Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 11: Gone Fishing
Later, at a Riverbank on Route 2,
It didn't take too long for Lincoln to find Misty, who was already fishing. Misty noticed Lincoln approaching, "Hey there, Lincoln. You find what you were looking for?" she asked.
"Yeah. And talk about a lucky break. When I got to the store, I was apparently the 1,000,000th customer, so I was allowed to have anything I wanted free of charge," Lincoln replied.
"Really, now? Talk about being lucky," Misty commented.
"Tell me about it. Well, in any case, what kind of Pokemon can we find by fishing?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, I thought I saw some Poliwag a little while ago," Misty replied.
"Poliwag? Are they good Water Types?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, and they're perfect for a beginner like you," Misty replied.
"I see," Lincoln commented.
"And that's not all. Depending on how you raise it, Poliwag could evolve into some interesting Pokemon," Misty added.
"Really? Care to elaborate?" Lincoln asked.
"Certainly. First up, Poliwag can evolve into Poliwhirl, which is a solid battler. I happen to have one on my team," Misty explained.
"Poliwag into Poliwhirl. Got it," Lincoln replied.
"As for what Poliwhirl evolves into, you first need a specific type of stone," Misty replied.
"I think I read about that in the study sessions with Professor Oak," Lincoln commented.
"Yes. Poliwhirl, however, can evolve into one of two Pokemon, depending on the stone you use. Using a Water Stone will evolve it into a Poliwrath, a powerful Water and Fighting Type Pokemon. You can also use an item called a King's Rock to evolve it into a Politoed," Misty explained.
"Poliwarth or Politoed; Which one would you recommend?" Lincoln asked.
"It all depends on what you want to evolve it into. But just so you know, Poliwhirl isn't the only Pokemon that need an item to evolve. Pikachu is one example of such a way of evolution," Misty replied.
"It's true. My species requires a Thunder Stone to evolve into a Raichu," Pikachu explained.
"Then I should look into finding a Thunder Stone later down the line," Lincoln commented.
"Eh, there's really no rush. I kind of like being a Pikachu," Pikachu replied.
"Well, if that's your wish, then I'll gladly respect it, and let YOU decide when you want to evolve," Lincoln replied.
"You're…. letting ME decide?" Pikachu asked.
"Of course. It's up to you to decide. And if you choose not to evolve, then we'll just have to work on making you the strongest Pikachu the Kanto Region has ever seen," Lincoln replied.
"Thanks Lincoln, that means a lot to me," Pikachu replied.
"Alright, if you two are done with your little pep session, we're going to want to get a start on catching a Water Pokemon. And the best way to do that is by fishing for one," Misty said, pulling out two different fishing rods.
"Wait, we can fish for Pokemon?" Lincoln asked.
"Of course. Just as how you can find Pokemon on the land or in the sky, some Water Pokemon can only be encountered from fishing. Speaking of which, I'll lend you one of these Good Rods I have. Just be careful not to break or loose it, because I will make you buy me a new one," Misty warned, handing Lincoln a rod.
"Got it. So, do we use bait to lure in a Pokemon or do we just cast the line as is?" Lincoln asked.
"You can just cast as is. And with that Good Rod, you're bound to catch something good, including a Poliwag," Misty replied, casting her line into the water. Lincoln did the same, "And now, for the hardest part of fishing, the waiting game."
"How's that?" Lincoln asked.
"See, like with regular fishing, whether or not you get a bit all depends on whether or not the Pokemon goes for the line. It could be minutes, or even hours before either of us gets a bite," Misty replied.
"So we'd most likely spend all morning just waiting for a bite? Oh boy," Lincoln grimaced.
"You'll have to get used to it. When fishing for Pokemon, patience is key," Misty replied.
At the Loud House, night time,
Lisa was getting ready for bed, as her mother came in to tuck in Lily, "Mother unit?" Lisa asked.
"Yes, Lisa?" Rita asked, turning to the young genius.
"When do you suppose Lincoln will call us?" Lisa asked. Rita froze up a bit, but Lily giggled happily at the mention of her brother.
"Inky! Inky!" she happily giggled.
"Well, when he'll call, I'm not too sure, but from what Pop-Pop told us, Professor Oak should give us a progress report here in the next few days," Rita replied.
"I see. I can only assume that Lincoln informed this Professor friend of Pop-Pop's of the predicament he was in before going to Kanto," Lisa replied.
"More than likely, he did. After all, the Professor would need to be able to trust Lincoln with whatever tasks he wants him to do. That, and this whole mess did teach Lincoln about honesty, albeit a tad too extreme," Rita stated.
"True. But do you truly think Lincoln is willing to forgive us?" Lisa asked.
"That will all depend on how we reconnect and apologize to him, so each of us needs to exercise extreme care with how we deliver our apologies," Rita advised.
"Fair point. And most likely, Lincoln will chew each of us out for our involvement in this farce," Lisa replied.
"Another good point. We should just take whatever he has to get off his chest with a grain of salt, and hope that he can forgive us," Rita replied.
"I hope that he does. This bad luck nonsense is tearing this family apart," Lisa commented.
"Well, I intend to do something about Junior's behavior before she does something stupid," Rita declared.
"Please do so. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I am sick of hearing about the softball game she accuses Lincoln of ruining," Lisa declared, as she crawled into bed.
"I am too. But we'll have the progress report to look forward to, so there's a plus side to that," Rita said, as she left the bedroom. Despite knowing she had to make amends with Lincoln, even with her brainpower, she wasn't sure HOW she was going to do it. But she wasn't in that boat alone. Across the hallway, Lucy was lying awake in bed, contemplating how she was going to apologize to Lincoln.
'I'll have to discuss it with Lisa on what we're going to do,' the young goth girl thought to herself, before an idea popped into her head, 'Maybe I should come clean about THAT incident,' she thought. Although she wasn't as thick skinned as Lincoln when it came to teasing, she was willing to bear any humiliation if it meant earning his respect back.
Meanwhile, back with Lincoln,
Two hours had passed since Lincoln had begun fishing alongside Misty, and still nothing was biting, "Does it really take this long to try to fish something up?" Lincoln asked.
"Welcome to the world of Fishing, squirt," Misty replied with a laugh. Just then, an idea popped into her head, "Say, while we're waiting for a bite, why not tell me a little about yourself? All I know about you is your name, where you're from, and the two Pokemon you have on you, but nothing else really," she suggested.
"It would be a good idea. Besides, if you want to be a true friend to her, you'll need to be honest with her, about everything," Pikachu stated.
"Well, I suppose you're right. Well, as you know, I'm from Royal Woods, Michigan in the US. My family consists of my Mom, Dad, 10 sisters, and four primary pets," Lincoln replied.
"10 SISTERS?!" Misty exclaimed, shocked that Lincoln has such a large family.
"Yep. And I'm the middle child," Lincoln replied.
"Yeesh, I can barely handle the three of my sisters," Misty commented.
"So you have siblings of your own?" Lincoln asked.
"I see what you're doing here; Information for information. Well, I suppose that's only fair. I was born and raised in Cerulean City, alongside my three older sisters," Misty replied, showing Lincoln a picture of three girls. One with blonde hair, one with blue hair, and the third with pink hair, "The blonde is Daisy, the blue haired one is Violet, and the pink haired one is Lily," she explained.
"What a coincidence. My youngest sister's name is Lily," Lincoln commented.
"I'll say. Speaking of sisters, could you tell me about your sisters?" Misty asked.
"Seeing as how you talked about yours, it seems only fitting. Alright, so first up is my eldest sister, Lori. As the eldest, she's the responsible for the rest of us, but she can come off as bossy sometimes, even to the point where we gave her the title of 'Queen of No'. Basically, she bars us from the things we like doing, such as music, comedy, science experiments, and video games. She's mostly seen on her phone texting her boyfriend," Lincoln exclaimed.
"Yikes. She sounds like a handful," Misty commented.
"Like you wouldn't believe. Next up is Leni. She's a sweet girl, but not the sharpest tool in the shed. She's a bit airheaded, and often takes things a bit too literally, like when she wanted to got the mall, and Lori offered to take her in exchange for making her bed. Leni thought Lori meant carving a new bed for her from wood, which leads me to believe that she's not as ditzy as she seems. She's also the resident fashionista," Lincoln continued.
"She sounds nice," Misty commented.
"She is, but she does have her moments of selfishness. Next up is the very definition of Loud, Luna. She's the musician of the family, who's always playing her music to the max volume, which can cause some of the neighbors to complain," Lincoln continued.
"I see. Carry on," Misty urged.
"Next up is Luan, the resident jokester. She's always coming up with jokes and pranks, often cracking puns every chance she gets, and pretty painful ones at that. She's probably one of the more dangerous of my sisters on April Fools Day, when her pranks go from being somewhat harmless, like whoopie cushions and pies in the face to stunts that could potentially kill someone," Lincoln continued with his explanation.
"Yikes! Dare I ask how extreme she goes?" Misty asked.
"Well, one year, she tricked our dad into buying an abandoned motel so that she could prank everyone of us, ranging from dropping one of our younger sisters into a pit of rhubarb pies knowing full well that she's allergic, to dumping a bucket of bleach on another younger sister," Lincoln exclaimed. Both Pikachu and Misty were horrified at what Lincoln had said.
"Holy crap, dude! Don't your parents ever try to reign her in?!" Misty asked.
"They tried one time. They got pranked into such a state that they fear April Fools Day just as much as the rest of us do. Since then, they've never tried to control Luan," Lincoln replied.
"I'm almost tempted to ask you to stop," Misty commented.
"Well, we're just one sister away from being halfway done. And my next sister is the main reason I was sent to Kanto," Lincoln said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.
"Well, if you want, I won't pressure you into talking about the reason she's your reason for coming to Kanto," Misty quickly replied.
"Thanks, but we're still waiting for some bites, so I'll continue. My next sister is Lynn Junior, named after our dad. She the main source of muscle among my sisters. She's basically the jock of the family. She'll play any kind of sport, be it baseball, football, basketball, the whole nine yards. Though she has some degree of athletic prowess, she's incredibly superstitious, and a sore looser, and an even worse winner," Lincoln explained.
"Ah, so she's one of THOSE types," Misty commented.
"Without question. Next up is the first of my younger sisters, Lucy. She's the goth girl of the family. She's always into vampires and seances. She claims to be a slave to the darkness, but she's one of the nicer sisters," Lincoln explained.
"Your little sister is a goth?!" Misty exclaimed.
"Yeah, that's how she rolls. Next up are the twins, Lana and Lola. They're complete polar opposites. Lana's always playing in the mud and doing gross stuff, while Lola's the spoiled princess of the family, and a beauty pageant powerhouse. She likes to blackmail others into doing her bidding. She even got a hold of some secrets the rest of us had just as a means of getting us to hang out with her," Lincoln explained.
"Hmm, they sound interesting," Misty commented.
"Yeah, but despite being complete opposites, they tend to get along for the most part," Lincoln replied.
"I see," Misty commented.
"Next up is Lisa. Despite only being four years old, she's the brainiac of the family, even having a PH.D. Although her intelligence makes her believe herself to be superior to the rest of us," Lincoln continued.
"Ah, I know her type all too well," Misty commented.
"I know, right? Last, but not least is Lily, the baby of the family. She just turned 2 here not too long ago," Lincoln concluded.
"Well, I can certainly say that such a diverse group can drive anyone a little batty," Misty commented.
"Yeah, but after a while, you get used to it, as long as they don't make TOO dumb of a mistake," Lincoln replied, once more with a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Hey, if you ever need to talk about your sister's shenanigans, I'm willing to hear you out," Misty replied.
"Thanks, that means a lot," Lincoln said, as he felt a tug on the line, "Hey, I think I got something!" he exclaimed, gripping the rod.
"Alright! Just reel it in, and get ready to battle!" Misty said.
"Got it! Get ready Pikachu!" Lincoln said.
"I'm all set!" Pikachu declared, taking a fighting stance, as, with one mighty tug, Lincoln was able to reel in his catch. It was a small, blue polliwog Pokemon with a spiral pattern on it's belly.
"Hey, you managed to catch a Poliwag!" Misty exclaimed.
"So that's a Poliwag," Lincoln commented, pulling out his Pokedex, and pointing it at Poliwag.
"Poliwag, the Tadpole Pokemon, a Water Type. For Poliwag, swimming is easier than walking. The spiral pattern on it's abdomen differs from place to place. This Male Poliwag is Level 11, and knows the Moves Hypnosis, Water Sport, and Water Gun," the Pokedex explained.
"Hey, it already know a decent Water Type attack, which will make it an important asset in your Pewter City Gym Battle," Misty commented.
"Right. Time to catch it! Pikachu?" Lincoln asked.
"Say no more, Lincoln," Pikachu said, approaching Poliwag, "Prepare yourself for battle!" he declared. But much to the confusion of everyone, Poliwag just walked up to Pikachu, and began squeaking.
"Excuse me, but do you think I can talk with your trainer?" the Poliwag asked. Pikachu was taken aback, as was Lincoln.
"Um… sure," Pikachu replied, as he dashed over to Lincoln, "Seems like this Poliwag wants to talk to you."
"Really? I wonder what about?" Lincoln wondered, as he approached the Water Pokemon, "You wanted to speak with me?"
"You're a human that can understand what Pokemon are saying?" the Poliwag asked.
"Yeah, it's kind of a long story," Lincoln replied.
"That is so cool!" the Poliwag exclaimed with sparkles in his eyes.
"Ok, was NOT expecting that kind of reaction," Lincoln commented. Poliwag took a moment to calm down.
"Sorry about that. I got a little excited over meeting a human that can understand Pokemon. Something like that is not something you see every day," the Poliwag explained.
"Yeah, Professor Oak told me about rare cases in which humans can understand what Pokemon are saying," Lincoln replied.
"So I was right, you can understand what Pokemon are saying!" Misty declared.
"We can discuss that later. Speaking of which, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Lincoln asked.
"Ah, yes, that's right!" Poliwag said, shifting it's stubby legs nervously, "I was hoping to ask you if you would be my trainer?"
"Wait, you're…. wanting to be caught?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. You see, I want to grow up and be just as strong as my Mom, and I've heard that the best way to do that is to have a trainer," Poliwag explained.
"I see. And your mother is ok with this?" Lincoln asked. Poliwag once again shifted nervously, "You did tell your Mom what you were doing, right?" he asked.
"Well, the thing is… I haven't actually… told her yet," Poliwag sheepishly replied.
"So you were planning to run away from home?" Lincoln asked, his eyebrow raised.
"Maybe?" Poliwag replied sheepishly.
"Well, 'maybe' or not, you might like the idea of travelling the world with me, but your mother might have some conniptions about you running off without a word," Lincoln stated.
"I know, but what if she says no?" Poliwag asked.
"Well, if you talk things over with her, I'm sure she'll agree," Pikachu replied.
"I suppose, but could I ask the two of you to come and help with my case?" Poliwag asked.
"Of course!" Lincoln replied before turning to Misty, "I'm going to head back with Poliwag to talk things over with his mother. You wanna come with?" he asked.
"Nah, I'll stick around here and try to catch some more Water Pokemon," Misty replied, as she resumed fishing.
"Ok, then lead the way, Poliwag," Lincoln said, as the Tadpole Pokemon led Lincoln and Pikachu further down the river.
Further up the stream,
While Poliwag was leading Lincoln and Pikachu back to his home, a blue, bipedal tadpole Pokemon with muscular arms and what looked to be gloves on each hand, and the spiral pattern on it's abdomen was pacing back and forth, looking worried. Nearby, a cluster of Poliwag were watching the larger tadpole Pokemon nervously, "Oh, where could that boy be?" she wondered. Earlier in the day, one of her children went off by themselves to play, but that was hours ago, and he still hadn't returned. She wanted to go looking for her missing child, but she could leave the rest of her children unprotected, so she was forced to wait and hope that her missing child would come back on his own. The sound of her children chittering alerted her to the missing Poliwag that was coming towards them, followed by a white-haired, orange clad trainer and his Pikachu. She quickly hurried over, and scooped up Poliwag in her large hands, "Oh thank Arceus you're ok! I was so worried!"
"I'm sorry I had you so worried, but I'm back now," Poliwag replied.
"So that's what Poliwag can evolve into?" Lincoln wondered, pointing his Pokedex at the larger Tadpole Pokemon.
"Poliwrath, the Tadpole Pokemon, a Water and Fighting Type, and the final evolved form of Poliwag. The muscles it had developed through swimming are thick and powerful. With one punch, it can reduce a large boulder to dust. This Female Poliwrath is Level 37, and knows the moves Bubblebeam, Submission, Dynamic Punch, Body Slam, Rain Dance, and Hypnosis," the Pokedex explained.
"Whoa, best not to get on this Pokemon's bad side," Lincoln commented. It was then that Poliwrath took notice of the boy.
"What in the…? Son, is this a new friend of yours?" Poliwrath asked.
"Yes. I just met him a little while ago. This is Mr. Lincoln, my new friend," Poliwag replied.
"Did he really need to add the 'Mister' part to my name?" Lincoln quietly questioned.
"Don't forget that Poliwag is still young. Besides, it's a nice nickname, so I might start using it myself," Pikachu mischievously said.
"Please don't," Lincoln requested. Poliwrath then walked over to Lincoln.
"So, you're a friend of my son's?" she asked.
"Yes, in a way, we are. We met a little ways down the river," Lincoln replied.
"I see. You have my utmost gratitude for returning my son to me. If there is anyway I can repay you, then please, don't hesitate to ask," Poliwrath said.
"Well, there is one thing I want to ask regarding your son," Lincoln replied.
"And that is?" Poliwrath asked.
"I want you to hear him out on a request he wants to ask of you," Lincoln replied.
"You want to ask for something, sweetie?" Poliwrath asked, looking at her son.
"Yes, Mommy. I was wondering if I could become Mr. Lincoln's Pokemon and travel around with him," Poliwag replied. Poliwrath was surprised at the request, before shooting a glare at Lincoln.
"You wish to become this boy's Pokemon? He isn't forcing you to say this, is he? Because if he is," Poliwrath said, smashing a nearby rock with her fist.
"No Mommy, I assure you that what I'm asking of you is all on my own," Poliwag insisted.
One explanation later,
Poliwrath nodded, understanding the situation, "I see. You're wanting to travel with this boy to become stronger, much like myself. But if I may ask, if that's what you want, then why not stay here? I can personally see to making you stronger," she asked, a tone of worry in her voice.
"As much as I would like that Mommy, this is something that I want to do. Besides, if you focus on just training me up, it would take time away from the others, and I don't want that to happen," Poliwag replied. As the two conversed, Lincoln engaged in his own conversation with Pikachu.
"Do you think she'll go for it?" Lincoln asked.
"Hard to say, but she hasn't flat-out said 'no', so we may be in luck if she agrees," Pikachu replied.
"True, but I hate to think that we would have to battle that Poliwrath," Lincoln commented.
"I hear you on that. I may have the advantage over Water Types, I would rather not get my face pounded to a pulp," Pikachu replied.
"Nor I," Lincoln replied, as it seemed the conversation between the mother and son was reaching it's conclusion.
"There's still time to back out. Are you certain this is what you want?" Poliwrath asked.
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life," Poliwag replied. Knowing that her son was not going to change her mind, Poliwrath admitted defeat, and approached Lincoln and Pikachu.
"Human, as much I hate to ask this, can I trust you to watch over my son and train him up into a powerful battler?" Poliwrath asked.
"I give you my word that I'll raise your son right," Lincoln replied.
"Good, because if anything bad were to happen to him," Poliwrath said, cracking her knuckles, "It'll be a very bad day for you, that I guarantee!"
"Uh, duly noted," Lincoln nervously replied.
"Good. So you know, I'm asking you this as a mother, who's worried for her child's well-being. I'm certain that your own Mother would feel the same way," Poliwrath stated.
'I wish that were the case,' Lincoln bitterly thought.
"In any case, I leave my son in your care," Poliwrath declared, as Poliwag waddled over to his new trainer.
"Well, looks like you're our newest teammate," Lincoln commented.
"I won't let you down, Mr. Lincoln!" Poliwag declared.
"Great! So, do we still have to battle, or…?" Lincoln was unsure on what to do.
"You can just use the Pokeball on me. I'm not that great at battling yet, and I don't want to get zapped by your Pikachu," Poliwag replied.
"And as I said, I would rather not get pummeled by his mother," Pikachu stated.
"Oh, I would do it in a heartbeat if you harm my baby!" Poliwrath said.
"R-Right. Well, in any case, welcome aboard," Lincoln said, getting out an empty Pokeball, and tossing it at Poliwag, encapsulating the Tadpole Pokemon. The Pokeball rocked a few times before an audible clicking sound was heard.
"Alright, so now we got ourselves a Water Pokemon! We should be all set for the Pewter Gym," Pikachu said.
"Yes. Thank you for allowing your son to accompany us," Lincoln said to Poliwrath.
"You're most welcome. And don't forget, what I said about pummeling you if you harm him in ay way still stands," Poliwrath threatened. Pokemon or not, Lincoln would rather not be beaten within an inch of his life anytime soon.
"Well, in any case, we need to go meet back up with our friends. And I promise to take care of Poliwag!" Lincoln said, as he and Pikachu left.
Back at the Riverbank with Misty,
"So Lincoln went down the river to see about catching a Poliwag?" Raigo asked. He took up the Good Rod that Lincoln left behind at Misty's urging, and did a little bit of fishing himself.
"Yeah. They shouldn't be too much longer," Misty replied, watching the direction Lincoln went to follow Poliwag. Soon, she saw a speck of white and orange coming towards them, "Ah, that's them now," she commented.
"Hey guys," Lincoln said, reuniting with his friends.
"Hey," Raigo greeted.
"So, how did it go?" Misty asked.
"Pretty well. Poliwag's mother was a bit hesitant on letting him come along with us, but respected his wishes, and allowed me to catch the little guy," Lincoln replied.
"That's great! Well, I think that'll be enough fishing for me. We should get going," Raigo commented, getting up.
"Yeah. The sooner we're through the Viridian Forest, the better," Mist commented, shuddering at the thought of the forest.
"You seem a bit skittish. Don't tell me you're scared of a bunch of trees," Lincoln commented flatly.
"It's not the trees I'm worried about," Misty replied, before mumbling something under her breath.
"What was that?" Raigo asked.
"Bugs," Misty said a little louder, but the boys still couldn't hear her.
"One more time?" Lincoln asked.
"IT'S THE BUGS, ALRIGHT?! I REALLY CAN'T STAND BUG TYPE POKEMON!" Misty snapped, causing both Lincoln and Raigo to reel back, "Sorry, but the Viridian Forest is crawling with creepy Bug Pokemon, and I think they're gross," she said a bit more calmly.
"Well, I was told of a path in the forest that cuts through it pretty quickly. It should take the rest of the day, if we don't get distracted," Raigo said.
"Well, if that's the case, then I'm all for it. But I would like to at least catch ONE Bug Type Pokemon," Lincoln commented.
"Well the most you'll see in the forest are Caterpie and Weedle. Fairly weak Bug Types, but they level up and evolve rather quickly," Raigo replied. Misty shuddered at the mere mention of the two Bug Pokemon.
"If that's the case, then we should get moving now. The sooner we're through the forest, the better," Lincoln suggested, as they ventured towards the Viridian Forest