A/N: So, looks like I managed it in two weeks :D My apologies if I haven't replied to some reviews/PMs yet, I'm very busy and with very little internet at the moment. Anyhow, I hope you like this chapter!

To Guest: Finally, eh? XD And yup, Drew probably isn't the best person to ask, but poor Brock is so desperate :P Thank you for your review!

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

Leave It To Brocko

Chapter 33

Drew merely raised his eyebrows in response – there was no laughing, no dramatic music, no explosion that was in relation to the huge blow my pride just had to suffer.

"You... are asking me for tips?" He looked dubiously at me.

"Ah, you know what, forget it, I'll just-" I tried to scramble back, but he wouldn't let me.

"No, no, don't worry about it, I'll try to help." The green-haired boy gave me a confident smirk. "I just never expected you to ask me for help."

"Right..." That didn't help any.

"I mean…" He looked away in thought, at May and Ash as they played in the water. "I know I have this natural charm and that it seems easy for me – and it is – so you asked the right person, but it always seemed you were fine on your own."

Right, rub it in, I'll just pretend that my ego can take that.

"Anyway, like I said, natural charm, but it looks like you'll have to do without it."

Ouch. Another blow to my ego. There wasn't going to be much left of it by the end of this conversation.

Drew seemed to have noticed my offended look, and he hastened to assure me. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can fix that. After all, you've got more determination than I've ever seen in another male."

He grinned, and despite that I knew he only said it to make me feel better, I realized it was actually true; I never gave up. I had gone after more girls than many men my age – though, on the downside, just as many girls had rejected me slash circumstances had separated us.

"So... tips..." The grin was replaced by a thoughtful frown. "I have... erm, only seen you in action a few times, but I think one of your major problems is the... uh..."

"Yes?" I looked to him, my hopes rising. If I could figure out what I had been doing wrong, I could work on that. I could improve, I could fix it, and the girls would fall at my feet. Maybe even Lucy- No, she had that other guy, I should forget about her.

"No offense or something, right?" Drew looked uncomfortable under my expectant and hopeful gaze. When I gave him an affirmative answer, he continued, "Well, I think your problem is that you often come off as desperate." He said it quickly, probably going with the philosophy that it worked as ripping off a band aid.

I cringed in spite of myself. I... had heard that more often. From Misty, May, Dawn, Max and even Ash had pointed that out at some point, but to hear it from Drew, who hadn't spent that much time with me… That hammered the message home.

"Obviously, I don't know where you stand right now in approaching the ladies, but I think that might be it. You fall at their feet immediately, but what I do..." He paused, as if for dramatic effect, and I couldn't help myself; I leaned forward expectantly, for Drew to reveal his big secret.

"You have to be confident," he finally said. "Even if you aren't confident, you have to pretend you are. Let them know you're interested, but not just for the taking. You have options, you can lose interest – they'll have to work for it."

I thought about it for a bit, before saying, "So... playing hard to get?"

Drew cringed. "Not really. That only works when you already have someone who's actively trying to get with you. Be confident, that's... really what you need to do. Don't be that whiny, desperate guy-" He cut himself off, but the words were already spoken.

"Right." I hoped my hurt feelings didn't show on my face, but Drew seemed to notice anyway.

He awkwardly tried to correct himself. "You've got plenty of good qualities! I mean, you're actually a real catch, but the women, they just don't see that. They see you're desperate and think 'Oh no, he's desperate, so he must be horrible to date.' They just never give you a chance to show them how great you really are." He tried for a convincing and encouraging smile. "But if you're a man with confidence, smooth and easy to talk to, funny but not rude – you've got the politeness down already, I mean, when you're not drooling on the floor you're a real gentleman. But..."

"Be confident." I nodded. I could do that.

"Don't let anything get to you. Always play it cool, don't make it too easy for them. Just smile and wink, give them a sign, and if they seem interested, approach them – or let them approach you, depending on what type the girl is – and try to start a conversation-"

I opened my mouth to say something, but Drew cut me off before I could get a word out.

"No cheesy pick-up lines. Just something... rather general. Those two girls that just passed here, what would you have said to them?" He looked at me inquisitively.

Aha, a test. I could do that. Not too desperate, so no begging for a date. Hm… "What about 'You are so beautiful...' and then stare meaningfully into their eyes…?"

"Uh..." Drew looked at me doubtfully. "Not quite what I would've gone for."

"Not?"

"Not really general enough. You're coming on too strong. I mean, sure, you can remark they're beautiful, but pretend not to be too... dazzled by that. Pretend it leaves you cold."

"I don't know if I can do that..."

"Sure you can! You're confident, after all." He flipped his hair. "As to what I would've said to those girls... 'Hey beautiful girls, taking a nice run along the beach? You enjoying yourselves?'"

I stared at him.

"Well," he started, "You hint at your interest in them, because you tell them they're beautiful. You also give them the possibility to let you know if they are interested. I mean, as long as they don't try to end the conversation right away they're probably interested, they did wink at you and all. But anyway, if they're really bold, you're also giving them an opening for a response as 'Now we're definitely enjoying ourselves.' Get it, because you're there-"

"Yes, yes." I nodded eagerly. I didn't need everything explained to me. "So what about 'Hey there, beautiful view this beach eh? My view just got a whole lot better.' and then perhaps a wink?"

"Eh..." Drew looked conflicted. "It's uh, meh... Might be taken as a bit pervy. You have to stay respectful."

"Alright." I tried to recall what Cilan had been saying to Iris, that boy was as respectful and gentlemanly as they made them, but I came up rather blank. Finally I decided on: "Hello, you ladies enjoying your run? It's a beautiful beach around here, that's for sure. You're familiar with this place?"

