Pokemon Loud Version - Kanto Ch. 10 - Spearow & Fearow

-The Loud Residence - Dining Room-

As the rest of her sisters (aside from Lisa, who was in her room) continued to watch the television while waiting for 'The Dream Boat' to come on, Lucy sat on the couch quietly, deep in thought over something Lisa had said to her before.

-Flashback-

"So...you overheard my discussion with our parents last night?" inquired Lisa with a raised eyebrow, causing Lucy to nod as she glared at the four year-old behind her bangs. "And how much did you manage to hear?"

"I didn't hear everything, but I heard enough to find out that you were up to something."

Much to Lucy's surprise however, her younger sister showed no signs of nervousness or fear. Instead, she merely smirked in response.

"A shame you didn't hear everything that was said in my room last night. Otherwise, you'd be siding with me on the matter."

-Flashback End-

She knew that her younger sister had a reason for wanting to send her brother to this Kanto place, yet hadn't spoken a word about it to anyone else aside from her parents - both of which had agreed to Lisa's suggestion rather easily.

But what bothered Lucy the most was the claim Lisa had made - that if she had overheard everything that was said that night, she would be taking her younger sister's side. Just what exactly was she trying to imply? Was there more to this whole situation than she had originally thought?

And most importantly - what was Lisa's endgame with this whole plan of hers?

She had to know...but there was only one way those particular questions could be answered and she wasn't exactly happy about the idea.

'...Guess I should swallow my pride and go talk to Lisa about this, otherwise I'm going to end up driving myself mad by constantly thinking about this stuff.' thought the goth before getting off of the couch in order to go speak with her younger sister.

As she started to head towards the stairs, Lola asks "Hey, where are you going? The new episode of 'The Dream Boat' is about to start!", only for Lucy to ignore her as she ascended the stairs to the second floor hallway. "What's her problem?"

"I don't know or care right now - she's gone, so there's more room on the couch for us." replied Lori, not taking her eyes off of the television. "Now shut up - the show's starting."

-=O=-

Lucy wasn't the only one lost in thought as Lisa sat at her desk, mulling over the conversation she had with Professor Oak earlier. To say that the older man was disappointed in her would be an understatement as he had verbally ripped into her over her actions - or lack of, in this case - regarding her brother's bad luck situation, alongside other things as well that didn't exactly paint her in a very good light.

What made the little genius feel worse was the fact that the older man had every right to be upset with her. She was certain that she had lost some of his respect after that particular conversation and it would be some time before she regained it again.

'Professor Oak was right - I could have done more to prevent this whole situation from happening in the first place.' thought Lisa morosely before pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. 'But no - I just had to put me and my research first. I even had sent Lincoln to Kanto mainly due to my own selfishness.'

Before she could dwell on these thoughts further, the sound of someone knocking at her door had caught her attention. Turning to face the door, she replies "It's open.", prompting Lucy to enter the room a few seconds later.

Upon seeing the young goth enter the room, Lisa's face twists into a scowl. "Oh, it's you...what do you want? Are you here to sling more baseless accusations at me?"

"I'm not happy about speaking with you either." retorted Lucy waspishly, only to calm down seconds later. "But I need answers to some questions I have and you're the only one that can provide them."

After a few seconds of silence, Lisa finally replies "...Before I even consider answering any questions you have, I want you to answer one of my own - why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you go along with this whole bad luck nonsense in the first place? You should be well versed about that particular subject due to your interests, yet you bought into the whole situation hook, line and sinker." inquired Lisa before crossing her arms.

"...What do you mean by that? Lincoln was proven to be bad luck, remember?"

"Yes - by him of all people. Strange coincidence, isn't it?" countered Lisa with a raised eyebrow.

After thinking it over for a few seconds, Lucy muttered "...Lincoln was faking his bad luck?" in a questioning tone, only to give the four year-old a furious look seconds later. "Wait...you knew?!"

"Of course. And before you say anything further, I'm well aware that I could have brought the whole 'bad luck' matter to a close sooner, but I chose not to act instead. It's one of the few decisions I actually do regret making." answered Lisa as a saddened expression appeared on her face, quelling the older girl's rage for the moment. "But you still haven't answered my question."

"...I wasn't thinking clearly - with Lynn going around saying that Lincoln was unlucky and him trying to prove it...I just followed the crowd and blindly accepted the situation as the truth like everyone else did." muttered Lucy as she lowered her head in shame. "But why would he try to make himself appear to be bad luck?"

"If you must know, it's because he had hardly any time to himself. That's why he went along with that foolish superstition nonsense." replied Lisa with a frown. "And considering how much time we forced him to spend on the rest of us, I can't exactly say I blame him."

At this, Lucy felt a large amount of guilt overcome her, knowing that she played a small part in causing this whole mess to start in the first place.

After taking a few seconds to recompose herself back to her usual stoic state, Lisa says "Now then, since you answered my question sufficiently enough, I'll answer yours. What do you want to ask?"

-=O=-

After managing to recompose herself as well, Lucy says "For starters, I want to know about why you had Lincoln sent to Kanto." before giving her sister a dark look. "And don't give me that 'helping out with his research' nonsense, either."

