Ch. 3
When Vance, Ash, and Misty finally found Pewter City, Ash jumped down off a cliff, and began resting on a rock, exhausted after spending so much time in the Viridian Forest, and he gave off a loud sigh of relief.
"Phew. For a while there, I thought I'd be stuck in that forest forever!" Ash said, and he looked at Pewter City with an excited look on his face.
"This city is gray, the color of stone. This city has always been famous for stone." A strange voice said, and Ash looked down, and saw a strange man sitting below him.
"Huh? Who's this guy" Ash asked, and Misty and Vance shrugged.
"Never met him." Misty replied.
"The name's Flint, and your sitting on my merchandise, young man." Flint said, and Ash quickly jumped off, and the others noticed the price tags on several other rocks Flint had placed on shelves.
"Oh sorry! Wait, you mean you sell rocks?" Ash asked.
"Pewter City souvenirs. Want to buy some?" Flint asked, but the gang shook their heads.
"No thanks; I'm traveling, trying to become a Pokemon Master!" Ash said confidently, and Flint looked over at Pikachu, and noticed that he looked tired.
"I see. Well your Pokemon sure looks worn out. Follow me and I'll take you to the Pokemon Center." Flint said as he stood up, and he began walking towards the city.
"See? Looks can be deceiving; he's a nice guy." Ash said to Misty, who still wasn't sure.
"Are you sure?" Misty asked, and Flint leaned over to Ash with his palm out.
"Oh, by the way, that'll be a two dollar charge for resting on my rocks." Flint said, and when the three trainers processed what he said, they fell over in disbelief.
When Ash, Misty, and Vance reached the Pokemon Center, Ash and Vance went to the counter to give Nurse Joy their Pokemon and the Horsea Vance had found, but Ash noticed something strange about Nurse Joy.
"Nurse Joy?" Ash asked in shock.
"Yes, I'm Nurse Joy." Nurse Joy said, and Ash looked to the side in confusion.
"But this isn't Viridian City, this is Pewter City!" Ash pointed out, and Nurse Joy just smiled.
"The Joy in Viridian City is my little sister; I'm the older Joy. I've heard some nice things about you Ash. Very nice." Nurse Joy said, and she turned to Vance and smiled. "It's good seeing you again, Vance. I see you made some new friends." Nurse Joy greeted, and Vance smiled and nodded.
"Yes ma'am. I ran into Ash and Misty while in the Viridian Forest, after Dratini and I fell into a trap laid by Team Rocket. They helped me out, and we decided to travel together. I found this Horsea in a small lake deeper into the forest, where she had been abandoned by her trainer. I brought her here, hoping you could put her in this Centers aquarium to rest." Vance said, and Nurse Joy smiled and nodded as she took Horsea and Dratini. "Nurse Joy, I hope you're sister isn't too upset with me for not making it to Viridian; once I heard that the situation was under control, I decided to come back here." Vance explained, and Nurse Joy smiled.
"Oh, you're fine. My sister will be glad you didn't waste an entire trip down there, only to realize you weren't needed. Now you can focus on winning your gym battle." Nurse Joy said, and Vance smiled.
"Good. Now if it's alright with you, I'm going to get something to eat while Dratini rests up." Vance said, and Nurse Joy nodded as Vance got ready to go outside.
"Of course. By the way, have you seen that poster?" Nurse Joy asked, and Ash and Vance turned to look at the poster, and they both got excited instantly.
"The Pokemon League Regional Championships…all right!" Ash said excitedly, but Misty began mocking him.
"Ha!" Misty laughed, breaking Ash out of his trance.
"Huh? What's the matter?" Ash asked, and Misty started reading the poster.
"To compete in the Regional Championships, you need to beat Gym Leaders from different towns and get their badges as proof." Misty read aloud, and she turned to Ash and got in his face. "Can you do that?" Misty asked mockingly, and Ash puffed out his chest.
"Of course I can!" Ash said, and when they heard Flint laugh.
"Ha, ha, ha. Don't tell me you plan on challenging Brock; the Pewter City Gym Leader." Flint said as he walked over to the young trainers, and Ash turned to him, looking more determined than ever.
