Chapter 9: Meeting Ash Again

"Ah-ha~"

Rubbing his sleepy eyes, Kazuki let out a long yawn, subconsciously petting Hei, who was curled up in a ball in his arms. Feeling a tickle, Hei twitched his nose in his sleep, snuggling against the boy's chest and shifting into a more comfortable position.

After chasing away that brat, they hadn't encountered any other wild trainers along the way. Taking advantage of this momentum, they had traveled through the entire Viridian Forest overnight.

As the first rays of dawn shone on Kazuki, the warm touch brought a sense of laziness to his tired body, and the fences of Pewter City entered his vision.

"Finally here? Ugh..."

He couldn't help but yawn again. If he could, he'd love to lie down on the soft grass and take a good nap right now, but now was clearly not the time. At the very least, he had to go to the Pokémon Center first.

Speaking of which, even though they had just gone through a battle and traveled for so long, Aron still looked energetic, its azure eyes constantly scanning the surroundings.

Kazuki didn't think this little guy on his shoulder would be interested in human buildings. What probably caught its attention was – rocks.

Pewter City was located near Mt. Moon, which was rich in ores and ancient fossils. Many of the city's residents made a living from mining. Because of this, a rock-like, tenacious spirit had become the city's trademark.

Setting aside the various symbolic meanings of rocks in Pewter City, Aron probably wouldn't care about those things either. Although its favorite food was still high-purity steel, rocks were also part of its diet, probably equivalent to a small snack.

"Don't act rashly. I'll arrange food for you later."

Before entering Pewter City, Kazuki hurriedly reminded it. If it greedily bit into someone's rocks, it would be fine, he could just pay for them. But if it accidentally nibbled on some artifact, he wouldn't be able to afford it even if he sold himself.

Hearing the boy's instructions, Aron made a few impatient noises in response, indicating that its self-control wasn't that bad.

But, the Rock-type Gym is here...

They were located on a small hill in front of Pewter City. Standing here, they could take in the entire cityscape. In the very center, stood a dark gray, square building.

Aron's azure gaze lingered on the building with the Pokémon League logo, its eyes flickering slightly, unsure of what it was thinking...

...

Pewter City Pokémon Center, the pink-haired nurse with an impeccable, friendly smile, led the silver-white beast to Kazuki:

"Your Pokémon is completely healthy and doesn't need any further treatment, please rest assured~"

Kazuki lowered his head and met Aron's eyes. That proud gaze clearly said: I told you, dealing with that kind of guy wouldn't cause any injuries.

"Okay, thank you very much, Nur... Nurse Joy."

Feeling completely relieved, the boy looked up and thanked the overly familiar face with a slightly strange expression.

The reason was none other than that this Nurse Joy looked exactly like the one in Viridian City, as if they were made from the same mold. Even though he had heard of the famous Joy and Jenny families, Kazuki was still shocked by the terrifying family genes when he saw them in person.

It was said that the history of the Joy and Jenny families could be traced back to the time when Pokémon Trainers first emerged. Could they actually be some kind of Pokémon that looked very similar to humans and could speak human language?

Kazuki's mind flashed with all sorts of wild thoughts, until an overly energetic shout woke him from his fantasy:

"Kazuki? Is that Kazuki!"

This reckless tone... Kazuki instinctively turned his head to look behind him. Sure enough, a guy with a red cap and a clear, foolish look in his eyes appeared in his vision.

"Ash..."

"Kazuki, it's really you!" Hearing this, the boy under the red cap became even more excited. In his arms, the yellow mouse that Kazuki had previously judged to be "terrifyingly powerful" also waved at him friendly.

Even though it was extremely rebellious when they first met... They've already become friends in such a short time. Ash is quite good at this.

Based on his experience working at Professor Oak's lab, Kazuki quickly deduced the current relationship between this human and Pokémon.

At his feet, Hei raised his head and barked happily a few times. 

The other was a friend of the little master, so it was naturally familiar with him.

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land, Kazuki's face didn't show much joy. 

On the contrary, his eyes held a hint of vigilance. 

It must be admitted that Ash was a good friend, but many times, this guy's personality would cause the people around him to be dragged into trouble.

In fact, Kazuki already had a bad feeling. 

He bent down and picked up Aron, skillfully placing it on his shoulder, and was about to explain to Ash why he was here and quickly say goodbye.

Unfortunately, he was a step too late:

"Kazuki, you're here to challenge the Pewter Gym too, right!"

Ash excitedly grabbed Kazuki's shoulders with both hands, using a questioning sentence but with a firm tone. Kazuki felt like he had just been baptized by Thunderbolt, his whole body numb, but he couldn't break free from the other's grip.

"No, I..."

"Then let's go now!"

Without giving Kazuki a chance to explain or refute, an irresistible force dragged the boy all the way out of the Pokémon Center. 

Hei, seeing his master being taken away, also ran after them in a panic, leaving Nurse Joy in the center, her eyes wide and stunned.

Wait, did that kid just casually pick up an Aron? And then another kid dragged him away without any resistance?

...

Pewter City Gym. Living up to its name as a Rock-type Gym, the wide field was surrounded by thick, dark gray rock walls, which exuded a suffocating sense of weight.

With a soft sound, the chandeliers on the ceiling were all lit up. The white halo spread to the end of the gym, where a young man with a healthy complexion, a serious face, and eyes that were almost slits, sat.

Obviously, he was the owner here – the Rock-type Gym Leader, Brock.

"We're here to challenge the Pewter Gym!"

Before the Gym Leader could speak, Ash had already taken the lead in issuing the challenge. Kazuki, who had been forcibly dragged here, looked up at the sky, as if saying, "I just want to be alone."

"Two challengers?" A voice as steady as a rock sounded. Brock slowly stood up, his young face already exuding an extraordinary aura.

"Of course, as a Gym Leader, I cannot refuse a Trainer's challenge. However... Since this is an official League match, we have to follow the rules."

"Ru...les?" Ash looked confused. Even though he was the challenger, he had never learned about the procedures and matters of challenging a Gym beforehand. Kazuki just hoped that the other wouldn't think he was with that idiot. It was too embarrassing.

Without showing any fluctuation on his face due to Ash's ignorance, Brock raised his hand and seemed to press a switch. Immediately, a violent tremor was felt at everyone's feet.

An earthquake? A thought flashed through Ash's mind, but he soon discovered the true source of the tremor. A field filled with boulders and rock formations was closing in around him – the real battle field!

He instinctively turned around, but found that Kazuki had somehow already gone outside the field. Looking at the rock formations gradually pressing towards him, Ash felt his hair stand on end and ran backwards quickly:

"Wait for me!"

A dull thud ended the construction of the entire field. Ash narrowly escaped, looking resentfully at the rocks that had closed in front of him.

Actually, as an officially recognized battle field by the League, it was naturally impossible to actually harm Trainers. But the thrilling experience just now had taught this rash guy a lesson.

Thinking this, Brock continued:

"Each person can only use two Pokémon. So, who wants to challenge first?"

"Me, me!" Hearing this, Ash hurriedly spoke up, although Kazuki next to him had no intention of competing with him.

"Then my first Pokémon is – Go, Onix!"

The Poké Ball in Brock's palm emitted a red light. A giant snake, made entirely of several large rocks connected together, coiled on the field. On either side of the raised rocky ridge on its head, its eyes emitted a dangerous light.

Such a size, such pressure, Pikachu, who had been just as eager for battle as its master, immediately retreated. It quickly ran back to Ash and reached for the Poké Ball on his waist.

But Ash was clearly not satisfied with this cowardly behavior and pushed it back onto the field:

"Don't switch partners without permission. We can definitely win!"

Pikachu was obviously a little intimidated by Onix's size, but with Ash's encouragement and urging, it also forced itself to be brave and stepped onto the rocky field.

"Wait, are you really going to let Pikachu fight Onix?"

Kazuki, who had been silently watching until now, couldn't help but speak. He looked at Ash in surprise and asked.

"Is there a problem?" Ash looked bewildered.

Is there a problem? There's a huge problem! Onix is a Rock and Ground-type Pokémon, and Ground-type is completely immune to Electric-type damage. What's the point of sending a pure Electric-type Pikachu into battle?

This guy Ash... Could it be that he hasn't even memorized the basic type matchups?!

No matter how much Kazuki was internally facepalming, he couldn't stop the battle from continuing. The moment the challenger's Pokémon stepped onto the battlefield, the battle had officially begun.

Standing upright in the Gym Leader's position, Brock issued the first command with a straight face:

"Onix, use Tackle!"