Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 69: Pokemon Revolution
Celadon City, 34 minutes until Team Rocket's plan gets underway,
After catching a very lively Primeape, Lincoln and friends have arrived in Celadon City, a city known for being one of the largest cities in Kanto, as well as it's sights and scents. Pikachu was sniffing the air, "Mmm, something smells pretty good," Pikachu commented.
"Really?" Lincoln asked, as he sniffed the air, "Hey, that smells like perfume!"
"How do you know what perfume smells like?" Misty questioned. Lincoln only gave her a look, "Oh, right, ten sisters," she sheepishly said. Brock then checked the guide book.
"It says here that Celadon City's Gym Leader, Erika, is known not only for her mastery with Grass Type Pokemon, but she's also a fantastic perfume maker. In fact, a store she owns is pretty close by," he explained.
"Why don't we go check it out? I may find some perfume I like!" Misty suggested.
"Hmm, y'know, maybe I should send a bottle or two of perfume home to my mom and sisters, and maybe get a bottle for each of my fiancés," Lincoln commented.
"Getting gifts for the girls in your life… I'M SO JEALOUS!" Brock wept in envy, clenching his fist with determination, "But don't worry! I'll be more than happy to help you with picking out the right scents!"
"Uh, that means a lot to me, Brock, thanks," Lincoln said sheepishly, as the older teen dragged the younger trainer off, with Misty following close behind.
A Local Perfume Store, time until Team Rocket's Plan gets underway, 28 minutes,
Brock had led Lincoln and Misty to a shop that looked like any other perfume store, "So, this is it then?" Lincoln asked, looking up at the sign that read "The Princess's Perfumery."
"That's right! Erika is also known as the 'Green Princess', because of her affinity to Grass Pokemon. I've heard through the rumor mill that she gets most of her perfume ingredients from plants at her Gym, as well as Pokemon," Brock replied.
"Really? That's pretty innovative," Lincoln commented, sounding impressed.
"Well, let's head in and check out what they've got in stock," Misty suggested, as they entered the perfumery.
"Hello, and welcome to our perfumery. Is there anything in particular you're all looking for?" the girl at the front counter.
"Why, nothing more than to gaze at such a ravishing beauty, such as yourself!" Brock said, flirting with the girl, getting down on one knee.
"Alright, that'll do for gazing for you, today," Misty said, pulling Brock away, causing both Lincoln and the girl to chuckle nervously.
"We're just here to browse around. If you can recommend something, namely for a guy to give his girlfriend, that would be greatly appreciated," Lincoln replied.
"Certainly. Just come with me, and we'll show you some of our more popular fragrances," the girl at the counter said, ushering Lincoln further into the store. As he was ushered further, he took note of what appeared to be a pair of lizard-like Pokemon with a rather feminine body. One was black, while the other one was white. Both of them were being tended to by some other girls working in the store.
"Hmm? Who's that Pokemon?" Lincoln wondered, as he scanned it.
"Salazzle, the Toxic Lizard Pokemon, a Poison and Fire Type, and the evolved form of a Female Salandit. Only Female Salazzle exist. The pheromones in the poisonous gasses it produces can be diluted to make luscious perfumes. Battles between two Salazzle are determined by how many male Salandit they have," Dexter explained.
"A client from the Alola Region was grateful to Erika for letting him sell her perfumes at his boutique in Alola, and gifted us with these two Salazzle," the girl explained.
"Huh… Well, that was nice of them," Lincoln commented.
"Indeed. So, what type of a girl and/or girls are you shopping for?" the girl from the front counter asked.
"Well, here's the thing; You've probably heard about the Interspecies Exchange Bill, right?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, we're aware of the Bill."
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm part of the reason it was implemented into society in the first place," Lincoln replied, as he began to explain the deal Harriet made with the previous royals of the Monster Realm, and about his engagement to Charlie and the others.
"Hmm, I see. Well, we do have a very wide variety of scents to offer, but first, you'll need to make sure none of them are allergic or sensitive to perfumes," the girl advised.
"Good call," Lincoln replied, as he rolled up his sleeves, and rubbed each of the rings on his arms, causing them to glow, "Hello, ladies? Can you hear me?"
"Yes, we can, Lincoln. You certainly didn't waste any time getting to your next city," Octavia replied.
"Yeah, it's a bit of a long story. I'll explain when you, Verosika, and Milt are here for our date," Lincoln replied.
"Speaking of, are you planning to call us over? I've been looking forward to our little outing since the last time we were together," Verosika said in a seductive tone of voice.
"Well, we only just arrived in Celadon City. Once I drop off my Pokemon at the Pokemon Center, I'll call you three over. But right now, I have another matter to ask about," Lincoln replied.
"Oh? What might that be?" Miu asked.
"Are any of you girls allergic or have any sensitivity to perfume?" Lincoln asked.
"I have no issue with perfume, nor does Vaggie," Charlie replied.
"I own several different kinds of perfumes," Verosika added.
"I don't really wear any, but I'm not allergic" Miu added.
"Nor am I," Gwendolyn added.
"Perfumes aren't really something I'm into, but I don't have to fret around the stuff," Octavia admitted.
"I don't really pay attention to perfumes. They seem complex and hard to follow. But I have been around it from time to time, and I know I'm not allergic," Milt added.
"Eh, perfume kind of makes my nose burn," Loona added.
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm at a popular perfumery, and I was thinking of getting you girls a nice gift," Lincoln replied. He didn't know it, but his sentiment caused all of his monster fiancés to start blushing up a storm.
"W-Well, just because I said I don't wear perfume doesn't mean I'm entirely opposed to getting some," Miu shyly said.
"Vaggie and I would very much appreciate such a sentiment as well," Charlie added.
"I suppose I can try wearing some. So, what's the deal with the perfume they sell?" Octavia asked.
"From what I've been told, Erika, the Celadon City Gym Leader, uses ingredients from plants and Grass Type Pokemon to make her perfumes. And by the looks of it, she also has a pair of Poison and Fire Type Pokemon called Salazzle that she gets fragrances from," Lincoln explained.
"Perfumes made from plants and Grass Pokemon? Never thought about it like that before," Verosika commented.
"Well, it is thoughtful of you to want to get us some perfumes and all, but I think it would be best if we were there in person to pick out fragrances ourselves," Gwendolyn replied.
"Well, if you ladies aren't too busy, I can call you over now so you can browse the selection?" Lincoln offered.
"I suppose that could work. After all, I haven't been able to find a single perfume that would suit me for our date," Verosika said.
"Ok. And Loona? I'm sure these people have fragrances for people with sensitive noses like yourself," Lincoln said.
"Well, I suppose I could take a chance with it," Loona replied.
"Alright then," Lincoln replied, as he used his amulet to open a portal, allowing each of his fiancés to pass through. Almost immediately, Loona covered her nose.
"Ugh, it feels like my nose is burning up!" she grumbled.
"Don't worry, Miss, we have fragrances that are easy on those with sensitive noses," one of the other shop girls said, as she ushered Loona to another part of the store.
"Well, while Loona's being dealt with, would you girls like to peruse the other wares?" Lincoln suggested.
"Sounds good," Verosika replied, as she and the others began browsing the selections.
"So, do you plan on challenging the Gym later today?" Milt asked Lincoln.
"That is my plan, just as soon as we have a stop of at the Pokemon Center to give my team some treatment," Lincoln replied.
"Hold on, did you say you were planning to challenge the Celadon Gym?" the girl from the front counter asked.
"Yes, that is my plan, as I had just said. Is there a problem?" Lincoln asked.
"You could say that. See, Erika is overseas in Kalos doing a perfume showcase, and our substitute Gym Leader just came down with a nasty cold this morning," the girl explained.
"What?!" Lincoln exclaimed, sounding disappointed, before hanging his head in annoyance and despair, "Dang it, and we came all this way, too!"
"Well, to be fair, Erika isn't simply doing a showcase in Kalos. She's also among the few Gym Leaders that are trying to recruit help from other regions to help in the battle against Team Rocket. In fact, along with Erika, the leaders of Gringey City, Matcha City, Crimson Town, and Mulberry City are all away in other regions recruiting help," the girl reassured.
"Well, I guess taking down Team Rocket does take priority, what, with all the trouble they cause," Lincoln commented.
"But you're in luck. Fushia City, Saffron City, and Gardenia Town are among a few Gyms that are still in taking challengers," the girl added.
"Hey, that's right! Fushia City is just south of Celadon City! We just need to take Route 17 to get there. Along the way, we'll find places like Grampa Canyon, Stone Town, Evolution Mountain, and other places that are sure to catch our attention," Misty added.
"Well, I guess my sixth badge will have to wait a bit," Lincoln conceded.
"You said Celadon Gym specializes in Grass Types, right? What does this 'Fushia City' place specialize in?" Octavia asked.
"If memory serves, the Fushia City Gym is a Poison Type Gym, and is among the top ranked Gyms in Kanto," Brock replied.
"So, I'm in for a tough battle when we get to Fushia City, right?" Lincoln asked.
"Pretty much," Misty replied.
As she was browsing around the store, Milt noticed something, "Hey, what's this?" she asked. The thing in question looked to be a pair of posters. One was for some kind of contest, while the other seemed to be for some kind of cooking class.
"Oh, that? This perfumery is a sponsor for the Pokemon Contest being held in four days here in the city," one of the other shop girls replied.
