Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter : )
Fun fact, this is actually one of the very first chapters I wrote when I first began this story and a couple of Nolan's first few Pokemon were voted upon. I wanted to mention that just in case anyone thought the writing style seemed slightly different. Also, some of the Pokemon had different names in the first draft, so if any names appear in this chapter and you don't know who they refer to, please let me know so I can correct them. I've done a pretty thorough read-through, but you never know, I might have missed something ; )
Anyway, beyond that I just wanna get straight into the voting topic this week, since finally, at long last, the tie to decide upon Nolan's newest teammate has finally been broken : D I'd like to start by saying a MASSIVE thank you to those of you that voted this time, especially those of you who we willing to change their vote to get things moving again, since there was quite a few of you that did that : ) Anyway, I am very pleased to be able to announce at long last that the winner of the latest voting topic was... Seel! I'm not too disappointed by this one since I think Seel is a really cute Pokemon, but I would have liked a Squirtle, most because I prefer Blastoise over Dewgong. Seel is still a good Pokemon though, so I can't complaint too much XD
Finally, I just want to say a GIGANTIC 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 : )
The Path to the Pokemon League - Part 3
As soon as Nolan had taken up his position on his side of the battlefield, the green haired boy that was to be his latest opponent offered him a somewhat apologetic look. Nolan was curious as to what that was all about, but thankfully he wasn't kept waiting for long to find out, and the acclaimed Pokemon expert was soon explaining.
"Sorry if this sounds as though I'm trying to delay things..." the green haired boy started, and when Nolan made no move to interrupt him by asking any questions A.J quickly elaborated, "But I just need a couple of minutes to sort out my team. I know that they didn't really sustain much damage, but I still want to heal up my Pokemon from that last battle before we fight against anyone else. As soon as it's done though, we can get started".
Understanding dawned on the golden haired boy opposite him.
"Of course. I understand that" Nolan said warmly in approval, finding it a very respectable way for a serious Pokemon trainer to conduct themselves. The blonde haired boy quickly gestured for the other boy to go ahead.
A.J flashed Nolan a grateful smile and nodded at him, before he quickly ducked into the gigantic tent, the Sandshrew that was so obviously his partner loyally trailing along after him. The moment that the other boy was out of earshot, Ash rounded on his best friend furiously, giving the blonde boy a fierce glare of disapproval from his spot on the ground beneath him.
"You're seriously gonna battle with this jerk?!" the raven haired boy angrily demanded to know, clenching his teeth so tightly it was a miracle that they hadn't all crumbled into dust already.
Nolan threw his friend an odd look in response to the words that almost sounded like an accusation in nature.
"Of course I am" Nolan replied calmly, a little thrown off by Ash's hostile expression and attitude towards him right now, "Why wouldn't I battle A.J?"
Ash looked at Nolan like he was some kind of half-wit.
"Gee, I don't know Nolan" Ash rubbed his chin in mock-thought, his tone practically oozing sarcasm, "Maybe because he's a dirty little cheat for starters!"
Nolan couldn't help but allow a heavy sigh to slip his lips. Even though Ash was family in all but blood to him, the golden haired boy couldn't help but find his best friend slightly... well, slightly pathetic right now. The way he was acting because of his loss right now was nothing short of shameful, and Nolan wasn't in the mood to stand there and listen to anymore of it.
"Ash, I was stood less than ten feet away watching that battle" he reminded the stubborn raven haired boy from his slightly higher position on the raised platform, "Not to mention that two former gym leaders were also present. Don't you think that between us, we'd have noticed if A.J was cheating during the match?"
But Ash was nothing if not fiercely persistent, and right now he was like an Arcanine with a bone.
"Not if he's done it time and time again. He's probably a master cheater at this point" Ash retorted stubbornly, glaring up at Nolan from his spot beneath him as the golden haired boy shook his head in utter disbelief, "How else do you explain him winning all those matching without losing a single time?! Unless he's lying about that too of course!"
Nolan didn't even attempt to refrain from rolling his eyes this time out of sheer frustration.
"Perhaps because he's clearly a guy that knows what he's doing and isn't afraid to put some hard work into raising his Pokemon" Nolan pointed out to the raven haired boy.
"What, and I'm not?!" Ash demanded furiously as he glowered up at where Nolan stood, clearly more than a little stung by that remark, "You know full well that I was doing great up until now, and then I come to that guy's place and all of a sudden I'm losing?! To a trainer without even a single gym badge? I don't think so! He was obviously cheating!"
From his position up on the raised platform he would soon be battling upon, Nolan just shook his head and sighed despairingly.
