Kanto Gets Loud
Chapter 87 Intergalactic Conference Part 1
Later that day, at Giro's House,
A Blastoise with two smaller cannons on both of its arms and one large cannon on its back was defeated by Lincoln's Absol, which had a much curvier horn, and had its fur sticking up, giving it the appearance of wings, as well as dropped over one eye, "Alright, nice work, Absol!" Lincoln praised, as Absol reverted to normal, as did Giro's Blastoise.
"Hmm, based on all the battling we did, I'd say that you and all of your Pokemon are well on your way to perfecting Mega Evolution," Giro stated, recalling Blastoise.
"Sweet! And all we have to do is just keep practicing?" Lincoln asked.
"Indeed. As I previously stated, Mega Evolution, much like riding a bike, gets easier the more you do it," Giro replied, looking over at Brock and Misty, "Now, as for you two, seeing as how all of my Pokemon are tired from battling against your friend here and his Pokemon, you'll both battle each other in one-on-one battles with both of your Pokemon."
"Alright, I can do that," Misty said, as she took her place on one side of the battlefield, while Brock took his spot on the other, "Alright, Gyarados, go, my steady!" Misty called, sending out Gyarados.
"In that case, Salamence, go!" Brock called out, sending out his Salamence. Both Pokemon immediately glowed blue upon facing each other.
"Hmm, both Gyarados and Salamence have the Intimidate Ability, reducing the other's Attack Power," Giro observed. Just then, Dexter pinged. Lincoln took a look at it, and saw that he had a call from Nana.
"Nana? Been a while since I last spoke with her," Lincoln commented, as he went around the side of the house to take the call, "Hello? Nana?"
"Hey Lincoln. How've you been?" Nana asked.
"I've been well. How about you?" Lincoln asked back.
"Things have been fairly well here in Sainan too. A bit hectic at our high school, but otherwise alright. Where are you now?" Nana asked.
"I'm in a place called 'Stone Town'. We have just one more city to get through after this before we arrive in Fuchsia City and my sixth Gym Battle," Lincoln replied.
"Wait, I thought you said that Celadon City was where you were heading to for your sixth badge?" Nana asked.
"Yeah, both the official and substitute Gym Leaders were out, so I couldn't challenge that gym. So, you know, when life gives you lemons," Lincoln replied.
"Ok, yeah, that's understandable, if it can't be helped. Anyhow, are you busy tomorrow?" Nana asked.
"Well, I was planning on entering the Pokemon Contest they were going to hold here the day after tomorrow, so I was hoping to get in some practice before hand. Why do you ask?" Lincoln asked.
"Ya see, there's going to be an Intergalactic Royal Conference being held tomorrow, and by order of my father, the man hosting the event in the first place, both you and Rito have been invited/ordered to attend, seeing as how you're both engaged to Royal Families. Speaking of which, I want to ask you something regarding Gyleena, Vaxeena, and Xalanna and how you got engaged to them as well!" Nana replied, not even hiding a suspicious tone with that last statement. Lincoln could only gulp out of nervousness. He knew he was engaged to the three new princesses to help save face with their families, but Nana has shown to be quite temperamental, especially against perverted actions.
"R-Right. Well, I'll be sure to explain things from my side of the story when we get together. So, when are you picking me up, and how long will the conference go for?" Lincoln asked. As much as he knew how important something like this was, he also didn't want to take too much time out from practicing for the contest.
"We'll pick you up about 9:30 tomorrow morning. The conference doesn't start until 10, and goes for about four hours," Nana replied. Lincoln breathed a sigh of relief. Granted, it was a few hours he'd miss out on training with Kingler and Lucario, but it wasn't as bad as he was expecting.
"Sounds good! Do you have my location?" Lincoln asked.
"Already have it locked in. And I believe I've located the Pokemon Center. We'll meet you there, and meet up with the others before heading into a Hyper Jump," Nana replied.
"Alright, sounds good. I'll talk to you later," Lincoln said, as he hung up the call.
"Sounds like you're going to be busy tomorrow. I trust that you'll be taking me and the others along for the ride as well?" Pikachu asked.
"Well, I don't know. After all, we are going to space, which is not exactly well known for humanity. And given that we'll be meeting with Royalty from many different planets across the galaxy, we don't know if they'll respect our boundaries," Lincoln replied.
