The travelers are on their way to Vermilion City. Along the way, Ash had a battle with another Trainer, and Pidgeotto defeated a Rattata, securing his tenth victory. The Trainer admired Ash's two Badges, leading Misty to muse that giving Ash the Badge may have been a mistake - leading Laoise to elbow her. The Trainer pointed Ash to an unofficial Gym, where a strong Trainer named A.J., who has purportedly never lost a match, training savage Pokémon. The sign outside A.J.'s Gym showed that the Gym is unlicensed by the Pokémon League and that he has a record of 98 wins to zero losses. As Misty insulted Ash, A.J. walked up and challenged him to a battle. Ash is beaten easily and found out this is mostly because AJ worked his Pokémon extraordinarily hard. Laoise thought him comely appearance wise, but her blunt comments about the macho brace left him flustered. Ash is very upset and argued with AJ about the proper way to train Pokémon, until Team Rocket mistakenly kidnapped AJ's Sandshrew... when Sandshrew came back, Ash is moved by AJ's relief and Sandshrew's apparent affection for AJ. AJ then fights Team Rocket and gets his 100th win, ending the match with a Fissure move that destroys the arena completely. There are many paths that lead to the Pokémon League, the travelers are just beginning to discover their own.
Now here they are walking through the forest full of mist.
Misty was hassling Ash again, "I'm not letting you out of my sight Ash Ketchum until you pay for my broken bike!"
"'My bike. My bike.' That's all I ever hear from you!" Ash snapped.
Misty scoffed. "Right. And my name may be Misty, but I'm perfectly clear about what you owe me and you're not gonna get away without paying!"
"If I get the money and dump it on you, will that shut you up and leave us alone?!" Laoise grumbled.
Misty huffed. "No, it would not! This is Ash's debt, do you have any idea how much a bike costs?"
Brock intervened. "Maybe if you two would spend less time arguing and paid more attention to where we're going, we'd already be in Vermilion City by now."
Pikachu chimed in, "Chu."
Brock then suggested, I think we all need a little break. "Why don't I just throw a little something together?" And he began pulling random objects out of his backpack, "Ah! There's nothing as satisfying as a cup of 100 percent Cerulean coffee. Of course. Though, you folks are too young for this stuff, but it's really quite good. How about some prune juice?"
Ash winced. "I think I'll pass."
"How about some herbal tea?" Misty asked brightly.
"Got any berry or random spice flavored types?" Laoise questioned. "The properties may vary."
"Not so fast, everyone. I brought my official Pokémon tea set!" Brock held up a white tea set with blue pokèmon pictures on the teapot and cups. "Now, of course, the key to good tea and coffee is good water. And I just happen to have a generous supply of sparkling, delicious Mount Moon Pure Spring Water!"
The others watched with bewildered expressions. Where did Brock put it all?
Brock then spoke in a French accent. "And for ze special snack, I have for you some French Crepes."
Misty gasped, her eyes sparkling. "I love French things! They're so romantic, aren't they?" And she fantasized herself at a café table in Paris.
Ash interrupted Misty's fantasy as he ate some munchies and drank some water with a sigh.
Misty whacked Ash over the head. "All that crunching is ruining my romantic daydream!"
Laoise rolled her eyes, "Get over it! Not everything romantic happens in France persay."
For at the mention of French things, Laoise didn't entirely think of Romance and fancy fashion wear. Nope, her mind envisioned France's proud cultural heritage as the birthplace of countless legendary artists, wonderful green landscapes and stories. Most especially, one iconic and beautiful landmark stood out in her mind.
"Olim... Olim, Deus accelere..." Laoise had begun singing softly, she could almost hear the latin chorus. "Hoc sæculum splendium, Accelere fiat venire olim..."
Shae had lent Laoise the novel before she watched the child-friendly version, and while it had its charm, several adaptions be they movie or musical, had great soundtracks she'd added to her playlist. I just love Victor Hugo's themes of acceptance, faith and free will. Maybe someday she'll take some French lessons, one never knows when she'll run into foreign trainers.
"Les Cloches des Notre Dame..."
"Since when do you speak French?"
"I don't and I haven't studied latin either," Laoise said holding up her headphones and her music player. "but I do like to listen to musicals or animated movie soundtracks and learning the lyrics becomes a must do."
