Infinitely Loud: (Season 2)

by tonbonkittybon

Lincoln and Ichika have settled into their new life at IS Academy, but they will have to contend with two resurgences from their past, with unintended consequences.

13. Infinite Siblings (Part 1)

The days came and went. Kiyoka bided her time until she was ready to undertake the rescue mission. One day at Phantom Task HQ, Kiyoka had opened the hangar and prepared to take off with her IS. Squall entered the hangar and saw Kiyoka.

"You're not going straight to IS Academy, are you?" Squall smirked.

"No, it's too soon," Kiyoka responded, "We need help. We need more units."

"The world has its eyes on us now," Squall countered, "They'll know we're coming."

"Which is why we need a distraction," Forte appeared behind her in her IS.

Squall blinked when she saw Forte stand behind Kiyoka. "So, this is your distraction?" One of the mechanical hellhounds walked beside her. The other licked her foot, "Uh..."

"Yep," Rain snapped her fingers and called the hound to her side, "We're going on a world heist."

"We're going to the weaker countries, taking their one good model," Forte tapped her wrist until her suit turned dark blue, "until we've got enough to launch an assault on the Academy."

"And while that's happening, we can sneak our way in," Rain winked while the hellhounds leapt onto her shoulder, "No one will know."

Just then, the hangar door opened. Kiyoka stepped out onto the edge and surveyed the night sky. She held her arm out and pointed, "There. South America's first."

"Well, what are we waiting for, trainee?" Rain stretched her chest, "Let's go!"

Forte readied herself and flew out first, followed by Rain. Kiyoka took a deep breath and entered her IS's stealth mode. She flew off behind them, hoping to prove to Squall that she belonged in Phantom Task.

Squall stood on the edge of the hangar, satisfied that Kiyoka has taken the first steps into becoming a full-fledged member. She let out a small chuckle and closed the door, "Oh, Kiyo-chan...the world's much more than wants and needs."

Meanwhile, the IS Academy has experienced a phase change. To Tatenashi's absolute dumbfoundry, Lincoln was more than capable of keeping pace with the demands of the Student Council, and Ichika and Chifuyu were able to organize the ISL into an actual unit. Ichika was able to focus more on his own training and studies, but he reminded himself to limit his time with Lincoln, who in turn started to regain his old self (with minor changes) who in turn started to creep out/annoy (no difference) the other students.

One week before March, the Student Council met after school for that month's tournament.

"Should we even have one?" A student asked, "There's a huge possibility of us being attacked again."

"And knowing the Loud's record of non-silent antics..." another student aimed a stinky eye at Lincoln, who returned a tongue diss.

"Well, we can't just have a paper fight, can we?" Tatenashi said, "All students here must be prepared for anything, especially another attack."

"True..." Kaoruko rubbed her head in frustration, "Man, this puts us in a bad situation..."

One of the students glared at Lincoln, "Why aren't you saying anything, albino?"

"I'm just a secretary," Lincoln quipped, "You said I don't get no voice."

"URK...dangit," the student slumped.

"Oh boy..." Tatenashi sighed, "Well, we got done everything else we needed to do, so I suppose we can call it here. But come March 1, I expect to have a viable solution in front of me."

Afterwards, everyone left, and Lincoln bolted out the door before Tatenashi could get a word in, "Hey! Quit the stampede! One step per sec-" She ran after him, but stopped short of seeing him enter the art room with Kanzashi. "Whoa...that's new..." she tiptoed towards the room and peeked over the window.

"So, what's the next page we're working on?"

"It looks like the damsel in distress is moments away from torture."

"And the prince shows up to interrupt everything."

"That'll make sense if he's on the next page."

"Ooh, I got a wicked scene for this panel!"

Her eyes widened when she saw the two working on a manga together, and getting along swimmingly.

"That's not supposed to happen..." Tatenashi muttered.

Then, she saw Ichika with Lori and Laura.

"This navigator business is literally nothing but gibberish..."

"I find it hard to believe that you survived this long."

"We can show you how to manage that code."

"Thanks. I'm going to need it."

"It is, how you say...grabbing a hand?"

"We're lending a hand. Not literally."

"Although...Wouldn't that be something."

And any student the trio walked towards backed away from them, as if unwilling to contaminate themselves with whatever disease they possessed.

"Whoa...what is happening to the vibe here?..." Tatenashi murmured.

Later that night, Kanzashi and Lincoln went and fooled around with Leni.

"How could you not know what a core is?"

"Is it that thing's stomach?"

"Yes and no. It's a-"

"Don't bother."

"What?! You guys are totes fautes!"

"I'd be more offended if you used it correctly."

That somewhat disturbed Tatenashi, since it was clear that she got along better with Lincoln's siblings than she did her own sibling. "Dammit, what can I do?..." The next day, she had finished another grueling training session with Ichika. She left the arena and walked three steps into the park when-

"Excuse me!"

"Wha-hoyle?!"

A couple students came to her for help, "Can we get your opinion on these uniforms?"

"Oh...sure, you can," Tatenashi said, right before seeing Kanzashi leaving the makeshift dorm with Leni:

"I cannot believe you even made it here in the first place."

"Even I can do something amazing once in a while!"

"Haha, no."

"That definitely wasn't supposed to happen..." Tatenashi thought before getting pulled away into the lobby. The students showed her the uniforms for the cheer squad and cheerleading squad, as well as their opening routines for the coming school battle and school festival.

"Not bad," Tatenashi said, "though the choreography could use some fine-tuning."

And then, she caught sight of Ichika with Chifuyu, Lori, Rin, Laura, and Kaoruko,

"Set up two tournaments?!"

"One for the pilots with personal IS units, and the for those without who want to participate."

"That's double the work! How are we gonna space it out?!"

"Simple. One tournament proceeds as scheduled. The other will headline the second festival."

"That's so much work for one lousy day..."

"We can make it work."

"How are you...wait. You're not-"

"No, I'm not. Just something I need you for."

"Just do it. You do need the extra training, do you not?"

"Oh, fine."

"What? What are we doing?"

Tatenashi saw what was happening: the students with personal IS units have caught on to other the students' attitudes towards them, and have played it up to the Nth degree. They're isolating themselves from the rest of them.

On another night, Tatenashi surveyed the freshman dorms before going to sleep. All but two dorm rooms were as they should be. Room 1025 was securely locked, with one one voice of soft snoring.

"Oh, don't tell me..." Tatenashi rushed to Charlotte and Kanzashi's room, but it was empty. She then ran outside to the Louds' dorm, but it was empty too. She then flew all the way to the Orimura's residence, and landed at the front gate. She peeked her head over the wall and saw Lincoln and Kanzashi with Charlotte, Laura, Rin, Tina, and Lori and Leni. Laughing. Giggling. Mocking and groaning at the anime being shown to them. "What in the ever loving hell?!" She saw the front door open and ran to hide.

The entire group left the house laughing at what they had just seen:

"What did I just watch?..."

"I will literally never look at playing cards the same way again."

"That was the English dub? God, they could've done so much better."

"Has 4Kids always been this cringey?..."

"Yes."

"Eugh..."

"They didn't do the Supreme King any favors. He shoulda been like, 'WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? WALLOWING IN THE DARKNESS LIKE YOU'VE GIVEN UP HOPE...YOU ALL SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!'"

"Not a chance!"

"Kids are gonna hear that!"

"If that was the pinnacle of Japanese voice acting, silent films have done better dialogue!"

Tatenashi cursed behind her fan ("ALTERNATE REALITY?!"). She immediately flew back to the campus and found Houki, Cecilia, and Ichika in 1025.

"Apparently, this magazine, Infinite Stripes, which I've never heard about before-"

"Never heard about?! Houki, please tell me you have some inkling about this!"

"Nu-uh."

"Oh, the agony! It's only the most premiere IS magazine in the world! I've been lucky enough to make the European edition of the magazine multiple times!"

"Uh...there's almost nothing related to the IS in this-"

"Past pilots and their lifestyles, their units, their fashion sense, their-how are neither of you getting it yet?!"

"It never occurred to me."

"It's vain."

"Well, it seems like I will have to educate the both of you on proper etiquette!"

Tatenashi grimaced. She saw them forming a tight bond with each other. For someone with many connections and resources, and many many students and fans under her thumb, that was the one thing she never figured out how to make a real connection. The one thing that was missing from her life. The one hole that was filled with achievements and titles...not the right thing to fill an important hole with.

Come March 1, the Student Council met again at the crack of dawn.

"Ok, so we've got a solid strategy for the school festivals, and the security of the island," Tatenashi stated, "but no one has a plan for the tournament?"

The girls shrugged. They knew that the tournaments were where the student body was the most vulnerable. They weren't confident at all about hosting anything IS-combat related.

But then, Lincoln shot his hand up, "I've got an idea."

"Hey!" A student snapped, "You don't get to talk!"

"So, we don't have a tournament, then?" Lincoln asked.

"Well, can we even?!"

"The instructors need a way to demonstrate that the students have been training to defend against outside threats," Tatenashi said, "I say we hear him out."

"What?!" The student shouted, "Do you have some connections with the Louds too?!"

"Do I have to remind you whose fault that is?" Tatenashi held a newspaper written about the Louds in the Academy, with an editorial full of students' provocative opinions on them, and her fan signing the kanji for "GET OVER IT".

The students grunted in defeat.

"Well then," Lincoln resumed, "I think that, since we've got a prisoner locked away in the deep recesses of the Academy, they're going to try something during the class tournament. But, it's the personal units they also want."

"Oh?" Tatenashi rasied an eyebrow, "Are you enacting the Lightning Rod protocol again?"

