Pewter City Showdown

A young adult uttered out a sigh as he stared longingly out the window while he cleaned his rather large family's dishes. His entire family was nearly identical to him as they had the same tanned skin tone, the same eyes, and the same brown hair which seemingly spiked up naturally as even the younger siblings had the hairstyle. For somebody outside the family it'd be difficult to keep the names straight due to the sheer amount of siblings, many of which were twins or triplets, that the older male possessed! But Brock remembered their names as he was always the perfect older brother, even before he had to take over parenting duties. Ever since his mother ran off around six years ago, his father had unfortunately fallen into a drunken state and wasn't fit to be Gym Leader anymore resulting in Brock having to step up in order to provide and care for his family as his father was currently incapable of it.

Brock loved his siblings more than anything but there were admittingly times like today where his thoughts drifted towards his own goals, it was never his desire to take over Gym Leader for he had his own goals. It was always his dream to become a Pokemon Breeder but those dreams were on hold for at least a couple more years as his siblings weren't old enough to become trainers and head out on their own yet. He always had the suspicion that Forrest had an interest in taking over but unfortunately he was turning ten right as the rules changed preventing him from becoming Gym Leader, he'd been relatively quiet ever since so Brock assumed that he possibly lost interest in that dream and Brock couldn't help but feel jealous as he wished that he could forget about his own dream. He finished cleaning the last of the dishes and left them out to dry before tossing the rag into the laundry bin as he started making his way towards the door, feeling the need for some fresh air.

"W-Where are you going?" His father asked between hiccups. A bottle in his hand as he stared at the setting sun from a chair on the front porch.

"Out I just need some time to myself," Brock sighed out. "I'll be back before dark." His father watched him walking and couldn't help but frown upon realizing how depressed his son appeared, the older man looked down at his bottle before angrily hurling it off the porch.

"This is all my fault..." He pressed his hands against his head as he began to cry from the realization that while he was focused on his own feelings, Brock was dangerously close to falling into the same depression pit that he'd been stuck in. He had to do something about it...

Brock placed his hands in his pockets as he walked down the Pewter City streets, just mindlessly walking without a destination in mind as per usual but unlike most days something caught his eye as he heard a voice he recognized from earlier in the day laughing loudly followed by two other sets of laughter. He couldn't help but look on in terror as his most recent challenger Damian could be seen throwing rocks at a dark blue frog Pokemon. The Pokemon's orange cheeks expanded outwards with each croak while his hands covered his yellow eyes as rocks came dangerously close to hitting them! Charmander stood in front of Damian's foot bruised and trembling, based on the rather violent words Damian had shouted earlier he could only assume that Damian had kicked Charmander after he refused to fight Croagunk and to make matters worse it appeared that Damian hadn't even bothered to take Charmander to the Pokemon Center!

Brock angrily began to approach Damian only for him to be beaten by a younger raven haired individual who appeared to know him, a Pikachu stood on the boy's shoulder while a magenta haired girl quickly scurried after him with an Eevee held tightly within her arms.

"Damian what are you doing?! Can't you see you're hurting that Pokemon?!" Ash angrily shouted out.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked in a threatening manner as Damian merely gave Ash a glare.

"You're one to talk Ketchup, if I remember correctly you threw a rock at Spearow!"

"That was meant as a distraction, I didn't mean to hit him!" Ash angrily retorted as Pikachu chimed in with angry shouts.

"Pika pika!"

"Besides what choice do I have? This Charmander refuses to even battle it, same story as your Pikachu from back then!"

"Maybe Charmander would listen to you if you weren't such a jerk to him!"

"Pika pi!"

Damian clenched his fists as he stared directly into Ash's eyes with a look full of hate. "Watch yourself Ketchup, you're treading on dangerous ground."

"Yeah, Damian's gonna kick your butt!"

"He has a black belt!"

"Wasn't that already proven wrong when Gloria kicked his butt eight years ago?" Chloe couldn't help but speak up as a smirk crossed her face. Damian's eyes twitched as he turned to face Chloe, his face started glowing bright red as he violently trembled. Ash quickly stepped in front of Chloe as he sensed that Damian was about to throw a punch, he flinched as Damian's fist came flying at his face but nothing happened! Ash slowly opened his eye and noticed an older male holding Damian's arm and twisting it with relative ease.

