Two Reflections, One Mirror

by That Engineer

Becoming Kings of the Con was no picnic for Lincoln and Clyde, especially after getting cast as pooper scoopers for the villainous Kitty. But what if things turned out different from what we've seen in canon? What about an aftermath? A mirror could be said to be a view into an alternate universe, but even reflections can have differing paths that eventually converge into one.

4. Crime Never Pays Pt 4

A/N: The Full House has caught onto the scheme of the villains, working diligently with police to subdue those who think they'll be able to make an easy cash grab. But the fight isn't over yet. Only one team has been successful with apprehending a criminal, but the others still have their work cut out for them.

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING from the Loud House.

"Chasing villains, is harder..." Clyde paused as he took a deep breath. His lungs burned as he gulped down large amounts of air. "Than it looks..."

"Don't worry Jack. If we can just get close enough-AHH!" Lincoln yelped as the monster truck cut across their path. The boys stopped their run and shielded themselves from the small debris that were kicked up, and almost lost track of their quarry in the process. With his nerves rattled, Lincoln quickly steeled them once more to gather his thoughts. "If we don't get run over first..."

While the boys were greatly alarmed at the fact there was a monster truck destroying everything in site (and Lincoln more so worried about his siblings getting caught in its path), they had to trust their allies would do their part to capture all the villains. And, Lincoln knew better than to underestimate his sisters. They had their moments, but who else did he know that could handle nuclear fusion or tear a car apart in twenty minutes?

He pointed forth at the phony Ace running in a dead sprint a few meters ahead. "Quick!" Lincoln started to run again. "We gotta catch him before he makes his escape!"

Clyde breathed heavily a few more times before forcing himself to even out his breathing cycle. 'Jack' dug into his pocket before producing a small inhaler. He stuck the open end into his mouth before giving himself a puff. "Ahhh..." He sighed. "There's gotta be an easier way to do this..." Clyde muttered, scanning the booths around him. "Hmmm..." His eyelids closed slightly, trying to focus on what objects he could see in the darkness. As his head turned left, he spotted what appeared to be handle bars sticking out from behind a box. His eyes opened up as the gears in his head spun.

Lincoln's heart rattled in his chest as he felt his stamina draining down to the minimum. "How does Ace keep up with these guys on the ground?! ..." He nearly screamed out.

The other Ace jerked to the left, with Lincoln following after a few seconds later. The crook made another turn, and Lincoln was barely able to keep sight of him this time. Realizing he was going to lose him, the Loud sucked in a hefty amount of air before yelling as he broke into a dead sprint. He followed 'Ace' when he hung another left, but the moment he turned the corner, he felt something catch his feet. Lincoln yelped, quickly putting his hands out to catch himself; he barely stopped his face from hitting the floor.

"Smooth moves, brat." 'Ace' sneered before kicking Lincoln in the ribs.

"UGH!" Lincoln dropped to the ground as he brought his hands to his sore chest. He looked up as 'Ace' took off once more, then started pushing himself up. As he got to his feet, he faltered and went down to one knee, still keep one hand to his chest. "That kick felt like ten Lynn's tackling me..." The Loud wheezed.

Lincoln looked behind him once he realized Clyde hadn't said anything, and it was clear to him he accidentally left him somewhere amongst the maze of empty stands. Looking forward, the Loud saw that 'Ace' had disappeared again. Lincoln's hand tightened into a fist. "Dang it..." He struck the ground. "I even stink at catching villains..." The soreness in his chest began to recede, allowing him to stand. "My sisters probably caught theirs by now, while me and Clyde blew it..."

"We're not finished yet Ace!" A voice called out behind him.

Lincoln's eyes opened up before glancing back. Right as he did, 'Jack' rode up to him on a two-seat bicycle. "Hop on!"

Lincoln blinked. "Where'd you get this?"

Clyde handed Lincoln a helmet. "You'd be surprised at what they bring in here."

Lincoln smiled as he strapped the helmet on. "Then we haven't lost yet." He climbed onto the rear seat. "Let's catch ourselves a criminal!"

The two boys pedaled down the lanes, keeping an eye out for the phony Ace. Clyde scanned left to right, groaning in annoyance as much of the objects were blurry to him. "I wish they found a way to give power to the building right now."

"Do you think it was cut?" Lincoln asked.

"Hmm..." Clyde rubbed his chin. "I don't think so. The convention center is linked to the city's power grid, and according to my dad, there's tons of wires that connect to different parts of the building. And the main circuit would have been deep underground..."

Lincoln narrowed his eyes. "It could've been hacked like the security cameras."

"PossiblEEEEEEEE! LOOK OUT!" Clyde turned the handle just as the flat side of a crushed booth dropped out of the air, landing in pieces behind them.

"Woah! That was close!" Lincoln stated in a frightened tone, glancing backwards as High Roller's truck spun around in circles behind them.

"Y-Yeah..." Clyde replied, his face almost drained of color and his legs shaking feverishly.

Lincoln laid a hand on Clyde's shoulder. "You ok Jack?"

Clyde nodded. "J-Just give me a second to..." He paused upon seeing a dark figure lurking in the shadows. Taking his flashlight, Clyde cast the beam onto the object, who shielded its eyes at the sudden brightness.

The boys gasped, seeing it was the phony Ace they had been chasing after. It also became apparent that he didn't have the pet carrier with him.

"Stop right there!" Clyde pointed to the fiend. "Where's the Kitty?!"

"How should I know?!" 'Ace' grumbled, putting his hand down once his eyes adjusted. "Lost the stupid puss a while back."

"A likely story." Lincoln replied. "But I doubt it's the truth." He jumped off the bike. "And you've got a lot of questions to answer for mister! So you can come with us willingly," He smacked one of his hands into his fist. "Or we make you."

'Ace' made what sounded like a muffled laugh before it fully spilled out for the boys to hear. "Oh, that's rich. What makes you think a couple of punks like you can take on a grown man?"

Brief flashes of the fights he had with his siblings ran through the Loud's mind. Of course, none of his sisters were as old as his quarry, but if there was one thing Lincoln learned, it was how to fight through them; somewhat, it was hard to tell how their fights went with fists and feet flying everywhere.

Both hands fell to his sides in the form of fists. "I've had my fair share of fights before." Lincoln stated calmly.

"Yeah, uh..." Clyde put the kickstand out before climbing off the bike. "Me too!" He spoke with a gleam of confidence.

'Ace' shrugged. "Aight." He shook his hands before grinning amusingly at the boys. "This outta be fun."

Clyde leaned closer to Lincoln. "Ace, are you sure we can handle this?" He whispered, betraying the confidence he displayed moments ago. "I mean, not to doubt you or me, but I've never been in a fight before; especially against an adult..."

"Don't worry Clyde." Lincoln whispered back. "It's two against one. We got this."

Clyde still looked unsure, but if Lincoln felt confident, then he felt he should too. "Let's do this!" He shouted.

Both boys took up fighting positions before charging at the crook, giving a battle cry the whole way. What resulted next could be considered something the two didn't wish to share with the girls. The lens of Clyde's glasses broke as they, and his nose, were smashed into his face. Lincoln fared no better as 'Ace' punched Lincoln in the jaw before kicking him in the chest. Lincoln flew a couple feet before landing harshly on his back; the Loud coughed violently as the pain in his ribs was reignited.

Lincoln pushed his upper half as he regained his bearing. He gasped upon seeing Clyde completely unconscious with blood trickling from his nose. A shadow loomed over him, making the hero glare daggers at the villain.

"See, I knew I'd just kick your asses anyway, but you wanted to have a fight." 'Ace' knelt down towards Lincoln. "I gave you one, and you lost. Horribly, might I add." He pointed a finger at Lincoln. "Just look at ya: playing dress up at a stupid convention that don't mean squat. And I used to like this stupid franchise too."

Lincoln raised a brow. "You liked Ace Savvy?..."

'Ace' nodded. "Back when I was probably your age; maybe younger, can't remember right." He scratched the back of his head. "Tried out for some stupid cosplay contest, had the best looking costume and everything." The man's face soured. "Still lost to some joke who had a costume that looked like it was put together overnight; I spent good money on mine, but nope. I lost to some damn shithead who had a fucking towel for a cape."

Lincoln bit his cheek to hold his tongue; his old costume used a blue towel for that purpose. He tugged on his cape, a bit more thankful it was made of a fine polyester instead of ragged cotton. "Sad story and all," He looked back at the villain. "But why would you go through all this, just to steal a cat?" Lincoln questioned, being curious for two reasons.

The first being to understand the villain's motive. The second, and he regretted it deep down, is that he almost had an idea similar to this before Clyde persuaded him from committing to it. "If I went through all this just to win a contest, my sisters and Mom and Dad would kill me..." He mulled internally.

