"Okay, just hold on!" Ash called. "One more!"
Spearow pulled up, tail flaring, and evaded Geodude's latest rocky projectile.
Flipping forwards, he trimmed his feathers to adjust his angle of attack, and gained speed rapidly on his dive towards Geodude.
"Steel Wing!" Ash called.
"Bide!" Brock ordered.
Spearow's stiff, shimmering-silver wings hit home with a crack, and Geodude bounced backwards. His rocky skin glowed red for a moment, then the glow faded - and he hit the floor with a thud.
"Not bad," Brock said, recalling the Rock-type. "Much better than last time - you're getting the hang of this."
Ash grinned. "Great!"
"Now - Onix!"
Spearow hovered for a moment, looking at the enormous rock snake. "Okay, they say the bigger they come the harder they fall..."
"That's the spirit!" Ash agreed. "Steel Wing!"
Spearow's wings lit again, and he plunged forwards.
His stiff wings hit Onix, who didn't particularly seem to be affected. The big Rock-type then slammed Spearow against the side of the arena with a tail slap, and Spearow bounced off before hitting the floor with a whap.
Ash recalled Spearow, able to tell already the Flying-type was KOed, and looked down for a moment. "Hmmm... who else? I could send out Pikachu or Beedrill..."
"I think Beedrill's the better choice, he does have that Grass move" Misty said. "Despite... you know."
"I know, he's a bug," Ash agreed.
He looked up at Onix again, then came to a decision. "Okay, I choose Pikachu!"
Misty blinked. "Wait, what?"
"Watch out, Onix," Brock said, as Pikachu came running out onto the battlefield. "He probably knows Iron Tail or Brick Break or something."
"He doesn't have any of those moves!" Misty said. "Ash, what are you thinking?"
"Well, he'll never expect it!" Ash explained. "It's simple!"
Misty was lost for words for a moment, and Ash pointed. "Okay, Pikachu - let's start this off with a Thundershock!"
Electricity crackled from Pikachu's cheeks, then lanced out and hit Onix.
The Ground-type ignored the attack.
"All right, I thought so!" Ash enthused. "Great!"
"...what on earth do you even-" Misty began to say.
"Onix, use Dig!" Brock said, and the burly Rock-type burrowed underground in a trice.
Pikachu jumped up onto one of the small rocks littering the field. "Great... don't know where to-"
"Jump left!" Ash called.
Pikachu blinked, then jumped left - and a moment later Onix burst out of the ground to his right.
"How'd you - oh, right," Pikachu realized, skidding to a halt and facing Onix again. "Telepathy and stuff."
"Thunderbolt!" Ash called. "As much as you can!"
Pikachu's cheeks sparked again, and then a much more powerful Electric-type attack stormed forwards.
Unlike the first one, Onix most certainly felt this one. He bellowed in shock, and crashed backwards.
Brock's eyes widened.
Misty stared. "What."
"It's what I felt back at the power station!" Ash explained. "He kind of had... three abilities, I guess... and I wondered if it might be like this."
He shrugged. "So when he used Thundershock, I kept an eye on where he hit - there was a tiny little damaged bit, so it was working!"
While Ash had been speaking, Onix reared up again - a little more unsteadily.
"Rock Throw, quick!" Brock ordered.
Onix dug up a lump of the arena with his tail, flipped it into the air and thwacked it at Pikachu.
The mouse managed to dodge most of it, but was clipped on the side and spun around twice before landing.
"Pikachu, come back here!" Ash called. "You look dizzy - I'll send out Beedrill for a bit!"
"Sounds good..." Pikachu agreed, sounding slightly woozy.
As he tottered a little unsteadily towards Ash's side of the arena, Ash sent out his Bug-type.
Misty took a step back.
"He's got a Grass-type move - get in close!" Brock ordered. "Don't let him charge Solarbeam!"
Letting out a rumbling roar, Onix surged forwards.
Beedrill promptly punched him in the side with Needle Arm, sending the Rock-type crashing to the ground for a second time.
