Chapter 9: The Battle with Brock!

Brock led Ash, Peter, and Lillie back to the Pewter City Gym's lobby. After saying hello to the receptionist, he led them to a room which was absolutely incredible in terms of both looks and size.

The room's walls, roof, and floor were completely made of rocks, except for a large field which was placed in the middle of it, which was where the trainers were going to battle it out. There were also quite a few boulders on the arena itself to fit the rocky aesthetic that the Gym was going for. Furthermore, stands could be found at the side of the room, presumably for spectators to watch the matches on. Lastly, there was a metal door in the corner, but Ash couldn't really guess what that was for.

"Ash, Peter, Lillie, welcome to the Pewter City Gym Arena!" Brock exclaimed to the trio with a grin, turning around to face them. "We're going to be doing our Gym Battle here! You excited, Ash?"

The raven-haired boy smirked and quickly nodded. "Yeah, of course I am, Brock! Can we get this underway already or what?!"

"Scor Bun Bun!" Scorbunny, who was standing next to Ash, excitedly exclaimed, equally as excited for the battle as its trainer was.

"Heh, I'm glad," Brock stated with a smile. "However, before we battle, I just wanted to make some things clear before we begin. Unlike the Pewter City Tournament, this battle won't be broadcast to the world, so if you were worried about that, don't be."

Ash blinked twice before grinning in response. "Well, it never really bugged me in the first, so it doesn't really matter to me!"

"Hm, I see..." Brock replied before shaking his head and continuing. "Anyways, secondly, the Pokemon I use will depend on the amount of badges that you currently have."

"Huh? The amount of badges?" Ash asked before scratching his head. "I don't have any..."

"I see. Then that means I will only be able to use two Pokemon. However, to keep it challenging, and fair, since I don't know about your team, I won't be telling you which Pokemon I have on my team," Brock explained as he crossed his arms. "Lastly, you are only allowed to use the same amount of Pokemon that I'm using. Since I'm only using two Pokemon, you will also be using two Pokemon. Those are my rules. Do you accept them, Ash Ketchum?"

The raven-haired boy raised his fist at the Gym Leader and smirked confidently. "Oh yeah! We accept them alright!"

"That's good," Brock nodded as he walked towards the other side of the arena. "Ash, you get in position. Peter, Lillie, you two can sit in the stands and watch the match. Is that good?"

Peter and Lillie nodded, before looking at Ash.

"Good luck on your battle, Ash," Lillie stated with a nod. "Let's hope you can defeat Brock! He seems pretty tough..."

Ash smirked as he got into position, before turning his head to the side and giving his friend a thumbs-up gesture. "Trust me, Lillie. Me and Scorbunny have got this in the bag!"

Lillie shook her head and sighed as she sat onto the stands, muttering to herself. "Being overconfident never helped anyone, ever..."

Brock got into position and grabbed a Pokeball from his waist. "It is my duty as a Gym Leader to send out my Pokemon first, so that you may pick a Pokemon that could do well against it!"

"Right! Go ahead!" Ash shouted back, excited to just start the fight.

Brock nodded and threw the Pokeball in front of himself. "Go! Geodude!"

A Pokemon proceeded to materialize in front of Brock and on the battlefield. It was circular in shape and its body was made of rock. Actually, the Pokemon seemed to be just that. A literal rock with arms. It also had bushy eyebrows that were made of rock as well, and it had an intense glare.

"Geo-DUUUUDE!" the Pokemon shouted with power.

"I know that Pokemon!...It's Geodude!..." Ash stated under his breath as he took out his Rotom-Phone and scanned the creature. "Let's see if I can get some extra information on this guy before we start..."

"Bzzt! Bzzt! Geodude, the Rock Pokemon, a Rock and Ground Type! Many people mistake it for a rock, and end up tripping on it because of that! In battle, it uses its surroundings to its advantage by blending in them and pretending to be an actual rock!"

"Really? Well, I know who I'm picking!" Ash exclaimed as he looked down at his partner who was standing at his feet. "It's my first Gym Battle, and I'm definitely going to start off with my first Pokemon! What do you say, Scorbunny?"

The Pokemon looked up at its trainer and nodded with a smirk. "Scor-Bun!"

Ash smiled before looking back up at the field and pointing at it. "Alright, then...Scorbunny, I choose you!"

