The Greatest There Was or Ever Will Be: Kanto League Journeys

by Forever United Never We Fall

What if Ash was chosen by the God Pokémon Arceus herself to be the Chosen One? The savior and champion of the world and the one true master of all Pokémon? Follow this retelling of Ash's entire journey from the very beginning. Ash will encounter and overcome great challenges to become the greatest Pokémon Master there ever was... or ever will be.

4. More Pokemon and The Boulder Badge!

A/N: Yo everybody! I'm back yet again with another chapter of this soon to be very popular story! I want to, yet again, thank everyone who is loyally following my story and waiting for the new chapters to be posted. Your support is my life-blood for writing this story!

So that's it... there is really nothing left to say except for this: Expect quite a few changes to the Pokémon storyline once Ash gets the Cascade Badge and then heads out towards Vermillion City. I'm not going to give anything major away except for this little tidbit of info. Go on to Bulbapedia, and look up the badges from all the regions in the show or more specifically... the ones in Kanto. Read that whole section and then anybody who thinks they know what I'm going to do can PM me. Let's just say this... I'm going to be doing something that no other Pokémon writer (to my knowledge) has ever done before.

Now without further ado! Let the show begin!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon, anything affiliated with it or anything else copyrighted that might be mentioned in this story.

...

The Greatest There Was or Ever Will Be

Chapter Four: 'More Pokémon and The Boulder Badge!'

---

Ash got up early in the morning before his Pokémon had risen, as usual, and then stretched and did a few exercises while he watched the sun rise. He was right when he told himself that sunrises on the road would be different than they were all the years he had watched them from the roof of his house. Even though he wasn't that far away from Pallet Town, it was still an angle that he had never seen the sun rise at before, and he wanted to soak up every moment. After the sun came up and he finished his exercises, Ash sat down by the fire pit and, after lighting a fire, began cooking for himself and his Pokémon. Even though his Pokémon ate Pokémon food, Ash still liked cooking it over the fire so all the flavor could really take hold and his Pokémon would really enjoy eating it.

No sooner than the food started cooking did Pikachu come out of the tent, looking hungry as he ran to Ash's side. "Hungry, buddy?" Ash asked his first Pokémon. Pikachu nodded his head furiously in confirmation. "Pika Pikachu!" The small Electric-Type Pokémon called out. Ash chuckled and then released his other two Pokémon, Budew and Spearow, so they could eat as well. After Ash had finished making breakfast he and his Pokémon settled down for a nice and relaxing breakfast. At least, they would have if Ash hadn't heard something riffling through his backpack that was sat near his tent.

Ash turned around to see what was going through his pack, and saw a Pokémon he recognized all too well. It was a Rattata, picking through Ash's backpack hoping to find some food. Ash had guessed the smell of the cooking Pokémon food had lured it in and now it was trying to find the source of the smell. He grabbed some of the leftover food that he had on his plate and slowly walked over to the foraging Pokémon. When Rattata noticed Ash, it went to take off until Ash put the food in front of it. The Pokémon cautiously sniffed the food before it then began to devour it.

While the Pokémon ate away at the morsels of food, Ash withdrew his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

---

Pokédex Entry No.019

Rattata: The Mouse Pokémon

"It searches for food all day long. Rattata gnaws on hard objects to wear down its fangs, which grow
constantly during its lifetime"

"This Rattata is male and has the abilities Run Away, Guts and Hustle"

"This Pokémon knows the moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Focus Energy and Bite"

---

Ash looked back at Rattata and thought, 'This Rattata is actually pretty special... to know all of those moves already and have all three abilities that a Rattata can have? Impressive..." Ash was broken from his thoughts by Pikachu, who was bounding over from his place near the fire and over to Rattata where he then sat down and began talking animatedly to his Mouse Pokémon kin about... whatever it was they talked about in Poké'Speech. While they did that, Ash returned Spearow and Budew who had just finished eating to their Pokéballs, and then began tearing the campsite down and packing everything up. When he was done, Ash went to get Pikachu, but found him standing there behind him with Rattata by his side. Ash was confused, until Pikachu began explaining everything to Ash that he and Rattata had been discussing.

Apparently, according to Pikachu, Rattata had dreams of becoming as strong as he possibly could. And so, he went everywhere, challenging strong, wild Pokémon to battle. He had received plenty of experience and learned the moves he had now by battling the way he had so far, but he wanted to get more powerful. Only problem was, he didn't know how to achieve it. Pikachu had told Rattata all about Ash and his dream, along with how hard he made himself, Budew and Spearow train, and how much stronger they had all gotten in just a short amount of time training with Ash.

Rattata came up to Ash after Pikachu finished his explanation and just sat and looked at the young Trainer. Ash bent down and addressed the Pokémon. "Is it true Rattata? Do you want to become the strongest you can be?"

Rattata nodded its head vigorously. "Rat Ta Rattata!"

Ash smiled and then asked. "Do you want to come with me and be my Pokémon? I'll make you the strongest you could ever be, and that's a promise."

Rattata nodded again in confirmation. "Rat Ta, Ta Rat!"

Ash pulled a Pokéball from his belt and lightly touched Rattata on the head with it. The Pokémon was sucked inside in a beam of red energy, and the Pokéball didn't even wobble as it fell still completing the capture.

Ash stood up and grinned happily before attaching the Pokéball to his belt and then taking off for the main path with Pikachu now at his spot on Ash's shoulder.

...

Ash was now walking the path to Viridian City, and was coming closer to the section of Route 1 that cut through some woods. He was just beginning to enter the forest until he heard what sounded like a battle being waged off to the right of the path. Ash followed the sounds of fighting, and eventually came onto the scene of two Pokémon, a Nidoran (male), and a Nidoran (female) fighting in a little clearing.

Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the two fighting Pokémon:

---

Pokédex Entry No.029

"Nidoran-Female: The Poison Pin Pokémon"

"While it does not prefer to fight, even one drop of the poison it secretes from barbs can be fatal"

"This Nidoran-Female: Has the abilities Poison Point, Rivalry and Hustle"

This Pokémon knows the moves: Tackle, Scratch, Double Kick and Poison Sting"

---

Pokédex Entry No.032

"Nidoran-Male: The Poison Pin Pokémon"

"It scans its surroundings by raising its ears out of the grass. Its toxic horn is for protection"

"This Nidoran-Male: Has the abilities Poison Point, Rivalry and Hustle"

This Pokémon knows the moves: Tackle, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick and Poison Sting"

---

Ash put his Pokédex away, and then watched, in rapt attention, as the two Pokémon battled it out with one another. Each one was battling with higher-than-usual levels of skill than a wild Pokémon should have, which lead Ash to his next decision. He walked out into the clearing and addressed the two Pokémon who, by this point, had seen him and stopped fighting.

"Hey, you two! I see you like battling! I have a proposition for you: I challenge you both to a two on two battle. You guys against my Pokémon. If you win I give you each a week supply of Pokémon food. If you lose, you become my Pokémon and then I'll train you both up and show you what true strength is! What do you say?

Both Pokémon thought about it for a minute and then nodded their heads in agreement. Ash smiled and then pulled two Pokéballs from his belt. "Spearow, Budew show your power!"

The two Pokémon appeared with shouts of their names, and then settled on the field, ready for battle. "Are you guys ready?! This is your first battle after all the training you have been through. You ready to ready rock 'n' roll?!" Ash exclaimed loudly.

Budew and Spearow called again loudly. "ROW!" "BUD!"

"Alright, then let's go!"

At that moment both Nidorans started to charge.

"Dodge those Tackles! Spearow, you use Aerial Ace on the Female Nidoran! Budew, jump out of the way and then hit the Male Nidoran with Absorb!"

Spearow flew out of the way of the incoming Tackle and then followed up with an Aerial Ace that hit the female, and sent her skidding through the dirt.

Budew jumped to the side of the male Nidoran and then hit the Poison Pin Pokémon with the tendrils of the energy-sucking Absorb attack. Nidoran got weak, and started to fall to his side until the other Nidoran came from the side and hit Budew, sending her flying away from the Male Nidoran and ending Absorb.

Budew landed near Spearow with a cry of her name. "Budew!"

"You all right Budew?" Ash called to his Pokémon.

Budew nodded her head and stood back up.

Both Nidorans were ready to go again and prepared their attacks. The male Nidoran began using Focus Energy while the other Nidoran launched a Poison Sting at Budew.

"Budew, jump to the side to avoid that Poison Sting, then follow it up with Stun Spore!'

Budew dodged the attack, and then launched the yellow paralyzing powder that floated towards the female Nidoran.

At the same time, the other Nidoran took off towards Spearow, fully pumped from the focus energy. He began using Peck repeatedly, trying to hit the Tiny Bird Pokémon. "Spearow use Agility to dodge!"

Before Spearow could dodge in time, Nidoran suddenly went into a Double Kick and hit the Flying-Type, sending him flying towards the ground where he hit, and then grunted in pain.

On the other side of the battle, the female Nidoran was about to be hit by the Stun Spore. Suddenly, the male Nidoran appeared and used Double Kick to kick up a bunch of dirt into the air where it then collided with Stun Spore, cancelling the attack.

Ash looked towards Budew and Spearow, who had just gotten back to his feet and spoke to them. "You guys ready to keep going?"

"Bud, Bud!" Budew called!

"Row! Spearow!" Spearow echoed back.

"Alright then then you two let's end this!" Ash shouted.

"Spearow, pick Budew up! Then use Agility, and speed toward the Nidorans!"

Spearow did just that, and a few seconds later they were flying at high speeds towards the Poison Pin pair of Pokémon.

"Now Spearow, let Budew go and use the momentum to hit the Male Nidoran with an Aerial Ace! Budew, use the speed of Spearow letting you go to use Headbutt and smash into the Female Nidoran!"

Spearow and Budew obeyed perfectly and performed their attacks. The Nidoran pair wasn't prepared for the perfect teamwork strategy from their opponents, and so they took the full force of the attacks. Spearow let Budew go, and the Grass-Type Pokémon smashed into the Female Nidoran at full speeds, sending her sailing far backwards. Spearow used the momentum from Agility, and instantly turned in mid direction towards the Male Nidoran and began rocketing towards the unprepared Pokémon in a high-speed Aerial Ace. The Flying-Type Pokémon hit its mark, and sent Nidoran careening back towards its partner.

Ash didn't let up. "Budew, use Leech Seed on the Female Nidoran while she's down! Spearow, get in close to the male and use a rapid Fury Attack!"

Ash's Pokémon attacked their opponents viciously. Budew launched her Leech Seed, implanting the move onto the Female Nidoran, causing her to become wrapped up in energy-sucking vines. As the Female Nidoran bellowed in pain, the male tried to get up and assist his downed comrade, only for Spearow to appear in front of him and begin a vicious assault of Fury Attacks.

After Spearow had finished his attack, he used one more smack from his wing and sent the Male Nidoran flying into his partner, who was still struggling inside of the energy-stealing vines of Leech Seed. After the Male Nidoran slammed into the female, they both fell completely to the ground.

Ash was about to call the final attacks until Budew began glowing green. A second later, she made small roots appear out of the ground that headed towards the downed and intertwined Nidoran pair. The roots circled the Poison Pin Pokémon, and then began sapping energy from the pair. The stolen energy then started tracing back along the roots until it found Budew again and began nourishing her back to full health.

Ash knew that this new move was Ingrain, and was about to comment on it until something else happened. Long, dark green tendrils of energy, much larger than those of Absorb began flowing from Budew. The second new attack struck the downed pair of Pokémon, and started draining large amounts of energy from them. The recovered energy then began heading back towards Budew who redirected the energy flow towards Spearow and began restoring her partner's health.

Ash was stunned. Budew just learned Ingrain AND Mega Drain all at once. He couldn't believe how fast Budew was growing!

After Spearow regained his health, he chirped a thank you to Budew, who nodded back in response. Ash, now seeing that his Pokémon were fully recovered, called the final attack of the battle. "Alright guys, let's end this! Spearow, pick Budew back up and then head towards both Nidorans as fast as you can! Once you get right on top of them, stay intertwined and then start spinning to gain more speed! After that hit, them with a double Tackle attack!"

Ash's Pokémon did as commanded, and began the combination attack. As they were right on top of the Nidoran pair, the only thing that the two downed Pokémon could do was brace for impact. Spearow and Budew smashed right into the two wild Pokémon with their combined Tackle, causing a huge dust cloud to kick up.

Ash's Pokémon returned to his side, and then Ash waited for the dust to settle. As it did, he saw two unconscious Pokémon laying sprawled out on the ground. Ash smiled and then pulled two empty Pokéballs from his belt. He chucked them at the two Pokémon and after hitting them dead on they were sucked inside. After a few moments of twitching the two Pokéballs lay still and 'dinged' with the sound of two complete captures. Ash walked over and picked up both Pokéballs. He then walked over to Spearow and Budew and began congratulating them.

"That was an awesome battle guys I'm so proud of you! Training is really paying off and I am so happy with how far you've both come in just a week!"

