The Pokémon League was about to begin, and under any other circumstances, Ash would have at least watched the opening ceremony. However today he had a big trip to make, as he was heading towards Pewter City for a special delivery.
Originally Ash had trouble just getting to Viridian and back without becoming winded, but months of riding his bike to and from had done wonders to improve his stamina. And that was on top of helping to haul the bigger bales of Pokémon food around to the various enclosures.
The reason today was so special wasn't because he was taking a longer than usual trip, but rather due to the Pokéball he had on his waist. Pikachu, as always, refused to go near his. Instead he was napping inside the special backpack Oak had ordered to make it easier for Ash to make the delivery.
Today was the first time he would be going out with Charmander. It was his test run to see if he and the fire type were compatible, and if things worked out Charmander's registration would be changed.
Ash had put a lot of time and effort into working with Charmander. He was still a little skittish about Pokémon battles, but Ash had that covered with Pikachu. By now the two had a good rapport, even if he still made mistakes.
Ash had originally been against this trip, but Oak and his mother convinced him to do it. Mostly so he had a chance to breath and get away from his mother's condition for a while, but also to give him some new experiences.
He was still allowed to catch Pokémon and train them, so Oak wanted him to get some field experience in to distract him from the fact he was missing out on the Pokémon league.
Oak was recording the matches anyway, so Ash didn't mind overly much.
He adjusted his cap, made sure the fossil he was delivering was secured again, and that he had his bento and extra water bottles. He also had Pikachu and Charmander's Pokémon food, and had been well taught in how to find the edible plants and berries.
Ash put his foot on the pedal and cast a glance back at his mom and Professor Oak, before he turned away and began pedaling.
He took a deep breath of fresh air, and was somewhat glad to be getting away from home for a while. Oak had given him some spending money for when he reached Pewter to find some new books to read or have some fun.
He was almost to Viridian when something massive flew overhead. Ash was quick to take pictures with the cheap camera he had gotten to document the Pokémon in the ranch.
It was big, and clearly a flying type, possibly fire as well.
The thing landed and Ash knew that challenging it was a bad idea. The bird seemed to stare him down, for what reason he didn't know.
Suddenly it took off, but not before it dropped a weird feather on the ground. Ash was quick to take more pictures of it and the rainbow that had mysteriously formed. He also picked up the feather as proof.
With that done, Ash continued on his trip to Pewter. He had better things to worry about besides the odd encounter.
He was almost to Viridian when he saw another girl having trouble with her bike. She barely looked up when she saw him riding past.
"Hey!" she called out. "Do you have an repair kit or a pump I can borrow? My bike has a flat."
Ash slowed down to a stop. He opened up his bag and began searching.
"Here," he said, handing her the small kit he had. He did have a portable pump, but he hadn't had to use it yet.
"Thanks," she said. "I must have driven over a rock or something."
"Not a problem," said Ash.
As the girl repaired her bike, she did her best to make small talk.
"So are you a trainer?" she asked, looking at the Pokéball on his waist.
"I have the license, but I haven't gone out on my journey yet," said Ash.
It was a known fact that Pokémon trainers had to challenge gyms within a set time limit, or pay the fine to have their license renewed. If they managed to make it to the league with all eight badges they were given a five year extension per league attempt.
However if they failed to make it to the league, then they had to find some other way to keep their license or they would lose their trainer ID.
Most kids challenged a handful of gyms at most, before giving up and going back to school with a team they had made. Only a handful each year actually made it to the Pokémon league with all eight badges out of the many applicants the league got.
Ash might not have challenged any gym leaders yet, but his ID was still considered valid because he was listed as an apprentice to Professor Oak, which was considered special circumstances. It meant he had a bit of leeway before his ID expired and he had to go through all the hassle of renewing it.
It also meant he was allowed to take specialized lessons in place of general schooling, which is what his training under Ranger Aaron qualified as.
Ash was extremely grateful to Professor Oak and Ranger Aaron for that, since it meant he had more time to take care of his mom when she needed it.
The girl, Misty, gave him an odd look.
"You haven't gone out on your journey yet?" she said incredulous. "Then why are you traveling with a Pokémon?"
"You can get the license at ten, but nothing says you have to start your journey immediately. Besides, I got approval from the league to keep my license so long as keep my paperwork up to date."
So long as he filed the application for renewal on time each year, the league could care less about him delaying his journey to challenge the gyms.
The girl finished her repairs, and was glad to have her tire fixed. She handed the kit back to Ash.
"Well if you have a Pokémon, how about a battle?" she asked.
Ash shook his head.
"Can't," he explained. "I'm running an errand to Pewter for Professor Oak."
The girl looked surprised at his reply.
"Maybe later then," she said.
