Hey readers - Here we are with another new chapter, and it's an extremely long one this time. I did consider cutting it in half but I figured why not let you guys have a longer one, since there wasn't a great place to divide it up anyway ; )
Now I don't have too much to talk about this time, so let's just jump straight into the result of the last voting topic. I am insanely happy to announce that the starter of my Orange Islands Nuzlocke will be... Meadow the Venusaur! Truthfully, this was what I was hoping for, but I figured you guys should get the final say in it. Also, a huge thanks to the readers that reviewed the last chapter and broke the tie regarding this decision.
Finally, I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. The support that has been shown to the story is amazing, and it means so much to me, so thank you : )
Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OC's are : )
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Clefairy and the Moon Stone - Part 2
The four young trainers watched as Seymour entered into the cave that led into the depths of Mount Moon, the scientist only visible for a few moments before he vanished into the looming darkness inside there. Ash and Brock exchanged uneasy looks, before they shrugged their shoulders and followed after him, Pikachu jumping up to ride on Ash's shoulder. Misty, seeing no harm in the idea herself, followed them. Nolan just gaped after his three friends in utter astonishment for a moment, before the blonde boy shook his head out of sheer disbelief.
"Oh sure! Follow the crazy whack-job inside a dark and scary mountain where nobody will hear us scream..." the blonde boy muttered sarcastically under his breath to himself, "What could possibly go wrong with that idea?!"
Naturally, nobody replied to his fretting, for they had already all disappeared into the cave.
Sighing once again, Nolan did his best to push his anxieties aside for the time being, and instead turned to face Meadow and Welkin, who were both waiting patiently at his side. They both smiled up at him, and the young blonde trainer instantly felt reassured. He was reminded in that moment that with his Pokemon friends at his side, no harm could possibly come to him.
They simply wouldn't allow it.
Knowing that, and feeling a little better because of it, Nolan smiled down at the duo.
"I guess we'd better follow them" the blonde boy remarked, before pausing as a thought occured to him, making him rub his chin in contemplation, "Welkin, would you like to stay out here with me and Meadow, or would you like to go back inside your pokeball? You're more than welcome to stay of course, but to give you fair warning, there probably won't be much room to fly around in once we're in there".
He carelessly gestured a hand in the direction of the cave the others had just entered.
Welkin tilted his head to the side as he considered his trainer's question.
"Pidgey!" the small Flying Type Pokemon eventually cooed softly, indicating with his wing towards his pokeball that was clipped into its usual spot on the blonde boy's belt.
Smiling kindly at the little brown feathery creature, Nolan nodded and detached the pokeball from his belt. He then proceeded to point it in the direction of Welkin.
"Okay, get some rest little buddy" he said, and Welkin disappeared into the capsule in a beam of bright crimson light. Clipping the now occupied pokeball back on to his belt, Nolan then turned his attention back to Meadow.
"Guess it's just you and me now, huh?" he smiled down at her.
"Bulba!" Meadow cheered happily.
Grinning, Nolan crouched down and picked the small Grass Type up, hugging her to his chest. He then stood up, squaring his shoulders as he turned to face the entrance to the cave. His anxieties from before all came flooding back to him, causing the blonde boy to hesitate for a few seconds, but he quickly shoved them aside again.
It was far too late to back out now.
Taking a deep breath in a rather lousy attempt to steal his nerves, Nolan swallowed hard as he set off into the cave after his friends, heading towards the very heart of Mount Moon itself.
It was exactly as Nolan had expected.
Rough and uneven terrain on all sides, shrouded in an inky darkness that almost seemed impenetrable. There was the occasional sound of water droplets trickling down from the roof of the tunnel, often interrupted by the harsh sound of leathery wings beating curtesy of a nesting Zubat.
Nolan couldn't help but be somewhat creeped out by the place.
Unable to quite suppress a cold shiver, the blonde boy hugged his beloved Pokemon partner slightly tighter against his chest. Sensing her human's distress, the small green Pokemon rubbed his hand with her paw comfortingly. Nolan couldn't help but smile down at her in appreciation.
"Thanks Meadow" he whispered softly to her.
"Saur" she cooed back.
Knowing that he was lagging behind and that he needed to catch up to his friends, Nolan decided he needed to stop worrying about the mountain so much and quicken his pace. He blindly stumbled forwards a couple of paces as he tried to catch up to the others.
Then something very peculiar happened.
It took the young trainer a couple of moments to realise when something rather important regarding his surroundings completely changed. It should have been obvious, and yet somehow it took Nolan a short while to twig. Once he had cottoned on, Nolan couldn't help but rapidly blink in utter confusion.
The tunnel... wasn't dark anymore.
Nolan stared around in complete bewilderment. The blonde haired boy shifted Meadow in his grip until he was carrying her with only one arm, and once his other arm was free, he brought his spare hand up to his eyes and rubbed at them furiously. When he opened his blue orbs again, Nolan realised that they weren't actually playing tricks on him like the boy had initially suspected.
Behind him was darkness. Ahead of him was light.
Nolan was more than a little perplexed.
The boy knew that naturally, that shouldn't be possible, and yet the evidence was staring him in the face. It was enough to put the young trainer a little off-balance. Nolan knew from his textbooks after all that Mount Moon had historically been kept shrouded in darkness due to the special requirements of the Pokemon that called the mountain their home. Even passing trainers were only permitted by law to use low-power flashlights because of this, the rules were so strict. So why it was suddenly like being back outside in the sunshine was completely beyond the blonde haired trainer. Nolan honestly had no idea what to make of this bizarre development.
But despite the boy's thorough confusion, Nolan couldn't help but be grateful for one thing.
The bright lights dangling down from a long cable pinned on both sides of the tunnel world, despite having no right being there, made it much easier to find his friends. To Nolan's intense relief, he was able to quickly spot where Ash, Misty and Brock were walking along with Seymour. They were just ahead of him, and the sight of his friends was enough to make Nolan sigh happily in relief. Things were always less scary when amongst friends after all. The blonde boy hurried over to join up with them.
"See..." Seymour was saying to the others as Nolan and Meadow caught up to the group, "The cave is all lit up inside. Somebody has strung these lights through the whole cave".
The scientist began walking further into the depths of Mount Moon, a concerned expression pinching at his face. Nolan and his friends all followed after him, each of them looking around at the dangling lights in bewilderment.
"But the Pokemon in this cave need the dark" Seymour continued, sadness and worry heavy in his tone, "These lights are upsetting them and making them confused".
Nolan could see what he meant as the young man gestured at the tunnel around them.
"Look there - those Paras are planting their mushrooms everywhere" he pointed out to the four young trainers.
They all watched as a small cluster of Paras were all busy plucking their tochukaso off their backs, planting them down in the dirt and in the crevasses between the rocks. The small orange bug type Pokemon all seemed to wilt where they stood and grow weaker as a result of their own actions.
"And the lights are driving all the Zubat completely berserk" the young scientist continued, gesturing upwards.
Nolan craned his neck towards the roof of the cave, and saw several Zubat all blindly crashing into the cave walls as they fluttered about in a panicked frenzy. They were all snarling and wailing and hissing in outrage.
"Which is probably why they left the cave and attacked you" Brock pointed out in realisation.
Nolan looked around sadly, feeling a great sense of pity for all the wild Pokemon living inside the mountain. It must be very distressing for them; to live their whole existence in complete darkness only to be suddenly thrust into the light one day with no warning. It was no wonder that they were all so confused and angry, and it was understandable that they were now more prone to attack outsiders.
Outsiders like them, Nolan realised with a cold shiver.
Pushing that particularly unpleasant thought away, the blonde boy turned back to face Seymour as the young scientist started talking again.
"But that's why I'm here" Seymour continued his story, as Nolan and the others all turned their attention back to the man, "On patrol to protect the mountain from the troublemaker's attack against these caves".
"Troublemakers?" Misty repeated, a hint of skeptism in her voice, "Why attack a cave?"
Seymour's shoulder slumped as he allowed a thoroughly exhausted sigh to pass through his entire body. The young man paused in his walk, turning back to face the group of young trainers, looking extremely serious and concerned as he did so.
"I'm afraid it's because of the Moon Stone" he shared his fears with the children.
They all looked up at him in wonder.
"You mean the meteorite that supposedly crash here in ancient times?" Nolan asked to clarify.
"Exactly" Seymour nodded at him in confirmation.
"But why?" Ash was the one to ask, confusion littering the boy's tone, "I mean, sure it sounds pretty interesting, but why upset all those Pokemon just for an old rock?"
Seymour gasped dramatically, recoiling in horror and shock. Judging by the expression on his face, one might think that Ash had just uttered the worst possible insult imaginable.
"An old rock?!" he repeated, completely aghast at the words, "An old rock?! The Moon Stone is not just any old rock!"
"Well, if it isn't an old rock... what is it then?" Nolan couldn't help but ask.
Seymour was only too happy to answer.
"The Moon Stone is an awesome boulder, a million years old or even older!" he exclaimed passionately.
Nolan just stared at him slightly slack-jawed, sweat-dropping.
"So... it is an old rock then" the blonde haired boy quipped under his breath.
Around him, Ash, Misty and Brock all snorted at his words but managed to hold in their chuckles of amusement as not too appear rude in front of Seymour. Meadow was also highly amused by her trainer's deadpan, but only smiled as she managed not to show it.
Thankfully, Seymour didn't seem to hear Nolan's sarcastic comment as he continued his monologue about the mysterious meteorite.
"Deep in these caves, the meteor hides" the scientist exclaimed, clearly more than a little passionate about this particular subject, "Though no explorer has found the place of the legendary rock from space!"
From out of his lab coat pocket, Seymour withdrew a heavy chunk of stone, obsidian in colour. Nolan and his friends all gasped in awe as the rock seemed to glisten and sparkle under the bright florescent lights hanging from the walls.
"We've studied its fragments for many an hour" Seymour continued, unable to help but grin at the enthralled looks on the children's faces, "And discovered it increases certain Pokemon's power!"
"Yeah..." Nolan slowly nodded in agreement, "Some Pokemon even evolve when exposed to a Moon Stone, although I had no idea that those things were actually broken shards of a meteorite".
Ash, Misty and Brock all listened to him with interest, but his words seemed to aggravate Seymour even further.
"But that is why the attackers are here!" he cried in outrage, pocketing the shard of Moon Stone again and waving his arms around frantically, "They've come to take the Moon Stone, or so I fear!"
There was a moment of silence as they all allowed Seymour's latest declaration to sink in.
"I guess I can see why finding the Moon Stone is such a big deal now" Ash relented, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Seymour's eyes were shining at just the thought of the meteorite of legends finally being discovered and unearthed.
"Ever since I was a little boy, I've believed that Pokemon came to Earth from outer space" he shared with them excitedly.
And just like that, Nolan once again found his jaw hanging wide open in sheer disbelief.
Of all the possible things Seymour could have come out with in that moment, those were the very last words Nolan had ever expected to hear. The man was a scientist for crying out loud, and as far as the blonde boy knew, there was still no conclusive evidence that proved the existence of life on other planets. As the implications of the man's words sank in, Nolan was barely able to hold back a derevish scoff of disbelief. He just couldn't help it. That had to be the stupidest thing that Nolan had ever heard in his entire life, and he had spent the best part of a decade living in a small town with both Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak for crying out loud!
"From outer space?!" Ash, Misty and Brock all repeated incredulously.
Nolan didn't say anything at all. Right now the blonde boy couldn't trust himself not to be rather mean and completely ridicule the raving lunatic they had stumbled across.
"Yes!" Seymour nodded importantly, puffing his chest out proudly, "And where you ask, is the spacecraft that brought them to Earth? In this cave! It's the Moon Stone!"
Nolan had to fight so hard to refrain from rolling his eyes that he was actually a little worried that they might just fall right out of his head.
Well, it had just been confirmed.
The blonde boy was no convinced without a shadow of a doubt that Seymour the Scientist was completely and utterly, one hundred percent pure delusional. They said there was a fine line between genius and insanity. Personally, Nolan thought that truer words had never been spoken in this guy's case.
"It... it sure is an original theory" Misty was the one to eventually stammer out after a few moments of stunned silence.
Nolan barely managed not to scoff this time.
Original wasn't quite the right word for it. Impossible... Crazy... Ridiculous - those were all a lot closer to the mark in the blonde boy's opinion.
"But don't you see?" Seymour continued before Nolan had the opportunity to voice any of the somewhat mocking remarks he had in mind, "It's means that the Moon Stone belongs to the Pokemon! We humans must not take it from them!".
Now that Nolan could agree with.
In fact, he found that to be one of the precious few intelligent things that this guy had come out with. Already they had seen the horrible effects just looking for the fabled Moon Stone was having on the local wild Pokemon. If the legendary boulder was ever actually removed from the mountain... well, Nolan shuddered just thinking about the chaos that would probably descend if that ever came to pass.
Thankfully, it wasn't long before Nolan was pulled back out from his rather morbid thoughts.
Along with everyone else, the young blonde Pokemon trainer heard an unfamiliar voice of a newcomer. Turning in the direction that the high-pitched chanting was echoing down the long winding tunnel from, Nolan strained his ears in an attempt to hear was the voice was actually saying.
"Clefairy... Clefairy... Clefairy..."
The softly-spoken breaths were almost like a haunting song, the newcomer's voice was so enchantingly beautiful.
A small smile came to Nolan's face just upon hearing the gentle cry, but it was quickly replaced by a look of unadulterated awe when the newcomer finally came into view. The blonde boy couldn't help but gasp in astonishment as his eyes landed on an adorable round pink Pokemon. It was daintily hopping along from rock to rock, a miniscule pebble that was eerily similar to Seymour's shard of Moon Stone carefully clutched in its tiny pink paws. Of course, Nolan recognised the creature at once, but was completely stunned by its present. He had never expected to actually see one in person, they were so fantastically rare.
They certainly were lucky to spot a Clefairy so up close.
"Whoa! I don't believe it!" the blonde boy couldn't help but breath out in amazement, completely awestruck by the presence of the cute Pokemon, "A Clefairy!"
Ash frowned, somewhat thrown by his best friend's reaction to the newcomer.
Deciding that he wanted to know more about the almost angelic Pokemon before the group, the raven haired boy reached into his jacket pocket and withdrew his pokedex after a couple of moment. He pointed the device towards the creature and waited.
"Clefairy - the Fairy Pokemon" Dexter announced once it had identified the mysterious pink Pokemon, "This impish Pokemon is friendly and peaceful. It is believed to live inside Mount Moon, although due to their rarity, very few have ever been seen by humans".
"Oh, it's so cute!" Misty gushed in excitement as her eyes sparkled at the sight of the Clefairy, "We're so lucky we got to see one, and so close up too!"
Ash wanted to do a lot more than just see a Clefairy though.
No.
He wanted to catch one.
"A rare Pokemon?!" Ash exclaimed, thoroughly delighted by this brilliant stroke of luck, "Oh, I've gotta catch this one!"
He quickly prepared an empty pokeball.
Seymour, absolutely horrified when he heard Ash's proclamation, gasped and hurried forwards. Reaching out, the man quickly grabbed Ash by the arm he had raised, preventing him from being able to threw that empty pokeball in his hand.
"You can't!" the scientist pleaded, his tone utterly aghast, as he struggled to restrain the raven haired boy before him.
Fortunately, the man's efforts were enough to ensure the Clefairy's freedom.
Stilling singing its enchanting song, the Clefairy spun and twirled and danced its way along the tunnel they were in, before it bounced down a path at a fork in the road, and vanished from the group's line of sight.
Ash couldn't help but groan in disappoint.
The boy's expression quickly turned to one of annoyance, and he glowered up at Seymour. Despite his obvious frustration however, there was a undeniable look of curiosity burning away in the young trainer's russet eyes. It was clear that he wanted the most obvious question answered, and quickly.
"I'm sorry" Seymour apologised upon seeing the look on Ash's face, and to his credit, his tone sounded genuinely sincere. He released Ash's arm and took a step back from the boy, "But you heard what your pokedex said. Clefairy are peaceful Pokemon, not battlers. It wouldn't be happy with a trainer, so it's best if you just let it stay here. I hope you understand".
Any flicker of anger in the boy's heart was quickly snuffed out at the man's wise words. Smiling, the ebony haired boy nodded up at Seymour in understanding.
"Sure, Seymour" the young trainer couldn't help but agree, "I understand".