"No, because that'd require help from the other students," Lincoln winked at the other students, who tried so hard to hide their boiling rage, "I say, we set up two tournaments: one featuring those with personal IS units, and the other featuring the students only."

"What kind of proposal is that?" A student demanded.

"You wanted to kick my scrawny ass for how long?" Lincoln retorted, "Don't act like you don't want this."

Tatenashi hid her smirk behind her fan ("OHHHHHHHHH!"), "Well, I'd say that's it for the discussion." The students gasped, right as the clock signaled the time for class to begin. "As this is the only multipurpose proposal we have in the way of displaying the students' prowess, it will be the one sent to the instructors."

All the students left in disgust. Lincoln pranced out of the room on his way to first period. Tatenashi turned the corner and saw him exchange an elaborate handshake with Ichika. She would've laughed if not for the sight of Kanzashi. She saw her twin sister walking to Class 1-4, waving hello to Lincoln and Lori, and completely ignore everyone else. It was good to see Kanzashi talking to someone for a change, but not like this. Tatenashi felt like something needed to push her along.

Right before first period, the students were conversing amongst themselves. Kaoruko entered the class room with and errand, "Yoo-hoo! Orimura! Shinonono!"

"Hey, Mayuzumi," Ichika greeted, "How's the newspaper goin'?"

"Going well, thank you," Kaoruko nodded, "but I have a favor to ask of you."

"A favor?" Houki murmured, "Is it something weird?"

"Oh, heavens no," Kaoruko replied, "My older sister's working at a publishing company now, and I was wondering if maybe she could interview the two of you since you each have your own personal IS units." She pulled out a magazine for them to look at as a sample.

"Oh no...it's the magazine Cecilia showed us..." Ichika groaned.

"This doesn't have anything to do with IS units in here," Houki commented.

"Hold on," Kaoruko sensed the tension, "Have either of you done this kind of work before?"

The two went "No."

"Well, some pilots with their own IS units are kind of like celebrities," Kaoruko turned to a page featuring a current IS Representative, modeling with just an overshirt, "There's some tech stuff, but it's more about fashion shoots and modeling and stuff."

"Yeah," Houki saw the model's bust and turned, "hard pass."

"There's no way-" Ichika was interrupted by Rin's sudden rush.

"Are you talking about modeling?" Rin eagerly jumped into the conversation, "Let me show you my portfolio."

"Uh, Rin?!" Ichika was caught off guard by her sudden arrival, "Ah, no, that's ok..."

"And why's that?" Rin felt offended.

"Well, uh, isn't it just doing weird poses and...stuff?"

"What do you mean by weird?" Rin got agitated and shoved her phone in his face, "Just take a look at it and find out for yourself! Look at it right now!"

Ichika worriedly steadied his eyes on her phone, and it wasn't as weird as he thought. It was just her wearing normal clothes in a cute pose, "Oh! Not bad."

"Ha! I told you so, didn't I?" Rin gloated before opening up her full profile for him to see, "Oh! And have a look at this one from the day before Christmas break!"

Kaoruko heard the bell ring and decided to postpone the discussion, "Tell you what, I'll catch up after class."

Houki waved and went back to her seat, "Ok...sure..."

Rin was far too enamored with her modeling portfolio, "And check this one out. It's-OWIE!" To notice the oncoming threat of the teacher.

"Someone needs to go back to their own class," Chifuyu said.

"Yes, ma'am..." Rin groaned all the way back to Class 1-2.

Lincoln just chuckled as Rin was forced to return at a later date.

"For today's lecture," Chifuyu began, "we're going to discuss the philosophy of close combat, including implementing effective evasive maneuvers and how to maintain a consistent close distance."

Lincoln looked out into the shimmering sea wondering if there was anything for him beyond the unseen horizon.

"And Loud?"

"Huh?" Lincoln was called back to reality by a field of death eyes, "GLCK?!"

Courtesy of Chifuyu, "No brooding in class."

"Yes, ma'am..."

During lunch period, the usual groups have congregated to their usual spots to talk about the usual things. However, Kanzashi chose to skip the lunch and continue to work on her own IS unit from the classroom. Lori scanned the cafeteria and noticed one student missing from the crowd. She decided to go back to Class 1-4 to keep her company.

"Hey, Kan-chan..." Lori greeted.

"Oh..." Kanzashi recognized her voice.

Lori saw many students passing by the classroom. Some of them peeked into the room and threw unwelcome glances at her. "So, they're starting to stay away from us," she noted.

"More peace and quiet," Kanzashi blurted out.

"So, I got the notice from Lincoln," Lori said, "There's gonna literally be two tournaments this month. The first is happening next week, and it's just for those with personal units."

Kanzashi stopped typing momentarily. She got a flashback of how the company that was developing her personal IS unit (because of her relationship to Tatenashi) suddenly canceled the project to focus on the male pilots.

Luckily, Lori's voice pulled her out of the flashback, "You think you'll finish yours in time?"

