Lame chapter title, I know.
Jestalnaker94000: Thanks for telling me that bit. And I do have an idea for an alternate universe where one of the sisters became the Ghost Rider instead of Lincoln. And it's not Lucy.
YellowPikmin88: Thanks
Jason Chandler: Hope he leaves room for seconds!
Mr. Haziq: It would be interesting.
Gamelover41592: Thanks
NappaRules2250: They're going to mettle with his relationship one way or another.
The Who: Thanks.
CheroMan: Thanks.
Gus's Games and Grub:
12:16 pm
"That's two large pizzas. One pepperoni, One cheese. One two-liter bottle of Dr. Dew soda, and some italian cheese bread. Your total is $12.99, cash or credit?" The cashier asked
"Cash." Clyde answered as he pulled out his wallet.
Lincoln, Zach, Rusty, Liam, and Ronnie Anne sat at their booth as they waited for their nerdy friend to arrive with the heavenly dish known as Pizza.
"A-And then, the Wind-Witch started to throw Ghost Rider around as if he was a stuffed doll!" Liam cackled
Ronnie Anne began to fiddle with the napkins, making boats out of them while Lincoln laid his head back against the wall of the booth in annoyance.
"Haha! Oh, did you guys see that remix someone made?" asked Rusty as he got out his phone and pulled up a video. It was during the battle two nights ago and it showed G. Rider being tossed into the air by a wind vortex. But in the middle of the video, Ghost Rider was immediately transported to a galaxy background with that annoying shooting star song in the background.
"That's hilarious! I wonder why there wasn't any signs of him last night though?" Liam questioned curiously
Rusty answered in a smug(yet joking) tone. "He probably spent all of yesterday licking his wounds." Lincoln knew that Rusty was just messing because a few videos of his appearance last night was on social media. But the voice in his head didn't...
"I WILL BREAK EVERY INCH OF YOUR MEASLY SPINE FOR YOUR MOCKERY!"
Lincoln slightly jerked at the booming voice in the back of his mind which he now believes to be Zarathos himself.
"Lincoln, are you okay?"
Lincoln looked to see everyone at the table staring at him.
"Uh, yeah! Just...need to go to the restroom!" Lincoln stated
Ronnie got up from her seat as Lincoln scurried along.
In the restroom, Lincoln splashed cold water from the sink on his face and dried it with a paper towel.
He then stared into the mirror as if he was staring into his own soul.
"Zarathos? Is it you who's been speaking at random times in my head?" Lincoln asked out loud but got no response
"I know that you're in there, somewhere in my subconscious. Maybe you can't hear me or refuse to answer but I would appreciate it if you don't threaten my friends, regardless if they can hear you right not. Understand?"
Lincoln was once again met with silence.
"I'll take that as an okay, I guess." said Lincoln as he exited the restroom.
Upon re-entering the main area, Lincoln saw his friends feasting on pizza and italian bread. Ronnie Anne scooted over to let her old friend sit down next to her.
"So in middle school, I was thinking about joining either the baseball or basketball team. What do you guys think?" Liam asked his friends
"I'd say go for baseball. You've always been a fast runner." Clyde answered
"I'm thinking about joining the chess club." Liam stated
"Again? I mean, that's not a bad thing but you've been doing chess for a long time." Lincoln questioned
Liam just shrugged.
Lincoln began to reach for some pizza as he continued to speak. "Well you could always try to..."
Lincoln stopped talking as he felt his hand touch someone else's hand.
He looked to see his hand gently resting on top of Ronnie Anne's hand. It seems that both preteens we're trying to grab the same slice of pizza. Lincoln blushed as he looked up and saw Ronnie Anne looking into his eyes. Lincoln stated back as a blush grew on his face.
"O-Oh, umm. Sorry, Ronnie Anne." Lincoln stuttered
"It's alright, really." she replied shyly
The two went back to eating, not noticing the four other boys staring at them.
*Ding*
Clyde hears the message alert on his phone. He grabs his phone and sees a text from multi-media message by Rocky, Liam, and Zach.
Rusty:"Wait, are they dating again?"
Clyde began to reply.
Clyde:"I'm not sure. Lincoln would've told me."
Liam:"They might soon. Why else would Ronnie Anne decide to visit from the city to this dump of a town?"
Zach:"The way I see it fellas, we'll be hearing wedding bells pretty soon!"
Liam:"Hey, chill. Ronnie Anne could just be hear to hang out...platonically I mean."
Rusty:"I hope they are. It would be like that one bros and all of them have girlfriends. Think about it! Me and Polly, Liam and Tabby, Zach and Giggles, Clyde and Penelope, and last but not least, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne!"
Clyde:"As nice as that would be, we have to remember that Ronnie Anne could be here for a number of reasons. But let's stop here so they won't get suspicious."
"So Ronnie Anne, what's it like living in the city?" Clyde asked as he turned off his phone.
Ronnie guzzled down her drink before speaking.
"It's nice, I guess. Living with my mom's family isn't half bad. Bobby works at the bodega while I go to school." she answered
"Alright. Did you make any friends?" Liam inquired
Ronnie Anne responded with a nod as she took a bite of pizza.
"Oh, yeah. I've met them on mine and Lori's last visit. Nikki, Sameer, and Casey are their names." explained Lincoln
He then looked at Ronnie Anne to see a faint blush on her cheeks.
"You good, Ronnie Anne?" Lincoln asked in concern
Ronnie Anne opened her eyes wide as if she was caught off guard.
"O-Oh, yeah! I'm fine, it's just..."
Ronnie Anne's eyes began to shift back and forth to find a distraction. She then found the machine where you can purchase tokens.
"I was...just thinking about playing some games! Who's with me?" Ronnie Anne inquired with a large smile.
"I guess I am." Lincoln shrugged as the two began to exit the booth.
*Ring Ring*
Lincoln suddenly heard his phone giving off a ringtone, telling him that someone was calling. He pulled it out to see that it was an unknown number.
"Hmmm. Wonder who this is?" Lincoln asked out loud
"OH! If it's a telemarketer, then play a trick on them like how I taught you!" Rusty smirked
Lincoln smiled and gave a thumbs up before running outside.
Once he was outside the door, Lincoln thought of the best exaggerated voice he could do.
"Heellllllllloooooooooooooooo?" Lincoln asked in a annoying sounding voice.
"It's me, bonehead."
Lincoln immediately recognized the voice belonging to Johnny Blaze. But how did he obtain Lincoln's number?
"M-Mr. Blaze? H-How did..."
"Thank S.H.I.E.L.D. for giving me your number. And don't worry, our conversation isn't being tapped." Johnny confirmed
"Ah, forgot about them." Lincoln replied
"So...where are you, kid? I was supposed to teach you how to not suck at riding motorbikes. I'm at Ketchum park, waiting." said Johnny
That memory came back to Lincoln. He didn't think that Mr. Blaze was serious about that.
"Ehh...Mr. Blaze? Would it be okay if we skip today's lesson? I'm sorta busy at the moment." Lincoln asked shyly
"Busy with what? Wait, you didn't accidentally catch something on fire, right?" Blaze questioned sternly
"N-No! Mr. Blaze! It's just..."
"How did that happen? Did you accidentally throw a fireball? Puke Lava? Di...oh my god, you didn't try to urinate while in your Rider form, right?" Johnny questioned sternly yet unsure about the last one.
"No, Mr. Blaze! I'm just hanging out with a friend who's been gone for a year. That is all." Lincoln revealed
There was silence on both ends.
"I mean, I'm all for hanging out with friends but this friend isn't that important considering our little predicament." Johnny stated
Lincoln slowly rubbed the back of his head.
"It's more complicated than that. You see, my friend, she..."
"SHE!? HAHAHA!" Johnny began to laugh loudly.