The two Pokémon began cheering happily, and embraced Ash. After returning the hug, Ash congratulated his Pokémon again before returning them to their Pokéballs. He then turned to Pikachu. "Well buddy, you want to meet the two new additions to our team?" Pikachu nodded his head excitedly. "Pikachu!" Ash then released both Nidorans, who appeared from their Pokéballs looking tired and beat up. Ash took off his pack and then went into his medical supply case that was full to-the-brim with all kinds of medicines, potions, and recovery items. He took a Hyper Potion and two Oran Berries, and then went to work healing his two new Pokémon.

When he was done, both Nidorans looked good as new, and were now sitting down comfortably, staring up at Ash. He looked at them both and spoke: "Look guys, I just want you two to know how impressed I was with you in that battle. For wild Pokémon, you were very skilled. I can train the both of you to be just as strong as my other Pokémon if you want to. All my Pokémon are going to eventually stand at the top of their species. And for us to achieve that, we train very hard. Are you guys interested?"

Both Nidorans excitedly nodded their heads and called out at the same time, "Nido-ran!"

Ash smiled, and then started rubbing each of his new Pokémon on the sides of their cheeks. After that, he returned them both and then turned to Pikachu. "Come on buddy, let's get going. It looks like a storm's coming, and I want to get under the shelter of the trees when it starts to rain. Luckily, the remainder of the way between here and Viridian City is all covered by forest, so we should be good."

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder. "Pika pi, pi Pikachu."

Ash then set out on his way, finding the path again and then heading the rest of the way for Viridian City.

...

Ash had been right about the possibility of running into rain. They had been on the path no longer than ten minutes, and then it started pouring rain. Ash and Pikachu had to take shelter in a nearby hollow of a tree while they waited for the storm to subside. After it did, Ash and Pikachu emerged from the tree and looked around at the soaked terrain. Ash made his way back to the main path, and just before he started walking, Pikachu poked him in the side of the head. Ash turned around to see what Pikachu needed, and saw the electric mouse pointing up towards the sky.

When Ash looked up, his jaw almost dropped. There, in the sky, was a large rainbow stretching across the sky. What caught their attention, though, wasn't the rainbow itself, but the Pokémon that was flying high in the sky that seemed to be making the rainbow and spreading it further as it flew. Ash knew what the Pokémon was as soon as he looked at it. He recognized it from all the Pokémon books and teachings from Professor Oak he had over the years. This Pokémon had not been seen by human eyes in hundreds of years... until now at least. The Pokémon was none other than the fabled and legendary Rainbow Pokémon... Ho-Oh.

Ash and Pikachu could only stare in shock and awe of the magnificent and majestic Pokémon that was flying overhead. They watched the Pokémon until it began to fly out of sight and then they finally looked at one another. "Wow, Pikachu. That was amazing, huh?! I can't believe we actually just saw the Legendary Ho-Oh!"

Pikachu just nodded. "Pika Pikachu pi!"

After Ash got over his shock and prepared to take off again until he felt something land on his head. He reached up and grasped whatever it was, and then looked at it. What he saw shocked him all over again. It was a Rainbow Wing. A feather from the Legendary Ho-Oh itself! Ash studied it for a while and admired its multicolored beauty before wrapping it up in a piece of cloth and sticking it in his pack carefully. With that done, Ash and Pikachu set off again with renewed spirits towards Viridian City.

Neither of them knew that high up in the sky, Ho-Oh was thinking to herself as she continued to fly. "Take that as a gift, dear Chosen-One, and let it bring you good fortune for your adventures ahead. We shall meet again... sooner than you think." Ho-Oh then disappeared back into the clouds.

...

Ash and Pikachu were now close to Viridian City, and was coming towards the end of the forest. Just as they were about to make their way through the last stretch of forest, they heard a loud scream coming from down the hill they were on, towards the nearby river. Ash and Pikachu took one look at each other, nodded their heads at one another, and then made their way down the hill as fast as they could.

When they finally made it to the source of the distressed call, which was right by a large river, they saw a young girl who looked to be a little older than Ash, with bright orange hair tied back to the side of her head in a short ponytail, wearing a yellow T-shirt that was cut off at the stomach, jean shorts that had two red straps that came up and attached over her shoulders and wearing white tennis shoes with red designs of some kind on both sides of each shoe, crouching down by the edge of the nearby river with her hands over her head.

Towering over her was a big and fierce-looking Gyarados looking down at her, enraged and ready to attack. Ash sprang into action, "Pikachu, Thunderbolt that Gyarados and get it away from that young lady!"

Pikachu jumped high in the air. "Pika... Pika... CHU!"

The bolt hit Gyarados head-on, making it bellow in rage and pain. Pikachu landed in a battle stance, ready to keep going.

The enraged Pokémon looked at who shocked it and, upon laying its eyes on Pikachu, got even madder. "Gaarroo!" It bellowed loudly.

"Pikachu, get ready!" Ash called out.

"Pika!" Pikachu replied.

The Gyarados opened its mouth, and fired a large torrent of water from its mouth.

"Pikachu, dodge using Agility, and then start running for Gyarados!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu dodged the powerful Hydro Pump and then started running for Gyarados using Agility.

The Atrocious Pokémon opened its mouth again, and fired a blue wave of energy at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the ground. Combine it with your Focus-Lightning training, and use it to strike the ground hard enough to send you into the air!"

Pikachu did so, and missed the Dragon Rage attack just as it contacted with the ground that Pikachu was once standing on.

Gyarados didn't stop there. The Atrocious Pokémon then brought its tail around out of the water to strike Pikachu.

Ash thought fast. "Pikachu, hit the ground!"

Pikachu dropped to the ground just as the Aqua Tail from Gyarados passed over his head. Ash commanded again. "Now, get up and use Double Team to throw Gyarados off, and then quickly begin forming a Thunder Wave cage around Gyarados with your doubles while Gyarados is readying its next attack! "

Pikachu concentrated, and formed four other duplicates around Gyarados. They all began discharging a Thunder Wave that started to form a connected electric cage around Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon was confused, and tried to escape the electric prison. But every time it touched the electric 'bars', it would get shocked. The Pokémon got even angrier, and then opened its mouth, forming an orange ball of energy in its mouth.

Ash knew what that was, and quickly commanded Pikachu, "Pikachu don't let it use that Hyper Beam! Use a max power Thunderbolt on Gyarados and finish it off!"

Pikachu nodded his head and then went to stand in front of Gyarados. "Pi… ka… CHU!"

Pikachu let loose a massive Thunderbolt that struck Gyarados from inside of its electric cage and started electrocuting it. The Pokémon howled in pain, but kept charging Hyper Beam. Ash didn't want that Hyper Beam to get loose... suddenly he had an idea!

"Pikachu, aim your Thunderbolt right into its mouth where the Hyper Beam is charging!"

Pikachu began struggling as he started to direct the current of electricity straight towards Gyarados's mouth. Right before the angry Pokémon could release Hyper Beam, Pikachu hit the mark dead on and began shocking the inside of Gyarados's mouth. The Pokémon roared in terrible pain and the Hyper Beam instantly disappeared.

Once the electrocution was over, Gyarados slumped down into the water and began slowly diving back down below the water to escape the beating it was taking.

Pikachu stood his ground, panting and smirking all at once. Ash went up and congratulated Pikachu on a battle well fought before making his way toward the orange-haired girl. He knelt beside the girl who was looking at Ash and Pikachu with undisguised shock at what just happened. "Are you okay, miss?" Ash asked concerned. The girl looked at Ash. "How did you do that?!"

Ash seemed confused. "Huh... what? The Gyarados thing, you mean?"

The girl stood up. "Of course, the Gyarados thing! How did your little Pikachu beat that huge and powerful Pokémon?!"

Ash just scratched Pikachu behind the ears, making him "Chaaa" in happiness. "My buddy is strong, that's how. He's been training extremely hard, and that battle just proved it."

Ash looked back at the girl and put his hand out. "I'm Ash by the way, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. And of course, you know my partner, Pikachu."

Pikachu gave the peace sign towards Misty. "Pika, Pika Chu!"

The girl got over her shock, and then stretched her own hand out, shaking Ash's own, and saying "Nice to meet you, Ash and Pikachu my names Misty, Misty Waterflower of Cerulean City. Thanks for saving me by the way!"

Ash continued to shake her hand. "Nice to meet you, Misty, and no problem!... If you don't me asking... Why did that Gyarados attack you?"

Misty got an ashamed look on her face. "I was actually fishing for Water-Type Pokémon, and I ended up drawing the attention of Gyarados. They're very territorial, and it must've not wanted me here. It attacked me, and my own Pokémon just weren't strong enough to fend it off..."

Ash put a comforting hand on Misty's shoulder and looked at her. "It wasn't your fault, Misty. Gyarados is a very difficult Pokémon to handle, and anybody could have made the same mistake. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Misty returned the smile that Ash was giving, and said "Thanks, Ash. I appreciate it. So, what, are you and your Pikachu pro level or something to be handle that Gyarados?"

Ash scratched the back of his head and laughed sheepishly. "Actually... I just started out on my Pokémon Journey two weeks ago. Pikachu here was my starter Pokémon ... Anyway, we stopped and did some intense training for the first two weeks, and now we're heading to Viridian City, and Pewter City afterwards, so I can compete for my first league badge."

Misty was completely silent. This... Newbie trainer and his Pikachu, who he only had for two weeks, just stomped a high-level Gyarados flat when she, someone who had Pokémon much longer, couldn't even scratch it. How was that possible? He did say that he and his Pokémon trained hard, but... They had to have trained EXTREMELY hard to get to this level they were at in only two weeks!

Misty was disturbed from her thoughts by Ash looking at something broken and mangled laying on the ground near the riverbank. She suddenly came to life. "My bike!" Misty yelled as she ran and crouched beside her broken bike. Ash stepped back and he and Pikachu just stayed silent.

"I don't believe it! That Gyarados must have smashed my bike when it was trying to attack me! What am I going to do now..."

Ash took this opportunity to speak up. "I'm really sorry about your bike Misty... If you want, you can come with me and Pikachu to Viridian City. I'll carry your bike there on my shoulders and then we can see if someone will fix it in the city. What do you say?"

Misty looked up at Ash in awe just to see him smiling at her. A faint blush adorned her cheeks. "Would you really do that, Ash?"

Ash kept smiling. "Well, of course! It wouldn't be honorable to my mother's teachings if I didn't help out a lady when she needs it, now would it?"

Misty smiled and got up. "Thanks, Ash. I really appreciate this!"

Ash just waved it off and then hoisted the broken bike over his strong shoulders. He, Pikachu, and Misty then set off for Viridian City together.

...

Ash, Pikachu, and Misty had just arrived in Viridian City by the time the sun began to set, and the sky began turning a purplish orange as night began to fall. The whole way there, Ash and Misty talked about all kinds of things, namely their dreams. Ash obviously wanting to be a Pokémon Master and Misty telling Ash that she dreamed of becoming the world's best Water-Type Pokémon Trainer, even better than her idols: Prima, of the Kanto and Johto Elite Four, who was a literal expert in the field of Water- and Ice-Types... And Wallace, the Hoenn region champion and contest genius who was not only a regional champion and Water-Type Pokémon Master, but also had his own Pokémon Contest named after him: The Wallace Cup.

Ash and Misty went to the Pokécenter nearby, and walked in the front doors, up to Nurse Joy who was positioned behind the counter. She saw them and smiled. "Hello, young Trainers, and welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center! How may I help you?"

Ash spoke up while unclipping all his Pokéballs and laying them in front of the kind nurse. "Can we please have two rooms for the night and can you also please heal up my Pokémon, Nurse Joy?"

Misty chimed in while handing over her Pokéballs. "Me too, please, nurse."

Nurse Joy smiled and then took the Pokéballs and Pikachu, placing them on a wheel cart for Chansey to take away. She then grabbed two room keys, and gave them to the children. "Enjoy your stay! You'll be able to pick up your Pokémon tomorrow morning."

Ash said good-bye to Pikachu and then he turned to Misty. "Hey Misty, I have to go call my mom and Professor Oak and let them know I finally made it safe and sound, okay?"

Misty just nodded her head. "Okay, Ash. Talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight!"

Ash was already walking for the doors of the Pokémon Center as he waved back to her. "Night!"

Ash finally made it out into the cool night air just outside of the Pokémon Center and then called his mom on his Xtransceiver. She picked up after a few rings, and after seeing Ash's face, a big smile grew on her face. "Hi, honey! Are you in Viridian City yet?" Ash's mom asked excitedly.

"Yeah, mom, I actually just got here. I came here with a girl that me and Pikachu saved from a Gyarados."

"A Gyarados?!" Ash's mom asked with a fearful expression. "Are you okay?!"

Ash waved his hand nonchalantly to his mom that he was okay. "Yes, mom, I'm fine. Don't worry, we chased it off and saved the girl. Misty is her name. Her bike was destroyed by the Gyarados, and so, I offered that she could come with us to Viridian and then I would help her find someone who could possibly fix her bike."

Delia smiled at her son's thoughtfulness. "Oh, my boy the gentleman! I'm so proud of you, sweetie! Now tell me, did you catch any Pokémon?"

Ash felt happy at his mother's praise and then answered her question. "Thanks, mom. That means a lot; you taught me after all. So far, I've caught a Spearow, Budew, Rattata and both genders of Nidoran."

His mom looked impressed with all the Pokémon that her son had already captured. "Wow, Ash, that's great! I'm so proud of you. Soon, you will be a great Trainer, just like your father. Just always remember, each of your Pokémon are unique, and has their own personalities. So, make sure to treat them all like individuals, and with plenty of love!"

Ash nodded his head. "Will do, mom. Thank you for the advice! I should get going now, so I can call the Professor before it gets too late. I love you mom. Take care!"

Delia smiled and replied. "I love you too, Ash honey. Be safe, and catch plenty of Pokémon!"

After he hung up with his mom, Ash called Professor Oak right away. Almost immediately, the Professor answered the phone. When he saw Ash, he smiled. "Ash, my boy! Good to finally hear from you! I take it you're in Viridian now?"

Ash nodded his head and then went on to tell the Professor everything that had happened since he left Pallet. Professor Oak stayed silent, just listening with a small smile on his face as he listened to the excited young boy go on about his recent adventures. When Ash was done, Professor Oak spoke. "Well, my boy, it sounds like you and Pikachu have been having quite the exciting time, eh? And good job on already having a full team of Pokémon! Gary and the others only has about three each right now."

Hearing the Professor mention the fact that he now had a full team of Pokémon reminded Ash of something important. "Professor Oak, before I forget! Since I now have a full team of six Pokémon, all the other Pokémon I catch will go to your Lab. I don't want any of my Pokémon to fall behind in their training just because they aren't with me, so I'm going to be explaining to every Pokémon I get what their training program is going to be so they can continue to train hard at the Lab every day, and keep getting stronger. I have specific nutrition plans laid out for all my Pokémon, and I don't want them to lose that just because they aren't with me. It's very important to their training that they maintain the nutrition plan they are following. If I send you continuously-updated copies of each of my Pokémon's nutrition plans, can you keep it going for them, please?"

Professor Oak nodded his head. "Of course, my boy! I'm very proud that you are so serious when it comes to training your Pokémon! I will help in any way that I can."

Ash smiled gratefully at the Professor. "Thank you so much, Professor Oak! I'll upload all the nutrition information for my current Pokémon to you when we get done here. I'll then send you information on every Pokémon after this so you stay updated and informed."

Professor Oak just nodded his head showing he understood and then Ash got ready to get off the line. "Oh, before I go Professor... You'll never guess what Pokémon I saw on Route 1 just before I came into Viridian."

Professor Oak suddenly turned very much into the Pokémon Researcher he was. "What did you see Ash?" He asked curiously, leaning up closer to the screen of his video phone.

Ash smirked and then smiled widely. "It was just after a storm that me and a Pikachu had to take shelter from. After it passed we got back on Route 1 and just before I got ready to take off, Pikachu pointed out something to me in the sky. I looked up, and saw a rainbow stretching across the sky... But what was amazing was the Pokémon making the rainbow. Professor Oak... It was Ho-Oh!" Ash then pulled the Rainbow Wing out from his pack and held it up to the screen of his Xtransceiver.

Professor Oak looked like he might have a heart attack. "A-Ash... T-t-that's... A..."

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah, I know Professor; it's a Rainbow Wing. It came off Ho-Oh when it flew overhead. Pretty amazing, huh?"

Professor Oak just shook his head in disbelief. "That is beyond amazing, Ash. Ho-Oh has not been seen by human eyes since the incident in Ecruteak City in the Johto region, when the Brass Tower burned to the ground hundreds of years ago. Those who are said to see Ho-Oh are supposedly blessed with great luck and fortune on their ventures in life. That Rainbow Wing you have Ash is very special. Be careful who you show it to, and don't lose it!"

Ash smiled and gave a thumbs up. "You got it, Professor Oak. Well I gotta get going now, big day tomorrow!"

Professor Oak smiled back and waved. "Okay, dear boy. Be safe, and enjoy your journey!"

Ash waved back. "Will do, Professor. Bye!"

After that was said, Ash turned off his Xtransceiver and went back into the Pokémon Center, heading off to bed so he could get rested for anything that could come his way the next day.

...

Early next morning, Ash and Misty got up and went down to retrieve their Pokémon. Upon seeing Ash again, Pikachu called out excitedly and then jumped back onto his position atop Ash's shoulder. "Pika Pi!" Pikachu said happily as he rubbed his cheek on Ash's.

Ash laughed and scratched Pikachu under the chin. "Good to see you too, buddy!"

He then turned to Misty. "You ready to go and see about getting your bike fixed Misty?"

Misty nodded her head in confirmation. "Yep, let's go!"

...

Ash, Pikachu, and Misty then spent most of the morning looking around Viridian for any bike repair shops there may have been in the city. Sadly, by around 10:00 A.M. they had been around the entire city and didn't find a repair shop, or even a bike store, anywhere in the city.

They went back to the Pokécenter and took a seat in the lobby. Misty looked a little sad that her bike wouldn't be getting repaired, but she had come to terms with it by now. Ash and Pikachu had saved her life from the Gyarados. If they hadn't come along and saved her then it would have been her laying on the ground broken and mangled instead of her bike. She was happy to be alive, and that was that. Ash was nice enough to volunteer his time to find someone to repair her bike for her. And for Misty, that spoke volumes about his character, and she grew quite a bit of respect for him.

Ash broke the silence. "I'm sorry about not finding anyone to fix your bike, Misty..."

The girl just shrugged. "It's okay, Ash. You spent all morning trying to help me find someone to fix it when you didn't have to at all. I really appreciate it."

Ash just smiled as he got up from his seat. "No problem! Hey, I'm going to head out into the forest just outside of town and have my daily training session with my Pokémon, okay? I'll be back this evening!

Misty got up also and responded. "That's fine, Ash. I should call home to my sisters in Cerulean and let them know about what happened, then I should get my bike sent home so I don't have to carry it everywhere with me. Who knows? Maybe someone in my home town will be able to fix it. I'll see you tonight then!"

Ash gave a thumbs up and then left the Pokécenter, heading for the forests outside of town.

...

Ash had managed to find a small, secluded clearing in the woods outside of Viridian City, and had let his Pokémon out to begin their day of training. As Ash did his own vigorous training routine, he watched as his Pokémon had just finished the extreme physical conditioning part of their training program, and were now moving on to their individual training routines that were type-specific for each one.

His three newest Pokémon, Rattata and the Nidoran duo, were currently engaging in rigorous type-specific training that was meant to perfect their current moves, learn new ones, drill type-disadvantage training, teach them how to better use their abilities, improve on what each of their respective species were already naturally talented and gifted at, strengthen their weak points, and work battle strategies against many different types of Pokémon. Generally, the same thing that Pikachu, Spearow and Budew did.

Ash had already set the three newest Pokémon up on the correct nutrition plan for each of them, and now it was just a matter of tough training to make them stronger.

Rattata was rather gifted at speed and brute force when it came to head-on attacks like Tackle. Ash greatly encouraged this.

Both Nidorans were very good at strategic and teamwork battling styles. Ash already guessed this with how well the two of them battled against Spearow and Budew together, so naturally Ash worked with them on this a lot. He honestly couldn't wait for the time that they both reached their final evolution stages. They would become a force to be reckoned with in any tag battle.

Pikachu, Spearow and Budew had just continued getting stronger with the heavy training they went through every day, and Ash was very proud of them.

Ash finished his own training and then called them to his side. Once they had all gathered, Ash addressed them. "First, guys, I just want to say how proud I am of you. You all train hard every day, and I couldn't be happier with your progress. I know that you all are just going to continue getting stronger every day!"

Ash got a loud chorus of cheers from his Pokémon in reply. He let them settle down and then he went on. "Now, there is something very important that I want to tell you all. Now that I have a full team of Pokémon, any others I catch will be sent directly to Professor Oak's Pokéranch unless I decide to rotate them around with you guys. I can't have any more than six Pokémon on mem and that's the way it is. I want to able to have time to train with all my Pokémon so I'm going to have to rotate in and out with you guys a lot. I don't want any of you missing your training, so that's why, when I send you guys back to the Lab, I want you to keep training hard every single day! Pushing your limits and doing the same training programs that you would do if you were with me. Professor Oak has agreed to keep all my Pokémon on the same nutrition plan that you're on when you're with me, so no worries there. All I want you to focus on is to keep getting stronger every day, so when I call to get one of you back, you're even stronger then when you left. Got it?!"

All of Ash's Pokémon called loudly again. Ash smiled and then finished what he had to tell them. "The last thing is this: You guys are going to become my oldest and strongest Pokémon, so that means I want you to keep order and run a tight ship with all of the future Pokémon we add to the family. I'm always going to leave at least one of you at the Lab so you will be able to oversee all the training and management of the Pokémon I'll have at the Lab. I'll show them how to train when they are with me, and then you guys will drill them when they're at the Lab. I want constant progress out of all of you and every Pokémon that I eventually catch. That means establishing the aforementioned hierarchy. Can I count on you guys to help?!"

Another determined yell came from his Pokémon and Ash smiled again. "Thanks, guys. I knew I could count on you! Now that it's getting dark, what do you all say to going back to the Pokécenter and having some supper?!"

Ash's Pokémon all got very excited and began jumping around. Ash chuckled and then returned them all before heading back to town, Pikachu on his shoulder.

...

Ash was close to the Pokécenter when suddenly, he heard an explosion coming from that very direction. Ash took off for the Center, and arrived to see it covered in thick, black smoke. Ash ran inside and started calling for Nurse Joy and Misty, all the while coughing from the gas.

"*cough* Misty... *cough* Nurse Joy! Where are you?!"

"Here Ash! *cough*" Misty strangled out from somewhere in the thick smoke. Ash got tired of the smoke and grabbed a Pokéball from his side. "*cough* Spearow blow this smoke away with your *cough* wings!"

Out of the Pokéball came the small Flying-Type, who instantly began beating it's wing together, blowing the smoke away. Once Ash was able to see clearly again, he saw Misty near the counter, looking around and trying to get her bearings back.

Ash ran up to Misty. "Are you all right, Misty?" He asked concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine Ash. Thanks." Misty replied back.

All of a sudden, Nurse Joy came running out from the back of the Center. "The Pokémon are all gone!" She cried hysterically.

"What?!" Both Misty and Ash said at the same time.

"After the smoke cleared away, all of the Pokémon here at the Center were gone!" Nurse Joy explained.

"Who could have done this?" Misty asked aloud.

All of a sudden laughter was heard by the entrance.

Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy all turned their heads towards the entrance of the Center, and saw three figures standing there. One was a woman with long red hair that came down to her lower back. She was wearing thigh-high black boots with matching elbow-length black gloves, white skirt and a white cutoff vest that was split up the middle of it a little and had a big red 'R' on the front. She also wore a black undershirt that was cut up to her chest underneath her white vest and also had on a pair of earrings with green bobbles on them. To finish, she had bright red lipstick on her lips.

The person standing beside her was a man with blue hair that wore an outfit similar to her in color and design. He wore black boots as well, long white pants, a long-sleeved white vest that had the same red 'R' on the chest as the woman did, and a black undershirt, also like the woman, with black gloves that went to his elbows as well. He had a large sack slung over his shoulder that everyone could only guess held the missing Pokéballs.

The third, and strangest, member of the team was a Meowth that was standing on two legs with its arms crossed standing in between the other two.

Ash instantly spoke up. "Who are you three?!"

The three figures laughed again and then started singing a perfectly-rehearsed theme song.

(Team Rocket Motto. Will not write it!)

When the three were done with their weird motto, and introducing themselves as members of Team Rocket, Ash instantly saw red. "You... Are members of Team Rocket... The same organization that steals and abuses Pokémon for their own selfish needs?!"

Ash had heard all about Team Rocket while he had been training at Professor Oak's Lab. They were a ruthless criminal organization that was spread all over the Kanto region like a plague, and stole any Pokémon they wanted to in an attempt to make their many horrible dreams and plans come to fruition. What they did to Pokémon made Ash sick, and he had vowed to someday, somehow... Put an end to Team Rocket, so they would never hurt another Pokémon or separate another Trainer from their Pokémon ever again. To see three members of the group right in front of him, even though one was a talking Meowth which was very odd, he still saw red like an angry Tauros and was ready to take them down.

The woman known as Jessie spoke up. "That's right, little boy! We've come to steal all of the Pokémon at this Center. And now that we have accomplished that, we will be on our way now! But first... I believe that you and that little red-headed stick are Pokémon Trainers yourself. So, I think we'll take your Pokémon before we go."