"Notre Dame, huh?" Brock asked as he fumbled with the things. "That cathedral has withstood centuries. Its Gothic architecture is truly awe-inspiring."
"I'll say!" Laoise grinned back. "Its history, its legends, its music - it all just fills me with such wonder. One day I hope to see it in person."
A faraway look entered her eyes as she gazed into the campfire, imagining flying buttresses and beautiful stained glass towering above. To see it up close and personal will be wondrous.
"By the way, I can't cook crepes and I can't boil water if I don't have a fire!" Brock interrupted. "One of you is gonna have to go into the forest and bring back some firewood."
"That's an excellent idea, Brock!" Misty said with a cheerful smile that fooled no one. "And I'm willing to sacrifice the excitement of searching for firewood to stay here and keep you company!"
Laoise didn't say anything yet, Brock and Ash looked at each other sullenly.
Brock said, "Well I guess that means."
Ash mumbled, "Yeah, some of us are going!" he sighed.
Laoise shrugged, she knew Misty intended to stay in the camp and leave them to do the heavy lifting regarding firewood. Eh, whatever. It's no different than her overnight at Summer camp. Course with all the fog she'll be needing the flashlight.
So the two accompanied by Pikachu went to collect firewood to make tea and crepes. As they wandered around the forest, they encounter a group of boys each one wore a blue uniform suit with a light yellow long sleeved shirt.
Five of the boys were holding candles, surrounding a sixth boy with smooth brown hair on a treadmill, quizzing him about various Pokémon.
"Pidgey's attack is Gust. At level 5, Sand Attack. At level 12." The boy on the treadmill said.
"Everybody knows that." A boy with red hair said. "Now, can you just tell me at what level Pidgey evolves? And what's the name of Pidgey's advanced stage?"
"You better come up with answers quickly, or you'll have to run faster." One of the other boys, this one had green dyed hair.
Suddenly, the boy who was running ends up tripping and falling off the treadmill.
"I'm sorry, I forgot." He groaned in pain.
The other boys surrounding him sigh at his response.
"You forgot." The redhead boy scoffed "And you call yourself a Pokémon Tech student? Well, we don't want to study with the likes of you."
The brown haired boy hung his head, "I'm sorry."
Soon, Ash and Laoise rushed in to see what's going on.
Ash charged forward, "Hey, leave that kid alone! What's going on here?"
"Yeah! What's the big idea picking on this kid?" Laoise questioned. "What is this the most extreme of twenty questions?"
"There's nothing going on here. Mind your own business, this is a private training session."
"You call this a training session?!" Laoise said sternly.
"There's no room at our Pokémon school for losers who don't even know Pidgey's evolved stage. We have to maintain standards." The green haired boy sneered.
Laoise and Ash were helping the fallen boy get up. This was hitting a little too close to home.
Ash said, "We don't know about this school of yours, but if its turning out students like you, I'd say that the standards are pretty low!"
"That's right, guys! You tell em!" Misty had suddenly walked up four feet away.
"We thought you were at the campsite waiting with Brock." Laoise said.
Misty replied, "I was, but I soon heard all the shouting and came to see what was up. Now as for you boys, you better stop bullying that kid or you'll have to answer to us! Right, guys?"
Ash said, "Misty, you stay out of this, and leave it to us!"
"You're right, Ash." Misty said with an insincere smile, "There's no reason for all of us to get into a fight. It's very brave of you three to take on all five by yourself."
Ash nervously looked back at the five boys who were all smirking at them.
"I'll be here on the sidelines cheering you all on waiting to drag a carcass away at the end. Show 'em that you're man, Ash!" Misty said.
"I'll help ya Ash!" Laoise piped up, "I'm not one of those kind of girl who let men fight their battles!"
Misty gave her dirty look. But it didn't entirely matter.
"We don't fight." The redhead boy responded.
"Fighting is for cavemen. This isn't the stone age, you know." The green haired curl boy said.
Laoise scoffed. "Tell that to the military," And she pretended to look at them critically, "although you boys DO seem more the naphthalene in your tea kind of people."
"And if we wasted our time having a fight with a couple of little insects and a tiny tot like you, it'd just make Pokémon Tech look really bad." A long-haired boy said.
"We'll see you back at the Tech, Joe." The green haired boy laughed and walked into the mist with the others.
