Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter, and I gotta say, it's nice to be returning to the canonical timeline after so long away, especially considering this is the first of three very iconic episodes : )
Now I don't have much to say in the headnote, so let's just jump right on in to the result of the last voting topic. Thankfully there wasn't a tie this time, and the winner was... Porygon2! I actually think this is incredibly fitting, since it's the generation that introduced this remarkable Pokemon, plus we never got an actual anime episode featuring it. Glad I get to change that in my version of events ; )
Finally, I just want to give you guys a heads-up. I know that not everybody who reads this story partakes in the voting aspect of this series, which is fine, but if you do or are interested regardless, there's going to be an important note to read in the footnote, so please don't skip it. It's nothing bad, just something to be aware of : )
Anyway, beyond that I just want to say an ENORMOUS thankyou 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
Bulbasaur and the Hidden Village - Part 1
As the golden rays of the morning sun filtered through the dense canopy of leaves above, casting playful shadows on the forest floor, Nolan meandered through the winding paths of the woods with his friends in toe, blissfully unaware of his direction. Lost, yes, but his heart was still swelling with joy at the thought of his six loyal Pokemon companions, each a testament to his journey to date and of the dreams of adventures yet to come. The golden haired boy could still scarcely believe it. It felt too good to be true, but it was. It really was. He, Nolan Locke from the humble town of Pallet, now carried a full team of six with him, the first of his friends to achieve such a feat. It really cemented the fact that he was growing quickly as a trainer now, and Nolan couldn't help but feel quite proud of himself and the little family he had put together so far. Just the thought of any one of those special six Pokemon was enough to fill the golden haired boy's heart with joy, enough to make his smile threaten to outshine the sun. As such, he had decided that as a family bonding exercise, all of them could join him outside of their pokeballs for today's hike as opposed to just Meadow. He wanted all six of his beloved Pokemon to develop strong friendships with one another after all. The golden haired boy smiled as his icy blue eyes landed on each of them in turn as their partied continued on their way to the ever-elusive Vermillion City. Meadow the faithful Bulbasaur, basking in the dappled sunlight whilst keeping close to her beloved human. Welkin the Pidgey, soaring through the skies overhead and chirping happily. Iris the Venonat, enjoying a walk through the beautiful wildflowers. Xanthite the Geodude, floating along next to Nolan, her protective motherly instincts on high. Fang the Growlithe, dashing about with his usual playful enthusiasm whilst Nolan struggled to keep an eye on him. And finally, Lyric the Jigglypuff, the newest member of their family, hummed a soft melody as she bounced along. Nolan had been very pleased to note that with her kind and sweet disposition, the Balloon Pokemon had fitted in very well with all of the others with remarkable ease, and was already considered a good friend by all of them. Despite it being only a short time since she'd come into their lives, it felt like she'd been part of the gang forever. The thought warmed Nolan all the way through. Together, Nolan and his six companions had created a symphony of friendship that echoed throughout the entire forest. Truly, in that moment, surrounded by his Pokemon family, the world felt right, and no maze of nature could ever dim the brightness of Nolan's spirit.
It was a shame that his human friends most certainly did not share in Nolan's cheerful perspective right now.
"Don't worry" Ash uttered the two simple words softly, not realising that they would be the tiny spark to ignite the tension brewing amongst the humans, hidden just beneath the surface, "I'm positive this way'll take us back to the path!"
Nolan just shrugged, not feeling in any particular to get out of the woods today. Misty and Brock on the other hand both glowered at the raven haired boy in anger.
"Positive, huh?" Brock sneered and shook his head. The derisive nature of his tone did not go unnoticed by the others.
"That's what you said an hour ago!" Misty agreed with the aspiring Pokemon breeder, her glare trained firmly on Ash, her voice a low whine of protest, "I'm tired!"
It took all of the orange haired girl's self-restraint not to stamp her foot in annoyance.
"I told you to stick to the main road..." Misty rounded on Ash with her hands on her hips, the girl's tone and expression both very accusing, "But you had to take a shortcut!"
The sharp words struck Ash like an angry Beedrill sting.
"I took a shortcut?" the raven haired boy spluttered indignantly, gaping at his female friend in sheer disbelief for a moment, before his handsome features hardened into self-righteous anger, "It was you who said to go this way!"
Unsurprisingly, Ash's attempt to push the blame back at Misty did little to improve the irate girl's mood.
"Ha!" the orange haired girl snapped back, scoffing loudly which only seemed to serve to aggravate Ash even further as well, "If I was leading, we wouldn't have gotten lost like this!"
Nolan watched on nervously as Ash angrily squared up to Misty. Around him, all six of his beloved Pokemon did the same.
"Who says we're lost?!" the raven haired boy demanded to know, his face slightly turning an unpleasant shade of red, clearly very offended by the heavy criticism of his navigational skills.
Across from him, Misty's face flushed red with angry frustration as well.
"Listen, genius!" the orange haired girl shouted as loudly a few roosting Spearow in a nearby tree were startled into flight, "If you don't know where you are
or where you're going, that means you're lost!"
Her blatant condescension seemed to be grating on Ash's very last nerve, and the raven haired boy angrily opened his mouth to fire back what would no-doubt be a very cutting response. Before the up-and-coming Pokemon master could verbalise his scathing thoughts towards his female friend however, Nolan quickly got between them, knowing he needed to intervene before this argument could escalate into something very nasty.
"That's enough you two" the golden haired boy said firmly, drawing his two friends' attention onto himself, "Both of you need to take a deep breath and calm down!"
Nolan soon found himself on the wrong end of two very disgruntled looks.
"But Nolan! She said...!" Ash rounded on his blonde haired best friend furiously, a look of utter betrayal shining in his russet orbs.
"He...!" Misty began at the exact same moment, her heated protest drowned at by the raven haired boy's voice as his was by her's.
Nolan held up his hand, his gaze and expression stern.
"It doesn't matter who said or who did what. What matters is that you two are friends" the golden haired boy reminded them both pointedly, observing how both Ash and Misty seemed to deflate slightly upon being reminded of that fact, thankfully both looking a little ashamed of themselves for their harsh words and short tempers, "And friends shouldn't start tearing chunks out of other for things outside of their control".
The memory of how Nolan had treated Ash on their first day as Pokemon trainers flashed through his mind, and Nolan couldn't help but feel somewhat hypocritical. He didn't allow that to stop him now though.
"Now Misty, I know that you're not happy with how long you've had to wait to get to Vermillion City, but none of us are getting us lost on purpose, okay?" Nolan gently reminded his female friend.
Misty sighed, her anger leaving her as she averted her gaze, shamefaced.
