Author's Note:

Hey, guys; I know that it's been a couple of months. I've been having a really bad bout of depression for a while and I really wasn't up to writing. But in spite of that, I'm going to try my best to finish this story so that I can move on to other projects. I can't promise you anything but I will try to get the next chapter up and running as soon as possible and I already have the next upcoming chapter ready to go anyway.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4 – Pewter City Showdown

After yet another couple of days of venturing through the Viridian Forest, Ash and his friends had finally arrived in Pewter City.

"Yay, Pewter City!" Misty cheered as she, Ash, Pikachu and the others stood on a large boulder overlooking the city.

Ash couldn't help but breathe a huge sigh of relief.

"Phew, for a while there, I thought that I was going to be in this forest for the rest of my life."

"Chu," Pikachu also sighed deeply as he sank down on the ground while hanging his ears in exhaustion.

"Pewter City is gray, the color of stone… This town has always been famous for stone," a strange looking man with a red beanie hat and a scruffy brown beard muttered to himself in a gruff voice.

"Huh… what the…?" Misty murmured as she and the others looked down to see the man sitting cross-legged below them.

"Who's this old guy?" Ash asked.

"Never met him," Misty replied empathetically.

"The name's Flint," the man growled sternly. "And you're sitting on some of my merchandise, young man."

"Oh, sorry!" Ash quickly apologized as he stood up from the big rock that he was sitting on and then looked over to see that he had an entire shelf full of all kinds of rocks. "Uh, you mean you sell rocks?"

"They're Pewter City souvenirs. Want to buy some?" Flint offered.

"Who on Earth would want to buy those dumb old rocks?" Rhonda retorted with an eye roll.

"Well, I think they're cool!" Luthor grinned excitedly.

"No thanks," Ash answered. "I'm traveling, trying to become a Pokemon trainer."

Flint just simply nodded in acknowledgment as he looked over to see Pikachu sighing deeply with a fatigued and exhausted look on his face.

"Well your Pokemon sure looks worn out," he said as he then got up to leave. "Why don't you follow me? I'll show you to the Pokemon Center."

"Yeah, why don't you also find us a nice hotel too while you're at it!" Rhonda hollered abrasively as she watched Flint leave.

"See, looks can be deceiving. He's a nice guy," Ash said to Misty.

"Are you sure?" Misty replied in an uncertain voice.

"By the way, that will be a $2 charge for sitting on my rocks," Flint interjected suddenly while extending out his hand expectantly.

Ash and Misty both exclaimed in horror and shock as they fell back onto the ground.

"What?! That's high way robbery!" Katie protested angrily.

"This is utter bullocks!" Rhonda shrieked, seething and fuming.

"Unbelievable!" Shirley muttered underneath her breath while face-palming herself slowly.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A short time later, Ash and his friends arrived at the Pokemon Center as Ash was now admitting Pikachu into the medical facility.

"Please revitalize my Pokemon," he pleaded as he pushed the tray containing Pikachu towards a familiar looking nurse.

"Sure, right away, Ash!" the nurse replied cheerfully.

"Huh, Nurse Joy?" Ash inquired in bafflement as he soon realized that it was Nurse Joy talking to him.

"Yes, I'm Nurse Joy," Nurse Joy said.

"But this isn't Viridian City; this is Pewter City," Ash replied while scratching his head with even more confusion and bewilderment.

"The Joy in Viridian City is my little sister. I'm the older Joy," Nurse Joy explained.

"Wait… Are you guys like identical twins or something?" Katie frowned with a puzzled face. "Because otherwise this makes no sense at all!"

"And why do you both have the same name? That makes it even more confusing!" Yuki added.

"I've heard nice things about you; very nice," Nurse Joy continued with an affirming nod.

"Uh, thank you," Ash replied.

"Have you seen that poster over there?" Nurse Joy asked as she then turned around to leave with Pikachu.

As soon as she was gone, Ash then turned around to see that there was indeed a poster advertising the Pokemon League Regional Championships.

"The Pokemon League Regional Championships… all right!" Ash cheered excitedly.

"Ha!" Misty laughed at him derisively.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Ash frowned with a quizzical and puzzled expression.

"To compete in the regional championships, you need to beat Gym trainers from different towns and get their badges as proof," Misty explained. "Can you do that?"

"Of course I can!" Ash insisted confidentially.

Just then he heard a chuckle as he and the others turned around to see Flint approaching them.

"Don't tell me that you plan on challenging Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader," he said.

"Well, why the hell not?" Luthor scowled, balling up his fists defiantly.

"Of course I do," Ash insisted. "As soon as Pikachu and my other Pokemon are better, I'll have no problem. Take me to this Brock's gym; I'll beat him!"

Flint just laughed and chuckled at Ash in utter disbelief.

"You'll beat him," he said in a mocking voice as he turned around and left while still laughing at him.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

"Ooh that Flint, trying to make a fool out of me," Ash groaned as he and the others were sitting down together at a local restaurant.

"Do you really think that you can win?" Misty asked questioningly as she watched Ash stuff his mouth with food. "Gym trainers are very different from your everyday Pokemon trainer; they're much, much tougher."

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't know if Blaze can really beat Brock's Pokemon since he's at a clear disadvantage due to him being a Fire Type," Rhonda frowned worriedly as she popped a rice ball into her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully.

Ash just gave her a dirty look while still holding the bowl in his hands.

"I'll tell you what, Ash; if you ask me really nicely, I'll help you out," Misty offered with a warm, inviting smile.

"I don't need any help," Ash scoffed as he continued to fill his mouth with food.

Misty scowled in frustration and anger as she quickly stood up from the table.

"Is that so? Fine with me; there's no way that you'll beat Brock in the Pewter City gym."

She then left with a huff as she stormed out of the restaurant, leaving Ash to finish his meal. Ash then stopped for a moment and looked down to see that he had been left with a hefty bill to pay.

"Hey, you can't leave me with the bill. Come back here!" Ash protested while standing up and waving his arms frantically to get Misty's attention.

"WHAT?! How in the hell did we get charged so much money? This is ridiculous!" Katie whined as she stared at the bill with complete horror and disbelief. "We can't even pay for this!"

"I'll pay for everybody," Jasmine offered coolly. "At least unlike all of you I have money to spare."

"Humph… show-off," Katie growled underneath her breath while shooting a dirty look in Jasmine's direction.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A short time later, Ash and the others returned back to the Pokemon Center where Pikachu and the rest of his Pokemon were waiting.

"Well, Ash; no more waiting. Pikachu and all of your other Pokemon are back to normal," Nurse Joy announced.

"Oh, that's great!" Ash breathed a sigh of relief as Pikachu jumped out of the tray and alighted himself onto Ash's shoulders.

"Chu!"

"All right!" Ash beamed.

A few minutes later, Ash and the others were now standing in front of the Pewter City gym.

"So this is Pewter City Gym? All right then," Ash said.

"For some reason I thought that it would look a lot more impressive," Jasmine commented dryly.

The doors then opened wide as the heroes stepped into the dark and seemingly empty building.

"Hello!" Ash bellowed as his voice echoed through the Gym and he and Pikachu looked around for any sign of the Gym Leader.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" Shirley hollered.

"Who goes there?" a male voice demanded as a spotlight suddenly flickered on and revealed a mysterious young man with light brown skin and spiky brown hair sitting on his stony throne.

"Huh… Oh!" Ash cried in a startled voice as he turned around and saw the strange man.

"So you must be Brock. I'm Ash from Pallet Town and I challenge you."

"And we're Team Legacy; I'm Rhonda and this is Katie, Jasmine, Luthor, Shirley, Yuki and Mitchell," Rhonda added.

"Is this your first Gym match?" Brock asked expectantly.

"Huh…" Ash balked with a dumbfounded expression as he was caught off guard by Brock's question.

