Pokemon Center
After Flint left the group at the Pokemon Center, they ate a proper meal. Once they were full, the group got a room, changed into their night wear, and got a long sleep in. The next morning, they woke up, got ready, and ate breakfast.
They then went their separate ways to perform their own task. Ash had to train, James needed new clothes and had to contact his grandparents, and Serena volunteered to buy supplies for pokefood.
Battlefield
Ash was the first out and went to the battlefield where he let his pokemon out. "Alright guys, our first gym battle is coming up, but we got to be ready to deal with those rock types. So, let's…"
"Hey, it's a Pidgeotto." A new voice spoke from behind him. "That is cool!"
Ash turned to face a boy maybe a year older than himself. He had medium length, messy brown hair and matching eyes. His attire consists of a red and white cap with black accents, a blue jacket with a black undershirt, black cargo pants, and red boots.
"Um sorry, but you are?" Ash nervously asked.
The boy was checking out Pidgeotto with his pokedex, and while Ash didn't mind that, it'd be nice if the guy introduced himself first.
The boy fell over in embarrassment. "Sorry about that." The boy nervously laughed as he stood. "My name is Hilbert Monta from Nuvema Town."
"Nuvema Town?" Ash shrugged. "Never heard of it."
"I'm not surprised." Hilbert stated. "It's a town in the Unova region."
"Huh, neat." Ash nodded. "So, are you here for a gym battle?"
"Already had it." Calem smirked as he pulled out his badge case.
Inside there were four badges: A pink heart, a multi-colored circle, a red flame, and a grey rough edged rock circle.
"Oh wow, you've already got four badges." Ash awed in amazement.
"Yeah." Hilbert smiled. "I've actually been in Kanto for six months now since I decided I wanted my first journey to be in a different region. That said, I did spend my first six months making some catches back there. Anyways, my plan was to head on down to Pallet Town."
"Really? That's where I'm from." Ash realized he hadn't introduced himself. "Sorry. I'm Ash Ketchum."
"Nice to meet ya." Hilbert replied. "How about you? Got any badges?".
"I'm actually going for my first badge." Ash replied. "I just want to make sure the pokemon I have are ready by teaching them some moves."
"I can see that if these are the pokemon you're using." Ash thought Hilbert was putting his team down and frowned which the Unova trainer quickly realized how his words could be taken. "Oh, I didn't mean anything bad by it. In fact, you should be praised for thinking ahead."
"It's actually thanks to my friends talking me into it that I decided on some training." Ash pulled out his pokedex. "I'm just not certain what move I should teach each of them or how to go about it to be honest."
"Yeah, that can be rough." Hilbert crossed his arms and looked at Ash's pokemon. "You know, I actually have pokemon with moves your pokemon could learn. If you wanted, I could help you train them for the gym match."
"You'd really do that?" Ash asked.
"Sure." Hilbert nodded. "I can respect a trainer who wants to win with the pokemon he's got, so I might as well give them the best chance I can. That is, if you wouldn't mind some pointers."
"Like I said, I'm not sure how to train my pokemon, so I'd appreciate the help." Ash stated.
"Alright, I think I have just the pokemon to help yours." Hilbert stated. "Come on out Braviary. Cubchoo, and Simisear."
The three pokemon appeared and Ash brought out his pokedex:
Simisear, the Ember Pokémon and evolved form of Pansear. Simisear loves to eat sweets which sustain the fire that burns inside his body.
Cubchoo, the Chill Pokémon. Cubchoo's runny nose is the source of its energy and its sniffles power its moves.
Braviary, the Valiant Pokémon and evolved form of Rufflet. Because of its devotion to its friends, Braviary will continue battling even after sustaining injury.
"Those are some cool pokemon." Ash stated amazed. "What can they teach my pokemon?"
"I'll show you one by one." Hilbert smiled. "Pikachu needs to pay close attention to Simisear, Nidoran needs to pay close attention to Cubchoo, and Pidgeotto needs to pay close attention to Braviary."
"You hear that guys?" Ash looked at his pokemon. "Pay close attention to the pokemon Hilbert listed off."
"Pidgeotto."
"Nidoran."
"Pikachu."
"Alright Simisear, let's show them your iron tail aimed at the ground." Hilbert declared.
Simisear jumped into the air as his tail glowed with steel energy. The fire chimp then came down hard kicking up dust. When he got up, it revealed a nice dent in the ground.
"Pika." Pikachu was looking from Simsear to his own tail and started moving it about. "Pikachu."
"Next up, use ice beam on the ground Cubchoo." Hilbert declared.
"Cub…" A small ball of ice energy formed in Cubchoo's mouth. "…choo!"
He fired off the ice hitting the ground and covering it in ice.
"Nidoran." Nidoran started opened his mouth and breathing to no effect.
"Finally, you're up Braviary!" Hilbert called out. "Fly up and aim for the boulder over there with steel wing!"
The majestic bird flew into the air as her wings gained a steel sheen as the bird was using steel energy. Said bird then flew at a boulder and hit it with her wings causing it to crumble. Pidgeotto looked from Braviary's wings, which were starting to revert to normal, to her own wings.
She spread them out and concentrated. "Pidgeotto."
Ash and Hilbert looked at her and were amazed as her wings glowed with steel energy before instantly returning to normal.
"Whoa, that's amazing Pidgeotto." Ash praised with a smile.
"I'll say." Hilbert nodded. This Pidgeotto of yours must be well trained to even begin picking up a move that fast."
Ash walked over and rubbed his hand along his bird. "I actually caught her not to long ago." Ash explained. "She was in Viridian Forest and already a Pidgeotto."
"Wow, what a lucky find." Hilbert nodded. "Now, we should get to training properly." He held out his hand. "Let's have our pokemon pair off and work with them together to build their strength for their assigned moves."
Ash shook the offered hand. "Sounds good to me."
Inside the Pokemon Center
After finally buying some new clothes, James entered the pokemon center. He now wore a white, no sleeved shirt under a black trench coat with matching pants and lavender belt. He sat before the video phone and called his grandparents.
They answered and James was staring at an older couple who had lost height in their old age. They both had gray hair with the man having a mustache, and their faces portrayed true kindness. Their attire evoked caregivers.
"Hey Nanny and Pop-Pop." James stated hesitantly.
"My, if it isn't our little James." Nany stated fondly.
James sighed relieved. "I'm so glad to see you two."
"It's nice to see you to." Pop-Pop stated.
Nanny nodded. "In such good health to."
"You know, we heard from your folks that you'd gotten engaged." Pop-Pop stated.
"Yeah, but you know how they can be." James shook his head. "They faked their deaths and got a couple of my friends to bring me into their trap. Fortunately, I managed to escape with the help of some new friends of mine."
"Yeah, that sounds like them." Nanny stated.
Pop-Pop spoke up. "Now, you spoke about friends of yours. Nanny and I would love to meet them all. Are they there with you now?"
"Oh, well my old friends and I sort of parted ways, and my new friends are currently busy." James scratched his face. "Sorry."
"Ah, it's quite alright deary." Nanny stated. "We're only glad you're traveling with someone. A journey is always more enjoyable with people around you."
"Now, we're always happy to hear from you James, but we can tell you seem rather troubled." Pop-Pop stated. "Is there something weighing on your mind?"
"Yeah." James sighed. "My last attempt at a dream seems to have ended, and I have no idea what I should do now. I actually feel rather lost."
"Well, we've been telling you for years that you have a way with Pokemon." Nanny stated.
"That's no lie." Pop-Pop smiled fondly. "Why, when you came to visit us, you were always a help around the pokemon. Perhaps you should focus on that for a change."
"I did love that pokemon house you had." James smiled fondly. "Helping you take care of the injured pokemon and playing with the healed pokemon were always highlights of my visits."
"You were quick to pick up on the basics of pokefood making as well." Nanny smiled. "You seemed to inherit the gift your father never had."
"Why, with your skills you could become a great breeder." Pop-Pop stated.
"A Pokemon Breeder, huh?" James questioned.
"That, a watcher, or perhaps a great professor." Nanny stated. "Your way with pokemon and pokefood making could apply to all three or more. If you wanted, we could give you recommend books chalk full of information. Even if you don't want to do those, it couldn't hurt to look."
"That is true." James nodded with a smile. "You two are right. Lamenting over my dreams isn't going to help me find something new to pursue. Yes, I think I'd like that information, and if it's not too much trouble, could you give me your recipes for pokefood?"
"We'd be happy to James." Nanny stated.
Battlefield, Later…
Simisear was currently couching Pikachu as he picked up a rock tied to his tail repeatedly, Braviary and Pidgeotto were in the air as the latter focused on maintaining the steel energy around her wings, and Nidoran was studying Cubchoo as he generated ice within.
"Look at them go." Ash smiled. "Your pokemon have really lit a fire in my team."
"There was no guarantee, but sometimes all it takes is to see something to inspire you." Hilbert stated.
"Say Hilbert, would you mind hanging around to watch my gym battle with Brock?" Ash asked.
"I'd love to." Hilbert replied. "Though I do have to ask why?"
"You're an experienced trainer, so it'd be great to have your eyes there." Ash smiled. "No matter how things turn out, you'd be able to give me some pointers."
"How could I refuse after that." Hilbert nodded. "I know stuff like that has helped me."
"Great." Ash realized that it was roughly noon, and his group had agreed to meet up for lunch around this time. "Oh, I need to meet up with my friends. You should come with me, and we can eat together."
"Sounds great." Hilbert stated.
So, they returned all their pokemon while Ash obviously kept Pikachu out. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah, but isn't Pikachu going in his pokeball?" Hilbert asked.
"Nah." Ash shook his head. "Pikachu doesn't like his pokeball, so he just hangs out on my shoulder." He held up a hand. "Isn't that right buddy?"
"Pikachu." Pikachu replied as he used his tail to high five his trainer.
Hilbert smiled at the interaction between pokemon and trainer.
Pokemon Center
Ash and Hilbert spotted his travelling companions in a booth, and the boys made their way over.
"Hey Ash." James greeted. "You were out there for quite some time training."
"Yeah well, I found a guy who could help me teach my pokemon some awesome new moves for the gym." Ash presented his new friend. "By the way, this is Hilbert Monta. Hilbert they are Serena and James."
Hilbert nodded with a smile. "Glad to meet you."
The boys sat down with Ash sitting next to Serena and Hilbert sitting next to James. Through some explaining and general chatting, the group got to know Hilbert. The guy even spoke about his full teams consisting of: Samurott, Simisear, Braviary, Cubchoo, Gurdurr, and Galvantula.
Battlefield, One Week Later…
Ash and Hilbert were stood outside as Ash had his pokemon out ready to show off the fruits of their training. "You ready guys?" All three pokemon declared they were. "Great! Pikachu, use iron tail on that nearby rock!"
Pikachu's tail glowed with steel energy as he neared the rock and swung of his tail demolishing it. "Alright Nidoran, use ice beam on the rubble!" The poison point Pokémon opened his mouth letting loose a beam of ice which froze the rubble.
"Perfect! You're up last Pidgeotto. Hit the ice with a steel wing!" Pidgeotto ascended into the air and coated her wings with steel energy before diving at the ice and slicing her wings into it. "Yeah, you three were awesome!"
Ash ran forward and his pokemon grouped around him as they celebrated their success.
Hilbert nodded with a proud smile. "Those three are ready."
Streets of Pewter
With training done, and Ash ensuring his pokemon were healed, the entire group set out to find Flint who was now leading them to the gym.
"Hey Flint, do you know anything about the gym leader other than his name and specialty?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, he's really strong, but he doesn't actually want to be a gym leader." Flint stated.
"How come?" Serena asked.
"His good for nothing father left his family to become a trainer leaving Brock to look after his nine siblings and run the family gym." Flint explained. "He enjoys battling but always wished to go further. His dream is to become a Rock specialist of an Elite Four."
"I feel sorry for the guy." James declared.
"Yeah." Hilbert agreed. "I kind of feel bad about battling him now."
Everyone also looked down.
Flint saw this and sweat dropped. "Don't worry. Brock is a good sport and would want you to take this battle seriously." Ash nodded in understanding. "Burying his ultimate dream has hurt him though."
"Hey Flint, how do you know so much about Brock anyways?" Hilbert asked.
"Umm... I heard... stories." Flint nervously replied.
Although the group was skeptical, they decided to accept that answer. The group continued their walk for another five minutes, before they appeared in front of a building.
"Here it is." Flint announced. "Pewter City gym."
The group were unable to come up with the words to describe the building's design for a moment.
"At least we know he takes his type seriously." Serena finally stated.
"Well, let's not waste all our time standing around." Ash spoke up. "There's a gym badge waiting for me."
With that, the black-haired boy marched up to the front door ready for his gym battle.
Pewter Gym
The group of four walked into the gym, and they were surprised to find all the lights were off.
"I wonder what's going on?" Serena questioned a little scared.
"I don't know." Ash replied. "Maybe the power is out."
Hilbert chuckled to himself which caused James to raise an eyebrow. "What's so funny?"
Before he could answer, a light turned on at the back of the room. It lite up a teenage boy who sat Indian style on a rock. Ash, Serena, and James found it a little eerie how similar he looked to Flint when they met.
He has dark brown, almost black, hair which stuck out in every direction, tanned skin, and squinty eyes. His attire consisted of a dark green vest over a bright orange shirt, mud brown trousers, and jet-black trainers.
"Umm, Hello." Ash was a little intimidated. "A-are you the gym leader Brock?"
"I am." Brock replied in an echoing voice.
"Well, I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Ash announced. "I've come for a gym battle."
Brock raised an eyebrow as he glanced and the electric mouse. "Is that your Pikachu?"
"Yes, he is." Ash replied.
"Hm, it's still in its cutest stage." Brock commented.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked with a hint of anger.
Brock smirked as he stood up. "It means it can't win."
"For your information, Pikachu can take on any of your pokemon." Ash declared. "All my pokemon can. We've trained for this and are ready."
Pikachu's cheeks sparked. "Pika!"
"Well, as the gym leader I must accept all challenges." Brock put on a neutral face. "Be warned, I do not lose easily, and I hope you are ready for a three-on-three battle."
"We can handle anything you throw at us." Ash declared.
"Before we start, will this be your first badge?" Brock asked.
"Yes." Ash replied/
"Very well. The pokemon I shall use will be the ones I've raised myself." Brock stated. "I must ask your friends to go up the staircase, so that they do not get in the way of the battle."
Ash turned to face his friends. Hilbert and James wished him luck before acceding the staircase and watching from over the rails. Serena stared at Ash for a few moments.
"Good luck Ash." Serena spoke with a sweet tone. "I know you'll do great."
"Thanks Serena." Ash gave her a thumbs up with a toothy grin. "I'm sure I will win with your support."
Serena blushed and turned to make her way up the stairs.
"Hey James." Hilbert stated. "Are they...".
"…together?" James finished. "No, but Serena does seem to have a crush on him.".
Hilbert nodded. He knew Ash was a good kid, and he certainly treats him pokemon well. That Serena girl seemed like a good person. Yeah, he could support them. As Serena reached the balcony, she got a bright idea and brought out Caterpie.
"What are you doing Serena?" James questioned.
"I'm worried Caterpie will chock during a battle and get hurt due to her shy nature." Serena stated. "I thought watching a gym battle might motivate him to take it seriously."
"That's not a bad idea." Hilbert stated. "I'm certain Caterpie could learn a lot."
Caterpie crawled up her trainer's arm and perched on her shoulder. Together, trainer and pokemom watched the battlefield as Ash took his place in the trainer's box. The field was covered in rocks.
"You got this Ash!" Serena shouted.
Ash nodded to her, and Serena blushed in response. Brock stared at the two and smiled sadly. He wished he had a person he was close to like that. Sure, he had his siblings, but he was more of a farther figure than anything else.
"Ash, my little brother, Forest, will referee our battle." Brock informed. "He is currently in training to take over as gym leader when he's old enough."
A boy who looked like Brock, although shorter and younger, took his place on the ref box.
"The battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and Gym Leader Brock Harrison of Pewter Gym is about to begin. It will be a three-on-three battle with an official Boulder Badge on the line. Only the challenger can substitute pokemon. Begin when ready!"