Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon
Chapter 3: Pewter City and Beyond.
It was evening by the time we arrived at Pewter City. My first priority had been to visit the pokemon centre to get everybody back to top shape. I gave mom a call while I was waiting for my pokemon to be healed. She was happy to receive a call. I made a quick visit to the Pokemart and restocked on supplies. Nighttime went by rather quickly and in the morning, I found myself standing in front of the Pewter Gym. I already registered for the league back in Viridian city so I was fully ready to go.
Under normal circumstances, trainers that start with a charmander never starts their campaign from Pewter City. This was due to the fact that the first two gyms in this route were completely unfriendly to fire type pokemon and the wild pokemon found on route allowed no leeway either. One must know that for the first four gyms in the region, there was two options. One for a rookie trainer and other for a trainer who won the remaining four badges. Given that the gym leaders in these four gyms were rather weak, the league had provided them with high level pokemon that could only be used for gym battles. Strict monitoring was done by the league in order to avoid misuse of these pokemon by the league. So trainers usually started their campaign at Vermillion City which was one of the main reason Lt Surge had destroyed so many trainers. They usually collected the other six before coming back to the remaining two with a full team.
Bu in my case, I had a secret weapon. Pidgey knew Steel Wing which meant that I had an extra option other than Charmander. If I was to challenge the Gym with just Charmander, he would have to be near level 20 to win it but I knew I can pull it off with Pidgey and Charmander. Beedrill had to sit this one out as he was extremely weak to rock type attacks.
"Is there someone here?" I called out as I entered the dimly lit Gym.
"Who is there?" I could hear Brock and soon enough one of the lights in the gym shined on the form of my oldest friend from the previous life. It was weird to see Brock in his teens again as the guy had started sporting a full beard after his marriage with Lucy. Apparently Lucy had some weird fetish for bearded men from what I heard from Brock himself before I lost touch with him.
"My name is Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town. I am a rookie trainer and I am here for my first gym battle." I said, feeding Brock the necessary information so that we could have an appropriate battle.
"At least you have some manners. Very well Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, let us move to the battlefield over there." He said, pointing to the centre of the gym where the battle field stood.
"The following match is going to be a Two on Two battle between Leader Brock of Pewter City and Challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. No substitutions are allowed and the match will be over once both Pokemon of one side is unable to battle. Now please bring out your first Pokemon." Forrest who was the referee for the match said.
"As the leader, I shall send the first Pokemon. Geodude, I choose you." Brock called out. From what I remembered from my previous life, Brock's Geodude was at Level 10. Normally a level 15 pokemon with a Super effective attack should be able to faint it pretty easily but the problem was that it had an exceptionally high defence even among Geodudes. Back then by the time that it had became a Golem, Gary had conducted some research on it to find out that it had been genetically influenced to have a high defence.
"Come on out Pidgey." With this tidbit of information, I had to make sure that Pidgey survived this fight.
"Ha! A tiny little Pidgey against my Rock pokemon. It seems that you don't even know the basic type matchups. Geodude, let's finish this quckly with Rock Throw." Brock called out. I think I might have underestimated Geodude's level but he was definitely not over level 12.
"Up in the air girl and dodge it." I commanded her as Geodude took a rather mid sized boulder and threw it at her. My command was timely as Pidgey dodged the thrown boulder before hovering directly above Geodude who was preparing for another Rock Throw.
"You might have gotten lucky this time, but don't expect that luck to work again and again. Geodude, Rock Throw again." Brock sounded surprised at how agile Pidgey was and ordered another attack but it was not as if I would let him.
"PIdgey, Quick Attack into Steel Wing." I called out the avian Pokemon.
"What?" I could her Brock exclaiming, but I was more focused on seeing how the move worked to pay attention to him. Geodude where known to be exceptionally slow and it showed when it couldn't even register Pidgey as she closed in on it and gave a rather hefty blow to it. The super effective attack connected and I could see that some significant damage had been done.
"Please buddy, shake it off and try using Rock Throw again." I must say that Brock is an excellent trainer to have shaken off the surprise and act as quickly as he did but I am not going to play nice this time around.
"Do it again girl." I called out and soon she connected again before the Rock pokemon could do anything. The same process repeated again and this time, Geodude was down and out.