"A Gym Match is different from other Pokemon battles. This match is for Pokemon League authorization. There are special rules," Brock explained calmly in a neutral and emotionless voice.

"Uh, what do you mean by special rules?" Ash asked in a confused and befuddled voice.

"We will use two Pokemon each, understood?" Brock announced as he stood up from his stony perch, staring down at Ash intently.

"Oh…" Ash nodded understandingly.

"How long have you been with that Pokemon?" Brock asked.

"Well, about two weeks, I guess," Ash answered while glancing up as he tried to remember.

"Yes, your Pikachu is in its cutest stage; it can't win," Brock declared solemnly.

"I'll worry about my Pokemon and you'll worry about yours, all right?" Ash growled angrily.

"Suit yourself," Brock scoffed as his eyes then flitted to the rest of the group.

"And what about the rest of you?"

"Um, same," Katie nodded.

"Yeah, same," Jasmine and the rest save for Rhonda and Mitchell replied back with affirmative nods.

"You know what, come to think of it, Blaze has been with me for at least the last 6 months," Rhonda mused while rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"As Gym Leader, I have to accept every challenge, so let's just get this over with," Brock declared with a snap of his finger.

Just then the lights flickered on and Ash and the others panicked upon seeing two pieces of the rocky stage advance straight for them. They soon scrambled over to the other side as they lost their footing and tripped before falling to the ground. Then as soon as the two platforms merged together and stopped moving, Brock jumped into the air and landed on the rocky stage as he took out his Poke Ball.

"All right, let the match begin."

"All right; Pikachu, I choose you, buddy!" Ash declared as Pikachu rushed over onto the stage.

"Onyx, go!" Brock yelled as he tossed out his Poke Ball and a large white beam of light emerged from the Poke Ball, revealing a stony snake-like Pokemon.

"Pika…" Pikachu balked as he soon froze in fear upon seeing the much larger and stronger Pokemon looming over him.

Pikachu then raced off the stage and scurried up Ash's leg as he attempted to grab one of Ash's Poke Balls.

"Hey, this is your battle, Pikachu, not Pidgeotto's! Now go," Ash urged him as he grabbed him and nudged him back onto the stage, even as Pikachu hesitantly walked over to face his opponent.

"Onix, tackle attack!" Brock ordered as Onix lunged right for Pikachu with Pikachu running away in fear.

Onix then smashed its head right into the ground and narrowly missed Pikachu, only to intercept him at the last minute as it circled and wrapped itself around him.

"Onix, bind it now!" Brock yelled.

Onix then growled menacingly as it tightened its hold on Pikachu even as Pikachu struggled and fought to break free.

"Pikachu, Thundershock!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu then unleashed a huge burst of Thundershock but much to his surprise and dismay, it didn't seem to affect Onix at all.

"You haven't raised it very well," Brock scoffed disdainfully. "Such a weak electric attack; can't hurt Onix."

"Pikachu, return!" Ash yelled as he took out his Poke Ball and attempted to return Pikachu into the ball but Onix somehow managed to deflect the red beam.

"It's being blocked; I can't bring it back," Ash grumbled in dismay.

Rhonda and the others looked on at the battle as they all felt powerless and unable to act or even help.

"Pikachu really seems to be in quite a bind," Rhonda frowned.

"There's nothing we can do, everyone; this is Ash's battle. He must do this on his own," Mitchell declared.

Just then one of Rhonda's Poke Balls opened up as a white burst of light landed on the ground and Blaze appeared.

"Blaze? What the hell are you doing? Get back in the ball right now!" Rhonda yelled in a panicked and mortified voice as Blaze charged right at Onix with his tail flaming in fury.

He then jumped into the air and let out a powerful burst of flames as he managed to completely incinerate and burn both Pokemon. Onix and Pikachu then yelled out and screamed in pain and agony as they took on the full brunt of the attack. Then as soon as the flames finally died down and dissipated, Onix shuddered and twitched in agony as it then immediately collapsed to the ground while completely charred and burnt to a black crisp. Pikachu was finally released from its grip as he lay there in a stunned daze.

