A/N All right, here we go! The beginning of the end is upon us! Man, I didn't expect people to enjoy this style of writing so much. I'm so used to just writing and making stuff as I go along that actually planning this and writing in its entirety before posting was a challenge. I hope you guys enjoy! Props if you guys get what the title's a reference to!

R&R!

Chapter Seven: Opening Theory

And now, after all was said and done, Lincoln stood in his room, his mind clouded by the events of the passed few days, and the anticipation for the morning to come filling his veins.

"You're a Loud, and there's more to you than meets the eye," his mothers words echoed. "Good luck, Lincoln. Though I know you won't need it."

Slowly, the young boy grabbed his controller off of his dresser and gripped its handles. "Now that I think of it… I did always find it comfortable to hold a controller in my hands…"

"Nervous for tomorrow, Lincoln?" A familiar voice greeted, causing Lincoln to turn towards the source: a certain 13-year-old girl resting on the linen closet's doorframe. "Then again…"

Yet, Lincoln simply waved his older sister off. "Nah, I'm fine," he continued to mess with the controller, seemingly checking to make sure that he still had the muscle memory he had trained to have during his training. "Just making sure I'm ready for tomorrow… you can't be too careful, right?" His voice wavered against his sister, easily exposing the truth.

And so, Lynn shook her head. "Lincoln, Lincoln, Lincoln," she looked into her brother's eyes. "You know you can't lie to me that easily, she tugged on him slightly, prompting him to take a seat next to on his bed. "Now, come on, 'fess up, are you scared?"

For a moment, Lincoln hesitated his response, considering the idea of trying to lie to his sister again, though after receiving a glance from her caring gaze, dispelled the idea and just sighed. "Well… I guess… I am a bit nervous…" he immediately snapped back in defense. "But I'll be fine! I'm ready, right? It's just my first time playing a tournament this big and stuff! I'm gonna do well, right?"

Suddenly, Lincoln found himself pulling himself in closer, shrinking into his spot of the bed. "What if I lose? I've come such a long way and what if I just blunder games? What if… what if I lose? Does that mean I'll never be able to go as far as mom did? Will I just stay a weakling compared to her? Will I… will I-"

Yet, before he could continue his panicked train of thought, Lynn wrapped her arms around him and shook her head. "Lincoln, you're thinking too hard."

"W-what?" the boy snapped back in surprise.

Slowly, the young woman pushed him away and looked into his eyes. "We all had these feelings when we first started out. Heck, my first soccer game, I was so worried that I would miss the kicks that I ended up overcompensating and landed face-first in a pile of mud!" She poked his chest. "Lincoln, you're 'the man with that plan' and you've proven that you've got a knack for these games. You've just gotta show that you're better than everyone else now."

"But… what if my best isn't enough?" desperation filled his voice, while he looked away, towards the carpeted floor. "What if I lose to someone in round one, what if…" his voice trailed off.

Lynn took a deep breath and stood up with that. She quickly checked the hallway, taking care to make sure that none of their siblings would be around to listen to what she was about to say. Calmly, she closed the door and locked it, sealing the closet from the outside world.

The boy looked up at his sister in confusion. "Uhh… what's goin' on, Lynn?"

The young woman took a deep breath. "Lincoln, did I ever tell you about my first time playing sports, like actually talk about it?"

"Uhh, not really," Lincoln tilted his head in confusion. "You usually talk about the stuff you do now…"

Lynn took another breath and began to rub her arm in embarrassment. "Well… that's because… I just… I was absolutely horrible," she looked away in shame, I used to barely be able to even run in a straight line!" suddenly, the air heated up, while Lynn's voice filled with a soft sincerity. "I was scared my first time too, but if I learned anything from what happened that day, it's that if you do your best, there's nothing to be afraid of."

And all Lincoln could do in response, was watch, his mind beginning to imagine a younger Lynn, scared out of her mind as she first approached one of the fields that would define her life.

"That day, I got my motto, 'No pain, no regret, no remorse…'" she leaned forward, looking into her brother's eyes once more, while placing her hand on his shoulders. "…and no shame," she then pulled her brother into a soft embrace, her voice filling with a weary hope. "No matter what happens, if you're doing your best, you'll have nothing to be afraid or ashamed of. And I know you're gonna get far."

For a moment, Lincoln considered fighting Lynn's embrace, to deny the advice she had decided to bestow upon him. And yet, he found himself simply smiling and returning the hug, whispering. "Thank you, Lynn… you're the best."

She chuckled and pushed him off, shaking her head as she did so. "No Lincoln, tomorrow, you're the best. All you've gotta do is prove it."

"Heh, will do sis, will do," he gaze a small nod.

"Lincoln! Are you ready for bed?" Rita's voice echoed through the home, breaking through the soft air that had formed between the two siblings.

The boy looked into Lynn's eyes for a moment, a silence nod of understanding passing by both of them, before Lincoln replied. "Yeah mom!" and returned his focus to the girl. "Looks like mom wants me, anything else you wanna say before I go?"

"No matter what happens tomorrow, win or lose, you're still our brother," the young woman threw her arms around him once more, before pushing him back and poking his chess. "But just know, you'd better win tomorrow!"

"Heh, of course I'll win, I know I can," the boy did his best to force away the fear trying to enter his voice, and thankfully he was able to succeed. After that, he broke his sister's embrace and stepped out of his room's door. "Need me, mom?"

"Yep! Just come downstairs sweetie!" The woman replied with a motherly warmth. "There's just one more thing you've gotta do before tomorrow!"

"All right, mom!" And with that, Lincoln complied, wasting no time heading down the stairs and into his home's living room, only to find his mother sitting upright on the couch, a small notebook tucked snug under her arm.

"Come over, Lincoln," she pat the spot next to her. "How are you feeling, Lincoln?"

With soft, careful movements he took a seat next to his mother. "A bit nervous, but Lynn just talked to me and stuff so I think I'm gonna be fine…"

The woman smiled. "That's great Lincoln, really, it is," before she turned and looked into his eyes. "It's extremely important to boost your morale before going into anything major. After all, if you go in thinking you're gonna lose, then you're probably gonna lose"

"Yeah…" Lincoln nodded in understanding, before looking up to his mother. "So, uhh… what's up, mom? Shouldn't I be getting a full night's sleep before the tourney starts?"

"Of course, of course," the woman quickly adjusted herself in her seat to face the boy. "I just wanted to tell you the overall format of the competition and some advice going in, ok?" She poked her head. "Remember, the day of a tournament is always confusing, especially a big one like this."

The boy nodded once more. "All right mom, I understand."

"Good," the woman nodded in response, before pulling out her notebook and reading aloud. "So, this is an open queue tournament, as such entries will only occur in the morning."

"Sounds simple enough…" Lincoln's voice trailed off.

"Yeah, we're gonna need to be early though if we're gonna beat the line," Rita shook her head. "But that is besides the point. The tournament will take place over the course of five rounds, with the first being selections and the remaining four being the main event."

Lincoln tilted his head in confusion. "Uhh… what does that mean, mom?"

"In layman's terms, only the top sixteen players from round one will be allowed to progress to round two," she returned her focus to the notebook. "According to the host's website, you will be assigned computers to use, and those will log your wins and losses in the following notation: one point for a win, zero points for a loss and half a point for a draw."

For a moment, Lincoln and Rita both remained silent, the woman waiting to confirm that her son had understood the information she was giving him… only for the boy to blink twice.

"Uhh, mom… why's the tourney being held like this?" Lincoln tilted his head in confusion. "This seems a bit… complicated, ya know?"

"It is complicated, no doubt about that," Rita shrugged. "But given the sheer number of players the organizers are expecting, its completely necessary," she looked into her son's eyes. "They want this tourney to last a weekend, not a whole week."

