A/N Hey all! Welcome to chapter 12 of Pokemon Omega Loud! In this chapter Lincoln will finally have his battle with Roxanne in order to get his Stone Badge. This is the longest chapter I've written so far and I had an absolute blast writing the battle scenes. I hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I did writing it!
P.S from now on I'll be referring to Lincolns sister Lynn as LJ in order to differentiate her from Lynn the Torchic.
The day had finally arrived. In just a few hours Lincoln would be having his Gym Battle against the Rustboro Gym Leader, Roxanne. Currently, the white-haired boy was sitting in the room he was given at the Pokemon Center, going over his strategy for the upcoming battle. He knew full well that Roxanne's specialty was Rock Type Pokemon, and aside from the Shroomish he caught a couple days ago, none of the Pokemon he had on hand had any type of advantage over Rock Types.
Thinking about which Pokemon to use he decided to use Ralts and his Torchic, Lynn, as they were by far his strongest Pokemon. He thought about using Wrath but due to it being a flying type then it would be at a severe disadvantage. His Wingull and Shroomish were also out of the question as he hadn't done much training with either Pokemon and he had a feeling that Roxanne's Pokemon were going to be tough even with a type advantage.
As he sat going over his strategy, Lana and May stood outside, not wanting to interrupt him but at the same time wanting to get going. After looking at each other, they quickly played rock, paper, scissors, in order to choose who would knock on the door, which Lana lost. Gathering her nerve, Lana took a deep breath before knocking twice on the door.
After about a minute, the door opened and Lincoln poked his head out of the room.
"Hey big bro," said Lana, "Sorry for interrupting but it's time for us to get going."
Lincoln nodded, "Thanks Lana, I'll be out in just a sec."
True to his word, Lincoln left the room after a minute, putting his headband on to complete his look. With a grin on his face, Lincoln turned to his companions.
"Ok, next stop, Rustboro Gym.
-=o=-
Soon, the group made their way to Rustboro Gym. As they entered the building, they saw that the entire building was part museum and part battle arena. At the front of the building were many glass cases containing fossils, mining equipment, and earth samples. Towards the back was the arena, which was flanked by massive mechanical statues of both a plant-like Pokemon and an insect-like Pokemon with two massive blades for arms. On the back wall was a massive carving of a skeleton of a large dragon-like Pokemon.
At the base of the carving, was a small stage upon which stood Roxanne. She currently stood with her arms crossed and her eyes closed, but as soon as the group began making their way towards her her eyes suddenly opened. As the group walked to the center of the arena, Roxanne made her way down from the stage.
Lincoln took a deep breath, building his confidence, before he stepped forward and spoke.
"Roxanne, I challenge you to an Official Pokemon Battle!" he said with confidence.
Roxanne stood in front of Lincoln, looking him up and down before nodding her head.
"I accept your challenge," she said, "In accordance with Pokemon League Rules, if you defeat me you will earn your Stone Badge."
Turning to May and Lana, she pointed the two of them towards some stands that were on either side of the arena.
"It's not safe for bystanders to watch from close to the arena, but you two can take a seat in the stands where it's safe," she said.
With that both girls made their way to the stands and took some seats near the front row. Meanwhile Roxanne and Lincoln each walked towards opposite sides of the arena as a League official stood in the referee box. His outfit consisted of an orange referee's sweater and black shorts and in each hand he held a flag, one red and one green.
"This is an official league battle between the challenger, Lincoln Loud, and the Rustboro Gym Leader, Roxanne." he began, "This will be an elimination match, with each trainer using two Pokemon. Only the challenger will be allowed to substitute Pokemon during the Match. The battle is over when both of a trainers Pokemon are unable to battle."
The referee looked at both combatants. "Are the trainers ready for battle?"
After gaining signs of confirmation from both battlers, the referee continued. "Then let the battle begin!"
Meanwhile, while the referee was going over the rules, Lana was waiting in anticipation for the battle to start.
"I wonder what Lincoln's strategy will be?" she asked.
"I have no idea," said May. "In all the time I've known your brother I've never been able to predict what strategy he uses."
