Hey readers - here we are with the final chapter of 'The Path to the Pokemon League' : )

I'm sorry that this chapter is being posted a day later than my usual schedule. I've been on holiday for the past week and only flew back into the country yesterday, but at the wrong end of it. The airline then cancelled the second flight that was supposed to bring me closer to home, so I had to get a train instead, the result being that I'd been awake for almost twenty-nine hours straight by the time I finally got home. Needless to say, sleep was the biggest priority for me at that point ; )

Due to that, I'm still pretty exhausted, and so I'm going to keep this brief. I'm genuinely ecstatic though to announce that the winner of the latest Evolution Vote was... Kadabra! Yep, she won by a landslide, although I have to admit that I'm surprise it took so long. I thought for sure people would want an Alakazam all the way back in the first Nuzlocke. Either way, I'm happy Nolan gets to have one now : D

Finally, I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. The support that has been shown to the story is amazing, and it means so much to me, so thank you : )

Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OC's are : )

I hope you enjoy this chapter : )

The Path to the Pokemon League - Part 7

Despite the fact that he had already been expecting the worst from the very first moment that the curtain-like door had been rudely flung open and bright sunlight came flooding into the tent, Nolan still couldn't help it when his face twisted itself into a pained grimace as his worst fears were realised. He would know the shadows of the two people standing in the makeshift doorway anywhere, even without such obvious hints like the silhouette of a ridiculous outlandish hairstyle or a tacky plastic rose. The golden haired boy quickly steeled himself for a fight, drawing upon his reserves of inner courage whilst also quickly shaking off any of the residual nerves that always accompanied his encounters with this particular band of criminal idiots. Whatever it was that the infamous trio of Team Rocket had come to this unofficial Pokemon gym for, and there was little doubt in his mind that they had come here with a purpose, Nolan would be willing to bet good money that it would mean nothing good. Perhaps they wanted to steal A.J's array of strong Pokemon, or perhaps it was the secret to the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer's success, such as the strength intensifier, that had drawn that here. Perhaps it was even the possibility of both. Either way, Nolan was determined to help his new friend protect what was rightful his. Team Rocket would be leaving this place empty-handed.

The golden haired boy would make damn sure of it.

But alas, despite the young boy's best hopes that he and his friends would be able to get through this latest encounter with Team Rocket with a minimal amount of nonsense, it appeared that Jessie and James would not be letting them off the hook that easily. The infamous duo simply just didn't have it in them to resist giving a performance, and thus Nolan and the others were inevitably subjected to another round of their amateur theatrics. The golden haired boy grimaced as the two criminals struck their familiar dramatic poses.

"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie's sharp voice cut through the stunned silence in the huge gazebo-style tent like a knife through butter.

"Make that double!" James echoed his female counterpart, twisting the fake rose in his hand between his fingers with a grand flourish.

"Meowth!" Meowth couldn't help but cheer in delighted relief at the audible confirmation that his eyes hadn't been deceiving him, that his friends really had come back here to help him out of this sticky situation, "Hey! It's really great to see you guys!"

Judging by the expressions on everyone else's faces, the Scratch Cat Pokemon was alone in that particular opinion.

"Ugh, Team Rocket!" Ash groused, rolling his eyes at the arrival of the rest of the infamous trio. As if today hadn't been a painful enough experience for him without having to add these two bumbling idiots into the mix.

"Use the old motto!" Meowth urged his two human friends encouragingly.

Nolan blinked in surprise, slightly taken aback by the words that had just left the furry white creature's lips. Team Rocket had come up with a new motto? He cast his mind back, but he couldn't remember them ever using a different one throughout any of their previous encounters. The golden haired boy was quick to shake those thoughts away however. They were hardly relevant right now after all.

Jessie and James gladly heeded Meowth's words, and broke into what they no doubt thought was another rousing performance.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie quickly got them started again.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!" the cyan haired man at her side soon mirrored her actions.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" the magenta haired woman picked things up again when James trailed off, flinging out her arm dramatically.

"To extend our reach to the stars above!" a twisted grin unfolded across James' face as he continued reciting their original motto. He liked this one much better than the new one Meowth had come up with.

"Jessie!" the female criminal announced her name darkly, an almost sinister smile playing at her lips, as if daring the twerps across the tent from her to forget it.

"James!" the cyan haired man's tone practically oozed with smugness. It was clear that he was confident in his team's chances of success, despite all of their previous losses against the band of brats opposing them.

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie yelled out to the heavens above as, and not a moment too soon for poor Nolan and the others who had been subjected to all of this ridiculous nonsense, the gang of criminals finally started to draw their motto towards its close.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James threatened with a particularly nasty grin. It was obvious that the cyan haired man dearly desired revenge for all their earlier defeats.

"Meowth!" Meowth happily chimed in, taking full advantage of the distraction in order to slip past the group of angry children and Pokemon that had been surrounding him. The Scratch Cat Pokemon hurried over to join his two human friends by the door, "Dat's right!"

By the time that they were done, Nolan had his eyes squeezed tightly shut and he was pinching the bridge of his nose out of sheer exasperation.

He could scarcely believe that he had just been forced to endure all that, again! Seriously, didn't this group of buffoons ever get tired of reciting all of that nonsense every time that their two groups crossed paths. Half of it didn't even make sense, for crying out loud! The golden haired boy was on the verge of pointing that out to the two supposed 'adults' standing across the huge gazebo-style tent from him, but before he could even open his mouth to respond, something so unexpected happened that Nolan could do precious little more then look on in horrified bewilderment.