"How?" the exasperated golden haired boy asked, deciding to change tactics and bring a bit of logic into this argument.
"What?" Ash blinked at him in apparent confusion.
"How was he cheating?" Nolan clarified what he meant for the other boy, "You're clearly convinced that he didn't win fairly, so tell me, how did he do it?"
Ash cast his friend a look so dark that if looks could kill, Nolan would most certainly be dead on the floor right now.
"I don't know how he did it, I just know that he did!" Ash hissed through his clenched teeth, "And if you're still going to battle him knowing that, then more fool you!"
Not liking that particular remark, Nolan narrowed his eyes coldly as he replied.
"Or maybe you're just a bad loser!" he drawled in an unpleasant tone of voice, his face set in a sneer that was eerily reminiscent of Gary Oak, "And your enormous ego can't accept the fact that there are a lot of trainers out there better than you are. So instead of acting like a serious and mature Pokemon trainer, you're carrying on like a SPOILT BRAT!"
He yelled those last two words furiously, and Ash's jaw dropped wide open out of sheer disbelief.
Behind the two rowing friends, Brock and Misty both looked distinctly uncomfortable. Even though they had only been in a group of four together for a relatively short amount of time, it was just so strange for them to see Ash and Nolan fighting with each other when they normally were as close as brothers.
Ash opened his mouth to respond, no doubt a cutting remark on the tip of his tongue, but unfortunately for the young raven haired trainer, he never got the opportunity. For at that moment A.J came back out of his tent, strolling on to his side of the battlefield, a confident grin on his face. His Sandshrew was close to his side, and looked equally as confident.
"Okay, me and my Pokemon are all ready now" A.J announced, and Nolan turned to face him, disregarding his argument with Ash entirely, much to the other boy's chagrin, "What are the rules you wanna play by?"
Nolan considered this question for a few moments before he responded. Other than his Sandshrew and the Butterfree that he had seen carrying the green haired trainer's backpack before, Nolan honestly couldn't be sure what type of Pokemon A.J might have on his team. Plus the blonde boy needed to carefully consider his own team if he wanted to stand a chance of winning this battle. Going up against a trainer with almost a hundred consecutive wins with no defeats was no mean feat after all. A.J might not be a gym leader, but he was undoubtedly just as skilled as one. Nolan knew he'd need a good strategy in order to keep up with his opponent this time around.
For starters, Nolan was fairly certain that he didn't want to use Welkin in this particular battle. Between all the other battles the Tiny Bird Pokemon had recently taken part in, and all the intensely hard work he had been pouring into finally mastering his Quick Attack prior to that, he knew that his Flying Type Pokemon had to be simply exhausted, even if he was far too obsessed with getting stronger to ever admit it. The blonde boy knew that it was his responsibility as a trainer to ensure that the persistent little Pidgey got some well earned rest.
That left him with Meadow, Iris and Xanthite.
It was actually pretty perfect the more that Nolan thought about it. Meadow, as a Grass Type Pokemon, was the perfect match up to take on a Ground Type Pokemon like Sandshrew. It would be no means an easy victory however. A.J had obviously trained the small yellow creature far too well for that, but a type advantage might just be enough to help Meadow take the lead. At the very least it would help to level the playing field if nothing else.
Then there was Xanthite.
Since capturing the easy-going Geodude back at Mount Moon, Nolan honestly hadn't had too many opportunities to use his Rock Type Pokemon friend in a battle yet. Between everything that had gone on when they had first encountered the Clefairy society and the Moon Stone, to their team's recent showdown with the Sensational Sisters in Cerulean City, there just hadn't been a good time to really test her skills and abilities out. This battle might be the perfect chance to change all that. Then Nolan would have some idea about how to effectively step up her training and help her grow strong.
Lastly, Iris was always an option.
Since she was primarily a Bug Type Pokemon, Iris would be at neither an advantage nor a disadvantage when it came to battling against A.J's Sandshrew. Whilst that may make her less of an ideal choice than some of his other Pokemon, Nolan also had faith that her status inflicting moves might just be enough for the little purple creature to be able to level the playing field so to speak. It was certainly an option he would keep in mind in any case.
So nodding to himself as a strategy slowly started to form in his mind, Nolan smiled before finally responding to A.J's earlier question.
"A two on two battle sounds good to me" he said to the green haired trainer across the field from him, "A trainer loses when both his Pokemon can no longer battle. Oh, and no substitutions either. How does that work for you?"
