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Flint's appearance gave Brock an opportunity to choose: to remain at the Gym as a Gym Leader, or to pursue his dream of becoming a Breeder.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Brock stood before Flint: "Father, I'm entrusting Jiro and the others to you. I have a lot to tell you, so listen carefully."
Flint nodded solemnly. He knew without being told that his dereliction of duty as a father over the years would likely make Pewter want to scold him. Let him scold; he deserved it, as long as Brock could vent his anger.
"Jiro likes red miso, Saburo likes white miso, and my little sister likes mixed miso. Also..."
"Wait, wait, wait! Let me get a notebook to write this down!" Brock unexpectedly rattled off numerous dietary preferences and essential daily habits of his younger siblings.
There were so many habits that Flint filled more than a dozen pages with notes. Flint thought, this would have been better than being scolded... But at the same time, for Brock to remember so many habits, enough to fill more than a dozen pages of notes, showed how difficult and responsible Brock's life had been all these years.
Ash and Misty watched from the side, exchanging a helpless smile. Then, the latter suddenly realized she was still holding Ash's arm, with two soft mounds pressed against his arm.
Realizing this, Misty's face turned red, and she jumped away from Ash, then pretended to casually twirl her hair, glancing at Ash's reaction from the corner of her eye.
Ash seemed completely oblivious to Misty's close proximity just now; instead, he was listening intently to Brock.
This made Misty's pretty face twitch slightly. It wasn't that she had a great impression of Ash at the moment, but normally, wouldn't a great beauty (as she called herself) pressing against someone elicit some reaction? At least a blush! Are you really fifteen years old?
This small interlude quickly passed. After Brock finished his instructions to his father, he packed his luggage and came back to Ash: "You've seen the situation. I wonder if you'd welcome me into your team."
"Of course! I'm thrilled to have a Breeder join us! And Brock, since you're a Gym Leader, you can definitely teach me a lot!" Ash readily agreed.
"Heh heh, as long as I'm not bothering you. As for a Gym Leader..."
"Ah, ah, ah, ah! It's almost time to head to the next city, isn't it?" Brock's words were cut off directly by Misty.
Ash looked at Misty, puzzled, wondering why she suddenly acted so strangely.
Only Brock understood the reason. As for a Gym Leader... there was actually another one in this team, but he didn't know why Misty wanted to hide her identity... After bidding farewell to Flint, the three embarked on their journey. The increase from two to three people didn't really affect the team; in fact, it was even better for Ash.
Although Brock wasn't a formal Breeder, having cared for his younger siblings and managed the Gym all these years, he was top-notch at both caring for Pokémon and people.
After Brock joined, Ash and Misty no longer had to eat instant food, and their Pokémon didn't have to eat generic food anymore.
However, customizing food for their two Pokémon would take some time. Until then, Pikachu and the others would still have to eat generic rations.
On the way, Brock curiously asked Ash where he learned the tactics for Sleep Powder and Supersonic. Ash said he learned them from Professor Oak before he started his journey.
Even Misty knew Professor Oak's reputation, so Brock was naturally no exception. After learning that it was Professor Oak's teaching, Brock wasn't so surprised.
However, even with Professor Oak's guidance, to be able to use tactics so precisely so soon after starting his journey and catching Pokémon, it was inseparable from Ash's talent.
After defeating Brock, it was already noon. With Brock packing his things and giving Flint a long list of instructions, they didn't set off until the afternoon.
The sun was blazing, and even Misty, wearing a vest and shorts, was sweating profusely. Midway, Misty even brought out Staryu to cool them down with Water Gun.
Along the way, the three also discussed where to go for the next city.
There were three cities near Pewter City with a Gym: Viridian, Cerulean, and Vermilion City.
The first could be excluded immediately; Ash would have challenged it when he was in Viridian City. Comparing the routes for the remaining two, Ash decided to go to Cerulean Gym first.
There were two reasons: first, Cerulean Gym was a Water-type Gym, which was very advantageous for him, having Pikachu. The second reason was that after arriving in Cerulean, they could then go to Vermilion City. The distance between the two was not far; in fact, it was practically on the way.
Therefore, Cerulean Gym was definitely Ash's top choice.
Despite Misty's constant dissuasion, Ash firmly chose to go to Cerulean City.
However, Ash also stated that if Misty gave him a reasonable explanation, he could choose not to go to Cerulean City.
Misty's reasons were things like Cerulean Gym being too simple, or the Gym Leaders being fierce women, which were not really reasons at all.
Such reasons could not stop Ash from challenging Cerulean Gym.
In the end, Misty couldn't convince Ash and could only choose to go to Cerulean City with him. Brock had no objections; as long as they were out of Pewter City, anywhere was fine.
To get to Cerulean City, they had to cross Mt. Moon. Mt. Moon was not as vast as Viridian Forest, so at a normal pace, it would only take two or three days to reach Cerulean City.
By evening, the scorching heat had slightly subsided, and the three decided to set up camp before entering Mt. Moon.
After all, going up the mountain at night carried some risks, and since there was no rush, everyone decided to camp at the foot of the mountain.
Ash and Misty also tasted Brock's cooking for the first time. It must be said, he truly lived up to his reputation as someone who single-handedly raised nine children. His cooking was simply exquisite, leaving a lingering taste. Compared to Brock's dishes, what they had eaten before was hogwash!
Ash also expressed his desire to learn cooking from Brock, so that if Brock ever had to return to Pewter Gym, he wouldn't have to eat instant food. More importantly, Pikachu and the others wouldn't have to eat those bland Pokémon rations anymore!
Brock readily agreed. He was more than happy to have someone learn cooking from him.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group chatted for a while, played with their Pokémon, and then prepared for bed. And this bedtime was also Ash's nightlife—chatting in the group!