Chapter 41: Memories of Lost Friends
Having finished warming up from their hike up Mount Lanakila, our heroes now ventured towards the Aether House, where they were to meet the Trial Captain and see about the Ghost Type Trial, "Nurse Joy said it should be at the end of the path," Will said, as they rounded a corner, which led to a big clearing. There, in the side of the mountain, was a white, futuristic building, that had the Aether Foundation symbol on it.
"That looks like the place," Luna commented, as they went over to it. Going inside, they saw nobody was in there, apart from a Pokémon that looked like a purple and white orangutan. One of the doors on either side of the front counter opened up, and out came two little kids and a Yungoos.
"STRANGERS! GET READY TO BATTLE!" the two of them proclaimed.
"What, why?!" Silver Spoon questioned.
"We make it our job to protect the Aether house when Acerola is out!" the boy said, as he sent out an Elekid, while the girl sent out a Magby.
"Well, it doesn't look like we can talk them out of this, so how about we take them on, Toby?" Lincoln suggested.
"Ok," Toby said, as he sent out Pawniard, while Lincoln sent in Mareanie. The others got out of the way.
"Quick Attack, Elekid!" the boy said. In the blink of an eye, Elekid then rammed into Mareanie.
"Pawniard, use Swords Dance, then into Night Slash!" Toby instructed. Swords appeared, and spun around Pawniard, as it glowed red. It's blade hands then began glowing purple, as it slashed at Magby. However, after the attack, Pawniard burst into flames.
"That's Flame Body! Since Pawniard made direct contact, it's now burned," Will commented.
"Magby, use Fire Punch!" the girl said. With it's fist cloaked in fire, Magby then punched Pawniard, causing major damage.
"Quick Mareanie! Use Sludge Bomb on Magby!" Lincoln instructed. Mareanie then fired of the sludge attack at Magby, who was already weak from Night Slash, and was knocked out.
"Elekid, quick! Use Thunder Punch on Mareanie!" the boy said. With it's fist cloaked in electricity, Elekid when in to punch Mareanie. It was about to make contact, when Mareanie started glowing, and began to evolve. It soon became a dome sharped starfish Pokémon. It then closed it's front two tentacles, and the spike all around it extended. When Elekid made contact, it became poisoned.
"Oh wow, Mareanie evolved!" Lincoln commented in amazement.
"Toxapex, the Brutal Star Pokémon, a Poison and Water Type, and the evolved form of Mareanie. With it's twelve legs, it creates a dome shaped shelter. The flow of the tides don't even affect it in there, so Toxapex is quite comfortable. When it evolved, Toxapex learned Baneful Bunker, which is the move that it just used. It not only protects Toxapex, but if the opponent attacks directly, it becomes poisoned," Rotom explained.
"That's handy," Lynn commented.
"Ok, that's enough!" a familiar voice said, as Acerola entered the Aether House, "I appreciate what you guys are doing to protect the Aether House, but these folks are good people. They're just here for the Trial," she explained to the younger kids, as she healed up their Pokémon. Toby and Lincoln did the same with their Pokémon.
"Thanks Pawniard. Now take a long rest," Toby said, recalling Pawniard.
"Same with you Toxapex," Lincoln said, recalling Toxapex.
"Ok guys. I know you want to take on the Ghost Type Trial, but Busujima just finished up the trial, and the Totem Pokémon needs some time to recover. So, if you guys want to wait later tonight, you can take the trial. I am the Ghost Trial Captain, y'know?" Acerola stated.
"Wow, I never pegged you for being the Ghost Trial Captain," Lola commented.
"But what should we do in the mean time while we wait?" Will asked.
"Well, you can always explore the Hainan Desert. You can train up your Pokémon, and possibly find the Psychium Z pedestal," Acerola said.
"Well, if that's what we should do, then let's get going," Will said, as they all went to leave the Aether House. The Loud Sisters were all the last to leave, as they saw Acerola and the kids going into the back room.
"So, which story do you all want me to read to you today?" Acerola asked the younger kids, as the door behind the closed.
"They seem like good friends," Leni commented. That one word made the sisters all pause; "friends". They all thought back to the day immediately after the trial they faced after the Luck Incident, and how things went from bad to worse for all of them.
Flashback, the day after the Loud Family's Trial
Driving to the mall had not proven all that easy for the Sisters, as traffic and parking was proving to be difficult, more so than usual. It had been an entire day since Lincoln issued the challenge against his sisters for what they and their parents did to the lone brother, "I literally still can't believe this! We're getting into trouble all because of our stupid brother and his stupid bad luck! And now he's going to run our reputation even further into the ground by challenging us to that dorky card game!" Lori fumed, as they entered the mall. As they proceeded to do all their own things, they could feel everyone's disapproving glares, drilling into them, relentlessly. Lori and Leni decided to do some clothes shopping, when they saw their friends.
"Hey girls!" Leni cheerfully called out. However, the response their friends gave them was not at all expected by either of them.
"C'mon girls, let's go find another store to shop in!" a blonde girl that looked almost identical to Lori said.
"Wait, where are you all going?" Lori questioned.
"Anywhere that's away from the two of you!" the red head of the group coldly stated.
"But our birthday's aren't anytime soon," Leni replied.
"We're not shopping for either of you! In fact, we're done doing anything with you two!" another girl with a purple and black striped top spat. Both sisters were taken aback by this.
"Why? What did we ever do to any of you?" Lori asked.
"'Why' you ask? I can't believe you're even asking that question! We all saw the trial you guys were in yesterday!" the blonde girl replied angrily.
"I had a feeling a family as big as yours can be stressful, but ousting one of you own?! For a stupid superstition?!" the girl in the purple and black top screamed at them.
"We had a perfectly good reason for it!" Lori argued, getting angry herself.
"Oh no, you can't get mad this time! You and your sisters and parents all messed up! It's entirely all your fault!" the red head countered.
"It may be true that we did something a little over the top, but that doesn't matter! It's literally a rule that in every fight between a boy and a girl, that it's always the girl that's the victim. That rule applies even in families!" Lori retorted.
"Not true. I know some guys who have been betrayed by girls they fell in love. Would you really call them out for their break ups?!" the blonde questioned. Silence was her only answer, "I thought so. Consider our friendship officially over!" she said, as the girls all left the devastated sisters alone. Needless to say, Lori and Leni were both broken up about loosing their friends. But it wasn't just them. In another part of the mall, Luna was about to enter the music store, only to be blocked by some employees.
"Hey, what gives dudes?" Luna questioned indignantly.
"Sorry Luna, but you've been officially banned from this store," one of them replied.
"Banned?!" Luna screeched.
"Yeah, apparently, the manager doesn't want someone who willingly kicks their own family out hanging around the store. Said it was to maintain a good image," the employee replied. Dejected, Luna trudged away. In yet another part of the mall, Lola was waiting in line to sign up for a beauty pageant that was to be held this weekend. However, when she got up to the sign up desk, she was immediately turned down.
"Sorry Lola, but you've been officially disqualified from the pageant circuit," one of the pageant organizers said.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS! I HAVE MY RIGHTS!" Lola screamed.
"Your brother has rights too, but was denied them. You did have a part to play in that, right?" the organizer asked. Lola was about to argue, but couldn't find the right words, "Thought not. Now run along. We'll be by your house later to confiscate ALL of your awards," he said, dismissing the no-longer pageant powerhouse. But what happened next got all 10 sisters banned from the mall for an entire year. Lynn was going to the sports store to pick up some new sporting equipment, and to sign up for the next season of softball.
"Stupid Lincoln and his stupid bad luck! I'll show them all! I'll prove that the Softball Gods haven't forsaken me!" Lynn declared to herself. During the time Lincoln had spent out of the house, Lynn's delusions of being "The Chosen One by the Softball Gods" had been getting out of hand. She had been forcing all of her good luck rituals onto her family, not wanting to take any chances. She even went as far as describing herself as some messiah sent by said Gods to lead Royal Woods into a new age of sports. However, this bit of testimony is what led to the family loosing the trial. She was looking at the baseball bats, when the softball coach walked into the store. Immediately, he saw the delusional athlete.
"Loud, what are you doing here?" the coach questioned. Lynn turned to see her coach, who did not look pleased to see her.
"I'm just picking out a new baseball bat for the new season. Since my old one is probably tainted with my brother's bad luck, I can't risk anything coming between the team and the championship!" Lynn proclaimed.
"You're pretty full of yourself if you think you're playing this season," the coach commented. This caught Lynn attention.
"What're ya talking about? Of course I'm playing! I'm the best player on the team! My good luck and skills are what has won so many matches," Lynn boasted.
"Yeah, that may be true to you, but not to those of us who think rationally, instead of jumping to rash conclusions, like a phony bologna superstition, like luck!" the coach snapped.
"If luck is fake, then how is it that the first game my stupid brother attended this season ended in a loss?!" Lynn questioned, loosing her temper rather fast.
"Well, I heard yours and your brother's testimony during the trial. I'm pretty sure karma had something to do with it," the coach replied. Lynn scoffed.
"Yeah right! I did nothing that warrants karma! My brother probably became bad luck just to get back at me for pulling him away from those dorky comics of his! Good thing we got rid of all the junk in his room," Lynn laughed cruelly. The coach only sighed.
"I don't know what I saw in you, Loud. I thought you were a good athlete based on your skill level. But you're treating luck more like an illegal performance enhancer! This luck based cancer is making you think you're better than everyone around you! But you know something Loud? You're not! The fact that you hide behind all these idiotic superstitions shows everyone just what kind of a person you really are!" the coach yelled. Lynn was close to loosing her temper.
"And what pray tell kind of a person am I?" Lynn seethed.
"You're just a scared, sore looser who prioritizes victory over the most important things in the world! I'm sorry to say this Loud, but you're being officially cut from the team, indefinitely," the coach finalized. Lynn couldn't believe what she was hearing. First, she and her family were arrested because of Lincoln, then, they were pronounced guilty by the court, and now she was being cut from the team. Lynn could no longer hold her anger back. She stomped out of the store, punching a mall cop that was in the way, and went on to make a scene, kicking over trash cans, or pushing people down. Basically, she was throwing a tantrum.
"Attention all units. Proceed to escort the Loud Sisters OUT of the mall for unruly behavior," the mall cop said, as he and a bunch of other mall cops went to kick out the sisters.
"AND STAY OUT!" the head officer said, leaving the sisters on the streets.
"This is just great! Not only do we loose our hobbies and our friends, but now we're banned from the only cool place in Royal Woods!" Lori grumbled.
"And it's all Stinkcoln's fault! Him and his stupid bad luck!" Lynn stomped back to the Van. Just then, a police car pulled up in front of the Van. Out stepped Ross. He did not look happy.
"There you girls are1 Do you have any idea how much training time you've wasted trying to go shopping?!" Ross yelled.
"Training for what? That stupid challenge our brother made to us? *scoff* We have more important things to worry about!" Lola stated.
"You're damn right you do! Lincoln also made another stipulation if you girls choose not to show up to the duel, or refuse the training," Ross yelled.
"Like what? Is he going to force us to buy back his stuff? Like we'll ever do that! I doubt there will be anything in it for us!" Lynn boasted.
"Ok, first of all, you girls aren't getting anything out of this, since you went too far with your treatment of Lincoln. But, he said there was something in it for you if you take his challenge," Ross said, as the police car drove off.
"Like what?" Luan questioned.
"Win or loose, you girls are going to Rhonda's Boot Camp for Unruly Delinquents for the entire summer," Ross explained. The girls all paled at the thought of their Aunt Rhonda. But they were more outraged that they were potentially loosing their summer.
"And why pray tell should WE give up OUR summer because of Stinkcoln?!" Lynn questioned.
"Because, given the testimony you all gave during the trial, you all pretty much admitted your guilt in locking out your brother. The law is against all of you, just like you all were against treating Lincoln like your own flesh and blood. Anyway, back to the subject at hand, Lincoln is wanting to send you all to Rhonda's to teach you all much needed discipline that your parents have neglected to give you. However, if you girls manage to win against your brother in this duel, he will negotiate that you only be sent for a month. Of course, you'll be put into the most difficult course she has, so..... I guess either way, it's a loose-loose situation," Ross explained, as he confiscated the keys to the van from Lori, who got in with everyone else. He attempted to start the van, but it just sputtered, "Man, how did your father keep this thing running for so long?!" Ross questioned, as he drove off.
"So, where are taking us, Uncle Ross?" Leni asked.
"To the training facility where you'll be spending the next two week preparing for your duel with Lincoln. He got a ton of his friends to agree to help out with teaching you the ins and outs of Duel Monsters," Ross explained. The girls were not looking forward to this. It was bad enough they were all going to be sent to their Aunt Rhonda's if they win or loose to Lincoln, but now even their uncle was forcing them to comply with their brother's wishes. Upon arriving, they saw some of Lincoln's friends, along with some other kids his age. Supervising them, was a Hispanic boy, about Lori's age. He wore a green plaid shirt over a white t-shirt and denim jeans. None of Lincoln's friends looked pleased to see his sisters, but the teenage boy was especially disgusted with them.
"Bobby Boo-Boo Bear? What are you doing here?" Lori asked.
"Personal request from Lincoln. He wants me to supervise each of your matches. Also Lori, NEVER call me by that nickname again," Bobby replied coldly. Lori wasn't liking where this was going.
"What are you saying?" Lori asked.
"I'm saying that after the way you treated your brother, I can't be seen with someone who prioritizes their own safety over their families! We're through Lori! And unless you make things right with your bro, we're through for good!" Bobby yelled at her.
"You're seriously taking that Jinx's side over ours!? What is wrong with you people?!" Lynn yelled.
"We could ask the same question. You guys talk so badly about your brother when he does tons of nice things for you, and this is how you repay him?! How can anyone be as heartless as you lot?!" a girl with a British Accent demanded. She wore a black and white stripped shirt under a pink jacket, and a plaid skirt. She had black hair and a pink streak in her hair.
"Tabby, you know things are complicated," Luna tried to argue, when a girl Luna's age stepped up. She had blonde hair with a light blue streak. She wore a sky blue jacket, over her shirt.
"No it's not Luna! In fact, it's completely simple! You and your sisters are so used to ganging up on your brother, that you think that your parents will always be there to step in when you believe he's stepping out of line! Well guess what? The law has authority over your parents, and NO ONE is above the law," the girl ranted.
"I'll be back to pick you girls up later this afternoon. At least try to make an effort to learn something," Ross said, as he drove off, as the van sputtered, before stopping completely, "Dang it! Looks like this hunk of junk is at it's last round up," he commented, as he made a call to the junkyard.
"Now then, let's get to work. You girls will be facing Rusty first. He's the weakest Duelist among us," a girl with brown hair, done up in braids, a yellow shirt, and a blue skirt commented, "Uh, no offense," she said.
"None taken, Girl Jordan," Rusty reassured.
Realtime,
"I guess in the end, we really did get what we deserved," Luna commented, as they exited the Aether House. They were apparently so wrapped up in their flashback, that they didn't notice their new friends battling Team Skull, protecting Lillie from them.
"WE WON'T FORGET THIS!" they all yelled, running away.
"Are you alright, Lillie?" Will asked.
"Y-yes, thanks to all of you. We were searching for the Ruins of Abundance, where Tapu Bulu, the island guardian is said to live, when Nebby tried to get out of the bag," Lillie explained, as Nebby made a noise from inside the bag.
"I heard the commotion! Is everyone alright?" Acerola called out, rushing towards them.
"Just some Team Skull Thugs giving Lillie some trouble. We took care of them," Silver Spoon replied.
"Well, that's good. Where's Hapu?" Acerola asked.
"She said she had something to take care of, but she dropped me off close by. I saw that the Aether House was close by, so I thought I could make it here with no issues, but that was when I got jumped by Team Skull," Lillie replied.
"Well, the important thing is that you're safe. You should probably take shelter in there for the time being," Will suggested.
"Of course. When I last saw him, Hau had finished up the Hokulani Observatory Trial, so he should be coming here sometime soon," Lillie added.
"It's been a while since we saw Hau. Maybe we'll see him on our way over to the Desert?" Lola asked.
"It's possible. Lillie, how about tomorrow we take you to the Ruins? You'd most likely want to recuperate after that ordeal," Will suggested.
"That sounds reasonable," Lillie replied, as Acerola escorted her into the Aether House.
"Alright guys, let get going. We should try and find the Psychium Z before it get's late," Will suggested, as they took off.
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Okay, it’s offical, Lincoln’s big sisters were a bunch of morons. Except for Lynn, she’s a total nutcase!
9982003
Yes, but at least in this continuity, they got what they had coming for a long time