Yay! Time to start another anime episode : )
Hey readers - I'm super excited to be posting the first part of a new episode rewrite today : ) I feel like it's been far too long since the last time I started a new anime episode, so I'm hoping to start getting through these episodes a little bit quicker now : )
Anyway - in other exciting news - I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the last voting topic was... Jigglypuff! Thank you to the readers that broke the tie : ) Honestly, I'm so happy that you guys went for this one. I really feel that Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff are quite underrated Pokemon in the games. I know they aren't the strongest, but they have quite a wide range of move types that they can learn, so I'm really looking forward to using one in my Nuzlocke : )
Lastly, I just want to say a massive thank you to those of you that have supported the story by reviewing, favouriting and following the story. It really is appreciated so thank you very much.
Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, just my OCs, and I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Ash Catches A Pokemon
Ash Catches A Pokemon - Part 1
Viridian Forest.
A perfect example of the true beauty and majesty that is nature, if one merely takes the time to appreciate it. Tree trunks so tall that they practically dwarfed even the highest buildings of the city, and foliage so dense it shrouded the lower ground in complete but not intimidating darkness. And it was green. Breathtakingly green. The air was crisp and clear, with just a hint of pine, and the whole area was alive with the sounds of the leaves rustling in the gentle spring breeze and the chirping of numerous Bug Type Pokemon, who had made the forest their special haven.
In essence, it was exactly what Nolan had always pictured it to be.
Taking a deep breath and letting the cleansing, earth-scented oxygen sweep through his lungs, the blonde haired boy couldn't help but allow a large smile to grace his face. This was so different to the last time he had entered the woods since starting his journey as a trainer. That experience been nothing short of a waking nightmare. This was what Nolan Locke had been dreaming of for years now. Turning to his travelling companions, he grinned widely at them all.
"Here we are" he clapped his hands together bracingly, an air of excitement in his tone, "Viridian Forest - one of the biggest forests in Kanto, or so I read".
"Terrific" Misty said sarcastically. Nolan threw her a questioning look, and upon noticing it, their new friend elaborated on her response, "Err... let's just say that Viridian Forest isn't exactly my ideal travel destination. Being at the beach is more my cup of tea".
The boys still looked a little perplexed by Misty's explanation, but decided to just let it go. They had much bigger fish to fry after all, namely their excursion through the first major natural obstacle that was blocking their path.
"Well we need to cross through the forest if we want to get to Pewter City quickly" Ash reminded her, and Misty begrudgingly nodded her head at him, "So let's get moving. The sooner we get started, the sooner we'll get there, and the sooner me and Nolan can earn our first gym badge".
The raven haired boy was particularly excited about that little titbit.
"I can't wait!" Nolan couldn't help but cheer, hoping for exactly the same thing. It would be another major step in his career as a Pokemon trainer, and he just couldn't wait to properly get started.
With that in mind, the golden haired boy set off into the forest, the soft sounds of stray twigs and fallen leaves crunching under his feet reaching his ears, as he carefully began weaving his way through the towering trees. Following his example, Ash, Misty, Meadow and Pikachu all trailed after him, a companionable silence falling over the group as they delved further and further into Viridian Forest.
Nolan was quick to notice just how calming it was, being out in nature like this. It was quiet in comparison to the big city that they had just left behind, even quieter than the small settlement that was Pallet Town. The boy could just think better out here, and right now he was just imagining what adventures could possibly be waiting around the corner for him and his friends. Yes, he was definitely enjoying the great outdoors, and the peace and quiet they were aplenty of.
So honestly, Nolan really shouldn't have been surprised when quite suddenly and without any warning whatsoever, the tranquil silence shattered into a million pieces...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The golden haired trainer jumped so violently from the shock that he completely lost his footing. The boy probably would have fallen flat on his face, if not for a well-placed vine from Meadow, which she quickly used to steady her human partner on his feet. He flashed her a grateful smile, before hurriedly glancing around the clearing they were in for the source of the disturbance. The boy's icy blue eyes quickly identified it, and his jaw dropped open in shock.
Misty.
The source of the petrified scream was Misty.