"Lincoln, you forget, we Pokemon are more than capable of taking care of ourselves. If things get a bit too much for us, we can always give off a warning shot," Pikachu replied.
"Hmm, well, you may have a point there. But try to limit the warning shots. We don't want to come off as hostiles," Lincoln replied, as an explosion was heard from the battlefield, "And with that said, we should go and see how Brock and Misty are doing," he said, as they returned to the battlefield, where Steelix was battling Medicham.
"Steelix, use Rock Slide!" Brock called out.
"Medicham, use Confusion to stop it!" Misty called out. Steelix hurled Rock Slide at Medicham, who caught the boulders with Confusion, "Alright, now send them back!" Medicham then threw back the boulders at Steelix.
"Quick, use Crunch!" Brock called out. Steelix used Crunch to obliterate the boulders.
"Alright, that'll do it!" Giro declared, stopping the battle, "It's clear that the two of you have raised some exceptional Pokemon! Brock, your Salamence and Steelix are in the best shape I've ever seen of others of the same species. And Misty, your teamwork with Gyarados and Medicham proves that you all share a strong bond of trust between one another."
"Thanks so much, Giro, sir!" Brock exclaimed.
"That means a lot to us," Misty added.
"Indeed. Now then, as per the conditions of our deal, I present both of you with these," Giro said, handing the two trainers Key Stones.
"Alright! Now we can start working on trying to master Mega Evolution like Lincoln!" Misty exclaimed.
"Indeed. And now, the two of you may take one Mega Stone for each Pokemon you used in that practice battle," Giro said, handing Misty an orange and red Mega Stone with a blue flame in the middle, and a blue Mega Stone with a red and orange flame in the center. Brock received a grey Mega Stone with a blue and grey flame in the center, and a white Mega Stone with a red and blue flame in the middle, "Those Mega Stones are Gyaradosite, Medichamite, Steelixite, and Salamencite. Use them well with your Pokemon."
"Thank you, sir!" both trainers exclaimed.
"And as for you, Lincoln, if you have any other Pokemon that can Mega Evolve, you may take two of whatever Mega Stones you wish," Giro said.
"Wait, really?! That'd be great! But is it really alright?" Lincoln asked.
"Of course. After all, both you and your friends have been some of the liveliest trainees I've encountered so far! It's the least I could do!" Giro replied.
"Well, alright then!" Lincoln replied, as they were taken back to the showroom, "Alright, let's see here," he said, looking at the chart, "Hmm, I think I'll take Mega Stones for Sceptile and Gengar!"
"Very excellent choices. The Sceptilite and Gengarite are yours now," Giro replied, as Lincoln retrieved a forest green Mega Stone with an orange and dark green flame in the middle, and a grey Mega Stone with a black and red flame in the middle.
"I'm surprised you didn't go for the Mega Stones for Aerodactyl and Scizor," Misty commented.
"Well, I haven't had those two for long, so we don't really have that strong of a bond yet. At least with Gengar and Sceptile, I've been trying to forge a strong bond with them," Lincoln replied.
"Ok, fair enough," Misty replied, seeing the logic behind that.
"Thank you again for training us, Giro. We really appreciate it," Lincoln said to Giro.
"Think nothing of it. After all, with Team Rocket on the rise in terms of their crimes, it's important that as many worthy trainers are able to use Mega Evolution. In fact, I had four trainers pass by here, and they too managed to master Mega Evolution," Giro replied.
"Four other trainers?" Brock asked.
"Yes. Three of them were from Pallet Town, while the fourth was from the Hoenn Region," Giro explained.
"So, Gary, Red, Leaf and Raigo all came to master Mega Evolution too. At least our allies are all getting much stronger than before," Lincoln mused.
"Indeed. Gary with his Blastoise and Tyranitar, Red with his Venusaur and Pidgeot, that Leaf girl and her Charizard, even that Raigo chap and his Swampert and Gallade were some of the best trainer's I've approved to learn the ways of Mega Evolution," Giro replied.
"And we'll keep training to prove that we deserve to master the ways of Mega Evolution too. Again, thank you for training us, Giro," Lincoln said, as they exited Giro's house.
"You're all most welcome. And remember what I said! Mega Evolution gets easier for the Pokemon the more you use it!" Giro said, as he closed the door, allowing the three trainers to head off.