"Fair enough," Lincoln shrugged. "So what do you suggest, mom?" He tilted his head in curiosity.

"When trying to win in a tournament like this, it's important not to waste time," the woman closed her notebook and turned to face her son. "Therefore, you are going to have to rush through games earning as many wins and draws as you can while minimizing your losses. It's better to get a quick draw than a long win."

Lincoln tilted his head in curiosity. "How come? Isn't it better to have more wins overall?"

"Of course," Rita replied. "But the time you waste getting a win, you could've gotten three draws, and if my time teaching gaming physics serves me well, it's that one point five is greater than one."

The boy considered the argument for a moment, before nodding in understanding. "All right mom, all right."

And with that, Rita wrapped her arms around her son. "You don't know how proud you've made me so far, Lincoln. now keep going!"

The boy smiled and returned the embrace. "You got it, mom," Before breaking it and hopping to his feet and yawning. "Anyways, I'm tired. I've got a big day tomorrow!"

The woman smiled and nodded. "That you do. Get some rest and make sure that your gaming clothes are ready for tomorrow. Remember, we're gonna be up early tomorrow so we can beat the line!"

"Got it, mom," the boy nodded once more, before turning and heading up the stairs, leaving the woman behind, smiling at the thought of her son entering his first tournament.

The Next Day…

*Beep* *Beep* *Beep* A familiar device sparked to life, its harsh ring filling the young boy's room.

"Ugh… morning already?" Lincoln groaned as be slowly pulled himself up from his bed. "Seven AM on a summer morning… heh if it wasn't the day of the competition…" his eyes went wide and he immediately jumped out of his bed. "Today's the day!"

Quickly, he opened up the door to his room and grabbed the towel. "I have to get ready! Mom said we're leaving really early, right?" only to reveal a certain group of girls already waiting by the open bathroom door. "Uhh, hey guys, what's up?" he approached them. "Aren't you guys gonna shower?"

"Oh nothing, Lincoln," Lori waved her little brother off. "Mom just wanted to make sure that you'd be up and ready early today. You know, since we're gonna be going to watch your tourney and you never know what could happen the day of the comp." she motioned towards the nearby door. "Head inside. She asked us to make sure that it was open for you when you woke up."

Lincoln smiled. "Thanks mom," before he nodded in understanding. "Thanks you guys… and you're planning on coming to watch?"

"Course bro!" Lana flared her arms for emphasis. "You've always come to support us, so we're gonna be there for you!"

"Plus, we've been with ya every step of the way," Lynn walked up to the boy and crossed her arms, showing a confident, knowing smile as she did so. "And we're not gonna leave you hanging when you're so close to the end," she playfully punched his arm. "Now get ready. Mom made sure that we never had to share the bathroom the day of our first comp, and now it's your turn."

Suddenly, Lincoln's heart began to race. After years of having to share with his sisters- to rush passed them in hopes of getting his own spot before anyone else, all ten of his sisters stood by, simply smiling and waiting for him to walk in. And all he could do, was smile.

"I suggest you quickly do your business and leave, elder brother," Lisa crossed her arms and looked up at the boy. "Murphy's Law states that what can go wrong will do so and Finagle's Law adds that the universe will make it as uncomfortable as possible."

"I thought you disliked things like those?" Lincoln raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"I do," Lisa shook her head. "But, I am well aware of jut how random and chaotic the universe can be. Besides, aren't you going to be working with a rather entertaining random number generator?"

Lincoln thought for a moment, and shrugged. "I guess you've got a point there."

"I know I do," Lisa counters.

"Ugh! Whatever!" Lola cut in. "I need my beauty time Lincoln, now go in there before I take over!"

Lincoln chuckled and held his hands up defensively. "Heh, all right Lola, all right!" before he turned to the rest of his sisters. "Thanks you guys, really!"

