Chapter Six
Brock spent a while standing in front of the window, gazing at the quiet, clear morning. He could see a small group of Caterpie rustling underneath a small bush, and a swarm of Beedrills humming softly as they collected nectar from the large trumpet-shaped flowers that bloomed in abundance near the flower box on the window frame. He leaned his forehead against the window, and for a moment, he almost dozed off again, but then quickly shook his head and stood up straight.
Then, turning around, he walked over to the sink in the bathroom and flipped on the faucet. As he let the cold water flow through his weary hands, he looked in the mirror at the face staring back at him: a tired, glum-looking image with a wrinkled shirt and frazzled, wild hair. Sometimes, he hated his hair. It was so unkempt-looking and crazy, and it had been more than once that someone had inquired as to whether or not he had accidentally placed his fingers in an electrical socket to get it that way. Taking a damp set of fingers from the water, he ran his hands through his hair and sighed.
I wonder why my life is destined to be like this, he wondered to himself. I mean, my looks probably scare girls away, I'm obviously too worked up when I meet ladies, and I haven’t even come one step closer to my dream of being a pokemon breeder.
He frowned at his image. It seems like I was dealt the wrong cards. But then, his face lifted. But Marian… she’s so different than anyone I’ve ever met before… I mean, she’s kind, she’s funny, and she actually laughs and listens at what I say…
Brock looked down at the clear water that continually poured out of the faucet. I can’t explain it, but I just know that something’s different about this place… and her, he thought. Even this water… it’s so unnaturally clear, like liquid crystal that falls right through my hand… He turned to look at the window in his room. And the forest is so perfect, as if it was painted or created from some storybook. I… I just don’t get it.
As he was trying to reason out that last thought, Marian’s voice echoed from the kitchen.
"Brock! Are you awake yet?" she called out softly.
"Yeah, I’m just washing up!" he replied.
"Ok! When you’re done, come on in here! I’ve got a special breakfast ready and waiting for you!" The aroma of many mixed smells wafted over to the bathroom, and Brock poked his head out towards the direction of the kitchen. And she can cook, too!
Brock hurriedly scooped up a handful of icy water, splashed it on his face, and rushed over to his backpack in his room where he slipped on a fresh, newly-pressed orange shirt. As he walked out of the room and passed by the bathroom mirror, he glanced at his image and thought, I really need a new wardrobe…
*****
The empty plates after breakfast were good signs that thing had gone well. Marian was a wonderful cook, almost rivaling Brock in talent. Marian interlaced her fingers and propped her elbows against the table, happily watching Brock eat every last scrape of food from his plate.
After Brock had finished his dish of eggs, he looked up at her with a big smile and said, "thank you for such a delicious meal!"
"It was my pleasure," she replied, blushing a little. She stood up and began gathering the plates up. "I’m just glad that there’s someone here to enjoy my cooking! It’s so rare that I have guests here."
Brock looked up. "That must be because you live in the forest, right? Is this place hard to find?"
Marian stopped for a moment, and then turned to him and smiled. "Y-yes, you could say that," she said slowly, thinking. "Not many people… know about this area."
Brock turned and looked at the screen door from the kitchen that led outside, and noticed a small Oddish peeking in, staring at Brock in confusion. It let out a small, shrill "oddish!" and Marian turned around to look at it.
"Oh, Oddish, there you are!" she said, opening the door and letting it in. Oddish bounded up onto the table and looked at Brock with its small beady eyes. It didn’t know whether Brock was a threat or not, so the little radish kept a close eye on the spiky-haired boy.
Marian giggled, "Oddish, this is my guest, Brock. He’s a very nice trainer. Why don’t you introduce yourself?" Realizing Brock wasn’t a threat, Oddish smiled and with a high "odd-oddish!" it extended one of its leaves in a type of greeting. Brock grinned and replied by giving its leaf a small sort of handshake.
"That’s wonderful! Oddish trusts you already!" Marian chimed. "Usually, he doesn’t like newcomers. He’s really a wild pokemon that likes to visit me from time to time." She picked up Oddish and gave him a hug. "We hang around together on sunny days like this and have fun!"
"Yeah, it is especially nice and sunny today," Brock mentioned, looking at the radiant sky. He looked over at Marian, and noticed that she had brightened, almost as if a lightbulb had burst into a glow over her head.
"That gives me a wonderful idea!" she said excitedly. "Why don’t we do something fun? I was thinking, if you wouldn’t mind… we could have a small dinner today, to perhaps celebrate our meeting?"
That suggestion was a bit too much for Brock to handle at once. With the end of that statement, Brock exploded in a hue of red and fell off of his chair. Oddish looked quizzically at him, and smiled, giggling at Marian. A hand grabbed the table as Brock struggled to get back up.
His adam’s apple was racing up and down his throat, but he managed to push out the words "I’d l-l-love to," before gagging.
Marian beamed and replied, "That’s great! We can perhaps make it a bit formal, even! How about we both dress up a little… like wearing different clothes, maybe?"
Brock looked down at his shirt and pants ensemble and nodded an embarrased "okay." Then, in a rare spark of inspiration, he jumped up and said quickly, "Let me make the dinner! You’ve been doing so much for me, that I’ve got to do something to return your kindness!" He bowed low and said "I’ll make a dinner you’ll be truly proud of!!!"
Marian looked at him quietly and her eyes grew soft and her smile grew wider. "Brock," she said, "I’d be honored if you would. Let’s meet up for the dinner at 5 o’clock… ok?" With that, Brock nodded vigorously, and then dashed off happily to begin gathering ingredients for his masterpiece dish.
Oddish began cheering quietly, sensing that something exciting would be happening very soon.
*****
Brock ran into his room and flung open his backpack. He began tossing out objects left and right. A pokeball flew here, a pair of socks flew there, until he finally reached the bottom of the inside of his pack.
I need a new look for tonight. It’s gotta be the only outfit I haven’t worn since… since I left Pewter City. It’s gotta still be here, he thought frantically.
"It’s still here!" he cried out in joy. A small zipped package lay by itself within the backpack, and he took it out and sat on the bed to open it. As he unzipped it, his eyes glowed with excitement.
"With this outfit, maybe I’ll really impress Marian for once!" he said to himself, smiling uncontrollably. He grabbed the clothes and made a dash for the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and made a face at himself.
I’m not going to feel sorry for myself tonight, he thought. For once, maybe I’ll have a perfect evening, the kind that I’ve always read and heard about in those silly teen magazines! He began grinning that wide, goofy grin, when he noticed something. He saw the bandage that stood out on his forehead and frowned. I can’t wear this… better take it off. With a quick motion, he yanked off the bandage and a small twinge of pain swirled through his brain. I can’t be bothered with that, he thought, I have a dinner to prepare! With that, he closed the door and prepared to don his special suit.
*****
The morning passed unusually quickly that day, and Marian lay in the shade of a tree nearby the house. Oddish was sitting next to her, talking happily to her in its little voice. The shadows of the tree’s leaves danced across her carefully stitched red dress- a dress that she wore only for special occasions. She knew that this was a very special occasion, so she had made sure to clean and press her outfit until it shone in its radiant beauty. The dress itself was made of a very rare and soft fabric, almost liquid to the touch, but as firm as any cloth.
She smiled quietly as she wondered what the evening would bring. She had seen Brock scampering to and fro, gathering a little here and a little there, but about an hour ago, he had disappeared.
Deciding that perhaps she should snoop around and see what he was up to, she slowly got up and began heading for the front door, when a quiet voice piped up from behind a group of trees.
"You sure look lovely in the sunset," the voice said, slowly.
Marian turned around, and saw Brock step out from behind the tall evergreens. He was dressed in a pair of blue slacks that were rugged-looking, yet comfortable and formal in their own way. Surprised, Marian looked at his shirt and realized that it wasn’t the same old orange shirt that he seemed so attached to. Instead, he wore a soft-looking blue silk shirt, its shiny ripples moving silently as the wind blew through them. With the sunset framing him in the back, he looked like a much more elegant version of himself, and Marian automatically blushed as he presented her with a bouquet of fresh flowers from the forest.
"These are for you," he said, reddening just a bit. She took them and murmured a quiet "thank you." She then looked at his forehead and noticed that something was missing.
"Your bandage," she replied, reaching to touch his head. "Why did you take it off? Don’t you still need it?"
He shrugged, grinning. "I’m fine now," he said, nonchalantly. "Besides, it didn’t go with my outfit. Now, let’s go have some dinner!"
Marian put out her hand, and Brock nervously took it, escorting her to their upcoming dinner date. Oddish, curious as it was, decided to sneak after them and see for himself what was going to happen.