Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 21: Confrontations (Part 1)
Meanwhile, in Royal Woods, during the day time,
Ronnie Anne was leading Clyde and the rest of Lincoln's friends down Franklin Avenue. Their destination: The Loud House, "So, why are we heading back to Lincoln's place? We already know where he is and why he was sent there," Rusty asked.
"Because we're going to talk to Lisa again," Ronnie Anne replied.
"But Lisa told us everything we want to know. Why do we need to talk to her again?" Clyde asked.
"Because I'm hoping that she can get us to talk to this Professor Oak guy," Ronnie Anne replied. The others were starting to put two and two together.
"I get it, you want to ask him if we can become Pokemon Trainers too, right?" Stella asked.
"Precisely. It was actually my brother that, more or less, suggested it to me," Ronnie Anne replied.
"Your brother did?" Zach asked.
"Yeah. I had him talk to Lori about Lincoln's whereabouts during Lynn's dumb softball game, and he pretty much got the same information Lisa told us, albeit Lori was half-lying to him based on what he told me. Besides, you have to admit, with all the stuff Lincoln's doing over there, you can't help but feel a little jealous of him, right?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"I have to admit, the thought of going on an adventure and catching monsters does sound pretty exciting," Girl Jordan admitted. The others shared similar sentiments, just as the Loud House came into view.
"Hang on you guys," Clyde said, as they stopped their advance towards the Loud House, "What if Lisa won't go along with your plan to talk to the Professor?"
"Well, I still have that USB she gave me. If she doesn't agree to help us out, then I'll upload everything to the internet, exposing them for the monsters they are," Ronnie Anne replied.
"I'm pretty sure blackmail is Lola's department," Clyde commented blandly.
"She is normally the one who blackmails, but this time, it's her and the rest of that family who're going to be on the receiving end of it for a change," Ronnie Anne replied, as the approached the house. As they did, a car pulled up along the curb. From it, emerged Albert and Myrtle.
"You must be some of Lincoln's friends. Sorry, but he isn't home right now," Albert said.
"We know. We know that he's over in some place called 'Kanto', all because of the dumb actions his sisters and parents did to him," Ronnie Anne replied.
"Oh, I see. Uh, you aren't planning to contact the authorities on them, are you? Because they are still my family," Albert asked.
"Don't worry. Even though we really should, we're giving them a chance to redeem themselves with Lincoln," Rusty replied.
"Thank you for that," Albert said.
"Anyhow, we're actually here to talk to Lisa again," Clyde added.
"Lisa? Well, I see no issue with that," Albert said, as they approached the front door.
Inside the Loud House, in the living room,
"Stupid Lincoln and his stupid bad luck! Making me loose to the Beavers of all people!" Lynn quietly cursed, as she was watching a baseball game on TV, but she was still sulking. She was trying to fathom exactly how she could've not only lost to the Beavers, literally the worst of the worst teams in all of softball so badly, but also be banned from softball completely. She obviously knew that blaming Lincoln was out of the question, despite the hallucination she experienced. Then, she thought of something else related to Lincoln that she believed was the cause of her loss, "Maybe it's his bedroom getting unsealed. Yeah, that's got to be it! Stinkcoln's bad luck must still be festering inside there. I need to talk to Dad about resealing it," she said under her breath, as not to attract any unwanted attention from her mother. Fortunately, she didn't have to worry about that, when the sound of knocking was heard from the front door. Lynn then went over to answer it, revealing Albert, Myrtle, and Lincoln's friends, none of whom looked too pleased to see the athlete.
"Pop-Pop, Gran-Gran, what brings you both over?" Lynn asked.
"We've come for a little visit. Is your mother home?" Albert asked.
"Yeah, she's in the dining room," Lynn replied. Albert and Myrtle took this as their opportunity to enter, and make their way to the dining room, leaving Lynn to glare uncaringly at Lincoln's friends.
"If you guys are here about Lincoln, he's not home," she stated rudely.
"We're actually here to see Lisa, if you must know!" Ronnie Anne retorted. Lynn was rather surprised.
"That traitorous nerd? Well, I don't know or care why you want to see her, but she's upstairs, first door on the right," Lynn said, stepping aside, allowing them inside.
"Heard about you game, Lynn. Guess 'luck' wasn't on your side, what with losing to the Beavers," Ronnie Anne chided. Lynn as starting to lose her temper again.
"Just get up there before I change my mind about letting you in!" Lynn barked, as the seven preteens ascended the staircase, "Jeez, what's their problem?" she questioned, as she went back to watching TV.
Cerulean City Pokemon Center, evening,
Lincoln was sitting in the lobby with Pikachu, waiting for both Misty and Brock to come back, "So, you still feeling any pain from your tail?" he asked his partner.
"A little bit of residual tingling from the pain, but other than that, I feel fine. And as I said, we should only use Volt Tail in the direst of circumstances," Pikachu replied.
"Got it. Only if we absolutely need it," Lincoln replied.
"Good. Now then, are we waiting for something or someone?" Pikachu asked.
"We're waiting for Misty and Brock to come back. They're going to be joining me in calling home," Lincoln replied.
"Ah, so finally going to introduce one of your ladies to your family, eh?" Pikachu teased, only to notice a look of contemplation on Lincoln face, "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."
"Huh? Oh, no, it's not that. It's just… a bit complicated to put it simply," Lincoln replied.
"Well, perhaps if you try putting it in a simpler way, maybe I can understand a bit better," Pikachu offered. Before Lincoln could try, a familiar, nasally voice called out.
"Is that you, Lincoln?" turning to the source, Lincoln saw Gary standing at the other end of the lobby, surrounded by a bunch of teenaged girls.
"Gary? I thought you would've gone past from here by now? Also, who are they?" Lincoln asked.
"These are my lovely cheerleading squad, as well as my harem. I like going through and doing some shopping with my girls here. After all, we may not be back in Cerulean City for a while, and we want to take in as much as we possibly can before moving on in my brand-new convertible. Bet you're pretty jealous, huh?" Gary boasted.
"A harem of bimbo cheerleaders and a convertible? Think he's compensating for something?" Pikachu questioned. Lincoln stifled a laugh the hardest he possibly could.
"Most likely he is," Lincoln replied, before turning his attention back to Gary, "To be honest, given the expenses you have to pay, what with gas and insurance, as well as feeding your girls, then no, I'm not jealous in the slightest," he stated.
"Wait, did he understand what that Pikachu was saying?" one of the girls asked.
"Oh yeah, Gramps says it's rare for humans to understand what Pokemon are saying, but not unheard of. Even I don't know too much about it myself," Gary replied, before noticing a mocking smile on Lincoln's face, "What's with that look?"
"Well, Pikachu said that with the convertible and having a personal cheerleading squad must mean that you're compensating for something," Lincoln replied, before finally cracking up. Two of the cheerleaders stifled their own laughter the best they could, but the others were outraged.
"Why you little…!" one of them said, storming over, only to see Pikachu taking a defensive stance, cheeks sparking, "Whoa, take it easy there," she said, holding up her hands in a defensive stance.
"Now, now, there's no need for hostility," Gary said, keeping his temper in check, though his eyebrow was twitching slightly in annoyance. Lincoln finally calmed down from his laughing fit to make eye contact with Gary.
"So, what do you need? I doubt you're here for a pleasant conversation," Lincoln deduced.
"Well, considering that you're an American who passed the Trainer Exam in one shot without even attending one semester of the Pokemon Academy, I wanted to see what you're like in battle. How about tomorrow at the Nugget Bridge?" Gary challenged.
"Sounds good. But, uh… where exactly is the Nugget Bridge?" Lincoln asked.
"On the north end of Cerulean City. Cerulean Cape is just beyond it," Gary replied. Lincoln remembered hearing about Cerulean Cape from Bill's note from Mount Moon.
'Hmm, maybe we can see about paying Bill a visit,' Lincoln thought, "Alright Gary, you got a deal. How's a two-on-two battle sound?"
"That'll be fine by me. Just be there or be square. On a completely unrelated note, how many badges have you managed to earn?" Gary asked.
"Two so far," Lincoln replied, showing him his badge case.
"Huh, same as me. And what about catches?" Gary asked. Lincoln then tensed up. He was unsure on how to answer that.
"I honestly lost track a while ago," he admitted.
"Well, why don't you look at your Pokedex?" Gary asked.
"My Pokedex?" Lincoln asked.
"Of course. You can use the Pokedex to see what Pokemon you've seen, as well as the ones you've caught. It's usually displayed in the upper right-hand corner," Gary explained. Lincoln opened up his Pokedex, and looked at the number he caught.
"Lincoln Loud has currently registered 19 unique Pokemon previously caught, including evolutions," Lincoln's Pokedex explained.
"*whistle* 19 unique species? Not too shabby for an American, but I've managed to catch at least 25 different species!" Gary boasted.
"Does that include evolutions?" Lincoln asked. Gary froze up.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Just be at the Nugget Bridge tomorrow!" Gary yelled, as he stormed off with his cheerleaders in tow.
"About time he left. He was really starting to get on my nerves," Lincoln commented, as he slumped back down in his seat.
"Well, as much as I hate to admit it, he does raise a valid point. Maybe two," Pikachu replied.
"And those points would be?" Lincoln asked, curious as to what Pikachu was referring to.
"For one thing, you'll want to have more Pokemon on hand so that you can have variety. That way, you can be ready for anything your opponents throw your way," Pikachu replied.
"Well, I guess you have a point there. Plus, if push comes to shove, we can always use Wonder Trading to try our luck at adding different types not normally found in Kanto. And that second point?"
"Having a harem of wives. You've already got the Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny interns from Pewter City, as well as Misty," Pikachu replied, a perverted look on his face, as a thought cloud formed overhead with Lincoln surrounded by the three girls he just mentioned, as well as several others, including a towering, red Oni girl in a skimpy thunder print bikini, and a blue, dog like alien woman in a loin cloth style dress.
"Get your mind out of the gutter Pikachu! I'm not about to become another Gary! And just who is that Oni Girl and the Alien woman?!" Lincoln questioned, waving away the thought cloud.