"...Is it really nonsense if it's the truth?" countered Lisa with a raised eyebrow.

"You know what I'm talking about! Why did you have him sent there?"

With a huff, Lisa replies "Fine, I guess I can answer this question of yours...", only to stop upon hearing a beeping sound that had quickly caught Lucy's attention. "By the look on your face, I'm guessing that you recognize that sound fairly well?"

"...Yes. I heard it while in the vents that night. What is it?"

"...Well, as long as you're here, I suppose I can go ahead and show you. In fact, this should actually answer that question of yours." replied Lisa before leading her older sister over to the VideoPhone. Taking a seat in front of it, she presses a few keys, causing the screen to show the visage of Professor Oak on it once more. "Hello again, Professor - did you need something from me?"

"Hello to you as well, Miss Loud. And yes, I'd like to provide some new information regarding your brother - he's officially left Pallet Town this morning to start his journey through Kanto."

"Journey?" asked Lucy in confusion - just what in the world was going on?

Noticing the young goth standing near Lisa, Oak says "Oh, I wasn't aware that you had company, Miss Loud. Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all. In fact, your timing couldn't have been any better." replied Lisa before giving Lucy a wily grin. "I was just about to discuss the subject of Lincoln's departure to Kanto with my sister before you called."

"Ah, so you must be one of the many sisters Lisa had told me about. Which one are you?" asked Oak with a smile.

"That's my older sister, Lucy - she's the one that I mentioned was into goth culture." replied Lisa before giving Oak an intense look. "But enough introductions - you said that Lincoln set out today, correct? Has he received his starter yet?"

"He has. It was an...unorthodox choice, but I feel that he'll be able to work with his choice quite nicely."

"Well, which one was it? Charmander? Squirtle? Bulbasaur?" questioned Lisa eagerly as her face moved closer with each Pokemon species named.

"A Pikachu, actually - he ended up sleeping in and had to catch a starter Pokemon himself." replied Oak with a shrug.

Before Lisa could inquire further, Lucy shouts "Is anyone going to explain to me what in the world is going on here?!", causing the two to give her a strange glance.

"...You really need to inform the rest of your family about this one of these days, Miss Loud."

"I'll see what I can do, Professor." replied Lisa before turning to face Lucy once again. "Take a seat, Lucy - this is going to take a while to fully explain, but this should answer any questions you may have about our brother."

-=O=-

-One Hour Later-

After Professor Oak had hung up, Lucy frowns before saying "So let me see if I've got this right - Lincoln was sent to Kanto to help Professor Oak's research on these Pokemon things by capturing them."

"That would be correct. And as you now know, I was speaking the truth earlier when I said our brother was helping him out."

"And as for you...you wanted to do your own research on Pokemon, so you had Lincoln sent to Kanto in hopes of getting to study anything he happens to capture while he's away. That was your big motive for wanting to send him there in the first place, right?"

"Affirmative." replied Lisa with a nod. "That and I felt that aside from myself, he would have the most to gain from the experience."

"And by that, you mean the League Championships and the fact that Lincoln would get to keep whatever he catches." concluded Lucy with a nod. "Okay, so that answers a few of the questions I had in mind. I'll make sure to let the others know so they'll..."

"I don't think that would be a wise decision." answered Lisa, causing Lucy to give her a strange look in response. "Rather, I think that you keep this to yourself for now - at least until Professor Oak sends over the first progress report."

"And what's going to stop me from going ahead and telling them now?" retorted Lucy with a smirk - if Lisa wanted her to keep this secret so badly, she was going to have to provide a really good incentive first. A few dollars sent her way would see something like this kept quiet.

"Well, for starters...maybe Mother and Father might be interested to know who's truly responsible for the Princess Pony book that was found inside the toilet." countered Lisa as her glasses flashed menacingly.

"...I...I don't know what you're talking about..." mumbled Lucy defensively, causing Lisa to smirk before walking over to her computer and typing in a few keys, causing the screen to show video footage of Lucy shoving the aforementioned comic into the toilet and hiding in the bathtub just as Lincoln enters the bathroom.

Staring at the screen in horror, Lucy stammers "...You wouldn't...that's not..." before pointing at Lisa accusingly. "You can't do this! This is blackmail!"

"I prefer 'insurance' instead." replied Lisa smugly before giving Lucy a stern look. "So what's it going to be, sister of mine? Keep my secret? Or I reveal yours?"

After a few seconds, Lucy grits her teeth and answers "...Fine, you win - I'll keep quiet about this for now. But if you spill one word..."

"Just as long as you keep my secret, I'll keep yours." responded Lisa calmly. "Now if you wouldn't mind leaving..."

In response, Lucy stomps out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

-=O=-

-Back On Route 1-

(AN: At this point, Lincoln already has the Pokedex entries/translations for Pidgey and Rattata)

"Dang it...not another one." muttered Lincoln in annoyance as he brushed aside some tall grass in hopes of finding a Pokemon he wanted to capture, only to see what felt like the eighteenth Pidgey he had seen so far in the last hour or so. "Why couldn't there be something a little more interesting around here?"

