40Before you read this chapter, just wanted to give you guys a heads up that I uploaded two chapters at the same time and just on the off chance you skipped to this chapter, that you should go back and read chapter 4. That's just in case you accidentally skipped a chapter, now you know. Anyway, enjoy the many words below!
Chapter V: The Enigmatic Stone in Pewter
June 10th, 2006
It was right before sundown when our heroes arrived in Pewter City, meaning that the gym was most likely closed and that the local Pokémon center was taking customers. They figured they'd get a little more prepared for the gym and challenge it in a few days time, to get everyone ready for the battle ahead.
As they took in the site at the hill overlooking the town, they suddenly heard a low and gruffly voice, "Pewter City is gray, the color of stone. This town has always been famous for its stone."
Ash looked down from where he was sitting to see a man who looked to be in his early 40's with a big-spiky-beard that had no signs of going gray anytime soon. Along with some casual clothes and a read beanie that was covering his eyes. Ash spoke aloud, "Huh? What the...? Who is this guy?" He asked looking over at the girls who just shrugged as they had zero clue who he was.
"My name is Flint. And you just so happen to be sitting on some of my merchandise young man."
Realizing that he had indeed been sitting on a rock, Ash quickly stood off of the rock and apologized for it. Which then he questioned, "You sell rocks here?"
"Indeed. They're Pewter City souvenirs. Want to buy some?"
Leaf raised an eyebrow, "You're asking us if we want to buy rocks?"
Flint looked up a bit, but his eyes were still shaded by the red beanie he was wearing. "I'm a merchant. It's what I do. Now, are you going to buy something or what?" His patience looked to be running thin a bit, but his quiet tone of voice never faltered.
The girls were about to decline when Ash spoke up. "Actually, I think I will." He walked towards one of the shelves set up and looked on in wonder at one rock in particular.
Misty was a bit baffled at that. "Ash! You can't be serious! It's just a rock you're looking at, you could probably find something very similar to one like that about 100 yards that way." She pointed back into the forest.
Ash analyzed his particular rock with an intense eye, something inside of him just told him that This rock in particular was different from the rest. Didn't look all too different, apart from the fact that this one looked to be more of a rock that came from a mountain range rather than your common everyday forest that was around Kanto. It had a brownish tint to it with little carvings edged into it that formed a circle with an oval shape sticking out of the middle. Ash felt like he had seen this rock somewhere before, but couldn't exactly put his finger on it.
Flint decided to question the young man. "Why does this rock in particular intrigue you young man?"
Ash didn't even know, "I'm not entirely sure, call it a gut instinct, but something just told me the moment I saw this rock that I should buy it."
Flint knew exactly what this rock was, but didn't want to disclose it to Ash yet, "Hmm. I'll tell you one thing, this isn't any normal rock. And it might surprise you when you find out what it is. If you're willing to take it off my hands, I'd like you to go to the Pewter Museum of Science. They'll tell you exactly what it is, tell them Flint sent you."
Ash was confused, but went along with it anyway, "Uhh, sure. Why not?" He shrugged. "How much?"
"Just for you, no charge." Ash almost tripped over when he heard that, to his knowledge, it was only a rock, but apparently the people at the museum know what it is.
"But you say it's special," Ash pleaded, "The least I could do is give you some sort of payment."
"Yeah, and I could have, but trust me when I say that there's something about you young man. You and your friends over here." He nodded towards the girls. "It's not something I can put into words, just that I know you'll take good care of this rock."
"Umm." Ash wasn't sure what to say. "Thanks a lot. I guess. One more thing, can you give us some direction as to where the Pokémon center is?"
Flint looked down to see their Pokémon, which consisted of Elekid and Shinx right now and they looked like they could use a breather from all the walking they've been doing. "Your Pokémon look worn out. Follow me, the center is just down the road." He exclaimed as he stood up and gestured for them to follow. They all just shrugged once again and followed the man, the rock now in Ash's possession.
June 11th, 2006
That next morning, the trio were sitting around a table eating some breakfast and discussing their plan for the day.
Misty spoke up first, "I was thinking we'd be heading to the Pewter Museum of Science before we visit the gym, I'm really curious as to what that rock could possibly be."
Leaf chimed in. "It seems our mystery will be solved there. I agree."
Ash nods and continues eating his bacon. Misty questioned, "So, have you done your homework on the gym leader?
"I actually did as odd as that sounds." Ash began. "The gym leader is a man called Brock, uses Rock types if the stones everywhere in town weren't already obvious enough. He uses a different amount of Pokémon depending on the amount of gym badges a trainer has."
Leaf smirked as she said. "As least you were smart about it and didn't run in there with no preparation whatsoever."
Misty giggled a bit as Ash had a look of mortification on his face. "For your information missy, I DO happen to plan ahead of time on things."
Leaf snorted at that, "Yeah right. Like that one time you tried to make friends with some Weedle, then I find you tied up in a cocoon. I had to unwrap you for THREE hours!"
Their orange-haired friend couldn't hold it in anymore and just busted out laughing. She could only imagine how that even transpired.
"I don't want to talk about that, you swore you'd never bring it up again!" Ash ranted.
Leaf raised an eyebrow at that, "And Gary is a drama queen. Sheesh, I'm starting to think maybe that title belongs to you Ash." She said in a humored manner.
Ash had a look of horror on his face, "You wouldn't!"
"Maybe I would, maybe I wouldn't. Never know."
"Wait, wait, wait." Misty said as she finally calmed herself down enough to ask, "Ash got tied up into a cocoon by some Weedle?! That's embarrassing! Haha!"
Ash just put his head down in shame. He was a young, curious boy back then. He was just trying to make new friends, ultimately though, it just ended in utter humiliation, and a long shower to stop feeling sticky.
"It's good going in prepared." Misty stated as she finally calmed down enough. "I've had a fair share of trainers come in without any preparation and I sent them packing easily. Gym leaders aren't to be taken lightly, as they're meant to provide a challenge greater than most common trainers would."
Ash listened in on her advice about gym leaders. He knew they were some of the best Kanto had to offer, some more difficult than others, but he thrived on the challenge. "Well, I'm going in Tuesday as I'm ecstatic to get my first badge!"
Leaf questioned, "So who are you going to use?"
"I've thought about it," Ash said. "And I'm definitely going with Elekid as he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. I'm not sure who else though and none of my other Pokémon really have an edge over rock types. Especially Cyndaquil, unfortunately."
Misty gave her advice, "Elekid is a good choice as he knows an ice and fighting move and you could possibly solo the gym with him alone, but I would pick another just in case."
Leaf chimed in, "Whomever you choose, I think they'll do well."
Ash got encouraged by Leaf's words. "Thanks Leaf! So have you decided on a goal yet? I know you've been thinking about it a lot."
"No." Leaf shook her head. "It's just difficult, I love battling, but gyms are your thing, I wouldn't want to take that away from you."
The red-head suggested. "What about PWT? They're always looking for new trainers to join their ranks and you said you like battling. Maybe give that a shot, you never know until you try."
Leaf thought about it and it did make sense. She loved battling almost as much as Ash does, but something inside of her just told her that being a Pokémon master wouldn't be her long-term goal. Gym battles were fun in their own right, but she felt something else was out there for her. Maybe it Was PWT.
So they continued talking about various subjects such as type advantages, possible future captures, etc. before heading out to find the Pewter Museum of Science. Leaf brought up a map of the city on her X2 and began leading the way to the museum.
The duo decided to bring out their first Pokémon (Cyndaquil and Sentret) today to walk along with them, as they liked having their Pokémon in the fresh air. Misty had seen them use their X2 devices quite a bit and questioned what they were. Leaf explained that their X2 were essentially computers on their wrist, and that they could do just about anything, like having a GPS, a video call system, as well as that being their Pokédex. Misty was fascinated and wondered if she could get one. Ash told her it was still in its development stages, but might have an idea as to where he could get her one.
Eventually, after about 15 minutes of walking, they had finally arrived to the Museum and decided to walk in.
They were greeted by a woman who was behind a desk by the door. "Good morning. Welcome to the Pewter Museum of Science. My name is Amy, may I be of any assistance to you today?" She seemed like your average Kanto woman, about 5'6" in height, brunette hair with forest-green eyes, wearing a gray Museum uniform.
The group turned and Ash greeted her. "Hi there, my name is Ash. I was hoping you could help us out in telling us what exactly this is." He finished as he brought out the rock he received from Flint the previous day.
Amy eyed it for a second before stating, "Our head scientist, Jack will be able to tell you more about it. He's currently at the back of the museum so I'll call him up front for you. If you want, we have a lounge area right over there for you to wait." She explains as she points to a really nice lounge area. The seats look to be made of fine black leather, the same as the couple couches that were scattered around it as well.
She paged for the scientist and informed him to come to the lounge area. About a minute later, a more elderly looking man was walking up to the trio who were patiently waiting. He looked to be in his late 50's, early 60's, was about 5'11" tall and was wearing a casual scientist lab-coat that didn't seem to be anything too fancy. The most noticeable thing the kids saw when they looked at him was the odd limp he seemed to be walking on. He seems to favor his right leg a bit and Leaf took notice of the knee brace supporting this man. She wondered what had happened, but wasn't about to ask him in respect of his privacy.
When he took notice of the kids, he limped his way over and waved at them and spoke, "Ah! You must be the kids Amy was talking about. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the head scientist at this museum, but you may call me Jack." They took notice of how deep his voice was, it was very different from the light voice and higher-pitched voice that Professor Oak had.
Ash spoke up first, "Hi Jack! My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and these are my friends, Leaf and Misty." They both waved at the elderly-man.
"Pallet Town." Jack started. "A quaint little place, home to the world-renown Professor Oak yes?"
Leaf nodded. "That's correct. He taught us everything we know about Pokémon. Though, not so much about rocks. We came here today hoping to get some answers."
"I was told you have something you'd like to show me. Perhaps I could be of assistance to you." Jack gestured for them to bring out their item.
Ash slung his backpack over the chair he was sitting on and began digging through it before bringing out the infamous rock that has remained a mystery up until this point. He handed the rock over to the scientist as he began his examination.
"Interesting item you have young man." He said. "Tell me, where exactly did you get this artifact?"
Ash raised an eyebrow at the word 'artifact' but continued, "Some guy outside of town gave this to me. He told us to tell you it came from Flint. Said we would get the answers here."
The scientist's eyes widened, "Did you say Flint? He hasn't been around for many months, but if what you're saying is true...he's finally returned."
Misty questioned, "Hold on a second. You speak of this Flint guy, but who is he exactly?"
The scientist quickly rebounded from his face of awe and informed her, "Flint was our main excavator for fossils. He would go into the mountains around Pewter, most notoriously, Mount Moon and bring back fossils for us to study and hope to one day revive."
"So you mean..." Misty was starting to piece together what this piece of rock actually was.
"Yes." Jack nodded. "What you have brought me..." He paused for a second. "Is a fossil."
"A FOSSIL?" All three yelled out simultaneously.
"Yes. If you please, follow me." He began walking to a different area of the museum with the group in tow. They eventually came to a set of doors and the scientist gestured for them to follow him through them. When they walked into the new room, they were astounded by what they saw.
The room they walked into was gigantic, with the ceiling at least twenty to thirty feet in the air with cooling fans spiraling towards the top. The room had to be at least a couple hundred feet in both length and width, if not larger. The place was littered with machines everywhere, all doing various things that the trio had no clue what each could possibly do. Scientists were moving left and right all throughout the room, doing various things that seemed to look important.
Old Pokémon bones were on a couple of the tables with more scientists looking through microscopes and screen displaying some sort of data that looked foreign to our heroes, but Ash noticed an entire skeleton of an old Pokémon which looked to be of Aerodactyl, an old Pokémon that went extinct a millennia of generations ago. To see the remains of one astounded Ash as he had never seen anything like it.
As they continued walking Leaf and Misty were taking in the sights as they continued to follow the lead-scientist, this place was truly amazing and both wondered how much was discovered here. Misty notified Leaf to look over to where she was looking and saw that there were actual Pokémon being researched here.
