Disclaimer: I own neither Pokémon nor Hellsing. They are owned by their respective owners
Chapter Seven: Pewter City
After spending the day at the Captain's house, Ash finally set out to Pewter city. Before he left, however, the Captain gave him an envelope.
"Take this, these are photocopies of the documents that allowed me to buy this house, get a job, and purchase these furniture. Think of it as an extra precaution in case your words are not enough to convince Seras, we do have quite a history together," he said.
Taking the envelope, Ash couldn't help but make a joke.
"You two should go out sometimes," he sniggered.
The Captain only stared at him, before pointing to a dirt path at the back of his house. The path seems to be made only recently, one can see bits of grass and footprints on the trail.
"Take that path over there; I use it as a shortcut when I'm going to Pewter city. It goes straight to the city and avoids any unnecessary stops; it should cut your travel time by half."
Ash nodded, giving one last look at his partner, Pikachu, still sleeping at the bed, he took off into the dirt path the Captain pointed out. The Captain watched him leave, and when Ash was finally out of sight, closed the door and turned in for the night.
After four hours of walking, Ash finally made it to Pewter city, at what would have taken at least eight hours of trekking on the official roads. Ash was also given the added bonus of capturing another Pokémon, this time a Bulbasaur, using the same technique he used to catch Squirtle; throwing a Poke Ball so hard at the unsuspecting victim it was knocked out cold.
Arriving at the Pokémon center, he went on the front desk and talked to the nurse.
"Um, excuse me, nurse; I would like to know how to get permission to battle Brock."
The nurse looked up, stared into Ash, as if studying him, and then she smiled.
"You want to enter the Kanto League? Give me your PokeDex, I can register you right now, then tomorrow you can battle Brock for the Boulder Badge. By the way, call me Nurse Joy," the nurse, now known as Nurse Joy, said.
Giving Nurse Joy his PokeDex, Ash looked around the Center. It was a fairly large place with amenities for everything, including rooms, a cafeteria, and a lounge for trainers. The Center even has a clinic for wounded trainers and especially Pokémon. Ash was too preoccupied with his probing that he did not hear Nurse Joy calling him.
"Mr. Ketchum, Mr. Ketchum," called the nurse.
"Huh?"
"It seems you have been entered already by Professor Oak, now then, can I have a look at your Pokémon? I need to register the Pokémon that you currently have, do this every time you capture a new Pokémon," said Nurse Joy.
"Okay," replied Ash, giving nurse joy his Poke Balls.
"Nurse Joy, I also have a Pikachu with me, but unfortunately he's been injured and has to rest, he's with a friend."
Nodding, Nurse Joy took the Poke Balls from Ash and brought them with her to the clinic. After a few minutes, she came out, with the Poke Balls on a tray.
"All done Mr. Ketchum, though I must say, are these newly captured? Because I noticed both of them have been hit pretty hard in the head," she said.
"Um, yes, I just caught them a few hours ago," replied Ash, putting his hand on the back of his head.
Nurse Joy looked at him. "Well, you better train young man; Brock is not an easy opponent. I suggest you rest for the night and start training tomorrow," she said, giving him a key," this is the key to your room; it's over there on that hall."
Ash took the key."Thanks Nurse Joy."
"Don't mention it."
At his room…
Ash put away his things on the bed, and then took out a blood candy. Popping the candy into his mouth, he planned what he was going to do next.
"I suppose I could call Miss Seras about the Captain, and then I have to rain Squirtle and Bulbasaur, Brock's not going to be easy, I just know it," he sighed, lying on his side.
When the candy was finally gone, Ash took out his cell phone and called Hellsing.
Half a world away…
Seras was on the roof of the manor, watching the stars in the sky.
"Lots of stars tonight," she contemplated, enjoying the night sky. Just then her cell phone rang, taking it out, she noticed it was Ash calling.
("Hello, Miss Seras?")
"Ash, always good to hear from you, so what's been happening my young underling?"
("I'm here to give a status report.")
"Fire away", said Seras, taking a pen and paper.
("Last night, on my way to Pewter city, my partner Pikachu and I were attacked by a werewolf on his first tranformation. I managed to subdue it, but unfortunately Pikachu was wounded by the lycan.")
This caused Seras to blink. Well, this should be interesting, how will Ash handle a were-Pokémon partner.
"So, what happened to Pikachu?" she asked. Then she noticed a pause, as if Ash was hesitating to answer. Before she could open her mouth, Ash replied.
("After the initial battle, I was approached by a man, who offered to help Pikachu and the werewolf control their newfound powers. I tried to engage him, but I was overpowered. He then led me to his house, which was on the middle of clearing in the forest. The house itself was simple, indicating that the person who lived inside was living alone. After I placed Pikachu on the person's bed, I asked him his name. Um, Miss Seras, can you please not freak out?" asked Ash.)
Oh boy, I get the feeling this will be one of those 'bad guys turned good' moments, thought Seras.
"Alright, tell me the name of this person," she finally said. She heard a sigh on the other side of the phone.
("His name is Hans Gunche, known to you as the Captain.")
It took every bit of self-control Seras has to stop her from shouting. After ten minutes, when she finally trusted herself not to go berserk on everything she sees, she spoke, albeit tensely.
"What happened next?"
("I asked him why he was doing this, and he said it was for the preservation of his kind, and because he's got nothing to do. Then I asked whether or not he would rejoin Millennium if ever it was reformed. He said though he is loyal to the organization, he would stay neutral, pointing out that it was no longer the same Millennium that he was once a part of. After that he offered me help once more. I tried to contact you, but there was no signal, so I accepted the offer, but on the condition that he surrender to Hellsing, allow us to watch his activities, and turn over Pikachu and the werewolf once their training is over.")
"The Captain is not one to surrender, and then?"
("He gave me a copy of his daily schedule.")
Seras was surprised. The Captain just surrendered? Returning to the conversation, she asked.
"And, what happened next?"
("According to the schedule, he would be found at his house during the night. During the day, he would be at the local Pokémon Academy, where he works as a World History teacher. And on his free time and the weekends, he would be at Pewter city, running some errands.")
This time it took every bit of self-control Seras has, to stop her from laughing. The idea that the Captain, her worst enemy, would end up working as a teacher was ridiculous. When she had finally regained control of herself, she continued the conversation.
"Really, is that true? I would never have thought the Captain of all people would be reduced to working as a teacher. Oh well, I guess a hundred years of experience would help. Let's just hope he doesn't end up killing his students. Now we only have to make sure he returns all of the furniture he stole and…"
("Miss Seras, he bought everything legally, he gave me photocopies of the documents that allowed him to buy his house and the furniture inside.")
Seras paused. "Oh, well then I guess there's nothing left on the matter of the Captain, we'll send an agent over to his current location, somewhere between Pallet town and Pewter city you say?"
("Yes, at least a few hours trek on the official road going from Pallet town…")
Ash then described the exact location of the Captain's house, as well as the outside and inside appearance of it. Seras wrote everything he said.
"Okay then, is there anything else that needs to be discussed Ash?"
("Um, I'm now at Pewter city, I've caught a Squirtle and a Bulbasaur, and tomorrow I'll be battling the gym leader Brock.")
Seras smiled.
"Good job! Alright, if nothing else, I'll be saying goodbye now and…"
("Wait, Miss Seras, I've been meaning to ask you something. How did Hellsing and Iscariot defeat Millennium?")
Instead of feeling a sense of foreboding, Seras chuckled.
"Oh, it was quite a story, but now is not the time, it would take the entire night to tell it, and the phone bill is horrendous as it is, maybe when you take a break from training, then I'll tell you. For now, just focus on your training, and, good luck on your battle with Brock."
("Thanks Miss Seras, I'll be going now, bye")
And with that, Ash disconnected. Seras put the phone inside her pocket. After a few more minutes of looking at the stars, she left the roof and went to find Alucard. Chuckling, she muttered to herself, "Oh Master is going to like this, the Captain reduced to being a teacher; this is one for the ages."
And off she goes.
Back at the Pewter city Pokémon center…
Ash finally finished talking with Seras and was now doing nothing on his room. Lying on his bed, he tried to think of something to do.
"I guess I could always go out and train my Pokémon," he pondered, getting up from the bed and going out the door.
The moon was a bright circle in the night sky, with only the smallest of dents on one side to show that it was not a full moon. The stars twinkled beautifully, and one can see the entire horizon filled with the points of light. And in a clearing in a forest under the twilight, a certain young trainer stood with his Pokémon, his eyes on the PokeDex as it informs him the attacks that his Pokémon can do.
"Alright Squirtle, show me your Water Gun!"
The blue turtle shot out a torrent of water from its mouth, hitting a tree and subsequently being dispersed.
"Good shot Squirtle," remarked Ash, "okay Bulbasaur, use Razor Leaf!"
The plant Pokémon let loose a barrage of razor sharp leaves that hit another tree, this time leaving cut marks on the trunk.
"Nice one Bulbasaur," said Ash, "okay, this time let's practice on your accuracy." He placed several stones at a distance from his Pokémon.
"Alright guys, try to hit these stones with your attacks, Squirtle, use Water Gun, Bulbasaur, use razor Leaf!"
The two Pokémon released their attacks, but ended up hitting less than half of the targets. Since they were still newly captured, their skills are still beginning to develop. Add to the fact that they were practicing in the middle of the night, and you've got a situation where hitting a target is near impossible. And this caused both Pokémon to feel depressed.
Ash sighed. We've got a long way to go. Walking back to his Pokémon, he knelt in front of them and tried to cheer up his dejected partners.
"Hey, don't worry guys, I'm sure with practice you can hit all of those stones easily. Now come on, we've got to train if we want to beat Brock tomorrow," said Ash, patting his partners in the head.
The night passed by, and the sounds of attacks and gushing water could be heard in the distant forest near Pewter city.
The next day….
It was a busy day at the Pokémon center, as trainers and Pokémon of every shape and size busily go about their daily business. However, in one of the rooms of the Center, a certain trainer is spending his day sleeping alongside his Pokémon.
After training for the entire night, Ash and his Pokémon were going to spend the day resting, in preparation for their battle with Brock. They were currently in their room at the Pokémon center, sleeping.
Last night…
The training had been nothing short of exhausting. Ash pushed his partners to their limits, pitting them in ever more difficult situations. After their ranged attack practice, which took a full two hours before both Pokémon were finally able to hit all the stones. They moved on to dodging, in other words, avoiding the pebbles Ash lobbed at them at different directions. Both Pokémon had no idea how Ash was able to clearly see in the dark, while they themselves can barely see five feet in front of them. The final session was melee combat, which simply meant them bashing their bodies into a tree again and again. And at the end of the night, both Pokémon were exhausted to even stand, and Ash had to carry them back to his room.
But it was all for the best, when both Pokémon were finished with their dodging training, Ash had moved on from lobbing the pebbles to throwing them at Squirtle and Bulbasaur, and even replaced the pebbles with larger stones. By the time the sun rose on the horizon, they had knocked down three trees simply by Tackle and Skull Bash. Even Ash, who had undergone more intense training, was surprised at how quickly his partners improved.
"Great job you guys, I never thought you could improve this fast. Come on, let's go back to the Pokémon center, you deserve, and need, a good long rest.
"Squirtle."
"Saur."
Enough musing…
Afternoon had finally arrived, and with it, Ash's first gym battle. As he and his Pokémon move toward the gym, it's safe to say all three were nervous.
"Come one guys, we can do this, we've been training all night, and you've improved from beginners to experts, and you were training in the dark, which makes everything even harder. There's nothing that can stop us now!" Ash tried to bring confidence into his partners. It worked.
"Squirtle!"
"Saur Bulbbasaur!" replied the two Pokémon.
When they entered the gym, which has a field covered with stones and dirt,, they found a man inside, doing what appears to be talking to a giant worm-like Pokémon made of stone and a boulder with arms. Ash walked over to the man.
"Um, excuse me, do you know where the gym leader Brock is, me and my Pokémon are here to challenge him."
The man looked over to him, he has spiky hair and tan skin. His eyes seem to be closed, and yet he can see clearly. He smiled.
"Welcome to the Pewter city gym, I'm the gym leader Brock. And you would be…"
"Ash Ketchum from Pallet town."
"Pallet town huh, I know Professor Oak lives there. Anyway, shall we get started? I'll just call the referee," said Brock.
"Okay!"
Brock called for a referee for their match. Once the man is in position on one side of the gym, Ash and Brock placed themselves on the edges of the field.
"Alright Ash, the rules are simple. We each battle with two Pokémon, with only the challenger allowed substitutions. Once all of the opponent's Pokémon is unable to battle, the other is declared the victor."
"Okay."
"If both trainers are ready, begin!"
Brock started the match.
"I'm starting, come out, Geodude!" And a boulder with arms came out of the Poke Ball.
"My turn," called Ash, "Bulbasaur, let's go!"
Bulbasaur comes out of his Poke Ball, ready to rumble.
"I'll start things off, Geodude, rollout!"
The armed boulder curled up its arms and rolled towards Bulbasaur.
"Bulbasaur, counter with vine whip, and then use razor leaf!"