"Alright, the best place to go to help further our training with Mega Evolution has to be the Battle Chateau! Not only that, but we can rake in tons of cash too for some serious supply shopping," Lincoln commented.
"That's true. There's a lot to do in Sunny Town. We can do some sightseeing before the Contest there," Brock replied.
"By the way, Lincoln, why'd you go off when Brock and I started battling?" Misty asked.
"I got a call from Nana. Apparently, there's some kind of Intergalactic Conference happening tomorrow for the many Royal Families across the galaxy, and I've been invited / ordered by Gid to attend," Lincoln replied.
"Tomorrow? Kind of short notice, don't you think?" Brock asked.
"That's what I thought, too. Fortunately, it'll only be for about four hours, which does kind of put a hinder on my training for the Contest, but I should be back in time to squeeze in a bit more training," Lincoln replied.
"Well, I suppose you may have something of a point there, but it's also best not to overdo it," Brock replied.
"He's right. If you run out of steam before something important, then that's that," Misty added.
"Don't worry guys. Soon as I come back, I'll no doubt take some time to rest before I resume training," Lincoln replied.
"Well, I suppose there's that," Misty replied.
"Well, in the meantime, we should see about getting in some heavy-duty training at the Battle Chateau," Lincoln suggested, using his amulet to open up a portal to the Battle Chateau. Brock and Misty passed through first, followed by Lincoln, causing the portal to close up.
Back at the Reynold's House, Lynn's room,
The former Loud, now Reynolds, family, were all fast asleep in their beds. But in the case of Lynn, she was tossing and turning from the dream she was having. She was in a dark void, where the only speck of light she had was shining down on what appeared to be Lincoln, but his back was turned, "L-Lincoln?" she cautiously asked.
"What? None of your typical 'Stinkcoln' crap?" "Lincoln" questioned in a harsh tone.
"Look, I know I screwed up, but…"
"A little too late for that party, Lynn! You're the only one responsible for starting this whole mess in the first place! Though, I suppose some thanks are in order… After all, if it weren't for you giving me the idea to carry on your idiotic superstitions, I never would've found out how quickly the rest of the family would be willing to turn on one of their own!"
"W-Well, at the time, I…"
"Save it with your brain-dead excuses, Lynn! All they ever do delude yourself to the reality that you were NEVER a real winner! And you just make them up just to keep from feeling guilty about the mistakes you DON'T want to admit are yours, like how you and that blonde bitch, Lori, wished for me to be on the St. Anne when it was sinking! You basically said I could and should go kill myself for all you two care!"
"That's not true! We just…"
"Save it, Lynn! And another thing; When you had that accident four years ago, I bet you wanted to use ME as a martyr just to keep from losing your guy parts! And when you wound up losing them, you started treating me way more harshly than what could be considered necessary to safeguard what little masculinity you had left! Well, you want to know something? All it did was turn you into the worst of the worst bullies in the world; A toxic egomaniac who loves preying on those weaker than herself!"
Those words seemed to cut pretty deep, and Lynn felt her heart dropping into her stomach in shambles.
"No one said that you had to do that stunt; You did that all on your own, and turned me into your own personal punching bag as a form of petty revenge. I can honestly say this without ever feeling a hint of guilt; I hate you, Lynn. I wish you were NEVER my brother or sister. I'd have a much better life without you in it," "Lincoln" said, as he disappeared from Lynn's sight. The ground below here began to chip away, revealing, much to her confusion, some kind of bizarre mosaic, that seemed to have an image of Lori on it, as well as some of the most important things in Lori's life.
"What is… this?" she questioned, as a flight of stairs formed nearby. Figuring she had nothing else to do, she opted to climb the stairs, leading her to another mosaic, this time, with an image of Leni on it, along with images of stuff like fashion and accessories, "Ok, this is getting really bizarre!" she commented, as she continued to explore the void.
Meanwhile, in Giovanni's office,
Giovanni was going over some paperwork regarding some of Team Rocket's upcoming plans, including the invasion of Royal Woods, as well as a siege on the Silph Co. in Saffron City, "Hmm, if my sources are correct, the Silph Co. should be nearing the completion of the Master Ball prototype. If our siege is successful, we'll be able to mass produce such a device to further strengthen our Pokemon Army," he said to himself, just as the intercom went off.
"Master Giovanni, sir? I have a report from the mining operation at Evolution Mountain," a voice said over the intercom.
"Excellent. Did they meet the quota?" Giovanni asked.
"Yes, and exceeded the minimum required amount as you desired," the intercom replied.
"Perfect. How are preparations to having the Evolution Stones sold for profit?" Giovanni asked.
"They said we should be ready to do so be the end of the day after tomorrow," the intercom replied.
"Excellent. Have them carry out their orders as given," Giovanni ordered.
"Right away, sir!" the intercom replied, before turning off.
"I would've rather they be ready sooner, but I suppose it can't be helped," Giovanni commented, as he opened a drawer to retrieve something, only to find something rather interesting in there. It was an old photograph showing a younger Professor Oak, Albert, and Agatha, along with a Giovanni who was much younger than the three of them. Bitter memories began to boil up from within his mind.
Flashback, 40 years ago,
Fire. Destruction. Explosions. Those were the only thoughts running through Giovanni's mind at the time as he tried to escape, as the poacher's building he was in was being destroyed by a Pokemon Rights Group, as they were busy freeing the Pokemon they had forcibly captured, "Giovanni! Where are you?!" he heard Albert's voice call out to him. He looked over to see the younger Albert trying to locate him.
"Albert, I'm over here!" Giovanni attempted to call out, but his voice was drowned out by the sound of falling debris, blocking off his only escape route.
"Albert, come on, we have to go!" Giovanni heard the younger Professor Oak's voice call to Albert.
"But I still haven't found Giovanni yet!" Albert argued.
"He's probably out at the Rescue Boats! We can't stay here any longer!" Oak replied, as he dragged off Albert, leaving Giovanni, who saw the whole altercation between the two of them with eyes filled with despair, betrayal, and anger, as the building beneath him collapsed, as that section he was in plummeted into the ocean. Fortunately for him, it also cleared out the debris that was blocking his way, and he was able to fall harmlessly into the ocean. He swam over to the shore, trying to catch his breath, while clenching his fist in anger and betrayal.
"DAMN YOU, ALBERT, SAMUEL, AND AGATHA!" he screamed, punching the ground, just as a boat with a familiar red R floated up to him. At the front of the boat was a woman Giovanni knew too well. She was dressed in a red suit, and had long, wavy black hair, and a piercing look in her eyes, as she looked down on Giovanni, "M-Mother…"
"Come aboard, son. I think it's time for you to reconsider my offer to join my organization," the woman said in a cold tone, as Giovanni was helped on board by some of the crew members. He then followed his mother down below. He stood before her, as she took a seat at a desk that was situated inside the room, "Now then, Giovanni, explain to me why and how you were in that cove."
"M-My friends and I were helping out some Pokemon Activists to take down a poacher syndicate, but I got trapped behind a bunch of rubble and couldn't escape," Giovanni explained.
"Typical. Much like those foolish friends of yours, you think of Pokemon as worth more than profit. Pokemon exist solely for profit. They are not meant to be friends or family with humans. That is the true spirit of my organization; Team Rocket," Giovanni's mother harshly spat.
"I-I-I just thought that maybe I could convince you otherwise, that you might be willing to turn away from a life of crime once you saw how great Pokemon are when they bond with people," Giovanni replied.
"A fool's errand, at best. You won't be convincing me of ANYTHING regarding that philosophy you shared with your 'friends'," Giovanni's mother stated, standing firm in her beliefs, as she got up, and approached her son, "Think about it this way, son; Your 'friends' just up and abandoned you. They didn't think that you were still in that building as it burned to the ground. They probably think you're dead by now. If they truly thought of you as a 'friend', they would've used their Pokemon to search high and low for you, but they didn't. They only cared about saving themselves. But if you were to join my organization, you'd be able to get revenge on those who had abandoned you as time progresses. Now, doesn't going against what they tried to instill in you sound like a good plan or what?"
Giovanni mulled it over for a moment. On one hand, he'd be betraying his friends and their beliefs in what Pokemon should be all about. On the other hand, they did abandon him, and probably weren't even bothering to search for him. He clenched his fists tightly, before looking up to his mother, "Tell me what I have to do," he said, making his mother smile a smile most unpleasant.
Realtime,
Gritting his teeth in fury, he tore up the picture and threw it away, before getting back to work, 'Mark my words, you three, you WILL pay!' he thought to himself.
