Two years before Ash Ketchum begins his journey (again), Pewter City

A Pokémon Gym being closed was the kind of news no trainer wanted to hear, regardless of the reason. Not even if it was a good one, like the Gym Leader losing his parents. And not just trainers: Gym Leaders brought newcomers to their respective towns, who obviously spent their money on food, clothing, services and Pokémon-related items such Pokéballs or medicines. Thus, a Gym closing meant less income for the town or city.

Which was why, when Brock announced that his grieving was over and that the Pewter Gym was open once again, news spread like wildfire, and most of the trainers who skipped Pewter City in their journey to collect the required badges for the Indigo League decided to return to the formerly miner city. So far, Brock had only fought a couple trainers, but everybody knew that it was but a matter of time before more trainers would arrive.

Truth to be told, Brock didn't feel ready to reopen the Gym yet, but he did it for two reasons. First he thought that if he just buried himself under his duties as a Gym Leader, maybe he'd be able to get over his parents' deaths easier. Second, and more importantly, a call from an Inspector, warning him that he had exceeded the time he was allowed to keep the Gym closed, and if he didn't open it within the next week, he would lose it.

Currently, Brock was engaged in a match against the third challenger since he opened the Gym, a young girl of sixteen years old named Marie. She had long black hair falling down her back, combined with a pair of spherical buns at each side of her head. She was wearing a pink qipao shirt, dark purple pants, and a pair of white sandals. She had three badges so far (Cascade, Thunder, and Rainbow) and proved herself to be a competent trainer, defeating Brock's Onix with ease with her Venomoth. That didn't deter Brock in the slightest, it was just a minor setback.

"You're good, I'll give you that, but don't get too confident just because you defeated one of my Pokémon!" Brock claimed as he selected his next fighter. "Go Graveler!"

"Grave!" the Rock Pokémon cried after being released from its Pokéball.

"Graveler, Rollout!" Brock ordered.

Graveler growled in agreement, and rolled like a boulder against the Poison Moth Pokémon. Its trainer didn't look worried.

"Counter with Stun Spore!" Marie replied.

Venomoth didn't say anything, and started flapping its wings rapidly, spraying the Graveler with a sparkly orange powder. Graveler's speed abruptly dropped.

"What?" Brock asked in shock.

"Yes! Paralyzed!" Marie shouted, while pumping a fist. "Now, Quiver Dance!"

Not bothered by its opponent, Venomoth started to flap its wings again as it rhythmically moved from one side to another.

"Graveler, Rock Throw!" Brock called again. Graveler attempted to use the attack, but the paralysis kicked in, and it was unable to do anything.

"Continue with Quiver Dance, Venomoth!" Marie shouted.

'Dammit, this is bad!' Brock thought, as he watched how Venomoth powered up. "Come on Graveler, Rock Throw again!"

This time, Graveler managed to throw off the paralysis and toss a few rocks at the dancing insect. However, it proved to be too late.

"Venomoth, Psybeam!" Marie called.

Venomoth's eyes started to glow, and they fired a bright, white, pink and purple beam at Graveler, which managed to shatter the incoming rocks before hitting the enemy in full force.

"Graveler!" Brock cried. The Rock Pokémon was unable to resist the powered-up Psybeam, and laid on the ground, immobile.

"Graveler is unable to battle, Venomoth wins this round!" Forrest, who was refereeing the match, called out.

Brock recalled his Graveler, while whispering some words of encouragement and choosing his final Pokémon. "Come on, it all depends on you, please don't fail me. Go Rhyhorn!"

"RHY!" the Spike Pokémon cried upon being released.

"There's no need to drag this any longer," Marie heartily stated. "Venomoth, Psybeam!"

"Veno!" the bug Pokémon cried before firing another beam.

"Rhyhorn, Dig!" Brock ordered.

"Rhy!" Rhyhorn quickly hid underground, while the Psybeam hit the ground instead.

"What? Venomoth, use Supersonic to find its position, quickly!" Marie ordered, a bit panicked. Venomoth did as ordered, and started to use its Supersonic on the ground, but it was unable to find its rival.

"Rhyhorn, now!" Brock called. Suddenly, Rhyhorn appeared below Venomoth, and slammed it with its head, knocking the bug to the ground.

"Venomoth, get up, quickly!" Marie called.

"Rhyhorn, Take Down!" Brock ordered. Rhyhorn charged against the downed Venomoth before it had time to get up. The attack hit Venomoth at full force, and the moth fell on the ground once again, this time without moving.

"Venomoth is unable to battle, the winner is Rhyhorn!" Forrest announced.

Brock sighed in relief, having finally defeated one of his opponent's Pokémon. There was still hope, his Rhyhorn could turn it around. Meanwhile, Marie had already chosen her next Pokémon.

"Go, Cloyster!"

"Cloy!" the Bivalve Pokémon shouted upon appearing.

"Alright, let's end this already! Rhyhorn, Roll Out!" Brock ordered, and Rhyhorn charged at its opponent.

"I agree," Marie replied. "Cloyster, Ice Beam."

"Cloy!" Closter's two upper spikes fire two icy beams that hit Rhyhorn, encasing it inside a block of ice.

"No!" Brock shouted in desperation. "Rhyhorn, try to break free!"

"Cloyster, Clamp!" Marie ordered.

The frozen Rhyhorn was an easy prey for Cloyster, whose Clamp connected. The attack broke the ice block, but it also knocked Rhyhorn out.

"Rhyhorn is unable battle, the winner is Cloyster! And since Rhyhorn was Brock's last Pokémon, Marie is the winner of the match!"

"YES!" Marie shouted in joy as she bounced up and down. "Another badge to the collection, wohoo!"

Brock recalled his Rhyhorn, and walked towards his opponent to hand her the Boulder Badge.

"Congratulations. You're a great trainer, you deserve this."

"Thanks," Marie replied as she stared at her newest badge. "I'd like to say it was a good match but..." She started to look uneasy. "It didn't feel like one to me, sorry."

Brock was taken aback. "Come again?"

"I mean, don't get me wrong, your Pokémon are strong and all that, it's just, well..." Marie rubbed the back of her head. Lecturing a gym leader, even one she just defeated, felt awkward. She didn't want to come across as haughty and arrogant. "Your tactics relied mostly on charging forward, and hoping that your sturdier Pokémon would take out mine with brute force. I mean, do you really think it was a good idea to have your Rhyhorn charge head on at my Cloyster like that? I can't believe you didn't see that coming."

Marie's words were like a stab on his pride, but Brock had to agree that she had a point. This wasn't the first fight in which his performance left a lot to be desired.

"I..." Brock sighed. No point in denying it. "Well, it's not like I want to make up excuses or anything, but… something happened, and it deeply affected me. I guess my head wasn't all focused on the match."

"Even I could see that." Marie smiled. "Why don't you take a vacation or something to clear your mind?"

Brock sighed wearily. "I already did. I returned from a very long one, and it wasn't of much help."

Marie's smile disappeared. "Oh, I see. In that case... um..."

Brock forced himself to smile. "It's okay, you don't have to fix my life. I'll find a way to get back on the game myself."

"Oh, okay," Marie replied. She finally put her badge on a case, along with her other three. "Then I better get going. Whatever it was, I hope that you can recover."

"Thanks," Brock earnestly replied. "Good luck at the League, I'm sure you'll do well."

As Marie left the gym, Brock remained still, as his brother left the referee spot and approached him.

