Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 18: The Big Game
Later that morning,
The Louds were all seated at the breakfast table, enjoying a nice breakfast before they were to head out to the softball park for Lynn's game. Speaking of Lynn, her similarly named father gave her a smile, "So Junior, you ready for the game today?" he asked.
"You bet Dad! I did some heavy duty praying to the softball gods last night and this morning. But I think this game is going to be a breeze," Lynn boasted.
"Good to hear. And what about the rest of you? Are you all looking forward to it as well?" Lynn Sr. asked. However, he didn't get a response from any one of them, as they were focused on eating their food, or just absentmindedly poking at their food. It was this kind of behavior that confirmed one thing to the Loud patriarch: they all had something on their minds. He then turned back to his sporty daughter, "Speaking of breezes, Junior, I heard that it was supposed to be rather breezy today."
"It's the winds of change, Dad! Now that that rotten jinx is on the other side of the world, I have nothing to fear from his bad luck!" Lynn replied confidently. At this comment, someone else broke the silence in response to Lynn's boasting.
"You must really be fixated on these baseless accusations you're making towards our brother, Lynn. Let's just hope you can actually back up your words, otherwise you'll be eating a nice helping of humble pie," Lisa stated bluntly.
"Shut up, you little traitor! No one ever asked for YOUR input," Lynn snapped.
"Girls, that's quite enough!" Lynn Sr. warned, only to go ignored, as Lisa delivered her retort.
"You know, Lynn? Its that kind of bad attitude that's probably what caused your original loss in the first place!" Lisa spat.
"Are you actually saying it was MY fault that my team lost that game?!" Lynn screamed, holding her fist up to the little genius, who refused to be intimidated by the jock sister.
"As a matter of fact, I am! And I'm hoping that you do lose your game today, so that you can hopefully find something or someone else to blame other than our brother!" Lisa countered.
"Well, just wait till we get home, and I can tell you and that other traitor, Lucy, all about how I won my game! Speaking of which, here are my chores for the day. I expect them done by the time we get home," Lynn said, handing Lisa a slip of paper with a list of chores on it.
"Girls, that's not…" Lynn Sr. only went unheard, as Lisa and Lucy both left the dining room.
"Fine with us! We look forward to hearing all about how you lose!" Lisa spat, as she and her sister retreated back upstairs.
"What is this all about?" Lynn Sr. demanded, finally being acknowledged by his daughters.
"Lucy and Lisa had the brilliant idea to go behind Lynn's back and apologize to Lincoln when he called last night. Now, not only do they have to do all of Lynn's chores for an entire month as punishment, but they're also banned from her softball games for rest of the season. And I say its what they get for going against family," Lori replied.
"I'll go and talk to them. Hopefully I can get them to come to the game," Lynn Sr. said, getting up from his seat, only to be stopped by his wife.
"Let them go, Lynn. I already gave them my blessings to stay home for the day," Rita said.
"Rita, you know that's not how our family works. We have to support each other, no matter what," Lynn Sr. replied, only to get a look from Rita, "Uh, Rita? Are you alright?" he asked, feeling uncomfortable at the look his wife was giving him.
"'We have to support each other, no matter what'? How can you say that when we weren't there for our son when he needed us?" Rita asked, a cold look in her eyes. Their daughters felt the overwhelming ambience grow, as tensions between their parents.
"Rita, that was different. We had to put the rest of the family first. We couldn't risk Lincoln's bad luck bringing more harm to us," Lynn Sr. replied.
"Bad luck is NOT an excuse! How can you say something so awful about our own son?!" Rita snapped, causing her husband and daughters to flinch.
"But honey, he's…" Lynn Sr. didn't get a chance to finish his thought.
"I don't care! We broke the law by locking him out of the house, Lynn! And for what? A stupid superstition?!" Rita yelled.
"But they're not stupid, Mom! He really is…" Lynn cut herself off when her mother shot her a cold glare. Rita then turned back to her husband.
"You have some nerve to say that we need to be there for each other when we weren't there for our own flesh and blood!" Rita stated harshly. Her husband was unable to come up with any sort of rebuttal, as she then turned to Lynn, "And you, Junior, none of this would've been happening if you had just respected your brother's choice to not come to your game instead of threatening him with your bat, and blaming him for your loss! That is NOT how a true athlete is supposed to act!"
"But he did cause my loss that day, I just know it! Besides, it was Lincoln himself who spread the word about his bad luck in the first place!" Lynn countered, getting to her feet.
"All because you gave him the idea of spreading the word about bad luck, if there was such a thing!" Rita snapped, looking around at her family in disgust, "And we all bought into this superstition for the sake of our own self-preservation!" she said, returning a glare to her husband, "So much for all that talk about never abandoning any of our children!"
"Honey, that's…." Lynn Sr. was once again cut off when Rita began ranting again.
"Well no longer! As of this moment onward, ALL notions of bad luck are hereby banned from this house! Anyone who tries to test this ban will be slapped with a strike. Get three strikes, and all of that daughter/sister's events will be canceled immediately! Do I make myself clear?" Rita declared.
"But Mom, that's so unfair! Lincoln is…!" Lynn once again didn't get a chance to finish her complaint with the harsh glare shot at her by her mother.
"Is. That. Clear?" Rita asked, enunciating each word. It was clear that she wasn't going to budge from where she was standing.
"CRYSTAL," her daughters all said.
"Good. And Junior?" Rita said to her sporty daughter, "Your father and I are the only ones who administer punishments. So your little punishment you gave Lucy and Lisa regarding your chores for the next month is null and void," she stated.
"Ok," Lynn replied, not happy that the punishment she thought was perfectly just was shot down.
"Alright then. I'm going to go pack Lily's baby bag. I've lost my appetite," Rita said, as she left the dining room. Lynn Sr. slumped down in his chair.
"Oh boy, with how strained things are getting in the family, maybe sending Lincoln away wasn't such a good idea," he commented. The rest of breakfast was awkward to say the least.
'Oh man, its bad enough when Lynn was on Lucy and Lisa's case about apologizing to Lincoln, but now Mom's pretty cheesed off at us. Why do I feel that things are about to get even worse?' Luna thought to herself, unaware that in the coming days, she would be proven right.
Meanwhile, in another part of town, namely the McBride residence,
Ronnie Anne was making her way up to the front door of Clyde's house. Her thoughts were on the message she had received from Lisa last night, and what sort of answers she had to the questions regarding Lincoln's whereabouts. She wanted to go over as soon as she was able to, but she needed Clyde, who was just as curious about Lincoln's location as she was. She ringed the doorbell to her friend's house. A moment passed, before the door opened, revealing Clyde, "Hey Ronnie Anne, what brings you over?"
"A lead, McBride. Last night, I got a message from Lisa, telling me to come over while her family was at Lynn's dumb softball game," Ronnie Anne replied. Clyde was surprised.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes. Hopefully, this can provide answers to where Lame-O is," Ronnie Anne replied.
"Well, I guess I have some free time. And since we're being invited over, we're not actually breaking and entering, so it's all good," Clyde contemplated.
"So, you're in?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Of course. Lincoln and I are like brothers, and bros look out for one another. Just let me check in with my Dads and we can go," Clyde replied.
