Chapter 12: The Lass from PokeTech!

Notes: First off, huge thanks to 3,500 views here on Archive! Inspired us to get this chapter out a bit earlier than we were honestly thinking it would take. Ashley's Pokemon:
Hope (Pikachu) Female
Clint (Spearow) Male
Amethyst (Vivillon) Female
Gale (Pidgeotto) Female
Mustard (Beedrill) Male
Moltenpaw (Houndour) Male
Unknown Alpha Pokemon Egg Erika's Pokemon:
Meadow (Leafeon) Female
Rafflesia (Gloom) Female
Ichigo (Shiny Lokix) Male
Venom (Beedrill) Male Brock's Pokemon:
Quake (Onix) Male
Bolin (Shiny Grotle) Male
Geodude (N/A)
Razzberry (Zubat) Male
The Lady Raevyn Branwen (Corviknight) Female

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

"Can't sleep either?"

Erika nearly felt her heart stop, as she heard the voice behind her and felt her heartbeat slowly but steadily return to normal.

"...Don't scare me like that Brock, I may be petite but I've still got enough power to throw you over my shoulder and put you in the hospital," Erika said, slowing her breathing. "...but yeah, you're right. I can't sleep either."

Brock guided her to a chair in the Pokemon Center, and sat down next to her on a nearby couch.

"...It's Ashley, isn't it?" the older teen said, knowingly with a sage look on his face.

"...yeah, how'd you guess?"

"I've seen that look on my siblings' faces whenever they're really worried about something," Brock said, leaning back with a sigh. "...It's not the first time I've been up at night, worried sick myself either."

"Ashley, she just… she just broke down in my arms," Erika said. "I… I should have been there to help you."

"It wouldn't have made much difference, that poacher… that, I can't even call him a man as no real man would mistreat Pokemon like that. It utterly disgusts me as a Breeder. But he… he had incredibly powerful Pokemon, both of them fire-types. You would have been overwhelmed, even with your experience as a gym leader," Brock said. "Besides, you had to go get the police."

"I still should have been there to help!" Erika said. "And you heard what Jenny said, they scoured the forest and they couldn't find any trace of that ma… that monster in man's skin! He probably got away, we'll probably run into him again and… and…"

She fought back a sob.

"...whatever Ashley saw, whatever happened to her, I just don't want him to traumatize her any more than he already has!" Erika said, still fighting back tears. "I should have been there to help! I should have, as her older sister!"

"You might have been killed, we were lucky to get away to begin with. We needed Team Rocket's help just as a distraction to get away with the eggs," Brock said, still in a state of disbelief.

"Team Rocket?" Erika said, turning to stare at him in surprise. "You didn't mention that part!"

"...yeah, I'm still working on processing it myself," Brock said with a sigh. "It's the same TRio we saw at Mount Moon, and the ones you mentioned harassed you in Viridian. They're like your stalkers, I guess."

"...That's reassuring," Erika sighed. "...knowing we'll keep running into them, with our luck being the way it is. I have to get stronger, to protect Ashley, I have to keep getting stronger… Sometimes I feel so useless! I'm her older sister, I'm supposed to be able to protect her!"

"You're not useless, Erika," Brock said, reaching out to squeeze her hand reassuringly. "You've been Ashley's guide since she left Pallet Town. You're more help than you give yourself honest credit for, you helped her find her true self and something tells me she wouldn't have made it as far as she has without you by her side."

"Yeah, I suppose…" Erika mused. "...still, I just feel like I'm not helping her enough, that's all."

"I know how you feel, I've been kept up nights time and time again worrying if I'm not doing enough for my own siblings," Brock said. "With mom… Well, I don't know where she is by this point, probably living in Alola right now, and with dad on the road… I've had to figure out most of this by myself."

"You don't deserve that," Erika said. "It's not your responsibility to be both an older sibling and a parent."

"Can't do nothing about it now," Brock said, sounding rather bitter though he was clearly trying not to let it show. "Dad's back now, so everything's alright now."

"He shouldn't have to come back," Erika said with a growl. "He should never have left in the first place!"

"Like I said," Brock said, trying to keep the hurt out of his voice. "Can't change the past, not unless you know a Celebi somewhere."

"...give me time…" Erika said, sounding like she was only half-joking about that. "Give me time, and I'll capture every grass-type in the world."

"Heh," Brock said with a chuckle. "I've got no doubt you can do just that."

"Anyways…" Erika said. "Ashley, what did you both see?"

"It's not my place to say, she… it's Ashley's place to tell her story, and whatever you do, don't think of trying to push her until she's ready to open up about it," Brock said, warningly. "You can't force anything out of her, not until she wants to talk about it and I can only guess when that'll be."

"I know, all the same…" Erika sighed. "She was crying in my arms, utterly broken and I just… I just want to know how to help her, and who to send blasting off for doing this to her."

"Get in line," Brock said, protectively before Erika yawned. "Listen, you should probably at least try and get some sleep, it's still a long way to Vermillion."

"Yeah, g'night…"

Sleep still didn't come easily though, and Erika tossed and turned. All she could think about was her sister and the feeling of overwhelming failure. She knew she couldn't protect her from the world forever, but she still felt responsible for her loss of innocence somehow.

It felt like a personal failing, even if the logical side of her brain knew she'd had nothing to do with it. It was all that poacher's fault, he was the reason Ashley was in so much pain and honestly, Erika didn't know what she'd do if she met up with him again. Honestly, the thought of letting him feel her precious Gloom's most toxic spores was an ironically soothing one. She never thought she'd feel sadistic, but the screams of a poacher's pain allowed herself some very happy dreams that night. What he'd done to her sister, it was completely unforgivable.

—-

The next morning, they were on the road again. Houndour, now christened Moltenpaw, stuck to Ashley's side like glue. He seemed shockingly small for such a large canine, though given how skittish he was every little sound made him retreat into himself.

"...wow, I didn't know a Houndour could learn Withdraw," came a voice from the road ahead. "Talk about a little wimp!"

Moltenpaw immediately hid behind Ashley's legs, with mixed success from the loud voice. He let out a scream, his eyes practically bugging out of their skull.

A girl, wearing a school uniform was on the road ahead with dark brown hair cascading past her shoulders. She looked to be about Ashley's age, maybe a bit older.

"You know, if you're relying on that Pokemon to protect you, maybe you should get a refund. Trade up," the girl, with a distinct Kalosian accent said. "I mean, with a Pokemon like that you can't do any worse!"

Ashley immediately went on the defensive, glaring furiously at the girl.

"Yeah, who are you? And what's it matter to you anyways?" Ashley said. "Moltenpaw saved my life, so shut up about things you don't know about!"

"What'd he do, fish you out of a creek?" the girl mocked. "That dog, I can't see him doing anything brave. Better hope you don't fall down a well, because I don't think he's coming to save you!"

Ashley growled, sounding rather like her dark-type's fearsome reputation in the moment.

"I said shut it!" she snapped. "Who are you anyways?"

"That uniform," Brock noted. "I swear I've seen it before, now where… Ah! Now I remember, I thought about sending one of my little sisters to that academy!"

"So why didn't you?" Ashley said.

"Academy?" Erika blinked, and Ashley turned to look at the older teen as Erika repeated: "Academy? What academy?"

"I know I have a flyer for it in here somewhere, hold on…" Brock said, rooting around in his backpack. "Come on, where are you…? Ah, here it is!"

He pulled out a paper, and began reading from it, Ashley and Erika leaning in to see.

"Ah, here we go. The Pokémon Technical Institution. It says right here, a boarding school for serious Pokémon trainer preparation. All students are guaranteed to enter Pokémon League upon graduation. Pokémon Technical is the educational facility for exceptional students who want to be Pokémon trainers in a very short time, without having to travel on difficult badge collecting journeys."

"...ah, now I see why," Ashley deadpanned, Erika looking flatout insulted.

"...well that's just grand, giving students a free ride to the League without having them go through all of the necessary real-life lessons," Erika said. "It defeats the point of the whole gym challenge."

"I'm right here you know!" the academy lass said, stamping her foot and looking annoyed at being ignored.

"Hush, the adults are talking," Erika said, her pride as a gym leader pretty dented. "Ah, wait, there's more. Student entrance fees and tuition are in keeping with the high standards set by Pokémon Technical."

"And I'll have you know it was worth every penny," Giselle said. "By the academy's standards, I'm ready to challenge Misty because my Pokemon are at a three badge level!"

Ashley, who actually had challenged Misty, looked skeptical, deadpanning: "Uh huh, and how do you know that?"

"The simulations said so."

Ashley looked ready to explode, attempting to keep her voice perfectly calm as she asked: "The what now?"

"Yes, the simulations," Giselle said. "Normally I wouldn't dirty myself by going on the road, but the best Tech students have proven themselves by battling their pokemon at the appropriate levels against perfectly simulated opposition."

"...level system?" Ashley blinked.

"You know, attack power, health, defense. That's something every basic trainer should know," the lass replied, Ashley distinctly getting the feeling like she was being lectured instead of given gentle advice.

"...you make real life sound like a video game, life isn't like that one manhwa," Ashley drawled.

"And I'm more than just your basic trainer. I'm the top beginner in the school, meaning that's better than three badges! It's sad that others aren't blessed with my beauty, my talents, my humble attitude. People call me a star, but I'm just Giselle."

Ashley didn't like this girl, somehow she reminded her of herself. She was pretty, but apparently beauty only went skin deep. Misty was a lot prettier.

"...so did you read a different dictionary or does the word humble mean something else in Kalos," she deadpanned. "For the record, I beat Misty's top team so why don't you put your money where your mouth is and fight me instead? You won't have to get your fancy designer-brand shoes all muddy walking all the way to the Cerulean City gym."

"Actually," Giselle said, reaching for one of her Pokeballs inside her equally expensive looking bag and enlarging it. "That's not a bad idea. If you're not just boasting, and you actually did beat Misty, then challenging you should be just as fulfilling for me as challenging her. That is, if you weren't just boasting in an attempt to make yourself sound more attractive as girlfriend material."

"Making myself sound more…" Ashley stared, dumbfounded. "The hell?"

"Go on, let's see if you can back up your words. Unless you're, you know… Too Torchic," Giselle said, doing a little chicken dance.

Erika just stared dumbfounded, as Brock very wisely stepped aside out of the firing line having already recognized how close Ashley was to blowing her top.

"OH THAT DOES IT!" Ashley snapped. "Moltenpaw, get in there. Wipe that smug look off her face! I'm tired of looking at it!"

Moltenpaw was curled up in a sleeping bag covered in little flames, snoring or at least pretending to. Everyone collectively facefaulted.

"Okay, this is your five alarm wake up call!" Ashley said, grabbing her Houndoom by the scruff of his neck and physically tossing him into battle. The pokemon, with a yelp, rolled along the ground before feigning a dramatic sigh as if to say 'if I have to…'

"Go my shining star! Go, Yorick!" Giselle said, kissing the Love Ball and tossing it with the Cubone inside letting out a battle cry.

"Cubone, bone bone!" the little dinosaur said, swiping at the air with his bone.

"Careful Ashley, as arrogant as that girl is, her Cubone does look pretty well-looked after!" Erika said, in warning with Ashley nodding in acknowledgement.

"One on one then?" Giselle asked.

"Fine by me!" Ashley replied.

"...she's not serious is she, if this is her star she'd never defeat Misty," Ashley thought to herself. "Then again, I'm the last one to talk about type advantages after Brock and Misty's battles so… Yeah, Erika's right, if Cubone is this well trained then he might actually be a challenge."

"I'll let you go first," Ashley said, doing a mock-curtsy. "Since you're so sure of your ability to win."

"That'll be your mistake, then! Yorick, Bonemerang!" Giselle said, as her first command.

As the flying bone spun towards Moltenpaw, he trembled in place and let out another bug-eyed scream.

"Don't worry, she can't hit you if she can't see you! Moltenpaw, Smog!" Ashley said, and her Houndour sucked in a breath before breathing out caustic ash and soot covering the battlefield in a thick and heavy smoke.

Yorick's bone rebounded off a tree, Moltenpaw having taken advantage of the confusion to dodge the attack. Giselle was coughing even as the smoke cleared, her opponent shaking in place but looking unharmed.

"From above, Bone Club!" Giselle shouted, and her Cubone leaped into the air with his bone raised above his head and glowing white.

"Dodge it, and wrap him up in your Fire Spin!" Ashley said, an attack her Pokemon was all too happy to obey.

Skidding out of the way of the strike, Moltenpaw then blasted a stream of flame which wrapped around Yorick like a fiery tornado.

"Got you, your Cubone's trapped in the flames now!" Ashley said, having read up on Moltenpaw's moves earlier. While the dog had much less experience in battle, he knew some pretty good keepaway moves along with ones to draw out the battle and tire Cubone out.

"Yorick, Leer!" Giselle said, and the Cubone glared at Moltenpaw who seemed frozen in place.

Yorick however, let out a cry of pain from the flames wrapped around him with the inferno licking away at his scales.

"Howl!" Ashley said. "Show him your best war cry!"

Moltenpaw's 'howl' turned out to be a weak little whimper and Ashley facepalmed. Giselle broke down laughing, clutching her gut in pain as she cackled like a Murkrow.

"...sigh, I suppose I should have seen that one coming," Ashley said, sinking to the ground with her legs splayed across the dirt.

"Leer, again!" Giselle said, even as flames danced across her ground-type's scales. "Come on, hang in there! Draw this battle out, wait for an opening and then strike!"

"Sunny Day!" Ashley said, and the already warm Kanto sun seemed to grow harsher as it beat down on the battlefield.

"Smart, so you're not a total coward," Giselle said, as Ashley rolled her eyes at the backwards sounding compliment. Even Gary's remarks had more bite than this girl. "You're powering up your fire attacks, maybe you really did beat Misty with that little mutt."

"Ember!" Ashley said, and Moltenpaw let out a little burst of flame sending the Cubone rolling into a boulder. Yorick rose, but flinched, now burned. "Feeling the heat yet? Might want to stay out of the kitchen then!"

"Bone Club! You can beat this brat!" Giselle said, and her Cubone lunged forwards with his bone.

"Dodge!" Ashley said, and Moltenpaw leaped out of the way as Yorick crash-landed into the dirt. "Now, counterattack! Smog, again!"

More thick and heavy smoke filled the battlefield and Giselle couldn't see Moltenpaw so she couldn't call out an attack.

"Give up yet?"

"No! It's against my pride as a Pokemon Tech student!" Giselle said. "It'd be an insult to Yorick if I gave up now!"

"...Well, gotta respect that, I suppose!" Ashley said, with a shrug. "Ember, now!"

And another little spurt of flame erupted from Moltenpaw's mouth, knocking Yorick flat. Little swirls were in the ground-type's eyes, as it lay in the dirt completely unconscious.

"I… I lost?" Giselle asked, stunned and with tears in her eyes barely managing to call back her defeated Pokemon to its ball.

Suddenly, Ashley didn't feel so great about winning and felt a distinct sense of deja vu. Giselle, right now?

She reminded Ashley of her when she'd lost to Misty back then.

Giselle? She reminded Ashley of herself.

—-

"Hey, you alright?" Ashley said, after healing Moltenpaw with a spray. Walking up to Giselle in an attempt to comfort her, she reached out to wrap a comforting arm around her in the way she knew Erika or Brock might after a loss.

Right now, more than anything, Ashley could tell what Giselle needed wasn't someone gloating over a victory but a friend.

"Qu'est-ce que... que vient de se passer? Je... Est-ce que je viens de perdre?" Giselle asked, slipping into her native tongue. "Mais je pensais... Mais l'école a dit que je ne pouvais pas perdre!"

Her eyes grew fierce as she wiped away tears and she whirled on Ashley. Suddenly, Ashley found herself on the ground, rubbing a stinging cheek.

"You cheat!" Giselle said, wetly, the tears returning. "You must… Merde, tu as sûrement dû.. You must have put all of your pokemon on drugs, performance enhancers! There's no way I could have lost!"

"Performance enhancers?" Ashley said, trying to hold back her own temper and knowing it wouldn't help the situation right now. "I'm not Lance Armstrong! I don't give my Pokemon steroids! What kind of girl do you think I am, anyways?"

"One that beat me, somehow!" Giselle said. "And if you're not lying, if you didn't use performance enhancers then… No, Pokemon Tech can't be wrong! It can't be! My parents paid me good money to get me into that school!"

Ashley couldn't help it, it slipped out before she could manage to stop herself. Snarkily, she deadpanned: "Maybe the school overcharged your folks?"

She clapped a hand over her mouth when she realized what she'd said, seeing Giselle look like she might cry again.

"Allez vous faire foutre!" she snapped before dashing off.

"Giselle, wait!" Ashley said, trying to grab her by the hand.

"Leave me alone, you cheat!" the girl yelled back at her, running off.

"...wow, that was… talk about unladylike," Erika said and Ashley glared at her. "Ladies take their losses gracefully!"

"She just had her whole world crash down around her," Ashley said. "It's a bit harsh, isn't it? I, as a lady, should go help her out. I was in the same situation a little while ago, in cash you forgot?"

Erika winced, having the decency to look embarrassed and ashamed.

"...wait, wasn't Pokemon Tech that way?" Brock said, looking at his map and then at the direction in which Giselle had run.

"...yeah, and the only thing that way is… oh crap, the Cerulean Caves," Ashley said. "Brock, can I borrow your Corvisquire? She's the only thing fast enough to catch up at the speed she's going! I caused this mess, and I've got to clean up after myself. A lady, as Erika might say," she gave her sister a little stink eye, "Has her responsibility to deal with messes of her own making."

"Here," Brock said, handing her the steel-type's Heal Ball. "Go get her."

"Come on out Raevyn!" Ashley said, as she hopped onto the bird's back. "Come on, let's fly!"

—-

Ashley, she'd heard the stories about the Cerulean Caves. About how dangerous they were, that they were filled with some of the most powerful Pokemon in the entire region and that anyone just caught sneaking in without permission was subjected to a massive fine for their own safety.

Her heart raced, not even wanting to think about the possibilities of why Giselle in her current state was running towards those sea caves. She hoped, she desperately hoped it was just to throw herself at the most powerful pokemon she found in an attempt to train Cubone hard against wild Pokemon.

She really hoped it was just that.

She didn't even want to think about the other possibility.

—-

"Giselle?" Ashley said, landing Raevyn in the grasslands outside the caves and recalling her. "Wait up, I just want to talk!"

"Or to gloat, more like!" Giselle snapped back at her. "Éloigne-toi de moi, espèce de paysan!"

"I have no idea what that means, but it was probably very rude!" Ashley said. "Look, all I want to do is just to talk! I'm not here to gloat! It's completely unladylike! Look, if you just slow down…"

Giselle raced into the cavern and Ashley followed after her. It felt like this time she was actually going looking for trouble instead of it finding her.

"...Right, I am never telling Mom or Professor Oak about this one," she muttered to herself, as she let Hope out of her bag. "Alright little buddy, let's just be careful here… If you see Giselle, I don't care if she complains, stun her with your Thunder Shock!"

"Pika?"

"Yes, I said use your Thunder Shock on her," Ashley said as she hurried after the other girl. "You're actually allowed to shock someone, for once. It's for her own good! Now let's just hope that…"

She heard a scream from up ahead and Ashley sighed.

"...she doesn't run into anything, come on Hope we gotta hurry!"

Ashley's heart raced, pounding against her chest having no idea what Giselle could have possibly run into in here. Nor did she actually want to know, though she knew she'd find out anyways.

"...it's gotta be a Gyarados, it's going to be a Gyarados, 9/10 out of the time when a trainer runs into a dangerous wild Pokemon in here, it's a Gyarados," Ashley said to herself as she rounded a corner and saw Giselle. "...and it's not a Gyarados, and actually I don't know what that is."

What 'that' was, was a massive fish lunging out of the water with jaws open wide.

"...well, if it's a fish, it's probably a water type. Hope, Thunder Shock!" Ashley said and a jagged lightning bolt flew from her to the massive fish.

Ashley's eyes widened in shock, pulling back Giselle as the electric attack seemed to barely do anything.

"But it's a water type, it should have…" Giselle stammered out. "Quoi, ça devrait être super efficace!"

Ashley, as the massive fish went in for an attack, didn't even have time to go for Dexter to scan it and even find out what it was. Mind, she recognized the distinct glow of the tail.

"And now we're leaving," Ashley said as the tail came down drenching them with water. "That was Aqua Tail!"

And then a wave of mud knocked both of them off their feet, Ashley seeing the massive fish practically surfing atop the Muddy Water.

"Hope!" Ashley cried desperately. "Please, if you're ever going to master your Thunderbolt, do it now!"

"Pika…" Hope said as she began to charge up power, glowing with a golden aura and let out a cry of: "Pikkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkaaaaaaaaaaccccccccccchhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

The resulting attack brought the cave roof crashing down atop the fish. Ashley's eyes widened as she saw the 'fish' break apart and reveal itself to actually be a bunch of smaller fish combined together as a school.

"Froussardine…" Giselle whispered, in surprise.

"Huh?"

"Wishiwashi, in Kantonese," Giselle clarified. "They're known as the Demon of the Seas, they might look small but when they swim together… well you saw for yourself. Even Léviator… sorry, even Gyarados run from a full school like that one."

She sighed, and hugged Ashley tight.

"Thank you for saving me, I can't believe I was such a fool to think that… well, I wanted to see if my loss was just that, a fluke and that I was still strong and I wanted to have Yorick go against something really strong."

"So you chose Cerulean Cave?" Ashley said, her voice rising in anger. "Pardon my language, but WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?"

Giselle flinched backwards.

"Right, sorry, but beginner trainers are banned from this cave for a reason. People have died here due to the really strong Pokemon! Yorick wouldn't have even stood a chance! You could have gotten him killed, and killed yourself in the process as well!" Ashley scolded her.

"I… you're right, I didn't think. I was so mad and so confused, I wasn't thinking…" Giselle said, holding onto her tightly. "What you said before… about my parents being overcharged for Pokemon Tech… You're absolutely right, it seems I learned nothing. I can't believe my family got scammed by that… by that trou de merde! We're idiots! Imbeciles!"

Helping her out of the cave, Ashley led her back towards civilization.

"...Suppose you're going to gloat now, about how much of an imbecile I am. It's okay, I deserve it," Giselle said. "Merde, I can't believe I just did that… I can't even look my mama and my papa in the eye right now…"

"Why would I gloat?" Ashley asked, honestly confused.

"Because you ended up being proven right? I mean… that's what I'd do?"

"...I mean, I probably would have a few days ago, but right now gloating makes me feel just like Gary. Yuck!" Ashley shuddered.

"Qui est ce Gary?"

"My rival," Ashley said, having a good guess of the question. "Well, sorta I suppose? I think pain in my ass is a better way of describing him. He's…"

"Rich, arrogant, snotty?" Giselle said, rather self-deprecating. "I think I know the type…"

"No trust me, he's way worse."

Giselle winced.

"...glad I didn't meet him instead of you, I don't think I would have learned anything. …sigh, I'm going to have to call my parents and tell them that Pokemon Tech is utterly fucking useless. Gaaaaaah, that man who sold us on the school… Je n'arrive pas à croire que ce connard nous a arnaqués tous les trois, j'ai envie de frapper quelqu'un! A savoir lui!"

Ashley was rubbing her back, soothingly as Giselle continued to rant, switching over to Kantonese.

"He sold us on his shitty narrative, saying I'd learn everything and yet I learned nothing! I wanna burn that whole place down! Vive la Révolution étudiante!"

"...I'm pretty sure arson would get you arrested," Ashley deadpanned.

"...it's still tempting!" Giselle said before sighing. "...the damn place and its mouthpiece said the simulations would be completely true to life."

"Simulations are computer models, they're not really… oh what's the word I'm looking for here?" Ashley said, taking off her cap and rubbing her hand through her hair.

"Infallible?" Giselle offered. "Perfect?"

"Yeah, that!" Ashley said. "They simulate a perfect Pokemon match, in a controlled environment and life… it isn't like that?"

"So I've gathered," Giselle said, rather bitterly before she sighed. "Arceus, I owe that kid Joe so many apologies, when it's clear I knew less than him!"

She pulled her legs close, looking smaller than she really was.

"...I should go back to Kalos, get some real life experience, before I come in and claim I can beat any of the trainers here. If you're an average representative of the Kanto pokemon trainer, you guys are monsters!"

Ashley politely decided against letting her know that Moltenpaw was actually pretty young for a Pokemon.

"You want to know how I beat Misty?" Ashley asked. "It wasn't easy, and she kicked my ass the first time. Like… I got cocky and thought I could sweep her team with just Hope. Boy, she taught me a lesson. I worked my ass off to perfect a strategy for the rematch and even then I got lucky. Point being, never be sure about your victory."

"I guess not."

"Hey, don't go spreading this around, but Misty… She's up for an Elite 4 position. Apparently Agatha's retiring."

"Vraiment? Putain de merde. And you still beat her? …no way I had a chance to beat you…" Giselle said and Ashley swore the other girl was blushing and she swore Giselle was squeezing her hand a little tighter.

"Just saying, don't take your supposed badge level as an indicator of how skilled you are," Ashley said. "Honestly, I'd try traveling around Kanto anyways, see the real region instead of just having your nose in a book."

"You know…" Giselle smiled, a honest happy smile instead of an arrogant one. "I think I will. Thanks… you know I never got your name actually."

"Ashley, Ashley Leaf Ketchum. Future champion in the making!"

"Well, Ms. Ketchum," Giselle said, holding out her hand. "You'd better be careful, before I steal that spot from you. From now on, you're my rival!"

"Hehe, challenge accepted!" Ashley said, shaking it.

—-

"You're back!" Brock said, looking relieved. "I was just about to call Officer Jenny to send a search party."

"Yeah, Ashley… she saved my life, taught me a few things," Giselle said, kissing Ashley's cheek. "I'll forever be in her debt for putting me straight, putting my life on the proper path to the Pokemon League. Forget textbooks and simulations, no I'm going to get there honestly!"

"That's the spirit, I'll look forward to seeing you there and I'll look forwards to challenging you when you get to Celadon," Erika said with a curtsy.

"...you know, I don't think I thanked you properly, Ashley," Giselle said, with a sneaky smile before grabbing Ashley by her tank top and kissing her passionately. "I am from Kalos after all! We perfected the art of the kiss! There we go, that's better!"

With that, she sauntered off, humming an old Kalos tune to herself.

"Ashley?" Brock said, waving a hand in front of her face. Ashley's entire face was Razz berry red. "...Uh, Ashley? You still there? You still with us?"

Erika just laughed into her fan, Ashley completely broken for the time being.

—-

Ashley was still barely functioning even as they caught up to Giselle.

"Storm's coming, and it looks like a big one," Brock noted, as dark clouds rolled in. "We'd better find shelter soon."

"WHAT THE HELL?"

The group raced, hearing Giselle's shout and Ashley's eyes widened as her brain rebooted seeing a Charmander on a rock…

And his tail flame was flickering weakly, and thunder rumbled in the distance…

Notes: Unironically loved writing this chapter, once we figured out what to do with it. Sorry, no new captures this time though Ashley may have captured Giselle's heart hehehe. She wasn't a bad girl at heart in the anime, she was just stuck up. And it's worth noting, she *did* mention Pikachu needed more non electric attacks which came into play about five episodes later. Which, as we know was Surge's gym battle. So she accidentally helped Ash beat Surge. She legitimately did think she was getting a quality education. And yes, if anyone's read FriTik's story, Pokémon Forum: BattleNET? Giselle's personality absolutely draws from that fic. Now, abandoned orange Charmander on a rock between Cerulean and Vermilion? Say it with us... WHO'S THAT POKEMON? Next time: Charmander's Plight, Ashley's Pain!