A/N and Welcome back to Pokemon Omega Loud! I know some of you are wondering why exactly I had Lincoln lose his first ever Gym match and there is a very simple explanation. Back in my early teens when the original Ruby and Sapphire first came out (yes I'm old) I also lost to Roxanne on my first try, so this was a bit of a self insert type situation. Anywho, this chapter May will try to get Lincoln out of his depression with some Wonder Trading! I settled on him getting three Pokemon, one I had planned for, one that was suggested to me by one of you (you know who are), and one chosen competely at random. So let's begin and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter!
By the time Lana and May had caught up to Lincoln, he had already checked his Pokemon into the Pokemon Center and was currently sitting in the lobby staring at the floor, his head in his hands.
May had never seen the boy so distraught and quickly sat next to him, her arm around his shoulders as she gave him the strongest hug she could manage.
Lana stood off to the side. She was just as concerned as May was but she knew from experience what was currently going through her older brother's head. She knew he was doubting himself, and questioning his worth.
Slowly she approached the two older trainers until she was right in front of her brother.
"Lincoln?" she asked, "Are you okay?"
Slowly Lincoln lifted his head and looked at his little sister. Her heart sank when she saw the lifeless look in his eyes.
It took a moment for Lincoln to respond but when he did, Lana's heart sank even more.
"Our family was right." He said, "I am just a loser. I'll never be anything more than a worthless, talentless, los-"
A loud smacking sound reverberated through the Pokemon Center as Lana flinched from how quickly May had struck her brother.
Lincoln remained sitting but now held a hand to his throbbing cheek, a bright red hand-print slowly fading from where he had been hit. May stood next to him, an angry expression on her face and tears in her eyes. She couldn't let the boy finish his self deprecating tirade so she acted on instinct.
Quickly taking his head in her hands, May forced Lincoln to look into her eyes as she kneeled in front of him.
"You look at me right now Lincoln Loud." she said forcefully. "You are NOT a loser. You are the smartest, kindest, and strongest trainer I know. So you lost? Big deal! How many battles have you won?! DOZENS! Yet you're ready to quit over just one loss!?"
Lincoln stared into his friend's eyes, amazed at the depths of her emotions. He started to feel less depressed from her words, but there was still doubt in his heart.
"But I lost during one of the most important battles in my life, May. None of those other victories held a candle to how much this one meant for me." he said.
Lana watched in concern as the two older trainers looked at each other, afraid to make a move before May stood up and grabbed Lincoln's hand. She immediately began dragging the boy through the Center towards one of the back rooms. Lana immediately chased after the two before they got too far away.
"Woah! May!? What are you doing!?" yelled Lincoln.
"I'm going to show you just how wrong you are about being a loser!" she angrily replied. "You and I are going to have a battle! And just to hammer in how wrong you are, you're going to use Pokemon you've never trained before."
"We're going to do some Wonder Trading!"
-=o=-
Soon the three trainers were in one of the back rooms of the Pokemon Center. In the center of the room was a large device that looked like a globe showing all the various Regions of the world with a Pokeball transfer machine on one side. On the other side was a computer terminal so that trainers could select Pokemon from storage in order to begin trading.
As soon as they had entered the room, May forced Lincoln to sit at the computer and select the Pokemon he was trading which were one of the Zigzagoons he had as well as the two other Taillow he had caught when he caught Wrath.
"May, I appreciate what you are doing but I don't think using unfamiliar Pokemon is going to prove anything." said Lincoln.
"I don't want to hear it!" she growled in reply. "You're doing this whether you like it or not!"
"Yes ma'am!" he nervously replied, knowing full well what a girl is capable of when angry. Just ask his sisters.
While Lincoln was selecting his Pokemon, Lana was checking out the machine, her mechanically inclined mind curious to how it worked.
"So this thing lets you trade Pokemon from anywhere on the planet?" she asked.
May looked at the girl while keeping a close eye on Lincoln to make sure he didn't try to run off.
"Yeah. There's two different versions of this machine. One where you can look up a specific Pokemon you want and hope that someone, somewhere else has one to trade, or this one where the pokemon you get is completely random."
"Cool." said Lana.
"Okay," came Lincoln's voice, "I'm done. Let's get this over with."
As Lana watched, various lights began shining from the device as a display in the center showed silhouettes of Lincoln's Pokemon traveling along a starry background. As they flew by she saw them pass three different Pokeballs before the transfer machine lit up and the Pokeballs materialized inside it.
The three trainers walked up to the transfer machine and Lincoln reached in and took the Pokeballs from inside. Each Pokeball was strikingly different. One was an all black color with a golden ring around the center and a smaller gold and red ring near the top. Another one looked like a normal Pokeball with a camouflage pattern on the top instead of the standard red color., and the last one was a white Pokeball with red sides and a black and red top.
"Well, let's see, I got a Luxury Ball, a Timer Ball, and I think the last one is a Safari Ball from Kanto." said Lincoln. Just as he was about to toss the balls, May stopped him with an annoyed look.
"Nuh unh, mister!" she said, "You aren't going to know what they are until we battle! Now come on!"
With that May once again grabbed Lincoln's arm and began dragging him out the door, Lana following close behind giggling at her brother's misfortune.
-=o=-
A few minutes later, May had dragged Lincoln to a nearby battle arena so they could have their match. Currently, Lincoln reluctantly stood on one end while May made her way to the other where she took her position. Lana stood off to the side, wondering what exactly May was planning.
"Okay, so how many Pokemon are we using?" asked Lincoln.
"We're each using three Pokemon and we're swapping out between battles until all of the opponent's Pokemon are unable to battle." May replied.
Lincoln blinked in confusion. "Um May? You only have two Pokemon."
"I know that!" she growled in response before turning to Lana. "Lana, sweetie, is it okay if I borrow Scar for a minute?"
Lana was creeped out by the faux sweetness in May's voice and wanted to refuse, but at the same time, she really wanted to help get Lincoln out of his funk. So after a moment's hesitation, Lana tossed May the ball containing Scar so they would have an even battle.
May turned back to Lincoln and glared at him before sending out Mudkip. The Mud Fish Pokemon looked around sleepily, before turning to May with a questioning look. After a quick nod from his trainer Mudkip got into a battle stance, ready to fight.
Lincoln looked at May and saw that there was no way of getting out of this situation so with extreme reluctance, he tossed out the black and gold Luxury Ball, releasing the Pokemon inside in a flash of light. When the light cleared a small round pink Pokemon stood on the field. With green petals on its head and a white underside with tiny pink feet it looked absolutely adorable.
Taking out his Pokedex, Lincoln scanned the Pokemon to see what it was and what moves it might know.
Bounsweet, the Fruit Pokemon, Female. Its sweat is sweet, like syrup made from boiled-down fruit. Because of this, Bounsweet was highly valued in the past, when sweeteners were scarce.
"A Bounsweet, huh." said Lincoln, as he checked the Pokemon's moves and stats. The Bounsweet looked around the field with a smug look on her face. As it moved a small, yellow, paper fell from the leaves on her head and drifted towards Lana who picked it up in curiosity.
"To whoever receives this Pokemon." she read, getting Lincoln and May's attention, "I am giving up on training this Pokemon as it is nothing but a spoiled brat. It refuses to battle if it gets dirty and constantly demands attention and refuses to eat anything other than sweets or gourmet foods. For the sake of my wallet, I am getting rid of her."
All three trainers grew mad at how the Bounsweets previous trainer essentially abandoned her, with Lincoln and Lana both thinking that the way the trainer had described her sounded very familiar.
'Sounds a lot like Lola,' both thought.
"Hey!" cried May, getting Lincoln's attention. "Are we battling or not?!"
"Sorry!" replied Lincoln. "Bounsweet! Use Rapid Spin!"
Bounsweet looked back at Lincoln, surprised to not see her normal trainer. She looked the boy up and down as if judging his appearance before giving a huff and turning towards Mudkip before spinning like a top and slamming into Mudkip, knocking it back.
"Mudkip! Use Supersonic!
Mudkip picked itself up off the ground and opened its mouth with a loud shriek sending a soundwave towards Bounsweet. Thinking quickly Lincoln called out for Bounsweet to dodge, before calling out another attack.
"Bounsweet! Use Sweet Scent to slow it down, then follow up with Razor Leaf!" he cried.
Bounsweet dodged the approaching soundwave, before shaking the leaves on top of her head releasing a faint pink mist that spread throughout the field. Almost immediately a sweet, fruity aroma hit everyone's nose, calming their nerves and slowing down Mudkip.
As soon as Mudkip began to breathe in the calming scent, an almost malicious grin spread across Bounsweet's face as she shook her leaves even harder, causing a blast of sharp looking leaves to fly towards Mudkip, striking it right on the head.
"Mudkip!" cried May, "Try to wait it out and then use Rock Throw!"
Unfortunately, due to the dual type disadvantage, the Razor Leaf attack ended up being too much for Mudkip and it was soon blasted backwards into unconsciousness.
May quickly called back Mudkip, praising it for its good work, before sending out Scar. Lincoln withdrew Bounsweet, remembering the rule that May had put in place about swapping after each battle. Taking out the Timer Ball, Lincoln took a moment to look at the current situation, the excitement of the battle raising his spirits.
With a small grin, Lincoln tossed out the Timer Ball which opened to reveal a strange looking Pokemon that vaguely resembled a Pikachu. Or rather, something that looked like it was wearing a ratty costume made to look like a Pikachu.
All three trainers looked at the Pokemon in confusion before May pulled out her Pokede and scanned it.
Mimikyu, the Disguise Pokemon, Female. This Pokémon lives in dark places untouched by sunlight. When it appears before humans, it hides itself under a cloth that resembles a Pikachu. If its disguise is damaged, it struggles beneath the cloth to repair the broken neck of its disguise, Mimikyu keeps up its impersonation of Pikachu.
"A Ghost and Fairy Type?" said Lincoln as he looked at Mimikyu's stats. "Hmm it doesn't know any Fairy moves at its current level so I'll need to be careful."
"Scar! Use Sand Attack to blind it!" cried May, starting the battle. Scar immediately turned and kicked with its back feet launching sand towards Mimikyu's face.
"Mimikyu! Use Double Team!" cried Lincoln. Mimikyu immediately began moving around the arena at breakneck speed, creating a series of after image doubles.
"Scar try to sniff out the real one and hit it with Bite!"
Taking a brief moment to close its eyes, Scar took a deep breath through its nose, gaining Mimikyu's scent. Quickly, Scar lunged at one of the doubles, mouth opened wide to deliver a devastating Bite attack and make contact.
May grinned, which faded when it noticed that the only damage Mimikyu received was to its costume which was currently slumped to the side.
"Mimikyu! Hit it with Wood Hammer while it's close!" yelled Lincoln. Mimikyu leaned back, winding up its fake Pikachu tail before slamming it with full force onto Scar's head. Scar yelped in pain as it took the hit before leaping back towards May. It shakily stood its ground, a dizzy look on its face as it tried to get its bearings.
"Scar!" yelled May, "Use Ice Fang to finish off Mimikyu!"
"Mimikyu!" yelled Lincoln, "Hit it with another Wood Hammer!"
Scar shook its head, clearing it of the dizzy feeling before leaping at Mimikyu, icy vapor spilling from its mouth as its teeth became encased in ice. At the same time, Mimikyu leapt towards Scar once again winding its fake tail up to build power before swinging at the exact same time Scar's attack landed.
A small explosion enveloped both Pokemon at the same time as the two attacks collided. All three trainers braced themselves as a gust of wind tore through the field and as the dust cleared, they were shocked to find that both Pokemon were knocked out.
After recalling both Pokemon, Lincoln and May looked at each other, excitement clearly showing on both their faces. Lincoln especially looked to be having fun, an almost manic grin on his face as adrenaline coursed through his body.
"May…" said Lincoln, "I want to thank you for this."
May looked taken aback by the boy's statement before grinning and giving him a nod.
"See, I knew a battle would get that white-haired head of yours outta your ass!" she said.
With that she tossed out her final Pokeball, revealing her Silcoon.
Lincoln grinned again, his bad mood gone, before tossing out the Safari Ball. As the light from the ball faded, a small bluish-gray snake-like pokemon with wing-like ears on its head was revealed. Both trainers' jaws dropped, immediately recognising the Pokemon for what it was. Lana on the other hand just looked on in confusion wondering why her companions were so shocked.
"Um. Hey?" she called out, "Could one of you scan it with your Pokedex things so I can know what's going on?"
Shaking himself from his stupor, Lincoln quickly scanned the new Pokemon.
Dratini, the Dragon Pokemon, Male. Dratini continually molts and sloughs off its old skin. It does so because the life energy within its body steadily builds to reach uncontrollable levels.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!" yelled May. "How lucky can you be to get a Dratini from a Wonder Trade?!"
Turning to Silcoon, May quickly called out an order.
"Silcoon use Harden, full power!" Immediately Silcoon braced its body, a glossy metallic sheen, coating it as its shell hardened.
"Yeah, we're gonna nip that in the bud," said Lincoln, "Dratini! Use ThunderWave!"
Dratini raised itself off the ground, standing on the tip of its tail as static built around its body, before releasing itself in a wave of electrical power.
Unable to move from its position Silcoon took the full force of the attack, freezing as the electricity Paralyzed the Cocoon Pokemon.
"Silcoon! Try to use Harden again!" cried May. However due to the paralysis, Silcoon was unable to shore up its defenses and began to twitch violently.
"Ok Dratini, hit it with a Twister attack!" cried Lincoln.
Dratini then began twisting its body, moving faster and faster, until it was enveloped in a violent cyclone filled with draconic power. The cyclone then rocketed across the field hitting Silcoon and causing it to be lifted off from the ground and thrown into a nearby wall. As the wind died down, Silcoon was revealed to have slipped to the base of the wall, unconscious and unable to continue battling.
May let out a sigh of both relief and disappointment, relief that her plan had worked and Lincoln was no longer depressed, and disappointment because, well, she lost.
Both trainers recalled their Pokemon and began walking towards the center of the field. When they finally stood in front of each other, May was taken by surprise when Lincoln lunged forward and enveloped her in a full body hug.
In Royal Woods, the Loud sisters all simultaneously stopped whatever they were doing and let out a loud squeal of excitement, having somehow sensed their brother displaying affection to a girl.
Back in Rustboro, Lincoln continued to embrace May as Lana slowly approached the two, a smug grin on her face.
"Thank you, May," said Lincoln.
"See?" she replied, "You are a fantastic trainer, even with Pokemon you've only just met. Don't let a single loss ruin what I'm sure is going to be a fantastic opportunity for you."
"Yeah, Big Bro." said Lana, "Don't let what our family said to you get you down, you've already proven them wrong anyways."
Lincoln released May from their hug as he looked down at his little sister, before giving her a hug as well.
He looked back at May once again giving her his thanks.
"Okay, so the way I see it, your contest is the day after tomorrow so that gives us the rest of today and tomorrow to help you nail your contest routine and to help me train for my rematch with Roxanne," he said.
Giving his companions a fierce grin, he pulled out the Pokeballs containing his three new Pokemon.
"Besides I have a few ideas on how to take Roxanne on again," he said.
"And I have a feeling these three are going to help me do it."
A/N so Lincoln is out of his funk and he now has a Bounsweet, Mimikyu, and a Dratini. I've been thinking of revising my rule about not letting the Louds keep some Pokemon but if I do I plan on only letting them get one Pokemon each and it has to be one that fits them perfectly. Also I do plan on doing more Wonder Trading as the series progresses and when I do I think I'll open it up to have you guys pick what Pokemon the cast will get. Till then I'll see you all next time!