"I must say Brock. That is one good pokemon that you got there. To tank three super effective attacks from a higher levelled pokemon, he must have one heck of a defence." I complimented him sincerely. Even though I wanted to win, I had no intention to antagonize him after all.
"Thank you Ash. It appears that I might have underestimated you a little but I'm not going to do that again. Go Onix." Brock called out the strongest pokemon in his own arsenal. From what I remember, the strongest Pokemon in the Pewter Gym was a Level 61 Onix but that belonged to the League. Out of all the Pokemon that Brock owned, Onix was definitely the strongest and rarely ever battled new trainers. The fact that he called out his first pokemon was proof that he was serious.
"Alright Pidgey, I know that you are tired, but please hold on for some more time okay?" I said to Pidgey. Although she was virtually unharmed throughout the fight, she had expended a lot of energy and was now closer to empty.
"Onix use Screech." Brock called out.
"Pidgey, get out of the way and use Steel Wing." Despite my calls, Pidgey couldn't get out of the way i time and got hit with the Screech. Although she got the Steel Wing in, it didn't make too much of a damage.
"Onix use Tackle and finish it off." Brock called and Onix answered by raising it's tail and hitting Pidgey. She stood no chance as she took the hit and fainted on the spot.
"Good Job girl. You were phenomenal out there. Now take a long rest in there." I said as I recalled her back to her Pokeball.
"It's up to you now bud. Let's go. Charmander I choose you." I called out my starter.
"Char." He said as he got ready for the match.
"Alright, Onix vs Charmander, Begin." Forrest yelled.
"Onix finish this with with Rock Throw." It seems Brock was in a hurry to finish things off quickly. But what he didn't know that I had prepped Charmander for this fight for some time now.
"Charmander, dodge it and use Metal Claw." Charmander dodged the incoming rock with the grace of a trained pokemon performer before getting close to the giant pokemon and hitting him with a full powered attack. Although Onix had a crazy high defence, the damage done by Charmander was not negligible at all and I knew that Brock felt it. His next command only solidified my hunch.
"Onix, Use Bind to keep Charmander in place." I could hear a tiny amount of panic in his voice.
"Good job bud, do it again." This time, Charmander dodged by doing a few flips over Onix's tail end as it tried to wrap him up and he soon got another nice hit in. I could feel that Onix was only one hit away from defeat.
Before Brock had a chance to regroup, I called out to charmander. "Finish him off now bud."
That was enough as Charmander soon connected with a strong Metal Claw and Onix fainted with swirls in his eyes.
And this was it. I just won my first Gym Battle and I didn't have to rely on Brock's kindness. I suppose you could say that I felt happy knowing that I was able to do it. The fact that I had won my first two badges relying on the kindness of the gym leaders who were my friends had unknowingly casted a psychological shadow on me for a long time which I could say will no longer on me any more.
"And that's it. The winner of the match is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town." Forrest was quick to call the match.
"Congratulations Ash. That was a good battle. This was the best battle I have ever had with a Rookie trainer. You have got a bright future ahead of you. Here's the Boulder Badge, you have certainly earned it." Brock was quick in recalling Onix and came to give me the Boulder Badge.
"Thank you Brock." I thanked him sincerely before taking the badge from his hand and putting it into my badge case that mom had given me.
"You did fantastically well bud." I said and as I was about to recall Charmander, he suddenly started to glow, marking his evolution. The evolutionary process was soon done and a he stood tall as a proud Charmeleon. One look in his eyes was enough for me to confirm that there was no risk of him disobeying me.
"Congratulations on evolving buddy. Now let's get you scanned shall we?" I asked as I took Dexter out yet again.
Charmeleon, The Flame Pokemon
Charmeleon mercilessly destroys its foes using its sharp claws. If it encounters a strong foe, it turns aggressive. In this excited state, the flame at the tip of its tail flares with a bluish white colour.
This Charmeleon is a Male and has the ability Blaze.
This Charmeleon is currently Level 18 and knows the moves Scratch, Growl, Rock Slide, Bite, Ember and Metal Claw.
While his evolution was a great thing, it also meant that I have my work cut out for me. I have to make sure that Charmeleon have his flames and temper under full control. While there was little to no risk of him attacking me, the same could not be said for opposing pokemon. Charmeleon as a species were naturally aggressive creatures and those who had just evolved from charmander found it extremely hard to control their new instincts. In fact, most rookie trainers who got a charmander usually lose control of them at this point which was what happened to me last time.
