Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 68: Primeape Goes Bananas
Meanwhile, at the Loud House,
The Loud Sisters, along with Rita, had all returned home, having a fulfilling day at either school or work, which, in the former's case, would've been better if not for a small handful of students calling them out for their actions towards Lincoln, "Well, at least we're back home again," Luna commented.
"Yeah, today was every bit as uncomfortable as yesterday was with everyone glaring at us," Lola added.
"It's bound to be that way for a while. We may have earned our brother's forgiveness, but convincing everyone of that fact won't be easy," Lisa replied.
"Yeah, even with the video I published the other day with clips of Lincoln forgiving us, it may take time for everyone to believe that," Luan added.
"Well, you know what they say, 'time heals all wounds'," Rita replied, before remembering something, "Oh, that reminds me, girls, we have someone special visiting us today." This peaked her daughter's interest.
"A visitor? Wonder who it could be?" Luan wondered.
"Well, you're all about to find out," Rita said, as she opened the door, allowing them all inside. There, they saw Lilliana, along with Akuma and Kiken, who were asked by Rita to watch over Lily for the day.
"Lilliana? Akuma and Kiken too? I mean, I get that they're important people, and all, but," Lola was gently cut off by Rita.
"No, sweetie. While it is true that they are here to keep an eye on Lily, the guest I'm talking about came by my workplace earlier today," she said, before looking towards the doorway, "And there he is now!" the girls turned to see none other than…
"GRAMPS!" they exclaimed in joy and surprise.
"Hey there, girls!" Leonard exclaimed, embracing his granddaughters.
"We've missed you so much, Gramps!" Lola exclaimed.
"And I've missed you girls too," Leonard replied, before breaking off the embrace. He then noticed Lilliana and the others, "Ah, haven't seen you folks in quite a long time."
"Nor have we seen you," Akuma replied.
"Wait, Gramps, you know the Royals from the Monster Realm?" Lana asked.
"Yeah. When Mom told me about the deal she made for that spell book, I was a bit skeptical, but I became a believer when I first met these guys. Since then, I've been travelling the world, wanting to explore and uncover the mysteries it holds. And naturally, that had me going to one of the Regions that Lincoln's been travelling around," Leonard replied, before noticing something, "By the way, where are Lori, and Leni, and Junior?"
"Do you want the long version or the short version? Basically, Leni's helping chaperone some of Lincoln's friends as they conduct research for a lab they're all staying at in Kanto, and Lori and Lynn got checked into… *gulp* the Fountain Heights Psychiatric Sanitorium!" Luan shuddered, as thunder and lightning cracked in the background.
"Ok, how is there thunder and lightning when there isn't a cloud in the sky?" Kiken questioned.
"That's a mystery we can't solve," Lisa replied.
"Even the author doesn't know the answer," Lucy added.
"Well, good to see that Leni's being a part of something big. As for Lori and Junior, yeesh, I'd hate to be in their shoes," Leonard shuddered at the thought of the sanitorium.
"Well, they brought it all upon themselves. They chose to act like entitled brats, so now, they're getting a punishment to thoroughly teach them a lesson," Rita replied.
"And by that, you mean how Junior accused Lincoln of being 'bad luck', right?" Leonard asked. The remaining Louds tensed up. They knew this conversation was inevitable.
"Y-Yeah. It was kind of stupid of us for buying into such as superstition," Luna replied.
"Well, why not take it from the top and tell me everything that happened," Leonard requested, as they all took seats alongside the royals.
Meanwhile, at Professor Oak's Lab,
Professor Oak was enjoying a nice cup of tea with some cakes in his tatami room, while watching the morning news, "Ah, now this is how to start a new day," he said, as he continued to enjoy his morning, just as beeping was heard. He turned to the source, and saw Inferna, holding up the Video Phone, with the screen saying "incoming call", "Ah, thanks a lot, Inferna."
"You're most welcome, Professor," Inferna replied, setting the Videophone on the table. Professor Oak then picked up the line. The screen turned on to reveal Lincoln's face.
