50. Pewter Gym

Early the next morning, after a night of rest and recharging their energy, the Pokémon were also very energetic. After breakfast, they took a rest.

Ash and Misty came to the door of the Pewter Gym. Just like the city, this Pewter Gym had a rugged, Rock-style design. The roof of the building was completely built with a huge rock, giving the impression that the whole building seemed to have been hollowed out from a giant rock. The gate in front looked relatively simple.

"Is this the Pewter Gym? It looks so simple," Misty said. Compared to their Cerulean Gym, the Pewter Gym did look a little simple.

"Isn't this good? If the outside is fancy but the Trainer's strength isn't great, it would be disappointing," Ash responded lightly.

Misty paused a little when she heard this, feeling unintentionally offended. The Cerulean Gym, also a water performance hall, had a more elaborate exterior to attract people. Moreover, Cerulean City had always carried the title of Kanto's weakest gym because her sisters didn't care about others' underestimation. This was why she left the gym. But she didn't say anything, as she had no intention of revealing her identity to Ash and accepted that this wasn't aimed at her.

Ash didn't notice her discomfort. He hadn't meant to target Misty with his comment.

Slap!

Pushing open the door and walking in, the heavy door sounded. Inside, the gymnasium was pitch black, and they couldn't see their fingers.

"It's so dark that you can't see anything! Is there no one? The door is still open," Misty said, a little uncomfortable.

"It's not that there is no one!" Ash responded lightly, looking forward.

Thump!

Suddenly, there was a sound like a gate opening. The lights in the gymnasium suddenly shone. The empty gymnasium was all made of rock. On the stairs in front of them, a figure sat under the light.

With a spiky hair, dark skin, and squinting eyes, he sat cross-legged on a high platform, looking meticulous.

It was the Gym Leader Brock in Pewter City, and Ash finally saw one of the main characters in the anime for the first time. To be honest, seeing his serious appearance now, it was difficult to combine with the image of his later, more humorous persona.

"Who are you?" Brock looked at the two in front of him, still looking serious.

Seeing that Misty hadn't changed much, it seemed Brock had no interest in the little sister who was not fully developed.

"My name is Ash, and I'm here to challenge the gym." Ash didn't waste any time and got straight to the point.

After hearing Ash's response, Brock looked at him for a moment, then said lightly, "Is this your first time challenging a Gym?"

"Yes!"

"Looking at you, it seems that you have just become a Trainer. You know, the gym challenge is different from normal roadside battles." Brock studied Ash, recognizing him as a Rookie Trainer.

"The rules of the Pokémon Alliance Gym Challenge—since I'm here to challenge, I don't need you to tell me the rules. Let's not waste time, shall we?" Ash smiled lightly, feeling underestimated but confident it would be cleared up after the battle.

Hearing Ash's confident reply, Brock paused. He had seen many Rookie Trainers who were high-spirited and thought they were invincible, but often lacked real strength. 

When Brock meets Rookie Trainers, he usually makes it clear that, while it is easy to handle them, it still consumes his Pokémon's physical strength. Since many people come to challenge the gym daily, he prefers not to waste extra time and energy. However, something about Ash's confident smile set him apart from the typical enthusiastic yet inexperienced Rookie Trainers.

"Interesting," Brock mused. "If someone comes to challenge, the Gym Leader can't refuse."

Intrigued by Ash's demeanor, Brock splashed down from the high platform.

"The number of Pokémon used in the competition is limited to two. When all Pokémon on either side lose their fighting ability, it is considered a loss. Do you understand?"

"No problem!" Ash responded confidently.

Snap! Boom boom boom!

After hearing Ash's reply, Brock snapped his fingers, and the entire gymnasium vibrated instantly.

Seeing this, Misty's expression changed, thinking it was an earthquake, and she quickly moved behind Ash. From the shadows on the left and right sides, the field filled with raised rocks pushed out, gradually merging toward the center of the gymnasium. Ash stood there with a calm expression, having anticipated the setup and deliberately not moving forward.

Boom!

Soon, the left and right halves of the field merged to form a massive rock arena. Brock's opinion of Ash grew as he observed Ash's calm demeanor, which was unusual for a first-time challenger at the Pewter Gym.

"It seems this Trainer isn't easily scared off," Brock thought, evaluating Ash.

"Come on, Geodude!" Brock, as the Gym Leader, sent out his Pokémon first.

With a flash of blue light, a Geodude floated in the air. Its body resembled a gray round stone, with raised stone eyebrows, trapezoidal eyes with coffee-colored irises, and muscular arms.

This surprised Ash since, in the anime, Brock had sent out Onix first in their first battle.

"Forget it," Ash thought. He took out a Poké Ball from his waist as Misty retreated to watch the battle.

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