Chapter 28 " The first"

I froze, my mind racing with impossible calculations. If they were in this world too, if they were truly starting from scratch like me... then the road to the championship had become far more difficult. Not only would I have to stand out among hundreds of rookie trainers, but I would have to thrive in the same world as Red and Blue.

A world where those legends walked around as if they were just a couple of kids with dreams.

For the first time since my arrival, I felt a pang of doubt. Not because I thought I couldn't do it, but because I now knew who some of those on the way were.

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Author's Notes: If you want to support the story and read some advance chapters https://www.p@treon. com/Jayjayempi , it would also help me a lot if you have comments on how the story is going or if you would be so kind as to leave a review, Thank you very much for reading!

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I froze for a few minutes until Junior told me that I could now go to the arena where Brock was, gathering my will I swallowed hard and decided to focus on what I needed to do for the moment, then I could worry about those two, with determination I opened the door of the arena and entered, it was totally dark, I barely took a few more steps forward when the lights suddenly turned on.

The gym door closed behind me with a dull echo.

Across the battlefield, between stone pillars that rose like fangs from the sand, stood Brock. Motionless. Imposing. Like any other statue in the room, except for his crossed arms and the intense gaze he directed at me. The light from the skylight illuminated his figure with a golden aura, and I swear for a moment he looked like he'd rehearsed it.

"Well, well… if it isn't the Hero of the Viridian Forest," he said in a firm, almost theatrical voice, "Maxwell Jones himself."

I stopped dead in my tracks, tilting my head. The nickname had followed me everywhere since that day in the forest, and I was still having trouble getting used to it.

"Is that what you call me now?"

"I didn't start it," he replied with a smile he was clearly practicing in front of the mirror, "but you have to admit it's got a punch. Saving children from a wild Hypno… It's no small feat."

His words sounded admiring, but his eyes concealed something else. Jealousy? Frustration? Maybe a bit of both.

"I should have realized it sooner," he added, stepping down from his rocky podium. "The disappearances… were on my territory. It was my responsibility. Not yours."

"You weren't in the forest," I replied calmly. "I was."

Brock nodded with a seriousness I hadn't expected. Then his tone changed.

"And yet, just a couple of weeks later, here you are, challenging me. With the Nidoran♂ I gave you. Already a Nidorino." He clicked his tongue in mild surprise. "I didn't think I'd see you so soon."

I shrugged, taking my place in the sand.

"I didn't think I'd be this ready either. But here I am."

He smiled. A white-toothed smile with a slightly raised chin, like someone used to posing in Pokémon repellent ads.

The field fell silent before the gym referee entered and took up position at the north edge of the arena, wearing a black jacket with the Kanto League logo embroidered on the chest.

"This is an official Pewter City Gym battle!" he declared in a firm, clear voice. "The challenger, Maxwell Jones, will be using two Pokémon. Leader Brock will also be using two. The battle ends when one of the Trainers' Pokémon can no longer continue. Trainers, prepare your teams!"

I stood in front of Brock. He was still standing tall, his arms crossed and a smile that mixed pride with anticipation.

"Geodude, go ahead."

The Poké Ball exploded in a white light. The Rock Pokémon hovered confidently, fists clenched, and punched the air with a grunt. It was more compact than I'd imagined, like a rock that knew how to hit hard.

"Ralts, let's go."

My companion appeared in the sand with a faint flash. Small, ethereal, her figure seemed out of place on such a harsh field. But she didn't falter.

"Start!" the referee announced, lowering his arm.

"Stone Edge!" Brock shouted without missing a beat.

"Double Team!" I shouted almost at the same time as Ralts, attentive to my instructions, responded immediately.

Ralts multiplied instantly. Four, six, eight versions of himself floated around the Geodude. Stones shot out in all directions, destroying illusions one by one, until only two remained. One of the stones slammed into the real one. Ralts screamed from the impact, staggering back.

"Hypnosis!" I shouted.

The psychic flash shot out, and this time, Geodude couldn't dodge it. His eyes closed, and his body slowly sank, asleep.

"Draining Kiss, now!"

Ralts darted toward him quickly. He touched his forehead with a green glow in his small hands, absorbing energy. Geodude jerked... and woke abruptly.

"Fire Punch!" Brock shouted.

Geodude's fist engulfed in flames and struck Ralts directly in the abdomen. She flew several meters, rolling on the ground. I flinched, gritting my teeth. The blow had knocked her off balance.

But Ralts stood up. Hurt, but determined.

"Disarming Voice!"

The enchanted echo shot out. Geodude recoiled from the shockwave, stunned. I seized the moment.

"Draining Kiss, finish him off!"

Ralts closed the distance, his body covered in a faint green light. He touched Geodude's chest once more. This time, the golem fell. With a dry groan, it collapsed onto the rocky ground.

The referee raised his arm.

"Geodude can't continue! The first point goes to the challenger, Maxwell Jones!"

Ralts's breathing was labored, but still steady. I looked at Brock, who was watching me with a mixture of bewilderment and growing respect.

"Hmm… definitely more than just luck," he muttered, as he called out his second Pokémon.

The earth shook.

"Come on, Onix!"

Right in the middle of the arena, a colossal silhouette emerged and materialized with a deep roar. The rocky Pokémon's body, composed of stone segments the size of barrels, rose up until it almost touched the ceiling of the room. Ralts instinctively took a step back.

"Ready for your next challenge, Hero of the Greenwood?" Brock said, smiling with a smile that was a mixture of admiration and mischief. "Let's see if your courage matches your fame."

"Start!" the referee announced.

"Double Team!" I shouted.

Ralts multiplied once more, blurring his position among several illusory images.

"Onix uses Rock Throw!"

Onix swung her tail toward the ground, sending shards of stone flying like missiles. The illusions shattered one by one until a rock struck the real Ralts. The impact was brutal; her body was flung away, though she managed to stabilize herself before hitting the ground.

"Hypnosis!"

Ralts gathered mental energy and launched a hypnotic wave toward Onix, who looked directly at him… but resisted. Brock snapped his fingers.

"The same trick won't work twice Max! Onix Use Tackle!"

Onix slid forward at great speed, her entire body a living avalanche of stone and force. Ralts tried to move, but Onix rammed her. A moan of pain escaped my throat. But, incredibly, she staggered back up.

"Draining Kiss, now!"

Ralts leaped straight toward Onix's gigantic head. He touched his green light to the stone surface, drawing some of its life energy. Onix recoiled, growling. Brock looked surprised.

"Use Iron Tail!"

Onix's body unexpectedly sparked with gray energy. The giant's tail briefly turned into steel and struck Ralts directly. For Ralts, it was the end.

She fell limply to the ground, unable to get back up.

The referee raised his hand.

"Ralts can't continue! The battle continues, with one Pokémon on each side!"

"Good work, Ralts," I whispered, reaching over to gently remove her. Her body was shaking with fatigue, but her eyes shone with the confidence of having given her all.

I felt frustrated, I'm sure that Onix shouldn't know Iron Tail, but just like Andrew's Deino or his Geodude, his Trainer should have invested in some TMs

I got into position. I knew what was coming.

I took out the PokéBall and threw it forward.

"Nidorino, it's your turn!"

And when the red light materialized, my companion's roar seemed to split the room in half.

The ground rumbled again as Nidorino fell hard onto the field, paws firm, horn raised. He let out a guttural, defiant roar. There was no fear in him. Only will.

"So… this is the same Nidoran♂ I gave you just a few weeks ago," Brock commented from his platform, his arms now lowered. His voice had a new tone. Not condescending. Awe-inspiring.

"He's not the same," I replied, without taking my eyes off Onix. "He's changed. Just like me."

The referee raised his hand.

"Combat!"

"Rock Slide" Brock ordered quickly.

Onix launched himself to the side, slamming his tail, wrapped in brown energy, into the ground, sending dozens of stones flying and then falling like heavy rain onto the field.

"Double Kick, through the rocks!"

Nidorino didn't wait for confirmation. He leaped forward through the shower of debris, dodging swiftly. He reached Onix before he could prepare and unleashed a kick to his face, followed by another to his rocky neck.

Onix shook, but didn't fall.

"Iron tail!" Brock shouted.

Onix's stone tail flashed with a metallic sheen before slamming into Nidorino. The blow sent him tumbling several meters across the field, but he instantly got up, snorting through his nose. I saw the flash in his eyes.

"Horn Attack, Nidorino!"

He ran with speed and launched his body forward like a spear. The horn sparked with energy. Onix tried to raise his tail to block it, but it was too late. Nidorino struck him right at the base of the neck, on one of the thinner rock plates.

Onix's roar filled the gym.

"Poison Sting!"

Nidorino didn't stop. He bounced to the side and launched several poison-laced spikes straight at the Onix.

"Onix, use Iron Tail one last time!" Brock tried, desperately searching for a counterattack.

But Onix couldn't muster enough strength. He lumbered forward… and collapsed with a loud crash, sending up a cloud of dust.

Silence.

The referee was not long in coming.

"Onix can't continue! The winner is Maxwell Jones of Pewter City!"

I held my breath. My heart was pounding. Then I ran to Nidorino, who was panting but standing as steady as a rock. I hugged him without thinking. The horn was hot from the friction, but I didn't care.

Brock descended a side staircase, walking calmly to the center of the field. His arms were crossed again, but this time his smile was different. Less grandiloquent. More honest.

"That Nidorino… it's grown more in weeks than many Pokémon have in months," he said, looking at my companion with almost reverential respect. "It's not just strong. It's synchronized with you. That's harder to achieve than any training."

I nodded, unable to say much. Emotion had closed my throat.

"And you…" Brock continued, now standing in front of me. "Maxwell Jones, Hero of the Verdant Forest. You've defeated your first gym with strategy, courage, and bonding. So, as the Pokémon League dictates…"

He pulled a small black box from his belt and opened it. Inside, a polished rock insignia gleamed with gray and gold highlights.

"I award you the Boulder Badge. Wear it with pride."

I took it in both hands, feeling its weight more emotional than physical.

"Thank you," I said, barely a whisper.

Brock also offered me a disc with a slight brown color.

"And here's TM39. Rock Slide. It's a useful technique, especially if you know how to read the timings of the field… But it doesn't come for free."

I looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"A condition?"

"Yeah." Brock scratched the back of his neck, looking away slightly, for the first time looking genuinely uncomfortable. "The nurse from the Pokémon Center, you know Helen. The one with the pink hair. I don't know her name… but… if she ever comes up in conversation with you…"

It took me a second to understand.

"Do you want me to tell him you're a good guy?"

Brock looked at me. Serious. Hopeful. Somewhat embarrassed.

"Only if it's true," he added.

I smiled at him.

"It is. Trainer's word."

We shook hands. His fingers were like rocks, but the grip was warm.

Just then, a subtle beep was heard from my Trainer License, I could only assume it was the registration of my new Badge and the money credited for winning the battle.

I didn't have time to react when two new messages arrived on my PokeNav, one after the other.

Andrew Wataru:

Did you win yet? I just found out. I knew you'd make it!

Helen:

Congratulations, Max! First badge, and in such a short time. I'm impressed.

I couldn't help but smile. But I noticed Brock, who was still standing next to me, cheekily leaning toward my screen. He didn't hide it.

"Is that message from the nurse?" he asked, his voice a mixture of pleading and drama.

"Yes," I replied, raising an eyebrow. I knew where this was going.

"Well… don't take this the wrong way, but…" He crossed his arms again, chin high, though clearly nervous. "If… you ever get to talk to her… and if for some reason, the gym or me comes up… could you…?"

He had that expression of someone who could fight a Gyarados, but didn't know how to handle casual conversation.

I shrugged with a smile. I typed quickly:

Maxwell Jones:

By the way, Helen. Brock was especially nice. He treated me with respect, and his teaching style is brilliant.

His response was not long in coming.

Helen:

Seriously? Well… if so, maybe I'll talk to him a little when I go to the Pokémon Center… as long as it's not creepy.

I showed the message to Brock.

His eyebrows arched as if he'd just captured a legendary creature. He placed a hand on his chest, theatrically.

"That's all I need! Not being creepy. I can do that. I think." I laughed. I couldn't help it.

And as if his happiness had exceeded the permitted limit, he reached into his belt, pulled out a small device, and offered it to me.

"My number. In case you ever need a favor… advice… or, I don't know, someone to cover for you on a date."

I accepted, still smiling. I added his contact information:

Brock - Gym Leader of Pewter

And for some reason, it felt like more than just a battle connection. A friendship. As I turned to leave, my badge glowing in my pocket and my team resting on their Poké Balls, I felt like the journey had just gotten a little more real.

A battle won. A friend gained. And the road still very long ahead.

Trainer License

Trainer: Maxwell Jones

Hometown: Pewter City

Sponsorship: None

Money: $84,900 Pokedollars ↑$10,000

Badges: 1.- Boulder Badge

Bag

5 potions –

Candy Bar 3 Fury

10 Pokeballs

1 escape rope

1 red handkerchief (with 20 orange berries)

3 Poison Cure

-12 Spaces Available-

Pokémon

Nidorino

Gender: Male

Level: 20

Moves: Leer, Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Fury Attack, Horn Attack

Ralts ✨

Gender: Female

Level: 17 ↑1

Moves: Disarming Voice, Teleport, Growl, Double Team, Hypnosis, Draining Kiss, Lucky Chant

EXTRA

Pendulum necklace