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 Seven:

(Kanto—Pewter City—Geodude Park)

Ash Ketchum was currently sitting on a boulder beside his backpack, watching his Pokémon as they trained.

Each of his Pokémon were training through an assigned task that he had given them. These tasks were given to them in the hopes it would help them in the long run.

Pidgey was tasked with flying laps around the clearing they were in, with a small rock strapped unto his back. Pidgey had been assigned this task to increase his strength, endurance, and speed. So far, it appeared to be working as Pidgey was tiring less often, flying faster, and getting stronger bit by bit as the days went by.

Kakuna and Rattata were training together. Rattata was trying to hit Kakuna with physical moves, like Bite, to try and knock Kakuna out. It would be hard for Rattata as Kakuna had used Harden, making its outer shell akin to steel.

Ash was hoping that this would help Rattata to learn how to deal damage against hard-bodied Pokémon.

Kakuna was tasked with dodging Rattata's attacks. It his plan was to work, Kakuna would have to learn how to dodge much faster than it had been before.

In the beginning, this plan hadn't worked. However, when Kakuna began to use String-Shot, everything changed.

Kakuna became very hard to hit as he used his String-Shot like a grappling hook, attaching it against boulders. He then flew towards the boulder he had attached his String-Shot to before repeating the process over and over again.

Eevee herself was training to deal damage against Rock-type Pokémon. To do this, she was using physical moves, like Tackle, against boulders of different sizes. This training was slowly teaching her how much energy she needed to put behind an attack to deal damage to a boulder, though it caused many bruises.

Seeing that it was getting late, Ash called out towards his exhausted Pokémon, telling them that they were done for the day.

As soon as they heard this, each and every one of Ash's Pokémon dropped what they were doing before walking over to their Trainer. It hurt Ash to see the fresh bruises and scrapes on his Pokémon's bodies, knowing that he was responsible for them.

However, Ash also knew that this was the only way for his team to get stronger. So, with this thought, Ash managed to force back his guilt before he got up.

"It's getting late, so we'd better get back to the Pokémon Center." Ash said before he heard his stomach grumble. "… We'll eat and then go to bed, okay?"

"Ve, Ee-V-E."

"Ratta…"

"Kakuna…Na Kaku."

"Pid-gey Pi."

"Right! Let's go!" Ash said.

With that, Ash turned before he began to walk away. He stopped, however, when he heard Eevee and then turned around. Seeing his Pokémon's exhausted and battered stated, he instantly felt bad

So, after recalling Pidgey, Rattata, and Kakuna back to their Poké Balls, he bent over and offered Eevee his shoulder. Eevee yipped before climbing up onto his shoulder. Then, once she was settled, Ash nodded and they were off.

XXXXXX

(Later—Pewter City—Brock's Gym)

The next day found one Ash Ketchum standing before Brock's Gym, hesitating on entering the building because he was feeling a bit nervous. He had spent the last two weeks training up his Pokémon but he still had his doubts.

Had he trained them enough for this? Were Kakuna and Eevee going to be strong enough to defeat Brock and the man' Rock-Type Pokémon? Would his plan actually work or would it fail? Should he have thought up a few back-up plans?
Shaking his head, Ash pushed these doubts to the back of his mind. He had no time for doubts right now. So, taking a deep breath, Ash squared his shoulders before he walked into the gym.

The inside of the gym looked really awesome.

The gym's floor was composed of mixed earth with a few boulders of varying sizes scattered about. The walls were painted dark-gray. On either side of the gym were a set of bleachers, suspended in mid-air by a series of stone columns.

At the far end of the gym was a raised platform—made out of stone—with a few smaller boulders and rocks on it. Sitting on this platform was the gym's Gym Leader, Brock.

Brock was a dark-skinned male with short, dark-brown hair and squinting brown eyes. He was wearing a pair of green cargo pants with a long-sleeved, orange t-shirt over a black undershirt. He also wore a pair of brown-colored shoes, with black soles, and a black belt.

At the sound of Ash's footsteps, Brock looked up. "Who goes there?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town." Ash responded with a determined expression on his face. After a moment, he threw his right arm forward and pointed at Brock. "I'm here to challenge you for the Boulder Badge!"

"Alright… I'll accept your challenge. I trust that you know the rules, Ash?" Brock asked.

Ash nodded. When he had been young, his dad had told him stories of his previous exploits as a Pokémon Trainer. Through this, Ash had learned how the Gyms in the Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn regions worked.

In Kant, gym matches were supposed to be two-on-two Pokémon Battles between the Gym Leader and the challenger. During the battle, the challenger would be able to switch out his Pokémon thought the Gym Leader would not.

"I do." Ash said.

Brock nodded, "Good. Now then, walk over to the other end of the gym and call out your first Pokémon. When you have done that, I will call out my first Pokémon and we will begin the battle."

Obeying, Ash quickly made his way over the other end of the gym. Once there, he unclipped Kakuna's Poké Ball before he stopped. Taking a deep breath, he prayed that his plan would work, before he released Kakuna onto the battlefield.

After looking around for a moment, "Na, Kakuna" Kakuna called out determinately.

Brock sighed, right hand slipping into his pants' pocket before it locked around a single Poké Ball. It seemed that he had overestimated Ash Ketchum.

What fool would bring Bug-Type Pokémon to fight against Rock-type Pokémon? Oh well, it wasn't his problem if Ash lost.

Brock tossed the Poké Ball into the air, "Go, Geodude!"

In a flash of white light, Brock's first Pokémon was revealed. It was a gray boulder-like creature with bulged, rocky eyebrows and trapezoidal eyes with brown irises. It also possessed a strong set of five-fingered, muscular arms.

Geodude pumped one of its arms, "Dude Geodude!"

"Begin!" Brock announced—officially starting the match-before he ordered. "Let's get this started. Geodude, use Rollout!"

Geodude nodded before it quickly curled itself into a ball, where it then began to gather speed as it spun in place. Then, once it deemed it had enough speed, Geodude launched itself towards Kakuna's unmoving form.

"You know what to do, Kakuna! Use your String-Shot!" Ash countered.

Kakuna nodded once before he opened his mouth. Then, a rope of sticky white material flew from his mouth and towards the ceiling. Seeing it stick on the roof, Kakuna shot off towards the ceiling, using his little arms to climb.

A mere half a second later, Geodude whirled right where Kakuna had been standing and then over it. It stopped soon-after, uncurling itself, only to look around with a semi-angry expression on its face.

"Geodude Dude!" Geodude cursed.

Brock frowned, "Geodude, Rock Throw!"

Geodude nodded before it ripped out a clump of the earth beneath it—crumbling it in its hands—before it hurled it upwards. It then repeated the process until no less than twenty rocks were rocketing up towards Kakuna's position on the roof.

Kakuna knew what to do. He fired another String-Shot, this time at one of the approaching rocks, before he detached himself from the roof.

"Go for it!"

Gravity pulled the rocks—unable to have touched the ceiling—towards the ground, with Kakuna sitting on the top of 'his' own rock. He then jumped off before shooting another String-Shot at Geodude's head, detaching himself from the rock.

As Kakuna swung down towards Geodude at an alarming speed, Kakuna's shell Hardened, which caused Brock to frown.

"Geodude, Defense Curl!" Brock ordered.

Ash countered with a, "Poison Sting!"

As Geodude quickly curled itself into a ball before becoming outlined in a yellow glow, Kakuna's arms began to glow purple. It was only a couple of seconds later that Kakuna landed on top of Geodude's head.

Kakuna wasted no time. In an instant, he began to lash out at Geodude's head with his arms. After a couple moments, Geodude groaned, coming out of its defensive position, and stumbled slightly. It was almost enough to knock Kakuna off its head but not quite.

"Rip it off your head, Geodude!" Brock demanded.

"Kakuna, return!" Ash countered with a small grin, recalling Kakuna within a flash of light. "I choose you, Eevee!"

Eevee nodded before she jumped off of Ash's shoulder and landed on the ground. She didn't have much time as the match began anew, Geodude rushing forward to attack. Once Geodude was close enough, both Pokémon began a deadly dance of offensive and defensive maneuvering.

Eevee was mostly on defense while Geodude was on offense.

"Geodude, Tackle!" Brock ordered.

"Dodge it, Eevee!"

Both Ash and Brock watched as their individual Pokémon obeyed—Eevee dodging Geodude at the last second—before both began barking out orders.

"Use your Rollout!" Brock shouted.

Ash was quick to counter with a , "Dodge it! Then use Helping-Hand!"

Eevee didn't have enough time to dodge though she didn't get hit. Geodude's rolling form rocketed by within an inch of Eevee's body before it rolled past, straight into a nearby boulder. Geodude uncurled—groaning—as a light blue glow surrounded Eevee's body.

After a few seconds, this glow flew from Eevee and, looking quite like a thunderbolt, struck Geodude before it could fully recover. All then watched as the minute scratches from Kakuna's Poison Sting began to glow a sickly purple.

Geodude then groaned and grabbed its head with its muscular arms, gritting its teeth from the pain. As this was happening, Brock's eyes widened in surprise.

He could see Ash's little plan now. It was ingenious!

"Clever plan, Ash." Brock called out to Ash, smiling slightly. He smirked, "Too bad that it won't work… Geodude, Rock Throw! Follow it from a Rollout!"

Geodude groaned once more but complied with Brock's orders. Opening its eyes, it ripped chunks of earth from around itself before it hurled them at Eevee. Then, as the rocks whistled through the air, Geodude rolled into a ball before it launched itself towards Eevee.