Leaf had always imagined that labs tortured and humiliated Pokémon, but the view in front of her changed her perspective of it all. The scientists attending to the Pokémon were very gentle with the creatures and they showed care and respect to the Pokémon they were working with.
Pokémon from all sizes they saw, from Pokémon as small as Diglett and Magnemite, to huge giants like Arbok and even Onix were treated with the utmost care and respect as the scientists continued to do their work.
Cyndaquil and Sentret were astounded at what they saw, watching these Pokémon and feeling their content with being there made them happy. Fellow Pokémon always wanted the best for each other and the joyous feeling that was hitting them was a relief to say the least. They had heard tales of Pokémon in these types of places being mistreated and abused, so when they saw that no Pokémon here was getting harsh treatment, they felt a new sense of respect for humans.
Catching their disbelief, Scientist Jack commented, "I can tell that all 5 of you are in awe of this place."
Ash, Lead and Misty just nodded, not really trusting their words at the moment. Ash's jaw was literally hanging from his mouth, while Leaf and Misty were still wide-eyed.
He laughed as he continued, "This place truly is magnificent. It Is the largest laboratory in Kanto, only the finest is expected out of everyone here."
They walked a little more before Jack stopped in front of an area that consisted of a machine of some kind, a table that had various vials of liquid stored in them, a leather chair, a digital clock on the wall that told the time in bright red numbers, and a wall-phone that was silver in color.
Jack spoke up as he turned on the machine, "The reason I brought you three here today is because I wanted to confirm that this artifact truly is a fossil. We've had rocks similar to this one look like fossils, but have been duds when ran through this machine. What this piece of equipment does is verify that whatever is put into it, is legit, as well at tell us what exactly it is. As long as its been documented, it'll know right quick. Should this be a fossil, and by my eyes, it is, then it will tell us what kind of fossil it is as well. Are you ready to see magic happen?"
"YEAH!" The trio screamed in glee.
"Alrighty then! Inserting fossil in now." He said as he place the fossil onto the little plate that was used for scanning items.
They watched as red lights began to spew out from the machine onto the fossil, most certainly, gathering data from the outside to trace back to its known information to find a match. The lights were almost like bar codes in the sense that they were very narrow, and of course red.
It was another minute or so before the scanning process was done and began printing out something on a piece of paper. The elderly scientist picked up the paper and began reading its contents before nodding to himself and turning to the kids.
He said, "Well, I can indeed confirm that this is a fossil. No question about it."
All three of their faces lit up like a Christmas tree at the exciting news. "That's great!" Leaf said. "So what kind of fossil is it?"
He began reading the paper once again and spoke, "It appears to be that of a Skull fossil. So at one point in time, the creature behind this was a Cranidos."
Misty spoke out. "Fascinating. It's truly incredible how long this fossil has lasted. Does it say how old this fossil is?"
Jack shook his head. "Unfortunately, no exact date is mentioned, as more testing would need to be done. I can give a good approximation though. Based on its color and shape alone, I could get that this is anywhere from fifty-million to one-hundred-million years old."
"Really?"
"Really. Even more so, it looks like it could have the possibility of being revived."
If any eyes weren't bulging out of their sockets at this point, they were now. To revive a Pokémon fossil, it needs to be in pristine condition to even qualify. Fossils cannot be chipped, scathed or broken in any form, otherwise, the revival process will not work. Furthermore, it is required for some DNA traces to be leftover on a fossil to build up that new body that it once had. Luckily, Pokémon DNA can be found inside of the fossils, but it isn't the easiest process to extract it without damaging the shell. Hence why there aren't many fossils that can be revived and even less ancient Pokémon from many a millennia ago.
"You think that this fossil can be brought back to life Jack?" Ash questioned.
"If we can find DNA traces, absolutely. The Pewter Museum of Science is more than just a museum. We have world-class, top of the line scientists, like myself, to understand and figure out the astronomy of all life on this planet. We will do our best to make sure it sees the light of day once more."
"That's amazing!" Leaf exclaimed. "So, how long does it take to revive?"
"The resurrection process does take some time to complete. It's a complex system of requirements that must be taken with the upmost delicacy, in a certain order. On average, a fossil takes upwards of six months to fully resurrect, and that's assuming we find the DNA. "
Leaf sighed. "Another long wait for a Pokémon that we would like to see." She elaborated more to the scientist. "One of our Pokemon," she gestured towards Ash and herself, "were actually in eggs for a very long time, and it wasn't until recently that we were able to see them."
Jack understood completely. "Ah yes, eggs. A fresh egg does take a good long while to hatch."
"Eventually, they became our Pokemon though, so it was definitely worth the wait."
"I see." Jack looked down to see their Cyndaquil and Sentret out and marveled at the sight of the Shiny Pokemon. "I noticed your Sentret was of an unusual color. Do you know how rare that is?"
Leaf nodded. "I do sir. Professor Oak said that this little one was exceptionally rare. It was all alone and sad one day while I was in Johto, so I took her in. She was my very first Pokemon!"
"Sentret!" The little cream-colored said as it jumped up into Leaf arms to show her affection. Leaf had a wide smile on her face as she scratched behind Sentret's ears, her favorite spot.
"A good bond with your Pokemon is always a great thing. It shows trust and that is something anybody with eyes can see." Jack explained.
"Do you have any Pokemon Jack?" Ash questioned the scientist.
He nodded and said. "I do, and they have been tremendously helpful to me over the years. I couldn't ask for anything more out of them. Unfortunately though, it is time for me to get back to work. I appreciate you bringing in this fossil and we'll do everything we can to bring it back to life. Since you were the ones that brought it in, you will be the first we contact if we find success. You said you have ties with Professor Oak, so we'll contact him to relay the message to you down the line. Is that fair?"
"That's fair." Ash said.
Since they wanted to get some training in, Jack led them out of the museum and told them to stop by any time they wished for either updates or just to look around. They told him they'd be back one day and that they would look forward to it.
June 13th, 2006
Two days have passed since their departure from the Museum and discovering that their rock was actually a well-kept fossil. During this time, the duo got in a bit of training, with some help and pointers coming from Misty. There wasn't anything spectacular over the past 48 hours, except for the training obviously, and getting to look around the museum a little more since they didn't get much of a view in the main area last time.
Pikachu and Vulpix were still segregating themselves from the main training group, however, they were taking an interest in the training and seeing how much Ash and Leaf care about their Pokemon to help them get as strong as they could be. Their trainers wished they would join the group, but knew they had to be patient with them since they were very new to the group still.
Both trainers realized that they had completely forgotten to call their mothers' and were terrified of the call ahead of them. One can expect a verbal confrontation and they got one indeed. Let's just say a lot of sorry's were said and a lot of promises claiming that they would call them more often. The rest shall a mystery.
Flint somehow appeared out of nowhere the previous night and he overheard them talking about the gym. He laughed and almost mocked them as he explained that he couldn't beat Brock and his rock Pokemon. It was a bit irritating for Ash, but that infuriated his Pokémon, Elekid especially seemed to have taken offense to that. After he had walked off, Ash had to encourage his Pokémon and that with hard work and dedication, they'd be able to beat the gym.
That same previous night, he had chosen his Pokémon to use in the upcoming gym battle and made sure not to tell the girls until it happened. He had figured that they had already figured out he was using Elekid, but his second Pokémon, neither one of them would see coming. He only had three choices to choose from and since Elekid was a given, only two to choose from. Pikachu didn't even come up as a thought for Ash since he can't get him to train with the group, let alone ask for its assistance in battle. All he knew was that he would be battling today for sure.
Right now though, they are standing right in front of the gym and nobody was really impressed with the design. Laying there was just a bunch of stones that somehow kept the structure intact with the words "Pewter Gym" in the top-left corner of the largest stone. Lots of gray and nothing fancy, but it served its purpose.
"This is the Pewter Gym?" Ash questioned.
"Cynda-quil?" His fire Pokémon questioned.
"Yeah," Leaf said standing right beside him, "My X2 led us here and it does say Pewter Gym if you look at the sign, er, Stone...Stone sign." She finished with an awkward tone edged in her voice.
"Have you ever been here Misty?" Ash asked his newest friend.
"Nope. Gym leaders don't really have a reason to visit other gyms. You can visit them obviously, but I've never had any reason to come here." Misty explained, standing on the other side of Ash.
"Fo. Fo-Mantis." Leaf's Pokémon, Gaige said.
"Well, let's go!" Ash exclaimed as he held the door open for his friends. They both showed their gratitude as they walked in with Ash behind him.
The gym leader itself wasn't all that appealing to the eye, mainly because there wasn't much to see. It was dim at best and not much could be seen other than silhouettes of what looked to be some podiums holding the gym up.
"Hello?!" Ash called out to get someone's attention.
The three kids looked around before they heard, "Who goes there?"
They turned to where that voice came from and saw a light appear to show what looked to be a teenager, with his eyes closed! Sitting in an Indian style position. Criss-Cross Applesauce if you will.
Ash took note of his appearance, his eyes were closed, which Ash found weird, but other than that, he looked to be an average teenager. Tanned skin, with quite the spiky hair. His attire looked to just be everyday clothes, an orange T-Shirt with a green vest and brown jeans. He guessed Brock was no older than sixteen.
"So you must be Brock!" Ash called out as he face towards him. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! I challenge you to a Gym battle!"
"Is this your first Gym match?" The rock leader questioned.
Ash nodded. "The first of many." He finished with a look of readiness.
"Then you should know that a gym match is different from other battles. This match is for Pokémon league authorization. There are special rules." He informed the young man.
Ash was quick to inform Him of the rules. "Right. For beginning trainers, you usually do a two versus two match."
Brock was impressed. "You seem to have done your homework. Most rookies come in here without a clue of what their doing. That is their downfall. Tell me, how long have you been with that Pokémon?" He points to Ash's fire type.
"About three years now. We've been quite a team! In terms of our journey though, about a week and a half." Ash voiced with authority.
Brock nodded. "Yes, your Cyndaquil seems to be very well trained. It Might have a chance to win." He finished with a cocky smirk.
This ticked Ash off. "What do you mean Might huh? Just because he's a fire type in a rock gym, doesn't mean he's completely outmatched. Just worry about your own Pokémon and I'll worry about mine."
"Suit yourself." Brock stated. "As a gym leader, I have to accept every challenge. So let's just get this over with." With that, he snapped his fingers.
When noise vibrated through the mini-arena, the light above the trio flickered on and the walls began to open unveiling a battlefield of rocks that almost seemed to shape mini-mountains. They quickly got out of the way with Ash heading over to the trainer box with the girls heading up to the viewing area. After another minute, the two halves of the battlefield connected together almost like that one missing piece from a puzzle.
Ash had returned his fire type after the two halves of the battlefield clicked together, Brock leapt from his sitting position onto his trainer box and said. "Let the match begin!"
GYM BATTLE
BROCK STONE VS. ASH KETCHUM
BATTLE BEGIN!
"Alright! Elekid, I Choose You!" Ash yelled out as he threw Elekid's Pokéball high into the air. When it opened, a flash of light sprang out from the inside of the ball with Elekid's form taking shape right in front of his trainer. "KID!" It shouted out.
"Geodude, GO!" Brock yelled from his side of the battlefield. Out came a rock type Pokémon (obviously) who's body took to the shape of a geode rock that sprouted arms. "Dude!" It cried out.
"Okay Elekid." Ash voiced out to his electric type. "This is our first big gym match together. Do your best out there!"
"El-Ki" It responded back while flexing his arms.
Brock shouted. "I'll start, Geodude, use your Tackle attack!"
Geodude, with quite the precision, landed its full-body tackle and knocked Elekid a few feet backwards. The impact didn't seem to affect Elekid as much as Brock might have intended, but still did some damage nonetheless.
"It's fast. But we're faster. Show them some real speed and use Quick Attack, followed by an Ice Punch!"
Without hesitation, the electric Pokémon leapt forward with its quick attack, while also charging up an Ice Punch. Since both Pokémon were close proximity, the move happened in a flash. Elekid smacked Geodude across the face with his left fist that was his Quick Attack, while at the same time, turning around and back-handing the rock type with a super effective Ice maneuver.