Nolan's initial thought process was to angrily demand an explanation of the orange haired girl for scaring them all like that. Upon taking a closer look however, the words immediately died in his throat. His new friend looked terrible. Misty had turned a ghastly shade of white, and she was practically shaking, she was trembling with such an intensity of terror. Concern immediately washing away any trace of irritation, Nolan looked her up and down. Satisfied that she didn't have any injuries, he quickly tried to get to the bottom of his new friend's strange behaviour and abrupt change of demeanour.
"Misty, what is it?!" the golden haired Pokemon trainer asked urgently, concern and worry practically dripping from his tone, "What's the matter?!"
"Are you alright?!" Ash was also looking very concerned about the state of their new friend's wellbeing.
Misty whimpered fearfully, her eyes squeezed tightly shut in terror, and she frantically shook her head.
"No, I'm not alright!" the orange haired girl wailed loudly in despair, raising a quivering finger and pointing at something between some trees not too far from the group, "Look! Over there!"
Arching an eyebrow, Nolan did as she said and allowed his gaze to follow her finger, before finally noticing what it was that Misty had spotted. A confused expression immediately appeared on the new Pokemon trainer's face. At his side, Ash mirrored Nolan's action, as did Pikachu and Meadow. The four of them just stared blankly at what Misty had drawn their attention to, none of them able to understand what their newest friend was making such a terrible fuss about.
A Caterpie.
The small group was looking down at a Caterpie.
A Caterpie was what had Misty so spooked. And it clearly wasn't just the surprise of suddenly noticing a seemingly wild Pokemon either. No... based on the way that Misty was cowering behind Ash, her hands gripping his shoulders in an almost painfully tight grasp, it was more than a little obvious that the girl was clearly scared out of her wits. Nolan honestly had no idea what that was all about, but sadly he didn't get the chance to press the issue any further. For at that moment, Ash quickly shrugged off the brief flash of bewilderment he had experienced, and instead allowed unadulterated excitement to pass through his entire body. A huge grin lit up his face as he eagerly took a step forward.
"Cool! It's a Caterpie!" the raven haired Pokemon trainer exclaimed in delight, "It's one of the Bug Pokemon!"
"I can't say I'm really surprised that we ran into one out here" Nolan remarked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he looked down at the small green and yellow Pokemon with interest, "I read that Caterpie are really common in the Viridian Forest. Apparently they're a good test for new trainers to test out their skills on too".
Deciding to get a little more information, the golden haired boy fished his pokedex out of the back pocket of his jeans, and pointed it towards the tiny creature.
"Caterpie - the Worm Pokemon" Dexi reported after identifying the Pokemon before them, "Caterpie uses the suction cups on its feet to climb trees and feed upon its favourite leaves. To repel enemies, Caterpie releases an unpleasant odor from its red antenna".
Upon hearing those words from his best friend and said boy's pokedex, Ash's excitement at Caterpie's sudden appearance only continued to grow. Sadly, the sentiment most definitely was not shared by Misty.
"Be that as it may, bugs are disgusting and I don't like them!" the young girl whined, still looking close to having a panic attack, the presence of the Bug Pokemon was making her so anxious, "Do something!"
Later on, she may have regretted speaking those words.
Immediately taking charge of the situation that he hadn't been expecting but was quite happy to deal with, Ash gently pushed Misty behind him, and took a few more steps closer to the creature that had unwittingly become the target of his attention. The tiny Caterpie looked up at Ash curiously with its large glistening black eyes.
"Alright everybody, stand back" the raven haired boy declared, a look of fierce determination now etching itself into his face, "I'll take care of this".
"Pika?" Pikachu blinked in confusion, wondering what on Earth his human partner was up to now.
"Saur?" Meadow didn't seem to be getting it either.
Ash's best friend on the other hand clicked right away, and so with an encouraging smile on his face, he honoured the other boy's request and stepped back, falling in line with Misty, who was still looking very afraid. Grinning like a loon, Ash stepped even closer to the little Caterpie, the eyes of everyone assembled upon him as he inched closer and closer to his target.
