didn't have to ask which 'he' she was talking about.

"Ash won't mind, you know," I told her. "If you want to cheer for Paul, I mean."

She flushed slightly, and I wondered, not for the first time, how much had happened between her and Paul last night.

For a few moments she stared ahead unseeingly, before nodding determinedly. She nodded, and then ducked in her bag, before appearing again, holding two pink pom-poms. She hesitated one short moment, before jumping up.

"Go Paul!" she yelled, startling Pokémon, trainers and audience. "Go Torterra! You can do it! Woo!"

The Pokémon on the field froze mid-battle, Torterra looking quite befuddled, but Paul's face was as unreadable as ever. Ash closed his mouth, a half-smile on his face. Her cheeks reddening, but otherwise showing no signs of embarrassment, she broke out in a full cheer.

"We're gonna B-E-A-T!

"We're gonna B-U-S-T!

"We're gonna beat them, bust them, that's our custom,

"Come on, Torterra, let's roll all over them!

"Goooooooooo Paul!"

"Torterra, use Stone Edge!" Using the brief moment of Ash and Pikachu's inattentiveness that followed Dawn's cheer, Paull called out the attack immediately, and his Pokémon did so without hesitation.

Not even Pikachu could avoid the rocks, and the attack hit the small Pokémon hard. At Ash's command, it followed up with a Quick Attack, and changed it to an Iron Tail at the last moment.

Torterra stayed steady and grabbed Pikachu with a Giga Drain, partly healing its own damage and leaving its victim panting.

"Finish it off with Frenzy Plant!"

"Avoid it, Pikachu!"

But Pikachu could only follow Ash's panicked command so much, and the huge roots coming from the ground were simply unavoidable this time.

The yellow Pokémon landed on the ground with a thud.

For several seconds, I watched the scene with bated breath, before Leaf called out the decisive words. "Pikachu is unable to battle, Torterra is the winner! The battle goes to Paul!"

Ash ran to his fallen friend straight way, Paul following him on the field at a more leisurely pace. Misty was looking rather worried from her seat on the side, Gary frowning, but both relaxed when Pikachu appeared to be as fine as he could be in this circumstances.

As soon as Dawn saw that, a huge grin broke out on her face and she ran onto the field as well.

"You did amazing!" she gushed, enthusiastically hugging Torterra. The Pokémon looked at its Trainer in confusion, unsure how to react to the strange girl that was hugging him.

"Get used to it," Paul said gruffly, and Dawn laughed at that, releasing the Pokémon. Paul muttered something and patted Torterra on its back, before recalling it. He was moving towards the Pokémon Center, following Ash with Pikachu in his arms, but Dawn was not to be deterred.

"You were really good," I heard her compliment him, as I walked behind them at a decent distance to give them the sense of privacy. Leaf, Misty and Gary followed us at a more relaxed pace. Paul merely hmph'ed in response to Dawn.

As Dawn continued to talk enthusiastically about the battle and how good it had been, it almost seemed as if Paul was growing somewhat uncomfortable.

"Torterra did the most," he finally said, shrugging slightly and not looking at her.

"But you were good, too," she persisted, smiling at him when he finally looked at her.

After a few moments of silence, Paul finally sighed in defeat, his face softening in an annoyed half smile.

"Thank you." It sounded more exasperated than grateful.

Dawn beamed. "Get used to it."

For all its disadvantages, the love square had one huge advantage.

It pretty much forced Paul and Dawn in each other's company. Both of them had noticed the tension between the four and neither of them felt inclined to get involved in the drama. Paul had made that very clear the one time that Gary had tried to hold a conversation about girls with him.

Unfortunately, I was very much involved in their drama, and so I was once agreeing with Gary, that yes, Misty was truly beautiful, and the next moment with Leaf, about how funny Ash could be. It was exhausting and annoying, and I had yet to produce a solution that would satisfy all four of them.

And it was only getting worse.

Yesterday, after Ash and Paul's battle, we had spent the rest of the day relaxing and resting at the Pokémon Center, and this morning we had started out early on Route 110. We had progressed swiftly, and we were reaching the T-junction where Route 103 joined Route 110.

And where Paul and Dawn would leave me.

True, they spent most of the time together, but they were still the only sane ones left in this group. I couldn't handle the love square without them! I would go crazy!

Okay, I was being melodramatic. I could do this. I had done this before, so I could do this again. Besides, Dawn and Paul needed some time together, just the two of them. They would head to Mauville City on Route 110, while we would go west towards Oldale Town.

And besides my own woes of being left alone, I couldn't help but worry the slightest bit for Paul and Dawn. Especially Dawn. They were getting on well, and I knew Dawn could take care of herself, but still…

Plus, there was the small issue that they still weren't a couple yet and that I might be a little bit disappointed that I would probably not see that happen. But only a little. Really.

Okay, maybe a bit more than a little. I mean, I did all that work to get them closer, and now they were going to leave me without any real closure? Yes, they were close and yes, there was the chance that they might get together without my help, but still!

Sadly, not even my silent whining could change the present, and so, in the late afternoon, Dawn and Paul got ready to say their goodbyes.

Ash was saying a few words to Paul, while Dawn went and gave everyone teary-eyed hugs.

"Good luck with him, and let me know if you need any help, 'kay?" I told her, when Dawn hugged me tight. She squeezed in response, before letting go again.

"Don't worry, Brocko, I can do this." She grinned, slightly flushed and glancing back at Paul, who was just finishing his conversation with Ash. "I can totally do this."

As Dawn continued on to Misty, and Ash walked back to our group, I moved towards the purple-haired trainer. I couldn't resist giving him one last advice.

"Take care of her," I told him, and I gave him an actual genuinely serious stare.

He stared back at me for a moment, before giving me a curt nod. My demeanor relaxed, and with a grin I slapped him on the shoulder. He didn't seem to appreciate it, and I hasted back to our side.

Finally, after about a dozen more goodbyes, see ya's and good luck's, we turned our backs to Route 110 and Paul and Dawn, and went off to Route 103.

For a while it went well. We wanted to get in a few last miles before we stopped for dinner and the night. I was talking with Misty, while Gary, Ash and Leaf were discussing something about Pallet Town.

But of course the peace couldn't last.

"Look, a shortcut!" Ash exclaimed, running forward and pointing to a sign. It was a piece of wood, half-heartedly hammered to a stick, with in glimmering red paint the words Shortcut Route 103 and an arrow to the bushes.

There didn't even appear to be a path, but before any of us could say so, Ash had already disappeared.

This wasn't good. The odds of this actually being a genuine shortcut were, to be optimistic, non-existent. This was definitely a trap from Team Rocket, it had to be. The paint was still wet!

But Ash and Pikachu had already continued on, and Gary, Leaf and Misty followed, yelling at him to slow down and to be careful. Greenery and foliage blocked my view as I hastened after them, at a slower pace but all my senses on high alert. I kept looking around me, expecting Team Rocket to appear every moment now.

Ash screamed, and it was soon followed by more yells from the others. Panic set in, and I broke out in a run. I froze when I came to a clearing, the four teenagers and Pikachu all waist-deep in the ground.

That was when I realized my own feet were stuck as well. I tried to pull them out in a reflex, but I only managed to get in deeper, until the ground was half-way my upper legs.

And there came the culprits.

Team Rocket.

Of course.

"No motto," Meowth said quickly, when Jessie opened her mouth to start. "Swift and quick, rememba?"

Before either of us could react, a smaller version of the Pokéball magnet they had used in Unova appeared, and our Pokéballs were sucked to the magnet. With another device, Meowth captured Pikachu in a glass ball with embarrassing ease – the poor Electric Type had been stuck in to its neck in the ground.

"I'll go bring Pikachu to da balloon," Meowth said, and disappeared back in the bushes.

"Give Pikachu back! Give our Pokémon back!" Ash demanded fiercely, for some reason naively thinking that perhaps with yelling he could convince them to turn good, free us and make them give our Pokémon back.

Yeah, right.

"What is this stuff? Quicksand?" Gary questioned, and Jessie laughed. She always liked showing off their inventions and showing how much better they were. It had been their downfall more than once and I hoped that perhaps it would be this time too.

"Better than quicksand," she boasted. "Did you know that real quicksand doesn't suck you in wholly? That's only something that happens in movies. But this…" She spread her arms, indicating the clearing. "This is artificial quicksand, and better than the original." She chuckled evilly.

"It's pretty awesome, isn't it?" James grinned. "Plus, we won't get sucked in because…" He paused for dramatic effect. "We have this!" He pointed to his shoes, which had some sort of transparent plastic stuck around them.

"With this specially produced plastic, we can walk over the ground as if it's normal!" Jessie laughed again, while James went to demonstrate, walking across the quicksand, though making sure he stayed out of our reach.

Not sure enough though.

Quickly, I stuck out my arm and grabbed his ankle, and he fell face-first in the quicksand. He struggled, managing to get his face free as he pushed his arms deeper in the quicksand. Jessie immediately came to his rescue, grabbing his upper arms in an attempt to pull him out. She managed to get him upright again, but when James tried to pull out his feet, he misbalanced.

With a high-pitched shriek he fell again, clutching to Jessie as he pulled her down with him. Yelling, cursing and flailing of arms followed, and their struggling only ended when both of them were shoulder-deep in the dirt, arms stuck below the surface.

This was not good.

"Don't fight it!" Gary admonished them. "It'll only pull you in faster!"

Admittedly, it stopped them from going in any further, but they were still a pathetic sight.

"You stupid twerp!" Jessie yelled at me, anger coloring her face red. "This is all your fault-"

"This is not our fault!" Misty rushed to my defense, screaming even louder than Jessie. "If you'd just gotten a life and left us alone, this wouldn't have happened and we weren't all going to die!"

Jessie paled and snapped her mouth shut. A moment of awkward silence followed.

"Okay, if we just stop fighting, and work together, we might find a way out of this," Leaf said, and Gary nodded in agreement. "Does anyone have something useful in their bags, maybe? A rope, or… something else…?"

None of us had a rope, but Misty pulled out a fishing rod. We tried to get the line around a tree, but during one of the first tries it flew out of Gary's sweaty hands and out of our reach.

Misty cursed, and everyone looked at each other helplessly.

Several moments of silence followed, before James suddenly yelled for Meowth. Jessie joined in a moment later, and then Ash and Misty. Gary was frowning in thought, and Leaf was trying to reach for an overhanging branch. The screamers had a point, of course. Meowth was still out there, and we all needed his help. The sand was reaching my waist, and Misty was already covered to her stomach.

I added my voice to the cacophony, stretched out as far as I could, tried to grab a branch, a leaf, anything – but it was useless. I even used a pair of jeans as a makeshift rope, but every attempt was as futile as the one before it. We were all slowly but steadily getting swallowed by the ground, and Jessie and James were going to go first.

When the sand reached their necks, their cries died away, and as if on cue, everyone stopped their attempts to look at them.

I was the closest to them, and in a last ditch-effort, I tried to reach for them with my jeans, but to no avail. Something heavy settled in my stomach as I watched how hope fled their features. The teenagers' faces darkened as well, even Ash's usual optimistic expression gone.

"We're going to die," James said in a morose voice. It missed its usual flair and dramatics, and its serious tone made the words all the more scarier.

I had been in a lot – a lot – of dangerous situations in which death and injury were too close for comfort in my travels with Ash Ketchum, but this was different from before. Even recently, with the plane crash in Unova, that had been adrenaline filled, explosive, fast-moving, but this…

This was slow, helpless, hopeless, simply waiting for the ground to close above your head, cutting off you off from sunlight and precious oxygen. Not only that, I would be forced to watch how everyone would disappear in the ground, Jessie and James first.

