Hello everyone. This is Relaxing Pikachu here with another fic, but it's an old one. I decided to put this one back up with some changes along with its sequels. This fic was originally written between late fall 1999 and early spring 2000 (give or take) and dealt with Ash (Satoshi) obtaining his Earth Badge in Viridian. At the time this fic was originally written, the episode hadn't been aired yet in my area, as the show had been pulled by then. I was so frustrated, I made up a story over how he obtained it. Just an alternate version.

For this rewrite, I plan on fixing loads of errors, but I will keep in the old references and slightly slapsticky style, as it would be odd if I don't, right? It's pretty much Gen I style. This fic also includes Kenji (Tracey Sketchit), but he will be referred to as Kenji and since, at the time, I'd never seen an episode with him, I made up my own characterization for him as well as how the group meets him. I also knew him as Kenji way before "Tracey Sketchit" which is a name I do truly loathe and hate.

Ash and Misty can also understand their Pokemon and Misty understands Pikachu. Something else I should also mention, is that Togepi refers to Ash as a "father figure", but it'll be explained why later.

Anyway, as already mentioned, this story is about Ash obtaining the Earth Badge from the Viridian City Gym, but as they grow closer and closer to Viridian, Misty starts having a reaction to it. An ominous, yet horrific dream which causes her apprehension over actually going there and why is Team Rocket more adamant than ever in their pursuits? Read on to find out.

Oh and here are the ages of the characters, and I only use these ages because of previous fics I'd written where I had them older. I like these ages, personally.

Ash: 13
Misty: 14
Brock: 19

Also, as I say for all of these fics, anything shown in italics indicates that it is a flashback (only for short sequences, anyway). Any dialogue using single quotation marks indicates that the character is thinking, unless used in a grammatically correct fashion. Anything with an asterisk by it means that there is a note about it at the end of the chapter.

Now, as always, I do not own anything dealing with the Pokemon franchise. Nintendo, 4Kids, Gamefreak, etc., have those rights.

The Biggest Battle in the Life of Ash Ketchum (1999)

Part 01: "I'll buy you a bike!" The Big Argument!

A young girl with red hair stared up at the clear-blue sky, many birds and bird Pokemon soaring above peacefully and the sun shining brightly. Usually, the young girl enjoyed these types of days, but given that she was currently walking through a forest, she couldn't fully appreciate it.

"I'm tired," the girl by the name of Misty complained, "maybe we should rest for a while."

Her older companion with the narrow eyes and brown hair nodded to her, also growing tired with the heavy bag on his back, filled with food and other supplies for his friends and Pokemon. "We should've gotten to Viridian by now."

"This 'shortcut'," Misty began while glaring at the boy wearing the Pokemon League cap, "is taking longer than it should!"

The soon to be Pokemon Master stopped walking and faced his two traveling companions. "It is not!" he declared confidently, but his voice dropped, and his tone grew rather sheepish. "My shortcut is just taking longer than I thought it would."

The two couldn't help but sweatdrop over the boy's statement and just groaned in disbelief. Once again, our heroes seemed to be lost, thanks to Ash's bad sense of direction.

Ash Title: The Big Argument!

"Well," he began after noticing their looks, "at least Pikachu and Togepi have faith in me."

The small electric mouse Pokemon shook his head. "Pika chu! (Nice going, we're lost again!)"

The small egg-like Pokemon being held by Misty asked, "Priiiii? (What's wrong with daddy?)"

"Pika? (Daddy?)"

"Don't worry about Ash, Togepi," Misty cooed, "it's not his fault that he's completely useless when it comes to leading."

"Hey!"

"What's the matter Ashy Boy? Can't handle hearing the truth," she teased with a smirk.
x x x x
"Ugh, here we go again," the Pokemon Breeder in training sighed.

Pikachu nodded in agreement as they watched future Pokemon Master and Water Pokemon Master continue to arguing. Brock decided to liven things up since he was going to be forced to sit through another argument.

"You know, I think Ash is going to win this fight."

Pikachu shook his head. "Pika chu pika."