"Eh, fair enough. I would rather not see you end up like him anyway," Pikachu shrugged, before turning back to his trainer, "By the way, you were saying before Gary interrupted us?" Lincoln then remembered what he was going to say, and was about to explain it to Pikachu, when Brock, Misty, and the latter's family entered the Pokemon Center. While Misty's Mother and sisters went up to the front desk to collect the Gym's Pokemon, Brock and Misty regrouped with Lincoln.
"Hey guys, how'd things go on your day out?" he asked.
"Pretty good. There's a pharmacy and a market here that has some pretty high-quality merchandise that I stocked up on. We should be good for quite a while," Brock replied.
"And I had a bit of a shopping spree with my family, picking up some supplies as well. I was given Mom's blessing to continue travelling with you, if you're alright with it," Misty stated.
"I'm more than alright with it. It wouldn't be the same without you travelling with us," Lincoln replied.
"Heh, good to hear. So, are you planning to call your sisters, or…?" Misty asked.
"I was just waiting on the two of you to come back before I made the call. I'll go and try contacting them," Lincoln said, as he went over to the Videophones. Pikachu only glared at the two older trainers, which they didn't notice.
"You two have the worst timing ever, of all time."
Meanwhile, in the Loud House, in Lisa and Lily's room,
"And done!" Lisa said, as she finished up on her revisions to the Sister Fight Protocol, "Never expected to be done so soon. Well, now I just need to show these changes to the others and have them sign off on it," she said, as she gathered the paperwork. As she did, she heard a knocking from the door, "Enter!" she called. Opening the door revealing Lincoln's peer group, "Ah, back so soon?"
"Yeah, we were hoping to ask a favor from you," Ronnie Anne replied, as she closed the door behind her. Lisa became curious.
"And that is?" the young genius asked.
"We want to talk to this Professor Oak guy to see about giving this Pokemon Trainer thing a try," Clyde replied. Lisa was now very surprised.
"I see. Well, I think this could benefit everyone a bit more than we realize," Lisa replied.
"What are you talking about?" Rusty asked.
"Well, as you know from your previous visit, Lincoln sent over data on Pokemon that he's both seen and caught. I'm more than certain that you all would be able to do the same," Lisa explained.
"I get it. In exchange for getting us to talk to the Professor, you want us to send you data on Pokemon we would encounter on our journey," Girl Jordan commented.
"Exactly, and we all benefit from such a deal," Lisa replied.
"Well, that certainly makes negotiations a lot easier," Ronnie Anne commented, surprised at how easy it was.
"Indeed, but I can make any sort of promises that he'll agree," Lisa replied, just as the Videophone started beeping. Looking at the screen, Lisa smiled in satisfaction, "Looks like Lincoln's calling from Cerulean City. Which means you'll all be able to talk to him a lot sooner than you originally anticipated," she stated, as she picked up the receiver, and pressed the "Answer" button. The screen then displayed a picture of Lincoln on screen.
"Hey there, Lisa! How are you…" Lincoln cut himself off when he noticed his peers, "Ronnie? Clyde? Zach, Liam, Stella, Girl Jordan and Rusty too? This certainly is a surprise."
"Indeed. We were just talking about your journey as you called, which makes for perfect timing," Lisa replied.
"Oh, well, that's good to hear," Lincoln replied. Lisa then noticed two, unfamiliar faces behind Lincoln.
"Am I right to assume that those two behind you are your friends?" Lisa asked.
"Indeed, they are. To my left is Brock, the former Pewter City Gym Leader," Lincoln said, introducing Brock.
"Hey there," Brock greeted.
"And to my right is Misty, one of the Gym Leaders of the Gym here in Cerulean City," Lincoln said, introducing Misty.
"Nice to meet you!" Misty greeted.
"And it also a pleasure to meet you both as well. In any case, Lincoln, apart from Lucy and myself, there are two others in the house who would like to speak with you," Lisa said.
"Ok, well, if you'll go get them, I'll catch up with the gang," Lincoln said. With that, Lisa leapt off of her chair, and walked out of the room, leaving Lincoln to catch up with his friends, "So, how've things been back home?"
"Honestly? Things have been pretty dull without you, Lincoln," Zach replied.
"You look like you're doing pretty well as a Trainer. Is that one of your Pokemon?" Clyde asked, taking note of Pikachu.
"Yep. This is Pikachu, my first Pokemon. It's an Electric Type, and has been a faithful partner," Lincoln explained.
"What does that mean, 'Electric Type'?" Stella asked.
"Ah yes, well you see, Stella, there are 18 different types a Pokemon can have, sometimes having two. The Electric Typing is one of them," Lincoln replied.
"So, what other types are there?" Liam asked.
"Well, there are Normal Types, Fire Types, Grass, Water, Bug, Flying, Poison, Fighting, Ground, Rock, Steel, Dark, Ice, Dragon, Fairy, Ghost, and Psychic Types," Lincoln replied.
"Yikes, that's a lot to keep track of!" Rusty commented.
"It's actually a lot simpler than you'd think, Rusty. As I said, a single Pokemon can have either one or two different types. For instance, there are these two bird Pokemon by the names of Pidgeotto and Fearow that are Normal and Flying Types," Lincoln replied.
"So, how are things in Kanto? I've heard you've been having a particular lucky streak?" Ronnie Anne questioned.
"I suppose you could say that. Kind of ironic in my case," Lincoln replied, gaining looks of concern from his two new human friends.
"Is there something we should know about, Lincoln?" Misty asked.
"It's kind of a long story. I'll explain things a little later," Lincoln replied.
"Speaking of that 'long' story, Lisa told us everything about your departure to Kanto," Clyde stated. Lincoln's eyes widened in shock.
"Everything?"
"Everything," Ronnie Anne replied.
Meanwhile, in the dining room,
"I see, so at this moment, only Lucy and Lisa have earned Lincoln's forgiveness?" Albert asked Rita, who was feeding Lily some mashed peas.
"Yeah, though I am kind of envious. I wish I was there too so that I can talk things out with him," Rita said.
"Inky! Inky!" Lily happily babbled at the mention of her brother.
"Yes Lily, we're going to be talking to Lincoln sometime in the future. At least, I'm hoping we'll be able to," Rita said to her youngest daughter.
"Well, the fact that you've admitted that you were wrong shows me that you've grown a lot more since the last time I was here," Albert stated.
"Mom isn't the only one who wants to see Lincoln," the voice of Leni said, as she emerged from the kitchen, a smoothie in her hand, "I also want to talk thing out with him, especially after what happened during his time outside of the house."
"I know what you mean, Leni. Stopping you was a stupid move on my part," Rita replied.
"What do you mean?" Myrtle asked.
"Well, Lincoln wanted to come back in during that storm we had a week before we sent him to Kanto. Leni was going to let him back inside, but the rest of us were still convinced he was bad luck, so we convinced her that what we were doing was right, and convinced her to just leave him outside," Rita shamefully admitted.
"This whole bad luck garbage has been blown way out of proportion!" Albert declared firmly.
"I agree. Which is why I personally banned any mention of it before we went to Junior's softball game yesterday," Rita stated.
"Good on you, Rita," Albert commended.
"And you should feel proud too, Leni. While you weren't able to let Lincoln back inside, you felt that he needed to be let back inside during that awful storm," Myrtle said to Leni.
"Yeah, but maybe if I did, and ended up getting kicked out myself, maybe I would've been able to join Lincoln on his adventure. At least that way he wouldn't feel so alone in Kanto by himself," Leni replied.
"Funny that you should mention Lincoln," the voice of Lisa said, as she entered the dining room.
"How so?" Rita asked.
"Take a guess at who's on the line upstairs," Lisa replied. Rita put two and two together.
"You mean he's on the line?!" she exclaimed.
"Yep. Just head on up to my room, while I find Lucy," Lisa replied, as she ascended the stairs once again.
"Well, time to see how Lincoln's doing," Albert said, as they all got up from their seats. Rita took Lily from her high chair, and carried her upstairs.
In the Attic,
"Ok, so for the Karmic Misfortune Curse to work properly, I first need 13 objects to represent unluckiness, some spilled salt to draw the spell circle, a picture of the wronged, and 13 black candles," Lucy said, as she was going over the curse she had found in her Great Grandmother's chest, "There's plenty of pictures of Lincoln downstairs, as well as salt in the kitchen and I have more than enough black candles. Leaving just the 13 unlucky objects. I'll probably have to improvise."
"Lucy? Are you in here?" Lucy jumped upon hearing the voice of Lisa suddenly talking to her, "Hmm, now I see why you do that to us so much."
"I was just going through some of Great Grandma Harriet's old things. Do you need me for something?" Lucy asked after taking a moment to calm down.
"He's on the phone again. Come to my room once you're done in here," Lisa said, as she descended.
"Lincoln's calling again already?" Lucy questioned, but chose not to risk it, as she set aside the spell book, and followed Lisa out of the attic.
Meanwhile, in Lisa and Lily's room,
"Amazing! You've already done so much in such a short amount of time!" Clyde exclaimed, as Lincoln wrapped up the story of his travels.
"I'll say. Hope we get to experience that when we become trainers too," Stella replied.
"I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. Before you can be a trainer, you have to attend at least an entire semester of Trainer's School, then pass an exam to get your license. It's not going to happen unless you have a year to spare," Misty replied.
"Really? Because I only had to do a weeks-worth of studying at Professor Oak's Lab, and I still managed to pass my test, if just barely," Lincoln questioned. Both Misty and Brock gawked at Lincoln ins disbelief.
"Are you saying that you've never once attended Trainer's School? That you got all of your studying done in tutoring sessions with Professor Oak?!" Brock exclaimed.
"Pretty much, yeah," Lincoln replied nonchalantly.
"Lincoln, no one can be as lucky as you to have passed the Trainer's Exam with only a weeks-worth of tutoring, even with a world-renowned expert like Professor Oak," Misty stated. Lincoln's friends couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of that comment, especially given the circumstances of Lincoln's departure. The door to the bedroom swung open, and when they saw who walked in, Lincoln could only mutter a few words.
"Mom? Leni? Pop-Pop and Gran-Gran too?"
Rita and Leni could only stand and stare in disbelief, as they locked eyes with Lincoln for the first time in weeks. It was so quiet in the room that one could hear a pin drop. Even Lucy and Lisa were even quieter than a mouse when they arrived in the bedroom. After a few moments of silence, one of them finally spoke up, "Lincoln… you're looking well. It's good to see you again," Rita said, a sad smile on her face, as well as on Leni's face.
