Characters and Pokémon who appeared in Hard Enough.

For the original canonical Pokémon characters of the anime and games, see here.

Disclaimer: All spoilers are unmarked!!!

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Main Character

Brock

In the past, I had another name and another life. Another world that, while mundane, was engaging, enjoyable, and mine. This second life I would treat as an extension with a new name much like a new situation. It would be no different than going to college and getting a new name that others knew me by, assigned to me. That's at least the way I rationalized it to myself.

These days, I went by Brock.

Brock as in the Leader of the Pewter City gym.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brock_hard_enough.png

The Gym Leader of Pewter City

The Protagonist of the story and the fearsome Gym Leader of Pewter City. Eldest of 10 kids, which he had to raise on his own for 3+ years after his parents left. Having already gone on his Pokémon journey before coming back and being forced to take over Pewter City's Gym, Brock demolished the old gym and build a new one using the funds he accumulated from his journey and making other good business investments.

Being traditionally the first Gym that up-and-coming Pokemon trainers in Kanto would undertake for their first Gym Badge, Brock serves as both an Early-Bird Boss and Wake-Up Call Boss to test their basic knowledge of the type system.

Tropes related to Brock

The Ace: He's seen as this by being able to defeat Lance, the relatively new Pokemon Champion of the Indigo League. Especially when his Gym was regarded as the "weakest" due to being traditionally seen as the first Gym to be challenged by new trainers.
Ascended Extra: Moreso than the anime's egregious example, where he was given a backstory and became an important supporting character to Ash and co. throughout the latter's Pokemon journey. Not only is Brock's The Protagonist, who has already gone on his own Pokemon journey, but the story focuses on him being both a Wake-Up Call Boss for new trainers and returning ones and an Audience Surrogate navigating through the politics and lore of the Pokemon world.
As the Good Book Says...: He reference an event in The Bible (in his thoughts) by witnessing Titan's Fissure move of splitting the ground akin to Moses Parting the Sea. A very apt description for the natural strength of his pseudo-legendary starter.
Audience Surrogate: He's one for the readers who have not only played the core series games, and its various spin-offs, along with watching the anime, but for them to experience a world that is not entirely familiar to them due to its combined, expanded, and alternate lore.
Big Brother Instinct: He cares greatly for his siblings' well-being and constantly works to better their living situation. The main reason why he accepted the annual exhibition challenge against Lance for the Indigo League is because of the negative feelings the latter stirred up for his siblings upon dismissing Pewter City's Gym on live television.
Big Brother Mentor: He serves as this to his siblings and any up-and-coming Pokemon trainers, or returning ones, who challenge his Gym.
Calling Parents by Their Name: He tends to refer to his parents by their names, even in front of his siblings, but out of the earshot of the youngest ones. That alone should be a clear sign of what he truly thinks of them and their abandonment in the present time.
Casting a Shadow: His starter Pokemon is Titan, a Tyranitar known for its Rock/Dark Dual Typing. As an Aura User, he is capable of manipulating Dark-Type Aura to calm his mind and/or boost his Hyper-Awareness.
Celibate Hero: While he isn't above being physically attracted to women, especially when they try to seduce or tease him, Brock is currently uninterested in romance due to his duties.
Composite Character: Besides the reincarnation shtick, this version of Brock is pretty much the accumulation of the ones from the core series games, spinoffs, and anime.
- As depicted in Pokémon: The Series, Brock comes from a broken family by being the sole caretaker of his 9 younger siblings while playing the role of a Big Brother Mentor to The Hero.
- Appearance-wise, he mostly takes after his incarnation in the Gen 4 games, especially the Updated Re-release of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. Also, he uses Ancient Fossil Pokemon.
- He owns a Tyranitar as a starter in this story, much like his Pokémon Masters incarnation.
Cowardice Callout: On the receiving end of this choice insult by impatient and ambitious up-and-coming Pokémon trainers in a hurry to complete their journeys. As demonstrated by Brock in chapter 74, he'll usually dismiss them with ease and tell them to schedule their matches.
Crazy-Prepared: While Brock's victory over Lance in a full six-on-six Pokemon battle, with still having one Pokemon at full health to spare, is a testament to his own hard work and talent, the lion's share of it also had to do with proper preparation of Lance's Pokemon and battle tactics, correct anticipation of which one he would use, meta-knowledge from his Past-Life Memories (to an extent), and most importantly, Lance's arrogance and catching him off guard with never-before-seen Pokemon that has yet to be discovered.
Crippling Overspecialization: Played with to the point of defying. As Pewter City's Gym Leader, he specializes in using Rock-Type Pokemon^note However, his past battle experience as a Pokemon Trainer and drive to subvert expectations to challenge those who come to his Gym allows Brock to circumvent such weaknesses by playing their strengths; Status Buff (Defense Curl, Rock Polish, etc), Stealth Rock, Stone Wall, learning movesets of different types, Training from Hell to overcome the speed problems and Type advantages, heavy doses of fusion moves, out-of-the-box tactics, pragmatism, and relentless determination.
Dark Is Not Evil: Brock himself is attuned to Dark-type Aura alongside his Rock-type, and while he does have some issues regarding Parental Abandonment, he's also The Protagonist and is a generally benevolent Family Man.
Dishing Out Dirt: He's Pewter City's Gym Leader after all, and that territory comes with specializing in Rock-Type Pokemon. As an Aura user, he's also attuned to Rock-Type Aura.
Doom Magnet: Given his role as a prominent Gym Leader and Ace Trainer within Indigo, he's used to dealing with major emergencies that take him away from what he actually wants to pursue. This is to the point where Brock is genuinely psyched out when his Ace Tournament ends with him being crowned the winner without any distractions like a Team Rocket attack.
Et Tu, Brute?: He takes Surge choosing to ally with Giovanni hard, to the point where he almost lets his Dark Aura overtake him.
Foil: A very big one for Anime!Brock, to the point of irony.
- Brock dreams of being a Pokemon breeder, then later becomes a Pokemon Doctor, but is unable to do so because of his already tough workload. This Brock manages to successfully breed Pokemon and create "new" variant types, all while juggling his guardian and Gym Leader responsibilities.
- Brock was a huge Casanova Wannabe with the number of female characters who would've to return his affections (not counting the ones who he doesn't like back), can be counted on one hand, but missed the timing. This Brock is not only a Chick Magnet, but was in a romantic relationship "once" before breaking things off amicably and was a Celibate Hero for the time being until he got back together with her.
- Brock never held a grudge towards either of his parents for them running off, although he does get justifiably annoyed by them doing so, while this Brock has a very low opinion of them doing so due to his own morals, Deliberate Values Dissonance, more mature mentality, and he tends to refer to them by their names at times.
- Brock was unable to go anywhere because of his duties to his family and Gym until Flint came back. This Brock has already gone on his Pokemon journey, but due to his accomplishments and more distant relationship with Flint, he's now unable to realistically leave to join Ash unless everything he has built up so far falls apart without his presence.
- Brock's status as a Rock-Type Pokemon specialist is very much an Informed Attribute due to owning and catching more Pokemon of other types instead. This Brock, however, is truly the Rock-Type Pokemon specialist he is thanks to owning and training many different Rock-Type Pokemon.
- More importantly, Anime!Brock was merely an important supporting character while Brock is practically The Protagonist.
Heroic Build: As a result of his constant training consisting of wrestling against his Rock-Type Pokemon, Brock gains a very muscular physique.
Ki Manipulation: He's able to use Aura, complete with a Dual-Type for Rock and Dark. But so far, only uses it for calming effects, being hyper-aware of his surroundings, and increasing his physical condition. And as a side-effect of his Dark Aura, is able to No-Sell Telepathy and Combat Clairvoyance used by Psychic Trainers.
Like Father, Unlike Son: To the point where anyone who knows of their family situation can tell that the only thing Brock has in common with Flint is their Strong Family Resemblance and perchance for Rock-Type Pokemon.
Locked Out of the Loop: Inverted. Very early on in the story, Brock narrates that he has no intention of ever revealing his past life to anyone, even to his own family. This also makes sense as not only would that bring a lot of trouble in the long run, but his situation would sound so convoluted, even by the standards of the Pokemon world, that no one would believe him anyway.
Mighty Glacier: Being Pewter City's Gym Leader who specializes in using Rock-Type Pokemon, it's a given due to their naturally low Speeds. But combined with Brock's prior battle experience, endless creativity, relentless determination, turning defense into offense, and intense training to overcome the speed difference, it's zig-zagged and averted for all its worth.
Mirror Character: While Brock is already a big one for his anime counterpart; as a result of his actions causing a major divergence, Brock becomes a mirror for many other characters within the story.
- A very clear cut case is Ash Ketchum of all people.
  - Unlike Ash, Brock is The Stoic Experienced Protagonist in contrast to his Hot-Blooded Idiot Hero.
  - Brock has already gone on his Pokemon journey before cutting things short while Ash is just about to start his journey.
  - Brock is the oldest of his siblings and has a very poor and distant relationship with his parents. Ash is an only child with a strong and close relationship with his mother.
  - Ash is hinted to possess a talent for using Aura in both anime and movies, but it never gains prominence until Journeys. Brock, on the other hand, can use Aura in his backstory and slowly learns to better harness it upon joining the Aura Guardians.
  - Brock specializes in using Rock-Type Pokemon but also trains and uses other types. While Ash uses a far more diverse pool of Pokemon.
  - Their core battle styles are quite opposites. Brock has a slight tendency for Deliberate Injury Gambit/Stone Wall tactics (not unjustified due to the inherent weaknesses of Rock-Type Pokemon) but is shown and proven to be a very flexible battler. Ash, on the other hand, prefers the Lightning Bruiser approach but also has problems with adapting as a battler; failing to bring out the full potential of Mighty Glacier Pokemon by being inflexible through the subtle application of his usual speed tactics.
  - In his backstory, Brock enters a romantic relationship with Sabrina before breaking things off amicably and eventually getting back together with her. Whereas Ash, besides that one episode of Early-Installment Weirdness, is a Chaste Hero who never undergoes any form of romance nor comprehends the idea (especially relating to matters involving Pokemon), besides a "possible" reconciliation to Serena's feelings.
  - Their respective Awesome Moment of Crowning of proving themselves as strong Pokemon trainers are diametric opposites. Whereas Brock managed to garner fame by defeating Lance early on in the story in an exhibition match, Ash didn't gain the title of the strongest Pokemon trainer until he defeated Leon in the World Coronation Series near the end of Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
  - Most importantly, as of their respective positions in the story, Brock's an Ascended Extra Protagonist (possibly a pinball one) whereas Ash is a Demoted to Extra Rookie Red Ranger.
- To Falkner, who was a Contrasting Sequel Antagonist of Brock in the core series' games, along with a Mythology Gag backstory reminiscent of the anime. Both are young Gym Leaders who inherited the position from their absent fathers and are regarded as the "weakest" ones due to being the traditional starting point for up-and-coming Pokemon Trainers in their respective regions. While Brock manages to carve his own path and prove his Gym's worth throughout the story, as well as having a bad relationship with his "nobody" of a father, Falkner is still trying to prove his own Gym's worth and is much closer to his own renowned father. Also, their personalities are quite different in the elemental sense; Brock is a Rock-Type Specialist who is capable of holding his ground and not cracking under pressure while Falkner, a Flying-Type Specialist, tends to let his own nerves get the better of him when the pressure becomes too much.
Named After Somebody Famous: Chapter 143 reveals that Brock was named after a previous Pewter Gym Leader considered to be an equally legendary trainer in his own right, and who also had a Tyranitar as his ace.
New Game Plus: No pun intended, but Brock likens his current life to an extension of his previous one.
No-Sell: Thanks to his Dark-Type Aura, he's unaffected by Psychic Powers involving telepathy and clairvoyance. A good thing too, as this, not only makes him a Man of Kryptonite against human psychics who rely on their mind-reading and foresight to give them an edge in Pokemon battles but also prevents anyone from actually seeing his Past-Life Memories.
Open Secret: Brock's less-than-stellar family situation is pretty much well-known throughout Pewter City and beyond that.
Outside-Context Problem: Even in a world where there are magical creatures that could bend the elements, are walking natural disasters, and are capable of warping space and time itself, Brock's reincarnation situation along with his Past-Life Memories would still be beyond what anybody could theorize or anticipated. As well as the fact that Brock's older mentality and meta-knowledge of the Pokemon franchise allow him to accomplish more than what the original Brock could've ever done or dreamed of as a Gym Leader and Pokemon Breeder.
Pinball Protagonist: Something that he lampshades in his situation. Regardless of what he accomplishes at the moment, Brock knows that in the grand scheme of things, it's Ash Ketchum who would go on to prevent the world-ending disasters on his Pokemon journey and it'll be his role to support him when the time comes. Subverted however, as the story shows that "nothing is set in stone", making the causality of Brock's eventual decision of whether to join Ash and destroy everything he build up so far or doom the world by not joining him an open-ended question.
Pride: Discussed and reconstructed in chapter 18.
Brock: Pride to most was a dirty word, but sometimes pride is what got you up in the morning. What made you look after yourself, made you demand more from yourself. Made you put in effort even if no one was watching. There was no one who was going to hand out a medal at the end of all of this and tell me I’d done something right or wrong or grade my work.
Promoted to Parent: One of the main storylines of the fic deals with Brock having to balance his responsibilities as a Gym Leader with taking care of his brothers and sisters.
Relative Button:
- Don't even think of messing with his siblings, directly or indirectly tarnishing their view of him, or even so much as targeting them for leverage. Just ask Lance, Daniel, and Will.
- He also has an understandable one towards the mention of his parents due to their abandonment. When Flint actually returns, he can barely restrain himself from lashing out violently. Not helped by his Dark-type Aura amplifying his negative emotions.
Role Swap AU: In the fic, Brock ultimately stays behind to manage the Pewter Gym whereas Forrest takes up Brock's original anime role of joining Ash on his journey To Be a Master.
Tall, Dark, and Handsome: He's a tall, well-built man of mystery and a handsome Chick Magnet.
Turn the Other Cheek: As Brock mentions early on in the story, one must be thick-skinned when it comes to getting insulted or unfairly criticize, especially when you're a Gym Leader. Averted when calling out and accepting the exhibition match against Lance for his "choice words" on live television, making it one of the special exceptions because of how his siblings felt.
Young and in Charge: He took over Pewter City's Gym at 13.

Tropes that apply to Brock's Pokémon in general.

Dishing Out Dirt: Most of Brock's Pokémon is either Rock-type, Ground-type, a dual typing with either, and/or Rock-themed, and could use various Rock and Ground-type moves.
Lightning Bruiser: While some of them are of the Mighty Glacier variety, nearly all of them can move fast, hit hard, and are tough to beatdown.
Making a Splash: Surprisingly, the third most common type among Brock's Pokémon after Rock and Ground is Water ^note. Consciously or not, Brock still reflects his mother Lola's preferred typing.
Throwing Off the Disability: A downplayed variation. Most of his Pokémon are Rock-type, and they're not only naturally slower than most other Pokémon types, but also weak to five elements (Water, Grass, Fighting, Ground, and Steel) and are more susceptible to two of them if they're also half Ground-type. To get around that, Brock trains them into being Taught by Experience through exposure to those elemental weaknesses with the water system in the Pewter Gym and by up-and-coming Pokémon Trainers, along with training to overcome the inherent lack of speed on their own or use moves that could allow that.
Poor, Predictable Rock: Averted. As Brock proves with his Pokémon time and time again, they're not easy to predict and it'll take more than type advantages to take them down.

Titan (Larvitar—>Pupitar—>Tyranitar)

Brock's starter Pokemon and Bertha's mate.

Big Brother Mentor: Much like his trainer, Titan also serves as an older brotherly figure to most of Brock's Pokémon and acts as a mentor to them.
Casting a Shadow: Titan's other dual typing is Dark in addition to Rock.
Dark Is Not Evil: He's a Tyranitar, whose species are a dual-type Rock/Dark pseudo-legendary Pokémon with a fearsome reputation of being very uncaring and territorial. Yet, like Brock, is shown to be a very caring individual with an Undying Loyalty towards his trainer and being a Big Brother Mentor to his other Pokemon.
Mirror Character: Just as Brock is one for Ash Ketchum, Titan is this for Pikachu.
Semi-Divine: He's a pseudo-legendary, making him close to the power of actual Legendary Pokémon, who are akin to Physical Gods in the story.
Ship Tease: With Bertha, until chapter 107 confirms that they're an Official Couple.

Sanchez ("Alolan" Geodude—>"Alolan" Graveler—>"Alolan" Golem)

The youngest of Brock's initial Elite line-up against Lance.

Agent Peacock: He's one of Brock's more expressive fighters, but is strong enough to be on his Elite lineup.
The Baby of the Bunch: He's the youngest of Brock's elite tier line-up.
Fast as Lightning: He's half Electric-type and surprisingly fast.
Shock and Awe: To nearly everyone's surprise, Sanchez is a Rock/Electric-type. He also knows Thunderpunch and Thunder.
Not Using the "Z" Word: Justified. Sanchez and the other Electric variant Geodude line are never called "Alolan" by Brock in their names, mainly because the Alolan region is currently yet undiscovered and closed off and the fact that they're not native to Alola.
Younger Than They Look: His macho appearance and expressive attitude gives him the air of being older than he really is.

Don (Aerodactyl)

An Aerodactyl Brock caught in Grampa Canyon.

Action Dad: He has already sired progeny with some Wingulls.
Attention Whore: Befitting the name Brock gave him, Don loves to be showered with attention and would get irritated if he's not.
Blood Knight: He's always eager to prove his strength and enjoys a good battle.
Blow You Away: He's half Flying-type.
Hot Skitty-on-Wailord Action: Due to his unique status as a present-day Fossil Pokémon that wasn't artificially revived, he's taken on as part of a breeding program, which involves him getting it on with some Wingull. Brock tries his best to forget what he's seen.
Jerkass: If you're not Brock or anyone he values, or even someone like Daisy Oak, don't expect Don to be a Nice Guy towards you... at best. Brock also lampshades this by explaining to Ash that Don isn't what a person would call "domesticated".
Lightning Bruiser: He's incredibly fast for a Rock-type, capable of dealing damage, and is quite tough to take down.
Mythical Motifs: Despite being a Rock/Flying-type, Don somewhat has draconic-like traits, is very powerful, and could use the move, Dragon Dance.
Really Gets Around: He's been mating a lot with the Wingulls.
Status Buff: He can boost his attack power and speed with Dragon Dance.
Team Member in the Adaptation: He was simply a wild Aerotactyl in the anime that kidnapped Ash, fought against Ash's Charizard, and was put to sleep by Jigglypuff's song in episode 46 of the Original Series. Here, he, along with Shin and the other Ancient Fossil Pokémon, was found by Brock, given a name, and is one of his strongest elite Pokémon.
Token Evil Teammate: He's not evil, but out of all of Brock's Pokémon, Don is the most unpleasant, prideful, and territorial of them all, with even the other Ancient Fossil Pokémon having more kindness compared to him. Also, he would likely attack anyone for just getting near him, besides someone like Daisy Oak, if it weren't for his respect for Brock, along with his other Pokémon being able to subdue him if he got out of hand.
Took a Level in Badass: Even before Brock found him, Shin, and the other Ancient Fossil Pokémon in Grampa Canyon, Don was already strong enough to be their leader and is huge compared to them. Nowadays, he serves as one of Brock's team of elite Pokémon.

Shin (Kabuto—>Kabutops)

A Kabutops Brock caught in Grampa Canyon.

Absurdly Sharp Blades: His hands are merely sharp, metallic-like blades.
Lightning Bruiser: He's incredibly fast for a Rock-type, capable of dealing damage, and is quite tough to take down.
Making a Splash: He's half Water-type, and can use the Water-type move, Aqua Jet.
Status Buff: He can further boost his speed with Rock Polish.
Team Member in the Adaptation: He was simply a wild Kabutops in the anime that terrify Ash and Team Rocket before being chased away by Aerodactyl (Don) in episode 46 of the Original Series. Here, he, along with Don and the other Ancient Fossil Pokémon was founded by Brock, given a name, and is one of his strongest elite Pokémon.
Throwing Off the Disability: A downplayed variation. Due to his Water-type half, Shin is weak to Electric-type attacks but is able to negate most of the damage by jabbing his metal arm blades in the ground to channel the excess energy.

Bertha (Rhyhorn—>Rhydon—>Rhyperior)

A Rhyperior who is part of Brock's elite line-up against Lance. She is also Titan's mate.

Ability Mixing:
- Brock teaches her to use a fusion move he calls Impact Driver which combines Bide, Endure, and Horn Drill into a One-Hit Kill against fast and hard-hitting opponents.
- He later reveals that he has another fusion move called Seismic Twist that combines Horn Drill and Fissure that allows him to drastically change the battlefield.
The Big Gal: She serves as one of Brock's heavy hitters and is quite huge and heavy.
Brawn Hilda: She's female and has a very tough-looking appearance.
Counter-Attack: Uses the move, Bide. Along with Endure and Horn Drill in a one-hit-kill fusion move.
Gonky Femme: She's a heavily armored monstrous rhino Pokémon who nevertheless enjoys ladylike pursuits like tea parties.
Making a Splash: If the fact that she's a further evolution of the Rhyhorn family line isn't enough to make peoples' Jaw Drop, The Reveal that she's also capable of using the move "Surf", will.
Mighty Glacier: Befitting her appearance, Bertha is quite heavy and tough for endurance, and while she's quick to react, she's unable to keep up against speedy opponents.
Ship Tease: With Titan, until chapter 107 confirms that they're an Official Couple.

Selene (Lunatone)

A Lunatone who is part of Brock's elite line-up against Lance. While she wasn't used in the official exhibition match, she does end up being used in a friendly rematch in chapter 46.

Light 'em Up: She can use the yet-to-be-named Fairy-type move, Moonblast.
Lunacy: It's in her species' name and her appearance resembles a floating rock shaped like a crescent moon. Plus, she knows the yet-to-be-named Fairy-type move, Moonblast.
One-Woman Army: In Brock’s Ace Trainer Battle in chapter 145, Selene defeats three of Gavin’s Pokémon by herself without a scratch.
Psychic Powers: She's half Psychic-type and knows the move, Teleport.

Jormungandr (Onix—> (Mega) Steelix)

An Onix who Brock caught at an early point in his Pokemon journey. It's also used by Brock as a Final-Exam Boss for Gym Battles against up-and-coming trainers or is one of his selected Pokémon in Ace Trainer Battles. Brock later evolves it into a Steelix in Chapter 113.

The Big Guy: It was the largest Pokémon in Brock's arsenal in his backstory and was his strongest Pokémon besides Titan.
Extra-ore-dinary: Part Steel-type, and is one of two of Brock's Elites with the type.
Final-Exam Boss: Like the core games, Onix serves as this for challengers to pass and earn their Boulder Badge.
Heroic Self-Deprecation: He thinks he's not worthy of being Brock's first candidate for Mega Evolution, given that Titan was his starter and could also Mega Evolve. Titan assures Jorm that between Brock not having the Tyranitarite yet and Jorm's own merits as one of Brock's elite, he's a good candidate for Mega Evolution in his own right.
Identical Stranger: Since Brock didn't receive the Onix that Flint would've given him on his 10th birthday, which was also the Signature Mon of his canon anime counterpart, this Onix is a different one that Brock caught on his own.
No Name Given: Compared to Brock's other Pokémon who are given names for their closeness to him or strength, Onix has yet to be given a name. It was finally given a name in Chapter 99, Jormungandr, referencing The Great Serpent of Norse Mythology.
Super Mode: Jormungandr finally achieves Mega Evolution in Chapter 167, as the Pokémon League attempts to defeat Team Rocket once and for all.
Superior Successor: He's one to Guybro, Brock's first Onix, becoming strong enough to evolve into a Steelix and Brock's first candidate for Mega Evolution as well.

Zephyr (Hoothoot—>Noctowl)

A Noctowl that Brock caught during his journey and serves as one of his Elites.

Blow You Away: Part-Flying type, and serves as Brock's flying taxi of sorts.
Mundane Utility: He's mostly used to fly Brock and his team around the Indigo region should the need arise.
Non-Elemental: Part Normal-type, and Brock's only notable Normal-type Pokémon.

Izumi (Geodude)

A Geodude who Brock uses for his Gym Battles as a Warm-Up Boss.

Almighty Janitor: She may have been held back due to her inability to evolve, but that doesn't stop her from being deployed for most matches up to just below Elite Challenges.
Faster Than They Look: Much to Gary's surprise in his Gym Battle against Brock, Izumi is proven to be much faster and more agile than his knowledge of the natural low speeds of Rock-types would suggest.
Ramming Always Works: Uses the common Non-Elemental move, Tackle.
Rolling Attack: Uses the move, Rollout.
Scissors Cuts Rock: Nearly beat Gary's Squirtle if it wasn't for Gary's quick thinking and out-of-the-box tactics.
Status Buff: She can use Iron Defense to sharply raise her physical durability.
Warm-Up Boss: She serves as this for challengers to test their basic knowledge of type advantages and disadvantages as well as how they'll adapt in the heat of battle.

Shrek (Mudkip—>Marshtomp—>Swampert)

A Swampert that Brock had caught as a Mudkip during his travels in Hoenn.

Determinator: Shows incredible willpower in the finale of Brock and Will’s battle by fighting Jynx to a draw despite being exhausted.
Dishing Out Dirt: It's part Ground-type.
In Spite of a Nail: Even with the major differences of this Brock from canon, he still catches a Mudkip during his time in Hoenn, though this one ends up evolving all the way to a Swampert.

Hypnotoad (Poliwag—>Poliwhirl—>Poliwrath)

A Poliwrath that Brock caught in his journey.

Bare-Fisted Monk: She's part Fighting-type.
Casting a Shadow: She adds Darkest Lariat to her move pool.
Meaningful Name: Hypnotoad got her nickname because she favors using Hypnosis at the beginning of combat.

Gawain (Scyther—>Kleavor)

A Kleavor Brock acquired as a Scyther.

Big Creepy-Crawlies: Is part Bug-type.
Meaningful Rename: He gained his nickname after attaining his evolution in Chapter 101, referencing Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

Link (Clefairy—>Clefable)

A Clefable that Brock captured at Mt. Moon as a Clefairy.

Combat Medic: He eventually masters the Healing Wish plus Rest combo that allows him to heal up an ally, then rest to recover his lost vitality.
Determinator: Clefairy declared he’d master the technique Brock planned for him in ‘’one day’’. However, his ambition overrode his caution and led to him nearly passing out from the first use of Healing Wish. This led to him getting chewed out by Brock for his recklessness and selfishly taking time away from his teammates’ training.
Finger Gun: He uses Moonblast this way, firing it from his fingers.
Hot-Blooded: He's got a fiery attitude that both impresses and worries Brock.
Meaningful Rename: He gains his nickname shortly after evolving in Chapter 159, referencing The Legend of Zelda due to his determination reminding Brock of the hero of legend.
Our Fairies Are Different: Pure Fairy-type, and Brock's first actual Pokémon of the type.
Where It All Began: He gains his evolution and nickname on Mt. Moon, the very same place where Brock caught him.

Chansey

A Chansey Brock buys to have on hand as a medic.

Dr. Jerk: Chansey might be great at healing Pokémon but her bedside manner is more than a little ornery.
Freudian Excuse: Not Chansey, but Brock wanted her on board not just for better safety standards but also because his first Onix got killed in a one-sided battle with no immediate support.

Empress (Tyranitar)

A formidable Tyranitar from Mount Silver who is also the mother of Titan and Terra.

Cast Speciation: In order to distinguish her from her son Titan she has more of a preference for special attacks.
Wave-Motion Gun: Her Hyper Beam is noted to be exceptionally powerful. It's strong enough to break apart Mewtwo's armor, and all but destroyed the protective barriers at the Ace Tournament; only her immense control over her abilities prevented it from becoming a disaster.

Guybro (Onix)

Brock's first Onix, which had sadly passed away in a battle before the story starts.

Identical Stranger: Like Jormungandr, Guybro is a different Onix that Brock caught on his own as he didn't receive the Onix that Flint would've given him on his 10th birthday in canon.
Posthumous Character: It has been dead since before the story.

Dwayne (Geodude—>Graveler—>Golem)

Brock's original Geodude, which has evolved into a Golem by the time we see him in the story. He's Sanchez's grandfather.

Dirty Old Man: His status as a breeding stud in his advanced age has given him a rather randy demeanor.
Named After Somebody Famous: After Dwayne Johnson, whose nickname is "The Rock".
Stealth Pun: He's a boulder-shaped Pokémon who Really Gets Around as a breeding stud. In other words, "papa was a rollin' stone".

Gible

A Gible that Brock rescues from the Rocket academy which had been poached as a wild Pokémon from Sinnoh.

Irony: Brock is unsure whether Gible is male or female at first, even if it has one of the most apparent gender differences with the presence or absence of a notch in its dorsal fin.
Our Dragons Are Different: Part Dragon-type, and something that Brock gloats about with Sabrina, as Lance failed to recognize a Pokémon of his own type specialization.

Major Supporting Characters

Sabrina

The Psychic Mistress of Saffron City and its Gym Leader. She's also one of Brock's closest friends and confident, and his ex-girlfriend.

Tropes related to Sabrina

All Amazons Want Hercules: She's a capable Action Girl born with Psychic Powers and what first gained her interest in Brock is him beating her in a Gym Battle and feeling the soothing silence of his Dark-Type Aura.
Almighty Janitor: Played with. She's noted to be a strong enough trainer to be in the Elite Four, but is happy as a Gym Leader, which in itself is still a prestigious position.
Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: A Raven Hair, Ivory Skin girl whose default expression is an aloof frown.
Berserk Button: Don't even think of messing with Brock and those he cares about.
Birds of a Feather: With Brock, they connect well due to their own emotionally absent parents.
Born Winner: Is born with Psychic Powers.
Clingy Jealous Girl: For Brock, as she doesn't like it when other girls/women, outside his family, befriend, flirt, or are even within his vicinity. Leading her to commit plenty of potshots at them with her Psychic Powers, but are harmless in general.
Composite Character: Sabrina's backstory and personality are a near direct lift from the anime combined with her sympathetic characterization from the core games. Also, she's Childhood Friends with Brock like her manga counterpart from The Electric Tale of Pikachu.
Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: Zig-zagged. Make no mistake, Sabrina is a beautiful girl in the Raven Hair, Ivory Skin category, and her socially awkward tendencies and close relation to Brock give her character a cute charm. But when she gets hostile or jealous of other girls who showed interest in Brock, Sabrina can dial up the creepiness factor with her stoic face.
Emotionless Girl: In her backstory. When Brock first came to her as a challenger, he described Sabrina as a small doll standing in the Gym. Nowadays, she's more of a Socially Awkward Hero.
Foil: Just as Brock's contrast with Ash Ketchum, Sabrina is one to all of Ash's female companions throughout the canon anime:
- She is already an accomplished Gym Leader at a young age in Brock's backstory, even before joining him on his Pokemon journey, while everyone else is still, or about to, starting with their chosen occupations.
- She was born with Psychic Powers, making her an outright superhuman compared to the girls' Muggle status.
- She's a stoic, Socially Awkward Hero compares to the girls being able to interact well with others.
- Her friendship with Brock later became romantic for a while before breaking things off amicably, with the sparks still lingering strong in the current time, and they get back together again. Unlike the girls' platonic bond with Ash, some of them only have slight Ship Tease moments with only Serena being an actual Love Interest only for that subplot to be pushed aside due to the franchise's focus on Pokemon battling.
Patient Childhood Love Interest: She's willing to wait to rekindle her romance with Brock once he manages to get his family situation in order.
Platonic Life-Partners: Her dynamic with Alakazam is akin to this rather than A Boy and His X.
Psychic Powers: She's Saffron City's Gym Leader and a Psychic-Type Pokemon specialist. She also possesses psychic powers herself, including telekinesis, mind-reading, teleportation, and clairvoyance.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: In general, when she's not hostile, Sabrina's a beautiful girl with light skin and long black hair.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: In addition to being the first person who she can't read their mind, and feeling the comforting silence through a physical connection, she likes Brock for his kind, caring, and dependable personality.
Socially Awkward Hero: In the current time, her usual stoic behavior and learning to socialize brings awkward moments.
Sore Loser: She didn't take her loss against Brock in their backstory well, but still had to give him the badge in a rough manner.
The Stoic: Rarely changes her neutral expressions and quiet tone.
Took a Level in Badass: Sabrina was already a powerful Gym Leader but she takes it to new heights when she successfully uses Mega Evolution in her match against Will.
Young and in Charge: She's considered the youngest Gym Leader in the Indigo League until Falkner took over his father's Gym at an even younger age.

Abra—>Kadabra—>(Mega) Alakazam

Sabrina's Ace Pokemon, whom she received as an Abra upon her becoming Gym Leader of Saffron City.

Cool Uncle: Sabrina describes him as an uncle in chapter 67, mainly for his human-like habits.
Hidden Depths: Chapter 67 reveals that aside from wanting to prove his strength against Titan, he enjoys watching late-night shows on TV and working/finishing daily crossword puzzles in the newspapers before Sabrina's parents got to them.
Interspecies Friendship: With Sabrina, to the point that their dynamic is akin to Platonic Life-Partners rather than A Boy and His X.
It Can Think: His species are known for their continual IQ growth and Alakazam is pretty much treated as an equal partner and family member for Sabrina.
Psychic Powers: He's a Psychic-Type and is capable of using many moves involving that type.
Signature Mon: He's Sabrina's Ace Pokemon and is practically Platonic Life-Partners as of recent times rather than the dynamic that most humans and Pokemon have in their relationship.
Super Mode: He debuts his Mega Evolution in Chapter 161 during Sabrina's fight against Will, turning what was a relatively even fight into a total Curb-Stomp Battle in favor of his trainer.

Girafarig—>Farigiraf

Didn't See That Coming: Due to Brock's foreknowledge only covering things up until Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Farigiraf's existence surprises him due to it debuting in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which came out afterwards. In fairness, it ends up blindsiding everyone, especially Will.
Non-Elemental: It's part Normal-type.
Secret Art: Its ability is Armor Tail, preventing priority moves from affecting it.

Lance

A former member of Indigo's Elite Four and the newly minted Indigo Champion from Blackthorn City. He's a specialist in Dragon-type Pokemon.

Tropes related to Lance

The Ace: As the newly minted Indigo Champion who specializes in Dragon-types, Lance is seen as this by everyone in Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, and his hometown, Blackthorn City.
Arrogant Kung-Fu Guy: As Brock mentions in his narration, Lance's arrogance isn't unfounded due to how dangerous it is to command Dragon-type Pokemon, and it would be a greater shock if he was level-headed. But deconstructed, however, his arrogance and still-needed training to control his Dragon-type Aura leads him to make careless comments regarding other Pokemon trainers, especially Pewter City's Gym.
Break the Haughty: His pride is taken down a peg after Brock handily beats him in an exhibition match.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Subverted. A lot of people, even himself, at least before the clan elders' scolding of him, expected his exhibition match with Brock to be a clean sweep. Then came the match and Brock busted out his own skills, preparation, rare Pokemon, and eventual victory with one Pokemon left to spare.
Defeat Equals Friendship: He develops a Vitriolic Best Buds dynamic with Brock after the latter defeated him in their exhibition match.
Dragons Are Divine: Much like the core games' lore, Dragon-type Pokémon is also revered outside of Legendaries by certain groups, and Lance's clan is one of them.
Failed a Spot Check: He fails to recognize Gible as a Dragon-type, letting Brock keep one rescued from the Rocket academy instead of keeping it for himself.
Fiery Redhead: He has red Shonen Hair and can be quite temperamental.
Ki Manipulation: He's an Aura User like Brock but of Dragon-type Aura.
Our Dragons Are Different: He's a Dragon-type specialist from a clan known for specializing in said type. Like his canon counterpart, however, it's rather downplayed given the dearth of actual Dragon-type Pokémon in the Indigo regions. In addition, he's capable of using a Dragon-type aura.
Shonen Hair: He has spiky red hair.
What's Up, King Dude?: If you prove your strength and earn Lance's respect and friendship, so would a causal air of communication. As Brock demonstrates in chapter 45, much to the Pokemon rangers' surprise.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Being a Dragon-type Pokémon specialist and Aura user of Dragon-type Aura, Lance has a deep fear of their Type weaknesses such as Ice and the yet-to-be-named Fairy.

Tropes that apply to his Pokémon in general

Dragons Are Divine: Besides Legendaries, Dragon-types are known to be inherently powerful to the point where they have very few weaknesses compared to other Pokémon-types; Dragon-type, the upfront Ice-type, and the yet-to-be-named Fairy-type Pokémon. As shown in Lance's exhibition match against Brock, his Dragon-type Pokémon wasn't easy to take down and the battle could've gone either way.
Dragon Variety Pack: Besides his three Dragonites and Kingdra, Lance's other Pokémon are dragon-themed, such as Charizard (Fire/Flying) and Gyarados (Water/Flying). He later gets Dragon-type, Salamence, from Hoenn.
Lightning Bruiser: All of them are fast fliers, have powerful attacks, and are tough to take down.
Logical Weakness: An obvious one for other Dragon-types and Ice-type Pokémon. Also for the yet-to-be-named Fairy-type Pokémon moves.
Our Dragons Are Different: Downplayed. Given the dearth of actual Dragon-type Pokémon in the Indigo regions, the only ones he currently possesses that are Dragon-type are his three Dragonites (one of them being his Starter and Signature Mon) and Kingdra (Water/Dragon). It slowly becomes played straight as he acquired a Salamence (Hoenn) by the time of chapter 46.

Dratini—>Dragonair—>Dragonite (x3)

Lance's starter Pokémon. Along with two other ones he used in his exhibition match against Brock.

Semi-Divine: His first Dragonite, and the other two Dragonites, are pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
Signature Mon: Again, his first Dragonite. He also has two other Dragonites that are still growing to his Starter Mon's level.
Starter Mon: His first Dragonite.

Magikarp—>Gyarados

Lance's Gyarados, who he uses in his exhibition match against Brock.

Blow You Away: It's also half Flying-type.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Ironically, it suffers the receiving end from Sanchez with a single Thunderpunch.
Making a Splash: It's half Water-type and knows the moves, Hydro Pump and Surf.
Sacrificial Lion: The first Pokémon that Lance loses to Brock's "Alolan" Golem, Sanchez, and a rather easy loss at that. To showcase that the exhibition match isn't going to be a "clean sweep" as everyone would believe it to be.
The Worf Effect: Its quick defeat showcases two things; how powerful Brock's Pokémon really are and the fact that the exhibition match is not entirely in Lance's favor.

Charmander—>Charmeleon—>Charizard

Lance's Charizard, who he uses in his exhibition match against Brock.

Blow You Away: It's also half Flying-type.
Determinator: It may not be a dragon, but it sure has the pride of one as it refuses to surrender after taking a heavy beating. This is something Brock compliments on and encourages Shin to deal with the knock-out blow.
Determined Defeatist: Even when it was close to fainting, it refuses to give up in a battle.
Playing with Fire: It's half Fire-type and knows the moves, Fire Blast and Fire Spin.
Worthy Opponent: According to Brock and confirmed by Lance, Charizard sees Shin as one.

Horsea—>Seadra—>Kingdra

One of Lance's well-known Pokémon, who he uses in his exhibition match against Brock.

Making a Splash: It's half Water-type and can use Hydro Pump.

Bagon—>Shelgon—>Salamence

A Salamence that Lance acquired by chapter 46, which he uses in his friendly rematch against Brock.

Sixth Ranger: It's a later addition to Lance's team of Pokémon.

Professor Oak

Professor Samuel Oak

The renowned Pokemon Professor of the Kanto.

All-Loving Hero: Reconstructed and even lampshaded by Brock. In his backstory, Oak was an Aura Guardian and war hero who manages to end the Great Offscreen War despite witnessing many atrocities through his kindness along with his great strength. In addition to that, he refuses to name himself a king, especially during a time when the original governmental structures collapsed and people turned to their own strongest locals for guidance and created the initial framework that would eventually grow into the current Indigo League and Elite Four. From then on, he would work tirelessly by traveling around the regions and befriending, inspiring, and redeeming many people before becoming the Indigo League's first Pokemon champion and retiring out of respect.
Cool Old Guy: A Nice Guy whose well in his old age.
Doting Grandparent: To his grandchildren, Daisy and Gary. But he would also make sure to teach and prepare them for the dangers of the Pokemon world.
Genius Bruiser: Who would've thought that good old, bumbling Professor Oak of being a former Pokemon champion and war hero?
Good Parents: Considering how Daisy turned out, along with Gary smoothing out his rough edges, Oak did a pretty good job.
Greater-Scope Paragon: Something that Brock lampshades about Professor Oak in the latter's backstory as a "selfless anime hero". As he managed to shape the current peaceful world as it is due to his kindness as well as his strength, especially in a time chaotic time where everyone is so ready to fight.
Heroic Willpower: It takes a man like Oak to rise from the tragedies and hardships of the Great Offscreen War and still be an All-Loving Hero and become the current grandfatherly professor we all know and love.
Hidden Depths:
- With The Reveal of Professor Oak's past as a war hero in the Great Offscreen War, his current bumbling personality makes a whole lot of sense as it might be a coping mechanism for trauma and hardships just as much Heroic Willpower. Especially when losing his child and their spouse from what might be a "car accident".
- He shows to be an avid fan of video games and is capable of playing Super Smash Bros..
Our Dragons Are Different: According to Agatha, he once raised a Dragonite and fought the clans of Blackthorn to a standstill and demonstrate the weakness of Dragon-type Pokémon.
Promotion to Parent: He ends up taking custody of Daisy and Gary after their parents' death in the "car accident".
Reasonable Authority Figure: Especially when taking into account that he created the current government known as the Indigo League and Elite Four. He's also this towards his own grandchildren by teaching them humility and the fruits of honest work as they grew up.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Develops a fear of cars after the death of his offspring and their spouse, even consoling Gary to take his time to overcome his own fears while growing up.

Minor Supporting Characters

Ash Ketchum

The Hero of the story and up-and-coming Pokémon Trainer with big dreams to become the Pokemon Master.

Tropes related to Ash

Blatant Lies: When Misty warns Ash to not try anything stupid regarding his up-and-coming Gym Battle with Brock, which he had to wait two and a half weeks, he states that he isn't... but the look in his eyes says otherwise and she knew that it's pointless to tell him otherwise.
Book Dumb: Downplayed. While Ash isn't entirely clueless regarding the basics of Pokémon battling compare to the anime, he is still a bit dense in some areas.
Bratty Half-Pint: Zig-Zagged. Considering that Ash is just starting out as a Pokémon trainer with big dreams at the age of 10, it's not surprising he'll be impatient and have the tendency to bark bigger than his bite. Yet, he also has a good heart and is shown to be altruistic at times.
The Cameo:
- Is only seen two times in the story through Gary's three-parter chapters, where Ash was about to talk to Professor Oak about receiving his starter after waking up late and being the unseen person getting accidentally splashed on by mud after Gary drove past him.
- He also appears at the end of chapter 76, battling against Forrest out of a belief that he'll be able to battle Brock if he beats him.
Childhood Friends: With Gary, although it's slightly soured, and Greta.
Comically Missing the Point: In regards to his impatience of challenging Brock in chapter 77.
Misty: "Ash we still have to make it to Pewter and there's no guarantee that we'll be able to get you in to challenge Brock before the end of the day.'
Ash: "That doesn't matter! I can wait! Or… I'll find him when—"
Misty: "That never works Ash. Have you been reading that silly comic about the ten-year-old that completed the entire circuit in a few months and then became Champion on their first circuit?"
Ash: "I have the limited edition…"
Demoted to Extra: A very big example as Brock only mentions him in his narration throughout the story, and, so far, made two non-speaking cameos in Gary's three-parter chapters and another at the end of chapter 76. Until chapter 77 that is...
Didn't Think This Through: This is lampshaded by both Misty and Brock. In his haste to earn his Boulder Badge, Ash ends up causing unnecessary conflicts with Forrest that result in Pikachu and the rest of his Pokémon getting hurt. At the same time, even if he did win the bet with Forrest, he won't be able to make Brock battle him tomorrow since Forrest doesn't have the authority to make such a promise come true, never mind that his Pokémon won't be in tip-top shape due to battling against 5 different trainers beforehand, and then Forrest.
Good Cannot Comprehend Evil: Justified. Due to Ash's young age, and relatively good upbringing compared to most characters of the Pokémon world, it's not unsurprisingly for him to have a certain white washed perception. At the same time, it's downplayed by making him rather oblivious and inexperienced when dealing with morally grey situations. A big example is The Reveal of Flint being Brock's father, as he was never able to connect the dots of his true relations^note until it was spelled out to him by Flint himself, who was a Nice Guy to him so far.
Hero of Another Story: Pretty much a given since he's reduced to a minor character in the story.
Hero-Worshipper: He displays this admiration toward Brock in chapter 78 after witnessing him take on Lance with Titan on live TV.
Hot-Blooded: Just like his early characterization, he's impatient, brash, passionate, and eager to get things done as quickly as he could.
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: When confronted by Brock in chapter 79, who (lightly) dresses him down for his actions beforehand, Ash could only sheepishly rub his hair and weakly respond that when "he put it like that, it sounds like a bad thing".
Kryptonite Is Everywhere: Unlike Gary and Greta's Starter Mons, non of Ash's current roster of Pokémon^notePikachu, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto has a type advantage against the Rock/Ground-types of the Pewter Gym, and are weak against them in turn, making it more of a challenge for him if he were to overcome his Gym Battle by defeating them.
Minor Major Character: He's reduced to a minor character in the story, but will still play a very important role in Brock's decision of whether he should join Ash or not.
Rookie Red Ranger: He's The Hero and a complete newbie who's just starting his Pokemon journey.
Selective Obliviousness: Much like in the anime, Ash incorrectly guesses Flint's true relation to Brock's family until it's spelled out in front of him. Though, to be fair, it's mainly because he can't comprehend the idea that Flint, who was a Nice Guy to him so far, would be capable of Parental Abandonment.
To Be a Master: The Trope Namer after all, and his dream is to be the Pokémon Master.
Unseen No More: After 76 chapters of him being mentioned and making a total of three cameos, he finally makes his first speaking appearance in chapter 77.
Unskilled, but Strong: He may be starting out as a Pokémon trainer, but Ash does show raw talent, cunning, and flexibility as a battler compared to how he first started out the anime.

Caterpie—>Metapod—>Butterfree

Ash's Butterfree, who he caught as a Caterpie as his second Pokémon.

Blow You Away: Knows Whirlwind.
The Paralyzer: Knows Stun Spore.
Ramming Always Works: Knows Tackle.
Psychic Powers: Knows Psybeam.

Pidgey—>Pidgeotto

Ash's Pidgeotto, who he caught as his third Pokémon.

Curb-Stomp Battle: Unlike Butterfree, who was able to beat Forrest's Geodude and hold his own for a while against Onix, Pidgeotto goes down rather easily and quickly.

Charmander—>Charmeleon

Ash's Charmeleon, who he caught after its previous trainer Damian abandoned it.

Adaptational Nice Guy: Downplayed; it appears to be a bit more willing to listen to him than in canon, likely because Ash is a more developed trainer compared his canon self at this point.

Pikachu

Ash's Pikachu

Ash's Starter Mon and current partner. And yes, being the Series Mascot, Pikachu gets his own character page.

Acrofatic: He's rather chubby-looking, especially before his eventual slim appearance, but it won't hinder his speed.
Awesomeness by Analysis: Unlike Ash (who was oblivious till it was spelled out to him) and Misty (who only figure it out by seeing a familial resemblance), Pikachu was able to tell that Flint is Brock's father early on.
Badass Adorable: He's quite a cute Pokémon and a total powerhouse.
David Versus Goliath: Considering his species' naturally small size, it's expected for Pikachu to be going up against opposing Pokémon much, much bigger than him.
Flat Joy: Gives a hesitant thumbs-up to Ash's Badass Boast regarding his confidence to beat Brock despite already having a good idea of how powerful his Pokémon is going to be.
Nice Mice: He's a Pokémon based on a mouse, and despite his rougher edges, he's a sweetie through and through.
Ramming Always Works: Knows Tackle.
Shock and Awe: He knows Thundershock and is slowly learning to use Thunderbolt correctly.
Signature Mon: He's the most iconic Pokémon out of Ash's current roster, and is frequently used in battles.
Spotting the Thread: Compare to his trainer and their female companion, he was able to figure out Flint's true relations first.
Starter Mon: Like the anime, he's Ash's first Pokémon.

Misty

The youngest of the Sensational Sisters. She has the ambition to take over her family's Gym and dreams of becoming the Water-type Pokémon Master.

Action Girl: She's an up-and-coming Gym Leader and is capable of battling.
Adaptational Badass: She manages to talk down the giant Tentacruel attacking Porta Vista by herself, with her Water Aura implied to be how she does it.
Ambiguous Situation: The cause of her parents' absence is unknown, but whatever it was, similar to Daisy, Misty can't bring herself to think about it.
The Baby of the Bunch: Misty is the youngest sibling of her three older sisters. Ironically, she's the only one who actually wants to run the Cerulean Gym.
A Day in the Limelight: She's the viewpoint character of Chapters 128 and 129, where she takes center stage for the events at Porta Vista.
Demoted to Extra: More than Ash, as she was only mentioned by her oldest sister Daisy in chapter 31. Then she becomes the main viewpoint character in chapter 77.
Dramatic Irony: In the anime, Misty leaves on her journey after a fight with her older sisters regarding their responsibilities in Cerulean Gym. Here, she left after finding out that her sisters were intentionally keeping her in the dark regarding the audit and the very high chance of Cerulean Gym being shut down.
Everyone Has Standards: Despite her less-than-stellar relationship with her older sisters, especially after finding out about the audit, even she is worried about how they'll handle the current trainer surge.
Fiery Redhead: Her hair color is red/orange, and has quite the temper that comes with it.
Hair-Trigger Temper: Like the anime, Misty still has quite a short fuse and can lose her patience easily with Ash's antics. This is also justified given her older sisters' antics when Brock witnesses their dynamic in chapter 54.
Inadequate Inheritor: Played with. Compared to her older sisters, who are more interested in contest performing and have been lax in their responsibilities, Misty actually wants to take up the position of Cerulean City's Gym Leader, along with a "temperament" that would be fitting for it. But due to Cerulean Gym's current disparity as a result of her sisters' actions, her young age, battle inexperience, and the fact she has yet to go on her Pokemon journey, Misty isn't qualified and would be in a very tough spot if her sisters were to simply give her the position, which they're trying to avoid.
Locked Out of the Loop:
- Implied and later confirmed in chapter 77. Her sisters were intentionally keeping her in the dark regarding Cerulean Gym's audit by trying to push for her to go on her Pokemon journey. When she found out about it, Misty really didn't take it well, and left the Gym after a fight.
- At the same time, it's inverted as she's making a great effort to prevent others from finding out her true relations to her older sisters for the time being. As seen with Brock's case, she greatly appreciated him being a Secret-Keeper.
Making a Splash: She's a Water-Type Pokémon specialist and intends to run the Cerulean Gym.
Shared Family Quirks: As Brock later finds out in chapter 54, Misty's temper isn't unique to her as one of her three older sisters, Violet, loses it upon the other two intentionally revealing to everyone in the meeting of her "putting out" on the second date with their auditor.
Spotting the Thread:
- While she was initially just as oblivious as Ash was to Flint's true relations to Brock, although she does briefly think about Pikachu's "signs", she was able to instantly piece it together upon seeing him and Forrest's Strong Family Resemblance.
- Later on, she can tell that Flint is suffering from some sort of trauma given the way he trembles throughout Ash and Forrest's Pokémon battle.
To Be a Master: Her dream is to run her family's Gym and be the Pokémon Master of Water-Types.
Unseen No More: After 76 chapters and a cameo, she finally makes her first speaking appearance in chapter 77.

Squirtle

Originally a member of the Squirtle Squad. He joins Misty as her Pokémon after the fic's version of EP012 as per the advice of Forrest.

Making a Splash: He's a pure Water-type Pokémon capable of using Water-type moves.
Team Member in the Adaptation: He joins Misty's team of Pokémon compared to the canon anime.

Gary Oak

The grandson of Professor Oak and Daisy Oak's younger brother. He dreams of living up to his family's legacy and serves as Ash Ketchum's rival.

Tropes related to Gary

Always Someone Better: He's clearly one for Ash, due to being well-prepared beforehand and having a car to ride on to get to places faster.
Annoying Younger Sibling: Downplayed to Daisy, as he merely bickers with her over trivial things.
Ascended Extra: Downplayed. Compare to Ash Ketchum, who has yet to make a speaking on-screen appearance, Gary is given more scenes to showcase his character and relationships with his family and later gets a three-chapter focus on his own Pokemon journey, unlike the anime where he rarely made any on-screen appearances and is mentioned many times by other characters.
Badass Bookworm: He's Book Smart about Pokemon and is proven to be quite a competent battler despite his newbie status.
Brainy Brunette: He has brown hair and is Book Smart.
Break the Haughty: He gets this quite early in his Pokemon journey, allowing Fiona to teach him A Lesson in Defeat of how Mistakes Are Not the End of the World and encourages him to Dare to Be Badass and even stand up to the Pokemon Trainer that defeated him due to the latter being The Bully.
Confusion Fu:
- One tactic that Gary and Squirtle came up with is using Bubble to fill up the area to limit an opposing Pokemon's mobility.
- He also taught Squirtle to attack in the direction of a clock face aiming system in case the latter's sight is blinded.
Cool Car: He rides throughout Kanto in a convertible.
A Day in the Limelight:
- Chapters 59, 60, and 61 focus on Gary as the primary viewpoint character, whereas the narration goes back to Brock in the final chapter of the three-parter.
- He gets this again in chapter 86, where he befriends Mia along with obtaining two more badges.
Didn't See That Coming: Downplayed. While Gary does know beforehand that beating Brock in the Pewter Gym wouldn't be easy, he is still blindsided by how fast and agile Izumi (Geodude) was capable of despite Rock-types being well-known for having low-Speed, forcing him to adapt less he loses the type advantage that Squirtle would bring.
Early-Bird Cameo: He makes his first physical and speaking appearance in chapter 11 as an unnamed person flipping through the channels before his sister takes the remote and calls him by his name.
Everyone Has Standards: He may be an arrogant braggart at his worst, but he won't tolerate people "preying on the weak", especially if they're a Dirty Coward or lazy Pokemon Trainers who believe they'll just cruise on by with bribes and "strong Pokemon". Just ask Carl Crusher, and beforehand, Damian.
Friend to All Children: At least two younger girls were impressed by his heroics and strength, and beforehand, babysitting was one of the jobs he has done in Pallet Town while growing up.
Hero-Worshipper:
- Of his deceased parents and still living grandfather, to the point where he wants to live up to their legacy as he starts his Pokémon journey.
- He also develops one for Brock after witnessing the latter's victory in the exhibition match against Lance, especially his showcase of how strong Rock-type Pokémon can be, along with showcasing his rarer ones, as this fuels his other goal of interest in discovering new Pokémon.
Hidden Depths:
- Arrogant he may be, but it's pretty much a brave face to prevent himself from succumbing to the pressure of living up to his family's legacy.
- He has a deep fear of cars due to the death of his parents dying in a "car accident". But is slowly overcoming it.
- He's A Hero to His Hometown not only for his relation to Professor Oak but due to being acquainted with everyone in Pallet town as his grandfather made him work to earn his allowance.
Honor Before Reason: While the possibility of winning the Gauntlet challenge is still there if his Squirtle faints against Onix, Gary has no intention to go that route as he wants to truly crush the Gym challenge instead of barely winning.
Humble Pie: Gets his first slice after suffering his first Pokémon battle loss in chapter 59. This moment, combined with Fiona's guidance, works wonders for him to continue improving and eventually win his first Gym Badge.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Downplayed on the "jerk" part as he's more of an arrogant braggart, but Gary does legitimately loves his family and friends with the goal to live up to his family's legacy, care for his Pokemon's well-being, and re-challenge the Jerkass Pokémon Trainer to prevent him from bullying others by forcing weaker trainers into unfair battles.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Gary's no villain, but his taunting messages for Ash give the latter and Misty the right directions to get out of Viridian Forest and to Pewter City.
The Nicknamer: Refers to Ash as "Ashy Boy" and Greta as "Green".
The Promise: He makes one with Brock at the end of his three-parter; regarding the obtainment of one of his Ancient Fossil Pokémon through payment if he consecutively wins 4 more Gym Badges through the Gauntlet challenges and comes back to re-challenge him in the Elite Challenge for the Bejeweled Boulder Badge.
Raised by Grandparents: He and Daisy were taken into their grandfather's custody after a "car accident" that claimed their parents' lives.
Sore Loser: As seen in his loss against a Jerkass Pokémon Trainer in chapter 59, and in general, it's pretty much a given due to his Pride and goal to live up to his family's legacy. Luckily, Fiona was there to give A Lesson in Defeat and encouraged him to stand up to the adversary due to him being The Bully.
Skilled, but Naive: He's much more skilled at Pokémon battling than Ash and Greta despite being a newbie trainer, but his young age leaves him clueless about social cues.
Troll: Like in the anime, Gary would leave taunting words by marking trees or rocks for Ash to find to show how far ahead he is than him. Ironically, they're what allow Ash and Misty to get out of Viridian Forest after being lost.
Truer to the Text: Gary's nicer and respectable personality (to an extent) and lack of scenes where he directly antagonizes Ash ironically make him closer to his original Japanese depiction, whereas the English Dub gives him meaner lines; ironically make him closer to his game counterpart, Blue Oak.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: He has a fear of riding in cars and even just being in the presence of one due to his parents' death, and he's not the only one in his family to have this fear. However, he slowly starts to overcome this on his Pokémon journey.
Worthy Opponent: Comes to respect Mia during a battle between their Rattata.

Squirtle

Gary's starter Pokémon.

Making a Splash: He's a pure Water-type Pokémon and his current known Water-type moves are Bubble and Withdraw.
Man of Kryptonite: Zig-Zagged. Being a Water-type Pokémon, Squirtle is ideal against the Pokémon used in Pewter City's Gym^note. That being said, Squirtle's only Water-Type move that would inflict damage is Bubble, along with Brock training his Rock-types to deal against Type disadvantages, and as shown in their match, Gary was in a rude awakening of having his Squirtle being pushed to the brink by Izumi (Geodude) and if he lost Squirtle against Onix, it'll put him at a disadvantage.
Starter Mon: One of the three elemental starters in Kanto.
Status Buff: Knows Withdraw.

Daisy Oak

The granddaughter of Professor Oak and Gary's older sister. She's a retired Pokemon Trainer and currently working as a lab intern for her grandfather.

Adapted Out: Inverted as she never existed in the anime compared to the core games, but does so in the manga adaptation of the anime, The Electric Tale of Pikachu, with a different name (May).
All Women Are Lustful: Spends nearly the entire visit of Pewter City Gym with Brock by flirting with him and is not subtle about the more "mature" attraction she has towards him.
Big Brother Instinct: She was nearly tempted to pluck Gary away from his convertible due to their shared fear of cars.
Brainy Brunette: Has brown hair and works as a lab intern.
Cool Big Sis: Despite bickering with each other, it's clear that Gary looks up to her and wants to make her proud of him as he starts his Pokemon journey.
Friend to All Living Things: Like the games, she can make people and Pokemon feel at ease due to her nice personality. She even lampshades this after getting Don to be friendly with her in their first meeting, much to Brock's surprise.
Nice Girl: Compared to her little brother, she's very polite and cheerful. However, it's clear that her influence on Gary is best seen during his A Day In The Lime Light three-parter.
One-Steve Limit: Averted as another character named Daisy is in the story, and that is Misty's oldest sister.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Downplayed.
- Gary is a Jerk with a Heart of Gold with a slight obsession with being manly while Daisy is a Nice Girl with a thorough feminine streak.
- As of chapter 59, Gary is now on his Pokemon journey, meaning that he'll be traveling throughout Kanto a lot and is on track to succeed in his goals, to his own detriment if it weren't for Fiona's guidance. While Daisy is a cozy homebody who keeps a reliable schedule and sometimes accompanies her grandfather.
Trademark Favorite Food: Like the games, Daisy enjoys drinking tea.
Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Like Gary, she also has a deep fear of cars after their parents' death.
Women Prefer Strong Men: She shows an attraction towards guys who are capable Pokemon battlers, and Brock is on that list.

Greta Evergreen

Greta "Green" Evergreen

A newbie Pokémon trainer from Pallet Town, sponsored by Professor Oak.

Tropes related to Greta

Book Smart: According to her profile, she had high test scores. But deconstructed as unlike Gary, she has difficulty trying to apply her academic knowledge to Pokémon battling.
Bookworm: Although she's not seen reading, Greta is more focused on gaining knowledge of Pokémon than battling with them.
Composite Character: She's an Original Character who takes the role of the unknown Pallet Town trainer from the anime. Also, she is a stand-in for Leaf/Green of the core games, much like how Ash and Gary were anime stand-ins for Red and Blue Oak respectively.
Constantly Curious: Despite her high academic marks, she's often curious about Pokémon and the various mechanics of battling in general and asks a lot of questions during her debut chapter.
Early-Bird Cameo: She was mentioned as the unnamed girl who made an appearance in chapter 59 searching through tall grass, and had her name dropped 2 chapters later, before her official debut in chapter 81 of the story.
Graceful Loser: Compared to most trainers who are Sore Losers or expect to earn the Boulder Badge after a certain form of forfeit, Greta took the incident in stride (also helping that Brock is willing to reimburse her funds fully and won't put this on her battle record) and focus more on learning from her losses and Pokémon in general.
Hey, You!: She's usually referred to as "Green" by Ash and Gary, who for some weird and annoying reason can't remember her actual name.
I Choose to Stay: Downplayed. Instead of going on a fast-track on her journey like Ash and Gary, Greta chooses to stay at Pewter Gym as a sponsored trainer and follow her own pace.
Mythology Gag: Ash and Gary's inability to remember her name properly is a nod to the Lady Not-Appearing-in-This-Game from the Pokémon Red and Blue promotional art that would later serve as the basis for Leaf and Green's character and Leaf's Schrödinger's Player Character status.
Nervous Wreck: Downplayed as she's more unsure of the aspects of being a Pokémon trainer in her debut.
Nice Girl: Compared to Ash and Gary, she's relatively nicer than them.
Non-Action Guy: Zig-Zagged. Compared to Ash and Gary, Greta is rarely seen battling and her skills as a battler are "so-so", and she tends to be more focused on the academic aspects of Pokémon. That being said, she's not averse to improving her skills and is taking a more slow approach than most trainers.
Original Character: Played with. She has characteristics of Leaf/Green from the core games but is overall a new character to the fic.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Of Leaf/Green from the core games. Specifically, she is a female trainer, wears a bucket hat, has a connection to Ash and Gary (who are both anime stand-ins for Red and Blue of the core games), and is even called "Green" by them since they can't seem to remember her actual name.

Bulbasaur

Greta's starter Pokémon.

Composite Character: He's an Original Character who takes the role of the unseen Kanto Starter Bulbasaur of the anime.
Death Glare: He gives this to Brock regarding his loyalty to Greta, and keeps this up in regards to him not making an exception for Greta's Boulder Badge.
Everyone Has Standards: He may be willing to run the other way if the opposing Pokémon is too strong, but he won't endanger Greta in the process.
Green Thumb: Is a Grass-type Pokémon.
Man of Kryptonite: Zig-Zagged. Like with Gary's Squirtle, Bulbasaur (Grass-type) is ideal against the Pokémon used by the Pewter Gym (Rock/Ground-type) and doubly so in the Cerulean Gym (Water-type) if Greta is going through the traditional route. But as shown when about to go up against the stronger Onix that was accidentally used by Brock, he can get quite intimidated and would run the other way.
Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: When seeing how strong the Onix that Brock was using (accidentally) at first glance, he ran out of the battlefield.
Starter Mon: One of the three Kanto starters.
Undying Loyalty: He may have his moments of knowing when to run from danger, but when the chips are down, he will not abandon his trainer to her doom.

Brock's Family

Brock's siblings

Forrest, Yolanda, Salvadore, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy, and Tilly

Brock's Massive Numbered Siblings, are all under his care after their parents left the family.

Tropes that apply to them in general

Age Lift: In the canon anime series, Salvadore and Yolanda are the third and fourth youngest siblings respectively due to the Theme Naming in their Japanese names. Here, their age positions are reversed.
Extra-ore-dinary: It's hinted that Forrest might be specializing in Steel-type Pokemon, especially after Steven gives him a Beldum.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Forrest and Yolanda have this dynamic. Part of the story revolves around Brock realizing that Forrest isn't interested in becoming his future successor as Gym Leader, as well as realizing that Yolanda does, with the Larvitar egg serving as the key to this realization. Later deconstructed when it's revealed that the reason they act this way is because of unresolved issues regarding Flint on Forrest's part, as well as Brock assuming that Forrest would be his heir without actually asking him what he wanted, while Yolanda is the responsible sibling in part because she's interested in becoming Brock's heir.
Role Swap AU: In the fic, Forrest takes up Brock's original anime role of joining Ash on his journey To Be a Master whereas Brock stays behind to manage the Pewter Gym.

Flint

The estranged father of Brock and his siblings and Pewter City's Gym Leader preceding Brock.

Alcoholic Parent: He was this in Brock's backstory, as the latter mentions seeing plenty of bottles of booze lying around when coming back home.
Child Soldier: Implied to have been this during the Great Offscreen War.
Freudian Excuse: As seen in his POV, Flint is a saddle mess of a man with a lot of mental baggage.
Hidden Depths: For all of his issues, he's a really good geologist, doing surveys of the land and encountering materials such as evolution stones and Black Augurite in his efforts.
Mistaken for Servant: Downplayed. Steven assumes he's the gardener (since Flint was gardening at the time) but quickly corrects himself, realizing he's talking to the former Gym Leader.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: He once fought in the Great Offscreen War as a reserve soldier and is still dealing with untreated PTSD that affects his familial relationships and duties as Gym Leader.
The Watcher: He watched his family from afar while living on the outskirts of Pewter City, until he and Brock slowly begin to patch up their relationship.

Lola

The estranged mother of Brock and his siblings and the wife of Flint. She's currently off somewhere in the world after running away from her family.

Cloudcuckoolander: Lola is a deconstructed example, as the fic shows just what kind of circumstances someone can go through in order to make her dissociate from reality.
Dark and Troubled Past: She served as part of the special forces in the Great Offscreen War, and due to her family turning traitor against Kanto she was forced to deal with them.
The Dreaded: Team Aqua speaks of her in hushed tones given her actions during and after the war.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Her dark past may explain her actions, yet Brock doesn't consider it enough for him to forgive her.
Making a Splash: She specializes in Water-type Pokémon.
Missing Mom: Is currently god-knows-where in the Pokemon world after leaving the family, but not before giving birth to her last set of twins.
Shell-Shocked Veteran: To an even greater degree than Flint, given that she's implied to be some form of special forces. It's to the point where she's turned into a full-on Cloudcuckoolander.

Pewter City's Gym

Employees/Affiliates

Rocko

One of Brock's Gym trainers. A rather laid-back man.

Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He may be a slacker, but he's one of the few trainers Brock trusts to help run the Gym. He’s also an incredibly skilled gamer when he’s high.

Lawrence Wright

Brock’s lawyer. A friendly guy who helps Brock navigate legal issues.

Badass Bureaucrat: His knowledge of law proves invaluable to the Pewter Gym, saving them from more than a few problems.
Face of a Thug: Despite having a mohawk for his hairstyle, Lawrence is a good hearted man who works hard to help Brock with any legal situations.

Daniel

Curb-Stomp Battle: Brock lays him out flat with one kick. Through a door.
Double Agent: He's not just an agent for Team Rocket, but he's also a Team Magma agent who infiltrated Team Rocket on their behalf.
Sacrificial Lion: While he isn’t dead, his capture led to a Psychic interrogation that cost Team Rocket considerable resources.
Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: He turns out to be The Mole for Team Rocket within Pewter Gym.

A.J.

A young trainer who was recommended by Agatha to Brock due to his potential.

Dishing Out Dirt: His ace is a Sandshrew, just like canon.
The Gift: AJ’s Sandshrew is gifted enough to use Fissure with relative ease. AJ noticed this and worked hard to improve upon it.
Jerk With A Heartof Gold: AJ is pretty rough around the edges and fairly arrogant but genuinely respects Brock and wishes to do right by his Pokémon. Even all his harsh training is out of a desire to help them reach their full potential.
Training from Hell: Like canon, AJ pushes his Pokémon incredibly hard for results. However, his training methods alone could only take him so far and left him unsure of what to do until meeting Brock. Brock also discouraged him from using a whip due to the negative connotations involved.

Temporary Members

Janine

Koga's daughter and the future successor to the Fuschia City Gym. She becomes Brock's apprentice as part of her preparation to take on that role.

But Now I Must Go: She leaves the Pewter Gym after her apprenticeship is up in chapter 73, but not before getting one final battle and send-off.
Culture Clash: She's quite surprised at how different Pewter Gym functions culturally compared to her father's Gym while apprenticing under Brock. Though she slowly adapts to it.
Daddy's Girl: She's close to her father, especially after her mother's death.
Hidden Depths: This young ninja has a thing for building standards, as shown during the attack on Silph.
Missing Mom: Her mother died sometime before her first appearance in the story.
Poisonous Person: Her father is Koga after all, and she's set to succeed him.
Skewed Priorities: Greatly Downplayed. Janine has a fit when she realizes Silph Co violated some building codes during Team Rocket’s attack on the business but stays focused on the mission. She does take note of everything wrong and sends it to the authorities to land the Silph Co president in deep trouble.
Socially Awkward Hero: She's just as bad as Sabrina in her attempts to socialize due to her ninja upbringing.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Played for Laughs. She tries to sneak up on Brock every now and then, but fails and gets found out easily.

Celia Shardness

A Pokemon Trainer sponsored by the Pewter Cym and a personal student of Brock.

Original Character: She's a completely original character in the story.

Mia

Mirror Match: Battles Gary’s Rattata using Silly Mouse.
The Nicknamer: Names her Rattata Silly Mouse.
Shock and Awe: Taught Silly Mouse Thunder.

Pewter City's Residents

Mayor Jonathan

The mayor of Pewter City, who proves to be a stumbling block for Brock's plans in the city and beyond.

Ambition Is Evil: His ambition towards a higher position (namely presiding over the Pokemon League) leads him to antagonize Brock, to the point of teaming up with Will in a plan meant to frame Forrest for an issue they could blackmail Brock with.
Hoist by His Own Petard: After willingly sponsoring Will, his reputation crumbles after the controversial match between Will and Brock.
Obstructive Bureaucrat: As part of the civilian government, he often butts heads with Brock regarding their differing visions for Pewter City.

Trixie

Amazonian Beauty: Described as incredibly well built and no less pretty for it.
Badass Normal: Calling this woman strong is an Understatement. She managed to easily pass Brock during a 10 lap run multiple times and can go full blast working out for two hours and not be winded. Brock refuses to believe she wasn’t capable of Aura.
Passionate Sports Girl: She lives for physical fitness and occasionally serves as a personal trainer for Pewter Gym’s staff.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Subverted when Trixie wore a dress which didn’t seem very flattering. Although Brock believed it could happen if she wore a suit instead.

Indigo League Gym Leaders

Kanto

The Sensational Sisters

Daisy, Violet, and Lily

The Gym Leaders of Cerulean City. A trio of sisters who are well-known for their performing arts, but are poor battlers. They're also the older sisters of Misty.

All of the Other Reindeer: Not them, mind you, but their lax responsibilities as Gym Leaders lead Cerulean Gym to have a reputation of being regarded as the "weakest" out of all the 8 major Kanto Gyms, especially after Brock's exhibition match with Lance proved Pewter Gym's worth. It's bad enough to the point that even the minor Kanto Gyms are more challenging for up-and-coming trainers in comparison.
Ambiguous Situation: The cause of their parents' absence is unknown, but whatever it was, Daisy clearly can't form the words well to show how much it affected her and her sisters.
Big Brother Instinct: It's implied and confirmed in chapter 77. They're keeping Misty in the dark about the audit, and want her to go on her Pokemon journey to gain more experience than simply handing the Gym Leader position to her due to its current disparity. Safe to say, the fact that Misty didn't "take it well" upon finding out is an understatement.
Curb Stomp Cushion: Daisy was handily defeated by Will but managed to knock out his Exeggutor and successfully used Encore to lock one of his Pokémon into Rest.
Disappointing Older Sibling: It says a lot that even Misty couldn't muster the word, "love", in her thoughts about them.
Favors for the Sexy: They managed to pass the audit... because Violet agreed to go on a date with the auditor. Luckily for Violet, he was a Nice Guy.
Making a Splash: Being Cerulean City's Gym Leaders, they specialize in using Water-Type Pokemon. Mainly for performances and contests than in battles.
The Peter Principle: They're more interested, talented, and well-known in Pokemon Contest Performances. But being Gym Leaders, let alone battlers, their capabilities are something to be of desire.
Plucky Girl: Daisy proved to be this when facing Will. Lt. Surge said the girl had heart.
Shoo the Dog: They're pushing Misty to go off on her Pokemon journey instead of running the Gym as it's currently in disparity. It went... too well to say the least.
Single Woman Seeks Good Man: They start to gain an attraction toward Brock for his attempt to help out the Cerulean Gym by offering his Tide (Lapras) and his Pokemon's offspring.
Took a Level in Badass: They're slowly, but surely shaping up their battling skills.
Water Is Womanly: They're known for their physical beauty and amazing aquatic performances. Along with shaping up as Gym Leader who specializes in Water-type Pokemon.

Lieutenant Surge

The Thunderbolt of Vermillion City and its Gym Leader. He's one of Brock's closest friends.

Already Done for You: He arrives late to the events of Porta Vista after Misty stops the Tentacruel attack, relegating his duties to cleanup and debriefing.
Brutal Honesty: Tends to speak his mind a lot.
Elemental Hair Colors: He has spiky blond hair, fitting for an Electric-Type Pokemon specialist.
Elemental Personalities: He's Vermillion City's Gym Leader who specializes in Electric-Type Pokemon and is a brash and vivacious war veteran.
Everyone Has Standards: He may be a jerk at times and often encourages Brock to "sleep" with women as a form of coping mechanism, not even he's willing to excuse Brock's parents, especially Flint, for abandoning their kids.
Face–Heel Turn: He chooses to side with Team Rocket during their climactic confrontation with the Pokémon League.
Friend-or-Idol Decision: He's forced to choose between his friendship with Brock and the life debt he owes to Giovanni when the Pokémon League attacks Team Rocket head-on. Unfortunately for Brock, Surge chooses to side with Giovanni, breaking Brock's trust in him hard.
Hidden Depths:
- He was the first one to reach out to Brock in his backstory upon learning about the latter's takeover of Pewter Gym and teach him the ropes, despite not asking for help first.
- Befitting for a man who once fought in a war, his loud and arrogant personality is implied to also serve as a coping mechanism.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's brash, arrogant, loud, and is a very tough Gym Leader to overcome for more timid Pokemon Trainers. But he's also a Reasonable Authority Figure and supportive mentor to those he cares about and respect, such as Brock and his family. It's more pronounced when taking into account that Surge has possible PTSD from the Great Offscreen War.
The Mentor: He serves as this for Brock in the latter's backstory upon taking over the Pewter Gym.
Mythology Gag: Surge's alliance with Team Rocket is a nod to his membership in said team in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Surge was exhausted and despondent after getting defeated by Will. He even claimed he was far past his prime, a far cry from his usually brash confidence.
Shock and Awe: He's Vermillion City's Gym Leader and an Electric-Type Pokemon specialist.
Retired Badass: He was once a soldier who fought in the Great Offscreen War, but now serves as a Gym Leader.
Tranquil Fury: After being insulted by Gavin Glady during a TV analysis of Brock and Will’s match, he becomes deathly calm and promises to raise hell for Will’s challenge.
Undying Loyalty: To Brock as he supported the latter throughout his career as a Gym Leader and is vocal about his support during the exhibition match.

Erika

The Gym Leader of Celadon City. She was also one of Brock's acquaintances before getting more involved in his circle of friends.

Caring Gardener: Practices ikebana (floristry) when off-duty.
Disappeared Dad: Her father died sometime before the beginning of the story, along with her mother not taking his passing well.
Everyone Hates Mathematics: She's not good with handling the financial aspects of her Gym, even taking rapid notes upon hearing Sabrina's explanations regarding finances. In fact, she made a miscalculation in her taxes, which unnecessarily forced her to pay more than what she had to owe to pass her audit.
Feminine Women Can Cook: She's far more of a traditional ideal woman than Sabrina, and makes a mean bento that Brock praises in his narration.
Green Thumb: She's Celadon City's Gym Leader and a Grass-Type Pokemon specialist.
Kimono Is Traditional: So far, she's always described as wearing a Kimono.
Mistaken for Romance: Her close proximity to Brock as they hang out before his exhibition match with Lance tends to invoke romantic cues from onlookers and the latter himself, much to her embarrassment when he gently let her down.
Nice Girl: Is shown to be a very kind girl who not only loves gardening but to show her support for Brock's upcoming exhibition match against Lance.
Silk Hiding Steel: For all that Erika is known for her cultured and feminine demeanor, she managed to defeat four of Will’s Pokémon in their Ace Match.
The Social Expert: She's noted to be the most social of Brock's friends, networking all across Indigo and showing she's stronger than she looks.
Truer to the Text: Unlike her first appearance in the anime, till re-appearing in her modern game design in Journeys, she resembles her Yamato Nadeshiko depiction from the games.
Yamato Nadeshiko: She invokes this image; wearing a kimono and practicing ikebana (floristry).

Koga

The Gym Leader of Fuschia City and a Ninja Grandmaster. He's set to become one of Kanto's Elite Four and is a member of the Aura Guardians. He's also the father of Janine.

Action Dad: He's a powerful Gym Leader, Ninja Grandmaster, Elite Four candidate, and Aura Guardian who's also a father.
Adapted Out: His younger sister, Aya, from the anime, is nowhere to be seen.
Bodyguard Crush: A variation. According to Janine, her mother was a retainer in Koga's service. Given the nature of Koga's occupation, it's likely she was also a ninja.
Confusion Fu: As Brock can attest, Koga will battle in a ruthless manner that would force up-and-coming Pokemon Trainers to set aside weeks, even months, to better their skills. That's also not getting into the fact that Fuschia Gym would present an extremely accurate profile of the challenger before they attempt their Gym Battle, showcasing Koga's use of psychological warfare. Even Erika had trouble against Koga's battle style in the past, as she mentions him using plenty of Poison-type attacks along with Status Buff confusion moves.
Cool Old Guy: He's middle-aged and a very Reasonable Authority Figure despite the morally ambiguous nature of his occupation.
Heroic Sacrifice: His old Weezing used a full powered Self Destruct to help him and Agatha escape a battle with Mewtwo.
Highly-Visible Ninja: This doesn't stop him from being a grandmaster of ninjutsu and a dangerous opponent to face.
Not So Stoic: Once in a while, his facade will give way. Not even a master ninja can resist some good jokes much to Janine’s shock.
Old Master: Is old enough to father a teenage daughter, has fought in the Great Offscreen War 25 years prior, and is a grandmaster ninja whose also an Aura Guardian.
Poison Is Evil: Inverted. He's a Poison-Type Pokemon specialist but is one of the Greater-Scope Paragons.
Poisonous Person: He's Fuschia City's Gym Leader and a Poison-Type Pokemon specialist. Being a ninja, he's also well-versed in knowledge of medicine.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Being a ninja, he's capable of disappearing and re-appearing in a blink of an eye.

Blaine

The Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island and Giovanni's ally among the Gym Leaders of Kanto. He's also a Pokemon Professor whose reputation equates to Oak and a former Elite Four member of the Indigo League.

Adaptational Villainy: Hell yes. Not only is he a willing member of Team Rocket like in the manga, he intentionally created the Burned Tower in this universe. See Been There, Shaped History below.
Bald of Evil: He's bald and is connected to Team Rocket from his collaboration with Giovanni.
Been There, Shaped History: It's stated that Ecruteak City's Burned Tower was his doing, and is implied to be a war crime so horrific that the official story of lightning striking the tower was adopted as a cover-up.
Evil Genius: Blaine has considerable scientific knowledge particularly regarding genetics. And he’s thrown in his lot with Giovanni.
Karma Houdini: Unlike Giovanni, he manages to escape the League's clutches, and meets up with Madame Bossue and The Remnant of Team Rocket to continue his plans.
Playing with Fire: He specializes in Fire-type Pokemon as the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island.

Giovanni

The Gym Leader of Viridian City and the top boss of Team Rocket.

Abusive Parents: Madame Bossue proved to be a psychological version as she cultivated multiple triggers within him to keep him from killing her.
Adaptational Badass: Downplayed. It takes a crew of several elite trainers from the Indigo Elite Four and Gym Leaders to bring him down, as opposed to getting defeated by a young trainer like in the games. However, while he manages to retreat gracefully in the games after said defeat, the Indigo League makes sure to take him into custody.
The Chessmaster: Giovanni prefers to play the long game regarding profits. Operation Burning Mountain being one prime example.
Dishing Out Dirt: As the Leader of Viridian City's Gym, he specializes in Ground-types.
Karma Houdini Warranty: He finally gets arrested by the Pokémon League after a protracted battle.
Not So Stoic: Has a notable reaction when he learned about the Team Rocket Raids.
- A more humorous one had him nearly choke on his drink when Brock mistook Madame Bossue for his date.
- Giovanni rages after the failed attack on Silph Co to secure the Master Ball.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: After being captured, he attempts to justify Team Rocket's existence by pointing out the existence of threats from other regions like Teams Aqua, Magma and Galactic. Agatha rebuts him by pointing out that Team Rocket's status as a criminal organization only served to weaken Indigo from within, not strengthen it against said threats.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Giovanni prefers to refine plans before executing them. His sudden attack on Silph Co was incredibly brash and had a high chance for things going wrong. The possibility of acquiring the Master Ball thanks to a recently fired technician was enough incentive to take the risk.
You Owe Me: He calls in Surge's life debt to him, incurred during the Great Offscreen War, to help him deal with the Pokémon League's attack on Team Rocket.

Johto

Falkner

Curb-Stomp Battle: Suffers an extremely one-sided defeat at the hands of Karen.

Indigo League Elite Four

Current Members

Lorelei

A member of the Indigo Elite Four who specializes in Ice-types.

An Ice Person: She specializes in Ice-type Pokemon, which causes some friction between her and Lance. Unlike Pryce, however, she's generally warm and personable.
Related in the Adaptation: She's Pryce's granddaughter in this fic.
This Looks Like a Job for Aquaman: Despite being The Unfavorite of Lance's Elite Four, she still proves instrumental in the battle against Giovanni due to her Ice type being very effective against the latter's Ground type.
The Unfavorite: She's the least favored of the current Elite Four, in part likely because of the rivalry between her chosen type and Lance's. There are rumors that he would like to replace her with someone else.

Bruno

A member of the Indigo Elite Four who specializes in Fighting-types.

Challenge Seeker: He’s always eager to find and battle strong opponents no matter the situation. This can make him frustrating to deal with when he’s on an important mission, putting his interests before the mission.
Leeroy Jenkins: Has a tendency to rush into a battle or situation head first with little to no strategy or subtlety.

Agatha

A member of the Indigo League Elite Four and one of the senior members of the Guardians.

Good Is Not Nice: Her Establishing Character Moment involves recruiting Brock to the Guardians by trashing the house of one of the Guardians' possible enemies.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Ornery old lady she may be, but she genuinely cares for the people she works with.
Never Mess with Granny: She's one of the most powerful trainers in Indigo and is one of the Guardians' elite.
The Worf Effect: Mewtwo debuts in the fic by effortlessly defeating her and putting her out of commission for a while.

Former Members

Bruce

A member of Johto's Blackthorn Clan, former Elite Four member, and the reigning #1 trainer on the Ace circuit.

The Ace: Played with. He's at the top of the Ace circuit, but between Lance becoming League champion and Clair taking over the Blackthorn Gym, he's pretty much got nowhere else to go to beyond that.
Canon Foreigner: He's one of the few characters created expressly for the fic rather than being taken from one of the various continuities of the Pokémon franchise.
Dragon Tamer: As a member of the Blackthorn Clan he specializes in Dragon-type Pokémon.

Pryce

The former champion of Indigo before he stepped down and let Lance ascend to the position. He's now the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town.

An Ice Person: A specialist in Ice-types, and is as cold as his anime self.
Jerkass: Like in canon, he's a rather prickly man due to his starter Piloswine running away.
Related in the Adaptation: He's Lorelei's grandfather in this fic.
Took a Level in Kindness: He starts to defrost after Brock's advice lets him reunite with his starter Piloswine, which is also implied to have evolved into a Mamoswine as well.
Wound That Will Not Heal: He feels the pain from a burn Blaine had given him during a battle between the two in the past.

Others

Karen

An Ace Trainer and the apprentice of Agatha.

Casting a Shadow: She specializes in Dark-types and is capable of utilizing her Aura to perform a few Dark-type moves.
Troll: She finds plenty of enjoyment riling people up. From Brock to Agatha, anyone is fair game.
Unknown Rival: Downplayed. Sabrina is aware of her; she just doesn't see Karen as a real challenge, a fact that irritates Karen to no end.
Worthy Opponent: Downplayed. Steven Stone acknowledged she was a powerful trainer but also noted she wasn’t worthy of him using his ace in the hole (Mega Evolution). Karen was deeply insulted.

Damian

An arrogant trainer who "bought" Charmander as his starter Pokémon from Professor Oak's lab.

Adaptational Villainy: Downplayed. While he's still the arrogant jerk from canon, he also ends up joining Team Rocket in this fic presumably in a bid to keep on getting stronger.
The Cameo: He's only mentioned and briefly seen being taunted by Gary in chapter 59.
Composite Character: In this story, he and Charmander share the roles of the unseen Pallet Town trainer and their Charmander from the anime.
Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Oak stated that Damian had some problems with his father that eventually devolved and led to him abandoning Charmander. Oak and Brock agree Damian had to be held responsible for his actions.
In Spite of a Nail: He still leaves his Charmander behind due to disappointment at it, leaving it available for Ash to rescue.
Jerkass: It says a lot that even Gary Oak dislikes him.
Laser-Guided Karma: Damian pays dearly for abandoning Charmander. Misty beats him up, Forrest nails him with some considerable fines, and Nurse Joy reported him to Officer Jenny, all but guaranteeing he’ll lose his Pokédex.
Never My Fault: Damian refuses to believe any of his losses were due to his incompetence and instead blames his Pokémon for being too weak.
Playing with Fire: His Starter Mon is the Fire-type Charmander, who he got through less than honest means.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: According to Gary's narration, he has gotten Charmander as a starter due to bribes.

Brawly

A native from the Hoenn region with a love for surfing. He's also an up-and-coming Gym Leader for Dewford City whose currently in Kanto to participate in the battle circuit.

Bare-Fisted Monk: He's a Fighting-type specialist and an upcoming Gym Leader for Dewford City.
Honor Before Reason: While he managed to impress Brock by showing enough knowledge, tactics, and skills of his Pokémon to earn the Boulder Badge despite forfeiting, he still refuses to take the badge along with admitting to not having to use his Starter Mon.
Man of Kryptonite: Zigzagged. He uses Fighting-types, pure (Machamp) and dual (Poliwrath, Medicham, Heracross, and Breloom), and the Water-type Wailord Pokémon in his Gym Battle against Brock, but like with Gary's example, it doesn't make the battle easier.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Brawly is a friendly and chill guy overall, but the Curb-Stomp Battle he suffered from Will and the Unsportsmanlike Gloating he received from him is enough for him to show his anger, along with raising a red flag on Brock's radar.
Small Role, Big Impact: If it wasn't for the mentioning of his bad encounter with Will to Brock, the latter would've been somewhat blindsided to how to deal with his potential encounter with the Psychic specialist.
Skewed Priorities: Like the anime, he tends to delay Pokémon battles for his love of surfing.

Will

An enigmatic Ace Trainer and Psychic specialist vying for a position on the Indigo Elite Four.

Ambiguous Situation: Because of his enigmatic nature, psychic powers, and lack of POV, it's not entirely clear if Forrest's incarceration were of Will's own planning or if he's collaborating with Mayor Jonathan.
Ambition Is Evil: His ambition to become a member of the Indigo Elite Four leads him into committing numerous dishonest, but not illegal, tactics, and later an illegal attempted telepathic interrogation on a Gym Leader-related family member for a relatively minor misdemeanor, with a possibility that he was indirectly responsible for putting him in that position in the first place.
Arc Villain: Or Arc Antagonist, rather. He exploits the trainer surge in Kanto in order to scout out Brock's Gym in order to start his bid for the Elite Four.
Break the Haughty: Will gets demolished once Team Rocket is unable to aid him against Sabrina and especially when the latter successfully uses Mega Evolution to wipe out his remaining team.
Combat Pragmatist: His fighting style is so underhanded that it would make a Dark-type proud. He regularly employs moves like Attract, Mean Look and Perish Song to gain an advantage even over theoretically stronger Pokemon. And that’s without factoring in his excessive abuse of loopholes and technicalities.
- Chapter 160 takes this to new lows when Team Rocket launches an attack on Silph Co. during the Ace Trainer Match with Sabrina. Brock theorizes Will collaborated with them to have Sabrina forfeit to deal with the issue, allowing Will to win by default. Brock’s rage spiked upon realizing that.
Didn't See That Coming:
- As seen when Brock calls him out in chapter 99, being completely blindsided by the fact that Brock would've caught wind of his presence beforehand.
- This comes up again in chapter 105, as he wasn't expecting Brock to be quick in coming to Forrest's aid during the interrogation, and ends up in a very compromising legal position.
- Happens once again when Sabrina unleashes Mega Alakazam on him.
Fatal Flaw:
- While much of his personality is still a mystery, Will shows a bragging aspect that ends up screwing him over with his Unsportsmanlike Gloating after beating Brawly, allowing Brock to get wind of his presence beforehand.
- Will is also surprisingly impulsive in advancing his goal to become a member of the Elite Four. After Brock makes it clear that he figured him out during their first meeting in the ball, Will doesn't proceed onward with more caution and ends up in a legally compromising position by trying to interrogate Forrest when the latter got arrested and might've possibly been the one who got him arrested in the first place.
Hate Sink: Between his extreme Combat Pragmatist tendencies and abuse of other people and Pokemon to achieve results, Will achieves notoriety both in and out of universe, which is especially remarkable given that evil team leaders like Giovanni are still at large.
Loophole Abuse: He exploits the fact that there's nothing in the rules about disabling an opponent's Pokeball to prevent them from withdrawing them as needed, giving him an unfair advantage over Brock.
Mugging the Monster: Deconstructed. While Will's "methods" to prepare for his eventual Ace trainer battle against Brock are rather dishonest, but not illegal, he really amps it up by preparing to telepathically interrogate Forrest when the latter got arrested in chapter 103 through a very dubious process, assuming that he wasn't responsible for putting Forrest in that position in the first place. When he unexpectedly sees Brock in the interrogation room, the latter makes it very, very, very, very clear that he crossed a line, especially since it involves his family's well-being.
Oh, Crap!: Will is intimidated by Brock casually lifting and carrying an unconscious Knight off the battlefield.
- His composure cracks even further when Brock managed to gradually overcome all of his underhanded plays.
Psychic Powers: Like Sabrina, he specializes in Psychic-types and has psychic powers himself. Chapter 133 implies his specialization is in telekinesis.
Pyrrhic Victory: Or Pyrrhic Draw, rather. He may have forced Brock to a draw at his Elite Challenge, but the manner he did so included blatant rules lawyering and some cheating as well, not to mention earning Brock's vendetta, which had the opposite effect of his intended debut as an Ace Trainer in the Indigo Circuit.
The Rival: Defied. Brock absolutely refuses to acknowledge someone like Will as a rival.
Rules Lawyer: Building off of his extreme Combat Pragmatist style, he deliberately exploits the rules of a match to turn things in his favor, such as disabling Brock's Poke Balls to prevent him from withdrawing his Pokemon and therefore leading to a move advantage for him — or worse, the possibility of forfeiting one of his Pokemon for the match.
Shoot the Medic First: Downplayed. While he doesn't go for the medic right away, he's still willing to intercept the medical Chansey overseeing his battle with Brock, a fact that earns him no love from the audience.
Smug Snake: Will is a genuinely capable trainer and Psychic. However, he only tied against Brock thanks to underhanded interpretations of the rules and copious aid from Team Rocket. Will also believed himself to be a superior psychic compared to Sabrina despite being far less skilled.
Sore Loser: To no one’s surprise, Will attempted to argue how Sabrina used unfair methods to defeat him.
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: His underhanded methods allowed him to force a draw against Brock, but he did so in such a manner that meant every trainer he then faced was prepared for it one way or another. While he was able to beat Daisy, Surge, and Erika fair and square, his match against Sabrina shows that his methods only worked once, and he's promptly subjected to a Curb-Stomp Battle when she manages to outwit his cheating and unleashes her Mega Alakazam in the process.
Unsportsmanlike Gloating: Subjected Brawly to this during and after their battle. This ended up getting him on Brock’s radar much earlier than he wanted.

Steven Stone

The reigning Hoenn champion, heir to the Devon Corporation and a collector of rare minerals.

The Ace: Like other Champion-level trainers, Steven is a powerful battler, and he complements this by also being the CEO of Devon Corporation and a renowned Adventure Archaeologist.
- He also plans to invoke his status as the first person to successfully use Mega Evolution in a public match. Sabrina beats him to the punch, however.
Adaptational Badass: Downplayed. Steven is already one of the strongest trainers in canon, though here he also has some Psychic Powers due to his association with the Beldum line.
Adaptational Jerkass: In the core games and official spinoff media, Steven is an ultimately benevolent if a bit aloof trainer who serves as the Big Good of the Hoenn region. In this fic, Steven is an opportunistic corporate executive who throws an unseen tantrum when Sabrina upstages him to the reveal of Mega Evolution.
Ambiguously Evil: On one hand, he's willing to take over a mine belonging to Brock in order to search it for rare minerals. On the other hand, he's also magnanimous when it comes to Pokemon, giving a Beldum to Forrest with no strings attached.
It’sAllAboutMe: Steven wanted to show off Mega Evolution in an exhibition match to earn the prestige of being lauded as the Master of Mega Evolution. When Sabrina goes public with this power before him, he destroys a board room in frustration.
Let No Crisis Go to Waste: While he does take Sabrina's upstaging with regards to Mega Evolution a bit too personally, he also does recognize a way to make up for it by showing that he can Mega Evolve more Pokemon, as well as using Silph's crisis to buy up a larger share of the company given their likely lower stock value.
Non-Idle Rich: While he's one of the richest people in the Pokemon world, he's also kept busy by his interest in rare stones and his duties as Champion.
Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: His solution to wanting a diamond mine that Brock had but was not selling was to try and pay him with money or even Mega Stones. The fact that Brock refuses to sell even with two Mega Stones in play intrigues him.
Trash The Scene: Steven wrecks a boardroom in frustration after learning about Sabrina being the first to publicly show a successful Mega Evolution before him.

Mewtwo

A clone of Mew developed by Team Rocket as a superweapon.

The Dragon: Serves as one to Giovanni, albeit rather unwillingly.
Olympus Mons: It was created as an artificial version of a legendary Pokémon, allowing Giovanni to harness the power of one without the need to capture an actual legendary.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: It chooses to retreat and leave Giovanni in the lurch after Sabrina manages to talk it down.

Characters / Hard Enough

Edit Locked

Main Character

Brock

Tropes related to Brock

Tropes that apply to Brock's Pokémon in general.

Titan (Larvitar—>Pupitar—>Tyranitar)

Sanchez ("Alolan" Geodude—>"Alolan" Graveler—>"Alolan" Golem)

Don (Aerodactyl)

Shin (Kabuto—>Kabutops)

Bertha (Rhyhorn—>Rhydon—>Rhyperior)

Selene (Lunatone)

Jormungandr (Onix—> (Mega) Steelix)

Zephyr (Hoothoot—>Noctowl)

Izumi (Geodude)

Shrek (Mudkip—>Marshtomp—>Swampert)

Hypnotoad (Poliwag—>Poliwhirl—>Poliwrath)

Gawain (Scyther—>Kleavor)

Link (Clefairy—>Clefable)

Chansey

Empress (Tyranitar)

Guybro (Onix)

Dwayne (Geodude—>Graveler—>Golem)

Gible

Major Supporting Characters

Sabrina

Tropes related to Sabrina

Abra—>Kadabra—>(Mega) Alakazam

Girafarig—>Farigiraf

Lance

Tropes related to Lance

Tropes that apply to his Pokémon in general

Dratini—>Dragonair—>Dragonite (x3)

Magikarp—>Gyarados

Charmander—>Charmeleon—>Charizard

Horsea—>Seadra—>Kingdra

Bagon—>Shelgon—>Salamence

Professor Samuel Oak

Minor Supporting Characters

Ash Ketchum

Tropes related to Ash

Caterpie—>Metapod—>Butterfree

Pidgey—>Pidgeotto

Charmander—>Charmeleon

Ash's Pikachu

Misty

Squirtle

Gary Oak

Tropes related to Gary

Squirtle

Daisy Oak

Greta "Green" Evergreen

Tropes related to Greta

Bulbasaur

Brock's Family

Forrest, Yolanda, Salvadore, Tommy, Cindy, Suzie, Timmy, Billy, and Tilly

Tropes that apply to them in general

Flint

Lola

Pewter City's Gym

Employees/Affiliates

Rocko

Lawrence Wright

Temporary Members

Janine

Sponsored Trainers

Celia Shardness

Pewter City's Residents

Mayor Jonathan

Trixie

Indigo League Gym Leaders

Kanto

Daisy, Violet, and Lily

Lieutenant Surge

Erika

Koga

Blaine

Giovanni

Johto

Falkner