"Nurse Joy, sorry to trouble you," Ash said as he handed over Pikachu and the three Poké Balls on his belt.
"You're very welcome. I've already heard about you from my sister," Nurse Joy replied warmly.
"Thank you for stepping in and helping the Viridian City Pokémon Center avoid being harmed by Team Rocket."
Seeing Ash in person, the nurse greeted him enthusiastically. She quickly processed their check-in and brought the Pokémon to the treatment room, while Chansey temporarily took over the front desk.
"Ash, come look!" Misty called out.
She was standing in front of a poster surrounded by several Trainers. Her slender finger pointed at it.
"This is the Pokémon League Regional Conference."
"If you want to participate in it, you must collect eight Gym Badges first."
Ash nodded seriously.
That was the basic requirement for every regional League. If a Trainer couldn't even collect eight badges, entering the League tournament would be pointless—they'd just be eliminated immediately.
"Gym Leaders are very different from the Trainers you meet on the roadside," Misty warned.
"They're extremely strong."
She was preparing Ash mentally in case he lost his first Gym challenge.
In reality, Gym Leaders usually adjust their team strength depending on the challenger's level, ensuring the difficulty is appropriate.
"It should be fine," Ash said with a smile after meeting Misty's gaze.
"I probably won't have much trouble."
After finishing lunch, they soon received a message from Nurse Joy.
The Pokémon had fully recovered.
"Sorry for the wait. Your Pokémon are all healthy again."
Nurse Joy placed Pikachu and the Poké Balls neatly on a tray and handed them back.
Ash blinked.
Why does this feel like picking up food at a restaurant?
It looked exactly like receiving a meal combo.
Hello, here is your Pikachu combo meal~
"Pika!"
Pikachu happily jumped back onto Ash's shoulder.
"Ready?" Misty asked after retrieving her own Pokémon.
"Let's go."
Ash mentally calculated the timing.
At this hour, Brock was probably busy taking care of his many younger siblings.
That middle-aged man they had met earlier—the one selling stone pickles—was Brock's father. He had left Pewter City to pursue his dream of becoming a Pokémon Trainer, but after failing to achieve success in the League, he never returned home.
Ash suspected the man simply felt too ashamed to come back. Instead, he built a house outside the city and survived selling strange rock products while secretly watching over Brock.
The Pewter Gym building was extremely distinctive.
It was constructed entirely from stacked stone blocks, with a bright orange iron gate at the entrance.
The architecture clearly reflected the Rock-type specialty of the Gym Leader.
In other words, it was a subtle reminder to challengers:
Prepare for Rock-type battles.
"Is anyone here?"
Ash pushed open the heavy metal doors.
The two stepped into the dim interior of the Gym.
"Are you challengers?"
Click.
The lights suddenly switched on, illuminating the dark hall.
"Which one of you will challenge me?"
Sitting cross-legged on a stone cushion was Brock.
He had tan skin, spiky hair, and narrow eyes—his appearance was instantly recognizable.
"I will. I'm Ash from Pallet Town," Ash said as he stepped forward.
Pikachu on his shoulder cried out energetically.
Brock paused for a moment.
"This must be your first time challenging a Gym."
"Gym battles are very different from roadside battles. These are official Pokémon League matches with specific rules."
Ash nodded.
"I know."
"Each side may use two Pokémon. The challenger may switch freely. When all of one side's Pokémon lose the ability to battle, the other side wins."
"Understood?"
Brock stood up, rubbing his forehead.
Most challengers who came here were rookie Trainers who had only just begun their journey. And as a Gym Leader, he couldn't refuse their challenges.
He assumed Ash was the same type.
A Trainer whose ambition exceeded their current ability.
After a crushing defeat, they would finally realize the gap between themselves and real Trainers.
"I understand," Ash replied calmly.
"So… where do we battle?"
He glanced around.
Just like in the anime, the battlefield split open from both sides, merging into a rocky arena.
System Notification
[ New Quest Triggered!]
Defeat Pewter Gym Leader Brock and obtain the Boulder Badge.
Rewards:
100,000 PokéDollars (directly transferred to your Pokédex account — fully legal!)
Ability Patch (changes a Pokémon's Ability to its Hidden Ability)
Rare Candy ×5
Wow.
The reward for the first Gym Badge is already this generous.
Ash could barely imagine how good the later rewards might be.
Within five seconds, the Rock battlefield finished assembling.
The loud rumbling attracted a group of children who rushed to the spectator stands.
"Good luck!" Misty waved from the stands.
"Go big brother!"
"Beat him!"
Brock's younger siblings cheered loudly, completely drowning out Misty's voice.
Most of the children had the same hairstyle as Brock, and their faces looked almost identical.
The Brock Support Squad vs. Misty
Result: Overwhelming victory for Brock's side.
"Let's begin."
Brock nodded toward his siblings and sent out his first Pokémon.
"Go, Geodude!"
"Let's go!"
Geodude appeared on the battlefield, flexing its muscular arms.
"Go, Gyarados."
Ash decided to sweep the Gym with Gyarados.
He wasn't interested in playing the "type disadvantage master" today.
Better to avoid accidents and save time.
"ROOOAAAR!"
The Shiny Gyarados appeared with an extremely dramatic entrance, roaring toward the sky.
Its intimidating aura instantly suppressed Geodude.
The children in the audience had never seen a Shiny Gyarados before.
Its fierce expression and massive size frightened them into silence.
This should be an easy win…
Misty looked at the enormous size difference between the two Pokémon.
Geodude looked small enough to fit inside Gyarados's mouth.
All her worries about Ash disappeared instantly.
Instead, she became excited to see what would happen next.
"What?!"
Brock's eyes widened—although it was hard to tell since his eyes were usually closed.
He hadn't expected a rookie Trainer to own a Shiny Gyarados, and one that was larger than average.
At that moment, both Brock and the Pewter City Nurse Joy watching nearby had the same thought:
A rookie Trainer with a Shiny Gyarados…
You call this a rookie Trainer?
Pokémon: Geodude – Lv.17
Rock/Ground type.
Water moves dealt 4× super-effective damage.
Through the system scan, Ash realized Brock intentionally used a moderately leveled Pokémon to accommodate rookie challengers.
If Gym Leaders used their strongest Pokémon every time, hardly anyone would ever earn a badge.
"Geodude, use Rollout!"
Intimidated by Gyarados's Intimidate Ability, Geodude hesitated before curling into a ball and rolling across the rocky battlefield.
"Go, Geodude!" ×5
"Beat that big monster!" ×5
The children shouted enthusiastically.
But before their cheers could finish—
BOOM.
A dull collision echoed across the arena.
The entire stadium suddenly fell silent.