Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's Pokémon franchise.

Legend:

"A human or a Pokémon is talking."

'A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'

"A machine is being used."

Chapter Six:

After saying goodbye and thanking Samurai for his help, Ash had begun the small trip to finally ask the Viridian Forest.

The relatively flat, grassy path he had been traveling on slowly dissipated as he traveled, being replaced by rock. There were still trees however they sat, perched, on top of the boulders that littered the side of the pathway.

Spotting something ahead, Ash rushed over to a nearby boulder so he could get a better look. Looking down from the boulder, he could suddenly see Pewter City in its entirety.

From his viewpoint, Ash saw numerous house and store-crowded streets, parks, and some other small shops. While most of the city was colored a light, stone grey, the overall lack of color didn't bother Ash in the slightest.

It felt good to be returning to the city after a couple of days in the Viridian Forest.

"Phew! For a while, I'd thought I'd never get out of that forest." Ash muttered after a moment, sitting down on top of his boulder. "Even with the map… and Samurai's help… it was a maze in there!"

"Pewter City is gray; the color of stone. This town has always been famous for its stone."

Startled, Ash jumped backwards—eyed widening as his head turned about—only to see that no one was around.

Before Ash could do anything else, he felt Eevee prepare herself for a jump before she hopped off of his shoulder. Eevee then quickly bound over to where Ash had been standing only moments ago before she jumped onto the small ridge underneath it.

"Ve, Ee-V-E Eve Eevee!" Eevee called.

Crawling over, Ash quickly poked his head over the ridge and saw Eevee standing before the owner of the voice that had spoken out mere moments ago.

The man in question had short, spiky black hair underneath a green beanie, squinted brown eyes, and dark-colored skin. He was wearing a pair of green, baggy pants, a yellow shirt, brown boots, and white gloves.

This man was currently sitting in a crisscross position with his head lowered to the ground. In the palm of the man's hand was a decent-sized rock, which he appeared to be observing, before he put it down a minute later.

"Who're you?" Ash asked, curious.

"The name's Flint." The man—Flint—said as he got out of his crisscross position before getting up. "And you're sitting on some of my merchandize, young man."
Ash quickly backpedaled off of the rock, apologizing as he went. Getting up, he then noticed the rack only a few feet away from Flint, which carried an assortment of price-tag carrying rocks.

Looking down, Ash noticed that the rock he had been on moments had a small sticker displaying its price. Apparently, it was worth about 300.

"You sell rocks?" Ash asked with an incredulous expression.

Flint nodded, "They're Pewter City souvenirs…" He turned slightly, "Do you want to buy some?"

"No thanks, Flint." Ash replied with a brief shake of his head. "… I really don't have room in my backpack to carry a souvenir right now. Sorry."

Flint sighed disappointedly though he did accept Ash's answer. "I'll take you to the Pokémon Center then. It's the least that I can do... Oh, and by the way… You owe me two bucks. It's the standard charge for sitting on one of my rocks."

XXXXXX

(Later—Pewter City—Pokémon Center)

After paying Flint for "sitting on one of his rocks", Flint had led Ash to his city's Pokémon Center. He left a few minutes later, saying he had to get back to his "store".

Now alone, Ash walked into the Pokémon Center and entered the lobby.

Unlike the Pokémon Center's lobby in Viridian City, this lobby a tad bit smaller. Off to the side of the door was a staircase—possibly leading up to the rooms—while on the other side was the door to the cafeteria.

Scattered around the room were a few plush couches, armchairs, and coffee tables which made up two smaller "lounge" areas. By these areas were a rack of magazines, a bookshelf, and—near the lounge on the right—was a small row of video phones.

Walking up to the reception desk, Ash picked up an available tray before he moved to place all of his Pokémon's Poké Balls in it. He then had to wait for a couple of minutes before an all-too familiar person walked up to the other side of the desk.

"Hello, Ash."

Ash's eyes widened, "N-Nurse Joy… how did you get here so fast…? I thought… I thought you worked back in Viridian City!"

"The Joy in Viridian is my little sister; I'm the older Joy." Nurse Joy responded. "I know who you are because of your actions that were reported in the paper." She paused before leaning towards Ash slightly. "I can't tell you how grateful I am for helping my sister."

