Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 104: Showdown At Dark City!
In the Magne Royal Library, Monster Realm,
Giles looked around the library, making certain that no one was around, "Ok, good. Time to get to work," he said, as he went to the section of the library that held the Magne Grimoire, which held every spell crafted by members of the Magne Family, "Ok, my first order of business is to snap a pic of the Mark of Restriction Spell. After that, I'll just skim through and find as many awesome sounding spells as I can," he snickered, which he then cut off when he heard someone nearby. He looked to the source and saw his sister, Charlie, organizing some of the tomes that sat on the shelves, 'Damn, I didn't think Charlie would be in here now! I've really got to keep quiet, so SHE doesn't find out what I'm up to!' he thought to himself, as he took off his shoes to carry, and carefully tiptoed around his sister, who was too invested in her current duty.
"Ok, this one goes here, and that goes over there. I'm glad our staff keeps the library so organized," Charlie said, as she reached for the last pile of books, never once noticing Giles sneaking around. Once he was at a good distance, he sighed in relief. He then saw his prize; A golden book with the crest of an apple being constricted by a snake on it.
"Finally, the Magne Grimoire! Fortunate for me that only those of our family's royal blood can access this tome," he said, as he approached it. He carefully opened it to the index, "Alright, lets see here…" he said as he skimmed through the contents, eventually finding his first objective; The Mark of Restriction, "Jackpot!" he quietly exclaimed, as he took out the tablet Vox provided him, and snapped a picture of the spell, "Good. Now that I got Mr. Vox's requested spell, lets see what other spells I can give him," he mused, as he skimmed through the book, taking pictures of various spells, each sounding every bit as powerful as the last.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Giles' nearly dropped the tablet when he heard Charlie's voice and heard her approaching.
'CRAP!' Giles thought to himself, as he closed the Grimoire, and hid plenty out of sight as his sister appeared, looking around.
"Hmm, must've been my imagination," Charlie said, as she turned to walk away. As soon as Giles heard the library doors closing, he went back to taking pictures of the Grimoire's spells.
"With these spells, I'm sure that Mr. Vox will get me the throne faster! No way am I going to be competing with some human punk for the throne!" he cackled.
Back with Lincoln and Company, nighttime,
The skies grew darker with heavy looking clouds as the three trainers pedaled towards their next destination; The town of Dark City, which was only to serve as a night's stay on the road to Chartreuse City, potential site of Lincoln's next Gym Battle Challenge, "So, what's this Dark City place like?" Lincoln asked.
"It's something like one of those old western towns you'd see in cowboy movies. A few motels and restraunts, and a market, but other than that, not a whole lot to offer," Misty replied.
"Speaking of which, we'll need to see about finding one of those motels for the night. It'll take at least half a day to get to Chartreuse City," Brock added. They soon arrived at the gates leading into a rundown town. They saw the sign that read "Dark City" on it.
"Wow, this place looks like a real ghost town," Lincoln commented, as they pedaled through.
"This doesn't make any sense. Sure, Dark City isn't the most popular or eye-catching towns in Kanto, but it should be a little busier than this," Brock commented. It was then they saw a kid running out into the streets, laughing all the while. His mother was quick to drag him back inside.
"Come back inside! It's dangerous! What if there are Pokemon Trainers?!" she exclaimed, slamming the door behind them.
"That's weird," Misty commented.
"Yeah… Why are they afraid of Pokemon Trainers?" Lincoln wondered as they got pelted by some rocks from up above on a nearby house, "What the…?!" he and his friends saw some shadowy figures duck behind the roof of the house, "Pikachu, get them!" Lincoln instructed.
"No sooner done than said, Lincoln!" Pikachu replied, as he fired off a Thunderbolt, striking the three individuals, causing them to fall from the roof and onto a pile of straw. The three trainers then saw that their assailants were just a trio of little kids, "Uh oh…"
"They're… just little kids!" Brock exclaimed in disbelief, as they went to check on them.
"Ah jeez! I'm sorry, but you were throwing those rocks at us!" Lincoln exclaimed. The three boys shot glares at them.
"You guys are all Pokemon Trainers, right?" one of the boys asked.
"Uh… yeah, that's right. I'm Lincoln Loud, and I'm training to enter the Indigo League," Lincoln replied, introducing himself.
"I'm Brock, and I'm training to be the world's best Pokemon Breeder," Brock added.
"And I'm Misty. I'm training to become the world's greatest Water Pokemon Master," Misty added. The three trainers only received a hard whack on their heads from a bunched up stick made of straw.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Lincoln yelled.
"Look, we don't care who you are, but if you're Pokemon Trainers, you'd better get out of town now!" the lead boy stated.