"Eevee! Use the rocks as springboards!"

Eevee nodded, tensing slightly as the rocks approached. A few moments later, she jumped into the air—avoiding the first rock—before she jumped onto the second. She then used it as a springboard, leaping over Geodude and then landing the ground behind it.

Ash seized his chance, "Now, Sand Attack!"

"Use Rollout!" Brock countered.

"Dude!"

Eevee began to run around the battlefield at such a high speed that a trail of dust began to follow her as she ran. Geodude pursued, quickly gaining ground, with a similar trail of dust following it.

Soon, the entire battlefield had been consumed within a massive cloud of dust.

However, even though Ash and Brock couldn't see what was going on, they could still hear what was happening. They heard rocks crashing against rocks, startled yips and yelps, and the sound of something heavy impacting against a rock.

Soon, all became quiet, which meant that one Pokémon had been knocked out.

When the dust finally settled, it revealed Geodude to be lying on the ground with swirls in its eyes. A semi-tired Eevee stood above it. Then, after a few moments, Eevee looked up with a small, tired smile on its face.

"Eevee Eve Ve, Ee-V-E…" Eevee yipped, panting slightly.

"Good job, Eevee!" Ash grinned.

"Geodude, return!" Brock ordered, quickly recalling his Pokémon, before he looked at Ash. "That was a good plan you had, Ash. You used your Pokémon to poison mine and weaken it enough so that your second Pokémon could take it out with physical moves." He smirked, drawing out a second Poké Ball. "Too bad it won't work a second time. Go, Onix!"

Ash's eyes bulged at the sight of Brock's final Pokémon.

Onix resembled a giant chain of gray boulders, with a rocky spine on its head. It appeared to be fully-grown, as it measured at an enormous 28 feet 10 inches, the standard height for both male and female Onix.

"Eevee, return!" Ash called before he waited for Eevee to come back to him. Once she had, he pulled of Kakuna's Poké Ball. "I choose you, Kakuna!"

As soon as Kakuna saw Brock's Onix, his eyes widened as much as Ash's had. He then turned to Ash with a worried look in his eyes, getting a nod in return, before he nodded to himself. He had to face this behemoth, if only to weaken it.

"Alright, let's finish this, Onix! Use Rock Throw!" Brock ordered.

Onix's nodded with a roar, "Nix!"

"Dodge it with a String-Shot!"

Onix's tail slammed into the earth—splintering it—before it used its tail to start hitting rocks in Kakuna's direction. As this happened, Kakuna was using its String-Shot to swing around the battlefield.

To do so, Kakuna would release one string when he was in danger of being hit while spitting out another string to escape. Soon, numerous strings hung from the ceiling, looking like white streamers.

Onix was getting annoyed. It kept using its tail to uproot rocks and then send them at that annoying bug, but none of them hit it. The bug was using some sort of string to avoid it! The coward!

"Na, Kaku Kakuna Ka!" Kakuna shouted as it dodged another of Onix's rocks, swinging away from Onix's massive form.

Ash's eyes widened, looking up. Why hadn't he seen that row of sprinklers earlier? He could've used them—No, he didn't need to use them earlier. His plan had worked against Geodude perfectly.

Now, however, he could use those sprinklers to his advantage. If he didn't, he might not get a chance to weaken Onix enough so that his Pokémon could take it down.

He had to act now, "Kakuna… Poison Sting that row of sprinklers!"

"What?" Brock shouted out, alarmed, as he quickly realized what Ash was planning. "Onix! Stop that Kakuna!"

At this order, Onix's rain of rocks began even more intense, which caused Ash to sweat. If even one of those rocks hit Kakuna before he could set those sprinklers off, then it could be disastrous!

Onix's eyes narrowed as it sent another couple of rocks hurling towards Kakuna, "ONIX!"

"Kaku…" Kakuna swung upwards, swerving around two rocks. "Na!"

Only seconds later, Kakuna reached the ceiling. His little arms began glowing purple again before it slammed them both into the nearest sprinkler. Sparks flew in the air as the sprinkler discharged, electrocuting Kakuna.

Kakuna then fell towards the ground, burnt and smoking, where he landed on one of Onix's rocks. Then, as gravity pulled the rock back towards the ground, Kakuna fell off. It was only seconds later that Kakuna crashed into the ground, sending a miniature mushroom-cloud of dust into the air.

"No!" Ash shouted, alarmed. "Kakuna!"

Just then, the sprinklers went off, sending thousands of water droplets towards the ground. Onix groaned at this assault before it began to thrash about.

Ash's plan had worked, "… Thank you, Kakuna…" He whispered as he recalled Kakuna before he sent out Eevee again. "Let's end this!"

"On-ix!" Onix complained.

"Just hold on there, Onix! We just have to beat one more Pokémon!" Brock shouted.

