Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter : )
I'm sorry that this chapter has come out a week later than I had originally intended, but my home internet went off on the 9th January and was down for almost a fortnight, so I had to push everything back by a week. Still, it's quite a long chapter so hopefully that'll make up for the delay ; )
Now I don't have very much to say this time, so let's just move right on over to the result of the latest voting topic. Well... unfortunately I'm unable to announce the winner just yet, because - you guessed it - the result ended up being a tie, again. Thankfully you guys have now managed to narrow it down to just two possible options, but I'll give more details about that in the footnote : )
Beyond that, 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 : )
The Path to the Pokemon League - Part 5
By the time that Nolan's brain caught up to the fact that his feet were moving under their own volition, the golden haired boy was already halfway across the battlefield and crashing to his knees by his fallen Pokemon's side. Within seconds he was pulling the soaked, shivering and barely even conscious Iris into his arms, which proved to be a little tricky since Meadow, still shivering herself despite being wrapped up in Nolan's hoodie, was still occupying them. Nevertheless, as soon as Nolan had gathered the fluffy purple Pokemon up, Meadow began snuggling up against the Insect Pokemon whilst whispering soft reassurances, clearly eager to share the warmth that the borrowed article of clothing was providing. Nolan's heart practically melted at endearing sight of Meadow comforting a disappointed Iris, but he really shouldn't have been too surprised by his beloved Pokemon partner's kind behaviour. After all, it was no secret that Meadow adored all the other Pokemon on Nolan's team just as much as the golden haired boy himself did. The three of them just remained where they were for a moment, embracing each other tightly and taking comfort in the bonds of their tight friendship and unconditional love.
"And that makes victory number Ninety-Nine!"
"Poli!"
"Shrew!"
Nolan almost jumped out of his skin when the voice of the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer cut through the tender moment between himself and his Pokemon like a knife through butter. He glanced over to the spot where the boy who had been his opponent until just moments ago was standing, and he saw that A.J. had a broad grin on his face. At his side, his Poliwhirl and even his Sandshrew, who was starting to recuperate some of his energy from his own earlier defeat, were celebrating alongside the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer.
Back on his own side of the battlefield, Nolan allowed a soft sigh of clear disappointment to slip past his lips as the realisation that he had lost the match slowly began to sink in with him. When Iris had initially gone down, the boy had been so overcome with concern for her well-being that he'd actually almost forgotten the battle altogether. Nevertheless, the defeat stung. He could scarcely believe that he had been one victory up, only to then lose two Pokemon to the same one. The golden haired boy was quick to push those thoughts away however. In the grand scheme of things this battle meant nothing, and as long as Meadow and Iris were okay then that was all Nolan cared about. The boy glanced back down at his two beloved Pokemon snuggled up his arms, only to see that Iris' antenna were drooping sadly. It was clear that the Insect Pokemon felt disappointed in her own performance, unjustified though that may be. Horrified that the fluffy purple creature could think so little of herself right now, Nolan quickly tried to set the record straight.
"Hey now. None of that, you hear me?" he whispered gently so that only Iris and Meadow could hear him, gently stroking the former's drenched fur in a soothing and reassuring manner, "You did your very best out there, and I'm proud of all the effort that you put in Iris. A.J's Poliwhirl was just a little stronger, but that's no reflection upon your performance, okay?"
"Veno..." Iris sniffled sadly, but begrudgingly nodded.
Nolan smiled down at her sympathetically, still cuddling both the Insect Pokemon and his own partner tight against his chest. He could understand why she felt so disheartened about her defeat. Losing was never exactly fun after all, and not to sound immodest, but Nolan and his team's defeats were so few and far between that they were still learning how to deal with such loses. Still, the golden haired boy had meant what he'd said before - Iris had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. He just hoped that his beloved Bug Type Pokemon would come to accept that sooner rather than later.
"Would you like to rest up for a while in your pokeball?" the golden haired boy offered the fluffy purple creature in his arms kindly.
"Veno...nat..." still looking a little teary, Iris slowly repeated the action of nodding.
Continuing to smile down at the small Bug Type Pokemon in his arms, Nolan returned the gesture, before he gently set her down on the ground in front of him. Then, now that he had an arm free, he reached down towards his belt and plucked off Iris' pokeballs. In a matter of moments, the Insect Pokemon was returned to the safety and comfort of the device's confines.
"You take a nice long rest Iris. You deserve it" Nolan whispered to the red and white sphere, rubbing his thumb across its cool metal surface before reattaching it to his belt.
Before the golden haired boy had a chance to do anything else, the distinct sound of footsteps crunching across the gravelly surface of the battlefield met his ears, and looking up, Nolan saw his opponent approaching him. A.J. wore a smirk on his face that was just the right side of cocky so that it wasn't disdainful, but said nothing, waiting for Nolan to be the one to break the silence. It was clear that the green haired boy was still very much keeping Ash's earlier reaction to defeat in mind, and was hoping that Nolan wouldn't follow suit. Thankfully, the golden haired boy did not disappoint, as he conducted himself with great sportsmanship and decorum.
"That was a really great battle A.J." Nolan said graciously, and with such sincerity that even a stoic trainer like A.J. couldn't help but smile warmly at him in response, "I can see why you've got such a high winning streak. You've trained your Poliwhirl and Sandshrew very well".