The fire-type Pokemon ran onto the field, raring to go. In fact, it was so excited that it was accidentally leaving flames wherever it took a step. "Scorbunny Scor!"

Lillie shook her head and sighed before facepalming. "Ash is forgetting his type matchups again..."

"I don't know, Lillie," Peter stated, narrowing his eyes at the battlefield. "You've got to remember that Scorbunny's Ability is Libero and, since Scorbunny knows Double Kick, Ash can make it so that Scorbunny can transform into a fighting-type!"

"Huh, I guess you're right..." Lillie replied, looking at the field. "I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens..."

"Alright! We'll start on the count of three!" Brock shouted. "One...Two..."

A brief silence befell onto the field as the two opposing forces glared at each other.

Then...

"Three! Let the battle begin!" Brock shouted before commanding his Geodude to attack. "Geodude, use ROCK SLIDE!"

"Geo...DUDE!" the Pokemon shouted as it thrust its arms forwards. Immediately, blue rocks suddenly formed above Scorbunny out of thin air, surprising the fire-type Pokemon.

Then, suddenly, these rocks began crashing onto the ground at insane speeds!

"Scor!...Scor!...Scor!..." the fire-type exclaimed as it hopped around, doing its best to dodge the falling blue rocks.

"Agh! What the heck?!" Ash exclaimed. "B-But...Geodude can't learn Rock Slide..."

Brock chuckled and put his hands on his hips. "I told you earlier today, didn't I? I like to practice Pokemon breeding in my spare time, and because of that the Pokemon I own are specially bred to have incredibly powerful moves!"

"Damn it!" Ash mentally exclaimed to himself. "Gotta think of something, and fast..."

After a moment of some hectic thinking, Ash grinned and snapped his fingers. "I've got it!"

"Scorbunny! Use Double Kick on the rocks and aim them at Geodude!" the wannabe Pokemon Master commanded to his partner. "Do it now, buddy!"

The fire-type starter Pokemon immediately realized its trainer's plan and smirked, a brown aura surrounding its body briefly. It then stopped in its tracks, giving up on the idea of trying to dodge the falling rocks. After that, it then proceeded to jump into the air and kick the glowing blue rocks, surprising Brock and his Geodude with Ash's craftiness.

"Scor...BUNNY!" the Pokemon shouted as it kicked the rocks in rapid succession. "Scor-Bunny, Scor-Bunny, Scor-Bunny, Scor...BUNNY!"

The sharp blue rocks zoomed through the air at Geodude at speeds that the rock-type didn't expect. Brock was fully aware that these rocks were way too fast to dodge.

"Damn it! Geodude won't be able to dodge that!..." the Gym Leader angrily exclaimed mentally. However, he quickly smirked. "But since Geodude is a rock-type, and that's a rock-type move, nothing will happen! In fact, when a situation like this arises..."

The blue rocks that were produced from Geodude's attack came crashing against the rock-type Pokemon's hard body, creating a large explosion of dust as they collided.

"Yes! Great work, Scorbunny!" Ash excitedly exclaimed to his partner, complimenting the fire-type on a job well done. "Geodude totally couldn't have tanked that!"

"Yes! That was amazing!" Lillie exclaimed excitedly as she clapped her hands together. Sure, she didn't like seeing Pokemon fight each other, but Pokemon battles always seemed to somehow lift people's spirits. "Ash has already defeated one of Brock's Pokemon!"

"I don't know, Lillie..." Peter responded, narrowing his eyes at the dust cloud. "I think this battle is just getting started..."

However, when the dust settled...

Brock chuckled to himself. "Geodude will always be fine!"

Not a scratch was present on the rock-type Pokemon's body! Brock's partner was perfectly healthy!

"W-What?!" Lillie asked in disbelief. "Brock's Geodude...He..."

"He's trained it well," Peter responded with a nod, finishing the blonde-haired girl's statement. "It'll take hard work to win this match!"

Scorbunny and Ash both looked on with dropped jaws. That was supposed to be their ace in the hole! It was supposed to automatically defeat their opponent! So how did?...

"I told you, didn't I? My Pokemon have been specially bred for battle," Brock explained, noticing the Pokemon-Trainer duo's shock. "Most Trainers start their adventures in Pallet Town, and since the Viridian City Gym Leader is always away for some reason or another, I'm usually the first Gym Leader that brand new Trainers have to face on their journey. That's why I try to make my Gym as tough as possible! To test the endurance of these new Trainers and see if they have what it takes to go through the Gym Challenge!"