I gave Drew a hopeful look.

"Better, better." He nodded. "Just start a normal conversation, and go from there. Little hints, don't come off too strong-"

"Desperate," I corrected him. Despite my expectations, I actually felt more confident of myself after hearing this. I knew what I had been doing wrong – if I changed that, well, maybe the women wouldn't fall at my feet, but I was sure I'd at least be able to get myself a date.

"Right," Drew agreed after a moment, looking distracted. I followed his line of sight, and what I saw caused me to furrow my eyebrows.

Ash and May were still in the sea, only they had gotten… a tad closer than I had expected. Shrieking and laughing, May sat on Ash's shoulders, holding onto him tightly as he playfully tried to get rid of her.

It was one of the most cliché happy boyfriend and girlfriend scenes I had ever seen.

Problem was, they were not boyfriend and girlfriend. They weren't meant to be! They were Ash and May, best friends, food-loving and dense-

Right. The panic that had been rising was pushed down by the realization. Dense. Both of them weren't very bright when it came to romance, and after a moment of consideration, I came to the conclusion that both of them probably hadn't realized how exactly this game of them looked to onlookers.

Fortunately, Misty appeared to be too busy with Max to notice anything, but Drew was definitely noticing. His relaxed posture was gone, his eyes narrowed slightly – just small signs, but I had learned to recognize them after all this time.

A yell and a splash signaled that May had fallen off, and even though the two of them continued their water fight, Drew seemed to relax just the slightest bit. I looked between Drew and May, a thought forming in my mind I really shouldn't entertain. Ash and Misty were already difficult enough – could I handle adding another couple, a couple as complicated as Drew and May were, on my matchmaking list?

Drew was already having it tough enough, with May being as dense as it was. It was unfair for him to add Ash to the mix as well.

I nodded inwardly. This would be my last matchmaking scheme, then. I would help May and Drew and that would be it. For real this time.

"Yup, seems you're too late, mate," I said to him, and Drew turned to look at me, confused.

He didn't say anything, and I continued. "If only you had spoken up sooner... But still, I guess it isn't too late yet. Ash is as romantic as a brick, I bet that May is looking forward to some real romance. I mean, splashing in the sea is hardly romantic – childish would be more like it."

Drew wasn't stupid. "Why are you telling me this?"

Erm… A believable and intelligent answer that would make him listen to me.

The truth.

Or well, part of it.

"May and Ash don't fit," I told him the same thing as I had told Misty yesterday. "They're too alike. They make great friends, but I personally think he and Misty would make a better couple."

He was silent for a while, obviously thinking. A smirk formed on his face as he appeared to have thought of something. I wasn't quite sure if I would like it.

"You're trying to match Ash and Misty, don't you?" He looked way too pleased with himself, as I quickly tried to hide my surprise at being seen through so quickly.

"Yup," I said after a baffled pause. "But May is kind of complicating it."

"Ah." He didn't say anything more, a thoughtful look on his face. We watched as Misty left Max to fish on his own, and was making her way into the sea. Ash enthusiastically called her over, and Misty wasted no time in joining him and May.

For a while, the three of them appeared to get along, but with my keen matchmaking eyes, I could see that May was kind of left out. It didn't take her long to realize that too, and soon she was turning back to the beach.

Drew sat up straighter, and ran a hand through his hair, before noticing my eyes on him and freezing. Realizing what he was doing and what I was seeing, he slowly lowered his hand, his eyes narrowed as if daring me to say something about it.

I grinned. "Remember Drew, just be confident."

He pressed his lips together, before saying in a clipped voice. "This is different."

I had to agree with him on that, and I gave him a good-natured smile, but didn't say any more as May had arrived. The brunette plopped down on a bright green towel next to Drew, her wet hair clinging to her face and sand covering her feet.

Drew flipped his hair – was that a tick he had or what? – before starting a conversation with May. I smiled vaguely, but didn't contribute anything as I let my attention drift from them to Max, still fishing, to the Pokémon frolicking around and laying in the sun, and lastly to Ash and Misty playing in the sea.

They were all so happy. And I was too, really. Just... Lucy…

I shook my head. I needed to get over this already. It was just another note in my long list of rejections, and with Drew's advice in my mind, I had gained new confidence in my own romantic skills.

I would forget about Lucy. I would.

Really, Brocko, I would.

A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter – as I said before, we're slowly nearing the end. I actually counted the chapters, and so far it looks like we'll have 36 chapters. So the end is really close! So don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile concerning the sequel, and reviews are of course very much loved XD

Thank you!

Recommendations:

Pokémon: The Extended Unova Pokemon Guide by The Gentleman Xerneas. FFN. A really cool and super huge story that is exactly what the title says: a guide about the Pokémon of Unova. It's filled with humor and witty remarks, and there are some truly fascinating backstories for some Pokémon. An in-progress multi-chapter and definitely worth a read!

Pokémon: A Fiscal Relationship by AniseAsylum. FFN. This is really quite original: it's an in-progress multi-chapter, but all chapters are exactly 100 words. And with these small drabbles the humorous story of N and White is told, as N finds himself indebted to the battle-talented girl. Go give it a look!

Star Wars: The Father by frodogenic. FFN. An amazing – and complete – multi-chapter about the father-son relationship between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker, when Darth Vader makes an unexpected decision that rewrites the Star Wars universe as we know it. Also features Han, Leia, Chewie, Obi-Wan and many more.

Feel free to send me recommendations of your own!