Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter : )
I'm so sorry that this chapter is up a week later than it should have been. It happened because of a number of things, including a combination of real life eating into my time and low motivation to write anyway due to intense writer's block. In the end I decided to just take a week off from this story and then look at it again with fresh eyes. Thankfully, that seems to have done the trick ; )
Anyway, let's move on to more exciting news: ) I am very proud to announce that this chapter officially marks the end of my Pokemon Orange Islands Nuzlocke, as well as the second Nuzlocke in this series. Yes, that's right, the special bonus Pokemon has been decided! On that note, I am very pleased to announce that the winner of the latest voting topic was... Gastly! I honestly think this was the best call you guys could have made because not only is this entire line very cool, but this is also Nolan's first Ghost Type Pokemon. I can't wait to use him in one of my future Nuzlocke if the votes go that way ; )
Finally, I just want to say a MASSIVE 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 5
"I can't believe it..."
The words were so faint on the air, having been spoken with such a vulnerable softness, that Nolan wasn't even entirely sure that he'd heard them properly at first. Once the incredulous whisper had registered in his brain however, the golden haired boy cast his attention away from the shattered window and instead he turned to the one that had broken the heavy silence, his icy blue eyes filled with concern as he regarded Misty. The poor girl seemed to be in a state of stunned disbelief, her expression dazed as if she had slipped into a nightmarish reverie. It wasn't that the girl was taking her lost poorly, Misty was far too experienced of a trainer to react like that after all. No, it was more like the Water Type Pokemon Specialist was so taken aback by what she had just witnessed that she simply didn't know what to do with herself now. It was a feeling that Nolan could empathize with. He could scarcely believe it himself after all, scarcely believe that he had really just seen a Graveler defeat a Starmie, but he had. The evidence was irrefutable. But if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes however, Nolan doubted he would have believed it at all. As such, he felt a rush of sympathy flood through his entire system for his friend, and so the golden haired boy slowly reached out and placed a hand on Misty's arm to get her attention.
"Misty... are you okay?" Nolan's voice was soft and gentle, his tone practically riddled with concern for his friend.
The orange haired girl didn't respond verbally to Nolan's worried question, but his touch seemed to be enough to snap her back to the here and now. Misty's entire body jolted slightly as she returned to the present. Dazed surprise was quickly replaced by horrified panic, and without so much as a backwards glance at either her friends or the group of bullies that she had so bravely confronted, the very event which had led to all of this, Misty pivoted on the spot before running out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her.
"Hey!" Ash yelped in surprise as the Water Type Pokemon Specialist hastily shoved her way past him, "Wait up! Misty!"
Misty didn't even falter. Too preoccupied on getting to her beloved Pokemon partner, the girl did seem to even hear her friend. She simply kept charging her way across the room, and in under five seconds, she was gone.
"Come on you guys" Brock quickly urged both Nolan and Ash, both of whom had been staring at the now empty doorway which shocked looks on their face, "We should go after her".
The golden haired boy and his raven haired best friend both nodded in agreement with the aspiring Pokemon breeder.
"Yeah, she seemed really... I dunno... stunned over what just happened" Nolan's tone and expression were both still tinged with concern. He could admit that Misty's reaction to her defeat had thrown him somewhat, leaving him more worried than usual for her wellbeing, "We need to make sure she's okay".
"Starmie too" Ash added, reminding them that it wasn't just Misty's welfare they needed to think about right now.
The three boys set of running, not caring if Joe or any of the Pokemon Tech bullies bothered to follow after them. Right now the need to ensure that one of their own was alright was overriding their desire to change the way things were being done around here. In a manner of mere nanoseconds; Ash, Nolan and Brock had all left the school's indoor battle facility as well, Meadow and Pikachu trailing behind them.
They had to make sure that Misty was okay.
They had to.
No sooner had the quartet of travelling trainers all scrambled out of the room did Giselle's expression morph into a contemptuous sneer. The nasty but beautiful girl rolled her dark eyes, before she turned to her gang of cronies and smiled an enchantingly dark smile.
"Those wannabes are all so... dependant on one another" Giselle said in a sickly sweet tone, each word practically drenched in disgust, "How utterly pathetic".
