Wildstar93: Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of An Autistic Trainer! I've decided not to write anything else until I get a few more chapters of this story in. And to those who want to see Ash get his Kanto badges the right way, then this time, he'll get the Boulder Badge the right way.

I've been thinking on whether Daisy should earn some badges or something else, not contests or anything like that. I kinda think contests in Pokémon FanFiction is becoming all too common lately, so I decided to try something else. Like, maybe, be a zoologist for Pokémon or something. Tell me what you think she can do.

By the way, I am now up to a hundred reviews. Thanks!

Uploading Date: September 8, 2015

Enjoy!

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Battle At Pewter City (part 2)

Ash had trained with Daisy after dinner, lasting for at least an hour until their Pokémon were tired; Misty had declined training with them for reasons she did not seem to want to reveal. Thanks to the TM, Pikachu's Iron Tail was working better than ever, but it sometimes went back to failing, so they needed to fix that problem. Fortunately, there were practice targets around the arena, so Pikachu was able to get it started again so soon.

"I think you're ready now," Daisy remarked after Nidoran had deflected Beedrill with a Double Kick. "Your Pokémon are bound to be around the same level as Brock's Geodude."

"You think so?" Ash asked. "But...what about Pidgey and Butterfree? I don't wanna neglect them."

Daisy looked around at Eevee dodging Pidgey's Quick Attack and Butterfree's Confusion. "I think Eevee's got them entertained," she said with a laugh.

Once they were done with training, they had dinner and then went to bed.

The next day was looking as nice as usual, a blue sky with fat white clouds dotted here and there. However, the gym would not be opened until ten in the morning, so Ash, Daisy, and Misty spent some time at the Pewter City museum. There, Ash was fascinated by the fossils and skeletons of extinct Pokémon and how there were rare stones he had never seen before. Plus, he had learned that all the regions in the world were formed into two super-continents, where and when prehistoric Pokémon roamed.

Finally, the gym was close to being opened, so they left the museum and headed over to the gym. They had arrived just in time, for a referee was opening the front door of the gym, and they went inside. As usual, there was the rocky arena, and Brock was at the end of one side of the arena. Ash took his place at the other end, and though he was a little too far away to see, he saw that Brock was looking a little tired.

"So you've come back for a rematch, huh?" the Pewter City gym leader said with a grin. "Have you trained well enough? Have you learned your lesson from last time?"

Ash nodded. "Yep. I'm ready to get that Boulder Badge!"

Brock's grin got wider. "Good. Because I'm not holding back, and you better not hold back either." He threw out a Pokémon as he called, "Geodude, let's go!"

The familiar rock-like Pokémon came out, growling as it flexed its rocky arms. Ash wasn't sure if he could start off

"You're sending out Nidoran again?" Brock asked in surprise. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Maybe," Ash admitted. "I was kinda hoping that it could work like last time. But Nidoran's getting tougher."

Brock nodded. "I'll accept that, but don't try repeating tactics too much. Geodude, Rock Polish!"

So Geodude sharpened its body until it became agile. Ash remembered how Nidoran had tried deflecting Beedrill's Agility-induced attacks and hoped the same could happen with Geodude.

"Now Geodude, Tackle!" Brock commanded.

"GEO!" Geodude called, charging forth.

"Nidoran, show him the horn!" Ash called.

Nidoran lowered his head and pawed the ground, daring Geodude to strike. But Brock had other plans.

"Geodude, grab Nidoran around the middle!" he called.

So Geodude did just that, wrapping its arms around Nidoran's middle. But just as it did so, it jumped back with a grunt of pain, and Nidoran was free to jump away and paw at the ground again.

"That Poison Point got Geodude again!" Brock seemed to mutter under his breath.

"Don't repeat tactics too much," Ash said with a grin. "Double Kick!"

Nidoran jumped over and started kicking against Geodude's rock-hard body. Geodude curled its arms before it and punched Nidoran away from it before recoiling from the poison. It did not do a lot of damage, but if they kept up the attacks, then exhaustion mixed with the poison would wear it down.

"Geodude, you're already poisoned," Brock called. "Just use Tackle!"

"GEO!" Geodude yelled, charging at Nidoran.

Too late to dodge, Nidoran was flung back towards a rock in the arena. Ash found himself thinking on his feet. He had to think of a way to slow Geodude down.

"Use Leer!" Ash called.

Nidoran nodded and leered at Geodude the best he could. Geodude looked a little unnerved by this, but after a command from Brock, it sped forward and rammed itself into Nidoran's side. The poison pint Pokémon staggered away from Geodude, trying to stay steady on his feet, before he collapsed onto his side. The referee went over to see if Nidoran was going to get up again.

