Time Lapse: Reluctant Hero

by AvionVadion

She remembered nothing. Where she came from, who she was, if she had any family; all the girl knew now was that something was wrong. There was no way she was meant to be raised like this- treated like a grunt and tormented along with the rest. Pokemon were worth more than what Team Rocket claimed. They weren't tools... and neither was she. OCs

28. Trouble In Pewter City

This chapter is more Brock-centered.

I wanted to include this episode before the gang leave Kanto, simply because I adore Brock and thought it was a neat little insight into his chaotic family, and the Diglett Cave leads right outside of Pewter City. So. I thought it would be the perfect time to do so. Plus it feels weird to have introduced Flint and have Brock list off the names of siblings only to NOT have them show up again, y'know?

The original episode title is called, "A Family That Battles Together, Stays Together"! It's one of the extra episodes from Pokemon Chronicles.

"Hey, do you hear me? Do you here me now?

On a midnight dreary…"

Before we left the gym, Brock and Misty and Nurse Joy all made sure to give me an earful. Kōga disappeared before we could ask him any questions about the Elite Four and what they wanted with me, and Blue just glared at me the entire time I stood there getting lectured. I ended up zoning out for most of it, contemplating what I had just learned and how exactly I was going to ditch the group once we reached Cerulean City's pokēcenter.

I won't be able to wait until nightfall- unless it's already late.

Maybe… yeah. I'll wait until morning, while everyone is still asleep. I'll run off then. By the time they wake up, I'll have already made my way out of the city and, with any luck, through the tunnel system too. I can do this.

"Eva?"

I blinked and looked down at Ansem, who was sitting on his hindlegs and staring up at me. Moving forward, the Eevee reached over and pressed his front paws to my legs. I leaned over to scratch behind his ears.

He pressed his head against my palm, nuzzling my hand.

After Nurse Joy left, the woman making me promise not to do something so drastic again, Brock pulled me into another hug. He told me how scared he was when he saw me get caught in the Weezing's Explosion, and that I needed to stop putting myself in harm's way like that. I wasn't indestructible, and if I had died then there'd be no saving anyone from Team Rocket.

He said…

Brock said he didn't want to lose me. That he… didn't want me to die.

Those words caused so much pain and heartache to well up inside, my eyes starting to sting with the familiar sensation of tears, but I just choked down the sob and swallowed the pain, forcing the emotions away. I couldn't help but lean into the hug, however; it was too hard to resist. I wanted his warmth, I wanted his friendship.

I just never imagined trying to push it away would be so difficult.

After releasing me, Brock asked if he could take a look at the damage done to my shirt. There wasn't… really much we could do to repair it, unless we stitched another piece of fabric to it, so I initially told him it was fine and he didn't have to, but he was stubborn and determined to fix it.

A few more scolding words from Misty, who startled me when she pulled me into a hug as well, and then we were finally able to leave the gym. Blue remained silent the entire time, and after we returned to the pokēcenter, so I could change into some random shirt from the lost-and-found while Brock quickly yet carefully stitched some cloth to the back of my ruined top, Blue reached out and caused me to squeak, the boy wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me to his chest in a very loose chokehold.

"Don't ever do that again!" He growled. "Got it, pipsqueak!?"

I wasn't given much of a chance to answer. Blue just aggressively noogied the top of my head with his fist. I squirmed, trying to escape it, but his grip was firm. "O-Okay, okay! I won't!"

Blue huffed and let go, and I scrambled to get away from him. "Good. I'll tell Gramps on you if you try."

Rude. Making a face, I rubbed my head, not at all liking what just happened. When Brock finally finished fixing my shirt, I changed back into it and we called all our pokémon back into their pokēballs, the group climbing atop of Blue's Arcanine with Misty up front so she could lead us to Diglett Cave.

It took about twenty minutes to actually get there, Arcanine having to climb his way up some hills and maneuver through trees, ignoring any trainers we encountered that wanted to battle, and once we reached the cave Blue called back his pokēmon. Brock took the lead then, having traveled through tunnel systems more-than-once when trying to train up his pokēmon.

He was the rock expert here.

Wandering through the tunnels, I was surprised to see just how manyDiglett there were. They kept popping up out of the ground, watching us and trying to determine whether we were friend or foe. I resisted the urge to step closer to Blue and Brock, instead hanging out in the back behind everyone. I didn't like any of this.

Being in a dark place like this reminded me of what happened on Mount Moon. It… reminded me of the underground base- both the one we saved Blue from and the one I grew up in. As a result, I ended up zoning out- losing track of time as I tried to ignore the surrounding darkness and growing claustrophobia.

Why did Fuschia City have to be so far from Cerulean City? The tunnel won't even take us all the way to Cerulean; it'll just bring us to the area right outside of Pewter City.

It feels like we've been walking for hours…

Brock inhaled deeply when we finally made it out of the tunnels, the sky showcasing that it was now evening. "Ah, smell that Pewter air… it's only been a short while, but… it's good to be back."

"Cerulean air is much fresher." Misty said as she stretched her arms out over head. Slumping over, she let out a groan. "As a water-type user, I hate being underground…"

"I quite like it." Brock commented, amused. "If you look around, you can find all sorts of cool rocks. I actually met my Onix underground. I caught him and my Geodude in the rock tunnels near Cerulean City."

"Spoken like a geek." The younger girl teased. Placing her hands on her hips, Misty turned around to face us. "We're almost to Cerulean! Home sweet home is just a few more hours away! We might make it before curfew if we're lucky, though if we use Arcanine again we'll have plenty of time to spare."

Brock brought a hand to his chin. "We could stop at my place for the night, but…" He made a face. "You would have to put up with my idiot father."

Flint. He was the one in charge of the gym now, wasn't he? Brock said he gave him a list of how to take care of his siblings, but considering the man so easily abandoned his children once before I'm not so sure he can be so easily trusted to take care of them now.

He was kind of annoying, too, when I first met him. My expression turned sour just from thinking about it.

Blue raised a brow. "I know he's a deadbeat, but is he that bad?"

Brock barked a laugh. "My mom is way worse."

Misty cringed at that. "Oh jeez. How bad is she?"

"Good question." The taller boy sighed and brought a hand up to ruffle his hair, irritated at the memory of his parents. "Dad left without warning to fulfill his "dream" and abandoned all ten of his kids, then failed at fulfilling his dream, so the abandonment was all for naught, and my mother… ugh."

Brock shuddered and scowled.

"She disappears and comes back without warning every few months, with a new hobby and new pokēmon and a new way of doing things. She doesn't even stop to consider the consequences her actions might have, and expects everyone to just go along with her whims because we're family. She doesn't even try to act like a mom."

He hung his head, then threw his hands up in the air, bending his knees slightly as he roared in frustration- sounding remarkably like his Onix as he did that.

"She's in her mid thirties, but acts like she's seventeen! It's humiliating! It's like she thinks she's the main character in some movie!"

Blue whistled. "Okay, yeah. That's pretty bad. I don't envy you, dude."

Misty glanced at Blue and then at Brock, hand to her chest in concern. "Shouldn't we go check on your siblings? If things are that bad, then we should make sure they're all okay."

