Another chapter, another day, and another step closer to the end of my first Nuzlocke : )

Hey readers, here we are with the first part of 'Showdown in Pewter City'. I'm pretty excited about this episode, both because it's almost time for Nolan's first ever gym battle, but also because soon I'll finally be able to add Brock to the story, and the travelling group will be complete : )

But enough about that for now. Let's talk about the winner of last week's voting topic instead. Honestly, this one kinda threw me, but the winner this time was... Koffing! I am seriously struggling to come up with ideas about this Pokemon character, so any suggestions would be most welcome.

Finally, I'd like to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. I really appreciate the support so thank you very much : )

Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OCs are.

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Showdown in Pewter City

Showdown in Pewter City - Part 1

The sight of the trees finally beginning to thin out was an extremely welcome one.

Nolan could honestly admit that he was getting a little emotional as he and his friends were finally closing in on the far edge of Viridian Forest. To some people, perhaps the blonde boy was being a bit silly or dramatic, but to Nolan, it felt like crossing the dense forest unscathed was a remarkable accomplishment in itself. In the grand scheme of things, Nolan knew that it wasn't much to get excited about, but in his short ten years of life, he had never ventured quite so far away from home without adult supervision before. It felt oddly liberating in certain ways - like he was a baby Farfetch'd leaving its parents' nest for the first time. It was a strange feeling for the young boy, but certainly not an unwelcome one.

He had thoroughly enjoyed the time that they had spent camping out in the forest, and he had gained a new appreciation for the beauty of nature. The whole trip had really given him a taste of what being a real trainer was all about, and Nolan absolutely loved it. Still, the young boy couldn't deny that he was also looking forward to returning to civilisation. While being off the grid had been nice whilst it had lasted, Nolan was beginning to miss some of the creature comforts that he was accustomed to. Namely indoor plumbing.

Nolan couldn't wait to arrive at the Pokemon Centre in Pewter City where he would finally be able to take a shower and do some laundry. He had noticed that he was beginning to smell a little bit, and his hair felt matted and greasy. His clothes, particularly his white hoodie and beanie, were also showing signs of intense travel. They were dirty and caked with flecks of mud, most definitely in need of a good wash. Thankfully Ash and Misty were in a similar condition, and hadn't commented on it. Nolan might have felt embarrassed otherwise. He liked being clean, and he wasn't afraid to admit it. So to know that they were close now and almost completely out of the forest was definitely a great relief to the three young trainers and their Pokémon.

Finally, after about a morning's hike of four hours, the small group passed through the last couple of trees and shrubs, and found themselves standing at the border of Pewter City. The three children couldn't help but gasp in awe at the magnificent sight before them.

Pewter City was, to put it lightly, ginormous.

Nolan wasn't even aware that his jaw was hanging wide open. The blonde boy couldn't help but be blown away by the sheer size of the place, how lively and busy it seemed, even though they were still miles away from the city itself. Being a small town boy, Nolan had honestly never seen anything like it before, so it wasn't unfair to say that he felt a little intimidated going to such an enormous place. There was definitely a trace of excitement and wonder in his shining blue eyes as well though. One thing was for sure, he was definitely going to make this visit count. And by that, of course the blonde boy was thinking about the gym.

Nolan knew from the countless trainer magazines that he had read over the years that for generations the Pewter City gym used Pokemon of the rock type element. He also knew that the current gym leader continued to uphold that tradition. There was a reason this place was called 'The City of Stone' after all.

In terms of the gym leader himself, Nolan knew very little at all about him - just that he was a guy and a skilled trainer to boot. Apparently he wasn't one for the limelight - he wasn't famous like The Sensational Sisters, the gym leaders of Cerulean City. All the magazines could offer was that this gym leader was the perfect test for rookie trainers to take on as their first challenge.

Rookie trainers like Nolan and Ash.

And Nolan swore to himself right then and there, that he would not be leaving this city without earning his first official Pokémon League gym badge.

Tingles of excitement bubbled up in the pit of Nolan's stomach at just the thought. A real gym badge would really be something to call home about, not to mention that it would be his first stepping stone to gaining entry in the Indigo League in a few months' time. His whole face lit up excitedly just thinking about it. Not that Nolan was deluding himself into thinking it would be that straightforward of course. The young blonde trainer knew that this challenge was going to be anything but easy. Gym leaders were notoriously difficult to defeat in battle after all, but Nolan was nothing if not determined. He would find a way to come out victorious and earn himself the desired badge.

Anything else was not an option.

Fortunately, Nolan already had something of a strategy in mind for his upcoming gym battle. Well, half a strategy at least. He was still trying to work a few kinks out of his plans. So far the boy knew only two factors for certain - Welkin and Iris were both a terrible match up for this gym and Meadow was an ideal one.

Already Nolan had made the conscious decision that Welkin would not be participating in this fight. The small brown flying type had not taken it very well at all when the boy had broken it to him. He had all-but-begged Nolan to change his mind, but the blonde boy held firm. Welkin was nowhere near ready to take on rock type Pokémon and claim a victory. Right now he was at much too high of a disadvantage, he wouldn't stand a chance if Nolan put him in the battle. In fact, the blonde haired boy felt it would be extremely irresponsible of him to even entertain the idea. Welkin hadn't spoken to him in two days as a result. Only yesterday had the Pidgey finally stopped sulking and giving his trainer the cold shoulder, and that was only because Nolan had shamelessly bribed him with a few treats at dinner. Still, banning Welkin from the fight, whilst definitely the safest route to take for his flying type friend, did come with one glaring drawback.

And that drawback was that he only had one Pokémon that he could realistically enter into the match without feeling like he was putting her at great risk.

Whilst Meadow certainly had a tremendous advantage over rock types like those used at the Pewter City gym, at the end of the day, she was only one Pokémon, and there was only so much she alone could do. Oh, Nolan knew that he could maybe use Iris in this fight, but he had only just gotten her a few days ago. He didn't know her battle style too well yet, and whilst her particular move pool might help her overcome her glaringly obvious type disadvantage, Nolan still wasn't sure if using her in this match would be a good idea. In the end, he might not have a choice though. If the gym leader used more than one Pokémon to battle them, Meadow might find herself in trouble without her Pokémon teammates to fall back on. It was definitely a problem to be sure, one that Nolan wasn't entirely sure how to address.

Well no, that wasn't quite true. The blonde boy knew exactly what the ideal solution was. Catching a new Pokémon, preferably one of the water type element. But whilst that was the most obvious solution to his conundrum, Nolan also wasn't keen on the idea of having to bypass the gym in order to hunt down a lake or coastline in order to fish up such a Pokémon. It might make the battle go a little smoother, but it would also cause a long delay in his travels, something that Nolan wasn't much keen on either.

No. For now the blonde trainer had decided that the best course of action to take was to just trust in Meadow to get the job done. If that didn't work out then he would re-evaluate, but he felt it unfair not to give his beloved partner her chance first. Besides, Nolan had complete and utter faith in Meadow. She was his partner, the very best he could ask for. There was no way that she would ever let him down.

As so it was with those thoughts swirling through his mind did Nolan turn back to his travelling companions, eager to going so they could get down to the city as soon as possible. He opened his mouth to start the conversation on as to how they would get down to the city, but unfortunately for Nolan, he was cut over as someone else beat him to it.

"YAY!" Misty couldn't help but cheer in delight, relieved to finally be out of the forest. Her vermillion coloured eyes glistened with excitement as she looked down over the city, "Pewter City!"

The orange haired girl came to a stop next to one of the gigantic boulders that Pewter City was famous for. Nolan did the same, taking a moment to just enjoy the view of the sprawling metropolis off in the distance. Ash on the other hand just grinned widely, and unable to contain his own excitement, the raven haired boy quickly clambered up onto the boulder next to his friends. He wanted to get a better view of the city after all. Pikachu followed his example, and stood next to Ash on top of the large stone, whilst Meadow was quite content in her spot in her beloved human's arms.

Needless to say, all five of them were very excited to finally be so close to their anxiously anticipated destination.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Ash decided that taking a short break couldn't hurt, and so he promptly sat down on the rock to take a breather. Next to him, Pikachu also slumped down slightly, his ears drooping tiredly.

