AN:
Guest N.O.1: I'm really glad you're back and enjoying it so far! And yeah, Lincoln was more caught off guard by the outfit than scared. Should have made that more clear.
RCurrent: It means a lot knowing you're willing to wait for a new chapter. Thank you!
And thanks to everyone reviewing as well.
7 Months Ago
"We're going to need some money if we're going to be here for a while," a teenage girl said as she sat on a small bed and played with her smartphone. "We've nearly spent it all for this hotel."
"Lori's right. I'm not going to live out on the streets," another girl in the room said while dribbling a ball with her feet. "Anyone have any ideas?"
Half of the loud sisters sat in the hotel room: Lori, Lynn, Luna, Luan, and Leni.
They all wore clothes not so different from their usual attire—courtesy of other earthlings, including Leni, who replicated their favorite clothes back home.
They were on a small mission to find any information to return home to Earth and get any resources to bring back to their base. But as of right now, they required some money. Only a handful of earthlings arrived other than them. The others were still back at their home base, far from here.
They had around half a thousand vallies on hand and rented some small hotel rooms for a couple of nights. After that, they would be dry. The rooms were inexpensive, and they weren't the best in terms of condition, but it put a roof over their heads for the time being, so it did its job.
"I could make some clothes to sell, but I don't have much materials to work with," Leni said.
Lynn stopped dribbling her soccer ball. "If only Lisa were here, she could probably build some tech and we could sell it off." She went over to the bed and sat at the foot of it.
Luna and Luan looked at each other. As if they were telepathically speaking to each other, they smiled, and the guitarist said, "Luan and I could probably try to earn some with our gigs."
"Luna's crew and Benny can help out too," Luan put in, "We could get something out of it. Better we go out now instead of later."
"That sounds like a plan," Lori said with a smile. "And meanwhile we could try to help out elsewhere."
"I think I saw a fighting tournament on a poster. I could check that out," said Lynn, as she turned to Lori. "Could I get the Bond Gem, Lori?"
"Sure." The elder sister took out a glowing stone on the back of her phone case and tossed it to Lynn.
"Thanks! I'll take Flip too, maybe he can set up shop somewhere." Lynn hopped off the bed and took off.
So with that, Luna and Luan went to some of the neighboring hotel rooms, where other earthlings were staying. Luna told her band the plan of action while Luan spoke with Benny.
Lori slumped on the hotel bed, missing her Bobby, who had to stay back and help the others back at their home base. At least he was having fun with Lisa's training bots, she supposed. But she still wished he was here by her side.
Both groups prepared for half an hour and headed to Fortune City's streets. They went around from area to area until they found somewhere busy enough to their liking. The place they chose was a huge white water fountain put in the center of a roundabout, and it was very populated. It was in sight of many open restaurants with people walking in and out. There was even a stadium not too far off from them. Anyone grabbing something to eat or walking out would potentially notice them. This place was as good as it was going to get.
Luan and Benny did some magic tricks and acted with their ventriloquist dummies. The dummies floated in the air without their owners touching them and even looked a little more alive. People who passed by sometimes dropped some change for them, impressed with their performance.
Luna, Sam, Chunk, and their band provided music not too far from them. Many people enjoyed their songs with Luna and Sam as the lead singers. Their instruments blew energy waves that hit everyone around them, blowing their hair back like a cool breeze. They, too, were rewarded with cash that accumulated over time.
They performed for hours and made a little bit of money. It was better than expected, and now they had a little more to hold out for another week. Soon, it was time to pack up. The crowd of pedestrians wasn't thinning out, but it was still getting dark.
In the middle of putting away her guitar in its case, Luna was approached by a man.
Looking up, she saw Evan Medy standing in front of her with an intrigued look on his face.
"The show is over already?" he asked.
"Sadly," Luna said, zipping up her guitar case.
"It seems to me like the show was just getting started." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and wrote on it with a pen. "How about you and the others call me tonight, and I'll let you put on a real show. And possibly, make some real money to help you out," he said with a blink.
He gave her the card and walked away. Luna stared down at the card, which had an address on it. She hummed, flipping it around. There was indeed a phone number.
Sam and Chunk, who noticed the man and watched as he spoke with her, went up to Luna.
Sam asked, "What did he want?"
"I think we just got an opportunity," Luna said with an incoming smile.
"What do ya mean, love?" Chunk asked her.
"Come on, I'll explain to everyone."
The two made their way to everyone else. Her band and the comedians were talking amongst themselves.
She interrupted them, shouting, "Everyone, I have an announcement!"
The conversations were cut short when they heard her, and they looked at her with curiosity in their expressions.
"We may have a chance for a bigger audience!" She smiled.
She explained to them the man who approached her and what he had told her.
The group of earthlings questioned Luna. Her sister even doubted if they should jump into things so quickly. That man was a total stranger who they knew nothing about.
Luna replied, "We have a chance for something big, so I say we take it. What's the worst that can happen?"
That night, Luna let the others at the hotel know about that man. She let Lori do the work, calling the number on the card using her smartphone.
Her phone dialed for a moment before someone picked up the phone, a woman.
"Melina speaking."
"Hi there." Lori greeted. "I'm calling about the guy who came up to my sister and her band earlier today?"
"Ah, yes! Just give me a second." The woman said, and Lori was put on hold for a moment.
Soon, a man spoke. "Hello, this is Evan Medy. Is this the guitarist from that 'Royal Rockstars' band I saw today?"
"This is her older sister, Lori. But you can treat me as her manager." Lori told, looking at her fingernails. "I was told you have an opportunity for her, Evan?"
"Greetings, Lori. And yes, I do. I must say she and her band were just marvelous today. And I'm going to guess that comedic duo is with them as well?"
"Yes! That's my other sister and her partner."
"Excellent! Now, I would just like to ask at what time they are available?"
"Well, any time is fine with them, really," she said, "Will they be getting paid?"
"Why of course dear. They will get a very good amount of payment."
"And what is it that they will be doing?" She asked.
"I will have them perform on one of my stages as a show," he explained, "and I will worry about all of the promotion and funding of course."
"Sounds good. They will definitely be willing to play on your stage."
"Well, you can all come down to the address on the card tomorrow before midnight."
"Just the rock band, or are the comedians welcome as well?" she asked.
"All entertainment is welcome."
"Well then, you can expect them to be there tomorrow before midnight."
"Fantastic. Tell them to bring all of their instruments, but we have more than enough equipment if there are any problems."
"Alright, got it."
"See you there!"
She could practically hear him waving goodbye as he hung up.
The teenager went over and told Luna, Luan, and the others about this opportunity. They were ecstatic to hear that they were noticed by someone who owned a stage.
"That's amazing!" Sam shouted. "We might actually have an audience!"
"Maybe now I can get Flip to stop scamming people." Lori said, looking at an annoyed Lynn. "Where is he anyway?"
"Hey guys!" Luan started, "If we're all in this together we need a name for our entire group!"
"I think I have one," Chunk said with a smile.
That next day, an hour before midnight, they went to that address with plenty of rest. There sat a giant building, and when they headed inside, they were shocked to find a massive stadium and open stage with thousands of empty seats. Many people were working on setting everything up, including lighting, machines, and cleaning.
"Woah!" they awed. It was bigger than the group had ever imagined.
"Ah, you have all arrived!"
The group looked towards Evan, who shouted to them while he stood below the stage. Beside him was a dark-skinned woman holding a clipboard.
Lori walked up to Evan and shook his hand. "Hi there. I'm Lori, the older sister who spoke with you on the phone yesterday?"
"Yes, I remember clearly. Evan had a friendly smile. "I would love to show you all around, but I am swamped at the moment setting things up. This is my first assistant, Melina," he said, gesturing to the lady beside him wearing a red tuxedo. She waved to them with a hand.
"She will assist you today and help you get set up. If you have any questions, ask her. Now, if you'll excuse me." He walked off, speaking with some of the workers standing around.