"Really, Brock, what was that over there? Are you sure you're ready to go back to this?"

"I have to. The Gym's going to be shut down if I don't get it back running soon."

"I know that, but…" Forrest didn't feel like being blunt, especially after seeing that less than admirable performance. "Brock, we both know you're better than this. If you're not ready yet, I don't think it's a good idea that you return to battling."

Brock sighed, unable to even reply to that. "Look, I guess I'll just go for a walk. There won't be any more challengers today, and it's closing time anyway. Can you do that for me?"

"Take your time, big brother. You really need it."

Brock walked towards the entrance, as Forrest took care of cleaning up the mess in the battlefield, and placing the *CLOSED* sign on the front doors. The second of the Harrison siblings couldn't help but feel sad as he gazed as his older brother. Forrest knew that out of all of them, Brock had been the most afflicted by their parents' deaths. Becoming the head of the family hadn't been easy, and all things considered, he had done a pretty good job at it. Still, no matter how hard he tried to put a brave face, deep down the eldest brother was still hurting. Forrest had done everything he could to help him, and he wished he was old enough to legally take over as the Gym Leader to give Brock a well-earned break. He had his hands full just by taking care of all of them on his own.

At sunset…

Brock thought going for a walk around the city park would help him feel better, but he was really, really wrong. He had forgotten to check out the calendar, missing out that today was the Annual Family Camping Day: a small competition where the parents and children of Pewter City would compete amongst each other in many varied and exciting events.

One of the advantages of coming from a large family was that Flint and Lola always had reserve members for their team, and they had won for several years in a row. To the point many other locals had attempted to ban them, arguing it wasn't fair for the others.

Seeing all those parents with their children only made him think even more of his own father and mother. He could still recall the day he and Forrest took part in that competition for the first time, bringing the prize home for their parents. Since then, they competed every year with the other kids, and they were determined to get each single one of them to get their name carved in one of the meritorious plates the contest granted. Sadly, it was not to be. Since they weren't old enough to take part in the games, Suzie, Timmy and the twins Billy and Tilly would be left to wish they could compete and win alongside them. Pity there wasn't a category for older siblings; he would have gladly played that part.

Wanting to get away from those memories, Brock walked towards one of the park's ponds, and sat on a bench. As he gazed on the Pokémon swimming on the water surface, he drifted in his thoughts, unable to get the words from that challenger and his brother out of his head. As depressing it was, they were right. He wasn't giving his all, and he knew it. His mind wasn't in the battle. Maybe it was a little too soon to reopen the Gym, but the permit for a leave of absence couldn't be extended much more (he would have at most a two-to-three-months final reprieve according to the League's regulations, depending on the number of challengers). On the other hand, if he couldn't fight effectively, a losing streak would get him shut down anyway, so it looked like a no-win situation no matter which way he looked at it. What should he do?

"Well, look who I've found here," a female voice suddenly said. Brock raised his head to find in front of him a young woman with dark pink hair and blue eyes smiling at him.

"Hey, Solidad, long time no see." Brock tried to smile back. He hadn't seen her since his parent's funeral; she had attended to pay her respects and give her condolences.

"I heard you had reopened the gym," the girl said as she sat next to him. "Judging by your face, I assume things aren't going well?"

"That obvious?" Brock became a little more forced as he sighed. "My permit has almost expired. If I don't get back to work, we'll be in trouble. But the truth is… I don't feel ready just yet."

"Why do you say that? Your father taught you well. Didn't he teach you to believe in 'rock-hard determination'?"

Brock glanced at Solidad, feeling a little conflicted in the inside on how to give his reply. On the one hand, she was right: 'rock-hard determination' was his father's motto, and he had taken it up as his own when he was appointed as the new Gym Leader. On the other hand… Solidad had no way to know how he felt after his parents died (not that he wished such pain upon her in the least).

"I wish he was here to remind me of that," he said. His father always seemed to know what to say, and he often found himself wondering what he would do in these situations.

Solidad looked at him with compassion. The two had been friends for a few years, and they even went on a couple of dates together. It didn't quite work out, partly because Brock was too caught in his grief over his parent's death, and partly because she quickly found that they were better off as friends. Brock was a nice guy, and he deserved someone who would appreciate his better qualities, and she knew better that she couldn't be that person.

"But enough talking about me." Brock quickly changed the subject. "What about you? Have you already gotten your trainer license?"

"Yeah, but… I have yet to decide what I will do with it," she confessed. "The League challenge looks exciting and all, but the Contests also look nice. I'm still not sure where I'd like to try."

Even though Solidad was close to turn 17, she hadn't applied for a trainer license until a few months ago, and even then, she was having trouble deciding where she would like to test her skills. Sure, there were people who tried their hand on different competitions, even at the same time, but it was very rare to see someone succeed in all of them before they settled on a definitive area. That kind of talent usually only came once in a million trainers, on average.

"I'm thinking of going to the upcoming SteelixCon, maybe there's something good over there. What about you?"

"Not really," Brock replied. "The tickets are sold out anyway, and it's just in a couple days. I didn't get one."

The SteelixCon was a very exciting event, held once a year in Pewter City, an expo on the latest novelties in Pokémon training and all related stuff. They usually included very special guests, like famous trainers and coordinators from all over the world, conferences for rookie trainers, exhibition battles and more. Usually he would attend if he wasn't too busy, but this year, he was too caught in his grief to care for it.

"Really? Well, it just so happens, I have an extra one on me." Solidad pulled out the ticket from her pocket. And not just any ticket: it was a VIP Pass for the most important events. "A friend got them for me, but I don't have anyone else who wants to go. If you want it, it's yours."

Brock stared at the ticket. He actually didn't feel like attending the event, but Solidad was offering him a chance to do something to try and cheer him up. He actually appreciated that, and he didn't want to seem ungrateful by refusing her kind offer. After some hesitation, he took it.

"Thanks, I guess I'll go. Maybe I can find something to do over there. I really need something to clear my mind."

"That's the spirit." Solidad smiled. "Well, I better get going. Bye, and take care of yourself."

As Solidad walked away, Brock was left alone with his thoughts and the ticket. He still wasn't sure if he should go. It might be a way to try and keep himself busy, and clear his mind to get back to the top of his game. Sure, there were plenty of things a Gym Leader like him could do over there. There was even a chance to meet someone special.

He snickered at that thought. Given his luck in love, he'd have better chances at finding a female Combee in the wild.

At the Event Dome, SteelixCon

Lucy was never much of a fan of conventions. When Scott gave her a ticket after being recruited into the Battle Frontier, her first thought was giving it to somebody who was actually interested in it. However, upon thinking for a bit, she decided that she had nothing to lose, and finally decided to attend.

Due to the novelty of the Battle Frontier, very few people actually knew who she was or what kind of organization she belonged to, unlike the few Gym Leaders and other famous trainers present, both from Kanto and neighboring regions, which were immediately swarmed by young trainers wanting to either talk to them or challenge them to a short match.

Not that Lucy craved that kind of attention, mind you.

Unlike most of the people there, Lucy thought the convention was a good chance to meet a boy. Some would think that her beauty combined with her talent as a trainer would have made boys fight to death if that would mean to have a chance to date her, but that wasn't the case. In fact, most boys she talked to felt kind of… intimidated by her. The reason? She wasn't sure, but she suspected it could be a combination of her height, her serious demeanor, and the fact she and her Pokémon were very strong. After all, why else none of the few she dated ever called her back?

