The Very Best

by God of Sun

What if Ash never overslept? With his brand new Pokémon partner, Squirtle, he is going to go on a journey to become the next Champion of the Kanto Region! However, his journey is not going to be even remotely easy. Ash will have to deal with powerful enemies, new friendships, and to learn how to become someone that is worthy of being called a Pokémon Master!

5. Against The First Gym!

Welcome, this is chapter 5 of my Fan Fiction! I want first to state that I'm glad that all of you think Samurai/Ryan coming with the group was a good idea! One of my main goals for this story is to expand and flesh out the new characters that will take part in this journey, so expect a strong team for Ryan in the future. Stay tuned!

And it is my absolute honor to say that we have made it past the ten reviews mark! Those reviews show that people cared enough to type their thoughts for my story! You are all excellent in every way! It

This chapter will introduce another character from the anime, someone I should've brought in before the rewrite. He will make a great addition to the story. I am also going to introduce a concept from the games here and not have two separate fights for Brock. It will possibly not be enough, although I genuinely made an effort. I will continue rewriting as much as I can. Chapter 20 will be soon.

I know this sound so cheesy, but I could care less.

So here is chapter 5 of 'The Very Best.' Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not, have not, or ever will own Pokémon. All rights go to their respective owners. I recommend watching/playing Pokémon in general.

The Very Best:

Chapter 5:

Pewter City, Brock, And Technical Machines

Opening (If you want): Departure (From HunterxHunter, cover by Studio Yuraki) or Pokémon Theme song (by John Siegler and John Loeffler)

---

"How much longerrrr?" Ryan asked in a bored way.

"We will get there when we get there," Misty responded, the walking making the girl snappy. Ash and Squirtle were there as well.

It had been a week since the group left Viridian Forest, and Ryan seemed to make himself comfortable with the group. Ryan had on a black backpack ever since they left the forest, a bag that was very light compared to the other two. The boy did not have much with him. There had been significant fights between the two, pleasing Misty and Squirtle. Ryan had discarded the armor and sword, having no use for them.

Ryan slotted into the group rather well. He and Ash had hit it off as they traveled, even befriending Squirtle and helping him get to level 13. Pinsir and Butterfree helped Pidgey rise to level 12 as well. Misty did not support the Bug-type Pokémon he had with him, though she knew that was no reason to dislike the Trainer. Ryan would always help Ash or Misty with anything of need, often teaching them about the constellations whenever it was nighttime. Ryan was well-versed in the outdoors; even Misty was learning from him.

Now the three Trainers, along with Squirtle, were all heading towards Pewter City through a very rocky path. It was a clear afternoon, and Misty was trying to calm the scamps by saying they would reach Pewter City soon. Today, in fact.

"So, what do you think Pewter City will be like, Squirt?" Ash asked the Pokémon on top of his head, his torn jacket still tied around his waist.

"Squirtle." The Pokémon's only response was a shrug.

"There is a museum there, from what I've heard," Ryan said as he held his backpack with both hands. "It sounds interesting."

Misty decided to add to this. "There is a place called 'Pewter Museum of Science.' I've never actually been there before." Misty looked at Ash. "But you want to go somewhere else. A place to replace that jacket, even though it's only going to get hotter with summer."

"Your right, but I am not going to admit it," Ash responded plainly. "I want us to go to the Pokémon Center first, though. Squirt here can't refresh himself forever." Ash ruffled Squirtle's head as he said this.

"Squirtle." The Pokémon was somewhat embarrassed as he pushed Ash's hand away. This only got a laugh from Ryan and Ash. Misty ignored the boys.

"Nido..." Something called out weakly.

Everyone saw a significantly injured Pokémon on the road. A small, rabbit-like Pokémon with large ears, whiskers, and front teeth was lying on the ground. He was covered with spines on his back. Nidoran had a large forehead horn. He also had dark spots all over his body. Misty was the most concerned as she went up to the Nidoran, the boys by her as Ryan knelled down at him. Nidoran was too tired to be upset at the humans.

Ryan examined the Nidoran, noting some bruises on his side. "He must have run into a Trainer or Pokémon that was too much for them. He'll pass out if he remains out here."

"Sounds like something the Pokémon Center can fix," Misty suggested. "Can one of you volunteer to pick it up for us?"

"Oh. And why can't you?"

"I love Pokémon and all that, but even I have my limits." Misty has already shown that off with her fear of Bug-types, and her unwillingness to touch something with a poison horn showed that off more.

Ash looked down at Nidoran as he tried to be nice. "Do you need help there, bud?" He asked gently, making Nidoran look up. "I understand if you don't want our help, but I promise we won't hurt you. Do you have a Trainer?"

Nido used up plenty of his energy to stand up. "Nidoran!" This yell made Ash bring his hand back and caused the Nidoran to collapse on the floor again. He was indeed in pain. Everyone saw Squirtle come down and talk to Nidoran.

"Squirt. Squ Squirtle irtle tle tle."

"Nido nido?" He asked curiously.

"Squirtle." The Pokémon nodded. Nidoran looked to Ash and his still outstretched hand, sensing no alternative motives or plots coming from this boy. Nidoran slowly stood up and crawled onto Ash's hand. The boy held the Pokémon closely with both arms as Nidoran moved around to become comfortable. The poor Poison-type was shaking at how weak he was.

"It's okay." Ash comforted the Pokémon in his arms. Squirtle was there to help as well.

"Hold him close to you," Ryan told him as he started to walk away. "We need to get to Pewter even more now."

Everyone nodded as they began to continue down the path. Ash was there to help Nidoran as the Pokémon was still unsure how to feel about these people but knew that they were his best hope. Three minutes had gone by as Ash still cared for the Nidoran, and Ryan was leading the group now.

"Please keep it away," Misty said as she was a bit nervous about the Nidoran in Ash's arms. The Nidoran repaid the fear that Misty gave him.

"Come on, Misty." Ash held out Nidoran and showed him off to Misty, still holding him with both hands. Misty got so squeamish.

"Point that horn somewhere else!" Ash gained a knuckle to the head from Misty. The Pokémon Trainer made sure not to drop Nidoran as he used a free hand to rub to bump on his head, Misty satisfied at the calm-down boy.

"Squirtle! Squirtle! Squirtle!" The Water-type was enjoying Ash and Misty getting into these little arguments. Nidoran remained silent.

"Ash, Squirt, Nidoran, girl who does not support Bug-types," Misty glared at her name. "It looks like we made it."

Everyone stopped in their tracks at what they saw ahead. In front of their eyes was the city they had been looking for. It seemed similar to Viridian City in design, but this one was even bigger. Everyone was so happy and relieved at seeing this. Ash stood on top of a rock to better look at the place, Squirtle jumping on his head to get the best view of all.

"Yay, Pewter City!" Misty said in excitement as she also stepped to have a closer look. She had been here before, but it was a brief stop.

"Squi." He couldn't help but agree.

Ash released a sigh of relief as he took a seat on the rock, Squirtle with him and the Poison-type in his arms. "I thought I would be in that forest for the rest of my life."

"The days started to blur together," Ryan remarked as he saw Pewter City. It seemed like an excellent place to live.

"Pewter City is gray, the color of the stone. This town has always been famous for stone." A deep voice told from below.

Ash, Misty, and Ryan looked down from the small cliff they were on. Then saw a man who was sitting on the ground underneath them. The older person wore a red beanie that hid his eyes from view, a sleeveless yellow shirt, and dark green pants with a belt across. He also had a massive brown beard, white gloves, and simple black boots. There seemed to be various rocks on a shelf near him, all having price tags.

"Huh? Who's this old guy?" Ash asked in confusion as they looked at him.

"Never met him before," Misty responded. Ryan gave an unsure shrug.

"The name's Flint, and you're sitting on some of my merchandise, young man." Was the only response he gave; his sentence was directed toward Ash.

Ash realized what he was saying. "Sorry about that." Ash and Squirtle quickly stepped away from Flint's rock. He held Nidoran close as he jumped down to see Flint and Squirtle closely behind.

"Squirtle." The Pokémon apologized as well to Flint. Ryan and Misty both quickly went down to have a better look at what else this man had going for him. Rocks with price tags were around them as they saw various sizes. Misty couldn't believe how he was trying to sell a stone for over a thousand Poke dollars.

"So... you sell rocks?" Ash asked as he came up to the seated Flint.

"They're Pewter city souvenirs." The man answered.

"Why is this rock more expensive than that rock?" Ryan pointed to the rocks that were side by side. Both were identical, except for the pricing of it.

"The left one has more value; how could you be so blind?" Ryan sweat drop at this claim. "Anyway, would you kids like to buy some?"

"No thanks. I'm traveling as a Pokémon trainer." Ash pointed to the Nidoran in his arms as Flint noticed, seeing how injured the Pokémon was.

"It seems that the Nidoran is quite worn out. Why don't you follow me?" Flint stood up and began and signaled for them to come. "I can show you to the Pokémon Center." Everyone followed.

"He seems nice," Ash commented as Squirtle was by him.

"I'm not sure about that," Ryan asked with folded arms.

"By the way," Flint had come back to say the last thing to them. "That will be seven hundred Poke Dollars for resting on my rock."

All five group members couldn't stop themselves from giving off a small sweat drop. Even Nidoran cringed at that amount.

---

Flint was there to guide them through the roads of Pewter City. Ryan was a bit marveled by all this city seemed to have in it. Flint was a nice person to be with, but he was a shady guy. He appeared ready to give answers or tips, concise answers, and tips. Ash asked Flint where the Gym Leader Brock was since Misty didn't know the city enough to answer. This got a surprise sound from Flint.

"You're here for the Gym Leader?" He thought for a moment. "Are you wanting to become Champion?"

"It's my dream!" Ash told him as he had Nidoran close to him. Squirtle walked by him as he looked around this place. "With Squirt by my side, I'll defeat Brock and claim my first badge! That Boulder Badge will be my first step to reaching my goal!"

"Squirt!"

Flint moved his beard for a bit. "You are the second boy I met today who wanted to challenge Brock. He was also the same age as you."

"Second?" Ash repeated. "Was the other kid named Gary or Red, by chance?"

"He wouldn't tell me his name." This response surprised the group. "He was a kid of very few words. Does purple hair and jacket ring any bells for you?"

Ash and Squirtle thought for a second, coming up dry. "I don't know anyone like that." Ryan thought about this as well.

"Doesn't sound like one of the two I faced." Ryan gave an empty answer as well.

"That boy had skill to him. He was strong, but he was tough on his Pokémon." Flint divulged. "It's probably for the better that you don't know this guy."

"This kid sounds like an ill-tempered Charizard," Misty commented. The boys couldn't help but agree.

"Nidoran." The Poison-type seemed ready to close his eyes as Ash remained with him.

Flint went them go a little further until they reached the Pokémon Center. The group gave their thanks to Flint as he gave some last lines to Ash. "You seem to know your stuff, but I wouldn't count your victory against Brock."

"Leave that part to me," Ash told him rather determinedly. "I'll show you my victory against Brock!"

Flint gave a very sarcastic laugh at this. "You'll beat him?" He continued to laugh at this idea as he walked away from them, his arms folded behind his back. Ash's passion only grew the more times that Flint laughed. Nidoran and Squirtle were happy when he was out of sight.

"...Well, that just happened," Ryan said out loud. Ash pumped his fist as the other arm had Nidoran.

"I'll prove that Flint wrong! Beating Brock will be a cakewalk!" Ash declared as he looked at Squirtle. "Right, Squirt?"

"Squir!" Squirtle had pure faith in Ash's skill and his Water Gun attack.

"Nido ran oran," Nidoran spoke up as well as Ash was glad that even the wild Pokémon had faith in him. He petted the Nidoran very gently.

"That Flint guy did have a point, though." Ash faced Misty after hearing that. "Gym Leaders aren't exactly just any normal Trainer that you may stumble across. These people were hand-picked by the Pokémon League based on their skills with battling." Misty explained to him.

"It also sounds like this Brock guy has been doing this for years," Ryan added as they walked up the steps to get their Pokémon healed.

"Of course, I know these Gym Leaders are going to be a challenge," Ash said like it was the most obvious thing. "I know he uses two Rock-type Pokémon with him, and they are also part Ground-types. Squirtle should clear this with only one move." Squirtle stood proudly at that praise.

"You're right, but you are missing one important thing about this battle."

Ash thought about it for a minute as they went through the doors, and a look of dreadful realization came to him. "He does doubles battles."

"That's right," Misty said. "Brock does this to see that the Pokémon Trainers he faces can catch another Pokémon with them. Unfortunately, Pidgey will have to come out for this one." The Pokémon Center was reasonably busy today as the three got their Pokémon ready to be taken care of.

Ash thought about it as they got three trays and placed their Poke Balls in separate places. Ash put Nidoran and Squirtle together on the open half of the tray, the Water-type being there to comfort the bruised Nidoran. "Squirtle. Squirtle." They presented their trays to the girl at the front desk. The girl looked identical to someone they had seen before, even having the same name.

"Can you please take care of our Pokémon, Nurse Joy?" Ryan asked politely to the identical woman. "Especially the Nidoran on Ash's. We found him very weak."

Nurse Joy smiled as she took in the three trays. "I'll get straight to work." She placed the Poke Balls on some machine behind her and took the ones out of the balls behind closed doors. She returned to her desk and sorted paperwork before looking at the group. "I'll tell you how Nidoran and your other Pokémon are doing in a few hours. Please show patience."

"Thank you so much, Nurse Joy." Ash and Ryan gave their thanks as well as Ryan, and Misty walked off. Ash stayed with the nurse as she had a question for her.

"Sorry if this sounds rude, Nurse Joy," Ash warned as the older girl looked at him. "But how many Nurse Joys are there in Kanto?"

Instead of being mad or anything negative, she simply smiled. "Don't worry. You aren't the first one to ask that question." She took a photo next to her and showed it off to Ash. In the image were thirteen identical girls that had the same hair, face, and outfit and even had a skinny build to all of them. There was a person off to the side of the picture that had the same outfit as everyone else, but her hair was a light green color and in a much more different style than the others. She was looking away from the camera.

"Wow. Talk about family resemblance." Ash joked as he saw all the girls in the picture. "I'm no expert, but family reunions must be interesting with you girls."

Joy shrugged at this comment. "Our reunion at Saffron may sound weird, but we always manage well."

Ash saw the girl that looked away from the camera and pointed his finger at the unknown person. "Well, who is she?"

Joy widened her eyes as she placed her photo down on her desk. "Nobody! No one!" She said quickly as her face quickly calmed down. "I mean, it's just a family friend. We decided to keep that photo since we looked so good in it."

Ash looked left and right as he heard this, still surprised at how she reacted. "Um... okay."

"I-I have some files to deposit." Joy got up and walked away from Ash. "Please patiently wait for your Pokémon." She went through the doors and left, leaving Ash alone. The boy walked away after a few seconds and went to where Misty and Ryan were.

"Just going to act like that didn't happen." He thought as he sat right by Misty and Ryan as the two seemed to be talking about something in particular. "Mind if I join in?"

"We're just discussing what we should do with our free time. If you still want that new jacket, then now would be a perfect time." Ash agreed with this idea, voicing how they should do it.

"And while we are at it, let's figure out some kind of strategy for this battle against Brock." Ash tried to think as a sad thought came to his mind, Misty only reinforcing that idea. "I'm sorry to say, but I'm guessing that Brock will target Pidgey first. The poor girl has nothing to cover her rock weakness."

"I'm planning on getting rid of the Onix first when the battle starts," Ash told them as he tried to make it play out in his head. "Squirtle should be able to take it out with one hit since it is quad, and Onix isn't known for special defense. Although this will leave Pidgey open for Geodude to attack, she should be able to eat up an attack from them."

"Does Pidgey have any kind of moves for the Geodude?" Ryan asked, knowing that the Flying-Type must have something for her weakness. "Any kind of Steel or Fighting-type move?"

"Pidgey could technically learn something like that, but we would need a TM for it."

"TM?" Ryan was confused by that.

"Stands for 'Technical Machine.' It allows a Pokémon to learn a move that their typing could allow, or even learn completely new moves from what you might expect." Misty explained this to Ryan, and even Ash listened to this as he always found TM's interesting. Misty frowned. "Unfortunately, none of us have TMs on hand that Pidgey could use."

"I can work without out." Ash ensured as he stood and was about ready to leave. The trio knew they had business elsewhere. "Let's just focus on some of the other stuff for now. I'll train up my Pokémon after I get them back from Nurse Joy."

"If you want, Marill can teach Squirtle how to use Bubble Beam to make the fight easier," Misty suggested, as Bubble Beam would most definitely be a one-shot for Onix. Ash had a thoughtful expression.

"I'll think about it."

Nurse Joy placed a tray with Poke Balls and called out for someone. "Paul. Your Pokémon are all healed up."

All three of them turned to see a boy that was about their age, but this guy seemed far colder than the other people. This Paul had mid-length purple hair that had one significant strand hanging over the middle of his face, with small dark eyes. He wore a purple jacket with navy blue sleeves, a blue undershirt, dark purple pants, and purple and navy sneakers with white soles. His face had no expression as he walked in a controlled manner. He didn't spare a single glance from the three looking at him.

He reached for his tray and gave a slight bow. "Thank you, Nurse Joy." His gratitude seemed empty on the inside as he walked away from everyone.

"Purple hair. Purple jacket." Ash mentally listed as he saw Paul. "Is this the guy that Flint told us about?"

Ash decided to follow and see where the boy was going. "Ash! Where are you going?" Misty called out, Ryan also having his interest taken over. "Not you too!" Misty groaned as she went after them.

Ash saw Paul stop in a hallway, Paul not even caring that he was being watched. He placed the Poke Balls away except for one; Paul frowned hard at what he was holding. He released the Pokémon outside the ball, revealing a small, animated plant. His body was blue, with two tiny feet and red eyes. On top of his head was a large clump of five long green leaves.

Oddish was not allowed to speak as Paul looked down at the Grass-type. "What is wrong with you? You lost against Brock's Geodude since your super-effective attack was not enough, and you got taken out in one hit too." No greeting. No kindness. Paul's voice was purely harsh and strict. "You had the type advantage and the training I gave you. How is it possible that you have lost the last three battles that I put you through?"

"O-Od oddi." Oddish felt so bad for himself as he looked down. The poor Pokémon was starting to tear up after what his Trainer had just told him. The three watching saw this and felt Oddish didn't mean to lose on purpose. Misty and Ash getting annoyed by how Paul acts.

Paul sighed at how his Pokémon was acting, continuing his harsh criticism. "I captured you in Viridian Forest since you seemed strong enough to be with me. It seems like I was foolish for thinking that you would be enough." This one line hit Oddish. Hard. "If you wish to be a part of my team, then you will ensure that this failure you have given me will be your last one."

Oddish accidentally let out a tear as he tried to stop himself, knowing how Paul hated things like sadness. Ash couldn't take it anymore and stepped away from the corner. "Hold on a second," Paul turned and glared as Ash walked up to them. "Don't be so hard on them. They didn't mean to fail on purpose. I bet Oddish was trying their best for you."

"Oddish?" The Grass-type looked up to see the three protecting him against Paul's disappointment.

Paul stood up to glare at all of them. "It's rude to interfere with other people's business."

"Ash was not trying to mean," Ryan spoke up for his friend. "He's just saying you are too hard on the poor thing. Scolding them after a loss is not how Pokémon grows stronger."

"You certainly can't expect me to congratulate him on losing a battle against a Gym Leader, do you?" Paul mockingly questioned with folded arms. "This Oddish should be grateful that I even considered catching him. Oddish is known to have weak numbers on all six categories."

"So Oddish may not be as impressive as other Pokémon," Misty admitted, as she knew Oddish wasn't known for strength. "Even so, any Pokémon can become strong with the right training." Paul merely smirked at this.

"What's so funny?"

Paul still smirked as he returned Oddish to his Poke Ball. "You are all naive. There are Pokémon that are always superior to every other Pokémon in stats and moves; those are the kind of Pokémon that one should be looking for when making the team. Why deal with all the filth when you can have the ones that will always give results?"

"That's awful!" Misty was disgusted by how Paul spoke. Were these Pokémon that he had just tools for him? "Those Pokémon we have are more than just objects!"

Paul didn't care about the comment as he looked at Ash, the Pallet Town boy having a fire in his eyes. "How long have you been a Pokémon Trainer?"

"About nine days," Ash answered quickly.

"You should have a team of three Pokémon already that you wish to keep. Four, if you are being smart." Paul explained them in a brutally honest way. The two boys looked at each other with disdain. "How about a battle? Show me that your way of training has something good to it."

"Gladly." Ash's spark started to die down when reality hit him. "But, I-I only have three Pokémon with-"

"Only three Pokémon? What a joke." Paul walked away from them, not even glancing back. "I'm out of here. I knew you weren't worth my breath."

They watched Paul walk away from them with anger on their faces. Ash was furious at the person he had just dealt with. His pupils dilated, his teeth gritted in anger, and his hands shaking until they balled up. Ash tried to calm himself, Paul being lucky that Ash didn't punch him in the face. This boy he had only met was worse than Gary. At least the grandson knew better than to treat Pokémon like that and that he had some compassion.

Ryan placed a comforting hand on Ash as she saw how the boy was. Ash looked at her; his anger subsided to show gratefulness for her. "Ash."

Ash stepped away as he tried some deep breathing. "I'll... be fine." He tried to convince them as his body became less tense. "Let's just go. We have to go to that store." Ryan and Misty knew that Ash wasn't in the mood and went along with him, but they knew that Ash wouldn't attack them for disagreeing with him. Ash was not the kind of person to get mad at everything. Their chat began to get more lighthearted as more time passed.

---

"Grr! I can't get what that Paul guy said out of my head!" Ash said in frustration.

Ash had been grumbling stuff like this ever since they left the Pokémon Center to go to that clothing store that Misty had been talking about, the store where Ash would replace his jacket. Ash did not want to be here after what had just happened, but he knew he needed to be mature about this situation. Also, Misty would probably beat him into submission if he didn't. The boy examined each jacket on the rack.

Misty was nearby and monitoring Ash with his anger. "Trust me. I wish I could punch him for what he just said. Despite that, we can't pour all of our focus into this guy we just met. We can probably beat him up later."

That was a nice thought to Ash as he instantly passed on a red jacket he found. "That's a nice thought." The two shared a smile. "I'm curious. Have you ever met Brock before? Before you left Celadon?" The last word had pure sarcasm.

Misty rolled her eyes as she tried to think of an answer. "I've met him two times before when he came to Cerulean. We didn't get the chance to speak as he always came for my sisters. In more than one way." She mumbled that last part as she dreaded thinking about how Brock acted near older girls. "We at least know each other's name, and he told me about his big family. When I say big, I do mean big."

"Doesn't he have a lot of siblings?"

"Believe me, my sister's issues seem worthless compared to what Brock has to deal with," Misty said. None of the jackets they had on this side was something she liked. "You would not believe how unbearable siblings can sometimes be?"

"Who's unbearable?" Ryan came up to them with a few clothes in his hands as he had been looking around. Misty panicked when Ryan asked that.

"Oh! W-We aren't talking about anyone!" She quickly said as she was nervous. Ash watched as he crossed his arms at the taller girl. "Just how annoying that Paul guy was."

Ryan gave Misty a unique look before shrugging. He went up to Ash with the new clothes in his arms. There were three separate jackets and another thing at the bottom that none could make out. "I found these and thought they were cool. Want to check them out?"

He took the jacket and went through them. He didn't feel the first one was right for him and instantly discarded the second since green was not his color. He looked at the last one and stopped, taking the time to admire it. It was a simple blue and white hooded jacket with a golden zipper. He looked at the tag and saw that it was one size too big; also seeing that it originated from Unova. He put the jacket on and saw if his gut feeling was failing him and for the others to see it.

Ryan laughed at how dwarfed he was in it. "It looks a bit big for someone like you, Ash." He chuckled.

Misty stepped and liked the look of what Ash was wearing. "He'll grow into it." She and Ash looked at one another. "What do you think? Is this the winner?"

"It's calling to me." He answered as he took the jacket off and saw what Ryan had left in his hands. "You want to buy that shirt?"

Ryan had a simple blue shirt in his hands. "I-Is it any good?" He asked shyly. "It's... probably too basic."

"I'll think it will work." Misty encouraged him as she guided him to the changing rooms. Misty helped give some confidence to Ryan as the boy meekly nodded, disappearing behind a door marked three. She and Ash sat down. "I think that the blue could look good. What do you think?"

"I think that someone needs to tell Ryan something. Something sister-related." Misty got scared for a second before she deflated. She hoped that Ash would forget about it today. "I am always a supporter of blue, though."

"Look... I don't know how to say words." She tried to explain as her fabulous excuse of being too nervous had run its course. "I don't want to lie to him. I want to keep the truth of my sisters from him."

"That's literally what a lie is." Ash sweat dropped.

Misty was embarrassed, though she remained strong. She had Ash's new jacket on her lap as she looked away. "I'll tell him tomorrow, okay?"

"Tomorrow?" Ash placed a hand on his chin as he pretended to think for a moment. "I recall you were saying that yesterday, and the day before that, and the day before that, and the day before that, and t-"

"Okay! I get it!" She yelled as Ash found Misty's anger quite amusing. "I'll tell him today, no exceptions. But I am not going to say the time."

Ash sighed, using his hand to clear his eyes. "Look. You don't have to do it today." Ash assured her, as he knew Misty was scared of the truth. "You need to make sure that it happens at least two days before we reach Cerulean. Is that too hard?"

"Do you have any shoes in size 23, and primarily red?" An older voice asked the cashier as the two kids were talking.

Misty tried to take this seriously. "Alright! That is plenty of time for Misty the Mighty. I'll show this world how good I am at not keeping secrets!" Ash was proud of her, though sweat dropped at the last part. Misty was clearly not happy with doing this.

"I am terribly sorry, Brock," This caused Misty and Ash to perk up instantly. "We don't have that in stock today." The two were stunned to see who it was.

Standing in the store was the Gym Leader of Pewter himself, Brock. Brock's most notable feature is that his eyes appear to be closed all the time, also has spiky dark Kournikova hair and tan skin. He wore an orange t-shirt, a lime green cargo vest with four pockets, a dark brown belt with a gold buckle and dark red pockets, brown jeans, and blue-gray sneakers with white trims. He was much older than Ash or Misty at fifteen, having a solid build to him.

The Gym Leader sighed as he heard this. In his arms were a lot of clothes and even a toy that he gently dumped onto the counter. "Please, check these out for me." He politely said.

Ash watched with intense interest as he saw Brock. He didn't even care that he was looking like a creepy stalker. "Is that really Brock? Thought he would be taller."

"Found something interesting?"

Ash got scared by Misty's comment and yelped out. The girl was smirking at Ash. "I've never seen a Gym Leader in the flesh before. I just want to see the person that I'll be fighting against."

Misty's smirk was not going away. "Whatever you say." A frown came on Ash's face.

Brock was mentally counting the Poké Dollars in his hand as a sense of dread came to him as he kept counting. "I'm sorry, but I only have two thousand nine hundred Poke Dollars. Is there anything I can do for the last hundred?"

"I can always remove an item for you." The cashier suggested.

Brock was starting to get stressed out when he heard this, trying to think of what to do. Ash saw what Brock was facing and saw his chance to meet his first Gym Leader. "Ash. What are you doing?"

"Trying to show you how I am willing to interact with this guy." He said with a sly smile as he came up to Brock, taking a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket. "Excuse me," The two turned to see the boy next to them. He presented the money. "I heard that you needed some money, sir."

"Thank you so much." Brock was extremely grateful. He took the money and paid off the bill, Brock looking down at Ash as his items were getting bagged up. "You saved my skin, kid. I was in trouble if I didn't get every item on my list."

Ash shrugged it off. "Just trying to be a good person." He looked at the five massive bags piled up on the counter, a bit wide eye at what he saw. "You sure you can carry all that?"

"Trust me; I have dealt with worse."

A great idea came to Ash. He was going to show Misty that he had the confidence to face Brock. "Why don't I help you out? Just want to make sure you don't drop one of these."

Brock laughed at what the boy was suggesting. "Thanks' for that, but you should probably get to your friends or family." He advised. "I can handle this on my own."

"I didn't come here with anyone else. I have nothing to do today." Ash lied as he took two of the bags from the counter. "Please. It would be an honor to help you out."

Brock just shrugged as he took in three bags, and the pair left. Misty watched and saw Ash sticking his tongue out when he turned around, causing a massive eye roll from the girl. "Try to keep up with me, alright? My home is far away." Ash nodded as they left.

Seconds later, Ryan stepped out of the changing room with a smile. "Alright, you two, what do you think about my spectacular new shirt?!" His blue shirt was on as the white one he had on was in his hand. He came out to see Misty in a rather sour mood, and that Ash had disappeared. "Ash? Ash?" He called out for his friend. "Why do I get the horrible feeling he just left us?"

"That might be because that feeling of yours is reality," Misty responded as she crossed her arms.

---

"You really didn't have to do this for me. Seriously."

"I am just doing this out of the kindness of my heart." Ash humbly responded as they walked through the city with the bags they got. They seemed to be having a quiet and peaceful time as they went through. They passed through a lovely river, and some busy streets as Brock told them that his home was a decent bit away.

Brock gave a smile to Ash. "The kindness of your heart, you say?" Ash nodded as Brock had a mischievous grin. "Then, you wouldn't mind if I told you that my gym is closed for today."

"NOOOOOO!" Ash looked at Brock as the older boy seemed to have predicted this reaction. Ash quickly fixed it, as he didn't want to lose his chance. "That's amazing. Yeah. That is great that you... left your gym behind for some personal time."

"Hmm. I'll accept that. Although, personal time is a bit too generous for what I do." Brock looked at Ash as he felt he knew where he was from. "Pallet Town? Got your Pokémon from Professor Oak?"

"Yup. I got Squirtle from him, and he is a friend of mine."

"You must know a kid named Gary. He challenged me and won my badge on the first try."

"He did?!" Ash exclaimed in dread and shock. "Grr! Why does he have to be one step ahead of me? I'll show him my skills the next we meet, I swe-"

"PIDGEOT!"

Ash and Brock stopped to see a weird thing going on. Four large Pidgeots were near an odd station of sorts as there seemed to be two men in flying outfits trying to calm down one of them. Two of Pidgeot's giant talons were perched on black carriages that could hold two people and had glass to see outside. Ash was instantly curious about why this was something he had never seen before.

"What is that?"

"Oh. You don't know?" Ash shook his head. "The Pokémon League has decided to introduce something called Flying Taxies to Kanto. It's where a Pidgeot carries a person in that carriage and can take them to any major town in the Kanto Region. It's apparently very successful in Galar and Paldea." Brock explained as Ash watched on.

"No! Not my hat!" A Pidgeot took a man's hat and made it out of reach for the short guy.

Brock sweat dropped at seeing this. "It's a... still a work in progress."

"I think the idea's cool," Ash admitted before giving it some thought. "Although, I feel like that may make some Pokémon Trainer's journey a bit too easy. It sounds like you can reach Cerulean to Saffron in record time."

"You would rather take the long way through?"

"I want my Pokémon journey to be as authentic as possible. This is tempting, but I'll give it a pass." This response pleasantly surprised Brock.

"A boy that wants to take the hard path." Brock thought for a second before snapping his fingers. "You're trying to become Champion, aren't you."

Ash gasped. "How did you know? Are you a psychic?"

Brock gave off a heartfelt laugh. "More like, I have heard many Trainers come to me with that exact same dream to me before." Brock then pointed his hand at Ash's hat. "Although, that right there is a pretty big hint. An official Pokémon League hat isn't exactly what a non-Pokémon Trainer would have."

"You know about this?" Ash asked excitedly as he took his hat off. He gave Brock an excellent chance to look at it as he spun it around. "I had to send about a million postcards before I got my hands on this thing. I just knew that, when I first saw these things on TV, this would be what I would wear to the Indigo Conference." Ash smiled to himself as he put it back on. "I'll never let this thing go."

"No kidding. Those things are really rare." Brock then went up to Ash and whispered. "I heard that an auction was selling it for four hundred thousand Poke Dollars, and that was the starting amount."

Ash cringed at how much that was. "Glad that I was able to nab this when I could." He faced Brock as he wanted to ask something. "If I may ask, how's it like being a Gym Leader?"

"Surprisingly, not that glorious." Brock honestly answered as he had been asked this many times. "It is not exactly amazing just sitting around and getting your own Pokémon beaten up for your pay. It gets pretty repetitive after... I say, two months."

"I can imagine. But you still like your job, right?"

Brock went dead silent as he stopped to think. Ash was a bit surprised as he stopped as well. Brock was thinking about his job as a Gym Leader and how, despite all the greatness and praise that came from it, he felt it was not meant for him. He looked at ash as the boy was looking at him with worry.

"Can I tell you something?" Brock's voice was much softer compared to before. "You seem to be understanding enough."

Ash tried to be understanding to Brock. "I'm all ears."

Brock took a shaggy breath as he told the truth. "I really, really don't like being a Gym Leader."

This answer surprised Ash, and he opened his mouth a little. His thought started growing as he wondered what made Brock think like this. "But why? Didn't you willing choose this position?"

"That's what I try to tell everyone," Brock replied as he started to walk again, Ash following closely. "The truth is, I only took this because I needed the money it offered for my family. I was only thirteen when I started, and this was one of the only jobs that I could take."

"Is it that serious?"

"Does nine siblings sound like a lot to you?" This question made Ash's jaw fall to the floor.

"NINE?!" He was in genuine disbelief. "I've heard about three siblings before, but nine sounds unbearable!"

Brock chuckled at how off-guard Ash was when he said this. "Now you can understand why I did this. Those kids don't have anyone else, as my parents are long gone."

Ash felt terrible for the boy as he tried to bring some hope into Brock. "What about your dreams? Don't you have any goals that you want to make it through?"

"Of course I do. Although, it's sort of hard to do when you have to stay behind for your family." Brock tried to smile at Ash as they reached the street of his home. "Don't worry. I can just do them later in life."

Ash felt a bit bad for Brock as they made it to his home, which was pretty big. Brock gave an excellent breath as he tried to look his best for his siblings and took all five bags in his hands. He saw how Ash didn't seem happy with how Brock was. The fifteen-year-old placed the bags down to place a calming hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Hey! I'm alright, as is. You should focus on yourself and your own Pokémon, especially if you plan on battling me."

Ash decided to accept. "Alright. I'll do that." Brock smiled at him as he took the bags and placed them near his door.

He gave a friendly wave to Ash. "It was nice speaking to someone like you. I look forward to you challenging me. Have a good day." They exchanged goodbyes as Brock took the bags through the door, Ash hearing that he was greeted with young shots of joy. He saw the door close from a distance.

Ash knew that he couldn't remain there forever as he walked off. He was returning to Misty and Ryan as he thought about what had happened recently. He felt terrible for the Gym Leader as he seemed like a nice guy and felt that he deserved to follow his own dreams. Someone was walking through the concrete paths as Ash ran.

The new person made Ash stop in his tracks. "Flint?"

"Ah. What a coincidence, meeting you here." Flint noticed how the spark that Ash once mainly had dissipated. "Something on your mind, kid?"

"Um. It's nothing about me." Ash answered as he scratched his head in a reserved way. "I just talked with the Gym Leader, Brock. He told me why he was a Gym Leader, and it wasn't exactly for great reasons."

"I see. Brock does not exactly have the greatest life; at least one would not pick by choice." Flint added on as he knew what Brock went through.

"I can only imagine how hard it is for him. I wonder what happened to his parents that caused this."

Flint made the slightest flinch that Ash overlooked as Flint decided to speak. "His father left him to go and become a great Pokémon Trainer, but he could not return when he failed that dream. Brock's mother tried everything he could to keep the family together, but the heartbreak was too much for her body to bear."

Ash felt such sadness for Brock when he heard that. He couldn't relate as he still had his mother, and his father was gone before he came along. "I wish I could help him. He deserves to follow his own joys after all this."

Flint couldn't help but agree as a plan started to brew in his mind. "I agree with that idea. But perhaps, we can help him."

"What do you mean?" Ash questioned hopefully.

"If you are really going to challenge him, then show him that he can still follow his dreams," Flint told him. "Show him that there is still hope in that idea."

Ash thought about it. The plan was that great, but he knew he didn't have any other ideas at the moment. He smiled at thinking of this. "I can do that! I can win this Pokémon battle!"

"Why don't I train you?" Flint suggested when he heard that Ash was on bored. "I can help you by teaching a move to your Pokémon."

"You would do that for me?"

"It would be my pleasure." Ash thought as he nodded at this idea, Flint smiling at how he got Ash to agree with him. "Come to the south river of Pewter City at 8:00. I will show you how to defeat Brock easily." Flint pointed in the direction he spoke of, getting a big nod from Ash.

"I'll meet you there!" Ash promised with a pumped fist. "Brock deserves to follow his dreams, just like I am."

"I hope to see you at that time." The two nodded at each other as they departed way. Ash knew that Ryan and Misty would not be at the store anymore and knew there was one place where they would inevitably meet up. The Pokémon Center.

---

Ash ran up to Misty and Ryan, who were waiting outside the Pokémon Center for the boy. Ash tried to keep a smile as he ran up to them. Misty had her arms crossed, her eyes giving a threatening look as one hand was drumming the fingers on her, the other having a bag from the store they went to. Ryan looked on with a slight frown as Ash stopped near them.

"Hey, teammm..." He tried to be friendly as he smiled. Misty and Ryan didn't flinch as the girl's stare did not falter, making Ash more uncomfortable as he was being stared down. A nervous sweat drop went down his head as he saw the two. "...Your upset that I left for Brock, aren't you?"

"What gave that away?" Misty sarcastically questioned. She let out an exaggerated sigh. "I get why you did it, but did you really have to leave me with the bill and missing Ryan's shirt?"

"No." He sounded apologetic as that move really was rude. He looked at the bag in her hands. "I'm guessing that isn't my jacket in there."

"It actually is," Ryan spoke up as his look to Ash wasn't in anger but rather disappointment. "I didn't go through with the shirt idea. If it makes you feel better, she used your money as revenge."

"And I'll give this to you," She pretended to present the bag to him before putting it next to her. "When I feel like it."

"That's...fair." Ash used his brain and realized everything was stacked against him in this case. He looked up at the door to try and deter from the situation. "Are our Pokémon and Nidoran healed up?"

"They are all well. Let's go and bring them out."

The three walked up the stairs as Ash decided to say something for Misty before the girl revealed it later. "I understand if you don't want to help me train tonight. I have someone else to help me out."

Misty was confused by this statement as she stopped for a minute. "Who?" Her eyes widened. "Did you convince Brock to help you?! No way you managed that!"

"He did what?!" Ryan yelled as he heard that assumption that Misty made. Ash smirked at them.

"That would be nice, but there is no way that he would join me." It was a negative statement, but it was sadly true. "I managed to get Flint to train my Pokémon tonight."

"Flint? You mean that bearded guy we met earlier?" Ash nodded. "How could he help you out for the battle with you and Brock?"

"He said he had a TM that can give Pidgey the advantage for the Rock-type Pokémon."

Misty was highly skeptical as they resumed walking through the automatic doors. "Doesn't this sound a bit off to you, Ash? I don't know many people that would just help someone they just met."

"Flint isn't doing this for me, but for Brock as well." This sentence surprised the two, as Ash explained. "Flint wants Brock to follow his dreams, but he sadly can't with how his life is. That's why he wants me to give Brock a fight that will change him. Show him that he should follow his dreams, despite everything."

They took this in and decided to give Flint some credit. "That's a noble idea, but I still worry about who this guy is."

"You can come with me if you want," Ash suggested. He saw that his two companions were quite skeptical and hoped that Flint would not be upset at there being two extra Trainers. "I know that I barely know this man, but he doesn't seem like the kind of person to have a Hydrigeon on hand."

Misty thought and agreed to the idea. "We'll help you out in case things turn out bad. We both know that you'll need it." Ryan snickered at that remark, Ash giving a slight pout at the statement. They came to the desk and asked Nurse Joy for their Pokémon Teams. She stepped away and came back with two trays.

"Misty's Pokemon are on the right, and Ryan's are on the left. I am happy to say that they are in prime condition." She explained with a smile as they got their Poke Balls back. She stepped out and got a tray that had a Squirtle and Nidoran out in the open, a Poke Ball near them. "These three are for you, young man."

"Squirt!" Squirtle jumped off as he rested on Ash's head; the kid smiled at his partner's energy. "Le squ squ Squirtle!"

"Looks like you had fun without me, Squirt." Ash joked as they shared a laugh. He took Pidgey's Poke Ball to place on his belt, holding Nidoran gently as he put the boy on the ground. "Are you feeling a lot better since we meet, Nidoran?"

"Nido ran ran!" The male exclaimed happily as Ryan and Misty crouched down as well, happy at how the weakened Pokémon had recovered.

Ash gave a gentle pet to the Nidoran, standing back up. Ryan had to tell the truth. "Well, it was fun having you with us, Nidoran, but you have to go back into the wild-that is where we found you."

Ash sighed at this. He didn't want to see Nidoran go, but it was the right thing to do. "Just tell us where you want to drop you off, and we'll do it for you."

"Nidoran!" He bit on Ash's jeans with his teeth as he tried to pull the ten-year-old back. Ash was surprised by the sudden behavior and knelt down for him, Nidoran stopping when he had the Trainer's attention.

"What was that for?" Ash asked, Squirtle on his head as the Water-type knew why Nidoran did this.

"Squirtle squir irtle squ ir tle Squirtle irtle." The Pokémon explained as everyone heard this. They all looked at Nidoran, who straightened up after hearing that.

"Hmmm. I have no idea what Squirtle just said." Ryan admitted as Misty spoke up next.

"I think what Squirtle was trying to say is that Nidoran right here... wants to be our Pokémon." She explained as she surprised herself.

Nidoran nodded with a smile. "Doran Nidoran."

Ash placed a calm hand on Nidoran after he heard this. "Is that really what you want." Nidoran didn't hesitate to nod. "Well, if you really do want to come with us." He took out an empty Poke Ball and placed it in front of Nidoran, the Poison-type looking at it with interest. "Just walk in, and you'll be part of the team."

"Squirtle, Squirtle."

"Nido." Nidoran walked up to the device and pressed the button with his tiny feet, getting sucked into the Poke Ball. The shaking process began as the group already knew how it would turn out. Nidoran avoided escaping, for he had willingly chosen to be with this boy. The Poison-type had heard that this boy wanted to be Champion from both Pidgey and Squirtle, hearing how well he cared for them. His interest was held tight. The Poke Ball stopped moving.

Nidoran had been caught!

Ash took the ball with a sense of honor as he looked at his new friend, his teammate. He stood there for a second as the biggest smile was on his face. If he were allowed to scream at the top of his lungs, he would have. Ryan smiled at Ash and patted the boy on the back.

"Nice addition to your team!" He complimented as the two smiled at each other. "Nidoran has good taste if he picked you."

"Squirtle." The Water-type said as well, overjoyed at his new Pokémon partner. Misty was glad to see Ash with his new member but decided to point out something.

"What a great Pokémon you did not have to battle to get him," Misty commented as her desire for snark was too much,

Ash frowned at Misty, even though she was right. "I'm not sure how you water people do it, but we prefer leaving Poke Balls out for our future members." Misty gave a soft smirk at the remark that Ash threw back.

"Can you bring him out? I want to see how Pidgey will react."

"Great idea!" They all went to a different area where Ash released his Pidgey and newly acquired Nidoran. The Flying-type looked at the Nidoran in shock, worrying that she was brought out to battle.

Squirtle jumped down. "Squirt rtle rtle." He explained to Pidgey, who let her guard down as she saw her new team member. The two stopped being tense and decided to take the time to greet one another.

"Pidgey."

"Nidoran." The male said, trying his best to smile for her. The three Trainers gave them some time before Ash spoke up, causing the three radically different Pokémon to look at Ash Ketchum.

"Alright, listen up." He knelt to all three of his members, all looking up at him. Misty and Ryan watching. Ash's mouth felt dry as he tried to think of the correct words in the proper order to say to them. Time felt so slow as thoughts of that Paul guy, how he left such a negative impact on his Pokémon. The idea of only using your Pokémon to train and release just because they don't satisfy your desires. He would never become that! Pokémon are friends to you, friends you know will be by you.

He just had to put his thoughts into words.

"I just want to tell you guys, and gal, that I care about you three." The trio of Pokémon was taken aback by this; Ash continued. "The three of you are my friends, friends I would never trade if I had the chance. I sometimes feel like you guys are too good for a rookie like me." He solemnly admitted as his gaze was still on them. "I'll be by your side no matter what happens. Others may see just three Pokémon, but I see friends I would never give up." He smiled as he felt the words were good enough. He was never one for emotional talks. "That's all I wanted to say."

These words touched the three Pokémon as they hugged their Trainer. Misty and Ryan watched on and were moved by how Ash was to his Pokémon. The care and emotion he had for them were genuinely genuine. The three Pokémon were confused by these words from Ash; not like they would complain about it. Why would he say something like that at this time? No one said anything as they shared this lovely moment.

Misty and Ryan definitely have to do this for their own Pokémon later.

---

"Hey, Flint!" Ash called out as he saw who was coming up to him, Squirtle by his side. Ryan and Misty were walking as they reached the place where Flint told him to go, a river with a small cabin next to it. The river was mainly dry due to the lack of rain. "I made it."

"So, I see. I am glad that you were willing to take me up on this offer." He eyed Ryan and Misty strangely. "I wasn't aware that their would-be guest joining us."

"We... are here to help Ash with training." Ryan lied as they didn't want to reveal them being safety, in case Flint turned out to have less than good ideals. "Just want to help our bud out with his first Gym Leader." He ruffled Ash's hair, an action the boy wasn't thrilled about as he swatted it away.

"Um... sure." Flint decided to accept the answer. He looked down at Ash and saw how determined the boy was. "The way your Pidgey can help defeat Brock is with this."

He took something out of his pocket and showed it off to everyone. Misty and Ash gasped at this, Ryan not knowing what it was. In his fingers was a metallic CD with a dark gray color. It had a name imprinted onto the CD, saying: 'TM 30 / STEEL WING'. Flint saw the surprise in Ash's eyes as Misty's expression faded, already having her own TM at home.

"It's a TM."

"Looks like you know your stuff, girl." Flint complimented as he twirled the CD in his hands; Ryan was surprised at what a TM actually was. "This TM is a move called Steel Wing, something that your Pidgey can learn. This will make your victory a guarantee rather than a possibility."

"I accept this offer." He called out Pidgey as the Flying-type flew near him, looking at her Trainer.

"Pidg?"

"Sorry to ask this of you," Ash began. "But do you want to learn a good move for battling? Something that can help beat Brock?" Pidgey nodded valiantly, wanting to help her trainer in any way she could.

"Um. Is that TM going to hurt Pidgey?" Ryan asked as he saw Flint walk up and kneel to the grounded Pidgey.

"Don't worry. I have used them on my Pokémon, and they come out just fine." Misty assured as she looked at Squirtle. "I'll teach you Bubblebeam from my Marill after we finish this, alright."

"Squirt." Squirtle nodded.

"Alright." Ash stepped back as he protectively watched his Pidgey. Pidgey tried to keep calm as she saw the CD slowly come close to her. "You may feel weird, but it shouldn't last long." Pidgey nodded as the CD was placed on her chest.

The CD attached itself to Pidgey as a light similar to evolution came from her, but this was extremely weak in comparison. Ryan and Ash watched on, this being the first time they had seen a TM in action. Pidgey seemed unfazed by the light as it only lasted ten seconds. The light ended as the CD fell off Pidgey, landing on the ground for Flint to pick back up.

Pidgey went up to Pidgey to look at her, seeing nothing visually different about her. "Are you alright?"

"Pidgey." She answered truthfully. She felt something different about her, like something new was added to her.

"Let's see if it worked out." Flint picked up a decently thick stick from the ground. Pidgey looked on as she heard the command from the man, throwing the stick high in the air. "Use Steel Wing on the stick."

Pidgey instinctively flew up and charged at the stick. Something came from her like it was second nature, as her right wing was covered in pure steel. She used her new-found metal wing to slice the stick in clean half. The Pidgey flew down and looked at her new wing in surprise, watching it slowly become normal again. The move she had just learned moments ago felt like something she had had since birth.

"That was awesome!" Ryan said, as he had never seen a Steel-type move before.

Ash went up and gave a friendly pat to Pidgey, so proud of his Pokémon. "You showed that stick why it shouldn't mess with you."

"Pidg."

"Squirt!" Squirtle said to his friend as he saw the display as well.

"Your Pidgey got a great hang of the move already," Flint observed as he scratched his beard. "Let us practice a bit more with that move. The wing will need to be stronger to handle Geodude or Onix."