"Follow me everyone," Melina said, and the group followed her to the back of the stage.
Lori went to walk beside and speak with Melina about the earnings and payment. While she did so, the band and comedic duo gazed around and admired the amazing giant stage.
In their conversation, Lori found out they would be paid a large sum of the money made at this show. But even so, she knew whether they got paid wouldn't matter. As long as any of them got some sort of reputation, they could use that to further their profits.
It took them some time to get set up, and by the time they finished, it was half-past midnight. Lori, Lynn, Leni, and some other Royal Woods earthlings, including some of their classmates, sat at the front row seats, and Evan opened the seats to the public.
Lori was stunned at how quickly the seats filled up. What were thousands of empty seats behind her were filling to the brim with very excited people by the second. Soon the entire stadium rumbled with the chatter of the audience.
The shaking of the stadium paused when a man appeared on stage with a microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Devin, the announcer, yelled out, silencing them.
"I bring to you two groups of very talented people. Hand-picked by the Big Boss, Evan Medy himself! Give it up for the Royal Waves!"
The crowd cheered as some mist was shot from the stage floor, and silhouettes of Luna's band were seen.
Luna started playing the guitar in a solo before playing it faster, and the rest of the band joined in as the smoke cleared, revealing them to the audience.
Even Lori couldn't contain her excitement for her sister, choosing to shout out and cheer along with her two sisters, Carol Pingrey, other earthlings, and the strangers in the audience.
Energy erupted from the rock music as Luna, Sam, and the other band members played their instruments. Every strung chord, beat of the drum, and vocal all created a wave of energy that the audience could feel wash over them. But it didn't hurt a single bit. Like always, when they played for an audience, it was like a cool breeze on the beach.
The band played an entire song through. And when it ended, Devin walked up on stage once more.
"Now, everybody! For the next part of the Royal Waves, we bring to you, the comedy duo, Luan and Benny!"
Luan and Benny appeared on stage after more mist was shot into the air. Together, they performed magic tricks that made the audience applaud. They even transitioned into stand-up comedy. A lot of the jokes made a large percentage of the crowd laugh.
Then, the two used their powers with their ventriloquist dolls. The dolls grew as big as the two performers, and they even moved around with freedom. It was even more entertaining than regular dolls and, combined with other tricks, put on a fantastic show.
After that, Luna's band was up again, playing another song that rocked the stadium. They continued like this for a few hours, going back and forth between the music and comedy, and overall they all called the night a complete success.
After the show, they were all met with Evan in the now empty dim stadium. Around them, several staff cleaned up the stadium after the audience with Melina's leadership.
"Earthlings? Never heard of you guys," Evan said after Lori explained their situation. "But luckily for you, I can help you guys out plenty! The people loved you today, and I don't think that's changing any time soon."
"We totally rocked it!" Luna yelled out. "So we're good for another show?" she asked while pumping her fists.
"Of course!" Evan said. "And this time, we can use the big stage!"
"T-the big- that wasn't the big stage!?" Benny yelled out.
The Big Boss chuckled. "I have to head out now but I'll call you guys later and we can go over the details. And I'll get you guys one of the best hotels I can!" he said, walking off.
Luan heard something. It sounded like a joyful laugh. "What was that?" She asked, looking around.
"What was what?" Chunk looked around as well, confused and scratching his head.
"That sound…" Luan looked around as if she was searching for an invisible object.
"Wait!" Luna shouted at Evan. "Can I ask for something?"
Luna's request was simple. She wanted to live stream their shows back to their base using Lisa's technology through the network. She knew many of the Royal Woods' earthlings were getting bored of working their way back home, and she wanted to provide some entertainment for them.
Evan happily obliged, and Melina helped Lori set up their own cameras so they could stream.
Two nights later, as he promised, Evan let the two groups use his most magnificent stage, nearly double the size of the first one they used.
They did multiple shows those upcoming weeks, racking up more money than they ever thought they would earn. Evan Medy's help with advertisements and equipment grew their reputation throughout Fortune city. The band and comedic duo were beloved by many fans, and the number of fanatics grew with every show they held.
