"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 Eight - The Final Test (12.12.02) Giselle took a deep breath as the professor plopped a seven-page exam packet on her desk before moving on to the next student. With her pencils sharpened and her brain functioning at full capacity, all that was left was to wait for the signal to start. "You have two hours to complete the exam. When you have finished, you may turn in your exam and then promptly leave the room. Exam results will be posted at 8 a.m. Monday morning on the board next to my office. With that being said, you may begin." The sound of every student in the room flipping the cover page over filled the air. In moments, several students were already making notes under the first question. (If a 2 lb. Pidgey going 20 mph flies right towards a 1 lb., 6 oz. Fearow going 25 mph, by the rule of conservation of momentum, what will happen when the two Pokémon meet? A. The Pidgey takes the brunt of the hit and falls to the ground. B. The Fearow takes the brunt of the hit and falls to the ground. C. Both Pokémon hit with the same momentum, sending them both falling. D. The two Pokémon bump, but not with enough force to hurt each other. E. The two Pokémon see each other and change trajectories to avoid a collision.) Giselle thought for a second before scribbling a few notes, smiling, then filling out the appropriate bubble on her answer sheet. "This is going to be easier than I thought." ====== Not all the questions were that easy, though... (If the power were to go out in the Viridian City Pokémon Center, the backup generator is activated. It is powered by six Pikachu, yet the Nurse Joy there informs you that only four are present at the time of the power outage. If you have a Pikachu in your possession, what would be the best thing to do? A. Lend your Pikachu to Joy and hope that it has the strength of two Pikachu. B. Find a more suitable electric-type Pokémon to replace the two Pikachu. C. Take out a Thunder Stone, evolve your Pikachu into a Raichu, and then let Joy borrow it. D. Look around for another Pikachu trainer to help your Pikachu carry the burden. E. Let the four remaining Pikachu output more power to make up the difference.) Giselle began to think. "You can't hope that you've got a strong Pikachu. You've just got to know if you have one or not. Another electric-type might be incompatible with the Pikachu. A Raichu might be too powerful and actually give off more than the two missing Pikachu. And who knows how long it might take to find another Pikachu trainer. That only leaves me with one answer... but the extra strain might tire out the Pikachu sooner. Gee, how am I supposed to answer this?" After debating her choices for a minute, she decided to skip the question and move on. ====== An hour later, Giselle was sitting with Angela in the cafeteria at the south end of campus. They both were digging into a tray of chicken pot pie. "How did the Pokémon Physics final go?" Angela asked. "It's tougher than I thought it was going to be, but I think I got through pretty much unscathed," Giselle replied confidently. "I'm sure it's not any tougher than the Silhouette final I just took. I don't see how it's possible to tell a Voltorb from a Jigglypuff, seen from above!" "You just have to know every single feature that every Pokémon has. Like I do." "No way," Angela didn't agree, believing that Giselle was bluffing. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a set of giant flash cards, each with the silhouette of a Pokémon on it. She showed Giselle one that had a long nose. "I bet you can't guess which one this is." "That's easy," Giselle smirked. "A Cyndaquil standing up on its hind legs." "Dang, you're good. When I first saw this one, I thought it was a Totodile." "It's a common mistake. Totodile naturally stand up on their hind legs and they have long noses too. The difference is is that they have an equally sized lower jaw to go with it." "Okay, here's a tough one." Angela pulled out another flash card, this one a picture of a big reddish-pinkish circle. "Which Pokémon's cheek is this?" "There are only three Pokémon with cheeks like that. And judging by the color of the circle, which has a slight pink tint, can only belong to the smallest of the three forms, Pichu." "You really know your Pokémon." "You expected any less from me?" "No... I just thought you would be tuckered out after having fun with you-know-who last night." Giselle suddenly blushed, but she quickly defended herself. "Nothing happened between us, if that's what you're thinking. Joe slept the whole night while I studied." "At least now I know why your eyes look bloodshot," Angela commented, pointing to them. "I'm probably going to take a nap," Giselle told her. "But after my next exam, that is." "You get 'em, girl! Valedictorian, here you come!" ====== Giselle's second final was a lot shorter and much easier than the first. It was on Pokémon Items. A sample question from the exam: (Which type of berry can exclusively heal a Pokémon that's confused? A. Miracle Berry B. Mystery Berry C. Berry D. Gold Berry E. Bitter Berry) ====== The rest of the written exams over the next few days went almost just as easily, as Giselle began to feel more confident then ever that she'd finish at the top of her class. All that was left were the practical exams, where all of the students will apply what they've learned in actual battles. But throughout the week, she couldn't help but wonder what Joe was up to. He hadn't called her at all... but it was probably because he didn't want to risk distracting her. Still, it didn't feel right. ====== Speaking of which, let's see what Joe is really up to in Cerulean City... "Hmmmm..." Joe murmured as he looked through a glass pane window and into a doll store. He then shook his head. "I doubt Giselle's the type of girl who plays with dolls." Joe sighed as he turned and walked down the street, towards the next store. "I guess that I haven't been around Giselle enough to know what she likes. Getting her a good graduation present is going to be harder than I thought." Joe made his way through the mess of tourists that were passing by the city's business market. Among the crowd, he noticed a few families walking around, wearing a Pokémon Tech T-shirt or cap or some other piece of clothing that showed off their support for the school. "Guess I'm not the only one searching for a gift," Joe commented as he decided to stop in front of an arts and crafts store next. Upon entering, he was greeted by one of the store's shopkeepers... a man about twice his age. "Hello there!" he greeted. "Can I help you find something?" "I guess," Joe replied, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm tried to find a gift for my friend. It's her graduation on Saturday and I wanted to get her something." "Sister? Cousin? Best friend? Or girlfriend?" "Um... girlfriend, I guess." The shopkeeper ushered Joe to the back of the store, where a few customers were making their own gifts. "From your nervousness, I'm betting that she just became your girlfriend." "You can say that... although I'm not quite sure she knows it yet." The shopkeeper smiled. "Then what better way to show her how much you love her by making something?" Joe looked around at the crafters. A blonde-haired woman in her 30s was molding a clay vase. A black-haired man in his 40s was constructing a wagon. And a trio of teenage girls were using beads and string to make friendship bracelets. "I don't know. This doesn't look too appealing." "Nonsense, my boy! You can make whatever you want for her!" At hearing that, Joe brightened up. "Really? Anything?" "As long as we have the supplies for your request in the store room, then yes." "Maybe she'll realize how special I am if I made something for her," Joe thought out aloud. "But I don't know what to make." The shopkeeper, reading Joe's thoughts, handed him a binder. "Here's a book full of possible ideas. You might need this." "Thanks," Joe said, taking the binder. He went to a nearby table and began to flip through it, searching for an idea. "I'll find something she'll like for sure." ====== The following morning, the courtyards of Pokémon Tech were filled with students of all levels. It was the first of two days for the practical exams, in which each student had two. Each student was required to win a one-on-one battle with their own Pokémon on one day, and then win a three-on-three battle with preselected Pokémon the other. Giselle had drawn the morning session on both days, but that didn't bother her at all. On this particular morning, she was in the south yard, gathered among sixty to seventy students. All of them were at the expert level and were itching for a battle. "Okay everyone," the Tech official spoke up, "we will now begin the draw for battle slots. The drawing is completely random. Once everyone has drawn, the fights will begin. The rules of the battle are the standard ones: the battle ends when one Pokémon has fainted or has been withdrawn from battle. Remember that you will be graded on form and technique, not the result of the battle." The group of students moved towards one of two boxes positioned on either side of the yard. One box had all odd numbers in it, while the other had all even numbers. Giselle had gone to the right, and pulled out a slip of paper on it with the number '4' on it. "I guess I'll be one of the first to battle," she commented as she walked away. "I'd better figure out what Pokémon to use." Once all of the students had drawn their numbers, the official began to speak up again. "In order to have the fights done as quickly as possible, I will call numbers for fights only once. Please do not leave the area until your battle is complete. Anyone that doesn't show up when their number is called is immediately disqualified and will receive a failing grade. We will also have two fights going on simultaneously, so please make sure to keep track. "With that being said, numbers 1 and 2 please come to the battlefield on my right. Numbers 3 and 4, please come to the one on my left." ====== The moment Giselle walked over to take her spot, most of the crowd followed to watch her match. Giselle's opponent was a 22-year old red haired guy named Kansai... who was already shaking in his shoes. "No way!" he shouted. "I have to f-f-fight you?" "True trainers are never afraid of their opponents, no matter how strong you know they are," Giselle said, lecturing a trainer as she usually did before a match. Whispering is heard among the crowd, as the general sentiment was that Giselle would win easily. But the murmuring stopped when the official appeared, holding a coin. "Kansai Kiro versus Giselle Gravelpot," he announced, watching as a second official noted the names of the two trainers on a clipboard. "Kiro, please call it in the air." Nervously, Kansai nodded. All the while, Giselle looked calm and confident as the first official flipped the coin. "T-t-t-tails." The coin hit the ground, with the heads side up. "It is heads," the official announced, turning towards Giselle. "Miss Gravelpot, the decision is yours. Do you wish to go first or second?" Giselle quickly pointed at Kansai. "Him first. Besides, I need to give him a sporting chance." The official nodded. "Trainers, please choose your Pokémon! And good luck!" Both Kansai and Giselle selected one Pokéball from their belts. They then threw them onto the battlefield in unison. "Tentacruel!" cried the Pokémon that came out of Kansai's Pokéball. "Graveler!" shouted the one that came from Giselle's. "So, I've got a type disadvantage," Giselle thought. "No matter. I know Kansai's Tentacruel isn't the strongest among his Pokémon. I hate to embarrass him. After all, he won't get a good grade for failing so easily. That's all on him, though." "Let the battle begin!" the official yelled. "Tentacruel, hydro pump!" Kansai shouted, going for broke on the first turn. Tentacruel obeyed, shooting a giant ray of water at Graveler. Without even waiting for a command from Giselle, the rock Pokémon knew exactly what to do. Once the tunnel of water reached Graveler, he crossed his arms in front of him, defending himself against it. It seemed to be working, as upon hitting Graveler's arms the giant ray split in two, flowing on either side. And quickly causing everyone watching behind Giselle to jump out of the way to avoid being hurt... or getting soaked. There was no need for Giselle to move, since she was using Graveler as a shield. Finally, the hydro pump stopped. It was no surprise that Graveler was still standing, having only taken a minimal amount of damage. "It didn't work?" Kansai asked, in shock. "Even the most powerful water attack couldn't beat it!" Giselle still had that confident smile on her face, even though a few drops of water had sneaked through and pelted part of her hair. "Okay, I'm going to ignore that you got me wet and just get this over with. Graveler! Use seismic toss!" Kansai was shaking once again, already fearing the worst as Graveler ran towards Tentacruel. He could only watch as Graveler grabbed Tentacruel, jumped about nine inches off the ground while twirling Tentacruel over his head, and then slammed Tentacruel into the pavement, making the ground shake upon impact. "No!" Graveler stepped back as Tentacruel was now unconscious and unable to continue. "I guess that's it," the official said, raising a red flag. "The winner of this battle is Number 4, Giselle Gravelpot." Most of the crowd began to applaud Giselle... at least, those who weren't stunned by the quickness of the battle. Giselle recalled Graveler and then walked off, heading somewhere to go relax. She left Kansai alone on the field, who was tending to his Tentacruel. "I wish this whole thing wasn't so random," Giselle said to herself. "They should really pair someone of my ability with one of the better trainers. It doesn't do me any good because the experience points of my Pokémon are great. And it doesn't do him any good because he'll think he's overmatched. Maybe I should include something like that in my valedictorian speech." As Giselle departed, a young girl with yellow hair was chatting on a cell phone. "Yes sir, it's just as expected. She decimated her opponent. She's got a lot of potential as a Rocket." "Good work, 009," the voice on the other end said. "I'll send two of the new recruits to help you out." "I won't need 'em," the girl smirked. "I'm sure I can handle little Miss Perfect." Preview of Chapter 9: "Rocket Recruiter" - Team Rocket wants to recruit Giselle... will she stand by and let it happen? - What will Joe make to give to Giselle for a graduation present? - And you won't believe who returns for the pulse-pounding finale! Chapter 9 will be double-length, as it probably should be because there's still a bit to cover. Plus, the Epilogue/Author's Commentary chapter will be posted next week as well. The Epilogue will of course feature the ending, and then it's my personal notes from this fanfic... including some talk about what plot points were changed or skipped over. So, see you on Thursday for the series finale of Pokémon Girls fanfic number two!