A/N: I've decided to take a break from writing AAML, so we won't find out the neat things about Jessica in this episode (sorry). Am I an idiot? YES! (Actually, this episode explains why Brock and Daisy weren't in the last eppy. ^_~ Hmmm, sounds interesting...) I will warn you, though. This chapter releaves a deep, dark secret from Brock's past. That means that this chapter is a bit dark, so don't read it if you don't like that kind of stuff...or do. *shrug* Don't mind me: I'm just the writer.

*sigh* I guess I'll write a disclaimer this time:
I don't own Pokemon. I don't own Brock. I don't own Daisy. I don't own Baskin Robin's. I don't own lots of things. I do own Jessica (Jessica yells: Hey! You ecchi-baka-pervert!) NOT LIKE THAT JESSICA! (Yeah, whatever.) Well, she's not in this eppy anyway, so what does it matter?

Love Pallet

Episode 5: A Dark Secret. Brock's Past Revealed!

by Kenshin

((whispering))
[pokemon translation]
{author's notes/comments}
"character lines"
'character thoughts'

(Kenshin recites the introduction, using his best announcer voice. *ahem*) Today, we find ourselves in the lovely burg of Celadon. As the sun peaks over the horizon our hero, Brock, {*cough*} is peacefully sleeping in his room at the pokemon center. On the floor. ...Wait, he's sleeping on the floor? Why is Brock sleeping on the floor? Isn't that usually Ash's reserved space? Well, that may be true, but Ash is in Viridian City at the moment, leaving Brock free run of the floor. ...Wait a second, that still doesn't explain why Brock is there now!

As the sun comes out more we can see the reason why Brock is sleeping in the floor. There seems to be a figure sleeping in the only bed in the room. A female. Yes, that's right. Brock is sleeping in the same room as a girl...and he's not in bed with her. In fact, he seems to have tied himself up so he wouldn't do anything stupid in his sleep.

But how did Brock come to be alone in a room with a girl? Simple: the girl is Daisy Waterflower, his girlfriend. Even after several months and countless incidents of Brock drooling over other girls, Daisy is still his girlfriend.

***

*Snore* Daisy rolled over in bed. She yawned and looked down at Brock. His eyes were closed (as always) and he was snoring loudly. She smiled down at him. 'He's so cute when he's asleep...when he's awake, too.' She giggled at what she had just thought.

Slowly, Brock began to wake up. He yawned and looked up at her, staring down at him from the bed. "Morning," he said, still yawning. She giggled some more, then asked, "Like, how about we get you out of those ropes?" He smiled as he nodded.

After the ropes were removed they went downstairs for some breakfast. "So, are we gonna, like, head for Viridian today?" Daisy asked him. She had decided to join Brock on Ash's pokemon journey. "Well, I thought we could stay in Celadon one more day before leaving. We could use a break from traveling, and I know that Ash and Misty won't mind taking a break while waiting for us." "So what do you, like, wanna do today?" she asked. "How about we go out on the town?" "Sounds like fun," she answered.

***

Later, on the town, Brock was struggling to carry all the bags from Daisy's shopping. "Daisy, I'm glad you're having fun, but can we really take all of this stuff on the pokemon journey?" She thought for a minute. "Like, I guess not, but we have to go through Cerulean to get to Viridian anyway, so we can drop some of it off at the gym," she said. Brock sighed. That meant he would have to carry most of this stuff all the way to Cerulean. Good thing he had been exercising lately.

"Brock, let's take a break and, like, get something to drink, k?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "Gaa...okay," he said. They stepped into a small ice cream parlor and sat down. "Welcome to Baskin Robin's, what can I get you?" asked a cute waitress.

"I'd like your..." he stopped himself. He had almost said "your number". 'I've gotta quit doing stuff like that. Daisy would kill me!' "Ummm, I can't decide," he said, laughing nervously. He looked at Daisy. "What do you want?" he asked her. "How about we get a large shake with two straws?" she asked. Brock blushed again. "Umm, yeah, we'll have that," he said. His voice almost squeaked out the last word.