Rhonda just stood there with her jaw completely open and agape and her eyes wide with shock, unable to process or comprehend what she had just witnessed right before her eyes.

"Jesus fucking Christ."

The bell then rang loudly as Brock collapsed onto his knees and held his head in his hands, also unable to comprehend his shock and disbelief at how the battle played out.

"I… I lost…" Ash groaned in disappointment, hanging his head sadly.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A short time later, Ash was walking out of the Pewter City Gym while holding an unconscious Pikachu in his arms. He then suddenly stopped and was surprised to see Flint standing right in front of him.

"Come with me," he said as he turned around and ran off as Ash and the others followed him.

Sometime later, the heroes were at Flint's cabin as Pikachu was resting in a makeshift bed and Flint was serving Ash some tea.

"Everyone loses sometimes; you can't let that get you down," he said in an encouraging and gentle voice as he set the tea down.

"I know. But I didn't just lose; I stunk," Ash replied sadly. "Brock's way better than me. I could never enter a league match if I can't beat him."

Flint then sipped his tea calmly as he looked over at Ash.

"Brock is very good. His own talents could take him much further than simply being a local Gym Leader."

"Yeah, but why has he never been in a regional championship himself?" Ash asked quizzically.

"He has his reasons," Brock answered in a gruff voice.

"Huh?" Ash gawked at him with a baffled expression.

He and Flint then turned to peer at a house in front of them as they could see a large group of small children gathered around a young man in the kitchen.

"I tore my skirt!" a little redheaded girl wailed as she rushed over to the man in tears.

Brock then turned around to face her with a patient smile while wearing a white hat and an apron.

"All right, all right; I'll sew it up for you," he said.

"Huh?" Ash balked as he exchanged bewildered and quizzical glances with Flint.

"Is it done yet?" the little redheaded girl pouted impatiently while tugging and pulling on Brock's arm.

"Just a minute," Brock reassured her as he was busy finishing sewing up her skirt.

Then as night fell, Ash and his friends left the cabin as they walked back to Pewter City with Flint.

"Wow, I sure never thought of Brock like that."

"Brock has ten little brothers and sisters that he has to take care of so he could never leave town for regional championships," Flint explained.

"Doesn't he have a mom or a dad?" Ash frowned questioningly.

"His good for nothing dad left the family to become a Pokemon trainer and they never heard from him again. Brock's heartbroken mother tried her best to hold things together but sadly she passed away. Brock's the only one his brothers and sisters have left," Flint answered.

"Jesus," Katie muttered underneath her breath.

"That's awful," Shirley frowned sadly.

"I better not listen to any more sad stuff," Ash muttered tersely as he kept on walking with his hands in his pockets. "Next time I have a match with Brock, I might not have the heart to beat him."

"But… You said that…" Flint balked in surprise and astonishment at Ash's words. "You said that you could never win a match with Brock!"

"Yeah, well I change my mind about that!" Ash yelled while shaking his fist defiantly. "If I can power up Pikachu, I'll beat him!"

"Hmmm… I may just know a way that you can supercharge your Pikachu…" Flint mused while rubbing his chin.

"Hey, you do?" Ash beamed in excitement.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

"Hey, what is this place?" Ash asked as he, Flint and the others arrived at an unusual structure near the river.

"A hydroelectric plant," Flint answered. "The river turns the wheel and makes electricity and if you can hook Pikachu up to it, you might be able to give it a power boost."

"Thanks, Mr. Flint; that's a great idea!" Ash exclaimed excitedly as he then looked on at the older man curiously. "Gee, how do you know so much about Pokemon, huh?"

"Me uh, you see, I uh…" Flint stammered nervously as he hesitated and struggled to come up with a plausible and believable answer while holding the back of his head sheepishly. "I just got lucky, I guess. Yeah, that's it; I got lucky."

"Well, Pikachu, get ready to power up!" Ash announced with a bright and confident smile.

Pikachu then smiled with a determined glint in his eye.

