Aim to be a Pokémon Master (Kanto Arc)

by Chris Ketchum

A new attempt to rewrite the Pokémon Anime. Ash Ketchum begins his Pokémon Journey with a stubborn and soon to be best friend, Pikachu, on his way to the Pokémon League. Expect to see stuff similar to the original story, but with some new events, appearances, and many more soon to come. (Artwork by GustavoCardozo97)

6. Museum Mayhem, Showdown in Pewter City

Hey everybody, I'm back with the newest chapter of Aim to Be a Pokémon Master. I'd like to thank Vital Info for once again, being the Beta Reader for this chapter.

With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter.

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Chapter 6: Museum Mayhem, Showdown in Pewter City

Pewter City around midnight...

The museum's lights were switched off, leaving each room practically pitch black while the corridors and exhibit rooms were deserted, with no one in sight, except for a few night guards on duty or so it seemed.

As one guard was walking by the fossil exhibit, she did a once over shining her flashlight across the room. She looked around the room to see if anyone was there; there wasn't a soul.

When she looked up, she noticed the camera on the wall. "See anything on screen?" She asks into her walkie talkie.

"Nothing but rocks." The man in the camera room declared.

The woman asked again, "What about the other guards?"

"They're patrolling their parts of the museum, but so far nothing seems out of the ordinary." He answered swiftly.

The woman nodded with a small grin, "Well then, time to get started." Slowly reaching up, the woman took off her hat revealing familiar long red hair followed by a sly grin of accomplishment that their plan was working so well thus far.

The man on the walkie now presumably revealed as James, with whom Jesse was talking in a private channel disrupts the camera feed before Jesse notices the red dot on the camera go down and she continues talking on the walkie.

"Meowth, you're on," she said into the walkie as a patch in the ceiling came out to reveal a familiar cream colored cat popping his head out.

"Oh, yeah. Now we're talking." He grins before being lowered down. He was hovering over the display cabinet, which included a Dome and Helix fossil.

Meowth began to cut a hole in the glass with his claws as James joins them.

"Don't focus all your time on the scraps, Meowth. We want the big score, remember?" James said, taking off his guard disguise.

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about that pretty blue head of yours, I got it," Meowth snarked as he continued to cut the glass.

"Hmph, It's Lavender, I'll have you know," James scoffed, clearly annoyed at the remark.

Slicing the glass and now slowly reaching in, Meowth grabs one of the fossils, but when he tries to pull it out the hole he made was smaller than the fossil making it a struggle to pull free.

"Uh oh," he cringed, trying to pull the fossil without damage, remembering that anecdote from The Caretaker about there needing to be sufficient DNA in the fossil to revive them so any chips or cracks could…

"Careful, you furball. You're going to break something," Jessie growls, interrupting Meowth's train of thought.

"Then get over here and help me then!" Meowth said. "Use a nail filer or something!"

As Jessie ran over to help, she noticed Meowth was squirming close to a red security beam. "M-Meowth, stop!" She yelped, worried they would trigger the alarm and ruin their heist too soon.

Freezing in place, Meowth noticed he was inches from tripping the alarm and adjusted himself. Both sighed with relief, "Oh boy, that was a close one." Meowth groaned.

"Okay new plan. We get the machine first, the fossils come after. We can steal them in all the chaos." Jessie said as James took that as his cue to action.

"Sounds good to me," Meowth said, letting go of the fossils and dropping them gently to the bottom of the display case they resided in.

"Hey! Everything alright down there?" Another security guard calls out hearing a bit of a ruckus from a few rooms down.

"Uh, yes! Everything is fine!" Jessie calls out, hoping to calm the security guard enough that they don't enter the room. It worked.

Meowth quickly turned on his communication device on the side of his face. "James, where's the machine?"

"It's uh…proving to be difficult to move." James pauses leaving his partners worried something is happening.

"What's wrong? Too much security?" Meowth asked worried.

"Too much interference?" Jessie joins in on the conversation.

"No. It's too heavy for us to grab with the balloon. We need something that can lift it." James declares before awaiting a response from his comrades.

Learning about their newest obstacle, Jessie and Meowth both started to think.

"We're going to need something strong." Jessie thought out loud, crossing her arms.

"And we'll also need to make a quick getaway." Meowth finished by walking around the room.

"It can't be by foot." James added, making note of the hurdle that would be.

Looking up, Meowth sees the Aerodactyl skeleton hanging from the ceiling and smirks, getting an idea.

"Then we'll just have to go by air." He declares before ultimately the group regroups and discusses the new plan. Agreeing with a nod they knew that they could not continue tonight.

As such Meowth is seeing going back to the entry in the ceiling after rearranging the fossils and display case in a direction the hole they just made wasn't visible while James and Jesse return to their guard personas and uniforms and continue their duties having to explain the camera feed going down as a technical difficulty. Their plan was now delayed but not deterred. They just needed the right opportunity…

The next morning...

Ash and Misty both awoke bright and early, and after breakfast, they proceeded to the front desk, where Nurse Joy awaited them, along with Pikachu and Butterfree, who were both eating some Pokémon food in a bowl.

Pikachu looked up to notice them, and smiled, "Pikapi!" He cried, alerting Butterfree, who also cried out to see Ash as they both got off of the table to greet him.

"Hey you two, are you guys feeling any better?" Ash smiled, embracing Pikachu as petting Butterfree as he sat on his shoulder as they both gave out happy cries, showing they were feeling much better after their successful treatment.

"Your Pokémon are as good as new Ash." Nurse Joy smiles wholeheartedly.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy." Ash said grateful for her services.

"So you ready to head out?" Misty asked Ash as he was with his Pokemon.

"You bet." Ash nodded, Pikachu and Butterfree looked over with curiosity, and asked where they were going. "We're heading to a place to get ready for our rematch with Brock, you guys in?"

"Pika!/ Free!" Both Pokemon said eagerly.

"Don't focus on just them. Use this chance to have all your Pokémon grow and get better." Nurse Joy suggests, kindly.

"Hm, you make a good point there. Thanks for the tip." Ash nods, turning to head out the door.

"Ash, wait." Nurse Joy said, stopping him. "One last thing."

She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "It's OK to lose. Don't let it get to you," she said, trying to lift his spirits with a little advice. "Losing is a way for trainers to learn from their mistakes and help them grow alongside their Pokémon. It happens to all of us. You will get through this, I promise you," she finished her little speech, giving Ash her family's trademark sweet smile.

Nodding, Ash takes her advice to heart, and in an impulsive act, hugged Nurse Joy. As he retracts from the hug, he smiles as well, "Thank you, Nurse Joy," he then bowed to her.

Appreciative of the gesture, she replied "You're welcome and good luck at the Battle Club."

Before long he and Misty left the Pokémon Center. Making their way through town, they eventually arrived at a green building with a Poké Ball logo on the front.

"So this is the Battle Club, huh? Well let's head on in and check it out," Ash said before heading through the doors.

"Welcome to the Pewter City Battle Club!" A large muscular man with brown hair and a mustache greeted them with great gusto that took the duo off guard.

"Woah!" Ash jumped back in surprise, making the man laugh.

"Surprised you, didn't I?" He laughed with kind intent.

"Yeah, that's definitely one word to describe it." Misty cringed, not being a big fan of jump scares, intentional or not.

"I get that a lot from newcomers, it never gets old," the big man eventually stopped laughing. "So what can I do for you both today?"

"M-my name's Ash Ketchum, sir." As he recovered from his shock, Ash said. "And I'm here to start training for my Gym battle with the leader Brock, you see I lost and…"

"Let me stop you right there," the man said, raising his hand to interrupt Ash's words. "Got overwhelmed by Brock's power and defense during the fight, and he got the best of you?"

"How'd you know that?" Ash asks, curiously as to how well he knew his motive for visiting.

"You're not the first challenger who's lost to Brock and you sure won't be the last." He assures, knowing that had become quite a normal occurrence in Pewter City, wondering how the city ever got a reputation for being an "easy Gym". He then continued.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Don George, and I'm the owner of this Battle Club."

"Well, Don George, if you know the reason Ash is here do you by any chance know how to help him?" Misty inquired.

"How to, huh? Well I need to first know just what kind of trainer you are," Don George said looking at Ash.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asks.

"I need to know how you and your Pokémon are. So bring out all the Pokémon you have on you."

Ash did as told and threw all his Poké Balls into the air other than Pikachu's and revealed his Spearow, Pidgeotto, Butterfree and Beedrill.

Don George looked over at his team and asked. "Are you specializing in Flying or even Bug Types?"

That caught Ash by surprise who stated, "I'm not. Why do you ask?"

Don George took in that answer and began to explain his reasoning.

"See, most trainers come here with a variety of types to cover a broad spectrum of situations in battle. You have 3 Pokemon that fit within the boundaries of you training to be a Flying Type Specialist, Your Spearow and Pidgeotto are both Normal/Flying while Butterfree is Bug/Flying, Beedrill is Bug/Poison and your Pikachu is pure Electric, which isn't a diverse pool of types. Not that that's a bad career move.

Trainers like Folkner and Bugsy over in Johto have shown that they can be great types to use but against the likes of Brock your team won't do well as is."

Ash's Pokemon began to protest before Don George added.

"It's nothing against you all."

Hoping to calm them down and listen.

