Hey readers - As promised, here we are with not just a new chapter, but the beginning of a new episode as well : )

I've been looking forward to this one for quite some time, since 'Clefairy and the Moon Stone' is one of the episodes I remember watching over and over again when I was little on VHS... which now that I think about it, really makes me feel old XD

Anyway, let's get straight down to business. In regards to the winner of the last voting topic, unfortunately there is no clear winner yet since no one voted on this topic. Please, please leave a review with your vote for which option you want me to go with in terms of the starter in my Orange Islands Nuzlocke, because I'm very excited to get it started. The options can be seen in the footnote of the previous chapter : )

Beyond that, I'd just like to say an ENORMOUS thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. The support you guys show this story means so much to me, so thank you : )

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

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

Clefairy and the Moon Stone

Clefairy and the Moon Stone - Part 1

It had been three days since they had left Pewter City.

Three days before the imposing figure of Mount Moon loomed over Nolan and the others. The blonde boy couldn't help but smile in relief when he laid eyes on the impressive natural landmark. After three days of non-stop hiking, it was reassuring to have it confirmed that they truly were making progress.

Not that those three days had been wasted of course.

When he wasn't hiking, eating, making camp or sleeping; Nolan had dedicated any moment of free time he had to equally splitting his focus between, what he considered, two very important tasks. Training his Pokemon, and making the effort to get to know his new travelling companion.

And Nolan was pleased to note, he was succeeding in both endeavours.

It was taking time, as these things always did, but slowly but surely, Brock was beginning to lower his wall and open up more and more to the blonde boy. Nolan was very happy about this. He was genuinely pleased that they were becoming more than just casual acquaintances, that the foundations for a real friendship were forming.

It helped that Brock's personality seemed to round out their group quite nicely. The guy had a calming manner that made Nolan feel less tense, and also seemed to prevent too many arguments from breaking out between Ash and Misty, who despite already being close friends, had a habit of bickering when cooped up together for too long. And when they did, Brock had no qualms about stepping in and breaking them up. He did a good job of it, thanks to the years of experience he had gained whilst caring for his younger brothers and sisters. So yes, Brock was definitely fitting in with their dynamics very nicely, and Nolan was glad to have the older boy with them.

Nolan's efforts with Meadow, Welkin and Iris were also starting to bear fruit.

Whilst Meadow was still struggling to perfect the Bullet Seed technique, there was no denying that the little grass type was making progress. She could now produce the dozens of seed required for the attack on demand. It no longer took so much effort, like it had when they were first starting out. The problem was that Meadow couldn't seem to muster up enough firepower to launch the seeds from her bulb at her opponent. They obviously still had a ways to go, but Nolan was quietly confident that his partner would get the hang of it soon enough. The boy had complete faith in her.

It was a similar story with Welkin.

Although the small brown Pokemon was definitely improving in terms of his speed of flight, it was abundantly clear that the Pidgey wasn't yet at the point where he could sharpen it into a Quick Attack. Still, the little Flying Type was nothing if not determined, and he was really putting the hours in to get the attack down. Nolan had even been forced more than once to ensure Welkin rest by putting him back in his pokeball, he was so persistent. The blonde boy was very proud of how hard his Pokemon was working in the pursuit of strength. He vowed to work just as hard himself to help Welkin get there.

Iris was a different matter however.

Although Nolan was careful to always include her in the training sessions he had with his team, the golden haired boy had decided against trying to teach her a new move. At least for the moment. He felt that since the small purple Pokemon already had more moves in her arsenal than her teammate, Nolan should work on bridging the gap for now, and focus on getting Meadow and Welkin up to the same level as her. So for the time being, Iris' training was more about sharpening the skills she already had, as opposed to learning new ones. Iris didn't mind, and was relieved that Nolan wasn't trying to put pressure on her like her like trainer had done.

But for today, Nolan had a different quest other than training in mind.

And that quest was to clear Mount Moon.

It wouldn't be easy, but the group had already discussed it and made the unanimous decision on how best to traverse the impressive mountain. Going around it or even over it would take them days to accomplish and get back on track, whilst simply going inside and through the mountain would allow them passage in just a few short hours, without having to make any detours at all. They all agreed that this, although a challenge, was the best course of action to take.

Right now, things weren't too bad.

Nolan and the others were just walking up a gently increasing slope, its steepness not too challenging at this point. That would all change once they reached Mount Moon and went inside its core. Nolan couldn't quite suppress a shiver at the thought. He was afraid to admit that the idea of thousands of tonnes worth of rocks and dirt being held up over him completely unnerved him. What if there was a cave in? What if they got lost in there and could never find their way out?

The young boy quickly shook those rather morbid thoughts away.

Dreaming up terrible scenarios wouldn't do him any good, and certainly wouldn't aid him in his quest to become a Pokemon Master. No... Nolan would just have to push his anxieties aside if he wanted to get the job done. Still, that wasn't quite enough to stop him from giving Meadow, whom he was carrying in his arms today, a slightly tighter squeeze than normal in an effort to comfort himself.

Searching for a distraction, Nolan tuned back into the here and now, right as a new conversation was starting between his friends.

"Aw... Mount Moon..." Misty gushed wistfully as they all looked up at the towering landmass just ahead of them in the distance, "Oh, doesn't the name sound romantic?"

Nolan couldn't help but agree with her assessment.

Even if the idea of being inside the mountain was enough to freak the boy out, he could definitely appreciate Mount Moon's majesty beauty. It truly was a natural marvel, how it seemed to glisten and shine in the light. Nolan had honestly never seen anything like it before, and for some strange reason he couldn't explain even to himself, he doubt he ever would again.

Mount Moon truly was something to behold.

Brock - who had been to the mountain hundreds of times before in his teenage life - smiled and nodded in agreement at her, before proceeding to educate his new friends about some of the history and lore surrounding one of Kanto's most famous natural wonders.

"People say that a huge meteor crashed into the mountain back in prehistoric times" he informed the other three trainers.

"A meteor?" Ash breathed, his tone full of wonder.

"Is it really true?" Misty asked, intrigued.

Nolan was also very interested as well, and turned to give the older boy his full attention. Whilst the blonde boy had read several books about Mount Moon and the Pokemon that resided there - such as Zubat and Paras, as well as some rarer ones Nolan couldn't quite remember the names of - none of them had ever gone into details involving legends about the mountain, so Nolan's curiosity was peaked for sure.

"The meteor is call 'The Moon Stone'" Brock smiled in response to their genuine interest.

"Ah, now that's romantic!" Misty gasped, completely enthralled by the story.

"Is that why it looked like it's glowing?" Nolan asked their new human friend curiously.

Ash blinked, and looked at his longest friend in confusion.

"What do you mean Nolan?" he asked, perplexed.

Nolan shrugged his shoulders, and using the arm that wasn't carefully carrying Meadow, gestured towards Mount Moon, which was now much closer to them, almost within minutes of reach.

"Well, look at it!" the blonde boy instructed, "It's kinda hard to tell since it's daytime, but if you sort of squint and tilt your head to the side, the whole mountain had this sort of... well, glow around it".

Ash frowned sceptically, but did as Nolan said.

To the raven haired trainer's utter astonishment, he discovered that his best friend was right. The whole of Mount Moon seemed to glitter and sparkle. It truly was a breath-taking sight to behold.

Misty, who had heard and had also done as Nolan instructed, gasped in awe.

"Oh wow!" she cried in delight, "Oh, this place is just beautiful! It's absolutely gorgeous!"

Brock, once again, smiled in agreement.

"It is" he nodded sagely, before turning towards Nolan in order to answer the blonde boy's earlier question, "And to answer your question Nolan, yes - it's because of the Moon Stone".

"But how?" the blonde trainer wanted to know.

Brock smiled down at the slightly shorter boy. He had sensed in the last few days of travelling with him that Nolan was the type of person that genuinely enjoyed learning and was always curious about new things. It was quite endearing actually, so Brock was more than happy to indulge the other boy in that after how welcoming Nolan had been towards him joining their group.

"The local legends say that when the meteorite collided with the landmass, tiny shards of it broke away and scattered across the face of the mountain" Brock explained whilst Nolan and the others listened with rapt attention, "The shards eventually became dust, which imbedded itself in the rocks of the mountain. Scientists have proven that much, so that part of the legend isn't just hearsay".

Nolan's eyes were as wide as saucers as he took in this new knowledge. He opened his mouth, no doubt to fire off another question, but unfortunately for the curious blonde boy, he never got the chance to voice it. For it was at that exact moment that they came across the first inkling of trouble.

"AAAHHH!" a terrified scream suddenly rang out.

The fours trainers all gasped out of surprise, immediately looking around in panicked confusion. Pikachu, who had been asleep whilst perched upon Ash's backpack, jolted awake, his ears twitching as he went on the alert. Meadow, from her position in Nolan's embrace, narrowed her crimson eyes, instantly ready to protect her beloved partner and his friends from any opposing threat.

Confusion reined for a couple of moments, but in the end it was Ash that was the first to spot the source of the most distressing disturbance.

"Look!" the ebony haired boy exclaimed, pointing towards something at the foot of Mount Moon, "Over there!"

Wheeling around, Nolan's icy blue eyes widened out of horrified shock.

Over by the base of the mountain, near an entrance to a cave, was a young brown haired man. He looked barely a day over twenty, hardly more than a teenager. He was dressed in a clean white lab coat and wore a pair of thick round glasses on his face. The man was on all fours, trying to shield his head, as a horde of blue and purple Pokemon fluttered and swarmed through the air around him. Nolan immediately recognised them as Zubat, though he was surprised to see them out in the sunlight, considering they were nocturnal creatures.

The boy instantly knew that something was very wrong here.

The swarm of Poison Type Pokemon were utterly furious, unrelenting as they viciously attacked the poor man over and over again. Nolan gasped when they struck him once more, before hurrying over to help, his friends doing the same all around him.

The man's whimpering grew louder than ever as they drew closer.

"It's a bunch of Zubat!" Ash exclaimed in shock.

"They're attacking that guy!" a horrified Misty gasped in sympathy for the stranger.

Nolan winced when even more Zubat flew out of the cave's entrance, and immediately began nipping and scratching at the poor man on the ground totally at their mercy. The boy desperately wanted to help him, but knew he needed to know more about Zubat's weaknesses before he engaged a whole swarm of them in battle. He quickly pulled his pokedex out of his back pocket.

"Dexi, analyse!" the blonde boy cried out urgently.

"Zubat - the Bat Pokemon" Dexi identified the aggressors in her usual cool voice, "Zubat are Poison and Flying Type Pokemon with supersonic powers. Zubat live in caves, are nocturnal, and hate being outside in direct sunlight".

Nolan snapped his pokedex shut and put it away again, his mind working furiously as he put together a battle plan of sorts in his head. Ash meanwhile, having heard the device's response, couldn't resist scoffing under his breath.

"Not these Zubat" he couldn't help but deadpan.

His cocky comment did not go over all that well with Misty. Growling, the orange haired girl rounded on him in annoyance, getting all up in his face.

"This is no time for jokes!" she scolded her friend, causing Ash to flinch away from her, "That guy needs our help!"

Guilt pricked at Ash's conscience, and he swallowed hard.

"You're right, I'm sorry" the raven haired boy apologised for his tactless comment, before glancing back at the horrible scene unfolding before them, "But... but what can we do?!"

It wasn't Misty that answered his flustered question however.

It was Nolan.

"I've got an idea" he announced over the cacophony of the screeching Zubat, "But we've got to get that guy out from the middle of those Zubat first, or else he'll be hit by any attack that we try".

"So how do we do that?!" Ash asked his friend urgently.

"Let me take the lead and I'll handle that part" Nolan assured the other boy, "Then, when I give the signal, you can finish them off with Pikachu. His electric attacks will be strong against the Zubat since they're part Flying Type Pokemon".

"Got it!" Ash nodded his understanding.

Smiling at the fact that his best friend trusted in his plan without even knowing all of it, Nolan turned his attention back to the situation at hand. The blonde boy calmly plucked a pokeball off his belt and tossed it into the air.

"Welkin! Come out! We need you!" he cried urgently.

The pokeball snapped open in mid-air, releasing a ball of crimson light before the small sphere returned to Nolan's outstretched hand. Meanwhile, the orb of light manifested into the form of Welkin, who flapped his wings to remain airborne. His sharp eyes focused in on the swarming Zubat, before widening in shock. He glanced down at Nolan questioningly.

"Pidgey!" the small brown Pokemon squawked in alarm.

"It's okay Welkin!" Nolan quickly assured the startled Flying Type, "I know there's a lot of them, and that's scary, but we need to rescue that man they're attacking! So please use your Gust attack and distract them for us!"

Welkin hesitated for a brief moment before nervously nodding, trusting that Nolan wouldn't allow any harm to come to him. The Flying Type Pokemon swooped down low, beating his wings as hard as he could to unleash a powerful Gust attack.

The Zubat, who hadn't even noticed the other flying type's presence they were so enraged, were all struck by the fierce winds and blown around in every direction. Sensing a threat, the Zubat began hissing and snarling as they finally noticed Welkin for the first time.

Welkin gulped and swallowed anxiously.

"Gey! Gey! Pidgey!" he twittered frantically in panic.

Nolan couldn't blame his Flying Type Pokemon for being more than a little intimidated in this situation. He was severely outnumber after all.

"Welkin! Fly up high as fast as you can!" Nolan yelled up to his feathery friend.

"Pidgey!" Welkin cawed loudly, before shooting up through the air like a tiny brown rocket.

Some of the more aggressive Zubat snarled and flew up after him.

Welkin yelped in fear, beating his wings even harder, pushing himself to his limits as he tried to out-fly the pursuing Zubat.

"That's it Welkin!" Nolan called up encouragingly to the small Flying Type Pokemon, "Keep it up, you're doing great!"

"Pidgey!" Welkin called back tiredly.

Nolan swallowed hard as he watched his friend being chased by some of Zubat, not liking the situation he'd been forced to put his Pokemon in, but the blonde boy knew that he couldn't afford to lose his nerve now. Not if he wanted his plan to work. Turning back to the situation at hand, Nolan saw that the majority of the swarm were still clustered in the air above the curled up whimpering man. All of their attention was on Welkin however, which was exactly what Nolan had been hoping for.

Grinning triumphantly, the blonde boy quickly set Meadow down on the ground in front of him. The small green Grass Type Pokemon looked up at her partner curiously.

"Hurry Meadow!" Nolan cried urgently, "Use your Vine Whip while they're distracted and get that guy out of there!"

"Saur!" Meadow nodded seriously in understanding.

Focusing hard, Meadow released her vines from the bulb on her back and sent them hurtling through the air as quickly as she could. Within seconds, she had them wrapped tightly around the stranger's ankles. She then began retracting her vines, pulling the man along the ground with them.

"Wah?! Eeeeeiii!" the man yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself being forcibly dragged backwards.

Nolan winced in sympathy for him. No doubt the guy would have some cuts and scraps from being pulled along the rough earth like that. Still, it was a better condition than the one he'd be in if left to the mercy of the Zubat.

And speaking of the swarm of pesky Poison Types, well - they had just realised that they had been tricked, and were far from happy about it. Even the ones that had been in pursuit of Welkin fluttered back down and joined the others, all of them snarling and hissing furiously at the small group of humans and their Pokemon.

"Now Ash!" Nolan yelled over their enraged screams that promised vengeance, "Let 'em have it!"