Team Rocket, the notorious group of criminals... suddenly broke out in choked sobs!

Nolan honestly couldn't help it when his jaw actually dropped wide open in surprise, and around him, his friends both human and Pokemon alike, all mirrored the action. Meanwhile, across the room from them, A.J and his team were looking more and more confused with each passing second. A terribly awkward silence hung over them all for a couple of moments, and if he was being completely honest, Nolan would be forced to admit that he felt rather disturbed by what he was witnessing. Whether they were good or bad people, there was just something... weird about seeing grown-ups crying.

"That felt great!" Jessie managed to gasp out through the tears streaming down her face, inadvertently alerting Nolan and his friends that these were actually tears of outright joy, "We don't need a theme song!"

At her side, James quickly nodded his head in almost frantic agreement.

"It's a classic" the cyan haired man sniffled, delicately dabbing at his eyes with a small silk handkerchief in an attempt to stem the flow of tears.

Feeling rather repulsed by their amateur dramatics by this point, Nolan didn't even attempt to refrain from rolling his eyes in distain. He would hardly call all that mumbo jumbo a classic after all! And judging by the expressions on the faces of those surrounding him; Ash, Misty and Brock all wholeheartedly agreed with his thoughts. Before any of them had a chance to comment on the group of criminals' quite frankly bizarre behaviour however, A.J suddenly stepped forwards, and he was anything but happy.

"So these are the creeps who kidnapped my Sandshrew?!" the green haired boy demanded to know, glaring daggers at the group of criminals intruding upon his unofficial yet still ultimately private Pokemon gym.

Nolan sighed deeply upon hearing the question pass by A.J's lips. He really didn't have the mental energy to deal with any more confrontations today. But alas, he also knew that he really didn't have much choice in the matter, and so he begrudgingly nodded his head at the other boy.

"'Creeps' just about sums them up" the golden haired boy muttered, glaring at the infamous trio, who just smirked back at him nastily, "They're a bunch of weirdos that have been stalking us for a while now, constantly trying to steal Ash's Pikachu away from him. And failing at every turn, I might add!"

He said those last few words in a raised, slightly pointed tone. Almost immediately, heavy scowls flashed across the faces of Jessie, James and Meowth in turn.

"So why did they suddenly decide to target my Sandshrew instead?!" A.J asked angrily, needing to know if this unknown group posed a threat to his precious partner, or any of his other beloved Pokemon.

Nolan just shrugged his shoulders, not having any answer to offer his new friend. Much to the surprise of everybody gathered inside the tent however, they were not left wanting. Sneering down her nose at the youngsters in the most condescending manner imaginable, Jessie actually provided them with an explanation.

"Mm, that was an unfortunate mix-up" the magenta haired woman waved a chiding finger at the children before her, her tone and expression both highly patronising.

At her side, James leered unpleasantly at Nolan and the others in agreement.

"We have no interest in your second-rate Sandshrew!" James taunted the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer. It was clear by the malignant gleam in the man's eye that he was rather enjoying just how riled up A.J was getting.

"Second-rate?!" the normally stoic trainer repeated, his jaw and fists clenching until his knuckles turned white with rage.

Immediately twigging what her male counterpart was up to, Jessie couldn't help but jump on the bandwagon herself, and quickly threw out a disparaging comment of her own. Both she and James were utterly gleeful at the effect their words were having on the green haired boy opposing them.

"The only Pokemon we want is Pikachu" the magenta haired woman drawled airily, gesturing towards the small Electric Type Pokemon, who flicked one of ears curiously upon hearing his name, "You can keep all those other wimps!"

Nolan was honestly worried that A.J was about to have some kind of seizure, he was so thoroughly apoplectic. The green haired boy was trembling where he stood, practically foaming at the mouth, as he glared upon Team Rocket with the utmost loathing.

"WIMPS, ARE THEY?!" the acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer all-but screamed at the top of his lungs. He was so loud that it was honestly a wonder how he made such a sound without damaging his vocal cords.

The green haired boy made a move as if he was about to try and take on Team Rocket with his bare hands alone, a fight he might actually win, considering how hot the fire in the pit of his stomach was burning. Unfortunately for A.J however, things wouldn't get that far, for before he could take so much as a single step forwards, a hand reached out and rested itself on his arm. Glancing down, he realised that it was Nolan, and the golden haired boy seemed to be trying to calm him down. A.J just barely managed not to scoff. Fat chance of him taking their insults lightly. Not in his own damn gym.

"Why are you getting so worked up?" Nolan asked him in such a light tone of voice that it seemed almost odd considering the seriousness of the circumstances. The golden haired boy wasn't looking at his new friend in that moment though. Rather, he was smiling thinly at Team Rocket, "Who cares about the opinions of a bunch of jokers like that sorry bunch?"

The confusion which rippled through all of the others was practically palpable.

"Huh?" A.J turned his attention to the golden haired boy at his side, his expression riddled with bewilderment. Across from him, Team Rocket all mirrored the expression as well.

"Wha...?" Jessie trailed off lamely.

Smirking to himself in dark amusement, Nolan continued talking in the same manner. Although nobody else yet realised it, he was trying to subtly turn the tables on the group of criminals, using their own tactics of taunting against them.

"Yeah..." Nolan continued with a sly grin on his face, his tone incredibly droll, "I mean, I think it's a bit rich for them to call anything second-rate when they themselves are just second-rate scumbag thieves!"

The effect of those short few words was practically instantaneous.

