"Before I Turn this Tassel," written by Freedom Fighter Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of the characters associated with the show. All names and likenesses are copyrighted by Nintendo, 4Kids Entertainment, and anyone else who had a hand in creating the show. ====== Chapter Six - The Bachelorette (11.21.02) Giselle pulled up a chair to the videophone and pressed a button on the keyboard. That in turn made the 'Voice Only' sign disappear and be replaced by Joe's smiling face. Giselle gasped in surprise when she saw what Joe looked like. The neatness of Joe's school-like uniform was overshadowed by his wild, out-of-control, and just plain messy hairstyle. "Look at you!" Giselle exclaimed. "You're such a mess." "It's just my hair, Giselle. I just finished getting through a very intense battle." Giselle was curious about what had happened. "You gonna tell me what happened?" Joe smiled and said, "See for yourself." He lifted up an Earth Badge for her to see. Giselle was plesantly surprised at seeing that particular item in his possession. "T-t-that's an Earth Badge! You actually got an Earth Badge?" "Yep. It took me a long time, but I finally got one." "Took you long enough," Giselle reprimanded, "You left Tech three years ago! It does NOT take a trainer that long to get all eight badges." "I've been having a lot of trouble..." "See! That's exactly the reason you should've stayed here!" A voice behind Giselle giggled. "Yeah! So she can spend more time with you!" Upon hearing that, Joe blushed a bright red. But Giselle, not enjoying the interruption, jumped out of her seat and went to close the door. "Can't a girl have some privacy?" she asked as she pushed Angela out. "What?" Angela smirked. "You gonna whisper sweet nothings to him over the phone?" "Get out!" Angela giggled again as Giselle gave her one last shove. Giselle then closed the door and walked back over to the videophone. "I'm sorry. My RD is kinda of nosy." "That's okay. I've met several people like that on my journey." "You are going to tell me about it, right? Or are you just gonna sit around all day and keep me in suspense?" Joe scratched his chin. "Gee, I don't know if I have enough minutes on my calling card to tell you everything..." "The abridged version's fine." Joe looked confused. "Abridged? Wha?" Giselle clenched her fist angrily, in disbelief that someone of Joe's social standing would not know a word like that. "The short version, peppered with the highlights! Come on Joe! Have you abandoned your principles as the child of a high-class family just so you can improve your skills as a trainer?" "Well, I..." "Well, you shouldn't have. Three years. Seriously, Joe!" "I told you, I've been having a lot of trouble!" "And you dared not to call me for one single bit of advice?" "I was afraid, Giselle." "Afraid of what?" "That you'd be putting me down, just like you are now!" "Joe's right," Giselle thought, realizing the truth. "I haven't talked to him in three years and this is how I treat him? What is wrong with me?" "Giselle? Giselle, are you okay? Look, I didn't mean to..." "Don't worry," Giselle responded as she shed a tear. "Giselle? You're crying?" "It's nothing," Giselle quickly lifted her hand to wipe the tear away. "Just had something in my eye, that's all." "Oh. I should've figure as much. You never cry." "And that's a bad thing?" "I didn't say that!" "Joe, could you just..." "Tell you what's been going on with me? Sure. Now, let's see..." Giselle listened carefully as Joe amused her with tales of his adventures. From his first gym battle in Pewter City to his recent escapade with the Viridian City leader, he recalled every minute detail he could. Once he was done, Giselle took her turn as she recalled what's been going on at Tech for the past few years. After an hour of exchanging stories, they both decided that it was time to wrap things up. "I've gotta go Giselle. My calling card's about to run out." "Just admit it. You got tired of hearing me yapping, didn't you?" Joe laughed. "I could never get tired of hearing you." "Is that so?" Giselle smirked. "Sounds like someone's going to get a lecture on Pokémon training from yours truly." "Then I'd better bring some aspirin." "Why's that?" "With all the information you're going to pump into my brain, I'll be lucky if it doesn't explode!" "Very funny," Giselle said sarcastically. "You'll be lucky if you still have one when my fist gets done with you!" "In that case, I'd better bring two bottles!" Giselle, annoyed at Joe's sense of humor, reached for the 'end call' button. "Goodbye Joe!" "Goodbye! See you next..." But before Joe could finish, the videophone had cut off. Giselle breathed a sigh of relief. "Where did he learn to be such a jokester like that? I swear... a weekend with me to straighten him out is definitely what he needs." She got up and walked over to her nightstand. She pulled opened the drawer and took out a small photo album. After closing it and walking back over to her seat by the videophone, Giselle opened the album open and began to search through it. It only took her a few turns, but she came across a page that only had one picture on it. It happened to be the picture of her and Joe sitting by the school's outdoor pool. It was the only one they had ever taken together and was taken the day that Joe had left Tech. The beautiful yellow and orange background that had been brought about by the sunset at the time made the picture seem even more enchanting. She could remember the conversation they had... "I hope we meet in the Pokémon League someday." "Me too. You mind if I keep your picture with me?" "Sure. After all, I do keep pictures of all of my friends." "You mean you have one of me?" Joe asked in surprise. "Of course! We're friends now, aren't we?" Giselle couldn't believe that she had last seen Joe in person more than three years ago. It was going to be great to talk to him face to face. She began to imagine what their reunion would be like as she glanced out her dorm window, watching the sun begin to set in the Western sky. ====== "Maro!" A Marowak shouted as he threw his bone-shaped club as if it were a boomerang. The club managed to clock an opposing Jumpluff upside the head. The bone then made a return trip, which also resulted in another hit to the small grass Pokémon's head. The Jumpluff's trainer, who was female, shouted out a command from one end of the battlefield. At the other, Giselle issued a counter measure against it. "Monday, May 27th, 2002," Giselle narrated, "After a miserable week, it's back to business as usual for me! I've had to restart my whole project, but it's no problem. I actually think that's a good thing in this case." The battle between Marowak and Jumpluff continued as the two Pokémon traded blows. "The terrible memories of these past few days still linger in my mind, but I've pretty much put them aside so that I can focus on my studies again. I can only imagine what other girls with similar experiences such as mine would feel like barely a week removed from the incident. Me, well, I probably would have quit had it not been for my friends and my strong spirit. I can't believe I'm saying this... but the whole thing might have changed me for the better. "I've been wanting to become more humble for so long, and to some degree in the past I succeeded in doing so. But the inner 'demon,' as I'd like to call it, reared its ugly head again recently. And this time, its appearance nearly cost me everything." After being on the receiving end of a skull bash by Marowak, Jumpluff fainted. The Pokémon's trainer recalled it while Marowak ran over and jumped into the waiting arms of Giselle, who took a few seconds to cuddle and praise him for his victory. "In this video, I aim to prove that even from the most dismal and dreary circumstances, one can overcome adversity and become stronger than ever. Both as a person and a Pokémon trainer." Giselle walked over to her opponent as the two shook hands. "Thanks for the battle, Miss Giselle." "No problem," Giselle said with a smile. "Marowak enjoyed battling Jumpluff, right?" "Maro." "Once your Jumpluff learns Mega Drain, it ought to be one of the toughest grass Pokémon on campus." "Would you mind battling Jumpluff again when that happens?" "Of course. Anything to help a fellow trainer." ====== Giselle resumed her narrating as the scene changes to the inside of one of her classrooms, where she's jotting down notes on the lecture of the day. "Battles don't depend just on the type of Pokémon being used. Their outcome also depends on the state of mind that the trainers are in. Someone distracted by everything bad that's happened in their life won't be in the right frame of mind. And if you're in no position to think about what order to give your Pokémon next, the battle's already lost. "If you have a bond with your Pokémon, that really helps a lot. It's true that Pokémon are fueled by the energy and excitement given off from their trainers, but if they don't trust you, it's hard to put all of that to good use. You'll discover, if you haven't already, that Pokémon can be our best friends if you treat them with respect. For some it takes longer than others, but you'll find that the long-term effects are well worth it. When nothing was working for me, my Pokémon guided me through." ====== The camera continued to record as Giselle helped Angela with her video project. "Knowledge isn't everything," Giselle stated as Angela taped her. "You have to be able to apply that knowledge in real battles. You may learn about a dual type Pokémon like Magnemite and what its weaknesses are, but that does diddly squat if you don't remember that in battle. Or if you don't have a Pokémon that can take advantage of those weaknesses..." "Having human friends helps too," Giselle's prerecorded voice stated, speaking over the action going on in the background. "Think about it. Pokémon Technical has about 600 students from the starter age of ten to as old as 35... and even older in a few rare cases. Just 600. That's not as big as it sounds. In a small school such as this, people getter better acquainted with more people than in a larger one, where you're more likely to get along only with people who share the same interests as you. "That's not to say we all don't share the same interests. After all, we all are Pokémon trainers. More than ninety percent of students at Tech have never trained a day in their life before coming here. Nearly forty-five percent have never had a Pokémon of their own. We all learn about how to be a good trainer through the same methods as those who attended Tech before us. And no two trainers develop at the exact same rate. "That's where having some fellow trainers as friends helps. You learn off of each other's mistakes. You can have them critique your battle style. You can help a friend learn what to do and not what to do. And in situations like mine, a friend can be there to console you. To convince you that everything's okay and that you did nothing wrong. And if you did do something wrong, then they're there to help guide you to the correct path. "You may not always agree or like what a friend may tell you. But, it's better to hear from them now instead of stepping into a situation that you might discover you can't win. The best trainers in the world didn't get to the top by themselves. There was always someone to back him or her up. Whether it be one person, or two, or two hundred. "No matter how many friends you have, cherish them. Because you never know when you'll need them or they'll need you. And life's just more fun if you've got someone to share it with." ====== Later on in the day, Giselle spotted Ronaldo outside North Hall, sitting on the steps. With a smile, she decided to stop and say hello. "Hi there," she said, waving to the resting janitor. "Been busy all day?" Ronaldo asked, noting the books Giselle had cradled in her arms. Giselle nodded. "Last week of classes. I have started studying for finals next week." "Already? Gee, does the time fly around here. It feels like we should be here another month." "Another month? Making it through this week will require a miracle." Giselle then replaced her glowing smile with her ever-popular smirk. "Not that I need one." "With your smarts, the others will wish for a miracle that you don't pass finals!" "That's not going to happen to me. I'll be ready!" Giselle walked past Ronaldo and was about to walk into the building when he called out to her. "Giselle? Hold on for a second." Giselle stopped as she slowly turned around and waited for Ronaldo to walk up to her. "I just wanted to thank you for the advice you gave me on Friday. It really helped a lot." "Uh..." Giselle hesitated, not sure if she wanted to tell him that she wasn't serious when she told him to get another job. For some reason, she couldn't bear to put him down. "I managed to get a job interview in Viridian City. Great benefits package, health and dental, and a good starting salary. No more being a janitor! From now on, I'm a businessman!" "A businessman? That's... um... great." "I got tomorrow off so that I can pack my things. I may be leaving Tech for good." 'Leaving Tech for good.' Those four words began to resonate in Giselle's mind as Ronaldo walked off and strutted back towards his apartment in East Hall. "Good luck!" Ronaldo shouted. "Maybe I'll see you again someday!" So many things were racing through Giselle's head. "Should I tell him the truth? Cheer him on? Suggest I go with him? Well, you gotta do something! He's walking away." Giselle did do something. She waved goodbye. "Oh, that's really swell. You may not see the guy again and all you can do is wave?" She shook her conscience out as she turned to walk into the dorm building and get her mind focused on what it should be on... studying for finals. But the questions still lingered. Including one important one. "Why do I want him to stay?" ****** Okay, everyone's probably confused, mixed up, and all in different directions after this chapter. This chapter was actually the hardest to write because of the randomness and date jumping... the latter of which we are not done with yet. And speaking of date jumping, I had no intention on spending several chapters on Joe telling Giselle what happened on his journey. Though if there's enough feedback, I may consider doing a side story in the near future... Preview of Chapter 7: "On Overdrive" - Angela tries to help Giselle straighten her feelings for Joe and Ronaldo out. - And in good time too, because Joe has arrived at Tech a few days before graduation. - Plus it's final exam week as Giselle tries to maintain her top-of-the-class status. After this long week, I'm glad that it's Thanksgiving. It gives me a break from this fanfic for a week. The next chapter goes up December 5th, as with that chapter the ending starts to develop. And trust me, there's still at least one big surprise still left to go!