"Of course I do! As soon as Pikachu and my other Pokemon are better, I'll have no problem! Take me to this Brock's Gym! I'll beat him!" Ash said, and Flint just started laughing again.
"Ha, ha, ha. You'll beat him. Ha, ha, ha, ha." Flint laughed as he walked away.
"Ooh, that Flint, trying to make a fool out of me!" Ash said angrily as he ate his food at the local diner.
"Do you really think you can win? Gym leaders are much different from your average trainer! They're much, much tougher!" Misty explained, and Ash stopped eating so he could listen to her. "I'll tell you what Ash; if you ask me really nicely, I'll help you out." Misty offered, and Ash just continued eating.
"I don't need any help!" Ash said confidently, and Misty just stood up angrily, and began to walk off.
"Is that so? Fine with me! There's no way you'll beat Brock and the Pewter City Gym!" Misty said as she stormed off, leaving Ash with the bill.
As Misty grumbled to herself, she walked back to the Pokemon Center, and Nurse Joy showed her to the aquarium where Vance was after he finished eating. She noticed that Vance standing on a ladder, standing over the edge of the aquarium, and was throwing a rubber ball to Horsea, who was sending it back with her water gun.
"Hey Misty? Have a good lunch?" Vance asked, and Misty shrugged as she climbed another ladder to watch Horsea swim around.
"I guess; Ash is completely pig-headed though! I offered to help him prepare for his gym battle, and he says he doesn't need any help!" Misty said, and Vance just smirked.
"Ash is still a rookie trainer; when he experiences his first loss against a gym trainer, he'll realize how important preparation is." Vance said, and he threw the rubber ball to Horsea again, but instead of sending it back to Vance, Horsea got excited at seeing Misty, wanting her to play as well, so she sent the ball back to Misty with her Water Gun. Unfortunately, Misty wasn't paying attention, and the ball hit Misty in the head, knocking her off the ladder.
"OW!" Misty yelled as she hit the floor, and Vance slid down the ladder, and went to see if Misty was alright.
"Misty! Are you okay?" Vance asked as he helped Misty sit up, and Misty began to rub her head where she had gotten hit.
"Ugh…yeah, I'm fine. Horsea just caught me off guard." Misty said, and she looked up, and saw Horsea looking over the edge of the aquarium, and began crying out apologetically. "Don't worry Horsea; I'm not mad." Misty said, and she smiled at Horsea, causing the Pokemon to jump around in the water.
"Turns out Horsea is really playful, and I guess she got excited about seeing another familiar face, and she wanted you to play with you as well." Vance explained, and when Misty stood back up, she grabbed the ball, and threw it back to Horsea, and she caught it with her Water Gun, and began shooting straight up, keeping it suspended."
"She has quite the Water Gun." Misty commented, and Vance nodded.
"Yeah, very powerful for a Pokemon of her size." Vance commented, and he climbed up the ladder again, and Horsea sent the ball back to Vance again. While Vance continued to play with Horsea, and Misty just watched, when Nurse Joy walked in with Dratini's Pokeball.
"Vance? Your Dratini is feeling much better." Nurse Joy said, and Vance went to her, and took the Pokeball back.
"Thank you for taking care of him, Nurse Joy. I appreciate it." Vance said, and he opened the Pokeball, and Dratini popped in a white light, and looked at his trainer excitedly. "You ready for our first gym battle, Dratini?" Vance asked, and Dratini began bouncing up and down happily. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." Vance said, and Dratini slithered up onto Vance's shoulder, and Vance turned towards Horsea. "Horsea, I'll be back after my gym battle; I promise!" Vance said, and he left the aquarium, and despite his promise, Horsea began crying out for him to come back. Both Vance and Misty were sad to leave their new friend, but they knew they'd be back soon as they went to the gym.
When Misty and Vance reached the gym, they saw Ash holding Pikachu, and looking down at the ground disappointedly. Both of them knew that Ash had lost his gym battle, even without him telling them. As Ash walked away, Vance looked at Ash with pity.