Ash turned away, face reddening in a blush. "It's nothing… Anybody would've done the same thing if they had been in my position."

"Well, it wasn't 'anybody'; it was you. You helped stop Team Rocket and did your best to make sure my sister was okay. Me and my sister owe you a great debt."

Before Ash could think to say anything in response, Nurse Joy took his tray before she walked out of the lobby. He stood there for a moment—trying to comprehend what just happened—before he sighed.

Well, he could talk to Nurse Joy later. In the meantime, he could call home to see how his Mom was doing.

XXXXXX

(Meanwhile—With Delia Ketchum)

"Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone call! Ring, ring, ring! Phone call! Phone—!"

Having finally picked up the phone, Delia absently wondered just who would be calling her. Foongus also seemed to share in her curiosity, though it was probably just wondering what she was doing.

Being a baby, Foongus required a lot of care and love, which Delia was all-too happy to give. However, like any other baby, Foongus required supervision lest it got into trouble.

It was because of that fact that she would need to end this call quickly before Foongus could wander off—and get into trouble—before she could stop it.

"Hello! This is the Ketchum residence."

"Hi, Mom."

At the sound of this voice—her son's voice—Delia's eyes widened in surprise. A few moments later, her surprised expression was replaced with a small, somewhat creepy smile.

She could deal with whatever Foongus got into later. Right now, however, her child was in need of a proper tongue-lashing.

"Ash Ketchum! You are in so much trouble!" Delia began as she stared at the image of her son reprovingly. "If I was there, I would give you a good spanking, young man! How dare you do such a thing! You could've gotten hurt or—" Delia paused, tears prickling in the edges of her eyes. "—or worse!"

Ash didn't know what to say, too stunned at the sudden onslaught.

"Foon-gus?"

"Didn't I teach you better than that? Well, I certainly didn't teach you to go rushing off into danger, young man!" Delia said before her eyes narrowed. "And why didn't I hear this from you? I had to hear from Professor Oak about what happened in Viridian! Well? I'm waiting!"

In Pewter City, Ash silently vowed to kill Professor Oak. If the old man hadn't told his Mom about the incident—before he was ready to tell her—then he wouldn't be in this position.

"All of the Video Phones had been broken, Mom." Ash began explaining. "Team Rocket broke them when they took over the Pokémon Center… Nurse Joy said it would take a week to get them fixed."

"Well… Well, that doesn't mean you couldn't have asked to borrow a phone!"

She hadn't known that the Video Phones had been broken, only assumed that Ash hadn't called because he didn't want to get into trouble. This piece of information slowly soothed her.

By the time that Ash had finished explaining what had happened that night—from his point of view—Delia wasn't angry anymore. However, she was still a little miffed. Even though she had understood what happened, didn't mean she had to like it.

"Alright honey… I understand." Delia sighed, looking away. "I don't like it but… you did the right thing." She turned back to Ash with a pleading expression on her face. "Just promise me you'll try to avoid things like this in the future…"

Ash nodded, "I promise."

XXXXXX

(Pewter City—Pokémon Center—Lobby)

"Ash Ketchum, please report to the reception desk; your Pokémon are ready."

Having just finished his call only moments ago, Ash turned away from the Video Phone he was at and looked towards the reception desk. He saw that Nurse Joy had returned and was now putting away a microphone.

Ash quickly put the phone back on the receiver before he walked over to the reception desk. When he got there, Nurse Joy handed him his tray. Thanking her, Ash began clipping his Poké Balls onto his belt as Eevee waited.

"It wasn't a problem, sweetie. After all, it's the least I could do for you." Nurse Joy said before she leaned forward and folded her hands on the desk. "Now, is there anything else I can do for you?"
Ash nodded, "Yeah. I would like to get a room… as I think I'll be staying in Pewter for a little while."

Nurse Joy smiled before telling him to 'wait a minute' before she walked off.

Apparently, Eevee had enough of waiting—as she had just jumped onto his shoulder—and was now happily telling him about her experience. "Eevee Eve Eevee, Ee-V-E Ve!"

"Was it any different this time, Eevee?" Ash asked, curious.

When Eevee shook her head, Ash sighed. He had wanted to see if this Nurse Joy was any different than the other Nurse Joy back in Viridian City. They were the same height, wore the same clothes, looked the same, and even had the same voice. Now he found that they even treated Pokémon the same way.

