Hey guys, TheDoctor1998 here with another chapter! Last time we saw Cinder battle against Samurai, and we saw both Weedle and Metapod evolve into a Kakuna and Butterfree respectively, and now the girls are about to go into Pewter City. Now, on with the show!
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Jessie, James and Meowth, ever busy with their life of crime, were digging a pit in one of the roads leading in and out of Pewter City. And of course, they couldn't help but utter their motto, despite the fact that nobody other than themselves were around to hear it.
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all people within our nation."
Then, Jessie and James decided to mutter each other's lines together. "To denounce the evils of truth and love. To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie."
"James."
"Meowth!" Meowth interrupted the humans, while also planting his shovel between them. "I don't get why you two are always talking and leaving all the work for me to do alone!"
"You're right." Jessie said. "We haven't got much time. If they're headed to Pewter City they'll have to pass this way."
"Then we've got to get our trap ready before then!" James exclaimed, leading the charge in digging their pit at an extremely impressive rate.
In mere moments, they deemed the pit deep enough, and covered it up. "Perfect!" Meowth yelled happily.
"I can't even tell where the trap is anymore!" James said, partially out of pride, partially afraid that they'd end up trapping themselves.
"You're right! Where is it?!" Jessie yelled, panicking and looking around with her team.
Eventually, the inevitable happened, and the three stooges ended up standing on top of their covered pit, falling in. To make matters worse, it turns out that the bottom of their pit was on top of an underground cave, causing the idiots to fall deeper underground. "AAHHHHH!"
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Cinder and Misty were walking on the path between Viridian Forest and Pewter City. They'd almost arrived at their destination, despite the weird pit in the middle of the road that they'd stepped around.
Eventually, the redhead saw the telltale signs of civilization in front of them. "Well, looks like we've made it to Pewter City, Cinder."
"Phew." Cinder wiped her forehead. "I think it's safe to say that I've had enough of that forest for now."
"Pewter City is gray, the color of stone." An unknown voice said. "This town has become famous because of stone."
Cinder was surprised, but looked down to see the Aura of an adult man below her. "Who're you?"
"The name's Flint, and I sell rocks."
Cinder blinked in surprise. "You sell rocks?"
The man shrugged. "A man's got to make a living somehow. Besides, the rocks of Pewter City are very high quality. You won't find rocks anywhere else like the ones I put up for sale."
"Right…" Cinder said slowly, not sure what to make of the guy who smelled like he hadn't had a shower in weeks.
"Want to buy some?" The man asked.
"No thanks, but can you guide us to the Pokémon Center?" Cinder asked.
"Sure, follow me." Flint said, putting up an "on break" sign. "By the way, that'll be a 2 dollar charge for resting on my merchandise." He said to Misty, who'd sat down on one of the rocks.
Cinder sighed. "I'll give you 5 if you stop trying to sell us those rocks."
"Deal." Flint said instantly. He wasn't exactly in a position to turn down free money, after all.
A few minutes later, as the girls followed the potential hobo, Misty had to ask. "Why did you give him that money?"
Cinder simply shrugged. "It got you off the hook and stopped him from trying to sell us those rocks. Besides, the guy smells like he needs it."
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The trio of humans managed to get to the Pokémon Center, and the girls were about to go to the restaurant before they were called to the front desk.
Cinder instantly recognized the woman's Aura. "Nurse Joy?"
"Yes, and before you ask, I'm not the one from Viridian City. She's my younger sister, and all us Joy's tend to look alike." Nurse Joy said. "I just wanted to thank you two for your help in the Viridian City Pokémon Center. I'm also happy to say that no Pokémon were harmed during the emergency."
"Eheheh, you're welcome." Cinder said, slightly embarrassed. When the trio walked again, Cinder couldn't help but mutter. "Now, what Pokémon am I gonna use against the gym?"
Flint chuckled. "Don't tell me you're planning to challenge Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader?"
"So what if I am?" Cinder asked. "I need to start somewhere, and the Pewter City Gym is as good a place as any." As well as the closest from her home, aside from the Viridian City Gym. But considering that place is so tough that you'd need to get every other badge in Kanto to even be allowed to challenge the Gym Leader, it's best she'd skip that one for now.
The hobo chuckled again. "You? Beat him?" He kept chuckling as he walked away.
"Asshole." Cinder muttered. Though, like it or not, he had a point. She knew the Pewter City Gym specializes in Rock Types, and aside from Pikachu, every single one of her Pokémon had a disadvantage against that Type, especially Butterfree. Not to mention that Kakuna still needed to evolve into a Beedrill before she could even think of challenging a Gym Leader.
Oh well, she'd cross that bridge when she gets to it.
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"Do you really think you could win?" Misty asked her friend as they were eating. "Gym leaders are a lot tougher than most trainers, even when they've gotta stick to one Type."
"I'll train up a bit." Cinder said. "Try to get Kakuna to evolve into a Beedrill at least before I challenge Brock."
"I'll tell you what, Cinder." Misty said. "If you ask me really nicely, I'll let you borrow one of my Water Types."
"No thanks." Cinder shot that idea down in an instant. "I appreciate the offer, but I want to do this with my own Pokémon. Besides, I don't like to rely on a Type advantage, remember?"
"I guess you're right." Misty sighed.
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"Again, Pidgeotto!" Cinder commanded. She and her Pokémon were using the Center's battlefield to train up, each utilizing a different technique.
Pikachu was working on his speed, trying to get Quick Attack under control. Knowing the Rock Types in Kanto, there was a good chance that at least one of them was also a Ground Type, so it was a good idea to work on avoiding hits and dealing many attacks at once.
Butterfree was weight lifting some rocks with Confusion, trying to make sure that he could stop any rocks thrown at him by the Gym Leader's Pokémon.
Pidgeotto was working on Steel Wing, trying to get the Steel Type energy to work for her. Once she had the attack under control, she'd have a major counter to both Rock and Ice Type Pokémon.
Kakuna however couldn't do much. She was working on Harden and Poison Sting as hard as she could, but even she knew that she couldn't defeat a strong opponent like a Gym Leader as she was.
Not that that was stopping her from trying. "Kaku! Kaku! Na! Na!" She yelled, shooting String Shots and Poison Stings alike.
"Great job Kakuna, I know you can do it!" Cinder yelled happily.
Then, Kakuna felt something shift inside herself, something that she'd only felt once before. Recognizing what it is, she fully gave into the feeling, causing her to glow and change her shape. When the glow subsided, a Beedrill flew just above where Kakuna just stood.
"Beedrill!" Cinder exclaimed with joy, running to her bee and hugging her, followed by Butterfree, who was circling his friend.
"Spee! Spee!" Beedrill yelled happily, now truly understanding why Butterfree wanted to evolve as quickly as he did.
Just then, they heard one of the training rocks explode. When the human and her Pokémon looked, it turned out that Pidgeotto had managed to use Steel Wing. "Pidgeo!"
"Great job Pidgeotto!" Cinder said. "Now I think we're ready to take on Brock!"
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"Closed?" Cinder asked.
As it turns out, Flint was waiting for her at the Gym. "Brock is, unfortunately, not always able to be at the Gym. He has nine little siblings to take care of."
"How old is he?" Misty asked.
"Fifteen." Flint answered.
"What about his parents?"
The hobo seemed to get slightly angry. "His good-for-nothing father left the family to become a Pokémon trainer, and they never heard from him again. Brock's mother tried her best to hold things together, but she soon started getting ill, needing to stay at the hospital for cancer treatment." His voice seemed to have a note of regret in it as he spoke.
"That's awful!" Misty said, shocked.
"Thankfully, the treatments are having a good effect on her, and while it will take some time for her to be even able to go home, she will get better in the end." Flint said with relief. "But because of that, he's the only person his siblings have who's capable of looking after them."
Cinder then thought of something. "How do you even know all this, Flint?"
The man flinched, but gave a quick answer. "Oh, you know, this kind of thing can easily trickle down the grapevine. Someone as well connected as a rock salesman can easily hear the rumors."
"So, any idea when the Gym will open again?"
"Usually around 11 in the morning, after all of Brock's siblings have gone to school. If you want something to do here in Pewter tonight, I'd recommend the Pewter Museum of Science. It's a nice place to visit, and Pewter City's main tourist attraction outside the Gym."
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Cinder and Misty, after paying the entrance fee, walked into the museum. "So, what do you want to see first?" Cinder asked.
"How about the space exhibit?" Misty asked.
"Fine with me." The heterochromatic girl shrugged.
The duo saw several different objects within the exhibit. Or rather, Misty saw them, and explained what she saw to her blind companion. Moon Stones, a holographic projection of the Solar System and other parts of the known Universe, pieces of a meteorite, crystals from space, a model of a space shuttle, a poster describing the Big Bang and the evolution of the Universe, and even an exhibit about an old theory involving Pokémon.
"'Cleffa and Staryu, Pokémon from space?!'" Misty read aloud. "You think they really came from space?"
Cinder simply shrugged. "Maybe. It would be cool if that was true though."
Before long, the duo went over to the fossil exhibit, seeing several of the items there. Posters of several Fossil Pokémon native to Kanto, theories on how they behaved, and even some actual fossils of these extinct creatures.
On one side, there were the fossilized remains of some spiral shells, one noticeably larger than the others with some spikes on it, belonging to some long dead Omanyte and Omastar.
On the other side, there were some fossilized remains of some shells, along with a skeleton with some scythe-like claws, belonging to some long dead Kabuto and Kabutops.
In the center of the room was a large skeleton of what looked like some kind of dragon-like Pokémon, obviously once capable of flight. It was the skeleton of a long dead Aerodactyl.
Misty shuddered. "To think that even such a fierce and powerful Pokémon could go extinct."
"Ya know, I'd love to be able to see one myself someday." Cinder said.
"Then you're in luck." Another voice said, Flint having somehow managed to get in the museum. "I heard that the scientists here have been working with some people on Cinnabar Island to make a machine that can bring Fossil Pokémon back to life."
"How do you know that?" Misty interjected.
Flint pointed behind him. "There was an exhibit with some scientists back there, said something about extracting DNA from fossils and cloning with their full memory intact. Didn't understand all the details myself, but I did hear that they're still working out all the kinks in the process." He then smiled. "They did say they should be done within the year, though."
"Awesome." Cinder said. "I can't wait to hear when these Pokémon aren't extinct anymore!" She smiled, blindly glancing at the Aerodactyl skeleton.
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The girls stood in front of the Pewter City Gym once more the next day, having had a good night's sleep and a good breakfast at the Pokémon Center previously.
Cinder opened the large and imposing doors with much less difficulty than one would think, and stepped into the dark room of the Pewter City Gym without hesitation. Though, in fairness, the darkness had literally no effect on her. "Hello?" Cinder asked the seemingly empty room, her voice echoing in the dark. Though, of course, she could easily see the Aura of the older boy in the room.
And it seemed like her attempt to catch his attention worked. "Who goes there?" He asked, turning the lights on, revealing himself to be a darker skinned teenager with perpetually closed eyes.
"My name is Cinder, and I'm here to challenge you to a battle."
Brock nodded. "How many Pokémon do you have?"
"Four." Cinder answered easily.
"How many badges do you have?"
"This would be my first."
"Very well." Brock said. "In that case, I'm legally obliged to explain the rules of a Gym Battle. All Gym Leaders are required to specialize in a single Type, Rock in my own case. In addition, there will only be a set amount of Pokémon that either side is allowed to use, two in this case. Also, only the challenger would be allowed to make substitutions."
"Seems simple enough." Cinder said.
"However, there are certain additional handicaps on my end that are based on the amount of Gym badges you have collected. If you had seven or more badges in total, regardless of which region they originated from, I'd be allowed to use the full strength of this Gym. If you'd have fewer badges then that, I'd have to use weaker Pokémon to compensate. However, if you've got one badge or are trying to get your first badge, you'd be allowed to use as many Pokémon as you've got on your person. Understand?"
"I understand. Anything else?" Cinder asked.
"No." Brock then looked at the Pikachu on her shoulder. "How long have you been with that Pokémon?"
"Two years." Cinder easily said. "Though, I've only been his official trainer for about two weeks."
"I see, so it's still in its cutesy stage." Brock's tone made it clear that this wasn't a compliment.
"How about I worry about my own Pokémon, asshole?"
Brock was slightly put off by the swearing, and hoped that his siblings didn't skip school and sneak into the Gym again. "Suit yourself. As a Gym Leader, I've got to accept every Gym challenge, so let's get this over with." He then snapped his fingers, causing the lights to go on and reveal the rocky battlefield. "Go, Geodude!" He threw his Pokéball, releasing a Pokémon resembling a spherical rock with arms, which triggered Cinder's Pokédex.
"Geodude, the Rock Pokémon. A Rock/Ground Type.
Abilities: Rock Head and Sturdy
Hidden Ability: Sand Veil
Entry: This Pokémon is proud of its sturdy body, and will bash against others of its kind in a contest to prove whose body is harder. It buries itself in the ground when it sleeps, and can easily be mistaken for a rock."
"Beedrill, come out my friend!" Cinder exclaimed when unleashing her bee. She knew that it was unlikely that she'd be able to defeat Geodude, but she could wear him down enough so the rest of her team could do it. "Poison Sting!"
Beedrill did as her trainer told and shot a stream of toxic needles at her target. Both Pokémon and trainer knew that it would do next to nothing in terms of damage, but that was not what they were hoping for.
"Bad strategy, don't you know that both Bug and Poison Types have a disadvantage against Rock Types?" Brock said. "Rock throw."
Geodude did as said, and created several rocks around himself, which then hurled themselves at Beedrill.
"Harden, then String Shot!" Cinder called.
Beedrill then hardened her exterior, her hide becoming tougher, allowing her to endure the rocks hurled at her. And while it did still hurt, she was able to handle it. And the moment the rock barrage stopped, she shot her silk to bind one of Geodude's arms to the ground.
"What?" Brock said, surprised at the fact that a rookie managed to command her Pokémon so well.
Then, Beedrill started glowing. Not like before when she evolved, but more that she was enveloped in a lime green Aura. "Spee!"
Cinder grinned, knowing that they'd gotten to the final stage of her plan with Beedrill. Swarm, the Bug Type version of abilities like Overgrow, Blaze and Torrent. "Beedrill, use Twineedle!"
The Poison Bee started rushing at her opponent, the stingers on her arms pointed directly at the Rock Type. Before Geodude could react, the Swarm boosted Twineedle attack struck him twice, doing quite a lot of damage for a Bug Type attack. And as luck would have it, Geodude started sporting a purple blush while exhaling purple bubbles.
"Alright! You poisoned him, Cinder!" Misty yelled from the stands. Then she saw a few kids surrounding her, all looking like miniature versions of Brock. Obviously his siblings.
"Rock Throw, Geodude!" Brock commanded.
Geodude fought through the poison, and once more created and threw the rocks at Beedrill. This time, however, the bee was unable to dodge in time, and got hit square in the face. When she fell down, it was clear that she couldn't move.
The referee interrupted. "Beedrill is unable to battle. Challenger, choose your next Pokémon."
Cinder silently returned Beedrill. "You did great, Beedrill. Take a good rest." She then grabbed another Luxury Ball. "Butterfree, come out my friend!" She threw the ball, releasing her Butterfree.
"A Butterfree? You really seem to be determined to lose this match." Brock said, even as his Geodude was slowly losing his strength due to the poison. "Rock Throw." He said, wanting to end this fight quickly.
"Throw them back with Confusion!" Cinder yelled.
Butterfree's eyes glowed, using his psychic powers to grab the rocks and hurl them back. Geodude, weakened from the poison and the powerful Twineedle and unable to move because of the String Shot, was unable to dodge. And while he managed to hold on for a moment, the poison quickly took him out.
The referee called it. "Geodude is unable to battle. Gym Leader, choose your next Pokémon."
"Nice going, Cinder!" Misty yelled, ignoring the quiet groans of the kids around her.
Brock was surprised at this turn of events. He hadn't ever seen a rookie use tactics like these before, nor did he expect that a pair of Bug Types belonging to said rookie would be able to take one of his Pokémon down. "Geodude, return." He recalled his Pokémon. "It looks like you've trained your Pokémon well, but they'll be no match for Onix!" He then released his next Pokémon, a giant serpent made of boulders, which triggered Cinder's Pokédex again.
"Onix, the Rock Snake Pokémon. A Rock/Ground Type.
Abilities: Rock Head and Sturdy
Hidden Ability: Weak Armor
Entry: This Pokémon tunnels under the ground at 80 kilometers per hour, causing tremors on the surface. The massive tunnels it leaves are often used as homes by other underground Pokémon such as Diglett."
"Rock Throw!" Brock commanded as soon as Onix had finished materializing.
Onix obeyed, and used the same move as his far smaller teammate, though his own rocks were obviously larger.
Cinder, noticing the speed and size of the rocks, due to the latent Aura that all Pokémon attacks have, immediately figured out that Butterfree stood no chance of dodging, blocking or enduring the attack. "Sleep Powder, spread it around as much as you can!"
Butterfree did as told, and put his all into making as much of the powder as he possibly could before he got hit. He managed to dodge a few of the boulders, but one of them made contact, knocking the Bug/Flying Type out.
"Butterfree is unable to battle. Challenger, choose your next Pokémon."
Cinder returned Butterfree. "You did great, Butterfree. Take a good rest." She then grabbed another Luxury Ball. "Pidgeotto, come out my friend!" She threw the ball, releasing her bird.
"So you've got an entire team that's weak against Rock and Ground Type Pokémon." Brock said, already knowing that Pikachu would be the girl's fourth and final Pokémon. "I must admit, you are brave to fight me with a team like that." Then he smirked. "Or stupid. Rock Throw!"
Onix immediately created and threw a bunch of boulders at his opponent again, intending to knock this bird out of the sky.
"Steel Wing!" Cinder ordered.
Pidgeotto's wings started to glow with a silvery sheen, her feathers becoming as hard as steel. Using the attack, she sliced and diced the incoming boulders before they could hit, just as she'd practiced at the Pokémon Center.
"Impressive." Brock smirked. "Onix, use Bind!"
Onix darted forward, intending to wrap his stone body around the bird.
"Sand Attack, then use Gust!" Cinder countered.
Pidgeotto skirted her wing on the floor, collecting the dust and sand and threw it into Onix's face. Onix himself screamed at the pain in his eyes as Pidgeotto flapped her wings all around the massive serpent, blowing hard winds to his head from all directions.
"Bind, to the right of you!" Brock said, actually getting excited from the battle.
Onix trusted his trainer's judgment, and lunged to the right of him. Looking through the tears in his eyes, he wrapped around the blurry image, squeezing against the feathered pest.
"Pidgeo!"
"Finish it with Stone Edge!" Brock yelled.
Onix obeyed, generating the Rock Type attack and hurling the boulders at the bird point blank. Pidgeotto didn't last long against the super effective attack, and swiftly got knocked out.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle. Challenger, choose your next Pokémon."
Cinder returned Pidgeotto. "Pidgeotto, you did great. Rest well." She then pointed forwards. "Pikachu, come out my friend!"
Pikachu hopped off of her shoulder and onto the battlefield. "Pika!"
"As much as I've enjoyed this match, all good things have to come to an end." He then saw Onix start breathing a bit heavily, shaking his head. "I think all of our Pokémon have earned a rest."
"Couldn't have put it better myself." Cinder smirked.
"Bind!"
"Dodge with Quick Attack, keep him on his feet!"
Onix lunged towards the mouse, intending on wrapping around him like he did with Pidgeotto. However, the rat was just too fast for him to get close, sometimes even striking him with his speed. And to make matters worse, Onix seemed to get slower and slower, getting tired.
"Onix, what's wrong?!" Brock yelled, worried for his Pokémon's health. "Wait." He said slowly. "The Sleep Powder. The Sand Attack and Gusts aimed at Onix's head."
"Figured it out, did you?" Cinder smirked.
In the stands, one of the girls asked something with worry. "What's wrong with Onix, Forrest?"
The eldest sibling there, Forrest, replied. "It's the Sleep Powder of that Butterfree, Cindy. That girl made Butterfree spread it around, and then made Pidgeotto scoop it up with that Sand Attack to throw it in Onix's face. The Gusts only served to throw more of the stuff at him."
And just as the two older Harrison siblings predicted, and all according to Cinder's plan, Onix finally fell asleep. Pikachu took the initiative, darting straight for the serpent's head, ramming himself into it over and over again.
Now, to the uninitiated, beating a Pokémon like this may seem cruel, like beating a fainted Pokémon. But that's the key difference between a sleeping Pokémon and a fainted Pokémon. A sleeping Pokémon could wake up and immediately fight again, while a fainted Pokémon would be unable to continue the fight when they regain consciousness.
Suddenly, all of Brock's siblings started clinging to Cinder, trying to get her to stop. "Leave Onix alone, you big bully!"
"What the- I'm no bully!" Cinder said, confused and panicking at the sudden contact.
"Stop it! Get off of her, all of you!" Brock scolded, having walked past the two Pokémon, Pikachu having stopped at the commotion and Onix finally managing to shake off the effects of the Sleep Powder. "This is an official match. Sabotaging the challenger like this could get all of us in serious trouble."
"But Brock, you love your Pokémon so much!" The girl on Cinder's back cried out.
"We don't want him to get hurt!" The boy clinging to her arm said.
"Geooo!" Onix cried. While he was touched at how much his trainer's siblings cared for him, he wanted to continue. He hasn't had a battle like this in ages!
"Guys." Brock sighed. "While me and Onix appreciate the gesture, you should know that most Pokémon like to battle. They know that they can get hurt, but that doesn't stop them from giving it their all. It's part of why Pokémon battling is so popular in the first place." He then looked at Cinder. "I hope my siblings didn't hurt you or anything."
"Nah, it's okay." Cinder said as the kids climbed off of her. "They were just trying to protect Onix. Can't say I haven't done riskier things to do the same."
"Anyway, are you ready to resume the match?"
"I sure am!" Cinder said, still pumped.
Brock nodded, and walked back to his position on the other side of the battlefield. Once he stood in place, he nodded at the referee.
"Let the battle continue!" The referee called.
"Dig!" Brock commanded.
Onix immediately dug a massive tunnel in the ground, hiding underneath the battlefield, waiting to strike. He did not wait for long, however, as he really wanted some payback after being beaten up during his forced nap.
"Dodge with Quick Attack!" Cinder called.
Pikachu dodged with blinding speed, just as Onix emerged from the ground with enough force to, briefly, become airborne.
Cinder saw an opportunity in that. "Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu shot a bolt of lightning at Onix. He expected it to do nothing, but he trusted his trainer's judgment. Unexpectedly though, Onix started screaming in pain from the electricity. The numerous attacks done against him by the bird and the mouse, while not doing much on their own, did add up with their wounds. The raw power of the electricity, which he actually managed to feel, was more than enough to sap away the remnants of Onix's strength.
The referee blinked, not believing his eyes at seeing a Ground Type being knocked out by an Electric Type attack. "O-Onix is unable to battle. The challenger has won the match."
Brock only smirked. "Smart thinking. Not many people know that Ground Types are immune to Electric Type attacks because they channel the energy into the ground."
"Yup." Cinder smirked. "When they're in the air, they're just as vulnerable to electricity as any other Pokémon."
"You did a great job." Brock said. "You overcame the odds with a massive Type disadvantage and triumphed. You've earned the Boulder Badge." He held out a small item, gray and circular with some rough edges, like a rock.
"Thanks Brock." Cinder smiled at him, then she looked at Misty. "I'll be in the Pokémon Center if you need me." She then walked out of the Gym, heading towards the Center.
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Cinder and Misty were walking out of Pewter City, heading towards Route 3, when they heard a familiar voice behind them. "Hey, Cinder, wait up!" Brock yelled, running up to the girls and panting when the three stopped.
"Brock? What are you doing here?" Cinder asked the older boy.
"I just wanted to tell you that I was extremely impressed with you. The strategies you've shown, the way you raised your Pokémon, it's not something you see every day, especially with a rookie like yourself." He sighed. "I also have a confession to make. I get more pleasure from raising Pokémon rather than Pokémon battles. I don't care about being a strong trainer or Gym Leader, I want to become the world's best Pokémon breeder." He sighed again. "But I can't leave Pewter City, I've got to look after my little siblings."
Cinder and Misty looked at one another, already knowing why he's forced to look after his family.
"Cinder." He continued. "I see in you someone who's got the heart of an incredible breeder. Can you promise me that you will raise your Pokémon to be the best they can be?"
Cinder smiled. "I was already planning to do just that, Brock."
"Brock." Flint said with emotion, suddenly appearing. "You go follow your own dreams."
"Flint?" Cinder said, confused as to why he was here.
Flint then took off his beard and beanie, revealing himself to look like an older version of Brock.
"Dad." Brock muttered with disdain.
Cinder blinked in surprise. "So you're the good-for-nothing father who left his family?"
"That's right." He said, ashamed.
"Well, I guess I can see the family resemblance." Misty said.
"One of us has to." The blind girl replied.
Flint continued. "I couldn't become the great Pokémon trainer that I wanted to be, and because of my failure and shame with both my goal and my family I couldn't find the strength to return."
"Then why did you come back now?"
Flint looked at the heterochromatic girl. "Because I sensed something special in you, kid. Something that most trainers lack." He then looked at his son. "I realized then what an idiot I've been, and it's been long overdue for me to start taking care of my family. You go fulfill your dreams, son. You deserve it."
"First, there's some things I have to tell you." Brock said, his voice carefully leveled to not reveal his emotional state.
Flint sighed. "After all these years, I can't begin to understand how you feel, so I understand it if you want to get everything off of your chest."
Brock then handed something to his father. "Here."
Flint held the item up, revealing it to be a thread and needle. "Ehh?" To say he was confused was an understatement.
Brock began talking at a very fast pace. "Suzie always rips her dresses, so you better learn how to sow. And Timmy only eats cold spaghetti for breakfast. Tommy likes cornflakes for dinner-"
Flint quickly grabbed a pen and paper. "Slow down, slow down! I can't write that fast!"
"Cindy sleepwalks, so you'll have to tie a bell to her wrist. The twins never want to take a bath, so you'll have to-"
Cinder and Misty were struggling not to laugh at the interaction between father and son, even if they started tuning out their words. "Guess you need to know a lot when taking care of a big family." Misty said.
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Later that night, Cinder and Brock were walking next to each other, Misty walking behind them, the full moon illuminating their path along Route 3. "Hey Cinder?" Brock asked. "Are you really okay with me tagging along on your journey?"
"I don't mind." Cinder shrugged. "Aside from your taunts at the Gym, you seem to be nice, for a human."
Brock, having experience in taking care with his siblings, instantly figured out that Cinder's got trust issues with humans, whilst preferring the company of Pokémon. "So, what's with the girl who keeps following you?"
The duo glanced behind them, which Misty instantly noticed. "Don't forget about my bike, Cinder Ketchum! I'm following you until you pay me back!"
"For fuck's sake, I know!" Cinder yelled back. "Pikachu, Brock, let's try to lose her!" She then started running, making sure that Pikachu would alert her of the things she couldn't see.
"Wait up, Cinder!" Brock yelled, running after the girl.
"You won't get away from me!" Misty exclaimed, chasing her target.
Just after the trio ran away from that spot, the road caved in, finally allowing Jessie, James and Meowth out of the cave network they were trapped in. "I told you guys I'd get us out of there!" James yelled in victory.
Jessie only growled. "This was all your fault!"
"Look out!" Meowth yelled, watching as a car rushed over to them. The trio ducked, though the bottom of the car still managed to bump against their heads.
Jessie groaned. "Buried alive, left like roadkill."
"We've hit rock bottom!" The trio exclaimed, just as they lost their grip and fell back into the caves.
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Pokémon Seen: 24
Pokémon Caught: 9
Cinder's Pokémon: Pikachu (M), Butterfree (M), Beedrill (F), Pidgeotto (F)
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And that's a wrap. Kakuna evolved into Beedrill, Cinder has earned the Boulder Badge, and Brock has become a traveling companion.
I also decided to add in the museum for a bit of filler, as I removed the whole training with Flint part of the episode. Cinder wouldn't charge up Pikachu like that beforehand, as she'd consider that cheating.
TheDoctor1998 here, signing out!