'Ace' scoffed as if it were the dumbest thing he ever heard. "Like I'd skip out on the chance to make an easy ten grand." He began to scowl. "But this shit's been more trouble than that stupid cat is worth..."

"So where is it then?" Lincoln pressed. "You clearly don't have it with you." Lincoln studied the man's person, though it seemed stupid as there was no way he could hide a kennel on him. "I bet you gave it to your friends."

'Ace' laughed. "Please, those assholes? We aren't friends." He stood up. "But I wasn't lying when I said I didn't know where that stupid puffball is. Some kid nabbed it from me when that fatass," He pointed towards the monster truck in the distance. "Almost killed me. And before you ask, it wasn't one of your damn friends."

Lincoln narrowed his eyes. "So, he definitely had the cat; but now someone else does...and it's not any of my sisters, or they would've said something by now..." He shifted around on the floor, planting his hands down so he could stand up. "Even so, I still need to bring you in for what you've done."

"Geez kid, you're either really stupid or just really into this hero thing." 'Ace' replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"That's because," Lincoln started as he got to his feet. "Heroes never quit! Especially against scum like you!"

'Ace' chortled, folding his arms. "So, I guess that means you want another beatdown?"

Lincoln's teeth grinded a little inside his mouth. He knew he wouldn't win a straight up fight against this guy, as his bruised ribs and the smackdown he initially dealt to him and his friend would attest to. But that didn't mean he couldn't win this battle; and he already had an idea on how to achieve that.

"Actually, you're the one whose going to-" Lincoln suddenly pointed off in a random direction. "POLICE!" He yelled.

'Ace' flinched before looking in the direction Lincoln pointed towards, standing up straight as he did so. The moment he took his eyes off Lincoln, the man suddenly felt white hot pain explode in his nether regions. Lincoln, winding his fist back as much as he could, shot it forward and drove right into the most vulnerable part of the man. 'Ace' gave a breathless scream as he instinctively brought his hands to privates, falling to his knees as he lost the will to stand. Seizing the opportunity, Lincoln grabbed the man's cap and pulled it over his head, then pulled on the edges before wrapping the cape tightly around the man's head once before pulling the adult to the floor.

'Ace' brought his hands to his head as he tried to undo the tangle, but Lincoln used the remaining cape in his hands to suddenly jerk the crook's head up before slamming it back down to the floor. 'Ace' gave a muffled groan, trying to swat Lincoln away in spite of the lack of vision. He managed to grab Lincoln's collar, but the Loud was quick and bit the man's fingers. 'Ace' yelled in pain before he felt his head being lifted again, then driven harshly onto the floor. Lincoln planted a foot in between 'Ace's' shoulder blades to pin him down and repeated the process a few more times, each slam being inflicted with more force than the last.

After a moment, Lincoln panted as his stamina was drained; but he kept a firm grip on the cape in case the criminal started to move. All he got was a twitch from the man's fingers.

"Hope...he doesn't get back up..." The Loud muttered, gingerly letting go of the adult's cape. Lincoln felt a vibration resonate through him, and he whipped out his phone in an instant. The dark screen that greeted him was a reminder that his phone was still dead. Ace raised a brow, about to question what it was he felt when the vibration resonated again; and Lincoln didn't feel it coming from his hand. "Oh, it's his phone."

Lincoln bent down and patted the man's pockets, eventually feeling a rectangular lump in the right side pocket. He took the phone out and saw there was a text highlighted on the screen. "I have my prize, so you chumps are all fired?" Lincoln read aloud. He opened the messaging app, finding a series of texts for a whole group of people with instructions that seemed to be related to the grounds of the convention, especially when he saw the words power, trailer, comics, and costumes.

"So they planned all of this by phone, and..." Lincoln squinted a little as he read the number that seemed to be giving the orders. "And whoever this guy is, they're the mastermind behind it." He grimaced a bit at the grammar. "Is this guy Lucy's age? Not even Lily writes like this."

A groan made Lincoln flinch. He looked down to see if the villain was moving; he didn't stir. Hearing movement to his right, Lincoln turned and nearly dropped the phone. "Clyde!" He ran over to his best friend.

Clyde stirred on the floor as Lincoln came over. The Loud helped him up to a sitting position. "Clyde! Speak to me!"

"Mmmm..." Clyde groaned, slowly bringing a hand to his nose. "My face hurts..." He opened an eye. "Did we win?"

"Nnnngh..." Lincoln dragged on, reflecting on the new information he acquired. "Not quite..."

Clyde appeared to deflate at the news. "He got away?..."

"No." Lincoln thumbed to the body behind him. "He's down for the count."

Clyde went bug eyed upon seeing the defeated villain. "Woah!" He got to his feet and ran over to 'Ace'. The cape was still wrapped around the man's head as he lie motionless. The nerdy kid bent down and poked 'Ace' in the head. "How'd you-"

"I'll tell you later Clyde." Lincoln interrupted. "But I think I know who really has the kitty." He waved the phone in his hand.

"Really? Who?"

"Well, I don't know who specifically. But these messages passed around show that whoever it is, they're likely a kid."

"A kid huh?" Clyde squinted his eyes as he thought it over. "Wait, how could a kid control all these adults?" He put his hands on his hips. "Something's not adding up here..."

"The villain said he was being paid $10,000 for this heist, so it must be a rich kid." Lincoln put a hand under his chin. "And if he said he doesn't have the cat now..." Lincoln gasped as his eyes opened up. "That means the mastermind is still here!"

"But how are we supposed to find him?"

Lincoln shook his head. "Not 'we' Clyde," He pointed his thumb at himself. "I'm gonna go after them."

"Alone?!" Clyde had his hands on the sides of his head. "But what if the other villains managed to lose your sisters?!"

"I trust that they'll take care of them." Lincoln replied with a determined glare. "Also, your glasses are broken and your nose is bleeding." He rubbed his arm. "And I don't wanna put you in more harm."

Clyde removed his cracked eyewear, inspecting the lens and the main body. His vision was broken into different frames with them on, and trying to navigate (much less fight) would be a bigger chore than it already was. On top of his face still feeling sore. "Good thing I have a spare at home..." He sighed. "But are you sure you can handle it by yourself? Not that I don't have confidence in you, but-"

"Clyde." Lincoln started, patting his friend's shoulder. "I got this. And we're the only ones closer to solving this case; at least I think we are." He wanted to be certain, but with all things considered, Lincoln opted to be cautious. He turned towards the direction of the main entrance before looking back to Clyde. "I'll stop the cat thief, and you get a nearby cop to arrest him." The Loud pointed at 'Ace'. Clyde gave a salute before Lincoln broke into a sprint.

"You can do it Ace. For JUSTICE!" Clyde's shouts followed after the hero.

---

Lori felt like she had just ran a half-marathon, her lungs and heart burned in her chest when she finally managed to find a spot to hide. Strands of hair were out of place as small pieces of debris had been caught in her golden locks. "Catching...a fat creep...is easier when...he's not in some...stupid truck!..." The teen wheezed. She took her eye protection off after noticing the dust that had accumulated on the lens. "There's gotta be a way to him out of that thing..." She muttered, using two fingers to clean her goggles. Her face soured as a horrid thought came to mind. "And I need to do it fast before he hurts my siblings..."

"Lori?!" A feminine voice called to her.

The oldest sibling looked up, her fears abating as she saw 'Eleven of Hearts' coming around a corner. Compared to her, Leni still looked pristine; as if she had never been in combat. "Leni!" She met her roommate and hugged her. "I thought you were still out there somewhere!"

Leni returned the hug with an equal amount of strength. "I was." She let her go. "But it's so dark in here that I got lost. But then I saw that big, mean truck driving around and..." She started to tear up. "I went to hide!"

"Leni," Lori started, knowing how it wouldn't take much for Leni to turn into a fountain. "I'm not mad about that. In fact, it was the smart thing to do." She sighed. "But we gotta figure out how to get him out of that truck..." She set her goggles back on her face. "I don't wanna find out later that one of our siblings got caught in his little rampage..."

Leni let out a gasp as she brought her hands to her face. "Our sisters and brother could be hurt?!"

"Y-Yes, maybe..." Lori reluctantly spoke. "I don't know how everyone is doing right now, but that's why we need to stop him fast." She folded her arms, looking up at the ceiling. "But how are we gonna reach him?..."

Leni wiped her eyes of fresh tears, watching as Lori struggled with thinking up a plan. Leni knew she wasn't the best person to talk to about planning things out; unless the subject was related to fashion or parties. And it wasn't sitting well with her letting Lori act alone in trying to stop a dangerous supervillain.

"Ooooooh, there's gotta be something I can do to help Lori..." Leni looked down at her pink sash. It was beautiful in design and suited her costume perfectly; which was no surprise given that she was the person Lincoln came to for making them. "Wait..." Leni squinted her eyes. "What was my power again?"

