"Is this the room, Nurse Hope?"

Ash stopped in front of a door that read "Rehabilitation Ward." He peeked inside and saw many Pokémon and physical trainers helping them. A Growlithe missing his hind legs captured his attention in particular, along with a Ditto who can't seem to transform or move very much, and a lonely Psyduck who doesn't appear to have a visible sign of injury. He's just blankly staring at the wall, occasionally rubbing his head.

"Yes. Your patient is the Psyduck, the one who is facing the wall. We haven't been able to crack him yet, he's not responding to us much at all." Nurse Hope glanced over at Ash, and smiled. "I think you'll be able to help him walk. Just coax him through it. Be mindful of his condition though, he's not fond of strangers touching him, so you'll have to earn his trust." The nurse turned and walked away. She had her duties to attend to, plus it was almost morning and that means more business and traffic.

Ash groaned, this wasn't going to be easy. "Maybe the doctor was just crazy." He mumbled as he walked toward the despondent Psyduck. He knelt down to its level, wondering if the little duck had noticed him. He hadn't.

Ash sighed, but used this time to take in Psyduck's appearance. The little duck was about half the size he should be, only a foot and a half tall. Ash noticed a scar across Psyduck's bill, and maybe another one near his feet. He needed a closer look, maybe if he...

"Quaaack!" A disgruntled and frightened sound escaped the duck, causing Ash to immediately back up. He must have gotten too close to the duck.

"Sorry Psyduck, I was just trying to get a better look at you." The Psyduck had turned to face the wall again, but Ash could've sworn his eyes were flicking back and forth towards him from time to time.

Giving up on the Pokémon for moment, Ash sat on the floor and leaned against Psyduck's bed, starting to surf the mini computer that was his pokédex. He looked up Raiden's profile and Tempest's profile. The dex constantly updates their status due to the nanobot-pokéball connection - or NPC for short. The NPC is what occurs when a trainer registers a Pokémon inside the ball to their ID, which in Ash's case is Dexter, his pokédex. Dexter monitors his Pokémon's vital signs the same way the hospital does with their machines.

After a moment of studying his pokédex, Ash let out Raiden so he could explore the area. Raiden, all too happy to be free, set out on a little adventure of his own. Psyduck kept a wary eye on the electric kitten, distrustful of everything the Shinx did.

Raiden hopped over to the Growlithe and his trainer, who was all too amused with the large kitten.

"Hey kid! Is this your charge? Pun absolutely intended." Ash glanced up from his article on electric types to find the voice that spoke. His eyes met dark green, the man behind them seemed very eccentric.

"Yeah, he's my Shinx. Had him since he was a baby about... a year or so ago now." He paused in his thoughts. "Time really does fly by fast when you're having fun."

The tall man sighed, a nostalgic look crossing his face. "Indeed."

"By the way, I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum." He stuck out his hand, and the man took it after a moment.

"Ash Ketchum? Hmmm, that is quite the solid name I bet. I go by many names, but you may call me James."

Meanwhile, Raiden attempted to play with the Growlithe, batting its floofy tail, making it sway back and forth. Although, that was probably due to the wagging and not the Shinx's efforts. When Raiden was done with the tail, he moved to face Growlithe head on. The two Pokémon stared at each other for a moment, completely silent.

Ash took a moment to tell the man, James, to look at their Pokémon. "What do you think they're trying to do? I've never seen Rai act like that."

James hummed, thinking about his answer. "I think I can explain this, but you are better off asking a nurse or an expert." Ash nodded to show he was listening, keeping an eye on the two Pokémon. "Let's see, canine and feline Pokémon are not closely linked based off their evolutions. And I mean that in a sense of periodical evolution, the one that happens over millions of years. Moreover, they did have a common ancestor that wasn't Mew - although Mew being catlike would make sense in this regard."

James paused, racking his brain for the rest of his answer. Neither Raiden or Growlithe had moved. "Aha! I think I got it. Ash, you know how scientists have resurrected some Pokémon from fossils, right?"

Ash nodded, so James continued. "Well, studies have shown that these Pokémon are just a mere handful of the species that existed trillions of years ago. One of these species is the common ancestor to both canine and feline Pokémon, we just do not know which one. As more time passed, and Pokémon crossbred and evolved and crossbred some more, we end up with the variations of canine and feline. Has this made any sense?"

It took Ash a moment, but he nodded. "So it's like how they say that Tyrantrum is the common ancestor of the dragon egg group and all those genus."