"Oh, man. Now I get it. Little ghost rider has a girlfriend!" he continued
Lincoln's face began to grow red out of embarrassment and anger.
"She isn't my girlfriend! She's only a friend." Lincoln confirmed which Johnny didn't believe.
"I said the same thing about Roxanne and I ended up being married and had two kids with her. You might be following the same path!" Johnny cackled
"Smash his head like a rotted pumpkin!"
"ow." Lincoln grunted
"You alright, kid?" Johnny asked with concern
"Yeah, just a voice screaming in my head to smash your head like a rotted pumpkin." Lincoln answered
"Hmmm. That was definitely Zarathos! We'll talk more about that later." said Johnny who sounded completely calm about what he was just told.
"Mr. Blaze? Didn't what I just tell you bother you in the slightest?" Lincoln questioned.
Lincoln then heard a chuckle on the other line.
"Trust me, Lincoln. I've had my life threatened even before I became the Ghost Rider. And knowing where I'll go when I die, I'm not worried a bit." Johnny answered
"Oh...well I need to get back with my girlfr-I mean, friend!" Lincoln stuttered
"See? You almost called her your girlfriend. Now allow this old man to give you one girl advice~." Johnny offered but was completely refused by Lincoln.
"I don't need any advice! My sisters meddle with my relationship enough!" Lincoln stated
"It's okay, my advice may be a little outdated but I'm not rusty when it comes to winning the girl's heart." said Johnny
Johnny Blaze heard annoyed groan on the other line.
"Mr. Blaze. I promise you that I don't need advice because me and Ronnie Anne aren't together. I'm not even in love with her!" Lincoln grumbled
"Alright, Alright. Easy, skully. I'm just messing with 'ya." said Blaze
Lincoln sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Mr. Blaze." thanked Lincoln
"Sure, but in all seriousness, you better come to the church tonight! No flaking or anything!" Johnny commanded in a stern tone.
"Y-Yes, Mr. Blaze!" Lincoln gulped
"I'm not joking either. We can't let Mephisto succeed on what ever devious plan he has cooking, understand?" Johnny asked in a more calmer tone.
"Yes sir!" Lincoln answered
Johnny Blaze then hung up and put down his phone and thought about what he just heard. He then remembered a song by Elvis Presley which strongly relates to Lincoln which just made it funnier.
"I'm just a hunk, a hunk of burning love! Just a hunk, a hunk of burning love!" Blaze recited and ended with a fit of laughter.
After finally catching his breath, Johnny looked around to see other people in the park staring at him.
"What the heck are yall lookin' at?" Johnny questioned as his eyes narrowed
"WATCH OUT!"
"GO LEFT!"
"DON'T LET THAT BLUE GHOST GET YOU!"
"GET THAT CHERRY!"
Lincoln watched as Rusty was being hastled by their friends as he struggled to beat the high score of Pac-Man arcade.
"Shut up, guys! I'm trying to focus!" shouted Rusty
Lincoln laughed as Rusty was almost touched by the colorful ghosts of that golden age game.
"Hey, Lame-O! Let's try this new game!" Ronnie Anne called
Lincoln walked over to his friend to see that a new motorcycle game has been installed recently.
It was your basic arcade machine with a plastic motorbike with buttons and the ability to tilt to the left and right.
The game was titled "Road Racers Xtreme 4-D!".
"4-D?" asked Lincoln
The owner of the store, Gus, came up to the new arcade.
"Yep, this thing costed me a small fortune but this baby might bring in more customers with its special features!" Gus explained
"Special features?" The two pre-teens questioned
Gus reached into his back pocket and pulled out the game's manual.
"Lets see...fans on all sides of the screen, the ground under the bike cam vibrate when you go over potholes, speed bumps, and gravel. Pretty much gives you the feeling that you're actually driving a motorcycle. Give it a try! No one has played it yet." Gus answered
Ronnie Anne lightly pushed Lincoln aside.
"I call first dibs!" Ronnie Anne announced as she jumped onto the plastic bike and inserted the required amount of tokens to play.
