At the beginning of this episode, team rocket are planning to stop them by placing a trap on the route which leads to Pewter city. A pitfall trap was placed, but team rocket could not remember where they placed it. This resulted in them falling into it and unable to get out. After this misforunate event, we arrive at the scene where Ash and Misty reach Pewter city after walking past Viridian forest. Ash sits on a rock nearby to rest and tells Misty about how he thought that they would be in the forest forever. A man with a hat and beard which hides his face below Ash and Misty tells them that this city is famous for stone they have. Ash is surprised and questions Misty about the man but he reveals his name which is Flint. Afterwards, Flint tells Ash that he is sitting on his merchandise and Ash apoligises to him which turns into a question which asks Flint if he sells rocks. Flint askes if he wants to buy them but Ash replies that he is travelling which wants to become a trainer. Then Flint directs Ash and his tired pokemon to the pokemon centre and he also fines Ash two dollars for sitting on his rocks.
When Ash reaches the pokemon centre, he learns that the nurse joy of Pewter city is the older sister of the Nurse Joy in Viridian city who has heard stories of Ash from the younger one. She awares Ash of the poster nearby, which says that there is a league's regional championships for those who can earn badges from gym leaders. Flint comes and questions if Ash is goining to challenge Brock, who is the leader of Pewter gym. Ash with a confident voice says that he'll beat Brock but Flint laughes at Ash and walks out of the scene. Misty and Ash, sitting at a table start eatting and Misty tells Ash if he could really beat gym leaders and that they are way more powerful than normal pokemon trainers. Misty offers Ash if he needs help but Ash, being very determined to do it on his own, says no. Misty, in a rage likes to see Ash beat Brock if he could and runs off leaving Ash a very expensive bill. Ash receives his pokemon back and reaches Pewter gym in attempt to earn a badge.
As he enters it, Brock appears from the dark and he specifies special rules for the gym match, which is that they can only use 2pokemon in a match. Brock then questions Ash how long that pikachu has been with him and laughs at how weak that pikachu has been raised. Brock then states that he must accept every challenge, so he turns on the lights with a click and a rock field from both sides of the gym come out. Ash and Pikachu run back to the entrance in attempt to escape the boulders hurting them, and they reach their standing zone. Brock jumps onto his standing zone and the match begins. The first pokemon is Onyx vs Pikachu, and Pikachu gets scared by the Onyx very easily. He runs to Ash and tries to use Ash's other pokemon but Ash prevents him from doing this. After a tackle attack from Onyx, he binds onto Pikachu and it attempts to use thundershock but it does not do any harm to Onyx. Ash tries to bring Pikachu back but the bind blocks it and Pikachu continues to suffer. After few minutes of suffering, Ash unfortunately surrenders and exits a gym in sad manner. Flint then appears and helps Ash and his pokemon. We also learn from Flint that Brock has 10brothers and sisters which he looks after. Ash is shocked and we learn that Brock's Dad tried to become a pokemon trainer but he failed and his mum tried to sort things out but she failed. Ash wants to power up his Pikachu to beat Brock and Flint thinks of way to help him.
They reach a Hydroeletric plant and Ash questions Flint how he knows much about Pokemon. The river was dry according to Flint so they have to find another way to operate the plant. Flint hooks Pikachu to the wires and Ash starts the water wheel by walking on it and this produces electricity in the wires. Pikachu absorbs it and he does not find it nice. Flint tells Pikachu that it won't be nice at first but it will be when he gets used to it. Misty turns up and tells Ash that he should get help from Misty , but Ash wants to do it on his own so he tells Misty to go away. Pikachu then absorbs so much electricity that an explosive blast occured in the plant. The screen fades and we turn up at Pewter gym again.
The usually rules applies here and the match begins. Brock starts with Geodude and Ash starts with Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto uses gust but Brock says that flying pokemon are weak against rock pokemon and Pidgeotto faints. Pikachu then is choosed and Brock then tells them how that Pikachu is raised by such a weak trainer but Geodude faints from a thunderbolt. Misty in the background is impressed and then, Brock brings out Onyx and Pikachu starts to get into a rage and starts to use a thunder attack which is not well aimed and nearly hits Ash. Onyx then uses Bind and Pikachu use Thunderbolt and Onyx flinches and sounds of pain are heard from Onyx. Onyx continues to Bind until Brock orders his pokemon to stop and Ash wants to finish this to the end. Brock tells Ash that he doesn't want to hurt his pokemon but then the badly aimed thunder attack from the past starts one of the sprinklers off and Onyx starts to weaken. Misty shouts to Ash saying that rock types are weakened by water types, and Pikachu uses Thunderbolt and Onyx goes onto the ground.
Ash tells Pikachu to finish him but he is interuppted by the brothers and sisters telling Ash to stop attacking Brock's Onyx. Brock then shouts to his siblings that this was an official match and that they should get off. The brothers and sisters complain that Brock loves his pokemon so much and doesn't want to see them die. Ash then gets a flashback of Onyx letting go of Pikachu, and Ash then calls Pikachu to return. Brock tells Ash that this match isn't finished but Ash replis saying that the sprinklers went off my accident and that it wouldn't show anything. Ash leaves and says that he will come back and win the match fair and square.
Ash apoligises to Pikachu for pushing him and Brock runs to Ash and gives him the Pewter gym badge. Brock tells him that he wants to raise pokemon more than battling and that Ash deserves the badge because he beat him and wants Ash to obtain Brock's badge to fulfily his dream. Flint then appears and reveals his identity as Brock's father by removing his diguises. Flint explains that he was ashamed of his failure of being a pokemon trainer and tells Brock to explore the world and that he'll look after the family. Brock wants to tell his dad something, which is a list of things which need to be done to look after his siblings. Brock wonders where Misty was and she appears behind them remembering that Ash needed to repay Misty with a bike. As Ash heard these words, he runs and Brock tells him to slow down. Team rocket appear after their misplaced trap but their heads are trampled on by the team and they are not amused. Afterwards, they fall back down into the pit and the episode ends with the team going to the next city.
~Written by WanMan