"I know..." the orange haired girl admitted softly.
"And Ash" Nolan turned back to his closest human friend within the group once he was sure Misty had got the message, "You need to stop taking every single word that isn't a compliment as a personal attack. We all know it was you that suggested the shortcut, but to be honest, we didn't have to follow you, so the blame isn't squarely on your shoulders. So please, stop flying off the handle when there's really no need to".
The raven haired boy hung his head, inwardly berating himself for how quickly his temper had got the better of him. It was an ongoing problem he knew he still needed to work on.
"Okay, okay. I get it" Ash muttered, still a little begrudging but at least a lot calmer now, "I'm sorry".
"Good!" Nolan beamed cheerfully, pleased that the escalating tension between the travelling quartet had been resolved with a minimal amount of fuss. The golden haired boy then clapped his hands together bracingly as a new thought suddenly struck him, "Now, I suggest that we take this opportunity to have a short break. We could all do with a moment to rest our feet, plus it would give us an opportunity to study the map and hopefully figure out what we to do to get ourselves back on the right path".
Much to Nolan's relief, all three of his human friends agreed with small smiles.
"Sounds good to me" Misty said, mustering up a slightly strained smile. The orange haired girl then cast her gaze around the forest clearing they had abruptly stopped in, and spotting a large tree stump, she quickly moved over to it and sat down. The boys all joined her, each of them pulling out their water bottles to take a refreshing drink.
The four weary travellers all sat in a companionable silence for a while.
Nolan was just in the process of returning his canteen to his backpack when he happened to notice Fang edging a bit to close to the edge of the clearing for his liking. The golden haired boy sighed, not in the mood for any more drama just yet. He quickly cleared his throat pointedly.
"Fang!" he called out to the excitable Puppy Pokemon, carefully to keep his tone light but firm, his tone holding a mild warning within it "Don't wander too far away from the rest of us, okay?"
"Growl!" Fang barked happily, wagging his roll. Nolan shook his head fondly.
"Xanthite, could you please keep an eye on him for me?" the golden haired boy requested, turning to the Rock Type Pokemon in question. He knew that out of all of his Pokemon, Xanthite was the best suited for the job after all, considering her kind and nurturing demeanour. She also had what could only be described as a motherly patience when at came to the Puppy Pokemon's antics, so there was no one Nolan trusted more to keep him out of trouble and maintain a watchful eye on him.
"Geo!" Xanthite gave the golden haired boy a thumbs-up, before she floated across the clearing to where Fang was curiously sniffing a berry bush, "Dude! Geodude!"
Fang looked up and smiled up at the Rock Pokemon hovering in the air above him.
"Growlithe!" he barked happily.
"Dude!" Xanthite beamed back at him, glad that the Puppy Pokemon was behaving himself. Xanthite knew that Fang never meant to cause any trouble of course, but it just seemed to come to him naturally. She was glad that right now wasn't such an occasion. Reaching down with her bulky fingers, the motherly creature gently petted Fang and stroked his fur. She smirked when the Puppy Pokemon practically melted into a puddle of fluff at her touch.
"Growlithe..." Fang purred softly and nuzzled up against his fellow teammate affectionately.
Across the clearing from them, Nolan's heart threatened to melt in his chest.
When he was younger, the golden haired boy had always dreamed of having a close-knit Pokemon team. He'd always hoped that any Pokemon that he was fortunate enough to bring into the little family would learn to love each other the same way Nolan loved all of them. So to now see the evidence of that very dream becoming a reality in front of him honestly warmed Nolan all the way through. Grinning brightly to himself, the golden haired boy cast an affectionate gaze around at the rest of his friends. As expected, he found Meadow and Iris sitting in a nearby patch of flowers together, enjoying a nice conversation with each other. Welkin on the other hand was roosting on a low hanging tree branch, his head tucked under his wing as he took a quick power nap. And Lyric... Lyric was...
"Jiggly!"
Nolan jumped slightly in surprise, but then laughed good-naturedly when the cute little Jigglypuff suddenly hopped up into his lap, smiling happily. Grinning, the golden haired boy affectionately patted the newest addition to his team on her head.
"Everything okay Lyric?" Nolan asked the small pink creature kindly.
"Jiggly! Jigglypuff!"
The Balloon Pokemon bounced up and down in his lap, her wide eyes even wider than normal as she wildly gestured at something behind him. Nolan arched an eyebrow at her, his expression inquisitive.
"Did you see something out there in the forest?" he asked, suddenly feeling a little nervous.
"Puff!" Lyric drew in a deep breath to inflate her body, before she floated up and hovered by Nolan's head. The adorable pink Pokemon then resumed pointing at whatever it was that she had spotted.
Nolan casually glanced back over his shoulder, and a look of surprise immediately flashed across his features.
In another forest clearing just off to the side of the one their little group was currently resting in, a similar scene met Nolan's gaze. The sun was dappling down through the canopy, casting whimsical patterns on the forest floor. A small, shimmering pond, barely wider than a Snorlax's footprint, sat nestled amongst verdant ferns. Beside it, oblivious to the world around it, a tiny Pokemon lapped at the cool water, its eyes wide and innocent. Its bright blue skin shimmered in the sunlight, and a pattern on its white belly seemed to swirl around lazily. The Pokemon's tail flicked about rhythmically, and it seemed utterly content in its peaceful solitude. It didn't take long for Nolan to mentally identify the creature.
Poliwag.
He and his friends had stumbled across a wild Poliwag.
Nolan's mind immediately began to race with the possibilities that this situation had suddenly presented to him. After all, his team currently had a very wide Water Type shaped gap in it. And to be honest, Nolan felt that there was always room for more in his beloved Pokemon family. Plus, there was also the fact that he had seen just how powerful this species' evolution could become with the right training, A.J's Poliwhirl being a prime example. Nolan would have to be a fool not to recognise the Poliwag's potential. And of the many things Nolan Locke was, a fool wasn't one of them.
His decision made, the golden haired boy hastily scrambled to his feet.
"Nice spot Lyric!" Nolan beamed at the Balloon Pokemon still floating near his head, prompting her to preen under the praise. The golden haired boy consider his options for a moment, but quickly settled upon the most logical, "Sorry to cut your break short Meadow, but I need your help!"
"Bulba!" Meadow didn't even blink, too used to these types of things happening by this point. Instead, she simply got up and moved over to her beloved human's side, ready for anything.
Still sitting and resting on the tree stump; Ash, Misty and Brock all looked up at Nolan in surprise.
