Chapter 8: No Championship for Twenty Years

On the road between Pewter City and Viridian Forest.

Team Rocket had already dug a giant pit seven or eight meters deep in the middle of the road, then laid branches across it and covered the surface with surrounding sand, dirt, and leaves.

Everything was as usual, with nothing out of the ordinary.

"A flawless trap!"

"That's right, once the brat comes along, he'll fall right in!"

"And then that freak-of-nature Pikachu will be ours, meow!"

The Team Rocket trio stood with their hands on their hips, laughing triumphantly, practically celebrating in advance.

As he laughed, James suddenly paused and asked

"By the way, where exactly did we set our trap?"

The other two immediately frowned.

Because the trap was too flawless, even they couldn't recognize it anymore, so they hurriedly began to lean over and search for it.

"I remember it was around here..."

Meowth, the most meticulous of the three, followed his memory to the center of the road.

*Snap!*

A sound of breaking branches rang out.

The opening of the trap was instantly exposed from the dirt, and Meowth slid straight into it.

"Jessie, save me!"

A panicked Meowth grabbed Jessie’s thigh, and the momentum dragged Jessie down into the deep pit along with him.

"James, save me!"

Jessie followed suit, grabbing James’s thigh and dragging him in as well.

Soon, all three had fallen completely into the deep pit without splashing a single drop of water.

Outside the pit, everything seemed as if nothing had ever happened.

3 minutes later.

A handsome young man and a pretty young woman passed by.

"Huh? Why is there a big hole in the middle of the road?"

Ash stopped in his tracks, puzzled.

"There’s no safety sign either; it’s very dangerous."

Misty looked into the pit. It was pitch black, but there seemed to be faint shadows wriggling inside, like insects.

This gave her a shiver, and she quickly suggested

"Should we fill it in?"

"Good idea."

Ash nodded and threw a Poké Ball.

"I choose you, Pidgeotto! Use Sand-Attack!"

After appearing, Pidgeotto turned in place and performed the standard "dog-digging" motion.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!!*

With a kick of its hind legs, it swept countless amounts of sand and dirt into the deep pit.

In less than three minutes, the hole was completely blocked.

Everything returned to the way it was.

The light of justice shone on their faces, warm and cozy.

And so, the two of them happily set off on their journey again.

At the entrance to Pewter City.

As Ash was walking, he suddenly heard a low shout that made him jump back in surprise.

"Hey! Young man, you're stepping on my pickle stone!"

It was a middle-aged man wearing a red knit cap that covered most of his face. His exposed skin was quite dark, and his arms were muscular.

Ash looked down and realized he was standing on a strangely shaped stone with a price tag on it.

Looking around, he saw all sorts of oddly shaped stones displayed, all with various price tags attached.

"Pewter City is a city that symbolizes rock!"

The middle-aged man said leisurely, quite proudly.

Seeing this, Ash couldn't help but ask

"Mister, who are you?"

Before the middle-aged man could answer, Misty chimed in first.

"I know! You must be the Hoenn League Champion, Mr. Steven!"

She had heard that Steven was also a big rock enthusiast.

However, Misty didn't know much about it; she just blindly guessed that any middle-aged man with dark skin who liked rocks must be Steven, right?

"League Champion?"

Ash looked confused. What was a League Champion? Were they even more powerful than his dream of being a Pokémon Master?

Besides, wasn't the Hoenn region the place where Rayquaza walked the streets like stray dogs?

The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow and explained

"Little girl, I'm not Steven. My name is Flint..."

"Beep. User: Flint. Data query in progress..."

At this moment, a mechanical voice interrupted his self-introduction.

The Pokédex was showing off its presence again.

After a while, the mechanical voice came again.

"Beep. Data updated."

"Flint, resident of Pewter City, former Pewter Gym Leader. Has since resigned from the position of Gym Leader and has been challenging the Pokémon League alone. Has been challenging the League for twenty years without winning a championship. His best result was runner-up in the Kalos region Pokémon League."

"Twenty years!?"

Hearing this, both Ash and Misty were shocked.

Especially Ash. For some reason, hearing the words "didn't win a championship in twenty years" sent a chill from his feet through his entire body, as if he had been doused in ice water.

A sense of trance washed over him.

He was trembling with anger...?

Even Red, deep within his soul, was startled by this chill.

"Is this the resentment of another world...?"

Red didn't understand, but he was secretly shocked.

Flint frowned, wondering what the hell this Pokédex was. How was he stripped bare the moment they met? Had the League's black technology reached this point?

Or was it because he had challenged it too many times that he was recorded on a blacklist...?

"By the way, what do 'Gym Leader' and 'challenging the League' mean?"

Ash couldn't help but ask.

He was still a novice who didn't know the ways of the world.

"You must be a beginner trainer, then let me explain it to you..."

Before Flint could finish, he was cut off by the Pokédex again.

"Beep. Keyword detected. It is now time for popular science."

This was its job; it wouldn't let anyone else steal the spotlight.

"Beep. Every region has a number of Gyms. Defeating a Gym Leader earns you a Badge. Collect eight Badges to challenge the Pokémon League Conference in that region."

"Once you become the winner of a League Conference, you can initiate a challenge against the Elite Four of that Pokémon League. Defeat all four Elite Four members in succession, and you can challenge the strongest in the Pokémon League: the League Champion!"

Ash rubbed his head. He didn't understand a word of that long string of information and couldn't help but complain

"What the hell? Can you summarize that in four words?"

Pokédex: "Beep. Be a decent person."

"..."

"Oh, for a beginner like you, it's just: beat the Gyms, get 8 Badges, and then challenge the League Conference."

Misty couldn't help but interject.

Hearing this, Ash suddenly realized and clapped his hands at the piece of junk

"Oh, oh, I understand that! Pokédex-kun, you should really learn the art of conversation."

Pokémon Pokédex: "..."

Flint: "..."

This trainer seemed even more outrageous than the Pokédex.

"By the way, young man, are you preparing to challenge our Pewter Gym?"

Hearing this, Ash’s body shook, and he slapped his chest, looking incredibly confident.

"That goes without saying!"

Becoming the League Conference Champion was the first step toward becoming a Pokémon Master!

"Heh, but looking at your Pokémon, it's going to be quite difficult to defeat the Gym Leader, Brock..."

Flint pointed at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.

A common electric mouse was clearly not going to conquer a Rock-type Gym.

"I also have Pidgeotto and Metapod!"

Ash quickly retorted.

Hearing this, Flint frowned even deeper. Was this trainer an idiot? Why did he only pick Pokémon with type disadvantages?

"Ahem, forgive me for being blunt, but you've already lost just based on type matchups..."

"Type matchups? What's that?"

Ash didn't care and waved his hand dismissively

"Pokémon battles are all about an unyielding fighting spirit and perseverance! Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

Pikachu nodded, indicating that what Ash said made some sense.

Flint and Misty: "..."

"Whatever, I'm definitely going to beat that Brock. Mister, can you lead the way to the Pewter Gym? You aren't selling any of these rocks anyway."

Flint frowned. Although it was painful to hear, he still led Ash to the front of the Pewter Gym.

He had no other motive; he just wanted to be closer to this place.

But he felt ashamed to face the Gym and didn't dare to get close.

Only by pretending to lead a new trainer could he have a legitimate reason to approach.

Ash didn't think much of it. After arriving at the destination, he pushed the door open and walked straight into the Gym.

With his hands on his hips, he roared at the air inside, full of spirit and ambition.

Young people should be this bold and reckless!

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and my dream is to become a Pokémon Master! I'm here to challenge the Gym!"

3 minutes later.

Ash was holding a dying Pikachu and arrived at the Pewter City Pokémon Center...