Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 55: Interlude #5
Royal Woods, Daytime,
Soon after watching the press conference with the survivors of the St. Anne sinking, the Loud family, save for Lori and Lynn Jr., were out and about. Their first stop was Fanny's Prank Emporium. Needless to say, Luan was feeling a bit nervous. After her last visit to the Emporium, she was certain that it was the last time ever. They soon arrived, "I hope not to be long," Luan said, as she got out.
"Take your time, sweetie," Rita said, as Luan made her way to the store, where Fanny was waiting outside.
"Luan," the store proprietor greeted, her tone sounding very unnerving.
"Fanny," Luan greeted back.
"Are you ready to go over the details of the arrangement?" Fanny asked.
"Yes," Luan replied.
"Very well. Come with me," Fanny said, as she led Luan into the Emporium. She led the fourth Loud Sister through the store until they arrived at the back office, where an important looking man, dressed in a suit, was waiting. His stern, stoic expression unnerved Luan even further, "Luan, this is Anthony Smith, one of the suits from Town Hall, and the one who had slapped me with the lawsuit after the stink bomb prank," Luan winced at the mention of that time. Ever since she learned about how literally deadly the stink bombs were, it was something of a blow to her confidence as a prankster.
"Ms. Loud," Anthony began, causing Luan to sit down in a chair, "As you know, the prank you pulled involving those stink bombs put countless lives at risk, which is why Fanny was given a citation from Town Hall, and why she decided to have you banned from the store for a while."
"Yes, after I learned about how deadly the stink bombs were, I was pretty shaken by that revelation," Luan replied.
"Indeed. The higher ups at Town Hall were more than willing to enforce the ban against you, but then we decided to give you a fair shot at proving that you are responsible with your pranks," Anthony said. Luan became intrigued by this.
"To put it simply, you'll be allowed to shop here again like you used to, but only AFTER you get some psychological therapy, to see where your impulsiveness with dangerous pranks comes from," Fanny added.
"Wait, you mean… see a psychologist?" Luan asked.
"That's right. And until you can get cleared by the doctor, there is going to be a strict limit on what gags and prank supplies you can buy, and how much you can buy," Fanny replied.
"Of course, the limit will still stay in effect, somewhat, even after you get cleared," Anthony added.
"Well, if it means that I can shop here again, then I'll go ahead and do it. Do either of you know any good therapists?" Luan asked. Anthony then pulled out a business card.
"Dr. Lopez, Family Psychologist. Her reputation in helping out families work out their differences is quite remarkable. She might be able to help you get to the root of your problem," Anthony replied.
"I think I've heard about her from my brother's friend," Luan replied.
"Well, then I think you should follow that friend's lead, and try to work out whatever is causing all this dangerous pranking," Fanny replied.
"I think I will. I just hope my parent's insurance can cover it," Luan admitted.
"I remember hearing that Dr. Lopez does take most insurances. Just let your parents know, and try to set up an appointment," Fanny advised.
"I will. Thank you for giving me this chance," Luan replied.
"You're most welcome, Luan," Fanny said, as Luan got up and left the office.
"I heard a rumor floating about the office about her brother," Anthony commented.
"Oh? Going to share some gossip with me?" Fanny asked, sounding intrigued.
"Apparently, a boy sharing that girl's last name, is traveling around some island nation off the coast of Japan," Anthony replied.
"Japan? That's awfully far for a vacation," Fanny replied, sounding very surprised.
"Actually, the rumors also say that the boy is doing some sort of wildlife expedition at the request of some researcher," Anthony clarified.
"Still, Japan is a long way from home. What could've happened to have his family send him there?" Fanny wondered.
"Don't know, but something tells me that there's more going on with that family than we think," Anthony replied.
"Is there going to be some kind of investigation?" Fanny asked.
"Can't say. Welfare checks aren't my department. Although, we have been getting reports of strange creatures roaming around that household," Anthony replied.
"'Strange creatures'? Like what?" Fanny asked.
"Some pretty outlandish things, like human sized bees with spear like arms, a large, red lizard with a flaming tail, and some kind of frog with a flower on it's back," Anthony replied.
"That does sound strange," Fanny replied.
"Indeed. Well, unless something else comes up, we can't do anything to enforce justice," Anthony replied, as he went to take his leave, leaving Fanny to think about the conversation she just had with him.
'Just what is going on at that house?' Fanny wondered.
Out in the parking lot,
The rest of the family was waiting for Luan as she was talking with Fanny, "So, what do you think Fanny's talking to her about?" Lola wondered.
"Probably going to be putting all kinds of restrictions on how many pranks Luan can purchase at a time," Lisa theorized.
"Well, it is about time Luan learned to control herself when it comes to pranks," Rita commented.
"Oh, come now, Rita, her pranks may be a bit over the top, but they aren't THAT harmful, right?" Lynn Sr. asked. Rita looked at her husband like he just kicked a baby.
"Lynn, are you being serious right now? Luan's pranks ARE harmful, if not downright deadly! Remember the stink bomb incident?" Rita asked.
"Yes, but I don't see how that was relevant. So the schools shut down because of the smell, so what?"
"It wasn't because of the smell, Lynn; The stink bombs Luan used apparently have a chemical compound in them that's deadly in high quantities. It's the one and only reason that the schools were shut down for a while," Rita explained. Lynn Sr. winced at hearing this, "And that's not even close to being the end of it! You know all of her April Fools Day Pranks? I was looking over some of the security footage that Lisa had on file, and there was one instance that Luan actually had racoons attack Lincoln. Do you think she stopped to think about whether one of them could've been rabid? And what about the motel? She nearly dropped a huge pile of laundry on Lily, and dumped a bucket of bleach on Lucy!"
"Ok, maybe she does go way beyond overboard," Lynn Sr. commented.
"That statement hardly does it any justice, Lynn! Luan needs to control her pranks before they cause some kind of irreparable damage to someone. It's a wonder how we haven't been sued for her pranks yet," Rita replied, just as they saw Luan coming back.
"And I'm back," Luan said, as she got into Van-Zilla.
"So, how'd it go, sweetie?" Rita asked.
"Pretty good. Fanny's allowing me to shop here again with some major restrictions on what I can buy and how much I can get at a time. She'll only ease up on the restrictions if I can get clearance from a licensed psychiatrist," Luan replied, as she handed Rita the business card.
"'Doctor Lopez'. Isn't this the same therapist that Harold and Howard often see with Clyde?" Rita asked.
"I believe so, but I don't know, honey. Therapy can be pretty expensive," Lynn Sr. replied.
"Fanny told me that Doctor Lopez accepts most insurances," Luan replied.
"Well, once we're done with Lola's meeting with the Pageant Committee, we can swing by and see about setting up an appointment," Rita replied, as she started up the Van, and drove off.
Meanwhile, in the Monster Realm,
Charlie, Vaggie, and Verosika were meeting with the other girls to tell them the news about Lincoln's survival, "Well hot damn. Kid's lucky to survive something like that," Loona commented, (actually) sounding glad that Lincoln hadn't bit the dust.
"I know, right?" Charlie asked.
"I bet those two sisters of his weren't too happy to hear this news?" Octavia asked.
"Not at all. In fact, they were wishing that he was never born," Vaggie replied.
"And to think people think monsters like us are bad!" Miu commented.
"Well, all we have to off on what the kid's like is based on what both sides of his family are saying about him. On one hand, they're saying that he's a selfish brat, but on the other hand, based on what the three of you just told us, he's also a brave individual for being willing to take on Team Rocket," Gwendolyn commented.
"Well, we won't know what kind of a guy he is until WE meet him for ourselves," Verosika replied.
"Speaking of which, did he say if, where, and when he was willing to meet us?" Octavia asked.
"Based on what his family told us, he's taking on another one of those Gyms in someplace called 'Porta Vista', if I remember correctly. They said he'll meet up with us at a place called 'Maiden's Peak', which is apparently going to have some kind of festival, as well as taking on another Gym there," Charlie explained.
"Ooh, a festival!" Milt exclaimed.
"Well, the kid hasn't even met us yet, and is already planning a fun time for us? Talk about planning ahead," Loona chuckled.
"Yeah. Still, I am looking forward to meeting Lincoln," Verosika replied.
"As am I. Though I wish it didn't have to be because of some deal our grandparents made," Charlie grumbled.
"Well, we may be lucky, and Lincoln will want to try dating us first before committing to the engagement," Milt commented.
"Milt, that…" Miu then took a moment to think about what her minotaur friend just said, "Actually doesn't sound like a bad idea. After all, the deal says we just have to marry the guy. It never said it had to be done right away," the Oni Girl said.
"True. Still, I wish we had some choice in this, Still, we might get lucky and our parents can push it off another generation," Octavia commented.
"Somehow I doubt they'll do that," Charlie commented.
Back in Royal Woods,
Lola was feeling very nervous. She hadn't set foot in the Pageant Committee's office since she had been banned from entering pageants, and now that they wanted to speak with her, needless to say, she had swarms of butterflies in her stomach as she stood before the Pageant Council, "Miss Lola Loud. As you know, you were banned from pageants for quite sometime because of the less than acceptable deeds you've committed against your fellow pageant contestants, right?" one of the council members asked.
"Y-yes. I lied, cheated, and blackmailed just so that I could win all of the tiaras that you all had recently taken away from me," Lola nervously replied.
"And you understand we did so to teach you a lesson on how a pageant winner is supposed to act, right?" another council member asked.
"Yes," Lola replied.
"Well, I hope that this served as a lesson, Lola. Because our decision to allow you back into the pageant circuit on probation is with the hopes that you can act properly," the chairman of the council said.
"Yessir. Also, what does 'probation' mean exactly?" Lola asked, being not familiar with the term.
"To put it simply, you'll be under close observation to make sure you don't do anything that the council disapproves of. Because if you do, then you're out of the pageant circuit for life," the chairman explained.
"I won't waste this opportunity, sir," Lola replied.
"There's a good girl, Lola. Now then, you'll be starting all over again from the bottom with no wins to your name. You'll have to work your way back up to where you were before the honest way," the chairman said.
"Yes sir," Lola replied.
"Good. You may return to the pageant circuit at the start of next month. We'll need time to get ready," the chairman declared.
"Yes sir. And thank you," Lola replied, as she was excused to leave.
"Are you sure about this, chairman?" one of the council members asked.
"I believe in giving second chances. Plus, Lola is showing that she's learned her lesson. That being said, there will be no third chances. If she messes this up, then she will be banned indefinitely," the chairman replied, his tone sounding final. The imposing tone he had in his words unnerved the rest of the council members, even if what he was saying had Lola's well-being in mind.
Out in the main foyer,
The Louds were waiting for Lola to get done with her meeting with the council, "Any idea what they could be talking to Lola about?" Luan asked.
"Probably has to do with the less than acceptable deeds she's done to the other pageant contestants," Rita guessed, her arms and legs crossed.
"Was it really that bad?" Lynn Sr. asked.
"'Bad' hardly does it any justice, Lynn! Lola, according to the pageant officials, has done all kinds of deplorable deeds to her fellow contestants, including blackmail, sabotage, and many other kinds of awful things. How can you choose to remain blind to these kinds of things for so long?" Rita snapped, causing her husband and daughters to flinch at her tone.
"Well, after what happened with the St. Anne, Lola's bound to change her tune just like Luan and Lana did," Luna pointed out cautiously.
"I certainly hope so, Luna. I'm trying not to raise you girls into grown adult children," Rita sighed. The Loud Sisters winced at the term their mother had just used, but they knew that in a way, she was right. Just then, Lola was seen descending the nearby staircase, "So, how'd it go, sweetie?"
"Well, the commission is going to start allowing me back into the pageant circuit starting next month under strict supervision," Lola replied.
"Well, that is to be expected from what I was told. But it is good that they're giving you a second chance," Rita commented.
"Thanks Mom," Lola replied.
"But they're not the only ones who are expecting major changes from you. If I hear one word about how you did any of the bad things you did to get banned in the first place again, you will be grounded for two months," Rita warned.
"Duly noted," Lola nervously replied.
"Good. Now that we got this dealt with, lets go and find Dr. Lopez's office and set up an appointment for Luan," Rita said, as they all exited the Pageant Committee's office. Nearby, several of the other pageant girls were watching the whole scene, and needless to say, they were all pretty stunned at what they had just witnessed.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that," one of the girls commented.
"I know right? At least now we'll never have to worry about Lola's blackmail again," another girl replied.
"But we should tread carefully ourselves. After all, who's to say the Pageant Committee won't enforce the same strict rules on us as they're doing with Lola?" a third girl commented.
"We don't need to worry about that," Lindsey Sweetwater replied, as she sat on a nearby sofa, "After all, we already got Lola banned once before when we did it anonymously. As long as none of us try anything she did, we should be golden."
"I hope you're right, Lindsey. I've been working really hard on my lasso routine," the second girl replied.
"And me with my ballet," the third girl added.
"We all deserve to win just as much, if not more than Lola does. It's high time she learned that other people deserve time in the limelight," Lindsey replied.