15. Gym Battle

(A/N: Now I had some readers comment about wanting Shu to go on his own journey. The crazy and interesting things happen only around Ash or wherever he goes. And there is no actual time stamp on the events that happens in the anime so Shu being with Ash gives him a larger chance to be involved in those events.)

"Here are your Pokemon." Nurse Joy said as she gave the two their Pokemon back.

"Thanks Nurse Joy." Ash and Shu said to her as the took their Pokemon.

"No problem." Nurse Joy said with a smile.

Shu let out Nidoran while Pikachu climbed onto Ash's shoulders.

"Hey Pikachu, why don't we go to the Pokemon gym and get our first badge." Ash said to him with a smile.

"Pika?" Pikachu looked at him confused.

"Basically, we need to defeat 8 gyms and get their badges to participate in the Pokemon league. In the Pokemon league there are a lot of powerful trainers and the winner will be known as the strongest trainer in Kanto." Ash said to him excitedly.

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu cried in agreement and excitement when he heard that.

"So you're going to just challenge the gym?" Shu asked his friend.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get my first badge." Ash said confidently.

"Did you forget what Misty and I told you. The gym leaders are much stronger than normal trainers." Shu said to his friend.

"I have Pikachu here. He is very strong." Ash said confidently.

'Right. At the start of his journey Ash was almost as arrogant as Gary.' Shu thought to himself as Ash's personality was almost the same as Gary's.

"Well, I'm going to train my Pokemon before I fight him. You should too. See you soon Ash." Shu said to him before he walked away from him.

Shu exited the Pokemon centre and went to the nearby forest before he called out his other two Pokemon Mankey and Beedrill.

"Alright guys, time for training." Shu said to them as all three of his Pokemon let out cries of agreement as he smiled.

After that he trained them to get specific moves. Low Kick for Mankey, Double Kick for Nidoran and as for Beedrill he told him to work on his speed and agility and his dodging skills. The three Pokemon did as their trainer told them as they trained to get stronger.

"Alright, my turn." Shu said to himself before he went down and started to do push-ups.

Mankey and Beedrill were surprised to see him doing it but Nidoran talked to them before they nodded in understanding before they went back to their own training. They kept at it until noon when Mankey's leg glowed and it managed to do a Low Kick surprising himself and the others.

"That's great Mankey. You learned Low Kick." Shu said happily as he went to his Pokemon.

"Nido Nido!" Nidoran also congratulated him.

Beedrill also let out its cry in agreement with his fellow Pokemon. Mankey was happy about it as he jumped up and down excitedly.

"Alright, we have been going at it for sometime now, so if you want to rest then do, otherwise you can keep on training." Shu said to his Pokemon.

The Pokemon cried out and went back to training as Shu smiled at their determination. He then sat in a lotus position as he started to train his psychic powers as well. Soon, Nidoran's legs glowed and he was able to use Double Kick as well. Shu opened his eyes when Nidoran called out to him with a bright.

"Did you manage to do it Nidoran?" Shu asked his partner.

"Nido! Nido Nido!" Nidoran cried out in happiness before he used Double Kick.

"That's great! Our training until now has bore fruit. And Beedrill? How has your training been going?" Shu asked his Bug Pokemon.

In response Beedrill started to fly quickly and in zig zag and other patterns in front of the three. Shu also noticed that Beedrill is much faster that it was before as he smiled happily. Beedrill came to him as he petted him with a smile.

"You've gotten faster as well. It's already noon now so let's go to the Pokemon centre and check you in before going to the Pewter gym." Shu said to him Pokemon.

The three Pokemon cried out to him in happiness as he smiled. Then he returned Mankey and Beedrill to their Pokeball's and walked to the city with Nidoran. But unbeknownst to the two of them, a Pokemon was silently watching them from behind a tree as it looked at them.

Small Time skip

"You lost?" Shu asked Ash who has a defeated expression on his face.

Shu is currently at a restaurant eating food alongside his three Pokemon. That was when Ash entered and spotted him. Of course, Shu already knows that he would lose with or without his future knowledge.

(A/N: Another fact is that the first season is the one that I remember the most episodes of since I had been watching it since I was a child. I am from India so the first season was frequently put on TV and I watched them since I was a child so I remember those episodes with much more clarity than other seasons.)

"Pikachu?" Shu asked him as he didn't find the rodent.

"He's at the Pokemon centre." Ash said with a dejected look.

"Well, I did tell you to train more." Shu said to him friend with a shrug.

"Yeah. What are you gonna do now?" Ash asked him as he looked at his friend.

"I'm going to try my hand at the gym as well. My Pokemon have gotten a bit more stronger." Shu said to him as his Pokemon cried in agreement.

"Really? Well, good luck then." Ash said to him when he heard that.

"Thanks man. Train with Pikachu after he recovers." Shu said to him friend as Ash nodded to him.

"Yeah. I'll go get something to eat." Ash said to him before he walked away to another seat.

Shu waved him before he finished his food. After that he and Nidoran found themselves in front of the Pewter City gym as they looked at the tall and imposing structure.

'It surely looks imposing when I see it in front of myself.' Shu thought to himself as he looked at the structure.

He looked at his Nidoran as said Pokemon also looked at him before letting out a cry of determination. Shu smirked as he got the message as he then opened the door and walked inside with Nidoran, the inside of the gym was dark with no lights.

"Hello! I've come for a gym battle!" Shu shouted out as he stood inside as his voice echoed.

For a few seconds silence reigned in there and he wondered if Brock wasn't at the gym at the moment.

"So you wish to challenge me?" Brock's voice echoed in the gym.

"Yes! I'm Shu Kurenai from Pallet Town and I want to challenge you to a gym battle!" Shu proclaimed to him.

"Very well. Then I shall test your strength." Brock said as the lights turned on and one fell on Brock who was sitting on a boulder.

'He really looks like a very strong trainer when he is introduced like that. It also gives good intimidation to other trainers as well.' Shu thought to himself as he looked at him.

"Good. Then I, Brock, the Pewter City gym leader accept your challenge." Brock said as he jumped from the boulder.

Then the battlefield also appeared from both sides and connected in the middle creating the rocky battlefield of the Pewter Gym. Both trainer's stood at either side of the battlefield as their eyes held looks of determination.

"Both of us will use two Pokemons. The trainer who has a Pokemon left will win this match." Brock said to him seriously.

"Got it." Shu said as he grabbed his Pokeball.

"Come out Geodude!" Brock said as he threw his Pokeball.

"Go Mankey!" Shu said as he also threw his Pokeball.

Both Pokemon appeared from their Pokeball's and let out battlecries at their foe.

"Geodude use Tackle!" Brock commanded his Pokemon.

"Geo!" Geodude shouted as it attacked.

"Dodge it and use Focus Energy!" Shu commanded as well.

Geodude reached Mankey but the monkey Pokemon managed to dodge it by jumping over it. Then he used Focus Energy and prepared to deliver an attack to the Pokemon.

"Geodude! Use Sandstorm!" Brock shouted to his Pokemon.

"Oh no." Shu said in surprise.

Geodude immediately used the move as it moved around the battlefield creating a Sandstorm quickly.

"Mankey use Focus Energy again!" Shu commanded his Pokemon.

Mankey did as his trainer told him as he used Focus Energy again. But he couldn't see anything due to the Sandstorm as he was also getting damaged a bit by it as Geodude used it as a cover.

"Trying to find him using your eyes and nose is useless. Use your instincts and use Low Kick!" Shu commanded to him seriously.

"Mankey!" Mankey cried out in acknowledgement before he closed his eyes.

It concentrated more on his surroundings as he stayed still and felt his surroundings more.

"Geodude use Rollout!" Brock shouted his command.

Shu's eyes widened a bit from the command but they focused again.

"Keep your senses sharp Mankey!" Shu shouted to him Pokemon who despite being in a Sandstorm was able to hear him.

Geodude used Rollout and was about to hit Mankey but the Pokemon sensed it using its feet, feeling it's movement and using his ears to hear the sound. Mankey's right leg glowed before it delivered a Low Kick to the coming Pokemon sending it back from the force of the attack as Geodude cried out in pain due to the effective attack.

"Now's your chance! Use Low Kick again!" Shu shouted when he heard the sound of Geodude crying out in pain

"Dodge it Geodude!" Brock shouted as well.

Mankey didn't waste any time as he used Low Kick once more on Geodude who wasn't able to dodge it due to being knocked back from the previous attack and got hit head on. The force from the attack send it flying out of the Sandstorm and hit a boulder beside Brock before falling down with swirls in its eyes.

"Hmm, it looks like you are a pretty decent trainer. You managed to defeat my Geodude." Brock said stoically as he called his Pokemon back.

"Thanks." Shu said to him as he relaxed a bit.

"Unfortunately for you, that means that you will be facing my Onix!" Brock said as he threw his other Pokeball.

Then Onix appeared out of it and rocked the building from its weight before letting out a roar. The sudden intrusion of a large Pokemon like Onix caused the Sandstorm to dissipate as its flow was broken as Shu and his Pokemon were able to see the large Pokemon.

"Man, that's a big Pokemon." Shu said as he gulped as he looked at the giant Pokemon looking at him.

'It's really intimidating. Especially when it's so big.' Shu thought to himself as he looked at the Pokemon.

"Onix use Tackle!" Brock commanded his Pokemon.

"Dodge and run on top of it!" Shu immediately commanded.

Onix attacked Mankey but the monkey Pokemon dodged again and ran over the Rock snake Pokemon. Onix tried to shake it off but Mankey was an expert in climbing and was able to keep his footing as he ran.

"Onix use Bind!" Brock commanded as Onix roared in response.

"Run to it's head and use Low Kick!" Shu shouted to Mankey.

Mankey ran nimbly and managed to dodge Onix's attempts to catch him before his leg glowed and he delivered a Low Kick to Onix's face. The effective move caused Onix to roar in pain.

"One more!" Shu shouted again.

Mankey delivered another Low Kick which caused Onix to roar out again. But it also seemed to anger it as it glared at Mankey before hitting him with its head. Mankey cried out in pain and was launched in the air by it.

"Mankey!" Shu shouted in surprise when he saw it.

Onix then used the chance and grabbed Mankey with its body and used Bind crushing the monkey Pokemon. Mankey groaned in pain from the attack as Shu knew that Mankey wouldn't be able to continue the match at that rate.

"Mankey return!" Shu said as he used his Pokeball.

The beam from the Pokeball returned Mankey to his own Pokeball as he placed it before glaring at Onix who is also ready to face him. He shared at glance with Nidoran who nodded to him as he smirked.

"Go Nidoran!" Shu shouted as Nidoran jumped in front of him.

"Onix use Rock Throw!" Brock said as the Pokemon complied.

Onix then threw rocks at Nidoran who ran and dodged the attacks deftly as Shu looked at the battle.

"Nidoran use Double Kick!" Shu commanded as Nidoran cried in acknowledgement.

Nidoran then dodged another rock and delivered two kicks to Onix's main body causing the Pokemon to cry out in pain at the effective moves.

"Onix grab Nidoran!" Brock said to him Pokemon.

"Don't stop! Keep on running!" Shu shouted in response.

Onix then tried to catch Nidoran who managed to dodge his attempt and then ran over his body. He then used Poison Sting but it didn't do anything against Onix.

"Use Double Kick on where you are!" Shu shouted as Nidoran is on the middle of Onix's body.

Nidoran immediately used the kick causing Onix to roar in pain again.

"Don't let it get you in the air!" Shu said to Nidoran as he held tightly to the Rock Pokemon's body.

Onix was greatly damaged now from repeated effective attacks as it glared at Nidoran. Onix tried to shake Nidoran off its body but Nidoran held strong. Onix is also much slower than before due to the repeated fighting type moves it suffered.

"Onix try to use Bind again!" Brock commanded as he knew that Onix wouldn't be able to take one more attack.

"Dodge it using your size and finish it using Double Kick!" Shu shouted to his partner.

Onix tried to catch Nidoran again but the small blue Pokemon used it's small size and agility he managed to dodge it and ran towards its head. The Rock Pokemon slower and tired as it looked at the advancing Pokemon.

"Nidoraaaaan!" Nidoran cried out as it jumped towards Onix with its feet glowing.

Then he swiftly delivered two super effective kicks to the Rock type as it roared in pain before it fell down kicking up dust. Nidoran also landed on the ground but also fell down as well.

Both trainer's waited for the dust to clear and when it did, they saw Onix with swirls in its eyes wide Nidoran slowly got up but was panting with exhaustion from the battle. Nonetheless, he let out a cry of happiness at seeing the downed Pokemon.

"You did it Nidoran!" Shu shouted in happiness when he saw it.

"Nido!" Nidoran cried in happiness as he ran to him trainer and jumped on him.

Shu hugged his Nidoran with a smile on his face as he made sure to not touch his spikes as Nidoran let out cries of happiness.

"Good job. You managed to defeat my Onix and Geodude with the help of your Pokemon. I'm impressed." Brock said with a smile as he returned Onix to his Pokeball.

"Thanks. Our hard work and training has helped us really well." Shu said with a smile to his Pokemon who smiled back.

"It was really shown in the battle. I can tell that you're a new trainer, but the bond and trust that you have with your Nidoran and Mankey are great. I hardly see any new trainers who have this much trust with their Pokemon." Brock said to him with a smile as he walked and stood in front of him.

"Thank you." Shu said with a smile as he placed Nidoran on the ground.

"And you have also defeated me in a Pokemon battle and as such you have proved yourself worthy of getting the boulder badge." Brock said as he pulled out his gym badge and presented it to Shu.

"So this is the Boulder Badge." Shu said as he took the badge and looked at it.

He showed it to Nidoran who smiled as he returned it. Shu felt excitement fill his being as a wide grin appeared on his face.

"We have got the Boulder Badge!" Shu said as he raised his badge as Nidoran jumped and cried in happiness.

'I actually did a gym battle and got a badge! How cool is that!? For a Pokemon fan like myself! This is the best!' Shu thought to himself in happiness as he has a wide grin.

Brock looked at their enthusiasm and smiled at the bond he has with his Nidoran.

"The gym battles will also be very difficult so be sure to train hard." Brock said to him.

"Thanks. Also, have you fought against any other trainers who started from Pallet Town?" Shu asked him as he placed his badge on the inside of his coat.

"From Pallet Town? Well, there were three. Each with a Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur. The one with the Squirtle, Gary Oak was a handful alongside the Bulbasaur girl as well." Brock said to him as he remembered them.

"I see. It looks like they are ahead of us. No matter, our true worth will be tested when we meet at the Pokemon League." Shu said with a smile of determination.

"I see. You have a great will. It has been sometime since I had a good Pokemon battle. Good luck on your travels." Brock said to him with a smile.

"Thanks Brock. I hope I will have the fortune to see you again." Shu said to him with a smile.

"Maybe." Brock said with a smile.

"Bye." Shu said as he walked out of the gym with Nidoran in tow.

He exited the gym and took out his newly obtained badge and held it up as he looked at it as it reflected the sunlight as he smiled at it.

'My first gym badge. My journey is just only beginning.' Shu thought to himself with a smile as he looked at it.

(A/N: I'm sure many of us would go crazy at the thought to going to Pokemon, meeting the characters, catching and befriending Pokemon, participating in Pokemon battles, defeating villain teams and their leaders, and meeting your favourite female and male characters, and those who many of us deem as Waifu's, etc etc. That would be Heaven.)