Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 49: St. Anne (Part 2)
Back with the Louds and the Monster Royals,
It didn't take too terribly long for most of the Louds to become friends with the Monster Royals, "…And she had drawn all over the walls with marker! It took our servants an entire week to get out all the ink!" Lilliana said, as she, Rita, Rasha, Stolas, Elanor, and Kiken were sitting at the table, laughing boisterously at sharing stories of each of their kids, much to the kid's embarrassment. Charlie, unfortunately, was the first to have her embarrassing childhood stories shared, as she buried her face in Vaggie's fluffy fur in the hopes of hiding her embarrassment.
"I remember when Octavia was having a slumber party with Loona, and the two of them were pretending to be pop stars," Stolas said.
"Dad!" Octavia groaned, pulling her beanie down over her face.
"Oh, don't get me started on Gwendalyn. One time, when she was spinning a web, she somehow got tangled up in her own threads!" Rasha commented.
"Mom!" Gwendalyn whined.
"Well, let me tell you, when Verosika was just a toddler, she would always get into some kind of trouble. Like one time, she was caught running around in nothing but her undies," Elanor laughed. Verosika blushed furiously at being embarrassed by her mother.
"What about you, Rita? What sort of wacky shenanigans have your kids done?" Kiken asked. The monster daughters breathed sighs of relief at the focus of the conversation being shifted away from them.
"Well, with eleven kids, there's no shortage of mishaps. Let's see, where should I begin?" Rita mused.
"C'mon girls, before they start spinning any yarns, why don't we head upstairs?" Lisa invited the princesses upstairs.
"Oh thank God," Gwendalyn gratefully said, as she and the others followed the young genius upstairs, leaving Milt the only one downstairs.
"Uh, girls? I can't go up," Milt said, as her breasts were already pressing up against the wall. Lisa then got an idea.
"I know! How about the garage? We can close the door so you won't have to worry about the neighbors staring at you," Lisa suggested.
"I got this," Charlie said, as she opened a portal, connecting the living room to the garage, allowing Milt to pass through, followed by the rest, including Luna, Sam, Vaggie, and the imps.
"Ok, so we're here now. What can we do?" Loona asked.
"You said your brother was on the other side of the world in some place called 'Kanto', right?" Verosika asked.
"Correct. And as you could see when you arrived, there were several creatures he had sent over that he had befriended whilst there. These creatures are call 'Pokemon'," Lisa explained.
"I think I remember seeing something about them in my Dad's library. Apparently, they're some kind of mix of animal and monster that come in 18 different types. They live in secluded parts of the human world, either on land, in the sea, or in the sky," Octavia commented.
"Indeed. Lincoln is currently traveling one of these 'secluded' parts of the world, located near Japan," Lisa added.
"How's he doing so far?" Sam asked.
"He called earlier this morning. He managed to win his third gym badge," Luna replied.
"Ah, that's right! Battling is a Pokemon's natural instinct as a means to grow stronger, so humans made it so that they can help turn this instinct into a competitive sport," Octavia commented.
"Well, I can't say I like the idea of animals fighting for sport," Charlie commented.
"Well, keep what I said in mind; Fighting is a Pokemon's natural instinct to grow stronger. Human trainers, like this Lincoln kid, are simply helping out with the process," Octavia replied.
"So, what's this about 'badges'?" Gwendalyn asked.
"According to Lincoln, the tournament he's gunning for has a minimum requirement for all trainers to have at least eight badges that are earned from battling and winning against Gym Leaders scattered throughout the region. So far, he's managed to earn three," Lisa explained.
"Speaking of three, he must be quite ladies man to have three girls swooning over him already," Verosika commented mischievously.
"Well, he's only taken two of them out on dates so far. The third one, I don't think either of them have made any advances in terms of romance," Lisa replied. Verosika merely pouted at hearing this.
"Speaking of, what was that one sister's deal with this 'Ronnie Anne' person?" Vaggie asked.
"Ronnie Anne, for the longest time, was someone we all thought was someone Lincoln was interested in romantically, but it turns out neither of them felt that way. The only time they did actually kiss was when Lincoln was trying to fix a mess he made after he mistakenly hurt Ronnie Anne's feelings," Lisa replied.
"Ok, so why is Lori so dead set on pushing them together if they don't like each other that way?" Sam asked.
"Well, it was when we heard Lincoln was having an issue with a bully. When we learned it was a girl, we sort of teased him, stating that a girl bullying a boy is a sign of affection," Luna sheepishly replied.
"That is certainly no way to show affection," Charlie commented.
"A lot of us feel the same way. But Lori being Lori still believes Ronnie Anne is Lincoln's one true love, and is willing to go to whatever extremes to put them together," Lisa replied.
"And that is certainly NOT how true love works," Vaggie commented.
"Why don't we move on to a different subject?" Milt suggested, feeling uncomfortable about where this conversation was going.
"So, along with the Pokemon he sent over when we arrived, what others has he befriended?" Miu asked.
"Well, I have all the data he's been sending over on this tablet device. The ones with a symbol that looks like this indicate ones that he's previously caught," Lisa said, handing over a tablet, and pulling out one of the Pokeballs.
Back at the St. Anne, (When it's night time in Michigan)
"Ooh, just take a look at these!" Leaf exclaimed, as she and Misty were browsing some jewelry. Fortunately for Lincoln, they're purchases were few and far in between, so there weren't too many bags the girls asked him to carry. And while they were checking out the stores, Lincoln was looking around as well, marveling at many of the items and wares that were on sale.
"I did earn quite a bit of cash from the Battle Chateau. Maybe I should shop around for myself," Lincoln commented, as he browsed the stands as well. His eyes settled on what appeared to be a crown made from stone.
"Ah, you've got quite the eye young man," the vendor said.
"I do?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. This item is called a 'King's Rock'. If you have a Pokemon hold it while in battle, it'll sometimes cause your opponent to flinch. Not only that, for some species, like Slowpoke and Poliwhirl, it's essential for evolution," the vendor explained. Lincoln was surprised to hear this.
'If I had Mesmer hold that King's Rock, then I could somehow get it to evolve,' he thought, "Y'know, I think I'll take it! How much is a fair asking price?"
"2,000 Pokedollars," the vendor replied. Lincoln winced upon hearing the high price for this item, but knew he had plenty of money to spare.
"Sounds fair," Lincoln replied, as he gave the vendor his Trainer Card. The vendor then scanned the card, before returning it to Lincoln, as well as handing him the King's Rock.
"Pleasure doing business with you," the vendor said, as Lincoln continued walking around.
"So, you're planning to evolve Mesmer with that King's Rock?" Pikachu asked.
"Yep. I figured if Misty's going to evolve her Poliwhirl into Poliwrath, I want to go the other route with Mesmer," Lincoln replied. It was then he noticed something. A red-haired woman was berating a shifty looking vendor.
"You've got a lot of nerve to be selling Pokemon for profit!" she chastised.
"Lady, look, it's called 'business' for a reason. I have to make money somehow," the vendor replied, trying to sound confident.
"Selling Pokemon is illegal by several international laws! I should have your sorry ass turned over to Officer Jenny!" the woman said. It was then that Lincoln noticed the Pokemon inside of the fish tank. They consisted mostly of Magikarp, but he also saw about three, ragged looking Fish Pokemon as well. Misty and Leaf soon rejoined Lincoln.
"Hey Lincoln, what've you been up to?" Leaf asked.
"Looks like that vendor over there is in big trouble," Lincoln replied, pointing to the stand in question.
"Oh yeah? What are they…" Misty stopped upon seeing the woman who was scolding the vendor, "O-M-G! It's her!" Misty squealed, dashing up to the woman, who looked to see the Cerulean Gym Leader, and smiled warmly upon seeing her, "I can't believe you're here Miss…"
"Prima, call me Prima," the woman quickly said, which caused Misty to calm down slightly. She knew when Lorelei used the alias "Prima", it had to mean serious business.
"Misty, do you know this woman?" Lincoln asked.
"Yep! This is Prima, an author for several trainer handbooks," Misty replied.
"Of course, that's just ONE of my jobs. But back to this one," Lorelei said, glaring down at the vendor, "I'm sure if this one doesn't want to be arrested for trafficking Pokemon, he'll go ahead and release them all into the sea."
Lincoln then took the opportunity to scan the Pokemon in the tank, "This Male Magikarp is Level 19, and knows the moves Splash and Tackle.
Feebas, the Fish Pokemon, a Water Type. Although ragged in appearance, Feebas is a hardy Pokemon, able to survive in even the most polluted waters. This Female Feebas is Level 26, and knows the moves Splash, Tackle, Flail, and the Egg Move Mirror Coat," Dexter explained. Lincoln then saw how miserable the two he just scanned looked.
"Miss Prima, would it be alright if I caught two of the Pokemon he has in there?" Lincoln asked, surprising all of them.
"You want to catch some of these Pokemon?" Lorelei asked.
"Yes. They look really sad and miserable in there," Lincoln replied.
"Hmm, that's a good thing for you to do. Alright, go right ahead," Lorelei said.
"Lincoln, did I hear Dexter say there are Feebas in there as well?" Misty whispered.
"You did. It's one of the Pokemon I'm going to catch now," Lincoln replied.
"Would it be alright if I caught one of them as well?" Misty asked.
"Of course," Lincoln replied, as he got out a regular Pokeball and his Lure Ball. Both of the Fish Pokemon he scanned swam up to the surface.
"You're really going to catch us?" Magikarp asked.
"Yep. I'm hoping that we can work hard together," Lincoln replied.
"We'll do whatever we can to help you out," Feebas said. With that, Lincoln tapped both Fish Pokemon with the Pokeball and Lure Ball respectively. Both rocked three times before snapping shut.
"Magikarp and Feebas have been registered to your Pokedex," Dexter said. Lincoln then replaced the Pokeball holding Treecko with Magikarp's Pokeball, as both of them warped away.
"Huh, Feebas? What is that thing talking…" the vendor then saw two more Feebas in the tank, "Aww shit! These two must be sick or something! Well, I better go dump them out," the vendor said.
"Hold it, bucko!" Misty said, stopping the vendor from moving, "I want to catch one of those Feebas!"
"You want one of those ugly things? Heh, be my guest and take them both," the vendor said. The four trainers didn't like this guy's tone. Nearby, James, wearing a disguise, heard the commotion.
"So, the brats are adding Magikarp and Feebas to their teams? Hmm," he then took out his device, and pulled up images of Gyarados and another, serpentine Pokemon with long, red lashes, and a mosaic like tail, "Wow, Gyarados and Milotic?! Talk about rare!" he then looked back to see Misty catching the second of the Feebas, "Jessie and Meowth will no doubt get on my case about Magikarp, but at least I can nab up a rare Feebas," with that, James made his move, "Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear that this vendor had Feebas. Is that true?" James changed his voice to make sure he wouldn't be recognized.
"Uh, why yes, it is. Don't know why these two are wasting their time with such ugly pieces of…"
"Excellent! If you're just giving them away, might I partake in one as well?" James asked.
"Yeesh, people sure have weird taste in Pokemon. But fine, it's all yours," the vendor replied.
'Excellent,' James thought, as he used a Pokeball to catch himself the last Feebas in the tank. After the catching process was complete, the Pokeball shrunk down, "Oh, right," James remembered he and Jessie didn't have any Pokemon Box units. He then took his leave, when…
"Hey you three!" Lincoln, Misty, and James were alerted to a nearby vendor, who had several, blue cube shaped devices and what looked to be some kind of candy dispensers on his booth, "I see that the three of you have each caught an extremely rare Feebas."
"Yes, that's right. I wanted a Feebas so badly, since it evolves into a Milotic," Misty replied.
"'Milotic'?" Lincoln asked.
"It's a Pokemon said to be the most beautiful in the world," Lorelei explained. Lincoln then took out his Pokedex again to look it up.
"Milotic, the Tender Pokemon, a Water Type, and the evolved form of Feebas. Milotic live at the bottom of clear blue lakes. They only ever resurface to quell any hostility it senses," Dexter explained.
"Whoa, this really is a beautiful Pokemon!" Lincoln commented.
"Indeed. Of course, there's a little know fact about how to evolve Feebas into Milotic," the vendor explained.
"And what might that be?" James asked.
"Feebas will evolve into Milotic is one of two different methods is employed. On one hand, you can trade Feebas while holding something called a 'Prism Scale'," the vendor explained, showing them a picture of the scale in question.
"I'm guessing those things aren't easy to come by?" Lincoln asked.
"Too true. In fact, only 1 out of every 50 or so Feebas will have one on them. The other way is by using Pokeblock and Poffins," the vendor said.
"Which brings us to these Berry Blenders?" Leaf asked.
"Correct. You probably already know this, but I'll give a brief explanation on how these devices work. If you place four berries of the same color inside one of these devices, you'll be able to make Pokeblock of the same color. Pokeblock and Poffins are primarily used to help coordinators boost their Pokemon's appeal during Contests, and each color of Pokeblock affects a different quality of appeal a Pokemon can have. For instance, spicy Red Pokeblock or Poffins are used enhance the coolness factor or a Pokemon," the vendor explained.
"Ok, so what does this have to do with Feebas?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, it's the other way to evolve Feebas. You have to make its beauty appeal the highest possible level it can be. And to do that, you need to use Blue Pokeblock or Poffins," the vendor replied.
"So, you're going to give us the means to do just that?" Misty asked.
"Correct. Of course, Feebas isn't the only Pokemon that can benefit from eating Pokeblock and Poffins. Trainers can use these treats to enhance the qualities of ALL their Pokemon. Not to mention the Pokemon absolutely love them, depending on the flavor," the Vendor explained.
"Hmm, maybe it could help Selena be more of a team player. Alright, well, I'm sold," Lincoln replied.
"Excellent! Now then, each Berry Blender normally costs about 5,000 Pokedollars, but for you folks, I'm willing to part with these blenders for about, oh, lets say 1,000 a piece?" the vendor asked. Each of them winced at the high price, but both Lincoln and Misty were determined to help out their Pokemon.
"Alright, that'll be two Blenders between the two of us, please," Misty said, as she and Lincoln handed over their Trainer Cards. The vendor then scanned both of them, before returning them. Both trainers placed their new items in their bags. It was then that Lincoln noticed something.
"Hey, where'd that other guy go?" he asked. The others looked around.
"Guess he didn't have the money to pay for one," Leaf guessed.
"Well, this will definitely help out all of our Pokemon," Misty commented, as they continued walking.
"Misty, when you have a moment, could I speak with you and your friends in private?" Lorelei asked.
"Of course, Prima. What do you want to talk about?" Misty asked. Lorelei put a finger up to her mouth, signaling for Misty to be quiet.
"It's too risky for me to say here. I'll let you know later. Here's my room number," Lorelei said, as she handed Misty a slip of paper, before heading off.
"Who was that woman?" Lincoln asked.
"That was Lorelei of the Elite Four, but the fact she's using her alias 'Prima' means something's up that she can't afford to let herself be recognized," Misty whispered.
"Guess she's trying to catch a break on a cruise?" Lincoln guessed.
"Maybe, but she wouldn't have asked to speak in private unless it was important," Misty replied.
"We should go find Brock and Raigo. We all may need to help out with whatever she wants," Lincoln replied.
"Good call. Give us our bags, and we'll put our stuff away. Then we can go looking for those two," Leaf said. Lincoln then handed over both girls' bags. Meanwhile in another part of the Shopping Area, James was confronted by Jessie and Meowth.
"James, what were you thinking with catching that Feebas?!" Jessie yelled.
"But Jessie, the Team Rocket Pokemon data banks says that Feebas has the potential to evolve into a Milotic!" James said.
"That's just a bunch of crap, and you should know it!" Meowth yelled.
"Feebas are hideous Pokemon that aren't even worth batting an eye at. Just how much of our money did you pay to get that thing?" Jessie demanded.
"That's the lucky part! The vendor was going to go throw them into the ocean, so I caught mine for free," James replied proudly. Jessie calmed slightly, but was still pretty peeved.
"Lucky for you, Meowth was able to swipe these two things," Jessie said, as she pulled out a pair of white, futuristic jar like objects.
"What are those?" James asked.
"They're Portable Pokemon Storage Boxes. They can hold up to 100 Pokemon at a time, but they can also be used in place of an actual PC storage system," Meowth explained.
"Since we both have six Pokemon on our individual teams, we need something to hold all our extra Pokeballs. This one is for you," Jessie said, handing over one of the units to James.
"Oh, well thank you," James replied.
"Now we just have to pair these up with our Trainer IDs," Jessie said, as she and James went to work.
Later, in Lorelei's Room,
Following Misty, the five friends found themselves in front of Lorelei's room, "So, what does she want with us?" Raigo asked.
"No idea. Whatever it is, it must've been too important to talk out in the open," Misty replied.
"Still, we can't rightly refuse a meeting with her. It may be, as Misty says, really important," Lincoln commented.
"Well, let's not keep her waiting any longer," Misty said, as she knocked on the door, "Miss Prima, are you in there?"
"Yes. Please come in," Lorelei's voice answered from behind the door. Misty then opened the door, allowing the five of them inside, "So good of you to come."
"Of course. When you said you needed to speak with us about something important, it had me worried," Misty replied.
"Hey, aren't you Lorelei, the Ice Master of the Elite Four?" Raigo asked.
"Indeed, I am, young man," Lorelei replied, as her expression turned serious, "I won't dance around it, so let's just cut to the chase. Now, I'm sure you're all aware of the threat Team Rocket poses to Kanto, yes?"
"We know they're a dangerous sect of criminals that use Pokemon for evil, yes," Lincoln replied.
"Well, as of the previous meeting of the Kanto Pokemon League association, we've learned of several major operations going on in Kanto. One of them is supposedly going down on board the St. Anne," Lorelei replied. The five trainers were shocked to hear this.
"Wait, you're saying that Team Rocket is planning a full-scale heist of a cruise ship?" Brock asked.
"That's what one of our inside operatives told us," Lorelei replied.
"Wait, you've got spies in Team Rocket?" Lincoln asked, sounding impressed.
"Of course. In fact, one of them is in this room right now," Lorelei said, turning to a door in her room, "Midori, could you come out now if you're finished getting dressed?"
"Of course," Midori's voice said, which came as a surprise to Lincoln, Misty, Brock and Raigo.
"Wait a minute, that voice!" Lincoln commented, as Midori stepped out into the line of sight, wearing what appeared to be a Chinese dress.
"Well, fancy seeing all of you again," Midori greeted.
"YOU?! You're the inside agent?!" Misty exclaimed.
"Calm yourself, Misty," Lorelei urged, but Misty and the others remained on guard, not trusting the green haired woman, "And to answer your question, yes. Midori here is acting as a spy for the Pokemon League Association, as well as the International Police."
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true," Midori said, as she showed them her ID Badge, "I'm one of many agents that were assigned to infiltrate the ranks of Team Rocket and leak all of their secret operations to the Pokemon League and International Police HQ."
"Ok, but what about all the times we encountered you? Mount Moon, Cerulean Cape? Those times you looked to enjoy what you were doing," Lincoln interrogated.
"I'm a master actress as well. I had to make it look like I was part of Team Rocket to keep their trust in me. If I had been caught, then several other agents would be jeopardized in their attempt to dig up any dirt," Midori replied.
"So, all this time, you were just causing trouble just to keep a low profile?" Brock asked.
"Yes. Team Rocket is a much larger organization than you realize, and their operations extend far beyond Kanto. It's our job to try and bust their operations and arrest as many members as we can," Midori replied.
"Well, I suppose we could trust you for now. But I still have my reservations," Misty replied.
"I understand it's a lot to ask of you to trust Midori right off, but she's being honest," Lorelei reassured.
"Which brings us to the point of this operation. As your friend here already made clear, Team Rocket is planning a heist of the St. Anne. And based on the size of the operation, it's clear they've been planning this for quite some time," Midori explained.
"It is ingenious for them to plan a heist like this. Think about it, a luxury cruise liner, out in the middle of the ocean, where no authorities could reach in time?" Leaf commented.
"It is ingenious, if not for Midori's excellent espionage and information retrieval. Now, we have several members of the International Police, and the Pokemon G-Men waiting to take them down," Lorelei said.
"The Pokemon G-Men? Aren't they the special division of the International Police that specialize in cases involving misusing or mistreating Pokemon?" Brock asked.
"The very same. And all highly elite trainers as well," Lorelei replied.
"Ok, so we know that Team Rocket is planning a heist, and you guys are planning a sting operation. Where does that leave us to do?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, both operations won't commence until later this evening. That being said, I would like to enlist in each of yours help. The heist is going to commence during a big ball the ship's crew has planned for Trainers, so I want you five to be there so that we can have an increased chance of taking them down," Lorelei replied.
"If it means stopping a bunch of crooks, count me in," Lincoln said.
"I'll be more than happy to help, Lorelei," Misty added.
"You can count on me to help too," Brock added.
"Sounds like fun. I'm in," Raigo added.
"That makes five of us," Leaf added.
"Splendid! Now, before you five go back to enjoying the cruise, I think a little shopping for more, formal wear is in order," Lorelei said.
"'Formal wear'? Is this ball one of those black-tie events?" Lincoln asked.
"Not really, but it would be proper to wear something appropriate for a ball. Besides, we need you five to maintain a low profile," Lorelei said.
"Well, if that's the case, then let's go shopping… AGAIN!" Leaf cheered, as they all left the room.
Meanwhile, in one of the lower decks of the St. Anne,
"And that's the last of them!" Proton said, as he and several other grunts placed some explosive devices on the hull of the ship.
"Uh, Mister Proton, sir? Not that I'm speaking out against you or anything, but won't Giovanni be pretty pissed if he finds out we were doing this?" one of the grunts asked.
"Seeing this as an omelet, we can't worry about a few eggs. Besides, if the heist goes well, I'm sure the Boss will overlook going against his orders," Proton said dismissively.
"By the way, I don't see Midori anywhere," another grunt commented.
"That's because she's working on another assignment up top, idiot! She's scoping out any potential loot to steal," Proton said.
"Man, chicks with huge tatas get the easy jobs," the first grunt complained.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, grunt! We're here to steal Pokemon and other valuables, not to complain about difficult jobs or make comments on other's bodies!" Proton chastised. The grunt rolled his eyes, which, thankfully for him, Proton didn't notice, "Alright, to your posts! We begin the operation tonight!"
"Just one more question, Proton," Proton glared annoyedly at the grunt who spoke up, "Lorelei was still seen on deck. How do we deal with her, you know, with the fact that she's an Elite Four member."
"I'll worry about Lorelei. You just focus on your tasks!" Proton barked, as the grunts dispersed. Proton sighed, "Good grunts are hard to come by these days," he commented, as he made his way up top.
Team Updates:
Lincoln:
New Pokemon: Magikarp, Feebas
Misty:
New Pokemon: Feebas
James:
New Pokemon: Feebas