Hey readers - I know, it's been a while, but finally I'm back : )
Other than apologising for the long wait, I honestly don't have too much to say today, but I do want to refresh your minds regarding what's going on with the voting system for deciding Nolan's team during the course of this story. As some of you might recall, a couple of chapters ago, I asked you guys to vote between which of Nolan's Pokemon gets to evolve after I defeated Misty in my Pokemon Fire Red Nuzlocke. It ended in a tie between Pidgey and Abra, so I asked you guys to vote again, specifically between those two Pokemon, to try and break the tie. Well... unfortunately, it ended in a tie again XD
Due to this, I've now decided how to I want to handle these situations moving forward. What I think is the fairest thing to do is, after posting the initial question in one chapter, if the result is a tie, the question gets posted again in the next chapter. If that one also results in a tie, I'll ask the question one last time, and if the tie still isn't broken, then I'll toss a coin. I really don't want to decide things like that, but I don't know how else to get things moving when ties constantly keep happening.
But enough about that for now : ) I want to say a massive thank you for the continued support you guys have shown this story, and please remember that Pokemon does not belong to me, only my OC's do.
I hope you all enjoy this long overdue chapter : )
Pokemon Emergency - Part 4
Hanging in the blackened sky of Viridian City, directly over the Pokemon Centre no less, was the exact threat that Officer Jenny had tried to warn her citizens about. The threat itself was a large hot-air balloon, and as the people amassing on the streets looked up in terror, they saw that it was fashioned in the likeness of a Meowth. The lights from the city beneath the balloon gave it an ominous glow, increasing the people's fear as it eerily loomed over their city. And from the basket hanging beneath the gigantic balloon, its three occupants had also heard the police broadcast, causing them all to smirk in dark amusement.
"Guess we woke up this sleepy dump" Jessie cackled, sneering down at the people all screaming and pointing up at the balloon from the streets below.
"And how dare they act like we're criminals!" James snapped indignantly, glaring down at the frightened citizens, "They should welcome Team Rocket!"
"Well, we'll just have to teach them to respect that name" Jessie assured her friend and co-worker.
"Meowth!" Meowth chimed in cheerfully, "And when we snatch all their Pokemon, those scared little mice will know I'm da top cat!"
"We know, Meowth" Jessie and James both shook their heads in fond exasperation, "We know".
Despite how much fun they were having terrorising the townsfolk simply by being there, the three members of this particular branch of Team Rocket decided it was time to get down to business. In perfect synchronisation, Jessie and James each plucked a single pokeball off their belts. They then leaned over the edge of the balloon's basket, lined up their aim, before flinging both their pokeballs.
"Ekans... Koffing... ATTACK!" both of the criminals yelled as the two pokeballs fell down and down and down.
Right towards the Pokemon Centre below them...
Nolan was still incredibly tense as he stood with all the others in the Pokemon Centre's waiting room. He was still reeling from the awful theory that had sprung to mind after hearing Officer Jenny's broadcast warning. He was just about to voice his quite frankly terrifying thoughts to the others, but sadly he never got the chance to. For mere seconds after the broadcast had ended, did the Pokemon thieves' attack begin.
CRASH!
Nolan jumped violently at the noise that echoed throughout the Pokemon Centre, and Meadow whimpered as she nuzzled closer to his chest. Nurse Joy shrieked in alarm, whilst Ash and Misty were also both very troubled. They all looked around in confusion for the source of the disturbance, but it didn't take long for the trouble to make itself known.
Two falling pokeballs.
Well, whatever it was that Nolan had been expecting to see, it hadn't been that. But that exactly what was before him. The two red and white spheres had clearly been thrown from a great height, and had smashed through one of the glass panels on the roof. Now they were tumbling down to earth in a rain of broken glass, and when they hit the ground, the two capsules snapped open and revealed two bursts of crimson light.
Before anybody had the opportunity to do anything, two Pokemon began to materialise, both of them already leering threateningly at the small group of humans before they had even fully taken shape. The light eventually died down, and Nolan and the others got their first good look at the obvious threat to their safety.
The first Pokemon was a large serpentine creature, covered in beautiful violet coloured scales, with striking gold ones lining its underbelly. The golden rattle on the end of the Pokemon's tail flicked about erratically, as the serpent reared up and narrowed its eyes menacing at Nolan and the other humans.
