All right...this is where it starts to get a little darker...:) Read and 
Review...:)

***

Brock looked up at Gary, "That's it for Ash's stuff, I'll get Misty's stuff, 
and my stuff is already packed, then we can go. But I have a question for 
you. Ash has told me about before he and you became rivals, and that you 
were really good friends. Now, I've noticed, you just treat him like dirt! 
Why is that?"

Gary sighed and leaned back against Ash's backpack, "Well, you see, my mom 
has always told me that I have an overgrown ego, and that it could get me 
into trouble someday. I guess that day is today. Okay, just listen to my 
story. Ash and I kidded each other about who was going to be the Ultimate 
Pokemon Master someday, at least he kidded me, I always took it seriously. 
Then, he began to get Gramp's attention more and more, and I became jealous, 
and I began distancing myself from Ash. Then, we got our Pokemon, and, well, 
you know the rest. I became a celebrity, and rubbed it in to Ash. Then 
people got tired of me, and I was back to his status, and he was elevated to 
my previous status. Well, I guess the rest is history. I came by to look for 
Ash, to apologize to him for being such a pain in the rear, and ask if he 
would forgive me." Gary looked up at Brock, who had finished packing Misty's 
things, "Does that make it any clearer?"

Brock looked up at him, "Yeah, I understand, but I think that you have a 
serious ego and/or pride problem. But I will try and help you apologize to 
him. Well, let's go."


Brock looked around Pewter City after he and Gary had teleported both of 
them and their luggage there. This was Brock's home, and Gary said that Ash 
was in surgery, so there was nothing for him to do but find something to do. 
"Hey Gary! I have an idea, let's get some stuff for Misty at the 
Charmander's Broiled Burgers, they used to be pretty good, then we can go to 
the gym, and you could give me tips on battling. The Pewter Gym has been 
closed for a while."

Gary glanced over at Brock and grinned, "Well, yeah, okay, but I haven't 
gotten my Boulder Badge yet, I just skipped your gym on my way to Cerulean 
City, so first I have to battle you!" After they dropped their stuff off at 
the gym, Gary kicked at a pebble and followed Brock to Charmander's Broiled 
Burgers, where they went in and sat down.

They noticed that they were the only ones there, save the staff and two 
customers, both girls, one about sixteen, one maybe fifteen, both with long, 
brown hair and green eyes. Gary and Brock ordered and sat down at their 
table. A waitress brought their burgers, and Gary tried to get her number, 
to show Brock how easy it was to get a girl's phone number, but the waitress 
said, "Buzz off, bozo! I plan on staying single."

Brock grinned at Gary, "You were saying?"

Gary coughed into his hand and looked around, then spotted the two girls 
sitting there. "I'll bet you fifty bucks that I can get the younger one to 
go out with me!"

Brock grinned wider and said, "No way! I bet you that you can't! You get one 
hundred fifty bucks if you can, and I get the lessons without having to 
battle you if you can't plus you pay me two hundred bucks. I know the people 
around here, Gary, trust me, you won't get her out on a date! She doesn't 
date people she doesn't know! Her older sister's name is Sarah Kepling, and 
her younger sister is Miss Amanda Kepling." Brock's grin now changed to a 
smirk, since he knew that Amanda, or Mandie as she preferred being called, 
was one tough fighter, and she hated being called Miss Kepling. He had to go 
along with Gary to see how he fared.

"Deal!" Gary slid out of the booth, and Brock followed him, with his 
container of fries, and walked five steps behind Gary. "Sarah Kepling, I 
believe your name is?" he said to the older girl, who he shook hands with. 
Sarah saw Brock's smirk and the twinkle in his eyes as he popped some fries 
into his mouth, and when Brock's eyes flitted to Mandie then back to Sarah, 
her suspicions were confirmed. She sat back to enjoy the show. "Miss 
Kepling," he said to Mandie, then opened his mouth to go further, but 
Mandie's fist struck him in the nose and bowled him over backwards. Mandie 
rocketed out of her chair and was on top of Gary, pummelling him with 
punches, while Brock, Sarah, and the entire staff, who were used to this 
sort of thing, were laughing, some holding their sides, watching the 
humorous spectacle of the Champion of Kanto League being defeated by a girl, 
a girl several inches shorter than Gary, too.