"Sure, if I can find some good Pokémon. Pikachu and I haven't really had a proper trainer battle yet," said Ash.
"What about your other one?" she asked.
"I'm not battling with him until the registration is fixed," said Ash. "There's some...special...circumstances."
She looked confused but let it drop. She still wanted to catch some water types after all.
Ash continued on his way. The girl, Misty, was nice enough to give him a spare rod she had since he had loaned her the kit. She had a better one in her pack anyway, and this way Ash could try his luck at fishing. It was old and needed some new string, but at least he could learn the basics and catch a Magikarp or something to get his other Pokémon used to Pokémon battles.
It took him a few days, but Ash had finally made it. Pewter city.
He wasn't alone either. Going through Viridian forest was a little scary, but he had come out of it with a new Pokémon to train with. Professor Oak had told him of another way to earn money, which was acting as a courier between him and Professor Elm. Not to mention the various gym leaders around the region.
Unknown to Ash, there were other reasons for why Oak wanted Ash to become a specialized courier. If Ash happened to challenge the gym leader after delivering the packages, then he could still earn his right to challenge the league, even if he wasn't able to travel like most of the kids his age.
If they did things right, Ash could help his mother out and still keep his dream of becoming a Pokémon Champion.
"Hey kid, you're standing on my merchandise. Pay up," said a voice gruffly.
Ash looked down. He was standing on a regular rock.
"I don't really care what sort of ridiculous scam you have going on, but I'm not wasting what little money I have to pay for a rock I don't want or need," said Ash. "Besides, I have a delivery to make."
With that, Ash started walking into town. He had to visit the museum first to deliver the fossil he had been given. Then he was going to look around town. He might challenge the gym, but honestly he didn't want to bother since he was worried about his mom.
He made it to the museum before it closed, and after showing the paperwork was let in. He found himself standing next to a boy a little older than him in a guard uniform.
"I didn't know they hired ten year olds for deliveries."
"The official places don't. I'm doing this as a favor for Professor Oak," said Ash calmly. His Pokémon were all getting some much needed rest at the Pokémon center, and would be ready once he had the paperwork. He couldn't wait to train with Pidgeotto when it came to flying.
"You're a Pokémon trainer, aren't you?" said the guard.
"I have the license, I'm not on my journey for personal reasons, but I still want to challenge the league later," said Ash almost automatically. He was getting really tired of people who expected him to just drop everything and go traveling the second they realized he had a trainer's license.
The guard immediately turned empathetic.
"Family issues?" he asked. Ash nodded. "I know the feeling. I'm stuck doing this and acting as the local gym leader because my dad up and disappeared with the stronger gym Pokémon without any notice. Now I'm stuck caring for all my younger siblings because I'm the oldest and the only one able to hold a job."
"You're the Gym leader?" said Ash in surprise.
"If you want, you can challenge me after my shift," he offered. "The name's Brock."
Ash shook his head.
"I only have a Pikachu and a Pidgeotto I just caught. My third one isn't even registered to me...this was mostly a trip to see if he's okay with being my Pokémon," said Ash.
Brock looked outside. It was getting pretty dark, and his shift was about to end.
Ash did not want to travel the forest dark if he could help it. He didn't think twice about accepting Brock's offer to stay at his place for the night.
What he saw had him almost as appalled as hearing Charmander's story.
Brock had nine younger siblings, and none of them were quite old enough to be a trainer yet. Worse, he was the only one taking care of them and looked exhausted.
Without a second thought, Ash immediately began helping to corral the younger siblings into small activities while Brock helped make dinner. Brock was surprised and openly grateful for the unexpected help.
Ash didn't know why, but he decided to open up and trust Brock with his situation.
Brock winced hearing Ash's story.
"So your mom developed cancer before you were supposed to set out?" he said.
Ash nodded.
"The treatments are expensive, enough so mom is having trouble keeping up with the payments. Professor Oak had me listed as an apprentice so I could legally earn some extra cash on the side to help pay the bills. So long as I keep the paperwork renewed, I can still be a trainer. But right now mom needs me more."
Brock could respect that. Ash had his priorities straight, and was doing right by his family.
None of them could have expected that Ash's questions about the matter to Professor Oak would lead to a major scandal.
Brock's father, Flint, was in a great deal of trouble for skipping out on his duties and leaving his job as a gym leader to his fifteen year old son on TOP of having to take care of nine other sibling who weren't even old enough to be trainers yet.
On the plus side, Ash had someone he could vent to properly about his mother's condition. Brock was just glad he had someone he could ask to babysit his siblings for a while to give him a much needed break. At least until they were able to sort out Pewter Gym's situation.
Considering Flint had to shell out a decent amount of cash every time Ash came over to babysit for a few days, he didn't think it was that bad a deal at all.
