It took a night of sleep and another half day of traveling, but Ash could finally see the trees begin to open up. He and his Pokemon sprinted ahead towards the exit, while Butterfree and Pidgeotto flew overhead. That's right. Butterfree and Pidgeotto.

After the battle with Samurai, and Caterpie's evolution into Metapod, Ash called out his other new Pokemon and began treatment on the wounds it sustained from the earlier battle with Charmander and Pikachu. Thanks to all the supplies he had bought at the Poke Mart in Viridian City, treating Pidgeotto was no issue. It was during this time that he explained the group's mindset and goals, which Pidgeotto was happy to go along with. Thankfully, the bird Pokemon no longer seemed interested in eating Caterpie either, now that it evolved.

Speaking of Metapod, Ash continued to use it in battle in Viridian Forest against a few other trainers he had come across after Samurai. In his most recent battle, Metapod had knocked out a Kakuna and a Rattata, which ended in a shining bright light and Butterfree emerging from Metapod's cocoon. Once again, Ash felt that good progress was being made.

Emerging through the last of Viridian Forest, Ash and Co. took in the sight of Pewter City in the distance. Even from afar, the city appeared to be stone gray and lied between rugged mountains. There were a few good buildings here and there, but nothing compared to the size of Viridian City. Lots of space was simply filled up by rocks, which made sense Ash supposed.

Ash and his Pokemon were broke out of their sightseeing when an irritated voice spoke up. "Young man. You are your Pokemon are standing on my merchandise. Kindly step off, unless you would like to buy something?"

The sound came from below and Ash looked down to see a rugged older man with a red cap, beard, a cream shirt, green cargo pants, and boots. The man was sitting down surrounded by rocks with... price tags attached to them?

"Your selling rocks?" Ash said in disbelief. He recalled his Pokemon, other than Pikachu, and walked down to join the other man, making sure to stay off the "merchandise".

"Pewter City souvenirs," corrected the man. Are you sure you don't want one?" he asked.

"Uh no I'm good. You wouldn't happen to know any good spots with lots of rocks not for sale though, would you?" asked the boy.

"Trying to get around buying my product for some free souvenirs?" questioned the man with a glare.

"I DON'T WANT ANY ROCKS!" screamed Ash. Calming down and exercising some great patience, he continued. "I just want a good spot to train my Pokemon for an upcoming battle with the Pewter City Gym Leader."

"Wait... You want to challenge Brock?" the amused Flint asked. "Ha ha ha ha. You got no chance kid. I caught a glimpse of your Pokemon and there is no way they can stand up to him."

"I'll take my chances," Ash replied evenly.

"Whatever you say. Sure, I know a place. Follow me kid," Flint said as he got up and began to walk away.

Ash followed and about an hour later the two arrived at a watermill, which was surrounded by rocks and giant boulders.

"This should be what you are looking for kid. You can also resupply on water. Best of luck," Flint muttered as he presumably headed back towards his "merchandise."

This is perfect, thought Ash. He then released his other Pokemon and laid out his plan. "Ok guys. Our first Gym Battle is coming up and we have some last minute training to do. I wish I could use you all, but according to what I have read, Pewter City Gym matches are typically 2 on 2 battles. That is why I am going to be sticking with Pikachu and Charmander for this one. They have been training the longest and have earned the right, but I promise everybody will get a chance in the future. That doesn't mean anybody is going to slack off on training right now though," Ash said with a serious look. "We are all going to spend a couple of days here improving. Pikachu and Charmander will be focusing on training for the Gym, but I have some plans for you three as well," Ash said focusing on Bulbasaur, Butterfree, and Pidgeotto.

The Pokemon accepted this and looked at their trainer to explain further.

"Butterfree, I want you to team up with Pidgeotto for a bit. Pidgeotto, work on teaching Butterfree gust attack. While you are teaching him the basics, try wearing these rock weights on your wings to improve the power of your attack," Ash said as he tied on two small rocks tied with some rope to Pidgeotto's wings. "The resistance should improve the power on your gust, but let me know if it gets uncomfortable ok?"

Butterfree and Pidgeotto nodded their assent and flew off a distance away to start their training, and Ash turned to Bulbasuar. "I want you to work on your endurance training Bulbasaur. Focus on using your attacks as long as possible, and some long distance running. This should bring you up to par with the Pikachu and Charmander if you keep at it long enough," explained Ash. His grass type gave an enthusiastic "Bulba!" and went off to get to work.

Now it was time to focus on his Pokemon that would be battling Brock. "You already know the strategy for the most part guys. We are going to beat Brock with our endurance, speed, and steel type attacks. Charmander. Metal Claw is in good shape, but we can always improve. Go over to some of those big boulders and see if you can use Metal Claw to cut through them." Charmander ran off to the nearest boulder and did just that

"Pikachu, I know you don't have iron tail down just yet, but you can do it with some more training, and I have am idea," explained Ash.

"Pika?"

"We need to strengthen your tail and get it used to striking targets. To do that, we are going to start with something similar to Pidgeotto's strength training," said Ash as he pulled out a small rock tied to a string. "I'm going to tie this to your tail buddy and it is gonna get a heck of a workout. What I want you to do is simply lift it back and forth. Understand Pikachu?"

Pikachu had a determined look and nodded. With his Pokemon's consent, Ash tied the other end of the string to Pikachu and his training began. Ash motivated the small mouse by doing pushups along side his Pokemon, while giving words of encouragement. In the middle of this training, Ash would take off the rock and throw rubber balls towards Pikachu, instructing the Pokemon to bat them away with his tail. Every now and then, he would check in with the others as well, giving out pointers and praising them for the hard work. The team struggled through this vigorous routine for 3 days. All the while, Flint watched the driven boy hidden from a distance.

On the fourth day, the entire team gathered in front of a particularly large boulder. Pikachu stepped forward with a glint in his eye, and Ash gave the command. "Iron Tail Pikachu!"

The Pokemon sprinted towards the rock, enhancing his speed with Agility, and jumped towards the rock. Using his momentum, Pikachu spun his body and swung his now glowing tail into and through the rock. Ash smiled. They were ready.

After having Pikachu execute the move a few more times just to be sure, Ash called an end to their training. The small camp they made was packed up, and he took his Pokemon to the Pokemon Center to have them treated before the battle. While his Pokemon were healing, Ash figured he might as well resupply on some of the healing materials he had used on Pidgeotto, not to mention the food the team had been eating. On his way back to the Pokemon Center, Ash found his path blocked by the same old man who had shown him his training spot a few days back.

"Kid," said the bearded old man.

"Old man?" questioned Ash.

" Look... the names Flint. Also, I want to show you something. Follow me," said Flint as he started walking. Ash's curiosity got the best of him, even if an inner voice thought following a strange old man without any of his Pokemon on hand might not be the safest thing.

Flint led Ash to a Pewter City residential area and stopped behind some bushes and a wooden fence. Beyond the fence was an open back door that revealed a large family of spiky haired individuals, being catered to by what looked to be the eldest of the bunch. "What do you see when you look inside the house kid?"

"Looks like an older brother taking care of his brothers and sisters right?" asked Ash.

Flint smiled softly. "Got it in one kid, but there is more to it than that. That older sibling happens to be the Pewter City Gym Leader Brock."

"That's Brock? But, he doesn't look anything like what I expected a Gym Leader to look like, and he doesn't act like it either. He so... gentle and caring," muttered Ash.

"He has to be kid," replied Flint. "Brock's good for nothing father left to be a Pokemon Trainer years ago and his mom passed away. Being a Gym Leader helps pay the bills, but those kids still need a parent, and Brock stepped into that role."

Ash couldn't say anything to that, so Flint continued. "Truth is, Brock doesn't want to be a Gym Leader. He has another dream and passion. Taking care of his family has dimmed his flames though." Flint turned to Ash and spoke seriously. "Kid. I want you to do me a favor. Fight Brock with the same passion and dedication you have shown these past few day in training. Beat him. Help bring his inner fire back!"

"Wait a minute," Ash said. "How did you know how hard I was training? Were you spying on me?" questioned Ash.

Flint ignored him and had already started walking away. "Just remember what I told you. Show Brock your fire kid," said the man as he continued to leave.

Though he was a little peeved at being spied on, Ash had no issues with Flint's request. Going all out was always the plan. Many thoughts ran through Ash's mind as he headed back towards the Pokemon Center, but his upcoming battle with Brock stayed at the center.

END CHAPTER

Went ahead and utilized the same training techniques from the Anime that Ash used to teach Pikachu Iron Tail. Flint also showed up and we got the same scene of Ash looking at Brock and his family from the show.

Next time - Ash has his first Gym Battle and we find out if Brock is going to join him on his journey.

Remember to review with your thoughts and critique.

Smell ya later.