"Ok. Just make it quick. I don't know when the game starts or how long it'll last, so the sooner we learn the truth, the better," Ronnie Anne said, as she waited outside for him. While she was waiting, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't going to like the answers Lisa will give them.
Meanwhile, at the Royal Woods Softball Field, in the Squirrel's Locker Rooms,
Lynn and Margo were getting ready for the game, changing into their uniforms. All the while, Lynn's demeanor was still a bit dour from what transpired at the breakfast table that morning, "Lynnsanity? You ready to tear it up out there?" Margo asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Lynn replied, not sounding as chipper as her friend.
"Alright, you're usually more upbeat about game day than this. What's eating you?" Margo asked.
"Eh, I just had a spat with the rest of my family earlier this morning. Nothing to major to worry about. So, who are we taking on again?" Lynn asked.
"Don't tell me you went and forgot already? We're taking on the softball team from Beaverton, you know, the worst team in the league?" Margo reminded her friend. It was then that Lynn remembered.
"Oh yeah, the Beavers! This game is going to more of a cakewalk than I realized, especially without that rotten brother of mine ruining things like he did when we were going up against the Lions," Lynn exclaimed. For the record, she was right about the Beaverton Beavers. In their long history as a softball team, they were so terrible, that they had never once won a single game. Lynn even declared them to be the "jobbers of the softball world". It also didn't help that their team name sounded incredibly stupid.
"Your brother? You mean that kid in the orange shirt with the white hair? I thought you'd be happy for him to be here supporting you?" Margo asked.
"After how he jinxed our Championship game out of spite, I don't want him or his stupid bad luck anywhere near the softball field, even after softball season," Lynn growled.
"Wait, you actually think your brother is the cause of our loss that day?" Margo asked.
"He had to be! I can't think of any other reason we would've lost that day!" Lynn replied.
"Did you ever think that there was some other reason we lost that day, Lynn? One that doesn't involve luck of any kind?" Margo asked.
"Psh, yeah right, what other reason could there be?" Lynn questioned. Margo was going to tell her, when…
"Alright girls, it's game time!" the coach called out.
"Well, time to get us a quick and easy win!" Lynn proclaimed, as she made her way to the exit.
"It'll have to be really quick, Lynn. Some of the others are having stomach pains as of late," one of her teammates said.
"Yeah, don't you think it's time we forgot the whole 'no number 2 until we're number 1' rule, even if its just this one time?" another teammate asked, but Lynn remained stubborn.
"No way! We're not breaking our good luck rituals now! Especially not if we're up against a jobber team like the Beavers," she declared, as she marched out to the field.
"Ugh, how did someone like her get to be captain of even one of our school's teams?" the first teammate questioned, as they all followed after their captain.
Out on the field,
"Today seems like a good day for a game, eh Pep?" one of the commentators asked, looking over at his unenthusiastic partner.
"Sure, if you think the Beavers loosing even qualifies as a 'game'. *Sigh*, let's just get this over with," Pep replied, using his arm to prop up his head. In the stands, the Loud family were among the crowd, cheering for the home team, having just been joined by Bobby.
"I'm so happy that you made it, Boo-Boo Bear! It really means a lot to me and the rest of my family," Lori said, sitting next to her boyfriend.
"Sure thing, babe, no problem," Bobby replied, sounding a bit distracted at the thought of what he had to do. While he did trust Lori, he didn't want to disappoint his little sister. Besides, he knew Lori wouldn't lie to him, right?
"Bobby? Is something bothering you?" Lori asked.
"Yeah, it's nothing too serious, but…" Bobby replied.
"But?" Lori asked.
"But, last night, Nie-Nie talked to me about a little mystery surrounding your brother," Bobby finally spat out. Lori was starting to get nervous, but she was able to keep her cool, "She told me that when she and the Clydester were at your house the other day, asking about where your brother is, and said that you had no idea where he is or when he'll be back. So please, for her sake, can you tell me the truth?" he asked. Lori was now full on internally panicking. She didn't want Bobby to know the real reason about Lincoln's whereabouts, but she didn't want to lie either. Then, she got an idea.
"Well, he's volunteered to help out a friend of our grandfather's over in Japan with some animal biology work," Lori ultimately replied. It wasn't technically a lie, as it was technically true.
"Out of the country? Really?" Bobby asked.
"It's all true," Lori replied, hoping that he would drop the issue. Fortunately for her, he chose to leave it at that.
"Well, if that's all there is to it, then I'll take your word for it. Nie-Nie will be so happy to hear this. While she won't admit it out loud, she's been worried about Lincoln since she noticed he went missing," Bobby replied.
"It's like I always said, those two are literally meant for each other, unlike that Misty hussy he's hanging out with," Lori mumbled the last bit under her breath.
"What was that, Lori?" Bobby asked, unable to hear Lori.
"Oh, uh, nothing important, Boo-Boo Bear," Lori quickly replied, as the game was getting ready to start.
"Alright, first up to bat is the Squirrel's Ace Player, Lynn Loud Jr.," the announcer said.
"And… it looks like she's once again doing her clownish good luck rituals," Pep replied with a bored yawn, as Lynn was in fact doing her lucky rituals – lifting her leg, turning her helmet a full 360 degrees, tossing a few clods of dirt over her shoulder, slapping her right cheek, and doing a Cossack dance.
"Seems to me that Lynn Loud Jr. puts more faith into her good luck rituals than she does into her own natural talents. How do you think that would affect her ability to play, Pep?" the announcer asked.
"Seeing as how many games she's 'won' during her career as an athlete, I would say that all her lucky rituals are good for is helping her focus. Being able to deliver on actual physical prowess is another story, especially if she hasn't practiced the game itself, or just trying different strategies. Either way, it's just going to be a snooze fest for me," Pep replied, as one of the opposing team's pitcher was on the mound, ready to throw the first pitch. Lynn readied herself as well, as the first pitch was thrown. However, a fairly strong gust of wind knocked the ball off course, and out of the way of Lynn's bat as she swung.
"STRIKE ONE!" the umpire called.
"Oh! I don't seem to remember the Beavers ever being able to get a strike on anyone," the announcer commented.
"There was the game where the Beavers took on the Lions back in '82. They still lost though," Pep yawned.
Lynn was flabbergasted, "How did… Never mind. It was just a fluke pitch. No way it could happen again," she said to herself, as the second pitch was thrown, only to once again be blown off course by a gust of wind, causing Lynn's bat to miss.
"STRIKE TWO!" the umpire called.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Lynn complained, as she readied herself for her third and final chance to hit the ball, as it was thrown. Like before, the ball was blown off course, this time by a particularly powerful gust of wind, changing the ball's trajectory…
SMACK!
The sound of the ball hitting Lynn right in the face thundered through the softball field, as she was knocked down. She muttered something while the ball was in her face. The umpire went to see if she was alright, and gave her a pitying look when he saw the black eye the impact had left her with.
"Ooh, that had to hurt! Talk about a rough start to the day for Lynn Loud Jr. ladies and gentlemen," the announcer commented, as the umpire helped Lynn back onto her feet. It was only then that the pain from the impact finally exploded, causing her to hold her face, hissing in pain.
"Ow, that really stings!" she said.
"You know the rules, Loud. Get walking," the umpire said, only to go ignored, as Lynn stormed her way up onto the pitchers mound.
"You hit me in the face on purpose!" Lynn accused.
"Hey, back off, Loud! I was aiming for the catcher's mitten!" the Beaver's pitcher said defensively.
"Bull-crap! I know you did it on purpose!" Lynn retorted.
"You'd better back off, Loud! I swear I wasn't even trying to aim for your face!"
"LIAR!" Lynn said, jabbing the opposing pitcher with her bat. Before things escalated, the umpire pulled her back, and pointed to the first base, a commanding look on his face. Lynn stuck her tongue out at the pitcher, before making her way over to the first base. As she did, Margo was next up to bat. The pitcher threw the first ball, and Margo swung. However, the bat slipped out of her hand, and flew directly at Lynn's face, knocking her to the ground again.
"Oh my gosh! Are you alright, Lynnsanity?!" Margo exclaimed, rushing over to her friend's side, ignoring the umpire's orders to return to home plate.
"Garbage day is a very dangerous day," Lynn said, still in a daze.
"Again, right in the kisser! That had to hurt, wouldn't you say, Pep?" the announcer asked.
"Not too sure, but I think she may have lost a few teeth," Pep replied.
"Ok, that's not quite what I had in mind."
Lynn started to come around, "Oh man, that really hurt! What the heck, Margo?!" she exclaimed.
"Sorry, it was an accident, I swear!" Margo apologized, as Lynn got back onto her feet. Margo then winced upon seeing Lynn's condition, which didn't go unnoticed by the team's captain.
"Give it to me straight Margo, I can take it," Lynn pleaded.
"Well, it looks like your lip is cut, and maybe a tooth or two got knocked out," Margo replied.
"WHAT?!" Lynn screamed, placing her hand over her mouth, and pulling it away, seeing a small bit of blood now decorating her hand. Lynn's already bad temper was beginning to worsen, as her family looked on, trying to figure out what was happening.
"Is she going to be alright, Lori?" Bobby asked.
"I'm sure she'll be fine, but her games don't normally start off this badly. But I'm sure she and her team will turn things around," Lori replied.
"If you say so," Bobby replied, still unsure about what he was seeing. Lola made sure her Mother was preoccupied with Lily, as she turned to her father.
"Daddy, what's going on with Lynn? I thought taking care of 'you-know-who' and his 'you-know-what' would help her out? To me, it looks like it's gotten even worse," she whispered.
"I don't know sweetie," Lynn Sr. replied.
"Do you think it could have something to do with his room. Some of the 'you-know-what' could still be lingering around in there," the princess clad daughter suggested.
"I don't know, but we can discuss this later. This is neither the time nor place for that kind of discussion," Lynn Sr. replied.
Meanwhile, near the Loud House,
Ronnie Anne and Clyde were on their way to the Loud House, intent on getting the answers they were looking for from Lisa, "So, it's just Lisa who's home right now?" Clyde asked.
"All I got from that message last night was that she had the answers we wanted, and to come over while the rest of her family was at Lynn's game," Ronnie Anne replied, as the Loud House came into view. As they were nearing the house, a voice called out.
"Hey Clyde, Ronnie Anne!" the two of them turned to the source of the voice, only to see the rest of the gang, Rusty, Liam, Zach, Stella, and Girl Jordan, "We're heading over to the arcade. You guys want to come?" Rusty offered.
"Maybe later, Rusty. We have a lead to Lincoln's disappearance," Clyde replied. The others then became interested. They too were wondering where Lincoln was, since none of them have seen him in weeks.
"Any chance we can join in?" Stella asked.
"Sure, we don't mind," Clyde replied.
"You sure about this, McBride? This could be something major," Ronnie Anne whispered.
"They're just as curious as we are. It would be rude to deny them this chance," Clyde whispered back, as they approached the Loud House front door. Ronnie Anne rang the doorbell. Moments later, the door opened, revealing, to each of the older kid's surprise, Lucy.
"What brings you all here today?" Lucy asked in her usual monotone voice.
"I got a message from Lisa, saying she has information about Lincoln's whereabouts, and we want those answers," Ronnie Anne replied.
"I see," Lucy said, as she stepped to the side, "Her room is upstairs, first door on the right."
"Wait, that's it? You're just letting us go in without so much as trying to stop us?" Liam questioned.
"You guys deserve to know the truth. But be warned; what you will learn must never be told to anyone else," Lucy replied. Now, Lincoln's friends were worried, as they went upstairs, and made it to Lisa's door.
"Lisa? It's Ronnie Anne! We've come to hear what you have to say," Ronnie Anne said, knocking on the door.
"Enter!" Lisa called out. Ronnie Anne opened the door, allowing each of the older kids to enter the little genius' bedroom, where they saw the little genius sitting at her desk, "I see that you've brought company."
"They wanted to know about where Lincoln is too. Now spill it. Where is he?" Ronnie Anne asked, crossing her arms.
"Straight to the point. Quite the characteristic of you. Alright, have a seat, for what I am about to tell you, no one but the very people you can trust to keep it a secret can know about," Lisa said. The older kids sat on the floor, as Lisa began her explanation.
Meanwhile, back at the Softball Field,
"My word, I don't think the Beavers have ever had this big a lead over anyone in their long history. What say you, Pep?"
"It certainly is a first, but I honestly couldn't care less," Pep replied.
"Well, in any case, next up to bat is Lynn Loud Jr. for the second time today. Hopefully things don't go too badly as they did her first time around."
Lynn was now up to bat again, as she readied herself, 'Okay Lynn, you had a pretty rough start earlier, but that's ok. There's still plenty of time to make a comeback,' she thought to herself, not knowing just how wrong she was, as the opposing team's pitcher threw the next pitch. Lynn kept her eyes on the ball, and with one mighty swing…
CRACK!
She had finally made contact with the ball, and was watching it fly away from home plate. She was ready to drop her bat and run for first base, when she couldn't help but feel her bat felt… lighter somehow. Perplexed, she looked, and saw in pure disbelief that her bat had broken in two, leaving her holding the handle while the other half was laying in the dirt close by. While she stared at her broken bat in disbelief, the ball continued to fly in the air for a few more seconds, before plummeting back down to the pitcher's mound. The pitcher noticed the ball, and reached out to catch the ball, "You're out!" the umpire declared.
"Ooh, an infield fly ball leading to an out—tough luck. Speaking of which, hasn't Lynn Loud's luck gone particularly sour today? I can't remember one of her games being this bad," the announcer said to his partner.
"Don't know, don't care," Pep yawned. Meanwhile, down on the field, Lynn began raging and ranting at how things were going so badly for her, as she stormed her way up onto the pitcher's mound.
"You broke my lucky bat! What the hell?!" she accused.
The Beavers' pitcher was getting really irritated with the accusations being hurled her way, "Get out of my face, Loud! I didn't break your stupid bat! You probably didn't take good enough care of it!"
"Bull crap! I take great care of my equipment! You're the one at fault here, not me!" Lynn said, shoving the pitcher to the ground. The pitcher retaliated, shoving Lynn onto the ground herself. When the sporty Loud sister got back up, she started throwing punches, which the Beavers' pitcher returned, prompting the umpire, both team's coaches, and the other team members to rush over and break up the fight. Watching on from the Squirrel's dugout, Margo only sighed in disappointment.
"Man, this game has been a complete disaster! We're behind six points, and our captain is acting out because things aren't going her way," she sighed.
"Can't we just throw the rest of the game? I don't think I can handle going up to bat," one of the other Squirrel's teammates asked, holding her stomach in pain.
"It might be a good idea to just use the bathroom. It's clear we're not going to make a come back unless we do. Besides, Lynn's acting like too big a jerk for us to even obey," another teammate agreed, holding her stomach in pain as well, as the coach brought Lynn back to the dugout.
"Consider this your last warning, Loud! Act out like that again, and you're going to be a benchwarmer for the rest of the season," the coach warned, before turning to the rest of the team, "What's wrong with all of you?" she asked, noticing some of them looking incredibly uncomfortable.
"We need to use the bathroom, coach, otherwise, not only will we not be able to play properly, but we could run the risk of soiling ourselves," the first teammate said.
"Well, if you need to use the bathroom, then why don't you? It's there for that very purpose!" the coach urged, only for Lynn to intervene.
"No, coach! It's bad luck to bomb the toilet until AFTER an important game! They're just going to have to suck it up, and hold it until we win this! I'm not going to lose another game!" Lynn proclaimed. The coach only looked at Lynn like she grew a third eye in the middle of her forehead.
"Loud, have you actually been forcing your teammates to practice something that dangerous?!" the coach exclaimed.
"The only danger here is allowing bad luck to ruin another game for us! My good for nothing brother ruined our championship game against the Lions with his bad luck, and I am NOT going to let any more bad luck ruin things for us again!" Lynn retorted in a matter-of-fact tone.
"I'm calling for a timeout! All of you, go use the bathroom, by MY order!" the coach said, glaring at Lynn.
"No, don't even…" Lynn didn't get a chance to finish her thought.
"Loud, from here on out, we're playing with strategy and practice, NOT luck! If I catch you or any of your teammates doing any of your lucky rituals again for the rest of the game, then not only am I calling a forfeit, but you'll be cut from the team indefinitely! That's my final say on the matter!" the coach stated, her tone backing up her words. Lynn's temper once again flared up, but she didn't want to lose another game, so she begrudgingly did as she was told, as the rest of her team quickly made their way to the bathroom, "TIME!" the coach called out.
"And the Squirrel's coach has called for a time out! Probably a good call after that little brawl," the announcer said.
"Which makes for a perfect time for everyone here to go to the bathroom," Pep moaned, as he left the announcer's box.
"Wonder what's going on?" Luan wondered.
"Hopefully the coach is going to do something about Junior's unacceptable behavior," Rita commented, displeased with her daughter's behavior.
"Well, I gotta go use the bathroom myself," Lana said, as she got up.
"Good call. Those of us who need to use the bathroom, come on," Lynn Sr. said, as the Louds got up and made their way out of the stands and to the bathrooms. Unbeknownst to anyone there, someone was listening in on the conversation Lynn was having with her coach.
"Hmm, if what I heard is true, then I know what I have to do," the mysterious figure commented, looking up at the announcer's box.
Back at the Loud House,
"So, let's see if I got this straight: Lynn lost a softball game, and blamed Lincoln for it, claiming him to be 'bad luck'. Then he got the idea to lie about it to get out of all of you and your sister's activities, it worked too well, and you guys locked him out of the house and refused to let him back in, even though he came clean. Do I have things right so far?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Correct," Lisa replied.
"And a few days later, Lynn lost another game that Lincoln was nowhere to be found, and when you guys came back, she tried to take off his head, and would've succeeded if not for your grandfather's intervention, and suggested that rather being sent to your Aunt Ruth's place, that Lincoln be sent to an island region off the coast of Japan to help a professor out with some kind of zoology work?" Ronnie Anne continued.
"Pretty much," Lisa replied.
"And during the time you forced him to sleep outside, you guys sold his furniture and were about to do the same to the rest of his stuff until your grandfather not only ordered all of his stuff back into his room, but for your parents to give Lincoln all of the money they got from selling his furniture, right?" Rusty piped up.
"Indeed," Lisa replied.
"And Lincoln just called from this 'Kanto' place that he was sent to last night, and you and Lucy already apologized and made amends with him?" Stella asked.
"Indeed. Though I have a feeling that our Mother unit and Leni are going to want to talk things out with him the next time he calls," Lisa replied.
"Well, the parts about those monster things you were talking about sound a bit farfetched, but as for the whole locking Lincoln out of the house thing, while I do feel the need to chastise you and your sister's spooky butt for having some role in this mess, I'll gladly respect Lincoln's decision to forgive you, and let you both off with a warning, this time," Ronnie Anne stated.
"Duly noted," Lisa replied nervously.
"So, how have things been for Lincoln since he's been in Kanto?" Girl Jordan asked.
"Well, I'm glad you asked. I took the liberty of recording the call form last night so that if the rest of the family wants to try to mend the fences with him, they can get caught up on all the details surrounding his adventures down to the smallest detail, coming straight from him," Lisa replied, as she pulled up last night's call.
"By the way, what's that thing?" Zach asked, pointing to the not yet finished transporter device.
"That is a transporter device. It's not finished yet, but as soon as its properly tested, Lincoln will be able to send some of the Pokemon he catches in his travels over here so that not only may the family observe them, but also disprove Lynn's accusations of the validity of Professor Oak's progress report," Lisa explained, as she pressed play on the video, allowing Lincoln's peers to watch the conversation between their friend and his two sisters. While they did that, Lisa grabbed some tools, and got back to work on the transporter.
Back at the Softball Field,
"Alright, bottom of the fifth inning, and the bases are loaded with the score 13-0 in favor of the Beavers, who are now up to bat. Quite the shocking turn of events, eh, Pep?"
"As bored as I am with watching all the games this season, this is one that I may actually stay awake for. I'm curious to see how this pans out. Who know? We may bear witness to the Beavers end to their career long losing streak," Pep replied, seeming fully invested in watching the game now, as Lynn was on the pitcher's mound. Her mood was still incredibly sour since the coach had banned any more of her lucky rituals for the remainder of the game.
'That fool has no idea what she's brought upon us! But no matter. I can still pitch, even without my lucky rituals. I may have had a bad start with batting, but pitching is another story,' Lynn thought to herself, as she readied herself to her pitch. But her mood soured even more when she saw who was up to bat. It was the same girl who she had accused of hitting her in the face with the ball, and, in her opinion, is the one who broke her lucky bat.
"You know, Loud, I'm greatly disappointed!" the girl declared.
"What are you talking about?" Lynn questioned.