"Well right now the river is dry," Flint suddenly interjected.

Ash and the others then let out frustrated and incredulous groans while bowling over onto the ground.

"Then what did we come here for?" Ash whined petulantly.

"I have another idea," Flint replied with a coy smirk.

A short time later, Pikachu was in the cabin while hooked up to a machine as Ash was getting ready to turn the wheel with his feet.

"Pikachu is all hooked up," Flint informed Ash.

"Okay," Ash nodded as he then grabbed onto the handle and started to push onto the wheel like a pedal with a lot of effort.

Pikachu then braced himself as he began to feel a sharp surge of electricity course through his body and then suddenly he began to writhe and convulse in pain.

"Take it easy, Pikachu," Flint reassured him as Pikachu continued to scream and wail in agony. "All this power may be shocking at first, but sooner or later, your body will get used to the high voltage."

Pikachu continued to writhe and contort in pain as he tried to withstand the high voltage of electricity zapping through his body.

"I don't like this," Rhonda frowned anxiously. "This doesn't seem to be a good idea."

"It looks like it's in pain even," Katie concurred.

"What Ash is doing is utter madness," Shirley declared solemnly. "This is not a way to treat your Pokemon!"

"Hey, you jerk!" Rhonda bellowed at Ash as Ash turned around to face her while still powering the wheel. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You're hurting him!"

"Pikachu is my Pokemon and I'm going to do whatever it takes to beat Brock!" Ash shot back angrily.

"Are you utterly mad? You're going to kill him!" Rhonda shrieked shrilly, her eyes filled with fury and rage. "You need to stop this right now!"

"Hey, Ash; wouldn't it be a lot better to just ask me for help instead of going with this crazy power plan of yours?" Misty announced as she walked over to Ash.

"Forget it! I'll win without either of your help!" Ash shook his head as he turned his focus back to the wheel.

Misty scoffed and then turned around to walk away. "What do I care?"

"Yeah, I'm out; this is so whack, yo. Peace out, fam," Luthor shook his head as he and his friends got up to leave.

"Yeah, I think we're going to go back to the Pewter City Gym and maybe get a chance to beat Brock ourselves," Yuki added as she and the others followed Luthor and Misty as they all left.

"I'm going to get a badge all by myself using the Pokemon I'm training," Ash muttered to himself angrily as he kept on pedaling on the wheel.

"Stubborn; it'd be a lot easier if he would use some of mine too," Misty sighed while looking over at Ash sadly.

If I can take this, you can take it too, Pikachu! Ash thought to himself.

Pikachu then continued to strain and grunt in pain as the voltage on the machine kept on increasing.

"Hang on, Pikachu," Ash whispered.

Then after what seemed like an eternity, the machine finally began to overload as it no longer could handle the amount of energy that Pikachu was conducting.

"Huh?" Flint balked in confusion.

Pikachu then let out a huge burst of electricity as it soon caused the entire cabin to explode and collapse into a deadly blast of energy.

"Holy crap!" Luthor exclaimed as he and the others turned around to see a huge energy cloud on the horizon.

"Are they all dead?" Katie asked questioningly.

"God, I hope not," Rhonda replied.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

A short time later, Ash was finally done with Pikachu's training as he then stormed back into the Pewter City gym, eager for a rematch.

"I'm back!" he declared.

"Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" Brock scoffed coldly.

"We're ready for you this time, Brock!" Ash growled with his fists clenched.

Pikachu then smirked as he charged up his electricity with his cheek pouches.

"We'll see," Brock declared with an arrogant smirk.

The lights then came on again as it shined on the rocky stage.

"Two Poke Balls," Brock announced.

"Got it," Ash replied.

"I'll start with… Geodude go!" Brock declared as he then tossed out his Poke Ball, summoning Geodude.

Ash then tilted his hat back as he then threw out his Poke Ball.

"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" he cried as he then summoned Pidgeotto.

"Pidgeotto, go, Gust Attack!" Ash commanded.

