POKÉMON: WARRIOR'S DESIRE
Usual disclaimers apply. These characters do not belong to me.
Oh, and from now on, just like with last chapter, I’ll post a bio of the fighters involved in the tournament. This way, you get to know a little bit more about your favorite character.
TIME: Later that afternoon
LOCATION: Ketchum residence.
“You’re...leaving? Why?”
Hours after the meeting at Professor Oak’s place, Ash, Misty and Brock headed back to Ash’s house. For about an hour after they returned, Ash spent almost an hour going over moves that he felt he needed the most refining. While Misty, Togepi and Pikachu watched on, they didn’t notice that Brock was staring off into nothing, occasionally shifting positions. Ash’s enthusiasm about fighting in this obscure tournament seemed foolish, but it intrigued him. At Professor Oak’s, he had a flickering notion to sign up; by the time he got back to Ash’s, that flicker turned into a burning desire. He didn’t even move or make a sound until Ash noticed him being left out. “Hey Brock,” Ash had asked, “you wanna come and spar with me for a while?” He tapped his fists together and was bouncing around in his stance. That’s when he told him he was leaving.
“Why are you leaving?” Misty asked, just as worried as Ash was. They at least agreed to help him with his things...after an explanation.
“Seeing Ash today...” he started, “made me think.” The three were in Ash’s room as he spoke, Brock seated on the futon, Ash and Misty seated on Ash’s bed. “The way you have your mind and your heart set on something you know little about – if it weren’t for the professor calling you, you probably would’ve never heard of this, right?”
“I guess you could say that,” Ash said.
“First off, it’s nothing against you in any way. It’s just that...I dunno...with you more in the spotlight than ever before, I’ve been feeling...left out.”
“Left out? Of what?”
“The action.” He smiled at him. “You don’t think I’m gonna be content to just sit back and watch you hog all the glory, are ya?” He laughed gently at the end of his question.
“But that means...” Misty started.
“...we may have to face one another in the tournament,” Ash concluded.
“Yep,” Brock added, standing. “You don’t hear me complaining, do you?”
Ash paused, then stood as well, smiling, and looking Brock in his eyes. “I’ve got no complaints about it either,” he said. “I think it’s awesome that you’ve decided to enter! And I can’t wait until we meet!”
“Neither can I, Ash,” Brock said. “Neither can I.”
“But Brock,” Misty asked, “where are you going to go? Why don’t you stay here and train with Ash?”
“This is something I owe to myself, Misty. Besides, it’s been my dream to study under who I’ve chosen.”
TIME: Hours Later
LOCATION: Docks at Vermilion City
I set up my appointment while I was getting packed. He said to meet me at the Viridian City harbor. We’ll set sail as soon as possible. This is what Brock had told them. He also asked his friends to join him on his departure.
They caught a bus from Pallet to Viridian, and after a short walk through the city, they arrived at their destination. For almost a half an hour, Brock, Misty and Ash were wandering around the harbor, with Brock finding no sight of his soon-to-be master and the other two having no idea who to look for.
“You sure this is the spot?” Ash asked, pacing back and forth the same little walkway for the fuckteenth time. In his boredom, he hopped in and out of his stance, occasionally throwing a few punches in the air.
“Positive,” Brock reassured. He looked around the area where they were to meet. Several other ships dotted the area – even the S.S. Anne was docked in Viridian today – glancing over the small sailboat that seemed nonexistent amongst the larger ships in the area. Brock looked at the sky. It had grown cloudier today...almost like it was going to rain. Could a little ship like this one survive in a storm, should the crew’s misfortune run into one?
“I sensed you would come.”
A deep, yet calming voice appealed to the three. At once, it seemed, they turned around to where the voice came from. That’s when they saw him. He was about 6’6”, 300 lbs., easily. He was tanned and muscular, and had spiky, black hair. He was wearing a sleeveless (and by sleeveless, it means torn off) jacket, half unzipped, and the bottom of a karate gi with a black belt. A yellowed duffle bag, which had seen better days, was slung over his shoulder. The three met this man before, and Ash defeated him on the way to the Jhoto League championship.
“Hello, Brock.”
“Master Bruno,” Brock said, suddenly standing up straight. “H-have you been here long?”
