Chapter 36: Pokemon Tech

Just a quick note, I am going to change some small things, nothing big enough for anyone to need to re-read from the beginning

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Ash helped up the Kid as Yellow Misty and Brock arrived hearing the noise.

"So those are the infamous Tech students," Brock said as Yellow looked confused.

"Tech students?" Yellow asked

"Pokémon Tech. I think it's short for Pokémon Technical, a school for Pokémon trainers." Misty said as she started digging in her Pockets, "I know I had a flier here somewhere. Yeah, here it is." Misty pulled out a flier and handed it to Yellow.

"Remember, some students decided to come here after they graduated" Ash reminded Yellow of an unnamed group that came to the Tech school.

Brock also started looking at the flier, "Hm, let's see what it says here about the place. Pokémon Technical Institute. A boarding school for serious Pokémon trainer preparation. All students are guaranteed to enter the Pokémon League upon graduation. Pokémon Technical is the educational facility for exceptional students who want to become Pokémon trainers in a very short time without having to travel on difficult badge-collecting journeys."

Meanwhile, Pikachu was running on the treadmill and trying not to fall off and Dody joined him.

"So a snarky rich school, 100 poke dollars half of them don't even know how to catch a Pokemon," Ash said, causing Misty to nod along.

"Yep, the ones that think they are better than everyone," Misty said.

Joe looked like he was going to say something but then couldn't.

"So where is this school, anyway?" Yellow asked, to which Joe pointed behind him as the fog started clearing and the speakers came on.

"Today's special class, fog battle techniques, is now over," said a woman on the speakers, "Tomorrow's lesson will be snow competition secrets."

"Oh, well. I guess tomorrow they'll make me into a snowman again." Joe said.

"Do they treat you like that all the time?" Yellow asked with a bit of concern.

"My friends are just trying to help me-"

"Really, what they did to you was not what friends do. Tell me why where you running on a treadmill," Ash asked him.

"Well, they said that it is to strengthen my concentration,"

"OK then so why aren't they doing it, have you seen anyone else on a treadmill." Ash said and Joe didn't have an answer, "And besides, friends don't make fun of you and laugh at your pain."

"With friends like that, who needs enemies?" Brock nodded along with Ash.

"But they helped me learn a lot in this school," Joe said, trying to find a way to defend his classmates.

"And yet you let them walk over you," Ash stopped him before he continued trying to defend their actions, "You're pretty smart but you're also very dumb, why do you endure it instead of just going on your own journey then."

"I have to stay here at Pokémon Tech." Joe said looking Ash directly in the eyes, "My mother and father worked hard and saved money, so they could pay to send me to school here. And if I drop out, then I will disappoint them."

"Besides I am only a beginner I could only get 2 badges before I hit a roadblock,"

"What do you mean by that?" Yellow asked.

"Beginners have the same qualifications as someone with two badges, intermediate is four, and advanced is six. If you graduate, you can enter the Pokémon League without traveling around to collect the badges." Joe explained before Pointing to a tree.

"You see that guy over there? He's an upperclassman. The classes are so hard here, some students are held back for many years. Everybody is too ashamed to go home without getting a diploma. That guy, he's in the beginners' class with me. But the students don't help him like me"

"This entire system is flawed," Ash said looking at the older man with a stack of books by his side.

"Do teachers even know what is going on?" Misty asked.

"If they do, they don't care, they don't intervene unless there is a violation of the school rules or someone is seriously hurt, everything else is handled by the student body," Joe explained.

"What kind of system is this?" Misty asked, "What is the name of the student in charge of this system"

Joe went into the pocket of his blazer and pulled a picture, "Her name is Giselle and she runs everything here despite also being a beginner,"

In the picture there was a older girl with maroon hair, she was relatively Pretty but Brock was swooning over her.

"She can violate my rights any time," Brock said with a goofy smile.

Misty looked annoyed at Brock but also confused so she asked, "If she's making your life so miserable, how come you're carrying her picture around?"

"I hate the way she treats us but I like the way she looks," he answered while also blushing.

Seeing this Misty finally loses her temper and storms off, "Miss top student. What's so great about her?" she muttered as she stomped to the school, "I'm going to find this little witch and straighten her out."

Brock got a little scared seeing how Misty stomped off, "Should we do something about her."

Ash looked at him and gave him one of those stares only guys understand, "I have an answer but you're not going to like it." Which made Brock drop the subject.

They all followed the trail that Misty left and as they were walking Joe asked a question, "So you said some kids in your class came here after graduating, why didn't you do it too?"

"Where is the fun in that? I wanted to travel so I can explore the world my way." Ash answered which made Joe think a bit.

They eventually caught up to Misty and got to an arcade room with the original red and blue.

"Giselle always practices here by herself." Joe explained, "Even if you beat her in a fight, it won't matter to her. At the Tech, it's your skill as a Pokémon trainer... that counts more than winning in any one battle."

Then Joe started explaining more than he should have letting his snob side show, "Giselle is the top beginner here at tech. That's better than even having three badges. Even though I'm at the bottom of my class, I'm still more powerful than someone with two badges."

That got to Misty, " Hold on a second here. I learned how to be a Pokémon trainer at the Cerulean City Gym. Are you saying you can beat me?"

"Oh, Cerulean City. Water Pokémon." Joe said moving to a computer.

That caught Misty a little off guard, "How'd you know?"

"I always beat them on the simulator. See?" Joe showed himself beating the second Gym.

Misty looked like she was going to explode so both Brock and Ash looked at each other nodding before grabbing Yellow and stepping back.

"A simulation's one thing but this is real life! Let's battle." Misty yelled at Joe.

"You'll be sorry," Joe said with a new cocky attitude.

What happened next was Misty sending out Starmie and Joe sending Weepinbell, who got one shot by a water gun.

"W-what, but I had the type advantage, how could I lose?" Joe was shocked and then a familiar voice cut in.

"You're an embarrassment to the whole school, losing while having that big of an advantage" the Red haired boy from earlier appeared with the 4 other students.

"No I just lost while I was distracted, a water Pokemon could never beat a grass Pokemon." Joe tried to reason.

"You know type advantage isn't everything, you can't expect your opponent to be predictable."

The students remembered what Ash did to them and were not happy, so the Green haired kid decided to cut in, "Really, well how about you back up your words with actual skill instead of making up calculations you don't know the answer to."

"First off I could do that kind of calculation when I was 5," Ash said with half the truth, "And second I'll do you one better,"

As soon as the boys heard this they were getting ready to make fun of Ash for running away, but what he said next surprised them, "All of you against just me, I'll even tell you I will use Pikachu and no other Pokemon"

Pikachu who was on his shoulder sparkled his cheeks in excitement, "Pika-pi."

"Fine, we will show you what happens to those who go against the world-renowned Pokemon Tech school."

30 seconds latter

"How did we lose, half of us had ground types. My Pokemon was built to counter Lt Surge's Raichu, this never happened in the simulations." the Green haired kid cries.

"Your simulation is an old game that is held together with spit and dreams, it has more bugs than Viridian Forest, and the trainers are as predictable as a bad teen sitcom." Ash started, mainly saying his grudges of the glitchfest that was red and blue.

But then another voice came into the room, "Ho, ho, ho, it seems that Joe isn't the only useless trainer in this school" Giselle entered the room, "How is it that all of you lost to one trainer and his electric mouse? You are all an embarrassment to our school."

All the students did not dare to look at Giselle as she walked past them.

"She is like a movie star," Brock started swooning over Giselle, and so Misty pulled on his ear to make him focus.

"I'm the top student in the beginning class of the most exclusive prep school in the world, Pokémon Tech." Giselle said as she threw her hair back, "It's sad that others aren't blessed with my beauty, my talent, my humble attitude. People call me a star but I'm just Giselle."

"You're not exactly humble if you announce yourself as being humble," Ash said as Giselle ignored him.

She walked up to her fellow students, "I want to continue to help my classmates be the very best they can be. To teach each other, respect each other, and ensure the Pokémon of tomorrow. But you're all weaklings, no wonder you study with Joe."

Everyone was shocked seeing how Giselle treated her classmates.

"You'd all better get stronger fast or before you know it, your fellow students will turn their backs on you all for good," Giselle said as she was about to leave.

"Not so fast. A true friend wouldn't walk away from someone who needs their help." Misty stopped her, "You may look beautiful but you remind me of an old saying about how beauty's only skin deep."

"Heh, jealousy isn't very pretty either, is it?" Giselle said making Misty mad

"Guys, should we do something? '' Yellow asked, seeing Misty get angry.

"" NO."" both Brock and Ash said at the same time, which confused Yellow.

"There are two kinds of people you never mess with, angry girls and old men" Ash explained to Yellow which just confused Yellow even more.

Meanwhile, as they were talking, Giselle defeated Misty with a Graveler.

Giselle then saw Ash and decided to call him out, "Hey you, who are you." not as a question but as a demand.

"Ash," he answered not bothering to add more.

"Well then Ash, I admit it was impressive that you can defeat 5 of our students with the type disadvantage," Giselle said, "How far along are you,"

"2 badges in a little more than a month," Ash responded.

"Oh my, you seem to be on the normal pace as everyone else, maybe I was wrong about you." Giselle said in a condescending tone, "And you still let your Pikachu walk free, how very disappointing."

"Well then how about you prove it, after all this disappointing trainer just beat 5 of your elite students at once."

"Ho, and what did you have in mind then," Giselle said.

"A battle between you and me, as many Pokemon as you'd like."