The girl jumped up off of the Pokemon champion and rolled Gary over with a 
kick and said, "Never call me Miss Kepling, it will only get you hurt!" She 
kicked him again, and he rolled until he hit the side of the booth where he 
and Brock had been sitting before he had gotten up.

Brock followed, still laughing and munching on french fires, and said, "Two 
hundred bucks and free training sessions, I believe. You agreed before hand 
that if I won the little bet, that was the deal." Gary  glared at Brock and 
handed him the money. "Don't say I didn't warn you Gary, I know the people 
in this town. This is a quiet town, and I've heard that in recent years, 
it's become quieter than Pallet Town ever since you and Ash left it, so I 
think I still know most of the people in this town. I told you that you 
couldn't get Mandie on a date. Tried to warn you. Well, not really, but I 
still knew."

Gary glared at Mandie, "I am not getting beaten by some whip of a girl, so 
here is what we will do. In the gym, five hours from now, we will have a 
fight. Winner gets all of the losers money, and the winner gets the loser as 
a servant. I only lost here because I was taken by surprise."

Mandie smirked, "You got it, but I can take on any guy I want, except maybe 
Bruno of the Elite Four or possibly the Fighting Dojo, anytime, any place, 
and come out victorious, so don't count on getting let off easy...Kid." 
Mandie said the last remark in a stinging kind of way, and Gary noticed, and 
grew angry.

"Mandie," Brock said, "Wanna go out on a date with me?"

Mandie grinned, "You mean, you left the town for several years, but now, 
suddenly, you want a date with the infamous Mandie Kepling. I remember that 
when my sister beat you, I was there, hanging around, and you asked her out 
on a date. You mean that you want to have a date with me? YOU WANT TO GO ON 
A DATE WITH ME???"

Brock swallowed, wondering what was going on, and squeaked out, "Yes?"

Mandie grinned from ear to ear, "Okay. How about after I beat Gary I can set 
him out trimming the grass around my place while we go to a movie."

Brock forced a smile on his face. It was hard sometimes to keep up with 
either of the Kepling sister's mood swings. Plus they just liked having fun 
teasing people. "Well, uh, how about you pick us up at the hospital, room 
216. I have a friend there, and she-"

Sarah spoke up suddenly, "She? So you have another girlfriend?"

Brock smiled weakly and replied, "Uh...no. She is Misty Waterflower, one of 
the Cerulean City Gym Leaders. She actually likes a kid that got stung by a 
Beedrill. All three stingers."

Sarah's mouth dropped open and she covered her mouth with her hand, "Brock, 
I'm so sorry, is this that Ash Ketchum, the boy that you've been telling us 
all about in your letters and we hear about all the time in the news?"

Brock looked dow nat the ground, andsaid, "Well, yeah, he is. Anyway, I've 
gotta get some burgers to Misty, so I'll meet you there at seven, okay 
Mandie? that will give you some time to clean up after your battle."

Sarah guffawed, "Brock, you sure haven't been around here for a while! She 
isn't the 'I wanna be a proper lady like my older sister' anymore! She's a 
tomboy! I mean it! She likes getting dirty, and she hates taking baths. In 
fact, she only took a bath today because-MMPPHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Mandie clamped 
her hand over her sister's mouth and glared at her.

"He doesn't need to know why I took a bath!" She took her hand slowly off of 
her sister's mouth.

"SHE LIKES YOU!!!!" Sarah shouted, and ducked away from the blow that came 
from Mandie.

Brock chuckled and picked up the bag that contained Misty's food, dragged 
Gary out of the booth and out the door. Brock looked eagerly at his gym. The 
one that he had fixed since it had fallen into disrepair ever since the last 
gym leader, a very old man who had died at the age of ninety nine in the 
middle of a battle. Brock had fixed everything up, and the city had named 
him the Gym Leader.

Brock smiled and pushed open the door to the hospital,and Gary hobbled along 
after him. A nurse came up and asked, "What happened to him?"

Brock grinned at her and said, "Miss Amanda Kepling!" the nurse laughed and 
spread the word to the waiting patients and the nurses, and soon they were 
all laughing at Gary, and Brock quickened his steps as he heard Gary 
catching up with him. Brock glanced at his watch. Ten minutes late. If he 
knew Misty, that temper of hers would be going full blast. He knocked on the 
door, "Room service," and stepped to the side of the door opposite the side 
where it would open, and opposite from Gary as well. Gary was grinning 
weakly and speeding up, then, suddenly, Misty banged the door open and Gary, 
still accelerating, slammed into the door and fell over backwards.