Its cohort could not have been more different. Round in shape, the alien Pokemon levitated high over the humans' heads. Also purple in colour, this second creature had an almost jovial expression, marred slightly by the skull and crossbones pattern on its body. Small openings were all over the round Pokemon's body, and torrents of thick black smoke were oozing out of them.
Needless to say, Nolan and the others were all immediately intimidated.
The two invading Pokemon quickly got to work. Whilst the serpentine creature kept their targets at bay with a firm glare, simply to ensure that they wouldn't interfere, the floating Pokemon began gliding through the air, producing more and more of the dense black smoke which quickly engulfed Nolan, everyone else, and indeed the entire waiting room. The blonde haired boy immediately gagged and started choking as the blackened cloud washed over him, the stench of the smoke was so awful and overwhelming. He was careful to keep a tight grip on Meadow though. He wasn't about to let his precious partner be stolen just because he'd allowed himself to be distracted. Nothing would ever tear her away from him. Nothing.
Before the blonde haired Pokemon trainer had the chance to even try to think of a way to get himself and his friends out of this quite frankly terrible situation, the cloud of smoke seemed to part ever so slightly, and a group of blurry silhouettes could just about be seen entering the waiting room. The thick black smoke had made the room much too dark for Nolan to be able to make out any distinctive features though. All he could tell was that the newcomers looked like two adults and a very short oddly shaped figure. Beyond that, he was clueless. And he wasn't the only one.
"What are... Who are they?!" Ash gasped out anxiously, also having spotted that they now had company, but like Nolan, was unable to make out their faces.
A cold, menacing voice sneered in response to the nervous question.
"Don't be frightened, little boy" a female voice drawled mockingly from somewhere deep within the cloud of smoke.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves" another voice added, this one belonging to a man. It was very cold in tone, and it sent a shiver down Nolan's spine. Instinctively, the golden haired boy tightened his grip on Meadow, to assure himself that his partner was still there with him.
"To protect the world from devastation" the woman announced in a very dramatic manner, although some of the effect was lost since nobody could see her.
"To unite all peoples within our nation" the man picked up where his cohort had left off, without so much as missing a beat. It was obvious that this little speech of theirs had been well rehearsed.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love" the woman took over once again as the cloud of dark smoke shrouding the group of thieves finally started to lift.
"To extend our reach to the stars above" the man added smugly, both he and his female counterpart finally beginning to look like more than indistinct silhouettes.
"Jessie" the woman boldly introduced herself.
"James" the man announced darkly.
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" the woman, whom Nolan and the others now knew to be called Jessie, declared in a tone of unadulterated pride.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!" the man, James, added in a very threatening manner, worrying Nolan and the rest of the group tremendously.
"Meowth! That's right!" the little figure between Jessie and James chimed in for the first time in a manner that could almost be mistaken for playful.
Without the strange round Pokemon maintaining the black smoke it seemed to produce within its own body, the ominous cloud of pure darkness eventually began to fizzle, before it died out completely. The waiting room began to clear up at long last, and the group that were so obviously the criminals that Officer Jenny had tried to warn them about before finally came into focus.
Whatever Nolan had been expecting to see, it wasn't what his eyes landed upon.
The group of thieves had a rather... eccentric appearance, although Nolan thought that was putting it rather mildly. The woman, Jessie, was tall and slender, and had the strangest and most outlandish hairstyle that Nolan had ever seen on any living human. The violet serpentine Pokemon reared up next her, looking at her lovingly. It was clear that this Pokemon was her partner, and was completely loyal and faithful to the female criminal.
The man, James, had his face somewhat hidden by a curtain of cyan blue hair. He elegantly twirled a fake but somewhat realistic red rose between his long fingers. The round floating Pokemon was clearly James' own partner, for the bizarre Pokemon was beaming at him.
The final member of the gang was a Pokemon that Nolan actually recognised. It was a Meowth. The small Normal type Pokemon was stood up on its hind legs, sneering nastily at Nolan and the others whilst raising its claws in a threatening manner.
Nolan couldn't help but gulp nervously at the obvious threat which had just presented itself to him and his friends. His fear only intensified when he spotted the striking red 'R's on the chests of both of their white uniform. The blonde haired boy immediately recognised it from news reports he'd seen on television, and a spike of dread pierced his heart. These people and Pokemon were members of Team Rocket, a notorious criminal operation that worked on an international level, but seemed to be based primarily here in the Kanto region. They had committed many terrible acts, ones so vile that the champion Lance had declared them officially terrorists, but even the Kanto Elite Four had major trouble when dealing with the Rockets. This brewing situation didn't promise much of a positive outcome for Nolan and the others.
And after the day he'd already had to suffer through, this really was the last thing that Nolan wanted to be dealing with right now. That didn't mean he was about to back down from the threat though. For all he knew, Meadow and Welkin's fates might just depend on him.
He wasn't about to let his new friends down.
So mustering up every ought of courage he possessed in his heart, Nolan steeled his nerves and glared fiercely at the group opposite him. On either side of him, Misty and Nurse Joy both did much the same. Sadly, Ash on the other hand was far too thoroughly bewildered to really take in the true magnitude of their grim situation.
"W-what are you talking about?!" the raven haired boy stammered nervously, his tone riddled with confusion.
"He just doesn't get it, does he?" Jessie smirked at James in dark amusement, sneering at Ash with condescension ablaze in her cold sharp eyes.
James chuckled menacing, looking down his nose at Ash in the way a Charizard might regard a Caterpie. Ash's own gaze narrowed into a glare as he stared right back.
"How can I?" the new trainer snapped back, his tone and expression both very indignant, "You're not making any sense!"
"We're here for the Pokemon" James replied in a tone that suggested he thought he was talking to an idiot.
Nolan steeled his nerves as he had his worst fears so blatantly confirmed. He took a deep breath to try and calm himself, although there was no denying that he was frightened. He hadn't expected to have to deal with a group of dangerous criminals on his very first day as a Pokemon trainer. He had no choice but to face them out though. The only other alternative was to just hand Meadow and Welkin over to them... and that just wasn't going to happen.
Still, things certainly were looking rather bleak right now.
"You're not getting Pikachu!" Ash yelled in response to James' words, losing his temper completely as he careful guarded his still unconscious partner Pokemon. The little Electric type was still lying prone on the stretcher, and he was completely defenceless except for Ash. The raven haired trainer silently vowed that he wouldn't let him down. Not again. Never again.
"Pikachu?" Jessie scoffed, eyeing the unconscious yellow creature on the stretcher in distain, "We're not interested in your precious electric rat, boy!"
Something in Nolan snapped when the woman's gaze flickered across to Meadow, and he felt a surge of anger like none he'd ever experienced before in his entire life. His blood boiling, the boy's courage skyrocketed to a completely different level.
"Forget it lady" the blonde haired boy actually snarled, he was so incensed as his tightened his grip on his beloved Grass type partner, "You'll never get your hands on Meadow. Never!"
Jessie and the rest of the small branch of Team Rocket remained completely unfazed in the face of such anger. They instead looked at each other in puzzled bemusement.
"Meadow?" Jessie quirked an eyebrow in mocking amusement.
"That must be the name of that puny Bulbasaur the little fool's holding" James remarked, his lip curling into a smirk when Meadow scowled at him for his choice of words regarding her and her trainer.
"How very cute" a third, rather high-pitched voice drawled sarcastically.
For one brief moment, Nolan was quite confused about where that voice had come from. He looked around the room, worried about the possibility of more members of Team Rocket showing up to provide Jessie and James with some backup. When he spied no further thieves in the room however, Nolan happened to glance down, and realisation set in. The blonde boy's jaw dropped open in sheer disbelief.
It couldn't be true. It just couldn't be.
And yet somehow, it was.
Despite knowing that it was almost impossible for what he was thinking to truthfully be the case, Nolan somehow just instinctively knew that he was wrong in the theory that his mind had just to. That against all odds, he had correctly identified the owner of the third voice.
The Meowth that stood in the middle of Jessie and James.
"It can talk?!" was all Nolan could think to say as he stared down at the Meowth in total disbelief.
Around him, Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy all cried out in shock as well, the weirdness of actually seeing a Pokemon talk too bizarre for them. As if to confirm what the boy had just exclaimed incredulously, the Meowth's dangerous smirked widened, and the Scratch Cat Pokemon took a menacing step closer to Nolan.
"Dat's not all I can do kid. Meowth's da top cat, and don't forget it!" Meowth boasted arrogantly, and when all Nolan could do was stand there gaping in utter astonishment at him, the one in a million Pokemon gleefully pressed on, "But ya can relax, Goldilocks. Meowth ain't interest in dat glorified vegetable!"
Meadow immediately seethed at the insult, and suddenly began frantically squirming around, trying to get out of Nolan's arms in order to lunge at the Normal type Pokemon that was their enemy.
"SAUR! BULBASAUR!" Meadow screamed in rage, still flailing about.
Nolan, although extremely angry about the dig at his partner as well, was able to control his emotions, and more importantly his temper, at least enough to still think clearly. He knew that rushing into a fight right now was not a good idea. They had absolutely no idea how strong these people's Pokemon were, or how far they'd be willing to go to get what they wanted. He couldn't afford to risk Meadow's safety by letting her act with a head full of steam. He was a Pokemon trainer now. He had to be responsible. So keeping a tight grip on the struggling Grass type Pokemon, he lightly scratched under her chin in an effort to calm her. It did little to pacify his frustrated partner.
"Bulba!" Meadow whined up her human in protest.
"No Meadow" the blonde haired trainer hissed back, his tone so low that Meadow was the only one that could hear him, "It's too risky. We don't know what they might do. We could both get hurt, or worse".
The little Bulbasaur looked highly displeased to hear this, although she could begrudgingly admit that there was a certain degree of logic in her partner's words. Aside from the risks to her own personal wellbeing, if she ended up losing a fight and getting badly hurt, she wouldn't be able to protect Nolan. And that just wasn't a risk that Meadow could afford to take. That didn't mean she had to like it though, so she settled for glaring at Meowth as though his entire existence offended her.
Across from them, James noticed how the little Grass type Pokemon finally stopped struggling in her trainer's arms. Clearly thinking that she was giving up out of fear, the blue haired man sneered at them both, his eyes an almost impressive level of condescending.
"Yes, you stay right where you are, you little pipsqueak" he laughed, and once again Meadow had to show an unimaginable level of self-restraint to refrain from attacking the arrogant man, "We're not interested in the likes of you. We seek only rare and valuable Pokemon".
And with that single, simple remark; James had just solidified Nolan's loathing towards him for eternity.
The golden haired trainer knew that it was an unfortunate fact of life that many Pokemon Trainers only considered the so-called stronger species of Pokemon to be worthy of their time and attention, often neglecting or even abandoning their 'weak' Pokemon altogether. It was an attitude that he quite frankly found to be utterly disgusting. Yes, by the laws of nature themselves, some Pokemon truly were stronger than others, but that didn't make them any more significant or meaningful. In Nolan's eyes, all Pokemon were special, and each had equal value regardless of how strong their species was as a whole. Any other view was, in his mind, simply an appalling manner for a Pokemon Trainer to conduct themselves, and ever since deciding to become one himself, Nolan had vowed never to behave that way.
Obviously, not everyone shared that outlook on life, and so clenching his fists so tightly they started to hurt, Nolan glared fiercely at the piece of scum across from him. Not that his angry expression had much of an effect. If anything, James just found it amusing.
"Oho!" the blue haired man chortled, sharing a smug smirk with his cohorts, "I think I touched a nerve there. The little boy's getting angry".
"Is he?" Jessie cooed mockingly, enjoying how Nolan's face was steadily reddening with boiling hot rage, "Well I guess it's just too bad he can't do anything about it!"
Jessie, James and Meowth all began cackling loudly, whilst Nolan just stood there, practically vibrating, he was trembling so badly with fury.
"Knock it off!" Ash angrily broke into the argument, seeing that his best friend was close to breaking point, and that it wouldn't do any of them any good if he snapped, "Leave Nolan alone, and get out here!"
"Or what?" Meowth drawled in a bored tone that practically oozed with sarcasm, "Watcha gonna do about it? Your Pokemon is too pooped out to battle us, not that he would win even if he could! Meowth would gobble him up for breakfast! Meowth!"
Ash glared furiously at the Scratch Cat Pokemon, wishing more than anything that he could dispute that fact. Unfortunately, it actually was true right now. Pikachu hadn't even regained consciousness yet. There was simply no way that his partner was in any condition to fight if it came down to one. That didn't mean Ash had to like it though.
"Besides, we only just got here" Jessie chipped in, smiling darkly at the trainers and the nurse all glaring hateful at her, "So I don't think we'll be going anywhere yet just".
"Like I said before, we're here for rare and powerful Pokemon" James laughed nastily, seeing how his words were getting to Nolan and the others, "So we won't be leaving until we've got them all".
"I'm afraid you will be, because you're wasting your time" Nurse Joy informed him, her gaze and tone like ice, "This is a centre for weak and injured Pokemon! There aren't any rare or powerful ones here!"
"Oh, I doubt that very much" Jessie retorted, sneering down her nose at the other woman, "This may be a hospital for sick and puny Pokemon, but we know that trainers like these little twerps also bring their Pokemon here" she waved a careless hand in the direction of Nolan, Ash and Misty, who all glared at her, "So I wouldn't be at all surprised if we find a few little Pokemon gems amongst all the junk".
It took every ounce of self-restraint that Nolan possessed to keep from ordering Meadow to knock the vile woman into next week for that remark. How dare she talk so callously about all the poor Pokemon being treated at the centre. It was enough to set the blonde haired boy's blood boiling in his veins.
Judging by the way Ash, Misty and Nurse Joy all tensed up in anger, they were all of a similar opinion.
"You're starting to bug me" Ash growled dangerously through clenched teeth.
Jessie, James and Meowth all just sniggered condescendingly at the raven haired trainer. They really did seem to believe that they were something special. It practically made Nolan's skin crawl with disgust.
"Isn't that cute?" Jessie simpered mockingly.
"The boy's bugged" James remarked silkily, his tone laced with dark amusement.
"Meowth! Then let's squash him!" Meowth cackled gleefully, raising his claws excitedly. It was clear that the Normal type Pokemon was sprawling for a fight.
Nolan tensed up, instinctively knowing what was about to happen next, and already dreading it. He just prayed that the eventual outcome of what was about to happen would be a positive one. If anything happened to Meadow or Welkin, the boy would never forgive himself.
"Ekans, go!" Jessie commanded, and the violet coloured creature at her side uncoiled and reared up, hissing threateningly all the while.
"Koffing, attack!" James yelled, and the floating spherical Pokemon shot through the air towards its targets.
Ekans and Koffing. Well, at least Nolan now had the names of the two mysterious Pokemon these thieves had at their disposal. If he survived their attack with all his extremities intact, he'd be sure to look them both up in his Pokedex for further information on them both. But now was hardly the time for such trivial thoughts. Not when they were both coming right at them.
With a small, panicked yelp, Nolan took a somewhat frightened step backwards, before quickly shaking himself in an attempt to pull himself together. Now was not the time for cowardice. His friends, both Pokemon and human, would need his level-headed thinking if they were going to get out of this mess unscathed. He wasn't about to let any of them down. And so with that thought spurring him on, the golden haired Pokemon trainer burst into action.
With a great surge of energy, Nolan all-but-shoved Misty and Nurse Joy ahead of him to get them moving. He then lunged towards Ash, and grabbed hold of the handle of the stretcher still carrying Pikachu's prone figure.
"Saur! Bulba!" Meadow jumped up onto the stretcher, and used a gentle Vine Whip to secure Pikachu's unconscious body in place, like a makeshift seat belt.
"Good thinking Meadow" Nolan lightly praised his partner, who smiled grimly up at him, despite the horrible situation they had once again found themselves in, "Let's go!"
Ash nodded out of sheer determination, and together, the two boys wheeled the stretcher through the doors leading towards the Pokemon Centre's reception at breakneck speed, hurrying along behind Nurse Joy and Misty as they retreated from the waiting room. There wasn't a moment to lose. Koffing and Ekans were right behind them, literally snapping at their heels.
Nolan's legs were burning, practically screaming in protest, but he didn't dare stop, not even to catch his breath. Thankfully, the group made it to the reception unharmed.
Racing around the front help desk, steadying the stretcher with Pikachu and Meadow on it between the four of them, Nolan and everybody else continued running as fast as they could. They are all eager to retreat further into the Pokemon Centre, hoping to find a safe place to hide and come up with a plan, or a least rest up for a minute. Sadly however, it wasn't meant to be. For at that exact moment, Ekans and Koffing caught up to them. Nolan mentally and physically braced himself. He was under no illusions that what was going to happen next would be in any way pleasant.
He was proved right almost instantly.
Koffing opened his mouth and spewed out another black cloud of smoke, one that smelled horribly like rotten garbage, putrid vomit and dead flesh. Nolan gagged and retched as soon as the smog cloud engulfed him and his friends, his eyes streaming from the overwhelming stench of it. It was almost unbearable. Almost.
Digging deep, Nolan forced himself to keep going, and continued running forwards until he broke free from the black fog. Looking around, he saw the others all following his example. All of them were coughing violently, but were otherwise unharmed. Nolan felt a tiny sense of relief for one precious moment, but sadly, it was quickly snuffed out.
After all, now it was Ekans' turn to attack.
Having used the distraction caused by Koffing's smoke cloud to get ahead of the fleeing humans, Ekans reared itself up and prepared to lunge at them.
"EKANS!" Ekans snarled, baring his lethal looking fangs as he barrelled through the air towards them.
Nolan and the others all cried out in alarm, but fortunately for them, Ekans never got close enough to sink his fang into any of them. Meadow, who was always on high alert whenever she felt that her human's safety was in jeopardy, reacted quickly and met the attack coming their way head on.
"BULBASAUR!" Meadow shrieked out a war-cry.
Slamming her entire body against Ekans' head with a powerful Tackle attack, Meadow was able to protect everyone and knock their attacker off course. With his momentum too great to stop himself in time, Ekans crashed into the front desk, immediately breaking it into splinters as his long body violently thrashed about in pain.
Meadow smirked, but it was short lived.
In retaliation for her attack on his cohort, Koffing floated towards Meadow in order to attack her himself. Thankfully, Meadow reacted in time, and with the use of her Vine Whips, she slapped Koffing hard across the face and sent the spherical Pokemon sprawling towards the ground. The levitating Pokemon struggled to right his flight pattern in time, but unfortunately for him it was already far too late. Koffing painfully face-planted the floor and let out a low moan of agony.
"Nice work Meadow!" Nolan cheered for his beloved partner, pleased to see that if need be, she'd be enough to handle these two aggressors.
"Saur!" Meadow beamed happily.
"We can't stop now though!" Misty broke through their celebrations with a panicked edge in her voice, bringing them back down to Earth with a bump, "We have to keep moving!"
"She's right!" Nurse Joy said urgently, urging the three young trainers to keep running, which they all did, "Don't forget, we're not the only ones here. We have to get all the other Pokemon being treated here away to safety!"
"Well how do we do that?!" Ash asked, sounding frustrated due to his concerns about how rapidly everything seemed to have spiralled out of control so horribly, "We'll never be able to carry them all, and where would we go? They're not gonna let us just walk out the front doors!"
"I have an idea, but I'll need all of you to help me" Nurse Joy assured them, and Nolan was glad at least one of them had a plan because he was fresh out of ideas right now, "Just follow me!"
Putting on an extra burst of speed, Nurse Joy pushed herself to the head of the group and made her way across the reception, hurrying through a different set of doors and sprinting off down a new corridor. Nolan, Ash and Misty all shared a worried glance, but did as the woman requested and rushed after her, pushing the stretcher with Pikachu on it between the three of them. He was still out for the count, poor thing. Finally, Meadow brought up the rear, her Vine Whips at the ready in case she needed to fend off their pursuers at a moment's notice.
They soon caught up to Nurse Joy, and the pink haired lady quickly ushered them into a room which had a notice on the door that read 'STAFF ONLY'. The blonde boy barely held back a contemptuous snort upon reading the words. Such rules had little meaning in an emergency such as this. Once they were all inside, the group slammed the doors shut. Frantically looking around, Nolan noticed a nearby cabinet stocked with small bottles of medicine. He hurried over to it, and with a grunt of effort, he managed to push it in front of the doors to act as a makeshift barricade. Feeling a little safer after this action, he allowed a small sigh to pass his lips, before he took his first proper look around the new room in which he found himself.
Nolan and the others were now in a long narrow room that didn't have any beds or even any stretchers in it, which was what Nolan had been expecting. Instead, the room contained a large bank of computers with what appeared to be a metal sort of conveyer belt running into it. Nolan had no idea what its purpose was, but quickly dismissed the thought as he continued scanning his eyes across the room. At the far end of their current hideout was what appeared to be a circular treadmill attached to another computer and what looked like a giant battery. It was clearly a backup generator of some sort. But machinery wasn't the only thing this room in the Pokemon Centre held. There were also dozens of shelves, upon which there were hundreds of pokeballs lining them. Some were different models of the capturing devices, but most were just the standard ones like Ash and Nolan currently carried. The blonde boy was momentarily stunned by the sheer volume of the familiar red white spheres. It was like every trainer in Viridian City had brought their Pokemon here, which he quickly realised just might be the case. And every single one of them was in danger of being stolen right now. It was a truly sicken thought. And unfortunately, things were about to go from bad to worse.
For deep within the Pokemon Centre, far from their location but still within earshot, they suddenly heard a loud BANG, and the room was instantly plunged into darkness.
"Hey!" Nolan heard Misty's alarmed voice gasp from somewhere to his right, "The lights!"
"They must have cut the power" Nurse Joy's voice informed them from further within the room.
"Meadow, still close to me" Nolan immediately commanded, despite not being able to actually see his little green partner right now, "I don't want to lose you in the dark and risk those jerks getting you".
"Saur" Meadow's voice softly replied, and Nolan felt her nuzzle up against his leg.
The blonde boy sighed in relief, comforted by the fact that she was close. He just couldn't stand the idea of losing her, and especially to a bunch of thieves that would care nothing for her wellbeing. He couldn't allow that to happen. He just couldn't.
"You don't have to worry about anyone getting lost Nolan" Nurse Joy's voice assured him, and for the first time since this whole mess started, she actually sounded a little more optimistic, "You see, they might have cut the power, but we've got our own 'Pika-Power' source!"
For a moment, Nolan just stood there in the dark in complete and utter confusion.
What on Earth was Nurse Joy talking about? Surely she couldn't mean Pikachu. Whilst it was true that a lot of power plants around the world used Electric Type Pokemon to help run them, providing untold amounts of clean, renewable energy; Ash's partner was in no fit state to power a light bulb, let alone a building the size of Viridian City's Pokemon Centre. He was just about to ask Nurse Joy what she meant, but he never got the chance to.
Before even a single word could be spoken, Nolan and the others all heard what appeared to be the sound of a metal grate being slammed open. Then, there was the pitter-patter of tiny feet scurrying about the room. Seconds later, everything became crystal clear.
There was a spark of lightning, and suddenly all the power was back, flooding the room with bright light once more. Nolan winced and immediately shielded his eyes until they had chance to readjust. Once they did, he lowered his hand, and looked around the room to try and figure out what had just happened.
His jaw dropped when the answer presented itself.
It turned out that Nurse Joy had been talking about Pikachu, just not in the way that Nolan had thought. Upon the device which Nolan had earlier suspected, and had just had it confirmed, of being a backup generator, there was now a group of ten Pikachu, all identical to Ash's, all chanting the same chant of their own name, and all running on the circular treadmill which had obviously been designed just for them. Clearly, they had all been specially trained for the Pokemon Centre, to help supply more electricity in a blackout or an emergency situation.
An emergency just like this one.
"Aw! Look at all the Pikachu!" Misty gushed at the cute display of them all running together, almost like they were playfully chasing each other.
Ash and Nolan just looked at all the yellow Pokemon in awe, impressed by how they had all just jumped into action as they had without any command at all. It was clear that whoever had trained them had done a remarkable job.
"Never mind that now!" Nurse Joy pulled their attention back to the threat at hand, "I need you three guarding the door!"
The three young trainers nodded seriously, turning to do as she asked. It was still all quiet for the moment. It seemed as though Team Rocket had yet to find their hiding place just yet. Nodding in satisfaction, Nurse Joy wasted no time, and hurried over to the large bank of computers. She began pressing buttons, and the monitors all flared to life. The pink haired woman brought up a specific program on the computer, and entered several codes on the keyboard. The effect was immediate.
"A crisis situation has arisen" a female mechanical voice droned, reminding Nolan eerily of Dexi, his pokedex, "Initiating emergency pokeball transport sequence".
Nolan couldn't help but smile in relief when he heard those words. It appeared they did have a way of getting the sick and injured Pokemon out of the centre and to safety after all. That was good. He really didn't want to have to tell anyone that he had failed to protect their precious Pokemon from being stolen. The guilt would be unbearable.
Nurse Joy pushed some more buttons on the computers' controls, and a soft whirring sound began to fill the room. Looking up, Nolan saw that the noise was coming from two large mechanical claws which Nurse Joy had just activated. Amazed, the blonde haired watched as the claws began removing the pokeballs from the shelves, depositing them all on to the conveyer belt one by one. The pokeballs were then manoeuvred towards another device that Nolan suspected was a transporter unit. Most Pokemon Centres contained one, or so he had read.
Satisfied that the program and equipment were functioning correctly, Nurse Joy then picked up a microphone that was plugged into the computer, and began speaking into it.
"This is the Viridian City Pokemon Centre. We have an emergency situation" Nurse Joy reported, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she tried to establish contact with another Pokemon Centre, preferably one nearby, "Transporting Pokeballs!"
For one horrible moment, there was nothing but silence. Nolan feared that it was no use, that no one would help them, but seconds later that fear was thankfully dispelled. A voice replied, one remarkably similar to Nurse Joy's own voice.
"This is the Pewter City Pokemon Centre" the other woman informed them, and everyone's bodies sagged a little in relief, "Upload activated. Ready to receive Pokeballs".
One by one, the pokeballs on the conveyer belt were moved into the transporter unit. A flash of white light would strike them, then the pokeball would vanish, and the process would repeat itself. Meanwhile, the mechanical claws kept grapping more pokeballs from the shelves, working hard to get them all to safety. Nolan beamed, thrilled that Nurse Joy's plan was really working, before being struck by an idea. A last resort of sorts. For now that the Pokemon actually had a way out, it meant that if things took a turn for the worse, Nolan could at least ensure Meadow and Welkin's safety. Oh, he knew they'd both be furious about it, but if it came down to it, Nolan really would put Meadow back in her pokeball, against her will if need be, and send both of his Pokemon through the transporter and away from him. Anything if it meant saving them. He hoped it wouldn't come down to that, but he wouldn't hesitate if it did.
What Nolan had no way of knowing was that his resolve on that subject just might be about to be tested.
The blonde haired trainer, along with Ash and Misty, all cried out in alarm when thick plumes of oily black smoke began oozing into the room, seeping through the cracks around the door and even through the lock. Nolan closed his eyes in despair as he realised what that meant. It meant that their safe haven was no longer quite so safe.
Team Rocket had found them. Their respite was over.
Nolan and Meadow shared a grim look of determination and understanding. They knew that they couldn't run away anymore. It was time to fight back. So with that frightening thought in mind, they both stepped up, glaring at the double doors. It wasn't long before the doors started to buckle, and Nolan and Meadow both tensed up, bracing themselves for what was to come. Unbeknownst to the two of them, they were both sharing the same rather grim and unpleasant thought at the exact same moment. A thought that sent a cold shiver of dread through them both.
That if all of them got out of this unharmed, it would be nothing short of a miracle...
And that's another one : )
So Nolan and the others finally meet Team Rocket, and a lifelong hatred is born : )
But anyway, on to more important things - namely trying to break the tie. Please leave a review for this chapter telling me which Pokemon gets to evolve - Pidgey or Abra. Honestly, I just want this one decided now so I can evolve the winner in my game and move on to another subject to vote on : ) This is your last chance to make your vote count for this, since if the tie isn't broken this time, I'm just gonna toss a coin to do it : ) After all, there are lots of other things I want you guys to vote on, and I'm particularly excited about the next topic : )
Finally, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and the story so far in general. Thank you again for the support you show by favouriting, following, and reviewing - I really do appreciate it : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )