Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter : )
Now I need to start this chapter off with an apology. I'm sorry if people were expecting this one to be the final part of this particular episode. I really tried my best, but it ended up being so that I had to break it up into two parts. I'm not very happy about this since I've been trying my best to keep these episodes six parts long at an absolute maximum. Ideally, I'd like them to get down to four or five parts each so I can get through them a lot quicker, but that just sadly wasn't the case this time. I think it's because I'd actually written the first part of Nolan's battle against A.J before I'd actually written anything else for this episode, which completely threw off my rhythm when writing the rest of it. Either way, I'm sorry, and I'll do everything I can not to let it happen again.
On a much more positive note however, I'm pleased to be able to say that the tie from the last voting topic has finally been broken. Thank you to everyone that voted, and I'm pleased to announce that the winner was... Gyarados! I have to admit I'm really over the moon about this one, because as much as I love Lapras, I did use her an awful lot during the original Fire Red Nuzlocke, and I barely used Gyarados at all, so it'll be nice to use him for the last bit of this particular game : )
Finally, I just want to say a GIANT 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 6
"I'm getting dizzy!"
The low, pitiful moan of despair had torn its way past Meowth's furry pale lips before the Scratch Cat Pokemon had even the slimmest chance of holding it in. The small fluffy white creature, along with Jessie and James, were all entwined around one another in the small, claustrophobic space. The whole world felt as though it was spinning on its axis, but in reality Meowth knew it was just the big red rubber ball they were all currently inside of. It had taken a short while for them all to find their equilibrium, and to be honest, Meowth still wasn't sure he'd managed to find his quite yet. It was just... one minute up was up and the next second it was down, and then it was up again. The whole process which came with rolling themselves around in the ball was really rather jarring, and it was leaving Meowth feeling a little bit sick. Sadly for the Scratch Cat Pokemon however, his two human companions were less than sympathetic.
"Stop complaining!" James was quick to silence any further protests from the small, fluffy white creature. This whole process was uncomfortable enough without having to listen to anybody moaning on top of it after all, "Look for Pikachu!"
Meowth huffed indignantly at being spoken to in such a blunt manner, but acquiescenced and fell silent.
The infamous trio of Team Rocket continued manoeuvring the big rubber ball for what felt like an eternity for the Scratch Cat Pokemon, but in reality it was only a few short seconds before the quiet was broken again, this time by the only female member of their party.
"Roll over there" the magenta haired woman suddenly demanded, having caught a flash of yellow out of the corner of her eye.
It took some effort on their part, but eventually both James and Meowth were able to swing their bodies just right, and propel them all in the direction that Jessie had indicated. Meowth couldn't help but groan again at the sensation, but thankfully it wasn't too long before their rolling came to a stop again. From within the dark depths of the rubber ball, three pairs of eyes inquisitively stared out, their focus being upon a small curled up sphere that was a slight mustard shade of yellow.
"What's that?" James wondered aloud as they all eyed the strange object critically.
"Could it be Pikachu?" Jessie mused, rubbing her chin thoughtfully despite the fact that she was currently hanging upside-down.
"Yeah, that's it!" Meowth huffed out impatiently, feeling far too cramped up by this point, and wanting more than anything to just get out of this wretched contraption, "Now hurry! All that rolling made me nauseous!"
Heeding the Scratch Cat Pokemon's demand, James grinned darkly to himself as he produced a large sack from his pocket, before in one swift manoeuvre, he reached out of the small opening of the big rubber ball with both hands, and through the bag over the small yellow sphere. The cyan haired man quickly tied it shut when he immediately felt the thing inside the sack begin to wriggle.
"Got it!" James cried triumphantly, hurriedly pulling the sack back into the rubber ball with the rest of them.
"Let's go!" Jessie exclaimed urgently, wanting to get them all out of there before any of the twerps noticed their presence and tried to intervene before they could make their escape with Pikachu. They had been down that road once too often already, thank you very much.
No longer feeling the need to be stealthy, prioritising a speedy withdrawal instead, Jessie and James didn't bother trying to roll the ball away from the scene of their crime. Instead, they simply kicked their way through the base of the red sphere, so that the end result was that their legs were sticking out of the bottom of the big rubber ball.
Then they started running.
"Hurry! I feel sick!" Meowth couldn't help but whine again. He was still completely contained within the ball, wedged uncomfortably between the bodies of Jessie and James.
"Watch where you're going!" Jessie cautioned when all of them wobbled precariously.
"This way!" James urged, doing his best to steer them despite being unable to see where he was actually leading them.
"Hey, take it easy!" Meowth cried anxiously when the two humans that were his best friends almost accidentally dislodged him from his squished position between them.
