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letswritefanfiction · 6 years

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Pokémon Alphabet Challenge: O is for Overcome

March 7

Well, it looks like my stay with Solidad before the Kanto contest season begins is going to be a little longer than I’d planned. We found my Masquerain with an egg today along with Solidad’s Butterfree. Fortunately, I don’t think the incubation period for eggs of Bug Types is too long, so hopefully we’ll only have to wait a few weeks for the Surskit to hatch out. Then I’ll probably give it to Solidad.

Admittedly, I don’t know much about breeding, so I figured it would be good to write down some of what’s going on so that I have a log. Just in case. So, this is day one, I suppose, of the incubation period.

March 8, day 2

Nothing new. Solidad thinks that we should contact Brock for some breeding advice. She asked me to call him. … I am not friends with May’s friends. Just like I’m not friends with her friends.

Yeah, Harley, you heard me.

Although we did call May and Harley to update them. Well, I called May, Solidad called Harley. I’m still thanking whatever deity made Harley jealous enough of May to decide to go to Sinnoh while the rest of us are gonna travel the Kanto circuits next month.

But the egg seems fine and Masquerain and Butterfree seem happy, so I told her no anyway.

March 9, day 3

Went into the Viridian Forest for some training. Staying in one place is giving me cabin fever. It hasn’t even been two weeks, but it’s the longest I’ve stayed in one place since I lived at home.

Maybe I’ll go to the mountains tomorrow.

No egg updates.

March 10, day 4

Masquerain and Butterfree seem to move the egg around in the yard wherever the sun is to keep it warm. I guess Bug/Flying Types aren’t great at brooding.

March 11, day 5

I don’t know how Solidad can be so content both on the road and staying at home. She says I’ll get over it when I’m older and, I dunno, maybe I will, but this is just so boring.

If you couldn’t guess: no egg updates.

March 12, day 6

I stopped in the Pokémon Center and called May, just to see someone who wasn’t in Pewter, and she reminded me that she’s been living at home with her parents for a few weeks. I know she loves then and all, but that was enough to put things in perspective.

Being trapped in Solidad’s house isn’t so bad.

Also, I realized today that that egg is a pretty damn big egg. I mean, Surskit are small. A fully grown Surskit could fit in this egg if it curled its legs under. I guess it just has a lot of nutrients in it?

No updates.

March 13, day 7

One week. No updates.

March 14, day 8

We have an update.

Probably should have mentioned this earlier: the egg, Masquerain, and Butterfree are all just staying in Solidad’s backyard. It’s fenced in and has a few plants, but not many because Pewter City is basically just one big gravel pit that people built houses son. And because who can maintain a garden when you hardly live at home?

Anyway, so we went out back today because Masquerain and Butterfree were having a fit and we noticed the egg wiggling a bit. Just for a moment, and then it stopped. But it was something.

March 15, day 9

More movement. Still just the slightest wiggles, but they’re more prolonged now.

Solidad still thinks that we should contact someone who knows more about this than we do, but apparently Kanto’s main daycare center is halfway across the region on some nothing route. Not even in a city. But I don’t think we need the help. It’s just one egg. Masquerain and Butterfree are doing most of the care anyway. We just need to care for them, and we know how to do that. Pokémon give birth in the wild all the time. Geez.

March 16, day 10

Continued movement. No further updates.

March 17, day 11

Update: Okay, we must be close to the finish line at this point, because there were definitely sounds today. And a lot of movement. Solidad’s really excited. I’m kind of excited too. But not as excited as Harley, who threatened to come and see ‘the big reveal’. Close call.

March 18, day 12

I’m in the back yard as we speak. Masquerain and Butterfree seem super excited. They’re flapping around like nobody’s business. And then there’s the egg, which seems like it’s dancing. There are little noises coming from it and it’s practically hopping off the ground.

Oh! There are cracks! Putting this down now. Will update later.

“…I was not expecting this.”

Drew and Solidad looked around the backyard of Solidad’s Pewter City home, noting how it was now crawling with nearly a dozen tiny Surskit. The Surskit were exploring every conceivable nook and cranny of the yard, traipsing over boxwood bushes, lawn ornaments, and even each other, all in the name of exploring this brand new world. Worst of all: they were each only a few inches tall.

“Yes,” Solidad sighed. “I thought that only one Pokémon could hatch from a single egg. Had I known this could happen, I definitely would have called someone for help.”

Drew rolled his eyes as he watched a helpless baby Surskit fall into the bush it had been trying to climb over. “I think we’re still going to need that help, Solidad.”

Masquerain immediately flew over to the fallen Surskit and pulled it from the brambles, taking care to smooth its dear, little yellow head with a soft wing. However, she immediately had to move on to another wayfaring baby while Butterfree stopped one from going under a hole in the fence. Drew quickly picked up one of the many stones in the yard and placed it in front of the hole, taking extreme care that he didn’t step on one of the little critters.

Solidad, meanwhile reached for her PokéNav. It only took a moment to scroll through her contacts before she landed on the one she wanted and let the phone dial, putting it up to her ear when it began to ring. In the meantime, Drew carefully grabbed the round body of a Surskit that was trying to crawl its way up Solidad’s legs.

“Hello, Pewter City Gym; how can I help you?”

“Brock, I’m glad it’s you,” Solidad began in her slow, calm voice. “Drew and I have a bit of a situation…”

“A bit of a situation?” Brock echoed, astounded.

Fortunately, Solidad’s house was only a few minutes away by bike from the Pewter City Gym and, since Brock was no longer standing Gym Leader, he hadn’t needed to take care of much before hurrying over to Solidad’s back yard. Since the call had been placed, Drew had sent out his Butterfree as well, making the yard look like a Bug Pokémon habitat that even Professor Oak would be proud of. The three flying bugs were doing a good job of taking care of the babies, which was good, because Drew and Solidad were afraid of what they might unwittingly step on if they ventured to move.

“It looks worse than it is,” Solidad appeased. “We counted and there are only ten babies, and they can’t climb vertically or burrow like some Bugs, so they’re all definitely still here.”

“But…what do you expect me to do with them?”

At this point, Drew decided to chance it and take a few steps back, sitting on one of Solidad’s cushioned lawn chairs. A Surskit was in the adjacent on; it looked as though they were sharing a nice afternoon tea, save for the wary look Drew was giving it.

“Well, you were following along the path of a breeder at one point in time, Brock,” Solidad stated simply. “I was hoping you could use that insight to advise Drew and me on how to handle this.

Brock took stock of the surroundings. Solidad had a relatively small backyard—her property sat on less than an eighth of an acre—and it shrunk enormously when you took into account the dozen Pokémon roaming about it. None of Solidad’s sparse vegatation seemed particularly edible for them, though he had no doubt that they’d try for it anyway. Furthermore, there was no overhead protection from predators or the elements, and it would likely take the three of them days to fashion a tent. Not to mention the fact that there was no water…

Water…

Brock smirked.

“You know what, Solidad? I think that ten Surskit are a little out of my range of expertise. But you know who would be perfect?”

Misty heard a phone ringing and frowned when she realized that it was her personal phone and not the Gym’s public line. She was used to that one all but ringing off the hook—so much so that they’d had to hire a receptionist a few years back—but her Pokégear was usually as silent as the playable character in an RPG. Yet here it was ringing and, as usual, she had no idea where she’d last had it, so she had to scramble to find it, only barely managing to press the talk button before the last ring.

“Hello?” she answered breathlessly.

“Misty? What, did I drag you out of the pool?”

“Brock, is that you? Why are you calling me?” she asked, ignoring his question.

“Well, Drew and Solidad seem to have fallen into a little issue regarding some Water Pokémon, and you’re the foremost expert on Water Pokémon that I know.”

Misty narrowed her eyes. She could feel Brock trying to butter her up, but she was going to let it go, because she liked what she was hearing. “Uh-huh. And? What is this ‘issue’?”

“Oh, just the sudden emergence of ten baby Water Pokémon that need specialized care. They’re living at Solidad’s right now, but she doesn’t even have so much as a birdbath. Surely you can’t expect for them to all live in a bathtub!”

“I’ll take them!”

Misty could feel her eyes growing large and shiny, the prospect of ten helpless, innocent little Water Pokémon in need tugging at her heartstrings. She didn’t know why Brock felt like he had to pull any tricks over her to get her to say yes—honestly, he should save any tricks he had for girls he wanted to date. Arceus knew he needed the help.

“That’s so great, Misty!” Brock said, excitement coloring his tone. “Solidad’s gonna drive us over, so we should be there shortly.”

Misty grinned. “I can’t wait!”

Drew was not pleased with the situation.

He was happy that the babies were being placed with a Water expert. He was even considering leaving his Masquerain with her for a little while if Misty proved to be all that Brock was lauding her to be. Of course, Masquerain wasn’t a Water Type, but Drew could only imagine that she’d want to stay with her babies for a little longer. He was happy that he and Solidad wouldn’t have to rip their hair out over taking care of ten babies.

What he wasn’t pleased with was the fact that in Solidad’s large van, Brock got to sit up in front while Drew was stuck with all the very mobile Surskit in the back. Well, most were mobile. One was sleeping on his lap. The rest were walking all around the seats and all over Drew. And he meant all over. Plus, it was his responsibility to make sure that none crawled up the center console and began bothering Solidad while she was driving.