Daisy giggled. "Brock, you're funny." 'You wouldn't think it was funny if you knew what I almost said. Why am I cursed with being attracted to every woman on the planet? ...except Misty. That's a weird thought. I've never had a crush on Misty. Maybe it was because I always knew she liked Ash so much. Hmmm.'

"Hello? Are you in there?" Daisy was waving a hand in front of Brock's face to get his attention. Brock jumped. "Oh, sorry. Zoned out for a minute there, didn't I?" He grinned, knowing how idiotic he was acting. "You sure did. What were you thinking about?" she asked. "Hmmm, nothing important really. I was just wondering how Ash and Misty were doing."

"I bet they're doing just fine. They've been, like, fighting less and less since the whole popstar incident," she said. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I still can't believe how all that happened. One minute everything was fine, the next Misty had run off thinking Ash was falling for Nurse Joy. You know, your sister has an overactive imagination," Brock was pretty much babbling now. "Like, uh-huh." said Daisy. "I can't believe that she and Ash went on as long as they did without admitting their feelings for each other. If it was me, I would have done it right off. None of that beating around the bush stuff for me. No, sir. I'm...babbling again, aren't I?"

"Well...sorta," she admitted. 'Darn it, Brock. Stop doing that. You need to get ahold of yourself!' "Sorry Daisy, I'll try to curb that old habit of mine." Their shake arrived and they began sipping on it. Brock had never shared ice cream before, but he thought it was a neat way of showing that they were together. {Fighting the corniness...losing the battle...}

They finished their ice cream and got up to leave. They exited the ice cream parlor and walked aimlessly down the street, looking for something else to do. "Brock! What do you think you're doing?!" an angry voice yelled from across the street. Brock froze in fear. He instantly recognized that voice, and his body just shut down after hearing it. He hadn't heard that terrible voice in years.

***Flashback***

"So, what should we do today?" asked the voice. "I don't know. Whatever you want, as long as you're happy," replied Brock. "That's what I like to hear. If you keep me happy, I won't abandon you." "Please don't say things like that! Don't abandon me! I love you!" he cried. The cruel woman in the white labcoat smiled at him and laughed. Her nametag read "Ivy". "Hahaha, you certainly are panicky today, aren't you? Well, I suppose I won't abandon you...yet. But remember, if you don't keep me happy, you'll suffer." Brock shuddered as he was reminded of the various torture devices that Ivy owned. He kept telling himself that they were for his own good. That they helped him remember to keep her happy. But deep down inside, he knew that what she did to him was wrong.

***End of Flashback***

"I-Ivy," Brock acknowledged her nervously. Repressed memories were flooding back to him. He remembered it all very clearly. All the time he had spent with Ivy. All the time he had tried to forget. He remembered it all, from the day he had left Ash and Misty to be with Ivy to the day when Ivy had finally abandoned him for a new pet project.

"Brock, I've come to take you back," she said, expecting him to follow obediently. 'NO!' his mind screamed at him. "N-n-no!" he said. His voice betrayed how frightened he was. "Brock is everything okay? Who is that?" asked Daisy. She was concerned. She had never seen Brock act this way before, and she didn't want him being remotely near someone who affected him in this way.

"Who am I? Why, I'm Professor Ivy. I'm Brock's only reason for living," she said, laughing cruelly. Brock's eyes were filling with tears. "No! Stay away from me, you monster!" Brock yelled. "Monster? Is that any way to treat a woman you love?" asked Ivy. "I don't love you! I hate you, you-you DEMON!" Brock raged. His anger was fueled by all the buried and pent-up emotions that were now released by Ivy's sudden appearance.

Ivy was a bit taken aback. She had expected him to come crawling back anytime she snapped her fingers. 'He has a stronger will than I thought.' "Dont' be ridiculous, Brock. You're coming with me, and that's final," she said matter-of-factly. "He doesn't want to go, and you can't force him," Daisy declared, interposing herself between Brock and the professor. "Hmm, you think that you can stop me from taking him with me?" asked Ivy. "If that's what it takes, then yes," Daisy replied.

While the two women were arguing, Brock had broken down into tears. 'I won't go through that! Not again! I'd rather...I'd rather die first! But, then what about Daisy? I can't let her get hurt!' Brock turned to face Ivy. "Don't you lay a finger on Daisy," he said seriously. Daisy was surprised to hear the anger buried in his voice. "Hmph, fine. Let's go," Ivy said impatiently. "Oh, no. If you want me, you'll have to catch me," said Brock, grabbing Daisy by the arm and running as fast as he could.

Ivy growled. 'I have two choices here: follow them or give up.' She thought for a moment. 'I've invested a lot of time and effort in Brock. I'm not going to just give him up without a fight.' She started off after them.

***

Brock ran for what seemed like days. He ran until his legs refused to carry him any further, then a ran some more. "Brock..." Daisy panted. She couldn't keep going. Brock slowed down, allowing his muscles to relax slightly. Finally, he stopped and took in his surroundings. He and Daisy were in a small clearing in the woods. He had no idea where they were.

"Brock, what's wrong? Why are you acting so strangely? Did that woman do something to you?" Daisy asked. Her voice was full of concern for him and she wore a pained expression on her face from seeing him in such distress. Her worry ate at his insides, along with the pain he was feeling from having old emotional wounds ripped open again.

Brock started to cry. He collapsed onto the ground and curled up into a ball, as he had on many occasions before in his room at Ivy's place. He felt warm arms wrap around him and pull him into a sitting position. "What's wrong Brock? Please tell me," implored Daisy. He tried to speak, but couldn't stop crying. After a few minutes he was able to tell Daisy how he used to live with Ivy. He told her how Ivy had mistreated him, playing with his emotions just to see his reactions. He told her how she had punished him for any so-called "mistakes" he made. When he had finished, Daisy's eyes were also filled with tears. She hugged him tightly, as if she were anchoring him to this spot in time to keep the bad memories away.

"Oh, you poor thing. Don't worry, sweetie. Everything is okay now. I'm here for you. I won't let her do anything to you again, I promise," Daisy said in a soothing tone. Brock held onto her as if his life depended on it. "Thanks, Daisy. I love you so much," he whispered in her ear, letting all of his love and respect for her saturate his voice. She kissed him softly before telling him they should get moving. "I don't think we want that thing to catch us here. We better hurry to Viridian and meet up with the others," she said.

"No, Daisy. You go without me. If she catches us, she'll take me and kill you. I can't let that happen. I'll distract her while you get Ash and the others," he said. "NO! Don't even think about it! I'm not leaving you alone. We're both going to make it to Viridian, together," she said, her voice taking on a seriousness Brock had never heard before.

"Umm, okay," he said, not knowing how to react to her sudden outburst. Her eyes softened. "I'm sorry I yelled, but I'm not going to leave you behind. Now, let's get out of here," she said. Brock forced himself to stand up. "Right," he replied. So, they started walking again, hoping that they were heading for Viridian City.

***

"Damn, I'm lost..." said Ivy as she trudged through the forest. "I'm going to make that boy suffer when I catch him. How dare he run away from me!" She pulled a beeping device out of her pocket. "Aha! My tracking device is working. I'm glad I implanted that thing in him while he was with me," she cackled. She ran off in the direction that the tracking device indicated.

***

Brock was out of breath. He and Daisy had been running all day. After realizing that they were completely lost, they had tried without success to gain their bearings. When that failed, they picked one direction and blindly ran. "I can't run anymore, Brock. It's getting dark and I can't see where I'm going," panted Daisy. "I know," he said, "We'll have to find a safe place to rest and stop."

They kept going for a while and found a cave. {Overdone, I know...just work with me!} Brock told Daisy to get some rest and that he would take first watch. "Okay, but wake me up in a few hours," she warned him. He promised to do so. Daisy fell asleep in a few minutes and Brock began to get worried. His mind began working furiously as only a sleep-deprived brain can. 'Why is she after me again? How did she find me? How am I going to get away from her?' His worried thoughts seemed to make him even more tired, and before long he was snoring fitfully, dreaming of dark memories and old fears.