Humbled by the golden haired boy's kind praise, A.J. blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"You're not too shabby yourself either, Kid" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer replied, and Nolan grinned, "I'll admit you had me a little worried for a while there. I can count on one hand the amount of trainers that have gotten past my Sandshrew and forced me to use my second Pokemon, so I can tell you've got some serious skills yourself!"
He then surprised the golden haired boy by offering his hand. Nolan stared at it for a moment, before he grinned and shook it. He was about to then remove his wallet from his jeans pocket, to offer up some prize money for defeating his team, but A.J. quickly stopped him.
"Eh keep your money kid" the green haired boy waved a dismissive hand at him, his trademark cocky grin back in place, "What I learned from facing you and your Pokemon is reward enough".
Nolan shrugged, but wasn't about to argue with the other boy on the matter. Meanwhile, over on the sidelines, Nolan's friends all watched as the two of them fell into an easy conversation, Misty and Brock with equally impressed expressions on their faces, Ash with a heavy scowl on his.
"Amazing!" Misty's eyes were wide with admiration as she looked upon A.J's Water Type Pokemon, a no small amount of jealousy clouding her expression, "That Poliwhirl is so strong, and knows so many different attacks! I'm half tempted to ask A.J. if he'd consider training some of my own Water Type Pokemon!"
From his position at her side, Brock couldn't help but nod in agreement with her awestruck words.
"I can't believe that Nolan wasn't able to get past him either!" the aspiring Pokemon breeder admitted, shock colouring both his tone and expression, as he openly gaped at A.J. in amazement, "This guy might just be the best young trainer I've ever seen! And considering just how many eager wannabes I met that tried to get a Boulder Badge out of me, I don't say that lightly!"
At his friends' side, Ash silently fumed at all the praise and compliments that they were saying about the boy that he not only still considered a cheat, but now his downright enemy. Still, for the first time all day, the raven haired boy was able to keep a lid on his emotions and his tongue in check, but it was with a scowl that was practically acidic that he watched his best friend suddenly turn away from A.J. and come walking back over to join them. Ash couldn't help but notice that the blonde haired boy had a slightly strained smile on his face as he did so, whilst behind him, the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer headed back into the huge gazebo-style tent without so much as a backwards glance in their direction.
"Hey you guys" Nolan greeted them in what was obviously supposed to be a nonchalant tone, his way of dealing with his crushing defeat no doubt. Misty and Brock, and even Ash despite his foul mood, all smiled sympathetically back at him.
"Hey" Misty was the one who replied to him first, "How are Meadow and Iris doing? Not to sound rude, but they both took something of a beating out there".
Nolan couldn't help but smile at the concern in his friend's voice.
"Iris is resting up in her pokeball so I think she'll be alright" the golden haired boy told his female friend, affectionately tapping the aforementioned pokeball clipped on to his belt, "As for Meadow, well... I think you're doing better already, aren't you Meadow?"
"Bulbasaur!" the little Grass Type Pokemon snuggled up in his arms happily nodded her head.
Then, as if to prove the fact to the quartet of young Pokemon trainers all gathered around her, Meadow began shrugging her way out of the hoodie that Nolan had been kind enough to let her borrow to protect her from the cold. She felt warm and dry enough again now to be comfortable. Quickly realising what she doing, Nolan helped to disentangle the little Grass Type Pokemon from the fabric, before she leapt out of his arms and landed on the ground at his feet, looking for all intents and purposes back to her usual energic self.
Nolan beamed in relief, before pulling his hoodie back on. It was cold and slightly damp, but the golden haired boy hardly noticed. He was just so happy that Meadow seemed to be alright okay. It was only when he was reassured of that fact did the young boy turn his attention back to the battle he had just failed to win, and his expression slowly faded into a frown.
"But man, that A.J's something else!" Nolan said, although whether he was complaining about that fact or complimenting the aforementioned expert trainer wasn't exactly clear, "I can't believe just how easily that Poliwhirl of his took down two of my Pokemon!"
Misty and Brock both nodded in agreement with the golden haired boy's assessment, whilst Ash just harrumphed indignantly, clearly still a little sore over his own defeat. Thankfully, the raven haired boy was able to keep those opinions to himself as he responded.
"Don't sell yourself short" he told his best friend genuinely, who looked a little surprised given the earlier minor tensions between them, "You did a really good job during the first round".
"Thanks Ash" Nolan gave the boy a smile that was only slightly awkward, "But the fact is I still lost. Still, I learned a lot from that battle, and that's just as important in becoming a great Pokemon Trainer as any victory is".
"What do you mean?" the raven haired trainer asked curiously.
"Well, for starters, I'd never noticed before just how much of a disadvantage my team is at when it comes to dealing with Ice Type Pokemon and attacks of that element" Nolan explained, a thoughtful expression now playing across his face, "Perhaps I ought to try and find a Fire Type Pokemon to add to my team next..."
As the golden haired boy trailed off into his own inner musings, Ash opened his mouth to reply, wanting to know what kind of Pokemon his best friend had in mind. Before the raven haired boy had a chance to so much as a single syllable however, a loud shout echoed throughout the whole of A.J's unofficial Pokemon gym, rippling through the air across the battlefield towards the small group of friends, and making each and every one of them all jump in surprise.
"DO YOU REALISE HOW CLOSE WE CAME TO LOSING THAT LAST FIGHT?!"