To top it all off, Brock looked positively smug.

Drew didn’t really think about May’s friends a lot. Ash had some strange, raw talent, Drew had to admit, but at times he seemed to be more trouble than he was worth. Brock seemed helpful to a degree, but Drew wasn’t really sure what he was doing in the group aside from nannying. Lucky for May, because she sure seemed to need it.

This was the first time that Drew was getting more than a taste of Brock’s personality. And for some reason, ever since just before calling Misty, Brock had been wearing a shit-eating grin. Drew didn’t recall that being a regular occurrence, so it was enough for him to keep an eye on the older boy.

Until a Surskit tried to walk right over his eye.

“Ow!” Drew exclaimed, using every bit of his self-restraint to keep from swatting the poor creature. Instead, he grabbed it and placed it on top of one of its siblings—there was no actual floor space left—as he blinked rapidly.

“Drew, are you okay?” Solidad asked in her motherly way.

“Yeah, fine,” Drew grumbled.

After this whole affair was handled, he wasn’t letting Masquerain anywhere near that Butterfree ever again.

It was only about an hour later that the crew showed up at the Cerulean Gym’s front door. And Drew couldn’t help but notice how tacky the Gym looked with that giant Dewgong on it. It looked like a really bad contest hall.

Of course, it was hard to think about that whilst holding onto three tiny Bug babies. Masquerain and the two Butterfree were released again, each holding onto a baby. The rest of them were divided among the three humans, and Drew was the one lucky enough to have to juggle three.

Brock had to use his elbow to ring the Gym doorbell, but he managed, and was relieved when Daisy was the one to answer the door. He drooled for only a second before Daisy dashed all his hopes and dreams by saying, “Oh, Brock. I thought you were Tracey. We’re going to dinner.”

“Tracey?” Brock’s posture immediately fell to the downward pull of depression as he sulked. How had Tracey nabbed Daisy?

“Hmm, you’re new,” Daisy observed, pointing a sharply filed nail at Drew and Solidad. She paused specifically on Drew. “Wow, it’s too bad you’re not five years older. Not for me, of course, but for Misty. Then again, she’d look really bad next to you.”

Drew didn’t even begin to know what to say as Daisy threw him a wink.

Solidad, sweat-dropping all the while, stepped up. “Brock called Misty about taking in these baby Water Pokémon. Did she tell you anything about that?”

“Oh, right…” Daisy said breezily, waving a hand near her face as though she was hoping to catch the wisps of the memory of the conversation between her fingers. “She did say something about that. Just go into the main aquarium for now and I’ll go get her.”

Solidad and Drew made their way in, but Brock was apparently not yet recovered from the shutdown he’d gotten from Daisy. And before he’d even tried to make a move!

Drew rolled his eyes. “Masquerain, you have my full permission to use Gust on him if he doesn’t move in three seconds.”

That was enough to get Brock’s rear in gear, and he and all the rest of the Pokémon were in the Gym in less than three seconds.

Peaceful relief. The Surskit were flitting about on the top of the pool, looking thrilled to explore their natural habitat—well, closer to it—instead of a backyard. Or the back of a van. Drew could tell that Masqeurain looked more relaxed too, flying easily overhead with Solidad’s Butterfree. Drew’s Butterfree wasn’t even needed for extra assistance anymore.

In the echoing, tile-filled room, Drew heard footsteps approaching. He could only assume that it was Misty or one of her sisters.

“Hey, guys! Sorry about Dai—Aah!”

So much for peaceful relief.

Drew had to put his hands up to his ears—man, this Misty had a high-pitched scream! Solidad too looked appropriately alarmed. But Brock was only smirking, causing Drew to think that they’d been taken for a ride. And not just the one from Pewter to Cerulean, although that had been a less than pleasant journey.

“Brock, what are those Bugs doing here‽”

Brock walked up to Misty, who was shielding her face in her own shoulder so that she didn’t have to look at the pool. “Misty, these are the Water infants I was telling you about. Aren’t they cute?”

Misty stole a second glance at the Surskit and a shriek erupted from deep in her throat, even with her mouth closed. “Those are Bugs! Look at their legs! You can’t tell me those aren’t Bugs!”

Brock, who was clearly reveling in this, put a hand to his chin and began scratching at the dark stubble there. “Oh, I suppose they do have a dual typing. But I was just thinking about how desperately these poor babies needed water. You know how Water Pokémon can get if they’re not hydrated enough, right, Misty?”

He was leading her. She knew that he was. He was pushing her into a corner so that she couldn’t say: “Take them away!” which was threatening to bleed off her lips at any second.

Instead: “You’re right. They can stay. Excuse me.”

The words came out ever so calmly, and Misty looked entirely nonplussed as she turned around and walked slowly, but deliberately out of the room. Brock turned around to a confused Solidad and an irritated Drew, saying, “Well, that was a lot less fun than I’d thou—”

From deep inside the Gym, another high pitched shriek—definitely still Misty—rang out and Brock’s expression cracked into a grin again.

“Then again…”

Misty at least had the courtesy to let the crew from Pewter to stay the night. Well, she didn’t have much of a choice, since she didn’t want to be stuck taking care of the babies—who would have to be fed multiple times through the night—and since she knew that her sisters wouldn’t sacrifice their beauty sleep for that. Fortunately, the Cerulean Gym came equipped with a number of guest rooms, since her sisters were so very popular.

Unfortunately for Brock, this was where her hospitality ended.

Brock walked down the hallway containing the guest bedrooms looking beaten and battered…primarily because he was. After Brock had—supposedly—paid for his misconduct by cooking dinner for everyone, Misty had pulled him aside and given him what for.

So, slowly—with intermittent grunts of pain—Brock dragged himself in the direction of his temporary bed, hoping that he would wake up in less pain the next day. As he reached a twitching hand for the doorknob, though, the door across from his opened, letting out a burst of steam. Drew walked out, his hair darkened to a mossy green by the water still clinging to it. A blue towel was around his neck and he was wearing some flannel pajama pants. He looked Brock up and down completely disinterestedly and, with a huff full of teen angst, proceeded towards his own bedroom.

Mildly insulted by the response, Brock couldn’t help but to yell out, “I have a greater plan for this, I hope you know.”

Drew stopped, but didn’t turn around, showing that his interest had only been slightly piqued.

“I’m hoping this will be the thing that finally gets Misty over her fear of bugs. And we get a pool for the Surskit out of it.”

Only turning enough to give a pointed look to the red handprint still imprinted on Brock’s cheek, Drew asked, “And how’s that working out for you?”

Apparently he didn’t care enough to hear the answer to his own question, because he opened his door and closed it. Brock even heard the click of the lock latching as though to add extra punctuation to his words.

Immensely more tired, Brock reached a hand up to his warm cheek and tried to rub the pain out before following Drew’s example and going into his own room. Normally, he’d linger in the hallway a little longer to see if he could catch Solidad in a nightgown, but he suspected that he’d need all of the strength he had to deal with Misty the next morning.

March 19, day 2

I’ve decided to keep this going, now keeping track of the Surskit’s growth. Or at least that’s what the days are supposed to mean. It turns out that May’s dear friend Brock has made us all the subject of his little experiment to get May’s friend Misty over her fear of Bugs. So this is also day 2 of that experiment.

I would say “Kill me now,” but I have ten four inch babies to care for.

With the solid distance of the Waterflower’s oak dining table between himself and Misty, Brock broached the topic. Misty’s response went about like this:

“Okay, Brock, how about this? I’ll get over my fear of bugs when you can talk to a pretty girl without turning into that ooey-gooey sap that’s those Bugs have been getting all over my pool!”

Brock, indignant at the insinuation, narrowed his eyes at Misty and opened his mouth to disagree. However, she seemed eager to prove her point.

“Oh, Daisy! Violet! Lily!”

The voice came out in a melodious sing-song tone that was frightening to hear from Misty. It seemed like the calm before the storm.

The girls—in their various but extensive states of getting ready for the day—bustled into the dining room, looking at Misty questioningly. Their little sister didn’t usually summon them, so they were surprised by the call.

“Like, what is it, Misty?” Daisy asked as she continued threading her hair into a fishtail braid.

Misty, apparently not feeling it necessary to explain herself, just looked to Brock, eyes expectant and daring.

Brock, for his part, was staring at Lily, whose state of mid-readiness happened to include the fact that she was only wearing a sports bra on top. Since she was used to being seen in nothing but a bikini on a near-daily basis, this was nothing unusual for her, but Brock’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head—without the usual aid of Misty’s fist.

Perhaps most girls would be bothered by the leering. Misty knew that if anyone stared at her chest like that, they’d be slapped so silly that they wouldn’t be seeing anything for days. But Lily calmly finished applying her gloss with the aid of a handheld compact before closing it and giving her lips a little pop of suction. Then she looked at Brock and said simply, “Sorry, you’re way too young for me.”

Brock instantly fell back, his whole world turning gray at the instantaneous rejection while Misty just looked confused. “You guys are the same age.”

Lily winked before turning on her heel. “I know.”

Misty cringed. Who exactly did her sister sleep with?

