After Ash and co. went to Celadon City and retrieved Ash's Primeape from Anthony, Gary told Ash about some sort of rare Pokémon he has. This left Ash to be very excited and constantly wonder what type of Pokémon his childhood friend has. Whatever it is, he wants to battle it.
Ash, Gary, and Tracey were now on the road once again and were continuing on their way towards Pallet Town. However, they made a quick stop at Pewter City to refill on gasoline for Tracey's vehicle.
"Hey guys, since we are here in Pewter City, why don't we go visit Brock at his gym? I would like to catch up with him in person before he comes to visit Pallet with Misty later for training sessions." Ash suggested eagerly.
"Sure, we got time," Tracey replied as he finished filling up the gas tank of his vehicle.
"Sounds good with me," Gary added his opinion, but to be honest he didn't really care what they did. The trip from Vermilion City to Celadon City and then now Pewter City had really tired the mahogany-haired aspiring researcher out.
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After finding a safe place to park Tracey's vehicle, the trio walked around the city to look for the Pewter City Gym. After a while of walking, they eventually made it to the front of the gym.
"Man this brings back memories." Ash said as he took a deep breath and admired the entrance of the rock-type Pokémon gym. It hasn't changed much since the first time he's been there. In fact, he much preferred the way it looked back then compared to how it currently looks.
"You said it, Ashy-Boy," Gary chimed in. "I remember when I battled Brock here. I only had my Squirtle and Rattata at the time and it was a close match. Let me tell ya, his Onix sure was tough for a low-level gym."
"Don't remind me. I took two attempts against Brock and I still couldn't beat him, even with the power-up Pikachu received. I was such as a rookie." Ash said with a sweatdrop.
"Pi..." Pikachu squeaked and also sweatdropped. He clearly remembered the struggle of winning a gym badge in the Pewter City gym. Brock was such a savage when he went against trainers back then.
"But we are both professional trainers now, am I right?" Gary laughed. "I bet if we went back in time, we would have crushed Brock to pieces."
"Most definitely. But Brock is pretty strong. I was thinking of challenging him to a battle if we see him today." Ash commented.
"Oh yeah, the Pewter City gym received a promotion and is now a mid to high-level gym," Gary said as he thought for a moment. "The Pokémon League Association spoke about it during one of the recent gym leader meetings."
"Sometimes I forget that you are the new Viridian City gym leader," Ash stated.
Gary just shook his head. "Well, I'm not planning on staying as gym leader for long. Gramps offered me the position and I took it since he was childhood friends with Agatha, one of the Elite Four."
"Oh, I remember Agatha," Ash said with recognition of the name. "I battled her Golbat in the Viridian City gym when I returned from Hoenn."
Gary nodded. "Yep, that's her alright. Technically speaking, she is still the temporary Viridian City gym leader. I'm just filling in for her for the time being. Though, the other gym leaders seemed to have accepted me really quick into the gym leader circle."
"Well guys, maybe we should get inside. We've been standing out here for a while and the heat is really getting to me." Tracey suggested. Ash and Gary nodded and then soon realized that they were sweating too.
"Good thing Brock has air conditioning." Ash mumbled. He led Gary and Tracey as they followed behind him as he opened the doors. When they stepped in, the gym was filled with complete darkness, with barely any light being emitted at all.
"Geez. How come this gym is always dark? It's not a Dark-type gym." Gary thought to himself.
"Who goes there?" a voice shouted from the depths of the shadows. "Are you here to challenge the Pewter City Gym?"
"Actually, no Forrest. We are here to visit Brock. Is he around?" Ash asked, getting straight to the point. Ash knew the fear tactics the gym utilizes to intimidate young trainers. Fortunately, Ash already experienced this before and knew the gym customs.
The lights were immediately switched on and it revealed a young fifteen-year-old teenager, who seemed like a slightly younger version of Brock.
"How did you know it was me? My voice has become much deeper since the last time you saw me." Forrest whined and crossed his arms.
Ash laughed and ruffled Forrest's hair. "Just a guess. Anyways, Forrest, you remember Gary and Tracey right?"
"Of course, they are the researcher assistants of Professor Oak!" Forrest answered with. Gary and Tracey both fell down anime-style. Doesn't Forrest know they have names?
"I'm not just a research assistant, I AM THE GARY OAK FROM PALLET TOWN. I AM GOING TO WIN THE WORLD CORONATION SERIES TOURNAMENT AND PROVE TO THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD WHY THE OAK FAMILY IS SO GREAT!" Gary yelled out, lashing out with annoyance. "And besides we saw each other a month ago at the Kanto Gym Leader meeting at the Indigo League Plateau..."
"Oh yeah, aren't you the new Viridian City Gym Leader? That meeting was basically your welcoming party." Forrest realized as he thought back. He did recall seeing Gary there and how much of a big deal he was.
"Yeah, but I'm not planning on being the Viridian City Gym Leader for very long. I still have a lot to do if I want to follow my family's legacy." Gary explained with a simple shrug. "I'm giving the position back to an Elite 4 member or the Pokémon League Association so they can give it to somebody else."
"So who runs the Viridian City gym when you are absent?" Tracey asked.
"Oh, that's simple. I close the gym when I'm gone, which means the challengers will challenge it. Otherwise, my Aunt Daisy will sometimes fill in." Gary answered.
"I forgot that she knows how to battle," Ash muttered out loud.
Gary simply shrugged. "Me neither, but she insisted. I guess gramps and dad taught her a lot."
"Anyways, it's great to see you again Forrest. Where is the rest of your family?" Tracey asked, trying to change the subject.
"Oh, they are all out of the region at the moment. I think they are taking a family vacation in Kalos. My parents always seem to enjoy those vacations." Forrest answered.
"Wait, why didn't you go with them?" Ash asked in curiosity.
"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked with equal interest to his trainer.
"Brock and I decided to stay at home to watch over the gym. Besides, Brock said that he was going to your hometown to train with you, Ash." Forrest said.
"Oh okay, so where is Brock anyways?" Ash asked.
"He is here, but one of his friends came to visit. I'll take you guys to them." Forrest volunteered as he motioned for the group to follow him to their house.
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The house was pretty big, but not as big as the gym. It connects the gym from the inside, so it was very convenient for the family when they want to access the gym and the house without going outdoors. When the group went inside the home and made their way to the living room, Ash was very surprised to see who Brock's guest was.
"HUH?! MISTY?!?" Ash gasped and shouted out in shock. That was strange. He knew that they were going to meet up and travel together to Pallet Town, but they were a few days early.
"Pikachu-Pi?!" Pikachu squealed, also surprised by Misty being in the Pewter City gym instead of Cerulean.
The tanned 24-year old muscular young man with spiky brown hair and the 19-year old orange-color-haired young woman looked up to see who shouted. They simply smiled when they saw the group of people standing by the doorway.
"Ash, Gary, and Tracey. Hello! I didn't think you'd be here to visit Brock." Misty greeted with an exaggerated wave.
"Hey, it's been a while, you guys." Brock also greeted with a grin.
"I literally called you guys a week ago to discuss our training plans," Ash said with a facepalm. "But otherwise, it's great to see you guys again, in person anyways."
"Pikachu-Pi! Pika-chu!" Pikachu squeaked as he jumped off Ash's shoulder to nuzzle the two friends.
"That tickles Pikachu, but it's great to see you too!" Misty greeted the mouse Pokémon, gently stroking his tail.
"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked.
"So what brings you three here to Pewter?" Brock questioned in a confused tone. "Aren't you guys supposed to be at Pallet Town by now?"
"We took a detour to come visit," Gary replied. "Ashy-boy here insisted we do so."
"Yeah, we picked up Ash earlier in the morning from Vermilion City, went to Celadon City, and now here we are," Tracey summarized the events that took place so far.
"Well, it's great to see you guys again. Misty is here because we plan to travel to Pallet Town together, since Ash called us to help him train for the upcoming World Coronation." Brock said.
"Hey, why don't you guys ride with us? We have room for two more in our vehicle." Tracey proposed.
"That would be great. How about you guys stay the night and we can head over there tomorrow?" Misty suggested to the group. "We can hang out the whole day and catch up before we travel to Pallet Town."
"Yeah sounds great," Gary said as he took a seat on the sofa.
"Sure, that good with you Tracey?" Ash asked the Orange Islands native, as he plopped down on the sofa next to Gary.
"Yeah, let me call the Professor very quick, I'll be right back you guys. I won't take long." Tracey said as he excused himself and left the living room to call the professor.
"Man, I still can't believe Gary is the new Viridian City Gym Leader." Misty said with a snicker, to start the conversation up again.
"If I recalled, you only became the Cerulean City Gym Leader, because your sisters were too lazy to continue." Gary shot back, with a slightly irritated expression on his face. Ash and Brock tried to hold back their laughter.
"Hey... at least I actually do my job..." Misty retorted while sticking her tongue out.
"Someone get the burn heal!" Ash cried out, while laughing hysterically.
"You're one to talk, Ashy-Boy. If I recall you got half of your Kanto Gym Badges without even winning a battle, while I got ten just by skills, alone." Gary countered with a smirk.
"Oh, he got you there!" Misty declared, trying to hold back her laughter. "Looks like you need that burn heal for yourself."
"Well, at least I got better at winning badges over time. Like in Sinnoh and Kalos!" Ash said in order to defend himself. He let out a scowl and sagged on the sofa.
"Oh hey, you haven't told us about your time in Kalos. Did you make any new friends? I heard from Mrs. Ketchum that you have reached the finals, but lost to a Mega Charizard." Brock brought up.
"I also heard that your Greninja took the entirety of Kalos by storm. Oh, I wish I could have one of those! It seems like a great water-type!" Misty exclaimed with hands on her cheeks. She had always admired water-types and Greninja was no exception.
"Well anyways Ashy-Boy, tell us about your time in Kalos." Gary said. "You haven't really told anyone much about what you did there, compared to the other regions, like Sinnoh and Unova."
"Well..." Ash started. He paused for a few seconds to think over what to say. He glanced over at Pikachu, who gave his trainer a cheerful look. "Kalos is our favorite region that we traveled to by far. I've learned so many new things, like mega evolution and fairy-type Pokémon. Oh, and I made friends with a Froakie that eventually evolved into a Greninja who can perform the bond phenomenon."
"We had a lot of fun, right buddy?" Ash asked his partner Pokémon.
"Chu~!" Pikachu agreed and gave a quick nod.
"So did you travel alone or have you made some new traveling companions? Knowing you, you probably made some new friends." Brock asked.
"I heard from Delia that he traveled with two girls and another guy," Gary said.
"Well, there were three traveling companions. There were also some other friends and a couple of rivals, but all in all, I got along with all of them." Ash said. He let out a small smile as he remembered every single person, especially a certain honey-blonde girl.
"So who were your traveling companions?" Misty was the one to ask.
"Well, first of all, there were a pair of siblings: Clemont and Bonnie. Clemont is the Lumiose City Gym Leader which specializes in Electric-type Pokémon. He is also an inventor. Although at times his inventions explode on us, Clemont is a reliable guy and can invent pretty useful things when he puts his mind on it."
"Wait, how did he travel with you if he is a gym leader?" Gary asked, puzzled. Brock and Misty were also wondering the same thing. When they left to travel with Ash, they had family take over the gym during their absence. What was the case for Clemont?
"Oh, he built a robot called ''Clembot" to battle in his stead, while he works on inventions or is away," Ash replied.
"Wow, that's pretty amazing. I would buy a robot like that to battle for me at my gym." Misty said, amazed at the information.
"Well you could say that Clembot is one of Clemont's most successful inventions, I guess. But anyways there was a glitch in Clembot's programming and Clemont forgot the bypass password, so Clembot kicked both him and Bonnie out of the gym. The robot was very tough on challengers and literally kicked people out with trap doors and electricity, if they don't have at least four gym badges..."
"Let me guess, you got-"
"YES, I GOT KICKED OUT OKAY, GARY!" Ash yelled at his childhood friend in utter annoyance evident in his voice. Everyone sweatdropped at Ash.
"Sheesh. Sorry, Okay. You can continue now." Gary apologized, putting his hands up as if he was surrendering.
"Anyways, Clemont managed to remember the password and reprogrammed Clembot successfully with some safety mode. There were some situations involving Clemont that were pretty sad, but I think that's enough about Clemont and his inventions." Ash said.
"So Bonnie is Clemont's sister, I'm assuming?" Brock asked for confirmation.
"Yep, the younger sister. She traveled with us and had a very child-like personality. She always tries to find a wife or girlfriend for Clemont, usually in the form of a proposal." Ash chuckled as he remembered his younger traveling companion from Kalos.
"Wow, she's like Brock, but this time looking for a girl for someone else." Misty laughed. Brock sweatdropped in embarrassment. Why was Misty really trying to compare him to a little girl?
"Yeah, basically." Ash agreed. "She is also kind of like Max, May's younger brother. Both really love Pokémon and are aspiring future Pokémon Trainers. Bonnie even got to take care of Clemont's Dedenne when we were traveling. Last I talked to her and her brother, she has already gotten her trainer license and was officially given Dedenne as her Pokémon."
"That's so cute!" Misty commented. At the same time, Psyduck came out of its Poké Ball, with his typical confused look.
"Psy?" Psyduck quacked while tilting his head. "Duck..."
"Ugh, Psyduck return..." Misty muttered with a sigh. "Why does Psyduck always come out at the most random times. I remember there was this time Psyduck escaped from his Poké Ball during the middle of the night. When I woke up, he raided the pantry."
"I guess some things never change." Brock chuckled. Ash couldn't agree more.
"So who is the third traveling companion?" Gary asked with a slight grin. Ash talked about one girl, but he still has yet to talk about the other one.
"Well..." Ash hesitated and averted his gaze from his friends for a few moments. It was a few seconds of awkward silence, until Pikachu nudged his trainer to continue and gave him a cute smile of reassurance.
"The last traveling companion is a girl named Serena, uh she's about my age." Ash began. However, he started to blush slightly at the thought of the honey-blonde girl, which didn't go unnoticed by his friends. "She is a performer who strives to be Kalos Queen and she makes the best treats imaginable. I could honestly eat them all day and never get sick of them."
"Go on..." Brock pressed on, as they all continued to listen intently. Brock could tell that the conversation was going to get a lot more interesting. Ash gulped hard at this and started to stutter.
"Uh... y-yeah as I said she is a pre-performer who wants to be the Kalos Queen and is very cute-" Ash then slapped a hand over his mouth. What in the world is he saying? Every time he thought about Serena he started thinking about her looks and personality. This started happening more often ever since the... the kiss. Heck, it probably started when she wore her Fennekin outfit for the PokéVision video.
"So, your mom is right! She told me you found a girlfriend in Kalos." Gary said with a smirk on his face as he recovered the quickest. He was going to enjoy teasing his childhood rival.
"WHAT?!?" Ash said with a crimson blush on his face. "S-she's not m-my g-g-girlfriend..."
Pikachu, who was sitting on his trainer's lap, sighed and started squeaking and gesturing with his hands, which caught everyone's attention. Gary noticed this and had a large mischievous grin on his face.
"Well, Pikachu definitely disagrees with you," Gary said out loud. "Exactly what are you hiding from us?"
Ash sighed and mentally facepalmed at himself. It looks like he might have to come clean to his friends. But maybe he doesn't have to tell them the exact truth... yet...
"Well... maybe I do like her... as more than a friend... she stole my first kiss after all..." Ash admitted while scratching his cheek.
"SHE KISSED YOU?!?" Brock, Misty, and Gary shouted in unison. At the same time, Tracey has chosen to re-enter the room.
"Heya guys. Sorry I took a while, Professor Oak was rambling on about stuff. Anyways, he said we can stay at Pewter for the night. Oh, he also told me to tell Ash that all his Pokémon that Professor Cerise transferred are all safe and sound." Tracey said as he walked in. He then looked to see a clearly crimson-colored blushing Ash and other people with their jaws dropped and eyes bulging. Ash was clearly exceeding the temperature of a Moltres at the moment.
"What happened here?" Tracey asked clueless as to what happened while he was outside.
To be continued...