A/N Hey all and Welcome to the newest chapter of Pokemon Omega Loud! In this chapter Lincoln has his confrontation with Clyde and his former friend group. Soon after he, Lana, and May head back to Granite Cave where they meet the enigmatic Steven Stone.
Also if anyone is interested DragonEmperor999 has written his own story based of Pokemon Omega Loud, with a Poll on his homepage to determine what Pokemon Lincoln will receive on his journey, so give it a quick read and let him know how they did.
After getting his badge and saying his farewells to Brawly, Lincoln met his sisters and May in the front lobby. As soon as they saw him LJ and Lana quickly ran up and congratulated their brother, Lana by giving him a big hug and LJ by giving him a congratulatory punch, much to his annoyance. He looked around for May and saw her standing off to the side, Pancham snuggled up in her arms, fast asleep.
Lincoln raised an eyebrow at the sight, but May just shrugged and raised a finger to her lips. Lincoln nodded and was about to say something when Lana held up the dimensional watch, activating the holographic display, and allowing Lincoln to see his family…and his former friend group.
While the Louds all expressed their own congratulations for the white haired boy, Lincoln primarily ignored them, instead focusing on his former friends. He took in each of their faces and saw different levels of guilt, shame, and regret on Zach, Liam, Rusty, and Stella's faces. But they all paled in comparison to the look of utter shame on Clyde's face. The boy looked like he was on the way to his own execution, and refused to look Lincoln in the eye.
Suddenly aware that everyone had gone quiet, Lincoln looked around and saw that all eyes were on him and him alone. Letting out a reluctant sigh, Lincoln turned to Lana.
"Hey, can I borrow the watch for just a second?" he asked.
Sensing what her brother wanted, Lana quickly took off and handed the watch to Lincoln who walked a few feet away for some privacy. He then looked at the holographic display in order to ask his family if they could give him and his friends some privacy, but saw that it was completely unnecessary as his family was nowhere in sight.
For a few long minutes no one said a word. Stella was the first to break the silence, the guilt evident on her face.
"Um..Lincoln..we just want to say…we're sorry." she began. Looking at Rusty, Zach, and Liam, she motioned them to speak up.
"Yeah, it was completely uncool of us to abandon you." said Zach.
"We understand if you don't wanna forgive us," said Liam.
"We just hope you do give us a chance, dawg." finished Rusty.
Lincoln gave out a long deep sigh before looking at his friends.
"I get it." he said after a few minutes. "To be absolutely honest with you guys, part of the blame belongs to myself as well. If I hadn't distanced myself from you guys, then you wouldn't have abandoned me like you did."
As he looked at his friends he could see smiles forming on each of their faces and looks of hope in their eyes.
He then looked at Clyde, who had remained silent during the exchange. When Clyde noticed that Lincoln was looking at him he flinched when he saw the look of disgust on his face.
"You on the other hand, have no excuse," said Lincoln, "You were supposed to be my best friend. My brother. The person I could turn to the most when things got bad." As Lincoln spoke his voice began to rise until he was almost shouting.
"Linc..I..I'm sorry!" said Clyde. "I..just..my dads…and I-"
"That's bullshit Clyde!" shouted Lincoln, who immediately lowered his voice when he saw that he was attracting unwanted attention.
"I get that your dads getting involved was a contributing factor in you abandoning me," he continued, "But it's not the first time they wanted to stop you from doing something because they were afraid for your safety, but you always managed to convince them otherwise, so what changed? Huh? WHAT CHANGED!?"
"I was angry OKAY!" shouted Clyde, "I got beat up by your sisters because of something that you did! And that wasn't the only time! I'd been caught in the crossfire between you and your siblings multiple times before and I was just sick of it!"
Clyde took a deep breath before continuing. "I wanted to apologize almost immediately, but with how angry I was and how angry your sisters were, I thought it was best to keep my distance…at least for a while. But by the time I decided to finally apologize, you had disappeared. And since then I wish I had done things differently."
Lincoln looked at Clyde for a long time, silently taking in everything the nerdy boy had said. The rest of Lincoln's friends watched on in silence, waiting to see what would happen.
Eventually Lincoln let out a deep sigh. "I can understand that, to some extent. My sisters and I are…chaotic at best. But I needed my best friend, and you turned your back on me."
Clyde lowered his head in sadness, waiting to hear what his friend's final verdict would be.
"But I believe in second chances," Lincoln continued, causing Clydes' head to shoot up in shock.
Lincoln looked at each of his friends. "I forgive each of you for abandoning me like you did. But it's going to take some time to rebuild our friendship, so I'm giving you the same chance I'm giving my family."
Lincoln lifted up a single figure to emphasize his point. "I want to hang out with you guys, and try to rebuild our relationship. Since you hurt me the most, Clyde, it will be a one on one hangout, just you and me, ok?"
Clyde nodded, with tears in his eyes and a small smile on his face. The rest of Lincoln's friends also expressed their enthusiasm for repairing their friendship. Soon they each began to ask different questions, especially about Pokemon, which Lincoln answered to the best of his abilities.
Soon the rest of the Louds would filter into the room, where Lincoln would spend a few minutes chatting with each of them before ending the call.
When he was done, he looked towards Lana, LJ, and May and saw them looking at Pancham who was now awake and looking around. Walking up to them he could hear parts of their conversation.
"So she just appeared out of nowhere?" asked LJ.
"Yeah, I have no idea where she came from, but if she hadn't I could've been really hurt," said May.
"Can I hold her?" asked Lana. She slowly reached a hand out to pet the Playful Pokemon, but when seeing her hand approaching, Pancham buried her face in May's chest, refusing to meet Lana's gaze.
"I think she's shy," said Lincoln as he approached. Everyone turned to look at the white haired boy, concerned looks on their faces.
"Hey bro," said LJ, "How'd your chat with Clyde and them go?"
"It went…okay I guess," said Lincoln. "I'm giving them a shot to earn back my trust, but it's gonna take some time."
"That's cool," said Lana, "It's not good to hold a grudge"
Lincoln nodded in agreement before turning back to May, who was making cooing noises at the Pancham in her arms.
"So what are you going to do with that Pancham?" he asked.
May looked at him, before looking back down at the Pokemon in her arms.
"I think I'm going to get her looked at at the Pokemon Center, then maybe see about having her join my team."
"That's cool." said Lincoln, "Now that I've gotten my second badge, all we have left to do in Dewford is deliver that letter to Steven Stone."
"Did you say Steven Stone?" said a voice.
Turning towards the sound of the voice the group was surprised to see Brawly walking towards them.
"Hey Brawly," said LJ. "Where are you heading off to?"
Brawly smiled, causing the sporty Loud girl to blush slightly. "I'm just off to get my Pokemon healed incase there are any more challengers for today."
Turning back to Lincoln, Brawly continued, "Now what were you saying about Steven?"
"Do you know him?" asked Lincoln.
"Yeah, he and I are good friends and he often stops by to visit whenever he's in the area."
"Do you know where he is now?" Lincoln asked, "His dad asked us to deliver a letter to him while we're here in Dewford Town."
Brawly nodded, "Well he might be in Granite Cave. He's been studying some archeological discovery that was recently made there, so that'd be your best bet."
Lincoln and LJ briefly remembered seeing loads of archeologists blocking one of the paths in Granite Cave, and nodded.
"Thanks, Brawly!" Lincoln said, "We'll head there just after visiting the Pokemon Center."
"Glad to help!" said the Gym Leader before he left the Gym and made his way to the Pokemon Center.
The group followed soon after but before they could get to the Pokemon Center, LJ stopped and gave a long stretch.
"Welp, I think it's about time I head back to Royal Woods," she said, "As much fun as this has been I don't think I'm needed for you to deliver some mail."
Lincoln nodded before giving his sister a hug. The group then continued on their way to the Pokemon Center, where Lincoln had the nurse check his Pokemon, while LJ went to her room and packed her stuff. Shortly after, the group met back in the Pokemon Center lobby, where Lana and Lincoln gave LJ a massive group hug. Lana then pushed the button on the watch to open the dimensional portal.
"I'm glad we did this." said Lincoln, "I had a blast."
"Me too." said LJ. She then turned to Lana and May.
"You two keep a close eye on him, okay." Lana gave a salute, while May smiled and nodded. LJ then turned and was about to step into the Portal when Lincoln stopped her.
"LJ, wait just one second," he said. LJ stopped and looked back at her brother, a look of confusion on her face. Lincoln stepped up to the Sporty girl and handed her Passimian's Pokeball. LJ's eyes widened in shock before she looked at her brother.
"I want you to have Passimian," he said. "I already checked with the Pokemon League and it's perfectly fine to give Pokemon as gifts to people who are not trainers, as long as the Pokemon is cared for and the original trainer does routine check-ups."
"But why Passimian," LJ asked, "Isn't she one of your strongest Pokemon?"
Lincoln took a deep breath, "Passimian doesn't like me that much. I think it's because I'm not that athletic. But I've seen how she interacts with you, you two are absolutely perfect for each other, so much so that I know Passimian would be much much happier with you."
Lincoln looked his sister in her eyes, the sporty girl's eyes tearing up slightly as he spoke.
"Think of this as a sign that our relationship is fixed." he said, "I trust that you'll take excellent care of Passimian."
LJ lunged forward, wrapping her brother in a bone crushing hug, thanking him for the gift. With that she once again moved towards the portal, before she was stopped once again.
"One last thing!" said Lincoln, "The next place we're headed for is a town called Slateport City, where May has another contest. There's also a small cooking competition that I think Dad would like to attend so please let him know when you get back."
LJ nodded, before stepping into the portal, which closed behind her. Lincoln stood there for a minute before heading to check on his Pokemon, May and Lana following close behind.
-=o=-
"I think Pancham has adopted you as its new mother," said Nurse Joy. Lincoln had successfully retrieved his Pokemon after which May asked Nurse Joy to check on the Pancham in her arms. They soon discovered that Pancham was only a few days old, which made it very unusual that it was wandering around by itself.
"It thinks I'm its mom?" asked May. Nurse Joy nodded.
"Something about you must remind it of its mother, so it's latched onto you."
"So what should I do now?" May asked. Nurse Joy thought for a second before answering.
"I think it's best that you take it with you." She said, "Due to its age and the fact that it's bonded with you would make it difficult to survive by itself."
May nodded, before taking out a Pokeball and holding it towards the Pancham in her arms.
"Would you like to come with me Pancham?" she asked in a kind voice.
Pancham looked at the girl then looked down at the Pokeball and lightly slapped it, being drawn into it where it locked without any trouble. May then immediately let Pancham out of the ball so that she could carry it in her arms.
The group then left the Pokemon Center, making their way north towards Granite Cave. As they walked May, carefully fed Pancham due to it being so young. After a few more minutes of walking they could see the entrance to the cave in the distance.
Soon they were passing through the entrance to the cave, and carefully made their way down the path. They eventually came to the same fork in the path that Lincoln and LJ had come across earlier, only this time there were no archeologists blocking the path. After walking down a small incline, they soon entered a vast chamber completely devoid of any adornments other than what looked like a large mural on the opposite wall. Standing at the base of the wall was a tall man who looked to be in his twenties with bluish gray spiky hair.
The man was wearing a black three piece suit with a purple vest over a white collared shirt and a large red tie. He had several rings on his fingers and the cuffs of his jacket were made of a crown shaped metal that wrapped around his wrists like bracelets. He was also wearing a small pin on the lapel of his jacket which had a small rainbow colored gem embedded at the tip.
The man was staring at the wall intently looking at the mural in a combination of curiosity and awe. As the group made their way they could hear the man talking to himself as he looked at the wall and as they got closer they could make out part of what he was saying.
"…Mm-hmm," said the Man, "So in the ancient world, their Primal Forms once held this much power…? The super-ancient Pokémon… What terrible strength… But this appearance here… It seems somehow different from Mega Evolution… Hmm. It seems my questions will not be answered today."
It was then that the man noticed the group approaching him and he turned to face them.
"Hm?" he said, "And you are…?" Lincoln held out his hand in greeting which the man took in his own giving it a firm shake.
"Hi, my name is Lincoln Loud," said the white haired boy, "And this is my little sister Lana, and my best friend May."
"Hi mister!" said Lana.
"It's nice to meet you." said May.
"Ah, I see. It's a pleasure to meet you all," said the man. "My apologies. My name is Steven Stone. I'm interested in rare stones, so I travel here and there. Today my journey brought me here, but what about you?"
Lincoln reached into his back and produced the letter that President Stone had entrusted to him before handing to Steven.
"Oh, a letter for me?" said Steven. He then took the letter and opened it, giving it a quick read as a small smile formed on his face. When he finished he turned back to the group of trainers.
"Why, thank you very much for delivering this." said Steven, "It must have been some trouble to track me down. I suppose I must repay you in some way. "
Steven then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small CD like object and handed it to Lincoln.
"Here this is the TM for my favorite move, Steel Wing. Please accept it as a token of my gratitude."
Steven then turned back towards the wall before addressing the group once more.
"If you don't mind me asking," said Steven, "Do you feel anything in particular when you look up at this wall? A primal world, lost thousands of years in the past…"
Lincoln and Co. looked up at the all and gazed in awe as they took in the sight of the massive mural. It depicted two gigantic Pokémon locked in what looked like an epic battle. One looked almost like a large dinosaur, with two symbols vaguely reminiscent of the Greek letter for Omega. It was surrounded by erupting volcanoes and was breathing out large plumes of fire as the people around it fled in terror.
The other side of the mural showed a massive whale-like Pokemon with symbols that looked like the Greek letter for Alpha on its large flipper-like arms. It was surrounded by immense waves as bolts of lightning flashed around it, and just as with the other part of the mural, people were fleeing in terror as they were swept up in the flood.
In the middle of the two fighting Pokemon a meteor in the shape of a triangle descended from the sky, adding another layer of suffering to the surrounding people.
The three trainers looked back at Steven when he continued speaking.
"A primal world, lost thousands of years in the past…Two Legendary Pokémon of tremendous power became humanity's greatest threat… The terror aroused by that power is clear to see in this ancient artwork."
Lana gulped in fear before looking up at her older brother.
"Is it possible for Pokemon to be that powerful?" she asked.
Lincoln nodded, then answered. "It's possible, but very rare. It's why most Pokemon that have that level of power are called Legendary Pokemon."
May gulped as well, "That's terrifying."
"Yes. But not all power is terrible." said Steven, "Your Pokémon are clearly quite capable of immense power as well."
Steven looked at Lincoln and his companions before continuing. "Looking at you all together… I think that you have in you what it takes to become a Pokémon League Champion, Lincoln. As long as you keep training, that is."
Lincoln smiled, "I plan on it. I know I'm going to become the next Champion."
Steven smiled as well. "Good luck to you on that."
The man then took his leave of the group as the three trainers continued to look up at the mural of the two fighting Pokemon. Lincoln took out his phone and quickly took a picture of the mural as he figured Lisa (and possibly Lucy) would be interested in such a discovery.
Shortly after the trio soon made their way back towards Dewford Town. As they reached the town, Lana spoke up.
"So what's the plan now that you got your badge and delivered the letter." she asked.
"Well like I told Lynn," said Lincoln, "There's a Pokemon Contest happening in Slateport City in a few days, right May?"
May nodded. "Yeah, I'm kinda excited because there's supposed to be a really famous guest judge in attendance."
"And my next badge is in Mauville City, which is just north of Slateport," said Lincoln.
Lana nodded then asked a follow up question.
"So how are we getting to Slateport?" she asked.
Lincoln and May stopped and looked at each other. They hadn't thought about how they were going to travel to the next city, and they weren't sure if they had enough money to book passage on a ship.
Before they could come up with any ideas, a familiar sounding squawk came from above and a familiar looking Wingull landed on Lincoln's head.
"Peeko! There you are!" said a familiar voice.
The group turned to see Mr. Briney jogging towards them. When both parties recognized each other they all smiled.
"Hi Mr. Briney!" said Lana. "How are you?"
"Hello children!" said Mr. Briney. "I'm doing fine, thank you. You know it's lucky that I managed to run into you."
The group looked at each other before Lincoln responded.
"Why is that?" he asked.
Mr. Briney smiled before pulling a small package from his bag.
"I just got a message from President Stone. He's asked if you would be able to deliver the Devon Parts you had retrieved from Team Magma, to a man in Slateport City named Stern. And he's specifically asked if I would be the one to get you there, which I said yes to."
Lincoln and Co. smiled in excitement as their travel issue had been resolved by sheer luck. After rushing back to the Pokemon Center to collect their possessions, the three trainers met back up with Mr. Briney at the Deford Town docks, where they boarded the old man's ship and cast off towards Slateport City.
As Dewford Town disappeared behind them the three trainers smiled as they remembered all the adventures they had there, before gazing towards the horizon in anticipation of their next adventure.
While they watched they were unaware of Lana's egg moving slightly within her bag, while also emitting a very faint light that shone briefly before fading away.
Meanwhile in Royal Woods, the Louds were sitting around the living room listening as LJ told them all about the past few days she spent with Lincoln, and how he had given her Passimian as a sign of their repaired relationship. The sisters and parents looked at the new Pokemon with a mixture of hope and nervousness, while Passimian was playing with Lily, all while being remarkably gentle with the toddler.
Lynn Sr. in particular seemed the most nervous as he knew he was going to be the next member of the family to spend some time with Lincoln, and he could only hope their next meeting ended half as well as LJ's did.
-=o=-
A/N So Lincoln and Co. are now on their way to Slateport City where May will have her next Contest and Lincoln will try to reconnect with his dad. But before that the group will have a brief encounter with a certain pirate themed organization that is dead set on causing mayhem on a shipwreck turned nature preserve. See you then.
Lincoln
Pokemon on Team: Lynn (Combusken (F)), Kirlia(F)*, Carvanha(M), Lola (Bounsweet (F)), Joltik(F), Passimian(F)
Pokemon in Storage: Phantump(F), Zigzagoon(M), Wingull(M), Slakoth(M), Shroomish(M), Carvanha(M), Skitty(M), Wrath (Taillow(M)), Makuhita(M), Sableye(F), Mawile(F), Geodude(M), Aron(M)*, Aron x3 (M/M/F)
Loud House: Whismur(M), Abra(F), Mimikyu(F), Dratini(M)
May
Pokemon on Team: Marshtomp(M), Beautifly(F), Skitty(F), Feebas(F), Pancham(F)
Lana
Pokemon on Team: Lizzy (Treecko (F)), Scar (Poochyena(M)), Wormy (Dustox(F)), Ninjask(M), Paras (M), Pokemon Egg(N/A)
Pokemon in Storage: Magikarp(F)*
Loud House: Shedinja (X)
LJ
Pokemon on Team: Passimian(F)
*denotes shiny Pokemon