How was that even possible?

"Here you go, Ash."

Ash turned to see the subject of his current frustration had returned, holding a room key. He forced a smile before taking the key and turned around to walk away. However, a sudden thought stopped him; he could ask Nurse Joy how to tell her and her sister apart!

"Um… Nurse Joy?" Ash asked, turning around.

"Yes?"

"How do people tell you and your sister apart?" Ash asked, curious. "I mean, you to look a lot like each other, have the same voice, and even act like each other… It's so confusing!"

Nurse Joy laughed, "Oh, Ash, I can't tell you how many Pokémon Trainers have asked me how all of us Joys can look alike…"

"Wait a minute… 'All of us Joys'…?"

"Ash, there aren't just one or two 'Nurse Joys'. Rather, I have countless family members all over the world that have the title of 'Nurse Joy'." Nurse Joy explained. "However, we're not entirely identical." She pointed to the cross on her nurses' hat. "We each have different colored crosses on our hats that indicate where we work."

Ash stood there, dumbfounded by this revelation. There were 'countless' Nurse Joys around the world—all looking and acting the same—with only a cross on their hats to distinguish themselves?

Why was no one questioning this strange phenomenon? How could 'countless' people all over the world look, act, and dress in the exact same way? It didn't make any sense!

"If that's all, Ash, I'll need to get back to work." Nurse Joy said as she began to turn away. "There are a few sick Pokémon that are in need of my attention."

Ash stood there for a couple of minutes before he shook his head, ridding himself of his previous thoughts. If the rest of the world didn't question this strange—crazy—happening, then why should he? It wasn't like he would find out what caused it.

"Ve?" Eevee questioned, looking at her Trainer curiously.

Ash sighed, "Don't ask…"

XXXXXX

(Later—Kanto—Pewter City—Geodude Park)

Soon after getting a room at the Pokémon Center, Ash had left as it was still relatively early. He then got directions from a passing woman to a nearby park in which he could train his Pokémon.

If he was to challenge Brock, then he would need to make sure his Pokémon could fight Rock-Type Pokémon.

With this in mind, Ash travelled to Geodude Park—which, as the name suggested—was a large area where Geodude could be found. Traveling into the park, he looked for a large enough space to train his Pokémon.

Only minutes later, Ash found just what he was looking for. It was a small, secluded field near the southern edge of Geodude Park. Scattered around the field were large, mossy boulders that could rival the size of a Pinsir.

Ash quickly unclipped the Poké Balls from his belt as Eevee jumped to the ground, "Alright everyone… c'mon out!"

Three Poké Balls were tossed into the air before they released identical flashes of light that quickly traveled to the ground. Once there, the light morphed into Ash's Pokémon who looked around themselves curiously.

"Ka?" Kakuna asked.

Pidgey tilted his head, "Pidgey Pi Gey?"

"Rattata?"

Ash didn't answer. Instead, he removed his backpack, placed it on a nearby boulder, and walked over to his four Pokémon.

"We're going to train." Ash stated as he bent over before sitting down on the grass. "With all of your help, I plan to enter the Indigo League." He explained. "In order to do that, I need your help in defeating eight Pokémon Trainers called Gym Leaders."

"Na Kakuna?" Kakuna asked.

"According to Samurai, the first Gym Leader is a man named Brock. Samurai also told me that Brock uses Rock-Type Pokémon, so he's sure to be tough. That's why we need to train." Ash answered.

Rattata stepped forward, eyes narrowed in determination. "Ratta Rat Tatta Rat! Rattata Rat Atta Rat Ratta."

"Kakuna Na Kaku Kuna Ku!" Kakuna agreed.

Pidgey nodded his head, "Pidgey, Pi!"

"Ve!" Eevee wagged her bushy tail excitedly before she got up. "Eevee, Ve Ee-V-E Eve!"

Ash smiled at his Pokémon's response. Standing, he then removed his Pokédex from his jacket before he pressed a few buttons.

He then pointed it toward Eevee, "This Pokémon is a Level Six, female Eevee. It can use the attacks: Scratch, Tail Whip, Tackle, Helping Hand, Sand-Attack, and Growl."

