Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter : )

I've got to say, I'm still a little in awe of the fact that I've actually finished my first ever complete Nuzlocke, and with this chapter, everything for my rewrite of the Indigo League season of the anime has now been decided. I'm talking of course about the result of last week's voting topic. I'm very happy to say that the winning option for defeating the champion was... to bring back one of the Pokemon I lost in the Nuzlocke! I can confirm that I have now tossed a coin to decide who is returning to the team, but for the purposes of not spoiling the story, I won't say which Pokemon it'll be ; )

Other than that, I'd just 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 : )

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

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Showdown in Pewter City - Part 5

"Nolan... that's amazing!"

Nolan couldn't help but beam at the praise, practically preening as he stood before the screen of a videophone in the waiting room of the Pewter City Pokemon Centre.

After leaving the gym with his shiny new Boulder Badge in hand, the golden haired boy's first port of call was to return to the Pokemon Centre, not only to get his team checked over after their big battle against Brock, but to also to call his father back just as he had promised, before he re-joined up with his friends. He also wanted to find out how Pikachu was getting on too. So that's exactly what he had done. After making the short journey through the winding streets of the sprawling metropolis that was Pewter City, Nolan had returned to the centre and checked both Meadow and Iris in with Nurse Joy again. He had decided to keep Welkin with him on his person however, since he didn't see the point of getting him checked over again considering that he hadn't even been out of his pokeball since the last time they had been at the Pokemon Centre. Now, the golden haired boy was just wrapping up his conversation with his father, having just updated the man on every aspect of his big gym battle, finishing by proudly displaying the shiny silver badge that was pinned to his chest to the screen.

"Thanks Dad" Nolan said in response to the man's praise, before he modestly added, "But it's down to my Pokemon that we won this, not just me".

On the screen, Nathaniel's proud smile grew even larger, if that was at all possible.

"I'm glad you realise that son" his father nodded in agreement at his child's comment, "A lot of new Pokemon Trainers forget about that when it comes to battling, and think that it's just down to their own efforts. I guess they kind of just get caught up in their own ego. It's nice to see that you're not doing that Kiddo".

Nolan nodded sagely at his father's wise words.

"Of course I'm not going to do that!" the golden haired exclaimed, indignant at the very idea, "Meadow and Iris are the ones that worked the hardest today! So I'm going to make sure that they know just how grateful I am for that, by arranging a nice little surprise for them. Well, them and Welkin. He's been working really hard lately too after all, what with his own battles and trying to master Quick Attack".

"Oh?" Nathaniel quirked an eyebrow at his son curiously, "What did you have in mind?"

Nolan smiled brightly as he thought about what he had planned. He just hoped that Meadow, Iris and Welkin would all like it.

"I've got a special treat on order for their dinner tonight" the golden haired boy explained happily, "I know that the best way to a Pokemon's heart is through their stomach after all".

He paused, and both he and his father chuckled.

"So I spoke to Nurse Joy about it when I dropped Meadow and Iris off with her" Nolan resumed his explanation of his latest idea, "She recommended a place right here in Pewter City that specialises in gourmet Pokemon food, and it delivers - kind of like a take-out but specifically for Pokemon. I've got an extra large portion of their most popular Grass, Bug, and Flying Type foods on the way to the Pokemon Centre right now".

"One for each of your Pokemon?" Nathaniel questioned, and Nolan nodded.

"They all deserve a bit of spoiling" the golden haired boy shrugged with a grin, "Besides, indulging their appetites every once in a while won't hurt them".

Nathaniel smiled and nodded.

"It certainly won't" he agreed, "Besides, it's important that you reward them for getting you that victory. It let's them know that you're not taking them for granted. Take it from me son, that's the last thing you ever want any of your Pokemon friends to be feeling. Not if you wanna be a truly good Pokemon Master".

"I know" Nolan replied, "That's what I'm hoping my little surprise will show my team. In fact, it should be arriving any minute now. I hope they like it".

Nathaniel flashed his son a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure they will Nolan" he told the golden haired boy kindly, "But if your order's due to arrive any minute than we could probably get off the line. You don't want to keep some poor delivery driver waiting for you after all".