"Boys, that's enough!" a man in a kitchen apron scolded, rushing over to break up the fighting, "I'm terribly sorry for these boys' actions. Please, come with me and I'll explain everything," he urged. Later, in the restraunt, Lincoln and company were being served some food by the man from earlier. Lincoln had a rice omelet, Brock had a plate of curry, while Misty had a stew of some kind. Nearby, a figure in a trench coat, mask and sunglasses was sipping some coffee, "You see, in Dark City, there are two unofficial Pokemon Gyms, the Yas Gym and the Kas Gym. Right now, they're both in the middle of a gang war, and are hiring any wandering Pokemon Trainers to act as soldiers for their cause."
"Hmm, so that explains why the streets were all deserted," Lincoln commented, as the figure drank some coffee through their mask, "Hey Pikachu, pour a little ketchup, would you?"
"Sure thing! Red goodness coming your way!" Pikachu replied, as he began to pour ketchup onto Lincoln's omelet.
"But one thing I don't get is why all the fighting?" Brock asked, just as Lincoln swiped the ketchup bottle away from Pikachu, who had poured too much onto the omelet.
"It's because rumor has it that a Pokemon League Inspector will be coming by sometime soon, and whichever Gym is left standing will be declared an official gym by the inspector," the man replied, as Lincoln fell backwards along with Pikachu.
"Ok, I can see that," Lincoln commented, as he got back up, "Becoming an official gym is a real honor, right?"
"That's right. But there's a lot of guidelines and regulations that all gyms aspiring to become affiliated with the Pokemon League have to adhere to without exception. And something tells me that the inspector won't even consider either gym for the position of an official gym," Misty replied, just as they heard some loud crashing from outside.
"Oh dear… the Yas and Kaz gyms are at it again!" the man exclaimed fearfully, turning to the three travelers, "If you three don't want to get involved in this, you'd better head upstairs, right now!"
"Come on, this way!" the lead boy from before said, leading them upstairs.
Outside, two different factions of trainers were charging at each other. One was wearing an able blue jumpsuit with big "K"s on them. They were led by a chunky man who was also wearing a short, red cape. The other faction was a group of trainers wearing black sweatshirts and green, rubber-looking overalls. Their uniforms had "Y"s on them, and were led by one man with a buzz cut, "Get ready! Today the Kaz Gym is going to crush you!" the leader of the Kaz Gym proclaimed.
"Guess again! Today, the Yas Gym will wipe you out!" the Yas Gym Leader declared.
"Go Electabuzz, Thunderbolt them!" Kaz called out. His Pokemon, a yellow, gorilla like Pokemon with two electric pylon like horns, fired off a wild bolt of electricity, striking several Kas Gym Trainers and some surrounding buildings, damaging them in the process.
"We can't let them win! Go now, Scyther, attack!" Yas ordered. His Scyther dashed past some Kaz Gym trainers. As soon as it came to a standstill, some of the buildings behind them collapsed. Several townsfolk were running away from the fighting.
"Is it always like this?" Brock asked the three boys, who all solemnly nodded.
"Now I can understand why the townsfolk hate Pokemon Trainers," Lincoln commented, looking down at the fighting in disgust.
"This isn't even a battle! It's more like a street fight!" Misty commented.
"It's one thing to see a gang war like this in comics or TV, but this is just… sick! Pokemon battles are supposed to be fun for everyone!" Lincoln exclaimed, just as they heard a commotion downstairs. They peered downstairs to see the proprietor being harassed by some trainers from the Kaz Gym, who were dolled up in robes of some kind. In truth, they were the X-Rockets in disguise.
"Hey cook, give us the lunch special for thirty people!" Meowth demanded.
"We've got to be back at the Kaz Gym in less than an hour!" Jessie added.
"Throw in an order of onion rings while your at it," James added.
"I-I'd like to… but the Kaz Gym hasn't paid its tab in over two years. My restraunt has a strict policy about unpaid tabs," the proprietor shakily replied.
"What? Are you saying we can't put this on our tab?" Jessie questioned, eyes narrowing.
"Do you have any idea who we are? We're Kaz Gym Bodyguards! Hand over the food or else!" James threatened.
"I'm sorry, but I can't! I don't any sort of trouble, please understand," the proprietor replied. Meowth and Jessie crowded him.
"So, you won't give us any food, but you don't want any trouble, huh?" Meowth asked.
"Hate to break it to you, but you're talking to the wrong people if you're trying to avoid trouble," Jessie added.
"P-Please just leave me alone… I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE!" the proprietor yelled.
"'Trouble'?" Jessie and James both parroted, shaking in their robes.