"Likewise. And I can see that you both are looking well," Lincoln replied.
"Lincoln, could we try to talk things out?" Leni asked.
"Certainly, though I was anticipating it was just Mom who wanted to talk to me given what I was told last time, but we can talk too, Leni," Lincoln replied, before turning to Pikachu, Misty, and Brock, "Hey, could I maybe as you guys to give us some space? Kind of some personal stuff going on."
"Sure thing," Misty replied, as she collected Pikachu, and the three of them gave Lincoln some space.
"The same goes for you guys too. No offense, but I kind of want to get things ironed out with Mom and Leni alone," Lincoln said to his friends back home and to Albert and Myrtle.
"No problem, kiddo. Come on everyone. Let's give them some space," Albert said, as they vacated the bedroom, leaving the two blondes to talk to the lone Loud son/brother.
"So, what do you two want to talk to me about?" Lincoln asked, crossing his arms.
"Well, first of all, we both want to apologize to you for how we acted. We never should've let Junior's superstitions get the better of our judgement," Rita replied.
"Yeah, we all became real hippos because of it," Leni added. Both Rita and Lincoln looked at her weirdly.
"Uh, Leni, I think the word you're thinking off is 'hypocrite'. Though to be fair, it was my dumb idea to carry on the lie about being bad luck in the first place," Lincoln stated.
"I did notice that. What I would like to know now is why did you do it?" Rita asked.
"Well, I don't know if you noticed, but each of the girls had big events scheduled one right after the other, with barely any room for a break. I just wanted a little me time, you know? A chance to take it easy," Lincoln replied.
"Ok, but why didn't you just ask us to give you some time off? I would've at least let you take a break from attending my fashion show," Leni asked.
"Because, no offense Leni, but you and the others tend to have rather violent tendencies. Take Lynn for example. The day she accused me of ruining her championship game, I had explained why I wanted out of attending her events, wanting to read my Muscle Fish comics, and also because I was supporting four other sisters the past few games. When I continued to refuse, she threatened me with her bat," Lincoln explained.
"Yes, I'm quite aware of that. I'm thinking on confiscating it, as well as all other sporting equipment she has that can be classified as a 'weapon'," Rita stated. It was then that she realized something, "But if you went along with Junior's superstitions, then that means…"
"Yep, when I came clean about my lie, that was the honest truth," Lincoln replied.
"Wish I had listened to you, or that I had allowed Leni to let you back in during that storm we had a while back. If I had did, you'd still be here with us," Rita commented.
"True, but on the plus side, I would never have been able to meet so many of the Pokemon I've encountered here in Kanto. I'm having the time of my life over here. Not to mention, due to something I got BEFORE I started on my journey, I've actually had quite the streak of good luck. Ironic, isn't it?" Lincoln replied.
"Yeah, I guess it is. So, you're willing to forgive us both?" Rita asked a hopeful look in both hers and Leni's eyes.
"Well, seeing as how you genuinely feel remorse for your actions, I can forgive you both, BUT!" Lincoln's sudden outburst caused them both to flinch, "Much like what I told Lucy and Lisa, I doubt something like this will ever happen again, but if it ever does, then consider yourselves disowned on the spot."
"Uh, duly noted!" Rita nervously replied, but was otherwise relieved, knowing that Lincoln had forgiven them, as was Leni, "So, is there any chance you'll be coming home anytime soon?"
"Afraid not. I'm currently entered in the Kanto League's Gym Battle Challenge, and that's something that I want to work for, so that I can have a real trophy of my own in the trophy case," Lincoln replied.
"Well, if that's what you want, then we'll support you in any way we can," Rita replied.
"Good. Now, could you let the others know they can come back inside? I want to get them up to date on my adventures," Lincoln requested.
"I'll do it!" Leni replied, making her way to the door.
"We'll need to remember to ask Leni to see the recording of your last call so we can get caught up," Rita commented.
Outside of Lisa and Lily's Room,
"Sounds like they were successful in apologizing to Lincoln. That's good to know. Maybe now Mother will have an easier time sleeping," Lisa commented, as she and the others had their ears pressed up against the door.
"Wait, your mother's been having sleeping problems?" Albert asked, concerned for his daughter's sake.
"Yes. Ever since Lincoln left, she's been plagued by guilt that's been affecting her sleep cycles," Lisa replied.
"Even though Lincoln just forgave both of them, that right there is pretty heavy," Rusty commented.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm glad that Mom's not a depressed mess anymore," Lucy replied. Just then, the door opened, revealing Leni.
"Ok guys, it's ok to come back in," Leni said.
"Ah, good! I've been eager to hear about what Lincoln's been up to since Pewter City," Lisa said, as they reentered the bedroom. Unbeknownst to them, a certain little princess was eavesdropping with a microphone on her tiara.
"So, Lincoln's finally decided to call again, huh? I'd better let the others know," Lola said, as she descended the stairs, where the rest of the family was sitting in the living room, watching some TV. Lola then quickly snatched the remote, and turned it off. The rest of her sisters began voicing their annoyance with her.
"Lola, there had better be a good explanation as to why you did that! It was just getting to the best part!" Lori snapped. Lola then pointed towards the staircase, hoping to redirect their anger.
"Lincoln's talking to Lucy and Lisa again! And they've got a big group with them talking to him!" Lola tattled.
"Wait, Lincoln's on the phone again? Seriously?" Luna asked.
"I heard it with my own ears," Lola replied. Lynn got onto her feet, and stomped angrily over to the staircase.
"About time he did! I need to go chew him out for not only ruining my last softball game against the Beavers, but getting me banned from softball all together!" she said, intent on marching upstairs. She was stopped by the combined forces of Luna and Luan.
"Hold on there, little sister! Don't even think about laying the blame for YOUR loss on Lincoln. After all, HE didn't play in that game!" Luan stated.
"Yeah, it's physically impossible for him to have ruined your game. He's on the other side of the world, remember?" Lana chirped, adding to the conversation.
"Then it has to be his room! The residual bad luck that's still lingering around in there is responsible! That makes Stinkcoln guilty!" Lynn argued.
"Junior, you are NOT to call your brother that awful 'Stinkcoln' name again! Besides, the room is staying unsealed, as per your mother's orders," Lynn Sr. chastised.
"But Dad…!" the younger Lynn was cut off.
"No 'buts'. His room stays unsealed, and that's final!" Lynn Sr. declared, before turning to his pink clad daughter, "And you said that he's on the phone again?"
"Yeah, it's the whole reason why Lynn dubbed Lucy and Lisa traitors to the family, remember?" Lola asked.
"I see. Well, in that case, why don't we all go up and say hello? It would be nice to talk to him again," the Loud patriarch suggested.
"I'm not too sure, Pops. Lincoln's willing to talk to Lucy and Lisa, sure, but the rest of us, I don't really know," Luna replied uneasily.
"I don't care about saying 'hello' to that jinx, but I'm going up there to give him a piece of my mind!" Lynn snapped, as she threw off her older sisters and stomped upstairs.
"Damn it, there she goes! We should get up there to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid," Luna suggested.
"I'll go too. We need to keep that brat from causing any more trouble with Lincoln," Lori said, as they all ascended the staircase, followed closely by their father.
Just outside of Lisa and Lily's room,
Lynn, upon reaching the top of the stair case, stomped towards the bedroom in question, intent on chewing out her brother. She was about to reach for the doorknob, when several hands stopped her. She saw that those hands belonged to her sisters, all of whom had disapproving looks on their faces, "Lynn, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to cause MORE trouble?!" Lori snapped.
"Lincoln ruined my game against the Beavers! The literal jobbers of softball! Do you know how embarrassing that is, to be the team that give THEM their first ever win?! I have every right to go in and yell at that little jinx!" Lynn retorted.
"I don't care what you think about your game, but you had better not go in there!"
"Oh yeah? You and what army?" Lynn questioned.
"If they won't stop you, then I will!" Lynn Sr. said, as he reached the top of the stairs, "There's more than enough tension between us and Lincoln as it is right now, and we don't need you to add more fuel to that fire, Junior."
"But Dad, his bad luck ruined my game!" Lynn whined.
"You'd better cool it with the 'you-know-what' talk," Lola warned.
"Yeah? Why should I, runt?" Lynn barked.
"Because Mom's in there with Pop-Pop and Gram-Gram, and you know how they feel about the whole 'you-know-what'," Lola clarified.
"Wait, Mom's in there?" Luan asked.
"Leni too. From what I heard, they seemed to have mended things with Lincoln too," Lola replied, peering in through the keyhole.
"What?! It's bad enough Lucy and Lisa betrayed us, but now Mom and that ditzy bimbo have to side with that rotten jinx?!" Lynn seethed in fury.
"Junior, that is no way to talk about your family!" Lynn Sr. scolded.
"As far as I'm concerned, the four of them are no family of mine!" Lynn retorted. Her sisters gasped.
"You don't mean that, I hope," Luna stated.
"I do! Anyone who would willingly side with a jinx like Lincoln deserves to be disowned! Let that be a warning to the rest of you!" Lynn threatened.
"Whatever. Now shut up so we can listen in," Lori ordered, as they all pressed their ears to the door.
"Sounds like Mom's joining in supporting Lincoln's journey to become a Champion of some kind in Kanto?" Luan questioned, trying to hear things right.
"Another reason to disown her. Besides, Lincoln's the designated looser of Royal Woods. That pity trophy he's got in the trophy case is a lot more than he should even have. 'Most Improved Brother' my ass," Lynn grumbled, as they continued listening in.
Inside the bedroom,
"So, am I to assume that those two are your friends?" Rita asked, noticing Brock and Misty behind her son.
"Yep. This is Brock, the former Pewter City Gym Leader, who specializes in Rock Type Pokemon, and this is Misty, the Gym Leader I faced earlier today at the Cerulean City Gym. The Gym here specializes in Water Type Pokemon. I also have another friend by the name of 'Raigo', but he went off on his own just before we arrived in Cerulean City this morning," Lincoln explained, introducing the two of them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Brock greeted.
"Same for me," Misty greeted as well.
"And it's nice to meet both of you. I trust that you'll look out for my son?" Rita asked.
"You can count on us, Mrs. Loud," Brock replied.
"By the way, Misty, was it? I couldn't help but notice how 'developed' you are, especially for someone so young," Myrtle commented, noticing how mature Misty' frame was.
"I honestly don't know too much about it myself. It could have something to do with how nutritious the food over here is," Misty replied with a shrug.
"Well, I certainly was never as developed as you were back when I was your age. Maybe I should see about having some of the food they have over there sent here," Rita commented.
"I'll see what the procedures are for transporting food, Mom. But could we move onto another topic of discussion to break away from this one?" Lincoln suggested.
"Oh, right! Sorry about that. Why don't you start from when you left Pewter City?" Rita asked.
"Alright, well, after I won my Gym Badge from Brock, and having him join up with us, we were getting ready to set out for Cerulean City, which is just on the other side of Mount Moon," Lincoln explained.
"Oh, that sounds so romantic!" Leni gushed.
"Something that's just as, if not more romantic is that is an asteroid that according to stories, crashed into the mountain in ancient times. It's called the 'Moon Stone'," Lincoln added.
"Oh, now THAT'S romantic!" Girl Jordan commented.
"Yep. But before we left, we had to get a map of the mountain so that we could find our way through without any trouble. So, we…"
Back in the hallway,
"So that must be the Misty girl Lincoln was talking about before," Luna commented, as they continued listening in.
"I'm more interested in the food she was talking about. I could make all kinds of great dishes if I could get my hands on some of it, instead of using the cheap groceries I normally buy at the grocery store," Lynn Sr. commented, with his own ear pressed against the door.
"I have to admit, the thought of any kind food, whether cheap or high quality, always sounds great!" Lana commented, before something crossed her mind, "By the way, what does 'developed' mean?"
"What are you talking about, twerp?" Lori asked, a questioning look etched onto her face.
"Well, Mom and Gran-Gran said that Misty was 'well developed', and that Mom was never as developed when she was young," Lana clarified, only to notice a look of disbelief on her face, "What? Did I say something stupid?"
"That Misty girl is only 12, and she's already got a rack?!" Luan exclaimed, looking down at her own flat chest, "Not fair," she said, anime tears rolling down her eyes.
"Totally not fair," Luna replied, feeling just as inadequate.
"Pfft, what good is having a couple of sacks of fat on your chest? All they would do is slow you down," Lynn grumbled, hiding her own jealousy.
"Will you guys shut up?! I'm trying to listen to this next part. Something about fairies?" Lola said, trying to listen in.
Inside the bedroom,
"Man, when I wound up in Kanto in my prime, I saw all kinds of Pokemon, but never even one Clefairy. Yet you managed to see an entire colony, AND partake in a sacred ritual?" Albert questioned, impressed by Lincoln's endeavors on Mount Moon.
"Yep. It was really a man by the name of Bill who helped us to get invited to their ceremony. Oh, which reminds! Lisa, how's work on the Transporter coming along?" Lincoln asked.
"I just finished it a little bit before you called. All that I need to do now is to test it," Lisa replied.
"I see. Well, how about I send an empty Pokeball over? Will that work?" Lincoln asked.
"That should work wonderfully!" Lisa replied.
"Ok, just excuse me for a second," Lincoln replied, as he reached into his bag to pull out a spare Pokeball. He reached off screen and looked to press something on the videophone. Within seconds, the transporter machine in Lisa's room activated, and in a flash of light, the Pokeball materialized. Rita then retrieved it.
"So this is what you use to catch Pokemon," Rita commented, as the Ball opened up.
"Yep. I'm thinking the company that makes them, the Silph Co., utilize some kind of shrink ray technology. Anyhow, I've already selected six Pokemon that I'm going to send your way, as per a request by Lisa," Lincoln said, as he punched some key in on the Video Phone. Once again, the Transporter Machine began emitting light, as six more Pokeballs began to materialize, one right after the other. The other retrieved each one as they came through.
"They've come through successfully, Lincoln!" Lisa replied, holding the Friend Ball.
"Great. Please make sure to take care of them, and remember what I said," Lincoln said.
"Affirmative. At the end of the week that they spend here, I have them transported back to Professor Oak's lab," Lisa replied.
"Good. Now then, where was before this whole thing?" Lincoln asked.
"Something about a guy named 'Bill'?" Rusty replied.
"Ah, yes, that's right! Well, when we got to their ceremonial grounds, the head Clefable asked us to help give our blessings to a group of Clefairy who were to undertake the evolution ceremony. Basically, we just had to use a fragment of the Moon Stone to help them evolve into Clefable," Lincoln explained.
"Who is this 'Bill' guy anyhow?" Liam asked.
"He's the man who built the entire Pokemon Storage System and Transporter Device. According Seymour, while not as renowned as Professor Oak, Bill is a genius who knows tons about Pokemon. He even has friends all around the world who maintain their branches of the system as well," Lincoln replied.
"Wow, he sounds important," Clyde commented.
"'Important' doesn't do him justice, Clyde, was it? His system has helped trainers all over not only Kanto, but the entire world as well," Brock replied.
"Of course, we didn't meet up with Bill until after Lincoln got knocked out by a rock to the head while protecting his Ralts," Misty pointed out.
"Ugh, please don't remind me! But anyhow, the Ceremonial Grounds were a thing of beauty. Like something out of a fantasy story," Lincoln added.
"I see. If I ever wind up in Kanto myself, I would like to try seeing it for myself," Lisa commented.
"So, did anything else happen on Mount Moon?" Zach asked.
"Oh, yeah. While we were waiting for the ceremony to commence, some guys from Team Rocket showed up, intent on stealing the Moon Stone," Lincoln explained, his mood going dour.
"Who's Team Rocket?" Leni asked.
"I guess you could call them like a Pokemon Mafia group. They poach, steal, and sell Pokemon, as well as use them to commit crimes, such as robberies. Basically, bad guys, but these ones were a lot smarter than the ones Misty, Raigo and I battled in Viridian City, and a lot meaner," Lincoln explained.
"Oh dear, I hope you didn't get too involved with those hoodlums," Myrtle piped up.
"Actually, we didn't have to do anything. The Colony used a move called 'Metronome' to blast Team Rocket out of the cave and away from the Moon Stone," Lincoln clarified.
"I'm guessing Metronome was something really powerful?" Lisa asked.
"You could put it that way. From what I was told, Metronome randomly turns into one other move, and remember, the entire colony used Metronome, so it was a complete flurry of powerful attacks, enough to leave a large crater," Lincoln replied.
"Yikes, I definitely do not want to be on the receiving end of that move, even if it's nothing powerful," Stella commented, blanching at the thought of such destructive force.
"Are we to assume from this bit of information that the Moon Stone itself is safe?" Lucy asked.
"It is. We were even allowed to keep the Moon Stone fragments that we used to evolve the Clefairy," Lincoln replied, as he took out his own shard and showed it to them, "Anyhow, moving on from that, after spending a night in the clearing where we met the Colony, I was approached by the Sandshrew I helped out back in the cave, as well as 2 Cleffa, 2 Clefairy, and the Shiny Clefable that I had evolved the night prior. They all said that they wanted to go with me on my journey to see the world outside of Mount Moon, albeit one of the Cleffa and Clefairy only wanted to tag along so I could use them in a Wonder Trade, but it's still nice that I had caught them."
"Incredible! You not only managed to catch the entire evolutionary line of Clefairy, but one of them was a Shiny Pokemon too!?" Albert laughed wholeheartedly.
"So, you were able to catch six Pokemon on the mountain?" Clyde asked.
"Eight, actually. One of them was a Zubat, which is in the green Pokeball I sent over, as well as a Paras, who I used in a Wonder Trade, on account of it not liking me too much," Lincoln replied.
"All we're getting is names. Any chance we can get some visuals?" Rusty asked.
"Oh, right! Just a moment," Lincoln said, as he pulled out his Pokedex, and inserted it into the Videophone on his end.
"Transmitting date… Please wait…." a computerized voice said, before something on Lisa's end beeped, "Data transfer complete!"
"Alright, now let's see what these new Pokemon look like," Lisa said, as she accessed the newly acquired data, "My word, I never would've imagined there'd be THIS many Pokemon in the world!"
"What's wrong? How many does it say there are?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"According to this, there's well over 700 different species!" Lisa replied.
"700?!" everyone else in the room, as well as Lincoln over the Video Phone exclaimed.
IN the Hallway,
"You're kidding! There're really 700 different species of Pokemon?!" Luna exclaimed.
"Yeesh, I didn't think there'd be that many!" Lana exclaimed, overwhelmed by this information.
"Deep breaths, Lana," Lynn Sr. said to the little grease monkey.
"I still say he's bad luck! How else could those Team Rocket goons have found that Moon Stone thing?" Lynn questioned.
"They must've followed them closely," Luan replied.
"Then what about getting clocked in the head by that rock?! That's pretty unlucky if you ask me!" Lynn argued.
"In case you weren't paying attention, Lincoln purposely took that rock to the head to save a, what was it, a 'Ralts'?" Lori countered, getting irritated by Lynn's incessant ranting.
"Yeah? Well…. What about my game against the Beavers?! He had to have ruined it somehow!" Lynn barked.
"Lynn, have you taken too many balls to the face?" Luna questioned.
"Good night, everybody!" Luan said.
"Lincoln is on the other end of the planet. There's no possible way he could've ruined your game," Luna finished her thought.
"Then it must be his room! It's still contaminated with his bad luck!" Lynn declared.
"You know, with all these excuses, I'm starting to think that maybe you don't think our brother's bad luck, but instead, you want him to be bad luck," Luan commented.
"Luan's got a point. The more you preach about bad luck, the more we're convinced that you want Lincoln to be bad luck," Luna agreed.
"What?! That's bull crap! If anything, I would want him to be good luck! That way, we can welcome him back into the house and the family!" Lynn retorted, only to go ignored by everyone there, including her own father, "Great, not only does Lincoln cause me to lose to the Beavers of all people, but now he's turned everyone against me! One way or another, I will make him pay!"
Regarding the alien in Pikachu's thought bubble, think of the aliens in the opening scene of Samurai Jack Season 5 Episode 1 to know what I'm talking about