"Okay Dad" Nolan said, his smile becoming a little bit sad and wistful. He always hated it when the time came to end one of their phone calls. It reminded him that they weren't always together anymore, a change that Nolan was still trying to get used to, "I guess you're right. Well, I'm not sure how long we're staying in Pewter City for, so I might not have chance to call you again before we leave".

Now it was Nathaniel's smile that became wistful.

"I understand Son" he said in an attempt to clearly mask his feelings, not wanting to make his son feel guilty, "Just call me when you get to the next town or city, okay Bud".

"I will. I promise" Nolan made a point of moving his fingers across his heart in a crossing fashion for his dad to see, earning smile from the man he loved dearly, "Bye Dad. I love you".

"I love you too" Nathaniel smiled back, "And congratulations again Kiddo. I'm very proud of you".

Nolan beamed back at him for a moment, before the call was ended, the connection cut, and the screen faded to black. Sighing softly to himself, Nolan immediately turned and walked out of the Pokemon Centre's waiting room, having no further business in there for the time being. Instead, he decided it was time to get back to the matter at hand - spoiling his team.

He quickly made his way back to the main reception area, and was pleased to see that Nurse Joy was stationed behind the desk. But that alone wasn't what brought an absolutely gigantic grin to the young boy's face. No - the responsibility for that went solely to the sight of his beloved partner Pokemon. Sitting patiently on the main help desk was none other than Meadow, clearly waiting for him to return. She was also carefully guarding a pokeball, one that Nolan immediately recognised as the one that held Iris within. He smiled as he approached.

"Hey Meadow!" he greeted his beloved partner warmly, "Are you feeling all better now?"

Meadow beamed up at him and nodded vigorously.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" the little Grass Type Pokemon replied as Nolan reached out and gently patted her head.

"Your Pokemon are recovering quite nicely Nolan" Nurse Joy assured him as she looked up from some paperwork that she was completing, smiling kindly down at the golden haired boy, "Fortunately they only sustained very minimal injuries in their battle against Brock. They're going to be just fine. You can even take them with you now if you want".

"That's great Nurse Joy" Nolan grinned happily as picked up the pokeball with Iris inside and clipped it back on to his belt, before he scooped Meadow up into his arms and hugged her tightly, "Thanks a lot for taking such good care of them".

Nurse Joy modestly waved his thanks away.

"It was my pleasure" the pink haired woman assured him kindly.

"By the way..." Nolan said, abruptly changing the subject without warning, "Do you know where Ash and Misty are? I haven't seen them since I came back from the gym".

Nurse Joy looked thoughtful for a moment before she replied.

"The last time I saw your friends, they said they were going to get some dinner in the cafeteria" the pretty pink haired nurse informed him, "That was right after they asked me how Ash's Pikachu was getting on".

A look of sympathy briefly flashed over Nolan's features as he thought about the small Electric Type Pokemon, and the condition that he been in when Nolan had last seen him.

"How is he?" the golden haired boy asked in a concerned tone. A saddened expression replaced Nurse Joy's smile.

"Not so good I'm afraid" she sighed, and Nolan winced, knowing that Ash most certainly would not have taken that news very well, "He took quite a beating, and needs plenty of rest before I'll be able to discharge him".

The golden haired boy grimaced, and was about to reply, but before he had the chance to utter so much as a single syllable, he was interrupted by the glass double doors opening behind him, and glancing over in that direction, Nolan and Nurse Joy both saw a young man dressed in a branded delivery boy's uniform walking into the centre. Clapped in his hands were free large brown paper bags, each emblazoned with a stylised insignia of a pokeball, though the symbol on each bag had a different colour. The young man looked at them both as he approached the main desk.

"Hi" he greeted in a professional tone, "I've got a delivery. Name of..." the man paused for a moment as he checked a paper invoice, "Nolan Locke".

Nolan beamed, realising that his surprise for his Pokemon had arrived, and stepped closer towards the man.

"That's me" he said.

"Good. That'll be forty-five Pokedollars" the young man informed him.

Nolan was glad that he had won a couple of battles on his way to the city, otherwise that might have been a bit too expensive. As it was, his little surprise for his Pokemon was well within his price range, and so the young blonde haired trainer fished out his wallet and handed over the necessary bills, as well as a generous ten Pokedollars as a tip. The delivery man smiled at the boy's kindness, before he put the money away in a small side pouch comma and handed the three bags of Pokemon food over to Nolan.

"Thank you very much" Nolan said to the man gratefully, who nodded at him.

The delivery man then bid him farewell, before he turned and exited the Pokemon Centre again. As he went, Nolan turned back around to face Nurse Joy, and found her to be looking down at him with a knowing look on her face.

"I see you took me up on my recommendation" she observed with a smile. Nolan shrugged and nodded.

"I did" the young trainer confirmed, "My Pokemon deserve a special treat after how hard they've all been working lately".

Upon hearing those words, Meadow looked up at him curiously.

"Saur?" she questioned, her scarlet coloured eyes quickly fixating on the bags in her beloved human's other arm.

"Yeah..." he smiled down at the little Grass Type Pokemon tucked under his arm warmly, "One of these is for you".

"Bulba!" Meadow cheered happily, already excited to find out what her surprise was. After all, if Nolan had arranged it for her, then Meadow was sure that it was bound to be a good one.

"Am I alright to let my Pokemon out in the cafeteria Nurse Joy?" Nolan turned his attention back to the pink haired nurse, "I want to meet up with my friends before I give my Pokemon their surprise".

"As long as you keep them under control and don't let them disturb any of the other trainers in there, I can't see it being a problem" Nurse Joy replied.

"Thanks Nurse Joy. I'll make sure they're all on their best behaviour" he grinned up at her.

And then without another word, Nolan turned and headed off in the direction of the Pokemon Centre's cafeteria, intent on tracking down Ash and Misty, before he presented is surprise to Meadow, Welkin and Iris. There was a bounce in his step, and a look of eager anticipation on his face.

He had a feeling that spoiling his Pokemon something rotten, was going to be a lot of fun

Nolan could not have been more right.

After making his way through the winding corridors of the Pokemon Centre, the golden haired boy entered the cafeteria, and with a sweeping gaze with his icy blue eyes across the room, he quickly spotted the trademark Official Pokemon League hat that his best friend so proudly wore, as well as Misty's distinctive orange ponytail through the sea of dining Pokemon trainers. His two friends were sitting opposite each other at one of the tables, still in the middle of their dinner. Ash still looked thoroughly dejected about his earlier defeat, whilst Misty was offering him kind words of reassure and comfort. They both quickly perked at the sight of their blonde haired friend approaching them however, and immediately starting bombarding Nolan with questions about how his big battle against Brock had gone. In response to their impromptu interrogation, Nolan just silently gestured towards the shiny little Boulder Badge had had pinned to his chest. Both Ash and Misty had stared at him with very wide eyes for a moment, but upon breaking out of their stunned reverie, they all-but fell over themselves as they rushed to congratulations him. Nolan was happy at how both of his friends were genuinely pleased for him. He had been worried that his best friend might be a little bit jealous after all, considering his own defeat at the gym leader's hands that day, but thankfully that wasn't the case. After admiring the badge for a couple of moments, Ash grinned and practically demanded that Nolan give him a full run down of the match. It was an order that Nolan was more than happy to comply with.

So after taking a seat at the table and depositing the three bags of gourmet Pokemon food onto it, Nolan happily gave the other two young Pokemon trainers a blow-by-blow account of his battle against Brock. Once he was done, Ash and Misty both offered him their sincerest congratulations again, whilst also showering Meadow with plenty of well-deserved praise as well, which she happily lapped up. It was only as they were finishing up did Nolan decide that it was finally time to get down to business.

"Alright - Welkin! Iris!" Nolan suddenly called out, unclipping both of their respective pokeballs from his belt and carefully aiming them at the floor, "I choose both of you!"

The two pokeballs snapped open in almost perfect synchronicity, and Welkin and Iris both emerged.

Upon finding themselves in a Pokemon Centre's cafeteria - which, to be fair to the two until recently wild Pokemon, must have been a very strange place - the two of them looked around in bewilderment, before their eyes settled on Nolan. They're each gave him a look that spoke of their puzzlement.

"Pidgey?" Welkin chirped, tilting his side to the side.

"Veno?" Iris said curiously.

They weren't the only ones that were confused. At many of the neighbouring tables, several of the diners in the room looked up from their meals, evidently wondering why a trainer would let his Pokemon out there of all places. Nolan even got a odd look from both Ash and Misty, but the golden haired boy just ignored them all, and smiled as he placed Meadow on the tiled floor next to his other Pokemon.

"Hey you guys!" he greeted his beloved Pokemon kindly, "How are you all feeling now? Well rested after our last battle?"

Three nods were the answer he received.

"I'm so glad" Nolan smiled warmly, "Now... I'm sure you guys are all wondering why I've let you out of your pokeballs inside the Pokemon Centre, so I'll get straight to it. Since all three of you have been putting in so much hard work lately, I thought you guys deserved a reward of some kind. I wanted you to know that I really appreciate your efforts after all. As such, I've got you all a special treat for dinner. It's not much, but I hope you like it".

Confusion was quickly followed by surprise... then by sheer excitement.

"Bulba!"

"Pidgey!"

"Venonat!"

Nolan couldn't help but grin at their enthusiasm, but quickly made a shushing gesture with his hands. Considering the promise he had made to Nurse Joy, he didn't want his team disturbing any of the other diners after all.

"I'm glad you guys are excited, but you have to be quiet" he told them all gently, "Remember, people are eating their dinner here too, and we don't want to bother them. That means being quiet, no wandering off, and definitely no using any attacks. Best behaviour, okay?"

Again, all three of his Pokemon quickly nodded in obedience.

Nolan smiled again, before he quickly got to work. After rummaging through his backpack that he had casually slung onto the empty chair next to him before sitting down, the golden haired boy quickly produced three empty Pokemon food bowls. He set them down on the ground in front of their respective owners, before he carefully filling each bowl with the food that had been specifically made for each type. Meadow's, Welkin's and Iris' eyes all widened gleefully when they saw just how much food Nolan had bought for them.

"There you go guys" he beamed happily at each of them, "Dig in!"

His Pokemon didn't need telling twice.

Nolan couldn't help but laugh as the three small Pokemon all practically lunged towards their respective bowls and began stuffing their faces. A warm feeling settled in his heart as he watched them all looking so happy. Yeah... spoiling his little Pokemon family was definitely something that Nolan enjoyed.

Satisfied that his little surprise for them had gone down well, Nolan then turned away from his Pokemon and back to his human friends. Holding back a sighing at the thought of puncturing the happy atmosphere he had created, but knowing he had to, Nolan changed the conversation to a somewhat less pleasant subject.

"So..." he began slowly, not wanting to upset his best friend anymore than was necessary, "What are we going to do now?"

Those simple words brought the mood down quicker than a lead balloon. A heavy scowl, one that practically oozed with hard disappointment and utter defeat, blossomed across Ash's face at his best friend's question. Across from him, Misty allowed a soft sigh of sympathetic sadness to slip her lips. They both looked at Nolan in a dejected manner.

"I don't know" Ash admitted, swallowing hard.

"We were actually just talking about that before you came and joined us" Misty informed the golden haired boy, before her vermillion coloured eyes snapped back to Ash, full of concern, "Ash isn't sure that he wants to try and take Brock on again".

Nolan's eyebrows shot up his forehead incredulously.

"But..." the blonde haired trainer stammered out, "But you have to Ash! You need to earn a Boulder Badge if you want to be able to compete in the Indigo League!"

A soft groan of despair escaped from the raven haired boy, and he allowed his head to fall down to the table with a soft thump.

"I know that" Ash said, his voice now slightly muffled, "But I don't see how I can beat him. Brock is so good, and all three of my Pokemon can't even begin the battle without being at a terrible disadvantage! I just... I don't know what to do..."

Nolan rubbed his chin thoughtful. Ash was right about that.

"What you need..." the golden hair boy eventually replied, careful to keep his tone light in an attempt to bolster his best friend's spirit, "Is a very good strategy"

Ash groaned again, but at least he raised his head up from the table he was miserably slumped over. His defeated and exhausted eyes met Nolan's own.

"You got any ideas on that front?" the raven haired boy asked glumly, "Because I've been sitting here all day thinking about it, and I've come up with nada".

Nolan offered him a somewhat strained smile.

"Perhaps that's the problem" he suggested, shrugging his shoulders. Ash stared at him in confusion.

"Huh?" he blinked. Again, Nolan gave him a very patient smile.

"I mean - rather then sitting, perhaps you should be walking. And rather then thinking, you should be talking" the blonde haired boy suggested, but upon noticing that his best friend wasn't getting it, he elaborated further, "What I'm trying to say is that I think perhaps going for a walk and having someone to bounce ideas off of might help. You never know, it might help you come up with something completely unexpected. Something Brock won't see coming".

Ash allowed another dejected sigh to slip his lips.

"Maybe" he muttered, but it was obvious from his tone that he didn't have much faith or confidence in the idea.

"What have you got to lose?" Nolan pressed, and Ash briefly floundered for an answer, only to come up empty.

"He's got a point Ash" Misty chimed in, agreeing with the logic of Nolan's suggestion, "It wouldn't hurt to try at least".

Ash sighed, realising that his friends were right.

"I guess so..." he finally gave in, knowing that his two friends probably weren't going to stop pestering him until he came around to their way of thinking anyway, "Alright. Let do it!"

"Great" Nolan said with forced cheered, before he realised that his Pokemon were still busy stuffing their faces like there was no tomorrow, "Oh. We might have to let these three finish first".

Ash's shoulders slumped again, his momentarily returned gusto immediately leaving him again. Noticing this, Misty smiled before she shook her head.

"Actually, why don't you two go for a walk, and I'll stay here and keep an eye on your Pokemon?" she offered, and both of the boys looked at her in surprise, so she added, "Considering that we've been walking for quite literally days now, I don't much fancy doing more of it just yet".

"Fair enough" Ash nodded at her.

"You sure you don't mind keeping these three in check?" Nolan wanted to be sure, gesturing towards his team, who were still ravenously wolfing down their dinner. Misty casually waved his concerns aside.

"It's no problem" she assured him.

Both Nolan and Ash smiled at her gratefully, before they exchanged a look and nodded. Together, the two of them stood up from their seats, and with a brief word of farewell to his beloved Pokemon, Nolan then proceeded to lead a still somewhat glum Ash out of the cafeteria.

He knew that Ash had it in him to defeat the Pewter City gym leader after all. He just needed to help the other boy see it.

And he would.

"Omph!"

What Nolan hadn't expected however, was that the first step on helping Ash to remember his usual typical confidence, was to literally collide with the one person in the whole of Pewter City that might be best-placed to solve exactly that problem.

It happened as the two young boys were leaving the Pokemon Centre. Right as they were walking out of the double glass doors, someone else tried to exit at exact the same time. And being so absorbed in their own conversation - one which mainly consisted of Nolan still trying to drag Ash out of the mental funk he had fallen into - neither of them had noticed the man until it was to late, and Ash had walked headlong into him. With a sharp gasp, the surprised raven haired boy staggered backwards.

"Oh my gosh" Ash exclaimed, before he looked up apologetically at the man he had just bumped into, "I'm really sorry Sir... huh?!"

Ash gasped again, though instead of shock, this time it was from recognition. Because the man that he had just bumped into wasn't just some random guy leaving the Pokemon Centre. Oh no. The man was none other than Flint, the man they had met that morning, who had tried to sell them rocks and had led them through the city in the first place. It had only been a couple of hours ago, but already it felt like a lifetime had passed since then.

"Flint?" Nolan questioned in surprise.

He hadn't suspected that the man might be a Pokemon trainer after their earlier encounter after all, but what other reason could he possibly have for being there? Flint stared down at the two of them for a few moments, before he obviously placed them in his memory, and smiled.

"Hello again" he greeted the children kindly in his wheezy, raspy voice, "I take it that you two are still here after challenging the gym leader. How did it go?"