"Yeah, so hand them over kid!" The blue haired man James chimed in.

"Or otherwise we'll just take em' by force!" The Meowth finished.

Misty yelled out. "If you think that we are going to give you our Pokémon then you've got another thing coming! Right Ash?!"

Misty looked to Ash who was shaking in visible rage. She could have sworn she almost saw a blue energy surrounding him but almost as soon as she saw it, it vanished. Ash spoke. "You will NOT steal my, or anyone else's, Pokémon! And you're going to give all of the Pokémon that you took back, right now!"

"Oh, really?" Jessie taunted. "We are just going to have to show you why you never defy Team Rocket!"

She raised a Pokéball. "Ekans, go show this twerp never to mess with us!"

James also through a Pokéball. "You too Koffing, teach those brats a lesson!"

Both Pokémon materialized from their Pokéballs trying to look intimidating, but Ash only smirked. "Pikachu... tear these guys apart."

Pikachu nodded and then jumped off of Ash's shoulder so he could stand in front of his opponents. Jessie and James just stared in shock for a moment before busting out in fits of laughter. "You think a small rat like that will beat us? Stupid little boy, we'll you show you just how weak that little runt is!" Jesse taunted again.

She pointed at Pikachu before commanding her Pokémon. "Ekans, use Poison Sting!"

James mimicked Jessie. "Koffing, Smog attack!"

Ash commanded Pikachu without a moment's pause. "Pikachu, use Agility to dodge, then get in close and use Tackle on Ekans. From there, just turn your body around and smack Koffing with your tail using the Slam attack you just learned today!"

Pikachu obeyed and dodged the attacks flawlessly. First jumping out of the way of Poison Sting and then twisting in a leap over Smog. Pikachu ran in at lightning speeds and smashed into Ekans with Tackle sending it flying back towards Jessie. Pikachu kept his momentum going and just turned in mid-air where it met Koffing's head with its tail and used a powerful Slam attack to send the Pokémon careening back towards James.

"Great job, Pikachu! Now, start running as fast as you can while using Agility, and then tuck into a roll; from there, surround yourself in electricity, and then roll yourself into Koffing and Ekans in a substitute Electro Ball!"

Pikachu did as he was told, and took off running incredibly fast. He tucked himself into a roll, still going very fast and began to shroud himself in electricity. Jessie and James were both to stunned to give any commands, and just stood there looking at the small Electric Mouse that was destroying them in battle. Pikachu finally made it to the two downed Pokémon and hit them hard with his improvised Electro Ball, making them fly towards Jessie, James and Meowth where they then collided with them.

Ash pointed his finger towards the fallen group of criminals and shouted: "Now Pikachu, finish them a powerful Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu started sparking. "Pi..."

Jessie, James and Meowth were desperately trying to untangle themselves from each other.

"Get off me James you idiot, before that Pikachu shocks us!" Jessie shouted

"Ka…" Pikachu said, continuing to gain electricity while they continued to try to get themselves untangled from each other.

"Hey, you two's, get off me!" Meowth also shouted.

"Don't get mad at me I'm stuck under all of you!" James whined defending himself from underneath the pile-up.

They frantically kept trying to free themselves, but it was too late. Pikachu shouted with a loud "CHUU!" and unleashed a massive thunderbolt towards the arguing trio. They only had time to look at the approaching Thunderbolt and scream "AHHHH!" in terror before the bolt struck them. It began electrocuting them relentlessly until the bolt finally exploded, sending the would-be thieves soaring out of the Pokémon Center and into the sky. "Team Rocket is blasting off!" Was the last word heard before the trio disappeared into the sky.

Ash ran up and hugged Pikachu. "You did a great job, buddy. That was your first time in an actual battle, and you did awesome! I'm very proud of you!"

"Chuuu!" Pikachu said happily.

Ash put Pikachu down and then went over to the bag of Pokéballs that James had dropped when Koffing hit him. He picked it up and gave it to Nurse Joy, saying "Here you are, ma'am. These are yours."

Nurse Joy smiled widely and grabbed the bag before hugging Ash. "Thank you so much, young man. You saved this Center, the Pokémon, and my job! We are forever in your debt!"

Ash just blushed after she released him from the hug and started rubbing the back of his head. "No big deal, Nurse Joy. I just wanted to help."

The kindly nurse just shook her head and replied, "Well, it was important to me, and I thank you for what you did!"

Ash waved it off, and then Nurse Joy smiled once more before picking up the bag of Pokéballs and disappearing back into the medical ward of the Center so she could check all of the Pokémon out and make sure they weren't hurt. Ash turned to Misty, who was also smiling. "That was amazing, Ash! You and Pikachu were so impressive! It was very brave, standing up to Team Rocket like that."

Ash smiled and just shrugged his shoulders. "Ah... it was nothing, but thanks anyway Misty." Ash looked at the clock on the front desk and spoke again. "Me and Pikachu better get to bed, we have to get an early start tomorrow so we can start making our way towards Pewter City."

Misty nodded. "Yeah, me too, I'm beat. All that excitement has me tired."

Ash started walking towards his room. "Goodnight, Misty. See ya tomorrow."

"Night Ash." Misty responded as she too headed towards her own room.

...

Miles away, hanging from a large tree after being blasted off, were the three members of Team Rocket that Ash had just defeated. They were each hanging onto a tree branch as they continued arguing.

"James, I told you that we should have just escaped through the ventilation shaft of the Pokécenter, but you just had to whine about the bag being too heavy, and insisted on going through the front door as an easy escape!" Jesse shouted at James.

"Well maybe if you had just left that kid alone and hadn't tried to steal his Pokémon, then we wouldn't be here hanging from a tree!" James countered.

"How was I supposed to know that he would have had such a powerful Pikachu?! If anyone is to blame it's you and that Koffing of yours! Maybe if you had battled better then we wouldn't have lost all of those Pokémon! How do you think the boss is going to react to finding out that we failed gathering Pokémon for the organization? He's going to fire us!" Jesse screamed.

"Me! What about you and Ekans, huh?! You didn't do any better! And maybe if we would have done what I suggested and just stole Pokémon from random Trainers instead of attacking a Pokémon Center, then we wouldn't be here in the first place and we wouldn't have to worry about the boss firing us!" James shouted back.

The two continued arguing back and forth until Meowth suddenly shouted, "QUIET!" Both humans looked down at the branch below them that Meowth was hanging onto. "Instead of you's twos arguing about why we lost, why don't you's focus on figuring out a way dat we can steal dat Pikachu!" Meowth said to them.

The two criminal-wannabes looked at each other and then back at Meowth. "What do you mean, Meowth?" They both asked simultaneously.

Meowth sighed and explained. "Dat Pikachu is a one-of-a-kind powerhouse! If we could steal it and then give it to the boss, he would forgive us for everything that we've screwed up before!"

Jesse and James looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe if we did steal Pikachu and gave it to the boss, then he would forgive us and we could keep our jobs." James wondered aloud.

"And maybe, he would even give us a promotion!" Jesse said excitedly.

Both of the bumbling crooks locked hands with each other and said at the exact same time, "It's brilliant!"

Meowth jumped up onto the same branch as Jesse and James. "Now you's twos are talking! Let's go and steal dat Pikachu!"

All three Rockets pumped their fists into the air. "YEAH!"

At that very moment, the branch they were all sitting on snapped, unable to contain the combined weight. As they fell, the three idiotic criminals screamed out, "Team Rocket's falling down again!"

...

Ash awoke early the next morning and went to get his Pokémon checked up once more by Nurse Joy before he headed for out for Pewter City. After getting his Pokémon cleared with a clean bill of health and another round of 'thank you's' from Nurse Joy for what Ash did the previous night, he set out from the Pokémon Center, heading for Viridian Forest. He had wanted to tell Misty good-bye but she was nowhere to be seen that morning, which told Ash she had already left. It was a shame too; he liked Misty, and would like to be able to tell her good bye. But, things happened.

Ash had not gotten very far from the Pokémon Center at all before he heard someone calling his name. He turned around and saw Misty running to catch up with him. He smiled at her, and then addressed her when she finally caught up. "Hey Misty! I thought you had already left the city. I was going to tell you good-bye, but you weren't around. Me and Pikachu had to get going, so we left."

Misty caught her breath from running so fast and then replied back to Ash while still panting. "Yeah... Sorry Ash... I had to... go and get my bike... sent away at the local Pidgeot Delivery service... I told... my sisters yesterday that I would... get it sent back to them today... sorry about... not telling you."

Ash just waved his hand. "No biggie, Misty. You're here now, so that means we can say good-bye properly."

Misty straightened up, her breath fully recovered now. "Actually, Ash, I was wondering..."

"Yeah?" Ash pressed.

Misty shuffled nervously a bit. "I was wondering... since I'm heading to Cerulean City, and your heading to Pewter City... and since you have to go to Pewter anyways to get to Cerulean, I was thinking maybe we could... travel together?"

Ash smiled widely. "I think that's a great idea! I like you, Misty, and I would enjoy traveling with you. What do you say Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner.

The small Electric-Type just gave a thumbs up and let out an excited, "Pika pi! Pi Pikachu!"

Misty smiled as widely as Ash. "Awesome! Thank you, guys, so much!"

Ash gave his own thumbs up and then said, "My pleasure, Misty! Now let's get going, I want to hopefully make it to Pewter City by tomorrow afternoon."

Misty nodded and then the two new friends, plus Pikachu, set out for Viridian Forest.

...

Ash, Misty and Pikachu had just entered the Viridian Forest not even an hour ago, and were now traversing the dense path through the thick forest. Ash and Misty had been conversing the whole time about everything to do with their lives, and were still talking when Ash stopped. Misty wasn't paying attention and bumped into Ash. "Oomfff!" Misty grunted out as she hit his back. "Why did you stop, Ash?"

Ash just remained silent and pointed ahead. Misty looked at what he was pointing at, and saw a Pidgey pecking at the ground looking for food. She looked at Ash confused. "What is it, Ash?"

Ash finally spoke quietly. "This is actually the first time I have seen a Pidgey up close in the wild since I left Pallet Town. I don't know why, but they have been scarce for some reason. Could be due to breeding patterns or something, but I don't know exactly... all I do know is that anytime I see a new Pokémon I don't have, I want to catch it! And Pidgey is no exception."

Misty still seemed confused. "But Ash, Pidgey are really common Pokémon, and not all that strong to be honest."

Ash just shook his head. "Every Pokémon has the potential to be great, Misty. They just need a certain kind of Trainer to bring it out in them. Plus, Pidgeys eventually evolve into Pidgeot. Not only are those Pokémon strong, but with the right training, they are also incredibly fast! I have a Spearow right now, so if I get this Pidgey, and then later it and Spearow evolve, I will have two very strong Flying-Type Pokémon."

Misty seemed very impressed by Ash's foresight, and just nodded her head. Ash came out of the brush to stand in the clearing that Pidgey was in. He drew a Pokéball and threw it, "Spearow, show your power!" The Tiny Bird Pokémon came from the Pokéball with a loud cry of "Row!"

Pidgey noticed the two opponents now, and turned to face them. This impressed Ash since, normally, Pidgey would run when it sensed danger. "Get ready, Spearow!" Ash called to his Pokémon. Spearow nodded and faced his opponent. As soon as the two fellow birds locked eyes with one another, sparks immediately flew as they glared at each other. Ash began, "Spearow, use Agility followed by Tackle to hit Pidgey!"

Spearow disappeared in a flash of speed and reappeared a second later, hitting Pidgey hard with Tackle, and sending it skidding back a little. Pidgey instantly recovered, and took off at Spearow with impressive speed also. "Spearow, fly to the side and then use Fury Attack!"

Spearow flew out of the way of the charging Pidgey, and then got back in close and started hitting his opponent with a vicious Fury Attack. Pidgey cried out in pain as Spearow hit it with his wing one last time and sent Pidgey flying back into a tree, "Pidga!" it grunted out as it fell to the ground. Ash knew that Pidgey stood no chance against his trained Spearow, but still had to commend it for its heart. Pidgey got back up on its feet and started wobbly rising into the air. "Spearow, run on the ground towards Pidgey and then jump into the air and hit it with an Aerial Ace!"

Spearow took off on his two legs, much faster than a Flying-Type should have been able to. Spearow had trained to run on his feet, so now he could run on the ground very fast. He closed in on Pidgey, and jumped into the air when he was right below Pidgey, hitting the Pokémon with an Aerial Ace, and sending it flying back into another tree. Pidgey fell to the ground, unconscious, and Spearow returned to Ash's side.

Ash drew an empty Pokéball from his belt, and threw it at Pidgey, hitting it with the ball that sucked the Pokémon inside, and then began to wobble a few times before going still and 'dinging', completing the capture. After thanking Spearow Ash returned him and then went over to pick up the Pokéball that now held Pidgey. The button on the front of the ball was glowing red, which meant that Ash needed to either let the Pokéball go to Professor Oak's, or he had to switch out another Pokémon to keep Pidgey. Ash ended up transferring the male Nidoran and kept Pidgey with him.

