Hey readers - here we are with another new chapter : )
I'm gonna keep this top note super short today since I have an awful lot to say in the footnote, so let's jump right on in to the latest voting topic. I am thrilled to announce that the region that my next Nuzlocke will take place in is... Johto! Secretly this is the one I was hoping for, but I like letting you guys vote on these things to decide them ; )
Beyond that, I just want to say a HUGE 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 6
It barely took any time at all before Nolan and Giselle had taken up their places on the outside battlefield, Meadow and Flareon positioned in front of them respectively. The golden haired boy was silently sizing up his latest opponent whilst across from him, the nasty female student did much the same. Evidently she found him unassuming, because it wasn't long before her pretty face twisted into an expression of smug superiority, and she opened up the conversation that practically promised to devolve into a verbal sparring match.
"Even though you don't deserve it after the rude way you spoke to me earlier and with all the disruption your influence has caused around this school today, I'm going to take pity on you Nolan" Giselle leered nastily at her opponent, or as she liked to think of him, her latest victim, "Since you and your Bulbasaur are at such a terrible disadvantage, both in terms of Elemental Typeage and intelligence, I'll let you swap out your Pokemon for one that's on a better footing against my beautiful partner here".
"Flare! Flareon!" Flareon preened under the compliment, swissing her gorgeous fluffy tail back and forth whilst also batting her eyes.
Nolan scoffed, scarcely able to believe the sheer arrogance of his latest opponent, but simply shook his head.
"Well that's a very kind offer Giselle, but I think me and Meadow will do just fine" the golden haired boy retorted bluntly, although not impolitely, "I promised this match to her and I fully intend on keeping it".
It was Giselle's turn to sneer this time.
"How quaint" the nasty female student's tone suggested it was anything but, "But personally I don't think your little cabbage will stand a chance against my Flareon!"
Nolan's eyes flashed angrily at the jibe against his beloved partner. At his side, Meadow growled indignantly.
"Saur!" the little Grass Type Pokemon spat angrily.
"I wouldn't underestimate Meadow if I were you Giselle!" Nolan spoke up in defence of his partner, who flashed him a grateful smile, "Plenty of other trainers have done that and found out the hard way what a mistake it is!"
Giselle simply couldn't help herself this time around. She broke out into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, how adorable" she mocked the golden haired boy who's expression was getting darker and darker with each passing moment, "It seems that despite the fact I literally just spelled it out to you, you're still unaware of the type advantage my Flareon holds over your Bulbasaur".
"Oh I'm aware of that. But Meadow's taken on a lot of different Pokemon and come out victorious, even at a type disadvantage" Nolan retorted without missing a beat, "Type match-ups aren't the only deciding factor in a Pokemon battle. I'd have thought such a prestigious school like Pokemon Tech would have taught you that much at least, or maybe you haven't passed that class just yet".
Giselle ground her teeth together out of sheer frustration. It seemed that no matter how much mockery she threw his way, Nolan always seemed to have some kind of comeback. It was really beginning to grate on her very last nerve.
"So be it!" the beautiful but nasty female student bit out, before she turned towards her enchantingly gorgeous partner and claimed the first move of the match for herself, "Flareon, let's start this off with your Quick Attack! Go!"
And just like that, the battle got underway.
"FLARE!" with supreme grace and elegance, Flareon shot across the makeshift battlefield like a furry orange bullet. An enchanting glow seemed to shroud the Flame Pokemon's nimble body as she closed in on her target, and barely half a second later, Flareon's aim proved true.
WHAM!
"BULBA! BULBASAUR!" Meadow let out a small shriek of pain as the Quick Attack sent her hurtling backwards across the field. The little green creature landed on her back, and she flailed all four of her legs as she struggled to correct herself. Behind her, Nolan looked on in horror.
"Oh, Meadow!" the golden haired boy was aghast, not expecting Giselle to have gained the upper hand so soon into the battle. "Are you alright?"
"Saur!" with a low grunt of sheer exertion, Meadow was able to roll herself over so that she was the right way up again. Slowly rising to her feet, the little Bulbasaur held her head up high, absolutely resolute in finishing this match now that she'd started it. Behind her, Nolan's face broke into a wide grin.
"I knew it would take more than that to take you down Meadow! Good work!" the golden haired boy beamed, whilst across the battlefield from him, Giselle sneered in disgust, "Now let's give them a taste of your Vine Whip Attack!"
"Bulbasaur!" Meadow grinned, clearly eager for a little payback.
The small Grass Type Pokemon quickly unleashed her twin vines, and sent them barrelling through the air towards the spot where Flareon was standing just a few metres away.
"Ha! Child's play" Giselle sighed to herself, before she turned towards her Fire Type partner with a rather bored expression on her face, "Flareon, counter that with your Ember attack".
"Flare!"
Flareon didn't waste any time in following through with her human's instruction. The Flame Pokemon quickly unleashed a small but powerful fiery blast from her mouth, one so bright that it almost blinded everybody watching. Straining to see against the bright light caused by the Ember attack, Nolan was just able to make out Meadow quickly retracting her vines before they got scorched.
"Saur!" Meadow whined, displeased that she hadn't been able to strike back at Flareon, but pleased that her vines had escaped that encounter unscathed.
From their position over on the sidelines; Ash, Misty, Brock and Joe were all watching the battle unfold in a state of pure awe.
"Whoa!" Ash exclaimed upon witnessing Flareon's Ember attack, his tone and expression both thoroughly impressed, "That was some attack! I've never seen a move like that one used in person before!"
Brock couldn't help but nod solemnly in agreement.
"I know" the aspiring Pokemon breeder sounded somewhat awestruck by Giselle's Flareon as well, "That Flareon definitely has some strong firepower behind it. Giselle's trained it well".
"I told you" Joe smiled with a hint of smugness, crossing his arms in a self-satisfied manner, "For all her arrogance and ego, she is an exceptional student here at Pokemon Tech. I doubt Nolan would beat her even if he wasn't already at a type disadvantage".
An annoyed harrumph sounded at his side, prompting Joe to glance sideways at Misty, who was standing next to him with her jaw clenched.
"He'd better win this" the Water Type Pokemon Specialist growled her under breath, her fists clenched tightly in determination, "That girl seriously needs taking down a peg or two".
Ash couldn't help but smile warmly at his female friend.