"Hey there, Professor! Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time," Lincoln greeted.
"Not at all, Mr. Loud. I was wondering when I would hear from you again. I haven't received any activity from you since you sent over that Grimer and Muk," Professor Oak said, cringing at the odor the two Poison Pokemon emitted.
Lincoln scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, well, I did have six Pokemon when I caught them. Anyhow, I'm calling to let you know that we're on Route 8, and nearing Celadon City."
"Ah, Celadon City is a great place to go for a Gym Battle. It's also one of the two largest cities in the entire Kanto Region. I assume you know which Pokemon you'll want to use?" Professor Oak asked.
"Yeah. I've heard that the Celadon City Gym Leader Specializes in Grass Types, so I want to put Inferna, Buzzerker, and Heracross into the next Gym Battle," Lincoln replied, just as Inferna popped her head into the screen, "Speaking of, how've you been, Inferna?"
"Things have been just great here at the Lab, Lincoln. Everyone's constantly training to improve their moves and grow stronger. After all, we all want to help you out at the Pokemon League as much as possible," Inferna replied.
"That's good to hear," Lincoln replied.
"Though there is one exception to that little rule," Inferna admitted.
"Let me guess; Selena?"
"Yeah, she just won't cooperate with anyone, and she refuses to train with us," Inferna replied.
"*sigh*, What am I going to do with that one?" Lincoln questioned.
"If I may ask, what are you and Inferna talking about?" Professor Oak asked curiously.
"Well, Inferna's telling me that, with the exception of Selena, my Kantonian Meowth, everyone's working hard to better their battling skills at your lab, all for the sake of helping me out at the Pokemon League," Lincoln replied.
"Hmm, well, it is good that your Pokemon do want to help you out, but you will need to lay down the law on Selena before too long. After all, a team is only as strong as the weakest link," Professor Oak replied.
"I get that, but I don't know how I should do it. She doesn't exactly respect me as a trainer, and wants me to bribe her with either money or something shiny in order to do something," Lincoln replied, before he gets an idea, "But what if she were to somehow get a taste of her own medicine?"
"How so?" Professor Oak asked.
"I don't know, but I'm sure if we can somehow show Selena how it feels to be on the receiving end of her bratty attitude, then maybe she'll learn to start cooperating," Lincoln replied, thinking about a similar event back home that happened sometime before the bad luck mess.
"Hmm, just as long as you don't do anything to cause harm to her, then I say go for it," Professor Oak replied.
"I don't plan on ever doing anything to harm my Pokemon. Maybe give them some tough training, sure, but nothing that wouldn't be able to handle," Lincoln replied.
"Hmm, good to hear. Just be sure not to push them or yourself too hard. Treat your Pokemon fairly, and they'll return the favor in battle," Professor Oak explained.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Professor."
"Good. I look forward to hearing about your gym battle," Professor Oak replied, as he hung up, "Well, sounds like Lincoln's doing pretty well for himself. Still, regarding his Meowth, Selena, I wonder how he'll get her to come round?" Inferna left the room, and headed out into the pastures.
"I can't afford to let my trainer down. After all, he did help rescue Damian, and I will never take that kindness he showed for granted in any way, shape, or form," she said to herself.
Back with Lincoln,
Lincoln was walking back down the road from the Video Phone he was using to regroup with Brock and Misty, who were enjoying some rice balls, "Well, look who made it back!" Misty said, seeing Lincoln heading back their way.
"So, what'd you talk to the Professor about?" Brock asked.
"We were talking about our next destination being Celadon City, and my strategy for taking on the leader there, as well as how to deal with Selena's bratty behavior," Lincoln replied, sitting down next to them.
"So, do you have an idea on how you want to go about doing it?" Misty asked.
"I do, but the problem is how exactly I'm going to do it. Selena hasn't been cooperative with any of us since day one of her being on the team, unless there's something in it for her," Lincoln replied, as Brock handed him a rice ball, "Thanks Brock," he said, as he took a bite out of it.