Nolan would be the first to admit that he was highly interested in seeing how this unexpected but welcome turn of events would play out. The blonde haired boy arched an eyebrow, his curiosity peaked, as he watched his best friend determinedly square up to the tiny Caterpie that had chosen to wander into their path. It was more than a little obvious what the raven haired Pokemon trainer had in mind, and Nolan wished him every success in that goal. He just hoped that Ash had learnt from experience, and that there would not be a repeat of the last time that he had tried to capture a wild Pokemon. Nolan was in no mood for another debacle like that had been, thank you very much.
Thankfully, it would soon transpire that his fears were unwarranted.
Feeling the eyes of all his travelling companions upon him, and determined not to make a fool out of himself like he had the last time, Ash grit his teeth in deep concentration. With all of his dreams and hopes pushing him on, the raven haired Pokemon trainer unclipped one of the empty pokeballs he had strapped to his belt, and held the small red and white sphere up high. His russet eyes were fixed on his prey, who met his intense stare with puzzled curiosity. A dangerous smirk quirked at Ash's lips.
"This one's a piece of cake" Ash muttered under his breath as he tried to psych himself up, pressing the button on the pokeball to enlargen it, before shouting out loudly at the top of his voice, "CATERPIE! YOU'RE MINE! POKEBALL GO!"
And with that fierce declaration made to the heavens above, Ash flung the pokeball in his hand with every last ounce of strength that his body possessed. Praying that his aim held true, now all Ash could do was wait...
He wasn't the only one.
Each of them with baited breath; Nolan, Misty, Pikachu and Meadow could do nothing more than look on as the scene continued to unfold in front of them. To the group's general relief, they soon saw that Ash's throw had hit the mark, as the pokeball headed straight towards the small Bug Type Pokemon.
"Pie! Cater!" the little Caterpie chirped in alarm, its voice strange with an almost alien-esque quality to it.
The pokeball successfully hit Caterpie head on, and the capture device activated. In a flash of blinding scarlet coloured light, Caterpie chirped loudly one more time, before being pulled into the capsule's confines. The pokeball gently fell down to the forest floor, and slowly began to shake from side to side.
Now was the moment of truth.
Ash didn't even dare to breathe as his russet coloured eyes carefully watched every twitch the pokeball made. The boy had his fingers crossed so tightly that they were starting to hurt, but he honestly couldn't have cared any less about that. All that mattered now was catching the Caterpie. He couldn't fail again. He just couldn't. After everything that had happened on this journey so far, Ash really just needed to catch a break.
He just hoped that this would be it.
Behind the determined young raven haired boy, his friends were all having similar thoughts. Nolan genuinely wanted Ash to succeed this time around. He was starting to worry that his best friend was becoming quite disheartened with his career as a Pokemon trainer, and the last thing he wanted was for Ash to lose hope. The guy deserved the world and more, so Nolan really was counting on the universe giving him this. Misty also wanted Ash to catch the Caterpie too, although in her case, it was more just about getting the Caterpie out of sight than wanting Ash to be happy. The longer she had to look at that gross thing, the worse her anxieties would get, so the sooner Ash put it away in a pokeball, the happier Misty would be. Pikachu and Meadow were simply looking forward to potentially making a new Pokemon friend.
It felt as though the group had waited an eternity before the outcome of this capture attempt made itself known. The tension in the air was practically palpable by the time a resolution was drawn. But alas, finally their intense wait was over.
The pokeball lay still, and the light randomly flashing on its button faded away. The capture had been successful.
Ash Ketchum... had caught his first Pokemon.
For the few couple of moments, nobody moved, nor did they speak, nor even seem to release the breath they had all been collectively holding. Nobody seemed to want to be the one to break the stunned silence, so instead they all just stared down at the newly occupied pokeball, each and every one of them utterly awestruck.
Then the moment finally shattered...
"WWWWWOOOOOOHHHHHOOOOOO!"
Even though he really shouldn't have been surprised, Nolan couldn't help but jump, completely startled, by the exclamation that escaped from his best friend. The cheer that tore itself from Ash's lips was so loud and so uncontainable that it was something of a miracle that the raven haired boy hadn't instantly destroyed each and every one of his vocal cords. But who could blame him for his ecstasy though? He had caught a Pokemon. He, Ash Ketchum, had caught a Pokemon. His first Pokemon.