The next morning, Stone Town,
Lincoln was outside, busily watching the skies for Nana and the others. He wanted to be ready to go before they arrived, which is why he packed enough snacks to last him and the Pokemon he'd be taking with him into space, as well as some other supplies. He then checked the clock on Dexter, "9:28… They should be here soon," Lincoln commented, as he and Pikachu kept an eye out for the ship. It wasn't long before they saw a small transport vessel landing before him. The hatch opened up to reveal Lala in the cockpit.
"Hey Lincoln! You ready to go?" she asked.
"Yeah," Lincoln replied, as he climbed in.
"Lincoln!" he and Lala then saw Brock and Misty standing there in the Pokemon Center lot, "Be careful out there," Misty warned.
"Don't worry, I will be," Lincoln replied, as Lala closed up the hatch and engaged the thrusters, "So, Lala, does the ship we're taking have a steady supply of oxygen?"
"You needn't worry. The oxygen levels on Deviluke are almost identical to that of Earth's. And we Devilukians need oxygen in order to breath, despite out formidable power. As for the oxygen supply, we have more than enough to last a year, even with everyone that's coming along," Lala replied.
"Well, there's one worry of mine put to rest," Lincoln commented, as Lala took off. Lincoln had to admit, his first ride in an alien craft had him excited, "So, are we stopping somewhere first or are the others already on the main transport ship?"
"Zastin's already collected the others from Sainan. Lum, along with our friends from Jurai are also meeting us at the main transport ship. In other words, we're heading straight up to the transport," Lala replied.
"Ok, that makes things a bit more convenient. So, are the Kovaks going to be joining us as well?" Lincoln asked,
"Of course! And there's no need to worry. I've made something to make sure everyone attending the conference will know that they're your servants," Lala replied.
"Well, that's a load off my mind. The last thing I want for them is to get recaptured by that Clan they escaped from originally," Lincoln said, as they began to leave Earth's atmosphere.
"Well, there's no need to worry about that. With all of the Royal Families and their body guards attending the conference, not even the Clan of Echo Mirages would be crazy enough to try and attack, especially with some big names attending, including Daddy, and the Devil Princess of Jurai herself, Lady Seto Jurai," Lala replied, as they saw the main transport. To say it was a massive vessel would be an understatement. It was nearly the same size as a football stadium, maybe a little bigger. Lala flew the craft into a hanger that was protected by an orange energy barrier, and landed safely. She then opened up the ship's doors, allowing her and Lincoln to exit safely.
"Whoa, so those energy barriers are keeping all the air inside?" Lincoln asked.
"That's right! A lot of ships like this one from all over the galaxy have that same kind of technology. It comes in handy when you're in a hurry to land in a large vessel," Lala replied, as she led Lincoln and Pikachu through a doorway, leading to what could be described as a movie theater, except it had a view of space outside the glass.
Lincoln saw many familiar faces standing around the room, including Rito, Mikan, Haruna, Kotegawa, Nana, Momo, Ren, Run, Lum, and the Kovaks. Though there were some faces he didn't recognize, either individually or as a group. The first looked like a chubby little baby wearing thunderbolt print diapers, much like Lum's bikini, but he only had a single horn at the back of his head. The next one was a beautiful young girl, about Lum's age. She had curly magenta hair, and was wearing a very nice dress.
As for the group of people, there were quite a few people there, each with different hair styles and colors, and outfits. And much like Rito's group when Lincoln first met them, this group had only one boy among many girls. The first was a young man, a little older than Rito. He had short, almost a buzz cut black hair, and was wearing a red polo shirt and jeans.
The first of the girls he was with had spikey, silver green hair, and was wearing a grey sweater dress with blue stripes that reached all the way down to her ankles and wrists. She also looked to have something of an aggressive look in her eyes.
The second girl had long, dark purple hair and was wearing what could easily be described as a regal kimono. Lincoln also noted some kind of crown like head ornament around her forehead. Next to her was a young preteen girl about Lincoln's age. Much like the purple haired woman, she had particularly long hair too, except hers was more of a sky-blue color, done in pigtails that were held up by red, jewel like accessories. Lincoln also noted some odd-looking crest in the middle of her forehead. She had large, melon pink eyes, and was also wearing a regal looking kimono. On the younger girl's shoulder looked to be some odd creature that appeared to be a brown cat-rabbit hybrid of some sort.
The fourth girl was another short statured woman with spikey red hair. She was wearing what could easily be described as a science professor's uniform.
The last two women were both wearing what could be easily described as police uniforms. The first one had darker skin than her partner. She had wavey blonde hair done in a ponytail, and a spacey look in her blue eyes. Her partner, who had lighter skin, had long, dark cyan hair, and blue eyes as well. She also wore an orange-colored headband around her forehead. Oddly enough, there appeared to be two, large log like objects with them, each with either red or blue kanji on them.
"Whoa, a lot of different people here," Lincoln commented.
"That's right. It's not just us in the Deviluke Royal Family that's making an appearance at the conference, but also the Royal Families from Mars, Memolze, Oniboshi and Jurai. In fact, Xalanna should be arriving on board any moment now. Once she and her family are on board, we'll head to the conference," Lala replied.
"Wait no further, Lala," Xalanna said, as she and her parents, along with some tough looking guards, dressed as Roman soldiers, walked in. Her father was a hulking man, who wore only a regal cape, pants, and a loin cloth. Her mother wore similar attire to her daughter, except it was a bright pink color. The moment they saw Lincoln, her parents had different expressions, from what Lincoln could tell from their eyes. Her father glared down at the boy, while her mother looked to be more endearing towards the boy.
"Hey Xalanna! Glad you could make it!" Lala proclaimed.
"Naturally. Martians pride themselves on being punctual," Xalanna replied.
"Well, that's good to know," Lincoln commented, attempting to make small talk, only for Xalanna to avoid making eye contact with him, as she and her parents and guards went to go take their seats, "Guess she still feels awkward about what happened."
"Yeah, speaking of that, care to explain yourself, Lincoln?!" Nana asked, storming up to him.
"H-Hey, in my defense, what happened only happened because we were in a very tight and enclosed locker in order to hide from some people in the city I met them in! I couldn't help where my hands were at since it was a spur of the moment thing!" Lincoln said defensively.
"Hmmph, well, I know you're not a perverted beast like Rito or Lum's idiot fiancé, so I suppose I'll accept that excuse this time," Nana replied. Lincoln felt relieved that she wasn't going to scold him for what happened. He was then approached by Lum and the others from Sainan.
"So, you got roped into this too, Lincoln?" Haruna asked.
"Yeah, since I'm engaged to marry Nana, well, you know the rest," Lincoln replied.
"So, Lala and the others told me about your Gym Battles after we left from Porta Vista, but how are you doing now?" Kotegawa asked.
"Well, after earning the Primal Badge from Porta Vista, I took on the Ghost Type Gym in Maiden's Peak and won the Phantom Badge. I would've tried my hand at the Celadon Gym for a Rainbow Badge, but both the official and substitute Leaders were out. So, my friends are on our way to Fuchsia City to take on that Gym," Lincoln explained.
"Hmm, I see. By the way, what's this I hear about you getting engaged to Monster Royalty?" Kotegawa asked, crossing her arms.
"Yeah, the thing is, there was this deal that my Great Grandmother, Harriet, made with the anscestors of the current rulers of the Monster Realm, which promised the hand of one son from the Loud Family to the daughters of each family that were involved in the deal. My… ex-father was unfit for the job, and I don't know about Uncle Lance, so it fell to me. But all of the girls I'm engaged to are very nice individuals," Lincoln explained.
"Oh, I see. Well, I suppose if it's a family matter, then I can't do anything about it," Kotegawa replied.
"But now I have a question for both you and Sairenji," Lincoln was cut off by Haruna.
"Long story short, both Kotegawa and I got beamed up when Rito and the others did as well. And we were told that there's no time to beam us back down," she explained. Just then, Zastin walked up to the front of the room.
"Attention, please! We're now proceeding to head out to the Conference Building. We'll be travelling at Light Speed, so I insist that everyone find their seats and buckle up," he boomed, prompting all the passengers to take their seats and buckle up. Lincoln found himself in between both Lum and one of the Kovaks, namely Zelda.
"Will this be your first time flying at Light Speed, Lincoln?" Lum asked.
"Yeah. Hopefully, it'll do that cool effect from the movies, where it looks like the stars are all stretching as we pass them," Lincoln replied, holding onto Pikachu. However, the ship's sensors didn't detect the Echo Mirage Flagship, which was flying ever closer towards them.
"We have them in our sights, Captain Vortex, sir!" Vexar informed his captain.