He did not get up again.
"Ash..." Misty said, slowly. "You know the first badge is supposed to indicate you understand what your Pokémon can do?"
"Sure," Ash agreed.
"I think this counts as cheating."
"Thanks for coming with us, Brock," Ash said, picking up another plate. "And especially thanks for the cooking!"
"Yeah," Misty agreed. "Ash and I were surviving on berries..."
"It wasn't that bad," Ash protested. "At least they were cooked."
"Oh, how'd you cook them?" Brock asked, interested. "I didn't see a Fire-type. Did you teach your Spearow a move it's not supposed to know, too?"
"No, I just mfffff-" Ash mumbled.
Misty took her hand off his mouth. "No, we built a campfire," she said.
"Huh, okay," Brock said, shrugging. "I guess that makes sense. Did you use matches?"
"Yeah!" Misty agreed. "But we ran out just before getting to Pewter - it was kind of a relief to reach the city..."
"Pewter's a lovely place," Brock agreed. "Hmmm, I think I saw some watercress over in the river, I'll check."
When he was gone, Misty turned to Ash. "Were you about to tell him you cooked our dinner by turning into a Litleo?"
"...yeah," Ash admitted. "Sorry, I'm still having trouble remembering - I mean, you're a friend, and Brock's a friend, and you don't hide things like that from friends."
"You're so naive it hurts," Misty muttered.
"Um..."
Ash and Misty turned.
Brock's Geodude waved. "Was I supposed to hear that?"
"Not really," Ash admitted. "Uh... can you not tell Brock?"
"I couldn't do it very easily even if I tried," Geodude said, and shrugged. "But - sure. I'll keep your secret... whatever it is."
Brock yawned, and looked up at the starry night sky.
After so long caring for his siblings, the doughty Gym Leader was having an interesting time adjusting to his new schedule.
Still, he was helping two new trainers out on their journeys. Even if in one case she was a Gym Leader herself - and an impressively young one, at that.
Shaking his head, Brock decided to stop thinking about random things. He sat up, and pulled his feet out of his sleeping bag before placing them in his shoes.
"Ooo?" Onix asked, quietly.
"No," Brock whispered, recognizing it as a question. "Just stretching my legs."
He picked up a small light and set off, walking for a few minutes into the woods around Mt. Moon to try and assure himself he didn't have to be up in the middle of the night.
After a cool walk in the crisp, slightly damp air, Brock walked back to their campsite.
Stepping over the tail of his starter, he played the light across the ground between him and his sleeping bag - just to make sure he could reach the groundsheet without tripping on anything.
Yawning, he walked carefully across the dewy grass, feeling it damp on his calves and shins. A Ledyba buzzed across the clearing, stopping to inspect his light before moving on.
Brock was about to get back in his bag when habit made him check on the two younger kids he was with. Just like he'd check on Salvadore and Yolanda.
Brock's yawn turned into a frown. "What the..."
Misty was there, all right - sleeping soundly. But there was no sign of Ash - his cap lay on the grass, just next to the sleeping Pikachu, but Ash was nowhere to be seen.
Except... there was a bulge in his sleeping bag.
Frowning, Brock moved closer, and crouched down.
There was a sleepy chirrup from overhead - Spearow, shifting on his branch, by the sound of it.
Brock lifted the lip of the sleeping bag.
A yawn answered him, and two big blue eyes blinked in the moonlight.
"What is it?" asked the apparition - in Ash's voice - then it jerked. "Oh no-"
There was a flicker, and Ash was scrambling out of the sleeping bag.
"What's going on?" Misty yawned. "Ash, did you-"
"Did you just turn into a Mew?" Brock asked, incredulous.
"No, into a human," Ash corrected automatically. "I'm already a-"
"Ash!"
"...oops," Ash said, blushing. "Um... sorry, Misty, I was sleepy..."
"Okay, Pikachu, you can do this!" Ash called.
"I was hoping you weren't going to use him," Misty admitted. "Uh... okay, Starmie, go! Use Bubblebeam!"
Pikachu blasted the stream of bubbles with a Thundershock, producing a large explosion, and followed it up with a second Thundershock which scythed towards Starmie and barely missed it.
"Stay focused, Pikachu!" Ash said. "You need to - to..."
Pikachu glanced over his shoulder, then yelped as a Water Pulse slapped into the battlefield next to him and he had to hastily dodge. "Ash, what's the problem?"
"I wonder what it's like being a Starmie..." Ash mused. "I mean, they don't really have a skeleton, so-"
"Focus!" Pikachu demanded. "Spearow, can you peck him on the head or something?"
"I think it would be quite dangerous," Spearow opined.
"Misty?" Brock asked, uncertainly.
"What?" Misty replied, looking up from watching as Starmie barraged the area including Pikachu with Water moves.
"Well... I'm kind of wondering how you got qualified as a gym leader," Brock explained.
"Well, normally these idiots haven't tired out all the Pokémon!" Misty snapped.
"We are not idiots!" Violet said, stung. "You take that back!"
"Want to make me?" Misty replied, pulling down one eyelid. "What are you going to use, Magikarp?"
"Oh, I've heard of Magikarp!" Ash said, looking up from his contemplation of the order echinodermata. "Don't they evolve into a really cool Gyarados?"
"Well, they're supposed to," Daisy told him with a shrug. "But we've never had much luck with it... the problem is, they're rubbish at battling on their own."
"Okay!" Ash replied, running off into the gym.
Lily blinked. "Did... he just forfeit?"
"I don't think there's a rule that says you have to be on the battlefield," Daisy replied, with a sigh. "Just your Pokémon..."
The Pokémon in question skidded under a Bubblebeam, lashed out with a double Thundershock, and forced Starmie into the wall.
"Oh, no!" Misty said, returning her attention to the battle. "Starmie's core is flashing - that means it's almost defeated!"
"Great!" Pikachu decided, not that anyone except Spearow could understand him. "Okay, let's get this fight over with!"
Pikachu used Thundershock, which hit Starmie and finally knocked it out.
About two seconds later, the building shook and there was a ground-shaking roar.
"...that's a Gyarados," Daisy said, slowly. "Did he just manage to make..."
She glanced at her sisters. "Uh... do we run towards the roars, or away?"
There were shrugs.
"Don't look at me, Zubat's the closest thing I have to a useful Pokémon in this situation," Brock said with a wave of his hands.
There was another roar, and then Ash came down the stairs again with a Gyarados behind him.
"I found one that was really close to evolving!" he said, eagerly. "Hey, Misty, I think he likes you!"
Misty looked like she wasn't quite sure how to take that.
Omake: What-If
Beedrill was still out of it - his stingers hadn't taken trying to damage Onix well - and Pikachu seemed kind of loopy after the second rock to the forehead.
"Right!" Ash said, taking a step forwards.
"Ash, don't-" Misty began, starting forwards, but too late.
Flint examined the Pewter gym.
Should he go in?
No. That would be too... too much...
It wasn't something he could do any more.
But-
His musing was interrupted by a sudden observation.
There was water seeping under the fire exit door.
Flint started over to examine what was going on, and got halfway before the doors collapsed - and an Onix, a Pikachu, a loudly complaining young girl, a bedraggled Beedrill, and his eldest son all came surging out with an enormous wave of water.
That was followed by a huge blue shape, which grounded out on the pavement as he stared.
The blue thing - Kyogre! - looked puzzled for a moment, then noticed it had started raining. There was a pop, and a bright pink shape was hovering there instead.
Uh... I think I broke the gym, it said. Sorry...
AN:
Pikachu does the same to Onix he did in canon to Geodude.
Then Brock comes with them, and the gang travel towards their destiny. (It involves a lot of exasperation with Ash.)
As for the omake, I'm going to try to do them on the what-if principle. This time, what if Ash actually had gone Kyogre.