Hey readers - we're here with another new chapter! I really didn't want to keep you guys waiting like I did last time, so I've been working all week on this chapter in order to get it up today : )

I don't really have an awful lot to say this time, other than unfortunately, the recurring problem with the review votes has happened yet again : ) Yep, the result ended in a tie, but I'll go into that more in the foot note : )

Anyway, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has supported this story by reviewing, favouriting it as well as following it. I really appreciate the support, so please keep it up : )

Finally, please remember that Pokemon is not mine, but my OC is.

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Pokemon Emergency - Part 3

Although the wait for news on Pikachu's condition was still incredibly stressful and exhausting for both the new trainers, at least this time there didn't seem to be any tension between the two of them. They sat in a comfortable silence, the only sound to be heard was an occasional snore from the sleeping Meadow on the chair next to Nolan.

Despite the slightly more relaxed atmosphere between the two of them however, Ash was still understandably anxious, and so it wasn't long until the raven haired boy was looking around the room, searching for something, anything, that would take his mind off his woes. His russet eyes landed on something hanging on the opposite wall, and they widened out of sheer surprise. Almost in a trance, Ash climbed to his feet and crossed the room, stopping right in front of the object that had caught his attention.

The boy could hardly believe what he was looking at.

It couldn't be true. It simply couldn't be... yet it was. The evidence was right in front of him.

"Nolan" Ash breathed, his tone one of sheer disbelief and awe, "Come and look at this".

Puzzled by his somewhat mystified tone, Nolan glanced up from the magazine he had been absentmindedly flicking through, realising for the first time that his best friend had moved from his seat. Curious as to what had caught the raven haired boy's attention, the blonde trainer put down the magazine and moved to join Ash on the other side of the room, being careful to avoid waking Meadow up. The little grass type Pokemon needed her rest after all.

Nolan stepped up to Ash's side, and followed his gaze. His icy blue eyes widened in surprise. Hanging on the wall before them, was something neither boy would ever have expected to see in a hospital waiting room.

A plaque.

To anybody else, that probably sounded rather underwhelming and anticlimactic, but not to Nolan and Ash. Not after how the events of that day had already changed them both so very, very much.

But it wasn't so much the plaque itself that had stunned both the boys so thoroughly, rather what it depicted. For rather then solemn words engraved in metal to honour some poor lost soul, the plague was full of imagery and bright colours. It was anything but solemn.

Nolan's eyes raked over the plaque with a keen interest, trying to properly absorb exactly what it was he was seeing.

Unlike most memorial plaques, this particular tribute was triangular in shape, with a gold plated border lined with strange symbols that neither boy could even hope to decipher. From there, the body of the plaque was then split up into three equal segments, each stylised with a unique colour. The top section was a shade of icy blue, the bottom right a fierce red, and the bottom left a striking yellow. Each faded into a pure white in the centre, representing an equal balance between the three.

But it wasn't just a colourful piece of wall-art that had caught the two young boys' attention. No... It was the three stunningly beautiful creatures depicted in each segment that had done that.

Nolan could scarcely bring himself to blink, the tribute to the three marvels of nature was so gorgeous, and it wasn't long before the blonde trainer quickly put the pieces together to explain exactly what he and his best friend were looking at.

"Oh wow..." he breathed in awe as it clicked in his mind.

"Yeah..." was all Ash could say in response, "What do you think it is?"

"You don't know?" Nolan asked in surprise, but then he realised who he was talking to.

Ash wasn't by any means stupid, but he didn't enjoy learning the way that Nolan did. The blonde was a total bookworm, and would often read up on topics even if he didn't necessarily need to. Ash was more the learn on the go type of person, which was fine, but that generally didn't lend itself to learning about the legends that were a major part of their homelands culture.

"No, I don't" Ash shook his head, "Please tell me".

"Well, each one of those creatures depicted is a different legendary Pokemon" Nolan explained, slipping into what Ash affectionately called his 'Teacher Voice', "Together they form the Legendary Bird Trio of Kanto".

The blonde boy took a step closer to the artwork, pointing a finger towards the winged creature in the blue portion of the piece.

"Articuno, the titan of ice" he informed his best friend, before shifting his finger over to the yellow section, "Zapdos, the titan of lightning" and finally he gestured at the red portion, "Moltres, the titan of fire. Together in harmony, they keep those elements in balance with each other. Or at least that's what the legends claim. I have no idea if it's true or not".

"How cool!" Ash marvelled, before he quickly turned serious again, "But it wasn't just a cool picture I was thinking of when I first saw it".

Nolan raised a curious eyebrow, a silent prompt for Ash to continue.

"Doesn't that Pokemon seem kinda familiar to you?" the raven haired trainer asked, gesturing at the depiction of Articuno.

"Well, they're a massive part of Kanto's historical culture Ash" Nolan shrugged, not seeing the point that his best friend was trying to make, "I'd be pretty surprised if you've never seen them before. You probably have seen art about them and just not realised what they were".

"No" Ash firmly shook his head, trying to make his best friend see what he was seeing, "I mean, don't you think that Pokemon looks an awful lot like the Pokemon we saw out in the forest? The one that disappeared over the rainbow?"

Completely taken aback, Nolan quickly glanced back at the plaque, but then shook his head, much to Ash's disappointment.

"I get where you're coming from" Nolan reasoned, able to see the similarities that Ash was clearly seeing, "But don't you remember Ash? I scanned that Pokemon with my Pokedex and no data came up. If it was Articuno then it would have worked since I'm sure that the three legendary birds of Kanto are in the Kantonian Pokedex".

Ash frowned thoughtfully, unable to help agreeing with the logic in Nolan's words. He was just about to respond to the blonde boy, to ask for any theories he might have about the creature they had seen, but he never got the chance to. A new noise suddenly rang out through the waiting room, effectively ending their conversation.

"Ring, ring, ring... Ring, ring, ring - Phone call! Phone call!" one of the video phones that they had just been using started to ring, immediately drawing both of the boys' attention, "Ring, ring, ring... Ring, ring, ring - Phone call! Phone call!"

Glancing at each other, Ash and Nolan both just shrugged, before the raven haired trainer made a decision. He walked over to the phone and answered it himself. He wasn't about to pull Nurse Joy away from Pikachu after all. Not when the little guy so desperately needed her help. If necessary, Ash would just have to take a message.

"Err... Hello, this is Ash" Ash stammered, not really sure what else to say since this wasn't his own phone he was answering, "Who's calling please?"

The raven haired trainer pushed a button on the device, and it changed from voice mode to video mode. His russet eyes narrowed in confusion when the image of the back of somebody's head appeared on the screen. Nolan, who had walked over to join Ash by the phone, was equally as bewildered.

"What's the matter Ash?" a male voice that was immediately familiar to the two new trainers chuckled in amusement, "It's me! Professor Oak! Don't you recognise me?"

Now that the man had said it, it was obvious to the two boys that the person on the screen was the professor. Not just by the lab coat he was wearing, but all the scientific instruments they could see whirring and humming on the image around him. Still, they weren't about to spend the whole conversation talking to the back of the man's head. That would be just rude.

"We're sorry Professor" Nolan apologised, his lips twitching in amusement, "But to be fair, its hard to recognise someone by the back of their head".

Obviously taken aback by Nolan's response, the Professor jumped and glanced by over his shoulder, allowing the boys to see his face for the first time since the call had started.

"Oops!" Professor Oak exclaimed, clearly a little embarrassed by his mistake, "Wrong camera!"

He pushed a few buttons on his end of the connection, and a moment later he appeared the right way around on the screen. He smiled warmly at the two boys he had sent out on their journey just that very morning. To them, it already felt like a lifetime ago.

"There! That's better!" the professor nodded in satisfaction, before he got down to the reason behind this telephone call, "Now boys, I just spoke with both your parents and they told me that you've already made it to the Pokemon Centre in Viridian City. Is that correct?"

"We couldn't be talking to you if we weren't here" Ash replied, rather stating the obvious in Nolan's opinion.

"You couldn't be talking to me if you... Oh, I see" the professor nodded to himself as Ash's words finally registered and clicked in his mind, "I dialled the Pokemon Centre in Viridian City and the two of you were able to answer".

"Yeah, because that's where we are!" Ash exclaimed.

Nolan gave him the side-eye out of sheer exasperation.

"You know, you could have just said 'yes' like any normal person would" he playfully quipped, smirking when Ash just rolled his eyes at him. The blonde boy then turned back to the professor on the screen, "Yes Professor Oak - we got here a couple of hours ago. We're waiting for news on Pikachu. He's with Nurse Joy after we... ran into some trouble".

The Professor's smile morphed into a much sterner expression as he regarded the two youngsters.

"Yes" Professor Oak's tone suddenly sounded rather displeased, "Your father mentioned the shenanigans that the two of you got into".

"It wasn't our fault!" Ash and Nolan both immediately cried together.

The Professor narrowed his eyes at them both.

"Regardless of where the blame lies, the two of you need to be much more careful in the future" Professor Oak lectured disapprovingly, "Your parents will never forgive me if something bad happened to either one of you, not to mention I trusted you boys to take care of the Pikachu and Bulbasaur that I gave you. Please don't make me regret placing that trust in you".

"We won't" Ash immediately assured him.

"We're sorry Professor" Nolan offered up, bowing his head respectfully.

"Hmm" the professor seemed to weigh up their words, nodding his head when he found them satisfactory, "Good, then we'll say no more about it".

The two best friends both sighed in relief.

"Now let's talk about something a bit more positive" Professor Oak pressed on, "I'm pleased to inform you both that all the other new Pokemon trainers also made it to Viridian City with no problems".

Nolan tried to resist the urge to scowl at the knowledge that Gary was somewhere in the city, for Professor Oak's sake if nothing else.

"I have to say, I'm pleasantly surprised that the two of you got there so soon as well" the professor continued, drawing Nolan's mind away from his loathsome rival for the time being, "I admit Ash, when you left my laboratory I had my doubts. I wasn't sure that you'd be able to handle your Pikachu, but I figured that as long as you had Nolan with you that you'd be okay. And when my grandson Gary said that neither of you would have a single new Pokemon by the time you two got to Viridian City - I bet him a million Pokedollars that he'd be wrong!"

Fuming at the taunt that their rival hadn't even had the guts to say to their faces, Nolan couldn't help but allow a huge smug smirk to cross his features.

"Well you can tell him from me that he just lost a bet" Nolan said happily in a very self-satisfied tone, "Because I have managed to catch a new Pokemon, and he's ten times better than any Pokemon that Gary might have caught!"

Professor Oak's face lit up with an excited smile.

"Yes! Thank you Nolan! I really didn't want to have to tell Gary he was right" he said in evident relief, before his smile turned genuinely warm, "But on a more serious note, congratulations Nolan. That is an important first step for any new trainer to take".

At Nolan's side, Ash shifted awkwardly. He still felt a little down in the dumps over his own failures at catching any new Pokemon. He was still very happy for his best friend though, and more than a little relieved that he had proven Gary wrong about them.

"What kind of Pokemon is it?" the professor asked curiously.

"My dad didn't tell you?" Nolan questioned, surprised to hear that.

"No, he didn't" Professor Oak shook his head, "I imagine that he figured that you would want to tell me yourself. It's your news after all".

"Well, I managed to catch a Pidgey Professor Oak" Nolan informed him, grinning widely just thinking about his new friend and the newest addition to the team he was slowly acquiring, "We'd just decided that his name is going to be Welkin from now on right before you called us".

"A fine name indeed, my boy" the professor lightly praised, "And what about you Ash? Have you managed to capture any new Pokemon yet?"

Ash's shoulders slumped in a dejected manner as the raven haired boy slowly shook his head.

"Not yet Professor Oak" he said sadly, before perking up a bit, "But the journey here wasn't a total bust for me. Me and Nolan saw what we think must be a super rare Pokemon!"

The professor's eyes widened in surprise, his eyebrows almost vanishing into his hair they flew so far up his forehead.

"A super rare Pokemon?" he repeated incredulously.

"Yep!" Ash happily confirmed with a nod of his head, "It flew right over the rainbow!"

"But what makes the two of you think that it was some kind of rare Pokemon?" the professor wanted to know.

"Because when it flew over us, I scanned it with my Pokedex Professor Oak" Nolan explained to the man he hoped might be able to provide some answers, "It said that the Pokemon wasn't registered in the Kantonian Pokedex. I figured that meant that it either came here from somewhere else or that it's never been discovered before now".

The professor rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he mulled over the words that the blonde boy had just spoken.

"I suppose either one of those scenarios is possible" Professor Oak slowly admitted, "Could you maybe describe it to me?"

"Well, it was a giant bird" Ash began for the two of them, "It was so big that it seemed to fill the entire sky. And it made a sound that kinda sounded like a song, but unlike anything I've ever heard before".

"It's feathers were a mix of red, white and green" Nolan added, closely watching the professor's face for any sign of recognition, "It also had a golden crest on its head".

The professor slowly processed anything that the two of them said, and although it went against all probability, an idea as to what this mysterious creature might have been started to take shape in the back of his mind.

"Does any of that sound familiar Professor Oak?" Ash asked, breaking the man out of his thoughts.

"Well... One Pokemon does come to mind based on what you've both told me" Professor Oak said slowly, though there was no denying the hint of doubt in his tone, "But I doubt very much that what you saw could have been the Pokemon I'm thinking of".

"Why's that Professor?" Nolan asked, his curiosity peaked.

"Because hundreds of trainers and researchers alike have spent their whole lives searching for the creature I'm thinking of and have never seen it" Professor Oak explained to the two new trainers, "In fact, no one has ever been able to obtain irrefutable proof that it even exists. I'm probably just been silly, so I shouldn't have mentioned it".

Ash and Nolan weren't quite so sure. Catching the uneasy glance that they shared, the professor chuckled and shook his head.

"I'm sure there must be a simple explanation boys" he told them gently, "I'll look into it and get back to you if I find anything out".

"Thank you Professor Oak" Nolan said gratefully, "We'd both really appreciate it if you could".

The professor nodded his head, and was about to change the subject, but before he had the chance to, there came the sound of a doorbell chiming from his end of the connection, and Professor Oak looked off to the side in the direction where it had originated from.

"Ah! There's my pizza!" he exclaimed happily, licking his lips eagerly, before calling out to the delivery boy, "Coming!"

The professor got up from his seat and hurried away, disappearing off the screen for a few seconds before he came back into frame, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he remembered his manners.

"It was very nice talking to the two of you" Professor Oak said by means of farewell, "And good luck to you both".

He then disappeared off the screen again, but Ash and Nolan still caught his next few words.

"Yum!" they heard him say hungrily, "Anchovy, spinach and pineapple pizza!"

Chuckling to himself, Nolan reached forwards and pressed a button on the video phone, severing the connection and ending the call. He turned back to Ash, about to ask him if fancied getting a bite to eat as well, but before he had the chance to, a new voice called out to them, and it was angry. Exceptionally angry.

"Now I've got you two!"

Whipping around in alarm, Ash and Nolan both ended up gaping in complete surprise when they registered just who it was that had just come into the Pokemon Centre's waiting room. Standing before the two boys breathing like a raging Tauros, her face the same shade of red as a Magikarp's scales, was none other than Misty Waterflower, the girl they had met by the river and whom Ash had 'borrowed' the bicycle from. And speaking of her bicycle, she happened to be holding it up on her shoulders... Or rather the charred remains of what was once a bicycle at least.

"I knew I'd find the two of you here!" the orange haired girl snarled at the boys, her tone utterly enraged as she glared daggers at them both.

Completely taken aback by this sudden and most unexpected appearance, all Ash could do was shakily point a wavering finger towards the furious girl's utterly ruined bicycle.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, his expression utterly flabbergasted, "What happened to your bike?!"

Nolan had to admit that he was rather curious about that as well. When he had been running through the forest in order to catch up with his best friend, he had completely forgotten about the borrowed bicycle in all the emotion that had come with finding Ash and Pikachu in such a terrible state. He guessed that meant that Ash had just left it behind in the forest, so how it got into such an utterly shambolic state was beyond him.

"What happened to my bike?!" the girl screeched in incensed disbelief, taking an angry step closer, causing both Ash and Nolan to take a wary step back, "You happened to my bike, you little loser!"

And that's when it clicked in Nolan's mind.

In order to drive away the Spearow flock back in the Pallet Woods, Pikachu had unleashed an immense blast of electrical energy. And since it was so close to where the small yellow Pokemon had been, the bicycle had obviously been caught up in the explosion as well. What they were looking at was the result.

"This is what's left after you stole it to save your Pokemon!" Misty burst out in anger, gesturing at the crispy remains of the bicycle she was holding up over her shoulders, as she furiously advanced on a slightly trembling Ash, "Now I can see why your Pokemon is in the..."

Before the irate girl had the opportunity to finish what was no doubt a cutting remark however, the weight of the ruined bicycle finally proved too much for her. Wobbling dangerously on the spot for a moment, Misty soon toppled over and fell to the ground before either of the boys had chance to catch her.

"Ooh!" Ash exclaimed in surprise, immediately concerned for the poor girl. He and Nolan both rushed over to help the girl back to her feet, "Let us help you!"

Ash extended a hand towards the girl lying on the floor groaning in pain, but she quickly slapped it away, flushing in anger and embarrassment.

"I don't need your help!" she snapped up at them both, lunging to her feet and getting all up in Ash's face, "And you're gonna pay for what you did to my bike!"

Nolan narrowed his eyes at Misty, not liking the way that she had just struck Ash. Yes, he could very much understand her anger and frustration at the trouble his best friend had caused her, but that didn't give her the right that lay a hand on him. Especially considering that he was only trying to help her after all.

"Hey! Don't hit him!" the blonde boy scolded, and Misty turned her glare upon him, "He was only offering to help you up! So you just keep your hands to yourself!"

Misty's glare increased tenfold, but Nolan wasn't scared now. He glowered right back at her.

"And just who are you to tell me what to do, huh?!" she snapped, but Nolan held his own, glaring back at her fiercely, "It wasn't your bike that got totally trashed! I thought you said that your friend was going to take good care of it, you know, before you ran off and left me stranded out there!"

Nolan's eyes narrowed into slits, he was so angry by this point of her tirade.

"First of all, I apologised for that at the time" he stiffly reminded the girl before him, "I know it wasn't fair to just run off and leave you there like that, but it was an emergency situation. Again, I'm sorry for that. And secondly, if Ash hadn't taken your bicycle, his Pikachu might not have made it to the hospital in time. He might have died. Are you really going to stand there and say that you wouldn't have helped anyway? Because you don't strike me as someone so cold and heartless".

And despite her anger, Misty couldn't help but allow Nolan's wise and sincere to get into her mind and under her skin. Because the more she thought about it, the more she saw the truth in his words. She was a trainer who adored Pokemon herself. There was no way that she would have just stood by and allowed one to perish by being selfish and petty over a bicycle of all things. It didn't excuse the raven haired boy's actions, but it did calm her rage a little.

"Okay... You're right - I would have tried to help" Misty begrudgingly admitted, realising that it wasn't even Nolan that she was actually angry with, "I'm sorry for snapping at you, but just because I'd have offered to let him borrow my bike anyway doesn't mean that your friend is off the hook for taking it without asking and then totally wrecking it!"

"I am sorry about that!" Ash hastily broke back into the conversation, apologising sincerely, "And I'll make up for it. I promise I will, really!"

But then he glanced over his shoulder, in the direction of the room where Nurse Joy was still no doubt working tirelessly on helping poor Pikachu. His shoulders slumped in concern and pity for his partner Pokemon.

"But I can't do anything about your bike until..." he trailed off, unable to voice the words to express just how truly worried about Pikachu he was.

Misty was about to snap again, to yell and scream about how she wasn't interested in hearing any excuses, but with Nolan's words echoing in her head she managed to calm down enough to restrain herself. Enough to think clearly and to properly see the kid in front of her for the first time.

She could immediately sense just how crushed with guilt and worry and fear the raven haired boy really was, and that cooled the anger that had been building in her ever since she had first clapped eyes on her destroyed bicycle back in the forest. She allowed an exhausted sigh to slip her lips, as her expression finally softened.

"Its okay" she finally said, and all three of them were slightly surprised by how gentle her tone was, "We'll let it go for the moment".

Both Ash and Nolan just stared at her in utter astonishment. Catching their stunned expressions, Misty offered them both a tiny and extremely strained smile.

"It's obvious that your Pokemon isn't doing so good right now, and that's way more important than a bike could ever be" she said in a sympathetic tone that couldn't be mistaken for anything but completely genuine, before turning her attention to Nolan, "Thank you. I lost sight of that in my anger, so I guess I owe you one for reminding me of that".

Realising that she really did get it now, Nolan let go of his own frustration with the girl and smiled kindly back at her.

"You don't owe me anything" he assured the orange haired girl, who blinked in surprise at his words, "You had every right to be upset with me and Ash. We shouldn't have dragged you into a mess that had nothing to do with you. We're both sorry for that. I'm just glad that you're a big enough person to understand that there's something much more important going on right now".

"I do, I really do" she nodded in agreement, before turning back to Ash, "And I'm sorry about how mad I got. I am still upset, but deep down I know that you only took my bike to try and help your Pokemon. I can respect that, so I shouldn't have flown off the handle the way I did. I'm sorry".

Ash certainly was very surprised that she had ended up apologising to him. Deep down, he knew that he didn't have much of a choice, but regardless stealing was still wrong. He just hoped that one day he might be able to make it up to this girl who was kinder than she'd initially let on.

"It's fine, and I really am sorry too. I promise that one day I'll make up for taking your bike and accidentally ruining it." Ash swore. And say what you like about Ash Ketchum, but he never broke a promise.

Sensing the raven haired boy's sincerity, Misty nodded in acceptance.

"It's okay" she smiled kindly, "You strike me as a good person, albeit also one that attracts trouble. But you seem honest to me, so I'll trust that you'll pay me back when the time is right".

Feeling that all the tension had finally been worked out between the three of them, Nolan stepped forwards and offered the orange haired girl a welcoming smile.

"I feel like we all got off on the wrong foot today, so maybe we should all try to start afresh" the blonde boy held out a hand for the girl to shake, "I'm Nolan Locke. It's nice to meet you".

The girl stared at his outstretched hand for a moment, before she grinned.

"My name's Misty Waterflower" Misty introduced herself to the two of them properly for the first time, taking Nolan's hand and shaking it, "And it's nice to meet you too".

Once they had both let go, Misty turned expectantly towards Ash, this time offering a hand herself.

"Ash Ketchum" he smiled at her, and they also shook hands.

"Pleasure" Misty returned his smile.

Nolan was about to open his mouth in an attempt to make some small talk with their newest acquaintance, but before he had the chance to the doors behind the trio opened, and they all turned to see Nurse Joy and her Chansey assistants enter the room. And between the two pink Pokemon, still lying on a small stretcher that they were wheeling into the room, was none other than Pikachu.

Ash's face lit up with the brightest grin imaginable.

"Pikachu!" the raven haired trainer cheered, so, so pleased to see his beloved partner again. He ran across the room with Nolan and Misty hurrying along behind him, "Are you alright?"

Unfortunately Ash didn't receive much of a response, since Pikachu was still out for the count. The little yellow Pokemon just snored up at his human partner. Nolan silently noted that his best friend's Pokemon at least seemed to have some of his colour back, which he hoped was a good sign. He then noticed that Pikachu was wearing a strange headband with wires poking out of it, and a little light bulb on the top. It kept flashing at random intervals. The whole thing was attached to another instrument but Nolan had no clue as to what it was.

"Your Pikachu's resting Ash" Nurse Joy kindly informed the young trainer, watching as his entire body seemed to sag with unadulterated relief, "It's a good thing that you got him here so fast. The procedure went well and he should be just fine".

The relief in the three young trainers was palpable.

"Thank you so much Nurse Joy" Ash said earnestly, almost trembling he was so happy, "I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the hard work you put in to saving him. Thank you".

"You did a really great job patching the little guy up" Nolan complimented with a grin.

"I can see why you work here at the Pokemon Centre!" Misty chimed in happily.

"Oh stop! You're making me blush!" Nurse Joy replied playfully, before growing serious again, "Now all your Pikachu needs is a good long rest in the recovery room. You should go in with him Ash".

Ash beamed at her and nodded.

"Thanks" he said again, grateful for the fact that he no longer had to be separated from his partner Pokemon.

The two Chansey made to start wheeling Pikachu away, no doubt to take him to the recovery room just like Nurse Joy had said. Ash was about to join them, but paused for a moment and turned back to Misty, a guilty expression plastered all over his face.

"Listen Misty - I really do feel awful about your bike" he said in a tone that was completely apologetic, "I know that you're pretty much stuck here until I sort it out, but I'm gonna need some time to make it right".

Understanding and sympathising with the horrible situation that the boy was in, Misty offered him a smile as she held up a hand to stop him.

"It's okay Ash" she assured him kindly, and Ash breathed a sign of relief, "I understand, and like I said before, we can settle up later. After your Pikachu is better again".

"Thanks Misty" Ash said to her gratefully, "I really appreciate how understanding you're being about all this".

Misty nodded, and so with a small smile, Ash then turned his attention away from her and back to his best friend.

"Nolan, I know it's a lot to ask, and I'm sorry but would you mind waiting for me and Pikachu to be ready?" he asked nervously. He didn't want to further derail his best friend's first day as a Pokemon trainer if he already had plans after all.

"Of course I don't mind buddy" Nolan assured him, a little surprised that Ash even thought he needed to ask that question, "You know I'll be there if you need me! I'll wait right here for you and Pikachu".

"Me too" Misty offered kindly.

Stunned at how nice everyone was being, Ash felt himself welling up a little. He quickly forced any forming tears of gratitude away before they could fall, and nodded appreciatively at both Nolan and Misty. The raven haired trainer was about to gesture for the Chansey to start wheeling his partner away, but before he had the chance to, a loud noise rang out and distracted them all.

A siren.

Whatever was going on, Nolan immediately realised that the loud blaring noise that was filling the whole Pokemon Centre and indeed all of Viridian City beyond, was some kind of siren. And call the blonde boy cynical, but Nolan was positive that it was for something terrible. He and everyone else all looked up towards the ceiling, wondering what was going on now.

Off to the side, still on the chair where Nolan had carefully placed her before, the loud piercing noise had startled poor Meadow awake. Her ruby coloured eyes snapped open immediately, and she anxiously looked around the room in utter confusion.

She was searching for her trainer, wanting to confirm that the boy was alright. When she didn't immediately see him, the little grass type Pokemon started to panic, but thankfully she spotted him before she could get too worked up. Hopping down from the chair, Meadow landed on the tiled floor and hurried over to Nolan, grinding to a halt at his feet.

"Saur! Bulba!" she whined in displeasure at the sound that was hurting her little ears.

Noticing his partner's distress, Nolan knelt down and pulled the little Bulbasaur into his arms. He gave her a reassuring hug as he stood up to his full height again.

"Aw... I know Meadow, I don't like it either" he cooed softly to his whimpering partner, squeezing her just a little bit tighter, "Hopefully it'll stop in a moment".

And stop it did.

The four humans in the room, along with Meadow and the two Chansey, all looked up as the shrill ringing ended, only to be replaced by a female voice speaking over the citywide speaker system. A very familiar female voice.

"Attention citizens of Viridian City, attention citizens of Viridian City" Officer Jenny's voice echoed all across the city, and Ash and Nolan glanced at each other in worry, "Our Viridian City radar sensors have detected an aircraft belonging to a gang of Pokemon thieves".

Misty and Nurse Joy both gasped in horror, whilst Ash angrily clenched his fists and grit his teeth. Nolan swallowed hard, a cold feeling settling in the pit of his stomach. Meadow nuzzled up against his chest, a little frightened by what she was hearing.

"If you have a Pokemon in your possession, exercise extreme caution" Officer Jenny's voice warned, before the broadcast sharply ended.

Nolan just squeezed Meadow tighter against him, not about to let her or Welkin's pokeball out of his sight until after they were away from this place. He knew that he couldn't leave without Ash and Pikachu, but talk about really bad timing.

The blonde boy was just about to voice his thoughts, when a horrible notion occurred to him, and he instantly turned a ghastly shade of white. All the blood drained out of his face as realisation struck him. For if there were Pokemon thieves operating in the area, then surely it would make sense that they might target somewhere that a lot of Pokemon were guaranteed to be.

Somewhere just like the Pokemon Centre that they were currently inside of...

And there's another one : )

It felt like the right place to end it, so we'll get to the confrontation with Team Rocket next time : ) But more importantly, what did people think about my version of the first proper meeting with Misty? Are you guys surprised that I had her be nice rather than furious? Honestly, Misty is one of my favourite characters in the anime, but after she becomes nice and stops holding a grudge against Ash so badly. So in my story, I really wanted to have her like that from the get go. She'll still have her sass, and she and Ash will still get into it from time to time, but they'll also have plenty of moments where their friendship shines through as well : ) Plus, I have lots of interactions between her and Nolan in mind as well : )

Anyway, let's move on to the voting topic from last time.

If you guys remember, I asked you all to vote on which of Nolan's Pokemon will get to evolve since I defeated Misty in my Nuzlocke. Well, the tie was between Abra and Pidgey. So please, please can you guys all help me out. Go vote in a review between one of those two Pokemon, and help break the tie to decide who gets to evolve next : )

Finally, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Until the next time, keep on reading : )