"It works great" A.J nodded his acceptance of the terms Nolan had laid out, "If there's nothing else, I suggest we get started. Go, Sandshrew!"
A.J cracked his whip against the dirt battleground and his partner Pokemon instantly dashed out on to the field.
"Go for it Meadow!" Nolan exclaimed in response, and Meadow charged into action.
"Bulba!" she yelled, wanting to make it obvious that she was up for this battle.
Running out on to the battlefield, Meadow immediately began sizing up her opponent whilst across from her, A.J's Sandshrew did the same. Meadow narrowed her eyes angrily when she noticed that the Ground Type Pokemon was sneering condescendingly at her. She didn't much appreciate anyone mistaking her for a pushover, thank you very much. There was a tense stare down that lasted for a couple of moments...
Then both sides deftly leapt into action.
"Sandshrew! Let's start things out with your Scratch attack!" A.J commanded with another crack of his whip.
Reacting to the sound like he had so obviously been trained to do, Sandshrew charged towards his enemy, his chubby little arm stretched out, exposing his lethally sharp claw. Meadow and Nolan weren't intimidated though, and held their ground.
They were ready for this.
Waiting for Sandshrew to draw in closer, the duo hung on until the very last second before finally reacting.
"Meadow, use Growl!" Nolan ordered suddenly.
Across the field from him, A.J couldn't help but throw the blonde boy an odd look.
"Growl?" A.J repeated in slight confusion. He couldn't understand why his latest opponent would call for that seemingly insignificant move now of all times. Just what was the other boy up to?
Turning his attention back to the field, the green haired boy was about to get his answer.
Sandshrew was still drawing in close to where Meadow stood, preparing to attack the small green Pokemon. Meadow just waited calmly, and looked her opponent dead in the eye when she finally reacted to her partner's seemingly odd command.
"SAUR!"
Meadow snarled in a way that was so thoroughly different to her usual friendly and kind demeanour that it was actually pretty startling to those that knew her. In that moment, the little Bulbasaur truly looked as poisonous as her secondary typing would suggest, her expression was so filled with unadulterated hatred.
"Shrew!" Sandshrew honestly couldn't help but squeal in alarm.
The little yellow Ground Type Pokemon was so utterly surprised by Meadow's vicious snarl that he faltered in his charge. And that hesitation was exactly what Nolan had been counting on. The predictable reaction was the whole reason he had actually given that command in the first place. So wanting to take advantage of their opponent's momentary distraction, the golden haired trainer quickly sprung into action.
"Now Meadow! Use your Tackle attack!" Nolan cried urgently, gesturing wildly with his whole arm "Send it flying!"
Meadow hastened to obey her trainer's command. With surprising speed given the size of her stubby little legs, the small green Pokemon rammed into the opposing ground type Pokemon with every bit of her weight behind her. The force was enough to send Sandshrew sprawling backwards across the battlefield.
"Shrew" Sandshrew whined in pain as he landed in a crumpled heap at A.J's feet. The green haired trainer looked far from happy.
"Get up now Sandshrew!" A.J ordered furiously, cracking his whip against the ground again, "This battle is far from being over yet!"
Letting out another low moan of pain, Sandshrew quickly clambered back to his feet. He wasn't going down that easily. He would fight to the bitter end if A.J wanted him to.
"Good - now use Dig!" A.J commanded gruffly.
Sandshrew immediately lowered both his claws to the ground, and started digging through the dirt with a frenzy of energy. Within seconds the small yellow Pokemon had vanished beneath the surface of the field, leaving nothing but a small hole in his wake.
"Bulba!" Meadow cried out in alarm, slightly panicked now that she couldn't see the opponent she was fighting.
Across the battlefield behind her, Nolan bit his lip anxiously, but quickly came up with an idea. Whilst this turn of events definitely complicated matters, it shouldn't be too difficult for them to counter. After all, they had been in worse scrapes, not to mention ones where the overall outcome was highly more significant then this battle could ever be.
"It's okay Meadow!" the blonde boy quickly assured his concerned partner, "Just don't stand in one spot for too long! Run around and keep changing directions!"
Meadow wasn't very confident that Nolan's newest strategy would work, but she was willing to give it a shot for him anyway. She began dashing all over the field as fast as she could, randomly changing direction at odd intervals as she zigzagged this way and that.
It seemed to work for a couple of moments, but across the field from where Meadow was hurrying about, A.J wore a smug smirk that was extremely telling. It gave Nolan an awful feeling that he was somehow playing right into the other boy's hands. He just couldn't see how yet.
Behind the blonde boy; Ash, Misty and Brock all watched from the sidelines with interest as the match before them continued to unfold. Pikachu was perched on Ash's shoulder, and was also watching intently as Meadow ran around on the field.
"Nolan's holding his own pretty well, isn't he?" Ash begrudgingly admitted, still a little peeved about the argument he'd had earlier with the other boy, "You know, considering he's facing a cheater and all".
Brock and Misty both couldn't refrain from rolling their eyes, and Pikachu couldn't either. It was clear that they couldn't be bothered to listen to any more of Ash's inaccurate rants about A.J's earlier victory over him, and that they weren't willing to indulge him. That didn't mean that Misty could resist teasing the sulking boy just a little though. He had been getting on everybody's nerves all day after all, so in her opinion a little light teasing was only fair.
"Yeah... he's definitely doing a much better job against A.J than you did" she remarked smugly, enjoying the fierce shade of red that appeared on Ash's face at her words, "That guy had already curb-stomped you by this point!"
Ash was anything but amused.
"Oh shut up!" the raven haired trainer ground out through his teeth, glaring darkly at his orange haired female friend, "I know that wasn't a fair match, even if none of you believe me!"
Misty opened her mouth to respond, no doubt to make another sarcastic remark in her endeavour to wind the poor boy up, when Brock threw her a warning look to knock it off. Misty wisely closed her mouth again without saying another word. There was no denying the amusement in her eyes and smile though.
"Even if that was true Ash, which as a former gym leader I can say with confidence that it isn't, even you can't deny that A.J's current strategy is very well thought out" the aspiring Pokemon breeder remarked.
Ash threw him a look that was filled with confusion. Misty also turned to him, curious as to what the oldest member of their travelling group was talking about.
"What do you mean?" Ash wanted to know.
"Well, to begin with A.J went straight in with a close-range attack, even though Sandshrew are at a disadvantage against Grass Type Pokemon like Meadow" Brock began to explain.
"Doesn't sound too smart to me" Ash smirked smugly, liking the idea that A.J wasn't as good as he made out.
"It does sound like quite a risky move" Misty chimed in thoughtfully.
"It was" Brock nodded in agreement with her words, before he quickly elaborated on the point he was trying to make earlier, "But it was also clever. It gave A.J a good opportunity to get a feel for how Nolan and Meadow battle together. He now knows that Sandshrew can't just rely on brute force to win, which is why he then had Sandshrew use Dig".
"I'm still not seeing what's so clever about A.J's strategy" Ash grumbled, sounding irritated, but also genuinely curious about Brock's line of thought.
"By using Dig, A.J has subtly manipulated Nolan into having Meadow run about to try to avoid being hit when Sandshrew comes back up" Brock continued his explanation.
"Why does that matter?" Misty was the one to question him this time.
"It matters because it means that Meadow is using up a lot of her energy" Brock pointed out to the two younger trainers, both of whose eyes widened as they begun to understand the point he was trying to make, "She'll be getting more and more tired the longer this goes on. Meanwhile, Sandshrew is safely hidden underground, conserving his own energy since Meadow can't get to him in order to attack him".
Misty's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she finally understood. Ash on the other hand just narrowed his eyes furiously.
"That's so underhanded and sneaky!" he fumed angrily, "Can't you guys see it now?! That guy is definitely a cheater to win through methods like that!".
At this most recent little outburst, Misty could no longer contain herself.
"Oh for goodness' sakes Ash!" she exclaimed in annoyed frustration, and Ash started, clearly taken aback by how heated her tone was now, "It isn't cheating, it's called being smart - something that right now I don't think you know anything about! Okay, A.J beat you and that sucks, but he did so fair and square, so get over it!"
Caught slightly off-guard by the orange haired girl's sudden outburst against him, Ash's face quickly contorted with anger. He opened his mouth to retort, but unfortunately for Ash he never got the chance to.
"Uh oh!" Brock, who's entire focus had been fixed on the match they were audience too, suddenly exclaimed in a worried tone of voice.
Ash and Misty both tore their angry gazes off of each other and whirled back around to see what was happening.
Out on the battlefield, Meadow was panting for breath as her speedy sprints were rapidly dwindling into little more than a quick jog. The little Grass Type Pokemon looked absolutely exhausted, and simply couldn't keep it up anymore. Her breathing was laboured, and her legs were burning in protest. It was clear that she was wearing out and fast.
A wide smile split A.J's face.
"Now Sandshrew!" he yelled, cracking the whip in his hand hard against the ground to ensure that his beloved partner Pokemon could definitely hear him from beneath the soil. Meanwhile, across the field from the acclaimed expert trainer, the colour drained from Nolan's face as he suddenly realised the trap he had fallen into.
"No! Meadow, move out of the way!" he cried desperately, hoping against hope that his realisation hadn't come too late.
Sadly, those hopes quickly proved to be futile.
Meadow was simply too exhausted from all the running around to be able to get out of the way in time. In a shower of earth and tiny pebbles, Sandshrew burst out from beneath the surface of the battlefield, directly underneath where Meadow was stood gasping for breath. With a sharp cry of agony and surprise, the little green Pokemon was launched flying into the air, her paws flailing about uncontrollably.
"BULBA! BULBASAUR!" she cried out in pain from the sudden and unexpected impact.
"MEADOW!" the golden haired boy called out her name in deep concern.
Across the battlefield from where the desperately worried Nolan stood, A.J couldn't help but smirk gleefully. It was obvious that the green haired Pokemon trainer wasn't going to let up, not even for a moment, now that things were looking to be in his favour.
"Sandshrew! Use your Scratch attack whilst Bulbasaur's still falling, full power!" A.J commanded hurriedly.
"No! Meadow!" Nolan cried out in panic, utterly powerless to help her right now against the inevitable.
Helpless to do anything but watch, Nolan couldn't help but grimace as his icy blue eyes sharply watched as Sandshrew used his small tail to propel himself up into the air. Then, in a frenzy of chaotic energy, the little yellow Pokemon unleashed a flurry of strong Scratch attacks on Meadow's thoroughly exposed underbelly.
"SAUR! BULBA!" Meadow shrieked in what must have been agonising pain as her opponent's sharp claws viciously tore at her flesh, "BULBA! BULBASAUR!"
It was only as the grappling duo drew in closer to the ground beneath them did Sandshrew finally let up with his brutal assault. With one skilful manoeuvre, the Ground Type Pokemon somehow managed to flip the both of them over whilst still in mid-air, the end result being that Meadow was the one on the bottom. And as you'd naturally expect, this of course meant that Meadow was the one to absorb the full impact as they crashed back into the dirt of the battlefield with a sickening thud, whilst Sandshrew landed softly on top of her. Smirking nastily, the Ground Type Pokemon quickly clambered off of the distinctly crumpled looking Bulbasaur, before he scuttled back over to A.J's side of the battlefield, a particularly smug expression on his little face.
"Saur..." Meadow let out a low whimper. It could not be more obvious that she was in a great amount of pain.
Nolan anxiously peered across the battlefield at the prone form of his beloved partner, completely aghast by this latest turn of events.
"Meadow, I'm so sorry for falling for that!" Nolan exclaimed anxiously, his tone sincerely apologetic as he worried about the small Grass Type Pokemon, "Are you okay?!"
Meadow weakly managed to pull herself to her feet.
"Bulba" she confirmed with a nod, though the effected was marred slightly when she couldn't help but wince in pain.
"Do you still want to continue?" Nolan asked, deciding that it was only right to allow Meadow to decide that for herself. He wouldn't think any less of her regardless of if she decided it was time to threw in the towel after all.
Meadow appeared to give it some deep consideration for a couple of moments, before she curtly nodded her head, confirming that despite the bruises she had just sustained, she wanted to keep going. She didn't want to let her partner down after all, nor did she want to give that smug Sandshrew across the battlefield from her the satisfaction of seeing her throw in the towel.
"You're the best Meadow!" Nolan cheered, proud of how resilient his little green friend was.
Across the field from the pair, A.J looked quite impressed by their willingness to continue the battle.
"Your Bulbasaur's stamina and determination is impressive, I'll give you both that" the green haired trainer genuinely complimented, and Meadow couldn't help but preen slightly under the praise he was offering, "But in the end it won't matter. Sandshrew, use Dig again!"
It was like time was somehow repeating itself.
Just like the last time, Sandshrew immediately began burrowing down into the earth, vanishing into a small hole in a cloud of dust after a couple of moments. Having been helplessly observing the movement from across the battlefield, Nolan couldn't help but grit his teeth out of sheer frustration.
"We won't fall for that again A.J!" Nolan angrily informed his highly skilled opponent, who simply flashed him a cocky grin in response, "Meadow, don't let your guard down! Try to sense any vibrations in the ground around you!"
