Determination

"The best offense is a good defense!" [closed Brock RP blog part of NP]

[brockslide-blog]

Oh boy. Some smart aleck who thought they could come at him with rock puns. Brock wished he could say this was a rare occurrence, but it wasn't uncommon that trainers thought they'd get him off his game by throwing around a bunch of puns before a battle. It usually backfired on them.

Brock was not one of those people. With as many easily amused siblings as he had, hardly a day went by without someone making bad rock jokes in his house. And 'granite' was a pretty basic one. Was this the best they had?

They would have to be, if they wanted to compare to the comeback Brock was already formulating.

Those were better; it seemed they were just getting warmed up with all the obvious puns, but it was still nothing Brock hadn't already heard before.

Was that all? Not bad, for a first attempt. Still, no one could outmatch him in this arena. Time to send them packing. Brock rolled his shoulders and then crossed his arms, staring them down. 

"You're off to a concrete start, but you can't beat me with puns asphalt-y as those were," he said. "Did you think I'd cave in at the first sign of competition? I dig the attempt, but they shale in comparison to what I've got. It's too slate to back out now. Don't worry though, I won't play dirty. Chalk it up to experience, but I've already cemented my reputation as a rock-type expert. I'm not gonna clay around here. Of quartz, if your coal was to be totally crust in a pun-off, I slope you're happy. Otherwise, you've really made a mesa this.” Dang, that was a good one. “I have a cobble more to go, but if you opal go easier on you next time you're gonna be in for some rubble. So, take it ore leave it." He shrugged, grinning in smug satisfaction. "Feel free to marble at my skills."

[brockslide-blog]

Eat a caterpie or get destroyed by Articuno. Your choice.

“I wouldn’t… want to be destroyed. I mean, a whole Caterpie is… a lot. And not really something people eat anywhere I don’t think. But if I had to, I’d figure out some way to make it taste okay. I’m not going to leave my family all alone because I can’t eat a big bug.”

[brockslide-blog]

"Hey. Brock. Just letting you know. I'm single. That's not a question; I'm just... putting that out there." He clicks his tongue, shoots some dual pistol-fingers Brock's way, and gives a wink.

Okay, this was Green. He was probably being flirtatious for fun more than anything else, but it still managed to be as charming as it was over-the-top. Brock couldn’t help but smile at the silly gesturing. He was just… going to take that as a compliment and try not to think too hard about it. “Okay, uh. Good to know, then.”

[brockslide-blog]

"By any chance have you seen Suicune about?"

“I haven’t, sorry.” Brock hadn’t actually ever seen any legendary Pokémon, but that was probably the case with most of the population. How could he not cheer Eusine on, though? “I hope you get a good lead on it soon! Maybe Misty could help?” Suicune was a water-type, right? She’d at least be better qualified to give suggestions than he was.

[brockslide-blog]

"MY DEAR BOY I FOUND THIS EXCELLENT STEW RECIPE AND IT HAS BEEN BURNING A HOLE IN MY POCKET FOR SIX MONTHS WHILE I TRIED TO FIND AN EXCUSE TO BRING IT BACK HERE!"

The unexpected visitor and his enthusiasm were a little surprising, but Brock took it in stride—Euisine was known for his eccentricities, and Brock never said no to a great recipe. “Glad you could finally make it here, then! I was just going to start dinner; you’re welcome to stay, I’ll even try out the recipe since you brought it all this way?”

[brockslide-blog]

If you couldn't train Rock types, what type would you want to specialize in?

“Ground, definitely.” It was a lame answer, but there wasn’t really any question about it. The two types had a lot in common, and most of Brock’s Pokémon were already part ground anyway. “But if that’s not an option either, then... Steel, I guess.” Brock didn’t have any interest in evolving his Onix, but if he couldn’t be a rock-type specialist he’d at least want to have his first Pokémon on his team.

[brockslide-blog]

"Okay, so. I'm asking for a friend, alright? Totally for a friend; I promise. Do you. Do you eat rocks for your daily carbon intake."

Green was teasing—he had to be. Daily carbon intake was not a thing, Brock was pretty sure. And no one ate rocks. That would be ridiculously bad for your teeth, even if it was like, powdered rock. “I’d tell your friend to stick to regular vitamins. …Unless they’re a rock-type Pokémon, of course.”

[brockslide-blog]

Out of all the Nurse Joys you've met, which one is your favorite?