"Enough!" Brock growled. "You're to go heal that Charmander immediately and that's an order!" Damian gritted his teeth as he flashed Brock a silent glare. To Ash's surprise Damian didn't seem to argue with the man almost as if he were an authority or something, Damian merely grumbled incomprehensibly before waving his hand at his buddies while holding the arm that Brock had twisted close to his chest.

"T-This isn't over Ketchup," Damian growled as he walked past. Ash glared after the troublesome jerk before turning his attention back to Brock in order to thank him.

"Thank you, I-" Though it appeared that the man's attention was focused upon the Pokemon as he was currently tending to it's wounds, feeding it a Sitrus berry while wrapping a bandage around one of Croagunk's arms to prevent infection.

"What is that Pokemon?" Ash questioned as he pulled out his Rotom Phone.

"Croagunk the Toxic Mouth Pokemon, Once diluted, its poison becomes medicinal. This Pokemon came into popularity after a pharmaceutical company chose it as a mascot."

"Croagunk, eh? You sound like an awesome Pokemon!" Ash grinned.

"I think he looks creepy, does he ever blink?" Chloe couldn't help but shiver as Croagunk turned his gaze towards them, silently staring while his body emitted out croaks.

"Alright that should do it!" The older man gave Croagunk's head a light pat. "I'd recommend leaving the area in case that kid comes looking for you."

"Croa..." Croagunk turned his attention back to Brock, his face lacked any visible sign of emotion as he stared at Brock's back as the man turned to face Ash and Chloe.

"Thanks for the save, I'm Ash by the way!" Ash grinned.

"And I'm Chloe!" Chloe chimed in while Eevee waved her paw in greeting.

"Eevoi!"

"Pika pi!"

"Pleasure to meet you two, my name's Brock!"

"Oh my gosh, you're the Gym Leader!" Ash excitedly exclaimed.

"Yep, that's me." Brock stated with a light sigh.

"Oh man I can't wait to battle you tomorrow!" Ash pumped his fists as an excitable expression crossed his face. Brock couldn't help but smirk lightly as he hadn't seen a trainer with that level of excitement for quite some time!

"Well then I look forward to our match tomorrow, now if you excuse me I'm gonna submit a report to Officer Jenny on that boy's behavior." Brock waved his hand as he bid the two farewell while Ash and Chloe couldn't help but share a light smile at they turned to face each other. Finally somebody with the right authority had seen Damian abusing Pokemon, however they wouldn't be rid of Damian that easily as once Brock's eyes set upon Officer Jenny's body he lost all sense of thought and rushed to her desk in a blind rush of emotion!

"Oh Officer Jenny I felt a great need to see you but I seem to have lost track of the reason, it must be fate that Arceus set our paths onto the same course!" Brock got down onto a knee as he extended his hand to her. "Officer Jenny will you be mine?"

Croagunk walked in and silently approached Brock but was unable to do anything as Officer Jenny was quick to brush off his advances. "I don't have time for your games today Brock, some con artist was spotted trying to sell golden painted Magikarp to trainers nearby and I've got to go take care of it!" Brock hung his head as Officer Jenny rushed past him.

"I'll always be alone..." He groaned out. Croagunk silently croaked as he stood behind Brock, his presence unnoticeable due to how soft his footsteps were and how silent he was.

"Pssst you! Yeah you, come here!"

"Who me?!" James looked around before pointing to himself as he couldn't see anyone else nearby. The trio had lost track of Ash upon entering the city so they decided to split up and meet back at their balloon before nightfall. Jessie took the northern part of the city, which was likely due to a Pokemon Contest being held there while Meowth took the middle half leaving James with the southern half and a very shady looking marketplace.

"Yes you!" A rather charismatic individual stood at a booth while what appeared to be a golden Magikarp swam around the fish tank behind the salesman. "You see this here Pokemon?"

"I-I believe so..." James squinted as he wondered if he was seeing the golden colors correctly. "It's golden? I thought Magikarp were red?"

"They are but this my friend is no ordinary Magikarp, it's a shiny Magikarp! And you know what it's eggs will turn into? Yes, more shiny Magikarp! And with how fast Magikarp lay eggs you'll be swimming in a gold mine relatively quick! You have no idea what one of these babies will go for, just guess!"

"A t-thousand Pokedollars?" James guessed.

