Brock is the first gym leader that Ash Ketchum faces on his journey to become a Pokémon master. Leading the Pewter City gym in place of his absent father, Brock generally uses rock types. However, after leaving the gym in the care of his family, Brock would set out on his dream to become a Pokémon breeder and capture different kinds of Pokémon.
Here we will go over the best Pokémon to be a part of Brock’s team. We will be citing the relationship Brock has with each Pokémon, significant accomplishments he’s had with them, as well as noting major events that have happened over the course of Brock’s journey, which has spanned a large portion of the Pokémon franchise.
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6 Ludicolo
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Local to the Hoenn region, Brock captured Lotad early in the group’s journey. Brock would help this Lotad water plants at a local shop during the group’s trip to Petalburg City. This would cause the Lotad to become bonded to Brock, and it allowed Brock to capture it. Eventually, Lotad would evolve into Lombre and prove to be an exceptional companion for Brock’s shenanigans, although he appeared to be disinterested in romantic endeavors.
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During one adventure, Lombre would accidentally make contact with a Water Stone, causing it to evolve into its final form, Ludicolo. This would cause a shift in personality, with Ludicolo having an extreme amount of energy. While it is implied that Ludicolo was much more powerful in this state, viewers don’t get to see him in battle very much, as Brock would leave Ludicolo with his family back in Pewter City after the team returned to Kanto.
5 Marshtomp
Mudkip carried a similar role to Ash’s Bulbasaur, with Mudkip leading other Mudkip hatchlings in a guardian role. Brock attempted to befriend Mudkip, and although Mudkip was reluctant, the two would eventually bond, leading to Mudkip allowing himself to be caught.
Mudkip would be used sparingly while in Hoenn, but we would see that Brock trusted the Pokémon enough to continue using him after the group returned to Kanto for the Battle Frontier. It would be revealed that Mudkip was often a training partner for Ash’s Pokémon, and during one session, Mudkip would evolve into Marshstomp, turning the water-type into a hybrid water/ground-type. Marshstomp would prove to be more similar to Brock, quickly falling in love with other Pokémon and looking to establish itself in Pokémon Contests. Brock would eventually decide to leave Marshtomp in the care of his family before journeying to the Sinnoh Region.
4 Vulpix
Vulpix was initially owned by a trainer named Suzie and generally disliked new people, though she quickly took a liking to Brock. Suzie would see how much Brock cared for Vulpix and elected to let Brock take Vulpix, believing he could provide a more comfortable life than she could.
From here, Brock would often be seen caring for Vulpix and training her to use her fire abilities in battle. Though Vulpix would have powerful abilities like Flamethrower, most trainers would note Vulpix’s beauty over its power, with one trainer offering to help Brock evolve Vulpix into Ninetales, though Brock elected to allow Vulpix to decide when she wanted to evolve. Eventually, Brock would return to Vulpix to Suzie, noting that while he enjoyed his time with her, he always felt Vulpix didn’t truly belong to him.
3 Crobat
Brock would capture a Zubat offscreen during the group’s trip through Mt. Moon. Zubat would often be used to help the group scout ahead, making use of its sonar and flight capabilities. Soon Zubat would evolve into Golbat, helping Brock to fend off many attacks from Team Rocket as well as watching over Brock when he fell ill, displaying Golbat’s extreme loyalty.
During one adventure, Team Rocket gained access to a mystic artifact that allowed them to take over the minds of Pokémon. Golbat proved to be one of the only Pokémon in the party to be immune to this, either because of his sensitive hearing or out of extreme loyalty to Brock. During this same adventure, Golbat would evolve into Crobat and use its increased power to help drive Team Rocket back. Crobat would prove to be so exceptional that despite not being a Rock-Type, Brock would allow his younger brother to use Crobat when acting as the Pewter City Gym leader.
2 Croagunk
As a wild Pokémon, Croagunk was used by Team Rocket in one of their evil schemes, though Brock noticed that Croagunk wasn’t really a member of the criminal team, and after a quick bonding moment, Croagunk willingly entered one of Brock’s Pokeballs. From here, Croagunk would follow in the footsteps of Misty and Brock’s Bonsly, acting as the person who would stop Brock from hitting on women such as Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny.
Croagunk would have one of the more intriguing story arcs, carrying an intense rivalry with a Toxicroak belonging to Saturn, a senior member of the terrorist group Team Galactic. Toxicroak would often get the upper hand on Croagunk, even smashing the Pokémon’s head from above. Croagunk would get his revenge, teaming with Ash’s Gliscor to get a higher position and strike the Toxicroak from above, finally defeating the Pokémon.
1 Steelix
Initially appearing as an Onix, this Pokémon has the strongest bond with Brock, having been a gift to the trainer when he was ten years old. Brock would train Onix to be his ace Pokémon when acting as Pewter City Gym Leader, acting as the first major roadblock to Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu. After joining Ash on a journey across the world, Onix would prove countless times to be Brock’s strongest Pokémon, leading some to speculate that he would prove to be a formidable opponent in the Pokémon Masters Tournament.
During a brief family dispute, Brock and Onix would defeat Brock’s mother and her Mantine to maintain that the Pewter City gym is a Rock-Type gym. After doing this, Brock would elect to leave Onix with his younger brother, who would take over the responsibility of running the gym. During this time, Onix would evolve into Steelix, changing from a Rock/Ground type into a Steel/Ground type. After reuniting with Brock, it would be revealed that the two carried such a strong bond that Brock could use a key stone and help Steelix evolve into Mega Steelix.