He let Pidgey out of the ball and then started healing its wounds with his usual post-capture medical routine which was comprised of a Potion, of some degree, and an Oran Berry. After he healed Pidgey's wounds and the Pokémon started eating the berry, Ash scanned it with the Pokédex.

---

Pokédex Entry No.016

"Pidgey: The Tiny Bird Pokémon"

"It is docile and prefers to avoid conflict. If disturbed, however, it can ferociously strike back."

"This Pidgey is female and has the abilities: Keen Eye, Tangled Feet and Big Pecks."

"This Pokémon knows the moves: Tackle, Gust, Quick Attack and Whirlwind"

---

Ash put his Pokédex away and, after giving Pidgey his "Get stronger" speech and having Pidgey enthusiastically agree, he returned the Pokémon and then set off again with Misty by his side and Pikachu on his shoulder, as always.

...

Ash and Misty had been trudging through the Viridian Forest for about five hours now, and, according to Ash's Xtransceiver, they were half way through the forest. Along the way, Ash had used Rattata to battle, and capture, two other Pokémon, a Weedle and a Caterpie. Battling the Bug-Types was fun because, apparently, Misty was terrified of Bug-Type Pokémon so she didn't want either of the two that Ash ended up capturing anywhere near her. Her exact words were, "Ash Ketchum if you get those bugs anywhere near me I will beat you until you look like a Muk!"

Needless to say, Ash found this humorous, and laughed like a madman. Which promptly ended with him on the ground, bump on his head and a fuming Misty standing over him with a mallet in her hand.

Ash had switched out his other Nidoran and his Rattata for both bugs, since he was very impressed with their progress, and told them to keep training hard with the other Nidoran back at Oak's Lab, and get even stronger. He checked out his two newest Pokémon's moves, and found that they both were very impressive.

Caterpie was male, and had the abilities Shield Dust and Run Away, and knew the moves Tackle, String Shot, and Bug Bite. The last one surprised Ash, since it was rare for a Caterpie to know the move Bug Bite.

Weedle was also a male, and had the abilities Shield Dust and Run Away as well. He knew the moves Tackle, String Shot, and Bug Bite. Ash wondered what was with him, finding two Bug-Types that both knew the move Bug Bite, even though it was rare for Caterpie and Weedle to know them. Ash didn't question his luck, though, and just went with it.

Ash and Misty had made it to a large clearing, and decided that this would be a good place for them to stop and rest.

Misty had started to work on making a simple lunch of sandwiches while Ash trained his Pokémon. He set Pikachu, Spearow and Budew to work and then started Pidgey, Caterpie and Weedle on their own training programs.

After Ash and his Pokémon had trained for about an hour and a half, they stopped to rest and eat. The training had gone very well, and Pidgey had even learned the new move Agility. He was amazed she learned another move already, and he was convinced that she was close to evolving. Ash made his Pokémon their food and then started his three newest ones on their own nutrition plans as well.

The great thing about lunch was that Ash finally got to see Misty's Pokémon. She had a Staryu, a Starmie and a Goldeen with her. Ash was overall impressed with the look of her Pokémon, and told her, which promptly made her blush and thank Ash.

Once the two Trainers and their Pokémon were done eating, they prepared to head out again. They no more than got to the edge of the clearing, heading back for the main path, when they were ambushed from the bushes by a boy wearing a samurai uniform. With a yell of "Kiyaaa!" He brought a sword that he had he had in his hands straight down at Ash.

With all of Ash's years of training with Machamp, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan his instincts were sharp. He rolled to the side just as the samurai boy brought his sword down on the ground where Ash once stood. Ash slid right under the boy from where he had rolled to and kicked the kid in the stomach hard, driving the wind out of him with a "oomph!" And making him bend down a little.

Ash took advantage of this and reached up with his other leg and kicked the boy's wrists, making the sword fly out of his hands and up into the air very high. Ash immediately whipped his legs around on the ground and then locked the boy's legs with his, bringing the kid down to the ground. Ash instantly kipped up and grabbed the falling sword just as it was about to hit the ground.

He turned around and pinned the kid to the ground with a foot on his chest and the boy's own sword pointed at his neck.

"You have five seconds to start explaining." Ash said deadly calm.

The boy, realizing his predicament spoke up. "I am sorry for attacking you, my name is Samurai and I was just trying to get your attention."

Ash stepped back from the boy and let him stand up. "That was a dangerous way to get someone's attention."

Misty spoke up then. "Yeah, what did you think you were doing, swinging a sword around like that?! You could have really hurt someone!"

Samurai just bowed his head. "Forgive me, ma'am and sir. I was only wishing to have a Pokémon battle with the one I attacked. I did not mean any ill will towards either of you."

Ash then spoke. "If you wanted a Pokémon battle, all you had to do was ask, and I would have gladly complied. You didn't have to attack me."

Samurai bowed lower. "I know, and I am sorry. Will you please forgive me and accept my challenge?"

Ash smiled. "Yeah, I forgive you Samurai, just don't go doing something stupid like that again. And yes, I accept your challenge."

Samurai stood back to full height and smiled as well. "Agreed. And thank you for your forgiveness. Now let us battle!"

Ash nodded his head and grinned.

...

Ash and Samurai stood on opposite sides of the clearing facing off. Misty was near the middle of the field and off to the side, acting as referee. She called loudly so both trainers could hear her. "This will be a two on two Pokémon battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Samurai Jack of Viridian Forest. Trainers, choose your Pokémon."

Samurai started. "Metapod, I choose you!" The Caccoon Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. "Meta-pod"

Ash drew a Pokéball. "Caterpie, show them your power!" Caterpie came from his Pokéball calling its name. "Cater, cater pie!"

Ash started things off. "Caterpie, use Tackle on Metapod."

Caterpie took off to hit Metapod. Samurai called out, "Metapod, Harden!"

Metapod stayed still as its cocoon shell glowed and hardened, becoming stronger and more resilient. Caterpie hit Metapod's shell and bounced off.

Samurai shouted from across the field. "It is useless, your Caterpie will never get through my Metapod's defenses! Now Metapod use Tackle!"

Metapod launched at Caterpie. "Caterpie dodge it and then use Bug Bite!"

Caterpie jumped out of the way and then lunged at Metapod to deliver the Bug Bite Attack. "Metapod Harden again!" Samurai shouted.

Metapod glowed green again and was given a further layer of protection from Caterpie's Bug Bite attack. The attack failed and Caterpie went back to Ash.

Samurai called out again. "Your Caterpie can't possibly win! My Metapod's shell is impenetrable! Your Caterpie's attacks will all fail, meanwhile my Metapod can still use Tackle. Your Caterpie simply isn't strong enough to get past Metapod's defenses!"

Ash smirked. "Let's just see. Caterpie use String Shot and cover Metapod's face up!"

Caterpie launched a sticky String Shot that completely covered Metapod's face, effectively blinding it.

Samurai looked confused. "Why would you do something like that? String Shot won't hurt my Metapod! I don't even have to have it use Harden to defend against that attack. You are a novice!"

Ash continued to smirk. "We'll see. You know Samurai... You made a big mistake."

Samurai looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Ash looked at him dead in the eye. "For not having your Metapod dodge that String Shot."

Samurai still looked confused. So did Misty, and Pikachu for that matter. Ash pointed to Metapod's face. "That String Shot I had Caterpie use has covered your Metapod's face completely up. True, Caterpie may not be able to break through Metapod's defenses... But he CAN take away your Pokémon's ability to breath.

Everyone but Ash looked shocked at what he said. "Wh-what do you mean?!" Samurai asked scared.

Ash pointed towards Metapod who was now rolling around the ground in panic. "Metapod!" Samurai shouted. "What did you do to him?!"

Ash calmly responded. "String Shot covered your Pokémon's nose, blocking off its airway. Metapod can't breathe and since it has no appendages to peel off the String Shot with, it's beginning to suffocate. "

Samurai ran out onto the field and started pulling the sticky substance off of Metapod's face. When he was done, he returned Metapod and went back to his side of the field. He turned and faced Ash. "Clever, quite clever." He pulled out his last Pokéball. "Pinsir go!"

Ash took in the Pokémon before him and then made his next choice of Pokémon. "Caterpie, return." He reached for his next Pokéball, "Pidgey, come on out!"

The Tiny Bird Pokémon appeared from her Pokéball. "Pidg, Pidg Pidgey!"

Samurai started this time, "Pinsir, use Tackle!"

Ash was quick to react, "Pidgey, fly into the air. Now!"

The bird flew high letting Pinsir pass under her. "Now, Pidgey, use Gust!"

Pidgey opened her wings, and then started flapping them vigorously, creating a strong gale of wind that headed for Pinsir. Samurai countered quickly, yelling "Pinsir, root yourself!"

The Bug-Type Pokémon stood its ground and managed to withstand the Gust. What neither Samurai or Pinsir was expecting, though, was to have Pidgey come flying out of the dust caused by Gust, and smash into Pinsir hard, knocking it to the ground. Samurai gritted his teeth and waited for his Pokémon to get up. When he did, Samurai shouted out, "Pinsir, use Vicegrip!"

As Pinsir began charging towards Pidgey Ash smirked. "Pidgey, use Agility to get around that Vicegrip, and then start circling around Pinsir as fast as you can!"

Pidgey dodged the attack, and started spinning around Pinsir so fast, no one could keep up. "Now Pidgey use Quick Attack!"

Pidgey came out of her circle and sped for Pinsir like a bullet. She hit the bug hard in the stomach, lifting it off of its feet and sending it soaring towards Samurai. It hit the ground hard and then slowly got back to its feet, breathing heavily. Samurai knew he was in trouble. "Pinsir, start charging at Pidgey, and then use Vicegrip!"

The Stag Beetle Pokémon did as commanded and charged for Pidgey, albeit much slower. Ash was going to have Pidgey stand its ground and then duck and fly under Pinsir, coming up and hitting it from behind with another Gust. However just as Pinsir was about to make contact Samurai shouted, "Pinsir use Rage!"

The Pokémon suddenly bulked up a little and turned furious as it reached Pidgey, catching her unaware and then began pummeling her with Rage. With one final hit, Pinsir sent Pidgey flying to the ground in front of Ash, beat up and bruised. Ash stood calm. He knew Pidgey could do it and let her know that. "Pidgey I know that you got this! Get up, and fight to show your true strength! Dig Deeper!"

Pidgey slowly got up and bellowed to the sky "PIDGEYYYYY!"

All of a sudden Pidgey started to glow a bright white light and then changed before everyone's eyes.

When it was over, in Pidgey's place stood a larger bird with a much larger wing span... Pidgeotto.

The newly-evolved Pokémon called out, "Pidgeooo!"

Ash smiled proudly, and then pulled his Pokédex out and pointed it at his first evolved Pokémon, besides Pikachu.

---

Pokédex Entry No.017

Pidgeotto: The Bird Pokémon

"It flies over its wide territory in search of prey, downing it with its highly-developed claws."

"This Pokémon knows the moves: Tackle, Quick Attack, Gust, Whirlwind, Agility and Twister."

---

Ash looked back up at Pidgeotto and nodded his head. She nodded back. Samurai was standing there, slack-jawed. Ash pointed his finger at the battle-worn Pinsir, and commanded his Pokémon, "Pidgeotto, use Agility followed by Quick Attack! From there, hit it with your new attack... Twister!"

Samurai couldn't even utter a command as Pidgeotto began her assault. She disappeared in a blur of speed and then reappeared just in time to smash into Pinsir with Quick Attack, kneeling the bug. She then disappeared and reappeared again behind the knelt-down Pokémon, and flapped her wings powerfully. Whipping up a powerful Twister that caught Pinsir in its vortex, and swirled it around many times before spitting it back out. Pinsir hit the ground in front of Samurai, cratering it. When the dust cleared, it showed Pinsir with swirls in its eyes.

Misty raised her hand and pointed it towards Ash. "Since Samurai has no more Pokémon to battle with, that means the win goes to Pidgeotto and Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."

Ash ran up to Pidgeotto and hugged her, congratulating her on evolving and thanking her for winning. After he returned her Ash walked up to Samurai who had just returned Pinsir. "That was a great battle, Samurai. Thank you."

Samurai looked at Ash and smiled. "No... thank you, Ash. That was truly the best battle I have ever had. I have faced three other Trainers from the town of Pallet, but you are, without a doubt, the best. I wish you well on your journey. May you and your Pokémon prosper wherever you may go, my friend." Samurai stuck his hand out, and Ash took the invitation, shaking Samurai's outstretched hand with his own.

"Thank you, Samurai. I wish you well on whatever you do from here as well. Hopefully we can meet again someday," Ash replied.

Samurai smiled and nodded. "Agreed."

...

Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulder, and Misty by his side stood near the exit of Viridian Forest. Samurai was with them, seeing them off. "Good-bye, Ash Ketchum and Misty Waterflower. I hope our paths meet again."

Ash and Misty both nodded their heads in agreement. "I do too, Samurai. You turned out to be an okay guy." Misty said. She then got right up in the boy's face and turned deathly serious. "But don't ever go scaring people with swords again! Got that?!"

Samurai leaned back with his hands in front of him and a large sweat drop falling down his back. "Yes, ma'am, I understand completely. Those days are behind me!"

Misty nodded her head satisfied and stepped back. Ash stepped forward. "Well... so long Samurai. You were my first official Pokémon Battle, and I had great fun. Thank you."

Samurai smiled and the two shook hands.

After that, Ash and Misty took the path that exited Viridian Forest, waving back at Samurai as they walked. Samurai waved back until they were out of sight. "Farewell," Samurai said as he turned and made his way back into the forest.

...

Ash, Pikachu, and Misty had been out of the forest for some time now, and were getting close to Pewter City. Night would be falling in about two hours, but Ash and Misty believed that they would be able to make it to Pewter if they kept walking in through the night. At their current pace, they would be in Pewter City by around midnight, and they both thought it worth it to travel through the night if it meant sleeping in a nice, warm bed at the Pokécenter once they got to the city.

As evening started to fall, the duo, plus Pikachu, were walking along a flat stretch of land. They could see the distant peaks of Mt. Moon, which towered above and behind Pewter City like a giant. The mountain actually separated Pewter City from Cerulean City, and any travelers who wished to go to either city had to traverse through the mountain itself. Ash and Misty would be taking that same road soon, but for now they just wanted to get to Pewter City so they could sleep.

Right as Ash and Misty passed under a large tree that was on the side of the path, Ash suddenly felt a huge weight land on his back, pushing him to the ground. Whatever it was that landed on Ash kept jumping on his back, causing Ash to get annoyed and turn around to face whatever it was. When he stood up and turned around, his pack fell off his shoulders, and when Ash finally got a look at what he was seeing, he couldn't believe it. It was a Mankey. The Pig Monkey Pokémon had a hold of Ash's pack and was slinging it around with glee as it jumped around. "Mank, Mank Mankey!" It shouted over and over again.

Ash and Misty just stared in shock. "What is a Mankey doing out here near Pewter City?!" Mist asked aloud.

"I don't know..." Ash answered her. He pulled out his Pokédex, and scanned the Pokémon.

---

Pokédex Entry No.056

"Mankey: The Pig Monkey Pokémon"

It lives in treetop colonies. If one becomes enraged, the whole colony rampages for no reason."

"This Mankey is male and has the abilities Vital Spirit, Anger Point and Defiant."

This Pokémon knows the moves: Scratch, Low Kick, Focus Energy, Fury Swipes, Karate Chop and Seismic Toss."

---

Ash was amazed, this Mankey knew a lot of Fighting-Type moves! A Pokémon like that on Ash's team would really be beneficial, especially after some intense training. Ash knew that he had to catch him. He didn't care where he had come from... he just knew that he was making Mankey his Pokémon!

Ash turned to Misty. "Stay back Misty... Mankey's have really foul tempers so once I start battling him, he is going to get mad. Misty looked like she might protest for a minute but decided to just trust Ash. "Okay Ash... be careful." Ash nodded his head and then put Pikachu into Misty's arms. "Pika pi!" Pikachu protested. Ash just shook his head. "No Pikachu, I need you to stay with Misty. If that Mankey goes to attack her, then I want you here to defend her okay?"

Pikachu nodded his head reluctantly. "Pikachu..."

Ash rubbed Pikachu's head. "Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it!"

Ash then went over to the Mankey playing with Ash's bag and faced him. He drew a Pokéball and threw it into the air, "Budew, I need you!"

In a flash of light Budew appeared, "Bud Budew!"

Ash looked at his Pokémon. "Are you ready, Budew? This won't be easy."

Budew just nodded her head. "Budew!"

Ash smiled proudly, "Okay then, let's do it! Budew use Headbutt!"

Budew charged at Mankey and hit him head on, sending the Pig Monkey back against the tree he came from. Almost immediately, the Pokémon came charging back, mad as can be and ready to go. He instantly began charging at Budew and raised his hand, preparing to Karate Chop Budew. Ash ordered his Pokémon to jump out of the way, and she did just in time. At that same moment Mankey performed a Low Kick that swept Budew off of her feet. Mankey then performed a Scratch attack, combined with a follow-up Karate Chop that threw Budew down into the ground hard enough to crack it.

"Budew, are you all right?" Ash called to his down Pokémon. Budew nodded shakily and stood up. Ash then issued a command. "Budew, use Growth on Mankey, and follow it up with Mega Drain!"

Budew rooted itself and started to raise her power level. On the other side of the battle, Mankey started doing the same thing by using Focus Energy.

Budew then shot out tendrils of energy that headed straight for Mankey. However, Mankey used his enhanced speed and strength to jump high into the air. He came back down in front of the unprepared Budew, and started hitting her with a vicious assault of Fury Swipes. Budew started to buckle, and then Mankey picked her up and spun her around and then jumped, still holding onto the Grass-Type, before throwing her to the ground in a powerful Seismic Toss. Budew hit the ground again and just laid there... not moving.

Ash stayed calm and called out to Budew. "Listen to me Budew... I know you can do this. You just need to dig deep down inside of yourself and find the strength to keep pushing. I know you're strong enough to beat this Mankey, so get up and do it!"

Budew heard her Trainer's voice and encouragement, and slowly started to get back up. She finally stood on both legs very wobbly and stared down Mankey, fire in her eyes. Ash saw this and smiled. "Okay Budew, start charging in with a Headbutt!"

Budew started running towards Mankey as fast as she could. Mankey prepared to jump out of the way and then hit Budew with another fighting move, but Ash was quicker. "Now, Budew! Jump over Mankey and hit him with Leech Seed when you get over top of him!"

Budew launched herself over Mankey and then shot a Leech Seed at the Pig Monkey Pokémon. The seed hit its mark and began to sap Mankey's strength. The Pokémon cried out, "Mankey!"

Ash further commanded Budew; "now, Budew; hit him with Headbutt, and then follow up with Mega Drain!"

Budew charged forward and hit the still Leech Seeded Pokémon, sending it skidding through the dirt. Budew then landed and began using Mega Drain on Mankey. The Fighting-Type completely fell to his knees as the tendrils of Mega Drain worked with Leech Seed to take all of his energy from him.

Ash gave the last command. "Time to finish this, Budew; Stun Spore!"

Budew acted and began letting loose a yellow powder from its bud that settled over Mankey, effectively paralyzing the Pokémon completely. Ash knew it was over and moved to congratulate Budew for its win when all of a sudden Budew raised her head to the sky and called out, "BUDEWWW!"

In that moment, something happened that Ash was not counting on... Budew began glowing blue, signaling her evolution.

As Ash watched in amazement, Budew changed before his very eyes until, as soon as it was over, a totally different and much taller Pokémon stood where Budew once did. The newly-evolved Pokémon raised her flower-petaled hands and called out while twirling gracefully on the spot; "Roselia!" The Thorn Pokémon chanted smoothly.

Ash stared in shock for a moment before rushing out and hugging Roselia. "I'm so proud of you, Roselia! That was a great job you did, battling Mankey."

Roselia happily hugged Ash back. "Rose Roselia!"

Ash returned Roselia, and then walked over to the paralyzed Mankey. He bent down and tapped a Pokéball on his head. The Pokémon was captured after just a few seconds. Ash then released Mankey and performed his usual post-capture medical treatment, and then returned the Pig Monkey Pokémon before turning to Misty and getting Pikachu back on his shoulder.

"Let's head out, Misty."

Misty nodded her head, and then the two friends set back out for Pewter City.

...

Ash and Misty made it to Pewter City just as Ash had predicted, and were now heading to the Pokémon Center to get themselves rooms for the night.

After making it inside the Center, Ash walked up to Nurse Joy. "Excuse me Nurse, but can we please get two rooms for the night?"

The kind nurse looked at him and smiled. "Of course, Ash. Here you go!"

She handed him the room keys and Ash looked at her funny. "Have we met before?" He asked her, confused.

Nurse Joy giggled and waved her hand at him. "My sister at the Viridian City Pokémon Center told me and my sisters all about you and what you did, saving the Center from Team Rocket. I wanted to thank you so much for doing that for my sister. You saved a lot of Pokémon. She said that you had a young girl with orange hair traveling with you, and that you kept a Pikachu on your shoulder. That's how I recognized you when you came in."

Ash just waved his hand passively and responded. "It was no big deal, Nurse Joy. I'm just glad I could help."

Nurse Joy handed the room keys to Ash, who in turn gave one to Misty. "Well, thank you anyway young man. You really performed a valuable service. Don't be afraid to ask if you need anything while here in Pewter City, okay?"

Ash nodded his head and then remembered something important. "Oh, yes! Nurse Joy, there is something you can do. I'll be challenging the Pewter Gym later this week for my first badge that I will need to get into the Indigo League, can you please register me?"

Nurse Joy nodded and took Ash's Pokédex. She put it into the slot of the computer and typed a few keys. She then took the Pokédex back out, and handed it to Ash. "There you go, Ash. You're all signed up for the Indigo League. Just win eight regional badges and you're in. The next Conference will be held next June, which means you have a little less than a year to earn eight badges before the competition begins. Good luck!"

Ash nodded and thanked Nurse Joy before taking back his Pokédex and then going towards the living quarters area of the Pokémon Center, followed by Misty. Ash would begin training his Pokémon even more fiercely tomorrow, and then spend all week training before challenging the gym on Friday.

...

Ash stood at the doors of the Pewter City Gym. He and his Pokémon had trained like Fighting Pokémon champs all week long, and were finally ready to face the gym leader. Technically, Ash knew that his Pokémon could have defeated this gym the very day after he and Misty had arrived at Pewter, but he wanted to get them all an extra power boost. A BIG power boost. He had rotated all of his Pokémon in and out each day, so that every single Pokémon he had could all get the same amount of training. He was very impressed with Rattata and both Nidorans when he got them back from Professor Oak's. They had taken his order to train, even while at the Lab, very seriously, and were much stronger when he got them back, and were all close to evolution. Ash didn't care about just evolving his Pokémon, but he knew that, in order for them all to reach their ultimate potential, they would need to reach their final evolutionary stages.

Every single one of his Pokémon all wanted to evolve, except for Pikachu. Ash's starter wanted to get as powerful as he could as Pikachu first so that when he finally evolved into Raichu, all of his power as a Pikachu would be transferred over. Some people might say that Ash's Pokémon evolved too fast, and to those people he would say that they had never seen how hard his Pokémon trained. They trained themselves to the literal breaking point every day. And with training like that, Pokémon WOULD evolve much faster. Their bodies would essentially need to in order to handle the massive strain on their bodies from all of the intense training.

Thinking about Pikachu made Ash think just how special and powerful his first Pokémon really was. When they were all training on the outskirts of Pewter City, near a forest, a strange man with a bushy beard, wearing green pants, yellow T-shirt, a red hat on his head and black boots on his feet came seemingly out of nowhere, and told Ash that he had a very powerful Pikachu on his hands. He said he could tell by watching Pikachu train the way he did that he had the potential for incredible power. The strange man gave Ash and Pikachu an offer they couldn't resist... He told them that there was an old abandoned water mill near their position that was originally used for powering up machinery when the water wheel would turn. The man told Ash that if they hooked Pikachu up to this machine inside the water mill and then Ash turned the water wheel outside as fast as he could, then the electricity that was fed from the rotating water wheel would feed directly into Pikachu, giving him a massive boost in his Volt Power.

Ash and Pikachu knew that this would greatly benefit Pikachu's 'Focused Lightning' training and agreed to it. When they did the power-up later that week, Ash, and many of his Pokémon, all turned the water wheel together while the man known only as 'Flint' stayed inside with Pikachu and kept the machine stabilized while the process was happening. Apparently, Ash and his Pokémon turned the wheel so fast and so much energy was fed into Pikachu, the machine inside couldn't take it and exploded, putting the energy water mill completely out of commission. It was well worth it, though; the power boost that Pikachu got from the water mill was absolutely mind-blowing. Pikachu already had extremely powerful Volt Power before the power-up, but now... when Ash had Pikachu practice his 'Focused Lightning' he could actually shatter boulders now and leave large craters in the ground with nothing but his electricity. And that was only at approximately fifty percent power!

It was safe to say that Ash almost gushed with excitement when he thought about how powerful Pikachu would be in a few more years after some more intense training, and once he finally evolved into Raichu. Honestly speaking, when that time came, Pikachu would likely only be able to safely expend twenty-five percent of his Volt Power into any opponent. Otherwise, he could run a real risk of hurting his opponents very badly.

The strangest thing about that guy Flint was that when Ash asked the man why he had helped him, the man only responded by saying that Ash had incredible potential as a Pokémon Trainer, and that he just wanted to help Ash get closer to realizing that potential. He said that he had the opportunity to help three other trainers from Pallet when they had passed through Pewter City to challenge the gym, but he didn't see anything special in them. When he saw how Ash trained himself and his Pokémon, Flint knew that Ash was the Trainer he wanted to help.

Ash was extremely grateful to the man, and let him know how much he appreciated his help. The man had accepted Ash's thank you, and told him to keep reaching for the top.

Ash remembered those very words now as he stood at the doors of the gym, a slight smile on his face. Misty nudged him from the side. "Are you ready to do this, Ash?"

He just looked at Misty and gave her a thumbs up. "I'm ready, Misty. More than ever. I will conquer this gym just like I will all of the others, and then the Indigo League Conference after it."

Misty smiled at Ash's confidence and then they walked into the gym. Immediately, the lights came on and they saw a boy, three or four years older than Ash and Misty, wearing brownish-colored pants with a belt across his waist, and two red carrying pouches on both sides of his waist attached to the belt, a brownish-tan-colored T-shirt and a green cargo vest on his upper body, along with black and white sneakers on his feet. The boy had spiky brown hair and his eyes appeared to be just slants.

The older boy was sitting on a small podium near the front of the gym and upon seeing that he had challengers jumped down. "Which of you are here to challenge my gym?"

Ash spoke calmly and confidently. "I am. My name is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge you for my first official League Badge."

The gym leader spoke again. "My name is Brock Stone, the leader of the Pewter City Pokémon Gym and I accept your challenge!"

No more than those words left Brock's mouth and the floor opened up and raised onto level ground to reveal a rock type battle field. A young boy who looked like a younger version of Brock, except with black spiky hair instead of brown, wearing a green shirt with a black stripe across the chest, tan shorts and orange sneakers stepped into the referee's box. The boy spoke, "My name is Forrest Stone, and I will be the Referee for this match. Will the challenger and the gym leader please step into your respective Trainer's box.

Ash and Brock did as they were told. Forrest spoke again, "This will be an official Pokémon League Gym Battle between Brock Stone, the leader of the Pewter City Pokémon Gym, and the challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. This will be a two on two Pokémon battle with only the challenger being able to substitute Pokémon. The winner will be decided when whichever Trainer either loses all of their Pokémon first, or forfeits the match. Both Trainers please call out your first Pokémon!"

Brock went first. "Geodude I choose you!" Out of the Pokéball came the Rock-Type Geodude. "Geo, Geo." It said as it appeared.

Ash smiled and then chose his Pokémon, "Mankey show us your power!" Mankey exploded from the Pokéball pounding the ground readily with his fists, "Mankeyyyy Mankey, Mankey!"

Brock looked stunned. How did this new Trainer have a Mankey? They weren't found anywhere near here or Pallet Town for that matter... He shook it off and commanded his Pokémon, "Geodude, use Rock Throw!"

"Mankey, dodge by flipping to the side!" Ash called.

Mankey flipped out of the way of the rock thrown his way. "Geodude, Tackle!" Brock commanded.

Geodude took off at Mankey. "Mankey, slide under Geodude and then hit it with a Mega Kick while you're under it!"

Mankey slid under Geodude just before the Pokémon was about to connect with Tackle, Mankey then used Mega Kick while under Geodude to launch it into the air. "Great Mankey! Now, jump high in the air to meet Geodude and grab ahold of it, then throw it back to the ground with Seismic Toss!" Ash called.

Mankey jumped up and met Geodude in the air, grabbing the Rock Pokémon, and then spinning him around before throwing back towards the ground. Brock saw the danger, and called out to his Pokémon; "Geodude, use Defense Curl to tuck yourself into a ball and lessen the impact!"

Geodude rolled itself up into a ball just before it hit the ground, saving it from serious damage. Geodude rose back into the air with a few scrapes and bruises on its body. "Geodude, use Rock Tomb!" Brock called.

Geodude picked up large rocks and began throwing them at Mankey, trying to bury the Pig Monkey Pokémon with them. "Mankey, break all of those rocks with Brick Break!" Ash called again. Yet again, Ash was glad that he had trained with Mankey so hard. The Pokémon had learned a lot of new Fighting-Type moves that were really useful here.

Mankey broke all of the rocks apart with Brick Break. "Now Mankey, use the rocks to hop towards Geodude fast so it can't follow your movements; once you get right on Geodude, start hitting it with multiple Karate Chops and end it with a powerful Mega Punch!"

Mankey zipped towards Geodude using the rocks on the battlefield so fast, the Rock Pokémon couldn't react. Mankey finally got right in front of Geodude, and Brock could do nothing but watch as Mankey began assaulting Geodude with Karate Chop after Karate Chop. He finished the combo with a well-placed Mega Punch, knocking Geodude back into a nearby rock where it fell to the ground.

Brock called to his Pokémon, "Geodude, get up! Don't give up, please!"

Geodude slowly got up and looked dead at Mankey with determination in its eyes. "Geoooo... DUDEEEE!"

Geodude began glowing blue as it began changing. Brock looked at his Pokémon in amazement and Ash just looked interested. 'Now it gets interesting...' Ash thought to himself. When Geodude was done evolving, a strong-looking Graveler had taken its place. "Grav, Grav Graveler!" The newly evolved Pokémon said loudly.

Brock stood in shock only one moment longer before smiling and then ordering his Pokémon, "Okay Graveler, use Rollout on Mankey!"

Graveler tucked into a ball and started to roll towards Mankey at fast speeds, getting faster and faster as it went. "Mankey, start jumping from rock to rock to avoid Graveler!" Ash called out. Mankey began jumping from rock to rock, Graveler smashing into and destroying each rock as it went. Eventually Mankey made a slip up and tripped off of a rock, falling right into Graveler's path. It hit Mankey hard, sending him into the air with a cry of his name, "Mankeyyyy!"

The Pig Monkey fell back to the ground and then Brock ordered Graveler to keep hitting Mankey with Rollout. Over and over again, Mankey was slammed into before he finally got sent into a nearby boulder where he smashed the rock into pieces and lay there for a minute. "Come on, Mankey; you can do it. Get up, and show them what true strength is!" Ash urged Mankey. His Pokémon slowly got back up and started fuming with anger, his veins started to grow and his eyes turned almost red with anger. Ash saw that Mankey had just learned Rage, and was ready to capitalize on it. "Mankey, wait until Graveler gets right on top of you and then jump into the air!" Ash called out.

Mankey did as told and waited until Graveler got right on top of him before jumping into the air and letting the Rock Pokémon roll itself into a nearby boulder where it hit the rock and its momentum stopped. "Now Mankey, get in on it and start using Rage combined with Karate Chop, Fury Swipes and Mega Punch!"

Brock saw the danger his Pokémon was soon to be in, and called out, "Graveler, try and get up from that rock!"

Graveler heard its Trainer, but couldn't move due to being stuck inside of the rock it was now wedged into. Mankey got on the inside of Graveler, and began delivering an onslaught of fighting moves to the Rock Pokémon. Graveler just cried out in pain as it was struck over and over again by Mankey's powerful blows. Brock knew that there was only one way out of this. He only hoped that Graveler would understand. This Trainer was pushing Brock to his limits, and he needed to act fast... "Graveler, use Self-Destruct!"

Ash heard the move being called but couldn't say anything before Graveler was consumed in a white light before exploding with a thundering 'Boom'!

Everyone in the gym waited with baited breath as the smoke cleared and showed Graveler unconscious from the self-sacrificing move that is used. What really surprised everyone though was Mankey. The Monkey Pokémon was standing there, battered, and bruised, but still standing. Albeit barely and breathing heavily from the blast it just took head on.

Forrest raised his arm and pointed his arm towards Brock. "Graveler is una-... uh?" Mankey suddenly went down to both knees and then fell to the ground unconscious as well. Forrest rephrased what he was going to say, "Both Pokémon are unable to battle. Trainers, please choose your last Pokémon."

Ash recalled Mankey. "You did a great job, Mankey. Thank you so much. Very few Pokémon could stay standing so long after an attack like that."

Brock also recalled Graveler. "Thanks, Graveler, you did great. Now take a nice rest."

Brock then pulled out his last Pokéball. 'Man, this kid is good. My Geodude evolved into Graveler, and his Mankey still ended up nearly beating him. If I hadn't had Graveler use Self-destruct, then Mankey would still be standing, and Graveler would have definitely been unconscious from that beating it was taking.' Brock thought to himself. He then threw out his last Pokéball, "Onix, go!" The giant Rock Snake Pokémon appeared with loud, "ONIXXXX!"

Misty recoiled back from the huge Pokémon from where she was near Ash at the sidelines. "Be careful, Ash... that looks like one powerful Pokémon." She warned Ash nervously. Ash looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry, Misty; this match is already won. Trust me."

Misty looked at Ash in confusion but just nodded her head, trusting Ash, and hoping he really did have something planned. Ash looked at Pikachu. "Do you think he's ready buddy?" Ash asked his starter.

"Pika Pikachu Pika Pi!" Pikachu responded.

Ash nodded his head, "Your right, buddy; he is ready."

Ash then drew another Pokéball from his belt. He then spoke to Brock, "Hey Brock this has been a great battle and you have done a great job but... it ends here."

Brock raised his eyebrow. "Well, let's see what you've got then Ash!" Brock replied back.

Ash then threw the Pokéball, "Go, my friend; I need your help!" Out of the Pokéball came a small and purple Pokémon. "Rat Rat Rattata!"

"WHAT?" Misty said loudly. "Your using Rattata, a Normal-Type, against Onix, a ROCK-TYPE?! Ash, what is wrong with you?!"

Ash waved his hands at Misty trying to calm her down. "Misty! Chill, will ya? I have a plan. You don't think I would just send Rattata out there with no strategy in mind, do you? Come on, Misty!"

Misty just looked disbelieving and shook her head. "Okay, Ash. I trust you. I just really hope you know what you're doing."

Ash smiled back at her and gave a thumbs up. "Watch and learn, Misty. You're about to see the benefits of hard training first-hand."

He turned back to the battle and looked at Rattata, "You ready, buddy?!"

Rattata nodded his head. "Ratta Rat Rattata!"

Ash smiled and looked at Forest who got the hint. "Trainers Ready? Battle!" He shouted.

Ash instantly commanded before Brock could even open his mouth, "Rattata, use Agility and get up to Onix as fast as you can! From there... You know what to do!"

Ash had a whole strategy planned out, he knew all about Onix's. And once he found out that the leader of this gym had one, he instantly started training Rattata on this strategy they had made up.

Rattata started running in a blur of speed until he was running on top of the rocks of the battle field. Brock didn't know what was going on, and commanded his Onix to begin sweeping the entire battlefield with its tail, trying to hit Rattata. The Mouse Pokémon wasn't about to be deterred from his target, though, and jumped on top and then over the Rock Snake Pokémon's tail.

Rattata bypassed Onix's defenses, and was almost on him. Brock didn't know why, but he got a strange feeling telling him to not let that Rattata get near Onix. "Onix, dive bomb it with your head in a Tackle attack, hurry!"

Onix smashed its head down on the ground where Rattata was now right at Onix's body. A huge dust cloud kicked up and no one could see a thing. Brock was certain that Onix had hit his target, and knew that there was no way a small Pokémon like Rattata could have made it through an attack like that from a much larger opponent.

Brock spoke up. "Well Ash, you battled hard. But it looks like I win. Better luck next time." He didn't say it, but this was the toughest battle he had fought as a gym leader. And if Ash would have just been a little smarter on who he chose as his last Pokémon, he very well would have won.

Forrest was smirking at his brother's supposed win, and Misty just looked distraught for Ash. The strangest thing was that when she looked up at Ash, he did not have the look of someone who had lost. No, he had the look of someone in deep concentration and determination. Pikachu also seemed locked onto the slowly dissipating dust cloud that surrounded the two formerly battling Pokémon.

Misty seemed confused, and looked towards the dust cloud as well. The dust finally cleared, and when it did, everyone was absolutely shocked. All except Ash, who had the widest grin on his face. Rattata was absolutely nowhere to be seen! Where the Pokémon should have been, which was unconscious in the crater that Onix left with its head, he wasn't. He had literally disappeared.

Misty spoke first. "Wh-where did Rattata go? He's not trapped under Onix is he?!" She started to panic. Brock looked worried too, and was just about to have his Pokémon move so they could see if Rattata really was trapped under the huge Pokémon's body, when Ash began to do something that made everyone look at him like he was crazy... He chuckled.

"Hehehe... Brock my friend, I'm sorry to say this but... You have lost this battle."

Everyone looked at Ash like he really had lost his mind. Brock began to think that maybe Ash was in denial that he had lost and was now just spouting off nonsense.

"Ash... What do you mean? Are you okay?" Misty asked concern.

Ash finished chuckling and then looked back at Misty. "I'm better than okay, Misty. And here in a second, you will see why."

Everyone just seemed lost until Ash pointed his hand at Onix. "Now Rattata!" He shouted.