"I can't hold it in, Jessie!" James stated.
"Neither can I, James! I heard a whiny voice!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Introductions are now, as is our choice!" James proclaimed, as they threw off their robes, leaving them in Kaz Gym Uniforms.
"Those guys!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Travelling the world, plundering it's resources!"
"All for the sake of enhancing our own forces!"
"This duo shall not be stopped by the law!"
"We do what we want, while you standby in awe!"
"Jessie, the fiery temptress of villainy!"
"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!" Meowth concluded their motto.
"Go, Arbok!" Jessie exclaimed, sending out Arbok.
"Weezing, attack!" James added, sending out Weezing. Both Poison Pokemon then began to beat up the proprietor, as the mysterious figure moved out of the way.
"Of course, you three would show up!" Lincoln said, as he and his friends came back downstairs.
"Tsk, it's the brats!" Jessie exclaimed.
"Go, Rhyhorn!" Lincoln said, sending out his Rhyhorn.
"Go, Walrein!" Misty said, sending out her Walrein.
"Go, Scarlet!" Brock said, sending out his Kantonian Vulpix.
"Huh, Scarlet?" Lincoln questioned, as Scarlet blasted the X-Rockets with a Flamethrower attack, leaving them all charred and singed.
"We're…" Meowth shakily started.
"… Rare," Jessie added, looking in her compact mirror.
"…Well done," James said, completely covered in soot, before they all ran out of the restraunt.
"Well, there's one less problem out of the way," Lincoln commented, as he and his friends recalled their Pokemon. The proprietor groaned as he got back on his feet, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I am. Thank you three for your help," he replied.
"Well, it was really all Brock and Scarlet that did the work," Lincoln replied.
"That was incredible!" they all looked to see a beautiful woman standing in the doorway. She was wearing a Yas Gym uniform, "Those three were some of the toughest bodyguards from the Kaz Gym! You must all be extremely gifted and skilled Pokemon Trainers to have accomplished such a feat!" she exclaimed in awe.
"Well, I do like to raise my Pokemon to be the very best they can be! And it all comes from maintaining their health!" Brock replied, trying to impress the woman.
"Oh please, I must know your names!" the woman exclaimed.
"Our, uh… names?" Lincoln parroted, sounding unsure.
"If we get mixed up in this gang war, it could really trash our reputation as Pokemon Trainers! We need to use those aliases we came up with the other night!" Misty whispered.
"Right!" Lincoln whispered back, before returning his attention to the woman, "We'd be glad to tell you our names, however, with the threat of potential identity theft, we can't give you our real names, so we'll each be using different aliases," he stated, as he and his companions got out some scrolls.
"Oh, that's so smart! And what are those aliases you speak of?" the woman asked, as the three of them unfurled the scrolls.
Brock's scroll read "Indus Civilization".
Misty's scroll read "Mesopotamian Civilization".
And finally, Lincoln's scroll read "Yellow River Civilization".
"Oh! You've named yourselves after three of the Great Civilizations of the World?" the woman asked cheerfully. Lincoln took another look at his scroll, and was silent for a moment, before he finally spoke.
"I THOUGHT WE MADE THESE UP!" he exclaimed, falling to his hands and knees with a spotlight shining down on him.
"Oh yeah, I thought they sounded familiar," Brock commented, as he and Misty looked at their own scrolls.
"Well, Indus, Mesopotamia, and Yellow River, would you three consider lending your aid to our cause? Unlike those uncouth animals from the Kaz Gym, we at the Yas Gym are more than worthy of becoming an official Pokemon Gym," the woman pleaded.
"Uh… well, we really can't join either gym, right, Mesopotamia?" Lincoln asked, turning to Misty.
"That's right. And Indus can vouch for us, right?" Misty asked, turning to Brock, who was still lovestruck.
"We'll do whatever we can to help a pretty girl like yourself," he stated, causing Lincoln and Misty to fall down.
"Typical… we should've known Brock wouldn't say 'no' to a girl," Misty groaned.
"This story is getting weird," one of the boys commented.
Back at the Reynolds House,
Rita was chatting away with her friends from the Monster Realm, just as her daughters arrived home, "Ah, welcome back, girls. Did you all have a good day at school?" she asked. Apart from Luan, who seemed despondent, her daughters all gave a rousing array of confirmations. Luan's demeanor concerned Rita, "Luan? Is something wrong?"
"I… really don't want to talk about it right now," the normally jokey sister replied, as she went upstairs to her room.
"Luan's been like that since lunchtime," Lori pointed out.
"It had to have happened during Drama Class," Luna added.