And it felt... amazing.
His whole body practically thrumming with excitement, Ash simply couldn't contain himself any longer. Rushing across the forest clearing at top speed, he eagerly snatched up the newly occupied pokeball, and held it up towards the sky victoriously. Another ear-splitting cheer slipped his lips, startling a couple of wild Pidgey right out of their tree, as another huge grin lit up his entire face.
Behind the raven haired boy; Nolan, Meadow and Pikachu all shared in their friend's euphoria, his joy was so infectious. After everything that they had all endured since starting their journey, particularly Ash... well, all of them felt that he deserved this one at least. Misty alone didn't share in the joy, instead eyeing the pokeball in her new friend's hand with thinly veiled disgust. Whilst she was pleased that Ash was happy, the source of said happiness just wasn't something that the young girl could get behind. Ash didn't even notice any of their reactions though. He was far too busy celebrating his first major success as a Pokemon trainer to care about anything else.
And really... who could blame him?
"Yes! I did it!" Ash bellowed at the top of his lungs, though it did little to express the full magnitude of his emotions right now, "Haha! I did it! I caught Caterpie!"
Cradling the newly occupied pokeball like it was the most precious thing - which in that moment, to Ash it really was - the raven haired Pokemon trainer rushed back over to his friends, hoping that they would share in his joy.
"I did it all by myself! I caught my first Pokemon!" Ash exclaimed happily, bouncing around the other two humans in his excitement.
"Congratulations Ash!" Nolan beamed, genuinely delighted that things had worked out well for his best friend this time around.
"Yeah... it's just great" Misty drawled, her sarcastic tone suggesting that it was anything but.
The sarcasm was completely lost on Ash, although Nolan gave her a bit of an odd look for her lack of enthusiasm.
"Thanks guys!" Ash grinned happily, still giddy over his first true success as a new trainer, "I just can't believe it! This is the first step on my way to becoming the number one Pokemon Master in the whole world!"
Due to his usual playful nature, Nolan was half-tempted to make a comment there, reminding Ash that it would be him earning that title. The blonde resisted the urge however, not wanting to burst Ash's bubble when he was so overjoyed.
And overjoyed he was.
Unable to contain the euphoric energy coursing through his veins for a moment longer, Ash simply just had to let his feelings be known. Looping his arm through a startled Misty's before the girl could stop him, Ash began wheeling them both around in a great circle, all the time laughing his head off. He was so caught up in his own happiness, that the raven haired boy was completely oblivious to Misty's frustrated protests.
In the background, Nolan couldn't help but giggle at the display before him.
"P-poor Misty" the blonde haired boy choked out through a laugh, "Ash does seem to be getting a little carried away".
"Bulbasaur" Meadow nodded, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
"Pika" Pikachu gently defended his trainer, even if the little yellow Pokemon was thinking the same thing himself.
"I totally get why though" Nolan continued, unknowingly agreeing with what Pikachu had just said, "Catching your first Pokemon is a really special moment. When I caught Welkin I was ready to scream it from the rooftops".
Meadow and Pikachu both threw him weird looks, clearly wondering what on Earth the golden haired trainer was talking about.
"It's a human expression" Nolan explained upon seeing their confusion.
The two Pokemon both just shared an exasperated look with each other, before they shrugged it off, as all three of them turned their attention back to the other two humans in the clearing with them. They watched on as Misty was finally able to pry her arm free from Ash's, and with an annoyed expression on her face, she stomped back over to the others. Ash didn't even notice that he was no longer holding Misty, as he continued dancing around the clearing, shouting out merrily to the skies above.
"Of all the ridiculous..." Misty was grumbling under her breath as she came to a halt by Nolan's side. The blonde boy smiled good-naturedly at her.
"Come on Misty, he just caught his first ever Pokemon! He's excited!" he reminded her gently, and the girl's face softened a little, "Cut the guy a bit of slack!"
Judging by the Water Type Specialist's tense posture, she wanted to give him a lot more than just some slack.
"I get that" Misty replied, a bit of aggravation still in her tone, "I really do, but... well come on! I mean, for goodness' sake! He caught a Caterpie, not a Moltres!"
Nolan couldn't help but smile in amusement.
"A catch is a catch" he shrugged, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement at the sour expression on his friend's face, "Don't tell me you weren't excited when you caught your first Pokemon".
At his words, Misty's shoulders slumped a little in defeat.
"Of course I was" she admitted with a sigh, "Still... I didn't start dancing..."
They both looked over to where Ash was practically sashaying his way around the clearing and snorted.
"It's just... aah! Why did his first catch have to be a Bug Type Pokemon?!" the orange haired girl bit out in frustration, "Of all the Pokemon in this forest, why a bug?!"
Nolan couldn't help but eye his friend curiously at those words.
"Yeah, I got the sense earlier that you don't like them" he remarked in a very gentle tone, not wanting to upset or embarrass her, "Do Bug Pokemon scare you?"
Misty's face flushed red for a second, but she quickly realised that Nolan wasn't about to tease her, and instead seemed genuinely concerned about her. If it was anyone else, Misty would instantly deny the suggestion, but her instincts told her that she could trust Nolan. She decided to go with her gut.
"They terrify me" she admitted in a whisper, "They have done ever since I was a little girl. I just... I can't stand being around them!"
Nolan bit his lip, deep in thought. He had to admit that this might pose quite a problem at some point down the line. After all, Misty was travelling with them now, and probably would be for quite some time, but Nolan knew that Ash wasn't going to keep Caterpie in its pokeball twenty-four hours a day either. Besides, that would hardly be fair to Caterpie. The Bug Type Pokemon hadn't done anything wrong. The blonde haired boy wasn't sure what the answer to this conundrum was, but he would be sure to help his friends find it.
Sadly, it turned out that everything would kick off before he had the chance too.
Because right at that moment, unbeknownst to Nolan and Misty, Ash had finally stopped dancing for all the world to see, and instead had come bounding over to his friends, wanting to make sure that they understood just how monumental this moment truly was. He then did the worst thing he possibly could. He thrust the newly occupied pokeball right in Misty's face.
Nolan's jaw dropped open in abject horror, whilst Misty let out a small shriek of fright and tried to back away. It was no good though. Ash kept the pokeball with Caterpie inside firmly in the girl's personal space.
"Look!" he cried happily, completely missing the way that Misty was whimpering and shying away from the caspule, he was so enthused by his victory, "Inside this ball is the very first Pokemon I ever caught in my whole entire life!"
Still whimpering, Misty raised her hands in front of her face defensively, slowly backing away in fear.
"T... that's great Ash" she managed to gasp out, and to Misty's credit, she did at least sound like she was trying to be supportive of her new friend, "J... just keep it away from me, please".
There was no denying the hint of utter desperation in her voice.
Ash seemed to catch the fear in Misty's behaviour and expression, but unlike Nolan, the raven haired boy didn't seem to fully grasp just how intense said fear was for the poor girl. His warm smile slowly morphed into a teasing smirk.
"You're not afraid of an iddy-biddy Caterpie in a pokeball, are you?" Ash asked in a sing-song voice, moving the pokeball even closer to Misty's face, making her whimper once more.
Nolan couldn't help but narrow his eyes in a displeased manner. Whilst he knew that Ash was just trying to have a little fun and didn't mean any harm, it still felt a little too close to bullying for the blonde boy's liking. It was obvious that Misty was clearly very uncomfortable, and Ash shouldn't make fun of her for feeling that way.
"Ash, cut it out" he interrupted sternly, and Ash glanced over at him in surprise, "Misty doesn't like Bug Pokemon, so get that pokeball out of her face".
Much to the golden haired boy's annoyance, Ash just flashed him a wide grin.
"Aw! Come on - don't be such a spoilsport!" Ash laughed, and Nolan scowled at him, "I'm just trying to show Misty my new Pokemon! She wants to see it!"
He shoved the pokeball even closer to Misty, making her shriek and scoot back even more.
"N...No, I don't!" she wailed.
"Ash, stop it! It isn't funny" Nolan protested on the frightened girl's behalf, not liking seeing his best friend treating people like this, "Can't you see she's scared stiff?! You should be respectful of that, not tease her about it! That's something that Gary would do!"
Ash looked shocked that Nolan would make such a comparison, and took a step back in surprise. It came as a great relief to Misty, and feeling much more comfortable now that there was more distance between her and the Caterpie, she fixed Ash with a heated glare.
"Nolan's right Ash!" Misty shouted at him, appreciative of having at least one of her new friends on her side, "Bugs get me all bugged out! Even when they're in a pokeball, so just keep it AWAY!"
Ash blinked in surprise as Misty shouted the last word as an order that wasn't to be ignored. It was almost like the concept of disliking a certain type of Pokemon was a whole new notion to him. Perhaps it was.
"I like Bug Type Pokemon, even if they're not in pokeballs" Ash said, smiling down at the pokeball still clutched in his grasp.
"Well Misty doesn't" Nolan told him bluntly, although not unkindly either, "So do the decent thing and just keep it away from her, yeah?"
Misty flashed Nolan a grateful smile for sticking up for her, though Ash looked a little put-out by his words.
"Fine" the raven haired boy pouted a little, but the expression melted away into a huge grin as soon as he turned his attention back to the pokeball in his hand, "Oh! It must be great for Caterpie inside the pokeball, all cute and comfortable inside there. I love my new little Pokemon!"
And with that, the boy began affectionately nuzzling the smooth surface of the capsule device with his face.
Misty just stared at him, a look of absolute disgust on her face, began responding to his heartfelt declaration.
"I guess it takes a worm to love a worm" she drawled, her tone practically dripping with sarcasm.
Thankfully Ash didn't seem to hear that comment, for he was far too enchanted by his new teammate. Nolan on the other did hear what she said, and threw her a disapproving look.
"Misty! That wasn't nice!" he lightly scolded.
"And I suppose what he did to me was?" she retorted unhappily.
"No, it wasn't" Nolan acknowledged fairly, and Misty smirked a little smugly, "And I told him to stop! Do I really need to separate you two like a couple of toddlers?!"
He sounded incredulous at the fact that it might actually become a real possibility.
Misty pouted at him, crossing her arms in a rather sulky manner. She made no comment however, so Nolan took the opportunity to continue.
"Look... I get that phobias are really hard to deal with..." he said in what he hoped was a soothing tone, "And I know that what Ash did wasn't very kind, but he was just trying to mess with you. He wasn't trying to be cruel. I don't think he understands just how... intense your fear of Bug Pokemon is. If he did, I know he wouldn't have done it".
Misty wanted to be angry for a little bit longer, really she did, but she just couldn't help but acknowledge the truth in Nolan's words. She might not have known Ash for long, but she knew he wasn't nasty or cruel in nature. His actions back at the Pokemon Centre had proven that.
"And besides, you can't really begrudge him for already loving his new Pokemon" Nolan continued, watching fondly as Ash still kept nuzzling the pokeball with Caterpie inside lovingly, "I knew from the moment that the pokeball snapped shut that I'd always love Welkin".
Again, Misty found her heart softening with each word he spoke. With a long-suffering sigh, she finally relented.
"Alright... I can't really argue with that" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist admitted begrudgingly, "I'll try to keep my tongue in check. No promises if he puts that thing in my face again though".
"Fair enough" Nolan nodded in acknowledgement.
Back with Ash, the boy was still in the middle of showing his affection to his newest Pokemon, when an important revelation eventually crossed his mind. He had been so busy sharing his joy with his human friends, that he had yet to share it with his Pokemon ones. He decided to rectify that right away.
"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, spinning around to where his partner was, still waiting patiently at Nolan's side for Ash to finish his celebrations. Upon hearing the call however, the little Electric type ran over to his own partner's side.
"Pi?" Pikachu blinked up at Ash curiously. Smiling, the raven haired boy crouched down into a squat, and held the pokeball out for Pikachu to examine.
"We've got a new friend!" Ash announced happily.
Pikachu tilted his head to the side, before cautiously sniffing the pokeball his partner was holding. Finding the scent to his satisfaction, his cheeks sparked in excitement.
"Pikachu!" the little yellow Pokemon cheered, and Ash's whole body almost sagged in relief that Caterpie's place on their team had his partner's approval.
"Oh Pikachu! I'm glad you like it" Ash beamed, before another thought struck him, and he looked over to where Meadow was sitting, "What about you Meadow? What do you think?"
Gesturing her over, Ash found that he honestly wanted the little Bulbasaur's opinion on this. After all, seeing as the trainers were best friends, it only made sense that they'd want their pokemon to be friends as well.
Meadow slowly walked over to join Ash and Pikachu, and at Ash's gentle smile, sniffed the pokeball as well. She also ran a quick vine over it, before smiling brightly.
"Saur! Bulba!" she voiced her approval as well.
"That's great!" Ash's smile widened even further if that was at all possible, he was so pleased by their positive responses to Caterpie, "And from now on, me and Nolan are going to catch a whole bunch of new friends!"
Liking the sound of that idea, Nolan couldn't help but beam in agreement and eagerly nod his head.
"Sounds good to me Ash" he said with a smile to his best friend, who grinned back at him, "But don't forget, what's the most important part of catching a new Pokemon?"
Ash looked confused for a few moments, but then he understood exactly what Nolan was gently reminding him to do. He gasped as realisation set in.
"That's right! I had forgotten! Thanks Nolan!" Ash quickly thanked his friend for his prompting, before explaining to Pikachu and Meadow what the two of them were talking about, "I still need to properly introduce myself to our new little buddy!"
Misty immediately flinched, her entire body tensing up against her will, as realisation unfortunately set in for her as well.
"D... does that mean..." she trailed off with a frightened whimper.
"Afraid so" Nolan gave her a strained, almost apologetic smile.
Whilst Nolan understood that this would probably be tough for Misty to deal with, he also knew that this was way too important for Ash to ignore. He and his new Pokemon needed to establish a bond if they were going to be teammates after all. And it wouldn't be fair to either of them if they missed out on that, simply because of Misty's phobia. No. Nolan knew that there would be no stopping Ash from doing this. His best friend was nothing if not determined.
So wishing for the best for all parties concerned, Nolan could do nothing more than watch on as his best friend eagerly leapt into action.
"Caterpie! Come on out!" Ash yelled in excitement.
He tossed the pokeball in his hand high up into the air, and five pairs of eyes all watched on intently as it slowly made its way back down to Earth.
It was time to meet the newest member of their group.
And that's the first part of another episode down : )
Oh dear! They've only just started travelling together, and already there's friction between Ash and Misty XD
My goal for those two is to have them be much nicer to each other earlier on in the story, but not without the occasional hiccup. Well... here's a hiccup ; ) Hopefully Nolan will be able to keep the peace between the two of them : )
And yay! Ash has his first new Pokemon! I know that Ash only had his Butterfree for roughly seventeen episodes in the anime, but that Pokemon will always be special to Pokemon Anime lovers : )
Anyway - let's move on to the next voting topic. Another new Pokemon to vote for I'm afraid. I know I've been posting these ones a LOT lately, but I really want to establish which Pokemon Nolan gets to catch in this story, so I can better plan it out. I have defeated Lt Surge in my Nuzlocke though, so soon we'll have another evolution vote : ) Anyway, here are the Pokemon Options for this time : )
Pokemon Options -
Route 6: - Poliwag - Female - Naive Nature - Water Absorb Ability
Route 14: - Ditto - Genderless - Serious Nature - Limber Ability
Route 15: - Venonat - Female - Bold Nature - Compound Eyes Ability
Personally I think any one of these three would be a good addition to Nolan's team, but it's down to you guys to pick, so please leave a review to vote for which Pokemon you want to see Nolan catch in this story : )
Now, this next subject isn't so much a vote... more a request for your ideas. You guys remember that a couple of chapters ago, it was established that Nolan would be catching a Growlithe... well... I'm totally stumped on what to call him. I've been racking my brains for weeks trying to figure out a good name for him, but I need help, so if any of you guys have any ideas for a name for him, please leave them in a review and I'll carefully consider them : )
Lastly, thank you for reading this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )