Pokémon Loud Version - Sinnoh (New Title)

by SilverNugget

With the Sister Fight Protocol spiraling out of control and his parents not doing anything to stop it, Lincoln wisely decides to get out of the house, like in the canon episode. However, this time...he chooses to call up his grandfather at the retirement home instead of Clyde - a decision that will lead to circumstances that will change the lives of him and of his family forever.

6. Chapter 6 - Departure

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or the Loud House. Those properties belong to Nintendo/Game Freak and (regardless of what happened to him) Chris Savino/Nickelodeon respectively.

Note: Like before, this new version of the story will be based primarily on the anime with aspects of the games, the Adventures manga, and some other stuff mixed in. Also, for the sake of convenience, I will be using the following text formats for these particular parts of the story:

Translated Pokémon Speech

Pokédex Entries/Rotom Phone Speech/Thoughts/Computerized Voices/Flashbacks

-=O=-

Location: Lincoln's Room - The Loud Residence, Royal Woods, Michigan, United States
Time: 7:00 AM

As the early hours of the morning passed by, Lincoln was fully awake and hard at work, getting everything packed up and ready to go for his trip today. He even made sure to wake up early this morning so he would have enough time to make it to his flight with plenty of time to spare.

"Okay...let's see here...clothes, toiletries, a couple of snacks for the flight, some of my comic books, my laptop, charger and headphones, the books and stuff that Professor Rowan sent me, and my savings. No way I'm leaving that last one behind." said Lincoln as he checked through his bag for what seemed like the third time that morning because he didn't want to leave anything important or valuable behind before he went to Sinnoh.

Especially his savings. Leaving his money behind was just asking for his sisters to pilfer it for themselves.

Taking his ticket out of his pocket, he adds "And of course, my ticket. Can't forget something as important as that."

Turning to face his Rotom Phone as it floated around, the white-haired Loud asked "How's everything looking? Does it look like I missed anything?"

'Everything looks A-OK, bzzt!' remarked Rotom as it did one more sweep around the room for anything Lincoln had neglected to pack before giving him a grin. 'We're all good to go!'

"Good to know, because I really don't want to leave anything behind while I'm away." replied Lincoln before letting out a sigh. "Still...today's the day I finally set out for Sinnoh. A whole year away from home. I still find it hard to believe that it's really happening."

'You'll like being in Sinnoh, I'm sure.' said Rotom, floating over. 'And I bet you'll like being a Trainer even more once you finally get your Trainer Card. Just picture it - you and me, exploring everything that Sinnoh has to offer. Just gets your blood rushing, doesn't it, bzzt!?'

With a smile as thoughts of exploring Sinnoh ran through his mind, Lincoln answers "Yeah, it kinda does, now that I think about it." before heading out of his room with the Rotom Phone tucking itself into his bag.

As Lincoln started towards the stairs, he lets out a whistle at seeing the ruined hallway. It was bad enough seeing the living room after his sisters tore it apart, but knowing that several other spots in the house were wrecked too? It made him even more glad that he was leaving out today.

At least he had the good sense to block off his room before heading to Clyde's house since he didn't want his sisters going into his room. Because of that precautionary decision, his room had gone untouched by the fight that had broken out yesterday.

While heading down the stairs, he hears Lori's voice shouting "What?! What do you mean I'm not in charge?! I've always watched over everyone here while you two are away!" in an indignant tone.

"Really, Lori? You want to go and ask that after what happened the last time we went out and left you girls alone in the house?" sniped Rita's voice sarcastically. "Absolutely not. None of you are in charge while we're away."

As Lori stammered out excuses, Lincoln chuckles and thinks 'Way to put Lori on the spot like that, Mom...' before continuing towards the living room, where he spots Lori and the rest of his sisters talking to his parents.

Pointing at herself, Lori asks "Well, if I'm not going to be in charge while you're gone, then who will?"

"I've already called Aunt Shirley to look after you girls while we're away." replied Lynn Sr., causing the girls to groan.

"Aw man, seriously? Aunt Shirley? That blows!" complained Luna, dismayed as the others voice their objections to having their aunt over to watch over them.

"Well, we could just decide to call Aunt Ruth to watch over you instead." replied her father with a raised eyebrow, causing the purple-clad teen and her sisters to immediately clam up. "That's what I thought. Your mother and I will be back in a few hours. We need to take Lincoln somewhere."

Noticing her son coming into the living room, Rita says "And speaking of which...good morning, son." with a warm smile on her face.

Greeting his parents, Lincoln smiles and says "Morning, Mom. Morning, Dad. Today's the big day."

"Big day for what? And where are you three going?" asked the younger of the two Lynns, eyebrow raised. "Especially this early in the morning?"

Nudging her older sister, Lola says "They're taking him to Clyde's house, remember? We already talked about this yesterday..."

"Oh yeah." replied the sporty teen, recalling the conversation from the day before.

Having heard Lola's remark, Lincoln thought 'The girls think I'm heading to Clyde's house? I guess they think that I'm bluffing about actually leaving for a year.'

Noticing the look on Lincoln's face, Lori smirks and says "That's right, twerp - all of us know that you're going to stay with that loser Clyde for a few days before coming back here. We're onto your little game."

"Yeah, we know what you're up to! You're trying to trick us and we're not gonna fall for it!" said Lana, hands on her hips.

With a smirk, Luan adds "And there's no tricking a trickster like me, Linc. Nice try, but you aren't convincing anyone."

"Indeed. You can't fool any of us, fraternal unit. I've already concluded that this so-called 'trip' of yours is nothing more than an elaborate hoax." concluded Lisa, smirking smugly. "By my estimation, you'll be back here within the week."

"Wait, Linky's trying to trick us? That's mean!" complained Leni in a whiny tone.

"Dude, you're just now realizing this?!" exclaimed Luna in disbelief.

The only one who remained quiet was Lucy, who just watched her brother in order to gauge his reaction to what the others had to say.

After hearing what his sisters were saying, Lincoln honestly had to resist the urge to break out in laughter at how WRONG they were, thinking 'Oh, this is rich. They're so caught up on this idea that I'm trying to trick them that they don't realize I had been honest the entire time.'

...Well, mostly honest. He wasn't about to tell them anything about Pokémon anytime soon. Still, the fact that they were THIS wrong about what he was doing almost made him want to take out his ticket, just to show them how wrong they were.

Almost.

Taking his silence as a wordless confirmation, Lisa smirks and says "As I expected. You may be the so-called 'man with the plan', but you can't pull the metaphorical wool over our eyes."

"What she said." added Lori before leaning in and saying "And when you get back and we're no longer grounded? You're going to be in for it." in a low, menacing tone. "You cost me my dress, you little twerp. And when these three months are up and I'm not grounded anymore? I'm going to make your life a living hell. And you can't hide forever at Clyde's house because we know where he lives."

