The Life and Times of Ash Ketchum
Showdown at Pewter City!
Everyone watched as the screen turned onto "Showdown at Pewter City".
"So, we're finally off to Pewter City then?" Bonnie asked.
"What else happened in Viridian Forest?" Max enquired.
"Oh, we met a samurai who wanted to battle Ash, they both used Metapod and they spent hours just calling out for their Metapod to use Harden, it got boring fast." Misty sighed as the rest laughed at the look of despair on her face.
"I can't even tell where the trap is!" James cried as they Team Rocket looked around to trap Ash and Misty. As everyone watched them walking about, they saw them step onto their own trap and fall inside, trapping themselves. Everyone in the room broke out laughing at the failure of Team Rocket to trap two pre-teens.
"See! Even at digging holes Team Rocket fails." May smiled.
"At least they suck at trapping Ash and the rest of us and succeed at failing." Dawn said.
They watched as Ash and Misty sat down on some rocks and got berated by an older man sat there for sitting on his merchandise. Brock and Misty simply grinned at one another at the man's appearance, something missed by the others in the room.
"Who would want to go to Pewter City to buy rocks?" Clemont asked. "Think of all the rare fossil Pokemon they could clone instead!"
"I doubt anyone but you and a few other scientists would want to go there for the fossils and not the gym, big brother." Bonnie sighed as Clemont went into full inventor mode.
"Yeah, most people will be there to challenge Brock, won't they?" Serena asked.
"They sure were Serena, and I gave as good as I got, don't you worry." Brock smiled.
"I wonder if this man will be important later on?" May asked.
"Why do you say that May?" Dawn asked.
"Just they run across a man on about how Pewter City is like stone, he sells stone, and it's a Rock type gym, a lot of connections to stone." May said as everyone else nodded at her logic.
"Sure, right away Ash!" Nurse Joy said as she took Ash's Pokemon from him once Flint showed them to the Pokemon centre.
"Wait, how did Joy know his name?" Max asked.
"All the Joys are related, the Viridian Joy will have told her sibling about Ash." Brock stated before Joy herself confirmed it in the episode.
"Wow, Brock, you really know your Joy's don't you?" Dawn smiled.
"I sure do, they're all in my book of babes!" Brock said, misty eyed as those who had travelled with him just shook their heads fondly.
They watched as Misty told Ash that gym leaders are stronger than ordinary trainers and offered help to beat Brock, but Ash waved her away.
"Oh damn, he should have realised you'd been travelling longer than him and could have had valuable information." Brock said.
"Yeah, but its Ash, when has he ever heeded others when he gets an idea?" Misty said as the others nodded, Ash was a great guy but when he got an idea in his head, he was going for it until proven right or wrong.
They watched as Ash approached the Gym and the spotlight shone on Brock.
"Wow, Brock, what a way to make an entrance." Max smirked at him as Brock sheepishly smiled.
"Well if the challenger is off guard it is easier to win." Brock shot back.
"Is this your first Gym match?" Brock asked, sounding like he was talking down to Ash.
"Hey, Brock, that sounded a bit mean." Dawn frowned.
"Yeah I know, I just wanted to warn him off from making a bad decision." Brock said.
They say Ash stumbling backwards as Brock prepared the gym floor and got the match underway, Ash sending Pikachu against Onix.
"Wow bad match up for Ash there." Bonnie said.
"Yeah, how come Ash did that?" Serena asked.
"He seems to have forgotten type disadvantages to begin with on his journey." Brock smiled.
They saw as Pikachu gave a good effort but it was in vain as Onix quickly took care of Pikachu, even the Poke Ball failing to return Pikachu to its ball until Ash forfeited.
"Wow…Ash gave up." May stated, shocked the boy who never gave up had given up. Those who didn't know also looked shocked at this, Ash was the eternal struggler, and he'd never give up usually.
They watched as Flint approached Ash and took him to his home and told him about Brock's history, taking him around to Brock's home and showing him all of Brock's siblings.
"Wow, Brock, you're a really great guy." Serena stated, smiling at him.
"Thanks Serena, my siblings were all I had, I had to make sure they were ok and look after them all." Brock said.
"Serena's right, Brock, you've always been a great guy." May said.
"I never knew about your Mom though, I'm so sorry Brock." Dawn started as Brock held up a hand to stop her.
"She's fine, she lives at the gym now with my Dad and my siblings." Brock said. "I'm not sure why he said she'd died when she hadn't." Brock frowned, glaring at the Flint on screen for the first time. (AN: If you wonder why I've said that, one of the spin off episodes, Brock's Mother is there and wants to turn the gym into a Water type gym, so continuity error I suppose when they called her dead in this episode)
Ash was shown the hydro-electric dam by Flint as a way to power up Pikachu and make it stronger so that it'd be able to beat Onix in their rematch.
"Even with all the power in the world, Electric can't harm Rock." Clemont stated.
"So why is Ash even doing this?" Dawn asked.
"Oh, he won, as I'm sure you all figured out." Brock said.
"But…how?" Bonnie asked.
"You'll all see in good time."
They watched as Ash powered up the dam by walking whilst the power fed into Pikachu's pouches and made it stronger, able to withstand higher voltage currents.
"Wow…that's kind of smart." Clemont conceded.
They saw Misty offer her help again and get rebuffed, before walking off, stating that it'd be easier using her Pokemon.
"As a Water trainer, she'd have a huge advantage over Brock." Max stated.
They saw Pikachu get overloaded with electrical power before it cut to showing Ash challenge Brock once more, electricity surging off of Pikachu.
"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" Brock chided Ash on screen as the real life Brock shook his head.
'I was too arrogant for my own good.' He sighed.
They saw Ash send out Pidgeotto as Brock used Geodude, and watched as a quick fight ended with a decisive victory for Geodude.
"Wow, Ash lost the first round, how did he end up winning with Pikachu?" Serena asked.
"You'll see in a minute." Brock smiled, thinking back to the tactic, sure it wasn't conventional, he wasn't even sure if it was legal, but it was smart and it worked, so Ash deserved the badge.
"Are we giving up again, Ash?" Brock smirked before Pikachu came out. "The Pikachu again, I feel sorry for it, being raised by such a weak Pokemon trainer."
"Woah, Brock that was cruel." Dawn berated him, giving him a glare as Brock shrunk in his seat.
"I know, I'm sorry, I was arrogant." Brock admitted as everyone except Misty who had been there glared at him.
They watched as Pikachu gave a mega thundershock attack at Geodude and fried it, before Geodude collapsed.
"Wow…that worked….somehow." Clemont said, looking in awe at the screen and the power that Pikachu had.
"I didn't know you could overpower a Rock type like that." Bonnie said.
"I didn't either." May admitted.
"Like we all know, Ash is…unorthodox." Misty said and everyone nodded their heads.
Brock's siblings all looked shocked like Misty did on screen, before Misty complimented Pikachu, Brock also looked in shock on the screen before sending out Onix, and declaring Pikachu would still be no match for it.
"Arrogance and stupidity!" Brock cried out, bashing his head against the nearest wall at his past actions.
They watched as Pikachu's electricity spun out of control in fear of Onix, and how, although Onix was taking some damage, Pikachu wrapped in Onix's bind again was too much, and Pikachu looked set to fall.
"Onix! Stop!" Yelled Brock letting Pikachu go.
They watched as Brock said he'd rather not hurt Pikachu, whilst Ash wanted to continue. The sprinklers came on and Onix was soaked, before Misty called out.
"Ash! Brock's Pokemon are weakened by water!"
Ash then sent Pikachu in for the kill, shocking Onix and causing it to falter.
Ash then raised his hand and called for Pikachu to finish it before Ash saw himself being held back by Brock's siblings.
"Aww, they care too much for Onix to let it be hurt." The girls cooed.
"I know Ash wouldn't have let Onix get too hurt." Clemont said.
"Yeah, Ash would have stopped it if I didn't." Brock said.
They saw Ash walk out, promising to come back and beat Brock fairly next time and Misty call him a good person before Ash set off again. They saw Brock running up behind him calling after him.
"You forgot this." Brock said, offering Ash the badge.
"I didn't beat you." Ash said.
"Take the badge Ash!" Everyone yelled, forgetting for a moment that they were either there, or knew Ash had taken the badge in the end.
They heard as Brock discussed his dream with Ash, of becoming a Pokemon Breeder rather than a trainer.
"Are you still wanting to be a Breeder?" Bonnie asked Brock, eyes wide at the thought of all the cute baby Pokemon.
"Nah, I've just qualified to be a Pokemon Doctor now actually." Brock smiled at her as those who didn't know gawped at him.
"Oh wow Brock, congratulations." Serena smiled at him.
They saw Flint approach them from behind and admit he was the deadbeat Father who abandoned Brock and his family after failing as a Pokemon trainer.
"Aww, poor Flint." May said.
"He only wanted to do right by his family in the end." Max said.
"I still don't get why he said his wife was dead…" Bonnie mumbled so that Brock wouldn't hear her.
They watched as Flint freaked out when Brock listed all the things he'd need to do to look after his children, such as food preferences, before it cut to Ash and Brock walking along a mountain pass, talking about the girl following Ash.
"I'm going to follow you until you pay for my bike Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled behind them.
"Let's try lose her!" Ash yelled as he ran, Brock calling for him to wait up and Misty saying they'd not lose her, before the screen faded to black once more.
"Wow, Misty, you really do look like a stalker here, don't you?" Dawn said as Misty fumed at the bad light she was putting herself in back here.
"She's been Ash's stalker since day one." Brock chuckled before groaning as Misty fell back on her pastime of grabbing Brock by the ear and dragging him around, to laughs from all of the others watching the scene.