Misty wiped her face with the back of her hand, glancing around the area. "So… what are we doing here again?" she asked, her voice tinged with fatigue.
Ash, still catching his breath, turned to Brock. "I was just gonna ask the same thing."
Brock, unusually quiet, didn’t look up from where he stood. "Professor Oak, remember?" His voice was low, almost distant.
Misty’s eyes widened in sudden realization. "Right! The one Professor Ivy told him to study."
Ash shook his head, a frown crossing his face, but Misty didn’t notice his reaction. She was too caught up in her own train of thought.
A moment later, Misty looked around again and realized something. "Brock?" she called, but there was no answer.
Both she and Ash scanned the area, then spotted Brock on the ground a few feet away. He was sitting with his back against a tree, hugging his knees to his chest, staring off into the distance.
"Remember what happens every time we mention that name?" Ash whispered to Misty.
Misty nodded solemnly. "Yeah… Professor Ivy." She sighed, crossing her arms. "We probably shouldn’t have brought it up."
Ash looked at Brock, concern etched on his face. "He’s still not over it, huh?"
Misty frowned. "Nope. Every time we even mention her, he gets like this. It’s like a switch flips." She bit her lip, unsure of how to approach Brock when he was in one of these moods. "We should give him a minute."
Ash sat down next to Brock, trying to be supportive without saying too much. "Hey, Brock… it's okay, Buddy. We don’t have to talk about her if you don’t want to."
Brock didn’t respond, but after a few moments, he finally let out a deep sigh. He still didn’t say a word, but Ash and Misty knew that was the closest they’d get to a response for now.
Misty nudged ash. " We should go find... Whatever we have to find."
Ash nodded. " Let's go."
" PIKA PIIIII!" Pikachu yelled as he ran to Ash and tugged his pants.
Ash looked down. " What happened, buddy?"
Pikachu ran, looked back, and ran.
" I think he wants us to follow." Misty said.
Ash nodded. " Yeah. Let's go."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
When they rounded the counter, Ash saw his Charmander shielding its hand. He gasped and rushed to it, kneeling down before it.
" What happened, buddy?" He asked as he picked the Pokemon up and sat it in his lap.
" Char." It replied weakly.
Ash noticed its hand. " What happened to your hand?"