The furious bellow came in a familiar voice, and it didn't take Nolan and his friends very long to place it as A.J's, although what could have possibly gotten the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer so riled up in such a short space of time was anybody's guess. Curious, and wanting to make sure that everything was alright otherwise they would not be able to leave in good conscience, the quartet of travelling trainers all crept closer to the huge gazebo-style tent that was apparently A.J's home away from home. Nolan and the others all hesitated outside for a moment, just long enough to hear A.J's booming voice call out once more.
"IT'S TIME FOR SOME SERIOUS TRAINING!"
Unable to resist their curiosity for any longer; Ash, Misty and Brock all silently urged Nolan to open the flap of the tent so that they could see what was happening inside. The golden haired boy swallowed anxiously, not liking the fact that he and his friends were essentially encroaching on another person's privacy, but that didn't stop him from reaching out with a tentative hand and pulling open the entrance to the huge gazebo-style tent.
What he saw practically made his eyes bulge straight of his head.
"HUH?!" at the golden haired boy's side, Ash went slack-jawed as he also laid eyes upon the almost startling sight within A.J's training tent as well, for that was clearly what it was.
The first thought that crossed through the stunned Nolan's mind was that he was looking at something out of a science fiction novel because, incredible though it might sound, the tent actually looked as though it was bigger on the inside! The golden haired boy was quick to push that ridiculous thought away though, because that would completely impossible. Still... he couldn't help but gawk out of sheer amazement. The interior of the tent was of a modern design, split into several designated 'rooms' via the same material that made up the outer shell of the artificial structure, and A.J. had used each one to its maximum potential. At a guess, Nolan would assume that he was looking at the 'training area' right now since there were several pieces of gym equipment all scattered around the largest 'room', along with a heavy metal gong standing in the corner atop a mechanical timer. The back 'room' of the tent appeared to be where A.J. kept his stores of food, human and Pokemon alike, since not only was there various pieces of equipment that belonged in a kitchen, but also a couple of flat-pack shelves, each lined with dozens of different jars of what looked like the same kind of Pokemon food that Brock made. Nolan also saw what appeared to be a portable generator, no doubt the same one he had deduced A.J's sign outside must have been running off earlier. Here he saw that several other appliances of the modern world were plugged into it, including a mini fridge and what appeared to be a large solar panel on a cable long enough that A.J. would be able to run it outside of the tent as needed. That would explain how the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer was able to keep recharging it out here in the wild at least. But the final 'room' was perhaps the most unexpected, and Nolan had to rub his eyes to make sure that they weren't playing tricks on him. They weren't, and the boy couldn't help but gasp, considering that he was looking at an honest-to-God swimming pool. A swimming pool, complete with a diving board, inside a tent. Now if that wasn't one of the strangest things he had seen on his journey so far, then Nolan didn't know what was. It was more than a little obvious that A.J. must have built the water training area with his own bare hands, presumably before he had erected the tent around it. Nevertheless, the feat of somebody so young being able to build such a thing was absolutely amazing, and Nolan couldn't help but admire the lengths that the other boy had gone to in order to maximise the effectiveness of the training he was able to provide to his Pokemon team.
Needless to say, it was a very impressive set-up.
Perhaps what was even more impressive though was the Pokemon themselves, and the rigorous training activities that they were all currently engaged in. The whole tent was a hub of activity, and A.J. was standing in the middle of it all, his harsh leather whip in hand, overseeing everything. In the 'training room', A.J's Butterfree that they had seen earlier was grappling with a humongous Beedrill, both of them no doubt refining their technique when it came to mid-air combat, whilst on the ground beneath their feet, a trio of Rattata were all scurrying about, occasionally exchanging blows with each other. The Poliwhirl that they had all been so impressed by was in the swimming pool doing laps, whilst Sandshrew was standing not too far away from the base of the diving board. Nolan also couldn't help but notice that each of the Pokemon seemed to be wearing a little white jacket around their various different body-shapes connected by tight looking silver chains, and after a quick count, the blonde haired boy realised that there were in fact seven different Pokemon in the training facility, which made sense. Whilst it was standard practice for licensed Pokemon Trainers to only carry six Pokemon with them, that rule was only imposable by the law if a trainer was registered with the Pokemon League as travelling. And if A.J. had officially registered this training facility as a temporary residence where he was living full-time, then technically he wasn't breaking any restrictions, and was at full liberty to have as many Pokemon as he liked here. It was only when he chose to leave this place and set out on his journey that those privileges would change, and if what A.J. had said earlier was any indication, that time wouldn't be too far off. The golden haired boy was still musing over everything before him, when a sudden shout from the trainer that had drawn his attention in the first place pulled him back to the here and now.
"GET BACK IN THE WATER!"
That was all Nolan was able to register before something went barrelling passed him, and the golden haired boy almost ended falling flat on his face as he tripped over his own two feet. Staggering to regain his balance, Nolan glared after the blue, red and black blur for a moment, before he realised exactly what it was that had just collided with him, and the boy all but cringed as he realised what was coming next. Because that blue, red and black blur wasn't a Pokemon as he has initially expected it might be, but rather his best friend, and judging by the expression currently lining the raven haired boy's face, he was utterly furious.
"KNOCK IT OFF!"
The almost frenzied scream echoed throughout the entirety of the tent, causing everyone inside to stop what they were doing in alarm. Turning in surprise, A.J only had a couple of seconds to react as Ash came charging at him. Sadly for the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer, that just wasn't enough for him to get out of the way in time, and he quickly found himself staggering when Ash full on rugby tackled him, sending the two boys can flying backwards.
SPLASH!
Gasping in shock, Nolan, Misty and Brock all came hurrying forwards into the tent, concern etched into each of their faces, when they saw Ash and A.J alike topple over and wind up falling into the swimming pool, both of them disappearing beneath its crystal blue surface. The three remaining humans along with Meadow and Pikachu, as well as all of A.J's own Pokémon, all looked on nervously from the edge of the swimming pool as they anxiously waited for the two squabbling boys to re-emerge through the water's surface. Thankfully, it only a couple of moments, prompting a collective sigh of relief from the others. In the pool, A.J and Ash were both glaring daggers at each other.
"Now what do you want?" an enraged A.J snarled at the other boy floating in the swimming pool with him, angrily brushing his wet hair out of his eyes, "A swimming match?"
Ash was not impressed by the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer's sarcastic attitude.
"You're hurting Sandshrew!" the raven haired boy accused, his russet coloured eyes narrowed upon the boy he was quickly coming to loath in obvious disgust.
"Mind your own business" A.J immediately snapped back, looking like he was seriously having to work hard to resist the urge to deck Ash by this point, his patience with the raven haired boy was so worn thin, "I don't need any chumps like you teaching me how to train Pokemon!"
If at all possible, Ash became even angrier upon hearing the short and rather blunt response.
"You call that training?!" Ash gaped at the green haired boy incredulously, making no effort whatsoever to hide just how appalled he was by the comparison that the so-called expert trainer was making. It was only when he turned his eyes onto A.J's Pokemon at the edge of the pool with sympathy that he properly registered for the first time the small strange jackets that they all seemed to be wearing. His anger gave way to his curiosity, and so he asked in a gentler tone, "What's that? It looks like a straitjacket".
A.J, who by this point had swum over to the edge of the pool and was starting to haul himself out, snorted derisively.
"That's no straitjacket" he said in a condescending manner, glaring back over his shoulder at Ash as though he was an idiot, which in A.J's not so charitable opinion, he must definitely was, "It's a strength intensifier".
Over at the edge of the swimming pool, Nolan blinked in curious confusion. After all, the golden haired boy had read a great many Pokemon Training magazines and books over the years, both in preparation for his Pokémon journey and for leisure reading, and not once had he ever come across the term 'strength intensifier'. As such, he was completely in the dark on the subject, and so he turned to A.J in the hopes that he could shed some light on the matter.
"I've never heard of a strength intensifier before" the golden haired boy admitted, drawing the attention of the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer over to himself and away from Ash, "What does it do? I mean specifically, since the clue is kind of in the name. And for that matter, who invented such a thing?"
At the other boy's inquisitive nature, A.J couldn't help but smile warmly at him. He'd always had a healthy respect for any trainer that wanted to learn more about how to help their own Pokemon after all.
"I did" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer bowed his head in a shore of modesty but on the inside he was actually very proud of himself for coming up with such a device, "It's my own secret weapon for unleashing a Pokemon's powers. As for how it does that, well... in basic terms it acts as a restrictive force upon the Pokemon's body, making them need to work harder just to be able to move about. It helps immensely when building up muscle, which in term can be put to good use in battle, such as when ordering a Tackle or Pound attack. It help to make physical attacks like those much, much stronger".
Nolan nodded as he carefully digested the information.
"So it's basically a piece of work-out clothing, but for Pokemon?" the golden haired boy asked to sum up, "It helps them to get physically fitter?"
"That's the idea, Kid" A.J kindly nodded his head in confirmation at the golden haired boy, before he glanced over towards the spot where his Sandshrew was standing, dutifully awaiting instruction. Determined to get this training session back on track, the green haired boy adopted a stern expression as he snapped his whip across the ground with a loud Crack, and gruffly ordered, "Sandshrew, back in the pool!"
"Shrew!"
Ash, who was still bobbing about in the water, immediately had a problem with that.
"But Ground Type Pokemon like Sandshrew are weakened by water" the raven haired boy protested angrily, but much to his chagrin he was roundly ignored, as Sandshrew effortless began climbing up the rungs of the ladder leading up to the diving board.
"I know that!" A.J sneered down his nose at Ash, indignant that such a pathetic wannabe thought he could school him on anything when it came to training his Pokemon.
"You'll hurt it!" the raven haired boy spat back, disgusted that this guy had the sheer gall to call himself a Pokemon trainer, when he was clearly so flippant when it came to their well-being. The whole thing left a very bad taste in Ash's mouth, a sensation which only seemed to increase when his words of protest were completely ignored once again.
"Sandshrew, dive!" A.J turned and ordered his faithful Sandshrew, evidently bored with talking to Ash now.
The raven haired boy in the swimming pool seethed, but ultimately there was very little he could do to prevent what was coming next. Sure enough, at the edge of the diving board high above all of their heads, Sandshrew bounced up and down for a moment before lunging through the air. The small yellow creature then quickly contorted its little body into a deliberate pose, striking an almost perfect dive. He landed in the pool a couple of feet away from Ash with a loud Splash, sending water in every direction and soaking the raven haired boy all over again.
"Nice dive!" Misty couldn't help but compliment from her position over on the sidelines, her green eyes wide with admiration.
SPLASH!
Another torrent of water was sent flying outwards in a circle as Sandshrew re-emerged from beneath the surface of the swimming pool, and Nolan and his friends all watched in amazement as the small Ground Type Pokemon literally cannonballed through the air. He effortlessly landed on his feet, right next to his beloved human at the edge of the swimming pool. A.J gave him a raise smile.
"Good work" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer gave his partner some fair praise.
Observing all of this with wide eyes. Nolan and his friends were once again all blown away by the event that they had just witnessed. Surprise coloured all of their features as they struggled to take in the reality of what they had just seen. There honestly seemed to be no end to this Sandshrew's talents, and it was more than a little obvious that A.J had done an extremely good job when training it.
"The water doesn't weaken your Sandshrew?" Brock was the one to give voice to the question at the forefront of all of their minds. It was clear that the former gym leader was highly impressed that A.J had achieved such a feat, which made sense when one considered that Rock and Ground Type Pokemon were something of a specialty of his.
A.J honestly couldn't help it when an extremely proud grin flashed across his usually stoic features.
"You're looking at the only Sandshrew in the world that's strong enough to withstand water" the green haired boy announced, gesturing proudly at the small yellow creature at his side, who thrilled loudly and happily under all of the compliments he was being showered with. Not wanting their training session to be derailed any further than Ash's rude interruption had already rendered it, A.J was quick to issue his faithful partner with a new instruction, "Sandshrew, pick up your pacing!"
"Shrew!"
Almost immediately, Sandshrew curled himself up into a ball again whilst at the same time, the three Rattata all came scurrying over as well, clearly trained to react to that order as well as part of their established routine. Nolan almost laughed out loud when the three purple Normal Type Pokemon began tossing the curled up Sandshrew to each other, almost as if they were playing volleyball. It was almost like a circus act, and Nolan couldn't help but feel rather amused as he looked on.
"Hey, wait!" but of course, somebody just had to ruin the light-hearted moment, and with a deep sigh, Nolan turned to look over his shoulder as Ash finally extracted himself from the pool. The raven haired boy tried shaking himself dry, still glaring at A.J when he spoke again, "I thought you said pacing, not passing!"
Brock, Misty and Nolan honestly couldn't help it when they let out a collective groan of exasperation, even going as far as to almost fall down anime-style. It was clear that their friend had obviously misinterpreted the meaning behind A.J's instruction and the motivation behind it.
Meanwhile Pikachu, who had been sniffing about the tent and had come across a rolled up sleeping bag and pillow, obviously A.J's for when the nights set in, had heard the raven haired boy's voice, but misheard what his beloved human partner had actually said. As such, the small Electric Type Pokemon picked up the pillow with his little teeth, came scurrying back over to the others, and held up his findings with his tiny paws.
"Pikachu!" the small yellow creature squeaked happily, but Ash just stared down at the offered pillow in bewilderment.
"I said padding?" the raven haired boy asked blankly, before he quickly shook his head as his righteous anger set in again, and he ended up snapping, "I mean, I said pacing!"
"Chu!"
Poor Pikachu, who hadn't deserved to be spoken to like that, whimpered and lowered the pillow. Realising that his efforts were not going to be appreciated by his partner today, the disheartened Electric Type Pokemon scuffled off to go put the pillow back where he had found it. Meanwhile Ash, his heavy frown firmly back in place, returned his attention to the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer.
"Why are you so tough on Sandshrew?" the raven haired boy demanded to know, practically quivering with anger. A.J fixed him with a stern look.
"I have to be tough" the green haired boy responded to the other trainer bluntly, shrugging his shoulders as if it was obvious, which to him, it really was, "But I ask no more of Sandshrew than I do of myself: the very best".
Whilst Nolan could definitely understand that mindset, that in order to be a good Pokemon trainer sometimes you had to be strict and that you always had to dedicated, he could also understand the point that his best friend was trying to make. A point that said best friend was nowhere near about to let drop. Nolan suppressed a groan and rubbed at his temples. He could already feel the offset of a headache coming on.
"But you aren't nearly as tough on any of your other Pokemon!" the raven haired trainer protested, but he knew that wasn't strictly true. Based on the power it wielded, it was more than a little obvious that A.J's Poliwhirl must have been subjected to what Ash could only describe as an appalling training regime as well.
Upon hearing those words, A.J's lips quirked into an actual smile, the first he'd been able to raise since this whole conversation had begun.
"That's because Sandshrew is the first Pokemon I ever caught" the green haired boy explained, looking over at his Ground Type Pokemon partner with fondness for a moment, before he closed his eyes and seemed to fall deep into a very pleasurable memory, "I will never forget that moment. We promised to do whatever it took to become the greatest Pokemon and trainer of all time. Nothing would stop us from reaching our dream, no matter how difficult our path. Enduring fierce storms and raging winds, we've sacrificed everything
to achieve our dream. And it was worth it. We're an unbeatable team!"
By the time that A.J had finished his story and opened his eyes again, Nolan was wearing a fond smile upon his own face. The golden haired boy couldn't help but think about the day when he had received his own partner Pokemon, his beloved Meadow, nor could he help but reflect upon the similarities between themselves and A.J and his own partner. And whilst Nolan and Meadow might not be unbeatable just yet, he felt more confident than ever that they were well on their way there. It was a very nice feeling indeed. Sadly however, he appeared to be the only one that A.J's powerful speech had evoked such a positive response within.
"What you're doing is wrong!" Ash insisted, closing his mind to any and all possibility there maybe it was the other way around, that he could be the one who may have things wrong, "A great trainer should make friends with his Pokemon!"
Nolan turned to his best friend with a frown upon registering the harsh words he'd just spoken.
"And what makes you think that A.J isn't friends with his Pokemon?" the golden haired boy was genuinely curious to know what had given his friend that impression. Okay, A.J was tough on those he trained, but they had all seen how the boy and his Pokemon had celebrated together after defeating Nolan. If they weren't friends, there was no way that they'd all be so happy.
"Gee, I don't know Nolan" the raven haired boy drawled sarcastically, giving his friend a look that would suggest he was a halfwit, "Maybe the fact that he's using a whip to terrorise them, or working them half to death, or that he's literally trapping them in straitjackets! Do any of those things suggest that he cares about his Pokemon at all?!"
Not appreciating being spoken to as though he was an idiot, Nolan glared icily back at him.
"Before you go throwing accusations of abusive and neglectful treatment of Pokemon around, I suggest you get your facts in order, and take a closer look" the golden haired boy replied in a calm but very cold tone of voice, "Not one of the Pokemon in this tent has a single mark on them, and if a whip had been used on them, the evidence would be pretty obvious. They're all well-groomed, and they look pretty well-nourished too, so there's no sign of neglect or that A.J's overworking them either! And as for those jackets they're all wearing, whilst I agree that's a little too tough for my taste, if any of the Pokemon minded them that much, it would be pretty easy for them to break free of them, which I think tells you quite a lot! You have no idea of the relationship between A.J and his Pokemon Ash, so you shouldn't go making assumptions! You wouldn't like it if somebody did that about you and your Pokemon!"
By the time that the golden haired boy had finished talking, Ash's jaw was hanging wide open from sheer disbelief. His face quickly morphed into a dark scowl however, angry and a little hurt that his best friend was clearly on the opposing side in this argument. Annoyed that all of his points had so easily been dismantled, Ash turned towards Misty, but found that she was still distracted by admiring A.J's Poliwhirl. That left Brock, and Ash turned to the aspiring Pokemon breeder in the hopes of garnering some back-up.
"Hey, Brock, don't you have anything to say about this?" the raven haired trainer looked towards the older boy with an air of hope.
"I do" the former gym leader from Pewter City confirmed, and Ash beamed, sure that his arguments against the so-called expert trainer were about to be validated. That was why it came as a complete shock when Brock opened his mouth again and said, "Like Nolan said before: your Pokemon are all in great shape. What kind of Pokemon food do you give them?"
Ash groaned miserably.
That most definitely had not been the kind of response that he'd been hoping for.
A.J on the other hand looked rather taken aback by the inquiry at first, but then his face split into a broad grin. He always enjoyed sharing tips with the trainers that visited his unofficial Pokemon gym, provided that they carried a certain amount of skill themselves. And A.J had a strong suspicion that three out of the four trainers standing before him carried an enormous amount of skill between them.
"My own recipe!" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer answered Brock's question enthusiastically, before he made a beckoning gesture with his hand, "Come on, I'll show you".
And so with a renewed spring in his step, A.J began leading the way towards the back of the tent, to the 'room' containing all the shelves of Pokemon food and the equipment he used to make it. Brock eagerly followed after him, and Nolan was behind them sharpish. Even Misty's interest was peaked enough to draw her away from her observations of the Poliwhirl working out in the swimming pool, and she quickly moved over to join the three of them. That just left Ash, and because he was still sulking, he remained where he was out of pure principal, unwilling to engage with A.J any further for the time being. The raven haired boy couldn't help but frown heavily to himself however as the others all moved away from him, his thoughts racing as the same two questions chased each other in circles through his mind.
Namely - was A.J actually right?
Was this harsh, almost brutal method of training really the best way of raising Pokemon?
Ash honestly didn't know the answers to either one of those two questions, and that disturbed him more than he was willing to admit. When he and his friends had first entered the tent and seen the way that A.J was training his Pokemon, the raven haired boy had been so confident in his righteous anger, but now, after hearing Nolan so easily and so logically break apart all of his arguments with valid points, the raven haired boy didn't know anymore.
He just didn't know.
Meanwhile, back outside of the tent in the glorious sunshine, A.J unknowingly had three more visitors to his unofficial Pokemon gym. Unlike those he was currently showing around the training facility he had built for himself however, these three did not come with the best of intentions, and were not the kind of house guests that anybody would ever want. Namely - they were the infamous trio of Team Rocket, and they had once again hatched another cunning plan in an attempt to swipe the special Pikachu that they so desperately desired.
"Insulated gloves?" Jessie was currently in the process of running through her mental checklist with her co-workers, positive that this time their latest scheme would come to fruition.
"Check" James nodded his head, holding up three sets of pink rubber gloves for his female counterpart to inspect. Nodding in satisfaction, Jessie then turned to address Meowth.
"Big rubber ball?" she inquired of the Scratch Cat Pokemon, who much to her surprise, came walking towards her whilst on top of the aforementioned big red rubber ball, with all the expert skill and grace that for all the world he looked like a little circus performer.
"Check, check, check-a-rooni" the fluffy white Normal Type Pokemon confirmed, his tail wagging happily in excitement as he eagerly awaited what was coming next.