"Still, we were super lucky just to get to see one" Misty chimed in happily, still englamoured by the wild Clefairy's cuteness and grace.
"Yeah" Brock said laughingly in agreement, "Clefairy are pretty rare Pokemon, but they also tend to be quite timid - I'm surprised one came so close to us".
Nolan opened his mouth to reply to the older trainer, to point out the fact that the Clefairy had barely even seemed to have registered their presence in the tunnel, but before he had the chance to, he was sharply cut off before he could utter a single word.
Because at that exact moment, a petrified scream echoed through the cave.
"Clefairy!" a frightened voice shrieked in clear distress.
The group of five humans all jolted in surprise, all of them immediately knowing exactly where those panicked shouted with coming from. They were originating from the fork in the tunnel, where the Clefairy had passed not even two minutes prior.
A ripple of concern immediately passed over the small group.
"Uh oh" Ash muttered nervously, "Something's wrong".
"It's the Clefairy we saw" Seymour exclaimed, his tone and expression portraying just how worried he was, "I think it might be in trouble!"
"We should go check on it" Misty reasoned, concern written all over her face.
The four males all nodded in agreement at the fiery haired girl's suggestion. Without wasting any time at all, Seymour took the lead, sprinting off down the tunnel at full speed. Ash, Misty and Brock were all behind him sharpish.
Nolan hurried along after them, Meadow still clasped tightly in his arms, as he wondered what could possibly be wrong with the Clefairy. He was hoping beyond hope that there was something he could do that would help, preferably without it turning into the usual pantomime of chaos their group tended to find themselves in.
Only one thing was for certain after all.
They never could stay out of trouble for very long.
Racing down the tunnel at full pelt, Nolan and the others all hurried down the same that the Clefairy had taken at the form in the road. Finding themselves in a new stretch of tunnel, which was equally as illuminated as the one they had just vacated, they all looked around in a frantic panic, searching for any sign of the adorable pink creature that they feared might be in danger.
Quickly locating the source of the disturbance, the sight that met the four trainers and Seymour was a rather unpleasant one. Unpleasant and unexpected, though not entirely surprising.
Her back pinned to the wall, Clefairy was trembling in fear, but fiercely clung on to the shard of Moon Stone in her tiny paws as through her life depended on it. And looming over her was the source of her terror. Claws raised in a very threatening manner, a vicious smirk lining his furry face, was none other than the Meowth that belonged to Team Rocket.
Nolan didn't even try to suppress the groan that slipped his lips as he quickly put the pieces together. It all made sense now.
Who else but those jerks would be heartless enough to disrupt an entire mountain, purely for their own selfish greed?
The blonde boy couldn't help but shake his head in disgust, before he took a deep breath, trying to mentally brace himself for the latest round of mayhem that their enemies were sure to bring. The young trainer narrowed his eyes angrily when Meowth advanced on the poor little Clefairy menacingly.
"Don't be scared of Meowth!" the Scratch Cat Pokemon sneered mockingly at the quivering pink creature he had cornered.
Ash and Misty both grimaced as they caught up to Nolan and spotted the Pokemon which the ability to talk. A soft groan escaped them both. Brock and Seymour on the other hand both just looked thoroughly confused by the scene unfolding before them.
"It's Meowth!" Ash exclaimed in horror.
Meowth took noticed of the small group of humans for the first time, and turned away from the Clefairy in order to face him. The Clefairy used the opportunity to shuffle along the tunnel wall, managing to put a small amount of distance between herself and her attacker.
"Meowth!" the normal type Pokemon snarled, rolling his eyes in annoyance for good measure, ""What are you doing here?!"
Brock's jaw dropped wide open, a look of utmost surprise overtaking his face.
Seymour could only look on in sheer disbelief.
"It can talk!" Brock gasped, stunned.
Nolan sighed and shook his head tiredly, suddenly feeling completely exhausted. As if passing through a mountain wasn't bad enough, now he had to deal with Team Rocket on top of that... life really just wasn't fair sometimes.
"Yeah, that's the one I told you about" Nolan reminded the older boy.
Brock nodded in realisation, remembering yesterday when the blonde boy had explained to him all about Team Rocket and their attack on the Viridian City Pokemon Centre, as well as their ambush in Viridian Forest. He also remembered the boy telling him a rather unbelievable tale of a talking Meowth, which Brock could admit he had been sceptical about at the time. To see it before him right now truly was something else entirely, and the aspiring Pokemon breeder couldn't help but be somewhat awestruck.
"Now if only he'd ever say something intelligent, I'd actually be impressed!" Nolan continued, his tone a sarcastic drawl.
The Normal Type Pokemon was not amused.
"Meowth!" Meowth growled, offended, as he glared angrily at Nolan, "I heard dat ya twerp! Now answer Meowth's question, Goldilocks! What are you losers doin' here?!"
Nolan rolled his eyes at the nickname Meowth had apparently dubbed him with. Nevertheless, he followed the Pokemon's request and answered the question.
"Looking for troublemakers like you!" the blonde boy glowered down at Meowth.
The furry white Pokemon met the young trainer's gaze unflinchingly, but whilst he was distracted, Pikachu and Meadow, who were on the ground by their respective trainers' feet, hurried over to the Clefairy, who was still watching the scene with wide frightened eyes.
"Pika..." Pikachu gently greeted the timid and scared Pokemon.
"Saur" Meadow looked at her in concern.
"Fairy?" the wild Clefairy turned her frightened gaze to Pikachu and Meadow. When she noticed their encouraging and kind smiles, the cute pink Pokemon hesitantly returned it.
"Pika!" Pikachu grinned in triumphant.