Pidgeotto then flapped its wings as it then summoned a huge gust of wind around Geodude; however, it didn't seem to affect Geodude at all as it kept on pursuing it while jabbing and clobbering at it with its fists.

"Huh?" Ash gawked in astonishment.

"Bad strategy," Brock chided. "Don't you know that Flying Pokemon are weak against Rock types?"

"Oh, guess I forgot," Ash groaned sheepishly.

"Come on, Ash; use your head," Misty whispered underneath her breath while looking down at Ash from the second floor.

Pidgeotto then dropped to the ground in a daze as Ash then aimed the Poke Ball at it.

"Pidgeotto, return," he said as Pidgeotto disappeared back into the ball.

"Are you giving up again?" Brock asked.

"No way," Ash shot back determinedly. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu then marched confidentially onto the stage with his arms outstretched.

"The Pikachu again," Brock declared. "I feel sorry for it, being raised by such a weak Pokemon trainer."

"Pikachu, now's our chance to show him how weak we really are!" Ash yelled determinedly.

Pikachu then unleashed a powerful Thundershock attack as it slammed right onto Geodude and incinerated it.

"Pikachu, nice going," Misty said.

Brock just stared at his defeated Pokemon in shock and awe for a moment before he regained his composure and whipped out his Poke Ball.

"Geodude, return!" he yelled as he summoned Geodude back into his Poke Ball. "It looks like you trained it better. But still, it's no match for Onix."

He then took out another Poke Ball and tossed it into the air.

"Go!" he cried as Onix once again emerged from the ball.

Pikachu froze in terror upon seeing Onix, but then he unleashed a powerful and devastating Thundershock attack as several bolts of electricity swarmed and flashed all over the place. Onix recoiled and staggered from the blast of the attack while another bolt of lightning caused a rock to explode into pieces and also caused a couple of light fixtures to be ignited into flames.

"Hey, watch where you're aiming, huh?" Ash snarled irritably as he narrowly avoided getting hit by Pikachu's electric attack.

Pikachu then let out a terrified scream as Onix suddenly grabbed him and scooped him up before wrapping him around its body again.

"Oh…! Pikachu, give it a Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu then released a powerful Thunderbolt attack as Onix was suddenly overwhelmed and paralyzed by the electric attack.

"Hang in there, Pikachu! It's working!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

Pikachu then continued unleashing his Thunderbolt attack as Onix's pained and agonized bellows could be heard.

"Onix, bind around it!" Brock yelled.

Onix then regained his bearings as he began to squeeze and crush Pikachu tightly.

"Pikachu," Ash murmured fearfully.

Pikachu once again struggled to break free from Onix's grasp as he felt its body tighten and constrict around him even more and he felt his strength begin to drain and sap rapidly. Ash then looked on at Pikachu with great fear and trepidation, knowing that there was no way that he would be able to break out of Onix's clutches.

"Onix, stop it!"

Ash and his friends then looked over at Brock in utter confusion and bewilderment.

Onix then obeyed its master and released Pikachu from its grasp, with Pikachu falling to the ground in a stunned daze.

"No, Brock, I want to play this match right to the end," Ash demanded resolutely.

"There's no point in going on; I really don't want to hurt your Pokemon," Brock protested sternly.

Ash then let out a frustrated groan as he exhaled sharply and hung his head.

Just then the water sprinkler system suddenly activated as the entire building was pouring and drenched with water; even Onix was getting extremely soaked.

"Ash!" a female voice yelled and Ash turned around to see Misty waving over to him.

"Rock Pokemon are weak against water," Misty informed him.

Pikachu then charged up his electric energy and then unleashed another Thundershock attack, this time stunning Onix completely. Onix then let out a loud, thunderous roar as it collapsed to the ground and struggled to get up.

"Pikachu; let's finish this off!" Ash ordered.

But just then somebody grabbed his arm and Ash closed his eyes as he began hesitating.

"My conscience is holding me back; I can't bring myself to defeat Brock," he whimpered softly. "I'm imagining all of his little brothers and sisters stopping me from beating the one person they love."

"Ash, I think you'd better open your eyes," Misty groaned.

"Huh?" Ash sputtered as he then opened his eyes and soon realized that all of Brock's siblings were holding him back and restraining him by his arms and legs.

"You leave Onix alone!"

"Our brother worked hard to raise him, you big bully!"

"Believe me, kid, I'm no bully," Ash replied with an abashed and trepid expression.

"Stop it! Get off, all of you!" Brock scolded his siblings as he marched over to them. "This is an official match and we're going to finish it no matter what."

"But Brock, we know that you love your Pokemon so much," one of Brock's sisters wailed.

"That's why we can't watch Onix suffer from another attack!" one of Brock's brothers protested.

It was then that Ash flashed back to that very moment when Brock had ordered Onix to stop attacking Pikachu and put an end to the match.

"Onix, stop!" Brock yelled as Onix released its grip on Pikachu and Pikachu dropped down to the ground with a stunned and dazed look.

"Pikachu, return!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu then turned around to look at Ash questioningly before rushing back to his side.

"What do you think you're doing? This match isn't over yet, Ash," Brock demanded.

"Those sprinklers going off were just an accident," Ash explained. "Winning the match because of that wouldn't have proved anything. Next time we meet, I'll beat you my way fair and square."

He then turned around to leave the gym as the others followed him.

"Maybe," Brock muttered as he watched Ash and the others depart from the building.

"Just when he finally gets a lucky break, he decides to be a nice guy too," Misty sighed dejectedly.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

"I'm sorry if I was too tough on you, Pikachu," Ash apologized as he and the others were now making their way out of Pewter City. "But you really did a great job."

"Pikachu," Pikachu chirped.

"Sounds like you feel just the way I do," Ash replied.

"Hey, hey, wait up! Ash!" a male voice hollered as Ash suddenly stopped and turned around to see Brock frantically racing over to him.

"Huh? Brock?" Ask asked as he watched Brock stop for a moment to catch his breath.

Brock then straightened up and held out his hand before showing a stone-like badge.

"Ash, you forgot this."

"A badge… for defeating a Gym trainer," Ash marveled in awe as he stared at the badge before hesitating.

"I can't accept this. I didn't beat you. I gave up."

"Nah, I lost to you," Brock insisted with a disarming smile. "You beat me in battle and in being kind to all Pokemon."

"But…" Ash protested but Brock wouldn't hear of it as he suddenly interrupted him by launching into a monologue of his own.

"To tell you the truth, I get more pleasure from raising Pokemon than from making them battle. I don't care about being a great Pokemon trainer," Brock explained as he stared out into the river. "I want to become the world's best breeder but I can't leave here because I have to look after all my brothers and sisters."

He then turned around to face Ash, still clutching the badge in his hand before offering it to him. "Ash, I want you to take this and fulfill my dream. Will you do that for me?"

"I will," Ash nodded as he walked over to take the badge from Brock. "And I'll do my best to deserve it too."

"Brock, you go follow your own dreams," Flint interjected as he suddenly appeared before Ash and Brock.

"Flint!" Ash exclaimed in shock as Flint then removed his beanie hat and beard, revealing his true appearance.

"My father…" Brock growled angrily.

"Huh?" Ash gawked at him with a puzzled and incredulous expression. "You mean that you're the good for nothing father that left him and never came back?"

"You mean to tell me that this guy was actually your real dad all along?" Katie gasped in shock and amazement as she exchanged bewildered glances with the rest of her friends.

"That's right; it was me," Flint confessed, confirming Ash's suspicions. "I couldn't become the great Pokemon trainer that I wanted to be and because I was such a failure, I was too embarrassed and ashamed to go back to my family."

"But why did you help me instead of Brock?" Ash inquired suspiciously.

"You reminded me of myself," Flint replied as he walked over to Ash and Brock. "You didn't seem to have a chance."

This prompted a loud groan of embarrassment from Ash as Flint looked over at Brock with a warm smile.