But not anymore, Lucy told herself. This time, she was determined to find somebody, someone to have a lasting relationship. With her newfound determination, she scanned her surroundings in search of potential candidates. She had already prepared multiple topics to break the ice. There was no way her plan could fail.

While she looked the area, she found something that seemed quite out of place in the convention: a crestfallen young man sitting on a bench, his eyes fixed on the floor. The Pike Queen wondered what was wrong with him to be in such mood. As she approached him, she realized that the guy in question wasn't any random trainer.

"Excuse me, aren't you Brock Harrison, the Gym Leader of this city?" Lucy asked.

Brock raised his head, and shoot her a sad smile. "A pretty girl who knows who I am? I should feel flattered."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Lucy. I've been recently inducted in Kanto's Battle Frontier branch," the Pike Queen stated.

"Brock Harrison. But you already know that, don't you?"

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Sure," Brock moved aside and left some space to Lucy. "So, are you enjoying the convention?"

Lucy shrugged. "Eh, it's okay. I wasn't super excited to come. I'm here mostly because I had nothing better to do in the meantime. What about you? You don't look like you're having a great time yourself."

"I guess I just have too much in my mind lately. I just came here to see if I could clear my head," Brock explained. "For all the good it did."

"I can see that," Lucy thought, then she smiled at Brock again. "Care to share your troubles? I'm a very good listener."

Brock hesitated for a bit. He was unsure if he should share his woes with a complete stranger, but there was something about the girl's warm smile that made him more eager to open up. "Okay. You could say that it all started a few months ago... when my parents died."

Lucy gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she blurted.

Brock's mouth formed a sad smile. "It's okay. Anyway, after that... let's say that I haven't been the same. I just can't get my mind back into Pokémon battling. Or anything Pokémon related. Or anything at all, for that matter." Brock sighed. "It's like a part of me died with them. I can't even defeat the weakest challengers coming to the Gym. If things don't change, I might lose my position as Gym Leader as well."

"Have you considered taking some time off? I'm sure the Pokémon League allows some-" Lucy was about to suggest before Brock interrupted her.

"I already did. I had the Gym closed for a time while I mourned my parents. I kept it closed way past the allowed time for these cases, and I got a few letters urging me to reopen the Gym or else I would face a fine, or something worse," Brock explained.

"Oh," Lucy didn't had an answer for that. She tried to think something comforting to say, but her mind couldn't come up with anything. And much to her shock, Brock got up.

"Anyway, I think I should leave before you get depressed too. Thanks for listening to me, talking about it made me feel a bit better," Brock said before he started to walk away.

"Hey, wait! Please don't go so soon!"

Brock turned around, and saw Lucy had shot up from the bench herself. Furthermore, she actually grabbed him by the arm. Even she herself wasn't sure why, but she had done it; there was no turning back now.

"Well...it's obvious that you do need to clear your mind for a bit so..." Lucy bit her lip. "Why don't you stay a little longer? These kind of places are usually more enjoyable if you have somebody else to be with. And frankly, I could use some company too."

"I don't know..."

"I'm not going to force you to stay," Lucy replied. Her initial idea of finding a date had already vanished from her mind, and she was now focused on cheering up Brock. "But I think it would be a good idea."

After a few seconds of pondering, Brock made up his mind. "Oh well, it's not like I was going to have a much better time at home."

"That's the spirit!" Lucy cheered triumphantly. "So, what do you want to see first?"

"I don't know. Let's walk and see what catches our eye," Brock suggested. Lucy eagerly nodded.

And thus, the two young adults wandered through the convention, taking their time to look at the stands, and sometimes discussing what caught their interest. They approached a Trading Spot, where many trainers offered their Pokémon in exchange of others for trade.

"Oh look, that man is giving a Dratini for trading!" Lucy excitedly said as he pulled Brock's arm. "Excuse me, sir!"

The trainer of the Dratini, a man in his twenties dressed in black and purple, turned at her. "Yes miss?"

"I want your Dratini! What do you want for it?" Lucy asked.

"Ah, good, finally somebody interested!" the man replied. "I'm looking for a Milotic. Do you have one?"

"Yes I do!" Lucy replied, but her excitement died soon. "Although..."

"Is there a problem, miss?"

Lucy looked uneasy. "I only have one, and it's one of the Pokémon I'm the closest to. Would you accept something else?"

The man sighed, as his face formed a frown. "Listen, miss, this is no ordinary Dratini. It was caught in the Dragon Den of Ecruteak City in Johto. Have you got any idea how hard it is for the locals to let you in, let alone catch a Pokémon there?"

"I'm afraid not. But still-"

"I'm not going to change my mind. Unless you have a Legendary Pokémon –which I doubt– if you're not willing to trade your Milotic, then you're wasting my time," the man replied. Lucy sighed in defeat.

"Man, what a jerk," Brock commented.

"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have attempted to try to give him something else. But damn, I really wanted that Dratini," Lucy mentioned.

"Why? Because it's rare and powerful? Or because it's a favorite of yours or...?"

"No, it's none of that. It's..." Lucy hesitated for a bit. "I kinda like serpentine Pokémon. I'm going to make a full team of six with Pokémon like that. I already have a Seviper, an Arbok and a Milotic. And I really wanted a Dratini."

"You do know that Dratini's final evolution isn't serpent shaped, right?" Brock reminded her.

Lucy just shrugged. "That can be solved with an Everstone, when it evolves into Dragonair."

"Hm, I guess that works, yeah," Brock conceded. "What about Onix? Do you have one?"

"Not yet, but it shouldn't be hard to get one. They're common in Kanto. Actually, I'm pretty sure that you have quite a few don't you?" Lucy guessed, and before Brock could answer, she continued. "Would you be interested in trading one with me? I'm sure I have something you'd like in return."

"Actually, there's no need for trading. You can have an Onix if you want to," Brock replied.

Lucy's eyes were wide open in surprise. "Really? That's...! No, wait. No, that wouldn't be okay. I can't just ask you to give me one of your Pokémon like that."

"It's not a Pokémon. At least, not yet." Upon sensing Lucy's confusion, Brock continued. "See, I'm also a Pokémon breeder, so I've got one or two Onix eggs to spare. And before you say anything, I was already planning to give them away, since I already have quite a few Onix. Just say the words, and it will be yours."

"Really?" Lucy asked, just as surprised. "Thank you! You're awesome!"

It took both of them a couple seconds to notice that Lucy had thrown her arms around him. They both turned red, and the Pike Queen quickly broke the embrace. "Uh...I mean, I'm very grateful for that. Yeah."

"O-Okay," Brock awkwardly stuttered. "So...do you want to see other stands?"

"Y-yeah. Let's go."

They spend the following hours watching and enjoying the convention. Lucy even took part in a few impromptu matches that some trainers were having, winning all of them. She even asked Brock to join her, but he declined. He was content with watching her, she was an amazing battler. Although Brock couldn't help but notice that her Pokémon used exclusively offensive moves. Not that she needed anything else; they hit hard enough to KO the opponents before they could counter. She kept going, trashing challenger after challenger, until a voice sounded through the convention's speakers.

"Attention: the SteelixCon will close its doors in ten minutes. We ask all the attendees to please exit the building. Thank you for coming, and hope to see you next year!"

"Wow, look at that. It's almost nighttime," Lucy commented.

"Yeah, time surely flies," Brock added. "So, did you have a good time?"