"Poor Ash. It must be hard, losing your first gym battle." Vance said, full of pity for Ash, and Misty just just turned her head and gave out a huff, thinking about something, but her thoughts were interrupted when Vance put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you go to him? He could use a friend right now." Vance suggested.
"He didn't want my help! I doubt he wants me to comfort him!" Misty said stubbornly, but Vance shook his head.
"He might not want it, but he certainly needs it. I doubt anything I say would make him feel better; I've only known him for a few hours, but you two appear to be pretty good friends, so what you say might mean more to him." Vance said, and Misty nodded, but she still wanted to watch Vance battle, which Vance could tell by the disappointed look on her face. "Don't worry about my battle; sometimes, there are things more important than a Pokemon battle, and friends are one of those things." Vance explained.
"Who told you that?" Misty asked.
"My uncle. And if a Pokemon Master said that, than it must be true." Vance said, and Misty nodded as she walked off to find Ash.
When Vance opened the doors to the Pokemon Gym, he walked in with confidence, ready to challenge the gym leader. As he got the center of the room, a light turned on, revealing a teenager around seventeen years old, on the other side of the room.
"Are you Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader?" Vance asked, and the teenager jumped down from where he was sitting.
"I am." Brock answered, and Vance put his hand on Dratini's Pokeball.
"Then I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" Vance said, and the rest of the lights in the room came on.
"Very well. I am required to accept all challenges. We will battle with two Pokemon each!" Brock said, and Vance took a step back and gulped.
"I only have one Pokemon, but I still wish to battle you!" Vance explained, and Brock nodded.
"Very well." Brock said, and suddenly, the floor began to shake as part of the floor moved, revealing two halves of a rocky stage, moving to join together. Vance quickly moved out of the way of the arena, and when they joined together, Vance took his spot on the arena. "Are you ready?"
"I was born ready! Dratini, I choose you!" Vance yelled, and he threw Dratini's Pokeball, releasing the small dragon. Dratini gave out a confident roar, while Brock got a Pokeball of his own.
"Onix, GO!" Brock yelled, and when he threw the Pokeball, his massive Onix appeared on the stage, and gave out a might roar. Vance appeared nervous at first, but he quickly regained his composure, and started thinking of a strategy.
'Onix…it has a large amount of Physical Defense, making it a formidable opponent. Luckily, Dratini mostly has Special moves, which takes away Onix's greatest strength…I should still keep my guard up though; who knows what tricks Brock has up his sleeve.' Vance thought to himself, and after thinking of what move to use, he started the battle. "Dratini, start off with Twister!" Vance ordered, and Dratini opened his mouth, and let out a mighty gust of wind, which moved towards Onix, and surrounded it. The tornado was so powerful, it started lifting rocks off the arena, and ramming them into Onix.
"Onix!" Brock said in shock, but although his Pokemon was getting hurt, he remained calm. "Onix, Tackle attack!" Brock ordered, and Onix dove towards Dratini. Although the Dragon tried to get out of the way, Dratini was sent into the air when Onix's head hit the ground, sending rocks everywhere. Several of the rocks hit Dratini as he flew through the air, until he landed on a boulder on the arena, causing Dratini to cry out in pain. "Now Onix, Bind it!" Brock commanded, and Onix began rapping its tail around Dratini, and began squeezing it.
"Dratini!" Vance yelled in horror, not being able to stand seeing his Pokemon in such pain. "Use Dragon Rage!" Vance ordered, but Dratini was in too much pain to do anything. Vance closed his eyes and began facing the ground, before running onto the arena. "STOP! I SURRENDER! JUST STOP!" Vance said, and after Brock ordered Onix to stop, it let Dratini go. Vance kneeled down to his Dratini, and slowly picked him up. "Dratini…are you okay?" Vance asked, and Dratini looked at him, and gave an apologetic roar. "No, don't apologize; I'm the one that screwed up." Vance said, and all Dratini did was lick Vance's cheek before passing out. "Hang on Dratini; I'll get you to Pokemon Center as fast as I can!" Vance said, and he took off towards the Pokemon Center.
When Misty entered the Pokemon Center, she saw Vance in the lobby, on the brink of tears about something. She figured it was because Vance lost the Gym Battle, like Ash did; so Misty decided to see if she could be of any help.
