Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter : )
I really don't have an awful lot to say this week, so I think I'll just jump straight on in with the winning option from the last voting topic. I am happy to announced that the winner was... Option 1! I must admit I'm a little surprised that this one won, since I thought you guys would vote to bring back Nolan's final Pokemon and make his team complete again. Still, considering how few evolution we've had in this nuzlocke, I can't deny it'll be nice to evolve a few more Pokemon up ; )
Finally, I just want to say a GIANT thank you to everyone that has reviewed, favourited, and followed this story. The support that has been shown to the story is amazing, and it means so much to me, so thank you : )
Please remember that Pokemon is not mine, only my OC's are : )
I hope you enjoy this chapter : )
The School of Hard Knocks - Part 2
Nolan stood silently trembling with fury, his shoulders tense, his icy blue eyes practically on fire, as he glared at the retreating forms of the five teenage bullies that he just confronted. His gaze was so intense, and so full of pure and unadulterated rage, that it practically threatened to drill holes into their backs as they disappeared into the thick fog that had shrouded the land around them all. The golden haired boy scowled darkly and shook his head. If there was one thing in the world that he simply couldn't stomach. it was snobs that thought they were better than everybody else. Especially snobs that were dripping in old money, and liked to throw their weight around like there was no tomorrow.
Try as he might though, and despite knowing it was utter nonsense, Nolan would be lying if he said that the rude boy's remark hadn't actually struck a nerve with him.
Now don't get it wrong - Nolan was in no way, shape or form ashamed of his heritage. And he definitely wasn't embarrassed about the fact that he came from a family which hadn't always had an awful lot of money. When he had been much younger, around the time that his father had begun building up his online business, money had been exceptionally tight in the Locke household from time to time whilst his father found his feet. It was often a concern where the next meal would be coming from, and despite the man's best efforts to hide the truth from him, Nolan had known just how worried he was about his abilities to provide for them both.
Thankfully everything had worked out well for Nathaniel in the end, and he now had a successful online business. But whilst the Locke family's money troubles were now firmly in the past, Nolan had never once forgotten those dark and bleak times, despite his father's best efforts to shield him from them.
So the last thing he needed was some posh idiot pretty much downing on that entire lifestyle just because he had been born holding a silver spoon.
The golden haired boy quickly berated himself however, the moment those angry dark thoughts began to enter his mind. He knew that his father would likely have a fit if he ever found out that Nolan had been given such nasty comments any head room, and deep down, the boy genuinely did know that what a bunch of snobs thought of them didn't really matter. It just bothered him when people thought that his father wasn't a good dad, just because he couldn't always afford to do the things that other parents could spoil their children with. And just because his father hadn't been able to afford to give him private tutorage like those snobs were getting at this fancy school of theirs, didn't mean that Nolan didn't get a good education. His father had done his best by him; he'd made sure all the essentials with there despite the hard times, and Nolan held a deep sense of respect towards the man for that. He also knew that he would be eternally grateful towards his father, just as he should be.
So keeping that sentiment close to his heart in an attempt to block out the blood that was thundering through his brain, Nolan managed to drag his mind out of the dark corner it had been thrown into, and back to the present moment at hand. It was a struggle to just let those comments go, he could admit it, but Nolan managed to tune back into his surroundings, right as his best friend also managed to get over the stunned state that those obnoxious snobs had managed to force him into.
"Who do those guys think they are?!" the raven haired boy spat furiously, clearly just as enraged as Nolan was by the rude comments they had made against him and his friends.
As his rationality began to return to him, Nolan expected the boy that they had stepped into defend, Joe if the golden haired boy recalled correctly, to answer the question, despite it being entirely rhetorical. Therefore it came as somewhat of a shock when out of the intense fog which had coated the land, Brock of all people appeared at their side, a whisk in hand as he casually but careful beat a mixture in a large bowl that he carried under one arm. No doubt he had come to see what was taking them so long with the firewood, and judging by the thoroughly unimpressed expression on his face, he had caught the tail end of the confrontation.