“I was watching the three of you for a while, I’ll admit.” He looked at Ash and Misty. “I see the glitz and glamour that came with your new celebrity status hasn’t corrupted you, Ashura.”
“They try, the gods know they try,” Ash said, rubbing the back of his head. “I would’ve never guessed being a Pokémon master could be such a drain on your very being.”
Bruno chucked, then turned to Brock. “Are you ready to leave?”
“Yes. Just let me say goodbye to my friends, first.” Bruno went to prepare his boat for the voyage, leaving the three alone. “Well guys, this is it.”
“Good luck during your training,” Misty said as she hugged him.
“We’re gonna miss ya, Brock-O,” Ash said as Brock threw his arms around him.
“See you at the tournament.” That was all Brock needed to say to him. He walked down to Bruno and his boat. Bruno stopped him abruptly.
“Wait a second,” Bruno said. “Before you come on this boat, I want you to be absolutely sure you wish to train under my tutelage.”
“I am.”
“You understand that the road you’re going to venture will be long, difficult, and will have its share of hardships. I can’t promise you it will be easy, and if it were, you won’t be able to realize you’re full potential.”
“I understand.”
“Regardless of what happens, I don’t want you to quit, no matter what happens.”
“I won’t.”
“I want you to be certain of it.” He looked Brock dead in the eyes. “Promise me this.”
“I promise...I’ll never give up,” Brock said in a stern voice.
For a moment, nothing passed between the two. Eventually, Bruno turned around and motioned for Brock to come on to the boat. “Let’s go.” He followed, and set his backpack with all his possessions in it down, as Bruno weighed anchor and unfurled the sail. As the boat drifted away, Ash and Misty waved goodbye to their friend.
“Goodbye, Brock!” Ash shouted, waving, Pikachu waving from the top of his head. “Take care of yourself!”
“Pika pi ka!” {Stay safe, Brock!} Pikachu shouted.
“Don’t forget to write!” Misty shouted, her Togepi squealing his goodbye to Brock.
“I’ll be back someday!” Brock shouted, seeing the image of his two friends fade away.
TIME: Hours later
LOCATION: Out on the water, en route to Olivine City
“So where are we going, exactly?”
“I have a place up in the mountains behind Blackthorn City. We will be spending most of our time and training there.”
Brock nodded in acknowledgment. So far, the boat ride on Bruno’s modest little ship was uneventful. The sea was peaceful, the waves breaking against the boat calmly. As Bruno steered the ship, Brock stared out into the endless blue, trying to imagine what the next few years would bring for him.
The sudden dim broke his concentration. Brock looked up and saw that the sun had disappeared behind a wall of thick, dark gray clouds. Bruno noticed this as well. The wind picked up, and he went to work taking down the sail.
“Master,” Brock asked, “what’s up?”
“There’s a storm coming in,” he said, heading for the back of the boat. There was a decent-sized outboard motor there, used only in emergency situations (such as a storm, when high winds and heavy rain could threaten to tear apart his sail). The wind whipped, the rain started to fall. Bruno was guiding the boat through the storm, even as it rained harder, lashing against both he and his new student.
Guided by the light of the Olivine Light House, about another hour and a half later, the two of them finally made it to the port at Olivine City. The rain stopped as they passed through the city, but Brock’s wet clothing was bothering him. Bruno could feel how the boy was thinking, so he decided they should both stop at the Pokémon center and get changed.
No sooner than they left they were standing on the outskirts of Olivine, Bruno staring at the mountains in the distance. “I am located there, in the mountains,” he told Brock. “If we continue at a good pace, we can make it there by sunset.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Brock said. After that, few, if any words were exchanged between master and student as they traveled through Jhoto up into the mountains. Brock had been through this area before, when he and Misty accompanied Ash in his Pokémon journey. But now, things were different.
For Brock was embarking on a journey of his own.
NAME: Brock Ballas
STYLE: Martial arts techniques based on Judo and Wrestling
DOB: 27 July 1985
HEIGHT: 5’10”
WEIGHT: 180 lbs.
HOBBY: Pokémon Breeding, Girl watching
FAVORITE FOOD: Fast food
MOST IMPORTANT: His 10 younger brothers and sisters
LIKES: His Vulpix, cute girls
DISLIKES: Rejection