"Hahahaha!" a voice laughed haughtily from the cave entrance. Brock woke up as fast as lightning, but Daisy was already awake. She was up out of her sleeping bag in a flash as Ivy advanced into the cave, still laughing, a touch of insanity in her voice. "Stay away from my Brock!" Daisy yelled at her. "Your Brock? He was my Brock much longer than he was your's. He's still mine. He belongs to me, and I've come to take him back," she said, as though this were the most logical thing in the world and even a child should be able to understand it.

Daisy glanced over at Brock. He was curled up in his sleeping bag, covering his head with both arms as if warding himself from imaginary blows. "If you touch him, I swear I'll make you suffer," warned Daisy. Ivy raised one eyebrow. "I'd love to see you try. How about we fight for him? The winner keeps Brock. The loser gets her just desserts." "Fine. I'll beat you and take Brock away so he'll never have to bear the pain of seeing or thinking about you again!" Daisy declared. She balled her hands into fists, nostrils flaring.

Ivy held her hands out in front of her, striking a karate pose. Daisy reached behind her and pulled out a large mallet with brass studs embedded into the head. Ivy's eyes widened. "I've been saving this thing for a creep like you," Daisy snarled. She charged at Ivy, swinging the mallet sideways with all her might. *WHACK* The mallet struck the wall. Ivy had barely been able to avoid the blow. She was thrown off-balance and tumbled to the ground.

"You-you can't use that thing! That's cheating!" yelled Ivy, afraid for the first time since Daisy had seen her. "You should have said something before we started!" bellowed Daisy as she swung overhanded at Ivy's prone form. *WHOMP!* The mallet connected with Ivy's skull. Stars went off in front of her eyes as she collapsed, unconscious. Daisy dropped the mallet and ran to Brock. "Brock, are you okay? It's over. She'll never bother you again," she said, hugging him tightly to reassure him.

Brock peeked out from under his crossed arms and saw Ivy lying on the ground, senseless. "I-it's over?" he asked shakily. "Uh-huh. I'm going to tie that pitful excuse for a human up. You go back to sleep now. In the morning we'll take her to visit Officer Jenny." Brock breathed easier when Daisy finished binding Ivy's arms to her sides and ankles to one another. He slowly drifted off to sleep again with Daisy stroking his hair and whispering to him softly. No nightmares plagued him for the rest of that night.

***

The next day, Brock and Daisy got up to find that Ivy was awake. She looked at them in confusion. "Who are you?" she asked in a tone that was completely different from the way she had spoken the day before. "Umm, don't you know who we are?" asked Daisy. "No, I don't think so...should I?" Brock and Daisy both sweatdropped. "I guess she has amnesia," said Brock. "Eh-heh-heh, I must have hit her harder than I thought," said Daisy. Brock laughed.

Later that day, the two teens took Ivy back to Celadon City. They turned her over to Jenny after explaining the whole ordeal to the bewildered officer. Jenny told them that she would place Ivy in custody and would make sure that Ivy did not come after them if she regained her memory. "I hope she doesn't get her memory back," said Brock as he and Daisy were leaving the police station. "Why's that?" she asked him. "Well, now that she doesn't remember how she used to treat men, she seems like a pretty good person. I don't want her to revert back to her old, cruel self. She deserves a chance at a regular life as much as the rest of us." Daisy was surprised that Brock could be so generous toward Ivy, but she was very proud of him.

FIN


Woah, that was kinda scary. I actually wrote that? Who knew that Ivy was so cruel? Who knew that she was the reason Brock got so nervous around women and desperately wanted to please them? Maybe he'll get better, now that Ivy has been "cured" and Daisy is by his side. Maybe. (Jessica: Most of all, who knew that Kenshin was so weird?) Hey! You can't talk to me that way! I made you up! (J: Yeah, whatever.)

Well, next episode will reveal some details about Jessica, as well as a few more surprises, so stay tuned! (J: Finally.)

Sayonara for now,
Kenshin

{Note to everyone who has reviewed me: Thanks a bunch, people! I really appreciate the reviews, but I've gotta stop writing these things so fast! I'm running out of ideas, plus my finals week is creeping up on me...ah, forget that. I'm not worried about finals. I'll just do my best. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews. You keep reading and I'll keep writing!}