The Road to our Destiny

Chapter 70

Things have barely improved at the Pokemon Center. Timothy and Coovers have stayed by Brock's side, patting his shoulder or rubbing his back, but the most they've managed to do is help Brock eventually stop crying. The tan-skinned man just stays seated with his head down. With his arms cradling Holly's flower and necklace, he sniffles quietly. Nurse Joy offered a box of tissues when she came to give Timothy Electchu and Shockwave back, and Brock quietly thanked her and wiped away the tears that went all the way down to his chin while Timothy returns Shockwave. Coovers looks at Timothy and Electchu for a moment before turning to Brock and asking a question that he thinks he knows the answer to.

"How you holding up, buddy?" He asks.

Brock sniffs before he answers, "Not great. I feel a little better after letting it all out, but still not great."

"Yeah, I bet," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu says quietly

The three of them are silent for a moment before Timothy hesitates before his curiosity gets the better of him.

"So...you were going to choose to pursue only her?" He asks.

Brock nods, not looking at him.

"How long ago did you make that decision?" Timothy asks.

"A couple of days," Brock answers.

"You mean you waited a couple of days to tell her that?" Coovers asks, surprised.

"I wasn't sure that she was going to say yes," Brock explains. "I mean, I hurt her so bad, and I was working on getting back into her good graces again that I was scared to tell her. I didn't decide to take that chance until today."

"Wow, that's rough," Timothy says.

"You're telling me," Brock says. "I would have told her already if Ash and Max and the others didn't barge in during our lunch date or if I convinced her to let me tell her before her battle with you as opposed to her telling me to wait just because she wants to stay focused on the match. Heck, if I somehow found out that her feelings for me were coming back beforehand as opposed to Lucy telling me after the match, I definitely would have told her sooner."

Timothy shakes his head and says, "There's no way that you could have known, Brock."

Electchu nods in agreement.

"But there had to be," Brock protests. "Maybe I could have bumped into the two of them during the time they were making the bet and come clean with how I really feel about her and tell Lucy that -"

"Uh, Brock, ixnay on the ucylay," Coovers interrupts, looking at something past his friends with a nervous chuckle.

Brock, Electchu, and Timothy look at Coovers in confusion before they turn to where Coovers is looking. Brock's heart sinks when he sees Lucy and her sisters at a distance, giving back the card key to their room to Nurse Joy. As they turn around to leave, Lucy glances at the three men and Raichu and stops walking, and her eyes immediately met Brock's. Her sisters turn to see where she's looking and angrily glare at Brock, looking ready to beat him to kingdom come. As the tan-skinned man and the Pike Queen stare each other, Brock gives her an apologetic look, and Lucy just stares at him with tears slowly appearing in her eyes. No words need to be said before Lucy turns her head and exits the building with her sisters following her. Once the women are gone, Timothy and Coovers take a deep breath before turning to Brock.

"That was pretty awkward," Coovers says bluntly.

"I'll say," Timothy says.

"Raichu," Electchu mumbles.