Hey there, everyone, and welcome back to Journey Of An Autistic Trainer! I hadn't really updated in a while, but I can try. I finally got the Internet on my laptop working again, so I'll try to update sooner.

I got some news. My mom and I decided not to work with the publishing company that originally accepted our book, something about being paid upfront. We decided to go with Harper Collins, which distributed the Warrior Cat series. It's not gonna be the best book ever, but I just hope that people just like the book (not love, just like).

Uploading Date: November 2, 2016

Enjoy!

...

The School Of Tough Learning

They were finally on their way to Vermillion City, which was a three-day trip by foot. Blue sky greeted them as they left Cerulean City, dotted with fluffy white clouds over their heads. Ash was fully prepared to train the next time they stopped for a break.

Thanks to AJ's advice, Ash decided to try and develop his own training techniques. He had decided to use all of his Pokémon so they could be sparring partners. Pikachu and Charmander were sparring, and Ash could recall AJ telling him about this trainer using the spinning move.

"Pikachu, spin around to deflect the Ember!" he called after Pikachu and Charmander unleashed their attacks. "Charmander, do the same with Pikachu's Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu got down on his back and started spinning around. He deflected some of the attack, but he was still hit, letting out a cry of surprise. Across from him, Charmander had gone through the same thing. He had also gotten electric jolts directed at him, deflecting some but getting some in return. Once they were done, they flipped back up to their feet, all pumped up.

"That's great, you guys!" Ash called. "But we'll have to try harder.

"Okay, that's enough training for now," Daisy called from the other side of the field as she recalled Beedrill and Magikarp. "Brock's just called us over for lunch."

"I'll be right there!" Ash called back. To his Pokémon, he said, "Come on, guys. Let's get something to eat."

His Pokémon cheered and followed him to where he and his friends had camped. There, his friends also had their Pokémon out, Onix acting as a rock wall in case someone tried to attack them. Brock was preparing something to drink, for the sandwiches were done, and Ash walked over to see what was going on.

"There's nothing as satisfying as a cup of one-hundred percent Cerulean coffee," Brock was explaining as Ash sat down beside Misty. Daisy sat next to Brock, sipping the titular drink. "I know you two are a bit too young for it for now, but I'm telling you, it's gotten good with some help from a shop in Lumiose."

"That came from Kalos, right?" Misty asked, her eyes bright. "I've always wanted to go to Kalos!"

"Kalos?" Ash piped up. "Isn't it where that tall tower is?"

Misty nodded. "Yep. It's called the Prism Tower. I heard it's really romantic to see it light up at night."

"And I also heard that Kalos has great Pokémon there," Daisy added, giving her Eevee an Oran berry to eat. "Like Fennekin and Greninja and a lot more!"

Ash looked up to the clouds, as if wondering what form those Pokémon Daisy had mentioned would take shape. "I'd like to go there one day," he said. "When I get older, that is."

"Now how about that herbal tea?" Misty asked, getting back onto the subject about lunch. "I heard it's really good."

"I'm not that much of a tea person," Ash admitted. "You got any grape juice?"

Brock nodded and reached into his bag for some while Misty told Ash, "Why not give some tea a try? It's good to try new things, after all."

Ash accepted a cup of grape juice from Brock and took a sip, noticing Pikachu jumping onto his lap. "I know," he said. "I'm just used to the tastes I know well."

"Besides, I didn't bring along my tea set this time," Brock said as he was finished with his bag. "I'll buy another one when we leave and cross the metaphorical river."

So they ate and drank until it was time to go. It would be around two or three days until they arrived at Vermillion City, and they had to cover some distance.

But when they walked a while longer, Ash looked to the side and saw something that caught his eye. He called "I'll be right back" before going through the bushes to the other side in a clearing. In that clearing, he saw that he wasn't alone.

There were a gang of boys surrounding a somewhat younger boy, all dressed in school clothing. The youngest boy was on a treadmill, panting as he tried his best to outpace the machine

"What's this Pokémon?" one of the boys demanded, holding up a picture.

"Is it...Zubat...?" the boy on the treadmill panted.

Another green-haired boy growled, "No, stupid Joe, it's a Pidgey! Just because it's foggy out here doesn't mean your brain has to be in a fog."

Ash felt his body freeze up, Pikachu being the only being to keep him up. He had never felt right about teachers being too strict to students. As his mother had told him, parents and teachers needed to be firm but fair to their children and students. But these kids were the opposite of what he was taught.

"Is it Pidgey?" the boy named Joe asked.

One older boy said, "Correct! Now what's its special attack?"

"Well...Pidgey learns Sand Attack at level 5...and Gust at level 9..." Joe panted as he got more tired.

"What level does Pidgey evolve, and what's its evolution?" another older boy demanded.

Joe tried to answer, but his legs finally gave way to tiredness. He slipped and fell onto his rear, being carried off of the treadmill and onto the ground. The other kids were on him like an angry flock of Spearow, yelling at him and shaking their fists at him. Ash felt very uncomfortable hearing the yelling and seeing the youngest being picked on; it reminded him too much of how Gary had picked on him at school.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Ash asked, walking over. "Why're you guys picking on him?"

"There's nothing going on here," one of the students snapped. "And mind your own business; this is a private study session. We're training him so we can maintain our standards?"

"What do treadmills have to do with studying?" Ash pondered, sharing a confused look with Pikachu.

The bushes rustled behind Ash, and he looked around. Daisy was coming over to him, Misty and Brock behind her

"This isn't the Ice Age," growled one of the boys. "And we won't spoil the reputation of Pokémon Tech by fighting heathens."

So they walked off, giving Joe a look over their shoulders. Joe seemed to get the message and started running off after them.

"So those are the infamous Tech Students," Brock remarked as they watched the boys go.

"Tech Students?" Ash asked curiously, confused at this "Tech" stuff.

Misty answered this time. "Pokémon Tech. I think it's short for Pokémon Technical, a school for trainers." She dug into her bag, muttering, "I know I have a flyer in here somewhere."

"I know that place," Daisy spoke up before Misty could pull something out. "I remember its motto saying 'Pokémon Technical Institute, a boarding school for serious Pokémon trainer presentation."

Unknowingly to the humans, Pikachu looked over at the treadmill and gave it a nudge. He wanted to try it out, so he leaped high to jam his paw against as many buttons as he could. So he started running on it at first on two legs and then four as it got a bit faster.

"You know what this means, right?" Misty asked the two older teens. "This is Ash's first time hearing it, but it's a snobby private school only millionare kids can get in."

"That kinda grinds my gears. I never really liked those kinds of snobs," said Daisy with a huff.

She had slammed her fist down on the treadmill, setting the speed up a little higher. Pikachu had to deal with it on four legs, trying to keep up the pace.

"I got a flyer too," Brock said, pulling one out of his pocket. He unfolded it and explained, "It says 'All students guarenteed to enter into the Indigo League upon graduation, Pokémon Technical is the educational facility for exceptional students who want to become Pokémon trainers in a very short time without having to travel on difficult badge-collecting journeys.'"

Ash frowned at this. "But where's the fun in that? Where would the badge-collecting fun be?" He looked around in time to see Pikachu running on the treadmill, calling, "Off, Pikachu!"

The mouse Pokémon obeyed, falling down and panting, all tuckered out. As he had remembered seeing his mother use one in the Viridian City exercise gym, he turned off the button.

"So it IS a snob school?" Misty remarked, loud enough for the boys up front to hear. "I wanna see it for real."

So Ash picked up a tired Pikachu, and they hurried off after Joe, who was still trailing after the other boys. Up ahead was a huge school that looked like a huge metal laboratory than the school Ash had gone to. From the school called a megaphone, announcing, "Today's studies of Flying-type Pokémon and moves is over. Tomorrow will be Ice-types."

"Yeah, you better get studying," sneered one of the boys up front. "Otherwise we'll turn you into a snowman again."

They left, and Joe was left behind, sighing.

"Do they always treat you like that?" Daisy asked Joe as they caught up to him. Misty was glaring to the side at where the boys had walked off.

The boy spun around and gulped. "N-Not always," he said. "But you just saw them in their bad mood. They're my friends, and they help me study." The travelers looked surprised, so he explained, "They helped me learn a lot about Pidgey, like how it evolves into Pidgeotto and then into Pidgeot. They even told me that Pidgeot can Mega Evolve! Well, whatever it is anyway."

There's that "Mega Evolve" thing again, Ash thought. The last time he had heard it, it was from Seymore, the scientist at Mount Moon who gave Misty and Brock their fossils. He had been curious to know what it was, and here was the answer so far. At least he got a Pokémon who could Mega Evolve one day.

"There's something I didn't really get. If you know everything about Pidgey, how come you didn't answer?" Ash asked Joe. But as soon as he said it, he felt like he had gotten stupid. He had done it at school before, hadn't he?

"I only pretend to not know the answers so that I can answer harder questions," Joe replied as he led the way. "I'm trying to stay in Poké Tech because my parents saved a lot of money to bring me here. One of my friends is in an upper class family, but he's a beginner like me because we're pretty scared of repeating classes."

That perked Ash up at the thought of being around another friendly beginner. "So you're a beginner?"

Joe nodded. "Yep. We have the same qualifications as someone with two few badges. Intermidiate classes have the qualifications of four badges, and Advanced has the same as six. If you graduate, you can compete in the Indigo League without even getting badges."

"What do the teachers say about that kind of help?" Daisy spoke up.

"They don't know about it," Joe replied, a somber look on his face. "Or if they do, they pretend not to."

So he said, "Teachers shouldn't do that. Can we talk to the teacher in charge of this place about it?"

"They should," Misty told him with a frown. "Come on, let's go."

She and Joe led the way over to the school. Around them were students mainly studying either alone or in pairs and groups. Pokémon were there too, joining trainers or practicing their moves and skills. Ash had remembered that his old school did not allow any Pokémon except for class pets, seeing how one teacher had a Pidgey.

...

Once they got into the building, they came across a room on the upper floor of the building. It looked more like an arcade game room than a classroom, students studying from the computers. If this was a new kind of Pokémon training, it was something Ash had never really heard of before.

"So this is where you learn to battle, huh?" Brock remarked. "I thought there'd be something like a gym."

"Oh, we don't use the gym for battles," said Joe, now looking as superior as the boys who had picked on him. "We use these simulation machines. Because of that, we can proudly say that Grass-types can always be superior to Water-type moves." He sat down near one computer and said, "Take a look."

All of them leaned over to see the simulation battle. Ash saw the battle end rather quickly when he saw a Starmie on the screen wiped out by a Grass-type's Razor Leaf. It reminded him of the games he and Gary used to play together when they were younger kids.

"See?" Joe said with a self-important grin. "It always works."

"Okay, computers are one thing, but computers that decide Pokémon battles?" Misty said with a very confused look. That was replaced by a firm glare as she said, "I want some proof that Water-types are easily beatable! How about we battle for real?"

Joe smirked. "Fine, but don't blame me if my Pokémon wipe yours out. Go, Weepinbell and Geodude!"

He threw out two Pokéballs, and out came a Geodude and a medium-sized flower Pokémon. It was yellow with a big gaping mouth and two leaves on its sides. Ash pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it as it read, "Weepinbell is the Flycatcher Pokémon. Weepinbell has a large hook on its rear end. At night, it hooks on to a tree branch and goes to sleep. If it moves around in its sleep, it may wake up to find itself on the ground."

Misty snorted and tossed out a PokéBall, releasing Starmie. As soon as this happened, Daisy called "Don't forget me!" and tossed out a PokéBall too, sending out Eevee.

"I believe my Pokémon are superior because of their types," Joe bragged. "Geodude, Mega Punch! Weepinbell, Razor Leaf!"

"Dodge!" both girls called, Daisy adding in, "Eevee, give Starmie a Helping Hand!"

At their commands, Eevee dodged Geodude's fist, and Starmie Weepinbell's leaves. Once they were out of the way, Eevee gave Starmie a friendly tail flick to one of its appendages. The mysterious Pokémon spun its front appendages around in appreciation.

"Eevee, Iron Tail!" Daisy called.

"Starmie, Swift!" Misty commanded.

Eevee darted toward Geodude, her tail glowing silver, as she turned and slammed it into the rock Pokémon. Starmie summoned little stars to hurl at Weepinbell, causing the flycatcher Pokémon to flinch and cover its face with its leaves. Then Starmie fired a powerful Water Pulse, catching both Weepinbell and Geodude and making them crash into the wall.

"And that's how we do it in our gang," Daisy cheered.

"I...I don't get it!" Joe exclaimed as he recalled Geodude and Weepinbell. "Rock types are strong against Normal, and so is Grass against Water!"

"True, but there's one thing you don't know."

Everyone looked around at the sound of the new voice. In came a young teenage girl, very pretty to look at and yet having a self-important air around her. She had the usual girl's school uniform on, long brown hair, and haughty brown eyes. This is probably the girl in charge here, Ash thought.

The new girl strolled up to Joe, the haughty look clear on her face. "I've heard of Misty. She is the Cerulean Gym leader, and she has had more experience. And the girl she fought alongside with has also used speed; strength is not everything." She continued, her voice taking on a sneer, "And you really didn't know that Pokémon can use different kinds of moves to turn the battle in their favor? You really should've learned that. You're such an embarrassment to the school."

"But...Giselle..." Joe tried to say, only to stop out of shame.

Giselle ignored him and walked over to the four travelers. Brock muttered, "Well, I'll admit, she's really pretty. She looks like a movie star."

Misty gave him a nudge with her elbow, muttered, "You wanna see stars? I'll give you stars with Starmie if you keep that hobby up."

Daisy took the chance to say, "We just stopped by to see what this Poké Tech does. Are you Giselle?"

"The one and only," the girl said, flipping her hair back. "I'm the top student in the beginning class of the most expensive prep school in the Kanto region, Pokémon Tech. It's sad to see that the others aren't blessed by my beauty, my talent, and my humility," she added with an arrogant flair.

On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu made a mock gagging sound. Brock frowned as he said, "Aaaand the good feeling's gone."

But Giselle wasn't finished just yet. She continued, "People may call me a star, but I'm just Giselle! I want to continue to help my classmates be the very best like no one ever was. To teach each other, respect each other, and ensure the Pokémon of tomorrow..." But then she rounded at Joe, screeching, "BUT YOU'RE A WEALKING!"

"I-I'm sorry," Joe stammered, stepping back. "I'm trying my best, and-"

"You better be getting better," Giselle scolded harshly. "Or before you know it, your fellow students will turn their backs on you for good!"

Ash was not the one being yelled at, but it still made him feel numb. But before he could say something, Misty stormed over to Giselle and gave her a rather hard push.

"Hey, wait a minute!" the Cerulean gym leader snapped. "What kind of friend are you to walk away from a friend in need? You may be pretty to look at, but you remind me on how beauty is only skin-deep."

Giselle glared at her, but she did not shove Misty back. Instead, she gave her a simpering sneer and a rather annoying giggle. "Jealousy isn't very pretty either, is it?"

Daisy now stepped forward. "Neither is that annoying giggle."

This made Giselle glare at the Pallet teen. "Oh, so you're the wise one now, are you? Well, no matter. We'll settle this and see who the better trainer is." She grabbed a PokéBall and sent out a large Geodude-like Pokémon made of rock, which let out a roar.

Curious, Ash pulled out his Pokédex to see what it was. It read, "Graveler is the Rock Pokémon, and it evolves from Geodude. Graveler grows by feeding on rocks. Apparently, it prefers to eat rocks that are covered in moss. This Pokémon eats its way through a ton of rocks on a daily basis."

He looked around at Brock and asked, "Shouldn't we do something?"

"Wise Pokémon trainers never get involved in a cat-fight," was Brock's reply.

Daisy frowned and remarked, "I heard that. Hey Misty," she said, turning to the red-headed teen. "Why don't we show her some manners?"

"I'll take over this time, Daisy. These types of people really tick me off," Misty told said teen. She looked over at her Pokémon and asked, "You still ready to make a splash, Starmie?"

Starmie lit up its gem in response.

"Good luck with that," Giselle said in a mocking tone. "I've trained my Graveler since it was an egg, letting it learn the right moves, a perfect counter for Water and Grass types."

Misty had a scowl on her face as she began the battle. "Starmie, Water Pulse!" she commanded as Starmie fired a powerful blast of water.

"Graveler, Double Team!" Giselle called.

Suddenly, before Stamie's attack could land, copies of Graveler popped out in front of it. Starmie was now surrounded by ten copies of Graveler, its gem flashing and indicating worry.

"Starmie, Swift on every Graveler!" Misty yelled.

So Starmie did so and summoned more stars, hurling them at these "clones". The stars hit many of the Graveler copies, causing them to disappear

"Now Thunder Punch!" Giselle commanded.

Electricity crackled from the smoke of the copies, and Graveler swung its electrified fist hard at Starmie's gem. The Mysterious Pokémon did not make a sound as it was thrown back by Graveler's power and crashed through the window. Shocked, Ash ran to the window to see what was going on, and a door hitting the wall told him that Misty had rushed outside to check on Starmie.

So he and the others made their way outside, to a pool just outside the school building. Misty was hauling an exhausted Starmie out of the water, asking if it was all right. Just as it couldn't get worse, Giselle sauntered over with a satisfied smirk.

"We're at the swimming pool now," she taunted. "You sure you don't want to send out another Water-type?"

"What next?" Misty retorted. "A Rapidash using Solar Beam?"

Giselle snickered. "Pokémon are only as strong as the trainer who raises them right," she explained. "Those that are weaker but better trained can still win. Joe, I hope you're learning something new right now."

"Excuse me," Ash called out, hoping that he sounded brave enough. He was not sure how long he had to hear her talk, but it was a lot for his brain to take in at the moment. "But I think there's more to training than just using levels."

Giselle looked around at him, raising an eyebrow. "And who are you?" she asked.

Ash cleared his throat and replied, "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. And I got two badges already!"

"So you're a beginner?" Giselle remarked, giggling as if he was an ant she was ready to crush. "How long have you been a Pokémon trainer?"

"Two months," Ash recalled. In his mind, he was still amazed at how far he had gotten already.

Giselle gasped in mock horror. "Two whole months? And you still let that Pikachu walk out of its PokéBall?" she asked in a disbelieving tone. "Have you not really tamed it?"

Ash felt a bit offended at this. What was wrong with keeping Pikachu out of his PokéBall if Pikachu hated it in there?

"No," Daisy spoke up now, keeping Misty from charging at Giselle. "Ash is autistic, and Professor Oak gave him Pikachu as a therapy Pokémon. He lets Pikachu out because Pikachu hates being in PokéBalls."

"It's true," Ash agreed with Daisy. "Pikachu's different from Pidgeotto, Caterpie, Nidoran, Bulbasaur, and Charmander."

"Really?" Giselle asked, and now she had taken on a tone like she was talking to a toddler, something Ash hated. "Now that's cute. You've done a good job at that already! And did you know that Pikachu should've been brought to level 25 by now on this trip, and with a Thunder Stone, they evolve into the two-foot-tall Raichu?" Then she gasped again as she continued, "And didn't you know that Pikachu can be stronger if it evolved? Keeping it as a pet can be cute for little kids like you."

Ash felt his fist shaking with anger. Giselle was really treating him as if he was stupid. At least AJ, despite being gruff, never talked down to him like that. He wanted to be respected by non-autistic trainers, and he wanted to be the example, not the exception.

"Ash, let me battle her," Daisy growled, stepping out in front of Ash. "Your mom will never forgive me if..."

But she caught Brock's eye and seemed to realize something; Ash was sure he saw the look on her face. So Daisy backed off, but she and Misty kept their glares on Giselle.

"It's okay, Daisy. I can do this," Ash told her. Facing Giselle, she said, "I'm not gonna stand here and let you insult me or my team. Do you wanna battle me and see if I'm good or not?"

Giselle looked surprised. Ash supposed that she had never had someone talk this boldly in spite of being angry. But then she smirked and said, "All right then. Watch and learn." She tossed out a PokéBall and called, "Cubone, let's teach them a lesson!"

Out came a small brown Pokémon the size of Pikachu. It carried a bone in one hand, and the strangest thing about it was its head. It was wearing a skull over its head, only its eyes visible.

"Cubone is the Lonely Pokémon. Cubone pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeliness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull Cubone wears are made by the tears it sheds."

Kinda like something bad ever happened to my mom, Ash thought with sadness. He took out a PokéBall and threw it out, calling, "Charmander, I choose you!"

Charmander emerged from the ball, growling as sparkles flew around its golden body. The students gasped and pointed at Charmander, who waved its flame tail toward them as a warning.

"A shiny Charmander?" Giselle gasped, this time looking genuinely surprised. Then she looked mocking again as she remarked, "I bet a trainer gave it to you because they felt sorry for you. Am I right?" Her girl posse giggled with her, and she called, "Cubone, Leer!"

Ash felt his fist shake, but he kept his anger down as he tried to relax as Brock had taught him. As Cubone walked over with narrowed eyes, he said, "Charmander, Leer back at it!"

Charmander walked over to Cubone and parked himself in front of it. Then he drew a deep breath and gave Cubone a powerful scowl.

"Cubone, give it a Bone Club!" Giselle commanded.

So Cubone lifted its bone and bonked Charmander on top of his head. The lizard Pokémon stumbled back, trying to rub his head to get rid of the pain.

"Hey, why'd Cubone throw his bone at Charmander?" Ash asked, kneeling beside Charmander. "Isn't that cheating?"

Giselle scoffed. "Of course you wouldn't understand. Bone Club is one of Cubone's bone-based moves; it can use the bone as a natural weapon."

Ash felt like he was now at a disadvantage. He could let Charmander use Ember to attack from a distance, but he could not afford for his Pokémon to get clonked on the head again. If he could find a way to deflect it without Charmander breaking a claw against the bone, then...it suddenly hit him.

"Give up?" Giselle scoffed. "Cubone, Bonemerang again!"

Cubone hurled its bone at Charmander this time, the bone acting much like a boomerang. Prepared just in time for that, Ash called, "Charmander, Counter Shield!"

Giselle stared at him with surprise before giving a haughty giggle. "Counter Shield?" she repeated. "That's not even a real move."

But her giggle turned into a gasp as Charmander got down onto its back and spewed out embers from his mouth, creating a moving wall of embers. To Ash's surprise, the spinning actually worked. The swirling flames hit the bone and sent it flying back at Cubone, who winced as the bone smacked against its skull. It shook its head, trying to get back into focus.

"Charmander, finish it with Ember!" Ash commanded.

So Charmander took a deep breath and fired out as much embers as he could. Cubone stumbled back from the attack and fell on its rump. Then to Ash's surprise, the Lonely Pokémon started crying, tears leaking from the eye sockets in its skull helmet.

"Cubone is unable to battle! Charmander wins!" the school girl called. "So the winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."

Ash felt sad for Cubone, but he was also afraid of retaliation. He braced himself for Giselle to lash out at him, calling him names or even worse. Instead, she looked peaceful as she kneeled down beside the crying Cubone and gave it a gentle cuddle.

"Cubone, don't cry. You did good, so you deserve a very good rest," Giselle said as she recalled Cubone. To Ash, she said, "Looks like I underestimated you. In spite of being a beginner, you really showed me some unusual skills. There are some thing you can't just learn in school. And you've really taught me a good lesson today."

"Thanks," said Ash. "You and Cubone did great."

Giselle smiled again, and this time, it was heartwarming. "I'm sorry for doubting your worth as a trainer. I guess autistic trainers really can make it out there."

Ash was happy that the bad feelings toward each other were a thing in the past. He recalled Charmander, saying "You did great out there, so take a good rest", before stepping back to his friends. But as he did so, Joe was the one to step forward this time.

"I've decided to go home and start from scratch with my first Pokémon," he declared. "Just like Ash and other trainers have done...hey Giselle, maybe we can meet again in the Indigo League."

Now the smile Giselle had for Joe was genuine instead of mocking. She said, "I hope so too. Then maybe I can wipe the floor with you if we do. And I'm sorry I've been tough on you."

Joe gave her a smile of his own. "It's fine. I've learned that even though friends or family can be tough at times, they want to help. Like you."

"That's a good lesson to learn too," Brock remarked happily. "But hey, we need to get going. It's gonna get dark soon, and we don't need any Zubat in our hair."

"Then safe travels," Giselle said. "Hope to see you at the Indigo League...Ash, was it?"

"Yeah, see you there," Ash said. In his mind, he added, If I ever get there one day...

After trading farewells, the four travelers went on their way.

To be continued...

...

There we go, folks, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you see anything wrong in this chapter, let me know, and I'll fix it. I appreciate constructive criticism as long as you're polite about it.

This chapter involves a few shout-outs. First, I changed it from "School of Hard Knocks" to "School of Tough Learning". That can be true of private schools. It's also a shout-out to Twilight from Guardians Of Ga'Hoole, where he's gone through the "Orphan School Of Tough Learning". That is, he taught himself about the world. And finally, the line of "being the example, not the exception" is a reference to Paladin Danse from Fallout 4.

Ash: Pikachu (Quick Attack, Double Team, Electro Ball, Thunderbolt), Pidgeotto (Wing Attack, Gust, Sand Attack, Quick Attack), Butterfree (String Shot, Confusion, Gust, Tackle), Nidoran (Poison Sting, Double Kick, Horn Attack, Leer), Bulbasaur (Leech Seed, Poison Powder, Tackle, Vine Whip), Charmander (Scratch, Metal Claw, Ember, Smokescreen)
At Professor Oak's: Squirtle (Water Gun, Withdraw, Rapid Spin, Tackle)

Daisy: Eevee (Tackle, Iron Tail, Helping Hand, Tail Whip), Beedrill (Poison Sting, Agility, String Shot, Pin Missile), Magikarp (Splash)

Misty: Staryu (Rapid Spin, Water Gun, Harden), Starmie (Swift, Water Pulse, Recover, Rapid Spin), Goldeen (Splash, Water Gun, Horn Attack, Tail Whip)

Brock: Geodude (Rock Throw, Rock Polish, Tackle, Defense Curl), Onix (Rock Tomb, Rock Polish, Tackle, Bind), Zubat (Leech Life, Supersonic, Bite, Wing Attack)

See ya next time!