Lori smiled and shook her head. "Mom told us to do this, but we would've let you have it anyways. After all, everyone else got their chance, now it's your turn."

And with that, he walked passed them and entered the bathroom.

Later…

"Man, it's been a long time since I stood in a registration line," Rita chuckled as she lead her family out through the halls leading to the main arena. "So how are you feeling, Lincoln?"

"I'm fine," the boy quickly replied, his body tense while he simply stared forward as if he were a man staring down a firing squad.

"Haha," she chuckled in response, taking the chance to rub his head once more. "Don't worry Lincoln, you'll be fine. You said it yourself, you know you've come a long way!" she looked down upon him. "And we're always with you, no matter what!"

The boy quickly clung to the controller in his hand. Rita had told him to put it with everything else, but he insisted that he hold it.

"Yeah son," Lynn Sr. came up from behind and pat his son's back. "Plus, it's not like there's gonna be a massive audience watching you!"

Rita smiled. "Well, today only. Since it's the qualifying round for the main event, the only people sticking around are here to support their own participant," before stopping her son right at the edge of the gate. From what they could see, the arena was packed with gamers of all shapes and sizes, some talking to each other while others sparred, taking the chance to warm up before the main event started. "This is where we, or should I say, they, leave you."

"Uhh, what for hon? Aren't we gonna come with you two to support Lincoln?" Lynn Sr. tilted his head in confusion.

"Coaches have a dedicated space for themselves so that they can watch out for their players easier," she smiled at her son. "And since I coached Lincoln, I'll be there helping him through this."

Lori looked out of the gate as well. "Wow… it looks like these guys take their games way too seriously, huh?"

"You could say that." Rita shrugged, before looking out into the massive crowd as well. "Though I'll admit, it looks like this has a poor early turnout. Last time I was here, there were so many gamers that the organizers had to commandeer some of the bleachers!"

For a moment, Lori questioned just how to respond, though eventually chose to simply shrug and turn. "All right then. I guess we'll just-"

Only to find that her siblings, save for Lola and Lisa of course, were now covered in gaming paraphernalia and wearing shirts that spelled out "Lincoln!" with lily as the exclamation point. "Uhh… where'd you get that stuff?"

"I brought it from home!" Leni cheerfully responded.

Lori blinked twice with that. "You know what, I literally will not question it."

"All right then, you two, good luck today," Lynn Sr. took a breath, seemingly questioning if he should go along with what was happening before him, though eventually relenting. "Lets go girls, we need to get good seats," and with that, theey turned and walked off, leaving the duo behind at the gate.

Rita didn't hesitate to turn to her son with that. "All right Lincoln, now it's your turn to shine," she squatted down to the boy's height. "So, do you know what you're gonna do here? You know, how to pick a station?"

"I think I do," he rubs the back of his head. "I'm supposed to find the most quiet place, right? That way I'll have an easier time focusing during the match."

"You're thinking critically about this stuff, good," the woman smiled, and then shook her head. "But no. Rather, you should find some of your friends and sit next to them."

Lincoln tilted his head in confusion. "Uhh, how come, mom? Won't friends just distract me during the match?"

"Remember Lincoln, when you're around people you're comfortable with, you always play better. It's just a matter of fact," Rita smiled at her son. "And if you need me, for anything, just know that I'm nearby, ok?"

"There's no turning back now," the young boy gulped, before nodding in understanding. "All right mom, all right."

And with that, the woman stepped aside and motioned for her son to enter the playing hall. "Good luck!"

The boy took a breath and nodded at his mother, before stepping through the gate, leaving her behind and entering the fray. Quickly, he found himself forcing his way through a sea of random gamers coming from all walks of life; he glanced one way and found some whom he assumed lived in their parents' basement while in another direction he noticed some who seemed to simply be playing it for casual fun. "And not a familiar face for miles... huh?"

"Lincoln!" A feminine voice called out, prompting the boy to turn to the source, a young girl white long, white locks waving at him from a nearby station. "Come over we've saved a console for ya!"

