Ash Ketchum: Type Specialist One Shots

Giovanni Agosti was not a good man, he was not a kind man. He was a man that wanted the world to bow to him, and would thus do anything to make it do so. He wanted power. He wanted money. And for the most part, he didn't care who, or what he hurt in the process of securing that future.

However, there was one thing the man really cared at all for; his family.

Yes, for all that Giovanni was a heartless businessman, there were two people in the world that the man could never even think of harming; his wife and young son. Delia, his wife, was a bright and kind woman, while yes she was womanly and enjoyed housework and cooking, she also had the backbone of a Sandslash and was as stubborn as a Toros. Their son, Ash, reminded Giovanni a lot of himself when he was a kid, brimming with enthusiasm for the world around him, he was as stubborn as his mother, but also twice as kind.

He had never expected to fall in love and start a family, at the time he hadn't even known he could fall in love. Meeting Delia had been pure coincidence, a beautiful, world altering coincidence that happened soon after Team Rocket was fully functional. They married a few years after, and a year after that Ash was brought into the world. Giovanni had been surprised he could even love Delia, he never expected that he would love his son just as much.

But even a man like Giovanni knew, should they ever find out about his operation he would lose them both. A wiser man would have disbanded his company and started anew, but in an act of greed, and possibly even foolishness, Giovanni did no such thing. He could only hope he wouldn't lose them.

======

Ash watched the battle before him with bright, calculating eyes. The newly 10 year old's father was on one side with Nidoqueen, while on the other side was his mother and her Vileplume.

It wasn't often Ash got to watch his father battle, much less his mother. The man was usually on business trips or in Viridian City and Ash and his mother lived in Pallet Town. His parents decided early on that they didn't want Ash to grow up in the city. Even as a toddler the boy was nature-esc and wild, and his mother herself was a small town kind of woman, so his father bought a small house in the neighboring Pallet Town for them to live in, and visited whenever he wasn't working, either at his company or at the gym.

Other than his job as a Gym Leader, Ash wasn't sure what his father did for work. He knew he was a CEO for some sort of company, but he didn't like talking about it. He told Ash once, after he had asked one too many times, that he didn't like thinking about work when he was with the family; that his work was boring and something he knew Ash would never want to be a part of. Ash had left it at that, he trusted his father and if his father said it was boring and uninteresting, Ash was inclined to believe him. Besides, the boy was far more interested about the Gym that he would one day, hopefully, inherit.

Ash loved Pokemon, he lived and breathed Pokemon. His room was piled high with Pokemon merchandise, from his sheets, to his wall clock, and while his other grades were nothing to write home about, his grade in his Pokemon care class was the highest in the entire class. He had been waiting with baited breath since the day he could fully understand what a journey was for the day he would be allowed to set off on his own.

Like his father before him, Ash had plans to become a Ground Type Expert, and to specialize in Ground Types so that he could take over the Gym when his father retired. Kanto was very traditional when it came to their Gyms, opposed to Kalos who reached out to notable people to place in their circuit, Kanto Gyms were passed down via a bloodline/heir system, so long as the Gym Leaders weren't doing anything underhanded or were issued an official challenge. That meant, so long as everything went well, Ash would be inheriting the Viridian Gym.

Which led him to the battle happening before him. Ash was lucky enough that he was the only child of a lucrative business man, and Gym Leader. His father's two well paying jobs, coupled with his mother's produce profits, made it to where Ash never wanted for anything. If he wanted something, and it was reasonable and he hadn't been badly behaved, it was usually got for him. Not that he really asked for much, sure there was his merch filled room, but that was mostly from birthdays and christmas', maybe a few treats for a well done test or getting all his chores done, but Ash was a pretty simple kid, set him up with a Pokemon and the boy was pacified. Which was why, for his tenth birthday, instead of asking for anything, excluding asking for his first Pokemon, all he wanted was to watch his parents have a Pokemon battle.

To most it sounded like an unfair battle, his father was considered the 8th Gym Leader for a reason, and his mother was a housewife, but Delia was nothing to sneeze at, something both Ash and his father knew very well. Delia had never won some big title or anything, but when she was around Ash's age she made it into the top twenty in the Pokemon League. It wasn't something she bragged about, but it was something both Ash and Geovanni gleefully told anyone who would listen.

The battle was a simple two on two, and both trainers were on their last Pokemon. On the surface it looked like his mother had the upper hand, Vileplume was a Grass and Poison Type, making Nidoqueen's Poison Attacks almost useless, and her Ground Attacks not very effective, but Vileplume was tired, having just taken out his father's Rhyhorn, while Nidoqueen was freshly out of her Pokeball, so it really was anyone's battle.

Ash was transfixed on the battle, and if it weren't for his father's Kangaskhan standing beside him, and holding onto the back of his shirt, he probably would have fallen over the railing due to how closely he was watching. His father's moves were sharp and precise, obviously well practiced, while his mother's were graceful and swift. Vileplume, panting tiredly, used a quick Sleep Powder, but Nidoqueen was able to use Earthquake just in time to shake Vileplume off his feet, causing Sleep Powder to shoot away from Nidoqueen opposed to towards. Vileplume then tried to use Petal Dance, but Nidoqueen got in close and finished the battle with a devastating Crunch attack, calling the battle to an end. Ash cheered from the stands, once again almost tripping over the railing, had it not been for Kangaskhan's firm grip on his shirt.

"We were so close Plumey, take a nice long rest." Delia praised, returning Vileplume to his Pokeball.

"Return Nidoqueen, well done." Giovanni recalled Nidoqueen, smiling slightly at his wife before looking towards his son, who was already on his way down the stairs to meet with them.

Giovanni and Delia met in the center of the battle field, and Delia took her husband's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. In his other hand Giovanni pulled out a Pokeball, opposed to the usual red and white, this one was a mild green on the top with a yellow circle gem in the center and two upside down teardrop shaped red gems on either side of the yellow gem.

"That was awesome!" Ash said as soon as he was close enough to them. His brown eyes glittered in amazement, as he started yammering about the battle. "Mom, your Vileplume is so strong! I think if you used Absorb instead of Sleep Powder you would have won! But Nidoqueen was also really cool! I don't think I've ever seen a Nidoqueen move so fast and-"

Delia giggled, cutting their son off before he could hyperventilate from excitement by throwing her arms around him in a hug. "I'm glad you enjoyed watching Ash, it was part of your birthday present after all."

"It was amazing! Thank you!" Ash grinned cheekily, grumbling slightly when his father ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Now, for your second gift." The man said, far calmer than either his wife or son. "You've been asking for this since you were four, so I hope this was worth the wait."

Somehow, Ash grinned even wider, eyeing the Friend Ball excitedly as it was held out to him. Far gentler than he had even picked up anything else before, Ash took the ball from his father's hand. He glanced at his parents, who nodded encouragingly to him, and gently tossed it. From the Pokeball came a small bipedal Pokemon with a distinctive skull mask, and watery eyes.

"Cubone?" Cubone looked around wearily, tightly gripping onto his bone club before bursting out crying.

Delia's lips turned down in a worried frown, and Giovanni's eyes narrowed just slightly at the Pokemon, but Ash just crouched down before him, and gently patted Cubone on the head. Ash wasn't sure if Cubone could feel the patting through his skull mask, but given the small Pokemon slowly started to calm down, he could only assume he could feel at least something. Cubone's cries slowly tapered off, turning into small sniffles while he reached under the mask to wipe away his tears. Ash gently lifted Cubone up under his arms, grinning brightly at him as he stood back up, and eventually brought Cubone closer to his chest. Cubone relaxed in the boys arms, and slowly maneuvered himself to sit on Ash's shoulder. Ash, unbothered by the dull edges of Cubone's mask now pointed into his neck, reached up to scratch Cubone under the chin, smiling when he leaned into his touch further.

Without letting up on scratching Cubone's chin, Ash turned towards his parents. His mother's eyes shone with pride, as did his father's, though it was harder to tell with him. "Thank you!" Ash beamed at his parents. "Does this mean I get to finally go on my journey?" He asked hopefully.

Giovanni chuckled fondly, while Delia giggled, having known that would be what he would ask after finally getting his first Pokemon. "You are ten now, so long as you call regularly and try to stay out of trouble, I don't see why not."

Delia nodded in agreement before stalling momentarily. "We do have to put in a request for a Pokedex, and make sure you have everything for your journey though, so you probably won't be able to head out until then."

Everything Delia said seemed to have gone into one ear and out the other though as Ash jumped around in excitement, before barreling into his parents to wrap them up in a hug, all while chanting "Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you!" like it was a mantra. Over his head, his parents shared a pair of fond smiles, both well used to their son's antics.

===

By the end of the week, Ash and Cubone set off, five Pokeballs, a travel pack, and a PokeDex heavier. They started their journey in Viridian City, both his parents wanting to send him off, and Viridian City wasn't that far from Pallet Town anyway, so it saved them an unneeded walk that had little to no Pokemon between the two residences.

The first place Ash wanted to go, after a few days training in Viridian Forest, was Diglett Cave. According to his father the cave was teaming with Digglet and Dugtrio, the perfect first Pokemon for Ash to catch and add to his team before he challenged Pewter City's Gym.

Unbeknownst to Ash however, Giovanni wasn't about to let his only son Journey unsupervised. He loved and trusted his son, but as much faith as he had in the boy, he also knew he was a trouble magnet, so he arranged some babysitters, so to speak. Jessie and James were rising in the organization, and with Meowth's help, they should be capable of keeping tabs on Ash, informing Giovanni if anything bad were to happen, and place carefully selected Pokemon for Ash to capture when Giovanni felt the time was right. Maybe it was dishonest, and underhanded, but Ash was his son, and no way in Distortion was Giovanni going to leave the boy's journey up to chance.

Besides the occasional drop in of Team Rocket, Ash's journey was relatively normal. Training with Cubone was going well, and Ash was able to catch a Digglett, Sandshrew, and oddly enough a Sandile within the first few months.

Ash was able to catch Digglet in Digglett's cave before battling Brock in Pewter City, both Diglett and Cubone were pretty evenly matched with Brock's Rock Types, but Ash won out with speed, and a very quickly executed Dig on Digglett's part.

Sandshrew was caught in Mount Moon, Ash and Brock,decided to tag along, stopped by the large cave system to train and possibly catch some Pokemon, during the venture through the mountain Ash spotted the shrew Pokemon and was quick to try and catch her, she was a speedy little thing, but eventually Cubone was able to weaken her enough for Ash to catch her. She was a huge help in the Cerulean City Gym, even if they had to challenge Misty* twice to get the win. Thanks to Sandshrew's Poison Sting, Rollout, and Fury Cutter they were able to chip away at Misty's Pokemon, resulting in their win. Turtwig on the other hand, Ash had no clue where the Sinnoh starter Pokemon came from.