"Well, we'll just give her some space for now. Let her talk when she's ready," Rita replied, before remembering her guests, "Oh, that reminds me girls! Lilliana and them have brought over Milt, Loona and Vaggie's mothers to meet with us!"
"Pleased to meet you girls. I am Jellisa Fraser, and these are my friends, Gilda von Throne and Carmilla Carmine," Jellisa said, introducing herself and the others on their behalf.
"Vaggie and them have told us much about you girls, including your first meeting with them, and the road to recovery with your brother," Carmilla commented, causing Lori and Lynn to tense up a bit, "Don't worry… We have much better tact than to reopen old wounds."
"Thanks, your ladyship. We REALLY don't want to go back down THAT rabbit hole any time soon," Lori replied. Lana looked curiously at Jellisa, who opted to break the ice with the little grease monkey.
"Something troubling you, young lady?" she asked.
"Are you really Milt's mother? I mean, not to sound rude, but your body types look a little…" Lana was cut off when Jellisa held up her hand.
"Perfectly understandable. That's because I am a Warrior Breed Minotaur, while my husband and I intentionally raised our daughter as a Dairy Breed Minotaur, just to keep her from ever getting hurt in battle," Jellisa explained.
"Wait, so certain monster breeds can be bred to be different from their parent's breeds?" Lynn asked.
"That's right. It's all a matter how the child is raised," Gilda replied.
"Simply fascinating!" Lisa exclaimed, intrigued by this information.
"So, Lisa, between you and Lucy, who's next to bring in your brother's Pokemon?" Rita asked.
"Actually, Principal Huggins was so taken in by Milotic and Amaura that he's allowing BOTH of us to bring in up to THREE Pokemon each. That, and the plot calls for it," Lisa replied.
"I've already decided on Orion and Rapidash for my presentations. I just have to figure out who I want as the third… Maybe Rampardos or Gawain," Lucy added.
"As for me, my choices were initially going to be the Pikachu and Raichu Lincoln had sent over, but I will admit, I am kind of leaning towards bringing Tyson as well," Lisa added.
"Well, just as long as they don't cause too much of a scene. But for now, you girls should go and take care of any homework you have," Rita replied, dismissing her daughters to their rooms.
"Very nicely handled, Rita. It's clear you've gotten them all back under control," Rasha commented.
"Now that their former father is no longer welcome in our lives, I have to step up my authority game to keep them all in line," Rita replied.
"And doing it without someone else here to help you definitely doesn't make it any easier," Jellisa added.
"I know that feeling," Carmilla quipped, being a single mother to three daughters.
"Well, the girls all have had plenty of years to learn how to be responsible. They just… got a little lazy with it in recent times," Rita sheepishly replied.
Back in Dark City, at the Yas Gym,
The woman brought Lincoln and friends to what looked like a rundown dojo with a big Y on the front of it, "Welcome to Yas Gym," she said, as she slid the front door open, revealing several Yas Gym trainers, training strenuously with various workout equipment. They gave the three friends dirty looks while they exercised.
"Whoa, talk about intense!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Please, follow me," the woman said, leading them to the back. There, they saw the Yas Leader lifting some dumbbells, while his Scyther was off to the side, "Leader Yas, I have returned with three powerful trainers. They were able to send the bodyguards of the Kaz Gym packing. While they refused to give their true names, I believe that they could aid us in our quest to become an official Pokemon League Gym," she explained, while Pikachu kept lapping up the ketchup bottle.
"I alone shall decide if they're strong or not; Scyther!" Yas exclaimed, causing his Scyther to leap into action.
"WHOA!" Pikachu exclaimed, as he ducked out of the way, but not before Scyther managed to slice through the ketchup bottle he was holding, sending some ketchup onto Scyther's eyes. Scyther blinked, seeing everything in red, before turning to Yas. Scyther appeared to be seething, with steam coming off of it.
"Scyther, what is it? What's wrong with you?" Yas asked. Scyther's only response was slashing at its trainer, "Whoa, hey, cut it out!" Yas exclaimed, dodging each slash, before whipping out Scyther's Pokeball, "Scyther, return!" he exclaimed, recalling Scyther, "That's the first time Scyther has ever been frightened so badly like that. You truly are a skilled trainer. You must come and battle for me!"
'I wonder if we should tell him about the ketchup,' the three trainers thought to themselves, wondering how Yas could be so blind to that fact.
"M-My ketchup," Pikachu whimpered, holding his sliced open ketchup bottle.
"Well, before we agree to anything, why are you and the Kaz Gym so bent on making each of your gyms official?" Lincoln asked. Yas could only smirk cockily.
"Why you ask? The answer is obvious! What better way to make money in today's world than by becoming an official gym?" he casually replied.
