Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Loud House' or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.

A collection of Loud House one-shots

Getting ready for the adventure to come, part three (Plot: Lincoln is in the middle of working out both his part in what his siblings were doing to give Lori, who is going off to college soon, as big of a sendoff as possible, and his own feelings about recent events that had taken place in Royal Woods when he is told something that is rather on the surprising side.)

Lori Loud and her friend, Carol Pingrey, were both surprised at themselves for not having thought of the idea earlier. At the moment, the two girls, both in the twelfth grade year of Royal Woods High School, were on Principal Butterbean's behalf going about trying to gather a total of ten people to put on a team that would represent their school when they go on an international trip to take part in an event. Given what the team was being thrown together for, what the team should they succeed do for everyone, it was essential that Lori and Carol succeed in gathering all of the finest persons that they could find.

It would make their last hurrah for their high school as awesome as can be.

So far, the persons going on the trip consisted of Principal Butterbean herself, as she was going to oversee everything, plus Carol who was the captain of the team that was thrown together, being member one out of the ten that was needed. Lori was coming along as a guest to watch the whole event, and Carol's teammates so far consisted of Bobby, Fiona, Luna, Sam, Trixie, Carlota, Amy and Allison. That had the team up at nine members, leaving them one shy of the full allotment that they needed. As the two blonde girls were struggling to come up with who to ask to join the team and round things off, it was then that Lori was stuck by inspiration.

They should ask Aggro.

The male Ace twin, in respect to what the team of ten was being thrown together for, was comparable to Bobby, Allison and Amy, so there was no doubt about his ability to perform. Also helping was the fact that the trip to take part in the event would see them go over to Japan; Aggro, much like Allison, is half-Japanese and half Swedish, but unlike his older twin sister, the male Ace twin is fully aligned with his Japanese heritage. He is fully fluent in the language of the homeland his late father's side of the family comes from, so having Aggro along for the ride will go a long way in allowing the American party to function well enough in the land of the rising sun.

As such, Lori and Carol saw themselves in the kitchen area of the Ace residence one morning, sitting across from Aggro who was nursing a mug of coffee. "…Don't get me wrong, girls," Aggro began, "I'd love it more than anything for a chance to go to Japan. But since all that you girls essentially said to me since you first showed up a few minutes ago could basically be summed up as 'hey Aggro, how would you like to go to Japan', I'm a bit hesitant to agree unless I'm given more details."

Lori and Carol exchanged knowing looks, then turned back to face the male Ace twin. "…Here's the deal, Aggro," Carol began, "Principal Butterbean is trying to throw together a team of ten students from Royal Woods High in order to take part in an event where the team will face off against a similar team from a Japanese high school. Once the team of ten's thrown together, I'm going to let her know who all we got."

Aggro wore a contemplative look on his face as he took a sip from his coffee. Setting his mug back down when he was done, Aggro said, "…What is this team being thrown together for? Since you and Lori are part of it, and you mentioned that you got Allison to agree to join, I can only assume it's for golf."

"I'm not part of the team, Aggro," Lori said, "I'm literally only coming along as a guest to watch the event. Also, it's not a golf competition."

Aggro arched a wry, curious eyebrow as he considered what all he could gleam from the respective air that the two girls sitting before him were giving off. He mulled over in his mind what Lori had just revealed to him; the oldest Loud sibling was only a guest that was coming along, not an actual team member, and the team wasn't being thrown together for a golf event despite both Carol's and Allison's participation.

The male Ace twin, his curiosity piqued by what the girls were giving him so far, along with also being drawn by the alure of a chance of getting to go to Japan, decided to bite. "…So what, may I ask, is this team for?"

"It's for something that will require you to act as Sengoku, rather than as you normally act," Carol replied. At that notion, at the mention of another name that he went by from time to time, Aggro's attention was now fully perked up. Also being fully perked up was Aggro himself, getting more awake due to the answer that Carol had given him just now. Aggro let out a mildly contemplative breath as he weighed all of the options in his mind.

"…If I do agree to join the team, there is something that I would like to ask for," Aggro said at last, "To be specific, there is someone who I would like to have come along to Japan with the rest of the party." Arching a wry eyebrow, the male Ace twin went on, "Given who I have in mind to bring along, I think both of you ladies, or at the very least Lori, would understand why I would like to bring along that specific guest."

Lori, with an understanding look on her face, let out a sympathetic chuckle. "…Yeah, I can see why you'd like to bring Leni along on the trip. I bet she'd love seeing the sights in Japan with you as her date and guide."

Aggro arched a wry eyebrow out of piqued curiosity. "…As much as I would very much love such time alone with Leni-chan, she is not the person that I have in mind." At that notion from the male Ace twin, both Lori and Carol wore looks of curiosity on their respective faces, both of them wondering just who it was that Aggro had in mind for wanting to bring along as a guest for the trip over to Japan.

After he was done checking his part in a little project that he and his younger sisters were going to do for when Lori finally graduated from RWHS, Lincoln fell back over onto his bed, laying face-up diagonally with his arms laying out, the tips of his fingers nearing both the head and the foot ends of his mattress. The sole Loud boy was truly exhausted from all of what he had been doing as of late.

His sister Lori, as had been stated many times before, was soon approaching graduation, and thus wound soon be off to college. Lincoln also heard that Lori was helping her friend Carol, who is also graduating, with something that involved throwing together a team for their school to take part in some event that would see them go out of the country, but Lincoln had no idea what that team was being thrown together for, nor did he know what country that they were going to, but he could make some reasonable guesses in that regard.

Aside from stuff revolving around the oldest of his siblings, Lincoln was also still feeling a bit emotionally drained because he had recently had to see Chandler McCann, a former rival who had since become a close friend of his, have to move away to Rhode Island, so that he as well as his mom Mrs. McCann, who had divorced from Chandler's dad, could escape some stigma that had partly to do with why Chandler's parents got divorced. The white-haired boy still felt that all that his former rival had to deal with was a total load, something Chandler by no means should have been forced to deal with.

Lincoln wished that there was something he could do for Chandler. Aside from that, the sole Loud boy also wanted to do something truly awesome for Lori, given that she would be going away soon in order to go to college. That would be the presence of two persons that would be out of Lincoln's life, and the idea of losing more friendly faces, even though they wouldn't be gone forever, left a bit of a bitter taste in Lincoln's mouth.

As he laid face up on his bed and looked up to the ceiling in his linin closet of a bedroom, Lincoln was brought back to reality by a gentle knocking at his door. Getting up, Lincoln went to open his bedroom door, and to his surprise he saw Lori standing there, a mildly wondering look on her face that made it clear to Lincoln that she wanted to talk to him about something of a rather serious nature. Lincoln, his curiosity piqued just by the expression on his oldest sister's face, wanted to know what's up.

"Can I help you with anything, Lori?" Lincoln asked.

"Lincoln, there's something that I need to discuss with you down in the dining room," Lori began, "We're also going to be joined by mom, dad, Carol and Aggro." The sole Loud boy could understand why his and Lori's parents would want to join the conversation, but Lori's friend and Aggro's mentor in Kendo? Lincoln was a bit apprehensive as to what all was exactly going on, but he figured that there would be no point in beating around the bush, so he agreed to go down to the dining room with Lori.

The oldest Loud sibling and the white-haired boy made their way down to the ground floor, made a turn to head into the dining room, and sat down at the table, where Lynn Sr., Rita, Carol and Aggro were all already waiting. It completely escaped the Loud parents that their son was suspicious and curious, but it did not escape Lori, Carol or especially Aggro. After everyone was seated, Carol turned to face the Loud parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Loud, you already know about the trip that a party representing RWHS is taking, right?" Carol began.

"Oh yes, we already know," Lynn Sr. replied, "And thank goodness that the school's covering all of it. I don't think Rita and I could have afford to send Lori and Luna off with you guys all the way over to Japan otherwise."

"Wait, what?!" Lincoln interrupted suddenly, clearly surprised, "The trip is going to Japan?! I thought that it would have been Canada or maybe Mexico!"

Carol waited for Lincoln, who understandable was surprised, to settle down a bit before she went on. "…Yes, we're going to Japan. The team that Principal Butterbean and I are trying to throw together will be taking part in an event where they'll compete against the team of a Japanese high school. By winning that event, Royal Woods High will secure the necessary budgeting and help that it needs from the Michigan state school board."

"Not only that Lincoln," Lori added in, "But the state school board will also have to consider literally giving the same to other Michigan schools. This includes not just the elementary school that you currently go to, but also the middle school you're going to be going into when you get into the sixth grade."

The white-haired boy was now curious as to what exactly was going on. He knew that a team was being thrown together over at Royal Woods High, but he had no idea what the team was for. He also knew that the team would be going on an international trip to compete against the team of another high school in a foreign country, but he had no idea until just now that Royal Woods High was going take its first step on the international stage by visiting Japan.

Looking around the table at the high schoolers, Lincoln returned his focus to Carol, trying to keep himself calm so he could assess the situation and try to learn more about what all was going on here. "…I assume that since the trip will see you guys go to Japan, you wanted to get Aggro-sensei for the team, given that he speaks the language?"

Carol nodded in confirmation. "Your sister and I tired to get Aggro to agree to join the team, yes, and he actually agreed to do so." Letting out a mildly troubled sigh, the former homecoming queen added, "However, Aggro said that he'd join on the condition that the party representing RWHS would bring along a guest of his choice. Which is the main reason why I am here." Carol turned to face Lynn Sr. and Rita, giving them her full attention as she wore as serious of a look as she could muster. "Mr. and Mrs. Loud, we'd like to bring Lincoln with us to Japan."

Both the Loud parents, as well as especially Lincoln, were caught off guard by what Carol had said. But then again, she was saying that she and the rest of the RWHS party heading off to Japan wanted to bring Lincoln along for the ride. "Is…is there a reason that you want to bring Lincoln with you on the trip to Japan?" Rita asked, sounding a bit hesitant since this would mean her baby boy, who wasn't even a teenager yet, would be on the other side of the world, "I mean, I already know Lori and Luna are going. But why Lincoln?"

In response to the Loud matriarch's mildly nervous questioning, Aggro held up his right index and middle fingers with the fronts facing Rita, showing that he had two points that he was wanting to make. "My first reason for wanting to bring Lincoln-kun along on the trip is that he has sufficient fluency in Japanese, enough to reliably serve as a translator so that not all of that work is forced onto my shoulders. Such an opportunity will also help to fine-tune Lincoln-kun's Japanese language skills, allowing him to better master the language I've taught him."

"…Yes, that does sound like it would be a great learning experience for my son," Lynn Sr. admitted, "But what's the second reason?"

"My second reason is that, given the nature of the event that the rest of the team and I will be taking part in," Aggro began to explain, "It would be an invaluable learning experience for him if he came along to watch everything. Due to…certain events that have happened in Royal Woods as of late, there is more of a need than ever for those living here to be prepared for whatever may come their way, as we by no means can rely on outside help for every last occasion."

The sole Loud boy knew what his master was getting at, what he was talking about; all manner of troubling events, including what Chandler's dad had been up to prior to his arrest, had taken the formerly quiet and unassuming Royal Woods and thrust it headlong into a world that they by no means had been braced for. It could very well have been possible that, had it not been for all manner of outside help prior to Royal Woods starting to shape up so it can stand on its own feet, then at this point there might not have even been a Royal Woods left.

Straightening up a bit, Carol said, "Principal Butterbean sees the need to help people with the talents that can be helpful in this regard get ready. It's one of the main reasons she wanted to throw together the team that RWHS is taking over to Japan, to compete against the team of one of Japan's high schools that's already set up in t his regard specifically. If the RWHS team can win the event against the Japanese high school we're gearing up to face, then it will be the first step to help schools all over Michigan."

The Loud parents leaned back in their respective seats, contemplative looks on their faces. "Yes, I will admit that Michigan, especially when compared to most other states in the country, is more or less nonexistent in that regard," Rita admitted, "It would certainly go a long way in helping the schools here, and maybe in other similarly disadvantaged states if they take after a successful Michigan, if the team that your school it putting together wins over in Japan."

"I also think that Lincoln may not get another chance to so easily visit a foreign country," remarked Lynn Sr. as he regarded Carol and Aggro, "It would be an awesome experience for him to see things from outside of the United States." Looking at Carol and Aggro, the Loud patriarch asked, "At the very least, will expenses for Lincoln, should he end up going, be covered similar to how expenses for Lori and Luna be covered?"

"There's more than enough in the budget to bring Lincoln along," Carol remarked, "And when I brought it up to Principal Butterbean that Lori's little brother is fluent in Japanese, she agreed that bringing him along would be a big help on the field trip." The two Loud parents both turned to face one another and then, after looking each other in the eye for a few silent seconds, turned back to face the high schoolers.

"…We'll have to know the exact times involved, in case we have to call the elementary school to excuse him, but aside from that we'll allow you to bring Lincoln with you to Japan," Rita said after a few seconds of looking at the teens.

Carol let out a sigh of relief while Aggro gave an affirmative hum. Lori, since her little brother was coming along on the trip to Japan, could not help but let out a bit of an excited squeal. As for the white-haired boy himself, he was still in a bit of disbelief at it all. He was going on a trip that would take him out of the United States, the country he was born in and had never stepped foot outside of. Hell, he barely ever left Michigan; even more so, he hardly ever left Royal Woods.

But now he was set to fly over to Japan, which was clear on the other side of the world.

He wondered how his friends would react to the news.

That night, Lincoln accompanied Aggro to a lake in the wooded area located near Royal Woods's neighborhood region. The male Ace twin wanted to have a serious talk with his white-haired protégé, and he did not want any interruptions if it could be helps. "Apologies if me wanting to bring you along on the trip to Japan came out of the blue, Lincoln-kun," Aggro began in a calm tone that had a hint of apologetics to it, "But I meant what I had said. It would be an invaluable learning opportunity for you."

"I'm still surprised that you chose me, of all people," Lincoln replied, "I mean, wouldn't you have preferred to ask to bring Leni along with you, Aggro-sensei? Especially since I got it from Lori that she's coming along as a guest because Bobby asked for it."

The male Ace twin wore a calm, closed-eyed expression as he gave off a mildly amused hum that sounded somewhat like a chuckle. "Yes, it does sound like Bobby to want to treat Lori as much as he can manage. And believe you me, if I were a person similar to Bobby, then I would have sprung for asking to bring Leni-chan along." Aggro gently shook his head, conveying some mild degree of resigned disappointment. "But things, I'm afraid, are not quite as simple as that would allow to happen."

Lincoln was about to ask his mentor just what he was talking about, but he was cut off when Aggro held his right hand up at about his shoulder level, with the palm facing upwards into the starlit sky above. Then, and to the awed wonder of the sole Loud boy, a small pillar of golden fire sprung up from the palm of Aggro's upheld hand, going up for about a foot or so as the male Ace twin held it like that.

"…The world," Aggro went on as his golden flame billowed brilliantly in the nighttime darkness under the stars above, "Our world, Lincoln-kun, is changing. Changing whether we want it or not. Changing faster than is exactly convenient for us. We need to do what we can, take every offer that is extended to us, in order to keep up with the changes." Aggro then closed his upheld hand, snuffing out the golden flame he had going.

Aggro put his left hand on his hip as he gestured to Lincoln with his right hand. "That is what I was thinking about when I had asked to bring you along on over to Japan. The trip will be better served providing you with experience that will serve you well in the changes to come that it would giving me the chance to show off in front of Leni-chan, although that is still something of a dream that I have, I will admit."

Lincoln could not help but let out a chuckle when his mentor admitted to still having a desire to look good in front of Leni, similar to how Bobby usually looks for chances to look good in front of Lori. "But my time to treat your sister well will have to wait," Aggro went on, "As you will need the experience that you can gain from going to Japan, from watching the event that the rest of the RWHS team and I will be taking part in. The experience will serve you well in a way that it can never do for most others in Royal Woods."

The white-haired boy understood what his mentor was getting at, understood the logic he had in choosing to bring him over Leni along on the trip to Japan. The sole Loud boy was still excited at the prospect of getting to go over the Pacific Ocean, going on a trip that would take him clear to the other side of the world from the only world that he had known ever since he was born. It was going to be an experience that Lincoln felt he would never forget.

Seriously.

Even though the final list for the Royal Woods party that was heading to Japan had been finalized, the trip in and of itself did not happen right away. At least five days' worth of prep time was needed to get everything in order. This included bringing along certain luggage that those going on the trip wanted/would be needing to bring along with them to the land of the rising sun. Luckily for them, Principal Butterbean was able to clear everything.

Even the stuff for Lincoln.

After that five day period had passed, two more days were spent packing regular luggage and getting final issues of business taken care of. Most of the persons, such as Lori, Carol and Aggro due to taking things seriously, and Allison who was bringing along very little luggage outside of her special luggage, had completed all of their packing for the trip to Japan in next to no time at all. For others such as Luna and Sam, they really got down to the wire but still made it in time.

Eventually, the day arrived where Principal Butterbean of Royal Woods High School, with eleven of her school's students plus a boy from Royal Woods Elementary School, were at the local international airport, checking in for their flight to Japan. In a twist that did not come as a surprise to Lincoln, Lori and Luna, their family came to see them off on their trip over to Japan. Of note was Leni who, as she hugged Aggro, asked him to keep an eye on Lincoln.

"Rest assured that nothing will happen to your little brother, Leni-chan," the male Ace twin assured his fashionable girlfriend, letting off a bit of a hum that very clearly sounded like a self-amused chuckle, "He will be safe. And I have no doubt that he'll have all manner of stories that he'll want to talk to you about when he and the rest of us returns home after we claim victory over in Japan."

"That sounds like it'll be really fun," Leni admitted, and that was the last thing that she or any of the other Louds that were staying in the States said before the party boarded their plane that would fly them over to their destination, clear on the other side of the world. After the Louds had waved good-bye to Lori, Luna and Lincoln, they were surprised when Rita's father Albert, who brought along his girlfriend Myrtle, came come over, both of them panting a bit.

After catching his breath, Albert asked, "Did…did we make it?"

"Sorry dad, but Lori got on the plane with Luna and Lincoln just before you and Myrtle got here," Rita informed her father in an apologetic tone.

Both seniors snapped their fingers, with Myrtle saying, "Dang it."

END

Author's notes;

Sorry that I kind of shoehorned in the appearances of Albert and Myrtle in like that at the end, but the chapter was going in a completely different direction than what I had anticipated. Still, this chapter plays a pivotal role in events to come, both in future Loud House works and future works for other stories. Anyway, this will be the last chapter for this story for a while.

…I seem to have a habit of doing three chapters for this story at a time, don't I?