Ash and Brock found Sandile when they doubled back to Diglett's cave to head to Vermillion City, Sandile was stuck in a losing battle between some Dugtrio who had ganged up on him, not really a surprise since Diglett's cave was home to a pack of Diglett and Dugtrio who really didn't like strange Pokemon encroaching on their territory. Making a rather hasty decision, Ash threw a Pokeball to catch Sandile before he could be further injured, and he and Brock ran the rest of the way to Vermillion City. Nurse Joy was just as confused as Ash and Brock were, Sadile weren't exactly rare in Unova, Ash's own father caught one himself before Ash was born when he went on a trip to Unova, but Unova was such a shut off Region that the likelihood a bask* of Sandile, Krokorok, or Kookabile in Kanto was low, very very low. Best Nurse Joy could infer was that a trainer released their Sandile in Kanto and the Pokemon wandered into the cave since he didn't realize it was Diglett territory, but she assured them that Sandile was otherwise fine, his confidence was shaken a bit, but once he got some rest and a few good meals he would be much better physically. Mentally, however, Sandile wasn't doing as well, it was obvious that losing to the group of Dugtrio really hurt his confidence, and Ash wasn't sure if his new buddy would feel comfortable battling after that.

Luckily, Sandile wasn't required for Ash's battle with Lieutenant Surge. Ash had heard both his father and Brock complain about the man enough that Ash knew he could defeat the Electric Specialist with ease. He did mostly have Ground Types, obviously, but that wasn't the sole reason. The Lieutenant relied heavily on raw power, his Pokemon, despite being Electric Types, weren't trained in speed, agility, or defense, and because Ash's Pokemon were Ground Types, coupled with Ash relying a fair bit on speed, it made he battle against Lieutenant Surge child's play.

Cubone ended up evolving into Marowak not long after, and after an excited conversation with his father, Ash decided to take his father's advice and make a detour to the Safari Zone. His next battle was against Sabrina, who used Psychic Type Pokemon, and his father suggested building Sandile's confidence back up was the best way to go to prepare for his battle with Sabrina, while also giving Marowak time to come into, and adjust to his new form. Brock, of course, was all for it, excited to see the Safari since he had never seen it before.

The Safari Zone was wonderful, they got to see tons of Pokemon neither of them had seen in person before, and Marowak was adjusting well to his new ability and power. Sandile took a while to get adjusted. Once he was physically healthy again, he was still too nervous to battle properly. Personally, Ash didn't mind if Sandile couldn't battle, but it was obvious the Pokemon missed it. Ash's first course of action was to send Diglett home for a while, Sandile was constantly on edge around Diglett, which made training and adjusting harder, and Diglett, while battling when Ash asked, didn't seem to care one way or the other, about the sport so Ash sent him home to his mother, who wasted no time at all in coddling the mole Pokemon, much to Diglett's delight. With the adsense of Diglett, Ash was able to work more with Sandile, it wasn't easy, the poor Pokemon's confidence was crushed, but slowly they made progress. After Sandile's first full battle Ash got him a little encouragement, a pair of sunglasses that a nearby kiosk was selling. They were simple red frames with black lenses, but Sandile adored them, and they seemed to be just what he needed. With the sunglasses on, Sandile was like a whole new Pokemon, beaming with determination and confidence. The only problem was that that confidence only persisted when the sunglasses were on, if they were taken off, Sandile would again withdraw. It was something that Ash would have to work on going further, but for the time being they were taking baby steps, and that was really all they could do.

Before they left the Safari Zone Ash wanted Sandile to battle at least one wild Pokemon, even if they had to end up running, that would be fine, Ash just wanted him to battle someone who wasn't his or Brock's team. Ash hadn't been planning to catch another Pokemon, but that idea went out the window when he saw a Rhyhorn. Ash had always wanted a Rhyhorn, he adored his dad's Rhydon and knew since he was a kid that he wanted to catch a Rhyhorn of his own to befriend. Sandile seemed to pick up on this determination, because he was laser focused on the rhinoceros, determined to weaken Rhyhorn enough for Ash to catch. It was a long and intense battle, but Ash was finally able to catch Rhyhorn, and the victory made Sandile's confidence soar like never before. They were ready to face Sabrina!

Okay so Sabrina almost turned them all into dolls, but Ash was fine! Brock was fine! The Pokemon were fine! Sandile, and Marowak did amazing against Sabrina's Psychic Pokemon, and Sabrina was able to snap out of whatever loneliness she felt thanks to the Haunter that accompanied Ash and Brock because they thought they were interesting enough to follow. They were able to leave the Saffron Gym with the Marsh Badge, another notch in Ash's badge case that marked how great a trainer he was becoming. He just hoped the Pokemon League pokemon into the Saffron Gym soon after Ash's battle didn't have anything to do with him.

Following Saffron City, Ash and Brock headed to Celadon City. Sandslash had evolved on their way there and Ash was anxious to get to the city for Nurse Joy to check her over. A part of him also just wanted to get in and out of the city as soon as possible. The whole city smelled like a flower garden, which didn't sound bad on paper, but Ash wasn't good with strong smells. Maybe it was because he was always in rough and tumble forests with little to no flowers, and his mother really only grew produce, but Ash couldn't stand strong, sweet, flowery smells, and Celadon City was steaming with the thick scents. Strong, sweet smells made Ash's head pound, and his nose clog up. He could still breathe but it was a miserable experience. But Ash knew to keep his mouth shut about stuff like that in Celadon City. It was no secret that the Celadon City Gym was known for kicking out challengers if they badmouthed perfume, Kanto's online message board was filled to the brim with warnings and complaints from past challengers. Some trainers out right boycotted the gym entirely due to those rumors, but Ash wanted to challenge the Gyms his mom had challenged when she was a trainer and sadly Celadon was one of them, so he grinned and bared the flowery stench, while simultaneously trying not to show his discomfort as his head started to pound.