The brown haired boy, Joe, just calmly replied. "Okay."
Ash began shouting after them, "Hey! Maybe you cowards are afraid to fight all of us!"
The redhead boy turned back to sneer, "The only thing we're afraid of is how badly we'd beat a little punk like you."
Brock had come up behind the rest to watch the snobbish boys vanish into the fog.
"So those are the infamous tech students?" He said, still mixing in a bowl.
Ash stared after them, "Tech students?
Misty responded. "Pokémon Tech. I think its short for Pokémon Technical.
Laoise thought that sounded familiar. "So they're students of that Pokémon Technical Institution?"
"Yeah. It's a school for Pokémon trainers. I know I have a flyer here somewhere." Misty searched her pockets until she pulled out a flyer, "Yeah, here it is."
Ash looked over, "A Pokémon school in the middle of nowhere?"
Brock took the flyer from Misty's hands to read, "Hm. Let's see what it says here about this place."
As he read, Pikachu investigated the treadmill Joe was running on until he accidentally started it up.
"Pokémon Technical Institute, a boarding school for serious Pokémon trainer preparation." Brock read what it said on the flyer, "All students 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."
As Brock talks, he leans on the treadmill and makes it go faster until Pikachu fell off. Pikachu was out of breath and kicked the treadmill only to temporarily hurt his foot.
"Oh. So that's the story." Brock looked up.
Ash said, "Getting into the Pokémon League without badges is too easy."
Laoise looked a little skeptical, "Yeah I dunno, sounds like the easy way."
Brock then looked at the extra information, "Wait, there's more. Student entrance fees and tuition are in keeping with the high standards set by Pokémon Technical."
Misty glanced at Ash and Laoise, "You know what that means, don't you? It's one of those snobby, private schools that only millionaire's kids go to."
Laoise frowned. "So basically, they're kids who think they're so important that they can get away with anything they want."
Ash scowled. "Oh, that really makes me mad! Where is this place, anyway!?"
Joe pointed forward. "It's right over there!"
"Huh?"
The fog lifted to reveal the main dormitory of the school. It looked like one of those fancy boarding schools. Laoise was bewildered, and she looked back to see that she and he others had also inadvertently walked in past the school's main gate without anyone else knowing or caring.
"Today's special class, fog battle techniques, is now ending. Tomorrow's lesson will be snow competition secrets." The P.A. was heard.
Joe sighed glumly, "Oh well. I guess tomorrow they'll make me into a snowman again."
Ash looked at him, "Do they treat you like that all the time?"
Joe answered, "My friends are just trying to help me."
Ash was indignant. "You call them friends?!"
Brock added, "With friends like that, who needs enemies?"
Joe replied, "But they helped me learn that Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto at level 18, it learns Whirlwind at level 21, Wing Attack at level 31, and then as its level rises, it learns various tricks. After evolving to Pidgeot, it can fly at twelve-hundred meters at speeds of up to mach two!"
Laoise was surprised, "Wowzers, you memorized all that?"
Joe nodded. "I sure did."
Ash was confused, "I don't get it. If you know everything about Pidgey, why didn't you just answer them before?"
"Sometimes I make-believe that I don't know all the answers, because if I do, they make the questions that much harder." Joe said.
Laoise blinked, "I thought only the rich and prestigious types go here. Hey, your parents aren't senators or something are they?"
"I have to stay here at Pokémon Tech. My mother and father worked hard and saved money so they could pay to send me to school here." Joe replied, "You see that guy over there?" He pointed to an older kid in glasses.
Joe explained. "He's an upper classmate, but the classes are so hard here, some students are held back for many years! Everyone's too ashamed to go home without getting a diploma. That guy, he's in the beginner's class with me. A beginner has the same qualifications as someone with two badges. The intermediate class has the qualifications of four, and the advanced students have the same as six. If you graduate, you can enter the Pokémon League without traveling around to collect the badges."
"But like Ash said, entering the League without badges would be taking the easy way." Laoise said candidly.
Joe explained, "That guy is a beginner, but he's so much older than everybody in the class, the kids don't bother to help him like they help me."
Misty asked, "What do the teachers say about that kind of help?"
Joe answered, "They don't even know about it. Or if they do, they pretend not to."
Laoise said bluntly. "Sounds corrupt."
Ash agreed, "Well, I for one think that this is a violation of students' rights that must stop immediately if not sooner! I want to meet the student in charge of this system and I'll see that its stopped!"
Joe held up a photograph, "Here's a picture."
Everyone leaned in to get a closer look. It was a picture of a fair-skinned girl with long silky brown hair.
Misty was stunned, "Huh? It's a girl?"
Ash blushed admiring the picture. "Oh yeah…"
Brock was also blushing, "She can violate my rights anytime!"
Laoise made a face at his words then said. "Love her hair, can't stand her already."
"Hey!" Misty then rebuked Joe, "If she's making your life so miserable, how come you're carrying her picture around?"
Joe admitted, "I hate the way she treats us, but I like the way she looks."
Well that figured, the young lady distracts the boys with her beauty and wraps them around her little finger. Laoise rolled her eyes with a huff.
Ash continued drooling over the picture, "Yeah, not like some girls who treat you bad and look even worse." He'd been inadvertently talking about Misty.
Misty caught on and shouted at the boys, "While you two are slobbering over that dopey picture, I'm gonna find this little witch and straighten her out!"
And she stomped in anger towards the main dormitory.
Ash called after her, "Hey, Misty! Wait!"
Laoise said caustically, "I bet if it were a cute upperclassmen sweetening her ear, she'd be singing a different tune!"
Joe lead the group into a study area full of computers that can simulate battles where the student in charge of the hazing, Giselle, always practices by herself. Laoise thought the computers looked like fancy video game machines, because of how it's designed.
"Even if you beat her in a fight, it won't matter to her. At the Tech, it's your skill as a Pokémon trainer that counts more than winning in any one battle."
Ash said, "That's what I'm hoping, because Laoise, and I have two badges!"
Joe elaborated with a shrug, "But Giselle is the top beginner here are the Tech. That's better than even having three badges. Even though I'm at the bottom of my class, I'm still more powerful than someone with two badges." He said with folded arms.
Ash was about to say something but Misty shoved him out of the way to speak out.
"Hold on a second here, I learned how to be a Pokémon trainer at the Cerulean City gym." Misty said, "Are you saying you can beat me?"
Joe sat down in front of the simulators, "Oh, Cerulean City. Water Pokémon."
"How'd you know?"
"I always beat them on the simulator. See?"
On the simulator, Joe's Weepinbell battled a Starmie. Misty demands a real battle, but Joe is doubtful of her ability to beat him. Misty calls her Starmie, though Joe calls on Weepinbell, a Grass-type Pokémon, and has the type advantage. Joe may have had the type advantage here, but nothing could brace him for Starmie's actual battle experience. And with one Water Gun, Weepinbell is knocked out.
Joe is taken aback, "Huh? Oh! But Weepinbell is strong against water Pokémon!"
"True, but your opponent's from the Cerulean City gym and a former gym leader." A new voice said.
While Joe and Misty battled, some of the students had walked in without interrupting. One of them was the Giselle girl Joe had been talking about.
"Her Pokémon has had much more experience battling. You should have known that. You're an embarrassment to the whole school." Giselle pointed out.
Ash blushed again, "She's really pretty, isn't she?"
Brock gushed, "Yeah, she looks just like a movie star."
Misty glowered at them. 'They like stars, do they? I'll be glad to show them some stars.' She thought.
"Are you by chance be this Giselle that I heard about?" Laoise questioned, folding her arms.
Giselle replied, "That's me. I'm the top student in the beginning class of the most exclusive prep school in the world, Pokémon Tech. 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."
Laoise grumbled, "Not so humble, Pride is fatal flaw too."
If Giselle had heard Laoise's comment, she'd ignored it.
Giselle approached Joe, "I want to continue to help my classmates be the very best they can be. To teach each other, respect each other, and ensure the Pokémon of tomorrow. But you're a weakling!"
Joe gasped at her sharp words.
"You'd better get stronger fast or before you know it, you're fellow students will turn their backs on you. For good!" she said darkly.
"Isn't that what you're doing supposedly? Putting them down when they don't meet your educational standards?" Laoise bluntly said. "If that's how you treat your friends, you should keep to yourself more often for their own well-being."
Misty called after Giselle, "Not so fast! A true friend wouldn't walk away from someone who needs help. You may look beautiful, but you remind me of an old saying of how beauty is only skin deep."
Giselle stopped and sneered. "Jealousy's not very pretty either, is it?"
Laoise retorted, "Neither is hypocrisy yet you're guilty of both."
Ash said, "Maybe I should do something."
Brock whispered back, "Wise Pokémon trainers never get involved in a cat fight."
Laoise rolled her eyes at their conversation. "Unless they're about to commit a major crime..."
Giselle sneered and picked up a pokéball. "Against your water Pokémon, I'll choose, Graveler, go!"
A Graveler materialized. Laoise raised Dixie to analyze it, "Graveler, the Rock Pokémon, the evolved form of Geodude. Due to its slowness, Graveler prefers to roll around rather than walk. It often feasts on rocks and rolls down mountain paths at high speeds, but is known to explode when it rolls into a river."
Brock gaped at Giselle's choice of pokémon, "Graveler? But rock Pokémon are weak against water Pokémon!"
Giselle replied haughtily, "My Pokémon are at such an advanced level, they can beat water Pokémon."
Graveler jumped and attempts to land on Starmie, but Starmie evaded. Graveler leaped backwards toward Starmie, who fired a Water Gun at it.
Laoise pointed out, "It's not the level, it's defense and special defense must be around the 100's to be able to withstand water like that."
In effect, Graveler tucks and rolls toward Starmie and slams into it so hard that it's jewel breaks and its sent flying out the window and into the school pool!
Misty looked shell-shocked. "I can't believe it." She murmured.
The students and our heroes head to the pool where Starmie landed. Misty had recovered her injured Starmie and was forlornly hugging it close.
"Now we're by the pool, your Pokémon's specialty. You can use a different water Pokémon if you want." Giselle offered Misty.
Misty's expression hardened. "Oh, and I'm sure you'll choose another Pokémon that's weak against water." she said sarcastically.
Giselle replied, "Pokémon are only as strong as the trainer that raises them. A Pokémon that's weaker but better trained can still win. It depends on the trainer. I hope you're learning something from this, Joe. A Pokémon's level of training is just as important to factor as a Pokémon's type when deciding a match. A first class Pokémon trainer can calculate that.
Ash stepped forward, "Wait a minute! There's more to Pokémon training than calculating levels!"
Laoise agreed. "Too know alot isn't enough to be wise. But what do you care, you're nothing but a self-absorbed little snob!"
Giselle looked at them, "And who you two?"
"I am Ash Ketchum from Pallet! And I've already got two badges!"
Laoise jerked a thumb at herself, "Laoise McGrady from the Bluebell Hollows. I got two badges too, and I'm neurodivergent!"
Giselle said loftily, "In other words, you two are beginners. And how long have you two been trying to become Pokémon trainers."
Ash thought for a moment. "Two months?"
Giselle pretended to gasp in shock, "Two whole months and you let your pikachu walk free? You haven't been able to tame it yet?"
Laoise protested a little. "He could be claustrophobic for all you know," She kneeled down to Pikachu's level, "Er you are...?"
Pikachu gave her a flummoxed look. "Pika!"
"And talking to them as you would humans." Giselle chided, "Maybe the Pokémon are training you."
Pikachu listened, thinking Giselle had a lot of nerve to talk like that. "Chu."
"I don't want to tame Pikachu!" Ash retorted, "Pikachu's my friend and so are Butterfree and Pidgeotto!"
Laoise chimed in, "Same with my pokèmon, I also consider them family. But you wouldn't understand the true concept of both friend and family that much would you?"
"Why does it concern you?" Gislle then asked Ash, "And while I'm thinking about it, are all the Pokémon you all listed all you have?"
Ash blinked "Huh?"
"That's funny, because even new Pokémon trainers usually have at least six Pokémon, and you got two badges with only three. " Giselle then glanced at Laoise, "And as for the tiny girl other there, you got two badges with all your Pokémon as well, however many you have. They sure were lucky, weren't they?"
Laoise waved it off, "Luck nothing, it's honesty and honor!"
"Every one of my Pokémon has the power of two!" Ash added.
"I wonder, with two months of Pokémon experience for both Ash and Laoise, that Pikachu for yours should be at least at level 25, but it's probably not there yet, is it?" Giselle said.
Now Pikachu scowled indignantly.
"I suppose you didn't know much about Pokémon if you picked a Pikachu as your first one. Pikachu tend to be hard to handle. It says so in any beginning Pokémon manual." Giselle pretended to be scandalized, "You really didn't know? And you still got two badges? How funny!"
Laoise rolled her eyes. This girl sure liked to hear herself talk.
"A Pikachu evolves...
Laoise recited some known facts in perfect synchronization with her. "...into an electric Pokémon called Raichu, it gets to be about 2 feet, 7 inches tall."
Giselle huffed and glared at Laoise.
"Anyone who wanted to know more about Pokémon does their research." Laoise said. "Treating Pokémon like tools is no way to train, they're still living beings too."
"Pikachu can shock you, but otherwise its pretty cute, don't you think? So if you don't let them evolve, they make great pets, especially for little girls. But I'm sure you knew that, didn't you? Really? You didn't? And you have two badges?" Giselle laughed, "And as for you, you're a cowardly shy girl who gets scared to speak up at times."
Ash snapped, "Knock it off!"
Pikachu leaped up just as indignant. "Pika!"
Laoise turned to Ash, wanting to battle alongside him, due to losing patience with Giselle. "Then, I'll join the fight too, Ash. I wanna to show Giselle how tough we can be!"
Ash nodded once, "Okay! Thanks, Laoise. Now..." He glared at Giselle. "Let's battle!"
Giselle sneered but accepted the challenge. "Very well, if you insist on embarrassing yourselves further." She tossed her hair imperiously. "I'll use my Graveler again for the second Pikachu, this should be more than a match. Cubone, go!"
Cubone and Graveler materialized.
Laoise checked her Pokédex to find out more about Cubone. Dixie explained, "Cubone, the Lonely Pokémon. A Ground type. When Cubone constantly starts thinking about its dead mother, it becomes lonesome and starts crying."
"Sad, but that's not enough to deter me. Storm, come on out!" Laoise tossed her pokéball to let her own Pikachu materialize.
Ash said sternly about his own pikachu, "This Pikachu is my friend and its different from any other Pikachu!"
"My Storm may be small but type advantages can only help so much." Laoise added.
Storm dodged the rock throw, Cubone uses his bone to deflect Pikachu's electricity.
Laoise explained, "Ash, Cubone is a Ground type, so Electric attacks won't work. Same with Graveler."
Giselle said, "True, neither one of your Pikachu can't shock them."
"That's why it's time to be cunning." Laoise said.
"Cubone, since Graveler started off his offense with Rock Throw, you start things off on your end with your Leer attack." Giselle ordered her Cubone.
The Leer attack causes Pikachu to become dazed.
"Pikachu, stare it down!" Ash instructed, "Like this!" and he pulled at his own face.
Pikachu tried to stare down Cubone the same way, but it's a stand off until…
Giselle ordered, "Cubone, Bone Club, now!"
Cubone strikes Pikachu on the head with its bone.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Ash snapped.
"I'm not playing around with either of you. This isn't a staring contest, this is a contest of power and skill between four Pokémon."
"Laoise, watch for Graveler's powerful attacks." Brock warned.
Giselle then said, Graveler, use counterattack on the second pikachu."
Graveler moved to attack Storm with a retaliatory strike. But Laoise was ready.
"Storm, dodge and use ThunderShock!" she commanded swiftly.
Storm jumped nimbly aside before unleashing a flash of static that caught Graveler off guard. Though it looked unfazed, Giselle's sneer twitched ever so slightly.
"Cubone, it's time for the Bonemerang on Pikachu."
Cubone throws the bone and The Bonemerang hits Pikachu right on the head, and Storm dodged some of the rocks but gets hit as well.
"Pikachu! Throwing rocks and that bone are cheap ways to win." Ash snapped.
Giselle smirked, "Well, those are Cubone and Graveler's attacks, they're authorized by the Pokémon League and they're perfectly legal, just like your friend said about Bone Club."
Ash grumbled. "They're still cheap tricks."
"Calling the Bonemerang a cheap trick simply proves your own ignorance." Giselle jeered.
"But the battle ain't over yet! Storm is still up! And now Pikachu is back up and we can beat her!" Laoise said then she smiled grimly. "How is this for a cheap trick, Giselle?" she called, "Storm, use Electro ball on Graveler!"
"What?" Giselle gaped.
"Huh?"