Nope. She didn’t want to know.

Daisy followed as Lily sauntered out of the room, leaving Violet to turn to Misty and say, “Sorry, we’ve gotta motor. Big interview today in Celadon. Catch you tomorrow. Or the next day.”

Brock seemed to perk up again at the sound of Violet’s voice and physically reached out to her as she walked away.

“One sister left,” he murmured to himself as Misty repeatedly smacked herself in the face.

It was with smoke coming out of her ears that Misty snatched her Pokégear—actually having remembered where she had last placed it this time—and dialed a familiar number.

“Heya, Misty! What’s u—”

“Ash, Brock has lost his marbles.”

“What?”

Misty collapsed into her office chair, causing it to swivel around a few times before she stopped it by setting her feet on her desk. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

It didn’t work.

“He’s suddenly got it in his head that I need to quote: ‘overcome my fear of bugs.’”

“Well, I think that’s grea—” A growl grumbled from deep inside Misty’s chest. “Uh, not great?”

“Exactly. Not great. In fact…” Misty’s fingers twitched with pent-up energy. “I think I need to remind him how much of a bad idea it is.”

Misty didn’t even remember to hang up the phone as she left it on the table and searched for Brock, intertwining her fingers and stretching them out.

“Uh, good luck, Brocko…”

March 20, day 3

I told May where we’re staying now for when she comes to Kanto. It’s still supposed to be a couple weeks, but I’m hoping she might come early. Also, it’s looking like we might not be leaving anytime soon. I thought being cooped up in Solidad’s house was bad…

This is so much worse. There are 7 people living here.

As for the Surskit: their bodies are already becoming more opaque and they’re getting a better sense of how to use their thin little legs. The water is doing them well.

March 21, day 4

Misty is terrorizing Brock. It’s definitely frightening—I’m sure never going to cross her. I just feel lucky that she hasn’t incriminated Solidad and I along with him—buuuut it’s also super funny. Mostly just funny. The guy had it coming! What can I say?

We’ve decided to start measuring the Surskit and keeping a log. Luckily, Brock and Solidad are doing that. They seem to have grown some in the last couple days, but they’re still so tiny. None are taller than 5 inches.

A very frightened Brock had taken to tip-toeing around the Gym. He’d always thought that Misty had an unfair reputation of being violent—ear pulling events aside, of course—but now he was thinking he’d been a little hasty on that judgment. Misty was violent. And mean.

So he tended to flit between his room, the Surksit room—since there was no chance of finding Misty in there—and the kitchen, because it was the only place where he had the skills to sooth Misty’s wrath.

But otherwise, he was on edge. So as he was walking down the hallway, hoping to take a shower, he nearly jumped through the ceiling when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s me, Brock,” Solidad said, instantly easing his trepidation.

“Oh, hi, Solidad,” Brock said, too overcome with relief to try any move on her.

“I was thinking that maybe I could try talking to Misty for you. This is a good thing that you’re trying to do for her, but she doesn’t seem to see it that way. Perhaps she just needs to hear it from someone else?”

Brock smiled. “That would be incredible, thank you!”

He would be sure to be far, far away when that conversation happened.

March 22, day 5

Solidad is going out of her way to help Brock on his masochistic mission of madness. I’m personally not choosing not to help because I think that Brock’s failures in this are funny—though they are—but because it seems pointless. If Misty’s held on to this fear for the past eighteen years, then I don’t think there’s anything that we can do about it. Or that doing so will cause her—and us—more pain than is worth it. And those Surskit.

Yesterday, he held one of the poor babies up to her and I thought that she would smash it up against a wall with her bare hands. Masquerain almost killed her.

Solidad, Drew, and Misty were seated at the dining room table, eating some delightful food that Brock had made before mysteriously disappearing. The girls were taking part in idle chit-chat while Drew was reading a newspaper.

“My cousin lives in Cerulean and I was thinking about visiting her tomorrow. She just had a baby recently, and I would love to see her,” Solidad said idly as she blew on her hot soup.

Misty’s eyes immediately darted up, bright and shining. “Ooh, a baby! So cute!”

A smile spread on Solidad’s lips for a moment before she swallowed a spoonful of soup. “Aren’t they just? I love babies.”

“Me too! They’re all so cute!”

“Baby Pokémon too.”

“Ugh, I know! I get so excited whenever we have any new babies.”

“Well, you do right now.”

“We do?”

“The Surskit, Misty.”

“…Oh.”

Solidad leaned forward, trying to catch Misty’s eyes as the fell to the roll she’d been pinching and eating crumbs from—no need to eat like a lady when her sisters weren’t around to bug her about that. “You don’t think that the babies are the slightest bit cute, Misty?”

Misty sighed, looking at Solidad with all traces of baby-induced sparkle erased from her eyes. “Do you think a swarm of ten Beedrill are cute?”

“Not cute, no, but it’s entirely diff—”

“Now imagine those Beedrill are small, with translucent bodies, beady eyes, and scrambling all over each other and you as they search for food, because that’s all they know how to do.”

“Okay, but—”

“Now imagine that they’re living in your house, swarming in your pool—your sacred place—growing bigger every day until they’re big enough to ram down the door and suck the juices out of you with their gross insectile fangs!”

Drew and Solidad looked at Misty, who was panting lightly from her outburst and then each other before Drew set down his spoon and scooted away from the table.

“I’m done.”

March 23, day 6

Clearly the madness isn’t going to stop anytime soon. Solidad’s attempt was a total bust. But she’s going to keep trying to help, I’m sure. She considers Brock a friend.

I’m considering running to the port and boarding the next boat to Hoenn so that May can restore my sanity. And you know that I must be going crazy if I think May will restore my sanity.

“Drew!” Brock called excitedly when he spotted Drew by the pool, flocked by the Surskit he was feeding. “Where have you been?”

Drew cast Brock a momentary dry look before returning to the task at hand. “I was helping Solidad cart some feed from the PokéChow supplier. Now she’s out getting some vitamins.”

For a moment, Brock felt a tickle of guilt that he wasn’t helping as much as he should with the babies…Then again, the babies were Drew and Solidad’s responsibility, while Brock was just trying to be a good friend to Misty and help her overcome a childhood fear.

“I was wondering if you could give me some advice on how to get Misty over her fear of these little guys.” Brock reached over and pet the yellow cap on the most recently fed Surskit. It crawled out of the pool and curled up on the tile, its short blue legs struggling to find a comfortable position.

Drew shrugged. “She’s afraid of all Bugs?”

“Yep.”

Having fed the last of the Surskit, Drew sighed as he stood up and wiped his hands on his cargo shorts. “You could get her started with my Butterfree. Girls tend to like them.”

Brock thought back to when Ash had owned his Butterfree and how Misty had responded. She’d been so encouraging when they were helping him woo the pink Butterfree, and she had seemed honestly sad when Ash had released him …Maybe Drew was onto something.

“That’s a great idea, Drew! I’ll call Misty down right now!”

“Uh, you might want to hold on there, Brock.”

Brock, who had already started out of the room turned back to Drew in confusion. “What?”

“We’re still in the room with all the Surskit and my Masquerain. Perhaps a different location will serve you better?”

“…Right.”

It was a staring contest.

Butterfree was standing calmly, looking up at Misty, waiting for the moment of impact.

Meanwhile, Misty was reaching out to touch Butterfree. Slowly. Ever so slowly. It had been going on so long, Drew wasn’t even sure that her hand was moving anymore. She was crouching on the ground so as to be at eye-level with the Bug, and Drew couldn’t believe that her legs weren’t asleep yet. Or perhaps being so close to Butterfree had ended up being too much for her and she’d gone dumb. He couldn’t be sure.

She was about to make contact when all of a sudden she leapt up, screamed, “I can’t do it,” and ran out of the room.

Drew looked tiredly at Brock and sighed as he returned Butterfree to its ‘Ball. Brock just shook his head.

Back to the drawing board.

March 24, day 7

You know, I’m beginning to feel a little harassed. After the failure with my Butterfree, they tried with Solidad’s. Don’t know why they thought that’d be any different. Then they tried with Masquerain, which went even worse, because I’m pretty sure she has a grudge against Misty now for, you know, hating her children.

Aaand here he comes. Again.

Brock approaching with Solidad in toe was enough to compel Drew to put his notebook down on the floor and raise his arms up to his chest in the shape of an X before saying, “Uh-uh. No way. This is not my issue. Remember that I am caring for ten babies right now. I can’t parent you too.”

“Relax, Drew. We were just going to tell you that Misty said we need to move the Surskit to another room while she cleans the sap out of the pool.”

Even as Brock knelt down to pick up one of the babies, Drew couldn’t help but feel a tension headache starting behind his forehead. Brock’s presence was just beginning to have that effect on him.

“Drew,” Solidad started, her calming voice easing him a little bit, “wasn’t May afraid of Pokémon when she first started her journey?”

That caused a hiccup in Drew’s steps as he turned to Solidad.

“May?”

March 25, day 8

I called May. She’s gonna be here in a few days. She seems excited to see the babies—who have been growing. They’re all around half a food now, except for a little runt—and she’s excited for a new adventure and traveling. In typical May style. I wish she could get here sooner. Solidad is so much a part of Brock’s mission now that I have to avoid both of them. They’re running short of ideas, though, so Misty’s been pretty smug. Also, she seems to be taking out her anger on all of her challengers. One today even left in tears.