All of Giselle's cronies laughed harshly. Joe on the other hand just glared at her angrily.
"You sure showed that little runt who the queen is around here Giselle!" one of the taller cronies chuckled nastily.
"Yeah! You really moped the floor with the little scrub!" another of them added with an underbite of viciousness.
"And she's supposedly an ex-gym leader?" a third member of the gang scoffed decisively, "Well I'd say the Indigo League lost some dead weight when she decided to drop out!"
The gang of bullies all cackled again.
Joe wasn't entirely sure what possessed him to do it. One moment he was just standing there listening whilst the school bullies made a jibe at somebody else's expense, no different to any other day. And in the next moment, the usually timid boy was stepping forward, his fist and his jaw clenched tightly as he stared Giselle and her gang of arrogant cronies down.
"Oh please!" Joe exclaimed, a sneer of his own now firmly in place, "That was just sheer dumb luck on Graveler's part! There was no skill involved whatever, and certainly none on your part, Giselle! You might have won the battle, but Misty was definitely the better trainer!"
And without so much as a backwards glance, Joe whirled on the spot and stormed out of the room. He didn't even care that his actions had probably just made his own life at this school infinitely harder to cope with every day. For the first time in for what felt forever, or perhaps it was the very first time ever, Joe had gotten the final word in during an argument at this school.
It felt... amazing.
Needless to say, Joe left a speechless group of bullies staring after him.
Giselle in particular seemed the most shocked. Her jaw was quite literally hanging wide open in horrified disbelief in one of the most undignified manners imaginable. After what seemed like an eternity, the nasty female student finally shut her mouth.
"Oh. My. God!" Giselle gasped once the power of speech had finally been restored to her, "Now even the weakling is growing a spine?! I don't like this. I don't like this one bit".
"Just say the word Giselle and we'll come down on the little runt like a Snorlax on a Caterpie" one of her cronies piped up with a menacing grin. It really did seem like most of the boys in school were under her spell, and would do anything, whatever it took, to try and impress her, "We'll put the little wimp back in his proper place, grovelling at your feet!"
"Yeah!" the rest of the gang all nodded in agreement. Much to their surprise however, Giselle angrily shook her head.
"He isn't the problem here! Don't any of you get it? That little twit is just a symptom of what's really causing the issues around here!" Giselle shook her head in annoyance, her dark eyes narrowed in anger, "No. This is all because of those wretched travellers. I don't like the influence they're having around here. They're changing things. Things they have no right to change. Things that could threaten our own position within this schooling system if left unchecked".
Her gang of cronies all looked at each other nervously.
"I think it's high time we saw them on their way now" Giselle said in a slightly calmer voice as she slowly managed to regain her composure, "And besides, I haven't had a chance to gloat yet either. But first..."
Giselle snapped her fingers, and one of her cronies stepped up to her side. Without a word the pretty but nasty female student handed her gang member the pokeball that she had removed from one of the shelves earlier. The crony nodded his head in silent understanding. Satisfied, Giselle and the others then moved off, heading towards the door to go follow after Nolan and his friends. The crony that had been left behind quickly returned Graveler to its pokeball, which he then quickly returned to the shelf that Giselle had originally removed it from. He was in such a hurry to catch up to the beautiful girl and the rest of their gang that he didn't show much attention to his surroundings.
If he had, he may have noticed three unfamiliar figures lurking in the shadows...
Jessie, James and Meowth all waited with baited breath when the boy in the suit came uncomfortably close to their hiding place. It hadn't taken much effort on their part to sneak into the room after all. Everybody had been so distracted by Giselle and Misty's battle that t nobody had even noticed when the three infamous criminals had snuck into their midst and hidden themselves at the back of the room behind all the shelves. The three Team Rocket members all watched nervously as the male student replaced a pokeball on one of the shelves, before he hurried towards the door and disappeared through it after his gang of stuck-up snobbish friends. The infamous trio waited for a tense couple of seconds before they heaved a collective sigh of relief. It would appear that the male student hadn't noticed their presence, which boded well for the events to come. A dark smile worked its way onto each of their faces as they stepped out into the open.
"That was a little too close for comfort James remarked as he glanced around the school's training facility, which was now empty save for himself and his friends, "I thought for sure that little boy was going to notice us then".
Jessie smirked a smile that would put even Giselle's nastiest one to shame.
"He was too busy drooling over that little girl that everyone seems so misty-eyed over around here" the female criminal sneered, her lip curling in disgust, "Honestly, have you ever seen anything quite so pathetic?"
"Yeah" Meowth piped up, dark amusement lining his little furry face, "You two!"
"Ha. Ha" James rolled his eyes, but was unable to contain a slight smile at the little creature's sarcastic but good-natured humour, "Very funny Meowth!"
The furry white Pokemon Grinned, but quickly got back on topic.
"But seriously! If da humans around here at dat clueless, I say they deserved to be relieved of all dare Pokemon! Meowth!" the talking Pokemon sneered mischievously.
At his side, Jessie nodded her head in agreement.
"I couldn't agree more Meowth" the female criminal smiled darkly at both of her male friends and co-workers, "Plus it makes for the perfect revenge on this school for not accepting our own Jimmy here!"
She playfully nudged the cyan haired man at her side, who grinned maliciously in response.
"I have to admit, this is a rather tasty plan!" James smile reached from one of his ears all the way around to the other one, "We can impress the boss and get payback for my humiliation all at the same time! I'm not gonna lie, this is doing wonders for healing old wounds!"
"I'm glad to hear it" Jessie replied with surprising sincerity in her tone, but she was quick to turn their attention back to the matter at hand, "But let's get to work before anybody catches us. Meowth, do you have the sack?"
"Right here Jessie" Meowth eagerly confirmed, holding up a large burlap sack for the female criminal to inspect. She smiled in satisfaction.
"Then let's get to it" she commanded her co-workers.
And so that's precisely what Team Rocket did. With nobody there to stop them, the three criminals were free to do as they pleased, and quickly began snatching each and every pokeball on display in the room. And as the sack grew fuller and the shelves grew emptier, the infamous trio couldn't help but laugh gleefully to themselves. This was quite possibly their best heist yet.
And nobody was any of the wiser to even try and stop them...
Nolan's gaze was filled with sympathy and concern as he stood by the edge of the Pokemon Tech swimming pool. The golden haired boy, along with Ash and Brock, all looked on awkwardly as Misty tended to her beloved Starmie, whom she had fished out of the pool and was now hugging tightly. The Water Type Pokemon Specialist was just whispering a few comforting words of encouragement to her barely-conscious partner when the travelling quartet heard the tell-tale sound of approaching footsteps. The orange haired girl wasn't interested enough to take her attention off of Starmie, but the three boys couldn't help themselves. They all glanced over their shoulders and were surprised to see Joe of all people walking up to meet them.
"Hey you guys" the usually timid boy greeted them with an air of awkwardness about him. He couldn't help but feel slightly responsible for the Pokemon's current predicament. After all, he had been the one to bring the travelling quartet to Giselle's attention. If he hadn't, none of this wouldn't be happening right now, "How... How's Starmie doing?"
The sound of her partner's name was enough to draw Misty's attention over to the student for the first time.
"Starmie's taken worse hits than that before Joe" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist assured their new friend, who smiled weakly back at her, "Don't worry. Starmie will be just fine once it's had a chance to rest".
Joe smiled, obviously relieved to hear it.
"And just so you know, I think that you were the better battler out there today" the male student added, his cheeks reddening slightly into an adorable blush, "If Graveler hadn't got lucky and threw Starmie out the window rather than across the battlefield, there's no way it would have won".
"That's really sweet of you to say Joe" Misty couldn't help but smile at the boy's shy words of kindness.
A low scoff echoed across the school grounds towards them, cutting off any further conversation between the timid male student and the Water Type Pokemon specialist. A very familiar scoff. Groaning under his breath to himself, Nolan glanced over his shoulder and sure enough, there was Giselle, leading her gang of cronies over towards them. Apparently the need to gloat was too great for her to resist, and she and the rest of her toxic bullying gang stopped just a few meters away from Nolan and the rest of his friends. The nasty female student just stood there, sneering down her nose at them all.
"But Graveler did get lucky, and it did throw Starmie out the window, which is why it did win" Giselle's tone was practically dripping with pure and unadulterated condescension, "And that's all that matters when it comes to a Pokemon battle. The Indigo League isn't going to take into consideration which of the two Pokemon deserved to win more. I'd have thought you'd at least know something as basic as that, Joe!"
Her gang all sniggered, thinking that Giselle's basic dressing down would be enough to cut Joe back down to size. If that was truly what they were expecting however, they were in for quite a shock.
"We'll were not at the Indigo League, are we?!" Joe snapped back, surprising both himself, Giselle and everybody else watching, "And even if we were, they'd probably rule that as an illegal move since Graveler's attack sent Starmie flying well outside the accepted distance from the boundaries of the battlefield. I'd have thought you'd at least know something as basic as that, Giselle!"
To say that Giselle was shocked to have her own words thrown back at her was something of an understatement. The girl was absolutely flabbergasted. She was clearly horrified by the change that Nolan, Misty and the others had inspired in Joe over the course of just a single day. She didn't much care for the smug smirk on the normally timid boy's face either. Giselle knew that if she wanted to keep her power-footing in this school and hold everyone else in their place, she needed to drive this disruptive element out. And fortunately for the nasty female student, she knew exactly how to do that.
"I'm happy to demonstrate my skills again in another battle if you're not satisfied that the last match was fair. I don't need luck to win, especially not against such... amateur trainers" Giselle's eyes twinkled with enchanting nastiness as she looked down at Misty, "We are by the pool now after all, and Water Type Pokemon are supposedly your specialty".
Misty seethed at what she perceived to be a slight against her abilities as a trainer.
"Oh, and I'm sure you'll choose another Pokemon that's weak against water!" the orange haired girl spat sarcastically as she silently returned the exhausted Starmie back to the confines of its pokeball.
Giselle smirked, able to tell from that particular response that she was starting to really get under Misty's skin.
"Pokemon are only as strong as the trainer who raises them. A Pokemon that's weaker but better-trained can still win" the beautiful dark haired student lectured, and Misty scowled darkly. She didn't appreciate being talked down to like this, especially not when she had once held such a prestigious title of 'Gym Leader'. The orange haired girl held her tongue however as the nastily female student continued, "It depends on the trainer. I hope you're learning something from this, Joe. You could use the additional help".
Joe harrumphed, but before he could interject with any words of protest, Giselle resumed her monologue.
"A Pokemon's level of training is just as important a factor as a Pokemon's Elemental Type in deciding a match" the unpleasant girl explained, although she wasn't really telling them anything they didn't already know. It was more like she was just stating the obvious, "A first-class Pokemon Trainer will have developed the skills to be able calculate that, although it isn't an exact science of course".
"Which basically makes it a redundant skill" Nolan piped up, drawing Giselle's attention over to himself specifically for the first time.
"I beg your pardon?" the nasty female student's eyes narrowed dangerously. She didn't much care for having her words dismissed so easily after all.
Nolan simply shrugged his shoulders at her.
"Well, like you just said, it's not an exact science, nor is it the ultimate deciding factor in any battle, so what's the point?" the golden haired boy question, his tone not exactly mocking per say, but still somewhat patronising, "Pokemon are living, breathing creatures. They each have their own individual strengths and weaknesses when it comes battle techniques, based upon their personalities and their life experiences. Plus those skills are constantly in flux, and vary between each individual Pokemon, even those of the same species. So when you take all of that into consideration, it just seems kinda... I dunno, meaningless to try and categorise them into levels like that".
By the time that Nolan had finished making his logical and well-reasoned debate, Giselle was fuming. It was as clear as day that the girl was becoming increasingly agitated by everybody questioning her today, especially considering how she wasn't used to such behaviour from the people around her.
"Oh really? Than perhaps I could change your mind about that" the nasty female student snapped, glaring daggers at the trainer that had spoken up against her. Giselle stormed across the school grounds towards Nolan, and for one brief moment the golden haired boy wondered if she was going to slap him. But no. Instead of trying trying to strike the boy, Giselle merely stopped in front of him and took a good look hard look at Meadow. She then turned back to Nolan with a slight smirk, "How long have you been a Pokemon trainer, and how many official League Gym Badges have you earned in that time?"
Nolan was briefly taken aback by the girl's sudden line of questioning, but kept his tone confident as he replied.
"It's been roughly six weeks since I met Meadow and left Pallet Town to set out on my journey" the golden haired boy explained, wondering exactly where this new direction of the conversation was heading, "And in that time, me and my team have managed to earn two of the eight gym badges necessary to enter the Indigo League".
There was no denying the hint of pride in Nolan's tone as he said those words. Giselle didn't seem impressed however, and just smiled thinly at him.
"In other words, you're a beginner" the nasty female student sneered in a very patronising manner, before she seemed to fixate on one particular piece of information that Nolan had just revealed to her, "And by 'Meadow' I assume you mean the little Bulbasaur by your side?"
Nolan narrowed his eyes slightly. He didn't like where this was going, but he nodded his head cautiously. But if Giselle thought he was gonna stand there and just let her criticise his beloved partner, she had another thing coming.
"That's correct" the golden haired boy said stiffly, subconsciously stepping in front of the little green creature in an almost protective manner, "She's my first Pokemon and my partner".
"Bulba!" Meadow beamed happily at his side, affectionately nuzzling his ankle.
To anybody else who was observing the tiny but adorable interaction between the golden haired boy and his loyal Pokemon companion, there would have found the scene to be rather touching and genuinely heart-warming. Giselle on the other hand just had a look of utter contempt on her face as she stared between Nolan and Meadow.
"Six whole weeks, and you let your Bulbasaur walk free? You haven't even been able to tame it yet?" Giselle gasped in a way that suggested that what she had just heard was one of the worst possible offences any self-respecting Pokemon trainer could ever commit. Nolan couldn't help but roll his eyes at her amateur dramatics, but said nothing as the nasty female student continued, "Maybe your Pokemon are training you".
Nolan honestly didn't bother to even try to refraining from scoffing out loud.
"First of all, Meadow is a she, not an it. You'd think that even an... amateur student at this school such as yourself would at the very least know that Bulbasaur come in two distinct biological genders, and are not genderless like Pokemon such as Voltorb on Magnemite" Nolan remarked in a tone that practically oozed with condescension, enjoying the way that Giselle's face fell at his words, "And second of all, I allowed Meadow the choice when I first met her as to whether she wanted to travel alongside me or within her pokeball. It's called basic respect, but once again, it's apparent that the Pokemon Tech Academy doesn't offer those classes to its students. Or maybe it does, and you're just... failing at it".
Giselle flushed an unpleasant shade of red with embarrassment, horrified by how easily Nolan had been able to turn the tables on her in this little game of mocking. The nasty female student refused to back down however, and decided to try once more.
"How many other Pokemon have you managed to catch in the time since you set out on your journey?" Giselle asked, clearly attempting to set them up for another verbal sparring match. Nolan smirked in response.
"Three. Welkin the Pidgey. Iris the Venonat. And Xanthite the Geodude" there was no denying the strong hint of pride in Nolan's tone as he listed off each beloved member of his little Pokemon family, "I'm proud of each and every one of them, and how much they've all grown in the short time we've known each other".
Giselle hummed lightly, clearly believing that she had found a chink in Nolan's armour.
"Is that all you have?" this time it was Giselle's voice that was practically drenched in patronising condescension, "That's funny, because even new Pokemon trainers usually have at least six Pokemon, and you managed to get two badges with only four. He sure was lucky, wasn't he?"
The last few words were aimed at Giselle's own gang of cronies, all of whom sniggered at Nolan's expense. The golden haired boy in question however simply arched an eyebrow, seemingly totally unfazed by the mocking that was coming his way.
"Once again I'm afraid I have to correct you Giselle, although I'm sure you're used to people doing that" Nolan responded to the giggling girl in a bluntly taunting manner, "It was strategic planning and skilful execution between both myself and my Pokemon that won us those two badges, without the need for me to possess a full team. You see, my team doesn't need to rely on dumb luck - such as throwing a Pokemon out of a window - in order to win Pokemon battles. Perhaps you need to study your own methods a bit more closely before commenting on anybody else's?"
The last few words were phrased as a helpful suggestion, but it was clear that they were anything but. Clearly insulted by this point, Giselle's pretty face twisted into a malicious glare.
"There's nothing wrong with the methods I use when it comes to training Pokemon!" the nasty female student snapped angrily, forgetting completely that she was supposed to be the one trying to get under Nolan's skin, whereas the opposite seemed to be holding true right now.
Pleased that he had so effortlessly and so thoroughly managed to turn the tables back on the unpleasant girl before him, Nolan decided to crank it up a notch and rubbed his chin mockingly.
"Really, there isn't? But before you had to rely on one of the professionally trained Pokemon under the ownership of this school in order to be able to participate in a battle against my friend. A battle which you only, quite questionably, won because of a lucky fluke" Nolan smiled a sickly sweet smile that had Giselle grinding her teeth in agitation, "And yet you claim to be the top student here in the beginners class. That's very strange, don't you think? So perhaps you could explain to me whether or not the standards of the Pokemon Tech Academy aren't quite as high as the brochures made them out to be, or are you just simply a liar and aren't very talented at all?"
By the time at Nolan had finished speaking, it was clear that the blonde haired boy was rather enjoying himself. Giselle on the other hand was gaping at him in sheer disbelief, and doing an incredible impression of a Magikarp in the process.
"I am NOT a liar, and I DON'T need to rely on the Pokemon professionally trained to be used by the other students in this school!" the nasty female student all-but screamed, clearly feeling a taste of the utter humiliation she put her classmates through on a regular basis and not liking it one bit. That was hardly surprising to Nolan however. Bullies never did like their own medicine, "And I don't need lucky flutes to take down lowly trainers such as yourself, Nolan! I'll be happy to beat you with one of my own Pokemon, one that I trained all by myself!"
Nolan didn't even attempt to hide his derisive scoff of disbelief.
"Oh? You'll battle me yourself rather than get one of your little dim-witted goons to do it for you? Perhaps there's some hope for you yet Giselle" the golden haired boy sneered icily at the female bully, who glowered back at him with loathing, "Very well. I accept you challenge".
"Good" Giselle spat in a very undignified manner, just another example of how quickly the display she put on for others was unravelling in the face of someone unintimidated by her, "Are you happy to battle the same way Misty did? A one-on-one elimination battle? Your Bulbasaur against my Pokemon?"
Nolan nodded his head sharply at the girl standing opposite him.
"That's fine by me" the golden haired boy assured the nasty female student, confidence practically dripping from his tone, stance and expression.
Giselle's smile became incredibly dark, and she quickly reached down to the belt holding her uniform skirt in place, plucking off a pokeball and holding it to her chest.
"For your Bulbasaur, this will be more than a match" the nasty female student promised savagely, before she pressed a gentle kiss to the smooth metal surface of the pokeball and hurled it high into the air, "Come on out sweetie!"
Nolan watched with growing interest as the small red and white sphere arched higher and higher into the air. When it began its descent back down to earth, the capsule device snapped open and released a burst of bright scarlet light. The orb of red coloured light quickly manifested into a shape and solidified into one of the most beautiful Pokemon that Nolan had seen on his Pokemon journey to date.
Honestly, words didn't quite do this creature justice.
The Pokemon that emerged from the pokeball was a mammalian, quadrupedal creature, covered in short, reddish-orange fur that seemed to shimmer brightly under the hot afternoon sun. It had long ears, warm brown eyes, and an adorable little black nose. Fluffy golden yellow fur that seemed to outshine the stars themselves formed a small tuft of hair on the orange Pokemon's head, as well as its large bushy tail and the glossy thick mane that shrouded its chest and neck. The two vivid colours gave the creature an incredibly striking appearance, and Nolan could honestly say that the Pokemon before him now was one of the most gorgeous ones he had encountered on his journey to date. Truly, it was breath-taking.
"Oh my gosh!" Misty gasped from behind Nolan, momentarily forgetting her intense dislike for Giselle in the face of just how stunning the nasty girl's chosen Pokemon was, "It's so beautiful!"
The boys all nodded in agreement with the Water Type Pokemon Specialist's opinion of the creature that had just materialised in front of them.
"Yeah, but what is it?" Ash wondered aloud, tilting his head to the side in mild confusion, "I've never seen a Pokemon like that one before".
Brock was the one to supply him with the answer.
"That's a Flareon, Ash" the aspiring Pokemon breeder explained with a smile, looking deeply impressed by the Pokemon that Giselle had selected for this battle, "It's a Fire Type Pokemon. It's not a legendary or anything, but it's still pretty rare".
Ash allowed a slightly awestruck breath to slip his lips, and he looked at the orange and yellow creature with renewed interest.
"Wow, Giselle has a rare Pokemon like that?" the raven haired boy remarked casually to all of the other Pokemon trainers he was currently standing with, "That's impressive".
At his side, Joe scoffed and shook his head.
"There's nothing impressive about it Ash" the usually timid boy scowled, his tone and expression both tainted with bitterness, "There was no skill or hardship on her part involved. You see, Giselle didn't capture that Flareon herself. Her parents are almost obscenely wealthy, so they bought her an Eevee for her birthday and then bought her a Fire Stone to evolve it just because they can afford it".
The travelling trainers all looked somewhat disgusted by that revelation.
"Well that's just typical" Misty ground out through clenched teeth, feeling her already intense dislike for the other girl reaching new levels with each new fact she found out about her, "Although I guess it goes a long way in explaining Giselle's self-entitled attitude. I've never seen so much unearned privilege!"
"Tell us more Joe" Brock requested of their new friend, unable to help but feel curious despite the outright spoilt manner in which Giselle had obtained such a rare and beautiful Pokémon.
"Well, Flareon is Giselle's partner Pokémon, and despite how pretty it is, its also really strong" the male student explained, his eyes fixed on the orange and yellow creature in question, "I've watched Giselle use it in a bunch of matches, and so far, I've never seen it lose".
Ash bit his lip anxiously upon hearing that little nugget of information.
"I wonder if Nolan and Meadow can win" the raven haired boy fretted.
Unbeknownst to Ash of course, Nolan was having a similar thoughts. Whilst the golden haired boy had every confidence in Meadow's ability to make up for the overwhelming type disadvantage she was at against a Fire Type Pokemon like Flareon, Nolan couldn't help but worry for his beloved partner's safety. In fact, a small part of him was actually tempted to call off the challenge right now, but deep down, Nolan knew he'd never be able to do that. Despite all of his wonderful qualities, the golden haired boy still had his pride, and he wasn't sure he would be able to stomach it if he was forced to back down to such a horrible bully like Giselle. No. Quitting wasn't a option. It's simply wasn't in Nolan's nature. It wasn't in Meadow's either, come to that.
That left them both with only one option.
They had to face down Flareon.
With that decision unanimously and silently made between the two of them, Nolan and Meadow both mutely took their designated spots on the battlefield. For one brief moment, Giselle seemed genuinely surprised that Nolan was still serious about challenging her and her bullying methods, before a dark smile twisted her pretty features, and she too stepped up to her position at the opposite end of the battlefield. Purring softly, Flareon mirrored her trainer's actions.
"Flare..." Flareon cast a critical gaze at Meadow for a moment, before turning her little nose up at the Grass Type Pokemon that was to be her opponent. Needless to say, Meadow was not best pleased by the Fire Type Pokemon's snooty attitude.
"Saur!" Meadow spat angrily in response.
Wanting to know more about the gorgeous orange and yellow creature that had become the latest in a long line of Nolan's Pokemon opponents, the golden haired boy quickly fished his pokedex out of his back pocket. Without saying so much as a single word, Nolan then pointed it in the direction of Giselle's partner.
"Flareon - the Flame Pokemon" Dexi announced in her smooth mechanical voice after successfully identifying the beautiful yellow and orange creature opposing Nolan and Meadow, "Flareon is one of the evolved forms of Eevee, specifically when it comes into contact with a Fire Stone. Flareon stores some of the air it breathes in its internal flame sac, which heats its body to over 3,000 degrees".
Nolan swallowed anxiously. It sounded as though Flareon was not only beautiful but incredibly dangerous as well. Unble to help but second-guess himself again, the golden haired boy cast his beloved Pokemon partner glance that was filled with uncertainty. Whilst he wasn't certain that allowing Meadow to go into a battle in which she was at such a terrible disadvantage was the responsible choice to make, he quickly realised that it wasn't really his decision in the first place. As a mark of respect for his beloved Pokemon partner who had been with him through so much at this point, Nolan did the only thing that he felt comfortable with doing in that moment. He allowed Meadow to make the decision herself.
"Bulba..." the little green creature gave her human a strained smile and nodded her head.
That was all Nolan needed to hear to know what decision she had made.
She was going to face the Flareon.
Nolan took a deep breath to try and calm his building nerves, his mind already racing with tactics and potential strategies to help him help his partner to level the playing field. He knew that both of them would need their wits about them if they were to overcome Giselle and her powerful Flareon. And they both wanted that so badly. They wanted to prove that you didn't need to be a bully to be an excellent Pokemon Trainer, and that strong desire would be the fuel of their burning passion in the battle that was to come. They both shared one last long look with each other, before the human and the Pokemon both turn to face their respective opponents.
It was time they cut Giselle down to size once and for all.
And there's another chapter done : )
I know that this was quite... 'filler-y'... but I wanted to set up the closing chapter of this episode properly, which made this one necessary. I also wanted to give Team Rocket something relevant to do in this episode, since in Canon, they were just kind of floating about in the background. Having them try to steal the school's Pokemon just seemed like the obvious choice ; )
But enough about the actual contents of the chapter for now. Instead, let's talk about something I've been excited about for quite some time now. Starting the next Nuzlocke : ) We are now back in the mainline games for a while, and I have various different ideas in mind on how to add different elements to each of these upcoming Nuzlocke as we keep progressing through them. But anyway, the vote this time will be to decide which Pokemon Region I take on next. The options this time are Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Unova : )
Now before you make your decision, I think it's only fair to clue you guys in on a certain rule I decided upon before I even started this story and these Nuzlockes. This didn't apply for the Orange Islands Rom Hack because I was playing a Rom Hack, and you didn't get a starter in the same way as in the official games. But it's applicable now so I want to give you guys the full details so you can make an informed vote ; )
What I decided to do when I first came up with the concept for this series was to ensure that Nolan would get a different type of starter Pokemon in each game I played. I didn't want him to get every Fire Type starter Pokemon for example. So, what I decided to do was to run through all three types of starters before they would be open to vote again. Let me give you an example of what I mean: -
Say you guys vote for me to do the next Nuzlocke in Johto, I will not be able to get Chikorita since we got the Grass Type Starter in the last (official game) Nuzlocke. Then, say for example you guys vote for me to get a Cyndaquil over a Totodile.
When this Nuzlocke is complete and it's time to vote on the next one, least say you guys then vote for a Hoenn based Nuzlocke. In this example I would then have a Grass Type and a Fire Type starter Pokemon, so there would be no vote this time. I would be forced to pick Mudkip, the Water Type starter Pokemon.
After this, all three options would open up again, and you guys can vote for any starter you want in the following Nuzlocke. We would keep cycling through in this fashion until I've Nuzlocked all the generations. As there are currently nine generations of Pokemon, the end reason will be that Nolan has at least three of each type of starter. This is something I've decided upon for the purposes of story-telling and to keep things interesting for me when playing the Nuzlockes, as I want to use all manners of different Pokemon when building these teams : )
One last point of interest however is that if there are bonus gift starters in the games (ones other than what you start the game with) then none of this applies to them and you guys can vote as normally. An example would be the Kanto or Hoenn starters you can pick between in the postgame of Heart-Gold and Soul-Silver ; )
Hopefully that all made sense to you guys, but I'll guide you through it when the time comes. I just wanted to be transparent with you guys so that if there is a particular starter Pokemon you want Nolan to have, you know to time your vote right to ensure he has the best change of getting it ; )
Anyway, please bare all of this in mind when deciding which region I Nuzlocke next : )
And 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 : )