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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or its characters. Author's Notes: Here's my first fanfic,
retouched. Here it is, the first five chapters, with paragraphs
and all! Heart of Lead, Heart
of Gold (Part 1) Chapter 1 It was a beautiful day, and our heroes were on a dirt path in the
wilderness. The sky grew dark. "It's getting dark real soon, and we have to find some place
to spend the night," said Brock. "And I'm getting really hungry," grumbled Misty,
"and so is Togepi." Togepi, who was cradled in Misty's arms,
replied with a happy "Toge-toge-prriiii!" They continued to walk on down the path until they saw a large
wooden cabin with a large P above the door. "Oh look! A Pokemon Centre!" cried Ash as he pointed
towards it. Pikachu, who was resting on Ash's head, let out an excited
and weary "Pika-pi!" Soon, all three of them were running towards the centre.
When they reached it, an identical Nurse Joy looked up from her desk. "May I help you?" she asked in a kind and soft voice. "We would like a place to stay for tonight, if it's okay
with you," said Ash. "Don't forget, Ash, we're really hungry," added Misty. Brock was standing behind them, his face a bright red hue, and he
was muttering, "Uhgn... she's the most beautiful one..." "Oh, Brock! They're all the same!" said Misty. "Sure, all of you can you can stay for tonight. And
thank you for the comment, Brock!" replied Joy. Brock's face turned even redder as his friends followed Nurse Joy
to their rooms. Misty turned around and saw him standing still, with
his face in that goofy look. So she grabbed his arm and dragged him
with her. They saw their rooms and unpacked as Nurse Joy went to make them
some food. Brock went back to the lobby of the centre and saw the PCs in the
corner. Maybe I'll call home, he thought.
It has been a while. He walked over to a PC and turned it
on. He dialled his home number. His father answered the phone. Flint was wearing an apron,
and he looked all worn out. Brock could hear some yelling and laughing
in the background. Flint looked up at the screen and his face lost some of its
weariness. "Hello Brock!" said Flint. "Hey dad," he replied. Maybe I shouldn't be
doing this, when I left, we weren't exactly getting along.
"How are things back home? It seems you're getting the hang of
things." "I'm just fine, and so are your brothers and sisters.
As soon as you left, I took over the gym. It seems being a failure at
pokemon training has taught me a few lessons." "Is the gym okay? Are you winning any matches
still?" Flint's face became grave. "What is it, dad?" asked Brock worriedly. "It seems that I was winning, until a new trainer came into
town," he explained. "Before the match, the trainer asked
that if he won, I wouldn't reveal his identity. I promised him that.
I was sure that I wouldn't lose, but this trainer's pokemon defeated me
and seriously injured mine. I rushed them quickly to the Pokecentre and
they all were in the ICU for days. Trainers going to the gym had
similar experiences like mine." Brock nearly fell out of his chair. Who would do this to
pokemon and my father! "I'll try to get there as soon as I
can!" Brock said good-bye and closed the PC. He had to tell Ash
and Misty that they had to leave for Pewter City tomorrow. Outside of the Pokecentre's, Team Rocket saw Brock turn off the
PC and rush to join the others for dinner. "It seems that they're going to Pewter City tomorrow,"
explained Meowth. "It'll be a perfect opportunity to get that Pikachu for the
boss!" said Jesse. "But Jesse, aren't we going to fail like all of the other
schemes?" said James. Jesse took out a mallet and whacked him in the back of the head.
"You listen here! We are not going to fail! It is a
wonderful scheme, and perfectly foolproof!" yelled Jesse. "Hey! Let's see what those brats say about going to Pewter
City!" suggested Meowth. The three of them moved to the window of the cafeteria. "Brock, we'll go to Pewter City with you, but it's a long
walk from here to there," said Misty. "Yeah, I agree with Misty. If we took a car or a
plane, we could get there faster," replied Ash. "You guys are right, we don't have the money to get a plane
ticket or rent a car, so I guess I'll have to let that new gym leader go on
hurting pokemon," said Brock sadly. "Let's sleep on it tonight, and we'll see what we can do in
the morning," said Ash. All of them left the table as soon as they were done eating and
went to bed. Team Rocket heard everything while they were outside. "Hmm, I think I know what we should do," began Jesse. "Is it a wonderful plan?" asked James, as he nursed the
large lump on his head. "It sure is. Meowth, do we still have the Team Rocket
helicopter?" asked Jesse. Meowth's face widened with alarm as he knew what the chopper was
for. "No way are we giving those brats the chopper!" he
exclaimed. "Meowth, it's either that or the balloon." "We could follow in the chopper while they take the
balloon," Meowth suggested. "Then we won't be able to get Pikachu faster!" cried
Jesse. They got up and went to a small clearing where the air balloon
was. They all got in and flew up to where their helicopter waited. All night, everyone slept soundly, except for Brock. Ash snored loudly and mumbled something about a new badge and
catching every single pokemon in the world. Pikachu's ears perked up a
little at Ash's mumbling. Togepi was all curled up beside Misty and they seemed to be
sleeping soundly. How can I defeat this ruthless trainer? He seems to be so
strong, he thought. I don't know if I'm
willing to put my pokemon on the line for honour. He sighed heavily
and tried to sleep. Chapter 2 The warm sunshine broke through the window and woke everyone
up. They yawned and stretched and went to have some breakfast. As soon as they were done, they took all of their things and left
the centre. "I wonder how we're ever going to find a bike or a bus out
here," said Ash. "Which reminds me," exclaimed Misty, "when are you
going to pay for my bike!!" They began to argue and Brock, Pikachu, and Togepi looked at each
other and then at the bickering pair. Pikachu let out an exasperated
"Pika!" Brock turned away and soon saw up ahead of the path a black
helicopter with a sign beside it. "Hey guys! Cut it out! I think I see our
transportation solution!" cried Brock. The two looked up and saw the helicopter in surprise. They
all began running towards it. As soon as they got there, they read the sign. It said:
Free helicopter! Easy to operate. "This is our lucky day!" yelled Ash. "Let's
get in and take a look!" They saw the inside and the controls. There was also a note
on it. The little note read: To get to destination, press the green
auto-pilot button and choose destination from map on screen. "This is easy enough," said Misty. Team Rocket watched them from behind the bushes. They had
smears of black paint all over them from painting over the red Team Rocket Rs
all night. "I can't believe they're taking the bait! You're a genius
Jesse!" declared James. "Why, thank you," she replied. They continued watching them until the chopper began to take off.
They ran back to their balloon and started it up. "I can't believe we're so high up!" yelled Misty.
"Isn't that right, Togepi?" She let Togepi look out the
side window at the world below. He excitedly chirped,
"Toge-toge-prriiii!" "Wow! Look at all of the cities below us!"
proclaimed Ash. "How are those controls doing, Brock?" "I'm doing fine! I don't even have to use the
controls! It's all on auto-pilot!" replied Brock. It seemed everyone had to yell what they were saying because of
the loud chopping noise the helicopter made. The ride was going to take
several hours. Team Rocket slowly followed behind them in their Meowth shaped
balloon. They were a bit impatient because they were far behind. "How long is this ride going to take, Jesse?" whined
James. "Quiet, you! Just a few more hours, I have this
balloon going as fast as it can!" she replied. "Meowth! Even a Slowbro is faster than this!"
commented Meowth. "I knew we should have taken the chopper."
And he pointed his paw at the small black dot that was their
helicopter. Jesse again took out her mallet and hit them both on the head.
They both fell down with large lumps on their heads. Soon, they all began to bicker. They didn't notice that
they were flying into a flock of Pidgeottos, but the Pidgeottos noticed
them. They were alarmed at the shape of the balloon, and feared that
the giant Meowth would eat them all up. "Pidgeot!!!" they all screeched, and they unleashed a
whirlwind attack at the unsuspecting balloon. The whirlwind swiftly picked up
the balloon even higher and sent it going at an even faster speed towards
Pewter City. "Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they cried as they
disappeared from sight. The whirlwind, carrying Team Rocket, moved past the helicopter
and rocked it a bit. "Pika-pikachu!" squealed Pikachu alarmingly. "Did you guys feel that?" asked Ash. "What
caused it?" "Yeah, we all did! The screen here just says it was
just turbulence, but we're still on course!" answered Brock. "Hey everyone! Look below us! It's Pewter
City!" cried Misty, and she pointed to the side window at the little
grey buildings below them. Togepi excitedly squirmed in Misty's arms. The control panel's lights began to blink, and they felt that
they were slowly being lowered to the ground. They landed on a small
clearing beside Flint's old rock shop. Brock was the first one to get out. He looked at the city
before him and had a determined look in his eyes. Brock was hoping that
this thought would reach the gym leader's mind: I'm here to set what's
right, so you better watch out! Chapter 3 Our heroes walked down the street towards the Pokecentre.
The doors opened and another Nurse Joy greeted them. "Hello Ash! It's sure been awhile since I last saw
you! My relatives keep on saying nice things about you." Brock quickly stepped between them. "Hi, I'm Brock!
I hope your relatives said nice things about me too!" His
face was turning red again. Ash and Misty looked at Brock with embarrassed expressions.
*looking down with tear drops at the sides of their heads* Nurse Joy looked a bit stunned, giggled, and then replied, "Some
things never change. I still remember how you wanted to volunteer at
the centre, and that goofy look on your face whenever you saw me."
She then turned to Ash and Misty. "I guess he gives my cousins and
sisters the very same treatment, huh?" "All the time," remarked Misty. Nurse Joy smiled, took Pikachu and the other pokemon, and got
back to her work. "Wait for a few minutes, your pokemon will be
ready by then." Brock punched Misty at the back of the head when she wasn't
looking. They began to wait. After a few minutes of silence, Ash
spoke up. "It sure seems that there's no one coming to the centre
today," he observed. They all turned and looked around the
lobby. It was quite empty, and they were the only ones there, even
though it was the afternoon. "You're right Ash," said Misty, "I think that new
gym leader scared everyone off." Nurse Joy came in with Pikachu and some pokeballs on a tray.
"Misty here is right. I feel so sorry for those pokemon that
came in here, we had many close calls in the ICU. This place was full
for the first few months, then everyone began to know about what was
happening and decided to stay away. Everyone wanted to do something,
but the leader was fighting by the rules. There are no rules against roughness,
not yet, so they're taking advantage of it. I would also do something,
but I can't risk my Chansey." "Well, I intend to do something," said Brock. Ash took Pikachu and all of his pokemon and they left for the
nearest restaurant. During their meal, they discussed strategies and what they know
so far of the mysterious gym leader. A waitress frequently went over to their table, often to
replenish the napkins and bring more ketchup for Pikachu. "I think that new guy will use rock or ground pokemon.
I mean it's only appropriate for 'Pewter City'," considered Ash. "You could be right, but this guy is a vigilante, so he
might have a few tricks up his sleeve," replied Brock. After finishing their meal and paying the bill, the same waitress
took their dishes. The waitress wore a pink uniform with a white apron
and cap, had short, orange hair, and looked very familiar. The waitress was none other than James, in drag, and he carefully
listened to their conversation. "We better hit the gym if we want to get teach that leader a
lesson he'll never forget!" declared Brock. They got out of their booth, paid the money and got out the door.
James scurried to the back where Jesse and Meowth were waiting. "I can't believe you made me wear this!" he complained. "Quit your whining! Tell us what they said!"
cried Meowth. "They said that they were going to the gym, and that they
were teaching the leader a lesson. I also heard that this leader is
ruthless, so that means they MUST have powerful pokemon!" "Ruthless, you say?" inquired Jesse. "We
better not tell the boss about this leader, or else he'll replace us with
that guy! The only thing to do is just steal his pokemon, and where
will he be then?" "Another wonderful idea!" exclaimed Meowth.
"Boss will take me back as his number one kitty! I'll be top
cat again!" Meowth thought of all the attention he would get, and
leave that Persian out in the cold. "Quit your daydreaming, Meowth. We have work to
do!" recalled James. He was out of that silly drag and back in his
uniform. Team Rocket left the restaurant to a small forest where their
balloon crashed. The deflated face of Meowth hung loosely over the
branches. They began to work on their devious plan. Chapter 4 The three of them walked along the path that led to Pewter City
gym. Brock slowly and cautiously walked up to his former gym. The
outside didn't change much, except that there was a large stone wall
surrounding the back of the gym. Ash and Misty walked behind him looking worriedly at their
friend. "I hope Brock doesn't lose his cool once we're inside,"
whispered Misty. Togepi looked happily at Misty squealed with delight,
oblivious with the serious situation. "Me too. But I also hope he doesn't lose it when he
sees the new gym leader," replied Ash. Pikachu, who was resting on top of Ash's head, replied with a
worried "Pikachu-pika." They continued on walking to the large doors of the gym. A
plaque hung on the large door. The plaque read, "Pewter City Gym:
Leader- R. Mineral, the leader with a heart of lead, cold and
unfeeling." Brock gulped and slowly pushed open the doors, some sunshine
crept through the opening, and all three of them stepped in. They
gasped at what they saw. The inside was dark and deserted, but soon he saw the lights over
the fighting arena. It looked pretty much the same, except for one
difference. There were stalactites, stalagmites, and stone pillars
added to the terrain. This new arena looks a lot more dangerous! thought Brock. "I'm Brock! Former Pewter City
gym leader! I challenge you to a pokemon battle!" he announced. The nothingness did not answer him. "Did you hear me?! I'm Brock! Former Pewter City
gym leader! I challenge you to a pokemon battle!" he repeated. A high pitched laughter filled the room, more like a girl than a
boy. They fell down to the ground in surprise. They got up
quickly and looked to their right to see a dark silhouette seated on a throne
made of rock. The silhouette looked like a girl. Huh? What's the meaning of this! pondered Brock. The three humans and Pikachu were both confused, Togepi still
continued to play happily in Misty's arms. The girl figure got up from her seat and walked towards them.
Light from the open door reflected off two lenses, so she must be
wearing glasses. The girl walked into the light. She was about Misty's
height, she had wavy black hair and deep brown eyes. Everything she
wore was a dull grey colour, even the glasses seemed to have a greyish tint.
She wore knee-high boots, a skirt, a vest just like Brock's, except it
was zipped all the way up. Where the left breast pocket was, there was a
grey, metallic, heart shaped badge. "Oh, hello little girl, can we see your older brother?"
Brock asked. "I am the gym leader," she replied in a stern and
serious voice. She reached into one of the pockets and pulled out an
I.D. card. "I am Roxanne Mineral, and I know that you are here for
a match. Come here to reclaim your gym?" The girl's gaze scanned
his friends, and stayed a bit longer on him. Brock was stunned, it showed on his face and everybody else's. "You're all surprised at my appearance and my
reputation. With the way I look, my opponents underestimate me, but it
doesn't matter now because I always beat them, appearance or not. I
won't accept your challenge, unless she," Roxanne pointed at Misty,
"will fight in your place." "No way!" cried Brock. "I fight my own
battles! And the rules state that you have to accept every
challenge!" "Yes, the rules say I have to accept every challenge, but
they don't say I can apply conditions to the challenger. And
technically, you just refused the match!" She suddenly pushed all
of them out the open door. They crashed to the ground painfully. "Oh, what was that about?" asked Ash, as he got up and
rubbed his bottom. Pikachu clambered up to perch on his head again. "It seems she prefers me over Brock and you, Ash. And
it seems that I'm the better trainer!" answered Misty. She looked
at Togepi again, making sure he wasn't hurt in the fall. "I just have to fight her! It's just what I have to
do!" complained Brock. "Since it seems she likes me better than you, I'll go see if
I can talk her into a match," offered Misty. "Thanks a lot Misty. Just try your best to convince
her that I can fight her. You know that I have to do this." "And while Misty is trying to butter this girl up, we'll go
see if your family is okay," suggested Ash. "All right. We better get going now." Ash grabbed Brock by the arm and started walking in the direction
of his home. Misty watched them until they were out of sight. She
looked down at Togepi and said, "What have I gotten myself into
now?" Togepi looked back up at her blankly. Ash, Pikachu, and Brock walked side by side. Brock looked
at the ground glumly. Ash looked with concern at his friend. "What's the matter?" "You wouldn't understand, Ash, since you don't have any
younger siblings. I don't know how I can face my family, it's been a
while, and now that I'm here, I have to tell them I turned down a
match." "But you know didn't turn down the match! She
did!" "And I know what the rules state, so she's right,"
Brock sighed heavily. "Beaten by the rules, and by a GIRL!" "I know what you mean. I thought that she was Misty's
age, but it turns out that on her I.D., she's older. Do you think it was
fake?" "No. I mean if it was fake, she wouldn't be running
the gym any more. The Pokemon League keeps a tight leash that the
trainers and leaders are following the rules and that they give the right
information." "Good thing I have Dexter to give out my information.
Oh, hey! We're here!" They were right in front of Brock's house. It was a small,
modest house, with rice paper walls on the inside and outside. Flint
saw them through a window, so he came out to greet them. Behind him
trailed all ten of his children. Everyone was there, and things didn't seem to change much.
The twins were dusty and pouting because they had to take a bath, and
Susie had a new rip on her dress. Brock sucked up his courage and
walked towards them with open arms. Chapter 5 Misty nervously opened the large doors and walked inside.
"Hello?" she timidly called into the gym. "I see you've come back," replied a voice beside her.
It was Roxanne. She still had that stern look. "So you've
come back to accept my challenge?" "Well, no, not exactly." "Then what are you here for?" "I just want to know why me and not Brock." "I know that you were former Cerulean Gym leader and you
must have won many battles. I choose the more experienced trainer, I
like a seasoned opponent." Misty stared at her blankly and asked, "How did you know I
was from the Cerulean Gym?" "I like to study very hard on the world of pokemon." "Look, Brock was the former leader of this gym, so he must
have more experience." "This place the first stop, and from here to Cerulean, along
the way, trainers will have much more time to gain experience." "Well, we've been on a pokemon journey, so that means he
must have experienced pokemon by now." "Have you actually seen his train them?" "Well, no, but..." "Then that just goes to show how inexperienced he is." Misty, feeling defeated, began to turn around and walk out the
door. "Have you a place to stay?" Roxanne suddenly asked. Misty whirled around in surprise. "Um, sort of,"
she answered. Her face seemed to have softened, but not much. "To
show you I'm not totally heartless, I'll let you stay here. Come with
me." Roxanne turned around and walked across the rocky arena to a
door leading to the back of the gym. Misty cautiously followed her. I just hope this isn't a
trap. Roxanne opened the door and she saw an incredible sight. Behind the door, there was a beautiful garden with large trees
that looked more like a rain forest, she seemed to see a distant hot spring.
It was spacious and was surrounded by a large a stone wall. "This place is where I live. My pokemon and I made this
place. It is a garden and my personal domain." explained Roxanne. "You mean I can stay here?" inquired Misty.
"Can I invite my friends?" "Do what you wish." And she walked off to the
direction of a small cabin. Misty followed her to it. "This will
be your cabin." Misty opened the door, and saw a neat little bed and some bare
shelves and nightstand. She walked inside and left her backpack on a
shelf. "You can wander around the garden and use the spring to your
convenience," said Roxanne and she left. Misty was excited. She couldn't wait to tell Ash and Brock
about this place! She quickly went to her bag to get her bathing suit
and try out the hot spring! The children were screaming and squealing that their brother was
back home. Ash and Brock both entered the house and sat down at the already
prepared dinner table. "Is dinner ready yet, Flint?" asked Ash. "Uh, well, I haven't had time to fix dinner since you boys
just came in," Flint replied. "Do we have any rice? I can make up some rice balls
pretty quickly," offered Brock. "You could go do that, I guess," responded Flint. Brock quickly pulled on another apron and ran into the kitchen.
In a whirlwind of rice and Brock's hands, 3 dozen rice balls were made.
It wasn't a surprise that he could cook so fast and on such short
notice, he HAS been on a pokemon journey and took care of 10 little siblings
by himself. "I want cold spaghetti!" cried little Timmy. Apparently
his taste for cold spaghetti noodles expanded beyond breakfast. Brock looked inside the fridge. There was a small bowl full
of noodles. So Flint didn't forget all that advice I gave him before
leaving. He took out the bowl and handed it to Timmy, and he
gobbled it down. After handing out the food, everyone gobbled their dinners down
ravenously. Pikachu hogged all of the ketchup and finished the whole bottle,
even though it was just new. "Do you boys have anywhere to stay?" questioned Flint. "No, sir. Unless we can stay at the Pokecentre,"
replied Ash. "Stay here instead. It may be crowded, but I'm sure we
can make some room for you, Brock, and that little red head." "Speaking of Misty, it's been awhile since we left her at
the gym," mused Brock. "You're right, we should both go down and see if she's all
right." "You go on ahead. I'll stay here, I have to discuss
something with my father." "Um, okay. C'mon Pikachu!" Pikachu's ears perked
up, he left his empty bottle of ketchup, and hopped off the table to Ash's
side. They both ran out the door in the direction of the gym. "Ready to go get Misty?"
"Pika-pika-chu!" he replied. "I have a question to ask you, father." "What is it, Brock?" "Why didn't you tell me that the leader was a girl?!" "I'm your father. I know you and how you react towards
girls. After all, like father, like son." Brock fell down with shock. "I should have known
better than to ask." Ash neared the towering gym. The sun was beginning to set. Ash pushed open the doors with all his might, and he managed to
move the doors enough to make an opening to squeeze through. He walked
to the arena. Pikachu followed him. "Pikachu, remember our first time here?" reminisced
Ash. "Pi-pika-pi-chu!" said Pikachu. "Are you looking for your friend?" asked a voice behind
them. Ash and Pikachu nearly jumped out of their skin. They
turned around to see Roxanne. "Aahh! Y-y- yes. W-w-where is
Misty?" stammered Ash. "She is in the garden, come follow me," replied
Roxanne. She led them across the arena and to a door leading to the
back. She opened it, and to Ash and Pikachu's surprise, there was a
beautiful garden with large trees that looked more like a rain forest that
was surrounded by a large a stone wall. He thought he could see Misty
relaxing in a hot spring. Roxanne led him to a wooden platform near the
edge of the hot spring, and Misty was definitely in it. "Misty, your friend is here," Roxanne called to Misty.
She them left the two to be alone. Misty partly walked, partly swam towards them. "Oh,
hello Ash! Look at the treatment I'm getting! I told you she likes me
better!" "Aw man! I can't believe I'm missing out on
this! I've already been invited to stay at Flint's during our
stay!" "Well, you can't turn him down now, that would be just
rude. And I can't just leave, that would also be rude." "Pika!" cried Pikachu, and he leapt into the spring. "Traitor," Ash muttered. He was jealous that
Misty got the luxury and he was stuck in a crowded house. He was
beginning to get mad at Misty and start bickering with her. "You can't stay here, Ash, there's only one cabin, and it's
already mine! You can go back and tell Brock that I'm okay." "Fine! Pikachu, we're leaving!" "Pika?" Pikachu leapt out of the spring, shook
himself off, and perched himself on Ash's shoulder. Ash angrily stormed out of the garden, out the door, and out of
the gym. He was fuming all the way back to the house. |