"Use your Tackle attack!" Ash ordered.

Eevee nodded with a yip before she charged towards her foe. A slight glow surrounded her body as all sound seemed to suddenly vanish. It was because of this that she never heard Brock ordered Onix to dodge.

Onix raised its head slightly, still weak from the water, only seconds before Eevee tackled it. The force of the blow sent Onix's head back a few feet before it fell towards the ground.

"Are you alright Onix?" Brock called out, concerned.

"… On-…Ix…" Onix groaned as it slowly began to get up. "Onix nix… Onix…"

Onix had barely gotten up when Eevee tackled it again, this time in the back of its head. The force of the attack sent Onix falling onto the ground again. Onix struggled for a moment before it closed its eyes with a groan.

Brock looked concerned, "Onix?"

Ten seconds passed but Onix didn't get up or respond to Brock. Eevee had taken this time to pad over to Ash's side where she plopped herself to the ground. It was obvious by this point that Eevee was completely exhausted and was only barely conscious.

Finally, Brock sighed, withdrawing Onix's Poké Ball. "Take a good, long rest buddy… Onix, return!"

Onix was then consumed in red-colored light before it was recalled back into its Poké Ball. Brock sighed again before he put Onix's Poké Ball away. He then walked over to where Ash and Eevee were, a small smile on his face.

"That was an excellent match. I'll never forget you for you creativeness, if nothing else, Ash Ketchum." Brock stated before he grabbed something from his right pocket. "And—because you beat me—I can present you with the Boulder Badge."

Shakily, Ash took the offered badge from Brock's hand. He felt a warm sensation of pride spread through his chest even as a sense of euphoria overtook him.

He had done it! His plan had worked! He had beaten Brock! With a Bug-Type and a Normal-Type Pokémon!

Ash took a deep breath, trying to relax, before he put the Boulder Badge in his pocket. It wasn't an ideal place to keep it but, as he had no other place to put it at the moment, it would have to do.

"I also am proud to present you with the standard reward for defeating me: ¥1386." Brock said, holding the aforementioned stack of money in his hands. Ash took it, causing Brock to smile. "Good luck with the other gyms, Ash."

"Thank you."

XXXXXX

(Later)

After Ash had received the Boulder Badge and money, Brock offered to take him back to the Pokémon Center. They both had Pokémon that were in need of healing, so why not?

Wanting to know a little bit more about Brock, Ash had accepted. They were off towards the center after Brock turned off the lights off his gym and locked the doors.

On the way to the center, Ash learned that Brock had and took care of nine siblings by himself. He described each of them in immaculate detail—how they looked, what they acted like, and what hobbies they had.

In return, Ash had told Brock a little bit about his life in Pallet Town. He told Brock of his dad—who was away because of his work—his mom, and of Professor Oak. He also told of the farm work that most citizens in Pallet Town did, surprising Brock when he told him that Pallet Town supplied Viridian City and Pewter City with their crops.

At the moment, Ash and Brock were just nearing the Pokémon Center. Hearing shouting from inside the center and, worried, they rushed into the building.

Inside, they found Nurse Joy being verbally assaulted by a pale-skinned boy with dark-blue hair and black eyes. The boy was wearing brown-colored vest over a long-sleeved, pink t-shirt and brown pants. Brown shoes covered his feet while a pair of sunglasses hung on his head.

"Whadda ya mean I can't have my Pokémon back?" The blue-haired boy demanded angrily, slamming his fist into Nurse Joy's desk. "I need ta get back ta training them! I've wasted enough time getting them healed…"

Nurse Joy frowned, "I can't give them back to you because Officer Jenny is examining them at the moment, Mr. Flats." Her eyes narrowed, actually appearing angry. "I called her when I found those horrible markings and brusies on their bodies!"

Before the blue-haired boy could respond to Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny walked into the room. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of the boy before she walked over, pulling out a pair of hand-cuffs from her skirt.

"Damian Flats you are hereby under arrest!" Officer Jenny announced. "Now, you—"

"WHAT? How can I be under arrest? I haven't done a thing!" Damian demanded, cutting Officer Jenny off with a scowl.

"You're under arrest for numerous counts of Pokémon Abuse!" Officer Jenny answered. Then, before Damian could try and refute her statement, she said. "Don't try to deny it, Damian. I have confirmed the abuse myself!"

Ash's Pokémon Team:

Eevee (Female): Level 13.

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

Pidgey (Male): Level 10.

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

Rattata (Male): Level 11.

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

Kakuna (Male): Level 12.

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

Brock's Pokémon Team:

Geodude (Male): Level 12.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Defense Curl (Normal), Rock Throw (Rock),and Rollout (Rock).

Onix (Male): Level 14.

Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Bind (Normal), Harden (Normal), and Rock Throw (Rock),