Not even bothering to dignify the threat with a response, Lincoln just raises an eyebrow with a knowing look in his eyes, causing the blonde to narrow her eyes before opening her mouth to say something else, only for the sound of knocking to come from the front door.

"That must be Shirley." said Rita before going over and answering the door. Upon seeing the other aunt of the Loud children waiting at the door with a smile on her face, she adds "Thanks for taking the time out of your day to stop by and watch the girls while we're out, Shirley. We appreciate it." while the sisters all let out a collective groan.

Granted, Aunt Shirley wasn't as bad as Aunt Ruth, but she was still an un-favorite among the Loud siblings due to how strict she tended to be.

"It's no trouble at all, Rita. But...er, what in the world happened to your house?" asked Shirley, looking around. "I've never seen it in such a mess before."

Sighing, Lynn answers "It's...a long story. We'll explain when we get back. Can you watch the place while Rita, Lincoln, and I are out?"

Deciding that it would be best not to push the matter further, Shirley nods before turning to address the sisters, saying "Well, until they get back, I want you girls to clean this place up. No sense leaving such a mess in your home like this. And I want it cleaned before your parents get back, so get to it."

The sisters start complaining about having to clean the house up, but Rita puts a stop to it, saying "Aunt Shirley is in charge until we get back, girls. If she tells you to do something, you do it."

After a few meager complaints, the Loud sisters get to work, cleaning up the mess they had made.

'Well, that'll make fixing the place back up a little easier...' thought Lynn before motioning for his wife and son to follow him outside.

Upon stepping out the door, Lincoln heads straight for the 'sweet spot' in the van. Unlike last time, he didn't have to fight or fuss with any of his siblings for the coveted seat, so he didn't have to rush in order to acquire it.

After everyone buckles up, Lynn starts up the old van's engine and pulls out of the driveway with a surprising amount of ease, especially considering the trouble that Vanzilla had given him and his wife the day before.

As Leni watched the old van speed down the road, she realized something.

"Um...Lori? Clyde's house is that way, right?" said the ditzy blonde, pointing in the opposite direction that Vanzilla had gone.

"Yeah. So?"

"Then why did Mom, Dad, and Linky go the wrong way?"

-=O=-

Location: Somewhere on Interstate 75, Michigan, United States
Time: 8:20 AM EST

The trip to the Detroit International Airport was a surprisingly quiet one, with Lynn focused on driving, Rita being deep in thought about her son leaving for a year and Lincoln reading through one of his guidebooks.

Finally, deciding to break the silence, Lincoln speaks up, saying "So...uh, I saw the damage in the hallway earlier this morning."

"That and more, son. The girls also wrecked the kitchen and the stairs, too." replied Lynn, keeping his eyes on the road. "I almost wept when I saw my fridge and stove ruined like that..."

"Ouch." said Lincoln, wincing since he knew that his father loved working in the kitchen. "Bet fixing all of that's gonna take a big bite out of the family savings, huh?"

"You have no idea. We can't even afford to go on vacation to Aloha Beach this summer since we'll have to spend every penny we have to replace everything." said Rita before a firm look appears on her face. "That's why your father and I are going to sell some of the girls' stuff off in order to offset the costs of replacing everything they destroyed. If they're going to make the mess, they're going to help pay to clean it up."

Nodding, Lynn says "That's right. Your mother and I will go through their rooms after we get back home to decide what they'll have to give up."

'Ooh...bet the girls weren't happy when they found out about that.' thought Lincoln to himself, wincing. "You two think that'll be enough to replace everything?"

"Maybe, maybe not." replied Rita, shrugging. "But I'm willing to bet that the girls will think twice about letting their tempers get out of hand again afterward after we're done with them."

"So you're selling some of the others' stuff off in order to help raise money for replacements, huh..." mused Lincoln to himself before an idea hit him. "Well...how about I chip in, too? According to one of the guidebooks that Professor Rowan sent me, Trainers can earn money through battling, so I can wire some of my winnings over in order to help out a bit."

The sudden offer catches the two parents off-guard, not expecting him to say something like that.

Looking surprised, Lynn replies "There's no need to do that just for us, son! I'm sure your mother and I will raise the rest of the money somehow."

"Your father is right, Lincoln. You should keep that money just in case you need it for your trip." agreed Rita, nodding her head. "Besides, you had nothing to do with what happened to the living room. It wouldn't be right to make you chip in to fix what you didn't have a hand in destroying."

"I know, but it would make ME feel better knowing that I'd be helping you two pull your finances out of the red." said Lincoln before skimming through the guidebook again. "Besides, there's something in Sinnoh called the Grand Underground where people can dig for items like fossils and valuables to sell. I can just dig up some of those and hawk them off if I need money."

Grinning, he adds "Heck, maybe if I wire over enough cash to the two of you, you might even have plenty of cash to spare for other things like getting Vanzilla fixed up by a professional. Or maybe even buying newer, better stuff than what we had before the girls tore the place apart."

And the best part? By helping his parents get out of the red financially and providing them with the money to afford newer, better things for the house...in a way, he would be sticking it to his sisters since he knew that none of them would willingly part with any of their own money to help out.

'That does sound pretty nice. With enough money, we could actually fix up or replace a lot of things in our home...' thought Rita to herself, her mind filled with images of her home filled with brand new appliances and furnishings like a big-screen television and a surround sound system.

'And I could actually cook more than just the same seven meals every week...' thought Lynn as the same thoughts about having new stuff in his home ran through his mind, namely a more filled-out kitchen with a brand new stove and fridge, shiny cookware and even top-quality ingredients to work with instead of the usual cheap stuff that he was acquainted with.

Yes...the idea of having more money to work with was definitely an appealing one, indeed.

"...And you're sure about this, sweetie? You know that we won't ask you to send us money unless you want to." said Rita, looking back at her son.

"I'm sure. Besides, it's not like I can't earn more through battling or selling stuff I find in the Underground, right?" replied Lincoln, smiling earnestly. "Let me help you two. Please."

"Well...alright. If you really want to help us out, I guess it couldn't hurt for you to send us a bit of money every now and then." said Lynn, finally relenting. "Just don't drive yourself into poverty trying to help us, okay?"

"I won't, Dad." answered Lincoln with a nod before taking on a thoughtful look. "I'm thinking...maybe once or twice a month, I'll send you guys some money. I would go for a weekly thing, but that might be pushing it."

"Twice a month is more than fine, Lincoln. There's no need to bleed yourself dry for our sakes." agreed Rita, nodding. "In any case, we need to lay down some ground rules regarding your trip. For starters, we want you to contact us at least once a week so we know you're doing okay."