"Well, she did seem rather aggressive when we first encountered her. After all, she nearly attacked Misty just for taking a used Water Stone," Brock replied.
"Yeah. One of these days, her bratty behavior will get her into a mess even she can't weasel her way out of. I need to reign her in before that does happen," Lincoln replied, finishing up the rice ball he was given. It was then that they saw something poke its head out of the bushes. It looked to be a little, beige monkey Pokemon with a pig snout, "Hey, I think I remember encountering one of those Pokemon when we were looking for Damian!" he exclaimed, as he scanned it.
"Mankey, the Pig Monkey Pokemon, a Fighting Type. Extremely quick to anger. It can be docile one moment, then thrashing away the next moment. This Male Mankey is Level 34, and knows the moves Scratch, Leer, Seismic Toss, Close Combat, Thrash, Assurance, Cross Chop, Swagger, Focus Energy, Low Kick, and the Egg Move Counter," Dexter explained, as Mankey approached the three in curiosity.
"People! People! Funny people!" Mankey chittered away, bouncing around.
"This one seems awfully friendly," Lincoln commented.
"Still, we should try to avoid antagonizing it. Mankey are known to be dangerous when angered, and their evolved form, Primeape, are said to be even worse," Brock advised. Mankey walked over, and started sniffing the rice balls.
"Food! Food! Yummy smelling food!" Mankey chittered happily.
"Could this one be hungry?" Misty wondered.
"Well, I see no harm in giving it a rice ball," Brock replied, offering one to Mankey, who eagerly accepted it. It then climbed to the top of a nearby rock, and started eating away at it.
"Well, I guess it likes the rice ball," Lincoln commented.
"Yeah. Well, we should probably get going. We don't know if there are any other Mankey, or even any Primeape in the area, and I'd rather not be on the receiving end of their anger," Misty commented, looking around.
"She's right. When either one gets really angry, it's nearly impossible to escape from them," Brock added, as he and Lincoln stood up.
"Well, if you guys say so," Lincoln replied.
"You humans leaving?" Mankey asked.
"Yeah, we have to get to the next town before sundown. You take care now, Mankey," Lincoln replied, as the trio began to walk away, when…
"I just heard a twerpish voice," a familiar woman's voice said.
"Introductions are now, that is our choice!" a familiar man's voice said, as Jessie and James
emerged from behind a nearby tree.
"Travelling the world, plundering it's rarest resources!"
"All to enhance our own personal forces!"
"This trio shall not be stopped by the law!"
"We do what we want, while you stand in awe!"
"Jessie, the fiery temptress of villany!"
"Technical Master James, that is me!"
"We're an independent team of criminals, fighting for our rights!"
"Give up now, you can never win any sort of fights!"
"WE'RE THE X-ROCKETS! TRAVELLING NIGHT AND DAY!"
"And with Meowth, the price you'll surely pay!"
"Oh great, isn't being lame enough for one day?" Lincoln quipped.
"Oh, nice zinger! Who told you that one, Professor Oak?" James sarcastically asked.
"It doesn't matter, James!" Jessie yelled at her cohort, before pointing at Lincoln and friends, "What does matter is that we finally get our revenge on making our lives a living hell!" she said, whipping out a Pokeball, as did James.
"Oh great, another battle with these clowns. Just great," Lincoln sarcastically remarked.
"Arbok, go!" Jessie said, sending out Arbok.
"Go, Gurdurr!" James said, sending out Gurdurr, who yawned in a bored manner.
"Looks like they won't let us through without a fight. So lets give them one! Go, Fearow!" Lincoln said, sending out Fearow.
"Bronzong, you're up too!" Brock said, sending out Bronzong. The stand-off was tense, but it was cut short, as Mankey walked over to the X-Rockets, looking all over them.
"Gurdurr, use Brutal Swing and get this thing out of here!" James said. Gurdurr yawned, before swinging it's metal beam around, smacking Mankey a good distance away.