"It's just the nature of facing Brock's Rock and partial Ground Types. They are meant to resist many hits with their high defense especially against Flying Types and most Flying Types take heavy damage from Rock and Ground moves that it makes using these Pokemon even Beedrill and Pikachu before me a difficulty against the fortitude and might of his Pokemon, especially that Onix of his."

Ash wanted to argue but knew better. Onix was a goliath all his own.

"It's why I'm surprised you didn't capture a bit more varied arsenal of Pokemon or chose a starter like Bulbasaur or Squirtle. They often present victory to those who face Brock." Don George stated as Ash looked a bit embarrassed and explained.

"I was in a…particular situation that meant I couldn't get a regular starter. Prof. Oak presented me with the option to have Pikachu as my starter instead and these Pokemon I've caught, I have a connection with through battle. They're great Pokemon."

The team rejoiced at Ash's praise.

"That they are but I cannot stress this enough to young upcoming trainers like you. Not every Pokemon you encounter and bond with should be captured. These early Gyms are brutal and while your team would do well against the likes of Erika; Brock, The Sensational Sisters and Lt. Surge would be a nightmare to face without adding more type coverage to your team.

Quality over quantity is cherished at least until your 5th badge challenge whether that be Koga or Sabrina but don't you worry.

I'm not saying we can't work with what you got, it's just gonna take some hard work and creativity the gain a victory over Brock but please do consider once leaving Pewter City you add at least a few new Pokemon to your team. Preferably a Water, Grass and Fire type if you can. They will be a tremendous asset for future battles."

Ash took his advice to heart and would do his best to do just that. All the while Misty was grateful Ash hadn't noticed her mood change at the mention of her sisters. How long could she keep that a secret? She knew she still had a bit of time to figure it out but not much.

"Now let's see, we'll start by having you and your Pokemon run through a series of exercises and drills so I can see what I'm working with. Once I know your style I'll show you how to prepare for your rematch with Brock. You are planning on going back, right?" Don George asks.

"Of course I am!" Ash declared. "And we're not leaving until we get that badge!"

"PikaPika!" Pikachu agreed as did the rest of the team.

"That's what I like to hear." Don George smiles. "Let's get to work!"

A few minutes later, we see Ash and Pikachu both running on a treadmill. While the rest had weights around their talons for Spearow and Pidgeotto while Butterfree scattered it's powders hoping to improve the effectiveness and Beedrill thrust its lancing stingers hoping to increase its stamina.

"That's it! Pick up the pace!" Don George said in a firm tone that meant business. You can see why he was in charge of the Battle Club.

As Ash pants while he's running, he asked Don George, "So..why does the..trainer have to run too?"

"A strong bond between trainer and Pokemon is not only mental but physical. By strengthening your body we also can strengthen your mind. This allows both the trainer and the Pokemon to get stronger together." Don George explains.

"Oh, so they both get a work out while being here," Misty said.

"Exactly, it also allows the trainer to understand firsthand the limits and potential of their Pokemon so they learn to not overwork them or themselves." Don George adds.

"OK, if that's the case, think we could try kicking it up a notch, Pikachu?" Ash asks.

"Pika!" Agreeing with him, the duo began running faster and faster.

"Hey now you two, try not to go overboard," Misty warned them.

"On the contrary, they need to step it up." Don George said pressing a button and soon plastic balls were being fired at them. "Now we test your knowledge under duress. Do you recall me saying Squirtle and Bulbasaur often lead to victory to Trainers that use them against Brock. Do you know why?"

"Ow! What the?!" Ash exclaimed as he and Pikachu found themselves being hit by the balls. "Hey, what are you doing?!"

"Wrong answer." Don George declared before letting another plastic release from the machine.

"Pika?!" Both he and Pikachu snapped in confusion and anger.

"I don't know the answer, and I won't let the machine injure Pikachu if you keep this up." Ash stated as he deflected a plastic ball headed towards Pikachu as Don George looked on before giving Ash the answer that plagued him.

"It's because the vast majority of Rock Types lack the means to endure attacks and tactics that require use of Special Energy. Water is most devastating against them. This is information that many TraIners should be aware of."

Don George finished before Ash thought about what was said. Truly he had to know this information. He'd gone to Oak's Summer Camp years ago and they taught the children there including Ash a lot of courses that covered what Don George was asking and more but ultimately Ash gave little mind to those lessons opting instead to go about exploring and bonding with Pokemon in the wild than he did in class back then and the years that followed til he got Pikachu as his starter.

So although he should know this, he just couldn't remember and couldn't help to be a bit embarrassed at his lack of paying attention biting him in the rear this soon into his journey. He had much to learn and little time to do so in but by Arceus, he was willing to try. Still his thoughts almost got the better of him as a plastic ball was inbound at the duo. When he heard…

"What are you waiting for? Use your attacks to knock them away! Remember this is to test you under duress." Don George said in a strong tone.

"Pikachu, Thunder Shock!" Firing jolts of electricity Pikachu zaps the balls away.

"Now imagine those balls are Brock's boulder attacks. You can't let them hit or you could lose. So you either need to evade them or overpower them." Don George said, hoping this bit of knowledge hit its mark.

"Evade or power through, got it." As he said that, another load of plastic balls were fired right at them.

"Now when about to be encased in the confined space of a Rock Tomb, what evasive maneuver can you use?" Was the next question by Don George as Ash pondered briefly and answered.

"You could try and escape the Tomb before it closes by jumping out of the way." Ash answered as he heard…

"Pika!" Jumping from side to side, Pikachu dodges the balls before leaping up and firing Thunde Shock at more balls coming their way.

"Alright that's one; but say you can't escape in time. Consider the state of mind of your Pokémon within the Tomb. Are they getting claustrophobic? How much air are they getting? And

so on. You need to act quickly and perhaps find another way. Now most Pokémon have paws, claws and other men's to excavate so if you need to escape a situation like that of Rock Tomb or move that restrict your Pokemon like a vice digging your way or clawing at your opponent's Pokémon can prove fruitful."

Ash would make note of that lesson.

"Now for the others." Don George said, blindsiding Ash to the next attack now being aimed at Butterfree.

Soon Butterfree who was flying through several aerial hoops over a giant pool of water, was the target.

"Now comes where Brock would fire at you while in the air. You'll have to move at a quick pace and stay airborne especially if you hope to avoid the heavy amounts of damage Rock Types inflict on Flying Type Pokémon." Don George said before launching the balls at a high speed towards Butterfree.

"FreeFree!" Butterfree cried, flying through the hoops when he noticed the hoops up ahead were at different angles so you couldn't just fly straight to avoid the balls headed his way.

"Twist to avoid, Butterfree. I believe in you!" Ash called out.

Turning at a 90 degree angle, Butterfree flew through one hoop but when another came up at a different angle Butterfree flew to a halt to avoid crashing, but was hit by the balls Don George sent that way. Before the statement from Don George filled the air.

"You have to be able to react at a moment's notice. Your opponents will look for an opportunity to knock you out of the sky. You cannot give them that opportunity." Don George said in a tone that was calm but fierce. This was vital info ((ba dum pst)) he gave and hoped Ash would retain it well.

Ash said, "Butterfree, try thinking about how Spearow and Pidgeotto maneuver and use that as a guide!"

"Free?" Pausing Butterfree takes what Ash said to heart before trying again. Flying through the course, Butterfree used his wings to glide and maneuver through the aerial hoops.

"That's more like it. Your Pokémon may do the battling, but they're counting on you to lead them through the fight." Don George said, glad to see Ash was taking in the lessons given so far.

Butterfree gracefully spun through a couple of more hoops, swooping down towards some that are high or low as his fellow brethren did with weights on their wings to enhance their strength.

"Yes! That's how it's done!" Ash grins, proud to see his team make progress.

"Alright, now that we've gotten through phase one we can now begin phase two. Learning some new moves." Don George said, getting Ash's attention.

"Where do we start?" He asked, ready to begin this lesson.

"Follow me." Don George said, leading Ash further into the Battle Club he ran with with great pride.

Looking at the large pool, Misty couldn't help but wonder.

'Hmm I bet I could get some good tips from that.' She thought as she joined in.

For the remainder of the day, Don George pushed Ash, Pikachu, Butterfree and the remainder of their team to limits they didn't even know they had covering an array of new moves. Ash has been given a lot of good tactics and approaches to learn moves at a rapid rate and he knew that it would pay off. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

Soon, Ash and Misty were sitting in the front room while Ash chugged down a bottle of water.

"Phew. I never knew training my Pokémon could be this exhausting." Ash sighed in relief as Pikachu and the team also took a bit of rest.

"Well that's what trainers normally go through, but never did I think the trainer had to go along with it," Misty said admitting there was a method to Don George's madness.

"It's really quite the work-out, I'm still feeling sore from that last exercise," Ash said, rolling his arm as his body aches in pain. Nothing crazy but certainly more than he was used to, especially in such a short amount of time.

"Not to mention all that training afterwards to learn those new moves." Misty adds knowing how intense that lesson was.

This was truly something Ash would be grateful to Don George for. This re-education of sorts that made his faults as a Trainer stand out but not in a manner that couldn't be corrected with the right guidance. He would take all of the lessons given at future Battle Clubs to heart and prove he can be a Pokémon Master one day. He thought before his stomach growled intensely.

"Ugh. I don't know about you but I could really use something to eat." Ash said, chuckling as rubbed the back of his head a bit flustered that his stomach chose then and now to inform the world of his hunger.