*Ding*
Achievement Unlocked : One Small Step.
Details: Win the first pokemon league badge.
Reward: 10% increase in all Pokemon stats [Permanant]
'Woah! That's actually pretty good.' I thought
"Congratulations on Charmander's Evolution." I coud hear Brock say.
"Thanks again Brock. If you don't mind me asking, can I ask you something?" I wanted to help him out and given that that I could see a silhouette by the window, I decided to make my move.
"If it is something that I can help with, feel free to ask?" He said.
"You know Brock, when we were battling, I felt that you were not really happy with it. Almost as if you were sad to see Pokemon hurt. Why is that?" It was time to act.
"That's quite an acute observation there Ash. I have to say that you are right. I never really liked being a trainer in the first place. I wanted to become a Pokemon Breeder. But when my parents ran away from home, I had to take up the gym to help out the family." Although I already knew this, it didn't make it any less sad.
"Wow Brock with how much you care about for your pokemon, I am sure that you will become an amazing breeder." I said.
"Thank you Ash. Maybe one day when all my siblings are grown up, I will go on a journey myself." Brock sounded really melancholic.
"You don't need to do that!" Bingo. My guess was right on the money. The gym doors opened and a rather old looking guy whom I recognized as Brock's dad came in.
"Who are you?" Brock asked warily.
"I am someone who should have been there for you my son." Mr Flint said as he took off his fake beard.
"Dad! " Brock was certainly more animated than what he had been in my previous life.
"Yes Brock. It is me. I am sorry my boy for chaining you down with mine and Lola's responsibility. I heard everything you said and I think it's time for you to take flight from this small town and see the world." Mr Flint said.
Before any words could be spoken, Brock closed the distance between the two in a flash and gave a rather mean right hook. "That's for running away and leaving us alone." Brock said.
"Ow. I deseved that one. I am sorry my boy." I am pretty sure that Mr Flint felt that one.
"Welcome back dad. I will introduce you to the rest. As for how to take care of them, I will prepare you a list." Brock said rather animatedly.
"Hey Brock, if you are going to travel, then why don't you come with me then. After all, it's fun to travel with others." I asked now that everything went smoothly.
"Are you sure Ash? Honestly that will be great blessing." Brock said.
"Yep. The more the merrier as they say. I will wait for you at the pokemon centre tomorrow. I am sure you would want to ease your siblings into the new situation." I said.
"Are you sure you want to wait? Shouldn't you be on the move towards Cerulean now?" Brock sounded a little worried.
"Don't worry Brock. I can use today to train Charmeleon on his new powers. After all, the League is not due for a long time anyways. I'll meet you tomorrow." I said before walking out of the gym.
The rest of the day for me was not that hectic. Charmeleon went on a battle spree which helped him adjust to his new powers and burn out all that excess energy from evolving. By noon, he had already reached Level 20 and learned Smokescreen, which was integral for my Cerulean City plans. Not wanting the others to fall behind, I returned Charmeleon and started double battles with Pidgey and Beedrill. The outskirts of Pewter had a lot of bug pokemon from the Viridian Forest so there was no problem in finding two pokemon at the same time. We battled all throughout the afternoon and after battling nearly twenty pairs of pokemon, Beedrill reached level 19 while Pidgey reached Level 18. Soon after, familiar light of Evolution shined again and soon a big Pidgeotto was staring at me.
"Congratulations Girl." I said and Beedrill, who was buzzing around, went ahead to congratulate her. It seems to me that they were good friends now and that made me happy. I took out Dexter as always to scan her.
Pidgeotto, The Bird Pokemon
Pidgeotto claims a large area as its own territory. This Pokemon flies around, patrolling its living space. If its territory is violated, it shows no mercy in thoroughly punishing the foe with its sharp claws.
This Pidgeotto is a Female and has the ability Keen Eye.
This Pidgeotto is currently Level 18 and knows the moves Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Steel Wing and Quick Attack.
After her evoulution, we decided to call it a day and returned to the Pokemon Centre. While there was still time for sundown, I didn't want to tire out my pokemon too much. Nurse Joy healed all of them and soon, I decided to go to sleep after giving Professor Oak a call about my progress.
[Brock's POV]
My name is Brock Slate and I am currently the leader of Pewter City gym. My story upto now is something that one could consider as 'Tragic.' I was born as the eldest son of Flint Slate and Lola Slate and was the first of ten children. (Seriously, mom and dad didn't have anything better to do other than making kids.) Although a little crowded, our family was a happy one for most of the time. Mom and Dad quarrelled a little over small things but it was nothing major.
But the problem started after Mom gave birth to the Triplets who were the youngest in the family. You see, my mom was what was called a Pokemon trainer. Although she was not the best at it, she was still a good one. I remember the day she left like yesterday. I was 8 at the time. She just came to dad and said that she was going on a journey and left like that. I remember asking dad where mom was as I pacified the children who were crying and dad answered that she went to chase her dream.
Two years later, dad soon followed. He took me to Mt Moon where I caught Onix as my first Pokemon and suddenly he said that he was also leaving on a journey and that he trusted me to take care of the children. The Gym leader's title was soon passed on to me after I took a short course created by the league. I didn't want to fight yet I was forced to so that I could put food on the table for my siblings. Although it hurt me to see Pokemon hurting, I persevered because the benefits of being a gym leader was something too good to pass up. So I locked away that part of me who felt sad at seeing all these savagery and decided to put my dream on hold.
You see, I too had a dream. I remember taking care of Dad's pokemon and remembered liking to take care of them. Dad told me that what I did was called being a Pokemon Breeder who took the best possible care of Pokemon. I wanted to become a breeder but that dream was crushed by the weight of taking care of my family.
Seasons passed by as I continued to battle trainers from all around the region came and challenged my gym. Five years passed since dad left and I had long lost hope for seeing the world and realizing my dream. Then before I knew, it was time for Professor Oak to sent out kids from Pallet Town. From what I heard, there was four kids from Pallet this year. Soon they came one by one and out of the three that challenged me, only Professor Oak's grandson, Gary was his name, passed. The other two were quite mediocre and would not get into the league.
It was three days after Gary's victory that the fourth trainer from Pallet came. He introduced himself as Ash Ketchum and we soon engaged in a battle. Given the fact that he was slower than the others, I severly underestimated him and ended up paying dearly for it. In fact, the only reason I beat his Pidgey (Which should be weak to rock types) was because it was tired after taking out my Geodude without even getting hit once. Soon Onix fell victim to the relentless assault by his Charmander. This kid was seriously the best rookie I had ever seen period. If he could keep up the momentum, he was going places for sure.
This was cemented when despite evolving, his Charmeleon still was under control. One should know that Charmeleon and Charizard were notorious for disobeying trainers that they felt were not worthy.
But when he asked me whether I disliked Pokemon battling, I lost my breath for a moment. In that brief moment, I felt that he had seen through my broken soul. Any person who has been remotely acquainted with me will undisputedly call me a flirt and that was true. I tended to flirt with every beautiful women I laid my eyes upon. But what they don't know is that it was nothing more than a coping mechanism. I want to receive the love that I had been denied as a child. My sincerest wish is that one day a person will come who sees through my mask and will accept me for who I am. I know that is not a valid argument against how disgusting my behaviour might look to others but I have to make do with what I got.
But today ended up being the happiest day of my life when dad came back through the same doors he had left through and said that he would liberate me from my chains. I love my family but now I could chase my dreams without sacrificing my family. It took some time for the kids to get used to (finish beating up) dad but they were surprisingly receptive to the idea. I know that Forrest can take over the gym soon so I decided to trust dad one more time.
Walking to the Pokemon centre, I could see the Capped boy standing there. I don't know what the future might hold for me, but I was happy to find out.
There Done!
So what do you guys think? Good? Bad? Feel free to write a review with your opinion.
Anyways, a quick shoutout to rockingchampif who wrote three reviews. Thank you stranger from the Internet. Your opinions are extremely valuable to me and about the questions you asked,
1. The Pokemon will know know more than four moves as four moves severely limits on how I can pan out the fights and hamper the flow of the story.
2. He will not catch all Canon pokemon as many of them are a waste ( *cough* Taurus *cough* ) and a select few. But I will be adding some new Pokemon for the team.
3. As for the Pokedex, I will do something in the near future hopefully sooner than later.
Now the fun fact about this story is that I have a complete picture of the Plot up until Johto. So I can actually write pretty fast. I will be writing more if I find that people are enjoying this shit.
Anyways, stay safe guys. Remember to read and review kay.