Nolan smiled at the polite curiosity, but Ash's shoulders immediately slumped in a dejected manner once more. Catching the raven hair boy's crestfallen expression, Flint immediately understood, and his smile became sympathetic.

"Ah... not so well in your case I see" he remarked, and Ash nodded glumly.

"No... Nolan was able to win though" Ash replied, though thankfully he was able to keep any hint of jealousy or bitterness out of his tone.

"Congratulations" Flint nodded in the golden haired boy's direction, who smiled and returned the gesture. Flint then turned back to Ash, who still looked very down in the dumps, "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself you know. Everyone loses sometimes. You can't let that get you down".

"That's what I keep saying" Nolan nodded in agreement.

"I know!" Ash's voice pretty much dissolved into a whine as he replied, "But me and Pikachu didn't just lose, we stunk! Brock's way better than me! I could never enter a Pokemon League match if I can't even beat him!"

The raven haired boy sounded close to tears, so Nolan - knowing that words alone at this point probably wouldn't do much good - reach out and give his arm a comforting squeeze. Ash gave him a strained smile in response, but it failed to even reach his eyes. Flint on the other hand didn't respond to Ash's rather depressing sentiments at first, and instead simply considered for two boys for a few moments.

"If you have the time, perhaps you two would accompany me on a walk" the somewhat mysterious man eventually suggested, "There's something I'd like for you to see".

Flint then turned and walked out of the glass double doors, leaving the Pokemon Centre. He didn't even look back to check if they were following, seemingly confident that they would.

Ash and Nolan exchanged a bewildered glance at each other, before they shrugged and trailed after the man. The sun was setting, and the sky was a brilliant shade of orange. It was just the right time for an even stroll, but they all remained quiet for the time being. In fact, it was a couple of moments before any of them spoke again.

"You were right about Brock being a good Pokemon trainer, you know" Flint was the one to break the somewhat heavy silence that had fallen over them as he led them through the winding streets of the city, "In fact, his own talents could take him much further than simply being a local gym leader".

Nolan nodded. Whilst he had managed to defeat Brock, it had by no means been easy, so he could see where Flint was coming from.

"Yeah..." Ash said slowly, a puzzled expression appearing on his face, "But... why has he never been in a regional championship himself?"

A somewhat dark look flashed in Flint's eyes, and Nolan frowned. Just what was the deal with this guy?

"He has his reasons" Flint eventually just shrugged his shoulders mysteriously.

Nolan couldn't help but shake his head. He had a feeling that Flint knew exactly what those reasons were, though how the man might know that was a detail that the golden haired boy was still struggling to figure out. Fortunately, something of an answer was about to present itself to them, when Flint suddenly took a sharp turn, and ended up leading Ash and Nolan to the back of a quaint little house. With a jolt, Nolan realised to his surprise that the house in question was actually situated directly behind the Pewter City Pokemon gym. The alone was enough to give the boy an idea of just who might live there, and as they approached, those suspicions were confirmed.

A pair of traditional sliding doors made up the rear entrance to the house, and due to the pleasantly warm evening the city was experiencing, they had been left open, giving Nolan, Ash and Flint a perfect view into the living room and the kitchen beyond. The golden haired boy wasn't really surprised when he caught sight of Brock standing cooking in the kitchen, though the puffy pink apron caught him off guard. Stifling a giggle at the thought of the gruff teenage gym leader donning such an attire, Nolan instead turned his attention to the part of the domestic scene before him that was surprising.

And that was namely the nine younger children that were all seemingly under Brock's care.

Nolan looked on in... well, quite frankly in sheer astonishment as Brock lovingly attended to them. It was only when several of the younger children, a pair of toddlers that looked like they might be twins, wandered over to Brock did Nolan notice the resemblance between all of them, leading the golden haired boy that this must be Brock's family, presumably his younger siblings. But Nolan had yet to catch sight of a mother or a father. The only parental figure on the scene seemed to be Brock, which in and of itself was... troubling.

They watched as one of the younger girls suddenly dashed over to Brock, her face flooded with tears as she wailed loudly. Thanks to the back doors being open, Nolan and the others were able to catch part of their conversation.

"Brock! I tore my dress!" the little girl sobbed, as though this problem was the worse thing in the world.

Brock turned away from the household chore that he was in the middle of, and smiled down at his little sister reassuringly. He lightly tousled her hair in an attempt to sooth her worries.

"Alright, alright. I'll sew it up for you" the teenager agreed to help.

Again, Nolan found himself watching incredulously as Brock suddenly produced a sewing box from one of the kitchen cupboards. He then helped his little sister remove the article of clothing in question - thankfully she was wearing an undershirt and leggings underneath it - and after careful threading a needle, Brock immediately got to work on mending the damaged dress.

"Is it done yet?" the little girl whined, clearly a little embarrassed over the mishap.

"Just a minute" Brock assured his little sister again kindly.

Nolan arched an eyebrow in surprise. Given the teenager's somewhat blunt nature back when they'd first encountered him, Nolan would never have believed him capable of being so... maternal. So gentle, kind and loving. Perhaps he had read Brock all wrong. He seemed to have so much responsibility placed on his shoulders, and he was only maybe three years older than Nolan himself. That couldn't be easy.

Before the golden haired boy could ponder too deeply on these thoughts however, he felt a gentle tap on his arm, and turning, he saw that Flint was silently gesturing that it was time for them to leave. Nolan mutely nodded back. He was starting to feel like an intruder, but he was grateful for the incite he had been given regarding the Pewter City gym leader. It reinforced a lesson that Nolan knew well - you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. He'd do well to remember that in the future.

Inky black darkness was beginning to settle in now and the stars were coming out as the small group made their way through the streets of the twilight city, heading back in the direction of the Pokemon Centre. The streetlights flickered on around them as they talked, a conversation which mainly consisted of Flint filling them in on more of Brock's family history, with Ash and Nolan asking the odd question here and there.

"Wow" Ash said, sounding as amazed as Nolan felt about what they had just witnessed, "I sure never thought about Brock like that".

"Me neither" Nolan muttered in agreement. Next to him, Flint let out a low sigh.

"Brock is the eldest out of the ten Slate children" Flint explained to them, a funny look flashing across his face, one that almost looked like... shame?... "He has nine little brothers and sisters to take care of, so he could never leave Pewter City to compete in regional championships"

"But why?" Nolan was the one to ask the most pressing question of this matter, "Why has that responsibility fallen on him? Where are his mother and father?"

Flint gave a funny little twitch, almost like he was trying to suppress a wince or something, before he grimaced as he answered the golden haired boy's question.

"Their good-for-nothing father left the family about two years ago because he thought he had what it took to become a Pokemon Master, and they never heard from him again" Flint spat darkly, and Nolan recoiled in horror. Having been raised by such a loving and attentive father for his whole life, the idea that a man could just willingly walk away from his children like that was utterly abhorrent to him. Next to him, Ash looked livid, which Nolan could only assume was because the circumstances under which he himself had been raised mirrored the ones they were talking about. And sadly, when Flint spoke again, he revealed that the Slates' situation somehow actually managed to get even worse, "Their mother tried her best, but she was so broken-hearted by her husband's abandonment that she just... couldn't cope. The pressure of looking after ten young children whilst also maintaining the Pewter City gym quickly got to her, and she ended up having a severe mental breakdown. It was so bad that the authorities had no choice but to section her under the Mental Health Act".

Nolan gasped, and looked up at Flint in horror.

"That's horrible!" the golden haired boy exclaimed, before another thought struck him, and a frown lined his features, "But wait a minute - shouldn't Social Services have got involved?"

Another uneasy expression flashed across Flint's face.

"They did... but Brock was able to prove to them that he was capable of looking after his younger brothers and sisters" the man explained, "You see, when his mother's mental health began taking a turn for the worse, Brock was the only one to notice at first, and he realised where things were heading. And so like the responsible young man that he is, he prepared for the future. He started the process of getting himself legally emancipated so that in the eyes of the law, he was an adult, whilst also taking over the Pewter City gym, which is a very respected job. By the time that Lola - that's his mother's name - was taken into care, Brock had everything in place so that he could claim guardianship over his siblings, and keep his family together. He's been taking care of them ever since".

Nolan swallowed hard, unable to help but feel a great deal of sympathy and pity for the Slate family. Already those young children had been through more painful experiences than most adults had, not to mention the fact that poor Brock had been trapped by responsibilities that weren't really his own, all because of the actions of another. It was awful to think that life really could be so cruel sometimes.

"That's so sad..." Ash sighed deeply, before he shook his head, "But I'd better not listen to any more sad stories about his family history. If I do, then the next time I have a battle with Brock, I might not have the heart to beat him".

Flint froze in shock, and jolted to a halt. Nolan and Ash didn't notice at first, and kept on going for a few more steps before they turned back when they realised that their companion was no longer in line with them.

"But... but you said that..." Flint stammered, looking down at Ash with a slightly dumbstruck expression, "You said you could never win a match against Brock!"

Ash huffed, a determined glint sparking in his russet coloured eyes, and Nolan grinned. It would appear that his best friend was coming to terms with his earlier defeat, and his usual confidence was now returning, for which the golden haired boy could not be more grateful. He hated to see Ash so down in the dumps after all.

"Yeah - well, I changed my mind about that!" Ash said in an almost indignant tone, unable to believe just how easily he'd started up, "I learnt from before that trying to use Pikachu was a mistake. His Electric Type attacks won't work, so I need to use Butterfree and Pidgeotto instead".

Flint still look surprised by the abrupt change in Ash's perspective, but he quickly shrugged that off and nodded.

"I guess so, but both of them will struggle against Rock Type Pokemon as well" he felt the need to point out.

"What you need Ash..." Nolan chimed in, repeating his advise from earlier, "Is to come up with a good strategy. Half of all Pokemon matches are decided on that factor alone".

Ash nodded, realising that his best friend was right.

"Good idea, but err... it's getting pretty late. Perhaps you ought to start in the morning" Flint suggested, looking up at the darkening sky, "Thank you boys for listening to the ramblings of an old man, and for accompanying me on my evening stroll. Our conversation has proved most... illuminating. Good night. And good luck Ash".

And without so much as another word, Flint stalked past the two young boys, and walked off down the street. Within seconds, he was swallowed by the descending darkness and disappeared from sight.

Nolan and Ash decided that Flint was right, and that it was time to retire for the evening. They quickly made their way back to the Pokemon Centre, where they reunited with Misty and all of Nolan's Pokemon. Ash paid very little attention to their final conversation of the day however, his mind racing with ideas. He knew that what Nolan had said earlier about needing a solid strategy if he wanted to defeat Brock was true after all. He also knew that sleep wouldn't come easy that night with something of such importance playing on his mind. In fact, as Ash continued weighing up and dismissing ideas well past his bedtime, his brain kept coming back to just one constant factor when making his battle plan.

He had until tomorrow afternoon to figure it out.

And there's another chapter done : )

This chapter was a little more on the character-development side as opposed to progressing further with the story, but it tied up a couple of loose ends nicely. Plus, I also really wanted to fix an error in the canon dub which stated that Brock's mother had passed away, only for her to turn up alive in later seasons. Hopefully my version of their family history corrects that in a believable manner ; )

But enough about that for now. Instead, let's move on to this week's voting topic. Now, as I mentioned before, everything for the Indigo League has now been decided and my Pokemon Fire Red Nuzlocke is officially finished, but, that only means that it's now time to start the next one. And that's where you guys come in : )

Yep, this time you guys are gonna vote which region you want me to take on next. The options for this particular vote are:- Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and the Orange Islands.

Now, in terms of the actual story, Nolan and Ash will still travel to all of these regions in the same order that they did in canon. I will also be doing the Battle Frontier, but since I just completed a Kanto based Nuzlocke, I don't want to do another one just yet. I haven't decided if I'll be having Nolan go to the regions after Sinnoh, which is why I haven't included them at this time. In terms of the actual order I complete the Nuzlockes in however, the region you vote for now will have various effects on later outcomes, but I'll get into that more at a later date. Please leave a review telling which region you want me to Nuzlocke next : )

And 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 : )