Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Life Changing Once More! Part 1
“Destiny is a gift.”
There was nothing but darkness, as a six-year old boy opened his eyes and found himself walking on a long, walking narrow path that extended out from it, zigzagging ahead into a dark, cloudy haze.
The was Lincoln Loud, the only boy in the entire Loud Family. He was very skinny and had short white hair, with a large tuft of his hair sticking upwards on his left side and two strands sticking up on his right. His white hair was a very unique feature that Lincoln has. He was the only one in the family with this hair color, as his sisters are either a brunette or a blonde. He had an overbite, with a prominent chipped front tooth, noticeable bags around his eyes, and freckles on his cheeks. He wore an orange polo shirt, blue jeans, gray socks with blue and red stripes, and white sports shoes with red stripes.
“Some go their entire lives, living existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders is actually a sense of purpose lifting us to greater heights.”
When he got to the end of the path, he looked up and gave out a terrified gasp. Right there in front of him, there was a giant double-door gate that seemed to be taller than his house. Large chains wrapped tightly around the doors, and an eerie, evil-looking face was emblazoned upon it, having glowing yellow eyes and one large mouth with many, many sharp teeth in it. On the center of the gate was a small hole, which had been put on the top of the door face's mouth.
“Never forget that fear is but the precursor of valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero.”
Staring at the pendant around his neck, Lincoln slowly walked towards the door, as he took the necklace off and put it into his right hand, before pulling his arm back.
“Don’t think.”
Without wasting another moment, he thrust his hand forward and shoved the key into the hole in the door. Once he did, a bright light shot out of the hole as the chains around the door disintegrated. Lincoln trembled as he took his arm out of the giant keyhole and watched the double doors slowly open. As they did, an even more intense light began to emerge from behind the gate. Before long, the area around the boy was bathed in the most powerful flash of light he had ever seen...while he saw a strange object flying towards him.
“Become.”
The light then faded away as quickly as it came, and Lincoln was able to open his eyes. When he did, he looked around himself and saw several small, square-shaped lights surrounding him in a large sphere. He then reached up to touch them, but before he could make contact, all the light squares suddenly flew away from her, disappearing into the black void that he was floating in.
Lincoln then opened his eyes again and gasped; he was now sitting upright, on his bed, wearing his pajamas, which were an orange nightshirt with matching pants. Looking around, he could see that he was indeed in his bedroom. The area around him was quiet, with only the chirping of the morning birds outside providing any sort of sound at all. “It was just a dream…” Lincoln quietly muttered, as he yawned and was about to get up, only to stop himself, his eyes widening at the sight of something that caused him to scream at the top of his lungs.
(Play Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal: Take a Chance)
The scene opens to Lincoln prepping his Pokemon Belt and Duel Pad, before his Duel Gazer went onto his left eye, making holographic effects appear everywhere.
If life is a game
They say I can't win
I'll never amount to nothing'
Tear me down before my life begins,
The scene changed to Lincoln exiting out of his room, quickly dodging both Lynn and Lisa, the former on her bike playing sports and the latter doing another one of her experiments. He briefly joined Lola's tea party, jammed out to Luna's playing, and praised Lucy's poem. He then dodged a fight between Lori and Leni over a dress. He leaped over a pile of laundry and is disgusted by Lily's stinky diaper as she walks by. Luan then appeared to throw a pie at her younger brother, but Lincoln dodged it in time as he finally made it in the bathroom. In there, Lana unscrewed the bathroom's sink with her wrench, resulting in Lincoln eyes widening before the boy got caught in a large stream of water.
I won't be afraid,
To challenge myself
They won't ever break my fire.
The scene changed to a Six-Year old Lincoln standing in front of the Door to Destiny, as he held Emperor’s Key his right hand, before pulling back his arm and thrusting his hand forward and shoved the key into the hole in the door, making a bright light shoot out of it as the chains around the door disintegrated, while the young Lincoln took his arm out of the giant keyhole and trembled back in shock.
My dreams won't die
If I high-five the sky
The younger Lincoln watched the double doors slowly open. As they did, an even more intense light began to emerge from behind the gate. Before long, the area around the young boy was bathed in the most powerful flash of light, as it zoomed in on Lincoln's left eye, Astral flying towards him in its reflection.
Spread my wings,
Take off, it's time to fly!
The scene then changed back to Present-Day Lincoln, who had packed his bags as he reached the stairs of his home and slid on the banister, passing his parents before he reached the front door, with Pikachu, Miraidon (Low-Power Mode) Professor Oak waiting for him.
Take a chance to make it all the way
The scene changed to Lincoln and Pikachu in Kanto, riding Miradion (Drive Mode) while Astral was flying beside them, passing by their friends and Pokemon.
Take a chance forgetting yesterday!
The scene then changed to Lincoln (who had his Dueling Equipment on) and Astral, the former drawing a card in a dramatic fashion.
Take a chance, believe...
The scene then changed to Lincoln pulling out a card, before revealing to be his ace, Number 39: Utopia, just as Astral flew in front of him.
Nothing will bring me down,
The scene changed to Jessie giving off a smirk, before changing to James taking a rose out of his mouth and throwing it, and then changing to Meowth jumping into the air. The scene then changed to Giovanni sitting in his office, as he evilly smiled.
No retreat when I leave all my fears behind
My future's still alive inside!
The scene then changed to Lincoln, Astral, and Pikachu, as they were in a Pokemon Battle, with Pikachu going up against a Gyarados, with the Mouse Pokemon started charging towards while charging electricity, before making his tail take on a metallic sheen, just as it got covered in covered in electrical energy. Pikachu then launched into the air and swung his tail down onto his opponent’s head, releasing the energy and creating a massive blast of electricity.
Take a chance and chase my doubts away,
The screen changed, now showing both Kite in his Photon Transformation, spun around with a single card in hand and held it out, revealing it to be Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon. A bright flash covered the screen from view for a moment, before clearing to reveal Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon howling, a cosmic galaxy as the background. The screen then suddenly changed to a water world, where Shark floated with Number 32: Shark Drake in front of him.
Believing gets me through my darkest days
In a desert-like field with the orange sky; Lincoln, Astral, Pikachu and Miradion were beside one another with the human boy already fully Duel equipped and were facing a Photon Transformed Kite that stood a few feet away. The Galaxy-Eyes Duelist reached for his deck, then drew with a roar and then gave a confident face at his opponents.
The scene then showed a fast montage of many different kinds of Pokemon and Duel Monsters, such as Pikachu, Miradion (Ultimate Mode), Charizard, Shiny Gardevoir, Lucario, Gagaga Magician, Gogogo Golem, Gagaga Cowboy, Rainbow Kuriboh and Number 39: Utopia.
Take a chance to make it all the way,
The scene then changed to Lincoln and Astral merging into ZEXAL while Miradion morphed into his Ultimate Mode.
Take a chance forgetting yesterday
The scene then changed to several small, square-shaped lights surrounding Six-Year Old Lincoln in a large sphere, before they scattered in all directions.
Take a breath, my heart will lead the way,
The scene changed to a split screen, showing Lincoln’s left half of his face and Astral’s right half, before changing to Lincoln throwing up his right hand, while Astral did the same with his left, as both partners suddenly gained a bright golden light around themselves that briefly covered the area.
Take a chance, I'll take a chance in today!
The light cleared to reveal Lincoln, Astral, Pikachu, and Miradion (Low-Power Mode) were posing beside one another, with the Emperor's Key in the background, as the title then appeared below them.
Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal: A Loud Journey
(End Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal: Take a Chance)
About 4 Years Later…
The now eleven-year old boy was currently sitting down at the table eating a bowl of cereal while reading a comic book. Hearing the sound of his sisters coming, his eyes widened before he quickly hid under the table.
"Hey, you guys! Don't forget my golf tournament is this afternoon. You're all going to be there to support me, right?" One of the voices asked, as most of Lincoln’s sisters walked into the room, who all nodded. This was Lori, the self-proclaimed boss and the oldest of the Loud Children. She wore a light blue tank top, brown cargo shorts, blue-gray slip-on shoes, and light blue eyeshadow. To go along with her large blonde hair, she wore white pearl earrings.
"And after that, you're all coming to my charity fashion show, right?" The next girl asked, as the rest of the group agreed. This was Leni, and despite being the second-oldest of the Loud children, she is quite ditzy and is very forgetful, absent-minded, and not that bright. She had long, pale-blonde hair, with side-swept bangs, and three pairs of eyelashes. She was almost as tall as Lori, but taller than all her younger siblings. Leni wore a seafoam green dress, with white frills, and triangular sleeves. With this, she wore red hoop earrings, white slide slip-on sandals, topped with light green bows, and a pair of rounded white sunglasses with black lenses on top of her head.
“And after that, don't forget my grave-digging competition." Added the gloomy, cynical, deadpan, and mysterious eight-year old goth of the sisters. This was Lucy, the fifth youngest of the Loud siblings and the eldest of the younger sisters. She had very pale gray skin and long black hair, with bangs long enough to cover her eyes. She was very thin, and a bit smaller than Lincoln. Dressing in black and white, she wore a black dress over a tank top with black and white stripes, matching black and white striped sleeves and stockings, and black shoes.
Next was Luna, a rock music lover and easily the loudest of the family. The fifteen-year old was slightly taller than one of her other sisters, Luan, but shorter than Leni. She had short brown hair styled into a near pixie cut length, freckles on her cheeks, and wore light purple eyeshadow. Luna wore a purple sleeveless shirt with a white skull, torn crew neck, and triangular sleeves, a plaid skirt similar to Luan's (only lavender), a white belt, purple-tipped socks, and high purple boots. A distinguishing feature of hers was her paperclip earrings. She also wore three black bracelets on each of her wrists and a choker around her neck.
The oldest after Luna was Luan, a very goofy and fun-loving girl with an enthusiasm for comedy, making puns and pulling pranks. Luan had prominent buck teeth, and wore silver braces on her upper teeth, and light brown hair worn up in a large ponytail with a small swirl at the end by a yellow scrunchie (presumably the hair tie), with two long protruding hairs sticking out from the center of her forehead. She was dressed in a white sleeveless shirt, a yellow skirt with a checkerboard pattern, yellow socks with a line pattern that were worn all the way up, and brown shoes. She also wore three pink flowers, one on her shirt, and one on each shoe, that served as gag squirt-flowers.
The fourth youngest of the group was Lana, a tomboy who loves to play in mud and get her hands dirty. She had blonde hair, with two downward pigtails tied down with red scrunchies, and was missing her front teeth. She wore a red baseball cap backwards with a small square hole, white socks, white sneakers with two blue stripes, and a murky green t-shirt under dark blue overalls.
While Lana loved to get dirty, her younger twin-sister, Lola, was the exact opposite. She was a pageant powerhouse, whose interests include glitter, photo shoots, and her own beautiful, beautiful face. But underneath all the sugar and spice, lurks a troublemaking mastermind. The six-year old had long blonde hair that she wore down, and a tuft of hair on top of her head pointed to the right. She was missing her front teeth, like her twin, Lana. She wore a long pink gown with a light pink sash, a white pearl necklace around her neck, long light pink gloves, white earrings, and a tiara on her head. Underneath her dress, she wore pink high heels.
Second youngest of the entire Loud Family was Lisa. Though the second-youngest of the Louds, the four-year old was a child prodigy, so she's the smartest kid in the bunch. Because of this, she often tends to be egocentric, boorish, condescending, and sarcastic with other people. She spoke with a lateral lisp, and usually had a stoic frown, though she does smile from time to time. Lisa wore a short, shaggy, brown wig and large glasses, which were black-framed, with two circular lenses that are a translucent blue color. She wore a green turtleneck sweater, dark pink pants, and brown shoes with no socks, all of which drooped down to illustrate her stoic demeanor.
As his sisters were discussing their events throughout the day, Lincoln quietly tried to crawl away. However as he crawled out from under the table, he came across the youngest of the Loud Sisters, Lily. Though she was the youngest, she knew how to walk, currently learning how to speak, and is somehow the most well-behaved child in the family. She had one prominent tooth, and three strands of blonde hair on her head. Lily was very small, and usually just wore a white diaper, though occasionally, she wore a white T-shirt, lavender shorts and white boots.
“Inkin’!” She said happily.
“Shh!” Lincoln shushed her baby sister, before noticing her bottle on the top of the fridge. Putting her on Lana's skateboard, Lincoln pushed the board towards the fridge, causing them to collide and making the bottle drop right into Lily’s hands, letting her drink the contents from it.
Given the opportunity, Lincoln escaped to the living room without his sisters seeing him, before he sighed with relief, as the Key around his neck began to softly glow, as the strange creature he met five years ago materialized in front of him. This was Astral, a being from another world known as “Astral World”. He had a very thin and transparent blue body, with green markings and blue gems all over it. He had blue hair that curls up in a Mohawk and pointed ears, which are pierced with dangling earrings. Astral also had heterochromic eyes, the left eye being luminous gold and the right a clear white.
Lincoln and Astral were extremely confused (though in Lincoln’s case, he was also very scared) when they first met, but after spending more time with each other over the years, they actually became best friends. Though Lincoln was the only person who can see Astral, which makes everyone, including his family, believe that Lincoln was going crazy. While his family tried to convince him Astral didn’t exist, he didn’t listen, as he knew that their bond was real.
“I do not understand why you are trying to get out of your sisters' activities.” Astral said, as he flew next to Lincoln, as he climbed up the stairs.
“Well, Astral, with ten sisters, my calendar's booked everyday with stuff. I'm supposed to go to rodeos, pageants, open mic nights…” Lincoln listed, as sighed and rubbed his head. “Once in a while, a guy just needs some time to himself.”
"Hey, Lincoln! You’re coming to my softball game today, right?" Asked another girl that was waiting on top of the stairs. This was Lynn, the athletic and competitive child of the Loud Family. Lynn had thick brown hair pulled back into a short high ponytail that was smaller than Luan's. Her ponytail was held up with a black hairband. She was slightly taller than Lincoln and had freckles on her cheeks. Despite being the age of thirteen, her short appearance made it seem like she's a preteen, not a teenager. Unlike her older sisters, she had a rounded nose like Lincoln and her younger sisters. She wore a red and white jersey with a red "1" on it, red-and-white track shorts, and black cleats with striped white knee-high socks.
‘Dang it. Should have done a head count.’ Lincoln thought, as he faced his sister. “Actually, Lynn, I've got some important business to attend to. Some of which is Ace Savvy VS the Card Shark.” Lincoln told her, as he pulled out the comic he was reading and showed it to Lynn. “Then I have to meet up with a friend in town later.”
"Lame. My team has won our last six games, and you're the only member of this family who hasn't come out to support me."
"That's because I was supporting six other sisters with their things. Sorry Lynn, I just can't do it today." Lincoln said, as he started to walk away, before Lynn stood in front of him, holding her bat threateningly.
“Sure you won’t reconsider?” She asked the boy, who yelped in fear.
Later, at the Royal Woods Ball Park…
Lincoln, who was wearing various Squirrel merchandise, was giving an unenthusiastic look, as he, Astral, and the rest of his family were sitting on the bleachers, watching the Squirrel's mascot ran onto the field and proceeded to do somersaults "LET'S DO THIS!" The mascot shouted.
"Well, it's a beautiful day at the park. Isn't it, Pep?" The sports announcer, Travis, asked his partner. He was an overweight man who had ginger hair and a long mustache of the same color. He also had eye-bags, a double chin, and a big nose. He was usually seen wearing a white collared shirt.
“Oh, sure it is.” His partner, Pep, said in an enthusiastic voice. He had black hair, a pink nose, white shirt, brown pants, white shoes, and always seemed to have either a bored or dejected expression.
Travis then cleared his throat and said, "It's the bottom of the ninth with the Royal Woods Squirrels up 3-nothing. Could this be another shutout for star pitcher Lynn Loud?" Lynn then walked up to the pitcher's mound, while waving at the cheering crowd. Preparing her pitch, the athletic Loud Sister lifted her leg, turned her cap around, tossed some dirt over her shoulder, and patted her right cheek. “Loud is performing her signature good luck rituals.”
Continuing her rituals, Lynn then proceeded to do a Cossack dance, saying, "Hutta-hut! Hutta-hut! Hutta-hut!"
Staring at the scene in confusion, Astral asked his companion, “Lincoln, do you believe there’s anything to these kinds of superstitions?”
“Other than giving a massive headache from time to time, no.” Lincoln dryly replied.
“You’re not talking to your imaginary friend again, are you sweetie?” A woman near him asked. This was Rita, the mother of the Loud Family. She wore a salmon buttoned shirt with a white collar and cuffs, dark mauve pants and black flats. To go with her medium length blonde hair, she had white earrings. She also wore light blue eyeshadow and red lipstick. She also had bags under her eyes, just like Lincoln did.
Sighing in annoyance, Lincoln replied, “For the last time, Mom, Astral is not imaginary!”
“Yeah, and pigs are able to fly.” Luan jokes, causing a few snickers to come from the family, while Lincoln just groaned.
“Oh, here comes the windup and pitch.” A man sitting next to Rita said, bringing everyone’s attention back to the game. This Lynn Loud Sr, the stern but loving Father of the Loud Family. He wore a sea green sweater over a light green checkered collar and cuffs, brown slacks and shoes. He had a long pointy nose, brown eyebrows, and curly brown hair that's thinning on the top.
Lynn then winded up and threw the ball. However, the opposing team hit the ball and knocked it out of the park, thus making the score 3-1. “Ooh! Looks like the softball gods did not love that Cossack dance.” Travis commented, before the Daisy Hill Daisies knocked the ball out of park three more times, thus, resulting in the Squirrels defeat. “HATED that Cossack dance.”
The crowd then proceeded to boo and hiss, as the mascot looked on in grief.
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT, SIS!" Luna shouted.
After the game, The Loud family were all sitting in the parking lot next to vanzilla waiting for Lynn.
The van, “Vanzilla” as the family called it, was a two-tone green and white color scheme with two doors in the side, one of which had a broken lock and a window roller. It had four rows of seating; one with the drivers' seat and adjacent passenger seat and three with seats for other passengers. The license plate read "LLLD". The front of the van bore the name of its manufacturer, Fungo; the "O" had been a belt buckle ever since it fell off years ago in Lynn Sr’s father’s youth. Likewise, the rear door had a badge with the initials "FMC" on the lower right, which stood for "Fungo Motor Company".
Lynn then made her way to the family looking rather down. Lincoln then sighed and walked up to Lynn "Look, Lynn, I'm sorry you lost."
However as Lincoln walked up to his athletic sister she proceeded to yelp and hid behind a dumpster. "What? What's wrong?"
Lynn then poked her head from behind the dumpster holding a rotten banana peel. "Stay back! You're bad luck!" Lynn then threw the banana peel at Lincoln but the boy was quick to tilt his head to the left and dodge it.
"What are you talking about?"
"My team has been dominating all season, then the one time you show up, we lose!"
“That’s ridiculous. I am not bad luck." Lincoln defended himself, only for her Sister to ignore him.
"Yeah-huh you are! Which is why I'm banning you from all future games. Now scram! I have to make things right with the softball gods." Lynn said, as she then proceeded to do her Cossack dance "Hutta-hut! Hutta-hut! Hutta-hut!"
‘Must…resist…letting out…anger…!’ Lincoln thought, before seeing a Duel Monsters card on the ground. Curious to see what it was, the boy was about to pick it up, only for his father to step in front of him.
“And what do you think you’re doing?” Lynn Sr asked, slight anger in his voice.
“Uhh…” Lincoln sweatdropped, as he stared at the card his father had. “I was gonna take that Duel Monsters card to the Lost and Found?” The second he said that, his father picked up the card with both of his hands, before ripping it into pieces, much to Lincoln’s horror.
“You know full well that playing, mentioning, or even having anything related to that horrible game is forbidden in this family!” His father yelled at him.
“I know…” Lincoln said, sadness in his voice.
“This is your last warning. Next time you try and pick up one of those terrible cards, you will be grounded for the rest of the year. Is that understood?”
“But Dad-”
“IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?!” His dad repeated, seriousness in his voice. Seeing as he didn’t want to argue with his father, Lincoln just sighed and simply nodded. Sighing in frustration, the father pinched his nose, before he, Lincoln and the rest of the family got into Vanzilla and drove off, with Lincoln looking at the now ripped up card in pieces through the window, with a small girl walking up to it, before falling onto her knees and crying.
Later, at the Loud House, Lincoln was currently sitting at the table, eating more cereal and reading comics, with Astral flying next to him.
“I am sorry about what happened between you and your father, Lincoln.” Astral said to the boy.
“It’s not your fault, Astral.” Lincoln simply said, turning away from his comic. “I just don’t understand why he hates…” Looking around to see if anyone was nearby, Lincoln then said, “‘You know what’ so much.”
“Lincoln!” Leni’s voice called out, as she walked into the room, her hair being all curled up. “Are you coming to my charity fashion show? It's for a great cause: oysters without pearls.”
Before her only brother could respond, Lynn stormed into the room and yelled, “Leni! No! He'll ruin your fashion show just like he ruined my winning streak! HE'S BAD LUCK!”
"Oh, come on, Lynn! That is absolutely ridiculous!" Lincoln replied, angrily glaring at the athlete.
“I don’t know…” Leni sheepishly said.
“Leni, what if his bad luck makes you trip, or jam a zipper, or break a heel..." Lynn began to list, making the quite-forgetful girl gasp in horror.
"The horror! Maybe you should sit this one out." Leni stated, making Lincoln stare at her in disbelief.
“Seriously?” Lincoln asked, causing her to nod. Groaning, the boy went into the Living Room and turned the TV on, hoping to keep his mind off things.
Unfortunately, Lana then pounced onto the boy and hogtied him. "Hey, Linc, you coming to my alligator-wrestling match?" She asked.
"Don't invite Lincoln!” Leni quickly said, as she pulled Lana away from their brother. “He could make your alligator trip, or jam its zipper, or break a heel!"
"What?" Lana asked, confused from what she was talking about.
"He's bad luck." Leni simply said, causing the young girl's eyes to widen.
"Uh...maybe you shouldn't come after all. I'm wrestlin' my first 200-pounder, and I can't take any chances." Lana said, patting her foot down, before walking away.
“This is just gonna escalate from bad to worse, isn’t it?” Lincoln asked Astral, who only shrugged, as he didn’t know where this would lead.
To find out if everyone was actually believing Lynn’s accusation of Lincoln being “Bad Luck”, the boy went to talk to each of his sisters, starting with Lola, who was spraying her hair in a beehive.
Upon seeing the boy, Lola gasped and sprayed Lincoln away, yelling, “GET AWAY FROM ME! YOUR BAD WILL MAKE MY HAIR GO FLAT!”
“Sorry, Lincoln, but you can’t come to my performance.” Luan said, as she was in her clown outfit.
“Why not?” Lincoln asked, probably knowing the response.
“I’m afraid your bad luck might cause a clown car collision. That would put a dent in things!" Luan jokes, as she began laughing. "Get it? But seriously, don't come."
Leaving her sister’s room, he then came across Lisa, who scoffed and said, "Pshaw. There's no such thing as bad luck. There's only science. All else is hooey."
"Lisa literally has a point.” Lori’s voice said, as she entered with her golf clubs. “You're coming to my tournament, Lincoln. This family supports each other." Holding her clubs to her brother, Lori asked, “Can you take these out to the car for me? I need to get changed.”
‘Finally! Someone that believes me!’ Lincoln thought, relieved that Lori and Lisa didn’t believe Lynn’s superstitions. “Sure.” He replied to the oldest sister, before he took her clubs. Unfortunately, he accidentally tripped and lost his balance, causing him to fall into the bathroom, where a lot of clanging then occurred. Getting back up onto his feet, his eyes widened in horror, as he picked up a now dented club. “Whoops!”
"My sand wedge!” Lori gasped in horror, before staring at the boy in disbelief. “You are bad luck! You are literally uninvited to my tournament."
"I retract my earlier statement. BACK, YE CURSED WRETCH! And don't even think about attending my lecture series on thermodynamics!" Lisa said, as the two then walked away, leaving the white-haired boy to himself.
“Dang it.”
"Come on, guys. It's time for my gator-wrestling match." Lana said, as everyone in the family, except for Lincoln and Rita, exited the house and got into the van.
“Do you want a ride to your friend's house, sweetie?” The mother asked Lincoln.
Shaking his head, the only boy in the family replied, “No thanks. I can just ride my bike there. It’s not far.”
Giving her son a hug goodbye, Rita then exited the house and got into Vanzilla, before shouting, “Behave yourself and be home by six!”
“I will. See you guys later…” Lincoln said. As he saw his family drive off, the boy then bolted upstairs, heading into the direction of his room.
Upon entering his room, he pulled out a loose floorboard, revealing a Red Deck Box, a Red Tablet-Like Device, a strange white and yellow device meant to fit on one’s left eye, equipped with a green lens, money, and all of the Duel Monster cards he had collected over the years. Grabbing the devices and Deck Box, Lincoln placed the floorboard back, making sure that it seemed like nothing was actually there, before putting his stuff in a bag and bolting out of the room.
“I hope he's still there!” Lincoln said, exiting the house and running up to a light gray colored bike, which had a red plate with the number "1" on it, and light blue pegs on each side of the wheels. Getting onto his bike, he quickly rode off in the opposite direction his family went, Astral flying besides him.
In an abandoned factory's indoor parking lot, two kids were waiting around, wondering where their opponent was, just before they heard the sound of a bike coming towards them. Turning their heads, they saw Lincoln coming down through the entrance, before stopping in front of them.
"Sorry I'm late!" Lincoln said, as he got off his bike.
"And here I thought you might have chickened out." The little kid said with a smug grin. He had large front teeth, wore a baseball cap in reverse that covered his red hair, a green t-shirt with a yellow light bulb over a long sleeve black shirt, and blue shorts.
"Doubt that Akira, and who did you bring with you? Hope it's back up, because you're gonna need it." Lincoln said with a confident smile.
"Your Duel isn't with me, Snowflake." Akira said with a sly smirk over his face as the boy behind him stood up. The boy had brownish hair, hazel eyes, and was a muscular and broad shouldered kid for his age. He wore a dull orange jacket, white shirt, tan pants, black fingerless gloves and bright brown shoes with a black outline.
"Whoa. Yeah I don't think this is very fair." Lincoln said.
"My little bro here says you're pretty good. Well I guess it's time to find out how good you really are." The older brother said, as he cracked his knuckles.
"Yeah I'm pretty good, what about you? What's your deal?" Lincoln asked his opponent, smirking as he knew how confident he is.
"Names Shuji, and I'm the Master of...Fusion Summoning." he said with a smug grin on his face.
“Fusion user, huh?” Lincoln smiled, as he put down his bag and searched through its contents. “Not bad, though I think it would have been better to not tell me that, because now I know what to expect.”
"QUIT YOUR STALLING!" yelled Shuji, causing Lincoln to turn back at him, a confident smile on his face.
"Okay, lets do this. But I gotta warn ya, you're messing with a real Pro Duelist right now." Lincoln said, as he took the Red-Tablet like device and attached it to his left arm while Shuji pulled out his own, which was green, and did the same. Holding his arm out, Lincoln exclaimed, “Duel Pad, activate!” The device then unfolded itself, as in addition to a touchscreen mounted onto the arm, there was a tray coming out of the side of it with five blue and white spaces with red, downward-pointing triangles on each space. Underneath the tray was a small slot, and in the slot was a deck of Duel Monsters cards.
Pulling out the small lens, Lincoln put it onto his left eye and said, “Duel Sazer, Set!”
Shuji grinned, as he and Akira put on similar devices, with Shuji’s being gray with a purple lens and Akira’s being white with a brown lens. Upon doing so, a haze engulfed the area around them for a brief moment. Everything around them still looked the same, except that the area had a very-slight greenish tint to it, and small colored screens were scattered all over the field. A computerized female-sounding voice then said, "Augmented Reality Vision Link established."
Both of them drawing five cards, Lincoln and Shuji shouted in unison…
“LET’S DUEL!”
Lincoln: LP: 4000
Shuji: LP: 4000
Shuji then chuckled, as he grabbed two cards from his and said, “Ready or not, here I come!” Sending one of the cards into his Graveyard slot, he then placed a card into one of his Monster Zone’s and said, “By discarding one card from my hand, I’m allowed to Special Summon The Tricky!”
As the enlarged copy of the card he played materialized onto his field, a humanoid monster that looked like a jester emerged from the card, question marks covering its face and torso.
The Tricky
Attribute: WIND
Monster Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Level: 5
ATK: 2000
DEF: 1200
Position: Attack
“I think that will do for now.” Shuji grinned.
“Strange. He did not use his Normal Summon nor played any Face-Down cards.” Astral commented.
“Either he’s planning something or he just got a bad hand.” Lincoln quietly replied, placing his fingertips on top of his deck. “Either way, it's my move! I draw!” Pulling the top card from his deck, he placed it with his other cards, before examining what he had. “Not bad.” He commented, before beginning his Main Phase 1. “To start, I Normal Summon will be my Goblindbergh, in Attack Mode!” Once the card materialized, a red and orange plane carrying a metal crate shot out of it, with the plane being flown by a goblin-like creature, dressed as a pilot.
Goblindbergh
Attribute: EARTH
Monster Type: Warrior/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1400
DEF: 0
Position: Attack
"And Goblindbergh is going to fly high and activate his special ability! When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or below monster from my hand! Drop the load, Goblindbergh!" Lincoln called to his monster, as the pilot gave its boss a thumbs up, before pulling a lever on his left, which caused the metal crate the plane was carrying to fall onto the ground. Upon impact, the crate opened up, revealing a large creature that seemed to be part-human and part-fortress standing proudly next to Goblindbergh. “Shuji, say hello to Gogogo Golem!” Lincoln said, as the monster flexed its blue and silver-colored mechanical arms as it showed off its olive green stone body. As it stood intimidatingly in front of Shuji, its single red eye began to glow brightly.
Gogogo Golem
Attribute: EARTH
Monster Type: Rock
Level: 4
ATK: 1800
DEF: 1500
Position: Attack
“When Goblindbergh Special Summons a Monster with his effect, he is automatically switched into Defense Mode.” Lincoln said, as he positioned the monster’s card sideways on his Duel Pad, causing Goblindbergh to go into a defensive position.
Goblindbergh
Position: Attack > Defense
“Now I Overlay Level 4 Goblindbergh and Level 4 Gogogo Golem!” Lincoln proclaimed, as both of his turned into orange lights, before shooting into the sky. “With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!” A red vortex then appeared in front of Lincoln, as the two lights were drawn into it. "Legendary warrior of the Gagaga clan... Unsheathe your swords and strike down all the enemies that oppose you! Come forth, and show no fear as you face the challenges ahead!" At that moment, a large pillar of red light erupted out of the portal in front of the Loud. "I Xyz Summon, Gagaga Samurai!"
When the pillar of light faded, a powerful Samurai warrior stood in front of Lincoln, wielding two katana. His outfit was mostly red and smoky gray in color, with long, orange scarves that fluttered in the wind. Circling around him were two orange orbs.
Gagaga Samurai
Attribute: EARTH
Monster Type: Warrior/Xyz/Effect
Rank: 4
ATK: 1900
DEF: 1600
Overlay Units: 2
Position: Attack
“I now activate Gagaga Samurai’s effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I can have any of my Gagaga monsters gain the ability to attack twice this turn!" One of the Samurai’s orbs then flew into its sword, causing it to glow a bright light.
Gagaga Samurai
Overlay Units: 2 - 1 = 1
Pointing to his Xyz Monster on the field, she then finished, saying, "Of course, my Gagaga Samurai is my ONLY Gagaga monster, so I'll have him use the effect on himself!"
“Hate to break it to you, twerp, but your monster is 100 Attack Points weaker than mine.” Shuji smirked.
"Now! Go, Gagaga Samurai! Attack The Tricky!" Lincoln exclaimed, as the powerful Samurai then leapt forward, ready to slice apart his opponent, much to Shuji and Akira’s confusion. But then the white-haired boy added, "And at this precise moment, I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card, Ego Boost! Thanks to this card, I can give my attacking Gagaga Samurai an additional 1000 Attack Points for one turn!" Lincoln explained, as the Spell Card then sent an enormous amount of green-colored energy to his monster, making it more powerful than it was before.
Gagaga Samurai
ATK 1900 + 1000 = 2900
"WHAT?!?" Shuji exclaimed, not seeing that move coming, as the Samurai then slashed his sword, striking The Tricky and sending a wave of white energy towards the large boy, knocking out some of his Life Points.
Shuji: LP: 4000 - (2900 - 2000 = 900) = 3100
"Urrrgh... that stung a little..." Shuji groaned, a little winded after the impact of the attack.
"I'm not done just yet, Shuji..." the white-haired boy informed his opponent, "If you recall, I used Gagaga Samurai's effect; which means I can attack with him again!" Pointing forward, he then ordered, "Go! Attack Shuji directly!"
Panicking a little, Shuji stepped back in fear, as Lincoln’s Xyz Monster then slashed him, causing more of his Life Points to drop.
Shuji: 3100 - 2900 = 200
"No... no this can't be happening!" Shuji said, feeling quite shocked as he stared at his remaining Life Points.
"Hate to break it to you bud, but it looks like you're down to your last bit of Life Points. And if I figured right, one more attack should put you away for good. But then again…" Lincoln smirked as he placed a card Face-Down. “It’s not really over until the last card is played.”
Gagaga Samurai
ATK: 2900 - 1000 = 1900
“Ugh! We’ll see about that, punk!” Shuji responded, as he drew his card. Smirking, he held out the card and said, “I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization!” Just then, two monsters emerged on his field, one being a gigantic blue koala and the other a green kangaroo wearing a purple jacket, red boots, and red boxing gloves. “With this, I fuse my Big Koala and Des Kangaroo from my hand in order to create an even more powerful monster!” Shuji said as his two monsters were then drawn into a red and blue-colored vortex. “I Fusion Summon, Master of Oz!”
Out of the vortex came a huge, muscular green koala with long, hairy ears, wore great big boxing gloves, the same purple vest the kangaroo had, and big red shoes.
Master of Oz
Attribute: EARTH
Monster Type: Beast/Fusion
Level: 9
ATK: 4200
DEF: 3700
Position: Attack
“Master of Oz, attack Gagaga Samurai with Outback Attack!” Shuji ordered, as he fusion charged in and was about to tackle Lincoln’s monster.
“Not so fast!” Lincoln quickly interrupted, as he tapped on his Duel Pad, causing his Face-Down card to reveal itself. “I’ve got a Trap! Negate Attack!” Just as the attack was about to come into contact, an invisible barrier protected Gagaga Samurai, causing Master of Oz to stop and go back to its spot on the field.
“Good move. Not only did you save your Life Points, but you also ended Shuji’s Battle Phase with Negate Attack’s effect.” Astral commented his companion.
“I learned from the best.” Lincoln quietly said, smiling at Astral.
“Ugh!” Shuji growled, as he then exclaimed, “I end my turn!”
“Good, then I draw!” Lincoln proclaimed, drawing his card. Upon looking at it, he thought, ‘Perfect.’ Playing the card he drew, Lincoln then said, "I Summon Gagaga Magician in Attack Mode!" In an instant, a robe and cloak-wearing man appeared on his field, ready to battle. He wore a mostly blue outfit with an orange flame pattern along the bottom. He had bronze shoulder pads on his coat and a large, crooked hat on his head. a long chain with a gold plate connected to it wrapped decoratively around his outfit, and a long red scarf covered the bottom half of his face.
Gagaga Magician
Attribute: DARK
Monster Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Level: 4
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1000
Position: Attack
"Next," Lincoln continued, "since I control a Gagaga monster, I can also Summon my Gagaga Child to the field!" He then placed his next monster in Defense Mode, and it appeared on the field as a young boy with a hat and robe similar to Gagaga Magician, but also wearing a school uniform, a pair of red sneakers, and carrying a blue popsicle.
Gagaga Child
Attribute: DARK
Monster Type: Spellcaster/Effect
Level: 2
ATK: 800
DEF: 1200
Position: Defense
“Since I Special Summoned Gagaga Child with his effect, I can make his Level match that of another Gagaga monster I control. So I target Gagaga Magician, causing Gagaga Child's Level to change to four!" Gagaga Child then ate his Popsicle, as the stick showed his new level.
Gagaga Child
Level: 2 > 4
“I overlay Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Child! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network!” The brothers watched as both of Lincoln's monsters transformed into purple lights and flew into a red summoning portal in front of him. "Celebrated marksman of the Gagaga clan... Draw your pistol in the name of justice! Let your determination guide your aim!" the Loud chanted. “I Xyz Summon, Gagaga Cowboy!"
After his summoning chant was finished, the portal began to glow brighter than before. Then, from out of the portal came a human man wearing typical western-style clothing, complete with a brown hat, an orange bandanna that covered the lower half of his face, a tan vest with a white shirt underneath, black pants with leather chaps and boots, and a tattered red cape. In his hands were a pair of shiny, silver pistols, loaded and ready to fire.
Gagaga Cowboy
Attribute: EARTH
Monster Type: Warrior/Xyz/Effect
Rank: 4
ATK: 1500
DEF: 2400
Overlay Units: 2
Position: Defense
"Since I used Gagaga Child’s effect to Special Summon him, I’m not allowed to conduct my Battle Phase. However, he won't need to attack you." Lincoln said back to him. "I played Gagaga Cowboy in Defense Mode, which allows me to use one of his abilities! By using one Overlay Unit, he can hit you for 800 Points of Damage!”
“HUH?!” Shuji gasped, as one of Gagaga Cowboy's floating orbs flew into one of his pistols.
Gagaga Cowboy
Overlay Units: 2 - 1 = 1
“Fire away, Gagaga Cowboy!” Lincoln exclaimed, as the man nodded and then fired the gun, sending a powerful shot of energy towards Shuji and hitting him hard, causing him to drop his cards.
Shuji: LP: 200 - 800 = 0
WINNER: Lincoln
Upon seeing the image of the winner pop up, Akira dropped his bags of chips in disbelief, as the monsters and holographic effects dissipated. “I don't believe it! You promised me you would clean his clock! What happened?!" Akira asked Shuji in shock and anger, as he took off his Duel Gazer.
Shuji fell to his knees in defeat and just cried out, "I'm sorry..."
“I believe Shuji is what humans call, ‘All bark and no bite’” Astral commented, causing Lincoln to nod.
Meanwhile, the sun began to set as Flight 683 was high in the sky, flying towards its destination.
“Attention, passengers, we will be landing in Detroit, Michigan in about ten minutes," The captain’s voice on the intercom announced, "Please take your seats and fasten your seat belts. We will be landing shortly."
“Finally.” A young man with blonde hair said, as his green eyes looked out the window. He wore a white and purple shirt and necktie with a yellow vest with a grape emblem on the front, purple pants and brown boots. Turning his attention to a yellow backpack next to him, he pulled out a strange blue book with a picture of the Emperor's Key on the front of it. “Of all the places you could have run off to, why did you go there?” He asked in confusion.
Back with Lincoln, the boy was now on his way back home, as he saw the little girl he saw from the ball park earlier sit on the sidewalk, tears going down her face as she held the card Lynn Sr ripped up in her hands, which was taped back together as best as it could. Feeling bad for what his father did, the boy stopped his bike, before setting it next to a tree.
“Hey.” Lincoln said, gaining the little girl's attention, as the boy kneeled down to her level. Looking at the ruined card in her hands, Lincoln said, “That’s a nice card you got there. Is it special to you?”
“Yeah, it was.” The girl said, a tear landing onto the card. “It was my first ever card.”
“Your first?” Lincoln asked in shock.
“Mhm.” The little girl nodded. “My dad gave it to me as a Birthday Present last year. He told me if I took care of it he would teach me how to play.”
Smiling, Lincoln took out his Backpack and pulled out a card, before presenting it to the child. “Here. Since your’s got ruined. Take good care of it, okay?”
Gasping in disbelief, the little girl stared at the card and asked, “Really?!” Nodding in confirmation, the little girl gave the boy a big hug, before she ran off with her new card and yelled, “Thanks, mister!”
Smiling at the deed he did, the boy was about to get back on his bike, before his eyes widened in horror, seeing his family in Vanzilla staring at him, his father absolutely furious.
“I cannot believe this.” Lynn Sr said, as the entire family was in the Living Room, with Lincoln sitting on the couch and all of his Dueling stuff on the coffee table. “My own son, playing a game, which I forbid this family from playing, behind my back!”
“It….” Lincoln trailed off, as he stared at his family. “Dueling makes me happy, Dad. It’s my dream to become a pro duelist. Plus, I’m really good.”
“Yeah, right. Like you are capable of winning anything, jinx.” Lynn Jr stated.
“Junior, I don’t care if he’s good luck, bad luck, or no luck. Our ‘No Duel Monsters’ Rule is law.” Lynn Sr said, glaring at his son.
“This is so unfair!” Lincoln exclaimed, standing up. “You and Mom support the rest of this family in their dreams and activities, but when I find something I like and want to do, you try and shut it down!”
“That’s because they follow OUR rules that helped them discover their dreams!”
“And it’s my destiny to help Astral-”
“How many times do we have to tell you? ASTRAL! DOESN’T! EXIST!” Lynn Sr yelled.
“So you guys thinking me being a jinx is more believable than considering Astral’s existence?!”
“YES!” His family yelled in unison.
“I don’t wanna hear another word about this!” Lynn Sr yelled, before motioning towards the boy's stuff. “All of this is getting thrown out, end of discussion!”
“NO, THERE NOT!” Lincoln countered, causing his family to gasp in disbelief, not expecting the boy to yell at his father. Sighing in frustration, he put his Dueling Stuff back into his bag as he told his father, “I’m only gonna say this once, Dad: Yelling at me isn’t going to work. Punishing me isn’t going to work. Nothing you can think of will change my mind about me and Dueling! I’m going to be a Duelist and I’m gonna help Astral, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”
Staying silent for a moment, the father of the Loud family glared at the boy and said, “Yes there is.” Grabbing his son’s arm, Lynn Sr threw the bag he was holding and began to drag the boy to the front door. “Girls, go into your brother’s room and throw EVERYTHING in the van! They are getting sold first thing in the morning!”
“WHAT?!” Lincoln exclaimed in disbelief, as his sisters, save for Lisa and Lynn Jr, the former’s tune changed from anger to fear, while the latter just smirked in triumph. “Dad, what are you-”
“I’m not gonna let my son chase fantasies or things that don’t even exist!” Lynn Sr yelled, as he tossed the boy outside, who stared at him in shock. “So until you decide to give up all this nonsense, you’re not allowed to enter this house or leave this property!”
Slamming the door in Lincoln’s face, the man turned around and walked away, ignoring the boy's pleas.
“DAD! STOP! YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!”
“Lynn, don’t you think you’re taking this too far?” Rita asked her husband, concerned for her son.
“Rita, that boy needs to learn his lesson about lying and disrespecting this family's rules.” Lynn Sr glared, as he began to walk upstairs to help his daughters.
“Besides, Stinkoln is Bad Luck! His room and belongings are probably contaminated with it! They have to go!” Lynn Jr added. “We have to think of our own safety!”
“Guys, please! Tell him he's being crazy!” Lincoln’s voice called out from the other side of the door, only for nobody to reply. “…Anyone?”
Lisa, who was still the entire time, stared in disbelief as she thought, ‘Lincoln, as much as I want to help you, I not only don’t want to risk getting the same punishment you were given, I have been focusing on another problem that had even managed to stump me; namely the unique creatures known as Pokemon and how to get the opportunity to study them.’
Her interest in them began after a chance meeting with a Professor by the name of Samuel Oak during a science convention she had attended in the past. Since then, the two had become fast friends and kept in contact with each other through video chat, often engaging in lengthy conversations about the many species of Pokemon the world had to offer.
These conversations eventually led to her wanting to study them for herself in person. However, there was one major obstacle in the way of this goal - her age. Despite being a college graduate with a PhD, she was still only four years-old; nowhere near old enough to become an official Trainer, which had a minimal age requirement of ten years.
From what Oak had mentioned during one of their earlier conversations, the restriction was created by the Pokemon League itself following a number of attacks on younger trainers by a criminal organization that was working out of the Kanto region.
She was aware that she could simply ask Professor Oak if she could visit his lab/ranch in Pallet Town and study the Pokemon he had there, but considering how busy the man seemed to be with his own research, it was highly unlikely that she would be able to visit very often.
So she had started looking into other ways to legally bypass the age restriction. However, she had constantly run into failure over and over again, frustrating her immensely.
As the attempts continued to fail, her frustration grew to the point that she started searching for less-than-legal ways to get past the restriction, only to run into failure there as well. Out of desperation, she had even attempted to create an aging formula in order to make herself older, but that...didn't exactly go as planned either. At least she knew how to make a beard growth formula now.
Still, she didn't want to wait six years before she could finally start her research and her repeated failures to find ways around the age restriction were starting to wear on her patience. It was times like this that she hated being the second-youngest child in the family.
'If only I were around your age, Lincoln… then I wouldn't have any problems passing the League's age qualification.' Lisa thought with a scowl, only for her eyes to widen in realization.
‘Wait, that’s it! Why didn't she see it sooner? The solution to both of our problems was right in front of me the whole time!’ Lisa thought with a smile. ‘If I could find a way to get you to go to Kanto, then I wouldn't have to wait until I am old enough to become a Trainer myself - you could catch them and bring them straight to me!’
Heading up the stairs in determination, the four-year old genius ran past the rest of her family, who was taking everything out of Lincoln’s room, furniture and all, and entered her own, locking the door. ‘And best of all, I won't be the only one benefitting from this plan.’ She continued her inner monologue. ‘You would get to meet (and hopefully catch) some of the Pokemon Kanto had to offer while everyone else gets what they want with you being away. Everyone wins.’
Walking up to a large terminal-like computer with what appeared to be a phone receiver attached to it, Lisa began to press a few keys and said to herself, "I just hope he, Mother and Father are willing to cooperate."
After a few minutes, the device let out a beeping noise, before the screen displayed an older man with short spiky gray hair dressed in a lab coat sitting in a chair...facing the wrong way.
"Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?"
"...Professor Oak, you're facing the wrong camera again." Lisa muttered, facepalming.
"Darn it, this always happens..." The old man muttered, before turning his chair around to face the other way. Upon seeing Lisa on his own screen, his look of annoyance quickly changed to one of joy. "Oh! Hello again, Miss Loud - it's good to hear from you again!"
With a smile of her own, Lisa says "It's good to see you too, Professor."
"So, what brings you to call me? Did you want to have another discussion about Pokemon biology?"
"Not exactly - I'm calling for a different reason. Professor Oak, I’d like to cash in that favor you owe me.” Lisa said, gaining the Professor’s attention.
“You must not blame yourself, Lincoln.” Astral said, trying to calm his companion down, as the boy was sitting against the garage. “I don’t think any of us realized how far your family, especially your father, was willing to go.”
“You and Pop-Pop are probably the only people I consider family now, Astral.” Lincoln muttered, as he stared at the pendant around his neck. “If only he was here right now.”
“Lincoln…” Astral softly spoke, feeling partially guilty. The day Lincoln turned 7-years old, the day the duo met each other, Lincoln’s grandfather, Albert, or Pop-Pop, left for a trip and never came back. Most people think he either just abandoned his family or got in a terrible accident. But Lincoln believed that he was out there somewhere, wanting to come home or hoping someone would find him.
“Are the Number cards safe?” Lincoln asked.
“They are safe and secure inside the Key right now.” Astral replied, before frowning. “However, the same cannot be said about your Dueling Equipment and the rest of your cards.”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” Lincoln said, turning his head towards the house. Before he could say another word, the two of them froze, as they felt a strange aura coming from the distance. “You feel that too, right?” Lincoln asked Astral, who nodded in confirmation. Confused, the boy looked around the area, only to see the Key around his neck to give off an otherworldly light and start to float in midair. “What the-?!” Lincoln exclaimed in shock, before the Key then started to point into a certain direction.
“How peculiar…” Astral stated, as Lincoln went to pull the Key away, only for it to go back to where it was pointing to. “It seems as if it were trying to show you something.”
Nodding in agreement, the boy looked at his house, seeing nobody watching him from inside, before he ran off, hoping to find where the Emperor's Key was trying to lead him.
"...Goodness. You weren't overexaggerating when you told me about how stressful living with a family like that could be." Professor Oak said, completely astonished at what Lisa’s brother had just been through.
“Yes, Professor, and if I were to try to help Lincoln or talk some sense to my family, I fear I would only end up with the same punishment. And I can’t call the authorities because…” Lisa trailed, feeling guilty about not being able to help her only brother.
“I see…” Oak said, getting a nod from the four-year old. Smiling in appreciation, the old man stated, “Then perhaps a trip to Kanto might actually do some good for him.”
“You mean…?”
“Of course. And we happen to be lucky right now. Another trainer from the Paldea Region is actually on his way to Royal Woods as we speak.” Professor Oak said, as he displayed a picture of the trainer on Lisa’s monitor.
Recognizing the person, Lisa’s eyes widened as she asked, “Wait, isn’t that Professor Turo’s son, Arven?”
“Indeed. From what his father told me, Arven had just obtained information of a runaway Pokemon he was studying in the area of Royal Woods.” Professor Oak explained, causing Lisa’s eyes to widen further.
“A runaway Pokemon, here?” She asked in shock and confusion. “But Paldea is in the Iberian Peninsula! Why would a Pokemon want to travel halfway across the globe and come here?”
“Yes, that’s what I am confused about as well.” Professor Oak said, placing a hand on his chin. “From what Professor Turo had told me, it might have something to do with this symbol.” Typing on a few keys, he then displayed another image, causing Lisa to gasp in disbelief.
“That’s…!” Lisa exclaimed, causing Oak to look at her in confusion.
“Is something the matter, Miss Loud?” He asked the child. “It’s as if you’ve seen this before.”
Eyes narrowing at the Professor, Lisa began to rapidly press keys as she simply stated, “Because I have.”
Meanwhile, back with Lincoln and Astral, night soon came as the duo were now in the middle of the forest, following Lincoln’s Key.
“It seems that we are getting close…” Astral commented, seeing the Emperor's Key getting brighter by the minute, before it eventually dimmed out, and fell back down onto Lincoln’s neck. Looking at what was in front of them, the duo looked behind the bushes and gasped in shock.
In front of them was a large, robotic reptilian creature, sleeping on the ground. Its body mostly violet in color, although its face, claws, abdomen, and tail were silver. Its head had a dark purple casque, circular purple cheeks, two pairs of antennae, and black eyes. The eyes had a pixelated display, showing closed cyan pupils
“Woah…” Lincoln stated in awe and confusion, as the duo observed the creature in curiosity, before hearing unexpected rushing from the bushes. Cautious in case it was another strange creature or just a wild animal, the boy cautiously turned to the rushing bushes, a bit of fear on his face, before it faded, seeing what came out.
It was a strange, short and chubby rodent creature. It was covered in yellow fur with two horizontal brown stripes on its back. It had a small mouth, long, pointed ears with black tips, and brown eyes. Each cheek was a red circle that appeared to have contained a pouch for electricity storage. It had short forearms with five fingers on each paw, which was carrying a bunch of apples, and its feet each had three toes. At the base of its lightning bolt-shaped tail was a patch of brown fur.
“Oh boy…” A strange voice muttered, as the small mouse creature walked towards the large reptile, and put down the food it was carrying.
“Hey, there, little guy…” Lincoln smiled, as he crouched down to its level. “What are you doing awake this late-”
“I know you can’t understand me…” The mouse began to slowly say to the boy, who’s eyes widened along with Astral’s. “But step away from my friend, or I will electrocute you!”
Staring in disbelief, the boy couldn’t stop himself from asking, “You can talk?”
“Wait.” The mouse froze, the need of protecting the large reptile fading as it shared the same face Lincoln did. “You can understand me?”
“Well, I-” Lincoln tried to say, only to get interrupted again.
“You can understand me!” The creature happily exclaimed, as it then tackled Lincoln.
“Hey, what are you-?” Lincoln was about to ask, before the mouse carried the boy a small shock of electricity. “OW!” He yelled, unknowingly waking up the strange reptile, its light blue eyes simulating blinking as it saw the scene transpiring. Glaring at the yellow mouse, the white-haired boy yelled, “What was that for?!”
“Sorry, just making sure I wasn’t hallucinating.” The yellow mouse said, rubbing the back of his head.
“Well, you didn’t have…to…do…” Lincoln trailed off, as his eyes widened, seeing the strange violet and silver reptile stand up and glare at the boy, before it let out a gasp, seeing the Emperor’s Key around his neck.
“Oh, uh, hey Miraidon!” The mouse awkwardly smiled, as the reptile, now known as Miraidon walked up to the boy. “Listen, I am so sorry we woke you up, but-”
Motioning the mouse to stop, Miraidon turned back to the boy, and smiled. “Are you the owner of that Key?”
“Y-Yes.” Lincoln managed to say, a little scared of the creature's size towering him. “I’m Lincoln Loud.”
Turning its head, Miraidon then looked directly at Astral and said, “And I am assuming that you are Astral.”
Gasping in shock, the other-worldly being asked the reptile, “You can see me?”
Nodding in response, the strange creature turned back to the boy and said, “I am Miraidon, and I have spent the past 4 years looking for you.”
“Me?”
TO BE CONTINUED…
Author’s Note:
After month’s of writing, the first chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal: A Loud Journey, is finally done. A few things I would like to point out.
First, Lynn Sr’s hatred for Duel Monsters and why he is willing to go to such lengths to stop Lincoln from playing it will be explained in a future chapter.
Second, the person who was speaking at the beginning of the chapter will be revealed in probably the next chapter or the chapter after.
Third, while I know NSL is a hated episode, I wanted to make it different by not only Lincoln not convince he’s bad luck, but give two reasons for the family to treat Lincoln like that, one for the kids believing he is Bad Luck (especially Lynn Jr), and the parents being mad at him for breaking a major rule in their house.
Last, I am debating whether Miraidon will be a boy or a girl in this story, because according to a post on reddit, in Pokemon Violet, people talk to the hyper train NPC, and ONLY then (to our knowledge) suddenly it has the female sign. People are not sure if it's a glitch or some underlying code that wasn't deleted, but I want an opinion.
Fan Art (use these #’s on Twitter (X) for the story you want to post fanart of: (match spelling and casing)
Yu-Gi-Oh Ouroboros: #YugiohOuroboros
Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir: #ZEXALMiraculous
Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal: A Loud Journey: #PokemonLoudZEXAL