"Geo Geo Dude Dude!" Brock's rock-type Pokemon shouted as it flexed its arms to show off its power.

"Wow, you really mean business, Brock..." Ash muttered to himself. However, he quickly grinned. "But I'm definitely going to win this! Together with Scorbunny's help! Right, buddy?!"

"Scor-Bun!" the bunny Pokemon excitedly exclaimed, hopping from one foot to the other. The battle was really heating up!

Of course, that's exactly when someone decided to barge in and ruin the flow of the battle.

"Broooock! My dress ripped again! You have to fix it!"

"Huh?" Ash asked in confusion as he turned his attention to the source of the voice. "Who said that? And why are they interrupting our Gym Battle?..."

After a bit of looking around, the wannabe Pokemon Master noticed that the voice was coming from the strange metal door in the corner of the room. It was now slightly open, and there was a little girl peeking out from it. She had similar eyes to Brock, as well as similar spiky hair that was done in pigtails.

"S-Suzie!" Brock exclaimed, his cheeks a bit red with embarrassment because of the little girl's intrusion. "What have I told you about barging in when I'm in the middle of a battle? Later!"

The girl's lip began to tremble. "I'm going to cry if you don't fix my dress right NOW!"

Brock sighed in defeat before looking at his opponent. "Um, Ash, please wait one moment. I've gotta handle my little sister's dress...I'll be right back!"

Ash blinked twice before nodding in response. "Um, okay..."

The Gym Leader immediately zoomed into the room behind the metal door, leaving everyone else to wonder what exactly was going on.

"Um, did Brock really just leave the Gym Battle so that he could fix his little sister's dress?" Lillie asked Peter confusedly. "That seems pretty, what's the word... unprofessional?..."

"W-Well, it IS his Gym, so I guess he can do what he wants..." Peter replied while scratching the back of his neck. "It's still a bit weird, though..."

After a few minutes of waiting, Brock immediately slid out of the door, with it shutting behind him, and stood in the spot where he was standing before. "Sorry about that! My sister can be a real handful sometimes...But yeah! Let's continue our match!"

"Oh yeah! All right!" Ash exclaimed excitedly, raising his fist. "I'm ready when you are!"

"Scor-Bun!" the raven-haired boy's partner shouted. Comedically, it had returned to its original fire-typing due to how long Brock had taken attending to his sister's needs.

"Okay, uh, let's continue!" Brock shouted. "You can make the first move, Ash! You deserve it because of how long I took!"

Ash smiled and nodded in response. "Well, in that case...Scorbunny, use Ember!"

Scorbunny breathed in before immediately exhaling, causing a rapid-fire barrage of fire balls to zoom towards Geodude. The rock-type Pokemon simply smirked in response to this, awaiting its master's commands.

"Haha! Geodude, blast them away with a flurry of Mega Punches!" Brock shouted, commanding his partner.

The rock with two arms and a face took a deep breath, closing its eyes and concentrating for a moment...

… Before widening its eyes immediately! Geodude began screaming as it punched away the fire balls using the powerful attack known as Mega Punch.

"Geo... DUDE! DUDE! DUDE! DUDE! DUDE! DUDE!" the Pokemon cried, batting away the fire balls, which would have been mostly harmless due to Geodude's typing. However, in a battle, every bit of health mattered, and Brock knew that.

Geodude then lowered its arms when it was sure that the fire balls were all gone, and spit on the ground in an attempt to show off its superiority to Scorbunny and Ash. "Geo!"

"I told you, Ash," Brock stated with a smirk. "Geodude's been bred to have a wide variety of moves! He has all sorts of aces up his non-existent sleeves!"

Ash rubbed his nose and smirked. "You keep on talking about how Geodude has been bred to have a wide variety of moves...But what about Geodude's defense?! Did you ever stop to think about THAT?!"

"W-What?!" Brock asked, his demeanor suddenly changing. "What are you?..."

Then, he realized something...

Ash's Pokemon had gone missing!

"W-Where'd Scorbunny go?..."

"Exactly," the Gym Challenger responded with a grin. "Scorbunny, show Geodude your power! Use Double Kick!"

"Scor Scor!" the wannabe Pokemon Master's Pokemon cried from behind Geodude, ready to strike.

Geodude frantically turned around to counter-attack, but it was too late.

"Scor..." the fire-type excitedly exclaimed as it brought its foot back, ready to kick Geodude with all of its might. "...BUNNY!"

Immediately, Scorbunny kicked the rock-type Pokemon in the back TWICE with a super-effective Double Kick, dealing some super-effective damage and also causing the cocky rock to fly up into the air.

Of course, what goes up must come down and, when Geodude inevitably fell to the ground...

…It came down with a really loud 'CRASH!' that knocked it out completely!

"All right! We did it, Scorbunny!" Ash happily exclaimed. "We defeated Brock's first Pokemon! Great job!"

"Scor-Bun!" Scorbunny responded, giving a thumbs up to its trainer.

"Agh! Geodude! You've been knocked out!..." Brock exclaimed, flabbergasted that his Pokemon was defeated so easily. "And I spent so much time breeding you to perfection...I still need a lot of practice..."

However, the rock-type Trainer quickly shook his head as he took out Geodude's Pokeball and zapped the Pokemon, returning it to the Pokemon-capturing device. "But you did well, partner. I'm proud of you. Return!"

Geodude was then zapped back into its Pokeball, where it rested.

"Well, now Ash REALLY defeated Geodude!" Lillie exclaimed before looking at Peter and tilting her head to the side. "But...Don't you think Geodude went down a little too easily? Brock kept on talking about how his Pokemon were bred to be extremely powerful, so it seems a little odd that his first one would be defeated so easily..."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right..." Peter replied with his arms still crossed. "We'll have to continue watching to know for sure, but my guess is that Brock's still a rookie Pokemon Breeder. Maybe because of that his Pokemon won't be as good as he says they are? I don't know..."

Lillie nodded in response. "That's a good theory. But apart from being a Gym Leader, what does Brock have to do that keeps him from practicing his breeding skills?..."

Peter was about to respond, but yet another child had emerged from the door, and this time it was a little boy with closed eyes.

"BROOOOCK! Cindy took my toy and won't give it back!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Huh? Who is THAT?" Peter asked, shifting his attention to the child. "Is it another one of Brock's siblings?...How many does he have, and why are they so problematic?...Maybe THEY'RE the reason he doesn't have a lot of experience regarding Pokemon breeding..."

"T-Timmy!" Brock exclaimed, taken aback by the sudden appearance of the boy, who appeared to be his brother. "C-Come on, I'll deal with it later..."

"No, no, NO!" the boy pouted. "The last time you said that my favorite toy ended up breaking, and I don't want that to happen again!"

"B-But...But..."

"Brock, NOW!"

The Gym Leader sighed and looked at Ash. "J-Just a moment, alright? My siblings are really troublesome..."

The Gym Leader's opponent blinked twice before nodding. "Uh, yeah, okay..."

Brock zoomed into the room at extremely fast speeds, comedically picking up the boy named Timmy as if he was an object, to settle the dispute between his siblings.

Ash looked down at Scorbunny and raised an eyebrow. "So, uh, Scorbunny. What's up with all the kids that Brock has to help? Doesn't he have any parents that can take care of them while he does his duties as a Gym Leader?..."

"Scor-Bun," the fire-type Pokemon half-heartedly responded as it kicked a small pebble into the air like a soccer ball, immediately setting it on fire and also accidentally shifting its typing back to the fire-type.

"Yeah, there really was no point in asking you..." Ash sighed. "I don't speak Pokemon..."

After a few minutes of waiting, Brock quickly slid back into his previous spot in a similar fashion to what he had previously done, and grinned at Ash, a Pokeball in his hand. "Alright! Hopefully we can continue our battle with no distractions this time!"

The raven-haired boy nodded excitedly. "Right! Thanks, Brock!"

The Gym Leader nodded and grabbed a Pokeball from his waist, which he proceeded to toss in front of himself. "You've already met him, but go, RHYHORN!"

Ash and Scorbunny watched as the rhinoceros with rock-hard skin materialized in front of its trainer with a burst of blue energy, roaring as it appeared on the battlefield.

"RHYHORN!" the Pokemon screamed at the top of its lungs, getting ready for the battle at hand in the process.

"Heh, Thunder Fang and Ice Beam..." Ash thought to himself with a smirk. "We already know half of Rhyhorn's moves, so that puts us at a bit of an advantage since unpredictability seems to be what Brock is aiming for...If we can just sneak in a good attack, we can win this. Brock's spent all of his breeding time focused on moves that it looks like he forgot to increase his Pokemon's defenses!..."

Meanwhile, just like Ash, Brock was planning out his strategy very carefully as well.

"It's kinda obvious that Ash has figured out that I haven't really trained my Pokemon well in terms of defense, which is quite ironic considering they're rock-types, which are expected to be naturally bulky," Brock ruminated. "If only I had more time to practice my breeding skills...Maybe then my Pokemon would be good in both defenses AND in moves..."

The rock-type Gym Leader quickly shook his head.

"But I have no time to think like that. Now it's time for me to get serious! It's the final stretch!"

At the exact same time, both Trainers called out for their Pokemon to attack at the exact same moment.

"Scorbunny, use Quick Attack!"

"Crush Claw, Rhyhorn, use CRUSH CLAW!"

Ash's partner smirked as a white aura surrounded its body before it zoomed from left to right, quickly inching closer and closer to Rhyhorn. Meanwhile, the rhino Pokemon raised its front right hoof, a red light forming around it.

"Scor...Bun...NY!" Ash's Pokemon cried as it smashed its side into Rhyhorn.

However, right as the bunny Pokemon did that, the rhino Pokemon used the devastating attack known as Crush Claw on its opponent, creating an amazing spectacle of power.

A brilliant mix of red and white light flashed in front of everyone in the gym as Rhyhorn's paw crashed into Scorbunny's body. It was so cool to see!

Both Pokemon immediately staggered back because of this little clash, and both had been damaged.

However, Scorbunny had definitely taken more damage then Rhyhorn.

"Scorbunny! Are you okay?!" Ash asked his partner worriedly, noticing that Scorbunny was holding onto its right arm.

"Scor...Bun..." the Pokemon breathed before shaking its head and looking back at its trainer. "Scorbunny!"

Ash smiled and gave his partner a nod. "Right! You can still fight, right?"

"Scor-Bun!" the wannabe Pokemon Master's partner nodded before looking back at Rhyhorn. He began hopping from one foot to the other, ready to battle it out with the opponent. "Scor-Scorbunny!"

"Alright! We're never going to give up!" Ash excitedly exclaimed. "Never ever! So now, let's do this-"

However, comedically, Rhyhorn fell onto its side because of exhaustion, cutting Ash off.

"Rhyhorn..." the Pokemon breathed, tuckered out from the battle that it was having against Scorbunny.

"Agh! Rhyhorn! Are you tired already?!" Brock asked in disbelief as he put his hands in his hair. "Man! And here I thought you were my perfectly-bred Pokemon! Man, I must've forgotten to train your defense stat or something...How did you lose to a not very effective Quick Attack, though?..."

Ash and Scorbunny both blinked twice before comedically falling over.

They had won in such a pathetic way! It honestly didn't feel like they earned it...

"W-Wait, is it already over?" Lillie asked, raising an eyebrow. "Even the battle with Flint was longer and more action-packed then that! What a terrible battle, and what a terrible Gym Leader!"

"For a girl that doesn't like Pokemon battles, you're getting pretty fired up about this one being a disappointment," Peter teased his younger friend, who immediately blushed in embarrassment.

"H-Huh, I guess you're right..." Lillie responded, looking away. "W-Well, um...Whatever..."

Peter chuckled before looking back at the battlefield. "But Lillie's right, though. That was way too easy. The Gym Leaders are supposed to be incredibly powerful Trainers responsible for giving Trainers their Gym Badges. They're supposed to put up a fight! So why was Brock so easy to defeat? How did Ash win so quickly? It can't be that Ash and Scorbunny are just too strong. No offense to them, but I honestly doubt that's the reason. Something else is going on here..."

"Br-Brock, I demand a do-over!" Ash scowled as he and Scorbunny walked over to Brock, who was making his way to the center of the ring. "You were holding back or something, and I demand to know why!"

"Scor-Bun Bun!" Ash's partner angrily added.

"What are you talking about?" Brock asked with a smile, feigning ignorance. "You did extremely well against me! We gave it our all and we still lost. What a bummer..."

Lillie and Peter had made their way from the stands and were standing behind Ash, listening to the conversation. Similarly, Brock's siblings were also listening from the metal door. Comedically, Brock had a grand total of nine siblings. That's quite a few!...