As soon as Geodude was in range, Bulbasaur grabbed him with vine whip and, with some difficulty, managed to stop him. Before Geodude realized what happened, the plant Pokémon unleashed a barrage of leaves at him, each one hitting its mark. Geodude, weakened and disoriented, was in a very dangerous position.
"Geodude, can you still stand up?" asked Brock.
Are you crazy? Do you think I still can?, thought Geodude as he struggled to get up.
"Now Bulbasaur, finish this off with razor leaf!" shouted Ash.
Bulbasaur released another round of razor-sharp projectiles, this time even more than before, and hit Geodude, with every single leaf. Geodude did not stand a chance, and was out for the count.
"Geodude is unable to battle, Bulbasaur wins!" called the referee.
"Great work Bulbasaur, let's keep it up!" exclaimed Ash.
"Good work Geodude, take a long rest," said Brock as he recalled Geodude to its Poke Ball.
Good work indeed, I got defeated and did not even lay a scratch on my opponent, thought Geodude.
"Alright Ash, now it's time for my other Pokémon, go Onix!"
And into the field appeared a very large Pokémon that seemed to be made out of a chain of boulders. On the top of its head is a spine. Its sheer size and intimidating gaze even surprised Ash.
"That's a big Pokémon Brock," commented Ash as he took out his PokeDex.
"Thanks," replied the gym leader.
"Hmm, another rock type," muttered Ash to himself," you ready Bulbasaur?"
"Saur Bulbasaur."
"Okay, start with razor leaf!"
Bulbasaur once again fired a barrage of razor leaf, all headed towards Onix, but Brock was ready.
"Dodge and use tackle!"
Onix dodged most of the leaves, and proceeded to slam its entire body into Bulbasaur. Ash was quick to counter.
"Bulbasaur, dodge the attack and slap Onix with vine whip"
The plant Pokémon moved out of the way of Onix, but some of the rocks that flew after Onix used tackle ended up hitting Bulbasaur. Bulbasaur winced in pain, but shrugged off the attack, having faced much worse assaults the night before. After a brief pause, he launches vines into the Onix, coiling the two vines together and creating a bigger one, which he then uses to whack the rock Pokémon.
Onix grunted in pain, and then swung his tail into Bulbasaur, who dodges it. A series of attacks and counters occur, in which neither Pokémon could gain an advantage.
"Bulbasaur, why don't we give Squirtle a chance to play?" asked Ash.
Bulbasaur nodded, and allowed himself to be returned to his Poke Ball.
"Alright Squirtle, come on out!"
And Squirtle appears on the field. Time to shine, thought the turtle Pokémon.
"Okay Squirtle, use water gun!"
Squirtle fires a torrent of water from his mouth.
"Dodge it Onix!" Brock commanded his Pokémon, who promptly evades the stream…
Only to be hit in the head by a skull bash. it turned out Ash was only using water gun to distract Onix so that Squirtle can close the distance.
"Nice hit Squirtle, now finish this off by using water gun on one of the cracks!" called Ash.
The turtle Pokémon obliged, and sent a fierce surge of water onto one of the cracks on Onix made by Bulbasaur's earlier razor leaf and vine whip.
Onix, hit by the full force of its weakest type, was immediately down and out.
"Onix is unable to battle, victory goes to Ash Ketchum!" announced the referee.
Brock was stunned. He was defeated by a rookie trainer, and did not even beat a single one of his Pokémon. He walked up to Ash with a smile on his face.
"I have to say I'm embarrassed. I didn't even manage to take out a single Pokémon of yours, and Bulbasaur can possibly defeat Onix if he was allowed to continue. I can safely say I still have a lot to learn. Ash, I present to you the Boulder Badge, in remembrance of your victory here at the Pewter city gym," said Brock.
"Thanks Brock," replied Ash. He then raised his badge up in the air, and proclaimed to the world…
"I've got, a Boulder Badge!"
"Well, god luck on your journey Ash, and stay safe." Said Brock to the retreating trainer
"Thanks, bye!" waved Ash back as he went back to the Pokémon center
Author's note:
You are probably wonder how on earth Ash became this good at battling this early in his journey. Well remember he spent nine months training under Seras and Anderson, which improved his fighting skills, and he carried on this trait during Pokémon battles.
Finally it's done. It took me the entire time I did not update to come up with ideas for this chapter. I can honestly say that the story is far from what I would have imagined; it's basically writing itself now, though the general form is still alive. Just a warning, the next update will probably be in late June, as class is starting once again. If you have any ideas on how to improve this fic, please do include in your reviews. Please read and review!