Chapter 20: Training Pokémon
"Yay! Brock, we won! All the Pokémon are saved!" Misty exclaimed, jumping happily as she looked at the rescued Pokémon.
"Brock, thank you so much! Thanks to your plan, these Pokémon were saved," Melanie said, bowing deeply to Brock in gratitude.
"Please get up quickly, Melanie! You don't need to thank me; it was the right thing to do," Brock said, quickly moving to stop Melanie from bowing. "Melanie, what are your plans for these Pokémon now? If they continue staying here, Team Rocket might very well come back."
Melanie looked at the nearby Pokémon, thought for a moment, and said, "Brock, Ash, Misty, Daisy, let's go inside the house and discuss this slowly." Hearing Melanie, Brock and the others went inside the cabin together.
At the entrance of the Pewter Gym in Pewter City stood a teenager. It was AJ, ready to help Brock guard the Gym.
"So this is Brock's Gym! Not bad! I just wonder if Brock's dad can really make me stronger. If he can make me stronger, what does it matter if I become Brock's subordinate?" After muttering this, AJ walked into the Gym.
Entering the Gym, AJ saw a man around twenty years old sweeping the Gym floor with a broom. Indeed, it was the Pewter Gym's referee, Aron. Hearing AJ's footsteps entering the Gym, Aron turned around, saw AJ, and said, "Are you here to challenge the Gym? Please wait a moment while I finish cleaning. Then I'll call the Pewter Gym Leader, Flint, to battle you."
Hearing Aron, AJ asked doubtfully, "Excuse me, sir, I'm not here for a Gym battle. Aren't you the Gym Leader here? I'm looking for the Pewter Gym Leader."
After hearing AJ, Aron explained, "I'm just the referee for this Gym. You're looking for the Gym Leader? He's still at home. Please wait a moment. I'll put down my broom and take you over there."
Hearing Aron's explanation, AJ simply said, "Okay."
Aron led AJ to the entrance of Brock's house. Pointing at the house, Aron said, "Sir, this is the home of Pewter Gym Leader Flint. You can go inside and find him yourself. The Gym isn't clean yet, so I need to head back."
Following Aron's directions, AJ entered the house and saw a middle-aged man around thirty, wearing a suit, sitting on the sofa looking through documents. AJ walked over beside the man and asked, "Are you the Pewter Gym Leader?"
Hearing AJ, the man replied, "Yes, I am. May I ask what business you have with me?"
Hearing the confirmation, AJ excitedly told the man everything Brock had said to him. Indeed, the middle-aged man was Brock's father, Flint.
After hearing AJ's story, Flint said seriously, "Since my son sent you here, go stay at the Gym for now. When I have time, I will help you."
Hearing Flint's words, AJ left the house and headed back to the Pewter Gym.
Flint watched AJ leave and thought, Since my son wants to build his own faction, I should help him. I just worry that this young man might not have pure intentions; he could be a spy sent by one of my rival families. I should test the boy's loyalty first. If this boy and those people intend to harm my son, even if I have to exhaust all my strength, I'll make them pay dearly. Having thought this through, Flint went into another room.
In a manor in the Sinnoh region, an eleven or twelve-year-old girl was chatting with a woman around twenty about something unknown. They were Giselle, whom Brock had met at Pokémon Tech, and Cynthia, the Champion of the Sinnoh region.
"Big sister, can you answer a question for me? Please? Sister?" Giselle pleaded coquettishly, pulling on Cynthia's hand.
"Alright, alright, alright, go ahead and ask! If it's something I know, I'll definitely tell you everything," Cynthia replied.
Giselle then recounted what Brock had told her (about battle experience vs. knowledge). After hearing Giselle, Cynthia pondered for a moment, then said angrily, "Giselle! Who told you these things?! Tell me quickly!"
Hearing Cynthia's tone, Giselle said, a little scared, "It was a friend of mine... his name is Brock. I asked him how to get stronger, and that's what he told me. I didn't understand it, so I came back to ask you, sister!"
"Brock... that name sounds familiar somehow... Giselle, do you realize? Those 'secrets' to getting stronger he told you... they can make you stronger. But if your trainer level hasn't reached the Pseudo-Elite Four rank yet, using those methods to get stronger means your trainer level might never improve beyond that point! So, he was essentially harming you, do you understand? Since your strength isn't at the Pseudo-Elite Four level yet, you absolutely must not use those methods!" Cynthia explained sternly, while thinking, Let's see just who wants to harm my little sister... I will make sure he dies without a burial place!
Hearing Cynthia's explanation, Giselle thought angrily, That bastard Brock! No one has ever dared to harm me! I'll definitely make you understand how formidable I am!
"Sister, I won't use those methods! It's fine now, I need to head back to the academy. Bye-bye!" Giselle said, then ran to the courtyard and boarded a private plane back to the academy.
Cynthia watched Giselle board the private plane, then called out, "Butler! Come quickly!"
Hearing Cynthia, the butler approached her side and replied, "Young Lady, what are your instructions for this humble servant?"
"Butler, find information on someone named Brock in the Kanto region. I need it. Quickly now, Butler!" Cynthia ordered seriously, thinking, I really want to see what the person who tried to harm my sister looks like.
Hearing Cynthia's command, the butler hurried off to the archives to search for the information.
Meanwhile, on the private plane, Giselle thought, That Brock should be reaching Vermilion City soon! I'll wait for him in Vermilion City! I'll let him know that Giselle isn't someone to be trifled with! Daring to harm me!
Giselle said to the plane's pilot, "Pilot, don't go back to Pokémon Tech. Head directly to Vermilion City; I have business to attend to."
The pilot replied, "No problem."
In a certain hospital in the Sinnoh region, a woman around forty years old lay asleep in a hospital bed. Sitting beside the woman's bed, caring for her, was a woman around twenty. This younger woman was precisely Pokémon Hunter J, who had previously made a deal with Brock.
Suddenly, a young man, also around twenty, walked into the room. Seeing the man enter, Pokémon Hunter J said sharply, "I will not agree to your demands. I don't want to see you right now. My mother needs quiet. Get out!"
Hearing Pokémon Hunter J, the man walked over and slapped her across the face. "You damn bitch! It's your good fortune that I've taken an interest in you! How dare you tell me to get out?! I'll give you two choices now: Either become my plaything, and we'll forget this happened – I'll even give you a large sum of money to treat your short-lived mother. Or, you kowtow, apologize, and compensate me financially, and we can also consider this matter settled. You have ten seconds to answer me."
Pokémon Hunter J placed her hand on the cheek that had been slapped, staring intently at the man. "Don't push me too far! I'm not afraid of you!"
Hearing her, the man sneered, "Oh, I forgot! Isn't your mother just the mistress kept by the current head of the Sasaki clan? That makes you the illegitimate daughter of the Sasaki clan head! But I am the young heir of the Ghost clan! Would I be afraid of an unrecognized illegitimate daughter? What a joke!"
Suddenly, another middle-aged man, around 40, entered and said, "Isn't this the young master of the Ghost clan? You Ming! Young Master You, what wind blew you here today? Are you perhaps looking to start a war with my Sasaki clan?"
"A mere butler can represent the Sasaki clan? Your Sasaki clan really lacks etiquette!" You Ming retorted, looking dismissively at the middle-aged man.
"The rules of my Sasaki family are not for an outsider to comment on! If you don't believe me, why don't you try testing them?"
Hearing the middle-aged man's firm response, You Ming's face turned gloomy, and he left the hospital room.
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