"I will," Kanzashi kept typing until she felt a warm sensation in her hand. She looked down and saw Lori pass half of her food to her. She was stunned.

"Just take it," Lori said, "I'm dieting."

"Um...ok..." Kanzashi nodded. She took a spoonful of the rice and savored it.

After school, Ichika and Houki trained in the school dojo, clacking bamboo swords while conversing.

"So, about that interview with Mayuzumi's sister...are you going?" Ichika asked.

"No way," Houki answered, "It's against my principles to be on display like an object."

"What if they were doing it over a dinner?"

"We can make our own," Houki momentarily turned off her brain, "just the-" to land a strike at his shoulders, "-TWO OF us."

"You're right," Ichika sighed, and then he noticed the door slide open, "And thar she bloos."

"Yo, thanks for waiting," Kaoruko waved to them, "Now, back to business. About that interview-"

"Well, about that," Ichika interrupted her, "Houki's not going to-"

"Oh, yeah," Ichika cut him off with a pair of vouchers, "Did I mention that the interview includes two diner tickets to a three-star restaurant?"

Houki was stricken by the possibility of time alone with Ichika. Just the two of them. Eating together. With romantic music played...by musicians who would be eyeing them the whole time...but not as intently as the staff... and the few people who would have managed to sneak their way in, causing Ichika to have to rescue both of them and no matter what happened there will be a scene-

"A bribe?" Ichika was disgusted, "Really?"

"It got weird," Houki flat out rejected, "We will not do it."

"What?!" Kaoruko exclaimed, "Not even for a free pa-"

"No means no," Houki put the tip of her sword on Kaoruko's shoulder, "Now leave and never bother us again." Kaoruko ran out as fast as she could.

When it was just the two of them, they exhaled loudly, relieved that they had warded off a potential paparazzi job.

"What were they gonna ask us anyway?" Houki wondered, "About Tabane? Again?"

"And did you see those poses?" Ichika freaked, "Am I gonna have to stick my chest out like that?"

"Not that you'd have one," Houki grinned.

"Hey, I've been training just as hard as you!"

"Then, why don't I see any pectoral growth?"

"Because I don't wanna be a walking flesh ball."

Houki blinked. Just the imagery of Ichika in a bodybuilder body was so ridiculous that it made her laugh, "Hahahahahahahaha!"

And that caused Ichika to laugh, "Pft-ok, that-D'haaaahahahahaaaa!" They took a moment to cool off, and then Ichika decided to fill in the void left from that endeavor, "Well...that means we have some time this weekend."

"Huh?!" Houki jolted, "Y-y...you mean..."

"I mean, if you want to," Ichika scratched his neck, "It's just a day away from everything-HOLY!" He barely missed a throat strike. And then he saw where it came from.

"We'll discuss that in detail after we address the more pertinent issue at hand," Houki said, her sword right at his neck, her face blotched red and pink, "Now, take up your blade, Orimura!"

Ichika was starting to tell that she was still hiding her emotions. But he obliged anyway, "Criminy Jickets..."

Later that night in 1025, Cecilia and Rin were having a fit with Houki and Ichika, with Lincoln and Charlotte on the watch.

"YOU WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

"Take it easy, lady!"

"Sacre bleu?!"

"The very nerve of you to reject a proposal from the nobility!"

"Some things are more important than status!"

"You big dumb dummy headed jerkwad!"

"What are we-YEET!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Charlotte managed to soothed Cecilia, while Lincoln restrained Rin.

After some more screaming and flailing, Cecilia calmed down enough to tearfully fling herself onto Rin, "Please say it ain't so! Please tell me you have been blessed by the Infinite Stripes!"

Rin showed her a picture of a previous edition of Infinite Stripes, in which she was on the cover, "Hell yeah."

"I love Infinite Stripes, girl!" Cecilia lost it and hugged her tighter, "I've forgotten how much I love it!"

"Easy on the fluffers, CA..." Rin breathed.

"What's going on?..." Ichika murmured.

"Something stupid, I'm sure..." Houki whispered.

"Lincoln!" Cecilia suddenly got in his face, "Have you any idea the magnitude of what those heathens have done?!"

"I-I'm sure they had their reasons..." Lincoln stammered.

"Reasons?!" Rin whined, "Here's a Get-Outta-Jail card on a silver platter, and you're complaining about reasons?!"

"See?" Houki whispered, "Told you."

"Ok, I think you've made your point," Charlotte settled them down, "What say you all to dinner?"

"Why are you all talking about food at this junction?!" Cecilia asked, moments before each of their stomachs rumbled in unison.

"We're not done, you two," Cecilia took their hands, "Now, allow a proper lady to show you two the error of your ways."

"You can't be serious..." Houki groaned.

"I'll tag along, too," Rin joined Cecilia arm-in-arm, "You seriously need to get a life, Ichika!"

"Not like this!" Ichika wailed while being led to the cafeteria.

Leaving Lincoln and Charlotte behind.

"What were we talking about before this hooplah?" Lincoln asked.

"The class tournaments...right before the usual..." Charlotte sighed. The pair turned around and saw Laura- "HOLY-"

"Good to see you two as well," Laura muttered.

"What is it now?..." Lincoln murmured.

"A favor."

"GOD!" Lincoln and Charlotte jolted at Tatenashi's voice.

"I trust no one here is con-jolt-ing anyone into a scheme?" Tatenashi winked, "Haha, get it?"

The trio went "Ugh..."

Moments later, they were having a picnic in the park under a bright shining moon.

"You want Ichika to ally with Kanzashi?" Lincoln said.

"Hey-shhhh!" Tatenashi covered his mouth, "Not so loud!"

"Why such a specific matchup?" Charlotte wondered.

"Well, you see..." Tatenashi said with slight insecurity, "She's kinda in the rut, and it has to do with Ichika."

"Did he cause any unnecessary grievance?" Laura asked.

"No," Tatenashi answered, "You see how she's done nothing but type away on a keyboard?"

"I suppose..." Charlotte thought back to the times she's seen Kanzashi staring at screens. Then, she connected them to the IS she was seen modifying, "Does it have anything to do with the Uchigane model she's modifying?"

"That's hers," Tatenashi answered, "But it wasn't supposed to be. Kuromochi Machinery was supposed to be developing her personal unit, but as soon as Ichika emerged as the world's first male pilot, they sidelined her unit and gave priority to the Byakushiki. They just gave her an Uchigane in blue."

"That's why she spends all her time in the lab," Lincoln muttered.

"It's great seeing her open herself up to you guys," Tatenashi said, "but if we don't tackle the problem at its roots, this could blope into something unnecessary."

"What do you mean, unnecessary?" Lincoln questioned her, "I don't see anything wrong with anything, do you?" He turned to Laura, who wasn't amused with the direction of the conversation.

"Actually, something's happened to our standing with the student body," Laura motioned him to look around. And he did just that.

Lincoln saw students turning their eyes from them. Some were approaching them but they diverted their path around or away. None of them dared to give them any proper attention. And yet, he turned back to Laura and said, "What's the problem?"

"You have dulled, Lincoln," Laura groaned, "Your battle senses have sharpened, but your emotional perception-"

"His emotional perception's blunt as a turd pestle," Tatenashi chuckled.

"If he even has one," Charlotte joked, "I think Ichika stole it from him in his sleep."

"What does that mean?!" Lincoln didn't know what was going on.

"Oh, you, with all your pompousness," Tatenashi laughed.

"Come on, lady," Lincoln retorted, "What exactly is it that needed you to insert yourself in all this?"

"What, you forgot that load of shit past I told you about?" Tatenashi smirked.

Lincoln blinked. And in that blink, he suddenly remembered every single word she told him and Laura, down to the details of their appearance before their first year of school, "Oh, poop deck..."

"Yeah, you're going in the Tea Ceremony Club," Tatenashi wafted her fan at him ("REALIGNMENT REQUIRED").

"I'll make sure he's present at every single meeting," Charlotte said.

"Hey, that's not necessary!" Lincoln protested.

"Oh, yes it is."

"Meetings are twice a week, with the next one being tomorrow," Laura stood up and left, "I expect to see you there at 1500 hours."

"Unfair!" Lincoln shouted.

"Lori'll be there as backup," Tatenashi winked, "It'd be a shame if you were to ruin the showcase of the Tea Ceremony Club during the next festival."

"VERY UNFAIR!"

Back in the dormitory, Kanzashi had been watching an anime until she fell asleep. Her phone was still running, and she ended up dreaming about that show, in which she was the damsel in distress, and Ichika was the villain who bound her.

"Now, then! Tell me where he is!" Ichika growled.

"No! I won't!" Kanzashi cried.

"Fine!" Ichika held a knife to her throat and took out his gun, "We'll do it the hard way!"

Suddenly, a wall was busted open, with a voice escaping into the hideout, "THAT'S FAR ENOUGH!"

Ichika stopped what he was doing to stare down the intruder, and it was none other than Lincoln in his superhero outfit, "WHAT?!"

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Lincoln said to Kanzashi, "Just leave it to me."

Ichika abandoned Kanzashi to engage Lincoln in a life-or-death duel, leaving Kanzashi enamored at the fact that someone came to rescue her. This left her wondering if she could be rescued in the real world. Some students have made efforts to try and connect with her, but the only person who came closest was Lincoln, and even then, he was missing that one quality of him to completely free her from her mental prison.

"Someday...someone will come for me..." she whispered silently, "...a real hero..."

Lincoln ended the fight with a right hook, sending Ichika out of the hideout and into the dirt. He quickly got back up just in time to see a deck-full of cards hurtling towards him.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Ichika screamed right when the deck hit him and exploded, "AAAAAAGH!"

Lincoln went back and untied Kanzashi, "Are you ok?"

"Thanks to you," Kanzashi nodded.

"I'm glad," Lincoln extended his hand, to Kanzashi, who accepted it and allowed him to carry her to safety. As the two flew away, Kanzashi in the real world was reflecting on that image and wondered whe her time will really come.

"A hero of my own..." Kanzashi whispered, "...who will protect me...and watch over me..."

The next day went as planned. Right after Homeroom began, Maya made an announcement, "In just a couple days, the entire Academy is going to be participating in a tag-team tournament designed to improve the skills of pilots with personal IS units."

The boys went "A tag-team, huh?..."

"A number of IS units from several countries have been hijacked," Chifuyu elaborated, "And as you know one of ours was targeted during the recent cultural festival."

Ichika groaned audibly.

"What?" Lincoln giggled.

"Nothing," Ichika pouted.

"Therefore," Chifuyu continued, "those of you with personal IS units are obliged to improve your skill level. Use this first of two class tournaments to improve team chemistry."

And Chifuyu left it at that. The pilots took this as a signal that something big is coming, and that they had to face it with someone they could trust. And so, they set about to find the ideal partner. Lincoln and Ichika looked around to find anyone who would be willing to tolerate them, but none of the regular students dared to approach or talk to them.

"Ok, maybe there is a problem," Lincoln murmured.

"You think?" Ichika retorted, "They hate us now."

"Good," Lincoln nodded, "More fuel for my fire."

"How many Scapegoat cards do you have stockpiled?..."

"Let's go find the others..." Lincoln sighed.

But Charlotte and Rin stopped them, "Hey~o!"

"Oh, hey guys!" Ichika greeted.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Cecilia said with Houki tagging along.

"You wanna join us?" Lincoln waved.

The group met at the usual outdoor grass area, where things immediately became tense due to-

"I think my cooking's gone quite a long way," Cecilia unnerved the boys, but Houki nodded in satisfaction, calming them down somewhat. Cecilia unwrapped her basket, "I hope you'll enjoy my bacon butties."

And then everyone struggled to maintain their composure:

"BMPHMPPM?!"

"I'm...what?..."

"Oh god-*SNORT*"

"Lady. Just-"

"PFFTTT-"

"As foreign as the name might sound," Cecilia said, "I assure you that these delicacies are scrumptious."

"Yeah, right!" Rin instinctively took a bacon thing to her mouth, "Like I'd ever trust her with any-" bite "-oh, this is pretty good."

"Really?!" Everyone grabbed a bite off the basket, and it was a decent bite, much to their relief.

"Well, now that we have calmed down," Cecilia pouted, "can we please carry on with the conversation?"

"I rather not," Houki moaned, "The ISL's been running on fumes. Dead leads where ISs have already been taken or just now been taken."

"Wait, so," Lincoln spoke, "Do you know what those ISs would be used for?"

"Original purpose, no," Charlotte answered, "Possible current purpose? Us."

"So, we have to defend ourselves, then."

"Intersting that your mind would conclude that," Cecilia interrupted.

"What else could it be?" Lincoln said, "We took'em down the last time they came here, so they're gathering a big enough force to plow us into the sea."

"Ah, anyway!" Rin suddenly had a disturbing thought and tried to brush it off, "Who wants a bite of my stir-fried pepper steak?"

"Oh, I don't think it's necessary," Cecilia commented before Lincoln reached for a piece.

"Wow! The spice, sauce, and flavor!-" Lincoln swallowed his bite, "Everything's just right, Rin!"

"Glad to know somebody appreciates my many talents!" Rin haughtily flicked her hair.

"Well, if we're comparing international cuisines," Houki jumped in, "I believe my wagyu can hold a candle to everyone else's."

"Whaaaaaat?! You do not have wagyu," Rin taunted.

"I would like to confirm for myself," Charlotte took a bite from Houki's basket.

"Go ahead," Houki allowed it. Then, she noticed Charlotte starting to sweat and blush, "Well, how is it?"

Charlotte turned her head around the group to show her eyes completely widened, bursting to tears, "...it's olive wagyu..."

"Lemme see that," Ichika snagged what was left of her bite and ate it (unintentionally angering Rin, Cecilia, and Houki). And he was floored, "Holy moly...the legends are true..."

"Well, thank you," Houki said somewhat vindicated, "I'm glad someone appreciates my traditional cooking," earning a growl from Cecilia.

Lincoln had a thought about the upcoming tournament but he wasn't sure about the tag-team format, "So, question out of the blue...when you're out there fighting with a partner, what would you like to see in them?"

Everyone looked at him.

"That's an odd thing to ask," Houki said.

"Is this all a probe?" Ichika sighed.

"No, just curious," Lincoln shrugged.

"Hmm, let me see," Ichika started the group discussion, "Well, I still need to brush up on my sniping skills, so it'd be nice if my partner could cover me there..."

Rin, Charlotte, and Cecilia leaned in, but Houki and Lincoln leaned back.

"...but in the end," Ichika finished his thoughts, "it's all about working in harmony and just being compatible."

The girls went "HUH?! COMPATIBLE?!"

And then, Ichika unwittingly derailed the conversation. "Well, what's your type?" He asked confused.

Rin beat the group to the first answer, "Well, I think..." she hastily dug deep for a response, "...that my ideal partner would be some who'd help me out when I get cornered, and who'd be willing to put everything on the line for me."

"Oui, I agree with her," Charlotte quickly followed up.

"Really?" Rin raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, those are very nice qualities," Charlotte said before she suddenly had a thought, "Oh, and also, I want that person to be responsive to my needs."

"I would also like to add to that," Cecilia raised her hand, "I would want my person to know me inside and out."

Charlotte and Rin agreed with her, making Lincoln and Ichika uncomfortable.

"They don't have to do much," Houki suddenly interrupted, "I just need to know that they'll have my back when it matters the most."

"Oh, there must be more to it than that!" Cecilia said.

"Come on!" Rin encouraged, "We're all ears!"

Houki suddenly realized what she had just blurted out and tried to remove herself from the conversation, "Uh, no! There's nothing else to it! Just a simple back watch, that's all!"

"Whaaaaat?! Pft! Boring."

The girls started to chat together while Ichika and Lincoln just sat there observing.

"We need more moments like this," Ichika whispered, to Lincoln's approval.

But their moment was halted by Charlotte, "So, Lincoln? What type of partner would be your ideal?"

"My-huh?"

"Hey," Ichika nudged him, "You brought up the question. You have to finish."

"Everyone, look at him with curious eyes," Cecilia said, and they all threw their googly eyes at him, including Ichika.

"Well, that...just, the..." Lincoln stammered for an answer, but he turned his brain off instead, "I...just want someone I can share everything with. Good and bad. My person cannot walk me through everything. My person is willing to walk with me through everything."

And on that answer, everyone backed off, realizing Lincoln's question didn't fully connect with his answer. To think that a question about fighting partners turned into a deep dive into future partners. They all stared at their knees in utter embarrassment.

Everyone except Ichika. "Well, everyone has their type, I guess..." he muttered as he sipped his drink.

Later that day, Ichika was slumping on his way back to his dorm, while Lincoln and Lori were on their way to the Tea Ceremony Club.

"It's not just pouring tea and stuffing it into your bladder," Lincoln joked.

"What's the difference?" Lori grinned.

"So much," Lincoln said as he scanned the message he received:

TataS: "Date with Orimura happening now! 1025 will get friskay with my sissay!"

Lincoln: "We're seeing her in the Tea Ceremony Club. Please keep the cringe to a minimum."

TataS: "You're no fun. XP"

"Hoy...so," Lincoln sighed, "What's bringing you to the Tea Ceremonials?"

"I just thought it'd be a nice change of pace for us," Lori stretched her body, "The intensity of high school survival is literally wearing me out..."

"Uh, didn't you already graduate high school?" Lincoln said while averting his eyes away from her stretch.

"I did, but then PT."

"Ohhhh..." Lincoln swung the door open and saw Laura already pouring tea for Kanzashi, "Oh no..."

"You're late," Laura condemned him by making him prepare the cups and the tea kettle.

"So, what exactly am I doing here?" Kanzashi questioned, "I got your message to come here, but why?"

"Ok, I'll cut right to it," Lincoln said while pouring the tea for her, "What do you know about Ichika Orimura?"

"Your roommate..." Kanzashi looked down at her cup in disdain.

"We know," Laura told her, "About the IS."

"How did you find out?" Kanzashi asked.

"Your IS model resembles the Uchigane training model to an extent," Laura explained, "You can't have taken the time to modify it unless something happened to your unit."

"That," Lori added, "and your profile said 'IS Representative of Japan'."

"Huh?" Lincoln froze, "Get out!" right in the middle of serving Laura tea, "You're a for real IS Representative?!"

"Ahem," Laura growled at him.

"Huh?" Lincoln accidentally made a stain on her shirt, "Uh...sorry..." getting distracted by how it clung to her skin.

Laura froze him and took the kettle, "Sit down," she said while pushing him down.

Kanzashi gritted her teeth, "I can't bring myself to think about him at all."

"Figured you'd say that," Lori nodded, "So, what'd happen if you never talk to him the entire semester?"

"I don't know..." Kanzashi said, "I don't want to know."

"Not even for the tag-team tournament?" Lincoln asked, "Just for a short while?"

"No," Kanzashi denied.

"But think about it," Lincoln said, "Ichika was originally supposed to take the entrance exam from a regular school. He only became a pilot because he got lost in the school, no one would point him in the right direction, and he was stuck by himself. He didn't choose to become a pilot."

Kanzashi's gaze softened slightly. She couldn't be mad at someone who didn't mean to cause her life to sidestep...could she?

"He's right," Laura added, "Resentment is corrosive, and resentment to an innocent bystander is disastrous. It could lead to your demise at the hands of the enemy."

"What enemy?" Lori got confused.

"Just play along," Lincoln whispered, suddenly second guessing his time in the club room thanks to Laura's words.

"You do not have to become friends with Orimura," Laura rationalized her solution, "You just have to let go of this grudge against him."

Kanzashi sipped her tea cup and exhaled, "I'll think about it."

"The tournament's not for a few days," Lincoln said, "You'll have plenty of time."

"Alright," Kanzashi nodded, but she still wasn't entirely on board with what they have planned for her, so she decided to prod them, "Have you ever hung out with him?"

"Constantly," Lincoln answered.

"A few times," Lori and Laura answered simultaneously, which surprised them.

"WhY, yES, LoOreE," Lincoln said in an unhinged goofy manner, "AI Has MOaR ZEeZteRs!?!" making them giggle. When Kanzashi looked at them utterly baffled by the sudden mood swing, Lincoln assured her, "That's half of him in a nutshell...at least, when I'm around him. The other half is a kind and caring person."

"Really?" Kanzashi turned to Lori.

"Yeah," Lori nodded, "Sometimes, he needs to step back and breathe, but he's very sure he's of himself. A good man, and a self starter."

"And you, Bodewig," Kanzashi turned to Laura, "What do you make of him?"

"In the few times I've been in contact with him, he has proven himself to be a capable soldier," Laura explained, "He can fight his way out of anything, and he refuses to leave his people behind."

Kanzashi dwelled on those thoughts for a while. Could she really learn to trust someone who had a hand in taking away her IS, even if he didn't know? The others seemed to trust him, even though the rest of the student body doesn't. Even her sister seems to trust him, what with his daily training and other activities. She doesn't talk with the other students anyway, and unfortunately she was the subject of their gossip...

("Can you believe it? There's going to be two tournaments!")

("Kanzashi's trying to build her own IS from scratch!")

("I hope she doesn't pair with Ichika.")

("That boy's a loose cannon riding high from his own sister's fumes!")

("And we all know how her older sister turned out.")

("But she's been palling around with that albino, though.")

("So have the other pilots with their own units!")

("If she winds up with any of them, there is no hope left!")

("It's all part of the inner circle, isn't it?")

"Well," Kanzashi finished her cup of tea, and then poured herself another, "If he asks me tomorrow, I'll consider it."

"That is perfect fine," Lori nodded.

"Ok, then I'll be off," Kanzashi said after downing her cup in one gulp. Once she left the room, the others sighed.

"You think she's onto us?" Lincoln asked.

"Definitely," Lori said, "though it's nice that we all got together with her for once."

"Yeah," Lincoln nodded, noticing how nonchalantly he took his former sister's presence, "I will admit, it is nice to talk about something." Their eyes crossed paths, and they could see that things were softening between them, "So, you wanna..."

"Next week?" Lori quickly cut him off.

"Well... I was..." Lincoln's mind gave out, "... why not..."

"I'd appreciate it," Lori nodded in satisfaction, "You wanna bring Leni?"

"Yeah...as long as she doesn't touch anything..."

"Haha, she won't..." Lori blushed, "I guess I'll be seeing you..."

"Yeah..." Lincoln murmured as Lori left the room, leaving him to ponder what exactly had just happened.

"By the way, Loud," Laura interrupted his brooding, "you have allowed a guest to pour her own cup of tea."

"What?!" Lincoln whined, "The kettle was inches from her! She didn't mind to-"

"That marks three infractions in one session," Laura froze him again, "You will stay behind to clean up this room, implements included, for the next week."

"UNFAIR FAIR GIRL!" Lincoln shouted.

Laura scoffed at him and let him be, but she wanted to know what his reaction was about, "About Lori...you still haven't forgotten what she did, correct?"

"Huh?" Lincoln was brooding while cleaning up, so he ha to react quickly, "Osh-no! I haven't forgotten about her e~evil misdeeds to ruin the Loud name!...or something."

"Then, about your plan next week."

"Oh, that..." Lincoln scratched his head, "Well...turns out that...resentment is corrosive, and I hate it."

"I see," Laura thought on his words for a brief moment, and then, "Don't linger for too long," shut the door.

"Aw, come on!" Lincoln shouted, "You're gonna leave me to the tea demons?! Spooky McSpooker...patch...thing-YOU!"

Laura walked to her dorm room wondering how Lincoln was able to come to an understanding of his family's past, after everything that has happened to him. She would understand if he isolated himself even more, but he chose to open himself up to Lori once again. Something she would've glossed over, had she not felt empty inside, as if something was taken from her very early in her life.

"What could it be? I already completed my mission. I have everything I need. And yet..."