Happy New Year!
Hey readers - I can hardly believe it! We're in 2023! Honestly, where has the last year gone? : D
I don't actually have too much to say today, so let's get straight down to business, starting with the winner of the last voting topic. As you may recall, I asked you guys to vote upon which of Nolan's Pokemon gets to evolve in this story, since I've defeated Lt. Surge in my Nuzlocke. Well I'm very pleased to say that the winner was... Growlithe! Honestly, I am SO happy about this one. Arcanine is one of my favourite generation one Pokemon, so to be adding one to this story is something I'm really excited about : )
Anyway, I'd like to say a HUGE thank you for all the support this story has received in 2022, and please keep it up going forwards in 2023 : )
Finally, please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OCs are, and I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Happy New Year Everyone : )
Ash Catches A Pokemon - Part 5
The atmosphere in the clearing was incredibly tense as everyone waited with baited breath to see how this latest turn of events would play out. Nolan couldn't help but feel a strong sense of Deja vu as he watched his best friend step up to his latest opponent, his russet colour eyes narrowed with the utmost determination. Nolan just hoped that the end result for Ash would be a positive one, and that they would all hopefully gain a new Pokemon friend out of it. The alternative brought back unpleasant memories of a particular Spearow flock to the golden haired boy, and Nolan was in no hurry for a repeat of those events, thank you very much. His fingers involuntarily ghosted across the surface of Welkin's pokeball just thinking about it, and they came to rest there. Nolan hoped that his Flying Type friend wouldn't be necessary in this fight, but the blonde haired Pokemon trainer wasn't going to be taking any chances this time around. They had got lucky back in the Pallet Woods. Nolan wasn't prepared to tempt fate twice.
It turned out, he wasn't the only member of the group to be of that opinion.
Flanking her friend on the other side of Ash was Misty, and she seemed to be having similar thoughts to Nolan's own. Even though she hadn't yet joined up with their little group by the time that those events had occurred, Ash and Nolan had filled her in on everything that had happened with the Spearow flock, and it didn't sound fun. So the orange haired girl was currently rummaging around through her backpack, and after a few moments, she withdrew a pokeball. Specifically the one holding her Starmie. Like Nolan, Misty wasn't going to intervene useless absolutely necessary. She just wanted to be safe rather than sorry.
Ash on the other hand was having no such reservations about their encounter with the wild Pidgeotto. In fact, the raven haired boy seemed to be totally in his element, as he squared up to the wild Pokemon that had become the latest focus of the newly qualified trainer's attention. Despite his earlier flounders in the journey so far, the success he'd had in capturing Caterpie had bolstered Ash's confidence. His spirits were high, and the young boy was sure that things would only continue to get better. He was going to capture this wild Pidgeotto. He could feel it.
Pikachu, Caterpie and Meadow all merely looked on with interest, wondering how this was going to play out. Each of them was ready to jump to the defense of their respective trainer if necessary though.
It seemed to take an age before the wild Pidgeotto seemed to catch on to the fact that Ash was serious in his challenge, and that there was absolutely no way that the raven haired human was about to back down. Once the Flying Type Pokemon registered this, Pidgeotto cawed loudly, making a sound almost akin to a war-cry, before it spread its wings wide, making the creature look even more intimidating than it already did. Nolan couldn't help but marvel at the wingspan of the Pidgeotto. It was an impressive specimen, make no mistake about that. He hoped that Ash would be able to add this Pokemon to his team. His best friend was more than deserving of it.
The silent tension that had been brewing seemed to build and build, until finally it all spilled over. When it did, the battle quickly got underway.
The first thing that Ash realised was that Pidgeotto was fast. Wicked fast. In less time than it took the raven haired boy to blink, the wild Pidgeotto had already decided which of the three other Pokemon present that it was going to battle, and in one graceful maneuver, it had crossed the clearing and was ready to begin its assault.
And that's when all hell broke loose.
Before any of the three humans could process what was happening, and therefore attempt to do anything about it, the wild Pidgeotto was upon the Pokemon that had been selected as its prey, and was attacking it with a tremendous amount of gusto. It was obvious right from the get-go that not only was Pidgeotto a very skilled fighter, but that it also enjoyed it immensely. Ash was in no doubt that this was going to be a tricky battle. Unfortunately, that was the least of the raven haired boy's troubles. For right now, a much larger problem had presented itself to the young trainer.