"I only joined the Softball Team in the hopes of seeing just what type of an athlete you are, based on all the rumors circulating about you through the league. I heard that you were one of the most formidable athletes this or any Softball League had ever seen. Now I see that you're just a spoiled brat who hides behind stupid superstitions and throws tantrums when things don't go your way. In the end, you're all luck, and no skill!" the Beavers girl said, as she readied herself for the swing. Lynn's temper was once again flaring up, which was causing her vision to blur. She rubbed her eyes, trying to get her vision straight, only to look back at home plate, seeing something that caused her rage to explode even further than it already did. There, in place of the opposing team's batter, was Lincoln, smiling cheekily, almost in a mocking manner. Upon seeing the vision of her brother, Lynn let out a primal scream, before throwing the ball with all her might at "him", uncaring if it was him or not. Upon seeing the ball coming at her with greater speed than anticipated, the Beavers' girl swung her bat, and with a thunderous crack, she sent the ball flying. The booming sound was enough to snap Lynn out of her trance, as she looked around for the ball, only to blanche in horror as she saw the ball fly up and out of the park, leading to a Grand Slam, which was something the Beavers had long since been subjugated to.
"Game, set, and match! The Beavers win by the Mercy Rule!" the umpire declared, causing Lynn to blanche even further. While the Mercy Rule was only put into play when one team scores more than 15 points within five innings, Lynn saw the Mercy Rule as the most humiliating way to lose any game. Everyone else at the park was just as shocked, even Pep, who was normally unenthusiastic about these games.
"I-I don't believe it! The Beavers have officially broken their career long losing streak!" the announcer declared, only for someone to walk out onto the field, someone both he, Pep, the Coaches, and each team member recognized, "Why, that's the official chairman for the entire Softball League for the state of Michigan! What brings him here today?" he wondered, as the administrator pulled out a microphone of his own.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is true that the Beavers, until this very day, have never once won a single game, so I am here to congratulate them on their first ever victory. But my main reason for being here is a rumor I heard circulating about the Squirrels, and coming here today has proven it to be true. The star captain of the Squirrels, Lynn Loud Jr. has been purposely forcing her teammates to not use the restroom until after each game, claiming it to be 'bad luck'!" the chairman stated, causing some shocked murmurs, and some 'boos' to come from the crowd.
"But isn't something like that dangerous to one's health?" the announcer asked.
"Indeed, it is. I commend the Squirrel's coach for standing up to Lynn, I must enforce the league's new zero-tolerance policy. The Squirrels are hereby disqualified from the league, and may not join back in for the next three seasons! Furthermore, not only are any and all notions of luck, good or bad, banned from the league, Lynn Loud Jr. is officially banned from playing in any softball games indefinitely," the chairman declared. Lynn was horrified at what she had just heard. The shock became too much for her, as she fainted on the spot, much to her family's horror. Her team, apart from Margo, however, had expressions of disgust, anger, and a general lack of sympathy on their faces, as they just left their former captain on the field. Margo was dragged back into the locker room.
Later, in the Softball Field Parking lot,
Lynn was finally starting to come around, as she sat up, "Ugh, my aching head!" Lynn exclaimed. Looking around, she saw she was in Vanzilla, "Huh? How'd I get here?"
"How do you think? We brought you over," the voice of Luna said, as Lynn saw herself surrounded by her family.
"What happened in the game? Did we win?" Lynn asked.
"No, Junior, the Beavers won 17-0 in the fifth inning," Rita replied unsympathetically, a look of bitter disappointment on her face.
"Wait, but that means…" Lynn put two and two together, "We lost by the mercy rule!"
"That's enough, Lynn!" Luna said forcefully.
"You ought to feel lucky that none of your teammate's families are pressing charges against us for the way you've been forcing them to wait until after the game to use the bathroom!" Rita said. Lynn then remembered more events that had occurred out on the field.
"Oh man, not only did we lose in the most humiliating way possible, and to the Beavers no less, I've been banned from softball entirely!" she exclaimed.
"Perhaps some time away from sports will do you some good, young lady, such as learning that there's no shame in losing," Rita stated harshly.
"'No shame'? 'No shame'?! Mom, we lost to the Beavers! The literal jobbers of softball! It should've been an easy win for us!" Lynn exclaimed, only to be shut up with the fiercest glare her mother had ever produced.
"Not. Another. Word. About this. Understand?" Rita asked, enunciating each word. Lynn didn't say anything, but sulked bitterly in her seat, "Everyone, inside. Now!" she ordered. Her daughters and husband wasted no time in getting into Vanzilla, not wanting to incur Rita's wrath any further.
"One question? Where's my duffle bag?" Lynn asked.
"In the trunk. Your team dropped it off as they were leaving. They said that they were going to quit all other sports teams if you're on them," Lori replied. Lynn couldn't believe what she was hearing. Even her own team has turned against her. This only served to enrage Lynn even further.
Back at the Loud House,
Lincoln's friends had just finished watching the call Lincoln made to his sisters. Rusty whistled in amazement, "Man, first Lincoln was thought to be bad luck, now that he's in Kanto, he's even luckier than ever."
"I know what you mean. That gold nugget was huge!" Stella replied.
"Not to mention getting the numbers of two girls at once? Didn't think he had it in him," Ronnie Anne commented.
"But aren't you and him…?" Girl Jordan didn't get a chance to finish her thought.
"Nope. That was a one time only thing to save his sister's relationship with my brother. Besides, a relationship between us can't work at the same time as our sibling's relationship," Ronnie Anne stated.
"Well, I guess you do have a point there," Girl Jordan replied.
"By the way, is there anything on the Pokemon he's caught so far?" Clyde asked Lisa.
"Ah, yes! That's right! I never got a chance to go through and look at the data he sent over," Lisa exclaimed, as she quickly logged onto her laptop, and pulled up the information Lincoln had sent them, showing all of the Pokemon Lincoln had seen and caught, "Whoa."
"Yeah, 'whoa' is right," Clyde commented, as they cycled through each page from Lincoln's Pokedex.
"Ok, so the Pokemon with the icon that looks like a Pokeball indicates the ones that Lincoln has previously caught," Lisa observed, noticing a Pokeball icon next to each Pokemon Lincoln had talked about.
"And these sparkle icons on these Bug Pokemon? What about those?" Liam asked.
"Lincoln did mention that he had captured an extremely rare Shiny Weedle, and had raised it up into a Kakuna, then into the Beedrill you see up there," Lisa replied.
"That must be what the sparkles mean," Stella deduced.
"Indeed. And I must say, most of these magnificent creatures look rather fearsome," Lisa commented, seeing Rhyhorn, Onix, and Hariyama. Just then, they all heard Vanzilla pull into the driveway, "Sounds like they're back. Apologies, but we're going to have to cut this short," she said.
"No worries. We already have what we came for," Ronnie Anne replied.
"One thing before you go on your merry way," Lisa said, as she handed Ronnie Anne a USB stick.
"What's this supposed to be?" the Hispanic girl asked.
"A flash drive containing backup files of all the footage Luan has stashed in her room. She had me make several backups in case something happens to her collection," Lisa explained.
"Ok, but why are you giving this to me? If there's stuff on here that shows just how twisted this family is, I can easily post it all on the web to completely destroy your family's reputation, you know that, right?" Ronnie Anne asked, her eyebrow raised.
"Consider it a show of good faith. Its to show that despite my actions towards our brother, or rather, a lack of actions, I still want to help you guys out," Lisa replied.
"Well, how exactly does this help us out?" Ronnie Anne asked, eyeing the USB stick.
"You could always post all of the content on that USB on the internet and tear our family apart completely, or you can follow Lincoln's example, and just let go of the grudge," Lisa explained.
"I don't know. This is a lot to trust me with, you know that, right?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"I know that you'll make the right choice," Lisa replied. Just then, they heard the front door slam open, with Lynn screaming in rage.
"NO ONE BOTHER ME FOR THE REST OF THE DAY, GOT IT?!" she screamed, as she stormed upstairs, and slammed her bedroom door shut. The audible sounds of her cursing and screaming could be heard perfectly.
"You guys can go out through Lincoln's bedroom window. He has an inflatable slide in case of an emergency," Lucy urged.
"We'll continue our discussion later, Lisa. This isn't over by a longshot," Ronnie Anne said, as Lucy helped sneak her and the others into Lincoln's bedroom. The goth girl then noticed Leni walking upstairs, and towards Lisa's room.
"I'm assuming the game went poorly?" Lisa asked.
"Not really poorly. It was more like her team lost without scoring even one point. That, and she got herself banned from softball indefinitely, her team disqualified from the league for the next three seasons, and her entire team turned their backs on her. And let's not even get started on all the face shots she got," Leni explained.
"Yikes! Well, it's just karma giving Lynn her just desserts," Lisa replied.
"What kind of desserts did karma give her? Pie? Ice Cream?" Leni questioned.
"Eh, not quite. I'm saying that Lynn is getting her comeuppance for mistreating our brother unit so badly," Lisa explained.
"Oh, I think I get it," Leni said, before checking to make sure the coast was clear, "Speaking of Lincoln, I can come in and try to talk things out with him the next time he calls, right?" she quietly asked.
"Anyone if more than welcome to come in and talk to Lincoln. They just have to do so on their own accord. So, it's probably best not to mention apologizing to Lincoln to the others. They might raise quite the fuss regarding the matter," Lisa suggested.
"I think I understand," Leni replied, as she left, leaving Lucy to talk with her little sister.
"I think it's high time for me to come clean about 'that' incident with the toilet," Lucy said.
"Are you sure you want to do it? No one is going to force you to do it, and I'm sure Lincoln will agree with me on this," Lisa said to Lucy.
"I am. It's high time I repaid Lincoln for all the kindness he's shown me over the years, especially now that he's giving us a second chance," Lucy replied. Lisa nodded silently.
"Very well. Shall we do this after dinner? At least that way, Lynn can have some time to cool off," Lisa suggested.
"Fair enough," Lucy replied, as she exited the bedroom, "I just hope I don't come to regret this decision."
Meanwhile, at the Santiago household, in Ronnie Anne's room
"Good god almighty! How do these girls sleep at night?!" Ronnie Anne exclaimed in disgust, as she was watching the footage from the USB stick Lisa had given her. The footage was mostly the same thing, just a bunch of clips of Lincoln's mishaps over the years. She did snicker at a few of them, but the majority of clips caused her to become disgusted with the treatment Lincoln got from his family. She about to watch the next clip, when she saw her brother's truck pull into the driveway. She quickly backed out of the video player, ejected the USB, and closed her laptop. She left her room to greet Bobby, just as her brother walked in, "Hey Bobby, how'd the game go?" she asked.
"Not so great. It seemed like everything that could go wrong with the Squirrel's did go wrong, especially for Lynn," Bobby replied.
'Serves that jock right for her role in this mess,' Ronnie Anne thought coldly.
"By the way, I talked to Lori about your question last night," Bobby stated, catching his sister's attention once again.
"Oh yeah? So, what's the scoop?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"According to her, he's helping out a researcher friend of their grandfather's somewhere over in Japan with some zoology, from what she told me," Bobby replied.
"Is that so? Well, at least I know he's up to something productive," Ronnie Anne commented, 'That's just like Lori to tell my brother her own version of the truth to keep herself and her family out of trouble. I still have half a mind to post all those video's Lisa gave me on the internet.'
"Nie-Nie? Is something wrong?" Bobby asked, snapping his sister out of her thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just have a lot on my mind," Ronnie Anne replied.
"Well, perhaps if you're worried about Lincoln, maybe we can ask their grandfather to talk to his friend about having you go and help Lincoln out with this zoology project," Bobby said, causing Ronnie Anne to roll her eyes.
'Me? Going to this Kanto place and joining Lincoln on his journey? Why that…' Ronnie Anne stopped her thoughts, as she took a moment to think it over, 'Doesn't actually sound like such a bad idea.'
Back at the Loud House,
After things had finally calmed down with Lynn (or as calm as she can possibly be with cursing Lincoln's name under her breath), the family had sat down to a nice quiet dinner, albeit with a bit more sullen mood. Lucy had been fidgeting nervously because tonight was the night where she had to come clean about her Princess Pony books. Though she had to admit, she was still worried about being ridiculed by her sisters once it was over, 'No, I have to do this! For Lincoln's sake, as well as my own!' she thought, "Uh, there's something I need to talk to you all about after dinner. Could we all meet up in Lisa's room?" she requested.
"Uh, sure, Luce. What's this about? You and Rocky having troubles again?" Luna asked.
"Nah, she probably has another poem she wants us to hear," Lana stated, shoveling in another mouthful of food.
"It's nothing like that. It's more like a confession I have to make. Meet me in Lisa's room after dinner," Lucy said, as she left the table, and made her way upstairs.
"Well, lets go hear what Lucy has to say," Rita said, as she got up from her seat.
"Count me out! I don't want anything to do with that traitor for quite a while!" Lynn stated.
"Junior, your sister has requested us to come up and hear what she has to say, and we are all going to hear her out, without exception or excuses!" Rita retorted, sounding like she was losing her temper with the young athlete again.
"Ugh, fine! It had better be quick. The Dream Boat is on soon, and I want to see who's going home," Lynn grumbled, as she and the others ascended the staircase.
Inside Lisa's room,
"You realize that there's no going back from this, right?" Lisa asked.
"I came up here fully prepared for that," Lucy replied, as the rest of the family piled in.
"Alright, so what's this about?" Lori asked, her tone indicating that she couldn't care less.
"Ok, I'll cut right to the chase. Do you remember the Princess Pony comics?" Lucy asked, flinching slightly. Her sisters were surprised that she brought that up.
"You mean those repulsive comics that Lincoln clogged the toilet with a while back? What about them, apart from reminding us that we need to get back to teasing him about it?" Lola asked.
"Well, to tell the truth, those comics weren't his," Lucy said.
"'Weren't his'? What does that mean?" Luan asked, before she put the pieces together, "You mean to tell me that…?"
"Yes. Those Princess Pony comics were mine," Lucy finally blurted out. A few moments of awkward silence passed before Lori spoke up.
"Lucy, I know how much Lincoln means to you, for whatever reason, but you shouldn't go taking the blame for his screwups. He even admitted those were his comics," she stated.
"I thought you'd say that. Lisa?" Lucy turned to Lisa, who then showed the security footage from the night in question, showing Lucy throwing her book into the toilet, as a half-asleep Lincoln walked in and flushed the toilet, causing it to flood. The Louds were all dumbstruck at what they had just saw. Lucy's claim to her confession was proven valid because of this. Rita and Lynn Sr. felt especially bad for punishing Lincoln for that event, causing him to miss his comic convention that day. The Loud sisters were in the same boat, for they had just found out they had teased Lincoln for an entire month for absolutely nothing at all.
"But why did Lincoln take the fall for you?" Luan asked.
"Because he knows that I can't handle all the teasing the way he can. Besides, even I have to take a break from being a slave to the darkness from time to time," Lucy explained. The other sisters all shared sentiments about what their spooky sister had shared. Lynn, on the other had just stood there in silence. A small part of her felt bad about all the teasing they did to Lincoln over the comics and wanted to apologize to Lucy, but this was ultimately overtaken by a much larger part of her that was still sour about her game that day. She needed a scapegoat to take her mind off of what she declared to be a most unnecessary punishment, and Lucy had just provided the perfect opportunity for that.
"Wow Lucy, I had no idea you were into something like that. Maybe we should start calling you 'Pony Girl' from now on?" the sporty sister said in a taunting manner.
"Go ahead Lynn. I'll wait for you to get it out of your system," Lucy replied. Lynn took that invite, and started hurling insults and taunts directly at her spooky sister. It didn't take much for the rest of the sisters to join in, as they began hurling their own insults and taunts at Lucy. All of the sisters, apart from Leni and Luna that is, who were impressed not only with Lucy's courage to clear her brother's name but with Lincoln for sticking up for Lucy, who looked like she was starting to buckle under all the hazing she was getting.
"Alright guys, that's enough!" Luna called out, as she and Leni went to defend Lucy.
"Stay out of this if you're not going to tease her about this!" Lynn ordered.
"She has a point. Princess Pony is the worst thing to ever disgrace this world, even more so than Lincoln, and he wears his underwear on the outside in that stupid superhero costume of his!" Lori added.
"Girls, that's quite enough!" Rita ordered, only to go unheard, as Lynn Sr. stepped forth.
"Lucy, words cannot even begin to describe how disappointed I am with you. Do you have any idea how badly your comics clogged the toilet that day?" he questioned.
"Lynn, that's enough!" Rita said, trying to diffuse the situation.
"No Rita, it's no where near enough! Lucy made Lincoln take the fall for her that day. That is NOT how this family operates," Lynn Sr. countered, turning his attention to his daughter in question, "Lucy, you are grounded until further notice. Maybe this will teach you to clog the toilet from now on. Now, to your room!" this was the last straw for Lucy, as she raced out of the bedroom, still being taunted by her siblings.
"Girls!" Rita yelled, only to be ignored. At this, Rita had finally had enough,
"GIRLS, THAT IS ENOUGH!" she screamed, causing her daughters to stop their taunting, "How can you all do something like that to Lucy? Especially after she had the courage to come clean about the whole thing?!"
"Mom, it's Princess Pony! Even I find it to be repulsive!" Lola replied, only to be shut up with the icy glare her mother shot her way.
"She has a point. Anyone who likes Princess Pony deserves to be a laughingstock," Lori added, only to receive the same glare as her sister did.
"That's your own opinion, and that's the kind of opinion that you should keep to yourselves! You all should be ashamed of yourselves for treating her the way you did! Besides, you didn't see me, or Leni, or Luna, or even Lisa teasing her, did you?" Rita declared, before turning her attention to her husband, "And as for you, how could you go and punish her like that after witnessing her being teased that badly by her siblings?!" she yelled at Lynn Sr., who flinched from his wife's outburst.
"Honey, do you have any idea how badly…" he was shut up with a hard slap to his face which knocked him to the ground.
"Our daughter was being heckled by her siblings for something she likes, and all you can think about is a toilet?! Lynn, what the actual hell is wrong with you?!" Rita yelled.
"Honey, I…"
"Save it! I don't want to hear it! You're sleeping on the couch for the rest of the month!" Rita stated harshly, before turning to her daughters, "And is this going to be a thing with you girls now? Driving away your family for completely idiotic reasons?! It was bad enough when it was just Lincoln, now you girls are ostracizing Lucy for something like this! You girls had better feel proud of yourselves, because I most certainly am not!" the daughters who were jeering Lucy all flinched at the harsh words flung their way by their mother.
"But Mom, we…"
"I don't want to hear it, Lori! Not only are you all NOT going to watch the Dream Boat tonight, you're banned from teasing Lucy about Princess Pony! Now, you're all dismissed to your rooms for the night!" Rita said.
"But we…"
"That's one strike for each of you. In your case Junior, that's two. Collect three strikes, and all of your future events are cancelled until your brother comes back home! Now then, get to your rooms, NOW!" Rita yelled. Not wanting to incur their mother's anger any further, the five sisters quickly exited the bedroom, and made their way to their own, "The same goes for you, Lynn," Rita said to her whimpering husband, who trudged out of her bedroom.
"Now that that's all out of the way, Leni and Luna, I can honestly say that I am proud of both of you. You actually stood up for your sister, despite what she had done to Lincoln that day," Rita said to both daughters in question.
"Well, even if Lincoln is… you know what Lynn's always preaching, he's still a good person. I guess we were just following our own instincts," Luna replied.
"Well, that's good to hear," Rita commented, 'Now if we can only get rid of that ridiculous notion of Lincoln being bad luck, we can get this family back on track,' she then thought to herself.
"So, what do we do now?" Leni asked.
"Well, if the three of you want to go watch the Dream Boat, then go on ahead. I need to try to talk things over with Lucy," Rita replied. The three of them complied, as they made their way downstairs, while Rita went to Lincoln's room, "Lucy? It's your mother. Can I come in?" she gingerly asked.
"NO! GO AWAY!" she heard her daughter's broken voice yell.
"It's ok sweetie. I'm not here to make fun of you or to punish you any further," Rita said. The door opened slightly.
"Y-You promise?" the broken goth asked.
"I assure you Lucy, I'm not here to do any more to you. You've had far more than you or anyone in this family deserve," Rita replied. Lucy opened the door a bit more.
"So it's just you?" Lucy asked.
"Yes. I've sent the others to their rooms for the night, apart from Leni, Luna, and Lisa," Rita said, as she entered the bedroom, "Are you alright?"
"No, far from it. It was even worse than I originally thought," Lucy replied.
"Yes, well, you were very brave to do that, Lucy, by clearing Lincoln's name for that incident. And don't listen to what the others have to say about the things you like. If you like something, then that's all there is to it. And if I'm being honest, I wish I had half the courage you had today in what you just did," Rita stated.
"Really?" Lucy asked.
"Yes. I still want to talk things out with your brother, but I'm still on edge about doing so," Rita replied.
"Well, when Lisa and I talked to him, all we did was acknowledge that we were wrong, and delivered our apologies. He was willing to forgive us, but he warned us that if something like this were to ever happen again, then he would disown all of us on the spot," Lucy explained.
"Yikes, he really said that?" Rita exclaimed, blanching at the thought of being disowned by one of her children.
"Pretty much. And Lisa and I both vowed to do whatever we could to earn back his good favor. We're not screwing up this chance," Lucy replied.
"That's good to hear. Speaking of your brother, did he ever specify if he wanted to come back home?" Rita asked.
"From what he told us, he's loving it over in Kanto, and he wants to participate in that Pokemon League thing the Professor told us about," Lucy replied.
"Oh, I see," Rita said, as she got up from the bed, "Well, in any case, your three sisters are downstairs watching the Dream Boat. Do you want to come and watch it with us?" she offered.
"That… actually sounds nice," Lucy replied as the two of them exited the bedroom.
Much later into the night,
While the rest of the family was fast asleep, Lucy was still wide awake, sitting in the attic with her favorite vampire bust, Edwin. She also had her crystal ball, and was trying to make contact with her Great Grandmother, Harriet, "Calling the spirit of Harriet Loud. Come in, Great Grandma Harriet," Lucy said, eventually summoning forth a spirit that could easily be mistaken as her doppelganger.
"Ah, Lucy. How's my dear great granddaughter doing these days?" the spirit asked.
"Could be better," Lucy replied.
"Yes. I saw how your father and your sisters treated you so poorly earlier this evening, and for doing something very noble on that note. I am most disappointed in each of them," Harriet replied.
"Yeah. Even with getting consoled by Mom, I still feel absolutely crushed. Now I know how Lincoln felt during that whole month of getting teased," Lucy replied.
"While I'm not happy with how you were a player in how your family mistreated him, I must commend you for having the courage to clear his name. Even over in Kanto, I'm sure he would be most proud of you," Harriet said.
"Thanks, Great Grandma. By the way, apart from giving moral support, is there some way I could help him out on his journey?" Lucy asked.
"Hmm, I don't have anything in my trunk that can help in that regard, but I do have one thing that can help your family get their act together," Harriet replied.
"Really?" Lucy asked.
"Indeed. There's a secret compartment in the side of my trunk with a book inside. But before you go looking for it, I should advise that you only use what you find in the book in the direst of situations," Harriet warned, before she disappeared. Lucy took her Great Grandmother's words to heart, before heading over to the trunk. She felt around the outside of it, until she found the compartment Harriet was talking about. Lucy looked around for a way to open it, eventually finding a button, which caused the compartment door to open up. Inside, there was a red book with the words "Book of Ancient Spells" written on the cover.
"This must be it," Lucy said, as she carefully opened it up. Skimming through, she was in awe at the various spells and curses that were written inside, but nothing that Lucy thought could help ever popped up. That is, until she came across one particular spell, "Huh, the 'Karmic Misfortune Curse'? What's this about?" she wondered, as she read through the passage. According to the spell, the Curse was a means to force those afflicted by it into paying back their karmic dues, in other words, apologize to the ones they've wronged and earn their forgiveness. Doing so is the only way to break the curse. A dark smile crept its way onto Lucy's face, "This must be what Great Grandma Harriet was talking about. I'll hold onto this spell for the time being and use it as ammo if need be. After all, if the others want to still think Lincoln's bad luck, and tease me about Princess Pony, then I might as well show them what Bad Luck is really about!"
Lincoln:
Pikachu
Level: 16
Gender: Male
Ability: Static
Nature: Mild
Moves: Thundershock, Quick Attack, Tail Whip, Electro Ball
Fearow (At Professor Oak's Laboratory)
Level: 23
Gender: Female
Ability: Sniper
Nature: Calm
Moves: Arieal Ace, Pursuit, Mirror Move, Leer, Fury Attack, Steel Wing
Poliwag
Level: 17
Gender: Male
Ability: Water Absorb
Nature: Jolly
Moves: Water Gun, Water Sport, Hypnosis, Protect, Water Pulse
Beedriil (Shiny)
Level: 13
Gender: Male
Ability: Shield Dust
Nature: Lax
Moves: Poison Sting, String Shot, Bug Bite, Harden
Pidgeotto
Level: 22
Gender: Female
Ability: Tangled Feet
Nature: Rash
Moves: Gust, Whirlwind, Quick Attack, Sand Attack, Tackle, Steel Wing, Twister
Ralts (Shiny)
Level: 12
Gender: Female
Ability: Synchronize
Nature: Timid
Moves: Growl, Teleport, Confusion, Disarming Voice, Double Team, Misty Terrain (Egg Move)
Riolu
Level: 8
Gender: Male
Ability: Inner Focus
Nature: Quirky
Moves: Quick Attack, Counter, Metal Claw, Endure, Vacuum Wave (Egg Move)
Misty
Staryu
Level: 16
Gender: None
Ability: Natural Cure
Nature: Careful
Moves (currently known): Water Gun, Rapid Spin
Poliwhirl
Level:
Gender: Male
Ability: Damp
Nature:
Moves:
Buizel
Level:
Gender:
Ability:
Nature:
Moves:
Skrelp
Level:
Gender
Ability
Nature
Moves
Dewpider
Level:
Gender
Ability
Nature
Moves
Brock:
Main Party:
Geodude
Level: 14
Gender: Male
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Hardy
Moves: Defense Curl, Rollout, Tackle, Rock Polish, Rock Tomb
Onix:
Level: 17
Gender: Male
Ability: Rock Head
Nature: Graceful
Moves: Bind, Tackle, Rock Tomb, Dragon Breath, Stealth Rock, Head Smash (Egg Move)
Raigo:
Marshtomp
Nickname (Skipper)
Level: 23
Gender: Male
Ability: Torrent
Nature: Jolly
Moves: Tackle, Water Gun, Iron Tail, Mud Slap, Mud Shot
Taillow
Level: 18
Gender: Male
Ability: Guts
Nature: Relaxed
Moves: Peck, Focus Energy, Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Double Team, Boomburst (Egg Move)
Ralts
Level 17
Gender: Male
Ability: Trace
Nature: Calm
Moves: Confusion, Growl, Teleport, Double Team, Disarming Voice, Shadow Sneark (Egg Move)
Breloom
Nickname: Shroomer
Level: 25
Gender: Female
Ability: Effect Spore
Nature: Brave
Moves: Mach Punch, Leech Seed, Seed Bomb, Bullet Seed, Iron Tail
Hariyama
Nickname: Honda
Level: 24
Gender: Male
Ability: Guts
Nature: Relaxed
Moves: Whirlwind, Arm Thrust, Bulk Up, Wide Guard
Jessie:
Ekans
Gender: Female
Level: 16
Ability: Shed Skin
Nature: Naughty
Moves: Poison Sting, Leer
Wynaut
Gender: Male
Level
Ability
Nature
Moves
Smoochum
Gender: Female
Level:
Ability
Nature:
Moves:
Spinarak
Gender: Female
Level
Ability
Nature
Moves
James
Koffing
Gender: Male
Level: 18
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Mild
Moves: Sludge, Smokescreen, Tackle, Poison Gas
Rockruff
Gender: Male
Level:
Ability
Nature:
Moves
Timburr
Gender: Male
Level:
Ability
Nature:
Moves