“Well, I’m pretty good friends with Pewter City’s Joy. We see each other almost every day, I think she’d be kind of offended if I didn’t say she was my favorite.” And by ‘kind of’ he meant definitely. He was being nice, though. “But all of her family members I’ve met around Kanto are great too!”

[brockslide-blog]

Hypothetically speaking, which leader of our regions would you most/least like to date?

“Uh,” quick think of something to say before it gets super weird, “okay, well,” getting weird! “I don’t really know? I haven’t, uh, thought about it. Really.” At all. Ever. “I wouldn’t want to date anyone too much older or younger though.”

[brockslide-blog]

tmi tues

ASK AWAY!!

[watermist-blog1]

defensive offensive // brock + misty

[brockslide-blog]

watermist:

There’s a long low “woooow” as Brock corrects her with the actual number, deserving a look back to the two challengers who had teamed up. Most who took part in battles on the day–and here, specifically–were just the casual crowd of Trainers, and she had to wonder if that had been their opposing force thus far. They looked eager to keep going for sure, their pokémon still out than being put away. Whoever they last took on mustn’t have been worth even taking out the potions for. 

But then she looks back to Brock, cocking her head and tapping a finger against her arm. Who would think about taking them on? With a glance to one side to observe any potential challengers, a glance to the other for the same…

“Well!” She begins, and she motions out her hands in a confident manner befitting the tone that slips into her voice. “Either they’re a pair of show offs taking advantage of the easy trainers to look good, or they’re actually looking for a real challenge up there! You’re telling me you’re not interested in seeing if they’re the real deal?”

There was no mistaking Misty’s position on it, by the look in her eyes and that dangerous grin on her. The only question was how long it would take her to go up, but that answer seemed to be with Brock, and not her. 

Brock watched the two trainers as they taunted the crowd, looking around with hands above their eyes as though searching for anyone who could possibly take them on. 

Misty was right—he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tempted. Was it a good idea, though? The only thing worse than a couple of showoffs was losing to a couple of showoffs. He looked down at Misty, taking in the sight of her wild eyes and toothy smile. Uh oh. He knew what that look meant, and it wasn’t ‘Let’s wait and see who else rises to the challenge.’

But, if Misty was game then Brock wasn’t going to back out. You didn’t become a gym leader if you were too worried about losing to even try, and you couldn’t win if you didn’t play. “I guess we’ll just have to find out,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “Either way, they wouldn’t stand a chance against you and I.”

As he said it, he felt like the was catching some of her confidence. They would make a pretty complimentary team, considering the differences in their battle strategies. Plus, the two of them teaming up would make for a pretty impressive spectacle. Maybe this could turn out better than he was imagining.

He stepped aside and waved his hands toward the stage, gesturing her onward. “After you, oh fearless leader.”

[watermist-blog1]

defensive offensive // brock + misty

You could have a day dedicated to love, but what did Trainers love more than a good battle?

Luckily plenty of things, or the actual space allowed for matches on Cerulean Cape’s Valentine’s Day fun would span the entire length of the cape, but some were still willing to take time out of holding one another in their arms to challenge other trainers to a battle. The kids would usually be up first in the mornings when the more family-friendly entertainment was ongoing, with a few solo matches allowed, but in the spirit of the day people were asked to join forces, and friends and lovers alike showed their moves.

And of course a battling Trainer would be attracted over to this corner of the event,  even if it was just for a while. Misty didn’t have any expectations about where she might see Brock on this day if at all (the maze might be fun for his family, actually), but what she did have were two hands to slap hard down onto his shoulders once she spotted him amongst the small crowd of spectators,  and a voice to merrily greet him from behind.

“YO! Attracted to the competitive nature in the air, areee we~?”

She chuckles, moving into view at his side where a wide smile sits ready on her face for him to see,  before folding her arms. It goes without saying she’s dressed appropriately for the day. “Didn’t they start their battle half an hour ago? Did it just finish?”

It’s a pointless motion when there’s nobody else around she could be talking about, but Misty cocks her head towards the two women Trainers with a raichu and a hitmonlee who, unknowingly to her, are actually on their third match in a row. They’ve been loudly confident about keeping it up all day, too. 

[brockslide-blog]

While Valentine’s Day was a holiday about love and relationships, it’d been a while since the last time Brock had spent it in a very romantic way. A long while. The heart-centric celebration was more of an excuse to eat chocolates, send silly cards, and take advantage of all the fun activities intended for couples than anything else—which was exactly how he found himself taking part in the festivities on Cerulean Cape.

As the battle he’d been watching came to a close, a pair of hands smacked down on his shoulders. Brock nearly jumped, surprised by the unexpected touch and loud noise behind him. From the sound of it, though, it was obvious that the perpetrator was Misty herself come to say hi.

As his heart rate slowed back to normal, Brock turned to face his fellow gym leader. He copied the motion of crossing his arms over his chest, a gesture that suggested he wasn't amused by her antics. The disapproval was shortly ruined by the grin that he couldn't quite keep off his face in response to her own sunny expression. “Yo to you too,” he said, laughing slightly.

Misty wasn’t wrong about the ‘competitive nature’—it was hardly a coincidence that he'd found himself by the battle stage. His brothers and sisters were off having fun at other parts of the cape, with the youngest of them being looked after by their aunt. That’d left Brock to check out the event on his own, admiring the work Misty had put into it as he did so. The sounds of a Pokémon battle had drawn him close, and he’d stopped to watch not too long ago. 

“They're killin' it, actually. That was their third win in a row, I think.” It'd been a pretty long time since Brock had been in a double battle, and even longer since he'd been part of a multi-battle. His team and strategies weren’t really suited to the style, and given how unstoppable the duo on stage seemed to be he wasn’t sure if it was worth a shot. Looking around the crowd and noticing the lack of forthcoming challengers, Brock guessed that a lot of people were thinking the same. “Wonder if anyone else thinks they can take ‘em?”

[brockslide-blog]

Lonesome Heights || Brock + Red

[brockslide-blog]

indiffred:

He removes his clammy hands away from his knees and places them on his shirt. He pinches at the hem ferociously to wipe off his damp fingers and the residue of pesky denim stuck under his nails. 

“Oh,” Red says again while he keeps rubbing his shirt. Eventually, he stops and his shoulders ease – he must be a little under the weather today. Maybe he should see a nurse as well. After all, Red hadn’t seen a doctor for his own medical purposes in a year…or five. 

He finally stands – believing that Brock, a gym leader of high caliber, does not deserve to crouch down to Red’s level to converse with him. Red nods slowly as soon as Brock resumes talking, each of his words ringing distinctively within the younger lad. Red huffs quietly, corners of his lips tilting ever so slightly. He’s quite happy to hear that Brock’s glad to have visited the mountain – perhaps the tiny snowmen Red built at each level of the mountain had finally caught someone’s eye.

He stops smiling if it can even be called that when he feels an uncomfortable ache in his hand. He looks down – knuckles white, hand (yet again) moist with nervous sweat, and shirt slightly stretched and incredibly wrinkled – and unclenches his fist and smoothes down his shirt.

“Oh,” Red repeats for the third (and hopefully the last) time. His shoulders slouch forward and Red shrugs. “It’s…” His fingers find a way to pull out his fringe from his hat; he plays with the black locks idly. “…It’s nothing special.”

It wasn't hard to notice Red's fidgety behavior. Now that the initial excitement of the encounter was wearing off, it was plain to see that Red was thin. That combined with his nervous energy and one-syllable responses weren't exactly great reassurance that he was doing well for himself all alone on Mt. Silver. Was Red like this with everyone who spoke to him now? The thought was worrisome. Red was old enough to make his own choices, but too many times the things people thought were good for them weren't what they really needed.

“It's... It's nothing special.”

Not to him, maybe. But, Brock would say that too if he did the same thing day in and day out. At least in the Pewter City there was always someone new to meet and battle and talk with. Here, Red had only his Pokemon for company. If there was ever a chance that this encounter was going to end without Brock getting overly worried and meddling where his advice probably wasn't wanted, that possibility was fading fast.

“Then why stick to it?” Brock crossed his arms over his chest. “You could go anywhere, do anything you want, so why stay here if it's nothing special anymore?” Maybe it wasn't his place to say, but Brock was used to telling hard truths, and Red himself had been on the receiving end of them before. No trainer liked to be told that they didn't understand their Pokemon well enough, but Red had taken his words to heart that time and become better for it; Brock could only hope that talking might have a similar effect now, even if he couldn't possibly be the first one to try.