"Really worked up an appetite, huh?" Misty laughed teasingly and then continued. "Alright, I think I saw a burger shop on the way here," Misty recalled, she too noting that the feeling of hunger was spreading around fast courtesy of Ash.

"Now we're talking." Ash grins, liking the sound of that. Rounding up the Pokémon, they headed out to go get lunch. They thanked Don George along the way.

---

Meanwhile, we head back to the Pewter Museum as another tour was going on today.

Walking past them, we see Flint approach some scientists.

"I uh, have those stones you wanted to buy." Flint said, holding up a sack of various pebbles, small boulders and other rock formations.

"Perfect, bring them around back and we'll get you your money." A scientist replied.

"Thanks," Flint said, delivering the goods that were ordered and then turned to leave, but stopped himself realizing he had to remind the scientist of their arrangement.

"Oh, and uh, you haven't forgotten our little deal, have you?" He asked in a very coy manner.

"No, don't worry we haven't forgotten." He assures Flint as he looks over the vast array of rocks before them hoping to find fossils and other significant finds amongst them.

"Well, with that, I'll be taking my leave," Flint said about to head out the door. "Oh, and I just so happened to run into Seymour around the area I was digging in." Flint said before he heard…

"Oh? Did he have anything important to say?" The seemingly established Lead Scientist asked, to which Flint replied.

"Well, something along the lines of, 'I'm this close to finding 'THE' Moon Stone' is what he told me," Flint went on to say as he backtracked to continue the conversation.

"He's been saying that for weeks. He must have a whole map of Mt. Moon by now." The Scientist said.

"Let him be, if he wants to continue his studies, it could do you guys good if he manages to find even a fragment of Moon Stone." Flint said, defending the ecstatic scientist, knowing the passion one has when following their dreams.

"Alright. We'll check back with him in a week or two." The scientist said, as it was clear he was done with the topic at hand.

Just as Flint was about to head out of the door once more, there was a huge crashing sound followed by a sonic boom that knocked both him and the scientist to the ground.

"What the hell was that?!" Flint asks, fixing his beanie as he gets back up, and checks to see if anyone needs help right away when…

"Sir!" Some of the scientists ran into the room in a panic.

"What's going on out there?!" The Lead Scientist yelled.

"We're being attacked by an Aerodactyl!" He declares, surprising them, knowing their research so far hadn't allowed for a revival of the magnitude of an Aerodactyl to be possible just yet.

"A-An Aerodactyl, that's ridiculous! Aerodactyl's are extinct!" Flint said, wanting to confirm what was said is true.

"It's true, see for yourself!!" As they swiftly made their way to the fossil exhibit they looked upwards to see a gaping hole in the museum's roof to see a giant mechanical Aerodactyl landing atop the DNA Retriever.

"I-It is an Aerodactyl!" The scientist gasped.

"No, not a real one, that's just a robot looking like one!" Flint realized, upon closer inspection.

From its claws, several cables dropped down and wrapped around the machine securing it tightly. "It's got The DNA Retriever!!" A faculty member shouted.

Running to the wall, the Lead Scientist hit a button causing the alarm to go off, blaring through the entire City of Pewter with great intensity.

Elsewhere…

Down the street, Ash and Misty who were at the Burger Place about to order their meal, heard the alarm and some level of panic that was coming from the museum.

"What was that?" Ash gasps, having never such a blaring sound pierce his ear as he was used to the modest small town living versus the hustle and bustle of a city. Not even Viridian's, but that was the home to the strongest Gym Leader in Kanto making anyone reconsider doing anything malicious there or risk facing the wrath of Giovanni.

"It's coming from the museum." Misty pointed out as many people around them seemed alarmed, but followed procedures established to get the people to a safe area. Meanwhile the kids could not help but wonder what was going on they ran out towards the direction of the museum.

In doing so, they failed to notice Brock walking out of the grocery store when he saw them run past him. "What in the? Hey, Ash what's the rush? The gym is in the opposite direction?" Brock jokes, before the sound of the museum alarm catches his ear and knows something more pressing is occurring.

"Forget the gym! Something bad is happening at the museum!" Ash calls out, as he and Misty continue their pace towards the museum. Brock shouted.

"What?!" Gasping, in surprise at their bold actions. They should be heading to the safe area while he and the authorities handle the cause for the alarm. Brock then safely dropped his groceries and ran after them.

Running as fast as they could, they looked to see a giant hole be blasted through the roof as the Aerodacdrone began flapping his wings.

"An Aerodactyl?!" Ash gasped, in genuine shock at the sight of the mighty he only saw yesterday as a fossil but was now before them in the flesh, well…kinda.

"And it's stealing the DNA Retriever!" Brock gasps when a familiar set of laughter to Ash and Misty at least, echoes from it.

"Prepare for trouble, from the past!"

"And make it double; it's here to last!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Me-owth, that's right!"

The Rocket Trio finished and looked towards their potential enemies.

"You guys again?!" Misty growls, knowing that the trio caused serious damages in Viridian and now intended to do the same, if not worse, here.

"Do you just follow us around everywhere? I thought we got rid of you in the forest." Ash growls in frustration that these evil doers hadn't left being a nuisance in his journey for good.

A cackle filled the air. "You wish. You can't get rid of us that easily." Jessie mocks, sticking out her tongue.

This encounter made Brock ask, "You know these guys?" Awaiting an answer from Ash or Misty.

"Regretfully we do, long story short, they're from Team Rocket, and those jokers have been following us for days," Ash said, before Misty followed up.

"They're rotten thieves who keep trying to steal our Pokémon." When she was cut off by the thieves.

"But now, we're stealing Ancient Pokemon with this handy piece of machinery, we're going to have ourselves a whole fossil army!" James declares, their plan going off without a hitch thus far.

"That's right, now onto the money makers, the fossil exhibit!" Meowth said flipping a switch, making the Aerodacdrone screech loud in the air, making every body cringe as it moved its tail towards the ground.

"Everybody, get down!!" Flint yells out as he nears the group hoping to lead them out of danger, but for some odd reason hearing that voice, Brock pauses in hesitation.

"Brock, lookout!" Ash yells, tackling Brock to the ground and out of the way, knocking him out of his thoughts.

The Aerodacdrone stabbed its tail into the floor, making a huge crack, split right into the middle where Brock stood mere seconds ago.

"Quick! Grab the Fossils too!" Meowth points to the same case he tried to rob earlier, and the many others on display.

"Activating, claw-grip mode!" Jessie said, pushing a button as the Aerodacdrone's claws opened up and out came multiple robotic claws, grabbing many Pokémon fossils one by one.

This ignited the ire of Brock. These criminals would not ransack this museum nor the peace of mind of his city and his family within.

"Oh no, you don't! Onix stop them!" Grabbing a Poké Ball, Brock calls out his giant rock snake Pokemon.

Roaring, Onix wraps his tail around the robotic claw, stopping them from grabbing any more fossils. "Hey, let go, you walking piece of granite!" Jessie said, angrily at the interference by Brock's Onix.

"Misty, we gotta cut those cables!" Ash said, noticing they held the DNA Retriever.

"Right! Staryu, let's go!" The Poké Ball snapped open and the Star Shape Pokémon was ready for action.

"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Ash said as he released his avian fighter.

"Rapid Spin!" Misty said, as Staryu spun itself through multiple cables, snapping them in half.

"Wing Attack!" Ash said as Pidgeotto flew in with glowing wings and cut the remaining cables.

Wobbling, the Aerodacdrone was struggling to hang on and the DNA Retriever was barely hanging on by a thread and about to fall.

"Oh no! Someone stop it!" Misty said, worried that the machine would break upon impact and set back the progress made and demonstrated yesterday by Arceus knows how long.

"I don't have any Pokémon strong enough to catch it besides Onix!" Brock said showing his only Pokemon was occupied, while Ash knew himself he couldn't help with the rest of his team.

Seeing Brock was in trouble, Flint had an unsure look on his face. "Oh, to hell with it. Golem, catch it!" Flint yells, throwing a Poké Ball, as the cables gave way and the machine fell right over where a large boulder Pokémon now appeared.

"Golem!" Standing right under its shadow, Golem lifts its hands up to catch the fallen machine.

"Man, what a catch." Ash grins, happy to see the machine was saved and was also impressed by how strong Golem was.

"Good timing." Misty smiles as Staryu and Pidgeotto return to their trainers' side, having done their role for now.

"Wait...I know that Pokémon." Brock pauses, recalling the striking similarities that Golem had to that of his…'it can't be the same one, can it?' Brock thought briefly when he heard.

"Our money maker is gone," James whined, clearly as their plan was going off the rails.

"We still have the fossils, we can just sell them on the black market," Jessie said, making a new plan.

Ash did not like the sound of that at all. He knew how much these fossils meant to everyone and he would do his best to help.

"Pikachu, stop them! Quick Attack!" Ash said, looking to the starter to confirm he was thinking what Ash was thinking.

Pikachu nodded and cried out. "Pika!" begins running up Onix like a ramp, Pikachu jumps up and misses the attack by inches and lands next to Meowth with the fossils and other rocks, including the ones Flint brought in a bag in his hand. One in particular sticking out of the bag which made Pikachu curious and ask, "Cha?" pointing to the one in question.

"Huh? No, I don't know what Pokémon this fossil makes." Meowth said, flustered at the question.