Namely, the wild Pidgeotto was trying to devour his Caterpie!
Ash's jaw dropped wide open in horror as the scene before him played out. It was almost like things were playing in slow-motion, it was so awful and quite-frankly frightening to witness. Pidgeotto had set upon Caterpie right away, probably selecting him as its opponent for the same reason that Welkin had previously; that the little green creature was breakfast as opposed to a serious challenge. The prideful part of Ash's mind resented the notion that his friend was just food to this creature, and he felt offended on his friend's behalf. He quickly pushed those dark thoughts to the back of his mind though. There were far more important things to focus on right now, like that fact that poor Caterpie was still flailing around for dear life.
"CCCCCAAAAATTTTTEEEEERRRRR!"
"GGGGEEEEOOOOTTTTTTTTOOOO!"
The noise that the two Pokemon were making was absolutely tremendous. Ash and everyone else could do little more than watch on in shock and anguish as a petrified Caterpie scurried around the clearing as fast as his stubby yellow legs could carry him. The Bug Type Pokemon kept twisting and turning at random intervals, trying to throw his aggressor off. The poor green creature wasn't having much luck though; Pidgeotto was unrelenting in its attacks. The wild Flying Type Pokemon kept on pecking at poor Caterpie's head, determined to draw blood. Caterpie just kept screaming. Never before in his short life had Ash felt so helpless as he did watching the spectacle from the sidelines.
It was nothing short of horrible.
"Caterpie!" Ash yelled over the cacophony of the two scrambling Pokemon, his expression aghast, his tone heavy with concern, "Leave him alone, Pidgeotto!"
The boy's furious demand went unheeded.
Beating its wings at a speed so fast it was impossible for anyone to keep track of its movements, the wild Pokemon kicked up a powerful Gust attack that cut off one of Caterpie's potential escape routes. It sent Caterpie hurtling backwards, forcing the little green bug to squirm away in a different direction, lest he be gobbled up in a heartbeat.
"Watch out!" Nolan exclaimed when Pidgeotto's talons came perilously close to ripping off Caterpie's antenna.
"CATERPIE!" the little Bug Type Pokemon squealed, ducking his head, whimpering in sheer terror.
Mercifully, Pidgeotto's latest attack missed, albeit only by an inch or two. The wild Pokemon rose up from its dive, before it circled back through the air in order to try again.
Watching all this from the sidelines was Misty, and despite her phobia, even her sympathies couldn't help but be stirred just looking at the amount of pure and unadulterated terror upon Caterpie's face. Knowing that as the most experienced trainer present, it was down to her to help resolve this situation, and so she turned to Ash with a very serious expression.
"Ash, you can't just stand there watching!" she lightly scolded her raven haired friend, "Either call out an attack for Caterpie to use, or withdraw him from this fight!"
Her words seemed to do the trick.
Shaking himself out of the state of sheer horror that he had allowed himself to fall into, Ash saw the wisdom behind her words, and quickly pulled his wits together. Turning back to the fight, which had practically become an all-out brawl for survival on Caterpie's part by this point, Ash was ready to take charge of the situation, and hopefully ensure his own Pokemon's safety. He quickly made his mind up as to which option he was going to take.
"Caterpie! We have to fight back!" Ash called over the racket that the two Caterpie Pokemon were making, "Try slowing it down with your String Shot!"
At his side, Nolan barely resisted the urge to slap his hand to his forehead in disbelief. Whilst he knew that his best friend was gutsy, and never one to back down from a challenge, surely he could see that his Caterpie was way outgunned here. The smarter play would have been to call Caterpie back into his pokeball where he'd be safe, and then send Pikachu into the fray. At least then Ash would have the type advantage. The golden haired boy was about to relay all of this to his friend, but quickly stopped himself before he did. He remembered the last time when he had tried to give Ash advice whilst in battle against a wild Flying Type Pokemon. They had ended up having an argument, and Nolan didn't want a repeat of that. So instead he kept his thoughts on the matter to himself, and gave Ash the chance to handle this situation in his own way. He couldn't help but think that Ash was making a big mistake though.