Smirking darkly in satisfaction that they had everything that they'd need to pull off this rather ingenious scheme of theirs, Jessie nodded at her two teammates, before she decided it was time to get down to business. As such, she put the first and possibly most important phase of the plan into action, and immediately struck a highly dramatic pose.
"Team Rocket will do what it has to do..." she trailed off in order to allow her male counterpart to take over. James quickly caught the hint, and struck a dramatic pose of his own.
"To snatch that little Pikachu" the cyan haired man added with a flourish, his face contorted into a nasty mockery of a smile.
No sooner had the last word parted ways with James' lips did both his and Jessie's expressions fade into reflective frowns. Their shoulders each fell into equal slumps, and Jessie let out a short sigh, whilst James rubbed his chin in a thoughtful manner.
"Maybe we should go back to our old motto" the cyan haired man eventually mused aloud after a moment of deep contemplation, "This one doesn't feel right".
The suggestion had clearly been aimed at his female counterpart, but before the magenta haired woman could voice her own opinion on the subject, Meowth eagerly chimed into the conversation with some thoughts of his own. Jessie and James both looked down towards him in fond exasperation.
"Hey, how about a theme-Meowth song?" the Scratch Cat Pokemon asked with an air of hope as he skilfully rolled back and forth on top of the big rubber ball, "And I could even do a little dance solo! Everyone loves me, don't you think? Meowth!"
And with that hopeful proposal, the fluffy Normal Type Pokemon began dancing around on top of the ball to show off his ideas.
"A song's no good" Jessie was quick to dismiss that particular idea.
Meowth paid her no mind, happily singing to himself as he continued rolling around on the big red ball.
"A dance won't work" James shook his head at the notion of them bursting into a scene to commit a serious crime, and instead breaking out their dance moves. They'd be laughed all the way out of Team Rocket.
Again, Meowth ignored the protests as he continued rolling along on his merry way. Eventually starting to lose her patience with the Scratch Cat Pokemon's dramatics, Jessie's beautiful face quickly morphed into a displeased scowl of annoyance.
"Here's a line you'll like" she drawled sarcastically, prompting her male counterpart to glance over at her.
"And what's that?" James arched a curious eyebrow at Jessie. She smirked nastily.
"How about, "choreography killed the cat"?" the beautiful magenta haired woman suggested with an almost sinister grin.
James allowed a small chuckle of dark amusement to escape his lips, but otherwise he didn't verbally respond and just shook his head at the teasing suggesting. Instead, the cyan haired man waited until Meowth rolled the big rubber ball back over to them, and in one swift fluid movement, James scooped up the Scratch Cat Pokemon in his arms before dropping him through a moderately sized hole in the ball, so that the fluffy white creature was now literally inside it. Ignoring the small groan of pain his actions had elicited from the Normal Type Pokemon, James then held the ball still, before he turned towards Jessie with a flourish.
"After you" he offered, and Jessie smirked at him.
"Why thank you" the magenta haired woman drawled at her male counterpart, before she effortlessly and gracefully slipped through the hole, disappearing into the large red sphere as well.
Moments later James clambered through the hole as well, so that all three members of the infamous trio were inside the big rubber ball. It was very cramped and extremely uncomfortable, but at least they all fit, even if they were all tangled around each other with barely enough room to breathe. Wanting this to be over as quickly as possible, Jessie, James and Meowth all quickly found their equilibrium, and once they had it they were able to slowly but surely start rolling the ball from within. Soon enough, the trio of Team Rocket were off and already on their way.
It was time to steal a Pikachu.
Back inside of the tent, A.J was still showing Brock, Misty and Nolan how he went about preparing all of the different kinds of foods that he gave to his Pokemon to improve certain attributes of their individual diets, and whilst Nolan and Misty both found it very interesting, neither of them were quite able to keep up with Brock's enthusiasm for the subject. The aspiring Pokemon breeder and the acclaimed expert trainer were so deep in conversation that they almost jumped clean out of their skin when the mechanical gong over in the corner suddenly activated. Nolan couldn't help but find it slightly amusing when a miniature figure of a Pokemon he was pretty sure was called a Hitmonlee popped up and pretended to kick the alarm, sending and echoing Gong! throughout the entirety of the tent. Obviously caught off guard, A.J quickly regained his composure before turning to address all of his Pokemon.
"Okay, you wimps get a fifteen minute break" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer announced, sounding remarkably like a drill sergeant from the military forces.
Almost immediately, all seven of the Pokemon working out in the unofficial gym stopped what they were doing, and practically collapsed where they stood.
In the midst of all of the panting and groaning creatures stood Ash, and unsurprisingly, he was neither happy nor impressed by what he saw. His russet coloured eyes lingered on each of A.J's seven Pokemon in turn, sympathy and concern filling his gaze. Even Sandshrew and Poliwhirl, who seemed to be the green haired boy's strongest teammates, were completely exhausted. The Tadpole Pokemon was floating lazily in the pool, whilst Sandshrew had dropped a small modified dumbbell and was now gasping for breath. Pitying them immensely, Ash's gaze hardened as he rounded on the person he held responsible for their current pitifully condition.
"HEY!" the raven haired boy barked to get the acclaimed expert trainer's attention. With a long-suffering sigh, A.J glanced over at him.
"Now what do you want?" the green haired boy snapped back at him in a somewhat harsh tone, because whilst A.J found his three friends to be rather pleasant company, the boy's patience for Ash himself had now officially run out. Ash levelled him with an unimpressed scowl.
"Your Pokémon are totally wiped out!" the raven haired boy told A.J angrily, rather pointing out the obvious if truth be told.
"You better believe it!" A.J harrumphed in snide, begrudging agreement, and Ash growled and clenched his teeth. He just couldn't stomach the way that A.J could be so dismissive about the welfare of his own Pokemon, and sadly, things were about to reach their boiling point, "In this gym, we live by the rule 'no pain, no gain'. But judging by your little stuffed Pikachu over there, you don't follow any rules!"
And with those short few words, any tenuous hold that Ash might have held over his own brewing temper instantly shattered.
"HE'S NOT A STUFFED PIKACHU! TAKE IT BACK!" losing all composure if he'd ever had any to begin with, the words practically tore themselves from Ash's lips in a fierce, almost deranged scream, the raven haired boy was so filled with rage. And when the green haired expert trainer didn't respond quickly enough for Ash's liking, the raven haired boy turned a furious shade of scarlet, before he lunged at him, "HEY! DID YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID TAKE. IT. BACK!"
And before Nolan, Misty or Brock had a chance to stop him, Ash finally gave into the tension that had been boiling over for a while now, and took a swing at A.J.
SPLASH!
For the second time in as many hours, both raven haired boy and the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer ended up tumbling into the swimming pool, a Nolan couldn't help but groan as he watched from the sidelines. But then, much to the golden haired boy's horror, neither his best friend nor A.J were apparently willing to let it go there. The two boys both grabbed the other by the shoulders and began grappling with each other, and it wasn't long before the situation devolved into a full-on fist fight.
"Don't, Ash!" Nolan yelled, running over to the edge of the pool, feeling helpless, "Please! Ash! A.J! Both of you stop it!"
But it was no use. Both of the other two boys were so focused on trying to throttle each other that it was like they didn't even hear Nolan's cries of protest.
"YOU DON'T WIN BADGES FOR BEING BUDDY BUDDY WITH A POKEMON!" A.J bellowed, taking a wild swing at Ash's head, which the other boy was just barely able to dodge in time, or else the end result might have been a black eye.
"HE'S NOT A STUFFED PIKACHU!" Ash was screaming over and over again as he tried to pummel the other boy, but he was finding it difficult due to the fact that they were both submerged in water.
"Knock it off, you two!" Brock commanded calmly, somehow managing to sound stern whilst barely even raising his voice. After all, he knew from all those years of breaking up squabbles between his brothers and sisters that shouting would only exacerbate the situation.
"Isn't there a rule against splashing in the pool?" Misty tried to reason with the two quarrelling boys as well, but it was hopeless. They were both roundly ignored, just as Nolan had been moments prior.
All five of the humans, along with Meadow who was currently snuggled up in Nolan's arms and looking very distressed about the situation, were so distracted by the fight that had broken out that none of them noticed that another situation was currently unfolding behind them.
Pikachu, in his infinite curiosity, had wandered away from the group and over to the training area some minutes before, and as such, he was totally oblivious to the fact that his beloved human partner was currently engaged in a battle of his own. Instead, the small yellow creature was sniffing at one of the spare 'Strength Intensifiers' that A.J had lying around, but when he picked it up to take a closer look, something happened that he could never have foreseen. Somehow, the whole contraption ended up wrapping itself around his small frame without any input from Pikachu at all, fastening itself to his tiny arms and legs before the small yellow creature could stop it.
The effect that it had on the little Electric Type Pokemon was instantaneous.
"PIKA!" poor Pikachu yelped in terror as, almost like a puppet on its strings, his small body was contorted into a shape against his own will. The sheer force of the strength intensifier hitting him all at once caused Pikachu's arms, legs and even his neck to be pulled inwards, the end result being that he was literally forced into a tightly curled up ball, with only his lightning bolt shaped tail hanging free. And like a puppet on its strings, there was nothing that poor Pikachu could do to break free of his binds.
Off to the side, Sandshrew couldn't help but snigger at the other Pokemon's misfortune. It wasn't anything personal against the Electric Type Pokemon, but he didn't like the way that Pikachu's human kept on addressing Sandshrew's own when he didn't even know him. Wanting to display his loyalty to A.J whilst the boy was currently fighting with the raven haired human, and in a show of mockery that Gary Oak himself probably would have been proud of, the small Ground Type Pokemon laughed and curled himself up into a ball too.
Nobody could ever have predicted just how massive the repercussions of such a simple small act would be...
And that's the end of another chapter : )
So yeah, a lot happened this time : ) I know that may have been an odd place to end it, but this is quite a bit longer than the average chapter. It was only after I finished writing Nolan's battle against A.J that I realised just how much of the canon episode was let to cover, and I was already four parts of the episode in. I really don't want episodes to go over six chapters anymore, hence why so much has been squeezed into this chapter : )
But that's enough about that, so instead let's delve into the result of the last voting topic. To be honest, I was kinda expecting another tie, but thankfully it's down to just two now, those being Gyarados and Lapras. And since there's just two left in the running now, if it ends in a tie again, I'm just going to toss a coin to decide the victor so we can move on. I really don't wanna have to do that though, so please go leave your vote for one of these Pokemon in a review and help to break this tie ; )
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 : )