"Good. And we have a bead on the escaped Kovaks?" Vortex asked.
"Indeed, we do, sir! Awaiting your commands, sir!" Vexar replied.
"Good. Now, deploy the…" Vortex didn't get a chance to finish his sentence, as the ship warped off at the speed of light, "Whoa, wait, what the hell just happened Mr. Vexar?!" he asked, approaching the helm.
"I-I-I don't know, sir! They must have hyper jets on that transport!" Vexar replied.
"Well, what do we have, a fucking Quezenark?!" Vortex yelled.
"No sir!" Vexar responded.
"Well then, fine! Just catch them already!" Vortex yelled.
"Right away sir!" Vexar replied, picking up an intercom, "Prepare ship for Light Speed!"
"No, no, no, light speed is far too slow, Mr. Vexar!" Vortex yelled.
"I-I don't understand, sir… Light speed is too slow?" Vexar asked.
"That's right! If we want to catch them, we'll have to go right to… Ludicrous Speed!" Vortex declared. His crew and slaves all let out a collective shocked gasp at what he had just said.
"'Ludicrous Speed'?! Sir, we've never gone that fast before! I don't think the ship can take it!" Vexar tried in vain to dissuade his captain.
"What's the matter, Colonel Sanders? Chicken?" Vortex questioned.
Vexar took a moment to steel himself, "PREPARE SHIP…!" he took a moment to calm down, "Prepare ship for Ludicrous Speed! Fasten all seatbelts! Seal all entrances and exits! Close all shops in the mall! Cancel the free-range circus! Secure all animals in the zoo!" Vexar announced, as everyone on that ship did as they were told, before Vortex took the intercom away from him.
"Give me that, you petty excuse for a first mate! Now here this! Ludicrous Speed…!" he boomed, as Vexar secured himself in a seat nearby.
"Captian Vortex, sir, you should probably buckle up!" he warned. But Vortex merely ignored him.
"Ah, buckle this! Ludicrous Speed, GO!" Vortex boomed, as he was jerked back, as their ship began to speed after the Royal Transport Vessel. Vortex was screaming as he held onto a metal pole for dear life, screaming his head off. Nearby, some signs were lighting up, each one saying "Light Speed", "Ridiculous Speed", and lastly "Ludicrous Speed", "WHAT HAVE I DONE?! MY BRAINS… ARE GOING INTO MY FEET!" he screamed, as the view outside the ship began to morph into a plaid background, which boomed as they passed over the Royal Transport ship. All the passengers covered their heads as it happened.
"What the hell was that?!" the woman with the silver green hair questioned.
"Hang on," the red-haired woman sitting next to her replied, as she summoned a computer keyboard in front of her, and began typing in keys, "According to this, that was the Clan of Echo Mirage's main flagship."
"The Clan of Echo Mirages?!" Zastin yelled back. The Kovaks seemed terrified upon hearing that name.
"Oh wow, they've actually gone plaid!" the blonde police woman exclaimed.
Back on the ship, Vortex was still hanging on for dear life, "WE'VE PASSED THEM! STOP THIS THING!"
"WE CAN'T STOP! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS AT THIS SPEED! WE HAVE TO SLOW DOWN FIRST!" Vexar called to him.
"BULLSHIT! JUST STOP THIS THING! I ORDER YOU! JUST STOP!" Vortex yelled back, insisting that they stop. Vexar, summoning mighty strength, reached for the emergency brake level. As soon as he grasped it, he pulled it stopping the ship instantly. Unfortunately, this resulted in Vortex being flung right into the front wall with a powerful crash. Vexar and several others went to check on him.
"We got you, Captain!" one of the other clan members said, as he and another helped Vortex to his feet.
"Captain Vortex, are you alright, sir?!" Vexar asked.
"F-Fine… How've you been?" Vortex asked, sounding extremely shaken up.
"Fine sir. It's a good thing your race have such sturdy heads," Vexar commented.
"Y-Yeah," Vortex replied.
"What are your orders, sir?" Vexar asked.
"Well, have we stopped?" Vortex asked.
"Yes sir!" Vexar replied.
"Good. Why don't we all take a quick, five-minute break?" Vortex asked.
"Sounds like a plan, sir," Vexar replied.
"Alright then. Smoke if you got to," Vortex said, before he fell to the ground, having lost consciousness.