"Phew!" the raven haired boy exclaimed after a moment, wiping his brow, "For a while there I thought we were all gonna be in this forest for the rest of our lives!"

His friends couldn't help but wearily nod in agreement. It had been quite a while since they had entered the forest after all.

"Well I for one am glad that's not the case" Misty said uncomfortably, trying to suppress a shiver, "I'm glad to be away from all those bugs!"

"Hopefully it'll be a while before we have to travel anywhere so dominated by Bug Type Pokemon again" Nolan said in an attempt to appease the girl. She smiled at him.

"I sure hope so Nolan" she smiled hopefully.

Ash opened his mouth to break back into the conversation, but unfortunately for the raven haired boy, he never got the chance to say anything. For at that moment, without any kind of warning whatsoever and completely taking the young Pokemon Trainers off guard, a new voice chimed into their conversation, alerting them to the fact that they were not as alone on the cliff ledge as they had initially thought.

"Pewter City is grey, the colour of stone" a somewhat raspy voice of a man muttered to them, "This town has always been famous for stone".

Realising that the voice was going from beneath them, Nolan cautiously glanced down over the ledge, and saw for the first time the other person present at their current location.

The owner of the raspy voice was an adult male, maybe in his late forties or early fifties. Nolan couldn't see much of the man's face since a lot of it was obscured by a dark moustache and beard. From what he could see however, Nolan could make out that he had tanned skin, but sadly he wore a red hat low down on his head, hiding more of his identity. The man was also wearing a mustard coloured tank top, jeans, and big heavy boots that looked perfect for mountain climbing. He was sat next to a small set of wooden steps that were clearly meant to be used to get down between the different ledges of the hillside.

"Huh? What the..." Ash exclaimed in surprise as he caught sight of the man as well, before he glanced over at Misty curiously, "Who's this old guy?"

"Ash!" Nolan gasped at his best friend's bluntness, before he immediately began to scold him, "Don't be so rude!"

"Besides, how should I know?" Misty couldn't help but shake her head at her raven haired friend incredulously, "I've never met him before!"

Smirking, and thankfully taking no offense to the comment that Ash had so tactlessly made about his age, the man just stared up at the three children and their Pokemon. Nolan just barely managed to not squirm under the man's intense scrutiny, which he found a little unsettling.

"The name's Flint" the man drawled out his name to them, before adding in a slightly cooler tone, "And you're sitting on some of my merchandise young man".

Needless to say, the man, Flint, didn't sound too happy about that.

Upon registering the man's sharp words and displeased tone, Ash hastily scrambled back to his feet, an apologetic expression immediately flashing across his face.

"Oh!" he exclaimed hastily, "I'm sorry!"

Nolan couldn't help but blink in confusion as he caught up with everything he had just heard. Puzzled, the golden haired boy glanced over at his best friend, but only saw him perched atop a large rock. Did that mean...? Glancing down over the ledge at the man, Nolan found his suspicions to be confirmed. His icy blue eyes widened as he saw a large collection of stones of various shapes and sizes littering the ground around Flint. They all had different price tags on them. The golden haired boy immediately felt a little bewildered.

"Err... you sell rocks?!" Nolan couldn't help but stare at Flint incredulously. The man just shrugged his shoulders at him.

"They're Pewter City souvenirs" the older male said by means of an explanation. Nolan shook his head in bemusement, but chose not to comment on the strange matter further, "Wanna buy some?"

"Errr... I'm good for right now, thanks" the golden haired boy quickly shook his head again, having not intention of wasting his money on a useless rock of all things, "But if you could give us directions to the Pokemon Centre, that would be great".

"The Pokemon Centre?" Flint arched a curious eyebrow at the group.

"We're travelling to become great Pokemon Trainers" Ash chimed in as he stepped down off the large boulder, landing on the ground next to Misty, "We've come to Pewter City so that me and Nolan can earn our first gym badges".

Flint nodded his understanding at the raven haired boy's words, before his eyes drifted over Pikachu and Meadow in turn. Both of their respective partner Pokemon looked pretty tuckered out.

"I see... well both of your Pokemon sure look worn out" Flint remarked, and both Ash and Nolan couldn't help but agree with his assessment, "Your friend is right. You need to go to the Pokemon Centre first before you go to the gym. Why don't you all follow me? I'll show you the way".

And with that, the man climbed to his feet and began to walk away. Nolan raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment, and instead just turned to his friends. Ash and Misty both shrugged their shoulders at him, clearly just as thrown as Nolan himself was.

"Well..." Ash was eventually the one to break the somewhat tense silence that had fallen over the group, "I guess that looks can be deceiving".

"Excuse me?" Nolan raised an eyebrow at his best friend in a confused manner.

"He seems to be a nice enough guy" Ash said, and he just shrugged when he noticed Nolan's less than convinced expression.

"Are you sure?" Misty apparently wasn't convinced either. It seemed like a very questionable idea to go walking off with some random stranger they had just met after all.

The raven haired boy opened his mouth to reply, to say that of course he was sure and to try and urge his friends to be a little more trusting, but unfortunately for Ash, he never got the chance to. Because before any of the children had the chance to utter so much as a single syllable, Flint came striding back over to them, evidently having realised that the group hadn't immediately followed him.

"By the way..." Flint looked down at Ash with a no-nonsense expression plastered all over his face, "That'll be a two Pokedollar charge for resting on my rocks".

Flint said those words with such a straight face and such a serious tone that Ash and Misty both immediately knew that he was by no means joking. Their faces both fell, as the two youngsters realised that Ash's assessment of Flint being a 'nice guy' might not entirely be accurate.

Nolan on the other hand simply couldn't help himself upon hearing the man's rather bold declaration.

He fell down to the ground from sheer exasperation.

Despite being something of a jerk and actually charging Ash the two Pokedollars for resting on top of his, quote - priceless and absolutely irreplaceable merchandise - Flint did know Pewter City and the surrounding area like the back of his calloused hand. After Ash had reluctantly handed over the money he 'owed', the middle-aged man had guided Nolan and his friends down the valley and into the heart of the gigantic city itself in just a matter of minutes. Navigating the winding streets effortlessly whilst Nolan and the others all looked around in wonder, Flint soon delivered the small group of tired travellers right to the Pokemon Centre. Nolan and his friends barely had enough time to thank him for his assistance before the man was gone, no doubt heading back up the valley to continue selling his rocks. Nolan couldn't help but shake his head as the man jogged away from them, wondering who in their right mind would actually pay him good money for one of those mere pebbles.

Pushing thoughts of Flint and his strange choice of profession out of his mind, Nolan instead turned his attention to the building before him. The golden haired boy immediately noted that it was nothing like the Pokemon Centre that he and his friends had visited back in Viridian City. No. This Pokemon Centre was in the shape of a square-based pyramid, but rather than ending in a point, the building had been roofed off, and an huge circular observation deck made of glass had been built there instead. It would probably give them a very good view of the entire city, should Nolan and his friends care to test it out later. First things first though...

"Come on you guys" the golden haired boy urged his friends, walking up the long driveway and approaching the impressive building before them, Meadow snuggled up in his arms, "We need to get Meadow and all our other Pokemon checked over before we do anything else".

Ash and Misty both nodded their heads seriously in agreement.

"Then maybe we could grab some lunch" Misty suggested with an air of hope, "I'm starting to get a little hungry".

"Sure we can do that!" Ash said enthusiastically, earning himself a slightly odd look from his travelling companions. Upon noticing it, he felt compelled to say, "Today's an important day! I've gotta build up my strength before I challenge the gym leader here".

Nolan didn't really agree with his best friend's statement. He felt it would be better to go into the gym with a proper strategy, not a full stomach, but he didn't comment on the matter. They could discuss it later. For now, he instead just continued leading the way up to the glass doors that were the Pokemon Centre's main entrance. When they got there, for one brief moment, the golden haired boy hesitated, unable to help but remember how disastrous things had gone the last time he had been in one of these places. He quickly forced those unpleasant memories away though. After all, lightning never struck twice... he prayed. Giving himself a little shake, Nolan pushed down his nerves and pushed open the doors, before he and his friends walked inside.

Again, the building was very different to how the one in Viridian City had been before its total obliteration. This one felt more... cosy somehow, as opposed to clinical. Nolan couldn't help but smile at that as he walked up to the main reception desk, and finding a little gold bell there, he immediately slapped his hand down on it.

DING!

The single chime was enough to have the desired effect. In a matter of moments, a woman walked in through a door that led to a small office that was situated in an enclosed area behind the help desk with a kind smile on her face. A face that the children all instantly recognised, though only Ash seemed surprised to see her here. Nolan and Misty just smiled back at her like nothing was amiss.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pewter City Pokemon Centre" Nurse Joy of all people greeted them warmly, "How can I help you today?"

Nolan opened his mouth to politely request that the nurse give his three Pokemon a check up, but unfortunately for the golden haired boy, he never got the chance to. Ash, who had been gawking up at the pink haired nurse incredulously, managed to beat him to it.

"Nurse Joy?!" the raven haired boy exclaimed, surprise in both his expression and tone. The woman smiled down at Ash kindly, oblivious to his current state of sheer disbelief.

"Yes, I'm Nurse Joy" the pretty pink haired woman nodded, a slightly bemused expression flashing across her face. Ash just stared at her, totally perplexed.

"But... but this isn't Viridian City! This is Pewter City!" the raven haired boy exclaimed in confusion. At the bewildered boy's side, Nolan couldn't help but smirk in amusement.

"Ten out of ten for those observational skills Ash" he lightly teased his best friend. On Ash's other side, Misty chuckled at his playful banter, and even Nurse Joy couldn't help but smile, obviously finding the whole thing funny as well. Ash on the other hand just threw the golden haired boy an irritated look.

"What I meant was; why would Nurse Joy be here instead of overseeing the rebuilding of the Pokemon Centre back in Viridian City" the raven haired boy growled at his best friend indignantly.

"Ah! I see now!" Nurse Joy said sagely as she realised where all the confusion was stemming from. She really should have picked up on Ash's confusion sooner. This was hardly the first time this issue had come up after all, particularly with younger trainers who were just starting out, "You think I'm the Nurse Joy that you met in Viridian City".

Ash just stared up at her in utter bewilderment.

"Wait... you mean you're not?" he frowned, tilting his head to one side in a confused manner, "But you look and sound just like her!"

At that exclamation, Nurse Joy couldn't help but let out a pleasant little laugh.

"Yes, we get that a lot" the pink haired nurse nodded in agreement with the boy's assessment, before she indicated towards a framed photograph that was hanging on the wall behind her, "Take a look at this photo. Perhaps it might help clear things up".

The raven haired boy did as Nurse Joy suggested, and once again he found his russet coloured eyes widening in amazement. The image on display immediately sent Ash's mind back to the photograph that Officer Jenny had shown them prior to their involvement in Operation Iris, and he quickly realised that it was the same situation all over again. Only this time, rather than an image of a large group of identical police officers, he was looking at dozens and dozens of identical pink haired nurses. Ash looked back at the real Nurse Joy in front of him in astonishment.

"Whoa... so you're from a whole family of identical nurses?" he breathed in awe.

"That's right" Nurse Joy said brightly, nodding her head, "Plus we're all called Joy, so at least everyone always gets our names right. The Nurse Joy that runs the Viridian City Pokemon Centre is my younger sister. She's the one you met there".

Ash slowly nodded his understanding. Flanking him on either side, Misty and Nolan did the same. Neither of them seemed particularly surprised to learn that there was another family of identical emergency service staff out there though, leading Ash to believe that they had both already known about this. He quickly cast those thoughts away however. They had much more important things to think about right now after all.

"But I'm sure you didn't come all this way just to learn about my family tree" Nurse Joy chuckled good-naturedly, "So how can I help the three of you today?"

Grateful to the nurse for getting them back on topic, Nolan gently shifted Meadow into the crook of his arm, before using his free hand to pluck the pokeballs containing Welkin and Iris off of his belt. Next to him, Ash plucked Pikachu off his shoulder whilst also holding up two pokeballs, whilst Misty rummaged around in her backpack for a brief moment, before she also produced three pokeballs. Nolan arched a curious eyebrow. Whilst he knew about Starmie and Goldeen, the golden haired boy had no idea that his female friend had another Pokemon. He couldn't help but wonder what type of creature it might be.

"Please can you give all of our Pokemon a check up?" Ash asked Nurse Joy hopefully, before Nolan had the opportunity to question Misty on her mysterious third Pokemon, "We need them to be in tip-top shape before we challenge the Pewter City gym".

Nurse Joy politely nodded her head in understanding.

"Sure" she said kindly to the three youngsters before her, holding out her hands to accept their pokeballs, "Just leave them with me. Although while we're on the subject of challenging gyms, are you aware that you need to register first before you're able to collect the eight necessary badges to compete in the Indigo League?"

Ash shook his head, but at his side, Nolan nodded.

"I was going to ask you about that Nurse Joy" the golden haired boy commented before anyone else had the chance to, "I read in an article in a magazine that trainers can register for the Indigo League right here at the Pewter City Pokemon Centre. Is that true?"

Once again, Nurse Joy smiled and nodded her head.

"It is. All you need to do is give me your pokedex and I can get you registered in two shakes of a Growlithe's tail" the pink haired woman assured him.

"That's brilliant" Nolan smiled in relief, pleased at how easy that was. He had been worried that the information he had read might be out of date, and that they'd have to travel somewhere else first before they could challenge the gym. He was glad that that wasn't the case, "Thanks a lot Nurse Joy".

The blonde haired boy quickly fished his pokedex out of his back pocket before handing it over to the woman. At his side, Ash did much the same.

"We really appreciate all your help" Ash added his thanks as he turned over his pokedex to her as well.

Both of the boys and Misty all watched as Nurse Joy carefully placed each pokedex in turn into a wide slot on the side of her desk computer. She pressed a couple of keys on the keyboard, and the device beeped loudly for a couple of seconds. Once the procedure was done, the pink haired nurse smiled and handed the two pokedexes back to their respective owners.

"There you go" she said kindly to the two boys as they each put their own pokedex away again, "Now you guys are all eligible to collect the eight gym badges that'll grant you entry into the Indigo League".

"Thanks Nurse Joy" Nolan and Ash both said again gratefully. The two boys couldn't help but grin at each other in excitement. Even though in reality it was just a tiny action on the part of somebody else, to Nolan and Ash, it felt like they had both just reached another major milestone in their training careers. It really did bring it home to them both that they would both be competing in the Indigo Pokemon League soon, provided that they earned the required badges of course. Either way, it was a feeling that was nothing short of wonderful.

"It was my pleasure" the pink haired nurse replied to them, unaware of the monumental moment that both of the boys were silently enjoying in that second, "And if that's everything, now I'll go begin giving all of your Pokemon a check up. I'll come find you when they're ready to be collected, so please stay inside the Pokemon Centre until then".

Making short work of balancing Meadow under one arm whilst allowing Pikachu to hop up onto her shoulder, Nurse Joy then carefully gathered up the seven occupied pokeballs before she turned and walked away. The children all called their thanks after her, and moments later she was gone. The three friends all turned to each other with bright smiles lining their faces.

"Well this has already been a productive morning" Misty clapped her hands together bracingly, "You guys are all registered for the Indigo League!"

"Yeah!" Ash couldn't help but beam back at her in excitement, "Now all we have to do is wait for Pikachu and the others to get the all-clear, and then we can head to the gym. I can hardly wait until I get my first ever gym badge!"

"Me too!" Nolan cried happily. The golden haired boy was under no illusions that it would be an easy fight, but he had faith in his team. They could handle it, he was sure. And Nolan Locke was nothing if not utterly determined.

Misty opened her mouth to comment, no doubt to warn her two male friends about getting their hopes up too high, but sadly she never got the chance to. For at that exact moment, there came a loud rumbling sound. It didn't take them long to identify the source of the minor disturbance.

Ash's stomach.

Nolan and Misty couldn't help themselves, and both of them immediately began to snigger in amusement. Ash on the other hand just blushed, mildly embarrassed.

"Err... but in the meantime, how about we go to the Pokemon Centre's cafeteria and get some lunch" the raven haired boy suggested quickly before his friends could start teasing him for the shift in focus that his treacherous stomach had caused, "We've gotta keep our strength up if we wanna win our battles at the gym".

"Sounds good to me, but then we need to hit the showers before we head to the gym. We're all starting to smell a little bit" Misty stated, reminding them that a cost to personal hygiene was just one of the hazards of travelling for such a long period of time. She turned to the final member of their group for his thoughts, "Nolan? You coming for lunch?"

The golden haired boy smiled, but immediately shook his head.

"You guys go ahead without me" Nolan declined the offer, and upon noticing the slightly perplexed expressions on his friends' faces, the golden haired boy hastened to elaborate, "It's been a while since we've been able to call home, so I'm gonna go to the waiting room to phone my dad. I wanna tell him everything that we've been up to, so I'll catch up to you guys when I'm done. I won't be too long, I promise".

"We'll grab you some lunch and wait for you in the cafeteria then" Misty kindly offered, and Nolan nodded gratefully at her.

"Thanks" he smiled warmly.

"Say hi to your dad for me" Ash requested, and once Nolan had nodded his understanding, the raven haired boy and Misty both turned and walked away, following some signs on the walls that indicated the way to the Pokemon Centre's cafeteria. Smiling, Nolan turned and walked off in the opposite direction, beginning his search for the Pokemon Centre's waiting room, and more importantly, a telephone. As he went along his way, the golden haired boy could barely keep a huge grin from lighting up his entire face. His very first gym battle ever was quickly drawing closer...

Nolan could hardly wait.

And that's the end of another chapter : )

Yay! Nolan and the group are out of the forest and have arrived at the city. We've seen Flint, and the whole topic of the identical Nurse Joys has been done. I know it wasn't that long since the same situation with Officer Jenny cropped up, and I didn't want to be repetitive, but I also wanted Ash to know about the multiple Nurse Joys as soon as possible to get that bit of the Pokemon World established and out the way with as quickly as possible : )

But enough about the chapter itself. Now let's talk about this week's Elite Four battle, and oh my gosh, what a battle it was : ) Agatha was the whole reason that I used the move tutor to teach Jynx Dream Eater so that I could bring her with me to the Elite Four. Using her Lovely Kiss and Dream Eater, she took out both of the Gengar and the Haunter from full health. Golbat was a little trickier, since it survived Electabuzz's first Shock Wave and managed to confuse him with Confuse Ray. Agatha then used a Full Restore, but Electabuzz came through and defeated Golbat from full health with another Shock Wave. To be honest, those four Pokemon were easy in comparison to her Arbok though. That thing gave me TONNES of trouble, though to be fair, I also just apparently threw all logic out of the window, and decided that using Snorlax for some reason was a good idea. I mainly did it because I hadn't used him up until that point, and wanted to give him a chance to battle. Needless to say though, it didn't go well. He used Rollout which of course locked him into that move, and before he could take Arbok down, he was hit with a Sludge Bomb and then an Iron Tail attack which wiped him out. Thankfully Meadow then came out and used Earthquake which made short work of the Arbok, but yeah, I suffered my first casualty during the Elite Four : (

So that was definitely my toughest fight yet, but I'm just glad that I don't have to write Snorlax out of the story since he made it past the check-point. He's one of my favourite Pokemon after all : ) But yay! For beating Agatha, it means that you guys now have another evolution to vote on : ) Here are the options for this week: - Welkin the Pidgeotto, Iris the Venonat, Poliwag, Meowth, Kadabra, Electabuzz, Graveler, Voltorb and Scyther. It's actually really interesting to see what you guys vote for because I know that some of you are trying to work out which two Pokemon I lost during the Nuzlocke so you can avoid voting for them. I'm not normally one to give away overly large spoilers, but since you guys have been so loyal in voting throughout this story, I feel like you deserve a hint, so here it is - Of all the guesses made in previous reviews as to which two Pokemon I lost, none of them have been correct yet. That's ALL I'm saying on the matter, so take that as you will ; )

But seriously, thank you so much for voting on these topics because it really does make both playing the game and writing this story a lot more fun : ) Anyway, that's all from me for this week. Thank you so much for reading my story, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please also consider leaving a review because I'd love to hear your feedback : )

Until the next time, keep on reading : )