All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Gamefreak, Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, and Satoshi Tajiri.
[Hammerlocke: Galar Region]
After traveling for the last several days with the gym leader of Ballonlea, Opal. Lincoln and Company Now find themselves back in Hammerlocke as the young gym Challenger heads to his challenge in the form of Gordie, the Chirchester gym leader!
"Phew... we finally made it."said Lincoln as he was exhausted trying to keep up with Opal, as despite being an old lady she moves quite fast for her age as it's like keeping up with Lynn during a marathon.
"Oh, quit your bellyaching young man is you're the one that's supposed to be full of energy."said Opal, even though there was a hardly a drop of sweat on her when Lincoln was pouring sweat.
"Well excuse me for trying to keep up with you."said Lincoln, as this woman practically rivaled Hop in terms of speed and endurance.
"Well, we should be arriving at my destination soon so we should soon part ways."said Opal, as Lincoln decided to run off ahead to get to the Pokemon center to get some proper rest, and possibly to have a check up on his pokémon as they did spend several days training with the gym leader as a thank you for a company her.
"Man, I can't believe I'm this close to the gym challenge! Just three more gym badges and I will qualify for the gym challenge! Get ready Leon, cuz Lincoln Loud is coming for your title!"said Lincoln with confidence until he ran into a familiar face.
The facing question belonging to his rival Bede.
"Well, isn't it surprising to see you here."said Bede with his usual sarcasm.
"Why are you here, Bede?"questions Lincoln, as he thought that Bede would be locked up somewhere for his crimes or at least being sent to his room or something.
"If you must know, the reason I'm here is to request the chairman to reinstate my entry into the gym challenge."said Bede, as Lincoln remembered that Bede was no longer part of the gym challenge as his sponsorship had been rescinded.
"Dude, I don't think that's a good idea as you messed up pretty badly."said Lincoln, as it's because of Bede got the mural in Stow-on-Side no longer exists.
"Don't you think I know that. Oleana really let me have it for my reckless behavior in upsetting the chairman. She may not look it but she is one of the fierces Pokemon battlers you will ever meet as the usual facade she puts up is just a mask...the real Oleana is much more terrifying."said Bede, as Lincoln could swear he cares fear in that voice.
"The real...Oleana."said Lincoln, wondering what kind of battle are the assistant to the chairman was.
"You must be happy that my sponsorship got rescinded. Now there's one less rival for you to worry about."said Bede with clear sarcasm in his voice.
"I'm not happy about it at all! I wanted to beat you fair and square in the gym challenge, not like this!"said Lincoln, who wanted to face Bede in the field of battle.
"Huh, it's funny how straightforward you are."said Bede, as Opal began approaching them without either noticing.
"Well that's certainly a pretty coat. Oh... I like his stylized he's both beautiful but with a bit of poison here and there all over his body, I like it! What a wonderful shade of pink."said Opal, as both trainers heard her say that and turn the face the veteran gym leader.
"Time for an audition boy!"shouted Opal as she ran over and checked out Bede.
"Pink! Pink! Pink! Congratulations boy, you passed!"said Opal as she was checking out Bede.
"Ms Opal, what on Earth has gotten into you?"questions of the young man is he tried to get away from the old lady.
"Challenger Bede, I heard about how you were disqualified from the gym challenge. It's not exactly Fair considering you went to all that effort collecting wishing stars for the Chairman. And in the end Oleana threw you away like you were nothing."said Opal, as Bede's face started to turn into a sad one.
"Yeah..."said Bede, admitting that he hated the fact that the chairman turned his back on him despite going to all that effort collecting wishing stars for him.
"Well how about I give you the strength to show everyone, including the chairman just how strong you are. Come back with me to Ballonlea, and I will show you the true power of Pink."said Opal, as Lincoln felt true passion coming off this lady.
"What does she see in him?"questions Lincoln under his breath so that neither could hear him.
As Bede was a complicated soul and he could certainly see the appeal in that, but then again the young man specialized in psychic type Pokemon... not fairy type Pokemon.
"Well you're a veteran of your craft so I know for a fact you're strong. Plus you probably know a lot about the dynamax phenomenon so I'm going to squeeze every bit of information out of you."said Bede to the gym leader before facing Lincoln.
