*Note: normally I don't say nothing but today I want to say you that my Patreon isn't going well. I need subs to continue it, so please suscribe. Try one month at least... Link at the end of the chapter.
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Breakfast went relatively normally, although it should be said that Giselle didn't eat much that day. But that was understandable — today she was fighting for third place. Ash and the others tried to calm her down, but as always, it's much easier said than done. They didn't manage to calm her much, but that didn't mean there wasn't someone who could achieve such a feat.
Seeing her like that, Professor Oak decided to intervene. While it might not have been entirely appropriate to calm down his grandson's rival, if Giselle fought in those conditions it would only lead to a guaranteed defeat — especially against Gary.
"Giselle. May I call you that?" Professor Oak asked as he approached her.
Seeing that Professor Oak was about to intervene, Ash and the others stepped back to let him work his magic.
"Of course you can," Giselle nodded.
Professor Oak was a world-renowned Pokémon Professor, respected even by the most influential and wealthy families on the planet. How could she refuse? Besides, he was practically a father to Ash and they had a very close relationship. Ash's family was also her family. How could she let Professor Oak speak so formally to her?
"Good. Giselle, I've noticed you've been quite nervous since yesterday," Professor Oak said.
"I won't lie to you, Professor. I didn't think I would get this far in the Pokémon League, but surprisingly I made it here, defeating many talented trainers. To be honest, after seeing myself overcome all those trainers, I thought I would make it to the final and face Ash, but I lost to Leaf yesterday…" Giselle said.
"I understand. And I truly understand the root of the problem. Giselle, you worry too much. Leaf is an airhead, innocent and honest, but she's a prodigy in battle, just like Ash. Comparing yourself to those two… let's just say it could depress anyone," Professor Oak said.
Giselle nodded. Despite giving it her all, she had lost miserably to Leaf, only managing to defeat two of her Pokémon.
"But you shouldn't think that way about yourself. Giselle, you are truly remarkable — a rare talent, a very rare one. Just reaching this point already demonstrates your qualities as a trainer," Professor Oak said.
"But… I'm not as talented as they are. My style is based on analyzing the opponent and devising strategies against them as the battle progresses. I always defend first and then, once I've analyzed everything, I go on the offensive. I don't think that strategy makes me a good trainer," Giselle said.
"I see… Giselle, you're actually completely wrong," Professor Oak said.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Giselle asked, confused.
"Do you think all trainers have to be like Ash and Leaf? Being a talented trainer isn't about having the strongest and rarest Pokémon, nor is it about constantly being on the offensive and finding openings in the opponent's Pokémon. No, there are many ways to be a Pokémon Trainer, and yours is one of them," Professor Oak said.
"Are you serious?" Giselle asked.
"Of course. Besides, I've watched all your battles and noticed your style quite some time ago. Do you think your style isn't good? Do you think you only got this far by luck and coincidence? No. You, like Ash, Leaf, or my grandson, have your own style. Staying on the defensive while analyzing your opponent, or even devising strategies knowing the Pokémon your rival already has… none of that makes you a worse trainer. It just makes you a different kind of trainer. A trainer who relies on logic, analysis, and knowledge. Your strategy is just as respectable as any other, so don't think you're worse than the others. The mere fact that you've made it this far, even if you lose now, is already clear proof that you are an impressive trainer, destined to achieve great things if you persevere and don't give up halfway," Professor Oak said.
Giselle's eyes widened in surprise. Professor Oak was right! She had been wrong this whole time! So what if Ash and Leaf had such a peculiar way of battling? So what if they were battle prodigies? She wasn't any less — she just did things differently! She thought things through much more, refusing to attack until she was sure of victory! That didn't make her worse than the others, just different!
"Thank you!" Giselle said with a smile.
"No need to thank me. It's my pleasure to help. Although I must admit that with your impressive talent, going on adventures would have benefited you much more than just studying theory and doing a few practice battles. Are you sure you don't want to travel and would rather study? Personally, I think your talent would develop much faster if you traveled through the regions with your Pokémon instead of studying at a desk," Professor Oak said.
Giselle thought about it for a moment but then shook her head.
"As you said, my style is different. I prefer to study, expand my knowledge, and develop new strategies through practical battles, but venturing out simply isn't for me," Giselle said.
"I understand perfectly. Still, your talent is astonishing and while it may take you a little longer to develop, you will undoubtedly become someone important in the future if you don't give up halfway. So I encourage you to continue like this. Keep following your own path," Professor Oak said.
"Yes! Thank you so much for your help, Professor!" Giselle said with a radiant smile.
Then she said goodbye and went back with Ash and the others. She was now calmer, more confident, and thanks to Professor Oak's words, it seemed she had experienced a small epiphany. We'll see how that affects her future.
"Do you really think she has talent?" Talia asked.
"A talent without equal. The Pokémon Tech has truly found gold this time. And honestly, I'm glad. Thanks to her, the Kanto Government will continue providing funds to the Pokémon Tech after seeing young Giselle's performance in this Pokémon League," Professor Oak nodded.
"You mean they were going to withdraw funding from the Pokémon Tech?" Talia asked, somewhat surprised.
"At least in Kanto, yes. Thanks to my contacts, I know that the Kanto Government was planning to withdraw funding from the Pokémon Tech due to its continued failure to produce talented trainers," Professor Oak said.
"I'm sorry to say this, but I understand. The Pokémon Tech has never had talented trainers until now. Even that boy who came with her has already proven to be one of the best trainers from the Pokémon Tech in both Kanto and Johto, and although I don't know about other regions, they probably have similar situations," Talia said.
"You're right, but thanks to those two — especially young Giselle — the Kanto Government will resume providing funds to the Pokémon Tech, at least for a long time," Professor Oak nodded.
"I'm glad. Giselle has worked very hard to get this far," Talia said.
"Yes, even I am pleasantly surprised that she made it this far just by studying on paper and doing very occasional practice battles," Professor Oak nodded.
"You're right… Don't you think this generation of trainers is especially talented?" Talia asked.
"You're absolutely right. I don't know how things are in other regions, but this is undoubtedly Kanto's golden age when it comes to talented trainers," Professor Oak nodded.
After this conversation, everyone arrived at the main stadium. After saying goodbye to Giselle and Gary, who was waiting at the entrance, they all headed straight to the stands, excited for the battle that was about to take place.
…
The matchup was… incredible. Gary and Giselle put on an amazing battle, neither willing to yield. The difference between them wasn't even clear since both had their strengths. Gary was simply a talent capable of adapting to his opponent's strategies during the battle and counterattacking, while Giselle was the complete opposite. Adapting to her rival's strategies wasn't her thing — her thing was carefully analyzing her opponent before going on the offensive, staying on the defensive until she had fully analyzed her rival. The battle continued like this. Many times Giselle had the advantage, while at other times Gary was in the lead, but in the end, there was only one winner.
The winner, surprisingly, was Giselle. Yes, Giselle had beaten Gary after a fierce battle where both were left with only one Pokémon. Gary's Mega Blastoise fell at the end, leaving Giselle's Mega Excadrill standing. The truth is both fell weakened, but Blastoise was the first to fall, while Excadrill fell only 10 seconds later, so Giselle was the winner of this matchup.
The audience was excited. After yesterday's battle, they had very high expectations for the upcoming matches, but they were surprised when they saw such an exciting battle. A matchup that was even until the very end. While it wasn't as exciting as Ash's, this one was definitely not much inferior.
After third and fourth place were decided — Giselle in third and Gary in fourth — everyone decided to go celebrate. Giselle was beside herself with excitement. When she woke up that morning, she didn't think she had a chance of winning, especially after seeing Ash vs Gary the day before and her loss to Leaf… but Professor Oak's words had caused a decisive change in her that marked her. Professor Oak had given her the confidence needed to move forward, to improve, and to continue as a trainer. Of course, that didn't mean Ash and the others hadn't encouraged her, but receiving advice from the world's most famous Pokémon Professor was undoubtedly much more comforting.
With that said, the day went on normally. It was all celebration and joy. In fact, even Gary joined the party, not seeming depressed or sad about the defeat at first glance. After the comfort he received from his grandfather, he realized that finishing fourth in his first Pokémon League was undoubtedly a feat few could boast about. Normally, as a rookie, the most you could expect was to reach the Top 16. That in itself was an achievement, but the surprising thing was that almost all the Top 8 spots were occupied by rookie trainers. Even the final was between trainers who had started their journey just a few months ago.
The party lasted until night, but since Ash vs Leaf's final would be held early tomorrow, everyone decided to go to sleep relatively early. Tomorrow was going to be a very special day and it would even decide who would win this year's Kanto-Johto Pokémon League. Most of the group wanted Ash to win, while only a minority prayed for Leaf's victory — speaking of the group made up of Ash and his family. Among the general public, Leaf had many people who wanted her to be the winner.
But despite all that, Leaf was already Ash's fiancée and even if she lost tomorrow, she wouldn't be sad — she would be happy for her fiancé. That didn't mean she was going to make it easy for him or hand him the victory. No, she was going to give it her all. Her goal was to win.
After saying goodbye and heading to their respective rooms, Ash showered with Molly and Pikachu and then the three went straight to sleep, closing their eyes and falling asleep almost instantly…