"A Pokemon Contest? What sort of contest are we talking about here?" Charlie asked.
"They're competitions in which coordinators show off their Pokemon in a truly stunning way that isn't just centered around battling. And this one in particular is going to be a Double Performance, where each contestant uses two Pokemon during the appeals round and the battle round. And the winner of a contest is awarded one of five qualifying ribbons meant to allow them entry into the Grand Festival, which is basically the Contest equivalent to the Pokemon League. And each Contest Hall has their own division for each type of performance one can give," the girl from before explained.
"What sort of divisions are you talking about?" Vaggie asked.
"Contests are meant to measure and show off the quality of a Pokemon's Coolness, Beauty, Cuteness, Cleverness, and Toughness. In the case for the Celadon City Contest, it's going to be a Beauty Division," the girl replied.
"Hmm, wish we could stay to check it out, but come daybreak tomorrow, we're probably going to be hitting the road for Fushia City," Lincoln replied.
"It might actually be best if you stayed in Celadon City for the next few days. Apparently, Route 17 is set to get hit with a doozy of a typhoon that's going to last for at least three days," the first girl advised.
"Why don't we stick around Celadon City for a while? There's no telling when we'll be back," Misty suggested.
"She's right. Plus, there is a section of the city I want to visit to pick up tips on Pokemon care and breeding," Brock added.
"Well, when you put it that way, Celadon City does seem like a nice place. And I'd kind of like to do a little exploring myself. And who knows? Maybe I'll even give that Pokemon Contest a try and see how it pans out," Lincoln replied.
"You sure you want to take part in a Double Performance as your debut? Single Performance Contests are tough enough on their own," the girl from the front counter warned.
"Well, I'll never know how well I'll do until I try. And besides, I've helped one of my little sisters out with her pageant performances back home in the States. I think I can use what I've picked up from that and incorporate it into an act," Lincoln replied, as he began formulating different scenarios on what Pokemon he should have in each stage.
"Well, if anyone can figure out a good performance, it's you. After all, you are something of a genius when it comes to coming up with plans," Brock commented.
"That's right," Lincoln replied, before remembering something, "By the way, what about that other poster?"
"That's an advertisement for a Pokeblock and Poffin Cooking Class, for any coordinators just starting out," the girl from the front counter replied.
"What are 'Pokeblock and Poffins'?" Miu asked.
"They're special treats trainers give their Pokemon to help improve specific qualities of their
Pokemon. Remember the divisions we told you about? Well, different Pokeblock and Poffins are meant for improving the qualities of a Pokemon participating in those particular divisions," the second shop girl explained.
"Hey, didn't we hear about that while we were on the St. Anne?" Lincoln asked Misty.
"That's right! This could be a great opportunity to help our Pokemon look their absolute best," Misty replied.
"Alright, so we can track down that cooking class and give it a go," Lincoln decided, before
turning to his fiancés, "So, have you ladies found anything you like?"
"Yes, we have," Verosika replied, as she and the others each had a bottle in their hands.
"Very well. I'll go ahead and pay for them," Lincoln said, as the girls brought the perfumes to the front counter. The girl then rang up each bottle.
"Your total comes out to 230,000 Pokedollars," the girl replied. Lincoln and the others winced pretty badly from hearing how expensive the bottles were.
"Thank goodness for all the training we did at the Battle Chateau," Lincoln muttered, as he handed off his Trainer Card. The girl scanned it before returning it to Lincoln. She then bagged up each perfume, before handing them off to his fiancés.
"Sorry, Lincoln! We didn't realize they would be THAT pricey!" Charlie exclaimed.
"It's fine, Charlie. After all, I want to give our future engagements a chance to happen, and to do that, I want to make you girls happy," Lincoln replied, scratching the back of his head. His fiancés all blushed again.
"Ahem, well, in any case, we need to get back to the Monster Realm to get ready for our date. When do you want to go out with us?" Octavia asked.
"Hmm, well, I'll see about heading back to the Battle Chateau to try to grind for some more money, so how about some time tomorrow?" Lincoln suggested.
"That'll work," Verosika commented.
"Agreed," Octavia added.
"I'd like that," Milt commented.
"Ok then," Lincoln replied, as he opened the portal to the Monster Realm, allowing his fiancés to pass through. Once Miu was safely through, he closed the portal.
"Doing a little spoiling for your lady friends, are you?" the girl at the front counter teased, causing Lincoln to start blushing up a storm.
"In any case, we need to get to the Pokemon Center to top off our teams!" Lincoln exclaimed, as he exited the store.
"That just goes to show just how he feels about them," Brock commented, as he helped Misty out with her selection.
Later, at the Pokemon Center, 14 minutes until Team Rockets Plan gets underway
Lincoln soon found himself at the Celadon City Pokemon Center, which was far larger than any others he had been to, "Whoa, this place is huge!" he commented.
"The ones in Viridian City and Vermillion City weren't nearly this large!" Pikachu exclaimed, as he and Lincoln entered. Inside the Pokemon Center, Lincoln could only describe the lobby as a fancy hotel lobby, complete with a large water fountain and a massive chandelier hanging above head.
"Not bad, not bad at all!" Lincoln, needless to say, was impressed with the sheer size of the facility, as he made his way over to the front counter, where Nurse Joy was standing.
"Hello, and welcome to the Celadon City Pokemon Center. Would you like to heal up your Pokemon?" Nurse Joy asked.
"Yes I would, thank you," Lincoln said, as Pikachu leapt onto the counter. Lincoln then put his Pokeballs into the tray, before looking at the Ultra Ball, "Uh, one thing, Nurse Joy? That Ultra Ball has a pretty lively Primeape in it."
"Don't worry. The Chansey at all Pokemon Centers haven't met a Pokemon Patient they couldn't handle," Nurse Joy replied, as she handed off the tray and Pikachu to her Chansey, who took them all to the back. She then turned back to Lincoln, "By the way, do you want to bring over any more of your Pokemon over?"
"I thought I could only have six Pokemon on me at a time? And Pikachu's Pokeball is still on my belt," Lincoln replied.
"Ordinarily, you can, but at this Center, you can bring up to twelve Pokemon you have in storage to join you and your current party for large group activities in the play-yard," Nurse Joy explained.
"A play-yard?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. It's right out the back. Many trainers that come to Celadon City often have up to eighteen Pokemon with them to try and practice move combinations for the annual Pokemon Contest, and since this year's contest is going to be a double performance, lots of trainers bring over tons of their Pokemon to practice their routines," Nurse Joy explained.
"Huh… Well, that's handy. Maybe I will," Lincoln mused.
"Excellent choice! The special transporters we have are right over there. And out in the play-yard are special lockers for you to place your Pokeballs in, so they won't get mixed up or stolen," Nurse Joy said, motioning towards some transporter machines, that looked way higher tech than the ones he's used to using.
"Well, might as well get started inviting some of my other Pokemon over," Lincoln commented, as he headed over. Inserting his Pokedex, Lincoln then got access to his Storage Boxes, "Ok, let's see who I want brought over… Hmm, I think Skyera, Buneary, Mawile, Lapis, Gengar, Muk, Lucario, Percival, Gawain, Selena, Absol, and Metang. Yeah, that should do," he commented, as he got some trays ready to hold his Pokeballs. Soon, each Pokeball he selected were transported over, "Alright, that should do it," he then collected the trays and made his way out to the play-yard, "Alright guys, come join the fun!" he exclaimed, as he threw all of his Pokeballs into the air, allowing each of his Pokemon out of their Pokeballs.
"Alright, back in the field!" Skyera exclaimed, before she noticed that there were more than six Pokemon alongside herself, "Hey boss, what's the deal? I thought you weren't allowed to carry more than six Pokemon at a time?"
"Hey, I'm not complaining," Mawile commented.
"Well, to answer your question, Skyera, we're at the Celadon City Pokemon Center, which allows trainers to have up to eighteen Pokemon on their person at a time. Though I'm fairly certain that once we leave, I'll only be able to keep six of you on hand, while the rest of you has to be sent back," Lincoln explained.
"Well, I don't really mind too much. I'd love to get closer to you, Lincoln!" Buneary said, leaping into Lincoln's arms. Both Lapis and Selena gnashed their teeth in pure jealousy. This didn't go unnoticed by Selena. Muk then slithered over to Lincoln.
"So, you managed to capture me after all, right?" Muk asked.
"Yeah, that's right. I figured having a powerful Poison Type like yourself on hand would help things out for me and friends in the long run," Lincoln replied.
"Well, I'm not too crazy about being caught, but I suppose I can put up with it for the time being," Muk admitted.
"Well, its great to have you on board, Muk," Lincoln replied, before noticing something, "Hey, I just realized, you don't have the same smell on you as it was in Gringey City."
"That's right. It's kind of thing with most Pokemon… Upon capture, they can deactivate their species' natural qualities, such as my glorious odor of sludge," Muk replied.
"A good thing too, because you smelled worse than a sewer!" Selena chided, as she climbed up a tree.
"Watch it, cat!" Muk warned, glaring at the Meowth.
"Or what?" Selena questioned, glaring back at Muk.
"Hey guys, c'mon! No fighting!" Lincoln pleaded, setting Buneary down. It was then that the Pokemon Center chime went off.
"Lincoln Loud, Lincoln Loud… Your Pokemon are all healed up and fighting fit. Please come and collect them," the P.A. system said.
"Well, looks like Pikachu and them are all healed up. I'm going to collect them. Lucario, Lapis and Metang, can I count on you guys to watch over things while I collect the others?" Lincoln asked his Pokemon.
"Don't worry. We'll keep things in line here," Lucario replied.
"Thanks," Lincoln said, as he reentered the Pokemon Center. He made his way over to the front counter, where he saw Pikachu along with the rest of his current team, consisting of Queeny, Cubone, Raphael, Fearow, and Primeape, who looked to have swollen cheeks, which Lincoln figured was from getting slapped repeatedly.
"I'm happy to report that all of your Pokemon are in tiptop shape," Nurse Joy said, as she returned Lincoln's Pokeballs to him.
"Thanks a bunch, Nurse Joy. But, if I may ask, what happened to Primeape?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, you weren't kidding about Primeape being awfully lively. Fortunately, one of the Center's Chansey was able to reign it in," Nurse Joy replied.
A few minutes ago,
Pikachu and the others were all receiving much needed medical treatment from their most recent adventure involving Primeape, "Alright Pikachu, you're all ready to go," a Chansey said.
"Ah, thanks. I really appreciate it," Pikachu replied, as he went over to where the rest of the team was at.
"Now, for the next patient," one of the nursing staff said, as she tossed up the Ultra Ball, releasing Primeape, who immediately started going wild.
"WHERE AM I?! WHO ARE ALL OF YOU?!" Primeape yelled, stomping its feet around.
"Please settle down. We're going to perform a medical examination of you," Chansey requested.
"I DON'T NEED ANY STUPID MEDICAL EXAM! AND I DON'T NEED HELP FROM ANY OF YOU!" Primeape yelled, punching Chansey away.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" Chansey yelled. The look in Chansey's eyes made it clear to Primeape that he did something really stupid, as Chansey took the Pig Monkey Pokemon by the fur and began slapping him repeatedly, "We are trying to do something nice for you, so you WILL behave!" she yelled with each slap, sending Primeape onto the exam table.
"Ok, I'll behave," Primeape groaned in pain.
Real Time,
"Those Chansey are excellent healers, but I wouldn't want to make them angry like that, EVER!" Pikachu commented, as he climbed up onto Lincoln's shoulder.
"I can only imagine. But for now, lets head into the play-yard. We've got quite the reunion to look forward to," Lincoln replied, leading his Pokemon out of the Center Lobby.
Meanwhile, down in the Broadcast Room in Team Rocket's Secret HQ, time to Broadcast: 3 minutes,
Grunts and scientists were working away on their computers to make sure the plan goes off without any trouble, "Alright, are we ready to begin the broadcast?" Cassidy asked one of the scientists.
"Just about. We're fine tuning a few more variables, and we should be ready," the scientist replied, typing in some keys.
"Good. Now then," Butch said, turning to a grunt standing nearby, "You there! Send word to every grunt up top. The operation will be starting momentarily!"
"Yes sir, Buzz!" the grunt replied, as he left the room.
"I've got to see about getting a name tag," Butch groused.
"And there! We're ready!" the scientist exclaimed.
"Good. Now that we are, Drowzee, you know what to do!" Cassidy said. Drowzee then began using its hypnotic psychic power, which was being focused through the machines, and began to broadcast across the city.
Meanwhile, back at the Pokemon Center, 1 minute prior to the broadcast,
"Alright, so now that everyone's here, lets start discussing the plans. For starters, there's going to be a Pokemon Contest happening in a few days here in Celadon City, and I've decided to give it a shot. So, I want to see how well you guys work in combinations," Lincoln explained, just as Brock and Misty arrived.
"Hey there, Lincoln!" Misty greeted.
"Hey guys. You find what you wanted at the store?" Lincoln asked.
"Yep. I was trying to decide between two different fragrances, so I went with getting them both," Misty admitted.
"I was pretty lucky to find that they also sold men's cologne there as well," Brock added, before noticing the large group of Lincoln's Pokemon, "Oh, using this Pokemon Center's handy transporter, I see."
"Yep. Nurse Joy told me about it, and I figured 'why not just go ahead with doing it?' Which brings us to right now. We were getting ready to try out some combinations," Lincoln replied.
"So, any idea on who you want to start off with in the appeals round?" Misty asked.
"Good question. Since it's a Beauty Division Contest, I'm leaning the most towards Lapis and Queeny, but I want to see what everyone else is like first," Lincoln replied. Both Lapis and Queeny felt their hearts flutter upon hearing their crush considering them for the beauty contest. Once more, this did not go unnoticed by Selena, who began to think up a very devious plot, "Well, in any case, we should go ahead and get started!" Lincoln said as he began walking over to give his Pokemon some room to practice their moves. He turned, only to find that Lapis, Lucario, Metang, Absol, Gengar and Percival were the only ones following after him, "Guys? I said we should get to practicing," Lincoln repeated himself. It was then his other Pokemon, Pikachu included, began glaring at him.
"What's going on here?" Misty wondered.
"I don't know," Lincoln replied, as he approached, only to get attack by a Thunderbolt from Pikachu, "Pikachu, what the hell?!" it was then that Lincoln noticed something… Each of his Pokemon's eyes were glazed over, as if they were in a trance. Even the out-of-control Primeape looked to have been brainwashed.
"Gah! Venomoth, chill out!" the three trainers looked over to see that some of the other trainers that were in the play-yard with them were experiencing the same predicament as Lincoln.
"Come on, Butterfree! Just get back inside your ball!" another trainer pleaded, only for get attacked by a Psybeam from her Butterfree. Just then, several explosions were heard from outside. Brock went over to check it out, and saw that several Pokemon in the streets had suddenly turned hostile against their trainers. Even Officer Jenny's Growlithe and Nurse Joy's Chansey were being extremely aggressive. The Pokemon in the play-yard broke down the nearby wall, before escaping. Skyera covered their escape with a full force Sand Attack.
"Wait, don't go!" Lincoln pleaded, but once the dust settled, all of the Pokemon were gone, "No!"
"What could've come over the Pokemon?" one of the trainers questioned, just as Officer Jenny entered through the broken wall.
"Is everyone here alright?" she asked.
"We've been better," Lincoln replied.
"Officer Jenny, what could've happened?" Misty asked.
"I don't know, but I swear, I will get to the bottom of this!" Jenny reassured. It was then that Brock took her hand.
"My dear, sweet Jenny, knowing that you've graced us all with your beauty is already enough to reassure me of this catastrophe! I would gladly aid you in any way I can to crack this case!" Brock proclaimed.
"Oh, you will, will you? That's… nice," Jenny replied nervously, just as Misty took Brock by the ear.
"Give it a rest, Romeo, or you're bound to get cracked yourself!" she scolded.
"Hold on, Misty, Brock might be on to something," Lincoln replied.
"HE IS?" Misty, Jenny, and all the other trainers questioned.
"I am?" Brock asked.
"We were all witnesses to what just happened. It might be best if we put our heads together to think about the details of this scenario," Lincoln replied.
"You mean like how those Pokemon of yours are still fine?" the Venomoth trainer asked, pointing to Lincoln's remaining Pokemon.
"Well, there's a start. So, lets have a look at the Pokemon I still have with me," Lincoln replied.
"Ok, so you have Gardevoir, a Psychic and Fairy Type, Metang, a Steel and Psychic Type, an Alolan Persian and an Absol, two Dark Types, Gengar, a Ghost and Poison Type, and Lucario, a Fighting and Steel Type," Jenny observed.
"Now that you mention it, my Misdreavus and Haunter didn't go crazy."
"Neither did my Abra or Kirlia."
"Houndour and Houndoom are still here too."
"Hmm, looks like any Psychic, Ghost, or Dark Type Pokemon are immune to whatever's going on with the other Pokemon," Lincoln theorized.
"But if that's the case, then why is your Lucario still fine?"
"You don't have to worry about me, Lincoln. I'm shielded by my aura, which is blocking whatever is causing the others to act out the way they are," Lucario replied, as his aura flashed around him.
"Lucario says its protective aura is blocking out whatever is making Pikachu and the other Pokemon act the way they are," Lincoln said to the other trainers.
"Ok, so with the exception of Lucario, what you said about Psychic, Dark and Ghost Type Pokemon shows that it might be another Psychic Type Pokemon at work here," Jenny deduced, before she remembered, "Ah, that's right! I just remembered!"
"What did you remember?" Misty asked.
"An informant for the Pokemon League Association gave us a tip that Team Rocket has a secret hideout located somewhere in Celadon City!" Jenny replied.
"Hey, that's right! Bruno and Lorelei told us about a stronghold that Team Rocket has. It's supposedly located under the Celadon Game Corner," Brock remembered what Bruno had told him.
"But I doubt that they'll have the entrance to said hideout out in the open… They'll most likely have it hidden somewhere," Lincoln replied.
"Well, we should get over there anyway. There's no telling what they're planning with all of the stolen Pokemon," Misty suggested. Lincoln quickly exchanged his Pokeballs for the ones that his remaining Pokemon belong to.
"Then let's get a move on then!" Lincoln replied, as he quickly recalled his remaining Pokemon. As soon as the last one was recalled, he and all the others exited the play-yard.
Elsewhere in Celadon City,
"Meowth, hold up!" Jessie demanded, as she and James chased after their talking Pokemon companion. They were planning their next big heist from some of the jewelry stores and banks, when all of a sudden, Meowth ran off, as if in a trance.
"Where could Meowth be traipsing to?" James wondered.
"I don't know, but it had better be more important than our heists!" Jessie proclaimed, Meowth ducked down an alley, followed by several Pokemon, "Hmm? What could all this be then?"
"These Pokemon seem to have their own agenda," James replied, as the two of them followed closely behind the Pokemon. They soon found, lo and behold, some grunts from Team Rocket.
"Why, it's Team Rocket!" Jessie quietly exclaimed.
"Then it must have to do with the hideout underneath Celadon Game Corner!" James quietly deduced.
"Heh, not a bad haul!" one of the grunts commented.
"With all these Pokemon, we're no doubt going to make up for Proton's mistake with the St. Anne," another grunt replied.
"Yeah, but it won't eliminate his debt to the boss," the first grunt replied, laughing wholeheartedly.
"Eh, they guy was a real kiss ass, always sucking up to the boss to get better jobs in the organization," the second grunt laughed.
"Well, there is only one thing he DID get right, and that was killing those three idiots," a third grunt said, as he activated a hidden elevator, which ascended from underneath a dumpster.
"Alright, get in there!" the first grunt yelled at the Pokemon, as he and the others shepherded the brainwashed Pokemon onto the elevator. The door closed, and the elevator descended into the ground.
"Hurry!" Jessie said, as she and James rushed over, and managed to slip on top of the elevator before the hatch closed up.
"This is just like in a spy movie!" James chuckled.
"Keep your mind out of the gutter, James! I don't know what Team Rocket is planning with all these Pokemon, but I'm certain that if what ever they're doing is affecting this small group of Pokemon, then they must have tons more arriving in the wings," Jessie stated. Soon, the elevator screeched to a halt.
"Alright, get moving!" the second grunt ordered, as the Pokemon all exited the elevator. Once they were all out, Jessie and James removed the grate on the ceiling of the elevator, and dropped down inside, and managed to get out of it before the doors closed up.
"Alright, we're in!" James said, as the two began to stealthily move through the dimly lit corridors. They soon arrived in a large room, where a large amount of Pokemon were being gathered, "Whoa, that's a lot of Pokemon!"
"Yes, and quite a lot for us to steal from them as well," Jessie mused.
"Hey, you two!" both Jessie and James jumped from their hiding spot in surprise. They turned to see Petrel glaring down at them, "Wait a minute, aren't you those two bumblers that Giovanni wanted Proton to off?"
"Well, I just heard a pretentious voice," Jessie spoke.
"His ego will be his downfall, by his own choice," James continued.
"Travelling the world, plundering its resources!"
"All to enhance our own forces!"
"This team shall never be stopped by any law!"
"We do what we want, while you stand in awe!"
"Jessie, the Fiery Tempress of Villainy!"
"Technical Master James, that is me!"
"We've gone independent of your hive minded ways!"
"Give up now, and you might continue your days!"
"WE'RE THE X-ROCKETS, TRAVELLING NIGHT AND DAY!" the two of them recited their motto, though Petrel was neither threatened nor impressed.
"So, your cockroach like survivability pulled you out from the St. Anne, huh? Boy, Giovanni won't be too happy when he learns this," Petrel said in a totally laid-back manner.
"We used to care about that blowhard's approval, but since we learned he wanted us killed, we decided to become independent from Team Rocket," James proclaimed.
"And it's so nice of you to round up all of these Pokemon just for us! But we'll gladly take it from here," Jessie replied.
"That's what you think, Jessie!" Jessie shuddered upon hearing the familiar woman's voice, as both Butch and Cassidy came into view.
"Cassidy," Jessie said in a most unpleasant tone of voice.
"And Bilge too," James added, sounding equally as unpleasant.
"My name is 'Butch'! Its not like that name's hard to remember, you know?!" Butch yelled.
"Moving onward, what makes you think any of these Pokemon are for you?" Petrel asked.
"Because we plan on taking them all for ourselves!" Jessie replied, as she and James readied their Pokeballs. The three Team Rocket Members could only smirk, "Go, Arbok, Smoochum, Wobbuffet, Ariados, Barboach and Fomantis!"
"Koffing, Gurdurr, Lycanroc, Sawk, Rufflet and Pinsir, come join the party!" James said, as he and Jessie released all of their Pokemon. What they didn't know what upon materializing, all of their Pokemon, save for Smoochum and Wobbuffet, had been brainwashed as well.
"Alright, now bring out your Pokemon!" Jessie demanded.
"Heh, there's no need to!" Petrel replied, as each of Jessie and James' Pokemon, apart from both of Jessie's Psychic Types, all turned against their trainers, glaring angrily at them.
"Arbok, Ariados, Barboach, Fomantis, what is the meaning of this?!" Jessie demanded.
"Koffing, Gurdurr, and the rest, why have you become turncoats?!" James questioned.
"Allow us to explain. Look over in that glass cylinder over there," Butch said, motioning towards where Drowzee was.
"Utilizing broadcast technology and Drowzee's hypnotic power, we've been able to brainwash every Pokemon in Celadon City and force them to come here," Cassidy explained.
"We've been planning this large scale Pokemon heist for quite a while, and we should thank you for your generous donation of your Pokemon as well. Ariados, use String Shot to tie up Wobbuffet and Smoochum!" Petrel ordered. Ariados then spun its threads around both Psychic Type Pokemon.
"Hold on, why have Ariados capture Smoochum and Wobbuffet?" James questioned.
"Yeah, for some reason, the control waves don't affect Psychic, Ghost, or Dark Types. Fortunately, we have another plan for capturing those stragglers as well. But in the meantime, your time in this hideout is over. Arbok, Koffing, and the rest, chase them out of here!" All of Jessie and James' brainwashed Pokemon then charged aggressively at their trainers.
"AAAH!" both Jessie and James screamed, as they were chased out of the hideout.
"Should we eliminate them, since Proton was unable to do so himself?" Cassidy asked.
"Hmm, nah, it seems like a hassle just for a pair that aren't worth it. Though I should contact Giovanni to inform him of this development," Petrel replied.
"No doubt Proton will get more shit for learning his actions resulted in a double failure," Butch laughed.
"Heh, no doubt. But enough of that. Get these Pokemon down there with the others!" Petrel ordered.
"Yes sir!" both Butch and Cassidy replied, as they shepherded the latest Pokemon down to the crowd of other brainwashed Pokemon.
Meanwhile, at Fountain Heights Psychiatric Sanitorium, *thunder and lightning*
Both Lori and Lynn were beginning the same treatments the other had a few days prior, except they were being subjected to the treatment the other sister was given. In Lynn's case, she was injected with the powerful sedative, causing her to fall asleep. Lynn was unable to resist, and eventually gave in and fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, she saw that she was in a dark, dreamscape, "What is this place?" she questioned to no one in particular.
"I can answer that," Lynn then saw her phantasm doppelganger, looking rather smug at the lost looking Loud sister, "To put it simply, we're in what you might call your subconscious, a sort of dreamscape, if you will."
"Ok, but why are we here? I have absolutely no idea what to even make of this place's purpose," Lynn questioned.
"Well, I suppose in a way, you'll be able to see some of your… potential futures," phantasm Lynn replied.
"My potential futures? Ho-ho, well lay it on me! I'd like to see how much of a big-name athlete I am!" Lynn boasted. This caused her phantasm self to roll her eyes.
"Alright, but you asked for it," phantasm Lynn replied, as the dreamscape around them began to warp into what appeared to be a futuristic city, with flying cars and transporters.
"Not too shabby. So, you going to show me my huge mansion, filled to the brim with all my awards, or what?" Lynn asked.
"Unfortunately for you, Lynn, your sports career never took off. If anything, you could say that it blew up in the hanger, as well as in your face," phantasm Lynn replied, as she transported the two of them to the slums of the city.
"Huh? Why are we here?" Lynn asked, before a thought came across her mind, "Oh, I get it! We must be here to see how pathetic Stinkcoln is without anyone in his life!" Lynn felt a slight sense of satisfaction knowing she might see how Lincoln's life was in the gutter.
Much to her annoyance, her phantasm form shook her head, "Nope. If anything, your brother is actually doing well for himself, even after getting married to the Monster Princesses. He and them live in the upper-class part of town. No, the one we're here to see is you."
"Me? But how could I wind up here, and not Stinkcoln? He can't make a living for himself with comics or video games! Those are just dumb hobbies!" Lynn argued, just as she saw the adult version of herself walk past, wearing raggedy clothes, looking absolutely miserable, "Wait, that couldn't have been me, could it?"
"And a prize for the genius. That's what's going to befall you if you continue to be so prideful. You lost your cool one too many times in one too many sports games, to the point you were banned from sports entirely. You weren't even allowed to be a fan anymore, like, legally, you couldn't. Eventually, you even took up doing drugs to help ease your suffering, even by a little bit," phantasm Lynn explained.
"But why am I here instead of bunking with one of my siblings? Hell, even Stinkcoln would be better than this!" Lynn proclaimed, as she saw her future-self rummaging through a dumpster for some food.
"Well, this version of you didn't see it that way. In fact, she proclaimed that she would never accept help from your brother, and would rather be gutter trash for the rest of your life. That statement alone is what caused not only Lincoln, but all of your sisters to shut you out of their lives for good," phantasm Lynn explained, just as a rainstorm kicked up.
"Wait, so you're saying that I ruined my own life? And all because I refused to accept Lincoln's help?" Lynn asked.
"Yep. If anything, you're the only one who's responsible for your life going up in smoke. And it's all because of your pride. It's been holding you back all this time, all because you just can't handle a single loss to your name. You'll have to learn sooner or later that there really is no shame in losing," phantasm Lynn replied.
"'No shame'? 'No shame'?! I don't know if you know this or not, but I have a reputation as a winner throughout Royal Woods! Having even one loss to my name is a sin and a sign of weakness! People would start walking all over me like a doormat, just like my first day at Middle School," Lynn argued.
"You mean how you were easily bullied because of how much of a noob you were? Hate to break it to you, but that's hardly an excuse for any of the rotten, bratty behavior you've been exhibiting since your 'loss' to the Lions that day. If anything, it's all the more reason for you NOT to even get any sympathy. You're just a classic case of bullied kid turns into a bully herself to keep her softer side from showing," phantasm Lynn countered, just as Lynn lunged at her like a wild animal, "Really? Is violence your answer to every time someone states the obvious about you?"
"Don't try to pull the whole Freudian schtick on me! No one can understand why I need to be a winner or tough on my siblings, so don't even try!" Lynn yelled. Her phantasm could only laugh at the jock.
"Oh, that's rich! You actually think someone needs a degree in psychology to understand you? Hate to burst your bubble, Lynn, but you're even easier to read than one of Lily's story books. You get bullied during your first day in Middle School, you decide to get tougher to make sure no one ever picks on you again, you enjoy it way too much, you grow to like pushing your family around, especially your brother, and you throw your weight around on your sports teams, making them follow dangerous habits just for the sake of warding off bad luck. Face it Lynn, you're just that predictable!" to emphasize the point of the last thing she said, phantasm Lynn effortlessly evaded Lynn's second lunge attack, "And with your movements, I rest my case."
"I can never accept this as my future! There has to be some other way to make sure that I don't grow up into this loser!" Lynn yelled, looking at her future self, who had the measly scraps of food she scrounged up stolen by some other homeless people, while also getting knocked out from a glass bottle to the head.
"If there was any other way than letting go of your pride and irrational, unwarranted hatred towards your brother, I would've suggested it by now. But your just out of luck, once again. You need to get over your idiotic ego, and grow up! People just like you grow up eventually. Even your brother has managed to mature quite a bit from what I saw during the Summer Festival at Maiden's Peak… A lot more than you have, apparently. And you want to know something else? He's proving to be the kind of winner you cannot and have never been before!"
"Are you actually suggesting that Stinkcoln has gotten better than ME?!" Lynn yelled, her temper flaring up more quickly than it ever has before.
"If the shoe fits. He took his losses to those AJ and Lt. Surge guys with grace and dignity, and reevaluated his strategy to defeat the latter. But you? You keep making up dumb excuses that no one should take seriously. You lost ONE game; Who even cares? There's a lot more to the world than just a bunch of sports games like softball. The world won't come to an end just because some small time jock with both an inferiority complex and a superiority complex lost a game of softball."
"You don't know that! When I was convinced Stinkcoln was bad luck…"
"You believed his 'bad luck' would be the end of times for something that can NEVER and should NEVER be a religion, and that you were some sort of a messiah sent by your imaginary friends, the Softball Gods, to lead Royal Woods to a new age of sports. Like I said Lynn, you're just too predictable, in sports and in your excuses," the phantasm Lynn smirked in amusement, as Lynn lunged at her again, only for the phantasm to dodge, "Well, if words won't convince you, then maybe seeing yourself for what you truly are might," with a snap of her fingers, phantasm Lynn summoned what appeared to be a hall of mirrors, each with a different scene playing out.
"What is all this?" Lynn questioned, looking around at each of the mirrors, each with scenes similar to how she blamed Lincoln for being bad luck.
"These are all the same scenario in which you blamed Lincoln for your loss to the Lions that day, except you can now see how well that works out for everyone else," phantasm Lynn replied. And she was right. Each mirror showed a different version of how Lynn blamed Lincoln for her loss, but it had the others blaming one of the others for their own failures. But Lynn became incensed the most when she saw one mirror showing Lincoln chewing out the twins.
"How dare that little turd yell at one of his sisters like that!" Lynn growled.
"Hate to break it to you, not really, but these are merely shadows of what it looks like for everyone to pull what you did. They aren't even real," phantasm Lynn retorted.
"Real or not, that bastard has no right getting mad at any one of us, even if he's somehow right to be angry," Lynn growled, as she went to try and smash the mirror.
"Oh? Trying to break a mirror, Lynn? That's seven years bad luck, you know," phantasm Lynn taunted.
"Oh, get real! Nothing here is even real! Breaking one mirror won't do squat!" Lynn retorted.
In the laboratory,
The doctors were all monitoring Lynn's brainwaves as they were either spiking or settling, "Boy, I don't what's going on in that dense skull of hers, but it must be something major," one of the doctors commented.
"Hopefully we'll find a breakthrough like with the ice water treatment," another doctor replied.
Back in Celadon City,
A large group of trainers, along with the police, had just arrived somewhere near the Celadon Game Corner, "Alright, so what's the plan?" Lincoln asked.
"We need to storm and search the entire Game Corner from top to bottom. We're looking for some kind of a switch that'll take us to Team Rocket's Hideout. Once there, we need to find whatever is causing the Pokemon to act out and stop it," Officer Jenny replied.
"Should the trainers go in first? If the police move in right away, then any Team Rocket members working there might panic and opt to pull their entire operation out, and we may never get a chance to save our Pokemon," Misty suggested.
"That would be a good idea. Once you're in, find our inside woman. She knows how to access the hideout," Jenny advised.
"Alright, let's move in!" Lincoln said to the other trainers, as they all began making their way over to the Game Corner. Upon entering, they saw that it was like any other casino, with slot machines, roulette wheels, poker, and not to mention beautiful women in super skimpy attire.
"This has to be one of the best operations we've done yet!" Brock commented, immediately smitten with the women.
"We should go and play some of the games while we wait for Gengar to come back. We got to blend in to keep from looking suspicious," Lincoln suggested.
"Good call," one of the trainers replied, as they all branched off. Lincoln and Misty took to some slot machines.
"Ok, so how does this work?" Lincoln wondered. He had seen slot machines before during vacations he took with his family in the hotels they would often stay at, but since he was a minor, he never really paid attention to them.
"Oh~? New to the art of gambling, are you~?" a familiar, seductive voice said. Both trainers turned, and immediately blushed upon seeing Midori, looking at them with a sultry look in her eyes. She was wearing what could only be described as a micro-bikini, showing off every last, flawless inch of her physique. She sauntered over, embracing Lincoln from behind, "You here for the takedown of this Game Corner?" she whispered to both trainers.
"Y-Y-Y-Yeah. We have to find w-w-w-whatever's making the P-P-P-Pokemon act all c-c-c-crazy," Lincoln stuttered, blushing even harder feeling Midori's massive breasts against his back. Midori knew why Lincoln was being so nervous, and found his behavior adorable. She immediately shook her head.
'No, as a member of the International Police, I have to put my work before thoughts like that, even if he is cute, just my type, and is only four or five years younger than me,' she thought to herself, before moving over to Misty, embracing her behind as well, "The switch to the hideout is behind the poster of a rocket near the front counter."
"O-Ok. The Celadon Police Force is outside, waiting to strike," Misty replied, feeling embarrassed from feeling Midori's breasts against her back now.
"Good. Once you've infiltrated the hideout, find the broadcast room and defeat the Drowzee they have hooked up to a machine. That's what's causing the Pokemon to act out," Midori whispered again, just as someone came walking by. Midori recognized them as disguised Team Rocket members, "So, little boy, you and your sexy little minx here want to learn to play the slots, yes?"
"Yes, that's true," Lincoln replied, as he and Misty immediately picked up on Midori's change in tone.
"Well, it's really quite easy. Just put in up to three coins, and if you manage to get one of those combos, you'll earn more coins based on whatever combo you land," Midori replied, pointing to a list of combos and their payouts on the side of the machine.
"Ok, but we don't exactly have any coins on us," Misty replied.
"Hmm, no need to worry~. The front counter will be more than happy to give you a large amount of coins for a fee. But don't worry, if you manage to hit combos enough times, the fees will be worth it,~" Midori explained, pointing to the front counter, where some shifty looking people were giving people coins in exchange for money.
"Ok, but what can we do with our winnings?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, apart from being the center of attention for all the gorgeous ladies here, such as myself, you can exchange them for prizes next door, including top of the line TMs, TRs, and even a new Pokemon,~" Midori explained. Lincoln and Misty could easily pick up on Midori's disgust at the last thing she listed, because they were equally as disgusted at the thought of Pokemon being used as prizes. But they knew they needed to keep from drawing any unwanted attention, so they went on up to the front counter.
"Welcome to the Rocket Game Corner. You two here to play?" one of the workers asked.
"Yes, we'd like to, but we need coins to play first," Lincoln replied.
"Is that so? Well, before we give you any coins, take these Coin Cases," the worker replied, handing Lincoln and Misty a Coin Box each, "Those Coin Boxes can hold up to 9,999 Coins at a time. You can exchange your winnings next door for fabulous prizes. Now then, how many coins would the two of you like? It's 50 Coins for 1,000 Pokedollars, and 500 Coins for 10,000 Pokedollars."
"Yeesh, pretty steep. I'll start off with 50 coins," Lincoln replied, as he handed off his trainer card.
"I'll take 500 Coins," Misty stated, handing off her trainer card. Both workers scanned the cards, before handing them back. They then gave both trainers their desired number of coins.
"There you go. Try not to blow it all at once!" the worker said, as Lincoln and Misty returned to the slot machines they were at.
"So, how should we do this?" Misty asked, as she and Lincoln began playing on the slots.
"I think one of us should go and get Officer Jenny and the others. Once they're here with us, we can head down and rescue Pikachu and the others," Lincoln replied, as he just hit a jackpot, winning him 300 coins, "Nice!"
"In that case, why don't I go and get them? It'll be less suspicious if only one of us leaves," Misty suggested, as she busted on the slots, "Damn it!"
"If you think that'll work, then go for it," Lincoln replied, as he got another jackpot, "Plus, if my luck holds true, I might be able to keep attention off of you heading out," he added, hitting yet another jackpot.
"Hey, that kid just got three jackpots in a row!"
"Whoa, that takes crazy luck!
"Maybe we can talk him into parting with some of his coins?"
Upon seeing that Lincoln was, in fact, drawing the attention of the other gamblers, Misty knew this would be the best course of action, "Alright, I'll see you soon," she said, as she put her Coin Case in her bag, and made her way to the door. Once she was outside, and out of the line of sight from the people inside, she made a dash over to the waiting Police Force, "Officer Jenny! We managed to find out where the entrance to the Hideout is located! It's behind the Rocket Poster near the front counter!"
"Excellent work!" Jenny replied, before turning to her fellow officers, "Alright men! We're heading in! Stay alert!"
"YES MA'AM!" the officers all exclaimed, as they began to storm the Game Corner.
"Eek! The police?!" one of the sexy waitresses exclaimed.
"Why are they here?!" another waitress questioned.
"I don't know! Maybe someone dangerous is here?" a third waitress theorized.
"Alright! Nobody move! This is an official Celadon City Police Raid! We're shutting this place down!" Jenny exclaimed, as she made her way over to the Rocket Poster, and tore it off, revealing the switch, "Not really the cleverest hiding spot," she mused, as she pressed the switch.
"Not so fast there, copper!" the worker at the front counter said, as he and several others revealed themselves as members of Team Rocket.
"AHH! IT'S TEAM ROCKET!" the three waitresses from before shrieked in terror.
"Worry not, fair maidens," Brock said, as he sent out Bronzong, "We will gladly dispense with these vile villains, and free Celadon City from there grasp, and you from their clutches!"
"Wow, he's so brave!"
"And kind of cute too!"
"Maybe he's looking for a couple of girlfriends?"
Brock smirked happily upon hearing that the three girls thought of him as an attractive hunk, "Lincoln, you go on ahead with Officer Jenny and the Police Force! Misty and I will stay up here and help with subduing these Grunts!"
"Ok, you got it, Brock!" Lincoln replied, as he leapt up, and followed Officer Jenny, and a handful of other trainers and officers down into the secret hideout.
"Alright, I'm ready to tear this place up!"
"We all are! But most importantly is getting all of our stolen Pokemon back!"
"You're right! So lets just blast everything until we find them!"
"Ordinarily, I would say 'stick to the plan', but time is of the essence! In which case, everyone, get all of your Psychic, Ghost, and Dark Type Pokemon to help tear up this hideout!" Officer Jenny replied. All of the trainers let out up to two or three Pokemon each.
"Well alright! Gengar, Lapis, Lucario, Percival, Absol, and Metang, come out and help rock the house!" Lincoln called, sending out all six of his Pokemon.
"We heard everything from within our Pokeballs. We're more than ready to help out with the rescue mission, Lincoln," Absol stated.
"Good. Now just show me that readiness by using Dark Pulse along those walls there!" Lincoln instructed. Absol then fired Dark Pulse, causing the wall to come tumbling down in a pile of rubble, "Lucario, try to hone in on Pikachu's aura! We can use that to find our way through!"
"No sooner done than said," Lucario replied, as he began to sense for Pikachu's aura, eventually picking up on something, "I found them!" he said, running over to a nearby wall, "Have the others focus their attacks through this wall. It's the quickest way to get to where we need to be."
"Ok," Lincoln replied, turning to the other trainers, who's Pokemon were all wreaking the hideout, "Guys, have your Pokemon focus their attacks on the wall where my Lucario is!"
"Already on it! Bisharp, use Dark Pulse on that wall!" one trainer instructed, as his Pokemon, a taller form of the Pawniard Leaf used in Porta Vista, fired Dark Pulse, causing the wall to explode. Just then, a small group of Team Rocket Grunts came rushing in.
"You all made a mistake coming here!" one of the grunts growled.
"The only mistake is not taking this place down faster! Now, Zweilous, use Draco Meteor!" another trainer commanded. Her Pokemon, a black, two headed dragon-like Pokemon, then fired up a ball of orange energy, sending several smaller projectiles crashing down, causing more damage to the hideout, as well as keeping the Rockets at bay.
"Lincoln, if we want to save Pikachu and the others, we need to hurry!" Lapis suggested.
"Alright," Lincoln replied, turning to Jenny, who was battling a Grunt with her Pokemon, a small, black and grey hyena like Pokemon, "Jenny, I'm going to go on ahead and try and stop their plan!"
"Alright, just be careful!" Jenny replied. Lincoln and his Pokemon all leapt through the holes in the walls, and made their way downward, with Lucario leading the way.
"How much further?" Lincoln asked.
"Just around this bend, and…" Lucario was cut off as Jessie and James crashed into the wall.
"What the…?! You two?!" Lincoln exclaimed in disbelief.
"The white-haired brat!?" Jessie exclaimed.
"Just what we need!" James added.
"What are you two even doing here?" Lincoln asked.
"We saw a group of Pokemon being shanghaied by Team Rocket, and thought we could steal them from under their pompous noses, but they managed to brainwash our Pokemon as well!" James explained.
"We hid out in a broom closet until the heat died off, and were on our way to regroup and come up with a new plan to rescue Meowth and the others when we ran into you," Jessie added.
"Then that means you must've seen what Team Rocket is using to brainwash all of the other Pokemon!" Lincoln deduced.
"Naturally we did. They were using a broadcast machine to broadcast a Drowzee's hypnotic influence all over the city and bring the Pokemon here. It's back that way," James replied.
"Then that's my best bet of saving Pikachu and the rest of my Pokemon!" Lincoln exclaimed, turning to Gengar, "Gengar, I want you to go on ahead and try to destroy the machine! That ought to free Pikachu and the others."
"It would be my pleasure!" Gengar replied, as he went on ahead, as Lincoln and the rest of his current team left to save the others.
"We should go with him. After all, he'll do all the hard work in fighting off Team Rocket and destroying their machine, and we'll swoop in and pilfer all of those primo choice Pokemon," Jessie suggested.
"Benefiting from someone else's hard work! I like it!" James cackled, as the two of them followed after Lincoln.
A few minutes later,
Lincoln and his Pokemon soon arrived in the broadcast room, where they saw what could be described as an ocean of Pokemon, each with a glazed look in their eyes, "There's… so many of them!" he exclaimed, before he saw Pikachu and the others, "And there's Pikachu!"
"Heh, pretty sneaky of you, brat," Lincoln turned to see Petrel, along with Cassidy and Butch standing before him, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am one of the Team Rocket Admins, Petrel."
"Yeah, and those two are Cassidy and Hootch, right?" Lincoln asked.
"MY NAME IS BUTCH! HOW IS THAT SUCH A HARD NAME TO REMEMBER?!" Butch yelled, only to be ignored.
"I must say, I didn't think anyone in that little task force would make it this far into our base," Petrel commented.
"Yeah, well, we need to free all of the Pokemon you've taken captive," Lincoln replied, hoping to keep them talking long enough for Gengar to stop Drowzee.
"Now why would you go and do a thing like that, especially after all the trouble we went through to bring them here?" Cassidy asked.
"Those Pokemon may seem like a get rich quick scheme to you, but to decent trainers like myself, they're our family and friends! We can't just sit by and let you take them away!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Hmmph, you know, with your talent as a trainer, you could make an Admin yourself. How about considering the offer to join Team Rocket?" Petrel asked.
"You could ask me a million times, and my answer will be the same a million times over; No!" Lincoln replied.
Petrel could only sigh, "It pains me to hear you say that. Such a waste of actual talent, down the drain. But orders are orders… Drowzee! Have some of the Pokemon focus their attacks on this kid!" he ordered, only to find nothing happening, "Huh? Drowzee, what are you…?!" his authoritarian tone turned to one of shock upon seeing Drowzee defeated with Gengar floating above. In seconds, all of the Pokemon Team Rocket had brainwashed were released from captivity, "OH NO! OUR PERFECT PLAN IS RUINED!"
"That's right, it is!" Lincoln replied, turning to the crowd of Pokemon, "You all need to escape out of here!" he called. Not needing to be told twice, all of the Pokemon rushed towards the exit of the broadcast room, but not before stopping by the three Rockets.
"Uh oh," Butch commented, seeing how angry the Pokemon all were.
"Uh, don't suppose we can talk this out?" Petrel asked, only for him and the other two to receive a series of attacks from each Pokemon. Once they were finished, the Pokemon all made their way out of the room, with Lincoln's Pokemon rushing over to him.
"Guys, I'm so glad to see you're all ok!" Lincoln exclaimed, as Pikachu, Buneary and Cubone leapt into his arms. All of his other Pokemon were happy to be reunited with their trainer, while Selena and Primeape looked like they couldn't care less.
"We're… not… finished yet!" Petrel groaned, as he, Cassidy and Butch got to their feet, "You may have stopped our plan this time, but you won't be taking us in!" he said, just as three other Grunts came in, "You three, buy us some time while we escape!" he ordered.
"YES SIR!" the grunts replied, as Petrel and the other two limped away through another set of doors. Upon seeing one of the Grunts, Cubone began to shake with fear and anger. This didn't go unnoticed by Lincoln and the others.
"Cubone, is something wrong?" Queeny asked.
"I-I-It's him!" Cubone shakily exclaimed, pointing to the grunt in the middle. The only thing different about the grunt Cubone was pointing to was that he had pale cyan hair, "H-H-He's the one who took Mommy away from me!"
"'Your Mommy'?" Lincoln parroted, before remembering what happened at Pokemon Tower, "Hey you, did you kill this Cubone's Mother?!"
"'Cubone's mother'?" the grunt questioned, before recognizing the Cubone in question, "Oh yeah, I did kill a Marowak! So this must be the same Cubone that escaped from us!" he said without a hint of remorse. This only served to tick off Lincoln and his Pokemon even further, as they all got in front of Cubone.
"How can you be so chill about that?! Don't you have any ounce of remorse for the grief you caused?!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"'Remorse'? 'Grief'? Kid, you got to get your head out of the gutter! It was just a Marowak!" the grunt replied, as he and his cohorts sent out three Pokemon each, consisting of Magnemite, Golbat, Raticate, Houndoom, Grimer, Koffing, Machop, Ekans, and Sandslash.
"Guess we're just going to have to beat this lesson into you! Get ready, guys!" Lincoln called out. His Pokemon, save for Primeape and Selena, all took defensive stances.
"Attack! All at once!" the grunt called out. Each of their Pokemon began firing off attacks, one after another, which Lincoln's Pokemon were all able to evade easily.
"Queeny, use Trop Kick! Metang, Metal Claw!" Lincoln instructed. Queeny landed a powerful Trop Kick, sending Raticate and Sandslash back into their respective grunts, while Metang slashed Grimer and Machop with Metal Claw, "That's the way!"
"Impudent brat!" the grunt growled, before seeing Cubone was off to the side, cowering in fear. Then, he got a cruel idea, "Well, if this little runt wants his Mommy so bad, then I'll personally see to it that they're reunited!" he said, whipping out what looked like a taser rod, which was sparking with electricity.
"What?! You can't just do that!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Oh no? Just watch me!" the grunt said, as he stormed over, and was about to swing it onto Cubone, when Lincoln jumped in, and took the rod himself.
"GAH!" he screamed in pain, before falling to the side, hissing in pain.
"Lincoln, no!" Pikachu exclaimed, as he, Lapis, Queeny, Buneary, Mawile, Lucario and Gengar went to their trainer's aid.
"Are you alright, Lincoln?" Lapis asked, worried for her crush.
"Yeah, I'll live, but that thing stung like hell!" Lincoln replied. Cubone was standing there in pure shock… Much like how his mother save his life from this grunt before, his trainer stepped in to take the hit for him.
"Heh, kid must have a death wish!" one of the other grunts exclaimed with a laugh.
"Fine with me! After all, the boss did say that if he refused to join us, then he was to be eliminated," the lead grunt said, as he went in to strike Lincoln again, only to be blindsided with an Iron Head from Cubone, sending him flying back, "Gah!? Why that little…?!"
"I'm not letting you take any more family from me again! I wasn't able to help my Mommy before, but that doesn't mean I won't step up for my new trainer!" Cubone proclaimed.
"Well said, little one," Absol replied.
"I don't have to take this from some defective product! Focus your attacks on the kid and his Cubone!" the lead grunt ordered. Their Pokemon all went in to attack again, only for most of them to be taken down by some of Lincoln's other Pokemon, "Grr, Houndoom, use Fire Blast! Burn them all to a crisp!" Houndoom then fired off a fire attack that took the shape of a star. It would've made contact, had it not been for Cubone using Bonemerang to cut through the Fire Blast, and strike Houndoom, sending it down to defeat. When the bone came back to Cubone, a bright light erupted from the Lonely Pokemon.
"Wow, Cubone, you're evolving!" Lincoln said in amazement, as Cubone grew larger. When the light died off, Cubone had been revealed to have evolved into Marowak.
"Marowak has been registered to your Pokedex," Dexter stated. Lapis then lifted all three grunts into the air, and slammed them into a nearby wall. Metang then lifted all of their Pokeballs with Confusion, and crushed them. Upon seeing this, the Rocket Pokemon all left their trainers behind. Lincoln, using Queeny and Lucario as crutches, stood before the grunts.
"This whole operation ends here!" he stated.
"That it does!" Lincoln looked over to see Midori sauntering in.
"Midori?! What are you doing here?" the lead grunt exclaimed, only to get slapped with handcuffs, as did his compatriots.
"Placing the three of you under arrest, for one thing," she replied.
"Wait, you're a cop!?" the third grunt exclaimed.
"That's right. Too bad for you, Giovanni won't hear about this! You're going to the slammer for a long time," Midori replied, as more cops stormed in and took the grunts into custody. She then walked over to Lincoln, "That was pretty bold of you, Lincoln, taking that electric rod to save your Marowak like that."
"Marowak already suffered enough because of that one guy. I couldn't let him hurt Marowak anymore," Lincoln replied.
"Come over to the table. I have some medicine and bandages for your injury," Midori urged. Lucario and Queeny helped Lincoln to table, and laid him down on his belly. Midori pulled up Lincoln's shirt, revealing the affected area, "Well, the good news is that the injury isn't anything serious, but you might still be tender for a few hours," she said, as she pulled out some salve, and rubbed in on the wound.
"Ooh, that feels kind of nice. What kind of salve is that?" Lincoln asked.
"It's made from special plants with medicinal qualities. They have healing properties best suited for burns and lacerations," Midori replied, as she then wrapped up Lincoln's injury in some gauze, "There, that should do it."
"Thanks Midori, I really appreciate it," Lincoln replied. Just then, Pikachu saw something.
"Hey Lincoln, what do you make of this?" Pikachu asked, giving Lincoln the item, which the young boy recognized as a USB Stick.
"Hmm, someone must've dropped it, maybe that Petrel guy," Lincoln theorized.
"It might have plans for Team Rocket's next stage of operations. I'll be more than happy to give it to Officer Jenny," Midori offered.
"Thanks Midori," Lincoln replied, as he went to hand it to the buxom teen officer, only for him to mistakenly drop it. This caused him to lose his balance, and fall face first into Midori's massive breasts, and take her down to the ground.
"Ow! Ok, we probably could've done without that," Midori commented, before noticing the position she and Lincoln were in. The young preteen's head was sandwiched between the green haired woman's L-Cup bosom.
"Oh my god, I am SO sorry, Midori! I did not mean for that to happen!" Lincoln was quick to pull away.
"D-D-Don't worry. It's fine," Midori replied, sounding equally as embarrassed. She then saw the USB, and retrieved it, "We should probably get out of here. Nothing good can come from staying here any longer," she suggested.
"Good call," Lincoln replied, as Lapis acted as his crutch this time, helping Lincoln walk out, "C'mon guys, we're heading out," he said to his Pokemon.
"As if I'm going to be coming with you! In case you forgot, you're still not a trainer worthy of any sort of respect in my book!" Selena commented.
"I HATE TAKING ORDERS FROM OTHERS!" Primeape stomped.
"Of course, the two of you would still choose to be difficult… Metang, would you help out with Confusion?" Lincoln asked.
"Affirmative!" Metang replied, as it lifted both Primeape and Selena up with Confusion, and floated them out of there.
"By the way, where is Petrel?" Midori asked.
"Gone. He, along with Cassidy and that Burt guy left, since this whole operation of theirs went up in smoke," Lincoln replied.
"Sounds like the kind of thing he'd do. I guess he learned from Proton's failure," Midori deduced.
"But at least we managed to free the Pokemon," Lincoln replied.
"I suppose that's all the matters right now. Plus, there's also this," Midori added, looking down at the USB Stick. After a few more minutes, they resurfaced into the Game Corner, where the police were busy arresting all of the Team Rocket Members working there, while also getting testimony from the workers who weren't part of Team Rocket.
"Lincoln!" Lincoln looked to see Brock and Misty coming towards him, "I don't know what you did down there, but all of the Pokemon have returned to normal, and are returning to their trainers as well!" Brock informed.
"That's great to hear," Lincoln replied, as Lapis helped readjust him.
"Is something wrong?" Misty asked.
"I took a strike from an electric rod to keep Marowak safe," Lincoln replied, looking over at his Marowak.
"Whoa, so Cubone actually evolved?" Misty asked.
"Yeah, all because he stood up to the grunt that caused… well, you know," Lincoln said.
"You mean…?" Misty asked, only for Lincoln to nod.
"He was one of the ones we managed to arrest while we were down there," Midori replied.
"So, what now?" Brock asked.
"I'm going to take my Pokemon to get them looked over at the Pokemon Center," Lincoln replied.
"In the meantime, I'll head over to the Police Station to go over whatever could be on this USB," Midori replied, as she slipped on a more modest outfit, "And one more thing before I go," she said, writing something down, and handing it to Lincoln.
"What's this?" Lincoln asked, looking at what she had written, and blushed immediately.
'Now that my time as a spy in Team Rocket is done, feel free to call me for a good time, cutie. You may only be five years younger than me, but you seem like just my type, xoxo, Midori.'
"Wait, you're only seventeen and you're an agent for the International Police?" Lincoln asked.
"They're more than willing to hire anyone to help out with taking down organizations like Team Rocket," Midori replied, as she sauntered out of the building.
"So, you got yourself ANOTHER girlfriend?" Misty teased.
"I would assume so," Lincoln replied, still blushing
"We can worry about that later. For now, we need to get back to the Pokemon Center and get Lincoln proper medical treatment," Brock replied, sounding a bit envious of Lincoln's continuing luck with the ladies.
"BROCK!" Brock soon found himself surrounded by the three waitresses from before.
"It was so brave of you to help protect us like that!"
"You and your Pokemon or so strong!"
"Are you by chance looking for some girlfriends?"
All three friends were surprised to hear this, but Brock couldn't be happier, "Naturally, my heart has no limit to the amount of love I can provide to such gorgeous ladies as yourselves," he flirted.
"Well, looks like Brock's going to be preoccupied with those girls. In the meantime, we should go get you checked out," Misty suggested, as she helped Lapis take Lincoln out of the Game Corner. Once outside, Lincoln saw several Police Officers carting out Pokeballs with price tags on them.
"That ought to be the last of them," one of the officers said.
"Alright, now we got to get these Pokemon back to their natural habitats," another said, as they wheeled the Pokeballs into the squad cars.
"What should we do about all the other prizes they had back here?" a third officer asked.
"Eh, we can have all the trainers help themselves to them. I don't foresee this place opening up again anytime soon," the first officer replied.
"Think we should get in on that action?" Misty asked Lincoln.
"Maybe as soon as I'm able to walk around more easily," Lincoln replied, as they continued walking.
Meanwhile, in Giovanni's Office,
Some grunts were cleaning up some broken glass that Giovanni had broken in a fit of outrage upon hearing the fate of the Game Corner, "This can't be! Now Petrel has failed?!"
"It must mean that there really might've been a traitor or a spy in our ranks," one of the grunts cleaning the glass pointed out.
"I'm well aware of that possibility, you idiot! What I want to know is who could've tipped off the authorities about our plans?" Giovanni pondered.
"I'd bet you anything that Midori could've been the leak," the other grunt commented. This caused Giovanni to turn to him.
"And what makes you so certain of that?" Giovanni asked.
"Well, think about it; Numerous times she was assigned to big name operations, and each time she was on that squadron," the grunt explained.
"Now that you mention it, she does have a tendency to act rather suspiciously, sneaking around our bases, asking questions about our operations, that sort of thing," the other grunt pointed out.
"Well, we can't just go pointing fingers without any verification. But if she truly was the leak, it wouldn't matter anymore. Not with the special surprise I have Petrel leave behind for the police to find," Giovanni replied.
"Heh, funny you should mention that," Giovanni then saw Petrel's face come up on a monitor, "Team Rocket Executive Petrel, reporting in, Giovanni sir!"
"Petrel… you had better have a good explanation as to why you failed," Giovanni growled.
Petrel was trying his best to hide his nervousness from his boss' tone, "W-Well sir, the Celadon City Police somehow found out about the secret switch leading to our hideout. And once our radio broadcast machine was destroyed, things spiraled out of control for us really quickly."
"So, you abandoned your post to avoid getting arrested?" Giovanni questioned.
"Y-Yes?" Petrel meekly replied. Giovanni could only sigh.
"Well, at least you have that level of common sense, as annoying as it is for yet another of our crucial sources of income to take a blow," he commented, before thinking of something, "But that has me wondering; The Celadon City Police couldn't possibly have been able to take on our entire hideout on their own."
"You're right about that. They recruited a bunch of trainers to help not only storm our hideout to free our stolen Pokemon, but also to completely destroy it as well. One of those trainers happened to have been that Lincoln kid… Y'know, the American?"
"Hmm, so he's chosen to stand against Team Rocket instead of joining on his own accord?" Giovanni questioned.
"Yeah, and can you believe all the bullshit he was spouting? Pokemon, being the friends and family of people like us! What a laugh!" Petrel cackled. Upon hearing the word "family", Giovanni got a new idea to try and get Lincoln to join Team Rocket.
"Actually, that sort of conviction might work well in our favor, if our cards are played right," Giovanni said, looking over to the two grunts who had finished cleaning the glass, "Put in a call to Proton at Five Island! I think I might have an opportunity for him to earn back my trust."
"Yes sir!" one of the grunts replied, turning on another monitor.
"Hello? This is the Team Rocket Five Island Base," a woman's voice said.
"This is Giovanni… Put Proton on the line!" Giovanni barked.
"Yes sir," the woman replied. In seconds, a familiar voice was heard.
"This is Proton, reporting in, Giovanni, sir!" Proton greeted.
"Now then, Proton, you remember how you were demoted for going against my orders, yes?" Giovanni asked.
"Yes sir. I sank the St. Anne, which caused a hefty blow to Team Rocket's finances," Proton replied, his tone indicating he was sick of hearing about it.
"First of all, lose the attitude! You brought your punishment upon yourself," Giovanni warned, before taking a moment to calm himself, "That being said, I have an opportunity for you to not only have me waive your debt entirely, but also promote you back to your original rank as well," Proton looked very interested, and the thought of getting his old rank back was something he'd definitely want to get in on.
"Whatever it is you want for me to do, sir, I'll be more than happy to do it!" Proton exclaimed. Giovanni could only smirk at Proton's acceptance of the task.
"Good. But you'll be operating under Petrel during this operation. If I hear good things from him about your performance, then I'll gladly forget all about your debt and give you back your rank as well," Giovanni replied.
"If that's what it takes, then I'll do it, sir!" Proton replied.
"Good. Now then, here's the next assignment I have for the two of you, and it involves a little globetrotting," Giovanni replied.
"Really? Where are going? Kalos? Alola? Paldea?" Petrel asked.
"Try 'Royal Woods, Michigan,'" Giovanni replied.
Back at the Celadon City Pokemon Center, evening,
"Man, my back feels better than ever!" Lincoln exclaimed, as he just got out of the exam room for the wound that he received saving Marowak.
"Just try not to go making it too much of a habit, alright? Brock and I did promise your mom that we'd look after you," Misty advised.
"Well, I couldn't just let Marowak get hurt. Besides, his Pokeball is in the storage locker, so I couldn't recall him," Lincoln replied.
"Even so," Misty replied.
"Speaking of Mom, I better go ahead and call home. I did promise that I would call once I got to Celadon City, but with everything that happened, I hadn't the time to do so," Lincoln realized, before heading over to the Video Phone, "I just hope I'm calling at a good time," he commented, as he punched in the phone number.
Meanwhile, at the Loud House, crack of dawn,
The remaining Louds inside the Loud House had just gotten up bright and early. Their reason? They needed to get as much of a head start on packing up everything non-essential for their move to a larger house, and this was day one, "Alright ladies, we'll start off with packing up Lincoln's stuff first!" Rita said, as they were all about to get started when hers, Luna's, and Lucy's wristwatches started going off.
"Is that him?!" Lola asked excitedly. Looking at their watches, they read out "Celadon City Pokemon Center."
"Yes, it is, Lola! I suppose we can hold off on packing things up until this afternoon," Rita replied, as they all piled into Lisa and Lily's bedroom.
"Inky! Inky!" Lily cheered.
"That's right, Lilster! Our bro's calling again," Luna replied, as she picked up the youngest Loud sister. Lisa then answered the call, displaying Lincoln's face on screen.
"Hey guys!" Lincoln greeted.
"HI LINCOLN!" they all greeted.
"It's been a hot minute since we last spoke with you. How've things been since we saw you at the trial?" Luan asked.
"To be honest? Pretty hectic," Lincoln replied.
"'Hectic'? You aren't having any troubles, have you?" Rita asked.
"Well, how about I start from the Lavender Town incident?" Lincoln suggested.
Team Updates:
Lincoln
Cubone Marowak
Quick announcement, you guys. First up, the next chapter in the story is going to be a Christmas Special, including Lance and his family. But I want to inform you all of the following facts about this special:
This chapter will take place a few months AFTER the final war with Team Rocket
Several Key elements to the story I have planned for after the war will not be included, just for the sake of keeping you all in anticipation for what will come during that time
Lance and his family will know all about Lincoln's career as a Pokemon Trainer, as well as his engagements and ever-growing harem before hand
Characters from To Love Ru and Urusei Yatsura will be making an appearance (and in the case of the latter, Lincoln would have already met them)
And now, I believe it's time for yet another poll! And since the majority vote wants to see Fushia City being Lincoln's Sixth Gym Badge, then so be it. But this poll will determine what third fossil Lincoln will discover and restore during the trip to Grampa Canyon. I've already decided on him getting a Jaw Fossil and a Sail Fossil, so pick what ever third fossil you want him to get. And PM me what fossils you want Brock and Misty to discover for themselves as well!