"Hmm, well, if your answer is that shallow and self-serving, then we absolutely refuse," Lincoln replied.
"Come again?" Yas questioned, not sure if heard Lincoln right.
"Pokemon aren't tools for fighting or making money. They're our friends and family who work alongside us to help achieve great ambitions. And I should know, because I'm training to enter the Indigo League!" Lincoln proclaimed, turning his back on Yas, "We won't help you for such a selfish goal," he said, walking off, 'Man, that all came out way cooler than I intended,' he thought to himself, before he slipped on a ketchup puddle on the floor, "Oof, that wasn't cool at all," he groaned. But Yas was not willing to let them off that easily.
"Well, if you won't fight me, then I'll just have to make sure you don't help anyone else!" Yas proclaimed, catching Lincoln's attention, "Yas Gym, ATTACK!" he ordered, as several trainers let out their Pokemon, consisting of Machoke, Mankey, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, around Lincoln, all of whom began to beat him up in a massive dust cloud. Brock and Misty were able to pull Lincoln out, as they all beat feet back to the restraunt.
Back in the restaurant,
Lincoln was being treated for his injuries by Brock, "Well, we've at least confirmed that the Yas Gym likes to play rough," Brock commented.
"And I bet you anything the Kaz Gym is just as rough," Misty added.
"Just imagine what would happen if one of those two were to become official gym," Lincoln added.
"And it doesn't help that both Gyms keep getting stronger Pokemon!" the lead boy exclaimed.
"Still, I wonder why Scyther freaked out like that when it got splashed with ketchup?" Lincoln wondered, as he fished out his Pokedex, "Dexter, what information can you give us about Scyther that could possibly have to do with ketchup?"
"Apart from it stinging?" Dexter flatly asked. Lincoln and company didn't look too amused by the joke, "Ok, so it was bad joke. I do have ONE bit of information about such a phenomenon that Scyther shares with Electabuzz."
"And what is that bit of information? On that note, what can you tell us about Electabuzz?" Lincoln asked.
"Electabuzz, the Electric Pokemon, an Electric Type first discovered in the Kanto Region. It's body constantly discharges electricity. Getting close to it will make your hair stand on end. Research is progressing on storing lighting inside of Electabuzz so it can be used at any time. Scyther and Electabuzz are both rare Pokemon first discovered in the Kanto Region that are able to distinguish colors. Some members of their species become extremely enraged by the color red," Dexter explained.
"That explains why Scyther went crazy!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"Scyther is the Yas Gym's strongest Pokemon, while the Kaz Gym's strongest Pokemon is Electabuzz!" the lead kid said. Lincoln thought about that and then got an idea.
"Y'know, we might be able to use that to our advantage, if we play our cards right!"
Back at the Reynolds' House, Luan's room,
Luan was laying on her bed, not doing much in the way of anything productive. Her thoughts were on something that happened at school earlier that day, namely during Drama Class.
Flashback, earlier in the day, school auditorium,
The Drama Teacher, Ms. Bernardo, was conducting exercises for her students to complete to help them develop their acting skills, "Marvelous work, people! Now, we'll move on to improv. For this first improv scene, you'll be playing the part of someone who's just been told that their marital partner has passed away, as well as the one delivering the devastating news. And the first ones up will be Luan and Benny," she said, only to get a snicker from one of the other girls on stage, "Stacy, is there something about this that you find amusing? This is supposed to be a serious scene, after all," Mr. Bernardo asked.
"W-Well, I get that… I just don't get why you're having someone like Luan of all people play a role for someone serious," Stacy replied. Luan looked put off by that comment.
"What do you mean by that?" Luan asked.
"I mean you're incapable of taking anything seriously, Luan. You make god awful puns and jokes every chance you get, you dress like a total geek, AND lets not forget about how unstable you are with your pranks!" Stacy listed off some of Luan's flaws.
"Well, I'm not AS bad with pranking others as I was in the past. I've been getting help," Luan retorted, only for Stacy to scoff.
"Oh yeah, getting a little bit of therapy will just magically undo all of the deadly pranks you've pulled on this town, Luan, like the stink bomb incident!" Stacy stated sarcastically.
"Now girls, lets not get too wound up about this," Ms. Bernardo advised, wanting things to keep from escalating too far. Unfortunately, she went ignored.
"Face it Luan, you're NEVER going to undo the reputation that you've amassed over the years! Everyone in town knows how dangerous you are with your pranks! You're every bit like the Joker from Batman!" Stacy said. Luan was offended and horrified. Sure, she wasn't into comics as much as Lincoln was, but she at least knew who the Joker was and what he's done in comics and movies.