Ash, who had been watching his best friend's plan as it played out in a stunned reverie, snapped out of it at Nolan's shout and nodded seriously.

"Gotcha!" he called back, before pointing furiously at the horde of outraged Zubat about to descend on them, "Pikachu! Thundershock!"

Pikachu, who had eagerly been waiting to play his part in this rescue mission, crackled with static as he leapt from Ash's shoulder and into the fray.

"PIKA... CHU!" the yellow Pokemon screamed as he unleashed a powerful Thundershock attack.

His aim held true. Every single Zubat was caught up in the attack, all of the Poison Types shrieking and wailing in agonising torment as the electricity tore through their small bodies.

From the corner of his eye, Nolan could have sworn that he saw a brief flash of red light. When he turned around for a closer look however, he saw nothing. Shrugging his shoulders, Nolan reasoned that he must have imagined it. Putting it out of his mind, the blonde boy turned his attention back to the shrieking Zubat horde. He didn't even notice the broad grin lining Brock's face...

After what seemed like an age, but in reality was just a few mere moments, Pikachu's attack ended. Thankfully, it had been enough to drive any more vicious thoughts from the minds of the Zubat. Chattering in fear, the swarm panicked and quickly made for the entrance of the cave leading the way inside of Mount Moon. Within seconds, the last Zubat had fluttered out of sight, vanishing into the deep darkness of the cave.

Nolan smiled brightly and heaved a great sigh of relief.

They were finally all safe once more.

Up in the air, Welkin also noticed that the horde of furious Zubat had finally retreated. Sighing in relief, the little brown feathered Pokemon tiredly fluttered back down towards the ground, eventually landing on Nolan's shoulder. The blonde boy beamed at him.

"You were awesome Welkin!" he praised, and the small Pidgey preened happily, "I'm so proud of you for putting yourself in danger like that to help someone else. Thank you".

"Gey!" Welkin cawed happily.

Nolan then remembered Meadow, and beamed down at her too.

"And we couldn't have done it without you too Meadow" he added, making his beloved partner smile up at him, "You were both so great".

"Saur" Meadow cooed up at him.

Nolan opened his mouth to offer them some more praise, but before he had the chance to, the blonde was cut off by a low whine of pain. It was those gentle moans and whimpers coming from the stranger still on the ground in a crumpled heap that drew the group's attention back to the present.

Gasping, Nolan, Ash and Misty all hurried over to check on him.

Brock joined them a moment later, after taking a quick second to stoop down low and snatch something up from the ground. It went completely unnoticed by everyone else as they checked on the man they had just rescued.

"Are you okay?!" Ash asked the man laying face down in the dirt worriedly.

The man didn't reply right away. He just let out a few more pained whimpers.

Nolan bit his lip anxiously. He only knew a bit of basic first-aid - something he'd learnt at his father's insistence when he was preparing to become a trainer - and they were miles away from any town or city were they could get the man some medical help if necessary.

Fortunately however, the boy's worries were for naught.

Suddenly bursting full of life and energy, the man surged to his feet. Nolan, completely caught off guard by the sudden shift in demeanour, yelped and reared backwards in shock. Around him, Ash, Misty and Brock did much the same. The man just beamed at the four young trainers, his saviours, his eyes shining brightly with admiration and gratitude.

"Wow!" the man had tears of joy streaming down his face, he was so overcome with emotion, "You guys are the greatest!"

And then, with no warning whatsoever, the man lunged forwards and wrapped Ash - and subsequently Pikachu since he was in the boy's arms at the time - up in the tightest hug imaginable. He had actually buried Ash's face in his chest, the embrace was so tight.

Nolan, Misty and Brock just gaped at the sight before them, far too stunned to offer any assistance to their friend.

"Really..." came Ash's highly muffled voice, "It was nothing..."

But it wasn't nothing to the man.

In fact, Ash's modesty only served to make the man even more grateful, which he showed by squeezing Ash even tighter, if that was indeed possible at this point. The boy was getting dangerously close to being at risk of suffocation.

"I'm talking super-fantabulistic!" the man continued, practically weeping with joy, "I mean two thumbs-up! Way up! The best rescue I've ever had!"

And he squeezed Ash ever more tightly in gratitude.

Now if Ash felt uncomfortable in the quite frankly painful embrace, it was nothing to how Pikachu felt right now.

Trapped between the bodies of the two humans, the little yellow Pokemon was close to breaking point. He let out a low warning growl, but it was completely unheeded, which only aggravated Pikachu even further. Finally, the small Electric Type Pokemon couldn't stand it anymore, and so he did the only thing he could do to protect himself.

He unleashed another Thundershock attack.

Ash and the stranger both screamed and writhed in agony as - much like the swarm of Zubat before them - the electricity painfully tore every inch of their bodies. The force of the attack blasted both the humans backwards, freeing Pikachu and causing them both to land painfully on their backs in the dirt, their limbs occasionally jolting and sparking.

Pikachu softly landed on his feet between the two humans, sniggering proudly as he observed his handiwork, They had deserved it - or at least they had in the Electric Type's opinion. Either way, the yellow Pokemon was relieved to be free.

Nolan on the other hand groaned and slapped a hand to his forehead. So much for protecting the guy from being caught up in one of Pikachu's attacks. Not that the yellow Pokemon's attack actually managed to keep him down for long.

Within seconds, the strange man was back on his feet, a huge grin on his face as he helped haul Ash back upright as well. He beamed, looking between Ash and Pikachu, though thankfully he made no move to hug them again. He just stood there, grinning widely.

"They say man's best friend is a Pokemon! the man happily announced as he admired the pair before him, "And with you two, I believe it!"

Ash blinked up at him, thoroughly nonplussed.

"Oh..." he eventually managed to say, rather lamely, "That's nice..."

But the boy's lack-lustre response did nothing to dampen the man's spirit. If anything, it only seemed to spur him on.

"I'm so moved!" he exclaimed, genuinely sounding deeply touched, "Such friendship, I thought I'd never see, when the Zubat began attacking me! I thought I was done for, when who should arrive? Two heroes, thanks to whom I'm alive! I'M ALIVE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THANK YOU!"

And then the strange man collapsed to his knees, sobbing out of gratitude.

The four young Pokemon trainers could do nothing but stand there, gaping like idiots, stunned into a state of sheer disbelief. Misty was the first of their little group to recover, and thus regain the power of speech.

"He certainly doesn't look like the poetic type" she remarked, saying quite literally the first thing that came into her head.

Nolan snapped out of his shock at her words. He opened his mouth, no doubt to fire off a sarcastic comment, but stopped himself when the stranger suddenly leapt to his feet again. Nolan could only shake his head in disbelief. With the way this guy kept jumping around - it was enough to give Nolan mental whiplash.

"Did I mention how grateful I am?" the man approached Ash once again.

Ash, fearing that another painful hug was on its way, did the only thing he could think of to get himself out of this weird situation.

"Yeah" he said slowly, before... "But you're telling it to the wrong person. You see, it was all Nolan's plan. I only did what he told me to - so really, he's the one that saved you, not me!"

The man reared back and gasped in shock.

Meanwhile, Nolan's jaw dropped wide out out of sheer disbelief.

Then his eyes narrowed into slits, his face morphing into an annoyed scowl. He couldn't believe that his best friend would just throw him under ths bus like that. He glared daggers at said friend as he silently fumed.

Ash just shrugged his shoulders at Nolan, as if to say - 'Hey, I'm not dealing with this weirdo all on my own'.

Nolan flinched as the guy was practically reinvigorated with positive energy. The boy barely had time to blink before the man came bounding up to him, beaming in delight.

"Oh - thank you, thank you, thank you!" the man exclaimed excitedly, "You clever, kind boy! Thank you so, so much!"

And then before Nolan had the chance to stop the inevitable, the blonde boy found him face buried in the man's chest as he was wrapped up in a fierce hug. Nolan let out a few muffled yelps from within the crushing embrace.

Behind him, some of the shock value was finally starting to wear off.

Ash couldn't help but snigger, finding this whole thing hilarious now that he wasn't the one on the receiving end of the hugs. And it was his chuckles that set Misty and Brock off. Then it was Meadow and Pikachu giggling at the blonde boy's misfortune. Soon enough, they were all struggling to hide a fit of giggles. They weren't very successful - Nolan heard them loud and clear. The boy let out a low growl of annoyance.

Prying himself free from the strange man's arms, Nolan huffed and readjusted his beanie, which had been knocked askew during the embrace. He took a step back and straightened himself out.

"Oh - whatever could I possibly do, to show my unending gratitude to you?" the man eagerly wanted to know.

Nolan couldn't refrain from rolling his eyes this time.

"You can start by not hugging me again!" he bit out shortly.

The man seemed to completely miss the boy's irritated tone of voice.

"Done!" he happily agreed, and Nolan couldn't help but let out a small sigh of relief, "But what else? What else?"

Nolan rubbed the back of his head quietly. He didn't want any kind of reward from the guy. He was just doing whatever any decent person would do. Plus the man was just so... intense. Nolan honestly didn't want to have much more to do with him. Still, he could hardly say that, now could he?

Thankfully, the blonde boy was spared from answering as Ash stepped forwards.

"Well, you could explain to us why those Zubat were attacking you, Mr...?" Ash trailed off when he realised that they still didn't have a name from the guy.

The man recoiled, an almost horrified gasp escaping his lips.

"Never call me 'Mr'!" he exclaimed loudly, frantically waving his arms about wildly, "My name's Seymour! Seymour the Scientist!"

And then he was at it again.

Leaping backwards and striking several dramatic poses in turn, the man - now known to them as Seymour - continued empathically.

"Knowledge... Research... I'm Seymour the Scientist! he boldly declared to the heavens above.

Nolan gaped at him for a moment, practically sweat-dropping, before he smirked and leaned towards Misty, who he was standing next to.

"More like Seymour the Lunatic" he whispered so only she could hear.

Misty snorted, and quickly covered her mouth with her hand to prevent any laughter from escaping. The interaction with Nolan went completely unnoticed by the others, who were still just staring at Seymour in shock.

"Uh huh... that's great" Ash eventually nodded weakly.

"So..." Brock began slowly, unsure how to really talk to this guy since he kept shifting gears so rapidly, "The Zubat?"

The prompt was enough to sober the exuberant man up just a little bit. Sighing sadly, Seymour gestured towards the entrance to the cave that the Zubat had retreated into earlier.

"It'll be a lot easier to explain if I just show you" the scientist informed the group of trainers, "Come - follow me!"

And without another word, the eccentric man whirled on the spot and promptly marched off in the direction of the mouth of the cave. He headed inside, and disappeared from sight, going off into the darkness beyond.

Straight into the depths of Mount Moon.

And there's the end of the first part of 'Clefairy and the Moon Stone' : )

I don't really have an awful lot to say about this chapter, mostly because I actually wrote it over a year ago, and just edited it to make it fit with everything else that's happened in the story so far. This was one of the first chapters I ever wrote for this story in fact, after you guys voted for Welkin the Pidgey to be added to Nolan's team, the very first wild Pokemon to be added in fact. So you can imagine how long ago that was : )

But enough about that. As I mentioned in the author's note at the beginning of this chapter, there is still no winner in regards to which option you guys want me to take in terms of the starter in my Orange Islands Nuzlocke. So, that'll be the voting topic again for this chapter. Please go leave a review voting for one of the options posted in the last chapter, because I am SUPER excited to get my next Nuzlocke underway : )

Finally, I just want to thank you guys again for reading my story, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please consider leaving a review because your feedback does help, and I enjoy reading your comments and ideas : )

Until the next time, keep on reading : )