(And I'm back again with another installment. Hope you're ready for the return of Vilgax. Will Lincoln be as lucky as he was the first time they fought?)
On board Vilgax's ship, the alien warlord had been discussing current events to Psyphon. The follower spoke, "Let me see if I have everything in order, my lord. The Omnitrix; the most powerful device in the entire galaxy has ended up in the hands of a mere earth child?"
"Precisely," Vilgax confirmed, "And with every drone and hunter I sent after him they have all failed in their mission. Including me." he finished with shame.
"This boy must be very special if he's able to have survived this long."
"He is the grandson of that meddlesome fool Albert Jefferson."
"Really? Then the boy must've inherited his fighting spirit."
"Unfortunately. But not even his fighting spirit can keep him safe forever," Vilgax explained, "In our last encounter I learned he has one major weakness."
"And that would be?" Psyphon inquired.
"It's that he cares too much for his loved ones," Vilgax answered mischievously, "And they will in turn be his undoing." he said, as the scene faded to black leaving Vilgax's eyes glowing.
Meanwhile at the Loud House, Lincoln was in his bedroom reading his new Ace Savy comic. He was on the last page which showed Ace Savy falling down into a pit while restraining some dark version of himself, "Nega Ace, I'm taking you down with me!" he voiced Ace's line, "NO!" he cried to himself before turning to the audience, "This is my latest Ace Savy Comic, and it features Ace going up against Nega Ace, a dark version of Ace Savy from a Dark Alternate Dimension. Nega Ace came to Ace's world to spread his evil, but Ace won't let it happen. Unfortunately this issue ends on a cliffhanger where Ace and Nega Ace's fate is yet to be determined."
He continued, "But you know this is a very intense moment. Ace was willing to sacrifice himself to take out an enemy to save his comrades. In fact there's always that big moment where a hero will have to make a giant sacrifice for the greater good. Makes me wonder if I'll ever have to make something like that ever. The idea of it worries me, but I try to live in the moment and not worry about such things until it actually happens," suddenly he heard the doorbell ring, "Oh! That'll be Bobby and Ronnie Anne. They're visiting for the day, and Lori and I have been looking forward to it." he got his clothes on and headed downstairs to see Lori embracing Bobby.
"Bobby Boo-Boo Bear!" Lori cuddled with him.
"Oh, babe. I know it hasn't been that long since we've seen each other, but..."
"It felt like forever." the lovebirds answered together.
Bobby turned to Lincoln, "Hey, Little Loud."
"Hey, Bobby. Where's Ronnie Anne?" he asked, only to be grabbed from behind by a familiar girl.
"Right behind ya, Lame-O!" she laughed.
"Yeah, I missed you to." he chuckled.
"So why don't leave the lovebirds alone and go get a milkshake?" Ronnie Anne suggested, "I'm dying to see how Royal Woods been since I left."
"Sounds like a plan to me. We'll catch you later." Lincoln told Lori and his parents, before the two kids headed out.
Out in Royal Woods, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne were enjoying a milkshake at the arcade, while catching up, "Man, I still can't believe so many fights happened in this town and yet it still looks in one piece to some extent." the girl said, while looking out the shop window.
"Well, I try to keep it as clean as possible, but some bad guys have no respect for property." Lincoln joked, and they laughed.
"Seriously though while I'm glad to be living with my extended family I still miss this place." Ronnie Anne admitted.
"And I miss you not being here." Lincoln confessed.
The two smiled, as they were starting to get closer until who should show up but Clyde, "Lincoln, hey buddy!" Lincoln groaned at his friend's impeccable timing, "Ronnie Anne, good to see you back in Royal Woods."
"Hey, Clyde." the two sighed.
"So, Lincoln, we didn't have a chance to talk since you got back from checking out Lori's choice in college. Is it really true Ghostfreak went rogue?"
"Clyde, as much as I would love to share the story with you, I'm kinda in the middle of something." Lincoln explained irritably.
"What?" Clyde asked obliviously, until he realized both Lincoln and Ronnie Anne giving him the hint, "Oh... My bad. I'll just be going." he was about to leave until the entrance of the arcade was blasted, and everyone was sent into a panic. As the other people started fleeing for their lives out the back exits, Lincoln, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde were all that's left.
Hovering into the arcade were Vilgax's robots, much to Lincoln's shock, "These are Vilgax's drones." he gasped.
"These are the robots you've been fighting?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"More or less."
"But who's that?" Clyde motioned to Psyphon entering the shop.
"I have no idea." Lincoln answered, as Psyphon looked at Lincoln.
"Are you, Lincoln Loud?"
"Depends on who wants to know." he answered.
"I am Psyphon, and I have come for the Omnitrix. Should you fail to cooperate I will have no choice but to use force." he warned the boy.
Lincoln sighed, and spoke to his friends, "And once again another intergalactic villain threatens me with pain unless I give them the Omnitrix."
"We'll just leave him to you." Clyde said, as he and Ronnie Anne took cover.
Lincoln looked at Psyphon before activating the watch, "Watch, don't fail me now." he slammed onto the dial and had transformed in Shocksquatch, "Sparks are about to fly now." he generated electricity in his paws.
From behind a counter, Ronnie Anne and Clyde looked at Lincoln, "So that's his latest alien?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Yeah. I'm finally seeing it up close as well." Clyde admitted.
Shocksquatch began attacked the various drones, while dodging their laser shots, and blasted them with electrical blasts, "You know I actually missed fighting you guys. You're so much fun to blow up," he laughed. He was caught up in his joke, one drone knocked him right into the counter, "Oh, so that's how ya wanna play?" he charged his electricity up and began shocking the drones causing them to short out. He looked around seeing they were all offline and inoperable, "That takes care of them, now for..." he looked and saw no sign of Psyphon, "Where's Psyphon?" he suddenly heard to screams, "Clyde! Ronnie Anne!"
Shocksquatch ran out through the hole in the arcade's entrance to see Ronnie Anne and Clyde each being restrained a drone following Psyphon, "Let them go, Psyphon!" Shocksquatch was about to attack only for the Omnitrix to time out and change him back, "Dangit!" he cursed.
"Well, Omnitrix-bearer, this is where we must part." Psyphon said, as the drones released smokescreen around and when it cleared they were gone.
"No!" Lincoln cried, "My two friends gone. I have to get help." he pulled out his cell and called for help.
Meanwhile, Psyphon had brought the two captives inside a warehouse, as the two struggled, "Let me go you alien freak!" Ronnie Anne demanded.
"This is not dignified!" Clyde protested.
Suddenly they stopped as Vilgax approached putting the kids in shock, "What is this, Psyphon?" he asked upon noticing the kids.
"Lord Vilgax, I bring to you friends of Lincoln Loud." Psyphon presented them.
"Vilgax?" Ronnie Anne gasped, having recalled his name from Lincoln's stories.
"So that's really him." Clyde gasped equally shock.
Vilgax stepped closer to the kids and glared at them. Clyde was trembling with fright at Vilgax, and even Ronnie Anne wasn't strong enough to hide her fear. Vilgax finally spoke to his assistant sounding disappointed, "These were not the ones I specifically instructed you to capture."
"I understand how you requested I bring you any of the sisters," Psyphon began reasoning, "But I just saw them with Lincoln Loud and thought that..."
Vilgax spun around to face Psyphon, "Silence!" Psyphon jumped back in fright of his master's booming voice. Vilgax looked back at Clyde and Ronnie Anne sounding pleased, "This is actually just as good. For he will eventually seek them out. Psyphon, prepare a drone to deliver a message to Lincoln Loud."
"Yes, my lord."
"What're you gonna do to us!" Ronnie Anne demanded.
Vilgax answered, "You two will be the bait to lure Lincoln Loud to his own undoing."
"Well, Lincoln's gonna stop you Vilgax!" Clyde warned him.
Vilgax turned to Clyde growling resulting in Clyde shutting up. Vilgax answered him, "I will love to watch him try." he laughed.
Back at the arcade, Lincoln was pacing around in worry, until Vanzilla drove up. Exiting the vehicle was his sisters and Bobby all looking concerned, "Linky, what happened?" Leni asked worried.
"Where's Ronnie Anne?" Bobby looked around seeing no sign of his sister.
"We were attacked by this alien named Psyphon. He got Ronnie Anne and Clyde." Lincoln explained sounding just as worried.
"What?!" Lori and Bobby gasped.
"It's my fault!" Lincoln beat himself, "I should've saved them but I let them get away."
"Lincoln, now's not the time to put on a pity party." Lori told him.
"Yeah. We have to find this Psyphon and get Ronnie Anne and Clyde back in one piece." Lynn said.
"Better than getting them back in a million pieces! Hahaha!" Luan joked, and everyone groaned, while Bobby got scared more at the idea.
"Not cool, dude." Luna warned her.
"I don't even know where to begin looking." Lincoln explained, until a drone flew in and launched something down at the group before taking off.
"What was that?" Lana asked.
"Look at this," Lucy picked up a message, and read it, "Lincoln Loud, if you ever want to see your friends again, come down to the sewer and follow the drone. Signed Psyphon."
The group gasped, until Lisa spoke to her brother, "You do realize this Psyphon is bating you into a trap?"
"I know, but what choice is there? My two friends are being held captive because of me. I have to do something." he was about to head out only for the group to stop him.
"You mean 'we' have to do something." Lola corrected him.
"You're not benching us out on this, Lincoln." Lynn said.
"Why else would you call us here?" Lisa asked rhetorically.
"Besides, no one kidnaps my little sister and gets away with it." Bobby said seriously.
Lincoln looked at the group knowing there was no arguing with them, "All right. You guys can join me, but you have to stay close."
"We're siblings. If we get any closer it'll just be awkward. Hahaha." Luan joked, making the sisters and Lincoln gag.
"Well, we're going to need some firepower if we're taking on Psyphon and the robots." Lisa pulled out from Vanzilla's trunk several Plumbers blasters from big to small.
The Loud girls each took a blaster, with the older sibs and Bobby picking up bigger ones, while Lisa, Lana, Lucy, and Lola picked smaller ones. Luna noticed Lincoln not taking one, "Don't ya want one, bro?"
"Don't worry, Luna. I got all the fire power I have right here," he patted the Omnitrix, until he looked over and saw some plumber grenades, "But just in case, I'll take these." he took the grenades and stuffed them in his pockets.
"Come on, everyone. Let's go." Lori said, as they headed out.
They opened a nearby sewer cover and started climbing down. Lola looked down and gagged, "On second thought, I pass!" she was about to leave only for Lana to push her down and she landed on her butt, "Lana!" she cursed.
"We're all in this together, Lola!" Lana called, as she climbed down into the sewer.
"So where do we begin looking?" Luan asked.
"I'll give you one guess." Luna motioned to a drone that appeared.
Suddenly to their surprise it started retreating, "Hey, it's getting away!" Bobby called.
"No. It's leading us." Lincoln corrected him.
"Let's pursue it before the trail goes cold." Lisa said, as the group ran after the drone through the sewer.
"Just so we're clear, we are literally following it into a trap." Lori reminded them.
"I know, but at least we're prepared for it." Lincoln reminded her.
They followed the drone through a sewer tunnel before happening upon an underground cavern, "Whoa, our city is bigger underground than we thought." Lynn noted.
"Help!" Clyde and Ronnie Anne called out.
The group looked up seeing the two kids chained up and shackled while dangling from the cavern ceiling, "Ronnie-Anne!" Bobby called up to her.
"Bobby!" she cried.
"Lori!" Clyde called.
"Hang on we're going to help you guys!" Lincoln promised.
"Lincoln, it's all a trap!" Ronnie Anne warned him.
"I know, and I'm still not leaving you guys!"
"None of us are." Lori promised.
"Isn't that sweet?" Psyphon asked, as he approached with several more drones, "Your loved ones really are your greatest weakness." he mocked Lincoln.
"Release my friends now, Psyphon!" Lincoln ordered, as the group aimed their blasters at Psyphon.
"They are not his to release." came a familiar voice.
Suddenly Lincoln and the Loud girls froze up, "Oh, no." Lincoln feared.
"What is it?" Bobby asked in confusion.
"That!" Lana motioned to another tunnel where something was coming down it.
Stepping out of the tunnel and into the light was Vilgax, "Vilgax?" Lincoln asked in shock.
"Hello, Lincoln." the warlord greeted.
"Babe, is that really..." Bobby trailed off.
"Yes. The alien warlord who's after Lincoln's watch." Lori confirmed.
"How did you get back here?" Lincoln asked in confusion.
"Yeah. Last checked, Lincoln sent you flying." Lynn recalled.
"Did you fools really think I; Vilgax the conqueror would go down that easily?" Vilgax asked rhetorically.
"Not really," Lincoln confessed, "Will all my years of reading comics and watching TV, a villain always comes back eventually. Guess this is those times."
"Indeed. I see you're already acquainted with my loyal follower Psyphon. It was he who brought me back after I landed on the cold mountains." Vilgax explained.
"Well, it looks like I'm gonna have to put you back there. It's hero time!" Lincoln activated the Omnitrix and became Heatblast. He blasted Vilgax with a combustion of fire making him step back a bit.
"Attack!" Vilgax ordered, as his drones started blasting away along with Psyphon.
"Scatter!" Heatblast called, as the group spread out and began blasting back at the drones destroying some.
Vilgax charged at Heatblast and threw him against a wall leaving an burned body print, "Your attempts to defeat me this time will prove to be a failure, Loud."
"We'll see about that," Heatblast said, as he launched from the ground and up to where his friends were dangling.
"Lincoln, get us down!" Ronnie Anne pleaded.
"Don't worry, I gotcha." Heatblast answered, as he melted the chain they were dangling by while making sure to hold onto it. He swung off the chain piece hanging by the ceiling and grabbed onto a wall slowly sliding down with his friends. Heatblast used his heat to melt the locks for their cuffs freeing them.
"Thanks, buddy." Clyde thanked him.
"Any time."
"Look out!" Ronnie Anne called, as Vilgax once again attacked Heatblast with a powerful punch. Clyde and Ronnie Anne ran for cover as Heatblast fought Vilgax.
"You made a big mistake in kidnapping my friends, Vilgax. Now I'm gonna make you pay." Heatblast launched a barrage of fireballs at Vilgax. The warlord took a few hits, but started charging through them.
"Your pyrotechnics will not be enough to save you from me!" Vilgax called as he grabbed Heatblast in his whole hand.
Before Vilgax could tap the Omnitrix symbol and change Lincoln back, he was blasted form behind by the Loud girls, "Hands off the little brother, squid dude!" Luna ordered.
"You girls will be the first I eliminate once I have the Omnitrix!" Vilgax declared, until Heatblast was building up his fire making him hot enough to burn Vilgax's palm forcing him to let go.
"Leave them all out of this, Vilgax! It's me you want. Not them."
"Very well." Vilgax answered, as he picked up a chunk of the ground and chucked it at Heatblast who blasted it with combustion destroying it.
'I got get him away from everyone,' he thought to himself, before an idea came to mind, "You want me so badly, Vilgax? Well try and catch me!" Heatblast shot off like a rocket down another tunnell.
"Get back here, Loud!" Vilgax pursued him.
"What's Lincoln doing?" Lola asked.
"I'll tell you what," Psyhon answered, as he almost shot them with his lasers, "Fleeing like a miserable little coward. Just like a measly earthling."
"You don't know our brother like we do." Lynn answered.
"He'd never run and hide." Leni added.
"And I think it's time we bring the house down... On you!" Luan blasted the ceiling causing a cave in right on top of Psyphon and the remaining drones. Luan laughed and spoke to the others, "Get it? Bring the house down on you! Oh good one." the group groaned.
"We better hurry, Lincoln and Vilgax are heading right for the Undercity." Lisa told everyone.
"The where?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"The Undercity is an underground metropolis built hundreds of years ago below Royal Woods, but was destroyed over the course of time. Now it's practically a chasm."
"Whoa, Royal Woods is cooler than we thought." Lana said sounding impressed.
"We better hurry and catch up to Lincoln and Vilgax." Clyde said.
Bobby nodded and turned to his sister, "Ronnie Anne, stay close." Ronnie Anne nodded, as the group took off to find their brother/friend.
Meanwhile Heatblast entered a chamber and saw multiple large pillars and platforms surrounded by heavy fog, "Whoa. This must be the Undercity I saw off Lisa's underground map of Royal Woods. This place may just what I need to take Vilgax down... Even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice." He shot off like a rocket to another platform, before the Omnitrix timed out.
"Oh man. I better work fast," he reached into his pockets to pull out the Plumber grenades he took, only for them to spill out. He grabbed all but one that rolled off the edge and plummeted down into the darkness. He tried listening to it fall but heard nothing, "Whoa. That's gotta be a far drop." he feared. He quickly gathered up the grenades before hearing a voice call out.
"Loud!" Vilgax called, as he stood in the entrance to the Undercity, "Show yourself!" he demanded, as he began jumping onto a pillar, "You cannot hide forever! I'll find you no matter where you're hiding!"
Suddenly Vilgax looked and saw Lincoln standing on another pillar out in the open. Lincoln's eyes widened in shock, as Vilgax jumped onto the platform Lincoln was on. His hard landing made the platform shake, and Lincoln spoke, "Easy, you want this whole place to come down?"
"The only one going down here will be you." Vilgax tried to grab Lincoln, but the boy ran around Vilgax to avoid his grasp, "This game of cat and mouse bores me to no end!"
Lincoln looked at the watch that was still red, "Come on, Omnitrix, cut me a break!" he saw it finally turned green, "Score!" he activated the watch and became Fourarms.
"Now let's rumble!" Fourarms fought Vilgax who matched his strength and ended up overpowering him. The warlord pinned the alien hero to the ground of a bridge part of the platform and glared at him, "It's over, Lincoln, Loud. You will die here, and then I will pry the Omnitrix off your cold dead wrist."
"Lincoln!" came a cry of voices.
Fourarms and Vilgax saw the girls, Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde standing by the entrance tot he Undercity, "Ah, how fortuitous. Your loved ones have arrived just in time for you ultimate demise."
Fourarms answered, "It may be my demise, but my family will fight on for me!" he opened up one of his bottom hands to reveal a plumber's grenade, "Think fast!" he threw the one grenade at the others all piled up at the edge of another platform that served as support to the one they were on.
"No!" Vilgax shouted, as the grenades detonated together causing the platform they were on to break off.
"Linky!" Leni cried.
Vilgax tried to jump to the safe platform, only for Fourarms to cling to the warlord, "Vilgax! We die together!" the alien hero declared, as the two plummeted down past the fog vanishing into the dark chasm.
"Lincoln!" Ronnie Anne and Clyde screamed.
"NO!" the Loud Sisters screamed.
"We have to go after him." Lucy told her siblings.
"That chasm is at least a thousand feet deep." Lisa warned her.
"But he's Fourarms. He can survive, can't he?" Lynn asked.
"I have no idea." the smart girl answered in worry.
"Well, we can't just do nothing!" Luna reminded them.
"We need to call Pop-Pop. He may be able to help." Lori was about to call for help, only for it to be blasted out of her hand, "My phone!"
"Guys, we got a problem." Bobby motioned ahead to Psyphon who had escaped the cave with with more drones to back him up.
"Dangit." the Loud girls said simultaneously.
(And there's the chapter. Will Lincoln and Vilgax survive or are they gone for good? And will the others escape Psyphon and get help? Don't miss next time.)