A/N: So many reviews, guys, that's amazing, thank you! Your support is really overwhelming, I'm super grateful :D I'm so sorry about the lack of replies, I'll get to it soon, but it's the end of the school year so I'm really busy right now. But, it's almost over, so… :D

Now, onto the next chapter!

To Aureillia: Yup, you saw that right XD And I was thinking along the lines of metamorphic, even though that didn't start with a P haha. Thank you very much for your review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the picture used as cover.

Leave It To Brocko

Chapter 30

"Argh!" Leaf let out a loud, unintelligible sound, and Ash gave her a startled look. She caught his eyes, then marched over to him, a finger raised accusingly at him.

"This is all your fault- And yours-" She swiveled around to Misty, before turning to me. "And I'm sure you have something to do with this as well!"

Before either of us could say anything in response to her accusations, she turned our back to us.

"I've had enough of this!" she yelled in frustration, stomping off in the direction Gary had gone. "Get your butt back here, Oak! Don't you dare be such a coward and come and…"

As Leaf's shouting faded out, Ash, Pikachu, Misty and I were left alone.

"I did something wrong, didn't I?" Ash looked completely lost, glancing between Misty and me for an answer. Misty put her head back in her hands, sighing heavily, and this response didn't seem to comfort the raven-haired boy. He looked to me, desperately, but I couldn't conjure up a reassuring answer quick enough, and this was enough for Ash's face to completely fall.

"So it's my fault," he muttered dejectedly, and Pikachu nudged his cheek in a gesture of comfort.

Before I could deny that, or reassure him, or even say anything at all, Misty spoke.

"No, Ash, it's not your fault." She wasn't looking at him, but staring straight ahead, her arms wrapped around her legs and her head resting on her knees. "If anything, this is all my fault-"

"That's not true!" Ash cut in, fiercely, and Misty looked up in surprise at his strong reaction. He caught himself, and continued in a gentler tone, "I- I mean, it isn't your fault, Misty."

"It is," she insisted.

"It isn't." Ash looked fiercely determined, though he didn't argue his point further. For a moment, Misty seemed as if she wanted to respond, turn this into an argument I had heard too many from them, but her face sobered and she turned away again.

Somehow, Ash managed to look even more dejected than before, and Pikachu was looking between Misty, Ash and me, before his eyes finally settled on me, silently pleading to do something.

"Why don't we continue with setting up camp?" I finally said. Pikachu narrowed its eyes in annoyance at my avoidance of the issue. Honestly, that creature just didn't understand my reasoning. Those two just needed a little time to think about everything, set everything straight, you know.

That, and the fact that I had no idea what else to do.

Both Misty and Ash nodded their consent, and while Ash dropped his firewood and started to continue working on the fire, Misty and I turned to my bag to start on dinner.

I lost track of time as I cooked. Ash and Misty busied themselves with taking care of the Pokémon, and it was only when the food was done I realized that Gary and Leaf still hadn't returned yet.

When I looked at the restless and unsure expressions on my companions' faces, I found that they had already noticed so too, but were merely waiting for me to take the lead.

I was hesitant to raise the question, but I realized the necessity of it. Even though Leaf and Gary were capable trainers and not stupid and deserved their privacy, there was also the odd chance that Team Rocket had returned with their artificial quicksand, or they had fallen off a cliff, or whatever- They were travelling in a group and they would have to face the consequences, which in this case would be the concern of their companions.

"Gary and Leaf still haven't returned yet," I said, and Ash and Misty nodded.

"Do you think they are together?" Misty asked.

"Hm-hm," I said, while both Ash and Misty nodded; she had been expecting this answer.

There was some silence, in which I realized that neither Ash or Misty would be suitable to look for Leaf and Gary – if the two were still arguing, seeing either of them would probably make the situation only worse.

"I'll go look for them," I said, and the two nodded in response. "If there's anything suspicious going on, I'll send Crobat."

Misty nodded solemnly, and Ash said, "Take care, Brock."

"Stay safe," I told them, nodding at Pikachu, before turning to the forest.

We were probably being overly worried, but with what we had all gone through, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Seriously though, it was probably nothing.

After several minutes of walking through the dense forest, the old worry was starting to resurface. What if they were lost? Attacked by a wild Pokémon and injured? Kidnapped-

Moaning.

My adrenaline skyrocketed. In a well-practiced reflex I had my enlarged Pokéball with Crobat in one hand and the one with Sudowoodo in the other one.

Caught, then, I thought as I burst through the bushes. Branches scraped my arms and I heard a tearing sound. Bound and gagged. Team Rocket, maybe? I dismissed the speculation of who for the moment, focusing on saving them.

It got lighter, I was nearing a clearing, my palms were sweaty and I was breathing heavily, a knot of fearful nerves in my stomach-

And then I found them.

For a ridiculous moment, I thought they were fighting, wrestling on the ground. But honestly, that was much too innocent.

They were in the middle of a make-out session.

"Oh Arceus." I felt myself deflate in relief, and cursed at my own stupidity. My heart was still racing from the adrenaline.

"Brock!" The two of them jumped up and apart, but their embarrassment lasted only for a moment. Then Gary put an arm around Leaf and was smirking smugly – but really, I could see the genuine happiness in his expression.

And Leaf could so, too, because she swatted Gary playfully, before putting her hand on his back and beaming at me.

"You guys-" I almost wanted to be angry at them, but they were smiling so cheekily and happily at me, and they were okay and not-kidnapped, and they were together, too, so instead I just shook my head.

"Let's get back to camp." I sighed, an exasperated smile on my face as I turned my back to them.

I heard Gary whisper something to Leaf, and she giggled in response. My smile grew wider.

At least something good had come out of this day.

"'s weally 'ood," Ash tried to communicate with us, but the food in his mouth prevented the message from being clear. Something about the food being good, if I had to make an educated guess.

"Ash, please, we're in public," Misty admonished him, but it didn't hold her usual fire. Ash, too, seemed to notice this, and he actually slowed down in devouring his sandwich.

We were sitting in a small lunchroom in Oldale Town – the only one in the small town – having just arrived here. It was good to be finally able to sit down and enjoy food that I hadn't gone through the trouble to make myself.

Ash had fallen silent after Misty's remark, and the silence among the three of us was only more pronounced by the animated conversation that Gary and Leaf were having. I tried to pick up the thread of our conversation again, and Ash eagerly joined me.

Just after Ash had managed to coax Misty back in our discussion – she had been even moodier than usual, after Leaf and Gary had returned together yesterday – Gary plunged her right back into her silence by grabbing Leaf's hand.

It was impossible not to see how Ash's face fell, and I faltered in the middle of my sentence. Gary conveniently used this gap to call our attention to himself.

"Uh guys," he said. His hand was still on Leaf's, and the smile of the girl was a bit held back. "Leaf and I have an announcement to make."

As Gary continued speaking, my mind connected the signs in an impossible way: their hands touching, Leaf's peculiar smile, Gary's choice of words-

"Isn't that a bit quick?"

Ash's words pulled me back to the real world, though they didn't bring me any comfort. Wasn't it indeed a bit soon to get married?

"We just wanted to get in some extra miles today," Leaf explained, and Gary nodded.

That… didn't make sense. Then my logical mind finally kicked back into gear and quickly and thoroughly removed the idiotic thought of Leaf and Gary getting married from my mind.

"Littleroot Town is nice," Ash said in mild agreement.

Leaf nodded. "We want to board a boat there, and just see where it gets us."

"So you want to continue without us?" I asked. By the looks I got, I figured it had already been asked while I had momentarily lost my sanity.

"Yes, if you guys are okay with that," Leaf said politely. Even if we weren't okay with that, we didn't really have a choice, did we? We couldn't force them to come with us.

Well. I suppose we could kidnap them, if we were quick. They wouldn't see a surprise attack coming now-

I mentally shook my head. Too many witnesses.

"Of course," I said jovially, forcing myself back to reality. I winked at them, to which Leaf shot me a light glare and Gary grinned. "I completely understand."

Ash was actually looking disappointed. Though at times the atmosphere between the four of them had been tense, and their problems more than numerous, in the end Gary was a good friend of Ash, and before Ash's rejection Leaf and he had gotten on well too.

He would miss them, I think. I would, too. Not their problems and all the complications they had brought to my plans, I wouldn't miss that, but Leaf's witty humor had often made the early mornings more bearable and Gary was always interesting to talk to, with his vast knowledge about Pokémon and researching.

"Well, we'll miss ya guys, but I understand," Ash said, a note of disappointment still in his voice. Misty just nodded, forcing a pleasant smile on her face.

"You guys should do what you like," she finally said, and I nodded again. I was not sure if Misty would miss them – her attitude to Leaf had been hostile at most times, and most of her time with Gary had been spent with fake flirting. Still, I think, if they'd spend more time together, without all of this romance drama, they would've been friends.

Well, who knows. Maybe when they were older.

"Great!" Gary grinned. "We'll keep in contact, of course, wouldn't want to miss any big happenings, eh?"

His subtle teasing was lost on Ash, who just uttered an "Uh?" but Misty glared at Gary, who seemed unperturbed by this.

"Anyway," Leaf went on, "so, like we said, to get in some more miles, we want to leave early. We'll get some supplies after lunch, and then continue on to Route 101."

There was nodding and agreeing murmurs around the table, before the conversation strayed to other topics.

My own plan had been to stay here for the rest of the day and stay the night in a real bed – Ash and Misty had readily agreed; the redhead was undoubtedly in no rush to get to May. We hadn't planned much for this afternoon – to be honest, there wasn't much to do in Oldale Town – so I was going to buy new supplies, while I believed Misty wanted to relax and Ash wanted to train.

The goodbyes were quick; Gary and Leaf were really eager to leave. Gary had wished me good luck, and I returned the sentiment. Leaf awkwardly thanked me, though I had to admit that her goodbye to Ash was even more awkward. Misty and Gary had a quick, whispered conversation that ended in a hug – both Leaf and Ash looked on with half-frowns, though only Leaf was pacified by Gary's smile. Some more goodbyes were exchanged, a few hugs and more waves, and then they were off.

We watched the two of them leave, as we stood in front of the café slash lunchroom slash restaurant. Gary had an arm around Leaf's shoulder, and her hand was resting on his back.

I smiled.

I had truly done it. Another pair down; that meant only Ash and Misty were left now. Well, and myself.

The moment was broken by Misty announcing that she was going to the Pokémon Center to take a nice long shower. Ash hesitated a bit, walking with me in the direction of the Poké Mart, before I told him that he could do whatever he wanted this afternoon. He smiled, a genuine smile, and then was off to go training.

In a small town like this, it was quite easy to find the Poké Mart. I was in a good mood, humming as I browsed through the small assortment. In spite of that, it still took me a good hour before I left the store, bags refilled with Pokémon supplies. The supermarket was close by, and I was well on my way when, all of sudden-

She was there.

The dark-haired, mind-blowingly beautiful girl I had met on the airport in Kanto. The girl I had dreamed twice about, without even knowing who she was. The girl I seemed to recognize, but unable to connect her pretty face to a name. I was sure I had met her before the airport, but where?

She had just exited from the supermarket, a plastic bag with groceries in each of her hands. I stood frozen, rooted to the spot, as I watched her pass me by. She didn't notice me, her black hair shining in the sun, and I suddenly noticed that there were two red locks among the black, falling from her ears to over her chest.

A thought was niggling in the back of my mind, but it escaped me when I tried to pin it down. And all thoughts disappeared when her red eyes locked onto mine. She stopped, stared at me-

One of her bags dropped to the ground, and the groceries spilled out on the sidewalk.

I was at her side in a flash.

"Here, let me help you with that," the words flowed out of my mouth without having to think about them, and I flashed her a charming smile, helping her pick up the groceries and putting them in the bag.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was so clumsy of me, thank you, thank you so much," she rambled a bit, a shy smile on her lips and a cute blush appearing on her cheeks. My heart was racing, and I was surprised I was still able to say something.

"It's not a problem, not at all," I quickly assured her. A silence descended upon us when I finished gathering the groceries, both of us kneeling on the pavement. She smiled hesitantly at me, and I felt a grin splitting my face.

"Say, haven't we met before?" I finally managed to force out, and she nodded in response.

"You're Brock, right? Gym Leader of the Pewter City Gym in Kanto?"

"Yes!" I responded quickly, before correcting myself. "Well, former Gym Leader, my younger brother took over. I'm studying for Pokémon Doctor at the moment."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing!" She sounded truly impressed, and I glowed with pride. I realized we were both still sitting on the ground, and I jumped up, immediately taking the chance to extend my hand to her to help her up. She accepted, still smiling. The Butterfrees in my stomach increased tenfold.

"So you've been doing well?" she asked.

"I'm great," I said, and my mouth continued on auto-pilot, "Though that's mostly because I'm in the company of such a beautiful young lady."

"Oh Brock..." She blushed even more, and looked away. "You flatter me."

No Croagunk to Poison Jab me. No Misty to pull me away on my ear. I quickly glanced around me – nope, no Max either. "I only speak the truth, my lady."

If only I remembered her name. But my mind was working ridiculously slow, and I couldn't drag up the right memory. She was from Kanto, I had met her before... I was also connecting her to May and Max, which must mean they were there when I met her...

She gave me a beautiful smile, and my thoughts jumbled together.

"Say, what do you say about meeting up-"

"Lucy!" From a car a male voice called her name – that's right, it's Lucy, her name is Lucy, sweet, cute, kindhearted Lucy, the Pike Queen, one of the Frontier Brains-

"Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized, and it seemed she was truly regretting it. "I really have to go, that's my ride."

A man in a car was picking her up from doing groceries. He seemed handsome, too, a mob of dark hair visible as he waved at her through the window. She grinned back at him as she waved.

My mind automatically drew its conclusion, and cold disappointment filled my stomach.

"Thank you for your help, Brock." She gave me a bright, though still shy smile. "I'll see you around!" She gave me another smile, and although I grinned back, I only felt sadness as I watched her go.

"Bye Lucy," I muttered, the smile slipping off my face as I watched the car drive away. The rejection stung even worse than usual.

I hurried through the supermarket, no longer in the mood for shopping, and then back to the Pokémon Center. Ash was still out training, but Misty was lounging around, a magazine in her hand and she looked up in surprise when I arrived.

Nurse Joy came to take my Pokéballs, and I gave her a tired smile as I handed them to her.

Misty stared at me, and after a moment I realized that she was dumbfounded.

"What, no heartfelt love confessions this time?" she questioned, the shock and maybe even worry hidden beneath a layer of mockery.

"Not in the mood." I shrugged. No matter how kind and beautiful Nurse Joy was, she seemed to pale in comparison to Lucy.

Misty narrowed her eyes in thought, and after a while, pity and sympathy appeared on her face.

"Love hurts, doesn't it?" she asked, wryly, a half-hearted attempt at lightening up the situation.

I nodded silently.

Brocko, I had it bad.

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! Here we finally have it, the one woman we have all waited, hoped and begged for: Lucy! Now let's see if our poor hero Brock will manage to woo her :P This chapter was actually meant to have ContestShipping in it, or at the very least some May and Max, but it was just getting too long. So, next chapter, promise!

And we passed the 250 reviews! I really can't believe it, thank you all so incredibly much :D I couldn't have done it without your constant support! Thank you! Reviews are still very appreciated, of course. And don't forget about the poll!

Thank you!

Recommendations:

Pokémon: Rootbound by The Light's Refrain. FFN. A somewhat darker take on the Striaton triplets, though it does have a happy ending. Just some sibling angst, but beautifully written as a small multi-chapter.

Pokémon: AAML Alphabet Challenge by anjumstar. FFN. What the title says XD An on-going collection of PokéShipping one-shots, with some ContestShipping on the side. I found them highly enjoyable, very varying genres, go give it a try!

Harry Potter: A Friend In Need by Ande Lawerence. FFN. A really good and completed multi-chapter about Katie Bell and Oliver Wood. Really one of my favorites, it's funny and still has a really good plot, and it takes place at Hogwarts. Definitely recommended.

Feel free to send me recommendations!