8: Pikachu vs. Onix

Ash hurried down the stone path, only slowing as he felt a slight ping of pain from his still not completely healed ankle. He went past the trainers who stared at him from their lounging position in front of the pokemon center, and right through the door, Pikachu in his arms. "Hey!" he shouted at the counter. "Hey, please, they need some help!"

The nurse came out, furrowing her brow as she observed Pikachu. Ash placed the pokemon on the counter, then looked back up at her as she gently moved his friend. "Don't worry," she said to Ash with a smile. "I'll give Pikachu a little treatment, and it should be ready to battle by tomorrow."

"Great." Ash sighed in relief, then realized what he was forgetting. "Hey, wait! I've got my other pokemon here, it got really, really hurt." Ash took out the pokeball, stifling the urge to toss it and instead gently pressing the button so it could appear on the counter.

Instead, Butterfree flew above them as it was released. "Free, free," it called, floating from the nurse's shoulder back over to Ash.

"Hey, it's... Butterfree's okay," Ash said with some astonishment.

"Hm. I'll look it over," the nurse promised. "But it really does seem fine, very energetic. What happened?"

"I was battling Brock," Ash began. "And Butterfree, it got hit by Brock's onix. I shouldn't have sent it out, Onix is way too big to fight against! How can anyone beat Brock with that pokemon?"

The nurse giggled quietly, putting her hand on Ash's shoulder and patting him. "Pokemon are different from us, and other animals," she said.

"Um, I know," Ash said. It was annoying to be lectured to like this, but he also didn't want to be rude to the nurse who had helped his pokemon so much.

"Do you? Well, it seems you're confused. Certainly, a butterfly hit by a large rock might be in a lot of trouble, if not killed, but Butterfree is a pokemon, so it's tougher than that. It may have just been a bit winded."

"Were you windy, Butterfree?" Ash asked, looking up at the cheerful, and seemingly uninjured pokemon.

"Pokemon can be hurt badly - don't forget that - but even then, they'll recover much more quickly than we do," the nurse continued her explanation.

"Yeah." Ash had already seen that. The minor sprain a few days ago still hurt, but his pokemon who had gotten much more injured than that recovered so quickly. Even Pikachu was starting to sit up and look at him like nothing had happened. "Pokemon are really tough, huh."

"Yes. And it's not just size that makes them tough. Brock, he's a great gym leader, but when he's beaten, it has been by some tiny pokemon like these at times." The nurse smiled. "Well, I'll just look over these two and make sure everything's fine. They should be ready to go in no time."

"Oh, okay." Ash watched as the nurse took Pikachu and Butterfree to an examination room. He looked at his one remaining pokeball, and decided to go back to the front. "Hey, " he said, raising his voice to get the attention of the trainers outside. "Who wants a one-on-one battle?"

The next morning, Ash got out of bed early. He goaded Pikachu to wake up as well. The pokemon seemed irritable, but followed Ash as he started to get ready. As a serious trainer, he wasted no time in making sure his trainer attire looked cool before heading outside to train. He looked around the front, but no one was there. Since no other trainers were up, it was better to go into the forest to continue to train with nearby wild pokemon. Ash started to make sure he had all the supplies he needed. He definitely ought to fill up his water bottle. A few potions from the vending machine in the lobby couldn't hurt either.

"Hey!"

Ash turned to the voice, but saw it was only Misty. He turned back around, looking for his supplies.

Misty caught up once Ash reached the lobby. "Hey, I've been trying to find you since yesterday," she said, arms folded.

"You saw Brock beat me, huh," Ash said.

"Yeah, Brock seems really cool," Misty said. "I'm so happy there's gym leaders like him!"

Ash scowled, turning away. "He's not that cool to me," he said.

"Hey," Misty began. "You have to understand, gym leaders see all kinds of trainers. I don't think he meant to be so harsh with you, but it was probably annoying to have to deal with someone so oblivious on a Sunday, huh?"

Ash felt annoyed himself, but thought about getting ready for training rather than responding to her.

"So, have you thought about what he said? You could just go home," Misty mused as she followed Ash to the vending machine.

"That's not happening," Ash said. "I'm a serious trainer. Even if I didn't beat him the first time, I'm still going to beat him. I'll go back and challenge him tomorrow."

"You can't do that." Misty shut her eyes and shook her head with a smile.

"Hey! I'll do what I want," Ash spat back. Her attitude was getting even more annoying.

"I mean, actually, according to the rules, you can't," Misty informed. "You have to wait at least a week."

"Oh." Ash remembered something about that from before, though it had slipped his mind. He hadn't even thought about what it might be like to lose a gym match that deeply. But even though the negative outcome had happened, he wasn't about to give up. The road wasn't always a smooth one. "Um, yeah. I remember now. So I'll just wait. That gives me more time to train."

"So you're still going to challenge Brock again? And with these pokemon?" Misty looked at Pikachu while thinking of the other two. They all seemed pretty weak when compared to a large pokemon like Onix. Even Brock's other pokemon probably wouldn't have much trouble with them.

"Well, yeah," Ash said as he took his water bottle to the fountain. He glanced over at Misty. "Hey, Misty, you're a trainer, right?"

"I'm a what?" Misty snapped. "Ash, you've seen me with my two lovely pokemon, Starmie and Staryu!"

"Yeah. But I didn't know if you just liked stars or something," Ash said. He capped his water bottle and started stuffing his backpack full of what he needed.

"If that was the case, I'd wear stars on my shirt or in my hair. No - I like my two pokemon! Yes, I'm a trainer!" Misty insisted.

"Maybe I can battle you before I go and train some more outside," Ash mused.

"As if it would be that easy." Misty shook her head.

"Come on," Ash goaded, motioning with his shoulder. "Let's battle outside."

"Not happening," Misty said, turning her back. She was fairly sure could easily show an inexperienced trainer like Ash what for, even with Pikachu's type advantage, that was, if Pikachu would even listen this time, but wasn't about to bully him.

"Fine. No problem if you're scared. I'll just train myself outside town," Ash said.

"'Scared'?" Misty repeated.

Ash waved with a smile. "See you later, Misty!"

The boy really was abrasive. Misty felt less bad about what had happened the previous day, rolling her eyes as she thought of the exchange they'd just had. With how Ash was, she didn't need to teach him the lessons, him learning them in various ways was inevitable. She ought to just leave him alone to painfully meet his match, but then where would she go? Misty decided to just wander around Pewter for a while. And then, well, would Ash really try and go back to the gym again? The outcome might be interesting... Or maybe just vicariously painful to watch.

After going back to the gym to sign up for his next battle, Ash wandered through the path until he got to the area he'd been seeking. A place where Pewter was still visible, yet unmistakable wilderness, plenty of pokemon around previously. That plus the open area for battles made this a good place to train. He stopped, releasing Butterfree and Pidgey from their pokeballs. Butterfree floated close to him, while Pidgey found a place not that far away to perch.

Ash sat on the ground, groaning as he thought of the previous day's events. "We lost bad, huh," he admitted. Though saying as much to Misty wasn't something he was willing to do, it was only his team here. Ash glanced at each member. Pidgey was starting to get tougher already from the previous day's training. Pikachu was starting to trust Ash more, following him readily though it often still didn't listen to him. Butterfree trusted him completely. The team was shaping up well, yet he still shouldn't imagine any of them beating that mountain of a pokemon.

"Pika," Pikachu said, standing in front of him and meeting his eyes.

"Hm." Ash folded his arms, biting his lip as he tried to think of what to do. "Butterfree, you weren't hurt that bad when Onix tackled you, huh?" he said.

"Free," Butterfree confirmed.

Ash looked back down at Pikachu, who seemed to be waiting for him to say something. "So, how do I know? How can I push you guys to fight as much as you can but stop so you don't get too hurt?"

"Pikachu." Pikachu's message was that it really didn't know. Studying Ash's muddled expression, it realized that he really didn't know what Pikachu had said any better. They stared at each other in silence for a while before Ash cracked a smile. Pikachu also smiled. Ash hugged it as he started to laugh, and Pikachu's own cries sounded like laughing in return. Maybe they didn't understand each other, but in that moment they were at least laughing at the same thing.

Ash quickly put Pikachu back down, smiling at it. "Never mind that," he said. "We should just train. I'll see how tough you are from training. Then we can think about how to beat Brock. Okay?"

"Free," Butterfree cried happily in agreement. Pidgey also cooed, looking their way.

"Pika." Pikachu also decided to go along with that sentiment. Just hanging out in the forest sounded fine for the moment.

"Let's find a wild challenger then," Ash said, running off over by the trees to look for one.

"Pika!" Pikachu itself went the opposite way, recalling a wild apple tree it had seen along the way. It would soon join them again for practice.

Outside Pewter Gym, James pulled out the scheduling book from its place. Jessie peeked from the side, and Meowth got up on his shoulder to get a better look as well. "It says he lost," Jessie pointed out.

"He did." James furrowed his brow.

"So what? Bratty, wanna-be trainers lose all the time," Meowth pointed out.

"Not ones with rare, super powerful pokemon," Jessie pointed out.

James slid the book back in its place. "It might be because ground types are immune to electric attacks. And this leader's two pokemon are both partially ground type."

"Immune? Could it really be completely immune to an attack that powerful?" Jessie mused.

"I'd be curious to see as well," James said.

"Or maybe that little pikachu wasn't as powerful as we thought." Jessie said with a shrug.

"It was!" Meowth declared. The pokemon hopped down, glaring up at its partners. "Hey, don't you two doubt it either! You saw what that little thing did, didn't you?"

"I did," James lamented.

"It's the reason the boss is doubting us now!" Jessie pointed out.

"That's right." Meowth nodded. "So... We're gonna get this super powerful pikachu from this dumb little trainer, and then the boss will be super happy with us. But I've got another plan. James, get me that book!" James picked it out and handed it to Meowth on the ground, who flipped through it. "Like I thought, he's signed up again. He'll lose again, but we'll be there to get the poor, weakened little guy. Pikachu will be super happy to see us, I bet."

"Pokemon want worthy trainers, is that right?" James asked.

"If I had a trainer, I'd sure be pissed off if it was some dumbass kid," Meowth snapped. "But it doesn't matter, since all pokemon are for Team Rocket, anyway. So I was thinking, why don't we nab the gym leader's at the same time? His'll have to be weakened from battling that super powerful pikachu too. Then we'll have even more powerful pokemon for the boss, right? A gym leader's has to a real prize too."

"Sounds good to me," Jessie said.

"Won't it cause trouble for the boss?" James asked. "I mean, since he's a gym leader as well."

"Forget it." Meowth waved a paw. "This guy is just some nobody, not like the boss. He's just some sap that no one knows or cares about. Plus, that's why you two are 'counterfeit', remember?"

"I wish calling us that had never started." Jessie looked away.

"But us 'counterfeits' are ready, huh?" Meowth said.

Jessie smiled. "I know I am," she declared. "Let's get these pokemon and then get back the boss's respect!"

"Right," James and Meowth agreed.

As the large, ornate doors of the gym opened, Ash tried to peek through and see what was going on. Seeing other people coming, he went into the shrubbery and hid. As the newcomers opened the door, he stayed put, still trying to peek through.

"Hey, the gym's open for the public to view, you know."

Ash shuddered in surprise, backing away as he realized a man was right next to him, also hiding by the plants. "A weirdo," he muttered.

"What makes me a weirdo?" the man said.

"You're just hanging out here in some bushes!" Ash accused.

The man stroked his beard, then adjusted his hat, which seemed more appropriate for winter, while they were well into the warm spring days. "I am like a weirdo, aren't I?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, looking at the man dubiously. He didn't offer any explanation for his actions or location, but crouched down along with Ash as a young boy and girl passed by. In fact, Ash noticed, the man seemed even more worried about being noticed. "Ah! A cute little pikachu!" the girl exclaimed, distracted from her goal of getting into the gym.

"Pikachu," Pikachu replied as the girl approached it, petting its head. It glanced at Ash, causing the hidden duo to tense up.

"Cindy. Hey, come on! It's someone else's. And you don't want to miss the battle, right?" the boy replied.

"Nope." The girl stood up, and they both walked in.

Pikachu hopped next to Ash. "Pikapi?" it questioned.

"Get your pokemon back in its pokeball," the man said irritably. "I don't want to be spotted. What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I just wanted to watch Brock a little... So I can beat him," Ash said.

"Well, go in," the man goaded.

"I can't," Ash said. "Because I just lost against him the other day, you know?"

"You're gonna let that stop you? It's normal for trainers to observe gym leaders they want to defeat. Get in there and do it!"

Ash felt a little silly having to be told as much, and decided to go. He picked up Pikachu and walked in. No one paid him much mind. He was able to just sit down by the other spectators and observe the battle without incident.

The challenging trainer was a little older. Ash recognized him from Pallet Town. He'd maybe started two years ago, so had likely come back to challenge Brock again. He had a charmeleon along with an oddish. Oddish went out first. It did well against Brock's geodude, using stun spore to slow it down before using absorb, which seemed to have an increased effect on Geodude while keeping its own stamina up. But when Brock returned his geodude and sent out that giant onix, the oddish was soon defeated. The charmeleon was even quicker. If someone with that much more experience against him did this badly against Brock, maybe he didn't have a chance. Then again, one of Brock's pokemon being defeated showed that he really was fallible after all.

The opponents shook hands before they left. The challenging trainer noticed who was spectating as he went for the door. "Oh, hey Ash!" he said.

Ash waved back, but then felt a little embarrassed as everyone looked at him. Even Brock walked up to him. "So you're still in Pewter," the gym leader said.

"Yeah. You didn't see I signed up to battle you again?"

"I didn't notice," Brock admitted. "It gets pretty busy here. Well, I hope you're taking this seriously, then."

Ash nodded. Of course he was.

"How did Pikachu and Butterfree like their food?"

Ash blinked, then recalling the food Misty had given him the other day. He hadn't listened to her much, but she had said something about how nice Brock was while giving it to him. So, he must have sent it over. "Yeah, they liked it," Ash said.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"Good. You take care." Brock left, a bunch of the spectators jumping out of their seats and following him.

Ash left himself, keeping a distance from the group with Brock. He watched as they went down the path, all of the kids still following. "Why does Brock have so many fans?" he asked.

"Well, those are his siblings."

Ash looked over and saw it was the weirdo man who spoke. "Are you, um, Brock's fan too?" he asked.

"In a way," the man said. "I admire what he's been able to do."

"He even won just now," Ash informed. "Is he going to train? Maybe I should go see what he does!" He ran off.

"Pikapi," Pikachu called as it followed.

"Hey, you shouldn't bother him," the man warned. He followed Ash, who was himself following Brock at a distance, but didn't get before Ash ended up at Brock's house. "Huh?" Ash observed the large amount of children that surrounded the gym leader with various demands. "They can't all be Brock's siblings," he said.

"They are," the man confirmed. "He has nine brothers and sisters."

"No way!" Ash exclaimed.

"That's right," the man confirmed with a nod. "His father left to become a famous trainer, but he failed, and sent home no money. His mother ran the gym, but she did poorly, and left to become more powerful. Now it's all on Brock to raise them. His job as a gym leader is their only income."

"Oh." Ash swallowed as he thought of it, turning away from the rowdy family that hadn't even noticed him. He didn't have to think about money. His food, shelter at pokemon centers, anything he needed to care for his pokemon - that was all covered as part of Professor Oak sponsoring him. He was free to train pokemon without worrying about that kind of thing at all. "So Brock isn't worried about glory, or fun with pokemon, huh?" Feeling some empathy, Ash clenched his fists as he wandered back toward the gym.

"Right," the man said as he followed. "It's a necessity. And inexperienced trainers like you challenging him helps him out, keeps his win ratio up, so don't feel bad about doing so."

Ash turned around, meeting the man's eyes. "Should I feel bad about how I'm going to beat him then?" he said.

"You think you will?" the man said.

"I'm going to - Next time I battle him, I bet," Ash informed.

"Hmph. Brock feels bad about beating you, so I will too," the man said. "Why don't you train a bit with me."

Ash shrugged as he walked past the gym. "I can battle more trainers back at the pokemon center," he said.

"But do they have a geodude, or an onix?"

Ash turned back around. No, in fact, though he had been wanting to battle some. He had quickly lost against a boy with a geodude that hadn't been interested in battling again, and hadn't been able to find an onix trainer at all. "You have both?" he said.

"I do, in fact. I'd be willing to give you some advice as well."

"Okay," Ash agreed. "Let's go battle."

"Hey Ash!" Misty ended her conversation with the other trainers, then went and greeted Ash as he walked up the gym. "And hi to you too, Pikachu," she said to the pokemon, then noticed the skeevy-looking man next to him stop as Ash did, seeming to be following him.

"Um, Ash, there's a guy behind you," she whispered.

"Yeah, I know," Ash said.

"Well, um you shouldn't just let any guy follow you around." Misty looked up at the man, whose eyes were mostly hidden by a red knit cap with holes. She quickly looked back down. "Do you need help?" she whispered to Ash.

Ash shook his head. "I know he's a weirdo, so I brought him here to battle to be safe."

"A weirdo," the man repeated. "Well, you're probably right. You need to have a sense of safety as you travel, so it was good you thought of that. Be careful out there, young man."

"He says while looking like that and talking to a little boy," Misty muttered.

"Hey," Ash said crossly. "I'm not-"

"Ash, listen," Misty interrupted. "There's plenty of licensed trainers around here. You don't have to talk to random strangers, random bums."

"I'll decide on my own," Ash said, turning around as he looked for an area that was big enough for a battle with an onix.

"Young lady, I assure you I'm fully licensed," the man said. He dug around in his pocket before taking out a paper and handing it to Misty.

Misty studied it, first looking at the picture. She glanced back and forth from the relatively handsome, clean cut, man in it back to the man in front of her. Upon close inspection, they really were the same. "What happened to you?" she said.

"Hmph. It's a long story, maybe another time," the man said.

"Flint," Misty read the name aloud. "And you're home in Pewter City, huh? Flint, that name sounds familiar."

"Hey! Let's go over here," Ash called from across the battling area. He'd picked a spot with some distance from the pokemon center. As Flint held out his hand, Misty passed the license back, and they both wandered back to where Ash had gone.

"Wait!" Misty exclaimed once stepping in the spectator's area. As Ash and Flint both looked her way, Misty visualized the man's picture from the license. "Hmm... Right, I know," she said.

"Come on Misty, we're going to battle," Ash whined.

"Flint," Misty continued anyway. "You look kind of like Brock, if he was older. And I remember now, Flint was the leader of Pewter Gym a while back! So you must be Brock's dad!"

"No way," Ash said. "Brock's dad is some loser trainer."

"Yeah, what I'm saying is we have that loser trainer right in front of us," Misty said.

"Ah, well..." Flint muttered, unable to answer the girl.

"Wait." Ash paused. "So you're the guy that left all his family and lost in the league?"

"It's complicated." Flint regained his composure, adjusting his hat yet again. "In any case, would you like some advice, young man? Should we start training?"

"Yeah," Ash said. If Flint was the former gym leader, with the same pokemon, that only made him more valuable as a training partner. "Let's start now."

"Perfect," Flint said.

"Whatever you want to do," Misty said. Despite her misgivings about this man, she was still curious how any battle would go, and sat down at a safe distance to watch.

"So, what pokemon are you going to use?" Flint asked.

"Um, I don't want to just tell you it all in advance," Ash said, looking down at Pikachu.

"You already know mine, since I agreed to use them. So nothing will change. Let's talk strategy beforehand. I'm just trying to help."

"Okay." Ash took out his two pokeballs, releasing them in succession. "Go, Pidgeotto! Butterfree!"

Flint looked at the two flying pokemon a moment. Butterfree stuck close to Ash, while Pidgeotto landed, pecking on the ground. "Pikachu," Pikachu greeted them both.

"I don't know which two would be best," Ash admitted.

"None of them," Flint said firmly.

"What?!" Ash exclaimed.

"He's right," Misty commented from afar.

Ash shook his head. "Hey, you said you wanted to help, but instead you're just insulting me," he pointed out.

"It's not that that's what I'm trying to do," Flint lamented. "It's just, you think any of these pokemon can compete in a rock type gym? Maybe you should try another gym and get some more experience first."

Ash frowned, looking downcast. He bit his lip and glanced back up. "I'll be at other gyms, but I want to get the badge here, too! What's wrong with my pokemon? They're all great. Look, my pidgey just evolved to pidgeotto."

"Oh, it did," Misty said. She hadn't been paying much attention to it, since Ash had mostly been training it without her around. "Good job, Pidgeotto!" Misty complimented.

Flint put his hand on Ash's shoulder, leaning down to look in his eyes. "I can tell you've put in a lot of work, both you and your pokemon. But you're all still green. Pidgeotto and Butterfree are fragile against rock types in general. And Pikachu, that one is worthless given Onix and Geodude's secondary type."

"Pi." Pikachu froze as it heard the assessment of itself, turning its attention toward the two conversing humans.

"Pidgeotto got stronger really quick, that's why it evolved. And Butterfree was really tough against Brock the first time, I just didn't give it enough of a chance. And Pikachu-"

"Pika!" Pikachu interrupted as it heard Ash say its name. "Pikachu," it called louder, pushing against a nearby rock. Pika CHU!" it shouted, shocking the item being pushed.

"Is there something wrong with your pokemon?" Flint inquired.

"No." Ash blinked. "I know what it's trying to say. Pikachu wants to battle Brock again too."

"Pika!" Pikachu declared happily, raising its arms.

"Are you sure?" Flint said. "Maybe it's just hungry."

"Pika!" Pikachu said harshly, then again pushed against the rock in front of it.

"I know what it means," Ash said. "I feel bad because we lost too. But we're getting stronger. Pikachu wants to battle again."

"Pika!" Pikachu again exclaimed happily and raised its arms.

"Even if that's the case, you're the trainer, Ash," Misty pointed out. "You have to do what's best for your pokemon, and make the right call."

"Pi pikachu!" Pikachu called harshly as it turned away from Misty purposefully.

"Pikachu," Misty said in surprise.

"Pikapi." Pikachu ran up to Ash.

"Ah," Flint paused as he studied the determined pokemon. "Your pokemon really has spirit, but..." he paused, unable to think of what else to say that he hadn't already.

"Yeah, don't worry, Pikachu," Ash assured his pokemon before turning to Flint. "These people from Team Rocket - they said Pikachu was really rare."

"How dumb can they be!" Misty exclaimed. "They did walk through Viridian Forest too, didn't they? We spotted so many pikachu, everywhere..."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, but, um.. They said Pikachu was way more powerful than other pikachu. A really special pikachu. So maybe it can beat an onix." Ash glanced at Flint.

The boy's determined expression soon changed to questioning as the man stood in silence for a moment. "Hm," he finally made a noise. "Well, Team Rocket's not the best source. But I'd be curious to find out. I don't think it's impossible for a pikachu to beat an onix, just unlikely. But you're welcome to try."

"Alright, Pikachu! You're gonna do it!" Ash exclaimed, picking up his pokemon.

"Pikapi," Pikachu called in surprise at the boy's sudden affection. It suddenly became somewhat anxious as it thought of actually battling the giant rock type again.

"I believe in you, Pikachu," Ash said. "It's not just that Team Rocket says you're powerful. I see you working hard all the time."

"Pika." Pikachu wasn't really sure that would be enough, but it had already gone out of its way to talk big.

"So, we'll begin. Let's go, Geodude." Flint released his pokemon.

"Pika." Pikachu hopped out of Ash's grasp and ran into the practice arena, getting into a fighting stand across from the rock type. "Pikachu," it invited the geodude to a friendly battle.

"Geodude," the geodude called, sending similar sentiment's Pikachu's way.

"Pikachu, try thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Geodude, start with a tackle," Flint ordered, calmly folding his arms as he looked at his pokemon.

"Geodude!" the pokemon called as it flung itself toward Pikachu.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried in the momentary pain, but soon got hold of itself. "Pika CHUU!" it shouted, doing its best to put all of its energy into its newest electric attack. The technique hit the geodude in an instant, causing the pokemon to falter and stumble.

"Oh," Flint said in surprise as he observed it.

"Yeah, that's right, keep going, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash clenched his fist in excitement.

"Step back." Flint swept his hand in front of him, speaking to Ash and Misty instead of his pokemon, though Geodude itself bounced back toward Flint. Once Ash moved a little away and Misty walked back to the main path, Flint continued. "Geodude, earthquake!"

"Pika CHUU!" Pikachu fired its attack first, hitting Geodude again.

Geodude again lost its stance for a second, wincing before it slammed its hand on the ground to start its own attack. "Geodude!" As it did so, the ground shook. Even though he'd moved, Ash stumbled to the ground. Pikachu felt the ground shatter underneath it, and cried as it was tossed in the air before falling down into the dirt.

Pikachu trembled a moment in the aftershock before it bounced back up, getting ready to fight. "Pika CHU!" it shouted, shooting a thundershock attack at Geodude this time. It would keep going, if its trainer could bother to order it or not. Sometimes, that was the only way to win a battle.

"That's enough."

"Pika?" Pikachu looked up at Flint, who had stepped on the battlefield. Somehow, it felt like listening to that person's calm declaration, even if he wasn't its trainer. "Pikachu," it called to Geodude.

"Geodude." Geodude returned the friendly sentiments.

Flint placed his hand on his pokemon's head. "Good job, Geodude," he said, then pressed the button on the pokeball, returning it inside with a flash of light.

"Hey, wait." Ash ran on the field himself. "You're giving up? So I win?"

"Son, I didn't really want to have a formal battle, I just wanted to see your pokemon in action against a dual rock/ground type."

"Pikachu did pretty good, right?" Ash said. He smiled at Pikachu. "You really did! You were really moving, Pikachu!"

"Hmph." Flint smiled. "Yes, you have a, well, how did you put it? A 'special' pokemon here. Pikachu really doesn't seem like the average pikachu, even when considering pikachu in the hands of more experienced trainers."

"Really?" Ash said. "I didn't - I mean, I know Pikachu's great, but I didn't know it was that great." He again smiled at his pokemon.

"Yes. But I still don't recommend you use it against Brock," Flint said.

Ash frowned. "Why... Why not?!" he demanded. "Pikachu's just fine!"

"It still has its disadvantages," Flint explained. "And I didn't see you order it to use any attack other than an electric type one. It's already amazing enough to be able to affect my geodude at all, but you shouldn't make it reliant on only those kinds of attacks. Doesn't Pikachu know any others?"

"Um, um," Ash paused, frantically trying to think of one. "Yeah! I think I saw it tackle a couple times."

"That's not considered a feasible attack for a pikachu," Flint pointed out.

"Then, I guess not." Ash put his arm up, sheepishly looking away.

"So, that's why I wouldn't recommend that strategy. Again, you might want to consider giving yourself more time. Maybe another gym would be easier." Flint sighed as he turned away.

Ash shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "Pikachu wanted to battle, so I'm going to battle. I know it can do it."

"Come on Ash," Misty said, trying to be patient as she walked over. "Just optimism alone isn't enough. You should really think this through."

"If I want to be a master, I can't back away. I'm not gonna give up so easy, and look around for the easiest way to do things. I'm also not going to let Pikachu down."

"Pikachu?" Pikachu questioned. Was this boy really the one that would be letting it down? Wouldn't the opposite be truer?

"I'm not trying to-" Flint began.

"Hey, enough!" Ash said, clenching his fists as he looked down. He eventually looked back up, meeting Flint's eyes. "I mean, thanks. But if you're not gonna help anymore, I'll just go train by myself." Ash turned around and walked toward the main path to the pokemon center, Pikachu following.

"Ash," Misty called. She glanced toward Flint. "Maybe I should explain it to him a different way."

"He understands the message," Flint said. "So that's that. I'm curious now how the battle will go."

As the day of the battle came, Ash took his time to be sure his appearance was at least passable. He looked himself over in the mirror in the dorm. His clothing was a little wrinkly, but no one should notice that much. His hair wouldn't stay down, but that didn't matter, since he just put his hat over it, then grabbed his jacket and put it on. As he finished, Ash looked to Pikachu. "Alright! Are you ready?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu called, not completely sure. It did wonder if it could beat that large rock type.

"Let's go," Ash said, walking out the door.

Pikachu followed the boy, keeping up with his quick pace. However, as they left the pokemon center, Ash slowed down. He sat down on one of the large rocks on the way out, taking out his two pokeballs, quickly releasing them. All three pokemon gathered near him. "Hey guys... I guess Brock's gonna say two on two again."

"Pidgeotto!" the bird pokemon called.

"Free, free," Butterfree agreed.

"So, yeah, um, I still think Pikachu and Butterfree are best. Sorry, Pidgeotto, you'll get your chance," Ash encouraged. The flying type pokemon called again, apparently not offended. Ash laughed before turning his expression more serious. "Yeah, and um, we might not win," he said.

"Pika." Pikachu crouched down lower, looking away.

"And if we don't win," Ash continued.

"Pikachu." Pikachu's ears went low, unable to control its reaction. What did it care if this guy won? Despite trying not to, it seemed it did, feeling a panic as Ash spoke.

"Yeah, if we don't win..." Ash paused, having trouble himself thinking of how discouraging it would be for that to happen again. "Um, then." He swallowed. "Yeah, maybe we should move on and try another gym first."

"Pikachu?" Pikachu questioned, tension leaving its body as it sat up.

"It's not like we won't be stronger," Ash said. "Then after we get another badge, we'll be even stronger still! I bet we, our team, can beat Brock eventually. Or maybe even today!" Ash stood back up.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed.

"Free, free," Butterfree added.

Ash wandered down the path, meeting up with Misty who had been waiting at the front. Together, they meandered over to the gym. Once they were there and had partially opened the door, Ash noticed Flint at the place he'd first met the man. "Hey," he said, walking over and greeting him.

"Shh," Flint said.

"What are you doing here? Why don't you just go in if you're Brock's dad?" Ash asked.

"Come on, Ash, they're obviously estranged," Misty said.

"E- What now?" Ash asked.

"Estranged. It just means they're not part of each others' lives anymore," Misty explained. "Though," she continued, looking over at Flint. "If you're right by his gym, right outside, I don't see why you don't just go in and say hi." She folded her arms and looked away, taking a step back toward the gym. "Maybe a reunion is better for when he's done working, huh?"

As Misty opened the door, Brock stood near the entrance. "Oh," he said as he caught sight of the three of them.

"Oh," Misty also said. She glanced from father to son and back again. "Hey, Brock..." she stopped herself as Brock walked outside, going past her.

"Hey Dad," Brock said casually.

"Hello, it's good to see you," Flint replied.

"Yeah. You're still hanging around?" Brock asked.

Misty gave a noise of surprise. "You knew he was here?"

"Yeah, sure," Brock said. "Sorry if he's any trouble to you."

"No way," Misty said, waving a hand dismissively as she nervously tittered. "But why isn't he staying with you? He's homeless now, you know." She kept talking as she realized how nosy she was being. "I mean... Well, he could help you, right?"

"The girl has a point," Flint said. "Let me come home, Brock."

"I don't have enough to take care of you too!" Brock shouted.

"I'm back here to-" Flint began.

"I don't care. I don't want to hear it anymore." Brock spoke more calmly this time, though he still folded his arms in obvious upset.

"Brock, I know you wanted to travel, find more pokemon, learn different things you can't in Pewter. If I came home, you could. Didn't you tell me about that?" Flint questioned.

"I want that more than anything." Brock frowned and glanced down, then looked back up with a straight face. He shook his head now as he spoke. "Well, not anything. I want things good for my family first," he said. "When you left, Forrest, Salvadore, Yolanda, Tommy, Cindy - they all cried about it. Suzie and Timmy were too young to think about it, but even they seemed upset. Billy and Tilly weren't even born yet. They don't know you. They saw you on TV, but they wouldn't recognize you now. Look at yourself."

"I'm sorry," Flint said. "I don't have much to offer you now, but I could take back over the gym so it's no longer your responsibility."

"Yeah, they don't know you," Brock continued, ignoring the offer. "But if I let you back, they'll get to know you. And then they'll be all the more upset when you think of something dumb like becoming a top trainer and leave again. I won't let that happen." Brock turned to Ash. "You're here for your scheduled challenge, right? Let's go."

Brock went inside the gym without another word. Ash followed him, Misty pausing. "You might as well come in. Like he said, they probably won't recognize you." Misty glanced at the man only a moment longer before going inside herself.

Flint eventually followed, taking a seat next to Misty on the farthest side from the door. Not many people came in, other than a few of Brock's siblings, taking a spot near the front.

"This will be a two-on-two battle," Brock began.

Ash nodded. "Pika," Pikachu also agreed to the conditions, sitting near Ash's feet.

"Let's begin." Brock threw out his pokeball. "Go, Geodude!"

"Go, Butterfree!"

Both pokemon appeared on the battlefield across from one-another. "Geodude, tackle," Brock said.

"Butterfree, sleep powder!" Ash ordered.

Butterfree flew around slowly, releasing its powder as part of its attack. Geodude flung itself from the ground toward the butterfree. Butterfree called loudly as it did so, and then Geodude fell to the ground, its eyes drooping. "Geodude, stay awake!" Brock goaded. "Tackle!"

"Butterfree, tackle!"

Geodude repeated the actions as Butterfree performed similar ones. It fell back, floating closer to the ground before it started to freefall. Ash returned it without comment. "Go, Pikachu!" he said, pointing forward to direct his pokemon. "Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu ran readily this time. "Pika CHUU!" it called as it released the powerful attack. Geodude took a direct hit, falling over.

Brock also returned his pokemon, quickly sending our his next. "Your turn! Onix."

"On," Onix gave a low cry as it appeared on the field, folding out in front of Pikachu, who moved back twice to avoid it.

"Pikachu! You can do it, thunderbolt!" Ash shouted Pikachu to try its most powerful attack.

"Onix, dig!" Brock followed.

"Pika!" Pikachu was able to get a hit in before Onix went underground.

"Hey," Forrest shouted, hanging on in the stands. "That's gonna be another big mess to clean up, bro!"

"Hmph." Brock seemed more amused by the idea as he watched his pokemon continue the attack.

Ash's eyes went wide as he saw the technique. His pokemon couldn't hit its opponent like this, could it? "Pikachu, try-" Ash began. Before he could finish, Onix came back out of the ground, calling loudly as it did. Pikachu avoided it as it did, but was eventually tossed around, landing on the back of its head. It got back up quickly, staring up toward the imposing pokemon, which piled up in a tower over it. "Pikachu, now!" Ash shouted, holding onto his hat. "You've gotta- Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu ran around, avoiding the continued rubble as it found a good spot to attack. It turned around, facing Onix and not hesitating further. "Pika CHUU!" it cried, releasing its thunderbolt attack toward the pokemon.

Onix called loudly as it was hit, twisting around.

"Onix, tackle," Brock said.

"Pikachu..." Ash glanced toward the edge of the field, seeing some movement, maybe something off. He forced himself back to the field, not wanting to be distracted. He could check it out later. "Pikachu, thunderbolt again!"

Pikachu cried as Onix tackled it, landing on its back after the impact. It then rolled over and smiled in the large face of its opponent. "Pika CHUU!" It repeated the attack, then caught its breath as it caught a piece of solid ground, struggling to maintain view of its opponent. "Pika?!" Pikachu exclaimed in surprise as it noticed Onix's reaction. This time the large pokemon seemed much more affected, twisting around and writhing as it was shocked. It then fell over completely, causing the ground to shake.

"Onix," Brock said in surprise. He returned the large pokemon to its pokeball, then nodded at Ash, laughing. "What happened?" he said, shaking his head, then forced a smile as he looked toward Ash and Pikachu. "Who knew. You really could win."

"Good job, Pikachu."

The words were spoken as if stolen from Ash's mouth before he could speak them. "Who's there?" he said. He turned to see Meowth walking out on the field next to Brock.

"If you're asking who's here, I'll let you know to prepare for trouble," Jessie began.

"And make it double," James added, standing in the corner next to her.

"What's going on?" Brock asked.

"It's those two! And that meowth, from Team Rocket!" Misty declared, pointing at the two humans so everyone could see. "Jessie and James, right?"

"You remember. I'm flattered." Jessie spoke with an amused tone.

"We're the pair that soars through the galaxy, sure to leave an impression," James said, nodding at the grooves in the ground where Onix had fallen.

"Ha ha," Meowth laughed heartily. "Yeah, we really helped you out there, bud. You're welcome."

"Pika?" Pikachu questioned.

"Oh." Ash's face fell as he noticed the two rocket agents standing by a hose, which had leaked out onto the field, the water criss-crossing the field and going underground where Onix had dug. "Hey! That's not fair!" he shouted.

"How ungrateful," James chided.

"Yeah. We couldn't wait around all day for you to finally win," Jessie complained.

"Right, we thought we'd give you a hand. And now, we'll take our prize." James walked toward Pikachu, Jessie next to him.

"And thank you," Meowth hopped up and swiped the pokeball in Brock's hand as he was distracted, running over to its human allies. "And Pikachu, too," Meowth said. "Just nab it!"

Ash ran over, picking up Pikachu himself. "Get out of here! You can't have my pokemon."

"Do you want to try to battle?" James dared, taking a step toward the boy with the pokemon, a smile on his face. "Go, Koffing!"

"Go, Ekans!" Jessie followed with her own pokemon.

"Excuse me." Flint stepped on the field, scowling. "This is my son's gym you're disrupting."

"As if we care," Jessie said. "And what will you do, old man?"

Flint threw out a pokeball, releasing his own onix. "You said you wanted to battle?"

Flint's onix let out a call that sounded more like a roar. "Onix, tackle," Flint ordered. The pokemon moved quickly, hit both of the rocket pokemon nearly at once. Jessie and James shouted, taking a step back.

Meowth dropped the pokeball it had taken in its surprise. "Um... Yeah, maybe we should get out of here," it said.

Jessie returned her pokemon first. "Poor Ekans's teeth would shatter!" she said.

"Koffing, smoke screen!" James ordered before returning his own.

"I lost the pokeball," Meowth lamented, unable to look for it in the gym which now filled with smoke. "We'll get that pikachu later. And better pokemon!" it declared, its voice going farther away.

Ash felt himself shoved out of the way. When they opened up the front and back doors, they saw the rockets had retreated. Brock quickly found the pokeball on the ground, recognizing its unique scuffs as his own. "Thanks, Onix." His attention was soon grabbed by the sight of his siblings surrounding Flint. They all tried to have several conversations at once, similar to when Brock came home some days. The older ones had tears in their eyes, the younger ones seemed a little cautious but still happy.

Brock frowned, folding his arms before he turned to the door and sighed. "Dad, why don't you come back home," he said.

"If that's what you want," Flint said.

The family crowded the area as they went to the door. Brock stopped as he reached Ash. "Here you go, the Boulder Badge," he said.

"Wait." Ash put his hands up as if to push the object away. "What Team Rocket did... That's like cheating, even if it wasn't me. I can't take it."

"Na, just take it," Brock said. "Let's call it a handicap. Though know you won't always get those. Well, I'll see you later, maybe."

Ash tentatively took the badge as Brock pushed it closer. He stared at it as the gym leader left. "Pi pikachu!" Pikachu called energetically, wanting to improve its current trainer's mood.

Ash smiled down at it. "You really did a good job, Pikachu."

It was a few days later before Ash decided to leave. He packed up and waved good-bye to a few trainers he knew would continue to hang out. Then he bumped into Misty in the lobby. "You're on your way already?" she said.

"Yeah, I got the badge here. I need seven more to be in the league," Ash pointed out. "You're staying here?" he said.

"You kind of trashed my mode of transportation," Misty said crossly.

"Your what?" Ash asked.

"My bike!" Misty snapped.

"Oh yeah," Ash said, peering upward.

"Did you forget?" Misty demanded.

"No," Ash said quickly. "Um, maybe I can get you one after I win the league."

"I'm never getting it back, am I?" Misty frowned, a hand to her face.

"You are, I mean, once I can really get the money. Right now, um, I don't really have any money, since Professor Oak pays for everything I need," Ash explained.

"So I'll stick with you to make sure you don't spend anything you might get," Misty said.

"I didn't get it broken on purpose," Ash insisted.

Misty turned and faced him. "You're fine," she assured. "For now."

As they reached the end of the path to the pokemon center and turned, Misty noticed Brock down a ways, wearing a somewhat large backpack. "Hey, Brock!" she called, waving.

"Oh, Misty, and Ash. Just the two I wanted to see." Brock stopped as they came closer.

"Where are you going with that?" Ash asked.

"I'm going on my own journey," Brock said. "There's a lot I want to see, some people I'd want to meet, maybe. Dad had some empty pokeballs, so I might even catch some pokemon, too."

"That's great!" Misty exclaimed. "You're not worried about your siblings?" she said.

"Na." Brock shook his head. "My dad's not so irresponsible as to leave them without me around, so me heading out now is extra insurance he'll stay!" He laughed forcefully. Misty had to laugh along with him, though it wasn't that funny. It was their in-joke for having such irresponsible parents.

"What's so funny?" Ash asked.

Brock ignored the question. "So, I'm sure where I want to go. I thought I might hang around you guys for a while."

"You want to sleep in the woods?" Misty asked.

"Hey, don't take me as a lightweight," Brock insisted. "I've got what I need - tent, sleeping bag, cooking supplies-"

"You cook in the woods?" Ash interrupted.

"You... Don't?" Brock asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just put some food in my bag," Ash said.

"Me too. And I might catch fish. Then I just put them on a stick over a fire," Misty explained.

Brock let out a noise of discontent. "That's no good. Alright, I am going to stick with you two for a little while."

"Fine with me," Ash said. He started to walk on, both Brock and Misty following him along with Pikachu.

"So where are we going?" Brock asked.

"The next closest gym is Cerulean City," Ash said.

"Cerulean, huh?" Brock glanced at Misty with a knowing smirk. "Yeah, that's the closest besides Viridian."

"The leader there won't be back until like a month," Ash said. "So I'll just keep going." Misty increased her pace, moving past Ash. She turned around walking backwards. "What is it, Misty?" Ash asked.

"I don't think you're ready for Cerulean," she said.

"Yeah, we'll see," Ash said.

"We will." Misty turned back around. "Mt. Moon first, right?" They went on their way, the mountain in the foreground.

End note: Writing this story made me remember just how much I loved Brock and Misty, which I'd forgotten over the years as they were absent from the anime and I mostly wrote Team Rocket-centric fanfic... No regrets there, and there'll be plenty of Team Rocket here, but I hope you all like my Brock and Misty too.

Next chapter: Clefairy vs. The Moon
(Not just filler.)