Chapter 5 is finally done. Here we get to see one of the biggest highlights of the Indigo Disk, being the Terrarium. I also have a plan on some of the differences from the main story that is a consequence of Lincoln being champion. For the people who did vote, it appears that you all are good with me using the mask that is the story's profile picture. It won't actually come up til chapter 7.
Reviews:
Njistar: Yep. Plus, Enya Rideon is way better than Iron Serpant. Thanks. Battles are my favorite part to write since I really get to enjoy imagining how they happen, so I'm glad you enjoy them.
Mr. Haziq: No. The Louds are going to be going no further than BB Academy. While Lincoln has visited Kitakami, he hasn't had the chance to really visit Unova himself outside of a few field trips or visiting his friends' homes. Part of it was the pandemic, but the other side is that Lincoln or his class doesn't always get picked.
Zdforrest: What makes you say that?
BeaBeeB: I appreciate it more than you can realize.
digifan303: More for everyone, this clearly takes place after Teal Mask. Lincoln has gone to Kitakami, he's revealed Monkidori, and he has replicas of the masks in his dorm.
I hope you enjoyed it. This ended up being so much longer than I thought which is why it took longer. Adding something, the Terrarium walls have many more options for trainers to get onto it and into different biomes. It's not a huge factor, but we have 99.99% of students who don't have a dinobike to help with traveling, so addressing it now.
Terrarium Time - Let's Begin
"Up and at them, everyone! If you sleep much later, you'll miss breakfast!" Carmine's voice echoes through the older Loud family's rooms.
"Can you keep it down? Its only like 7:30," Luna groaned as she exited her room, looking at her phone. Some
"Wrong, it's 8:30. You forgot to take into account the time difference. And unless you want to skip getting ready, you will miss breakfast. The cafeteria closes for breakfast at 10, and it doesn't open up again until 11," Carmine threatened. This got movement as the girls quickly started to line up towards the restroom. Albert just watched the event with an amused hum. He approached Carmine with a friendly grin.
"Good morning, Carmine. I appreciate you coming to get us. I have a feeling that the trip wore us down more than we realized, especially with yesterday's excitement," he greeted.
Carmine straightened up. "It's no problem. Lincoln has told me a lot about you all, and he has nothing but good things to say about you," Carmine responded.
"Speaking of Lincoln, where is my look-a-like? I would imagine that he would want to see us," Pop-Pop asked, looking around.
Carmine waved off his worry. "He's over in the other room, helping with the squirts. From the sounds of things, it is even more chaotic over there," she explained. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "When you guys get done, make sure you grab some swimwear. Around lunchtime, we will be near an area that can get more than a little wet. It would be better to have it and not need it, as your brother would say!" This seemed to speed up the sisters with the promise of swimming.
"I want feet on the ground, girls," Rita called out to the younger Loud sisters. There were some grunts of acknowledgement as they lined up at the bathroom. Next to her was Lynn Sr. who was engrossed in a book. "Lynn, you need to put that down. We'll leave you behind if you don't."
Her husband looked up from his reading briefly with a pout. "But honey, this cookbook that Lincoln gave me is fascinating. It appears that there are berries that grow in the Regions that are similar to most fruits, but they grow much quicker and are more nutritious. Imagine how that could help the restaurant." He was surprised when it was gently taken from his hands.
"Dad, you can look at it all you want later. Right now, you need to get ready," Lincoln said. He was wearing the BB Academy tracksuit instead of the black one from yesterday with a backpack half hanging off his right shoulder. He handed the book to his mother who quickly stored it into her room. "You'll miss breakfast if we don't hurry. It closes at 10."
"Why that late? Doesn't that impact the learning times of the academics of this facility?" The first of the sisters ready, Lisa asked.
Lincoln shrugged. "Class times can be inconsistent depending on electives and the like. Some of the classes are purely self-study, so they just need to provide proof. It also depends on whether we have outdoor classes which means they can happen at any time of day or night depending on the subjects," he explained.
"What kind of classes are you taking, brother unit?" Lisa inquired with her tablet at the ready.
"Well, I've passed all my gen-ed classes, so I'm specializing this year. I'm taking some art classes, Pokemon care classes with Lacey and Carmine, cooking classes with Crispin, and believe it or not, an independent woodworking class," Lincoln listed with a chuckle.
"Really. I thought you hated woodworking?" Lana asked, walking out of the bathroom, letting Lucy pass her.
"True, but that was because I didn't really like working with power tools. Remember how Carmine's grandpa made my mask?" Lincoln asked. The listening sisters nodded. "Well, he helped walk me through how to whittle and carve wood which was something more up my alley since it is more detail-oriented and slow paced."
"Have you made anything yet?" Lana asked.
"Yep. I've gotten pretty good at making masks. I've even made a few copies of the masks from Ogerpon's story, and I'm working on making my own," Lincoln explained.
"Can we see some of them?" Lucy asked suddenly, getting her family to jump. Well, everyone except Lincoln.
"I'll show you them later," Lincoln said. He looked and saw that all of the sisters were ready. "Alright, before we leave, go grab any swimwear you brought with you! After we eat, there will be a tour of some of the student facilities before we head down to the Terrarium."
"We're going swimming?" Lola asked.
"Potentially. It is more along the lines that it can get wet where we are heading, so better safe than sorry," Lincoln said. He gestured to his tracksuit. "These are designed to be comfortable in most weather and very quick drying. It can be necessary given the Terrarium's features."
"What exactly is the Terrarium?" Lola suddenly asked.
Lincoln held up a finger to his lips. "That would be telling."
"Our first stop of your tour today is the cafeteria," Lincoln said with his arms spread out wide. He guided them to a large room with multiple long tables able to fit dozens of people in each. On the end, was a table set perpendicular to the others with various plates and pots filled with food. Around the tables were a few students who were finishing up their breakfasts. On the leftmost wall, there was an opening where two cafeteria workers were waiting on students. A familiar head of pink was one of them in the line.
"Here, the kind ladies work to keep everyone full, healthy and happy. Just go ahead and line up, and they'll make you some of the academy's specialty breakfasts. If you don't want to wait, go ahead and grab some food."
"Wait, where's Carmine?" Luna asked. This caused the Loud Sisters to begin to look around. Indeed, the second tallest member was missing.
"She's heading down to help get everything ready," Lacey told them. She was holding a massive stack of flapjacks covered in syrup and chocolate sauce. With how she was holding it, she was literally hidden from view so she was peeking around the sides of it. Her stack started to wobble so she quickly took a nearby empty seat. "We need all hands on deck for later." She started to politely devour the stack of pancakes to the shock of those watching. Lincoln had to snap his fingers a few times to get them to focus. He handed Albert, Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, and Lucy each a blue card. He then handed Lynn Sr. and Rita a black card.
"Alright. Either go order, or grab from the ready made section. On those blue cards are 500 BB Points, a student currency. The black cards has about 2000 BB Points on each of them. All student facilities from the store, vending machines, and the cafeteria take BB Points. It should be enough to get you through the next three days you are here provided you don't go too crazy." He leveled a glare at his sisters as he approached the counter. He asked for his usual before he continued talking. "I will not be giving you any further BB Points after this. It will come out of your pocket after this."
"Are you certain about this? It is quite a bit of value," Lacey questioned from her seat. The pancakes were about halfway finished at this point, and chocolate sauce started covering her face.
Lincoln's order was placed down. It was two slices of a quiche with bits of ham sticking out of the top. Taking out a platinum card, he took a seat next to Lacey as his family got in line. "I've been planning this for months, so its no issue. Plus, when delivery season gets going, I'll make most of this back in a day," Lincoln reasoned. He took a scoop and ate it happily. "Delicious as always." As he was enjoying it, Lacey stole half of the untouched slice and quickly shoved it in her mouth.
"Chance," Lacey said, with her mouth full.
"Oi! That's mine!" Lincoln indignantly shouted. He quickly finished the rest of his breakfast before Lacey could take more. He stuck out his tongue at the pouting girl.
"That's just not-" Lacey started to complain, moving her hands to form the X. She paused when she saw Lincoln had his hands in the X as well. She pouted at her friend, putting her hands down.
"Chance," Lincoln countered. He then capitalized by lightly tweaking her nose. Lacey smacked the hand away.
"Jerk," she grumbled with a growl. Lincoln laughed and pulled out a handkerchief. He started wiping Lacey's face again.
"Oh, that was good," Lynn Jr. groaned, patting her full stomach. She and the rest of her family were walking down the hallways, following her brother and his friend.
"It's definitely better than my college's food," Lori said.
"I'm jealous that he gets to eat this all the time. Dad's been getting busier at the restaurant, so he hasn't been able to cook as much," Lana moaned. Lola patted her sister on the back while their father looked thoughtful at the statement.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Lincoln said with a grin. "Truthfully, I don't eat there much outside of breakfast. Usually, Crispin and I take care of the meals for the most part."
Lacey bounced ahead and turned to the group. "Crispin and Lincoln are great chefs. They make sure everything is nutritious and tasty," she bragged.
"Does Crispin want to be a chef?" Lynn Sr. asked.
"Yep. His parents own a restaurant that he wants to take over after he graduates. Well, after he makes a name as a Pokemon Trainer. It's better for business then because trainers love a challenge," Lacey explained with a grin.
"What do you mean? How would being a famous trainer help?" Lily asked. Chikorita was happily trotting next to the girl.
"As I'm sure you were told, Pokemon play a huge part of the region's daily life," Lincoln started. He got several nods. "Well, battling is huge in the entertainment side with millions showing up to the various leagues around the regions. Then there are contests where trainers try to make their Pokemon look good through manipulating moves among other aspects."
"Really?" Lola asked with wide eyes.
"Yep. Not to mention the sports like Pokebase which is basically baseball with Pokemon making up half the team," Lincoln explained.
"Now we're talking," Lynn said excitedly.
"Plus there are all sorts of careers like bodyguards, rangers, breeders, caretakers, and farmers. Almost every job has an aspect that involves Pokemon," Lacey chimed in.
"What about fashion?" Leni asked. Lacey had a wide smile.
"Pokemon has inspired a lot of designs in the fashion world. Iono, a famous streamer in the Paldea region, is iconic for having a pair of cute hair clips that are modeled after Magnimite," Lacey explained, pulling up a profile that had an icon of a girl with pink and blue hair. On her head, were a pair of pink and blue orbs with tiny magnets and a cartoonish eye.
"That's totes cute," Leni said.
"So there's a job for pretty much anyone. What do you plan to do when you graduate?" Lori asked her brother and his friend.
Lincoln and Lacey looked at each other with a shrug. "I'm planning on traveling around the Pokemon Regions. I've really only been to Kitakami, and a few short field trips to Unova. Maybe try some of the leagues," Lincoln explained.
"I'm right there with him. I want to catch some cute Pokemon and learn more about taking care of them," Lacey said. "The best way is to visit other regions."
"You're not coming home?" Lily shouted with big tears. Lincoln stopped and knelt down to his littlest sister.
"Of course I'm coming home, but I came here to be a Pokemon Trainer. I can't imagine a life without them, but Pokemon are not allowed outside of the Regions yet. I'd have to say goodbye to all my friends that I made, and I can't do that," Lincoln told her.
"But I want you back. It's not been the same since you left," Lily cried. She jumped into her brother's arm and started crying.
"Oh Lily," Lincoln comforted, patting her back. He looked at Lacey with a pleading expression while his sisters looked on awkwardly.
Lacey nodded. "Let's give these two a moment to speak. Come along. The sports room is up ahead." She motioned them forward. It said something about the mood when Lynn barely responded, but they all followed, leaving Lincoln and Lily alone with Pixie. Lily's sobs were the only thing filling the room.
"I'm sorry, Lily," Lincoln finally said.
Lily pulled her face from her brother's face. "If you were sorry, you would come back home and stay there. It's not fair." She pouted, snot dribbling down her face. Beneath them, Pixie had a demonic glare at Lincoln.
Lincoln reached into his pocket and started to wipe her face. He took a deep breath and sighed. "It isn't. A part of me wants to go home everyday. Seeing you all has only made that grow."
Lily looked at her brother with hopeful eyes. "Really?" She whispered hopefully.
Lincoln nodded. He slid downward and shifted Lily so she was in his lap. He motioned for Pixie to come forward. The Chikorita eagerly hopped onto the lap and cuddled up to her trainer. "Stop, Pixie. That tickles." Giggles escaped her lips as the leaf brushed against her face. She hugged her Pokemon, and a small smile inched her way. Lincoln patted the little grass-type.
"Pokemon are amazing creatures. They can be your friend, your partner, and your support. I don't think I would be near the trainer I am if not for the Pokemon I met," Lincoln said sadly. "I couldn't imagine myself giving them up."
"That's why you can't come home and stay," Lily realized. Lincoln tightened his hold on his sister.
"It is," Lincoln whispered. He shook his head. "It's not fair, and I miss you all so much. But being a Pokemon Trainer is what I want to do. Sadly, it means that I can't stay in Royal Woods."
"Do you promise to visit?" Lily asked quietly.
"Always," Lincoln said.
"Then it will be ok," Lily said.
"I'm glad." Lincoln had a soft smile. He then turned into a smirk and pulled out a green Pokeball with a few red marks on it. "Now, how would you like to meet a really special Pokemon?" Lily's energy returned quickly.
"Who is it?" She excitedly asked. Lincoln gently placed the ball in her hand.
"Why don't you see for yourself?" Lily and Pixie were basically bouncing in place. She fumbled with the ball but managed to cup it with both hands.
"Come on out!" Lily cheered. The Pokeball opened up and energy escaped it to form a Pokemon. "It's so cute!" She squealed.
It was disturbingly quiet as Lacey guided the Louds down the hallway towards their next destination. She expected some responses as they approached the gym, especially from Lynn.
"Alright! That's enough!" Lacey suddenly shouted. She turned to the quiet family. "I've heard all about you guys. Lincoln would never shut up about you, especially with his dumb wallet photos. But in all the stories, he always said that you were filled with energy and lived up to your name. This is Just Not Right!" Lacey punctuated her statement with her arms in her signature X.
The Louds and Albert all shifted nervously before Lynn Sr. was pushed forward. He looked back at them betrayed before he squared his shoulder back. This lasted for all of three seconds before his shoulders went slack and he hunched over. "I guess… it comes down to the fact that Lincoln just said that he wasn't coming home," He nervously said, with a hand rubbing his neck.
"Ah, I see," Lacey stated with a hand to her mouth. She looked remarkably unphased.
"That's it. You see! My brother just said he's leaving!" Lori screamed with fists clenched.
"Yeah. We were looking forward to Linky coming home," Leni spoke up.
"Lincoln shouldn't be a-Loud to just leave, ya get it," Luan said with a laugh. It disappeared immediately. "But seriously, it's messed up that Lincoln isn't coming home."
"I'm going to find him and-" Lynn Jr. started rolling up her sleeves.
"Excadrill, Metal Sound," Lacey said shortly, tossing a Pokeball in the air. The mole Pokemon from Lacey's photo materialized and started scraping one metal claw against another, causing a terrific screeching sound that caused all the Louds to hold their ears in pain. Lacey was unaffected. After a few moments, Excadrill stopped his attack.
"What was that for?" Lola demanded.
"It was a reminder to not forget where you are," Lacey stated with a pensive frown. At the questioning looks of her friend's family, she sighed. "You must remember that the Pokemon Regions are very different from your lives back home. We have different rules. One of them is that it is very common for trainers to explore the regions or begin learning for their specific fields in their teens."
"But we want Lincoln back home. He's been gone for 3 years. We miss him," Lana complained. Lacey's frown lessened at those words.
"I understand, but Lincoln has been here for 3 years because of his schooling. It's not that different than going to college in a different state," Lacey reasoned.
"She's not wrong. It is not uncommon for things like this to happen," Lisa spoke up. "A lot of high school students go to colleges in other states to receive more focused education or to get to a new environment. Or there is a decently long commute between the areas, like Lori and her college." She sent a pointed look at her sister for that.
"But- that- it's totally different!" Lori disagreed.
"It really isn't, Lori," Rita said, stepping forward. "Lincoln has discussed it with me multiple times about his plans."
"But what about coming home?" Lola spoke up with a much quieter voice than usual.
"He's going to come home, but it will be more for visiting than anything. Lincoln has his path for the future, and we're going to support it," Rita firmly told her family.
"I agree. Our little bro has not made it a secret about how much he loves the Pokemon regions," Luna said. "I don't see why we shouldn't let him Try Everything."
"You have got to be kidding me," Lori grumbled.
"Why not?" Lucy asked. "Lincoln has always supported us. I say its high time we support him."
"I'm with Lucy," Lana piped up. "It's not like he was ignoring us. He's made all the effort to keep in touch with us."
"That's literally ridiculous. Where's your proof?" Lori asked.
"How about the massive wall of photos and reports on us in his room?" Lisa asked rhetorically. "It would have taken a considerable amount of effort and time to construct that."
"And he gave us very thoughtful presents, which is more than I can say for us," Lucy added. None of the sisters had a response to that.
Lynn Sr. stepped forward. "I had no idea that you girls have been thinking about this. Have any of you talked to Lincoln about this?" Only Luna and Lucy nodded. "Then when things have calmed down, we'll all sit down and talk with him."
"Did you know about this, Dad?" Luan asked. Lynn Sr. nodded.
"I did. I haven't exactly been paying attention to Lincoln when it came to his time at school, but he did make certain to discuss his plans for after graduation with both me and your Mom. I personally think that this is a great opportunity for Lincoln, and while I'm sad that my son is leaving the nest early, I don't see a reason to stop him," their father explained. Their mother and grandfather stood behind the patriarch of the Loud family, giving their silent support. Silence filled the hallway at the statement.
"I guess we can wait until later," Lori finally said. With the eldest daughter's agreement, the other daughters seemed to lose all of their fight. Rita turned to their guide who was silently watching the small fight while buffing her Excadrill's claws with a small rag.
"I'm sorry you had to see this," she told Lacey. Lacey waved her apology off with a small smile.
"It's not a problem. This was remarkably tame from what I'm used to. My daddy will get awfully surly when he is in a mood," Lacey laughed. "He used to tell me, 'if ya think ya can go, go wherever, and if ya think ya can do somethin', keep doin' it. Do things how ya want! Decide yer own limits,' whenever I was making a ruckus or misbehaving. It was his way of saying people were responsible for their own choices." She gave them a moment to let her words sink in. "Now, I believe we've wasted enough time. Everything should be set up in the Terrarium, so let me text Lincoln and we can all meet there."
It was only a few minutes for everyone to meet up again and about 10 minutes for them to be situated into a large elevator. Lincoln was once more standing by Lacey with Lily on his shoulders.
"So what exactly is the Terrarium?" Leni asked as the elevator slowed to a stop. They all exited into a wide hallway that led into a bright unseen area. Lacey and Lincoln shared a grin as they walked ahead.
"As I told you yesterday, the Terrarium is the reason that Blueberry Academy has gained a lot of notoriety in the Pokemon regions. It is a completely manbuilt nature park that houses 4 different environments with over 200 different species of Pokemon living there. The Academy is actually looking to transport about 50 more species, but it is slow going," Lincoln explained. "Now, welcome to the Savannah Biome of the Terrarium!" He made a wide gesture as his family stepped into a brightly lit area.
"Woah!" More than a few of the Loud Family breathed out as they looked around. For just as far as they could see, it was a literal savannah with dozens of Pokemon that they had never seen. They ranged from multi-headed ostrich Pokemon running in groups to rocky, quadrupedal rhino-like Pokemon.
"It is really cool. There are four biomes: Canyon, Coastal, Polar, and Savannah. Our destination is the Coastal Biome, a perpetually warm beach environment with several fantastic areas to go swimming," Lincoln said, pulling out a Pokeball. "It's a bit of a distance away. So Enya, come on out!" He released his ride Pokemon. "Lily, Lisa, Lola, and Lana, climb on!"
"Yeah!" Lily and Lana cheered. They both ran towards the Pokemon while Lisa and Lola approached slowly. Lana was easily able to climb on board, while Lily struggled. At least she did until she was picked up.
"Up you go," Lincoln said, placing his sister on the back of Enya. He paused and sat Pixie up on Enya's head. "Do you need help up?" He asked the other two.
"That would be much appreciated, elder brother," Lisa said. She was gently picked up and placed behind Lana.
"Please and thank you, Linky," Lola said, as she was put in the back. She sat side-saddle there. It was a tight fit, but they were all able to sit fairly comfortably on the bike lizard. Soon, they were all walking down the fields of the savannah, watching the Pokemon walk around. Lincoln and Lacey were helping them out by listing some various facts about them.
"How far away is it?" Rita asked after about 5 minutes.
"Well, it's a couple miles away from here," Lincoln explained, sheepishly.
"What!" All the sisters who were walking, sans Lynn, and their parents shouted. Albert was just watching with an amused grin.
"That's good. I could really use the exercise," Albert said to an unamused family.
"Why is it so far away?" Lori asked, stunned.
"Well, the best way to get to the Coastal Biome is to walk through the Savannah Biome. There are other entrances, but the Canyon Biome is even further away. There's no way we are using the Polar Biome when I know that you didn't pack any clothes for cold weather. And we could use the Coastal Biome's entrance, but it would actually take longer because I would have to ferry you all across the water, and it would only cut the distance we have to walk by about half." As Lincoln kept listing his reasonings, the Louds got a progressively more dumbstruck look.
"We did tell you that there was a lot of walking," Lacey giggled.
"Enya is so cool," Lily cheered. "How do you like it up there, Pixie?"
Pixie had a wide grin as she balanced herself on the head. "Chika!" She squealed.
"We need one of these back home. Can it go faster?" Lana asked.
"We are not going any faster unless I have a seatbelt," Lola demanded.
"This is fascinating. Are the wheels on this Enya Rideon attached by magnets or some sort of electrical current?" Lisa mumbled to herself as she observed the Pokemon's movements. She then turned her attention to the field where several dragon-fly Pokemon were flying over a small pond in the field where a very colorful fish was watching wearily. "There is so much I want to look at. Where to begin?" She began to mumble to herself as ideas filled her head.
"Mommy, Lisa is being a mad scientist again," Lisa said innocently.
Rita shook her head. "Lisa, just enjoy yourself. You can study Pokemon later."
The little genius sighed. "Very well, mother," she said unhappily. "I will endeavor to not lose myself in the potential of these discoveries." The group began to walk in silence for a bit.
"This is going to drive me nuts. What's with all cubes?" Lynn Jr. suddenly asked. She pointed at a small group of white cubes that were near the group.
"Do you want to take this or should I?" Lincoln asked Lacey.
"I'll take it," she said. "These cubes are the lifeblood of the Terrarium. They are what the school uses to regulate temperature as well as simulate different weathers and the time of day. It's through them that we can see that it is daytime despite being several hundreds of feet under the water. Most of the Pokemon seem to be put off from them, so the school has also set up various rest points and outdoor classrooms using them."
After nearly an hour walking, the Louds finally reached a long wall of the cubes with a few ramps on the sides. The mountains were looming over the wall.
"We're almost there. We can take a break on the wall, and then its just following it down 'til we reach the beach," Lincoln said. Despite all the walking, he and Lacey seemed remarkably unaffected. Even Lynn was starting to get a little winded.
"That's a relief," Rita sighed.
"Leave us alone!" A young voice called out from over the wall. Lincoln and Lacey turned to each other before they both simultaneously took off towards the wall. By the time the group had reached it, Lincoln and Lacey were already over it.
"Wow, Lincoln sure has gotten faster," Lynn Jr. commented as she climbed up. She started to help her family climb up.
"Aiga!" Enya cried as it carefully jumped onto the wall. It lowered itself down and slid the girls off of its back. It glared at the happenings below. Lincoln and Lacey were standing in front of a downed kid who couldn't have been older than eleven who was clutching something to his chest. Standing across from them were two students about eleven or twelve, each wearing a crude mask of some sort of monster with green spikes. It was hard to tell them apart because they both were wearing the League Club uniform and had identical hairstyles.
"Let us through, you goody-two-shoes!" The one on the right said with a girlish voice.
"Yeah, we need to teach this punk a lesson for insulting Team Ogre," The second one said with a similar voice.
"All I said is that I didn't want to join. I just want to take a few pictures for my class," the young boy cried out. Lincoln ignored the two hostile girls and went to the fallen student. He held out a hand to the boy. The student hesitated before they grasped Lincoln's hand. Lincoln easily pulled them up to their feet.
"Go ahead and get out of here. We'll deal with them," Lincoln patted the much shorter student on their shoulder.
"Thank you," they said before they bolted towards the wall. It was a little awkward, but they were able to pull themselves over the wall and run down it.
"Hey, he's getting away!" One of the girls shouted, running after them. Well, she tried to. Lincoln easily stopped her with a single arm. He towered over her as he held the struggling girl in place. "Let me go!"
"Now, now. It's not very polite of you to run off. Is it?" Lincoln said with a jovial tone. "Let's have a chat." The girl finally stopped struggling and moved backwards to her friend. She growled and pulled out a Pokeball.
"I have nothing to say to you!" She shouted. Her friend mirrored her movement.
"Yeah. We've heard all about you from the boss. The only reason you got anywhere is because of that one Pokemon," the other masked girl said, holding her own Pokeball. Lincoln facepalmed at that remark. "We can easily beat you!"
"Of course he said that," Lincoln mumbled to himself, rolling his shoulders. "Let's just cut to the chase. I'll give you a battle so that you can let off some steam. Lacey, you want to join?"
Lacey gave a gentle smile. "Of course." She pulled out her own Pokeball. "This one has been waiting to make his debut."
Lincoln had a smirk as he heard her. "This will be fun," Lincoln commented. "Hey, how many Pokemon do you have access to?"
"We only have 3 Pokemon each," the one on the left said.
"Then we will have a double battle with 3 Pokemon each," Lacey suggested. "May we have some names?"
"I'm Hasebe," the one on the right said.
"Raikiri," the other spat out. "Now let's do this."
"One second," Lincoln said, rummaging through his backpack. He pulled out his mask, and a piece of pink cloth. He handed the cloth to Lacey who tied it around her head, creating a bandana. Meanwhile, he placed his mask back on.
"Now, let's make this extremely showy!" Lacey called out, releasing her Pokemon. In a flash of light, a bipedal, green cat Pokemon with a floating four-petaled green flower around its shoulder. Sitting on its head was a pirate's hat, and it carried a wooden cutlass. "Pirate Power, Zocks!" The Pokemon posed while brandishing its cutlass.
As soon as she said this, two more Pokemon appeared out of their Pokeballs. They were two nearly identical Pokemon with rabbit like ears. One had red ears, paws, and a plus shaped tail, while the other had matching blue ears and paws but with a minus shaped tail. They jumped onto Lacey's shoulders and started squeaking happily.
"Ricky, Cutanner, are you ready to cheer on your brother?" Lacey asked. The two Pokemon began to cheer, while Zocks preened at their attention.
"A big fan of kindness, Sonoroku!" Lincoln announced. The Rillaboom landed on the ground with a large thud. He reached into his mane and pulled out his wooden drums and two drum sticks. Sonoroku beat on it a few times and glared at his opponents. He stopped when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Zocks was standing there with an expectant look and an outstretched hand.
"Rilla…Rillaboom!" The Pokemon mumbled to himself with a thinking pose before he put a large fist into his palm. He rummaged through his hair again and pulled out a circular piece of wood that resembled a pirate's steering wheel. It was snatched by Zocks who happily placed it on his cutlass. Somehow, it was able to spin around on the wooden sword.
"Rada!" Zocks gave a theatrical bow towards Sonoroku before it brandished the sword towards its opponents.
"Is that supposed to scare us?" Hasebe asked, throwing her Pokeball. "Go, Drednaw!" She sent out an oversize turtle with a jagged shell and a massive set of jaws.
"Come on out, Luxio!" Raikiri shouted. A feline, quadrupedal Pokemon that looked like a mix between a young lion and a lynx appeared. It growled at its opponents.
"Wild Charge the monkey/Body Slam that cat!" Raikiri & Hasebe ordered simultaneously. An electric aura formed around Luxio, and it blitzed towards Sonoroku. Meanwhile, the turtle jumped high into the air and began to plummet towards Zocks. Lincoln and Lacey shared a smirk as they watched the attacking Pokemon approach.
"Wood Hammer, my companion!" Lincoln said first.
Lacey followed a moment later, "Dodge and mark, Zocks."
The Luxio reached Sonoroku first, but it was immediately swatted away… by Sonoroku swinging his drum across its side. It got sent flying towards Zocks. However, Zocks easily danced out of the way of the still sparking Luxio and actually batted it with his sword so it was under the Drednaw.
"Drednaw, you have to stop!" Hasebe cried, but it was too late. The two Pokemon collided in a minor cloud of dust and electricity. They screamed as the electricity flew between the two. While this was happening, Zocks was tapping the two Pokemon with his sword a few times.
"I think that's enough. Flower Trick!" Lacey called out. On her shoulders, the two Pokemon put on tiny sunglasses. A spotlight somehow formed around Zocks and he tapped the wheel of his sword. The flower floating over his shoulder disappeared, and a few moments later, arrows of flowers started to rain onto the Pokemon exactly where Zocks hit them. It continued for about 20 seconds before it stopped, leaving two unconscious Pokemon.
"It was only one attack from each!" Raikiri complained in disbelief. The two returned their Pokemon with silent thanks. She looked over at their opponents. Sonoroku was pounding a shanty beat on his drums, and everyone else was dancing to it. Zocks had Ricky and Cutanner around him, while Lincoln and Lacey had their arms linked together and twirling around.
"But they look like they are having fun. We don't have any of that with the boss," Hasabe noted with slumped shoulders. Unknowingly, she started to tap her feet to the beat. "Let's keep this going. Come on out, Poliwhirl!" A medium sized blue Pokemon with a round swirling belly and cartoonish white gloves materialized.
"You said it. Charjabug, let's truck along!" The Pokemon that Lincoln showed Lana last night appeared.
"It seems like our opponents still have some fire to them," Momotaro noted happily. "That's great. It's a festival! Let's all have a fun battle!" Sonoroku seemed to match his energy as he began to beat on his drum excitedly! Zocks took a battle ready stance while the two mouse Pokemon jumped back on Lacey's shoulders.
"You know what! Let's go wild!" Raikiri said. "Charjabug, Thunder!" The Battery Pokemon let loose a massive bolt of electricity towards both Zocks and Sonoroku who looked unphased.
"Belly Drum!" Hasebe continued. While the attack was being sent, Poliwhirl started drumming its swirly belly.
"Drum Beating!" Lincoln commanded. Sonoroku picked up the pace of his drumming and two large vines shot out of the ground and intercepted the Thunder attack. It harmlessly was directed to the ground. Then the vines were swung towards the two opponents.
"Focus Punch!" Hasebe countered. Poliwhirl stepped in front of his partner with a glowing fist. He swung the fist at the vines and literally reduced them to harmless splinters. "Now, throw Charjabug!" Poliwhirl stumbled but did grab and throw the Battery Pokemon at impressive speed.
"Lunge!" Charjabug's pincers seemed to lengthen as it hurtled towards Sonoroku.
"Knock off!/Shadow Claw!" Lincoln and Lacey spoke. Sonoroku's right drum stick glowed purple and hit the side Charjabug's shell, knocking it off course and sending it towards Zocks at a reduced speed. However, Zocks was ready with his sword having a shadowy claw forming around it. With a grunt, Zocks swung his sword like a baseball bat and after a minor struggle, batted the bug towards Poliwhirl at much faster speed. It tried to catch its partner, but it was unable to brace itself enough, allowing the Battery Pokemon to slam into Poliwhirl's belly. Poliwhirl did manage to stay standing.
"Poliwhirl!/Charjabug!" The masked ogre screamed.
"Aura Sphere!" Lacey called out. Zocks tossed his blade up into the air and cupped his hands. A basketball-sized, blue sphere of energy formed and was launched towards the staggered Pokemon.
"Water Pulse, quickly!" Hasebe called out desperately. Poliwhirl literally dropped Charjabug and formed two water spheres in the palms of its gloved hands. It slammed its palms into the Aura Sphere and disrupted the attack. However, the release of energy created an explosion that succeeded in knocking Poliwhirl on its back. "Are you okay, Poliwhirl?" Poliwhirl struggled to its feet with scratches and bruises forming on its body, but it managed a thumbs up.
"Not for long. Drain Punch, Sonoroku," Lincoln called out. With speed betraying his size, Sonoroku was right in front of the downed Pokemon and slammed a glowing fist into the Pokemon's stomach. Poliwhirl's arms and legs comically flew upward as his stomach was indented with Sonoroku's fist. When Sonoroku retracted his fist, Poliwhirl fell slack.
"Poliwhirl, return," Hasebe said, defeated. "I'm sorry for not anticipating the attacks better. Take a good rest." She pulled out her last Pokeball. "You're my last hope. Come out, Ludicolo!" A festive Pokemon appeared and started to dance on the field. Sonoroku and Zocks looked on with amused smiles.
"Charjabug, Poison Jab!" Raikiri suddenly called out. Before anyone could react, Charjabug's purple jaws bit onto Rillaboom's butt.
"Boom!" Sonoroku howled. Silence followed this action for 1…2…3 seconds. Then…
"BWAHAHAHAH!" Everyone watching laughed. Zocks and his brothers were on their backs with arms on sides. Lincoln and Lacey were supporting each other as they laughed. Hasebe and Raikiri were in a similar position. Ludicolo was dancing oblivious to the situation, and the watching Louds were creating a massive amount of noise with their laughter. Meanwhile, Sonoroku was turning red with rage.
He ripped a sweating Charjabug from his posterior and launched it towards the dancing Ludicolo. It barely had a chance to respond before Charjabug slammed into it. Without an order, he leapt towards Ludicolo with an energy barrier forming around his side and slammed into them, sending them into the ground. He jumped off the now unconscious Charjabug and dazed Ludicolo, puffed out breaths from his nose, and lumbered off.
Raikiri was speechless as she returned her second Pokemon, and Hasebe wasn't much better. Wordlessly, she pulled out her last Pokeball. She took a deep breath but hesitated to throw it.
"What are you waiting for, Raikiri? Are you going to bring out your last Pokemon?" Momorato asked.
"What's the point? We've only managed one hit against you all, and you've been clobbering us with barely any problems," she complained. She gripped the ball tightly.
"And how will you improve if you don't face your challenges? Are you going to let down your partner and your Pokemon because you are scared?" Lincoln called out.
Raikiri straightened out and ripped off her mask. She tossed her final Pokeball, and a massive orange rat Pokemon with a long flat tail with a lightning bolt on the end appeared. "If I'm going to lose, then I will do so fighting? Are you ready, Sena?"
The now named Sena sighed before she too took off her mask, revealing that she looked identical to Raikiri. "It's good to have those masks off, Kari. I don't know why we are expected to always wear them," Sena stated, much more energetically. "Ludicolo let's dance!" Ludicolo hopped upwards and started shaking its body excitedly. "Hydro Pump!" Ludicolo let loose a massive torrent of water from his mouth towards Sonoroku.
"Thunderbolt!" Kari calls out. Much faster than Charjabug's Thunder, a large thunderbolt was shot towards Zocks.
"Dodge!" Lincoln and Lacey called out. Instantly, Zocks slid under the Thunderbolt while Sonoroku picked up his drums and started trampling down the field. Unfortunately, Sonoroku was unable to dodge the full stream and got drenched and pushed by the water. He placed down his drum to try to get some cover from the water.
"Change the target to Sonoroku!"
"Don't let it do so. Triple Axel!" Lacey countered. Raichu turned his attention from the still dodging Zocks to the soaked gorilla. The lighting traveled down the water and over the drum into Sonoroku. Sonoroku grunted as he felt the current flow into him, but he managed to stab his drum sticks into the ground. It didn't fully eliminate the pain, but it did provide a path of least resistance to lessen it.
Meanwhile, Zocks blitzed towards Raichu with ice-blue feet. Right before he neared him, he flipped upside down into a handstand and started to spin. He kicked Raichu once, twice, and then a third time, disrupting the attack and knocking it backwards into Ludicolo. With the attacks stopped, an angry Sonoroku pulled his drum sticks out of the ground.
"Drum Beating! Hold them down!" Momorato declared. Sonoroku began beating his drums once more, and this time, four large vines shot through the ground. They wrapped around Raichi and Ludicolo before they could respond and lifted them up with Raichu's tail and Luidcolo's legs flailing about underneath.
"Solar Blade!" Lacey called out. Sunlight began to form around the blade and enlarge it.
"Leaf Storm!/Brick Break!" Sena and Kari called out desperately. Ludicolo started to shake his sombrero and a tornado of leaves formed. It took some effort, but the dancing Pokemon was able to angle it at one of the vines and started to chip away at it. Raichu was not much better. His tail glowed a pure white and it swung it up towards the vine around it. It made a dent into it, but it was only about a fifth of the way through. The two Pokemon continued their efforts, but it was two late.
"Twokaizer, Shinken Slash!" Lacey called out. Zocks made a diagonal slash with his solar sword. The blade seemed to ignite as it sliced through the air and its bound opponents.
"Rai!/Colo!" The two pokemon cried out as the blade of sunlight struck them. The blade destroyed the bindings, and the two Pokemon fell down with a thud.
"Raichu! Ludicolo!" The two twins called out. They rushed to their fallen Pokemon. Before they could reach them, the two Pokemon struggled to their feet. Their trainers paused. They looked at their opponents definitely before they both fell unconscious. This broke their trainer's hesitation, and immediately, the two were at their sides, checking over them. Beside them, Lincoln and Lacey walked down with Sonoroku and Zocks.
"Let's see how they are doing," Lincoln said, approaching Raichu while Lacey was checking on Ludicolo. Ricky and Cutanner moved over to Zocks and was celebrating with them. He pressed on a few spaces, but Raichu didn't really respond besides a few winces. "Nothing seems to be broken. There are a few bruises, but he should be alright with some rest… Though you should definitely check with the nurse."
Kari relaxed at this, and she returned her Raichu. "Thank you, Raichu. You did great. I'm sorry for forcing you to fight someone way out of my league," she whispered to her partner.
"I hope we didn't go overboard," Lacey said. Zocks beside her looked a little sheepish. "Zocks doesn't really know how to hold back." She checked over Ludicolo and let out a sigh of relief. "Good. It's just a few bruises. It looks like Ludicolo's natural bulk protected it. Take it to the nurse for a check up, but I think it should be better after some rest."
"Thank you, Lacey," Sena said. She returned her partner. "And thank you, Ludicolo. I'm glad to have such a reliable partner." She met up with her twin. They nodded to each other and both took a deep breath.
"Thank you for the battle!" They exclaimed.
"We're sorry for our behavior towards the other students," Sena said. "We promise to stop acting like we did."
"I think we're done with Team Ogre. It's been so frustrating there that I think we will be better off if we just trained by ourselves," Kari said. Having said their pieces, the twin trainers walked off towards the center area. Lincoln and Lacey waved them off.
Having finished their battle, Lincoln and Lacey turned back to Lincoln's family who was cheering at the victory. However, they didn't get the chance to revel in it, as there was a new member standing just behind them. It was a male with a high-quality Ogre mask, dressed in the League Club uniform with an unzipped jacked, revealing a red undershirt and yellow belt. While his face was unseen, he had a unique hairstyle with his purple hair pulled into a loose bun. He looked a little thin.
"Tch!" The boy snarled. It was made with so much malice that it cut through the celebrating family. He tossed something at Lincoln, though it fell short and landed at Lincoln's feet. It was a Pokeball. Having done what he came to do, he walked off.
"Hello to you too, Kieren," Lincoln commented blandly, looking at the retreating boy.
"What was that about? And what's with that Team Ogre?" Lynn Jr. asked uncaringly. She was the only sister down from the wall.
Lacey sighed. "Team Ogre is a team of trainers in the League Club, lead by Carmine's little brother Kieren," She explained with an annoyed groan.
"I know Carmine can be kind of prickly, but it's nowhere near this level. What happened to inspire such rage?" Lucy asked suddenly. Lincoln just patted his sister on her head, getting a glare from Lucy through her bangs.
"That's a story for another time. We've got a bit more walking to do," Lincoln deflected, getting groans from his family. "It's not even that much farther from here, and it's on a beach."
Lola and Leni were suddenly down next to Lincoln. "Then what are we waiting for!" The two proclaimed excitedly.
Chapter End
Since Kieran is obviously not the Champion, I decided to go a different route with an "evil" (in heavy quotations) team with him as the leader based on the Ogre Clan in Kitakami. Really, its just a bunch of kids going a bit too deep into roleplay. Also, not that great of battlers when you compare them to Lincoln and Lacey. That is, it is like comparing a 1-badge newbie trainer to a champion.
Since I'm not going to devote a chapter to it, here are the presents that Lincoln gave his sisters and father:
Lucy: Mimikyu plush and a book on legends of the Pokemon world
Lynn: Training Braces (like the ones AJ used)
Luan: A drone camera
Luna: Magnetic Headphone Speaker combo
Leni: Pokemon Fabrics
Lori: Rotom Phone without Rotom
Lynn Sr: Cookbook with modified recipes for non-regional specific dishes
By the by: I legitimately couldn't resist adding some more sentai references. We have Zocks (Zox, changes based on translation) the Pirate Meowscarada, along with Plusle and Minun as Cutanner and Ricky. I'm giving all the Elites and Carmine a Sentai named one. One more from Zenkaiger, two from Lupinranger vs. Patranger, and a single one from Kiramagers. They are also all starters because I can, so it does limit what you can get.
Next chapter, we get a bit of the picnic and Lincoln's field trip. I'm warning now that it will probably be heavily condensed and jump back and forth. I'm still planning how things are different vs the same. Goal is to have it done and posted before the 24th since I feel like it will be a decently long one. That or I split it into two parts and get the first part earlier.