Chapter no.4 A Different Trio of Friends

Austin stood atop the hill, his breath caught in his throat as he gazed upon the sprawling city of Pewter. It was a breathtaking sight, a perfect combination of nature and urban development. The city was laid out before him like a patchwork quilt, the colors of the buildings and streets blending seamlessly with the surrounding greenery.

As he took in the view, Austin noticed a certain building standing out among the others. It was the Gym, one of the city's main attractions, and next to it was the Pewter City Museum. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement at the prospect of battling Brock.

"It's a nice view, isn't it?" Yellow's voice broke his reverie, and he turned to see her standing beside him, her eyes alight with wonder.

He nodded in agreement, taking a moment to appreciate the sight once more. "Yeah, it's beautiful."

"That's the Gym over there," Yellow pointed out, "and the museum next to it. Brock is the Gym Leader."

As they stood there, a new voice interrupted their conversation. "Pewter City is gray, the color of the stone." The man's voice was deep and gruff, and it carried a hint of a rasp.

Austin turned to see a strange figure standing beside him. The man was tall and broad-shouldered, with a wild shock of red hair hidden beneath a battered hat. A fake beard covered his face, and he wore a yellow shirt and blue pants.

"Uh, who are you?" Yellow asked, eyeing the man warily.

"The name's Flint," the man replied with a sly grin, "and you're standing right next to some of my merchandise, young lady."

Austin followed Flint's gaze and saw a pile of rocks at their feet. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Okay, I know the city is famous for stones, but isn't this pushing it?"

Flint chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "You could say that. But these aren't just any rocks, my friend. These are special stones, the kind that can give your Pokemon an extra edge in battle."

Austin couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Right, Hard Stones or something."

Flint's grin widened. "You catch on quick, kid. I like that. Say, your Pokemon look a little tired. You just come out of Viridian Forest?"

Austin nodded, grateful for the change of subject. "Yeah, we did. We're heading to the Pokemon Center now."

Flint nodded. "I'll show you the way."

As Flint left, Austin looked at Yellow. "So he's a local?"

"Yeah, but I never really spoke with him," Yellow answered.

As they made their way down the hill, Austin couldn't help but take in the sights and sounds of the city around him. The streets were bustling with activity, and the buildings were a mix of old and new. The air was filled with the sounds of Pokemon cries and chatter from the people passing by.

Flint led them through the winding streets, his steps sure and confident.

...

As Austin approached the Pokemon Center, he couldn't help but notice the bright red and white building, adorned with a giant Pokeball on its roof.

As he handed his team over to Nurse Joy, he couldn't help but feel a little sad. He had grown attached to his Pokemon, but he knew they needed rest and care after their recent battles.

As he chatted on the Video Phone with Professor Oak, he explained that he had given his Weedle to someone else.

"You gave your Weedle to someone?" Professor Oak asked in surprise.

"Well, Weedle seemed to like her a lot more, and she wanted a Pokemon," Austin explained with a shrug. "But I need help with making her the new trainer."

"I'll have to create a license and put her in the system," Professor Oak replied with a sigh. "That will take a few days."

"Thanks, Professor Oak," Austin said gratefully.

"By the way, I'm impressed by how many Pokemon you've caught already," Professor Oak said, glancing at the information on Austin's Pokedex on his computer. "Although Gary has about twelve Pokemon already."

Austin rolled his eyes, not caring about how many Pokemon Ash's rival had.

"Well, I'll be in Pewter City for a bit training the Pokemon I do have," Austin said as Professor Oak gave a nod, accepting that.

As he hung up the phone, he turned to see Yellow still hugging Weedle, talking to it softly with one hand on its head.

"Oh right," Austin remembered. Yellow had unique powers in the Manga. She could talk to and heal Pokemon with just a touch, and she had slight telekinesis.

"What?!" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Wait until you meet Uncle Wilton, Kitty," Yellow said, speaking to the Weedle.

Now Austin looked even more surprised.

Kitty was the English name for her Caterpie in the Manga, but Yellow never had a Weedle. Her first Pokemon was Ratty the Rattata.

"Dear God, how many things am I messing up?" Austin thought, realizing the butterfly effects of all his changes.

The Spearow attack had happened differently, Misty hadn't joined the group, and now Yellow had a Weedle instead of a Rattata. He couldn't help but wonder how his actions would affect the future.

Austin stood quietly, his brow furrowed as he pondered his next move. The Pokemon League - a dream he had nurtured since he was a child. But now that it was finally possible, he found himself hesitant. Did he truly want to go through with it?

As he stood there lost in thought, he failed to notice Flint sneaking up behind him. "Thinking of entering the Regionals?" Flint's sudden voice made him jump. "Don't tell me you plan on challenging Brock."

Austin turned to face him, his expression resolute. "I am," he replied firmly. "But I'll need some training first."

Flint chuckled. "You'd have better luck finding a different gym, kid," he said, shaking his head as he walked away.

Unbeknownst to Austin, Yellow had been watching the entire exchange in silence. Suddenly, a booming voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yellow De Viridian Grove!" Startled, she jumped as a man wearing an orange vest and hat came marching towards her. "Uncle Wilton," she stammered nervously. "H-hi."

But Wilton was in no mood for pleasantries. "Hi?" he bellowed, his face contorted in anger. "No note, one of my spare Pokeballs gone, and you were out all night. Do you know how worried I was?!"

Yellow looked down, ashamed. "I just wanted a Pokemon," she whispered.

"Is it alright to disappear for a day without telling anyone?!" Wilton's voice rose even higher. "You could've been killed."

But before the situation could escalate any further, Yellow spoke up. "But I had help getting back," she said quickly, gesturing towards Austin, who looked decidedly awkward from the sudden attention.

Wilton's gaze shifted to the newcomer. "And who are you?" he demanded.

"Um...Ash Ketchum," Austin lied, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

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It took two days before the trio made it to Pewter City and approached the back of the Museum where the Guard easily let them in.

But they saw a lot of activity in the base, something that confused the Trio.

"What do you think is going on?" James asked curiously with Meowth shrugging.

"What do I look like, a mind reader?" Meowth asked sarcastically only for a Grunt to approach them.

"Admin Jessie and James," The Grunt gave a nod of respect to the trio. "Executive Arianna asked to see you."

The Trio tensed, a bit surprised that Arianna was here of all places, her sadism was well known in the ranks of Team Rocket.

The fact that she was here didn't speak of anything good for them.

Taking the time to spare a glance at each other the trio walked towards the deeper part of the base where they saw Arianna with her Arbok out, looking through some files with a frown.

"You're late," Arianna said a bit harshly.

"Sorry Ma'am, we were delayed in the Forest." James apologized diplomatically, choosing to be the spokesperson considering Jessie's hot-headed personality.

"I don't recall asking for an excuse," Arianna finally looked up to glare at James making him gulp and take a step back. "But you three have a lot of explaining to do with that mess in Viridian."

"There were too many trainers there for us to take head-on by ourselves." Meowth began only to duck an acid attack from Arbok.

"Do you three take me for an idiot?" Arianna asked her glare darkening. "You think I don't watch the news where it was rumored that a single boy stopped you?"

The trio shifted a bit nervously, not realizing that was on the news.

"So not only did you fail but you tried to lie to me, your superior," Arianna closed her folders with a smirk that was slowly turning sadistic. "I don't like that-."

"Enough Arianna," Another voice spoke up as a young man with light-green hair entered the room with a frown. "Just get to their assignment."

Arianna gave a small pout. "Must you always ruin my fun Proton?" She asked noting how the trio looked relieved that he entered.

Proton was always the most levelheaded of the Executives behind Archer.

"Your 'fun' as you call it results in us having fewer grunts in the field," Proton said not hesitating to call her out on how she overdoes it. "I'd rather you not do that to our Admins when we'll need them for a mission."

"So you want to ignore their failure and attempt at lying?" Arianna asked with Proton sighing.

"I'll deal with them myself, go get ready for the mission before the boss calls."

Arianna shrugged and left, her Arbok following her while the trio nearly collapsed from relief. "Thank you Proton sir-."

"Don't thank me yet, you still have a lot to answer for with that failure in Viridian." Proton snapped but he softened up a bit.

Truthfully he liked the Admins as despite their eccentricity they do get the job done-so for them to fail this last one had him a bit concerned.

"So what happened I want the truth." Proton crossed his arms while the trio stood at attention.

"We failed because we underestimated a kid who had a Pikachu and a Spearow," James said a hint of fear in his tone as this would make them the laughing stock of Team Rocket if it got out. "We didn't think he would be able to beat us so we toyed with him instead of completing the mission."

Proton frowned, not pleased with that but it was to be expected as the Admins do have a history of toying with the trainers they battle.

"Describe him."

"He looked to be ten, with black hair and a blue vest with a hat on." Meowth cupped his chin in thought.

"I'll have to let the boss know about this," Proton said making them deflate. "If someone opposes Team Rocket they must be dealt with. Anything else?"

James and Jessie looked at each other before they decided to get this out of the way. "We attempted to ambush him in the Forest to get revenge and take his Pokemon but he managed to obtain three more Pokemon and while we defeated two of them-one being the Pikachu-he managed to beat us with the other three." Jessie took it from there with Proton narrowing his eyes.

"What were these other Pokemon?" He questioned wanting to know every little detail about this trainer.

"A Rattata, a Pidgeotto, and a… Caterpie." Meowth listed them, hesitating on the Caterpie.

"A Caterpie? It must be a Metapod by now." Proton gave a slight curse under his breath. "Is that all?"

At their nods, he spoke again.

"We'll have to postpone your punishment until after this mission, perhaps if you do well you'll be rewarded instead," Proton said making their eyes shine. "In a week or two we'll be heading into Mt. Moon to search for the mythical Moon Stone to use its power for our cause. Arianna will be there to oversee the operation but you three will be in charge."

