From then on, Ash didn't catch any more Pokémon. He already had enough for traveling and enough to challenge a Gym.
Now it was all about training them. Once they were stronger, then he could think about catching new ones.
Three more days passed. At last, at the edge of Viridian Forest, a bedraggled Misty and Ash finally stood at the exit.
Seven days—an entire week stuck in that forest. They were about ready to turn into wildlings!
If Ash hadn't carried Misty on his back from time to time, with her stamina they probably would've taken another two or three days just to get out.
In those seven days, Misty had only managed to bathe twice—and even then, just wiping herself down quickly with a towel at a little pond. The water had been freezing cold. Even under blazing sunlight, ice-cold baths were still no good for a girl.
So the very first thought Misty had upon reaching Pewter City was—find a place to take a proper bath!
Otherwise, she was going to lose her mind.
Ash, on the other hand, wanted to challenge the Gym right away. He couldn't wait to see the results of all his training.
But after Misty's advice, Ash agreed to first stop by the Pokémon Center, leave Pikachu and the others to recover, and take a hot bath himself. After all, even if he didn't feel tired, his Pokémon definitely did.
Throughout their trek, Misty had been floored by Ash's stamina and spirit. Sometimes even Pokémon couldn't keep up with him—this kid was a monster among humans.
By afternoon, the two of them were standing at the front doors of the Pewter Gym.
Ash cracked his knuckles, pushed open the doors, and whispered, "Watch me. June 17th—today's the day I win my first Badge!"
Misty rolled her eyes behind him. If he crashed and burned, she was absolutely going to tease him with—June 17th, the day of your first Gym defeat.
Whether this day would become Misty's favorite punchline or the start of Ash's rise, all depended on this battle against the Pewter Gym Leader.
As they entered, the lights inside the Gym flicked on one by one, until they all focused on the arena platform.
There stood a young man with dark skin and spiky black hair, arms crossed, staring seriously at Ash and Misty from the Gym Leader's spot.
"That's Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader," Misty whispered, giving Ash the quick rundown on the man in the spotlight.
"Brock… he does look pretty serious," Ash murmured.
Brock stood tall on the field, arms folded, voice steady and stern: "So you're the challengers?"
"More like just me. I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the Pewter Gym!" Ash stepped forward, thumb to his chest, with Pikachu on his shoulder chiming in right after.
"Pallet Town? A Beginner Trainer?"
"Yeah. Counting today, it's been nine days since I left."
"Nine days… So you're a real rookie. If it were any other Beginner with only nine days of travel, I'd tell them to go back out, train a little longer, and come challenge again later. Gym battles aren't a game. But coming from Pallet Town—that's different."
Ash's eyes narrowed. "Why different?"
"Because someone else from Pallet Town already came here before you. He handled the lowest-difficulty Gym challenge with ease. His command of his Pokémon and their strength didn't look like anything a Beginner would have. If you're also from Pallet Town, I'd expect no less."
Ash squinted. No doubt about it—he meant Gary Oak, that flashy jerk in the sports car who always managed to be one step ahead.
How he drove through Viridian Forest in that car was anyone's guess, but one thing was clear—Gary had beaten him to the Gym yet again. What a pain.
"I'm nothing like him. I'll beat you even cleaner than he did!"
"Oh? Then I'll look forward to it… By the way, that girl behind you… she looks familiar." Brock's gaze shifted past Ash.
Misty tilted her head, pretending disinterest but watching from the corner of her eye.
The moment Brock spoke, she blurted, "No! Absolutely not! You must be mistaken! A world-class beauty like me is one of a kind—you've never met me before because I've never seen you before, so there's no way you've seen me!"
"…Is that so?" Brock's squinted eyes betrayed nothing, his words vague and unreadable.
But to Misty's relief, he didn't press further.
As fellow Gym Leaders, even if they hadn't met, Brock could've easily seen her picture somewhere—just as she'd seen his.
That's why she'd panicked. But it seemed whether he recognized her or not, Brock had no intention of exposing her identity.
"The rules are two-on-two. Whichever Trainer's Pokémon all faint first loses. Since you've been on the road less than ten days and don't have a Badge yet, this challenge will be at the lowest difficulty setting. Any questions?"
Ash shook his head. None.
"Good. Then let's begin." Brock pulled out a remote and pressed a button. The walls rumbled open, slabs of rock sliding into place until the once-flat arena transformed into a rugged rock field.
"Awesome… He changed the battlefield just like that," Ash breathed, eyes shining with excitement.
"As the Gym Leader, I'll send out my Pokémon first, and I can't switch during battle. My first Pokémon is… go, Geodude!" Brock tossed his Poké Ball.
With a flash of light, a Pokémon made entirely of rock, upper body and fists massive but with no lower half, landed on the field.
[Geodude. The Rock Pokémon. Extremely high physical Defence, resistant to physical attacks.]
Ash pulled out his Pokédex, then cross-checked with the Eye of Insight for more detail, before grabbing a Poké Ball from his belt.
"My first battle partner will be you—go, Butterfree!"
"Firifree~~"
Fluttering patterned wings, Butterfree appeared and hovered gracefully in the air.