"It seems my revenge battle against you will have to wait for another day Lincoln. It it's clear to me now that you're not weak and you do not lack talent. So consider yourself lucky that I acknowledge you as a true rival."said Bede, before he and Opal began walking away.
"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."said Lincoln, but knowing Bede, it was probably a little of both.
"Now... time to make my way to Chirchester to face Gordie for my sixth gym badge!"said Lincoln, as he remembered the Pokemon he had on hand.
"Gordie specializes in rock type Pokemon. So Raboot is out on the grounds that fire is weak against rock. Corviknight, Urshifu, Wartortle, and Dreepy would make the perfect team as they each have their own set of skills that can counter any rock type attack... so I think I'll go with them for the next gym battle."settling into himself as he began making his way to the direction that would lead to Chirchester.
"Lincoln!"shouted someone to get his detention.
Lincoln turn to see who was calling out to him and he saw that it was none other than his friend Hop.
"Hop? What are you doing here?"questions Lincoln as he approached his friend.
"I was looking for you for a battle as I now think I've come up with a perfect team to show everyone that Lee is not weak!"said Hop, causing Lincoln to let out a sigh.
"Hop, your Pokemon should be battling for your sake, not Leon's. Everyone knows how strong you are so don't let what Bede said get to you."said Lincoln, who has been waiting since forever to tell his friend what he needed to hear.
"I know... but as long as everyone thinks that I'm weak, they're going to associate Lee with me and I can't have that. So let's have a battle with my new team and I will show you just how strong they are!"said Hop, as Lincoln let out another sigh.
'The only way I'm going to get through to this guy is to battle him.' though Lincoln as he looked at Hop with a determined look on his face."Your on!"
"Great! Let's meet up on the outskirts of route seven for our battle!"said Hop, before he ran off in the direction in question.
"The only way I'm going to get through the Hop is to beat him in this battle and show him that he is strong, and that he should be fighting for his own sake and not Leon's."said Lincoln, who knew that people who are as stubborn like this could only be knocked off their high horse through battle.
So Lincoln decided to follow Hop to route seven, and show the younger brother of the champion just how strong he really is with his own power, and for his own sake!
-=O=-
A short while later both trainers were on the bridge that was a part of Route seven, and was just outside Hammerlocke! Both look like they were ready for battle as each trainer looks like they were ready for the other to make the first move.
"Trevenant, come on out!"shouted Hop as he called out a Pokemon that look like it was a walking tree.
Lincoln quickly pulled out his pokédex to identify the Pokemon in front of him.
Pokedex: Trevenant, the elder tree Pokemon. People fear it due to a belief that it devours any who try to cut down trees in its forest. But the pokémon that it shares its woods with, its kind.
"So you're a ghost/grass type."said Lincoln, who knew exactly which Pokemon to choose.
"Dreepy, I choose you!"said Lincoln as he called out the lingering Pokemon.
"So it's Ghost type against Ghost type!"said Hop, as she could feel Lincoln's burning spirit.
"Yeah, let's do this!"shouted Lincoln as Hop decided to go first.
"Trevenant, use shadow claw!"ordered Hop, causing the elder tree pokémon to run towards the lingering pokémon with its hand covered with a shadowy claw!
"Dreepy, use infestation!"ordered Lincoln, causing the lingering pokémon's eyes to Glow before bug like apparitions appeared around the elder tree Pokemon and began to attack it, causing super effective damage as it was a bug type move!
"Use horn leech!"ordered Hop, causing the elder tree Pokemon to form glowing green like appendages on its head before it charged towards the lingering Pokemon head first.
"Doege and use astonish!"ordered Lincoln, causing Dreepy to quickly fly out of the way before striking Trevenant with astonish, causing super effective damage.
"Now finish this battle with bite!"ordered Lincoln, causing the lingering Pokemon to bite the elder tree Pokemon with the super effective dark type move, causing a lot of damage.
"Trevenant!"shouted Hop as Trevenant collapsed, revealing himself to have been knocked out.
"That's one for me!"said Lincoln, as Hop recalled the elder tree Pokemon back to his pokeball.
"Thanks."said Hop to Trevenant, before putting the pokeball away and pulling out another.
"Heatmor, come on out!"said Hop, before he called out a Pokemon that reminded Lincoln of an anteater.
So Lincoln pulled out his Pokedex to identify the pokémon in front of him.
Pokedex: Heatmor, the anteater Pokemon. Theres a hole in its tail that allows it to draw in the air it needs to keep its fire burning. If the hole gets blocked, this Pokemon will fall ill.
"So this time you're going with a pure fire type, huh? Dreepy, use quick attack!"ordered Lincoln, causing the lingering Pokemon to begin flying towards Heatmor with quick attack!
"Use lick!"ordered Hop, causing the anteater Pokemon to use lick on Dreepy, causing super effective damage to the lingering Pokemon.
"Dreepy!"shouted Lincoln.
"Finish with bug bite!"ordered Hop, causing the anteater Pokemon to bite Dreepy with bug bite, knocking the lingering pokémon onto the ground as it was revealed to everyone that he had been knocked out.
"That's one down Lincoln. What do you think of the team I chosen to represent Lee?"said Hop, as Lincoln just calmly recalled Dreepy.
"You did an amazing job out there and more than deserve a good rest."said Lincoln, before turning his attention back to Hop.
"Let's see how you handle this! Wartortle, I choose you!"said Lincoln as he called out the turtle Pokemon for battle.
"So it's water against fire! Let's see how you handle this! Use slash, Heatmor!"ordered Hop, causing the at either Pokemon to run towards the turtle Pokemon with his sharp claws.
"Use water gun!"ordered Lincoln, causing Wartortle to fire a blast of water from his mouth.
This attack struck the anteater pokémon and cost super effective damage while at the same time stopping slash attack in it's tracks!
"Use bubble beam!"order Lincoln, causing Wartortle to release a barrage of bubbles from his mouth Heatmor, striking the anteater Pokemon and causing super effective damage.
"Heatmor!"shouted Hop as the ant eater Pokemon collapsed, revealing himself to have been knocked out.
"That's what happens when you train pokémon without your or they're interest-first! They end up becoming second rate!"shouted Lincoln, who knew that he sounded harsh but he knew that atthe same time Hop needed to hear this.
"It's not over yet!"said Hop as he recalled Heatmor, and pulled out another pokeball.
"Snorlax, come on out!"shouted Hop as he called out a large bear like Pokemon for battle.
"Who's that Pokemon?"questions Lincoln as he pulled out his Pokedex to identify the Pokemon in front of him.
Pokedex: Snorlax, the sleeping Pokemon. It is not satisfied until it eats over 880 pounds of food every day. When it is done eating, it goes promptly to sleep.
"Wartortle, return."said Lincoln as he recalled the turtle Pokemon.
"Urshifu, I choose you!"said Lincoln as he called out the Kung Fu pokémon for battle.
"Urshi!"said Urshifu, as he stared down Snorlax.
"So this time it's a fighting type Pokemon against a normal type Pokemon. Let's see how you handle this! Snorlax, use body slam!"ordered Hop, causing the sleeping Pokemon to begin charging towards Urshifu with the intention of using body slam attack.
"Use brick break!"ordered Lincoln, causing the Kung Fu Pokemon the strike the sleeping Pokemon in the belly with a super effective fighting type attack, causing a lot of damage.
"Use poison jab!"ordered Lincoln, as the Kung Fu Pokemon followed up with poison jab attack, causing the sleeping Pokemon a lot of damage.
"Snorlax!"shouted Hop.
"Now finish with iron head!"ordered Lincoln, causing the Kung Fu pokémon to make its head to take on a metal shape before he struck them sleeping Pokemon head first, knocking Snorlax to the ground.
It was there that Snorlax was revealed to have been knocked out!
"Snorlax!"shouted Hop, as he couldn't believe Snorlax was taken down so easily.
"Snorlax is not weak! I know that if we allowed that bodyslam attack to attack we would have been in real trouble! Hop, open your eyes! Leon does not need you defending his honor! If he was here right now he would want you to fight for your own sake, as well as your Pokemon's."said Lincoln as he recalled the Kung Fu Pokemon.
"But how do I do that?!"questions Hop, as he recalled the sleeping Pokemon.
"Boltund, come on out!"said Hop, calling out a Pokemon that reminded Lincoln of a Pokemon he had met earlier.
So Lincoln pulled out his Pokedex just to be sure.
Pokedex: Boltund, the dog Pokemon, and the evolved form of Yamper. This Pokemon generates electricity and channels it into its legs to keep them going strong. Boltund can run non-stop for three whole days.
"So that must be the Pokemon he caught back on route two."said Lincoln, who knew exactly which Pokemon to face Hop's Boltund.
"Raboot, I choose you!"said Lincoln as he called out the rabbit Pokemon for battle.
"So you're going with your starter Pokemon huh! Boltund, use spark!"ordered Hop, causing the dog pokémon to generate electricity before firing it at the rabbit Pokemon.
"Dodge and use double kick!"ordered Lincoln, causing the rabbit Pokemon to quickly run out of the way and avoid getting struck with spark.
"So fast!"said Hop with shock.
And before he could give another command, Raboot had already closed the distance with the dog Pokemon and struck the electric type with double kick, causing a great deal of damage.
"Use crunch!"ordered Hop, causing the dog Pokemon to try to bite Raboot!
"Use flame charge to get away!"ordered Lincoln, causing the rabbit Pokemon to surround himself with fire before getting away from Boltund, increasing his speed at the same time.
"Quick attack!"ordered Lincoln, causing the rabbit Pokemon to charge towards Boltund with his increased speed, causing plenty of damage as soon as the attack connected.
"Use nuzzle!"ordered Hop, trying to use the dog Pokemon's nuzzle attack.
"Jump on its snout to get away!"ordered Lincoln, causing Raboot to use his incredible jumping power to jump on top of the dog pokémon snout to avoid getting struck with nuzzle.
"Now finish this off with ember!"ordered Lincoln, causing the rabbit Pokemon to fire a blast of flame at the dog pokémon and successfully connecting the attack, causing damage and knocking out the dog Pokemon at the same time!
"Boltund! No!"said Hop, has he couldn't believe the pokémon he trained to fight for his brother's sake lost so easily.
"Those Pokemon aren't weak."said Lincoln, causing Hop to look at him.
"What?"questions Hop.
"Those Pokemon you just used are not weak at all. But your conviction is! Hop, I get where you're coming from as if anyone insulted my family I probably would do everything to prove them wrong! But who cares what Bede thinks! Your not weak! Your Pokemon are not weak! But as long as you let that jerks words cloud your judgment you're always going to be stuck at this level! Wooloo, Thwackey, and the rest of your regular team are probably wondering when the old Hop he's going to come back to them! So stop living in the past and start living in the future! Show the entire world how strong Hop is, not how strong Leon is! We already know how strong he is!"shouted Lincoln with all of his conviction and might.
This appear to have had a profound effect on Hop, as he quickly recalled the dog Pokemon back to its pokeball.
"Thank you Lincoln... I think I really needed to hear that..."said Hop as he was wiping away some tears.
"Your right... I shouldn't be fighting for Lee sake as Lee would probably tell me how ridiculous I'm being right now. He would get mad at me and tell me to fight for my own sake and for the sake of My Pokemon who fight for me... why did I listen to that jerk in the first place. I guess losing to him really badly really shook me to the core...But now I realized that I have to fight for my own sake if I hope to one day beat you. So I guess you're right. Hop should fight for his own sake, not for the sake of his older brother as everyone knows already how strong Lee is!"said Hop with a smile on his face.
"Good! Now I'm going to head back to the Pokemon Center to have my Pokemon checked out. You should head off somewhere in train more with this new conviction of yours. And the next time we meet we'll have a battle!"said Lincoln with a smile as he extended his fist.
Hop smiled back as he fist bumped Lincoln, the two friends we igniting their passion for rivalry with one another as they departed ways to parts unknown. Lincoln heading back to the Pokemon Center in Hammerlocke to have his Pokemon checked out, while Hop goes to places unknown to train himself with his new conviction.
The two friends/rivals planning to meet again and battling each other to see who has gotten stronger up to that point!
Lincoln's Team
Raboot
Wartortle
Corviknight
Toxtricity
Urshifu
Dreepy
With Professor Magnolia
Drednaw
Farfetch'd
Sizzlepede
Butterfree