He shouldn’t have used a Caterpie.

“Is Brock bugging you?”

Drew had been brewing some tea when Misty came up to him from the other side of the kitchen counter. “Huh?”

“I love Brock a lot. He’s the brother I never had. But he’s insufferable sometimes, right? I know he’s bugging you about this bug thing. And, of course, I like it even less than you do. But, just so you know, if he’s bugging you, here’s the trick. Pull him by his ear. It’ll snap him out of whatever craziness he’s in.”

Misty winked and walked away.

Drew heard is teapot whistle and smirked.

Sure, she was just trying to get him to do her dirty work, but it was nice to have an ally.

March 26, day 9

Misty isn’t so bad. I think that I may be her favorite person in the house, since I’m not trying to force bugs on her. And I’m not her sister. It’s pretty obvious that there are problems there. It’s crazy. May’s is the only family that I’ve met that isn’t fucked up. Luckily, Misty’s sisters aren’t turning out to actually be around a lot, which makes for a little more breathing room around here. Especially since when they are here, Daisy’s boyfriend is usually here too.

He’s strange.

March 27, day 10

Somehow this journal has devolved into ranting about Brock’s crazy schemes and my serious case of cabin fever. The Surskit are doing well. They’re in complete control of their bodies. They roughhouse with each other a little bit, but don’t seem to be able to use any moves but Tackle. But that’s a good start for their young age!

It’s just now occurring to me that I have no idea what we’re going to do with them after they’re grown. There’s no way that Solidad and I each need five Surskit. And it’s sure not looking like the Cerulean Gym is going to take any of them. Hm…

Drew, Solidad, and Brock were busy moving some sod into the Gym and laying it around the pool. They’d ordered it a couple of days before, thinking that it would be nice if the whole room resembled more of a real habitat for the Surskit. They were, after all, amphibious. Not even amphibious; they were terrestrial creatures. They just liked being on or around the water. But the tiled room didn’t provide them with much more than water as a resource. So they’d brought in some plants in the days prior, but what they really needed was some grass. Solidad was even talking about enrichment activities, like they were making a full on zoo or something.

“Here, I’ve got it.”

Out of nowhere, Brock suddenly pulled at the roll of sod that he and Solidad had been carrying and tried to support the whole thing himself. Solidad looked on worriedly while Drew just narrowed his eyes in harsh judgment. He was clearly just trying to show off to Solidad.

Idiot.

He began quivering under the weight of the sod, so Solidad moved forward to help him again.

“No, I’ve got it!” Brock insisted. As he did so, he swung his weight a little bit too much to the side and slipped on some not-yet covered tile.

And of course he landed in the pool.

Solidad shrieked a little bit, her hands flying to her face as Brock and the sod tumbled, sending the Surskit flying through the water as their usually calm surface was disrupted.

It took all three of them ten minutes to get the sodden sod out of the pool.

And Masquerain now had someone else on her hit list.

March 28, day 11

Okay, let’s talk about Brock’s epic failure yesterday…

March 29, day 12

May’s arriving today. I’m going to the port now to pick her up. It’s embarrassing how well I know Cerulean now. This isn’t what my life should be.

But May’s here now and contest seasons starts in only a couple of weeks. Then everything will be great.

Upon entry into the Gym…

“Omigod, Misty, this is your friend?”

“She’s beautiful!”

“First the green-haired kid and now this‽”

Everyone had been waiting in the lobby to greet May. But before Drew knew it, he was pushed out of the way so the Sensational Sisters could proceed in prodding her skin and her hair, commenting on what excellent self-care she did and how Misty could learn a thing or too, which was enough to make Misty’s eye twitch and everyone else to take a step away.

Daisy grabbed May by the shoulders and held her in front of Misty, as though presenting a work of art she’d created. “Misty, how do you have such beautiful friends?”

“I don’t know, Daisy,” Misty ground out through gritted teeth before brightening her expression and facing May with a smile. “Hey, May! How were the boat rides?”

“Oh, just fine,” May answered nervously.

Suddenly, Drew stepped up and took May’s bag from her hand. “Here, I’ll bring this to your room,” he said suavely.

May looked confused for a second as she watched Drew walk away before she snapped out of it and cried, “Hey, that’s my stuff!” before running after him.

Misty gave Brock a heavy dose of side-eye and said, “Maybe you should be asking Drew for advice about something else.”

“I’m so glad you guys asked me here,” May said as she fell back on one of the stylish, but surprisingly uncomfortable sofas in the Waterflower’s living room. “I was getting a serious case of cabin fever at home. Max is travelling and so being the only child is too much attention.”

As much as Brock liked May, he knew he had to get down to business. They’d all been living at the Gym for a couple of weeks and…that was enough.

“Well, be prepared for it to be a lot worse here,” Drew said, echoing Brock’s internal sentiment as he plopped down on a chair himself. “Brock is trying to turn Misty into a monster. And take us all down with him.”

“I just don’t understand how I’m supposed to help with all of this,” May stated, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

“Ash told me that you were afraid of Pokémon when you first started on your journey, but that you got over it pretty quickly,” Brock stated. “So we’re hoping that maybe that can help Misty get over her fear of bugs?”

May scratched behind her ear and looked at Brock apologetically. “I don’t know…I wasn’t really afraid of Pokémon. I just didn’t like them.”

“I think the same principle applies,” Solidad said as she waltzed in with a steaming cup of tea in her hand. The group had very much made themselves at home in the past few weeks. It was only fair, as Misty was forcing them to take part in the chores her sisters refused to do. “Perhaps you getting over your dislike of Pokémon could be enlightening.”

“Well, I…” Thoughts creased May’s forehead as she tried to think back. “I had always grown up around Pokémon. So just having them in the vicinity didn’t help. I guess that it was having them in need and then having to take care of one myself that really made the difference.”

Something sparked behind Brock’s eyes. “That’s an idea…”

Drew eyed him warily, as if reading his mind. “Not a good one.”

“Misty!”

Brock seemed way too excited for anything good to be coming her way. Misty instantly hardened her gaze and pursed her lips as she turned towards Brock. “Yes?”

“I thought of a great way for you to deal with Grass-Type opponents.”

“Ice Types?” Misty deadpanned, thinking of her sisters’ Dewgong, whom she used nearly every day.

Brock blinked. Damn, he hadn’t thought of that. “I thought of another great way.”

From behind his back, Brock pulled out a sleeping little Surskit. Brock could see the scream bubbling up Misty’s throat, but he put a finger to his lips, pointing to the sleeping baby.

“Brock‽” Misty whisper-screamed. “What are you doing?”

“Presenting you with the answer to your problem. See, the Bug Typing will trump any Grass Type. And when it evolves, it’ll be a Flying Type too! That’ll doubly take out any Grass Pokémon.”

“And it won’t be a Water Type anymore.”

Again, Brock realized he hadn’t thought this through entirely.

He had to try another angle.

“But Misty. This little Surskit is the runt. Its brothers and sisters just walk all over it and it can never get Masquerain’s attention.” He raised the little Surskit up to his face as he gave Misty watery Growlithe eyes. “Poor baby.”

There! Brock saw just a hint of softness enter her eyes as her gaze fell to the innocent sleeping Pokémon.

Hesitantly, ever so hesitantly, Misty stepped forward and began reaching a hand out. She was only millimeters from the little ponytail-like cap on its head before Surskit’s eyes opened and it straightened up to its full height, showing its beady black eyes and it’s long, insectile legs.

Instantly, Misty ran away, echoing screams as the only proof she’d even been there.

March 30, day 13

Well, this has officially gone on longer than the incubation period. Remember how simple life was then? And no progress has been made with Misty. Literally none.

On the bright side, the Surskit are doing well. All are growing and beginning to really show their individual personalities. It’s a good thing Brock’s so interested by what’s happening with them. That Brock is actually pretty smart and interesting.

On the even brighter side: May is here.

…I’d missed her.

March 31, day 14

It’s probably super crazy how much better I feel now that May’s here. She is the perfect buffer between all the craziness because she’s just so damn happy and easygoing. Well, as long as she’s been well-fed. Fortunately, that is the one thing that Brock is good for. Really, his food is excellent.

But May is really great. I wasn’t particularly upset when she left to go to Sinnoh or when she left to go to Hoenn. Especially since we knew that she’d be back in a few weeks both times. But when she comes back, it makes you wonder how you were getting by when she wasn’t there. Because it’s so much better when she is here.

I wonder if she feels that way about me.

May quickly learned that her job was not to help Brock and Misty—it seemed best to stay away from that mess—but rather to keep Drew sane. That had been Solidad’s job before, May was sure, but her motherly instincts were drawn more towards the baby Surskit than to Drew.

Plus, it was easier to take care of ten needy babies who never slept at the same time, needed to be fed every few hours, and who were already about three times the size they’d been when they were born than it was to care after one moody teenager.