"WHAT?! HOW DARE YOU?!" Jessie shrieked, her darkly beautiful face immediately turning an impressive shade of crimson, "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT THE THREE OF US ARE ALL HIGHLY TRAINED AND VERY SKILLED MASTER CRIMINALS!"

"YEAH!" James yelled as well, his jaw clenched so tightly in such an intense bout of anger that it was a miracle he could speak at all, "SO YOU BETTER WATCH HOW YOU SPEAK TO US OR ELSE, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

"DAT'S RIGHT!" Meowth snarled, his fur all standing up on end, he was so spitting mad.

Rather than being intimidated by the thinly-veiled threat to his wellbeing, Nolan just threw back his head and laughed. It wasn't one of his nice laughs either, but one which was cold and rather chilling.

"Oh please! You really think I'm going to be scared of a group of losers like you three?" the golden haired boy chuckled patronizingly, angering the criminals across the tent from him even further, "You lot are so stupid and inadequate that you didn't even manage to steal the right Pokemon! It's pretty hard to feel threatened by a group of wannabes that just can't seem to get anything right!"

That seemed to be the straw that did it.

"WE'LL GET PULVERISING YOU RIGHT, YOU LITTLE TWERP!" Jessie all-but screamed as she quickly lost all patience with the barrage of insults coming her way. She quickly drew out a pokeball, whilst at her side, James angrily mirrored the action.

Nolan couldn't help but smile victoriously to himself.

This had been the golden haired boy's plan all along. Lure these unsuspecting idiots into a Pokemon battle, and after they had been defeated - which they inevitably would be - they would be left with no further Pokemon in which to attack them. The end result would be that Jessie and James would be forced to retreat, a method which had worked in getting rid of them in the past. Nolan had every confidence that it would work out like that for them again today.

Nolan was already reaching down towards his belt in order to retrieve Xanthite's pokeball, figuring that Team Rocket would make some easy battle practice for her. He hadn't had many opportunities to really test the limits of what the gentle-hearted Rock Type Pokemon was capable of yet, and he was eager to do so. Using her against two trainers of such low ability would be a good starting point.

Sadly for the golden haired boy however, he never got the chance to let Xanthite out of her pokeball. Before he could, A.J suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

"I'll take care of this" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer said when Nolan glanced over at him quizzically, "No one insults my Pokemon and gets away with it. Nor do I let anyone threaten the guests I invite into my home away from home".

A.J then turned back to a thoroughly unimpressed Team Rocket, fixing them with a stern glare.

"Let's step outside" he sneered at them coldly, his eyes steely, as if daring them to turn his challenge down.

They didn't.

It took less than five minutes for everyone to assemble outside, but soon enough everybody was standing in their place for what promised to be a intense battle, not only of Pokemon, but of wills as well. Still utterly furious about the remarks that the gang of criminals had made about his precious Pokemon partner and the rest of his team, A.J stood at one end of the battlefield, whilst opposite him, Jessie, James and Meowth all stood together at the other end. Each of them was wearing a condescending smirk on his or her face. Meanwhile, at the base of the platform upon which the battlefield rested, Nolan, Ash, Misty and Brock, along with Pikachu and Meadow, all waited anxiously for the battle to begin. Nolan in particular was particularly nervous since he was the one that had aggravated Team Rocket to the point where the confrontation had escalated into this. His plan had been to take the gang of criminals on by himself, not for A.J to step in and take his place. As such, the golden haired boy couldn't help but feel responsible for this entire thing, and so he was keeping a very close eye on their enemies, not trusting them to play fair in the eminent battle. They always had some kind of dirty trick up their sleeve after all, and Nolan would be damned if A.J would be the one to pay the price for that on his account.

CRACK!

The harsh sound of a whip angrily slapping against the earth was enough to snap Nolan out of his dark inner musings, and with a slight jolt of the surprise, the golden haired boy realised that A.J was ready to begin the battle.

"Team Rocket has insulted our gym!" A.J declared in a tone that practically quivered with outrage to Sandshrew who was standing at his side. The little Ground Type Pokemon needed no reminder however. He was just as incensed about the situation as his beloved human was, "We'll answer them with our one hundredth win!"

"Shrew!" Sandshrew fist pumped the air in agreement with the rather bold declaration.

Over on the sidelines, Ash, as well as everybody else, all looked up at the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer in surprise. What with all of the excitement of the last hour, all of them had quite forgotten that A.J only needed one more victory before he felt he would be ready to set out on his own Pokemon journey and start earning the eight official gym badges he would need to be able to compete in the Indigo League, much like Nolan and Ash themselves were already doing.

"One hundredth..." Ash repeated in a slightly awed tone of voice. He hadn't been able to see past his own ego earlier on, but now that he had managed to bring himself out of that small episode of his own superiority complex, the raven haired trainer could see just how remarkable of a feat that really was now.

Hearing him, A.J glanced over his shoulder at the boy in question, and to the surprise that everyone watching, he actually had a warm smile on his face. It would appear that now that Ash had seen the light, A.J was also ready to give him the benefit of the doubt despite all of their earlier disagreements.

"That's right" A.J said reassuringly to the boy who up until this point he had actually despised. The green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer wasn't ignorant to the fact that Team Rocket's sudden presence at his unofficial gym had caused something to shift between the two of them however, and so he allowed his smile to widen, "Just as Sandshrew and I vowed".

Ash just stared up at him in amazement for one long moment, before his own face cracked into a wide grin.

"Good luck!" the raven haired boy cheered him on, surprising not only A.J but also himself with how much he really meant that. At his side, Nolan couldn't help but smile to himself. That was more like the Ash he knew and loved. Kind rather than egotistical. Shaking his head out of fondness, Nolan returned his attention back to A.J and decided to offer up some encouragement of his own.

"Best of luck A.J" Nolan called out, and when the boy in question turned to look at him he smiled up at him encouragingly, "I know you'll be able to thrash those three and win that record streak you and Sandshrew have both worked so hard for!"

The green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer couldn't help but feel a wave of affection rise up within him at the golden haired boy's kind words.

"Thanks a lot Nolan" A.J gave him a warm smile, oddly touched by the reassuring words that his new friend had spoken, "That actually means quite a lot".

At the opposite end of the battlefield, Jessie couldn't help but roll her eyes at the scene of the blossoming friendship unfolding in front of her. Perhaps it was simply petty jealousy on her part since she had never really had that as a child, or perhaps she was just rather cold at heart. Either scenario was a distinct possibility, but either way, the warm smiles on her enemy's faces were making her sick.

"Your mutual appreciation will cost you big-time!" the magenta haired woman snapped, recapturing the attention of all of the youngsters that she had grown to hate with a passion. She quickly produced a pokeball and tossed it high into the air, "Ekans, go!"

At her side, James mirrored his female counterpart's actions, unclipping a small red and white sphere from his belt. The cyan haired man quickly hurled it high into the air above all of their heads.

"Your turn, Koffing!" he announced smugly, leering unpleasantly across the battlefield at A.J and his Sandshrew.

The two pokeballs snapped open in almost perfect synchronization, releasing two bursts of crimson coloured light which was so dazzling that Nolan instinctively shielded his eyes over on the sidelines. The two orbs of light quickly began to contort and morph into two familiar shapes before they solidified into the familiar forms of Jessie's and James's respective partner Pokemon. Both of them wore grins on their faces that were just as nasty as their human counterparts.

"Ekansssss!" the Snake Pokemon hissed as he coiled about, rearing himself up so that he was looming over the much smaller Sandshrew intimidatingly. Meanwhile Koffing was floating lazily in the air above all of their heads.

"Koffing!" the spherical purple creature boomed as he hovered over his latest prey like a sentient balloon, grinning that thoroughly demented grin of his all the while.

Even though it was clear by the two Poison Type Pokemon's antics that they were trying to intimidate not only A.J but his beloved partner as well, the two of them easily stood their ground in the face of their adversaries. In fact, Nolan was surprised to note that the duo barely even looked phased by their two latest opponents. It truly was a testament to the strong bond that the two of them had built up over all their time spent together. It made the golden haired boy by wonder if he and Meadow would one there be that strong as well. Before he could reflect too deeply on that however, Nolan quickly pushed those thoughts aside for the moment, and instead focused his attention back on the scene before him. It was time for the battle to begin after all.

"Sandshrew, go!" A.J yelled loudly as he lashed his whip against the dirt at his feet once more with a loud Crack, wasting no time in getting things started. In response to his beloved human's command, Sandshrew hastily hurried out onto the battlefield.

"Sandshrew!" the small yellow creature squeaked out a war-cry as he went, his little face pinched with the utmost determination.

"Koffing!" Koffing effortlessly bobbed out of the path of the Ground Type Pokemon beneath him, his abilities of levitation providing him with a strong advantage.

"Ekans!" the violet and saffron serpentine creature was easily able to dodge out of range of Sandshrew's stubby but sharp claws as well.

The small yellow creature skidded to a stop in the centre of the battlefield, knowing that they would have to change tactics since the direct approach wouldn't be an easy one, especially considering that there was two opponents and only one of him. He glanced back over his shoulder to get his beloved human's approval, and found that A.J was nodding back at him in grim agreement.

CRACK!

"Sandshrew! Go underground quick!" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer commanded with another lash of his whip against the battlefield, "Use Dig!"

The small Ground Type Pokemon began clawing at the dirt beneath his feet, intent on burrowing his way down into the earth. Unfortunately for the small yellow creature and his beloved human standing a mere few feet away, Jessie was not about to let that happen. She and the others had spied on A.J's earlier matches against Ash and then later Nolan after all. They knew how much trouble it might cause them if Sandshrew was able to get underground.

"Oh no you don't!" the magenta haired female criminal snarled, before she turned to the serpentine creature that was her own partner, "Ekans, Bind it now! Use your Wrap Attack!"

The violet and golden scaled Pokemon wasted no time in heeding her command.

"Ekansssss!" Ekans hissed, his tongue flicking out whilst his tail rattled erratically, before he lunged towards the spot where the small Ground Type Pokemon stood. The serpentine creature had his jaws stretched so widely open as he boar down upon Sandshrew, that for one fleeting moment, all of those watching over on the sidelines genuinely feared that he might be about to just gobble the small yellow creature up in one bite.

Much to their utmost relief, that wasn't what ended up happening.

"SHREW!" Sandshrew allowed a small grunt of pain to slip by his lips as Ekans successfully managed to wrap his long violet scaled body around his own.

Jessie, James and Meowth all looked very gleeful about this latest turn of events, whereas A.J just looked grim. Over on the sidelines however, Nolan and the rest of his friends all looked horrified.

Thankfully they didn't have too much to worry about, seeing as the little Ground Type Pokemon knew better than to struggle as he was squeezed as Ekans constricted around him. For one moment it looked pretty bleak for A.J and his beloved partner, not to mention their intensity long winning streak, but fortunately Sandshrew knew exactly what he needed to do to escape this mildly painful situation. In one swift manoeuvre which honestly defied all belief, the small yellow creature was able to use his short stubby paws to literally force his way out of Ekans' Wrap Attack.

The end result was that the long serpentine creature ended up trying to constrict around nothing, and thus ended up tying his own body in a knot!

"Oh no!" Jesse couldn't help but allow a small gasp of horror to escape from her lips when she realised exactly what had just happened to her own partner Pokemon. A look of genuine concern flashed across her beautiful features as she regarded the pitiful creature before her, "Ekans! Are you okay?!"

"Ekansssss..." the Snake Pokemon barely managed to let out a low hiss before the strain on his body proved too much, and he weakly flopped down to the ground, gasping for breath which he just couldn't seem to take in quick enough. Jessie couldn't help but groan in dismay.

Over on the sidelines, the travelling quartet of trainers all looked very impressed by what they had just witnessed.

"It's so strong" Misty murmured in a slightly awed tone of voice, as they all watched as Sandshrew curled up in a ball before he rolled back across the battlefield so that he ended up standing just a foot or so in front of his beloved human.

"Yeah" Nolan couldn't help but agree with her assessment, before he decided to cheer the little Ground Type Pokemon on, "Nice going Sandshrew!"

"Good work!" Ash was quick to pick up the golden haired boy's boy cheer.

"Excellent!" Brock happily joined in as well.

Out on the battlefield however, Team Rocket weren't quite so thrilled about the situation as Nolan and his friends were. His jaw and fists clenching until his knuckles turned a stark shade of white, James quickly turned towards his partner Pokemon and issued a command of his own.

"Koffing!" he called up to the balloon-esque creature, who was still lazily floating above them all, "Use your Sludge Attack!

The Poison Gas Pokemon quickly began belching out thick reams of inky black sludge. The smelly slime began to rain down all over the battlefield, and James couldn't help but crack a grin as he observed Sandshrew having to dodge some of it, lest he be struck by the foul concoction.

"Sandshrew! Use your Rollout Attack!" A.J quickly ordered in retaliation.

"SHREW!"

The small Ground Type Pokemon immediately coiled himself up into a ball and began rolling backwards and forwards across the battlefield once more. Once he had gained enough momentum, the Mouse Pokemon then launched himself up high into the air, heading straight in the direction of his latest opponent. On the ground over on the sidelines, Nolan was hit by a strong sense of Deja vu. It was like the battle with Pidgeotto all over again, and they all watched with wide eyes as Sandshrew hurtled through the air like a planet would through space.

"KOFFING!"

The floating spherical creature let out a ghastly moan of pain as Sandshrew slammed into him. Unable to do anything but look on in horror, Koffing whole body began to deflate as the toxic fumes that kept him suspended in the air were literally knocked right out of him. The Poison Gas Pokemon began drifting down towards the battlefield, all the whilst his human partner looked on in shock. The man's expression quickly began one of outright anger, and he turned his attention to the small furry creature at his side.

"Meowth!" the cyan haired man snapped, his pride clearly dented at how badly he and his female counterpart were losing this fight when their numbers should have put them at an advantage, "Don't just stand there!"

The Scratch Cat Pokemon looked up at the male criminal with a sly grin, before he eagerly rushed out onto the battlefield. He was just in time to meet Sandshrew head on as the small yellow creature finally descended back out of the air, landing on the ground with a gentle bump. Without breaking his fluid movement for even a nanosecond, the small yellow Pokemon then continued rolling back and forth across the field, his Rollout Attack still continuing. The temptation was too much for Meowth to be able to resist, and much to the surprise of everybody watching, he actually began chasing after the balled up Sandshrew, his tail wagging happily behind him.

It would have been adorable if not for how astronomically high the stakes of this battle were.

"Stop pussyfooting around!" Jessie eventually bellowed when she could stand the cuteness of the scene no longer. They were here for a reason after all, and it wasn't to play games!

Sighing in disappointment to himself, but knowing that there was no point in needlessly angering the leader of the trio, the Scratch Cat Pokemon begrudgingly halted his little game and stood up. He managed to muster up a smile for his two human friends.

"Just 'biting' my time!" the fluffy white creature joked in a teasing manner before he did something that none of them had been expecting.

As Sandshrew completed another lap of the battlefield as he continued rolling around in a ball, it was inevitable that he would have to pass by the spot where the Scratch Cat Pokemon was stood waiting, giving Meowth an ideal opportunity to strike. And that's exactly what the fluffy white Normal Type Pokemon did. Timing it just right, Meowth opened his mouth as wide as he possibly could, before he lunged at the curled up Pokemon.

CRUNCH!

It was appallingly bad judgement on the Scratch Cat Pokemon's part, and even from his position over on the sidelines, Nolan couldn't help but involuntarily wince with sympathy pains. He quickly reminded himself that Meowth was one of his very worst enemies ever, but honestly, he wouldn't have wished what had just happened on even him. For as soon as the Scratch Cat Pokemon had bitten down upon Sandshrew's scaly hide, he quickly realised just how colossal of a mistake that had been. Sandshrew's scales were notoriously hardy and thick after all, so quite frankly it was something of a miracle that Meowth actually had any of his teeth left.

"AAAHHH!" the fluffy white creature let out a thrill scream of utter agony, clutching at his lower jaw whilst tears of pain immediately began swimming in his eyes, "The moment of tooth!"

Even whilst in crippling agony, the Scratch Cat Pokemon simply couldn't resist the chance to drop one more pun in there. At the opposite end of the battlefield, A.J, much like Jessie had just moments prior to him, finally felt his patience with all this toying around run out. He was sick of all of the sheer nonsense he'd been forced to endure all day long, and decided that it was high time he finally put an end to it all. As such, the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer quickly turned to his beloved partner who had finally uncurled from his ball, a stern expression etched into his stoic face.

"FINISH IT!" AJ commanded having every confidence but his beloved ground type Pokemon partner would be able to do just that, "SANDSHREW, USE EARTHQUAKE!"

"SHREW!"

Letting out a shrill noise which almost sounded like a declaration of war, Sandshrew charged forwards, quickly making his way towards the direct centre of the battlefield. Meanwhile over on the sidelines, Nolan couldn't help but gasp in mesmerized disbelief upon hearing the instruction pass by A.J's lips. Earthquake was one of the most powerful Ground Type moves that a Pokemon could learn, and as such it was deemed to be incredibly dangerous. While they weren't usually enough to cause any irreparable damage to the earth or set off any seismic or volcanic activity, if poorly executed the effects of an Earthquake Attack could be devastating. It was not the sort of move to be used lightly. The golden haired boy bit his lip nervously. He hoped that A.J knew what he was doing.

It was only when Sandshrew was in the middle of the entire battlefield that the small Ground Type Pokemon suddenly leapt high into the air. Then, as he began his descent back down towards the earth, the small creature quickly flipped himself over in one fluid manoeuvre and outstretched one of his short stubby claws. He then allowed gravity to do its work, and took a nose-dive. Moments later his outstretched claw made contact with the exact centre of the battlefield.

The effect was instantaneous.

Nolan barely even noticed it at first, but it wasn't long until a small exclamation of surprise slipped past his lips as he felt the tiniest of tremors run underneath his feet through the very earth itself. Around him, the others all did the same as the tremors quickly began to grow in intensity, and soon enough they all had to steady themselves to try and keep their balance. It wasn't a full blown Earthquake Attack yet, but it was still enough to have them wobbling around as if their legs had been turned into jelly.

"KEEP GOING SANDSHREW!" A.J bellowed across the field to his beloved partner, trying to make himself heard over the tremendous noise that the makeshift earthquake was causing, "KEEP SHAKING THE GROUND TILL IT SPLITS!"

"SHREW!"

With another shrill cry of the utmost exertion, Sandshrew quickly focused on pouring every last ounce of his energy into what he had no doubt would be the final devastating attack of this match. The little Ground Type Pokemon grunted from the strain out it, but he allowed all of his strength to flow out into the ground beneath his one outstretched claw.

The slight tremors quickly escalated into something much more serious.

"WWWAAAHHH!" the loud yelp of fear and alarm had torn itself past Nolan's lips before the golden haired boy could even think about trying to stop it. In all fairness however, he had every reason for reacting that way, for the ground underneath his feet was no longer just merely quivering. Oh no.

Now it was splintering!

With Sandshrew at the epicentre of it all, huge fissures and cracks began bursting into existence all over the grounds of the unofficial Pokemon gym. Shallow canyons began appearing all over the place, and one of them even ran straight through the middle of the audience. The end result was that Nolan, Misty and Pikachu were all left on one side of one of the gigantic cracks in the earth, whilst Ash, Brock and Meadow were all stranded on the other side. It was taking every last ounce of their strength just to remain on their feet as the ground shook violently underneath them, and they all watched on in amazement as Sandshrew effortlessly kept his Earthquake Attack going.

Needless to say it was very impressive, if not a little terrifying.

Up on the platform at his end of the battlefield, A.J was easily able to keep his balance, having developed quite a strong equilibrium for Earthquake attacks during all of his practice sessions with Sandshrew. The green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer merely looked on, his expression difficult to decipher, as he watched several of the thick cracks split wider and wider into the earth, all the whilst creeping forwards in the direction of where all five members of the infamous Team Rocket, human and Pokemon alike, were all standing quivering in fear.

WHAM!

Jessie and James were both fortunate enough to be spared being hit by the full force of the attack. That was quite lucky since it was highly debatable whether or not a human being would be able to survive going through such a thing. Their Pokemon on the other hand were not quite so lucky. The still crying Meowth, the knotted up Ekans, and the deflated Koffing all took the full impact of the makeshift earthquake head-on, none of them being able to dodge it in time. With almost tortured screams of what must have been debilitating agony, the three criminal Pokemon were all swept away by a rush of earth, before the sheer unchecked power of the attack dragged their helpless bodies downwards. In barely a nanosecond, Meowth, Ekans and Koffing all vanished from sight, as they were swallowed up by one of the gigantic cracks which Sandshrew's devastating attack had created. An attack which thankfully was finally drawing to an end.

A somewhat stunned silence fell over the whole of the unofficial Pokemon gym as the earth began to settle.

Once certain that he was steady on his feet again, Nolan eventually couldn't help but bite his lip nervously as the seconds slowly began to creep by. They hit a minute. Then two. By the passing of the third minute of absolute silence, the golden haired boy was beginning to worry that something might have seriously gone wrong with Sandshrew's powerful attack. Call him naive for thinking this way, but even after everything that the infamous Team Rocket had put him through, Nolan still hoped that their Pokemon were alright. No matter what they had done after all, nobody deserved to be buried alive.

Then... a low moan...

It was incredibly faint, but they all definitely heard it. Just a soft whisper, a breath that spoke of absolute agony. And then, at long last, one by one six furry little fingers rose up over the edge of the tiny makeshift canyon that had been gouged into the battlefield. There was a weary cry of exhaustion before Meowth managed to pull himself up, albeit just barely. Ekans reared up behind him with the deflated Koffing perched upon his head. They were all whimpering in pain.

Needless to say, they all looked absolutely shambolic.

The group of young humans were all left gaping in amazement at just how much damage Sandshrew's Earthquake Attack had inflicted upon their enemies. All three of their prone bodies were littered in scrapes and bruises, and there were even a few minor cuts thrown into the mix. There was no way that any of them would be able to continue the battle, and it seemed as though all three of the criminal Pokemon knew it, even if they respective humans refused to admit it.

"THAT'S IT!" Meowth suddenly screamed in a voice of sheer terror, and Nolan was honestly surprised that he could make such a loud noise, considering just how hard of a hit he'd taken only a few moment priors, "I FORFEIT THE MATCH!"

And before anybody had a chance to do precious little than gape at him in shock, the Scratch Cat Pokemon turned and ran away with his tail between his legs.

"KOFFING!"

"EKANS!"

The two purple Poison Type Pokemon barely even had to glance at each other before they unanimously agreed with Meowth's decision. Leaving nothing but incredulous expressions in their wake, the two of them quickly retreated as well, hurrying after the Scratch Cat Pokemon as he fled in terror. In a matter of moments, they were all outside of the boundaries of A.J's unofficial Pokemon gym, prompting Jessie and James to snap out of their stunned reveries.

"Hey!" Jessie called out in protest, beginning to chase after her beloved yet right now cowardly partner in a rather comical manner, "Come back here!"

At her side, James quickly mirrored the actions of his female counterpart.

"Meowth!" the cyan haired man yelled at the retreating figure of the third core member of the Team Rocket trio, "Where are you going?!

The furry white creature honestly didn't care where he was going. All he knew was that he was not spending another single solitary moment in that unofficial gym, facing down a Pokemon that could call out an attack of that calibre. The twerps he could just about handle, but that Sandshrew was something else. As such, Meowth didn't even look back as he replied.

"To write us a theme song!" he blurted out the first few words that sprung to mind. Trailing after the cowardly Normal Type Pokemon, Jessie and James couldn't help but let out groans of sheer exasperation.

"Not that again!" the two human criminal both complained in almost perfect unison, "Urgh!"

And then, much to the relief of Nolan and all the others and not a moment too soon for their taste, Team Rocket finally disappeared into the trees that surrounded A.J's unofficial Pokemon gym, and disappeared from sight entirely. The golden haired boy couldn't help it when his face split into a wide grin, relieved that they had won the day again and that nobody he cared about had been hurt. He turned to offer A.J his sincere congratulations on winning the match, but he quickly cut himself off when he caught sight of the emotional expression on the green haired boy's face. He just didn't have the heart to interrupt him right now.

"WE DID IT, SANDSHREW!" the usually calm and stoic expert trainer was practically screaming, so overjoyed was he by this latest success in his record-breaking winning streak, "WE FINALLY REACHED VICTORY NUMBER ONE HUNDRED!"

"SANDSHREW!"

The small Ground Type Pokemon fist pumped the air in his excitement, but that was as far as he got in his celebrations. Taking not only Sandshrew by those watching the scene unfolding completely by surprise, A.J was soon by the small yellow creature's side and was pulling him into his arms. In a matter of seconds, the two of them were hugging each other, tears streaming down both their faces.

"Today, all our sacrifices and hard work have finally paid off!" the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer sobbed joyfully, unable to hold back the surge of emotions he was feeling in that very special moment, "Now we can start winning our badges".

"Shrew!"

Off to the side, Nolan and all of his friends just watched on with compassionate smiles on their faces. None of them spoke however, not wanting to interrupt the touching scene playing out in front of them. This was a moment for A.J and Sandshrew alone after all. Still, Nolan couldn't help but beam in delight as he reflected back on it all. The day might have gotten off to a rocky start, but at least it had finished on a high note.

And that was all that mattered in the end.

Evening was drawing in quickly now and with it came the time for Nolan and his friends to say their final farewells to A.J and his team of extremely strong Pokemon. The small group were currently all standing outside of the huge fortress-like gates, which the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer had bound tightly shut with a thick metal chain and durable padlock. Nolan had initially been surprised that they had withstood Sandshrew's powerful Earthquake Attack, as had the huge gazebo-style tent which had made up A.J's home away from home for goodness knows how long. In a surprising turn of events however, neither had sustained any damage whatsoever, and were in the same mint condition that they had been in when Nolan and the others had first crossed paths with their newest friend. And the reason why the boy in question had locked everything up so securely and had made arrangements for his personal belongings to be collected and taken back to his true home in the depths of civilization was really quite simple. Now that he had achieved one hundred straight wins, it was time for A.J to depart as well. The green haired boy took a deep breath, before he cast one final look over his unofficial Pokemon gym with a look of deep fondness in his eye.

"When I return here..." A.J announced, attracting the attention of the others and pulling them out of their own thoughts, "I'm gonna be the number one Pokemon Master!"

If it had been anybody else who had made such a bold statement, Nolan might have been tempted to playfully respond by saying that he fully intended on claiming that title for himself. As he had been defeated only a few short hours ago by this boy however, he simply let the comment pass him by and smiled warmly at his newest friend. At his side, Ash mirrored the action, before he suggested something which took all five of the young Pokemon trainers by surprise, himself included.

"Why don't you come along with us?" the raven haired boy suggested brightly.

Even before A.J had a chance to answer, Nolan was already beaming with pride for his best friend. In the time since Team Rocket's hasty retreat and the current moment, the raven haired boy had made amends to A.J, by apologising profusely for all of the horrible accusations he'd spent most of the day making. There was no doubt in anybody's mind that he was genuinely remorseful for his bad behaviour, and it was for that reason alone that A.J ultimately forgive him. He still liked Nolan much better than Ash and saw the blonde haired boy as the more skilful of the pair, but at least the hatchet had been buried between them. There was no longer any hard feelings on either boys' part, which Nolan suspected played a major hand in the offer that Ash had just bestowed on the green haired boy. Sadly however, A.J was already shaking his head, crushing any hopes that Nolan might have had about their newest friend joining their little travelling group.

"Thanks" the green haired boy smiled warmly at each of them in turn, genuinely appreciating the kind offer, but still unable to accept it, "But Sandshrew and I have our own path that we must follow".

Nolan couldn't deny that he was disappointed, but he quickly covered that up with a bright smile of his own.

"Well wherever that path might take you, I really hope it crosses with our own again A.J" the golden haired boy said earnestly, earning himself a warm smile from the usually quite stoic boy, "I'd love the chance to battle with you again and see how much stronger we've both gotten".

"Oh... I think that can quite easily be arranged" the green haired boy grinned slyly back at him, and when Nolan raised an inquisitive eyebrow, he quickly elaborated, "After all, there's no way that I'm ever gonna let one of my precious few rivals off the hook so easily".

The travelling quartet of trainers all looked somewhat taken aback.

"We're rivals now?" Nolan couldn't help but laugh good-naturedly. A.J nodded seriously at him, although there was a slight twitch of his lips in clear amusement.

"Of course you are Nolan! You're the only trainer that ever came so close to defeating me!" the green haired boy told him, all humour gone with the statement and replaced by blunt seriousness, "As far as I'm concerned, that officially makes you my rival now. So you'd better keep in good shape Nolan, because I only want to battle against expert trainers!"

Nolan couldn't help but beam him.

"You can count on it" the golden haired boy promised, before he stuck out his hand towards his newest friend... no, make that his newest rival... for him to shake.

A.J smiled and obligingly shook his hand, before he nodded at Ash, Misty and Brock in turn, a warm smile on his face for each of them. At his side, Sandshrew and Poliwhirl - the only members of A.J's team still outside of their pokeballs right now - mirrored the action towards Pikachu and Meadow respectively.

"Well..." A.J decided it was time to wrap things up, having always hated long drawn-out goodbyes, "So long!"

And as simply as that, the green haired acclaimed expert Pokemon trainer turned on his heel and began walking off into the depths of the forest, his destination unknown. Sandshrew and Poliwhirl bid Nolan and his friends one last cursory nod, before they turned and hurried off after their beloved human. Nolan and his friends all just stood there and watched them go, until all too soon the trio faded away into the trees and vanished from sight completely.

"He's tough, but pretty cool" Misty was the one to break the silence which had fallen over the four friends as a result of A.J's abrupt departure. The three boys all nodded in agreement.

"And hey, Nolan!" Brock playfully nudged for golden haired boy on the arm, "You've managed to get yourself a really strong rival!"

Nolan smiled and nodded at his friend. He couldn't deny the fact that he was exceptionally pleased and proud of the fact that an expert trainer like A.J had considered him good enough to officially name him as a rival. It made a warm bubble of affection well up in the pit of his stomach for his Pokemon, and he felt proud of all of the hard work they had put in for him. It really did renew his resolve to keep training and keep working just as hard as them. After all, the last thing he wanted was to let his new rival down when they next came face to face, whenever and wherever that might be.

"Yeah, and next time I'm not gonna lose!" the golden haired boy promised himself.

"That's the spirit Nolan" Ash said encouragingly, clapping his best friend on the shoulder. Since eating a rather large slice of Humble Pie, the raven haired boy had come back to his usual kind and compassionate self, and had dropped his obnoxious attitude. That was something that all of his friends were incredibly grateful for.

Nolan beamed at the raven haired boy, before nodding his head in agreement once more.

"I'll train hard to become the greatest Pokemon master in the world, following my own path" the golden haired boy said to reiterate his earlier promise.

His friends all nodded at him encouragingly one final time, before just like that, all that was left for the quartet of travelling friends in the depths of this forest was for them to continue on their way. They still had a lot of work to do before they were on their way to the Indigo League after all, and Nolan and Ash were just beginning to discover their own path to take them there. What might lie on that path for the two young boys remained unknown. In fact, in that moment, there was really only one single solitary thing which was for certain...

They were going to have a whole lot of fun finding out.

And that marks the end of another canon episode : )

It's always quite weird when the time comes to start writing the next episode, because in a way it's like starting the whole story again. But yeah, I'm pleased with how this one ended, especially considering that Nolan now has a new rival. I'll leave it to you guys how to interoperate that and what it means for the future in this story ; )

Like I said before though, I'm completely knackered right now from my return trip home, so I'm just going to get straight to business. Let's move on to this week's voting topic, which I'm happy to announce is a back-to-back Evolution Vote. I successfully defeated Luana and earned the Jade Star Badge. Her team was quite easy actually, consisting of only a Level 46 Alakazam and Level 46 Marowak, which means that we now get to evolve our next team member : ) The options this time are Vulpix, Porygon, Goldeen, Lickitung, and Seel. I'm quite eager to see which one you guys will pick, as there are three in particular I'm secretly hoping for. 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 : )