"Sure," Lucy smiled, and she wiped a strand of hair from her face. "What about you? Do you feel any better?"

"Actually, I didn't even think of my parents' deaths," Brock mentioned. "This is a first."

"See? I told you we could have a great time!" Lucy cheerfully pointed out, smiling.

"We can meet tomorrow so I can give you the Onix egg," Brock mentioned. His tan skin slightly turned red, and he started to rub his neck. "And... if you wish... we could do something else. Like going out for a meal? What do you say?"

Lucy also blushed a bit. "You mean as... a date?" The Pike Queen's original goal had been all but forgotten, but she already knew the answer to that offer. "I'd love to."

"Great!" Brock replied. On the outside, he looked mildly excited, but on the inside, he was so happy it was almost like there was a party going on. "By the way, before we leave... can I ask you something else?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Besides serpentine Pokémon... is there other type of Pokémon you like?" Brock asked. "I have more eggs besides Onix, in case you might like another one."

Lucy averted her gaze, and blushed a bit. "Actually, yes, there's other type of Pokémon I like, although I don't use them for battling..."

"And that would be...?"

Lucy remained hesitant. "It's a bit silly."

"Come on. No Pokémon is silly," Brock insisted.

"Okay..." Lucy conceded. "But... can you promise you won't laugh?"

"Yeah, I promise," Brock assured her.

"I… like Pokémon with squinty eyes," Lucy finally said.

It took a few seconds for Brock to process what she said. "What?"

"You know, Abra, Cyndaquil, Snorlax... those kinds of Pokémon. I think their eyes look kinda cute," the Pike Queen confessed.

Brock smiled. "I don't think I have a Pokémon like that. But if it helps, I don't think it's silly."

'Of course not, you too have cute squinty eyes,' Lucy thought, smiling too.

"So, see you tomorrow at my Gym? Say, at noon is fine for you?" Brock asked.

Lucy nodded. "I'll be there."

A few days later

When he returned home after the SteelixCon, Brock's brothers and sisters took no time to notice how much his mood had improved, but that was nothing compared to what he felt the next day. Lucy came to the Gym right on schedule to pick up the Onix egg he had promised her, but she didn't leave right away. Instead, she told him that she was planning on staying around town for a while, and directly asked him if he had any plans for the weekend. At the beginning of that week, he cetainly didn't plan on going to the local indoor pool with a pretty girl.

Pewter's indoor pool was known as Blue Gaia, and for obvious reasons it was one of the most popular dating spots in the city. Once upon a time, Brock would go on a mildly regular basis to meet girls, until his parents died. That time felt really far away now; he didn't imagine himself coming back to this place. He was sitting outside the dressing rooms, waiting for Lucy to get changed. He was already in his olive green and orange swim trunks.

"Sorry for making you wait." Lucy's voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

As he turned around, Brock involuntarily tried to hold back an incoming nosebleed at the vision in front of him. No doubt Lucy was a very attractive young woman, but that dark purple swimsuit certainly highlighted all of her attributes. First, he now had an excellent view of her long and shapely legs (which contributed a lot to her height). The swimsuit also had two diamond-shaped cuts baring her ample bosom and midriff, and she had also tied her long hair in a high ponytail. Although he preferred it down, he had to admit, it looked stylish on her.

"Wow. You look amazing," he said.

"I'm not the only one," she replied as she glanced at his pecs and abs. "Have you been working out?"

"A little." He scratched the back of his head. "So, what do we do first?"

Lucy glanced at the slide zone, immediately setting her sights on the highest one. Brock gulped when he noticed, but was helpless to do anything when she grabbed him by the wrist and went that way. It was weird, he simply couldn't make any objections, and before he realized they were on the edge, ready to go down the slide.

"Uhm, Lucy… isn't it a bit too high here?" he asked, still unsure.

"What's the matter, Brock? You're not telling me you're scared, are you?" she asked in amusement.

"Scared, me? No way, I'm just…"

"No time for excuses." She grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him forward with her body. "Let's go!"

"WHAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Too late to retort; the two were irrevocably going down. His only solace was that at least Lucy wasn't as mean to push him and let him go down alone; she held on to him the whole time, so at least that did help in enjoying the ride. The descent was faster and faster, and Brock focused his attention on the soft pillows he felt on his back and Lucy's arms wrapped around his neck (fortunately not strangling him). Once they reached the bottom, Lucy was the first to come back to the surface.

"Wasn't that fun, Brock?" she called out to him, but he didn't resurface. "Brock, where are you?"

He took a few more seconds to come back, and when he did, Lucy noticed his expression had changed completely. He was no longer nervous, instead, he had a big grin in his face.

"Can we do it again?" he asked. He enjoyed that little ride, he couldn't pass up the chance to repeat it. Lucy, of course, was more than happy to comply.

After going down the slide no less than five times, the two went for a swim on the deeper part. At one point, Lucy commented she was glad to see he "didn't sink like a rock". Brock seemed a little offended at this remark, but seeing her laugh made him instantly forget it. Afterwards, they went to the wave pool and let themselves get carried by the current to rest. A couple hour later, they went to the cafeteria to eat something.

While the girl waited for Brock to bring their food, she sat at one of the umbrella tables, letting her thoughts drift. It had been a long time since she had had so much fun with someone else. In fact, she found it hard to believe someone like Brock didn't have a girlfriend: he was nice, attentive, and he had been a perfect gentleman all the while. In particular, she was more than willing to initiate physical contact, since he had been a little withdrawn, and while he did gaze at her occasionally, she was never bothered in the least.

"Well, well, why's such a pretty lady like you so lonely around here?"

The unknown voice made Lucy raise her gaze, finding a guy she didn't know. His skin was tanner than Brock's, and he clearly wasn't shy about showing off his pure muscle body and his trim-cut dyed blonde hair. Still, none of that impressed Lucy. She didn't like arrogant brawny jerks, and this guy had the looks of one.

"How's it going, beautiful? Can I treat you something?" he asked as he sat in front of her.

"Excuse me, that chair is taken," said Lucy. "My date's coming back soon."

"Really? How dare he to leave you by yourself?" the guy quipped.

"He went to get our meal, thank you very much. Now if you don't mind…"

Lucy made a gesture with her hand, telling him to please go away because he was invading her space. Unfortunately, the guy didn't get the message, or just ignored it, and she wasn't liking one bit the way he ogled at her. She sensed things were about to get ugly, which was only confirmed when he stood up to look down on her.

"Look, sweetie. A loser like that puny guy you're with doesn't deserve a beauty like you. Don't you prefer someone who knows how to have a good time? We can go somewhere else more… private, if you wish."

In response, Lucy stood up too, making it clear she was as tall as him. This seemed to catch him off guard, and his smug smile suddenly dimmed down. Despite being attractive, the girl proved capable of taking on a very intimidating demeanor when she wanted.

"I'll only say this once," said Lucy with a low voice. "You're not even my type, and for your own sake, you better go now. That way, this won't have to be unpleasant."

"Maybe I wasn't clear enough," he replied, casting aside any pretense of courtesy and trying to grab her arm.

Grave mistake. Lucy's eyes quickly became sharp, almost like those of a Seviper, and with her free hand she grabbed his wrist. The guy definitely didn't expect she'd have kind of strong grip with that slender figure, and he actually groaned in pain, letting go of her. Lucy hoped this would be enough to send the message, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Taking on a furious expression, the mastodon once again tried to get his hands on him, but she ducked and delivered a kick to the ankles to make him fall backwards. Before he could get back up, she grabbed him by the feet and dragged him to the edge of the water.