"How dare you?! I am nothing like the Joker!" Luan snapped.
"You're practically the spitting image of him, if not worse! Case in point, your family! I know all about how you tricked your father into buying an abandoned motel just to pull some of your deadliest pranks ever! I mean, seriously, who would INTENTIONALLY drop someone with a rhubarb allergy in a pit of rhubarb pies, or dump a bucket of bleach on someone?" Stacy stated. Luan was visibly hurt by her words, "And to make matters worse, you're too much of a prideful, narcissistic sociopath to even TRY apologizing to the people you've put in danger, like my own little brother! He had high hopes of being a comedian when he grew up, but one of your pranks scarred him so badly that he didn't even WANT to try cracking any jokes! We were just lucky that the therapist that saw him was able to coax him back into comedy! Face it, Luan, you'll never change! No one in town will ever trust you to gain any self-control! Even Fanny was a fool for even trusting you!" Luan had no words to counter with.
"Alright, that's enough!" Ms. Bernardo yelled, writing down a hall pass, "Stacy, to the principal's office!"
"Fine… what I said was worth it!" Stacy said, taking the hall pass, before leaving the auditorium. Mr. Bernardo could easily see Luan was still shaken up.
"Luan, would you like to sit out today's exercise? I won't dock any points from your participation score," she offered.
"Y-Yeah, that'd be nice," Luan replied, as she got off stage to go sit in the audience.
"Can you believe the nerve of Stacy?" Benny questioned. Some of the other students only shifted awkwardly.
"I don't know… Stacy did kind of have a point," one student commented.
"WHAT?!" Benny exclaimed.
"Well, our past experience with Luan as a prankster has shown that she can't really be trusted to take things seriously."
"Not to mention that her pranks have always been potentially lethal," several other students put forth their own thoughts on the matter, much to Benny and Ms. Bernardo's disappointment.
"Class, listen! The past is in the past. We need to focus more on the here and now in the present. We can't change the past, but we can try to shape a better future for ourselves," Ms. Bernardo said, sounding like she was reprimanding them for having such thoughts on Luan, who had heard every word and sunk in her seat.
Present time,
"Stupid Stacy… what gives her the right to decide if I've changed or not?" Luan grumbled, as some knocking came from her door. It opened, revealing Rita.
"Luan? Is everything alright?" Rita asked.
"Honestly? Not even remotely," Luan groaned, sitting up, still looking quite miserable.
"Well… do you want to talk about it?" Rita asked, sitting down next to her. Luan was hesitant but felt it would do some good to get it off her chest. She then began to explain what happened in Drama Class to Rita, who listened solemnly to her daughter's plight, "I see. Even with the therapy you've been getting, it's clear that gaining the trust of everyone in town is going to take some serious work. After all, trust isn't an easy thing to attain."
"I get that… but the words she said really cut deep, like I couldn't quip back at all," Luan replied, falling back onto her bed.
"Words are a powerful thing… they can help or hurt, depending on how well they're used. Have you done any sort of pranking since starting therapy?" Rita asked.
"No… not really. I just haven't had my groove since starting," Luan replied.
"Well, maybe the time away from pranking did you some good by allowing you to reflect on your past actions," Rita mused.
"Yeah, but how can I convince others that I'm not the same as I was before the whole bad luck mess began?" Luan asked.
"The same way you convinced them of your lack of self-control; through your actions. Remember, actions speak louder than words. Just think about it for a while, and you might find a way to get out of this," Rita replied, as she got up to leave.
"Thanks for that, Mom. I really appreciated it," Luan said.
"Anytime, sweetie," Rita said, as she left Luan alone in her room.
"'Through my actions', huh?" Luan muttered to herself, as she began to mull it over.
Back in Dark City, main streets,
Lincoln and company were sitting on the rooftops surrounding the main streets of Dark City. They had set up a special trap just for both the Yas and Kaz Gyms, involving barrels and lightning rods, "If we rigged these traps right, we might be able to bring an end to this gang war once and for all," Brock commented.
"And it looks like we're in plenty of time!" Lincoln commented, seeing both Gyms marching to the center of town.
"I'll only say this once! Yous guys better scram out of here if you know what's good for ya! The Kaz Gym is the only gym worthy of being the official gym of Dark City!" Kaz demanded.
"I can agree with you on that, except for the fact that it's you who should get out of town! The Yas Gym won't hesitate to crush any and all pitiful excuses for wannabe trainers like yourselves if you try to get in our way!" Yas argued. This seemed to only anger Kaz further.
"Ooh, now you're gonna get it! I'll make sure you'll regret ever hearing the name 'Kaz Gym'!" Kaz yelled.
"Today's the day when we finally crush you weaklings once and for all!" Yas yelled.
Kaz could only growl with irritation, "I've heard enough! Go, Electabuzz!" he yelled, sending out his Electabuzz.
"Go, Scyther!" Yas yelled, sending out Scyther. The trainers from both gyms sent out their Pokemon as well. Some notable ones from the Kaz Gym included Golem, Rhydon, Kingler, and Raticate. Some of the Yas Gym's Pokemon swarmed Electabuzz.
"You can fight them off, Electabuzz! Give them a Thunder Punch!" Kaz ordered. Electabuzz used the power of Thunder Punch to throw off the Yas Pokemon. Nearby, Scyther was cornered by Kaz Gym Pokemon.
"Don't get intimidated, Scyther! Power up with Swords Dance, then use Cut!" Yas ordered. His Scyther used Swords Dance to power up, before it moved deftly around the battlefield, even slicing through a house that the X-Rockets were sitting on.
"When is it our turn?!" Jessie whined.
"It's over already!" James feebly stated.
"Oh hell, no!" Meowth yelled, as they crashed into the ground. As the fighting continued, Lincoln noted that all the key players were in position.
"Alright guys, now's the time!" Lincoln called out.
"HEAVE HO!" they all said, as they pushed over the barrels, which rolled along some railings, before stopping just above Yas and Kaz. They opened up, spilling red paint all over them.
"ACK! MY BEST GYM UNIFORM! AND THIS IS DRY CLEAN ONLY!" they yelled. Both of their Pokemon heard their trainer's plight and turned to face them, only to become enraged upon seeing red.
"Electabuzz, what's the matter with you?! Go and burn that Scyther to a crisp!" Kaz ordered, only to be ignored by his enraged Electabuzz.
"Scyther, what are you doing?! Cut attack!" Yas ordered. Much like Electabuzz, Scyther ignored its trainer's orders. Both Pokemon attacked their trainers. Scyther slashed at Yas, cutting his overalls, while Electabuzz blasted Kaz with electricity.
"Scyther/Electabuzz, what are you doing?! I'm your trainer, remember?!" Yas and Kaz yelled simultaneously.
"After the way you've been treating Pokemon Battles, you guys don't deserve to call yourselves trainers!" Lincoln yelled.
"But please, you can't just leave us like this! Please save us!" Yas begged, as he rammed into Electabuzz, allowing Kaz to join in running away from Electabuzz.
"Well you guys, think they've had enough?" Brock asked.
"Yeah, I think they've learned their lesson. Misty?" Lincoln asked the athletic Water Pokemon enthusiast.
"On it… Go, Medicham!" Misty said, sending out her Medicham, "Medicham, use Confusion!" Medicham began using Confusion to move some paint buckets and splash them over Scyther and Electabuzz. The two Pokemon looked at one another intently. Scyther raised its claw while Electabuzz flexed its arms. The standoff was intense, before they charged at each other, smashing into each other before falling to the ground. Yas and Kaz looked in disbelief, while Lincoln looked quite pleased with the outcome.
"SCYTHER/ELECTABUZZ!" Yas and Kaz screamed out.
"Well, hopefully this will teach you guys a lesson on what being a Pokemon Trainer is all about!" Lincoln called out. Yas and Kaz clasped their hands together.
"Shall we call a truce and work together?" Yas asked, before they glared at Lincoln and company.
"At least until we've dealt with those meddling kids!" Kaz replied. This, as a matter of fact, was part of Lincoln's plan, but he wasn't expecting it to happen like this.
"They still want to fight?!" Misty questioned.
"GO! ATTACK THOSE KIDS ON THE ROOF!" Yas and Kaz ordered. Both Yas and Kaz Gym Trainers charged for Lincoln and the others.
"Oh brother, looks like they're going to have to learn the hard way… Pikachu?" Lincoln turned to his most trusted partner.
"On it!" Pikachu replied, leaping high into the air.
"Alright Pikachu, give them your Thunder!" Lincoln called out.
"I've been waiting for this! TAKE THIS!" Pikachu yelled, as he fired off a powerful electric blast that was caught by the lightning rods, which fed into wires across the streets, zapping the Yas and Kaz Gym Trainers, including their leaders. Lincoln and the others approached the leaders.
"Now that that's all taken care of, why can't we all just get along like friends?" Lincoln questioned.
"'Like friends'?" Yas and Kaz asked, as they picked up some sticks that were nearby.
"Now we'll teach you!" Yas stated angrily.
"I suggest you start running!" Kaz threatened. Lincoln and friends all stepped back when the mysterious figure from before stepped up.
"Hold it right there!" the figure said. Their voice indicated that they were a woman.
"And just who are you?" Kaz asked. The figure held up a specially designed Pokemon with the Pokemon League Crest on it.
"I'm the Official Inspector for the Pokemon League!" the figure replied, as she tossed the Pokeball, releasing a Chansey with a nurse's cap. Yas and Kaz fell over upon this news.
"Wait, Chansey? Then that means…!" Brock said.
"That's right, in actuality, my true identity is…" the figure threw off her disguise to reveal "… Nurse Joy!" Brock blushed happily upon seeing Nurse Joy, "And I for one and appalled at what I've witnessed since arriving here! Pokemon are NOT to be used for gang wars! Any Gym that would intentionally use them for such acts are unfit to even be considered as Official League Gyms!" she harshly scolded.
"Oh please Nurse Joy!" Yas groveled.
"Won't you at least give us a second chance?" Kaz pleaded.
"I can, but with the amount of destruction you've caused to this town, I'm afraid that any and all applications from either of you gyms will be rejected, but I can see about having you appeal for an early interview, if you're willing to start fresh," Nurse Joy replied.
"Oh, but of course we will!" Yas exclaimed.
"Just tell us what we should do!" Kaz added.
"Well, I could, but I think there's someone here with a deeper understanding of Pokemon who'd be better to ask," Nurse Joy replied, motioning to Lincoln.
"Uh… wait me?!" Lincoln exclaimed.
"That's right. After all, you and your friends showed remarkable cooperation with your Pokemon. You're perfect to teach them about what being a trainer is truly about," Nurse Joy replied.
"OH PRETTY PLEASE, TEACH US!" Yas and Kaz pleaded, bowing to Lincoln and friends.
"Oh boy… well, for starters, Pokemon battles should be conducted in controlled environments, such as a designated battlefield, or in a location that's far from other people or structures. On top of that, battles are supposed to be about having fun and forging strong bonds of friendship with your Pokemon," Lincoln explained the best he could.
"But what about becoming stronger?" Kaz asked.
"Well, that's the thing… If you become close to your Pokemon, the harder they'll battle alongside you, just as battling with strong opponents will help form friendships with them," Lincoln replied.
"So friendship and trust are the same as power and strength?" Yas asked.
"In a way, yes," Lincoln explained.
"When did Lincoln become so philosophical?" Misty wondered.
"Who knows with him?" Brock replied.
"Now, it'll be up to you guys to become stronger trainers the proper way, but first, you'll have to take responsibility and fix everything your street fighting wrecked," Lincoln concluded.
"AT ONCE, YELLOW RIVER!" both men said. Lincoln almost fell over upon hearing his alias. Soon, both the Yas and Kaz Gyms went to work rebuilding the town, working alongside all of their Pokemon to make things a little easier.
"Well, at least things ended peacefully," Lincoln commented.
"Good to see that they all had a change of heart," Brock added.
"And now everyone in town's starting to view Pokemon Trainers in a much better light! A lot of kids are now eager to start journeys of their own!" the lead kid exclaimed.
"But that's got me wondering if there was some other reason they wanted to become official gyms," Misty wondered.
"I think it might have something to do with the Gym in Chartreuse City," Nurse Joy replied.
"What do you mean?" Lincoln asked.
"The Gym in Chartreuse City has been getting a lot of bad reviews from previous challengers, saying how weak the leader is compared to the previous one. I was actually on my way over there to inspect things when I learned about the gang war in Dark City," Nurse Joy replied.
"That's a coincidence! We're actually heading over there ourselves to check out those rumors," Lincoln replied.
"Well, if you want, I can give you all a lift there," Nurse Joy offered.
"That would be much appreciated, Nurse Joy. Thank you!" Brock replied eagerly.
"Well, at least this way, we'll get there a lot quicker," Misty commented.
"True. But I can't help but wonder what kind of a Gym Leader the Chartreuse Leader is," Lincoln pondered.
Hoo boy, this chapter was a doozy! Anyhow, next time, Lincoln and company will be arriving in Chartreuse City, which will probably only be for about two chapters, for Lincoln's (potential) seventh Gym Battle.
On an unrelated note, I was considering some ideas for my Sonic fanfic, The Agents of C.H.A.O.S. One of which will be a parody of Mickey, Donald and Goofy, The Three Musketeers movie, revolving around the first generation Diamond Cutters, including a version of Mimic who's loyal to his teammates.
Another idea is a bit darker. Basically, Tangle gets forced upon by some street thugs and winds up getting pregnant, leading to her and her friends having several moral dilemmas regarding the baby.
Let me know what you think in the comments!