Flint's sudden return gave Brock a choice: stay at the Gym as a Gym Leader, or leave to chase his dream of becoming a Breeder.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Brock stood in front of Flint. "Father, I'll leave Forrest and the others in your care. I've got a lot to tell you, so make sure you remember it."
Flint nodded solemnly. He didn't need Brock to spell it out—years of neglect as a father had definitely earned him a proper scolding. And if Brock wanted to vent his anger, then so be it. He deserved every word.
"Forrest likes red miso, Salvadore prefers white miso, my little sister likes a mix of the two, and then there's also…"
"Wait, wait, wait! Let me get something to write this down!"
Catching him completely off guard, Brock rattled off an endless list of his siblings' food preferences and daily habits.
The list went on so long that Flint ended up filling over a dozen pages of notes. He thought bitterly to himself, Getting yelled at would've been easier than this…
But at the same time, the sheer number of details Brock remembered showed just how much responsibility he'd shouldered over the years. For him to memorize every habit, every preference—it spoke volumes about how hard things had been, and how devoted he'd been to his family.
Ash and Misty watched from the side, exchanging a helpless smile. Then Misty suddenly realized—she was still clinging to Ash's arm. Worse, her chest was pressing tightly against him.
Her face went scarlet as she jumped away, pretending to casually twirl her hair while sneaking glances at Ash's reaction.
But Ash didn't seem to notice at all. He was completely absorbed in listening to Brock.
Misty's pretty face twitched in frustration. It wasn't like she had a crush on Ash or anything, but come on—when a self-proclaimed gorgeous girl pressed up against you, shouldn't you at least blush a little? Are you really fifteen?
The little incident passed quickly. Once Brock finished his long instructions for his father, he packed up his things and returned to Ash. "Well, you saw the situation yourself. I don't know if you'd welcome me joining your team."
"Of course! Having a Breeder with us is exactly what I was hoping for. And you're also a Gym Leader—you'll definitely have a ton to teach me!" Ash answered without hesitation.
"Heh, as long as I'm not a burden to you. Speaking of Gym Leaders…"
"Ahhhh! Isn't it about time we head to the next city?" Misty cut him off before he could finish.
Ash blinked, confused by her sudden outburst. He had no idea what was wrong with her.
But Brock understood. When it came to Gym Leaders… there was actually someone else in this team. For some reason, Misty was hiding her identity.
…
After saying goodbye to Flint, the three of them set out. Going from a party of two to three hardly changed anything—in fact, it was an improvement for Ash.
Brock might not have been a certified Breeder, but after raising nine siblings and running a Gym, his skills in caring for both people and Pokémon were top-notch.
With him on board, Ash and Misty no longer had to live off instant meals, and the Pokémon didn't have to eat generic store-bought food either.
Of course, customizing food for Ash and Misty's Pokémon would take a bit of time. For now, Pikachu and the others would still have to stick with standard Pokémon Food.
On the road, Brock curiously asked where Ash had learned tactics like using Sleep Powder and Supersonic in battle. Ash explained that he'd learned them from Professor Oak before leaving on his journey.
Even Misty knew Professor Oak's reputation, and Brock was no different. Once he heard Ash had been taught by the Professor himself, it all made sense.
Still, no matter how good the teacher, being able to apply battle strategies with such precision so soon after setting out spoke volumes about Ash's natural talent.
By the time they wrapped things up, it was already noon. Between Brock's packing and his long handoff with Flint, they didn't leave Pewter City until afternoon.
The sun blazed overhead, and even Misty—dressed in just a tank top and shorts—was dripping with sweat. At one point, she even released Staryu to use Water Gun to cool them down.
As they walked, the group discussed which city to head to next.
Three cities with Gyms were nearby: Viridian, Cerulean, and Vermilion.
The first could be ruled out immediately. If Ash had wanted to challenge the Viridian Gym, he would've done it already when he passed through Viridian City. That left Cerulean and Vermilion. After comparing the routes, Ash decided on Cerulean.
He had two reasons. First, the Cerulean Gym specialized in Water-type Pokémon, which gave him an advantage with Pikachu. Second, Cerulean was on the way to Vermilion, so visiting both would be convenient.
For Ash, Cerulean was the obvious choice.
Despite Misty's constant objections, Ash remained firm. He even said that if Misty could give him a reasonable explanation, he'd drop the idea.
But Misty's so-called reasons were things like "Cerulean Gym's too easy" or "the Gym Leaders are a bunch of scary women"—none of which were real reasons at all.
So Ash wasn't swayed.
In the end, Misty gave up and agreed to travel with Ash to Cerulean City. Brock had no opinion either way. As far as he was concerned, once they left Pewter, anywhere was fine.
To reach Cerulean City, they'd need to pass through Mt. Moon. Unlike Viridian Forest, Mt. Moon wasn't nearly as vast, so with a normal pace, they'd reach Cerulean in just two or three days.
By nightfall, the air had cooled, and the three chose to camp just outside the mountain. Traveling through Mt. Moon at night would be risky, and there was no rush, so setting up camp made the most sense.
For the first time, Ash and Misty tasted Brock's cooking. And it was everything you'd expect from someone who'd raised nine kids by himself. The flavors lingered on their tongues, leaving them utterly blown away. Compared to Brock's cooking, what they'd eaten before was basically pig slop!
Ash immediately declared he wanted to learn how to cook from Brock. That way, if Brock ever had to return to Pewter Gym, Ash wouldn't be stuck eating instant meals. More importantly, Pikachu and the others wouldn't have to keep choking down bland Pokémon Food.
Brock agreed gladly. If someone wanted to learn his cooking, he was more than happy to teach.
After eating their fill, the group chatted for a while, played with their Pokémon, and then prepared to sleep. And for Ash, bedtime meant one thing—time for his nightly activity: logging into the Chat Group!