Misty glared at Brock and said, "Where is Gary? and why are you late?" she 
snatched her food, and, without waiting for an explanation, stalked back to 
Ash's bedside.

Brock followed her, and said, "You hit Gary with the door, and the reason 
we're late is because Gary had a fight, I got a date-"

Misty screamed in excitement like only girls can, and squealed, "YOU got a 
date? I mean, I heard you, but YOU got a date??? OH! this is so exciting!"

Brock grinned, "You wouldn't think so if you knew who it was and who she has 
become. It's Mandie Kepling."

Misty stiffened and muttered, "You got a date with a dork, isn't that 
convenient."

Brock, suddenly confused, asked, "Huh? what's wrong with her?"

Misty rolled her eyes and said, "Brock, you should know why, if you live 
here. She always have to get her way, has to get the best of everything, and 
besides, she beat my sisters in a beauty contest and me in an art contest, 
THEN in a fishing contest! Little Miss Perfect...Hmph!"

Brock grinned, "I don't think you need to worry about her winning any beauty 
contests anymore, her sister maybe, but not her!"

Misty's face suddenly looked hopeful, "You mean she has a faceload of zits?"

Brock laughed, "No! She's a tomboy now!!!"

Misty grinned and took burger out of its wrapper and began eating, still 
glowering at Brock, "Yeah, yeah...I'll believe it when I see it. Besides, 
she can still beat me in fishing!"

Gary came stumbling and said, "Man I hate that Mandie Kepling!" He was 
covered with huge bruises wherever Mandie's fists and kicks had landed.

Brock grinned, "That's her artwork now, and besides, you'll meet her at 
seven when she picks me up."

Ash added to the conversation, "You got a date, Brock? Good for you, I 
always knew you could." in a weak voice.

Brock grinned at the wall, his feet up at the table, and his hands behind 
his head, imagining Mandie and said, "Yeah, Ash...I-Wait a minute...ASH? 
You're AWAKE???" Brock brought his feet back down to the ground with a crash 
and hit the button for a nurse.

Ash grinned weakly and said, "No! I'm just talking in my sleep!"

Brock matched the smile and jerked his thumb at Gary, "Wait till you see 
what the date dragged in!"

Ash's eyes focused on Gary, then he grinned, "So...you were beaten by a 
girl...I wonder what happened to all your claims of being able to defeat 
anyone?"

Gary glared at Ash, then sighed, saying, "Ash, listen, I came to-"

"Sorry, people, but come back later, right now I need to check Ash Ketchum 
out, since he is awake. Please wait in the hall." A doctor said, striding 
past Gary to Ash.

Gary pulled Misty out of the room, and Ash looked after her longingly, and 
opened his mouth as if to say something, but didn't manage to find the words 
to say anything. Pikachu rested by Ash's head and sighed, content just to be 
by its master and its master awake, getting better, and in one piece.

Misty stared down at the ground, trying to hide the fact that she was 
crying, but Brock must have known somehow that she was, since he put his arm 
around her and ushered her over to a seat by the door.

"Misty?" Misty raised her head to see Delia Ketchum, being ushered by 
Professor Oak towards a chair next to her, much like she had been ushered to 
her chair by Brock, "Misty, I am so sorry about this."

Brock shifted uncomfortably and drew out an envelope, "Well, Mrs. Ketchum, 
Ash told me to give this to you next time that I saw you. It's his will, but 
I hope that he won't need it anytime soon since he woke up just now. He had 
it done right after he beat the Elite Four. he wanted to make sure that 
everyone knew what they were going to get if he died, and that there was 
going to be no confusion about his money or anything...he asked me to give 
it to you. I'm sorry it has to be under these circumstances, though."

The doctor came out fo the room, looking grim, "mrs. Ketchum, good, you're 
here. I ened to speak to you privately, will you please come with me? I have 
something that Imust discuss with you."

The gang exhanged glancs uneasily as Delia Ketchum left. This couldn't be 
good. They ALL knew what it meant when that happened in the movies.