"Cha Cha." Pikachu said, pointing to one indicating where to look.

"Oh it's inscribed?" Meowth asks, holding it up, and immediately Pikachu wraps his tail around the fossil and yanks it out of Meowth's paws.

"Hey!" Meowth cried out, angered that he was tricked. Pikachu snickered and pulled his eyelid down to mock him, "Why you!" He leapt up at Pikachu, only for the mouse to jump away as Meowth hit his head on the release button.

"MEOWTH, NOO!" Jessie and James screamed. Releasing all the other fossils they plummeted to the ground.

"Quick! Everyone try to catch them!" Ash yells as he catches one..

Pikachu and Pidgeotto do as instructed, and manage to catch a couple while in the air, Staryu uses its water spray to catch the falling fossils and gently lower them to the floor.

Diving in, Brock caught one fossil before it hit the ground but there was still one left.

"The last one!" He cried out, and that's when he observed the unidentified man to him; Flint, to Brock and Misty, dashing out to catch it, but part of the rock caught against his beanie, causing it to fall off as he rolled over and showed the fossil was safe in his hand.

Eyes widening, everyone saw under the beanie was a familiar spiky hair and face that was similar to Brock and his siblings and as it turns out, even the beard was fake.

"F-Flint? Y-you look like.." Ash and Misty turned to Brock, who stood there with an unreadable look on his face.

"Dad?" Brock declared surprising them.

"Your Dad?!" Ash and Misty gasped. He was the father that abandoned Brock's family altogether to try and fulfill his ambition as a young trainer.

Now with his identity exposed, Flint could only sigh and express his truth. "I'm not going to lie. I did not picture this would be the situation for how we ran into each other." Flint directed this statement to Brock.

"Neither did I," Brock said, before hearing the Aerodacdrone screech which hurts Onix's hearing and releases the bot from its grasp. "But we'll talk later."

"Fine by me." Flint said, knowing that they have issues to address both now focused on battle and knew their feelings would be addressed soon.

Team Rocket threw some smoke from the and blew of their Aerodscdrone forcing Onix's hold on them to lessen and took back up into the sky, they weren't willing to just leave empty-handed.

"Alright, if you won't give us the machine we'll take it by force! James, fire away!" Jessie orders her fellow Rocketeer.

"Activating Rock Throw!" Pressing a button a small hatch opens up under the Aerodacdrone and large rocks are being dropped down.

"I think now's a good time to see if our training has paid off! Pikachu, use Thunder Shock! Help him out, Pidgeotto." Ash yells. Pikachu jumped from Pidgeotto's back and launched towards the sky before leaping off her back and releasing an array of electric shocks, which shattered part of the fallen rocks but caused more to fall.

"Pidgeotto, Steel Wing!" Ash declared hoping the new moves taught by Don George would do the job of smashing the rock left.

Pidgeotto screamed as her wings began to light blue and white metallic sheen and collided with some of the boulders, reducing them to rubble.

"Staryu, Water Gun!" Misty said as Staryu fired multiple streams of water blasting the rocks back and hitting the Aerodacdrone; denting its wings.

"The wings!" Misty turns to the others. "That has to be the weakness!"

"A big tincan like that must need a lot of wing strength to stay airborne. Brock, you think your Onix can ground it?" Ash asks, looking at said Gym Leader.

"Say no more, Onix!" Brock said. The rock snake roared as it moved in to bite down onto the Aerodacdrone's wing, causing it to have an engine failure while the trio inside stirred.)

"We're going down! Get us outta here!" Jessie panicked. Meowth pushed as hard as he could against the controls but as a result the lever broke.

"Uh, I think our flights been canceled.." He said, nervously.

"Mayday! Mayday! We're losing altitude!" James yells as they begin to crash down.

The young trainers saw this and Ash looked towards Brock and Misty. Now was their chance to finish things off!

"Onix, Rock Throw!"

"Staryu, Water Gun!"

"Pikachu, Thundershock!

Pidgeotto, Gust Attack!"

As boulders, water, wind and electricity rained down Team Rocket screamed in agony before the Aerodacdrone exploded, leaving behind the Rocket Trio surprisingly intact. 'How did they not just die?' Flint thought to himself seeing the handiwork his son and friends did.

"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!!" Team Rocket took off into the sky, screamed, and vanished into the horizon.

"Well someone's been doing a little training." Brock said impressed at Pikachu, and noting that Ash had more Pokémon is his arsenal aside from Butterfree.

"All for our rematch." Ash grins, clearly ecstatic about his Pokémon's advancement.

"Battle Club?" Brock guessed, as to how Ash improved his skills in a day. That Don George pushes everyone and every Pokémon to their best potential.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Ash replied rather surprised, making Brock chuckle.

"You haven't the only one who has tried to make a comeback by going to that place," Brock smirks, before Ash responded.

"Well normally I would say once we clean up we'd go have that rematch, but I think you probably want to deal with something else first." Ash hints, as he looks in Flint's direction.

Brock turned to face his "long-lost" father, who was far away assisting some museum staff members with the fossils and moving the machine back to its rightful place.

"Yeah..Ash. I know you wanted to fight today, but..." before he could continue Ash interjected.

"I understand," Ash said, holding his palm up in a "defeated" manner and smiled. "We can probably wait another day, right? After the training at the Battle Club and now this whole thing, we need to rest and then tomorrow we'll bring our A game." He smiled as he turned to face Pikachu and Pidgeotto recognizing their hard work in this battle.

"Pikachu." Pikachu nods, saying he understood why.

"Dgeo!" Pidgeotto added, knowing she and her fellow teammates would be ready to push themselves to bring victory to their trainer signaling the conversation was over at least from Ash's end.

"Thank you, both of you," Brock nods, happy they understood that he had pressing matters to tend to, smiling (he finished off. "First thing tomorrow morning?"

"Sounds good." Misty answered for the group before the duo headed off and we hear, "Do you want to go get that burger now?" Ash asks as his stomach rumbles with a vengeance.

"Don't need to twist my arm." Misty said eagerly, following him knowing she was just as hungry after the way this day had gone.

As Ash and Misty turned to leave, Brock turned back to his father, finished with helping the scientists. "Dad." Brock began in a stern tone of voice. He meant business and despite his father's charm winning others over, he had a lot to account for.

"Brock." He acknowledged. "I assume you have a lot of things on your mind." He was ready to give Brock all the answers he deserved.

"Understatement of the century, but one comes to mind. What happened? I thought you left home to live the adventures you failed to have as a Pokémon Trainer during your youthful years?" Brock asks, hoping to understand why his father left their family the way he did.

"I did..but I failed halfway." Flint said regrettably. "I guess it was too much to bear. My hopes were too grand. I visited a few regions and caught some new Pokémon, but then I got crushed by many promising trainers in Unova, Kalos, and so on. It showed me I just didn't have it in me to succeed and I failed horribly. I felt so ashamed that I thought my own family couldn't look me in the face if I came back as a failure." Flint answered honestly, looking dejected as he did so.

"So you thought you were better off leaving us alone? Do you have any idea how hard mom and I have struggled to keep things going? We wouldn't have cared if you failed, we just wanted you." Brock said, his voice on the edge of cracking over the sentiment of his father believing his children would ever think so little of him when all they craved was their father's love.

Flint sighs and looks at his son with guilt, "I guess I was just a little too late to realize that."

"Did you even care about us?" Brock demanded to know the answer to this question most of all.

"Of course I cared, you ever wonder why the Pewter Museum suddenly started giving our family those donations to the Gym and free visits to the museum?" Flint answered.

"Wait...that was all you?" Brock asked, surprised it was just a few years ago when he had first started to run the gym and have become overwhelmed at the responsibilities while handling the road and helping his mom to take care of his family that the museum offered from that point on at least to help offset the cost of the Gym's maintenance and two monthly free tours for him and the family to visit and enjoy the fossils and other amazing finds that were put on display.

"It was the only way I could think of that could still help you guys from afar."Flint stated before he added.

"Look, I don't expect you to forgive me and I wouldn't blame you if you didn't. I can only say that I'm sorry for leaving the way I did, and only hope that the family is going to forgive my indiscretions accept me back, especially your mother. I know this must have been very difficult for her and for you to just take over the gym the way you did. You probably have a lot of things to unload, so go ahead let me have it." Flint said, accepting what was to come.

"Are you sure?" Brock asked, unsure if he should.

"Yes, it's time I stop running from my problems and take care of my family." Flint nods. "No holding back." And prepared for the worst.

"Well then." Taking a deep breath Brock was ready.

It was then both he and Flint were both caught off guard at Brock's actions when he embraced his father for the first time in many years and simply wept. Flint returned the hug to his son holding his tears with little success and then just held him in place for what seem like forever but was actually a few minutes before Brock released the hug, wiped his face clean , took a step back realizing both were sniffing at their emotional encounter and then cleared his throat to speak and stern manner.

"First off, I am just happy to know that you're alive and well. For so long I was worried something had happened to you and you might not have been able to come back to be home with us. Why

you ever thought we couldn't accept you even though you didn't succeed the way you wanted to is crazy, but that's something I can forgive you for, but there are some conditions that will need to come in order for this apology to be truly accepted, here they are:

After I battle Ash you're taking over as Gym Leader. I put my own journey on hold because of you and I'm pretty sure you and Golem have enough experience to pick up the slack. Also you are going to call mom the second we get home and tell her how amazing she is for putting up with everything you've done and that she has earned a vacation from working so hard. And don't even get me started on things at home..."

As Brock continued to pile a list of things his father had to do in order to make up for his lost time away, Flint could only stand there with a sentiment that he had not felt in so long the love of his son. That made the albeit accidental reveal of his return worth it at least for now as the list of conditions grew and grew leading to a sweatdrop forming at the back of his head, hearing more and more responsibilities that were given to him.

'Oh man, did I screw up BIG..' He winced, but at least he knew that there was a chance of forgiveness and it started with Brock, he hoped the rest of his children would follow and so too would his wife but only time would tell. He thought internally before Brock started to finish off.

"And finally you're going to need to start carrying this around." Brock said, handing Flint a sewing kit with needles and threads.

"Huh?" Flint pauses being snapped out of his thoughts.

"Suzy tears her dress a lot." Brock warns, and finishes his list of conditions before looking at his father with nervous energy and he replies.

"I need Aspirin..an entire bottle of it," Flint groans, feeling a huge migraine coming in. He had missed so much of his children's lives so far that he knew this was the only way to make up for it and was ready to become the father he had failed to be years ago but was now ready to be.

Smiling, Brock pats his dad on the shoulder. "Come on, I got groceries so how about we have a nice home cooked meal together?" Recalling he left his groceries at the market before he went to help the museum.

"That sounds nice." Flint admits, happy to know that he was able to head home and enjoy his loving family's company as he had wanted to do for so long now.

Both father and son, reunited, headed towards their home to rest after a long and tiresome day.

-

The next morning we see Ash and Misty are seen approaching the gym again. "I wonder what happened between Brock and his dad," Misty questions, genuinely curious as to how it went as she could face a similar but not so similar situation when reuniting with her sisters very soon.

"Who knows? Maybe they made up," Ash shrugged. He wasn't the most adapted to the feelings of the situation but hoped the best for what happened so that Brock would be focused and ready to give him the best rematch possible.

"Let's hope that for our sake, the last thing we need is family drama before the battle," Misty comments, grimacing. 'Like I'm one to talk about family drama.' she voices internally before arriving at the gym and Ash opens the door to see Brock waiting for him.

"I'm back!" Ash declared, happy to get his rematch at long last.

"Right on time," Brock grinned. "Ready to get started?"

"You bet, this time Brock, that badge is as good as ours!" Ash announced as Pikachu sparked up in agreement, ready to rumble.

"We'll see. Same rules as the last time apply." Brock said as Misty made her way up to the stands where all of Brock's siblings were sitting.

"Back up here again, huh?" Misty asked them as she took her seat.

"We wouldn't miss this." Forrest said then added. "After last night's dinner with our father, who returned by the way if you didn't know" 'She did but let him go on. ,"Brock is in a whole different state of mind today and I look forward to seeing how it translates in battle. It was a… surprising and uh awkward night that's for sure."

"So what happened? Where is he?" Misty asks, wondering if things had gone that well, why Flint wasn't there in the stands with them.

"Down there." A girl points to the field.

Misty looked over the railing and saw Flint approaching the field in a referee's uniform with two flags in hand. "Hope I'm not too late." Flint expressed with a rejuvenated attitude.

"Right on time." Brock said as Flint stood in the middle of the field's sidelines between both of the trainers.

"Flint? You're the ref?" Ash said surprised and happy to see him. Things seemed to go well last night, it seemed.

"For this battle, I managed to talk and convince the other referee to let me officiate my son's match now that I'm back with my family. Is that fine with you?" Flint asked and got his answer.

"Uh sure, I don't mind." Ash shrugs. 'I am happy they resolved their issues.' He thought as the battle was now ready to go underway with Flint announcing the match.

"This is an official Pokémon League Gym Battle. The challenger, Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town will be facing Brock Harrison, the Pewter City Gym Leader for the Boulder Badge. Both sides may use only two Pokémon each. The match will be over when both Pokémon on either side are no longer able to battle, the challenger is allowed to substitute Pokémon when needed. Are both sides ready?" Both Ash and Brock nodded. "Then send out your first Pokémon!"

"If you expected things to go exactly like the last time you're in for a surprise, I'm starting with Rhyhorn!" Brock said, releasing his reliable Pokémon out on his side.

Ash held out his PokéDex and scanned Rhyhorn receiving this information.

"Rhyhorn, the Spikes Pokemon. Strong, but not too bright, this Pokémon can shatter even a skyscraper with its charging tackles."

Now knowing a bit about Rhyhorn, Ash decided he would follow suit and start things off differently.

"Pidgeotto, I'm kicking things off with you!" Ash points to the field, choosing Pidgeotto instead of Butterfree. As the riveting avian took flight Pikachu cheered her on.

"Pika!" Pikachu yelled out from the side of Ash's field, electricity sparkling in his rosy cheeks.

"Pidgeo!" Her war cry showed she was ready.

"Starting off with Pidgeotto this time, I see," Brock notices, surprised as not many dare use Flying Type Pokemon as they are very weak to Rock type but Ash has proven to be creative, so let's see what he comes up with.

"Hmm, interesting choice." Flint mutters and then places his flags up. "In that case, let the battle begin!!"

"Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!" Ash said as Pidgeotto took to the skies gathering speed and began dashing towards Rhyhorn.

"Very well, retaliate with a Horn Attack!" Rhyhorn did just that, meeting the incoming Quick Attack as the horn met to break the attacks and cancel each other out.

'Damn, it's got a lot of power. Guess adding speed to the natural force of Pidgeotto won't be enough. Let's try this!'

Ash gathered his thoughts and declared a Sand Attack hoping to lower Rhyhorn's accuracy using the sand on the field. It hit its mark, but Brock remained stoic and said.

"Let's do Tail Whip, Rhyhorn!"

Surprising Ash that he would use that move, Rhyhorn wagged his stub of a tail catching Pidgeotto's eye and distracting her from the real attack as Brock continued. "Now that she's let her defenses down, use Tackle!

With some of his vision recovered Rhyhorn locked in and charged toward Pidgeotto, and connected with Tackle, grounding the bird briefly who shook off some of the damage and let Ash know she was still fit to continue.

Relieved at that Ash declared. "Alright let's try something different, dig your talons into the field and pick up some rocks, then take flight and use them as projectiles!"

Pidgeotto did as such before Brock stated from his side of the field, "If you think I'm letting you use those rocks again you got another thing coming. Rhyhorn, Bulldoze those rocks to dust!" Brock said. And the rocks fell on the field, they were crushed to a fine powder.

'Again, Brock stops me in my tracks. Guess my use of the field the way I did last time tipped my hand. Let's try it Don George's way with another move he taught us.'

"Ok time to power you down, Pidgeotto, use Feather Dance!"

The move as Don George explained helps to lower a Pokemon's Attack stat by for some reason smothering them in feathers and right now he needed to ensure that Rhyhorn wasn't as powerful as he was.

Brock smirked. 'Oh, that Don George. Well played.' "It won't matter when I use this. Smack Down!" Brock countered. Having to immerse, Rhyhorn with many feathers left it unable to sustain a high altitude and fell within range to be hit with a stone that forced her to the ground.

Brock followed up with. "Now, Scary Face!" Pidgeotto was soon recovering from her fall when she saw the move and felt the effect of that Scary Face lowering her speed.

"Now we're even. Rhyhorn isn't as powerful, but now your Pidgeotto isn't as fast. "

Ash was left in a bind. He was hoping to use Pidgeotto's speed to his advantage and now couldn't. It might take a different tactic, but Ash but he had to act fast. "Pidgeotto, let's try a Gust. Lift the sand of the field and build a dust shield. Blind him!"

"It's so intense!" Misty comments, shocked to see a Rock Pokémon counter Pidgeotto like that.

"That's the power of a Rock Pokémon for you. They can prove to be unstoppable under the right conditions. Cutting Pidgeotto's speed like that was amazing." Forrest explained praising his brother.

"Pidgeotto I know things aren't looking great but finish off what I said remember what Don George taught us, fly and use…!"

As Pidgeotto's speed fell, she wasn't as quick, but determined to go as she could go, she used her powerful wings and gathered the sand to build a small dust shield as she continued to manipulate the air flow around her while storing Special Energy within her body.

'What is he up to?!' Brock looked at the creature glowing slightly up above in a bit of shock. 'Is he going for Brave Bird or something more? I guess he's figuring that going for Physical moves won't work, but Flying Types in Kanto aren't known to have many Special Energy attacks to hurt even Rhyhorn and his steel plating, so again what is he up to?' Brock would not have to wait long for that answer.

"Twister!" Ash finally finished his earlier statement and boy, did Brock not expect that.

As she released the draconic energy along with her natural air manipulation, a storm brewed within the Gym and harsh winds consumed the area. They swirled in unwavering patterns but undeniable force behind them as they clear the sand shield from earlier and also began to lift the heavy Spike Pokemon off the ground in a tornado of sorts.

Brock tried to act, but it seems the second nature of Twister which causes a Pokémon to flinch took over and as he saw Rhyhorn being lifted higher and higher he knew what was coming. Almost like being thrown by a Seismic Toss, Rhyhorn fell above with great intensity before a final onslaught of dragon energy empowered tornadoes came barreling in onto the steel plated rhino and as the winds died down Rhyhorn was revealed to have been fainted with swirls in its eyes.

Flint was surprised but confirmed the round was over and called out,

"Rhyhorn is unable to continue battling. This round goes to Trainer Ketchum, Pidgeotto is the winner! Gym Leader Harrison. Please recall your fainted Pokemon and release your next available Pokemon."

"Alright, Pidgeotto! Way to go!" Ash cheered in victory along with Pikachu and even Misty on the sidelines.

"Yes! This time he won the first round." Misty grins.

"Aw man." one of Brock's little brother frowned.

"Don't worry, he won't get past Onix," Forrest reassured. "He's his best Pokemon."

"Yeah those two hardly ever lose." A young girl said.

Brock recalls Rhyhorn back into its Poké Ball. "Very impressive, Ash. But now it's for me to get a little bit more serious," he said, enlarging his second ball.

"Here it comes." Ash said, bracing himself.

"Go Onix!" Throwing it up in the air the same Rock Snake Pokemon that beat him last time roared through the gym.

"I'd like to switch out my Pokemon!" Ash called out to Flint.

"Very well. Trainer Ketchum is recalling Pidgeotto in favor of…!" Flint declares awaiting to see which Pokemon is chosen.

Pikachu leaps into the field ready for redemption against the towering stone serpent.

"Pikachu. As Trainer Ketchum has revealed his second Pokemon ahead of a fainting scenario. All other options, if any were available, are now locked out. Only Pidgeotto may return to battle. Understood?"

Flint asked Ash, to which he nodded accepting the instructions given.

It all came down to this. Pikachu vs Onix. The very same battle from the other day where Ash suffered his first loss as a trainer.

'Alright I need to start off strong but I also need to be careful and hit fast.' Ash thought remembering the advice of Don George during their move learning session.

Pikachu looked up to the giant rock snake who defeated him the other day ago. He could see its hard stare leering down at him. He felt so…little compared to something giant compared to that.

"Pikachu." Ash said, getting his attention. "We're not the same as last time. You got this." He assured his starter.

Ash's words of encouragement were just what Pikachu needed to hear. "PikaPika!!" Pikachu stared hard at Onix with a fierce look in his eye as sparks flew in his cheeks. Now fully confident, he was ready and sure that he would win!

"Onix, use Screech!" Brock said as Onix released a loud noise causing Pikachu to cringe as his defense was lowered.

"Fight back with Growl!" Ash said. Pikachu stood his ground and gave out a loud growl in the air, making Onix stumble back. That new confidence rising in Pikachu must have given it the need to fight back.

"Now move in with Quick Attack!" Pikachu then took off with blazing speed.

"Onix, Rock Tomb!" Shaking off the Growl, Onix roars causing several boulders to come down towards Pikachu.

"Use Double Kick!" Leaping up Pikachu kicks one rock with the first kick sending it away before kicking Onix with the second one.

"Block it!" Onix quickly raised his tail and the boulder was destroyed instantly. "Now use Bind!" Moving in, Brock surrounds Pikachu with his rocky body, and starts closing in.

"Pika!" Pikachu screams, struggling to escape. He was trapped! Pikachu couldn't escape!

"Pikachu!" Ash gasps at how Brock manages to use Onix's body in different ways, as a hammer to break stones, as almost a nuke when he used Bide the last and now this. He was not letting Ash win this match easily and he appreciated that. He only hoped the next challenges were just as if not more intense. But that's in the future, focused on the here and now he had acted fast.

"Ash, get out of there!" Misty yells from the stands, showing support for the duo.

"Not gonna happen. When Onix has you in his Bind nothing gets out." Forrest said, confidently. He had seen Brock use this tactic many times before and knew this statement to be mostly true as he would soon observe.

"Looks like the battle is over already," one of Brock's other younger brothers said.

"Ash, do you surrender?" Brock calls out as he knew if he left in the crushing grip of Bind many Pokemon had been injured greatly.

"What? Why would I?" Ash asks, not liking he insinuated they were even thinking of the possibility.

"Look at your Pikachu. He's not going to last much longer." Brock said, indicating Pikachu's face was turning pale. "As a trainer your Pokémon's well being must always be your primary concern."

Ash tried to argue, but his gut was telling him that Brock's words did have some truth in them. Pikachu couldn't hold on much longer. Then it hit him.

"Wait! Pikachu, I know this is gonna sound weird but, suck in your belly quickly." Pikachu heard this and almost got insulted. Sure he was a bit chunky some time ago, but he figured his trainer had good intentions and did so contracting his belly just enough to allow a gap to form and allow Pikachu to escape and catch his breath as Brock looked on awestruck.

'Ash, you are gonna go places with tactics like these' as Onix awaited his trainer's input.

"Pikachu, Double Team!" Ash stated, knowing there was little time to rest after that tactical escape.

Hearing this, Pikachu grinned as Onix suddenly found itself surrounded by many a fake copy of Pikachu.

"?!" With a surprised grunt, Onix looks all over the field, confused at what happened and wondering just which one was the real Pikachu?

"What? You really thought I just learned attacks for this battle?" Ash smirks, realizing at this point he'd have to buy Don George a mansion to repay him for all the useful things he's used in battle between yesterday's heist at the museum and this Gym Battle.

Thinking back to the lesson… While working on Pikachu's speed back at the Battle Club, Don George made a note to Ash saying there were more ways to avoid your opponents than to just outdo them in speed. Like moving in patterns other than forward and left and right. Zigzagging, dashing, even knowing when to brake can be useful in battle. But knowing Pikachu are known for their speed, including the very powerful Volt Tackle, a move Pikachu was not ready to learn yet, he decided to teach Ash and Pikachu the move Double Team.

"Now, swarm him and use Double Kick!" As all the Pikachus leaped at him, Onix had no idea which was the real one and ended up getting him in the back with two fierce kicks.

Brock couldn't help but be impressed at this but knew not to stress Onix with an abrupt command. There was only one true Pikachu and patience was a virtue that suited Pewter to a T. He just wants to let the real stand out.

"Keep at it Pikachu, run up Onix's body!" Ash said to the real one as the other copies did their Double Kicks.

Grabbing onto Onix, the real Pikachu scaled him like a climbing wall.

'There he is.' Brock's eyes, though often seem to be squinting, were watching the battlefield like a Hawlucha and noticed Pikachu before he said, "Onix, shake that Pikachu off of you!" Brock

yells. Flailing his body around and around Onix tried to throw Pikachu off him but the little mouse was holding on tight.

"Hang tight, Pikachu!" Ash yelled, encouraging the mouse to tighten his grip.

"Pika!" Cringing, Pikachu managed to grab onto the mighty titan snake and continue his trek up to the top of Onix's head and hold on for dear life.

"You can do it, Pikachu! Don't let go!" Misty shouted, while rising up from her seat in excitement.

'I haven't felt this way about a battle in so long. Ash sure knows to put in a performance.' she thought.

"Come on Onix! Throw him off!" Forrest yells on the edge of his seat along his siblings who hadn't seen Onix be in such a predicament from such a tiny Pokémon, he'd normally eat up, chew and then spit out for breakfast.

The upper level was filled with cheers from both sides, rooting for the opposing trainers, not taking their eyes off of the match.

Diving downwards, Onix races across the ground trying to knock Pikachu off but as he does, Ash notices something hanging off the ceiling above Onix causing his eyes to widen.

Looking closely, he saw a tiny little spout from a sprinkler system pointed onto Onix and remembered Don George saying, 'Rock Types were weak to Water!' Ash thought.

Still hanging onto Onix, Ash called out. "Pikachu, Thunder Shock up above, Trust me!"

Knowing his trainer hadn't steered him wrong yet he did as told and connected with the spout igniting the sprinkler to rain down on the field.

'This could be my big chance to win!' Ash thought.

As Onix roared in agony, Brock was clenching his fist, 'How could I not see that?' Surely Ash's eye for using the whole battlefield, even the machinery up above speaks volumes of his talent, now the advantage of a soaking wet and weakened Onix lied with Ash who knew water conducts electricity, went for it all in that moment.

"Pikachu, end this. Thunder Shock, let's go!"

Jumping off Onix, Pikachu dives down gathering as much electric power as it could. Brock tried to counter.

"Onix, Double Edge!" Brock said as Onix lunged at Pikachu but thanks to the effects of being weakened by the water raining down from above, Onix wasn't able to move fast enough and Pikachu's move struck and hit home, sending him crashing to the ground erasing any trace of Pikachu Double Team clones.

Large amounts of mud from the field was sent flying into the air, blinding the people above the stairs who were watching the match.

Down below, Ash and Brock didn't take their eyes away from the field, as both were eager to see if Onix could continue, all of their eyes widened seeing Pikachu panting heavily as Onix was seen clearly lying in front of him with big swirly eyes.

Even Flint was left stunned but made the call…

"O-Onix is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! As a result of Gym Leader Harrison not having any more usable Pokemon, The Winner of the match and of Pewter City's Boulder Badge is Ash Ketchum!" Flint declares.

Scraping the bits of mud that landed on her seconds ago the sky was filled with cheers of glee.

"He did it! He really did it!" Misty cried out, giving out a massive cheer. But as she was cheering, Brock's supporters weren't on the same boat of the outcome.

"Big bro..lost?" His younger brother, Forrest, said with a disappointed frown along with his younger siblings. They had just witnessed their oldest brother, who they believed to be the strongest, defeated.

Ash stood in place, still processing what just had occurred..then he finally spoke. "I..I won?" He muttered to himself before a big grin started to form.

"I won!" He said again, now louder before jumping high in the air in victory, screaming into the heavens.

"I WON!!! WE WON PIKACHU!!!"

An exhausted Pikachu finally came down off of Onix and turned his attention to his trainer, "Pikapi…Pikachu!!! We won!!! He let out a little squeak before finally caving into the fatigue and fell over, but didn't fall to the ground, instead was picked up into the hands of his best friend, who was smiling widely up at him.

"Pikachu, you were great, buddy. Way to pull through!" Ash exclaimed, giving credit to his partner before embracing him.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu happily smiled, and although tired, still had strength to hug Ash back.

This was so new to Pikachu. Being used to being all alone for many years he just didn't know who to trust and then all of a sudden now here he is having a trainer help him in victory and was now hugging him after such a hard-fought battle. Who knew Pikachu was capable of this? Maybe this trainer would be more than just his trainer but a friend, maybe even a brother one day.

Flint looked over to the enthusiastic boy and chuckled, "Well I'll be, the kid's not bad." 'He thanked Ash as in a way without his arrival to Pewter and the events that followed he might not have had the initiative to reveal himself albeit accidentally and enjoy the warmth embrace of his family as he did the day prior and watching his son have his last battle as a Gym Leader in person much less as the referee. So thank you, Ash, for being you.' Before looking over at Brock, he saw him comforting Onix by giving him an Oran berry.

"You did great Onix. You put up an amazing fight." Brock said, petting him, getting a small, but affectionate growl from him as it devoured the berry.

Looking at Ash celebrating with Pikachu reminded of the first big victory he had with Onix, Brock saw himself in that moment. Brock said, "Ash, you truly are an extraordinary trainer." amazed at his potential as he was making his way up to Ash, he stopped right in front of him.

"It seems like your time with Don George served you well and now you stand here Victorious. Congratulations."

"Thank you, that means a lot coming from you," Ash said. He continued while rubbing his head, sheepishly.

"Well you definitely didn't make it easy. You're quite the gym leader. And I bet you would be a great Pokemon Trainer." Ash said, truthfully. If he was this good now, imagine traveling the world and catching Pokemon that would probably even make him a Champion one day if wanted to.

"Actually I never wanted to be a Pokemon Trainer or even a Gym Leader." Brock admits surprising him.

"You didn't?" Ash said, curious and confused.

"You see, remember telling you I HAD to take over when Dad left. I had no choice. I needed to help Mom and the family and without the income from this job, we wouldn't have made it very far. I love caring for Pokémon more than battling with them however my family needed me and we put our plans on hold. I wanted to become the world's greatest Pokemon Breeder." Brock declares

"A Breeder, huh?" Ash said, surprised. "Those are people who raise baby Pokémon, right?" He asked, perhaps oversimplifying the nature of what a Breeder does . One of his oldest friend's said something about becoming a Breeder before she left abroad years ago to study.

"Among other things, yes we raise infant Pokémon, and hearing you talk about your dream of being a Pokémon Master made me finally think about mine after all this time and now I finally have a chance to fulfill it." Brock smiles grateful.

"That's right," Flint interjected, as he walked up next to his oldest son and continued, "Starting as of the time he'll be presenting you with the Boulder Badge, Brock is going to be officially relieved of his duties as a Gym Leader and I will be taking over the role from now on."

"Brock, that's great." Ash smiles happily at him.

"Thank you, Ash. And here's hoping we both can fulfill our dreams." Reaching into his pocket, Brock pulls out a small gray, textured stone badge in the shape of an octagon. "Ash, I am happy to present to you, the Boulder Badge."

Ash took the badge and stared at it with a gleam in his eyes and said, "Thank you. I won't forget this battle anytime soon."

His first badge, his first accomplishment, and first mark of progress as a Pokémon Trainer was now in the palm of his hands.

"Alright!" He once again cheered before holding his new badge up high in the air. "I got my first gym badge, the Boulder Badge!"

"Pi-Pikachu!!" added Pikachu with a double V for victory.

Later in the day at the Pokémon Center…

Ash and Brock brought their Pokémon to Nurse Joy for healing.

Ash was sitting down in the waiting area, still gazing at his Boulder Badge, which was now sitting in a red badge case that was in his backpack which was a parting birthday gift from his mother. 'Speaking of Mom I need to call her soon.' he thought and swiftly found a video phone to do just that

As he awaited the call to connect he wondered if…

"ASH KETCHUM! YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE!

…His mother was mad he hadn't contacted in a few days. Clearly she was as she made him cringe in embarrassment as he lowered the volume of the call to risk further shame.

"I know Mom and I'm so sorry. A lot of things happened all at once and it just overwhelmed me to the point I forgot to contact you. Pikachu got attacked by a flock of Spearow, then somebody was trying to steal Pokémon from the Viridian Pokémon Center thankfully they were stopped. I met a friend but she made it a bit difficult to navigate the Viridian Forest in a short amount of time and then when I came here to Pewter after losing to the gym leader I just have to take a step back and train in a different way I wasn't used to but it led to great results."

Showing his Mom the badge he'd won.

Delia, now replied, soaking in the information Ash laid out.

"I'm proud of you for winning your match, honey but you also need to realize that I was worried sick for days without knowing anything about you. Not receiving one bit of news from you was bothering me so much that I almost went to Professor Oak's Lab to see if he would lend me his Alakazam and I would travel City by City till I found you. Even if it meant hurting the restaurant."

This shocked Ash as he knew that her restaurant, Pallet House, was the only restaurant in that corner of Kanto that offered quality meals at a great price to Trainers, Locals and their Pokémon making it a destination for visiting trainers that went to Viridian and the surrounding routes. They weren't rich by any means but they also didn't find themselves wanting for anything.

"Again, I'm so sorry, Mom. I promise I will never do that again. I have to remember this journey is not just about me, it's about the people who care about me and that means you most of all." Ash expressed, with deep regret.

Delia's tone and expression softened as she replied with, "It's okay, Ash. I too was young with dreams of being a model and a Pokémon trainer during my early adventure days, so I understand not reaching out to your family and loved ones when you're having as interesting of an adventure as you are now but please just try to keep in touch maybe once a week and all will be forgiven, my love." Delia finished with a smile that warmed Ashs heart to no end.

"I can do that Mom. I will see you next week, promise. I love you." Ash started with glee.

"And I love you too honey, please be safe and remember to change your…" was all Delia could finish saying before Ash hung up to avoid the end of that sentence.

'When will Mom ever stop embarrassing me about my underwear?' Ash thought but was then brought back to reality by a familiar voice.

"So how does it feel to win your first badge?" Brock asks, sitting next to him, now basically a free man to do his own thing.

"Awesome, just simply awesome." Ash smiles as he wonders where Misty went off to. Maybe she's getting a snack or something.

"You know, there's another Gym just across from here," Brock informed him, getting his attention, as he was already contemplating his next Gym Battle.

"Really? Where?" Ash asks, excitedly.

"Just on the opposite end of Mt. Moon. If you don't mind the company I can come with you if you'd like." Brock offers, hoping to join in the adventures this young trainer was bound to have.

"Woah, you wanna travel with me?" Ash asked, not expecting to hear about getting a new traveling companion, but in a good way.

"Well to be honest it would be nice to start off with a group for a bit. Plus if it helps I can offer some Breeder tips to help you with your Pokémon." Brock stated, and that was something Ash would have a hard time saying no to.

Ash hummed to himself, thinking of the positives of this deal. Having an older member of his group, who's vastly powerful and experienced in raising Pokémon could really benefit. Brock is definitely a positive role model to his brothers and sisters who all love him, so that's another plus. Then there was their recent gym battle, Brock pulled off some pretty cool moves to put Ash on the edge. Imagine if he could learn to use some of those in the future.

"So what do you say?" Brock asked as Ash turned to give him his answer with a smile.

"Sure, Brock, I don't mind at all, but I have one little request," Ash said, holding up his pointer finger.

"Oh?" Brock asked, interested to know what Ash was requesting to let him on the team. "And what's that?"

"You teach me how to use Bide," Ash answers. He wanted that move to be in his back pocket should he need it one day.

"Uh, I'm not sure if that's a move you really want to learn. I don't even like using it that much." Brock admits surprising him.

"But that's like your best move. You always win with that." Ash said, confused as to why he uses that move more often.

"Well that's because I only use it unless I'm really backed into a corner," Brock admits, recalling the events of their first battle of how Ash countered him, resulting in the former having to use it. "It's sort of like a last resort."

"A last resort, huh?" Ash pauses, becoming unsure about it.

"Plus you need a Pokemon with a strong defense because when you use Bide you basically leave yourself wide open to attacks for a period of time." Brock warns explaining the risks of this move.

"Oh, like Onix." Ash realized. Rock types and large Pokémon like Onix are known for their big defense. Remembering the battle, it made total sense.

"Exactly. But I can help you with other moves and I know how to cook if you ever need a decent meal on the road." Brock said, making Ash smile. He did love a good meal, besides he and Misty survived on fruits and small ramen packets. They needed help.

"You should have led with that one. Welcome to the team, Brock." Ash smiles happily at the thought.

"Hey, what'd I miss?" said Misty, who was walking into the room.

"Hey Misty, where you've been?" Ash asked, genuinely curious about her whereabouts.

"It took a while to get out the mud from the battle earlier from the stands. Speaking of which, your siblings did not take that loss well." Misty said, making Brock rub the back of his head.

"That's just them showing how much they care," Brock chuckles nervously.

"You think they'll be OK?" Ash added. "With you wanting to leave, I mean."

"They'll be fine. Besides now that Mom knows about Dad, she's going to be dropping her hours and spend more time with everyone." Brock said, happy to know that his family would change for the better.

"That's great to hear," Misty smiles, she knew what it meant for families to have a good environment. Something they had lacked with her sisters in power at the Gym.

"Oh and get this Misty, Brock wants to come with us," Ash informed her of their new traveling companion.

"Really? That's great." Misty said happy. She had no quarrel with Brock so his company would be a welcome addition.

"Yeah he was just telling me where we should go for the next gym." Ash expressed elation.

"Sweet, where is it?" Misty asks, dreading the answer. 'Anywhere but Cerulean. Please, anywhere but Cerulean….' she wished and wished but heard…

"Cerulean City. Just on the other side of Mt. Moon." Brock declares and notices her smile instantly went away. He'd wonder why.

"C-Cerulean City?" She stuttered, getting the words out. 'Already?!' She knew it was inevitable that Ash would mostly want to go there, but now?

"Yup," Ash nods, confirming it. "Once our Pokémon are all healed, we'll be heading out," he said ready to get moving.

Digesting the news that was said before her, a facade smile was placed on Misty's face, "Oh, t-that's great, um.." she said, trying to hide her lie. Thankfully someone else took the spotlight at that moment.

"Hey, hold up."

They saw Flint walking in join them. "Are you planning to leave so soon?"

"What's up, Dad? Did something happen?" Brock asked his father, who shook his head.

"No, it's not anything bad, it's just there's somebody who wishes to speak with you three," he informed, pointing to them, who each had surprised looks. Who wanted to meet with them?

As the door opened, we saw The Caretaker from the museum enter the building and spotted the group.

"Thank goodness. I was worried you had already left town." He said, relieved he wasn't too late."

"Can we help you with something?" Brock asks unsure what was happening.

"Well after yesterday's messy event with those three thieves, I'm proud to say that the DNA Retriever has only a few minor damages, but nethertheless, still functional thanks to you kids and your help," The Caretaker said, bowing.

"On behalf of everyone at the Pewter Museum, I, Omar Bellevue.." as he finally introduced himself properly, "..would like to thank you kids from the bottom of my heart. You saved months and months of hard work from almost going down the drain."

"Oh, well don't mention sir," Brock said knowing that he was doing his duty and would've done anyways cause it was the right thing to do.

"Yeah, we were just happy to help," Misty nodded. Just happy to have been of any help.

"Believe me we know how much of a pain Team Rocket can be." Ash assures, Mr. Bellevue.

"Well to show my gratitude, my fellow coworkers and I would like to give you all a token of our appreciation." Mr. Bellevue said, getting their attention.

With a clap of his hands, signaling the doors to open, revealing the Lead Scientist from yesterday, who was carrying a large case in their hands.

"What's in there?" Ash asked, curious.

"These are the results of the latest projects donated to us from Flint's excursions to Mt. Moon." Bellevue gestured to him.

"Hmm, guilty but we felt you kids deserved them." Flint chuckles.

Opening the case they saw 3 fossils inside them. A dome fossil, a helix fossil and a piece of Old Amber.

"Pokémon Fossils?" Ash, Misty, and Brock loomed over the desk to look at the artifacts.

"Each of you gets to choose one," Bellevue stated, seeing their surprised looks on their faces.

"Wait, you're just giving them to us?!" Ash gasped. He was sure he would encounter one along his journey but this was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Is it really OK with you? I mean they are a part of the museum," Misty asked.

"It's because of you that we still have our fossils. So please take your pick. I insist." Bellevue gestured to them.

The three trainers looked at each other, wondering if they were going to choose one. Brock spoke up first,

"Well..if it's alright with you sir, I guess I don't mind taking one," he said, reaching over to collect the Dome Fossil. "I always wanted to know what it was like raising a Kabuto."

"Ooh I got dibs on the Helix fossil!" Misty said, taking that one. "I would love to have an Omanyte on my team."

"I guess that leaves me with.." Ash looked into the case to see the last fossil was...the Old Amber.

"Woah, I guess you're the one who's gonna have an Aerodactyl," Misty realized as she caressed her fossil.

"Wait, for real? This is what makes an Aerodactyl?" Ash gasps before smiling widely at the thought of having one of those on his team.

A powerhouse as big and strong as an Aerodactyl would definitely make Gary totally jealous and wreck him in a battle.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get these babies, revived!" Ash enthusiastically said, ready to restore his new Pokémon.

"Well…that's the thing." Bellevue cringed uncomfortably. "We can't do that right now."

"Sadly the machine was a little roughed up so we had to send it away to get fixed." Flint points out much to their disappointment.

"Aww man." Ash whined, as his image of destroying Gary multiple times came shattering down in his face.

"So what are we supposed to do with these then?" Misty asks, holding out hope that there'd be a way to revive their fossils.

"We're letting you take them so when you find the machine repaired you can restore the Pokémon on your own without having to come all the way back here for them." Bellevue explains.

"Where is it now?" Brock chimed in.

"We've sent it to Cinnabar Island, there's a research laboratory there that we partnered up with," the Lead Scientist informed.

"Cinnabar island? But that's so far away." Misty said, wanting to kick and scream at having to wait so long to have her Omanyte revived, but kept her composure.

"Well then I guess we better keep these things nice and safe until then." Ash said, looking at his Old Amber, he then stored it safely in his bag. Misty soon followed suit while Brock would store his fossil in his bag later on.

Each making a mental note in their heads that if they ever go to Cinnabar, they are to make sure they go to the Labs there.

"You kids look out for each other. And Brock, I hope you're able to fulfill your dream." Flint said, looking at son, supportively.

"Thanks, Dad, but I can't leave yet. At least until I give my siblings a proper farewell." Brock said but Flint just smirks.

"Funny you should say that." Flint said, hinting at the door.

Turning their attention to the entrance, they see all of Brock's brothers and sisters all outside waiting for him, all holding signs, had headbands wrapped around their heads, and fans with his face on it. Forrest, along with Brock's mother, Lola, were holding onto a banner saying, "You Rock, Brock!" in bold letters.

"Mom? Everyone? What is all this?" Brock smiles overjoyed and surprised at the sight.

"Just a little going away present for you, son," Lola smiled as she turned to her children. "Hit it!"

Brock! Brock! He's the man! He'll be the best Breeder in all the land!

Brock! Brock! He's so cool. This song shows him how much he rules! GOO, BROCK!

"Aw, you guys." Blushing Brock was moved beyond words by how supportive they were being for him.

"Now was that the perfect send-off, or what?" Ash smiled, loving the touching moment.

"No arguments here." Misty smiles, happily for Brock. They watched all of Brock's siblings all embrace the older boy in a big group hug.

"Now you all promise to be good for Mom and Dad while I'm gone. I'll be checking in every once in a while to make sure." Brock said in a strong, but teasing tone.

"We will." All his siblings said, holding back a mix of laughter and tears.

"Here, Brock." Lola hands him a big blue backpack.

"I put all of your clothes, supplies, and medical books inside of it so you could study while you travel."

"Thanks, Mom," Brock said, placing it around his back. "And thanks for doing everything you could do for us."

"Thank you for keeping everything together while I was working." Lola smiles, giving him a big hug goodbye.

"And Dad," Brock released himself from the hug to turn towards his father.

"I know, kiddo. I'll keep the gym running and everything at home stable by the time you get back," Flint promises but is caught off guard once more by Brock's embrace.

"I love you, Dad/I love you, son." Both said nearly at the same time. This was the straw that broke the camel's back as Brock's family wept at the site, not being able to hold back their tears any longer.

"You've got a lot of catching up to do with everyone." Brock smiles before releasing the hug.

"Fine by me. You learn as much as you can. And if you catch any more Pokemon, send them here, the kids will love to meet them." Flint offers.

"I might take you up on that," Brock said, liking the idea of his family watching over any extra Pokemon he catches.

Flint extended his hand out to him, "Take care, son."

Brock smiled and clasped his father's hand with his, "You too, Dad."

After stopping Team Rocket, helping reunite a family, and winning his first Kanto Badge, Ash and Misty gain a new travel companion and friend with Brock.

Needless to say, adding him to the team will bring all sorts of new fun and adventures as they continue to Mt. Moon and Ash's next gym badge.

Edited by: Vital Info

---

And there you have it folks. Ash finally managed to win his first gym badge, Brock joined his group, they now have Pokemon fossils, and now the classic trio is complete.

What new and familiar adventures they'll have together, why you'll just have to wait and see.

Also, originally for the Gym battle, it was going to be Pikachu and Butterfree once again for the rematch, but Vital Info asked if he could change some events of the Battle and have Pidgeotto in Butterfree's place.

We weren't sure at first, but we decided to give him a chance. What did you guys think? Was it to your liking, or did you prefer to see our take on the fight.

Let us know. And also, to foxchick1 and RKF22, I appreciate you guys leaving positive comments on the chapter, but do you think maybe you could add a little more on what you like about the chapter? Nothing a lot, just a little more than "good job!' Thank you.

With that out of the way, I'll see you guys next time.