"Come on Brock! I know you're stronger then that! You've gotta be, right?!" Ash asked impatiently. "Let's have a-"

Brock grabbed Ash's arm and forcefully outstretched his hand. He then proceeded to drop a small badge into his palm. "As proof of your victory against me, I present to you the Boulder Badge. You should head on to the next Gym, which is located in Cerulean City. Have a nice day."

Ash blinked twice before looking at the badge in his hand. It was in the shape of a simple, grey octagon, and on the back of the badge was the logo of the Pokemon League. The wannabe Pokemon Master had just taken his first step towards entering the Pokemon League and becoming a Pokemon Master...

…But it felt undeserved.

"Hm...But...Fine. I'll accept this badge, Brock, but I just have to ask you one question first," Ash stated as he looked the Gym Leader straight in the eyes. "Can you do that?"

Brock slowly nodded. "It really depends on the question...But sure."

"Why was the battle so easy?" Ash bluntly asked. "It felt like you were holding back against me on purpose or something. Why was that?"

"I noticed it too," Lillie added, chiming in and coming to Ash's aid. "I don't think you were fighting at your full potential, Brock..."

The Gym Leader looked on at the trio of friends with an intense look in his eyes, which was a bit hard to see since his eyes were closed. However, the rock-type user eventually sighed and faced his back towards them before beginning his explanation.

"You know what, Ash? You're right. I WAS holding back against you during our battle, and, if I'm being completely honest with you..." the Gym Leader started, still not looking at the trio. "...I've been holding back against every single challenger that has set foot into this Gym for a long, long time! That's why the battle was so easy, and that's why I was using Pokemon that I only just recently bred!"

This revelation came as a surprise to our heroes.

"B-But why?" Peter asked, confused by Brock's statement. "Isn't it the job of a Gym Leader to go all out and test the abilities of a challenger? Why would you..."

"If I'm being honest with you, guys, I never wanted to be the Gym Leader of Pewter City," Brock stated as he looked up at the roof of the building. "I told you earlier that I liked to practice Pokemon Breeding in my spare time, right? Well, that's because it's always been my dream to become the world's best Pokemon Breeder!"

"World's best Pokemon Breeder?!" Ash, Lillie, and Peter asked in unison, shocked by this statement.

"Hehe, yeah. The world's best Pokemon Breeder. It's a pretty silly dream..." Brock chuckled before sighing.

"Not at all! Everyone has their own goals. But...If it's your dream, then why don't you follow it?" Lillie asked raising an eyebrow. "It seems odd that you'd stay cooped up in here giving away free Gym Badges..."

"I'm doing it for them, Lillie," Brock stated as he pointed at his siblings, who were all hiding behind the metal door. "Me and my siblings...We live here at this Gym. Behind that door is our home. It's small and humble, but it gets the job done. If I give up on being the Gym Leader, we'd lose that home."

"But that still doesn't explain everything," Peter pointed out. "Don't you have any parents to take care of your siblings and, in extension, the Gym?"

The Gym Leader remained silent before responding. "No. Our father...Well, he used to be the old Gym Leader, but he left home to try and become a better Pokemon Trainer. Our mother was left to raise us all alone and, well, she couldn't handle the stress and ended up leaving as well. It was then up to me to take care of my nine siblings. I can't leave home to try and further my dreams of becoming a Pokemon Breeder because of this."

"Oh no..." Ash muttered, genuinely feeling sympathetic for the Gym Leader. "That's terrible..."

"Absolutely awful..." Lillie added, shaking her head.

Brock then turned around and grinned sadly. "But...It's alright! When I'm not taking care of my siblings or the Pokemon Gym, I can practice my Pokemon Breeding skills! Then, I can use the newly-bred Pokemon in Gym Battles and see if I did well or not. It's all good."

Ash was about to tell Brock something, but the Gym Leader cut him off.

"That's why I make the Gym easy for the challengers that come here," Brock stated bluntly, finishing off his little speech that explained his backstory. "I can't follow my dreams, and because of that I want to help the many challengers that come here achieve their dreams. I want to help them become Pokemon Masters, since that's what most of them want to become. By giving them a free badge and acting like they earned it...Well, it helps them on their journeys."

The wannabe Pokemon Master, Brock's opponent. wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn't. He didn't expect Brock to have such a heavy background. All Ash could do was remain silent and nod. Poor Brock...

