The Highway

A couple minutes later, the four Louds and the popular girl were seated at a patio table of a little sushi place she had become fond of. The outdoor eating area was surrounded by a black iron fence, and the furniture was made of steel and painted red. The tables were covered with a red and white tablecloth each. It seemed very popular among the locals, as the dining area was packed, as well as almost the whole patio. "I didn't know you liked sushi, Leni," Lola commented as she looked through the menu.

"Well, it's the healthiest restaurant in town. Besides, sushi is very trendy these days," The fashionable young lady responded.

"Hopefully, they can hold the wasabi…" Lincoln said as he closed his menu.

"What's the matter, Lincoln? Can't handle a little spice?" Jordan teased him with a slight smirk.

"Nah. Linc's always been kinda wimpy when it comes to spicy," Lana joined in, her face hidden behind the menu.

"Ok. Number one: wasabi isn't a 'little spice'," The one son replied with a frown and a raised finger. "Number two: even Lynn shys away from wasabi. THAT should tell you something."

"We're just poking a little fun at you, Lincoln," The girl with the light brown ponytail told him, gently poking his arm as she said it.

"He does have a point, though," The beauty obsessed twin spoke up in support of her brother. "Lynn's like the queen of spicy and she steers clear of wasabi on it's own."

"Thank you, Lola," The white haired young man said appreciatively to his third youngest sister. Once the six of them placed their orders (Princess getting in on it and ordering a kid's sized sashimi), Leni continued her story from earlier.

"As I was saying, it was about a year after I left Pokemon Care college. I knew I wanted to take care of pokemon for a career, but wasn't sure if I wanted to be a breeder, a daycare worker, a nurse...I just didn't know. Anyway, after I left, my favorite teacher suggested I get some battle experience, so I can better spot the various things that can ail pokemon: poison, paralysis, toxic, the list goes on. I started to do so for the first few months…" Leni looked up toward the ceiling as she remembered the few months of trying to battle with her first pokemon; a round, pink pokemon with pointed ears and big blue eyes. She winced with each memory of her poor pokemon getting hit; punched by a gray, muscular, humanoid pokemon, burned by a fire breathing turtle, getting hit by a rock hurled by a rock pokemon with a big pink nose, and electrocuted by a Dedenne. "...but seeing my poor Jigglypuff getting beat up all the time...it was just too much for me. Goodness knows he tried so hard...he tried to tell me he was fine with fighting…"

"Well, most pokemon really do enjoy battling, Leni," Girl Jordan told her. "In fact, it's rare to find a pokemon that doesn't want to battle."

"I know...but I don't like seeing pokemon hurt…" The blonde sweetheart replied sadly. "I still needed the battle experience though, and an idea came to me; I could watch gym battles and get experience that way. So I asked Mr Rodge if I could witness some battles in his gym. He agreed and everything seemed fine at first, though...it still upset me to see the pokemon get hurt; especially with Rodge's method of one hit knockouts…"

"One hit knockouts?" Lincoln asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah. Attacks that hit so hard, almost all pokemon were knocked out in one hit. In the old days, they called him the One Hit Wonder," She elaborated. "It just seemed...unnecessarily brutal, you know...anyway, after witnessing a few battles and expressing my concerns to him, he suggested I become his apprentice; I could still get my experience, I could try and make sure the pokemon aren't hurt too much, and earn a little money on the side."

"All a lie, I bet…"

"Well, not all a lie. I do get paid fairly decently…" Leni said meekly. "And I was getting better at spotting the various pokemon ailments...as they were afflicted unto Rodge's pokemon, leaving me to care for their injuries. However, he demanded that I battle his way, and only his way. One hit, knock out...but none of his pokemon would listen to me, at all."

"Because he told them not to, as we just learned…" Lola growled.

"Sounds to me like he's just using you as an easy way out of the job…" The middle Loud reasoned, tapping his chin with a finger. "...but I don't get why…"

"Being a gym leader is supposed to be a big honor, isn't it?" Girl Jordan pointed out. "Most trainers would give anything to be a gym leader, and then some if they could be part of the Elite Four. So why is he trying to get out of it?"

"My point exactly. And so desperately that he's doing something potentially illegal…" The two of them looked to Leni, who simply shrugged. Just then…

"Hey baby," The voice of Rodge said, all five eyes turning quickly. The muscle bound gym leader was sitting a few tables away, grinning flirtatiously at a young lady with mint colored hair, a casual t shirt and skirt, and a very disgusted expression. "How about you let a real man show you a good time?"

"Why? Do you know any?" Lola retorted before she could stop herself. Lana, Jordan, Leni and the woman Rodge was attempting to woo all burst out laughing at that, while the brutish man just gaped in shock for a moment before he glared over the pageant princess. Before he could yell at her, he spotted Leni and his face went red, with the kindly blonde's turning pale.

"What do you think you're doing here, Down Syndrome Debbie!?" He screamed at her as he stormed over, shoving a table and chairs aside as he approached. His insult to his older sister made the one son's face turn bright red with fury instantly. "You're supposed to be cleaning the gym! Is your pea brain incapable of even retaining that!?"

"Mr Rodge-" She started to say but he roughly grabbed her wrist.

"Shove it, Loud! I don't want to hear-"

"Take. Your. Damned. Hand…" Lincoln growled before he suddenly erupted in unmitigated wrath. "...OFF OF HER!" He rose like a rocket from his seat and threw a punch right at his face. Rodge never saw it coming, so it connected with his cheek. Everything was still and silent for a second before the white haired boy came to a horrifying realization: Rodge didn't even react to the hit. His punch did literally nothing to him. The musclehead slowly turned to look at him, releasing Leni's wrist.

"Was THAT supposed to do anything, pipsqueak?" He asked with a smirk Lincoln didn't like before he grabbed the young man by his collar and lifted him off the ground effortlessly. "Let me show you how it's done!" He reared his fist back, about to deck the one son. Without hesitation, the twins sprang to his defense; Lola leaping onto his back, trying to put him in a headlock and Lana kicking his shins. And they weren't the only ones…

"Frill…..IIIIIIIISH!" Princess yelled as she unleashed a powerful stream of bubbles and water from her mouth, hitting the gym leader right in the chest. Girl Jordan grabbed the nearest thing she could find (the napkin dispenser), and hurled it at the brute's head. It bounced off, having about as much effect as everything else that was happening. This guy was a literal mountain; unmoving, unharmed, and seemingly unstoppable. A fist in the face seemed to be in Lincoln's future, when…

"Put him down this instant, Rodge!" Leni exclaimed, grabbing hold of his free hand.

"I'd like to see you stop me!" He responded. However, when he tried to throw the punch, he found he couldn't. Leni was much stronger than she looked and, much to his shock and chagrin, she was holding him back. He snarled at her, but then dropped Lincoln. "Ah, the little fruitcake isn't worth the effort…" He grumbled. With the release of Lincoln, the twins backed off of Rodge but then he grabbed Leni again. "YOU on the other hand...you clearly need another lesson!"

"Rodge, I QUIT!" She yelled right into his face while she was still emboldened from rising to her brother's defense.

"Quit?" He looked at her with raised eyebrows for a moment, then he laughed. "You're even more retarded than I thought. You can't quit."

"Like hell she can't!" Girl Jordan snapped.

"Seriously. She can't quit. She's under contract."

"Contract? What contract!?" Jordan exclaimed.

"What contract!?" The white haired boy asked Leni in horror.

"What contract?" Leni inquired, looking confused.

"That little piece of paper you signed before you started, Debbie. The one that said you're bound to the job until I deem you fit to take over the gym," He explained with a sinister grin.

"Leni…" The prissy twin groaned, gripping the bridge of her nose.

"...oops," The second oldest sister squeaked fearfully.

"In short, you screwed up royally, Debbie...and you're going to pay for it," He growled threateningly as he started to drag her away.

"Rodge! Come back!" The head waiter called out as he chased after the gym leader. "You haven't paid for your meal!"

"Screw that! The food sucks anyway!" The big bully of a man shouted without even looking back. Having taken a moment to recover from almost getting punched, Lincoln got to his feet and ran after Rodge, Princess hovering behind him.

"Huh? Sir, you and your pokemon don't need to-" Too late. The one son and his starting pokemon were long gone.

"Sir...could you make our orders to go, please?" Lola asked the waiter as Jordan ran off after her friend.

Up ahead, the scene of Rodge forcibly pulling Leni through the streets back toward the gym was starting to attract a sizable crowd. They all gathered upon the sidewalk as the burly man forced the struggling young lady along with this. All this attracted the attention of someone flying through the air aboard a giant, furry white moth with red and orange wings. A brown skinned man wearing full fireman gear, complete with thick gloves, boots and the hat. He was built pretty strong (though not quite like Rodge) and was pretty tall. He looked down at the crowd and frowned. "Looks like we arrived, Volcorona," He told the moth pokemon underneath him. "Take us down, buddy." The giant insect hissed as it dove down to land behind the growing crowd of people. He started to push his way through the mob, with the intention of getting to where Rodge and Leni were. However…

"RODGE!" Lincoln bellowed as he skidded to a stop several yards away from where the brown haired gorilla paused.

"You again!?" He exclaimed in frustration. "Take a hint, midget. You can't stop me, physically or legally, so screw off before you really get hurt."

'Maybe he can't…' The man in the fireman uniform thought seriously. '...but I-'

"I challenge you to a pokemon battle, Rodge!" The one son shouted, thrusting a finger toward the mongoloid currently holding his older sister and interrupting the stranger's train of thought.

"...yer that desperate to get humiliated?" The Glenvale gym leader asked, sneering back at the white haired boy. "Forget it. Yer not even worth my time."

"...I should have known you were a coward." This was a dangerous gambit and Lincoln knew it. He had tried something similar on Lynn a few times in the past, with mixed (and often painful) results. However, it was his best shot in his mind; and it seemed to be on point. Rodge turned quickly, his face starting to turn red with rage.

"Linky, don't!" Leni cried out, fearing for her younger brother. However, he had no intention of stopping.

"It's one thing to pick on a young lady, or maybe a little kid coming to your gym...but face someone willing to stand up to you and challenge you at what you claim to be so great at...that's another story, isn't it!?" He continued to egg the brute on.

"You little bastard! I could squish your head like a grape if I wanted to!"

"But what would that prove, Rodge?" The one son asked him, his arms folded in front of him.

'What's this kid up to?' The mystery stranger wondered as he watched the scene unfolded.

"Let me tell you what that would prove; it would prove me right. You're scared to face me in a pokemon battle." The two glared at each other for a moment, the heat radiating from Rodge's face enough to make any fire pokemon jealous. Then, oddly enough, Rodge started to laugh. Softly at first, but then it became a belly laugh.

"You got balls, snowcap. No brains, but plenty of balls. You want an ass whoopin' that bad? Why not? In fact...let's make it interesting, shall we?" He asked with a manic grin.

"...what did you have in mind?"

"You want me to let the retard out of her contract-"

"Call her that again and I swear to Arceus it will be the LAST mistake you ever make…" Lincoln warned him, his voice low, calm and deadly. Not that it had any impact on Rodge, nor the jeers and boos from the crowd. He just carried on like the young trainer was mute.

"-then, if you win, I'll tear up her contract. BUT, when I win…" His grin grew even wider. "...not only do I get to keep her as my replacement, but you will tear up your trainer card."

"...excuse me?"

"You'll tear up your trainer card. Then, you'll release all of your pokemon, and get out of the trainer business altogether. So now, I gotta ask you, runt...feeling scared?" Lincoln was silent for a moment as he stared unflinchingly at Rodge. The man in the fireman suit was about to intervene when the white haired trainer responded:

"Deal."

"Wait...what?" The muscle bound gym master asked in surprise.

"Lincoln, no!" Leni screamed in fear.

"Say what?" The recent arrival to the party inquired in shock.

"Frillish…?" Princess asked her trainer nervously.

"I said it's a deal. I win, Leni goes free. You win, I quit being a trainer," Lincoln reiterated. Every single person present looked positively stunned at this.

"Uh...Ahem. Looks like I was right…" Rodge said, his bravado a little off as he didn't expect Lincoln to accept so quickly. "...more balls than brains. But whatever...meet me back at the gym in...five minutes."

"Make it four," The one son told him firmly, in a tone that suggested that wasn't a request.

"Yer funeral, fruitcake." The mean, yet mighty gym leader told him before he continued toward the gym.

"Frill Frillish Ill…?"

"Don't worry, Princess. We got this," Lincoln told her with a bit of a smirk. It was around this time when the RWE dodgeball champion arrived, noticing the stunned look on everyone's face.

"...what happened?"

"I just challenged Rodge to a pokemon battle," He explained, looking pretty confident. "If I lose, it's the end of my training career."

"What!? Lincoln, what are you-!?" Jordan had a look of disbelieving fright on her face.

"It's ok, Jordan. Everything will be fine," He tried to reassure her before he started power walking toward the stadium, Princess grabbing hold of his back.

"What did we miss!?" Lola asked as she and Lana ran up to the teen in the light brown hair, the latter carrying a stack of foam take out containers.

"The young man has just made an incredibly risky wager…" The fireman said as he watched the one son stride forward with determination. "I hope he realizes that, should he lose, he would be bound to his word…"

"He said if he lost, it would be the end of his training career…" Lincoln's friend from school explained, worry etched all over her face.

"Don't you worry about Linc," Lana said, trying to keep the balance of the container tower.

"Yeah. He wouldn't have jumped in without thinking first. He is the man with the plan, after all…" The once pageant participant said, smiling in spite of her own concerns.

Four minutes later, Lincoln kicked open the door to the gym with a serious expression on his face. By the look of it, his timing was just perfect, as it looked like Rodge was about to lambaste Leni yet again. With his opponent there now, however, he had greater priorities, so he shoved Leni to the side and took his spot on his side of the battlefield. "Well, you made it. Here I thought you would have just buggered off."

"Keep dreaming," Lincoln shot back, taking his own place.

"I suspect you remember the rules: one on one. And need I remind you what's at stake?"

"I remember just fine."

"Just to be safe, let me remind you," Rodge said, though that act seemed to be more for his own enjoyment than for Lincoln's benefit. "IF you win, the dumb broad is out of her contract. WHEN I win, she still works for me and you have to: tear up your trainer card, release all of your pokemon, and give up being a trainer. If you wanna wuss out, now is your last chance." He crossed his arms in front of his barrel chest, leering at the white haired boy. However, he wasn't budging. "Don't say I didn't warn you…Tauros, get your flank steak out here!" He barked out, the bull pokemon trotting out of the stable and moving in front of Rodge. Bouffalant and Kangaskhan both moved to the door in order to observe the battle.

"Princess, I choose you." The pink jellyfish nodded as she floated off his back and onto the arena.

"How appropriate. A princess for a fairy," the brutish trainer commented with a smirk. Just then, the gym door was thrown open, Girl Jordan, Lola, Lana and the stranger from earlier all barging in.

"Looks like we're too late…" Jordan said as she noticed the pokemon on the field.

"No we aren't. We get to witness Lincoln and Princess mop the floor with that creep," The tool savvy twin said with a big grin.

"I wouldn't be too certain, children...Rodge is a fierce opponent," The fireman said before he looked at Lincoln's side of the field. 'Then again, if this young man is as much of a planner as the little lady says…perhaps Rodge will be the one in for a surprise,' he thought with a slight smile. "Either way, there's nothing we can do but watch."

"...Please be careful, Lincoln…" Girl Jordan muttered as she moved to the side, along with the twins and the man who accompanied them.

"Look at that, jackass. You got an audience to witness your end. Isn't that nice?" The Glenvale gym leader taunted the one son.

"You're doing an awful lot of talking and not much battling, meathead. Get on with it," Lincoln told him, not wishing to engage in any banter with him.

"Hmph. Don't want to prolong your suffering? Whatever. Get ready, Tauros. Use Frustration!" Rodge commanded.

"Frustration? What's that?" Lana asked curiously.

"it's Mr Rodge's signature attack," Leni explained once she joined her younger sisters. "I think he said it hits harder the more a pokemon doesn't like you…"

"What!? Why would you want to use a move based on how much a pokemon hates you?" The animal lover of the family asked as Tauros' eyes turned bright red.

"If you must know, you butch brat, whether they love or hate me means nothing. They can feel however the hell they want, so long as they respect me,"

"There's a big difference between respect and fear, Rodge," Lincoln informed him.

"Don't talk like you know anything, snowcap. Tauros, smash his pokemon and get this little shit out of my gym!"

"MOOOOOOOO!" The bull pokemon grunted before he charged right at Princess. Lola quickly covered her eyes, Lana was shaking a little, and Jordan was a bundle of nerves. The one son, however, just smirked, not saying a word as the Tauros galloped forth and rammed his horns...into nothing. Rodge blinked. Tauros looked thunderstruck. Princess simply yawned in a taunting manner.

"The hell? How could you miss, Tauros!? Do it again!" Rodge snapped. The bovine pokemon looked angrier than ever as he tried to slam his head against the Frillish again...and again...and again.

"Having fun yet?" The white haired teen asked with a smirk as each of Tauros' attacks did nothing at all. "How about you cool off a little, Tauros? Princess, Bubblebeam." The pink pokemon nodded as she spat out a stream of bubbles right into the opposing ungulate. This REALLY made Tauros mad, as it reminded him how he was forced to lose to a tadpole.

"What's going on here!?" The muscle headed leader demanded to know, only to come to a snap conclusion of his own. "Whoa whoa whoa! You can't go stacking up on Double Teams before the fight! That's cheating!"

"I guess your report card used to say 'doesn't do his homework'," Lincoln commented. "Because if you did, you would know Frillish is a water GHOST pokemon," He added, Princess continuing to spray the rage filled Tauros, whose counter attacks were doing absolutely nothing in return.

"A ghost pokemon!? Nobody said anything about using a damned ghost pokemon!"

"There are no rules against it. We can use whatever pokemon we wish."

"But that's not fair! We don't have any moves to hit a ghost pokemon!" The gym leader objected.

"What's he talking about?" The mystery fireman asked with raised eyebrows.

"Huh? What do you mean, mister?" Lana asked quietly.

"Tauros are capable of naturally learning a few moves that could hit ghost pokemon," He whispered to her. "Some even super effective."

"Then why isn't he using them?" Girl Jordan asked. She wasn't complaining though. It was satisfying to see her friend making a monkey out of this bully. In spite of Tauros actually trying this time, it's Frustration attacks were useless against Princess, who eventually bubblebeamed it into submission.

"And there you have it," Lincoln said calmly with a smile. "I win."

"Bullshit! That battle doesn't count, pipsqueak! You cheated to win!" A furious Rodge shouted.

"There was no cheating involved, Rodge," The fireman said, stepping forward onto the battlefield, getting the attention of the two trainers there.

'...have I seen him someplace before?' Lincoln wondered briefly before he continued.

"As the young man stated, there are no restrictions to which pokemon can be used in a gym battle. He could use a mythical pokemon if he had one, and it would be legal. If anything, it's on you to be prepared for the possibility of facing the ONE pokemon type that normal pokemon cannot harm under normal circumstances."

"Why don't you mind your own business, you curry scarfing bastard!? Who do you even think you-!?" His anger was cut short when the man just smiled and pulled off his fireman helmet, revealing a head of short cut black hair. Rodge's face went quite pale. "...C...Cinder!?"

"Cinder!?" Lincoln and Jordan both gasped together.

"Cinder?" The twins asked, looking confused.

"That's right. Cinder. Fire Chief of Maple City, Fire pokemon master, member of the Elite Four...and oh yes…" Cinder's smile suddenly turned into a very serious scowl. "...your boss." Seeing the massive jerk starting to sweat made Lincoln smirk even more.

"Uh...hey, Cinder...what brings you into town?"

"Oh, nothing much," The fireman replied with a smile and a shrug. "Seeing the sights, grabbing a bite to eat; I do love scarfing that curry, after all…" Rodge cringed, regretting his words. "Oh, and investigating some claims I had heard from Professor Loud."

"Damned egghead…" The gym leader growled, but then he thought of something. "Wait, Loud?" His pupils shrank as he looked over at Leni, then at Lincoln.

"You wouldn't believe some of the things I heard, Rodge. Enlisting a trainer without badges as your replacement," The Elite Four trainer started, raising a finger as he started to list the infractions he heard of. "Actions that could only be described as pokemon abuse. Setting a terrible moral example for the trainers whom you're supposed to be teaching at the same time." Cinder shook his head and clucked his tongue at him. "Oh, and also being an all around unpleasant person and a sore loser."

"But that battle really wasn't fair!"

"How was it unfair? Your Tauros had moves that could hit the Frillish. Pursuit, Payback, Zen Headbutt. These are common moves for Tauros. Why didn't you use them?" The leader with the severely wounded pride just grumbled, but didn't answer.

"I think I can answer that," Lincoln piped up.

"No one asked you, asshat!"

"Then I shall. Go ahead, young man. Tell me: why do you think Rodge didn't use a move that could have hit Frillish?" Cinder asked calmly, looking to Lincoln.

"Because it wouldn't have been a one hit knock out," He answered simply before he continued, "From what I learned from talking to my sister Leni, he has a habit of knocking out a pokemon with one hit. Most likely using powerful normal moves, such as Take Down, Double Edge, and Frustration."

"None of which would hit Princess at all," Lola said, continuing her brother's logic with a smug smirk.

"Precisely. I had a feeling his foolish pride-his need to accomplish a OHKO-would override his common sense."

"Not to mention how angry you made him," Girl Jordan interjected, a big smile appearing on her face.

"You clever little so and so. You were playing Rodge all along," Cinder said with a chuckle, while Rodge looking about ready to murder something.

"Well, alright...you got the win...so f'ing what?" The muscular man asked furiously.

"Forgetting so soon?" The fire fighter asked him calmly. "Miss Loud's contract?" Smoke rose from the gym leader's head as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and he tore it up right in front of them.

"There! Happy! Now get out of my gym and stay out!" He bellowed, his wrath filled voice echoing all over the arena.

"Actually, Rodge...that's another thing. YOUR gym," The man from the Elite Four said. "I'm afraid, the way it looks now, it won't be YOUR gym much longer."

"Wha!? What do you-!?"

"Remember: I am here conducting an investigation. One that, should it go poorly for you (which it is presently), you are looking at not only termination, but perhaps a stretch in the state pen as well." A large sweat drop trickled down Rodge's head as he grimaced at the news. "As it stands, I can clearly see that you are setting a positively atrocious example for the young ones, and if you treat your pokemon like you treat the one you called your help…" He couldn't even bring himself to finish that sentence. "Long story short...your future is very grim, Rodge." The 'One Hit Wonder' glanced to the left and right rapidly as his mind raced, trying to find a way out of this mess. He couldn't muscle his way out of this, and he doubted he could intimidate them again. However, he did have one option, and he planned to exploit it.

"Now hold up, Cinder. Don't I get a chance to defend myself?"

"I think you'd be better off consulting a lawyer."

"No no. I mean defending myself, right here, right now. In a pokemon battle," Rodge said with a grin. The Elite Four trainer, Lincoln, the Twins, and Girl Jordan just looked at him incredulously.

"You can't be serious…" The white haired young man said, unable to believe what he heard.

"Why not? You got the chance to get the bimbo off the hook. It's only fair I get a chance to save my own skin."

"...What did you have in mind?" Cinder inquired with narrowed eyes.

"Short version: If one of you (and not that snow haired little bastard) can beat me, I'll accept being terminated and go peacefully. When I win, I'll still leave, but with all my retirement benefits." Rodge explained, looking confident.

"...why are you so desperate to get out of this job?" The one son asked.

"Why would anyone want to get out of a shit job? Because I hate it!" He snapped angrily. "It was great at first, and it had its benefits; but the brats...the snot nosed, whiny little brats I was forced to face. They barge right in with all ego, scream after my pokemon mop the floor with them, moan about how it's unfair they lost-"

"It wasn't just because they lost. It was the way in which they lost," The Elite Four trainer informed him with a frown.

"-and then YOU lot jump down my throat for it! Seriously, a gym challenge is supposed to be CHALLENGING!"

"There's a difference between being a challenge and being unrealistically difficult. And as yours is often the first gym most new young trainers, your prefered method made it borderline impossible."

"That's on them! If they want to win, they need to grow a pair!"

"It's a gym leader's job to act as a teacher, as well as a challenge, Rodge. The gym challenge is intended to teach new trainers not just about battling, but respecting their pokemon and opponents."

"I teach them all they need to know! The world is tough and the only way to get by is by being tougher! As for respect, my pokemon respect me absolutely!"

"But do you respect them? Respect is a two way street," Lana interjected, though she felt she knew the answer already.

"Ha! What next? Are you going to tell me that love will bring out the best in a pokemon?" He spat into the ground in disgust. "Don't talk like you even know anything, brat." Cinder just rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance. He was about to just reject his request when Leni stepped forward.

"I'll challenge him…"

"Huh!?" Her family asked in astonishment, while Rodge just laughed.

"Leni, you don't like battling…" Her more handy younger sister told her.

"I know...but I don't like him even more," She replied.

"Hahahaha! You might as well just hand me my benefits if you're seriously going to let Debbie here battle me!" Rodge commented through his hysterics. Lola, Lana and Jordan all had to grab Lincoln's arms just to hold him back.

"Are you sure, young lady? You don't need to do it, you know," Cinder told her. "I could just tell him to go pound salt."

"I am." Leni said as she reached into her purse and drew from within in a red and white pokemon containment device. "Go, Puffy!" She called out as the ball released a roundish pink and white pokemon with long bunny ears and big blue eyes.

"Wigglytuff, the balloon pokemon and the evolved form of Jigglypuff," Rip explained as Lincoln scanned his sister's pokemon. "Thanks to its bouncy body and fine fur, this Pokémon is sought after. Holding one in your arms while you sleep feels great. When it gets angry, it inhales with all its might, and its body gradually inflates. Sometimes they can grow 20 times larger!"

"Awwwww! So cute!" Lola cooed, almost forgetting she was trying to keep her brother from trying to attack Rodge.

"Doesn't look so tough though…" Lana commented in a disappointed tone, while the potential ex gym leader laughed even harder.

"This is going to be too easy. Bouffalant!" The buffalo pokemon sighed as he strolled out of the stable, glancing over Rodge before turning to face Puffy.

"Before we begin though...I just need to get something from my purse," Leni said as she set her handbag down and started to get in it.

"Whatever it is ain't gonna help you...but if you wanna prolong your embarrassment, no skin off my nose."

"Now let's see…" She muttered as she pulled out an emergency scarf, her compact, a comb, a brush, a few more pokeballs, a large leek, a golden coin, and then finally a white headband. "Hmmm. Is this it, Puffy?"

"Tuff," The balloon pokemon replied with a shake of his head. She put the band down and kept digging. After pulling out a box of bobby pins, a pair of pitch black sunglasses, a red vest, and a large ball of iron (which made Lincoln's jaw drop), she finally pulled out a red and yellow sash. This seemed to be what the Wigglytuff wanted as he smiled and clapped his flipper like hands. She wrapped the cloth belt around his soft body and tied it off for him.

"There you go. All accessorized,"

"Yeah. It'd be real snazzy if this were a fashion show, but it's not. Bouffalant, let's show them how the One Hit KO works! Giga Impact!" Rodge ordered loudly.

"One hit wonder...more like one trick pony…" Lincoln said sourly, making his friend and sisters giggle.

"That's a good one, Linc," Lana told him. Bouffalant stared down Puffy, who adopted a judo stance. Then, the bash buffalo simply sat down.

"Bou." He grunted calmly.

"What!? Bouffalant, I gave you an order!"

"Bouf bou falant, bouffalant," The bison with the giant afro responded sagely (not that anyone apart from Lana could really understand him).

"You listen here! I am your master! YOU DO AS I SAY!" Rodge screamed in rage.

"Bouffalant, please do as he says," Leni told him gently, surprising everyone there, including Bouffalant. "I want this to be a fair fight...besides, I don't want you to suffer the consequences of disobeying him…"

"Save yer breath, braindead. My pokemon won't listen to-" He started to say when Bouffalant got to his hooves.

"Bouffalant," The buffalo responded to her with a nod. "Bou Bouf Lant Alant."

"Do what you have to, Bouffalant. Puffy will do the same," Leni told him in return as he started to glow.

"Giga impact...very powerful, but very risky," The fire master commented, one hand gripping his chin as he watched.

"How's that?" Lola asked, letting go of Lincoln.

"Giga Impact is a physical move that, like it's counterpart Hyper Beam, causes the pokemon using it to put everything they have into the attack. Should the attack fail, it leaves the pokemon tired and vulnerable to a counterattack."

"Not that it will fail! Now attack!" Rodge demanded as Bouffalant ran at the Wigglytuff like a Mack truck. Puffy's eyes narrowed as he planted his feet, getting ready to tank the attack. The buffalo's head struck the soft, squishy pink pokemon, causing it to recoil back as if it was really made of rubber. "Ha! One hit, one-!" Once more, he spoke too soon, as the sash around Wigglytuff started to shimmer. The Giga Impact was devastatingly damaging to Puffy, but it didn't knock him out. What's more, Puffy was starting to glow himself.

"...Bouf?" The bash buffalo asked in worried confusion before the Wigglytuff snapped back and headbutt him with TWICE the force he had delivered. The blow was enough to send Bouffalant flying backwards, sending him crashing into Rodge and sending them both through the back wall of the arena.

"Oh dear! Bouffalant! Are you ok!?"

"It looks like he's knocked out…" Cinder commented.

"Least he hit that big jerk on the way back," Lana said under her breath, snickering inaudibly, just like Kangaskhan was.

"Leni...what was that?" Lincoln asked in utter awe.

"I'm not sure. It's a tactic Puffy's been working on for a while," Leni admitted.

"And a nice tactic it was; using the Focus Sash to withstand the attack, then responding with Counter. You don't see that on many Wigglytuffs." The Elite Four trainer explained just as the fuming Rodge pushed his buffalo pokemon off of him and crawled out of the hole he had been knocked into. "Well, Rodge, it seems you have lost, and you know what that means…" The brown haired brute's face was completely scarlet, his teeth grinding as he glared at Leni. He didn't say a single word before he rushed toward her, screaming like a berzerker. It was such a sudden move, no one but the Wigglytuff could get in his way, and he was too light, hurt and tired to stop him. Leni screamed and threw her arms in front of her face to protect herself, but before he could so much as touch her, there was a loud, booming clap. Rodge was suddenly staggered, throwing him off his charge long enough for Kangaskhan to step between him and the kindly young woman. It was the parent pokemon who had stopped him with a Fake Out.

"What the...Kangaskhan, get the hell out of the way!"

"Khan," The kangaroo monster growled, her clawed fists clenched.

"I said move!" He yelled into her face.

"Kangaskhan!" She snapped in return.

"You..TRAITOR!" Rodge roared as he threw a punch right at the pokemon. She grabbed his fist with one hand, her eyes glowing red.

"Kan. Gas. KHAN!" The furious pokemon screamed before she struck him across the face with a Frustration boosted slap. "Kangaskhan khan kan kangas khan gaskhan!" With each furious word came another powerful slap, until she was just smacking Rodge's face back and forth with all her might and fury. Even her little one was getting involved, punching his chest from her belly pouch (not that it did much).

"Lana...do we even want to know what she's saying?" Girl Jordan asked cautiously.

"She's pretty much saying how much she hates him. That's...about all I can understand," The tomboy twin admitted. As amusing as it was to see the bullying man get what's coming to him, Cinder knew he needed to step in.

"Kangaskhan," He said in a calm, neutral voice as he moved over beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That will do. I don't think he's going to try anything else." She glanced back at the fireman, then back to Rodge. Her eyes shone even brighter as her slapping hand turned into a fist. With one last, rage fueled punch, Rodge was knocked to the floor, seeing stars and barely having any senses left. "...fair enough."

The next several minutes were quite hectic at the gym. Cinder had called the police shortly after Rodge had been knocked out and about a half dozen officers had arrived in response. Two were restraining the dazed bruiser (needing to use leg restraints to cuff him since his wrists were too big for normal cuffs), two were carting his knocked out pokemon to the pokemon center, one was getting a statement from Kangaskhan, and one getting statements from the Louds, Jordan, and Cinder. She was a tall woman with bluish green hair, wearing a blue police uniform with white gloves and black heels. She had been writing down everything she heard in a little notebook, which was about half filled with details. "Goodness...I had heard Rodge was an inconsiderate jerk, but this...good grief…"

"Tell me about it," Cinder replied, shaking his head. "I have some video evidence here you might be able to use, courtesy of Professor Loud." He pulled out a small flash drive and handed it to the officer.

"Hmmm. Between witnesses, Miss Loud and Kangaskhan, we have plenty to put him away, but no harm having a little extra," She responded, pocketing the flash drive. "Thank you, sir."

"Glad to help, officer." He gave a small wave to the police woman as she went back to help escort Rodge out. "Oh yes, would you be so kind as to relieve him of his gym badges, Officer Jenny?" The green haired woman nodded, pulling the case of Might Badges from Rodge's pocket and tossing them to the Elite Four fire trainer. "Thank you. Whoever gets chosen next will need these…" He said, before turning to Lincoln. "And so will you, young man." Cinder added before pulling one of the barbell shaped badges from the case and handing it to the white haired boy.

"T...thanks, sir," Lincoln said with a big smile as he accepted the Might Badge.

"You're welcome, kid," The fireman replied with a nod, putting his helmet back on. "Welp, don't think I can do much more damage around here. Better head on back. Gotta report to write, training exercises to get through...oh yeah, and seeking applications for the new Glenvale gym leader. Bye kids. See you at the Pokemon League."

"Bye, Mr Cinder!" Lola and Lana called out, while all five of them waved farewell to the master of fire pokemon.

"Congratulations, Lincoln. Your first gym badge," Jordan said, patting him on the back and smiling at him.

"The first, but definitely not the last," The one son replied with a confident smile. 'I can't believe I got to meet Cinder in person!' He thought excitedly, almost going entirely fanboy internally. 'One of the Elite Four, and he not only gave me my first badge, but he's expecting to see me in the Pokemon League! Well, can't go disappointing him now, can I?'

"What are you going to do now, Leni?" Lola inquired, turning to her dimmer older sister.

"Well, I'm definitely going to need a new job…" The kindly blonde mused, looking up at the ceiling. "Maybe I'll head back home, say hi to Mom, Dad and Lily, and see what I can find from there."

"Whatever happens, Leni, we wish you the best," Her only brother said to her, giving her the hug he didn't get to give her before.

"Aww. Thanks, Linky!" She chirped, hugging Lincoln tightly. "I wish the best for you, Lola, Lana and your girlfriend too!" Lincoln's face suddenly turned red, and Jordan's cheeks turned a little pink. The prissy twin face palmed, while Lana tried to signal her to not go there (too late).

"W...wah? Leni, Jordan isn't my girlfriend!" Lincoln objected.

"Huh? Oh! That's right. Ronnie Anne is, isn't she?" She responded, flustering her brother even more. Jordan had to cover her mouth with both hands to keep herself from laughing at her friend's reactions.

"No, she isn't! Besides, we haven't spoken in months…"

"You haven't?" A surprised Leni asked.

"He hasn't?" An even more surprised Girl Jordan inquired out loud. She had known that Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were rather close friends back in school. In fact, a lot of kids believed as firmly as the Loud sisters did that they were a couple (in spite of their insistence to the contrary), herself included. This news that they hadn't spoken in a long time was a bit of a shock to her...as well as the knowledge that her friend was single.

"Oh...I'm sorry, Lincoln. I didn't know…" The not so bright young woman said, looking at him with sympathy.

"...It's ok, Leni...let's just drop it, ok?" The white haired teen said.

"Yeah. Let's drop it and have our lunch before it gets cold...or rather, warm," Lana said, pointing to the stack of containers in her arms.

"Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that!" Leni chirped as she remembered. "Come on. Let's go eat in the park. It's nicer there."

"Sounds like a plan," A relieved Lincoln said as he followed his older sister out of the gym, with Girl Jordan beside him and the twins taking up the rear. As they walked along, the teen with the light brown ponytail glanced over at her friend.

'So, he's really single?' She thought to herself. 'I am surprised. I mean, yeah, he was kind of a geek back in school and still kind of is, but he was a legit nice guy too. Doesn't hurt he had a little bit of charm too.' She smiled lightly as she continued to look at him from the corner of her eye. 'Charm that's only increased as he got older,' She admitted. 'And he's pretty smart too, if a bit of a goofball. I'm shocked Ronnie Anne left him behind...that no one else went for him...actually, no, that last one's not too surprising. We all thought he and Ronnie Anne were a thing. They were probably scared of risking her wrath, even if she wasn't around.' She quickly turned her eyes to the front as Lincoln started to turn his head to examine the scenery. 'I wonder if...nah. I doubt I'm his kind of girl. We don't really have that much in common...or do we?'

"Everything ok, Jordan?" Her train of thought was derailed when Lincoln spoke up in concern. She had had this look of intense thought on her face after she had averted her gaze from him. She quickly turned to face him, her cheeks a little pink.

"Oh...uh...yeah. Just thinking," She responded. He seemed satisfied with that answer and returned to sight seeing as the popular girl returned to her thoughts. '...maybe I could try talking to him more later, see if we have more common ground than I thought. I mean, what's the worst that could happen?'