Chapter Synopsis: Lana and Leni recruit the performers, but will the Trinity make this Lana's last show?!
Lana and Leni head to the last room on the right, this is Luna and Luan's room. Both of them enter. Luna speaks up…
"So, you're going to try and recruit us?"
"Yes, now let's begin." Lana responded
Lana and Leni tap their forehead with their pointer fingers, The VR chessboard reappears…
LOGIC CHESS; BEGIN!
Luna has a black pawn and a black rook on the board…
"Tell me about your relationship with Lincoln." Lana stated
"Well, we're brother and sister, nothing more than that." Luna answered
Lana waits patiently…
"Wait… are you actually thinking I would do THAT to him?! Gross!" Luna exclaimed
("Ugh, I thought she would recall good memories she had with him, and not some incest-fic she found on some crazy fan's blog, I should try something else…")
-10% of Truth Timer…
"Can you recall any good times you've had with Lincoln?" Lana inquired
"Now that you mention it, yeah! I helped make his first SMOOCH concert unforgettable!" Luna shot back with a proud smile
"What about what Lincoln has done for YOU?"
"Easy! He was the first to forgive me and let me back into the family band when I ditched you guys to try and impress Mick Swagger." Luna recalled
("It's clear that Lincoln and Luna have a close bond…maybe I can help strengthen it…")
"Luna, do you like me more than Lincoln, or vice versa?" Lana questioned
"No way, Lans! I love both of you, you're my family!" Luna affirmed
"Alright, then how about this? Since we both love Lincoln, why don't we team up? That way, both of us can protect him!"
Lana's white pawn rushes at Luna's black pawn, it gets hit and shatters!
"You're right, little dudette, we should protect our bro." Luna stated
("If that's true, then why does she still have that black rook in play…I need to press further.")
"Are you jealous of another sibling?" Lana quipped
"Why would you say that?" Luna answered with another question
"It just seems like you're hiding something…"
"No, unless you can see those red locks with Lucy's yin symbol, I don't have any secrets to hide!"
!
("How does Luna know about Psyche Locks?! Did she watch Lincoln play that Japanese game where defense attorneys and debonair prosecutors shout "Objection!" at each other? It's actually a pretty fun game. Lincoln showed it to me once, it looked like a fun puzzle game.")
"Do you perform to get your brother's attention?" Lana asserted
Lana's pawn attacks Luna's rook; It hits! 3 more hits left before it shatters!
Luna freezes up…
Lana waits patiently…
"Ok fine, but I only do it so Lincoln will notice me! It's hard to stand out from your other siblings, especially in a large family!
"I see, competing with nine other sisters for your brother's attention would make you try to do something to make you stand out…"
"So, do you feel that one of them will take Lincoln away from you?"
Lana's pawn attacks, Luna's rook takes another hit! 2 more to go!
"No, me and Linc have the strongest sibling bond out of anyone!"
"Then why do you sound so unsure?"
Lana's pawn attacks, Luna's rook gets hit again! Just 1 more left!
"Ok…fine, I'm jealous! That Lincoln will want to spend more time with her than me…" Luna said in a melancholic tone "I just want my brother to appreciate me…"
"The sister your talking about…"
"It's Luan, isn't it?"
Lana's pawn attacks! Luna's Black rook is shattered!
"Yes, I'm worried that Lincoln will spend more time with Luan than with me."
"But he wants to spend time with both of you equally!"
"Luan has more to offer than me! She's talented, nice, funny and supportive! What do I have?!
"Caring, coolness, and a rockin' personality! Come on Luna, Lincoln likes all of us!"
"You're right. He should choose who he wants to spend time with. After all, it's pretty selfish of me to hog his attention…"
On the other side of the chessboard…
Luan has a black queen on her side!
"So, how's Funny Business Inc. doing?" Leni questioned
"It's great! We book a lot of gigs and make everyone so happy!"
"How has Lincoln been assisting you?"
"He hands me comedy props and helps out with my act!"
Leni waits patiently…
"…"
Leni waits patiently…
"… what are you waiting for?"
Leni waits patiently…
"You think I'm hiding something?"
Leni waits patiently…
"Fine, I didn't want to say it, but I almost fired him."
"Why would you fire your own sibling?"
Leni's white queen charges Luan's black queen; 5 hits remaining!
"It's nothing personal, but this IS a business and I want the customers to be happy, it's what they're paying me for. That's why I fired you, you didn't deliver the punchline to my act."
"Can you tell me what happened?"
"All I know is Lincoln got in over his head and pleaded with me to bail him out."
"And you helped him out of the kindness of your heart? You didn't gain anything from helping him?" Leni pressed further
Leni's queen attacks! 4 more times to go!
"Well no, I helped him after he said Funny Business Inc. would lose its reputation. I wanted him to fail actually, he was getting an ego; Thinking that all it takes to be a clown is falling on your butt for an hour. Maybe him crashing and burning would teach him a lesson." Luan explained
"Ok, what happened next?"
"Well, he had to entertain some emo tweens. But lucky for him, I already know how to deal with them. I had him help with my act and they were entertained. Well, as much as an emo kid can show enthusiasm anyway…"
"Do you enjoy spending time with Lincoln?" Leni asked
"Of course, I do. He's my brother! Why wouldn't I?" Luan said with a mix of bewilderment and annoyance
"Are you jealous that some of the other sisters spend more time with him?"
Leni's queen attacks! 3 hits left!
"…" Luan has a sad look on her face
"So, that's a yes, then?"
"Yes, I want him to spend some time with me, too. Just like how he hangs around Lana or Luna. Those two are the closest with Lincoln."
"Tell me more about your relationship with Luna." Leni stated
Leni's queen attacks! 2 more hits left!
"…"
Leni waits patiently…
"…"
Leni waits patiently...
"…"
"…"
"She's better than me."
"How so?"
"It's just…she's so awesome, and talented, and kind. It's no wonder why Lincoln prefers hanging out with her than me."
"But you're all those things too, Lincoln can hang out with both of you!"
"I really would like to believe that, I really do, but if Lincoln had to pick between either me or Luna, he'd choose Luna."
"…"
"Am I wrong?"
"Yes, I would believe he'd choose you, Luan."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better. Thanks…but it won't work, I know in my heart he'd pick her over me…"
-10% of Truth Timer, 58% remaining…
("I thought being nice would help, but if it's honesty she wants…")
"NO! He'd pick BOTH of you! Lincoln couldn't stand to see either of you unhappy, so he'll choose to do both of your activities, just to make you both happy!"
Leni's queen attacks! 1 hit more before it shatters!
"Lincoln…" Luan begins to cry
"You're jealous of Luna, aren't you?" Leni inquired
Leni's queen attacks! Luan's black queen gets hit and shatters!
The VR chessboard disappears; Lana, Luna, Leni and Luan appear back in the Performer's room.
LOGIC CHESS; COMPLETE!
Luna and Luan approach each other.
"Look sis, I got to tell you something."
"I do too…"
"I'VE BEEN JEALOUS THAT YOU'D STEAL LINCOLN AWAY FROM ME SO WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SPEND ANYMORE TIME TOGETHER!" Both of them shouted in sync.
"What? You've been jealous… of me?" Both of them said to each other
"But you're so much better than me." Luna replied "You are kind, funny, and supportive of everything Lincoln does. Even when he's becoming selfish, you get a confused look instead of an angry one!"
"No, you're awesome, talented, and way cooler than I could ever be." Luan shot back in response "I mean, when was the last time anyone actually laughed at my bad puns and not internally cringing at how bad they are. I mean you have so much talent, even your idol, Mick Swagger, noticed!"
"WHAT?! How did you- "
"I heard him praising you when we went to enjoy the rest of the Family Fun Fair that day."
"I'm sorry I made you feel that way, sis."
"Can't we just…make up and promise to always help Lincoln?"
"Yeah, let's do it."
Both of them embraced each other with a hug. Leni took a picture of it on her cellphone and posted it to Facebook.
"Aww, so CUTE!" Leni squealed in delight
"I'm glad you two made up." Lana said "Now, here's proof you've been inducted into the Covalence Network. Leni made these badges, I think they're pretty awesome. She made 13 of them, one for each of our family members…though once that happens, Covalence will disband, since it's purpose would have been fulfilled by then… either way; Here are your badges, Luna and Luan."
Luna and Luan take the badges. It has a picture of a nucleus with 8 electrons orbiting around it. The nucleus has white neutrons and orange protons making up its composition. The eight electrons orbiting it are colored purple on Luna's badge and colored yellow on Luan's badge. Luna's badge has the number 9 on it, while Luan's has 8.
"The numbers and colors are tailored to you as a person. See, mine has the number 4, because I am the fourth youngest, and the electrons on my badge are colored blue, because I'm associated with that color, same with Leni and Lincoln, whose numbers and colors are 10/seafoam green and 6/orange, respectively." Lana clarified
"Sweet, thanks, little sis, later." Luna said
"You can visit here anytime, after all, this is a shocking revelation and with 7 people, our bonds are electrifyingly strong! I hate to be the poor zap who messes with Covalence! This excitement has gotten me all charged up!" Luan said, achieving a 4 times bad pun combo.
Lana and Leni leave, knowing that the recruitment was a success. They head to their base of operations to tell Lincoln the good news. Lana enters the password and they enter Lincoln's room.
"Ok, we've just convinced Luna and Luan; Now it's 7-6…we're halfway there…"
"But are we living on a prayer?" Lincoln sarcastically remarked, making a musical reference that Luna would be proud of
"This is as balanced as we can get without one side having too much power. I'm going to go relax, see you later, Lincoln." Lana turns to leave, but Lincoln grabs her and pulls her back…he wraps his arms around her and hugs her. Lana hugs him back and blushes.
"Thank you… for everything…little sis." Lincoln said to her
"No problem Linc, but…don't go all soft on me…" Lana replied
Lana exits Lincoln's room and heads back to her room, once there. Lola gives her a pink mail…
"Someone must really care about you, Lans." Lola said "They left you this party invitation, and it looks like you're the guest of honor… I'm not jealous of you, or anything, but…enjoy that party for me, Lana."
"S-Sure…s-sis." Lana replied, surprised. She opens the pink mail and reads the invitation:
You are cordially invited to a party
It will be in the basement
Games, food and a good time will be had!
Lana, you deserve this after working so hard!
From, a concerned sister
"Hmm…this seems like a trap. But they only want me…" Lana debates on asking for help but decides against it "No, if someone is with me, the trap won't be sprung, and if it's an ambush…they'd just beat me up once they leave, even worse, is that if they leave, they'd call me a liar. Sorry guys, this is my burden, and I have to carry it."
Lana goes into the kitchen and descends down into the basement, a shadow tries to assail her with a wooden baseball bat, but Lana parries the attack with her radial bone, disarms the attacker, knocks them away into the shadows and breaks the bat on her knee, it splinters in two with a sickening snap!
("So, this IS an ambush! I'd better be on guard at all times!") Lana thought
"Going in without backup? I only have one thing to say about that…" The shadow taunted
"Y'all are stupid!"
Suddenly, footsteps are heard descending the stairs. Their footsteps sound like heartbeats, but it's a familiar heel-clacking sound. That can only be one sister…
Lana cocks her fists backward, ready to defend herself…she has to get the jump on this second assailant to have any hope of getting out of here.
"The hated twin who beats you down, and beats you down, and never lets up… yeah, big bad Lola is here! Want to see what corruption looks like? Here it is in human form! It's your girl, Lola!"
("Somehow, I don't think that's right…")
"But, wait until you see the surprise the Trinity of Violence has just in store for you Lana."
The lights turn on, we see Lola, Lynn and Lori in the room. There are 4 speakers in the around the room. Lola presses a button and sounds of an insect swarm begin to play. It deafens everyone. Lola presses a second button and Guzma's theme from Pokémon Sun and Moon begins to play, it's been perfectly calibrated to make Lana deaf, without penetrating the thin walls of the Loud House…it took them a few days to get the volume just right…
"You've been messing with the balance of this house, Lana. Don't you remember what Lori said about this? That it will open up a can of worms."
"What's so bad about that? Worms rule!" Lana shot back with a defiant look
"Alright TOV, let's rough her up!"
Lana's Intimidate ability activates!
Lola's attack fell by 1 stage!
Lynn's attack fell by 1 stage!
Lori's attack fell by 1 stage!
Lola used Play Rough!
Lana takes 42 damage!
Lana used Sucker Punch on Lola!
Lola's Queenly Majesty ability activates!
Sucker Punch was nullified!
Lori used Quash on Lynn!
Lynn now goes last!
Lynn used Close Combat!
Lana narrowly avoided the attack!
Lana used Mud Bomb on Lola!
Lola takes 152 damage!