Brock, Misty and Forrest all looked towards Onix and saw that nothing was happening. Misty broke the silence. "Ash what are y-" But that was all she got out. Suddenly, Onix began writhing around in what seemed like pain. Twisting and turning its body around like crazy and bellowing in pain, "ONIXXXX!"

The huge Pokémon kept smashing its body around the whole gym. Smashing its tail and its head around wildly, smashing into everything in sight. Brock tried to intervene, "Onix, what's wrong?! Stop this!"

But Onix didn't hear and continued to thrash around wildly. It began smashing its head into the gym floor over and over again, bellowing in pain the whole time. Everyone but Ash just stood there in undisguised shock at what they were seeing. Ash just had a calm and cool look on his face as he watched the scene unfold. Brock just stood where he was, unable to do anything to help his Pokémon as he watched it beat itself into oblivion.

Finally, Onix stopped banging its head on the floor and raised itself back to full height, looking very battered and bruised. It gave one weak call of "Onixxxx..." Before falling to the ground unconscious and with swirls in its eyes.

Brock, Forrest, and Misty were utterly thunderstruck at what just happened. All of a sudden, a small purple body came jumping out between the rocks that made up Onix's body. Everyone stared stupidly as Rattata ran back across the field and stood in front of Ash, facing the downed Onix. The small Pokémon didn't have a scratch on him, and looked like he had not even been battling.

Misty finally stuttered out, "A-Ash... Rattata... wh-what just happened?!"

Ash began explaining to the other three what had happened. "You see, I studied about Pokémon for quite a few years. And in that time, I learned A LOT about Pokémon. Naturally, I also learned about Onix. So, when I found out that you used an Onix, Brock, it was just a simple matter of finding the best strategy to beat it. Onix may be an extremely tough Pokémon on the outside with their rock skin, but, just like many Rock-Type Pokémon, their insides are extremely vulnerable and sensitive. I taught Rattata how to best get inside of Onix by passing in through the spaces between the boulders that make up Onix's body. Once inside, Rattata begin tackling, biting, and smashing away on Onix's soft inner tissue. This is what caused Onix to writhe around in so much pain and start beating itself up. It wanted Rattata out of it, and was willing to do anything to make that happen. It began beating itself so badly that Rattata didn't have to fight it head to head on the outside. He just attacked it from the inside, causing Onix to beat himself into unconsciousness on the outside, allowing Rattata to stay safe inside of Onix's body and letting me just sit back and wait while Onix beat itself. I was a little concerned that Onix had hit Rattata with that Tackle earlier, but he just wasn't fast enough. My Rattata is very fast. So, there you have it!"

Everyone was slack jawed and Misty could only mumble one word, "Genius..."

Ash rubbed the back of his head and then spoke again, "Well, I really got the idea from reading reports on how the same thing happens to Onix in the wild. Smaller Pokémon are always getting lodged inside of Onix when the huge Pokémon are tunneling all around the place. When this happens, Onix feels great discomfort, and can begin going off in a terrible rage. When this happens, experts are usually called out to quail the situation and help remove the Pokémon from Onix. So that's where I really got the idea from. I just implemented it into a sound strategy that can be used against any Onix in battle if you have a small enough Pokémon that can fit inside Onix, like Rattata. Of course, I have created a counter to this very strategy of taking down Onix's that I will teach my own Onix if I ever get one."

While everyone processed what they just heard Ash went up to Rattata. "You did a great job, pal, and I'm very proud of you. You implemented that strategy perfectly, and I can tell that all of your training is really paying off. Give it a few years, and you will become the strongest Rattata, and eventually Raticate, that there has ever been. You'll show the world just how strong a 'common Rattata' can be. Just look..." Ash pointed towards the downed Onix. "You took down that Pokémon who makes up a hundred or more of you. You should feel very proud of yourself. I know I am."

Rattata looked teary eyed for a second and then looked up at Ash, "Ratta... TAAA?!"

Rattata looked confused, as did Ash, before the Pokémon started to glow. Ash instantly knew what was happening and smiled. "Well, what d'ya know?" Ash said amused.

After the glow died down a larger and taller Pokémon stood in Rattata's place. "RATICATE!" The newly-evolved Raticate called out as he looked back up at his Trainer. Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

---

Pokédex Entry No.020

"Raticate: The Mouse Pokémon"

"With its long fangs, this surprisingly violent Pokémon can gnaw away even thick concrete with ease."

"This Pokémon is male and knows the moves: Headbutt, Quick Attack, Hyper Fang, Agility, Focus Energy, Pursuit and Scary Face."

---

The boy put his Pokédex away, and then bent down and began rubbing Raticate on top of the head comfortingly while speaking to him. "Well Raticate, it looks like I spoke to soon... in a few years you will become the strongest 'Raticate' that there has ever been."

Raticate clicked his teeth happily at his Trainer's praise and then jumped into his arms, hugging Ash. "Rati!"

Ash laughed and hugged his Pokémon back. After he finished congratulating Raticate Ash turned back to the battlefield where Brock had just returned his Onix. Ash looked over at Forrest and the younger boy seemed to get the message. He broke from his shocked stupor and called out: "Uhhh, yeah... right. *Ahem* Since the gym leader's Pokémon are all unable to battle, the win goes to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

Ash smiled happily and then looked to see Brock walking up to meet him. "Ash..." The older boy began. "That was, without a doubt, the best battle I have ever had. And I learned so much from you. I don't know how to thank you enough, but... I believe you have earned this fairly, no questions asked."

Brock held up a silver badge that was shaped like a boulder. Brock spoke again, "I present you with the Boulder Badge, Ash. You earned it, no doubt about it."

Ash reached out and took the badge and then held it up to so he and Pikachu could see it better. "Well, buddy... we just took our first step towards the Pokémon League." Pikachu grinned and looked at Ash, "Pika Pi, Pi Pikachu!" He said excitedly. Ash knelt down and opened up his pack and pulled out a silver-plated badge case that looked like a small metal box and had different designs on it from the bag's depths. The badge case had an emblem of every different type of Pokémon there was, with the insignia for each, like a flame, leaf, water, or wind symbol to name a few. The inside of the case was wide and was covered in a fine red lining that would mold to each badge, keeping it in place.

Ash placed his first badge in the case and then put it away before standing back up to face Brock again. "Thank you, Brock."

Brock shook his head. "No, Ash. Thank you. You showed me so much in that battle, and reminded of just how much I still have to learn about Pokémon." Brock paused for a second and looked away, staring out the window of the gym. "You know... I have never really cared about Pokémon battling and making my Pokémon stronger just to fight. I have always loved taking care of Pokémon and grooming them... making them the healthiest that they can be. My dream isn't to be a gym leader like I am now. I want to become the world's best Pokémon Breeder!"

Brock then turned solemn. "But I'll never realize that dream. Ever since my mother died and my father left to go on his own Pokémon Journey I was left here to take care of my younger brothers and sisters. They count on me and I could never leave them..."

Ash was about to say something when the doors of the gym suddenly flung open. In came the very man that had helped Ash power-up Pikachu... Flint.

The man walked up and stood a few feet away from Ash and the rest of the group. He then spoke, "Brock... I want you to go and achieve your dreams. I don't want you to be settled here anymore, paying for the mistakes that I made when I left..."

Ash looked a little confused. "Uhhh... Flint, who are you to Brock, anyway?"

The man suddenly reached up and took off his red hat and surprisingly... his beard! When he had finished, before the them all stood a man who looked exactly like Brock, just much older. Misty seemed startled and asked, "Why do you look exactly like Brock? Who are you?"

Brock answered for them all. "He's my father."

Ash and Misty just seemed floored while Brock and Forrest didn't have any readable expressions their faces. Flint spoke again, "Brock... Forrest, I am so sorry for leaving you after your mother died. After Lisa died I just... I didn't know how to deal with the pain, and so I left. I thought that, if I tried to achieve my lifelong dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, then I could forget the pain, but it didn't work. I not only was a horrible Trainer, but I also realized just how terrible of a father I had been. I should never have left you to take of your brothers and sisters by yourself, and I'm truly sorry for that son. Really, I am... But I'm here to make up for all of that now. I want you to go on your own journey, find the path that you wish to follow, and achieve every dream that you have. Please, son... let me do this. Let me make amends for my mistakes."

Brock just stared at his father for a moment before speaking. "First, there are some things that I think you should know."

Flint just nodded his head. "I'm sure you must have a lot you want to tell me Brock, so go ahead and get it all off of your chest."

Everyone thought Brock was going to explode on his father for being gone for so long and then just showing up today, wanting to just now pick up on his fatherly responsibilities. To everyone's surprise though, Brock just held up a pad and pen to his estranged father. Flint took them, confused, and just looked them. Brock then began to rattle off a mile a minute all of the things that Flint would need to do for all of Brock's little brothers and sisters if he was really going to start taking care of all of his children. Flint started scribbling notes down furiously on the notepad and then started comically waving his arms around in the air while yelling, "Slow down, slow down Brock, I can't write that fast!"

Everyone in the gym began laughing at the funny scene as Brock continued to barrage his father with all of the many things he would need to do when taking care of his children. When it was over, Brock stood back and looked at his father. "I'm trusting you with this, dad." He said. Flint nodded and replied back. "Don't you worry, son. Everything will be okay, I promise."

Ash then walked up to Brock. "You know Brock, you're more than welcome to come with me, Pikachu and Misty if you want to. I would be overjoyed to have another traveling companion with me on my journey. What do you say?"

Brock looked stunned and just replied back, "Really, Ash? You wouldn't mind at all?"

Ash just shook his head, "No way! The more the merrier, right guys?" Ash turned to Pikachu and Misty.

"Right!" Misty agreed. "Pika!" Pikachu said excitedly.

Brock looked happier than words could describe him. "Thank you, guys, so much... I would love to travel with you!"

...

After they were all done at the gym, Brock, Forrest and Flint went back home so Brock could get his stuff together for the next day when he would leave with Ash and Misty, and also so Flint could become reintroduced to his children. The aforementioned young Trainers went back to the Pokécenter so Ash could get his Pokémon healed up, call his mom and Professor Oak, and tell them the great news about his first badge, switch the Pokémon on his team around a little, and then get to bed so he would be rested and ready to start the next leg of his adventure the following day... only now with a new friend in tow.

(Chapter Four End:)

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A/N: Well there you have it, chapter four! This chapter really marks the turning point for this story. I am now pretty much officially done with all of the beginning and prequel stuff, and now I can really start delving deep into the really good stuff. This means all of the really juicy episodes in story form and several of my own twists on the Pokémon Series! Now that Brock and Misty are introduced, (finally), I can get things under way.

Now is the part of the A/N where I will address things.

1: Anyone who wants to complain about Ash being to 'Garystu' or 'OOC' can please just leave my story now. There are many other Pokémon stories out there that I'm sure can satisfy your needs.

2: Anyone who also wants to complain about Ash's Pokémon being too strong or evolving to fast can please read the previous chapter where I explained training THOROUGHLY! Ash and his Pokémon train H-A-R-D! So naturally they will evolve much faster. Training people, it always pays off. That's the end of it and I won't be addressing this again and if you PM me complaining about this I will just delete your message without reading it fully. Thank You!

3: My story is the WAY it is! If you don't like it then you can just leave. Thanks again!

4: Ash WILL catch A LOT of Pokémon and he WILL train them all. When they aren't with Ash they are training hard at the Lab. I will not listen to anymore whining about Ash catching too many Pokémon. Don't like it don't read it, end of story. I WILL NOT ADDRESS THIS AGAIN!

4: A dear follower and fan of my story is looking for OC's for their story and needs some help deciding. Please go and look up 'WhiteEagle1985' and PM this individual to see how you can help if you so choose.

5: I would like to give an extra special thank you to the following fans and readers of mine who are supporting me every step of the way in this story: 'Advanceforeverandafter'/ 'XDragoon55'/ 'ThomasLight'/ 'TinkotheWolf'/ 'the lord of the night'/ 'darkrai6543'/ 'PsychicAuraKing 123'/ 'WhiteEagle1985'

You guys are all a part of the group and I thank you so much for everything!

...

Ash's rank: Beginner Trainer

Titles: Pokémon Trainer/ Pokémon Researcher In-Training

Tournaments, Contests and Leagues Won: 0

Badges: Boulder badge

Ash's Pokémon:

Pikachu: Male

Spearow: Male

Roselia: Female

Raticate: Male

Nidoran: Female

Nidoran: Male

Pidgeotto: Female

Caterpie: Male

Weedle: Male

Mankey: Male

...

Well everyone, I thank you again for your wonderful reviews and all of your amazing support! I can't thank you enough dear readers. This means you!

So that's it guys and girls! Guys keep Rockin 'N' Rollin! And... my dear ladies. This is the part of the whole chapter you really look forward to isn't it;) Come be honest it's alright! Lol but seriously though, stay beautiful and mysterious, you magnificent works of creation. *Kisses hands*

Peace Out... For now. ;)