James nodded, pleased that his information helped Ash and was understood. "Exactly! Except we do not know the Pokémon that served the purpose as the common ancestor for the canines and felines." He glanced back toward the Shinx and Growlithe. "What they are doing right now is determining if they should pack together or treat each other as enemies. No doubt your Shinx considers you and your other Pokémon as his pack. I know for certain Growlie regards me as his pack."

Ash smiled, that was certainly possible. "Maybe if they see us getting along they won't turn against each other."

James hummed. "Yes, I believe that is a pretty accurate point. How about that, Growlie? Rai?"

The Pokémon didn't express any sign that they heard the man except from the flick of an ear in his direction. After a brief pause, Raiden leaned forward and licked Growlie on the nose, satisfied with the relation between their trainers. Growlie reciprocated the action, causing tingles to go through his body from the contact with the large kitten.

"Well that is quite a relief. Would not want them to fight in a place like this, after all."

Ash solemnly nodded, glancing back to the Psyduck, who was caught spying on Ash and James. He quickly returned his attention back to the wall.

James noticed this and asked Ash what was going on with the scared duck. Ash rubbed the back of his neck, not entirely sure how to explain.

"Hmm, I'm looking after him as a favor. A doctor in Viridian thinks I can help him get back on his feet, literally."

James' green eyes glinted for such a brief moment of time that Ash almost missed it. Almost. "Viridian? Wow~, whoever they are, they must really believe in your ability."

Ash nodded, more reserved with the man than before. His eyes had glinted in a way he'd never seen before. It scared him.

Raiden noticed his change in mood and bristled slightly. Before Ash could ask to leave, the man spoke up. "I have no doubt you will succeed in your task." James ran a hand through his hair. "It's just that I don't trust the doctors in Viridian, they didn't even try to help Growlie after the..." James paused, a look of fury passed briefly over his face. "...accident."

Growlie sensed the change in tone, growling with James' sour mood. Ash relaxed again. This was just a bitter man, and rightfully so, he supposed. He'd be the same way if no one tried to help Raiden. He clenched his teeth just thinking about it.

James returned his attention to Ash, a little calmer, putting a cap on his rage. "I am sorry for frightening you. If I may, how did Psyduck end up like this? This doctor must have told you his condition and circumstances, correct?"

Ash nodded, also calmer with something he can talk about. "Let's see... I supposed it started with his abuse." Ash had expected a reaction from James, but the man was stone faced, and urged the boy to continue. "This is my theory, since the nurse told me that they don't know exactly how he ended up like... well, this." He gestured to the duck who was staring diligently at the wall, refusing to look at Ash or James as if he knew they were talking about him. "His abuser hit him too hard on the head, either at one point or repeatedly. This caused some of his cognitive functions to fail him, and it affected his motor functions as well. Hmm, I think that's it. This is all speculation and theories, though."

Ash neglected to mention the cancer, he figured that what he told the eccentric man was enough to satisfy him. It was.

"Oh, how awful. Such a poor creature, burdened with abuse and to suffer long-lasting injuries because of it." James cast his eyes down. "A cruel world we live in."

Ash nodded solemnly, once more glancing to the duck of the conversation. Psyduck continued to stare at the wall. Ash pointed a finger in its direction. "Mark my words, I will help you to walk again, I have complete faith in your ability."

With those parting words, he waved goodbye to James, and headed for the cafeteria, Raiden strolling beside him.

James looked at the Psyduck, then back to his Growlithe.

"So that's the kid, huh? His electric cat was bigger than you, boy!"

Growlie whined, wagging his tail caused his nubs to rub too hard on the bed sheets, inflaming the scars. James picked up the dog and set him in his lap, stroking him as he slid into deep thought. Growlie leaned into the touch, quite content.

"Quite interesting indeed..."

It had been a few hours since Ash was last in the cafeteria for his midnight snack. His eyes drifted toward the sun roof, light slowly trickling in as the sun rose. Ash figured it was about seven in the morning, surprised about how much time he spent with James and Psyduck. He knew he'd pay for his missed sleep later.

When was in sight of the tables, he withdrew his large Shinx, and spotted some familiar faces.

"Hey, Ashy-boy! Where've you been? Training your ass off in order to beat mine?" Ash smiled at Gary's teasing tone. He needed some light-hearted banter.

"As if, Gar-bear. Leaf creamed you after I did, so where does that place you?" Ash leaned in close to whisper loudly into his friend's ear. "Last place, loser~"

Leaf laughed, all too familiar with the dynamic between the boys. Gary would throw a punch and Ash would use it against him. That's just how it always ended up. She never wanted them to change, where else would she get a good laugh in?

"Now, now, boys. We all know if these were straight on battles with our best Pokémon," her eyes glinted ambitiously, "I would have demolished you with Saur."

Ash and Gary stopped their mocking to turn to Leaf, conceding the point. "That's fair."

Gary nodded. "That 'mon is a monster." He never wanted to be on Leaf's bad side, both she and her Bulbasaur have a mean streak. The nice types are the ones you never want to piss off.

Leaf clapped her hands, happy that she brought both of the guys back in line. "Now that we're all here, let's eat!"

Ash blinked, following his friends to the breakfast counter. "You guys were waiting for me? Not for too long I hope."

Gary waved him off. "No, no. We figured your stomach wouldn't take too long to be hungry and you'd be back here in no time. It had only been, like, five minutes before you walked in."

They arrived at the counter, glorious foods made Ash's tummy rumble on sight. He blushed at how loud it sounded. Gary laughed, pointing a plastic fork at Ash. "See! Right on schedule."

Leaf gathered some fruit onto her plate and looked towards Ash, who finally picked up a plate and filled it with eggs and bacon. "I was wondering though, what kept you? I know you weren't training, the practice fields were empty when we tried to find you. Eventually we gave up and came to the café, figuring you'd show up sooner or later."

Ash laughed, he thought that was pretty accurate, especially since that's how they ended up meeting again. "Yeah, no. I was training, but caught up in a favor for a good acquaintance of mine." He glanced toward his friends, who looked a bit confused, prompting him to sigh. "Don't worry about it. The only thing is that I have to stay in Pewter for a week or two for this."

Leaf sighed, but didn't look too surprised. "I mean, I kind of figured we'd all part ways here. I was planning on heading to Vermillion through Diglett's Tunnel. I think Gary said he was going to head further North to the outskirts of Kanto."

Gary nodded. "I want to see if I can capture any rare Pokémon up there. It's all wild land as far as the eye can see." He stopped, thinking for a moment. "Actually I think some tribes are up there, but nothing resembling a concrete jungle like the cities of Kanto."

Ash nodded, a little sad but not surprised. The trio had different goals in mind for their journeys, so it was bound to lead them apart again. Gary slapped him on the shoulder, jolting Ash out of his thoughts. "Don't be so gloomy, Ash! We'll still challenge Pewter's gym together! How about it? Early afternoon today? Leaves us with enough time to train some more. "

Ash grinned, excited to take on his first gym challenge. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, Tempest had a disadvantage and the one move that might help him is Raiden's Ice Fang (which was still a work in progress).

Leaf smirked. She was down for the plan as well.

"Alright, let the training begin!"

Ash's stomach took its cue to growl very loudly. Gary snickered and Leaf shook her head in amusement.

"After breakfast!"

"Hey buddy, let's try that Ice Fang one more time. I think we're making some real headway here."

Ash and his team were a couple hours into their training session, working up a sweat. Tempest had all but mastered Whirlwind, and he was trying to figure out how to teach her Steel Wing. What he found in his pokédex was that endurance is a key component, so she's training with Eevee - who was trying to learn Iron Tail - Saur, and Metapod.

Meanwhile, Ash and Raiden were working on Ice Fang with Gary's Squirtle, who was working on his Ice Beam. On Ash's command, the Shinx built up quite a bit of Ice energy in his jaws, and lunged toward Squirtle, who shot off an Ice Beam to counter.

"Rrrrrooowwl" The large kitten cried out and bit Squirtle, wincing when ice started gathering on his fur but holding on nonetheless. When Raiden let go, it revealed Squirtle's frozen arm.

"Way to go, buddy! I think we got the basic move down now!" Ash hefted his Shinx into the air, grinning widely. The Shinx winced because of his frozen fur, and Ash set the kitten down on the ground again. Ash observed as the Shinx started to lick the ice from his fur.

"Well, you're ice resistance needs a little work." Ash rubbed Raiden on the head, earning an irritated mew from the kitten. "But I think you're doing great, bud!"

Raiden continued to groom and preen himself, but he was quite literally glowing in Ash's praise.

"Wow, Leaf was right. The guy is like a little glowstick." Gary hooked Ash around the neck, laughing. "Although, I wouldn't say little. Are Shinx supposed to grow that big? I think he's bigger than most Growlithe. He's only about a year-old, right?"

Ash nodded, looking as his Shinx stood at eye level with Gary's Squirtle. "Your Squirtle is pretty big, too. He's eye level with Rai, so he's about a foot taller than average, right?"

Gary snickered and unhooked Ash from his grip to face him head on. "I was wondering when one of you would notice. Squirtle's father was a seasoned veteran, raised by a trainer for league battles and competitions. It's only natural that his offspring grow as big as he was too."

Amused, Ash responded. "Let me guess, the breeder friend who gave you Eevee bred your Squirtle, right?"

Gary tapped his nose. "Right on the money, Ashy-boy." He jabbed a thumb in Leaf's direction, where she was overseeing the training of their Pokémon. "But it wasn't just Squirtle, all of the starters this year were expertly bred for Gramps' trainers - us. You would have gotten one, too, but a kid who wanted to start his journey needed a Pokémon, and since you already had your electric monster, Gramps figured you wouldn't mind."

Ash nodded, he was fine with that. Raiden was a perfect starter for him anyway. "He's already done so much for me, I don't think I could have a reasonable demand for another starter." He tapped Raiden's special cherish ball, smiling fondly. "He's been like family to me."

Gary grinned, nudging Ash with his elbow. "So I guess that means were cousins, ey Ashy-boy?"

Ash laughed. "Only if your brother acts as a weird uncle."

Gary shook his head. "No no. I think Daisy would be a perfect weird aunt, and there's only room for two nuts in the family."

"Who's the other one?"

Gary poked Ash in the chest. "Take a wild guess."

Ash responded by sticking out his tongue, leaving Gary behind so he could check on Tempest and her progress on Steel Wing. Leaf noticed his approach, and called the Pokémon to her.

"Okay guys! We're going to check on your progress, so let's take a quick break."

The Pokémon all but slumped at her words, slowly making their way over to the trainers. Saur's vines looked bigger and swollen from extended use, and Metapod's shell looked a bit cracked in some places. Ash was pretty sure he was close to evolving at this rate.

When Ash laid his eyes upon Tempest, his heart skipped a beat. Her feathers were ruffled and she looked exhausted. To be honest, she looked like she was run over by a car. What kept him from freaking out was the triumphant gleam in her eye, showing that she was happy with herself.

He smiled weakly. "Were you successful, girl?" Tempest chirped, starting to preen her feathers, slightly appalled with her appearance. Ash laughed. "We'll get you groomed soon, you'll probably need it after the gym battle."

Tempest let out a long trill. She was happy with that, Ash assumed. He glanced over at Gary - who had followed Ash - and his Eevee, who's tail was dragging behind him, no doubt in the same shape as Tempest's wings. The little fox had the same gleam in his eyes as Tempest, however. He was successful with learning Iron Tail.

Ash took in a long breath, glancing up into the sunny blue sky and stretching his arms above him. He exhaled sharply, bringing his arms down in a quick motion, eyes gleaming.

"We're ready."

Ash, Leaf, and Gary stood in front of the gym. It was plain and simple, not at all intimidating like the one in Viridian, Ash thought. The only thing that denoted the building as a gym was the league symbol and the sounds of a fierce battle within the walls.

"Well, this is it, guys. This is where we'll get our first badge."

Leaf was the one who spoke, but no one was really listening. The trio just kept looking at the building, some form of admiration plastered on all their faces. There was a good minute where no one did anything, but Raiden was getting anxious. The Shinx pranced over to the doors and meowed really loudly, almost akin to a howl. This took them out of their stupor, following the large cat.

Once inside, the receptionist greeted them with practiced words.

"Good afternoon! This is a Pokémon League certified gym specialized in rock types, led by Brock Harrison. How may I help you today?"

Ash patted Gary on the shoulder and Leaf pushed him forward. Stumbling, Gary spoke up.

"Uh, we're here to battle." He sputtered.

Leaf face-plamed, sighing. Ash snickered. Gary felt heat rise up his cheeks and smacked Ash in the arm. With a howl and a laugh, Ash took over for Gary.

"We're here to challenge the gym, miss. I'm Ash Ketchum, this is Leaf Green," Leaf waved with a smile, "and this doofus is Gary Oak." Gary smacked him again, but Ash just laughed.

The receptionist giggled at the teenagers, amused with their antics. "Alright, well the battle field is down this hallway to your right. Brock should be in there, if he's not you can just come back up here and I'll page him."

The trio waved to the receptionist, thanking her as they walked down the long, gray hallway. Ash yawned, effectively breaking the silence.

"Gary," Gary looked up when Leaf called his name. "You know, back there," she paused, and Gary blushed.

"You don't have to say it. I know I-"

Leaf cut him off with a devious grin. "Gary, do you know how to talk to girls?"

Gary just looked away without a word. Leaf and Ash burst into laughter.

"Oh Mew, the Gary Oak doesn't know how to talk to girls?"

Leaf giggled. Gary flushed with embarrassment. "I- I talk to you, don't I?!"

Ash calmed his laughing slightly, barely wheezing out a response. "D- dude. That doesn't count." Ash giggled with Leaf. "We've known Leaf since forever, I mean-"

"You don't have to say anymore, Ash. I think he gets it." Ash and Leaf glanced at each other, still trembling with laughter, then turned to Gary.

"Thanks for your confidence, guys. Now let's see if you can beat Brock."

The trio reached the end of the hallway, which quickly became a large atrium filled with rocks and a few scattered battlefields here and there.

A tall bronze man noticed their arrival and called over to them.

"You three!" He jogged over to the Pallet trio, hastily introducing himself as Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader.

He cast them all a cursory glance, before turning his attention near the edge of the atrium, worried.

"I'm sorry, but the gym isn't quite the safest place at the moment. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you all to leave."

Leaf picked up on the worry and alert edge to his tone. She glanced at the boys, who nodded to her.

"With all due respect, sir, we can handle ourselves. We'd be glad to help in anyway."

Brock hesitated, but allowed the young teens to follow him to the source of trouble.

"This isn't something me and my trainees have had to deal with before." He glanced behind him, studying the trio with his eyes. "Normally I wouldn't have even considered letting rookie trainers help with this, but I seem to be running out of options."

They rounded a fairly big rock, coming up to a large Graveler holding down a thrashing Onix. The Onix's eyes were contracted, growling in anger and frustration.

Leaf gasped, Ash and Gary following her lead when their eyes landed on the Rock Snake Pokémon.

The Onix noticed them and bellowed out a threatening roar.

Anger. Anger. ANGER. ANGER. ANGER. ANGER! sadness. ANGER! ANGER! guilt. FURY!

REGRET.

Ash was hit with all these emotions at once, none of them his own. He seemed to be the only one afftected so deeply by the roar, but Brock came up as a close second. The gym leader turned toward the trio.

"She's been like this for about an hour. Nothing we can do is calming her down, and reinforcements from Celadon and Cerulean are on their way, but they're not coming fast enough." Brock gritted his teeth and closed his narrow eyes. "Please. Do any of you have any idea how to help?"

"My Bulbasaur knows Sleep Powder, would that work?" Leaf answered.

Brock mulled it over, before shaking his head. "Your Bulbasaur can't do this by himself, he'd need some assistance. Onix is too unpredictable so we can't let any unfamiliar pokémon near her."

The four went back to brainstorming. After a few moments, Gary spoke up.

"If Saur can't get to close to Onix, then why don't we blow the powder over to her? Ash has a Pidgey, and she can use Gust to blow the powder right into Onix's face!"

Brock nodded. "That just might work! Good thinking kid!"

And so, Brock, the trio, and the gym trainers got to work. Brock and the gym trainers were trying (and failing) to placate and soothe the Onix. Meanwhile Ash and Leaf were preparing to unleash a cloud of sleep powder on the rock snake, hoping it would be enough to knock her out.

"You got this, Saur. Just a little bit more, buddy." The Bulbasaur groaned and produced more powder from his bulb. Leaf carefully gathered the powder into an unrealistically large plastic bag, almost bursting at the seams.

Leaf stood up, dusted herself off, handed the bag to Ash (who was standing a few feet away), and she promptly fell asleep. Standing up.

"Woah there, Leaf! You must a' breathed in more powder then you thought." Ash carefully laid Leaf on the ground next to her Bulbsaur. He carefully hefted the bag of sleep powder, unsure of what to do next.

Gary noticed his hesitation and helped him carry the bag. They carried it to the rock in front of the Onix, just out of her line of sight, Tempest following them silently.

Gary, with extreme care and caution, opened the top of the bag. Ash motioned to Tempest and she started to flap her wings fast and hard. Upwind of the powder, the boys watched as it travelled to the crazed rock snake, and to all the trainers around with their pokémon. One by one they started to drop like flies, only the most resilient staying awake to make sure that Onix didn't escape.

Then, bit by bit, the Onix started to relax, and her pupils expanded back to normal, no longer contracted to a pin-point.

Gary and Ash let out sighs of relief, happy with the smooth solution; they softly high-fived each other and went to go wake up the gym trainers and Leaf, respectively.

Once everyone was accounted for, Brock took the trio of challengers to one of the undamaged battlefields in the large atrium.

"That was good work you three. Very smart and quick, the world could use more trainers like you." Brock looked over the damage Onix caused in the atrium: rocks smashed and scattered, soil uprooted, and gym pokémon in various states of distress. "My trainees did everything that came to them, but it still wasn't enough."

Ash and the others looked down. Brock really was lucky they came when they did.

The weird part is, Ash thought, is that no one outside of the atrium even heard the commotion.

While most gyms may be soundproofed, the Pewter gym was recently renovated due to battle damage, and the soundproofed walls were the first to crumble. Not very resilient despite being soundproofed. Ash came across a video called "Top 10 Epic Gym Battles" and found the battle that absolutely destroyed the Pewter gym, both in foundation and reputation. He figured that was the battle that caused the Pewter gym to renovate, but it's not that quiet in the atrium. He overheard the locals saying to keep clear of the gym during training, else you're subject to the constant roar that mock-battles create.

So why didn't the receptionist seem worried? If others outside the gym could hear battles, why did the receptionist seem calm? Had she heard the commotion, she wouldn't have let us down that hallway until the situation was fixed.

Ash broke his train of thought and turned his attention back to Brock, who had kept talking to the trio.

"-so I suppose you all want to take a shot for the badge, yeah?"

Ash glanced over to the others, unsure of what to do. On one hand, he would love to battle Brock with his team. But on the other... the atrium was destroyed, surely Brock would rather deal with the aftermath of the rampage than battle fledgling trainers?

Leaf and Gary seemed to follow a similar train of thought.

"I dunno, sir. Wouldn't you rather clean up your gym? We don't wanna impose." Leaf spoke up, worried with a tinge of regret.

Brock chuckled, surprisingly genuine considering the circumstances. "Kid, I run a rock type gym, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's resilience in the face of adversity. If I let one accident like this get to me, then I wouldn't be much of a gym leader."

He finished with a wink to the trio, and with that he successfully refueled the determination of the trio.

"So who's the first challenger?!"

Ash was determined. He was also nervous. He was nervously determined. Watching both Gary and Leaf's battles had been informative, but he was at a major disadvantage compared to his childhood friends.

Gary's Squirtle had soaked his competition, and then the battle was his. Leaf's Bulbasaur managed to push Brock's Geodude to its limit through sheer brute force (although the type advantage was a huge help, Ash noticed that Leaf's Bulbasaur is a monster of a Pokémon in his own right).

As Ash congratulated his friends on their victories, he was feeling very apprehensive. He'd go in with Raiden, there was no doubt about it, but he could barely think straight enough to form a plan. His mind had been running ragged all day, mental exhaustion finally catching up to him.

There was a long trill from his side, and he looked down toward his partner. Raiden brushed up against his leg, the tingles forcing his legs to spasm into walking. He found himself thanking the Shinx as he headed towards the battlefield.

"Good luck Ash!"

"We believe in you, Ashy-boy!"

Ash smiled at his friend's encouragement, then turned his attention to Brock and grinned. He was ready.

Brock smirked, and tossed his pokéball toward the field.

"Let's go, Rhyhorn!"

"Rai! Let's show them what we're made of, buddy!"

Well, that's it for this chapter. Honestly this 5k monster kicked my ass during the writing process.

Familiar faces are showing up and the plot has developed some more! Yay!

I feel like I keep teasing y'all with this gym battle (sorry!), but we'll definitely be heading out of Pewter City next chapter, so that's fun!

If y'all need any clarification, I'll be happy to oblige! Of course I won't spoil any of the story, so don't bother with spoiler-territory questions.

(Also, the character Flint, Ash's dad in this story, mentioned in the previous chapter is not a canon character from the series, games or otherwise. He's just a character that serves only as background material, having no effect on present story and circumstances. Sorry for the confusion, folks!)

That's all for now, ciao!