After a month of fame, however, it all had to end. The earthlings were expected back at their home base, and nobody had told Evan just yet.
Both the band and comedic duo decided they were the ones who would have to spill the beans, and they met with Evan in his office the day right before their last show in Fortune.
His office was more of a private dance floor at the top of his building than a typical boring office with a desk and chair. In the middle of his current dance session, he noticed them walk in, which forced a smile upon his face.
Pausing the music, he shouted, "Ah, my darlings. What brings you?"
"Hey, Ev." Luna waved low. "We have, uh, some bad news."
Evan put on a concerned look and hopped down his dancing platform. Luna explained that they would be leaving the city after the show tomorrow.
"We're heading back home tomorrow," she said, rubbing her arm.
Luan heard a laugh in the air that she was now familiar with. It sounded a bit less happy. She put on a frown but said nothing.
"You're… leaving?" Evan said, baffled. He had an emotion that none of them could read. The next thing they knew, he reached over for something…
"Melina, darling. Leave us." Evan said with no hint of a smile, staring deep into Lincoln's soul.
She turned to the boy as she passed him and said, "Have fun."
The door was closed, and the room was now in total darkness with all the lights off.
Lincoln spoke out in the dark void, "So, uh, I wanted to ask you about-"
"Shh!" Evan shushed him, cutting him off.
Lincoln stood there for a moment, tapping his fingers together in awkwardness, before an intro to a song started to play.
"Lights. Camera! ACTION!"
One second it was completely dark. In the next second, lights started to blink to the beat as a vibrant party song began.
One by one, three steps leading to the stage lit up in bright red, blue, and green.
Evan closed his eyes and started to tap his heel to the beat.
Lincoln looked to the colorful stairs for a moment before walking up them and standing in front of Evan.
The Big Boss opened his eyes and smirked at him. "Let's dance!"
Then, he swiped a leg up and down in a swift movement.
Lincoln had enough time to dodge it but barely, looking shocked. However, the attack continued as Evan danced to the music.
Evan swiped his legs at Lincoln after every fast beat, forcing the young boy to dodge with little time to react. Then, the Big Boss started to swing his arms as well, dancing towards him and trying to land a hit on him.
Lincoln dodged all of them, though they were all close calls. But then he was caught off guard when Evan made a spin dance move with his arms and used his leg to kick him back.
Lincoln felt the pressure in his stomach when the kick hit, and he skidded to a halt on the other side of the stage. Evan didn't waste a moment, not caring if the boy recovered, and made some quick dance moves. He struck a pose at the end with a hand reaching in the air and his head leaning back, summoning some beams of red light which shot out of him.
No, they weren't just light. Lincoln could feel it. That light was potent energy.
He ducked and rolled to the side, dodging the beam of light, but by now, Evan was in front of him once more, swinging his legs again to every fast beat.
Lincoln was forced to block these swings, but they were powerful, actually managing to make him wince and feel pressure. Meanwhile, he had to simultaneously dodge the beams of energy, the two tasks proving to be a little challenging.
Soon, the beat began to change. It was still fast, but the tone was much softer.
Evan stopped dancing and stared at Lincoln. "I'm fabulous aren't I?" He said with a smug and proud look on his face.
Lincoln looked up at him but didn't get to respond.
"Nobody can compare to me!" He shouted, and the beat changed to be harder once again.
He made a few dance moves with his legs, and more light started to shoot at Lincoln.
Lincoln dodged then but moved forward, rolling in front of Evan and evading a couple more kicks from the man.
Evan did a backflip and swiped a leg in the air. Some white and gold stars swarmed toward Lincoln.
Lincoln reached for one of his swords to reflect the attack, but amid this dance fight, he completely forgot he didn't have either of them. He was knocked back by the wave of stars and landed on the ground at the far end of the stage on his back. He felt some pressure on the front of his body where the stars hit him, but there wasn't any Life leaking out.
Evan smirked at him and watched as he stood back up.
Then, Lincoln surprised him as he started dancing to the music too.
Grinning, Evan fired more stars with a couple of swipes from his legs.
Lincoln danced to the left and right, dodging two clusters of stars and striking a dramatic pose afterward.
He was slightly surprised at first, but then with an impressed look, Evan stepped forward and danced with his arms, slashing them towards Lincoln at every song beat.
Once again, Lincoln danced to the music as well. Because he was on beat, he was able to stay in sync with Evan and dodge every single attack without a scratch.
"That's it!" Evan encouraged with a smile.
Now the two danced to the beat together, excellently in sync. Even though Evan was still trying to hit Lincoln, it looked as if the two of them were entirely in tune with one another.
"Fabulous!"
Evan stepped back, and Lincoln continued to dance with a huge smile, enjoying the moment. The Big Boss stretched out his body, and his form glowed bright yellow. He looked like a shiny gold statue to Lincoln, making the entire room bow down to his presence.
Star-shaped spotlights began to emit from him, and they started to beam to every part of the room, spiraling around.
Lincoln danced above a beam that passed him before doing the limbo for another right after. With his knees on the ground, he had to pounce over a third beam, and when he landed with a roll, he struck a pose again.
"Incredible!"
The beat changed once more. It became harder and louder.
Evan danced to the center of the stage one step at a time; on the other side, Lincoln did the same.
When they met in the middle, they circled each other and gave their moves.
"Magnificent!"
Evan swung a leg above Lincoln, who spun around it. He wasn't even attempting to hit him now.
They danced together in the middle, over and below each other, with stupid smiles threatening to glue onto their faces forever.
Facing each other once more, Lincoln danced forward, making Evan dance backward. After four steps, they switched roles, Lincoln dancing back and Evan forward. After a spin, the two faced each other with a wide pose, the music dying down and ending with one final beat.
Evan reached out and grabbed something behind his desk. He pulled out some new shiny instruments, including purple and neon-blue electric guitars and a black bass guitar.
Luna, Sam, and the rest gazed at them in awe.
"I was hoping to save this for our one-month anniversary working together. But I think it would be much better if they were used during your last show here in Fortune. Don't you think so?"
"You're… giving those to us?" Luna asked in shock.
Evan put them down and grabbed two more things. They were two small jester puppets. One was yellow and black. The other was blue and white.
Luan gawked at them. "T-those are…"
"Living Puppets, yes." Evan nodded. "These two are especially spectacular. I found them years ago, but never had a particular use for them. I think they would go with you two just lovely."
He handed the two groups the instruments and puppets and stepped back as the kids inspected them.
"Now be careful with those," he warned. "They are absolutely fantastic, but can be very dangerous. You'll draw much more tune using these. You don't want to hurt your fans, do you?" He said with a wink.
"Gotcha," Luna said with a nod. The earthlings called it "energy," but they were used to other people calling it by a different name.
"And promise me one thing, darlings," he started, causing them to turn his way again.
"Continue to entertain," he said. "Without entertainment, what's there to enjoy in life?"
The four rushed up and tackled the Big Boss in a group hug with tears rolling down their cheeks. Despite that, they still had smiles on.
"We will, Evan," Luna said.
"We promise," Benny sniffed.
"Good… Good…"
The hug lasted a good while, as no one wanted to let go as if they would be ripped apart across the city. Tears also dropped. Though there was no sobbing, the room was silent.
When the hug finally ended, Evan told them, "Now go and rest. You're going to have the best finale Fortune has ever seen!"
Evan sighed out in bliss. "Oh, man! I haven't had a dance battle as good as that in so long!" He looked down at Lincoln. "You have some good moves, Lincoln," he said. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint."
The music stopped, but some colorful lights were still on that lit up the room somewhat.
Lincoln was about to ask how he knew who he was but remembered his reputation because of the tournament. He felt a little dumb for it, but it was also nice that he was so well known. His mind would never forget when he was always standing in everyone's shadow back home, far from being anything special. It made him feel giddy here, knowing that there would always be some stranger who recognized him now in Fortune. But he knew he wasn't about to let that go to his head.
"You were amazing, Mr. Medy!" he complimented.
"Please, just call me Evan," he replied with a chuckle. "So, what brings you here darling?"
"Oh!" Lincoln reached into his pocket and rummaged past the taser baton. He grabbed the poster he snagged from the wall and brought it out, showing it to Evan. "I have some questions about this particular show."
Evan's eyes widened. "Ah!" He took the poster and gazed at it like it was a lost toy. After he had admired it for some time, he put on a small smile and said, "This group of individuals were very formidable indeed."
"You knew them?" Lincoln asked.
"Yes, of course," he replied, still staring at the poster. "I helped them with their performances months ago. They were the most incredible performers I've partnered with. Known across the city as the most popular celebrities. The best of the best."
Lincoln shifted a foot on the floor. "They were that great, huh?"
"The very best." Evan nodded. "Sadly, they aren't around anymore. Moved out of the city and headed back home. They were earthlings; beings from another world, they said. I wonder how many other great entertainers exist there."
Evan then turned to Lincoln, still smiling but with a raised brow. "But surely you didn't come to me just to ask about this?" He motioned to the poster. "You could have asked almost anyone and they would have told you."
"Um…" Lincoln didn't have an excuse but tried to think of one quickly.
The door opened, and some light from outside lit up the dim room. Melina stepped inside with a bag of chips.
"You're finally finished?" she asked Evan in a deadpan.
"Hey, Melina!" Evan waved at her with a beaming smile as if they didn't see each other moments ago.
"Mm." Melina took another chip in her mouth.
Lincoln nearly did a sigh of relief. He almost blew it right there.
"You have an event at five. You don't want to be late," she reminded him.
"Ah, yes. Thank you, darling," Evan said, walking past Lincoln and descending the dance floor.
"It's what I'm here for," Melina said, outstretching a hand to him. Evan plopped the poster into it as he walked past her and exited the room through the open door.
"It was wonderful meeting you, Lincoln!" He waved and yelled as he walked off in the distance, his voice echoing down the hallway.
Melina looked at the paper Evan handed her, and once she realized what it was, her deadpan face turned into one of genuine happiness.
"Oh, The Loud Waves. It's been years now, hasn't it? No, wait it was only some months ago, it feels like forever!" she said.
"You knew them too?" Lincoln asked.
"They were absolutely amazing!" she gushed before turning to Lincoln. "Did you know them as well?" she asked.
Lincoln was about to go right ahead and tell her who they were but caught his tongue in the nick of time.
He stopped himself from frowning and drawing any suspicion. Instead, he put on a sheepish look and said while scratching his head, "No, not really. They just seemed cool… I guess."
"Ah…" Melina took a long look at the poster with a smile. "It's only been half a year and it already feels like forever."
"Do you think I could get the poster back?" Lincoln asked.
"Well, if you want. I could give you one in better condition," she said with a smile.
"Sure," Lincoln said while attempting not to sound excited. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Come then." She walked out of the dance room, and Lincoln followed her through the hallway.
"Are you a fan of them as well?" she asked him as they walked side by side down the hallway.
"Uh, you could say that," he lied. "I've heard some of the songs and they're pretty good."
"Man, the impact they had on the city was unbelievable! The people were so much happier back then. I wish they stayed a bit longer, their stop here was way too short if you ask me."
"Mhm." Lincoln nodded.
"And their older sister. Man! She was something. But hey, I respect her for how much she cares about her people. They were a very interesting bunch."
Melina kept walking, thinking back to that fantastic period. Then she noticed that Lincoln was oddly quiet and stopped, not hearing footsteps beside her anymore. Looking around, she wondered where Lincoln had gone. He was walking next to her just a second ago.
Then, she heard a mischievous cackle, making her frown.
Sighing in annoyance, she said out loud, "Jackal, you'd better return him to the front when you're done with him!"
She then walked off, not wanting to deal with what was about to come.
