Kanto Gets Loud
(Pokemon X Loud House Story)
Chapter 5: Setting Out At Last!
Meanwhile, back at the Loud House, day time
Rita had just finished helping Lucy and Lisa install a barrier device around the Video Phone in the latter's room, "Ok, that should do it. At least now, we can be certain that the Video Phone will be safe," Lisa said, as she tested out the energy barrier around the desk where the Videophone was installed on.
"Our next step is to figure out a way we can show Lincoln that we want to make amends," Lucy commented. Rita then noticed a box labeled "Sister Fight Protocol Necessities".
"We can all try to figure out a way to make amends on our own, sweetie. But on a completely unrelated note, have you girls made any sort of progress with fixing the Sister Fight Protocol? I'd rather not have a repeat of the test run," Rita asked.
"'Test run'? What test run?" Lisa asked.
"When Lori and Leni were fighting over that dress. You girls don't honestly think your father and I would actually allow such a system to be used for real for something so petty, do you?" Rita asked.
"But that was a real deal," Lisa replied.
"Well, during the whole thing, I've noticed how you girls were making things much harder for Lincoln than necessary. I mean, come on! Blocking off entire sections of the house that everyone should be able to use? Kicking your brother out of his own bedroom? It's painfully clear that with that many holes, that whole fiasco cannot be labeled as anything more than a trial run," Rita explained.
"Well... I suppose you raise a valid point," Lisa replied.
"And what happens if Lincoln gets into a fight with one of you? Are you just going to take the sister's side and gang up on him until he admits defeat, even when he's right to be mad?" Rita asked.
"Ok. I'll go ahead and reevaluate the entire Protocol. At least this way, Lincoln won't feel alienated," Lisa relented.
"That's all I ask," Rita replied, as she took her leave.
"It's moments like this that we really need to reflect on how badly we've treated our brother," Lucy commented.
"Without question. But knowing Lynn's superego, she's bound to find some excuse to justify her detestable actions," Lisa replied.
"Lori and Lola might be the same way, but we can worry about them later. For now, we need to figure out how the two of us are going to get Lincoln to forgive us," Lucy replied, as she left the bedroom herself. Lisa took a look at the Sister Fight Protocol box, and sighed.
"I never should've been so prideful," she quietly said.
Professor Oak's Lab, the next morning,
Lincoln was sleeping soundly, along side Pikachu, as day light shone in through the window, causing both of them to stir in their sleep, " * Yawn * Morning, Pikachu," Lincoln greeted.
"Morning already?" Pikachu asked groggily, as they both got out of bed.
"Yep. And today's the big day! We're setting out on an adventure through Kanto!" Lincoln replied, as he got a change of clothes, and went to get dressed in his usual attire.
"Sweet, road trip!" Pikachu whooped.
"Right, but before anything else, we should go see about getting the things I'm going to need to be an official trainer from the Professor," Lincoln replied, as the two of them exited the room, and made their way to the main lab area, where the Professor was in the process of letting Gary, along with two other kids choose their Pokemon.
"I've already decided on my Partner Pokemon! I choose Squirtle!" Gary proclaimed.
"And I want to go with Bulbasaur!" a second boy decided. He was wearing a red baseball hat and vest, and blue jeans, and had black hair underneath his hat.
"And that means I get to go with my pick, Charmander!" the only girl among the three of them stated. She was wearing a black dress, with long, brown hair reaching all the way down to her hips.
"Then so be it! Here are each of their Pokeballs," Professor Oak said, handing each of them their respective Pokeballs, as they approached their chosen partner Pokemon.
"Let's work together, Bulbasuar," the cap wearing boy said, firing a laser from the Pokeball at Bulbasaur, turning it into red energy, and sucking it into the Pokeball.
"I'm glad we're going to be friends, Charmander," the girl said, doing the same thing to Charmander.
"I know I can count on you, Squirtle," Gary said, as he also recalled Squirtle into the Pokeball.
"Excellent. Now then, I'll distribute each of your Pokedexs," Professor Oak said. It was then that he took notice of Lincoln, "Ah, excellent timing, Mr. Loud!" he exclaimed, which caught the attention of Gary and the other two kids.
"So this is the American who's starting his journey alongside us?" the cap wearing boy asked.
"Indeed, Red. This is Lincoln Loud, from Royal Woods, Michigan. Lincoln, allow me to introduce you to Red Satoshi and Leaf Rose," Professor Oak said, introducing Lincoln to the other two new trainers, and vice versa.
"Pleased to meet you, Lincoln," Leaf said.
"Likewise," Red added.
"It's nice to meet the two of you too," Lincoln replied.
"Can we get a move on? Some of us have plans to get out on the road this century!" Gary called out, causing the other three trainers to give him annoyed looks.
"Although crudely delivered, it is true that the four of you should get started on your journeys. With that in mind, I shall now present each of you with your Pokedexs, Pokeballs, and Trainer ID cards," Professor Oak said, as he gave each of them a Pokedex, along with five Pokeballs, and ID cards, "Your Trainer Ids will act as a sort of credit card that you can use to go shopping. You can obtain more money for your bank accounts by winning battles or selling unnecessary items," he briefly explained.
"So we just have to make sure that our loss ratio is kept to a minimum, correct?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes. But as I said, you can also sell items you don't need during your travels at the Pokemarts located at the Pokemon Centers. Speaking of which, you four will need to register for the Pokemon League at the nearest Pokemon Center," Professor Oak explained, as he led the four of them to the front of his lab.
"The closest one from here is in Viridian City," Leaf chimed in.
"Correct, and Viridian City sits just north of Pallet Town, just beyond Route 1," Professor Oak replied, as they reached the door. Opening it, the five of them saw a large crowd of people at the bottom of the steps.
"Whoa, what's all this?" Lincoln asked.
"Everyone in town is here to see us off, apparently," Red replied, as the descended the stairs.
"People of Pallet Town, I swear that I will make the Town of Pallet known worldwide, as I embark on this journey to master the ways of the Pokemon!" Gary declared, getting a big round of applause. He then leaped into a brand new looking sports car, with a group of girls in the back.
"GARY, GARY, HE'S OUR MAN, IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN!" they cheered, as the car drove off.
"Is he like that a lot?" Lincoln asked.
"Unfortunately, yes. Since he is the Professor's Grandson, he kind of let the fame go to his head, making him believe that he's the best Pallet Town has to offer," Red replied, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, in any case, we should all get going too," Leaf said, as she and Red took off, leaving Lincoln and Pikachu with the Professor.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Professor," Lincoln said.
"You're most welcome, Mr. Loud. And remember what I advised about contacting your family," Professor Oak said. Lincoln had an uneasy look on his face at the mention of his family, but maintained his composure. His uneasiness did not go unnoticed by Pikachu.
"I'll see about contacting them when I get to Viridian City," Lincoln replied, only to realize something, "Wait, am I able to call them from Kanto?" he asked.
"You should be able to. The Video Phone I gave Albert to give to your family should be installed by now," Professor Oak replied.
"I see. Well, in any case, I'll be in contact, with both my family and you," Lincoln said, as he and Pikachu began to walk off.
"Good luck on your journey, Mr. Loud!" Professor Oak called out. Lincoln waved back to him, as he and Pikachu set out on their adventure.
Later that day, on Route 1,
"Ok, so according to what we were told, this path should take us directly to Viridian City," Lincoln said, as he an Pikachu walked along a dirt path through an open field.
"Say, Lincoln, would it be alright if I asked you about your family? You seemed uncomfortable at the mention of them," Pikachu asked. Lincoln sighed, as he had a feeling this would come up.
"Well, the Professor told me that the most important thing on this journey is trust, so I'll tell you, but it's kind of a long story," Lincoln replied, as he explained his situation to Pikachu, who was aghast at what he had just heard.
"Your sister labeled 'bad luck' for a she at a softball game?!" Pikachu exclaimed.
"Yeah, but I did make it worse by lying about the whole thing instead of being honest. I sure learned my lesson from this mess," Lincoln replied.
"Normally, I would say something about how dumb it was to lie about something like that, but I think you've had FAR more punishment than necessary," Pikachu stated.
"Thanks for that, Pikachu. But in any case, since we're out here, should we try to catch a Pokemon?" Lincoln asked.
"It would be smart to try and beef up the team a bit," Pikachu replied.
"Great! So, what kind of Pokemon do you think we can find in this area?" Lincoln asked.
"I've been through here tons of times. The most I've seen are Pidgey and Rattata, fairly common Pokemon, and easy to catch," Pikachu explained.
"Hmm, well, maybe having a Flying Type wouldn't hurt. That way, if we get lost, we can have some eyes in the sky," Lincoln commented, as the two of them began to look around. They soon found a small brown and yellow pigeon like Pokemon.
"There's a Pidgey!" Lincoln quietly said, pulling out his Pokedex, and pointing it at Pidgey.
"Pidgey, the Tiny Bird Pokemon, a Normal and Flying Type. Pidgey is docile by nature, and dislikes fighting. Despite this, it will flap it's wings to kick up sand as a cover to get away. This Female Pidgey is Level 2, and knows that move Tackle," the Pokedex explained.
"Hmm, not much to offer, but it'll still be worth it to catch it. Ready Pikachu?" Lincoln asked.
"You bet!" Pikachu replied, as they engaged the Pidgey.
"Now, what moves can Pikachu use?" Lincoln asked, as he pointed his Pokedex at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, the Mouse Pokemon, an Electric Type. It likes to use it's electricity to roast berries before eating. It stores electricity in the electric sacs on it's cheeks. This Male Pikachu is Level 10, and it's usable moves are Thundershock, Tail Whip, and Quick Attack," the Pokedex explained.
"Ok, a fairly decent line up. Alright Pikachu, let's start off with a Thundershock!" Lincoln instructed.
"You got it!" Pikachu replied, as he fired off a Thundershock, which Pidgey was promptly able to dodge.
"Can't a Pokemon enjoy a nice day in peace?! Take this! Sand Attack!" Pidgey yelled, as she flapped her wings, and kicked up a large cloud of sand, blinding boy Lincoln and Pikachu, as she flew off.
"No, wait!" Lincoln yelled, throwing a Pokeball at Pidgey, attempting to catch the Tiny Bird Pokemon, but to no avail, as the ball just fell to the ground, "Dang it," Lincoln grumbled, as he collected the Pokeball.
"Well, there are still other Pidgey out here that we can try to catch," Pikachu commented.
"Right. Let's keep searching," Lincoln replied. Just then, both of their stomachs began to grumble, "Oh yeah, we were so excited to hit the road, we forgot about breakfast," Lincoln sighed, as he rummaged through his backpack.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have any of that red stuff that humans put on food, would you?" Pikachu asked.
"'Red stuff'? You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that," Lincoln replied.
"I think I saw a picture of a tomato on the bottle. I think it was called 'catch-up' or something," Pikachu explained.
"Afraid not, but we can hit up a grocery store when we get to Viridian City and stock up on food supplies. For now, this will have to hold us over," Lincoln replied, as he pulled out a sandwich and a big red apple. He gave the piece of fruit to Pikachu who began to happily eat away at it. Lincoln began to chow down on the sandwich himself, "So, you like ketchup on it's own?"
"Yeah, it tastes amazing!" Pikachu replied.
"I can agree with you on that, if it's with another type of food like hamburgers or fries, but on it's own, that seems like a bit much," Lincoln replied, as he finished his sandwich. Pikachu had just finished eating the apple down to the core, "Alright, now that we've been fed, we can keep searching for Pokemon," Lincoln commented, as they continued down the path.