I WON! I WON THE NUZLOCKE! I BEAT THE CHAMPION! I WON!
Hey readers - As you might be able to guess, I have finally finished my Pokemon Fire Red Nuzlocke, and I won : D
I honestly can't believe that the first Nuzlocke in this series is over and done with. I feel like I only started it yesterday, and now it's been roughly eighteen months. It's amazing : )
But enough about that for now. Instead, let's talk about the winner of the latest evolution vote. Now, since nobody voted this time, there wasn't a decisive winner, but since we're so close to being done with the voting system for this particular Nuzlocke, I decided that this time I would use an online random Pokemon generator to decide the outcome of this 'vote'. I kept generating Pokemon until one of my unevolved Pokemon came up, and that would be the 'winner'. Not really how I wanted to decide this, but the 'winner' of the random generator was... Welkin the Pidgeotto! I'm pretty excited about this one. Since Welkin was the first Pokemon captured in this story, he's kind of got a special place on Nolan's team, so it's nice to know he'll get to be a fully-evolved Pidgeot : )
Beyond that, I'd just like to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. I really appreciate the support so thank you : )
Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OCs are.
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Showdown in Pewter City - Part 4
With mounting nerves, Nolan looked on anxiously as Brock tossed the pokeball in his hand high up into the air. The golden haired Pokemon trainer tracked the red and white sphere with his sharp blue eyes as it began to descend again, before the pokeball suddenly snapped open, releasing exactly what Nolan was so nervous about facing - the behemoth that lay dormant within. Images of how this creature had so effortlessly crushed his best friend's partner briefly flashed through his mind, but Nolan was quick to shrug them away. No. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted. He and his Pokemon had come this far, and they could win this. They would win this. Nolan just had to have faith in his friends to get the job done. And ultimately, he did. He did believe in his Pokemon. So pushing past his fear, Nolan turned his attention back to Iris, a warm smile blossoming across his face.
"You okay to keep going Iris?" he asked the small purple Bug Type Pokemon in his arms kindly.
Iris looked across the battlefield at Onix warily.
"OOONNNIIIXXX!" the gigantic Rock Snake Pokemon let out a loud bellowing roar, one that Nolan was beginning to become accustomed to, and Iris whimpered.
"Veno..." she whined fearfully.
The golden haired boy smiled down at her reassuringly, and gently stroked her long violet coloured fur in an attempt to sooth the frightened creature.
"Hey, hey" he said softly, "It's okay. I know that Brock's Onix looks intimidating, but I have a plan to overcome it. Will you help me?"
Iris swallowed hard, still looking very nervous about what promised to be an exceptionally difficult battle, but already she had come to trust Nolan implicitly. She trusted that he knew what he was doing.
"Venonat! Veno!" the purple Bug Type Pokemon nodded up at her trainer, before she hopped out of his arms and hurried back onto the battlefield. Even though she still felt nervous, she glowered at Onix in a show of bravado. The Rock Snake Pokemon glared back down at her menacingly.
It was clear that both of them were more than ready to do combat once more this day.
At the back of the gym, directly across the field from where Nolan stood, Brock smirked at the trainer with an air of confidence. Nolan didn't allow any worries he might have had about that to show on his face though. Instead, he just glared back defiantly.
"You're not bad for a rookie trainer" the teenage gym leader complimented with a genuine smile, before his face hardened slightly, "But I'm afraid you won't find it as easy to defeat my Onix as you did my Geodude. Your tricks won't work a second time around".
"We'll see about that Brock!" Nolan retorted, before he turned his attention back to his newest Pokemon teammate, "Iris! We're on a hot streak so let's keep it going! Use your Psybeam attack!"
Quicker than you could blink, Iris charged forwards, her eyes ablaze with that same ethereal light that had appeared in them before. Glowing with a beautiful myriad of swirling colours, Iris let loose her powerful Psychic Type attack in a concentrated beam that hit Onix square in the face.
"OOONNNIIIXXX!" Onix roared, obviously in a great deal of pain. He quickly shook off his opponent's attack however, signalling to Nolan and Iris that this wasn't by any means going to be an easy victory, not that they had been in any doubt about that to begin with.
"Onix!" Brock called out in concern, but upon realising that the gigantic Rock Snake Pokemon was okay, he issued him with his first command, "Same strategy as before! Grab that Venonat with your Bind Attack!"
Letting out another bellowing roar to show its consent, the massive Rock Type Pokemon quickly sprung into action. With surprising grace for such a bulky creature, Onix lifted it's huge stoned tail and swung it through the air towards the spot where Iris stood nervously watching. She was just barely resisting the urge to tremble with fear.
"Quick Iris! Dodge that!" Nolan commanded urgently. He had seen exactly what kind of damage a Bind attack from Onix could inflict on another Pokemon already that day. He was in no hurry to see that same horror inflicted upon his Bug Type Pokemon friend, thank you very much.
Thankfully Iris was able to dive to the side and out of the way of the oncoming assault just in the nick of time. She skidded along the earthly terrain of the battlefield, just barely managing to dodge being struck down by Onix's bulky stone tail. The Bug Type Pokemon quickly scrambled back to her feet, and glared up at her opponent, who loomed over her menacingly. Iris knew that she couldn't afford to let her guard down or rest on her laurels, not even for a moment to catch her breath. She had to be ready for anything, if she stood any chance at all of winning this match.
"Again Onix!" Brock commanded from across the field. He had seen the difficulty that Iris that had in dodging that last attack from Onix, and he fully intended to exploit both the type and size advantages that his own combatant had over the purple Bug Type Pokemon.
"OOONNNIIIXXX" Onix coiled about, almost like he was trying to fill as much of the room as possible, as he raised his tail again to try and snatch Iris up into the air once more.
"Iris! Get out of the way!" Nolan cried desperately, but it was already too late.
With a sickening crunch that seemed to echo throughout the entire gym, Onix managed to land his dangerous Bind attack, curling his thick stony tail around the small body of the Bug Type Pokemon that was his opponent. In a matter of moments, Iris was hoisted high into the air and held there against her will. She frantically began squirming, desperately trying to pull herself free from the Rock Snake Pokemon's grip, but it was to no avail. She was stuck tight. It was obvious that she wasn't going anywhere unless Onix allowed it.
"Venoooo!" Iris shrieked, clearly in a great deal of pain.
Nolan immediately felt as though his stomach was dropping out from beneath him upon registering what had just happened. His icy blue eyes widened with horror as he looked on helplessly, whilst Iris futilely struggled against the stone boulders of Onix's massive body, which were crushing in at her from every side. The golden haired boy immediately began racking his brains for a solution to this awful problem, knowing that poor Iris wouldn't be able to withstand it for long. Memories of what had happened to Pikachu involuntarily flashed through Nolan's mind again, causing his heart to tighten uncomfortably in his chest. He couldn't allow the same thing to happen to Iris. He just couldn't.
And then, as if by magic, the young Pokemon Trainer realised that there was something he could do. There was an instruction he could give that would hopefully get his Bug Type Pokemon friend out of this mess.
The way that Onix had positioned himself in relation to where he had coiled around Iris meant that his tail was essentially keeping all of his body balanced, whilst his head was hanging down just over his captive, a smug smirk lining his rocky face. It was obvious that the Rock Snake Pokemon clearly thought that this round of the battle was as good as finished. Nolan had to work very hard to contain a pleased smile. Brock and Onix might think that they were winning this match, but the golden haired trainer was about to show them just how wrong they were.
"Iris, stop struggling against Onix!" Nolan yelled out, surprising both Brock and his Pokemon equally. Iris was confused by the instruction from her trainer as well, but trusting his judgment, she immediately stopped squirming and wriggling about as she tried to free herself, instead staying as still as possible. She had no idea what Nolan was planning, but she knew that he must have one. She just hoped that it would work. This brute's grip on her was really starting to hurt.
"Onix! Keep your guard up!" Brock called out to his partner Pokemon, before muttering under his breath to himself as he narrowed his eyes in the direction of his latest challenger, "Just what are you up to, Nolan?"
Unfortunately for Brock, he was about to find out.
"Iris!" Nolan exclaimed with a wide grin on his face, "Use your fastest Sleep Powder! Straight up over your head!"
Again, Iris found herself slightly confused by the boy's instruction, but she hastened to follow it anyway. The small Bug Type Pokemon rustled her long violet coloured fur, but rather than purple specks of dust, this time a cloud of jade green pollen was dispersed from her body. The glittering green cloud of dust fountained upward, and much like Geodude before him, Onix was unable to help but breathe in a great amount of the sleep-inducing pollen.
Just like last time, the effects were immediate.
With the pollen already taking effect, a somewhat dopey expression flashed across Onix's face, and his entire body started to relax as sleep began setting in. The large boulders that made up the gigantic Rock Snake Pokemon's segmented form eased the pressure around Iris, and in a matter of moments, she had managed to work her way free from the slackening Bind attack. Iris quickly scurried out of the way as Onix lay down on the ground in a large coil, his head resting on top of it, whilst surprisingly gentle snores began slipping past his lips.
Across the field from them and watching the display incredulously, Brock was horrified.
"No! Onix!" the gym leader cried out in disbelief, unable to believe that he was losing so badly to a newbie trainer such as Nolan, "Wake up!"
Despite the teenager's desperate pleas, Onix did not stir.
Across from them, Nolan couldn't help but grin gleefully. He was very relieved that he had managed to come up with a way for Iris to free herself from the Bind attack. After witnessing what had happened to his best friend's partner Pokemon earlier that day, he didn't want any of his own team to end up in a similar state. It was for that reason alone that Nolan had come to make his next decision. The young trainer could only hope that it was the right one though.
"Excellent work Iris! I'm very proud of all the hard work you've put in!" Nolan complimented his Bug Type Pokemon, who smiled at his praise but she still looked beyond exhausted at this point. That only cemented the boy's decision, and he reached down to his belt and unclipped Iris' pokeball from it. He held it out towards her, "But I want you to return for now and rest up in case I need you again. Okay Iris, return!"
A somewhat surprised but also incredibly grateful expression flashed across Iris' face for one brief moment, before she was quickly absorbed by a haze of scarlet coloured light, and returned to the safety and comfort of her pokeball. Nolan couldn't help but beam down at it proudly before he clipped it back onto his belt.
Opposite him on the other side of the field, Brock couldn't help but stare at his younger opponent in surprise. Whilst he was used to dealing with challenges from newbie Pokemon trainers, the Pewter City gym leader could honestly say that he had never met any that battled quite like Nolan did before. Many of them would have been completely oblivious to the state of their own Pokemon by this point, focusing entirely on the condition of their opponent instead, a common mistake that Brock had exploited on more than one occasion to claim a victory even if he was lagging behind. Nolan however was a refreshing change from that trend. The boy had obviously been observing the condition that his Venonat was in throughout the match, and he had clearly deduced that even though she was winning right now, his Bug Type Pokemon wouldn't be able to keep it up indefinitely. It had been a good call on the other boy's part to substitute her at this point. Nolan was clearly a trainer with skill, and a lively mind with a knack for strategic planning. Brock quickly shook those observations away however. He had much more important matters to be focusing on right now. After all, this battle wasn't going to turn itself around. So with keen eyes, Brock watched and waited as Nolan sent in his next Pokemon.
"Meadow! It's your turn!" Nolan called upon his beloved partner, who smiled and eagerly nodded at his words, "Get in there and do your stuff!"
Brock couldn't help but grimace slightly as he watched the small Bulbasaur at Nolan's side rush out onto the field, stopping just a couple of feet away from where Onix lay, still sound asleep. It quickly became clear to the gym leader that Nolan had been keeping this particular Pokemon in reserve for this very moment, and again he found himself impressed by his opponent's forward thinking. It made him wonder if there was indeed anything he could do to prevent a defeat at the other boy's hand at this point.
"Meadow!" Nolan shouted, and Meadow was immediately ready to follow through with whatever command he gave, "Use your Leech Seed attack!"
No sooner had those words slipped past Nolan's lips did Brock turn a ghastly shade of white. He knew that if Meadow was successful in landing that attack, the match would be all but finished. He couldn't allow that to happen.
"No! Onix!" the gym leader yelled desperately to his own beloved partner Pokemon, who was still completely sparked out, "You have to wake up! Please Onix! WAKE UP!"
By some miracle, Brock's pleading words actually managed to break through the sleep-induced haze of pollen that Iris had forced Onix into, but unfortunately for both of them, it's still wasn't enough.
Even as Onix's great white eyes sharply snapped open, the first thing they landed on was the small but somehow still imposing figure of Meadow, charging towards him at great speed, which defied logic given how short and stubby her legs were. The little Grass Type Pokemon skidded to a halt in front of the mighty Onix, and since the Rock Snake Pokemon's head was still bowed down low on the ground, Meadow made that her target. Raising her hind legs and carefully angling the bulb on her back - which had already taken on the typical ethereal glow of a Leach Seed attack - Meadow fired a similarly glowing seed at Onix, and was pleased to note that her aim held true. The glowing seed struck Onix right between the eyes... and the countdown to the end of the battle was upon them.
"NO!" Brock yelled in horror.
The gym leader, despite still being quite young himself, wasn't a fool after all. He knew that that attack had probably just decided the overall outcome of the entire battle. An outcome that most definitely was not in his own favour. Even as he watched with mounting dread, Brock saw thin vines covered in small leaves burst out of the seed that was lodged in Onix's head, snaking down his gigantic body and wrapping themselves tightly around the huge boulders that made up the Rock Snake Pokemon's gigantic form.
"OOONNNIIIXXX!" Onix roared and angrily thrashed about, trying desperately hard to free himself from the vines before they had chance to take effect. His efforts were in vain however, and it quickly sunk in with Onix that it was a pointless endeavour. The vines held strong, and even as he squirmed about in the hopes of dislodging them, Onix could already feel his strength starting to be sapped away by them.
"Onix!" Brock cried out, feeling utterly helpless. He honestly wasn't sure what order he could give that would help at this point. It wasn't a situation or a feeling that he had encountered before. Needless to say, he didn't much care for it.
"Good work Meadow!" Nolan cheered from his side of the battlefield.
"Bulba!" Meadow beamed widely, pleased by how well things were going already. She knew that her contribution to this match would be small in comparison to Iris', but she still wanted to do the very best that she could for her beloved human. She wanted this victory just as much as he did. It was nothing more than their team deserved after all.
"But let's not let our guard down!" Nolan continued and Meadow nodded, both of them knowing that they couldn't afford to get complacent just yet, "So keep Onix at bay with your Vine Whip attack!"
Meadow reacted to the command at once, and from the base of her bulb, the little Grass Type Pokemon unleashed her thick dark green vines. She quickly put them to work, and began attacking Onix with them, striking at any part of the stone behemoth that she could reach. The huge Rock Snake Pokemon reared back and let out a bellowing roar of pain, but before he could make a move to retaliate against Meadow's assault, the skinny vines from the Leech Seed attack suddenly began to glow with an ominous green light, and Onix growled in pain as more of his strength was stolen from him. Meadow's bulb also began to glow, signalling that she had just received an energy boost from the attack. She decided to put the energy to good use, and resumed her assault on her opponent with her vines with even more vigour than ever before.
"Onix..." rather than a roar, this time Onix let out a pitiful whimper. It was clear that he was fading fast, and that he couldn't take much more of this.
Watching all of this from his side of the battlefield, Brock had a hard expression on his face. The teenage gym leader knew that at this point, he had as good as lost this match already, so all he could really do now was to try and save face, by getting at least one good attack in before his partner Pokemon finally went down.
"Quick Onix!" Brock yelled out to his rapidly depleting partner, "Whilst you still have enough strength, use your quickest Rock Tomb attack!"
Mustering up what little strength he had left, Onix forced himself back up to his full, intimidating height. Across from the Rock Snake Pokemon, Meadow gulped and took a hesitant step back, but Onix took little notice as he deftly sprung into action. Carefully balancing his entire weight on one of the huge grey boulders that made up his elongated body, Onix raised his long tail up into the air, high above everyone else's heads. Then, with surprising manoeuvrability for such a gigantic creature, the Rock Snake Pokemon swung it.
CRASH!
With a tremendous amount of force behind the action, Onix slammed his tail down hard onto the ground. And despite being little more than a small effort on the stone behemoth's part, the aftereffects were felt all throughout the gym.
"Whoa!" Nolan cried out, somewhat panic-stricken, as he quickly realised what was happening.
The ground was shaking.
It was very subtle at first, barely even noticeable in fact, but it was quickly becoming apparent exactly what Onix had just done. The impact of his tail striking the ground had set off tremors, tiny to begin with, but growing in intensity with every passing moment. In a matter of seconds, Nolan could feel them from where he stood. Within a minute, the golden haired boy was staggering about, trying not to lose his footing, as the vibrations were so strong that they threatened to knock him clean off his feet. He cried out in alarm more than once as he almost toppled over.
For Meadow, the effects of the miniature earthquake were even worse.
The little Grass Type Pokemon was just barely managing to avoid falling flat on her face as the ground quivered violently beneath her. She tried to crawl away from where she sensed the epicentre of the disturbance to be, but it was no use. By now the ground was shaking so much that it made any kind of escape practically impossible. There was no way to avoid what was coming, and Meadow knew that. So with a solemn expression flashing across her face, along with a flicker of fear appearing in her scarlet coloured eyes, the little Grass Type Pokemon braced herself for the eminent impact.
She wasn't kept waiting for long.
CRASH!
"BULBASAUR!" Meadow screamed in pure and unadulterated agony as from under the ground beneath her feet, almost in a perfect circle, five huge pillars comprised entirely from solid hard stone burst out of the floor and erupted upwards. The five stone pillars then folded inwards, all but collapsing around poor Meadow and pinning her in place. The small green Pokemon was crying out in pain, and squirming frantically in a desperate bid to free herself from the makeshift tomb in which she found herself, but it was no use. She was completely trapped.
"MEADOW!" Nolan all-but-screamed in panic, just barely resisting the urge to go sprinting out onto the battlefield to check that she was okay. He knew that he couldn't do that though. To do so at this point would invalid the battle, and all of Meadow's and Iris' hard work would be for nothing. So reluctantly forcing himself to stay where he was, Nolan instead settled for calling out to his beloved partner, "ARE YOU OKAY?! MEADOW!"
The golden haired boy was on tenterhooks for a moment, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, as he waited for some kind, any kind, of response. Each second felt like an eternity for the young trainer, until finally...
"Saur..." Meadow groaned weakly.
The moment that he heard that low moan escape from his beloved partner's lips, Nolan's entire body almost sagged with relief. She was okay, or at least she was going to be. The golden haired boy just had to keep repeating that to himself. Meadow was going to be okay, and they were going to win this.
Seconds later, Nolan was proved right.
On the faces of both Brock and Onix, were identical smirks that practically oozed with smugness. It was more than a little obvious that both the gym leader and his Pokemon had simply inflicted that Rock Tomb upon poor Meadow because they wanted to show their battling spirit, and not because they believed it would change the overall outcome of the match. No. It had simply been done to allow them to reclaim some of their pride. Well, Nolan thought vindictively to himself, their pride was about to take a heavy blow.
"OOONNNIIIXXX!" the huge stone behemoth suddenly roared and thrashed about in pain.
The cause of the Rock Snake Pokemon's obvious discomfort quickly made itself apparent. Each and every one of the smoky grey stones that made up Onix's body was suddenly bathed in the eerie green glow of the Leech Seed, which was still very much attached and working on him, sucking out more and more of his energy with each moment that passed. And whilst he was getting weaker and weaker, Meadow was suddenly illuminated by the same emerald-tinted light, and she started feeling stronger and stronger. All of the damage that had been done to her by the Rock Tomb attack was quickly being undone. Everyone knew that it was only a matter of seconds now... until...
"OOOOOOONNNNNNNIIIIIIIXXXXXXX!"
With one final guttural roar of what could only be utterly agonising pain, Onix finally couldn't withstand the Leech Seed attack any longer. The entire body of the Rock Snake Pokemon suddenly spasmed uncontrollably, and with one last defeated whimper, Brock's faithful partner Pokemon crashed face first into the ground with an almighty BOOM.
Nolan, Meadow and Brock all just stared at the huge unmoving figure sprawled out on the floor at their feet for a few seconds, astonishment plastered over all of their faces. Then the stunned moment shattered, and realisation set in.
"YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!"
The moment that it truly sunk in as to what Onix's collapse and subsequent failure to get back up meant, Nolan simply couldn't help it when a cry of the utmost joy imaginable practically tore itself from his lips. Tears of happiness began pooling in his eyes, and the young Pokemon trainer immediately had to start working very hard to gain control over his emotions. It was difficult for him though - he had waited his whole life to be able to compete in the Pokemon League, and now he was one step closer!
And that was... that was... nothing short of wonderful!
So throwing any sense of decorum or self-restraint, or even dignity firmly out of the window, Nolan's feet began moving before his brain even had a chance to catch up, and before he knew it he was charging across the battlefield in the direction of his partner. He was lucky in the sense that the Rock Tomb attack that had previously been crushing Meadow from every direction had crumbled away into dust by the time he reached her, broken along with its master's will to keep fighting. Either way, when Nolan reached the little Grass Type Pokemon, he scooped her up into his arms, tossed her up into the air, before catching her again and hugging her close to his chest.
"WE DID IT MEADOW! WE WON!" the golden haired boy cheered jubilantly, his face threatening to split clean in two, he was smiling so widely, "WE WON!"
The little Bulbasaur was just as ecstatic as her beloved human was.
"BULBA! BULBASAUR!" Meadow beamed up at the golden haired boy, barely able to contain her glee either.
The two of them hugged each other again, taking a second to just enjoy this moment, to savour the sweet taste of victory. And why shouldn't they? This was an important milestone in any young trainer's life. For many rookies, challenging a gym for the first time was the first real time they got to put their skills to the test. Plenty of people ended up finding out the hard way that they were in over their head, which more often than not tended to end in a crushing defeat, much like Ash had earlier. So for Nolan to claim a victory on his first attempt with a minimal of trouble really spoke volumes about his natural talent and skill. The boy was really very proud of himself and of his achievement. But most of all, he was proud of his Pokemon. He knew that none of this would be happening if it weren't for them, and that they were the ones that deserved the credit. He would be sure not to forget that, and to make sure that they were properly rewarded later on. For now though...
"Onix, return" a voice that was heavy with disappointment said softly.
Nolan looked up from cuddling with Meadow as he heard the somewhat dejected tone of the Pewter City gym leader. Glancing across the battlefield, the golden haired boy was just in time to see the gigantic form of Onix being absorbed into a ball of crimson light, which quickly retracted back into the pokeball clasped in Brock's hand. The Pewter City gym leader had a forlorn smile upon his face as he looked down at the red and white sphere.
"Thank you for battling so hard Onix" Brock said warmly. It was clear to Nolan from the other boy's expression alone that he loved his Pokemon very much, "Even though we lost, I still really appreciate it".
He rubbed his thumb across the metal surface of the pokeball in an affectionate manner, before returning it to the inner lining of his jacket. Then Brock turned his full attention to Nolan for the first time since his defeat, and caught the younger trainer's eye. Nolan quickly schooled his facial features into what he hoped would pass as a neutral but still pleasant smile. He didn't want to be an ungracious winner after all, despite it being more than a little obvious that he was absolutely over the moon with his team's victory. So he kept careful control over his raw excitement as the gym leader slowly approached him with a warm, albeit slightly strained, smile of his own.
"Congratulations, Nolan. That was a really awesome battle, and you and your Pokemon deserved that victory" the teenage gym leader said kindly, and Nolan couldn't help but beam up at him, preening under the praise, "I severely underestimated you, and that's why I lost. Thank you for teaching me an important lesson there, and again, congratulations on defeating me".
"Thanks a lot Brock" Nolan smiled at him, before holding out his hand for the gym leader to shake. Brock looked at it for a moment, before he grinned brightly and took it. They shook hands, and if anyone else had been there to witness it, they would have seen good sportsmanship in action.
After the handshake was done, Brock then turned away from the younger Pokemon trainer for a brief moment, walking away and off the battlefield, back towards the large stone pedestal that he had been sitting on when Nolan had first entered the gym. Before the golden haired boy had a chance to question what he was doing, Brock came back over to him, now holding a small mahogany wooden box in his hands. Pausing in front of the newbie trainer that had just claimed a victory from him, Brock smiled nostalgically, before he flipped open the box and turned it around so that Nolan could see the contents.
The golden haired boy's icy blue eyes widened in awe.
Inside the small mahogany box where dozens upon dozens of small glittering trinkets. No, that wasn't quite right, Nolan quickly realised, and so he leaned in for a closer look. They weren't trinkets - they were badges. Gym badges. Official Pokemon League Pewter City Gym badges, and he, Nolan Locke, was about to receive one. That was just... it was almost surreal, and yet despite how hard he tried, the golden haired boy couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face.
"It's been quite a while since I last handed one of these out" Brock mused to himself as he carefully picked one of the badges out of the box before carefully shutting the lid again. He smiled as he turned to present it to Nolan, "And even longer since it was such a rookie trainer that was the one to receive it".
He shifted the box in his grasp so that he was holding onto it with only one hand, whilst in the palm of his now free hand, he held the badge out for Nolan to take.
Reaching out with slightly trembling fingers, a thoroughly awestruck Nolan got his first proper look at the spoils of his victory in his battle against Brock, the very same spoils that were his first stepping stone towards gaining entry to the Indigo League in a couple months' time. Whilst to many, the small decorative but simple grey octagonal piece of shiny metal probably wasn't much to look at, in Nolan's perhaps not so humble opinion, it was perhaps the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, save for Meadow of course.
"This is the badge that trainers can earn at my gym Nolan" Brock couldn't help but smile as he watched Nolan examining it in wonder and delight, "It's called the Boulder Badge".
Nolan was once again almost overwhelmed with emotion as he took almost painstaking care whilst pinning the badge to the front of his hoodie, displaying it proudly for all the world to see. Swallowing hard in an attempt to rein in his almost overwhelming sense of pride and excitement, the golden haired boy looked back up at Brock and smiled.
"I'll wear it with tremendous pride" he promised graciously.
Brock smiled and nodded back at him, before bidding him farewell. Having no further business at the gym now, Nolan returned the gesture, smiling one last time at the older boy before he turned and made his way out of the gym, carefully slipping through the doors and gently shutting them behind him. Once outside, Nolan couldn't help but jump up and down on the spot in pure and unadulterated joy, tears of sheer happiness streaming down his face. He squeezed Meadow tightly once again in an attempt to show her just how grateful he was for her efforts, grinning like a madman all the while.
He had won his first gym badge.
He was now officially on his way to competing in the Indigo League.
And that was just... incredible.
And that's another chapter done : )
Yay! Nolan has had his first gym battle, and has now claimed the victory! Hopefully the battle scenes were good since I wasn't too sure how to write them, considering that in the actual game it was ridiculously simple to win that fight. I didn't want that to be the case in the story though, and instead I wanted Nolan and his team to have to work at least a little bit for that Boulder Badge, so hopefully that came off : D
But enough about that. Instead, let's talk about this week's voting topic. I mentioned last time that I had something a little special in mind for if I managed to defeat the champion of Pokemon Fire Red, and since I successfully managed that after a long and intense battle, I can now reveal to you guys that what you will be voting for this time, is actually what you will be voting for : )
What I mean by that is that since I feel that defeating the champion in a Nuzlocke is a genuine accomplishment, I feel a special reward is in order in terms of the voting system. So I have decided on two potential rewards for winning the Nuzlocke, and you guys get to vote on which one you want Nolan's team to get. So here they are: -
Option 1: - I get two bonus evolutions for Nolan's Kanto team which can be used in two different ways. They can either be split and used to evolve two separate Pokemon, or used together to 'Super-Evolve' a Pokemon from their base form all the way into their final stage. If you decide to vote for this option, please also leave which Pokemon you would like the two extra evolutions to be used on in a review : )
Option 2 - I get to bring one of Nolan's 'lost' Pokemon back to the team. What that would mean in terms of the story is that I would still write out that Pokemon character for a while, but then have it re-join Nolan later on. To keep the two defeated Pokemon a secret, I'd toss a coin to decide this one if you guys vote for this option : )
It would really mean a lot to me if you guys voted on this one, since I didn't actually expect to win my first ever full Nuzlocke. So please leave your vote in a review to decide the outcome of this really special voting topic : )
And I think that's just about everything from me for this week. Thank you so much for reading my story, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to leave your vote in a review or even just general feedback because I'd love to hear your comments : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )