A/N: Glad you guys enjoy the story! To those who leave reviews, check your inbox. I often reply to your reviews.
Chapter 2: Rockin' the Brock
It had taken three whole weeks for Ash and Trapinch to find their way to Pewter City.
The first week simply consisted of training and getting to know one another on the outskirts of Viridian City and stocking up on supplies. It was a good thing they did stock up on supplies, because the last two weeks... Were spent trying to find their way out of Viridian Forest. After taking the wrong paths and heading in the wrong directions for two weeks straight, Trapinch finally got fed up and had to ask a wild Pidgeotto in the forest if it could lead them out of the natural maze. It accepted, after getting some food from Ash in return of course.
So that was where the trainer and Pokémon were now.
"Bye Pidgeotto, and thanks," Ash yelled out to the bird that was now flying in the opposite direction. He would have waved goodbye at it as well, but his arms were currently occupied with holding thirty pounds of Pokémon.
"Trap, Trap," Trapinch yelled out as well.
"Pidgooooooooooo," the wild Pidgeotto cawed as it flew further and further away.
Ash sighed from exhaustion and turned around to face the short path that lead to Pewter City. He could see the city lights shining up from the shallow crater valley, where it lay, in the twilight of dusk. It was a beautiful sight, Ash had to admit, since the city was normally rather dull looking in the day time. Of course, why wouldn't it be dull looking? The city was based around rocks for pity's sake. It was quite a change from what it looked like normally. 'I feel rather sorry for the people who live there, really.'
Sitting his backpack down on the ground in front of him, Ash opened it and transferred Trapinch, who was starting to nod off, from his arms into it before placing it back on his back and setting off down the road.
The rocking motion of his trainer's walking finally had Trapinch falling deeply asleep...
"- back for him in a bit, Nurse Joy."
Trapinch opened his eyes sleepily as he came out of dream land. He noticed he was in the arms of a woman rather than that of his trainer's. Looking over at Ash, he cried out as a feeling of panic overcame him. He wasn't going to be abandoned, not again!
Ash, somehow feeling his Pokemon's panic and not knowing how or why, reached over and stroked Trapinch's head to try and sooth his worries.
"Hey buddy, it will be alright. Nurse Joy is just going to give you a check up while I go and get cleaned up, alright? I'll be back for you before you know it," Ash said, and he could feel his Pokémon calm down somewhat.
"If you be good for her, we'll go to a steak restaurant for dinner tonight. How does that sound?" The trainer laughed as excitement coursed through his body. Excitement that wasn't his own.
TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT
The next day, trainer and Pokémon stood outside the doors of the Pewter City Gym. Trapinch, from his position on Ash's shoulder, looked at the wooden double doors with both eagerness and trepidation. He was eager to prove himself to Ash as a capable and strong Pokémon, but he feared that if he failed, he would once again be abandoned. Though he knew, deep in his heart, he wouldn't be because his new trainer wasn't that kind of human, the fear still lingered.
He forcefully pushed the fear aside and replaced it with excitement. This was going to be the test, his test to prove he was strong. To prove his old trainer wrong, and to prove to himself, once and for all, that it wasn't he who failed himself, but his old trainer's fault. It was him that failed his Pokémon, not the other way around.
Trapinch's eyes sparkled in determination.
TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT
Ash stared at the gym's doors deep in thought, not noticing that his Pokémon was also in the same situation.
'Well,' he thought, 'this is it. This is the first step of my dream to becoming a Dragon Master. Let's just hope I don't fail...' Ash silently gulped as he thought this. 'No! I can't think that! I need to be strong for Trapinch! I need to show him that I'm strong, that I'm a capable trainer worthy of training him.' The raven-haired trainer mentally slapped himself across the face. 'I can do this. No, we can do this. Together.'
Ash's eyes sparkled in determination.
TDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDTDT
Slowly opening one of the doors, and cringing a bit when it loudly creaked, Ash stepped into the gym. He noticed it was dark inside as he closed the door behind him. Both trainer and Pokémon looked back and forth in the darkness and jumped in surprise when stadium lights suddenly came on, illuminating the entire gym in a bath of bright light.
Blinking away the spots that were zooming around in front of his eyes, Ash looked across the gym floor and noticed a dark-skinned teen with spiky brown hair sitting cross-legged up on a raised platform. 'Who does this guy think he is, Buddha?'
"Who goes there?" the teen called out to Ash. Trapinch growled at the teen's tone of voice, but calmed down when his trainer put a calming hand on his head.
