Hey readers - here we are with not only a new chapter, but a new episode as well : )
Sorry this chapter is up a little late. Since my last update, some gigantic, fundamental changes have happened in my life and I've had a pretty rough time of it the last few weeks. As such, my priorities had to shift and I haven't had as much leisure time to write lately. Hopefully you guys understand ; )
Anyway, I'm just going to get straight too it. There's no winner of the last voting topic to announce this week. The result last time ended up in a three-way tie, but I'll get into the details of that later.
Beyond that, I just want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. I'd also like to say thank you for the name suggestions that were left in the reviews. 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 : )
Charmander, The Stray Pokemon
Charmander, The Stray Pokemon - Part 1
Nolan Locke wasn't the type of boy that was easily intimidated.
That was simply an irrefutable fact about him. In the short few weeks since he had left Pallet Town with his trusty partner Meadow at his side, the golden haired boy had faced more trials and tribulations then most trainers ever faced in their entire careers. He had helped foil numerous plots by an evil organisation to steal Pokemon, faced down an actual samurai holding a sword to his head without so much as batting an eye, assisted in a police investigation into lots of un-provolved attacks, came the closest to defeating an expert trainer with a hundred straight victories under his belt, helped to protect a legendary meteorite from outer space, and taught a gang of bullies a well-deserved lesson about how they should treat others. He had also already earned himself two of the eight Official League badges he needed to complete in this year's Indigo League tournament, but most importantly of all, he had made lots of new friends as he built up his Pokemon Team.
So yes, one thing that couldn't be said about Nolan and be truthful was that he frightened easily.
Yet despite having all those achievements and victories and experiences helping to drive him onwards, always propelling him on to his next great adventure, something about the situation in which the golden haired boy found himself in this time was... different. It was different because this time... his nerves were threatening to overwhelm Nolan completely.
And what could possibly have shaken such a seemingly unbreakable person, you might ask?
Well the answer to that question was really rather simple. Whilst still on their journey to Vermillion City, where Nolan and Ash both hoped to earn their third gym badge each, the travelling quartet had once again managed to get themselves lost. That in and of itself wasn't so unusual - honesty the group collectively had the worst sense of direction imaginable - so that wasn't what had Nolan so on edge right now. No. What had the normally solid young man all-but itching to start running as though his life depended on it, was the group of wild Pokemon that he had just noticed in the tall grass, barely a couple of feet away from him and his friends.
Spearow.
The wild Pokemon... were Spearow.
Dozens and dozen of the ruffians were gently grazing in the grass all around Nolan and the others. They were all seemingly calm for the moment, but who knew how long that would last? Spearow were infamous for having exceedingly short tempers after all, and for dealing out brutal attacks whenever they lost them. Nolan had already survived such an attack from a full flock of this particular Flying Type Pokemon once before. He was in no hurry to test his luck against them again today, thank you very much.
But the worst part of this whole situation was that... Nolan felt as though he had to keep his concerns to himself.
He knew that if he were to admit the unpleasant feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach aloud to his friends, they'd probably find it rather odd. They definitely wouldn't laugh or tease him, of course they would never do that, but it was also unlikely that they would understand his feelings of unease. Nolan thoroughly adored Pokemon after all, and had done ever since he was a tiny baby. This particular species of Pokemon had left a foul taste in his mouth though, so it was fair to say that he had been less than thrilled to have noticed the gathering flock.
Perhaps he was being judgmental or prejudiced, but right now, Nolan honestly didn't care.
He wasn't normally the type of person to allow one awful experience to colour his whole view of an entire species, but what had happened to him and Ash had been pretty traumatic, so it wasn't an event Nolan was likely to forget in a hurry. The golden haired boy also knew exactly what it was that made that particular event different to all the other difficulties that he had faced and overcome in the time since.
He had been... utterly helpless.
That was the truth of it. In all his other adventures, Nolan had been able to actually do something, whether it be protect himself or somebody else if the situation called for it. But back then, when the flock had descended upon him back in the Pallet Woods, Nolan had never felt so helpless in his entire life before. Truth by told, the boy had actually believed for one single, terrible moment, that he was going to die that day. And that wasn't the type of thing that a person, regardless of how resilient they're usually were, could just walk away from without carrying some heavy emotional scars.
It hadn't been like this when he had battled against Joe's Spearow back at the Pokemon Tech institute though.
That fact alone was enough to tell Nolan that he wasn't exactly frightened of Spearow per say, but that had been a battle in a controlled environment where its trainer could put it back in its pokeball if the Spearow had got too unruly, before things had a chance to escalate into something more dangerous. Out here in the wild though, with a whole flock of the Tiny Bird Pokemon gathering, Nolan had no such assurances.
The golden haired boy shifted uncomfortably where he stood.
Perhaps he was just holding on to the past a little too tightly, but he just couldn't help it. The memory of what had happened back in the Pallet Woods was still very much at the back of his mind. Some might even call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but Nolan couldn't be sure that it was as serious as that. He was holding himself together for the moment, but only just. Either way, he wouldn't be doing anything which might provoke the Spearow flock into an attack.
Sadly however, it appeared that Nolan was alone in that regard.
"There's nothing but Spearow around here!" Ash suddenly exclaimed, gesturing around at the Flying Type Pokemon in the tall grass, and unknowingly pulling Nolan out of his tense thoughts and back to the present.
Misty, who had collapsed to her knees on the ground, next to a huge tree stump that the group had decided to take a break at in order to gather their bearings, glanced up at him. She had a distinctly disgruntled look on her face as she regarded the raven haired boy that was one of her closest friends.
"Well, that's the least of our worries, isn't it?" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist replied shortly, making no effort to hide her irritation.
Out of everyone in their group, Misty was the one who was getting the most annoyed and frustrated about their constant struggles to locate the seemingly elusive Vermillion City. That was understandable though. Nolan, Ash, and Brock had all promised that they would go there if she suffered through a visit to Cerulean City for them. She knew that they were trying, she really did, but the lack of progress was starting to get a little disheartening.
"Just because we're a little lost, doesn't mean I have to stop catching all the Pokemon I can, does it?" Ash wondered, a sly grin creeping onto his face.
At his side, Nolan gaped at his raven haired best friend in horror. Had he forgotten what had happened the last time he'd tried that stunt?!
"Of course not!" Misty retorted, her tone practically oozing with sarcasm, not that Ash actually seemed to pick up on it, "Enjoy yourself!"
Taking her at her word, Ash grinned, and was about to make a move to select one of the wild Spearow that he could challenge to a battle, when a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed a tight grip on his arm. Ash tried to pull away, but found the hand remarkably unmovable. The hand which he soon discovered, belonged to his best friend.
"Don't. You. Dare!" the blonde haired boy was grinding is teeth so hard, it was something of a miracle that they hadn't all crumbled into dust already.
Ash just blinked at his best friend in confusion.
"Huh? What's the matter Nolan?" the raven haired boy asked, still trying - and failing - to shrug off his best friend's grip, "Do you want to try catching a Spearow first or something? Because I'm not sure if you've noticed, but there's plenty to go around! We can both try to catch one!"
Nolan was so incredulously at the suggestion that he actually let go off Ash's arm. The force of the action was enough to send Ash stumbling backwards.
"I don't want to try and catch one of those things!" the golden haired boy exclaimed, looking positively petrified at just the thought, "And I don't want you to try to capture one of them either!"
Ash's bright smile immediately fell, becoming a perplexed frown.
"But why not?" the raven haired boy all-but whined. Ash knew after all that if his best friend didn't want him to do something, chances were, he wasn't going to do it.
Nolan took a deep breath, practically willing himself to keep his raging emotions under control. With reluctance in his heart and nervousness in his tone, he began to explain what the issue was.
"Ash, have you forgot what happened the last time you tried to battle and catch a Spearow?" the golden haired boy asked, because considering how forgetful his best friend could be at times, there was a very real possibility that Ash didn't even remember those events back in the Pallet Woods, "The day we first left Pallet Town together on our Pokemon journey?"
Ash had to think about it for a moment, but Nolan's prompt was enough to cause the memory to resurface. His russet coloured eyes widened as he remembered in excruciating detailing, the horrible events which had occurred that day.
"Oh..." the raven haired boy grimaced at the memory, and he could understand why Nolan was so distressed by the idea, "I see your point".
Nolan breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. He had been worried that it would escalate into an argument. He hated fighting with his brother in all but blood after all.
"Perhaps it would be a better idea to just leave them alone" Ash rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "But if there was some way to isolate one of them..."
Nolan sighed. He should have realised that that had been a little bit too easy.
"And how, pray tell, do you propose to do that?" he questioned his best friend, barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes, "Especially without upsetting all of the other ones?"
Ash sighed, realising that Nolan was right, and that the idea was probably dead in the water at this point.
"I guess you're right" he allowed his shoulders to dejectedly slump in disappointment as he accepted defeat. It was a shame though. Ash had quite like the idea of adding yet another new Pokémon to his ever-growing team.
"Well, now that you two have decided upon that..." Misty chimed back into the conversation, still sounding a little moody about their present situation, "Perhaps you could turn your attention back to more important matters. Namely - trying to figure out where we are, and how we can get to Vermillion City, preferably before we're all too old to walk there anymore!"
Nolan frowned at her, annoyed that she seemed to be taking it out on the rest of them, but chose to just let it go. Instead, he turned his attention to the final human member of their party.
"Any luck with the map yet Brock?" he asked the aspiring Pokemon breeder with an air of hope.
Sadly, those hopes were quickly dashed with Brock's response.
"Not yet I'm afraid" the older boy admitted, much to the disappointment of his three human friends and the two Pokemon which were out with them, "This map is so confusing. I just can't seem to make heads nor tails of it".
"Well, please try to figure it out soon" Misty groaned from her spot on the ground. The poor girl sounded exhausted, and it wasn't long until her frustration began to boil over, "I just don't think I can stand it if we get lost again! Not even one more time! We've been looking for Vermillion City for ten whole days! Enough is enough already!"
Brock turned her face her, a lightly annoyed scowl on his face. He was trying his best after all. It wasn't his fault that this map didn't seem to make any sense whatsoever. The aspiring Pokemon breeder opened his mouth to say as much, but he immediately cut himself off when he noticed something brushing across his complaining friend's ankle.
"Uh, there's a bug right on your..." was all he managed to get out.
"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!"
With a scream that was loud enough to rattle the entire forest, and possibly even wake the dead, Misty seemed to recover her energy in record-breaking time. In a wild frenzy of movement that a human eye simply had no hope of keeping track of, the orange haired girl all-but leapt into the air, quickly landing on Ash's back, and clinging on desperately as if for protection from some great terrible threat.
"Oomph!" Ash groaned, his poor knees almost buckling from the unexpected weight he had suddenly ended up carrying.
"GET IT AWAY!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist shrieked in sheer terror, almost at the point of hyperventilating, she was so freaked out by just the idea of a Bug Type Pokemon being so close to her.
Nolan looked down at the spot where Misty had previously been sitting and frowned. He couldn't see sign of a Bug Type Pokemon anywhere.
"Err... Brock, there's nothing there" he looked over at his friend, giving him a look that suggested that Nolan thought he had lost his marbles.
Brock looked down at the ground too. A moment later, he spotted what he had originally seen and realised that he had made a mistake. A good-natured, warm chuckle bubbled its way past his lips.
"Oh" the aspiring Pokemon breeder laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "It was just a piece of grass".
Unfortunately for Brock, Misty didn't see the funny side.
WHAM!
Nolan looked on in incredulous disbelief, as in absolute outrage, Misty swung her leg out from her position still on an exhausted Ash's back, and kicked Brock straight in the face. The golden haired boy just stood there with his jaw hanging open, looking down at Brock, who was laying on the ground in a daze, moaning feebly. Nolan then turned to stare, wide-eyed with alarm, at Misty, who had descended from a relieved Ash's back, and was now pulling on her hair like a woman possessed.
"I'm going CRAZY!" she all-but screamed to the heavens above, and Nolan took a took step back, half-worried that his friend might become violent with him next, "Where are we?!"
Wanting to be able to provide his seemingly deranged friend with an answer as soon as possible, in the hopes of calming her down, Nolan picked up the map which Brock had dropped when he had been taken down, in just one hit no less. The golden haired boy quickly scanned the map, his icy blue eyes raking in every detail. Once confident that he at least had a rough idea of where they needed to go, Nolan then looked back up at Misty with a tentative smile.
"Well, if I'm reading this right, then we're not too far away from where we need to get to" the golden haired boy announced, and Misty immediately focused her gaze upon him hopefully, "All we need to do is get to Route Twenty-four, and then it should be a relatively straight line to Vermillion City from there".
Misty's smile threatened to outshine the sun, she was beaming at him so brightly.
"Does this trail take us to Route Twenty-four, Nolan?" Misty's tone was eager as she questioned the blonde haired boy.
"Well, I can't make you any promises Misty" Nolan was very upfront about that as he cautioned his female friend, "But I'm pretty sure that it does. Let's just hope we'll run into someone who can confirm it. We all know from past experience that my sense of direction in isn't any better than the rest of you guys' after all".
That was good enough for Misty.
"All right!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist cheered enthusiastically, pumping the air with her fist, as she was brought out of her dark mood and recovered her usual cheerful attitude, "Then let's get this show on the road!"
And so that's exactly what she did.
Not even waiting to check if the boys were actually following her, Misty instantly started striding down the earthy trail that they had originally been heading down, back before they'd lost their way. She was eager to get moving again after all, now that they had a heading again. The sooner they got going, the sooner they would arrive in Vermillion City. Then they would have plenty of time to relax, see the sights, have some fun, and in Ash's and Nolan's cases, work towards earning their third gym badge. As such, it was with a bright smile on her face that the orange haired girl took a few steps down the road, before something caught her eye that immediately halted Misty in her tracks. Something which she had most certainly not been expecting to see.
"Hey! Ash! Nolan! Brock!" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist called back over her shoulder to her friends, a note of concern creeping into her voice, "Take a look at this thing you guys!"
Too tired to even considering arguing by this point, Nolan just did as the girl requested. He looked down the country lane, past his friend and... and immediately he felt his icy blue eyes widen in shock.
The thing, as Misty had so aptly described it, was... was... actually, Nolan had no idea what it was.
Whatever it was, it was huge. It towered over Nolan and all the rest of his friends. The funny thing was, due to its position in the shadows of the surrounding trees, as well as that fact that the sun's position in the sky was directly behind it, Nolan could hardly make out any of the features of the mysterious object that was blocking their path, despite being only a couple of yards up the road from it. The thing just looked like a dark, indistinguishable mass, without a proper recognisable shape. It was weird, and Nolan had a strange feeling just looking at it.
"It looks like some kind of giant Pokemon" Ash remarked from his spot next to Nolan, unknowingly having the same thoughts as his best friend. Then, getting an idea, the raven haired Pokemon trainer quickly turned to his trusty partner, "Pikachu, go get it!"
It couldn't have been more obvious what Pikachu thought about that suggestion.
"Pika! Pikapi!" Pikachu squeaked, clearly very frightened by the gigantic lifeform that was blocking the group's way forward. There was no way in a million years that he was going to try and battle against about thing. He'd get the snot beat right out of him. So to let that fact be known, Pikachu ran and hid behind an amused Nolan's legs, "Pikachu..."
"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed in dismay, disappointed by his partner's cowardice.
Nolan glanced over towards Meadow, trying to gage his own partner's reaction to this most unexpected occurrence. The little Grass Type Pokemon seemed to be a little intimidated by the sheer size of the thing before them as well, but was handling it a little better than Pikachu was. At any rate, she wasn't trying to hide just yet. Instead, Meadow was stood firmly at Nolan's side, loyal to the end, her vines at the ready and raised threateningly, in case it became necessary to protect her beloved human partner.
When several long, tense seconds had passed by without the gigantic shapeless creature making any move to attack them, Nolan and all of his friends exchanged slightly perplexed glances with each other. Feeling a little daring, the golden haired boy inch slightly closer to the mysterious thing in their path. Again, it made no move to attack him, so Nolan took another step closer... then another... then another. He noticed that Meadow was creeping forwards with him, just in case she was needed, and the boy's heart swelled with affection for her. His little Grass Type Pokemon really was the best partner a guy could ever ask for. Soon enough, the young Pokemon trainer and his beloved partner were only a couple of feet away from the thing, and some of its mass started to focus into much more distinctive features. Within seconds, it became apparent exactly what Nolan and his friends had stumbled upon.
And that's when Nolan threw back his head... and laughed, long and hard.
"Come on you guys! It's fine!" the golden haired boy back over to his incredulous friends, still chuckling to himself, "In fact, you'll never believe what it actually is!"
Nolan could scarcely believe it himself, despite the evidence quite literally being in front of his eyes.
Behind him, Ash, Misty and Brock all exchanged uncertain glances with one another, but ultimately, they trusted in Nolan's judgement. If he said it was safe for them to proceed, then that was good enough for all of them. After all, Nolan cared far too much about all of them, and was too much of a forward thinker, to ever risk endangering them so carelessly. So with only a tiny amount of trepidation, the three friends all slowly moved forwards to join the final member of their quartet, Pikachu reluctantly trailing along behind them. Collectively, all of their eyes widened in incredulous disbelief.
Whatever it was that they had been expecting to see, it most certainly was not what was in front of them now.
The huge shapeless blur of a body, which until they had stepped forwards had been completely shrouded In darkness, was actually a gigantic piece of a large tree trunk. It had obviously been dead for a long time now, as all the wood had rotted, and the moss that had once grown on it was dying and flaking off in chunks, almost like bizarre mouldy green snowflakes. They really ought to have suspected that it would turn out to be something like this. They were in a forest after all. But it wasn't the husk of an old dead tree which had Nolan practically besides himself in amusement. No. It was what was laid out on the top of it that was so out of place.
"Chaaarrr!"
Ash, Misty and Brock all just barely managed to resist the urge to fall down anime-style upon hearing the endearingly cute cry. Their eyes were all wide with shock, and their mouths were all hanging wide open in sheer disbelief. Nolan on the other hand just grinned, relieved that it wasn't actually a monster like there had all first suspected. But even his thoughts had gone in the same direction as the others', and that was to one rather perplexing question.
Namely - What on earth would a Charmander of all Pokemon be doing in a forest all by itself?
Yep. The thing which had had Nolan and his friends so spooked, was nothing more than a cute little Charmander, perched high upon the top of the huge tree stump, and looking down at all of them with an air of curiosity. Curiosity which Nolan was beginning to feel himself. Why would a Charmander be here of all places? Why was it all on its own? Where was its trainer? Nolan knew that the Fire Type Pokemon were exceptionally rare to find in the wild after all, and even then, their natural habitat was at the top of rocky mountains that were usually dormant volcanoes. They must certainly were not the type of Pokemon you would find in a forest. They won't the type of Pokemon you usually found anywhere come to that. Normally trainers could only get them from specialised egg breeders, or as one of the possible starter Pokemon if they started their Pokemon journey in the Kanto region. Nolan vividly remembered the Charmander that Chase had received from Professor Oak on the same day that he had received Meadow, and he couldn't help but wonder if this was the same one.
"A Charmander!" Brock exclaimed in surprise, hardly daring to believe his eyes, whilst unknowingly pulling Nolan out of his thoughts at the same time.
Excited about the prospect of learning more about the Fire Type Pokemon which had long since been the traditional Fire Type Starter of his home region, Nolan quickly fished his pokedex out of his back pocket. Smiling widely, the golden haired boy then pointed it in the direction of the Charmander, who tilted its head curiously to the side as it stared back at him.
"Charmander - the Lizard Pokemon" Dexi reported in her crisp, cool voice once the identification had been confirmed, "A flame burns on the tip of its tail from birth. It is said that a Charmander dies if its flame ever goes out".
Well that was a rather morbid pokedex entry, Nolan thought to himself as he put the device away again. He hadn't really learnt much from that explanation, considering that he already knew how dangerous it was for a trainer to allow their Charmander's tail flame to get low. He had researched the species quite extensively after all, in the months leading up to his Pokemon journey. He'd spent that time carefully preparing, since he'd wanted to make that he picked the right starter when the time finally came. He glanced over at Meadow and grinned. He'd definitely managed that, he thought with a sentimental smile.
"It sounds like you have to be really observant if you want to train a Charmander. You can't take any risks when it comes to their tail flames" the golden haired boy mused aloud, attracting the attention of his friends, "I bet it would be a real challenge to raise one, but really rewarding too. I wonder what this Charmander is doing all the way out here?"
At his side, Ash had a familiar gleam in his russet coloured eyes. It didn't take a genius to work out where his thoughts had gone to.
"You know, when I went to get my first Pokemon from Professor Oak..." Ash trailed off, rubbing his chin as he thought back to that day. It felt like it had been a lifetime ago now, "I was disappointed, because I couldn't get a Charmander".
Nolan couldn't stop the snort of amusement that broke its way past his lips.
"That's what will happen if you turn up over two hours late!" the golden haired boy teased in a sing-song voice, having long since forgiven Ash for that little debacle, "But it all worked out in the end, and you got Pikachu, so you can hardly complain! Isn't that right Pikachu?"
"Pika! Pikachu!" the furry yellow creature beamed, leaping up and landing on Nolan's shoulder, before nuzzling his cheek against the human's affectionately.
Ash smiled as he walked his best friend and his beloved partner. He loved the fact that they got on so well.
"You're right Nolan. I guess I did get pretty lucky" Ash admitted happily, reaching over and scratching underneath his beloved partner's chin, earning a happy coo from the creature in question. But then the look of utter determination was back on the raven haired boy's face, "Still, that doesn't mean I'm going to pass up the opportunity to catch my very own Charmander right now!"
"I don't know" Misty was the one who might have potentially burst his bubble.
She alone appeared to have noticed something about the Pokemon in front of them that none of her friends seemed to have realised so far. The flame on the end of the Charmander's tail was very low, and it's breathing seemed to be incredibly strained. It looked like one strong gust of wind would just bowl it right over, never mind a full-blown Pokemon battle.
There was just no way that it could possibly have the strength to battle right now.
"It looks like it's in bad shape" the orange haired girl pointed out to her friends. The three boys all took a second, more scrutinising look at the Charmander, and realised that she was right.
"You're right Misty" Brock agreed with her assessment of the situation. The aspiring Pokemon breeder then quickly turned to his other two friends, "One of you should try to capture it. That way we'll be able to take it to a Pokemon Center for treatment".
Nolan and Ash both looked to each other, using just their eyes to silently communicate. It was clear that both of the boys were interested in capturing the seemingly wild Charmander, since they knew that it would become a very strong powerhouse in any trainer's team, with the right training of course. But in the end it was Nolan who begrudgingly relented. He had after all just added Fang the Growlithe to his team, so he already had a very strong Fire Type Pokemon himself. It was only fair that Ash should get the chance to add one to his own team. So without needing to say so much as a single word, Nolan gave in and backed off, silently gesturing with his hand for Ash to go ahead and give it a try.
"Yes!" Ash cheered excitedly, glad that his friend with willing to give him the opportunity to make such a fantastic capture, instead of taking the opportunity for himself, "Thanks Nolan! You're the best! Okay Charmander, let's see what you've got!"
With his attention now focused solely on the bright orange creature before them, Ash narrowed his russet coloured eyes, and reached down to his belt for an empty pokeball.
"Pokeball, go!" the raven haired Pokemon trainer shouted as he lobbed the red and white sphere through the air.
Now normally Nolan would have scolded his friend for trying to make a capture without battling the Pokemon first. Aah knew better than that after all. This time however, he could see why it was unnecessary, and why Ash had made the decision not to do so. The Charmander looked to be so weak already, that it was unlikely to put much of a fight. And even if it did, the trainers couldn't risk fighting back against it for fear of hurting it even further. So watching with baited breath, Nolan and the others all looked on as the pokeball sailed through the air towards its target.
WHAM!
Or maybe they have been wrong about how low on energy this seemingly wild Charmander was. In one simply manoeuvre that was so swift that Norman could scarcely believe such as sickly-looking creature could move like that, the Lizard Pokemon effortlessly swung its tail around in a great arch, and easily flicked the pokeball away from itself. The red and white sphere tumbled back down towards the group of young trainers, and Ash quickly caught it. There was a look of heavy disappointment upon his features.
"Oh..." the raven haired boy groaned.
Nolan offered his best friend a smile that was full of sympathy.
"Bad luck Ash" the golden haired boy said gently, reaching out and patting his best friend on the arm encouragingly, "That probably would have been too easy any way. I don't get it though. I thought that Charmander looked pretty weak, maybe even sick, but perhaps it's healthier than we first thought".
"You might be right about that Nolan" Ash admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully for a moment, "Do you think I should have
Pikachu battle it first, to weaken it and make it easier to catch?"
Nolan just shrugged his shoulders at his best friend. To be perfectly honest, the golden haired boy wasn't sure what they should do. He could understand Ash's point, but at the same time, he was still very concerned about potentially harming the Fire Type Pokemon even more than it already appeared to be.
"Why don't you let me battle it for you, Ash?" Misty offered kindly, and when the boy in question looked over to her, she elaborated on her idea, "My Water Type Pokemon would be stronger against Charmander. Then you can catch it. Besides, I've been looking for a chance to see what my new Poliwag can do, so this could work out well for both of us".
Ash had to admit, it was a tempting offer. Usually he would prefer to capture his own Pokemon, but he could understand why it might be better to do things Misty's way this time. Before the raven haired boy had a chance to take his friend up on the kind offer she had made though, Brock suddenly chimed back into the conversation, a look of concern etched into his face.
"Hold on a minute" the aspiring Pokemon breeder urged, and once certain that his friends weren't going to take any pre-emptive action that might prove reckless, he continued, "Take a look at the flame on its tail".
The others all did as he instructed.
Just has it did before, the small flame at the tip of the seemingly wild Charmander's tail had withered down until it was barely more than a couple of embers. Nolan looked up at it in worry. He was concerned that it looked on the verge of going out completely, and after hearing what the pokedex had to say about that particular topic... well, let's just say that Nolan was in no hurry to test if the theory about a Charmander's tail flame was true or not.
"Chaaarrr..." the Charmander groaned weakly. That was no doubt about it after hearing that cry. The Fire Type Pokemon was obviously too weak to battle.
"There's no way it could still have the strength to battle" Brock shook his head and frowned, practically giving voice to the thoughts in Nolan's head, "Ash, try the pokeball one more time".
Ash grinned up at the aspiring Pokemon breeder and eagerly nodded his head.
"All right, I will!" the raven haired boy agreed, arching back his arm as he prepared to throw the red and white sphere in his hand at the Charmander again, "Pokeball, go!"
This time around, Ash's luck was a little bit better. Clearly too exhausted to try and resist the pokeball this time, Charmander allowed itself to be hit by the device instead. Again, the quartet of young Pokemon trainers watched with baited breath as the red and white sphere snapped open, and sucked the Lizard Pokemon into its confines in a flash of crimson light. It then landed on top of the tree stump, and began to roll around.
Now was the true test of patience.
Ash in particular was the one that was looking the most hopeful as he watched the pokeball twitch about, but even Nolan, Misty and Brock were all watching the red and white sphere intently. They all wanted to make sure that Charmander was okay after all, since they all loved Pokemon. Sadly however, it would appear that their combined hopes were in vain. For quite suddenly and without any kind of warning whatsoever, the pokeball suddenly snapped open again and Charmander with released back on to the top of the tree stump. That could only mean one thing.
The capture had not been successful.
"Ouch!" Ash suddenly yelped in pain, and turning to his best friend in mild concern, Nolan quickly had to stifle a laugh.
The pokeball, after failing to capture the bright orange creature on the tree stump before them, had been flung away by the force of it being pried open from within. The end result was that the red and white sphere tumbled back down to its owner, who unfortunately had failed to react in time, and ended up getting hit square in the jaw by it. Ash narrowed his russet coloured eyes up at the seemingly wild Charmander. This certainly was proving to be a lot more difficult than he had initially hoped.
"It sure has a lot of... character" Brock remarked, his tone and expression both coloured with surprise.
"A little too much character if you ask me" Ash groaned in response, rubbing his still-aching jaw.
"I think this Charmander might have an attitude problem" Misty commented, eyeing the seemingly wild Charmander in front of them with a look of disapproval.
Nolan on the other hand wasn't so sure that the Charmander's attitude was what was causing the problem here. He paused for a moment, wondering what could be done to help resolve this situation. Then an idea came to him, and so with a wide smile, he reached down to his belt and removed a pokeball of his own.
"You're going to give it a try now, Nolan?" Brock asked in surprise when he noticed the blonde boy's action. A look of intense displeasure flashed across Ash's face upon hearing the query.
"Aww! Come on Nolan!" the raven haired boy immediately began to whine in protest to his best friend, "I haven't given up trying to catch that Charmander myself yet!"
"I'm not trying to catch it Ash" Nolan gently defended himself, understanding where his friend's confusion was coming from, "I'm gonna try and talk to it!"
"Talk to it?!" Misty repeated incredulously. Nolan turned to her an nodded seriously.
"Sure" the golden haired boy confirmed, and when his friend gaped at him like he was crazy, he quickly elaborated, "Look, nothing about this whole situation is adding up. Why would a Charmander be in a forest in the first place, let alone in this kind of condition? So I want to send out one of my Pokemon so it can go and talk to that Charmander, and try and figure out what's going on. And I have just the perfect Pokemon, right here!"
And without taking any more time to explain his reasoning further, Nolan grinned and tossed the pokeball in his hand high into the air.
In a flash of scarlet coloured light that briefly illuminated the entire forest around them, giving all the trees and flowers and bushes an eerie red glow for a moment, one of Nolan's beloved Pokemon materialised on the ground in front of him. Once the light show had died down, enabling them to get a proper look at Nolan's chosen teammate; Ash, Misty and Brock couldn't help but all gape at him incredulously.
"Growl! Growlithe!" Fang barked in greeting to his human, happily wagging his tail.
"Fang is the perfect Pokemon?" Ash stared at his golden haired best friend as though he had lost it. Nolan just beamed in the face of Ash's confusion, and eagerly nodded his head.
"He sure is!" the golden haired boy smiled down at the Puppy Pokemon cheerfully, but realising that his human friends just weren't getting it, Nolan quickly explained his logic, "Look, we want some answers, but I have a feeling that that Charmander isn't too comfortable around humans, so it will be better if a Pokemon talks to it instead. Plus, I think it might help comfort Charmander if it's a Fire Type Pokemon that does it, since it's a Fire Type itself".
The other trainers all had to admit that Nolan's plan made a certain degree of sense. It was worth a try at least, and it's not like they had anything to lose by giving it a go. Still, Ash couldn't help but still have some doubts.
"I don't know Nolan" the raven haired Pokemon trainer couldn't help but express his concerns to his best friend, "Fang can be a little bit too unruly at times".
As if to prove the boy's point, the Puppy Pokemon began running in circles, playfully chasing his own tail, and almost knocking poor Nolan clean off his feet in the process. Ash, Misty and Brock all just looked at the blonde boy doubtfully, but Nolan wasn't to be deterred. With a soft smile of fond exasperation, the golden haired boy knelt down, and carefully timing it just right, he threw out his hand and managed to catch the overexcited Puppy Pokemon by the scruff of his neck. Fang didn't protest as his trainer picked him up. Instead, the hyperactive Fire Type Pokemon just licked his human's cheek, all the time wagging his tail happily.
Nolan tried not to grimace at the slobber on his face, and instead just smiled as he lightly bobbed Fang on the nose to get his attention.
"Sorry Fang, but it isn't time to play just yet" the golden haired boy announced, and Fang's ears drooped sadly in disappointment. Noticing this, Nolan quickly tried to cheer his adorable Puppy Pokemon back up, "But... I have a very important job for you to do!"
The boy's playful tone was enough to perk the excitable Puppy Pokemon back up again.
"Growlithe! Gro! Growlithe!" Fang barked eagerly, his tail wagging again in excitement. Nolan smiled at his show of enthusiasm.
"You see that little Charmander up there on that tree stump?" the golden haired boy pointed out, and when the Fire Type Pokemon barked and nodded to show that he saw it, Nolan continued, "Well, we're all really worried about it. I want you to go up there and find out what it's doing here all by itself, and if it would like us to take it to a Pokemon Center for medical treatment. Can you do that for me Fang?"
The Puppy Pokemon was practically doing somersaults, he was so thoroughly overexcited.
"Growlithe! Growl!" beaming in delight at the fact that his human had chosen him specially for this task, Fang nodded his head, his tail wagging like crazy. Smiling, Nolan gently set the hyperactive Fire Type Pokemon on the ground, and petted his head affectionately.
"Good boy!" the golden haired boy praised, chuckling as the Puppy Pokemon licked his fingers, "I knew I could count on you Fang! Thanks a lot!"
"Growlithe!" Fang beamed up at him again, before he got uncharacteristically serious. He wanted to show his human that he could do a good job after all, and so with that thought spurring him on, Fang quickly jumped into action. Moving away from his human, the Puppy Pokemon quickly leapt up into the air, and landed with effortless grace on top of the large tree stump. The Charmander looked at him with cautious suspicion.
"Growlithe! Growl! Growlithe! Lithe!" Fang immediately barked out an introduction to his fellow Fire Type Pokemon, before he got straight down to business, "Growl! Growlithe! Lithe! Growlithe!"
"Charmander... Char..." poor Charmander's cries seemed to be getting weaker and weaker the more time passed.
"Growlithe!" Fang barked again, nodding his understanding to the bright orange Lizard Pokemon, before he turned on the spot and jumped down from the tree stump. The Puppy Pokemon landed on the ground in front of his human, his tongue lolling out, his tail wagging happily.
"What did Charmander have to say Fang?" Nolan asked, kneeling down and giving the excitable Fire Type Pokemon a good stroke.
Fang enjoyed the attention he was receiving for just a moment, before he answered his human's question.
"Growlithe! Growl, Growlithe, Lithe. Growlithe!" the Puppy Pokemon reported to the golden haired boy. Since Fang had only been on his team for a relatively short amount of time, Nolan had some difficulty in understanding him. He looked towards Meadow for some translation.
"Bulba, Bulbasaur, Saur, Bulba" his beloved Grass Type Pokemon partner relayed to the young Pokemon trainer. It took the use of a few crude charades courtesy of Meadow's Vine Whips twisting themselves into peculiar shapes, but eventually Nolan was able to gather the general gist of the message.
"Okay, I think I've got it" the golden haired boy announced, giving both of his Pokemon one last pet on their heads respectively. He then stood up again and turned back to his friends, all of whom were looking at him with expectant expressions on their face.
"Fang said that that Charmander is waiting up there on the stump out here in the forest, because somebody promised to come back and get it" Nolan explained to his friends, before glancing down at Fang to check that he had got the message correct, "Right boy?"
"Growlithe!" the Puppy Pokemon barked excitedly, nodding his head, before he got distracted by playfully chasing his own tail again.
"So that must mean that that Charmander already belongs to somebody else" Misty exclaimed, her vermillion coloured eyes growing wide at the realisation, "That explains why you were having so much trouble capturing it Ash, even though it's already in a weakened state".
Ash just silently nodded in agreement. Nolan on the other hand paused for a moment to think about what his female friend had just said. There was something strange about that, now that he thought about it. When Ash had thrown his own pokeball for the second time, the Charmander had successfully been pulled inside it, despite the capture itself being a failure. That shouldn't have been possible. If Charmander was already registered to another trainer, the pokeball security system which prevented theft should have automatically kicked in, and prevented Charmander from being sucked inside Ash's pokeball. So why hadn't it? And why had the Charmander's trainer left it all alone in the first place? What did it all mean?
Sadly, Nolan had very little time to contemplate those thoughts. Right at that moment, Brock's voice chimed back into the conversation, pulling the golden haired boy out if his mind and back to the present situation at hand.
"Well, if Charmander is waiting for someone, I think it's probably for the best if we just leave it be" the aspiring Pokemon breeder reasoned to all of his friends, "It makes more sense for its own trainer to take care of it".
Ash and Misty both immediately nodded in agreement. Nolan on the other hand didn't look quite so convinced, but kept his opinions to himself on the matter.
"I hope its trainer comes back soon" Ash said, and without giving the situation any more thought, the raven haired boy turned and began to walk away down the forest trail again. Pikachu, Meadow and Fang, swiftly followed by Misty and Brock, all did much the same.
Nolan hesitated for one brief moment longer, glancing back over his shoulder at the weakened Charmander, before he reluctantly followed after his friends. The golden haired boy felt deeply uncomfortable at the idea of just walking away from a Pokemon when it was so obviously in need of medical attention, but if the Lizard Pokemon didn't want their help, then Nolan knew that there was precious little he could do about it. So sighing in dismay, he hurried to catch up with his friends.
He just hoped that everything would turn out all right in the end.
And there's the first part of the latest episode : D
I actually quite enjoyed writing this as, and this is quite a rare occurrence, I actually knew exactly what I wanted to do with this entire episode before I even started writing it ; )
But enough about that. Instead, let's move on to the result of the last Encounter Voting Topic. As I mentioned before, it ended in a tie, this time between Hoothoot, Machop and Misdreavus. If I'm being honest, I'd be pretty happy with any of these options, but type-wise, I do think one of them is probably better to add to Nolan's Pokemon family. But it's not up to me, so please go leave your vote in a review, and hopefully we can get this tie broken ; )
And I think that'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 : )
Nolan's Pokemon Family Review
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Kanto Nuzlocke Pokemon: -
Venusaur, Pidgeot, Graveler, Gyarados, Alakazam, Voltorb, Jolteon, Arcanine, Wigglytuff, Poliwhirl, Meowth, Snorlax, Weezing, Hitmonchan, Electabuzz, Venomoth, Tauros, Aerodactyl, Jynx, Scizor, Lapras
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Orange Islands Nuzlocke Pokemon: -
Tentacruel, Ninetales, Lickitung, Goldeen, Kangaskhan, Seel, Porygon2, Gastly
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Johto Nuzlocke Pokemon: -
Quilava, Togepi, Mareep, Slugma, Wooper, Ariados, Dudunsparce, Zubat, Ekans, Flareon, Butterfree, Miltank, Murkrow, Chinchou, Magby
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Currently Obtained in this Story: -
Meadow the Bulbasaur, Welkin the Pidgey, Iris the Venonat, Xanthite the Geodude, Fang the Growlithe and Lyric the Jigglypuff