"Hope you like flying, you jerk."

The mastodon screamed as he flew through the air, falling into the water with a loud splash. He took a while to get back to the surface, only to meet the death glare of an angry Lucy, her arms akimbo and her face clearly saying "You want more?" For once, he made the sound choice and quickly swam in the opposite direction. Lucy nodded in satisfaction, but upon turning around, she ran into Brock, who had come back with a tray with food and a couple of iced tea glasses, as well as a totally shocked expression. He clearly had witnessed what she had just done.

'Oh no… what will he think of me now?' she thought.

It was always the same. For several years she had taken classes of personal defense, in order to protect herself, but invariably, whenever she was lucky enough to get a date, only one display of those skills was enough to send them running for the hills. Why did it bother them so much?

"Brock… I hope you don't take this the wrong way. I assure you I don't…"

"That was incredible!" The tanned young man had a big grin in his face. "I was about to intervene, but you didn't need me to put that asshole in his place!"

"Wait… it doesn't bother you?" she asked in confusion, although relieved to see that at least he hadn't decided to dump her on the spot.

"Why would it bother me?" he said. "Aw, just forget it, let's go sit before the ice in the tea melts."

Lucy couldn't say anything else, she simply went to sit back at the table with Brock, ready to have their meal in peace. After downing her drink in almost one single gulp, the two started chatting. Brock began by asking where she had learned those moves. Lucy explained that when she was younger, she was frequently picked on for her height, so in order to not to deal with that anymore, she decided to learn some personal defense techniques. That way she'd be ready in case someone wanted to go beyond or if she had to go to someone else's help. It ended up becoming a double-edged sword, since not only it drove away the undesirables, but also alienated any other guy who could find her attractive. This, coupled with the fact of being able to trash anybody who challenged her to Pokémon battles just made everyone even more afraid of her. This always made it hard to get dates. As she finished, the Pewter Gym leader was indignant, and he had this to say:

"Well, if they're intimidated by a girl who is strong and with attitude, they're the real idiots. Why can't they see the amazing girl you are?"

"You're really sweet, Brock," she said, moved by his words.

"It's the truth," he replied. "I mean, that way your Pokémon fought in the convention, it makes sense they were raised by someone strong. Pokémon are the reflection of their trainers' after all, right? I wish I could fight like that."

As he said this, Brock began thinking of himself, and of his poor performance since he had reopened his Gym. Admittedly, aside from being impressed at Lucy, he also felt a tad jealous, since she was able to keep moving on and didn't let things put her down. Why couldn't he be the same?

"Something troubling you?" Lucy titled her head. Brock stared at the girl's eyes. It seemed almost unbelievable that just a moment ago she had shown that cold and intimidating demeanor, but now, it was warm and compassionate.

"It's my gym. To be honest… I'm in serious trouble. I haven't been doing well at all, and if I keep this up… you know what's gonna happen."

Lucy nodded. As she thought more about it, she realized how serious Brock's situation was. He wasn't just a Gym Leader; that job was also the support for his siblings, and they'd be in serious financial strains should he lose it. He urgently needed help… and she could give it. With this in mind, the girl made her decision.

"Brock… would you like to train with me?" she asked after taking a deep breath. Brock was like 'for real?', and she continued, with a smile. "The Frontier will be inactive while Scott recruits new members. With my help, you'll be back in tiptop shape in no time."

"Really, would you do that for me?" He almost couldn't believe it. She smiled at him as she held his hands.

"I'm warning you, it'll be a really tough training," she said. "And once you accept, there's no turning back, until the very end."

"I pledge myself to your teachings," he replied with a smile. "Just tell me what I have to do."

Lucy almost couldn't contain her excitement. While part of her felt a little guilty for trying to score points with Brock by doing him a favor, he had been really sweet with her. She just had to do something for him. It was a perfect excuse to spend some time together and get to know each other better, but she wasn't doing it only for herself. She genuinely wanted to help him.

A few days later

When Lucy said her training would be really tough, she wasn't kidding. As a Rock-type specialist, Brock had a defensive strategic approach, relying mostly on having his Pokémon tanking the hits from the opponents, and delivering powerful counterattacks. Lucy was more the offensive type, it made her the perfect sparring partner, as her Pokémon had been trained to use very high-powered attacks. Just like he had seen from their first meeting, Lucy relied more on hitting as hard as possible before the opponent had a chance to counterattack. According to her, she had picked up this style that was more common in underground battling, where it came more down to full force and not to care much for defense.

For the past few days, Brock had been pitting his strongest Onix (the very first one he received from his father when he got his trainer license) against Lucy's Milotic. Brock was right in saying that a Pokémon was the clear reflection of its trainer, and Milotic was a prime example of that: beautiful, elegant and strong, just like her owner. The training consisted mostly on Milotic firing Hydro Pump attacks, and trying to get Onix to endure the hits as long as possible to maximize his tolerance to water. It all finally came down to one final showdown between the two serpentine Pokémon. Milotic had launched her strongest Hydro Pump ever, and Onix endured the pain of the water, preparing to deliver his counterattack.

"Onix, unleash the power now! Bide!" Brock commanded.

Onix roared, and glowing with a furious red aura, began channeling the energy from the attacks he had taken into his mouth, forming a large white sphere. Once it was fully charged, a white energy beam was fired towards Milotic. Lucy, however, wasn't going down that easily.

"Mirror Coat!" she called.

Right before the white beam hit her, a reflective coating covered Milotic's entire body. The attack had enough force to knock her out, having been powered by several supereffective hits, but she managed to stand her ground long enough to send it back at Onix. The blast hit the rock snake, who slumped on the ground unconscious, followed shortly after by Milotic herself, who couldn't remain upright either; the strain of using that Mirror Coat had been too much for her.

"Return!" The two trainers quickly recalled their Pokémon, and Lucy approached Brock.

"Well, that was pretty good, I'd say," said the Pike Queen as she smiled.

"After a match like that, I can be happy with a tie." Brock smiled as well. "Still, you were keeping that Mirror Coat up your sleeve all this time, weren't you?"

"Never hurts to have one last resort, does it? Especially when your opponent tries to overpower you, there's always a way to use their own power against them."

Brock nodded. "So what's next?"

"I think it's time we put the Rhyhorn Fang Brothers to the test," said Lucy. Brock nodded and grabbing three more Pokéballs, unleashed the aforementioned Pokémon.

This particular Rhyhorn trio had gotten their nickname due to their signature Fang attacks, since each one of them had been specifically bred to counter certain opponents: Thunder, Fire, and Ice Fang respectively. Plus they were actual brothers, born from the same Rhydon mother. For the casual observer they looked almost identical, but Brock knew the subtle differences between each of them, and was able to tell them apart with a single look. Lucy made a note of having him teach her that someday. Grabbing another Pokéball, she released her Seviper.

"Who wants to go first?" she asked.

The next sparring match was down to one-on-one battles between each of the Rhyhorn brothers and Lucy's Seviper. The middle Rhyhorn stepped forward to the challenge, growling. Brock gestured the other two to step back and make way for the battle to start.

"Seviper, use Poison Tail!" Being the offensive type she was, Lucy decided to make the first move. The snake coated her tail in a purple energy and charged against Rhyhorn.

