Chapter 16
Adventures on Mount Moon!
at the same time, back over in pewter city,
the three trainers had just arrived at the shop brock was talking about, which looked like a rundown corner store. "Alright, we're just here for a map to get through mount moon. that's all," brock said.
"This place definitely looks shifty," Lincoln commented, as they entered the shop. inside, they saw all manner of merchandise which ranged from stuff that looked like ordinary home decor, to just plain junk. Lincoln winced upon seeing the prices of some of the merchandise, "and this stuff looks like a bunch of rip-offs, "he quietly stated, as he picked up a box with several different colored stones.
"Ah, interested in this evolutionary stone box set? it can be yours for the low price of 12,000 pokedollars," a shifty man's voice said. Lincoln turned to see the man in question.
"Even the shop owner looks shifty," Lincoln thought, er, not right now. i don't really have that kind of money on me. what I really need is a map of mount moon," he replied.
"Ah, a traveler! I have maps aplenty. they can guarantee you a safe journey through mount moon, using the shortest and quickest route. although...," the store owner said, his tone indicating he was planning something.
"although'? "Lincoln questioned, not trusting the man's tone.
"The maps I've do have the quickest routes though mount moon, but for a little bit extra crash, i can sell you some special maps that can show you the location of some incredibly rare Pokémon. so, what do you say?" the store owner.
"Ooh, you're a sharp one. but I give you my word that info about the rare Pokémon is 100% legit. i tell you what, if you buy one of my special maps, I'll even throw in these, "the man said, as he pulled out a wooden box. upon opening it, Lincoln and friends were greeted with the sight of odd looking pokeballs. the top part of them was black and blue on each side, with a crescent moon symbol on the very top," these are moon balls. they work especially well on Pokémon that evolve using something called a moon stone', "he explained.
"And are these legitimate articles too?" Lincoln asked.
"100% I have a friend over in johto who I ordered these types of pokeballs from at least once a month and theirs a company called silph co. who makes pokeballs as well, and I heard a rumor that they're making a special pokeball," the man said, as he opened one of them, proving that they're real.
"a new pokeball? lincoln questioned, as he looked confused.
"I would probably take him up on his offer. even if his 'special maps' are bogus, you'll at least get some rare pokeballs," brock suggested.
"What do you mean 'rare pokeballs'?" Lincoln asked curiously.
"Ah, I'm glad you asked. you see, these moon balls are part of a special series of pokeballs that are made from a certain type of fruit called apricorns'. depending on the color of the apricorn, you can have them converted into one of seven types of pokeballs. here, I have replicas for display purposes," the man said, as he got out a stand with 11 different pokeballs, including the moon ball. the other 10 balls included one that was pink with a heart design on its upper half, a pokeball with an upper half that was mostly yellow with the very top portion being black, with a red "V" on the front, a grey pokeball with four bubbles on top, a white one with a black top with orange pointers on the sides and top, a pokeball with a net on top, a blue pokeball with a white like cloud the same kind of pokeball misty got on a wonder trade, a black one with red lines on top and in the middle, a light blue pokeball with a yellow "X" over it, another black pokeball with big green dots all over it, and a red pokeball with big black mark in the center with a red line.
"Whoa, these designs all look so cool,' Lincoln commented.
"Indeed. and I'll tell you what, seeing as how sharp you were in figuring out my upsell, i'll throw in one of each of these special pokeballs into your order free of charge," the man offered.
"Well, that's definitely a steal! you should take it, Lincoln," misty suggested.
"Well, I don't see why not. sure thing. but could I get an explanation on what each pokeball does?" Lincoln said.
"Certainly. now then first the apricorns, if you have a red apricorn, you can have a level ball. they're most handy for catching Pokémon that are at a lower level than yours. a blue apricorn makes a lure ball. these will help you catch Pokémon from fishing. a green apricorn will make a friend ball, they have a green color on top with four red dots, which helps Pokémon and trainers be closer friends. black apricorns are used to make heavy balls. they're used to catch pokemon that are very heavy, like Onix. pink apricorns will become a love ball. these are handy to catch Pokémon of the opposite gender than yours. moon balls are made from yellow apricorns, and you already know what they do. last, but not least are the white apricorns. they're used for fast balls, which are handy for catching Pokémon quick to run away," the man explained.
"Next are the silph co. pokeballs. the pokeball with orange marks on the sides and the top is called a timer ball. it's a type of pokeball works better when time passes since an encounter with a wild Pokémon. the net cover is called the net ball. this pokeball is best to catch a bug or water type Pokémon easily. the blue on with what looks like a cloud is called a dive ball. it's a counter part to the lure ball because it works better catching Pokémon underwater. the black with red line pokeball is called the luxury ball. it's a counterpart of the friend ball because a Pokémon becomes more friendly when caught. the blue pokeball with the yellow "X" is called a fast ball. a kind of pokeball that works better the sooner it used in battle, it's also the counterpart of the fast ball. the black with green dots pokeball is called a dusk ball. a pokeball that works best in dark places like caves or at night. and that's a cherish ball, not sure if the company made it but it helps catch mythical Pokémon.
"I see. so, I should use them wisely," Lincoln concluded.
