Have you ever wondered what Brock was up to when he left Ash alone at the Cerulean gym in the show? Of course you have! And while I don't necessarily have the canonical answer, I do have my own head canon of what I believe happened! And that's a good enough substitute, right?

Just Stuff

"So…what's the deal with the gym leader here?"

"Sorry, Ash, I…can't give you that information."

"Huh?"

Brock smirked and turned his head towards the young trainer sitting next to him. "Gym leader's secret. You understand."

"That's cool," Ash murmured understandingly, smiling gently at the rock type specialist. As they both stood up from the bench, Ash once again asked Brock a question. "So, are you coming with me to the gym?"

"I have some stuff I need to check out," Brock refuted, pulling his backpack further up on his back.

"What kind of stuff?" Ash prodded.

"Just…stuff," Brock sighed, heading down the opposite street. He felt bad, leaving Ash to fend for himself when it came to the trio of Cerulean gym leaders, but he figured that they were all beautiful and fairly slow, so it wouldn't be too much trouble for the raven haired boy.

He had been to Cerulean City before, of course. Many times, in fact. He knew a lot about the place. Where all of the best places to eat were, and all of the best places to meet beautiful women were.

He also knew that Misty just so happened to be one of the city's gym leaders.

Okay, so she wasn't a gym leader just yet. Her sisters were, although Brock knew they were incredibly lousy at the job. They had never wanted to be gym leaders, but Misty always had.

The teenager smiled to himself as he thought back to the first time he had ever met Misty. It had only been five years ago, but Misty had no recollection of the meeting. At least…that's the way it seemed.

XXX

A plucky ten year old Brock had been recruited by his father, Flint, to bring an important package to the Cerulean City gym. Brock was currently training to take over the title of gym leader from his father, but since he wasn't the gym leader just yet, Brock was often stuck doing what seemed like tedious errands for his father while the man battled challengers.

In truth, it wasn't a horrible fate. By doing this, Brock got to meet all of the other gym leaders throughout the Kanto region. It was good to have an idea of who his colleagues would be, after all. Sure, Brock had met them before when he was just a child, but getting to know them on a working basis was a different story.

It was more interesting, in a way.

Today, Flint had sent his son to Cerulean City, which coincidentally was the closest city to Pewter. Brock didn't remember ever meeting the gym leader there, so he was excited to meet this person and learn more about them and their specialty.

When he got there, Brock discovered that the gym was not a difficult building to miss. It had a big, round roof in the colors of pink and yellow that looked like the top of a beach ball. The words "Cerulean Gym" were printed on a white tide-like border beneath a large sign in the likeness of a Dewgong.

"I guess it's a water type gym…" Brock murmured to himself.

So, slowly and somewhat unsurely, the young boy continued walking up to the front of the building. A pair of sliding glass doors granted entrance to the gym, and much to Brock's surprise, they weren't guarded or even locked. In fact, as soon as he'd stepped in front of the doors, they slid open and allowed him to enter the building. Walking inside, Brock nervously bit his lip and wrung his hands together as he awkwardly stood in the middle of the lobby, waiting for someone to come in and chastise him for entering the gym without permission.

But no one ever did.

"Uh…hello?" Brock chirped. "Is…is anyone in here?"

Silence.

Brock groaned quietly to himself and looked around the lobby. The lights weren't on, so the place was a little bit dark. Fortunately, the sun rays pouring in from outside managed to provide just enough light for the boy to observe his surroundings and walk around without tripping over anything.

"Hello?" Brock tried again. "I've got a delivery from the Pewter City Gym!"

Silence.

"Man…" Brock grumbled, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

"HEY!"

The boy jumped as something poked against his back. Whipping around and panting heavily, Brock was surprised to see a small, shadowy figure standing only about a foot away from him, holding some kind of object in their hands.

"Uh…who are you?" Brock questioned.

"None of your business!"

"How is it none of my business?" Brock demanded. "You just poked me with something!"

"Chill out! It's just pretend!"

The figure took a step forward into the light, revealing herself to be none other than a little girl. She had bright red hair that was tied up into a messy side ponytail and a matching fiery scowl on her face. A yellow t-shirt, baggy denim shorts, and a pair of beat up sneakers with untied laces was her outfit, and in her small hands was a plastic sword: the source of the unceremonious back poke.

"You shouldn't be going around poking people with toy swords, you know," Brock chided.

"And you shouldn't be walking into people's gyms without permission!" The girl retorted.

"Fair enough," Brock agreed without argument.

"Misty, what are you doing out here?"

The little girl gasped and ran in front of Brock quickly hiding the toy sword behind her back.

"N-nothing, Grandma!"

"That sounds like a lie, young lady."

The child giggled nervously and kept her eyes glued to the back doorway of the lobby, watching as a slightly older woman walked into the room. Upon seeing her, Brock held his breath and pulled his shoulders back, suddenly feeling very intimidated.

For an older lady, she was extremely gorgeous. She had a very elegant yet powerful air about her, which really intrigued the boy. Her hair, just a few shades darker than her apparent granddaughter's, was pulled up into a loose bun, two strands hanging down idly by the sides of her face. Her eyes, a piercing green with flecks of blue visible in them, were slightly narrowed as she gazed down at the little girl, full lips bent into a twisted frown of sorts. She was quite tall, taller than most women, and very trim. Not overly skinny, but certainly not heavy either. She had a fair amount of muscle on her, and was very well built. Brock could clearly see the delicate slopes in her arms: powerful muscle bulging just beneath her milky skin.

"Grandma, I really swear I wasn't doing anything!" The child fussed. "I was just protecting the gym, that's all! I was being good!"

"I see," the woman hummed. "And why exactly would the gym need to be protected, hmm?"

"From him," the girl replied immediately, whipping around to point an accusatory finger at Brock. The older woman looked right up at the boy, causing a violent shiver to travel down his spine. "He broke in here, Grandma! I found him!"

"N-no, I didn't break in!" Brock managed to speak up. "I came from the Pewter City gym! See, my dad is the gym leader, and he sent me here to deliver something to the Cerulean gym leader."

In a flash, the older woman's face softened. "Ah, you're Flint's boy!"

"Yes," Brock sighed, obviously relieved that she had made the connection.

"Well then, it seems as though you were looking for me," the woman trilled, gaining Brock's interest. "My name is Amy. I'm the Cerulean City gym leader."

"Whoa," Brock breathed, covering his mouth right after. He hadn't meant for that to slip out! Fortunately, Amy didn't seem to mind, and she just giggled in response. Biting his lower lip, Brock moved closer to Amy and held out the envelope his father had entrusted him with. "Uh…here. This is for you."

Amy smiled at the boy and took her parcel from him. "Thank you. Now, tell me, what is your name?"

"B-Brock," he managed to croak. Although he now knew Amy was the gym leader, that didn't make him any less intimated by her. If anything, it only made things worse.

"Why don't you come into the kitchen for a quick snack, Brock?" Amy asked cordially. "You must be hungry after that long walk from Pewter City."

"That sounds great!" Brock replied, finally beaming back at the woman. "If…you don't mind, of course."

"Not in the slightest!" Amy refuted. "Besides, perhaps a little break will keep my granddaughter out of any more trouble. I'm sorry if she frightened you!"

"It's okay," Brock assured the woman, completely missing the younger girl's harsh glare. "I'm used to little kids! I've got two little brothers, and my mom is really close to having another baby."

"I see," Amy murmured, reaching behind her granddaughter's back and swiftly taking the toy sword away from her, causing the child a great deal of shock. "Is that why your father sent you out here to bring this to me?"

"Oh, no," Brock repudiated. "I'm training to one day become the gym leader, so my dad is having me learn all about the other gym leaders and things like that. I've done a lot of travelling recently to do just that. Bringing them deliveries and messages. Things like that."

"That's a wonderful idea!" Amy crowed. "Perhaps I'll have to try that on my granddaughters someday."

"Grandma!"

Sighing, Amy looked down at her young granddaughter, whose look of shock was slowly being replaced by one of annoyance. "What is it now, Misty?"

"How'd you know I had that?" Misty demanded, pointing at the toy sword in her grandmother's hands.

"I'm not a fool, dear," Amy teased, gently tapping Misty atop the head with the toy. "You've been running around with this silly thing all week! I knew it was a bad idea for your sisters to let you into the costume closet."

"I like it," Misty countered with a pout.

"Well, perhaps you can have it back later, if you manage to behave yourself while we've got company," Amy trilled through a smile. Misty looked over her shoulder at Brock, who was smiling timidly at the child.

"Kay, I'll be nice," Misty muttered, not sounding overly thrilled about it.

"That's my Miss Misty!" Amy laughed, placing the toy sword on the front desk of the lobby. "Please, Brock, follow me. We'll get you something good to eat! And Misty, you come along too. I clearly can't keep you out of my sight today!"

Misty managed to stop sulking long enough to gain a burst of energy, quickly running ahead of her grandmother. At this, Amy unleashed another airy giggle, while Brock pulled up to her side.

"She certainly is a handful," Amy murmured. "But then again, I can't imagine most five year olds aren't!"

"I hear you," Brock chuckled.

"Misty really is a very sweet girl," Amy informed Brock as they walked together. The aforementioned child was still running up ahead, side ponytail bouncing alongside her. "I know it probably didn't seem that way when you first walked in. She does have a bit of a temper, but that doesn't make her bad. It's just a part of who she is. Misty may be young, but she's already very passionate. She loves all water types so dearly, and tells me almost every single day about how she's going to be the gym leader here when she grows up."

"Sounds a lot like me when I was her age," Brock remarked, smiling as he thought back to his own childhood.

"Misty's got a sparkle in her eyes that I've never quite seen before in such a young child," Amy continued. "She's so competitive! I had to put her on a swimming team just to get some of that fire and energy out of her little system. It's worked wonders! But still, she's got big dreams. She knows which Pokémon she wants, which ones she wants to one day use in battle. If you can get her talking about those kinds of things, I can promise you that she won't be so volatile. Once you've earned Misty's trust, you'll see that sweet side without a doubt!"

Brock looked back ahead and hummed to himself. Misty had just disappeared out of view, turning off to the side, into the room that must have been the gym's kitchen.

"Grandma, I found the cookies!"

"Misty, don't try to get them down!" Amy scolded, picking up the pace and shuffling into the kitchen. Brock came wandering in a minute after, finding the young girl to be standing on her tippy toes, pulling at a plate full of cookies that was perched on the countertop.

"Why?" Misty whined as Amy broke in, taking the cookies herself.

"Because you're little, and these are heavy," Amy explained patiently. "I didn't want the plate falling on your head! That would've hurt, hmm?"

"Yeah," Misty reluctantly agreed.

"Why don't you show Brock to a seat at the table?" Amy suggested. "That would certainly be helpful!"

"Okay," Misty sighed, dragging her feet towards the table. Amy looked over her shoulder at Brock, shooting the boy a knowing smile as she walked over to the fridge. Misty, on the other hand, walked over to one of the chairs and pulled it out.

"Uh, thanks!" Brock murmured, moving towards the chair. Before he could even get close, however, Misty hopped into the chair herself, narrowing her eyes at the shocked boy.

"This one's mine," Misty informed him rather acidly. "You can sit over there."

She pointed a finger at the chair directly across from her. Twisting his mouth, Brock approached the chair and pulled it out himself, sitting down in it and trying valiantly to avoid eye contact with the angry little girl.

"Alright, you two," Amy trilled, placing a small plate in front of each kid. "Here are some cookies! I'll go get the milk."

Brock quickly picked up one of the cookies and began nibbling on it, still trying to avoid looking at Misty. The young girl, however, was not as bent on ignoring him as he was on her.

"What kind of Pokémon does your gym have?" Misty asked.

"Uh…rock types," Brock replied timidly after waiting a few seconds just to see if Misty was playing games with him.

"Those are weak against water types!" Misty crowed, her entire face lighting up. "That means I could beat you!"

"Maybe," Brock hummed. "Have you ever actually used a Pokémon in battle before?"

Misty pulled her shoulders back and quickly lost her edgy tone. "No…"

A playful smirk finally appeared on Brock's lips, confusing Misty. "Then how do you know that you could beat me in a battle?"

"Cause water types always beat rock types!" Misty cried.

"Just because rock types are weak against water types doesn't mean it's an automatic win," Brock patiently explained to the flustered child. "It all depends on the trainer! After all, they're the ones giving the orders to their Pokémon and working with them!"

"Yeah…" Misty muttered, eyes shifting back and forth. "But still! Water types are really tough!"

"That may be true," Brock agreed. "But it's not impossible for a rock type to win!"

Misty scoffed and folded her arms, looking away stubbornly as her grandmother placed two glasses of milk down on the table.

"I told you she's a very passionate little girl," Amy giggled. "At least you see I wasn't lying!"

"I believed you," Brock assured the woman. "Besides, I can't really blame her! Misty, I bet you know that water types are weak to electricity, right?"

Misty frowned and nodded her head.

"But I also bet you believe a water type could beat an electric type if the Pokémon and its trainer worked hard enough, right?"

"Uh huh!" Misty agreed, her whole face lighting up once again.

"So since I love rock types the way you love water types, me thinking a rock type wouldn't necessarily lose to a water type makes sense, right?"

"I guess so," Misty admitted, blushing just a little bit at having to admit that.

Amy laughed, quickly catching Brock's attention. "My goodness! Look at you, helping my granddaughter see the light! I've never seen anyone convince her of anything so quickly. She's just so stubborn!"

"No I'm not, Grandma!" Misty argued. "I just really love water Pokémon!"

"I know you do, sweetheart," Amy cooed, patting the child's head. "And you know how happy that makes me! But Brock is right. You still have a lot to learn about Pokémon battling!"

"Yeah, and when I learn all that stuff, I'll become gym leader!" Misty cheered. "Then maybe one day, I can beat Brock!"

"Maybe," Brock hummed.

"Now there's a battle I'd like to see!" Amy commented, her eyes sparkling. "Misty, if you want to beat Brock, you'll have to train very hard!"

"I will!" Misty chirped, smiling at her grandmother and then Brock. "I'll train really hard, and I'll beat you!"

"You'll make a good gym leader one day, kid," Brock assured her through a smirk, taking another bite out of his cookie. "But don't count on beating me! I'll give you a run for your money."

At this, Misty flattened her brow. "I don't have any money!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. How about a run for your cookies?"

Misty giggled just once before smiling at Brock. "Deal!"

Amy stood behind her granddaughter's chair and smiled at the interaction going on between the two young ones. It was hard for Misty to trust people, and it had been obvious from the start that Misty certainly didn't trust Brock. But somehow, he had managed to change that. He'd intrigued Misty and been able to talk to her about something that she actually loved. It was quite admirable. And Amy would make sure that Flint knew what a wonder his eldest son was.

And how great of a gym leader he would be.

XXX

By now, Brock was sure Ash had reached the gym, made the shocking discovery about Misty's life, and was bickering with her at that very moment.

But he wasn't there to see any of it. He hadn't lied to Ash. He had "stuff" to do. "Stuff" that was very important to him, but "stuff" that he didn't feel comfortable divulging. It's not that he was embarrassed by what he was doing, but rather that it was a little bit upsetting. He wished this was something he didn't have to do. Brock wished he could have gone to the gym with Ash. He wished he could have walked through those doors and seen Amy.

But he couldn't.

Instead, he had to come here, with flowers in his hands and a frown on his face.

"I told you I'd never forget," Brock muttered, kneeling down and dropping the bouquet in front of the marble headstone. "I feel kind of bad I had to bail on your granddaughter, though. But I'm sure she'll be fine. She's tough, that one! Even tougher than when she was a kid. Though sometimes I'm afraid she might kill Ash…"

Brock blinked as a cold breeze hit his face. "I know, I know. I should put a little more faith into her. But you know what's strange? I don't think she remembers ever meeting me. I mean, I know it was a long time ago. But I remember her! How could I forget?"

He tilted his head back and watched a flock of Pidgey fly overhead. "And even though I'm worried about Ash…maybe he's good for her. I've kind of been thinking about that ever since we first met. Next to her, he's just so…I don't know how to say it. To be honest, I kind of want to say spineless. He's not! But next to her…she's a bit intimidating. Maybe he can soften her up a bit. I kind of think they might be nice together."

The wind blew again, a bit more harshly than last time. Some dirt was swept up, causing Brock to cover his eyes with his forearm. "Alright, I'm sorry! I forgot that maybe you don't want your granddaughter to grow up so fast! Not like your other granddaughters. Even though they are gorgeous…"

Brock tilted his head back as he trailed off, staring up at the cloudy sky. "I won't let them kill each other. I promise. Misty may not remember meeting me all those years ago, but I sure do. She left an impression on me. I think I have to look after her…like an older brother."

The wind blew again, though this time far more gently than before. Brock smirked and put his head back down, tilting it to the side.

"You like that a whole lot better than the boyfriend thing, huh?" Brock asked. "Well, I can't say I blame you. But whatever happens between those two in the future is up to them. I can't stop whatever is coming."

Brock rolled his lips in before folding his arms across his chest. "Unless he turns out to be a total jerk. Then I'll beat him up. Just for you."

Yes, this one ties into my head canon world. I like trying to connect it to the canon world by using subtle little lines like this one.

Also, you'll notice that a lot of the time, including in my other stories, that whenever someone is visiting Amy's grave, nature kind of interacts with them. That, of course, is on purpose ;)