'OoooooooKkkkkkk...' Ash thought in bewilderment. 'Never heard of a gym leader acting like this, but whatever. I'll play along.'
"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the gym leader for a Boulder Badge!"
"Very well," the teen announced and snapped his fingers. The gym suddenly started shaking as the floor split down the middle. Trapinch cried out in alarm when Ash hopped backwards, trying to get out of the arena before his feet were crushed.
Out of the floor rose a battle arena that had rocks scattered around the entire thing. 'Great, just great. A rocky field...'
The teen finally stood up and walked to his side of the field.
"My name is Brock, this city's gym leader," the teen said, finally saying who he was. "This will be a one on one battle for the Boulder Badge. Does the challenger accept this condition?"
'Well duh I accept, considering I only have one Pokémon on me so far,' Ash thought, but out loud he shouted "I accept!"
"Fine, let's rock and roll!" Brock shouted out as he pulled a PokeBall off of his belt, enlarged it and tossed it out on to the field. He caught it as it came back to him after releasing his Pokémon.
The Pokémon that emerged was an Onix of average size, which meant it was huge. It gave a loud roar as it faced his opponent.
'Just lovely, I was hoping for his Geodude. Oh well, this will give us a challenge at least.' "Trapinch, you're up!"
Trapinch turned his head to look at Ash and saw the determination in his eyes. His own determination flared and he jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and went underground, popping up on their side of the battlefield in a mere three seconds. 'Glad we figured out how to overcome his speed problem.'
Brock's eyebrow raised when he saw the small Pokémon the trainer chose to battle him with. It was a species he'd never seen or heard of before, but he didn't comment. He'd learn what it was capable of in battle, after all.
"The challenger gets the first move," the gym leader called out.
Ash's eyebrows knit together at this. 'Is he trying to figure out Trapinch? Probably, but we won't let him this early on!'
"Trapinch, underground," Ash commanded his Pokémon. 'Let's see how long his patience lasts, shall we?' The young trainer thought as Trapinch burrowed his way under the field. Brock didn't even last five minutes before he ordered his Onix to find Trapinch.
A minute passed and both trainers were waiting with bated breath. Finally, after waiting a few more seconds, Onix came out of the ground looking confused. Brock shared the same look as his Pokémon. 'Hah!'
"Trapinch, use Sand Tomb!" Ash ordered. Brock looked utterly confused.
"Sand what?" Brock shouted. 'Thank you PokeDex!' Ash thought as he heard Brock's exclamation.
Trapinch suddenly came rocketing out of the ground and landed a few feet away from his opponent. Opening his large jaws in an intimidating gesture, his whole body started vibrating and a funnel of sand and rock formed under Onix's body, entrapping the rock snake in a swirling vortex of pain. And painful it was too. Onix was roaring loudly in pain and thrashing, trying to escape the funnel. Its rock body could barely stand the sand and dirt chipping away at it.
"Onix, try and break free, then Tackle it!" Brock shouted in desperation. 'How... How can such a tiny little Pokémon have such power?' the gym leader thought to himself.
Finally, the vortex weakened enough that Onix was able to break free and tackle Trapinch head on, sending him flying through the air. He landed in front of Ash, on his stomach. Ash gasped out loud and kneeled down on the ground, being careful not to touch his Pokémon in any way, lest he be disqualified.
"Trapinch, get up! Come on buddy, get up! I know you can!" Ash said encouragingly and Trapinch opened his eyes slowly. He was thrown back into the past, to the very day he hatched where his parents encouraged him in nearly the same way from outside his egg. He couldn't understand what they were saying then, but he eventually learned the Pokémon language.
He was suddenly filled with renewed energy.
Brock studied the scene from the other side of the field and nodded to himself. 'I knew it, another rookie way in over his head. Though...' Looking over at his panting Onix, he assessed the damage. 'He sure did a number on my Onix. All the same, he lost.' He cleared his throat and readied himself to declare the match over. 'What did he call it again? Oh, yeah, Trapinch.'
"Trapinch is una- Huh?" Brock stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the little Pokémon stand up slowly before turning around and glaring straight at him.
"TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!" the Ant Pit Pokémon roared out. Onix gave a roar in return. It was time for the serious battle to begin.
End of Chapter 2
A/N: Ha, a cliffhanger. I figured that would be a good place to leave off until the next chapter.
Next chapter, Ash adds a new Pokémon to his team! What will it be? Well, you'll find out next chapter!