After a few moments of thought, Brock shook his head, standing up straight and placing his hands on his hips. "Nah. Crappy parents as they are, they wouldn't let anything hurt 'em. Besides, if anything bad has happened the little ones would have tried to contact me. They would have had Nurse Joy say something if they had called the pokēcenter, or they would have messaged me. I made sure to give Forrest my email before I left."

"If you say so…" Misty didn't look convinced.

"We need to hurry to Celadon City if we want to stop Team Rocket and get El those last few badges." Brock said. "We've gotten derailed long enough. It's pure luck we crashed so close to Fuschia City. That said…"

Brock whirled around and pointed at me, expression twisting into a stern one.

"No running off on your own again! We go to the gyms together."

I just held my hands up in the air, taking a small step back. He definitely wasn't going to like me running away later.

"You should turn back, travelers." A deep voice suddenly said, cutting into the conversation from down below.

We all paused, and turned to see where it was coming from. Squinting my eyes, finding this voice and situation oddly familiar, I walked towards the edge and squatted down, Brock doing the same when he saw who it was.

There was an older man with dark skin and a beard, wearing a red beanie atop his head. He looked exactly as I remembered. "A horrible curse has befallen this town! You must turn around and leave at once, or else a terrible fate will befall you!"

Brock, unamused, frowned at his father. He didn't seem bothered that Flint most likely heard him trash talking him. "What are you doing, Dad?"

Misty blanked. "Wait, that's your father!?"

"That's the deadbeat you mentioned before?" Blue asked. The two were alarmed by this news. Moving over, he squatted down next to us, and Misty soon did the same. He scrunched his nose up and sent Flint a disapproving look. "What's goin' on? Did you ditch your kids again?"

"Y-You kids must have me mistaken for someone else!" Flint exclaimed, hurriedly scooting out of the way when Brock jumped down to be on the same level as him. The boy folded his arms over his chest, sending his father a stern glare. "I-I'm not anyone's father a-and I'm definitely not a deadbeat who abandoned his family! No way, not me!"

"Like I wouldn't know your voice." Brock deadpanned. Stepping forward, he angrily snatched Flint's hat and fake beard from him. Misty gasped, seeing how similar the two looked, and Blue's face turned sour. "Why are you tryin' to get me and my friends to leave town!? Did you really abandon everyone again? I raised them all on my own without your help; take responsibility for once, old man! Now, tell me what's going on!"

"W-Well, it's…" Flint hesitated, sweating nervously as his son chewed him out. "It's just that…"

"What?" Brock demanded.

Taking a deep breath, Flint tried to regain his courage and stood up, yet was unable to bring himself to face his son. He hugged his arms close, trying to curl in on himself. "Brock, do… you remember how truly glorious the gym was back when you were the gym leader? It was known as the greatest gym for rock-type pokēmon, seasoning only the toughest trainers, and it was as rough-and-cold as the stones themselves. But now it's just…"

He shuddered, and Brock furrowed his brows, leaning over to try and catch his father's eye. "Just what…? Dad, what happenedto the gym?"

"...Your mother happened."

Blue, Misty, and I all shared a look, concerned, before turning to stare at Brock- who seemed horrified by this implication. Flint could only lower his head and apologize. "I'm sorry, son."

"Dad." Brock said, very much alarmed, panic rising in his voice. "Dad, what did Mom do? What did she do to the gym?"

"You… don't wanna know."

Brock groaned and brought a hand to his face, not at all pleased. "This doesn't sound good…"

After a moment of silence, Brock attempting to calm down, the boy glanced back at us.

He flashed us an awkward grin. "Do you guys… think you can head to Cerulean without me? I'll catch up soon, promise; I just… need to check this out and make sure everything's okay."

Blue and Misty looked at each other, and I moved to slide down the ledge- stumbling a bit before catching my balance. I walked over to stand beside Brock, eyes cold as they glared up at Flint. The adult man took a step back, actually a bit intimidated by my stare.

Brock raised his brows, surprised. "El?"

I did not like Flint. I did not trust him.

He was someone who had abandoned his children and left his eldest to tend to them, to take responsibility for everything, without a care in the world. Had Brock not been so capable, who knows what would have become of him and his siblings? Things could have gone south very fast. Besides, from the sounds of it his mother was just as bad as Flint- if not worse.

Tilting my head, I narrowed my eyes. "Did you try to stop her?"

"Wh-What?" Flint stammered.

"His mom. Did you try to stop her?"

"W-Well, yes, but- I mean, she's a force of nature and I…I'm…" His face turned a bit dark with a blush and he scratched his cheek. "I'm… weak to her. I-In both pokēmon battling terms and… other things. And- wait, El?" Flint looked confused, staring down at me with furrowed brows. "I thought you went by Grunt?"

"That was before." Brock stated, holding an arm out and moving to stand in front of me, sending his father a glare. "She goes by El now. Her name is El. Now show us what's wrong with the gym already, if you aren't gonna tell us outright!"

I shouldn't be doing this.

I shouldn't be going along with this. I shouldn't be trying to help him.

But I'm a coward.

It was foolish and hypocritical, but a part of me was hoping that helping him deal with his deadbeat parents would serve as an apology for what I'm about to do after we reach Cerulean City.

From the background, Blue and Misty jumped down the ledge to make their way over to us, and Flint eyed them curiously. "Are these two… also your friends, Brock?"

"Yeah. They all are. Now get movin'." Brock's words were nothing short of harsh as he began to make his way towards Pewter City, giving his old man a hard shove on the back to get his feet walking. "I need to see how bad the damage is before it's too late. What did Mom even do? Did she paint the gym? Put stickers all over it? She didn't destroy it and replace it with a garden, did she!?"

"N-No," Flint said, growing more nervous with each step he took, "but she might as well have, what with everything she's done to it…"

"Oh, man." Brock pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to lose my mind. I'm gone for three weeks and this is what happens? What'll you do if I'm gone for three months? Or a year? Can't you do anything on your own?"

"W-Well… uh… I'm not sure, actually."

Wandering through the streets, Brock plastered on a smile and waved to everyone who saw and greeted him, the entire town recognizing him, and within ten minutes we finally approached the Pewter City gym. What we saw- well, it wasn't anything like the gym I remembered seeing when I first battled Brock.

Brock looked like he was torn between screaming and crying. "Wh… What am I looking at?"

Flint leaned over, expression one of complete despair. He was practically hiding behind his son, hands on his shoulders, as if afraid he might turn around and focus his rage on him. "Now do you see why I tried to make you turn back?"

The entire area has been turned into a garden. There were white picket fences alongside the boulder-lined path, a garden hedge surrounding the gym yard, and a giant flowery hedge arch for trainers to walk through on their way to the entrance. Several trees even seemed to have been planted, though where Brock's mother got them from I'm not sure.

Brock turned pale. "Th-There's a hedge…"

"I know." Flint mourned.

"And flowers!"

"I know."

"And…!"

"I know."

Blue let out a whistle. "What the heck is wrong with your mom, dude? She can't just completely renovate a gym like this! I'm pretty sure there are laws against that sort of thing."

"Yeah!" Misty nodded fervently, looking nearly as furious as Brock felt. "We already have the grass-type gym in Celadon City; she can't just redecorate the rock-type gym to match it!"

"Believe me," Flint said, looking back at us, pained, "I wish it was the grass gym she was trying to imitate."

Brock inhaled sharply, whirling his head around to look at his father in alarm. "She didn't."

"She did." Flint confirmed. The older man cringed and slumped over, arms hanging at his side in defeat. "Let's go home for now, son. Your friends can come along, too, if they want."

"I was going to bring them with me whether you gave me your permission or not." Brock scowled. "But before we do that, I wanna see the inside of the gym. I need to knowhow bad it is."

Flint just gave Brock a small pat on the shoulder. "Your mother has the keys."

"What!?"

The older man started to walk off, and Brock hurriedly took after him. Misty, Blue, and I started to follow, and as we did Blue and Misty began to talk.

"If it wasn't the grass-type gym…" Misty murmured, lacing her hands together worriedly, "...what type of gym did she try to imitate?"

"I dunno," Blue said, making a face, "but I don't think we're going to like it."

Apparently, that was only the start of what Brock's mother was capable of.

When we arrived at the house, Brock made a disturbed comment on how different the place looked. I didn't know what he was talking about at first, until I realized how strange the colors were and that there were massive flowery decorations surrounding the place.

I had only been here once, after Brock demanded I let him travel with me and he had come to collect his things. My eyes were wide as we walked through the garden path, heading towards the front door.

"Your mother repainted." Flint told his son, explaining why things had changed so drastically. "But I'm sure your brothers and sisters will be happy to see you."

"Probably." Brock said, letting out a tired sigh. "I can't believe you let Mom get away with all this… actually, no, I can. I can one hundred percent believe it. Jeez." Reaching over to open the door, Brock took a deep breath and then smiled, opening the door and calling out loudly, "I'm home~!"

The two boys that were playing in the hallway stopped what they were doing, whirling their heads around with raised brows and large grins. The one with a bat and baseball glove in his hands nearly dropped the objects he was holding, face brightening considerably when he saw his older brother. "Brock!"

"Hi, Brock!" The other brother said, smiling widely. "You're back!"

"What's up, little pipsqueaks?" Brock greeted, stepping into the house. "Hope ya'll don't mind, but I brought my friends with me. You remember the girl that beat me before, right?"

Before I could try and dive to hide in the back of the group, Brock grabbed my arm and pulled me into the house, making me stand in front of him. He was beaming.

"She goes by El now! So please make sure to call her that, okay?"

The first brother nodded excitedly, but the second brother was already dashing through the house, screeching excitedly that Brock was home. As if he had said the magic words, all the other siblings began to appear in the hall, rushing through the house upon hearing the call. "Brock is home, everybody! Brock is back!"

"Brock!?" A door opened, a young girl and boy near identical to each other peering out. They smiled widely. "Brock's back!"

"Welcome home!"

"Wow!" Another girl exclaimed, much younger and running down the stairs with her sister. "You got so much taller, Brock!"

"Brock is home!"

"You guys stayin' out of trouble?" Brock teased, and the three of us alongside Flint awkwardly followed him deeper into the large house. The many siblings were eying us curiously, though the older ones did seem to recognize me. "These are my friends, El, Blue, and Misty! You might remember El- she's the trainer I left to travel with."

We ended up being led into a living room, and one kid- holding a baby rattler to entertain a pair of twin toddlers- looked up at Brock. The babies babbled excitedly upon seeing their eldest brother, and the boy with the rattler nodded when he saw me. "I remember! She's been keeping you safe like she promised, right, Brock?"

I tried not to visibly flinch at that question, and Blue and Misty both looked at me- as if figuring out another reason for why I've been feeling so guilty lately.

"Well- oh." Brock didn't finish his sentence, someone not at all one of his siblings catching his attention. It was a woman I could only think to be his mother, though she looked nothing like I had been expecting. She had shoulder-length curly red hair and fair skin, her body slim and curvaceous despite the amount of kids she had managed to pop out. She seemed to be distracted with hanging up a photo, not at all paying attention to the son she hasn't seen in who-knows-how-long. Brock raised a brow. "Hey, Mom. Uh… what is that?"

"Hello to you, too, dear!" The woman exclaimed, not bothering to turn around to look at him. She fiddled with the painting a bit more. She hummed to herself, a hand to her chin before holding her fingers together in front of her left eye, trying to decide whether the frame was hanging evenly or not. "What do you think of this painting?"

"Uh…"

"The artwork!" The woman exclaimed, finally turning around to look at him, pointing at the… odd choice in decoration. "What do you think of it?"

Brock just stared. "That's… supposed to be art?"

"It's a Smeagal masterpiece!" His mother exclaimed. "I found it at this darling little market! I'm becoming an art connoisseur!"

"I thought maybe Tilly did it with a crayon…" Brock stated, scratching his cheek. He glanced back at us. "What do you guys think?"

Blue raised a brow, I made a face, and Misty forced a laugh. "I-I don't know, Brock… your mom has some unique tastes…"

"That's one way to put it." Blue snorted.

"If it's a Smeagal artwork," I began, something scratching away in the back of my skull. I pointed at the painting that was nothing more than a bunch of scribbles in red-white-and-blue, which, admittedly, did cause a different sort of scratching in my skull, "shouldn't it involve… I dunno, a ring or a volcano?"

"A what?" The woman asked, staring at me with a bright smile. Suddenly, she gasped. Beaming, she pressed her hands to her cheeks and started bouncing on her heels. The woman squealed. "Oh my goodness,Brockie; are these your friends!? Oh, and these girls are just so cute! No, wait, don't tell me."

She pressed a finger to her chin in thought, before pointing at Misty with sparkling eyes.

"The ginger is your girlfriend. I'm right, aren't I? Tell me I'm right!"

"Ew, no way!" Misty stuck her tongue out, pretending to gag. "Like I would ever date Brock!"

"Like I'd ever date Misty!" Brock said, waving his hands in the air. "She's just a friend!"

"Oh." His mom blinked. "I see. Aww, I get it; she's dating that cutie next to her, isn't she?"

It was Blue's turn to act like he was going to throw up. "No!"

"Well, that's just a shame." The woman sighed, shaking her head. "But I get it. She won't give either of you the time of day, will she? What about-"

"Before you ask," Brock grimaced, "the answer is no. Think of El like an eleventh child, if you must."

His mom clicked her tongue. "You're no fun."

"And you're too much." He retorted. "You know, last time you were here you were studying astrological signs, and the time before that you were learning how to juggle! Now you're into paintings? You know, going around and buying every painting you see doesn't make you an art connoisseur. It just means you're wasting money. Money that could be spent on, oh, I dunno; taking care of your kids."

"Well, I-" She started to speak, only to quickly change up her words when she saw Flint nervously poking his head into the room from the hallway. The woman's face lit up. "Ah, there you are, darling! Look!" She gestured to the sad excuse of art she had just hung up on the wall. "How do you like the painting? Isn't it cute?"

"Uh…"

One of the little girls in the room spoke up, sounding just as unamused as Brock looked. "It's a Smeagal."

"I… think it's lovely, honey." Flint forced out, not quite entering the room. "Th-That said, uh, Brock has been… wanting to see the gym. You know, to… show his friends around and… check out the new decorations. Do you think we can borrow the keys, Lola, dearest?"

"Hm? Well, why didn't you just say so!" The woman, Lola, giggled, and Blue stepped closer to Brock, nudging him with his elbow. "Of course he can show his friends around!"

"This is your mom?" Blue whispered. Brock nodded slowly, and the shorter boy sent him a pitying look. "That's rough, man. Your parents suck."

"Tell me about it. I'm just glad they didn't pop out anymore kids while I've been gone." Brock let out a heavy sigh, resting a palm against his forehead. "I can feel a migraine coming on…"

"I-I'm sure the gym can't be that bad." Misty told him, trying to be the optimistic one since he was out-of-sorts due to his parents shenanigans.

"You don't know my mom." Brock said, dragging his hand down his face. "If it's what I think it is, I might actually lose it. El, if I do snap, please don't freak out, okay?"

I blinked, warning bells starting to go off as I looked at him and then at his mother. "Uh… o-okay. I… I'll… try."

Brock flashed me an apologetic smile. "Sorry about all this."

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Lola exclaimed, snatching the key out from her purse which she had hanging off the wall. She dashed over, and Misty and I yelped when the woman abruptly snatched us by our arms. "Let's show you girls how cute the gym is! I'll even tell you all about Brock when he was a lil' bitty babykins! You wanna hear about it, don't you? Of course you do! My baby is just the cutest!"

"Mom!" Brock roared, chasing after. "Don't you dare! Leave El and Misty alone!"

I've changed my mind. I can't do this.

Coming here was a mistake.

Letting my body fall limp, Lola dragged me and a struggling Misty along to the gym, and opening the doors Flint, Brock, and Blue entered afterwards, the many kids following behind us.

Things didn't seem too terribly bad at first, the boulders and walls painted with streaks of pink and magenta, and yellow stars. Pink ribbons hung from the ceiling. But then… turning to look at the battle arena itself… Brock froze- his blood pressure rising considerably when he saw the giant mass of water that had filled the gym.

I stopped breathing, staring at it in horror, and Blue was quick to free me and Misty from Lola's grasp as the woman seemed to forget we were even there, instead lacing her hands together and squealing. "Isn't it so cute!?"

"There's… There's…" Brock choked. "There's water. Everywhere. Please tell me a pipe broke…"

"No." Flint lamented, slumping over pathetically.

Lola clearly didn't care how upset her husband and son were. She just continued squealing and bouncing on her heels, even doing a little spin in her giddy excitement. "Isn't the color scheme fabulous?"

"Color isn't the point!" Brock roared, whirling around to glare his mother. "Pewter Gym is supposed to be a gym for rock-type pokēmon! Why is there a lake!?"

As if to answer his question, several pokēmon burst out from the water itself. There was a Gyarados, a Vaporeon, a Slowpoke, a Marill, a Blastoise, a Mantine, and… a Poliwag. Seven pokēmon total. Whereas only the most dedicated trainers kept six and sent their extras off to their region's pokēmon professor, this woman kept all her pokēmon with her here in the gym.

Lola giggled. "Look, Brock! Everyone is so excited to meet you!"

She moved to run up onto a boulder, her husband quickly moving out of the way to hide behind their distraught son. The woman waved at her pokēmon.

"Hey, everyone; this is Brock!"

Struggling to recollect his composure, Brock inhaled deeply and then looked at his mother, gesturing to the many pokēmon in the water. "Did you catch all these pokēmon, yourself?"

"Yes! Aren't they precious?"

"Obviously, but they shouldn't be here! It's a gym, not an aquarium!"

From the bleachers uptop, the oldest of the group of kids called out. My guess was that the kid was Forrest. "Don't try to reason, Brock; we've all tried! She's never gonna change her mind about this."

"But this is too much." Brock said, shaking, his father's hands on his shoulders being the only thing keeping him standing. Lola was completely ignorant to their plight, instead happily showering her pokēmon with affection. Affection she clearly never bothered to give her own children. "It's unacceptable!"

Turning his head, he glared at his father.

"Dad, do something! After all, you're the gym leader now!"

"Like I told your friend, I tried! I had Rhydon bring in huge boulders from the mountaintops… and your mother painted them all pink!" Flint whimpered and ducked his head. "It's terrible. I've tried everything. I'm at my wits end. I-"

"Pull yourself together!" Brock snapped.

Flint just moved over to kneel down by the manmade lake, fiddling with the stones on the ground. Tears were falling down his cheeks. "I tried to cover the pool with concrete and she had her Gyarados smash it to pieces. I think maybe I'm simply not cut out to be a gym leader…"

I thought I've seen Brock angry before. I thought I've witnessed his rage when he got mad at me for being reckless and for not letting myself rely on him. But I've never seen him tremble like this, not out of pure fury. It left me totally stunned, and I could only watch beside an equally baffled Misty and Blue as the family drama took place.

This is what he meant when he said he might lose it. This is what he meant when he told me not to be scared. Brock, who was normally so sweet and calm and collected, had an anger that could shake the earth when let out.

Shaking his head from his spot in the railings, Forrest sighed. "It's pretty sad, isn't it? I mean, think about it; if you won't fight for your gym, what will you fight for in life?"

"You know what, Forrest?" Brock said, standing up straight. "You're absolutely right. Get up, Dad!" He ordered, turning to glare at the older man. "You're going to battle Mom for the gym!"

"She turned the rock gym into a water gym…" Misty mumbled, still in shock. "She's trying to replace me. She's totally trying to replace me as the water-type gym leader."

"Misty, I've been wrong about something all this time." Blue said, eying Lola very judgmentally. "You aren't the most annoying person I've ever met. Brock's mom is way worse."

Snapping out of her daze, Misty gave the boy a look out of the corner of her eyes, scowling. She nudged him hard with her elbow. "Gee, thanks. I could say the same about you and his dad."

"You're welcome."

This family was way different from how Blue and Professor Oak acted with each other. It was also different from how Yuna treated her little girl. I knew from when I first met Brock he didn't exactly have the greatest parents, but I never could have imagined they would be this pathetic and awful.

It was as if he were parenting them, instead of it being the other way around.

The sight left my stomach to churn, and I curled my fingers into fists as I anxiously watched Brock force his parents to battle to return the gym to its previous glory. Having Lola and Flint stand on either side of the arena, Brock climbed his way up to a boulder near the middle, serving as referee. All of Lola's pokēmon were surrounding him, so as to make sure Brock's mother did not cheat.

"Alright, listen up, Mom!" Brock said. "I know you like your water pokēmon, and I know you think ribbons and swirlers are the way to decorate! But here at the Pewter gym, soft and pretty just aren't gonna fly!"

"Oh, Brock."Lola giggled, not taking him seriously in the least. "You're so stubborn. You must have gotten that from your father! Because you're so much like-"

"I'm not like anything!" Brock roared, raising his voice. He definitely did not like being compared to his father. "That's just the way it is!"

"W-Why, Brock…" Lola actually looked startled.

Taking one more deep breath, Brock folded his arms over his chest. "You're changing the gym back to how it was if you lose."

"Aw, but it's so cute!"

"THERE'S MORE TO POKĒMON THAN CUTE!"

Yeah. Yeah, no. Brock was furious behind all compare. Misty, Blue, and I made our way up the stairs to the bleachers where Brock's siblings were all standing. Brock, who loved all pokēmon, especially cute ones like his Vulpix, had completely snapped from having to deal with his insufferable mother and her antics.

"Fine, fine." Lola said, relenting, but then flashed Brock a smile and held a finger up, brown eyes sparkling mischievously. "But if I win all the little ones have to become water-type trainers!"

Forrest and all the other kids groaned and started shouting in protest, and Misty moved forward to grab onto the railing. Her green eyes sparked incredulously. "You can't just force them to be type specialists! They should get to choose what type of pokēmon they want to train! It's their lives!"

"Do you have any idea how many laws you're probably violating right now?" Blue demanded, glaring down at Lola. "There can't be two water-type gyms! We already have one in Cerulean!"

"Brock! Don't agree to it!" Forrest pleaded. "Dad has no hope! Mom uses all water-type pokēmon! There's no way he can win against her with just his rock-type pokēmon!"

"Yeah." One of the younger brothers, Salvadore, agreed, already looking like he had given into defeat. "Water always beats rock."

Billy and Tilly, the youngest of the siblings, stuck their tongues out and wailed.

"Brock," Flint tried to reason, "your brothers are right! Maybe if we were battling on solid ground, but how am I supposed to fight on a lake!?"

"Aren't you a gym leader!?" Brock growled.

"S-Sort of…"

Brock heaved a sigh. Massaging his temples, he stood up straight and leaned his back. "Look. You guys know the girl who beat me- El, right? She's up there in the bleachers right now. I just watched her take down Kōga, a gym leader that uses poison-type pokémon, with her Weepinbell. She was at a major disadvantage due to her Weepinbell's type disadvantage, as she was going up against a bug and poison-type pokēmon. But did that stop her? Did she and her pokēmon lose? No. Her Weepinbell came out victorious."

"What?" Flint looked surprised and I tried not to turn away and hide behind Blue when all the siblings turned to look at me, making sounds of awe and wonder. This was… weird. The praise felt nice, as I was unused to it, but it made me feel so guilty as well. "How did she do that?"

"Because she's an amazing trainer!" Brock exclaimed, dramatically throwing his arm out to the side. I cringed, freezing up at the even more blatant praise, and could only stand there as he continued. "She's reckless and stubborn, and doesn't really understand emotions or even the most basic acts of kindness, but she cares! Whether it's over people or pokēmon, all she wants is to keep them safe- even if it hurts her! I've learned a lot about the world because of her, and, through that battle between her Weepinbell and Kōga's Venomoth, I've learned that no matter what kind of battle or opponent you're facing, there is always a way to win!"

Is he complimenting me or lecturing me?

Holding his fists up, Brock looked up at the railings and grinned at me, leaving me even more confused, before turning back around to glare at his father.

"So if you wanna keep on calling yourself a gym leader," Brock continued, raising his voice again, yelling at his father, "stand up for yourself and make your family proud!"

Flint flinched beneath his son's demands. "F-Fine. Right."

Brock threw a hand up in the air. "I will be the judge! This is a one-on-one battle!"

"Hm, just one you say?" Lola smirked and placed a hand on her waist. "In that case, I'll go with Marill!"

Marill jumped away from its spot next to Brock and swam over to stand on the boulder in front of Lola. Turning around, it faced Flint- who was already throwing out a pokēball, summoning a Golem. It landed on a relatively small rock, struggling to keep balance as it wildly flailed its arms, and I cringed- already pitying the poor pokēmon.

Forrest hung his head. "Look at Golem wobbling… it's like watching my future crumble before my eyes."

"No time limit!" Brock declared. "Battle~ start!"

"You can make the first move, sugar buns." Lola said, winking at her husband.

Flint jolted, then awkwardly nodded. "Uh, okay. Thanks a lot, hun."

It was safe to say the battle didn't last very long.

Flint started off with a decent tactic- having his Golem use Earthquake to stir up the waters and make it hard for Marill to swim around, knocking the pokēmon into the manmade lake. Forrest explained to his confused siblings what was going on, and I ended up stumbling backwards and crashing onto the floor as I lost balance. Blue and Misty clung to the railings, and the older of Brock siblings kept hold of the little ones so they wouldn't get hurt.

Unfortunately, Lola had her Marill use surf- and it knocked poor Golem into the water, effectively drowning it as its stone body had it sink to the bottom, but seeing this Lola made sure her Blastoise dove into the water to rescue it. Once it was back on solid land, Blastoise was giving Golem chest compressions- trying to help it spit out any water it had swallowed before it had fainted.

Brock was rushing over, sliding off his backpack and pulling out a towel and an electric hair dryer, trying to help dry the poor pokēmon off and speed up the recovery process.

Flint, meanwhile, was kneeling beside his Golem, head hung low. "I'm so sorry, Golem… I know how scary water can be. There's no solid surface to stand on, and it just gets deeper and deeper…"

Nope. No.

Not thinking about it, nope.

After a few minutes, Golem finally woke back up, and with Blastoise and Marill's help the pokēmon was able to sit up. Forrest wandered over to his brother, curious, and as they talked I made sure to stay far away from the huge body of water that was currently in the gym. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just speeding up the recovery process." Brock explained. "As Golem's shell dries off, its body radiates far infrared rays which help it return to its normal temperature. Right, Golem?" He smiled warmly at the pokēmon. "Doesn't that feel better?"

Golem gave a happy, yet tired, grin. "Golem…"

"Wow." Forrest said, surprised. "You really know a lot."

"Well, I always wanted to be a pokēmon breeder, and being gym leader meant I had to know a lot about how to take care of rock pokēmon when they fought certain opponents. Water-types especially." Brock turned off the hairdryer and gave Golem an affectionate pat on the back. "Now, though, I'm planning on being a pokēmon doctor instead. I've got a long ways to go before I can take care of any hurt pokēmon I come across."

"That's so cool…"

"So, what now?" Blue asked, making a face as he approached Brock and Forrest. He placed his hands on his hips, frowning deeply. "We can't just let the gym become a water-type gym. That'll cause a big mess for trainers who are trying to get badges, and even more trouble for the Elite Four who will have to look over it all!"

"Believe me, I don't plan on it." Brock said. He frowned, looking around the gym. "Wait, where's El and Misty?"

Blue turned and pointed at us, watching as I hid near the front doors. "Over there. The kid's not going anywhere near the water, and Misty is trying to keep her from freaking out."

"Ah, yeah, I guess that makes sense. Oi- Mom, Dad!" Brock called out to his parents, but they weren't listening. Flint had just been about to leave the gym in defeat when Lola caught his attention, and they began flirting with each other, talking about the day when they first met through a pokēmon battle similar to this one and how it had been love at first sight. Brock made a face. "That's really sweet and all, but I won't let this gym become a water gym."

Flint and Lola paused, turning to look at their son in confusion.

Brock folded his arms over his chest, frowning deeply. He glared at his mother. "I will battle you myself before I let that happen."

"...Do we have to?" Lola whined. "It's so cute the way it is- and I'm hungry after all that battling!"

"I'm rather hungry, too." Flint commented, pressing a finger to his chin. "We could all probably go for a meal."

"Oh, oh!" Lola pulled away from Flint and hopped over to Brock, lacing her hands together in front of her chest with sparkling eyes. "You'll cook, won't you, Brock!? You make the most amazing meals!"

Brock stared her down, before letting out one last sigh. "Fine. But as soon as we're done eating, we're battling. I don't care how late it is. My friends and I have to get to Cerulean City by tomorrow. We're not exactly on a very forgiving time limit right now."

"What do you mean?" Forrest asked, curiously, tugging on his shirt. "What time limit?"

"...I'll tell you the details when you're a bit older," Brock said, bringing a hand over to ruffle his younger brother's hair, "but it involves those bad people El mentioned last time before we left."

"Oh… are you trying to stop them?"

"Basically, yeah."

"What? That's awesome!"

Brock just grinned.

…

Dinner ended up being made by Brock with the help of several of his siblings. They wanted to spend time with him and he was happy to oblige, and since they had to make a lot of food for so many people Brock agreed to teach them how to cook.

I relaxed as soon as we were out of the water-filled gym, but once we were back at the house I ended up being surrounded by the little ones who were asking me all sorts of questions about our adventures and the gym leaders I had faced. Blue did most of the talking with the kids, even showing off his Umbreon and Machamp, seeing as I was starting to panic at all the positive attention.

Umbreon was pleased with the affectionate pets she was getting from the children, while Machamp played with the kids and let them dangle off of his arms, easily catching them before they could fall. One of the toddler twins ended up waddling towards me with a rattle in her hand, and before I knew it I was picking Tilly up out of sheer habit, shaking the rattler for her as I rocked her in my arms.

The action reminded me of the little ones in the nursery I would often care for, though they sadly didn't have nice toys like these. The days there also weren't spent so… lightheartedly.

When dinner was ready and Brock and his siblings were setting the table, I was pleased to see he was wearing his usual frilly apron. He seemed to enjoy cooking, from what I observed back in Bill's house, so he was probably in a much better mood than earlier. Still…

I looked down at Tilly, furrowing my brows as she fell asleep, drooling against my shoulder.

He was going to be really mad at me later.

I'm sorry.

I couldn't protect their big brother at all. All I do is hurt him.

Heading to the kitchen, Brock saw me holding Tilly and laughed, easily taking her from me and gently waking her by patting her cheek. "Wakie, wakie, sleepyhead. It's time for dinner."

"Din?"

"Yup! Yummy, yummy din-din."

Tilly babbled excitedly and latched onto his apron, and Brock carefully set Tilly down in a kid's seat with its own little table in the dining room. Tommy soon handed him Billy, and the twin boy was set in his own chair. Before long, the rest of the kids all began to line up to take their own seats at the table, and Brock brought in some folding chairs for Blue, Misty, and I to sit down on. Flint and Lola were nowhere to be seen, so Forrest headed to the gym to get them- assuming they'd both be there.

And they were.

When they came back for dinner, Lola and Flint were nothing short of lovely-dovey and it was rather embarrassing and uncomfortable to watch. I sunk down in my chair, expression going blank as I questioned why they were like this, and Brock and his siblings just stared at their parents- heavily disappointed in them.

Forrest made a face. "Guys!"

"We're at the table!" One of the girls, Yolanda, said, scrunching up her nose.

"That's gross!" Cindy complained.

Brock sighed and took a bite of his food. Chewing his meal slowly, he swallowed and then spoke. "Let's talk about what's going to happen to the gym."

"I don't think they're worried about it." Suzie commented.

"Mmm~ this is so yummy." Lola hummed, happily eating the food Brock had made, Flint absolutely lovestruck as he fed it to her. "You really are such a good cook, Brock. When did you ever learn how to cook this good?"

"When you weren't here." Brock stated bluntly.

She ignored his comment, continuing to speak. "You know, I was once studying to be a master chef-"

"And you know that as soon as you're done eating, we're having our battle." Brock interrupted. His voice was cold. Lola just giggled.

"You're so funny, sweetie."

"I'm serious!" He snapped, angrily setting his silverware down. "This has gone on for long enough! You can't just show up whenever you want and act like nothing's happened! You can't just pretend that there won't be consequences for your actions! You can't just force your whims on us with the excuse that we're family! That doesn't make it okay!"

Standing up, he slammed his hands down on the table.

"You're an adult! A mother! Yet neither of you have ever acted like parents a single day in your lives! You've never acted like adults a single day in your lives! And you know what? It's humiliating. I'm embarrassed to call you my parents, and I'm even more embarrassed to have my friends here witnessing just how terrible you are at taking care of this family! You care more about each other than you do your own children!"

Lola and Flint sat there, stunned into silence, staring at their eldest as he struggled to catch his breath, Brock breathing heavily as he fell back down into his chair. He brought his hands up to his face, burying his fingers in his hair. Lifting his head up to face the two adults in the room, Brock looked tired.

"I always have to clean up your messes." He told them. "I always have to take care of everything around here. And, you know, normally I'm okay with it. I love my siblings, I love taking care of them. I love cooking and cleaning and watching them grow up, but I'm their brother. I'm not their dad. I'm not their mom. I'm not their parents. You are. So why don't you two start acting like it already?"

"Brock, I…" Flint faltered, not having the words to speak.

Lola blinked. Suddenly, as if he hadn't said anything important at all, or had just told a bad joke, the woman giggled, bringing a hand up to her lips. "You're so silly, Brock."

Brock slammed his forehead onto the table.

Misty, actually feeling bad for him, reached over to pat his back, while Blue closed his eyes with a small wince. I sat there quietly, not knowing what to do or say to make things better.

"I'm done." Brock muttered. "I'm so done with you two. If Mom wasn't a water-type user, this house would have burned down the second I left."

"W-Well, the thing is…" Flint started to stammer. "... about the gym thing, Lola and I were thinking…"

Brock lifted his head up, gazing at them in disdain. "What?"

"We… uh, actually, you know what? You tell them, honey." Flint booped his wife's nose.

She booped his nose right back, wearing a dopey grin that matched her husband's exactly. "No, you tell them, dear."

"No, you."

"No, you!"

"No-"

"Somebody talk!" Brock roared.

Lola and Flint flinched and recoiled back, clinging to each other in fright. Lola cried out. "We were just getting there! You can wait a second, can't you!?"

Brock's glare was her answer.

Flint coughed into his fist. "A-Anyway. We have an important announcement to make. We're going to turn the Pewter City gym into a rock and water-type gym!"

The entire table went into an uproar.

Lola tried to explain that they'd make a rock garden next to the pool, and Flint said that the gym having two types of pokémon would make it unique, but the one to snap in response to their pitiful excuses wasn't Brock, it was Forrest.

He stood up from his chair, shouting, "You're gonna turn our gym into a laughingstock!" And then ran out of the house, leaving Brock to stand up and call out after him.

"F-Forrest, hey!"

"After you left," Yolanda commented, catching their eldest brother's attention before he could chase after, "Forrest was always talking about how he wants to be the leader of the gym when he grows up."

Brock was surprised. "He wants to be the gym leader?"

"Mmhm. Mom and Dad probably just ruined that for him, though."

Brock's shoulders slumped, and moving to leave the kitchen he flashed Lola and Flint one last glare before patting me on the shoulder. "I'll be back, El. Stay with Blue and Misty."

I eyed him nervously as he vanished, before turning back to the food on the table.

I didn't grow up with a loving family, but I did grow up taking care of infants and toddlers. I don't know what it's like to have parents, because I don't remember ever having any. The only glimpse I had of one is in a nightmare that continually haunts me.

But… if I do know one thing, it's that Brock deserves better than these two adults that don't even understand the basic concept of responsibility.

Turning my head, I focused my cold stare on them- and Flint visibly flinched while Lola flashed me an awkward smile. "Hm? What's wrong, cutie?"

"...You guys are terrible parents."

A few of Brock's siblings nodded in agreement with my words.

Lola just laughed, though, like she did whenever she was faced with criticism. "Aww~ no need to be so mean! I come back and visit, don't I? And look, we're all eating dinner together!"

"No. No. El is right." Blue said, giving Lola and Flint his own harsh stare. Leaning forward, he propped an elbow up on the table, hand against his cheek, and he pointed his spoon at them. "My parents died when I was really small, so I don't remember much about them, but I know how hard my gramps worked trying to raise me and my big sis. And he was helluva lot better at it than you guys."

Misty nodded fiercely in agreement, standing up and holding her fists up close to her chest. "Yeah! Being parents isn't just showing up for family dinners or coming back home after leaving for months on end! It's actually being there for your kids when they need you, and taking care of them! But you never did any of that- Brock did!"

"Brock always… sang us to sleep." Timmy spoke up, voice quiet. We all turned to look at him, and we watched as the little one fiddled with his food. "And… he would… read us bedtime stories."

"He'd cuddle with us when we had a scary dream." Suzie murmured. "A-And during thunderstorms, he'd let us climb under his blankets and curl up with him."

"Brock would…" Cindy spoke now, starting to sniffle. "Brock would take care of us when we got sick, a-and would help us study for school even though… he was always busy with the gym."

"A-And if we ever had trouble with something," Salvador said, "he would listen and talk us through it."

Tommy clutched his silverware tightly, glaring with teary eyes at his meal. "Brock worked really h-hard for us. He took care of us."

"Brock was there for us when you guys weren't." Yolanda finished, fixating her intense stare on their parents. Lola and Flint were silent. "Why bother coming back, when you weren't ever here at all?"

…No one said anything after that.

Dinner turned sour in our stomachs, and when Brock returned he had Forrest with him- both boys seemingly in better moods now than when they had left.

Ruffling Forrest's hair, Brock turned towards Lola, who actually seemed to be contemplating what her children had said to her. "Alright, Mom. You and me, at the gym- now. We'll finish this quickly."

"H-Huh? Oh, but…" Lola hesitated, bringing an index finger up to her bottom lip, pouting. Brock raised a brow at her. It wasn't hard to notice her change in mood. "I don't want to fight my son…"

"Tough, 'cause I'm not giving you a choice. You brought this on yourself."

Sighing, Lola stood. "Alright, alright…"

Packing all the dishes away, it was starting to get dark by the time we made it back to the gym. Resisting the urge to grab onto Blue's sleeve and hide near him or Misty, I stayed closed to wall as we walked up the stairs to the bleachers to watch the battle that was about to take place. Brock and Lola stood on boulders on opposite sides of the gym, facing each other.

"I'll be the official judge for this battle!" Flint declared, standing on a boulder near the wall between Lola and Brock.

Lola beamed. "You look great, honey!"

He just waved at her, blowing kisses in her direction. "Good luck, sweetie!"

Brock wasn't having any of their nonsense.

Pulling out a pokēball and enlarging it, he prepared to throw it. "Alright, Mom! We can only use one pokēmon each and I choose this one! Go, Onix!" Tossing the ball, a red light burst out and took form in the shape of a familiar, towering rock pokēmon, and despite its much larger size Onix had an easier time keeping balance than Flint's Golem.

Sensing his trainer's determination, Onix let out a loud roar.

Lola just sighed, flashing her son a pitying smile. "Don't be upset if it ends up sinking like Golem did, okay? Surf's up, Mantine!"

From beside Flint, Mantine jumped out into the water, splashing around as it turned to face Onix.

"Isn't it the cutest thing you've ever seen!?" Lola gushed. "I love its teensy black eyes!"

Brock just grinned.

"Come on…" From beside us, Forrest grabbed onto the railing and leaned over, staring intently at the field. "You gotta win, Brock!"

Throwing his arm up in the air again, Flint exclaimed, "Okay! Mantine versus Onix! Let the battle… begin! Lola, make your first move!"

"Oh, no." She waved him off. "Let Brock go first."

Brock's grin got wider. "Sure. I'd love to." Looking up, he caught his younger brother's gaze. "Hey, Forrest, watch this! Onix- use Dig!"

To all of our shock, Onix dove headfirst into the water. Rather than drowning, however, he dug deep into the ground, draining the gym of its water supply. Lola gasped, alarmed and horrified by this development. "No!"

The children all began to cheer, shouting out encouragement for their eldest brother. "Go, Brock, go! Take her down!"

"You got this, Brock!"

"Show her how tough rock pokēmon are!"

As Onix drained the last of the water from the field, Mantine was left splashing its fins on solid dirt. Brock threw out his hand. "Go, Onix! Come up from underneath Mantine!"

Lola covered her mouth with her hands, only able to watch as Mantine flapped desperately on the ground, unable to move, as Onix came up from beneath and sent it flying through the air. When Mantine started to fall, Lola shouted out for it to attack- and the pokēmon sent out an angry burst of Bubble Beam right at Onix's face.

Onix roared in pain, but was quick to counter the attack by reaching out and binding the Mantine with its long stone body, slowly crushing it and making it hard for it to move. When Lola shouted out for Mantine to try and use Confuse Ray on Onix, it could only whimper and cry out, and eventually had to resort to blasting out Bubble Beam again.

Per Brock's orders, Onix released Mantine- sending it flying once more- and as Mantine blasted the rock pokēmon with everything it had, Brock shouted out one last command. "Put everything you have into a Tail Slam, Onix! Don't let it get the best of you!"

"Grooooaaaah!" Onix roared.