The trio could scarcely believe it. A mission of this caliber and they were in charge of it?

They can't afford to screw this up.

"Take the time to train your team to prevent anything like that from happening and make sure to find the Moon Stone," Proton ordered checking his Pokegear when it went off to see that it was more orders from the Boss for him to speak with him about a matter he's been looking into. "That will be all."

"Sir." The trio saluted Proton as he left.

After a few seconds, they collapsed in relief. "Oh man, I thought we were done for when Arianna called us out," Meowth said lying on the floor his heart pounding.

"It was lucky that Proton was here otherwise we wouldn't be here." James mused before looking at Koffing's Pokeball.

Jessie gave a nod pulling out Ekan's Pokeball as well. "He's right though we need to train our two Pokemon up if we want to avoid what happened with that twerp," She told them with the two giving a nod of agreement. "We are sloppy if a rookie beat us."

"Meowth and then we'll be top members for sure." Meowth had a wide grin just imagining that.

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The whole story was explained as they were all eating in the Pokemon Center.

"So you're here for a Gym Battle?" Wilton asked as he was a little wary of Yellow having a Weedle around her, he didn't say anything due to how happy she was.

He will be having some more words about her disappearing later though.

"Yeah, but I'll be training my team though," Austin said as all his Pokemon were out eating nearby.

Caterpie, Rattata, and Pikachu were near each other while Pidgeotto was a bit away having a glaring match with Spearow.

"That might be a good idea," Wilton said seeing as how all of them would be having a hard time against Brock's Rock Types. "And how are you planning on doing that?"

"Well, Pikachu and Rattata learning Iron Tail and Dig," Austin said surprising the man since rookie trainers never planned like that. "Pidgeotto and Spearow learning Steel Wing… I'm going to train Caterpie up because I know he wants to become a Butterfree and that's it for this Gym."

"Those are good moves, but hard to teach," Wilton said with a frown. "You know how to teach them?"

"I plan to get some advice from Prof. Oak " Austin causing Pikachu to give him a curious look before Pikachu went back to curiously smelling the Ketchum bottle.

"Hey, can I watch the Gym Battle when you do go?" Yellow asked hopefully.

Wilton gave her a look. "Don't think you're not in any trouble young lady." He said causing her to look down. "... But if you don't disappear anymore the next week I may allow it."

Yellow's face brightened up as Austin didn't see anything wrong with her seeing the battle. "I don't mind," Austin said shrugging.

That was when Wilton noticed how Yellow kept sneaking glances at Austin as they continued to eat. 'Well, what do you know, her first crush.' He thought imagining how his brother-in-law would react on hearing that causing him to snicker.

Although it made sense given the story since Austin not only caught her first Pokemon, he saved her from a horde of Beedrill, so it's not hard to see why she had a crush on him.

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On the following day, Austin rallied his team in a clearing near the Pokemon Center, designated for trainers to hone their Pokemon's skills. He surveyed his squad, sensing their eagerness to compete in the upcoming Kanto Gyms tournament.

"Winning is not a guarantee," Austin began. "We have only fought three battles, and complacency could prove our downfall. We must train hard, travel, and earn eight Gym Badges to stand a chance at the Regionals."

His team cheered at the prospect of victory, but Austin's gaze turned grave as he informed them of the first Gym's challenge: Rock Types. Pikachu and Caterpie looked anxious, while Spearow and Pidgeotto appeared unsettled. Rattata, however, pawed the ground with eagerness to test her mettle against Rock Pokemon.

"The road ahead will not be easy," Austin continued. "That's why each of you will train with unyielding determination."

He consulted notes he had compiled after discussing strategies with Professor Oak the previous night.

"Pikachu and Rattata," Austin addressed the duo, picking up some rocks. "Your training involves learning Iron Tail."

Pikachu and Rattata looked at him quizzically as he tied a rock to their tails, causing them to wobble under the weight.

"To master Iron Tail, your tails must be strengthened," Austin explained. "A Steel-type attack is a powerful addition to your moveset."

After seeing them try to hold their tails up, Austin turned to Spearow and Pidgeotto.

"You two will undergo a similar training regimen, but with rocks tied to your wings," Austin said, stroking his chin. "Also, I want you to practice swift movement on the ground in case of injuries."

Spearow rolled his eyes, knowing the extra weight would hinder his agility. But seeing Pidgeotto's eagerness to take on the challenge, he set aside his annoyance, not wanting to be outshone.

As Austin watched the birds trying to adjust to their weighted wings, he turned to Caterpie.

"You want to evolve into a Butterfree, right?" Austin asked, already knowing the answer.

Caterpie nodded excitedly, and Austin continued, "Then let's keep working on that."

Caterpie cried with joy as he raised his upper body, wiggling his legs.

Austin pondered how to help Caterpie gain experience, recalling Yellow's Weedle, but decided against asking her, knowing she was still new to the team. He then turned to Pikachu and had an idea.

"Hey, Pikachu, come here," Austin called.

Pikachu walked over, slightly awkward from practicing Iron Tail. "Pika?"

"I know you're busy learning Iron Tail, but can you help Caterpie gain experience to evolve?" Austin asked.

Pikachu nodded, remembering Caterpie's desire to evolve, and clenched his paw. "Pika!"

Austin smiled as he stepped back to watch the team train. Spearow and Pidgeotto raced each other on foot, competing to outdo the other. Rattata moved her tail up and down to strengthen it while improving her speed. Pikachu moved swiftly as Caterpie fired String Shot, improving both their accuracy and evasion.

Unbeknownst to the team, Flint watched from behind a tree.

Flint from behind a tree watched as Austin trained Pikachu and the others.

He honestly expected the kid to run straight to the Gym after he said that he would have better luck elsewhere, but the fact that he was training his Pokemon to have a chance against Rock Types, three of them being naturally weak against them showed that the kid has promise.

He decided to speak with the kid that evening.

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It was getting dark by the time he stopped the team.

Right now only Spearow's wings and Pikachu's tail were giving a low glow from the training, not surprising since Pikachu and Spearow were his strongest.

Caterpie was panting from the training he had with Pikachu as Pidgeotto looked a little disheartened at not getting even a small shine from her wings.

Rattata however took some convincing to stop since she has been waiting to be trained once she has been caught.

"Okay, I think we're good for tonight," Austin said to them. "Tomorrow I'm giving you guys a day of rest before going back to training."

Spearow, Rattata, and Pidgeotto gave cries of annoyance at a day of rest as Pikachu and Caterpie practically collapsed in relief.

"Hey, you guys need a day to heal from the training so you can train longer," Austin said remembering how hard it was to keep up exercising at home due to how sore the muscles would get the next day.

Was that the same for Pokemon?

The bright light caused Austin to look over at Caterpie as he began shooting String Shot into the air.

"Didn't take too long." Austin quipped as the glow died down to show a Metapod sitting where Caterpie was.

"Meta." Due to a lack of facial expressions, Austin could only tell from the voice that the cocoon Pokemon was happy.

Giving a grin, Austin pulled out the Pokedex to scan him as Pidgeotto, Pikachu and Rattata gave him their congrats while Spearow was quiet, giving a small nod.

"Metapod the Cocoon Pokemon. The Evolved Form of Caterpie. In the wild, Metapod are only capable of using one technique, and that is Harden. Typically, when attacked by trainers or predators, they use this technique to make their exoskeleton even tougher and hope their foes will get tired of bothering them. If it survives this period, after a few months in this state it will evolve again into a Butterfree.

This is far too long a wait for most bug catchers' liking. For a trainer with a full roster, this wait is annoying but acceptable: for someone who started with a Caterpie, it is simply intolerable, and therefore it has become something of a rite of passage for young bug catchers to teach their Metapod to use Tackle.

This is never an easy task. Metapod, after all, not only lack limbs, but also the lithe body and slithering capability of snakes – and although some may see friends pull it off and figure it out, typically each trainer relearns the method together with their pokemon. Typically (for there are a hundred variations) Metapod rock back and forth on their unbalanced bodies, increasing their momentum until they can launch themselves forward by about a foot. It resembles a rollout more than a standard tackle and is a weak attack, good only for defeating pokemon half its level and wild Metapod.

Some have said that Metapod are an easy pokemon to train, for they only require three levels to evolve. Most bug catchers would retort that it's easier to train a Pidgey ten levels than a Metapod three." The Pokedex Beeped. "This Pokemon's Ability has changed to Shed Skin and has learned the Move Harden."

Deciding to return the others, Austin saw how Pikachu was exhausted. "Hey Pikachu, I know you don't like your Pokeball, but if you're exhausted do you want to just jump on my shoulder?"

Pikachu gave him a curious look before deciding to take him up on that offer as he jumped up there and made himself comfortable.

"You are a unique trainer." Flint's voice came from behind causing Austin to nearly jump but he turned to see him.

"Uh… Thanks?" Austin said not sure why he was there.

"Can I help you?"

"Follow me," Flint replied, leading the way with a sense of purpose. Austin trailed behind, curious about what was about to unfold.

As they approached a house, they could see through the window that a teenager in an apron was cooking, surrounded by a group of little children. Suddenly, one of the little girls tugged on the hem of the woman's apron, causing her to turn around.

"I tore my skirt," the little girl said, holding up the torn fabric.

Without hesitation, the teenage boy turned around to reveal his face. Austin recognized him immediately - it was Brock.

"That's Brock, the Pewter City Gym Leader," Flint said, his voice cracking with emotion.

Confused, Austin looked at Flint and asked, "Why are you showing me this?"

Flint hesitated for a moment before answering, "I wanted you to know the truth so when you do face him, you do so with all of your heart. You have a potential kid, I saw that when you trained those five Pokemon and evolved one, and I thought maybe you could give Brock the battle he deserves."

"A battle that he deserves?" Austin repeated, trying to understand.

"Brock has ten little brothers and sisters and that's why he never left Pewter City," Flint explained, his voice heavy with emotion. "His good-for-nothing father left the family to become a Pokemon Trainer and they never heard from him again. Brock's heartbroken mother tried her best to keep things together but sadly she passed away. So Brock is the only person his brother and sisters have left."

Austin was left speechless, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions. As they walked towards the nearby Pokemon Center, Flint remained quiet, lost in his own thoughts.

"I should go," Flint said as they arrived at the center.

"Flint," Austin spoke up, causing the man to turn around. "You should talk to Brock instead of saying you're good for nothing father."

Flint spun around in shock, his eyes wide with surprise. Without another word, Austin turned to enter the center, his mind still reeling from the information he had just learned.

"He needed to hear that," Austin thought to himself as he handed his Pokemon to Nurse Joy. Little did he know, this encounter with Brock and Flint would leave a lasting impact on him and his journey as a Pokemon Trainer.

The week flew by like a flock of birds migrating south for the winter. Austin spent every waking moment training his Pokemon, honing their skills and mastering their attacks. He didn't see much of Flint, but he knew the man was likely pondering the weight of their conversation.

Spearow and Pikachu were the first to master their attacks, taking only three days to do so. Rattata and Pidgeotto followed suit in four days, with Rattata even learning the elusive Dig attack on the sixth day. Though Metapod didn't get much in-battle experience, Austin made sure to teach the Cocoon how to fight effectively, just in case.

The absence of Yellow was noticeable, but Austin didn't have much time to dwell on it. The end of the week approached, and he found himself standing in front of the imposing Pewter Gym, Pikachu perched on his shoulder.

"Here we go," Austin muttered, his heart pounding in his chest like a drumbeat.

"Wait." Austin turned to see Yellow running towards him with Kitty in her arms.

"Yellow?" Austin asked before remembering that he said she could watch the battle. "Did you run all the way here?"

"Y-Yeah, I've never seen an actual Gym Battle before," Yellow said panting but she had a smile.

Austin grinned before he pushed open the door and walked in only for the lights to be off.

"Who goes there?" A light shined on the other side of the room showing Brock who was dressed in brown cargo pants, an orange shirt, and a green vest as he sat with his legs crossed.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'm here to challenge you," Austin said repeating what Ash says in the Anime.

"Is this your first Gym Match?" Brock asked curiously.

"It is," Austin said giving a nod. "And I know there are special rules for each gym."

Brock raised a brow, not expecting that as he gave a nod. "Very well. How many Pokemon do you have?"

"Uh five," Austin said, as this was different.

"Since this is the first Gym Battle you can use all five against my two Pokemon and only you will be able to switch," Brock said as Austin's eyes widened.

' The heck?' Austin thought in confusion. 'When did this become a thing?'

"How long have you been with that Pokemon?" Brock asked upon seeing the Pikachu on Austin's shoulder.

"Right now, close to two weeks," Austin said as he had to think about it.

"Yes, your Pikachu is in its cutest stage," Brock said with a frown. "It can't win."

"You never know unless you try," Austin said clenching a fist.

"Suit yourself, as a Gym Leader I have to accept every challenge," Brock said before looking at Yellow. "Are you here for a Gym Match as well?"

"No, I'm just spectating," Yellow said as Brock gave a nod and pointed towards the railway.

"Then proceed up there to safely watch the battle."

Yellow gave a nod as she went to leave only to stop and look back at Austin. "Good luck." She said as she ran.

Austin gave a nod before the rest of the lights came on to show the rocky battlefield.

Pulling out a Pokeball, Brock sent out a Pokemon that was a rock with two arms and a face. "Geo." Geodude slammed his fist together.

"Not starting with Onix this time?" Austin muttered as he pick out a Pokeball.

"Pidgeotto, take the field," Austin ordered as Pidgeotto cried.

"A flying type against a rock gym?" Brock asked with a raised brow.

Austin just gave a cocky smile and ordered the first move. "Use Sand Attack." He ordered as Pidgeotto moved at high speeds to knock sand everywhere.

"Futile," Brock said as he gave an order. "Rock Polish."

As Geodude began to glow, Austin decided to use his ace. "Steel Wing."

Pidgeotto shot forward, her wings glowing, catching Brock off guard as they slammed into Geodude, knocking him into a boulder as he shook his head, injured but not out.

"I see." Brock looked at Pidgeotto with a hint of surprise and approval. "Use a flying type to get me to lower my guard but you taught her a move to have an advantage. Smart."

"This may be my first Gym Battle, but I'm not stupid enough to come here without preparation," Austin said.

"Rock Tomb," Brock ordered as Geodude slammed a fist to the ground.

"Quick Attack to dodge," Austin said as Pidgeotto became a blur to dodge the constant rocks that shot up she was doing good until one got a lucky shot and sent her to the ground with an injured wing.

"Now finish her with Rollout," Brock said as the Pidgeotto couldn't fly anymore.

"Run to the left to dodge," Austin said, as Pidgeotto dove out of the way quickly, catching Brock off guard.

"Pidgeotto is too injured to fight." Austin thought. "Plus with her wings injured, Steel Wing is out of the question."

Knowing that Austin took out a Pokeball. "Pidgeotto return." He said as he took out another Pokeball. "Rattata, take the field."

"Ratta!" Rattata snarled as Geodude regarded her.

"Smart choice," Brock said with an approving nod on how Austin recalled the Pidgeotto before she got injured more. "I take it you taught your Rattata a move to help her?"

Austin's silence was all the confirmation that Brock needed.

"Go, Ash!" Yellow cheered from the railway at seeing the match.

"Rock Polish," Brock ordered increasing his Pokemon's speed again.

"Quick Attack." Austin countered as Rattata ran quickly towards Geodude before she got close enough. "Chain it with Iron Tail!"

Rattata cried as her tail glowed and she slammed it on Geodude's head causing him to grimace in pain as some cracks appeared showing how he felt it.

But he was still standing.

'Geez, what does it take?!' Austin thought in shock.

"Yeah, his Pokemon are a lot tougher than I remembered."

"Tackle!" Brock exclaimed as Geodude knocked Rattata back quite a bit. "Now Rollout."

"Use Dig to escape from there," Austin said, as Rattata dove into the ground.

Brock smirked. "Magnitude." He said causing Austin's eyes to widen.

"Rattata! Get out of there-." He ordered but Geodude slammed the palm of his hands on the ground causing it to shake before Rattata came out unconscious.

Austin sighed and returned her. "You did great Rattata."

"I'm impressed," Brock said, as Geodude was panting. "You're a lot better than I first thought you would be, especially using Pokemon that aren't normally strong against Rock Types like that in your first Gym Battle."

"Thanks, but the match isn't over yet," Austin said feeling relieved that he was allowed to use the rest of the team considering the strength that Brock was showing.

"No, it isn't." Brock agreed as Austin tossed out his third Pokemon, Spearow. "Another flying type?"

"Aerial Wing!" Austin ordered, confusing Brock before Spearow became a blur as his wings glowed slamming into Geodude, the speed adding to the strength causing Geodude to finally fall unconscious. "Alright."

Spearow landed on the ground, feeling proud of himself despite the fact he only finished off the Pokemon after it was weakened by the others.

"That speed… You combined Aerial Ace and Steel Wing?" Brock asked in surprise as Austin grinned.

"Yeah while training Spearow to learn Steel Wing, he ended up learning Aerial Ace as well," Austin explained as Spearow held his head high. "So I figured why not put those two together to add some real damage."

"Some trainers don't think of doing that until much later." Brock pulled out another Pokeball. "But you're about to deal with my strongest Onix!"

"Groom!" A giant snake Pokemon made completely out of rocks emerged as it gave a roar that shook the building.

"Whoa," Yellow said as Kitty cowered a bit at the much larger Pokemon.

Pikachu shivered at seeing the sheer size of the Pokemon as Spearow took a small step back, not expecting that.

Austin meanwhile was showing some slight fear due to how much bigger Onix was than he was expecting.

"Rock Throw!" Brock didn't waste any time as that snapped Austin out of his stupor.

"Use Aerial Ace to dodge," Austin ordered as Spearow took to the sky, dodging the many rock projectiles that Onix was launching at him. 'If just one of those hits it'll be bad.'

"Use your tail to knock it out of the air," Brock said.

As Onix raised its tail, Austin thought. 'Now.'

Austin gave an order. "Spearow, Steel Wing to knock the tail away."

"Spear!" Spearow's wings glowed as they knocked the tail away to keep on flying.

"Now Aerial Wing." Austin wanted to finish this quickly but Brock had another trick up his sleeve.

"Rock Tomb."

Onix roared as it slammed the tail on the ground causing rocks to fly up, knocking Spearow off course before its tail wrapped around the small bird.

"Bind it."

Spearow cried out as Onix put pressure on him.

"Stop, Spearow has had enough," Austin said not wanting anything to happen to him.

Brock gave a nod as Onix let Spearow go and the bird was stumbling as he hit the ground before Austin returned him. "You know the limits of your Pokemon pretty well." He remembered how Austin called Pidgeotto back earlier. "That shows how much you care for them."

"Oh, poor Spearow," Yellow said before she saw Brock's siblings in the gym now, watching the fight.

"Choose your next Pokemon," Brock said as Onix roared, his tail sore but he was still raring to go.

"Metapod go!" Austin said sending the Cocoon Pokemon out.

Kitty looked surprised at the fact that Caterpie evolved while Yellow looked confused.

Now Brock looked confused. "You're sending a Metapod out?" He asked wondering if Austin only trained the other three of those special moves.

Austin however just gave an order. "Harden." He said as Metapod

Brock looked a bit skeptical, wondering what Austin was planning as he gave an order. "Rock Tomb."

Now Austin was grinning. "Use String Shot on the roof."

Metapod quickly did so and shot into the air as rocks slammed right where he was catching Brock off guard.

"What?!"

"Harden while you swing around." Austin said as Metapod was swinging on the String Shot like a comic character that Austin read about. 'Honestly I didn't think that would work.'

"Onix uses Rock Throw," Brock said as he was surprised by the new strategy that Austin was using as Metapod kept dodging the rocks, his defense increasing every few seconds. 'What are you doing?'

After a few more close calls, Austin whispered "Okay that should be enough." Austin grinned. "Use String Shot to swing above Onix and give a Tackle Attack!"

Metapod did so as he let go before letting gravity take effect.

It clicked into Brock's head what Austin was doing as Metapod collided head-on with Onix causing the rock snake to roar in pain.

Austin used Harden to make Metapod's shell as hard as steel before going as high as he could and then he used gravity to add to the Hardened Tackle and cause a lot of damage.

Metapod didn't escape unscathed though as he took some damage from the blow as well but he was using String Shot to zip away before Onix slammed a tail into him causing him to roll across the field.

"I have to say, I never had anyone use that type of strategy against me before," Brock said looking at Austin with some respect. "You've given me trouble without using any Pokemon that has a type advantage against me as other Rookie Trainers would do."

Austin grinned. "I pride myself in doing things differently."

"I can see, but it'll take more than that to stop Onix." Brock got back into the fight. "Bind it."

Metapod didn't have enough time to get away as Onix began squeezing the Cocoon Pokemon.

Thankfully, due to Harden, he could barely feel the squeeze.

"String Shot its face," Austin ordered as Metapod began to do so, covering Onix's eyes as Onix threw Metapod across the field in retaliation as he was blind.

When Metapod slammed into a rock it was enough to pierce the Cocoon.

"Metapod!" Austin shouted in horror before a bright light filled the air, coming from Metapod's Cocoon.

In the light, wings began to sprout out of the Cocoon before the rest of the body came out.

The light died down to show that the creature was now a butterfly-like creature with a purple body, light-blue hands, and feet along with circular red eyes.

"Feh." Butterfree cried out as he took to the sky in excitement.

He did it. He achieved his dream.

"Pika." Pikachu looked amazed at how Butterfree evolved again so soon as Austin looked relieved with Butterfree flying around him.

"Amazing Meta-Er I mean, Butterfree," Austin said as Brock smiled at the friendship that was being shown there.

Yellow meanwhile was blinking in shock, wondering what just happened while Kitty was looking at the Butterfree in amazement.

Taking the Pokedex out, Austin scanned Butterfree. "Butterfree the Butterfly Pokemon and the evolved form of Metapod. In Hoenn and Sinnoh, Butterfree are as dominant in contests as Salamance and Garchomp are in battles. It is not a rare sight to see expert coordinators from afar in the Viridian forest, making the long journey to Kanto in the hopes of obtaining that magnificent contest pokemon.

Butterfree look majestic enough, certainly prettier than Hoenn's native Beautifly, but their true appeal lies in their myriad of attacks. There is little which can compare to the sight of a beautiful Silver Wind blowing around a dozen dazzling powders, then absorbed into multicolored Psybeams, and judges, although supposedly sworn to support creativity, are little more immune to their spell than the audience. The past six Master Rank Beauty winners have all been Butterfree, and they regularly compete in the top levels of Smart, Cute, and Cool contests as well.

In their native Kanto, where contests are unknown, Butterfree hold none of this acclaim. They are trained only by young Bug Catchers, who typically move on to fiercer bugs such as Scyther and Pinsir once they acquire a modicum of experience and skill." The Pokedex beeped. "This Pokemon's Ability has changed to Tinted Lens and has learned the moves Confusion, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore."

Austin grinned because he knew the ability of Tinted Lens and it would come in handy for this fight.

"Congrats on your Pokemon evolving, but this is still a match," Brock said as Onix managed to get enough of the String Shot off to see.

"I know," Austin said as he focused. "Butterfree use Stun Spore!"

"Feh!" Butterfree flew quickly due to how String Shot slowed the Onix down and began to spray the Pollen everywhere.

Onix roared in pain as the pollen began to take effect. "Onix!" Brock cried out in worry.

"Now use Bug Bite!" Austin said as Butterfree dove in his mouth glowing as it bit Onix due to the ability of Tinted Lens, moves that aren't very effective got a boost in dealing damage as Onix roared in pain again before he fell over onto the ground.

Austin stared before he slowly grinned. "Alright!" He cheered as Butterfree flew over to him and he held out his arm for the Bug to land on Pikachu looked relieved at not having to fight the snake, but he looked happy for Butterfree as well.

"Feh."

Ash." Yellow was running up to him with a smile. "That was amazing."

Brock returned Onix and smiled at the Pokeball. "You did great Onix." He said as he looked back at Austin. "I'm impressed Ash, you overcame all the odds using Pokemon many people never did in my Gym. Not only that but even though your Butterfree just evolved you handled him as if he was a Butterfree for weeks and you were the first one I've seen to use him in this battle as a Metapod the way you did."

As he was saying that, Brock was approaching him as he pulled something out of his pocket.

"With that said, you deserve this," Brock said holding out a small gray circular badge. "The Boulder Badge is only the first step however, the other gyms are a lot stronger than me."

"That's why I'll train hard for them," Austin said

"As long as you never forget to be kind to your Pokemon," Brock said as he saw his siblings approach him, looking sad at his loss but he smiled. "To tell the truth, I get more pleasure out of raising Pokemon than making them battle, what's your dream?"

"Uh…" Austin went into deep thought and after a few seconds, he answered.

"To see the world," Austin said knowing that the Pokemon Master dream belonged to the real Ash. "And to battle the best of the best."

"A fine dream," Brock said with a smile. "Mine is to be the world's best Pokemon Breeder. But my family comes before my dream."

"I understand," Austin said as he saw someone else standing in the shadows of the Gym. "But I think someone else would like to say something to you."

Brock looked confused as Flint stepped out of the shadows.

That was when Flint took the hat and fake beard off to show an older version of Brock.

"My father," Brock said in disdain as the siblings gasped in shock.

"Before I talk with my family, I have to know, how did you know I was Brock's father when we spoke," Flint asked turning to Austin.

When he was a kid he figured it out from how Flint was acting the first time he saw the episode but he gave a different answer as Austin said while shrugging.

"Your actions gave you away as well as how your voice cracked when you spoke about Brock."

Flint paused as he considered that before turning to Brock who had a look of anger and he sighed, knowing this was coming. "Brock you should follow your dream." He said walking up to him. "When I left to become a trainer, I failed so badly that I was too ashamed to show my face to everyone. I should've come back instead of putting you and everyone else in so much pain so it's time I begin acting like a father again. You go fulfill your dream."

Brock was quiet. "First there are some things I have to tell you."

"I understand," Flint said preparing himself for a punch. "There are some things you need to get off your chest after all these years so don't hold back."

"Here." Brock handed him a wool thread and sewing needle as Flint now looked extremely confused before the teen began listing off the special needs each sibling needs as well as their hobbies, quirks, and favorite foods Flint managed to produce a pencil and small notepad out of nowhere and began writing frantically.

"S-Slow down, I can't write that fast!" Flint cried out at one point as Austin couldn't help but chuckle at this.

Yellow however looked at Austin as she realized that with how he had the badge now, he wouldn't be staying in Pewter City for too long.

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"So Ash, you don't mind if I travel with you on your journey, right?" he asked, adjusting the blue hiker's bag on his back.

Ash shook his head, unsure of how to reveal his secret to Brock. "Nah, I don't mind," he replied, hoping that his apprehension did not show. "Truthfully, it'll be nice to have someone to talk to."

As they conversed, they suddenly heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. They turned around to see a peculiar sight - a two-headed bird-like Pokemon with brown feathers, black eyes, and yellow beaks running towards them. Brock's eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, "A Doduo?"

As the Doduo came to a halt before them, they saw Yellow perched on its back. She wore a straw hat and had Kitty resting on her shoulder. "Wait!" she called out, panting. "Can I go with you on your journey as well?"

Ash and Brock exchanged a bewildered glance, unsure of what to say. "Um...Uncle Wilton allowed me to go," Yellow explained, petting the Doduo affectionately. "He even gave Dody here to me to help me catch up as well as to protect me. So can I come with you?"

Ash couldn't bring himself to say no to her request, especially after she had gone to such great lengths to catch up with them. "Sure," he replied with a smile. "The more, the merrier!"

Yellow let out a cheer, overjoyed to be joining them on their adventure. Brock chuckled, amused by her enthusiasm. Together, the three of them continued on their journey towards Mt. Moon, eager to see what lay ahead.

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Austin's Pokemon Team

Pikachu (M) Ability: Static. Moves: Thundershock, Growl, Tail Whip, Quick Attack Iron Tail.

Spearow (M) Ability: Keen Eye. Moves: Peck, Leer, Focus Energy, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace, and Steel Wing.

*Combo* Aerial Wing (Aerial Ace and Steel Wing)

Rattata (F) Ability: Guts. Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Quick Attack, Focus Energy, Iron Tail, and Dig.

Butterfree (M) Ability: Tinted Lens. Moves: Tackle, String Shot, Bug Bite, Harden, Confusion, Poison Sting, Sleep Powder, and Stun Spore.

Pidgeotto (F) Ability: Tangled Feet. Moves: Tackle, Sand Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, and Steel Wing.

Pokemon used to Own.

Weedle (F)

Pokemon Seen: 18

Pokemon Owned: 5