"That sounds like my brother, all right." said Lana. "It's part of the reason why we call him 'The Man with the Plan' (patent pending)."
Suddenly a short chiming sound came from the watch on Lana's wrist. Looking down at the watch Lana saw the call button flashing brightly. Quickly she pressed the button, where a holographic display sprung to life. On the display sat Lisa, surrounded by the rest of the Louds.
"Hey Lis!" said Lana, "What's going on?"
"Hello Elder Sister," said Lisa, "I'm just calling to see how you and our elder brother are doing."
"We're doing okay, but Lincoln is in the middle of a Gym Battle," said Lana.
"Oooh ooh!" said LJ, "Can we watch?"
"Sure it's just about to start." continued Lana. With that she turned the watch so that the display was facing the Arena.
Back in the arena, Roxanne pulled out a pokeball and threw it into the field, releasing a round rock Pokemon with two muscular arms.
"Go Geodude!" cried Roxanne.
"What's that Pokemon?" said Lana, to which May then pulled out her Pokedex and pointed it at the Geodude.
Geodude, the Rock Pokemon, Male. The longer a Geodude lives, the more its edges are chipped and worn away, making it more rounded in appearance. However, this Pokémon's heart will always remain hard, craggy, and rough.
Lincoln then pulled out the premier ball holding his Ralts.
"Ralts! Come on out!" he yelled, as the Pokemon materialized on the field.
"OM-Gosh!" said Leni, "It's TOTES ADORBS!"
"She's so CUTE!" yelled Lola, in agreement.
Ralts looked around in confusion, trying to find the source of the voices, not even noticing that there was another Pokemon on the field. Her gaze then fell on a bug that was flying around which she then started to chase around. Both combatants and audience looked on in stunned silence.
"Um, Ralts?" said Lincoln, gaining the Pokemon's attention. "Could you please focus on the battle?"
Ralts cocked her head to the side, looking at Lincoln in confusion before turning and finally noticing the geodude.
"Sorry about that!" said Lincoln, "Ralts is often easily distracted."
"It's no problem!" replied Roxanne. "Let's just continue to battle. I'll let you have the first move."
"Fine." nodded Lincoln, "Ralts! Start off with Confusion!"
Ralts looked at Geodude as her eyes began to glow a bright blue color, causing Geodude to become enveloped in a similar light as it was lifted off the ground. Geodude was then lifted high up into the air before it was brought back to the ground with extreme speed.
However, before Geodude made contact with the ground Roxanne called out.
"Geodude! Counter with Defense Curl, then Move into Rock Polish!" cried Roxanne.
Geodude then wrapped its arms around itself, curling into a tight ball, as it impacted the ground, creating a small crater. It then began rolling in place for a small moment, gaining a shiny polished look.
"All right Geodude! Use Rock Throw!" yelled Roxanne. Geodude then immediately started grabbing large chunks of the floor and began throwing them at high speeds towards Ralts.
"Ralts! Try dodging them with Teleport!" countered Lincoln. Ralts then began teleporting around the arena, dodging each rock as they got close. However due to Geodude's increased speed from using Rock Polish, a few of the rocks managed to make contact, damaging Ralts.
Thinking quickly, Lincoln called out.
"Ralts! Use Confusion on the rocks to send them back!"
Once again Ralts' eyes began to glow. All the rocks that were still in the air began to glow with the same light, slowing down, and eventually stopping before quickly going back the way they came.
"Geodude! Use Rollout to dodge them!" cried Roxanne.
Immediately, Geodude began rolling at high speeds around the arena, dodging all the rocks, before homing in on Ralts and slamming into her at full speed, knocking Ralts back several feet. Before Ralts had a chance to recover, Geodude then turned back towards Ralts and began to repeatedly slam into her.
"Damn!" cursed Lincoln.
"Language!" came his mother's voice from the stands, having heard him curse through the transmission.
Looking a little embarrassed at being scolded by his mother, Lincoln turned back to the battle, trying to think of a way to get Ralts out of her current predicament. Eventually an idea formed in his head and he began yelling out commands to Ralts.
"Ralts! Use Teleport to get away, then shift into Double Team to get some breathing room!"
Just as Geodude was about to slam into Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon disappeared. Looking around in confusion Geodude looked shocked to see dozens of Ralts materialize around the arena.
"That won't stop us!" cried Roxanne. "Geodude! Use Bulldoze on the Arena!"
With that Geodude leapt into the air and slammed into the ground at full force. The force of the impact caused a shockwave to spread through the ground of the arena, hitting several of the doubles causing them to disappear.
"Ralts!" yelled Lincoln, "Teleport close to Geodude, then use Draining Kiss!"
Just as the shockwave was about to hit the final Ralts double, it disappeared and the real Ralts materialized right next to the shocked Geodude. It then kissed the Rock Pokemon on the top of its head, causing most of the Loud sisters to squeal at the adorable sight. The Geodude briefly glowed pink as its health was drained away and transferred to Ralts, healing her wounds. Ralts then teleported back towards Lincoln's side of the arena.
Even though Draining Kiss had restored some of Ralts health, she still looked worse for the wear, while Geodude had barely any damage.
"Ralts! Do you want to keep going?" asked Lincoln in concern.
Ralts turned towards her trainer, giving him a small smile and a shaky nod.
"Okay but be careful," said Lincoln.
Roxanne nodded at the sight. "I can see that you care for your Pokemon very much, Lincoln."
"Yeah, they're not just my Pokemon. They're my friends and I care for them deeply."
"That's fantastic!" said Roxanne. "Bonds like those aren't easily broken. However this is still a Pokemon Battle so there has to be a winner and a loser."
Turning to Geodude, Roxanne began giving out more commands.
"Geodude, finish it with one more Rock Polish, followed by Rollout."
Geodude began rolling in place, becoming even shinier than before. It then immediately hurled itself towards Ralts, moving at an even greater pace.
"Ralts Use Teleport to dodge-" cried Lincoln, but it was too late. Geodude slammed into Ralts with so much force that she was blasted backward into Lincoln, causing him to be thrown a few feet.
"Hey no fair!" cried Lola
"Oh the poor cutie!" sobbed Leni.
"Poor Cutie?!" cried LJ, "What about Linc!?"
Back in the arena, Lincoln slowly picked himself up, holding Ralts close to himself. Once he was back on his feet he checked his Pokemon and found that she was unconscious.
"Ralts is unable to battle!" said the Referee. "Geodude Wins!"
"You did great, Ralts. Take a good long rest." said Lincoln, as he recalled Ralts.
Dusting himself off, Lincoln made his way back to where he was before.
"I have to admit." he said, "You're much stronger than I thought you were, Roxanne."
"Thank you, Lincoln." she replied. "You're not too bad yourself."
Lincoln then pulled another Pokeball and tossed it into the arena.
"Lynn! Let's go!" he cried, as the spunky Torchic materialized.
In Royal Woods, the Louds were taken aback by the name of Lincoln's Torchic, none more so than her namesake.
"Why would Stinkoln name a chicken after me?!" shouted LJ in annoyance.
"I don't get it." said Leni, "When did LJ turn into a baby chicken. And how can she be with Lincy when she's right here."
The Louds just sighed as Lori put a hand on Leni's shoulder.
"I'll explain later." she said.
The Louds then watched as Lincoln's Torchic gave several chirps at Geodude, clearly taunting it and causing the Pokemon to become annoyed. As Lynn shook her tail at the Geodude, each Loud turned to look at the sporty sister with neutral expressions as they realized why Lincoln had named his Pokemon the way he did. LJ just turned away, not meeting her family's gazes but still grumbling about the family comparing her to a chicken.
In Rustboro, Lana and May watched as Lynn began dodging Geodude's Rock Throw attack. Both girls were frustrated for Lincoln about Ralts being defeated leaving Roxanne in the lead.
"Do you think Lincoln can still win?" Lana asked.
"It's not impossible, but it will be very difficult." said May, "Lynn is at a severe type disadvantage and doesn't know any attacks that are effective against Rock Types. That and if she manages to defeat Geodude, she still has to defeat Roxanne's final Pokemon which will be at full power."
Lana nodded, then stood up and began cheering for her brother. May looked at the young girl then stood up and began cheering as well. This caused the Louds to begin cheering through the holographic display, hoping that by showing their support Lincoln could claim victory.
"Lynn, keep dodging and look for an opening to launch a counter attack.!" Lincoln yelled.
Nodding at her trainers' commands Lynn continued to dodge both Rock Throw and Rollout, not letting either attack make contact. As Geodude continued to try and hit the Torchic, Lincoln noticed that it was starting to slow down. He grinned in delight. Just like he had planned, Ralts and Lynn's constant dodging as well as Geodude using Rock Throw and Rollout at full speed had tired the Rock Pokemon out, so much so that it was starting to show signs of fatigue.
Eventually, Geodude stumbled slightly, creating an opening that Lincoln took full advantage of.
"Lynn! Hit it with Flame Charge!" he yelled.
The Torchic stopped dodging and enveloped herself in searing flames. She then charged at Geodude and tackled it, knocking it back several feet and leaving it with a severe burn, causing it to lose even more stamina as well as causing it to take damage every time it moved.
"Geodude! Use Defense Curl! Try to shore up your defense!" yelled Roxanne
"Not so fast!" yelled Lincoln, "Hit it with another Flame Charge! Full Power!"
Once again the Chick Pokemon wrapped itself in flames, charging forward with the strength of a missile and collided with Geodude before it could use its move. Geodude was thrown backwards, hurtling through the air before colliding with a wall, causing a deep crater. The referee ran forward to check on the Rock Pokemon, only to discover that it was unconscious.
"Geodude is unable to battle!" cried the Referee, "Torchic is the Winner!"
Lana, May, and the Louds cheered as Lynn began doing her signature victory dance, causing the Loud sisters to look at LJ with smug looks.
"That was very clever, Lincoln, tiring my Pokemon out so you could attack," said Roxanne. "But it looks like your own Pokemon is tiring as well, while my last Pokemon is fully rested.
Indeed, though Lynn hadn't been hit by any attacks it was clearly tired from the constant dodging. However the little chick Pokemon remained defiant and continued to do her victory dance.
Taking out another Pokeball, Roxanne grinned at her opponent, before sending out her next Pokemon.
"Nosepass! Take the Stage!" she cried.
The ball opened in a flash of light, revealing a small Pokemon that looked like a miniature Easter Island Head. It had short stubby legs and small arms as well as a massive red nose that looked almost like an arrow.
May took out her Pokedex and scanned the Pokemon before Lana could even ask what it was.
Nosepass, the Compass Pokemon, Female. Nosepass's magnetic nose is always pointed to the north. If two of these Pokémon meet, they cannot turn their faces to each other when they are close because their magnetic noses repel one another.
"Fascinating." said Lisa, intrigued by its magnetic properties.
"Let's hope that Pokemon doesn't 'nose' what it's doing so Linc can win. Get it?" said Luan, causing the family to groan.
Lincoln frowned, not expecting Roxanne to use a Nosepass. This complicated things since Nosepass could use a few Electric type attacks which could slow Lynn down significantly.
"Lynn!" he called, getting the Torchic's attention, "Keep a close eye on Nosepass, we need to be ready for anything!2
Lynn nodded, gaining a determined look as she glared at her opponent.
"Okay, Nosepass! Use Rock Throw!" cried Roxanne. Nosepass immediately began launching small boulders towards its opponent. Lynn began to dodge as quickly as she could but it was clear she was tiring. Thinking quickly, Lincoln decided to go on the offensive.
"Lynn use another Flame Charge!" he cried
Lynn again wrapped herself in flames and charged at Nosepass. The Compass Pokemon just stood still and took the attack, barely even flinching. As Lynn leapt backward, a mischievous look crossed Roxanne's features.
"Nosepass! Use Thunder Wave!" she called out.
"Crap!" said Lincoln, "That's exactly what I was afraid of. Lynn! Try to dodge it!"
Nosepass quickly gathered electricity in the tip of its large nose, filling the air with static. After enough electricity had been gathered, it was released in a small shockwave, spreading out across the field. Lynn did her best to dodge, but due to fatigue, was far too slow to avoid the shockwave. As electricity coursed through her she chirped in pain before hitting the ground, her muscles twitching and sparks of static coming off of her.
"What's going on?" asked LJ.
"Thunder Wave causes the Pokemon hit by it to become Paralyzed." answered May. "Paralyzed Pokemon will sometimes be unable to use attacks and their speed drops drastically."
"Well that's a 'shocking' turn of events." giggled Luan, who was immediately punched on the head by Luna, and was knocked out.
"That won't stop us!" cried Lincoln. "Lynn try to fight through the paralysis and use Ember!"
The little Torchic slowly got to her feet, muscles twitching the whole way up, before letting out several chirps of defiance. Taking in a deep breath she let loose a veritable cyclone of burning embers, enveloping Nosepass in the fiery blast.
When the smoke cleared, Nosepass was still standing a few patches of smoke billowing off its body. It had clearly taken some damage and was looking a little worse for wear, giving Lincoln hope that they could still win this.
Roxanne smiled, shaking her head before calling out.
"Nosepass, use Rest."
Nosepass immediately fell asleep, all its wounds fading away as it regained its health.
"Crap." said Lincoln, "That puts it back at full health. At least it will take a while to wake up, giving us time to wear it back down."
"Are you sure about that?" Roxanne called out.
Lincoln looked confused before seeing Nosepass holding onto a small blue berry with a brown underside where he guessed its mouth would be. His heart sank when he realized what that meant. As he watched, Nosepass swallowed the berry and instantly woke up, ready to fight.
"Smart." Lincoln said. "Using a Chesto Berry to immediately wake up after using Rest."
Lana and the Louds expressed confusion at what had just occurred and after May explained what happened, they all began shouting.
"Cheater!" cried Lynn.
"That can't be legal using items like that!" cried Luna.
Luan said nothing as she was still unconscious.
"Actually," said May getting their attention. "Items that Pokemon can use like berries are perfectly legal in battles. Only man made items like potions are banned since most Pokemon either don't know what to do with them or are unable to use them." The Louds were silenced by the information until their attention was brought back to the battle.
"Nosepass." said Roxanne, "Finish this with Rock Throw!"
Nosepass once again began throwing rocks at its opponent, the Torchic unable to dodge due to paralysis.
"Lynn! Try to use Flame Charge!" cried Lincoln.
Lynn once again began to wrap her body in flames, when a burst of static went through her, causing her muscles to lock up immobilizing her.
Unable to do anything but watch, Lincoln looked on as the many shards of rock blasted into his starter Pokemon causing a cloud of dust to be thrown into the air. When the dust cleared, Lynn was lying on her side, unconscious.
"Torchic is unable to battle!" yelled the Referee. "The Victory goes to Roxanne!"
Lincoln ran forward and scooped up Lynn, holding onto her tightly.
"You were great, Lynn," he said, "It looks like we could use a bit more training."
Lana, May, and the Louds were devastated for Lincoln as they saw the white-haired boy looking at his Pokemon in sadness.
Roxanne recalled Nosepass and walked towards Lincoln. When she made it to him, she saw that he had a depressed look on his face.
"Lincoln," she said, getting the boy's attention. "That was a good match. You have a fantastic strategic mind, and I can't wait for a rematch."
Lincoln remained silent, just nodding before making his way out towards the exit, his unconscious starter cradled in his arms.
Concerned Lana ended the call with her family and she and May ran after their friend. It was clear that Lincoln was taking the loss hard and they were determined to do their best to get his spirits up.
The whole time Lincoln was walking towards the Pokemon Center, he only had one thought in his mind.
'Am I just as worthless as everyone thinks I am?'
But no answer came.
A/N So the victor has been declared and it's Roxanne. Some people will probably be upset by that but I've read too many stories where Lincoln just breezes through all his Gym battles with zero effort and I didn't want that for this story. Also it gives me the ability to have Lincoln get some character growth.
Anyways. Next chapter, Lincoln comes to terms with his first big loss, while Lana and May try to get him out of his funk with some Wonder Trading.