Despite showing some slight interest in the two species at first, he felt that for some odd reason that they just didn't 'click' with him. He didn't know why, but they just didn't seem like the kind of Pokemon he was looking for.

Unfortunately for him, they were the only Pokemon he had seen while exploring the area and if he had to be honest, he was getting tired of seeing them everywhere.

"Well, you're not too interesting yourself either, jerk!" huffed the small Flying-Type in annoyance before flapping its wings, sending a blast of sand directly into Lincoln's face.

"You know that you were just asking for that to happen, right?" said Pikachu with amusement as he watched Lincoln start coughing while trying to clear the sand out of his face. "To answer your question, though - other than Rattata and Pidgey, you're not going to find anything else."

"And just...*cough*...how would you...*cough*...know that...?"

"I've been through this area more times than I can count - I'd know exactly what kind of Pokemon live around here."

Once he had managed to clear away the sand, Lincoln sighs before replying "...Well, that sucks. And here I thought there'd be something neat for me to catch around here..."

"So what now - are we going to skip this place and move on? You've been at this for two hours already." said Pikachu as he stared at the approaching mass of dark clouds. "Not to mention that those storm clouds are moving in."

"Yeah, that would probably be a good idea. We should be getting to Viridian City, anyway." replied Lincoln before taking his map out his bag and unfolding it. "Okay, looks like we just need to head north - if we hurry, we can make it before the storm hits."

As he started to put the map back into his bag, a female voice from nearby called out "Hey, you said that you're heading to Viridian, right?"

Turning to face the source of the voice, Lincoln and Pikachu see an older girl sitting on what appeared to be a high-quality bike which had a fishing rod and tackle box attached to it. She was wearing a pair of cargo shorts, a cropped top and jacket, red sneakers and wrist-length fingerless gloves, but the most noticeable feature however was her orange hair, which was tied into a short ponytail on the side of her head.

Giving the girl a cautious look, Lincoln asks "That depends - why are you asking?"

Noticing his wary expression, the girl says "Easy there, squirt - I'm not looking to start any trouble. I'm just asking if you're heading to Viridian or not."

"First off, don't call me 'squirt'. Secondly, yeah, we are heading to Viridian City." answered Lincoln pointedly. "What I want to know is why your asking in the first place."

"Well, I'm heading that way myself in order to rest at the Pokemon Center there." replied the girl as she looked at the dark clouds in the distance. "After all, there's a storm coming in and I don't want my Pokemon or I to get caught up in it."

"So you're a Trainer too? What's your name?"

Crossing her arms with a scowl, the girl retorts "It's rude to ask something like that without giving your own name first."

"The name's Lincoln Loud..." started Lincoln, only to be cut off when the girl started snickering. "Hey, stop laughing! It's not funny!"

"Sorry, but you have to admit that a name like that is pretty laughable to be honest."

"Well, I didn't exactly have a choice in the matter when it came to that, now did I?" snapped Lincoln with a frown. "So what's your name?"

"Misty - I'm a Trainer that specializes in Water-Type Pokemon." replied the girl before turning her attention to Pikachu. "I'm guessing this little guy is yours? He's a cutie."

While Pikachu preened slightly at the compliment, Lincoln snarks "Well, he's sitting on my shoulder, so the answer to that question should be pretty obvious." with a roll of his eyes.

"Ooh...looks like the squirt's got some verbal bite to him. I better be careful otherwise you might end up hurting my delicate feelings." replied Misty mockingly.

"Stop calling me that! It's Lincoln, not 'squirt'!" replied Lincoln, irritated at the nickname she had given him. "You're starting to remind me of my oldest sister and not in a good way either!"

"Aw...I remind you of your sister...how sweet!"

Struggling to keep his temper in check, Lincoln asks "You said that you were heading to the Pokemon Center in Viridian, right? What does it look like?"

"You don't know what a Pokemon Center looks like?" asked Misty before snapping her fingers in realization. "I'm guessing you're not from the Kanto region, are you? You don't exactly look like a native."

"You're right, I'm not - I came here from the United States."

"So you're not only a squirt, but a complete outsider as well? Hmm...I guess I can help you just this once."

'Great, another nickname for her to call me. Just wonderful.' thought Lincoln with a scowl.

"Just keep an eye out for a large building with a round red roof - you can't miss it." replied Misty before she rode away. "See you later, squirt!"

Watching as she rode away with an annoyed frown, Lincoln mutters "...She's going to keep calling me that, isn't she?", getting an amused chuckle from Pikachu in response. "I thought so. First I get blasted with sand by a Pidgey, then I meet some girl that's just as annoying as my sisters. What's next?"

As if to answer his question, the sound of thunder boomed through the area, followed by a sudden downpour of rain.

"...I just had to go and run my mouth, didn't I?"

"As much as I would like to laugh at your expense again, we really should get..." started Pikachu, only to spot a small avian Pokemon with rough brown plumage, a cream-colored underside and pinkish-red colored wings sitting in a nearby tree. "...is that a Spearow? I don't remember seeing any of them around here before."

Upon seeing the Pokemon in question for himself, Lincoln mutters "Spearow, huh? Let's see here..." as he takes out his Pokedex to find out more.

'Spearow, the Tiny Bird Pokemon. Very protective of its territory, it flaps its short wings busily to dart around at high speed. This male Spearow is Level 4 and knows the moves Peck, Leer and Growl.'

"So that thing's Level 4 and knows a Flying-Type move on top of that? Now that sounds like something I'd want to catch." mused Lincoln as a grin formed on his face. "What do you say - think you can take it down before we leave?"

"Please, I could have that thing mopped up before you can say 'Pokemon'." replied Pikachu confidently. "Just give me the order and I'll zap that bird into next week."

"Alright then. Now we just need to get close enough and..." started Lincoln as he and Pikachu stepped closer to the Spearow, only for it to spot him and fly off into the nearby woods that served as the outskirts of Route 1. "Dang it! C'mon Pikachu, we can't let that bird get away!"

"Right!"

-=O=-

-Route 1 Outskirts (Fifteen Minutes Later)

"Are you sure we should still be chasing after this thing? It looks like it's trying to lead us into a trap." asked Pikachu before looking skyward and noticing several flashes of lightning among the clouds. "Not to mention that this storm's starting to get worse."

"C'mon, we're so close to finally catching up with it - we can't just give up the chase now!" retorted Lincoln before noticing that the Spearow was starting to slow down, eventually coming to a stop at a nearby tree near a large clearing. "See? It's already come to a stop - we've got it right where we want it."

"I don't know - this smells like an ambush to me..." muttered Pikachu uncertainly.

"You're overthinking things. Now come on - let's go catch that stupid bird so we can get out of this rain." replied Lincoln before heading into the clearing and stepping in front of the tree that the Spearow was perching in. Pointing at it, he says "Alright, now we've got you cornered - get ready to be captured, Spearow!"

"Oh? I'd say that it's the other way around - it's us that have you cornered." replied the Tiny Bird Pokemon as a malevolent gleam appeared in its eye.

"What do you..." asked Lincoln, only to notice that there were several Spearow perching in the trees surrounding them, all of them with the same look of malice. "Aw, crap."

"I told you that it was probably trying to lead us into something like this." groused Pikachu as he eyed the numerous Flying-Types warily.

"So...thought you'd chase after a member of our flock and try to take him away from us, did you?" crowed one of the Spearow as its eyes narrowed in anger.

"And not only that, but you're trespassing on our territory as well! What nerve!"

"Well, there's only one appropriate punishment I can think of for something like this..." chimed another Spearow before letting a loud cry and swooping towards Lincoln, ready to strike him with its beak. However, before the attack could hit, a blast of electricity connects with the Spearow, knocking it out in a single shot.

Knowing who was responsible for the Spearow's defeat, Lincoln grins and says "Thanks for the save, Pikachu. That could have gone badly if you hadn't intervened."

"Hey, you're my Trainer - I couldn't let you face off against these things alone, now could I?" replied Pikachu before crouching down into a battle-ready stance as his cheeks started to spark with electricity. "We won't be getting out of this without a fight, though - are you ready?"

After grabbing a hefty stick from the ground, Lincoln replies "Ready!" before getting into a sloppy batter's stance, preparing for the oncoming assault as the multiple Spearow let out a loud and furious cry before diving at them all at once.

-=O=-

-Twenty Minutes Later-

"There's three more coming in to your left - use Thundershock!" ordered Lincoln as he smacked another Spearow with the stick like it was a feathery baseball, sending it crashing to the ground. With a nod, Pikachu fires off another blast of electricity, dropping the rapidly dwindling numbers even further.

After Lincoln and Pikachu had managed to easily knock out a few of the Spearow at the start of the fight, the white-haired boy quickly came to a realization - despite all the tough talk they were doing earlier, the Spearow were actually a group of weaklings that relied on their numbers to do any damage...not that it helped them in this situation, of course.

In fact, aside from a few scratches, he and Pikachu had hardly taken any damage from them at all while the flock had lost well over half of its earlier strength.

'If we keep this up, we might be able to scare these guys enough to get them to leave us alone.' thought Lincoln with satisfaction as he noticed that the Spearow seemed much more reluctant to fight with over half of their flock lying on the ground unconscious.

"What do we do now? They've been kicking our asses for the past twenty minutes!"

Glaring at the two outsiders hatefully, the Spearow from before replies "Just keep attacking them, you featherbrains! They can't hold out forever!"

"Speak for yourself - you've been sitting there barking orders at us while we're getting completely wrecked!" snapped another Spearow as it gave its cohort an angry glare.

"Shut it! Someone has to make sure you idiots know what you're supposed to be doing!"

Before the other Spearow could retort, a much louder and menacing-sounding cry echoed through the forest, causing everything to go silent. After a few seconds, the Flying-Types turn to face Lincoln and Pikachu once more with glints of satisfaction in their eyes.

"Looks like you're in for it now - the boss is awake and she doesn't like it when her flock gets attacked. There's going to be nothing left by the time she gets done with you." chimed the bossy Spearow smugly before turning its attention to the stormy skies above. "Speaking of which, there she is now."

Looking upwards, Lincoln and Pikachu spot a much larger bird-like Pokemon with golden-brown feathers, a red-colored crest on its head and a long, thin spear-like beak flying through the air above them.

While Pikachu glanced at it nervously, Lincoln thought 'That Pokemon...could it be...?' with widened eyes before taking out his Pokedex and scanning it.

'Fearow, the Beak Pokemon. The evolved form of Spearow, Fearow is recognized by its long neck and elongated beak which it uses for catching prey in soil or water. This female Fearow is Level 20 and knows the moves Pursuit, Fury Attack, Mirror Move, Leer and Aerial Ace.'

'Level 20?! That's twice the strength of Pikachu's level!' thought Lincoln in surprise and slight worry as the large Flying-Type let out a loud screech before coming to a stop in the middle of the clearing.

Turning to face one of her subordinates, the Fearow asks "Alright, what's causing all of the ruckus? I was enjoying a nice nap in my tree and...", only to stop upon seeing the knocked out Spearow littering the ground. "...What in Arceus' name happened here? Why are members of my flock lying on the ground like this?"

Pointing one of its wings at Lincoln and Pikachu, one of the Spearow replies "It's their fault, Boss - not only did they try to catch one of us, but they trespassed on our territory and even defeated over half of our numbers!", hoping that its words would be enough to provoke Fearow to attack the two without mercy.

Instead, much to the rest of the flock's surprise, the Beak Pokemon glanced at Lincoln and Pikachu with interest before answering "So you saying that these two managed to defeat over half of my flock? Interesting..."

Quickly flying over and coming to a stop in front of Lincoln, the Flying-Type continued "Listen closely, human - while I'm not happy about the fact you and your Pokemon had trespassed on our territory and defeated so many of my subordinates, I'm willing to offer you an out. If your Pikachu can defeat me in a battle, both of you will be free to go. However..."

"However...?" repeated Lincoln, though he was certain he wouldn't like what came next.

"However, if you lose, neither of you will leave this forest alive - I'll make sure of that myself." answered Fearow with a dangerous glint in her eyes. "So what do you say - do we have a deal?"

"It's not like I've got a choice in the matter now." replied Lincoln before giving Fearow a strange look. "But why would you offer something like this to us?"

With her beak forming a bird-like smirk, Fearow answered "It's been a long time since I've had a good fight and I feel that your Pikachu will provide one that I'll thoroughly enjoy."

-=O=-

As soon as the two Pokemon had gotten ready for battle, Lincoln points at Fearow and orders "Alright Pikachu, let's start things off with a Quick Attack!", prompting the Electric-Type to speed towards her in an attempt to take her down quickly.

"Straightforward, aren't you? That's not going to work so easily." replied Fearow as she easily banked around the attack before smashing Pikachu in the back with her wing, sending him skidding across the ground.

After coming to a stop, Pikachu slowly gets to his feet with a groan of pain - Fearow's attack had hurt a lot more than he had expected it to.

With a smug look of satisfaction, Fearow says "I see that you're wondering how I was able to damage you that much with my Pursuit attack. It's quite simple, really - I have the ability Sniper, which makes any critical blows I land hurt a lot more than usual."

"Then I'll just have to hurt you even more to compensate for it! Thundershock!" replied Pikachu before launching a sudden blast of lightning at Fearow, striking her in the chest. Despite the type advantage however, the Beak Pokemon easily shrugged off the attack a few seconds later.

"Much better, but still weak." replied Fearow before diving at Pikachu and attempting to jab him with her beak, causing the Electric-Type to start frantically dodging the attempted skewering. Upon seeing an opening, Fearow cuffs him with her wing once more. "Is this the best you can do? Perhaps I had overestimated you."

Struggling to get to his feet once more, Pikachu mutters "Quick Attack doesn't work...Thundershock isn't working that well either...so I guess..."

"Time for what? To give up and accept your punishment?"

"...No." replied Pikachu before a wily smirk appeared on his face as he glared at Fearow. "...It's time to give my new attack a try."

"New attack, you say? Interesting." replied Fearow with a glint in her eye. "But even it won't save you from defeat - you're only delaying the inevitable."

"Don't be so sure, birdbrain - I don't intend on losing here to something like you." countered Pikachu before leaping into a nearby tree and climbing up to the top-most branches. Once he felt that he was high enough, he leaped out of the tree and into the air.

"This is your new attack - jumping into the air and attempting to land on me? What a joke! And here I thought you would be a challenge." sneered Fearow with narrowed eyes. "I've toyed around with you long enough - it's time to end this so my flock can exact their rightful revenge."

After quickly taking to the air, the furious Beak Pokemon cried out "Time to end this once and for all - Aerial Ace!" before speeding towards Pikachu as her wings shimmered with a blinding white-colored aura.

In response, Pikachu focused as much electricity as he could towards his tail, causing a sphere of electricity to start gradually forming on it. However, unknown to the Electric-Type, the ball started to rapidly increase in size as the flashes of lightning in the skies became more and more frequent with each passing second.

By the time it had finally stopped growing, it was well over twenty times the size of Pikachu's body.

"I may only have one shot to take you down with this, but with what's at stake, there's no way I'm going to miss!" shouted Pikachu before flipping forward and slinging the massive orb of electricity with all of his might at the oncoming Fearow. "EAT THIS! ELECTROBALL!"

Not having enough time to move out of the way of the oncoming attack, the Beak Pokemon could only widen her eyes in complete disbelief before the Electroball connected, encasing her inside and heavily electrocuting her.

"Alright, that's the way to do it!" cheered Lincoln, only for his smile to fade when he notices that the massive ball of electricity started to warp and distort, unable to hold its current form. "...Uh-oh. That can't be good."

Acting quickly, he quickly scooped up Pikachu into his arms before running away from the clearing to find cover as soon as possible - he had seen enough of Lisa's failed experiments do the same to know what was going to happen next.

As soon as he had ducked down behind a large rock, Lincoln heard a loud cracking sound, followed by a deafening boom as the Electroball finally self-destructs, creating a large outward blast of electricity that illuminated the entire area.

-=O=-

Once the blast had finally died down, Lincoln peered from behind the rock to see if it was safe to come out. What he had seen left him completely dumbstruck - blackened grass, several knocked over trees, scorched earth, a heavy burning smell that lingered through the air and all of the Spearow from before laying on the ground, completely unconscious alongside their leader.

Gaping at the destruction left behind, Lincoln mutters "...Holy crap..."

"You can say that again...I didn't expect Electroball to have that much power in it." added Pikachu tiredly. "And it really took a lot out of me, too - I'm completely tapped out of electricity..."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"It's nothing a little rest can't fix - a few hours of sleep and maybe a quick recharging and I'll be good as new." responded Pikachu before a smile appeared on his face. "Though I wouldn't say no to a bit of ketchup right now."

"You must really love that stuff to be thinking about it at a time like this." joked Lincoln before glancing at Fearow, who was still laying on the ground with small bolts of electricity waltzing over its body.

Noticing what Lincoln was glancing at, Pikachu stares at the Fearow before asking "So...what are you going to do with her? By the looks of things, it doesn't look like she's going to be getting back up any time soon."

Realizing that a golden opportunity was right in front of him, Lincoln turns to Pikachu and asks "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" as he took an empty Pokeball out of his bag with a wry grin on his face.

"Wait...you're actually going to catch that thing? You DO know that it almost tried to kill me just a few seconds ago, right?"

"Yeah, but the opportunity to catch an evolved Pokemon this early is too good to pass up." replied Lincoln before tossing the Pokeball against the unconscious Fearow's head, causing it to quickly pull the Flying-Type inside. "That and there's something about this particular Fearow that makes me want to catch her."

"...Alright, but if she tries anything funny, I'm going to give her an encore performance."

"Fair enough." replied Lincoln as he watched the ball wobble around for a few seconds before going still. After pocketing the Pokeball with a grin, he picks Pikachu up and places him on his shoulder. "Come on, let's get out of here before the rest of those stupid birds start to wake up."

-=O=-

"Okay, now that we've got that flock of Spearow off of our backs, we should be heading to Viridian City - I think both of us could use a little R&R after what we went through." said Lincoln as the two headed back to the main path of Route 1.

"Agreed. And I still want that ketchup you promised me."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be sure to get your ketchup for you." replied Lincoln with a playful roll of his eyes.

Before Pikachu could give a reply, a loud cry sounded through the area, causing the two to start looking around to find the source of the noise. They didn't have to look for very long as it decided to make an appearance instead, landing on the ground in front of them with a loud thud.

Standing directly in front of them was a massive bird-like Pokemon with crimson feathers, a large golden crest on its head and a similarly-colored tail. As he stared at the size of the Pokemon in absolute shock, Lincoln absently noticed that it bore a close resemblance to a phoenix.

'Oh man, that thing is huge! It makes that Fearow I caught look puny in comparison!' thought Lincoln in disbelief. Before he could say or do anything, the massive Pokemon moved its head closer in order to get a better look at him, staring directly into his eyes with its own.

As he tried not to move in fear of provoking the bird-like Pokemon, Lincoln wondered on what exactly it wanted from him. Was it a relative of the flock he and Pikachu had defeated? Or possibly something much worse?

Speaking of Pikachu, he subtly noticed that the Electric-Type was staring at the unknown Pokemon with awe, as if the Pokemon was a deity of some kind.

After a few seconds, the phoenix-like Pokemon moves its head away and nods in satisfaction before it starts sifting through the underside of one of its wings, as if looking for something that was hidden there. After a few seconds of searching, it manages to find what its looking for and returns its attention back to Lincoln with a shimmering feather and a small drawstring bag in its beak.

After placing both items onto the ground, the unknown Pokemon then takes to the air, flying into the stormy skies above. Once it felt that it was high enough, the unknown Pokemon lets out a loud cry before spreading its wings widely as it's body glowed with a brilliant orange light.

As if on cue, the dark clouds above started to quickly dissolve, leaving behind a clear blue sky that had a beautiful rainbow arching through it.

With the storm no longer around, the bird-like Pokemon flies away, leaving Lincoln and Pikachu behind. As it flew towards the sun in the distance, the plumage on its body took on a shimmering golden color that left both of them gaping at the sight in complete amazement.

-=O=-

Completely awestruck. That was how Lincoln felt upon seeing the glorious sight of the strange Pokemon as it flew off into the horizon. Wondering on what in the world that Pokemon was, he quickly pulled up his Pokedex to find out more about it. However, as he pointed it at his target, the red-colored device let out a buzzing noise.

'Targeted Pokemon is out of range. Cannot register information into database.'

"Dang it...I really wanted to know what that Pokemon was." grumbled Lincoln before recalling that Professor Oak mentioned that the Pokedex had a camera feature as well. After taking a few seconds to get it set up, he points the lens at the mysterious Pokemon and snaps a few pictures of it until it was completely out of sight.

Afterwards, he checks out the pictures that were saved onto the Pokedex's memory with a nod of satisfaction, noting that he had managed to take a couple that were good enough to show the unknown Pokemon's appearance clearly.

'Maybe Professor Oak might know what that Pokemon is if I show him a picture or two or it.' thought Lincoln as he put away the Pokedex before turning his attention to the objects the Pokemon had left behind. Moving closer to get a better look, he asks "What the heck are those supposed to be?"

"I don't believe it - you've been gifted with a Rainbow Wing and some Sacred Ash..." replied Pikachu, staring at the two items in awe before turning to face Lincoln. "You're really lucky, you know that?"

'Lucky, huh?' thought Lincoln, finding ironic humor in Pikachu's words. 'Never thought I'd be called something like again.'

"I think you should take them with you - if a Legendary Pokemon like that was willing to bestow these items upon you, it must be for a very good reason."

"Legendary Pokemon? So you know what that thing is?"

"Of course - that was Lord Ho-Oh, also known to regular Pokemon like myself as the 'Storm's End'." replied Pikachu before looking at the clear skies above. "A title that, as you saw for yourself earlier, fits him very well."

"So what about these items? What do they do?" asked Lincoln as he picked the two items up that were left behind, noting that they felt particularly warm to the touch.

"I'm not too knowledgeable about what Sacred Ash does, but I remember hearing once that Rainbow Wings are supposed to bring great happiness to whoever holds them."

After placing the bag of ashes into his bag, Lincoln decides to take a closer look at the feather. Holding it up, he saw that it lived up to its namesake as the colors of the feather did change as the sunlight played across its surface. Smiling, he continued to gaze at the shimmering colors - he didn't know why, but looking at the feather seemed to fill him with a feeling of peace.

Yet at the same time, he wondered on why Ho-Oh had given him such a beautiful object. Perhaps it had become somewhat aware of what brought him here and decided that he could use something like this? Pikachu did say that they brought happiness to whoever held them, after all...

"Hey, shouldn't we be going? It's starting to get late." said Pikachu, snapping Lincoln out of his thoughtful state.

"Yeah, you're right - we better get to Viridian City before it starts getting too dark."

-=O=-

-One Hour Later-

'About time I made it...it's already nighttime.' thought Lincoln as he stepped through the entrance to Viridian City. 'Alright, now I just need to find this Pokemon Center place and...'

"Hold it right there!" shouted a female voice from nearby, causing him to let out a groan of frustration.

Turning to face the source of the voice, Lincoln says "Look miss, we're in a hurry here and don't have time to...", only to stop speaking upon seeing a green-haired woman clad in a police uniform standing beside a motorbike with a sidecar attached to it. "Dang it."

Pointing at him, the woman replies "'Dang it' is right, young man - the name's Officer Jenny of the Kanto Police Force and you're under arrest!"

"Under arrest?! For what?" shouted Lincoln incredulously as Jenny took out a pair of handcuffs.

"For the crime of Pokemon theft, of course!"

"Officer, please - I think there's been a misunderstanding here. I've only just arrived here a few seconds ago!"

"Is that right? And what exactly are you doing here out here, hmm?" inquired Officer Jenny with narrowed eyes, watching him for any signs of deceit. "Especially while walking around a Pikachu outside of its Pokeball?"

"Well, first of all, the Pikachu is my Pokemon. He's not too fond of staying in his Pokeball, which is why he's sitting on my shoulder." replied Lincoln before pointing at the route behind him. "Secondly, we're trying to find the town's Pokemon Center so we'll have a place to rest for the night. We had a bad encounter with some Spearow earlier and..."

"A flock of Spearow? Did they happen to be led by a Fearow by any chance?" asked Jenny, getting a nod from Lincoln in response. "Of course it'd be those pesky birds - they've been attacking Trainers and Pokemon alike over the past couple of weeks. You'd be surprised on how many complaints we get about them."

"Well, while I'm not too sure about the rest of the flock, I don't think you'll need to worry about the Fearow anymore, Officer." replied Lincoln before taking Fearow's Pokeball out of his bag, "I managed to capture it shortly before coming here."

"You actually managed to capture their leader?" asked Jenny before snapping her fingers in realization. "Wait...are you two by any chance the ones responsible for that large blast of electricity that came from the nearby woods?"

Sheepishly scratching the back of his head, Lincoln mutters "...Yeah, that was us."

"I was wondering what caused that." replied Jenny before putting the handcuffs away. "Well, since you mentioned that you had an encounter with those pesky Spearow, I guess I can take it a little easy on you. Just show me some form of identification and you can be on your way."

Lincoln nods before taking his Trainer Card out of his pocket and handing it over to her. After looking over it carefully, Jenny takes a strange-looking device from her pocket and gives the card a quick scan with it. Once the scan had completed, she smiled before handing the card back to Lincoln.

"Alright, everything checks out - here's your card back, young man. And I wish to express my apologies about almost arresting you like that - we've been hearing reports about thieves being in the area lately and since you looked unfamiliar..."

"That's okay - you were just doing your job, Officer." replied Lincoln with a dismissive wave. "Can you show me where the Pokemon Center is?"

With a salute, Jenny says "Of course - it's one of the many duties of an officer like myself to assist someone in need! In fact, get on and I'll take you there myself."

"Um...get on? You mean on the bike, right?" asked Lincoln, giving the motorbike a cautious glance.

Rolling her eyes, Jenny replies "Don't worry, I'm a very safe driver. Now hurry up - we need to get you to the Pokemon Center as soon as possible - it's starting to get late."

"Well, alright - if you say so..." answered Lincoln before moving to secure Pikachu inside of the sidecar. Once he was finished, he gets on the bike behind Jenny and after wrapping one of his arms around her waist, gives her a thumbs-up.

Taking the gesture as her sign to go, Jenny revs up the bike's engine before slamming her foot down hard on the gas, causing the bike to speed towards their destination with Lincoln screaming in fright at the top of his lungs along the way.

-=O=-

-At The Viridian Pokemon Center-

"Alright, here we are - the Viridian Pokemon Center!" chimed Jenny with a smile as the bike came to a stop in front of a large building with a rounded red-colored roof with a white Pokeball design painted on it. A few seconds later, her smile faded as she realized that Lincoln was still clinging tightly against her back, his body trembling. "Um...you know you can let go of me now, right?"

"T-too fast...too fast..." muttered Lincoln fearfully as he remained in place.

Sighing, Jenny muttered "Damn it. I just had to go and scare the poor kid out of his wits." before reaching around with one of her arms and tapping Lincoln on the head. "Hey, we've arrived. You can let go now."

"We...we're here?" stammered Lincoln before opening his eyes. Upon seeing the red-roofed building, a sensation of relief overcame him as he quickly lets go of Officer Jenny and shakily gets off of the bike. "Thank god - I thought I was going to end up having a heart attack there for a second..."

Upset at the comment, Jenny whines "Oh come on! My driving wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Maybe to you, it wasn't..." mumbled Lincoln before removing an equally rattled Pikachu out of the bike's sidecar and distancing himself as far as possible from the vehicle - after that hellish ride through town, there was no way he was going to go near one of those things anytime soon.

Once he had managed to calm down enough to speak without stammering, he turns to Officer Jenny and adds "Well, despite the fact you scared the living crap out of me earlier, I'm thankful for the ride, Officer."

"Not a problem. And...uh, I'm sorry about scaring you like that - I sometimes forget that most people aren't used to moving around at high speed like I am."

"It's alright, Officer - you didn't mean to do that. Just...try not to do it again, please."

"Well...alright, if you say so." replied Jenny before starting up her bike once more. "Have a good evening."

With a nod, Lincoln responded "You too, Officer. Take care." before heading towards the entrance to the Pokemon Center and going inside. As he entered the building, he was completely unaware of the Meowth-shaped hot-air balloon floating above him through the night sky.

-=O=-

Inside of the balloon's basket, two adults clad in white uniforms with a red 'R' emblazoned on them stared at a wanted poster with a look of disgust on their faces. One was a woman with long red hair that curved behind her head while the other was a man with mid-length lavender hair.

"What an awful picture of us. Isn't that right, James?" muttered the woman as she sneered at the poster in her hand.

"I know what you mean, Jessie - they didn't even get our good side." replied the man, now known as James, as he idly played with a rose in his hand.

Sitting in the basket with them was a male Meowth that watched the two with amusement as they continued to comment on the poster. With a mocking grin, he said "Whaddya talkin' about? Youse two knuckleheads don't have a 'good side'!" before cackling loudly.

The two turn around and glare at the Scratch Cat Pokemon before punching the top of his head, shouting "Shut it, Meowth!" in unison.

"Ow...ya didn't like to hit me like dat. I was just joking..." muttered Meowth as he rubbed his head. "So what's da plan - we're gonna hit the Pokemon Center?"

"That's the idea - the boss wants us to pull off a raid during the night and swipe every single Pokemon the place has to offer." replied Jessie with an evil smile. "All we need to do is cut the power and it should be easy pickings from there."

With a smirk, James adds "And when the boss finds out that we managed to pull this job off, we'll be sure to make him happy. We might even get a promotion!"

"And den I'll be da top cat in Team Rocket once again!" piped in Meowth with a wide smile on his face before the three break out into a fit of villainous laughter as the balloon slowly continues its flight.