Looking at the sight before them, Ash and Pikachu found themselves in front of what looked to be a giant rock with large metal doors. Carved into the rock were the words "PEWTER GYM." This was it; The moment he and his team had been training so hard for. Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Ash opened the doors and entered with his pal on his shoulder.

The inside of the gym was dark and Ash had to strain his eyes to see anything. "Hello. Anybody there?" called out the boy as he walked further into the pitch black gym.

"Who goes there?" called out a voice. A spotlight immediately shined on the source. Ash could tell right away that it was Brock, but unlike yesterday with his family, he looked all business. Brock sat between two rocks atop a pedestal in a meditative position. He wore a green sleeveless vest, orange shirt, and brown pants.

Seeing the Gym Leader, Ash answered firmly. "I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I challenge you to a battle!"

"Is this your first Gym match? A Gym match is different from other battles. This match is for Pokemon League authorization. There are special rules," noted Brock.

Ash was unfazed. "I am aware. Based on my research, the Pewter City Gym holds 2 on 2 battles right?"

"That is correct. I am glad to see you came prepared. Though I question the wisdom of bringing an electric type to my Gym, it does look well trained," Brock added.

Ash merely smiled.

"Suit yourself," said Brock. With a snap of his fingers, spot lights turned on, side gates opened up, and a rocky terrain appeared from both sides of the Gym, forming a single battlefield.

Brock jumped down from his pedestal and into his trainer's box, while Ash walked to the box on his side.

"This will be a 2 on 2 official Pewter City Gym Battle. Only the challenger may make substitutions. The battle will be determined when one person's Pokemon are unable to battle. Let the match begin," called out Brock.

Ash waited to see what Pokemon Brock would call out, and was unsurprised when a giant rock snake appeared on the field. It was an Onix. There was no need to analyze the situation any further. Ash had planned out his strategy ahead of time and trained for it. Now it was time to see if the work paid off

"Pikachu. I choose you!" called out Ash and his friend jumped off his shoulder and onto the battlefield, with sparks coming from its cheeks.

Brock made the first move. "Onix tackle attack!" The Pokemon dove for Pikachu head first.

"Pikachu. Dodge with Agility," Ash calmly replied. Pikachu easily avoided the rock snake and began to pick up speed, while Onix crashed head first into some rocks, which did minimal damage to the rock type.

"Don't let it get away! Try snagging it into your tail with a bind attack Onix," called out Brock. The rock snake maneuvered its tail around Pikachu and was about to get it into a hold, but yet again Ash called for an Agility, allowing the yellow mouse to escape in the nick of time.

"That's one fast Pokemon you have there Ash. But speed alone won't win you this battle," warned Brock.

"You haven't seen anything yet Brock," retorted Ash.

"Onix! We need to match Pikachu's speed. Use rock polish," called out the Gym Leader. A sheen of light spread through Onix as it upped its speed. "Follow with tackle!"

Onix was coming straight for Pikachu at a much faster pace. On this third time though, Pikachu would not dodge.

"With the speed we have built up and Onix's added speed, now is our chance Pikachu! USE AGILITY TO HEAD STRAIGHT TOWARDS IT AND TURN THAT INTO YOUR MOST POWERFUL IRON TAIL DIRECTLY INTO ITS FACE!" shouted Ash

"IRON TAIL? GET OUT OF THE WAY ONIX" Brock screamed with his face showing he was clearly caught off guard. As always, it was too late to stop Ash's strategy from playing out.

The two Pokemon met head on with Pikachu's blazing speed converting into a quick spin Iron Tail directly into Onix's charging face. The speedy clash caused an explosion on the field as both Pokemon were thrown back towards their trainers. Pikachu was able to land on its own two feet near Ash, but had clearly taken some damaged as it panted a bit from the attack. Onix landed in a heap of dust causing the Gym to shake when it did so. Like a baseball thrown against a bat, Onix's speed added to the total energy of the collusion, increasing the damage output from Pikachu's Iron tail.

When the dust cleared, Onix was badly injured and struggling to get up. Ash wouldn't give it a chance. "Quick Attack Pikachu!"

Pikachu sped towards Onix, but before he could make contact, Brock recalled it back to its Pokeball.

"Sometimes, for the sake of our Pokemon, we need to set aside pride and do what is best for them," Brock explained.

Ash gave Brock a respectful nod and waited for him to send out his final Pokemon as Pikachu jogged back to Ash's side of the battlefield.

"Geodude go!" called out Brock as he summoned what appeared to be a sentient floating rock with a face and two muscular arms.

"Take a breather Pikachu. You did a great job and i'm proud of you buddy," Ash said scratching his Pokemon's chin with a smile. Not that he saw it focusing on his pal, but this earned Ash a small smile from Brock.

"Charmander its your turn!" yelled Ash as he called out his starter.

"Two Pokemon with a disadvantage against rock types in the same Gym Battle?" questioned Brock. "I wouldn't be surprised if your Charmander knew a steel type move too. Maybe Metal Claw?" smirked Brock. "Keep your distance Geodude."

Ash didn't let it show on his face, but internally he was impressed. Time seemed to slow down again as he thought this through. His strategy would not be able to work if Geodude kept its distance from Charmander. It probably knew Rock Polish too, which meant out speeding it wouldn't be an option, unless he switched back to Pikachu. He was reluctant to do that though, knowing how much this meant to his fire type. It was possible Geodude also knew distance moves that could do massive damage against Charmander, such as Magnitude and Rock Throw, which meant the Rock Type was more than capable of fighting from a distance. Charmander's only distance move was Ember, but that would hardly be enough to beat Geodude right... or would it be?" thought Ash as he took in his surroundings and those above him with a smile.

Time went back to normal As Brock made the first move yet again. "Geodude Rock throw attack!" The rock Pokemon grabbed a huge rock and hurled it at Charmander with extreme accuracy.

"Dodge it Charmander and fire back with Ember!" called Ash. Charmander jumped out of the way, grazed by some shards, and fired off an Ember, which Geodude easily shrugged off.

"Magnitude before it lands Geodude!" The Pokemon slammed its fists into the ground, causing the whole Gym to rumble once again. As Charmander landed, it winced in pain from the super-effective underground vibrations.

"Follow up with Rock Throw Geodude," called Brock. He wondered if Ash would be able to solve this predicament as well, or if he was a one trick pony with the hidden steel type move.

"SMOKESCREEN CHARMANDER AND HIT THE DECK!" yelled Ash. Charmander exhaled a large amount of smoke onto the field covering it entirely. This threw off Geodude's aim and allowed the Pokemon to dodge, falling just beneath the approaching rock.

"Now use Ember attack," started Ash, who was interrupted by Brock.

"You already tried that Ash. Geodude can take as many Embers as you send his way," said Brock disappointedly

"Towards the ceiling," smirked Ash as he finished his statement.

"What?" questioned the confused Brock.

Charmander fired an Ember towards the ceiling above them. In conjunction with the smoke from Smokescreen, it was enough to set off the Gym's water sprinkler system. Water poured onto the battlefield and the Pokemon.

Geodude gave a cry of pain when the water struck it, while Charmander gritted his teeth... right in front of Geodue. While Brock and Geodude were distracted, Charmander took advantage of the smokescreen and chaos to get close. Both Pokemon were hurting, but Ash's endurance running training allowed Charmander to fight through it and move.

"METAL CLAW! FULL POWER CHARMANDER!" shouted Ash, seeing victory within his grasp. With a quick flash of steel, Charmander's Metal Claw pummeled Geodude into the wall behind Brock, who stood there shocked at the unconventional battle strategy. Geodude was out for the count, which meant Ash had just won his first Gym Battle.

Losing his serious attitude and all the tension in his body, Ash sprinted onto the field with Pikachu and wrapped Charmander in his coat jumping for joy at his victory. "WE DID IT! YEAAAAAAH! WAY TO GO CHARMANDER! YOU WERE GREAT!" shouted Ash as the fire type simultaneously smiled and tried to bury itself further into his trainer's coat to avoid the water.

Snapping out of his stupor, Brock walked over to Geodude with a sad smile and returned it. Looking at Ash though, he couldn't help but be inspired. The boy had battled with power, cunning, and friendship. His celebration with his Pokemon also spoke volumes about his character. He clearly had a passion for being a Pokemon Trainer. A passion that reminder Brock of his own forgotten dreams. Sobering up, Brock walked to him and his Pokemon, causing Ash to stop goofing off and pay attention.

"Ash. I can't say I have ever experienced a battle as unique as that before. Your battle strategy, trust for your Pokemon, and your love for them brought you victory. Take this Boulder Badge Ash," said Brock with all seriousness and in a stern voice, as he handed the small badge over. "Take it and fulfill your dream of being a Pokemon Master!"

"You should really take your own advice Brock," called out a voice behind Ash and Brock.

Ash turned around to see Flint, who removed his red cap to reveal a face nearly identical to Brock.

"Father," Brock shortly said with tension.

"Father?" Ash muttered. Well he does look like Brock and it explained why Flint had such a strong interest in the Gym Leader. Ash slowly took a step back not wanting to get caught in the middle of this.

"Brock... When I left on my journey a few years ago, I did it with every intention of providing a better life for you and your siblings, but I failed. I was too ashamed of my failure and embarrassed to go back to my family, but i'm here now Brock," said Flint with conviction.

"To do what," asked Brock with an eyebrow raised.

"Its time I started taking care of my family. Go fulfill your dreams and mine," Flint said with sincerity. Nobody said anything as the conversation sunk in.

Finally, Brock did speak with a serious expression. "First, there are some things I have to tell you."

"After all these years I understand how you must feel about me and I want you to get everything off your chest," said Flint, bracing himself for a cathartic rant from his son. Instead, he was handed a needle and thread. What followed was Brock rapidly firing off all of his siblings preferences and tendencies, as poor Flint did his best to jot everything done, begging his son to slow down, much to Ash's amusement.

After the events in the Gym, Brock asked Ash to come back with him to his house and wait outside. Ash obliged the teenager, wondering what this was all about. About an hour later, Brock came outside packed for a journey. He walked up to Ash, apologizing for making him wait, before getting serious again.

"Ash. It has always been my dream to be the world's greatest Pokemon Breeder. Now that my dad is back, I can finally chase it. Seeing how you battled together with your Pokemon and connected with them really inspired me. That is why I would like to ask if I can come along with you on your journey to be a Pokemon Master?"

Now Ash was caught off guard. He had never considered a traveling companion on his journey before, besides his Pokemon of course. Thinking about it, he found that he liked the idea of human company. Further, Brock had been a trainer for years and a Gym Leader. There was probably quite a bit he could learn from the older teen.

Looking back at Brock, he held his hand out. "Welcome aboard Brock-O!" Brock shook it, and they both gained a life-long friend.

END CHAPTER

First, I ended up taking some of the dialogue directly from the anime episode, which you may notice, but still tried to keep it fresh with changes here and there.

Ash wins his first badge, but more importantly, Brock joins the squad. Brock was always one of my favorite characters in the anime, so I had him pegged to join from the start. He will also serve as a bit of a mentor/older brother for Ash. Trying to teach him a few things about Pokemon and life. The question is. Where is Misty?

Next time - Ash and Brock venture into Mt. Moon, a familiar trio makes their first appearance, and we continue to slightly alter the Anime storyline.

DragonEmperor999 - Thank you for the many reviews and PMs! Glad you are enjoying the story. Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out if Ash catches that Pokemon you mentioned.

Going to start recommending some of my favorite stories, like many other authors do. Pokemon: Better, Faster, Stronger, Wiser is my first recommendation. Written by NatNatWriter, it features a more competent Ash and was a source of inspiration for this Fanfic.

Remember to review with your thoughts/critique.

Smell ya later!