The cobbled streets of Pewter City were full of busy people and pokémon alike bustling along it's tight and winding paths. Houses made of dark mahogany wood and stone exteriors lined the streets tightly packed together, they sat on top of sturdy bases. Each house having it's own staircase leading up to a front porch. While still nothing like the open fields and rolling hills of Pallet, Pewter distinguished itself from Viridian by striking a middle ground between the two. As Green and Machop walked down the street they didn't feel that tight, claustrophobic feeling that they did in Viridian. While there were certainly a lot of people around, there weren't so many that Green couldn't walk at her own pace. The tempo of Pewter's streets was far more relaxed as the people who walked by Green walked with a calm and steady pace. They didn't rush about and try to squeeze by her. Apart from having to make way for the occasional Golem or Gravelers that were rolling around the streets it was very relaxed. Green couldn't help but admire them as they did, while she had seen pictures of them before she never expected them to be so big in person. Their rock, boulder like bodies thundered against the cobbles as they rolled through the tight streets. The Golems were especially imposing as their massive bodies came all the way up to Green's shoulder, their huge mass shook the foundations of buildings around them as they trundled along. Despite the sturdy build of the houses around her, Green couldn't help but feel a little anxious as they creaked and groaned around her. Even the people in Pewter seemed new to Green, compared to the plain looking residents of Pallet and Viridian, the people here seemed extremely unique. Bug catchers, in their beige khakis and big safari hats ran about with large Beedrill, big wasp pokémon with huge drills for hands and Butterfree following behind them. Hikers, with their large frames both built and plump prepared their equipment with an assortment of pokéballs on their belts. School children of all ages in their moss green uniforms and caps dashed around her as they played, the chiming of a school bell echoing through the streets. Scientists hurried off towards the museum, their white lab coats flowing behind them as they ran.
Finally, as Green rounded a corner the Pewter City gym came into view. It sat imposingly at the top of a large hill with a long granite staircase leading up to it's entrance. School children ran up the stairs gleefully, with Geodudes rolling behind them, their small rocky bodies clanging against the stairs as they used their arms to jump up each step. At the base of the hill, to the right of the staircase was the Pewter City Pokémon Centre. Gathered around it were trainers of all different ages, genders and styles making their preparations to challenge Brock. As she made her way through the small crowd she looked around in awe at all the different pokémon. There were new trainers like her with one or two young pokémon, going over the basics with them. Most of them looked nervous but still determined. While most of the trainers Green could see were newbies like her, one stood out as an obvious veteran. She was sat on a bench, going through her bag with 2 containers full of pokéballs to her side. Her pokéball belt was full, all 6 holsters housing their own pokéball and to her side a serious looking Magmortar stood gazing up into the sun with it's eyes closed. The fire blazing from it's bipedal body was magnificent, even from a distance Green could feel it's warmth. It's long cannon-like arms were seared and scorched black on the ends and it's legs were muscular and powerful. Nervously, Green ducked her head and grabbed Machop's hand to pull him along as he had began to size up the Magmortar with a wild look in his eyes.
Green hurried into the Pokémon Centre, it's red tinted glass doors sliding open smoothly for her. As she entered she was taken a back as she realised that Pewter's Pokémon Centre looked the exact same as Viridian's. The same shiny white floors, the white walls with red ornamentation, the big pokéball symbol both on the ground and above the desk on the back wall. As well as the same sitting area, with it's red leather seats and tall bookshelves. The same lighthearted jingle softly played over the sound system, reverberating off the tiled floor. Even the smell was the same, the same sterile smell of cleaning chemicals. The only major difference Green could spot was the person behind the counter. She approached the counter and looked up at the nurse before her in awe as she busily worked on something. She had almost the exact same body as Joy from Viridian, the same wide hips and large breasts. However, her pink hair was tied up in a long braid that ran down the length of her back to just above her ass. She glanced over her shoulder at Green to reveal that her face looked almost the exact same as Joy's with the only difference being a pair of thin glasses on her face. It was like she was looking at a taller clone of Joy. Joy's sister raised an eyebrow at her and left what she was doing to approach the desk. As she did Machop leapt up onto the counter and also stared at Joy's sister in amazement.
"What can I help you with sweetheart?" She asked tentatively as she clutched a thick book to her chest.
Green snapped out of her stunned gaze and came back to her senses.
"Oh, I'm here to challenge Brock so I wanted to rest up my Machop before I did!" She exclaimed as she peered over the desk up at Joy's sister.
Green spotted a name tag pinned to her white dress that read.
Nrs Joy
She couldn't help but stare at it with wide eyes, were all of Joy's sisters really called Joy too? Joy noticed where Green was staring and laughed gently, understanding now.
"I see, no my name isn't Joy. Joy is the surname of our family. If you've met one of my sisters which I'm assuming you have then yes we do look very alike but we're not twins I'm afraid." Joy said with an amused smirk as she placed her book down on the counter.
"Now how about we take a look at this little guy shall we?" She said in the same sweet tone the Joy in Viridian always used.
She bent down slightly and gently lifted Machop's arm as she inspected his body. To Green's surprise Joy began muttering to herself as she did and frowning as she gently ran her index finger over Machop's chest and lower leg. She looked back down at Green with an inquisitive look.
"Has he been in a battle recently?" She asked as she continued to prod at Machop's body, making him squirm and laugh happily.
"Well yeah, we had one in Viridian Forest, is everything okay?" Green asked with a concerned look on her face as she leaned in to get a closer look at Machop.
That's when she noticed the bruising around his chest and legs, as well as singe marks on his ankles. She touched Machop's body and she noticed how hot it felt compared to usual.
"He will be fine, Machop's have extremely high pain tolerance but he does need rest. It looks like he must have been hitting quite hard and from the singed ankles I assume he was using some aura techniques too. Please make sure you take a close look at your pokémon after battles or if you're not sure return them to their pokéball." Joy said plainly as she pushed her glasses back up her nose.
Green nodded, still looking at Machop anxiously.
"Alright buddy time for some rest, I'll see you later okay?" Green said as she unclipped Machop's pokéball from her belt.
He looked at her sadly but before he could protest Green pressed the button on his ball and a red beam hit his chest, returning him back to the ball. She handed the ball of to Joy and watched guiltily as she placed it in the big healing machine behind the counter. She turned back to Green and gave her a sympathetic look.
"Don't feel too bad sweetheart, just remember it for next time okay? He'll be completely fine I promise!" She exclaimed with an encouraging smile.
Green smiled a little and gave her a small nod, feeling a bit better.
"Now what's your name? So I know who to give him back too once he's done. " Joy asked, her plain tone returning.
"Oh, my name's Green." Green responded casually.
Joy's eyes lit up and she looked at Green with a face of recognition.
"Green? Are you friends with my sister from Viridian? She tells me all about you and the people from Pallet!" She asked excitedly.
Green giggled and nodded.
"Yeah I know your sister, that's why I was so surprised when I saw you! You look so alike!" Green exclaimed, her awe stricken look returning to her face.
Joy smirked and shrugged, very quickly her eyes scanned Green up and down which to Green's surprise sent her stomach into knots again. She blushed and flicked her eyes away from Joy's awkwardly.
"Well Green from Pallet Town, would you like a room to stay in while you prepare for your battle? There are still a few left so you better get one before they're all gone. We fill up quick at the start of gym season!" Joy exclaimed as she reached over to a small cabinet full of racks of keys.
Green nodded quickly as she desperately tried not to look down at Joy's breasts, she couldn't believe how horny that look had made her all of a sudden. Joy handed her a key with the number 20 on it and gestured to a set of double doors to the right of the counter.
"The free housing is through there, your room is on the left down the hall." Once again, her plain tone returning like she was reading off a script but now a sensual look was on her face as she smirked at the now bright red, trembling Green.
Green quickly hurried off towards the door, feeling Joy's gaze on her ass as she disappeared through them.
Green unlocked the door to her room, just like the rest of the Pokémon Centre it was red and white themed with a red pokéball symbol above the number 20 printed in red on the front. She hurried inside, her cheeks still burning as her heart raced. She slammed the door shut and leaned back against it before letting out a relieved sigh. As she did she noticed how nice her room was. Unlike the sterile theming of the Pokémon Centre the room more resembled the buildings outside with dark brown wood floors and walls with granite grey carpeting and furniture. The main room consisted of a double bed, a small table and a desk with a PC on top. Connected from it were two other rooms, a small bathroom and a small cooking area with a stove, cupboards and sink. Green allowed herself to relax and swung off her heavy backpack, slumping it against the wall. She collapsed on the bed and sighed happily before allowing herself a happy laugh.
"Holy shit she was hot!" She exclaimed to herself as she continued ecstatically giggling to herself.
Green sat up on the bed and looked over at the PC. It was at this moment that she realised that she didn't actually know much about Brock, she been focusing so much on learning pokémon and battling that she had overlooked researching the people she would actually need to beat on her journey. She sprung up off the bed, booted up the PC and began looking into Brock. Quickly she found the Indigo Plateau's website and their official gym leader biographies.
Brock Takeshi, 28, Pewter City Gym Leader.
Current Indigo Plateau rating; 13
'Brock is Kanto and Johto's leading Rock type expert and one of the few Rock Masters in the Kanto-Johto region. Specialising in defence, Brock typically battles with a focus on resolve and stamina. Opting to whittle away at his opponent's strength while tanking and absorbing any aggression thrown his way. In an extended fight Brock is a seriously tough opponent. Despite this, Brock is a popular choice amongst beginner trainers for their first gym battle. This is most likely due to Brock's background in education. On top of his duties as Gym Leader, Brock also mentors many young trainers and gives frequent classes in Rock Type training at the Pewter Museum. While Brock has one of the highest first time battle victory to loss ratios of any Gym Leader in the Kanto region (10:1). He still holds the highest re-challenge rate of any Gym Leader in the Kanto-Johto region.'