Whilst the Pokemon conversed and Pikachu and Meadow attempted to make friends with the Clefairy, the small group of humans were all busy glowering down at Meowth, who was easily holding his own and glaring right back at them.
"So, Team Rocket is causing all the trouble around here" Ash frowned in disgust.
"What a surprise" Misty's tone was heavy with sarcasm.
"We've gotta stop them before they start any more trouble" Brock said with great determination, and his friends all nodded in agreement with his declaration.
"Trouble?" a familiar voice drawled from further down the tunnel, just out of the group's line of vision.
"Make that double" a second voice, this one male, concurred with the first voice, which had been female.
Nolan couldn't help but roll his eyes to the ceiling out of pure exasperation, shaking his head in annoyance.
"Oh good" he grumbled sarcastically, "You're both here too. And let me guess, we get to hear your whole stupid song again?"
Jessie stepped up behind Meowth on the right, whilst on the left, James did much the same. Both of them were holding equipment designed for digging and excavating, the type of tools an archaeologist might use in their line of work. The two criminals sneered cold at Nolan, who glared back up at them defiantly. Neither of them actually answered his sarcastic remark, not that the blonde boy had really expected them too. Instead, they both just continued the usual performance they did whenever their paths crossed ways.
"To protect the world from devastation" Jessie exclaimed dramatically.
"To unite all people's within our nation" James cried with a theatrical flair.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love" Jessie continued.
"To extend our reach to the stars above" James took over once more.
"Jessie!" the female Rocket agent introduced.
"James!" the cyan haired man smirked.
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!" Jessie announced proudly.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight" James threatened.
"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth finished for them.
By the end of their... production; Ash, Nolan and Misty were all just shaking their heads in long-suffering exhaustion. Brock was just gaping at the gang of criminals in shock, being the only member of the travelling group who had been lucky enough not to encounter Team Rocket so far. Seymour on the other hand just glared at the troublemakers angrily.
"They sure are show-offs" the scientist huffed darkly.
Instead of replying to the somewhat peeved man at his side, Ash instead looked at the trio that formed Team Rocket with a slightly bemused expression on his face.
"Don't you guys ever get tired of saying the same things over and over?" he couldn't help but ask.
"You're just jealous, boy" Jessie sneered down at the raven haired trainer condescendingly, "You and your little friend".
"That's right" James nodded in agreement, before smirking down at Nolan like the boy was some sort of half-wit, "Because that wasn't a song, you little twerp - it's our motto!"
Nolan just chuckled darkly in response.
"A motto is supposed to be something short and catchy" Nolan informed the blue haired man, his tone heavily implying that he thought the man to be an idiot, "Yours is so long and boring that it's enough to put people to sleep".
For the first time, the two adult criminals actually looked annoyed.
"How dare you?!" Jessie shrieked in outrage.
"Yeah, we worked really hard on our motto!" James protested.
Between them, Meowth just continued smirking.
"Ah, don't listen to Goldilocks guys" the Scratch Cat meowed up soothingly to his human friends, "He's just angry because we won't ever let a twerp like him join up with us!"
Nolan's eyes narrowed, and the blonde boy's face flashed with rage.
"I'd never join up with scum like you!" he snapped in anger.
The blonde Pokemon trainer opened his mouth to say more, no doubt fully intent on firing off several cutting remarks that would have Team Rocket licking their wounds for several days to come. Before he had the chance to however, Nolan was unfortunately cut off by Brock, who had his fists clenched and was glaring at the trio in front of them with obvious fury in his expression.
"You put the lights in this cave!" the teenager hissed furiously in accusation, "It's your fault the Pokemon who live here are so confused!"
But if Brock was expecting to see a show of response from any member of Team Rocket with his angry words, the aspiring breeder was going to be sorely disappointed. Jessie and James all but laughed in their faces, whilst Meowth's grin widened with a dark sense of glee.
"What a shame" Jessie drawled nastily.
"How will we ever forgive ourselves?" James' tone was practically oozing with sarcasm.
Knowing that if they didn't get straight to the point they would probably end up arguing back and forth all day and night, Meowth decided that it was down to cut right to the matter at hand. Grinning darkly, he took a step closer to the group of young trainers as he began to explain Team Rocket's presence at the heart of Mount Moon.
"We wanna get out hands on a Moon Stone so we can power-up our Pokemon with it" the Scratched Cat Pokemon announced proudly, not a single shred of remorse in his tone.
Nolan honestly couldn't help but roll his eyes at this declaration.
"Don't any of you idiots realise that a Moon Stone won't do you any good?" the blonde boy huffed in annoyance, though he couldn't help but smirk at the way Team Rocket's faces all fell at his words, "Neither Meowth, Ekans or Koffing can evolve using one. To them, a Moon Stone is just the same as a normal rock, which is to say, absolutely powerless!"
Jessie and James looked at each other uncomfortably.
It was more than a little obvious that neither of them had known that little detail. They weren't about to admit that in front of the twerps however, so they both quickly fixed their usual sneers back onto their faces. Thinking quickly, Jessie smirked as she immediately came up with a new idea.
"That doesn't mean we can't sell it and make a fortune!" she announced.
"Yeah!" James and Meowth thrilled together.
Nolan scowled and glared angrily at the three of them. Loathed as he was to admit it, their backup plan actually sounded completely plausible. If the Moon Stone really was as shrouded in mystery and lore as both Brock and Seymour had suggested it was, then Nolan had no trouble believing that some rich collector out there with more money than sense would pay through the nose for such a priceless fabled object. And judging by the evil grins on their faces, Team Rocket knew it too.
And if removing the Moon Stone had a negative effect on the Pokemon living inside Mount Moon... well, it was obvious that they couldn't care less. Their whole attitude made Nolan sick to his stomach, and he was determined to put an end to this before it even started.
The question was... how?
"With the riches that the Moon Stone will bring us, nothing will stop us" James beamed in delight at just the thought.
Ash felt exactly the same way that Nolan did, and had no qualms about letting Team Rocket know about it. His russet eyes burned with outrage as he levelled a cold glare upon them.
"We won't let you get away with it!" the raven haired boy announced boldly.
"You want a rock?" Brock fumed, feeling just as outraged by these creeps as his two younger male friends did, "Take one of these... then get lost!"
He gestured angrily at a few thoroughly ordinary rocks that littered the tunnel they were in.
"Get lost?" Jessie repeated, her dark eyes flashing sharply in clear offense, "How rude!"
"Let's teach the newest twerp some manners!" James suggested, a sadistic grin lighting up his smug face. Both Jessie and James set down their pickaxe and spade, and reached towards their respective belts. Seconds later, they were both holding a pokeball each, their challenge heavy in the air.
Ash and Brock both responded in kind.
Each holding up a pokeball, the two boy were more then ready to meet Team Rocket head on. Nolan glowered at their enemies, and was about to pluck Welkin's pokeball off his belt so that he could assist in the upcoming fight himself, when Ash turned to face him. With his free hand, the raven haired trainer reached out and grabbed his best friend's arm to stop him.
"No" he whispered to the blonde boy, who stared at him in confusion, "Nolan, it's down to you to get Misty, Seymour and Clefairy out of here safely. Make a run for it when we start battling. That should buy you all the time to escape".
Nolan swallowed hard as Ash explained his somewhat risky plan.
The blonde boy didn't much like the idea of abandoning his best friend to face Team Rocket alone. Then he quickly reminded himself that Ash wouldn't be alone, he'd have Brock with him. And despite not knowing the older boy for very long, Nolan knew he could trust him to have his best friend's back. He was also by no means a slouch when it came to battling either. So pushing those worried concerns aside, Nolan slowly nodded.
"Got it" he whispered back in agreement.
Misty, having overheard Ash's plan and finding herself agreeing with it, nodded as well. She subtly approached the spot where Pikachu, Meadow and their newest friend were all standing. Clefairy looked up at her timidly, her eyes wide with worry and fear, but Pikachu kindly assured the pink Pokemon that it was alright and that there was no way Misty would ever try to hurt her, or steal away her shard of Moon Stone. With a bit of gently coaxing, Misty was able to gather up the Clefairy in her arms.
Now they would be ready to make a run for it when the time was right.
There was a tense stand-off that last for a couple of moments, then Jessie and James both leapt into action.
"Ready or not!" they jeered at the younger trainers together, both of them hurling their own respective pokeball, Jessie's releasing her Ekans whilst James' let out his Koffing. Both the poison type Pokemon immediately squared up to their enemy, doing their utmost to intimidate them.
Unfortunately for them, neither Ash nor Brock scared quite so easily.
The two younger trainers but met the threat head on by tossing their own pokeballs into the air.
"Butterfree, I choose you!" Ash yelled, and within seconds his Butterfree appeared in a ball of crimson light. The bug type screeched as he fluttered through the air, glowering at Team Rocket just like his trainer was.
"Here we go!" Brock echoed with.
Ash had been expecting to see either Brock's Geodude or his Onix appear in the tunnel before them, so it was a complete shock to the young raven haired boy when a completely different yet distinctly familiar Pokemon appeared in front of them. The creature that appeared out of the pokeball was a Zubat, that flew up to join Butterfree. Ash turned to look at his friend in shock.
"A Zubat?!" he couldn't help but question, slightly confused.
Ash knew after all that when they had left Pewter City right after the older trainer had joined up with them, Brock had only had two Pokemon with him, so he couldn't understand how the aspiring Pokemon breeder had acquired a Zubat all of a sudden.
Brock grinned down at him, his expression a little smug.
"I captured it just before we entered the cave" Brock explained, and Ash's eyes widened to the size of saucers, "You were all distracted by Seymour, so none of you noticed when I caught him".
Ash couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in himself when he realised that the thought of making another capture hadn't even occurred to him. In fairness, he had been distracted, but that was no excuse. A good Pokemon trainer wouldn't have let such an opportunity slip through his fingers.
"Aww..." he whined, hanging his head sadly, "I should've caught one".
There was no time for the raven haired boy to lament his lack of action at the moment though, because now that all four Pokemon were on the field, Team Rocket were eager to get the battle underway. James leapt into action first, before Ash or Brock had the chance to act first.
"Koffing, use your Smog Attack!" the cyan haired trainer commanded.
Drifting through the air in his usual slightly eerie manner, Koffing grinned widely as he began unleashing plumes of thick smoke from all the tiny spouts on his violet coloured body. Soon enough the whole tunnel was starting to fill up with an inky black cloud that smelled like rotting flesh. Nolan gagged as he caught a whiff of its stench. Fortunately, Ash and Brock were already on the case to stop the toxic cloud in its tracks..
"Butterfree, Whirlwind now!" Ash yelled urgently.
"Zubat, Gust Attack now!" Brock quickly added.
The two Pokemon worked together in perfect tandem, which given the fact that they had literally only just met each other was kind of surprising, but undoubtedly effective. Between them, Butterfree and Zubat were able to summon up a wind strong enough to blow the shroud of poisonous gas away from their trainers and their friends, and right back at Team Rocket. Jessie and James both immediately began coughing and spluttering, their eyes streaming painfully.