Storm charged up an orb of crackling electricity between her paws. With a mighty heave, she launched the Electro Ball straight at Graveler, scoring a direct hit on its rocky body. Though Ground-type, the super effective special attack caused Graveler to stumble back with swirls in its eyes, signifying that it was knocked out cold.
Giselle's jaw dropped. "Graveler, no!"
She recalled her rock type but was stern. "No matter. I'll still beat you with Cubone. Bonemerang, go!"
Pikachu manages to avoid the Bonemerang with Storm and jumped on Cubone's helmet and twisted it backwards to blind Cubone, much to Giselle's shock and horror.
Ash smiled, "Go on, Pikachu! Give it everything you got!"
Pikachu started scratching Cubone, biting its tail, and kicked its helmet and makes it spin around until Cubone can see again, only to see something shocking heading its way.
"Storm, hit it with tail whip!" Laoise called.
Storm struck Cubone and is hit by its own bone, knocking it down and out.
Giselle gasped, "Cubone!"
"CUBONE!" Cubone began to cry as the two victors celebrated.
Ash and Pikachu cheered. "We did it!"
"Well done, Storm!" Laoise said opening her arms for her female Pikachu to jump into.
Giselle slumped to the floor, upset and distraught. "I lost." she got out Cubone's Pokéball. "Cubone, good try. Come on back. Don't cry."
She recalled Cubone and returns it back to its Pokéball. "You'll be okay now. None of the textbooks ever mention a Pikachu winning by anything other than electricity."
"That was a once in a lifetime battle." Joe said in astonishment.
Misty quipped, "And don't try to copy that battle. It was just a kind of a fluke."
Joe smiled, "It was a cool fluke, wasn't it?"
Laoise smiled sweetly. "For true strength, look within. Your teachings could use some heart."
Ash nodded in agreement. The battle was won on the inside as well as out.
Giselle was still morose, "I can't believe I lost a match...Huh?"
Low smoke or fog began to roll in.
Ash scowled, "Oh no. It's not..."
Laoise grumbled, "It has to be Team Rocket!"
As usual Team Rocket did their trademark motto this time with Meowth falling from the sky and into the water of the pool but jumping right out in a back-flip.
"MEEEEEOOOOOOOWTH! I love a splashy entrance!"
"I've heard of Team Rocket." Giselle said sternly, "You're the ones who got the worst grades ever on the entrance exams."
Laoise raised her eyebrows. "They actually tried to get in here? Small world after all."
"I agree." Giselle then grinned and said to Team Rocket. "How about your team versus our team?"
All students and trainers get out their Pokéballs.
Jessie blanched, "The two of us against all of them?!"
James winced, "But the rules say one on one!"
Giselle replied, "Bad guys don't play by the rules." And to the other students and our heroes as she threw her Pokéball, she cried, "Get 'em!"
Immediately, Team Rocket is pelted with a barrage of pokèballs. Since the troublesome trio is outnumbered they fled, though they are still being hit by the Poké Balls in the process.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" The crooks shouted as they ran off.
Later Giselle is watching the sunset contemplatively. For some lessons can't always be learned in school or textbooks. Especially in regards to underestimating trainers from different backgrounds.
Joe walked up, "I'm going back home to start from scratch with my first Pokémon, just like Ash and Laoise did." He then looked at Giselle, "Hey, Giselle. Maybe we'll meet someday in the Pokémon League."
Giselle replied, "I hope so. I'll try my hardest to be a worthy opponent if we do."
They both looked out at the sunset.
Joe asked, "Alright if I keep your picture with me?"
Giselle agreed. "Sure. I have pictures of my friends, too."
Joe was surprised. "Huh? Do you have mine?"
Giselle confirmed. "We're friends now, aren't we? Good luck, Joe."
Joe smiled. "You too, Giselle."
Ash questioned. "See? Why can't you and I be like that Misty?"
"Huh? I'll tell you exactly why." Misty snapped. "Because he doesn't owe her a bike!"
Ash laughed sheepishly.
"You and Giselle both have something in common," Laoise remarked. "You're both snooty."
Giselle and Joe then walked up to the travelers.
"So, maybe we'll battle again someday." Giselle said.
Misty nodded, "I sure hope so."
Ash agreed. "Me too."
"Likewise." said Laoise.
And so the travelers journey on, they take one last look at the school where they learned so much.
