Hey readers : )
Here we are with another new chapter, and today we're starting a new episode, which I'm SUPER excited about, and hopefully you are too : )
I actually don't have too much to talk about today, so let's get straight into it, firstly by announcing the winner of last week's voting topic. I'm really pleased to say that the winner was... Jolteon! Honestly, I would have been happy with any of the three options, but in terms of my nuzlocke, Jolteon was probably the best option since it gives me more type coverage : ) Plus, Jolteon is SUPER cute in my opinion, so it'll be fun playing into that aspect when developing his character : )
Beyond that, I just want to say a GIANT thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited and followed this story. The support really means a lot to me, so thank you all very much : )
Finally, please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OCs are.
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Challenge of the Samurai
Challenge of the Samurai - Part 1
Even though he had only been an official Pokemon trainer for quite a short amount of time in the grand scheme of things, Nolan Locke could honestly claim that he was already developing a particular quality that all great Pokemon trainers seemed to gain after a while. And that was a deep appreciation for the majesty of nature. Camping out in the Viridian Forest for the last few days had been an experience unlike any he'd ever had before, and he was absolutely loving every minute of it. Sure, at night it got a little creepy sometimes, what with all the strange noises that the local nocturnal wild Pokemon made, but with Meadow and Welkin at his side, the golden haired trainer always felt safe enough. He really did feel like things were all coming together, and that he was already growing both as a person and as a Pokemon Trainer as a result.
It was for that reason that Nolan was in a particularly good mood that day, as he and his friends continued on their way through the forest to Pewter City.
It really was proving to be an excellent day for travelling. The sky was a brilliant shade of blue, the sun was blazing hot, and the only sound to be heard was the occasional cawing of a Pidgey somewhere off in the distance. All of which put a gigantic smile on Nolan Locke's face that morning.
Everything was just so relaxing. So tranquil and calming. So utterly and blissfully peaceful...
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Nolan was so badly startled out of his good vibes by the echoing, piercing scream of terror that he ended up tripping over his own two feet. Tumbling to the ground, the blonde haired boy painfully landed sprawled out on his back. Letting out a string of curses that he prayed his father would never hear him say in his entire life, Nolan grumbled as he quickly scanned over the clearing, his eyes trying to locate the source of the disturbance.
It wasn't long before he pinpointed exactly what had shattered the serene calm he'd been enjoying.
Unable to do anything but remain lying on the forest floor and gape in astonished disbelief, Nolan looked on in sheer amazement as Misty, with all the incredible agility of a frenzied Mankey, frantically scaled the branches of a nearby oak tree as though her life depended on it. The Water type specialist then began cowering in fright once she was settled up there.
Too afraid to even ask, Nolan merely shook his head in fondness at the orange haired girl's bizarre antics, and instead opted to gingerly drag himself back to his feet. Ash on the other hand showed no such restraint, his curiosity quickly getting the better of him, as it so often did.
"What's wrong now?" the raven haired boy called up to the whimpering redhead, exasperation colouring his tone.
Her face as white as a sheet, a shivering Misty glanced down at her two male friends, who were staring at her in bewilderment. Her pretty green eyes were alive with fear as she replied.
"I think I see another bug!" Misty wailed in despair, pointing off to the side with a trembling finger, "Get it away!"
Nolan's jaw dropped wide open in unadulterated disbelief. With the way that she had screamed, Nolan had honestly thought that Misty had spotted an abandoned murder victim, she'd sounded so panicked and afraid. At his side, Ash was of a similar opinion.
"Seriously?" Ash couldn't help but deadpan, quirking an eyebrow at her in bemusement, "You bolted up a tree, all because you saw a tiny little bug?"
"Yeah" Nolan couldn't resist adding in a playfully teasing voice, "From all that racket you were making, I was half expecting to be attacked by a chainsaw killer or something!"
The two boys both started sniggering to themselves in amusement, and it wasn't long until Misty fixed them both with a very unimpressed glare.
"Come on you guys, don't make fun of me!" the young girl whined at her two human friends in a pleading tone, "You know that I hate Bug Type Pokemon and I just saw one right over there!"
Nolan forced himself to quickly sober up, realising that he wasn't being very kind to his friend, and flashed Misty an apologetic smile.
"You're right, I'm sorry Misty" he said, not wanting to make her feel bad for having a genuine phobia.
"Yeah, we shouldn't have laughed, sorry" Ash also apologised in a sincere voice, before attempting to change the subject, albeit only marginally, "Now, where's this bug that you saw?"
Whimpering once more at just the mention of the offending critter, Misty silently pointed with a quivering finger in the direction of a shrub on the opposite side of the clearing. His curiosity getting the better of him, Nolan glanced over in the direction she was indicating, and felt his eyes widen in surprise. Next to him, his best friend also had a similar reaction.
Nibbling on a small green leaf as it emerged from the flowery shrub, a tiny mustard coloured Pokemon was wriggling its way towards the small group of humans and their Pokemon. It's body was made up of segmented spheres, and a small grey horn adorned its head. Its beady black eyes looked up at them in intrigue.
Nolan recognised the Pokemon immediately.
It was a Weedle, a common Bug Type Pokemon with striking similarities to Caterpie. It wasn't so shocking to see one here, since Viridian Forest was supposedly teeming with them. Frankly, Nolan was surprised that it had taken them so long to encounter one. And whilst Misty may have been aghast by the creature's sudden appearance, there was one member of their group that couldn't possibly have been more delighted.
"A Weedle!" Ash cheered enthusiastically.
He so excited that he completely missed it when Misty took cover behind him, practically using his body as a human shield in her panic. Nolan on the other hand noticed her actions, and couldn't help but smirk in fond amusement. He chose not to comment though, for fear of upsetting the girl.
Ash, eager to learn more about the Pokemon that had just presented itself to the group, quickly withdrew his Pokedex from his pocket and pointed it in the direction of the Weedle.
"Weedle - the Hairy Bug Pokemon" the device reported once it had identified the wild Pokemon, "The stinger on this Pokemon's head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts".
Nolan let out a low snort of amusement when he heard that particular Pokedex entry. Whoever had written it clearly had a sense of humour if nothing else. The blonde trainer was ignored by the other two however, as Ash rubbed his chin thoughtfully, whilst Misty just stared at the Weedle in disgusted horror.
"A stinger, huh?" Ash mused aloud to himself, and Nolan could already tell exactly where his best friend's mind had gone, "Now there's a challenge!"
Misty stared at him, utterly aghast.
"Why are you so excited about a bug with a stinger?!" she shrieked in horrified disbelief, gaping at Ash as though he was crazy, "Make it go away!"
Unfortunately for Misty, her frantic pleas fell on deaf ears.
"No way!" it was Ash looking like his friend was crazy this time around, "Sorry Misty, I know you're afraid of Bug type Pokemon, but I'm not passing up this opportunity! After all, you can't possibly expect a great Pokemon Trainer like me to let a Weedle escape!"
Nolan couldn't help the fond smile that grew across his face at his best friend's enthusiasm.
"I take it that means that you're planning on adding this Weedle to your team then?" he remarked, and whilst Misty looked horrified at the idea of another Bug Type Pokemon joining their travelling entourage, Ash eagerly nodded his head in confirmation.
"Sure am" he grinned, before it faltered slightly as an unpleasant thought struck him, "Unless you were thinking of catching it for yourself".
Ash really hoped that that wasn't the case. The last thing he wanted to do today was to get into an argument with his best friend if they both wanted to catch the same Pokemon. They had never really discussed what they would do if that scenario ever came up - which, looking back, they probably really should have - and the raven haired trainer hoped that today wasn't the day that he'd find out. Fortunately though, his fears were for nought, and Ash felt himself relax as Nolan grinned and shook his head.
"I wasn't planning on it, no" he said, and Ash breathed a sigh of relief, "You go for it buddy, and good luck!"
Ash flashed his blonde haired best friend a grateful smile.
"Thanks Nolan" Ash said, before an excited grin overtook his entire face, and he slowly reached for one of the empty Pokeballs that was clipped to his belt. Plucking one free, Ash prepared himself to lob it, "Okay! Pokeba..."
Before the raven haired boy even had a chance to finish, a hand abruptly shot out and gently but firmly grasped his wrist, preventing him from throwing the Pokeball at the Weedle like he'd been trying to. Ash tried to shrug the hand off, but to no avail. Instead, he settled for looking at the offender in utter confusion.
"What?" he questioned, blinking at his best friend innocently, "What's the matter?"
Nolan had a knowing smirk on his face, and confident that he now had all of Ash's attention, he carefully let go of his wrist.
"Forgetting something?" he said in a playfully teasing voice.
Ash looked thoroughly bewildered for a few moments, trying desperately hard to think of what Nolan could possibly mean by that simple question.
Then it clicked.
"Oh!" the raven haired boy gasped, his eyes widening in realisation, "Oh yeah - I completely forgot! You have to weaken a wild Pokemon first before you can capture it! Thanks for reminding me Nolan!"
"No problem" Nolan shrugged, smiling kindly back at him, "I just didn't want you to miss out on this opportunity by getting too far ahead of yourself".
Nodding silently to show his appreciation, Ash grinned before he got back down to business. He knew he needed to act fast if he didn't want to let the Weedle get away, and so it was with that thought in mind that he quickly turned to his faithful Pokemon partner.
"Let's go Pikachu!" he cheered, calling the small Electric Type to do battle.
Unfortunately, said Electric Type appeared to have other ideas. Seemingly taking advantage of the impromptu break that the group had ended up taking, Pikachu had long since curled up into a ball, and was currently taking a nap. At his side, Meadow appeared to be doing the same, emitting soft snores as she nuzzled up against her fellow Pokemon.
Ash, Nolan and Misty all nearly fell over in sheer disbelief.
"Seriously?" Nolan couldn't help but scoff as he crossed the clearing in one large stride, before he knelt down and gently shook his beloved partner awake, "Hey, wake up Meadow. It isn't bedtime just yet".
Meadow's eyes reluctantly opened and the little Grass Type Pokemon blinked up at him tiredly.
"Bulba" she whined in displeasure.
Sighing, Nolan shook his head for what felt like the hundredth time that morning, and pulled her into his arms.
"Okay, I guess I'll just have to carry you for a little while, once we get moving again that is" Nolan begrudgingly gave in. Meadow beamed, snuggling down into his warm embrace.
"Saur" she cooed happily.
Ash on the other hand was less than thrilled, and was glowering down at his snoozing partner in obvious disapproval.
"Taking a nap, huh?" he hissed through his clenched teeth in an annoyed tone, before he smirked as another thought occurred to him, and he plucked the two occupied pokeballs off his belt, "Okay - you snooze, you lose. There's still Pidgeotto and Metapod to do the job, and they give me the respect I deserve".
Nolan couldn't help but narrow his eyes in annoyance at that particular remark. He wasn't sure why, but something about it just seemed too... egotistical, even by Ash's standards. It really rubbed the blonde boy up the wrong way. Before he had a chance to comment on it however, Misty chimed back into the conversation, and she seemed pretty unhappy herself.
"You deserve to have your head examined!" she informed him bluntly, her words heavy with sarcasm.
Nolan snorted in amusement, and was about to make a comment himself, but before he had the opportunity to, his icy blue eyes clocked something that nobody else in their group had yet. He swallowed hard when he realised what was about to happen when he said what needed to be said.
"Err... Misty" he began in a cautious tone, "Don't freak out, but you might wanna look down".
Blinking in confusion at her blonde friend's suggestion, Misty did as he said, and immediately turned a ghastly shade of white. Her whole body seemed to go rigid as she practically became paralysed with fright in a single instant.
For right there at her feet, nuzzling up against her ankle in an affectionate manner, was the very same Weedle that they'd all be discussing. It had clearly wandered over to them in their moment of distraction, and it looked to be extremely happy as it brushed up against Misty's lower legs.
Needless to say, Misty wasn't quite so thrilled.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Once again screaming at the top of her lungs, Misty acted on pure primal instinct. Fearfully kicking out her leg in panic, the frightened girl sent the poor little Weedle flying in her desperation to get away from it. And then, before Nolan or Ash had any chance of stopping her, the Water Type specialist took off running as fast as she could, waving her arms about frantically and still screaming like a lunatic.
"Don't just stand there!" Misty shrieked in a completely terrified tone, "One of you catch it, put it in a pokeball, and don't let it out!"
And before either one of the boys could do more than stare after her dumbly, she was gone, vanishing out of sight through the trees.
It took Nolan a couple of seconds to snap out of the stunned reverie that Misty had just put Ash and him in, but once he did he frantically tried calling after her.
"Hey! Hey, Misty! Come back!" he tried, worried about the possibility of his friend getting lost in the forest, but to no avail. She was long gone. Sighing in dismay, and suddenly feeling rather exhausted, the blonde haired boy turned back to an equally stupefied Ash.
"I'd better go find her and bring her back" he remarked, and Ash nodded in agreement, "I don't think she should be alone in this forest if she's so scared".
"Good idea" Ash replied, before his earlier excited grin returned to his face as he turned his attention back to the Weedle that had caused all of this, "And whilst you take care of Misty, I'll take care of the Weedle!"
"You sure you'll be okay whilst I go look for her?" Nolan wanted to be sure before he left, but Ash was barely even listening to him at this point, too caught up with the prospect of catching another new Pokemon.
"Have no fear, Ash is here!" the dark haired boy assured without even sparing him a glance. Instead, he just held up a pokeball before tossing it into the air, "Now! Pidgeotto, I choose you!"
Pidgeotto materialised in the air, and realising that he had now thoroughly lost any attention that Ash might have been paying to him whilst talking about their absent friend, Nolan shook his head again out of fond exasperation, before he turned away and started walking off in the direction that he had seen Misty disappear off into. It wasn't long before the sounds of the battle he was walking away from quickly died down, and he was adrift in the forest as well.
"Misty?! Hey! Misty?!" he yelled as he wove in and out of the trees, keeping his eyes pealed for any sign of the missing girl, "Where are you?!"
"Bulba?!" Meadow also called out for her, just as concerned as Nolan was.
Nothing. No response, nor any sign of her.
The human and Pokemon continued searching for a couple more minutes, Meadow jumping out of her trainer's arms to walk at his side, but it wasn't long before this little routine was starting to feel rather old, and the blonde haired boy's patience began to grow thin. In fact, it was only a few minutes later when Nolan could no longer refrain from grumbling under his breath in irritation as his icy blue eyes continued scanning the forest for any sign of Misty.
Whilst he understood that her phobia of Bug Type Pokémon was extremely difficult for Misty to cope with, and he genuinely felt a great deal of sympathy for her due to it, Nolan couldn't help but find the idea of running from a wild Weedle like it was a matter of life and death a little over the top. Seriously, the only weapon it had was a tiny stinger. Okay, so they could produce a toxin in them, but Weedle poison was so mild it was akin to being stung by a nettle, at least to humans. Beedrill poison on the other hand was a different story. Nolan knew that from personal experience; he'd been stung by one when he was five. Still, running and screaming from a tiny Weedle was a little ridiculous in Nolan's eyes.
The blonde trainer wasn't about to say that to Misty though. He quite valued breathing, thank you very much.
He was just giving his surroundings another cursory glance for a flash of red and yellow, when the sound of rustling leaves attracted the young trainer's attention. Realising that the source of the disturbance was behind him, Nolan swiftly turned around, his hand resting on Welkin's pokeball just in case of an attack.
Hopeful that it might be Misty, the blonde boy was sorely disappointed.
Whilst the newcomer was in fact human and not a wild Pokémon as Nolan had initially feared, it also wasn't the friend that he was looking for. Disregarding the stranger in favour of his search, the young trainer began to turn away...
Then he did a double take.
Gaping in sheer disbelief, Nolan's eyes widened to almost comical proportions as he focused all his attention on the stranger. The other human was male, and roughly the same age as Nolan. But that wasn't why the blonde boy was so stunned by his sudden appearance. Oh no. What was so striking about the other boy was the fact that he was dressed in the most bizarre assemble of clothing that Nolan had ever seen in his entire life.
The blonde trainer soon realised that the strange garments the boy wore were actually ornate pieces of armour. They were decorated with intricate patterns that seemed to move under the bright sunlight. Nolan noted that the armour wasn't the type that a knight of old might wear, but much more flexible than that, akin to the type worn be trained samurai. The odd fashion choice was completed by a large blocky helmet that dwarfed the boy's head.
It was then that the golden haired Pokemon Trainer noticed the strange boy's weapon.
Nolan couldn't help but gulp nervously as he eyed the long sword in a sheath strapped to the stranger's back that looked positively lethal to the touch. He also had a large bug catching net, as well as a jagged hunting knife hanging from his belt. The kid was armed, but it was unclear if he was dangerous at this point.
One hand still resting on Welkin's pokeball, Nolan immediately decided that he wasn't taking any chances, and quickly gathered Meadow up with his free arm. He was trying to decide between confronting the newcomer or just making a run for it, when the other boy made the decision for the blonde trainer by addressing him first.
"You have spied my presence even before I had a chance to draw my weapon" the stranger announced, causing Nolan to blink in surprise, "Very few have ever managed that. You are extremely observant, traveller".
Nolan honestly had no idea what to do with that declaration.
"Err... Thanks?" he stammered out lamely.
It was then that the stranger took notice of Meadow in Nolan's arms. He smiled as the little Bulbasaur gave him a wary look.
"And one of your warriors is a Bulbasaur" the odd boy remarked, and Nolan tensed, praying to every Legendary Pokémon that he'd ever heard of that this guy wasn't a thief like Team Rocket. He didn't much fancy taking on a guy with a sword, but that wouldn't stop him. He'd protect Meadow until his dying breath if he had to, "I take it that means you are a child of Pallet Town?"
Completely thrown now, Nolan could only nod in bewilderment.
"I am" the blonde boy confirmed with a sharp nod, narrowing his eyes in suspicion, "But how do you know that?"
The stranger's face twisted into a mockery of a smile.
"In recent times I have encountered three other travellers passing through this forest, each of them hailing from the town of Pallet" the stranger explained whilst Nolan listened intently, "Each of them was a skilled Pokémon Trainer, whose warriors prevailed over my own with disheartening ease. When they informed me that a fourth and fifth traveller would be sure to cross the forest soon, I vowed to redeem myself for my earlier failures, by claiming victory over them both in battle!"
Nolan quickly became much less suspicious and much more intrigued at those words.
Other than the fights he'd taken part in against Team Rocket - which hardly counted since they had been trying to steal Pokemon and were therefore not battles to progress his training career - Nolan had yet to take part in an official Pokemon Battle with another legitimate trainer. It was actually a little disheartening, not to mention embarrassing, now that he thought about it. He really should be seeking out trainer battles himself, and yet he hadn't done so even once so far.
He vowed there and then that he would change that moving forwards.
"Is that a challenge to a Pokemon battle?" he asked to clarify, though there was no denying the excited glint that was shining in his eyes.
"It is" the stranger confirmed, nodding his head solemnly, "It is the only way that I - The Samurai - may potentially restore the honour me and my comrades have previously lost in our failures".
A huge grin immediately overtook Nolan's entire face.
The blonde haired boy was practically trembling with excitement at just the thought of his first official Pokemon battle. He had literally waited years for this moment, so it was no surprise that Nolan was very eager to take this next step in his career. It was a very important part of being a Pokemon trainer after all. Nolan doubted that this match would be easy, but he was determined to do his best.
Anything else would be an insult to Meadow and Welkin, and that just wasn't acceptable.
Refusing to allow any nerves he might have felt to get the better of him, Nolan squared his shoulders, mentally bracing himself, before he smiled at the Samurai. The blonde trainer slowly unclipped Welkin's pokeball from his belt. He held it up, and the Samurai smirked, clearly understanding that his challenge had been accepted. He began reaching for a pokeball of his own.
"I accept your challenge Samurai" Nolan said confidently. This might have been his first official trainer battle, but he had faith in his Pokemon. He knew that they had it in them to bring about a victory, he just needed to help lead them to it, "But don't expect us to go down easily. My Pokemon might be young, but they're tougher than they look".
"Saur" Meadow nodded in agreement, jumping out of the blonde boy's arms and landing by his feet, ready to cheer on her teammate.
Across from them, the Samurai smiled and dipped his head in acknowledgement of the words that Nolan had spoken.
"Fear not traveller from Pallet" he said seriously, "I shall not underestimate your warriors. To do so will surely lead to my own team's peril".
When he looked up again, Nolan saw a dangerous glint in the other boy's eyes, as he held up his pokeball in a manner that almost seemed menacing. The golden haired trainer couldn't help but grin even wider than before, as his levels of excitement continued to grow with each passing moment.
"How many Pokemon do you want to use?" he remembered to ask, knowing from his trainer magazines that that was an important point to clarify before beginning any battle.
"A two on two match is acceptable to me if it is to you" the Samurai announced boldly, "Victory shall be claimed when both enemy warriors can no longer continue to fight".
Nolan silently nodded in agreement, but there was no refusing the absolutely massive grin that was threatening to break out across his face in his excitement. The golden haired boy could scarcely believe it, but it was true. This really was happening. He had literally been dreaming about this moment his entire life, and it was finally here.
He was finally going to have his very first official Pokemon battle.
And it felt... amazing.
Unwilling to allow himself to be overwhelmed by the emotion of the moment however, Nolan quickly forced himself to focus, and tuned back in just as the Samurai started talking again.
"As the challenger, I shall send my chosen warrior into battle first" the Samurai declared, tossing the pokeball in his hand with expert precision, "Go forth with courage in your heart!"
Appearing in a burst of red light that briefly illuminated all the trees and shrubs surrounding them, a golden coloured, oval shaped creature with eyes as black as night materialised on the makeshift battlefield in front of the Samurai.
Nolan immediately recognised the creature that was to be his first opponent.
It was a Kakuna. His dad had always warned him to keep his distance from this Pokemon, because although they could barely move on their own, they were always protected by dangerous Beedrill whilst out in the wild. And Beedrill were pretty nasty to have to deal with. Beyond that fatherly advice however, Nolan didn't know too much about the opposing Bug Type, so he quickly drew out his pokedex and pointed it at the other trainer's Pokemon.
"Kakuna - the Cocoon Pokemon" Dexi announced once the analysis of the creature was finished, "Kakuna are the transitional stage between Weedle and Beedrill. Kakuna remain mostly inactive until they evolve into deadly Beedrill".
Although the data provided didn't really give Nolan much more information than he'd already known about the species of Bug Type Pokemon glaring across the clearing at him, it did reveal one key strategic weakness that his opposition possessed. A weakness that Nolan fully intended on using to his advantage. Much like he had noticed with Ash's Metapod, Kakuna had extremely limited mobility. That didn't mean it would be a straightforward victory however. There was still Kakuna's poisonous abilities to contend with. Nolan would have to be mindful of that, and whilst Meadow might be a better match-up thanks to her immunity, he still wanted to give Welkin a chance first. So with that thought in mind, the blonde haired trainer tossed his pokeball up into the air.
"Let's go Welkin!" he exclaimed as the capsule snapped open with a flash of bright red light, "I choose you!"
Once the light had started to die down, Nolan's Flying Type friend materialised in front of him. Welkin unfurled his wings and gently beat them, hovering in the air just over his trainer's head. His sharp eyes quickly landed upon the Samurai and his Kakuna, and he tilted his head to the side curiously.
"Gey?" he chirped down at his trainer.
"Welkin, I know that we've fought off those jokers from Team Rocket before, but this is going to be our first official trainer battle together" Nolan announced, taking note of the way that Welkin's eyes widened in surprise, "So let's give it our all and win this!"
"Pidgey!" Welkin cheered, his dark eyes shining with excitement.
Nolan couldn't help but beam at the little feathery Pokemon's enthusiasm. It was obvious that Welkin wanted to win this battle just as much as his trainer did, if not more so if that was at all possible. Both trainer and Pokemon braced themselves, ready for anything that the Samurai and his Kakuna might throw at them.
They were going to win this. They could feel it.
Across from them, the Samurai narrowed his eyes in grim determination. He knew that his chosen warrior was at a terrible disadvantage, but he refused to allow any trace of fear to show on his face. Instead, he masked any nerves by glaring at Welkin as if the Flying Type Pokemon's entire existence offended him and his own team on every possible level.
Unfortunately, his Kakuna showed no such restraint.
Eyes wide with horror, the golden coloured creature immediately started trembling. It was barely noticeable due to the Pokemon's incredibly rigid body, but the Samurai still spotted it. A less-than-impressed expression flashed across his hardened face.
"Come now my warrior!" the Samurai chided in an annoyed tone of voice, "Do not show fear in the face of difficulty! Now gather your courage and fight for our honour!"
Kakuna let out a strange gurgling noise that was clearly a discontented whine, but did as its trainer commanded. It glared at Welkin, albeit in a rather unconvincing manner. Nodding in satisfaction, the Samurai then turned his attention back to Nolan.
"As the challengers, my warrior and I will take the first move!" he declared, and before Nolan even had the chance to react to his words, the Samurai began calling out his first command, "Go Kakuna! Keep our enemy at bay with your Poison Sting attack!"
And with just those few simple words, Nolan Locke's first official trainer battle ever quickly got underway.
The blonde haired trainer looked on in awe and surprise as the opposing Kakuna's entire body began to glow with a striking violet light. It clashed horribly with the Bug Type Pokemon's golden body, but that was the least of Nolan's troubles. With startling speed for such an immobile creature, an illuminated purple needle spawned directly between Kakuna's eyes. Kakuna immediately launched the poisonous needle at Welkin, and subsequently Nolan, since they were still so close together.
"Waaah!" Nolan yelped in surprise, diving to the left to avoid the glowing projectile. He landed in a haphazard pile in the dirt, grunting in pain.
Fortunately, Welkin also managed to dodge the attack as well by flying up higher into the air. He took one look down, spotted his trainer lying crumpled in the grass, and was instantly overcome with anger. He glared down at the Kakuna, his expression absolutely murderous, incensed that this Pokemon had dared to almost injure his trainer. Welkin may not have known the boy for long, but the Tiny Bird Pokemon was already very protective over Nolan.
Immediately deciding that this offence couldn't go unpunished, Welkin didn't even bother waiting for Nolan to issue a command, and instead dive-bombed towards the offending Bug Type Pokemon below as fast as he could. Kakuna gurgled uneasily as Welkin quickly drew in closer and closer. The Bug Type seemed to realise the magnitude of the mistake it had just made, but it was too late.
Far too late.
Putting on an extra burst of speed, Welkin raced through the air towards his prey, and before Kakuna or the Samurai even had a chance to react, Welkin slammed into Kakuna as he unleashed a powerful Tackle attack. Kakuna was sent sprawling backwards by the heavy force of the impact, landing painfully on its back, its eyes darting about helplessly.
"GEY!" Welkin screamed in a very threatening manner, angrily glowering down at the creature that was totally at his mercy, "PIDGEY! PID!"
Sensing his Pokemon's growing frustration and anger, and concerned about what he might do to the Kakuna in his attempts to vent it, Nolan quickly scrambled back to his feet to intervene.
"Welkin, stop! We don't battle out of anger, okay?" he lightly scolded his fuming Flying Type Pokemon.
"Gey!" Welkin protested, gesturing angrily with his wing towards Kakuna, who was struggling in vain to pull itself up again.
"Not out of anger!" Nolan repeated more firmly. Welkin huffed, but relented. His expression was still very sulky though, so Nolan softened his expression and tone, "That was one heck of a Tackle though. You just need to rein it in a little, okay?"
Welkin preened under the compliment, before he reluctantly agreed to comply with the rest of Nolan's words. He kept his eyes trained firmly on his opponent though, narrowing them in dislike.
Across the field from them, Kakuna finally managed to flip itself off of its back, landing upright once more. It glowered at Welkin and Nolan in mutual distain. Clearly its own temper was flaring now, which in turn was bringing out the Bug Type's battling spirit, despite the overwhelming odds that were stacked against it. The Samurai couldn't help but smile proudly at his Pokemon for its courage.
"That's right Kakuna!" the boy called encouragingly, spurring his chosen warrior on, "Now use your Poison Sting again! Rapid fire - don't give our enemy an inch!"
At the Samurai's command, Kakuna immediately began glowing with that sickly purple glow again. Another venomous needle formed on the Bug Type's head, and within seconds it was launched towards Welkin.
"Pidgey!" Welkin squawked, before dodging out of the way.
Kakuna wasn't to be deterred however, and continued its barrage of deadly Poison Sting attacks. No sooner than a glowing needle was launched did another one spawn as Kakuna kept up its relentless assault, aiming with almost lethal precision. What it lacked in mobility, the Bug Type certainly made up for in accuracy.
Fortunately, Welkin was able to effortlessly avoid them all, flying through the air with all the grace of a trained acrobat. The Flying Type Pokemon then whirled in the air, coming back around to prepare for an attack of his own. Grinning, Nolan eagerly called out his next instruction.
"Now Welkin! Strike back with your Gust attack!" the golden haired trainer yelled.
Welkin flapped his wings together hard whilst still remaining airborne, summoning up a small but powerful vortex of swirling wind between them. With a gleeful glint in his eye, the Tiny Bird Pokemon then launched the vortex at his enemy. Kakuna's earlier burst of confidence fizzled out again, and it trembled in fear as the attack drew in closer and closer.
"Kakuna, defend yourself from that attack by using Harden!" the Samurai countered.
Before Welkin's Gust attack had the chance to land, Kakuna's entire body immediately began to glow once more. This time however, it wasn't with a purple light, but instead one that was pure gold. A bright flash rippled across the Cocoon Pokemon's form, and Nolan instantly realised what that meant. It signalled that Kakuna had just significantly raised its defences.
In the end though, that wouldn't matter.
The swirling winds swept over the golden coloured Bug Type Pokemon, lifting it high into the air. Kakuna cried out in alarm as it whirled about like a bizarre spinning top for a moment, before plummeting back down towards the Earth. Welkin, still a little sore from the earlier incident, decided to help the Bug Type Pokemon get there quicker.
"PID... GEY!" Welkin screeched out a noise that almost sounded like a war cry as he shot through the air like a firework, slamming into Kakuna with another ferocious Tackle attack.
WHAM!
Kakuna let out a low gurgling moan of agonised pain as it slammed into the ground with enough force to actually create a tiny crater. The Bug Type Pokemon didn't even have time to scream again before the darkness of unconsciousness claimed it. It promptly passed out and moved no more.
Welkin had won.
The scream of pure ecstasy that erupted its way out of Nolan was surely enough to wake the dead.
"YOU DID IT!" the blonde haired boy bellowed at the top of his lungs, unable to help but jump up and down in sheer excitement, "WELKIN - YOU DID IT!"
"PIDGEY!" Welkin cheered victoriously, soaring through the air towards his trainer before landing gracefully upon the boy's shoulder.
Nolan immediately manoeuvred Welkin into his arms and gave him a tight hug. The embrace was so intense that it completely messed up Welkin's feathers, but honestly neither of them could care less right now.
"Thank you so much for battling so hard for our team Welkin" Nolan gushed lovingly to his Flying Type friend whilst Welkin cooed up at him affectionately, "I'm so proud of you!"
"Bulba!" Meadow also complimented her teammate.
Welkin puffed out his chest proudly, soaking up all the praise and attention he was being showered with. Nolan just kept grinning, unable to keep the giant smile off his face.
They had just defeated their first official opponent together, and that was simply amazing.
Across the clearing from the heart-warming scene however, the Samurai was not quite as thrilled. Glaring daggers at Nolan and his two faithful Pokemon, he withdrew a pokeball from his belt and aimed it towards his defeated comrade.
"Kakuna, return" the boy grunted bitterly.
In a flash of scarlet light, the prone body of the unconscious Kakuna was called back into the confines of its pokeball. Gritting his teeth in frustration, the Samurai then levelled Nolan with a very hard look. The golden haired trainer immediately saw the promise that was held in his eyes, and he realised that it could only possibly mean one thing.
They may have won the first round, but this battle was far from over...
And there we go, a nice long chapter to get this episode started : )
I'm actually quite pleased with how this chapter turned out considering it changes from the canon anime episode pretty quickly. I REALLY wanted to have Nolan and the Samurai battle though, and after watching the whole episode through, having them battle right at the beginning seemed like the best place to fit it into my rewrite of the episode.
Anyway, let's move on to today's voting topic. It's a bit of a special one too, since the new Pokemon that you guys will be voting between are not Pokemon that I caught in the game, but rather Gift Pokemon that you receive. Yep, I'm talking about Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. Honestly, I love both of these Pokemon so much, that I'm thrilled to be getting either one of them, so please leave your vote for which one you want in a review : )
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and thank you so much for reading this story in general.
Until the next time, keep on reading : )