The game's speakers began to play that cheesy music you always hear when playing racing games.
"Choose your bike!" the game announcer commanded
Ronnie Anne picked an old blue cruiser.
"Choose your location!"
A selection of four choices popped up on screen which consisted of City Highway, Grand Canyon, Dinosaur Land, and Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland(Who makes these things?).
Ronnie Anne, being the tough gal she is picked the post-apocalyptic wasteland level which activated a cutscene which showed a camera zooming away from a destroyed city with a black and broken road. Then a menu popped up which revealed the story of this level.
"New York City
Year: 3076 AD
A nuclear fallout leaves the world in ruins and half of the human population extinct. While in the city looking for supplies, a herd of disfigured zombie mutants begins to stalk in search of food. Their meal of choice...YOU! Race against other survivors in order to reach the finish line first but watch out! The mutants are always on your tail an the other racers will do anything in their power to make sure that you get caught so they can live another day."
"READY...SET...GO!" The announcer roared in excitement as the race began.
Lincoln watched as Ronnie Anne's character took off along with he other racers. One biker tried to crash into Ronnie Anne to slow her down but the tomboy wasn't having it! She began to forcefully ram the biker back until she got the upper hand and flipped hhim over. The last thing from the biker was screams of pain.
After some time, the track became more difficult with bumps that slowed you down and more projectiles in the road. In the end, the two watches as her character's limbs were being torn off and devoured.
A text came up saying "GAME OVER".
"Psssh. That blood looks so fake!" Ronnie Anne snapped as she saw the high score screen. She managed to obtain a score of 879,158. She then typed in her first name using the small controller on the bike's consol.
Ronnie Anne turned to Lincoln.
"Your turn!" she announced
Lincoln stared at Ronnie with a deadpanned expression.
"Is this really how my life is now? Constantly on a motorcycle?" he thought before sighing.
"Sure." said Lincoln as he climbed into the bike and inserted tokens.
"Choose your bike!"
Lincoln followed the announcer's command as he picked a black harvey-davison hydra glide which looked similar to his own bike. Hey, if he's going to choose a bike he might as well use something that he's familiar with.
"Choose your location!"
Lincoln decided to pick "City Highway" and the story popped up.
"Washington D.C.
Year: 2034
You are a bounty hunter chasing down members of a mob that has killed your brother after failing to pay off his debt on time. You found out that the mob's boss and his crew are making a move to another side of the city to take down another mob group. Your job is to take down all members of the mob and the boss, but be cautious because they are armed. And if that wasn't enough, the police are also on your tail to stop you and throw you behind bars!"
"READY...SET...GO!"
Lincoln's virtual bike moved forward and began to pick up speed. The sounds of Mobsters on motorcycles firing their machine guns as police cars chased him.
He then began to tilt the bike slightly on each side to dodge bullets or grab a power-up. The feeling of the built in fans blowing air on his face while the ground under him lightly vibrated gave Lincoln a very familiar feeling. That relaxing feeling of having wind run across your face.
Lincoln then hit a box which contained a rocket launcher which automatically fired a single rocket into a mob biker, instantly blowing him to pieces.
"Face my vengeful wrath, scum!" Lincoln's character cackled.
"Vengful spirit? That sounds like..." Lincoln whispered
"Hope you made amends with the ghosts of your pasts. Because you'll be reunited with them soon!" The game character hollered.
Lincoln continued to play the game. Dodging bullets, blasting foes off the road, and staying one step ahead of the police. Every time he flew off from a ramp, he gains bonus points. Ronnie Anne was impressed by Lincoln's gaming skills, he even past her high score!
All went well until Lincoln found a in-game secret.
The secret is that each character in each zone has a special ability but it's very rare to find. The chances to find and activate this special ability is a slim 15%.
The area around Lincoln's game character changed dramatically. The sky turned blood red as the building look abandoned and the streets were now pitch black. The character let out a deep roar as the text "ROAD RAGE!" popped up for about three seconds and then disappeared.
A small cutscene initiated showing the biker pulling out a chain from inside of his leather coat. "YOU DIRTY BROTHER KILLERS!" the character screamed a she began to swing the chain around making Lincoln's breath heavy for a moment. The bike boosted forward and as Lincoln's character got next to a mob member, he slashed them with his chain, making them fly off of their bikes.
To Ronnie Anne, it was just a cool power move. But to Lincoln, he saw something else...himself.
A wicked smile grew on Lincoln's face as he leaned forward on the bike. Tilting to turn it in order to hit more mob menbers to expertly as if he is something like this before.
Ronnie Anne was amazed at the massive points Lincoln was racking up. He was almost to the millions now!
"WOW, Lame-O! What is your goal?" she asked in am impressed tone.
To Lincoln, her question meant something else to him, and his reply confirmed it.
"Vengeance is my goal!" Lincoln growled as his eyes began to glow orange.
"...What?" Ronnie Anne asked, completely confused by her friend's answer.
Lincoln didn't say anything else as he watched the screen, seeing himself as the game character, striking down those who spilt innocent blood.
He then began to jerk the bike left to right like a madman as he laughed at the flying bodies of the mob members while his hands began to turn red.
"L-Lincoln?" Ronnie Anne questioned with a voice sounding like a mix between concern and fear.
"Hahahahahahaha!" Lincoln laughed as he imagined more bodies of the enemy piling up.
"Lincoln!" Ronnie Anne called, hoping to catch his attention but with no luck.
Lincoln was still distracted by the carnage that was now the game he was playing as the character's bike actually gave off flames as well. But his joy of something so morbid was interrupted by something striking the side of his face.
"OW!" Lincoln howled as his left cheek stung in pain.
Thw game character's bike suddenly crashed as the character himself was now surrounded by police officers.
"GAME OVER"
Lincoln looked up at the screen as he rubbed his now red cheek and then at Ronnie Anne who had her fist balled and was angrily scowling at him.
"Are you done being weird?" she asked in an annoyed tone.
"Being wierd?" Lincoln inquired "What do you me...". Lincoln looked at his hands to see that they were lightly red. The same red that you obtain when putting your hand in hot water.
"Oh no..." Lincoln thought as his jaw dropped. Knowing that he had to come up with a good excuse for his actions.
"S-Sorry, Ronnie Anne. I think I was just too much into the game." he lied
Ronnie Anne's expression soften.
"Yeah, too much." she stated as she looked at the screen.
"Woah!" Ronnie Anne gasped as her eyes went wide.
Lincoln looked at the screen to see that he scored a clean 13,000,000.
"NEW RECORD!" The game said
Lincoln then typed his first name and hopped off the bike, hoping that Ronnie Anne will forget what she witnessed.
"So...what do you want to play next?" Lincoln questioned
The next game the two played was a game where two people sit on the back of a speeding Jeep in a jungle, shooting down giant spiders that are chasing you. Then, Lincoln played the Galaga arcade game and managed to get far but not far enough to beat the high score(Lucky them). Then, Ronnie Anne played an old fashioned boxing game and managed to beat all the bosses in the time rush option, breaking a new record. Next, was the air hockey table which Ronnie Anne was surprised that Lincoln's reflex is was now quicker than the last time they played this. Now that she thinks of it, Ronnie Anne did notice that Lincoln slightly bulked up.
And each time they played, Ronnie Anne always playfully punched Lincoln on his arm. And Lincoln enjoyed every second he spent with her. At one moment while playing another space related game, they got to a point where the special plasma beam for their ships could be used and it is to be activated with the green button in the middle of their joystick and missle buttons. Without thinking, both pre-teens went for the button and as you expect, their hands met. Lincoln's hand landed right on top of Ronnie Anne's and rested there. The two looked at each other at the plasma beam went off and destroyed all remaining UFOs plus the mothership. The two stared into each other's eyes.
Lincoln began to feel something completely new. Something stronger than what he felt when after his first kiss with Ronnie Anne at Jean Juan's almost a year ago. His face began to grow a shade of pink over his cheeks as his heart began to beat quicker. Ronnie Anne on the other hand was still looking for the answer to a question she had in her head for a while. But unlike her, Lincoln already k ew the answer to his own question.
"WOULD YOU TWO JUST KISS ALREADY!" Clyde shouted
The two jumped as they looked at the four boys staring at them. Rusty, Liam, and Zach were surprised at what Clyde just yelled.
Clyde McBride saw they 10 eyes staring at him as he grew embarrassed.
"Errrr...sorry, the suspense was killing me." Clyde sheepishly defended
"I honestly thought Rusty was about to yell it." said Zach
Lincoln and Ronnie Anne smiled as they both shook their heads.
"Dream on, geeks!" Ronnie Anne teased
Just then, Ronnie Anne's phone went off. She checked it to see it was a text from her brother.
"That was Bobby. He said that I need to come back to our apartment house." she explained
She then looked at Lincoln and smiled.
"See ya, Lame-o."
Lincoln felt his heart flutter.
Ronnie Anne then walked out of the arcade and beaded towards her next destination.
Lincoln's friends faced him to see that he had a small smile on his face.
"Sorry for um-interrupting your little moment, Lincoln." Liam apologized
Lincoln's smile grew as a blush.
"Lincoln, are you okay?" Rusty questioned
"I'm amazing!" Lincoln beamed
The guys we're curious about Lincoln's new attitude.
"What do you mean?" Clyde asked
Lincoln walked up to his friends and wrapped his arms around Clyde's and Liam's shoulders.
"I think I love Ronnie Anne!" he answered
Outside, a figure listened to Lincoln's conversation through the window sighed in defeat. She then looked down at her gloved hand which held a golden locket with Lincoln's picture next to hers.
"Perhaps it just wasn't meant to be." she sadly whispered as she walked away, hiding her gloomy expression with her black hair.
A while later, Lincoln walked out of the arcade with his friends still talking about how he's going to ask Ronnie Anne to be his girlfriend.
"Like Luan told me, that carnival is only a few weeks away. I'm planning on taking Ronnie Anne there and spend time with her. Then I'll ask her to be my girl!" Lincoln said with glee
"Would you consider bringing a wing-man along?" Clyde questioned
Lincoln turned his head to his best friend.
"Just being Penelope and it will be a double date." Lincoln answered
But unfortunately for Lincoln, with his newfound feeling of love, he failed to sense someone standing on top of the building, watching and listening to him.
"So that girl's his weakness? Noted." Blackheart grinned evily
Lincoln Loud entered through the front door of his home looking about as happy when he found an Ace Savvy collectors issue.
His sisters who were sitting on the couch noticed their brother's goofy smile. Lily toddled up to Lincoln only to have her hands grab as Lincoln playfully danced with her, delighting the two-year old girl.
"Did you find out?" Luan scowled
"Find out what?" asked Lori who was sitting on her wheelchair next to the couch.
"I'm asking Lincoln if he found out if he liked Ronnie Anne." she answered
All of the sister's interest in this topic suddenly rose tremendously as they began to bombard him with questions.
"Girls, girls, stop. I don't like Ronnie Anne!" Lincoln revealed, making his sister's smiles fade.
With the silence, Lincoln quickly spoke again knowing he might be accused of being hateful towards the Latino preteen.
"...I love her." he added
WOOOOO! This chapter was a blast at typing. Now next chapter will indeed be the timeskip that I promised which will lead up to the main event. Now I'm not sure how big the next chapter would be but you'll have it.
Something else I wanted to point out. I want to explain the difference between Ghost Rider's and Zarathos's dialogue for future reference.
Ghost Rider's is regular bold.
Zarathos's is bold mixed with italic. And I know that the game that Lincoln and Ronnie were playing was using bold and italic as well but this was just an exception and will be fixed in previous chapters.
See you next time!