She found that the best thing they could do was actually take care of said babies, since they were such a hefty distraction. And while Misty didn’t yet see the charm of Bug babies, May had to admit that the tiny Pokémon were quite cute. Surskit looked like little blue dolls tat just happened to be able to skate along the water like it was an ice rink. They already had the pink cheeks—she just wanted to give them little striped scarves to complete the look.

The scream from Brock’s most recent attempt rang throughout the whole Gym and May could palpably sense Drew tensing up without even looking at him. “Drew, why don’t you and Solidad take Masquerain and Butterfree outside to stretch their wings in the fresh air?”

Drew looked at her like he definitely knew what she was doing, but was deciding whether he would go along with it or not when Solidad piped up.

“That’s alright. I’ve got it in here; why don’t the two of you do it instead?”

Solidad’s Butterfree flew over to May’s shoulder, the fluttering wings feeling playful against her ear and causing her hair to blow a little. She let out a giggle before standing and taking Drew’s hand to hoist him up.

With nothing more than a hair flip, Drew lifting his arm for his Masquerain to land as he followed May wordlessly out of the Gym.

Solidad smiled to herself before moving onto a new Surskit to play with.

April 1, day 15

It’s April now. Apparently this is the day that ten year olds start their journeys in Kanto, so the Gym might be seeing a lot of rug rats in the next few weeks. But, more importantly, it means that the contest season is starting in just a couple of weeks.

And that this all has been going on far too long. The Surskit are almost fully grown, and none of us have any idea what we’re going to do with them. It seems like they’ll stay here until Misty gets over her fear.

Which means we’re never leaving.

Well, they aren’t. I’m leaving for contest season regardless of the state of Misty’s phobia.

“You know, Ash actually helped me a lot,” May mused over a breakfast of cereal as Misty dealt with an early challenger.

Drew grunted, but Brock and Solidad looked on with interest.

“How so?” Solidad asked.

“I just mean that seeing him care so much for Pikachu was really inspiring. And how excited he was by all the new Pokémon we saw. Seeing that connection is definitely part of why I think Blaziken and I were able to bond as much as we did.”

Brock nodded. “Misty never did have a problem with Butterfree or Heracross.”

“And a Heracross isn’t a traditionally pretty Pokémon like Butterfree. It’s a giant bug,” Solidad mused. “I can’t believe that Misty wouldn’t be frightened of a Heracross.”

“So maybe we need to invite Ash,” May suggested.

“Sure, all we need is more people in this house,” Drew mumbled into his Cheerios.

At just that moment, Misty walked into the dining room with a towel around her neck and plucked a box of cereal off the table, sticking a fist in and shoving the contents into her mouth.

“Good Battle, Misty?” Solidad asked.

Misty shrugged. “Just an over-eager youngster,” she replied, cornflakes spraying as she did so.

The doorbell rang throughout the entire Gym, causing Misty to groan. “Really? Well, this one better not mind if I eat breakfast during the match. Either that or I’m going to eat him for breakfast.”

She shoved another angry fistful of cornflakes into her mouth and chomped through it like she really was eating him for breakfast.

“You’re not going to get that?” May asked apprehensively.

Misty waved it away. “That’s what the receptionist is for. He’ll make an announcement over the intercom when I need to go to the arena.”

But there never was an announcement. Rather, everyone looked up when a new face entered the dining room.

“Speak of the devil…” Brock murmured.

“Psh, figures,” Drew muttered.

Misty seemed the most surprised, though, setting down the cereal box and wiping the crumbs from her mouth. “Ash?”

“Hey, guys!” Ash said excitedly, picking up the cereal box as soon as Misty set it down while Pikachu made like an Emolga and leapt towards Misty.

“Hi, Pikachu!” Misty cheered.

“Pikachupi!”

“Ash, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to stay in Sinnoh a little longer,” Brock asked.

“When I heard we were trying to get Misty to overcome her fear of bugs, I knew that this would be the most exciting place to be,” Ash explained through a dry mouthful of cereal. “So here I am!”

“But I told you that weeks ago,” Misty stated as she concerned herself with scratching Pikachu’s head.

Ash shrugged. “That’s how long it took me to get here. So, how’s it going?”

Ash’s eyes roved over the table, noting May, Drew, Solidad, and Brock’s awkward silence as they looked at their food and Misty’s fiery eyes practically scorching Brock. Ash sweat-dropped.

“That well, eh?”

April 2, day 16

So Ash is here now. Haven’t decided if it’s a good or bad thing. He’s even better at riling Misty up than Brock is, which would have been funny a couple of weeks ago, but now I feel like if a Darkrai ever puts me in an eternal nightmare, it will be of Misty’s angry voice and her screams.

He’s good with the Surskit though. It seemed like he came for Misty, but he’s way more preoccupied with the babies than he is with her. Except that he watches all of her battles. But, again, I think that’s about the Pokémon…

“Okay, Ash. Work your magic,” Brock whispered in his ear as he patted his shoulders and pushed him in the direction of the room to which the Surskit were relegated. Misty eyed him suspiciously, not having heard what he said, but walked right behind Ash with Pikachu in her arms nevertheless.

Brock stayed back, a smile already growing on his face. It meant a lot that Misty was even going into the room that she’d avoided for weeks. Under the caveat, of course, that she could leave whenever she wanted and, unfortunately, smack Brock upside the head if she felt necessary.

So maybe Brock would just sneak away while he still had the chance…

“Oh my God, this is so cool!”

The excitement simply pulsed off of Ash as he took in the sight of all of the babies. Meanwhile, Misty strictly avoided looking at them and instead took in all the adjustments that had been made to her pool. Lily pads, strips of grass terrain across some of the tile, food everywhere. Misty frowned. All that would surely be a bitch to clean up once these bugs were out of here.

While Misty hung by the door, using Pikachu’s presence to sooth herself, Ash made for the sod to kneel down on beside the pool.

“Oh man, they’re even doing Attacks already!”

Sure enough, Misty spotted some of the Surskit playing around with Bubble. They weren’t using it as an Attack, exactly; more as a fun pool game. It was almost…cute.

Almost.

Misty almost shrieked as one Surskit skidded across the pool and launched into Ash’s lap. He rolled back and laughed, but Misty could only feel those tiny legs prodding over herself. Sensing her tension, Pikachu reached up and patted her bare shoulder, which caused goosebumps to rise before taking them away.

“Aw, Mist! How could you say no to taking one of these little guys in?” He held it up and tried the same Growlithe-eyes look on her the Brock had tried. But she had to admit that Ash was a lot better at it. “And you have to admit that Drew’s Masquerain is a pretty Pokémon. It looks like one of those dumb paper fans or…I dunno, something else that girls like.”

Misty rolled her eyes. Ash sure knew how to get to a girl’s heart.

Ash tossed her a dopey grin and her heart thumped.

Okay, maybe that thought wasn’t as sarcastic as she would have liked it to be.

“Pikapi!” Pikachu called out, feeding off his Trainer’s excitement. He was waving his arms at Ash, looking like he wanted to join in the fun. Misty felt bad for holding him back.

So, against her baser instincts, Misty approached, Pikachu patting her wrist in encouragement. However, as soon as they got only a few feet away from Ash, Pikachu leapt out of her arms and sat right down next to Ash and the Surskit, appearing to enjoy getting to spend time with a Pokémon smaller than he.

Misty looked on for a moment, thinking that the scene was kind of cute. The Surskit took an instant liking to Pikachu, who let it play with his tail. Then, suddenly, Misty felt something brush her leg and her whole world froze.

It was about ten minutes later that Ash looked up and said, “Hey, where’d Misty go?”

April 3, day 17

You know, I think there was a point of time where I was jealous of May and Ash’s relationship. But now I see that he really does only ever think about Pokémon. And if he’s 17 and only thinks about Pokémon now, then I can only imagine how little he thought about girls a few years ago. Yeah. Nothing to worry about.

Except for Misty. Because her crush on him is suuuuper obvious.

“I swear, it is a blessing that Misty’s sisters practically don’t live at the Gym,” Drew said as he and May walked down the streets of Cerulean. Solidad had sent them to the Pokémon Center to pick up Masquerain, Butterfree, and Misty’s Pokémon from her most recent match.

“You’re just saying that because they’re always giving you grief about your good looks.”

Drew looked at May, thoroughly amused. “My good looks?”

May froze, not having realized quite what she had said until it was parroted back to her. “Th-They seem to think so. That’s all.”

“Oh, I thought you were saying I looked good.” He didn’t sound disappointed, though. He was strictly teasing her.

“Well, of course you do! You’re a coordinator! It’s your bread and butter to look good for others.”

“So you do think so?”

“Just in a purely technical sense. You take care of yourself. Don’t make it seem like I’m trying to imply anything—”

“Hush, don’t break yourself, May,” Drew eased her, putting a hand on her arm when she started getting really frazzled. “No one’s trying to imply anything. It’s just fun to see you get all worked up.”

May huffed. “Yeah, well I’d like to see you worked up, just once.”

Drew raised an eyebrow. “Oh, would you?”

Realizing her error, May gave a disgusted groan. “Okay, that’s enough! Where is this Pokémon Center?”

She rushed ahead of him and Drew could only laugh, speeding up his pace until he could catch her.

Misty stood in her spot in the doorway of the Surskit room. But this time Brock was standing next to her.

“Wasn’t he coming because he wanted to see you trying to get me to get over my fear of bugs?” Misty mused.

“That is what he said.”

They were both watching him and Pikachu play with the Surskit. Masquerain and Butterfree weren’t out of their ‘Balls constantly like they had been at the beginning, but they were out now and Ash was also getting a kick out of playing with them. He was really in his element.

“He wouldn’t have come if he didn’t want to see you, Misty,” Brock said comfortingly.

He knew about her crush. She knew he knew about her crush. But he also knew that he wasn’t allowed to say that he knew. And she knew that too. This kind of the thing was the closest that they ever came to acknowledging it.

“I swear, he will only ever love Pokémon.”

Misty had her arms crossed and she was looking longingly out at him, not even the Bugs being enough to wipe the expression away.

“Hey, maybe one day he’ll treat…someone else the same way.”

Misty scoffed. “Like a Pokémon?”

Brock laughed. “Maybe?”

Pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head, Misty could only sigh, “That’s every girl’s dream.”

April 4, day 18

Drew was in his room, brushing out his Absol’s fine fur when Solidad walked in. Her face was a little harder than usual, not a noticeable enough shift for most people to notice, but Drew instantly straightened, feeling like his mother was coming in to scold him.

“Is something wrong?” Drew asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Solidad took a moment to sit down on the edge of his bed and smooth the blanket, tossing a kind smile at Drew’s Absol before turning to Drew himself. Then she took his journal and placed it on the bed. “You left it in the Surskit’s room.”

“Oh, thanks,” Drew said, putting it on the side table, internalizing the fact that he hadn’t written anything for that day yet. He’d do it before he went to sleep.

“I read some of it.”

Drew looked up, surprised. Solidad stated it bluntly, with a touch of guilt coloring her tone. He realized that he didn’t feel like his privacy had been invaded. If it had been someone else, then yeah. But not Solidad. So he said, “Okay.”

“You’d said that you were recording stuff about the Surskit, so I thought I’d take a look at your observations. I didn’t realize that it had personal thoughts in there as well; I should have, but I didn’t consider—”

“It’s fine,” Drew said bluntly. “That is what it was supposed to be. I just realized that I liked keeping a journal, so I kept doing it.”

Solidad was kind of blindsided by Drew’s non-reaction. But after a brief pause, she figured she might as well go along with it. “I always had figured that you liked May.”

“I don’t really hide it.”

Solidad smiled. “You don’t.”

Drew knew it was obvious. Misty’s crush on Ash was obvious, but so was the fact that she wanted it to be a secret. But Drew was rather conspicuous because, well, why hide it?

“So why haven’t you asked her out yet?”

“It’ll happen naturally when it’s supposed to,” he said simply. “I’m just laying the groundwork until then.”

“Drew, you’ve been laying the groundwork for almost six years,” Solidad pointed out, beckoning Absol over to her so that she could take over brushing. Absol happily obliged, thrusting its chin into Solidad’s hand. “It’s getting embarrassing.”

Drew bristled at that. “She’ll come to me when the time is right,” he stated, standing up to set out his clothes for the next day. He and the rest of the group had taken some time earlier in the month to stock up on supplies for their temporary home.

“Drew, I hate to say this about your beloved,” she didn’t get away with that one without a very unamused glance from Drew, “but there is absolutely no way that she’s going to pick up what you’re putting down unless you spell it out for her.”

“Untrue,” Drew stated as he loudly set down the book that he’d been reading before bed on the bedside table. “We flirt all the time.”

Solidad blinked. “Do you think that Ash and Misty flirt?”

“Yes, sometimes. In their weird, repressed kind of way,” Drew answered easily. But as he waved away the obvious question, his hand caught in the air, as though hitting the very idea Solidad had released into the world.

She smiled, seeing that he was getting it. “And do you think that Ash realizes?”

Drew groaned. “Oh, man.”

April 5, day 19

I’m not even going to talk about the fact that I missed yesterday. That’s Solidad’s fault. She distracted me.

The idea that May doesn’t realize that there’s anything between us…I guess it should have occurred to me. But it’s just so obvious, that I’d thought…I don’t know. I guess I was just hoping. But I want to be doing more than just hoping. I don’t want to be like Ash and Misty. And lord knows I don’t want to be like Brock…

Brock, for his part, was happy. Ash provided Misty with enough distraction that she no longer felt it necessary to constantly remind Brock how pissed off she was. With her fists. In his chest.

She was even going into the Surskit habitat occasionally. About once a day. She was willing to watch everyone else play with the Surskit, but refused to make much progress past the door. It had looked like they were going to have another breakthrough the day before when she again attempted to cross the threshold, but then Lily had pretended to toss one of the Surskit at her and that was the end of that.

To tell the truth, the Surskit were almost fully grown by now, so Brock had to take a step back and ask himself, what was the point? Then, if he really took a step back, he realized that they could have sent the Surskit to Professor Oak from the beginning. But he decided that it was not in his best interest to share that bit of information with Drew.

No, at this point, the venture was all about Misty for Brock. Babies or not, the Surskit were cute, dammit! Even Misty’s sisters thought so!

Speaking of…

Violet was scrounging through the kitchen—Brock had reorganized the whole place…three times since arriving. None of the four sisters used the kitchen very much, save for the refrigerator for takeout and premade meals, but it nevertheless proved annoying when they had to relearn how to navigate their own kitchen every week. When she finally landed on her goal, rice cakes, she eagerly began opening up the package. Then Brock swooped in.

“Hey, I could make you something much better,” he offered as he leaned over the counter.

Struggling to open the package, Violet began searching for some scissors. She eyed Brock wearily, trying to figure out exactly what double entendre he’d planted in that sentence. She couldn’t find one, but she was sure that it was there.

“That’s fine,” she said after finally finding the kitchen shears and loosing her flavorless snack. “I’m gonna put some peanut butter and honey on it.”

“Oh, you don’t need any honey. You’re already sweeter than the sap from a Bulbasaur’s bulb.”

Squeamishly, Violet placed the rice cake on the counter before backing away. “Uh, right. Catch you later, Brock.”

Brock sighed, flopping against the counter. Three sisters down.

Well, guess it was on to Solidad next.

April 6, day 20

Ash has been teaching the Surskit attacks. We were just letting them learn on their own before and studying their behavior, but there’s no stopping that kid. He’s taken a liking to one in particular that he’s been pitting against the others, so they’re all getting a bit of training. They’re learned a few moves beyond tackle now. They all know Bubble and some are learning Quick Attack.

No, I don’t have anything to say about May.

April 7, day 21

Okay. It’s been three weeks. This is longer than I was at Solidad’s. The only other place that has seen this much of me is LaRousse, and I don’t say that with fondness. And we’ve been dealing with an abundance of youngsters for the past week. At least that’s kept Misty and even her sisters occupied. Which has kept Brock and Solidad from meddling. Except for Solidad meddling with me. But…I still don’t know what to make of that.

April 8, day 22

I talked to Masquerain about sending each of the Surskit to different trainers and coordinators. She was upset by the idea, but we all know that it’s the only option. And it will be best for the Surskit too. I imagine it won’t be too hard to find them homes in Kanto, since they’re a rare species here. We’ll just have to take extra care about where they end up going. But it’s getting to be that time. We’ve taken them out a few times, but it’s not enough. They’re fully grown and absolutely itching to get out of that damn pool.

I know how they feel.

April 9, day 23

Brock is losing steam. You can tell. Solidad stopped really helping him out about a week ago, as did May. Ash…never proved to be much help. And Brock is out of ideas.

Thank the merciful gods.

“Brock! Brock! I’ve got it!”

Ash breathlessly ran into Brock’s room mirth shining in his bright brown eyes.

“Got what?” Brock asked disheartenedly—he’d just seen Tracey and Daisy together and his poor heart was broken.

“The solution for Misty’s problem!”

“What’s that?”

Ash pulled his Pokédex from his jacket—looking mighty pleased with himself all the while—and pressed a button before thrusting the device in Brock’s face.

“Surskit secrets a thick, sugary syrup, or a sweet scent. The syrup is exuded as a defense mechanism, while the scent can attract prey.

“Sweet Scent is a move which lowers the target’s evasiveness, luring them in or causing them to become relaxed.”

When Ash shut off his Pokdéx and turned to Brock triumphantly, Brock could do nothing but give a defeated sigh and say, “It’s worth a shot.”

She was in the room. Only a few feet in, but the door was closed behind her, and that was enough.

Everyone else was there too. Solidad, Drew, May, Brock, Pikachu—though not Misty’s sisters…but when were they ever there?

Ash had given them all the briefest details of some half-baked plan. All they knew was that they needed to be behind Ash and his favored Surskit.

And then he shouted, “Surskit, Sweet Scent!”

Everyone—except for Brock—fell into complete alarm when they noticed that the pink powder born from the Surskit’s head floating in the direction of Misty. They all smelled the room become fragranced with the light, airy scent of spring blooms, they didn’t feel the effects of the move.

But Misty sure did.

“Ash! What in the hell do you think…you’re…do…”

Everyone watched in disbelief as Misty’s eyes dulled, a silly grin appearing on her face. She began wavering on her feet as she stepped fearlessly towards the Surskit…and Ash.

