Old Loves, Old Hatreds

Aftermath

Brock sat at his heavy wooden desk, his hands folded in front of him. He closed his eyes and sighed. He could hardly believe what he had done. He had sent his god-sister – no, the woman he had fallen for on a mission, a mission which was far more dangerous than any he had ever handled before. What if Misty did not return alive? What if she had failed in her mission and Gary had killed her, just as Gary had killed her sisters?

Yes, Brock knew that Gary was amongst the guards who had been guarding the Chancellor that night. He had suspected it, when he had heard the brief and sketchy details of that night, given by an unwilling Ash Ketchum. He had noticed what Ash and Misty, in their grief, had overlooked; the number of guards found dead and the number of guards who had been guarding the Chancellor from the start did not tally. A highly suspicious fact, and coupled with the shocking news that the Waterflower sisters had lost to five bodyguards was enough to bring Brock’s attention to the case.

He did his homework, by looking up the Chancellor’s bodyguard list. Being the Commander of the PAA helped a lot in such situations; there were always strings to pull to get information. Sure enough, one Gary Blues had gone into the Chancellor’s employ, half a year before the assassination.

Brock often wondered. Had Gary known that the PAA would make its move against the Chancellor of Britain? If he had, how did he get his information, and from where?

Brock’s thoughts wandered back to Misty. He admitted to himself with a wry smile that he was worried about her, the woman who had never needed his protection and had climbed to such a reputable status all by herself. What if-

No. Brock shook his head, disgusted at himself. I must trust that she will be fine. After all, I sent the Association’s best along with her. She’ll be fine. But another worry slowly grew within him, a deep, dark thought.

What if she returned, but had once again gone to the arms of Ash Ketchum?

He did not have much time brood about it, however, as a sudden flash of white light caused him to utter a cry of astonishment. He shielded his eyes while his boot moved swiftly with unerring accuracy towards the button which would summon a dozen of the Association’s finest into the room, ready to apprehend or kill any intruder. It stopped however, when he recognized the many figures which materialized in front of him.

Two of them were figures belonging to Pokémon; a yellow furred mouse and a large bearded humanoid. Both Pikachu and Alakazam were looking embarrassedly away from the other two figures, both of which were human and locked in a very intimate kiss.

Brock’s face was a conflict of emotions as he sat frozen in his chair. Relief shone, of course, but there was another feeling rising within him which he could not explain, one which he had not felt for years.

The two did not seem to notice Brock at all, giving Brock time to get his emotions back under control once more. Clearing his throat, Brock stood up. The two people started, and sprang guiltily apart, faces flushed red.

“Alakazam! What are we doing here?” Ash rebuked his Pokémon. He was given a sheepish look which told him clearly that it had made a mistake in its Teleportation. With a grunt of disgust he called back his Pokémon.

“Well. I see that you two have completed your mission.” Brock managed to get the words out, albeit with a great deal of effort.

“Y… yes sir. The mission was a success.” Misty stammered, still embarrassed from being seen kissing Ash in front of her god-brother.

“Then I take it… that Gary Blues is dead?”

“Yes sir. That would be correct.” Ash said, using formality to cover up his awkwardness.

Brock gave them a hard look, causing the two of them to look away from him, color flooding their faces once more. Brock gritted his teeth and said, “Congratulations. If you’ll excuse me-” With long strides he covered the distance between him and the door quickly and jerked the metal open. The door slammed shut, leaving the two to stare at each other in confusion.

Brock strode fast and furiously, making his way to a washroom nearby. As luck would have it, the bathroom was deserted; he went in and shut the door behind him. He stared hard into the mirror, thoughts racing.

So they had resolved their differences. Once again, they were lovers. Once again, Ash Ketchum had stolen the light of his life away from him.

Brock knew the feeling which was boiling over inside him, knew it well. It was jealousy, jealousy at that insufferable young man who had stolen his love not once, but twice. Yet, times when the two of them had helped each other out, had watched each other’s back stood in the way of that jealousy’s growth. A part of him hated Ash Ketchum; another part loved him still as a friend.

Brock didn’t know what to feel anymore.

The door swung open slowly. Brock straightened hastily, trying to make it look as if he had been sorting out his hair, when he saw who it was who had entered the room. He stopped, then tried to put on a cheerful face as he turned around.

“Why Ash. Need to washroom as well? I thought you’d be busy keeping Misty company.” Try as he might, Brock could not keep the acid out of his voice. Ash’s eyes widened, then turned hard. He bolted the door to the bathroom, then turned back to face his Commander.

“We need to talk, Brock.”

“No, as a matter of fact there is nothing I have to say to you.” Or rather too much that I can’t admit to myself.

“Have a care, Brock. You went out of your office like the devil was behind you after our most successful mission yet and you tell me nothing’s wrong? What’s eating you?”

“…There’s nothing you need to know about me, Ash. Nothing. Now if you’ll get out of the way, I’ll return to my office now.”

“Brock-”

“Get out of the way, Red. Now.” The Commander’s tone was dangerous, and the use of Ash’s codename spoke volumes. Nonetheless Ash stood his ground. Brock pushed past Ash and stretched out a hand towards the bolt keeping the door shut.

“Brock, I know you love Misty.”

The outstretched hand stopped dead in its tracks. The older man turned around slowly, to face his subordinate. His face mirrored his clashing emotions, as he carefully asked, “And where did you hear this piece of news from?”

Ash sighed. “Misty told me. She said Gary had said it. Is… Is it true? Do you love her, Brock?”

Brock considered his options carefully. He could lie, or tell the truth. The cold, calculating instincts which had kept the man alive throughout the years began to kick in once more. Lying would do nothing but bring more pain to the three of them in the future. He could foresee the look of anger on Ash’s face when he found out, the situation the three of them would be in… No, lying was not an option.

“Yes, I love her. I’ve loved her from the day I met her. I’ve loved her ever since I took her under my care. I’ve loved her like I have loved no other, and then you came along and destroyed any hope I have harbored in my heart for us. I knew… I knew when you came back tonight, that things were once again as it was years ago. That you two loved one another once more, and I could do nothing about it.

I’m ashamed to admit, that when I heard about your breakup, a part of me was… overjoyed. It meant that I once again stood a chance with her, now that you were no longer in the picture. I hated that side of me, hated it with every part of my soul, but the fact remains that I was happy.”

Ash was stunned. This was a side of Brock he had never known before, an emotional side to the friend he had known for years, a stark contrast to the cold-hearted assassin he knew to be his Commander.

“Can you imagine how I felt, Ash, when I saw the two of you materializing in my office tonight, kissing and locked in an embrace? I… I…” Brock seemed to have run out of words to say. The two men stood looking at each other, and an awkward silence fell between the two.

“I’m sorry.” Brock said abruptly, then turned to leave. He laid his hand on the chain bolting the door shut, and was about to open the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“I never knew you felt that way, Brock. I really didn’t know. If you want me to, I can-”

“Can what?” Brock interrupted him once again and turned around in anger, causing the younger man to hop back in surprise. “Can step aside for me, so that she and I could be happy together? Can disappear from our lives, like you never existed? Are you blind, Ash? She loves you, in a way which she could never love me. Only you can bring her happiness.” The last was spoken in a whisper, a voice which Ash hardly heard.

“You’re the better man for her.”

Brock fell silent. Jerking the door open, he left Ash to stand alone in the washroom. He had not gotten far, however, when he once again felt a restraining hand on his shoulder. Ash’s voice came from behind him.

“You’re right. I am the better man for her. It’s just… I’m sorry, Brock. I never knew things would turn out this way... If I had known, things might have been different.”

“Well. You didn’t, and neither would it have made a difference. There is… no need to be sorry.” Brock closed his eyes. “As long as she is happy…” Then he rounded on the agent. “If you make her cry, for any reason, I won’t let you off. You know that, don’t you?”

“I won’t. I swear to it on my life.” Brock stared hard into Ash’s eyes. Satisfied, he grunted and turned around, leaving Ash to stare at Brock’s retreating back.

--

Ash and Misty left the PAA immediately after the mission ended, to live a life of recluse in Ash’s hometown, Pallet Town. They got married soon after, in front of only a few friends; Brock was one of them. As the years went by, the couple did not leave their town very many times, but Brock visited several times. Ash and Misty sometimes missed their once active lifestyle, but they were content.

A/N: AFTER TWO YEARS, THIS STORY HAS FINALLY ENDED. HOORAY! This story was first written in June 2005, and I’ve only gotten around to completing this two years later in June 2007. To everyone out there, I am very, extremely, comprehensively and utterly sorry about the two year delay!

I know the ending is a little abrupt, but I seem to have writer’s block nearing the end. I might re-write the ending again or perhaps even come up with a whole new chapter. Who knows?

Until next time people!