"Sounds reasonable. What else?"

"No staying up late on school nights, either." replied his father, returning his attention back to driving. "And before you do anything else, you are to finish your homework first."

"You are to keep your grades at a passable level, too. We're not expecting perfection, but if you want to earn your Trainer Card, you'll need good grades." added Rita, giving her son a stern look. "And most importantly, don't cause any kind of trouble for Professor Rowan, your school or the people working at the Sandgem Pokémon Center."

Finishing off his wife's statement, Lynn adds "And don't cause any trouble once you become a Trainer, either. It's already bad enough that the girls are in trouble, but we don't need you getting into it yourself."

"If that's all you want me to follow through on, then sure." replied Lincoln, nodding.

"One more thing - we want you to contact us as soon as you reach the Sandgem Pokémon Center so we'll know that you got there without any problems." said Rita before handing over a slip of paper with her e-mail address on it. "Once you get there, e-mail me. That'll let me know that you're wanting to talk to us."

Pocketing the paper, her son nods and says "Sure, I can do that. Was planning to, anyway. This just makes it easier to do."

"Good to know." replied Rita, nodding in satisfaction. "Anyway, we should be arriving at the airport soon. You got your ticket with you?"

"Right here." answered Lincoln, showing her the ticket for his flight.

"Good, because we wouldn't have had the time to go back if you had forgotten it, especially with Vanzilla acting up lately." said his father, nodding. "And you didn't leave anything important behind?"

"I double and triple-checked. We're all good."

"Alrighty then, that's what we like to hear." said Lynn before noticing that the Detroit International Airport was within view. "Because we're almost there and..."

After checking his watch, he adds "...We've got about fifteen minutes before your flight."

Pointing at the airport, Lincoln exclaims "Then what're we waiting for? Let's get going!", causing his dad to chuckle before speeding up.

"One more thing, Lincoln...when your sisters were talking to you earlier...why didn't you say anything?" asked Rita, eyebrow raised.

"They wanted to assume that I was going to Clyde's house for a few days before coming back, right?" replied her son, causing the blonde to nod. "Well, you know the old saying about assuming, right?"

"Assuming makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'." replied Lynn almost automatically, causing his wife to give him a chiding look. "...Sorry."

"Yeah, that. Well, I decided not to say anything because I knew that they'll end up making 'you-know-whats' of themselves when they're proven wrong."

-=O=-

Location: Detroit International Airport Terminal, Detroit, Michigan, United States
Time: 8:50 AM

Upon reaching the terminal for the Detroit International Airport, Lincoln and his parents rush into the lobby. While Rita and Lynn catch their breath, Lincoln quickly comes to a stop, breathing heavily.

"We...we made it...I hope." gasped the white-haired boy as he clutched at his chest, gasping heavily. "Rotom? What's the time?"

Popping out of Lincoln's bag and startling the two Loud parents, Rotom answers 'It's 8:50 in the morning, bzzt. Don't worry - we made it with some time to spare.'

"Lincoln, what in the world is that!?" asked Rita, pointing at the orange device. "And where in the world did you get it?"

"Professor Rowan sent him over alongside the package he gave me." replied Lincoln as Rotom floated over to his side. "Rotom, these two are my Mom and Dad."

'Nice to meetcha, bzzt!'

"Nice to...er, meet you too, I guess." said Lynn before whispering something to his son. "Lincoln...what exactly IS Rotom, precisely?"

"From what he mentioned when we were at Clyde's house, he's a Pokémon made out of electrical plasma who can take control of appliances and electronics. Don't ask me how it works, because I just found out about it myself yesterday." said Lincoln as Rotom proved said claim by popping out of the phone for a brief moment with a grin on his face before taking control of the phone again.

"Even I wasn't aware that a Pokémon like this one existed..." admitted Rita, eyebrows raised.

'Well, before stuff like Rotom Phones became commonplace, my kind was fairly uncommon to find at best. After the Macro Cosmos company released the Rotom Phone to the public, the Rotom species had become incredibly popular among the regions, bzzt.' said Rotom, grinning. 'My job, given to me by Professor Rowan, is to assist Lincoln in any way I can during his stay in the Sinnoh region.'

"Well, we'll be counting on you to look after our son, then." answered Lynn, nodding with a smile on his face. After checking the time on his phone and noting that it was 8:55 AM, he sighs and says "Well...I guess you better hurry up and catch your flight, sport. Wouldn't want you to be late."

"Yeah, I should probably get going." replied Lincoln before giving both of his parents a firm hug. "...I'm going to miss you guys. Even though I'm excited about this, a year is a long time away from home."

"I know, but at least you'll be able to keep in regular contact with us, especially after Professor Rowan sends over that VideoPhone thing he mentioned during our talk with him." said Lynn, hugging his son back. "Good luck out there, champ. I may not know much about how Pokémon work, but I know you'll be a great Trainer."

"Your father's right, sweetie. Both he and I will be rooting for you, no matter where you are or how far away we may be from each other." added Rita before kissing her son on the cheek.

"Mom! Not in front of everyone here!" exclaimed Lincoln, blushing while Rotom snickered, taking a picture of the scene between the two.

Letting out a crackly giggle, the Plasma Pokémon said 'Oh, that one's a keeper, bzzt!'

"Quiet, you!" grumbled the only son of the Loud family with a faint blush on his cheeks. As he looks around the terminal and eyes the airport gates, he adds "Okay...where do I need to take my ticket? It's gotta be one of these, right?"

'The flight to Jubilife City's a private flight, bzzt. You gotta take the ticket over there to the front counter and show it to them. They'll take care of the rest.'

"Then we better hurry then!" exclaimed Lincoln before hugging his parents one more time. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Love you both!"

"We love you too, son!" replied both parents in unison, waving him off with wistful smiles on their faces.

After watching Lincoln show his ticket to the front counter and being promptly escorted out of the terminal by a stewardess, Rita sighs and says "Do you think he'll be alright on his own?"

"He'll be fine, Rita. Our son's a resourceful boy - he'll manage on his own." replied Lynn, patting her shoulder reassuringly. "Besides, he'll have Rotom and Professor Rowan looking out for him."

"That's true." agreed Rita, watching as a small jet painted to look like a Poké Ball took off into the air. "Well...there he goes."

"Speaking of going, we should probably get going, too. We still have some unfinished business with the girls back home." said Lynn, pointing a thumb at the exit. "That and I don't want to keep Shirley waiting for us."

"Just five more minutes, Lynn. I want to watch this first." said Rita, keeping her eyes on the plane as it slowly disappeared into the horizon.

"...Alright, five minutes won't hurt." agreed her husband, joining her in seeing his son off. As he watched the plane fly away, part of him wondered how the flight was going so far...