“It’s working,” Brock murmured under his breath.

Actually, Misty seemed altogether unaware of the Surskit. The one that Ash had fired at her scurried behind him, frightened by the human’s strange behavior. Ash, for his part, looked concerned, stepping forward and putting his arms out so as to catch Misty if she fell.

And fall she did. Right into his arms, looking up at him dazedly as he supported her dead weight.

“M-Misty? Are you alright?”

“Aw, Ash.”

“What, Misty?”

“Ash, I knew you loved me.”

Save for the sounds of the Surskit skimming along the top of the pool, the room fell to silence, everyone watching the scene with bated breath. Even Ash didn’t have anything to say. For a moment. Then, brilliantly:

“Whaa?”

Misty, however, was unfazed. She was standing more on her own now, petting Ash’s shoulder as she looked at him with hooded lids.

“You’ve only ever loved Pokémon. And now you’ve finally done the same with me!” She poked his nose playfully. “You love me.”

Ash’s cheeks heated up as he looked around the room—whether it was to see how his friends were reacting or because he was looking for an escape was anybody’s guess. Pikachu cocked a his head at him; not even Pikachu understood what was going on in his friend’s mind.

“Right, Brock? He treated me like a Pokémon! That’s the dream, right?”

All eyes turned to Brock at that…subprime statement. He winced. “It’s not what it sounds like.”

Misty stood up a little more steadily on her own feet, but it was just so that she could wrap her arms around Ash in a more proper hug, burying her head in his shoulder. “Mm, I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” Then she pulled away and looked straight in his eyes. They were about the same height, so it was with ease that she said, “Don’t worry, Ash. I love you too,”

…and pecked him on the lips.

“Okay, okay.”

Brock’s best friend instinct kicked in at that moment and he stood up from his perch by the pool and went over to Ash and Misty, realizing that this was a situation where she needed to be saved from herself. The Sweet Scent had her so relaxed she was acting almost high and he was already sure that she’d be so embarrassed when she came out of this that she would smack him silly for not having stopped her sooner.

“What, Ash? You don’t wanna play anymore?”

“That’s enough, Misty,”

“Wait, Brock.”

Misty had a pouting expression on her face as she continued holding onto Ash. Brock was all ready to pry her away, but Ash…well, Ash’s expression was completely unreadable.

“What, Ash?” Brock asked, trying to urge him on.

“I…don’t know. I’m just trying to…catch up.”

“Aaaash,” Misty whined. “Don’t you love me?”

“I, uh, I think I have no clue.”

“You have no clue?” Brock deadpanned.

Ash shrugged the best he could while Misty’s arms were still wrapped tight around him. “I’ve never thought about it before.”

Brock looked at him in disbelief. “How have you never thought about it before?”

“I just haven’t. But let’s try that again.” To Misty’s delight, Ash closed the distance and this time gave her a peck in the lips, just a couple of seconds longer.

“I don’t know…” Ash said again, but this time as a smile slowly rose to his lips. “That was kind of fun.”

“We could do that some more, Ash,” Misty cooed, leaning in again.

“No! I think you need to go to sleep,” Brock insisted, this time actually going in to pry Misty off of Ash. Ash nodded along with Brock’s suggestion and did his best to squeeze out of Misty’s grip.

As Brock led a disoriented Misty out of the room, Ash turned around to the rest of the—completely stunned—group and said, “Wow, that was different.”

Pikachu, for his part, bounded over to Ash, leaping into his arms and giving a congratulatory “Pi pikachu!”

“Aw, thanks, buddy!”

“No,” Drew said. “Uh-uh. This does not happen for you before it happens for us.”

Drew gestured between him and May, which caused her eyes to completely bug out of her head. “Whaa?”

Before she knew what was going on, Drew marched over to her, grabbed the side of her face and kissed her full on the lips. May gave a little squeak before giving into it. It only lasted a few moments longer than that, though, before Drew pulled away, breathing heavily.

“Drew?” May breathed.

“May, I’ve given you flowers for years, we flirt endlessly, we’ve travelled together since you left this goober,” he gestured towards Ash, who had the sense to look offended, “and, most of all, I’ve stayed with you even when we’ve been travelling with Harley.” He looked to Solidad. “That goes for you too.”

Solidad could only give a little shrug before nodding in agreement.

He turned back to May. “I only ever traveled alone before you. And I liked it. But when I’m with you, it makes me wonder why I ever, ever wanted to travel alone.”

“Drew,” May nearly whispered. “I had no idea.”

Drew nodded slowly. “Yeah…that’s pretty obvious. But, um, what do you think?”

May could only smile shyly. “I think it sounds really amazing.”

“So,” Drew looked hopefully at May, “maybe things can be different when we travel through Kanto?”

May nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Good. Now come here.” He brought her into the warmest hug he’d ever felt and whispered, “Because I love you,” in her ear.

Drew felt the tickle on his neck of May’s laughter and pulled her even closer. He didn’t expect her to say it back. He didn’t even want her to until she’d thought about it more.

But saying it felt oh so good.

“Okay, I totally win! Misty may not have overcome her fear of bugs, but she did overcome her fear of telling Ash how she feels, so I count that as a victor—wait, what’s going on here?”

Brock had come strutting into the room, his voice echoing all throughout before stopping at the vision of Drew and May wrapped together more tightly then a well-made burrito.

Solidad laughed. “You missed confession number two.”

Brock’s expression instantly fell. “Oh man! I’ve been waiting on that one for years too!”

“Really?” May asked over Drew’s shoulder, looking mildly concerned.

“Me too,” Solidad added.

“Pikachu.”

That was enough to pull May out of the embrace and look wildly between Brock, Solidad, and Pikachu. “Wait, so everyone knew except for me?”

Ash raised his hand. “I didn’t know.”

Drew looked at him dryly. “Of course you didn’t.”

“Max knew,” Brock added.

That turned May’s face bright red. “He did‽ Ooh, he’s going to hear from me!”

May instantly began stomping out of the room, leaving a bewildered Drew behind for only a second until she turned around, snatched his hand, and continued her way toward the lobby’s videophone.

As they left, Brock sidled up next to Solidad, who only raised an eyebrow at him. “So, Ash and Misty. Drew and May. Guess that you and I are gonna have to get together now.”

“Oh, Brock,” Solidad said in a tone that Brock knew only too well. “I thought you knew. I’m ace.”

“What’s ace?” Ash asked.

“Asexual,” Solidad answered. “I honestly thought you were too.”

“Oh. Nope!” Ash said with cheerful ignorance. “Just honestly never thought about it.”

Solidad smiled. “That’s just precious.”

They continued to chat, not noticing how Brock had curled up in the fetal position in the corner of the room, tears streaming down his face.

April 14

May, Solidad, and I start traveling tomorrow. I feel like it’ll mostly be the same between May and I. Solidad’s the one who’s going to be weird about it. I’m sure she’s going to feel the constant need to chaperone us. It’ll be fun.

That was sarcasm.

Ash is going to stay in Kanto too. Since the season just started for them too, he’s going to challenge the Kanto League again. I guess his near-victory in Sinnoh has him thinking he can take it home this time in Kanto. And I guess he wants to be closer to Misty. I’m not sure if they’re dating. I don’t think they know either. Well, I’m sure Ash doesn’t know. But I’m sure Misty will force him to figure it out someday. Hopefully she won’t need to be all but drugged to do so.

The Surskit all have homes now. Ash, of course, took the one that he and Pikachu befriended. And then the rest are going to Brock’s siblings.

Of course, Misty never got used to the Surskit. But I guess that saga’s going to keep going, now that Ash has one. Maybe it’ll come along the same way Ash’s other bug pokémon have for Misty.

Honestly, it would be really funny if it did, because it would make Brock’s suffering of the past month essentially pointless. All Ash had to do was catch it and that’ll probably make the difference for her.

Oh, the irony.

But, honestly, who cares? Because I have my girlfriend, my best friend, and a brand new contest season.

And, best of all, no Harley.

“Drew, what are you writing?”

May stood over Drew’s spot hunched on the ground, smiling slyly.

“Whatever it is, it’s going to have to wait, because we have to help Misty clean up the Surskit room.”

“One more second, May.”

She smiled as she squeezed his shoulder before walking away.

…Second best of all.

#pokemon #fanfiction #pokeshipping #contestshipping #ash and misty #drew and may #aaml #daml #oneshot #alphabet challenge #challenge #pokeani

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paullassiterca · 5 years

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Benefits of Growing Blackberries

Table of Contents

How to Grow Healthy Blackberries

Tame the Wild Blackberry

Cultivated Blackberries

Anthocyanins Health Benefits

High Fructose Content

Blackberry Recipes

Blackberries have a characteristic dark color indicating a high amount of antioxidants. Like raspberries, they are not technically a berry but rather an aggregate of individual drupes held by fine hairs. Blackberries have a solid core with a sweet, slightly tart taste.

The plant grows in a bramble, or an impenetrable thicket. They are a member of the Rosaceae family, with over 237 known species worldwide, including dozens native to North America.1 The plants grow as erect thorny bushes, erect thornless or trailing thornless bushes. Some traditions believe the crown placed on Christ’s head during his crucifixion was made of blackberry thorns.