The Quick Attack alone wouldn't have done much, but combining two moves, especially one that involves an ice type, made the callout quite effective. Geodude is looking a bit gassed now.
Brock was a bit impressed, he hadn't seen a move that effective against his rock Pokémon in quite some time. "Geodude, fight back with a rollout!"
Granting his trainer's wish, the Geode-like rock Pokémon began spinning about like a bowling ball reaching for its pins. It managed to strike Elekid twice before a counter of his own came into play.
"Use Low Kick to counter it!"
By the time Geodude was coming back around for his third strike, Elekid has already powered up his left leg with the fighting type energy. When the rock Pokémon was about to connect, Elekid knocked his opponent back quite a number of feet and into some rocks on the battlefield. The electric Pokémon went for a complete knockout and that's exactly what he got.
Looking to his Pokémon, Brock saw that it had swirls in his eyeballs, signaling that he could no longer continue.
The Pewter gym leader can't even remember the last time his Geodude got bested so quickly. He looked over to his opponent's Elekid and saw how well-trained he looked. It was no easy task to teach Ice Punch, let alone Low Kick to any Pokmeon, no matter the skill level. And yet here was this no-name, coming in and wiping the floor with an upward tier Pokémon of his. His downfall in this encounter was underestimation. Well, no more.
Misty and Leaf were quite amazed at what just happened. "Well, that happened." Misty said.
Leaf only smiled. "That's Ash for you. His drive to become the best only makes him stronger. You'll have some tough competition Misty." She said turning to her new friend.
Misty could only nod as she watched the battle continue on. Even though Ash had the advantage now, this battle was far from over.
After returning Geodude, Brock voiced out. "It seems I have underestimated you if you were able to knock out my Geodude so quickly."
"We're just getting warmed up!" Ash answered back with enthusiasm.
"El-Elekid!" His electric Pokémon chanted.
The rock type gym leader seemed impressed with their confidence. "Well get ready, because the next Pokémon won't be so easy. Onix, GO!" He yelled as he threw his next Pokémon in the air.
What revealed was a large snake-like Pokémon whose body was cluttered with rocks from head to tail. What was most notable was the sheer size this Pokémon possessed. It had to be at least 25, if not 30 feet long in length. This thing was massive.
Ash and Leaf had read about Onix in their studies, but this was their first time in actually seeing one this close and they were astonished. They both had general knowledge on Onix, but seeing how great it was and how much mass it consumed in sheer space alone. It was just a 'wow' moment for them.
But Ash had to focus, or else he wouldn't be getting his gym badge today. Ash was positive that Brock had stronger Pokémon in his arsenal if trainers came to him with more badges than his, so he knew that Brock wouldn't send out a Pokémon that would absolutely crush his. It may out due Elekid in size, but certainly not speed. Ash would use that to his advantage.
He noticed his Elekid shiver a bit in fear. Who wouldn't if you had to face something at least ten-plus times your size.
"Stay focused Elekid." Ash told his second ever Pokémon. He turned to his trainer. "Now's not the time to show fear. You're strong, you can do this. I believe in you!"
Elekid looked his trainer in the eye and saw how sincere he was. He realized that this battle was his, as long as he was in control, he would be able to win. He just had to follow his trainer and he would be alright. He finally nodded towards Ash.
"Great! Now use Ice Punch to weaken it!" Ash called out his command.
Elekid bolted from his position and started powering up his right fist with the ice type energy he possessed.
Brock was quick though, "Onix, use Dig and get underground!"
Quick as lightning, Onix obeyed his trainer and dug his way underground just in time before the ice punch connected. All Elekid hit was a mini-mountain which completely crumbled slightly before freezing entirely.
"Stay wary Elekid! We don't know where Onix is. Listen out for it if you can!" Ash let his electric know.
Elekid responded with another nod and closed his eyes to try and hear out where exactly Onix was. But he was too late because as soon as he closed his eyes to focus on the sounds underneath his feet, Onix came charging up and knocked Elekid right into another rock with his tail.
Since Dig was a ground-type move, it was super effective and Elekid looked like he had seen better days. He shook his head and tried to focus on the task at hand, but was seeing stars as he saw three Onix for a second before shaking his head again to get the dizziness out of his eyes.
Brock wasn't done though, "Onix, use Bind on Elekid!"
Since Elekid was still a bit dizzy, he was unable to comprehend anything until he felt roughness wrap around his body. It was only then he realized that he was completely surrounded by rocks and they were squeezing tighter.
Ash was worried that this battle might not last longer. Elekid was his trump card on this battle and he needed him healthy for as long as possible. He looked for any openings and luckily for him, he did. "Elekid, use Low Kick on Onix's face!"
Elekid's left leg just so happened to not completely wrapped in Onix's Bind. He luckily was able to hear his trainer's commands and started swinging his left leg into Onix's face to try and get free. Again, fighting type moves deal quite some damage to rocks and Elekid had gotten three hits in before something else happened.
"Onix, continue your Bind and Slam Elekid into the ground!"
Onix roared at his trainer's commands and slammed Elekid hard into the ground. The end result was swirls in the electric type's eyes, meaning he was down for the count.
Ash only then realized he made a bad call. You never want a Pokémon standing still when your opponent is using Dig. He berated himself over a mistake like this. Elekid did the absolute best that he could, but his judgement prevented Elekid from doing better. He'd have to apologize later.
Now Ash had a difficult choice to make. Cyndaquil and Kaz were not as great of options as Elekid was since Cyndaquil was weak to rock types and Kaz was still a bit young, so he was worried sending him out in battle might be a mistake. And Pikachu wasn't even a thought crossing Ash's mind at the moment. He was really was in a bind of his own.
He swore he would do this battle all on his own and boy he was going to do it. "Elekid, return." He called out as the fainted electric type returned to his home.
He whispered to it. "I'm sorry I let you fail. I hope you'll forgive me." He finished as he put his Pokéball back on his belt and grabbed another. "Cyndaquil, I choose you!"
He threw the Pokéball and out came his starter. He was raring to go, and it was only then he realized the challenge. Standing in front of him was this colossus of a Pokémon. Cyndaquil knew he couldn't be afraid though, he couldn't let Ash down, especially with the high stakes.
Leaf and Misty widened their eyes when they saw Ash's fire type make its appearance on the field. They knew that Ash knew that fire types were extremely weak to Rock types. They just hoped Ash knew what he was doing.
Brock was moderately surprised when he saw a fire type staring down his Onix. Usually he would see a water type, or even a grass type standing across from him when he released his Onix. He wondered what Ash had up his sleeve.
Cyndaquil was raring to go while Onix looked a bit injured because of those three low kicks he took square in the face. Ash was thankful he was able to get something in before Elekid was done.
Ash had a plan in mind, but it was extremely risky. If luck wasn't on his side here, he was not winning this battle.
"Cyndaquil, use Ember on Onix!" Ash commanded.
Brock now knew what Ash was thinking of and wasn't going to allow it if he had anything to say about it. "Onix, use Rock Throw to block!"
Since Ash had yelled out his command first, the embers started flying towards Onix before Brock got his call in and managed to strike it a bit before the Rock Throw blocked any and all access of the embers reaching its target.
Ash looked on and was disappointed that he didn't get what he was looking for, but he was not going to give up. "Cyndaquil, use that speed you possess to your advantage and use Flame Wheel!"
"Onix!" Brock shouted. "Dodge that Flame Wheel!"
Cyndaquil dashed off from his position and began spinning and generating heat from his body. Because he was spinning, the intensity of the heat was stronger than any ember could ever reach. Onix tried to get away from the mouse Pokémon, but he was too massive and the attack made its mark on Onix's tail.
After the attack connected, Onix's tail began to catch on fire and was now slightly burning.
Ash was elated at that, he knew the only way Cyndaquil could survive this by battle was playing the long game and used a luck-based strategy in hopes of getting a burn onto Onix and luckily for him, that strategy worked to perfection.
"Onix, use Tackle!" Brock commaned.
"Dodge it Cyndaquil!"
Since Onix was a large Pokémon, it was difficult to actually hit the fire-mouse Pokémon as wherever he would launch his body towards, the fire-type kept dashing out of that direction. Each time Onix missed its tackle though, it would take damage from the burn that was implanted by the fire type.
Brock wasn't giving up though, if his Pokémon was taking damage overtime, so would his opponent's. "Onix, change of plans. Use Sandstorm!"
The rock-snake began pounding on the ground with its tail and began spewing up dust that began circling almost like a tornado, only far less concentrated. Cyndaquil began taking in the effects of the sandstorm as little pricks began jabbing him. Each singular bit of damage he took didn't cause too much damage, but they were adding up fast.
Ash knew he was really on a limit now. But what could he do? He began looking around for some sort of idea, but nothing was coming to him. He just had to tough it out as much as he could and have faith that his starter could hold on.
One idea just came to mind though, "Cyndaquil, get on Onix's back and use Flame Wheel!"
It may not do too much damage, but everything helps. Cyndaqui bolted at his trainer's command and began climbing onto the large rock type's back and began charging up his attack.
"Shake it off Onix!" Brock yelled out.
When Onix began quivering his body, the fire type lost his balance and his attack cancelled. However, because he was in between one of the rocks at the time, Cyndaquil fell in to one of its small crevices and was now jammed in there.
When Ash saw this, he realized two things. Cyndaquil wasn't taking damage anymore and he had the rock type vulnerable."Cyndaquil! If you can hear me, use Flame Wheel where you are!"
Things were quiet for a moment before the rock-snake began shouting out in pain as the combination of the Flame Wheel and the burn status effect were taking place at the same time.
"Onix NO!" Brock shouted out. He had never had this happen to him before, where a Pokémon got stuck in between a couple of Onix's rocks. The rock type kept yelling in agony before falling to the ground with swirls in its eyes.
The battle was over.
Out of one of the cervices, Cyndaquil could be spotted poking its head out wondering why Onix had fallen. It only took a second to dawn on him that he had actually won his first major battle.
"We did it Cyndaquil!" Ash voiced out.
The fire type heard what he said and ran over to his trainer and leapt at him. Ash caught him and began celebrating what an awesome victory it was.
Brock sighed as he pulled out his Pokéball and said, "Onix return." After the rock-snake was back in its home, Brock said, "You did amazing out there. Take a good rest."
He then looked up to see Ash celebrating and he honestly couldn't blame him. It was a tough battle and one that Brock hadn't experienced in such a long time. He hated seeing his Pokémon getting hurt though, it was never fun for him in that aspect, but providing a good challenge towards new and upcoming trainers was part of the gig. He actually couldn't even remember the last time he had lost. And when he did, the trainers were monotone at best, and yet this one was celebrating like he won the PokéPower lottery. There was something about him.
He walked over and that's when Ash noticed he was there and stopped talking and listened. "You impressed me today Ash, I honestly haven't had a battle as exhilarating and exciting like that in a long time. With that, I present you this, the Boulder Badge."
It was quite a simple design, an octagon-shaped shiny rock is what it represented. Ash took the badge in pride and added it to the inside of his vest. His first one of many. "Thanks Brock! It was an awesome battle!"
By that time, the girls had come running down from the stands to congratulate him. "That was amazing Ash! Congratulations on winning your first badge!" Leaf voiced to her best friend.
Misty joined in as well. "Well done Ash! You earned that badge!"
Brock was curious though. "I have to wonder though, how did you know that the crevices that are in between the rocks on Onix were his weak point? Usually, that's something only highly-skilled trainers know about."
Ash began rubbing the back of his head. "Honestly, I didn't know. When you had Onix wiggling around trying to get my Cyndaquil off, he just so happened to fall in there. I knew that was my only shot so I took it. I read about rock types having a really tough exterior, but in turn, having quite a soft interior. In the heat of battle though, I had completely forgotten about that. I'll have to remember that for the next time."
He then turned to his Cyndaquil, "You did a great job toughing it out and having faith in me, for that I'm forever grateful. You're training is paying off, and sooner or later, you'll become the strongest of your kind. Just look at what you did, in your first major battle you managed to beat a Pokémon that makes up at least 40 of you and had a type advantage. Keep that kind of passion up, and you'll always succeed Cyndaquil."
His words came from the heart and Cyndaquil knew that. He had won and Ash was proud of him because of it. The fire-mouse began tearing up a little; he had known it before, but that statement just solidified it. He would never fail Ash if he had any say in it.
Ash patted his back and said, "Take a rest alright? You've had enough excitement for one day." He explained as he returned Cyndaquil to his Pokéball.
After that was done, he turned to Brock once more and said. "Thanks again Brock. It was an awesome battle!"
He swatted his words, "No Ash, thank you. I actually learned a lot from this battle. I learned that I have so much more to learn about Pokémon. I learned to never underestimate anybody no matter how they look or act." Brock stopped as he began thinking about something. "You know it was never my intention to become a gym leader right?"
Ash's eyes widened at that. "What? Then why are you a gym leader then?"
Brock sighed, how could he put this? "Truth is, I always wanted to be a breeder. I never cared to make my Pokémon stronger just for the sake of getting stronger. For me...it was always about creating that bond with my Pokémon my own way. I don't want to force them to fight because it's what I want, I just them to be happy. That's why I've always wanted to be a breeder, and I fully intended to become one...that is until my father left."
"Your father?" Leaf questioned.
He nodded. "My father was the original leader of the Pewter gym. He was always the one who oversaw the entire operation here. But when my mom died, he figured he could just walk out and never look back. Since then, I've been taking care of ten little brothers and sisters all on my own, while running this gym. I had to give up my dream in order to care of the ones that should have been my parents' jobs to take care of. They counted on me, I could never leave them alone."
Ash felt sympathy for Brock, while Leaf and Misty had a tear rolling down their faces at the sad tale they were hearing. They all knew it was totally unfair to Brock, they just wish they could do something about it.
Suddenly, the front doors to the gym opened up and in came the same guy that gave the trio that rock, now known fossil. Flint.
He walked up to Brock and stood a few feet away from him. He suddenly reached up and took off his red beanie, nothing surprisingly there until he suddenly took off His BEARD! They were so confused.
"FLINT?!" Ash exclaimed. They were all completely startled when the man took off his beard. Leaf was completely confused. "Why do you look like Brock?" She finished as she looked back at the Pewter gym leader. It was only then she started connecting the pieces in her brain.
Brock answered to the group. "He's my father." A bit of disdain was in his voice.
All three kids were flabbergasted at this point. Looks of shock, surprise and disbelief were on their faces. Brock's face looked to have a bit of resentment as he stared down his father. "Brock...I know my actions are inexcusable. After your mother died, I felt abandoned. And I didn't know how to deal with the pain of her gone. I figured if I could achieve my dream of becoming a Pokémon trainer, that it would all go away. Not only did I not achieve that, but I failed miserably. It wasn't the only thing I failed miserably on though, as I failed on being a father to MY children. I should have never let you do my job, and for that, I am truly sorry. It's time I start taking care of my family, you go on and live your dreams Brock. Find the path you wish to walk on, go out there and achieve every single thing you've wanted over the years. Do what you want, not what you're forced to do."
Brock immediately responded. "First, there are some things I have to tell you."
"After all these years, you must have a lot of pent-up frustration, so I want you to get everything off your chest."
"Here." Brock gave his father what looked to be a miniature sewing kit. "Uhhh..."
Everyone was just confused at that. Leaf had sworn that Brock was going to berate his father about not taking care of the responsibilities that he should have been taking care of all these years, while Ash's mind just went blank when he saw the thread and needle. Brock then started listing off a million different things that his father needed to do if he truly wanted to start taking care of his family.
Flint then began flailing his arms around all comedic like as he tried to get Brock to slow down as he pulled out a pen and notepad that he just so happened to have on him and began hurriedly listing things off as best as he could while trying to keep up. "Slow down, slow down, I can't write that fast!"
Brock was going a hundred miles an hour with his list of things that his father needed to know to take care of his children. It was humorous to the trio as they tried to suppress their laughter as they watched the scene unfold in front of them. It went on for another couple of minutes before Brock finally stopped and Flint was still writing things down on his notepad.
When he seemed to finally finish that, Brock looked at his father and said, "I know it's a lot, but it was a lot for me when I first started with this. If I can do it, you can do it. I'm trusting you dad." He finished with a look that said 'You are going to do this.'
Flint seemed a bit scared at that look and quickly complied. "Yes son. I have everything I need to know. Everything will be fine, I promise you."
Brock nodded. "Good."
Ash then walked up to Brock and said, "You know Brock. If you're going out on a journey, why not come with us? We'd enjoy having another member to have around. What do you say?"
Brock looked stunned. He questioned, "You really wouldn't mind having me around?"
It was then, Leaf chimed in. "Not at all. The more the merrier. Right Misty?"
The cerulean gym leader nodded, "Yeah, I think it'd be fun."
Brock had nothing else to lose so he jumped at the opportunity. "I'd love to travel with you guys. Alright, let's do this!" He finished with a grin.
After they were done with the gym, they had all agreed to meet up at the Pokémon center the next day once business was taken care of. The trio would head back there to get Ash's Pokémon healed up while Brock and Flint went to their home to help Brock get packed for the journey he was finally able to go on. And to reintroduce Flint to his kids and let them know what was going on.
The aforementioned trio did a couple things back at the center. After getting Ash's Pokémon healed up, the duo decided to call their mothers on account of the promise they had made since they didn't want to feel the wrath of them ever again. It was mostly just a casual discussion with Ash mentioning that he won his first gym badge and that his mom was proud of him. He updated Professor Oak as well and updated him on anything that had happened, which wasn't much that the professor needed.
Ash had excused himself and went to a secluded area to talk to his Elekid. He let him out and the trainer could see that his electric type was disappointed in himself. "Elekid." Ash spoke.
His second Pokémon looked up to him with sad eyes before looking back down in shame. He had failed his trainer and Ash could tell what was going through his mind. "You didn't fail me Elekid." He stated. This brought life to the Pokémon's eyes as he looked back up. "You may have been defeated today, but in the end, we won the battle. It doesn't matter if you finished it, or if Cyndaquil finished it, you paved the way for us to win. It was a group effort, that's what battling is all about. If anything, I failed you."
"KID?!" He looked defiant and he shook his head and pointed to himself.
Ash shook his head though. "No, it was my fault. I left you in a place of vulnerability by telling you to stand still. It was my mistake and don't say it was yours, you were just following a command I made. Don't be so hard on yourself, we all lose sometimes. You just have to pick yourself back up and move on. Please, don't drag yourself down simply because you didn't finish the battle all on your own. I relied on you yes, but I also relied on Cyndaquil as well. I had faith in both of you."
Elekid thought about what he said and realized he was right. Elekid wanted to be strong for his trainer, he knew about his disadvantage in battle, but didn't let it get to him. Ash was just reminding him of what he could do within his limit, and Elekid just so happened to reach his.
Ash scratched behind Elekid's plug on his head, "You may not have electricity at your disposal, but you have everything else. We'll make you the strongest of your kind. I promise that, the same promise I made to Cyndaquil. Just believe in yourself and I'll take you there. Alright?"
Elekid wanted to get as strong as he could and he knew Ash would take him there. So he nodded and suddenly he was back in bright spirits. "Now come on." Ash stated as he stood up. "I hear some dinner is waiting for us and I don't know about you, but I'm starving after today's battle."
At the mention of food, Elekid was dashing out the door already. Ash laughed and tried to catch up.
June 14th, 2006
Ash, Leaf, Misty, and Brock for that matter, all woke up feeling great. It was a new day, and they were heading into a new direction in their lives, especially Brock. After so many years of having to put his dreams to the side in order to take care of his family, he was finally getting out there and discovering what the world had to offer. It had honestly been the lightest he felt in years, as the weight of the world had been taken off of his shoulders.
They had made plans to head out of town a little after 9 A.M, as Mount Moon was about a day's walk from Pewter City. From there, it was another day's walk to get to Cerulean, which is where their next destination was.
Brock took a quick shower to get ready for the first day of his new life. When he had went to bed that previous night, he had expected things to be a mess and that he would have to help clean it up, but that wouldn't be the case. When he stepped out into the living area, he noticed everything that needed to be done, seemed to have been already taken care of. He noticed his dad repeatedly checking his notepad that he had scribbled on and was amused by it. It would take him some time to get use to, but he knew his father would be alright. Everybody seemed to be enjoying their breakfast, especially Timmy with his cold spaghetti. Yep, they'd be fine.
...
The group, now consisting of four trainers, were standing with their backs turned to the path that led to Mount Moon. In front of them, was Brock's entire family, all ten brothers and sisters, as well as their father. Brock had been hugging each one of his little brothers and sisters, making him promise that they'll behave and accept their father. But not without giving him a bit of a hard time as punishment.
He then got to his brother Forrest, "Well little brother, it looks like you've officially become the big brother of the household. Make sure to help dad take care of those knuckleheads, they will appreciate it."
"I will Brock." Stated Forrest. "If I could help you take care of them, then dad shouldn't be too much of a hassle."
He then went to whisper in Forrest's ear, "And I better not hear you peaking on Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny. At least when I'm not around." He finished with a diabolical grin.
Forrest just snickered and whispered back, "Brock, true Green is never seen."
He shared a laugh with his younger brother before turning to face his father. "Alright, this is it. Just remember to do everything on that list and you'll be just fine. I can't thank you enough for finally coming back."
Flint embraced his son. "I should be the one thanking you Brock. You've given me something no one else has or ever will. You gave me the chance to be a father again and to be the man of the household. You go follow your own dreams Brock and don't look back until you have fulfilled them. Go where you need to, do what you must, just promise me you'll fulfill you dreams no matter what."
Brock nodded. "I promise. I'll come back and I'll make all of you proud of who I am."
"We're already proud Brock. Just go do what you love with people you trust. Have fun my son, and I'll see you soon."
"You can plan on that. Especially since I have a feeling you're going to mess something up."
Flint was floored at that, "Uhh, come on Brock, have you no faith in me? I'm doing my best."
Brock just laughed. "I'm only giving you a hard time."
Flint breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned to Ash and the gang. "Remember that fossil I gave you the other day?"
They all nodded and wondered where he was going with it. "When it gets revived, it'll need a home. I want one of you to take care of it. I've already informed Jack about this and he agreed after some research is done to that Cranidos. You can decide amongst yourselves, but I feel it should go to one of you."
Ash questioned, "Are you sure?"
"Positive. You may not have known it, but I've seen the bonds you three have created with your Pokémon and a creature like Cranidos after all this time is going to need it. You just make sure than when Jack calls, you come back here. Understood?"
They all agreed to that. Flint nodded and after one last goodbye, both groups began walking their respective paths. One back to the Pewter Gym, one heading into Mount Moon.
It was only then that Ash realized something. He was shorter than everyone in the group by a whole two inches. Ash just sighed.
And Chapter five is done! In this chapter, I wrote my first official full gym battle and I want your guys' criticism on how it went. Where I should improve, if something seems odd, if it's too long or too short. Let me know! I love this stuff. Chapter six is on the way. And I'll give you a teaser just because you all have been so patient with me. :)
PLEASE review the chapters! I love your guys' feedback and it keeps me going. Writing is fun when you just have a million ideas and not enough time to get them all down. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Please? I said please. Isn't 'please' the magic word? Or was it tacos? I honestly can't remember. Well, whatever it is, please and tacos! I love tacos. *sigh*
Chapter VI: Mount Moon Paranoia
Team Update:
Ash: [Cyndaquil, Male.] [Elekid, Male.] [Rockruff, Male. Nickname, Kaz] [Pikachu, Male]
Leaf: [Sentret, Female. Shiny] [Shinx, Male] [Fomantis, Female. Nickname, Gaige.] [Vulpix, Female]
Misty: [Staryu] [Starmie] [Shellder, Female]
Brock: [Geodude, Male] [Onix, Male]
-MidnightJD