Hey readers - here we are with not only another new chapter, but my second ever Own Episode : )
Yep! I figured it was time to take another detour from the canon timeline, and I have to say, I've been looking forward to the events on the next few chapters for quite some time : ) That's not the reason why this chapter is being posted a week later than usual, although this time it was intentional and for a reason I'll get into in just a moment : )
Anyway, let's jump right on in to the latest voting topic. I can now announce that the game I will be taking on for my third Pokemon Nuzlocke in this series is... Pokemon Heart Gold! Truth be told, I was hoping for Soul Silver since it contains more of my favourites out of the version exclusive Pokemon, but considering that I love both of these games to death anyway, I can hardly complain ; )
Now, in terms of the starter Pokemon... well, that ended up in a tie. Now I know that when a tie happens, I usually put the topic up to vote again, but we have been waiting so long now to begin the new Nuzlocke that I simply wasn't prepared to do that this time. It usually takes a couple of chapters to break these ties and I REALLY wanted to start the new Nuzlocke, which I why I made the ultimate decision to wait an extra week before ending the voting time. That is why this chapter is up later than usual. I wanted to give the tie a change to break, but unfortunately it didn't, which is why I ended up tossing a coin to decide on my new starter. Not the way I wanted to decide this, but I felt it was the right way to resolve this issue in a timely manner. And on that note, I am ecstatic to announce that the winner was... Cyndaquil! I love this little Fire Type Pokemon so much, so I am quite literally over the moon to be able to give one to Nolan in this story ; )
And with that, I CAN CONFIRM THAT MY THIRD POKEMON NUZLOCKE HAS NOW OFFICIALLY BEGUN!
Sorry XD As you can probably tell, I'm very excited about all of this : ) But beyond that, I just want to say a MASSIVE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. The support that has been shown to the story is amazing, and it means so much to me, so thank you : )
Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OC's are : )
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
Day Care Dilemmas
Day Care Dilemmas - Part 1
Orange Town.
A quaint little settlement that was situated in the rolling hills between two great mountain ranges, located far to the most northern east corner of the land. Despite its small size, the small town had a vibrant and bustling atmosphere which emanated from the brightly coloured buildings and the bustling nature of its people. Orange Town was the one chosen spot across the entire Kanto region which was dominated by the colour orange. All the houses, shops, and even the lampposts were adorned with the cheerful colour. It was a vibrant orange, not unlike the peels of the fruit that formed the town's namesake. Even the sidewalks and roads were lined with it. The end result was that the entire town was basked in a cheerful warm orange light, one which helped to bring a sense of joy to its inhabitants. People who passed through would often stop and marvel at the bright colour of the town, so much so that it had a reputation as the happiest place in the whole of Kanto. And it just so happened that four young Pokemon trainers were about to discover that for themselves.
"Well, here we are you guys" Brock announced with a bright smile as he looked up from his map, "Orange Town".
Nolan couldn't help but grin in poor-hidden excitement.
The young golden haired boy, along with all of his friends both human and Pokemon alike, were currently standing on a high ledge out in the forest, looking down at the small town that lay in the valley below. He couldn't help but notice how because of its predominant orange colouring, the whole town seemed to practically glow beneath the sun's rays, despite it being broad daylight. Regardless of the seemingly unique properties of this particular settlement however, Nolan was just glad to be close to civilization again. Considering that their small group had left Cerulean City just under a week ago, being in a town again would be a nice change of pace as opposed to constantly being out in the wilderness.
"Orange is right" Ash remarked dryly, his russet coloured eyes drinking in the small settlement before them, "It looks like just about everything is orange in this place!"
"Yeah" Misty nodded in agreement from her position between Ash and Nolan, her vermillion coloured eyes wide with amazement, "It's like whoever's in charge of this place let a bunch of toddlers colour-in the whole town!"
Nolan chuckled at the analogy, before he turned to begin educating his friends. He alone in the group knew the reason for their latest destination's obsession with the vibrant colour. Being such a bookworm by nature, the golden haired boy had read numerous texts about this idyllic location, including some about the rich history this town carried great pride in.
"It looks like that because this town is the first recorded place in the entire Kanto region where Orange Trees were able to grow" Nolan explained in what the others affectionately dubbed his 'teacher's voice'. Seeing that he had the undivided attention of his three friends, as well as those of Pikachu and Meadow, Nolan continued, "Orange Town quickly became, and still is to this day, Kanto's biggest producer and exporter of Oranges in the whole region. I guess that the people decorated their city like this because they're so proud of that fact".
Ash, Misty and Brock all just stared at him, clearly impressed by the blonde haired boy's local knowledge.
"You know..." Brock began slowly, being the first to finish absorbing the information that Nolan had just relayed to them all, "If things don't work out with you becoming a Pokemon Master, you could have an amazing career as a Tour Guide".
"That or a walking Search Engine" Misty added, her tone playfully teasing.
Nolan threw back his head and laughed long and hard at their good-natured comments, taking them as compliments as opposed to the light-hearted banter that they had been intended as. The golden haired boy quickly sobered up however when his best friend turned to him with a genuine question.
"Anything else interesting about this place?" the raven haired boy asked curiously. Nolan rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he responded.
"Well... Orange Town is also pretty famous for it's use of oranges in its food" the golden haired boy explained, noticing how the faces of all of his friends lit up at the mention of food, "Most of it's fancy desserts and pastries... Oh! And I hear the Orange Jam is really good too! Like really good! I wouldn't mind trying some whilst we're here actually..."
Ash and Brock, and even Meadow and Pikachu, looked all-for going along with Nolan's suggestion, their mouths all practically watering at the thought. In fact, the only member of their little travelling party who did not seem overly enthused by the idea of sampling the local delicacies was Misty.
"HOLD IT!"
The stormy cry from the young girl in question was enough to halt her three male friends in their tracks. Nolan, who had been ready to begin leading the way down the steep slope down into the valley, paused and glanced back over his shoulder at the orange haired girl. He was slightly taken aback to see that her eyes were narrowed in a deep scowl of irritation, and that her arms are crossed tightly over her chest, her fingers gripping the fabric of her shirt as if trying to hold a negative emotion in.
It was more than a little obvious that she was not happy to go along with his idea.
"What's the problem Misty?" the golden haired boy asked what seemed to be the most obvious question in this scenario. Misty trained her fierce glare solely upon him, making Nolan gulp anxiously.
"The problem..." the Water Type Pokemon Specialist began, her vivid green eyes flashing dangerously, "Is that we're supposed to be going to Vermillion City! You guys promised me that if we went to Cerulean City, we could go where I wanted to go next!"
Nolan couldn't help but feel a little stung by the insinuation that he and the others weren't keeping their promise.
"And we're going there!" the golden haired boy exclaimed in protest, his own eyes defiant as well now, "But it's not our fault that we have to cross through several other towns in order to get there! Passing through Orange Town is the quickest way to the route that leads to Vermillion City!"
Misty could begrudgingly admit that he had a point there, but she wasn't willing to back down just yet.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that we have to stop at every cake shop along the way to stuff our faces!" the orange haired girl reminded all three of the boys pointedly, "I was hoping that this would simply be a flying visit, and that we'd be passing straight through without any delays!"
The three boys all glanced at each other uncertainly. Whilst it was certainly true that they had promised Misty that they would all go to Vermillion City next, they couldn't help but feel that she was also being a little unreasonable right now.
"But..." Brock gently spoke up, hoping to be as diplomatic as possible, "Well, we still have to eat, regardless of what promises we made".
From his side, Ash nodded his head emphatically.
"Yeah! Come on Misty!" the raven haired boy implored his female friend to be a little more understanding, his voice dangerously close to a whine, "We haven't eaten anything since breakfast! I'm starving!"
"Pika, Pikachu!" the boy's beloved partner Pokemon was hungry as well.
Nolan could see that Misty still looked pretty ticked off about the way that things were heading, and so he quickly interjected as well.
"And don't forget, our Pokemon have all been working really hard over the last few days as well" the golden haired boy held up Meadow, who was nestled in his arms and looking a little more tired than she normally did, hence why Nolan was carrying her today, "I want to take Meadow and the others over to the Pokemon Centre so Nurse Joy can give them a check-up".
Misty, almost against her own will, started to relent. That was until Nolan opened his mouth once more.
"Plus there's a particular landmark here in Orange Town that I'd like to see whilst we're in the area" the golden haired boy remarked casually. His words were enough to immediately bring the fire back to Misty's eyes.
"Oh come on Nolan!" she complained, rapidly running out of patience with her friends now. Sensing her rising temper, the boy in question quickly began to back-pedal, a look of innocence flashing across his handsome features.
"It's on the way, I swear!" the golden haired boy quickly exclaimed in defence, genuinely afraid that if his friend got much angrier, she'd accidentally give herself high blood pressure, "The thing I want to see is slap-bang right in the middle of town, so we'll have to pass by it anyway on our way through. We won't have to go so much as a single footstep out of our way to see it, I promise!"
Misty scowled, but at least Nolan's assurances were enough to put her at ease, albeit only a little bit. The Water Type Pokemon Specialist seemed to realise that she was being out-voted however, for she let out a small sigh and hung her head dejectedly.
"Oh fine, fine!" the orange haired girl finally relented, and whilst her tone still sounded highly displeased, the three boys couldn't help but grin at each other triumphantly, "But once we've done all those things, we're moving on again straight away, agreed?"
Nolan, Ash and Brock all beamed at her.
"You got it" Ash said brightly, giving his friend a thumbs up. He hoped that the small gesture would be enough of a reassurance to put Misty's mind at ease.
Unfortunately, it didn't seem to work.
The girl in question didn't verbally respond. Instead she just allowed another forlorn sigh to slip past her lips. She made no effort to stop her friends again though, and soon enough, all four members of the travelling quartet and their Pokemon were descending into the valley, heading towards the rather unique settlement beyond.
What none of them had any way of knowing however, was that their little detour was about to take a lot longer than expected...
If it hadn't been obvious enough from up on the earthy ledge on the outskirts of the forest, the love that this place held for the colour orange and how special it was to the town's inhabitants was even more obvious as the four young Pokemon trainers began venturing inside the city's borders. Seriously, the bright colour was everywhere. The buildings, the pavements, and the flowers adorning the lampposts; they were all some various shade of orange. Even the clothes on the citizens' backs; most of them included something that was orange in their outfits. It was a little unnerving actually, because as they trekked further and further into town, the inhabitants kept shooting Nolan and his friends knowing looks, as if able to tell that they were outsiders based purely on the fact that they weren't wearing something orange. Thankfully however, none of the unexpected attention was malicious in nature, and it wasn't long before the travelling quartet were able to ignore the looks being sent their way in favour of getting down to business.
"Okay..." Nolan said cheerfully as he led the way through the orange-tinted streets. The golden haired boy was carrying a small paper pamphlet that he had picked from a small box that had been set up by the town's welcome sign, for visitors to take upon entering the town's perimeter. It contained all sorts of useful and interesting information about Orange Town, including a map of the small brightly coloured settlement. It was that which Nolan was currently studying, "Based on this map, we pretty much just have to go in a straight line. The landmark I want to check out is just a couple of streets away in the middle of the town, and the Pokemon Centre's not much further, so I say we check out the local history first, then drop our Pokemon off at the Pokemon Centre. Then, whilst Nurse Joy's giving them a check-up, we can go get some lunch to sample the local food, then pick our Pokemon up before we leave again. It should only take us about an hour or two".
"And then we can get back on the road to Vermillion City?" Misty asked with an air of hope. Nolan smiled and nodded at her.
"Yes" the golden haired boy said as he folded up the leaflet in his hands and put it in his pocket. He planned to keep it as a small souvenir of their brief visit to this rather unique town.
"Sounds good to me" Ash put in brightly from Nolan's other side, and Brock nodded his agreement to the plan as well.
"You sure you know the right way to go?" the aspiring Pokemon breeder wanted to be sure, knowing that his golden haired friend didn't always have the best, or actually any, sense of direction.
Nolan just grinned at them all.
"Sure I do!" the blonde haired boy said confidently, ushering the other three human members of their travelling group along, "Come on. It's this way!"
And with an air of certainty that the others weren't so sure that they shared in, Nolan set off walking down the street at a brisk march, Meadow still cuddled up in his arms as he carried her along. Ash, Misty and Brock all exchanged slightly bemused glances, before trailing after him.
It only took the group of friends a couple of short minutes before they were turning into the street that led to the direct geographical centre of Orange Town, and Nolan hadn't stopped smiling the whole team. Ash, Misty and Brock couldn't help but stare at him curiously, clearly starting to wonder exactly what this famous landmark could be, and why their friend was so pumped up to be seeing it. Soon enough, Ash simply couldn't stand not knowing any longer, and so he was the one to break the companionable silence they had all fallen into.
"So what exactly is it that you wanna see whilst we're here?" the raven haired boy asked his best friend curiously. Nolan just flashed him a bright grin.
"You'll see" the golden haired boy teased, winking playfully, before he stepped up his pace slightly, "Come on! It should be right around this next corner".
Ash looked a little put out that Nolan had evaded answering his inquiry, but followed the golden haired boy's example, and started walking at a slightly elevated pace. Behind them, Misty, Brock and Pikachu all did the same. Soon enough, the group of travellers rounded the corner into the neighbouring street and...
And there it was.
Nolan's entire face immediately lit up with an air of wonder that he normally kept in reserve for when he sighted a Pokemon he'd never seen before. His friends on the other hand, just looked on in bewilderment. The golden haired boy didn't let their perplexed expressions faze him however. After all, he was excited enough for all of them.
Standing in the centre of the town square was a humongous orange fruit tree that looked positively ancient. Its long twisted limbs boasted of vibrant oranges that hung majestically in the sun, catching its gentle rays and almost glowing because of it. Its aged bark was cragged and shallow, and its trunk was thick and wide, giving the distinct impression that it had been here since before anyone could remember, and would still be standing there for many more years to come. Standing at its base was a small golden plaque, no doubt honouring the tree whilst also providing information to those interested in its vast and intriguing history. Surrounding it was a rope barrier, no doubt to prevent interested parties from touching the age-old tree.
Nolan couldn't help but feel utterly enthralled just at the sight of the majestic living landmark, remembering from his numerous books what people said about this particularly mysterious tree. From what he could remember, the inhabitants of Orange Town claimed that the tree had seen through many wars and peace, that it had even watched the whole of human suffering. Whatever the truth may be, even to this day, the people of the town apparently still gathered around the tree each evening to sing their praises and gratitude to the tree which, in turn, showered them with its generous fruits.
Even if he hadn't read up on the subject, it wouldn't have taken Nolan very long to realise this tree's significance to the people living here. It was obvious from the sheer scope of pure and unadulterated devotion in their eyes as they stared at the focal point of nature, that to the citizens of Orange Town, this tree was a symbol of life and hope, and its oranges were seen as a blessing from the gods. For them, the ancient orange fruit tree would remain a artefact of nature that was practically sacred, and it would remain that way for all eternity.
To Nolan, the ancient tree of long ago was a rich part of Kanto's fantastical history, a living object steeped in mystery and wonder. To Ash, Misty and Brock however, it was little more than a very old tree.
"That's it?" Misty couldn't help but sound incredulous as she asked her sceptical question, "That's what you're so excited about? Nolan, it's just an old tree".
A gasp that was practically scandalised slipped past Nolan's lips, and he hastily glanced around to ensure that nobody else had heard his female friend's rather blunt remark. Much to his relief however, none of the passing civilians appeared to have heard what Misty had just said about their beloved living marvel of nature. It was just as well, for they might very well have ran her, and by extension Nolan and the others, all the way out of town.
"Will you keep your voice down if you're gonna say things like that!" the golden haired boy hissed angrily, and Misty was slightly taken aback by his harsh tone, "Are you trying to set an angry mob on us?!"
The three other humans all just stared at him in bewilderment.
"Why would an angry mob come after us?" Ash asked his best friend, his tone and expression both heavy with confusion, "Misty's right after all. It is just an old tree".
"Yeah" Brock chimed in, nodding his head in agreement at the assessment that the others had made, "I fail to see what the big deal is".
Nolan stared at his friends with thinly-veiled disgust.
"Typical. Absolutely typical" the golden haired boy muttered under his breath, shaking his head in despair, "No appreciation for history at all".
Ash, Misty and Brock all sniggered at him. It's always amused them to no end whenever Nolan got so worked up about these types of things. The golden haired boy in question took another deep breath, before a look of intense concentration flashed across his handsome features, leaving his three friends in no doubt that he was about to slip into lecture mode once more.
"Okay, let's get one thing straight from the off" Nolan said with an air of such intense seriousness that his friends couldn't help but sober a bit, "This is no ordinary tree, and to suggest otherwise to any of the people here would be considered the height of all insults, so please don't do it. I wasn't kidding when I said they might run us out of town you know".
His three friends all arched their eyebrows at him expectantly, silently waiting for him to continue.
"It's been proven by scientists to be the eldest orange tree in the entire Kanto region, dated at being over four hundred years old" the golden haired boy explained, a twinkle in his eye as he looked up at the aged living landmark, "And according to all the articles I read about Orange Town, this tree reportedly has a very interesting and unusual history. Practically unique amongst plant-life in fact".
Ash and Misty both glanced at each other, a strange mix of curiosity and scepticism in their expressions. Brock on the other hand stared up at the great towering orange tree with renewed interest.
"Four hundred years?" the aspiring Pokemon breeder breathed in a tone tinged with amazement, "That's incredible!"
The golden haired boy that was acting like a makeshift tour guide smiled widely, pleased that at least one of his friends seemed to be taking an interest at long last.
"Yes, and that's not even the most fascinating part" Nolan smiled, clearly enjoying his little lecture now that he'd got going, "You see, nobody's entirely sure how this tree even got here".
His three friends all stared at him incredulously. Even Pikachu and Meadow seemed surprised by the words he'd just spoken.
"What do you mean?" Ash turned to stare at his best friend in puzzlement, confusion dancing within his russet coloured orbs, "It might be a couple of centuries old, but at the end of the day its still just a tree. It must have grown here, right?"
Nolan shook his head in response to the raven haired boy's inquiry.
"Nope, it's not a natural occurrence" the golden haired boy said simply, playing popping the 'p', before casting his gaze back to the ancient living artefact and growing serious again, "Botanists have confirmed that this tree was brought to Kanto from another region, where they actually grow naturally. I can't remember which one, somewhere hot I think. Maybe Hoenn?"
"So, how did it get here then?" an intrigued Misty asked the next most obvious question.
"Well, there are a few theories surrounding that" Nolan shrugged his shoulders, his head tilted to one side as he reflected on how best to respond to his female friend's curiosity, "One of them is quite popular amongst the locals here"
"What is it?" Ash asked his golden haired best friend eagerly, clearly more interested now than he'd been initially, "Tell us Nolan!"
A look of excitement flashed across Nolan's handsome features as he thought about the old legend. The golden haired boy had always been interested in myths and old folktales after all.
"Legend has it, this orange tree was a gift from a Legendary Pokemon to a human warrior who saved its life. It supposedly was a Pokemon that embodied nature itself, and promised that if the warrior took the tree to a distant land and planted it the tree would flourish and so would any town that the warrior built around it" Nolan smiled with a look of far-off wonderment on his face, "And that's just what the warrior supposedly did. He brought the tree with him to the Kanto region, carrying it around on his back, and chose this exact spot to plant it. Then he started building the town around it, which is how he ended up becoming the first ruler of it. As the population grew and prospered under the tree, the town was named after it - Orange Town".
"Wow! That's quite a story Nolan" was forced to admit that despite her eagerness to hit the road again, the legend surrounding this mysterious orange tree was certainly impressive to say the least, "But is it really true?"
Nolan couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well, there are some slightly more... scientific theories as well" the blonde haired boy admitted, his eyes losing a little bit of their twinkle at the notion that the tree's back story may not be quite as mysterious as first made out, "Some people believe that while flying over this region, a migrating Pidgeot accidentally dropped an orange seed from a fruit it was eating, and that the seed found the perfect conditions to grow into this tree".
"That's quite a coincidence if it's true" Brock chuckled in dry amusement.
"Yes, it is" Nolan nodded in agreement, before his smile wide and slightly and his eyes were gained some of their previous sparkle, "But personally I much prefer to believe the first version. And so do the locals, which is why they all wear orange as a mark of respect for this legendary tree".
Ash, Misty and Brock all looked around at some of the local citizens with new awe, understanding suddenly dawning on them.
"That's so cool!" Ash exclaimed in excitement, now as fully enraptured by Orange Town and it's local culture as Nolan had been all this time, "I want to learn more about this place and its history!"
His words were enough to dull some of the interest that had been blossoming across Misty's face.
"This is still supposed to be just a flying visit, remember" the orange haired girl pointed out in a voice that was not to be argued with, "And as interesting as all of this may be, I'm still more interested in resuming our journey to Vermillion City. So we are not going on a tour around this town! You guys did promise after all".
The three boys couldn't help but chuckle at their female friend's stubbornness.
"I'm sure that once we get to the Pokemon Center and hand our Pokemon in to Nurse Joy for a check-up, we'll hear a lot of different stuff about this town from the people on the way" Nolan kindly assured his irate friend, not wanting to upset her when she was right. They had made a promise to her, "Trust me Misty, I have no intention of going to any libraries or schools to look more into this. I just wanted to make sure I saw the famous orange tree whilst we were passing through here".
"Good" Misty nodded, calming down slightly.
"Speaking of the Pokemon Centre, we should probably get going" Brock suggested before he towards back towards Nolan inquisitively, "Unless of course there's anything else you want to see here?"
Nolan opened his mouth to reply, although whether or not to confirm or deny Brock's question would never be known. For quite suddenly and without any kind of warning or preamble whatsoever, a loud noise abruptly shattered the peaceful tranquillity of the town square before the golden haired boy could utter so much as a single syllable.
"GGGGRRRROOOOWWWWLLLLIIIITTTTHHHHEEEE!"
The fierce bark echoed so loudly along the orange-tinted street that it immediately cut over every other noise that could be heard. The travelling quartet all fell silent, looking around themselves in confusion. Much like his friends, Nolan couldn't exactly tell what direction the loud outcry had come from, and so he was caught completely off guard by what happened next.
CRASH!
"Oomph!" Nolan grunted in a rather undignified manner as he felt something small and furry collide with his stomach at a great speed. The wind was instantly knocked out of him, and the impact was enough to send the golden haired boy toppling off his feet. It all happened so quickly that Nolan wasn't able to throw his arms in time to save himself. The end result was Nolan lying on the ground in a crumpled messy heap with his small fluffy assailant sitting on top of him.
"Nolan!" Misty and Brock both gasped from above the fallen boy in question, the alarm evident in their voices.
"Whoa! Are you okay?!" Ash's voice sounded very concerned as well.
"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" Meadow exclaimed in a raised tone at Nolan's assailant, clearly displeased by the fact that her beloved human partner had been struck down in such a brusque manner.
The boy's assailant didn't seem to take any notice of the warning tone in the little Grass Type Pokemon's growl. In fact, it simply continued settling down and making itself comfortable upon Nolan's chest.
"Growl! Growlithe!"
Nolan groaned and weakly raised his head, looking rather dazed. Almost immediately, the golden haired boy felt something very cold and very wet touch his cheek, and he gasped at the unfamiliar sensation.
"Urgh, get off! Stop it!" Nolan moaned in protest, sitting up a little and dislodging whatever it was that had decided to random tackle him to the ground and then start licking him. The golden haired boy rubbed furiously at his cheek, trying to remove the faint trace of slobber that had been left there by his assailant's... affectionate greeting.
"Lithe!"
Recovering from his brief spell of disorientation, Nolan turned his attention downwards, and for the first time, his icy blue eyes fixed upon the small fluffy creature that had now decided to take up residence in his lap. The effect that that one simple action had on the golden haired boy was practically instantaneous.
His heart... melted.
Sitting in his lap and cuddling up against him was perhaps one of the cutest Pokemon he had met on his journey to date.
The creature was small and quadrupedal, and was covered in a soft coat of fur, which was a beautiful orange colour jetted with inky black stripes that ran along its back and legs. On its muzzle, chest, belly, and tail, the Pokemon had slightly thicker fur, which was a light beige in colouring. It was the same with the additional tuft of fur on top of its cute little head. The Pokemon wagged its tail excitedly as it looked up at Nolan with its warm grey eyes, and before the golden haired boy could stop it, the small fluffy creature was sniffing at him with its small, very wet, black nose. Nolan laughed at the tickly sensation, but the creature must have obviously liked his scent, because it started barking happily again.
"Growlithe! Growl! Growlithe!" the orange Pokemon barked, putting its two front paws on Nolan's chest as it tried to lick his face again. Nolan laughed but gently kept the small creature's tongue away from him this time.
"Aww! It's so cute!" Misty couldn't help but coo at the adorable scene playing out in front of her.
"Yeah... but what is it? Ash stared down at the furry orange Pokemon snuggled up in Nolan's lap with an inquisitive eyebrow raised.
"It's a Growlithe!" Nolan was the one to supply the answer from his spot still on the ground, chuckling at how playfully the little orange Pokemon was.
"I've heard about these Pokemon" Brock nodded his head knowingly, "Growlithe are Fire Type Pokemon that are traditionally used by the police all over the world. It's not uncommon to see an Officer Jenny with one".
"How cool!" Ash exclaimed, looking down at the small Fire Type Pokemon with renewed interest. Wanting to know a little bit more about the creature which had quite literally just come crashing into their lives, the raven haired boy fished around in his jacket pocket for a moment, before withdrawing his pokedex.
"Growlithe - the Puppy Pokemon" Dexter announced in his automated voice once Ash had pointed his pokedex at the creature still happily sitting in Nolan's lap, "This Pokemon is renowned for its pleasant demeanour and great diligence. It drives enemies away with fierce barks and powerful bites".
"Sounds like you'd make quite the little guard Pokemon" Nolan said kindly to the Growlithe, gently petting it on the head. The boy's smile widened when the cute Fire Type Pokemon affectionately nuzzled its cheek against Nolan's own.
"Growlithe!" the Growlithe barked happily, clearly enjoying the attention that Nolan was giving to it.
"I wonder where you came from..." the golden haired boy mused aloud, casting his icy blue eyes around the town square in the hope of spotting someone looking for the little cutie sitting in his lap. After all, Growlithe weren't native to urbanised areas such as Orange Town, which indicated that this one had a trainer, presumably one that was nearby somewhere.
"Growlithe!" the Growlithe barked happily again, its tail wagging like crazy, and before Nolan could do anything to stop it, the small Fire Type Pokemon reached up with his front paws again. Only this time, it did it with a little too much enthusiasm...
SLAM!
"Oomph!" Nolan grunted in both surprise and mild pain as, with deceptive strength for creature so cute and little, the Growlithe was easily able to lay him out flat on his back again. It didn't really hurt, but the action was enough to catch the golden haired boy by surprise.
"Lithe! Growlithe!"
"Oh my goodness!" a new voice suddenly entered the conversation, speaking out before any of the travellers could react to Nolan's latest predicament, "I'm so sorry! Fang, get off him this instant!"
"Growlithe!"
With a final sniff at Nolan's face, the little Growlithe listened to the owner of the voice, which just so happened to sound slightly cracked and elderly, like it belonged to a woman getting on in years. Without a moment of hesitation, the cute and furry Pokemon obediently stepped off of Nolan.
"Oh... my head..." the golden haired boy moaned, rubbing the back of his sore head.
As he was busy trying to regain his bearings for the second time in the last five minutes, Nolan heard the sound of approaching footsteps, as well as the sound of wood striking against the concrete in time with the person walking.
"I am so sorry about that young man" the elderly woman's voice apologised profusely, "Fang here is still just a puppy, and he tends to get a little overexcited at times. I hope you understand that he meant no harm".
"It's okay" Nolan assured her from his spot on the ground, not really looking at the woman in favour of shaking off the last traces of lingering pain, "I'm fine".
"Are you sure you're okay?" the elderly woman still sounded very concerned, "You're not injured at all?
"Yeah, I'm good" the golden haired boy confirmed.
As he slowly and gingerly clambered back to his feet and dusted himself off, Nolan got a proper look at the newcomer for the first time. As he had managed to deduce from her voice alone, the person standing in front of him and his friends was an elderly woman who looked to be in her late sixties or perhaps even her early seventies. She had long silvery hair pulled back into a tight bun, and a very kind face that had aged gracefully with just a couple of wrinkles around the woman's gentle brown eyes. She boasted a slight figure, one that was stooped with age, and in terms of clothing; the elderly woman wore a long black dress that was patterned with small depictions of an orange fruit under a burnt orange cardigan. It was obvious that she was a resident of Orange Town from her outfit alone. Hooked on one arm was a simple wicker basket which appeared to be full of an assortment of different berries, whilst in the other hand, the elderly lady carried a long knotted cane in order to support herself. She looked down at the Growlithe with a disapproving expression.
"Fang! You apologise to this young man at once!" the woman scolded the small over-excitable Fire Type Pokemon, who looked up at her with wide innocent eyes, "Or it'll be straight to time-out for you when we get back home!"
The Growlithe's, or should that be Fang's if Nolan had heard the elderly lady correctly, ears drooped sadly at the warning.
"Growl... Growlithe..." he whimpered as he looked up at Nolan with puppy eyes.
Once again, Nolan found his heart practically melting in his chest. The golden haired boy immediately crouched down again and started petting the adorable little Fire Type Pokemon's head again.
"It's okay boy" he whispered kindly to the Puppy Pokemon, who nuzzled his fingers affectionately, "I know you didn't mean it".
"Lithe!" Fang barked, happy that he'd been forgiven.
Nolan smiled again, before he finished petting Fang the Growlithe and stood up to his full height again. He turned his attention back to the elderly lady, who had been watching his interaction with the adorable little creature with a warm smile on her face.
"Your Growlithe is so cute" Nolan beamed at the elderly woman, who smiled gently back at him.
"Thank you young man, that's very kind of you to say" the elderly woman accepted the praise graciously, "But I'm afraid that Fang isn't actually my Pokemon. Not technically at least".
"Huh? But you have him with you" Ash broke back into the conversation as he addressed the newcomer for the first time, his tone and expression both heavy with confusion, "Aren't you a Pokemon trainer?"
The elderly woman let out a laugh that was a very pleasant sound on the summer's air.
"Oh goodness me, no" the woman chuckled, looking greatly amused by the very notion, "I'm not a trainer young man. I'm just an old lady who loves Pokemon. Oh, but where are my manners? I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Reeni, but everyone around town tags a 'Miss' on to it. I think it's because of my age personally. You're all welcome to call me that as well".
"It's nice to meet you Miss Reeni" Nolan bowed his head respectfully, "My name is Nolan, and this here is Meadow, my partner".
"Bulba!" Meadow cheerful smiled up at Miss Reeni from her spot on the ground next to Nolan.
"I'm Ash Ketchum" Ash added as well, "And Pikachu here is my partner".
"Pika!" Pikachu waved from where he was sitting on Ash's shoulder.
"And my name is Misty" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist in their midst introduced herself as well.
"I'm Brock" the aspiring Pokemon breeder finished up the introductions, smiling politely at the senior citizen they had just become acquainted with, "It's nice to meet you Miss Reeni".
Miss Reeni smiled warmly at every member of the travelling group in turn.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you as well" she told them with genuine sincerity, yet more proof of the loving warmth that the sweet old lady seemed to practically radiate, "So what brings you youngsters to our humble little Orange Town? I mean I don't wish to be rude, but it's fairly easy to tell that you're not local children".
Nolan was the one to reply to the elderly lady's polite inquiry.
"We're just passing through on our way to Vermillion City" the golden haired boy explained, before he gestured towards the great orange tree still looming over them all, "But I've always wanted to see the Orange Town orange tree since it's such a famous historical landmark, so I convinced these guys to make a very quick pitstop on the way".
Miss Reeni nodded her head in understanding, before she turned to look up at the famous living landmark with a wistful smile.
"Ah, I see" she said softly, almost in a reverie as she stared up at the beautiful golden fruits, "Yes, it is something quite special".
"It is" Nolan couldn't help but agree.
"But now we're on our way to the Pokemon Center so we can get our Pokémon checked over" Brock intoned, clearly eager to get going. He wanted to make sure that Onix, Geodude and Zubat were all doing okay after the group's long journey after all.
"Oh, I can do that for you" Miss Reeni suddenly suggested, taking all four of the young Pokemon trainers by surprise, "I'm a qualified Pokémon nurse after all, licensed by the Pokemon League and everything. I'd be more than happy to give all of your Pokemon the once over for you youngsters".
"Really?" Ash was taken aback for a moment, but quickly grinned gratefully, "That would be great, thank you".
"Thank you Miss Reeni" Nolan, Misty and Brock all echoed his gratitude, each of them bowing their heads politely.
Miss Reeni smiled warmly at all of them again.
"I feel that it's the very least that I can do after Fang knocked poor Nolan over" the kind elderly lady explained, "And if treating your Pokemon will make up for that then I would like to do it".
"There's really no need to make up for anything Miss Reeni. I'm honestly fine" the golden haired boy assured her, "And besides, Fang is way too cute to get mad at anyway".
"Growlithe!" Fang barked happily, obviously agreeing. Miss Reeni laughed at the puppy's antics.
"Either way, I'd still like to offer you youngsters my assistance" Miss Reeni persisted, clearly still feeling a little bad about the whole affair, "Speaking of which, we should probably get going. Follow me children, my place is just around the corner".
And just like that, the sweet little old lady was off, walking down the street with surprising speed for a woman her age. Fang didn't hesitate to follow her, and after glancing at each other for one brief moment; Nolan, Ash, Misty and Brock all trailed after the kind elderly woman that they had just befriended as well. What none of the travelling quartet had any way of knowing at that point however, was that the course of their day had just been irreversible altered. Altered in a way that none of them could ever have predicted.
Altered in a way that had the potential to change one of their Pokemon journey's... forever...
And there's part one of my second Own Episode finished : )
So, what did you guys think of my first new location added to the Kanto region in this story? I really wanted to stick with the convention that the towns - at least in the games - are all named after colours, hence why it's called Orange Town. Coming up with the backstory was really fun too, and it's set everything up quite nicely in terms of the plot for my second non-canon episode : ) And yes, since it's kind of obvious, I can confirm that Fang is the Growlithe that will go on to become Nolan's in just a few short chapters ; ) I picked the 'doggy-est' of dog names for him since although giving him a Fire-based name would have been cool, I really want to play up his playful puppy characteristics as much as possible, and a typical dog name like Fang seemed a nice way of reinforcing that ; )
But enough about the actual contents of this chapter for now. Instead, let's move on to something equally as exciting - this week's voting topic! It's kind of a strange one to begin the third Nuzlocke with, since usually it would be an encounter vote. But no, this time it's a returning face vote. Yep, I easily beat Silver in the first rival fight of the game, which means that one of Nolan's older Pokemon can return. Like I did in the Orange Islands Nuzlocke, I will be scaling the options to reflect where I'm up to in the game, so since we just got started, this vote will be between Nolan's Pokemon that are still in their base form. The options are: - Gastly, Goldeen, Meowth, Voltorb, Lickitung and Seel. To be honest, any of these Pokemon would be a nice addition to the new team I'm building so I'm not really hoping for anybody in particular. If you are though, you know what you have to do ; )
And I think hat's just about everything from me for this time. 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 : )