And apparently, he wasn't the only member of the group to hold that opinion.
In a brief moment of respite, Caterpie threw his human friend an incredulous look, clearly questioning the sanity of his new trainer. Not wanting to let the boy down however, the little green bug dug deep, and found the courage to at least attempt to fight back. Bucking himself up, Caterpie bravely faced the wild Pidgeotto head on.
"CATERPIE!" the small green Pokemon let out a noise eerily similar to a battle-cry, and from his small mouth spat out a messy glob of silver thread.
Unfortunately, with one graceful maneuver, Pidgeotto was effortlessly able to dodge out of the projectile's way in time. Caterpie spat out several more strings of sticky webbing, trying desperately to strike back at the creature hunting him, but it was futile, and the result was the same each time. Caterpie simply just couldn't match Pidgeotto's speed. Ash would need to come up with another tactic, and fast.
Sadly, before the raven haired had a chance to do so, things unfortunately took a turn for the worse.
With an unimaginable amount of momentum behind it, Pidgeotto once again used its impressive speed to its full advantage. Slamming into Caterpie's body with its much larger and more powerful one, Pidgeotto sent the small green bug hurtling backwards from the sheer force of its Quick Attack.
Nolan couldn't help it when, despite the somewhat inappropriate timing, an excited gleam lit up his icy blue eyes brightly. The golden haired trainer was highly impressed seeing the move in action. He had definitely made the right decision in focusing Welkin's training on learning such a move, and was confident that once he had mastered the technique, his Flying Type friend would be a force to be reckoned with. The blonde haired boy quickly shook those thoughts away though. Now was hardly the time for such things.
Caterpie was sent rolling clear across the distance of the clearing from the power of the attack, and he probably would have gone much further, had he not slammed into the thick mossy trunk of a tree with a sickening THUD. The small green Bug Type Pokemon whined in pain, but he didn't have any time to rest on his laurels. Relentless in its assault, the wild Pidgeotto was coming in for another attack.
"CATERPIE!" Ash screamed in horrified panic, realising that his friend was cornered with no means of escape.
"GGGGEEEEOOOOTTTTTTTTOOOO!"
Pidgeotto was closing in for another attack, and judging by the expression on its face, it was done playing with its food and was ready to eat it. Its lethal looking talons gleamed under the bright sunlight, posed to kill, as the Flying Type Pokemon soared across the clearing towards its prey.
"CCCCCAAAAATTTTTEEEEERRRRR!"
Caterpie let out another almost feral scream of terror, quivering and trembling where he stood, as Pidgeotto dive-bombed towards him. In a split-second, the little green creature's whole life flashed before his eyes, and for one horrible moment, Caterpie truly gave up hope that he'd come out of this encounter with his life intact.
Thankfully, the humans present weren't about to let things come to that.
"Quick Ash!" Misty exclaimed, a heavy sense of urgency in her tone, "Call Caterpie back!"
"She's right, he's too outgunned! This is too dangerous for Caterpie!" Nolan added in agreement, nodding his head anxiously, "You should return him to his pokeball and battle with Pikachu instead! With his Electric Type attacks, you guys should have the advantage against a Flying Type Pokemon like Pidgeotto!"
Despite feeling like it was a little unfair of him to pull Caterpie out of the battle after he'd held on for so long, Ash knew that they were right. His Pokemon was practically on the verge of a panic attack, he was so frightened. With a heavy heart, Ash admitted defeat. Quickly detaching his Bug Type Pokemon's pokeball from his belt, the raven haired trainer hastily pointed it in the direction of his little green friend.
"Caterpie! Return!" Ash commanded without hesitation.
A beam of scarlet light exploded out of the pokeball in Ash's hand, and shot straight towards the spot where Caterpie was cowering. It was immediately a race against time to see which would reach the Bug Type Pokemon first. A race to see what Caterpie's ultimate fate would be - survival? Or certain death?
After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was no longer than a couple of seconds, the answer presented itself to the group of young trainers.
Mercifully, it was the beam of red light that reached the quivering bug first. In another flash of light, Caterpie was absorbed into the beam, which quickly retracted back into the device in Ash's hand. The raven haired Pokemon trainer couldn't help but sigh in relief as his friend was spared what would otherwise no doubt been a brutal slaughter. Ash quickly shook those ominous thoughts away however. He hadn't given up on catching the wild Pidgeotto after all. The boy was nothing if not determined, so he had to stay focused.
After all, this battle was just getting started.
Turning to face his beloved partner, Ash couldn't help but grin slightly when he saw the look of utter determination on Pikachu's face. It was a look that promised retribution on Pidgeotto for trying to make Caterpie its breakfast. It was a look that promised Ash that Pikachu would not be letting him down. Without any prompting on his trainer's part, the yellow Pokemon darted forwards, and met Pidgeotto's cold glare with one of his own.
It didn't take long for the fighting to recommence.
Pidgeotto, realising that Pikachu was a much greater threat to it than Caterpie had been, wisely took off into the air so as to avoid any close-range electric type attacks that its latest opponent might try to pull. That didn't mean that the Flying Type Pokemon was retreating from the fight however. Pidgeotto was far too riled up to admit defeat. It just meant that the wild Pokemon was being clever about this. And Ash knew that if he wanted to claim the victory and catch himself another new teammate, he and Pikachu were going to have to do the same.
"Pikachu! Let's start out by trying a long-range Thunder Shock attack!" Ash instructed, deciding to start by testing the waters, "Don't let it get close to you!"
The little yellow Pokemon nodded his head at his trainer's command, eager to avenge Caterpie.
Charging forwards so that he was in the centre of the forest clearing that they were in, and thus able to better defend himself regardless of what direction a retaliatory attack may come from, Pikachu's ruby coloured cheeks began to glow with the harsh glare of electricity.
"PIKA...CHU!" Pikachu screamed as he unleashed his powerful Thunder Shock attack.
The burst of pure, crackling energy shot straight up into the sky like a geyser, but sadly, the effect was similar to that of the String Shot attack which Caterpie had previously tried using against this particular opponent. Namely, Pidgeotto used its immense speed to its advantage, and was easily able to dodge in time. Down below, Ash and Pikachu both looked on in disappointment.
"That Pokemon's fast... too fast..." Ash muttered under his breath, his fists tightening as he tried furiously to come up with a tactic that might slow the wild Pidgeotto down. Sadly, he was all out of ideas on that front.
"GGGGEEEEOOOOTTTTTTTTOOOO!"
Both Ash and Pikachu were helpless to do more than look on in dismay, as high in the air above their heads, the wild Flying Type Pokemon began beating its strong wings together at a tremendous speed, and with seconds had summoned up a small but powerful Gust attack. Pidgeotto then proceeded to launch the little vortex of swirling wind in the direction of Pikachu at a frighteningly fast pace.
"Dodge it Pikachu!" Ash screamed in panic.
Sadly, it was already far too late.
Before Pikachu had the chance to even think of moving out of the oncoming vortex's path, the air-based attack struck the small yellow Pokemon head on. It immediately picked poor Pikachu a metre or so up off the ground, and sent him hurtling across the forest floor.
"Pika!"
Pikachu couldn't help it when a little whine of pain escaped his lips as the Gust attack finally ended and fizzled out, leaving the small Electric Type Pokemon lying face-down in the dirt. Growling in frustration, Pikachu quickly climbed back to his feet, wiped his face clean, before glowering darkly at Pidgeotto, who was still circling the clearing overhead. The Electric Type Pokemon had a very annoyed expression on his face. It was clear to all those that knew him, that there was no way that Pikachu was going to let that little manoeuvre stand.
The little yellow Pokemon wasted no time in trying to deliver his retribution.
"CHU! CHU! CHU!" each exclamation was accompanied by a small blast of electricity, as Pikachu fired Thunder Shock attack after Thunder Shock attack into the air, trying to strike the evasive Flying Type Pokemon down.
"Pidgeotto!" with an unrivalled amount of grace, Pidgeotto twirled through the air, effortlessly dodging each and every one of Pikachu's attacks.
This only served to frustrate the Mouse Pokemon even further.
"CHU! CHU! CHU!" blast after blast of wicked fast lightning continued to be shot into the air, and although Pikachu was having a hard time pinning the wild Pidgeotto down, his unrelenting assault was at least keeping the Flying Type Pokemon at bay. For now.
"Geotto!" Pidgeotto skilfully dodged another one of Pikachu's Thunder Shock attacks, before quickly firing off a retaliatory attack of its own.
"Pika!" Pikachu gasped as another Gust attack came his way. Remembering with great displeasure what had happened last time, the small yellow Pokemon forced himself to react quicker this time, and lunged to the right, successfully dodging the small vortex of churning air Pidgeotto had sent his way.
"Nice dodge Pikachu!" Ash complimented his partner, who despite still being in the midst of battle, couldn't help but smile up at him, "Now fire off as many Thunder Shock attacks as you can. Fill this whole clearing with them!"
Looking a little confused about the purpose of such an instruction, but trusting that Ash had some sort of a plan in mind, Pikachu nodded his head and allowed his red cheeks to begin to glow.
"PPPPIIIIKKKKAAAACCCCHHHHUUUU!"
With a tremendous amount of effort on his part, Pikachu did as his trainer commanded. Pouring every spark of power that his little body possessed into the attack, Pikachu fired off one final Thunder Shock. The resulting burst of electricity was so bright and so intense that everyone immediately had to shield their eyes, or risk permanent damage to their vision. The air in the clearing became thick with the smell of ozone, as lightning exploded outwards in every direction, just like Ash had intended.
"Waah!" Nolan cried out in alarm.
The golden haired boy immediately threw himself to the forest floor, instinctively shielding his head in an attempt to protect himself from harm. All around him, Meadow, Ash and Misty did much the same, none of them all too keen in getting caught up in the impressive electric attack. An attack that finally tipped the scales in Ash's favour.
"GGGGEEEEOOOOTTTTTTTTOOOO!"
With a scream so loud and filled with such an intense level of unadulterated agony that the chilling sound could disturb the dead, the wild Pidgeotto was finally caught off guard. Just as Ash had predicted, by filling the forest clearing with one gigantic blast of electricity, it meant that Pidgeotto had no way of dodging Pikachu's attack, at least not without abandoning the battle. And clearly that wasn't an opinion for the wild Pokemon. It had far too much pride to be willing to flee, which was exactly what Ash had been counting on. The end result was that Pidgeotto had flown straight into the attack, and was now in an unimaginable amount of pain as the deadly lightning tore through every part of its body.
"Pidgeotto..." Pidgeotto let out a low moan of pain as it began dropping down towards the ground.
Down below, Ash couldn't help it when a huge grin lit up his entire face at the sight of the wild Flying Type Pokemon falling out of the sky. Before anybody had the chance to even blink, the raven haired boy was back on his feet, and plucking a vacant pokeball from his belt. Squinting against the harsh sunlight that was filtering down through the thick canopy, Ash took care in his aim, before hurling the red and white sphere clasped in his hand with all of his strength.
"Pokeball! Go!" the raven haired boy yelled as his russet coloured eyes watched the capsule device soar through the air.
Ash, Nolan and everyone else watched with baited breath, waiting to see if the falling Pokemon and the soaring pokeball would cross paths. It felt like an eternity had passed before the answer presented itself to the small group, but much to their relief and Ash's delight, luck was on the raven haired trainer's side, and the pokeball hit Pidgeotto head on. In a burst of crimson light, the pokeball snapped open, and Pidgeotto was consumed by it. The device then snapped shut with an audible click, before it tumbled down to the ground. The red and white sphere immediately began rolling around in the dirt as it struggled to contain the creature within.
Now was when the real waiting began.
Ash had his fingers crossed so tightly that they were beginning to hurt, but he honestly couldn't have cared any less about that right now. He just kept his eyes locked firmly on the squirming pokeball before him, praying that the capture would be successful this time. Behind the young raven haired trainer, Nolan and Misty had both picked themselves up and were dusting themselves down, before they too focused their attention upon the pokeball that was continuously twitching. Pikachu and Meadow were both watching it too, ready to spring into action at a moment's notice if need be.
It could have been minutes, or it could have been millennia, but after what felt like a lifetime to the young humans, the end result of all this presented itself to them. The pokeball finally came to a rest, and the light in the centre of the device went out.
The capture had been successful.
"YES!" Ash literally couldn't help it when the exceptionally loud cheer tore its way past his lips, the boy was so thoroughly overexcited by this latest success, "We got Pidgeotto!"
"PIKACHU!" Pikachu cheered as well, jumping up and down in his own excitement.
Whilst the duo were busy with their own celebrations, behind them, Nolan couldn't help but smile widely at this latest turn of events as well. The golden haired boy felt a tremendous surge of pride for his best friend, and he couldn't deny how impressed he was at the way that Ash and Pikachu had managed to turn the situation around, and claim themselves another victory. For a moment there, Nolan doubted that his friends would be able to do it. He was glad that they had proven him wrong.
"Congratulations Ash!" he cheered, smiling fondly as Ash hurried across the clearing, and scooped up the newly occupied pokeball with slightly trembling fingers, "That was some catch! And that was a brilliant battle Pikachu, you looked great out there!"
"Chu! Pikachu!" Pikachu beamed up at his partner's best friend happily. Meanwhile, Ash grinned widely as he came back over to join the group, his new Pidgeotto's pokeball in hand.
"Thanks Nolan" Ash didn't even attempt to stop smiling, he was so thoroughly delighted with the latest addition to his slowly growing team.
"Well done guys!" Misty offered her own congratulations, her tone utterly sincere, which was a stark change from the last time that Ash had captured a new Pokemon, "I have to admit, I'm really impressed at how you managed to pull that battle back. Not many new trainers would have been able to do it".
Ash flashed her a bright smile, full to the brim with gratitude for her kind words.
"Thanks a lot Misty" the raven haired boy beamed at her, appreciating the compliment, "But I think Pikachu deserves most of the credit. That was an awesome comeback buddy!"
Ash knelt down and affectionately scratched beneath Pikachu's chin, earning a happy little chaaa from the small yellow creature.
"Pikachu..." Pikachu blushed modestly. Of course he had given his best during that fight. It was no less than Ash deserved as his partner after all.
Ash continued patting his Electric Type Pokemon for a couple more moments, wanting to show his partner some pride and affection, before his smile faded slightly as he remembered the rest of the battle.
"I just wish that Caterpie hadn't had to go through all that" Ash said sadly, gently running the fingers of his free hand across the smooth surface of Caterpie's pokeball, "The poor little guy must be scared out of his wits".
Nolan and Misty both looked at him sympathetically as he uttered those words.
"That wasn't your fault Ash" Nolan sighed softly, reaching out and gently squeezing the raven haired boy's arm in attempt to ease his mind, "I'm sure that Caterpie knows that, and that he won't hold it against you".
"Nolan's right Ash" Misty added in a gentle tone, giving her friend a small sympathetic smile when he didn't look convinced, "It was just bad luck that Caterpie happened to already be outside of his pokeball when Pidgeotto showed up. It's not like you sent him out to battle at such a major disadvantage on purpose or anything".
Despite knowing that they were right, their words didn't really make Ash feel any better about poor Caterpie's suffering. The poor little bug had almost been eaten alive, twice... in less than an hour. Ash just hoped that his Pokemon wasn't scarred for life. Still, there was little he could do right now for the small green Pokemon, plus he also had something else that was equally as important to attend to right now.
Namely, introducing himself to the latest addition to his team.
So pushing his concerns about Caterpie to one side for the time being, Ash instead gestured towards Pikachu, who silently nodded his understanding without Ash having to utter so much as a single word. The Electric Type Pokemon knew that he needed to be ready to defend his human at a moment's notice. Grinning at his partner, Ash then tossed the pokeball in his hand high into the air.
"Okay Pidgeotto!" Ash cheered, very excited about making another new Pokemon friend, "Come out!"
Ash, Nolan and everyone else all looked on in eager anticipation as the pokeball burst open to reveal a bright scarlet light, which quickly materialised into the form of Ash's new Pidgeotto. The Flying Type Pokemon cast its sharp eyes over all of them, before setting them upon Ash. They immediately narrowed slightly, prompting the boy to quickly adopt a stern expression.
"I've captured you Pidgeotto" the four words were spoken simply, but the meaning behind them spoke volumes, "You know what that means".
His words were not a question.
"Geotto" Pidgeotto seemed to sigh, but slowly nodded its head. A vast array of emotions flickered across the avian Pokemon's face, the two major ones being dented pride, and begrudging respect. It was clear that Pidgeotto was somewhat impressed that Ash and Pikachu had managed to defeat it. Hopefully that would go in Ash's favour whilst trying to bond with his new teammate.
"Then you know that from now on, I'm your trainer" Ash continued, still trying to be somewhat stern. He knew that he needed to be in this case. As an evolved Pokemon, Pidgeotto was already strong in its own right, and he wanted, no... he needed Pidgeotto to respect his own authority, "And I promise that if you'll give me a fair chance and co-operate with me, I'll be the very best trainer you could ever ask for. I will always be there for you, and I'll take the very best care of you. What do you say?"
The raven haired boy was tense as he awaited a response.
Pidgeotto warily cast its eyes over Pikachu again, and it even glanced at the pokeball on Ash's belt that contained Caterpie. Ash immediately cut off that line of thought before it even fully formed.
"No. You can't hold a grudge against Pikachu. And you definitely can't try to eat Caterpie again" Ash frowned and shook his head, "They are your teammates, and if you allow them to be, your friends. And I can tell you, they make very good friends. That's what I want to be to you too. Will you give us a fair chance?"
Again, it felt as if an eternity was slowly trickling by as everyone waited to see what Pidgeotto's response would be. After what felt like a lifetime however, the Flying Type Pokemon made its decision.
With a smile starting to appear on its face, Pidgeotto slowly nodded its head.
"Geotto!" Pidgeotto cooed softly.
Ash honestly didn't even attempt to maintain his lightly stern persona as a huge grin blossomed across his face. Beaming, he knelt down to the ground to be on a closer level to his newest Pokemon friend.
"I'm so glad that you said that. Thank you" Ash beamed, slowly extending his hand out, and when Pidgeotto didn't back away, he lightly ruffled the feathers on the large Pokemon's head, "So I guess it's time to introduce you to everyone. Firstly, there's me. My name is Ash Ketchum, and I'm on a journey to become the best Pokemon trainer of all time. And these are my friends. Everyone, this is Pidgeotto, my new Pokemon!"
A chorus of warm greetings were made in response.
"Pidgeotto, this is Nolan and his own partner Pokemon, Meadow" Ash continued, gesturing towards the golden haired boy and the little Bulbasaur at his side, "Me and Nolan have been best friends for a long time, and now we're travelling together, so you'll be seeing a lot of them both".
"Pidgeotto" Pidgeotto nodded politely at them both.
"It's nice to meet you too Pidgeotto" Nolan smiled kindly at his best friend's newest teammate in response.
"Bulba" Meadow smiled at the new arrival as well, but Pidgeotto didn't miss the way that she stood protectively in front of her human partner. The Flying Type Pokemon immediately understood that there would be no messing around as far as her human was concerned. Pidgeotto could respect that.
"And this is Misty" Ash pressed on, and Misty stepped closer with a warm smile as well, a sentiment that Ash appreciated given what had happened the last time he was in a situation like this, "She's only just joined our group, but already she's become a really good friend. She specialises in training Water Type Pokemon".
"I'm very pleased to meet you Pidgeotto" Misty greeted the Flying Type Pokemon kindly.
"Pidgeotto" Pidgeotto nodded back at her with a small smile.
"Both Nolan and Misty have some of their own Pokemon, but they're in their pokeballs right now. I'm sure you'll meet them at some point though" Ash explained, and Pidgeotto nodded its understanding, "So that's about everyone. I'm sure that you're going to fit in no problem".
"Geotto" Pidgeotto's smile widened ever-so-slightly.
"But for now though, why don't you go back into your pokeball? You battled really hard during that fight, so I'm sure you could do with a rest" Ash suggested upon noticing that his new friend looked a little worn out, "I know me and Pikachu could certainly do with one".
"Pikachu" Pikachu smiled upon hearing those words.
"Geotto" Pidgeotto nodded its head, its expression become one of sincere gratitude, prompting Ash to smile and nod, holding up the pokeball that was clasped in his hand.
"Okay Pidgeotto" Ash said kindly, "Return!"
In another flash of intense red light, Pidgeotto let out a soft coo as it was absorbed back into its pokeball. Smiling widely, and feeling distinctly chuffed with himself, Ash clipped the newly occupied pokeball on to his belt next to Caterpie's. It certainly was filling up fast, and for that, Ash couldn't have been any happier.
"Ash... well done!" Nolan exclaimed earnestly, and Ash looked over towards his best friend with a grin, "You handled that brilliantly. I have to admit, I thought that Pidgeotto might be harder for you to get through to, but you almost made it look easy".
"He's right Ash" Misty chimed in, smiling brightly at her friends, "You're a natural".
They all shared a warm smile.
"Thanks a lot you guys, that means a lot" Ash beamed at them both.
The raven haired Pokemon trainer opened his mouth to say more, but before he had the chance to utter so much as a single word, he was cut off, but not by one of his friends. No... laughter was echoing throughout the forest clearing, loud and cold. It definitely wasn't laughter of happiness.
It was laughter of pure cruelty.
Nolan frowned for a moment, not only perturbed by the sudden intrusion, but somewhat confused. He... he knew that voice. He had heard it somewhere recently, by where? Where had he heard such horrible and menacing laughter?
Then it clicked.
The golden haired boy turned a ghastly shade of white, his stomach dropping unpleasantly, his blood freezing in his veins as all at once, it all came flooding back to him. He had heard that laughter back at the Pokemon Centre in Viridian City. Right before Team Rocket had attacked them all. Nolan closed his eyes in despair as he realised exactly what that meant.
It meant that trouble had found them again...
And that's another chapter down : )
Not gonna lie - I am SO glad to be done with this chapter. I have been struggling for almost a month to get this one written for some reason. Writer's block or whatever. Either way, I'm glad to be done with it ; )
Poor Caterpie : ( Almost turned into breakfast twice in the same day. When I wrote the stuff with Welkin, I'd actually forgotten that Pidgeotto tried to do the same thing in the canon anime episode, but I decided to keep both attacks in the story. Sorry Caterpie ; ) And yay! Ash finally has his Pidgeotto now too! Another iconic Pokemon added to the group. Whether he gets to keep it for longer than canon anime has yet to be decided, so you never know : )
Anyway, let's move on to the newest voting topic : ) Back to new Pokemon I'm afraid, but if I'm honest, those are my favourites to decide anyway XD Plus we have some interesting choices up today : ) But before we get to the Pokemon options, I just want to make note of something.
Now, in a traditional Nuzlocke, you can only catch one new Pokemon per route, however there is one area of Pokemon Leaf Green and Pokemon Fire Red where this can be thrown into debate. The Safari Zone. If you've played the games, I'm sure you know that it is split into four different areas and each one contains different Pokemon for you to catch, but all of them are still the Safari Zone, so it's a bit weird when it comes to playing a Nuzlocke. So what I decided to do is count each of the four sections as a new location, meaning I caught a Pokemon from each. I just wanted to let you guys know that now, to avoid any confusion later on : ) So here are the Pokemon Options for today : )
Pokemon Options -
Route 12: - Snorlax - Male - Modest Nature - Thick Fat Ability
Route 17: - Fearow - Male - Timid Nature - Keen Eye Ability
Safari Zone (Area 1) - Exeggcute - Female - Docile Nature - Chlorophyll Ability
Like I said, some interesting choices there : ) I know which one I'd pick, but it's not up to me. It's up to you guys, so please leave your vote in a review telling me which one of these Pokemon you want adding to Nolan's team : )
Thank you so much for reading this chapter, and the story in general, and I hope you're enjoying it so far. And once again, Happy New Year everyone : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )