Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter: )

I cannot believe that this is going to be the last update of this story for 2024. Seriously, where has this year gone?! Here's hoping that everybody has a brilliant 2025 : D

Beyond that however, I don't have very much I want to say this week, other than a huge thank you to those of you that continued to vote after I announced that I would be removing three voting topics from the list for this particular Nuzlocke. It was very heartening to know that people weren't upset by that decision, so thank you to those of you that continue to show your support. It is very much appreciated. I have now evolved my Eevee into Flareon, which means that I now have two of the three Pokemon I need Nolan to have for his Johto storyline to work : ) And on the subject of in-game Evolutions, let's move on to the results of the last voting topic. I am thrilled, yet not at all surprised, to announce that the winner of the latest Evolution Vote was... Cyndaquil! I honestly wasn't expecting anything else, considering that you guys have made it pretty clear you're all big Cyndaquil fans, and I am too so I was very happy with how things turned out this time : )

Once again, I would just like to say a MASSIVE 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 : )


Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village - Part 2


As the morning steadily progressed, the warm summer sun continued to filter through the emerald canopy of the forest, dappling the ground in a playful dance of light and shadow. But not even its gentle warmth could manage to lift the dampened spirits of the group. Nolan, Ash, Misty, and Brock treaded through the lush underbrush - Pikachu, Meadow and the rest of Nolan's Pokemon all in their wake - their hearts heavy from the day's disappointments. Misty kicked a pebble with a sigh, her vibrantly coloured ponytail swaying like a wilting flower, as she lamented her failure in capturing that cute little Poliwag. Beside her, Ash's brow was furrowed, the boy equally glum after his fruitless pursuit of the exceptionally rare wild Bulbasaur. The forest, usually filled with the sounds of chirping Pidgey and rustling leaves, felt eerily quiet, mirroring the feelings of defeat that hung in the air. Nolan, ever the optimist, glanced sideways at his friends, determined to lift their spirits.

"Hey, come on now, you two!" the golden haired boy clapped his hands together bracingly as he tried to bolster his friends' mood, "Every trainer has their off days, even the best ones. Just think of all the other wild Pokemon out there, waiting for us to capture and make friends with!"

His words of encouragement fell rather flat. Ash and Misty both just sighed, utterly miserable.

Nolan's reassuring grin faded into a soft frown of concern as his words seemed to float away into the dense foliage, forgotten like the dreams of capturing those elusive Pokemon. Just when the mood thickened like the roots lining the forest floor, a spark of anticipation ignited within Ash. His russet coloured eyes brightened, and a grin suddenly overshadowed his earlier despair.

It was quite an abrupt turnabout.

"Guys! Look ahead!" the raven haired boy shouted, pointing excitedly into the depths of the woods.

Wondering what could possibly have lifted their friend's spirits so high when Nolan had been trying to do the same for the last hour now, the others followed his gaze, their curiosity piqued.

The sight that greeted them made their hearts race.

Suspended high above a small canyon was a rope bridge, swinging gently in the breeze, its rather bland colours a stark contrast to the greenery surrounding it. It beckoned them like a secret invitation to adventure, an unexplored path that promised the thrill of discovery. His grin widening into a mischievous smirk, Ash couldn't contain himself.

"Ha ha ha!" the raven haired boy cackled gleefully, his voice echoing in the tranquil forest, "I bet there are Bulbasaur all over this place!"

Nolan wasn't too sure about that.

There was a reason why Bulbasaur was one of the starter Pokemon that were offered to brand new trainers in the Kanto region after all. Not only were they a strong enough species to protect young novices yet also be within their capabilities of managing, but for many people, it was the only opportunity for they would ever get to have a Bulbasaur on their team. Normally they were bred in captivity. It was for that reason that finding one in the wild like they had that morning was almost unheard of. In fact, Nolan was beginning to suspect that the one they had seen might even have been abandoned, it was such an unusable occurrence.

"I wouldn't get your hopes too high about that one Ash" the golden haired boy gently cautioned his best friend, not wanting him to face anymore disappointment today, "Bulbasaur are extremely rare Pokemon on a normal day, let alone finding one in the wild. I wouldn't be surprised if that one we saw is the only one in this entire forest. Right Meadow?"

He glanced down and smiled at the prime example of a Bulbasaur that was trotting alongside him.

"Saur!" Meadow nodded cheerfully from her spot clustered in with the rest of the golden haired boy's Pokemon, all of whom were still walking along with the group rather than resting inside of their pokeballs.

Ash seemed to consider Nolan's point for a moment, but his smile didn't diminish. If anything, it only grew wider.

"Well, you might be right Nolan but there's always a chance that you could be wrong as well" the raven haired boy replied, not rudely or arrogantly but with an air of genuine hope, "For all we know, there could be a whole bunch of wild Bulbasaur in this forest but nobody's ever discovered before!"

"That's true" Nolan acknowledged with a bob of his head, his optimism on the subject still very cautious, "I just don't want you to get your hubs up only to be disappointed again".