None of them had any idea how they accomplished such a feat, but by some miracle or divine intervention, the infamous trio somehow managed to blindly navigate their way back out of the huge tent that made up A.J's unofficial Pokemon gym. Thankfully once they were back outside, they were able to easily remove the red rubber ball from over their heads, which at least allowed them to see where they were going. None of them wanted to waste anytime by stopping to readjust their positions in relation to one another however, and so they continued running all squashed up against each other, as if they were still trapped inside that horrible spherical container.
"Ah, my leg fell asleep!" Meowth grumbled from his spot clinging to the underside of the wriggling sack the two humans were carrying. At the head of the strange party, James couldn't help but roll his eyes out of sheer frustration.
"I wish your mouth would!" the cyan haired criminal drawled back, his tone and expression both practically oozing with sarcasm.
The infamous trio that made up the notorious Team Rocket kept scuttling away until they we're outside of the confines of A.J's. gym. But as they got further and further away with the loot that they had successfully stolen, they all remained blissfully unaware that back in the tent, they had left behind a second bright yellow curled up ball.
One which just so happened to possess a very distinctive lightning bolt shaped tail...
"ALRIGHT MEADOW! SEPARATE THEM WITH YOUR VINE WHIP ATTACK!"
"BULBASAUR!"
On the sidelines of the swimming pool, Nolan watched with an air of self-satisfaction as his partner unleashed her powerful VIne Whip attack. With almost patronising ease, Meadow was easily able to wrap her vines around Ash's and A.J's torsos, before she hoisted them both into the air and out of the water, separating the two quarrelling foes with minimal effort. Pleased with herself, the little Grass Type Pokemon then gently deposited the two boys on the edge of the pool, where they both sank down to their knees and began wheezing up water, the fight evidently taken out of them by her actions.
"Why do you keep hanging around here?" A.J eventually moaned after coughing of what felt like a lungful of water, "There must be other trainers you can bother!"
"Yeah, right" Ash drawled back sarcastically, still spluttering up water himself. Looming over the two of them, Nolan frowned in disapproval, but his expression quickly morphed into a proud and happy smile when he glanced over at his beloved partner.
"Excellent work Meadow!" he praised the small green creature at his side.
"Saur!" Meadow beamed up at him, affectionately nuzzling herself against her human's ankle.
Nolan smiled briefly at the gesture, but quickly turned his attention back to the two boys on the ground in front of them, still panting up water. His expression became as heavy as stone and he opened his mouth, no doubt ready to deliver the lecture of a lifetime. Before he had a chance to watch as much as a single syllable however, Nolan was unfortunately cut off, this time by the loud chime of the clock over in the corner.
GONG!
Nolan glanced over just in time to witness a tiny figure on the clock in the likeness of a Pokemon he was pretty sure was called Hitmonchan pretend to strike the Gong with its tiny little plastic fist.
Immediately upon hearing the alarm, A.J heaved himself up to his feet, suddenly all business as usual . He was determined to get something useful accomplished today, despite however many disruptions Ash Ketchum might throw at him.
"Time's up!" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer barked at all of his resting teammates, who practically all jumped to attention at the sharp snap of his voice, "Back to work, all of you!"
Letting out various squeaks and groans, A.J's Pokemon all pulled themselves back to their feet, before throwing themselves back into their intense workout routines. Well, six out of seven of his Pokemon did. One of them... was missing...
"Hey, where's Sandshrew?" A.J cast his gaze around the entire interior of the tent, his expression riddled with utter confusion, as he noticed his beloved partner's absence, "Well, that's weird".
With a feeling of great concern brewing deep down in the pit of his stomach, A.J began moving about the tent, searching for his beloved Sandshrew. The green haired boy's worries were getting stronger with each passing moment that he failed to lay eyes on his trusty Ground Type Pokemon, but fortunately - or rather unfortunately depending on your point of view - A.J quickly came across something so out of place that he was momentarily distracted from anxious thoughts of his partner entirely.
"What's your Pikachu doing?" the green haired boy eyed the small curled up ball of yellow that was only recognisable thanks to his distinctive lightning bolt shaped tail.
At A.J's bewildered inquiry, Ash's ears perked up at the mention of the adorable Electric Type Pokemon's name, and he glanced over in the direction of where he had last seen his precious partner standing. The young Pokemon trainer was immediately aghast when he saw the condition that Pikachu was in, all tied up and contorted into a ball against his will like that, and the raven haired boy was on his feet and hurrying over to help before his brain had even caught up with the sight before his russet coloured eyes.
"Ohh!" Ash gasped, shoving past A.J and collapsing to his knees by the yellow sphere with was so obviously a very uncomfortable Pikachu, "Pikachu!"
The raven haired boy quickly began frantically pulling at Pikachu's bound limps, practically straining with an intense effort as he tried to physically pry his beloved partner free from his bindings. It soon became apparent that his endeavour was futile however, and Ash looked around hopeless at the others with an air of desperation.
"It's no use!" he moaned in despair.
Nolan bit his lip anxiously, wondering what they could possibly do to help poor Pikachu out of this mess he had gotten himself into. The golden haired boy turned and caught A.J's eye, hoping that as the inventor of the strength intensifier that was causing this problem, he might have the solution. The green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer met his gaze, before he sighed and rolled his eyes. He ultimately decided to take pity on the boy he'd just fighting with however, and moved over to stand next to him.
"Here, give it to me" he commanded gruffly, kneeling down beside the distraught Ash and holding out his arms in order to take the curled up ball of yellow limbs from him.
Ash frowned darkly upon hearing the instruction from the other boy's lips. It was clear that he didn't much like the idea of A.J laying a finger on his Pokemon, given the way Ash perceived the boy's downright abusive treatment of his own teammates. His russet coloured eyes flickered down to the curled up ball of painfully tight limbs in his arms however, and he quickly realised that he had no other option open to him right now. He begrudgingly passed the small ball of bright yellow fur over. Thankfully it only took A.J a couple of seconds to resolve the situation, and Ash - not to mention Nolan, Misty and Brock who were all watching the scene unfolding from the sidelines - heaved a great sigh of relief when the ball suddenly uncoiled itself, revealing that Pikachu just was fine and dandy, albeit a little disgruntled.
"Chu!" the little Electric Type Pokemon grumbled, shaking out his entire body as he tried to recover from what had actually been quite a frightening ordeal for him.
"Pikachu!" the sheer relief in Ash's voice was practically palpable, and he eagerly reached out and scooped Pikachu out of A.J's arms and up into his own, cuddling the small yellow creature close to his chest, "You're okay!"
"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked happily as he affectionately nuzzled his cheek against Ash's.
Nolan, along with Misty, Brock and even A.J all smiled as they observed the touching moment between trainer and Pokemon. Eventually however, the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer knew that he needed to break up the tender scene in favour of something of much greater importance, and so he did as much with a solemn look on his face.
"Pikachu?" A.J said softly, attracting the attention of the small Electric Type Pokemon in Ash' arms, "Have you seen Sandshrew?"
"Pika" the small yellow creature shook his head in what could only be construed as a negative response. A.J's shoulders slumped in obvious disappointment, his expression becoming one of utmost misery once more.
"You haven't?" if Nolan hadn't seen just how stoic the green haired boy was when dealing with any situation, he might have thought those words were said in a voice that was precious little more than a whimper. As such, he wasn't surprised in the slightest when A.J immediately leapt to his feet and began shouting at the top of his lungs, "SANDSHREW! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Nolan couldn't help but feel a wave of sympathy for the other boy rise up within him. He quickly found his mind wandering back to the day that he had originally met Iris, when Meadow had ran away from him, albeit only to go and assist someone else in trouble. But despite the reasons why, it had still been pretty distressing for Nolan at the time, and so he could imagine what A.J must be feeling right now. He was about to offer the green haired boy some kind words of reassurance, but before he had a chance to do so, Ash spoke up first, and unfortunately reassurances were not what he was offering.
"Maybe it ran away" the raven haired boy piped up in suggestion, a somewhat sly grin etched into his face.
Nolan had to clamp his mouth firmly shut before he said something he might regret later. He couldn't believe that his best friend, someone he loved like a brother, could be so downright... spiteful. It was more than a little obvious that Ash was taking great enjoyment from A.J's predicament after all, with little to no regard for Sandshrew's whereabouts at all. The golden haired boy opened his mouth angrily to scold his friend, but unfortunately for him, A.J beat him to it.
"What are you talking about?!" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer hissed, his fists and jaw clenched tightly, deeply offended by the insinuation. Ash's face settled into an obnoxious self-satisfied grin.
"The way you treat your Pokemon..." Ash slowly began to taunt gleefully, obviously revelling in how A.J's face was turning redder and redder with each word he spoke, "I'm surprised they all haven't run away!"
Nolan's jaw actually dropped wide open in horror, scarcely able to believe that his best friend could say such a nasty thing. What made it worse was that he was making such a cold accusation on the basis of nothing, and at what must have been an incredibly stressful time for poor A.J. It therefore came as no surprise when the green haired boy's face contorted with pure and unadulterated anger.
"Sandshrew and I have been together for a long time!" the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer bit back short-temperedly.
"Yeah, I know" Ash replied breezily, an air of smugness about him as he waved his hand dismissively, "But when Sandshrew saw how well Pikachu and I get along, it thought, 'I deserve better. I'll find a trainer who treats me like Ash treats Pikachu'".
Over on the sidelines, Nolan couldn't help but scoff in incredulous disbelief at that particular statement.
"What? You mean a trainer that's so clumsy with his Pokemon's wellbeing that he doesn't even notice when his partner's got himself into a dangerous situation?" the golden haired boy drawled sarcastically, and Ash turned to him with a withering look. Nolan continued berating him before the raven haired boy could utter so much as a single syllable however, "Have you even considered the fact that Pikachu might have suffocated if he'd been stuck in that strength intensifier for much longer? No, of course you haven't. Because you were too busy fighting and trying to make A.J into the bad guy because you aren't mature enough to accept the fact that you lost a battle against him. You wanna take cheap shots at his treatment of Pokemon? I suggest you closely examine your own first!"
Ash's jaw was hanging wide open in incredulous disbelief by the time that Nolan was done, but the golden haired boy held firm in his beliefs. Ash's eyes narrowed into a cold glare that spoke of unimaginable fury.
"I'd never deliberately put Pikachu in danger as when you know Nolan!" Ash shouted at his best friend, deeply hurt by the insinuation but unable to see the irony of that fact, "Not like this abusive jerk! It's no wonder that Sandshrew took the first opportunity it got to escape from such pain and torment! I know I would!"
Nolan didn't even try to refrain from rolling his eyes at how Ash simply refused to accept he was wrong about this whole 'abuse' angle he was working. He angrily opened his mouth to fire off a sharp reply, but before he could, A.J got in first, and he wasn't just angry. He was apoplectic.
"SANDSHREW WOULD NOT BREAK THE PROMISE WE MADE! NOT AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH! NOT JUST BEFORE OUR ONE HUNDREDTH VICTORY!" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer all-but screamed in Ash's face, looking like he was sorely tempted to beat Ash into an early grave for those horrible remarks. Thankfully however, A.J - in an incredible show of self-restraint - managed to control those dark urges, and turned to address all six of his other Pokemon. In a softer voice, he commanded, "Now move it. Go find Sandshrew!"
His six remaining Pokemon wasted no time in heeding the boy's command. With affirmative squeaks and chirps, the three Rattata, the Beedrill and the Butterfree, as well as Poliwhirl all hurried out of the tent, no doubt to go show the grounds of the unofficial Pokemon gym as well as the forest beyond. It was only when Nolan moved to follow the frantic Pokemon did anybody speak up again, and this time the voice was tinged with surprise as opposed to anger.
"Where are you going?!" Ash gaped up at his best friend, still crouching on the floor with Pikachu in his arms. Nolan glanced back over his shoulder at him with a cold glare.
"Where do you think?!" he snapped back, perhaps a little harsher than intended, "I'm gonna go help them look for Sandshrew".
Ash gaped incredulously at the golden haired boy that he loved like a brother. He quickly sprung to his feet, still hugging Pikachu close to his chest.
"You're seriously gonna help this guy?!" the raven haired boy could scarcely believe his ears, and was staring at Nolan as though he had lost his mind completely, "Even with the way he treats his Pokemon, running them into the ground like that? You're seriously gonna help him bring Sandshrew back to that kind of life?!"
Nolan narrowed his eyes, and mutely nodded his head just once in confirmation.
"Why?!" Ash gasped, sounding utterly appalled at the mere notion of helping A.J.
"Because unlike you Ash, I can see A.J for the good trainer that he really is, and not the bad one you're trying to make him out to be just because you can't get past your own ego" the golden haired boy replied to the incredulous inquiry bluntly, continuing before his friend had a chance to respond, "And whilst I'm out looking, you can think on this; if A.J is as cruel and horrible as you think he is, why exactly did he jump in to help Pikachu out when you couldn't? You still haven't thanked him for that by the way".
And with those less than pleasant parting words, the blonde haired boy whirled on his heel and stormed off out of the tent.
Team Rocket had managed to get a good head-start with their stolen loot, having ran and ran and ran until their weakening legs could support their weight no more. The infamous trio had to be at least a solid two miles away from A.J's unofficial Pokemon gym by this point, and they had still had yet to see or hear any indication that the twerp were following them. It was beginning to look more and more like they were in the clear, and deciding that they were safe enough for the moment, they had stopped to take a short break. As such, all three members of the infamous trio of Team Rocket were slumped on the ground, breathing and wheezing for breath as they gave their aching muscles a well deserved rest.
"Those clowns will never catch up with us!" Jessie exclaimed with an air of triumph as she pulled herself back to her feet with some considerable effort.
At her side, James allowed a small tired groan to slip past his lips, before he mirrored the action, heaving the heavy sack which they all believed to contain Pikachu inside up with him.
"I'm exhausted!" the cyan haired man complained as he stood to his full height, shoving the heavy sack towards Jessie as he did so, "You take the bag now!"
Jessie immediately decided that she didn't want to do that labour however, and quickly struck a rather pleading pose. She clasped her hands tightly together and turned on the doe eyes, even batting her eyelids at her male counterpart for effect.
"But a real gentleman always carries the bag" Jessie pouted at her friend in a manner which could only be described as suggestive. James just rolled his eyes at the display. He wasn't fooled by her little act. Not. One. Bit.
"Is that so?" he drawled back sarcastically to the magenta haired woman, still pushing the bag towards her insistently, "Well, as you know, I'm no gentleman!"
The two of them began quibbling over the bag.
Perhaps it was the duo bickering and shoving the bag back and forth between them that did it, or perhaps it was simply the efforts of the kidnapped creature inside still frantically squirming and wriggling around. Either way, the knot securing the bag and keeping the Pokemon restrained eventually came loose, and in a blur of motion that was almost too fast for the human eye to process, the bag burst open, something yellow shot out, and Jessie and James were both knocked backwards with small yelps.
"SSSSSHHHHHRRRRREEEEEWWWWWW!"
It was something of an understatement to say that the kidnapped Sandshrew - for that was who the bundling idiots had taken and not Pikachu as they had all previously assumed - was seriously freaking out. Confused, frightened and above all else pining to be back with his beloved human partner, the small Ground Type Pokemon had been through quite the ordeal. It therefore came as no wonder that the little guy was determined to get away from these creeps, and so he immediately leapt down to the ground, slamming past Meowth and easily, albeit unintentionally, knocking the Scratch Cat Pokemon out in the process. Sandshrew was so busy frantically tunnelling his way down beneath the surface of the Earth in order to get away that he didn't even noticed when, quite by an accidental fluke, the collapsed Meowth's jaw and teeth somehow wound up clenched around Sandshrew's short, stubby tail. The end result was that when Sandshrew disappeared underneath the soil he ended up taking Meowth along with him as a straggler. It all happened so quickly that Jessie and James could do nothing but gape down at the small hole that had been behind, both of them utterly flabbergasted.
"Well... I wasn't expecting that" James managed to drawl sarcastically once the power of speech had returned to him.
Jessie just face-palmed out of sheer exasperation.
Back at A.J's unofficial Pokemon gym, the search for Sandshrew wasn't going very well. Despite the collective efforts of A.J, his six remaining Pokemon, along with Nolan, Misty and Brock who had all kindly pitched in; they had found neither hide nor hair of Sandshrew out in the grounds or even in the surrounding forest beyond. It was rather disheartening for them all. Of course, there was one human inside of the huge gazebo-style tent that didn't seem overly disappointed, and it wouldn't surprise anybody that that person was none other than Ash Ketchum. Much to the irritation of his best friend, the raven haired boy still wasn't ready to concede that he was wrong about A.J. Now though, he was about to stoop even lower, not only wilfully ignoring the severity of the situation, but trying to turn it to his own advantage.
"Hey! Pokemon! All of you listen up!" the raven haired boy suddenly exclaimed, distracting everybody from the searching and drawing the attention of A.J's Poliwhirl, Beedrill, Butterfree, and the multiple Rattata. Once certain that he had successfully captured their attention, Ash grinned and continued with his little address to them, "You've all had enough of A.J and the way he pushes you around, haven't you? Well, you don't have to put up with it anymore, because now you can come with me! Anyone who's coming with me, raise your hand!"
Nolan wouldn't have been able to stop his jaw from dropping wide open in horrified astonishment even if he had wanted to. Was his best friend so far gone in his own ego that he now had taken it into his head to try and lead a revolution?! He wasn't even sure if what Ash had just suggested was actually even legal. Wouldn't it technically be stealing if the raven haired boy just walked off with one or more of A.J's Pokemon, regardless of the fact that they would have had to have volunteered for it? The golden haired boy was just internally debating whether or not he should point that fact out to his best friend, but thankfully he was spared from having that embarrassing conversation by the fact that none of A.J's Pokemon reacted to the crazy 'offer' in the slightest. Nolan couldn't help but smirk in mild amusement.
"Well... the volunteers aren't exactly flooding in, are they?" the golden haired boy remarked to his best friend sarcastically, earning himself a dark scowl from the boy in question, "Perhaps A.J isn't as bad as you're trying to make him out to be".
Ash was starting to get distinctly annoyed with Nolan's constant defence of the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer now, but his pride simply wouldn't allow him to give in.
"Just raise your hand!" the raven haired boy urged A.J's team of incredulous Pokémon again, although now it was more about trying to prove a point to Nolan over anything else, "Get 'em up there!"
Nothing.
Not even a squeak.
It was quickly becoming very apparent that Ash was in way over his head here, and soon enough, Nolan's intense spike of anger towards his best friend slowly fizzled out into fond exasperation. The golden haired boy shook his head at the display, but chose not to make any further comment. The Pokemon's reactions said more than he could ever articulate in words anyway.
"Ash is making a fool of himself again" Misty groaned from her position off to the side. She had to admit that she was getting pretty sick of the boy's attitude towards A.J as well, but had been keeping out of it since Nolan had been doing such an admirable job of getting his points across. Not that Ash had been taking any notice of course.
"Mm" Brock hummed in agreement. The aspiring Pokemon breeder was hoping that the sting of this rejection might be enough to bring his raven haired friend back to his senses.
When it became increasingly obvious that none of his Pokemon were the slightest bit interested in taking Ash up on his offer, A.J couldn't help but swell with pride and affection for them all. With a self-satisfied smirk on his face that practically reeked of smug superiority, the acclaimed expert trainer stalked over to Ash and leered down at him.
"You see what happens when you try to start a mutiny in my gym?!" he barked in the raven haired boy's face, who easily held his ground and glared right back at him, "My Pokemon are all loyal!"
Ash's eyes practically lit up at the opportunity that A.J had just given him to rub some salt in the wound.
"So then where's Sandshrew?" the young trainer taunted the green haired boy with an incredibly sly grin. He couldn't help but to feel darkly satisfied when A.J fell silent.
Off to the side, Nolan couldn't help but glance at A.J nervously. The green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer looked just about ready to either knock Ash out cold or throttle him and put him six feet under. The golden haired boy hoped that a fight wasn't about to break out again, since this had already got physical once, and he had no desire to see such a thing again. Because no matter how obnoxious Ash was acting today, that still didn't give anybody else the right to lay a hand on him, regardless of how high emotions were running.
Thankfully, things weren't about to come to that. They never got the chance too.
Quite suddenly and without any kind of warning whatsoever, something happened which left all five of the young humans and the Pokemon surrounding them gaping in astonished disbelief. It was incredibly subtle at first, a slight tremor of the ground beneath their feet which was barely even perceivable. It rapidly grew in intensity however, becoming like a brief miniature earthquake, before the ground at AJ's the suddenly erupted in a shower of pebbles and soil and dirt. Nolan and all of the others yelped in startled surprise, and they staggered backwards whilst shielding their eyes from the flying debris, only lowering their hands a few moments later once they were sure that... whatever was going on had ceased for the moment. There was a brief flash of yellow, followed by something white.
WHAM!
"Oomph!" Ash let out a low grunt as the white object detached from the yellow one and full-on collided with him, pain exploding against the side of his face. Before the raven haired boy knew what was happening, Ash's knees had buckled underneath him, and his russet coloured eyes rolled back in his head, as he weakly crumpled to the ground like a discarded ragdoll. A soft feeble moan of pure and unadulterated pain slipped past his lips as he lay on the tent's floor, the white object mirroring his actions just off to the side...
Despite the tension that had been lingering between the two of them all day, Nolan couldn't help but gasp in alarm when he noticed that his best friend had all-but been knocked out. The golden haired boy leaned over him, concern etched into his features.
"Oh my gosh!" Nolan exclaimed, his icy blue eyes wide as his hand instinctively flew up to cover his mouth, "Ash! Are you okay?!"
A pitiful moan was the only response he received.
Satisfied that his friend wasn't too badly injured and would be alright again in a few minutes once the throbbing in his head had stopped, Nolan reluctantly turned away from Ash as his curiosity got the better of him. He wanted to know what this was all about after all, and he was also highly curious as to what the yellow thing which had originally caused all of this was. As such, he turned back to face the others... and almost immediately his heart threatened to melt at the sight that met him.
A.J had fallen down to his knees, and for a split second Nolan had presumed that the green haired boy had been struck down in the same manner that Ash had. Upon closer inspection however, the golden haired boy realised that that wasn't the case at all, and that the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer had his arms wrapped tightly around the yellow thing which had dug the small hole through the floor. A yellow thing which wasn't a thing at all, but instead a Pokemon. And that Pokémon was...
"Sandshrew..."
The name was whispered with such softness, such reverence, that Nolan wasn't sure at first that he'd even heard the single word slip past A.J's lips. The golden haired boy watched on, moved by the tender moment unfolding as A.J hugged Sandshrew tight to his chest. It couldn't be more obvious that the two of them were so happy, overjoyed in fact, to be in each other's company once more. Surrounding them were A.J's six other Pokemon, and they are looked as happy as their trainer and his most precious partner did about being reunited with their missing friend. It was a very beautiful moment to behold.
"A.J. and all his Pokémon sure are happy that Sandshrew is back" Misty observed from her spot next to Nolan, a soft smile gracing the young girl's pretty features.
"Of course they are" Nolan couldn't help but beam in agreement with his female friend's assessment of the situation, "A person and their Pokemon team are like a family. When one of them's missing, the whole dynamic feels skewed until they've come back".
Misty was about to express her own agreement with Nolan's wise words, but before the orange haired girl could utter so much as a single syllable, a low groan off to the side drew the attention of the two youngsters. They, along with Brock, all watched as Ash slowly managed to stagger his way back to his feet, and when he caught fight of the scene unfolding before all of them, the raven haired boy's eyes widened in absolute astonishment.
"How could they possibly pick him over me?!" Ash whispered in shocked disbelief, both his tone and expression completely incredulous.
"A.J. is tough, but as you can see, he cares deeply for his Pokémon" Brock chimed into the conversation, answering Ash's question before anybody else had a chance to do so.
"And even you can't deny just how much they love each other now Ash" Nolan chipped in, a warm smiled playing across his lips as he watched A.J and Sandshrew's happy reunion, "I mean, just look at them!"
The raven haired boy did as his best friend instructed, and his russet coloured eyes widened in shock. He could see it now. He could see what Nolan had seen so long ago, the same thing which Ash himself had been blind too. No, the thing he hadn't wanted to see because of his own ego. But regardless of what he thought of A.J and the boy's training methods, Ash simply couldn't deny it any longer. The love that the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer had for the creatures under his command was practically palpable. It was a realisation that struck Ash hard.
"Wow!" the raven haired boy breathed in awe when A.J actually started laughing as Sandshrew affectionately licked his cheek, "A.J. does care about them!"
Nolan gave his shoulder a light nudge, and when Ash turned to face his friend, he found that the golden haired boy was giving him a pointed look.
"You see it now?" Nolan asked him to be sure, his expression and tone both void of any of the harshness from before. Ash sighed, but eventually nodded.
"I've been a real jerk, haven't I?" the raven haired boy whispered softly to his best friend. He wasn't surprised when the blonde haired boy smiled sadly at him.
"Just a bit, yeah" was Nolan's slightly teasing response. Another soft, forlorn sigh slipped past Ash's lips.
"I'm sorry Nolan" finally, finally, Ash was able to swallow back his pride and apologise for... well, for being such an obnoxious git. A bubble of guilt brewed in the pit of his stomach as he thought back on how he had act. He'd been... such a brat! It was almost hard to even recognise himself if he was being honest. He lowered his gaze down to the ground in shame.
"It's okay Ash, just try to rein it in a bit the next time you're on a winning streak" Nolan forgave him, but the golden haired boy couldn't help but gently remind the other boy, "But perhaps I'm not the only one you need to apologise to?"
The golden haired boy posed his words as a question, but Ash knew they were anything but. He glanced back over to where A.J was kneeling on the ground, his expression suddenly weary. This was not going to be fun.
"You're right" Ash begrudgingly admitted, and Nolan smiled at the admission, "I'll wait until those two have finished, but then I'll say I'm sorry".
Nolan nodded his head in gentle approval, and opened his mouth to comment. Before the golden haired boy had a chance to utter such much as a single syllable however, a new, somewhat high-pitched voice suddenly broke into the conversation between the two best friends, drawing their attention away from each other and A.J entirely.
"Pika, Pi, Chu!" Pikachu squeaked from somewhere near Ash's feet.
Both of the boys absentmindedly glanced down at the small yellow creature, and saw that he was gesturing at something. Following the direction of his tiny paw, Ash and Nolan both gasped in shock at what they saw. Quite forgotten in favour of their own conversation, the two boys had allowed the white object that had almost knocked Ash unconscious to escape their attention up until this point. Thankfully Pikachu had brought it back into their focus. It was a good thing that he did too, because much like in the case of Sandshrew, this furry white object wasn't an object either, but a Pokemon. A horribly familiar Pokemon...
"Meowth?!"
That dreaded name had practically torn its way up Ash's throat, the boy was so alarmed, whilst at his side, Nolan's eyes grew wide with shock. The small outburst from the raven haired boy was enough to draw the attention of everybody else. Misty and Brock both immediately narrowed their eyes in distain, whilst A.J and all seven of his Pokemon looked utterly bewildered.
"So then, it must've been Team Rocket that kidnapped Sandshrew!" Brock said as the realisation hit him, shaking his head in disgust.
"Well that certainly explains a lot" Nolan murmured thoughtful to himself, wondering if there were no depths that the depraved gang of criminals wouldn't stoop too in order to get what they wanted, "Like why a Pokemon as loyal as Sandshrew clearly is would just disappear like that. We should have guessed something like this was up!"
"But why?" Misty tilted her head to one side in a slightly perplexed manner, "Why would they want A.J's Sandshrew?"
"Perhaps we ought to find out" Brock suggested, nodding his head in the direction of the unconscious Scratch Cat Pokemon still sprawled out on the floor.
Nodding his head in agreement, Ash squared his jaw and marched forwards, determined to get some answers. Not bothering to be gentle in his approach, the young raven haired trainer stoop down and wrapped his fist around Meowth's prone tail, before he stood up to his full height again. The end result was that Meowth was dangling upside down in front of them all.
"Wake up!" Ash demanded, giving the fluffy white creature a small shake.
His actions seemed to be enough to do the trick, for it wasn't too long before the creature's wide eyes lazily began to drift open. A low groan of pain escaped from the Scratch Cat Pokemon's furry lips as he tried to rouse his groggy thoughts into something more comprehensive. It was only after a full ten seconds had passed that the small white creature's mind caught up with the situation enough to be able to register that he was currently being dangled upside down by his tail. Needless to say, it was a circumstance that Meowth did not appreciate finding himself in.
"MEOWTH!"
With a fierce snarl, the Scratch Cat Pokemon lashed out with his lethally sharp claws, not caring in the slightest whether or not the being holding him was friend or foe. All he knew was that he wanted to be free of their painfully tight grip, and Meowth would do whatever it took to ensure that happened.
"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"
A nasty grin made its way onto Meowth's fluffy little face as a feeling of tremendous self-satisfaction rose up within him at the sound of the agonised scream. The grip on his tail immediately released itself and the Scratch Cat Pokemon found himself falling, but with the remarkable grace and manoeuvrability that his kind was renowned for, Meowth was easily able to correct himself in mid-air, flipping himself over so that he managed to land on his feet. It was then that he was able to take in his surroundings for the first time, and he quickly realised just who it was that he had unleashed his Scratch Attack on. It was the leader of the twerps brigade and the owner of the Pikachu he was so desperate to steal, Ash.
"Ash!" Nolan gasped in horror when he saw what Meowth had done to his best friend. The raven haired boy in question was clutching at his face, crying out in pain from the sharp sting of all the scratches that had been engraved in his soft flash, "Are you okay?"
The raven haired boy was unable to form a verbal reply. He merely whimpered in pain again.
Concerned, Nolan strode over to the other boy, and with a grip that was somehow both incredibly gentle yet firm at the same time, he cautiously pried Ash's hands away from his face in order to assess the damage. The golden haired boy couldn't help but grimace at all the angry red marks that Meowth had inflicted upon Ash's face, although thankfully none of them seemed to be bleeding. Nolan took that as a good sign. The last thing any of them needed was Ash getting an infected cut whilst they were out in the middle of nowhere like this. Satisfied that Ash would be alright, Nolan angrily turned his attention back to the creature responsible for his best friend's current predicament.
"Hey, where am I?!" the Scratch Cat Pokemon demanded to know, looking a mixture of both confused and frightened all at once. He didn't like the fact that he was in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by people and Pokémon that he considered enemies. That was never a good situation to find oneself in after all, "What's going on here?!"
Meowth didn't receive any kind of verbal response to his questions. Instead, he merely found his way blocked as Nolan, Ash, Misty and Brock, along with Meadow and Pikachu, all glared fiercely down at him. The fluffy white creature took an anxious step back from them before he glanced in the opposition direction, wondering if maybe he'd be able to make a break for it. Unfortunately for the Scratch Cat Pokemon however, he was down on his luck. Blocking the opposite direction stood a furious A.J, along with all seven of his Pokemon, who were just as angry as what had inadvertently been done to Sandshrew as their beloved trainer was. A soft whimper of fright left Meowth's lips before he could do anything to try and stop it.
"How am I gonna get out of dis mess?" the Scratch Cat Pokemon asked himself uneasily as he trembled where he stood.
And then, in a turn of events which could only be described as miraculous for the Scratch Cat Pokemon, fate kindly intervened on his behalf. For quite suddenly and without any kind of warning whatsoever, the fabric flap that formed the door to the gigantic tent that they were all inside of suddenly burst open, and sunlight which was almost dazzling to all of them suddenly flooded into the makeshift room. Several of the youngsters yelped in surprise and were forced to instinctively shield of their eyes from the sudden flash of bright light, but thanks to his superior eyesight, Meowth was easily able to identify two silhouettes standing in the doorway, both of them having struck very dramatic poses. His furry little face immediately split into a wide grin. He would know those two distinctive shapes anywhere.
It looked as though his prayers had finally been answered for once...
And that's the end of another chapter : )
I'm actually quite pleased with how this chapter turned out, despite the fact that I was hoping it would be the final one for this episode. At least the next one will be though, and then I can finally move Nolan and the others onto the next part of their journey, which is always something to look forward to : )
Beyond that however, I don't have an awful lot to say this week, so let's just move straight on into the next voting topic, and I'm happy to say that this time it's going to be one that we haven't had in quite a while : ) It's time to decide which one of Nolan's Orange Islands Pokemon will get to evolve next since I defeated Rudy and earned the Spike Shell Badge. His team consisted of a Level 40 Electabuzz, a Level 40 Starmie, and Level 40 Exeggutor. He wasn't too tough to beat, and so now we get to evolve our next team member : ) The options this time are Vulpix, Porygon, Goldeen, Lickitung, Kadabra and Seel. I'm really looking forward to see how this particular vote goes, since there's quite a few opportunities to get Pokemon which I really, really like. It's not up to me though, so please go leave your Evolution Vote in a review : )
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 : )