"Ah, he really shouldn't have done that!" Misty exclaimed in terror. And she was right to be scared, because Mankey got up, a furious expression now etched onto its face, its eyes glowing.
"Now then, without any sort of pests getting in the way, we'll now battle it out with you guys!" Jessie proclaimed.
"I get that you want to battle us, but I think you've got bigger problems to worry about," Brock replied.
"Like what? You can't talk your way out o' this!" Meowth grinned smugly.
"Like Mankey for instance," Brock replied.
"And what pray tell is a 'Mankey'?" Jessie questioned.
"Must've been that thing that I had Gurdurr smack away," James theorized.
"Yeah, and it's right over there," Lincoln nervously said, as he and Brock recalled their Pokemon. The X-Rockets turned to see that Mankey was indeed standing there, looking quite angry, just as it began glowing brightly. It grew much larger, and its tail retracted into its body. When the light dissipated, Mankey was replaced with an even angrier looking monkey like Pokemon. It was rounder in shape, and the beige coloring was darker, and it appeared to be wearing boxing gloves, and had a noticeable vein sticking out of the side of its head, signifying its overwhelming anger.
"I-I-I-I-IT EVOLVED!" Jessie and James exclaimed, holding onto one another.
"Is that a Primeape?" Lincoln wondered, as he scanned it.
"Primeape, the Pig Monkey Pokemon, a Fighting Type, and the evolved form of Mankey. It becomes wildly angry if it even senses someone looking at it. It chases anyone who meets its glare," Dexter explained.
"GRRRRRAAAAH! I WAS JUST TRYING TO BE FRIENDLY, AND I GET SMACKED AWAY FOR NO REASON! AND NOW I DON'T HAVE A TAIL ANYMORE! NOW I WANT TO JUST DEMOLISH EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!" Primeape yelled.
"Whoa, I didn't expect something like that," Lincoln flinched from hearing Primeape's outburst.
"Like we care what it's so angry about! All that matters, is…" Jessie didn't get a chance to finish, as Primeape punched her in the back, sending her flying face first into a rock, causing it to split perfectly in two.
"Oh dear!" James exclaimed in terror.
"That Primeape don't know what it has wrought!" Meowth exclaimed equally as fearful as James, just as Jessie got back on her feet, before casting a venomous glare of glares at Primeape.
"NO ONE GETS TO TOUCH MY BEAUTIFUL FACE AND GETS AWAY WITH IT! EVERYONE, OUT HERE ON THE DOUBLE! TEACH THAT PRIMEAPE A LESSON!" Jessie yelled, sending out the rest of her Pokemon.
"I'd better offer some backup," James commented, releasing all of his Pokemon as well. They all charged at Primeape, resulting in a massive fight cloud.
"We should probably get some distance from them before they wrap up this little fight," Lincoln suggested.
"Too late!" Misty exclaimed, as the dust cloud settled, revealing Primeape on top of a pile of the badly beaten X-Rockets and their Pokemon without so much as a scratch on it.
"Yikes, I thought the fights my sisters would get into were violent, but this was something else entirely," Lincoln commented sheepishly. It was then that he did something incredibly stupid, albeit unintentionally; he met the glare of Primeape.
"YOU WANT TO FIGHT TOO, HUMAN?!" Primeape yelled, stomping its feet.
"N-N-N-NO, nothing like that!" Lincoln argued, only for it to fall on deaf ears, as Primeape began stomping its way towards them, "Oh man, Pikachu, try to stop it using Thunderbolt!"
"No need to tell me twice!" Pikachu replied, as he blasted Primeape with Thunderbolt.
"Are… you… FREAKING KIDDING ME?! IT'S BAD ENOUGH THOSE OTHER ASSHATS HAD TO SMACK ME AWAY THE WAY THEY DID, BUT NOW YOU'RE ATTACKING ME?!" Primeape screamed, looking like it was about to go ballistic.
"Man, this thing is just like Lori and Lynn!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Hang on. Maybe it's not actually angry," Brock commented.