"Don't worry Misty" the raven haired boy assured her, a definite note of confidence colouring his tone, "If anybody can overcome terrible odds like this, it's Nolan and Meadow. We've all seen them do it before after all".
Neither Misty, Brock nor Joe could counter that statement. It was nothing but the truth after all. They all turned their back to the battle as it quickly resumed.
Out on the field, Nolan was contemplating his next move.
"Meadow, use..." the golden haired boy started to say, but he was rudely cut over before he had a chance to finish.
"Quick Flareon!" Giselle called out to the Flame Pokemon, who was ready and working for her beloved human's next command, "Whilst we've got them on the ropes! Let's show them just how far out of our league they are with your Shadow Ball Attack!"
"Shadow Ball?" Nolan repeated to himself, unsure if he'd come across that particular move in his career as a Pokemon trainer thus far.
"Flareeeeeee...Eon!"
Before the astonished eyes of Nolan, Meadow, and everybody else who was watching the match, Flareon's big brown eyes began to glow within an ethereal purple light. The faint lavender soon became a striking violet, before giving way to an inky blackness that would rival even the darkest of nights. Finally, the energy seemed to seep out of the Flame Pokemon's Pokemon's eyes entirely, coalescing at last into a swirling, shimmering orb of pure dark energy. Flareon didn't even hesitate, and promptly hurled the Shadow Ball in the direction of Meadow.
Needless to say, by the time that Flame Pokemon was done, Nolan was standing there with his jaw hanging wide open.
"Q-Quick Meadow!" the golden haired boy hastily gasped out as he forced himself to shake off his awed state and just barely managed to pull his wits back together in time, "Dodge that!"
The manoeuvre that the little Bulbasaur pulled off next was neither graceful nor elegant. In fact, Meadow all-but threw herself to one side to dodge the incoming Shadow Ball attack in time. The end result was that the little green creature ended up sprawled across the battlefield in a rather messy heap. Still, it was a much better condition when she would have been in had that last attack hit her.
"Nice dodge Meadow!" Nolan praised his partner now that he had fully recovered from the little surprise Giselle and Flareon had just given him. He quickly turned his attention back to the offensive however, and give his partner the next instruction he wanted her to follow, "But since your Vine Whip attack didn't work out so well, let's try something else. Use Leech Seed!"
The little Bulbasaur didn't need telling twice.
"Bulbasaur! Bulba!" using what seemed to have become her signature technique when it came to battling, Meadow effortlessly slid into the correct position needed to carry out the attack. Taking careful aim, she raised her hind legs so that her bulb was directed towards Flareon. Then, without missing so much as a single beat, the small Grass Type Pokemon fired a single glowing seed from the bulb on her back. The little glowing green projectile shot through the air like an earthy bullet towards its intended target.
Unfortunately for Nolan and Meadow however, it would never reach Flareon.
"Pfff! Cute move, but it won't work" Giselle breezily shrugged her shoulders, clearly not concerned about the imminent threat to her Fire Type Pokemon partner in the slightest, "Flareon, block that with your Flamethrower Attack".
Much like she had before, Flareon was effortlessly able to counter Meadow's Grass Type attack with one of her super-effective Fire Type ones. Opening her mouth as wide as she possibly could, the Flame Pokemon shot out an impressive burst of fire, one that was much stronger and hotter than the Ember attack she had used earlier on in the battle. Meadow's little Leech Seed didn't stand a chance, and was immediately incinerated long before it could make contact with Flareon.
Nolan couldn't help but scowl in annoyance as he helplessly watched on. It was another failed attempt on their part. A fact that Giselle was only too eager to rub in his face. The nasty female student crossed her arms smugly as she looked across the battlefield and caught Nolan's eye.
"You know, you might just be the worst Pokemon trainer I've ever met Nolan" the nasty female student taunted the golden haired boy, enjoying the way that her opponent was now squirming after all of his big talk earlier on, "You'll never succeed if you can't even hit your opponent!"
The golden haired boy turned an unpleasant shade of scarlet, he was getting so worked up by how badly this battle was going for him. He gritted his teeth angrily, his mind racing for a strategy. Before Nolan had a chance to come up with anything however, Giselle was already turning her attention back to her gorgeous Fire Type Pokemon, ready to end this battle once and for all and declare herself the ultimate victor.
"Flareon, I'm getting bored of this battle now, and I have the classes that I need to get back to so let's end this quickly" Giselle's tone was practically dripping with pure condescension and sheer arrogance, "Finish off that little shrub with your Quick Attack".
"Flareon!" the Flame Pokemon began streaking off in the direction of where Meadow was currently standing. Fortunately for the little Grass Type Pokemon and her beloved human however, this time Meadow and Nolan were both ready and waiting.
"Defend yourself with your Vine Whip! Nolan exclaimed with a confident grin.
Whilst plenty of other people and Pokemon would probably wonder why Nolan would try using that particular attack again after it had failed so spectacularly the last time, Meadow didn't question her trainer's line of thought, since she was already on the same page as him. Instead, the little Grass Type Pokemon extended her vines as instructed, but before they could come into contact with the approaching Flareon, Meadow instead laid them down flat on the ground in front of where the Flame Pokemon would have to cross in order to get closer to her. A split-second later, the inevitable happened.
CRASH!
Unable to stop her impressive momentum in time, Flareon ended up tripping over the vines that Meadow on the ground, which sent the gorgeous orange and yellow Pokemon rolling across the battlefield. With a disgruntled grunt of pain, the Fire Type Pokemon ended up lying in a messy heap, just a few scant metres away from where Meadow was smirking victoriously.
"Now Meadow!" the golden haired boy beamed in delight, overjoyed that he and his partner were finally starting to pull things back around, "Whilst Flareon's down! Hit her with your Tackle attack!"
"Saur!"
Looking unusually vindictive for such a kind-hearted Pokemon, not to mention downright gleeful, Meadow charged across the battlefield as fast as her stubby little legs would carry her. The little green creature was gathering speed and force with each step she took, and by the time that Meadow was approaching the crumpled figure that was her opponent, there was no holding the little Grass Type Pokemon back.
WHAM!
"FLAREEEEEEE!" the Flame Pokemon let out a high-pitched squeal of pain as Meadow's Tackle attack sent her hurtling backwards across the battlefield. For the second time in as many minutes, Flareon collided with the ground in a crumpled heap and flopped down weakly, her body aching all over.
Needless to say, Giselle didn't look quite so cocky anymore.
"Oh no! Flareon!" the nasty female student gasped in horror, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Across the field from the school bully, Nolan grinned smugly.
"Tsk, tsk Giselle" the golden haired boy playfully shook his head in an overtly patronising manner at the self-proclaimed top student, "Don't you even know something as basic as the fact that the quickest way to lose any Pokemon battle is to start getting overconfident and begin underestimating your opponents. I really was expecting better from you to be honest".
It was Giselle's turn to flush red with embarrassment this time around.
"Grrr!" the nasty female student was grinding her teeth together so hard, it was something of a miracle that they hadn't all crumbled into dust already, "Flareon! Let's wipe those stupid smirks off their faces! Use Dig!"
For the first time since this battle had begun, the audience saw something other than total obedience from the Fire Type Pokemon. Upon hearing that last word pass by her human's lips, Flareon literally cringed, and looked up at Giselle with a pitiful expression on her furry orange features.
"Flare..." the Flame Pokemon whined in dismay. Giselle couldn't quite refrain from rolling her eyes at her partner's antics.
"I know you don't like using that particular move, but I'll give you a bath and brush out your fur later, I promise!" the pretty girl quickly promised, sounding thoroughly exasperated by her partner's behaviour, as though this was something she had dealt with many times before, "For now, use Dig!"
The Flame Pokemon scowled, but begrudgingly did as she was told.
Across the battlefield from where he stood, Nolan watched as Flareon quickly began digging with her front paws, scooping up great big clumps of dirt and tossing them away. In a manner of seconds, a large enough hole was formed, and the Flame Pokemon disappeared from view as she continued tunnelling her way under the battlefield, already in pursuit of her target.
The golden haired boy bit his lip anxiously. He knew that if Flareon's Dig attack hit Meadow full-on, the chances of her getting back up were slim to none at best.
"Meadow, be on high alert!" Nolan called out a warning to his beloved Grass Type partner Pokemon, who looked back at her human and nodded her head seriously, "We don't know where Flareon will come up! Try your best to sense any disturbances in the ground!"
"Bulba!" Meadow cast her gaze back down to the ground, focusing intently.
"Ha! Good luck with that!" Giselle snorted contemptuously, casting both Nolan and Meadow a rather withering look, "Bulbasaur aren't exactly renowned for their ability to sense seismic activity you know!"
Loathed though he was to admit it, Nolan could see that Giselle had a point. It was pretty obvious that Meadow was struggling to detect even the slightest tremor in the earth, which didn't bode well for either of them. The golden haired boy would have to come up with another strategy, and fast. Fortunately, Nolan Locke was nothing if not adaptable.
The golden haired boy grinned as another idea suddenly came to him.
"Meadow! Let's change tactics!" Nolan shouted, pulling the attention of the little green creature in question away from the surface of the battlefield and back to himself, "Protect yourself using your Vine Whip!"
Needless to say, his command gained the golden haired boy several sceptical looks.
"Wha..." from his position over on the sidelines, Ash trailed off lamely. The raven haired boy just couldn't quite fathom out what was going through his best friend's brain this time.
"Why would he have his Pokemon use Vine Whip when his opponent isn't anywhere in sight?" Joe frowned, unable to see the logic in such a move.
"I wonder what Nolan's up to this time" Misty murmured to her friends, sounding just as confused as Ash and Joe both did.
"Let's just wait and see" Brock shrugged his shoulders in response. The aspiring Pokemon breeder had no doubt that Nolan had something clever in mind after all. He usually did.
Out on the battlefield, Meadow looked rather perplexed as well. Before the little green creature could question her beloved human on the seemingly bizarre instruction however, the golden haired boy was already answering it. He must have noticed her general state of bewilderment.
"Use your Vine Whip to suspend yourself above the ground Meadow!" the golden haired boy explained the logic driving his current line of thought, "That'll make it harder for Flareon to hit you!"
Meadow's eyes widened in surprise, before a wide grin eclipsed her face. Her trainer really was the smartest human she had ever met.
"Bulbasaur!" now understanding exactly what it was that her beloved human expected her to do, the little Grass Type Pokemon set about making it a reality. Extending her vines from beneath the base of her bulb, Meadow than carefully slid her dark green vines beneath her own body, before pressing down as hard as she could. The action had the desired effect, and in a matter of second, Meadow was holding herself up in the air like a skilled trapeze artist.
It came not a moment too soon.
No sooner was Meadow's impressive balancing act enabling her to dangle in the air high above the battlefield did the surface of said battlefield begin to shiver and tremble. Then, without any kind of warning or preamble whatsoever, the ground suddenly exploded upwards in a shower of dirt and soil and pebbles. From out of the newly formed hole underneath where Meadow had been standing just a moment prior burst Flareon, coated head to toe in mud and looking none too happy about it. The Flame Pokemon's annoyed expression quickly gave way to confusion however when she found the space where her opponent should have been oddly lacking.
"Flare? FLAREON!" the gorgeous orange and yellow Pokemon's own momentum kept it going upwards straight out of the hole, but because Meadow wasn't there to collide with her, the Flame Pokemon couldn't help but keep going. The Flame Pokemon ended up flailing through the air, her limbs flying uncontrollably in every direction, leaving her completely exposed.
It was exactly what Nolan had been hoping for.
"Now's our chance!" the golden haired boy exclaimed in excitement, beyond thrilled this his somewhat risky tactic had paid off the way he'd wanted it to, "Quick Meadow! Finish this with your Leech Seed!"
Across the battlefield from the golden haired boy, Giselle's pretty eyes widened in abject horror. She knew that if the Leech Seed was successful, despite being resisted by Flareon, it would still seriously hamper her chances of winning this battle.
"Dodge that Flareon!" the nasty female student cried in panic, but it was no use.
It was already far too late for poor Flareon.
Having gained the height advantage over her enemy, as well as the fact that her balancing act had left her slightly tilted forwards anyway, meant that Meadow was already in the ideal position to launch a secondary Leech Seed attack. The little green creature wasted no time in launching another earthy projectile at the gorgeous orange and yellow Pokemon that was her opponent.
"Bulba... SAUR!" Meadow let out a piercing scream which sounded almost like a war-cry as she fired what both she and her beloved human hoped would be the final attack of this match.
The ethereal glowing green seed shot through the air like an enchanted bullet... and...
Hit its target!
"NOOOO!" Giselle shrieked in horror, although whether it was out of concern for her Flareon or because her chances of winning the battle had just been severely reduced wasn't exactly clear to everybody else who was present.
Her opponent's reaction could not have been more different.
"YES!" Nolan cheered gleefully, pumping the air with his fist and just barely managing to suppress the urge to jump up and down on the spot in excitement. Before his icy blue eyes, the golden haired boy watched with a wide grin on his face as Meadow's attack on Flareon quickly took hold.
"FLARE!"
Despite the Fire Type Pokemon's valiant struggles, the Leech Seed was able to lodge itself in the tender flesh of Flareon's exposed underbelly, which drew a low whimper of pain from the creature in question. Before the Flame Pokemon could react further than that however, numerous thin leafy vines exploded out of the seed in every direction, quickly ensnaring all four of the gorgeous orange and yellow creature's legs and tying them together. Flareon thrashed about wildly as another vine snaked its way around her head, effortlessly binding her muzzle and holding Flareon's mouth closed. Nolan couldn't help grin upon noticing that particular detail. With her jaw bound shut, it meant that Flareon wouldn't be able to destroy the Leech Seed again with another of her fire-based attacks. And speaking of the Leech Seed attack, the vines that had so thoroughly and expertly capture Flareon suddenly glowed with an eerie iridescent light.
"Fla..." Flareon somehow managed to growl out through her clamped jaw as she angrily thrashed about on the ground where she had fallen. The Flame Pokemon was desperately trying to free herself, despite knowing deep down but it was already too late for that. Her furious growls quickly turned to pitiful whimpers as she felt her energy slowly being siphoned away.
Across the battlefield from the flailing orange and yellow creature, Meadow beamed in victorious delight.
"Bulba..." the little Grass Type Pokemon sighed happily, an expression of utter bliss on her face, as she felt some of Flareon's stolen energy being transferred back into herself. Several of Meadow's bruises faded, and it was enough to undo some of the damage that the Flame Pokemon's earlier attacks on Meadow had left.
"No! Flareon!" Giselle called helplessly from the other end of the battlefield, and to give her due credit, the nasty female student looked genuinely concerned for her Pokemon partner.
Unfortunately for Giselle and Flareon however, that concern was too little too late.
THUMP!
With a dull flump that somehow seemed rather underwhelming considering just how engaging for the audience that Pokemon battle had been, Flareon finally stopped wriggling and squirming about in her desperate attempts to escape the inevitable. As the vines ensnaring her body lit up with that eerie green glow one final time, the last of Flareon's energy was stolen from her. The Flame Pokemon gasped before slumping to the ground, her beautiful dark eyes slowly drifting shut.
They did not open again.
Giselle and her Flareon had been defeated.
Nolan and Meadow... had won...
A hushed silence fell over the school grounds as Nolan and Giselle, along with Nolan's group of friends and Giselle's gang of cronies all struggled to really take in what they had just witnessed. Giselle in particular seemed to be having a hard time believing that she had just been defeated, if her facial expression was anything to go by. Her jaw was practically hanging down by her ankles, and for the first time since anybody could remember, words had actually failed the nasty female student. Needless to say that she was not happy about what had just occurred. Not. One. Bit.
"YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!"
Nolan's reaction on the other hand couldn't possibly have contrasted more greatly. As soon as it had really settled in with him that his partner had claimed the victory right out from underneath Giselle's nose, the golden haired boy began jumping up and down on the spot, screaming in delight whilst cheering his beloved partner's name at the top of his lungs.
"YOU DID IT MEADOW, YOU DID IT!" Nolan bellowed so loudly it would be no wonder if the sky itself shook under the force of his jubilant tone, "I'M SO PROUD OF HOW YOU MANAGE TO PULL THAT BATTLE BACK AROUND! WE SURE SHOWED THEM A THING OR TWO, DIDN'T WE?!"
At the golden haired boy's side, the little Bulbasaur was happily bouncing up and down as well.
"SAUR! BULBASAUR!" Meadow beamed, looking particularly smug as she glanced at the crumpled figure on the ground that was Flareon. That had been one of her best battles to date, and the little Grass Type Pokemon was proud of herself for claiming the victory for her beloved human partner.
Over on the sidelines, Nolan's friends were all as overjoyed by his victory as the golden haired boy himself was.
"Way to go Nolan! And you too Meadow!" Ash was cheering loudly for his best friend, grinning from ear to ear, "I knew you guys could do it!"
"That was an amazing turn around!" Brock smiled in agreement.
"YOU SURE SHOWED THAT LITTLE WITCH WHO'S BOSS NOLAN!" Misty's fanatic cries were the loudest of them all, but that made sense. Out of all of them, the Water Type Pokemon Specialist had the biggest axe to grind with the nasty female student, "GOOD GOING!"
Even Joe looked pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the match.
"Whoa! None of the textbooks ever mentioned a Grass Type Pokemon being able to overcome a Fire Type Pokemon like that!" the usually timid male student exclaimed, amazement colouring both his tone and his expression, "What an awesome fluke that was to witness!"
Nolan and Meadow both smiled at their friends' words, but neither of them responded. They were too busy celebrating with each other.
Meanwhile, watching all of this from across the battlefield from the celebrating duo, Giselle scowled darkly. In a show of bad sportsmanship, she cast Nolan a withering look, before she stomped over to the place where her partner's body lay prone.
"Return" the unpleasant girl said simply.
No empathy, no concern, no kind words of consolation for her poor Pokemon. Giselle didn't even have the good grace to at least thank Flareon for all the hard work she'd put in before the Flame Pokemon disappeared back into her pokeball. It really did say a lot about Giselle's character, and how sore a loser she truly was at heart. And as if to reinforce that fact even further, the nasty female student then turned her attention back to her opponent.
"One lousy win and you're acting like you've just been crowned the champion of Kanto" Giselle sneered and shook her head, no doubt trying to pour poison over Nolan's latest victory in his career as a Pokemon trainer, "How truly pathetic".
It was a deliberate attempt on the bully's part to try and get an angry rise out of the golden haired boy. A small way of reversing some of the damage to her ego, whilst trying to save face at the same time. Unfortunately for Giselle however, Nolan wasn't taking the bait.
"Sorry Giselle, I didn't quite catch that" the golden haired boy smiled a sickly sweet smile back at her, revelling in his victory, "The sound of you falling off your undeserved pedestal was drowning out whatever it was that you were saying".
Giselle blushed bright red, though whether from embarrassment or outrage was too difficult to tell.
"You little..." the nasty female student began to snarl, practically foaming at the mouth, she was so incensed. Exactly what Nolan was however would never reach anyone's ears, for at that moment, something happened that caused Giselle to abruptly cut her no doubt poisonous insult off.
Smoke.
All over the battlefield and spreading further and further across the school grounds was a thick layer of inky black smoke.
"What the...?!" Nolan blinked, looking around in confusion.
For one brief moment, the golden haired boy wondered if one of Flareon's attacks had gone astray and started a small fire nearby, but he was quick to squash that idea. There was far too much smoke for it to be something as simple as that anyway. And call him crazy, but Nolan could have sworn that he recognised that kind of smoke. If he was right, it didn't bode well for any of them. A sinking feeling quickly began to develop in the pit of Nolan's stomach.
Moments later, he was proved right to feel that way.
"Allow us to reintroduce ourselves" a collection of voices that Nolan was becoming almost painfully familiar with by this point in his journey suddenly echoed across the school grounds. With an unusual mix of both irritation and dread churning in the pit of his stomach, the golden haired boy turned around to have his worst fears confirmed.
There, standing in the epicentre of the smoke as bold as brass, was none other than the infamous trio of Team Rocket.
"Oh great" Ash scowled and shook his head, whilst around him, Joe, Giselle and her gang of cronies all just looked on in bewilderment, "Hear we go again..."
And as expected, Team Rocket didn't disappoint.
"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie quickly started what had long-since become the criminals' established routine.
"To unite all peoples within our nation!" the cyan haired man at her side soon mirrored her dramatic pose.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" the magenta haired woman shouted in gleeful malice.
"To extend our reach to the stars above!" James' face was eclipsed by a wide grin as he continued the Team Rocket motto.
"Jessie!" the female criminal announced her name with a sinister smirk on her lips.
"James!" the cyan haired man's tone practically oozed with smugness. It was clear that James thought that the element of surprise was going to work out in their favour this time.
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" Jessie yelled out to the heavens above as.
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!" James viciously threatened Nolan, his friends, and the students of the Pokemon Tech Academy.
"Meowth!" Meowth happily chimed in, "Dat's right!"
If the infamous trio of criminals were expecting some kind of standing ovation, they were sorely disappointed. Giselle and her gang of cronies all looked thoroughly unimpressed by the end of Team Rocket's little performance, whilst Joe just looked utterly bewildered. Nolan and his friends however weren't even phased by this point. No. They were just exasperated.
"I've heard of Team Rocket" Giselle was the first one to break the silence that had fallen with Team Rocket's abrupt and most unwelcome arrival, "Aren't you the gang of losers that goes around stealing other people's Pokemon, just because you're too weak to catch any of your own?"
Jesse smiled thinly at the younger and equally unpleasant female.
"Such a conceited little girl" the magenta haired woman sneered, clearly dismissing the Pokemon Tech student as a waste of her time, "But I think you'll find that you're the losers here!"
From his position next to her, James turned to the side, giving the youngsters a view of the large, bulging burlap sack he was carrying over his shoulder.
"Yeah! You're losing each and every Pokemon that this school houses!" the cyan haired man exclaimed gleefully, and to their horror, Joe and Giselle and all of the other students realised that the sack must be filled to the brim with all of the pokeballs from the school's training facility, "Consider us even for this rotten place not letting me in as a child with their ridiculously complicated entry exam!"
The Tech Students all looked stunned and horrified by what was happening. Before any of them could protest however, Meowth stepped forwards and cackled menacingly.
"And now dat we've got all of dem, we've come to swipe da twerp's Pikachu as well!" the Scratch Cat Pokemon announced with glee, pointing a sharp claw at the small yellow Electric Type Pokemon in question.
Ash protectively stepped in front of his beloved partner, ready to fight to the death if necessary to defend him from being stolen by Team Rocket. Before the raven haired boy could give voice to any of his furious protests however, someone else got in there first. To the collective surprise of everyone, that someone was Giselle. The pretty girl's eyes were ablaze with anger, but she managed to stay calm in the face of this unexpected intrusion. To Nolan's surprise, the nasty female student even managed to raise a very thin smile of her own.
"You're not leaving here with our Pokemon".
The words were said with elegant simplicity. There was no heat in them. No malice. Hell, they didn't even sound like a threat. Giselle was simply stating a fact. Needless to say, Team Rocket weren't exactly thrill by her calm, unfazed attitude.
"Oh yeah?" Jessie scoffed derisively, her tone incredibly patronising, "And who's gonna stop us?"
The magenta haired woman seemed to be woefully unaware of the staggering disadvantage she and her co-workers were currently at right now. Giselle was quick to educate the older female on that fact. With a simple click of her fingers; not one, not two, not three, not four, but all five members of the nasty girl's gang stepped forwards, each of them holding a pokeball in their hand. Giselle raised one herself, a vindictive grin tugging at her lips. Even Joe stepped up to protect his school, despite his timid nature. Add in the fact that Nolan, Ash, Misty and Brock all stepped forwards holding a pokeball apiece as well, and it was exactly surprising that Team Rocket got the point, very quickly.
"Errr... Jessie..." Meowth seemed to have twigged before either of his two human friends, "I think we might need ta rethink dis!"
Jessie and James' eyes both bulged out of their heads in the face of being faced with eleven different Pokemon all at once, the gravity of the situation hitting them like a thunderbolt.
"The two of us against all of them?" the magenta haired woman gasped in alarm, realising with despairing regret what she and James had just set themselves up for.
"But the rules say one on one!" James quickly tried to back-pedal, taking a nervous step back away from all of the young Pokemon trainers.
Giselle honestly couldn't help herself. The school bully threw back her head and laughed loud and hard.
"You guys are even worse than this bunch of losers!" the nasty female student sneered, carelessly gesturing at Nolan and his friends, all of whom scowled at her in irritation, "You're supposed to be the bad guys! And as we all know, bad guys don't play by the rules".
Jessie and James both gulped as Giselle turned to her gang of cronies.
"GET 'EM!" the nasty female student yelled to her fellow with sinister glee. After losing so spectacularly in battle against Nolan, Giselle would take any chance she got to take her anger out on anyone else, and this was the perfect opportunity for that.
The other Pokemon Tech students didn't need telling twice.
In almost perfect synchronisation, all six of the male students at the Pokemon Tech Academy arched their arms back and took aim. With downright scary precision, the gang of cronies and Joe all launched the pokeballs they were holding, but instead of them snapping open to reveal any Pokemon, the red and white spheres became nothing more than simple metal projectiles. Projectiles that hurt when they made contact with flesh, a lot.
"Ouch!" Jessie yelped in pain when one of the thrown pokeballs hit straight in the chest, swiftly followed by another hitting her in the face, "Omph! Oh! Too many Pokeballs!"
James wasn't fairing against the youngsters' onslaught any better.
"WAAAH!" the cyan haired man exclaimed in agony as a pokeball, curtesy of Joe, hit him right on the nose. Instinctively, James' hands both flew up to his face to clutch at the now throbbing appendage, causing him to inadvertently release his grip on the burlap sack he was carrying. Seeing an opportunity, Nolan was quick to pounce on it.
"Now's our chance Meadow!" the golden haired boy hastily turned to his beloved partner, "Use your Vine Whip and grab the sack! Reel it in to us!"
The little Grass Type Pokemon wasted no time in heeding her trainer's command.
"Bulba... SAUR!" like a pair of twin lassoes, Meadow launched her vines across the field to the spot where the large burlap sack had fallen. Much to the relief of Nolan, his friends, and the Pokemon Tech students; Meadow's aim held true and she was easily able to wrap her vines around the opening of the bulging bag of pokeballs, securing it shut. With a small grunt of effort on her part, Meadow then began reeling it in, dragging it further and further away from the grasp of the infamous gang of criminals.
Needless to say, Team Rocket were utterly horrified by how disastrously their heist had backfired on them.
"No!" Jessie exclaimed in panic, trying and failing to dodge another pokeball that had been thrown her way, "The pokeballs! They're stealing back the pokeballs we stole!"
"No dey're not!" Meowth snarled, lunging towards the large heavy bag that Meadow was slowly dragging across the battlefield, his lethally sharp claws outstretched.
"Oh no you don't!" Joe retorted, his face set with stubborn determination. The usually timid boy quickly produced another pokeball, which he hurled in the direction of the Scratch Cat Pokemon. Thankfully Joe's aim was good, and the red and white sphere smashed into Meowth's face, stopping his efforts to prevent Meadow from retrieving the pilfered pokeballs.
"Argh!" the furry white Pokemon shrieked in agony, collapsing to the ground and clutching dramatically at his face with his little paws.
Giselle's gang of cronies didn't let up in the assault, not even for a second moment. They, along with Giselle and Joe, just kept reaching into their pockets and pulled out pokeball after pokeball. Soon the barrage of flying metal projectiles became too painful for the infamous trio to bare much longer, and it was long before they made the most obvious decision given their circumstances. They knew when they were outmatched after all.
"Oomph! Oh, forget about it!" Jessie whined in pain as when felt like the millionth heavy metal sphere rained down upon her aching body, "Let's just get out of here!"
"A-Agreed!" James managed to stammer out, gasping for breath and tried his best to shield himself from the barrage of pokeballs the Pokemon Tech students were pelting at him.
The gang of criminals quickly turned tail and fled.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Jessie, James and Meowth all screamed together as they bolted from the Pokemon Tech Academy's school grounds as fast as their legs could carry. Giselle's gang kept pelting pokeballs after them for a couple more moments, and after a few more seconds, Team Rocket was gone.
Once again, disaster had been averted.
"Hmm" Giselle mused to herself thoughtfully, once again being to break the silence caused by Team Rocket's antics, "How utterly pathetic. And they call themselves criminals. Still, at least we got the school's Pokemon back".
Nolan was half tempted to point out that it was Meadow who had actually recovered the pokeballs, but sadly he never got the chance to. Giselle was already turning her attention back to her gang of cronies with new instructions for them.
"You two, pick up that bag and take it back to the battle training facility. We need to do a full inventory to make sure that every last Pokemon owned by this school is accounted for" the nasty female student bossily snapped off to two if her gang members, before turning her sharp gaze to another, "You, pick up all these empty pokeballs. We can't leave the grounds in such a mess".
With that, her gang of cronies got to work. Looking satisfied, Giselle then turned her attention to Joe. She narrowed her eyes when he didn't immediately gulp like he normally would, and instead just stared back at her.
"And as for you Joe, I suggest that you say goodbye to these outsiders" the nasty female student cast Nolan and his friends a withering look, all of whom scowled back at her, "I think they've brought enough trouble to this establishment for one day. Those clowns only came after us to try and swipe that little Pikachu after all".
Joe opened his mouth to protest that holding the travelling quartet responsible for Team Rocket's actions was hardly fair, but Giselle was evidently done with all of them. The beautiful girl tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder and began to stalk away towards the gigantic manor house that was the school. Feeling somewhat slighted by the rude dismissal, Nolan couldn't resist getting one last jibe in, and quickly gave into the childish impulse.
"Bye Giselle! It was really nice to meet you! Oh, and a word of advice!" Nolan's voice was practically oozing with sickly sweet fakeness, and when Giselle silently stopped in her tracks, his smile widened vindictively, "If you want to get good enough so that you might actually win some Pokemon battles, perhaps you need to worry less about how your classmates are doing, and focus on your own studies more. Just a thought. Bye!"
If looks could kill, Nolan would be dead on the floor.
For what perhaps was the millionth time that day, Giselle's face flushed an unpleasant shared of crimson. The girl floundered for a couple of moments, obviously trying desperately to come up with a comeback but failing miserably. So with one last loathing glare at Nolan, the nasty female student that had well and truly been taught a good lesson today set off walking towards the main school building again. This time however, she stormed off at a slightly heightened pace, no doubt wanting to make a sharp exit before Nolan could sit anything else. The golden haired boy grinned gleefully to himself, that small vindictive part of his usually kind-hearted nature satisfied that he had managed to get the last word in.
"Well... I guess it is time we got going. It's getting pretty late and we still have a very long way to go if we're ever going to make it to Vermillion City" the golden haired boy said as he turned back to his friends. His icy blue eyes fixed upon Joe, and his smile became slightly more warm and genuine, "And what about you Joe? What are you going to do now?"
The boy who had been so timid when they had first met, and had grown so much over the course of a single day, grinned back at Nolan.
"Well for starters, I'm not going to be taking any more rubbish from that little witch and her gang of mindless idiots" Joe announced proudly, standing a little taller and already looking more confident, "Those days are over".
And as if to prove it to himself, Joe removed the photograph that he carried of Giselle from within his pocket, and tore it up in front of them.
"Good for you Joe" Ash smiled at the other boy encouragingly, before a thought suddenly hit him, and the raven haired boy frowned, "But won't Giselle be even worse now? You might want to watch your back in case she tries to take today out on you".
Joe smiled at the kind words of warning.
"Thanks Ash, but I already thought about that, which is why I'm going to try and inspire the other students here the same way that Nolan and Misty both inspired me today" the male student explained with a growing smile on his face, "I'm not the only one that Giselle treats badly after all. There are plenty of other people in this school who get bullied by her and her gang. I'm going to try and show them the same way that you guys have shown me that it is possible to stand up to her. That they don't just have to sit back and take their rubbish".
By the time that Joe had finished his impassioned speech, Nolan and the others all couldn't help beam at him.
"Well that definitely sounds like a worthy goal for the time being" Misty told Joe brightly, and the boy blushed and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Good luck with it Joe".
"Yeah, and don't give those bullies the chance to break you down again" Brock added, whilst Nolan and Ash both nodded in agreement, "People like that will always try and cut you down until you feel very small, but like you said, you don't have to put up with it and it is possible to fight back".
"Stay strong Joe" Ash added simply, before with a final wave of farewell, the raven haired boy turned and slowly started to walk away. Following his example; Nolan, Misty and Brock all gave Joe one last warm smile as well, before they mirrored their friend's action and made to leave as well.
"Goodbye Nolan! Goodbye everybody!" Joe called after them, waving the travellers off as they went off on their journey again, "And thank you so much for everything!"
Hearing their names as they crossed over the border that marked the end of the grounds of the Pokemon Tech Academy, Nolan and the others all turned and waved one final time at their newest friend. Before they resumed their voyage to Vermillion City however, the four travellers took one last lingering look at the school where they had learned so much. As they set off walking again, only one thing was for certain for the young Pokemon trainers in that particular moment.
They couldn't wait to see what great lessons life would throw at them next.
And there's not only another chapter done, but another episode too : )
Yeah, I'm quite glad to be done with this episode now. I've made no secret of the fact that it isn't a favourite of mine, but I'm happy with how it ended. Nolan won against Giselle and knocked her down a peg or two! And yes, no redemption for her in my version of events. I know she turned nice in canon, but I find it hard to believe that a person could change that quickly. So yeah, she's still a nasty piece work in my story : )
Now, onto more important things. First of all, there was a particular review that I wanted to discuss with all of you. Normally I would just PM the reader back, but I felt it was relevant to everyone that's hopefully enjoying this story, so I'd like to thank the reviewer in question for bringing this subject up. I know that Nolan's older Pokemon only get to appear in later Nuzlockes after you guys vote to bring them back when I win a rival fight, however I want to assure you that this is not going to be the case in terms of the actual content of this story. For example, I have no plans for Meadow to leave Nolan's team in the story, despite the fact that she won't always be in every game I play. My plans right now involve lots of different cameos by Nolan's older Pokemon at various points of his journey, many of them being his Kanto team when he is in the Orange Islands. The votes to bring them back only affect the actual gameplay and the potential evolution of that Pokemon. I just wanted to reassure you all of that fact : )
And now to the main event of this note - announcing the rules of my third, I still can't believe that, THIRD Pokemon Nuzlocke. You guys have established that it is going to take place in the Johto region, and so I have been studying a lot of data over the last few days to put my plan of action for this Nuzlocke together. I'm really looking forward to this one in particular because I'll be adding a few new elements into the mix ; ) Anyway, here are the rules I'll be playing by: -
Rule 1
In each new area I can only try to catch my first wild encounter. If I fail to catch it or knock it out, I cannot try for another Pokemon.
In addition to this rule, I have added some other elements for my Nuzlocke.
As with the other Nuzlockes I have done so far, I will be limiting the number of Pokemon I can use to one in five. There are a total of sixty areas I will be catching a Pokemon in, so once you divide that by five, it'll be narrowed down to twelve. I know that doesn't sound like much right now, but by the time I've got through this rules you'll hopefully understand why I chose this number.
In addition, I will be playing with the Duplicates Clause. This is to make the encounters more diverse and interesting.
Rule 2
Every Pokemon that is captured and then voted to be added to the story and Nuzlocke must be given a nickname.
When making your votes, feel free to leave suggestions for nicknames. I'll either pick which one I like the best, or come up with nicknames for each Pokemon myself if nothing calls out to me : )
Rule 3
If one of my Pokemon faints in my Nuzlocke, it is gone and cannot be used anymore. In addition, that Pokemon will be written out of this story. No Pokemon is safe from this. Not even my starter Pokemon.
Like in the other Nuzlockes however, this rule will only be applicable as far as the story is concern if the Pokemon is lost in the Nuzlocke BEFORE I take on the Elite Four. As with my Fire Red Pokemon Nuzlocke, the checkpoint will be the end of Victory Road. Once I've cleared that area, my team is safe. Say for example Lance kills my starter, I wouldn't then write my starter out.
To compensate for this however, I can only take on the Elite Four in my Nuzlocke ONCE, and in-game, the death rule will still apply. How well I do will determine how well Nolan does in the Pokemon League at the end of the Johto arc of this story.
So basically, I need to try to keep everyone alive until I've got through the Victory Road and grinded up all my Pokemon to make their future in this story secure : )
Now that we've gone over the standard Nuzlocke Rules, let's cover the additional ones I'll be playing by : )
Rule 4
Gift Pokemon. As always I'm including the gift Pokemon in the array of Pokemon that Nolan will obtain in this story. The Gift Pokemon this time include : -
The Starter - Cyndaquil or Totodile - (No Chikorita as for the reasons discussed in the last chapter). This Pokemon will ALWAYS be on the team. The only exception will be if it faints and I have to write it out of the story. I'm REALLY hoping that doesn't happen : )
The Togepi in Violet City.
The Eevee in Goldenrod City.
The Tyrogue in Mt Mortar.
The Dratini in Dragon's Den.
The three Password Egg Pokemon - Mareep, Wooper, and Slugma. I know that these three are questionable, but I don't have to cheat to get them, I just need to use a website to work out the specific password I need, so I'm count them.
The Goldenrod City Game Corner Pokemon - This one will be entirely dependant on which game you guys vote for as there is only one Pokemon in each game I can get. I can't get Abra or Dratini due to the Duplicate Clause, meaning that in Heart Gold I will get Ekans, or in Soul Silver I will end up with Sandshrew.
I know that there are other questionable gift Pokemon you can get in Johto, but these are the ones I've decided to go with. And with these additional nine Pokemon, the total of Pokemon that Nolan will get has already increased to twenty-one. We're not finished yet though, so keep reading : )
Rule 5
A Level Cap will be set in place whilst I playing my Nuzlocke. I will only be able to grind up my team to the level of the next gym leaders Ace Pokemon.
This one isn't so much in direct relation to this story, but more to add challenge to the game. It is important however, because it makes the game harder and thus the risk of losing a Pokemon and having to write them out of the story is much greater.
Rule 6
Evolutions. Like in the previous Nuzlockes, I will be earning my Evolutions through defeating each gym leader and elite four member. This means there will be at least twelve evolutions over the course of the story. As per the rules of the original Nuzlocke, my Starter Pokemon will only be allowed to evolve into its middle stage after I have earned three gym badges. It can then only evolve again into its final stage after winning six gym badges. This is purely for story pacing : )
Rule 7
Rival battles. As a returning feature, whenever I defeat a game's main rival, you guys will get to vote between a selection of Nolan's old Pokemon that I can bring over into the game I'm currently playing. Not only will this mean I can have them on my team again in the game, but it also comes will an added benefit. It means that the chosen Pokemon will be added back on to the list when it comes to voting for evolutions. It also comes with a downside however, because if I lose that Pokemon in the game, I will have to write it out, regardless of it having already once made it to the 'safe-point'. There are five Rival battles in this region, so five old friends will be making a comeback in the games ; )
Rule 8
And now for our first new addition to the ruleset for this Nuzlocke. Pokewalker! Yes, I have a functioning Pokewalker and I'm not afraid to use it ; ) I personally loved this element of the Johto Games and I spent ages figuring out a way to incorporate it into my Johto Nuzlocke. And what I settled on in the end if something I've been thinking to incorporate into these Nuzlockes since the beginning as well. Defeating the Villains! Now there are eight available courses on the Pokewalker that I can access throughout the main storyline of the game, so this how this is how it's going to work. For every Team Rocket Admin Battle that I win, I will get to unlock a course on the Pokemon. There are two battles with Proton, two with Petrel, and two with Ariana. That will unlock six of the courses. As there is only one battle with Archer, he'll unlock the final two. Now, for each course I will be able to catch three Pokemon and transfer them over to the main game, one from each of the groups. I will then double these courses up before I put all six of the Pokewalker-Caught Pokemon to be voted upon by you guys. Basically it means that I will end up with four extra Pokemon, bringing the total for this game up to twenty-five : ) Hopefully all this will make sense once I get to that point in the Nuzlocke ; )
Rule 9
In another new addition to the ruleset, Pokeathlon! Another fun addition to Johto was the Pokeathlon, and I'm keen to get it into my Nuzlocke challenge as well. To that effect, I have decided that when playing this Nuzlocke, I will have to work hard to play these mini-games and win first place in each category. There are five categories in total; Skill, Stamina, Speed, Power and Jump. Whenever I came first place in a category, I get one additional evolution. This in addition to the ones earnt through defeating gym leaders and elite four members means that a great whooping seventeen of Nolan's Pokemon will get to evolve. What with him having so different ones many now, I felt it was time to increase the number by a reasonable amount ; ) Playing the Pokeathlon is always a very good method of getting some important items, so it'll hopefully be a lot of fun : )
Rule 10
And last but not least, bonus rewards will be making a comeback. Whilst most of the post-game won't have any impact at all on the contents of this story, there are numerous additional gift Pokemon that you can obtain in the postgame, however because it's me and I like to challenge myself, it's not going to be a simple case of me just getting them. Oh no. Instead, I have three additional goals I have to fulfil if I want these extra Pokemon.
The first one is going to be the Hoenn Starter Pokemon you get from Steven Stone. I will be allowed to get this bonus gift ONLY if I get through this entire run with no deaths. The moment I lose a Pokemon in this Nuzlocke, the chance to get this gift is gone as well.
As for the second bonus gift, this one will be a choice between two Pokemon at the Celadon City Game Corner - Mr Mime or an additional Eevee. For me to be able to give you guys a chance to vote on this topic, I will have to beat each of the eight Kanto gym leaders. However, as the death rule will no longer apply at this point, to make this more challenging I will only get to take one each gym leader once. If I lose to any of them, I cannot get a Pokemon from the Celadon City Game Corner.
Finally, the third bonus gift will be the Kanto Starter Pokemon you get from Professor Oak. This is going to be hard... I'll only be able to get one of them if I defeat the Legendary Pokemon Trainer Red... In just ONE attempt! Yep, I must be insane, but if I can beat Red in just one try, I'll be able to get another Kanto Starter.
Any one of these extra conditions would be EXTREMELY difficult to pull off, but that's the challenge I'm setting myself ; )
And I think that about covers all the rules : ) If you guys have any questions, please leave them in a review and I'll try to clarify anything : )
Blimey, we've covered a lot there, so least move on to the final part of this extremely long footnote - this week's voting topic! And this time, there's going to be not one but two voting topics! So without further ado, here they are: -
Question 1 - Which game do you guys want me to play the Nuzlocke on?
The options are Pokemon Heart Gold and Pokemon Soul Silver. This is important because it'll determine which exclusive Pokemon I'll be able to encounter. Fun fact, this is only the second time I've ever been able to put this question up as a voting topic so I'm quite looking forward to seeing which game I'll be playing on : )
Question 2 - Which Starter do you guys want me to pick?
The options are Cyndaquil or Totodile. I know that several of you already said which starter you want in your reviews for the previous chapter, and I will include those in the tallies if this ends up being a tie. Because I didn't officially ask for you to vote on that last time however, I wanted to include it here so that everyone got a fair chance to make their vote on my new starter ; )
And I think after that exhaustingly long footnote, that's just about everything from me for this time. 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 : )