The fruit is generally in season from June until September, depending upon the region and the plant grown. However, once picked, they perish within two to four days. Blackberries grow wild throughout most of Europe and are found wild in the U.S. as well.2 Prior to ripening, the fruit is red, leading to an old expression, “Blackberries are red when they’re green.”

Blackberries can easily be added to your backyard or container garden as they are low maintenance. When growing the erect variety, they take up little space, making them perfect for small yards. Your plants can produce berries for up to 20 years when well cared for.3

How to Grow Healthy Blackberries

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Blackberries do well in full sun but can tolerate some shade in warmer climates. Your new plants will do best in soil with good drainage, so avoid heavy clay or sandy areas. In this short video you’ll discover additional tips for planting your blackberry plants.

Add organic soil matter to improve aeration and remove any obvious sticks or weed growth. Compost can help amend the soil, which should be between 5.5 and 7 pH for the best results.4 When blackberries are planted they will not produce berries in the first year.5 However, they still require a side dressing of fertilizer and consistent water.

Be sure to plant your blackberries far away from wild berries that may carry viruses, spacing semi-erect plants 5 to 6 feet apart and erect plants 3 feet apart. Plants started in a nursery can be transplanted in late fall in warmer climates but should be delayed until early spring in cooler areas.

Blackberries require plenty of watering, especially when fruiting. Use mulch around the root areas to preserve moisture. Be sure the plants receive 1 inch of water each week, whether from your hose or rain.

Blackberries need pruning to remove the old canes and let new ones take their place. They should also be topped in order to allow the plant to bush and produce more fruit.6 Erect plants produce canes from the crown and benefit from summer pruning when they are about 4 feet tall. They may need to be pruned several times to avoid the cane to tipping.

The plants can also be tied to a trellis to keep them upright. If you have trailing blackberries, no pruning is necessary to prepare for the winter months. Just add some mulch for winter protection.7

Erect blackberries can be cut off just above the ground in late winter for the best fruit the next summer. Once the berries start to ripen, they must be picked daily as the fruit matures to a deep black color. The berries will not continue to ripen after being picked.

Harvest during the cooler part of the day and refrigerate the berries as soon as possible.8 Not fully ripe berries will taste sour and have less than half the anthocyanin found in ripe berries.9

Tame the Wild Blackberry

You might find the blackberry is one of the best and worst fruits you can put in your yard as while they require little maintenance and produce a large yield, they can become invasive when left alone. Thornless varieties are now available for easy picking, but wild blackberries will likely have thorns resulting in a prickly, bloody battle to keep them under control.

If you have wild blackberries, there are a few simple steps you can take to produce better berries that are easier to pick and keep the bushes contained. With a few simple management techniques you can maximize your blackberry population and reduce the potential for snakes during the summer months.10

Your best wild berries will grow away from the roadside, as those exposed to pollutants from cars may be contaminated with toxins. Before attacking your wild berry bushes, get dressed for the job using thick pants, jacket and heavy gloves unlikely to be ripped by sharp thorns. Use pruning shears or loppers to prune back the tips of young canes in upright varieties 3 to 4 feet.11

You will recognize young canes as they may be green or reddish brown, while older canes are a dark woody brown. Side dress your blackberries with balanced organic fertilizer over the roots and then blanket the ground with at least 6 inches of organic mulch. You’ll also want to mulch the path you use when you harvest your crop to reduce weed overgrowth and hiding places for snakes.

Control the spread of the plants in the early spring by severing sprouts that come up out of your established perimeter. Be sure you also eliminate weeds and mulch over the area.12 The canes typically die after two years, which provides a great habitat for small critters.

It’s a good idea to prune out these dead canes to minimize the potential your blackberries will acquire disease and to make picking easier the following year. Prune the dead canes to ground level.

Cultivated Blackberries Make for Easier Picking

Some of the cultivated varieties produce larger fruit and may be cold hardy, potentially adding two months to your harvest season in hardiness zones 6 to 9,13 or make harvesting blackberries possible where they are normally damaged by cold winter weather. Cultivated varieties may also be thornless, making working with the plant and harvesting a lot safer for the gardener.

Extended harvesting, longer growing season and thornless varieties make cultivated plants more enticing if you are adding blackberries to your garden. You can often get plants certified free of viruses at a nursery. Here’s a sample list of varieties and their characteristics:14,15,16

Triple Crown — Adapted to grow in hardiness zones 5 to 9, this variety was released in 1996. It is an upright thornless plant, bearing heavily in late summer. Prune it to 6 feet.

Navajo — This variety was cultivated by the University of Arkansas to grow in hardiness zones 6 to 9. The upright canes bear fruit in midsummer and has received high ratings for fruit flavor and plant yield in numerous field trials.

Apache — Also from the University of Arkansas, the plant produces large fruit with high yield. The canes are erect and may be grown without a trellis when topped at 3.5 feet.

Von — This plant produces sweet, medium to large fruit with small seeds and medium acidity. The canes are erect and the plant is more tolerant to wet conditions than other varieties.

Doyle — Popular throughout the Midwest, this variety is adapted to grow in zones 4 to 9 when heavily mulched in the cold seasons. The plant is thornless with trailing canes that do well on a trellis. Regular feeding with organic matter will enhance yields of tart berries that are excellent for making wine.

Prime Jan and Prime Jim — This plant was released in 2005 and adapted to grow in limited zones from 4 to 7 with protection. The plant has thorns and can be mowed and mulched in the late fall through winter for a late summer crop.

Rosborough — Released by Texas A&M University, the plant produces fruit in early summer and adapted to grow in hot, dry climates. While the plant is thick with thorns, the fruit is sweet and firm.

Anthocyanins Lead Blackberry Health Benefits

Blackberries get their dark purple pigmentation from a high level of anthocyanin, a phytonutrient with strong antioxidant properties.17 Anthocyanin is a subclass of flavonoids, naturally occurring plant compounds in fruits, vegetables and beverages like wine and tea.

Many of the biological effects of flavonoids appear to be related to their ability to modulate cell signaling, exhibiting anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer and neuroprotective activities through different mechanisms of action.18

The richest source of anthocyanins is found in blackberries, followed by raspberries, red onions, pomegranates and tomatoes.19 There is a growing body of research claiming berries may be among the most potent cancer-fighting fruits as they’re rich in substances with cancer protective properties such as elegiac acid, lignans, myricetin and cyanidin 3-glucoside.20

Interest in anthocyanins has grown as their ability to prevent neuronal diseases, cardiovascular illness, inflammation, cancer and other diseases has come to light. Anthocyanins counter oxidants, making them efficient at fighting atherosclerosis as well.21

In one study, anthocyanins were found to improve cholesterol levels and fight oxidative stress.22 Others have demonstrated the berries may offer protection against certain forms of cancer.23,24

In herbal medicine, anthocyanins have been revered for their anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticancer benefits, and their ability to help treat high blood pressure, colds and urinary tract infections.

Benefits of Blackberries Are Tempered by Fructose Content

As with most things, more of a good thing doesn’t make it great. Although the health benefits of blackberries go beyond anthocyanins, it also wise to remember the fruit contains fructose.

As you incorporate blackberries into your diet, remember to count those grams of fructose, which may contribute to weight gain and insulin resistance when consumed in excessive quantities. For optimal health, I recommend staying below 25 grams of fructose per day, including fructose from fruits and berries.

That said, there’s no shortage of nutrients in this little fruit, as it’s packed with vitamins A, C and K, B vitamins, fiber, and the antioxidants zeaxanthin and lutein. The combination of these nutrients offer several health benefits, including supporting:25,26

Eye sight

Immune system

Blood sugar regulation

Digestive health

Heart health

Quelling of inflammation

Oral health27

Blood clotting

Wound healing

Bone health

Cognitive function

Neurotransmitters

Collagen production

Incorporate Blackberries in These Recipes

Remember blackberries are best eaten in their natural state to enjoy all their health benefits. Freezing them also preserves the nutrients, even though the texture may change. Frozen berries are easily added to homemade yogurt, smoothies or just as a snack directly from the fridge. For tasty dish, try this nutrient-packed Triple Berry Kale Salad recipe, courtesy of How Sweet Eats.28

Triple Berry Kale Salad

Ingredients

1 head of curly kale, leaves removed from stem and torn

1 cup fresh tart cherries, pitted and sliced

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup fresh blackberries

1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

1 avocado, chopped

2/3 cup chopped toasted almonds

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

For the Strawberry Vinaigrette

¾ cup sliced fresh strawberries

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1 pinch salt

1 pinch pepper

1 pinch cinnamon

Procedure

To make the vinaigrette dressing, combine all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Place kale in a large bowl and add about ¼ cup of the strawberry vinaigrette.

Massage and rub dressing into kale with your hands, then let the kale sit for five to 10 minutes.

Add in salt, pepper, cherries, berries and avocado, then add a few more tablespoons of dressing and toss.

Finish by topping with chopped almonds.

This recipe makes four servings.

from Articles http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/02/22/xdjm18-gardening-18mcsa-how-to-grow-blackberries.aspx source https://niapurenaturecom.tumblr.com/post/182975035331

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