Hey readers : )

Here we are with the next chapter : ) I feel like we're really powering through these chapters at the moment, which is great, and I really hope that I can continue writing them as quickly as I currently am : )

Anyway, I don't really have an awful lot to talk about today, so let's jump straight in with the result of the last voting topic. I am SUPER excited to say that the winner was... Electabuzz! I am SO happy about this one : ) Electabuzz is actually one of my very favourite Pokemon ever, and considering that there are over a thousand different Pokemon now, you can imagine how ecstatic I am to be adding one to my story : ) I literally have an Electabuzz on my team whenever I can when I play the games, so thank you all so much for picking this one ; )

On a different note, I'd just like to say a HUGE 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. And last but not least, please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OCs are : )

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Challenge of the Samurai - Part 3

Utter silence fell over the forest clearing as everyone struggled to absorb the magnitude of what they had just witnessed. Nolan, Meadow and the Samurai all just stared down at the unconscious Scyther in astonishment, all of them scarcely able to believe it, though for very different reasons. Even the forest itself seemed to be waiting with baited breath as they all waited for the moment to break, for realisation to truly set in. It felt like it took an eternity for that moment to finally come, but after a painstaking couple more moments of silence, at long last it did.

"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!"

Just like that, the almost stifling silence abruptly shattered, giving way to an utterly jubilant scream that could probably be heard from several miles away, if not all the way back in Viridian City.

The source of that scream was none other than Nolan Locke.

Without showing any restraint whatsoever, the golden haired boy was jumping up and down in joy, fist pumping the air wildly, all the whilst whooping with glee. He knew that proper Pokemon Trainers were always expected to conduct themselves with dignity and respect after a battle, regardless if they were the victor or the defeated, but Nolan honestly just couldn't help it right now. So what if he was getting a little caught up in his celebrations and was making a show of himself? He and his Pokemon had just won their very first official trainer battle ever!

That was definitely something worth celebrating.

"WE DID IT MEADOW, WE DID IT!" the golden haired boy cheered almost manically, his excitement was so thoroughly overwhelming, "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! WE WON! YOU WERE AMAZING OUT THERE MEADOW! THANK YOU!"

And before his beloved partner could do so much as blink, Nolan had dashed out onto the makeshift battlefield, scooped Meadow up into his arms, before the golden haired trainer playfully threw her up into the air and caught her again.

"Saur! Bulba!" Meadow laughed happily as Nolan repeated the action, before he squeezed her tightly in a warm embrace.

"I'm so proud of you and Welkin, of all of us!" Nolan continued gushing as he lovingly hugged his partner Pokemon a little bit tighter, "We all tried our best, and it really came through us in the end!"

"Bulbasaur" Meadow smiled and nodded, looking quite pleased with herself.

"And this is just the first of many" Nolan beamed down at her, affectionately patting the Grass Type Pokemon's head, earning a happy little coo from her, "There's gonna be a lot more battles ahead of us from now on".

"Saur" Meadow smiled widely at her human's enthusiasm, and whilst the idea did sound appealing to her, the little Grass Type Pokemon sincerely hoped that she could at least rest up first. She was utterly exhausted after all.

Meanwhile on the other side of the forest clearing, directly across from the celebrating duo, the Samurai was watching them. The somewhat eccentric boy couldn't help but wear a slightly bitter expression on his face as he saw Nolan and Meadow so happy. Unable to bare it for much longer, the Samurai turned his disappointed gaze away from them, and instead focused his attention on his fallen comrade.

"Scyther, return and rest" the Samurai sighed sadly, plucking a pokeball off his belt and aiming it in the direction of his unconscious Pokemon. In a beam of bright red light, the green insectoid creature was pulled into the device's confines. The Samurai regarded it with a forlorn expression, "You faced our foe valiantly, and tried your hardest, so I'm proud of you despite our failure to claim ourselves the victory".

Placing the now occupied pokeball back on his belt, the Samurai turned his attention back to the ones who had been his latest opponents. They were still talking amongst themselves, both of them with wide grins on their faces. The Samurai lightly cleared his throat to get their attention.

Hearing the sound, along with that of footsteps approaching them over stray twigs and fallen leaves, Nolan and Meadow finally pulled their attention away from each other, and looked up to see the Samurai slowly approaching them. He had a somewhat strained smile on his face. It was obvious that the other boy was disappointed by his defeat, but was trying to be gracious about it. At least he was a good sport if nothing else.

"Congratulations on your victory over me and my warriors" the Samurai greeted Nolan kindly, dipping his head slightly as a mark of respect, "I thought for sure that this would be the time that I prevailed over a Child of Pallet, and yet you effortlessly brought the battle around and snatched the victory from beneath my very nose. You are highly skilled, oh Observant One".

Nolan couldn't help but blush slightly at the compliment.

"Thanks a lot Samurai" the golden haired boy shifted Meadow in his grasp so that he was carrying her with just one arm, before using his free hand to rub the back of his head sheepishly, "But I'd hardly say that it was effortlessly. Your Scyther is incredibly strong, and it took a lot of hard work from both Meadow and Welkin to be able to take it down. You should be very proud of how well you've trained it".

The Samurai couldn't help but smile at Nolan's kind words, and marvelled at the fact that they were actually enough to boost his spirits slightly.

"You are most kind, Child of Pallet Town" the Samurai told him, "But alas, as the victor, I must gift to you a reward for overthrowing my warriors in the noble art of combat".

Nolan raised a curious eyebrow, slightly confused by the Samurai's words, as he watched as the somewhat eccentric boy began rummaging around in his pockets. Moments later, the Samurai removed several monetary notes, which he held out for Nolan to take. The golden haired boy stared at him in bewilderment.

"Oh... thank you, but honestly, there's no need" Nolan politely declined. After all, he had already won the battle. That was enough of a reward in his eyes.

"I'm afraid I must disagree with you" the Samurai shook his head, gesturing more insistently with his closed fist that Nolan take the offerings, "There is every need!"

That declaration earned the Samurai a thoroughly bewildered look.

"I see that this comes as news to you, Observant One" the Samurai remarked upon seeing the confusion playing across Nolan's face, "Very well, I shall endeavour to explain. In recent days, the Pokemon League of which we trainers are esteemed members, has introduced a new rule that all of us are to follow if we wish to retain our trainer licences".

"A new rule?" Nolan repeated in a surprised tone. He hadn't seen anything on television about a new League rule, nor had he read about anything like that in any of his trainer magazines. He wondered what the new rule could be.

"Indeed" the Samurai nodded importantly as he continued his explanation, "And the rule is as follows:- if you have more than a thousand Pokedollars to your name, then you have to give the winner of an official battle a share".

"Really?" Nolan was certainly surprised, but it was definitely useful information to know. He didn't want to break the rules and risk having his licence taken away, all because of plain ignorance.

"Yes" the Samurai confirmed with a nod of his head, "This rule was only introduced a few days ago, but already it serves its purpose. After all, nobody wishes to lose money just because they're bad at battling, so it gives trainers a strong motivation to improve alongside their warriors".

"But what happens if you lose too many battles and run out of money?" Nolan couldn't help but ask curiously, knowing that it would be important information to have, "How would you be able to afford to buy food and pokeballs and potions and all that other stuff?"

The Samurai flashed him a reassuring smile.

"Fear not, Observant One, for the Pokemon League considered such a thing when passing this ruling" the somewhat eccentric boy told him, "It is only implemented if you have a thousand Pokedollars or more to your name. Anything less and you do not have to pay a reward if you lose in battle".

Both of the boys were silent for a moment as Nolan digested all of this new information. Once the Samurai was confident that Nolan had understood and that he didn't have any more questions, he once again held up his hand containing the monetary reward he was offering.

"Now you understand why you must take this" the Samurai said to the golden haired boy imploringly, "As a trainer of honour, I have no wish to breech the rulings of the League of which I am so proud to be a part of".

Seeing that the other boy wasn't going to take no for an answer, and not really one to turn down a prize for winning anyway, Nolan finally held out his hand and accepted the reward that the Samurai was offering him.

"Thank you very much Samurai" Nolan smiled at him gratefully as he pocketed the cash. The Samurai flashed him another kind smile.

"You are most welcome Observant One" the Samurai told him earnestly, before bowing his head respectfully towards the golden haired Pokemon trainer, "And now if you'll excuse me, I must venture on further in my quest. After all, I still have the solemn duty of restoring my tarnished honour, hopefully by defeating a Child of Pallet Town in battle. I hear there is still one left that I have yet to face..."

Nolan opened his mouth to confirm to the Samurai that there most definitely was still one trainer left - one he knew very well in fact - but sadly he never got the chance to.

For with all the speed and stealth of a trained ninja, the Samurai quickly sidestepped Nolan before anymore words could be spoken, and in just three short strides, the eccentric boy disappeared into the trees, and almost immediately was lost from sight. Nolan just gaped after him for a moment, sweat-dropping at the rather abrupt exit, before he shrugged his shoulders, and put the rather bizarre boy's antics out of mind. Instead, he refocused his attention on Meadow, and grinned brightly down at her.

"When we get to Pewter City, you and Welkin are definitely getting some kind of reward for this" he told her happily.

"Bulbasaur!" Meadow's eyes glistened with excitement upon hearing that promise.

"But for now I think we've had enough excitement for one morning, so let's get back to what it was that we were doing" the golden haired boy decided, smiling slightly when his partner nodded in agreement with him, "Errr... what was it we were doing again?"

Meadow couldn't help it. She threw back her head and let out a long hard laugh at her human's forgetfulness.

"Meadow!" Nolan whined in protest at her light mocking, "Don't laugh at me! It's not my fault that winning our first official trainer battle together kind of forced everything else out of my mind!"

It took Meadow a couple of moments, but eventually she managed to get her giggles under control. As she did, she snuggled up closer against her beloved human's chest.

"Saur, Bulba, Bulbasaur, Saur" Meadow said, before her smile faded slightly as a more concerned expression appeared on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nolan asked her worriedly, noticing her shift in mood.

"Bulba..." Meadow sighed sadly.

Nolan just stared at his partner blankly for a couple of moments, clearly not getting it. Then it suddenly hit him.

"Oh no!" the golden haired boy gasped in horror, his bright blue eyes going very wide all of a sudden, "We were supposed to be looking for Misty! I completely forgot! Oh... I hope she's okay".

"Saur..." Meadow started fretting as well.

"We should probably hurry up and go find her" Nolan told Meadow urgently, receiving a serious nod in reply, "She's been out in this forest on her own for way too long now! Let's go Meadow!"

"Saur" Meadow nodded in agreement, settling herself in Nolan's arms.

So without even taking a moment to recuperate or even gather his bearings, Nolan quickly set off running through the Viridian Forest again, once again resuming the search for one of his dear friends. As the young boy wove through the trees and bushes however, he simply couldn't help the huge grin that he was sporting, as his mind kept on replaying the battle that they'd just won, reminding him just how amazing and special his beloved Pokemon truly were.

Another important step in his career to becoming a Pokemon Master had just been fulfilled.

And that was just... incredible.

Meanwhile, in another part of Viridian Forest, not a million miles away from where Nolan and Meadow currently were, was none other than the very person that they were attempting to track; Misty Waterflower. And judging by the expression on the fiery girl's face, she most certainly was not a quivering mess riddled with fear as Nolan had suspected she might be. Oh no. If anything, Misty appeared to be... well, she appeared to be absolutely furious!

The orange haired girl had her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles were starting to turn white, and her jaw was set in an angry line. Her eyes were narrowed dangerously as she glowered around at her surroundings.

"This whole forest is crawling with slimy disgusting Bug Type Pokemon!" Misty growled to herself under her breath as she marched aimlessly through the forest, her anger born of fear starting to get the better of her, "I know I told Ash and Nolan that I'd try to be kinder about it, but I really wish they'd all just bug off!"

The incensed girl was so caught up in her own thoughts and the need to vent her less than positive emotions, that for a couple of seconds Misty didn't even sense that there might be a presence in the bushes, just off to her left in fact. A moment later there came the soft sound of rustling leaves, and there was a tiny flash of silver steel glinting brightly under the sunlight, barely there for a second, but it was just enough to catch Misty's keen eye. The Water Type Pokemon Specialist began to turn, her attention now fully on the spot where that shiny little glint had come from, and...

And immediately Misty found the sharp end of a sword less than a centimetre away from her face.

"Gaaah!" Misty couldn't help but instinctively flinch, taking a small step backwards, as her eyes alit with fear. A soft gasp slipped the young girl's lips as panic threatened to overwhelm her. This was it. Cut down in her prime by a murderer in a forest. She was done for.

Swallowing hard, Misty closed her eyes, thinking of all the things that she had never done and now would never get the chance to. Her heart pounded desperately in her chest as she waited for the blow that would finish her off...

And she waited...

And waited...

And then she waited some more.

Confused as to why she was still breathing and more importantly why she hadn't been impaled through the head yet, Misty tentatively opened her eyes, and fearfully looked towards the person wielding the sword at her. And realising that whoever it was that was attacking her didn't seem in any particular hurry to finish her off, Misty got her first proper look at her potential killer. After all, if she was going to be murdered all the way out here in the middle of nowhere, Misty would quite like to know what they looked like.

Whatever it was that Misty had been expecting, it wasn't what she saw standing before her.

The person holding her at sword-point wasn't an adult preying on a child like Misty had half-expected, but was actually a child as well. A boy to be specific, and one that was roughly Misty's own age. But it was his appearance that really caught Misty's attention. He was dressed in strange garments that upon closer inspection actually appeared to be a type of armour, and a large blocky helmet adorned his head. Overall the look was weird, and rendered Misty incapable of doing anything more than gape at her attacker in utter bewilderment. Unbeknownst to the young girl of course, this boy was none other than the Samurai, the very same trainer that just minutes earlier had been defeated by Nolan in the art of battle.

"Greetings, oh Shrieking Maiden" the Samurai said to an incredulous Misty, who could do nothing more than stare numbly at him in fear and shock, "Are you by chance the Pokemon Trainer who comes from Pallet?"

Dumbstruck, Misty weakly shook her head in denial.

"N-no!" the young girl quickly stammered out, her tone high with nerves, her eyes still trained on the sword barely an inch from her face, "T-that's not me!"

The Samurai allowed a small of huff of irritation to slip his lips, and Misty immediately flinched, fearing that the boy might just stab her purely to vent his frustration. Thankfully, it didn't come to that.

"Alas..." the Samurai sighed forlornly, and much to Misty's almost overwhelming relief, the boy finally lowered the sword away from her eyeline, and returned it to the sheath on his back, "My search continues".

Misty was so thoroughly grateful that the blade was now safely away from her face that she couldn't even attempt to think of a response to the Samurai's words. She watched as the eccentric boy began to turn away, but tensed up when he paused and glanced backwards over his shoulder at her.

"I advise you to refrain from further shrieking whilst passing through this forest" the Samurai suggested to the orange haired girl, who swallowed nervously, thinking that his words might be a threat or something, "Unless your goal is to attract a horde of Beedrill of course".

Misty couldn't help but grimace upon hearing those last few words, and quickly decided to heed the warning. This situation was scary enough already, thank you very much. The last thing Misty needed to be dealing with was a swarm of murderous Bug Type Pokemon, on top of this crazy lunatic.

Fortunately, that last point would quickly prove to be much less of an issue moving forwards.

Without so much as another word to the poor girl that he'd just startled out of her wits, the Samurai was evidently done with this brief but exceedingly intense meeting, for he immediately began stalking off through the trees again. It was only when he eventually disappeared from sight a few moments later, did Misty finally allow herself to relax. Overcome with relief at having survived that encounter unscathed, Misty sank down to her knees, and took several deep breathes in an attempt to calm her racing heart. It was several minutes before she truly felt at ease again though.

"What a weird kid" Misty gasped out, shaking her head in utter bewilderment as she struggled to absorb the whole bizarre encounter, "I wonder why he'd be looking for a Pokemon Trainer from..."

Realisation hit her like a tonne of bricks.

Instantly, Misty's already pale skin turned a sickly shade of white. Her heart leapt up into her throat, whilst her vermillion eyes threatened to bulge out of her head. Truly, in that moment the girl was the perfect picture of the word 'horrified'.

"Oh my god!" she cried, immediately scrambling to her feet as she realised that whilst she was not in danger anymore, her friends were in a whole heap of it, "That's Ash and Nolan!"

Immediately becoming frantic as concern for her friends overshadowed any hint of self-preservation that Misty might normally have possessed, the young girl instantly began sprinting back the way she'd come, praying to every Legendary Pokemon that she'd ever heard of that she would make it in time, that somehow, she'd get to Ash and Nolan before the Samurai did. She had to keep her new friends safe from that weirdo. She just had to.

The alternative simply didn't bare thinking about.

Misty was so caught up in her frightening thoughts of her friends being seriously injured, that she didn't even hear the sound of echoing footsteps rapidly approaching the spot where she was in the forest. The young girl dashed around the thick mossy trunk of a towering oak tree, and...

SLAM!

"Oof!" Misty couldn't help but grunt as she ran headlong into somebody else that had been running in the opposite direction. Knocked off balance by the force of the collision, the orange haired girl tripped over and landed in a crumpled heap on the ground. A soft moan of pain slipped through her lips as she rubbed her throbbing head.

This really wasn't turning out to be a good day for Misty in the slightest.

"Ouch!" the other person cried, also stumbling backwards and falling to the forest floor. Misty gasped and immediately looked up upon hearing the male voice, not because she was afraid that it might be the Samurai, but because it was a voice that she knew very well.

"Nolan?!"

Misty could scarcely believe it. The person that she had bumped into, was none other than one of the very people that she had so desperately just been running to find and warn. Her friend was sprawled out on his back in the dirt, one hand pressed against his forehead, the other arm wrapped tightly around Meadow. The orange haired girl couldn't help but smile in relief, glad to see that the blonde haired boy and his beloved partner were safe.

Nolan, who up until this point had been too busy rubbing his aching head to really be paying much attention to anything else, looked up and also realised just who it was that he had collided with. A huge grin immediately lit up his handsome face.

"Misty!" the golden haired boy exclaimed happily, glad to see that his friend was safe and sound, "There you are! We've been looking all over for you!"

Slightly nonplussed by that enthusiastic response, Misty threw her friend an odd look.

"You have?" she questioned in a confused tone, momentarily forgetting the urgent reason that she had been so desperate to find him and Ash, "Why?"

"Well, when you ran away from the Weedle like that, I was worried that you might run into more Bug Type Pokemon out here" Nolan explained as he clambered to his feet, then he offered his free hand to Misty to help her up as well, "I didn't like the idea of you being out here alone and scared, so me and Meadow came looking for you to bring you back to the others".

Misty felt genuinely touched upon hearing those words.

"That was really sweet you Nolan" she told him with a fond smile, "Thank you for looking out for me like that".

Nolan blushed a faint shade of pink and ducked his head, causing Misty to giggle slightly, and for Meadow to let out a small snort of amusement.

"Heh... no problem" Nolan smiled, a little embarrassed by her words, but not unhappy.

Misty continued to smile at him for just a moment longer, but than it faded slightly when she realised that it was only Nolan and Meadow that she saw before her. Casting her vermillion eyes around the nearby forest to confirm her suspicions, the young girl swallowed hard when she realised that Ash and Pikachu weren't with them. That meant that her other friends were still out there somewhere, and possibly in grave danger. Misty's stomach coiled unpleasantly just thinking about it.

"Nolan, how far away do you think we are from where we left Ash?" Misty asked, a serious edge coming into her tone, causing Nolan to blink at her in confusion, "Do you even know if he and Pikachu are still there?"

Obviously taken aback by the rapid shift in his friend's demeanour, Nolan could only shrug his shoulders at her.

"I dunno? I mean I guess so" the golden haired boy wasn't seeing the significance, but answered the questions regardless, "Ash was pretty determined to catch that Weedle that we saw, and he was just starting to battle it when I left to come find you".

Misty nodded, her clenched fists trembling nervously, as she absorbed everything that Nolan had just told her.

"We need to find him now!" the orange haired girl declared in a tone that didn't brook any argument, and in perfect synchronisation, Nolan and Meadow both raised their eyebrows at her, "I think he's in terrible danger!"

Nolan stared at her, a look of abject horror quickly growing across his face upon hearing those words. He was completely confused as to what made her think that, but he trusted his friend's instincts, so he wasn't about to ignore such an ominous warning. It was obvious that Misty wasn't joking around after all.

"Come on then!" he cried out urgently, not wasting any time on the whys and wherefores, for which Misty couldn't be more grateful.

And so without so much as another word being spoken between them, Nolan and Misty immediately took off sprinting through the woods, heading off in desperate search of their friend. Both of them were praying with all of their hearts that the raven haired boy that they were both so fond of was alright.

They couldn't lose Ash now, not after everything that they'd survived through together.

They just couldn't.

Back in the forest clearing where all of this had originally first started, there was another intense Pokemon battle taking place. Unlike Nolan's earlier battle however, this one was not being shared between two trainers pitting their beloved Pokemon against one another. Oh no. This battle was between one trainer Pokemon, and one that was completely wild. Pidgeotto vs Weedle - and it was turning out to be much more of a challenge than Ash Ketchum had initially anticipated it to be.

The raven haired Pokemon trainer had originally thought that this fight would be completely one-sided, given Pidgeotto's supreme type advantage over the wild Pokemon that was their latest opponent. Weedle was turning out to be a tough little cookie though, and so even after all this time, the battle was still going strong.

Pidgeotto kept on sending powerful Gust attacks towards the wild Weedle, managing to get in a couple of good hits, but unfortunately the mustard coloured Bug Type Pokemon would simply retaliate by sending its dangerous Poison Sting attacks back at her, forcing Pidgeotto to keep her distance. It was making it very tricky to end this battle, keeping them locked in a frustrating stalemate.

Now, as things continued to heat up between the two warring opponents, Ash had his eyes trained firmly on the battle playing out in front of him. The raven haired boy was completely oblivious to everything else around him.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash cried out in concern when the wild Weedle suddenly lunged towards the Flying Type Pokemon, its small but dangerous horn poised to strike, "Watch out for its Poison Sting!"

Fortunately, with one graceful manoeuvre, Pidgeotto was able to effortlessly dodge out of the way of Weedle's attack. The Bug Type Pokemon landed safely back on the ground, and glared up at its opponent as Pidgeotto flew overhead.

"Ha! Nice work!" Ash cheered happily from the sidelines.

Preening under the praise of her trainer for a moment, Pidgeotto smiled, before turning her attention back to the battle that she was in the middle of. The large avian creature circled through the air, coming back in for another attack.

"Geotto!" Pidgeotto cawed loudly as she summoned up a strong vortex of wind between her wings. She was quick to unleash the powerful Gust attack upon her enemy.

"Weedle!" the wild Weedle squealed unhappily as the attack struck it head on. Powerless to resist, the Hairy Bug Pokemon was swept up into the air and sent flying. Moments later, it hit the Earth again with a dull thud.

"Wee..." Weedle let out a low moan of pain.

On the sidelines, Ash could barely contain his smile upon seeing this. Knowing that now was the moment to act, the raven haired Pokemon trainer reached down to his belt, and snagged off an empty pokeball. He eagerly held the red and white sphere up as he carefully regarded his prey.

"Okay..." Ash muttered under his breath to himself, taking painstaking care with his aim as he prepared to lob the pokeball in his hand, "Here we go! Weedle, I've got you now!"

The little Weedle whimpered slightly, but was far too exhausted by this point in the battle to make any serious effort to try and escape.

Just as Ash was about to throw the pokeball, and hopefully add another new member to his ever-expanding team, the sound of footsteps crunching away across fallen leaves met his ears, and a voice spoke out, drawing Ash's focus away from the moment at hand.

"Greetings" an unfamiliar voice said behind him, prompting Ash to glance back over his shoulder, "Am I addressing the Pokemon Trainer who comes from Pallet?"

Much like Nolan and Misty both had before him, Ash too vaguely registered the newcomer's strange choice of attire, but unlike his friends, the raven haired Pokemon trainer was quick to brush it off. He instead turned his attention back to what he was currently in the middle of.

"I'm a Pokemon Trainer from Pallet" Ash confirmed without sparing the other boy so much as a second glance, a hint of irritation in his tone, "But I'm a little busy!"

Again, Ash prepared to throw the pokeball in his hand to try to capture the Weedle, but much to the raven haired boy's frustration, the stranger behind him spoke once more, and Ash's attention was dragged back to him against his will.

"I have found you at last..." the boy declared, his tone somewhat solemn, as he reached behind himself for something...

Really starting to get frustrated with this unwanted intrusion now, a dark scowl immediately appeared across Ash's face. He just wanted to be left alone so that he could get on with hopefully making another successful capture in peace. He didn't think that that was too much to ask for. The raven haired boy angrily whirled on the spot to tell the stranger as much... and promptly found himself staring down the wrong end of a sword!

Unable to help himself, an anxious gulp of unadulterated fear immediately tore its way past Ash's lips before he could stop it. Internally, the raven haired boy groaned.

Just what kind of trouble had he found himself in now?!

And there's another chapter down : )

Perhaps a strange point to cut this chapter off, but I didn't want it getting too long. And I know that this was kind of a filler chapter to bridge the gap between Nolan's battle with the Samurai and Ash's battle with him, but I feel like this chapter served its purpose, as I wanted to briefly add a tiny bit about how trainers earn their money in this story. I won't be covering this every time that a battle is won, but I wanted it to be known that this is going on in the background, so it's not confusing later whenever the characters have money. They won't be getting money every time they battle Team Rocket or any other criminals though. Just official trainers : )

Anyway, let's move on to today's voting topic. We're doing another Pokemon Vote today. Originally, I was going to do an evolution one in this chapter, but then I realised that since the results of this particular group of potential teammates might have an impact on the story sooner than you would think, I really need to know how this vote will turn out so I can write the story accordingly : ) Anyway, here are today's options : )

Pokemon Options: -

Route 23 - Mankey - Male - Rash Nature - Vital Spirit Ability

Seafoam Islands - Zubat - Female - Modest Nature - Inner Focus Ability

Bond Bridge - Venonat - Female - Hardy Nature - Compound Eyes Ability

I actually think that any one of these three Pokemon would be quite interesting to add to the team since I've never really used any of them in my playthroughs of the games. Plus I've already got a couple of potential characters in mind depending on what the result of the vote is, which is always a nice bonus : )

Anyway, thank you all so much for reading this chapter, and I hope you're enjoying the story so far.

Until the next time, keep on reading : )