Fanfic / Hard Enough

The world of pokemon is synonymous with young boys and girls going on a journey and facing many challenges. This story is not like that. This story is about a SI coming into one of the most prominent companions of the pokemon world. Unlike other stories, Brock is already established and has gone on his journey. He's faced challenges and returned home to be other people's challenge. -Fanfiction.net synopsis.

Hard Enough is a Pokémon: The Series Self-Insert Fic written by Viva01 on SpaceBattles.com. It can also be read here, here, here, and here.

Spoilers are unmarked!!!

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Hard Enough contains examples of:

• Ability Mixing: Some Pokémon can combine moves into fusion moves. This is normally done under the instruction of a trainer, but some wild Pokémon can do this all on their own.
• Adaptation Expansion: The story explores more of the characters' lives and lore behind the various regions' history of the Pokémon world. Will is given a bigger role in this fic than in the games, where he simply served as a one-off member of the Elite Four in the Generation II games.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: As a result of the unnamed male protagonist reincarnating as Brock, it creates a butterfly effect that affects his relationships with others in both a positive and negative way.
• Adaptational Badass: As a result of the story's expanded history and lore, this is pretty much a given for many characters.
  • For Brock, this applies to him big time compared to the games and anime, thanks to his meta-knowledge of the Pokemon franchise from Past-Life Memories.
  • In the games, Professor Oak is pretty much the Mr. Exposition to introduce new players to the Pokemon world while his anime counterpart does the same and acts as Mission Control for Ash Ketchum. Here, in addition to being a renowned Pokemon Professor, he was a War Hero who managed to end the Great Offscreen War that happened 25 years before the start of the story, re-structure the government body and created the Pokemon League, and was the Indigo Leagues' first Pokemon champion.
  • Ash Ketchum also gets this as unlike the anime, he was capable of racking up wins five times in a row and can beat Forrest to a draw.
  • Downplayed with Giovanni. It takes several elite trainers to bring him down for good unlike the games where a single child trainer could defeat him, but here he's taken into custody rather than being allowed to retreat.
• Adaptational Intelligence:
  • Due to his unique nature, Brock is smarter than his anime counterpart.
  • Ash Ketchum himself gets this treatment as he's much more knowledgeable in regards to Pokemon compared to his canon counterpart.
• Adaptational Nice Guy:
  • Compared to her anime counterpart, Sabrina's strained relationship with her parents is less severe as she didn't turn her mother into a doll or manifest her child self through her Psychic Powers. Thanks to meeting Brock at a younger age, being defeated by him, traveling with him, and developing a relationship with him brings her to a road of recovery.
  • In the anime, Lt. Surge is a braggart who insults weaker opponents by calling them "babies". Here, while still having a loud personality, he's far more supportive and provides comedic moments in his interactions with Brock.
  • While still arrogant, Gary is slightly nicer in the story once he begins his Pokemon journey; thanks to the influence of his older sister Daisy and grandfather Professor Oak, witnessing Brock, who at the time was still perceived as a "weak" Gym Leader, defeating Lance on television, and the encouragement of his "girlfriends". Ironically, this makes him closer to his original Japanese anime depiction compared to the dub.
  • Ash Ketchum himself also gets this treatment as it's easy to forget that in the Original Series (Kanto, Orange Islands, and Johto), he's a Bratty Half-Pint with a Small Name, Big Ego who knows next to nothing about Pokémon or the basics of battling when he first starts. While he slowly outgrows these flaws, they still come up during his journey throughout Johto at times before disappearing in Ruby and Sapphire. Here, while he's still impatience and Hot-Blooded, Ash is also consistently kinder and cares for the well-being of his Pokemon.
• Adaptational Villainy: Zigzagged. While Will is certainly more antagonistic than his game counterpart, he's more in line with his Adventures version, where he served as a Team Rocket executive (though here he seemingly works independently of Team Rocket).
• Adaptational Wimp: This justifiably applies to characters who have yet to become a Gym Leader, an Elite Four, or a Champion given the timeline.
• Adapted Out: While some Canon Foreigners of Pokémon: The Series make it into the story, Koga's younger sister, Aya, does not. Instead, it's his Truer to the Text daughter, Janine, from the games, who ironically was introduced after Aya's appearance.
• Age Lift: Justified. The story starts a year before Ash Ketchum is ready to go on his Pokémon journey. Thus, many older characters Ash would eventually meet and battle are depicted as much younger.
• All Amazons Want Hercules: Many female Pokémon trainers gain an attraction to Brock either for his strength as a Pokemon trainer, Gym Leader, or Aura user. What allowed Sabrina to first gain an interest in Brock when they first met and join him on his Pokemon journey was his defeating her in a Gym Battle while being immune to her psychic mind-reading ability, and feeling the comforting silence upon accidentally making physical contact with him.
• Alternate Universe Fic: While the story is mostly based on the anime version of the Pokémon world, it also mixes in elements from both the main series games and other adaptations of the franchise.
• Ambiguous Situation: Officially, Professor Oak's offspring and their spouse were killed in a car accident. But there are hints throughout the fic that it might not have been an accident when taking into Professor Oak's accomplishments and legendary status and him having plenty of enemies because of his actions regardless of his benevolent intentions.
• Amicable Exes: Brock and Sabrina used to date but are currently Just Friends as of the story's timeframe. That being said, they remain each other's closest confidants and eventually rekindle their relationship.
• Ancient Tradition: The Guardians, a group of Aura specialists that watch over the Kanto region, have been going on for some time now.
• Battle in the Rain: The final confrontation against Giovanni and Team Rocket takes place during a rainy evening.
• Berserk Button: Brock is usually a chill person, but early on he's easily triggered when talking with Flint, most of the time closing himself off about the subject, but he gets better about it. What he doesn't quite get over is meeting adults that subject his sons to similar Parental Negligence, which makes him a tad ticked off with Falkner's dad, Walker, during a tournament, though even then he keeps relatively calm.
• Big Brother Mentor: Brock serves as this for siblings and many other up-and-coming trainers who work for him, are sponsored by him, or come and challenge the Pewter City Gym.
• Birds of a Feather:
  • Brock and Sabrina share a strong friendship. They are each other's confidence due to their shared suffering of Parental Neglect/Parental Abandonment, even originally dated for some time before breaking things off amicably due to Brock's responsibilities, although it's heavily implied that they'll get back together eventually.
  • Karen gravitates toward Brock because of their shared Dark-type Aura.
• Breaking Old Trends: Instead of the Strictly Formula of characters going on Pokemon journeys, the story focuses on a character who's already gone on his Pokémon journey and dealing with the politics of being a Gym Leader and as a Big Brother Mentor to his younger siblings and other up-and-coming trainers.
• Casting a Shadow: Brock's other affiliation for an Aura type is Dark.
• Character’s Most Hated Song: Numerous older characters find PokéRAP to be disgraceful. Agatha hates it so much that she wakes up from her coma to yell at Karen for playing that music to her.
• Chick Magnet: Something that the canon Brock of the anime would be riddled with envy. Unlike the anime, this version of Brock has pretty much gotten the attention of many female characters throughout the story.
• Clingy Jealous Girl: Sabrina has this hard when it comes to other girls and women taking a liking towards Brock or merely in his vicinity, to which she abuses her psychic powers to either spook them (Erika), erase short-term lines of thought (Celia), or create unnoticeable obstacles that would trip them up (Janine).
• Composite Character: Given that this story is a Patchwork Fic.
  • The story's protagonist, Brock, has his extended backstory from the anime and some of his characterizations from the games. He also uses Fossil Pokémon and a Tyranitar from his depiction in Pokémon Gold and Silver and its Updated Re Release, and Pokémon Masters.
  • 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.
  • Lt. Surge has his military background from the games combined with his characterization from the anime, although he is quite nicer by the start of the story.
• Cool Old Guy: Especially for elderly characters who had lived through and fought in the Great Offscreen War in the story.
  • Professor Oak is one himself for his current light-hearted personality despite his less-than-stellar past as a former war hero, former Pokémon Champion, and losing his child and child-in-law from what might "seem" to be a car accident.
  • Koga himself is pretty much a stern, but Reasonable Authority Figure despite his use of Poison-type Pokémon in various pragmatic tactics and morally ambiguous occupation as a Ninja. He also fathered a daughter and has a good relationship with her.
• 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 fic's protagonist and is a generally benevolent Family Man.
  • Likewise, his starter Pokemon, Titan, is a Tyranitar, whose species is 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.
• Demoted to Extra: Justified. As the story focuses on Brock and his duties as Pewter City's Gym Leader along with navigating through the political fallout of beating Kanto's champion Lance and revealing to the world his ownership of Ancient Fossil Pokemon and his "creation" of the electric variant Geodude line, along with the timeline starting one year before the "canon" anime timeline truly starts.
  • Ash Ketchum only gets a couple of mentions in Brock's narration throughout the story of what to expect by the time he comes to Pewter City, while also weighing his options of whether to go with him or not as he's already saddled with his other responsibilities. During Gary's three-POV-focused chapters, Ash only made two non-speaking cameos.
  • Misty is only mentioned by her sisters, who are progressing in bettering themselves as Gym Leaders.
• Dishing Out Dirt:
  • Brock is a Gym Leader who specializes in Rock-type Pokémon. That being said, he's also capable of being flexible with other types and variants.
  • Giovanni is a Gym Leader who specializes in Ground-type Pokémon.
• Dramatic Irony: When Brock rescues a Gible from the Rocket academy in Chapter 164, Lance lets him keep it, assuming it's a Rock-type or something similar while failing to recognize it as a potentially powerful Dragon-type. Brock later lampshades the irony to Sabrina, pointing out how Lance failed to secure another Dragon-type for himself.
• Dub Name Change: The story uses the English version of names and terminology.
• Elemental Personalities: Zigzagged. Depending on the characters, they can have a personality that would either be fitting for an element of their choice of Pokémon or be the exact opposite. The story's protagonist, Brock, is an interesting example. He's Pewter City's Gym Leader and is known to specialize in using Rock-type Pokémon, but also shows that he's capable of using other Pokémon types (Water, Flying, Electric, etc.), with his starter being a Rock/Dark dual-type pseudo-legendary Pokemon, as he went through his own Pokémon journey before settling as a Gym Leader while also "creating" the electric variant Geodude line. Fittingly, not only is Brock a "thick-skinned" Determinator with a firm and dependable personality but underneath all that shows him having more "layers" to his character than what one would usually think of him and his Gym at first glance. That, and he's also a very flexible Renaissance Man.
• Experienced Protagonist: At the start of the story, Brock has already experienced his own Pokemon journey and competed in three major leagues, along with the Orange Islands, before cutting his participation in the Hoenn League short to take care of his younger siblings when their parents left and take up the responsibility as Pewter City's Gym Leader.
• Expy Coexistence: Given the story being a Patchwork Fic, some characters that were Canon Foreigners in the anime that serve as expies for the game characters also exist alongside them.
• Eyes Always Shut: Hey, it is Brock after all! Which he and his siblings inherited from their father Flint.
• Fantasy Gun Control: Zigzagged. While guns are present in the setting, the use of Pokémon battles to resolve most issues has largely rendered them moot, and largely relegated them to use by criminals like Team Rocket. That being said, said guns never manage to hit anyone when discharged, making the guns ultimately more symbolic of Team Rocket's willingness to kill those that get in their way more than anything.
• Foil:
  • This version of Brock neatly contrasts Anime!Brock (not counting the reincarnation thing) by virtue of accomplishing the things that the latter initially dreamed of in his first appearance, but couldn't due to his responsibilities; Pokemon breeding and being a handsome Chick Magnet. On the other hand, Brock's relationship with Flint and Lola in the story is far more strained and distant with an understandable sense of resentment for their abandonment whereas Anime!Brock is shown to have never held a grudge toward either of them regardless.
  • In regards to Ash Ketchum, who's just starting out his Pokémon journey, Brock is pretty much his opposite.
  • For Sabrina, she's one to all of Ash's female companions throughout the canon anime by four reasons:
    • 1. She is already an accomplished Gym Leader at a young age in Brock's backstory, even before joining him on his Pokémon journey, while everyone else is still, or about to, starting off with their chosen occupations.
    • 2. She was born with Psychic Powers, making her an outright superhuman compared to the girls' Muggle status.
    • 3. She's a stoic, Socially Awkward Hero compares to the girls being able to interact well with others.
    • 4. 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, along with the possibility of getting back together again. Unlike the girls' platonic bond with Ash, some of them only have slight Ship Tease moments, and Serena actually being a Love Interest only for that subplot to be pushed aside due to the franchise's focus on Pokémon battling.
• Game Changer: Due to his victory over Lance in their exhibition match, Brock has shown the world what he is capable of beyond being Pewter City's Gym Leader. Especially with his discovery of non-extinct Fossil Pokemon and the "creation" of regional variant types.
• Go and Sin No More: After Jessie and Meowth win a Boulder Badge through a legitimate Gym challenge, Brock takes them and James aside, giving them an opportunity to turn over a new leaf and even do the regional Gym circuit. He backs this up with a threat, stating that if Team Rocket tries to attack his Gym again there would be payback.
• Great Offscreen War: While Pokémon Red and Blue hints at the presence of one, in this fic it's expounded on and expanded in scope. It's to the point where the entire geography of the Pokémon world was affected and nearly everyone of a certain age or older (i.e. around Flint's age or above) served in the war, and had experiences that would shape the rest of their lives from that point onward.
• Hero of Another Story: In his backstory, Brock already had his own fair share of adventures as a Pokemon Trainer before becoming the Gym Leader of Pewter City.
• Just a Kid: Invoked and Discussed in Brock's narration regarding Ash Ketchum. Despite Ash being The Chosen One who would go on and prevent many world-ending disasters, it's easy to forget (especially with his eternal age state in the anime) that he's still a 10-year-old boy who's just starting out his journey at this point in time.
• Locked Out of the Loop:
  • Inverted with Brock, as he mentions very early on in the story of having no intentions of ever revealing his Past-Life Memories to anyone, not even his own family. This makes sense as not only would that bring more trouble than he already has in the long run, but his situation would sound so convoluted, even by the standards of the current world, that no one would believe him anyway.
  • Implied and later confirmed in chapter 77. Misty's 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 having a fight.
• Loophole Abuse: Something that Brock shamelessly admits to himself of abusing the hell out of his past life experience and meta-knowledge of the Pokemon franchise early on in the story. Allowing him to get ahead of the curb as a Pokemon trainer, Gym Leader, and mentally prepared for things that would normally make a teenager fall apart. Due to the Alola region's borders being currently closed off, and undiscovered, Brock wasn't able to capture any of the Alolan variants of Geodude. Instead, he uses his meta-knowledge from his past-life memories, hard-earned money, and constant trial and error that resulted in the creation of a cavern that's constantly charged with electricity to artificially stimulate an environment that would turn a regular Geodude into their Electric-type variant, along with a specialized diet.
• Make It Look Like an Accident: Implied with the "car accident" that killed Daisy and Gary's parents. Given Professor Oak's status as a former War Hero, Pokemon Champion, and current occupation as a Pokemon Professor, it wouldn't be surprising that he'll have enemies, just as much as friends and allies, who would want to target him and his family.
• Mythology Gag: In Chapter 88, Greta mentions that some versions of the story of the Legendary Hero say that his first Pokemon was a Rhydon. The first Pokemon ever designed was Rhydon.
• The Nicknamer: Brock nicknames Pokemon he's particularly attached to, such as his starter Titan (a Tyranitar) or Sanchez (an "Alolan" Golem). Some of them are subject to Shout-Out Theme Naming, such as his Shrek (a Swampert) or Izumi (a Kantonian Geodude).
• No OSHA Compliance: Brock finds out that Silph Tower is made of rather shoddy materials during their attempt to retake from Team Rocket. He exploits this to help entrap Mewtwo and Team Rocket.
• No-Sell: As Brock demonstrates, Aura users who channel Dark Aura are immune to psychics who can read the minds of others.
• Not Using the "Z" Word: Justified. Sanchez and the electric Geodude variant line that Brock owns and raised are never called "Alolan" Geodude, Graveler, or Golem respectively in their species' name. Mainly due to the fact that not only is the Alola region's borders currently closed off but Sanchez and the electric Geodude variant line weren't native to Alola and only became the way they are now thanks to Brock creating an electricity-charged cavern for them to reside in and a specialized diet.
• Olympus Mons: The fic spares no punches in depicting the power of Legendary Pokemon. Mewtwo's debut shows it handily defeating Agatha and Koga despite the type disadvantage against the former, and the Moltres within Mt Silver needed the intervention of three elite Trainers before it wisely retreats.
  • Elite Pokemon also tend to be levels above others, and some wild ones like Titan's Mom also tend to have extreme amount of raw power. Which makes a significant moment when Brock convinces Empress to stay full-time on his team, meaning she'll get lots of training.
• Parental Substitute: Like the canon anime, Brock ends up as his younger siblings' primary caretaker and guardian, with some assistance from the neighbors, after their parents left to work out their own ambitions and unfulfillment. Played for Drama however, as the story shows realistic ramifications through the eyes of the protagonist.
• Patchwork Fic: The story combines elements of the anime series (mostly), the main series games, and many other adaptations of the franchise.
• Personality Powers: Aura users tend to have their types reflected in their personality. For example, Brock exhibits both Rock-type (reliable, stoic, sturdy) and Dark-type (resentful, brooding) traits. At the same time, Lance, a Dragon-type specialist, is staggeringly powerful and displays arrogance and pride and later the better traits of nobility and justice.
• Pinball Protagonist: Something that is lampshaded by Brock throughout the story. Despite his accomplishments, the various new "roads" being open through his exhibition match against Lance in the Pokemon world, and joining an Ancient Tradition of Aura Guardians, Brock knows that in the grand scheme of things, Ash Ketchum is both The Hero and The Chosen One who will go on and prevent many world-ending events once he begins his Pokemon journey, and he'll have to come along to make sure it goes smoothly. At the same time, this trope is played with as Brock's actions have already created too many butterfly effects that could spell disaster for his family, friends, employees, and his hometown if he left his responsibilities as Pewter City's Gym Leader and his siblings' guardian.
• Promotion to Parent: Played for Drama as the story gives a realistic outcome of how this affects the characters' personalities and upbringing.
  • Like the canon anime, Brock ends up as his younger siblings' primary caretaker and guardian, with some assistance from the neighbors, after their parents left. Unlike the canon anime, however, this leaves Brock, and some of his younger siblings, with really bad feelings toward Lola and Flint for their abandonment. This also worries them about Billy and Tilly, the youngest siblings, being able to recognize Lola or Flint as their parents; it was only a few months prior to the start of the story that they start calling Brock "dad", leading him to correct them every single time.
  • In the story, Professor Oak takes parental custody of his grandchildren after the deaths of his child and child-in-law in a "car accident".
• Regretful Traitor: Surge. When Giovanni talks to him to cover an old war debt - it's later elaborated that he saved what remained from his unit during the war - he follows the man's orders and protects him while he tries to make his escapade. It's made clear that he's unhappy with the arrangement, but his pride stops him from violating the debt, even though it means he has to fight Brock, who is one of his closest friends.
• Related in the Adaptation: Visquez, Lt. Surge's Distaff Counterpart who gave out Thunder Badges in Pokémon Journeys, is his daughter in this fic. Visquez and Cissy (the Mikan Island Gym Leader) are revealed to be half-sisters in the fic as well, through their shared mother.
• Rule of Symbolism:
  • As one Spacebattles reviewer puts it in regards to Brock after his exhibition match against Lance:
    He's been dismissed as a weaker Gym Leader, not in a negative way like Lance implied, but as a rite of passage that you look back on to compare where you started and where you are now and see the massive difference. Now instead of seeing the bland, if lightly above the average, rock of the world, Brock has cracked himself and his barriers open for the world to see the geode inside; rich, interesting, and surprising. This makes him attractive as a man of mystery, probably helped by his dark dual typing.
  • Also, Brock is pretty much a walking example of "nothing is set in stone". As his actions throughout his backstory and beating Lance in their exhibition match, all while revealing to the world his many rare Pokemon and hidden talents, create ripple effects that would change the timeline as readers once thought for the story.
• Running Gag: One early on was that the identity of Brock's Pokemon named Shrek was left a mystery, though clues were dropped as to what it could be (for example, it liked to live in a wet environment). It was eventually revealed to be a Swampert.
• The Sacred Darkness: When channeled positively, Dark Aura can be used as this for Aura users. Just ask Brock.
• Sacrificial Lion: Non-lethal example. When Rocket Executive Petrel is captured, the League discovers the location of the Team Rocket Academy.
• Science Marches On: An In-Universe example that would chronologically follow the Real Life main series games' sequence introduction of new Pokémon types, regions, and variants.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: A lot of female characters are attracted to Brock for his kind and dependable personality. In fact, it's also the other reason why Sabrina fell for Brock other than his No-Sell of her psychic mind-reading when they first met, as he gave a brutal "The Reason You Suck" Speech/Calling the Old Man Out to both of Sabrina's parents in regards of how they neglected her when her psychic powers manifested and spiral out of control.
• Strong and Skilled: Brock is not only a strong battler with his Rock-type Pokémon, but he's also saddled with experience from his own Pokemon journey and is capable of utilizing their moves to their fullest extent.
• Teen Genius: Subverted. To the Pokémon world at large, Brock is seen as this after his exhibition match against Lance at the beginning of the Indigo League in regards to his discovery of non-extinct Fossil Pokemon and creating the electric variant of the Geodude line. However, Brock admits (to himself) that it's very much not the case and far more complicated because he is a reincarnate who already passed university and had plenty of work field experience, armed with meta-knowledge of the Pokémon games and anime.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Even before reincarnating into Brock, the latter was already an "overly mature child" like in the canon anime by proving to be able to take care of his younger siblings and work as a Gym Leader. Only this time, it's now exaggerated as the reincarnate lived up to his adult years before dying.

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