Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 52: Pokemon Shipwreck (Part 2)
Meanwhile, back in Kanto,
The news about the St. Anne sinking hit many people across the Kanto Region pretty hard. When they learned that Lincoln and friends were among the missing peoples, AJ and Samurai were horrified, to say the least. Damian was just as tense, hoping that Charmander wasn't with Lincoln's team when they disappeared. But the ones who were the most worried were Joy and Jenny, the ones who were dating Lincoln. When they heard Lincoln and the others had disappeared, they became frantic and worried about their boyfriend. They desperately wanted to go searching for him themselves, but their internships had taken them to far within the mainland of Kanto, away from where the St. Anne went down, so they couldn't do anything but wait and hope for the best, not knowing that they're hopes were far from being in vain, "It's not fair that this had to happen to him," Joy said, as she and Jenny were getting ready for bed.
"I know what you mean, and the fact that Team Rocket got away, even with Lorelei and the G-Men, doesn't help much either," Jenny replied, as the two girls crawled into bed.
"I just wish that we could go and help with the search," Joy commented, as they turned on the TV to find something to take their minds off the situation at hand. As they scrolled through, they saw a news report with the St. Anne.
"We interrupt this program with this breaking news bulletin. We have just been informed by world renowned Professor Oak about the whereabouts of the missing passengers of the St. Anne cruise liner. According to him, the missing people are still alive, but are trapped inside the St. Anne, and are making an attempt to escape," the reporter said. Both girls looked at each other with rekindled hope in their eyes, "As we speak, authorities are en route to the last known location of the St. Anne in hopes of bringing the missing passengers to the nearest island town,"
"Did you hear that!?" Jenny exclaimed happily.
"Yes! Lincoln and the others are still alive!" Joy squealed, embracing her girlfriend.
"First chance we get upon meeting up with him again, we're going on another date!" Jenny declared.
"That's definitely something to look forward to," Joy commented, sharing a passionate kiss with Jenny. But it wasn't just these two that were overjoyed to hear this news. Lorelei was relieved to hear that Misty was alright, and was getting ready to head out with Lapras to join the search party.
'Just hang on, Misty! I'm on my way!' she thought to herself.
Meanwhile, back with Lincoln and the others,
One by one, they all resurfaced, gasping for air after finally making it out of the St. Anne, "I can't believe it! We actually managed to escape!" Rito exclaimed.
"Yeah, but we still need to get rescued," Raigo replied.
"Well, for now, we can make use of Mister Inflatable Island Raft Buddy until someone does find us," Lala said, as she used her D-Dial to materialize what appeared to be an inflatable raft shaped like an island. One by one, everyone got onto the raft.
"Thanks Skipper! You were a big help!" Raigo said, recalling Skipper.
"You guys too!" Misty said, recalling her Pokemon.
"And you were especially helpful, Magikarp," Lincoln said, recalling the Fish Pokemon. It was then he noticed something, "Hey, where are those other three?"
"I thought they were right behind us," Leaf replied.
"You don't think they didn't make it out of there, do you?" Haruna asked.
"It's hard to say. But those three are persistent," Brock replied.
"Well, we've got nothing else to do by wait until we get picked up by someone," Saruyama commented.
"Someone should stand watch while we wait while the others get some rest," Brock suggested.
"I'm a bit wired, so I'll go ahead and take the first watch," Lincoln volunteered.
"Well, alright. Be sure to wake us up if you see something," Misty said.
"Will do," Lincoln replied. With that, everyone else laid down to try and get some rest, while Lincoln kept his eyes peeled for any sign of rescue. Nana joined him, "Nana? Aren't you going to get some sleep too?"
"Nah, I'm too wound up to sleep either. Besides, with two of us watching, we'll be sure to find something," Nana replied, as they began their watch. Nana, sensing this would be an opportune time, decided to ask Lincoln something, "Hey, Lincoln?"
"Yes, Nana?"
"I don't want to sound intrusive or anything, but what made you come all the way here from America?" Lincoln tensed up upon hearing the question, "You don't have to answer my question if you don't want to."
"Thanks Nana, but if word ever does get out about 'that', then I want you to be able to trust me," Lincoln replied. Nana blushed because she knew what Lincoln meant by 'that,' "Well, it's a bit of a long story, but I'll make it as brief as possible. As you already know, my family consists of myself, my parents, and 10 sisters, each with their own unique talent and personality. One of these sisters goes by the name 'Lynn Loud Jr.' She's the jock of the family, playing whatever sport she comes across and dominates in it, be it basketball, football, baseball, softball, or soccer, she's the best athlete in Royal Woods. Or, at least she was until she started becoming a little too overzealous with superstitions."
"Superstitions? You mean stuff like good and bad luck?" Nana asked.
"Yes. If she believes something will bring good luck, then she'll do it and force the rest of her teams to do it as well, and if she believes it to be bad luck, she'll force them to avoid doing whatever it is at all costs. Well, in any case, she had a softball game she wanted me to go to, but I politely declined, stating I wanted a free day to read my comics. However, Lynn, being Lynn, refused to take 'no' for an answer, and when I kept persisting on wanting an off day, she thought the best way to convince me was with her bat, asking me if I didn't want to reconsider," Lincoln explained.
"That's horrible!" Nana commented.
"As I said, it's Lynn being Lynn. Anyhow, at the game, her team lost, and Lynn blamed me for the loss, calling me out as 'bad luck'. Which is where I got one of the stupidest ideas I ever had; I carried on the lie to get free time from all of my sister's events. And it did work, a little too well. After a while, my family began barring me from being in the same room as them, as well as from activities I would've liked to be a part of, like going to the movies, and eventually, they forced me outside of the house to sleep like an animal. And before you ask, no, our parents did nothing to stop it. They took my sister's side in ousting me from the house, and refused to let me back in, even when I came clean," Lincoln continued.
"But, are they at least making some attempts to fix this?" Nana asked, feeling sympathy for Lincoln.
"My mom, and some of my sisters, including Leni, are. My other sisters include Luna, Lucy, Lisa, and sine she's just a baby, Lily got a free pass for obvious reasons," Lincoln replied.
"Well, at least you aren't holding onto to your grudge against them," Nana pointed out.
"Yeah. But after the last time I spoke to the entire family, Lori and Lynn made it clear they don't feel any sort of remorse. In fact, they're still convince I'm the bad guy, Lori, thinking that just because I'm travelling with Misty will threaten her relationship with her boyfriend, Bobby, and Lynn, who still thinks I'm bad luck. My Dad won't believe a word I say unless the rest of my sisters say the same thing. Luan's probably just following the others, same with the twins, Lana and Lola," Lincoln replied.
"And I'm guessing those last three aren't as easy to convince as the people you have forgiven?" Nana asked.
"You're right at least as far as Lola. She's the kind of girl who thinks she always has to get her way, and won't do anything for anyone unless there's something in it for her. Luan and Lana, on the other hand, might be willing to do so, if they're convinced enough," Lincoln replied.
"And those other three, your Dad, Lori, and Lynn, I'm assuming that they're pretty much lost causes?" Nana asked.
"Pretty much, and they can be extremely stubborn when they want to be," Lincoln replied. Just then, he noticed something from the water, "Hey, what's that?" both of them looked out to see something floating in the water. Upon closer inspection, they saw it was, "It Team Rocket!" his exclamation got everyone up and moving.
"Guess they did manage to escape after all. We should try to get them onto the raft," Brock suggested.
"Alright. Magikarp, bring them over here!" Lincoln said, sending out Magikarp again. Magikarp swam over and pushed them closer. Everyone worked fast to pull them out of the water. But they weren't moving.
"Even if they were part of a criminal organization, no one deserves this," Kotegawa commented.
"The best we can do for them now is to give them a proper burial at sea," Misty replied, as everyone clapped their hands. Misty, along with Lincoln, Brock, Leaf and Raigo proceeded to try and push the Rockets into the water, only for them to spring back up on their feet, accidentally throwing Meowth back into the water.
"AAH! ZOMBIES!" they all screamed.
"We're not zombies!" Jessie yelled.
"That's right! We're still very much alive!" James yelled.
"Hey, don't leave me here in the water!" Meowth scrambled back onto the raft.
"Damn, he made it," Pikachu grumbled, snapping his fingers.
"Hey, I just had a thought. Does anyone have any signal flares?" Lincoln asked.
"I think I have something like that," Lala said, accessing her D-Dial once more, scrolling through, "Well I thought I did. Sorry."
"I might have a plant that works the same way too," Momo commented, as she used her own D-Dial, materializing what appeared to be a flower of some kind, "These Flare Tulips from the Planet Denmos work the same way as a signal flare," she said, as she fired one shot up into the air.
"Now all we can do is hope a passing ship sees it," Run commented, as Momo returned the flower to her D-Dial. Just then, Magikarp leapt up onto the raft.
"Hey, thanks for helping out, Magikarp," Lincoln said.
"You really caught a Magikarp?" Jessie asked incredulously.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did," Lincoln replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Don't you realize that Magikarp are one of the most useless Pokemon in the world? Even Caterpie are better at battling that it could ever be!" Meowth said.
"Now hold on, I don't take too kindly to how you're berating Magikarp like that!" Lincoln snapped back.
"Who cares what you think? Now that we've all escaped from the St. Anne, our truce is over, so now, it's back to basics! And we'll be taking all of your Pokemon!" Jessie proclaimed.
"Hold on, you can't battle here!" Lala warned, just as Magikarp leapt up, and started smacking them with its tail fin.
"Why you little… BUZZ OFF ALREADY!" James yelled, as he then kicked Magikarp out into the ocean. Magikarp resurfaced, and began splashing furiously.
"Hey, you can't do that to my Pokemon!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Be grateful that we're leaving you with at least that puny little thing, brat!" Jessie yelled.
"Uh, guys?" Mikan said, looking out at Magikarp, as it began to evolve, growing larger and longer into a Gyarados, who hissed ferociously.
"Gyarados has been registered to your Pokedex," Dexter stated.
"Now you've done it! Magikarp's evolved into Gyarados!" Misty exclaimed.
"Gyarados?! I think I liked it better as a Magikarp!" Mio exclaimed.
"Hey there, Gyarados, are you feeling alright?" Lincoln said, trying to keep his newly evolved Pokemon from making the situation worse. Fortunately for everyone, Gyarados looked happy.
"'Alright'? I've never felt better! Evolving was such a rush, and now I feel a lot stronger!" Gyarados replied.
"Well, that's good to hear. Maybe you can help out with towing us to the nearest island?" Lincoln asked.
"Sure, I can. Just… one problem. Which way is the nearest island?" Gyarados asked. Lincoln and Nana both smacked themselves in the face.
"Dang it, I knew we were forgetting something!" Lincoln groaned.
"What's wrong?" Misty asked.
"The truth is Gyarados doesn't know which way the nearest island is, so it can't tow us back without getting lost," Meowth replied.
"Well, we could always try using the moon and the stars," Brock suggested.
"Of course! The moon can help us determine which way is north!" Leaf realized.
"And we can try finding the actual North Star," Rito added, as they all began looking up to the night sky.
"Hmm, I think that might be it," Lincoln said, pointing to the brightest star of the bunch.
"What a time to be without a working compass," Risa commented. Just then, they saw something heading towards them.
"Is that…?" Lincoln questioned, as the object got closer and closer, revealing itself to be a large boat of some kind.
"LINKEY!" Lincoln was shocked to see Leni at the front of the ship, as well as the others aboard the ship too.
"No way, Leni!?" Lincoln exclaimed, as the boat pulled up next to them.
"Ahoy there! Need a lift?" Rusty asked, as a rope ladder was lowered down.
"Thanks guys, you have no idea how much we appreciate this!" Misty said, as they all climbed up the ladder, one by one.
"When we heard the news about the St. Anne sinking, we were all really worried about you guys," Bobby said.
"But when Professor Cerise told us that you were trying to escape, we knew we had to come down and help you out," Tabby added.
"Well, now that we're safe and sound, we can head to the nearest port town and have you all confirm that you survived your ordeal," the captain said. Just then, a heavy breeze began to blow, as the sea began churning violently.
"H-Hey, what's going on!?" Saki exclaimed, as everyone held onto the boat for dear life. Gyarados attempted to help the best it could, but was ultimately powerless against the raging storm. Eventually, everyone slammed hard into the boat. The last thing any of them saw was blue- and orange-colored blobs coming towards them before they all lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, at the U.N. headquarters,
"And that, ladies and gentleman concludes our proposal for a Cultural Exchange Bill," Lucius said, as he and every leader of every Monster race stood before the world leaders of the United Nations.
"Your majesty, I think that had to be the most informative presentation ever given to any of us here," one of the leaders said.
"It certainly would help to no longer trying to keep a tight lid on evidence of the existence of monsters," another leader added.
"So, I believe that means we're in agreement?" Lucius asked.
"Well, we have our own bits we'd like to throw in as well before we make a final decision," a third leader replied.
"Such as?" Lucius asked.
"For starters, your points about humans and monster not physically harming each other or engaging in illicit relations has to work both ways. Should a human representative living in the Monster Realm be harmed or cause harm in any fashion, then they must be brought back to the Human Realm to be put on trial for their actions. That same principle also applies to any Monster reps," the first leader explained.
"Yes, that does makes perfect sense," Lucius replied.
"That being said, we are willing to make an exception to those rules in regards to the arranged marriage between this 'Lincoln Loud' character and your daughters, but until they are married, they have to follow the new laws as well," the second leader added.
"In addition to the rules we've already established, I think we can all agree that exploring each Realm would be far too dangerous for our representatives to do alone. Therefore, I propose that one such rule states that both Monster and Human representatives MUST be in the company of their host family at all times with only a few exceptions, such as using the bathroom," a fourth leader said.
"That does hold some truth. After all, not all humans or Monsters would be as welcoming as others," Stolas pointed out.
"True. I think we can agree to those guidelines," Lucius replied.
"Very good. In that case, we shall all take a vote and get back to you in a few days. Afterwards, we'll hold a press conference to explain all of the guidelines of this bill," the first leader said.
"Very good. I look forward to it," Lucius replied, as he and the others left the conference room via portal.
"Well, this certainly will be a productive project," another leader commented.
"Indeed. But I still wonder about this 'arrangement' they have regarding this 'Lincoln' boy," the first leader replied, as they went on with trying to work out the bill.
The next morning, on an island somewhere in Kanto,
Lincoln groaned as he came to from the ordeal he and the others just went through, "Oh man, that was awful!" he exclaimed, only to find that he was on an island of some sort. Nearby, he saw Misty, Brock, Leaf, Raigo and the others, all sprawled out across the beach. Rito turned in his sleep, accidentally placing his hand on one of Kotegawa's breasts, causing her to wake up completely.
"YOU PERVERT!" Kotegawa yelled, as she pummeled Rito, which caused everyone else to awaken as well.
"Ah, jeez, what's with the early morning pummeling, Kotegawa?" Rito questioned, rubbing his head where she had pounded him. He then realized something important, "Hey, where are we?" Kotegawa calmed down enough to look around.
"Looks like we got washed up on some island," Carlota commented. Nearby, Lincoln saw Gyarados, laying on the beach.
"Gyarados!" Lincoln exclaimed rushing over to the Atrocious Pokemon, "Are you alright?"
"Y-yeah, I'll be fine. But I think I could do with some rest," Gyarados replied.
"Ok. Just let me give you some Super Potion, then I'll recall you to your Pokeball," Lincoln said, as he rummaged through his bag.
"I'm assuming this big guy is yours, Lincoln?" Rusty asked, a little nervous seeing Gyarados in person.
"Yeah. It just evolved from a Magikarp I got while on the St. Anne last night," Lincoln replied, as he sprayed the entire bottle on Gyarados, healing it up. Once that was done, Lincoln recalled Gyarados.
"Captain, how's the ship?" Bobby asked the captain, who was inspecting the ship, as it laid on the beach.
"Fortunately, there aren't any serious damages, but it'll need to get patched up before getting pushed back into the ocean," the captain replied, before he noticed something, "But I think you and your friends might have some company."
"'Company'?" Bobby questioned, as they all turned to see a group of Dragonite, and some long, blue serpentine Pokemon with jeweled orbs under their chins and around the tails. They also had what appeared to be white wings on it's head, and a small, white horn.
"Whoa, those are Dragonair and Dragonite!" Goh exclaimed.
"Really?" Ronnie Anne asked, as she and Lincoln took out their Pokedexes to scan them.
"Dragonair, the Dragon Pokemon, a Dragon Type, and the evolved form of Dratini. This Pokemon gathers power in the orbs on it's tail to control the weather. When enshrouded by an aura, Dragonair has a mystical appearance," Dexter explained.
"Dragonite, the Dragon Pokemon, a Dragon and Flying Type. A kindhearted Pokemon that is known as the Sea Incarnate. If it spots a drowning person or Pokemon, Dragonite simply must help them," Ronnie Anne's Pokedex explained.
"That must mean that this is the fabled Dragonite Island!" Sid exclaimed.
"'Dragonite Island'? What does that mean?" Mikan asked.
"The Pokedex says that Dragonite live on an island somewhere in the middle of the ocean that's inhabited by Dragonite only, and this must be that place," Goh explained.
"I don't believe we've met," Lincoln commented.
"Oh, right. Lincoln, this is Goh and Sid. They're fellow Research Fellows at the Cerise Lab. They volunteered to come and help us look for you guys," Leni introduced the two.
"And we know who you are. You're Lincoln Loud, the kid that's been making a name for himself in Gym Battles across Kanto," Goh replied.
"Well, it's nice to meet both of you," Lincoln greeted.
"Friends," all the trainers from Royal Woods turned to face the Dragonite, "We welcome you to our humble island. Please, make yourselves at home for as long as you need to," the lead Dragonite urged.
"Uh, thanks, we will," Rusty replied. Lincoln looked surprised.
"Wait, you guys could understand what Dragonite was saying?" he asked.
"Oh, yeah. A bit of a long story, but after you set sail, during our first assignments at the lab, we were all approached by Legendary Pokemon," Clyde replied.
"'Legendary Pokemon'? Did one of them look like Ho-Oh?" Lincoln asked.
"No, but in Leni, Haiku, Tabby, Stella, and my case, they encountered three similar bird Pokemon. I think the Pokedex said they were called 'Moltres, Zapdos, and Articuno'," Polly replied.
"Well Nie-Nie, Clyde, Jordan, Liam and I all encountered a silver Pokemon that the Pokedex said was called 'Lugia'," Bobby replied.
"And my group, with Rusty, Zach, Giggles, and Margo encountered a trio of Pokemon, just like Leni's group did, but they were all dog like Pokemon. If memory serves, the Pokedex said they were called 'Entei, Raikou, and Suicune,'" Carlota added.
"I still think it's not fair that Sid and I got gipped of an encounter with such Legends," Goh muttered.
"Anyhow, they had given us these," Zach said, as he, Rusty, Giggles, Margo and Carlota held up either red, yellow, or blue crystals. Leni, Haiku, Tabby, Stella and Polly held up either red, blue, or yellow feathers of their own. Finally, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, Clyde, Jordan and Liam all held up silver-colored feathers.
"Whoa, those are all just like my Rainbow Wing," Lincoln commented, taking out his Rainbow Wing.
"All items received from Legendary Pokemon," Brock commented. Nearby, the former Team Rockets were listening in.
"Whoa, did you guys hear that?" Jessie asked her cohorts.
"Of course! Those Dragonite said we can make ourselves at home until we can leave," Meowth replied.
"That's certainly nice of them. Just think if we catch some of them, we can sell them off to the highest bidder!" James added.
"No, not that! I'm talking about how those brats from America encountered all those Legendary Pokemon! They could be our golden ticket into getting back into Team Rocket!" Jessie yelled.
"How would that work?" James asked.
"Think about it; Those brats all had encounters with extremely rare, Legendary Pokemon. That's not something just anyone can do. So, if we were to keep an eye on them, they might lead us to all manner of rare and unusual Pokemon," Jessie explained.
"I get what yer sayin'. If we can nab poach some primo Pokemon, then the boss would have to let us back into Team Rocket!" Meowth replied.
"But taking that thought one step further, wouldn't it be better if we just kept the Pokemon for ourselves? After all, remember how Proton sicced Weezing on us? It was clear that the boss doesn't care about us, so why bother trying to get back into Team Rocket when we can just become an independent crime team of our own?" James suggested. His cohorts were amazed at how James thought that up.
"You know, that idea actually does have merit. Why should we give OUR Pokemon up to a bunch of ungrateful assholes?" Jessie asked.
"Then we're in an agreement. We're going to be our own criminal team from here on out!" Meowth declared.
"And our first order of business is to poach as many Pokemon as we can from this island and sell them off on the black market!" Jessie proclaimed.
"And naturally, we'll keep the strongest ones for ourselves," James mused, whipping out a rose.
Back with Lincoln and company, they decided to take a look around the island since they have this golden opportunity, "Looks like what you said is true, Goh. There's nothing by Dragonair and Dragonite living here," Lincoln commented.
"If we're really lucky, we might catch a glimpse of…" Goh stopped himself upon seeing smaller forms of Dragonair in a nearby lake, "Dratini!"
"So those are Dratini?" Tabby questioned, as Haiku pulled out her Pokedex.
"Dratini, the Dragon Pokemon, a Dragon Type. Dratini dwells near bodies of rapidly flowing water, such as the plunge pools of water falls. As it grows, it sheds its skin many times. What appears to be a bump on its head is actually a horn that's beginning to grow in. Because it is rarely seen, many dub Dratini as a 'Mirage Pokemon,'" her Pokedex explained.
"Alright, now's the time for me to catch the entire Dragonite evolution line!" Goh said, rummaging through his bag.
"Right behind you!" Sid added, as she dug through her bag. However, both of them looked inside to find their bags were totally empty, "What the…?! Where are our Pokeballs?!"
"Wait a minute, remember?" Goh asked.
"Dewgong and Mantine," Sid said, as all color drained from both of them.
"Well, each of us has plenty of spare Pokeballs. You can borrow some if you want," Ronnie Anne offered.
"No, you guys should keep them just in case," Goh declined.
"It's pretty weird how Pokemon evolve," Mio commented.
"What do you mean?" Leni asked.
"Well, you've got Dratini, and then Dragonair. Dragonite is the only one that doesn't fit in with the rest of the line," Mio explained.
"Right? You'd think that they'd look something more along the lines of Milotic or Gyarados," Goh replied.
"Or at the very least, Dragonite could've kept the jeweled orbs it has as a Dragonair," Lincoln added. Nearby, they saw some Dragonair squirming around with each other, as they eventually took flight with a bright, blue aura.
"It's still amazing that Dragonair can fly with the little wings on it's head," Giggles commented. Lincoln then noticed one Dragonair who was struggling with the same squirming the others were doing.
"Looks like this one's having some trouble," he commented, walking over to it, "Hey there, are you having trouble taking off?"
"You could say that. I'm having some difficulty mastering a move called 'Dragon Dance.' It's what my friends were just doing before they took flight," the Dragonair replied.
"Ok, but is there some reason they need to take flight here and now?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. You see, our island is surrounded by a heavy storm that all the other Dragonair summon using their orbs," Dragonair replied.
"Could that've been what caused us to wash ashore?" Lincoln wondered.
"More than likely. As friendly as we are, we'd rather continue living on this island in secret, so we make sure the storm is constantly raging. But once you and your friends are ready to leave, we'll guide you to the nearest human civilization," Dragonair replied.
"That would be much appreciated, thank you. Now, about this Dragon Dance of yours," Lincoln said.
"We use it as a means to work up enough energy to take flight."
"Hmm, there must be some sort of trick to it," Lincoln pondered, as he took out his Pokedex, "Dexter, how exactly is the move Dragon Dance used?"
"Dragon Dance is a move in which the user uses rhythmic movements to increase Speed and Attack Power," Dexter explained.
"Hmm, not much to go on. Have you tried getting one of your friends to demonstrate the movements?" Lincoln asked.
"Many times, and I know all the movements by heart, it's just… it's kind of hard to keep up," Dragonair replied.
"What about focusing the energy somewhere? Does the energy you get from Dragon Dance get focuses in the wings on your head, or throughout your entire body?" Lincoln asked. Dragonair was about to answer, but then took a moment to contemplate that question.
"Hmm, you know, now that I think about it, each time my friends use Dragon Dance, the energy often gets focused in their wings, which grow and get strong enough to lift them up," Dragonair replied.
"Well, in that case, let's give it a try. Show me your Dragon Dance," Lincoln requested. Dragonair then began to squirm around, causing it's body to glow bright blue, "Ok, now try to focus the energy into your wings," Dragonair did just that, and for a moment, they did grow a bit larger, but shrunk back down, causing Dragonair to fall to the ground, "You alright?" Lincoln went to Dragonair's aid.
"Yeah, but I think I get what you're saying," Dragonair replied.
"Ok, so let's keep trying it out," Lincoln replied. Nearby, his friends were exploring the immediate area.
"So, is there more to this island, or what?" Saki asked, just as she stumbled upon something, "Ick, what's that?!" she exclaimed, pointing to something on the ground. Bobby went to check it out.
"Looks like a shed skin. Remember what the Pokedex said about Dratini, how it sheds its skin?" Bobby asked.
"And by the looks of it, a lot of Dratini have been shedding," Clyde observed, seeing a multitude of shed Dratini skins.
"You know, shed Dratini Skins are worth a lot of money," Sid commented.
"They are?" Stella asked.
"Of course. You can sell some to a pharmaceutical company to make traditional medicines," Sid explained.
"Kind of like with regular shed snake skins," Girl Jordan commented.
"Are traditional medicines really made with shed snake skins?" Leni asked, sounding slightly disturbed.
"Oh sure. Snake skins have tons of medicinal properties," Clyde replied.
"I've heard that snake skins, at least in Japan, are viewed with great respect at holy temples," Haiku commented.
"I never knew that," Bobby commented.
"Oh sure, lots of animals are viewed as sacred figures in many different cultures," Zach replied.
"And I think that should do it," Lincoln commented, as Dragonair was finally able to take flight.
"Hey, look at that! You helped it with learning Dragon Dance!" Raigo commented.
"It took some finessing, but it was all worth it in the end," Lincoln replied, just as a net was deployed, ensnaring Dragonair, "What the…?!" he then turned to the source of the net and found the former Rockets, "You guys?!"
"That's right, brat! As we said, now that we're out of the St. Anne, our truce is now null and void," Jessie proclaimed.
"And that allows us to start pilfering all of these primo rare Pokemon for ourselves," James replied, as he ensnared more Dragonair, along with Dratini and Dragonite.
"Why you…!" Lincoln growled, readying his Pokeball, along with his friends.
"Don't even think of trying! Arbok, you're up!" Jessie said, releasing Arbok.
"Gurdurr, show them what for!" James said, sending our Gurdurr.
"Beldum, I need your help!" Lincoln said, sending out Beldum.
"Arrow, you're up!" Raigo said, sending out a dark blue bird Pokemon with two long tail feathers, and a white underbelly.
"What's that?" Lincoln wondered, scanning Raigo's Pokemon.
"Swellow, the Swallow Pokemon, a Normal and Flying Type, and the evolved form of Taillow. Swellow circles the skies in search of prey, and dives down sharply to catch it's target," Dexter explained.
"I'll handle Gurdurr if you take care of Arbok," Raigo said.
"Sounds good," Lincoln replied.
"Wait, friends," the Dragonair Lincoln was helping said, causing them both to stop, "There is no need for you to fight on our behalf," and with that, several of the captured Dragonite broke free of their nets, glaring angrily at the ex-Team Rocket members.
"Uh, they look mad," Meowth commented.
"Perhaps we should run?" James suggested.
"That's might be wise," Jessie replied. However, they didn't get a chance to, as they got blasted away by the Dragonite, who were all using bolts of lightning, streams of fire, powerful gusts of wind, beams of icy energy, or just plain regular beams of energy, which sent them flying off.
"Since we're not in Team Rocket anymore, should we have something else to say besides 'we're blasting off again'?" James asked.
"We'll need to think it over," Jessie replied.
"But we'll do it one last time for old times' sake," Meowth said.
"WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAIN!" the three of them yelled, as they disappeared into the wild blue yonder. Taking this initiative, Lincoln and the others quickly freed all of the captured Pokemon.
"Thank you, humans, for at least offering to rescue us," the head Dragonite said.
"It's the least we could do in return for your hospitality," Lincoln replied.
"Quite. As much as we would like for you to continue being guests here, the others might start to get wary, given the fact that humans attempted to capture most of us, and you are humans yourselves," the head Dragonite replied.
"That's ok, we understand," Lincoln replied, turning to the others, "It would appear that we need to get moving. The rest of the Dragonite are going to feel uneasy with us around."
"Well, it was nice while it lasted. Wish we could've found out why Dragonair evolve into Dragonite," Rusty commented.
"It may sound a bit cliché, but it could be possible they evolve to help people. It even says so in the Pokedex that Dragonite helps people and Pokemon that are lost at sea," Margo theorized.
"That… actually makes a lot of sense when you say it out loud like that," Leni commented.
"Human," the Dragonair Lincoln helped said to him.
"Something up, Dragonair?" Lincoln asked.
"With how effectively you were able to help me master Dragon Dance, would it be too much to ask if I could join you on your journey?" Dragonair asked.
"Wait, you're wanting to come with me?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. I feel that I can grow stronger if I train alongside a human, such as yourself. Plus, I kind of owe you one for helping me master Dragon Dance," Dragonair replied.
"Well, you certainly have our blessings," the head Dragonite said, "Though it is always sad when one of our own leaves the island, I know you'll benefit a lot from traveling the world with this human."
"Elder, I will make you and the others proud," Dragonair replied.
"I know you will," the head Dragonite said.
"Let me just do one thing before I do catch you," Lincoln said, as he used his Pokedex to scan Dragonair.
"This Male Dragonair is Level 40, and knows the moves Dragon Tail, Dragon Rush, Dragon Dance, Aqua Tail, Agility, Thunder Wave, Ice Beam, and the Egg Move Aqua Jet," Dexter stated.
"Pretty decent lineup. Ok, welcome to the team, Dragonair," Lincoln said, as he tossed an empty Pokeball at Dragonair, encapsulating it. The Pokeball rocked once, twice, thrice before finally snapping shut.
"Dragonair has been registered to your Pokedex," Dexter stated.
"Awesome!" Lincoln commented. He decided to swap out Heracross in exchange for adding Dragonair to the team. A few seconds passed before Heracross' Pokeball vanished.
"Well, now you've got yourself a new powerhouse," Brock commented.
"Yep. And I'm hoping that Dragonair will get along nicely with the others," Lincoln replied.
"We'd better go back and check on the captain," Girl Jordan said.
"Right. We need to let our families know we're ok," Brock commented, as they made their way back to the beach.
"We will escort you through the storm," the Head Dragonite said.
"That'd be great, thank you," Lincoln replied, as they got back to the beach, where the captain was finishing up with patching up the boat.
"Ok, that should hold until we make port," he commented.
"Everything good to go, Captain?" Bobby asked.
"Yep. If all goes well, we should be at Porta Vista in less than two hours," the captain replied.
"Cool," Lincoln said, turning back to the Dragonite, "Dragonite, could we ask you to help push the boat back into the water?"
"Certainly," the Head Dragonite said, as it along with two other Dragonite helped push the boat back into the water. One by one, everyone boarded again, "Now, if you'll follow us, we'll take you to just outside the reach of the storm."
"Ok Captain, follow those Dragonite, and they'll take us out of through the storm," Carlota said.
"Alrighty then. But you'd all better get down below. We may be in for a rough ride," the captain advised.
"Alright. You heard him guys, head on down," Carlota called out. Everyone then made their way inside the ship, as it took off. It was a tight fit, but everyone was able to have plenty of elbow room.
"At least now we'll get back to civilization again," Mikado commented, as she and some of the others looked out the window, as the boat sailed through the rough waters of the storm.
"Most likely, we'll have to head back home once we make land," Kotegawa commented.
"A shame we can't hang out some more, but we understand," Misty replied.
"Maybe there's a way to stay in touch?" Lincoln asked.
"Well sure. Some of us can give you our phone numbers so you can call us up any time," Rito suggested.
"Sounds like a plan," Lincoln replied, as they all wrote down and exchanged their numbers. They continued to sit patiently in the cabin, telling stories about their adventures and exploits to pass the time, when…
"This is your Captain speaking. We'll be making land at Porta Vista momentarily. Please make sure you have ALL of your belongings when you disembark," the captain said over an intercom.
"I think that's it now!" Sid said, as she and the others saw the tropical island of Porta Vista coming into view.
"Awesome! First order of business is to call our families, then we'll decide what to from there," Brock said.
"Right. No doubt Mom and the others are worried," Lincoln commented, as the boat sailed closer and closer to the island.
Meanwhile, back in Royal Woods,
Rita and seven out of the nine sisters were still wide awake. They were far too anxious to go to sleep, as they were waiting for Lincoln call home to let them know he was alright. Currently, Rita was sitting at the dinner table, looking through a photo album of Lincoln's baby pictures. She was reminiscing and also reflecting on how badly Lincoln's been treated over the years, "*Sigh* I've been far too negligent towards him," she muttered. Just then, her wristwatch started to beep. Looking down at it, she saw "Porta Vista Pokemon Center." She immediately sprung to her feet, "He's calling!" she giddily exclaimed, as she rushed upstairs, with the intent of heading to Lisa and Lily's room. And she soon found that she was not the only one. Luna, Luan, Lucy, the twins, and Lincoln's Pokemon, save for Raphael, were all there too, "You all got the blip too?"
"Yeah. Looks like the search party came through," Luna replied.
"I just hope we're ready for this," Luan commented, feeling really nervous about talking to Lincoln again, as were the twins.
"Luan, you and the twins will do great. He was willing to hear all of us out and forgive us. You just need to vow to be better to him from now on, and to stop treating him like an outcast," Rita said to her fourth daughter.
"Well, what are we waiting for? I want to talk to Lincoln again!" Lola proclaimed.
"Well, then what's stopping us?" Lana asked, as they entered Lisa and Lily's bedroom, where the young genius prodigy was already at the Video Phone. In her crib, Lily was happily hanging onto the bars.
"INKY! INKY!" she sang happily.
"Yes sweetie, this is most likely Lincoln on the line," Rita said, as she scooped up Lily, and brought her over.
"Well, time to see if our prayers are answered," Lisa said, as she answered the receiver. When the screen turned on, they were all greeted with a sight they were all hoping to see.
"Hey guys," Lincoln greeted.
"LINCOLN!" they all cheered.
"Thank god you're still alive, sweetie!" Rita breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're all really glad to you again, bro," Luna added.
"I'm happy to be alive as well, you guys," Lincoln replied.
"Don't forget me!" Leni chirped, as she came into view.
"Thank you so much, Leni for doing all of this," Rita said.
"If any of my younger siblings are in trouble, you can bet I'll come running," Leni replied.
"So, what exactly happened when the St. Anne went down?" Lisa asked.
"Well, it's like this. When we got to the Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy was quick to call the Kanto News Network to have an emergency press conference with not only me, but all of the others who managed to escape the St. Anne's sinking. We learned from her that the sinking of the ship was a result of explosive devices used by this real nasty guy called 'Proton'," Lincoln explained.
"But somehow you managed to survive the sinking, right?" Lucy asked.
"Yes. We were all fortunate enough to get stuck inside a pocket of air that was inside the sunken ship. While we had air, we used all of our resources to escape through the hull of the ship just last night," Lincoln explained.
"But if you escaped last night, then why did you wait until the day time to call us?" Rita asked.
"It's a bit of a long story, but we got swept up in a big storm and landed on an island that was inhabited by Dragonite, along with their pre-evolved forms Dratini and Dragonair," Lincoln replied.
"I think I remember seeing something in the date he sent over about there being an island somewhere in the ocean inhabited by Dragonite," Lana whispered to Lola.
"But now that you know I'm alright, you can all rest a little easier now, right?" Leni asked.
"We can, yes, sweetie. Ordinarily I would ask you both to consider taking this experience as an initiative to come back home, but," Rita began.
"But?"
"Some new friends of ours convinced us that it might actually be better if you stayed in Kanto, with the threat Team Rocket poses not only to Kanto, but the rest of the world as well, including here," Rita explained.
"Hmm, these new friends of yours must be pretty smart to think of that. If Team Rocket did try to extend their operations back home in Royal Woods, they'd no doubt try to force my hand and give into them," Lincoln replied.
"What do you mean?" Lisa asked.
"During the heist, Proton mentioned something about the Team Rocket boss being interested in me. They probably want me to join them, like that'll ever happen," Lincoln commented.
"I'm glad you know better than to join such a despicable organization, Lincoln," Rita commented.
"Thanks, Mom. There is something else I could tell you about the heist they were planning, but that might not be such a good idea where I'm at. After all, Team Rocket has eyes and ears possibly everywhere," Lincoln replied.
"Wouldn't that make it hard for them to talk and listen to one another?" Leni asked. Lincoln merely patted his sister on the head.
"Well, hopefully when they do get taken down, you can tell us all about it," Luna suggested.
"Now, before we ask you tell us about all the fun you had on the St. Anne, which I'm assuming you were able to do, there are some people here who would like to talk to you," Rita said, nodding towards Luan and the twins.
"Well, show time," Luan quietly said to herself, as she and the twins walked up to the screen, "Uh, hey Lincoln. It's been a while since the three of us actually spoke to you," she said nervously.
"Luan, Lana, and Lola too? It certainly has been a while since we last spoke," Lincoln commented, his tone being neutral.
"We'll just leave you four alone," Lisa said, as she and the others exited the room, leaving the sisters and Lapis in the room.
"I'll step away too," Leni said, as she went off screen.
"C'mon, we can't afford letting this chance to mend fences with him go sour," Lola muttered to herself, "Lincoln, I know that we haven't exactly been… idol sisters. I admit that I've been a brat, and a tattletale, and a whole lot of other things. And a lot of the things I've done to get my way haven't always been the most noble of deeds. I'm not going to try to deny any of it."
"Nor I with my April Fool's Day Prank-mageddon," Luan added.
"And I could try appreciating you simply for being my brother a lot more. All of us could, or in Mom and Dad's case, having you for a son," Lana added.
"So, what exactly do you want to try and say? Are you wanting to try to change your ways to make life for not only myself but everyone else in the house a bit more bearable?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. We're willing to go the extra mile to be better sisters to you. I'm willing to hold back on all my pranks," Luan replied.
"I'll try to clean up my act in more ways than one," Lana added.
"And I'm even willing to get rid off all the blackmail I have on you and all the others, and try acting more like how a princess should act; by treating those around her with respect, instead of treating them like dirt under their shoes," Lola added.
"What we're also trying to say Lincoln is that we're sorry for our hand in this 'bad luck' mess," Luan said on behalf of herself and the twins. Lincoln looked over to Lapis, who nodded, indicating they were being sincere.
"Well, seeing as how you three took the time to come and apologize, I'll forgive you. But the same rule applies to the three of you as it does the others," Lincoln stated. The three sisters were happy to hear he was going to forgive them, but were curious about the rule.
"Uh, what rule is that?" Lana asked.
"That this is the ONLY time I'll forgive you for something like this. If you three screw up on THIS level again, then not only will I NOT forgive you, but you consider all ties with me cut completely, capise?" Lincoln asked.
"Don't worry Lincoln, you're giving us another chance, and we're not going to take it for granted," Luan replied.
"That's all I need to hear. Then consider yourselves not only forgiven, but warned," Lincoln said. He then saw the same miasma leaving the three of them as he saw leaving Luna when he forgave her, 'That same black mist again. What could it be?' he pondered, as the others reentered the bedroom by Lana's invitation.
"So, everything's squared away?" Luna asked.
"Yep. Lincoln was willing to hear us out and forgive us," Lola replied.
"That's good to hear. So, Lincoln, apart from the incident with the ship sinking, what all were you able to do on the St. Anne?" Rita asked.
"Well, I'm glad you asked, Mom. The St. Anne was just like any other cruise ship, complete with a shopping gallery, a number of restraunts, a movie theater, and a bowling alley. We were able to all of them between the time we got on the ship and when the heist began. There was even a Wonder Trade Station onboard," Lincoln asked.
"What exactly is 'Wonder Trading'?" Lola asked.
"It's where a trainer can exchange a random Pokemon with anyone around the world. I traded off four Pokemon I caught while training for my rematch with Surge, and I got four awesome new Pokemon. I also helped out some Pokemon a shifty looking guy was trying to sell off after he got into trouble for trying to sell them," Lincoln replied.
"Well, that was nice of you to do. What Pokemon did you get?" Lisa asked.
"Hang on, I'll send over the new data," Lincoln replied, as he inserted his Pokedex.
"Data transferring… data transferring… data transfer complete," a computerized voice said. Images of Lincoln's new Pokemon, and the ones he saw while on the St. Anne appeared on screen.
"Looks like you got a pair of fish Pokemon, a beetle, a bunny rabbit, a weasel thing, and… some kind of floating iron leg?" Luan asked.
"Yep. My new Pokemon include Feebas, Buneary, Heracross, Mienfoo, Beldum, Weezing, Dragonair, and a Magikarp that soon evolved into a Gyarados," Lincoln explained.
"Oh hey, it's that same sea serpent that Misty girl was using when you battled her," Rita commented, seeing Gyarados' image among the new Pokemon.
"Yep. It evolved from Magikarp," Lincoln replied.
"Amazing that it can go from a simple fish to a fierce sea serpent," Lisa commented.
"You think that's neat? I got a tip from one of the vendors that Feebas also has a similar evolution," Lincoln replied.
"When you say Feebas, do you mean this shabby looking fish?" Luna asked.
"Yep, but don't let its appearance fool you. According to the Pokedex, Feebas are hardy creatures that can survive in just about any kind of water," Lincoln replied.
"Well, if you say its evolution is similar to Magikarp's, then that'll be something to look forward to," Lana commented.
"Indeed. Anyhow, the heist was taking place during a fancy ball they had in the ball room. Oh, which reminds me, we also met one of the Kanto Region's Elite Four, who are the strongest trainers of the region. The one we met was Lorelei, the Ice Type Specialist," Lincoln continued.
"I see. So, did you and Misty do a little dancing?" Luna asked in a slightly hopeful manner.
"We did. And we even teamed up in a Tag Battle against Lorelei and another trainer, where I went with Mienfoo to see how she faired in battle. Overall, she did great, but we had to forfeit after she got frozen in a block of ice," Lincoln replied.
"Yikes. Well, at least you got to have SOME fun while on the ship," Luan commented.
"That's right. But enough about how things have been going for me. How are things back home?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, we were able to see your rematch with Surge on TV, but other than that, and making some new friends, things have been pretty slow back here," Rita replied.
"I see. So, what are these new friends like?" Lincoln asked.
"Ok, so before we tell you, we don't blame you if you don't believe us, but our new friends are actual, for real monsters!" Luna replied.
"Uh, when you say monsters, do you mean like…"
"Demons, minotaurs, Arachne, succubi, Oni, even hellhounds and imps," Rita replied. Lincoln and Leni's jaws dropped in shock.
"Wow, do we even want to know how this happened?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, it's a little hard for us to properly explain, but they might have the means to teleport over to where you are. You can learn everything then," Lisa replied. She didn't feel comfortable with telling Lincoln about the curse Lucy had cast.
"Well, alright. But instead of warping over here to Porta Vista, why not wait until I call from Maiden's Peak? I learned that there's a Gym both here and at the Peak that I plan on challenging. Plus, I was also told of a festival being held at Maiden's Peak soon," Lincoln suggested.
"That sounds like a plan," Rita replied.
"So, if you win both Gym Battles, how many badges would you have then?" Lana asked.
"I would have five Badges in all. After that, I would only need three more to qualify for the Pokemon League," Lincoln replied, showing his Badge Case.
"It won't be much longer until you do make it in," Luna commented.
"Nope. But the battles from here on out are going to be tougher with the Badge System they have and all," Lincoln replied, just as Nurse Joy came into view.
"Pardon me? Sorry for interrupting your phone call, but the news crews are here and are ready for the press conference," she said.
"Already? Well, alright," Lincoln replied, before turning back to his family, "Sorry, but I'm going to have to cut this short."
"It's alright sweetie. We understand. Plus, we need to get to bed ourselves," Rita replied.
"I'll call again when I'm at Maiden's Peak," Lincoln replied.
"I'll stay with him until then," Leni added.
"Please do, Leni. Take care, both of you," Rita said.
"We will," Lincoln replied, as the call cut out.
"Well, that went a lot better than we thought," Lana commented.
"And that's three more people freed from the Curse's grip," Lucy commented.
"Getting rid of the curse was the least of our concerns, Lucy. Our main objective was just to get Lincoln to forgive us," Luan replied.
"Well, now that things are squared away, we should get to bed," Rita stated.
"Right. Now that we're cool with Lincoln, I'm kind of looking forward to sleeping," Lana commented, as they all left the room.
"No doubt Lynn and Lori are going to have kittens when they learn about this development," Lucy commented.
"Ah, let them have their conniptions. It's what they get for what they did," Lola replied, as she and Lana disappeared into their room, as did the others, with Lucy returning to Lincoln's bedroom.
Team Updates:
Lincoln:
Gyarados (Newly Evolved)
Dragonair (Newly Captured)
