The two of them looked at the Pewter Gym before them. The building was quite exquisite, featuring a classical design.
"You shouldn't always judge things by their appearance; look at the inside. Something that looks glamorous on the outside is often just putting up a facade."
Ash smiled, certain that the architecture of this Pewter Gym was definitely not the work of Flint or Brock—chances were, it was built by previous generations of Gym Leaders.
Brock was basically just a glorified babysitter, and as for Flint, needless to say anything about him at all.
"Meowth!" (*I'm going to eat a huge celebratory meal! I'll handle this first Gym battle!*)
"Vee!" (*I want to battle too! I'm an Ice-type, and my strength is formidable!*)
Meowth and Glaceon practically begged to be sent out, their fighting spirit through the roof.
"Alright, you two are definitely up next."
Since the two little guys had volunteered themselves, how could he possibly refuse to fight?
"Hang on a second, Ash. Normal-type moves only deal half damage against Rock and Ground-types. I think it'd be better to switch Meowth out for Hitmonlee, or Milotic would work too," Misty reminded him.
As a Gym Leader herself, Misty had practically only ever seen challengers fighting with type advantages; she rarely witnessed type-disadvantaged matchups.
However, she forgot that the "Master Ash" standing before her was a specialist in adverse matchups. Ash always struggled when he had the type advantage, but practically swept everything when fighting at a disadvantage.
"Don't worry, Misty. I've got this Gym badge in the bag."
Ash pushed the front door open directly, revealing pitch-black darkness inside.
The interior was so dark it sent a chill through anyone who looked at it, completely pitch black with zero visibility. Fortunately, Ash pulled out a flashlight.
"No way, this Gym doesn't even have modern lights? Is it really that poor? This is seriously my first time seeing this."
The utter poverty of the Pewter Gym genuinely shocked Misty.
"Excuse me, who is Brock here? I'm here specifically for a challenge. Please step up and have a Pokémon battle with me."
Just as his voice trailed off, the lights inside the Gym suddenly flickered on, finally casting a faint glow over a large boulder.
Sitting atop the boulder was a dark-skinned person with squinted eyes.
Ash looked closely—wasn't this Brock? Affectionately known as the Mama's Boy, whose path to romance was repeatedly thwarted, primarily because of Misty and Max, and who in later times would directly fall victim to his Pokémon's Croagunk and its Poison Jab.
Ash couldn't help but let out a sympathetic sigh for this soon-to-be traveling companion, knowing full well that Croagunk's Brick Break could even intercept Giratina's Dark Pulse.
"Is this your first time in a Gym battle? Battles here are nothing like the little scuffles on the roadside. If you're planning to use that Pikachu on your shoulder or that Meowth beside you, I'd advise you to switch to something else."
Brock sat upright on the boulder, looking at Ash's lineup and feigning deep thought.
"Don't worry, we're confident we can win."
"Fine then. Since you're all prepared, I have no choice but to accept."
"Every Gym has its own rules. Pokémon are limited to two per side, no objections, right? Throughout the match, only the challenger has the right to substitute Pokémon; the Gym Leader cannot," Brock explained the rules to Ash.
"No problem."
Pikachu, seeing that Brock looked down on him so much, instantly released its intimidating aura.
"Early Pseudo-Elite Four Stage? It seems I underestimated you. I take back what I just said," Brock said, suddenly turning serious.
Brock's enthusiasm was ignited as well; after all, this was the mandatory path for rookie trainers, and it had been a long time since anyone had forced him to use his true strength.
"You actually possess Gym-tier strength? It looks like I'll have to use my full power and give you a real Gym battle."
"Is that any different from a regular Gym battle?"
"That's a secret within the Pokémon League. Only true Gym Leaders are aware of it." Brock explained unreservedly to Ash.
"Our responsibility as Gym Leaders isn't just to win, but to nurture outstanding trainers. That's why we lower our standards—meaning we hold back and deliberately let you win."
"As for a true Gym battle, both sides use their full power to fight a battle neither will regret. That's how you earn a genuine Gym Leader badge."
Hearing about this "true Gym battle," Ash realized even the original anime didn't mention it—most likely because Brock and Misty simply forgot. After all, Brock only cared about chasing girls, and Misty only cared about Water-type Pokémon.
Besides, Ash's original strength was too weak back then, and even if Professor Oak had told him, there wasn't much he could do about it. So to avoid crushing his spirits, they simply skipped it and called it a "true Gym battle."
"I understand."
Seeing this, Ash wanted to challenge this true Gym battle as well.
Just as Brock was about to start the match, he was hurriedly interrupted by Misty.
Misty asked with a proper, knowledgeable tone: "Where is the Pokémon referee? How can a match be called a Gym battle without a referee?"
"We're just way too poor here, we simply can't afford a proper referee," Brock answered awkwardly.
After all, hiring a League referee was too expensive, and the battle stage hadn't even been properly repaired. Aside from him, there were ten mouths to feed at home, so he couldn't afford the expense, otherwise the Gym wouldn't even be able to stay in business.
"Don't worry about it, though." Brock suddenly perked up with renewed energy.
Just as he was about to shout for his younger brother, Forrest, to act as the referee—since Forrest had served as referee here many times and already had the experience—
Before Brock could finish, a miniature version of Brock appeared at the referee's stand, but just as he was about to step up, he was blocked by an older man.
"Don't bother your brother. I'll be the referee for you guys, since I've got nothing better to do anyway."
The person was none other than the older man who had sold Ash the stone earlier—Brock's father, Flint.
Flint wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking at everything in sheer panic. "Which little jerk called the cops on me? Saying I'm running a scam, tricking rookie trainers, and illegally selling gambling stones?"
It all started two and a half minutes ago: Ash had used an anonymous call in the hotel to report to Officer Jenny that someone was running a scam involving illegal gambling stones.
Consequently, Flint had been hauled down to the police station, but because he was a former Gym Leader of the Pewter Gym, he was released, though he still slapped with a 50,000 fine.
When Brock saw this man's build, a wave of familiarity washed over him—hadn't he seen him somewhere before?
Flint walked straight up to the referee's stand, pulling out a red flag and a green flag with both hands to signal the start of the match.
The Pewter Gym was a Rock-type Gym, so the battle stage was naturally a rocky terrain. The area was vast, filled with potholes and an arrangement of complex, hard boulders.
"Ash from Pallet Town versus Pewter Gym Leader Brock. The match begins!"
As soon as the referee finished speaking, Brock immediately took a Poké Ball from his hand and threw it out.
The Poké Ball opened to reveal a fairly well-raised Golem, its weight second only to Snorlax.
[Pokémon: Golem (Flint)]
[Gender: Male]
[Strength: Gym-tier]
[Ability: Rock Head]
[Moves: Tackle, Defense Curl, Rock Polish...]
Ash carefully checked Golem's stats and immediately told the Glaceon beside him, "Glaceon, I choose you!"
"Vee!"
Glaceon leaped onto the battle stage instantly, the biting chill radiating from its body causing the rocks beneath its feet to frost over.
"Glaceon? Such a rare Pokémon, it seems exclusive to the Sinnoh region lately! And it's even a shiny! Is this something a rookie trainer can handle?"
"Glaceon, use Hail."
A flurry of hailstones immediately began to fall inside the Gym, constantly wearing down Golem. Everything except Ice-types would take damage from it.
"Golem, use Gyro Ball!"
As soon as the command was given, Golem spun its body rapidly, executing Gyro Ball as it charged swiftly toward Glaceon.
"Use Ice Beam!"
The very next second, Golem was instantly frozen solid, unable to move.
"Use Hydro Pump!"
Glaceon immediately gathered Water-type energy within its body, unleashing a powerful Water-type ultimate attack.
This immense wave of water energy instantly stirred up a thick layer of mist across the Gym stage.
Immediately after, a figure came flying out from the swirling smoke.
It knocked Golem right out of its frozen state, sending it hurtling backward to crash through dozens of boulders before finally coming to a stop with its eyes spinning in circles.
"Hydro Pump? How is that possible? How can Glaceon learn Hydro Pump? What on earth is going on here?"
This scene before him was enough to make Brock question reality.
Golem hadn't even lasted three turns; it had been on the back foot from the very start and now was instantly defeated.
"I really didn't expect your Glaceon to know Hydro Pump, did I?"
Though the scene shocked Brock, facts were facts, and Glaceon had indeed used it.
Looking at Golem—one of his former aces—defeat so quickly, Flint found it hard to believe, but reality was reality; his son had lost. He raised one flag: "Golem is unable to battle! Glaceon wins!"
"That is an extremely rare Pokémon. It seems I underestimated you. Go, Onix!"
[Pokémon: Onix (Brock)]
[Gender: Male]
[Strength: Gym-tier (peak)]
[Ability: Sturdy]
[Moves: Tackle, Screech, Bind, Rock Throw...]
"No way, this Onix's potential can reach the peak of the Elite Four in the future. It looks like the difficulty for rookie trainers starting out in Kanto is going to be brutal."
Ash was already offering a silent prayer for future Kanto trainers. With Pewter City having a Mega Steelix and the next-door Cerulean Gym having a Mega Gyarados, the number of participants in the upcoming Indigo Plateau Conference was probably going to plummet.
Not to mention that Pidgeot Ash left behind in Viridian Forest was at least Gym-tier peak. For future rookie trainers, reaching a Gym would be one thing; just getting out of Pallet Town alive would be a miracle.
If future rookie trainers ever found out that Ash had already eliminated such a nightmare, they'd probably all start shouting "Daddy."
"Go, Meowth, I choose you!"
Meowth bounced on its hind legs, leaping onto a boulder on the battlefield.
Brock looked at Meowth wearing long boots; although it looked pretty cool, he still reminded Ash, "Even though Normal-types usually don't have many type weaknesses aside from Fighting, Normal-type attacks only deal half damage to Onix. Are you sure about this, Ash?"
Brock didn't want to screw Ash over; after all, Rock and Ground-types resisting Normal-type attacks was something rookie trainers rarely knew.
"Don't worry, Brock, I already knew that. But as the very first Pokémon I ever caught, I have absolute confidence in Meowth."
"Meowth versus Onix, the match begins!" Flint announced.
"Meowth, use Hail!"
Onix was about to suffer the exact same fate as Golem. Its entire body began to ice over, turning the entire battlefield into an icy arena.
Even though Meowth was at a disadvantage against Onix, how could Ash—the god of styling—not give Meowth some overpowered moves?
Besides, Ash had even invented the theory of Elemental Reversal: Fire plus Rock equals Fire Stone Cannon; Ice plus Grass equals Thorny Ice Spikes. Truly, 1+1 was greater than 2.
"?????"
Brock felt a stampede of profanities rushing through his heart. What was going on here? Were all modern rookie trainers this overpowered? This wasn't a rookie trainer; this was a cheating king! Every single one of them learned moves they shouldn't be able to, and he'd never seen his Onix learn Flamethrower!
"Onix, use Take Down!"
Brock issued a prompt command. After all, Onix's body was already frozen, its speed greatly reduced, and its mobility and agility had plummeted drastically.
Two consecutive Hail attacks had driven the temperature in the Gym down to the absolute limit.
"Meowth, jump up and use Iron Tail!"
Meowth reacted with lightning speed, immediately capitalizing on the terrain advantage to leap into the air off a boulder.
Onix's sluggish speed couldn't touch it at all; right now, even moving its body was a chore.
Iron Tail struck Onix squarely in the face. A double-effectiveness hit—that strike hurt badly.
"Finish it, Meowth! Use Guillotine!"
"Meow~!"
Meowth leaped into the air once more using the terrain, instantly executing Guillotine right at Onix's waist.
"Onix, Hang On!"
Even though the Gym was freezing cold, Brock couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat.
Fortunately, Onix possessed the Sturdy ability; even if a Champion showed up, they couldn't knock it out in a single hit.
Onix's face was contorted in a mask of pure agony.
"Meowth, use Swift!"
Meowth flicked its tail, sending countless yellow stars raining down all over Onix's body.
It was simply too painful—the agony!
Onix had completely lost faith in its snakehood, starting to suspect that all those previous Normal-type Pokémon had just been pulling their punches, and only this cat before it was playing for keeps.
The type advantage of Rock-types against Normal-types—yet today it was being beaten down by Normal-type moves. If word got out, the entire Onix family name would be disgraced.
With a loud *boom*, Onix collapsed to the ground, its eyes spinning in magical circles as it fell flat.
"Onix is unable to battle! Meowth wins! The Gym Leader has no remaining Pokémon, so this match goes to Ash!"
Flint announced the result of the match.
Misty, who had been watching Ash's battle from the stands, immediately jumped down and hugged Ash. "That's amazing, Ash, congratulations!"
Ash turned around, pulled Meowth and Glaceon into his arms, and happily said, "The credit for this match goes to you guys."
"Ash, this is proof of victory for defeating the Pewter Gym—the Boulder Badge. It belongs to you now."
Brock wore an admiring expression. "Ash, your Pokémon are truly incredible! I concede this defeat completely and willingly." Ash smiled as he recalled Glaceon.
"Brock, you actually really want to go traveling too, don't you? You and your Pokémon shouldn't be cooped up in a tiny place like this," Ash said.
"I... I..." Brock hesitated, showing a troubled expression.
Still, he shook his head and said with a serious tone, "Ash, you have to win the championship at the Indigo Plateau League! I'm not some cold-hearted person; in my eyes, instead of being a Pokémon trainer, I'd rather be a Pokémon breeder."
"And because I have to take care of my younger brothers and sisters, I can't set out on a journey to chase my own dreams. So Ash, you'll have to go on a journey in my place."
Hearing what Brock said, Flint couldn't hold back anymore. "Brock, if you have a dream, go chase it! Leave family matters to me!"
The three of them suddenly turned to look at the older man, only to see him remove his hat and fake mustache, revealing the exact same squinted eyes.
He looked identical to Brock. If anyone claimed they weren't father and son, not even a ghost would believe it.
The look he gave Brock was filled with guilt. As a father, he had left behind a mess for his son to clean up, and after failing, he lacked the courage to face his family.
As a result, his eldest son had been cleaning up his mess all these years, and it had been like that for so long.
"Brock, it's my fault. I'm not a good father. The trouble I caused myself ended up needing you to fix. You've had it so hard all these years. Now you can go pursue your dream—your old man is back home now, so leave family matters to me. That boy was right, you should get out and see the world instead of being cooped up here."
Brock cried out a heartfelt, "Dad!"
"I abandoned you guys for so many years and didn't care, so feel free to curse me out as much as you want. No matter how harsh the insults are, I'll accept them."
After saying that, Brock reached into his pocket and placed something into Flint's hand.
While everyone was still wondering what it was, Flint picked it up—it was a sewing needle! Instantly, a touching scene of filial piety played out: Salvadore liked red miso, Forrest liked...
Well, they spent a solid two and a half hours sorting through all these family details.
Flint felt like he'd rather go back to being a gambling-stone criminal; he regretted it immensely. Just keeping track of the preferences of his other children took up four sheets of paper, making him seriously question his life choices.
"Brock, it's getting late. You should leave tomorrow. I honestly can't make heads or tails of what any of this is anymore!"
"Sigh, Dad, you'd better go ask my brothers and sisters in person. I'm heading out." Having secured a chance to leave home, Brock wasn't going to let it slip away easily.
Once Brock had finished briefing his father on everything, he embarked on a journey with Ash, just like in the original story.
The three of them headed to the Pokémon Center first, since traveling at night was still dangerous, and besides, they really didn't want to camp out anymore.
The moment Misty saw any Bug-type Pokémon, she would immediately shriek in terror.
Ash, on the other hand, thoroughly enjoyed situations like this because it meant he could catch better Pokémon (o(*^▽^*)o).
At that moment, Ash, currently inside the Pokémon Center, picked up the telephone receiver to make a call. The first call was to his mother, telling her they could afford to buy a new house now.
After all, he had a lot of Pokémon now, and the number would only grow exponentially in the future, so he needed a bigger house and an island to protect them.
More importantly, even back when Ash lived in the technological world, the house he lived in was at least a five-story townhouse; he had no desire to live in such a cramped room anymore.
He also clarified to his mom that the money he earned was completely clean with zero illegal acquisition, and decided that when he returned for the start of the Indigo Plateau Conference, they would start discussing buying an island.