Heeding her partner's advice, Meadow closed her eyes, and intently focused her attention on the ground beneath her little green paws. For a few moments, the little Bulbasaur couldn't feel anything at all, and was actually beginning to feel a little foolish for even attempting this. Then, much to her surprise, the small but fiercely determined Grass Type Pokemon felt a tiny quiver run through the earth under her, much to Meadow's own surprise. It was barely even noticeable, and she had only detected the slight shaking since she had been paying such careful attention to her surroundings. Grinning to herself, Meadow whirled on the spot, ready to face her attacker head on this time.
Across from her on the field, a look of abject horror flashed across A.J's face.
"No! Wait!" he exclaimed in what could only be described as panic, his confident mask slipping for the first time since the battle had started, "Sandshrew, don't come up yet!"
But it was already much too late.
Sandshrew burst out of the ground exactly like he had the first time, showering the battlefield with dirt and tiny rocks as he went. The only difference was that this time, his opponent was ready for him, and was able to dodge his attack with ease, much to Nolan's delight.
"Shrew!" Sandshrew yelped, clearly just as shocked by this turn of events as his trainer was.
From his own side of the battlefield Nolan couldn't help but grin brightly.
Now that the Ground Type Pokemon was out of its hole and thus back in the open, not to mention at point-blank range to boot, the golden haired trainer seized upon the opportunity that Meadow's sharp skills had presented to them.
"Now Meadow!" Nolan cried triumphantly, a huge grin plastered all over his face, "Use your Vine Whip!"
Grinning, Meadow angled her back so that the top of her bulb was raised and directed straight at Sandshrew's face. With a noise creepily reminiscent of a war cry, the little green Pokemon unleashed her strong dark green vines from the base of her bulb, so quickly that her opponent didn't stand a chance of dodging them in time.
"Sandshrew!" the Ground Type Pokemon howled in pure agony as he was viciously struck again and again by Meadow's powerful Vine Whip attack.
After taking what could only be described as a severe beating, eventually, and with enough force to stun a rampaging Tauros, Sandshrew was flung across the battlefield, and landed face down in the dirt that his own earlier dig attacks had mowed up. Unable to do much else, A.J just stared down at his beloved partner in pure and unadulterated horror.
"No! Sandshrew, you've gotta get up!" the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer pleaded desperately, "Please!"
Perhaps it was by the direct intervention of a miracle, or maybe it was just a result of sheer force of will, but Sandshrew somehow managed to push himself back to his feet. He was wobbly, but the cute little Ground Type Pokemon remained standing, albeit only barely.
"Yes!" A.J cheered, looking extremely pleased, "I knew you were tougher than that Sandshrew!
Across the field from both the green haired boy and his beloved partner Pokemon, Nolan could scarcely believe that Sandshrew was able to keep going. Despite himself, the blonde boy had to respect the creature's sheer determination. Respect or not though, Nolan wasn't about to let up, not now he was finally gaining the upper hand in this fight.
"Meadow, let's wrap this one up!" Nolan exclaimed encouragingly to Meadow, who grinned happily back at the boy as she caught his hidden meaning, "Use your Leech Seed attack!"
It barely even took a few moments for the boy's words to register with his opponent, but when they did, A.J's entire face turned a ghastly shade of white. Of all the possible moves that Bulbasaur could use, he had been praying that the one that was their opponent today wouldn't know that one.
Sadly for A.J however, those prayers went unanswered.
Before either A.J or his Sandshrew had even a single moment to react further, Meadow's bulb began to glow with an ethereal green light, and once the attack was ready, the little Bulbasaur quickly she angled her back upwards. Wasting not even a single solitary moment, Meadow then fired a single glowing green seed from out of her bulb.
"Sandshrew! Don't let it hit you!" A.J cried urgently, starting to panic a little bit as he anxiously watched the small glowing projectile hurtle through the air towards his partner, "Dodge it!"
Fortunately for the acclaimed expert trainer, the small yellow Pokemon was able to curl up into a ball and roll out of the way, avoiding being struck by the attack just in the nick of time. Only uncurling himself once he was a safe distance away, Sandshrew then watched as the ethereal green seed landed harmlessly in the dirt. A small smile graced his cute little face at the sight.
Across the battlefield from the little Ground Type Pokemon, the expression was not reciprocated.
"Too bad Meadow" Nolan sighed in obvious disappointment.
"Saur..." Meadow grumbled, obviously having been hoping for a different outcome as well.
The green haired Pokemon trainer that was their latest opponent naturally didn't share in their emotions however. On the contrary, he was rather delighted.
"Nice dodge" A.J complimented the little Ground Type Pokemon that was his beloved partner, "Now quickly! Go back underground and stay down there until you've recovered a bit!"
Sandshrew quickly began burrowing out another tunnel so he could vanish from sight again, but this time Nolan and Meadow were not going to allow it.
"Not gonna happen A.J" Nolan smirked smugly at the other boy, who looked worriedly back at him, clearly uneasy about how confident the golden haired boy seemed now, "Meadow, use your fastest Vine Whip! Stop Sandshrew before it can get underground!"
Meadow quickly nodded her understanding, and responded to the command immediately. The faithful Grass Type Pokemon all-but flung her thick dark green vines from the bottom of the bulb on her back again. The twin vines hurtled through the air towards Sandshrew as he attempted to flee the scene, and much to Nolan and Meadow's delight, they successfully wrapped around one of the little Ground Type Pokemon's legs, halting him in his tracks as he tried to make his escape.
"No!" A.J yelled in abject terror, no doubt realising that this latest turn in the battle had probably just spelled Sandshrew's doom.
"Shrew!" Sandshrew squealed fearfully, struggling and squirming with every ounce of might he possessed as he tried to free himself.
It was simply no use though. Meadow's grip on her opponent was just too strong to break.
"Great job Meadow!" Nolan cheered victoriously, knowing that they had almost done it now, "Now reel him in!"
Feeling a little smug about how she had managed to turn this all around, Meadow began retracting her vines back into her bulb, and since he was unable to break free, Sandshrew found himself being dragged along for the ride.
"Sand! Sandshrew!" he called out to A.J pleadingly.
Thinking quickly, A.J came up with an idea he just prayed had a chance of working. It was rather obvious that he wasn't very confident though, and the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer had a sinking feeling that this might be it for Sandshrew now.
"Try using your Scratch attack on the vines!" the green haired boy ordered desperately.
Quickly nodding his understanding, Sandshrew began clawing at the vines he was caught up in, hoping against hope that he would be able to hack his way through them to freedom. Meadow winced and groaned in pain at the action, but was unwilling to let go of her captive. No. She had come too far in this fight to go down now. She had to see this through to the bitter end.
She just had to.
And so in a matter of moments that somehow felt more like hours to everybody watching anxiously as the battle continued to unfold, Meadow had managed to snare Sandshrew all the way in until he was right in front of her. The little yellow Pokemon shrieked in alarm and flailed about wildly, desperately trying to wriggle free. Meadow just grinned, whilst behind her, Nolan did much the same.
This round was over now, and all of them knew it.
"Meadow, you know what to do!" Nolan couldn't help but beam in delight, feeling so so proud of his beloved partner Pokemon in that moment for having overcome such a skilled opponent, "Leech Seed!"
Just like she had done the last time, Meadow once again fired off an eerily glowing green seed from the bulb on her back. And this time, thanks to being at such close range, there was no possible way that Sandshrew could dodge out of the way in time. The small yellow Ground Type Pokemon squeak in obvious fright as the glowing green seed struck him straight between the eyes, lodging itself in his skin.
The effect was instantaneous.
Almost immediately, dozens upon dozens of thin vines coated in small leaves burst out of the seed, wrapping themselves around Sandshrew's body and binding his arms and legs and even his mouth shut. Nolan and Meadow both watched with a sort of grim fascination as their opponent clumsily toppled over, thrashing about wildly but clearly unable to break away.
Then the vines glowed with an ominous green light.
Whilst A.J could only look on in unadulterated horror and despair, Nolan and Meadow both grinned triumphantly when Sandshrew cried out as the vines stole most of his energy away. Meadow cooed happily as her bulb then glowed brightly too, signalling that some of that precious life energy was being siphoned back into her, repairing some of the damage that Sandshrew had done earlier and healing her up.
"No! Sandshrew!" A.J cried desperately, but deep down in his heart the expert trainer already knew that it was too late.
Much too late in fact.
As a couple more seconds trickled past, Sandshrew weakly flopped down into the dirt that had been kicked up by his own earlier attacks, the last of his energy gone and transferred to Meadow. There was no way that he could continue battling now.
It had taken almost one hundred battles for it to happen, but it had finally come about.
Sandshrew had been defeated.
Grinning in victory, Nolan couldn't help but allow an ear-splitting cheer to escape him. It was so loud that it actually startled some roosting Pidgey and Pidgeotto in the nearby forest right out of their tree.
"WAY TO GO MEADOW!" he yelled out to his partner, who beamed up at him in response, "I KNEW YOU COULD DO IT! I KNEW IT! I'M SO PROUD OF YOU RIGHT NOW!"
"BULBA!" Meadow cheered as well, jumping up and down on the spot in pure and unadulterated glee.
Across the battlefield from the celebrating duo however, A.J had meanwhile hurried across the field and reached the prone figure of his fallen Sandshrew, collapsing to his knees by his defeated Pokemon's side. He quickly removed the vines trapping him, and pulled the little Ground Type Pokemon into his arms.
Both of them looked miserable.
"It's okay Sandshrew" A.J whispered so that only his partner could hear his gentle reassurances as he carried the small yellow Pokemon back over to their side of the field, "You did your best, and I'm proud of you for that".
From the side-lines; Ash, Misty and Brock could only look on in absolute astonishment. They could scarcely believe that Nolan and Meadow had actually managed to overcome A.J's powerful Sandshrew, but yet they had little choice to accept the startling reality right in front of them. Nolan and Meadow had done it. They had actually done it.
"Whoa" Ash breathed out in obvious surprise, is tone and expression both slightly awestruck, "Nolan really did it".
The raven haired trainer was so awed and impressed by his best friend's accomplishment, that any previous annoyance he'd had with the blonde boy was long since forgotten, as were any possible comments about A.J being a cheater.
"Yeah" Misty couldn't help but agree with him, surprise written all over her face as well, "He really managed to pull things around after that earlier blunder".
"He did" Brock nodded in agreement, before a moment later he felt the needed to remind his friends of something rather important, "But I wouldn't get too excited for Nolan just yet. Don't forget, they agreed to a two-on-two battle. Nolan still has another Pokemon to beat - and I've got a feeling that A.J's not gonna let his winning streak be broken without one heck of a fight".
Back on the battlefield, Nolan was unknowingly thinking the exact same thing.
The golden haired boy was watching with calculating eyes as across the battlefield from him and Meadow, A.J gently set his dejected Sandshrew down by his side, where he slumped down so that he was sitting sadly in the dirt at his trainer's feet. A.J then stood back up to his full height and caught Nolan's eye. The green haired trainer gave him a stern look that could only be interoperated to mean one single solitary thing.
It promised that this battle was far from being over...
And that's the end of another chapter : )
Yay! Meadow won the first round! Now I'd like to reiterate the fact that A.J hasn't lost the whole battle yet, for reasons that will become clear later on. Just note that I really wanted Nolan to gain genuine respect from the other boy, and the only way of doing that was to make any possible victory over Nolan as difficult for A.J as possible, hence Sandshrew's defeat. Plus, I wanted to show that at this point in the story, Nolan really is a better trainer than Ash is, at least in terms of thinking strategically : )
Now, I don't normally answer reviewer questions in my chapter notes, which is to avoid giving away any spoilers, but a guest reviewer asked some and I was unable to reply to them directly because of that, and most of them don't give away anything not mentioned already in the story anyway. So to Nick, the differences so far between canon and my story are subtle beyond the direct addition of Nolan's character. For example, Ash and Misty have a much better relationship then they did in canon at this point, I've already written my first original episode (Titled 'Operation Iris') and have plenty more to come, plus I've expanded on the backstories of both Misty and Brock quite considerably. In answer to your second question, Ash, Misty and Nolan are all ten years old, whilst Brock is thirteen years old. Finally, the majority of the story draws its inspiration directly from the anime, but I plan to include over elements later on, primarily from the games but maybe also from the manga as well. Hopefully that answers your questions : )
But that's enough about the contents of this chapter for now, as well as answering questions posted in reviews. Instead, after what feels like half a lifetime, let's move on the next voting topic, and it's time to bring back another familiar face : ) Yep, I defeated the third and final rival battle of the game, which means that you guys get to vote to bring back one of Nolan's Pokemon from the original Fire Red Nuzlocke. And as this is the final rival battle, it means that now even fully evolved Pokemon can be brought back. So, your options this time are Meowth, Poliwag, Voltorb, Electabuzz, Lapras, Wigglytuff, Gyarados, Aerodactyl, Arcanine, Tauros, Snorlax, Jolteon, Jynx, Weezing, Hitmonchan, Iris the Venomoth, Welkin the Pidgeot, or Xanthite the Graveler.
Now I know it may be tempting to bring in some of Nolan's major powerhouses, but when casting your vote it may be worth keeping in mind that the main advantage of bringing one of his old Pokemon back is that it makes them eligible to be apart of the evolution votes again, and we still have a few of those to go : ) So if there's someone you'd really like to see evolve from this group, it may be worth keeping what I've said in mind : )
And I think that's just about everything from me for this time, so thank you so much for reading this chapter and my story in general. I hope you are enjoying it all so far, and please consider leaving a review because I'd love to hear your comments and feedback : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )