Chapter 4
I do not own Pokemon. I only own my OCs.
Ash, Nate, and Angelina's first day Viridian Forest was filled with battles. As soon as they left Viridian City, they were bombarded by challenges from bug catchers that littered the area near the city. Luckily, the number of Trainers started to drop once the three of them trekked farther and farther into the forest.
Soon it was time for them to set up camp. Ash checked the map feature on his Pokedex. They had made good progress. A couple more days and they would reach Pewter City, likely by mid-afternoon.
After gathering some firewood to give them a light source, the three kids set up their new tents with all of the money gained from battling. They were surprisingly cheap, and it made sure their bodies were covered in the event of a rainfall.
Ash then proceeded to treat the wounds his Pokemon received using the Potions they had bought earlier that day. Dexter had only received some minor scratches, but Petal had gotten bruises and cuts all over his body. Ash had opted to use him more in battles so he could get stronger and be able to control Mega Drain for longer. It would be another week before he fought Brock, and Ash wanted to be as prepared as possible for the fight ahead.
Petal had been very friendly with all of his companions' Pokemon, especially Bulbasaur. The two Grass/Poison types had gotten along very well. Even Nidoran and Charmander started to warm up to the Oddish, which was surprising given their tough and prideful nature.
"I'm exhausted." Nate said. "I've been battling and training all day with Nidoran. I want it to learn Double Kick before we get to Pewter City, and there are plenty of Bug Pokemon to try it out on."
Ash just nodded. Nate's team so far wasn't exactly great against Ground, Water, or Rock types. He needed all of the type coverage he could get if he wanted to defeat Brock.
A few seconds later, Angelina stumbled out of the bushes, followed by her Bulbasaur. "I hate this forest!" she yelled at no one in particular, stamping her foot. Twigs were stuck in her hair and mud was caked on her fingernails, the nail polish rubbing off. "I got chased by a Butterfree and fell into a mud puddle, and then a Beedrill tried to sting me! I could've died! And my hair's ruined!"
Nate cocked his head. "Really?" he said. Charmander mimicked the action. "Those little things? They barely scratched Charmander."
The fire lizard puffed out its chest proudly. Angelina shot a glare at her traveling companion. "Easy for you to say! You have a Fire-type!" she yelled. "You have it easy compared to me!"
Nate shrugged. "Maybe you're just not strong enough." he said nonchalantly. A nerve popped out of Angelina's forehead.
"I am too!" she shouted. Ash merely sat a few feet away from them, watching all of this play out. He sighed as Angelina then proceeded to lob insults at Nate, who then fired back with his own. Next to them, Charmander and Bulbasaur were also arguing, and the fire lizard's tail flame started to get bigger and bigger. Uh oh. This was getting out of hand.
"GUYS!" Ash shouted, startling both of them and their Pokemon. He shot a glare at both of them, which caused them to look down in shame. Angelina sat herself down by the campfire and gave an exasperated sigh, and Bulbasaur followed suit, tired from training. Viridian City was chock-full of bugs, since the warm climate and fast growth rates allowed them to swarm Viridian Forest.
It was a reason why so many young Trainers became bug catchers. Most bugs were easy to catch and evolved fast, making them powerful partners for new Trainers. However, their growth started to slow as they became stronger, which meant a lot of bug catchers quit raising bugs once they got older. It just wasn't worth the time when other Pokemon, while evolving later, turned out much stronger once they finished evolving.
A few experienced Trainers were able to take Bug-types to the Indigo Conference, and Ash had even heard of an Elite Four member from another region that had a team entirely of bugs. Besides that however, other types were favored far more by Trainers.
Ash's mind was replaying his battle against those two thieves he met in Viridian City. They seemed to be part of some organization, judging by the R that was printed on both of their shirts. Clearly the members weren't very strong if Ash had been able to defeat both of them with his rookie team.
But he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd be seeing more of them throughout his journey.
A few hours later, the sky started to darken, the only light source being the small campfire Charamander had lit, the sound of the fire crackling echoing throughout the forest. After a bit of small talk and jokes, the three of them started to get tired, and Ash stifled a yawn. This time it was his turn to put out the fire. He needed to get a water Pokemon soon, or else they would have to use up some of their water canteen to put out fires every time. The treks between cities were already proving to be exhausting, and he didn't want to use up a good portion of his available water every time he had to put out a fire.
He muttered a good night to his Pokemon, who both murmured and warbled in response. His eyelids got heavy, and he fell asleep.
Ash woke up to a sword just inches from his face. He blinked and yelped in surprise as he realized someone was pointing it at him. He took a closer look at the figure and saw that it was a boy dressed in fake samurai armor, similar to the representations of the ancient warriors in his textbooks back at school.
"W-who are you?" Ash stuttered.
"My name is Samurai." the boy responded. "Are you Ash Ketchum, Trainer from Pallet?"
"Uhh… yeah? How did you-"
"I was defeated by another Trainer from Pallet!" the boy stated. "I must regain my honor! Prepare to- WAHHHH!"
A sticky purple substance was melting through Samurai's metal blade. The acid ate away at the sword, causing it to sizzle. Samurai watched in horror as his once proud katana was reduced to half of its original length.
Ash turned to look at the culprit, who was none other than Petal, giving Samurai a dirty look. He had no idea Petal was that protective.
Samurai shot a death glare at Ash. "What was that for!?" he yelled. "Your mutated turnip just melted my trusty blade! Control it a little would you!"
"Well you did point a weapon at me." Ash responded.
The boy's yelling caused Angelina and Nate to wake up, as well as their Pokemon. Dexter warbled and opened its eyes to find that Samurai was still pointing the end of the blade at Ash and it beeped in alarm, firing an Ice Beam at the sword in an attempt to cease any danger.
"So you better be able to replace my- OH COME ON!" Samurai yelled for the second time. The half of the katana that wasn't melted off by Petal was now encased in ice. The frustrated boy threw the icy sword down and glared at Ash.
"I'll take down both of your uncontrollable Pokemon, regain my honor, and then you are going to replace my sword!" Samurai said angrily. He unlatched a PokeBall from his belt and threw it.
A brown armored bug Pokemon was released from the PokeBall with evident murder in its eyes. It had an ovalish body, sporting a large mouth with teeth similar to a grinder, sharp claws, and two huge mandibles on top of its head.
Ash hadn't seen anything like this fearsome Pokemon, and immediately pulled out his Pokedex to scan it.
"Pinsir." the robotic voice recited. "The Stag Beetle Pokemon. These Pokemon have a pair of massive pincers. Protruding from the surface of these are thorns. These thorns are driven deeply into the foe's body when the pincer closes, making it tough for the foe to escape. This Pokémon clamps its pincers down on its prey and then either splits the prey in half or flings it away."
Ash winced. He would not want to be caught in between those horns. He needed his Pokemon to keep his distance.
"Dexter, mind battling for me?" Ash asked. His starter Pokemon gave Ash a warble and took its place beside its Trainer. Its eyes flashed when it made eye contact with Pinsir, assessing its opponent.
"Use Vice Grip!" Samurai ordered. Pinsir charged and opened its mandibles in an attempt to grab Porygon with them.
"Stop it in its tracks with Ice Beam! Aim for the pincers!" Ash commanded. Porygon gathered light blue energy around its beak and shot it at the thorny protrusions on its head encasing them in a block of ice.
"Break out and use Vice Grip again!" Samurai yelled. The large stag beetle shattered the ice covering its pincers and swung them at Porygon in an attempt to grab hold of its body.
"Move back!" Ash shouted. "Keep your distance and go for a Thunderbolt!"
Porygon moved a few inches back everytime Pinsir got too close, before charging up a beam of electricity and blasting Pinsir with it. The Bug Pokemons body spasmed before flying back to its original Trainer, knocked out.
Ash frowned. He expected that battle to be longer. Pinsir looked like a tough opponent, but one Thunderbolt was able to knock it out. It showed inexperience, something that it and its Trainer had in common.
Samurai was still quite furious, already losing his beloved sword and now close to losing this battle too.
"I'm not finished with you yet! Go Metapod!" Samurai yelled. A green cocoon-like Pokemon took the field. It looked almost crescent-like in shape, and its yellow eyes tracked Dexter as it levitated. Ash didn't bother scanning it. He'd seen enough bug catchers use it to deduce that it was virtually useless in this form until it evolved.
A few Ice Beams later, Metapod's defenses had been breached and it fainted. Samurai was seething, but he knew he couldn't do anything. Ash had beaten both of his Pokemon fair and square.
"Nice job, Dexter." Ash said. "Return."
Dexter disappeared in a flash of light and Ash looked at the furious boy.
"You have no honor!" Samurai yelled. "Using a strange Pokemon I've never seen before! You have some nerve going up against the warrior of Viridian Forest!" He stormed off in a random direction, muttering to himself angrily.
Ash shrugged. Samurai lost fair and square. If he couldn't accept it, that was his fault. He looked at his friends, who still had their eyes on the boy as he walked away.
"What was all that about?" Nate asked. "He looked pretty mad."
"He challenged me to a battle after Petal melted his sword." Ash said. Speaking of which…
He turned to Petal, who looked at the ground with a guilty expression. The Weed Pokemon knew it had messed up. He crouched down until he was eye level with him and smiled.
"Don't feel bad, Petal." he said. "I'm glad you stood up for me back there. Just be careful not to overreact next time. Got it?"
Petal nodded and allowed Ash to return him to his PokeBall. On one hand, he was a bit mad at Petal for melting some random kid's sword. On the other hand, he was secretly impressed. That Acid attack had easily melted through a metal blade, showing that Petal has gotten stronger since he first caught him.