"Stone Edge!" Brock countered. The rhino-like Pokémon stomped hard with his forelegs and a set of sharp stones emerged from the ground, dangerously close

"Jump!" Lucy called. Seviper coiled herself and propelled upwards like a spring, dodging the stones, and delivering the tail slash on top of Rhyhorn's head. Despite being a not-very-effective move, the fact that he actually staggered was a testimony of its power.

"Drill Run!" Brock commanded. A spiraling energy appeared around the frontal horn, as Rhyhorn charged against Seviper, ready to deliver a powerful drill strike.

"Jump again and use Flamethrower!"

The snake once again jumped over her opponent, opening her maw to let out a fire stream, once again hitting Rhyhorn from behind. Another not-very-effective attack, but it was clear that Rhyhorn felt the heat, the raw power itself had been enough. Brock once again decided to try Stone Edge, but Seviper dodged it in the same manner, by coiling and jumping up to deliver an aerial strike.

"Keep up with Stone Edge, Rhyhorn!" Brock insisted.

Rhyhorn began stomping the ground repeatedly, creating more and more sharp stones all over the place. While Seviper managed to dodge every single one of them without much trouble at first, eventually they overwhelmed her, and one of the stones emerged right below her, hitting her hard and sending her flying.

"Don't give up, Poison Tail!" Lucy called. Seviper turned around in midair, and prepared to use her fall to deliver another trail strike. Brock however, was ready to intercept it with his own attack.

"Thunder Fang!"

Venomous tail met electric jaw. Rhyhorn sank his teeth right into Seviper's tail with full force, causing the snake to shriek in pain while she felt the electricity coursing through her body. Instead of letting go of her, Rhyhorn began slamming her in the ground before throwing her away. Brock saw his chance and called for another Drill Run to finish the match. However, the Pike Queen still had a couple more tricks to turn around the tide.

"Giga Drain!" Lucy called.

Right before Rhyhorn reached her, Seviper opened her maw and her fangs started glowing with green energy. Rather than trying to dodge the Drill Run, Seviper stood her ground and endured it, and then quickly sank her fangs on the back of Rhyhorn's neck, clinging to it as her attack began draining his life force and slowly but surely began healing the damage she had sustained before from the previous attacks. Rhyhorn began to stumble on his feet, since using Giga Drain at point-blank range made it even deadlier, and in just a matter of second, his feet finally failed him, and couldn't stand anymore. The Thunder Fang Brother had fallen.

"Return." Brock quickly recalled his Rhyhorn. "Impressive, Lucy. Not only your Seviper won the battle, but she's still looking good to keep going."

"That's our style." Lucy smiled. "You still have two more shots, let's see if you've learned something."

Brock nodded, and signaled the second Rhyhorn brother to go forward. "You're next."

The real goal of this exercise was to get Brock see how much he learned from his defeats. The second Rhyhorn brother used more long-ranged attacks to try and stay out of Seviper's reach, first using Earthquake to start with massive damage. While it was a good start, Lucy took note of this and managed to minimize it by jumping every time he attempted it. In response, Brock had him use Rock Blast whenever she was in midair, trying to bring her down. Once he succeeded, he charged in to use Fire Fang, and even caused a burn to the snake, but her ability Shed Skin activated immediately. Lucy then had her deliver a point-blank Flamethrower right to his face. Taking her distance, Lucy revealed another trick he was keeping under wraps: Swagger. Lucy and Seviper took advantage of Rhyhorn's confusion to disorient him, and had him crash against one of the Stone Edge pillars remaining from the previous battle. The round ended with a second Giga Drain, and the Fire Fang brother falling in the same manner as the previous one.

Third time would be the charm, as it were. Two of them down; only the Ice Fang brother remained. However, the first two had done pretty well, all things considered, and Lucy's Seviper, despite having healed her wounds, was reaching her limit in endurance, and he could use that to his advantage. Sure enough, the snake managed to put up a good fight once again, but at the end, rather than letting her use her Giga Drain to finish him off the same way as the other two, Brock had the third brother disrupt the attack with his signature Ice Fang, chewing on Seviper's own teeth. This left her numb long enough for him to deliver a Take Down and then jump over her to crush her before she could recover. Three tries, but they had made it.

"Yeah!" Brock pumped his fist in triumph. Lucy returned Seviper and smiled in satisfaction. Her disciple was definitely progressing.

"Well done," she congratulated him. "Now, please tell me what you learned of these fights."

"Considering that you defeated the first two using Giga Drain, I figured that the only chance I had of winning was to find the way to neutralize that attack," Brock replied. "Was that your intention from the beginning?"

"That's right." Lucy nodded. "Sometimes, when an opponent overpowers you, the best way to beat them is to focus first on eliminating their best weapon."

"No kidding, your Seviper is incredible," Brock said in admiration. "Managing to defeat two of my Rhyhorn brothers, and almost winning against the third is no easy feat."

"Your Rhyhorn brothers are pretty good too. I can tell you've raised them well. They're pretty strong on the offensive and defensive sides, but I think we can work on making their moves a little faster."

"What do you suggest?" Brock asked. "I had this friend from Sinnoh who sent me data for my TM, about how to teach the move Rock Polish, but I haven't been able to work on it."

Lucy became thoughtful. "Hmm, maybe we could work with that."

The Pike Queen winked at him. Brock couldn't help but blush a little, but of course, he wasn't going to complain. Whatever she wanted to teach him, he would go through with it, all the way until the end.

Two months later

The final reprieve to keep the Gym closed was over, and now it was the time to put his training to the ultimate test. Brock had only one month to improve his winning rate, and to make up for the previous losses he'd have to achieve at least an 85% of victories. Looking on the bright side, he'd have plenty of chances: news of the reopening of the Pewter Gym had already spread like wildfire, and there was a pretty high number of trainers coming to town for what they expected would be a fairly easy Boulder Badge. About half of them were rookies, but Brock wasn't planning on capitalizing on them to restore his Gym to its former glory. He was planning to do that with the strongest ones.

Lucy turned out to be an amazing teacher. Not only did she know how to remind him of his general philosophy of hitting hard and tanking the damage, but also gave him a few pointers with some tricks she had learned from her opponents. Brock was aware that many of his opponents, especially those who lacked Pokémon with an advantage against Rock-types would often spam attacks like Sleep Powder and Stun Spore to cripple his Pokémon and then deal damage with little fear of retaliation. Lucy suggested using Mud Sport as a coating to protect his Pokémon from these attacks. The Pike Queen, however, seemed to enjoy training the most with the Onix the Gym Leader so kindly had given to her, and she discovered a particular way to focus the Screech attack into a thin wind tunnel, to blow away these attacks, to have some backup in case the Mud Sport defense failed.

"Focus, Brock, keep it together. You can do this. Just remember everything Lucy taught you."

She was back at the Battle Pike today, so she couldn't come yet to see his performance. Looking on the bright side, in case he made a fool of himself, she wouldn't be there to witness it. Not that he planned to do that. She had worked really hard to help him get back on his game, and he wasn't going to let her down.

Brock eyed his opponent. A boy of about fifteen or sixteen years of age. He was tall, with tan skin, spiky short black hair, and was wearing a sleveless dark blue t-shirt, short jeans, and white and black sneakers. He looked very confident. Brock wondered if it was because he already had five badges under his belt, or Brock's recent reputation as a weak gym leader. Maybe both.

"The battle between Brock the Gym Leader, and Chris from Cinnabar Island, will now begin. Both trainers can use up to four Pokémon, and the battle will be over when one side has no more Pokémon remaining. No substitutions are allowed on either side. The Gym Leader will open the battle," Forrest announced, from his usual referee spot.

"Alright then, go Onix!" Brock said as he tossed the Pokéball containing one of his most iconic battlers.

The giant rock serpent roared upon being released. Chris looked at it in amusement.

"You know, I was kinda expecting that you'd use a Steelix against me given the stakes. Oh well, better for me," Chris then chose his first Pokémon. "Go Alakazam!"

"Kazam!" the Psi Pokémon cried upon being released.

"An Alakazan, so original. It's not like every trainer in Kanto and their grandma has one," Brock said to himself as he rolled his eyes (not that anybody would have noticed that, mind you).

"Let's end this already. Alakazam, use Psybeam!" Chris ordered.

"Onix, use Bide!" Brock ordered in response.

Alakazam's eyes glowed, and it fired a white, pink and yellow energy beam at the rock serpent. Onix cried in pain upon being hit, but it didn't seem to inflict any lasting damage.

"What!?" Chris asked in shock. "Onix's special defense is almost nonexistent! How did your Onix tank the Psybeam like that?"

Brock didn't reply; he just grinned confidently at his opponent, who grew angrier by the second.

"That's fine, let's see if it can take a second one! Alakazam, Psybeam again!"

Alakazam did as ordered, and fired another Psybeam. Brock's Onix took the full brunt of the attack, and this time he did appear to suffer more damage. However, the rock serpent didn't appear any close to faint anytime soon. It then started glowing with a white light, just as Brock expected.

"Release the power now, Onix!" Brock ordered.

Onix roared, and channeled a white energy sphere to its mouth, unleashing a white energy beam at the spoon-holding Pokémon.

"Alakazam, quick, use Lightscreen!" Chris ordered, his voice shaking in panic.

But the order came too late, and Alakazam was unable to raise the protective barrier before the Bide hit with full force. The psi Pokémon was still standing, but just barely; one more hit, and it'd be down for the count.

"Alakazam, Recovery!" Chris ordered.

"Onix, Rock Tomb!"

Alakazam proceeded to heal its wounds, but once again it wasn't fast enough, getting quickly buried under a shower of falling rocks. That attack was too much, and Alakazam fell on its back, immobile.

"Alakazam is unable to battle, Onix wins this round!" Forrest declared as he raised a flag in Brock's direction.

'Yes!' Brock cheered inwardly. 'Let's see if I can keep it up this way.'

Meanwhile, Chris was incredulous. One of his strongest Pokémon, defeated by another one that didn't have any right to do so.

"It doesn't matter. You just caught me off-guard, this was just a fluke. My next Pokémon will easily turn around the tables," Chris thought as he picked his next Pokémon. "Go Vaporeon!"

"Vaporeon!" the Bubble Jet Pokémon cried upon being released.

Between Vaporeon's type advantage and the damage Onix had sustained already, using Bide wasn't an option. Fortunately for Brock, he still had plenty of cards to play.

"Vaporeon, Bubble Beam!" Chris ordered.

"Counter with Rock Tomb!" Onix replied.

Vaporeon fired a stream of bubbles from its mouth, which clashed against Onix's rain of rocks, pushing them sideways, just like Brock had expected.

"Onix, Sandstorm!" Brock called.

Onix roared, and soon the battlefield was engulfed by an intense sandstorm. While Onix was unaffected, Vaporeon cried in pain whenever the sand damaged it or got into its eyes.

"This means nothing! Vaporeon, use Aurora Beam!"

Forcing its eyes, the Eeveelution managed to locate it's target, and fired a freezing beam from it's mouth. However, the beam grew thinner as it flied, and when it hit Onix, it barely did any damage. Brock smiled in satisfacction. Just like Lucy told him, the sandstorm could hamper the power of the enemy's special attacks. He couldn't believe he didn't come up with such a trick sooner.

"Onix, use Earthquake!"

Onix roared, and released an underground shockwave, making the ground shake violently. Vaporeon tried to move, but the constant trembling made it to trip on its legs. The shockwave finally hit the Water-Type Eeveolution, making the ground explode under its legs.

When the dust of the explosion was settled, the bruised Vaporeon laid immobile on the ground.

"Vaporeon is unable to battle, Onix wins this round!" Forrest declared as he raised a flag in Brock's direction.

"Yes!" Brock pumped his fist into the air. It was considered rude for a Gym Leader to show such obvious displays when winning, but Brock couldn't hold back his joy. And truth be told, he didn't care about Gym Leader Etiquette right now.

"This... this is impossible!" Chris said in shock, as he returned his fallen Vaporeon. "They said you were one of the weakest Gym Leaders of the region!"

"Oh, so my reputation precedes me? That might have been true, but I decided to do something about it," Brock replied, this time in a more subdued manner, as he crossed his arms. "Come on, the battle is not over yet. Choose your next Pokémon."

"Alright then," Chris replied, before choosing his next battler. "Go, Venusaur!"

"Venusaur!" the massive plant Pokémon cried.

"Venusaur is my strongest Pokémon. There's no way it can lose against Pokémon over whom it has type advantage," Chris thought.

"Good choice, I'm sure your Venusaur will give a good battle," Brock praised him. "Come on Onix, Rock Tomb!"

Onix roared, and once again showered its opponent with multiple rocks.

"Venusaur, counter with Vine Whip!" Chris replied.

"Venu!" Venusaur cried as multiple vines came from under the plant growing on its back. The vines quickly sliced the rocks into bits as if they were made of butter.

"Good! Now quickly, use Razor Leaf before Onix can attack again!" Chris commanded.

"Onix, avoid them with Dig!" Brock replied.

Venusaur obliged, and cast a storm of razor-sharp leaves at Onix, who tried to hide underground. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough, and the giant stone serpent took the super effective attack, which combined with all the damage it had endured before, made it to finally collapse.

"Onix is unable to battle, Venusaur wins this round!" Forrest declared as he raised a flag in Chris' direction.

"YES!" Chris exclaimed in excitement as he jumped up and down. "Finally, one Pokémon down!"

"Return!" Brock then returned his fallen Pokémon to its pokeball. "Don't be so quick to celebrate. Sure, you defeated my Onix, but you still have three more Pokémon left to take down," Brock replied as he chose his next Pokémon.

"You think I'm scared? Venusaur is my strongest Pokémon, and it has type advantage over all of yours. You got lucky with my first two, but there's no way you can beat my Venusaur. Right, pal?" Chris asked, and Venusaur roared affirmatively.

"Very well then. I'm sure you'll find this a suitable challenge," Brock said before tossing the Pokéball forward. "Go, Rhyhorn!"

"Rhy!" the spike Pokémon roared.

"Let's get this over with. Venusaur, use Vine Whip!" Chris ordered.

Once again, multiple whips emerged from under Venusaur's giant flower on its back, ready to grind Rhyhorn into fine dust.

"Rhyhorn, charge towards Venusaur while dodging the whips!" Brock commanded.

Rhyhorn roared, and charged forward. However, when one of the whips was about to hit it, Rhyhorn would swiftly jump aside before continuing his dash. In no time, it reached Venusaur.

"What!? How can that Rhyhorn be so fast!" Chris exclaimed in disbelief, as he grabbed his head with both hands.

"I know Rhyhorn is a slow Pokémon, that's why I trained mine to suppress that weakness, just like I trained all my Pokémon to resist special attacks, especially those super effective," Brock proudly explained. "Now Rhyhorn, Fire Fang!"

