Surprise! Yes, that is right - We are jumping from one original episode straight into another one XD

I was a bit hesitant to do this originally since I know that these original episodes of mine aren't necessarily every reader's cup of tea, but I had multiple reasons for doing this. One - I really wanted Nolan as the main character to have the first completed team of six out of the group. And two - I feel like those three canon episodes where Ash gets Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle really belong together as a trilogy, and it would have felt really weird to have split them up. So yeah, I may end up doing two original episodes back to back again at some point in the future, but I don't want to make a habit of it : )

Anyway, let's move on to the results of the latest voting topic. You guys really came out in force to break the tie and I just want it to say thank you to everyone that voted for that. I must admit I'm quite surprised to announce that the winner of the returning Pokemon is... Goldeen! To be honest, this was the one I least expected would win, so I honestly have no idea what I'm going to do with her in terms of the story XD

Finally, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. The support that has been shown to the story is amazing, and it means so much to me, so thank you : )

Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OC's are : )

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Sweet Melodies, Sweet Rivalries

Sweet Melodies, Sweet Rivalries - Part 1

The answer; a lot.

So, so much more trouble than Nolan could ever have possibly predicted.

In the extremely short time since Fang the Growlithe had joined his little Pokemon family, the thoroughly over-excitable Puppy Pokemon had; popped out of his pokeball so many times on his own that the golden haired boy had already lost count, tripped everyone in their little travelling group multiple times by chasing his own tail, chewed Ash's trainers up so badly that he'd been forced to abandon them in favour of his backup pair, played an impromptu game of fetch with Misty in which he had stolen the pokeball containing her beloved Starmie and launched it into the woods with his Fire Spin attack - forcing the poor girl to have to spend two hours searching the forest for it before she recovered her precious partner - upended a boiling pot of stew that Brock had made for their dinner and ruining the whole thing in the process, and gotten into more scraps with wild Pokemon than Nolan cared to think about. The boy wouldn't have minded that last one so much since it was good battle practice for Fang, except getting experience was clearly not what had been playing on the Puppy Pokemon's mind when those fight had been instigated. He was always just trying to play with whatever Pokemon they came across, but he was always too rough with them, and as a result it somehow always ended with Fang coming back to Nolan with his tail between his legs.

Needless to say, Nolan was beginning to get an inkling as to why so many people had taken Fang back to the Pokemon day care centre now.

The little guy was just... so much to try and get a handle on. Don't get it wrong though. The golden haired boy had no intention whatsoever about giving up on the latest addition to his Pokemon team. He still found the act of abandoning such a sweetheart like Fang completely despicable after all. And despite the fact that he just couldn't seem to keep himself out of trouble for even five minutes straight, Fang had already stolen Nolan's heart, and the boy loved him just as fiercely as any of the other Pokemon on his team. He had made a commitment to Fang after all, and Nolan fully intended on honouring it.

The Puppy Pokemon was here to stay.

But regardless of the fact that Nolan already considered the adorable Fire Type Pokemon a member of the family and loved him as such, when it came to Fang's training, the golden haired boy had already made the decision to hold off on teaching him any new attacks for the time being. Not only was Fang ahead of it the rest of Nolan's team in the vast amount of moves that he already knew, but Nolan was fully aware that Fang was simply too unruly at this point to even attempt to teach him anything new. The first thing Nolan needed to do was to get Fang's misbehaviour under control first. The sad fact was however that Fang honestly wasn't trying to behave badly, but just always somehow ended up falling into mischief, probably because he was nothing but a cuddly hyperactive ball of furry energy. It saddened Nolan deeply to know that so many other trainers hadn't been able to see that, and had returned Fang when he became too much trouble for them to deal with. Nolan vowed never to fall into that category.

Fang deserved so much better than that after all, regardless of all the chaos he caused.

Nolan also couldn't help but feel genuinely touched by just how great all his other Pokemon were with the newest addition though. Like him, all four of his other teammates had an abundance of patience when it came to Fang's antics, despite him proving quite a lot for them to take too. Just the other day, Fang had almost accidentally set poor Iris on fire when he excitedly shot off an Ember attack at feeding time, but she had just brushed herself off and carried on without holding a grudge. That was just one example, but it warmed him all the way through to know that they were all willing to make such an effort. He really shouldn't have been surprised though. After all, each and every one of them were the best Pokemon friends a boy could ever ask for.

Right now however, Nolan and all of his friends were able to enjoy a moment of relative peace and quiet. The travelling quartet and all of their Pokemon were still making their way towards Vermillion City, determined not only to fulfil the promise that they had made to Misty, but also in the hopes of earning a third gym badge apiece for Nolan and Ash. The little group had been venturing through the dense forest that shrouded this part of the land all morning, and they were making fairly decent time. They hadn't even taken any wrong turns so far, which for them, made quite the pleasant change.

They were a few hours into their journey by the time that they reached a beautiful clearing; one filled with gorgeous flowers in the midst of their summer bloom, surrounded by towering trees that filled the air with an almost overpowering scent of fresh pine. A narrow, crystal clear river ran through the spot, the trickling water the only noise to be heard. It was picturesque, tranquil, and above all serene. The perfect place for the group of weary travellers to stop and take a rest.

"Alright guys, let's take a break here" Nolan suggested to all of his friends, who each looked as tired as the golden haired boy himself felt, "We've been walking for hours".

Ash, Misty and Brock all looked relieved, and quickly nodded their approval of the idea.

"Definitely!" Ash grinned widely at his best friend, before he gestured around at the spectacular scenery they were in the midst of, "It's a great idea to take a break here, Nolan. It's just so... so beautiful here!"

Misty, who was standing directly next to him, smiled at the raven haired boy indulgingly but merely shrugged her shoulders at him.

"The scenery is definitely nice enough here" the orange haired girl admitted with a bright smile, but then she winced, and the expression quickly morphed into a soft frown, "But right now all I'm really interested in is giving my poor aching feet a well-deserved rest".

"Well if we're gonna stop here for a while, we might as well make it an early lunch break" Brock said decisively, taking off his backpack and setting it down on the ground before him. The teenaged aspiring Pokemon breeder then began rummaging around inside it, pulling out various pieces of cooking equipment, "I think today I'll make us my famous stew! That'll keep our strength up for the rest of the hike we need to go on today if we're to keep to our schedule".

Nolan beamed at him and nodded his head approvingly.

"Sounds good to me" the golden haired boy said cheerfully, slinking his own backpack off of his shoulder and setting it down as well, "And I can help by feeding all of our Pokemon!"

"Bulba!" Meadow looked particularly enthused by that idea.

"Pika!" Pikachu seemed happy by the mention of food as well.

"That would be a huge help" Brock said gratefully, detaching the three occupied pokeballs from his belt and handing them over to the golden haired boy, "Thanks".

"Yeah, thanks Nolan" Ash parroted as he mirrored the aspiring Pokemon breeder's actions, passing the pokeballs containing his Butterfree and Pidgeotto over as well. In turn, Misty also handed Nolan her backpack where her three filled pokeballs were safely stowed away.

"I'll go get some fresh water for us" Misty offered politely as she picked up a small plastic bucket that they used for such a purpose at meal times, which Brock had earlier pulled out of his backpack. As the orange haired girl walked away in the direction of the glistening river, Ash cast his gaze around their impromptu campsite, wanting to make himself useful like all of his friends were being. His russet coloured eyes fell upon the foldaway table and chairs that Brock always carried with him in his huge backpack, and a smile eclipsed Ash's face.

"And I guess that leaves me to put up the furniture and set the table" the raven haired boy declared as he quickly got to work as well.

In a matter of moments the four youngsters were all getting busy with their individual tasks, and they worked together like a well-oiled machine in the preparations of their meal. Soon enough, the table was set and the forest clearing was filled with the amazing smells of Brock's homemade cooking. As she lugged the now exceedingly heavy bucket back over to the main group, Misty couldn't help but smile in anticipation as the delicious scent filled her nostrils

"Wow Brock! I can't wait to try that stew you're cooking!" the orange haired girl exclaimed excitedly, her stomach rumbling as she set down the bucket of fresh water that she'd collected, "It smells amazing!"

The aspiring Pokemon breeder looked up from his work with a proud smile.

"Thank you, Misty" Brock said gratefully, always one to appreciate a compliment when it came to his cooking skills, "I always aim to please".

"And the water in this forest is so refreshing!" Misty continued happily, picking up four plastic cups that Ash had placed on the table prior and filling them all to the brim, "It'll go perfect with our lunch".

"Speaking of food..." Brock replied as he glanced down at the concoction he was making in his cooking pot over the small fire he had managed to easily get going, "Lunch is almost ready. Who's hungry?"

"Me!" Ash immediately replied, clapping his hands together eagerly. The long hike out here into the middle of the forest from Orange Town had really worked up quite an appetite, and all the raven haired boy wanted now was to just sit down and stuff his face.

He wasn't the only one.

A few feet away, Nolan was still in the process of ensuring that all of the Pokemon got fed. He had decided that his own Pokemon team would go last, the memory of what had accidentally gone down between Fang and Iris still playing heavily on his mind. Thankfully however there had been no issues so far today, and Onix, Staryu and Pidgeotto were already safely stored away back in their pokeballs after eating their fill. Zubat, Geodude and Goldeen were finished next, each of them calling out to Nolan in their respective language to signal to the boy that they were done and that they wanted to be returned. Nolan quickly obliged, and the three of them disappeared in a flash of crimson coloured light. That just left Butterfree and Starmie out, along with Pikachu and Meadow of course, both of whom were being a great help to Nolan in keeping the various bowls of Pokemon food full.

"Star!" Starmie's ethereal voice suddenly chimed, and Nolan glanced over at the mysterious purple creature with a warm smile.

"Is that you done too Starmie?" he asked Misty's partner Pokemon kindly. It and its pre-evolved form were both mysterious Pokemon in the fact that they could either consume and digest solid Pokemon food through the tips of their points, or they could simply absorb sunlight through the jewels at the core of their bodies and use the energy from that instead. Today they had both opted for the prior option.

"Star!" Starmie jerked its whole body in what Nolan could only construe as a manner of confirmation. The golden haired boy smiled again, and held up a pokeball.

"Okay, return for now" he announced, and soon enough Starmie was returned to the confines of its pokeball as well.

That just left Meadow, Pikachu and Butterfree out now, and Nolan couldn't help but notice that the Butterfly Pokemon seemed to be eating rather slowly today. A little concerned, the golden haired boy went and crouched down next to his best friend's Bug Type Pokemon.

"Everything okay Butterfree?" he asked the small creature, who looked up at him with a slightly dejected expression, "You're not eating very much".

The Butterfly Pokemon's antenna briefly twitched, before he fluttered his shining wings so that he was hovering just above the ground.

"Freeee!" Butterfree trilled, floating towards the golden haired boy, and using his tiny paws, the Butterfly Pokemon plucked something off Nolan's belt. No. Not just something, but a pokeball. It took him a moment to realise that it was Iris' specifically, but once he did so, Nolan couldn't help but smile warmly down at the adorable creature.

"Oh! I get it now!" the golden haired boy exclaimed as the realisation struck him, before a sheepish expression flashed across his face and he rubbed the back of his head apologetically, "Sorry Butterfree. I should have known that you would have wanted to eat your lunch with Iris. You two have become super close friends lately, haven't you?"

"Free!" Butterfree nodded happily, his big red eyes shining at the thought of his fellow Bug Type Pokemon. She was definitely his best friend within their little travelling group.

Smiling, Nolan carefully retrieved the pokeball from the creature hovering in front of his face, before he unclipped another three of the red and white spheres from his belt. With a grand flourish, the boy tossed all four of them up into the air.

"Alright Welkin, Iris, Xanthite and Fang! Come on out!" Nolan cried as the air around him was suddenly filled with bright flashes of scarlet light, "It's time for some food!"

"Pidgey!"

"Venonat!"

"Geodude!"

"Growlithe!"

One by one Nolan's little Pokemon family materialised around him, and once they had called out their greetings to their beloved human, they quickly hurried over to the bowls of Pokemon food and began eating their fill. Meadow and Pikachu quickly joined in, but Nolan's attention was more closely fixed upon Butterfree and Iris. The golden haired boy smiled softly, pleased to note that now that he had been joined by his fellow Bug Type Pokemon, Butterfree was eating with much more vigour, whilst taking regular breaks to converse with Iris. Nolan couldn't help but grin as he watched the two of them. The friendship that he had seen growing between the two of them was really sweet, and he genuinely hoped that it would continue to flourish. He also had a sneaking suspicion that there might be more to it then simply friendship, but he kept those thoughts to himself. If anything were to happen on that particular front, he trusted that Iris would come to him when she was ready.

"Lithe!"

A single bark was enough to drag Nolan out of his theories pertaining to the two Bug Type Pokemon, and glancing down at his feet, Nolan was surprised to find Fang sitting before him, his tail wagging.

"Finished already Fang?" the boy asked in a shocked tone, since the Puppy Pokemon usually ate a lot more than that short time would suggest he'd managed to consume.

"Growlithe! Growl!"

Fang just continued barking, and it took a moment for Nolan to realise that the little Fire Type Pokemon wasn't even looking at him. Following the small furry orange creature's gaze, Nolan realised that Fang was staring intently at a small cluster of trees behind him, on the opposite end of the clearing. He had clearly sensed something approaching, whether it be through his superior hearing or his exponentially powerful sense of smell. When the Pokemon didn't stop barking however, Nolan felt his whole body tense, whilst at the same time; Ash, Misty and Brock all glanced over at the disturbance, all of them quickly realising the same thing that Nolan had.

Something was coming.

Without needing to utter so much as a single syllable, Nolan quickly distributed the collection of pokeballs in his arms back to their respective trainers. Brock and Misty both held up a pokeball each, ready to defend themselves if necessary, whilst Ash just silently gestured for Pikachu to come and join him. As the small yellow creature did exact that, Meadow mirrored the action by coming over and standing in front of Nolan with Fang, both of them ready to protect him fiercely. Welkin, Xanthite, Iris and Butterfree all looked up from their food with expressions of concern as well.

There was a long tense paused filled with nothing but an eerie silence... before...

"Hey! You lot!" a rather snide voice suddenly called out to them.

The four youngsters all looked at one another in surprise. They had been expecting to be attacked by some kind of ferocious wild Pokemon that would inevitably force them to have to flee for their lives, but this was quite clearly a person. A female one at that. As Nolan and all of his friends looked on - all of them still maintaining their defensive stances in case this was an attack of some kind - they saw a girl that was roughly about their age emerge from the trees and into the clearing.

It was the expression on her face that struck the travelling quartet first. A petulant scowl, as if the muscles in her face had long since forgotten how to smile.

Brushing that first thought quickly away however, Nolan blinked a couple of times, before he took a moment to study the rest of the girl's appearance after getting over his surprise at her abrupt entrance. He would estimate that she was a little older than him, perhaps eleven years old but definitely no older than twelve, and she had long, glossy brown hair that kept on flowing downwards until it reached her lower back. Taking a moment to discreetly study the newcomer's facial features, Nolan couldn't help but notice that her eyes were an unusual mixture of green and blue, giving them the vague impression of rippling sea water. Beyond that, all he could see was that the girl was dressed in a low-cut black dress that is a little north of the knee and had a small slit in the side, and black heels that made her stand a little taller than Nolan. Around her neck she wore a black choker, and a white belt was strapped around her waist carrying several pokeballs. Whether it be her natural disposition or she was just putting it on for their benefit, but the girl gave off a strong air of superiority, and Nolan could somehow just sense that this girl possessed a cunning wit, and was probably lacking when it came to a moral compass.

"Yeah? What?" Ash was the one that eventually broke the heavy silence that the girl's arrival had ushered in with her.

The girl adopted a remarkably haughty expression, and Nolan could immediately tell that whilst this girl was no stranger to speaking to people in such a blunt manner, she was not used to them talking back to her in such a way. That alone was enough of a hint to the travelling quartet that this girl was going to be something of a challenge for them to deal with.

"Have any of you seen a Pokemon called Jigglypuff around here?" the girl demanded to know without so much as a please thrown in. Honestly, her tone was so abrasive and arrogant that Nolan was half-convinced that he had just met the female equivalent of Gary Oak, she was so rude.

It took a few moments for the golden haired boy to get over her totally disrespectful and impolite bedside manner, but once he processed her words, Nolan exchanged confused glances with the rest of his friends.

"No..." Nolan said slowly, his tone and expression both filled with puzzlement, "Why, have you lost one?"

The girl's two-toned eyes immediately honed in on the golden haired boy like a Pidgeot's would its morning breakfast of Caterpie, and it took all of the boy's willpower not to flinch at the intensity of her gaze.

"No I haven't lost one, fool!" the girl spat rudely, and an annoyed expression flashed across Nolan's face at the unwarranted rude behaviour, "Only an idiot would misplace their own Pokemon, and I'm certainly no idiot, Kid! You got that?"

Nolan's icy blue eyes became incredibly chilling.

"I have a name thank you very much" he retorted angrily, not that this girl seemed particularly bothered in the slightest, "And how was I supposed to know that you hadn't lost your own Pokemon when you just burst in on our lunch, quite rudely might I add, demanding information about a Jigglypuff from us?"

The girl harrumphed, but just sneered down her nose at Nolan in response. Clearly manners were not a big concern for this trainer.

"Excuse me" Ash suddenly chimed back into the conversation, ignoring the rude new arrival in favour of his best friend, "But would you maybe mind telling the rest of us exactly what a 'Jigglypuff' is? I'm a little lost here".

He seemed to be the only human in the clearing that felt that way however, since Misty and Brock both seemed to know what species of Pokemon Nolan and the rude girl had been referring to.

Sighing, but unwilling to leave his best friend hanging despite really wanting to tear this girl a new world for her appalling attitude, Nolan fished his pokedex out of the back pocket of his jeans and began a manual search on the device. Moments later, the small machine beeped loudly, and brought up an image of an adorable round pink creature with big blue eyes on the screen. It was quite literally the epitome of cuteness.

"Jigglypuff - the Balloon Pokemon" Dexi announced in her cool mechanical voice after bringing up the data that Nolan had manually searched for, and the boy quickly angled the device so that Ash could see it as well, "Jigglypuff captivates foes with its huge, round eyes, then lulls them to sleep by singing a soothing melody. The sound waves of its singing voice match the brain waves of someone in a deep sleep".

"Whoa!" Ash breathed out a sigh of amazement as Nolan flipped his pokedex shut and stashed it away again, "A singing Pokemon? That's so cool!"

On the opposite side of the clearing to them, the rude girl seemed less than impressed. She snorted at Nolan and Ash condescendingly.

"Urgh! Running to a pokedex for answers like that! What a pair of amateurs!" the girl shook her head patronising, seemingly amused when Nolan and Ash both bristled with rage at the description of them, "You're so clueless. I'll have you know that Jigglypuff are rare Pokemon, and can grow to become exceedingly powerful, when in the hands of a trainer that knows what they're doing. And being such a capable trainer myself, I fully intend to catch one for my collection".

Evident surprise flashed across Ash's face at the rather bold declaration.

"Oh, wow" the raven haired boy replied, not really sure what else he could say that might diffuse the situation he could feel building, "Good luck with that".

The look the girl gave him immediately made it clear that that had been the wrong thing to say.

"I don't need luck" the brown haired girl with the unusual eyes retorted bluntly, "But I suggest that you lot all stay out of my way if you do come across a Jigglypuff. I don't need any competition".

This time it was Nolan's turn to harrumph in indignation.

"And just who are you to tell us what Pokemon we can and can't capture if we decide to?" the golden haired boy snapped back in incredulous anger, scarcely able to believe the sheer gall of this complete stranger, "Until you've captured it and made it legally your responsibility, any wild Pokemon is fair game!"

The effect that Nolan's truthful words had on the girl was practically instantaneous.

"Trust me Kid" the stranger spat venomously, her expression becoming incredibly spiteful as she stalked right up to Nolan and got in his face, "You don't wanna play games with me. Fair or otherwise".

But Nolan refused to let himself be intimidated, and coolly stared the girl down.

"I think I'll take my chances, thanks" the golden haired boy said in a tone that practically dripped with condescension, and this time it was the rude girl that bared her teeth in frustration, "No rude little brat is gonna tell me what I can and can't do!"

The rude girl looked shocked for a moment, clearly not the type of person that was used to being spoken to in such a way, before anger quickly settled in over her sharp, angular features.

"Whatever" the girl sneered arrogantly down her nose at him, clearly deciding that even speaking to somebody like Nolan was a precious waste of her time, "You wanna pretend that you're a big tough guy that doesn't let anybody boss him around? That's fine, if that's what your ego needs to sleep at night".

Nolan opened his mouth to verbally protest against the rude girl's mocking, but she quickly spoke over him before he had a chance anything.

"Just remember what I said" the girl grinned smugly at him, clearly needing to get the last word in during this disagreement. And she dared talk about Nolan's ego?! She should really take a look in the mirror, "Stay away from any Jigglypuff that you come across, or you'll regret it! That Pokemon's gonna be mine!"

And with that final warning delivered, the rude girl swiftly turned on the heel of her foot and marched off deeper into the forest, quickly disappearing into the density of the trees once more.

Fuming by this point, Nolan took a step in the same direction as the girl, unwilling to let the matter drop. Before he could take more than that single step however, he felt a hand tightly grasp his arm, and turning to glare back at its owner, he found that it was his own best friend that was preventing him from pursuing that most obnoxious trainer.

"Nolan, don't do something you might regret later" Ash advised him calmly, in a rare show of maturity for the raven haired boy, "Let's just focus on our own journey. She's not worth it".

It was obvious that Nolan wasn't happy about the situation, but thankfully Ash's words seemed to be enough to pull the golden haired boy back out of the furious red haze that the rude girl's appalling attitude had put him in. Nolan stopped resisting, but pulled his arm free, as a idea that was much, much better than simply having a screaming match with that awful girl suddenly struck him. A grin that was unusually dark for a kind soul such as Nolan illuminated his face, and he turned to his friends with a determined gleam in his eye.

"You're right" he smirked at Ash, who looked extremely surprised that Nolan had given up on the idea of having it out with the girl so easily, since backing down from a fight simply wasn't in his nature, "And besides, I've just had an even better idea".

That sounded more like the Nolan that Ash knew and loved.

The raven haired boy sighed deeply. If this didn't have all the hallmarks of trouble written all over it, he had no idea what else would. So knowing that he was probably going to regret asking, the raven haired boy wearily asked the inevitable question.

"And what's that?" Ash asked his best friend cautiously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Nolan asked him in return, that eerie, almost dangerous look never once leaving his features, "I'm going to teach her a lesson in manners. I'm gonna catch a Jigglypuff before she does".

Ash, Misty and Brock's jaws all dropped wide open in shock from the rather bold declaration.

"Seriously Nolan?" Brock was the one that eventually recovered his voice first, looking down at his friend disapprovingly, "Isn't that a little immature? When have you ever expressed an interest in training a Jigglypuff before? Never. And now you suddenly want one just to stop her from getting what she wants? That isn't like you".

Nolan scowled up at the aspiring Pokemon breeder, but he didn't back down from the pledge he'd just made.

"I'll have you know that I have an interest in training any and all types of Pokemon, thank you very much" the golden haired boy snapped, and Brock held up his hands in a pacifying manner, "And none of you are gonna to change my mind. I'm not gonna be pushed around by a complete stranger, nor can I let her rude behaviour go unnoticed. I mean, if she treats other people like that, how is she gonna treat any Pokemon unfortunate enough to be captured by her? If I can save just one Pokemon from a fate like that, I'll happily add a new addition to my little Pokemon family. And besides, she was actually right about one thing. Jigglypuff are rather rare Pokemon, and they can be phenomenal in battle with the right training. It's precisely the kind of Pokemon I'd like to join my team".

He knew that his friends still weren't sure about the course of action that he had chosen to take, but Nolan wasn't prepared to stand around and wait any longer. In one swift fluid movement, the golden haired boy had crossed the length of the forest clearing and retrieved his backpack, and with a determined look on his face, he turned his attention down to all of his Pokemon.

"Welkin, Iris and Xanthite - stay here and finish your lunch, and behave for Ash, Misty and Brock" the golden haired boy quickly instructed the three of them, all of whom nodded their understanding. Nolan then turned to the other two members of his team, "Meadow and Fang, I'm sorry to cut your meal short, but we've got work to do. With me".

And with that, the golden haired boy whirled on the spot and marched off, ready to tear this whole forest up by its roots if that's what it took to find a Jigglypuff before that obnoxious girl did.

"Nolan, wait!" Ash called after his best friend, hoping that he could still reason with the irate golden haired boy, "You don't even know if any Jigglypuff actually do live around here! For all you know that girl might have just been casing an unfounded rumour!"

The golden haired boy didn't even falter at Ash's surprisingly logical argument, nor did he stop to look back. He merely kept on storming out of the forest clearing with Meadow and Fang following in his wake. Helpless to do anything but watch the furious boy go off on his own, Ash sighed deeply before turning back to Misty and Brock, both of whom suddenly looked as concerned as Ash himself felt.

"Yikes..." the raven haired boy shook his head, a frown now gracing his face, "I've never seen Nolan let his emotions get the better of him like that before".

Brock tried to ease some of the younger boy's concerns.

"He just gets really passionate when it comes to how the people and Pokemon around him are all treated" the aspiring Pokemon breeder soothed, although judging by Ash's frown he wasn't being very successful, "It's part of what makes Nolan Nolan, and why we all love him".

Misty didn't seem too convinced by Brock's reassurances either.

"Well I think he's being ridiculous, and has blown this whole thing out of proportion" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist grumbled with a heavy frown, "Not to mention that it's dangerous to go off alone like that. He should have taken one of us with him!"

In a bizarre way, hearing the concern that was flooding through Misty's tone was actually enough to dispel some of Ash's own.

"Ah, this is Nolan we're talking about" the raven haired boy said in an attempt to put all their minds at ease. As if to emphasise his point, Ash moved over to the table where their lunch was ready and cooling and took his seat, "I'm sure he knows what he's doing".

No less worried, Misty begrudgingly followed Ash's example, and took a seat at the table as well.

"I just hope that he'll be okay" the orange haired girl whispered to herself, pulling a bowl of stew towards herself and beginning to eat it with some difficulty. It was hard to enjoy a meal when your mind was so preoccupied after all.

Brock quickly joined them, and the three friends began tucking into their lunch in a relatively tense silence. There was no sense in wasting good food after all, and despite the fact that Nolan had opted to forgo his lunch in favour of progressing his own career as a trainer, that didn't negate the fact that all of them were still very very hungry. None of them were in the mood for talking very much as they ate though, and it was becoming increasingly clear that all three of their minds were currently filled with the same swirling intrusive thoughts.

Namely, what might lie ahead for Nolan and his determination to capture a Jigglypuff...

And that's the first part of my latest original episode done and dusted : )

A little shorter than the usual chapter size as of late, yes - but I felt as though this acted as a nice little prologue to the rest of the episode : )

Yay! Nolan will be catching a Jigglypuff next : ) I'm really excited about this one since I thought long and hard about who should be the last member of Nolan's original Pokemon team. It was a toss-up between Jigglypuff and Poliwag, but in the end I decided on the former. You guys might like how I'll end up recycling the Poliwag idea sooner than you might think however ; )

Also, any thoughts on who that rude girl was? Because although I tried to make it not entirely obvious from the description I gave of her, this is a character who I didn't actually make up. To my knowledge, she has never appeared in the anime of Pokemon, but she is quite a prominent character within the franchise. I'd be quite interested to see if any of you can guess her identity in a review before I make it more obvious as the episode progresses XD

But I think that's enough about the contents of this chapter itself for the time being. Instead let's move on to a voting topic I am very excited about : D It feels like it's been a long time coming, but it's finally time for the next Encounter Vote to decide who will become Nolan's next Pokémon in the Johto region. So without further ado, here are the options to vote between this time : )

Pokemon Options: -

Union Cave: - Zubat - Female - Timid Nature - Inner Focus Ability

Route 34: - Drowzee - Male - Relaxed Nature - Insomnia Ability

Cherrygrove City: - Exeggcute - Male - Docile Nature - Chlorophyll Ability

Slowpoke Well: - Slowpoke - Male - Jolly Nature - Own Tempo Ability

Violet City: - Poliwag - Male - Bashful Nature - Water Absorb Ability

All Kanto Pokemon this time, although three out of five of them can evolve into Johto-based Pokemon, which is why I decided to group these ones together. Also, the reason I decided to exempt Poliwag from the Duplicates Clause this time is because of the split evolution factor. Now just to give you fair warning, if you guys do vote for Poliwag this time, this one will be going down the Politoed route. My original Kanto Poliwhirl will be going down the Poliwrath line if she ever comes back. This is for reasons I'll explain if it becomes necessary later to down the line ; ) For now, please make your vote count by leaving it in a review : )

And I think that's just about everything from me for this time. Thank you so much for reading this chapter and my story in general. I hope you are enjoying it all so far, and please consider leaving a review because I'd love to hear your comments and feedback : )

Until the next time, keep on reading : )