"I already know that Pidgey can easily handle this," Ash said confidently. "Right?"

"Pidgey." Pidgey couldn't help but agree as Misty and Ryan walked over.

"I can take Squirtle from here." Misty offered as the two looked at one another, smiling at each other. "I feel like Marill has a good trick to give him."

"Could I take your Nidoran, Ash? I w-want me and my Pokémon to be of some use." Ash smiled at how shy Ryan seemed to be.

"Of course, you can." Ash brought out his Nidoran as the Poison-type looked around, seeming to understand that this was the spot they were going to train themselves.

"Looks like you got your training all figured out," Flint commented as he decided to ask something. "Although, I am curious about something. Mind if I ask you something, Ash?"

"Well, sure. Go ahead."

Flint wasted no time in asking this: "Are you wanting your Pokémon to evolve?"

Everyone stopped at the question, the people and Pokémon looking at Ash as this was his question. The boy went silent as he thought about it for a second. Nidoran was the most worried about this reveal, as he heard of Trainers that would force their Pokémon to evolve, whether they wanted to or not. The process of evolution was luckily not painful, but the body you would have after would be unalterable. It was either the easiest or hardest choice for a Pokémon, as there seemed to be no between.

Ash's response came after seconds had gone by.

"Whether a Pokémon evolves or not should be their decision, not the Trainer's." This sentence shocked the Pokémon and Flint, but Misty and Ryan sort of expected a kind answer. Ash was not making his Pokémon do anything they didn't want. "I know that evolution is irreversible. I believe that any Pokémon can be strong without the need to evolve and that they can still win against all odds."

"Nido?" Nidoran heard Ash's words, seeing how kind the boy was. Ash went to his knees and came to face all three of his Pokémon.

"Listen to me, alright? Don't feel pressured to evolve just for me. If you guys ever do evolve, then I want it to be from your own decision." The Pokémon looked at one another as they heard this. "Whenever you know you're ready to evolve, then by all means, go for it. You are my friends, no matter what form you have."

The three Pokémon were so happy at what they last heard, Nidoran tearing up after hearing that. Ash gently wiped away his tears and smiled at his Pokémon, the Pokémon smiling back. Everyone looked at the cute scene; Flint was proud of how this boy was. "A boy of alternatives you are. I may not have those beliefs, but I know when to respect decisions."

"I see why you decided to go with this kid," Ryan said to Misty as they saw this. "His care for his Pokémon, it's so special. I knew following him would turn out good."

"I guess." Misty shrugged.

Ash gave a slight bow for what Flint said and for letting him be here in the first place. He looked at the energized Pokémon. "Any of you three want to drop out? Last chance."

"Squirt!"

"Pidgey!"

"Nido!" The three of them yelled out as if they were saying no. Ash was happy that his Pokémon were willing to do this for him.

"No complaints from them." Misty pointed out.

"Alright. Squirtle and Nidoran, you can stick by Misty and Ryan, respectively. Pidgey can remain with Flint and me." Ash instructed his Pokémon as a leader would, but his voice was notably softer. They all agreed and went with their respective Trainer. All three of them just knew that this would be a very long night for all of them.

"Can I ask something, Flint?" Flint nodded at Ryan's call. "Is my Butterfree able to learn Steel Wing as well?"

"Unfortunately, no. Despite the potential of a TM, that does not allow any Pokémon to learn whatever move they feel like. Some Pokémon cannot learn a certain move as their DNA cannot cooperate with the TM. You can't just go and teach an Arcanine Hydro Pump, for instance."

Ryan sighed at the revelation. "I guess that makes sense." He decided to make this conversation a bit better. "Y-You know, you actually seem to know a lot about Pokémon."

"Yeah. You actually do know a good amount." Misty added as she tried to think of how Flint knew this. "Did you research on your own?"

"W-What. Uh. Yeah!" Flint nervously replied as he timidly scratched his head. Everyone found this action was a bit off as Flint quickly cleared his throat. "I self-taught myself. Let's get that training now, shall we?"

Everyone agreed as Ash and Pidgey remained with Flint. Misty walked with Ryan and the two other Pokémon while thinking about how the day was going and remembering the promise that Ash made her back at the store. She had agreed to tell Ryan the truth about who she was and her sisters. She groaned at herself as if she had wasted the day and not told him anything like that. She looked at the sky and knew that telling the truth could just be a tomorrow thing.

Then she realized that idea made her make that promise in the first place.

She had kept delaying and procrastinating on this action as she was nervous, realizing it would be worse if she told him this only hours before they made it to Cerulean. She looked at how Ryan and Nidoran were unaware of her thoughts, only Squirtle being worried at the shifting faces the girl had. She made an impulsive decision as she was going to tell him. No more excuses!

"Ryan?"

The sudden shout of his name caught the boy off guard. "Y-Yeah?"

"Can I... tell you something?" Misty tried to keep herself in a single piece as she became a bit more nervous. "It's something about me."

Ryan was concerned about how timid the girl was being, and Nidoran was as well. "Is it something bad?"

"No!" Misty answered quickly. "It's just something about my family. Especially my sister that I told you about." She looked Ryan in the eyes. "I have not been honest with you, at least not fully."

"What about your sisters?"

Misty forced herself to say, no matter what her heart or mouth tried to do to stop her. "I am the younger sister of The Sensational Sisters, the Gym Leaders of Cerulean." She managed to say as she covered her face.

Ryan seemed surprised at what he heard, already knowing about all the other Gym Leaders. Nidoran was oblivious as he did not understand who Gym Leaders were, but the Sensational Sisters. Squirtle was there to comfort Misty as she was very meek after just saying that. She decided to look up after a minute passed to see what Ryan's reaction was.

Instead of showing aggression or fear, Ryan just inspected the girl closely. "You... do look like them. I can see the similarities."

Misty was taken aback by the calm reply. "You're not mad?"

"Do you want me to be?" Ryan asked curiously, wondering if he had been mean the whole time without considering it. "It's shocking to me, yeah. But mad? I'd call myself more disappointed if anything."

Misty sighed in true relief as she saw Ryan's reaction. "Thank you for taking it so well."

"I understand when someone lies if they have a good enough reason for it." Both looked at each other as Ryan continued. "But next time, reveal this to someone a bit earlier than you did for me. I am still saddened that you wanted to hide this from me, which is why I like you a little bit less now."

"Come on. It wasn't that bad." Misty tried to convince him, and mostly herself. "Was it?"

Ryan shook his head as he looked down at the Pokémon. "I appreciate you were able to tell me this, I truly do, but we have to do something for these guys."

"Nido." The Poison-type was very excited about this.

Misty composed herself when she realized what she was supposed to do, taking out Marill's Poke Ball. "Come on out."

"Mar," Marill said happily as he came out of the ball. He saw his fellow Water-type as they exchanged a happy hand wave.

"Hey, Marill. I got someone who wants to learn Bubble Beam from you." Squirtle stepped up as the desire for knowledge was in his eyes.

"Squir?"

Marill thought for a second before nodding happily. "Marill Marill!" The two went to the nearby pond to hone their skills. Misty looked at the two interact with each other, seeing how Marill made friends with just about everyone.

Ryan walked up and smiled at the girl, surprising Misty. "I will admit, you seem a lot more confident than me. I'm honestly a bit envious."

Misty smiled at Ryan's compliment; she needed something to feed herself after what she revealed. "Thanks."

---

It had been a long night as Ash trained up his team, and Ash was so happy with the progress of all three of his. Pidgey and Ryan's Butterfree got used to the new Steel Wing as their attack grew stronger, slicing apart a log with no issue. Squirtle perfected the Bubble Beam that Misty and Marill were willing to teach him, now having his four moves with him. Starmie joined in and was impressed at how their student had grown stronger.

Ryan and Ash were able to get Nidoran up to speed on how they would get stronger. Nidoran was firm for being so small. Nidoran got used to the training that Ash was giving them. Ash's activity may have seen daunting to a newly owned such as him, but Ash was very fair and ensured his Pokémon was ready before beginning to work out.

They all trained their Pokémon until three in the morning, and they just wanted to lay and rest after all this. It was all worth it as Squirtle was at level 15, Pidgey at level 14, and Nidoran was a bit far behind at level 9. Marill made it to level 13, along with both Pisnir and Butterfree getting an extra two levels to them. Flint let them go and encouraged Ash to win, something he took with pride.

He felt genuinely ready after all this.

"Pewter City, you say?" Professor Oak chomped on a Banana as he heard Ash say. The ten-year-old decided to call up Pallet Town before he forgot quickly. "You have a good start to your journey, Ash."

"Thank you, Professor Oak." Ash accepted as he showed off Nidoran and Squirtle to the Pokémon researcher. "I will get my first Gym Badge to prove I have a chance at being Champion."

"I am rooting for you." Oak insisted as he threw the banana peel away. "Red and Gary have already made progress to Mt Moon, and Green is already off the radar again. Do try to hurry this battle along."

"You don't need to remind me," Ash said back when he heard how far Gary was.

"Squirtle!"

"Nidoran!" The two Pokémon declared, Ash giving them pats at how they would protect him.

Oak realized something. "Oh, Ash. I forgot to tell you a few other features that your Pokédex has."

Ash was a bit unhappy about hearing that. "There's more that you left out for us?"

"I am terribly sorry. My head wasn't feeling all that well; here's hoping that age isn't already trying to take me over." Oak responded as he cleared his voice, getting ready for the explanation. "The Pokédex can tell you the exact stats of the Pokémon you scan, the nature it has, what moves it can learn by level or TM's, and what kind of EVs and IVs it has to them. I can tell you which buttons activate those kinds of things."

"That's very interesting," Ash admitted, though he could care less about the IVs, nature, and what kind of stats his Pokémon could have. They were his friends, not creatures only meant for simply fighting. "Anything else you want to say? Any other information you can think of?"

Oak thought about this. "Ah, yes. You are actually able to choose which Pokémon you can send to me and what you can have on your current team. But since you only have three Pokémon now, you don't need to worry about them being sent to me automatically." Oak sighed when he finished it off. "I hate that I keep forgetting these things. I could use an extra pair of hands to take the massive workload off me."

Ash felt terrible for the older man as he tried to think of helping the person who allowed him to be a Pokémon Trainer. "Don't you have that picture kid? I forgot his name, sorry."

"You mean Todd Snap? He definitely helped me out with getting all those photos for the Pokédex, but he is not exactly scientist material." Oak admitted. "If you happen to meet anyone on your travels with a history of Pokémon research, please send them over here to assist me. I am not the young man I used to be."

"I'll help you in any way I can, professor." Oak was grateful for the boy's help as Ash decided to ask something. "Do you, by chance, know a kid named Paul? Purple hair, the same age as me?"

"Hmm. Nope. Doesn't sound like any Trainer that I have seen." Ash was disappointed at hearing that, showing thanks that Oak tried to think for him. "Well, it has been fun chatting with you. Do call again. I'll make sure to tell your mom about all this."

"Goodbye, Professor Oak. Thanks for everything." They gave their farewells as Ash was left alone with Nidoran and Squirtle on his lap. Nidoran was sad that he could not prove himself by fighting against this Gym Leader, even though he knew he would struggle against it. Ash wanted to make sure to prevent unnecessary injuries.

"I promise to take you for the next Gym Leader, alright?" Nidoran decided to accept, knowing he would be more robust by then.

"Squirtle." The Squirtle kindly told Nidoran as he petted the little Poison-type, seeing his friend get inside the Poke Ball.

"Let's go back to Ryan and Misty, Squirt. We got a Gym Leader to beat!" Ash declared as they left the Pokémon Center behind. They ran with passion as they made their way to Brock, the first challenge of their entire journey. Ash wanted to make this a battle that would help Brock go for his own dream, just like how Flint had liked for him. He went to the gym to see Misty and Ryan waiting for him. They exchanged words before turning their heads.

"I never would have guessed that the building with the Rock-type Gym Leader," Ryan commented as he and everyone looked at what was ahead. Flint was not with them as he claimed to have important matters to deal with. "Would be an actual rock."

The building in front of the pair was quite big and had a primarily rectangle-like shape to it. The exterior of the thing was made up of rock with two metal doors at the bottom. The top left said: 'PEWTER GYM' In all capital letters, and overall, this building had a solid presence around it. The sun was about to become evening any moment now as Ash looked on with fierceness.

"Well, no point in standing around." Squirtle couldn't help but agree as they walked to the doors, Misty and Ryan close behind.

"Hey, Misty. Since you have sisters as Gym Leaders, still shocked about that, can you tell me how these matches are?" Ryan asked as he looked t Misty.

Misty decided to answer Ryan's question. "Well, every Gym Leader have their own rules regarding fighting a Pokémon Battle. Brock only wants two Pokémon from you, but it's a double battle. He's actually the only Gym Leader that does this unless I'm mistaken, which I'm not." Ryan nodded as he heard all this.

Ash took a deep breath as he looked at his Squirtle. "Show Brock how strong you are, Squirt." Squirtle nodded.

They entered through the doors and were met with a pitch-black room. They walked as they saw how big this place was. They all looked around as the light from the outside slowly went away as the door closed. The metal doors closed with a heavy slam as it was incredibly dark now; only the little window at the top was giving off any light. Ryan was getting nervous as Ash looked around, concentration on his face.

"Who goes there?" A sudden voice asked from the darkness. A spotlight turned on from above, and everyone turned to see Brock sitting on a rock. His face and way of sitting were quite serious, but his face softened when he saw who it was. "Ah. It's you, Ash."

"Glad to see that you still remember me." Ash joked as he faced Brock, the Gym Leader had a soft smile for the boy.

"I am happy that you have come to battle me. I looked forward to you the most out of my three previous battles." He saw the other two people next to him, noticing how the girl was incredibly familiar. "Are they here to challenge me as well?"

"Nah. We're just here to watch the fireworks," Ryan answered.

"I see. You may watch from the stands above or be down here if that works for you." Misty and Ryan nodded as they went to go up the metal stairs. Misty went next to Ash and whispered something to him.

"Try not to waste the training we gave you, alright?" Misty walked away before Ash was able to answer.

Ash gently smirked. "Doesn't she know that I take training seriously? Has she not been with me for this past week?" Ash focused on Brock as the Gym Leader stood up from his rock.

"We will be doing a double battle for the Boulder Badge. Do I need to explain to you what that is?" Ash shook his head, making Brock relieved that he knew these things. He looked down at the Water-type next to him. "That's the Squirtle you mentioned, the one from Pallet Town."

"Squir?" The Pokémon was confused when he got called out.

"He is. He's also going to Pokémon that I'll be using for this battle."

Brock analyzed the small Pokémon, seeing how pumped he was for this. "Your Squirtle is strong, especially for a begging Trainer. You'll, unfortunately, need more than him, though."

"I'm aware." Ash got into a battle stance as Squirtle did the same, signaling for Brock to begin the battle. The Gym Leader snapped his fingers to cause a giant battlefield of rock and sand to come between them. Ryan and Misty watched from above, silently cheering on Ash through their minds. The stage was set as the two looked at one another, a dual for the first Gym Badge.

"If you lose, I'll return the jacket!" Misty used this to encourage Ash, and it seemed to work.

Brock jumped far from his rock and landed near the battlefield, two Poke Balls in his hands. "Let the match begin!"

Ash didn't need to hear anything else. "Show these rocks how strong you are, Squirt!" Squirtle nodded as he came out to the battlefield, Ash bringing out a Poke Ball for the second Pokémon. "Come out as well, Pidgey!"

Pidgey came out and flew in the air, stopping by Squirtle. "Pidgey, Pidgey!" She called out as Brock watched this.

"A Pidgey?" He observed. "I assume you have no other Pokémon on you if you brought out a Flying-type for this match."

"The only other Pokémon I had was a Nidoran. I didn't have many options for this fight."

"Squ!" Squirtle defended as well.

Brock nodded as he understood. "I understand the reasoning. I will warn you that this is a battle where I will not hold back in the slightest, even if we left on good terms." Neither Ash nor his Pokémon was deterred from that fact. Brock smirked when he saw their reaction, sending out the two Poke Balls. "Go Onix, Geodude!"

The first Rock-type Pokémon to come out looked like an actual rock. Geodude was a brownish-gray boulder Pokémon. He had bulging, rocky eyebrows, trapezoidal eyes with brown pupils, and a wide mouth. His arms were muscular with five-fingered hands. "Geodude." It called out in a gruff voice.

The Onix that came out was a very intimating Pokémon regarding size. Onix was a Pokémon composed of a giant chain of rocks that became smaller toward the tail. He had black eyes and a rounded snout. On top of his head was a rocky spine. He stood a gigantic twenty-eight foot, ten inches in height. "ONI!" He yelled out as he looked down at the competition. Though Squirtle and Pidgey tried to hide the terror, they both gulped in fear at the behemoth they saw.

Ash brought out Pokédex. "Onix, the rock snake Pokémon. Dex Number: 105. Pokémon Typing: Rock, Ground. Onix has a magnet in its brain. It acts as a compass so that this Pokémon does not lose direction while tunneling. As it grows older, its body becomes increasingly rounder and smoother. This specific Onix is a female and currently level 11. Pokémon Ability: Rock Head (Protects the Pokémon from recoil damage). This Pokémon has the following moves: Headbutt, Bind, Rock Throw." Ash nodded as he took all this in.

"You weren't kidding when you said Onix was big," Ryan whispered when he saw the Onix, the size alone made him not want to face this thing.

"Big bro Onix will win this!"

The two were surprised when they heard the sudden voice, turning to where they heard it. "What the?" Misty managed to say in disbelief. All of Brock's siblings were right by them and watching the match as well. How in the world did they manage to get near them without making any kind of noise?

"Shh!" One of the older girls hushed Misty up. "Brock can't get distracted by your infuriating voice."

This caused a cross vein to appear on Misty as the clearly younger girl insulted her. "I..." She wanted to yell back until she realized what kind of person that would make her, fighting a more youthful kid on an insult. She released a quick sigh. "Whatever." Ryan was laughing to himself in his head during all this.

Back on the battlefield, Brock spoke up. "I know that my Pokémon can only attack second. Take your first move." Ash nodded when he heard this. Brock didn't realize the horrible error he had just made, shock on his face when he listened to the attack.

"Squirt, use Bubble Beam!" Ash ordered.

"BUBBLE BEAM?!" Brock and his siblings practically yelled at the same time. The idea of this Squirtle already having that kind of solid move was so unexpected to them. "Onix, dodge!" He tried to control the situation as best as he could.

"Squir!" A spray of powerful bubbles came from his mouth and was directed toward Onix. Onix tried his best to handle the situation, but bubbles were spread out a lot for his large body to dodge. The move was so powerful against Onix as it was not only a stab move, but his quad weakness didn't help matters. Everyone watched on as the attack ended, and Onix remained still. He fell to the ground and caused a mini shock wave with his massive size.

Onix had fainted before he even hit the ground.

Brock's siblings hat their jaws on the ground at what just happened to Brock's strongest Pokémon. Misty gave herself a mental pat on the back at what she saw, happy that Marill taught this young Water-type well. Ash and Pidgey were speechless, as they thought Onix would somehow live that attack; even Squirtle was not prepared for how easy that was.

"I fear for what you have created," Ryan said, getting a shrug from Misty. Perhaps she did give the Pokémon too much power so early on.

Brock was the first to compose himself as he brought his Poke Ball out. "Onix, return!" Onix was safely in his Poke Ball as Brock looked at the match, already preparing himself for defeat. "Your Squirtle is strong; I'll give him that. This match is not over, though!"

"Squirtle!" The Pokémon called out, prepared to defeat Geodude as well.

"Geodude, use Tackle!" Geodude floated himself to Pidgey and aimed for the female Pokémon. He prepared his head for the attack, Pidgey listening to Ash's call to dodge. She flew out of the way and was high above, hearing the following command from Ash.

"Use Steel Wing to finish this off!"

"Steel Wing?!" Brock muttered to himself as he saw the Pidgey coat her right wing in pure steel, hovering above the Geodude. "This boy was so prepared for this. And the way that his Pokémon seem to trust him with the orders, I am honestly impressed." He stopped himself from getting back into the real world. "Dodge the attack!"

Brock's siblings began to come down the stairs as Ryan and Misty watched them leave to get downstairs, not liking where this was going. "Geo." Geodude dodged the attack and watched his two opponents, worried about what he was supposed to do in this scenario. He had no Rock-type to take out Pidgey, and he was so outmatched for the Squirtle. Despite this, he did not attempt to retreat, seeing how Brock wanted the best for him.

Ash smiled at how Geodude dodged the attack. "Use your Bubbl-"

"NOOOOOO!"

Out of nowhere, multiple pairs of small arms latched onto Ash and froze the boy. Nine separate kids on him stopped him, two of them being older than him. They stopped him from doing anything else, and this made Squirtle and Pidgey turn back and look at him in surprise. Brock had a stern face when he saw who they were, the same one that Geodude himself had.

"What? What is this?" Ash asked as he tried to escape, but the children did not have it.

"You big meanie!" One of the middle ones yelled at him. "How could you do that to our brother, Onix?"

"I-I." Ash was trying to think of how to answer these kids' demands. Pidgey and Squirtle looked on as they felt the situation their Trainer was in was unique, but they were ready to defend themselves if necessary. The battle had effectively paused itself because of the unexpected interruption.

"...I am convinced those kids were here to stop the battle from ending." Misty actually thought about it, nodding at the remark that Ryan gave.

"All of you!" Brock's disappointed and irritated voice caught all of their attention. "What have I told you about interfering with my matches? You should know that Pokémon will be harmed for the badge."

"But Brockkk! We know how much you love Onix!" A boy in a green shirt and a nice white shirt, Forrest, responded. This made Ash stop struggling.

"We hate how he always gets hurt like this!" A girl added with a tear in her eye. "He's family too!"

Ash looked around him as he saw these children's love for Brock and how they wanted to protect him and his Pokémon, as they were family to them. Squirtle and Pidgey could understand where the children were coming from, as they would do the same if one or the other got hurt. Ryan seemed nervous at this genuine love as he looked away. Misty watched with a sad expression, both for herself and these kids.

It was hard not thinking of her own sisters as she watched this, how they would do the same for her at the end of the day.

Brock sighed as he heard this, massaging his temple. "I want you nine to let go of Ash so we can continue this battle until the end." He was stern and gentle as he said this. "This battle must reach an end."

"But Brock-" None of them continued as they saw how serious their oldest brother was. They scrambled off of Ash and stayed off to watch the battle, Ash feeling like he was doing something wrong by going through all this. He wanted to win to get a badge and help Brock with his problem, not be the bad person and become an enemy of the rest of the family.

"I... I didn't mean. To hurt them." Ash thought as he looked at the family, all still very unhappy with having to watch merely.

"Ash! Focus!"

Ryan's shout made Ash come to the real world as he saw Geodude going for the Tackle on Squirtle; his two Pokémon were just as distracted as he was. "Uh. Squirt, Bubble Beam." His sentence came from pure instinct.

Squirtle snapped out as well and shot the attacker. This one was not as strong as the last one, but Geodude knew getting hit would be his worst choice. He stopped his attack and used his tiny body to dodge, seeing Pidgey come at him from the corner of his eye. She attacked when she saw the free chance, entirely of her own free will.

"Pidgey!" She called out as the Steel Wing came to the Geodude.

"No. Wa-" Ash couldn't get the words out as he saw Geodude get hit by the Steel-type attack. Geodude was hit pretty hard and fell to the ground, unmoving. Brock waited after thirty seconds and nodded his head, seeing how his other Pokémon had just got one-shotted as well. He took the Poke Ball out and shot a red beat at Geodude.

He was putting his fainted Pokémon back in.

"Di-" Ash froze when he saw Geodude faint. He saw that only his Squirtle and Pidgey were out during the battle. "Did I win?"

"I no longer have any Pokémon on hand to battle you," Brock explained as he smiled at the boy. "By eliminating my combatants, you have won the gym badge."

Ash was surprised that he had won, and more so because he didn't feel good about this. He was supposed to be happy and jumping for joy at getting the Boulder Badge, one of the things needed for the Indigo Plateau, and a shoot at Champion. But seeing how he had accidentally affected those young kids by hurting their own brother's Pokémon, and seeing how he cared about Brock, was causing Ash not to feel excited about this victory.

The noise went on around him as he heard the battlefield going away and how Ryan and Misty were cheering for him. He saw his Pokémon happily talking to each other as they won the battle. Ash didn't listen to any of these. Instead, all he heard was the small amount of crying coming from Brock's siblings as one of them called him a bully. He just wanted to get a simple badge, not this.

Squirtle noticed Ash was not jumping for joy or anything like that, coming to him with concern. "Squir?"

Pidgey was quick to follow. "Pidgey?"

Ash looked at the pair, unable to know what to say. He decided to be happy for them as the joy he showed was just a ruse. "You guys did great! That was amazing work you two just did! Amazing! Bravo!" Pidgey and Squirtle were caught so off guard by this, as the last part didn't sound like something Ash would say in a million years. They figured out that what they saw was just a facade.

Ryan walked up to him and was worried when he didn't see Ash get ecstatic at the victory. "Ash! You alright, man?" Ash nodded quickly. Too quickly. "Y-You should be happy; you just won your first match!"

"He's right, you know," Misty added as she walked up. "I am glad to have taught your Pokémon well. I knew that my training would get you through this."

"How was it like? It looked like you were having fun during it."

"I... guess I did have fun with it." Ash had truth in that sentence, as the fight was fun for him. Brock came to them as he appeared to have something in his hand.

"Alright. Alright. Ash, can you step up?" Ash looked up and went next to Brock. The older boy revealed the thing in his hand. It was a shiny badge in the shape of an eight-sided rock. "A Boulder Badge for the person who defeated me."

Ash looked at the badge. The desire to grab it right there was tempting, but his thought weighed him down. "I... don't think I deserve this."

Everyone was shocked when they heard that. Brock's siblings stopped crying when they listened to what Ash said. "Squir squirt squirt rtle Squirtle Squirtle!" He yelled at his Trainer for even thinking of something like that. Pidgey was also upset that Ash would believe that he was not worthy of the badge, and Misty was annoyed that Ash was trying to throw away their training time.

Brock looked at Ash with a curious look. "Now, why's that? You defeated me legitimately."

"It's just. I don't know." He looked at the siblings when he said the following sentence. "I just worry I accidentally hurt some people by doing this."

"Ash." Brock made the kid look him in the eye. "Sometimes, you have to make a choice that might not be best for everyone. It's harsh but true. You must defeat the Pokémon we Gym Leaders have raised to reach your Champion dream. I know it sounds rough, but it's our job."

This explanation made Ash feel better about himself as he took the badge gently, examining it in the light. "I'll keep that in mind." His second sentence sounded like his usual, happy voice. "Thank you for handing this to me."

"You have proven your Pokémon skills. When I saw Onix taken out in a mere hit, I felt the battle was as good as over." Brock's smile softened. "You care about your Pokémon, and that is what I see the most in a Trainer. I'll be honest; you are a lot better than the last boy I met."

"Who?"

"A boy named Paul." This caused a surprise from Ash's group.

"You mean that kid with purple hair and an awful personality?"

Brock nodded to Ryan's question. "That sounds like him. He was very skilled in battling, but he lacked compassion. When I defeated his Oddish in one hit, he called pathetic out in the open and put Oddish back without making sure he was okay."

"What an awful Trainer," Misty commented as she shuttered to think what else Paul did to his Pokémon.

"I almost didn't want to give him the badge due to his brutality, but a victory is still a victory," Brock added. "Ash," He called out to the kid. "I hope you do become Champion. I see great potential in you that few people have brought to me."

"You really think so?"

Brock shaped his hand into a fist, allowing Ash to fist-bump him. "Don't lose sight of your dreams. Chase them until you catch them or until your own body forces you to stop."

"Squirtle." Squirtle nodded his head as he saw Pidgey was put away by Ash.

Ash nodded as well as Misty looked on, glad that even a Gym Leader saw this boy's potential. Ash realized something as he remembered the talk they had and the request from Flint. "What about your dreams? You said you had your own but weren't allowed to follow them. Why can't you do what I am doing?"

Brock looked away when Ash asked that, a look of hope before being replaced by reality. He looked at Ash as he sighed. "It's not by choice that I don't follow my dreams. I have too much on my plate." He went over to his siblings as they hugged him, and him hugging them back. All four saw what Brock was talking about when he said that.

"There's no one else to take care of them, is there?" Ryan asked, a sympathetic look when Brock grimly nodded.

Brock looked at them as siblings were near him. "Sometimes, you were dealt a bad hand. Not everyone is given a chance to be as free as you three." He smiled at them as he crossed his arms across his chest, his fist on his shoulders. "Don't lose this chance that you were given! Never forget why you are going through this in the first place! Do you understand?"

The three were inspired as they all collectively nodded. "We will never forget!" Misty promised him.

"Then go! Make your mark on this world, one you can proudly call your own!"

They looked at one another for a moment as they prepared to leave, Ash clipping the badge to his shirt for now. "We'll do just that."

"Squirt!" This inspiring speech rooked Squirtle to his core. Seeing how Brock struggled and how Ash planned to stop the battles for the right reason made him think about it. He had reached level 16 due to this new fight, as the talk about not evolving immediately with Ash came to him. He knew what he was doing when he did this, but he just happily smiled.

A white light coated Squirtle completely.

Everyone was shocked when they saw this, especially Ash himself. "I-Is Squirtle..."

"He's evolving!" Ryan shouted in surprise. They Saw Squirtle become much bigger and morph into something new.

The light slowly died down and what stood was a completely different Pokémon. He still had brown eyes, a dark blue streak on each cheek, and two sharp teeth on his upper jaw. On each side of his head were feather-like ears covered in pale blue fur. His shell was the same, but it seemed much more durable. Poking out of the bottom of the shell was a thick, wavy tail with light blue fur. He had claws on his toes and hands. He stood even taller and spoke proudly.

"Wartortle!" The new Pokémon called out.

Ash looked at his Pokémon with pure shock as he slowly crouched down and went up to him. "I-Is that you, Squirt?" The Pokémon nodded. Ash took out his Pokédex.

Dexter had this to say: "Wartortle, the turtle Pokémon. Dex Number: 008. Pokémon Typing: Water. It often hides in water to stalk unwary prey. For fast swimming, it moves its ears to maintain balance. This specific Wartortle is a male and currently level 16. Pokémon Ability: Torrent (Powers up Water-type moves when the Pokémon's health is low). This Pokémon has the following moves: Bubble Beam, Tail Whip, Bite, Water Gun."

Ash looked at Wartortle, and I mean really got a good look at him. Ash stopped and faced the taller Pokémon face-to-face, giving a gigantic smile. "You... look awesome!"

Wartortle gave a confident smirk. "Wartortle." Wartortle jumped up to hit Ash's fist bump with his tail.

"He looks so cool!" Ryan said as well as he had never seen a Wartortle before, Misty crossing her arms at the new Water-type.

"I guess he's alright." She was faking being this way. Soon everyone wanted to see the newly evolved Squirtle. Wartortle took all the praise at first but started to get a bit overwhelmed after two minutes. The younger kids kept poking him as he struggled to keep himself from being touched.

"Alright, you nine, break it up." Brock's order made every sibling stop looking at the new Pokémon closely, causing a sigh of relive and gratitude from Wartortle. "I take this as the first time you have evolved your Pokémon, Ash. You seemed extremely excited."

"I've heard about evolution, even seen one from Ryan, but getting it to my own Pokémon." Ash couldn't keep the joy any longer. He hugged his Wartortle closely, the Water-type returning the gesture with one of his eyes closed. Ash then realized something. "Although, why did you evolve so early on, Squr- I mean, Wartortle?"

"War war tort tort." The Pokémon explained. Ash and Misty were able to figure it out.

"Are you saying that you wanted to evolve straight away to make yourself stronger?" Wartortle nodded with confidence. Misty thought for a second. "...Honestly, that really does sound like you."

Brock cleared his throat as he had something to say. "Congratulations on your evolved Pokémon, Ash. I can tell that Wartortle will do great thing." Brock's face was saddened as he knew what this meant for them. "Well, it has been fun being with you. You are someone I'll keep in my memory."

The three sighed as they knew it was their time to go. "It really was fun being here," Ryan responded as the two shook hands. "Goodbye, Brock."

"Goodbye as well, Gym Leader Brock," Misty said respectably.

Ash was going to part ways as well, until Wartortle decided to jump on his back like he did when he was a Squirtle. "Ahhh! You're a lot heavier than I thought, Wartortle." The nearly fifty-pound Pokémon was struggling to stay on the ten-year-olds body. Ash managed to keep his balance as he was able to speak with some strain. "Goodbye, Brock. It was nice meeting you."

This got a laugh from everyone as they saw Wartortle quickly jump, a sweat drop going down his face as he chuckled off what just happened. "It was great meeting you too." They all said their final things as Brock left them, his siblings following close behind.

Brock thought back on the battle that he had experienced, knowing that he needed to get his two Pokémon healed up right away. He thought of the conversation with Ash before and after they battled, and he had grown to respect the young boy in such a short amount of time. He was a breath of fresh air compared to the last two cocky Trainers he had to deal with. He then thought about the whole dream and goal thing they talked about, how that ended up bringing back some hope for Brock. He stopped to turn around, seeing their last parts go through the doors.

"Should I really take it?" Brock thought as he saw them walk out on him, along with his siblings, leaving behind closed doors.

---

"Well, we won against Brock," Ash said to Wartortle as he looked at his Boulder Badge. The one he felt a bit dirty getting from Brock. The sun and sky had become orange, as it was only a matter before the star left Kanto entirely. Ash tried to be positive as he looked at the new form his partner took. "But look at the bright side; your ears are pretty cool."

"Wartortle." The Pokémon nodded, happily accepting the fist bump his trainer gave. His ears were pretty awesome to them. He gave a questioning look at Ash. "Wartort tort?"

"I don't think I could convince Brock to leave for his dreams." Ash sighed in sadness. "I really wis-"

"HEY! Hey! Wait up! Ash!" A familiar voice yelled out from behind. Ash turned around and was surprised to see Brock running up to him. He stopped as he put his hands on his knees, breathing quite heavily.

"Brock? What do you want?" Ash asked in confusion as he saw the Gym Leader next to him.

"It's a-about your offer." Brock panted out as he got the oxygen back inside him. Ash was surprised at what Brock told him, Wartortle just as flabbergasted.

"You... changed your mind?"

Brock chuckled at that idea as he was back to normal. "You're quite the comedian." Brock complimented, to Ash's annoyance. "You were right about what you said. I always want to be the kind of person that raises Pokémon instead, to see them as a second family of sorts. I could care less about being Gym Leader. or anything like that." Brock turned to gaze at the lake nearby, the water reflection off as it gave a fantastic feeling. He sighed as he saw the beautiful nature around him. "However, I... have to look after all my little brothers and sisters.".

Ash nodded at this, already knowing the reason he stayed. "I understand, and I accept."

"That's not why I came here. Not just to tell you something you already know." Brock was the most serious he had been as he looked at Ash and extended his hand; Ash was surprised at what Brock asked of him. "Will you see my dream through for me, Ash? Can you promise to be the best Pokémon Breeder for me?"

Ash was not expecting this kind of request. He heard how serious and badly Brock wanted this dream to happen, the goal that he was not allowed to follow. The fifteen-year-old only had Ash, as he knew this boy was trustworthy. This boy had the kindness and care to be a Pokémon Breeder. He just needed the knowledge. Ash was a bit overwhelmed at making sure someone else's dream was as complete as his would be, but he did not hesitate to promise this for the Gym Leader. Kanto Champion with the title of best Pokémon Breeder, he wouldn't mind that.

He took Brock's hand, shaking it very firmly. "I will do that for you, Brock." The two shared a smile, though Ash struggled a bit at how firm Brock's grip was.

"You go follow your own dream, Brock." a voice encouraged. They turned to see that Flint was standing to the side, seeing the whole scene transpire.

"Flint?" Ash called out in surprise.

"War?"

Flint took off his beard to reveal that it was a fake. He took his hat off to reveal his true self, as Flint looked like an older version of Brock himself. Brock was stunned at first at the person he could not mistake. Even after all these years. "My father," Brock said as he saw Flint's actual appearance, hate forming in his voice.

"Huh?!" Both he and Wartortle were downright shocked by this new revelation. "You mean... you're the good-for-nothing father that left home and never came back?!"

"That's right. It was me." Was the response that Flint gave to Ash. "I couldn't be the Champion that I wanted to be, and I was so ashamed of myself. I was too scared to face my own family after the results I made."

Ash put the pieces together after he heard that. "I knew it was weird that you knew so much about Pokémon."