"Not bad!" Ash couldn't help but compliment his Pokemon and their battle partner.
Nolan on the other hand was less focused on the battle going on in front of them, and much more focused on his own role to play in Ash's plan. And seeing that Team Rocket was suitably distracted by the latest turn of events, the blonde boy knew that now was the time to act. He quickly jumped into action.
"Come on!" he cried, giving Misty and Seymour a gently push to get them moving, "This is our chance!"
Misty, with Clefairy still in her arms, and Seymour both nodded seriously at his words, and set off running back down the tunnel in the direction they had come from as fast as their legs would carry them. After hurriedly scooping Meadow up into his arms, Nolan followed after them, the sounds of the battle behind him quickly growing distant in his ears as he booked it after the other two.
The blonde boy had only taken a few strides forwards however, when Meadow gasped from her spot in his arms. She unleashed one of her vines and gestured frantically at something behind Nolan.
"Bulba!" she cried in distress.
Glancing down at her, Nolan saw how worried his partner was, and couldn't help but immediately become very concerned. It wasn't enough to make him pause however, as he continued hurtling down the tunnel after Misty and Seymour at break-neck pace.
"What is it Meadow?" Nolan asked with a sense of dread.
"Saur!" the small green Pokemon fretted.
Grimacing, Nolan didn't stop running, but chanced a glance over his shoulder. When he saw made his stomach bubble with worry and panic, but it still wasn't enough to stop the boy in his tracks. He just kept on running, all the whilst internally complaining about his rotten luck.
Because unlike how he had previously thought, Nolan's escape with the others hadn't gone completely unnoticed. And as such, it meant that they weren't going to be allowed to make a clean getaway. Right behind him, chasing him down the tunnel on all fours, a cruel smirk lining his furry face, was none other than Meowth.
And judging from the look on his face, he wasn't about to let Nolan get away from him.
"Meowth!" the small white Pokemon jeered, "No need to run away Goldilocks! Just hand over Clefairy and her Moon Stone, and Meowth won't hurt ya. I promise!"
Nolan couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Never!" the blonde boy exclaimed, "You can chase me to the ends of the Earth, but I'll never just hand an innocent Pokemon over to you Meowth!"
He put on an extra burst of speed, but unfortunately it simply wasn't enough.
"Den I guess Meowth will just have to hurt ya!" Meowth sneered.
Lunging forwards, Meowth managed to leap up and jump on to Nolan's back. His sharp claws pierced the flesh of the boy's shoulder, and the blonde trainer let out a hiss of pain. The Scratch Cat Pokemon cackled nastily in his ear.
"Dere's plenty more where dat came from!" the cruel creature threatened gleefully.
He dug his claws in even further, and Nolan couldn't help but whimper in pain. Seeing this from her trainer's arms, Meadow's eyes flashed in outrage. How dare this loathsome creature inflict pain on her precious human partner?! Furious, Meadow immediately vowed vengeance, and quickly set about getting it.
"BULBASAUR!" she screamed, unleashing both of her dark green vines from the base of her bulb. Together, the twin vines lunged upwards towards where the normal type Pokemon was clinging on to Nolan's back.
"Huh?!" Meowth cried in shock when he noticed them.
The two vines immediately snared the Scratch Cat Pokemon up, wrapping themselves tightly around his throat. Meowth choked and spluttered, his face slowly turning an unpleasant shade of blue as his oxygen was cut off. He immediately set about clawing at the vines to free himself as Meadow attempted to throttle him, her eyes seething with thoughts of revenge.
"No... Meadow..." Nolan shook his head, swallowing hard at seeing his beloved partner so outraged and protective, "It isn't worth it... just... just get rid of him".
Meadow scowled angrily in annoyance.
Her trainer was far too noble for his own good sometimes. Nevertheless, the little Grass Type Pokemon knew that she had to listen to him, and so with enough force to take down a Rapidash, she reluctantly used her Vine Whip attack to pry Meowth free from Nolan's shoulder, and with a sharp flick, flung the normal type back down the tunnel.
Meowth went flying with a long, loud scream.
Smiling in relief, Nolan put on a burst of speed, soon arriving at back at the fork in the road where they had initially been before all this trouble started. To his surprise, he found Misty and Seymour waiting there with Clefairy. He was pleased to see that the small pink Pokemon still had her piece of Moon Stone.
The blonde boy just hoped he could help keep it out of Team Rocket's grubby little hands.
"What are you guys still doing here?!" he demanded of the other two humans, "We have to keep going! We can't let Team Rocket get their hands on Clefairy's Moon Stone!"
"We were waiting for you!" Misty defended herself, "We were worried about you!"
Nolan couldn't help but sigh at the girl's reasoning, and opened his mouth to reply, but unfortunately for the blonde boy, the echo of a voice drifting down the tunnel he'd just fled abruptly cut him off.
"Meowth!" an enraged snarl hissed, though it still sounded like it was quite some distance away from where the trio and the two Pokemon were gathered, "Dat wasn't very nice Goldilocks! Meowth's gonna teach you a lesson for dat one!"
Misty swallowed hard, glancing down the tunnel they had just left anxiously.
"Meowth?!" she gasped, her green eyes wide with horror.
"Yeah" Nolan nodded grimly, "He noticed us taking off with Clefairy and followed us. Guess he really wants that Moon Stone of hers".
"So what do we do?!" Seymour fretted, close to panicking.
Nolan took a deep breath in an attempt to clear his head, trying desperately to come up with a plan he felt had a chance of work. Casting a nervous glance towards the other path that led from the same fork in the road, though this one headed deeper into the mountain, the blonde boy felt the beginnings of a plan starting to come together in his mind. It was risky, but the young trainer couldn't see that they had any other option right now. With an exhausted sigh and a look of dread in his eyes, he turned back to Misty and Seymour, who were looking at him expectantly.
"Well?" Misty gently prompted.
Nolan leaned in close so that he would be able to whisper, gesturing for Misty to do the same. When she did, the blonde boy quickly began to explain his new plan.
"Take Seymour and Clefairy and keep going until you get back outside" he hissed under his breath, and Misty mutely nodded her understanding, "But right now, I need you to play along with what I'm about to do".
Misty blinked at him in utter confusion.
"What are you about to do?" she whispered back to her friend, not sure she liked the sound of this.
Smirking, Nolan cleared his throat loudly before he began talking, his voice at a slightly raised level in comparison to normal. Leaning back so he was just inside the mouth of the tunnel he could hear Meowth darting down towards them, Nolan put his latest plan into action.
He only prayed that it would actually work.
"Misty! Quick! Meowth's right behind us!" he yelled theatrically, gesturing wildly with his hands and causing Misty to gape at him in sheer astonishment, "You go on with Meadow and Seymour! Get them to safety!"
Misty's jaw was hanging wide open in disbelief.
Nolan, seeing her expression, quickly but silently gestured with his hand at her, indicating that now was the time to play along. Immediately cottoning on to the blonde boy's plan of luring Meowth away to buy them time to escape with Clefairy, Misty gave him a tiny strained smile and nodded her head in reluctant agreement.
"But Nolan, what about you?!" she shouted, making sure that her voice would carry down the tunnel to the Scratch Cat Pokemon's sharp ears.
"I'm gonna take Clefairy and head further down this other path! Further inside the mountain!" he called down the tunnel, grinning when he heard a small Aha! of triumphant from further inside, "I'll be able to hide Clefairy in a place where Meowth can't get to her!"
The sound of hurrying paws met their ears.
Feeling that the first phase of his plan had been suitably accomplished, Nolan quickly readjusted his grip on Meadow. The little grass type whined in discomfort as her human partner all but smothered her with his arms, curling his body around her slightly to entirely block her from sight. Nolan then grinned at Misty, who smiled back at him.
"Okay Nolan! I'm taking them now!" she called, winking playfully at the blonde boy, "I won't let anything bad happen to Seymour or Meadow. I promise I'll take good care of your partner for you!"
And without another word, Misty bolted off down the tunnel.
The fiery haired girl ran as fast as she could, Clefairy still clutched in her grasp, with Seymour trailing along behind her. The scientist glanced back over his shoulder, worried about leaving Nolan behind and letting him face Meowth all on his own, but the man didn't stop to protest. From what he had seen so far after all, Nolan was more than capable of looking after himself.
Grinning in relief, the blonde trainer took off in the opposite direction, still hiding Meadow from view in his arms as he took the other path at the fork in the road. Nolan immediately found himself in yet another tunnel, and like all the others, this one was lit up with dangling lights too, driving a few nearby Paras and Zubat to the brink of destruction. This time Nolan didn't pay the frenzied wild Pokemon any mind. He just took off running as fast as his legs would carry him.
Within seconds, Nolan heard the tell-tale sound of paws racing after him.
The blonde boy couldn't help but grin victoriously. Meowth had fallen for his clever trick, and now Misty and Seymour had the chance to escape safely with Clefairy, which was a huge relief to the blonde boy. All he needed to do now was buy them as much time as possible.
So hurtling along the rocky corridor at break-neck pace, Nolan just prayed that Meowth wouldn't cotton on to his little scheme and would keep chasing after him rather than go after his friends. After all, if the furry white Pokemon did catch on, Nolan didn't have a Plan B in mind.
No. This plan would work. It had to.
Failure was not an option.
And that's another chapter done : )
Wow, a lot of stuff going on in this chapter, but that's good because it's getting us through this episode quite quickly. I know we diverged a little bit from the episode towards the end of this chapter, but I promise that it will all make sense in the next one ; )
But enough about that for now. Instead, let's talk about this week's voting topic. I have to admit, I've been quite excited about this one, because we're finally getting to the main part of this Nuzlocke, i.e. building Nolan's second team XD That's right, this voting topic is the first encounter vote for my Orange Islands Nuzlocke. Here are the options : )
Pokemon Options -
Valencia Island: - Archipelago Metapod - Male - Docile Nature - Shed Skin Ability
Tangelo Island: - Oddish - Male - Bold Nature - Chlorophyll Ability
Mikan Island: - Tentacool - Male - Modest Nature - Clear Body Ability
Mandarin North: - Drowzee - Male - Impish Nature - Insomnia Ability
Sunburst Island: - Mankey - Male - Adamant Nature - Vital Spirit Ability
Some surprisingly solid choices to get us started in this new region, though I'm sure you're wondering what an 'Archipelago Metapod' is. Well, this game follows the Pokemon anime very closely, and as those of you who watched the series will probably remember, many Pokemon from the Orange Islands have a different form/colour scheme to their Kanto Counterparts. This Metapod is one of them, and is actually a weird yellowish brown colour. He will evolve into the Archipelago Butterfree with the alternatively patterned wings from the anime as well, should you guys vote for that in the future. The others are all their standard forms from Kanto. Please vote for you choice in a review, because I'm REALLY excited to start building Nolan's new team : )
Anyway, I think that's just about everything from me for this week, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading my story. Please considering leaving a review before you go, because I'd love to hear your feedback : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )