Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 67: Sparks Fly for Magnemite!
Earlier in the morning, Detroit Airport,
The Detroit Airport was as busy as ever, as people were boarding or departing from planes. One such passenger was wearing an all-orange parka and an expedition backpack and suitcase, as if he'd been somewhere cold for quite a while, "Finally, I'm back in Michigan. Now, to go see my family, and get to the bottom of this 'bad luck' bullshit," he said, as he made his way through the terminal.
Later that morning, at the Royal Woods Gazette office,
Rita was working hard writing some of the stories she was given by her boss. But while she was working on her articles, her thoughts were also on where she and her kids would move, "I want to have a large house, big enough so that everyone gets their own bedroom, and definitely more than one bathroom. The problem is telling Lincoln, Lori, and Junior about the move. There's no telling when Lincoln will call again, and Lori and Junior are at the Sanitorium for the next three weeks. I guess they'll just have to learn about these developments as they come," she said to herself.
"I can help out with these 'developments', if you so choose," Rita looked up to the source of the man's voice, and saw none other than…
"LEONARD?!" she exclaimed in shock.
"Yeah, I'm back in town, alright!" Leonard said with a laugh.
"Well, there's no doubt the girls will be happy to see you," Rita replied. It was then that Leonard's expression turned from a joyful one to a very serious one.
"Well, part of why I'm back here does have to do with you and the girls, but I'm sure that can wait until this afternoon. In the meantime, can you tell me where that idiot son of mine is at? I have some words I need to have with him," Leonard said. Rita gulped slightly. She figured Leonard would be just as temperamental about the whole bad luck mess as Albert was, but hopefully, she and her daughters can convince him to go easy on them.
"W-Well, the last time I saw him was after the trial a few days ago, where he was sentenced to five years of prison time. And that was with the divorce I filed for against him," Rita admitted. Leonard looked surprised to hear this.
"You and Lynn got divorced?" he asked.
"Yes, that's right. After the way he refused to see all the wrongs we committed against Lincoln, I finally decided enough was enough. Not only that, but he was permanently stripped of his parental rights. He's not even allowed to call himself a father anymore," Rita replied. Leonard winced upon hearing this.
"Yeesh, you'd think he mouthed off to the judge or something," he commented.
"Well, he kind of did, and he got slapped with the worst of the sentencing, as did Lori and Junior," Rita explained.
"Well, we can discuss more of this back at the house. In the meantime, I need to go pay my moron son a little visit. Sorry for taking up your time," Leonard said, before he left the office.
"I knew we'd hear from Leonard sooner or later, but I never thought it would be in person," Rita commented, as she continued her writing.
Meanwhile, back in Kanto, outside the western terminal of the Underground Path,
Ascending from the Underground Path, Lincoln and friends emerge just outside what looked to be a rather grungy looking city. With all the warehouses and factories that he saw, Lincoln could swear it looked something like Chicago or Pittsburgh, "Whoa, is this Gringey City?" he asked.
"Yeah, dismal, I know. It wasn't always this way. Once upon a time, Gringey City was a beautiful, bustling town, but the towns folk got a little carried away with the factories and warehouses, which caused the place to wind up the way you see now," Misty replied.
"It may not be the most inviting place, but there is still a Pokemon Center operating here that we can spend the night at," Brock added.
"Sweet! We can get our Pokemon looked after while we're there. How does that sound, Pikachu?" Lincoln asked his partner, only to find that Pikachu's face was flushed severely, "Pikachu? Are you alright?" he asked, catching the attention of his companions.
"Y-Yeah, that sounds… nice," Pikachu weakly said, cheeks sparking.
"Are you sure you're…" Lincoln reached out to Pikachu, only to get zapped, "YEOWCH! What's going on with you? This doesn't seem like your usual thing."
"It looks like Pikachu might not be feeling well. We need to get it to the Pokemon Center quickly," Brock said. Lincoln took off his jacket, and used it to pick up Pikachu. With that, the three rushed quickly to find the Pokemon Center. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from the polluted water.
Elsewhere at the Gringey City Power Plant,
Workers were making sure everything was running smoothly with the water turbines that generated electricity for the entire city, "Turbines 1 through 3 are working as they should," one of the workers said.
"Copy that," another worker said, jotting down some notes. Unbeknownst to any of the workers, something was afoot at the floodgates, as what appeared to be large piles of sludge began piling up on against the floodgates.
Meanwhile, back with Lincoln and company,
The trio soon arrived at the Pokemon Center, only to find no one at the counter, "Hmm? What's this? Why isn't there anyone here?" Lincoln questioned.
"Maybe they are here, but they're just not at the front counter. Probably in the back," Brock replied.
"Try ringing the bell," Misty suggested. Lincoln did so, only for no response.
"Hello? We've got an emergency out here! Hey, Nurse Joy, you there?!" Lincoln called out. Soon, a Nurse Joy entered, and upon seeing the group, she immediately scooped Lincoln up into a warm embrace.
"Oh Linkey! I was so scared when I heard you were potentially lost in the St. Anne!" she exclaimed.
"Wait, are you the Joy I've been dating?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, that's right! Jenny's here in town as well!" Joy replied. It was then she noticed Pikachu's condition, when an older Nurse Joy entered the room with a yawn.
"All this noise, so late in the evening. Shouldn't you kids be in bed by now?" she asked, sounding apathetic.
"Sorry, but there's something wrong with my Pikachu," Lincoln replied, showing the Nurse Pikachu's condition, who simply yawned apathetically.
"You got me up for this? It's just a cold," she commented.
"Hey, I'll have you know that this is no cold! Pikachu's discharging electricity involuntarily! That's no cold I've ever heard of!" Lincoln snapped.
"Now hold on there, Lincoln," Lincoln's Joy reassured, "As harsh as my cousin's tone is, she does have a point. Pikachu is exhibiting symptoms of static buildup, which comes in the form of a cold in Electric Rodent Pokemon."
"What do you mean 'static buildup'?" Lincoln asked.
"To put it simply, Pikachu must've accumulated a large amount of electricity that it can't discharge it properly. Its actually a fairly common occurrence among Electric Types," the younger Joy explained.
"In any case, we have equipment handy for such an event. Just bring it to the back and we'll get started," the older Joy crankily said.
"Uh, Joy, no offence to your cousin, but is she the odd ball of the family?" Lincoln asked. This got a snicker out of the older Joy.
"That's where you're wrong, young man. Its actually all my other sisters and cousins that are the odd balls," she replied.
"Yeah, actually she is the odd ball," Lincoln's Joy whispered quietly. Just then, the lights went out.
"What the…?!" Misty exclaimed.
"A blackout, perhaps?" Brock theorized.
"Oh, that's not good… we have several Pokemon in intensive care. They'll be in danger if we don't get the power back on!" the younger Joy commented.
"Does the Center have a backup generator?" Misty asked.
"Yes, there's one right out the back," the older Joy said.
"The problem is that it won't be able to supply the center with enough power to help keep treating the Pokemon. There must be trouble brewing at the Power Plant," the younger Joy added.
"Then we'll just have to go and investigate ourselves. In the meantime, you and your cousin should stay here and try everything you can to help those Pokemon," Lincoln suggested, handing off Pikachu to her.
"L-Lincoln… wait… I-I can help!" Pikachu weakly called out.
"Don't worry, Pikachu. Once we get things ironed out at the Power Plant, we'll be back. For now, you just try to get some rest," Lincoln reassured, as he and the others left the Center.
"Please be safe, all three of you," the younger Joy pleaded.
Later, on route to the nearby Police Station,
Lincoln and company were rushing quickly to the Police Station, "I just hope Officer Jenny can fill us in on what's going on," Lincoln commented.
"I'm sure she's calling the plant by now to get some information," Brock replied, just as Lincoln collided with someone.
"Ow, sorry about that!" Lincoln apologized.
"No worries, we were… wait, Lincoln?!" Lincoln looked up to see none other than Tabby, along with Haiku, Rusty, Liam, Girl Jordan and Carlota.
"Guys! What brings you all the way out here?" Lincoln asked.
"We were sent out here by Professor Cerise to investigate a potential mass outbreak of Grimer," Girl Jordan replied, as she helped Lincoln and Tabby back up onto their feet.
"What about you guys? What are you doing here?" Rusty asked.
"We were passing through here on our way to Celadon City. We were planning to spend the night at the Pokemon Center when the blackout happened. And to make matters more trying for us, Pikachu's come down with a slight cold," Lincoln explained.
"Oh, that's too bad for your Pikachu. But in any case, we've got to get the power back online," Tabby commented.
"We were heading to the Police Station to see if Officer Jenny has any information regarding the power failure," Brock replied.
"Well, Ah thought Ah saw somethin' that looked like a Police Station not to far from here. We should try there," Liam suggested.
"Good idea," Misty said, as they continued making their way through the city streets. They soon arrived at the Police Station within minutes.
"Officer Jenny! We need your help!" Lincoln called out.
"Just a minute! We're a little busy in here!" Officer Jenny's voice said from inside, followed by what sounded like a phone getting slammed, "Damnit, still no response!" after that, an Officer Jenny walked out, "Alright, so what seems to be the trouble?"
"We were hoping to ask about the blackout. There's bad trouble down at the Pokemon Center," Lincoln replied.
"I know that already. The whole city is without power, and I can't get in contact with the Power Plant itself," Officer Jenny replied.
"That's not good, and time's running out! What does the Power Plant look like?" Carlota asked.
"It's the big building with the three smokestacks over there. You can't miss it," Officer Jenny replied.
"Alright, then we got to get moving!" Rusty commented, just as they heard some rustling from some nearby bushes. Out from them emerged Pikachu.
"Pikachu!? What are you doing here? You need to be back at the Pokemon Center, trying to get some rest!" Lincoln said, rushing over.
"I-I was worried that… you wouldn't come back," Pikachu weakly replied. Lincoln and his Royal Woods friends were surprised to hear this. Ultimately, Lincoln relented.
"Alright, you can come along with us to the Power Plant on the condition that you take it easy as much as possible," Lincoln replied.
"Th-thanks, Lincoln!" Pikachu replied, jumping into his trainer's arms, causing Lincoln to get zapped. From some more nearby bushes, something was watching them.
"I'll go with them!" just then, another Officer Jenny emerged, "I can help out with the investigation!" she stated.
"Sounds like a plan. But be careful!" the older Jenny urged, just as Lincoln rejoined the others.
"Alright guys, we should get going now," Lincoln said, just as he was embraced by the younger Jenny.
"Not to mention, I get to spend some time with my boyfriend!" she gushed.
"Wait, what?!" Rusty exclaimed, envious of Lincoln.
"We'll explain later. But for now, the Power Plant takes priority first," Lincoln replied, just as his Jenny broke off the embrace.
"Ahem, quite right. As an officer in training, resolving issues like this take priority," she corrected herself, as they all began making their way to the Power Plant. As they were walking, in a nearby alleyway, the ex-Team Rocket trio were sitting on the ground. Jessie and James were dressed in what looked to be diving suits.
"That… *cough*… was awful!" Jessie complained.
"What happened… *cough*… to our air supply anyhow?" James questioned.
"It wasn't just the air pump that went out. It looks like the entire city's facing a blackout," Meowth replied.
"So much for our heist of the Pokemon Center. I knew we should've gone with a frontal assault instead of sneaking through the sewers!" James groaned.
"That's right! You nearly killed us, Meowth, you idiot!" Jessie admonished. Just then, they noticed Lincoln and friends running past the alleyway, "The white-haired twerp? And those other twerps from his home in the States?"
"Looked like they were heading somewhere important. No doubt teeming with rare Pokemon!" Meowth said with determination.
"We should follow after them and poach every last rare Pokemon for ourselves!" James added, before collapsing again, "Just as soon as we finish catching our breath."
Later, at the Power Plant,
Lincoln and the others were standing just outside of the Power Plant's front gate, "So this is it, then?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah. I've gone through here before with my cousin on patrol," Jenny replied, as they proceeded to enter. Upon entering, however, they saw it was completely pitch black, with no people in sight at all. Jenny pulled out her flashlight, and shone it down the hallway.
"Weird, why isn't there anyone working here?" Brock wondered.
"Ordinarily, I would enjoy the darkness, but this seems a bit… off," Haiku added.
"This looks like a map of the facility," Tabby commented, looking at a map on the wall. Jenny shone her light onto the map.
"Looks like the central control room is down that way," Misty said, pointing down the hall.
"Well, that's where we're going, then," Lincoln said, as Jenny led them through the darkened halls. From inside the vents, something was moving. Everyone was on edge, but Mist and Carlota both froze up when they felt something float right behind them.
"Something wrong, you two?" Lincoln asked.
"Th-th-there's something behind us!" Misty shivered. Jenny shone her light back down the hall behind the two, only to find nothing.
"Well, there's nothing there now," she commented.
"Does this Power Plant have any Pokemon that work here alongside the people?" Rusty asked.
"Not that I'm immediately aware of," Jenny replied.
"Well, I know I felt something weird behind us! And Carlota can back me up on it, right?" Misty asked.
"Y-Yeah. I could feel something floating through the air!" Carlota added. Everyone looked around.
"Hmm, maybe some troublemaking Pokemon is playing a prank on us?" Tabby theorized.
"It's possible," Lincoln replied, only to freeze up when he felt something float right behind him. He whipped around, only to find nothing there, "Alright, now this is just getting ridiculous!" he exclaimed, only for a shadowy blob to appear before them, causing the group to fall back to the wall. Jenny shone her flashlight to the blob, revealing it to be none other than a Magnemite, but it was a different color than the one Lincoln battled in Vermillion City. It had a more, golden hue to its body, and the magnets on it were completely black.
"A Magnemite? What's it doing here?" Girl Jordan questioned.
"Do you think it could've caused the blackout?" Rusty asked.
"I doubt this one could've done it by itself," Brock replied, just as the Magnemite began floating around Pikachu, much to the Mouse Pokemon's discomfort.
"Hey, back off, jack!" Pikachu complained.
"What's this about? It's almost as if Magnemite is attracted to Pikachu," Liam commented.
"If it were another animal Pokemon, then that would make sense, but Magnemite are inorganic Pokemon, so it wouldn't make sense for it to have a crush on Pikachu," Brock replied.
"Not only that, but this one looks like a different color than the one Leni has," Carlota added.
"That must mean this one's a shiny Pokemon," Lincoln replied. Just then, Magnemite floated off quickly, as if to get away from something.
"Was it something one of us said?" Rusty questioned. It was then the group smelled something awful, "Oh, yuck! Alright, who ripped one?!" he questioned, just as grate from a nearby vent fell to the floor, and several piles of purplish ooze fell to the floor, taking a sentient shape.
"Oh man, these things smell awful!" Tabby exclaimed, holding her nose, as were the others.
"What are they?" Haiku questioned, as she scanned them with her Pokedex.
"Grimer, the Sludge Pokemon, a Poison Type. Made from congealed sludge, this Pokemon enters sewers to drink filthy wastewater. Its body is so poisonous, not even weeds can grow where it treads. This Female Grimer is level 34, and knows the moves Mud Slap, Harden, Sludge, Sludge Bomb, Mud Bomb, Screech, Fling, Poison Gas, and Disable," her Pokedex explained.
"Oh man, these things smell even worse than Lily's dirty diapers!" Lincoln exclaimed. The Grimer seemed to take offense to this.
"How dare you mock us!" they began chanting.
"Lincoln, be careful of what you say! They might attack if you say something to offend their Pokemon pride!" Brock advised.
"It doesn't matter what you tell them! They reek really bad!" Girl Jordan exclaimed. Just then, an even larger pile of sentient sludge emerged from behind the Grimer.
"What the…?!" Liam exclaimed.
"This thing smells even worse than the Grimer!" Misty exclaimed. Lincoln scanned it.
"Muk, the Sludge Pokemon, a Poison Type, and the evolved form of Grimer. A toxic fluid seeps from its body. The fluid instantly kills plants and trees upon contact. This Pokemon's favorite thing to eat is anything repugnantly filthy. This Male Muk is level 48, and knows the moves Sludge, Sludge Bomb, Poison Gas, Disable, Harden, Minimize, Mud Bomb, Fling, Smog, Screech, Sludge Wave, Acid Armor, Gunk Shot, and the Egg Move Ice Punch," Dexter explained.
"You humans dare to insult our glorious sludgy forms! Now, you will pay! Get them!" Muk ordered the Grimer, who began chasing after them.
"Oh no! Run for it!" Lincoln exclaimed, as they all began running away from the Grimer. The Grimer then began firing Sludge Bomb at them.
"Ick! I get that they're mad, but is attacking us really necessary?!" Misty exclaimed, as they rounded a corner, only to slam into someone.
"Hey, what are all of you doing here?" one of the people, dressed in a worker's jumpsuit, asked.
"Well, we came here to investigate the blackout, when…" Brock got cut off by Misty.
"Never mind all that now! Here they come!" Misty exclaimed, as the Grimer rounded the corner as well.
"OH NO, THERE'S GRIMER HERE TOO!" the other worker exclaimed.
"Back to the control room!" the first worker exclaimed, as they all began running away from the Grimer, once again. The soon entered the main control room, where Brock slammed the door shut.
"Ok, we should be safe for now at least," Jenny commented, before turning to the workers, "Now then, start over from the beginning. What exactly is going on? The blackout is causing major problems for the entire city."
"She's right! The Pokemon at the Pokemon Center need power to get the treatment they need, otherwise, things will only get worse for them!" Lincoln added.
"We understand that, but the trouble is that we can't do anything. There's a large number of Grimer blocking the seawater intake," the first worker replied.
"We need to bring the water to a boil in order to turn the turbines. Without that, the generator's pretty much useless," the second worker added.
"Hmm, that does pose a problem. We can't exactly leave the building itself, especially with all those Grimer out there," Haiku commented.
"Funny you should mention that!" Brock called out, as he continued holding the door in place, "The Grimer are ramming the door! I can't hold it much longer!" he exclaimed, just as the others went to help him out.
"Guess there's no other choice. We're going to have fight our way past the Grimer. Try to hold them off while I swap my team a bit!" Lincoln said, as he accessed his Storage Box Link.
"Easier… said… than… done!" Rusty exclaimed, just as the Grimer finally broke through.
"And there! This team ought to be enough!" Lincoln said, as the Grimer piled into the room.
"GET THE HUMANS! GET THE HUMANS! MAKE THEM PAY FOR INSULTING OUR SLUDGE!" the Grimer chanted.
"Get ready, you guys!" Lincoln said, as he sent out his new team, consisting of Metang, Gawain, Cubone, Andrea, and Ponyta.
"Lincoln's right! We need to fight them off the best we can!" Rusty said, as he sent out his own Geodude.
"Get ready, Fennekin! We're in for a rough battle!" Girl Jordan said, sending out Fennekin as well.
"Tepig, you're up!" Liam added, sending in Tepig, who snorted with some embers.
"Attack! All at once!" Lincoln called.
"Very well. Initiating Zen Headbutt!" Metang said, as it charged right into the Grimer.
"I've been itching for some fightin' for a while! Let's go Night Slash!" Gawain said, unleashing Night Slash on several other Grimer.
"And now I'll use Crush Claw!" Andrea said, slashing another Grimer hard, only to get blasted back by a Mud Bomb, along with Metang and Gawain.
"Assessing damage. 60% damage taken. May not be able to withstand another attack." Metang stated.
"Then let's do some ranged attacks! Cubone, use Bonemerang! And Ponyta, use Psybeam!" Cubone threw its bone like a Boomerang, damaging some of the Grimer, while Ponyta blasted several others with Psybeam.
"Fennekin, use Psybeam as well!" Girl Jordan called out. Fennekin fired off Psybeam, damaging several other Grimer as well. The three of them got hit with Sludge Bomb, as did Liam's Tepig and Rusty's Geodude. Both of the latter Pokemon became poisoned as a result.
"Tsk, not good ! Geodude, return!" Rusty said, recalling Geodude.
"Better rest up for now, Tepig," Liam added, recalling Tepig as well. Lincoln and Girl Jordan recalled their Pokemon as well, just as more Grimer entered the room, along with Muk.
"It's no good! There's too many of them!" Misty exclaimed. Pikachu bravely stepped forth.
"Pikachu, you're in no condition to battle!" Lincoln warned.
"But… what other option is there?" Pikachu panted, as he fired off a Thunderbolt, defeating one Grimer, only for a few more to cover for it.
"Crap, I don't know what else we can do!" Lincoln cursed.
"Then allow me and my compatriots to assist!" after hearing a voice, the same Magnemite from before burst through a vent, along with several other Magnemite, and Pokemon that looked like a cluster of three Magnemite.
"Hey, it's that same Magnemite!" Rusty commented.
"Not only that, it's brought along its evolved form, Magneton!" Brock added.
"Wait, 'Magneton'?" Rusty questioned, as Liam scanned it.
"Magneton, the Magnet Pokemon, an Electric and Steel Type, and the evolved form of Magnemite. This Pokemon is three Magnemite that have linked together. Magneton sends out powerful radio waves to study its surroundings," Liam's Pokedex explained. All of the Magnemite and Magneton began firing off electric blasts that were enough to drive off most of the Grimer. The group followed the Sludge Pokemon back out to the seawater intake and chased off the Grimer blocking it, allowing the water to start flowing again. The turbines on the generators began to turn faster and faster, allowing the power to come back on.
"Alright, the Magnemite and Magneton managed to clear out the Grimer!" Brock exclaimed.
"Don't be so quick to celebrate!" Misty said, as she was motioning to three remaining Grimer, as well as the leader Muk.
"These guys just don't know when to quit!" Lincoln grumbled.
"You humans cause plenty of trouble for us Pokemon! Now it is our time to cause the same kind of trouble you caused us!" Muk roared.
"Pikachu, if you think you're up to it, use Thunderbolt on them!" Lincoln said.
"Growlithe, come out and use Flamethrower!" Jenny said, as she sent out her Growlithe, who began blasting the remaining four Sludge Pokemon with Flamethrower. The Shiny Magnemite joined in, firing off Thunderbolt as well. The onslaught proved too much for the Sludge Pokemon, as they appeared to have melted from exhaustion.
"Now, to make sure these guys don't cause any more trouble," Lincoln said, readying two Pokeballs, just as Girl Jordan and Rusty readied their own Pokeballs.
"GO!" the three of them yelled, tossed the Pokeballs. Each of them managed to toss a Pokeball at each of the Grimer, while Lincoln's second Pokeball sucked in Muk as well. All four Pokeballs began rocking.
"C'mon! We don't want any more troubles being caused for the city!" Rusty said in anticipation. After the four Pokeballs finished rocking, they all snapped shut.
"Grimer has been registered to your Pokedex," all three of their Pokedex's stated.
"Muk has been registered to your Pokedex," Dexter stated.
"Alright!" Lincoln said, as the three of them retrieved their Pokeballs.
"At least with Muk out of the picture, the Grimer won't have a leader to cause more trouble," Girl Jordan said.
"Yeah, lucky break for us, right guys?" Lincoln asked, turning to the others, only to find they were all holding their noses, "Huh? What's wrong?" he asked, just as both of his Pokeballs teleported away.
"We're holding our noses because your Pokeballs stink, literally!" Tabby replied.
"Huh, they do?" Rusty asked, sniffing his Pokeball, only to reel back, "I can't believe it… the smell actually comes from inside the Pokeball?!"
"That must be Grimer's Stench Ability," one of the workers said.
"It really has an ability called 'Stench'?" Carlota asked incredulously.
"Yes. In battle, a Pokemon with this ability can sometimes cause flinching when it makes direct contact with an opponent," the worker replied.
"It also works outside of battle, to help ward off wild Pokemon," the other worker added.
"Well, if we can ever put up with the odor, that can help out with our research tasks," Rusty commented.
"Hey, look at Pikachu! Looks like its all better now!" Liam commented. And he was right. Pikachu looked like it wasn't running a fever anymore.
"Hey Pikachu, how you feeling?" Lincoln asked.
"Much better! I guess that last Thunderbolt was all I needed to feel better!" Pikachu replied.
"Ah, I think that might be because of static buildup. When an Electric Pokemon builds up too much electricity, its body becomes magnetized, which makes it look like it has a cold," the first worker explained.
"Huh, well, the important thing is that Pikachu's feeling better. Still, I think it would be best if he got checked out at the Pokemon Center," Lincoln suggested, as the shiny Magnemite floated down to Pikachu.
"Hey there, buddy! Now that I'm feeling better, we can…" Pikachu didn't get a chance to say anything, as Magnemite floated away, "Is it my breath?"
"What's going on? That Magnemite seemed totally into Pikachu a while ago," Carlota wondered.
"Hmm, maybe Magnemite fall in and out of love just like humans do?" Brock theorized.
"Could it have been love at first sight because Pikachu's body was magnetized?" the first worker pondered.
"That would make some sense. Animals are attracted to other animals by scent, so it's not too out of the question to say that Magnemite was attracted to Pikachu because of the powerful magnetic field it had generated from the static buildup," the second worker replied.
"I get it. Since Pikachu doesn't have as much electricity as it did before, Magnemite isn't interested in it anymore," Brock stated.
"Well, at least you won't have to worry about any unwanted attention from Magnemite, right Pikachu?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, I guess you have a point there," Pikachu replied.
"By the way, do you know if this Magnemite has a trainer?" Tabby asked.
"This one? No, I've never seen this one before. It's probably a wild Pokemon," the first worker replied. Tabby took a moment to scan it.
"This Magnemite is level 23, and knows the moves Thunder Shock, Sonic Boom, Supersonic, Thunder Wave, Tackle, Spark, Gyro Ball, and Screech," Tabby's Pokeball explained.
"Well, in that case, I can't let this opportunity pass me by!" Tabby said, as she whipped out a Quick Ball, and chucked it at Magnemite, sucking it in. The Quick Ball only rocked once before snapping shut.
"Magnemite has been registered to your Pokedex," Tabby's Pokedex stated.
"Alright! A new Pokemon, and my first Shiny one to boot!" she exclaimed happily, retrieving her Quick Ball.
"Well, it's getting late. We should go check in with Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center," Lincoln suggested.
"Good thinking. I'll go file my report to my cousin and join back up with you at the Pokemon Center," Jenny said, as they all began to leave.
Meanwhile, at the Royal Woods Jailhouse,
Lynn Sr. had officially felt lower than ever before. First, he gets daily beatings from his cellmates and several other inmates, he gets excluded from leisurely activities, such as bingo or mock poker, and now he's being forced to clean the showers, while getting sprayed with water by the other inmates. The "worst" part? None of the guards even bothered to help out, either because they didn't notice or they didn't care. All the while, he tried to figure out why things were going so badly for him. His thoughts turned to the events involving his legally former family, especially Lincoln.
'This is all Lincoln's fault! If he hadn't carried on Junior's idiotic lie, none of this would be happening! And now, our family bloodline is going to be tainted with monster DNA, all because of that stupid deal Grandma Harriet made! What's so great about getting some dumb spell book anyhow? And sure, Junior had some part in making MY life a misery by giving her brother the idea to carry on the lie about being bad luck, but it doesn't change the fact that Lincoln's solely to blame for all this happening! Now that I think of it, Lucy's also to blame for even casting that curse in the first place,' he thought bitterly to himself. Just then, a guard came in.
"Prisoner 23194, Lynn Loud Sr., you have a visitor!" he announced. This surprised Lynn about as much as the other inmates.
"A visitor for him of all people?" one of the inmates commented.
"I'm surprised anyone even wants to bother visiting him," another quipped. Lynn didn't know how to respond, but he was glad to at least be getting away from the others. The guard escorted him to the visiting area, where Lynn saw none other than…
"DAD?!" Lynn exclaimed, in a mix of shock and joy upon seeing his father, Leonard. However, Leonard didn't look to happy to see his son.
"Have a seat, Lynn. I have a lot I want to discuss with you," Leonard said, his tone sounding ridden with what Lynn recognized with extreme disappointment and anger.
"Uh, sure. What do you want to talk about?" Lynn asked.
"Well, for starters, I just got back to Royal Woods earlier this morning from my expedition trip to Galar," Leonard replied.
"'Galar'? That name sounds familiar, but I don't know where I heard it," Lynn commented.
"Then allow me to give you a little hint," Leonard said, holding up a Pokeball. Lynn then remembered.
"Oh, that's right! I heard that Lincoln had received a Pokemon from you in one of those 'Wonder Trade' things!"
"Indeed, he did. When I called him in Vermillion City, he told me all about how he became a trainer," Leonard replied.
"And you didn't believe a word he said, right? I mean, of course you wouldn't, especially if he mentioned that he lied about being bad luck," Lynn chuckled, only for Leonard's unnerving glare to silence him.
"He told me all about what you and the rest of your former family did to him for the sake of self-preservation. I'd say going through all of that had more than taught him a lesson in honesty in the worst possible way," Leonard retorted.
"But Dad, you can't…"
"Did you or did you NOT lock him out and refuse to let him back in?" Leonard pressed for information. Lynn could tell that his father wasn't going to change the subject anytime soon, so, he relented.
"Ok, fine, so maybe we did kick Lincoln out! But his sisters were all saying the same thing, so it had to be true! Isn't that how things were when I was a kid?" Lynn asked.
"Yes, it worked against YOU because eleven times out of ten, you always found a way to get in trouble and lie about it, only for your siblings to expose you for being a liar! And you know the difference in how you and I handled lying? My methods were FAR from being considered child neglect! You, on the other hand, chose to believe in some bullshit superstition over actual logic, and that bad decision is what cost you your family for life!" Leonard yelled. The sheer volume of his tone caused the others in the visiting room to reel back in surprise.
"W-Well, to be fair, Lincoln did put on a convincing act, not to mention it was all Junior's idea," Lynn feebly replied. This only seemed to agitate Leonard even further.
"Lynn, when a child acts up the way Junior did, it's a parent's responsibility to reign them in, and teach them valuable life lessons! Something you, apparently, neglected to do for ALL of your former children!" Leonard yelled.
"W-Well to be fair, Lincoln did make things worse," Lynn stammered. Leonard could only sigh in annoyance.
"How long do you intend to blame your former children for getting you into this predicament? And which of your former children are you planning to unfairly cast blame towards?" Leonard interrogated.
"Just three of them, since they all had a hand in putting me in this hellhole. Those being Junior, Lincoln, and Lucy," Lynn replied.
"What did Lucy do to deserve any sort of blame?" Leonard questioned.
"She cast a spell from a book in Grandma Harriet's trunk, and placed a real bad luck curse on us all. And to make matters against her worse, Lincoln is now engaged to royalty from the Monster Realm," Lynn explained. Leonard looked surprised to hear this bit of news.
"The Monster Realm? Haven't heard of that place since I was about Lincoln's age. So tell me about his fiancé. What's she like?" Leonard questioned.
"Well, here's the thing, he apparently got engaged to the daughters of each Monster Realm house that had a hand in creating the book Lucy used. This includes two demons, a succubus, a minotaur, a hellhound, an Oni, and an Arachne," Lynn replied.
"Hmm, I see. Do they seem like nice girls?" Leonard asked. Much to lack of surprise, Lynn shook his head.
"Dad, they're monsters! Of course, they're anything but nice! I tried explaining this to Rita, but did she listen? No! She's apparently favors Lincoln over the rest of the family!" Lynn retorted.
"Maybe she isn't favoring Lincoln over all of you because she loves him more than any of you, or in your case, LOVED. She probably has a better opinion of the Monster Royals because she actual gave them a chance to make a good impression, something you couldn't be bothered to do yourself!" Leonard yelled.
"I believe the stories I heard about monsters rather than seeing what the genuine articles in the flesh are like! And you should be against them and the Interspecies Exchange Bill that Lucius helped to pass the other day!" Lynn yelled back, only to see that his father was not so much as flinching.
"If you want to believe the monsters as bad, then that's YOUR biased opinion! But don't even think you can try pushing that stupid thought of yours onto others!" Leonard yelled, causing Lynn to flinch in his seat, "And on that note, I don't know how Lucy found Mom's spell-book, but I can safely say that she was perfectly in the right to cast it on you and the others, because clearly she thought you all needed a major reality check! All this bad luck bruhaha has torn your family asunder, and is what landed you in jail! All because you didn't step in to stop Junior's superstitious banter before it got blown out of proportion!"
"B-But Dad, I…"
"Don't ever call me 'Dad' again, Lynn. You are no son of mine as far as I'm concerned!" Leonard stated coldly. Lynn couldn't believe it… Now even his father was disowning him!? And judging by his tone, he wasn't done talking down to his former son, "When you get out jail, change your last name. You are no longer fit to call yourself a 'Loud'," and with that, Leonard got up, and left a now broken up Lynn Sr. alone at the booth. He didn't have time to break down into sobs, as some guards came over, and began forcibly dragging him out of the visiting room.
Meanwhile, in a secret base underneath Celadon City,
Petrel was feeling quite pleased with himself. Ever since Proton got bumped down from being an Executive, he felt on top of the world with being the head of all operations in the Kanto Region, "Heh, Proton was always a bit too big for his britches. Glad that his arrogance finally caught up with him," he cackled, as a knock was heard from the door, "Come in!" some grunts then entered the room he was in.
"Mister Petrel, sir, we have this month's income from the Game Corner," one of the grunts said, handing Petrel some paperwork.
"Hmm, could be better, but it's still not failing. Excellent work. And how are our Pokemon Prizes fairing?" Petrel asked.
"Well, some trainers managed to trade in their winnings for some of our rarer Pokemon, such as Clefairy and Scyther, but other than that, we're still holding up fairly well," the other grunt replied.
"Hmm, good. When can we expect the next shipment of Pokemon Prizes?"
"If nothing goes wrong, we should get it the day after tomorrow," the first grunt replied.
"Hmm, good," Petrel commented, just as he heard a beeping sound, "That'll be all for now. Continue with your duties. I have to take this."
"YES SIR!" both grunts said, before exiting the office. Petrel pressed a button on a remote, displaying an image of Giovanni on a nearby monitor on his desk.
"Ah, Boss, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?" Petrel asked in a devil-may-care tone of voice.
"Save the pleasantries, petrel. We've got a serious situation on our hands," Giovanni replied. This caused Petrel to look more attentive.
"What's the situation?" he asked.
"I'm not sure how, but somehow, it was leaked to the Pokemon League Association that I am the head of Team Rocket," Giovanni replied.
"A leak? Are you saying that there could be a traitor in our ranks? Or a spy?" Petrel asked.
"I would like to say both, but it doesn't matter. Now all of our operations have to be carried out far more discreetly than before. I can't allow my face to be seen in public longer than needed, lest I be identified. Which is why I have a new plan to ensure that my position as the boss of Team Rocket be kept in the dark," Giovanni replied.
"How so?" Petrel asked.
"I dare not say them out loud, lest there might be a spy in your presence. Rather, I'm forwarding an email containing the details of my plan. As soon as you're done reading it, make certain that the email is put somewhere well protected. We can't risk this plan being found out."
A ping was heard on Petrel's end, signifying that he had received the email, "Got it, boss! And don't worry, I'll make sure nothing goes awry. This is all for the sake of Team Rocket."
"See that you do. I don't want a repeat of what happened with the St. Anne. Speaking of which, how is the grunt I assigned to you doing with paying back her end of the debt she owes?"
"You mean Midori? She's doing fairly well, actually. I've got her wearing the showiest outfit we've got. Like, if you saw her, you'd think she's going around butt naked! It's actually one of the reasons she's paying off the debt so well so quickly," Petrel chuckled.
"Hmm, well, I don't really approve of anyone in our organization parading themselves around in such a manner, but if it'll pay off what she owes me, then so be it," Giovanni replied.
"Yeah. Well, I'm going to go do my rounds as soon as I'm done with reading the email you sent. I'll keep you updated on how the Game Corner's doing," Petrel said.
"See that you do," Giovanni growled, before cutting off the transmission. Petrel let out a sigh of exasperation.
"Yeesh, pleasant as ever, my boss. Now then, lets see what he's got for me to do," Petrel said, as he began reading the email. Unbeknownst to him, Midori was standing outside his office door, listening in on his conversation.
'Hmm, so there's some kind of operation to get Giovanni back under the League's radar? I have to find out what it is!' she thought.
"Hey, sugar tits! What are you doing down here?" Midori groaned upon hearing the perverted catcalling from one of the grunts in the Team Rocket Hideout.
"If you must know, I've finished my shift for today, and now I'm going to take a much-needed shower to rinse off!" Midori harshly snapped. The pervy grunt didn't so much as flinch.
"Well, with an outfit like that, I doubt you'd need to hide yourself away! After all, you might as well just strip completely and walk around for all to see!" the grunt cackled, only to get a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him into a wall, as Midori stormed off, blushing furiously.
'As soon as Team Rocket is gone for good, I'm going to make Petrel pay for this humiliation!' she mentally seethed, as she began thinking of ways to make Petrel suffer.
The next morning, in Gringey City,
Lincoln and company were all standing outside the Pokemon Center, before both Joys and Jennys, "Thanks to all of you, we were able to save every Pokemon just in time," Lincoln's Joy said gratefully.
"It was our pleasure to help out. But you guys need to do something about the water here. The Mass Outbreak of Grimer is proof that its filthy and polluted," Girl Jordan replied.
"And who knows? If you and the residents of Gringey City keep at it, you might be able to make this place just as beautiful as it used to be," Brock added.
"We will. And thank you all, once again. Not only did you help save the Pokemon, but now I've been inspired to take my job as Nurse more seriously," the older Joy said.
"That's great to hear. And I look forward to seeing this place as the beautiful place it was said to have been," Lincoln replied, just as a powerful wind blew, followed by an echoing roar.
"Whoa, what is that?!" Liam questioned.
"Look! Up there!" Lincoln's Jenny exclaimed, pointing to a nearby building where, there, standing on top of it, was a breathtakingly beautiful Pokemon. It was a large, blue quadruped Pokemon with a crystal shaped crest on its head and a long, flowing purple mane.
"No way, is that…?!" Misty exclaimed.
"Suicune!" Carlota exclaimed.
"Wait, that's a Suicune?" Lincoln asked, as he scanned it.
"Suicune, the Aurora Pokemon, a Water Type. A legendary Pokemon said to personify the North Wind. It travels the world, purifying any waters that are tainted or polluted. This Suicune is Level 75, and knows the moves Hydro Pump, Gust, Sheer Cold, Extreme Speed, Tailwind, Ice Fang, Ice Beam, Crunch, Extrasensory, Calm Mind, Roar, and Mirror Coat," Dexter explained. Suicune roared once more, and in seconds, the water in the canals began to turn into a brilliant, crystal blue.
"Whoa, its just like Dexter said! Suicune's purifying the water!" Lincoln exclaimed, before casting his gaze back to Suicune, who gazed back at him, as well as Carlota and Rusty. Just then, a net was thrown on top of it, though Suicune didn't seem too bothered, "Hey, what the…?!" looking towards the source, he and the others saw a familiar Meowth Shaped hot air balloon.
"I just heard a twerpish voice," a familiar woman's voice said.
"Introductions are now, that is our choice!" a familiar man's voice said, as Jessie and James
emerged from the balloon basket.
"Travelling the world, plundering it's rarest resources!"
"All to enhance our own personal forces!"
"This duo shall not be stopped by the law!"
"We do what we want, while you stand in awe!"
"Jessie, the fiery temptress of villany!"
"Technical Master James, that is me!"
"We're an independent team of criminals, fighting for our rights!"
"Give up now, you can never win any sort of fights!"
"WE'RE THE X-ROCKETS! TRAVELLING NIGHT AND DAY!"
"And with Meowth, the price you'll surely pay!"
"You three?!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Why don't you make like a candle and blow out of here?" Misty questioned.
"Ooh, nice retort. But we can't do that, not with a money maker like Suicune here!" James retorted.
"Release Suicune now, and surrender yourselves quietly!" the older Jenny demanded.
"Oh please, like we're going to follow any of your rules!" Jessie retorted. Suicune then fired
Hydro Pump right into their balloon, sending it crashing to the ground, "Ow, ok that one hurt!" she commented, as Suicune broke free from the netting, "Get ready! We can't afford to let this opportunity go to waste!" Jessie said, holding all of her Pokeballs.
"That's right! Suicune will make us a lot of money on the black market!" James said, as he tossed all of his Pokeballs along with Jessie's, releasing all of their Pokemon.
"Hey, that's not fair, ganging up on Suicune like that!" Girl Jordan exclaimed.
"Of course it's not! We're the bad guys! Now then, attack, all at once!" James ordered. However, before any one of their Pokemon could launch an attack, Suicune let out a mighty roar, which sent all of the X-Rocket's Pokemon back to their Pokeballs. Suicune glared fiercely at the trio.
"Uh, does it seem angry, or is it just me?" Meowth asked, sounding a bit scared. Suicune then fired off Bubblebeam, causing the three of them to get sent flying through the sky.
"No fair! We didn't get a chance to battle yet!" Jessie whined.
"Just goes to show just how powerful and valuable a Legendary Pokemon is," James mused.
"We should try and catch ALL the Legendary Pokemon in the world and sell them on the black market!" Meowth suggested.
"A good idea and all, but they could be just as powerful as Suicune, and therefore just as difficult to subdue," James replied.
"We'll figure that part out later! For now," Jessie said.
"THE X-ROCKETS ARE BLASTING OFF!" they yelled, before disappearing into the wide blue yonder. Suicune then turned, before leaping off towards the forest.
"And just like that, it's off once more," Rusty commented.
"Rusty, you were one of the ones that encountered Suicune before, right?" Lincoln asked.
"That's right. Suicune, along with Entei and Raikou. It was those three that gave us the crystals we showed you back on Dragonite Island," Rusty replied.
"I never thought we'd see it here of all places," Carlota added.
"Just before it dashed off, didn't it seem like it was gazing at the three of us?" Lincoln asked.
"Now that you mention, it did feel kind of like that," Carlota admitted.
"We should let the Professor know when we get back to the lab," Tabby suggested.
"Good thinkin'," Liam replied.
"Well, I guess we'd better get back on the road to Celadon City ourselves," Lincoln replied.
"Well, hopefully some of our paths will cross again soon," Rusty replied.
"Yeah, that'll be something to look forward to," Lincoln replied.
"As much as the two of us would like to come with you on another date, namely to meet those Monster Princesses you told us about, we have to stay here for another few days," Lincoln's Joy sadly stated.
"Yeah, as beneficial as work studies are, they do have drawbacks," Lincoln's Jenny added.
"Well, maybe if we see each other again, we can go on another date," Lincoln suggested. Both girl's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
"SOUNDS GOOD!" both of them exclaimed.
"Well, until next time, Lincoln," Girl Jordan said, as both groups of travelers went their separate ways. Lincoln's group's next destination: Celadon City.
Team Updates:
Lincoln:
Muk (New Pokemon)
Grimer (New Pokemon)(Trade for Alolan Variant only)
Girl Jordan:
Grimer: (New Pokemon)
Rusty:
Grimer (New Pokemon)
Tabby:
Magnemite (Shiny)(New Pokemon)
Ok, not too sure about the new Team Name for Jessie, James, and Meowth, or their new motto, so if any of you have suggestions on a different team name and/or motto, then please let me know.
In addition, the next chapter will be a fairly short one compared to most of my recent ones, but it should suffice.
Lastly, I would like to point out that Lincoln's three remaining Gym Battles will NOT include the Celadon City Gym. Due to a poll done a while back, one of the three remaining gyms will specialize in Normal Types, which means a new OC Gym Leader. And for the sake of deciding who they'll be, where the Gym will be located (i.e in Dark City or the like) and what badge they'll hand out, I think it's time for a new Triva question. And here's the question:
What Pokemon is considered the leader of its group by way of thick, scarred horns?
Furthermore, I will also open up a poll to decide which of the next two gyms Lincoln will challenge first.