"I spoke too soon," Lincoln cracked a small smile, before trying to force his way through the crowd… only to end up pushing out too hard and face planting against the concrete floor.

The white-haired girl chuckled. "Heh, looks like you're having a fun time here," she offered her hand to the boy, and without hesitation, Lincoln took it and used it to pull himself up.

"Thanks, and I'm glad you could make it!" Lincoln quickly dusted himself off.

"Same here, Link," she couldn't help, but crack a smile. "Looks like you hit the ground pretty hard, are you ok?"

Yet, the boy simply waved his companion off. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I've got to deal with way worse back home," he shrugged in nonchalance. "When you've got ten sisters to live with, you get used to it all."

"That's good," she turned and took her seat once more, motioning for him to follow. "Have you picked a station yet?"

Lincoln shook his head in response. "nope," before he grabbed the open chair next to the girl. "This one open?"

Sambell nodded. "Yeah."

And with that, Lincoln took his seat and quickly logged in, taking the chance to choose the three warriors he would be using this match. "So Sam, while we wait, what should I do?"

"Just warm up," she booted up her computer and selected her characters as well. "It's harder than you think to find someone to spar with. After all, no one wants to show off their skills before a big match like this. So you might as well just put an AI on normal and fight against it," she quickly looked to her other side, taking note of Chandler doing the same thing, before she turned to Lincoln. "And remember, you don't wanna over exert yourself before the main event. That'll just cause you to hit last place."

Lincoln nodded in understanding. "Thanks Sam."

She waved him off. "It's not a problem. After all, us guild members gotta stay together!"

"You know it." Lincoln turned away with that, choosing instead to focus on practicing for the next few moments. "I will win. If I wanna be better than mom, I've gotta do whatever I can on my own and win!"

And for the next hour, he went on, simply sparing against the relatively easy bots as he warmed up. "But… am I good enough?" The thought crossed his mind. "Yeah, I've made it this far, but… still…" he shook his head, purging the train of thought from his mind. "Bad idea Lincoln, don't psyche yourself out," he paused the match and glanced around. In the time he had met up Sambell, nothing much had changed. Some players had lost their pre-games and had new people coming in to replace them.

Slowly, his gaze moved from player to player. Some were big, some were small, some were somewhere between the two, and yet everyone looked like they meant business. "But I can prove that I'm the best, I just need to go as far as I can…"

Suddenly, Lincoln found his blood running cold. Amongst the crowd of random gamers, he noticed a figure, clad in a black sweater in jogging pants. Now, normally this would be seen as comfortable attire to wear for a long gaming session. Yet, this person was wearing a set of sunglasses and seemingly reacted to Lincoln's gaze by flinching and returning to their own console. "Do they… know me?" he shook his head once more. "Calm down Lincoln, you're just being paranoid. You're an unknown here, which means I can bring in any surprise I want," before he unpaused the game and continued to warm up.


More time passed after that, before the announcer- an old man in a suit and tie- finally walked on stage. He slowly took up a microphone and tapped it, causing a soft thump to echo through the playing hall, causing all present to turn towards him. "This job never gets old," he raised his arm in greeting. "Hello gamers! And welcome to the League of Heroes Two: Ancient Defenders Open Queue Tournament!"

Cheers erupted from the playing hall with that, to which the man motioned to settle down. "Ahh, oh how I love hearing those cheers," he adjusted his stance. "All right then, today is the qualifying tournament for the main event taking place over the next two days. There are over two hundred of you present today and we're gonna need to sort you all out before we can see who is really the best!"

"Just like what mom said would happen," Lincoln quickly thought.

"And so, today, your challenge is to win as many games as you can before the timer runs out!" the announcer's voice filled with excitement. "In total, you've got six hours!" he chuckled. "And if any of you are feeling exhausted and wanna take a break, we have vendors all over this arena as well as live events from the game's creators, if you're not too focused on winning of course!"

Instantly, a thought cut across Lincoln's mind, causing him to grip the controller tightly. "I came here to win! I'm not gonna back down when I'm about to fightin the first tournament I've ever competed in!" At that point, he could feel his heart beginning to race while adrenaline flooded his veins. "For her, for them, I will not back down."

"All right everyone, get your headsets on and adjust your settings! You've got ten minutes before the first flag falls and tournament begins! Just follow the instructions on your screen to enter the gaming lobby! We will not wait for late arrivals!" he then turned to face the crowd. "And for those in the audience that wish to watch the games, complimentary tablets are under your seats! Just look for the player's gamer tag and view!"

Without hesitation, Lincoln logged out of the practice lobby he was in and moved to join the main one… only to cause a flurry of voices to rush through his headset. "Yo, who these fools? Do they really think they can win?" and "Pfft, you're all scrubs!" repeated several times with every accent possible, along with the occasional. "This tournament's whatever to me. I'm gonna win easily, you guys all suck!"

"This will be mildly distracting," with that thought in mind, Lincoln scrolled through several menus to find the option bar and mute his chat, silencing the chaos that filled his headset. "Ahh, something I could never get at home, some peace and quiet," he chuckled. "I should be fine now."

After that nervous air began to fill the playing hall. Suddenly, the once proud and excited players had stopped their random talks, leaving only the sounds of trash talkers and trolls in their wake. Everyone stood by in anticipation as the announcer raised his hand, and as the clock hit noon, he lowered it, declared. "And begin!"

Checking queue… Match found!

Though words immediately appeared on Lincoln' screen, as if triggered by the announcer himself. Frantically, Lincoln typed commands into his console, hoping that any last-minute change would not impact his upcoming performance. "All right, lets see what we've got here…" before the avatar of his first opponent appeared: a simple squirrel sitting around in a some random park followed by the screenname: "Dragon_Omega". "Strange… but like what mom always said, never judge someone based on their avatar."

"Just stay calm and you can win," he took one more deep breath, before hitting the randomize button under character selection, picking one of the three he had selected for battle.. "I have to go all out during these. These are one on one games and I can't waste too much time with a single opponent. I have to get into the top bracket!" and with that, the duo materialized on their battlefield once more.

"All right, lets grab the initiative!" Lincoln wasted no time running his hands over his controller, causing his warrior to pull out their twin short swords and rush forward. "First, close the gap so I can overwhelm them easier.

Yet, his opponent- a man carrying a strange staff and small spellbook remained steadfast, seemingly unfazed by the assault.

"Aleister, the Wizard of Invocation. Works by changing forms to suit the situation." Lincoln grit his teeth. "Only the best of the best use him because of just how difficult he is to use. Luckily for me, I run him too. Though in the qualifiers, this won't matter much since I'm only allowed to run him a 3rd of the time," he glanced at his own warrior. "Socratos the Ghost of Athens. A fierce warrior used only by the most elite of players due to requiring an extreme knowledge of mechanics and creativity to use. I should have the advantage here I just need to-"

Yet, before the boy could even finish his train of thought, the game announcer's voice filled his ears. "Ability activate: Meltdown Madness!"

Suddenly, Aleister raised his staff, causing a wave of light to engulf both him and Socratos.

Lincoln found his eyes going with that. "No! I won't let you!" He frantically typed away, hoping to be able to stop the assault. "Charge of Athens!" Socratos responded by opening his shield and charging at the magician, and yet this proved fruitless as with a burst of light, both characters were on the ground, defeated without even a fight.

Game result: Draw

"Dangit, that's only half a point," Lincoln whispered in frustration, before quickly leaving the match room and shaking his head. "I never did get those people that just join into games and end them in draws for no reason. I didn't even get the upper hand on him yet!" he quickly shook his head and joined the queue for another game. "Doesn't matter right now, I have to get back in the game.

And soon enough, his next game came up. Match found!

This time, the avatar was of a man covered in lightning bolts calling the same from the heavens above. "King_of_lighting_1337?" the boy couldn't help but chuckle, before receiving Aleister and appearing in the battlefield, while his opponent took a moment and summoned a giant rock monster with a glowing core in its center.

Quickly, Lincoln typed away, prompting Aleister to raise his staff. "Ability activate: Invocation!" causing the wizard to glow for a moment, before assuming the form of knight in shining armor surrounded by winds. Form: Raidjin. Then, before his opponent could even react to the ability, Lincoln flew at the rock beast, easily breaking off its arm, before sending its lightning sword into its chest, ending the match with Lincoln having taken no damage.

"That was too easy." He couldn't help, but chuckle.

Meanwhile…

"Wow, Lincoln's doing great!" Lana watched the battle in amazement. "He just ran over that guy like it was nothing!"

"A shame too, I expected more from someone who calls themselves the 'king of lightning'," Lisa shook her head in disappointment.

"That's the thing Lisa, remember, being too proud can lead to your defeat," Lynn shook her head, before glancing up, seemingly trying to remember one of her own experiences. "If you think you're high and mighty, someone who's better is gonna cream ya," she rubbed the back of her head. "You wouldn't believe how many times that's happened to me…"

"I see…" Lori's voice trailed off for a moment, before she refocused he gaze on her brother. "So far, so good, Lincoln… I wonder if mom's enjoying this too…"

Despite the commotion, however, Lynn Sr. remained quiet, seemingly unable to move his gaze from the sight of the young boy's game… "Have I really done anything to help Lincoln get here? I mean, this whole time," he paused his train of thought. "Am I really a good role model for him? I haven't done anything noteworthy…"

"So who does it look like Lincoln's gonna be playin' against next?" Lana cheerfully asked.

Luan responded by watching Lincoln's next game… only for him to quickly end it with two sword swipes, cutting apart a poker-based warrior. "Well that's one way to win a game of cards!" before she threw her head back in laughter.

"Lincoln's doing great," Lynn smiled. "He really did take what I told him to heart. Now lets hope he can keep it up!"

Back with Lincoln…

"All right, next game should be coming in a few…" he whispered. "seven and a half points works out. I wish it were either though…" he shook his head. "But in the end, it doesn't matter, I will not give up."

Quickly, the next game came into view, allowing Lincoln to choose his third warrior: a man with twin black, metal wings. "RAID Raptor… rated as the lowest tier warrior, but he has a secret that I will use to win!"

He initialized into the game, causing a man in golden armor to appear before him. "Pleiades, the defensive warrior that everyone hates going up against," the boy thought, steeling his nerves as he did so.

The warrior quickly raised his golden spear, before sending a bolt of light at RAID Raptor

In response, Lincoln commanded the bird warrior to dodge, before diving down, engulfing his character in flames as he did so. "Ravaging Rebellion!"

Yet, his opponent did not relent, and quickly raised its silver cape emblazoned with green gems to block the attack and force Lincoln back. "I will not lose here!" he typed away quickly. "Ability activate: Rank-Up Evolution!"

And immediately, his warrior engulfed itself in a cloud darkness, before reappearing with more streamlined red armor with four scarlet wings before him. Form: Blaze Falcon.

"This is gonna end badly for you," Lincoln couldn't help, but chuckle with that, before typing his next command. "Go! Raptor's thunderclap!" prompting the warrior to release a barrage of robotic feathers, blasting his opponent to smithereens.

Desperately, Pleiades raised its golden spear and cloak, trying to block the onslaught of attacks, but to no avail. The feathers quickly surrounded him, before firing their payload of lasers, causing dust to envelop the golden knight.

A few moments after that, the dirt finally settled and, revealing that Pleiades was now on the ground, the golden warrior's armor shattered by the unrelenting attack, while his health bar hit zero without question.

"The power of rebellion… sometimes you have to misdirect your opponent and lead them astray in order to gain the upper hand…" Lincoln quickly logged out of the game and went to find another. "Those are my three warriors. I hope they'll server me well…" he took a deep breath, his mind rushing back to that first draw. "That person… why did he decide that it was so important to draw the first game of this tournament… it's almost like he recognized my name and just didn't wanna face me… But that doesn't make sense! I'm not that famous!"

He shook his head. "I'm probably just letting this get to me… it was probably nothing." And with that, his next match started.

Six Hours Later…

"And, controllers down!" the announcer walked up to the head of the stage once more and held out his arms. "The time to play has elapsed and it's time to announce the talented sixteen players that will be participating in the semifinal rounds!"

And immediately the massive screen behind him lit up, displaying the screen names and photos of the winners. Quickly, he scanned the list. "One is the person who forced a draw against me… Sambell's number five, that champion is number two and I'm… rank sixteen…" A shiver ran through Lincoln's spine. "I'm the lowest rated winner…"

"All right everyone! We thank you all for participating! And for those of you that will not be joining up for tomorrow's tournament, we thank you for your continued support and hope you'll come back next year!"

"I can't believe it! We both made it Lincoln!" The white-haired girl cheerfully declared

"Heh, yeah," Lincoln put on a sheepish smile, before pulling away from the board. "I made it… and yet I'm the weakest of them all…"

"Grr, dangit!" Chandler slammed his headset against his keyboard. "This was so rigged!"

Sambell chuckled. "This game ain't rigged, it's just that not everyone plays like a bot on easy."

Immediately, the redhead's face became just as red as his hair, before he looked away and crossed his arms in embarrassment. "Whatever!"

"Looks like I won't be versing him in the semi-finals after all… heh I guess that feeling of déjà vu had nothing behind it…" and with that, Lincoln logged off and shut down his computer. "Well… I think I should go find my family, they're probably cheering because I got in."

Sambell nodded in understanding, before standing up as well. "Same here, Lincoln," she throws her arms around him with that. "See you tomorrow!"

Lincoln quickly returned the hug. "No problem, Sam."

And with that, they broke off to find their families.

"We're so happy for you bro!" Luna threw her arms around her brother, while the rest of his siblings followed suit, clustering around the boy into one massive group hug.

"But… I got last place guys…" he looked away shamefully.

"Yes, that's true," Rita walked over to her son and smiled. "But you got last place out of sixteen of the top players in an over two-hundred person tournament. That required skill, Lincoln," she pulled him from his sister's embrace and looked into her eyes. "You've made me so proud today, and I'm sure you can do it again."

The woman then stood up straight and motioned for her family to follow. "Now come on, let go. The semi-finals of a tournament are nothing to scoff at. You have to be well-rested! "

Lincoln nodded in understanding, before taking one last look at the final standings. "I'm only rated sixteenth… will I even be able to stand up to those above me?" fear began to flood his veins, before he shook his head, desperately trying to purge the thought from his mind. "I-I'll be fine…"

With that, the Louds finally left the venue for the night.

8-5-18-5-'19 20-15 8-15-16-9-14-7 20-8-1-20 12-9-14-3-15-12-14 23-15-14 20 2-21-18-14 4-15-23-14 20-8-5 22-5-14-21-5 12-9-11-5 12-1-19-20 20-9-13-5!

A/N Man, this story's winding down pretty nicely. I hope you guys enjoyed! As always, I thank my friends on discord for helping me! And I thank Wolvenstrom for all his help! And if you ever wanna talk or join a great community, feel free to join the TLH Wiki Discord Server!

Guest Reviews (C6):

Guest 1: Here's the update!

Rackno-W: I'll admit, I've never heard of those before. I picked "Through the Fire and the Flames" because it's difficulty has become a meme.

Guest 2: All I know about Tattletail is that it's apparently like FNaF, so I really can't reference something like it.