"Of course, I know a lot. I left to become a great Pokémon Trainer for them, but my failures stopped me from facing them again." Flint was face to face with his oldest son. "It's time I finally look after my family. You make your dream happen, Brock. Be the person that I wish I became."

Brock had a rugged look on his face. "Before I go, I have something to give you."

"After all these years, I understand if you hate me. So, I will accept anything that you are about to say." Flint tried to console his son, Brock, grabbing something from his pocket.

"Here." Brock put two things in the hands of his father. Flint could only sweat as a pencil, and a small notepad was now in his hands. "Suzy always rips her dresses, so you better learn how to sew, and Timmy only likes cold spaghetti for breakfast. Tommy likes corn flakes for dinner-" Flint tried to desperately jot down all the instructions his oldest son was giving.

"Slow down! I can't write that fast!" Flint tried to explain as he kept on writing down the tips for his family.

"Cindy sleepwalks, so you must tie a bell around her wrist. The second twins never want to bathe, so you must trick them into getting into the water." Brock continued as Flint tried to be a good father for his family again. Ash couldn't help but smile as he saw Flint trying so hard to memorize every last detail, finally getting the justice he deserved.

"Wartort." The Water-type was satisfied with what Flint was getting.

---

Brock placed everything he could think of in the massive blue backpack he owned. He put everything from kitchen equipment, maps of the Kanto Region, three separate shoes, and even cologne, just in case some ladies want to speak with him personally. He could fix all that in and more as he gave his room the best deep cleaning. He looked around the smallest bedroom in the house, all the posters he had up and toys for his siblings. He felt so bittersweet seeing all of this.

All of this is something he would not see for a long time.

He was given a chance to be more than just a simple Gym Leader, and he took that opportunity. Flint, along with Forrest and Salvador, the two oldest that was only three years behind Brock, would take care of everything from now on. He ensured they would be good enough to take care of everyone. He also sent a letter to the Pokémon League about his abandonment of the position of the Pewter City Gym Leader. He hoped the Pokémon League replacement would take good care of the gym in his absence until a better match had been found for the job. There were about seven Boulder Badges that he brought with him in the scenario that a Trainer came to him and needed the badge when he or the replacement wasn't present. It was a basic rule for a quitting Gym Leader.

Brock sighed as he left his room, the house soon to follow. He would go to the outskirts where Ash and co were grouped, but his family was outside waiting for him. His nine whole siblings were waiting for him as Flint dwarfed them all with his height, all having tears in their eyes. Flint wished he could cry for Brock to be allowed to go on ahead, fulfilling his and Lola's wishes.

Brock tried to lighten the move as he saw the family, the people he cared about more than anything. "Hey. Why are you crying?" He asked gently as he crouched to interact with the younger members. "It won't be forever. I promise to come back."

Forrest and Salvador stepped up, looking like how Brock did at eleven years old. "W-We ju just don't w-want to say b-bye." He managed to tear out as he tried to wipe the snot out.

"Bye? Who said this was going to be goodbye?" Brock chuckled as he wiped the snot for Salvador with his thumb. "Just think of this as a... see you later. Can you guys do that for me?"

None of them answered as they all grouped up to hug Brock. Multiple sets of arms wrapped across the older boy's body as he was quickly taken over. Anyone would be overwhelmed by this act of affection, but Brock just smiled. Flint let a tear escape his eye as he saw this scene. He quickly wiped the water off his face, telling himself he would make it up to them.

Brock was like this for two minutes. "Alright, everyone, time for me to stand up." None of them moved as they refused to let go of their brother. "Whoever doesn't get off me will be stuck on garbage duty."

It was astonishing how quickly everyone got off Brock after that, the boy smiling at how that trick never failed him. Flint made a quick note with the notepad that Brock gave. Brock smiled at them, getting one great look at them all. "Brock," Forrest spoke up from the group. "I promise. I'll be a Gym Leader, just like you!"

Brock smiled at that notion. "Make sure that what you just said was more than just words." That sentence impacted Forrest as he saw Brock slowly walking away, looking at the outskirts of Pewter.

"When you come back, make sure that the person you have become is something yourself is happy with. Alright, Rocky?"

"You know I always hated that name," Brock told his father as he looked back at everyone, giving a thumb's up to them. "I will do just that!"

Brock took off as he held his backpack with both of his hands. Everyone shouted out to him in joy and sadness, passion in the case of Flint. Brock knew his choice could be perceived as selfish, but he tried to think of himself for once. Brock loved his family more than anything, but he knew that he still needed a lot to learn if he wanted to be the best for them. This journey with Ash, the boy he believed would become Champion, was his way of learning. He would see all of Kanto and what lay ahead, though he would never forget the past. He knew that turning back would not change anything. It was just so painful for the young man.

Brock had tears come down as he left to make his own path.

---

"So, guys, you are okay with me coming on your journey?" Brock asked as he walked down the dirt road.

"Well, it would be nice to eat something editable on this journey," Ryan admitted. The food they ate wasn't great, but now they had their own cook for this journey. Brock's height and appearance were odd among the three members, five years older than any of them.

"I think he'll make a good addition to the group," Ash admitted as his new Wartortle was by his side.

"Couldn't help but agree with that sentiment." Misty concurred as she smiled at the Gym Leader. Brock looked at the girl as if he knew the secret Misty liked to keep, wondering if the two boys knew it.

"Do you two boys know that Misty i-"

"Is family of the Sensational Sisters?" Ryan finished for him as he looked at Misty. "Trust me; she managed to tell us that."

"Wartortle." The Water-type spoke up for himself and Ash. Brock was glad about this.

"Good. I'm glad you are being more open, Misty." This caused the girl to smirk at the compliment.

"I am simpl-"

Out of nowhere, a Pokémon and a person appeared in their path.

This pair literally teleported in front of them. Misty and Ryan were scared so severely as the boy screamed like a girl, and Misty fell over in shock. The other three were dumbfounded at what just happened, but the two Trainers widened their eyes when they saw who it was. Wartortle noticed how familiar the boy seemed to look.

"Oh. I'm so sorry!" A big male hand reached out to help Misty, but the girl got up without his help.

"I don't need your help!" She said in her justified anger. Her eyes widened as she saw who it was, a recognizable face in the Kanto Region. "You-Your..."

"YOUR TODD SNAP!" Ash and Brock said in excitement, Wartortle finally realizing where he had seen this guy before. Ryan was confused by all the hype for this man.

There was a man with medium-length thick brown hair and light skin. He wore a white vest with black shoulders, chest, and upper back with a raised collar over a solid red long-sleeved shirt. He wore blue pants and black fingerless gloves as well. He gave a handsome smile as he heard his name. "Looks like my reputation predates me, doesn't it?"

Next to him was a golden-brown, human-like fox Pokémon with three fingers and toes on the arms and legs. His eyes appeared closed as his little body floated in the air. His shoulders were brown, also having a long tail with one brown stripe. He has slightly pointed ears, and his body looked like it has a type of body armor on his top half. "Abra." He moaned out.

"Who's this guy?" Ryan asked in an oblivious way.

"You don't know the Todd Snap? The world-renowned photographer?" Misty asked in pure disbelief. She looked at Todd Snap with the biggest smile imaginable. "Can I get your autograph, Mr. Snap? I loved your last photo album!"

"Got some paper?" Misty took out a piece of paper in her bag for some reason and gave it to Todd. He took a pen from his pocket and wrote his name on it. He gave a kind smile to Misty, making the girl very flustered as she giggled. "You don't have to change color for me." This sentence only made the blush redden.

"It is an honor to meet you, Todd Snap," Brock and Ash stuck their hands out for the older boy, something he took with a friendly disposition. "But, if I may ask, why did you just teleport in front of us?"

"You can thank my Abra right there." He signaled to the Psychic-type with his eyes as the Pokémon moaned his name again. "He teleports me across the region as I look for the best pictures in Kanto. Nature, Pokémon, and landscapes are what I am most interested in."

"So, this is the project you told Oak you were planning." Ash figured out when he heard why Todd was doing this.

Todd smiled. "It sure is!" He looked at the Wartortle and brought his camera to his eyes. He took five separate photos with such skill, speed, and precision. Todd was one of the most outstanding cameramen's out there, and he showed that off with the pictures he took. The group was astonished when they saw the pictures.

Ryan sniffed his nose. "...Okay. These pictures are great." Ryan admitted when he saw them.

Ash thought of a fantastic idea. "Can you take a picture of all of us?"

Misty seemed to think this was an outlandish idea. "Of course, he won't. Mr. Snap clearly has more import-"

"Sure." Todd shrugged. "Just group together for me."

"LET ME BE IN THE MIDDLE!" Misty screamed out as she pushed Brock aside.

The four Trainers and Pokémon put themselves together as Todd got his camera ready. Brock didn't have any fancy pose as he gave a good smile to the camera on the left. Ryan was trying his best to look cool. Misty took over the center and gave a pose that she seemed to have practiced, even winking at the camera. Ash took the low ground as he crouched down. He struck his arm out and made a victory symbol next to Wartortle, who sat by him with his arm on his neck in a relaxed pose.

Todd got unique angles and lighting for the ten pictures he took, even being happy with the result. "Amazing." That was the only word they could say when they looked at the photos. Abra remained as still as a statue during all this.

"Do you think it is good enough to get out your next album?"

Todd gave a light-hearted chuckle at the idea Misty gave. "Maybeeee." Misty was back to blushing again when she heard that.

"It was nice having you here, Todd," Brock told the boy kindly. "But we have a Pokémon journey to get to. Hope you understand."

"I'm aware. Good luck with that journey." Todd petted his Abra as the Psychic-type seemed relaxed by the touch. "Mind getting us out?"

"Wait! Please stay with us!" Misty called out as she saw him leaving. "You can come on our journey for... un-he forever!"

Todd decided to humor his massive fan. "That sounds good, buttt..." He never finished his sentence as Abra purposefully teleported them out of there.

"No!" Misty looked around desperately. "We need to find him!"

"He used Teleport at random. For all we know, he could be in Celadon."

"Celadon!" Misty ran off when she was given the potential location that Ryan mentioned.

"Wait! Hold on!"

"Wartortle!" Both Ash and Wartortle ran after the girl that left them for a man she had only just met today. Ryan was shocked at what his two companions were doing.

"Don't you dare leave me!" Ryan called out as he was added to the group of running kids. Brock was left behind as he had a blank look on his face.

Brock sighed when he saw this. "Looks like I better get used to this." He simply jogged after his new group.

Ash quickly rushed off to the girl and looked far in front of him, almost embracing the scenery directly ahead of them. Ash knew that his journey so far was only the start of it, that the Boulder Badge on his jacket was just the first step up this grand staircase. The group knew that, deep down, this journey would not be easy in the slightest. They were going to face formidable enemies, strong rivals in Gary, and challenges that they might not be able to face all at once. But they had each other throughout this, a squad that started with Ash that would follow their own paths as they remained together. That alone was enough to make Ash smile in pure joy.

To him, a home is where your friends and family reside. No matter how many roadblocks the world throws at him or how many enemies he has to face, one thing is going to happen no matter what. He will be the next Kanto Region Champion. That was his promise. Misty would be a Champion level water Trainer, Ryan would be someone that left an impact, and Brock would be the best Pokémon Breeder out there. All they had now was just simple dreams and each other.

Two things that would guide them to their destiny. To be the very best, like no one ever was.

END OF CHAPTER 5

---

Now, Ash's journey is ready to take off, and I have stuff planned for the episodes that are way down the line. Remember to give your opinions or thoughts with a review, and I will see you in the next chapter!

Edit 1/26/23: Paul is now in my silly little story. I feel stupid not allowing in the first write since, after rewatching Diamond/Pearl, I honestly like him more than Gary. I know I pissed off someone by saying that, but this is the internet. He really did bring out the best in Ash, and I was so happy to see him again in Journeys. I wanted Ash and Paul to fight, but I kept this chapter relatively short. I am surprised that TM's still have not appeared in the anime. This will lead to many things down the line, which should be fun to write. Giving Brock some personality and two scenes were also nice. Overall, I give this chapter a solid 2/10. At least it's not entirely worthless.

THANKS FOR READING!

-God of Sun

Ash's Team: Wartortle (M), Pidgey (F), Nidoran (M)

Misty's Team: Starmie (N/G), Marill (M), Goldeen(F)

Ryan's Team: Pinsir (M), Butterfree (M)

Brock's Team: Geodude (M), Onix (M)