Ash's smile shifted into one that was much warmer and even slightly touched.

"You don't have to worry about me, Nolan" the raven haired boy assured his best friend, although he couldn't deny how nice it felt to know that somebody cared about him so much, "Even if there aren't any more wild Bulbasaur living in this forest, the one we saw did head in this direction, so there might be a chance that we'll run into it again and I can have another shot at trying to capture it!"

Nolan was about to reply, but before he could say anything, Misty perked up from her spot on Ash's other side and entered their conversation.

"Hey! You're right, Ash!" the water type Pokemon specialist exclaimed with a renewed sense of hope, "Maybe that means that the Poliwag we saw could still be in this area as well. You never know, maybe we'll both get lucky and get another chance to add those Pokemon to our respective teams!"

"That's the spirit you guys" Nolan beamed at his friends, glad to see that they were both perking up now.

"We just need to go over this place with a fine-tooth comb!" Ash continued cheerfully, his russet coloured eyes now sparkling with sheer determination.

And with that, he confidently marched out onto the bridge.

"But... where is 'this place'?" Misty asked nervously as she warily followed Ash onto the rickety bridge.

Despite how eager she was to find that cute little Poliwag again, the Water Type Pokemon Specialist couldn't help but feel a sense of unease that this bridge might not be safe for use. Misty didn't know what it was, but something about the wooden and rope structure just felt... unstable. It left a heavy knot of worry forming in the pit of her stomach, make no mistake.

Behind her, Brock felt a sliver of worry as we, albeit for a completely different reason.

Having been happy to leave the task of cheering up their friends up to Nolan up until this point, the aspiring Pokemon breeder had been using the time to intently study his map. Brock still had it in his outstretched arms as he followed the others onto the bridge, turning it this way and that in his hands. A bewildered expression tugged at the teenage boy's face.

"I can't find this bridge on my map" the aspiring Pokemon breeder eventually complained, unable to make sense of it.

Nolan was the only one left on the original side of the small canyon now. Much like Misty before him, the golden haired boy also had some reservations about the sturdiness of the bridge his friends were all currently standing on. He eyed the wooden planks that made up the structure with an air of distrust, before he glanced back at his team and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm... I don't think this bridge looks strong enough to support all of our weight at once" the golden haired boy mused aloud, before he glanced down at his Pokemon with a warm smile, "Maybe it's time for you guys to have a rest and go back into your pokeballs? What do you think?"

"Pidgey!"

"Geodude!"

"Venonat!"

"Growlithe!"

"Jigglypuff!"

Nolan couldn't help but smile at their enthusiastic reactions. His team were always so accommodating to whatever situation they happened to come across. Glad that nobody was upset at having their walk cut short, the golden haired boy quickly unclipped five of the six pokeballs hanging from his belt.

"Okay Welkin! Iris! Xanthite! Fang! Lyric!" Nolan happily called out each of their names in turn, "Return now!"

In a flash of crimson coloured light, the five creatures were all pulled back into the confines of their pokeballs. Meadow alone was left standing on the ground before Nolan, smiling up at him widely. Nolan returned the grin as he clipped the now occupied capsules back onto his belt.

"There we go" the golden haired boy said, before he turned back to his partner with a smile, "Our turn now Meadow".

"Bulba!" Meadow nodded up at him.

As one, the golden haired boy and the little Grass Type Pokemon both stepped onto the first wooden plank. When it held beneath them, their confidence was bolstered, and the duo quickly moved further out onto the bridge after their friends. Soon enough, the were all about halfway across.

That's when it happened.

Nolan wasn't sure if it was because of the group's combined weight on the unsteady structure, or the strong gust of wind that just so happened to sweep through the narrow canyon at that precise moment. Perhaps it was a combination of both. But right as Nolan and Meadow about to cross the halfway point, something truly terrible happened.

A gut-wrenching creak echoed through the air.

"WAAAH!" Nolan couldn't help the hoarse gasp of alarm that escaped him as the bridge lurched violently beneath him.

The golden haired whipped his head around to see what was happening, only to regret that decision less than a nanosecond later. Because to the young Pokemon trainer's utmost horror, he saw that the ropes holding up the end of the bridge from the direction they had come from were all fraying, much like the edges of his own sanity now were.

Oh. Oh no.

It didn't take a genius to work out what was coming next after all.

SNAP!

Almost like in the movies, time seemed to slow as Nolan felt the world tilt around him, the gaping chasm below suddenly beckoning him down into its depths. Around him, Ash, Misty and Brock all seemed to come to the same horrible realisation that Nolan had. Sadly, it came just a second too late.

The bridge was already falling.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Nolan heard all of his friends scream in panic as the four humans, two Pokemon, along with the bridge itself all began to tumble downwards.

With reactions faster than a Persian, Nolan just barely managed to seize hold of a flailing rope in time, grabbing on to prevent himself from falling. He let out a low hiss of pain as the harsh material sliced into his palms. Relatively secure, the golden haired boy quickly looked around to see what had happened to all of the others, hoping they'd all managed to avoid the nasty fall as well.

The sight that met his icy blue eyes was relieving, albeit only slightly.

Up ahead of where the golden haired boy was clinging onto the rope for dear life, Nolan saw that Ash, Misty and Pikachu had all managed to catch themselves as well. The raven haired boy was clutching on to one of the wooden boards tightly, whilst Misty was dangling from his ankle, having barely just caught herself in time. Pikachu was precariously balanced on the top edge of the bridge than now hung across the canyon sideways. It was the same with Meadow, much to Nolan's immense relief. That just left Brock. Much like Ash, the aspiring Pokemon breeder had grabbed hold of one of the planks, but unfortunately it just wasn't enough. Before Nolan's horrified eyes, the older boy began to lose his grip...

"BROCK! HOLD ON!" the golden haired boy screamed in panic. Bravely letting go of the rope with one hand, Nolan reached out to try and help his friend, but it was hopeless. His arms just weren't long enough.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Soon enough, the inevitable happened.

Gravity took hold, and Brock plummeted down towards the river far, far beneath them...

"Brock's falling!" Ash called out, a little unnecessarily to be honest. All of them had seen what had just happened after all, transfixed and utterly helpless to help him.

Before all of their petrified stares, there was a small splash, and their friend disappeared from sight entirely beneath the rushing water. In an instant, Brock was gone, swept away by the surprisingly rough currents. Nolan, Ash and Misty all just looked down in horror, stunned by what had just happened.

Unfortunately, they didn't even have time to try and process it.

CCCRRREEEAAAKKK!

Nolan grimaced upon hearing that ominous sound again, louder this time. Much louder. The golden haired boy could only gasp as the bridge suddenly jerked again, caught by another strong gust of wind. Honestly, it was something of a minor miracle that the structure was still holding together, damaged though it may be. It was even more impressive that Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Meadow were all able to keep their grip. The same could not be said for poor Nolan.

"AAAAHHHH!" the golden haired boy exclaimed in alarm as the rope flailed through the air, sending him flying. It sliced into his palm again, deep enough to draw blood this time, "Ouch!"

What happened next was truly horrible.

Unable to bare the pain of the rope burning and slicing into his hands anymore, Nolan scrunched his eyes tightly shut and hissed through his teeth in agony. That was his mistake, and the moment of distraction cost him dearly. Trying to readjust his grip into a more comfortable position, Nolan gasped as instead, it slipped through his fingers entirely. He tried to catch himself again, but it was already too late. Far too late.

Nolan began to fall as well.

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

"Oh no!" Ash gasped from above when he realised what had just happened, "Nolan!"

"BULBASAUR!"

"What the...?!" Nolan yelped in surprise and alarm when he descent was suddenly halted. Finding himself now hanging from the bridge like a bizarre Christmas bauble, the golden haired boy looked up to see what was happening.

The sight that met his icy blue eyes warmed his heart all the way through.

"Bulba... Bulbasaur!" Meadow, bless her soul, was doing her utmost to try and save her beloved human from what promised to be a very nasty fall indeed.

Showing once again just how loyal and quick-thinking she was, the Seed Pokemon had quickly unleashed her strong Vine Whip attack and had just managed to snag hold of Nolan's wrist in time. Now, the faithful Grass Type Pokemon was tugging with all her might, struggling to hoist Nolan back onto the damaged bridge whilst also maintaining her own precarious grip on the failing wooden structure.

"M-Meadow!" Nolan gasped in relief when he saw what his partner was doing, "Thank you! Now... try and pull me back up!"

"Saur!"

The little Bulbasaur dug in her feet, straining with all her might. Unfortunately, Nolan didn't move so much as an inch back up towards the bridge. He was just too heavy for her. She couldn't support all his weight.

"Come on Meadow!" Ash called encouragingly to his best friend's partner when he saw how badly she was struggling.

"You can do it!" Misty shouted to the little green creature as well.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu added, looking worried.

But it was no use.

Despite the sincere encouragement of all of their friends, human and Pokemon alike, Meadow simply couldn't hold up Nolan's entire body mass whilst also trying to keep her own footing on the collapsing bridge. It was only a matter of time before something had to give, and nanoseconds later, it did.

"SAUR!"

With a piercing shriek of frightful panic, Meadow lost her footing and slipped. And just like her trainer before her, the small Bulbasaur failed to catch herself before she toppled over the edge.

Then they were falling. Both of them...

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

For the second time in as many minutes, a harsh scream of terror slipped past Nolan Locke's lips. His arms and legs flailed as he plummeted, the wind rushing past him mercilessly. Up above, Ash and Misty were helpless to do anything but watch in abject horror.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Ash yelled in horrified shock, his russet coloured eyes growing to the size of dinner plates, "NNNOOOLLLAAANNN! MMMEEEAAADDDOOOWWW!"

SPLASH!

The screams of terrified concern were of very little use to their friends, and in a small plume of uprising water, the golden haired boy and his beloved Bulbasaur both vanished beneath the surface of the rapidly flowing river miles beneath them.

In a heartbeat, Nolan and Meadow were gone.

Before a stunned Ash or Misty had a chance to utter so much as a single syllable in response to the abrupt and unexpected events causing chaos all around them, the falling bridge suddenly lurched sharply once again. Fearing that they might both be about to meet a similar watery fate as their dear friends, Misty hastily tightened her grip on Ash's ankle with both of her trembling hands.

"ASH, YOU HAVE TO PULL US BACK UP!" the orange haired girl screamed, her panic really starting to set in now and threatening to overtake her completely, "IT'S OUR ONLY CHANCE!"

The raven haired boy knew that she was right.

Straining as hard as he could, Ash tugged and tugged at the wooden board he was clinging to for all he was worth. He groaned from the effort, his arm muscle starting to ache in protest. The raven haired boy gasped as he managed to lift himself up about a inch, only to slip back down again.

"I... can't..." Ash grunted in despair, not sure he could hold on for much longer. It was too much. All of it.

Misty wasn't prepared to accept that though.

"YES, YOU WILL! JUST PULL AS HARD AS YOU CAN!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist ordered, before she called out encouragingly, "COME ON ASH! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN SAVE US BOTH! YOU CAN!"

And perhaps Misty's faith in him was enough.

Summoning up every last ounce of strength that his body possessed, Ash heaved with all his might. The harsh texture of the wood irritated the sensitive flesh of his palms, and Ash was left with no doubt that he'd have many, many splinters by the end of this ordeal, but slowly but surely, inch by inch, the raven haired boy actually managed to make some progress. Oh, his arm muscles were screaming in protest by this point, and the boy knew he'd be sore for several days after this, if not weeks, but eventually Ash actually managed the impossible, and heaved both himself and his female friend back up to safety.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

Completely spent though, the exhausted Ash and Misty both collapsed at the edge of the canyon alongside Pikachu. All three of them were panting and gasping for oxygen that just wouldn't come quick enough. For a few long minutes, even the ability to speak was lost to them, both because of the exertion their bodies had been exposed to as well as the trauma they had just endured together. Finally however, their saviour was the one to break the heavy silence that had descended upon them.

"Phew..." Ash groaned tiredly as he just lay prone in the dirt, his body feeling as though it was completely ruined, "I'm totally wiped out..."

At his side, Misty was in the same pitiful condition as her raven haired friend. The girl was hunched on all fours, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Clinging onto Ash's leg as he'd heaved them both back up to safety had been a challenge in its own right, and now the young Water Type Pokemon Specialist could feel her body weakly quivering from the effort it had taken. As much as she wanted to stop and rest however, knowing it was well deserved, Misty sadly also knew that it simply wasn't an option at the moment, given the current circumstances.

"We can't rest now" she reminded Ash weakly, her vermillion coloured eyes wide with fearful concern for their friends, "We've got to find Nolan, Meadow and Brock!"

Ash couldn't help but groan from sheer exhaustion, but deep down he knew that his friend was right.

"You're right" the raven haired boy nodded.

So taking a deep breath, Ash begrudgingly pushed his exhausted body back to his feet. He held out a hand to help a grateful Misty to her feet as well, before he took pity on his own beloved partner, and scooped the thoroughly knackered Pikachu into his arms. The small Electric Type Pokemon gratefully let himself be carried.

Then they were off running.

As the depleted group set off into the woods in the hopes of finding a way down to the river, the same desperate thought was spinning through all three of their minds. Please, let Nolan, Brock and Meadow all be okay. Please.

Their friends had to be alright. They just had to be.

The alternative was not an option they were willing to consider...


Nolan's heart raced like a wild drum as the river churned around him, a frothy beast intent on pulling him under.

The roar of the water drowned out his thoughts, but one clear image flickered in the golden haired boy's mind - Meadow, his beloved Bulbasaur, fighting valiantly against the relentless tide to stay by his side. Her vibrant green vines, usually so confident in their grip, trembled as they struggled to anchor him in the chaos.

"Hold on, Meadow!" Nolan shouted, though the words felt swallowed by the torrent, barely rising above the froth.

The cool water surged, a frigid embrace despite the warm summer's dat that threatened to steal Nolan breath away, pulling him further into its heart. Each flurry of bubbles and swirling eddy felt like time slipping through his fingers, and panic clawed at his chest. Memories of sunlit days spent training beside Meadow flashed before his eyes - their first battle together, the laughter they shared, and the unbreakable bond that had formed under a sky of endless possibilities. He couldn't let it end here, not like this, swept away by a river that was far from a playful trickle, but more like a raging monster. With a fierce determination igniting his spirit, Nolan kicked against the current, straining to keep his head above the surface.

"Fight, Meadow! We can do this together!" he urged his beloved partner, summoning every ounce of strength within him.

"Bulb... Bulbasaur!" Meadow spluttered, desperately clinging to her human with her vines.

As the duo were swept further and further downstream, the world around them blurred into a chaotic swirl of green and brown, but through the storm, Nolan continued to feel the reassuring tug of Meadow's vines, steadfast and true.

Despite their perilous situation, the golden haired boy couldn't help but smile.

Even now, with their fates hanging so precariously in the balance, he and Meadow were the best of teams, interconnected in more ways than one, and together, they would defy the odds. As the water roared, an unyielding ember of hope ignited within Nolan beating heart. They would not be defeated. Not today.

And as if by divine intervention, they weren't going to be.

For quite suddenly, without any kind of warning or preamble whatsoever, a voice pierced through the chaos, clear and commanding, cutting through any rising fear that the duo might have had like a knife.

"HOLD ON!" the voice, which was slightly high-pitched and definitely feminine and origin called over the rushing water, "I'VE GOT YOU!"

And before the golden haired boy had a chance to register what was happening, a firm hand clutched the straps of his backpack, hoisting Nolan upward with a strength that defied his expectations.

"Wha...?" was all the young boy could manage to whisper in shock.

Gasping for breath as water cascaded from his face, Nolan then felt a sudden jolt as Meadow, her vines still tethered to him, a green guardian refusing to abandon her friend, emerged from the water, dripping and dazed as she was yanked from the swirling depths alongside him. Together, they emerged, spluttering and wide-eyed, as the world momentarily transformed into a blur of colours and sounds. But through the dazed confusion circling through his mind, Nolan had one extremely pressing question.

Who was their mysterious saviour?

As Nolan caught his breath and his thoughts came back into sharper focus, he turned to his attention to getting an answer. Glancing up from where he and Meadow were both sprawled out on the riverbank, the golden haired boy was surprised to see the silhouette of a girl, her determined expression illuminated by the golden rays of the sun breaking through the trees, a hero born from the shadows of his darkest moment.

It took all of Nolan's self-restraint not to worship the ground upon which she stood.

The girl that stood over him, or rather the young woman, considering that she appeared to be either eighteen or nineteen years of age, was incredibly beautiful. She had long, dark blue hair with bangs that were styled straight across her forehead, and a green ribbon at her shoulder held it back in a tight ponytail. A red headband was set firmly in place across her forehead above her bangs, and her eyes matched the colour of her hair perfectly, sparkling like twin sapphires as she glanced down at him in concern. She was wearing a pink, short-sleeved shirt under a reddish-brown pair of dungarees. The mysterious hero's expression was gentle, her lips quirking into a slight smile as she realised that Nolan seemed relatively unharmed. But it wasn't the girl's obvious good looks that made Nolan and Meadow both want to grovel at her feet.

It was the fact that this woman might literally have just saved both their lives.

"Th-thank you, really" were the only words a still stunned Nolan could muster up right now, his voice still little more than a breathy whisper. The young woman just smiled down at him reassuringly.

"It's okay, you're safe now" she said soothingly, her eyes and tone both incredibly kind. She let out a soft chuckle as she continued, "Though you and your friend over there both gave me quite the surprise!"

The woman gestured at something a short distance further up the riverbank.

Unable to think of a verbal response to what she had just said, Nolan could do little more than simply turn his gaze in the direction she had indicated. The golden haired boy felt his icy blue eyes widen with surprise for the second time in as many minutes. Crouching there, coughing and spluttering as he clearly tried to get oxygen back into his own burning lungs, was none other than Brock. Oh, the aspiring Pokemon breeder was thoroughly drenched and treading water every which way, but he was thankfully alive and miraculously even looked relatively unharmed.

"Oh thank goodness!" the golden haired boy could feel his eyes shining with unshed tears of relief upon seeing the friend he had feared the worst for just minutes ago, "Brock! Are you alright?"

The aspiring Pokemon breeder hacked up another mouthful of dirty river water, before flashing his friend a weak thumbs-up.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Brock told the younger boy, before giving Nolan a small grin when his friend looked thoroughly unconvinced, "Just a bit battered from going over the falls. You okay man?"

Surprising even himself, Nolan found himself nodding weakly at the question.

"I'm... yeah, I'm okay. And I think Meadow is too" the golden haired boy replied, tugging his beloved partner into his arms and hugging her, before turning his attention back to their saviour. The young woman had been politely waiting in silence as the boys assured each other that they were still in one piece, "Thanks to this kind woman who rescued all three of us".

Upon taking notice of the person who had dragged him out of the water before hastily moving on to rescuing Nolan and Meadow right afterwards, Brock couldn't help but blush.

"T-Thank you Miss" the aspiring Pokemon breeder stammered out gratefully, blushing even harder when the beautiful young woman turned and smiled warmly at him, "For saving me and my friends. I-I don't know what we would have done without your quick thinking or kindness. We're all so grateful!"

Her smile widening, the young woman just shrugged modestly in the face of their collective gratitude.

"Oh think nothing of it. You guys needed help and luckily I was in the right place at the right time to be able to give it" the blue haired young woman giggled, the sound light and very pleasant on the air, "I'm Melanie by the way. Who are you guys?"

Brock stepped forward, a very charming smile lighting up his whole face.

"My name is Brock, and this is my friend Nolan" the aspiring Pokemon breeder introduced the two humans as he came and stood at Nolan's side, the younger boy still sprawled out on the ground as he recovered from their recent ordeal, "It's a pleasure to meet you Melanie".

"Yeah" Nolan nodded empathically in agreement from his spot on the ground, "Oh, and this here is my partner Pokemon. Say hello, Meadow".

"Bulba!" Meadow cheerfully greeted their rescuer as well.

Melanie, who up until this point hadn't actually paid much attention to the fact that Nolan had a Pokemon at his side, glanced down at the little green creature with an air of curiosity. As soon as she realised exactly what species of Pokemon she was looking at, Melanie's pretty blue eyes widened in surprise and then practically shone with utter delight.

"Oh wow, your partner's a Bulbasaur!" the blue haired young woman beamed, but upon catching Nolan's surprised look, she quickly elaborated on her happy reaction, "I actually have a connection to one of these little cuties myself, you see. There's a very special Bulbasaur that lives in these woods, and he's a dear friend of mine".

The realisation hit Nolan, Brock and Meadow like a lightning bolt.

"Wait really? That's so cool!" Nolan crowed, excited since he had never actually met another trainer with a Bulbasaur of their own on their journey so far. And it was always nice to meet someone that he had something in common with, "We actually encountered a wild Bulbasaur in the forest a little while ago! I wonder if it might have been the same one..."

Melanie giggled again, her blue eyes sparkling playfully.

"That was most definitely my friend that you saw, since he's the only wild Bulbasaur in this whole forest" Melanie assured the group before her, her conviction leaving little room for any argument, "I imagine he was out on one of his patrols again".

"Patrols?" Brock tilted his head to one side, his confusion evident.

Melanie just casually wave the hand at his inquiry, a silent but obvious gesture that she would explain everything later. Right now the young woman just looked more concerned for her friend.

"Was he okay when you saw him?" Melanie asked, a little anxiety creeping into her tone now.

"The Bulbasaur was fine" Nolan quickly assured the young woman who had saved him and the others, knowing how intense the mental pain could be of being worried for a Pokemon friend that was special to you, "He ran off into the forest after our friend Ash tried to battle him".

Melanie looked like she wanted to ask more questions about that, but before she could utter so much of a single syllable, a sharp gasp from Brock cut over her.

"Ash! And Misty and Pikachu too! We forgot all about them!" the aspiring Pokemon breeder exclaimed an alarm as a dreadful realisation suddenly struck him. He quickly turned to his younger friend, his expression and posture both the very definition of frantic urgency, "Nolan! You manage to hang onto the bridge for longer than I did! What about the rest of our friends?! Did you see what happened to any of them?!"

Worry began to creep into Nolan's features as well, as he reluctantly cast his mind back to that terrifying moment.

"I'm not sure" the golden haired boy slowly admitted, cautious in his optimism but willing to give voice to it anyway, "But there's a good chance they managed to save themselves, since I never saw any of them hit the water behind me".

Brock nodded grimly, knowing that it was a good theory, but unable to prevent himself from still worrying about their friends.

"Excuse me, sorry, but I'm afraid I'm a little lost here" Melanie chimed in politely, able to see that both of the boys before her were growing steadily more anxious about something, but unable to determine the exact reason why, "Who are you talking about? And for that matter, how on earth did you two end up in the river anyway, let alone anyone else?

Nolan and Brock exchanged weary glances, before they begrudgingly began to explain.

"Well, we were crossing this rope bridge over the river" Brock began to explain, his face darkening as he thought back on the downright terrifying experience, "But then the bridge suddenly collapsed, dropping us in! We couldn't stop it!"

Melanie gasped in horror, her hand flying up to cover her mouth.

"Oh my gosh, that's terrible!" the kind young woman shook her head in dismay, her sapphire eyes widening in concern, "You're lucky to be alive. I'm so sorry that happened to you both".

Nolan waved a hand dismissively. What's done was done. There was no point in dwelling on it.

"Right now it doesn't matter" the golden haired boy said pragmatically, although judging by the expression clouding her pretty face, it was obvious Melanie thought he was downplaying the trauma, "We need to find Ash and Misty and make sure they're both okay. Pikachu too".

Concern evident all over his face, Brock quickly nodded his head in agreement.

"You're right" the aspiring Pokemon breeder acknowledged, hoping that their friends were all safe and sound. The alternative of them lying injuries somewhere did bare thinking about, "We should go look for them".

Nolan couldn't agree more.

The golden haired boy pushed himself up off the ground using his arms, slowly clambering to his feet. Blissfully unaware that anything might be wrong or even amiss, Nolan went to take a single step forwards...

"AAAAAHHHHH!"

Catching him completely off guard, a searing agony suddenly ripped through Nolan's ankle, a white-hot brand that stole his breath. Before he could stop it, a choked cry escaped his lips, a raw sound swallowed by the vast, indifferent landscape. The golden haired boy swayed, teetering on the precipice of a fall, the world tilting precariously on its axis.

"NOLAN!"

But before the earth could claim him, twin concerned voices called out his name, and in an instant, two figures materialized - Brock, ever-steady, a granite wall of calm, and Melanie, a whirlwind of concern, her eyes wide with alarm. Their hands were on the golden haired boy's arms before he even hit the ground, their grip keeping him steady despite the rising crescendo of his pain.

"Nolan?" Brock was immediately very concern again, "What happened?! What's wrong?!"

"Are you okay?" Melanie added anxiously.

Gasping for breath and clinging to them both to remain upright, the golden haired boy in question quickly took his weight off one of his ankle, immediately feeling the sudden jolt of pain recede again.

"M-My ankle..." Nolan managed to stammer out, just barely blinking back tears of agony, "It really hurts. I must have done something to it when I fell".

"That's not good!" Brock muttered grimly.

"Saur!" Meadow fretted as well.

"Don't worry Meadow!" Nolan was able to muster up a tiny smile for his partner. When she didn't look particularly reassured, he quickly added, "I'll be fine. It just caught me by surprise".

"Bulba..." Meadow stared at him incredulously, clearly not buying a word of it.

Whilst the golden haired boy was trying to reassure his partner, Melanie left the task of holding him up to Brock. The pretty blue haired young woman quickly knelt down, and without waiting for an invitation, she gently rolled up the leg of Nolan's jeans to examine his ankle. She frowned thoughtfully as she took in the swollen area, unable to help but notice how it was already darkening to an impressive shade of purple.

"Yes, it looks badly bruised. But I don't think it's broken" Melanie said as she lightly propped the injured appendage, causing Nolan to wince, "You've just sprained it".

The reassurance did little to temper Brock's building concerns.

"We have to get him to a doctor!" the aspiring Pokemon breeder exclaimed, nervous panic beginning to creep into both his tone and expression.

Melanie was gentle when she disagreed with him.

"He just needs rest, and a cold compress should do wonders! I know exactly how to patch him up" the kind woman assured, before she pointedly reminded the two boys of their other problem, "Then we can worry about finding your other friends".

The reminder was enough to refocus Nolan's attention away from his throbbing ankle in an instant.

"I'm fine, really" the golden hair boy replied, more concerned about learning about the fates of Ash and Misty right now than he was about his own welfare right now, "I can manage".

At his side, Brock raised a sceptical eyebrow at that declaration.

"Nolan. We just fell off a bridge and almost drowned" the older boy reminded his friend in the bluntest manner imaginable, "You are definitely not fine".

The golden haired boy in question scowled up at his friend. He never was one to abide a fuss.

"I said I'm fine Brock!" Nolan insisted, a little more heatedly this time around. Once again, the aspiring Pokemon breeder just looked at him with an air of disbelief.

"Oh really?" Brock scoffed derisively in response, "Well try walking then!"

Scoffing indignantly, Nolan tried taking a small hesitant step forward. Much to the boy's embarrassment and frustration however, he almost immediately collapsed in pain again. He silently fumed in annoyance at the smug expression now lining Brock's face.

"See? You're not fine" Brock scolded his friend in an way that was eerily reminiscent of how he used to wrangle his younger siblings, "So stop being stubborn, and let me help you".

And then without waiting for a response, the aspiring Pokemon breeder grabbed Nolan by the waist, and hefted the smaller boy up over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. The golden haired boy yelped in shock and started squirming. A blaze of indignant fury flashed across his handsome features.

Needless to say, Nolan was far from impressed by what Brock had just done.

"I am not going to be carried around like a helpless infant!" the golden haired boy squawked furiously, wriggling for all he was worth but finding his friend's grip impossible to escape from, "Put me down Brock!"

Smirking, Brock just bucked Nolan's flailing form higher across his shoulder.

"Quit your whining and stop squirming" the aspiring Pokemon breeder chuckled, clearly enjoying himself now, "You're too hurt to walk so I'm carrying you whether you like it or not".

Unsurprisingly, Nolan wasn't satisfied with that response. Not. One. Bit.

"Put me down! I'm not some child you can just manhandle!" the golden haired boy repeated insistently, groaning in embarrassment and genuine mortification, "Ugh, this is so undignified..."

Off to the side, Melanie just watched the pair of them incredulously.

"Um, guys?" the pretty blue haired young woman eventually decided it was time to intervene, "I hate to interrupt your little domestic dispute, but I do have a suggestion if you'd like to hear it..."

Snapping out of their argument, Brock and Nolan both grinned at her sheepishly.

"Oh, sorry Melanie" the aspiring Pokemon breeder apologised, having momentarily forgotten that he and his friend had company, "Yeah, please, what did you have in mind? We could definitely use some help right about now".

Melanie smiled understandingly before she began to explain her proposal.

"Well you see, I actually live in a small cabin not far from here. You can both join me there so I can patch up that ankle" the pretty blue haired young woman suggested to them warmly, "It's certainly a better option than trying to carry Nolan out of this forest to the nearest town".

Nolan opened his mouth to politely decline the offer, since in his eyes he was still adamant it was unnecessary, but unfortunately for him, Brock beat him to the punch.

"That's a very smart idea Melanie" Brock accepted the offer, though Nolan had a sneaking suspicion that it was more about spending some more time with the pretty girl in front of them than Nolan's personal welfare that served as the motivation, "It's very kind of you, and we're only too happy to accept, as long as we're not imposing on your generosity".

Nolan huffed from his spot, still slung over Brock's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"You wouldn't be imposing at all" Melanie assured the aspiring Pokemon breeder kindly, "Please, follow me. It's not too far, I promise".

And with that, the kind young woman turned and marched off into the forest, the very picture of a woman on a mission. Sharing a glance, Meadow and Brock quickly set off after her, before Nolan had a chance to start complaining again. As they followed their rescuer deep into the woods however, one single question hung in the air between the three of, unspoken and yet still terribly oppressive.

Namely... could their group's luck get any worse today?


And that marks the end of part two for this episode : )

Poor Nolan. He always manages to find trouble ; ) Yeah, I decided to have him fall off the bridge with Brock, mostly because I was struggling to figure out what to do with Nolan in this episode. Since it's a very Ash-central episode in Canon, I didn't want to take too much away from that, but at the same time, I can't just have Nolan doing nothing, because he is the main character. By having Nolan fall into the river with Brock, it allowed me to create a few original scenes, just so it doesn't feel too out of touch with the rest of the story and how all of the other episodes have progressed so far : )

But enough about the actual contents of this chapter for now. Let's move on to something else that I want to go through with you guys, before we then move on to this week's voting. As mentioned in the previous chapter, the two evolutions that I have commandeered control of come from the five Pokeathlon Evolutions Votes, which I have now dropped down to three. I just wanted to show you guys how I'll be presenting the data moving forwards, so that when you guys do get to vote on a Pokeathlon Evolution, it hopefully won't be confusing : ) So, to evolve Eevee into Flareon, I forfeited the Stamina event.

The Pokemon that I used in the Stamina Event were Slugma, Lickitung and Mareep. The opponents that I faced and their teams were as follows: -

Irvin - Onix, Geodude, Rhydon.

Hudson - Magnemite, Voltorb, Shuckle.

Mandu - Mankey, Machop, Tyrogue.

The first event was the Ring Drop game. My Pokemon came in first place in that game by earning 113 points.

The next event was the Relay Run. Again my Pokémon team came in first place by running a total of 11.4 laps.

Finally, the third event was the Block Smash game. You guys guessed it, my team came in first place again, with a total of 73 pieces smashed.

For the additional bonus points, my team got 38 Challenge Bonus points, putting me in second place to Irvin and Hudson for that category, both of whom got 39 points. There were no individual points awarded, and the points leader went to Irvin's Rhydon. In terms of the Prize for effort, the Pokemon that failed the most was Hudson's Shuckle.

Overall, in 4th place with 181 points was Hudson. 3rd place with 263 points went to Mandu. 2nd place with a total of 374 points was awarded to Irvin, but with a grand total of 394 points, my team were the winners : )

Posting the results this time was just for reference, so you guys know what to expect when it's time for you guys to decide one of these votes. I now have a Flareon, which I'm very happy about : )

And now, let's move on to this week's voting topic. Now that I have a slightly more powerful team at my disposal, I felt comfortable enough taking on Morty, and thankfully I defeated him with no trouble. This allowed me to now use Surf outside of battle, which in turn unlocked a lot more of the map. So, this week's voting topic is going to be another Encounter Vote, and I'm very excited about this one because we are guaranteed a new Johto Pokemon out of it : ) Here are the options.

Pokemon Options: -

Lake of Rage: - Pineco - Male - Quiet Nature - Sturdy Ability

Route 43 - Girafarig - Male - Naive Nature - Inner Focus Ability

Cianwood City - Shuckle - Male - Mild Nature - Sturdy Ability

Route 37 - Stantler - Male - Timid Nature - Frisk Ability

Route 39 - Miltank - Female - Adamant Nature - Scrappy Ability

I deliberately grouped these five Pokemon together, because I'd be thrilled to get any of them. I actually find them all quite interesting Pokemon, so please go leave your vote in a review : )

Finally, to those of you that celebrate it, I just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you all have a brilliant new year : D

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 : )