"So, I take it you're gym battle didn't turn out so well." Misty guessed, and Vance nodded.
"Dratini got hurt real bad. I don't think I can ask him to go through that again…" Vance said, and Misty looked at Vance with pity, and as they waited for Dratini to recover, Misty thought of something.
"Hey, why don't we go see Horsea? I'm sure she'd be glad to see you again." Misty suggested, and Vance nodded as the two headed down to the aquarium.
"So what happened to Ash? I haven't seen him ever since we saw him outside Pewter Gym." Vance asked, and Misty rolled her eyes.
"He's doing some ridiculous plan with Flint, trying to make Pikachu more powerful. I offered to let him use some of my Pokemon instead, but he refused, saying he'll win his own way." Misty said, and Vance shrugged.
"I can respect that; a trainer has to choose his own path if he's going to be a Pokemon Master." Vance said, and Misty just shrugged, when Vance started looking at Misty curiously.
"What?" Misty asked, confused on why Vance was looking at him.
"You offered to Ash to let him use your Pokemon?" Vance asked, somewhat shocked, and Misty nodded, not aware of why Vance was so shocked.
"Yeah, why?" Misty wondered, and Vance just closed his eyes and started chuckling as he faced the ground. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. It's just…you and Ash must be really close; only friends that share very close bonds let them use each other's Pokemon." Vance said, and Misty started to blush lightly before getting angry.
"HOW CAN YOU SAY I HAVE FEELINGS FOR THAT LITTLE CREEP! HE JUST OWES ME A BIKE, AND I'M NOT LETTING HIM OUT OF MY SIGHT UNTIL HE PAYS ME BACK!" Misty yelled, trying to strangle Vance, but the he just removed Misty's hands from his neck, and started chuckling.
"I didn't say anything about you having feelings for Ash; I just said you two must be close." Vance pointed out, and Misty began blushing again.
"Well…I was only offering to help Ash out of pity, because there is no way he can win with just his Pikachu!" Misty explained, and Vance just chuckled.
"Okay, out of pity; I get it. I totally believe you." Vance said with a hint of sarcasm, and Misty just growled as the two walked down to the stairs.
When Horsea saw Vance and Misty again, she began jumping around the water and crying out happily. Vance and Misty smiled, glad to see Horsea so happy. Two two trainers began playing with Horsea, throwing a rubber ball at it, and throwing hoops into the air, so Horsea could try and jump through them. As Vance threw the last ring for Horsea to jump through, it landed on the edge of the aquarium, and began keeping its balance on the glass container, without being in the water.
"Wow, that's impressive; Horsea is able to keep it's balance and stand up straight without being in the water; I've never seen a Horsea do that before." Vance said in amazement, and Vance suddenly had an idea. "I wonder…" Vance said to himself, and he ran out of the aquarium, much to Horsea's dismay, and went to find Nurse Joy.
When Vance entered the lobby of the Pokemon Center, he saw Nurse Joy typing on her computer, with a single Pokeball next to her. Vance walked over to the counter.
"Perfect timing Vance; your Dratini has just recovered, and is ready to go." Joy said, and Vance smiled as Joy handed him Dratini's Pokeball.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy. I really appreciate you taking care of my Pokemon. Hey; is that Horsea feeling well enough to travel?" Vance asked, and Nurse Joy checked the computer and smiled.
"Yes; she's feeling much better now. Why?" Nurse Joy asked, and Vance smiled.
"I was thinking, maybe Horsea would like to travel with me on my Pokemon Journey." Vance suggested, and Joy was surprised by what Vance was suggesting, but then smiled.
"I think that would be a great idea Vance; that Horsea really seems to like you." Joy said, and Vance smiled and nodded as he rushed back down to the aquarium.
When Vance re-entered the aquarium, he quickly climbed up the ladder, grabbed a Pokeball, and held it in front of Horsea.
"Horsea, I was thinking; would you like to join me on my Pokemon Journey, along with Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Dratini?" Vance offered, and Horsea began jumping in the water, and nodded excitedly. "Okay they; Pokeball, GO!" Vance said, and he threw a Pokeball at Horsea, and when Horsea entered the ball, it shook three times, and then gave off a tone. "Welcome to the family, Horsea." Vance said happily, and Misty glared at Vance with jealousy in her eyes.
"Ooh, no fair! I want a Horsea!" Misty yelled, and Vance shrugged.
"Oh well; this one wanted to be my Pokemon." Vance said, and he grabbed Dratini's Pokeball, and released both Pokemon. When Dratini appeared, Vance picked up Horsea, and showed her to Dratini. "Dratini, meet our new traveling companion; Horsea." Vance introduced, and Dratini leaned forward to smell Horsea, and after a couple of sniffs, identifying Horsea, Dratini roared happily, causing Horsea to cry out as well.
"Hah, they're friends already!" Misty said, and Vance just smiled as he saw the two get along. "You know Vance, Brock is a Rock Type trainer, and since Horsea is a Water Type, that gives you an advantage." Misty pointed out, and Vance nodded.
"Yeah, if Horsea wants to battle for me." Vance said, and Horsea looked at Vance at hearing her name, and Vance petted Horsea's head. "Horsea, do you want to battle for me at the Pokemon Gym?" Vance asked, and Horsea nodded, causing Vance to smile. "Thank you, Horsea; this means a lot to me." Vance said happily, and he got ready to go back to the Gym.
When Vance reached the Gym the next day, he saw Ash and Pikachu standing out there as well, waiting to go inside. Ash looked determined as ever, as did Pikachu, and when the two turned around and saw Vance, they waved happily at Vance, motioning him over.
"You're going to rematch the Gym Leader, too?" Vance asked, and Ash nodded.
"Pikachu is much stronger than last time, and this time, we're going to win!" Ash said, and Vance smiled and nodded.
"Well, good luck to you, Ash." Vance said, and Ash nodded as well.
"You too. So…who's going to challenge Brock first?" Ash asked, and Vance smirked.
"Well, you challenged Brock first yesterday, so I think it's only fair that I go first today." Vance said, and Ash nodded, somewhat reluctantly. The two trainers then stepped towards the gym, and swung the doors open. "We're back!" Vance announced, and they saw Brock sitting at the other end of the arena, like last time.
"I see that; which one will I be defeating first?" Brock asked, and Vance stepped forward.
"You'll be battling me first today, and this time, I'm going to win!" Vance said, and Brock jumped down to the arena.
"We'll see. Do you still only have your Dratini?" Brock asked, and Vance smirked.
"No; I brought a secret weapon with me today!" Vance said, and Ash turned in surprise.
"A secret weapon?" Ash asked himself aloud, and when Vance entered the arena, Ash walked up to the higher levels, and found Misty there as well, looking through the guard rail.
"When you're ready, send out your first Pokemon." Brock said, and Vance shoved his cape to the side, grabbed a Pokeball, and threw it.
"Dratini, I choose you!" Vance said, and Dratini popped out of his Pokeball, and gave a determined roar.
"Geodude, GO!" Brock yelled, and his Geodude popped out of its Pokeball, and both Pokemon waited for orders. "Geodude, Tackle attack!" Brock ordered, and Geodude charged towards Dratini.
"Dratini; Dodge and use Twister!" Vance ordered, and Dratini jumped out of the way of Geodude's attack, and then opened his mouth, causing a giant tornado to form around Geodude, and send it around in circles, damaging it with the strong winds, and ramming it into other rocks.
"Geodude, Rock Throw!" Brock ordered, but Geodude was too far inside the tornado to do anything.
"Now Dratini, finish Geodude with Dragon Rage!" Vance yelled, and Dratini opened his mouth again, and this time a large armount of purple and yellow energy spewed out his mouth, and began wrapping around the tornado.
"Geodude!" Brock yelled out in horror, and when the mixture of the Dragon Rage and Twister attacks ended, Geodude fell onto the ground unconscious. Vance then began jumping in the air, excited over his victory, and Dratini turned around started roaring excitedly. "Don't get too excited just yet; you still have to deal with my Onix! GO!" Brock said, and he released Onix onto the field, and Vance withdrew Dratini.
"You did a great job Dratini! But now…" Vance said, grabbing Horsea's Pokeball, and started talking to it quietly. "I realize this our first battle together, but I'm counting on you! Horsea, I choose you!" Vance yelled as he threw Horsea's Pokeball, and the small Pokemon popped out of the ball and began balancing itself on the arena floor.
"Wha…Horsea!" Ash said in shock, and Misty nodded.
"Vance asked Horsea if she wanted to join him on his journey, and Horsea agreed; she's able to balance herself on her tail without the need of water. Now Vance has the advantage, because Rock is weak against Water!" Misty explained, and Ash turned to watch the battle.
"So, you got yourself a Water Pokemon? Too bad Horsea can't move outside of water." Brock said, and Vance just smirked.
"You let me worry about that!" Vance said, and Brock just shrugged.
"Fine. Onix, Tackle it!" Brock ordered, and Onix dove towards Horsea.
"Horsea, use your Water Gun! Aim straight for Onix's face!" Vance yelled, and Horsea unleashed a powerful Water Gun, hitting Onix's head, and stopping its attack.
"Onix!" Brock yelled in horror as Onix roared in pain, but Brock remained calm. "Onix, go to the side and try Tackling again!" Brock said, and Onix got away from the Water Gun, and tried to tackle Horsea from the side, and Horsea wasn't capable of moving on her own.
"Horsea! Aim your Water Gun straight at the ground!" Vance ordered, and Horsea looked down and fired her Water Gun at the ground, and she was sent flying backwards a few meters, making Onix's Tackle miss.
"Wow Vance, good thinking." Misty said quietly, and Ash just huffed.
"Very impressive; you improvised on Horsea's inability to move. Too bad it won't help!" Brock said in a taunting manner.
"We'll see; Horsea, Bubble Beam!" Vance commanded, and Horsea sent a steady stream of bubbles at Onix, and the barrage of popping bubbles knocked Onix over. "Now Horsea, aim your Water Gun at the ground again, and this time, try to land on top of Onix!" Vance said, and Horsea turned around and fired her Water Gun at the ground, and was sent flying into the air again, and landed on top of Onix's head. "Now Horsea, finish it with Bubble Beam!" Vance ordered, and Horsea blew several bubbles on Onix's head. Onix roared in pain for several seconds, before falling to the ground, unconscious.
"ONIX!" Brock yelled, and Onix showed no signs of getting up.
"Onix is unable to battle; Horsea is the winner. Victory goes to trainer Vance!" The judge said, and Vance jumped for joy, and ran over to Horsea, picked her up, and threw her in the air several times.
"You did it Horsea! I'm so proud of you!" Vance said, and he hugged Horsea and Horsea just cried out in happiness, proud of her achievement. Brock then walked over to Vance, holding a gray, octagonal badge.
"Vance, you battled impressively; I'm proud to give you the Boulder Badge." Brock said, and Vance took the Badge and clipped it to the edge of his cape.
"YES! The Boulder Badge is mine!" Vance yelled, throwing his fist into the air. Ash, Misty and Pikachu started clapping for Vance.
"Congratulations Vance!" Misty said.
"That was a cool battle! I can't wait for mine!" Ash said, and Brock turned to Ash.
"Ash, if it's alright with you, I'd like to let my Pokemon rest for a couple of hours before we battled." Brock requested, and Ash nodded.
"Of course; it wouldn't be fair if I won while you're Pokemon were still weak." Ash said, and Brock left the arena to treat his Pokemon.
"So, you beat Brock…congratulations." Flint said as Vance walked out of the gym, admiring his badge.
"Thanks. I couldn't have done it without my Pokemon." Vance said, and Flint just mumbled something to himself before turning to Ash.
"What about you, Ash? Have you battled Brock yet?" Flint asked.
"No; I'm going to wait until Brock has healed up his Pokemon." Ash said, and Flint nodded.
"Well, good luck; you'll need all that you can get if you hope to beat Brock." Flint said before walking off, and Ash just growled.
"I'll show him!"
When Ash returned to the gym a few hours later, Brock was there, waiting for him.
"So, are you ready to lose?" Brock asked, and Ash smirked.
"We'll see who loses!" Ash said, and Brock just grabbed his Pokeball, and threw it.
"Geodude, go!" Brock shouted, sending out his Geodude, and Ash grabbed Pigeotto's Pokeball, and sent it out.
"Pigeotto, use your Gust attack!" Ash yelled, and Pigeotto appeared, and immediately started flying in circles around Geodude, surrounding it with a giant cyclone. But when the dust cleared, Geodude wasn't even hurt, and was throwing punches at Pigeotto.
"Bad strategy; don't you know that Flying are weak against Rock?" Brock asked.
"Oh, I guess I forgot." Ash admitted, and Vance just shook his head.
"Come on Ash, use your head!" Misty said, when she and Vance noticed a bunch of little kids joining them in watching the battle. A few moments later, Pigeotto fell, unconscious, and Ash returned it to its Pokeball.
"Okay Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash said, and Pikachu stepped onto the arena with confidence.
"The Pikachu again; I feel sorry for it, being trained by such a weak trainer." Brock said mockingly, but Ash was ignoring the insult.
"Pikachu, let's show him how weak we are; Pikachu, use Thunder Bolt!" Ash ordered, and Pikachu sent out several bolts of electricity, which went straight to Geodude. When the attack hit, Geodude was surrounded by a cyclone of dirt, uplifted by the lightning attack, and when it cleared, Geodude went unconscious.
"Geodude!" Brock said in shock, and his brothers and sisters just stared in shock as well.
"Whoa! Pikachu, nice going!" Misty said, and Brock returned Geodude to his Pokeball.
"I see you trained it better. But it's still no match for, ONIX, GO!" Brock yelled, throwing Onix's Pokeball. When Onix appeared on the arena, Pikachu remember how badly he was beaten last he fought Onix, and sent out several Thunder Bolts out of fear, hitting the lights on top of the Gym, almost hitting Ash, and one Thunder Bolt flew straight towards Vance, and hit him square in the chest, shocking him.
"Ouch…" Vance said when the electricity subsided, and he fell over in pain.
"Pikachu, watch your aim!" Ash scolded, and Pikachu regained his composure, and was ready to battle. "Now, Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!" Ash ordered, and when Pikachu sent the electricity towards Onix, it was more powerful, actually hurting him, but it still wasn't enough to knock Onix out. When the attack ended, Pikachu noticed that he was too close to Onix, but it was already too late; Onix had it's tail around Pikachu, and lifted Pikachu up in the air.
"Onix, Bind it!" Brock yelled, and Onix started squeezing Pikachu, just like last time. All Ash could do was watch as Pikachu was crushed by Onix; he didn't know what to do. As Pikachu cried out in pain, Ash began desperately thinking of what he should do, when suddenly, a few seconds later, Brock did something surprising. "Onix, stop!" Onix then released Pikachu, who tumbled down, with swirls in his eyes.
"What's going on! This battle isn't over yet!" Ash yelled.
"This isn't a fair fight; I don't want to hurt your Pikachu." Brock said, and all Ash could do was just stare at the ground, while everyone was unaware of the fire on the lights on the ceiling. As the fire got bigger, the sprinklers started going off spraying water on everything, including Onix, who started screaming in pain from having water sprayed on it, but Ash was confused as to why.
"Ash!" Misty yelled, and Ash turned to face her. "Rock Pokemon are weak against water!" Misty reminded, and Ash turned towards Pikachu.
"Pikachu! Use Thunder Bolt!" Ash commanded, and Pikachu attacked Onix, and due to Onix being weakened by the sprinklers, the attack did much more damage than normal, causing Onix to roar in pain. A few seconds later, when Pikachu stopped the attack, Onix fell over in pain.
"Onix!" Brock yelled in horror, and Ash smirked.
"Now Pikachu, finish it off with…" Ash started to order, but he suddenly felt a heavy force stopping. "I can't do it! My conscious is holding me back; I'm imagining Brock's little brothers and sisters holding me back from beating the one person they love!" Ash said, completely unaware of the fact that Brock's siblings were indeed holding him back.
"Ash, you might want to open your eyes!" Misty said, and Ash did open his eyes, and saw that all of Brock's siblings were clutching onto to him, stopping Ash from attacking.
"Our brother worked hard raising his Pokemon! You leave Onix alone you big bully!" One of the siblings yelled.
"Believe me kid; I'm no bully!" Ash said defensively.
"Get off of him; all of you! This is an official match!" Brock told his siblings.
"But Brock, we know how much you love your Pokemon!" One Brock's sisters explained.
"That's why we can't stand to see Onix suffer from another attack!" One of the brothers said, and Ash remembered how Brock ordered his Onix to stop binding Pikachu, though he was winning.
"Pikachu, return!" Ash ordered, and Pikachu ran back over to Ash while get got all of Brock's siblings off of him.
"What are you doing? This match isn't over yet Ash!" Brock reminded.
"Those sprinklers going off was just an accident. The next time I challenge you, I'll beat you my own way!" Ash said, and he walked out the gym, and while they were watching, Vance smirked, and Misty just sighed.
"Just when he gets a lucky break, he decides to be a nice guy too." Misty said, and Vance just walked outside.
"Ash, I think you did a good thing, choosing to win your own way, rather than let something as random as luck win for you." Vance said as the two walked over to the next path.
"Thanks Vance; Pikachu, you did a great job today!" Ash commented, and that perked up Pikachu's mood.
"I just feel bad for having a one badge lead on you." Vance admitted.
"Don't worry; I'll just have to try harder next time." Ash said, when they heard Brock's voice behind him.
"Hey! Ash!" Brock yelled, running over to the two trainers. When he finally caught up to them, Brock held out his hand, and revealing a gym badge in his palm. "You forgot this." Brock said, offering the badge to Ash.
"A badge? For defeating a Gym Leader?" Ash asked, and he thought about for a few seconds, but he refused. "I can't take this; I didn't beat you." Ash said, but Brock shook his head.
"Nah; you beat me at battle, and being kind to Pokemon. You see, I get more pleasure out of raising Pokemon, rather than making them battle. I don't want to be the world's best Pokemon trainer, I want to be the world's best Pokemon Breeder. But I can't leave because I have to take care of my little brothers and sisters. Ash, I want you to take this badge and fulfill my dream for me; will do that for me Ash?" Brock asked, offering the badge again, and Ash smiled, and nodded.
"You got it!" Ash said, taking the badge, when Flint appeared out of nowhere.
"Brock, you go fulfill your dream." Flint said suddenly, and Vance and Ash were shocked to see him, and even more so when he removed his hat and beard, and looked like an older version of Brock.
"My father…" Brock said, mixed emotions showing in his voice, shocking Vance and Ash even more.
"You mean you're the good-for-nothing father that abandoned Brock and his brothers and sisters?" Ash asked.
"That's right; I left to become a Pokemon trainer, but because I was such a failure, I didn't have the courage to face my family. Brock, I want you to follow your dream." Flint said.
"Before I go, there a few things I have to tell you." Brock said as he reached into his pocket.
"I know you have something to get off your chest, and…" Flint started, but he was interrupted by Brock.
"Here." Brock said, and he gave Flint a thread and needle, confusing him. Brock then proceeded to quickly to his father how things ran in his family.
"Hey Ash, are sure it's okay if I join you and Vance on your journey?" Brock asked, as the three walked down the road.
"Sure; the more the marrier. Plus, it's nice to have someone to talk to." Ash said, and Vance gave Ash a somewhat insulted look.
"Well, what about Vance? And that girl that keeps following?" Brock asked, and Ash turned around, and saw that Misty was following him.
"I'm not going to let you out of my sight until you pay me back for my bike, Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled, and Ash just groaned.
"I know! I know! Come on Pikachu, let's try to lose her!" Ash suggested, and the two started running, and Vance and Brock started running to catch up.
"Hey! Ash, wait up!" Brock yelled, and Vance just rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry Brock, I'll explain things to you along the way!" Vance said, and they all took off running to the next town, looking forward to the next part of their adventure.