After the battle, the three of them cleaned up their campsite, making sure to pack up their tents and sleeping bags. Soon they were back on the road, closing the distance between them and Pewter City.
"Dexter, use Thunderbolt!"
The Porygon warbled and shot a lance of electricity toward a nearby tree, scaring a couple of Butterfree that were resting on it. The attack left a sizeable singe mark on the bark, and Dexter looked toward Ash, ready for its next command.
"Try toning the power down." Ash said. "Maybe 50 percent. If we want to get Thunder Shock down, you can't exhaust yourself so quickly by putting so much power into one move."
While the move was inferior to Thunderbolt in terms of power, it still had more utility as a defensive tactic, or to test an opponent by firing a weaker attack at them. Dexter reared its head back and fired a much weaker shock, striking the tree and leaving a smaller singe mark on the bark.
"Great!" Ash said. "Now try concentrating that power. Make it precise and refined."
As Dexter was about to launch another blast of electricity at the already charred trunk, Ash's attention was suddenly caught by a ringing sound. He looked to his left and saw a red bike cruising toward him at full speed, with a similarity red-haired girl riding on top of it.
"Watch out!" the girl screamed. The raven-haired boy's eyes widened, but he was paralyzed in fear and surprise. Suddenly an arm yanked him out of the way of the bike's path, just as it was about to flatten him like a pancake. The wheels kicked up dust from the dirt path, and Ash coughed. When it cleared, he saw Nate rubbing the dirt off his glasses with his shirt. His eyes were narrowed into a determined expression, and he dropped Ash's arm.
The girl screeched to a stop and put up the kickstand, right as Nate was stomping over to her. "Watch where you're riding that thing!" he yelled. "You almost ran over Ash!"
The redhead's eyes narrowed. "He was the one who wouldn't move out of the way, you dummy!" she said.
Nate stepped closer until his face was only inches away from hers. "If anyone here is the dummy, its you!" he fired back. "Where'd you even learn to ride that piece of junk!?"
Ash could practically see steam coming out of the girl's head. She rolled up her sleeve and balled her hand into a fist, moving towards Nate, who only then realized he had struck a nerve and backed away, eyes widened. "Why you little..."
"Alright, that's enough from both of you." Angelina said, pushing the two of them away from each other with her hands. "Nate and..."
"Misty."
"Misty. Right." Angelina said with a nod. "Can we like... not fight? As funny as it would be to see Nate beat up by a girl, I don't want his nose bleeding. It's icky. So can both of you lay off of each other please?"
Both of them grumbled their agreement, but not before Misty shot one last glare toward the boy, before hopping on her bike and speeding away, kicking up dust. Nate merely scoffed.
"Who does she think she is!?" Nate yelled, stomping his foot. He whipped his head toward Angelina. "And you! Why did you stop me? I was trying to defend Ash!"
Ash crossed his arms. "With all due respect, I can defend myself." he responded. "Still, thanks for pulling me out of the way. I'm glad you did that."
Dexter nodded as well, and Nate's expression softened. "Right." he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. Ash turned back to Dexter.
"Alright. Let's try this again."
The following day, the three tweens took to the road once more. Soon Ash started seeing more Trainers, a good sign when you were spending days on the road. It also meant stopping a lot of times to do battle, which did impede their progress, but gave his team members some much needed battle experience for when they finally fought Brock.
Petal had almost gotten full control of Mega Drain, and he was confident he would be able to use the powerful move by the time he challenged Brock. Dexter had mastered Thunder Shock quite fast, they were now working on Psybeam. He hadn't fought a single fighting type yet, but it would provide useful for when he fought one, and formed a good basis for more advanced psychic moves.
Frankly, he was quite surprised Porygon had any trace of psychic power. Usually Psychic Pokemon required quite a large brain, or for Slowbro and Slowpoke's case, to invest almost all of your brainpower into it and not leave much room for anything else. Porygon didn't have a brain, so he assumed it must have been programmed to harness them. Still, that wasn't a great explanation. He'd have to ask Professor Oak about it next time he called him.
Suddenly, he heard a rustling coming from a tree a few yards away from them, and a yellow mouse-like Pokemon jumped down from the tree, holding a berry in its paws. It had a zigzagged tail shaped like a lightning bolt, and red electric sacs on its cheeks. Ash saw that the end of the Pikachu's tail was shaped like a heart. A female.
Nate broke into a wide smile and yelled "Dibs!" loud enough to scare a few Pidgey above them. He sent out Charmander, who growled and glared at the electric mouse. The Pikachu's cute demeanor was replaced by a sinister one, and it grinned mischievously at the fire lizard.
"Use Ember! Scorch it!" Nate yelled. Charmander blasted some small fireballs at the wild Pikachu, who easily dodged them and closed the distance with a Quick Attack. Charmander yowled as Pikachu tackled it and sent it back a few inches. Ash noticed that the fireballs had grown in intensity and number since he last battled the Fire-type. Even if it wouldn't be useful for Pewter or Cerulean City's gyms, Charmander would definitely be a strong pick for any passing Trainers who didn't have a Rock or Water-type.
"You won't get a free hit that easily!" Nate said. "Use Ember and follow up with Scratch!" Charmander spat a few more fireballs at Pikachu, who dodged them again, but was caught by the Scratch attack that soon followed, leaving gashes in its fur.
The electric mouse hissed and retaliated with a Thunder Shock, zapping Charmander and causing it to spasm and go down on one knee.
Nate winced. "Are you able to continue, Charmander?"
The lizard grunted, but nodded its head. Nate smiled. "Good. Use the same strategy again! Ember and Scratch!"
Ash frowned. Either Nate was underestimating Pikachu's intelligence, or he was overestimating Nate's. Wild Pokemon weren't as fluent with strategies as trained Pokemon, but by no means were they dumb. Pikachu would definitely see this coming.
His prediction was confirmed when Pikachu dashed around the Ember attack, ducked under the Scratch, and zapped Charmander once again. This time, Charmander didn't get up.
Nate groaned and recalled Charmander. "I'm not done yet!" he said. "Go, Nidoran!" The Poison Pin Pokemon glared at the opposing Pikachu and brandished its horn. Nate was lucky he caught a Nidoran with Poison Point. If it had the ability Rivalry, it would have outright refused to attack Pikachu, and even if Nate somehow coaxed it to attack, it wouldn't try to do much damage. Ash wasn't sure if it could even be classified as an ability.
"Start off with Focus Energy!" Nate ordered. Nidoran contorted its face and an orange aura started emanating from its body. "Great! Now use Poison Sting!"
Nidoran charged at Pikachu, who decided to zap it with a Thunder Shock. However, this only managed to slow it down, and it rammed its long horn into Pikachu, causing it to squeak in pain and go flying back.
Nate pumped his fist and the air and rummaged around in his backpack for a PokeBall. He threw it out the unconscious mouse, causing it to form a vacuum that sucked it in.
*Shake*
*Shake*
*Shake*
*Click*
"Alright! I'll definitely be able to beat Brock now!" Nate exclaimed.
Angelina scowled. "Nate, I only have one Pokemon. You and Ash both have two. Couldn't I have caught that one?"
"No way! I need an Electric-type for any water types on the road, plus any help I can get for Brock." Nate said. "You're way better off than I am right now. Unless you want to battle for the right to own Pikachu?" His smile turned into a smirk and Angelina rolled her eyes. Even though she wanted Pikachu, it was clear Nate wasn't going to hand it over.
"Stop your bickering." Ash said. "It's already past noon. We have to keep walking if we want to reach Pewter City in time to get a room."
That shut them up, and soon the three of them were back on their way to Pewter City.
Just like in Viridian City, the three of them reached Pewter City by nightfall. It was noticeably smaller than Viridian City, and Ash could spot a few cliffs surrounding the city. Soon they'd be heading to Mt. Moon, which was going to be their hardest journey yet, mainly because much of it was near pitch black.
But for now, Ash was perfectly content in staying at the Pokemon Center. They'd be staying in Pewter City for at least a week to give them time to train, challenge Brock, and just relax.
The trio were able to locate the Pokemon Center after a few minutes of wandering, and Ash, Nate, and Angelina all handed their Pokemon to Nurse Joy. Nate and Angelina reserved a room while Ash waited for the video phone. Many of the people waiting for the video phone were Trainers like him on their journey, stopping at the Pokemon Center to call their friends and family at home.
When it was finally Ash's turn, he dialed in a number, and after a few seconds Professor Oak's face appeared on the screen.
"Ah, Ash!" Professor Oak said with a smile. "How have you been? I trust you've gotten to Viridian City safely?"
"I'm actually in Pewter City with Nate and Angelina." Ash said. Professor Oak's eyebrows rose.
"Progressing fast, aren't you my boy?" he said. "I didn't arrive in Pewter City until a month into my journey. But enough about me, why are you calling?"
"I actually wanted to ask you a few questions." Ash said. "I caught an Oddish about a week ago and I've been training it a bit differently. I've been getting it to master Mega Drain by… well… having it use it on me. That's not going to cause any problems is it?"
Professor Oak mused. "I would assume you caught one of the invasive ones on Route 1, correct? In its weaker state, you should be fine, but don't keep using that technique when it evolves." he said, "May I ask why you're using yourself as target practice?"
"He didn't want to attack my Porygon during training to strengthen Mega Drain." Ash responded. "It was either Porygon or me, so I chose myself as a target. Also did you say invasive?"
"Yes, I was able to find out that the recent influx of Bellsprout and Oddish populations is a result of a number of them escaping from an abandoned warehouse in Viridian owned by a criminal group called Team Rocket." he said. "I have already dispatched a message to the League in order to round them up and return them to their home."
Ash frowned. The two criminals he met in Viridian City had a giant R on their shirts. Was it possible they were from the same organization?
He banished the thought and returned his attention to the video phone. "I have another question." he said. "It's about Porygon. Is it possible for Porygon to evolve? I think I remember seeing someone with a Pokemon that looked vaguely similar to it on TV. But since it's artificial and all, I'm not sure if only making it stronger will help it."
Professor Oak nodded. "You would be right." he said. "Porygon can evolve into another form, but evolving it is extremely time consuming and expensive. It requires a specific piece of tech that takes weeks for it to fully incorporate itself into Porygon's system. Usually Trainers need some way to jumpstart the process, in which it will only take a few seconds."
Ash's face fell. He doubted a random ten-year old would be able to get their hands on valuable technology to evolve an extremely rare Pokemon. Professor Oak seemed to notice this because then he said, "However I may be able to get the component needed for Porygon to evolve into its next stage. It will take a lot of time for scientists at Cinnabar to replicate the Upgrade, at least two months, but obtaining it will make Porygon much stronger."
The ten year-old boy's face immediately lit up. "Thanks a lot, Professor Oak! I really appreciate it!" The old man on the other side of the screen chuckled. "But in return I expect you to send me reports on how Porygon functions when it is holding the Upgrade. It will make good use for my research on Porygon."
Ash nodded. "I'll do my best." He waved goodbye to the Professor and stepped out of line for the next person. Immediately after terminating the call, he realized he completely forgot to ask Professor Oak about Porygon's psychic ability. He mentally slapped himself before meeting up with Nate and Angelina, who already had their room key. The three of them walked up to their rooms, relieved that this time there was no annoying Gary to ruin their stay, and promptly fell asleep.
Ash, Nate, and Angelina immediately reserved a gym battle for Brock the day after they arrived in Pewter City. They wouldn't be battling Brock for a few days, which gave them time to do some more training.
Nate and Ash had engaged in many practice battles, which allowed Ash to test Porygon's control of Psybeam and for Nate to get more battling experience before fighting Brock. All three of Nate's Pokemon were weak against Ground and Rock-type moves, much to the dismay of Nate. He had to rely on moves of other types like Charmander's Metal Claw and Nidoran's Double Kick if he wanted to prevail.
Angelina on the other hand, was probably the most prepared out of the three, but seemed to struggle a lot against Trainers who didn't possess Water, Ground, or Rock-type Pokemon. Having only one partner was starting to take its toll on her.
Currently, Ash was working on strengthening Dexter's control of Psybeam as well as improving Petal's speed. He wanted to be as prepared as possible before fighting Brock, and this was one of the exercises he had come up with.
He watched as Dexter fired a weak ray of pink energy at Oddish, who sidestepped the attack with relative ease. Dexter's Psybeam was slow and unrefined. Nothing compared to the video of a Drowzee using the same attack, which looked much brighter and faster.
Ash watched the video of the Drowzee, who waved its hands and produced a pink orb of energy in its hands, before launching it. It seemed to concentrate psychic power in its hands for a few seconds before launching it. Dexter seemed to only take a couple of seconds to gather energy before using the attack.
He watched again as Dexter manifested the energy needed on its beak and fired it once again, much weaker than what the Pokedex had shown.
Ash stepped forward and raised his hand. "Stop." he said. "Dexter, try charging up more energy in your beak, and launching it with more force. This isn't a move that comes naturally to you like a TM. It'll take some more practice before we can get it down."
Dexter nodded and tried again, taking a bit more time to charge the Psybeam before blasting it at Petal. It scored a direct hit, nailing Petal in the head and sending it flying back a few feet. Petal got up, visibly dazed from the impact. The move still lacked the speed and power needed, but Ash was confident they'd get it down soon.
Ash chuckled. "Hurts, huh?" Petal nodded, wincing from the discomfort of being hit by a super effective attack.
"Let's take a break." Ash declared. "Tomorrow we'll pick up where we left off."
Ash took out Petal's Pokemon food and his canteen of water as well as a bowl for it to drink from. Dexter opted to settle down and turn off its levitation.
Ash sighed as he sat down. They'd been training for a while now, hoping to get strong enough for their first gym battle. Petal had finally mastered Mega Drain, which would give him an answer to Brock's Rock-types.
He just hoped it would be enough.
After a few days of just some sparring and exercises, it was finally time for Ash to face Brock. He made his way to the Pewter Gym, a small brown and grey building with a PokeBall symbol on it, similar to the ones one the red and white Pokemon Centers, and stepped inside.
Ash was greeted by a small waiting room where a boy around his age stood. He had dark skin and short brown spiky hair.
"Are you here to challenge the Gym?" the boy asked. Ash nodded.
"License please." he said, holding his hand out. Ash powered on his Pokedex and handed it to the boy, showing him his digital license.
The boy scanned over it for a few seconds before handing the device back to Ash. "Brock will be waiting for you over at the battlefield." he said. "The name's Forrest by the way. Good luck on your first gym battle."
Ash nodded. "Thanks." He walked up the flight of stairs and entered a much larger room.
The first thing he noticed was the large dirt battlefield, similar to the ones by the Pokemon Center, except this one had rocks jutting out of it. Ash cursed himself for not spectating a match beforehand. He could've scoped out the Gym Leader's tactics.
Speaking of which, across the battlefield was a boy who looked about five years older than Ash, sitting with his legs crossed.
"Are you here for a battle?" the boy spoke, his voice deep.
"Yeah." Ash said. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. I reserved a battle to get my first gym badge."
"First gym badge huh?" the boy responded. "I don't know a lot of people who have fought me before obtaining their first badge. I'm Brock by the way. If you're really set on battling, the rules are two-on-two, and only the challenger can make substitutions. Should we begin?"
Ash nodded, and Brock called over a referee from the stands.
"The battle between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Gym Leader Brock will now commence!" he announced. "Begin!"
smirked before sending out his first Pokemon. The PokeBall he threw opened, producing a flash of light that materialized into what looked like a floating face made out of stone with arms sprouting out of it. Ash decided to scan it with his Pokedex before making his first move.
"Geodude. The Rock Pokemon." the device recited. "Geodude that have lived a long life have had all their edges smoothed out until they're totally round. They also have a calm, quiet disposition. It climbs mountain paths using only the power of its arms. Because they look just like boulders lining paths, hikers may step on them without noticing."
Ash was about to use Petal but stopped himself. He'd need Petal for Brock's Onix, since Petal had a type advantage and could shrug off big hits with Mega Drain.
So he sent out Dexter. The virtual bird let out a cry, and its eyes shined.
"I've never seen that Pokemon before." Brock said. "It doesn't matter, we can still beat you. Geodude, start off with Tackle!"
"Ice Beam." Ash simply stated.
The floating rock mass charged at Dexter, slamming its rocky body into the Porygon, causing it to beep. Dexter was knocked back slightly, but recovered and charged up a blue laser, firing it and striking Geodude on the head. The Download boost gave it a significant boost in power, causing a small explosion that sent Geodude back.
"Heh. Not bad." Brock said. "But let's see how you handle this! Use Magnitude!"
Geodude slammed its body forcefully on the ground repeatedly, causing shockwaves to ripple across the battlefield, battering Dexter over and over again.
"Stop the attacks with Ice Beam!" Ash ordered.
"Avoid it with Gyro Ball!"
Dexter charged up a blue beam and once again fired it at the Rock Pokemon. Suddenly, Geodude transformed into a gray blur, dodging the Ice Beam with ease and rolling around the battlefield like a bowling ball. Dexter continued to hold the Ice Beam, using it to chase Geodude around the battlefield, before finally getting exhausted.
"Now!" Brock yelled. Geodude slammed its body into Porygon, knocking it back much farther than the Tackle had. "Double-Edge, quickly!"
Geodude's body started to glow a bright white, and Ash's eyes widened. Is he serious!? Double-Edge!? He had to stop this now.
"Dexter, dodge!" he yelled. But it was too late. The glowing body of Geodude slammed into Dexter, sending it flying before collapsing on the ground, not moving a muscle.
"The challenger's Pokemon is unable to battle." the referee shouted. "Geodude is the winner!"
Ash sighed. He really should have paid a visit to the gym earlier to scope out Brock's battling tactics. Ignorance on his part cost him one of his Pokemon. He withdrew the Porygon and took out Petal's PokeBall. The Oddish would have to do most of the heavy lifting this battle. Win or lose, he was definitely going to give Petal a treat when they get back to the Pokemon Center.
The Grass/Poison type Pokemon materialized on the battlefield, eyeing the floating rock mass on the other side of the battlefield. Ash had to end this quickly, he didn't want Petal to take too much damage before fighting Onix.
"Use Magnitude! Finish this!" Brock commanded. Geodude slammed its body on the ground, again creating shock waves through the earth. But this time Ash was prepared.
"Jump and use Acid!" he ordered. Petal jumped, avoiding the Ground-type move, and spat a purple blob of goo at Geodude. It didn't do much damage, but Ash could see the visible pain on Geodude's face as it was hit with the Acid attack.
"Finish this, quick!" Ash yelled. "Absorb!" Green energy started emanating from Geodude's body as its face was contorted in pain once more. Finally, the stress on its body from all the attacks it took started to take its toll, and it collapsed, unconscious.
"Geodude is unable to battle!" the referee announced. "Oddish is the winner!"
Ash pumped his fist in the air. Finally! Only one more Pokemon to go, and he had a type advantage!
"Nice job." Brock said. "Not many people are able to get past Geodude. But let's see how you fare against Onix!"
Ash's eyes widened and he gulped at the sight of a huge rock snake being released from its PokeBall. This one had to be at least 24 feet tall. It glared at the Oddish on the opposite side of the battlefield, who quivered under its gaze.
"Now Onix. Rock Throw!" Brock yelled. The huge Onix used its tail to wrap around one of the sharp rocks on the battlefield, breaking off a large chunk and hurling it at Oddish.
"Jump!" Ash yelled. Petal jumped high in the air, avoiding the giant chunk of rock, and landed on the ground gracefully. "Use Tackle!" Brock ordered. The large rock snake slammed its head into the Oddish, who didn't have time to dodge and was launched into the air and landed on the ground with a thud. Ash winced. Was it over already?
He breathed a sigh of relief when Petal managed to get to its feet. The amount of force behind the Tackle had damaged Petal greatly. He needed to be more careful, so Ash decided to deploy his strategy.
"Now use Sweet Scent!"
Sweet Scent was a move Ash hadn't had a chance to try much, since he didn't even know Petal knew it in the first place until a few days ago. However, he soon figured out that it was a nifty tool for distracting an opponent. He could already see the effects of Sweet Scent calming Brock's Onix, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike.
"Snap out of it, Onix!" Brock yelled. But the Onix was too preoccupied by the numbing sensation that came with the scent. "Use Mega Drain!"
A green beam shot from the oddish's leaves, making contact with Onix and causing it to roar in pain. Ash noticed that the bruise sustained from the powerful Tackle started to heal.
Brock's eyes narrowed. "Finish this! Use Bind!" Onix slithered towards Petal and wrapped its small body in its tail, and it started squeezing the life out of the poor Oddish. Ash's eyes widened. Petal's face was contorted in pain. He needed to think of something fast.
"Use Acid! Aim for the eyes!" Ash yelled. Petal pushed through the pain. He had to win this for his trainer.
Petal spat a huge glob of acid straight into the eyes of the Onix that was suffocating him. The Rock/Ground type let out a deafening roar of pain and loosened its grip on the Oddish, allowing him to squeeze his way out.
"Nice job!" Ash yelled proudly. "Finish this with Mega Drain!"
Another green beam shot from Petal's leaves, quickly draining Onix's energy as its movements started getting weaker. Brock could only watch in disbelief as his ace finally collapsed with a loud thud, unconscious.
"Onix is unable to battle!" the referee finally announced. "Oddish wins, which means Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town is the winner of this gym battle!"
"Petal you did it!" Ash yelled with glee. "I'm so proud of you!" He picked up the Weed Pokemon, who squealed with happiness.
Brock returned his Onix and walked over to Ash, who was still congratulating his Pokemon. "Nice job, Ash." Brock said with a grin. "You were able to beat me on your first try, something not many Trainers can do. How long have you been on your journey?"
"A few weeks." Ash responded.
"Well that's surprising." Brock said. "Judging from the bond you share with your Pokemon, I would've guessed you'd have been on the road for at least a few months. You're a good kid and trainer, Ash. Don't forget that."
He nodded. "Thanks." he said. "It was a great battle. Maybe I could come back for a rematch some day."
Brock smiled. "I'd like that. Mind if I come with you to the Pokemon Center? I need to get Geodude and Onix healed up, and I'm starving."
"Sure."
The two boys walked through Pewter City, causing a few passersby to stop and wonder what the gym leader of Pewter was doing with some kid.
They finally arrived at the Pokemon Center, and a few Trainers looked at Ash and started murmuring to each other. A few seconds later, he spotted Nate and Angelina engaged in a conversation and motioned for them to come over.
"Ash!" Nate said enthusiastically. "Your battle was awesome! That Acid attack was super clutch! Also why is Brock here?"
"Wait… you saw it?" Ash asked, confused.
"The gym battles are broadcasted live on TV in Pewter City." Brock explained. "I forgot to mention that earlier. You're fine with it being on TV right?"
"Yeah, it's no problem." Ash said, turning to Nate. "Brock's here to heal up his Pokemon."
"That's good, because I finally came up with a strategy that's going to blow everyone away!" Nate proudly boasted. Angelina just shook her head.
"Yeah sure. Let's see what happens when Brock wipes the floor with you." she responded without missing a beat. Nate just scowled.
"At least I have multiple Pokemon!" he yelled, causing Angelina to narrow her eyes, starting yet another argument.
"How often does this happen?" Brock asked, unsure what to make of the two 10-year olds bickering.
"I'd say four times a week, give or take." Ash responded. "It's probably better to just let them tire themselves out."
"Fine by me. It'll make it easier for me to beat them."
They both start to walk up to Nurse Joy, and Ash could've sworn he felt a gust of wind go by. He turned to look at Brock, until he realized Brock was already in front of Nurse Joy kneeling down on one knee and… holding her hand?
"Oh my sweet Nurse Joy…" he said with hearts in his eyes. "You are more beautiful in person than I could possibly imagine! Take me as your husband, I beg of you!"
Nurse Joy just seemed flustered and embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Brock." she said, with a bit of pity. "I don't think I can do that." Brock proceeded to crumple to the floor and make a fetal position. "I'll be alone for the rest of my life…" he groaned.
Ash didn't know what to make of this situation. He had always thought Brock of a strong and confident Gym Leader, not an... obsessed romantic.
"I'm going home and closing the gym…" Brock said as he hung his head.
Nate paused his argument and looked at Brock as though he grew another head. "Wait are you serious!? I still need to battle you!" he exclaimed.
"That'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm too depressed to battle." Brock said dejectedly as he exited the Pokemon Center.
"But...but...but… OH COME ON!" Nate screamed, startling a few Trainers in the Pokemon Center. Ash and Angelina chuckled. Nate was never one for being patient, Ash had learned that the hard way when he insisted they waited for Angelina while she was out training in Viridian Forest.
"Better luck next time, Nate!" Angelina snickered.
The day after Ash had his gym battle with Brock, he took some time to just rest at the Pokemon Center. He thought over what had happened over the past few weeks. He'd gotten his first two Pokemon, defeated a gym Leader, and made a couple of friends. Ash was technically considered an adult now that he got his Trainer's license.
Nate had come back to the Pokemon Center triumphant. His battle with Brock had resulted in a tie, with Pikachu and Onix landing blow after blow on each other before both collapsed at the same time. The referee was unable to determine who exactly was the winner, so Brock gave the win to Nate. Needless to say, he couldn't stop smiling. Ash didn't want to rain on his parade by telling him it was a tie, so he kept his mouth shut. A win's a win after all.
Angelina had also come back victorious, being able to keep Brock's rock Pokemon at bay with Vine Whips and slowly drain their energy with Leech Seed. Ash was surprised she was able to pull through with only one Pokemon.
The three of them still had a couple more days before they were to leave Pewter City, so they took some time to relax, train, and gather supplies.
Finally, the three had agreed it was time to go back on the road. Soon they were able to pack their bags, eat breakfast, and gathered at the entrance to Route 3.
The three of them looked at each other, and they descended back into the wi-
"WAIT!"
The tweens looked behind them and saw Brock running toward them at full speed. "I forgot to tell you something!" he said. He stopped in front of them and panted from his run before he pulled out three brown discs from his pocket.
"Do you guys know what these are?" he asked. Nate and Angelia shook their heads, not having the faintest idea of what they could be used for.
"They're TMs, right?" Ash asked. Brock nodded and smiled. "Right. These are the TMs, or Technical Machines for Rock Tomb. It's required by the League for Gym Leaders to give TMs to any Trainer who beats them. You can teach them to any Pokemon that is able to learn them at a Pokemon Center. Judging from the three of your teams, only Charmander can learn it, but if you guys catch more Pokemon, that's subject to change."
He handed the three discs to the group and they thanked him. "Alright." he said. "I've gotta head back to the gym. I'm holding you to that battle, Ash. See you guys around!" With that, he left the three kids at the entrance to Route 3.
The three of them looked at each other, this time with no interruptions, and they descended into the wilderness.
Hey guys! Rockadoodle here. For those of you who have been consistently reading each chapter and who left a review, thank you. It means a lot that people like my stories, because it gives me the drive to continue. You're in for a real treat this chapter!
Sorry for the long wait, I released the first few chapters pretty fast, since I didn't have too much of a workload to deal with. Now that the second semester has started, I've been dealing with a lot of things that have been impeding my progress. Work, stress, writer's block, and personal problems have played a part. But worry not!
Anyways, I may be responding to reviews depending on the number I get each time I post a new chapter. Here's the first two I picked!
Reader: Will Porygon reside in the Pokedex? Can't wait to see how this goes.
Porygon will not reside in the Pokedex. That's what Rotom does. I do plan to implement scenes where it actually goes inside devices, but it's a Pokemon, so it stays in a PokeBall.
PKZ's Ghost: Really good so far, please continue! If you give him a ghost, give him a Duskull or Shuppet, those aren't seen in these fanfics a lot. I like ghost types btw. Didn't know if that was clear. I'm weird this way.
I'm not sure about adding a ghost yet. I already planned out Ash's original six, which, spoiler alert, does not have a ghost. I do plan on giving Ash more than six Pokemon however. What they may be, I'm not sure just yet. I do like the idea of Banette though, maybe your wish will come true...