His pain wasn't unnoticed though, Ash and his Pokemon shared such a bond that they could tell he wasn't feeling well as soon as they stepped foot/paw on the battlefield. The newly evolved Sandslash was quick in her dealings with Erika's Tangela and Bellsprout, cutting down the Pokemons vines and leaves with a precise Fury Cutter, coupled with Roll Out. Sandslash was taken out by Gloom, but Ash had the perfect counter for Gloom's stench. Marowak's entire head was covered in a mask of thick bone, and while Marowak could smell a little bit, he wasn't able to be hit fully by the rotten smell Gloom gave off, so Marowak was able to defeat Gloom with a heavy stream of close Bonemerang and Headbutts. While Ash was happy to get the Rainbow Badge, he was even happier to finally leave the city, even if he had to get Ryhorn to help him drag Brock away from the pretty flower ladies.

From Celadon, the pair were planning on going straight to Fuchsia City, but before they could do so they got a call from Ash's parents. Geovanni was going to Sinnoh for a few days to check on one of his warehouses, and since the trip would only take a few days at most, he offered both Ash and Brock to accompany him and Delia, promising to drop them off in Fuchsia City after the trip. After thinking it over and doing the math, Ash and Brock agreed. It was the perfect opportunity to get some Pokemon not native to Kanto to expand their teams, and Ash wanted to try and find a Gibble or maybe a Gastrodon. Ash and Brock were picked up in Saffron City by Geovanni, and led to his company's private jet. Delia adored Brock, and was amazed that he could take care of all of his siblings all on his own, by the time the jet landed in Sinnoh Delia had all but formally adopted the teenager, telling him to call her if he or his family ever needed anything. On Ash's side, he was just happy to spend time with his friend and family, especially since his parents seemed to really like Brock, and he got to meet his father's new Pokemon, Persian.

In Sinnoh they split up for a bit. Geovanni had to do his actual job, while Delia went to the hotel to unpack and drop off their bags. Ash offered to help her, but she shooed him and Brock away, telling them to go search for Pokemon before the jet lag got to them, so Ash and Brock set off.

In a nearby forest Ash found Turtwig, while Turtwig wasn't caught by anyone, he did live with an elderly woman that took care of him. After a nice chat with her she asked Ash to take Turtwig with him, and when Turtwig seemed interested Ash agreed. Turtwig wouldn't go without a fight though, so Ash sent out Rhyhorn for their battle. Ash was at a disadvantage when it came to typing, but Rhyhorn was a sturdy Pokemon, and wasn't giving up either, so once Turtwig was weakened enough, Ash quickly threw his Pokeball, capturing his newest partner.

As well as Turtwig, Ash also added a Gible to his team, though Gible's capture story was far less impressive. While on his way to meet back up with Brock Ash heard a shout from above, when he looked up he staw Team Rocket's balloon, in said balloon Team rocket was struggling to hold onto a Gible as the small Dragon Type bit fiercely on Jame's head. Gible ended up freeing himself and leapt out of the balloon, heading straight towards Ash. Hastily, Ash took a step back, and ended up dropping a Pokeball while Gible landed on his head. When Gible jumped off Ash, he landed on Ash's Pokeball, and in a flash vanished inside. The Pokeball blinked and wiggled for a few minutes before falling still. On one hand, Ash got a Gible, and Team Rocket lost a potential Pokemon, on the other, Ash doubted anyone would ever believe his story if he told them. What the distortion even was Ash's life?

Regardless, Ash wasn't the only one to Add a Pokemon to his team, as Brock managed to befriend a Croagunk. Croagunk was rather stone faced, and hard to read but it was obvious he really liked Brock, and he was really strong.

Other than catching Pokemon, and training, Ash took the time to update his parents on his journey so far, and spend some time with them. Ash also used the time to adjust to his new Pokemon, and think up strategies. He decided to use Sandile, Rhyhorn, Turtwig, and Gible against Koga, who specialized in Poison Type Pokemon, Turtwig was a bit of a risk due to Koga's Venomoth and Venonat, but his long range attack and defense would go a long away against the Poison Types. Blaine was a bit harder to plan for, since it was rumored he used a few Ground Types as well, so Ash planned to use Gible, Marowak, Sandslash, and Rhyhorn or Turtwig, if Turtwig was absolutely needed.

Like Geovanni had promised, he dropped Ash and Brock off in Fuchsia City once they made it back to Kanto. Both boys were a bit exhausted from the shift in time, so rather than go straight for the gym, they went to an inn and rested the rest of the day, but went to Koga's Gym first thing in the morning.

Ash wasn't ashamed to admit that he had to challenge Koga twice. The man and his Pokemon were strong, and shifty, not surprising as he and his family were known for practicing Ninja arts. Even though Poison Types were at a disadvantage, you never could have guessed waiting the first battle. Ash and his Pokemon learned from that first battle however, and though it was by the skin of their teeth, they eventually managed to win and get the Soul Badge.

Getting to Cinnabar Island was a bit of a pain. Neither Ash nor Brock had any water types, so they couldn't surf their way to the island like many other trainers could. Kanto tended to be old fashioned, so while there were boats, most people tended to use their Pokemon, like back in the old day, so finding a boat took a little bit of time. But, the two boys were able to get to the island in the end, and Ash wasted no time in challenging the Cinnabar Gym. He was admittedly being a little hasty, but that was because he was excited to battle his dad, who he would be battling against after getting his Volcano Badge.

Like his battle against Koga, Ash's battle with Blaine was no walk in the park, even though he had a type advantage. Ash only had to challenge the man once, but Blaine, for all that he was eccentric and maybe a bit goofy, was no pushover, his Pokemon were powerhouses not meant to be trifled with. Ash was pretty sure that had it not been for Turtwig's sudden evolution into Grotle, giving them a much needed defense buff against Blaine's Rhydon, they would have lost. Regardless, Ash walked away from Cinnabar Island with the Volcano Badge in hand.

Ash and Brock decided to take the long way back to Viridian City, however, as they passed through Pewter City Brock decided to stay behind to catch up with his family while Ash battled his dad, promising to meet back up with him before he headed to Pallet Town to train before they had to head to the Indigo Plateau. Saying a temporary goodbye, Ash wished Brock luck and went on his way. He hadn't told his dad that he was so close to Viridian City yet, planning to surprise him when he showed up for a battle.

===

Ash smiled giddily as he walked up the steps to Viridian Gym. Marowak was plastered to his side, as usual, his claw gently clasped onto Ash's jeans. Ash hadn't told his father he was coming just yet, and hoped his father would be pleasantly surprised by his appearance. As he threw open the doors to the gym, however, an odd looking Pokemon stood on the Gym's battlefield, before suddenly surging forward, and breaking through the roof of the building. Ash could only stare helplessly as Jessie, James, and Meowth ran after it, cursing wildly at each other when they realized that it was no use, that whatever Pokemon they had been using had gotten away.

"Boss is going to lose his mind!" James whined, sliding down to his knees while rubbing his face anxiously. "We lost track of the boss's twerp of a son and now we lost his favorite weapon!"

"Not to mention the damage done to the boss' Gym." Jessy lamented in agreement, running her hand through her long hair. "We'll be lucky if we're fed to the Sharpedo."

"What are wes 'posed to do now?" Meowth questioned, his tail curling almost anxiously. "I can already hear da lecture now."

Slowly, Ash's brain finally catches up to what he was hearing, and his face hardened. Marowak, mostly healed from his past trauma caused by Team Rocket, took a protective stance in front of Ash. Ash, who barely raised his voice lest it be in excitement, surprise, or pure unadulterated anger, growled, his eyes narrowed on the three trouble makers. The sound caught the attention of Team Rocket, and upon seeing him, they flinched.

"Wha-WHat are you doing here twerp?!" Jessie stammered with false bravo.

"Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop?!" James followed Jessie's lead, hastily pulling himself back onto his feet.

Ash, however, was in no mood to humor the terrible trio. "Where is my father?" Ash demanded, unknowingly looking almost exactly like Geovanni now that his lips were pulled into an angry frown and his brows furrowed in discontent. The look alone caused the three to once again flinch.

"Da-Da boss- I mean Geovanni is- I means ta say…" Meowth stumbled over his words, wringing his paws as he tried to think of some sort of excuse.

Hearing a member of Team Rocket refer to his father as Boss stirred something in Ash. He refused to believe his father was the Boss of Team Rocket, they had to just be messing with him. His father was probably just tied up somewhere and Team Rocket tried to take over his Gym. There was no way Ash's supportive, kind father was the evil force behind a group of Pokemon Stealing criminals. Unclasping a Pokeball from his belt, Ash threw out Sandslash, who swiped her claws at the trio warningly. "Where. Is. My. Father?" Ash demanded, his voice oddly steady.

"W-We'll call him!" James promised, shakily reaching into his pocket to grab his communicator. A part of him wanted to make a grab for Koffing's Pokeball, but even if Koffing wasn't still weak from trying to combat the Boss' weapon, Sandslash was watching him very closely, and he doubted he would be able to pull the Pokeball out without immediately being hit with a Poison Sting or something. With shaking hands, James finally pulled out the communicator and quickly hit 'call'. After a few minutes, Geovanni's face appeared on screen, his face pinched in annoyance.

"What did you three bozos do now?"

Ash's hands clasped into fists, and for a minute Ash stopped breathing. That was his father's voice, there was no way it couldn't be. Yes it was far harsher than Ash had ever heard, but Ash could recognise his father's voice everywhere.

"S-Sir there-uh there's a problem at-at the Gym that needs your as-assistance. Per-Preferably now." Jessie leaned slightly over Jame's shoulder, her voice higher pitch, and simpering.

"What could you three have done that requires my presence? Let me guess, you caused damage to the Gym? Or better yet, you idiots lost my weapon?"

"Uh boff actually, but dats not why we're callin boss." Meowth murmured from below. "Your uh son is here for ya."

What?" Though Ash couldn't see it, the color in Geovanni's face completely drained. While he was pissed about them losing his weapon, and damaging part of his Gym, he was far more concerned about the fact that his son was there, likely listening in on the conversation. To prove they weren't lying, James hurriedly turned the camera, allowing Geovanni to see his irate son as he stood in the Gym. Ash stared at his father's face on the screen, his own face perfectly blank, which was somehow scarier than if the boy had been yelling, and screaming in rage. Clearing his throat, Geovanni turned away. "I'll be there soon." Then the screen went black.

Ash and Team Rocket stood in tense silence for a number of minutes. Marowak rubbed his face against Ash's hands, worried at how tightly his fist were balled. Ash suddenly took a deep, steadying breath, causing the three criminals to straighten up where they stood. Silently, Ash started petting the smooth skull faced Pokemon, ignoring the sting in his palms caused by his nails.

"Hey." Ash suddenly spoke, startling Team Rocket. "Clean up the battlefield. Now."

"Yes Sir! Right Away Sir!" They shouted in tandem.

Ash walked across the field, taking a seat in the chair his father often sat in while he waited for challengers. It was still hard for him to wrap his head around the situation. His father had always been so kind, and loving; he was supportive of everything Ash did, comforting Ash when he was upset about a bad test score, or being picked on, he forced his mother take a break when she was doing too much, he always made time for them no matter what he had to do for work. Was it just an act? Were Ash and his mother just there to help mask the evil deeds his father did behind the scenes? Did he care about them at all?

"Lash!"Sandslash carefully nuzzled Ash's hands, which had once again formed into a fist without him noticing, causing Ash to loosen his grip once again and start petting down her spines. Marowak pulled himself up into Ash's lap, he was almost as big as Ash was, but neither cared, Ash was well used to cuddling his starter, and Marowak knew how to carefully maneuver his way onto his trainer.

Ash and his Pokemon sat in dead silence, passively watching as Team Rocket moved debris and wreckage off the field and to the side. They would need to get professionals into the Gym to officially fix the Gym and take away the bigger rubble, but for the time being the field itself would be fine to use, which is all Ash needed.

After about half an hour, Geovanni arrived, hurriedly rushing into the Gym to meet his son. Brown eyes searched frantically, coming to rest on the black hair of his son, who sat in his care with a mask of perfect indifference as two of his Pokemon stood beside him, and Geovanni's goons kneeled in the corner, perfectly cowed. If it were any other situation Geovanni would have felt pride in the fact that his son was able to take control of the situation so easily, but it wasn't in any other situation. It was a situation in which Geovanni knew he could lose his son.

"Ash-" Geovanni said desperately, but Ash simply stood and approached the battlefield, returning Sandslash and Marowak silently as he did so.

"The Battle between the Viridian City Gym Leader-" Ash's voice was cold, spitting out Giovanni's gym leader title out like it was bile on his tongue.

"Please listen to me for a moment-" Giovanni tried to plead, but it was obvious that Ash wasn't going to listen.

"-and the challenger Ash is about to begin." The fact that Ash didn't say his last name, as he usually would, wasn't lost on the man. "This will be a four on four battle, only the challenger can make substitutions. Begin."

Gritting his teeth, Giovanni pulled out a Pokeball. "Rhyhorn."

"Sandile, I choose you."

A Rhyhorn and Sandile took the field. At first, Rhyhorn perked up upon seeing Ash, but that quickly melted when they noticed the frown on the boy's face. It didn't take Sandile long to realize his trainer's mood either, and the small crocodile realized that the battle before them was going to be so much more important than any other leading up to it.

"Take Down." Giovanni ordered.

"Dig." Ash called out, his voice void of its usual gusto.

Rhyhorn ran forward, but Sandile swiftly dug down, dodging the attack. Giovanni then called for a Thunderbolt, it wouldn't harm Sandile, a Ground Type, but the power behind the move was able to break up the ground, dealing some damage to Sandile. Ash called out a Crunch, and suddenly Sandile leapt from under the ground, biting into Rhyhorn's thick, rocky skin with glowing white teeth. Rhyhorn grunted in mild pain, trying to shake Sandile off, but Sandile wasn't budging, and instead powered up a Stone Edge. White orbs broke away from Sandile's body, becoming hard grey stones before pelting down on Rhyhorn, dealing damage as Rhyhorn cried out. Giovanni ordered another Take Down, and Rhyhorn immediately took off running. The Boosted speed, and Ash's call for another Dig, finally shook Sandile off, and the crocodile Pokemon immediately burrowed into the ground, vanishing. Giovanni ordered his Pokemon to keep moving, and prepare a Horn Drill. The horn on Rhyhorn's nose started spinning in preparation, and Rhyhorn kept running, but Rhyhorn was quickly becoming tired. Take Down cost a lot of energy, and they had already used two, on top of taking damage from Crunch, and Stone Edge, running itself wasn't necessarily a problem, but Rhyhorn's body made it difficult to turn. Thanks to Giovanni's training it could of course turn much easier in comparison to wild or lesser trained Rhyhorn, but it was still immensely difficult. Given that Ash had grown up with Rhyhorn, and even had one of his own, he knew all this, and he was definitely using the knowledge to his advantage. As soon as Rhyhorn made a turn Sandile shot up from behind it, once again hurling Stone Edge towards the rhinoceros, more specifically their feet. Rhyhorn grunted, and stumbled to the ground, panting heavily. Giovanni called for them to rise, but several sharp stones pelting against its legs made it difficult to stand, and Giovanni had to recall them to their Pokeball. Ash also called back Sandile, who was panting mildly.

Despite the frustration of loss in his chest, Giovanni couldn't fight back the excitement that went up his spine. When was the last time he felt that feeling? Not only from battling, but in general? He had no idea, but he wanted to chase the feeling. Quickly, he sent out Nidoqueen who, much like Rhyhorn, lit up when she saw their opponent before faltering slightly.

Ash also wasted no time sending out Gible. Gible was less intune to the seriousness of the battle, but even he could sense the tense shift in the air, which was why he didn't hesitate to listen when Ash so much as uttered a move's name.

Giovanni started off with having Nidoqueen use Body Slam. Nidoqueen ran forward, leaping into the air and slamming down towards the Dragon type, but Gible dug into the ground quickly, dodging underground, only to bust back out with a mighty Rock Smash that sent Nidoqueen skitting backwards before she ran in with a Double Kick. Gible grunted in pain as the powerhouse kicked him twice, sending him hurling into the ground, but he didn't stay down for long, as Ash called for Draco Meteor. Gible stood at a stand still as the draconic energy built up in his chest, leaving a perfect opportunity for Nidoqueen to use Surf. Nidoqueen pulled her fist back into a punching motion as a bubble of water formed before it, Nidoqueen punched the bubble, causing it to pop and for a large wave to rush towards Gible. By then, Gible had built up enough energy, and shot a beam up into the sky, however, instead of multiple meteors descending like with most Draco Meteor, Gible's Draco Meteor only produced a single meteor. Ash had expected as much, while he had hoped the move would work properly, he had a plan in place in case it hadn't. The meteor soared through the air, smashing into Surf and sending the water everywhere, including back to Nidoqueen, so while Gible did take some damage, so had Nidoqueen. It wasn't enough to take her out however, as Giovanni wasted no time ordering another Body Slam. Gible tried to dig again, but the wet terrain resulted in him being covered in mud and unable to dig properly, causing him to take the Body Slam, which in turn knocked him out.

Wordlessly, Ash recalled Gible. His face was downcast, and Giovanni couldn't properly make it out, but before he could even try to meet his son's eye, his vision was blocked by Ash sending out his Grotel. The man hadn't been aware Turtwig had evolved, but he was proud at how fast his son was advancing.

Ash started off the battle with a swift Razor Leaf, pelting Nidoqueen with razor sharp leaves that dealt a fair bit of damage. To shoo away the attack, Giovanni called for Nidoqueen to use Poison Sting, causing the sharp violet barbs to shoot out and collide with Razor Leaf, protecting Nidoqueen for the time being. Ash, however, used the attack as a distraction, calling for Grotel to use Rock Climb. Grottle's claws turned white, and sharpened considerably before he reared back onto his hind legs and slammed down. The ground rumbled, and a large rock jutted outward, picking Nidoqueen up off the flat ground. Grotel took off, easily climbing and jumping up the slope before slamming into Nidoqueen with a great amount of force that cause her to topple off the mound and roll down, taking some damage as she went. Before Nidoqueen could recover, Ash called for an Energy ball, and Grotle charged up a glistening green ball of energy before he sent it hurling toward Nidoqueen. Nidoqueen turned onto her back, and used a Double Kick, sending Energy Ball flying back and hitting Grotel before she righted herself back up. Geovanni called out for Body Slam, and Nidoqueen leapt upwards, but that left her stomach open, and Grotel sent another two Energy Balls. Despite being in the air, Nidoqueen was able to twist in the air, dodging bothe Energy Ball attacks before slamming down into Grotle to deal a good bit of damage. Grotel wasn't going to falter though, and with whatever strength he could muster, he picked up Nidoqueen, and tossed her off him. Both Pokemon were panting harshly, Nidoqueen pushed herself up to stand, staring at Grotel in anticipation, Grotle stared right back, unwavering as the dust settled, and then, Ash called out another move: Synthesis. The leaves on Grotel's back shone a bright white before the Pokemon became encased in yellow light. The scratches and injuries that marred Grotel's body slowly melted away. When all the visible marks vanished, the glowing stopped and Grotel let out a happy cry. Ash called for another Razor Leaf, and Nidoqueen cried out as she was once again pelted by leaves, however this time it was enough to knock her out.

Giovanni couldn't wipe the grin off his face as they battled, even as he was down another Pokemon. He wanted the battle to go on forever. With that thought, he sent out Rhydon, who took one look at their opponent's trainer and faltered. But Giovanni didn't notice his Pokemon's hesitancy, and immediately called for an Earthquake.

Rhydon seemed to sigh before slamming their feet onto the ground, causing the ground to erupt, but Ash and Grotel was one step ahead, using Rock Climb to jump and weave around the splitting Earth before sending a harsh stream of razor sharp leaves spiraling towards Rydon. Rhydon fought Razor Leaf away with Fury Attack, the horn on its nose easily spinning and protecting Rhydon as it lept towards Grotel. When Rhydon was close Grotel fired off another two Energy Balls, the first was shattered by Horn Drill, but the second was protected by the first, meaning it was able to hit Rhydon in the chest, causing Rhydon to go off kilter and crash to the side. Rhydon didn't stay down for long though, and jumped up, hitting Grotel with a powerful Mega Punch, followed closely by a second that resulted in Grotel going flying before quickly regaining his footing. Once he regained his footing, Grotel used Rock Climb again, hoisting Rhydon up, but Rhydon used Earthquake again, destroying the stone they were hoisted up on. Regardless, Grotel still ran forward, colliding into Rhydon with all his strength, and while Rhydon was damaged, Giovanni used the close proximity to their advantage, calling for a Fury Attack. Grotel cried out in pain, and quickly used Razor Leaf. Both Pokemon quickly distanced themselves, and Ash had Grotel use Synthesis again. Synthesis healed a fair bit of Grotel's injuries, but he was still damaged, luckily so was Rhydon. Grotel fired three Energy Balls towards Rhydon, who used Mega Punch to punch them away before charging Grotel. Once Rhydon was close enough, Grotel used Rock Climb again, colliding with Rhydon, and while Grotel did end up getting knocked out by Mega Punch hitting, he was also able to get one last hit that dealt a bit of damage.

Ash wasted absolutely no time calling Sandile back out. Sandile had healed a little bit while in his Pokeball, but was still mildly damaged. Rhydon started strong with another Earthquake, while Sandile had dug down. Unknown to Rhydon or Giovanni though, Sandile had only dug enough to pop up from behind a large stone, so he wasn't underground when the Earthquake was ordered, instead he was carefully clinging to a large stone. As soon as the ground stopped shaking, Sandile moved in with Sand Tomb, catching Rhydon in a powerful vortex of sand, dust, and dirt. Rhydon struggled in the sandy confines, trying desperately to break out of the vortex as it slowly chipped away some of their health. While Rhydon was trapped, Sandile used Stone Edge, firing the sharp stones on top of the continual damage. Rhydon fired up another Mega Punch, using the power in their arms to struggle more, finally breaking away from the hold of Sand Tomb, and Moving in to punch Sandile. Sandile cried out and skidded across the rocky ground, only to start glowing a bright blue. The once small quadruped slowly grew, moving to stand on his hinds legs while growing, his tail lengthened, teeth sharpened, and spikes started protruding from the spine. And then, the light dispelled, revealing in Sandile's place, a towering Krokorok. Krokorok let out a ferocious, and determined growl. While mildly amazed, Giovanni took advantage of the sudden evolution, ordering a Fury Attack. Krokorok was a bit bigger, but he was no easier to hit, especially as he jumped stone to stone to dodge before preparing another Stone Edge. This time, before the stones could shoot out, Ash told Krockorok to grab two of them, while the Pokemon hadn't a clue what his trainer wanted him to do that for, he listened without a second thought, nabbing two sharp stones before sending the rest flying. When Rhyhorn got close enough Krokorok was able to use the two stones in his claws to defend against Fury Attack, as if they were two stone swords slashing back and forth at each other. Korkorok led Rhydon to the flat ground, and before Pokemon or trainer could realize the trap, he once again used Sand Tomb, once again getting trapped in the swirling sand. Krokorok was panting heavily, while yes he had just evolved, evolving took a lot of energy, and Krokorok wasn't well adjusted to his new form just yet, he was exhausted, and they needed to finish the battle quickly. Ash called for another Stone Edge, this time close quarters as Rhydon, exhausted from going two battles and sustaining injuries, had trouble breaking the Sand Tomb again. Rhydon cried out as sharp stones hit them once again, trying their hardest to use whatever strength they had to break free. With nothing else to do, Giovanni called for one last Earthquake, while yes it would indeed knock Krokorok out, there was also a strong chance Rhydon would also be caught up in the attack, but it was the only way Geovanni could see them finishing the battle with even a sliver of victory. So, Rhydon, with what energy they could muster, used Earthquake, shaking Krokorok off his feet, and causing him to pass out, but Rhydon was only conscious for a few more seconds at most before also falling unconscious beside him.

It was time. Father and Son were both down to their final Pokemon. Simultaneously, they drew their arms back and threw out their Pokemon; Persian, and Marowak.

Giovanni felt his blood pumping, he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. Outside of spending time with his family, Giovanni finally felt alive again! It was exhilarating! The smile on his face was nothing less than bliss as he readied to call out Persian's first attack, but before so much as a syllable could leave his lips a choked sob rang in his ears, and Giovanni's head snapped up.

Ash stood across the battlefield from him, his hat sat crooked on his head, his tanned skin pale, and brown eyes glassy, and it was then that Giovanni was reminded that, despite his son being a Pokemon Trainer, he was still just a child. Ash didn't cry easily, not even as a toddler, he was the type of boy who preferred to laugh over a scraped knee than cry about it, but here, while battling his father after finding out the mans dark secret, the same boy who laughed after breaking his arm, stood with tears flowing down his face. They weren't tears of frustration, or of loss, he wasn't throwing a tantrum over not winning, he was crying over something far deeper. His cheeks and eyes were stained red, and Giovanni wondered when his son had started crying? Had he been crying the whole battle and Givanni had been too caught up in himself to have not noticed? The look on Ash's face when Giovanni had walked in wasn't anger, or at least not all anger, it was a mask, a mask made to hide how hurt he was.

Giovanni, despite knowing that in doing so he would be forfeiting, bolted onto the field, running desperately to scoop his son into his arms. Ash buried his face into his dad's chest, while simultaneously punching him weakly in the gut.

"How could you be the leader of Team Rocket?" Ash hissed out between sobs. "They're evil! They hurt Pokemon! They have hurt me! I don't understand!"

The man helplessly rubbed circles on his son's back, trying to help him calm down. Maybe Giovanni should have apologized, apologize for all the schemes and Pokemon his business hurt over the years, but he didn't want to lie to his son anymore. In those times, Giovanni hadn't been sorry, he hadn't regretted a single thing he had done, if he were to apologize now, it would be empty, because the only thing Giovanni felt bad for was that his actions caused pain to his son.

"I've been operating Team Rocket since before I met your mother." Giovanni admitted. "I didn't shut it down because I was making too much money, and I had too much power."

"Me and mom are more important than money and power." Ash pulled himself away from his father's chest. "You should have stopped sooner! Do you care about us at all? Ar-Are we just a cover up?"

"No." He shook his head. "You and your mother mean everything to me, even then, when I met her, Delia met the world to me, and then you came along- I love you both so much."

"Then you should have disbanded Team Rocket, before I ever became old enough to have to deal with them!" Ash hissed angrily.

"I-I know." Giovanni admitted, his voice thick. "I'm greedy, and selfish, and nothing I do or say will ever be able to fix it."

Father and son sat in tense silence for a number of minutes before Ash pushed away from his father. Marowak had since moved to stand beside Ash, nudging his hand to offer comfort. "I'm going home." He murmured.

"Let me get you your Earth Badge before you-" Ash shook his head before Giovanni could even finish his sentence.

"I will never accept a badge from the leader of Team Rocket." The organization's name was spit from his mouth like the foalist of poisons.

Giovanni took a shaky breath, and looked towards Jessie, James, and Meowth, who stood awkwardly in the corner, obviously uncomfortable by what they had just witnessed. "Inform the rest of the organization; from now on Team Rocket is officially disbanded."

"A-Are you sure Boss?" Jessie stuttered, unsure as she pulled out her communicator to call headquarters.

"Yes." Giovanni hissed at her, and with shaking hands Jessie quickly sent the message out, lifting the device up to show she sent the message, with operatives already in an uproar, responding with questions and demands to know why, and if he was serious. Giovanni only nodded, and turned back to his son, who had watched the exchange with distrustful eyes. Sighing, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out the vaguely leaf shaped badge before presenting it to his son.

Ash stared at the badge in his father's hand coldly for a number of seconds before carefully taking it. "This doesn't fix anything." He said quietly.

"I know." Giovanni sighed. "But maybe it can be the start of fixing things."

Ash was silent for a few minutes before taking a shaky breath. "After this year's Pokemon League, I think it would be best if the Viridian Gym were under a new Gym Leader."

"I agree." Giovanni answered after his own few minutes of silence. "You'll be 11 by the time next years circuit begins, that's old enough to inherit a gym in Kanto, are you up for it."

"I will be." Ash nodded, not looking at his father since the start of the conversation.

"Then I will inform Lance after the League is over." He promised. Ash didn't say another word more, and simply walked out of the Gym.