"Indeed. mostly the dusk ball if you're in a cave. now then, as for the original transaction for one map of mount moon, your total will come out to 1,500 pokedollars," the man said, as Lincoln handed him his trainer card. after taking a moment to scan it, the man gave back Lincoln's ID," you're all set. good luck up there," he said, as got two each of the special pokeballs except for the cherish ball being the only one he had and a map of mount moon.
"Thanks," Lincoln said, as he placed his new pokeballs into his bag, along with the map.
later, on the road to mount moon,
"I gotta say I'm impressed Lincoln. you were quick to see how the guy was trying to rip you off, and you got a handful of special pokeballs to boot including the cherish ball, "brock commented, as they were hiking along a trail.
"Yeah, but i have to admit, I was a bit worried that I was going to get ripped off during the whole conversation," Lincoln replied.
"You did great back there, Lincoln," brock said.
"he's right you know. most people would just buy into that kind of deal without a second thought, but you were sharp enough to figure it out immediately," misty added.
"Yeah. well, anyway, should we take a look at the map, or wait till we're closer to mount moon?" Lincoln asked.
"there's a Pokémon center at the base of mount moon, so let's wait until we're there before we look at the map?" brock replied.
Lincoln then noticed a big tree next to the Pokémon center filled with berries." wow look at this tree full of berries." Lincoln commented.
brock noticed the tree then looked shocked," this is the legendary berry tree, every 20 years this special tree grows with all the berries in one region, lucky for us we found it," brock commented.
"Then let's collect some, Pikachu iron tail," Lincoln said, as Pikachu hit the tree causing the berries to fall, there were a green berry with three yellow dots, a red berry with little spikes, a pink berry shape like an upside-down heart, a blue berry with little blue dots on it, a small red berry with a curled green thing attached to it, a berry with a red color on top and a yellow color at the bottom, a another pink berry with a target at the bottom with a three way opening lines, two red berries with one having a yellow color inside while the other one has a purple color inside, a round yellow berry, a berry with blue on one side and green on the other, a yellow berry with green circles on it, an orange berry that resembles a pinecone, a yellow grape berry, bananas with purple coloring at the bottom, a purple berry with little spikes, a berry with a question mark on it and so many more.
"Wow, what a horde, "Lincoln commented as he looked at the berries. "I know right, let's take these to the Pokémon center and sort them out," brock said as he was picking up the berries.
"Why are these berries so important?" Lincoln asked looking confused.
"Simple, these berries can help heal Pokémon and cure them of status like poison and paralyze, not only that people can use these berries in their recipes as well," brock explained, as he starts picking up the berries.
"Wow even people eat these berries?" Lincoln asked.
"Yup, when people eat them in their food it changes their appearances like me," misty said as she does a model pose not impressing Lincoln but liked the idea of growing muscles and thinking about giving them to his dad.
"Good idea," Lincoln said, as he helped brock pick up the berries, until he saw four apples next to the tree a pure red apple and an apple with a green color at the bottom while the other two looked normal with two leaves on top." hey apples might as well have a snack,' Lincoln said as he grabbed one of the clean red apples rubbed on his shirt then was about to take a bite until the apple opened its eyes then blinked.
"Huh," Lincoln said blinking until, AHHHHHHHHHHHH," Lincoln yelled as did the two apple creatures falling from Lincoln's arms.
"What going on?" misty asked, as she and brock came over." whoa link you almost ate a Pokémon," brock said.
"Pokémon?" Lincoln said confused pulling out his pokedex.
"Applin, the apple core Pokémon, a grass and dragon type." applin lives inside an apple, when its separated from its apple, it loses its moisture and grows weak," the pokedex explained.
"Wow, Pokémon that looks like an apple but a dragon type too," Lincoln said looking confused.
"Well, excuse us for not looking like a dragon, applin said feeling offended.
"Sorry about my friend, he's completely annoyed with trainers almost eating us all the time," the other applin explained.
Lincoln bent down to his knees" I'm sorry fellas I wasn't trying to offend you and sorry for almost eating you too," Lincoln said.
"Well, I guess we forgive you, if we can come with you because we both can tell you can help us get stronger," apllin said.
"Sure, and these other two apples won't go to waste," Lincoln said as he used two pokeballs getting ready to catch them until the two applins grabbed the two apples making them evolve one becoming a flying apple Pokémon while the other one turned into four legged one with an apple pie look on its back.
"Whoa, what are you two?" Lincoln asked pulling out his pokedex.
"flapple, the apple wing Pokémon, a grass and dragon type." it uses its own body fluid to repair its apple, a strong flapple that wins many battles have apples that are clay colored all over, this flapple knows dragon rage, grassnot, razor leaf, and whirlwind," the pokedex explained.
"appletun, the apple nectar Pokémon, a grass and dragon type." while some lechonk come along to lick the sweet nectar on appletun's back, it'll spew sticky nectar at the enemy to drive them away, this appletun knows dragon rage, grassnot, razor leaf, and energyball," the pokedex explained.
"Wow you guys sound strong alright," Lincoln said looking surprised.
"You know it, so can we still come along" flapple asked.
"Heck yeah," Lincoln said tossing two pokeballs catching both flapple and appletun, as in no time both of the pokeballs got sent to oak.
"Impressive Lincoln, you caught two more Pokémon already," misty said looking impressed.
"Thanks, misty," Lincoln said, as he finished helping brock gathering the berries.
"Well then let's head to the Pokémon center fellas," brock said.
"Alrighty then. by the way, why is it called 'mount moon' in the first place?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, it's because of an asteroid that fell to earth millions of years ago that slammed into the mountain. people call it the 'moon stone'," brock explained.
"Oh, what a romantic name!" misty gushed.
"That asteroid is how mount moon originally got its name. but among all the zubat, geodude, Onix, and paras that inhabit the mountain, there's one particular Pokémon that really catches the attention of trainers everywhere," brock continued his explanation.
"Could it be that incredibly rare Pokémon that guy was talking about?" Lincoln asked.
"As much as I hate to admit he's right, it is. the Pokémon's name is clefairy'. they're pretty skittish Pokémon, and don't come out very often, so people ever rarely see them, much less catch them," brock explained.
"Hmm, well, if we do end up running into any clefairy, I would like to try catching one, as well as a few other additions to the team along with flapple and appletun," Lincoln stated.
"Well good luck with that. as brock just said, clefairy are pretty shy, and don't come out in front of humans too often," misty replied.
"Well, you never know. maybe we'll get lucky," Lincoln replied. misty was about to say something to that, but came up with nothing, giving how lucky Lincoln's been since they've joined up. just then, the Pokémon center came into view.
"Well, there it is! we can study the map before we head over the mountain," brock said, as they made their way over to the Pokémon center, when...
"AAH! HELP"! a man's voice called out.
"someone's in trouble!" brock exclaimed, as they rushed over to the source of the scream. they soon arrived at the source, where they saw a man in a white lab coat being harassed by a bunch of small, blue colored bats.
"What are those they look familiar?" Lincoln question, whipping out his pokedex.
"zubat, the bat Pokémon, a poison and flying type. despite having no eyes, zubat can maneuver through dark caves using echolocation. because sunlight causes them to burn easily, zubat prefer to live in caves, and only venture out during the night," his pokedex explained.
suddenly an image of a herd of zubat appeared in s field at night in front of Lincoln with a boy looking like ren standing Infront of him smiling while holding what look like a notebook until.
"PLEASE, GET THESE ZUBAT AWAY FROM ME!" the man pleaded snapping Lincoln out of it.
"Pikachu, quick! use thundershock and scare them away! Lincoln instructed. Pikachu nodded, before firing off thundershock at the zubat, electrocuting the whole lot of them, as well as the man they were saving by mistake.
"Oops, my mistake," Pikachu winced, as the zubat flew back into the cave.
"Are you alright?" Lincoln said, as they rushed over to the man.
"Yes I am. thank you for saving me from those zubats. might I get the name of the youth that saved me?" the lab coat wearing man asked.
"it's Lincoln loud," Lincoln replied.
"Lincoln, I can't begin to express just how grateful I am to you! my name's Seymour by the way," the man said.
"Well Seymour, what was going on with those zubats? brock asked.
"Well, there's been some strange activity going on in mount moon, so I was sent out to investigate," Seymour replied.
"I see. could that strange activity be what was causing those zubats to attack you?" Lincoln asked.
"More than likely it was. all of the Pokémon that are living on mount moon have been behaving very strangely because of the activity, not just the zubat," seymour replied, before he noticed one zubat that was on the ground not too far from them," speaking of zubat, this one appears to have been paralized from pikachu's attack."
"Hang on, I have a paralyze heal," Lincoln said, as he got out a yellow spray bottle, before going over, and giving zubat a spritz. within seconds, zubat appeared to have been cured of its status ailment, "you know, this zubat kind of reminds me of one of my little sisters back home. I think I'll catch it," he said, as he rummaged around in his bag for a pokeball.
"Really? you're going to catch a zubat?" misty asked.
"Yeah. is that a problem?" Lincoln asked.
"Not really, but most people view zubat as just pests, and often ignore them. but it's your call," misty replied.
"You might want to use a luxury ball you got in pewter city. something good might happen if you grow closer to zubat, especially after it evolves into goldbat," brock suggested.
"Really? well, if you say so," Lincoln replied, as he got out the luxury ball, and tossed it at the zubat, sucking it into the ball. upon hitting the ground, the luxury ball rocked a few times before finally clicking shut.
"Would you like to add zubat to your party and send one Pokémon in your party and send one Pokémon in your party to storage?" his pokedex asked.
"Wait I can do that this whole time?" Lincoln asked surprised.
"Affirmative. trainers, upon catching certain Pokémon, can choose to either send them to storage or swap them out for a Pokémon in their party," the pokedex explained.
"Huh, that's handy. yes, I'll add zubat to my party," Lincoln replied.
"Please select which Pokémon you want to send to storage in zubat's place," the pokedex requested. Lincoln ended up sending poliwag back to storage, thus adding zubat to the team.
"So, what exactly is going on inside the mountain, Seymour?" Lincoln asked.
"it'll be easier to show you. follow me," the scientist said, leading the four trainers into the cave. upon entering, the four trainers shielded their eyes upon seeing how bright it was.
"Ack! why is so bright?" Lincoln questioned.
"it's because of those," Seymour replied, pointing to some floodlights that were set up along the cave, but the Pokémon need it to be dark, and as a result, they're becoming confused. just look over there," Seymour explained, pointing over to some orange crab like Pokémon pulling mushrooms off their backs, "these paras are planting their mushrooms, and over there," he said, pointing to a small, yellow mouse like Pokémon with a brick patterned body, "that sandshrew is completely dried out.
"The poor thing looks so thirsty," misty commented. Lincoln then pulled out his pokedex and scanned each Pokémon.
"Paras, the mushroom Pokémon, a bug and grass type. mushrooms, called 'tochukaso' grow on this Pokémon's back. they can be dried up and turned into powder for traditional medicines. this paras knows the moves scratch, stun spore, poison powder, absorb, and the egg move fell stinger.
"sandshrew, the mouse pokemon, a ground type. sandshrew's body is configured to absorb water without waste, enabling it to survive even the hardest of deserts. it curls up into a ball to protect against enemies. this sandshrew knows the moves poison sting, defence curl, rapid spin, fury cutter, magnitude, and the egg move metal claw," the pokedex explained.
"I'll give it some water," Lincoln said, as he got his thermos out, and poured some water into the cap, before offering it to sandshrew, "here, take some."
"Water...is that...for me...? so...thirsty," the sandshrew wheezed.
"Yes. take it," Lincoln replied. sandshrew needed no further encouragement, as she took the water, and drank it up happily.
"Ah, much better. I thank you, human," she said.
"No problem. would you like to..." Lincoln couldn't get in his question, as a loud echo roared through the caves. sandshrew ran off, as a rather ornery Onix erupted from the ground.
"a wild Onix! and it sure doesn't look too happy!" brock commented.
"you're right about that. run for it!" Seymour exclaimed, as the four of them ran away from the Onix as it gave chase.
"Are Onix always this temperamental?!" Lincoln screamed.
"Usually! Onix are solitary Pokémon that don't like trespassers, so they go on the attack whenever they get disturbed by something!" brock screamed back, as they rounded a corner, only to find themselves at a dead end.
"Oh man, now what do we do?!" misty exclaimed, as Onix finally caught up with them.
"Then we have no choice but to fight!" Lincoln said as he stepped forth. Onix roared again, this time summoning more Onix, as well as some geodude, "ok, that makes things a little tricky," he commented.
"we'll help out anyway we can," brock said, as he sent out his own Onix.
"that's right! alright, staryu, buizel, poliwhirl, let's go!" misty said, sending out her three Pokémon.
"Ok then. riolu, pidgeotto, Pikachu time to battle!" Lincoln said, as his three Pokémon emerged from their pokeballs. what he realized at the last second, he accidently sent out ralts and zubat.
"Oh boy! are we going to have a battle, Lincoln? who do I get to fight?" riolu asked excitedly.
"Boy, talk about energy," pidgeotto commented.
"he's young, just go with it," Pikachu replied.
"m-Mr. Lincoln, isn't this a little much for training? ralts asked timidly.
"And I'm still not fully recovered!" zubat called out.
"Sorry, it was just the other three I wanted to battle," Lincoln said, as he reached for their pokeballs, only for a roar from the Onix group to keep him from reaching them.
"I can handle battling the tougher ones. Onix use head butt, geodude use rollout, ryhorn use magnitude," brock said, as he sent out his Pokémon and did their attacks.
"I've never seen that Pokémon before," Lincoln said, as he took out his pokedex and pointed at ryhorn.
"ryhorn the spikes Pokémon, a ground and rock type. ryhorn's tackle is powerful enough to topple and skyscraper. however, since its brain is very small, it can sometimes forget why its charging in the first place.
"So, more brawn than brains," Lincoln said imagining ryhorn with Lynn's face.
"My, what fascinating specimens of Pokémon you youngsters have!" Seymour commented, nothing all the foreign Pokémon. the lead Onix fired off dragon breath at the group of Pokémon dodged.
"Ok, so that Onix knows dragon breath. got to watch out for it. Pikachu, pidgeotto, riolu, ralts, focus your attention on the geodude for now!" Lincoln instructed.
"Rodger that!" Pikachu replied.
"Sure thing, Lincoln! riolu replied.
"o-ok, I can do that," ralts replied.
"I would like to heal up a little first, but if I must," zubat replied.
"I would rather battle an Onix, but I can see that getting out of here takes priority," pidgeotto commented.
"Alright, Pikachu, use iron tail! pidgeotto, use steel wing! riolu, use vacuum wave! ralts, use disarming voice! and zubat...!" Lincoln then realized he didn't know any of zubat's moves. he then pulled out his pokedex.
"This zubat knows the moves absorb, bite, wing attack, astonish, supersonic, and the egg move giga drain," the pokedex explained.
"What kind of moves are absorb and giga drain?" Lincoln wondered.
"Info: absorb: a grass type move that damages the opponent, while simultaneously healing the user by half of the damage dealt. giga drain: a grass type move that is an even more power powerful variant of absorb," the pokedex explained.
"Ok, that works out perfectly! zubat, use absorb on one of the geodude!" Lincoln instructed.
"Absorb? well, good enough for me!" zubat replied, as he swooped down at one of the geodude, and bit down on it, sucking in some of its energy, "ah, just the kind of pick-me-up I needed! he said, sounding refreshed.
"Good for you, because we need some backup! pikachu called out, as he swung his iron tail, smacking away some of the geodude. rilou and pidgeotto were having the time of their lives, as the former fired bullets of compressed air at some more of the geodude, while the latter smacked them away with steel wing. ralts was the only one struggling a little, as his attack of an odd soundwave, while was dealing with the geodude, was proving a little taxing.
"If you need to switch it up, ralts, don't hesitate to use confusion," Lincoln urged.
"o-ok, my throat was starting to get a little sore anyway," ralts replied, as he began to use a telekinetic power to hurl some incoming geodude away.
"Onix use dragon breath!" brock instructed. his Onix fired dragon breath as a number of the geodude that were surrounding it, "great! keep it up!"
"Alright, staryu, poliwirl, buizel, triple water pulse!" misty instructed. her three water Pokémon all fired three consecutive water pulse attack, finishing of the last of the geodude, "ok, I think that's the last of them,"
"Then let's escape while they're down and get far away from the leader!" Seymour suggested. the three trainers agreed, and recalled their Pokémon. Lincoln was about to recall ralts, when the lead Onix appeared and bellowed again, slamming its body into the cave wall, sending rocks towards the travelers, namely ralts.
"WATCH OUT, RALTS!" Lincoln called out, as he dived in to save his newly acquired psychic Pokémon, taking the rock to the head, as scooped up ralts in an effort to protect him. Lincoln was beginning to lose consciousness, but the last thing he saw a man with green hair and a pink Pokémon, calling to the others, urging to follow them out of the cave.
Lincoln's room (?)
"Oh man, my head is ponding!" Lincoln commented, as he sat up. upon opening his eyes, he was met with a sight he thought he'd never see again. he was in his bedroom, "huh? it's my room? but I could've sworn I was on mount moon," he commented, as he got out of his bed, and exited his room, how did i wind up back home?"
"Morning, Lincoln!" he was greeted by Lana, a companied by Lola, "you sure slept in pretty late today."
"Well, it was the first time in a while he's been allowed to sleep in his own bed, Lana," Lola replied.
"Wait, what's going on?" Lincoln asked, sounding really confused.
"You feeling alright, Lincoln? you're acting a little strangely," Lola commented.
"He must still be groggy. maybe a stack of pancakes will wake him up. after all, today is his day," Lana replied.
"My day? what do you mean?" Lincoln asked.
"Are you telling me you've forgotten already? we're doing everything we can today to make up for all the mistreatment you endured last week!" Lola explained, as she and her twin took his hands, and led him downstairs, where the rest of his sisters were waiting on the couch.
"Well, looks who's finally up," Luna commented, upon seeing Lincoln.
"Can someone refresh my memory on what's going on?" Lincoln asked, playing along.
"today's all about you, little brother. we're making amends for what we did to you in the whole bad luck mess," Luan replied.
"Yeah, we never meant to become hippos," Leni added.
"that's 'hypocrite', Leni," Lisa clarified. Lynn approached Lincoln, a somber look on her face.
"Lincoln...about what I did, and how i treated you like a curse...I want to say that I'm sorry. it turns out the softball gods were punishing me for threatening you with my bat just to get you to come to my game. can you find it in your heart to forgive me?" she asked sincerely.
"Uh...sure thing," Lincoln was more confused than ever. he was sure he was in kanto.
"By the way, bro dad made five of these, just for you!" Lori said, as she walked out with a brown nugget size of a basketball that Lincoln immediately recognized," there's four more in the kitchen," Lincoln no longer cared if this was a dream, he would never say no to a mac-and-cheese bite.
at camp, somewhere on mount moon,
"Mmm, mac and cheese bites," Lincoln said in his sleep, as he started chewing on the pillow he was resting on. brock, misty, and Pikachu were trying their hardest not to laugh at the sight.
"Must be a nice dream he's having, eh brock?" misty asked.
"Must be, but what is a mac and cheese bite?" brock questioned.
"Who knows? anyhow, should we wake him up?" misty asked.
"Good idea," brock replied.
"Pikachu, would you please do the honors?" misty asked.
"Sure thing," Pikachu replied, as he let out a thunder shock, causing him to sit up, yelping in pain.
"Yow! what's that for?!" Lincoln exclaimed, as he rubbed his head. he then took notice that they were in a tent, "wait, weren't we just in a cave?"
"Yeah, but after that rock to the head knocked you out, a man named bill' found us and brought us to safety, where we set up camp for the night, and placed you inside the tent so you can recover," brock replied. Lincoln took a moment to recollect his thoughts before he blacked out, when he realized something.
"Wait, where's ralts?! Lincoln exclaimed, realizing he wasn't able to recall ralts in time.
"don't worry. we took the liberty of calling him to his pokeball while you were out," misty reassured.
"Ok, that's good to hear. so, what about this 'bill guy?" Lincoln asked.
"he's outside talking to Seymour," brock replied. Lincoln then got out of the cot he was sleeping on, and the three of them exited the tent. upon exiting, Lincoln saw Seymour talking to the green haired man he saw before blacking out. nearby was a pot cooking over a fire.
"Is that bill, and what's cooking?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. he helped us out in finding this place and patching you up, as for your second question I'm cooking stew with some of the berries we got from the tree," brock replied, as he called out to the two of them, "hey Seymour! Lincoln's awake!" catching both men's attention. brock went back to his stew to finish it up to serve to everyone.
"Ah, good! I was worried there for a second. how are you feeling?" Seymour asked the young American as brock gave him a bowl of stew along with everyone else to enjoy.
"Still a bit groggy from getting knocked out, but otherwise, I'm fine," Lincoln replied, before turning to the green hair man, "so, you're bill I take it?"
"Indeed I am. I heard quite a bit about you from my colleague, professor oak. it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lincoln," bill replied, shaking hands with Lincoln.
"it's nice to meet you too. so, I'm guessing you must be a trainer? Lincoln asked.
"Well, how can I put this? I do have a team of Pokémon on my side, but I'm actually more interested in learning about Pokémon, rather than battling them," bill replied.
"Ah, so you're a researcher, just like professor oak," Lincoln replied.
"Precisely. although, my research isn't as officially recognized as the professor's, but it's still quite the bit of research. that being said, I'm famous around the kanto region for another reason."
"You see, bill here is responsible for developing the Pokémon storage and transporter system," Seymour explained.
"Wait, YOU built the system?!" misty exclaimed.
"Well, yes but it's not that big of a deal even though I also made possible to transport berries and berry potas," bill said modestly.
"Not a big deal my foot! it's the most important invention in the history of everything relating to Pokémon!" misty exclaimed.
"Would you say that you share Misty's sentiments on my systems, brock?" bill asked.
"of course! without it, we wouldn't be able to put Pokémon into storage or send them across long distances," brock replied.
"And what about you?" bill asked Lincoln.
"I like using it. although..." Lincoln commented.
"Although?" bill parroted, curious as to Lincoln's criticism.
"It seems a little convenient to only be able to use the system at the Pokémon center, but I love the idea of transporting these berries to my family," Lincoln replied. bill only laughed.
"Well, you'll be happy to know that I'm developing a new subsystem for the pokedex, that can allow for trainers to swap Pokémon and berries out from their storage boxes, even when they're not at the Pokémon center," bill replied.
"Wait, really?" Lincoln asked.
"Indeed. several of my colleagues from around the world are currently working on trying to develop this Pokémon box link. there are a few kinks to work out, but when it's up and operational, all compatible pokedexes can have it added to their systems," bill replied.
"Wow, that'll be more than handy," brock commented.
"Indeed. so, what brings you to mount moon, bill?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, I was originally coming here to visit some friends of mine, when I ran into you lot. while you were unconscious, Seymour filled me in on the lights that were set up inside the caves, so I thought I might help with the investigation," bill replied.
"What kind of friends?" Lincoln asked as he and everyone else cleaned and gave brock their bowls of finished stews.
"See for yourself," bill said, pointing to a clearing. as if on cue, a harmonious song echoed through the area, and several pink Pokémon with brown tipped ears emerged from hiding.
"Whoa, those are cleffa, clefairy, and clefable!" misty exclaimed.
"Wow, so many in one place!" brock commented. Lincoln pulled out his pokedex.
"cleffa, the star shape Pokémon, a fairy type. according to local rumors, cleffa are often seen in places where shooting stars land. this cleffa knows the moves pound, splash, copycat, metronome, and sing.
"clefairy, the fairy Pokémon, a fairy type, and the evolved form of cleffa. it's said that happiness will come to those who see clefairy dancing under the full moon. this clefairy knows the moves metronome, sing, pound, and double slap.
"clefable, the fairy Pokémon, a fairy type, and the evolved form of clefairy. because its hearing is so acute as to hear a pin drop from a mile away, it prefers to live on quiet mountains. this clefable knows the moves metronome, minimize, double slap, disarming voice, sing, and wake up slap," his pokedex explained.
"Could these be the rare Pokémon that shop keeper in pewter city told us about?" Lincoln asked.
"Most likely," brock replied. upon noticing bill, all the fairy type Pokémon happily rushed over.
"I'm just glad to see all of you as well," bill happily greeted. the other four humans then noticed a particular clefable that was noticeably larger than the rest of the colony, and had green tipped ears.
"Whoa, is that what I think it is?" misty questioned, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"If you're referring to that shiny clefable, then you're not imagining it, because I see it too!" brock replied.
"And judging by the size, that clefable must be the leader of the colony," Seymour theorized.
"Well, let's have a look," Lincoln said, as he pointed his pokedex at the massive clefable," says it's really strong, so it must be the leader."
upon seeing the new humans, the shiny clefable turned to bill, "friend bill, who are these humans?"
"Ah, you needn't worry. these are friends," bill replied.
"Wait, are able to understand what Pokémon are saying too?" Lincoln asked. bill and Seymour looked very surprised by the question.
"Well, it's more like I can sense what they're feeling, based on gestures," bill replied.
"What do you mean 'able to understand what Pokémon are saying too'?" Seymour asked.
"it's kind of a long story, but to make it quick, professor oak told me it could be because of this," Lincoln said, as he showed both scientists the rainbow wing. needless to say, the two of them were shocked.
"Why, that's a rainbow wing!" Seymour exclaimed.
"that's not something just anyone can possess. where did you find it?" bill asked. Lincoln explained everything, how he encountered ho-oh before he set out on his journey," my word, one can never be lucky enough to encounter a legendary Pokémon like ho-oh BEFORE starting their journey!"
"Yeah, but even since I got this thing, I've been able to understand what Pokémon say," Lincoln replied, as he put the rainbow wing away. one clefairy, who also had noticeably green tipped ears, looked up at Lincoln.
"Hey, aren't you that human that got knocked out by that rock earlier?"
"don't remind me. my head still hurts from the impact," Lincoln replied, rubbing his head, before realizing something based on what this clefairy had just said, wait, could you be the same clefairy i saw before passing out?'
"Yes, I am! when I saw you and your friends being chased by that Onix, I rushed off to try and find help. wish I could've gotten help a lot sooner," the clefairy replied.
"Well, at least you got me some help. I'm just glad it wasn't life threatening. so, for that, i thank you," Lincoln said, giving the clefairy a slight hug.
"Hehe, that tickles!" the clefairy giggled. taking this as their cue, misty, brock, and Seymour all began to socialize with the rest of the colony, becoming quick friends with them. the head clefable looked on with interest, before walking over to Lincoln.
"From what I've seen, it would appear that my colony has accepted you and your companions as friends. if it's alright, i would like you and your friends to accompany my colony to our evolution ceremony," the head cleflable said with a smile.
"An evolution ceremony? what's that?" Lincoln asked.
"From what I understand, their evolution ceremony is held whenever the clefairy in the colony reach a certain age or level, which is meant to help them evolve into clefable. it's sort of like a coming-of-age ritual for them, and one that has never been seen by human eyes," bill explained.
"That sounds like a real experience!" misty exclaimed.
"I would love to see that for myself!" brock added.
"To bear witness to something like this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity," Seymour added.
"Then I guess its unanimous. we would be honored to accompany you and your colony to the evolution ceremony," Lincoln said to the head clefable.
"How splendid! if you'll just follow me, I'll lead you to our most sacred grounds," the head clefable said, as he led his colony from the clearing and to cave entrance, followed by Lincoln and company. however, none of them realized that they were being watched by those with nefarious intentions.
"all to easy, alright follow them." the mysterious voice said.
"ROGER!" the four grunts said, as they followed closely.
inside the cave,
"So, bill is there a reason for these headband things?" Lincoln asked, as they were all being led by the colony towards the ceremonial grounds. they were all wearing headbands that looked to have been made from feathers of a kind.
"From what I understand, the colony usually wear these types of head ornaments during their evolution ceremony. the reason we're wearing them is to follow said customs," bill explained.
"I see. so basically, while in Rome, do as the romans do," Lincoln replied.
"Precisely. I must say that I'm impressed that you know of such a saying," bill commented.
"Something I picked up from my sisters," Lincoln replied.
"So, bill, have you been to these ceremonial grounds before?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, I have. you should all feel very lucky for being allowed to see it, since they are very scared grounds to the colony," bill replied, as they came to a stop in a large den," speaking of which we arrived."
"Whoa," was all Lincoln could utter at the sight he and the others were beholding. in the middle of a large clearing, surrounded by trees sat a massive glowing rock. the azure light from the stone was causing a nearby lake to shimmer slightly, adding to the mystique.
"it's breathtaking!" Seymour said in awe.
"it's like a fantasy story," brock commented.
"Indeed, it is. I had a very similar reaction when I was brought here for the first time," bill replied.
"That big rock in the center there, could be...?"
"Yes Lincoln, that is the very meteor that crashed into this mountain in prehistoric times that has come to be known as the moon stone," bill replied, until suddenly an explosion made a hole in the wall next to the stone.
a green hair woman and her grunts appeared out of the hole in the wall. "Well, well, well, what do we have hear? an entire colony of cleffa, clefairy, and clefable, as well as the moon stone to boot. glad to see that the old legends weren't just stories," she said in a mocking tone, as they approached. upon seeing the "R" on their uniforms, Lincoln realized who they are.
"You're team rocket am I right," he questioned.
"Indeed, we are. but unlike those two bumbling morons and their stupid cat, we're actually dangerous," the green haired woman replied, before recognizing his face," oh! you must be that American trainer that thwarted the viridian city heist! well, don't expect the same kind of luck you had then to help you out now!"
"But it's your lucky day, brat! we're just hear for the moon stone, so you and your friends get of easy!" one of the grunts stated.
"You want this moon stone; you'll have to go through us first!" Lincoln declared.
"If that's the way you want to play it, then so be it," the black clad woman said, as she and her cohorts tossed their pokeballs, releasing several zubat, ekans, koffing, rattata, sandshrew, and some purple sludge Pokémon.
"what's that thing?" Lincoln questioned, pointing his pokedex at the new Pokémon.
"grimer, the sludge Pokémon, a poison type. grimmer came into being when sludge was transformed from X rays from the moon. it feeds on sewage, and its footprints are so filthy, that not even weeds grow back from grimer walks," his pokedex explained.
"Sounds like something that even Lana could have difficulty liking maybe," Lincoln thought to himself, as he and his friends get ready to battle by calling out zubat, only to be stopped by the head clefable.
"Please don't trouble yourself with these intruders. as our guest, please leave this to us."
"Are you sure? we can help," Lincoln offered.
"Very appreciative, but we have enough firepower to drive off these intruders," the head clefable replied.
"Well, if you say so," Lincoln said, as he put away his pokeball, guys let them handle this.
no sooner the colony raised their arms, and started waving their fingers back and forth.
"What are these pixies doing?" one of the grunts questioned.
"it's their metronome attack!" Seymour exclaimed.
"metronome'?" Lincoln asked.
info: metronome: a normal type move that turns into a random move," his pokedex explained, as the colony let out a cry, while surrounded by a white aura.
"Is that all? we were all worried for nothing! now let's get moving boys!" the green haired womaned ordered. however, the colony began to fire hyper beam to team rocket sending them through the sky, leaving the trainers surprised.
"Now that the intruders are gone, we can get back to the ceremony," the head clefable said, as the ceremony begins.
"If I may ask, what made you want to catch me earlier?" zubat asked Lincoln snapping him out of it.
"Well, you remind me of my little sisters back home, on account that she likes dark places and bats. I would think she'd to meet a Pokémon like you. besides, i want to give each Pokémon I catch a chance," Lincoln explained.
"a girl that likes dark places and bats? sounds good to me!"
"I'm sure she'll love meeting you. and my other little sister, the genius of the family is working on the transporter machine so i can send Pokémon to the states, just so she can observe them but the rest of my family will be a challenge too," Lincoln replied.
"I can't wait to meet and scare your family a little and I'm glad to meet you too," zubat said.
as the clefairy dance half came in contact with the moon stone began to evolved into clefable. everyone looked amazed as the ceremony ends.
the group head back to camp, "that ceremony was amazing it was worth it," Lincoln said, as he gets ready for bed with the others feeling a little nervous sleeping outside again.
the next morning, at camp,
Lincoln woke up first, and quietly excited the tent, so he won't disturb brock, or misty, who were still asleep. however, upon leaving the tent, he saw neither bill or Seymour, huh, wonder where they went?" Lincoln questioned, before noticing a note on the tent and what look like a portable pot for berry planting.
to Lincoln, misty, and brock,
if you're reading this, then I've left for my lighthouse on cerulean cape. i would've like to say goodbye, but i need to return home to write out my report. in any case, come by my lighthouse sometime if you want to visit,
yours truly, bill.
p.s. I left you a berry porta for your berries when you're gardening on the go. also, Seymour is taking the lights down so team rocket doesn't find the moon stone again and will return to his lab when he's done.
"We found you just in time! we've been looking for you all morning," he turned to see the shiny clefairy was one of the clefairy to evolved into a clefable last night, along with two cleffa and clefairy, along with a sandshrew and paras.
"Hey fellas, what brings you hear? come to see us off?" Lincoln asked.
"Not quite. we want to join you on your journey," one of the cleffa replied.
"Really?" Lincoln sounded surprised by this.
"of course. after all, you're a kind person and i want to help out, so does paras," sandshrew replied.
"And each of us want to see the world beyond mount moon, we already got head clefable's permission. the three of us will join on your journey, but these two wants to engage in the wonder trade we've heard from passing humans," clefable added, motioning to the fairy Pokémon who want to wonder traded.
"Sounds good to me," Lincoln said, as he pulled out two dusk balls and a moon ball.
first you three Lincoln tosses the dusk balls at sandshrew and paras catching them, while he uses the moon ball on clefable catching it too. next he uses two normal pokeballs for cleffa and clefairy catching them both.
"Would you like to add any Pokémon you caught to your team?" his pokedex asked.
"Not at the moment," Lincoln replied, as all six pokeballs vanished in a flash of light." hmm, I wonder what new Pokémon I'll get on the wonder trade in cerulean city.
That's chapter 16. I also thought it would be funny for Lincoln to mistake applin for a real apple. I also decided to give Lincoln the cherish ball for his biggest challenge yet, I bet you can't figure it out but if you can it'll be in the story, also the herd of zubat is from legends arceus as a memory, but Lincoln doesn't know that yet. just to let you know everyone ate the stew while having their conversation.
Arthor's note: can anyone guess the berries Lincoln found in this chapter add more that I can't describe show your knowledge in Pokémon.
Lincoln's team
Pikachu (male)
moves: thunderbolt, iron tail, quick attack, electroball.
Fearow (female) at oaks lab
moves: drill peck, wing attack, gust, brave bird.
poliwag (male) at oaks lab
moves: hypnosis, water sport, and water gun.
pidgeotto (female)
Moves: gust, whirlwind, sand attack, tackle, brave bird, steel wing, and quick attack.
butterfree (male) at oaks lab
moves: sleep powder, stun spore, confusion, and psybeam.
beedrill (shiny) (male)
poison sting, string shot, bug bite, harden.
riolu (male)
moves: quick attack, endure, counter, metal claw, and egg move vacuum wave
ralts (male)
moves: confusion, double team, disarming voice, teleport, and egg move misty terrain.
Flapple (male) at oaks lab
moves: dragon rage, grassnot, razor leaf, and whirlwind.
Appletun (female) at oaks lab
moves: dragon rage, grassnot, razor leaf, and energyball.
zubat (male)
moves: absorb, supersonic, bite, wing attack, astonish, and giga drain.
paras
moves: scratch, stun spore, poison powder, absorb, and fell stinger.
sandshrew (female)
moves: poison sting, defence curl, rapid spin, fury cutter, magnitude, and metal claw
clefable (male)
moves: metronome, minimize, double slap, disarming voice, sing, and wake up slap.