"Nidoran is unable to battle," the referee finally called. "Geodude wins!"

Ash sighed and returned Nidoran to his PokéBall; it looked like that while Nidoran was victorious the first time, the second time was a failure. He smiled down at the ball and said, "Don't be sad, Nidoran. You did your best." Then he looked down at Pikachu, who was tugging at his jeans, and asked, "Are you sure you wanna fight? Geodude is part Ground-type."

"Pika!" Pikachu confirmed, rubbing between his legs before going out onto the field.

From the stands, he saw Misty give Pikachu a worried look as Daisy did for Ash. He knew what he was going to do would be risky, but there was no turning back. Pidgey could last a little longer than Butterfree, who could get knocked out from one Rock-type attack, but she would also be knocked out. Pikachu was his only option left.

"You're switching to Pikachu?" Brock asked. "Deja vu, huh? Now Geodude, Rock Throw!"

Geodude gave a roar and grabbed an armful of rocks before throwing them at Pikachu. Ash commanded "Iron Tail!", and Pikachu's tail glowed silver as he broke most of the rocks with his tail, the shards hitting Geodude. That did not, however, make Pikachu safe, for several rocks hit him too, making him squeak.

"Now use Iron Tail on Geodude!"

He briefly saw Brock look shocked before Pikachu's tail glowed silver again, and Brock relaxed just as the mouse Pokémon got close to his opponent. He (and Ash too, he admitted to himself) seemed to believe that Iron Tail would fail yet again. But when Pikachu's Iron Tail slammed Geodude hard against a pillar, knocking it out right away. Perhaps the Double Kick and Poison Point (and, perhaps, also Nidoran's Leer) had weakened Geodude so that it could not fight against Iron Tail.

"Geodude is unable to battle," the referee called. "Pikachu wins!"

"Good job, Geodude. Take a rest," Brock said and recalled Geodude while Pikachu jumped up and down from joy. Then he tossed out another PokéBall, yelling, "Onix, let's go!"

Pikachu stopped his dance of joy and cowered as the giant rock snake appeared before him with a roar. Ash once again covered his ears to block out the loud noise. It was a noise he would never really un-hear ever again.

"Give up again?" Brock asked with a smirk.

Ash shook his head, though he was still scared. "N-No," he stammered. "We just n-need to try our best!"

Brock tilted his head to one side. "You sure? I don't want to hurt your Pokémon." Ash still stood firm, so he said, "Okay then, if you say so. Onix, Bind!"

Onix sped forward and raised itself to bind itself around Pikachu. Once again, it worked, and Pikachu was wrapped up in the massive rock snake's tight embrace. It was just like when Ash had surrendered yesterday morning; if he could not do something, then he and his team would lose two times in a row.

"Pikachu, get out of there!" Ash yelled. "Iron Tail to free yourself!"

With a grunt, Pikachu started fidgeting. Onix growled in pain as it was slammed on the side with Iron Tail, and Pikachu was soon free, panting and wincing from having been squeezed.

"Not bad," Brock said after Onix reeled back. "You managed to lower his defenses."

"Pikachu, keep using Iron Tail!" Ash called.

So Pikachu's tail glowed silver and slammed it repeatedly towards Onix, who was able to evade some of the attack. Ash realized that Flint was right to give him and Pikachu the TM. It was working like a charm, and Pikachu was now able to finally learn Iron Tail. Plus, he knew that he had to thank Daisy's Eevee too, for she was his starter's mentor in Iron Tail.

At one point, Pikachu aimed for the crest on Onix's head, slamming his tail against it. Onix roared in pain and reeled back; that was probably its weak spot.

"We're just getting started," Ash muttered. "Pikachu, use Iron-"

"NOOOO!"

Ash spun around as ten kids approached him and surrounded him, all younger than him. They all had some facial similarities like Brock from the squinting eyes to the spiky brown hair, and they were all glaring at him.

"Leave Onix alone!" one of the older kids demanded.

"It's just a battle," Ash tried defending himself, not sure what to do against a mob. He wasn't one to try going into a crowd, and he was getting uncomfortable with them all surrounding him.

"Kids, back off!" Brock called. "This is an official gym badge, and we're going to finish it."

"But Brock," cried a young girl, "we know you love Onix very much!"

The oldest kid added, "That's why we won't let Onix suffer!"

"I know, Forrest, and Onix may be weakened, but the challenger and I are giving it our all," Brock replied. "It's an official gym battle, and no one is to interfere. Get back home and let us finish this fight!"

All the kids groaned and started leaving the gym. Forrest even called to Ash, "You're lucky our big bro is nice! He'd pummel you to the ground if he wasn't!"

But a glare from Misty shut him up. She appeared to not have a lot of patience with kids.

Finally, relieved of his load, Ash called, "Pikachu, Iron Tail again!"

"Onix, Rock Tomb to stop it!" Brock commanded.

Though still weakened from the Iron Tail attack, Onix was still able to summon some rocks and throw them at Pikachu. Pikachu was trapped in between the pillar of rocks like Nidoran was, but as Ash commanded him, he used Iron Tail to break free from his prison. But Brock and Onix were ready.

"Rock Polish and Tackle!"

As soon as Pikachu emerged from the Rock Tomb, Onix sharpened itself until it became fast and charged at Pikachu. The mouse Pokémon was caught off guard and was slammed to the ground before Onix picked him up with its tail, but it did not squeeze him like last time.

"Now fling it into the air and Tackle it to the ground!" Brock called.

With a roar, Onix raised its tail and tossed Pikachu into the air. Ash wasn't sure what to do now. Pikachu was being beaten again despite their best efforts, being flung around like an old rag doll. He saw Daisy look on in worry and Misty sigh and look away. He tried thinking positive thoughts, but the feeling of being beaten again made him want to cry.

But then it hit him. He remembered seeing the fight between Gengar and Nidorino on TV, where he had seen Nidorino spin in a circle before landing a hit. Perhaps Pikachu could do a Nidorino and do the same.

"Pikachu, spin in the air with Iron Tail!" Ash called. "Then slam it down!"

"Piii-KA!" Pikachu yelled, righting himself and starting to spin around in a circle while in the air. Onix was coming up at him with a roar, preparing to tackle him back down to the ground, but Pikachu was now ready. He came back down and slammed his silver-clad tail down onto Onix's face while Onix's Tackle forced him back down to the ground, where he landed with a thud. Both Pokémon were getting exhausted, but they were still able to get back up (while weary) and give each other very determined glares.

For a moment, Pikachu and Onix were staring each other down despite the latter's gigantic size. Then Onix gave a groan and fell with a massive thud down onto the arena floor, unable to get up. A silence carried over the gym, then...

"Onix is unable to battle. Pikachu wins!" the referee called. "Which means the victory goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

Ash couldn't believe what he had heard. He had won. He, Pikachu, and Nidoran had actually won a gym battle for the first time ever. In the battlefield, Pikachu swayed on his feet before collapsing, making Ash run over to pick him up.

"Pikachu, we won!" he whispered, hugging him tight with happy tears in his eyes. "You and Nidoran were great out there!"

Pikachu leaned up to lick his cheek, rasping, "Pika..."

"Good job, Onix. You did great out there," Brock said as he recalled Onix. Then to Ash, he said, "Come on over and get your first badge: the Boulder Badge."

So Ash let Pikachu rest easy on his shoulder before approaching Brock and accepting the badge. It was a brown badge resting in a gray case, so he took it and put it in his own blue case.

"We did it, guys!" Ash said happily, holding up Nidoran's PokéBall. "We got the Boulder Badge!"

Misty and Daisy were coming over to congratulate him, but they never got the chance. Flint was suddenly heading into the gym, sounding out of breath; he must have run a long way from somewhere. He ended up catching his breath before approaching Ash.

"You did well, kid," Flint said with a smile behind his beard. "I told you Iron Tail would work."

"Thank you, sir," Ash said with a smile.

But what happened next made them surprised.

"Dad?" Brock asked in surprise, and everyone looked over at him. Then his face hardened to anger as he growled, "You got a lot of nerve showing your face around here."

Ash was confused. Wasn't Brock happy to be near his father again? He had remembered his own father being there when he was younger except for whenever he had to leave for training. He had not seen him for a few years, and he was sure Brock had felt the same way until this happened.

"Those ten kids are his brothers and sisters, and my kids too," Flint said with shame on his face. "He has had to take care of them for so long, so he could never leave town for regional championships."

"Why weren't you around for your kids?" Daisy asked as she and Misty joined Ash.

Flint was about to answer when Brock beat him to it. "Because this pathetic excuse for a father left his family to be a Pokémon trainer, and he never came back," he growled with a glare. "Our heartbroken mom tried her best to keep the family together, but she ended up going into a coma. I'm the only one my brothers and sisters have left."

"I know, and I was too ashamed to return," Flint said with a sigh. To Ash, he added, "But I hope I was able to redeem myself by helping you. You kinda remind me of me when I was younger. And Brock," he concluded, looking at his son, "it's time I took care of my family. You can go ahead and fulfill that breeder dream of yours."

Brock sighed and looked around to where his siblings had left. Ash looked over to him as if to ask if he would be okay, but he was dismissed by a wave of his hand. It was time to go.

So Ash, Daisy, and Misty left the gym as quickly as they could. Ash knew that it would involve lots of yelling, and from experience, he hated yelling. But there was still time to go to the Pokémon center, heal his Pokémon, and call his mother to let her know that he won the badge. When he called his mother and showed off his badge, she had been happy to see him on his way to becoming an actual Pokémon trainer.

But now, it was time to leave Pewter City. It was around three in the afternoon, so Ash and the girls left after Pikachu and Nidoran were healed. He had also left Nidoran at Professor Oak's lab for some training, the professor assuring him that Nidoran would get stronger.

"If you want to call Nidoran back, call me anytime," Professor Oak had said as he accepted Nidoran. "And I heard from your mother that you got your first badge. Seven more to go, and you'll be in the Indigo League in no time!"

...

"Why couldn't we do anything about it?" Ash asked as they reached the edge of town. They had gotten supplies for dinner from a store along with Pokémon chow and medicine, and they had to go through Mount Moon before going to Cerulean City.

"Because it's none of our business," Misty told him sharply. "Family matters like this need to involve family and no one else." As she said this, Ash could hear the bitterness in her voice.

"Still, you got your first badge," Daisy added, perhaps trying to change the subject. She gave him a gentle hug, saying, "I'm proud of you. Now the next badge you can get is from Cerulean City. And you know that Misty is the gym leader there."

Ash nodded and looked around at Misty. She still looked bitter with a scowl, but Ash realized that it was not directed at him. Just before he could ask her what she was mad about, someone approached them and stopped. It was Brock.

"What happened with you and your dad?" Daisy asked.

Brock looked back towards the gym and said, "I wanted to take a break from watching over my brothers and sisters for a little change. I love 'em all, but I couldn't do everything by myself. Besides, I've always wanted to be the world's greatest Pokémon breeder."

"What about your dad?" Misty asked. "Aren't you mad at him?"

"Kinda," Brock admitted. "But he and I worked things out. He can take care of the kids while I'm gone. By the way, you're on a journey, right, Ash?" Ash nodded and looked away, then Brock said, "Well, I was wondering if I can come along with you guys on this trip. Thanks to watching out for my siblings, I can cook, clean, and settle disputes like a pro. So what do you say?"

Ash did not know what to say. Another gym leader was going to join them on their journey, bringing their numbers up from three to four. He looked around at Misty and Daisy to ask what to do.

"Should we let him join?" he asked.

"The more, the merrier," Daisy said with a friendly smile. "And hey, at least I won't get to cook all the time."

Misty nodded, looking a bit more cheerful. "Same here," she said. "Just don't try hitting on us along the way."

Brock nodded. "Don't worry. These hands are only gonna grope some pots and pans," he said with a proud smile.

This made Ash smile a bit and laugh. Brock would be a good companion to travel with, full of laughs and wisdom. And now that he had gotten his first badge ever, he was on his way to becoming a true Pokémon trainer.

To be continued...

...

Wildstar93: There we go, folks. Ash has gotten his first badge the right way! And I hope you all like this chapter; if you find something wrong here, please let me know, and I'll fix it. I appreciate constructive criticism as long as you're polite about it.

From now on, I won't add too much on Ash's autism in this story. Like a reviewer said, it's not just about autism. This is about Ash growing up to become a Pokémon trainer. Autism doesn't entierly define you; it's what you do with your character that counts. By the way, some episodes of the series might not appear in this at all. And here are the current teams of our travelers.

Ash: Pikachu (Thundershock, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Iron Tail), Pidgey (Tackle, Gust, Sand Attack, Quick Attack), Butterfree (Tackle, Confusion, String Shot, Gust)
At Professor Oak's lab: Nidoran (Peck, Leer, Double Kick, Focus Energy)

Daisy: Eevee (Tackle, Iron Tail, Helping Hand, Tail Whip), Beedrill (Poison Sting, Agility, String Shot, Pin Missle)

Misty: Staryu (Rapid Spin, Water Gun, Harden), Starmie (Swift, Water Pulse, Recover, Rapid Spin), Goldeen (Splash, Water Gun, Horn Attack, Tail Whip)

Brock: Geodude (Rock Throw, Rock Polish, Tackle, Defense Curl), Onix (Rock Tomb, Rock Polish, Tackle, Bind)