Leni's mind flashed back to a couple days before the convention where Lincoln was discussing everyone's powers.

"So, your name is Eleven of Hearts; and aside from being the most kindhearted member of the team, your sash allows you to swing into action and it can be used to tie up villains." Lincoln explained.

"Hate to interrupt Lincoln," Lisa started, thumbing through a deck of cards. "But there's no 11 on a standard card deck."

"True." Lincoln smirked. "But an Ace is worth 11 if the game is blackjack."

"Ooooh, so like, does that mean I'm worth 11 people?" Leni asked.

"You have the biggest heart soooo," The middle child shrugged. "Yeah."

Leni blinked as she brought herself back to real time, a smile starting to form on her lips. "That's it!"

Lori raised a brow. "What is?"

Leni pointed a finger in the air. "I have an idea!"

Lori bit her cheek, knowing that likely wasn't a good sign. "I might regret this but..." High Card sighed from her nose. "What is it?"

---

'High Roller' had his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly as looked around for his prey. Driving in a giant machine surely attracted a lot of attention as several cops and security personnel tried to get him to stop his rampage, but failed to do so for a few reasons. The first being the amount of debris getting kicked up prevented anyone from getting too close. The second reason being that the constant movement of the vehicle would stop anyone from getting up to the cab and force the door open.

"I wonder why they hadn't decided to shoot out the tires, hmm..." He muttered, rapping his fingers against the leather surface of the wheel. "Either they don't have guns, or the immense pressure per square inch in the tires would cause sufficient blowback to cause injury." He shrugged, taking another look around before shifting gears. "Regardless, I have been sitting around for too long."

'High Roller' threw the gear forward and started going down a path he had previously demolished. He wasn't paying attention to anything in particular, just slowly cruising along whilst keeping an eye out for any more cops. "Idiot hacker shouldn't have shut off the lights..." He grumbled.

Suddenly, a box flew out of the darkness and smacked against the windshield. "NGH!" He slammed on the breaks. "What the devil-"

"Down here fat man!" A feminine voice called out.

'High Roller' leaned over the steering wheel to get a better look. He had a bemused grin as it was the same girl from earlier he had been trying to run down. "Well well well, look who it is. Come to face me once more I presume?"

"I got a nice present for you once you get your out-of-shape butt out of that truck!" 'High Card' shouted.

"Oh yeah?" 'High Roller' rolled down the driver window and leaned out. "Like hell I will. This beast is a one of a kind beauty that only the likes of me know how to pilot!"

"Really?" Lori folded her arms, an uncaring look in her eye. "What's so special about a dumb monster truck?"

'High Roller' pinched the bridge between his eyes. "It's not 'a dumb monster truck'. This automotive machine was custom built to be the equivalent of an armored personnel carrier. It's fully decked out with weapons for most situations in which High Roller will find himself in, making it the ultimate getaway vehicle for heists! And further more-!"

Lori rolled her eyes as the fatty kept yapping. Occasionally, she'd glance to the side at a tall crane-like structure ten feet behind her that happened to be close to where the truck was originally parked.

At the top of this structure, Leni panted as she reached the top beam. Looking down, she made an audible gulp. "Good thing I totes can't see the ground..."

Focusing on the truck, Leni stuck her tongue out as she made a few guesses on how long her sash needed to be so she could swing towards the truck. When she felt she had her answer, she unrolled her sash and tied one end to a pipe in the crane, then tugged on it a few times to make sure it was secure.

"Ok Leni. You got this, just jump down and swing like..." The fashionista raised a brow. "Spider Guy? Jungle Man?" She shook her head. "No no no, focus!" She started bending her knees, going lower as she counted. "Ok. One, two, threeeee!" The 16 year old jumped from her post, swinging directly towards the cab.

"And that's why the rest of you so-called fans are unbearable. You can't even appreciate the fine craftsmanship of these merchandise, and-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Leni gave a battle cry as she beared down on the truck.

'High Roller' gasped before sitting back into the seat and started to roll the window up. Unfortunately, it appears to not have been necessary. Any sane person would've went for the driver door whilst he was sticking his head out; Leni however, decided to go for the biggest target, which turned out to be the windshield. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, except Leni wasn't going as fast as she should have been to break through. So it was no surprise that, when Leni slammed against it, all that happened was a loud thump echoing around the truck.

Leni groaned in pain as her front half was planted against the windshield. Below, Lori slapped her face with her palm. 'High Roller' just looked at her in surprise before he turned the knob for the wipers. Leni grunted as they smacked her sides, but she didn't budge. The fat man groaned before pulling a handle. Leni closed her eyes as wiper fluid soaked her and the windshield before the wipers pushed her off the glass. Due to being soaked, she slipped off the hood as well.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." 'High Roller' stated. A second later, he heard the front passenger door giggling. Unbeknownst to him, Lori took the opportunity to climb up the wheels to reach the cab. Looking over, he saw High Card attempting to pull the door open, growing more and more frustrated as the door wouldn't budge. He couldn't help but laugh. "Do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to leave the doors unlocked?" He folded his arms. "I'm not as shallow like those other fools who do so and don't expect their cars to be stolen."

Lori tried to pry the door open once more, only to pause when she gazed along the truck's interior. On the dash panel sat an Ace Savvy action figure that looked a lot like the one she bought for Lily earlier. "Wait a second..." She squinted her eyes. Upon closer inspection, she could see faint teeth marks that looked to have come from an infant human. "That's my sister's toy, you thief!" Lori stated venomously with razor sharp teeth before prying on the door with renewed strength.

"And what if it was?" 'High Roller' spoke with indifference. "I saved it from being ruined by a filthy child, who no doubt would have gummed it up and destroyed its prestigious value." He patted the toy softly on its head. "I have a special for this rarity at home."

Unbeknownst to the two, Eleven of Hearts wasn't completely out of the fight. Although a little bruised from her clutzy impact, she managed to muster enough brain power to grab onto the door step before she would've fallen straight to the ground. Leni grunted as she pulled her upper body up enough to get one of her feet on the step. Since the windows weren't an option, she decided to try something else. Spotting the key lock for the door, the fashionista ran a hand through her hair until they brushed across what she was looking for. With a couple yanks, Leni pulled out one of her hair pins.

"When I get in there, I'm literally turning you into a human pretzel!" High Card threatened, banging a fist on the window.

"Hah!" 'High Roller' taunted, putting a hand on the gear shift. "I'd like to see how well your grip is."

CLICK!

'High Roller' turned to his left, seeing the driver door open. Before he could question how this happened, a hand pulled on his suit and started pulling him out the truck; or he would have if it weren't for his seat belt. Leni gritted her teeth, finding another place to grab him that had better leverage. She jumped into the door way whilst continuing to try and yank him out of the seat. 'High Roller' tried to fight her off, but his arm struck the gear shift while his foot hit the gas. The truck then started rolling backwards fast in reverse, forcing Lori to grip the handle for fear of falling over. 'High Roller' tried shoving Leni out by pushing up on her face, which made Leni grab the steering wheel for a brief moment. She jerked it down when she lost her grip, making the truck turn to the left sharply; Lori became momentarily airborne due to the centrifugal force of the turn.

Leni's hand then brushed along the buttons along the driver door, causing the windows to lower partially and all the doors (including the trunk) to unlock. 'High Roller' gripped the wheel to get the truck out of its turn, which caused Lori to slam into the door before slipping off the door step; because her hand was still on the handle, she ended up pulling the door open as she fell. Lori screamed as her feet were dangling over the rapidly rotating tires, especially when a foot brushed one of them. Using the handle as a hoist, she gripped the open window before hoisting herself up and tried to catch the door step with her feet.

"Get off my beautiful ride!" 'High Roller' demanded, trying to pry Leni's fingers off the door frame.

"You're not getting away you meanie!" Leni retorted before punching the obese man in the jaw.

Lori finally caught the edge and gingerly planted her feet flat on the step. She then edged herself around the door before jumping onto the passenger seat and grabbing 'High Roller' by the neck. The fatty gagged as he felt his throat closed up whilst being pulled towards the passenger side. Making matters worse, Leni crouched into the doorway and started kicking him repeatedly in the stomach and chest. In a panic, 'High Roller' gripped the steering wheel and threw the truck into a more severe spin. The force of the turning was so great, that the right side of the truck began to lift off the ground.

As the truck spun out of control, it hit a pile of debris on its left; the bounce from the wheels didn't reciprocate with the cabin too well. Leni nearly lost her balance, managing to grab onto the edges of the door frame before she fell out. However, the rear tires then smashed into two more empty booths, throwing the back end up in the air. The sudden collision made Leni loosen her grip just enough for the rotation of the truck to make her slip off.

The girl screamed as she fell whilst the truck spun away from her, bouncing off the cloth top of a damaged stand before landing on her stomach.

Inside the truck, Lori bashed 'High Roller' into the head rest to disorient him before releasing his neck. She then undid his seatbelt and pushed hims arms down, then buckled him back in. Looking at the top of the dashboard, she grabbed the Ace Savvy action figure. "You literally deserve a lot worse," She gripped the steering wheel. "But this will do."

Giving the wheel a hard turn, the right side of the truck lifted further into the air. Feeling the truck was going to tip over at any moment, Lori turned and peered out the passenger door. She could barely see the floor, but figured she didn't have much to lose. "Hope there's something soft on the bottom of this! GAAAAH!" High Card yelled as she jumped off. She got lucky by landing in a pile of boxes that were half full of merchandise.

'High Roller' came back to his senses when he realized the truck was dangerously close to toppling over. He let go of the gas and tried to reach for the steering wheel, only to feel massive resistance from his arms. Looking down, he was shocked to find they were pinned under the seat belt. The truck tilted even further, and the collector could see the floor coming up quickly to meet him from his side window.

"OOOOH SHI-"

Lori pushed herself out the pile of boxes, just in time to see the truck fall to its side. The left side of the cab bent and twisted along the floor, piece of metal and glass flying off as the truck still spun from the momentum the engine induced on it. As friction slowed the truck, it turned slowly onto its head until the wheels were stuck straight in the air; the engine had died almost immediately upon crashing, but the wheels continued to rotate slowly.

Lori huffed. "Serves him right..." She started dusting her costume off.

"Lori?!" The oldest sibling heard her roommate call out.

"Over here Leni!" Lori shouted.

The fashionista came over and practically crushed Lori in a bear hug. "I'm totes glad you're ok! I thought you might've been in that horrible crash!"

"L-Leni!" Lori squeaked out. "You're...crushing me!..."

Leni released her a second later. "Sorry..." She rubbed her hands nervously as Lori took in deep breaths. Her eyes widened as gasp left her. Putting her hands on her face, "Oh my God! We forgot to grab the kitty cat!"

"Don't worry about it." Lori replied. "If he had that cat, he would've just driven out of here with it instead of trying to run me down." High Card looked at the toy in her hands. "On the plus side, I got Lily's toy back. And that's one villain taken care of."

CLICK!

The sound echoed throughout the building as the main lights came on. Both girls had to shield their eyes after having adjusted to fighting in the dark for so long.

Lori rubbed her eyes. "And they decided to do that now?!"

Leni blinked a few times. Letting out a gasp, "I can see again!" It was then that she noticed all the destruction around them. "Wow, this place totes went to the dump."

High Card looked over to where the truck crashed; police were already swarming it like angry wasps, and she could see that a few had guns drawn. She tapped Leni's shoulder. "Come on. We gotta go find the others."

---

Lincoln sprinted past the empty stands, still not seeing anything resembling a kid. "They could've went through one of the sides doors." He muttered to himself. "But the police might be watching the exits so the villains don't sneak out. So, they could've sneaked in through the crowd, then try to use that same method to get out." Ace spotted the back of the fading crowd, which was now quite thin as many of the attendees had been herded out. Lincoln hummed to himself. "And the crowd would be the perfect cover to sneak a kennel out."

Lincoln flinched as he heard the horrible sound of metal buckling and bending before he turned around. The lights from the High Roller's truck broke as it turned onto its back. A pang of worry shot through Lincoln's core as he recalled sending Lori and Leni to deal with that villain.

"M-Maybe they weren't caught in that crash." Lincoln told himself. "Maybe it was just High Roller making a mistake and rolling over his truck..." He tried to assure himself, but if anyone was listening, it didn't sound convincing. The Loud let out a gasp and shielded his eyes as the lights came on. "At least they fixed the lights..." He grumbled, blinking a few times. He stared at the wreck for a few more seconds before turning towards the exit.

"I just have to trust everyone is ok...my sisters are tough, tougher than me...t-they can handle themselves against these guys." Lincoln reiterated to himself as he caught up to the back of the crowd. "And they've done a lot for me today..." His hands turned into fists. "And I'm not gonna let them down..."

The Loud caught up with the back of the crowd, doing his best to blend in. In spite of being on the side of the law, he had a feeling in his gut they'd question anyone who looked suspicious, kid or otherwise. That stunt with the monster truck already put everyone on edge; it was very evident when he got to the main entrance as numerous police officers had lined the front, and the lack of people near the windows told Lincoln everyone was being urged to keep distance from the building.

Once he got outside, Lincoln shielded his eyes from the sun as they adjusted from artificial to natural light. He fidgeted a little as a wave of heat wrapped around his body. Tugging on the neck of the suit, "Yeesh, forgot how hot it was today..." He took out the phone, getting back into the message app and scrolled through the texts again. "So, this kid is clearly rolling in money if they waned to pay that phony Ace and his gang ten grand." He hummed in thought. "It could be fake, but with how the lights had been messed with, I'm gonna have to follow this lead."

Lincoln began scouring the parking lot, looking for anyone that may have been carrying something heavy or a kennel. Unfortunately, he found it might be too time consuming as, while some of the crowd had departed after being evacuated from the building, many still loitered around the parking lot. "Dang it...if the perp is already outside, they can slip away from here at any second!" He scratched his head. "There's gotta be an easier way to track them." He looked around, noting how hard it was to look past all the cars and people. "And I need a better view..."

The Loud considered climbing on top of random cars to see better, but immediately thought against this as not only would it land him in trouble, he might get his view obscured by a taller car. And for this purpose, he needed to be high enough to look over the whole lot. And fortunately, his own family had such a car.

Ace ran around the lot until he spotted Vanzilla. "Good thing Lori didn't park too far away from the front door." He muttered to himself, weaving past a few people until he reached the van. As he climbed up, "If were rich, what would be the one thing I'd ride in most?..."

He reflected back on the time he won a chance to ride a limo after eating his own weight in mustard. A pretty enjoyable experience, though he wished he hadn't ran into an old man who cared more about money and status above all else. What was his name...Tetherby? Lincoln shrugged to himself as he stepped onto the roof. "Although...me and Clyde did see two boys who looked like us get into a limo last Halloween. And if I were rich, I'd probably want to ride one to school every day." He tapped his chin. "I wonder if all rich kids ride in limos."

Lincoln stood tall as he scanned the parking lot. The convention center was situated in the middle of a large lot that could hold about 150 cars, but being ten to eleven feet tall, Vanzilla had just the right height to give Lincoln the view he needed. As he scanned the lot, Ace grew nervous as the only thing he saw were sedans, crossovers, SUVs, and some family vans sprinkled here and there. Numerous police cars dotted the front entrance, which Lincoln assumed was the backup called in to help with the villains.

"Come on, there's gotta be an obvious hint somewhere...ANYWHERE..." He muttered. There was a chance something might've been on the other side of the building, but Lincoln knew he couldn't run fast enough to check that area too. Lincoln bit his lip as his gaze switched to and fro, but he wasn't picking up anything out of the ordinary. "Mmmm..." Lincoln groaned in despair. "All of this can't be for-" He paused as some reflected sunlight hit his eye. He shut his right eye and looked to where the source came from; and when he did, his eyes nearly popped out their sockets.

Near the edge of the parking lot on the left side, in the cool shade of a tree, sat a black car with what appeared to be three windows visible on one side. It looked too long to be a sedan, and wasn't tall enough to quantify as a crossover. As Lincoln focused his vision, he could make out three lines that sat in the space between each window. Not only that, there was hardly anyone else in that area; it was almost the perfect set up to leave the lot unnoticed.

A smile crest his lips. "Bingo!"

Near the aforementioned car, about ten or so vehicles down, a boy who appeared to be no older than seven was smiling to himself whilst he carried a small kennel at his side. Its occupant was not very happy as continual hisses could be heard escaping the walls. The boy himself was dressed in a typical black suit with some expensive looking snearkers; his blonde hair stuck out from his forehead in a way that one could tell he used to much conditioner to make it so.

He fidgeted as the kennel shook in his hold, the creature inside making a loud 'meow' that followed a prolonged hiss. "Oh quiet you!" He glared at the door. "Once I get you back to my place, you can enjoy a life of playtime and hanging out with me!" The boy held the cage out as clawed paw slipped through the gaps in the metal bars and swung wildly at him. "Oooo, a feisty one! You're gonna make a great pet."

Whether he was being sarcastic or not was anyone's guess. The well-dressed boy smirked evilly to himself as he saw his limo was in sight. "Took longer than I thought being around those peasants." He shivered as if he touched garbage. "Might have my mistress give me a bath after this. But it was all worth it. Might've been some trouble here or there," He waved his hand dismissively. "But those idiot chumps will take the fall, and even if they tattle on me, no one's going to believe it! Hehehehe!" Putting his hand in his pocket as he passed the last row of cars, "Not that I planned on wasting money on such filth in the first place."

"Huh, I didn't know pets were allowed in the convention." Another, older voice called out.

The rich kid raised a brow before turning towards the direction the sound came from. Leaning against a car with his arms folded, was an older boy with a noticeable chipped tooth wearing an Ace Savvy costume he hadn't seen before. His eyelids narrowed. "Who the heck are you?"

Ace squinted an eye. "Is it just me or does this kid look like a really young Tetherby?" He could almost visualize the similarities between the two, if the kid was older and had a fatter head. It was the typical peanut shape most people had. The 11 year old realigned his thoughts upon realizing he was getting off track. "It doesn't matter who I am." The boy pushed himself off the car and started walking towards the kid. "But what does matter is I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you." He eyed the kennel. "That wouldn't happen to be 'The Kitty' would it?"

The rich boy sat the kennel down before shoving it a few feet behind him with his shoe. "Who wants to know?"

"Everyone." Ace stated as he stopped in front of the boy, glaring daggers down at him. "I'm not gonna pretend I don't know what you did. You hired a bunch of villains to catnap a well known actor, and you didn't care that you ruined the convention for everyone today."

The blonde had a bead of sweat roll down his forehead, something Ace noticed. However, the kid decided to feign innocence. "What? I can't take Bruce here," He patted the kennel, "Out for some sunshine? He likes being stuck in the house all day." The kid shrugged. "I just want him to get some air."

Ace's eyes narrowed. "By keeping him in a cage?"

"Hey," The boy stepped forward. "He's my pet. Don't like it? No one cares!"

"Well, I do." Ace's hands turned into fists. "And you're not getting away with this thievery."

The kid rolled his eyes. "Hah hah. What proof do you even have I supposedly 'stole' this cat?" He used air quotes to emphasize his point.

Ace dug into his pocket and pulled out the phone he had taken from the other Ace. He glanced at the screen as he put in one of the numbers from the text messages in the phone app before hitting the call button. Two seconds later, both boys heard the beginning soundtrack of the Blarney show ringing from the rich kid's pocket.

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Ace smirked.

The rich kid pursed his lips before taking his phone out, only to end the call.

"Seems you don't fully understand how smartphones work." Ace taunted before regaining his serious posture. "Now, you can turn yourself in willingly, or-" He didn't get to finish as the kid immediately turned, grabbed the kennel, and bolted towards the limo. Ace deadpanned. "Why did I even ask?..."

The rich kid grabbed the door handle and pulled, but the door refused to budge. "Driver! You idiot! Open the-" He paused upon feeling the kennel taken from his grasp. Whipping around, he saw Ace running away with his prize. "Hey!"

Ace made a beeline towards the building, fully intent on returning Kitty to its handlers. However, right as he crossed the first row of cars, he felt something pull on one of his legs. Ace yelped as he fell earthward, being mindful to hold the kennel up so it didn't get damaged. The hero groaned immediately after he face planted onto the ground.

"Mine!" The young kid yelled as he pried the kennel from Ace's hands.

Ace rolled onto his back, showing his cheeks were a little scratched up from the fall. With quick reflexes, he leaped to his feet and grabbed the kid by the back of his suit. Placing one hand on the kennel, he sent a kick into the younger kid's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The rich kid panted as he held his stomach, but this only lasted for mere seconds as he took off after Ace. Hearing his footsteps, Ace turned around at the same time the rich kid jumped, landing on the hero's head.

Ace grunted as he attempted to pry the kid off with one hand whilst keeping the other on the kennel's handle. "Get off me!" The 11 year old demanded.

The rich kid leaned over and grabbed the cage's front. "Give me back my prize!" He started to try and yank it out of the older boy's grasp. "I worked really hard for this plan to work, and you're RUINING IT!"

"And you ruined everything for all these innocent people!" Ace declared, grabbing the boy's arm. "So we're even!" He bit into the boy's limb, causing him to howl in pain.

With his grip still on the boy's arm, Ace tossed the bratty kid away, who landed in a heap on the ground. The kid nursed his injured arm, moving his hand away to inspect the wound. Ace didn't break through the skin due to the suit's layers, but he did tear through the sleeve.

Seeing this, the kid's face started to turn red with rage. "YOU RUINED MY FAVORITE SUIT!"

Grabbing a small pebble, he threw it at Ace's face, who put his arm up to block it. When he removed his arm, Ace suddenly felt hot pain run through his left eye as a small fist impacted it. The 11 year old screamed in pain, forcing him to drop the kennel; but the rich brat didn't seem to care about this. Instead, he grabbed Ace's cape and wrapped it tightly around his neck twice.

The hero gagged as he felt his windpipe close, moving both hands to the restraint on his neck to try and remove it. Unfortunately, this left his head open as the brat pulled him to the ground and started kicking him in his cheek, only stopping to try and drag the boy away from the kennel.

"This guy's like a boy version of Lola!" Ace thought to himself as his face was beginning to turn red from the lack of air.

As the brat raised his foot once more, intent on smashing Ace's nose...

CLANG!

The kid was thrown backwards as a metal object collided with his face. No longer feeling heavy pressure around his throat, Ace took in large gulps of air as he undid the bind around his neck. A blurry figure in a hooded cloak that was shaped like a spade leaned over him, shovel in hand. Lincoln began to sweat a little, thinking he might've became a ghost. The figure moved a little, blocking the sun from his eyes and allowing them focus better.

"You ok Lincoln?" Lucy asked with great concern replacing her usual monotonous tone.

"Y-Yeah." Lincoln sat up as he rubbed his eyes. "I underestimated him." He looked towards his sister once he could see clearly. "Wait, how'd you know I was out here?"

"You can thank me for that elder brother." Lincoln looked over to Lisa, whom was inspecting the kennel. "We were escorted outside after apprehending our adversary. It was almost an oversight on my end that I realized minutes later you were off the premises."

Lincoln raised a brow as he stood up. "But how did-"

"Tracking chip." Lucy stated.

Lincoln looked at Lucy once more. "Tracking..." He then fully registered what she said before glaring hotly at the prodigy. "Lisa!"

The four year old looked at him with indifference. "Unless that altercation deprived too much oxygen from your cerebral cortex, it did help us save you." Lincoln opened his mouth as if to argue, but knew it was true. As he closed his mouth, Lisa looked through the gaps of the kennel's side. "Hmm. It appears this Felis Catus is in good health." A low growl was heard. "Though it is highly agitated."

Lucy walked over, crouching down to peer inside. Her eyes widened behind her bangs. "A black cat? Wicked."

"It was taken from its home out of blue by people he didn't know, and forced into a cage." Lincoln stated as he walked over. Peeking inside, the little kitten was curled up in a corner, glaring at the Louds. In spite of this, Lincoln gave a warm smile. "Don't worry little guy. We're gonna get your back to your handlers in no time."

The cat gave a low hiss that turned into a growl in response, but it didn't seem as intense as it was before.

While the Louds were occupied, the brat rubbed his face from where Lucy smacked him with her shovel. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his sore nose where a bruise was forming. When he removed his hand, it was smeared with blood. A light gasp escaped him before he glared at the group, who were too busy checking on Kitty's condition to notice. Seeing that he got flung near the limo, he glared at the group once more before stomping over to the car.

"Alright girls." Lincoln grabbed the handle of the kennel and hoisted it up. "Let's head back and-"

"NOW WAIT JUST A MINUTE!" The Louds heard a childish voice yell out.

Lincoln rolled his eyes. "What do you..." As he turned towards the spoiled kid, his voice left him while his blood ran cold.

The rich brat held a small, silver revolver in one hand.

"I've had just about enough of you peasants ruining my plans! Now, I'm gonna count to ten, and when I do, that mongrel cat better be over here by my side! Or I'll shoot!"

Instinctively, Lincoln was already in front of his little sisters, effectively being a shield for them. Making quick glances to his sides, he could see that Lucy looked 'bothered' if one could call it that, gripping the handle of her shovel to the point her already pale knuckles looked noticeably whiter. Lisa on the other hand, glared at the young kid with some strange ray gun in her hands; it was the same weapon she used against 'Countess'. The middle child didn't want to turn this into a shootout if he could help it, and needed a plan.

Quick...

"One!"

Lincoln eyed the kennel briefly, and the gears in his head spun. "If he wants the Kitty so bad..." He glared at the child.

"Two!"

Lincoln sat the cage down in front of him. "Ten!" He shouted as he opened the cage door.

The black, enraged feline shot out like a dart, giving a fierce growl that Lincoln swore sounded similar to a Lion as it bolted towards the brat. The presumed seven year old hesitated as the cat ran towards him with a look of murderous intent on its face.

"Um, n-nice kitty?" He squeaked out, lowering his hands slowly. That would prove to be a mistake as, like all cats, Kitty jumped onto his arms and attacked his face; the gun flew out of his hands and landed in front of the louds. The spoiled kid screamed in terror as the Bombay cat tried to gouge his eyes out. He pulled on the feline out of desperation, but the cat had lodged its claws into his cheeks.

"Be careful what you wish for." Lucy stated, with some amusement reflecting from her tone as she lowered her shovel. "You just might get it."

"Indeed." Lisa nodded before glancing at Lincoln. "How did you know that the feline would not attack us?"

Lincoln gave a coy smile. "I didn't. But I figured it wouldn't attack the person who let it out of its cage."

Lisa warily squinted an eye before focusing back on the poetic justice at hand; at least, until she noticed the weapon in front of them. Stepping forward, Lisa gingerly grabbed the gun by the handle. She was a little surprised at how light it felt as her calculated eyes inspected every detail of the revolver. A part of her became enflamed with irritation as she came to her conclusion. "It's fake..."

Lincoln raised a brow. "How can you tell?"

"For one," Lisa held it out with only two fingers. "It's too light for a weapon of its size. Second," She tapped the barrel with her own ray gun, which didn't produce the odd metallic sound Lincoln and Lucy expected. "The barrel is made of hard plastic. And third," She fiddled with the weapon until the cylinder was off. "It's empty..."

Both Lincoln and Lucy deadpanned after realizing they had been threatened with a toy. "I want to bury him..." Lucy muttered.

The brat finally managed to pull the enraged kitten off his face, showing his disheveled hair and a face that was covered in numerous cuts; some of which were bleeding. He threw the cat away before making a mad dash to the car. He pulled on the handle once more, but it was still locked.

Planting both feet on the door, "OPEN THE FREAKING DOOR!" He screamed whilst pulling on the handle with all his might.

Fortunately, this gave the cat another opportunity to destroy his prey. Kitty jumped on the boy, forcing him to the ground before it tore at the boy's chest, face, arms and legs. The Louds couldn't see what was going on as a dust cloud kicked up, but they saw a flurry of claws flying around as the kid tried his best to get out of it. The entire time, everyone heard screams of agony as the cat refused to relent on its assault, to which Lucy smiled ever so slightly.

Finally, after a moment, the dust settled as the cat walked away from the boy, who lied on the ground sobbing for his mother. Kitty stopped a few feet away from the Louds, who were tense as they didn't know if it would decide to strike at them too. However, in an almost exact opposite of what the rich kid endured, the kitten walked up to Lincoln's legs and brushed them with its body.

"It seems he's taken an interest in you." Lisa pointed out.

Lincoln raised a brow. "He?"

The brainiac nodded. "It's quite easy to tell due to the genitalia at the rear."

Lucy's mouth dropped back into its usual frown. "Gross..."

"This isn't fair!" They heard the kid shout, turning to watch him slam his hands into the street pitifully. "Everything went as it was supposed to! It worked in that stupid comic book! Everything works in the comic book!"

Lisa shook her head. "That poor fool still hasn't reached the age to discern fiction from reality..."

"And it seems he has yet to learn responsibility." Another, more mature voice added. The kids looked to see a rather fat old man wearing a blue suit with a red ascot sticking out of the chest area. In his hand was a fancy looking cane that may have been for show; or as support to walk.

Lincoln's eyes widened. "Tetherby?!"

"Grandpa?!" The kid shouted in surprise.

"Grandpa?" The Louds repeated.

"W-What are you doing here?" The rich kid asked nervously.

"Well, I was going to take a relaxing dip at my country club's massive swimming pool." He glared at his grandson. "But I was interrupted as I received a call about my grandson partaking in a very expensive heist. And for what? To steal a cat?"

Lincoln picked up Kitty, who didn't seem to mind the interaction. "This cat was due to take part in a movie soon, and it wasn't even for sale." The Loud added.

"B-But, who called you?"

"I did, Master Gerald..." A heavyset man wearing a chauffeur outfit spoke as he stepped out of the driver seat of the kid's limo.

The Louds let their mouths hang open upon seeing who it was. "Kirby?!" They said in unison.

Kirby raised a brow. "Do I know you kids?" He scratched the hair beneath his cap. "You sound familiar."

"It's me, Lincoln." The 11 year old pulled the top of his mask off his head, letting his white, sweaty hair show. "And why are you this kid's driver?" He gestured to Gerald.

Kirby shrugged. "Gets the bills paid." He then glared at the little brat on the ground. "But I'll be darned if I get roped into some crime conspiracy nonsense!" Pointing a finger at Gerald, "And you said you just wanted to visit the convention!"

Gerald threw his hands up in the air. "It wasn't a complete lie!"

"Regardless of whether it was or not, there's a reason your Mum never let you have anymore pets." The old man started to get teary-eyed. "Especially after what happened to that sweet pup Dennis..." He took out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes before glaring at the young child. "And just wait until she hears about this. And none of my earnings are going to pay for whatever damages you've racked up."

Gerald went wide-eyed and pale in the face at the mention of his mother. "No...please! Not her!" He gripped his messy hair in fear.

Tetherby grabbed the young boy by the ear before dragging him to another limo parked nearby. "And this time, I'll make certain she teaches a thing or two to you about wasting money!"

When they got close, Tetherby's chauffeur opened the door for them.

"Ow. Ow. Ow!" Gerald repeated before his grandfather lifted him up and shoved him into the seat.

Once Tetherby got in, the driver closed the door before hoping back into the driver seat and sped off. Everyone could see Gerald attempting to break out through the opposite door through the back window, only for Tetherby to smack him on the head with his cane and make him sit down.

"Welp," Kirby took off his hat before scratching at his bald spot. "Guess I ain't getting paid today."

"I apologize that you nearly became an unwitting accomplice to this felony." Lisa stated.

"Aw it's fine." Kirby put his cap back on. "In fact, I was thinking about quittin' anyways."

Lincoln raised a brow. "Are you sure? I thought this was your dream job?"

"Trust me kid. After today, a man knows when to call a quits. And next time, I might end up in jail." He smiled at the kids. "But tell ya what. How's about I give you three a free ride for old times sake?"

The Louds muttered amongst themselves in thought. It was a nice gesture, but they weren't certain if it was necessary. They paused upon hearing Kitty give a mellow 'meow' as he pushed a paw against Lincoln's face. Feeling he wanted to be let down, Lincoln sat him on the ground. The cat wasted no time walking towards the limousine door and pawed at it.

"Merro." Kitten looked back towards the kids.

Lincoln gave a shrug. "If he wants to, I'm game."

"Agreed." Lisa quipped.

"Seconded." Lucy added, strapping her shovel onto her back.

Kirby unlocked the door before he opened it for his guests. Once they were seated, he shut the door and climbed back into the driver seat.

---

"A day of fun and excitement turned into one of terror, as six suspects infiltrated and showed chaos at the Ace Savvy convention held here in Royal Woods." Katherine Mulligan started, her back facing the entrance of the building which had several police officers by the front door. "As you can see behind me," She gestured to four people dressed in various costumes sitting handcuffed on the ground: an Ace Savvy, a Card Countess, a Wild Card Willy, and a High Roller; all of which were bruised or battered in some way. "Four of the suspects have been detained with the other two still unaccounted for." Turning back to the camera, "From what police have told me, around $5000 in stolen merchandise had been seized from a parked van located on the other side of the building; but it doesn't appear to be the main target of what the suspects were after. After retrieving some smartphones and interrogation, it seems this group of criminals were after an animal actor known as 'The Kitty', who is scheduled to debut in the upcoming Ace Savvy movie. This coincides with an earlier report that The Kitty seen being taken from its trailer in the security footage we've received."

The cameraman removed the device from his face for a moment's after noticing the door opening again. "Kathy." He muttered before pointing behind her.

The news reporter turned around, removing the microphone from her mouth. "Oh, ok." Putting the device back up, "It looks like the fifth suspect is being brought out and-" She paused in surprise. "Is that a little girl biting that man's leg?"

Indeed, the police were bringing out 'Card Shark', whose suit was pretty beaten up and torn in various spots. Lana, or Royal Flush, had her jaws clamped on the man's leg as he was being moved to the rest of the crooks.

"Can someone get her off please?!" One of the officers shouted.

"Yeah yeah, I got it..." Luna, who exited after the cops escorted 'Card Shark' out, had her clothes soaked and her makeup washed off due to fighting in the dank tank. She dragged herself over to the six year old and ripped Lana right off the crook's leg, taking the leg of the suit with her.

The young mechanic continued to growl as she shook her head wildly with the now useless cloth in her mouth.

"In a remarkable turn of events," Katherine turned back to the camera. "The police had the help of local residents in capturing the suspects; one of which had brief control of a monster truck parked inside the building. The vehicle's rampage alone destroyed hundreds of products and caused millions of dollars in damage."

Luna tucked Lana under arm and carried her over to where the rest of their sisters were. Lori was doing a head count while trying to figure out where the rest of her siblings were. Clyde was with them as well, now holding some gauze to his nose.

"And you're sure you haven't seen him since?" Lori asked.

Clyde gave a curt nod. "But I wouldn't worry too much. Lincoln said he had it handled." The boy raised a fist as a show of confidence.

Lori deadpanned. "Sure, but since his phone is dead," She pointed at her phone. "I have no way of figuring out if he's ok, or if he needs help." Putting her hands on her hips, "Do you not understand how serious that is?"

Clyde lowered his fist. "Oh." He threaded his fingers together. "Now I see the dilemma."

The oldest sibling noticed Luna and Lana coming over. Glancing around, "Two, three, four, five, six, seven..." She groaned. "Lola and Lily aren't here... and along with Lincoln..." She paused in thought. "And Lisa and Lucy are missing!"

Luna raised a brow, having not fully heard what Lori was saying. "Whose missing?"

"Excuse me, ma'am?" The group turned to see Katherine and a cameraman walk up to them. "Can anyone explain what made you all spur into action and stop these criminals?" She held the mic out for anyone who was willing to speak.

Upon noticing the camera, Leni broke out a huge smile. "Hi Mom!" She waved at the camera.

With an irate growl, Lori shoved the mic earthward. "We have more important things to do than give interviews for your stupid news show!"

"Ok ok! Geez!" The reporter pulled the mic back. "You don't have to be so touchy about it..."

Lynn glanced around with a bored stare. While she was a little bit concerned about her siblings, she had little doubts that anyone would be able to tangle with them; Willy was a total chump, for example. Once the lights kicked on, she and Luan nabbed him easily (this time without screwing up). As she looked around, some bystanders lingered just to see what was going on, but other than that, it seemed the police were wrapping things up. As she glanced to her left, she noticed a car coming around the corner of the building.

Raising a brow, "What's with the limo?" The athlete asked out loud.

Everyone looked at her for a moment before the sound of a running engine reached their ears. Everyone watched in curiosity as the limo pulled to a stop near the group. The limo's driver hopped out and opened the left rear door.

Luan squinted an eye. "I feel like we've seen that guy before."

Lynn tilted her head slightly, studying the man before giving a nod. "Hey, yeah. That's the same driver we had when Lincoln ate all that mustard."

When the door opened, the first thing that hopped out was a black cat. The girls were confused, but Clyde let out a gasp. "That's The Kitty!" He pointed at the feline.

The feline merely licked its paw as more occupants stepped out. Lucy kicked her feet out before exiting, Lincoln slid out next (his mask still off his head), and Lisa gingerly slid off the seat as Kirby closed the door after her.

"Thanks again Kirby." Lincoln stated.

"Any time kid." Kirby replied as he slid back in the car.

As the limo was about to pull off, the front doors opened again. This time, a couple officers hauled out 'Old Maid', who looked as if she'd experienced near death. Her pupils were nearly full white, the woman's real hair stuck out at various angles, and she was twitching every few seconds.

Behind the adults, Lola walked out with Lily in her arms. "And there's more smelly diapers where that came from!" The princess taunted her enemy as they dragged her away. As she looked towards her siblings, Lola noticed the limo that was driving off. Judging by their position, it didn't take much to guess what may have happened. "WHAT?!" She yelled, making Lily fidget as she was sucking on her fingers. "YOU GUYS GOT TO RIDE IN A LIMO?!"

"Yes, and it was a glorious few seconds." Lisa stated in her usual tone.

"Too bad you'll miss it." Lucy added.

"Grrr!" Lola growled.

Lori walked up to the two and pulled something out of her pocket. As she knelt down, "Here's your toy Lily."

Lily's eyes became huge before she took the toy in her hands, hugging it dearly before promptly biting on its head.

'High Roller' sighed as he was forced to watch all of this unfold. "A prized possession lost, and forever ruined..."

Hearing that, Lori glared hotly at the obese man. "I'm going to ruin your face if you ever steal another children's toy..." She pointed at him, making the man shrink as if he were a turtle retreating into its shell.

Lincoln frowned a bit. "So you found Lily's toy?"

Lori turned to her brother, making sure to leave her anger at the door. "It was a coincidence." She said warmly. "Besides," She pointed at Kitty. "You found one of the movie's actors."

"Hold on," One adult dressed in what one assumed to be a zookeeper uniform approached the group. "How do we know this is the real Kitty and not some black cat found on the street?"

Luna glared at the handler. "After all the stunts we went through today, why would you assume that?"

Lisa watched as the handler knelt down, inspecting Kitty's features as the cat seemingly ignored him. "He does have a valid point though. Many black cats share the same features, although I do agree with Luna." She folded her arms. "The events that played out today make that assertion rather offensive..."

As the handler forcefully opened up Kitty's mouth as it was licking his paws, the cat growled and stood up on its hind legs before scratching at the man's face. The handler backed up as the cat walked towards him on two legs for a few seconds before dropping back to his normal walking position.

Lana held her mouth open in shock, allowed the ripped costume fabric to fall from her mouth. "That. Was. So. COOOOL!" She squealed in delight with her hands on her cheeks.

"Now do you believe he's the real deal?" Lincoln asked in an amused tone. "I'm pretty sure you trained him after all."

"Yeah yeah, he's real." The handler stood up. Kitty calmed down enough to let the human pick him up. "Thanks for saving him." He then scratched Kitty behind the ears, eliciting a purr from the animal.

Lincoln puffed his chest out. "Just another day of dealing out justice!"

"YEAH!" The Louds and Clyde raised their fists in victory.

A moment later, a police van pulled up to the front of the building. The back doors were pulled open as the cops pulled the criminals to their feet. "Alright, let's go you punks." One of them said as they pulled 'Willy' up.

Lincoln became wide-eyed as he remembered the phone in his pocket. He walked over to one of the nearby officers. "Excuse me sir." He tapped their arm.

"Hmm?" The officer glanced at him.

Lincoln took the phone out of his pocket. "This belonged to the guy in the other Ace costume over there," He pointed at the phony Ace. "And I met the person who planned this whole thing." He handed the officer the phone, who raised a brow as he went into the messaging app. "It might be hard to believe, but it was a little boy named Gerald I think. I don't know his last name, but he's Tetherby's grandson." Lincoln pointed at the phone. "His number is also in there."

"Hmm." The officer nodded as he read through the messages. "I'll send this to the detective office so they can look at it." He pulled out his radio, then glanced at Lincoln. "Thanks, kid." He then directed his attention to his radio before walking away. "Hey, got another piece of evidence you guys are gonna want to look at."

Lincoln turned and looked towards his group of sisters and best friend. Surprisingly, only a few (mainly his older sisters) were a little banged up, but otherwise ok; younger sisters were virtually unscathed. While he was glad for it, part of him felt guilty for putting them in harm's way by suggesting they go after real criminals. He looked to the side as the last of the crooks were put in the van. They weren't tough by any means, but Lincoln shuddered upon thinking what could've happened if this rogue's gallery had been more driven or competent.

"Maybe it wasn't the best idea..." Lincoln frowned to himself, lightly gripping the sleeve of his costume. "The last thing I want is my own sisters to get hurt over something I dragged them into..."

"Hey," Lincoln jumped a little as he felt a rough arm land across the back of his shoulders. "What's with the long face Link?" Luan asked.

Lincoln tried to brush off his earlier thoughts. "I-It's nothing."

"Lincoln." Luan started with concern in her voice. "That look on your face can be spotted miles away. Only reason I'm saying anything is because no one else noticed yet."

"Well..." The boy began, pausing as to whether he should confide in just one sister or to all of them. "Actually, I think everyone else should hear this too." Looking towards the group, "Hey guys?" The sisters and Clyde stopped conversing and cast their gaze onto Lincoln. "I can't thank you guys enough for helping me and Clyde solve this mystery, and for cheering me up..." The boy shifted his eyes to the ground. "But I couldn't help but feel like I probably shouldn't have brought everyone else into this..."

"Why's that?" Lynn asked.

"...I didn't want you guys to get hurt because of me, and-"

"Lincoln." Lori halted him. "When we said we'd help you no matter what, we meant those words exactly."

"Yeah, we knew going after these guys wouldn't be pretty." Luna added, looking at the broken neck of her guitar. "But have you seen how we handle our own fights?"

Lynn chuckled. "Yeah, those creeps were all chumps." He kissed her knuckles. "Probably could've went after all of them if you let me."

Luan rolled her eyes. "Says the girl who let our perp get away the first time."

Strong Suit made a growl as she folded her arms before looking away. Her cheeks had a faint blush at this admission. "Shut up..."

"Besides, I almost got ran over by a giant monster truck." Lori admitted, to the surprise of her siblings. "Annnd I might have short-term nightmares about for a while." She muttered quietly before finding her voice again. "But for what it's worth, it literally felt like being in a real movie."

Lana nodded. "I got to bite a shark!" She raised the torn costume leg. "Three times!"

Luna slapped her forehead with her hand, but elected to not say anything.

"While I believed that you gave me the short end of the deal by making me go after a moron dressed as some old lady." Lola folded her arms. "I gotta admit, it was pretty fun."

"Uh, what did you do to her?" Leni asked, tapping her chin. "She looked like she saw a ghost."

"Lucky..." Lucy quipped.

"Oh," Lola inspected her nails. "I just locked her in a bathroom with one of Lily's stinky diapers."

"Mmm." Lana folded her arms. "That doesn't sound very heroic."

Lola rolled her eyes. "Oh please. It was a simple interro...inter..." She paused.

"Interrogation." Lisa spoke for her.

"Whatever tactic!" Lola yelled out in response. "Besides, I already knew she didn't have the Kitty before I locked her in."

"Then what took you so long to get here?" Lana challenged, pointing a finger at her.

"HELLOOOOOOO!" Lola pointed to Lily. "Dirty diaper?!"

"Back to the main point!" Lori shouted over them both. "We knew it wasn't the best idea to go after real criminals ourselves." She folded her arms as she smiled at her brother. "But if it meant helping you show off your detective skills, we were all for it." She shifted her feet on the ground a little. "I'm sorry that I hadn't believed you when you first told us what was going on; and if it weren't for you and Clyde, the villains would've won."

"Which is why we hope you can accept our apology." A masculine voice had entered the conversation. The kids turned to see the convention judges they had spoken to earlier. "I'll be the first to admit we had been a bit too harsh on judging you boys. For as long as I've been at these conventions, I have never seen someone so dedicated to the personality of Ace and Jack as you two boys have. Not only did you figure out there was a massive crime heist going on before anyone else, you also found out who was the mastermind behind it!"

"And on top of that," Betsy added. "You girls have proven how dedicated you are to your goals, and all of you have demonstrated to us how effective you are as a team. It's one of the reasons we initially picked you."

"I was under the assumption it was due to how our personas were not part of the stigma and not on our individuality." Lisa stated as she folded her arms. "Anyone can win a show of strength or find the total number of items in a given container."

"Riiiiight." Betsy chuckled nervously.

"Soooo, does this mean we're all getting in the movie?" Lana asked, wringing the handle of her wrench to stave off the odd feeling in her gut.

"Heck, we'd be stupid to NOT cast you guys in the upcoming movie!" Eric stated, causing the kids to cheer.

"Fame and Fortune here I come!" Lola shouted to the heavens, hugging Lily tighter than the baby liked. Lily grunted before tapping Lola on her eyes, making the 'Queen' realize what she was doing. "My bad."

"The only downside is that, due to most of the movie having already been produced and filmed, the roles you kids will play will be very minor." Betsy stated, deflating the hopes of a few. "Sorry, but cameos only spend a few seconds in front of the camera. However, if things go well (barring box office revenue), we'll see if we can convince the director to give you kids a larger role in the next film."

"There's gonna be a sequel?!" Clyde and Lincoln asked simultaneously.

Betsy nodded. "That info is online by the way. And, given how this whole day will be in the news for weeks, you kids might even find yourselves in your own movie."

Lola and Lynn's pupils went from the typical dark circles to dollar signs as they made tooth-filled grins.

"EEEEEE, Oh My God! I gotta tell Bobby this!" Lori cheered, already on her phone.

"I wonder what I'll get to wear?" Leni asked aloud.

As the girls started conversing about what they'd do if they all got to star in their own movie, Clyde walked over to Lincoln. "Well, what do you think buddy? Are we the Kings of the Con or what?"

Lincoln chuckled. "Kings of the Con? We're practically real heroes Clyde." He put an arm around the nerdy boy's shoulder. "They'll probably be talking about this for months!"

Clyde laughed. "Totally. And you wanted to do 'you-know-what' to get into the movie."

"Yeah..." Lincoln smiled. "Thanks for talking me out of it."

"Anytime Link." Clyde put an arm on Lincoln's shoulder. "Any time."

---

A few weeks would pass before the Louds finally received the call they had been waiting for; a paid flight straight to Hollywood (Los Angeles actually) to do their cameo work for the film. In the time that went by, news coverage of the failed heist circulated around Royal Woods and on social media platforms. The brains behind the attempted thievery, Gerald Higginsbottom (the kids got a real laugh out of the surname reveal), was too young to be charged directly. However, his family was sued by the Ace Savvy movie publishers and director for damages and potential mental scarring done to Kitty, as well as a few other lawsuits dished out by other convention goers who had their good time ruined. The six adults involved in the heist were charged based their role, though the fat man who disguised himself as High Roller received the harshest sentence due to the damage he caused to the convention center and the monster truck itself; he'd be in massive debt for a while to pay off all the companies who produced the merchandise destroyed in his rampage.

As for the Louds, a relaxing time off is just what they needed after all the heroics they pulled. It went without saying that Lynn Sr., Rita, and Clyde's dads initially criticized the kids for putting themselves in danger; but this outweighed the how proud they were for their actions in saving the event. Just about all of them were riding on a wave of popularity at school, and did their best not to let it go to their heads; well, Lola couldn't resist, and subsequently made a few students make up rumors about how she terrorized 'Old Maid' instead of what really happened.

"Come on our little heroes, the plane is leaving in three hours!" Lynn Sr.'s shouts echoed throughout the house.

A stampede of heavier than usual footsteps could be felt from the second floor before both parents witnessed an avalanche of kids carrying suitcases; some of which looked unusually big for a short trip.

"Leni," Rita began as she pointed at her second oldest child's filled to the brim luggage. "We're only going to be gone for a week. What did you put in your suitcase?"

"I couldn't decide what to wear to the beach," Leni whined, sulking a little. "So I packed all my swim wear."

"Which was almost half her closet..." Lori sighed as she rolled her eyes.

Rita shook her head, eyeing the clock on the wall. "Well we still have time, so I'll help you pick." She bent down and pulled the suitcase towards her. Upon undoing the zipper however, clothes shot out in every which way like an erupting volcano.

"I have reason to believe that suitcase also exceeded the standard weight requirement for aircraft." Lisa stated as she pulled a sock off her head.

Lola covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. "Lola." Her father called. She looked up at him before noticing he was pointing at her enlarged suitcase. "Whaaaat? I need to look my best for the paparazzi."

"Dude, we're from outta town." Luna pointed out. "No one's gonna know who we are."

"Oh, they will." Lola smirked as she put on a pair of pink, glittery shades. "My name will be forever marked in their memories as the biggest child star in the world."

The other siblings rolled their eyes. "Kids, no time to argue." Lynn Sr. quickly said. "Lola you can only take half of your makeup. The airline might not take your bag otherwise."

Lola went wide-eyed as she lifted her shades. "But Daaaaaad!" She was met with a stern frown. The pageant winner sulked a little with an irate frown on her face before grabbing her suitcase and taking it upstairs.

"It might be a while before we meet Clyde and his dads at the airport," Lincoln spoke as he looked towards the reader. "But if there's one thing I learned from all this? My sisters might have talents that make them special, and occasionally make me feel like I'm living in their shadow..." Lincoln frowned for a second before smiling again. "But when it really gets down to it, our love for each other is what makes us a great team, no matter what challenge we face." He glanced at his siblings. "I thought bringing them to the convention might have been a mistake, but now?" He looked at the readers again. "I'm glad I have them as sisters. And I'm certain they're glad I'm their brother." Lincoln put on a pair of shades. "Cause guess who formally introduced them to comics and is making them movie stars?" He pointed both thumbs at himself.

"Lana!" Rita could be heard behind him, to which Lincoln turned slightly. "You can't bring any of your exotic pets on the plane!"

"But he doesn't bite!" Lana pleaded.

Turning to the reader once more, "If we can catch our flight on time."

A/N: And that brings an end to the first reflection of the two-sided coin this story is meant to be. Yeah, it took way longer than I expected, partially because I realized doing these superhero fights is not very exciting to me. And I also realized that even if I wanted to make this version closer to the show, it's pretty hard to do because I end up injecting some sort of realism into it anyway.

Anyway, this was my first idea of how Kings of the Con could've originally went if it didn't focus on Lincoln and Clyde turning into the quasi-antagonists and instead make use of the 'insert one-off character' habit the show has with many episodes. I suppose it was easier from a writing perspective to just have Lincoln and Clyde give in to their selfish tendencies, but for a 22 minute episode, I don't see how using minor characters as villains wasn't on the table.

Now, the second story in this set will arrive 'soon' (as in maybe next month at best). Unlike this arc, you can expect it to be a bit...moodier. Might even find some common themes that are familiar with my other works, but I'll try to keep it different.