Fire came from Rhyhorn's mouth, as it sank its burning teeth onto Venusaur's flesh. The Seed Pokémon cried in agony.

"Venusaur, Razor Leaf!" Chris called.

Like Chris had expected, Rhyhorn was unable to dodge the attack at point-blank range, but it didn't seem to cause too much damage to Rhyhorn. It quickly became clear that Brock wasn't lying when he talked about his Pokémon's endurance.

"Rhyhorn, Fire Fang!" Brock called.

Once again, Rhyhorn bit Venusaur while its teeth were on fire. However, upon receiving the attack, Venusaur then started to glow with a green light.

"Is that...?" Brock asked.

"Yes! Venusaur's Overgrowth just activated! Now Venusaur, use Razor Leaf!" Chris was sure that Rhyhorn would be unable to resist such a powerful attack.

"Rhyhorn, avoid it with Dig!" Brock quickly called.

Unlike Onix before, Rhyhorn was able to hide underground before the supercharged Razor Leaf was able to hit it. The confused Venusaur started to look around. Suddenly, a small crack appeared on the ground to its left.

"Venusaur, watch out!" Chris called, but it was too late, and Rhynorn emerged right at Venusaur's left flank.

"Rhyhorn, Fire Fang again!"

After taking a third burning bite, Venusaur was unable to stand on its feet anymore, and collapsed, defeated.

"Venusaur, no!" Chris cried in disbelief. "No, this can't be happening! How I can be losing against this guy!" he thought.

"Venusaur is unable to battle, Rhyhorn wins this round!" Forrest declared as he raised a flag in Brock's direction.

"It's okay, I still have one more Pokémon left. I can still win this. Go Nidoqueen!"

Chris' last hope emerged from the Pokéball, letting out a battle cry.

"Nidoqueen, use Ice Punch!" Chris commanded.

"Nido!" the Drill Pokémon replied as she charged towards Rhyhorn while her fist glew with a white gleam.

"Rhyhorn, use Fire Fang on the Ice Punch!" Brock ordered.

"What?"

Freezing punch and fiery teeth clashed, producing an explosion and lots of smoke and steam.

"Nidoqueen, use Earth Power!" Chris ordered.

Nidoqueen started to glow with a golden light, and then slammed her fists into the ground, and soon cracks started to spread among the battlefield, with golden light coming from below.

"This is our chance to win! Rhyhorn, use Horn Drill!" Brock called.

"RHY!" the spike Pokémon charged forward at a surprisingly fast speed, tanking all the damage from the Earth Power. When it was close to Nidoqueen, its nose horn started to glow with a spinning golden light.

'What's he thinking?! Horn Drill is powerful, but first you have to take aim to-' Chris's thoughts were interrupted by the image of Rhyhorn's Horn Drill fully impacting his Nidoqueen, One-Hit-KO-ing her. "WHAT!?"

"Nidoqueen is unable to battle, the winner is Rhyhorn! And since Nidoqueen was Chris' last Pokémon, Brock is the winner of the match!" Forrest declared.

Horn Drill was a move with low hitting chances, but while Nidoqueen was using Earth Power, she needed to stay still for a couple seconds in order to channel her power into the ground. More than enough for Rhyhorn to reach her and use Horn Drill. Obviously, the chances to hit exponentially increased when used on a stationary target.

"But... they said that you were a weak leader..." a disheartened Chris' said almost in a whisper.

"True. But a weak Gym Leader never lasts long, and I decided to improve," Brock countered, as he returned his tired, but victorious Rhyhorn. "Now, can you do me a favor? Go tell everyone out there that if they want a Boulder Badge, they'll have to work for it."

Chris wanted to say plenty of things to Brock, most of them who weren't suitable or appropriate for a minor like Forrest to hear. But feeling that he had been humiliated enough, the defeated challenger simply left in a huff.

Once Chris was out of the way, Brock sighed in relief. "I did it. I did it!"

"Yeah!" Forrest replied as he walked towards him. "And that guy wasn't some greenhorn, his Pokémon were strong and well trained. Sure, he had a bit of an attitude, but still..."

"Let's hope this wasn't a fluke. I feel like my groove's coming back," Brock told him.

"Hey, if your next matches are anything like this, I'll say your groove is back already," Forrest assured him.

…

For the next two weeks, challengers came nonstop to fight Brock. Despite the thoughts of some of them, his first victory against Chris wasn't a fluke, and everyone who underestimated him paid dearly for it. He did have his share of losses, though, but those were against very strong and talented trainers –some of them Pokedex holders– , whose minds were able to weave complex and innovative strategies, who gave Brock one hell of a fight. Chris himself returned the following week, this time with a strategy and a team tailored specifically for Brock. Even if this time the Gym Leader was unable to win, the end result was a narrow 4-3 in Chris' favor, and just barely. Even if Chris' victory made him even more boastful, it was also a match that Brock enjoyed.

One night after closing down the Gym, Brock was having dinner with all his siblings as he was recounting the last battle he had against a challenger from Fuchsia City.

"...and then she ordered her Lapras to fire an Ice Beam to stop Golem. Golem was frozen, but it wasn't enough to stop the Rollout momentum, and BAM! One critical hit and Lapras was out!"

His siblings, specially the younger ones, ate the stories their eldest told as they ate the dinner Brock used to cook. And Brock absolutely loved it.

"That was so cool, Brock!" Cindy beamed.

"Yeah, it's so great that you're winning again!" Billy mentioned.

"And you're no longer so gloomy anymore. I missed how you used to be," Billy's twin sister Tilly added.

"Well... it helps that I met someone. She really helped me get back on my feet," Brock teased as he gave a hint of a smile.

"Is it that girl you sometimes talk you on the phone? What was her name, Lucy?" Salvadore guessed.

"Is she your girlfriend?" Yolanda ventured to ask before her brother could reply the previous question.

"Well... we've seen each other for some time and..."

To be honest, Brock wasn't sure if he could call Lucy his girlfriend just yet. One thing was for sure: she was an amazing girl, and he really loved how much she had helped him. Still, to think that they were a couple? He definitely liked the sound of that.

The siblings quickly burst into a cacophony of squeals and screams.

"What's she like?"

"Can we meet her?"

"Is she pretty?"

"Does she have siblings too?"

Overwhelmed by the questions, Brock raised his hands in defense. "Whoa there, calm down, guys! Say, how about if I invite her for dinner, so you guys can meet her?" Brock suggested as he pulled out his cell phone.

However, before anybody had the chance to say or do anything, Brock's phone started ringing. The ID quickly identified the caller as Lucy. Everybody held their breath as Brock answered the call.

"Lucy? Oh, hi! What a coincidence, I was just about to call you," Brock leaned back on his chair.

"Oh, so you were thinking about me? How sweet of you," Lucy replied on the other side of the line. "I was about to ask how things were going over there, but the League records don't lie. 93% victories in just two weeks, no less!"

"Hey, that's all thanks to you. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"No way. You've always had it in you, I just gave you a little push," Lucy replied with modesty. " Anyway, I was calling you to let you know that I'm stopping by Pewter in a few days, if you'd like to hang out somewhere."

"Really? That sounds great. Actually..." Brock glanced at his siblings who were expecting for him to say it. Their faces all said 'Go for it!'. "You know, my siblings have been dying to meet you. Would you like to come over for dinner at our house?"

The End