Six feet under.

The ironic thought rose unbidden in my mind, and I tasted bile. They were the bad guys, but they weren't... evil. They weren't really a threat, more like a chore you had to do every few days. Annoying and tiring, but not dangerous.

They didn't deserve to die like this.

"Now would be a good time for heartfelt confessions and apologies," I said, and I wasn't sure where the words were coming from. Maybe it was my matchmaking making a last appearance, or maybe it was just my horrible sense of humor trying to lighten the situation.

Although I guessed I had aimed the comment at Gary and Leaf, and Ash and Misty, the Rockets were the ones that actually reacted. Maybe because their death was more imminent. I shuddered again.

"James," Jessie said in a soft voice, her eyes shining with tears. "I'm so- I'm so sorry for all those stupid things I've done to you. Always hitting you and blaming you and, and-" Tears were choking her up, and I looked away.

I couldn't stand this. I couldn't watch them die.

"And, and," she continued, "you've been the best teammate I could wish for, and you're… you're my best friend, and…" Her voice broke again, lowered to a mere whisper, but even though my eyes were shut tight, my ears were wide open and I couldn't block the sounds of the heavy words that followed. "I love you."

James didn't respond. A choked, female sob came from one of the teenagers, and I opened my eyes in reflex, needing confirmation that they were still there-

"I love you, too, Jessie," James said, before pressing his lips against hers in a last desperate movement.

I turned away, refusing to watch how the sand closed around their faces. Misty and Leaf were clutching to each other, the dirt up to their chests. Gary was blinking fast, arms wrapped around himself, and silent tears were streaming down Ash's face.

My vision blurred, and my heartbeat thumped loudly in my ears. This can't be… I refuse… It can't- it can't- Oh Arceus, please…

My body acted on its own as I turned my head back to Jessie and James. The cruel sight of only the top of their heads, the pink and lavender against dirty brown, burned in my retinas, and I choked on air.

Oh no. Oh Arceus, oh Mew, oh please gods, anyone… No…

Brocko, Brocko, please… It isn't meant to end like this… It can't… Oh please…

A/N: …Oh my gosh… I'm so sorry, everyone! I had actually tears in my eyes when I finished writing this. (I've never killed off a character, you know.) But… There you have it, IkariShipping and RocketShipping, but not quite. I actually hadn't planned this chapter like this, but it just… happened. By the way, I hope the battle made sense/was not too horrible, because writing battles is definitely not my strength. Also, if you're wondering where Dawn's cheer came from, I just plucked one from the internet and changed it a bit. And they're finally in Hoenn! Was about time XD

Thank you all for reading, and reviews are as always very appreciated! Thank you!

Recommendations:

Pokémon: Don't Make Me Laugh by suzukeii. FFN. A short multi-chapter about Gary and Leaf (because I don't think I've ever recommended one about them before). It's fun and light-hearted and with a light touch of fourth-wall breaking, and it's all about Gary, Leaf and a hilarious bet. Definitely recommended :D

Pokémon: Cross That Line! by The Light's Refrain. FFN. An one-shot that might seem strange at first, but has a quite nice surprise for the Shippers among us (and I don't mean BugsyxFalkner Shippers, sorry guys). Bugsy and Falkner have a race, and somehow they manage to ruin several important… moments for certain characters that I will not mention because that would spoil it. Actually, I really can't say any more because that would ruin the story for you. But it contains some of my favorite Shippings, and that's all I'll say for this one. Incrediblely fun!

Harry Potter: Idiosyncrasies by . FFN. A short story written from three different point of views, which gives the reader more and more information until the story makes so much sense it's just perfect. And of course it's just an amazingly cute Katie Bell/Oliver Wood story.

Send me any recommendations of your own if you'd like!