"What do you mean?" Misty asked.
"It's just a theory, but Primeape might just be lonely and afraid, so it's acting out like this. It probably took a great deal of offense from being smacked away with Brutal Swing just because it was trying to make friends," Brock replied, as he approached Primeape, "Hey now, it'll be alright, Primeape. We know that you're not really trying to be angry. If you want, we'd be more than happy to be friends with you. What do you say, little buddy?" he asked in a friendly tone, only for Primeape to jump on Brock's back, and start pounding at him, "OW, OW, OW! OK, I GET IT! YOU AREN'T IN THE MARKET FOR ANY NEW FRIENDS! YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE IT OUT ON ME Y'KNOW?!" he exclaimed, as he felt Primeape get off of his back. Brock looked up, meeting Primeape in the eye, only to get punched away a great distance.
"I think Brock's going to need a new theory," Misty dryly stated, just as she and Lincoln saw Primeape charging straight at them.
"RUN FOR IT!" they both yelled, as they ran away from Primeape, just as the X-Rockets got back up.
"It's… one thing to… sic some bratty… monkey on us, but it's quite another to just ignore us!" Jessie growled, as they gave chase themselves.
Meanwhile, with Lincoln and Misty,
The two trainers were sprinting as fast as their legs could carry them with Primeape hot on their trail. They eventually ran into a mountain pass, "Man, doesn't this thing ever give up?!" Misty questioned, sounding like she was close to passing out.
"There's a fork in the road ahead! Let's split up! That way, we hopefully shake Primeape!" Lincoln suggested, sounding equally as tired. As soon as they got to the junction, Misty broke off to another path, while Lincoln continued down the path with Pikachu, and Primeape was still chasing after him.
"Oh man, this isn't good!" Misty commented, finally catching her breath, as Brock finally caught up with her.
"We need to go and help Lincoln, before Primeape pummels him into paste!" Brock replied, as the two ran after them. Speaking of Lincoln, he and Pikachu were jumping over rocks in the hopes of putting some distance between them and Primeape, only for the enraged Pig Monkey Pokemon smash right through them like they weren't even there.
"We got to find someway to stop Primeape from moving, then we might be able to battle it!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Well, if you have a good idea, then I'm all for it!" Pikachu exclaimed, as Lincoln continued to think of any possible way to stop Primeape. What he and Pikachu didn't know was further up the mountain pass, the X-Rockets were digging a pit trap.
"We need to hurry! Those twerps will be here any time now!" Jessie said, as she and the others busily dug their pit trap.
"Speaking of, Meowth, do you see any sign of them?" James asked Meowth, who was keeping an eye out for Lincoln and the others.
"Nothing yet… Wait! Here they come!" Meowth cackled, only for his expression to turn from a smug one to one of terror, as he saw that Lincoln and Pikachu were being chased by Primeape. Eventually, Lincoln and Pikachu tripped, and fell into the hole, dogpiling on top of the X-Rockets, while Primeape screeched to a halt. From the stress of all the unwanted weight on top of it, Koffing let out a Smog attack, causing Primeape to reel back in surprise from the cloud of smoke.
"*Cough**Cough*, What's a hole doing in the middle of the road?" Lincoln questioned.
"Koffing, you nincompoop!" Jessie berated. It was then both groups took note of each other.
"Gah, what are you all doing here?!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Heh, perfect timing!" James laughed.
"Now we can get down to serious business!" Jessie smirked.
"What?!" Lincoln exclaimed in indignance.
"HEY!" Lincoln and the X-Rockets looked up to see Primeape, looking down at them, "I've got you now, you white haired asshat!" it exclaimed, leaping down into the hole. Lincoln and Pikachu scrambled back up out of the hole, but Primeape used Jessie's face to bounce back up to where it was. There, Lincoln met Primeape's glare once again.
"Alright, enough is enough! If I can't shake you off my trail, then I'll at least try to catch you!" Lincoln said, just as Misty and Brock caught up to them.
"Lincoln, what are you doing?!" Brock exclaimed.
"Primeape is too dangerous to be caught!" Misty added.
"I get that it's temper is way more volatile than Lori and Lynn's tempers combined, but think about the kind of trouble Primeape could cause others if they pass through here!" Lincoln said, as he got his first Pokeball ready.
"Lincoln may have a point here. Primeape are known to sometimes attack with little to no provocation. It'll cause trouble for any other trainers passing through here. Catching it might be the best course of action. Besides, if Lincoln wants to be a great trainer, he needs to show no fear when it comes to catching Pokemon like Primeape," Brock added.
"Well, if you say so," Misty replied, still sounding unsure.
"Alright, Spirit, you're up first!" Lincoln said, sending out Spirit, "Spirit, use Dragonbreath!" Spirit then fired off Dragonbreath right at Primeape, but it was able to shake it off with its anger alone.
"Whoa, didn't see that coming!" Spirit commented.
"Thanks anyway, Spirit!" Lincoln said, recalling Spirit, and readying his next Pokeball, "Go, Queeny!" he then sent out Queeny, "Queeny, use Magical Leaf!"
"Yes, my King," Queeny said, as she fired off Magical Leaf, only for Primeape to obliterate it all, much to the shock of both Lincoln and Queeny.
"No good, either! Queeny, return!" Lincoln said, recalling Queeny, "Alright, Raphael, I'm banking this on your Frustration!" he said sending out Raphael, who still had a major attitude problem, "Use Water Gun!" Raphael fired off Water Gun, only for Primeape to dodge, and start wailing on the moody Squirtle.
"GET… OUT… OF… MY… WAY!" Primeape yelled, as it punched Raphael into a nearby rock. Raphael struggled to get back up.
"C'mon, Raphael! I know you're a lot stronger than this! We need to beat Primeape, and your Frustration might be the only move we've got that can deal with it!" Lincoln called out.
"'Frustration'? I'll show you what Frustration is like!" Raphael said, as he began glowing red, and slammed hard into Primeape, sending it back into the canyon wall, "Heh, that… actually felt great!" Raphael commented, sounding a bit more relaxed. It was then a bright light erupted from him.
"Whoa, Raphael, you're evolving!" Lincoln exclaimed happily, as Raphael began to grow larger, and his tail became much fluffier. He also grew a set of two fluffy white "ears" on either side of his head. When the light dissipated, Raphael had evolved from a Squirtle into a Wartortle.
"Wartortle has been registered to your Pokedex. Furthermore, Raphael has learned a new move upon evolving," Dexter stated.
"A new move on top of evolving? Sweet!" Lincoln exclaimed, just as Primeape got back up. It was tired and battered, but far from beaten, "Alright Raphael, lets show Primeape your new power! Use Water Pledge!"
"Already on it!" Raphael replied, his tone sounding much more agreeable. He flexed both of his arms, before punching the ground, causing a series of geysers to shoot up all around Primeape, causing a great deal of damage.
"Now, wrap it up with Water Pulse!" Lincoln instructed. Raphael then fired off Water Pulse, which looked to have been the last attack Primeape could reasonably take, as he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, "Now, for an Ultra Ball!" he called, throwing a black Pokeball with a yellow "H" on it at Primeape, sucking in the Pig Monkey Pokeball. The Ultra Ball began rocking as it was trying to complete the capture process. It continued to rock once, twice, and a third time before it snapped shut, "Alright!" he exclaimed, only for the ball to continue rocking, before stopping for good.
"Primeape has been registered to your Pokedex," Dexter explained.
"Alright, I got Primeape!" Lincoln commented, retrieving his Ultra Ball.
"That's great! You've got a new teammate on your side, Lincoln!" Brock commended.
"But getting it to settle down might be another story," Misty added.
"Do you wish to add Primeape to your team?" Dexter asked.
"Hmm, probably wouldn't be a good idea to send such a lively Pokemon like this one back to Professor Oak, so I think I'll keep in on hand," Lincoln said, as he swapped out Spirit's Pokeball for Primeape's, allowing the former to be warped back to
"Hey, don't forget about us!" Jessie weakly said, as she and her cohorts climbed out of the hole.
"Well, if it isn't the 'hole' gang," Lincoln remarked.
"It's your fault we're still down here in the first place!" Jessie yelled, before noticing something, "Hang on, where's Primeape?"
Lincoln smirked cheekily, "See for yourself," he said, tossing the Ultra Ball into the hole behind the X-Rockets, allowing Primeape to start pummeling them, before sending them flying.
"THE X-ROCKETS ARE BLASTING OFF!" they yelled, as they disappeared into the sky. Back with Lincoln and them, Primeape was stomping wildly, still pretty mad for some reason.
"Well, looks like they got their just desserts," Brock commented.
"Primeape gave them a pretty good thrashing," Misty added.
"I'm just glad that Primeape's doing the thrashing on OUR side now. Glad to have you on board, Primeape!" Lincoln cheerfully said, only to find himself on the ground with a black eye, "Well, Primeape's great at fighting and all, but we're going to need to work on its teamwork," he groused, as Primeape stood on top of its new trainer in a victorious pose.
"Well, we'd better find a good, healthy way for it to vent out all that energy," Misty commented.
"I'm sure the best way to earn Primeape's trust is out there, somewhere! We just have to find it! In the meantime, Raphael, Primeape, return!" Lincoln said, recalling both Pokemon.
"Hey guys! Come take a look at this!" Pikachu called out. Lincoln and the others rushed over to the cliff Pikachu was standing on, and saw a city in the distance.
"Whoa, is that…?" Lincoln asked.
"Yeah, that's Celadon City!" Brock exclaimed happily.
"Oh, wow! We finally made it! And with plenty of daylight!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"You know, if Primeape hadn't been chasing us, we would never have gotten here as fast as we did," Misty commented.
"Guess that's what you would call a blessing in disguise. Well, in any case, we should hurry up and get there! I want to get my sixth badge as soon as possible!" Lincoln said, as they all began descending from the mountain pass.
Meanwhile, back in the Team Rocket Secret HQ, underneath Celadon City,
Petrel was quite pleased with how things were progressing. First, he had received the shipment of poached Pokemon prizes early, next, the Game Corner had raked in a large sum of money within just a single hour, and to top it all off, he had the next of Giovanni's plans ready to go, as he clenched a USB stick, "With this, we'll never have to worry about the International Police or the Pokemon League getting on our backs again!" he cackled, as he was making his way through the corridors of the hideout. His destination? A radio broadcast room where some of the Team Rocket Scientists were working on something to help bring in even more Pokemon. He scanned his Team Rocket ID, allowing him to enter, "Alright people, give it to me! How are we going to do this?"
"I'm glad you asked, sir," one of the scientists said in a nasally voice, "As you can see, we have a Drowzee here to project its hypnotic waves all across Celadon City. The goal is to induce a trance like state in each of the Pokemon that turns them hostile against their own trainers, while bringing them here," he explained, looking up at a large machine with a Drowzee in it with some kind of device attached to its head.
"Heh, sounds perfectly evil!" Petrel replied, smirking wickedly.
"Indeed… Well, actually, there may be a few exceptions," the scientist replied. This caused Petrel to quirk his eyebrow.
"Such as?"
"We ran some simulations, and it would appear that Ghost, Dark, and other Psychic Pokemon will not be affected by the waves. Them, as well as Pokemon that can manipulate spiritual energies, such as aura, but with how well hidden our hideout is, I doubt that'll be much of an issue," the scientist explained.
"Hmm, and what about the secret entrances to our hideout scattered across Celadon City?" Petrel asked.
"We've instructed Drowzee to direct all the Pokemon it takes control of to head to those locations," the scientist replied.
"Hmm, good. And we'll need to make sure none of them are followed, so I'll have some of the Grunts stationed within the vicinity of each location. When will this plan get underway?" Petrel asked.
"In less than an hour, give or take," the scientist replied.
"Good," Petrel said, turning to a nearby grunt, "Send word to all of our forces. Tell them to get into position immediately."
"Yes sir!" the grunt said, exiting the room.
"And what shall our roles be in this operation, Petrel sir?" Petrel turned to see the familiar duo of Cassidy and Butch standing behind him.
"Well, how about the two of you oversee the operation from here? I have some business up top I need to deal with," Petrel suggested.
"As you wish, sir!" Butch replied.
"Good. I leave it all to you," Petrel said, as he exited the broadcast room.
Meanwhile, back at the Loud House,
After explaining their side of what happened during the bad luck incident, and receiving a light scolding from Leonard, the Louds, along with the Royals, were listening intently to his stories of travelling each of the Pokemon Regions, "And that's where I learned about how the Sinnoh region was once called 'Hisui'," he said.
"Simply fascinating!" Lilianna said in awe.
"I knew the world had a lot of mysteries, but I didn't think it had these kinds of mysteries!" Lana added.
"That's right. And that's part of why humans are such a curious species. We just love uncovering whatever mysteries there are in the world," Leonard replied.
"I can't help but wonder of what other kinds of mysteries there are in the world, like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot," Luan added.
"Well, the answers are bound to be out there, somewhere. But that should do it for now as far as MY stories. Why don't you all tell me about what Lincoln's been up to? Last I spoke with him was before things went down on the St. Anne," Leonard suggested.
"Well, after that incident, Lincoln has managed to earn two additional badges, giving him five in total. When we last spoke with him, he was going for his sixth one in Celadon City, right after he was to compete in an event called the 'P-1 Grand Prix'," Lisa replied.
"Of course, he did have to deal with those nasty dudes from Team Rocket in Lavender Town," Luna added.
"Desecrating the graves of the deceases is a sin that cannot be forgiven," Lucy droned.
"I can agree with you on that, Lucy. Lavender Town is one of the most sacred grounds in Kanto, as it IS the final resting of both people and Pokemon," Leonard replied.
"Speaking of the Grand Prix, should we flip on the tube to see if there's some footage?" Luna asked.
"That sounds like a plan. After all, Miu and the others didn't exactly give an easy-to-understand explanation on what happened," Akuma replied, as Lola turned on the TV, which was showing some footage from Lincoln's battle with Dylan.
"Ok, looks like we got lucky in seeing it," Luan commented, just as the footage showed Riolu evolving into Lucario.
"Whoa, is that evolution at work?" Lana questioned in awe.
"That's right. Lincoln's Riolu has evolved into a Lucario," Leonard replied.
"Awesome!" Lana gushed. The footage of the battle continued until finally ending in a victory for Lincoln.
"Hmm, quite a spectacular show," Kiken commented.
"And now it looks like he's up against Misty," Rita commented, as the footage showed the hard-fought battle between the two, ultimately ending in victory for Misty.
"Ooh, tough break for Lincoln," Luna commented.
"Well, his Riolu evolving was something of a victory, if you truly think about it," Lisa pointed out.
"True. So, after this, Lincoln must've continued westward towards Celadon City," Leonard commented, before a thought came across his mind, "But why not stop in Saffron City first? I know from the last time I was in Kanto that there was a Gym there," he wondered.
"I remember from one of the previous calls Lincoln made to us that Saffron City was under some kind of lockdown," Lucy replied.
"A lockdown? Could it have something to do with that Team Rocket gang?" Lilianna wondered.
"Perhaps. Lincoln didn't have much information to give us during that call," Lisa replied.
"Y'know, I have to wonder, what exactly does Team Rocket hope to gain from all of this trouble they cause? There has to be more to it than just profiting off of the Pokemon they poach and sell off, right?" Akuma pondered. Everyone in that room wondered the same thing.
Team Update:
Lincoln:
Squirtle (Raphael) Wartortle
Primeape (New Pokemon)