[brockslide-blog]

Mt. Moonlight || Brock + Morty

[brockslide-blog]

gigglesintheshadows:

Morty breathed silent inhales and exhales as he reveled in the moonlight. From atop Bell Tower he could reach for it, but the mountaintop and the curious energy of the surrounding area had held intrigue for ages. It was strange to think he’d never climbed it, but his time in Kanto was so very limited.

But then his companion spoke with an offer, and Morty’s concentration broke, eyes opening and head turning to look at the other.

“You’d let me stay with you?” he asked. “That’s very kind, but I would hate to take up the space.” Well, that was one way of putting it in any case. “We’ve barely met at League functions, I would hate to impose upon your kindness, or that of the children.”

He really didn’t care much for children. It was strange, he had nothing against them when offered the opportunity to teach them, and had no real reason to be averse to the small ones, but they seemed so frighteningly full of life, like they might knock him down by force of will. Of course, they colleagues, and the League did support friendly relations, but he should rather have been formal, made time to get to know everyone. One of if not the most elusive of the Gym Leader of the Johto League, he was normally seen as odd, not someone to offer breakfast to.

“Brock,” he hesitated, “why so many children at your home?” 

“We’ve barely met at League functions, I would hate to impose upon your kindness, or that of the children.”

It was true, they didn’t really know each other at all. Brock had gotten himself in trouble before, blindly trusting other Gym Leaders. The League wasn’t infallible, and his character judgement wasn’t either. Still, he wasn’t going to retract the offer. Caution didn’t have to equate to unkindness.

But, it was hard to tell if Morty was just saying no to be polite or if he was actually uninterested in the offer, so Brock shrugged. “One night wouldn't be imposing. You could take off early and they'd never even know you were there.” A gang of enthusiastic kids peppering you with questions was probably not the way most people liked to start their day. 

“Whatever you decide, though.” He shrugged again. He didn't want to make Morty uncomfortable offering things that were overly friendly for their level of acquaintance.

The next question made him fidget slightly, sliding his fingers through the blades of grass beneath them. Most people didn't ask about his family. If they didn't already understand the situation, they probably either didn't want to ask or didn't know enough to be curious. In any case, it wasn't a topic he usually discussed with anyone. People acted differently after they knew.

“My parents had a lot of kids and they're not around now, so I take care of them.” That was easy enough to say, didn’t make things sound too... sad, or pathetic, or whatever other people tended to think of their situation.

[brockslide-blog]

Mt. Moonlight || Brock + Morty

[brockslide-blog]

gigglesintheshadows:

“I am indeed,” he replied. “But the quiet is so nice, how could I resist?”

He shook his head. Morty never seemed to plan his trips anywhere, just showing up to random places and making due with what he could manage, but then again it had been ages since he’d come to a place so late on purpose.

“Ah, no, I am afraid I have not secured lodgings yet,” he explained. “But please, don’t let me interrupt your relaxing. You may join me if you wish, or I can go if you would like to have even more quiet. The moon is good for the spirit, you know. Perhaps your spirit needs rest more than your body does.”

His smile was warm, but he closed his eyes and turned his head away from Brock. Of course, this meant nothing in terms of his listening, but the reclusive ghost master had a habit of disconnecting and connecting in ways people didn’t understand. Though his physicality might be turned toward restful meditation, it rarely meant his spirit was not fully in tune with those present.

Besides, some company would be lovely. He’d traveled all day in silence, and Mt. Moon was not like the forests of home. There was something different about the beauty of the silence here a different sound to it. 

He didn’t have anywhere to stay? Sure there were hotels nearby that would be open, but paying for a full night when it was this late seemed like a waste.

“The moon is good for your spirit, you know. Perhaps your spirit needs rest more than your body does.”

Maybe that was why it felt so nice up on the mountain? It was as good an explanation as any. Brock wasn’t about to ask Morty to leave though; he had come all this way, after all. Besides, Brock could come out here and be alone any time–the chance to spend a little time in the company of a fellow gym leader was comparatively pretty rare.

“Maybe you’re right,” he agreed, stretching slightly before pushing himself up off the rock he was perched on. He then headed over to the pool, crossing his legs pretzel-style as he sat down beside Morty. He glanced down into the clear water at the submerged quartz, then back up to Morty’s placid expression. His eyes were closed, and Brock took the chance to look a little longer than he normally would have, smiling slightly at his warm smile and the wispy bangs that hung over his headband.

“Uh, you know,” he said, as the thought occurred to him, “You could stay at my place, if that’d make things easier for you.” There were no guest bedrooms in the Akiyama house, but the couch was always free and Brock didn’t mind sleeping on it. “Complimentary breakfast included!” he added with a smile. “As long as you don’t mind a sharing a table with a bunch of kids.”

[brockslide-blog]

A Taste for Battles || Brock + Lillie [Event]

[brockslide-blog]

astralillie:

Boy was Kanto cold, this time of year. Lillie had, of course, been expecting that it’d be far colder here than in Alola, but how exactly how much colder had always been a little bit up in the air. Not that she had much experience with the Alolan mainland itself, but in her experience, winter was only ever on the verge of chilly— though she had heard it snowed on the peaks of Mount Lanakila, not that she could really know from experience.

Bundled up in a coat, scarf and mittens and still shivering, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit silly for it. The Kantonians passing her by weren’t decked out in nearly as much, and still didn’t seem to be suffering nearly as much… Nevertheless, she was almost relieved to see one of the passers-by stop by the gym doors to open them, quietly following him inside without a word and only a cursory confused look at his choice to wear an apron out into the cold.

“R-Right. Y-Yes, of course.” She cursed her chattering teeth for her stuttered words; the one time in her life she felt absolutely confident enough to do something, she’d already messed up the start. But it wasn’t the time to dwell on that now! She didn’t need to sound cool in front of a gym leader in order to earn herself a badge, only impress them enough with her pokémon in battle! And that, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t mess up. She and her team had been preparing for this for months— if they weren’t ready now, they’d never be.

Rubbing her hands together in order to better warm herself up, both psychologically for the battle and literally because she was freezing, she tried not to giggle at Brock’s jumper as his apron fell away— the little adorning pompoms were cute, if admittedly little bit funny looking, but they eased her nerves a little bit.

Ah, that was right— the gym leader had probably been busy celebrating the holidays, given his festive attire. She’d have to thank him for taking the time out of his holiday to battle her after this was all over…

It was sort of hard to tell if her stuttering response was from nerves or because of the cold. Brock saw a lot of trainers with varying dispositions—some took the gym challenge head-on, never showing any self-doubt or insecurity, and others spent weeks building up the courage to battle him. There was nothing better for building confidence than working with your Pokémon, in Brock’s opinion. Even the most shy kids could handle a Gym Battle no problem as long as they felt comfortable with their team.

She was pretty decked out in that jacket and other winter wear, though... she couldn’t possibly still be chilly under all that, could she? Then again, it wasn’t all that warm in the big, empty gym. Rock-types didn’t mind a little cold, so as long as it wasn’t freezing Brock didn’t give the temperature much thought; Pokémon battles were a great way to work up a sweat, even in colder weather. She’d probably warm up pretty quick if she followed his advice about determination.

“Before we start: do you have any badges, or is this your first gym challenge?” 

A Gym Battle was meant to be a fair challenge; depending on her answer, Brock would pick some comparably-leveled Pokémon his team and a number of Pokémon for them to use during the battle. He’d learned never to make assumptions based on appearances; trainers always managed to surprise him

[brockslide-blog]

нυиny poт || вrocĸ + ??

The crescent mark on Teddiursa’s forehead was glowing brightly, and Brock thought he might know why.

He’d taken the Little Bear Pokémon to the forest to bond with his new companion. For a while they’d walked around and she’d walked at his side, holding his hand with one paw while she had the other in her mouth like a baby sucking its thumb. Then a loud noise from nearby had frightened her, and rather than clinging to Brock she darted away into the cover of some nearby bushes and kept running.

She managed to get pretty far pretty quick, and by the time Brock caught her again her mark was glowing brightly and she was staring into the tree directly in front of her. He slowly followed her gaze up, up, up into the high branches of the tree, and nearly choked at what he saw.

A large Beedrill hive had been constructed between the branches, its combs resembling a large yellow fungus. It was huge, and absolutely swarming with Beedrill and Weedle crawling around its surface. Now that he was looking, the distant buzzing was a dead giveaway.

Rather than being terrified by the sight like her trainer was, Teddiursa seemed fascinated by it. She stretched a paw up as if trying to grab at it, and Brock, wrapped his arms around her tightly. Oh no, no, no, they weren’t getting any closer than they already were. It was kind of a miracle that no Beedrill had come down to scare them off yet, but Brock wasn’t going to linger.

“Let’s just... quietly back away...” he whispered.