"I should've used this function earlier!" Ash exclaimed with a shake of his head. "I mean, I would've never guessed that you knew Helping Hand or Sand-Attack, Eevee!"

Eevee yipped, "Eevee Eve Eevee Ve Ee-V-E."

Ash nodded before he pointed his Pokédex towards his next Pokémon: Rattata. Rattata stilled, waiting for the strange device to speak.

"This Pokémon is a Level Five, male Rattata. It can use the attacks: Tackle, Tail Whip, and Quick Attack."

Ash took a moment to take in the information as Rattata quickly padded its way to Eevee's side. Eevee titled her head, curious, as Rattata stood on his hind-legs to whisper into one of her ears.

"Rattata, Rata-tat."

Eevee twitched, confused. "Ve?"

"This Pokémon is a Level Five, male Pidgey. It can use the attacks: Tackle and Sand-Attack."

"Rattata! Tatta Rat Ratta!" Rattata said.

Eevee didn't look convinced, "Ve Eevee E. Ee-V-E, Ve Eve?"

"Ratta!" Rattata insisted.

"…Ve, Eevee…" Eevee hedged, thinking about it. "Eevee Eve, Eevee…"

"Rattata Rat Tatta Ratta!"

Eevee nodded, finally consenting.

"This Pokémon is a Level Five, male Kakuna. It can use the attacks: String-Shot, Poison-Sting, Bug-Bite, and Harden."

Nodding thoughtfully, Ash put away his Pokédex, thinking about how he could use this information to his advantage. He was so deep in thought he didn't notice Rattata and Eevee walking over to Pidgey and Kakuna.

Turning after a few moments—to go sit down on a nearby boulder—he never noticed Eevee close her eyes before all but one his Pokémon were bathed in a pale blue glow.

XXXXXX

Now knowing where his Pokémon stood, Ash was thinking about how to train them. He was also thinking about how he could use them against Brock and his Rock-Type Pokémon.

Ash knew that Rock-Types had an overall high defense on average, so physical attacks wouldn't do all that much damage against them. He also knew that many Rock-Types had a slow speed.

If he could train his Pokémon to be fast, he could use that slowness to his advantage. He would need to, however, also train his Pokémon in endurance so that they wouldn't get exhausted in the middle of a match.

Also, he would have to try and make sure that Brock's Pokémon never landed a hit on his Pokémon. The strength—and weight—behind one of their blows would probably knock his Pokémon out after a couple of hits.

"Kakuna."

Ash's eyes widened fractionally as new ideas started forming at a blinding speed. What if he were to use Kakuna and Eevee or Kakuna and Rattata to battle Brock?

Kakuna could probably poison Brock's Rock-Type Pokémon in the beginning of battle. He could then recall Kakuna and send out Eevee—or Rattata—who would then use quickly attack and then dodge before Brock could counterattack.

If Eevee or Rattata were to be knocked out, Kakuna could use Harden. With the heightened defense that move provided, Kakuna would be able to last longer and take moderately lesser damage.

Kakuna could then use String-Shot to slow down Brock's Rock-Types or swing around the battlefield. If that happened, Brock's Pokémon wouldn't be able to catch Kakuna,

Then, if Kakuna had managed to poison his opponent, all Ash would need to do was avoid being knocked out until Brock's Pokémon eventually succumbed to it.

"Eevee Eve, Ee-V-E?"

Snapped out of his thoughts, Ash saw all four of his Pokémon looking at him, as if wondering why he was sitting down. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, realizing that they had probably been trying to get his attention for a while.

"Sorry guys… I was just thinking of a way to defeat Brock." Ash said.

"Ka, Kakuna Kaku Na." Kakuna responded forgivingly.

Rattata stepped forward eagerly, "Rattata, Ratta Tatta Rat!"

"You're right, Rattata. Let's train!"

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level Six.

Attacks: Growl (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), Sand-Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal) Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal).

Pidgey (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Sand-Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal),

Rattata (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Tail Whip (Normal), and Quick Attack (Normal).

Kakuna (Male): Level Five.

Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), and Harden (Normal).

A/N: Author's Note; Well, that's the end of chapter six. Tell me what you guys think of it in your reviews and messages! This chapter was updated as of 5/19/2012.