Everyone, including Brock's siblings, were completely silent.

Nothing really happened for a few moments, until...

The doors to the room that the group was in swung open, catching the attention of everyone present.

"Who's there?!" Brock shouted. "You're going to have to schedule an appointment if you want to challenge this Gym, sir! For now, though, please-"

"No," replied the intruder. "I won't leave, because I should have come back ages ago."

Huh? What was this stranger talking about?

Ash squinted in an attempt to get a better look at the person who had entered the room and, to his surprise...

…It was FLINT, the man whom Ash had battled at the Pewter City Tournament!

"Flint? But...What's going on?..." Ash asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't get it..."

The man walked over to Brock, who quickly took a step back in confusion. What did the runner-up of the Pewter City Tournament want with him? Was he barging in to challenge him or something?

"Wh-Who are you?..." Brock wondered aloud. "What do you want from me?...You have to win the Tournament if you wanna battle me..."

"No, no. You don't understand..." Flint replied coldly.

The Gym Leader's siblings, who were watching from afar, wanted to do something to help their older brother, but they couldn't.

They were too afraid!

Flint simply shook his head and smiled, removing their fears. "I just wanted to talk, but you probably can't recognize me while I'm wearing this, so, how about..."

The man who battled Ash at the Pewter City Tournament used one hand to grab at his beard and used the other to grab at his beanie. Then, surprising everyone, he pulled them off, revealing...

…That he looked exactly like Brock, but older!

"HUH?! Fl-Flint looks exactly like Brock!" Peter exclaimed in disbelief, pointing his finger at the strange sight. "A-And the beard and beanie were a disguise?! What's going on here?!…"

"Well, I suppose it's high-time that I finally come clean and tell the truth," Flint sighed as he dropped the beanie and fake beard and turned to Ash, Brock, and Lillie. "My name is Flint Harrison, and I was the man who ran away and destroyed a family so that I could try and become a better Pokemon Trainer. I...Am Brock's father."

…

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Ash, Peter, Lillie, and even Brock's little siblings all exclaimed in unison. What a twist! Flint was Brock's father all along?!

"I've finally realized the error of my ways, son. I was selfish. I abandoned my family so I could get stronger," Flint continued as he shifted his attention to his son. "Well, I actually realized that many years ago, but I was too afraid to come clean. I was worried that you all would laugh at me since I failed and never became the great trainer that I set out to become. That's why I constantly tried to win the Pewter City Tournament. I wanted to win, and then beat you, and then reveal myself to you. I guess it was so that I could feel better about myself and make myself think that I improved over the years that I had wasted? I don't know..."

Flint shook his head, realizing that he was rambling.

"The point is, son, I want you to go out and follow your dreams," the man told Brock, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I think it's finally time that I try and raise my family. I'll even take care of the Gym for you, too. My disappearance has already caused enough tragedy, what with your mother and all..."

"Woah, this is getting like, super deep and stuff..." Ash muttered, earning a kick in the shin by Scorbunny, who wanted him to shut up.

Brock looked at his father with a stunned expression, looking on at the man who had left him to fend for himself.

However, he wasn't mad.

Instead, his face turned to a grin, and he simply hugged him.

"Thank you so much, dad..." Brock muttered. "I missed you..."

"I missed you too, son," Flint stated as he patted Brock's back. "Now, go out there and become the best Pokemon Breeder that the world has ever seen! I'm counting on you!"

LATER, ROUTE 3...

Ash, Brock, Peter, and Lillie were now on Route 3 of the Kanto Region, which, to be completely honest, looked pretty similar to Route 1.

"Thanks again for letting me tag along with you, Ash," Brock stated with a smile. "I really appreciate it!"

Ash grinned at the former Gym Leader. "No problem, Brock! The more the merrier!"

Brock has joined our heroes on their journey through the Kanto Region so that he can become the World's Best Pokemon Breeder, and Ash has finally earned his first Gym Badge!

What kind of adventures await our heroes next, and what sort of Pokemon will they meet?!

The answers are to come, as the journey continues!

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Man, this chapter took way longer to write then I wanted it to, but it's finally here!

Brock's inspired by his anime counterpart. He's my favorite Gym Leader, and is also my of Ash's travelling companions, so I just had to include him.

Not much else to say here, though, so...

Until next time!