Chapter 5: Pewter City, Off to a Rocky Start
Beta Read by: PokemonAndPJOFanboy
"Look, there's Pewter City!" Misty called out from the edge of a cliff as Ash and Pikachu approached her and saw a city beneath their feet.
"What a relief!" Ash sighed as he and Pikachu sat on a boulder to catch their breath. "I thought we were gonna be roaming around in that forest forever." He muttered, and Pikachu gently squeaked in agreement.
"Before we do anything else, we should probably go and find the Pokémon Center." Misty advised wanting to relax and take it easy.
"Sounds good to me." Ash had no complaints. "But lemme just catch my breath for a minute." He requested, he needed to rest his feet from walking all over that dang forest.
"Pewter City is called the city of stone. This city is famous for stones, rocks, and minerals." Looking down they saw a man with a beard and red beanie sitting nearby with a stand.
"You don't say." Ash acknowledges. "Who are you?"
"My name is Flint and you're currently sitting on my merchandise." He points out.
"Oops, sorry!" Cringing, Ash quickly got off the rocks before realizing something. "Wait, you sell rocks?" He asked, looking down and saw a cabinet full of rocks all lined up, each with their own price.
"That's right. So, what brings you both to Pewter City?" Flint asks.
"Well, I'm here to challenge the Pewter Gym." Ash said and for a brief moment Flint paused.
"Hm. I see." Flint then looks over to Ash's Pikachu, as it sighed in exhaustion. "Your Pokémon sure looks worn out. Why don't you follow me? I'll lead you both to the Pokémon Center."
With that, he got up and brushed himself off. He walked off, leaving Ash and Misty to stare in wonder.
"Huh, well he looks like he's a pretty nice guy, despite his appearance," Ash said with a smile.
"You think so?" Misty questioned, just as Flint came back.
"Oh, by the way, that'll be a two-dollar charge for sitting on my rocks," he informed them, making Ash and Misty fall over in a comedic way.
"You were saying?" Misty grumbles.
"Hey at least he's still giving us directions." Ash groans.
After paying him the fine, Flint led the two down the hill and soon arrived at the Pewter City Pokémon Center and was instantly greeted by Nurse Joy.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Center, how may I help you today?"
"Our Pokémon need healing, please." Ash said, handing the Nurse a tray with Pikachu and four of his other Pokéballs.
"Sure! Right away, Ash." Nurse Joy grinned, causing Ash to blink in confusion as to whether he had introduced himself by name already.
"How did you know my name? You're not the Nurse Joy from Viridian City, are you?" He questioned, making her laugh.
"No, I'm not. I'm the older sister of the Joy there, but she told me all about how you helped save the Pokémon! Thank you for all your help." Nurse Joy smiles grateful.
Ash blushes slightly, not really used to this kind of praise. "Oh uh, it's no problem. Glad I could help," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.
"It'll take a little bit, feel free to take a break and relax while I get your Pokémon taken care of. If you're looking for something to do, I would check out the wall over there." She gestured.
Turning around, Ash saw a poster hanging on the wall which said: 'Pokémon League Regional Championships! Enter the Competition!' in large bold letters.
"Wow, Pokémon League Regional Championships. Alright!" Ash smirked, psyched to soon be able to participate in the tournament. All he needed were eight gym badges, and the first one was in this town.
"So, you're really serious huh?" Flint said, walking over. "I guess that means you plan on battling Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader."
"That's right. This is going to be my first Gym Battle, and my first badge to get into the competition." Ash confirmed.
"Ha! Talk about rushing in head first. How much training have you had?" Flint asks curiously.
"Hm, a little while I was in Viridian Forest." Ash admitted, recalling his little training sessions he had when he and Misty took breaks in the woods.
"You're going to need a little more than that if you want to win." Flint warns.
"Why's that?" Ash asks.
"Because Brock's Rock Pokémon will crush you if you're not careful." Flint warns.
"He uses Rock Pokémon?" Ash pauses before deadpanning in realization. "Oh right, City of Stone."
"Bingo. So, if I were you, I'd tread carefully when facing him. Unless you want to be beaten faster than you can blink, you're going to need all of the luck you can get." Flint advises before turning to leave.
"How can one guy be both helpful and a pain at the same time?" Ash asks, getting very mixed feelings from this man.
"He might be a buzzkill, but he makes a very good point," Misty said, walking up to him. "Like I said before, Gym Leaders are very different from the trainers you've faced."
"Even so they're not unbeatable, if I never even try to face him how can I compete in that?" Ash asks, gesturing to the poster.
"But exactly HOW are you going to face him?" Misty questioned, making Ash stay silent. "If I remember correctly, the majority of your Pokémon are bugs and Flying types. Not a good match-up against a rock-type if you ask me." She said, crossing her arms with a sassy tone.
"Wish I had a rock..." Ash grumbled, annoyed by her smart-Alek tone.
"What?" Misty asks, glancing at him.
"Nothing." Ash covers up.
She wasn't sure what he said, but decided to let it slide for now. "My point is, if you're serious about wanting to up against him, you're gonna need a plan."
"I know. But if I don't know what I'm up against, how can I figure out how to beat him?" Ash points out.
"Well, we're in the Pokémon Center?" Misty asked.
"Guess this is as good a place as any to start looking." Ash shrugs seeing her point.
"See, you're learning," Misty smiles.
Navigating around the Pokémon Center, Ash looked around for clues about Brock.
"Brock? Oh yeah, he goes to the Pewter Museum almost once week. In fact, he's probably there now." A man said.
"Museum?" Ash asks.
"Yeah, the Pewter City Museum has some of the widest array of fossils and stones in all of
Kanto. You should check it out if you have the time." The man nods
'Go to a museum?' Ash thought inwardly gagging. He was not a fan of those kinds of places.
Misty on the other hand seemed like the sound of that as she looked at a nearby brochure of said museum.
"It says here that they're hosting tours every few hours," Misty said, checking out the schedule.
"You actually want to go to that?" Ash raises an eyebrow.
"Why not? It sounds like it could be fun," Misty shrugs.
"It's a museum. They're never fun," Ash said, deadpanning.
"Oh, come on Ash, why not check it out? The Gym isn't going anywhere and they said the Gym Leader was there too. So, it's probably closed right now." Misty points out.
Ash tried to protest, but couldn't ignore the possibility that the gym might be closed and he'd be waiting all day for nothing. With a sigh, Ash gave in and said, "Fine. We'll go to the museum."
Grinning, Misty was thrilled to have convinced him. Once Ash got his Pokémon from Nurse Joy, they headed to it.
They followed the brochure as it led them far north of the city, eventually arriving at their destination.
It was a very tall building with massive windows and gray stone-colored walls, as well as a spate of dome-shaped facilities next to it. The "Pewter Museum of Science" was prominently displayed near the walkway's entrance.
"The Museum of Science has a wide array of exhibits but their most popular is the stone and fossil exhibits." Misty lists.
Rolling his eyes, Ash was starting to grasp Flint's statement about the town being famous for stones. It seemed to be a part of everything. "Makes you wonder, if stones are their thing maybe they should try making rock candy.
"Oh, will you be serious?" Misty said.
Ash shrugs, "Hey, I'm only trying to lighten the mood before doing something that could be a complete waste of a day."
Now it was Misty's turn to be annoyed. Approaching the door, it opens revealing several large skeletons of Pokémon they had never seen before.
"Pika!" Pikachu said in awe.
"Woah..." even Ash was blown away.
"Still think this is a waste of a day?" Misty smirks.
Ash briefly got over his shock, shook his head and said, "J-just seeing one thing isn't going to change my mind that easily."
"Well then, let's get on the tour and see more." Misty urged.
As they made their way down one hallway, we saw two people walking in behind them dressed in Hawaiian style shirts, sunglasses and big hats. One had red hair and one had blue hair who was pushing a baby stroller.
"So, this is the renowned Pewter Museum of Science," the woman replied, raising her spectacles to glance around, revealing herself to be Jessie. "The name definitely earns itself of its color and subject: gray, dull, and boring."
"Ooh look at this funny little skeleton." James said, admiring one of the exhibits. "I think it's kind of interesting. Makes you think how things were all those years ago."
"Why would we care about some dumb old dinosaur fossils from the Stone Age?" Jessie questioned as the baby took out the bottle out of their mouth and lifted up their head.
"Well, the resemblance between you two is something." Meowth said.
"What was that?!" Jessie said, making an angry face with sharp teeth that mimicked the Aerodactyl skeleton next to her.
"H-hey now, dearie. No screaming at a baby," James quickly got into character. "We don't want any UNNECESSARY attention, remember?" He whispered.
"Right." Fixing himself Meowth looks around. "We're here on direct orders from the boss."
"But why at a place like this? I wouldn't call a museum a good place to steal unless you count those old fogeys." Jessie said, fixing herself while pointing to some sarcophagus that strangely resembles two people with magenta and violet hair.
"Clearly there must be something here that's valuable." James assumes.
"Just got to keep our eyes peeled," Meowth said when he noticed some kids nearby giving him weird looks.
"Hey, check out that baby, isn't it cute?"
"I dunno, I thought I heard it say something."
Yelping, Meowth hid under his blanket and acted casual while James and Jessie walked away whistling and pushing the stroller.
As the view changes further in the museum we see Ash and Misty following the tour group as a scientist was explaining the exhibits.
"And right over here, is the model of the very first space shuttle that landed on the moon, 60 years ago." The scientist said, pointing to a model of a space shuttle. "And right there is a picture of the men along with the Pokémon they've taken along with them on their mission." He gestures to a picture above that had some astronauts and a few of their Pokémon smiling.
"Oooh." Several tour members including Misty said in awe.
Meanwhile Ash looked bored, but at least Pikachu looked interested. Looking at a fossil Pikachu stretches his face to mimic it causing Ash to snicker amused.
Misty noticed them and nudged Ash, "Guys, pay attention." She silently scorned.
"You can if you want to." Ash said leaving her to her thing.
"Aw come on, it's not as boring as you might think." A male voice said standing next to Ash.
Ash and Misty turned to see a young man who looked to be around 15 or 16. He had brown spiky hair, tan skin, his eyes were closed, he wore an orange t-shirt, a lime green cargo vest with four pockets, dark brown jeans and blue-gray sneakers.
"Trust me I have younger siblings that are less than half your age. If they can enjoy this I think you can too." He assures.
"You hear that, Ash? Even little kids like the museum," Misty said. "What do you think about that?"
"You don't have to sound so condescending. Everyone has different opinions on things." The teen said defending Ash.
"Thank you, hear that, Misty?" Ash grinned at her. "I can have my own opinion."
"You don't have to rub it in her face either." The teen said, making Misty smirk back. "Come on, the tour usually gets more exciting around this point."
They quickly caught up with the rest of the tour group as they arrived at another part of the tour, when the tour guide took them all into a large room filled with skeletons on exhibit, cases packed with fossils and bones, and books and signs all around.
"Alright you guys stay together." Looking at the teen they saw he had 8 younger kids surrounding him. All of them bear a striking resemblance with spiky hair.
"We will." All of them responded in unison, promising not to separate.
"Whoa…are those your siblings?" Ash said surprised.
"Yep. Oldest among 8 others." He nods proudly.
"Wow…and I thought my family was big." Misty muttered.
"Come on, let's go see the fossils." One of the teens brothers said, pulling him forward.
"Yeah, we might even see some new ones, bro!" Another one said.
"OK, OK. We'll try to see if we can get to all of them," the boy reassured.
"Now then the first part of the tour is a personal favorite of mine." The tour guide gestured upwards and they saw a large skeleton of some kind of flying Pokémon with large wings and sharp teeth.
A small information sign detailing what it was, along with an illustration of what the skeleton looked like if it were alive: AERODACTYL.
"Terror of the Skies?" Ash pauses while Pikachu turns pale at the mention of said title. "Pikachu." Pikachu whimpers, glad it's just a skeleton.
"Well, I'm glad it's not around anymore. Can you imagine being bitten by one?" Misty asked.
"Chu." Dropping onto Ash's jacket, Pikachu did not like that idea.
"Don't worry Pikachu, that thing is long dead. There aren't any around." Ash pauses. "Uh, they are extinct right?" Ash asks, glancing at the tour guide.
"Don't worry, young man." The guide laughed. "I assure you, everything I am going to show you is no longer part of the living."
"Hear that Pikachu? There's no reason to be scared." Ash assures. That made the mouse sigh with relief, feeling a little at ease.
"But Aerodactyl wasn't the only Pokémon. If you look to your left and to your right, you'll see two different Ancient Pokémon evolution lines." He gestured showing a shell Pokémon with 4 legs next to a tall skeleton with arm blades that could give a Scyther a run for its money and on the other side were two shell skeletons where one was twice the size of the other with sharp spikes on it.
The signs read: KABUTOPS for the first skeleton and OMASTAR for the other.
"Unlike Aerodactyl who ruled the sky, these Pokémon thrived on the ground and in the seas." The tour guide said, making Misty gasp.
"Wait, these are Water Pokémon?" Misty asks, surprised.
"Indeed, young lady. Both were a rock and water type Pokémon that lived around the same time as Aerodactyl. Kabutops' body shape made it a good swimmer, but the style of its legs show that it could also move around relatively easily on land. And just similar to Aerodactyl, the claws were used to tear apart its prey."
"And what about the other one?" Misty points.
"Omastar is a different story. Its shell is incredibly strong allowing it to repel most attacks while its tentacles allow it to attack and ensnare enemies." The tour guide explains.
"Heh. One is good at offense, while the other is good at defense. Quite the polar opposites," the teen chuckled.
"Just goes to show that even thousands of years ago Pokémon came in all different shapes and sizes." The tour guide said before leading them further in.
"Huh. I think Prof. Oak said something like that once." Ash ponders.
"Oh, if only they weren't extinct. I would have loved to get my hands on some prehistoric water Pokémon," Misty sighed, longing for a dream that would probably never come true.
"Funny you should mention that." The teen boy smirks knowing something.
"Hm?" Misty and Ash looked towards him, wondering what he meant by that.
"This museum is working on a big project that's said could revolutionize fossils." The teen said.
"Really, like what?" Ash asked, interested.
"No one knows for sure; they're trying to keep the info secret until they get it off the ground." The teen said.
'I wonder what it could be," Misty said, unaware of the 3 figures nearby, listening to their conversation.
"Ooh secret?"
"Secret always means valuable."
"And when something's valuable..." The "baby" whispers, looking up to his "parents" for the answer.
"It needs to be stolen." Both parents declared with big grins on their faces.
So, this was the mission their boss ordered them to take on. They silently thanked their leader for giving them this opportunity to prove their worth.
As the tour was nearing its end, the group stopped at the crown jewel of any museum tour...the gift shop.
"You guys don't need anything. You already know everything they have on the shelves." The teen said to his siblings, making them groan.
"Come on, this stuff isn't that good anyway." Ash agrees as he and Misty are helping him out.
"So overall, what do you think of the museum now?" The teen asks Ash for his opinion.
"Honestly, this wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Ash admits.
"And you thought it'd be a waste of time," Misty smiles, triumphantly.
"Alright, alright." Ash rolls his eyes. "You were right, I was wrong. I guess you can learn something from a museum."
"So just out of curiosity if you didn't want to come here why did you?" The teen asks.
"The truth is I wanted to go challenge the Pewter City Gym but the Gym Leader had gone out for today, so we came here to kill some time." Ash explains surprising the teen and his siblings.
"You're here for a gym battle?" The teen asks again, interested.
"Yep, this will be my first one." Ash nods. "And I plan on winning." He said, looking determined. His Pikachu followed with a fierce nod and grin on his face.
However, one of the teens brothers, who looked to be the second oldest, scoffed and said: "I wouldn't get your hopes up if I were you."
"Oh yeah? Why's that?" Ash asks, glancing at them.
"Because our brother hardly ever loses to anyone." The boy said, making Ash pause for a few seconds.
"Wait...you hardly lose. A-Are you?" Ash asks, pointing at the teen.
"Oh yeah. Guess I never really introduced myself. My bad." The teen chuckles rubbing the back of his head. "My name's Brock."
"YOU'RE Brock?!/Pika?!" Ash, Misty, and Pikachu all exclaimed in shock. All of this time, they were hanging out with the very gym leader Ash was trying to find.
"Yeah. Sorry I couldn't be there to challenge you today but today is family day and we always love coming here." Brock explains.
"I bet that makes you guys the museum's best customers," Misty jokes.
"Actually, it's the other way around." A girl jokes much to her confusion.
"Every few weeks we get a check for the museum. Helps with gym maintenance and plenty of money for groceries and other household stuff." Brock explains.
This took the two traveling companions back once more, and wasn't expecting the museum to do that. "Wow, that's generous of them." Ash commented.
Yeah, and they do this often? Why?" Misty asks curiously.
"A little personal but let's just say the gym has been very helpful to them in the past. Anyway Ash, if you still want to battle, we can figure out a time to have our match." Brock said eager to change the subject.
"Uh, sure. And thank you," Ash said, bowing his head to him.
As Brock briefly walks away, we zoom down the hall to see Flint with his head sticking out from behind a large fossil.
He watches the Gym leader and his siblings until they disappear into the city's streets before letting out a sigh.
"There you are." A museum scientist said approaching Flint.
"Hey, did you give it to them?" Flint asks.
"Yep, per our agreement." The scientist nods.
"I'm in your debt, once again, Joel." Flint said, thanking him.
"Your business has helped our museum greatly. Think nothing of it." Joel assures.
"Speaking of business, how's the little project coming along?" Flint asks, interested.
"Almost done. In fact, this other scientist has been in contact with us. Thinks that we might be onto something big." Joel smiles.
"Well, that's good news." Flint said, impressed.
"Thanks, we'll find out more by tomorrow." Joel said.
"Good luck." Flint pauses. "So, uh…has Brock said anything about how "she" is doing?" Flint asks.
Joel realized just who he was talking about and his attitude changed from upbeat to a look of pity. "Well, I just passed her on my way here this morning. She looked very exhausted." "Still overworking herself." Flint sighs knowing the reason behind what he said.
"You ever thought of...you know?" Joel asks.
"I can't Joel. I just can't." Flint shook his head.
"Why not?" Joel asks again, confused. "Just what is holding you back?"
"It's complicated." Flint said, turning to leave.
Frowning Joel, wanted to try and tell him something but he honestly didn't know what he could say to change his mind. All he could do was at least do what Flint requested. At least that way he was somewhat helping. In the end, it had to be something Flint wanted to do.
'Flint, I don't know what goes on in that head of yours, but I know you can't just keep your little secret forever.'
The next morning...
Ash, Pikachu, and Misty were standing in front of a building made entirely out of stone with the words, "PEWTER CITY GYM," imprinted on the front.
To many, it may feel plain and cold, but to some, it meant a solid foundation.
Something stable. Something solid to represent a city that often represents the spirit of Kanto. One unwavering and strong to its core. Ash was looking forward to this battle since the night before and now was moments away from potentially his first badge.
"Well Ash, this is it," Misty said. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" She asked.
"Yep. I'm not backing down now that I finally have my chance." Ash nods believing he was ready for this.
"Alright then." Misty said seeing there was no point in trying anymore.
As Ash opens the door, they see the gym is dimly lit with no sign of anyone nearby.
"Hello? Brock?" Ash calls out making his way inside.
"So, you're finally here," a light flashed down, revealing Brock sitting on top of a platform, peering down at them. "Welcome to the Pewter City Gym," he remarked as he got up to meet them.
Looking up at him, Misty and Ash felt a different energy radiating from him than what they saw at the museum.
Shaking that feeling away, Ash looks up to him and says, "I hope you're ready to battle, Brock, because when we're done, that Gym badge is as good as mine."
"We'll just see if you are worthy of holding my badge." Brock stated. "How long have you been a trainer?" He asks, surprising Ash.
"Oh uh, for about two weeks, I guess." Ash answers his question.
Narrowing his eyes, Brock didn't think Ash's chances were good before turning his attention to Misty.
"The viewing platform is up those stairs. I suggest you head up there." Brock points.
Misty thanked him and wished Ash good luck before running off the field. "Well, let's get started, shall we?" Brock snaps his fingers, and lights illuminate the entire gym.
A garage door opens on each side of the gym, revealing two rocky platforms. Ash and Pikachu took a cautious step back as the platforms merged into one enormous rocky area with a few large stones scattered over. "Woah..." Ash murmurs to himself; he wasn't expecting the battlefield to look like that.
Brock then walks over to a tray of Pokéballs and selects two before heading back to his side of the field. "Forrest! If you will?"
"Right." Running to the middle, Forrest stood on top of a rock to act as the referee. "This will be an official battle between Brock the Gym Leader and Ash the challenger. Each side will use two Pokémon and the battle will end when both Pokémon on either side are unable to continue. Furthermore, Gym Battle rules state that only the challenger can switch Pokémon during the match."
"Wait, why's that rule only for me?" Ash asks.
"Think of it as an extra perk to help you out. You can take it or leave it," Brock suggests.
Ash scowled, not a fan of Brock's blunt attitude. This was a complete opposite of how he was acting the other day. "I don't need any special treatment!" Ash said, standing across from him.
"Come on Ash, don't be like that." Misty mumbles when all of Brock's other siblings join her in the stands. Probably all came to watch their brother battle.
"We'll see if you keep believing that after we start." Brock said, grabbing one Poke Ball. "Go, Geodude!"
Throwing the ball into the air, it opened revealing a large round rock Pokémon with two muscular arms.
"Geodude!" It said landing with a thud.
Ash grabbed his PokéDex out from his pocket, opening it up to scan this new Pokémon. "Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. Geodude is proud of its sturdy body and will bash against others of its kind in a contest of sorts to prove whose body is harder."
"Sounds like it's quite the heavy hitter, even without those arms," Ash noted before reaching for his Poké Ball. "But let's see you hit this! Butterfree I choose you!" Throwing a Poké ball, the butterfly Pokémon appeared in the air.
"Freeee!" Ash's winged insect Pokémon cried out with a joyous cry, flying over the battlefield.
"A bug type? Fresh from the Viridian Forest." Brock said with an unimpressed look on his face. He thought Ash would know better than to use something that has a complete disadvantage against a rock type. Shaking his head, he turned to his younger brother who nodded and raised his flags.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Geodude, let's start things off with Rock Throw!" Brock said, beginning the match. Geodude started to grab a bunch of rocks from around him, throwing them right at Butterfree.
"Butterfree dodge it and then use Stun Spore!" Ash said, beginning the match with a status effect move. Butterfree started maneuvering himself, avoiding the boulders before flying in the air, and sprinkling the field with an orange powdery dust."
"Geodude, use the rocks for cover!" Moving behind larger boulders it shielded Geodude from the attack and avoided the powder.
"Keep doing it, Butterfree. They'll have to come out eventually." Ash said as Butterfree kept spreading out Stun Spore.
"Rock Throw one more time!" While Butterfree was so focused on Geodude more rocks came raining in from above.
"Butterfree! Stop Stun Spore and dodge!" Ash gasps, realizing Butterfree couldn't dodge while using Stun Spore.
"Free?!" Butterfree gasped as it tried to dodge once again, but wasn't as lucky as before as one of the rocks managed to conk Butterfree on the head, making him feel dazed.
"Now Tackle!" Brock commands Geodude, who sprung itself upwards into the air.
Pow!
He smashes himself right into Butterfree, knocking him right onto the field.
"Butterfree!" Ash gasps.
"Never focus on just your opponent. In a gym battle, you need to be mindful of everything around you. You can't afford to make such obvious mistakes" Brock points out.
Up in the stands, the kids and Misty were watching the battle play out. "Already it's starting off bad for Ash," Misty said with a nervous look on her face.
"Brock's got this win in the bag." A boy said.
"Oh yeah. That guy is gonna get creamed."
"I feel bad for his Butterfree, it's cute though."
"Butterfree, get back in the air!" Ash calls out. Groaning, Butterfree shakes off the attack and flies back up. "Guess we're gonna have to switch things up. Butterfree, charge in!" Ash commands. Butterfree nods and flies towards Geodude.
"Close range huh? Bad idea. Geodude Mega Punch!" With a glowing fist Geodude charges in to meet Butterfree head on.
'Wait for it...' Ash thought, waiting until the two got closer and closer until they looked like they were about to close the gap.
"There! Now Butterfree! Fly down!" Butterfree cried out before ducking underneath Geodude right as it punched the air, surprising him and Brock.
"What the?" Brock gasps.
"Now use String Shot!" Coming up behind Geodude, Butterfree fires a silky thread tying Geodude up.
Unable to break out of it to catch his balance, Geodude landed face first onto the ground.
"Now throw him!" Spinning Geodude around and around Butterfree lets go, sending Geodude crashing down on the opposite side of the field. Brock's siblings gasped, and Misty raised her eyes with interest.
"Woah, not bad," she muttered.
"How's that for obvious?" Ash smirks.
"Not a bad strategy," Brock said, astonished and impressed. Perhaps this battle won't be a waste of time after all.
"Keep up the pressure Butterfree! Confusion!" With glowing eyes, Butterfree lifts Geodude into the air and throws him again, sending him crashing into a large boulder.
"Now do it again!" Ash said, but Brock quickly intervened.
"Oh no you don't! Geodude, use Mega Punch on the ground!" He said. Geodude nodded with his two glowing fists, started punching the rocky floor, kicking up rocks and dirt in the air. "Free!" Using his wings, Butterfree shields himself from the debris.
"With Butterfree, shielding itself, it won't be able to concentrate and use Confusion on us anymore," Brock said, failing Ash's plan.
"Aw man." Ash cringed realizing the same move won't work twice.
"Now Geodude, use Rock Throw again!" Brock shouted. "Knock that Butterfree out of the sky!"
"Butterfree dodge it!" Ash said as Butterfree was forced to fly around before diving towards the field to avoid being crushed.
Seeing that Butterfree was ground level, Brock grins. "Now Mega Punch!"
Suddenly appearing right in front of Butterfree, Geodude raises his fist and punches the poor butterfly across the face before it has the chance to react.
Flying backwards, Butterfree smashes into a large boulder creating a cloud of dust.
"Butterfree!" Ash gasps in horror looking for any sign of his Pokémon.
When the dust cleared, we saw Butterfree on the ground with swirly eyes.
"Butterfree is unable to battle, Geodude wins!" Forrest declares.
Ash frowned seeing he lost and took out Butterfree's Poké Ball, "You did your best Butterfree, get some rest." He recalled Butterfree back into the sphere.
"You better make this next choice count Ash." Brock advises.
In the stands, Misty was worried. She had no idea what Ash would use next to counter Brock.
'I can't use Pidgeotto or Spearow. And I haven't trained Beedrill yet. Ash thought, weighing his options. He noticed he still had one Pokémon, but he knew it wouldn't be easy. 'I know it's definitely a gamble, but I don't have any other options and I'm not going to give up.' Without hesitation, Ash made his decision and turned to his beginning Pokémon, Pikachu.
"Are you ready, buddy?" Pikachu nods and enters the field, his eyes locked on Geodude. "Pika." Pikachu said as sparks flew from his cheeks.
"An Electric type?" Brock said not expecting this one.
"Is he serious?" A girl asks.
"He might as well just surrender." A boy snickers.
'Come on Ash...' Misty thought, hoping he had a plan and not humiliated himself.
"Ready? Begin!" Forrest said starting the next round.
"Let's see what you got! Geodude Mega Punch!" Brock said as Geodude raced towards Pikachu with a glowing fist.
"Pikachu, wait for my signal and jump!" Ash said as Pikachu stood his ground as Geodude got closer and closer. "Now!"
Jumping up, Pikachu's tail wrapped around Geodude's arm, surprising him. "Now use Slam!" Ash said, giving the command.
"Chuuupika!" Pikachu twisted his whole body around before smashing Geodude into the ground with his own tail.
"Whoo! Now that's a counterattack!" Misty cheers while Brock's siblings are in disbelief.
"That was for Butterfree." Ash grins.
Once again Brock couldn't help but be impressed by Ash's creativity. Little did anyone realize, near the front entrance we see Flint peeking his head inside to watch the battle.
"Geodude, use Tackle!" Brock said as Geodude charged in.
"Pikachu, meet him head on with Quick Attack!" Ash said as Pikachu sprinted forward at an incredible speed.
As the two were about to collide, Pikachu slid out of the way coming up behind Geodude.
"Now use Slam, once more!" Ash said. Pikachu raised his tail and swung it towards Geodude, but like before, Brock wasn't going to let Ash use the same move on him again.
"Geodude, duck and then grab the tail!" He ordered as the rock golem ducked underneath the tail swipe before reaching out his right hand and grabbed Pikachu by the tail, surprising him. "Now throw him!"
"Geo!" Geodude took aim and threw Pikachu towards a boulder with the mouse flailing around in a panic.
"Pikachu, quick use Thunder Shock!" Ash shouted. Creating sparks of electricity, Pikachu zaps the boulder in front of him destroying it and allowing Pikachu to land safely on his feet.
"Phew, that was close." Ash sighed with relief.
"Electric attacks don't work on Brock's Pokemon. But they do work on the field. Clever." Flint mumbles impressed.
He had his doubts about this kid having a chance of facing off against Brock, but seeing him in action now, is making him have second thoughts.
"You can't stop this one! Geodude Rollout!" Brock said as Geodude raced towards Pikachu.
"Pikachu, jump onto Geodude!" Ash shouted.
Leaping up, Pikachu landed on Geodude and quickly ran in the opposite direction like he was riding on a barrel.
"What the? Geodude, shake that Pikachu off of you!" Brock said as Geodude tried to regain control of itself while he spun on the field.
"Don't let go, buddy! Keep your balance!" Ash tells Pikachu to hang on.
"Pi Pika!" Pikachu sweat drops as he races around and around still sticking onto Geodude.
As Geodude makes a reckless sharp turn, Pikachu sees they are heading straight for the wall.
Grinning, Pikachu realized this was Ash's plan. When the time was right, he hopped off of the rolling stone, making Geodude smash into the wall, face first.
"Oof." All of Brock's siblings cringed.
"Even for a rock that looked painful." Misty winced. "Your rock can really roll Brock, but it's time we end this!" Ash said, going in for the finisher. "Pikachu, Slam once more!"
While Geodude was trying to shake it off Pikachu grabbed him by the arm with his tail and did a backflip throwing Geodude across the field and smashing to the ground.
"Geodude!" Brock shouted to his Pokémon. Everyone waited for the dust to clear up and soon saw Geodude laying on the ground with swirls in his eyes.
"Geo.." the rock type groaned.
"Geodude is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner!" Forrest announced.
"Pika!" Pikachu smiles equally pumped.
Up in the stands, Misty let out a sigh of relief before smiling, "He finally managed to pull off a win, took a while though, but he did it."
"He got lucky against Geodude." A girl said.
"Yeah, Brock still has his ace." A boy said not ready to see his brother lose.
Brock took out Geodude's Poké Ball and returned his Pokémon back inside for some well-deserved rest.
"Well Ash, you're doing well and while I admire your creative approach, there's no way you'll be able to slam this!" Throwing another Poké Ball into the air, Ash and Pikachu look to see a giant rock snake Pokemon looking down at them.
Truly a behemoth of its kind, the Onix roars echoes and rumbles all throughout the building, making everyone aside from Brock and his siblings flinch in fear.
"A-an Onix?!" Ash gasped at the sight of the pebble serpent. He's only seen those on television, but to see what they look like up close, was truly frightening. He quickly took his PokéDex out once more.
"Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. By twisting its large and powerful body, Onix can quickly bore through the ground at 50 miles per hour."
'Do all Gym Leaders have access to insane Pokemon like this?!' Ash thought.
"Ash has to beat t-that?" Misty gulps, nervous for Ash and the challenge before him.
"Onix is Brock's best Pokemon. No way they can lose." Brock's siblings grin.
"Pika." Pikachu gulps as Onix glares down, making him unsure about his chances.
"Let the final battle begin!" Forrest declares.
"Go, Onix!" Brock said, pointing outwards. With a cry, Onix charged, destroying some of the rocks that were in its way.
"Pikachu, get out of the way!" Ash said as Pikachu dashed out of the way narrowly avoiding Onix smashing the rocks where Pikachu was.
"Onix, block their path with Rock Throw!" Roaring, Onix slams its tail into the ground and rocks flew up before raining down.
As Pikachu ran in one direction a giant boulder dropped from above in front of him forcing Pikachu to stop in his tracks.
Turning around he tried to change directions but more dropped down boxing him in. "Now use Bind." Brock said calmly.
Wrapping his tail around Pikachu, Onix squeezes tightly, trapping Pikachu against its boulder-like body.
"Pikachu!" Ash shouted.
Pikachu winced as he attempted to free himself from the rock snake's clasp, but it had a firm iron grip. "Pika-CHUU!" Pikachu attempted to electrocute Onix with Thunder Shock, hoping it would be effective. Unfortunately, it did not, and instead continued to squeeze.
Ash could only watch as his Pokémon was completely useless at mercy at the powerful Pokémon that was choking the poor thing. He clenched his fists, trying to come up with something, anything to get him out of this predicament. But nothing came to mind.
"Pi..." He could hear Pikachu choke out a cough, getting his attention.
Seeing that Pikachu wouldn't last much longer, Ash hated that he had to do this, but he would hate himself more if he did nothing.
"Stop! Let him go!" Ash calls out to Brock.
"Do you surrender?" Brock asks.
Everyone above the stairs and outside of the gym awaited Ash's answer. The boy could only look down with his hat covering his eyes and said:
"...yes."
"The challenger has forfeited the battle; therefore, the winner of the match is the Gym Leader, Brock!" Forrest announced.
Frowning, Misty knew how hard that must have been for him.
Brock tells Onix to release Pikachu, once it did, Ash quickly ran over to pick him up. "Pikachu..can you hear me?" He asks the mouse.
"Pikapi." Pikachu groans weakly.
"It was a smart and wise decision to surrender rather than let your Pokémon suffer any longer," the voice of Brock tells him. Ash turned around to watch him recall his Onix back into its ball who then looked to him. "You put up a good fight, Ash. You can come back and challenge me again whenever you're ready."
Ash gave a nod, but said nothing. He turned and walked off the battlefield towards the exit with his injured Pikachu cradled in his arms.
Misty watches from above with a frown on her face, knowing that this was really beating him up inside.
"We told you. Brock and Onix are the best." A girl smiles.
"No one can beat our Big Brother."
"Oh yeah, that guy is light years away from ever winning against Brock." A boy smiles as they all went down to celebrate their brother's win.
"Nobody's invincible. They just don't see it," Misty mutters, grabbing her back to go catch up with Ash.
As the two of them left the gym, we see Flint standing in between Ash and the gym.
"The kid literally had no advantages whatsoever but he managed to push Brock this far. Not bad." Flint admits.
He put up a good fight, but it just wasn't enough for him to win. Maybe the kid had been pushedin the right direction.
Glancing back at the gym, Flint remembers what he was told at the museum.
"You can't keep running from the past forever."
Flint clenched his fist at those words, 'That's easier said than done. But what if they DON'T accept me back?'
Slowly turning away, Flint tried to leave but some part of him wouldn't let him leave so easily.
Trying to ignore it, Flint forced himself to walk, not wanting to give the gym a second glance.
Pokémon Center (Night)...
The rain poured against the window as Ash sat staring out of it. The weather from outside reflected how Ash was feeling right now.
Miserable. Once he arrived at the center, Ash handed Nurse Joy his Pikachu and Butterfree's Pokeball to be healed and went to sit down at a table near the window with a glum look on his face. He had lost his first official battle and it ended so badly that he couldn't do anything to retaliate.
Holding his head, Ash recalled the events of the battle trying to wonder where he went wrong.
With Butterfree and Geodude, he couldn't evade his Rock Throw sneak attacks. Not to mention Geodude's physical attacks were seriously strong. They shut down both their long-range and short-range attacks.
It took Pikachu to finally get him out of the fight, but then along came Onix.
Its size and strength completely overwhelmed them to the point no attack could work. And then when Pikachu was caught in its Bind attack there was no escape.
Ash bet the other trainers before him didn't struggle when they faced Brock, which made him sigh again. "Just what am I gonna do?" He mutters to himself, wondering how he could beat Brock.
A soft clunk drew his attention and looked down to see a piping hot bowl of soup laid out in front him.
"Wait...I didn't order any soup." Ash pauses briefly snapping out of his thoughts.
"Thought you could use something to eat after the match," he looked over and saw Misty holding a tray in her hands with another bowl on it, possibly for her.
Sighing Ash had a feeling why she was here. "You were right. I wasn't ready."
Misty placed the tray down on the table and sat in front of him, "Hey come on, you weren't that bad. You kinda did a whole lot better than I thought you did."
"Yeah, until he brought out that Onix." Ash groans.
"OK I'll admit, I wasn't expecting him to bring that out either," Misty said.
"How am I supposed to compete in the Pokemon League if I can't win one stinking badge?" Ash asks.
"Hey look, you're just feeling down because you lost. It happens. You just gotta calm down and try to figure things out." Misty urged.
Ash didn't say anything and stirred his spoon around the bowl, making Misty sigh and continued, "Look, losing sucks. No arguments there, especially your first loss and I hate to tell you this, but you'll probably lose a lot more battles on this journey of yours." Misty starts but is cut off by Ash.
"You mind skipping to the cheer up part?" He said, hoping to find the silver lining of this conversation.
"All I'm saying is you did you pretty good making it this far without losing, but now you can learn from this loss and get better." Misty said hoping these words would help.
Sighing, Ash didn't want to hear it but he probably would lose more battles on his journey.
"I mean look at it this way now you know what you're up against." Misty finished. "Yeah, but what do I do now?" Ash asks.
"Well first of all, you're not gonna get anywhere if you keep moping around like that," Misty points out, telling Ash to stop his complaining over the loss. "And second, you get up. You want to be a Pokémon Master, right? What kind of Pokémon Master gives up after losing his first gym battle? You know what you can do now? Now you can figure out a way to counter Brock, beat him and get that badge." Misty said enthusiastically.
Slowly a soft smile forms on Ash's face. Misty was really trying to cheer him up.
She was right, there was no point in feeling down after that. Like Brock said, he could come back anytime he wishes. All he needed to do was get stronger first.
"Thanks Misty. I needed that." Ash said grateful.
"Hey, what are friends for?" Misty shrugs. "Now why don't you eat your soup? Someone always told me a full stomach helps with ideas."
Feeling his stomach growl, Ash chuckles before saying, "Well I was getting a little hungry," he then grabbed the bowl and chow down.
Even though Ash's first gym battle hadn't gone the way it had expected, thanks to the advice of Misty he was ready to start figuring out how to have a rematch with Brock.
And next time, Ash would be ready.