With a newfound determination, it whirled around and thrust its tail towards Mantine, knocking it down and smacking it hard into the ground. No longer conscious or able to move, Mantine was effectively defeated. Brock had won.

Seeing this, Flint threw his arm up into the air, calling the match. "Mantine is down! The winner… is Onix!"

"Score one for the rock pokēmon!" Forrest exclaimed as he and his siblings all cheered.

Tommy leaned forward, staring at the battlefield through the railing bars. "I can't believe what I just saw! Brock really beat a water-type with his Onix!"

"I knew he would!" Forest said, leaning over the railing excitedly. "Rock types totally rule!"

"Good job, Onix." Brock told his pokēmon, proud, and though Onix was hurt and very exhausted, it grinned widely at the praise. Onix leaned down so Brock could pet its face, and seeing this the trainer happily did so. "You did great out there. Thank you."

"Graaooh!"

Glancing at his mother, Brock called out, "It's settled now, Mom! The Pewter City Gym will remain a rock-type gym just like we agreed!"

Pouting, Lola gave in to defeat, but was quick to lace her fingers together and swing her hips side-to-side. "Can we at least keep the color-scheme? It's so cheery! It just makes you want to siiiing~!" Raising her voice, she sang off key and way too high pitch.

Flint moved to climb up on the boulder to stand beside his wife. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close, and looked at Brock. "You know, a little color never hurt anybody! It should be fine to leave the decorations like this… right?"

"Oh, honey!" Lola gushed. "You're so sweet!"

Flint just blushed and nuzzled his wife's hair. "Not as sweet as you."

"Wha-?" Brock made a face. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Keep the décor. Just as long as it stays a rock-type gym."

Everyone began to run down the stairs, surrounding Onix and Brock, complementing the duo on a job well done. I observed the area nervously, somewhat fearful of the arena filling up again, and tapped a stray puddle with my foot. When nothing happened, I let out a sigh of relief and turned to see Forrest approaching Brock.

"So, how'd you like that?" Brock asked, seeing Forrest coming over to talk to him.

The boy was grinning ear-to-ear. "That rocked!"

"You still wanna be a rock-type specialist?"

"Yeah!" The younger boy nodded his head. He scratched his cheek. "I just hope I can be as good as you some day…"

"Of course you can!" Brock stepped closer and ruffled Forrest's hair, grinning. He looked up at his pokémon. "Isn't that right, Onix?"

"Graoh!"

Brock turned thoughtful then, eying his pokēmon. "Speaking of which… hey, Onix? Do you mind sticking around here and teaching Forrest a thing or two?"

Onix made several sounds, nodding and smiling at his trainer, and Brock returned the smile before facing his brother again. Forrest looked surprised by Brock's words. "A… Are you sure? I know you and Onix are really close, and I don't wanna separate you…"

"You'll need him." Brock said. Glancing over his shoulder at their parents, he made a face. "After all, look. That's your gym leader over there. But… you won't have to worry; Onix is really well-trained. Plus, with him here… I won't have to worry about Mom or Dad trying something like this again." He turned back to face Forrest, giving his hair one more ruffle. "I can trust him to keep an eye on you and the others while I'm away."

Forrest stared up at Brock, stunned speechless by the gesture, before his face lit up and a huge smile crossed his lips. "You're the best, Brock! I'll work real hard, I promise! One day, I'm gonna become as powerful a trainer as you!" Holding a fist in the air, he said, "I'll be the top pokēmon trainer, and you'll be the best pokēmon doctor the world has ever known!"

Brock laughed and bumped his fist against Forrest's. "Yeah. You know it!"

"I hope you stop those bad guys from doing whatever it is they're doing really soon." Forrest told him. "Because the next time you come home, you and I are gonna have a battle! I'll show you exactly what Onix will have taught me- and all the pokēmon I'll have raised, too!"

"Sure thing, lil' bro. I'll look forward to it. Oh, and one more thing." Leaning down, Brock held a hand up conspiratorially and whispered, "Next time, I'll teach you all about the ladies- just like you wanted."

Forrest's face turned a bit pink, but his face lit up with excitement as he giggled. "That'd be great."

"Anyway, it's about time my friends and I hit the road." Brock placed his hands on his hips, looking around the arena. "It's almost curfew for the pokēcenters!"

Him saying that caused an avalanche of children, all of his siblings tackling him in hugs and nearly knocking him over. Even the toddlers had managed to latch onto his legs, and Brock let out a small laugh, arms and back and torso and legs completely covered in children. "But Brooock~! You just got back!"

"Do you really have to go?"

"I don't want you to leave!"

"Can't you spend the night!?"

"I'd love to, guys," Brock said, shaking his head with mild amusement, "but my friends and I really have to get going. I promise, the next time I visit I'll spend the whole weekend with you. Okay?"

Several of his siblings pouted. Yolanda hugged his arm tight. "You better!"

"Aww, Brock," Lola and Flint began to make their way over, and Lola held a hand to her cheek, "you're already leaving?"

"Yeah." He looked at them, smile fading momentarily from his face. "You guys better step up your parenting game, or else I'll come back here and set you straight. Got it?"

"Brock, I…" Flint hesitated, then lowered his head. "I'm sorry. I know I'm a terrible father. I came back to try and make amends, to make up for all that lost time, but… I just don't know how. I thought everything would work out if I could just achieve my dream, but when I failed that and I saw how you and the others were doing without me or your mother, I… became ashamed. And now that I'm here, living with them again, I… I've realized I don't know the first thing about being a father."

Brock turned to face his parents completely now, staring them down.

Lola looked at Flint, about to try and cheer him up- only to pause and look down herself, guilt writing across her features. "I… I guess I don't really know how to be a mother either. I made you and yet I… I don't know. I'm sorry, Brock."

"You lost your chance to apologize to me a long time ago." He stated. Brock turned his head to look at his many siblings, who were all clinging to him. "But it's up to them whether they forgive you or not. Apologize to them, not me. And if you truly feel bad for what you guys did- and for what you didn't do- then actually try to be parents. I know there are dozens of books in the house on how to do it."

Both Lola and Flint looked down, despairing and defeated. "Okay…"

"Yes, son…"

Wriggling his limbs free of his siblings, Brock leaned down and gave each one of them hugs- as well as little kisses atop their heads. "I'm heading out now. Thanks for welcoming my friends, you guys. They mean a lot to me."

"We love you, Brock." Cindy mumbled into his chest. "Come back soon, okay?"

He smiled softly, petting the top of her head. "I'll do my best. Let me know if there's anything you need me for, okay? Go to Nurse Joy and ask her to deliver a message to me through one of the other Nurse Joys. I'll come back to help, just like I did today."

The little girl nodded her head, and reluctantly released her brother. Brock gave his many siblings one last hair ruffle, before walking over to where Blue, Misty, and I were standing. Placing his hands on his hips, he looked relieved, like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"So." He said. "To Cerulean?"

Blue and Misty shared a look, and I tried to ignore the slight race of my heart as sweat began to form on my hands.

Misty gave Brock a thumbs up, grinning. "To Cerulean!"

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you all think in the comments, and have a wonderful day/night wherever you are! Stay safe! 💕