"It's time that I started taking care of my own family. You go fulfill your dreams and mine."

"First, there are some things that I have to tell you…" Brock began.

"After all these years, I understand how you must feel about me so I wanted you to get everything off your chest," Flint interrupted.

"Here," Brock interjected as he reached into his green vest and handed him a thread and spool, prompting Flint to gawk at the items with a shocked and baffled look on his face.

"Suzie always rips her dresses so you better learn how to sew. And Timmy only eats cold spaghetti for breakfast. Tommy likes cornflakes for dinner…" Brock began to rattle off his instructions to Flint.

"Slow down, slow down; I can't write that fast!" Flint protested as he tried to keep up with Brock's instructions.

"Cindy sleepwalks so you have to tie a bell on her wrist. The twins never want to take a bath so you have to…" Brock continued as Flint groaned and shook in frustration.

"Oh boy, this is going to take all day, isn't it?" Yuki sighed.

"Yep," Rhonda nodded.

TLSTLSTLSTLS

"Hey Ash, are you sure that it's okay for me to join you on your Pokemon journey?" Brock asked as he, Ash and the others were walking along a desolate, winding road as they were heading for the next city.

"Sure I'm sure," Ash answered. "The more the merrier, and it's good to have someone to talk with."

"Yeah, I agree," Rhonda shrugged. "Besides, you seem to be made of much sterner stuff. You could prove to be a great asset to the team."

"Well, what about that girl that keeps following you?" Brock asked as he and Ash looked over at Misty, who was trailing right behind them.

"Oh don't mind her; she's just a nuisance. Nothing special," Jasmine scoffed snidely while turning up her nose.

"Don't forget about my bike, Ash Ketchum! I'm going to follow you until you pay me back!" Misty yelled angrily.

"I know, I know!" Ash whined.

He then turned to look at Pikachu as he suddenly got an idea.

"Pikachu, let's try to lose her."

"I think that's a great idea; let's do it!" Rhonda cheered as she and her friends dashed after Ash, Pikachu and Brock.

"Wait up, Ash! You won't get away!" Misty hollered as she raced after the rest of the gang.

"Syke, bitch! Ha, ha, ha!" Luthor cackled hysterically as he started to run circles around Shirley. "Let's ditch her, let's ditch her, let's ditch her!"

"Would you please cut it out, Luthor? Stop being ridiculous!" Shirley snapped at him irately with narrowed eyes as he continued to run circles around her while laughing bombastically.

Just then, a drill emerged out of the ground as Team Rocket popped out of the hole.

"I told you that I'd get us out of this!" James cheered.

"This was all your…" Jessie began but then Ash and his friends jumped and stomped on their faces before moving on their way.

"Your fault!" Jessie sputtered as her face was completely covered in bruises and marks from being stomped and stepped on.

"Come back here!" Misty hollered.

"Wait for me, Ash!" Brock yelled.

"Buried and trampled alive…" Jessie whimpered.

"We've hit rock bottom!" Jessie and James yelled simultaneously before they and Meowth collapsed back into the hole they came from and were gone.

Moments later, the Super League of Villains appeared again as Kronk looked over at the hole before him.

"Well, that's unfortunate."

"Please help us! We're trapped!" Jessie wailed from inside the large hole.

"Yeah I don't think so," Ursula retorted coldly as Zira and the other Outsider lionesses gathered around the hole and began pushing and brushing aside huge mounds of dirt back into the hole, effectively burying them all over again.

"Hey? What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jessie demanded angrily. "Stop what you're doing right this instant!"

"Please don't leave us here to be buried alive!" James pleaded fearfully.

"MEOWTH!" Meowth shrieked.

Within a matter of minutes, the ground gave a violent shake as the hole completely filled and closed up and Team Rocket once again found themselves trapped and buried deep underground.

"What a bunch of worthless losers," Dotty snickered to herself.

"Yeah," Spotty smirked evilly.

"Let's get a move on, girls," Zira ordered as the Super League of Villains resumed their leisurely trek while heading for their next destination.