"Hey, let's bet on it. How about I bet you…*$20 that Ash is going to win this fight and that he's not going to get hit for it. Misty hasn't been hitting him much lately with that heavy mallet of hers."

Pikachu put out his hand to Brock, shaking it. "Pikachu! (You're on!)"
x x x x
"Shut up, Misty!"

"Don't you tell me to shut up!

"I can tell anyone that I want to shut up and I'm saying it to you, 'Lil' Miss Scrawny'!"

"Scrawny?! I am not scrawny you dirty-faced troll!" she shot back hotly, her temper rising.

"What's the matter 'Misty Wisty', can't handle the truth?" he teased with a laugh.

Misty, at this point had turned red and pulled out a fan, whacking him with it, causing him to fall over. The girl had, as Brock pointed out, refrained from using her infamous mallet on Ash lately, although with Brock it was a totally different story.

"Aww man!"

Pikachu held out his paw, grinning. "Pika pi chu! (Pay up!)"

Ash picked himself up while rubbing the back of his head, noticing the two. "What's going on Brock?" he asked innocently.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Misty queried, also quite innocently, as if they hadn't been arguing at all.

"Why are you giving Pikachu money?"

"Pika pi chu pikachu. (See, I told you he was going to lose to Misty.)"

"Pikachu, you would bet against your own trainer like that?"

Pikachu nodded, causing Ash to fall over in disbelief. "Pikachu pika pi pika chu! (Money is money, which means more ketchup for me!)"

"Pikachu obviously has good sense," Misty playfully taunted, "unlike his trainer."

"Who asked you anyway?!" Ash yelled.

Brock sighed. One argument he could handle, two in a row was just a headache waiting to happen and he didn't have anymore aspirin on-hand. "We better get going if we actually want to get to Viridian. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll come across some other travelers who can help get us back on the right path."

The two teens turned to Brock and said, "Okay."

The group started off again. Brock looked over at the pair, who had been glancing at one another, blushing slightly, but stopped when they realized Brock was watching them. He shook his head in disbelief. 'Those two are impossible and it's been getting worse over the years. First they argue and then they look like they want to hug each other or something. At this point, it's beyond obvious that they like each other. I just wish they would shut up and get together and save me a headache with their stupid bickering! Most of their arguments are so pointless it's ridiculous. It's like they're trying to find an excuse to fight.'

They continued their walk, but unfortunately, they didn't run into anyone. The late afternoon was now starting to enter the early evening, the temperature also lowering and the winds growing a bit stronger. Brock stopped walking as he stared up at the sky with the now serene peach overtones.

"It's getting late guys. We should probably set up camp. How about we do that here? This spot seems okay and it sounds like there's a stream nearby."

Misty shook her head in frustration and frowned. "Aww, I was hoping to be in Viridian in a nice warm bed after taking a nice hot bath," she whined, "but no thanks to 'Mr. Pokemon Master' here, we ended up lost!" she finished up sarcastically and half-heartedly. In reality, she felt uneasy about actually going to Viridian, but had no idea why the feeling had started growing stronger over time, especially recently.

"Hey, I didn't ask you to come along with me on my journey!" Ash countered. "Why did you start following me around anyway?!"

Misty started to blush slightly, as she'd actually forgotten the initial reason. She then recalled their first meeting and spluttered out, "B-because, Ash Ketchum, you owe me a bike!"

Brock smacked his head. "Oh no, not again!"

"Well, I could've sent you the money!"

"How would I have known if you were actually good on your word! How would I have known that you would've actually promised to pay me back? I didn't even know you! You just grabbed my bike and took off!"

"You know, Ash, she's got you there. You probably could've paid her back a long time ago."

Ash glared angrily at Brock, which caused the breeder to feel a bit uneasy. He usually didn't get involved in their spats and would remain neutral or keep his thoughts to himself. He decided to back off and just let the two work it out amongst themselves, which they always did.

"I think I'll go gather some firewood so I can start dinner." With that, the boy walked off, wondering if they even heard him. 'Won't those two ever learn?'

"I always keep my promises!" Ash continued to argue, his face starting to turn red. "What normal person would just follow someone around for a cruddy old bike! All you ever do is complain or get on my case about everything I do! You always criticize me! It's like no matter what I do, nothing is good enough for you, no matter how hard I try!

"You always think that the worst is going to happen and that I'll never succeed! I sometimes wish I'd never met you!" he finished up, his voice slightly shaky and his expression pitiful.

Misty stood there in complete and utter shock, unable to respond. It felt as if the entire world had collapsed down on her. She'd never heard the young trainer speak so harshly to her as he actually sounded like he meant it.

Pikachu too stood there, dumbfounded over his trainer's words. He looked over at Misty who still had a mortified look on her face. Pikachu didn't think that the boy would ever say anything to purposely hurt the water trainer's feelings, especially since, like Brock, he knew that Ash liked Misty a lot more than he truly let on. He'd sometimes hear the boy mumbling in his sleep over his liking of Misty, maybe saying she's "pretty" and "wonderful". Ash had also been forgetting to hide it lately which would resort in his acting foolish to go back to hiding his true feelings whenever realizing it. At that moment, Pikachu noticed Misty's eyes, as they were starting to glisten.

"Maybe you're right," she managed to get out in a quiet voice with as little emotion as possible, while also trying her best not to cry. "Maybe we shouldn't have ever met. Things would've been better off that way. I'm going for a walk."

She didn't wait for a response, and just rushed off, holding Togepi tightly. Ash looked after Misty, frowning. He felt awful.

Pikachu turned to Ash, angrily shouting at him, "Pika pi chu pikachu! (Why did you upset her!)"

Unable to answer, his head hanging, he managed to say, "I-I don't know. I didn't mean what I said…"

At that moment, Brock had made it back, his arms filled with nice dry wood perfect for kindling. He knelt and set the wood down to prepare the fire while setting rocks around in order to keep the fire from spreading. He was planning on preparing stew. He noticed they were one person and Pokemon short.

"Ash, where's Misty?"

The boy remained in his spot, still looking in the direction Misty had rushed off in. Curious, Brock stood after setting up the rocks. He studied his younger friend, realizing that the argument between the two had to have been really serious this time, meaning feelings were more than likely hurt and offenses made.

"What happened, Ash?" Brock asked again in grave concern.

He stared up at Brock, Ash's face sullen. He then glanced back out towards the woods, hoping that his redheaded friend would soon return…
x x x x

After wandering for a short while, Misty found a tree stump and sat. She rocked Togepi in her arms and kept muttering about how Togepi was the "only one" who actually liked her company. Despite trying to hold back, she couldn't any longer and burst into tears.

Togepi, at this point, was beyond confused over what had recently transpired, and seeing Misty crying was worrying to the small egg. "Priiiiiiiiii, toge? (What's wrong, mommy?)"

"N-n-nothing Togepi," she said between sobs, trying to sound reassuring. "Ash was just being mean again. Don't worry about it. Ash said that he wished we'd never met, so maybe we should leave, if it'll make him happy and his journey easier…" Saying those last words caused her heart to ache.

"Toge priii priii! (No, I don't want to go!)" Togepi cried out while vigorously shaking his head.

"Togepi," the girl began gently, trying to convince herself that it was a good idea, "it's obvious that Ash hates me," she shuddered and sniffled. "I really wish that things could be different between us. I never realized just how much of a burden I've been to him…" She sighed as some more tears fell. "It's for the best, Togepi. You'll understand when you're older."

"Priii priii toge toge priii. (It'll be okay mommy, but I'm hungry.)"

"Yeah, I'm getting hungry too. Let's go help Brock and have our last meal together with them."

Togepi looked up at his mother sadly, especially given the forced nature of her voice. He could definitely tell that she didn't truly want to leave Ash and Brock. They were here best friends, after all. Togepi also didn't want to leave "daddy". He viewed Ash as his father, but never fully understood why. He was the second person he saw after first hatching. In his mind, Misty and Ash belonged together as his mother and father.

Misty finally stood as she dried some more of her tears. She had to compose herself if she wanted to face Brock and Ash again.
x x x x
"It's been too long. I'm going to look for her!"

Brock had gathered some water for his stew and was adding in spices and some veggies, while stirring. "What did you two argue about anyway?"

Ash just paced around, the look on his face filled with guilt, ignoring his older friend's query. Brock decided to just let Ash brood while he fanned the fire to get it stronger.

Brock heard something and looked up from his task. "Hey, there she is."

Ash stopped pacing as he took notice of Misty and Togepi making their way back to them. He noticed her face and could tell that she'd been crying, just as Brock had at that moment. He was about to apologize to her, but she acted as if the boy didn't exist and paraded right past him, a forced, cold expression etched on her tear-stained face.

"Hey Brock," she responded to him cheerfully with a forced smile. "We were on our way back to see if we could help with anything, but the scent in the air tipped us off that you'd already started. Togepi is a little hungry too."

Brock eyed her suspiciously, given how forced her cheeriness seemed. "Y-yeah, I made stew. It should be done soon along with the rice. You two were gone for a good while."

"Sorry if we worried you."

"No, no, it's okay. You're just in time."

"Pika pi chu pika pika cha!" Don't you forget my ketchup!)" Pikachu threatened.

Ash tossed the electric rodent a bottle of ketchup, which caused the Pokemon to smile. He then walked over to Misty, trying his best to make casual, civil conversation with her. He nudged her playfully in her side; something he had done various times. "Sounds tasty, huh Misty?" he asked with a chuckle, hoping she'd join in.

The girl ignored the remark. She grabbed some of the food and sat down, while feeding Togepi some of Brock's Pokemon treats. Ash sat down next to her, gazing without even realizing it. He couldn't bring himself to eat, as his thoughts wandered too much for that.

'Why do I always say stupid things to her? Why do I argue with her? It's like I can't control it sometimes. Most of the time she and Brock are right. She was just tired, probably, especially since she's been having those bad dreams lately. She's a really good friend. I l-like having her around. I l-l-love having her around. I've felt like this for a long time…but I've gone and blown it…again…'

Due to his being so lost in thought, he hadn't noticed that Misty had moved to another spot to sit and also had all of her Pokemon out, just as Brock had, feeding them. Ash's Pokemon had come out as well, also eating the specially blended food prepared by Brock. Misty really didn't want to be near Ash at the moment and had lost her appetite. Her stomach was much too nervous to eat.

Brock, still at a loss over what to do, noticed that both trainers were acting oddly and Misty always enjoyed his cooking. It's strange not seeing her eat.

"Are you okay, Misty? You haven't eaten anything."

"Yeah, are you okay?" Ash asked in concern, finally breaking from his trance.

"Is the food okay?"

Misty nodded her head to Brock and looked over at her Pokemon, and then at Togepi who gave her a sad look. Togepi looked up at her with pleading eyes and started to cry. All of the other Pokemon stopped eating, staring over at Togepi in curiosity, wondering why he was continuously saying, "No, no no!"

"What's wrong with Togepi?" Ash and Brock asked in unison.

"Well, I have something to say and Togepi doesn't want me to say it," she answered softly.

Ash fearfully stared at the girl again, an anxious, dreadful feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He held it. This had to be serious for Togepi to react in such a way.

Misty felt her eyes stinging as she tried to hold back her tears again. "I'm going to leave. I guess I'll head back to Cerulean to help my sisters run the gym."

Ash's face went pale, the shock causing him to drop his stew to the ground. All of the Pokemon, especially Misty's, were equally as shocked. This was one of Ash's many fears, although he never fully understood why…never seeing Misty again. Pikachu stopped eating on his ketchup and looked at Misty with a frown. Brock looked puzzled and scratched his head.

"What?!" everyone exclaimed.
x x x x

Fic Chapter Changes

So, the main change for this chapter was the fourth wall breaking jokes with the narrator annoying the readers. I'm also planning on cutting out a lot of the bad eye jokes at Brock's expense. Looking back on the original story, which has been recently unearthed, seems the eye jokes were overboard.
x x x

Author's Note

Note 1: Only one note for this chapter. In reference to the $20 thing. In Pokemon's games and the actual anime series, the currency used originally is yen. I was tempted to use it.