Green stopped there and smiled to herself, she liked the sound of Brock already. She thought he sounded like a genuinely sweet and wholesome trainer. On top of that his slow and tough battle style seemed like a perfect match up for Machop's fast and precise style on top of the typing advantage she already had over him. She leaned back in her chair and beamed widely. It was all so exciting, the prospect of fighting a real Gym Leader in a real arena with real pokémon. It all just made her giddy both with excitement and nerves. She took a deep breath and sat up in her chair. She opened the Pewter Museum's website and checked the class scheduling.
Rock Training Class, Brock, 2:30 pm
Green checked the time down at the bottom of the screen, 2:15 pm, she smiled and closed her computer. She grabbed her room key off her bed and headed out the door, she was going to see what this Brock guy was all about. As she came out of the housing area and back into the lobby she saw Joy busily attending to a growing line of trainers forming in front of the counter, her braid swished back and forth as she hurried about. In the midst of her work she caught a glimpse of Green leaving and waved to her, smirking at her as she looked her up and down again. Green's heart skipped a beat and she blushed bright red again. Shyly, she waved back before hurrying out of the Pokémon Centre. She made her way onto Pewter's streets again and followed a sign pointing north.
Pewter Museum -→
As Green briskly walked down the narrow street she could hear a man faintly yelling in the direction she was heading. As she got further down the street it got louder and louder until she rounded a tight bend to see none other than Jackson being laid into by an old, balding man dressed up in a long purple jacket with silver along the collar. She recognised it instantly as a veteran's jacket, a jacket given out by the Indigo Plateau when you have been a registered trainer for over 30 years. Jackson, tears in his eyes stood on the porch of his home with his head down, the brim of his safari hat covering his eyes. To both Green's delight and horror she saw Dan leaning against the neighbouring building watching with a satisfied grin. He glanced over and saw her, as he began to call out to her and move over. Green quickly waved and dashed off. She wasn't sure if she could handle so much hornyness in one day as she still hadn't quite recovered from Joy's gaze yet. Dan leaned back against his wall and watched her run off with an amused smirk as Jackson continued to get it.
"Boy, if I hear you've been talking to women like that again I guarantee you won't be battling ever again! Especially after the way you treated your own pokémon as well as Dan's! You're lucky that his Scyther didn't kill you!" The old man was getting red in the face now as he yelled.
Green glanced back as she neared another corner to see Jackson run off in the opposite direction and Dan call out to him before chasing after him. She stopped for a moment, wondering if she should help but ultimately decided it wasn't any of her business and continued on. Once she rounded the corner she came out onto a main street where the huge structure of the Museum loomed over everything. She gulped, before heading towards it. She climbed the large marble stair case and came right up to the building. It was made out of primarily polished granite, with chiselled marble columns supporting the large overhang above her. After admiring it's beauty for a moment, Green headed inside to the main lobby. The lobby was huge, stretching up three stories high with two spiral staircases on either side winding their way up to each floor. On all three walls, big wooden double doors lead into lecture rooms. Labelled: Lecture Halls 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Above Lecture Hall 1 a sign hung.
Rock Training Class With Gym Leader Brock!
Green immediately headed for the doors, again feeling the lingering gazes of the scientists and students who were busily hurrying around. Green couldn't help but smile to herself, flicking her hair out of her face and running her fingers through it.
As Green walked through the big double doors she saw Brock standing below on the stage of an auditorium, with a big rectangular space. Beside him a Graveler stood, lazily looking out into the crowd of people before him. On Brock's shoulder a Geodude sat with a wicked grin over his face, his spherical body perched on Brock's shoulder as he held onto Brock's neck for support. Green was surprised at Brock's appearance, she had only seen profile pictures of him that cut off at his shoulders. His build in person was quite impressive, he was a lot taller than she expected. At least a head above her own. He wore an orange long sleeve shirt with a black v design around the neck coming down to his chest. His shirt was tucked into his baggy, brown cargo pants which were covered in rock dust. As well as a pair of old running shoes. His tanned brown skin also had patches of rock dust all over it as well as a light dusting in his messy, medium length brown hair. As Brock gave his lecture, pacing back and forth across the stage and occasionally gesturing to Graveler he scanned the audience. His narrow eyes, gazing off and occasionally settling on someone before moving on. However, he never lost his flow but when his gaze fell upon Green he momentarily stopped and stared at her, stumbling over his words for a second before quickly getting back into his flow. He smiled as he talked and continued looking at her, seeming to not be able to pull his gaze away. Green blushed as people around her looked over, giving her curious looks. Yet she didn't mind it so much and continued to look back at Brock, returning a smile to him.
"Well, uh, as I was saying. The process of evolution is different not only between the species of pokémon but the individual pokémon themselves. Each one has a unique and complex personality, it may be easy to forget but pokémon are just as intelligent as us and thus need to be treated with the same respect we show our fellow man. When it comes to the Geodude line, getting one to evolve into a Graveler is quite easy. Usually all it takes is time as Geodude naturally evolve but you can speed up the process with the proper strength training and a high mineral diet. Iron and Zinc are great for Geodude's so make sure to find as many of these ores as possible." Brock spoke with enthusiasm as he picked up a chunk of iron ore and tossed it towards Graveler, who snatched it out of the air with one of his four arms and bit down on it, crushing it to dust in his mouth.
Brock continued glancing up at Green as he continued his lecture, discussing the best way to boost your connection with a Graveler to get them to evolve further into a Golem. As well as answering questions on how to evolve other types of Rock Pokémon. Green had started to see why he had the highest re-challenge rate of any Gym Leader, he was so patient and gentle when he answered questions. While never being afraid to answer a question that seemed obvious and trivial with the same importance he used to answered very complex and technical questions. Very quickly Green noticed that some of the trainers who had been outside the Pokémon Centre earlier had also come to the lecture. It seemed her idea wasn't as original as she had thought. She only took notice of them in the large audience as they started asking questions about battling specifically clearly trying to gauge how he fights against specific types.
"What advice do you have for dealing with water trainers?" A boy who Green remember standing outside the Pokémon Centre with a huge fishing rod, reading a book on Magikarp.
Brock thought for a moment before grinning and folding his arms.
"Well the thing about water attacks is that they are skill based attacks, apart from some high level attacks they are mostly precision based. So ensuring that you train your rock pokémon in evasion, a weakness for most rock types, is critical in getting the most out of them. Remember, it is very important to train your pokémon in areas they are weak in!" He responded passionately, looking around calmly at the audience.
His eyes fell onto Green again, making him smile unconsciously. He cleared his throat, his gaze lingering on her before turning back to the trainer. Before he could say anything else the trainer with Magmortar calmly raised their hand. Brock noticed and gestured for her to speak.
"How do you deal with a terrain disadvantage in a match up where you're also in a type disadvantage?" She asked, her voice was gruff and serious.
Brock didn't hesitate and smirked knowingly at her and the other trainers who had come to scout him.
"Information, knowing your opponent will make or break battles at the highest level especially. When you know you're at a type and terrain disadvantage, for those who don't know the terrain of an arena is often designed to boost certain types. It's why in elite four battles they often have specialised arenas to give defenders an edge. But anyways, when you're at a disadvantage having prior knowledge on your opponent's style and behaviour will often be the difference between a loss and a victory. Remember a win is a win whether you earn it in a 1 pokémon sweep or a gruelling battle down to your last pokémon. When it comes down to that, every advantage you can get matters!" He explained in a low calm voice, again glancing up at Green and smiling at her.
The other trainers shuffled awkwardly as Brock subtly called them on their tactics but Green just sat forward and leaned on her hands. She just couldn't take her eyes off Brock, it was an odd feeling. Those feelings before of her stomach being in knots while there at first had disappeared. To be replaced by a rising, warm feeling in her chest as Brock and Her gazed at each other. She couldn't wait for their battle. Over the next few hours as the lecture moved on the two of them continued to slip glances at each other, Green feeling her chest grow tighter each time. Once the lecture had ended and the audience started slowly pouring out of the lecture hall, she took a deep breath and made her way down the stairs towards him. Brock smiled as she approached, his eyes flicked down her body. Green couldn't help but blush a little, even though she was starting to get used to it now.
"Hey there, I suppose you must be a challenger? I've never seen you around here before." He asked as he approached her, meeting at the edge of the stage.
He hopped down and stood close to Green, looking down at her.
"Uh y-yeah I am, you got me." She stammered out, laughing awkwardly.
Green kicked herself internally as she stammered, this wasn't the time to get all flustered she wanted to look smooth right now. However, the more calm she tried to be the more nervous she became. The anxiety about looking nervous just looped back around on itself. Brock smiled gently at her and patted her shoulder as he moved past her.
"Well, see you at the Gym, trainer. I think I will definitely remember that face." He said softly and made his way up the stairs, out of the hall.
Green bit the inside of her mouth gently as a huge smile formed on her face, she looked over her shoulder to see him looking back at her as he disappeared from view. She giddily giggled to herself as a burst of excitement swept through her. It bubbled up inside her, putting a spring in her step as she half walked, half skipped home. The setting sun casting an orange glow over her. She just couldn't wait for tomorrow.