"Try ten thousand! But I like you so I'll sell you this here Magikarp for 500 Pokedollars, which is a bargain considering you'll be a millionaire by the end of the week!" James' eyes lit up as he briefly imagined himself sitting atop a golden throne with super models clinging to his arms while his precious Growlithe and Koffing ate the finest Pokemon cuisine that money could buy!

"I'll take it!" James quickly pulled out the trio's wallet without a second thought, sure it was the last of what they had until the boss sent another check but they could have more money by the end of the day! "Er-I only have a hundred..."

"Sold!" The Salesman quickly yanked the bill from James' hand and swiftly pulled out the golden Magikarp before shoving it into his arms along with it's Pokeball! "No refunds!"

"Why would I want to refund?" James questioned, shrugging at the man's words before turning to walk away. He tensed up as he saw Officer Jenny running in his direction but breathed out a sigh of relief as Magikarp covered up the rather noticeable Team Rocket insignia!

He eventually made his way back to the Meowth balloon where Meowth and Jessie were waiting for him, Jessie was wearing quite the large and strange looking orange dress along with a pair of orange-yellow glasses while her long hair was tied into two pigtails by a pair of yellow ribbons!

"Meet Jessilina!" Jessie excitedly introduced her persona to James while she held out a pink ribbon in her hand. "I've just beaten the Pewter City Contest!"

"That's great Jess but why the getup?" James questioned.

"You'll like this, 'Jessie' was suspended on account of her anger issues."

"Really? I can see why." James and Meowth began to laugh while Jessie's eye twitched shortly before she brought her fist down upon their foreheads causing the two to grunt out from the pain.

"Only in Kanto but seeing how out of the way other contests are I decided to put together a rather genius and may I say lovely disguise!" Jessie sang out.

"Ekans!" Ekans hissed out in agreement.

"See? Ekans likes it!" Jessie grinned before turning her attention back towards James. "James why don't you put down that silly Magikarp and order us a pizza, forget about that Eevee and Pikachu for tonight we celebrate my victory!"

James began sweating nervously while Meowth quickly put two and two together. "Oh no, Jimmy you didn't buy that Magikarp did you?!"

"Yes why do you ask?" James nervously shook as Meowth pulled out a rag and gave it a lick before pressing it up against Magikarp's scale, wiping the golden paint clean off!

"Cause you got scammed, Jimmy!" Meowth hissed out while James let out a terrified shriek at the realization! "I heard about some con artist selling Magikarp that he painted gold, I thought that you two were too smart to fall for that scam so I didn't bother to come and warn ya."

James hung his head in shame while Jessie shook her head. "So let me get this straight you spent all of our money on that Magikarp?"

"Y-Yeah..."

"And we won't have any money coming in until Friday, which is five days away..." Jessie turned her attention to Magikarp as she licked her lips. Meowth looked disgusted at the idea but his stomach loudly rumbled resulting in him pulling out a knife and fork. "I say we eat Magikarp! He's not one of us and they're utterly useless!"

"Yeah, then we can possibly last until Friday so long as we scavenge for berries." Meowth sighed out. James continued looking shameful of his actions but he hid Magikarp behind his back.

"No way, you're not eating Magikarp! He's my Pokemon and I get to decide what we do with him!"

"Give it to me James!" Jessie growled out as she grabbed a hold of his arms.

"No way, he's part of our family now!"

"Listen to yourself Jimmy, you really want to throw all our lives away for a stupid fish?!" Meowth hissed out. "I don't like it either but we have to think for ourselves!"

"But Magikarp is one of us!" James cried out.

"James you just bought him ten minutes ago, Pikachu's more of a Team Rocket member than that dumb fish!" Jessie growled as she grabbed onto Magikarp and began to pull while James pulled back, refusing to give in. Meowth joined in and helped Jessie, their actions resulted in Magikarp being launched into the air like a rocket before it disappeared in a twinkle of light.

"Well at least he got away..." James sighed out.

Jessie and Meowth collapsed as they hung their heads.

"What are we gonna do now?" Jessie groaned out.

"I don't know, we can't possibly beat those twerps on an empty stomach I-Incoming!" Meowth suddenly shouted as Magikarp started descending back towards the ground like a meteorite, striking the ground hard before going limp! James let out a horrified shriek while Meowth flinched and looked away. Jessie grabbed a stick and poked Magikarp to see if it was still breathing however the tip poked Magikarp in the eyes resulting in them growing bloodshot as a blue glow surrounded Magikarp.

"Karp!"

Magikarp's body began growing large and serpentine shaped while his scales turned a mixture of blue and dark blue. A large ferocious face appeared through the blinding light before it faded away to reveal a vicious looking Gyarados!

"GYA!"

"Ah, it's gonna eat us!" Meowth cried out as it snapped it's teeth at Meowth and Jessie. James quickly raced between them as he spread out his arms.

"Gyarados, stop! These two are my friends and I won't let you eat them! If you're hungry then I'll think of something to feed you soon, I promise!" James pleaded while Meowth and Jessie shook and trembled with horrified expressions as Gyarados glared down at them. Thankfully it appeared that Gyarados liked James as he easily could have eaten him otherwise, the water serpent merely laid down and silently glared at the other two members who continued to shake and tremble before a lightbulb appeared above Meowth's head.

"I just got an idea! If we sic this Gyarados on the twerps then they can't possibly stop us!"

"You're a genius Meowth, Eevee's fire slide thingy will be useless and if we let Pikachu tire himself out during the Gym Battle then we can strike and capture both Pokemon!" James slammed his fist against the palm of his hand as the three looked at each other before gleefully laughing as they figured out a way to fix their problem!

The following morning Brock awoke and started to get properly dressed for the day, his tired state preventing his mind from noticing Croagunk peering in from outside as the frog kept watch over him throughout the night. The only time Croagunk looked away was when Brock got changed. Brock began his usual duties of cooking breakfast for his family and within a short span of time began placing pancakes and bacon upon each of his sibling's plates however the chairs belonging to Forrest and his father remained empty as everyone else eagerly gathered and Brock didn't see them anywhere.

"Anyone know where Forrest is?" He didn't bother asking about his father as he'd turn up on his own.

"He went out with dad, something about training?" One of the younger siblings shrugged. Brock tilted his head in questioning as that didn't seem like his father's usual self or rather it was the old Flint.

"That's odd... well they couldn't have gone far, once I wrap up my Gym Battle I'll go look for them." Brock shrugged it off before giving them a light wave. "I'll be back in a few!"

"Bye Brock!" His siblings waved after him. Brock usually ate before his siblings as his Gym duties meant that he needed to leave rather early.

Brock headed outside and walked directly around the building before coming to the front entrance to the Gym where Ash and Chloe were waiting for him.

"There you are, I'm looking forward to our battle!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu raised his fists while Brock flashed a light smirk and reached out for the door before realizing that it was already unlocked!

"Strange... you two stay here." He warned.

"You sure you won't need us?" Ash called out only for Brock to dismiss him with a wave of his hand.

"If there's an intruder then Onix will take care of him, I don't want to worry about him hurting you or Chloe." Brock said as he stepped foot into the Gym only to be brought back into his lovey dovey state as he noticed a Nurse Joy talking to Flint and Forrest.

"Wow a new Nurse Joy!"

Ash peeked his head in before stepping inside upon realizing it was safe. "What's he talking about? Isn't that the Pewter City Nurse Joy?" He questioned.

"I think so? They all look alike..." Chloe tilted her head as she tried seeing the difference that Brock apparently saw.

"My dear Joy have you come cause you sought me upon hearing about me from your cousin?! Well seek no longer for I, the Brockster am here to appeal to your every whim or desire!" Brock stretched out his hand as he got to his knees. Flint and Forrest silently turned their heads as they noticed Croagunk silently approaching Brock with a glowing purple hand. "I've always had a thing for Nurse Joy but I must say that you're the most beautiful Nurse Joy that I ever laid my eyes upon!"

"Say what? She looks just like the others..." Ash commented while tilting his head as he wondered if perhaps Brock had an extra sense.

"Actually I've come here for your father-" Brock face faulted to the floor as his face went pale.

"Those words hurt..."

"Croa!" Croagunk laughed revealing his presence to Brock who gave him a brief glance before shooting back to his head.

"W-What do you want with my father? Y-You're not my new mother are you?!" Brock asked with a horrified expression.

"Arceus Brock, she's here to evaluate your brother!" Flint crossed his arms as he gave Brock a stern look. "I have no intention on remarrying, she's here to evaluate Forrest and see if he'll be a capable Gym Leader. Forrest is sixteen now and still has a desire to take over, the position's clearly depressed you and was rather unfairly tossed on ya. I'm gonna do what I can to stop drinking but I want to focus on what's best for my boys first and that means allowing the two of you to pursue your dreams!"

"Dad I-I..." Brock stuttered in shock as he couldn't believe what his father was saying!

Flint flashed him a smirk before nodding his head. "You don't have to say anything just don't forgive me, I don't deserve it... but Forrest doesn't have a Pokemon yet, can I ask one final favor from you and ask that you lend him Geodude and Onix for this battle?"

"O-Of course!" Brock turned to his brother before handing him the balls containing Geodude and Onix. "Good luck bro,"

"Thanks Brock, hope I pass!" Forrest grinned. Winning wasn't necessarily what he needed to do, he just needed to put on a good performance and show that he was a capable battler.

"Hold up what's going on here? I was hoping to have a Gym battle!"

"You still can, it'll be the perfect test to evaluate Forrest's skills as a trainer and see how well he performs under pressure." Nurse Joy explained. "Of course if you beat him you'll still receive the Boulder badge and he still has a shot of being Gym Leader so long as his performance was good. You two ready?"

"Hang on," Brock held up his hand as he turned to face Forrest. "You know Geodude and Onix's attacks?"

"Of course, I've been watching every one of your battles for the last six years! I always wanted to take your place as Gym Leader!" Forrest spoke with stars in his eyes, Brock smiled and gave his arm a light pat before backing away to give him some space. "I'm ready!"

"As am I, Pikachu and I are eager to get this battle started!"

"Pika pika!" The two clenched their fists as quite the excitable expressions crossed their face.

"You're using a Pikachu here?" Forrest raised his eyebrow. "No offense but you look my age and probably have just as much experience, surely you don't want to make the field more even?"

Ash didn't take it personally as he could understand Forrest's concerns, the boy wasn't aware of Pikachu's Water type attack and was likely concerned as to how it'd look if he simply creamed Ash in a battle! "Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing!" Ash flashed him a smirk though Forrest still looked unsure while Brock focused his attention on Ash while silently stroking his chin in thought as he wondered just what Ash had in store.

"Very well then, if you insist." Forrest shrugged before reaching for a ball. "Geodude let's rock his world!"

"Dude!" The small boulder Pokemon flexed his muscles while he focused his attention on the electrical mouse.

"Pikachu I choose you!"

"Pika!"

Chloe gave Ash a look of concern, she tried talking him out of it earlier as she was worried that Ash would start relying on Pikachu on account of his special attack. Ash tried assuring her that he was only using Pikachu because it made sense for his first Pokemon to earn his first ever Gym badge but Chloe couldn't help but worry as there were trainers out there that had grown reliant on a single Pokemon in the past, the prime suspect typically being Charizard trainers. She hoped that it wouldn't wind up happening to Ash and Pikachu.

"Alright Geodude use Magnitude!" Geodude's body became outlined in a brown aura as he leaped into the air before slamming his fists against the ground, Pikachu flinched and let out a pained grunt as the ground started violently shaking!

"P-Pika!"

"Stay strong Pikachu, we've got this! Use Splishy Splash!" Ash shouted as he threw out his arm.

"Splishy Splash?" Flint, Forrest and Nurse Joy tilted their heads in curiosity while Brock kept his cool and watched as Pikachu raised up his arms and summoned a large wave of electrically charged water!

"I've never seen a move like that, he must be taking good care of that Pikachu." Brock thought to himself.

"Dude!" Geodude's eyes widened as the wave came crashing down on top of him, wiping him out as the current dragged him across the field. Geodude's body remained still as the water began evaporating into the air, revealing his unconscious form as swirls filled his eyes.

"N-No way!" Forrest gasped out while Flint's jaw dropped. Nurse Joy raised her eyebrow at the sight before she quickly began scribbling into a notepad. "Geodude return," Forrest calmly returned Geodude to his ball as he reached for the one containing Onix. "Onix let's show them our true strength, use Bide!"

"Roar!" Onix roared out as a bright red glow surrounded his body, the rock snake remaining completely still as he bided his time.

"Splishy Splash!" Pikachu raised up his arms as he summoned up another electrically charged wave, riding it across the field before crashing it down upon Onix's body! The giant rock snake let out an irritable roar before firing a bright white energy beam from his mouth, the energy blast exploded upon impact and sent Pikachu flying across the Gym before he came to a halt in front of Ash, the electrical mouse's body now an unconscious slump as Ash bent over to pick his buddy up. "You did great out there Pikachu, Treecko will take over from here. Treecko I choose you!"

"Treecko!" Treecko burst from his ball, placing his twig in his mouth as he calmly gazed up at Onix. "Treecko tree!"

"Use Dragon Breath!" Forrest shouted.

Onix let out a loud roar shortly before blue-green flames shot from his mouth and made their way towards Treecko!

"Dodge with Quick Attack!"

"Tree!" Treecko swiftly zigzagged to the side, his movements so fast he was almost a green blur as he avoided the attack. Onix turned his head and tried keeping a lock on Treecko as he continued firing off the blue-green flames!

"Run circles around him, we'll see how long he can keep track of us!"

"Treecko!" Treecko smirked lightly as he began running circles around Onix's body, the rock snake twisted his body about as he tried keeping an eye on Treecko. His eyes started to spin back and forth as his body swayed lightly as he began feeling dizzy!

"Lash out and grab him with your tail, we'll use Bind!" Onix tried lashing out with his tail only for it to not budge, Onix turned around and let out a startled gasp as his tail had been trapped between the rest of his body in a very tight knot thanks to him rapidly turning and twisting his body about! Forrest gritted his teeth and clenched his fists upon realizing that Ash had played him while Brock rubbed the bottom of his chin with an impressed smirk.

"Now use Bullet Seed!"

"This isn't over yet, use Bide!" Onix began glowing red once more as he bided his time.

"Treeckokokoko!" Treecko cried out as he began firing seeds from his mouth like a machine gun, pelting Onix's body as he let out a pained roar! Onix began glowing a darker shade of red before a white energy blast fired from his body and flew straight at Treecko!

"Treecko!" Treecko was sent flying through the air and landed on his back, not moving.

Flint looked towards Treecko before lifting up his arm. "Treecko is unable to bat-" He stopped as Treecko slowly stood back up, gritting his teeth as he stared up at Onix.

"Treecko."

"Roar!" Onix roared out in response as he glared down at the gecko.

"Finish him with Dragon Breath!"

"Counter with Bullet Seed!" Treecko looked too worn out to dodge it as quickly as he did last time so Ash was left with little choice. The attacks collided as Treecko's rapid seed firing met with Onix's fiery dragon flames! The two Pokemon pushed on and refused to back down despite how tired they were.

"Come on Treecko you can do it, we believe in you!"

"Pika pika!" Ash and Pikachu cheered Treecko on, a light smirk appeared on the gecko's face as the seeds began firing at an even faster rate than before! Onix let out a grunt as the seeds finally pushed through his flame and began pelting his body! Onix's eyes soon rolled upwards before he collapsed to the Gym floor with a loud thud, kicking up quite the dust storm from the impact and making it difficult to see for a brief moment.

Forrest clenched his fists and stared into the dust with a hopeful expression before lowering his head in shame as Onix laid in defeat, swirls in his eyes. His first battle as a Gym Leader ended in failure!

"Onix is unable to battle that means that Ash and Treecko take the win along with the Boulder badge!"

"Alright we did it!" Ash pumped his fist, Pikachu copying his action as he excitedly chanted out.

"Pikachu!"

Forrest continued staring at the ground as Brock approached him and placed his hand upon his shoulder.

"Hey not all Gym Leaders win their first battle, I lost the first one as well and look how I turned out!" Brock exclaimed while offering Forrest a light smile. "Losing is something that every trainer has to deal with, even champions as there will always be a trainer out there stronger than you!"

Forrest looked up and smiled in response. "Really? You lost your first battle...?"

"Yep, against some hotshot trainer that went by the name Yellow!" Brock smirked before wondering whatever happened to her. "Don't take your losses badly as for all you know you just lost to the future champion! As a Gym Leader you'll feel a great sense of pride seeing a trainer that beat you participating in the Indigo League or even winning it! Getting to advance on to the Elite Four is a whole other story though." He chuckled.

Forrest laughed lightly before returning Onix to his ball and offering the ball back to him along with Geodude's. "Here, thanks again for letting me borrow them!"

Brock stared at the Pokeballs for a moment before pushing them back against Forrest's body. "I'd like for you to keep them, it's obvious that you already have a close connection to them and while I may not want the title of Gym Leader my Pokemon always felt at home here. I know that you'll take good care of them and raise them right and I'd like to start my new life fresh as a Pokemon Breeder! I may not have a Pokemon now but I have a feeling it won't be long before I meet my next partner!"

Forrest gave Brock a grin before throwing his arms around his brother's chest. "T-Thank you Brock..." He sniffled as Brock lightly pat his back.

"Just promise me that you'll become the best Gym Leader that this city's ever had!"

"I-I promise!" Forrest looked up with tears in his eyes as he gave off a large smile.

Flint approached Ash with a small badge that resembled a boulder in both shape and color. "Here you go kid, the Boulder badge! With that your step towards the Indigo League has officially been made!"

Ash excitedly grabbed the badge and thanked him before holding the badge out in front of him as he posed. "We just got the Boulder badge!"

"Pi Pikachu!"

"Treecko!" While Pikachu copied his trainer's pose, Treecko merely leaned back with a light smirk.

"And now we've got Pikachu!"

"Huh?!" Crash! A giant mechanical Meowth paw came crushed through the roof and grabbed a hold of Pikachu, the electrical mouse tried resisting with an electrical shock but it was just no good as he was too tuckered out from his battle with Onix!

Another fist then burst through and transformed into a vacuum before sucking Treecko along with the balls containing Onix and Geodude into the machine as a set of familiar laughter could be heard.

"Whose there?! Show yourselves!" Forrest growled out.

"Prepare for trouble is that a twerpish voice I hear?"

"And make it double cause I'm pretty sure it was!"

"To protect the world from-"

"Sizzly Slide!" Eevee's body became engulfed in flame as she charged at the giant Meowth mech causing the Team Rocket trio to let out loud groans and shouts as they complained.

"Hey don't interrupt our motto, we worked really hard on that!" Jessie shouted angrily.

"Yeah how would you like it if we interrupted your Gym battle?!" James shouted.

"Show some respect!" Meowth hissed.

"That's just the same motto as last time..." Chloe sweated as she glared up at them.

"Yeah but they've never seen it!" Meowth pointed at Brock and his family before looking at nobody in particular. "And our fans love it!"

"Huh?" Chloe looked where Meowth was looking before tilting her head. "What are you looking at..?"

"Never mind that, it's time you learned to respect your superiors!" Jessie growled out. "James release our secret weapon!"

"Right, Gyarados get those twerps!"

"GYA!" Ash and Chloe nearly fell over in shock and surprise as the large serpentine Water type emerged in front of them with quite the intimidating stare! "GYA!"

"I-It's nothing like the other Pokemon..." Ash spoke out.

"It looks hungry too..." Chloe shivered.

Gyarados opened his mouth and quickly fired an orange-yellow beam of energy at Eevee, immediately blasting Eevee off her feet before she laid in defeat before Chloe.

"Eevee!" Chloe gasped out, quickly reaching out in a attempt to grab her but found herself too slow as the Meowth mech became vacuuming her up! "Eevee no!" Chloe cried as Eevee was lifted into the air.

"Butterfree let's save-" Ash temporarily paused as a dark blue blur raced past him, Croagunk's fist glowed a bright light blue coloring as he lashed out and slashed at the Meowth mech's arm, slicing it clean off and freeing the Pokemon trapped within the vacuum!

"Pika!"

"Evoi!" Pikachu and Eevee quickly raced back towards to their trainers while Croagunk and Gyarados were now having a stare off. Gyarados' fiercely glaring into Croagunk's eyes while Croagunk stared right back in a creepy unblinking manner.

"Enough of the staring contest, Gyarados use Water Pulse!" But before Gyarados could act Croagunk quickly lashed out, his fist glowed a bright purple as he jabbed Gyarados' body! The water serpent let out a loud roar of pain as he was sent flying towards the Rocket trio, knocking them all off the Meowth mech's head and onto the hard Gym floor!

"Pikachu use Thunder Shock!"

"Pika...chuuu!" Pikachu's cheeks sparked before he fired off an electrical blast at the Rocket trio causing them all to cry out as electricity surged through their bodies shortly before the Meowth mech exploded, sending them blasting off through the roof and up into the sky!

"I really thought we had them this time, Pikachu was tired out and we had a new powerhouse on our team!" Jessie cried.

"Don't feel bad Jess, there's always next time!" James smiled.

"Yeah we just didn't see that Croagunk coming, next time we're be prepared but until then..."

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Alright, I'm a Gym Leader!" Forrest shouted as he held his license up high with quite the excitable grin upon his face.

"I'll be checking in once every few months just to make sure that you're getting along okay," Nurse Joy waved and turned around in an attempt to leave but found Brock standing there with a lovestruck look, his hands quickly reaching out for her own.

"My dear Joy it pains my heart so to see us going separate ways but it doesn't have to end, I haven't got the slightest idea where my future path lies but I'd like it to be with you! Oh Joy will you be my-"

"Croagunk!" Croagunk poison jabbed Brock in the back causing the man to collapse to the ground as everyone stared in shock.

"W-Why..." Brock groaned out while Croagunk croaked out in laughter.

"I-I think Croagunk wants to be your Pokemon." Chloe softly spoke up. "H-He's been following you from the look of things." And it rarely stepped from his side, Croagunk was behaving a lot like Pikachu and Eevee.

"I-Is that true, Croagunk?" Brock groaned as he slowly stopped out. Croagunk nodded while continuing to silently croak as his eyes locked onto Brock's face.

"Well then welcome to the team!" Brock held out a ball to Croagunk who quickly tapped it with his hand before he'd disappear in the familiar beam of red light, the ball chimed immediately upon closing. Brock looked down at the ball with a smile as this marked the beginning of a new life for the both of them.

Chloe tilted her head for a brief moment as she remembered seeing Brock somewhere before, her eyes widened shortly afterwards as she realized that he was the man in that strange dream she had! The man would go on through many adventures with the two of them, was that really what the future would hold or just a coincidental dream.

"I'll pack my things and leave first thing tomorrow morning," Brock informed his father and Forrest before turning his back to them. "Now if you excuse me I've got to to fill the others in."

"No need, they already know." Flint pointed upwards where Brock's siblings were revealed to have sneaked in to watch the Gym battle.

"Where are you going now Brock?!" They cried out.

"I-I don't know yet, wherever the road takes me on my quest to become a Pokemon Breeder I guess. But I promise to call you every chance I get!"

"Ya know you could travel with us," Ash offered with a friendly smile. "Chloe and I are traveling throughout Kanto and I can assure you that it's much better traveling with friends than traveling by yourself!" Ash wondered how Leaf was even coping, at least Gary had those cheerleaders to keep him company.

"Is she okay with that?" Brock raised an eyebrow as he looked towards Chloe, clearly not wanting to intrude while in reality he also assumed the two were dating. "I don't want to intrude on your romance."

"R-Romance?!" Ash and Chloe both shot red as they turned to look at each other, blushing furiously before shaking their heads.

"Nonono, we're just friends!" Chloe sweated nervously while Ash hastily nodded in agreement.

"Really? Huh, well I kind of assumed you were given your Nidoran are in love." Brock stroked the bottom of his chin before apologizing with a light bow. "My mistake, I'd love to travel with you guys so long as you allow me to have the time to prepare."

"Sure we don't mind, I should let my Pokemon get a proper rest anyways as it'll take awhile to trek through Mt. Moon." Ash stated before nodding at Pikachu. "Ready to go buddy?"

"Pika!"

"We'll meet you at the town exit tomorrow morning!" Chloe waved with a light smile before she and Eevee followed him out the door.

Brock watched the four of them walk off with a smile before he made his own exit.

Brock smiled to himself as he stepped outside of his home for the final time, Croagunk walking alongside his trainer. He'd ditched his Gym Leader outfit in favor of an dark brown jacket that had an orange collar while his pants were traded out for a pair of dark grey cargo pants, running shoes now covered his feet as well as he'd be traveling through terrain unfit for regular shoes. He pulled a dark grey colored Rotom Phone from his pocket for a brief moment to make sure that it worked fine before placing it back into his jacket as he walked down the street to meet with Ash and Chloe who were waiting for him at the edge of town.

"There he is, hey Brock you ready to get going?!"

"Pika pi?!"

Brock couldn't help but chuckle before flashing Ash a smirk as he raised his fist. "You bet, let's get a move on!"

Most the chapter was handled from Brock's perspective as I thought it important given this was his introduction. I never was a fan of how Brock's parents were pretty terrible and just got away with it, I wanted to make it a bit easier for Flint to be forgiven since that path's not easy to come back from but he's making an effort for his son!

Much like Ash's outfit is his Power of Us outfit, Brock has his Hoenn look. Those are my favorite looks for those characters!

Anyways hope you all enjoyed~