"What is it Nolan?" Brock asked wearily, expecting trouble. The aspiring Pokemon breeder subconsciously ran his fingers across the pokeballs he carried. Ash and Misty exchanged nervous looks.
"Look over there" the golden haired boy smiled, nodding in the direction of the little Poliwag still drinking from the small pond.
All of his friends glanced in the direction that Nolan had indicated. Collectively, their eyes all widened in surprise as they took nervous of the small Water Type Pokemon for the first. They all mirrored Nolan's earlier action in jumping to their feet.
"Oh wow!" Ash exclaimed, his russet eyes widening at the sight of the little blue and white creature, "A Pokemon!"
The raven haired boy quickly drew his pokedex from his jacket pocket. He aimed it in the general direction of the wild Pokemon that had captivated their attention.
"Poliwag - the Tadpole Pokemon" Dexter announced after successfully identifying the creature in the forest clearing, "The swirl on its body is its internal organs seen through its skin. The swirl can look different, depending on where a Poliwag lives. Despite the fact that it has yet to grow arms at this evolutionary stage, Poliwag's tail makes it a strong swimmer".
"And I bet it's a strong battler too!" Nolan beamed as Ash folded his pokedex shut and put it away again, "Which is exactly why I'm going to try and add it to my team!"
His bold declaration was met by three very surprised looks indeed.
"You're going to try and capture it?" Ash arched an eyebrow at his best friend. It was a little jarring after all, considering just how many Pokemon the golden haired boy had added to his team recently. His best friend had definitely been on a capturing hot-streak lately, no mistake about it. In fact, Ash was beginning to feel as though he might be starting to lag behind slightly.
"Sure am!" Nolan winked playfully in response, before he immediately got serious as he turn his attention back to the matter at hand, "Okay Meadow! Let's start things off with your..."
But whatever attack the blonde haired boy was about to call for, nobody would ever know.
"Hold on a second Nolan!" Misty suddenly exclaimed as she stepped up to his side. The orange haired girl quickly threw out her arm in front of Nolan, stopping him in his tracks before he could even start the battle against the wild Water Type Pokemon.
"What is it, Misty?" the golden haired boy demanded to know, his tone a strange mix of impatience, frustration and also concern at the abrupt interruption, "What's the matter?"
The Water Type Pokemon Specialist took a deep breath, before she looked up at Nolan with an air of hope in her eyes.
"Listen... I know this is a really big favour for me to ask of you Nolan, but..." Misty took another deep breath, clearly trying to steady her nerves before making what she was quite a bold request, "I'd really appreciate it if you let me have a go at catching that Poliwag first".
The golden haired boy's jaw dropped wide open in shock.
"Wah...?" was the oh-so-elegant response that slipped past the stunned boy's lips. It was quite a large ask of another aspiring Pokemon trainer after all. Nolan quickly shook himself to get past the shock Misty's request had just struck in him though, and asked a question of his own, "But why?"
Relieved that her friend hadn't straight-up denied her request without even hearing her out first, Misty earnestly continued whilst she had his attention.
"I'm a Water Type Pokemon Specialist" the orange haired girl began, her tone and expression both somewhat pleading yet impassioned at the same time, "Now I'm not saying that means I automatically get first dibs on capturing any Water Type Pokemon we might come across, of course I'm not saying that. But... we've yet to ever go anywhere where you'd usually come across them. We haven't been to any large lakes, and we're still struggling to get to the ocean around Vermillion City. We haven't even seen a wild Water Type Pokemon since we all began travelling together, and that was weeks ago! I'm really starting to feel like I'm not progressing very much as a trainer anymore. I'd really like the opportunity to try and change that today Nolan. Please?"
The plea was made with such genuine earnestness that Nolan couldn't help it when his heart started aching for her.
It was an aspect of their travelling that Nolan hadn't really considered before, probably because it was something unique specifically to Misty within their group. Brock was an aspiring breeder that wanted to raise and nurture all manner of Pokemon, and Nolan and Ash were both Generalists, not Specialists. They both sought a vast array of elemental types when it came to their Pokemon teams, but Misty didn't have quite the same level of freedom. A self-imposed obstacle, yes, but an obstacle none the less. Plus, Misty was his friend, and he didn't want to hold her back by being selfish. Not to mention he had only just added both Fang and Lyric to his own Pokemon family, so perhaps it was someone else's turn.
The decision made, the golden haired boy flashed his friend a warm and genuine smile.
"Okay Misty" Nolan smiled as he took a step back, prompting Meadow to do the same, both of them withdrawing from the battle before it could even begin, "Give it your best shot".
Misty's eyes widened in awed surprise, a soft gasp slipping her lips.
"Really? You really mean it Nolan?" the orange haired girl stared at her friend in disbelief for a moment, before a bright beaming grin eclipsed her face, "Oh thank you!"
Seeing how happy he'd made his female friend, Nolan knew he'd made the right decision.
"Now I just want to be clear..." Nolan quickly added, wanting to be very firm on this next boundary before a president could accidentally be set between them, "I won't be stepping aside every time this happens. I know it's harder for you to can new Pokemon than the rest of us because of the nature of our journey, but if I want to be a Pokemon Master some day, I can't afford to have such a vital Elemental Type missing from my team. But... I figure that considering just how patient you've been with us lately regarding the promise we made, you deserve a break. Good luck Misty".
In a rare display of vulnerability, Misty all-but flung herself at Nolan and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Surprised, Nolan chuckled as he hugged her back.
"Thanks Nolan" the orange haired girl whispered as they pulled apart.
Nolan smiled and was about to respond, but before he could utter so much as a single syllable, he happened to notice something out of the corner of his eye. A look of amusement flashed across his features.
"You're welcome" the golden haired boy said genuinely, before he smiled mischievously at his female friend, who arched an eyebrow at him, "Although if I were you, you might want to step on it".
"Why's that?" Misty blinked curiously, a little thrown by the suggestion. Nolan's cheeky grin only widened.
"Because it looks as though the Poliwag's finished its drink" the golden haired boy replied teasingly, nodding his head to indicate at something in the forest clearing behind her, "It's leaving".
Misty gasped and quickly whipped around.
To the orange haired girl's mounting horror, she saw that Nolan was correct. The wild Poliwag was indeed making a break for it, perhaps because it had finally taken notice of them and was scared, or perhaps it had simply drank its fill. Either way, the small blue creature was attempting to flee and hide in some bushes, but Misty wasn't going to let it.
"Oh no you don't!" the orange haired girl growled, unwilling to let the Poliwag escape after Nolan had been so kind to give up the opportunity to catch it himself. She quickly drew a pokeball out of her backpack and tossed it high into the air, "Misty calls... Starmie!"
In a haze of crimson coloured light, the familiar figure of Misty's beloved partner materialised in the forest clearing, its ruby coloured jewel gleaming under the bright rays of the sun.
"Star!" the Mysterious Pokemon droned in greeting.
"Quick Starmie, cut off its escape route!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist exclaimed, knowing time was of the essence if she hoped to add a fourth member to her team today, "Don't let that Poliwag get away!"
"Starmie!"
Heeding the command of its beloved human partner, Starmie spun through the air and quickly covered the distance, gracefully intercepting the retreating Poliwag. The Tadpole Pokemon looked up at the obstacle now blocking its way.
"Poli! Poliwag!" the adorable little blue creature squeaked in alarm.
Misty grinned.
She could always count on Starmie to get the job done. Not that this was over by a long shot of course, but the Mysterious Pokemon had successfully prevented Poliwag from escape. At was a good start if nothing else.
"Okay Poliwag! It seems like you're cornered" the orange haired girl cried, her eyes practically burning with determination, "Prepare yourself to be captured!"
Amazingly enough, it seemed as though the Tadpole Pokemon had been having similar thoughts.
"POLI... WAG!" clearly sensing that it's very freedom was at stake and not being very amicable to the idea of its being taken away, the little blue creature opened its mouth and unleashed a colourful barrage of bubbles towards Starmie.
"Mie!"
Even with distinct facial features, it was obvious that Starmie had been caught off guard.
"Starmie, dodge it!" Misty shouted with a hint of urgency. She was already realising that she wouldn't be able to afford to drop the ball here. Not when the Poliwag had already shown that this was going to be a very tenacious challenge.
Thankfully, the Bubble attack never landed, as Starmie was able to nimbly jump out of the way in time.
"Good dodge Starmie! Now use your Swift attack!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist cheered her partner on, never one to skimp on offering a friend encouragement, "Hit it with a barrage of stars!"
"Mie!"
The jewel that made up the main core of the Mysterious Pokemon's body began to glow with every colour of the rainbow, casting an ethereal lightshow across the forest clearing. Once a sufficient amount of energy had built up, Starmie quickly unleashed a flurry of golden star-shaped projectiles in the direction of its opponent.
"POLIWAG!"
At first one might have thought that the exclamation that passed by Poliwag's lips was a sound of fear. The four young Pokemon trainers quickly learnt that that was not the case however. In an amazing display of agility that surprised them all, the Poliwag charged forwards to meet the imminent attack head on. Swinging its tail about like a pinp-pong paddle, the Tadpole Pokemon was able to effortlessly bat away each and every one of the miniature stars that posed a threat to it.
Needless to say, the four humans all found their jaws hanging open as they took in the impressive display.
"Whoa!" Misty breathed in awe.
From his spot over on the sidelines, Ash's russet coloured eyes had grown to almost comical proportions. He turned to Brock and Nolan, only to find the same astonishment reflected in both of their faces.
"Was... was that a Double Slap attack?" the raven haired boy asked breathlessly.
Nolan was the one to nod his head in confirmation.
"It was..." the golden haired boy said slowly, trailing off as he chew his lip thoughtfully, his mind racing, "But... I've never seen a Double Slap used defensively like that before... It's amazing!"
At his side, Brock agreed with the sentiment.
"That was an impressive technique for a wild Pokemon to deploy" the aspiring Pokemon breeder would be the first to admit that he was very impressed by what they'd just witnessed.
Out in the thick of it, Misty was of a similar mind, and she was positively delighted by it.
"Just seeing how good this Poliwag is makes me even more determined to catch it!" the orange haired girl beamed, a fire in her belly that only another dedicated Pokemon trainer could truly understand, "Starmie, let's try your Water Gun!"
The Mysterious Pokemon didn't need telling twice.
"STARMIE! STAR!" letting out a fierce war-cry that was so loud it probably echoed throughout the entire forest, Starmie leapt up high into the air and fired a jet of water from its upper point.
"POLI!"
Unfortunately for Misty and Starmie however, the wild Poliwag met and raised their challenge once again. Opening its puckered pink lips surprisingly wide, Poliwag blasted out a stream of water itself, countering Starmie's attack with its own Water Gun.
SPLASH!
In a clash of swirling water, the two attacks collided in mid-air, creating a makeshift miniature tidal wave and cancelling each other out. Starmie and Poliwag both breathed heavily, utterly drenched.
From her spot a few metres away, Misty scowled in frustration.
"This is turning out to be harder than I thought..." the young girl frowned. She began wracking her brain, trying to come up with a strategy to get around their opponent's impressive defences.
On the sidelines, the boys were completely awestruck.
"That Poliwag is really strong!" Ash let out a low whistle. The raven haired boy was practically quivering with excitement, wondering what would happen next.
"Indeed" Brock nodded sagely as he continued to observe the battle unfolding before them, "It's quite remarkable actually. An unevolved Pokemon holding its own against an evolved Pokemon like Starmie".
Ash nodded thoughtfully, before he turned to Nolan and smiled teasingly.
"Maybe you made a mistake, Nolan, not trying to catch it for yourself" the raven haired boy said to his best friend, playfully nudging the boy in the ribs.
Nolan just smiled and shook his head.
"I think it mattered more to Misty, so it was the right thing to do" the golden haired boy shrugged his shoulders modestly, a testament to his kind nature, "Besides, I have a lot of other Pokémon already".
The golden haired boy grinned warmly down at Meadow, Fang, Welkin, Iris, Lyric and Xanthite.
His perfect little team.
Back on the makeshift battlefield, Misty was still thinking very intensely. It therefore came as something as a shock when Poliwag stole the next move for itself, before Misty even had a chance to give Starmie another command. The Water Type Pokemon Specialist looked on in surprise as Poliwag rushed forward and slammed into Starmie, hitting her beloved partner with a series of hard Double Slaps attacks.
"STARMIE!"
The Mysterious Pokemon let out a ghastly wail of pain under the onslaught of frenzied attacks it was taking. For such a cute and unassuming opponent, the wild Poliwag was proving to be a lot tougher than it looked.
"Starmie!" Misty gasped in panic, before she quickly came up with an idea, "Knock it away with your Rapid Spin!"
The star-shaped bejewelled creature hastily obeyed the young girl's command, and began spinning rapidly, faster and faster until it became nought but a blur. Thankfully the strategy worked, and Poliwag was buffeted backwards. With a sharp grunt of pain, the Tadpole Pokemon landed on the earthy ground a few feet away.
"Nice work Starmie!" Misty beamed proudly. She was glad that her partner was still up and willing to fight after taking such an intense beating.
Across the clearing, Poliwag wasn't quite so thrilled.
"Poli!" the Tadpole Pokemon huffed in annoyance as it staggered back to it feet. The little blue creature recovered quickly, and unleashes another volley of sparkling explosive bubbles.
Misty and Starmie were ready for its tricks this time around.
"Starmie, give it a taste of your Hydro Pump!" the orange haired girl shouted fiercely. She was tired of playing around now. If she was serious about adding this little rascal to her team, it was time to bring out the big guns.
Fortunately, Starmie didn't disappoint.
"STAR... MIE!" the Mysterious Pokemon screamed as instead of just one spout of water from just one of its points, Starmie unleashed a barrage of water against Poliwag, with numerous powerful jets of water pouring from all of Starmie's appendages.
Poliwag never stood a chance of dodging the makeshift tsunami in time.
SPLOSH!
The inevitable happened quickly, and before any of the spectators had a chance to so much as blink, Poliwag was sent flying into a nearby tree with a Thud! before crashing to the ground in a crumpled head.
"Poli..." the little blue Pokemon groaned weakly.
Watching the spectacle, Misty's smile threatened to outshine the sun, she was so elevated.
"Yes!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist cheered enthusiastically, fist-pumping the air to feel out some of her inner joy, "Now we're getting somewhere!"
Over on the sidelines, Brock was a little more cautious with his optimism.
"Don't get overconfident, Misty" the aspiring Pokemon breeder gently urged his friend. He didn't want her to build herself up only to wind up disappointed after all, "Take another look".
Misty did as he said, then promptly gasped in amazement.
Somehow, inexplicably and to the complete and utter surprise of everybody watching, Poliwag actually managed to force its weakened body back on its feet. The Tadpole Pokemon glared fiercely at Starmie for a moment, before a smug expression overtook its adorable little features. And then something happened that nobody saw coming.
The spiral on Poliwag's belly... began to spin...
Nolan felt... odd, as he stared down at the wild Poliwag with renewed interest. Almost unbreakable interest as a matter of fact. It was only when his eyelids began to droop heavily over his icy blue orbs that he sleepily realised what was happening, and the golden haired boy gasped as he literally had to force himself to look away from the hypnotic spiral pattern.
All around him, the other humans and even all of the Pokemon had fallen into a similar zoned-out state.
"Wha... what's happening?" Ash managed to ask around a loud yawn. It seemed as though the raven haired boy still had enough presence of mind to realise that something was wrong, just like Nolan had.
Before Nolan could explain, Brock managed to snap himself out of it too.
"Poliwag's using its Hypnosis attack!" the aspiring Pokemon breeder gasped in alarm as the realisation suddenly struck him, struggling to believe that a wild Pokemon had actually learnt that technique, "If we don't look away, we'll all fall asleep!"
The golden haired boy at his side tilted his head slightly, suddenly intrigued.
"Will it work on Starmie though?" Nolan voiced his thoughts as he shook of his last bout of induced sleepiness. When he caught the somewhat perplexed expressions clouding the faces of his friends, the golden haired boy quickly elaborated, "I mean... it doesn't exactly have a conventional face, let alone actual eyes!"
He got his answer soon enough.
Slightly further out in the forest clearing, Misty had been affected by the Hypnosis attack in the same way that the boys all had. And like them, the orange haired girl had thankfully been able to shake herself free of its pull. Now she was stood there grinding her teeth, looking down at her partner with an air of sympathy.
"It's working on Starmie just fine!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist spat in thinly-veiled frustration.
It was true.
From its position just a few feet in front of its beloved human partner, the bejewelled creature was beginning to sway slightly, clearly drowsy. If they didn't do something sharpish, it wouldn't be long before Starmie would lose consciousness, and Misty's chance of making a successful capture would be lost with it.
She wouldn't let that happen.
"Come on Starmie, snap out of it!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist pleaded urgently, a hint of sheer desperation creeping into both her tone and her expression, "I'm counting on you! Please! Snap out of it and use Psychic!"
Miraculously, her frantic pleas did the trick.
Shaking itself in an obvious attempt to break free of the lingering effects of the failed Hypnosis attack, Starmie was not best impressed by the tactic its opponent had just tried to deploy. In retaliation, the jewel at the core of the Mysterious Pokemon's body lit up with an eerie burst of azure coloured light.
"SSSSSTTTTTAAAAARRRRR... MMMMMIIIIIEEEEE!"
With a fierce scream on intense concentration, Starmie was able to successfully channel all of the building energy in its jewel and shape it into proper purpose. Unleashing arguably the most powerful attack in its arsenal, Starmie's whole body lit up with a strange glow as it lashed out at Poliwag with its immense psychic abilities.
Poliwag never even saw it coming.
"WWWWAAAAGGGG!" Poliwag screamed in unrelenting agony as it suddenly found itself floating in the air, held aloft by the painful energy currently surging through its body. The little blue creature kicked and flailed, but it was no use.
The pain was crippling.
The Psychic attack seemed to last an eternity, but in reality the onslaught was over in less then a minute. The Tadpole Pokemon collapsed to the ground, trembling and whimpering in pain, its small body wracked with shivers.
It didn't get back up.
Across the clearing, Misty was ecstatic.
"Excellent work Starmie! That really weakened it!" the orange haired girl was practically jumping for joy, her happiness almost palpable, "This is my chance!"
And so without missing a beat, the young girl began rooting around in her backpack, eventually drawing out an empty pokeball. The smooth surface of the red and white glinted under the sun, and Misty smiled, barely able to contain her excitement, as she arched her arm back and took careful aim.
"Pokeball, go!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist cheered as she threw the pokeball with all her might.
For a moment, it was almost as if time itself was stand still.
Nolan, Ash, Brock, Meadow, Pikachu and all of the other Pokemon all looked on with baited breath as the empty pokeball tumbled through the air on the path Misty had sent it on. Its course seemed to be holding true, and it would only be a few seconds until the capsule device made contact with the crumpled form of the defeated Poliwag...
WHAM!
Or perhaps not.
Quite literally appearing out of nowhere, a large green vine burst through the air like nature's fist, struck the falling pokeball, knocking it off course before it could collided form of Poliwag. It harmlessly fell to the earthy ground at Misty's feet.
Needless to say, nobody had expected that.
"Huh?!" Misty gawked, her jaw hanging wide open in an almost comical impressive of a Magikarp, she was so flabbergasted by what had just happened, "Hey! What gives?!"
The culprit was only too happy to answer her.
A gentle rustling of leaves met the ears of the group of trainers and Pokemon, and in a moment that was a bit to quick for any of them to track, a green and blue blur darted into the clearing. It stopped in front of the fallen Poliwag, clearly guarding it protectively, and they all got a good look at the meddler's identity.
If it were at all possible, Misty was somehow rendered even more speechless.
"Meadow?!" the orange haired girl gasped and reared back in shock, staring down at what she took to be her friend's partner in complete and utter disbelief. That was a strong hint of betrayal thrown in there as well, "Why did you do that?! Nolan already said he didn't mind me catching it instead of him!"
As the accusation hung heavy in the air, it was Nolan that broke the stunned silence first.
"Err... Misty..." the golden haired boy stammered to get his female friend's attention, the young trainer's tone and expression both very confused, "Meadow's right over here".
Huffing impatiently, Misty was prepared to tell her friend that that clearly couldn't be right when the Bulbasaur was standing right in front of them all. The irate orange haired girl glanced back over her shoulder to tell Nolan as much, only to stop dead in her tracks.
Nolan... was right...
Standing there as clear as day, clustered with the rest of the blonde haired boy's Pokemon, was none other than Meadow the Bulbasaur. She had to be at least... six feet away from the wild Poliwag...
What the heck?!
Everyone stared towards the spot where Meadow was blinking up at them innocently, then they shifted their gaze over to the meddler. Then back again, just to be sure their eyes were working properly. They were.
Realisation struck them all like a lightning bolt.
"Wow! I can't believe it!" Ash exclaimed in utter astonishment, the raven haired boy being the first member of the group to recover the power of speech, "A wild Bulbasaur!"
Fingers quivering with excitement, the aspiring Pokemon Master quickly reached into his pocket and brought out his pokedex.
"Bulbasaur - the Seed Pokemon" Dexter reported after successfully identifying the creature before them, "This species of Pokemon bears the seed of a plant on its back from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely tough and very difficult to capture in the wild".
Ash was fit to burst by the time he was putting his pokedex away again. Nolan, Brock and Misty meanwhile all just gaped in amazement, completely flabbergasted.
Finding a regional starter Pokemon in any part of the world was rare enough, but here in the Kanto region it was practically unheard of. This was certainly an amazing occurrence indeed, and Nolan's sharp mind was already coming up with possible theories that might explain the little Grass Type creature's presence out here in the forest. Sadly, he'd never get the chance to share any of them with his friends.
"BULBA... SAUR!"
Clearly the wild Bulbasaur wasn't as happy to see them as the humans were to see it, for it wasted absolutely no time whatsoever in promptly attacking them. From the base of its bulb where Nolan had come accustomed to seeing the species' Vine Whips spring out from, this Bulbasaur deployed a very different technique. In a flurry of luscious green shadows, several small leaves that somehow looked lethally sharp and dangerous were launched through the air. Razor Leaf, Nolan quickly realised. The wild Bulbasaur was using its Razor Leaf attack, aiming it directly at Misty's Starmie.
"STARMIE!"
The Mysterious Pokemon let out a ghastly wail of pain as the super-effective Razor Leaf attack met it target and hammered into the large red jewel that made up the core of its body. Staggering backwards from the pain of it all, the whole battle against the Poliwag and now this Bulbasaur took its toll, and Starmie's whole body began to sag in exhaustion.
Misty was by her partner's side in a matter of nanoseconds.
"Oh Starmie!" the orange haired girl gasped in concern as she caught the Water Type Pokemon in her arms, "Are you okay?!"
"Mie..." Starmie droned weakly.
The Water Type Pokemon Specialist smiled faintly down at her beloved partner for a moment, before she turned her attention back to the meddlesome Bulbasaur and levelled it with a dark glare. Before she could do anything to chasten it however, Ash promptly stepped forward. He knew that by this point Misty had most likely failed in her endeavour at catching that Poliwag, which was too bad and he did have a lot of sympathy for her. That being said, now that the opportunity to capture a Bulbasaur of his very own had presented itself to him, there was no way that he was going to let such a rare chance pass him by.
"Now it's my turn! Bulbasaur is mine!" the raven haired boy declared fiercely, already unclipping a pokeball from his belt and tossing it high into the air, "Butterfree, I choose you!"
The red and white sphere snapped open, and in a small haze of scarlet coloured light, the familiar form of Butterfree burst out of the pokeball.
"Freeee!" the Butterfly Pokemon chirped happily. He gracefully flew higher into the air and hovered over them all, his silvery wings glistening under the bright rays of the sun.
Ash wasted no time in getting down to business.
"Butterfree, use your Tackle attack!" the raven haired boy commanded with an air of nervous excitement in his tone. He really didn't want them to blow this opportunity after all.
"Freeee!"
Butterfree charged through the air at the Bulbasaur, but unfortunately for him and his beloved human, the wild Grass Type Pokemon was easily able to dodge the attack and retaliate with one of its own.
"SAUR!"
With a fierce battle-cry of its own, the Bulbasaur unleashed a pair of twin dark green vines from beneath its bulb. They violently lashed out and flicked through the air, forcing the Butterfly Pokemon to fly up higher in order to dodge out of their path.
Over on the sidelines, Nolan, Brock and now a disappointed Misty all looked on in interest.
"Whoa, that was some Vine Whip!" Brock remarked, because despite it missing its target, the sheer amount of power that had obviously been in that Vine Whip attack was rather impressive to say the least.
"Meadow's is better" Nolan told the aspiring Pokemon breeder smugly.
Brock and Misty both just smiled at him indulgently.
"FREEEEEE!"
A sudden shout of pain quickly recaptured their attention, and the group of young Pokemon trainers looked on in horror as the wild Bulbasaur's Vine Whip attack finally clipped one of Butterfree's wings, not only causing him immeasurable pain, but also sending the Butterfly Pokemon on a downwards spiral towards the ground.
CRASH!
With a sickening Thud! that seemed to resonate throughout the entire forest around them, Butterfree collided hard with the ground. He weakly tried to flap his slightly crumpled wings to regain altitude, but it was obvious from the way he was twitching that the Butterfly Pokemon was struggling to get back up and into the air. From her position on the sidelines, Iris watched his struggles with a concerned frown on her face.
"VENO! VENONAT!" the fluffy purple Pokemon began excitedly jumping up and down on the spot. It was quite obvious that she was cheering her friend on in the hopes of reigniting the fight within him.
By some miracle, her efforts actually worked.
"Freee!"
Upon hearing the cheer of encouragement from the Pokemon friend that meant the most to him, a powerful urge swept over Butterfree. The urge to impress Iris, to appear strong before her. He couldn't let himself look weak in her eyes. He just couldn't. With that thought spurring him on, the Butterfly Pokemon found the strength and energy to propel himself back into the sky.
"Butterfree!" Butterfree chirped proudly.
"Veno!" Iris beamed.
She wasn't the only lifeform in the forest clearing to react that way.
"Good job Butterfree!" Ash was quick to offer the Bug Type Pokemon some well-deserved praise for getting back up do quickly, "Now let's try something else! Use String Shot! Tie it up!"
"Freee!"
Clearly eager for a little payback after that smack he had just taken, Butterfree swooped down low and fired a glob of sticky string at his opponent. It dropped down towards the ground where the wild Bulbasaur was still protecting the exhausted Poliwag.
Unfortunately for Ash and Butterfree, this tactic would prove even less effective than the last.
"BULBASAUR!" the little Grass Type Pokemon let out a fierce shriek as it unleashed its strong Razor Leaf attack again. Ash and the rest of the group all watched in horrified amazement as the Razor Leaf sliced the incoming String Shot attack with expert precision.
"None of our attacks are working!" Ash moaned, clenching his jaw in frustration.
"Freeee!"
Up above, the Butterfly Pokemon looked just as displeased.
The raven haired boy opened his mouth, no doubt to issue Butterfree with another instruction, but unfortunately for the young Pokemon master in the making, he never got a chance to. At that moment, the wild Bulbasaur took it upon itself to steal the next move, and it quickly fire a familiar glowing projectile from the bulb on its back.
"Leech Seed!" Ash gasped in horror, knowing exactly what that move was capable of after witnessing Nolan and Meadow use it to their advantage so many times, "Quick Butterfree! Dodge it!"
Much to the raven haired boy's relief, his Pokemon did exactly that.
"Butterfree!" the Butterfly Pokemon chirped happily as he effortlessly dodge the glowing green projectile that had been fired his way. What happened next would sour any sense of relief though.
The Leech Seed attack... kept going...
In hindsight, it was rather obvious what was going to happen. The Leech Seed hadn't been destroyed after all. Just because the target had managed to squirm kut of the way time didn't mean the attack just stopped. As such, the glowing green seed kept tumbling through the air, and without anything to block its progress, it was now heading directly towards the spot where all of Nolan's Pokemon were clustered.
"GUYS! WATCH OUT!" the golden haired boy yelled in alarm.
"Bulbasaur!"
"Growlithe!"
"Pidgey!"
"Jigglypuff!"
"Geodude!"
Nolan watched in panic, then relief as Meadow, Fang, Welkin, Lyric and Xanthite had all managed to scramble out of the way in time. That relief was shortlived however, and it quickly turned to abject horror when he realised that Iris... had not...
"VENONAT!"
The fluffy purple Bug Type Pokemon let out a shrill shriek of fear and panic as the Leech Seed hit her and immediately ensnared her in a flurry of vines. She quickly struggled to try and free herself, but gasped in pain as she felt that their leeching effect was already coming into play...
"IRIS!" Nolan yelled in terror, rushing over and collapsing to his knees by her side. The golden haired boy then grabbed the vines shrouding his friend's body and pulled at them, but his efforts seemed futile, "Xanthite! Come here! We have to help her!"
"Geo!"
Feeling her maternal instincts flaring up as they always did when a member of the family was in danger, Xanthite floated over with a strong sense of urgency. Using the crushing grip of her dexterous fingers to her advantage, the Rock Type Pokemon grabbed the vines and startled disentangling Iris from their grasp. Working together, Nolan and Xanthite were thankfully able to free Iris, not a moment too soon.
"Veno... Nat..." Iris gasped in relief as she was freed from the draining effect. Suddenly exhausted, she collapsed into Nolan's waiting arms. He made gentle shushing noises as he stroked her long fur, trying to sooth her.
"There there" Nolan cuddled his Bug Type Pokemon to his chest, "You're okay... it's over now..."
"Veno..." Iris whimpered.
Out on the makeshift battlefield, something in the Butterfly Pokemon suddenly changed. A red mist descended. Butterfree could not believe that that had just happened to Iris, that she'd just had to endure such agony. Oh the Butterfly Pokemon was furious. He was incensed.
This was not going to stand.
"FREEEEEE!"
Butterfree was so enraged that his sweet and kind fellow Bug Type Pokemon had been hurt, albeit accidentally, that he didn't even wait for his trainer's next instruction. Instead, the Butterfly Pokemon took it upon himself to begin beating his glittering wings together as hard as he could. Soon enough, Butterfree had whipped up a powerful Whirlwind attack, one which he quickly launched in the direction of his latest opponent.
The Bulbasaur never stood a chance of dodging it in time.
"BULBA!" the wild Grass Type Starter Pokemon yelped in alarm and pain as it was helpless to stop itself from being swept up into the air and sent flying. It took quite a beating as it was thrown about by the miniature makeshift vortex, before it was slammed back into the ground with a sickening Thud. It let out a small groan of pain. That was gonna leave a bruise in the morning.
Up above, Butterfree smirked in a very smug and self-satisfied manner. Served the little meddler right for hurting poor Iris.
"Good job, Butterfree!" Ash cheered in delight, clearly oblivious to the real motivation behind why Butterfree had just done that, "Now finish it with Sleep Powder!"
Butterfree was only too happy to oblige.
"Freeee!"
With another strong flap of his silvery wings, this time instead of a swirling vortex of air, the Butterfly Pokemon began to release a cloud of the glistening green spores that was his powerful Sleep Powder attack. Sadly for both the human and his Pokemon however, the wild Bulbasaur wasn't about to be caught off guard twice.
"BULBASAUR!"
Shaking off the dazed feeling that it had been left with after the wild ride that Butterfree's Whirlwind had sent it on, the Bulbasaur gingerly picked itself and jumped to the side, successfully dodging the incoming Sleep Powder attack. And then... something awful happened...
The wild Bulbasaur retorted with one of its own...
"Saur! Bulba!" the smirk on the wild Grass Type Pokemon's face was incredibly smug as a fine cloud of shimmering green dust erupted from its bulb. It was exactly the same as the one Butterfree had just tried to use on it. And unfortunately for Ash, his own Pokemon wasn't quite so successful at dodging it.
"Freee..."
A tired yawn slipped past Butterfree's lips as the Butterfly Pokemon was helpless to avoid breathing in some of the Sleep Powder. His eyelids drooped heavily, and the movement of his wings slowed. Soon they were just flopping about weakly as Butterfree struggled to remain conscious. He slowly drifted closer and closer down to the ground...
WHAM!
In a sneak attack that shocked everyone watching, the wild regional starter Pokemon slammed its small body into Butterfree's fragile one at full force. And because of how drowsy the Butterfly Pokemon had become thanks to the previous attack, he had no hope of catching himself in time...
CRUNCH!
Butterfree crashed into the hard cold earth at high speed, landing with a sickening Thump that had everybody cringing. His wings were a little crumpled, his body a little bruise. One thing was for sure - he would not be continuing this battle.
"Freee..." Butterfree groaned as he gave into the tempting lull of sleep.
Across the forest clearing from the travelling group, the wild Bulbasaur looked incredibly pleased with itself.
"Poliwag!"
"Bulbasaur!"
Wasting not so much as a single second of time, the two wild Pokemon turned and fled, disappearing into some nearby bushes. Ash and Misty were both utterly helpless to stop them.
"Oh no! The Poliwag's gone!" Misty cried in horror, distraught that she had let such a wonderful opportunity slip through her fingers.
At her side, Ash was sharing in the disappointment.
"Urgh... the Bulbasaur!" the raven haired boy whined dejectedly, before he threw back his head and screamed to the heavens above, "IT'S NOT FAIR! I WANT IT!"
Their protests went unanswered.
And that's the start of another episode.
Wow! Quite a change there! Yes, I made the rather bold choice to replace Oddish in this episode since this is yet another example of how Misty got repeatedly screwed over in the early episodes of the anime. Like seriously, Brock was introduced in episode five and was given a new Pokemon in episode six, whereas Misty was introduced in episode one, and had to wait until episode nineteen before she was shown the same love. So yeah, I've decided to switch things up a bit : )
But enough about the contents of this chapter for now. Instead, let's move on to that news I mentioned first, before we get to this week's voting topic.
Okay, so up until this point in the Nuzlocke series, this story has always be based on the events that have happened in the Nuzlocke I'm playing at the time. Rest assured, that will be continuing moving forwards, however I have made the executive decision to stray away from that on this occasion. The reason for this is because I have come up with a storyline for Nolan that will tie in too perfectly with a potential sequel I have in the works to not go ahead with it. Johto was always going to play a big part in Nolan's journey, but now it's even more important. The trouble is, for this storyline to work, I need Nolan to have a set of three specific Pokemon, and a lot actually rests on the order he obtains them in as well. As luck would have it, you guys have actually voted to Nolan the first Pokemon he needs for the storyline to work, and I have the second one. The trouble is, I need to evolve it very specifically, as well as make sure that Nolan gets the final Pokemon and evolves it correctly as well. Put simply, I have decided to remove two of the evolution votes and use them myself, as well as one of the bonus gift Pokemon votes, in order to guarantee that Nolan gets the three Pokemon he needs. This was not an easy decision for me to make, and I hope this action doesn't put people off the voting topics from now on. It really is in the best interest of this story/series, and I can't think of a scenario where I'll need to commandeer control of the vote outcomes again.
So, in the interest of being completely transparent with you guys, here's what's going to happen.
I am going to reduce the number of addition evolution votes obtained from the Pokeathlon from five down to three. That way the traditional votes for defeating the Gym Leaders and Elite Four won't be impacted. The first evolution will be used to evolve my gift Eevee into Flareon. Then, once I've finished the main game and accessed the post-game, I will be using the Celadon City Game Corner to obtain another Eevee. I will then use another of the Pokeathlon evolutions to evolve it into Vaporeon. After that, I doubt I will ever have to take control of the votes again, so it'll all be up to you guys as per usual. Again, I really hope you guys understand that I've only decided to do this in the best interest of this story.
I am aware however that it's slightly unfair to you guys though, so I have come up with a compromise : )
When I defeat the Champion of any game, you guys usually get to pick a special bonus prize. Well, to show you guys that I don't want to spoil the voting topics for anyone, I have decided that when I defeat Lance, I will be posting six different bonus prizes. You guys will then get to vote for not one, not two, but three of them, which I'm very much hoping will compensate for me taking three votes away from you.
Anyway, that's what my news was. I hope you guys understand why I've done this, and let's move onto this week's voting topic.
This time it's going to be another Evolution Vote, this time for defeating Whitney. Honestly, I was petrified going into this fight, but I actually put so much planning into this battle, but it actually went astonishingly easy. I started out with Dunsparce, planning on using him to handle just Whitney's Clefairy. I had him use Yawn, and Clefairy used Metronome, which thankfully only turned into Tackle, which barely did any damage. Then, when Clefairy was asleep, I had Dunsparce use Rollout. It took three of them to effortlessly knock the sleeping Clefairy out. Then came out the potentially the most feared Pokemon in Heart Gold and Soul Silver - Miltank. My original plan to deal with this monster was to use Lickitung's Knock Off to get rid of its Lum Berry, switch into Slugma and hope her Flame Body would get a burn, then switch back to Lickitung and whittle Miltank's HP down to the yellow with Headbutt so that it wouldn't use Milk Drink and Whitney wouldn't use a Super Potion. Then, I planned to finish it by using Lickitung's newly equipped TM Move, Hyper Beam, which I bought from the Goldenrod Department Store, after using the Pokewalker to grind up enough items to sell to be able to afford it. I'm confident this strategy would have worked, but it would out all that planning was unnecessary. Since Dunsparce had only taken six HP of damage from Clefairy, I figured I'd rish sticking with him since he'd built up all those Rollouts on Clefairy, and let me tell you guys, he was amazing! As soon as Miltank came in it used Stomp, which could have made Dunsparce flinch. He didn't though thankfully and hit his fourth Rollout, which got Miltank down to just over half HP, so it wasn't within healing range. Then, Miltank tried Attract and although Dunsparce fell in love with her, he clearly loves me more : ) Not only did he break through and land his final Rollout, but it was just enough to knock Miltank out and win the match. I've played these games a LOT over the years, and I've never been so lucky against Whitney before. I have to say, considering that I had doubts that Dunsparce was going to be very useful in this Nuzlocke when you guys voted for him, I have completely been proved thoroughly wrong! He's amazing XD I imagine he's going to get retired at some point, but he's definitely earned his spot in Nolan's little Pokemon family. I'm still not thrilled by the evolution into Dudunsparce, but I can't deny he came in incredibly useful here. He's probably the main reason this run is still deathless in fact : ) Anyway, the options available to evolve for defeating Whitney are: - Mareep, Slugma, Wooper, Togepi, Zubat, Ekans, Goldeen, Lickitung, Porygon2 or Cyndaquil. Yes, now that I have three badges, my starter for this region is finally eligible to potentially evolve as well : )
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 : )