"So those are the infamous Tech students" the aspiring Pokemon breeder muttered thoughtfully, prompting all the others to glance in his direction, "Well... they certainly live up to their reputation of being a gang of downright vicious bullies. Are you alright Nolan?"
The older boy looked at his blonde haired friend, a look of concern etched into his face. Nolan swallowed hard at the question. He had been hoping that nobody would have noticed his reaction to the bully's remarks about his father, but apparently those hopes had gone unanswered. A thoroughly dejected sigh slipped his lips as he forced his face in to a more neutral expression.
"I'm fine Brock" Nolan ground out through clenched teeth. His tone made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to discuss the matter any further.
Brock wisely left it only. Families were a complicated matter, and usually quite a touchy subject. He only had to look at his own to know that much. Thankfully, the aspiring Pokemon breeder was saved from having to search for a change of topic to alleviate the awkwardness, because as if by divine intervention itself, Ash actually did it for him.
"Well, you're definitely right about the 'vicious bullies' part" the raven haired boy observed, shaking his head in clear disapproval, "But what exactly do you mean by 'Tech students'?"
Brock opened his mouth to reply to the younger boy's question, but this time Misty beat him to it.
"Isn't it obvious Ash?" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist asked with a humourless smile on her face, "He means students as in kids in a classroom. Specifically a classroom at 'Pokemon Tech'. I think it's short for Pokémon Technical, and it's a school for Pokémon trainers".
The orange haired girl trailed off thoughtfully as she began rummaging around in the pockets of her denim shorts.
"I know I had a flyer here somewhere" Misty muttered under her breath to herself before she smiled when she felt her fingertips brush across the glossy paper leaflet the she had been searching for, "Yeah, here it is".
She quickly brought it out of her pocket and unfolded the small paper booklet.
"A Pokemon school in the middle of nowhere?" Ash couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, both looking and sounding slightly sceptical about the possibility of such a thing.
"It'll be one of those boarding schools" Nolan reasoned with an unconcerned shrug of his shoulders, "You know, where prissy rich people send their kids for months at a time".
He had all but forgotten the fact that Joe was standing there listening to their entire conversation, and upon remembering that little detail, Nolan flashed the other boy an apologetic look.
"No offense" he added as an afterthought.
Joe harrumphed, looking mildly offended, but chose not to speak up. Nolan had just defended him against the other Tech Students after all, and they had made some pretty hurtful remarks about his own parentage. He was allowed to be a little ticked off with the people that went to the fancy private school after an experience like that. And call Joe crazy, but something told him that he didn't want to get on this particular boy's bad side. For those reasons, he decided to just let the innocuous comment go.
Meanwhile, Brock was more interested in reading what the pamphlet had to say about the infamous Pokemon school for himself, rather then simply listening to any more of his friends' somewhat biased opinions against the place. To that effect, the aspiring Pokemon breeder quickly placed his whisk in the mixing bowl, and using his newly freed up hand, he snatched the leaflet out of Misty's grasp, earning him a disgruntled look from the girl in question.
"Hmm, let's see what it says here about the place" he mused, before he began to read the flyer aloud for everybody else's benefit, "'Pokémon Technical institute - a boarding school for serious Pokemon trainer preparation. All students guaranteed to enter the Indigo Pokemon League upon graduation".
Nolan couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed upon learning that little detail. Gaining entry into the Pokemon League was a tremendous honour, and it should be earned through the combined efforts of both trainer and Pokemon alike. It wasn't something that could just be given out freely based purely on how good of a student a kid was. That way... well, it just seemed a bit too easy for the golden haired boy's tastes. He kept his opinions on the matter to himself though, in order to allow Brock the chance to continue reading to the rest of the group.
"Pokemon Technical is the educational facility for exceptional students who want to become Pokemon trainers in a very short time..." Brock continued, his eyes carefully over the fine print of the leaflet he was holding, "Without having to travel on difficult badge-collecting journeys."
The aspiring Pokemon breeder had finally reached the end of the paragraph, and glanced up at his friends thoughtfully.
"Oh, so that's the story" he remarked as he carefully scanned over the leaflet again to make sure he hadn't missed anything.
"Getting into the Pokemon League without badges is too easy!" Ash immediately protested, and Nolan was glad to know that at least he wasn't the only member of their group that felt that way.
"Wait, there's more!" Brock suddenly cried out before anybody had a chance to respond to Ash's opinion, "Students entrance fees and tuition are in keeping with the highest standards set by Pokemon Technical".
Nolan couldn't help it when a derisive scoff tore its way past his lips. Talk about stating the obvious.
"You know what that means, don't you?" Misty's face twisted into a displeased frown, whilst across from her, Brock folded up the leaflet and handed it back to her. The girl quickly returned it to her pocket, a look of utter distain on her face, "It's just like Nolan said before! It's one of those snobby private schools only millionaires' kids can go to".
Once again, Nolan could practically feel his blood pressure skyrocketing. It was just... it was so unfair! Why was it that that high level of education was only offered to children whose parents had so much money that the kids didn't even know how to appreciate the opportunity they were being given? Why couldn't it be open to people with more humble beginnings as well? Just... why?
"Oh, that really makes me mad" Ash grunted in frustration, and once again, Nolan felt completely validated in his own feelings by his best friend's response, "Where is this place, anyway?!"
Piping up for the first time since this entire conversation had begun, Joe lightly tapped the raven haired boy on the arm, before he pointed off into the distance.
"It's right over there" the timid student gestured with his hand.
Nolan glanced over in the direction that the boy he had helped to defend had indicated, and for one annoying moment, all he could see was the pearly white fog that he had been looking at since he had first opened his eyes that morning. In a bizarre twist however, almost as if the weather itself had somehow heard his thoughts about wishing it being different, the thick fog suddenly began to fizzle out and fade. In fact, in just a matter of a few seconds, the thick white cloud had dissipated enough for the golden haired boy's visibility to be restored to him. And what he saw made his mouth drop wide open in incredulous amazement.
A manor house.
He was staring up at a manor house.
Twelvestories high at least, and with probably twice the amount of classrooms going from left to right on the ground level, the building that stood before Nolan was absolutely gigantic. Decorated with intricate and exquisite architecture, despite his rather low opinion of the students that it churned out, the golden haired boy couldn't help but admit that the school itself had an unparalleled beauty about it. Even more impressive were the school grounds though. They must have stretched out for at least a mile in every direction. Nolan could scarcely believe that they had all been standing on the edge of such a marvellous structure all this time without even realising it, but the evidence was staring him in the face. Without a doubt it, was one of the most impressive structures that he had ever laid eyes upon.
That only made him even more bitter about the fact that it was being wasted on those snobs though.
All around him, Nolan's friends were also all gaping up at the remarkable building, each of them sporting a thoroughly impressed look on his or her face. Only Joe didn't seem to be particularly mesmerized by the building's charm and beauty, but that was only to be expected, considering that he lived in it and attended its classes on a daily basis.
Before any of the young Pokemon trainers had the chance to vocalise their opinions on the majestic building before them, a female voice suddenly rang out across the school grounds. Confused only for one brief moment, Nolan quickly realised that it was probably a teacher, evidently using a loud speaker system to address the student body all at once.
"Today's special class, fog battle techniques, is now ended" the female teacher announced, just as the last of the fog which had been lingering over the surrounding area finally cleared entirely. Nolan realised to his utmost surprise that it must have been the school which had been generating the fog, probably through the use of a high-powered smoke machine or something similar. To generate a cloud of fog on that scale however was nothing short of remarkable, and begrudgingly, Nolan could admit that he was impressed by the resources that the school must have, "Tomorrow's lesson will be snow competition secrets".
At the back of the group of young children, Joe allowed a forlorn sigh to slip past his lips. Nolan and his friends all glanced back at the rather timid boy curiously.
"Oh, well" Joe said dejectedly, well and truly down in the dumps over that latest announcement, "I guess tomorrow they'll make me into a snowman. Again".
Nolan blanched where he stood. With the use of that one simple sentence, Joe had just confirmed what Nolan had suspected all along.
"So... today wasn't the first time that those jerks were picking on you like that" the golden haired boy blew out a breath. His statement was not a question.
"No..." Joe mumbled under his breath, his cheeks turning a faint shade of pink from embarrassment, "It wasn't. Not by a long shot"
"They treat you like that all the time?" Ash stared at the young male student his russet coloured eyes growing wide with horror.
Joe meekly shrugged his shoulders, refusing to meet any of their eyes. Nolan quickly recognised it as the look of a bullied kid, and let out another sympathetic sigh.
"My friends are just trying to help me" the timid boy tried to defend the other Tech Students' actions, but it was weak, and they all knew it.
"You call them friends?" Ash gawked at the kid in sheer disbelief, wondering if the timid student had lost his mind or something. Ash knew what a friend was meant to be after all. He had three brilliant ones, ones that he travelled everywhere with on a daily basis, and he knew that none of them would ever dream of behaving the way that those nasty teenagers had earlier.
Joe let out a small noise which might have been his attempt at a protest, but it was so weak he couldn't even get it into words.
"With friends like that, who needs enemies?" Brock, who had returned to his whisking in preparation of making the Kalosian Crepes he had promised his friends, scowled and shook his head.
Joe finally managed to find his voice, and in a manner which was almost alarmingly submissive, he once again tried to defend the very people that Nolan and the others had caught bullying him.
"But they helped me learn that Pidgey evolves into Pidgeotto once it has gained enough battling experience, that it can learn the moves Whirlwind and Wing Attack, and that as it grows stronger, it can learn various tricks" the male Tech Student rattled off, showing that despite what it had looked like earlier, he did actually have an impressive intellect to him, "Finally, once it evolves again and becomes a Pidgeot, it can fly at twelve hundred meters and speeds of up to Mach Two".
Nolan carefully absorbed all of the words that Joe had just spoken, but that didn't stop what he did next. The golden haired boy scowled, and shook his head darkly.
"And whilst it's impressive that you know all that..." the blonde haired boy said in a rather bitter tone, "You're missing the point entirely".
"Huh?" Joe blinked at him, confused by the rather blunt remark that Nolan had just made.
"Yes, those guys might have helped you to learn all those facts about Pidgey and its evolutionary family, which is great, but it certainly doesn't excuse the methods that they've been using!" Nolan exclaimed passionately, getting so worked up on the subject that Joe actually took a small step back from him in mild alarm, "I saw those five boys surrounding you whilst you were on the ground, laughing and making horrible comments, just because you weren't answering their questions. Now I'm sorry to be the one to spell it out to you Joe, but there's only one word for that type of behaviour. Bullying. And friends, proper friend, don't bully each other".
Joe was stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock by the time that Nolan was done talking. He wanted to try and defend his fellow students again, but found that he had no words to do so. Perhaps there simply weren't any. After all, how could you make an defence against such a passionate argument as the one Nolan had just made?
"And that's another point" Ash piped up, not only to fill the slightly awkward silence which had descended over the group but because he was also genuinely curious, "If you know everything about Pidgey, why didn't you just answer them before? Why would you allow things to escalate to the point which they did, especially if you didn't need to?"
Joe shoulders slumped completely now, the boy becoming the very picture of a person who was utterly defeated. Looking exhausted, the timid young student glanced up at the group of travelling Pokemon trainers he had just met, a slightly desperate look in his eyes, as if willing them to understand what he was about to say next.
"Sometimes I make believe that I don't know all the answers..." the boy admitted in a tiny voice, sounding genuinely ashamed of himself, "But the only reason I did it is because if I show them that I do know the answers, they make the questions that much harder".
Nolan site for what felt like the millionth time since this whole conversation had begun. Whilst he didn't necessarily agree with the approach that the other boy was taking to his problems, he could understand his reasoning if nothing else.
"But I have to stay here at Pokemon Tech" Joe went on to explain, an almost wistful expression appearing across his face, "My mother and father worked hard and saved money so they could pay to send me to school here".
The timid boy's eyes hardened as he looked up at Nolan.
"You were wrong before, you know" he announced in a rare short of boldness that Nolan honestly wouldn't have expected from somebody like him, "Not all the students who go here have prissy rich snobs for parents!"
Nolan swallowed hard, realising just how hypocritical that comment had been considering how upset he had felt about the slight made against his own father. The golden haired boy hung his head, suddenly feeling rather ashamed of himself.
"You're right" he whispered softly, but all of the others still heard him clearly, "I was out of order when I said that. I shouldn't have made the assumption that all of the students here come from that type of background or hold those views. I'm sorry".
Hearing just how genuine and sincere they apology from the other boy was Joe allowed his expression to soften somewhat.
"It's fine" he said gently, and Nolan sighed a small breath of relief, "For the most part, you were actually right. You see that guy over there?"
Joe gestured towards a guy off in the distance that was either a very old child or a very young adult. He was wearing a smart suit like the other students, and a pair of extremely thick glasses. His chin was covered with a fine dusting of stubble, and he was currently sitting beneath a tree, reading a very thick book.
"He's an upperclassman. The classes are so hard here, some students are held back for many years" Joe explained, and although Nolan still didn't like the methods which the other students had been deploying, he could understand why Joe would take all the help he could get, "Everybody's too ashamed to go home without getting a diploma. That guy, he's in
the beginners' class with me".
Nolan and the others all looked over at him in surprise. Considering how impressive it had been when he'd been rattling off all those facts about Pidgey and its evolutionary stages, it was rather surprising to discover that Joe was merely a beginner, and not at a much higher level.
"You're a beginner?" Ash questioned, his tone slightly incredulous.
"But... but you knew so much!" Nolan exclaimed in disbelief, his icy blue eyes practically bulging out of his head, "Just how difficult are the higher classes if that's the basic standard here?!"
Joe smiled proudly, his confidence feeling a little bolstered by the compliment. Puffing out his chest importantly, the young male student enthusiastically began to explain how things were done around here.
"Well I guess I should begin by explaining how we measure the skill and intelligence of the students here at Pokemon Tech in comparison to travelling trainers such as yourselves" Joe took a deep breath whilst Nolan and the others all waited patiently, sensing that this was probably going to be quite a lengthy explanation, "Here at Pokemon Tech, students that have been placed in the 'Beginners Class' are judged to have the same amount of experience and qualifications as a travelling trainer that has managed to earn two badges".
Nolan and Ash shared a slightly incredulous glance at each other as Joe revealed that particular tidbit of information. Whilst both of the boys were perfectly aware that realistically, they were years away from being the Pokemon Masters which they so desperately desired to be one day, but after everything that they had experienced on their Pokemon journey so far, it seemed rather harsh that they would have been judged as mere beginners at this private school. Nolan knew that both he and his best friend had grown very much, not only as trainers but also as people, since leaving Pallet Town just a few short weeks ago. As such, the golden haired boy most certainly did not care for that remark one bit.
Joe didn't seem to notice the disgruntled expression on the blonde head boy's face. Instead, he just continued with his explanation of the Pokemon Tech's marking system.
"When you achieve high enough grades in both theoretical tests and practical battles scenarios to progress to what's called the 'Intermediate Class', you're judged to have the same qualifications as a Pokemon trainer that has collected four official League badges by travelling around" the timid male student informed the other youngsters, all of whom were now staring at him with raised eyebrows as they absorbed the information that he was giving them, "After that you have the 'Advanced Class'. That's the class which is filled with all the top students, the brightest of the bright, and the best that Pokemon Tech has to offer. All of the people in that class are deemed to be on the same level as a travelling trainer who has won six of the official League badges".
The travelling quartet couldn't help but feel more and more sceptical, the more they heard about how things were structured at this place. After all, making vaguely different criteria to measure skill and quite-frankly rather abstract comparisons to children that were in a completely different scenario to those of the student body here at the school was all well and good, but Nolan and his friends all knew from personal experience that there were just some things but a classroom couldn't prepare you for. Nolan knew the value of research, knowledge and strategic planning, he honestly did. He truly was a bookworm at heart, but he also couldn't help but feel that he and the others all had much more life experience than could ever be obtained from simply reading a book. So to hear that this school's entire marking system was based on such a ridiculous notion was quite frankly an insult.
"And what about travelling trainers that have managed to collect all eight of the badges they need to enter the Indigo League?" the golden haired boy asked something which had been playing on his mind since learning all this, "Where would they rank in this little system of yours?"
Joe smiled at him, seemingly missing the slightly cold quality in his tone.
"That's the same level as a student that graduates from Pokemon Tech" the boy in the smart suit said proudly, a slightly glazed-over look appearing in his eyes. It was more than a little obvious that he was dreaming of the day that he would graduate from the institute himself, "But that's the best part! Pokemon Tech is so well-renowned and is held in such high esteem, that if you actually manage to graduate from it, the Pokemon league will allow you to enter the Indigo League, without it being necessarily to travel around the entire region to collect all of the badges that you'd usually need to gain entry into the tournament".
A heavy frown was beginning to blossom across Nolan's face.
Regardless of the fact that Nolan knew there was precious little he could actually do about it, the golden haired boy couldn't help but feel slightly miffed about the entire situation. To him, it just screamed that it was always the privileged the got even more privileges. What about those children whose parents couldn't afford to send them these types of school? Why did they have to do everything the hard way, when they already had a harder deal in life to begin with. And then you got utter snobs like the attendees of this school, who got everything handed to them on a plate, simply for being able to pick up a book and read it.
It just seemed like the height of unfairness to him, and if there was one thing that Nolan liked, it was fairness.
The golden haired boy opened his mouth to make his opinions on the matter be known, but before he had the chance to, Joe was already gesturing at the older male student that he had pointed out to them before. Nolan couldn't help but huff under his breath to himself in irritation.
"That guy's a beginner, but he's so much older than everybody else in the class, the kids don't bother to help him like they help me" the timid male student explained.
Nolan didn't even try to refrain from rolling his eyes of this time around. So it wasn't just people that didn't come from money that the students of this school looked down upon. Even some of their own kind wasn't good enough for them it seemed. Snobs, the golden haired boy thought bitterly to himself, nothing but snobs.
"What do the teachers say about that kind of help?" Misty demanded to know, and Nolan was pleased to note that she seemed just as incensed by that type of behaviour as he himself felt.
Joe casually shrugged his shoulders at the inquiry.
"I don't think the teachers actually know about it, but I suspect that if they do, they simply pretend not to for the sake of not stirring the pot as it were" the young student said, and although he was attempting to be dismissive in his tone the uneasy expression on his face gave away the fact that he knew that something like that was just wrong, "It's the same as any school though. Whether the adults like to admit it or not, it's really the popular students that are in control of how things are for all of the kids in this place".
Nolan gaped at the other boy incredulously. Just how much of a submissive doormat could a person be?
"And you're okay with that?!" the golden haired boy exclaimed in horror, almost wanting to shake some sense into the other bye, "That's... that's not okay Joe! Everybody, regardless of how much money their family might have or how popular they are, but everyone deserves a proper education! It certainly shouldn't be down to any other students to determine how good of one anybody else gets! This is... it's disgusting!"
Joe swallowed hard, slightly flabbergasted as he watched how worked up Nolan was getting about all of this.
"That's..." the timid student managed to stammer out, practically shrinking away from the golden haired boy and his tirade, "That's just the way it is!"
"No!" Ash backed his best friend up, seeing the same thing that Nolan was, and that was the fact that the staff here were failing some of its students in the most terrible of ways, "That isn't good enough! Everything that Nolan said was completely right! This has got to be a violation of students' rights. It must be stopped. Immediately!"
Joe couldn't help but admit that the idea of what they were saying sounded nice, but he doubted that there was anything that either Ash or Nolan could do that would make it a reality. He kept those opinions to himself though. He wasn't really brave enough to try and change the minds of these two headstrong boys.
"And just who is in charge of this system anyway?" Nolan all-but demanded to know, his clenched fists practically quivering with anger at his sides, "I'd quite like to have a word or two with them. I'll make them see what the problems with this so-called student support system are, and I'll... convince them to change a couple of things".
By 'convince', the other four youngsters all knew that what he really meant was 'force'.
"Erm..." Joe said slowly, rummaging around for a couple of moments in the pockets of his uniform's trousers, "Ah! Here it is. This is the leader's photograph".
The timid boy produced a small photograph that had obviously been taken on a Polaroid camera and held it out for the group to see. Nolan wasted no time in snatching the picture from the boy's hand, peering down at it in distain, whilst all around him, his friend gathered closer for a look at it as well. Nolan had to admit that whatever it was that he'd been expecting, it most certainly was not what he saw.
The person in the photograph... was a beautiful young girl.
Even though it was obvious that the photograph had been taken from a distance and without the subject's knowledge, which was a horrible violation in and of itself but for totally different reasons, Nolan could still easily pick out the details of the female student depicted in the image. The girl was roughly about his own age, had long chestnut-brown coloured hair, and dark eyes which although very cold, were also slightly enchanting. She was incredibly pretty, and was wearing the female equivalent of the school uniform that Joe was wearing.
"It's a girl?" Misty exclaimed at his side, thoroughly surprised by that revelation.
Nolan could understand why that came as such a shock to his friend. After everything that Joe had told them about how things were run around here, he too had just naturally come to the conclusion that it was a guy that had put the bone-headed system in place. Nolan didn't know why, but for some reason it just seemed worse that it was a girl who was involved in all of this.
"Oh, yeah..." Ash replied in a voice that could only be described as gooey, a dopey expression on his face and a faint blush on his cheeks, "You're right about that!"
"She can violate my rights any time she wants" Brock wasn't in much of a better state, and was practically drooling over the photograph of the girl.
Nolan narrowed his eyes at his two male friends in pure disgust.
"Seriously?" the golden haired boy said flatly, his expression practically the very definition of 'unimpressed'. Ash and Brock both reluctantly tore their gazes away from the photograph in order to look up at him, and once certain that he had their attention, Nolan continued in a tone that was like ice, "This girl has been enforcing a system upon the students which is practically advocating for bullying, and all you two can do is slobber over a picture of her like a pair of lovesick Growlithe! Where's your self-respect?!"
Ash and Brock both flinched at his harsh summation.
"Hey!" Misty suddenly chimed in before either of the two boys could respond to Nolan's indignant rant. She was staring at Joe, a somewhat accusing look in her eyes, "If this girl is making your life and a lot of the other students' lives so miserable, how come you're carrying her picture around?"
Nolan hadn't even thought of that, but it was a very good question. He looked up at Joe for an answer as well.
"I hate the way she treats us, but I like the way she looks" was the exceptionally blunt response that Joe gave to them.
Once again, the golden haired boy couldn't help but roll his eyes out of sheer disbelief and utter frustration. Of all the stupid notions to come up with. Was Joe seriously allowing himself to be bullied, all because he had a little crush on the leader of the gang that was running the show around here? With a dejected pang in his heart, Nolan realised that the answer was yes. Yes, Joe was allowing that. And right now, what with the other three examples that were surrounding him at the moment, Nolan couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed of his gender. What was it about pretty girls like the one in this photograph that turned boys like his friends into mindless idiots?!
"Yeah" Ash dreamily said wholeheartedly in agreement with Joe, his russet coloured eyes never once moving from the photograph, "She's not like any other girl that I've seen before".
"Thanks a bunch Ash" Misty said drily, and Nolan was pleased that at least one of his friends still had their wits about them, which was a lot more than could be said for Ash and Brock right about now, "I'll try not to be too offended by that remark".
Those words at least seemed to be enough to snap the raven haired boy out of it, or at least to a small degree.
"I... no... that's... that's not what I meant!" he quickly stammered out, his whole face turning a bright crimson colour from sheer embarrassment. The raven haired boy wasn't quite sure why exactly, but the idea of upsetting Misty over the concept of good looks didn't sit right with him. The last thing he had ever wanted to do with upset her after all, not after the way her older sisters had always teased her regarding beauty and prettiness.
Unfortunately for Ash though, instead of calming Misty down and alleviating her of any anger she might have held in that moment, his words seemed to have had the opposite effect entirely.
"I don't care what you meant Ash!" the orange haired girl practically screamed in outrage, her whole face contorting with anger, "If you want to stand around here and waste your time by slobbering over that stupid picture like some brain dead idiot, that's your call. But as for me, I'm gonna go find this little witch and straighten her out! You coming Nolan?"
Nolan couldn't quite manage to suppress a gulp of alarm as Misty rounded on him.
He had thought that he was angry about everything they had learned about the running of Pokemon Tech, but damn, he had nothing on is female friend in that moment. To be perfectly honest, Misty was outright scary right then, and so the golden haired boy quickly found himself hastily nodding his head, an intimidated expression appearing on his face.
"Y-yeah" with some considerable effort, Nolan managed to make his voice sound level again, "I mean, yeah, I'm right behind you! Lead on Misty!"
And so that's exactly what she did.
Whirling on her heel, the Water Type Pokemon Specialist began stomping off in the direction of the manor house that served as the main building of the private school with some serious regulation issues. Following at a safe distance, Nolan trailed after her, no less angry about the situation than she was, but also knowing that he couldn't hold a candle to the fire that was burning away in Misty's heart right about now. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to find this bully of a girl and give her a piece of his mind though. As he went, he heard his female friend muttering angrily to herself under her breath.
"Miss top student" the orange haired girl spat bitter, her tone like acid, "What's so great about her?"
"Hey, Misty! Nolan!" Ash exclaimed from behind them, trying to stop them from getting into a fight, but it was no good. Neither of the two furious friends even glanced back over their shoulders at him, "Wait up you two!"
But they didn't wait. They didn't even pause. They had something much more important to do then to go around and around in circles over the morality, or should that be lack thereof, of the so-called support system that this school was operating under.
And that was cutting a vile bully, right back down to size...
And that's the end of another chapter ; )
Like I said at the beginning, I don't really have much to say this time. I'm still a little under the weather, so I'm just gonna move straight on in the this week's voting topic, which unsurprisingly, follows on from the last one. Yep, we're going to decide not one but two evolutions! And since these extra evolutions come from defeating a Champion rather than a gym leader, I'm opening the voting options to include ALL of Nolan's Pokemon, past and present. So the options this time are as follows: - Meowth, Vulpix, Lickitung, Electabuzz, Seel, Voltorb, Graveler, Goldeen, Porygon2, and Poliwag. This option only applies to Poliwag at this point, but if you guys want to, you can vote to use both the available evolutions to 'Double-Evolve' her all the way into her final form. Just a thought but it's up to you guys ; ) Please go leave your two evolutions votes in a review : )
And on that note, I think that's just about everything from me for this time, so thank you so much for reading this chapter and my story in general. I hope you are enjoying it all so far, and please consider leaving a review because I'd love to hear your comments and feedback : )
Until the next time, keep on reading : )