-=O=-

Location: Private Jet, Skies above the United States, United States
Time: 9:20 AM

As the jet started flying west towards Japan, Lincoln was sitting inside the first-class section of the plane, looking quite pleased with his accommodations.

In fact, to say that he was pleased with his seating would be an understatement. Not only was he flying in first-class with plenty of snacks, a cozy seat, and a classic Ace Savvy movie playing for him to enjoy, but he was getting the chance to enjoy ALL of this by himself without any of his siblings complicating things.

'Yep. Life is good.' thought Lincoln to himself with a grin as he watched the movie with enthusiasm, stopping long enough to notice a pretty, young woman in a stewardess uniform walking over to speak to him. "Yes?"

"I'm here to inquire if your current accommodations is to your liking, sir. After all, we would like to ensure that your flight to Jubilife City is as comfortable as possible." replied the stewardess as she spoke to him.

Giving her a thumbs-up, Lincoln answers "They're even better than I had expected. I couldn't be more comfortable if I tried."

"Excellent. The flight to Jubilife City will take exactly twelve hours, so I would advise making yourself comfortable. It's going to be a while before we arrive at our destination."

'Twelve hours, huh...guess this flight will give me time for me to catch up on reading the books that Professor Rowan sent me...well, maybe after this movie is over.' thought Lincoln to himself, a bit surprised at how long the flight would be. "Thanks for the heads-up, miss."

"You're welcome, sir. If there's anything else you may require from me, don't hesitate to ask." replied the stewardess, causing the white-haired boy to wave her off before returning his attention back to the movie on the screen.

Going through the guidebooks could wait for the time being. Right now, he had a movie to enjoy. As he leaned back to watch the movie again, Lincoln had one thought going through his mind.

'I wonder how everyone else is doing back home?'

-=O=-

Location: Driveway - The Loud Residence, Royal Woods, Michigan, United States
Time: 10:30 AM

The drive back to the house was a quiet one for Rita and Lynn, since their thoughts were mainly focused on their only son and the fact that he was going to be gone for a year, possibly longer. And he was going to be on his own, for the most part.

Still, they had faith that he was going to be okay, especially since they knew that both Rotom and Professor Rowan would be looking after him. That still didn't stop them from thinking about him being all alone on the way back home, but that thought did ease their concerns...somewhat.

As he pulled into the driveway, Lynn remarked "Well...we're back home. Let's hope that the girls didn't give Shirley any trouble." before cutting the engine and getting out of Vanzilla's driver's seat.

"For their sakes, they better not have caused any more trouble. They're already in enough hot water as it is." said Rita, frowning. "Still, I think after we confiscate some of their things to help pay off what they damaged with their fight, the lesson on not wrecking our home over something stupid will stick this time."

"Speaking of that...I do think that we should at least let the girls keep some of their things. We don't need to sell off everything, do we?"

"Of course not. We're still going to let a few things stay like Luan's props for her birthday business, Junior's sports gear, and Lori's golf clubs, but most of the stuff that they don't need, like all those instruments that Luna never uses or all those dresses that Leni's only worn once and then never wore them again? They're going."

"That sounds fair to me, honey. Not to mention it'll clear some of the clutter out of the house." said Lynn, nodding in agreement. "Well...we might as well head on inside and hope that nothing else was broken while we were away."

The two approach the front door and slowly open it, only to be greeted with the sight of the house looking completely spotless.

'Shirley must've really cracked down on the girls if the house looks THIS clean.' thought Rita to herself, taking in the sight of the living room and how clean it looked, aside from the damages to the walls and carpet.

If it wasn't for the fact that there were still noticeable rips and tears in the carpet and wallpaper and the fact that the destroyed furniture was no longer in the house...it would've almost seemed like the house hadn't been wrecked at all.

"Oh, there you two are." spoke Shirley's voice from nearby, catching their attention. "Looks nice, doesn't it? Nice and clean, just the way I like it."

"I have to admit, you did a good job on getting the girls to tidy the place up." conceded Lynn, nodding. "Where are they now?"

"In their rooms." replied the other brunette before noticing something. "Erm...where's Lincoln? Wasn't he with you earlier?"

"Well...it's a long story but..." started Rita before giving the other woman a brief summary on what had happened over the past few days, from the Sister Fight Protocol to Lincoln setting off for a trip to the Sinnoh region.

Once Rita was done, Shirley stood there, completely dumbfounded at what she was told.

"...Goodness. To think things could get THAT out of control." said Shirley before a firm look appears on her face. "Now...I know I shouldn't have any kind of say on how you two raise your kids, but you and Lynn need to take charge more often in your own home. If your daughters were responsible for something like that, then you need to do more to lay down the law and make it clear that YOU'RE the ones in charge and you aren't going to tolerate this kind of behavior."

"I know. My dad pretty much said the same thing to me when he found out about what happened."

"Well, your father is right. You two are meant to be the ones in charge, so you're supposed to address any issues your girls have, instead of some silly protocol they came up with."

Nodding, Lynn says "That's why we've already banned the Protocol outright after everything that's happened. We won't be making a mistake like that again."

"Good. Well...in any case, I should be going. It was nice seeing you two and the girls again. If you two manage to contact Lincoln again, let him know I said 'hello', will you?"

"Of course. Thanks again for watching the girls for us while we were out. I hope they didn't cause too much trouble."

"No trouble at all, Lynn. If you two need me to watch over them again, don't hesitate to call." said Shirley before making her way out of the house.

As soon as the sound of Shirley's car pulling out of the driveway could be heard, the Loud sisters come out of their rooms and peeked downstairs.

"Is Aunt Shirley gone?" asked Lola, glancing at the front door with a wary eye.

"Yes, she's left, but don't start relaxing just yet, girls." said Rita before pointing at where the ruined furniture once sat. "We still have unfinished business with all of you regarding what happened yesterday."

"U-unfinished business...?" asked Luan, not liking the sound of those words.

"Your mother and I told you that we were going to sell off a few of your things to help offset the costs of replacing everything yesterday, didn't we? Did you really think that we weren't serious about that?" replied her father, eyebrow raised.

Understanding what this meant for them, the nine girls all raise protests but are quickly silenced by the sight of their parents glaring at them, causing their anger to wither almost immediately.

"Both of us will be going through your rooms in order to find things to sell off. We don't want to hear any protests, whining, or complaining, because quite frankly, you don't get to argue against this after causing so much damage to our house by fighting over DRESSES of all things." said Rita before looking at the twins. "I'll start with you two. Lynn, you head to Luna and Luan's room."

"You got it, honey." replied Lynn before giving Luna and Luan a stern look. "Upstairs, girls. Let's go."

Realizing that there was no way to talk their parents out of doing this, the four girls head upstairs without a word, inwardly hoping that only a few things would get confiscated.

As for the others? They had already started rushing to their rooms in a vain attempt at preserving whatever they could before their parents moved on to their rooms.

-=O=-

Location: Jubilife Airport - Jubilife City, Sinnoh Region, Hokkaido, Japan
Time: 9:20 AM JST

As he patiently waits inside the lobby of the Jubilife Airport's terminal, Professor Rowan watches for the incoming flight from the States to arrive. And considering that the flight time between Detroit (the closest city with an airport to Lincoln's hometown) and Jubilife City was approximately around 12 hours, the plane should arrive shortly.

'I just hope that Mr. Loud made it in time for his flight because I won't be able to arrange another one anytime soon.' thought the mustached professor to himself as he watched the skies for any arriving planes.

Upon seeing one coming from the east, Rowan checks the time on his Pokétch - a Sinnoh-made device that had sadly fallen out of use ever since the introduction of Rotom Phones - and nods in approval at the time displayed on the screen.

"Ah, good. Right on schedule. Now to see if Mr. Loud managed to arrive or not..."

After a few moments, much to his relief, Rowan spots Lincoln's familiar white hair and orange shirt among the group of passengers that had just disembarked the plane.

As soon as Lincoln came into full view, Rowan calls out "Mr. Loud, over here!", catching the white-haired boy's attention and prompting him to run over with his belongings in tow.

"Professor Rowan...thanks for waiting here for me. I appreciate it. I'm sorry the flight took so long, but..."

"Not a problem, Mr. Loud. I expected your flight to be a lengthy one." remarked Rowan, nodding. "I presume that there weren't any complications regarding your departure?"

Shaking his head, Lincoln replies "No complications at all, Professor. I even made sure to leave out early so I wouldn't be late for my flight." before a grin appeared on his face. "And I enjoyed the first-class accommodations."

"Excellent. In any case, I'm glad to finally have the chance to meet you in person. On behalf of everyone living here, allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Sinnoh region." said Rowan with a nod of approval before offering the white-haired boy a handshake, which was returned with enthusiasm.

"Glad to be here, Professor Rowan. And it's nice to meet you personally as well." answered Lincoln with a smile before looking out the terminal's windows to gaze at the bustling city outside that easily dwarfed Royal Woods in size.

Seriously, it was THAT big compared to his hometown.

Awestruck, he asks "Wow...so...this is Jubilife City?"

"Indeed. Not only is it the largest city in all of Sinnoh, but it's also the most technologically advanced as well. We'll get you properly acquainted with Jubilife City over the next few days so you'll know how to find your way around." said Rowan before pointing to the south. "For now, I think it would be best for us to head to my laboratory in Sandgem Town. To get there, we'll need to head through Route 202, which is just a short distance south of here."

Noticing a small town in the distance, Lincoln asks "Is that Sandgem Town?"

"Yes. As you can see, it's not very far away, which means that it shouldn't be any trouble for you to find your way to Jubilife City and back when you start the upcoming semester." answered Rowan, nodding. "Now then, Mr. Loud...or would you rather I use your first name?"

"Either one's fine with me, Professor. I'm not picky. Though, uh...it might be a good idea to use my name if there comes a time when both of us are talking to my dad. Might make things less confusing that way."

"Very well then. In any case, we should probably make our way to Sandgem Town now. Follow me and try not to stray, please. Jubilife City is a large place and I wouldn't want you to get lost."

"Got it. Lead the way."

As Professor Rowan led Lincoln out of Jubilife City and through Route 202, the white-haired Loud caught glimpses of several creatures as they watched him and the professor pass by - small white and greyish-brown birds, brown beaver-like rodents with buck teeth, a few red-colored bipedal creatures that reminding him of crickets and even a feline-like creature with blue and black-colored fur and gleaming yellow eyes.

According to Professor Rowan, they were called 'Starly', 'Bidoof', 'Kricketot', and 'Shinx' - four fairly common species to the Sinnoh region.

Other than that, the walk to Sandgem Town was relatively brief and uneventful. And as the good professor had stated earlier, the walk didn't last that long at all. Barely even ten minutes at the very most.

Blinking in surprise, Lincoln says "...Wow. You weren't kidding when you said that Sandgem Town was just within walking distance." before taking in the sight of the quiet, quaint-looking town. "It's a lot smaller compared to Jubilife City. More quiet, too. I kinda like it."

"Agreed. It's much easier to focus on my research in a quieter environment like this." replied Rowan before pointing at a sizable building with a windmill next to it. "That is my laboratory, where I work on my studies regarding Pokémon Evolution. And over there..."

Rowan's finger moves over to two buildings with a round, red-colored roof, and a blue-colored roof respectively.

"...is the Sandgem Pokémon Center and the PokéMart. You'll be staying at the former when you're not attending classes in the Jubilife Trainer's School. Every Pokémon Center and PokéMart in Sinnoh looks the same, so when you eventually start your career as a Trainer, you'll know what to look for."

"I can get why the PokéMart is important, but are the Centers really that vital, Professor?"

"They are, by far, THE most important facility you'll want to acquaint yourself with once you become a Trainer, my boy." said Rowan, nodding. "And speaking of which, we should probably head inside and get you properly acquainted with Nurse Joy. She's the one in charge of the Sandgem Pokémon Center. Follow me, please."

Shrugging, Lincoln follows Rowan through the front doors of the Center and heads inside.

-=O=-

Location: Lobby - Sandgem Pokémon Center, Sandgem City, Sinnoh Region, Hokkaido, Japan
Time: 9:40 AM JST

'Jeez...when I became the head nurse for this place three months ago, I was expecting things to be a bit busier than this.' thought a pretty, young pink-haired woman in a nurse's uniform as she waited at a counter inside the Center's lobby with a bored expression on her face. 'Kinda wish there was something to do. Or someone I could talk to at the very least in order to kill time.'

Even the Chansey whom she called her partner was trying to find things to do in order to stave off the boredom. Things were just that slow and boring in the Sandgem Center. And it was way too quiet for her liking, too.

Letting out a sigh, the nurse silently wished for something - anything - to happen in order to break up the monotony.

Thankfully, a few seconds later, her prayers for something to keep her busy were answered a few seconds later as Professor Rowan and a young white-haired boy entered the Center and approached the front counter.

'Oh, thank Arceus.' thought the young nurse, sighing in relief. "Hello and welcome to the Sandgem Pokémon Center. How can I be of service to you today?"

Chuckling, Rowan says "My dear, there's no need to be so formal. Just a simple 'hello' will suffice." before placing a hand on Lincoln's shoulder. "I'm here to introduce you to Mr. Lincoln Loud - you know, the young man from the States who will be attending the school in Jubilife City."

"Oh, hello. So you're the visitor that Professor Rowan mentioned a few days ago. My name is Nurse Joy and I'm the head nurse of the Sandgem Pokémon Center." said the woman with a small bow before gesturing to the egg-shaped pink creature nearby. "And over there is my partner, Chansey. She helps me with my duties here."

Upon hearing Joy introducing her, the pink-colored Pokémon just smiles and waves at Lincoln before returning back to what she was doing.

"Nice to meet you both." replied Lincoln, nodding.

"So how old are you, Lincoln? Professor Rowan mentioned that you were going to attend the school in Jubilife City."

"Eleven. And yourself?"

Smiling bashfully, Joy answers "Seventeen. I've only just become the head nurse here a few months ago."

"Seventeen and you're already in charge of a place like this? That's impressive."

"It's not, really...I inherited the position from my mother after she retired from the role. Compared to her, I still have a lot to learn about being a Pokémon Nurse."

"You give yourself too little credit, my dear." spoke Rowan, shaking his head. "While it's true that you've only been in charge of the Sandgem Center for a few months, the fact that you've managed to keep it running despite your inexperience should be proof enough that your mother chose the right person for the job."

Blushing from the praise, Joy replies "You're too kind, Professor." before turning to address Lincoln. "Considering that Professor Rowan told me about you before you arrived, I'm going to assume that this is your first time visiting a Pokémon Center?"

"It is. Can you tell me about what services are offered here?"

"Of course." replied Joy before looking down at the front counter. "The front counter here is where I primarily work. My job is to treat Pokémon who are tired or injured and get them back into tip-top shape using the restoration machine behind me. The process takes only a few moments, though more serious injuries will require more treatment to handle."

"How much does it cost to have Pokémon treated?"

"It's completely free. Our money comes from the Pokémon League and they're rather generous with their funding."

'So this place provides free healthcare for Pokémon, huh? Convenient.' thought Lincoln as Joy continued her explanation by pointing at the nearby VideoPhone terminals.

"And those are the Center's VideoPhones. Much like every other service in the Pokémon Center, those are also freely available for our visitors to use."

"They look a lot larger than the one Pop-Pop had at the retirement home." remarked Lincoln, eyeing the machines with interest. "And his didn't have that capsule-like machine attached to it."

"Your grandfather's version must be one of the smaller 'household' models. I'll be sending a similar model to your family's home in a few days so you'll be able to regularly keep in contact with your parents." said Rowan, adding to the conversation. "And the machine attached to the VideoPhone is a Pokémon Transfer Machine. They're used to send and receive Pokémon to my laboratory or any other designated Pokémon storage facility."

Looking thoughtful, he adds "Although they rarely see use in this day and age thanks to the introduction of the Pokémon Box Link system, which allows Trainers to swap their Pokémon in and out on the go."

"That's true, but we still keep them around, just in case. It's better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them, after all." replied the pink-haired nurse, nodding. "In any case, that's everything you need to know, Mr. Loud. I hope my explanation helped you out."

"Yeah, that helped a lot, Nurse Joy. Thank you." answered Lincoln before noticing that Rowan was starting to leave. "You're leaving already, Professor?"

"Yes. I still have quite a few things to do back at the lab, so I must be going. If you happen to need me for anything, my laboratory is just next door." said Rowan before heading to the front door. "Nurse Joy? Please get Mr. Loud settled in, would you?"

Smiling, Joy answers "Of course, Professor Rowan." before motioning for Lincoln to follow her through a nearby door. "This way, please."

-=O=-

Location: Lobby - Sandgem Pokémon Center, Sandgem City, Sinnoh Region, Hokkaido, Japan
Time: 10:00 AM JST

As he followed Joy through the door and into a small hallway, Lincoln noticed that all of the doors in the hallway had numbers on them, almost reminding him of hotel rooms.

"You offer rooms for people to stay here, too? How much are they?"

"Believe it or not, they're completely free of charge for Trainers to rent overnight." answered Joy before gesturing towards a door at the end of the hallway. "And this room is yours. Professor Rowan explained that you would need a place to stay while you're attending the school in Jubilife City, so I had this one set aside for you to use."

After taking out a card key and handing it over, she adds "You can go ahead and look around if you want. It is going to be your room for the year, after all."

Deciding to go along with things for now, the white-haired boy takes the key and opens the door, only to be greeted by the sight of a modestly sized room with a queen-sized bed, a refrigerator, a sizable flat-screen TV mounted on the wall, a tidy-looking desk in the corner of the room, a decent-sized closet and a door that, after opening it, led to a small, but clean bathroom with a shower, toilet and sink.

Buzzing joyfully as it popped out of his pocket, the Rotom Phone comments 'Nice place you got here, bzz-zzt!' before floating into the room and looking around.

Stunned, Lincoln asks "This...this is my room?"

"That's right. As you can see, you'll have all of your basic needs covered - a personal bathroom, television, a fridge for food and drink, a storage closet to keep your belongings in, a bed for you to use should you feel tired and of course, a desk for you to use for any schoolwork you may have. Feel free to make use of these anytime you wish."

Instead of answering her, Lincoln just stares at the room with wide eyes, as if awestruck by the sight while a single tear runs down his cheek.

Seeing the white-haired boy tearing up, Joy thought 'Oh by Arceus, he hates it...' before nervously asking "Um...is there something wrong with your room, Mr. Loud? I understand it's not the best, but..."

"No...there's nothing wrong at all, Nurse Joy. It's just that...this room is the most beautiful thing I've seen all day." said Lincoln, wiping away a tear of joy. Upon seeing the confused expression on her face, he adds "I come from a large family of eleven and back home, so I had to share a lot of stuff with my parents and sisters, like the only bathroom in the house or the television. And my bedroom is nowhere as big as this, so you can imagine how I would feel about having all of this to myself."

'And I can vouch for that last part, bzzt. That room was TINY compared to this one.' said Rotom before showing Joy a picture it had taken earlier of Lincoln's old room.

"Oh my."

"Yeah. Imagine living in a room like that and then realizing you're getting something like this." said Lincoln, nodding. "Compared to what I had back home, a room like this is practically paradise. And this is all just for me?"

'Us!'

"...for Rotom and I?"

"It is...erm, so it is to your satisfaction, then?"

"I couldn't be any more satisfied even if I tried, Nurse Joy. This is perfect."

"I see...well, that's good. I was worried that you weren't pleased with your accommodations." replied Joy, letting out a sigh of relief before handing over the room's key. "In any case, feel free to make yourself at home. If you need anything, I'll be at the front counter. Lunch will be in a few hours if you're interested."

"I'll keep that in mind. And...uh, thanks for being willing to put up with having me here, Nurse Joy. If there's anything I can do to repay the favor..."

"Ah? Erm, there's no need for that, Mr. Loud. You're our guest, so..."

"No, I'm serious. I honestly would like to pay you back for providing me with a place to stay for the year. Especially for a room like this." said Lincoln, shaking his head. "So if there's anything you think I can help with, anything at all, don't hesitate to let me know."

A thoughtful look appears on the young nurse's face as she considers the offer. It wasn't completely unreasonable and while things were fairly slow at the Sandgem Center, she wouldn't exactly say 'no' to having someone around to help her and Chansey out, especially since she was still learning the ropes of running the place herself.

After a moment, Joy sighs and says "...Well, I suppose if you're that insistent, I wouldn't mind having you help out around the Center every now and then." before realizing something. "...Huh. And maybe you might even learn a thing or two about Pokémon that will help you with your schoolwork, too."

"Well, that sounds like a win-win situation, if you ask me." replied Lincoln, grinning. "You'll have someone helping you and Chansey around the Pokémon Center and I'll be learning how to take care of Pokémon more effectively. Everyone wins."

"I'll also be paying you for the help, too. Wouldn't be right to just have you work and not get paid for it."

'Meaning that I'll have some cash to send over to Mom and Dad when I get the chance.' thought the white-haired Loud, grin widening. "Like I said before, everyone wins."

"Well, in that case, I'd be happy to have you lend a hand." said Joy, beaming. "Still, I think that you should take some time to relax today and rest up from your flight. We can get you started on helping out tomorrow."

"I'll be looking forward to it." said Lincoln, causing Joy to nod before leaving.

After sitting down on the couch and taking a moment to realize that this was really happening - that he was now all on his own - he mutters "Well...I guess this is my life now for the next year. Just me and Rotom, together in a room like this when I'm not learning about Pokémon at school or helping Joy out here at the Pokémon Center." before smirking as he kicks his feet up and turns on the television.

"Perfect."

'Not to be a bother or anything, but didn't your parents ask you to contact them once you arrived, bzzt?' asked Rotom, floating over to join him.

Realizing that Rotom was right, Lincoln blushes and says "...Right. Almost forgot. Thanks for the reminder." before taking his laptop out of his bag and setting it up. After looking over the slip of paper that his mother had given him on the way to the airport, he mutters "Okay, I just need to e-mail Mom and let her know that I want to talk and..." before typing away at the laptop's keys.

-=O=-

Location: Rita & Lynn's Room - The Loud Residence, Royal Woods, Michigan, United States
Time: 9:20 PM EST

While Rita was typing away at her new novel on her laptop, her husband was counting through the money that he had managed to get from selling off his daughters' belongings. Once he was done, he adds the cash to the rest of the family's savings, letting out a sigh afterward.

"Even with everything we sold, it's still nowhere near enough to replace everything. We might be able to replace the couch, the armchair, the TV, and maybe the coffee table with stuff from the secondhand store, but that's it. I didn't get as much as I hoped I would."

"It's a start, at least." replied Rita, looking away from her computer. "If we're still that short on cash, then I guess it's a good thing we agreed to let Lincoln help us."

Turning back to her laptop, she asks "Speaking of Lincoln, why hasn't he reached out to us yet? I thought he agreed to contact us as soon as..." only to stop upon seeing a notification that she had gotten an e-mail.

After quickly checking it and seeing that it was from her son, Rita smiles and says "There we go. About time."

"Well, he was on a twelve-hour flight, Rita. Of course, it'd take him a bit of time to catch up to us since he'd need some time to rest up." replied Lynn, causing his wife to look at him. "What? I looked into how long it would take for him to get there."

"That would explain why it took so long..." muttered Rita while her husband walked over and sat down on the bed beside her as she typed away at several of her laptop's keys. "Okay, I just e-mailed him back, telling him that we can take a bit of time to talk to him before we head off to bed for tonight. Now I just need to open up a video chat, type in a few things here and..."

Almost as soon as she finished typing, a video chat window pops up on the screen with her son and Rotom on it, sitting inside a cozy, well-furnished room.

And by the content look on his face, he was clearly enjoying his time, wherever he was.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. Sorry for taking so long to catch up with you two, but the flight took a lot out of me." greeted Lincoln with a smile.

"So you made it to Sinnoh without any trouble?" asked Rita, smiling as well.

"No trouble at all. The accommodations for my flight were excellent - I even got to ride first-class."

"Lucky dog." replied his father with a chuckle. "How are things at the Sandgem Pokémon Center?"

"Fantastic! Not only do I get my own room, but I've got my own television and personal bathroom, too! And it's way bigger than my room back home!" replied Lincoln with a grin before picking up the laptop and adjusting it so his parents could get a look at his room. "Take a look for yourself."

While Rita lets out a whistle of appreciation, Lynn jokingly replies "Your own personal bathroom and TV, huh? If only your mother and I were that lucky..."

"At least we know now that you made it there with no issues." replied his wife, content. "So is Professor Rowan there with you?"

"No, it's just me, Rotom, and Nurse Joy, who's the one in charge here at the Center. Professor Rowan's laboratory is next door, so if I need anything from him, he's not that far away."

"Nurse Joy?" replied Rita, eyebrow raised. "...She's not like that cantankerous nurse at the retirement home, is she?"

"No, she's not like Sue. She's actually nice." replied Lincoln, shaking his head. "And...uh, despite being in charge of the Center, she's actually around Lori's age."

"She's seventeen?" asked Lynn, surprised. "Well, that's pretty impressive for someone her age."

"That's what I told her, but she said it's not that impressive since she inherited the position and she's still got a lot to learn about being a Pokémon Nurse. That's why, outside of school, I'm going to lend her a hand around the Center. She's even going to pay me for it, so I can send money over as soon as next week."

"Well, aren't you the little charmer, offering to help a lady in need?" teased his mother, causing the white-haired boy to blush at the remark. "Just don't let it get in the way of your studies."

"I know, I know. I promised to keep my studies and grades up..." muttered Lincoln before recalling something. "Oh, right. Professor Rowan told me that he'll be sending you two a home VideoPhone over the next few days. Should be a lot more convenient than using e-mails and video chat to contact each other."

"VideoPhone?" asked Lynn, eyebrow raised.

"It's like video chat, but combined with a phone. And it's better than regular video chat."

"Ah, okay. Got it. In any case, it's good to see that you're enjoying yourself over there, son." said Lynn, smiling. "Just don't remember the ground rules we laid down earlier."

"Yeah, I know. I won't forget them." said Lincoln with a roll of his eyes, though there was a clear smile on his face. "I'm more or less wondering how you guys will fare without me being around."

"We'll manage, sweetie. Might be a little less 'loud' in the house and your father and I will have to do a bit more to keep things in check, but we'll manage." replied Rita, reassuringly.

Smirking, Lynn remarks "Nice pun, honey."

"I try."

"Alright, if you think you two will have things in hand, I'll take your word for it." said Lincoln, nodding. "But if you guys need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask."

Nodding, his father replies "Same goes for you too, son. If you need anything, let us know."

"I'll keep that in mind, Dad. Thanks."

After checking the time, Rita says "Well, in any case, your father and I should be getting some sleep. And you should get some sleep too, Lincoln. It's late."

Eyebrow raised, Lincoln answers "Uh...Mom? It's daytime over here. Different time zones, remember?"

"Oh...right. Forgot about that." replied his mother, blushing in embarrassment. "Well...I guess we'll have to find a good time for us to contact each other that won't be too early or too late at night."

"We'll figure out something. Good night, you two."

"Good night, son. We'll talk to you again soon, hopefully after we get that VideoPhone thing." replied Lynn before Lincoln ended the video chat, causing the window to close itself out. "Well...at least we know he made it."

"I really should've had him agree to contact us daily." remarked Rita as she puts her laptop away. "But I guess we'll have to make do with weekly calls."

"Weekly's better than no calls at all, honey." replied her husband, letting out a yawn. "And at least we'll have an easier way to contact him in a few days."

"True. So how are we going to explain things to the girls when they start asking about him?"

"We'll find a way to deal with that problem when we get to it." said Lynn before shrugging. "For now, let's try to make sure things don't get out of hand around here again."

"Agreed."

-=O=-

AN: Omake time.

-Omake #02: Staving Off The Boredom (SilverNugget)-

"I'll be looking forward to it." said Lincoln, causing Joy to nod before leaving. After sitting down on the couch and taking a moment to realize that this was really happening - that he was now all on his own - he mutters "Well...I guess this is my life now for the next year. Just me and Rotom, together in a room like this when I'm not learning about Pokémon at school or helping Joy out here at the Pokémon Center."

'Yep, this is the life.' replied Rotom with a grin. 'Anyway, I'm gonna catch some zzzz's for a little while. Wake me up when it's lunchtime.'

"You got it." answered Lincoln with a nod, causing the orange-colored device to float over to a nearby table and go into sleep mode. After waiting a few moments, Lincoln smirks before removing everything save for his underwear - his choice attire for optimal comfort - and taking one of his comics out of his bag.

"Perfect."

Before he could start reading it, however, Nurse Joy stepped back into the room and started to speak, only to blush profusely upon seeing the white-haired boy in his tighty-whities.

And based on the blush that was on his face as he stared in mortification at the pink-haired nurse, Lincoln seemed to be just as flustered.

"O-oh! I'm sorry! I had forgotten to...oh dear..."

"No, no...if anything, I should be the one apologizing, Nurse Joy. I didn't expect you to walk in on me like this." replied Lincoln, still blushing. "This is...well, this is awkward."

"Yeah...so...uh, what are you doing?" asked the teenage nurse, trying to look away.

"...Reading comics."

"You read comics in your underwear?"

"It's a comfort thing, honestly." admitted Lincoln sheepishly.

"A comfort thing, huh..." mused Joy, thoughtfully as an idea ran through her mind - since things were so dull and boring in the Pokémon Center, why not kill some time this way, too?

The idea was tempting, she had to admit. Things had been extremely slow prior to Lincoln's arrival and she wasn't keen on the idea of delving back into that monotonous boredom again. So the idea of spending a bit of time with her new charge wasn't exactly a bad one.

Besides, maybe she could get to know him a bit better, too. And if any guests stopped by while she was away, she could always have Chansey come and get her.

"So...uh, what kind of comics do you have?"

"Superhero comics and graphic novels, mostly. Why do you ask?"

"Manga and hero comics, huh? Better than going back to the front counter and doing nothing at any rate." replied Joy before removing her own uniform, much to Lincoln's shock.

Turning an even deeper shade of red, Lincoln squeaked "N-Nurse Joy, what are you doing?!"

Wearing nothing but undergarments that did little to hide her impressive figure, Joy replies "What? You said that you were more comfortable in your underwear when you read comics, right? Well, I might as well try it myself." before giving him a teasing smile. "After all, if it works for you, it should also work for me, right?"

"I...I guess..."

"Great!" replied Joy before sitting down on the couch beside him. "Mind passing me one of those comics, please?"

Still blushing up a storm and trying his best not to stare, Lincoln wordlessly passes one over to her, causing her to eagerly start reading through it while not realizing just how...awkward the situation was at that moment.

Realizing that Joy was too engrossed in the comic to notice anything else, Lincoln just sighs before going back to reading his own comic book, though his eyes did wander a bit towards her every now and then.

...Well, at least the view wasn't unpleasant.

-=O=-

AN: Chapter 6 is done and I'd like to apologize for taking so long to update, but again...summer is a very busy period in the year for hotel housekeeping work. Hopefully, things will start calming down again once the season ends.

Anyway, let's move on to other things, like this chapter's quiz to decide the Surprise Trade Pokemon obtained after the fourth gym badge. The chapter's quiz question to decide the next Surprise Trade Pokémon obtained after the fourth gym battle is this: On the Pastoria Gym's sign, what is Crasher Wake called?

As usual, if you know the answers, post them in your review for the chapter or DM them to me, along with your selection for the Surprise Trade Pokémon. And don't forget that if you've gotten an answer correct before with the previous three questions, you're considered ineligible for any further selections. We want to make sure other people have a shot, after all.

I should also remind you that with Scorbunny representing Galar, only TWO more starters can be allowed as Surprise Trade Pokémon.

And while I'm on the subject, congratulations to 'Firem78910' for answering the previous question correctly. Your choice of Gothita (with Heal Pulse and Dark Pulse) to represent Unova has been accepted.

Next, I'd like to bring up the results of the recent poll, which, if you're familiar with a certain game, you should know about the choices and what this means for Lincoln when it comes to getting his first starter. And going by the poll results, his starter is going to be Rowlet. I don't know if he'll get the other two at some point, but...maybe, maybe not. We'll have to see.

Finally, I think I've got things figured out for how things will play out, such as how events will unfold during Lincoln's year at the Jubilife Trainer's School and what will happen with the Loud family while he's away - 4 (maybe less, I dunno) chapters that covers certain Season 2 episodes that take place throughout the year and 4 (again, maybe less, I dunno) chapters that mainly take place during Lincoln's time in Trainer's School and the Sandgem Pokémon Center. Plans could change though, so...yeah. We'll have to see.

Well, that's everything I needed to go over for now, so I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to the next one. See ya later.