"Why you little- that was my favorite dress! You're going to pay for that!"
Lola's aura flared to life; Lola's special attack was raised by 3 stages!
Lola used Charm!
Lana's attack fell by 2 stages!
Lori used Bestow!
It failed…
"Wait, Bestow?! Is she trying to help me?"
Lynn used Dynamic Punch!
Lynn missed!
Lana used Protect!
Lola used Nasty Plot!
Lola's Special Attack was raised by 2 stages!
Lori used Instruct on Lynn!
Lori pleaded with Lynn to stop; Nothing happened!
Lynn used Superpower!
No effect!
Lynn's attack fell by 1 stage!
Lynn's defense fell by 1 stage!
Lana used Play Rough on Lynn!
It's not very effective…
Lynn takes 41 damage!
Lola used First Impression!
Lana takes 77 damage!
Lori used Present!
Lana takes 42 damage!
Lynn used Superpower!
Lana takes critical damage!
Lana held on using the Focus Band!
Lana used Play Rough on Lola!
It's not very effective…
Lola takes 61 damage!
Lola used Nasty Plot!
Lola's special attack can't go any higher!
Lori used Present!
Lana's HP is maxed out?
"What, that should have knocked me out!"
"Don't worry, Lana! THIS will!"
Lynn punches the air rhythmically. She couldn't be… she is!
"Lynn we're supposed to rough her up, not kill her! Stop!" Lori and Lola shouted
Lynn doesn't listen…
Lynn gains a red aura…
Lynn unleashes her Z move; All-Out Pummeling!
Lana takes critical damage!
"Oh shit, let's bail!" Lori said
"Agreed." Lola responded
"Aww, I can't be allowed to finish the job? Your precious balance will be easier to achieve with 12 people…" Lynn quipped back
All of them leave, Lola turns off the insect swarm ambience and Guzma theme music. Unfortunately for the Trinity, the whole fight was caught on a hidden camera that Lisa installed sometime last year (what? You didn't think she'd bug just the bathroom, did you? No, she bugged the entire house with hidden cameras). Lana struggles to get up. She only got a few scrapes and bruises from the fight, but she's still sore from the skirmish…
Lana slowly limps up the basement steps into the kitchen. It's now nighttime. She slowly starts to climb the stairs to the second floor and starts to head toward Lincoln's room, but she thought, if Lincoln saw her like this, he would definitely wear that suit for the rest of his life if it meant protecting her! Lana can't let that happen, otherwise, this would have all been for nothing! This was to stop the family from forcing Lincoln to wear that thing… she can't bunk with Leni, because Lori is there, she can't bunk with Lucy, because Lynn is there and she can't stay in her own room, because Lola is there. She could stay with Lisa and Lily, but Lisa could still be a double agent, and rat out her plans to either the Trinity or their parents…that only leaves one option…
Lana knocks on the door…
"Are you guys still awake?"
Luna opens the door…
"Yeah, lit…
"What happened to you?! Are you ok?" Luna yelled in a hushed whisper
"I got ambushed, but don't worry, it's nothing major, just a few bruises, but… I can't let Lincoln see me like this, he'd freak out! So, can I bunk with you guys until these wounds heal?" Lana asked
"Fine…"
"Also, can you do me a favor? Can you run Covalence while I'm recovering?"
Luna is stunned that Lana actually trusts her, a new recruit, to run this network dedicated to keeping Lincoln safe.
"I'll do it, after all, I'm the one who's supposed to protect him." Luna assured
"Ok, great! Good night, Luna."
"Good night, Lans."
Author's Note: Here's the statistics from the Pokémon-esque battle. Note that Lori has terrible Pokémon moves. There's probably a reason for that.
Lana
Type: Poison/Ground
Moves: Mud Bomb, Sucker Punch, Play Rough, Protect
Item: Focus Band
Preferred Stat: Special Defense
Lola
Type: Fairy/Normal
Moves: Charm, First Impression, Nasty Plot, Play Rough
Item: Destiny Knot
Preferred Stat: Special Attack
Lynn
Type: Fighting
Moves: Close Combat (All-Out Pummeling), Dynamic Punch, Mega Kick, Superpower
Item: Fightinium Z
Preferred Stat: Attack
Lori
Type: Normal
Moves: Bestow, Instruct, Present, Quash
Item: Leftovers
Preferred Stat: Evasion