Gal Pals

by Alexpv22

Lori and Leni get into a fight, after the former loses a golf game. As a result, the rest of the Loud Sisters soon get caught up in it as well. Feeling overwhelmed by all the chaos, Lincoln leaves the house and heads downtown for some peace and quiet. There, he has a chance meeting with three of Lori's classmates. What does the future hold for Lincoln, after crossing their path?

8. Chapter Eight: The Ace Savvy Convention

The Ace Savvy Convention

The next morning, Lincoln swiftly suited himself up in his Ace Savvy costume; anxious to spend his next day of Spring Break at the Ace Savvy Convention. After taking a moment to properly slip on his mask, he did a quick touch up on his hair; doing his best to make it look the same way it did after his spa trip. But I think we may be getting a little ahead of ourselves here, I'm afraid.

Let us take a moment to turn back the clock, shall we?

(Hours Earlier)

After having such a spectacular visit, the time had come for Lincoln and Co. to leave the spa; despite however much the ladies didn't want to. After everybody said their thank you's and goodbyes, the group and were about to part ways...until Carol suddenly called for Lincoln's attention. It was here that the young lady in question offered him to spend the night at her place.

"No, no; I don't want to impose on you" Lincoln muttered humbly, "you and the others have done so much for me so far already." Despite his every attempt to decline her offer, Carol insisted that he should accept it; adding that her parents had been wanting to meet him for sometime. After giving the idea some thought, Lincoln playfully relented and decided to accept Carol's invitation.

"Before I come to your place, however; I need to do one thing first" he said suddenly, "my things are still over at Jordan's place, let me go pick them up and I'll come right over." Straightaway, Carol happily accepted the condition and said that she would inform her parents about this; once she returned home. Then, she handed Lincoln a folded up piece of notepad paper; one that had her home address written on it.

"This way, you or any member of your family will know where to find mine; in case any emergencies come up" Carol explained, "best put this in a safe spot...and I don't mean that 'socket' thing of yours, okay?" The girl group suddenly burst into a fit of giggles, after hearing this little joke. Meanwhile, Lincoln seemed oddly silent; which caused their laughter to fade almost instantly.

Just as Carol was about to ask if he was okay, Lincoln did something that took her completely off-guard. Without the slightest hesitation or pause, he suddenly threw himself into the teen's arms and hugged her tightly. Although this gesture shocked her a bit, at first; seconds later...Carol found herself not only smiling but openly returning the hug.

"That's right, pal...I'm here" she whispered, "you'll be safe with me, I promise." On the sidelines, the other ladies were suddenly overcome with emotion by this heartwarming scene; which ultimately caused them to want to join in on the hugfest as well. Once everyone parted away, almost a minute later; Lincoln said "see you later" to Carol and went off with Jordan.

Soon, the teen in question was all by herself outside of the Tranquil Springs Spa but she didn't care. All she could think about was the moment where Lincoln hugged her...he hugged her without so much as a second thought, just because she handed him her address. Perhaps, he felt overcome with emotion over the fact someone entrusted such delicate information to him.

Maybe it was a combination of that and the fact that he took it as a sign that they were really becoming friends. Either way, Carol could still feel the warmth and comfort from the boy's embrace even now. "That little guy truly is something else, I swear" she thought with an outward sigh, "I've got a feeling he'll be surprising us even more over the rest of Spring Break."

(Line Break)

About forty minutes later, after leaving the Rosato Household with his things in tow; Lincoln came upon a split-level house near on the outskirts of the Royal Woods suburbs. Upon glancing at the mailbox for a second and reading the address on the paper Carol gave him, he saw that the address matched perfectly. However, he was quite surprised by the overall size of the Pingrey Household.

While it wasn't quite as large as Jordan's, Carol's place still looked rather fancy. "Her parents must be rich...or at least somewhere on the high Middle Class level" Lincoln whispered, "well...time to head inside and get comfortable." Just as he was about to open the front door, the Loud Boy's ears suddenly rang with the sounds of loud barking screaming.

Of course, due to the fact that the sound was coming from somewhere rather close; it caused him to suddenly leap back in shock. "Boy, this is the second time that a dog barking left me scared now" Lincoln murmured while addressing the viewer, "but I didn't know Carol even had a dog." Upon saying this, he suddenly remembered hearing either Lori or Leni saying something about Carol having a pet corgi.

As he took a quick glance into the house's bay window, Lincoln's jaw suddenly dropped in shock. Not only was his assumption about Carol having a dog correct, that same dog appeared to be chasing the girl around her living room; all while barking viciously. During the chase, Lincoln could see Carol making numerous attempts to try and calm the dog down...but to no avail.

The more she tried to talk to the corgi, the angrier it seemed to get; as evident by the foam running angrily from its mouth. Finally, after Carol made one final angry demand; the corgi's anger levels appeared to be at their boiling point. Soon, he squatted himself low to the ground; poised to pounce and attack the teenager.

Not wanting to go down without a fight; Carol snatched up a nearby newspaper, rolled it up and proceeded to swat it at the corgi in a disciplinary manner. But all that seemed to do was make it even angrier than before, much to her dismay. After seeing its owner bat the paper atop its nose for a third time; the corgi let out a vicious snarl, snatched the paper in its teeth and tore it to shreds.

This display utterly terrified Carol, causing her to stumble backwards into the loveseat behind her. After disposing of the newspaper weapon, the corgi saw that its owner was now defenseless; giving it the perfect chance to retaliate. The corgi squatted itself down low to the ground, gave a low growl and finally rushed towards Carol at full speed.

But at the near last second, Lincoln leapt into action and hurried into the living room; putting himself in between both pet and owner. Due to the boy's sudden arrival, the corgi immediately stopped running and stared blankly at him; unsure of what to do next. At the same time, Carol was also surprised by Lincoln's sudden arrival (but feeling no less relieved to see him.)

"Lincoln, I'm happy to see you...but you need to leave" she whispered, "as vicious as Alistair is to me, he's even worse around strangers!" With this thought in mind, Carol insisted that Lincoln move away from her pet; not wishing to see him get hurt in her own home. But despite all the teenager's pleas, the Loud Boy remained where he stood; all while assuring her that he would be fine.

"I have a dog of my own, back at my house" Lincoln stated, "so, I know the best way to calm them down when they're angry." While all of this was going on, Alistair was sniffing its nose at the strange boy for several moments. When he finally stopped, the corgi soon realized that a stranger was standing in his home and was moments away from lashing out again.

But just as Alistair started showing his teeth at him, Lincoln held up his hands defensively and started speaking in a hushed yet soothing tone. "Whoa, whoa! Easy does it there, lil' fella" he whispered, "don't get excited...don't get excited." Despite the boy's calming tone of voice, Alistair's canine instincts still urged him to scare him out of the house; like any good guard dog would.

Four times over, he tried to scare Lincoln off and get to Carol...and four times over, his path was blocked. After seeing him make a fifth attempt to charge, Lincoln soon started to approach Alistair as carefully as possible; all while still speaking in a hushed yet sweet tone. "Easy, boy; easy...eeeeeasy" he whispered while waving his arms out, "I'm not gonna hurt you or your mama, see...I'm your friend."

In a split second, Alistair's expression shifted from angry to confused; all the way up to mildly indifferent. Upon both seeing and sensing this change in him, Lincoln believed he had managed to connect a little with the pup. This gave him just the opportunity he needed to speak a little more boldly to Alistair.

"Okay, now...do me a favor and sit" Lincoln requested, "c'mon, sit like a good boy." At first, Alistair refused to answer the command; thinking he had no business answering to a stranger. But after hearing Lincoln telling him to sit in a much firmer tone of voice, he let out a huff and plopped his rear end onto the floor.

To say that this left Carol feeling shocked would be a tremendous understatement; she didn't know whether to cheer, clap her hands or keep quiet. Then, she saw Lincoln get much closer to Alistair; all while pointing his index finger at the floor. "Good boy, Al" he said happily, "now...drop the paper bits, c'mon...drop 'em!"

In response to this command, Alistair simply grunted in defiance; much like a child would when being told to eat their veggies. Upon giving the command a second time, Lincoln did so in a tone of voice that was a mix of firm yet playful. Much to Carol's surprise, not only did Alistair obey the command but he also spat out every bit of paper from his mouth.

After disposing of the paper bits, Lincoln proceeded to rub his hand atop of Alistair's face and snout; all while cooing sweetly at him. "Oh, you're a naughty boy; aren't ya" he said in a babyish voice, "why you tryin' to scare your mama...huh?" Despite Lincoln's tone, Alistair soon felt the shame of his earlier actions wash over him; causing his ears to droop slightly.

This whole scene left Carol feeling so shocked, her eyes almost popped from her head. The surprises didn't stop there, however; after giving him a light scolding, Lincoln proceeded to playfully rub and tickle at Alistair's belly. "See, I knew you weren't really a bad dog" he cooed sweetly, "you just needed a fwend, didn't you...didn't you?"

In response to this; Alistair got on all fours, gave a joyful bark and proceeded to shower Lincoln's cheeks with friendly tongue kisses. This was his own way of thanking him for such a nice belly rub. While being showered with kisses, Lincoln glanced at the couch and spotted Carol; who appeared to be shaking like a leaf.

"Hey, uh...Carol; if it's not too much trouble" he began, "do you guys have any dog treats, toys or bones lying around." At first, Carol offered no reply or response to his request; fearing that doing so might cause Alistair to get upset again. But after a while, she finally gave a nervous nod and hurried into the kitchen; hoping to find something for her dog to chew on.

When she returned almost seconds later, Carol appeared to be holding something in her trembling hand; a small pig's ear. Without hesitation, Lincoln took the item in his hand and held it over Alistair's head playfully. "Does puppy wanna nibble the yummy piggy ear, does he" he murmured adorably, "Uncle Wincoln will give puppy his piggy ear, if puppy pwomise to not hurt mama...okay?"

Almost immediately, Alistair gave a loud bark of joy; which was the only response Lincoln needed to hear. After sharing a quick handshake (or paw-shake, as the case may be,) Lincoln lightly tossed the pig's ear across the living room; prompting Alistair to chase after it. This gave him and Carol the chance to escape to hurry off into the kitchen while the pup was distracted.

Once in the next room, both kids heaved out heavy sighs; relieved to have escaped the "dangerous situation" in one piece. "That pig's ear will give him some time to cool off a little" Lincoln whispered, "I think you'll be okay from now on, Car..." Before he had the chance to finish his statement, the Loud Boy found himself being swept off the ground and felt as though his body was being squeezed by a vice.

Upon turning slightly, he saw that Carol was holding him in the tightest hug imaginable; even tighter than Lana's snake, El Diablo sometimes gave him. "MY HERO! Linky, you saved me from almost being mauled to death by my own pet" she cried, "you are without a doubt the B-E-S-T BEST!" Not long after this, Carol wasted no time in showering his face with dozens of thankful nuzzles and kisses.

On the one hand, Lincoln felt that his teen friend was simply blowing her "dilemma" a bit out of proportion. But on the other hand, his mind was still recovering from his "cuddlefest" with the ladies at the spa mere hours ago. Thus, he happily welcomed Carol's affections with open arms; even going as far as to hug her back.

However, this rather tender moment was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of approaching footsteps. With a yelp, Carol and Lincoln broke apart from their embrace and cleaned themselves up as quickly as they could. Afterwards, they each took a seat on the sofa and put on their best smiles; to ensure whoever was coming that nothing was wrong.

That was when Lincoln saw two rather fancy looking adults enter the room. The man was dressed in a matching polo shirt and shorts, had a green scarf wrapped around his shoulders and sported a pair of brown derby shoes. Judging from his stature, he looked like someone in his early-40's (to Lincoln's eyes) and despite a few small traces of wrinkles, he seemed to still have the spark of youth in him.

In these small ways, Lincoln thought that the man looked like a slightly older version of his own father (if Lynn Sr. were blonde and had a mustache.) "Wait a sec, I think I've seen him before" Lincoln thought, "yeah, back during Dad's last birthday when Lori revealed Carol made a statue of her dad's head out of Belgian chocolate." The instant this thought popped into his head, Lincoln couldn't help but think that Carol's father looked much fancier than in her photo.

Instead of the clothes he had on now, he remembered seeing Mr. Pingrey wearing khakis and a semi-formal marine-blue shirt with a folded collar. Either way, Lincoln could tell that Carol's father was a man of class; which left him wondering if he'll make a poor impression. Beside him was Mrs. Pingrey, Carol's mother; who looked almost as fancy as her husband.

She had long, flowing blonde hair; a "bell-shaped" physique (small at the top but exquisitely voluptuous at the hips and legs,) dazzling blue eyes, fire red lipstick coated over her luscious lips and was wearing a green min-dress. But despite however fancy and lovely they looked overall, both the Elder Pingreys were giving the children (or more specifically, Carol) rather stern looks. "What in heaven's name is going on here" cried Mr. Pingrey, "was Alistair acting up again...you swore to us you've been doing your best to try and control him!"

Her nerves still feeling frazzled over what had happened mere moments ago, Carol suddenly found herself hanging her head in shame. Since the day she adopted the dog for her "Selfie Race" against Lori, she tried many times to bond with Alistair. But with each attempt, he chose to defy her instead; making it look as though the dog was the one in control.

Just as Carol was about sink deeper into her own despair; Lincoln, once again stepped in her defense. "Don't be too hard on your daughter; Sir, Ma'am" he stated, "if anything, I might've been the reason the dog was barking so crazy." The elder Pingreys simply stared down at the boy in silence for a moment, causing Lincoln to almost stain his shirt with sweat.

Then, after a while; Mr. Pingrey asked him to shed some light on the situation. "Alistair must've seen me coming and, like a dog does, started barking like crazy" Lincoln explained, "Carol was trying to calm him down, I saw it for myself...but she got a tad overwhelmed and I came in to help." After hearing the boy say all of this, Alistair hung his head low and let out a regretful whimper.

Upon seeing this, Lincoln approached the dog and gave him a few reassuring pats atop the head; which it fondly welcomed. Then, Carol and her parents then watched in awe as Alistair proceeded to lick Lincoln's fingers; viewing it as a sign of friendship between them. With the present situation now calm once more, Carol collected herself and introduced Lincoln to her parents; Tristan and Mina Pingrey.

"Wait...so, this is the Lincoln Loud you've mentioned in your phone calls" questioned Mrs. Pingrey, "the sweet, caring, sensitive gentleman you met...is this young boy?" Feeling understandably surprised by all this, Lincoln cast a shy glance towards Carol; wondering what sort of things she'd told her mother about him. But his train of thought came to a sudden halt, when the teen in question swept him up and hugged him for a second time.

"That he is, Mumsy; that he is" she cooed softly while nuzzling Lincoln's hair, "I hope you don't mind...but I offered him to stay over for the evening." At first, the Elder Pingreys felt that this idea seemed a tad too sudden; believing that they should first hear confirmation from Lincoln's family first before agreeing. With this idea in mind, Mr. Pingrey asked if the boy's parents knew that he was at their home.

At first, neither Carol nor Lincoln had spoken a word in response; feeling unsure if they should divulge anything about..."the situation" to anyone else. But when Carol saw the stern looks on both of her parents' faces, she realized that there was no point in hiding anything.

Thus, she approached her parents and gestured for them to lean in close; allowing her to speak more privately with them. During said discussion, Lincoln couldn't hear that much of what was being said. But he could clearly see the reactions on the Elder Pingreys' faces; which shifted between confusion, shock all the way up to complete and utter horror.

When Carol had finished speaking to them, her parents found themselves stumbling about in shock before Tristan sat himself down on a nearby armchair. Mina meanwhile fainted slightly against the sofa, all while looking utterly breathless. For a minute or two, no one had spoken a word and decided to use this time to properly collect their nerves.

When Carol had finally worked up the nerve to ask her parents if they were alright, Mina sat herself upright and gave her daughter a look of pure disbelief. "Darling...please tell your father and I this story of yours is all just some silly prank your friends are playing" she murmured, "it all sounds...utterly preposterous." While doing his best to appear impartial, Mr. Pingrey couldn't help but agree with his wife; saying that Lincoln's story could be a ploy for him to earn sympathy from others.

"I really wish things were as simple as that, Sir...really" Lincoln sighed, "but it's all true...I can't go back home; at least, not until all my family's nonsense is resolved." To further prove that his story was true, Carol told her parents about all the other people who came to learn about this both within their group and beyond. "Call Fernando at the Tranquil Springs Spa, call my friends' parents...or even Lincoln's teachers at Royal Woods Elementary" she insisted, "each of them will share with you everything that's been told so far...and shown."

When the Elder Pingreys asked about what sort of things were "shown," in regards to Lincoln's ordeal; Carol countered this by asking if they wanted physical or emotional evidence. Despite still having doubts about the matter, one thing was clear to the elder Pingreys; the boy was in definite need of help. "Very well...if you require somewhere to stay for the evening, young man; our home is yours" sighed Mr. Pingrey, "just answer us one thing...which one of you finally managed to get Alistair to calm down?"

With a bashful chuckle, Lincoln raised his hand up high; proclaiming that he was the one responsible...but added that Carol helped out by giving him Alistair's pig's ear. "Lincoln not only helped defend me when I needed it, he managed to help calm Alistair down without any thought of what might happen to himself" Carol explained, "It was the bravest thing I've ever seen!" While he much appreciated this bit of praise from his friend, Lincoln felt that his actions were "no big whoop."

But not only did Carol reward him with a "thank you kiss," causing the boy to blush deeply; Alistair decided to follow his owner's footsteps and started showering Lincoln with a flurry of tongue kisses. "I don't understand it, though" muttered Mr. Pingrey, "how were you able to calm the dog down but our daughter couldn't?" In response, Lincoln reiterated the same thing he told Carol earlier; that his years of helping raise his own dog, Charles gave him the knowledge he needed to tame Alistair.

"Your father and I told you that having a pet was a big responsibility, Carol" Mrs. Pingrey said firmly, "but you were so insistent on adopting one." Not long after this, Mr. Pingrey echoed his wife's words; adding that a social media contest was not a valid reason for wanting a pet of any kind. Upon being reminded of all this, Carol couldn't help but hang her head in shame; realizing now the foolishness of her past decision.

"Your parents are right, you stupid bitch" she thought bitterly, "if you weren't so desperate about being 'popular' online, this situation wouldn't be happening!" As the poor girl's mind continued to shame her, she suddenly felt something squeezing her right hand tightly. Carol's eyes shot open in shock and she turned to find Lincoln standing beside her and holding her hand.

After that, the boy in question decided to defend her honor again for the third time that night. "Maybe adopting a pet without experience might've been...a poor decision" Lincoln stated, "but I can tell that Carol must love Alistair deeply; otherwise, she wouldn't want him in any of her pictures with her." After this, he decided to offer up a few bits of advice about pet owning; a big one being...never force your pet to wear human clothes (without consent.)

"I'll make sure to remember that, in the future" Carol sighed, "thanks for the tips, for saving me...and darn near everything else." For one final time, she wrapped Lincoln up tightly in her arms for a thank you hug; not caring about how much her parents claimed it was "embarrassing" to him. With a bucktoothed grin on his face, Lincoln shared a high-five with Carol and said he was "happy to help."

(Line Break)

As our story quick cuts back to the present, Lincoln is seen making a few more minor adjustments to his costume. The whole time he did this, he was filled with such joy that it looked like he was radiating with it. After a whole year of waiting, the time had come for one of his favorite events; one honoring his No.1 hero...Ace Savvy.

Once everything looked orderly enough and he had cleaned himself proper, Lincoln gathered the rest of his things and headed out for the convention. But not before taking a moment to thank the Pingreys for allowing him to stay over, of course. "It was no trouble, young man" Mrs. Pingrey said sweetly, "and thank you for your help as well, what with helping Carol with Alistair and helping me with breakfast...you shouldn't have."

Lincoln gave his hostess a smile, a light bow of his head and said it was the least he could do to repay Carol for everything she had done so far. "Tell her I'll see her later on" he stated, "I've gotta get moving before the bus arrives." With that, both sides shared one final farewell and Lincoln hurried out the door towards the nearest bus stop.

One ride later and he had reached his destination, the Royal Woods Convention Center. As expected, the outer walls had been fully decorated in all kinds of Ace Savvy imagery and it all looked glorious. "I hope I didn't miss anything" Lincoln thought giddily, "I wonder if the others got here before me?" Without any further delay; he straightened out his cape, puffed out his chest proudly and marched his way through the front door.

Upon entering, he was met with the sight of hundreds of Ace Savvy fans from all over town and beyond; young and old. There were nerds exchanging comics to one another, vendors bartering off Ace Savvy merchandise to guests and people wearing all sorts of unique costumes all around him. "Boy...it sure is good to be back" Lincoln sighed wistfully, "it feels like ages since I last came here."

The whole time he walked around, taking in the sights; Lincoln failed to notice the many eyes staring at him from several booths and lines. When he finally did notice their stares, the poor boy suddenly found himself becoming rather self-conscious. "Oh, jeez...why are they all staring at me like that" he pondered mentally, "is there a hole in my costume, did my cape tear...what?"

As he stood there, frantically wondering what was going on; Lincoln barely noticed a group of younger Ace Savvy fans (possibly about six or seven years old) approaching him. It wasn't until one of these fans gave his cape a tug that he finally snapped out of his stupor. "'Scuse me, Mistuh...is your name Lincoln Loud" asked a little girl dressed like the Queen of Diamonds, "could you sign my book, if you are...please?"

After this, the rest of the girl's group asked Lincoln the same question; all while holding up their comics to him. At first, he wondered why people wanted him to sign an Ace Savvy book...until he looked at one of the covers. It was here that he noticed the words "Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang" written in comic book bubble letters, which meant that the group must've been fans of his characters.

In that moment, Lincoln couldn't decide which circumstance shocked him the most; the fact that he was meeting fans of his characters or that they wanted his autograph. But as he looked at the little girl's comic; just beneath the heroes' names, he could also spot the word "Checkmate" in medieval lettering. "WHOA! People have been reading my Checkmate story...AWESOME" Lincoln cheered while addressing the viewer, "I haven't heard word from the fans about it in ages...wonder who else has been reading my story?"

As if on cue, several other fans (some his age and some older) soon approached Lincoln; all asking him to autograph either their books or parts of their costumes. Speaking of which, he couldn't help but smile at the variety of characters standing before him. There were several people dressed as Ace and Jack, as per usual. But there were also people dressed as either members of the Full House Gang, some of their allies (like Wild Card Willy or Madame Roulette) or even some of the villains.

But what really caught his attention was a young Middle School teen dressed up in an all-white suit of knight armor with a horse head mask over their face. Straightaway, Lincoln guessed that this guy was dressed up as one of the Chess Court's White Knights; despite the fact the mask didn't quite match the costume color. "Dude, your story rocks; I've read every issue from end to end six times" the teen said with glee, "could you please sign my copy of Checkmate No.1, please?"

With a hearty chuckle, Lincoln pulled out a pen from his utility belt and gave his signature on the book; causing the teenager to cheer joyfully. "Thanks, dude; you rock" he cried, "I've gotta show this to my crew, they'll flip!" As the joyful teen rushed off into the distance, the rest of the crowd around Lincoln wasted no time in asking for autographs as well.

But as Lincoln prepared to make the next signature, a soft yet firm voice called out to him from behind. "Have at thee, Ace; you caitiff churl" the voice demanded, "yield to my authority or face my wrath!" With a startled gasp, Lincoln spun himself around and assumed a defensive battle stance; ready to fight whoever was challenging him.

But much to both his surprise and overall relief, he saw that it was only Stella; who appeared to be dressed in a child-sized version of an all-black 15th Century queen's gown. But unlike the historical English queens of old, Stella's crown was designed to resemble the headpiece of the Black Queen from the Chess game. In her hands, Lincoln noticed Stella was holding a toy version of a queen's scepter in one hand and a plastic shortsword in the other.

Stella took a moment to pause and giggle at her friend's startled expression before slipping back into character. Afterwards, she did the respectable thing and gave Lincoln/Ace a most gracious bow curtsy. "I bid thee good morrow, noble rival" Stella said in her best attempt at Olde English, "though we may be rivals within the colored pages of these strange books, I ask that we may put our rivalries aside and make merry here within these walls...how say you?"

For a moment or so, Lincoln offered no response or reply; his mind still amazed by how deeply in character Stella was. Then, just as he was finally about to speak; another firm voice shouted out to them. This one, however sounded much older by comparison and the speaker's use of Olde English sounded rather hammy.

"Nay, sister; recoil away from that knave at once" the speaker demanded, "even within these walls, the one called Ace is still our most hated foe!" Soon after this was said, Lincoln saw yet another figure dressed in royal garb approach him. But while Stella was dressed all in black, this young lady sported a White Queen look (same dress style, same crown, same items in hand.)

Furthermore, this White Queen appeared taller and had a bit of a more mature tone in her voice; one that Lincoln recognized almost instantly. But rather than expose the young lady right away, he decided to play along with the act for just a bit longer. "How good of you to join us here, Your Ladyship" Lincoln greeted cordially, or would you prefer me to address you by name...Lady Becky of the Royal Wood!"

With this simple declaration and her identity now exposed, the White Queen let out a soft groan and removed her mask; revealing the young teen's disappointed expression. "How'd you even know it was me, lil' dude" questioned Becky, "I had my face fully covered and everything!" With a light grin upon his face, Lincoln revealed that even while she was in disguise; Lincoln could still recognize her voice anywhere.

"I gotta say, Becky; while I knew you to be a fan of Ace, I didn't know you were familiar with my Checkmate story" confessed the Loud Boy, "did you really like it that much?" With a wistful sigh, Becky started reminiscing about all the time she spent reading the Checkmate series of Ace Savvy stories; even adding that Paige later became a fan as well. "I loved the scene where the Gang tried breaking into Lord Barnum's compound" she said with a giggle, "the way the Deuce used her dirty diapers as a weapon was both a cool...yet kind of gross idea."

This caused the trio to break out into a fit of laughter, until Lincoln caught sight of something that made him smile even brighter...or rather, someone. In the distance, he could see Clyde dressed as One-Eyed Jack and looking around at the many pieces of memorabilia out on display. The two wasted no time in rushing towards each other and sharing a loving bro-hug, which caused the ladies to coo adorably.

"Glad to see ya here, One-Eyed Jack" Lincoln said in his best Ace voice, "we have a lot to catch up on while we're here." Clyde nodded in affirmation at this and the two shared one of their favorite handshakes between them. But just as they were about to finish up, the boys suddenly heard Becky give a light yet impatient cough from behind.

"Sorry to break up the bromance, dudes...but we need to get moving" she stated, "Chaz, Joey and Jordan are waiting for us at the main pavilion." With that said; everyone did a quick "hands in the middle," cheered loudly and hurried off to find the rest of their friends.

(Line Break)

As the gang continued to explore the rest of the convention, Lincoln noticed many of the same sights he came upon earlier on. Groups of nerds could be seen exchanging comic knowledge with fellow nerds, kids were seen acting out their favorite battle scenes (either with their toys or towards each other) and vendors were in the midst of selling a variety of items based on Ace Savvy (toys, games, apparel, limited edition comics, costumes etc.) At the same time, the others were looking through their program sheets; eager to see what things were worth seeing.

"Guys, check this out" cried Joey excitedly, "Gin and Rummy are gonna be up on the Hero Panel during the Q&A segment!" The whole group squealed with joy at this idea, especially Lincoln; who was rather surprised to hear that two of his own characters had become so popular. "During the Villain Segment of the panel, I've got some questions for the White Knights" Jordan said anxiously, "there are rumors saying Hollywood might make a short film about them!"

While his friends were busy chatting about what they plan on doing at the convention, Lincoln glanced at his program and saw something that made his eyes pop; a large chessboard. It was one of the so-called "One of a Kind" items being distributed at one of the merchandise booths. But unlike a typical chessboard, this one truly matched the tagline's description.

Unlike the standard game pieces, this Chess game had one group modeled after Ace and his fellow heroes and the other modeled after the black pieces of a Chess game. The board even came with the White faction of the court, in case any player wanted both sides to face off. "WHOA! This is awesome" Lincoln cried excitedly, "I've gotta find one of these as quickly as possible!"

With that thought in mind, he hurried off to the "One of a Kind" merch booth to obtain one of the chessboards; only to discover that they had been sold out. "Sorry about that, lil' man; never expected these things to be so popular" the vendor stated, "I just gave my last board to a young lady a moment ago." For a brief moment, Lincoln felt the weight of defeat almost pull him down...until an idea hit him like a dodgeball to the head.

"All I have to do is find out where the girl went, look for her and see if she'd be willing to make a trade" he murmured, "it's the perfect plan!" Upon asking the vendor where his customer went, he claimed to have seen her heading off towards the activity center of the convention. Lincoln thanked the vendor for his help, said his goodbyes and hurried off to the spot in question.

When he arrived, he wasted no time trying to look for her but the crowd was too thick to spot anyone familiar. All around, he could see and hear everyone having all sorts of fun...and Lincoln truly wanted to join; more than anything. But another part of Lincoln urged him to focus; swearing that he could have fun, once the chessboard was in their hands.

As he continued his search, Lincoln suddenly spotted the item in question just up ahead. It was sitting beside a backpack, which belonged to a girl who was standing in line for the Fun House of Cards. Without a moment's hesitation, Lincoln hurried off towards the line; hoping to catch the girl and haggle with her.

"Wait a minute, dude...slow down" his brain said suddenly, causing the boy to stop; "if you go running off and screaming for her, she'll think you're nuts and will never want to trade with you." With this in mind, Lincoln slowed down his stride just enough to make him look like he was doing a casual stroll. Finally, he got close enough to the line to start calling out to the girl softly.

When she finally managed to hear him and turned to face him, Lincoln let out a choked gasp of shock. Standing before him was Renee, a girl that his friends tried to set him up with; thinking that Lincoln was feeling "heartbroken" about Ronnie Anne being gone. At first, Zach thought she'd be a perfect match for her BFF; mainly because of their mutual love of Ace Savvy.

But when it came to actually sharing the comics; both Renee and Lincoln behaved rather poorly, on the day they met. At first, their meeting went rather well...until they discovered a limited edition Ace comic on sale. You can tell what happened after that pretty well, right?

Needless to say, this was one of the rare moments he saw Renee; others being Jordan's pool party last year. Others were simply moments they passed each other by at school or anytime Lincoln visited Flip's. Now that he knew that she was the one in possession of the chessboard, one thing was certain; Lincoln needed to think up something fast.

First, he approached the line and cleared his throat; catching Renee's attention. She still had her favorite Ace Savvy t-shirt, yellow skirt, red socks, white sneakers and her ponytail. But when she saw Lincoln's face; instead of greeting him with a smile, she barely even acknowledged him.

"What do you want, buddy" she asked snidely, "and make it quick, I'm just about to enter the Fun House." Lincoln was quite surprised by her tone, to say the least; it sounded as though she barely even knew him. But considering what happened during their last encounter, it made sense why she acted this way.

However, a small part of him held on to the hope she might be willing to listen to him; being a fellow Ace fan and all. "Yes...sorry for disturbing you, Renee" Lincoln said politely, "but I was wondering...would you be willing to trade something with me for your chessboard?" For a moment, the young lady stood silent; giving Lincoln the hope he may have appealed to her somehow.

But seconds later, she suddenly burst out into a mad fit of mocking laughter; not caring about whoever might be staring at her. When she finally did notice Lincoln giving her a sour expression, Renee finally stopped laughing. "Wait...you were being serious" she asked blankly, "sorry, mack but I saw this first and I don't plan on giving it away to anybody."

With this plan a bust, Lincoln attempted a different tactic; proclaiming that the Black and White pieces on the chessboard were all based on characters that he created. Naturally, the other patrons in line murmured loudly in disbelief but Renee...she was even more stubborn. "Right...you, a below-average fanboy created one of the best series in the Savvyverse" she spat bitterly, "that's a laugh."

Over the years, Lincoln had been called all manner of names by people and some of them he could easily tolerate; lame-o, Loud and more annoyingly, Stinkin'. Yet he seldom ever showed any kind of anger about them all; aside from giving the usual annoyed look or a roll of the eyes, of course. But for some reason, hearing Renee calling him a "below-average fan boy" seemed to make Lincoln feel incredibly miffed.

The real issue on the whole matter was the fact that Renee didn't even seem to recognize him. At first, he considered getting right up into her face and giving the girl a piece of his mind. But then, in a flash; a better idea began to form in the boy's mind. "How about instead of a trade, we have a little wager" Lincoln suggested, "whoever wins in the end gets the chessboard."

For a moment or so, Renee stood in place; debating on whether she should refuse the challenge or leave her place in line and accept it. Just then, she started hearing all the people behind her yelling impatiently for her to make a decision or risk being pushed aside by one of them.

"It's a deal, I can pop by the Fun House later on in the day" affirmed Renee, "consider your challenge accepted, lil' man!"

(Line Break)

In another part of the convention, Clyde and the girls (both young and old) could be seen looking around the area; searching for any sign of Lincoln. "Are you sure the vendor said he saw him head over here, Clyde" questioned Stella, "he looked almost as shady as Flip...and he once tried to trick me into buying a 'discount Flipee' that was nothing more than a cup full of plain shaved ice." Clyde narrowed his eyes firmly and assured everyone that he knew where he was going.

"When you've been best bros for as long as Lincoln and I have, you develop a sort of...special connection" he stated, "like a sixth sense." While doing their best to be respectful, the ladies couldn't help but inwardly think the idea sounded just...a tad silly. Meanwhile, Joey and Chaz were busy looking around as well; hoping to spot Lincoln either buying some merch or a stack of One-Eyed Flapjacks at the food table.

Eventually, Stella spotted him up ahead...and she noticed that he was giving a young lady in front of him a really intense look. When this was brought to everyone's attention and Clyde caught sight of who the girl was, he suddenly started sweating bullets with fear. "Oh, no...I didn't think Lincoln would run into her again" he thought worriedly, "they must've had some sort of disagreement or something."

Without any further delay; Clyde hurried off to help his best buddy, prompting the others to follow behind him. When the girls finally decided to ask what was going on, he chuckled nervously and claimed that Lincoln and the girl...had a bit of history. "All I know is they didn't part on good terms, way back when" Clyde murmured, "so, we've gotta try and stop whatever fight they're in."

Upon hearing mention of there being a possible fight, Becky's protective instincts kicked in and she immediately sided with her young friend's plan. When they arrived, each member of Lincoln's friend group tried to get him to back away...but he didn't listen. "Guys, relax...we're not going to fight each other" the Loud Boy assured, "you think I'd ever risk getting banned from my favorite place over something like a chessboard?"

Upon hearing this revelation; Clyde, Jordan, Stella and their teen friends stared at Lincoln with blank looks of confusion. While they knew that their friend's words were true, they still couldn't believe that something like a chessboard was on the line. "So, wait...you guys aren't going to fight" questioned Becky, "because it sure looks like you're about to."

After letting out a bit of a sheepish chuckle, Lincoln confessed that there may have been...a brief instance where he considered fighting Renee for the chessboard. But he quickly realized doing that would not only tarnish his rep as a fan, it would also get him kicked out of conventions forever. So, in the end; the two of them had decided to have a little Q&A duel against each other.

If Renee won, she'd get to keep the board and Lincoln vowed to never bother her again; if he won, he'd get to keep it. "This idea sounds...pretty good, on paper" Jordan said uneasily, "but doesn't it seem a little...much to have a challenge over a chess set, Linc; you don't even play!" Almost immediately, the Loud Boy turned faced his friends and confessed that in his private time; he and Lisa would have sessions against each other at home.

Of course, this all happened months before the craziness that was currently going on in his house; which his friend felt was rather logical. "On top of all that, just look at the image of the chessboard on your programs" urged Lincoln, "they're modeled after characters from my story; Ace, Jack, the Full House Gang...even the Chess Court."

Upon hearing him claim that the Chess Court were his creations, Renee couldn't help but scoff in disbelief. "There's no way you could've thought them up yourself" she said mockingly, "and to prove it, this Q&A challenge will all be based on the Checkmate story." This announcement caused several of the people around the two fans to murmur softly, Lincoln's friends included.

"Lincoln's got this one in the bag, girls" Clyde assured, "I've been with him during the series' entire creation, I know just as much as Lincoln does." Before any of the ladies had the chance to question him further on the matter, Renee gave a whistle and the game was underway. "Okay, let's start off with an easy question" she began, "in Issue One, what was the name of the casino where the Gang did battle against Loan Shark?"

Without the slightest hesitation shown on his face, Lincoln smiled and said that he was given a trick question. "First of all, the establishment in question was named the Ace in the Hole; named in homage to the series' main hero" he explained, "second of all, it was a combination Casino and dance club!" With a begrudging humph, Renee declared the answer to be correct while also softly claiming she made the question too easy for him."

"Next question; in Issue Two, what was the name of the song the character Sammy played Niles MacArthur's night club" she asked, "and I expect you to name the song's original artist as well." Despite however sudden this additional part to the question seemed, it did little to harm Lincoln's confidence or his chances at victory. Meanwhile, Stella couldn't help but mutter bitterly under her breath; questioning what a song title had to do with the comic.

"It's like the girl said, Sammy was singing the song in issue two of the series" Joey interjected, "I'd say what it is...but that would be cheating, in terms of this challenge." Lincoln smiled slightly at his teenaged friend, as if to tell him thanks; before turning his attention back to Renee. With a confident look in his eyes, he cleared his throat lightly and presented his answer.

"At Mr. MacArthur's club, Sammy was playing a cover version of Hold My Hand" Lincoln stated, "which was a popular song written by Hootie and the Blowfish in 1989 and released in 1994." The crowd couldn't help but gasp in awe at this response, even Renee; not only was it correct but the information given was also quite extensive.

For the next question in the challenge, Lincoln was asked for the name of the main villain in the Checkmate series. "I'm afraid that's a trick question right there" the Loud Boy said with a smile, "there were actually two villains behind the crimes in the series, the Chess Court (while under the influence of mind control) and the true mastermind of their actions; Lord Tetherby!" Once more, the crowd was left impressed by Lincoln's knowledge but Renee was becoming quite flustered.

After having three of her questions be answered immediately, she was desperate to try and bring the Q&A to a quick end. For almost a minute, Renee paced about the floor; thinking long and hard on an idea to try and stump Lincoln with. When she finally stopped pacing, the young lady gave him a coy grin and delivered her next question.

"True or False, the mind control devices planted on each member of the Court were a creation of Flash Card" she said coyly, "if the answer's false, explain it to us." At first, many people in the crowd thought Lincoln might be cornered; including his friends. But not only did the boy confidently answered with "false," he took in an incredibly deep breath; which made everyone think that a major "info dump" was coming.

"The devices in question were all actually a creation of Ace's teammate, Card Counter" Lincoln explained, "originally, they were meant to be used as behavioral modification implants for prison inmates...but the court thought they were too 'extreme' to be used on humans; thus forcing her to scrap the idea completely." In addition to this, he mentioned how Lord Tetherby managed to get a hold of the chips and repair them for his own nefarious schemes.

Once more, the crowd of fans was left speechless by Lincoln's answer while Renee felt herself becoming even more annoyed by the minute. "How about another True or False question, smart guy" she growled, "the Full House Gang and their allies won the battle by taking down every piece on the Chessboard at Tetherby's hideout?!" As she stood there, waiting for Lincoln to respond; everyone could clearly see a nervous sweat tricking down Renee's brow (not to mention the stains on her shirt.)

Then, all of a sudden; Lincoln answered the question with a proud and resounding "false." "It was actually The Deuce who won the game" he stated, "and she did this by stunning the King with the aroma from her trusty dirty diaper weapons!" Despite however gross his answer sounded, Renee admitted that he was correct; causing everyone to cheer loudly.

For the next question, she asked if Lincoln could give the precise location of the Chess Court's castle headquarters; stressing that only the most "die hard" fans of the series knew the answer. "Lucky for me, I just happen to be one of those fans" Lincoln chuckled, "for starters, the Court didn't live in an actual castle; it was an estate modeled after a castle...which I based on the Castle Farms Weddings & Events venue building that stands in Charlevoix, Michigan!" This response was so thorough and full of information that it caught Renee completely off-guard, almost causing her to fall over.

However, she still had some fight left in her and she was more determined now to try and bring Lincoln down. "One last question, bucko...and this is for all the marbles" she said firmly, "I hope you're ready for it." After taking a moment to sip some water Clyde offered, Lincoln gave Renee a grin and beckoned for her to present the final question.

It took every ounce of self-control, restraint and maturity the girl had to not insult the Loud Boy. After letting out a calming breath, almost twenty seconds later; she had thought up a question that she believed would surely leave him stumped. "Okay, smartypants; here's your question" Renee stated, "whose scepter did the Full House Gang have to destroy in order to break everyone from the chips' mind control...was it the Black King or the White King's?"

In that moment, many of the fans watching the duo's challenge felt that Lincoln might be sunk; including his friends. While they were all fans of the series (as evident by the costumes some of the people wore,) it had been a long time since some of them had read the Checkmate series from beginning to end. As such, almost everyone's minds were completely blank on what the answer could be.

Meanwhile, Lincoln appeared to be in a state of deep thought; trying his absolute darndest to try and remember the scene Renee described. Then, in a sudden mental flash; the answer became as clear as day and he was ready to answer. "The device that controlled the chips wasn't in either of the Kings' staves...or rather, their pommels" Lincoln explained, "and it wasn't any of the members of the Full House Gang that broke it!"

Before anyone else had the chance to speak up, the Loud Boy puffed out his chest and gave his full answer. "The device was actually hidden in the pommel of Tetherby's cane" he stated, "as for how it was destroyed; while still fighting off the effects of her chip, Sammy picked up the broken half of one of the Rooks' spears and threw it at him...thus shattering the pommel!"

There was a stone cold silence in the air, after that; causing everyone in the surrounding crowd to become incredibly tense with anticipation. Finally, after letting out a soft sigh of defeat; Renee slowly approached Lincoln and presented him with the Chessboard. "Fair is fair...you won the challenge; so, to the victor...go the spoils" she murmured, "just answer me one thing...did you really come up with the story yourself?"

At first, Lincoln stood silent; mentally debating on whether to first remind Renee of who he was or to focus on answering her question. In the end, he chose the latter; thinking that she had the right to know the truth. "The story itself...that was all mine" Lincoln stated, "but as for the Chess Court characters, I got that idea from the Human Chess Match thing that people see at Renaissance Faires." From here, he confessed how cool he thought it was to see several of the faire cast members dueling each other on a large Chess board in the middle of a grassy plot.

But while they were all still dressed in their usual Ren Faire apparel; Lincoln thought it would be neat to have his character wear armor, crowns, clothing and so on modeled after whatever Chess piece they represented. Needless to say, both Renee and the crowd of fans surrounding them (sans Lincoln's friend group) all gawked astounded at him. Then, Becky swore she could hear some of those fans murmuring amongst themselves.

It was as if none of them believed what Lincoln was saying, in spite of everything that happened just now. "It's true, everybody; my friend there did write the Checkmate series" she proclaimed, "I can prove it!" One quick internet search on her phone later and soon, Becky found what she needed; a picture of Lincoln holding the first published issue of the Checkmate series with the creator of Ace Savvy, Bill Buck beside him.

After this reveal was made, all time seemed to slow to a snail's pace as every eye soon turned towards Lincoln's direction. Not only was Renee looking at him, mouth agape but so was every other fan present; even some vendors started gawking at him. Soon, Lincoln started to feel very self-conscious and was considering making a run for it...until he saw someone approach him from the crowd of fans.

It was a little boy, possibly eight years old and he appeared to be dressed as one of the Chess Court's White Knights. "Um...excuse me, Mr. Loud" he murmured shyly, "I hope you won't think it's weird of me saying this...but I am a HUGE fan of your series!" After this, the boy wasted no time in asking if Lincoln would be kind enough to autograph his shield; which he did.

This led to many other fans swarming him; all of whom wanting either an autograph, answers to questions they had about the Checkmate series or just a chance to take a selfie with him. While all this attention was nice; within seconds, Lincoln suddenly found himself becoming swarmed. This prompted the likes of Becky and Chaz to step in and maintain crowd control.

"Okay, people; one at a time" Becky ordered calmly, "my friend will be more than happy to answer your requests...after he's had some fun." Although the request did ultimate disappoint them, the crowd understood that Lincoln more than deserved a break and wished him well. Before leaving, Joey urged everyone to come and meet with Lincoln at the food court; if they had any questions/requests.

With that, Lincoln collected his prize and rejoined his friends; eager to enjoy the rest of the con. As she watched him walk away with the group he came with, Renee found herself scratching her chin in thought. Then, like a flash of lightning; she suddenly realized who the kid was.

"Wait a sec...is that Lincoln" she gasped in realization, "the kid who accidentally fought me over that comic last Fall...is a comic creator?!" The moment this realization struck her, Renee realized that Lincoln more than earned the right to have the limited edition chessboard. Just then, her phone suddenly rang out and when she checked her messages; Renee noticed a text from Lincoln.

"Hey, Renee

I just wanted to apologize for how we first met, long ago; it wasn't my intention for things to escalate like that. On top of that, my friends only introduced me to you in a vain attempt to try and 'find me a girlfriend...' I know, it's ridiculous but it's true. Anyway, I'm sorry for taking your rightfully purchased item from you and getting you to challenge me.

As a token of thanks; just now, I found the same chessboard on sale on the Ace Savvy Fansite. I decided to order it for you and have it be sent to your home address...once I get the chance to learn it from you, that is. If you have any questions, talk with me at the Food Court; thanks for understanding.

Lincoln Loud

After reading the message three times over, Renee felt a pang of regret pull at her heartstrings. Only now did she not only realize who it was she called a low-level fanboy and attempted to humiliate in front of dozens of people. "I've really gotta clear the air with him" she sighed, "maybe...maybe he'll even agree to sign my comics."

(Line Break)

After that minor bump in the road, the rest of the Convention was a riot for Lincoln. He got the Ace Savvy chess game, he got the chance to get a caricature of himself drawn in the comic's art style, there were games, stage shows, souvenirs and Lincoln got the chance to have a few photo op moments. At the same time, his friends were all having just as much fun as he was.

"Man, you guys...this has been the most fun I've had yet" Stella sighed blissfully, "it's just a shame that some of the others couldn't join us here." Upon hearing this, Lincoln couldn't help but share in his friend's regrets; thinking that no one should be let out of this much fun. But while it was true that comics could be enjoyed by anyone, they weren't popular with everyone and he respected that.

"Ya know...it's funny you mentioned that, lil' dude" Chaz chuckled, "because Chaz has a little secret about your lady friends that he thinks you might find interesting." Intrigued by the teen's words; Lincoln, Jordan and Stella all stared up at him suspiciously and asked what he was hiding from them. Meanwhile, Becky was giving Chaz all manner of warning gestures; as if she didn't want anyone to know the secret...but it was too late.

With a proud smile on his face; Chaz revealed that his sister, Dana had been a closet Ace Savvy fan since she was about twelve years old. "Of course, she was more drawn to the outfits that the characters wore" he stated, "especially the Card Countess' gown...despite my best attempts to tell Dana that she was a villain." As expected; Lincoln, Clyde and even the girls couldn't help but gasp in awe at this.

With this news now out in the open, it truly felt like the Ace Savvy fan base knew no age limit or gender specification. "This is pretty awesome news, Chaz" Lincoln began, "but if what you're saying is true...why isn't Dana here with us today?" After this was said, Clyde also expressed his curiosity on the matter...before realizing that their teen friend may have wanted to keep her interests hidden from others.

Then, at that moment; everyone saw what looked like a blue scarf fly into view and lasso Lincoln around his waist. Despite his overall shock at this, he couldn't help but eye the accessory's color intently. It was here that Lincoln also happened to notice several small heart designs sewn into the material.

"Gee...this looks almost like the same scarf that Eleven of Hearts uses" he thought to himself, "but there's no way that Leni would ever come into someplace like..." Before he had the chance to finish his train of thought, Lincoln suddenly felt someone pull at the scarf; causing him to fly off slightly to the side. Then, after he stumbled about for a few seconds; he finally fell into a pair of slender arms.

As Lincoln tried to clear his head, he could feel the arms wrap tighter around him while his ears rang with the sounds of a familiar female laugh. After taking in a nervous gulp, he eased his head up slowly to see the smiling face of young Dana; who appeared to be dressed up as the Eleven of Hearts. "Why Mr. Savvy; are you falling for me" the teen said with a sly giggle, "but we're both on the same team, it wouldn't feel right."

As Lincoln felt his face becoming hotter by the second, he couldn't decide which made him the most flustered; Dana's costume, the line she used or the playful tone she said it with. Either way, he did his best to not make himself look like a total dweeb in front of her. "Uh...H-Hi, D; n-n-nice to see you" Lincoln murmured shyly, "fancy seeing someone like you here, guess Chaz was telling the truth about you being a fan after all."

At first, Dana felt a bit upset with her brother for telling one of her big secrets without her approval. But since Lincoln and Co. were the ones he said it to, she decided to let it slide...just this one time. "I was the one he gave the extra ticket to, when he cashed in his pass" she revealed, "I was nervous about coming, at first...but something inspired me to go and just have fun, no matter what anyone thought."

When Lincoln and his friends asked what it was that inspired Dana to come, she revealed that it was simply the four of them and how comfortable they were with enjoying what they loved. "When Chaz told me kids like you kept coming to Cons like this, despite getting older; I felt inspired" she sighed blissfully, "you all weren't worried about what people thought, you just wanted to have fun!" Lincoln, Clyde and especially the girls couldn't help but blush deeply; feeling flattered by their friend's praises.

But all too quickly, Lincoln's joy suddenly faded away; which did not go unnoticed by the others. It was here that he revealed that he had been mocked for his love of Ace before...several times, in fact. "One or two of those times were done by the popular kids at my school; Chandler, Lance and Trent" he stated, "but the worst of times happened when my sisters were the ones to make fun of me!"

Naturally, Jordan and Becky felt shocked by this news; the latter deciding to make a note to give Lori and Leni a piece of her mind about their attitude about comics. "The worst of them allis Lisa, the 'genius' of my family" Lincoln grumbled, "she claims that they 'destroy civilization by tricking feeble-minded people into indulging into nonsensical stories full of nonsensical scenarios, outlandish characters, childish plotlines and absurd displays of power.'" Instead of angering them, these words simply caused Becky and her friends to groan loudly in annoyance.

"No disrespect meant to you, dude" she said outright, "but what your sister said...it all sounds like that stupid political blowhard my dad watches on TV." With a weary groan of his own, Chaz proclaimed that he knew the exact person Becky was thinking of. According to him, this person claimed that cellphones had the capability of "putting subliminal messages into people's minds;" if they talked on them for too long.

The group let out an uproarious laugh of amusement, mocking just how ridiculous such stories all sounded. It was here that Joey simply gave a light shrug and muttered "each to their own, I guess." "I mean...as long as people like them don't disrupt our fun altogether, I don't care what they think" he stated, "besides, anyone who feels the need to insult anything popular must be compensating for something."

Just then, the intercom suddenly covered their ears in pain as the P.A. intercom gave a loud buzzing sound. Once it died down, seconds later; everyone could hear one of the hosts of the convention giving a message of greetings. "I just wanted to inform all you Aces in the Hole that the Villain Panel will be starting in fifteen minutes" the voice announced, "I repeat, the panel starts in fifteen minutes!"

Upon hearing this, Lincoln and Co. made an immediate beeline towards the eastern side of the convention center; eager to find good seats for the Villain Q&A Panel.

(Line Break)

The Q&A event went about pretty much exactly how one might expect, be it for a convention like this or any other one. Some fans asked personal questions to the villains up on stage, others asked for deeper information behind their backstories and there were at least one or two people who just wanted to hear the villains' catchphrases. In any case, Lincoln and his friends enjoyed it all; they especially loved the costumes each character had on.

Then, a series of odd events started to happen; the lights shut off, loud horse whinnies echoed through the room and everyone swore they could hear trumpeting fanfare sounding off somewhere. When the lights turned back on almost a minute later, a pair of spotlights shined over at a nearby entrance and everyone could see smoke machines belching out clouds of mist around it. As the door swung open, a man dressed like a Medieval chamberlain announced the arrival of his "lord and sovereign;" the Kings of the Chess Court.

After this announcement was made; two broad-chested, regal fellows stepped into the room and began their approach towards the villain panel. But their presence wasn't exactly welcomed by the figures up on stage, unfortunately. "What's goin' on here, Ol' King Cole" grumbled the Old Maid, "who invited you two clods here?!" Her fellow villains echoed similar words of outrage, going as far to say that this was a "private party."

But in spite of their harsh tones, the Black and White King remained undeterred. Then, the latter gave a quick snap of his fingers; signaling for his chamberlain to bring him a chair to seat himself. Once the two kings were appropriately situated, they gazed out towards the crowd of fans and smiled warmly at them.

"God save you all, good people" proclaimed the White King in a regal tone, "on behalf of our court, my brother and I wish to express how pleased we are to join you this day." The crowd of fans suddenly started murmuring in confusion, wondering why the Kings were acting so...pleasantly. "Wait a minute, I'm a little confused here" Dana stated, "this is a Villains panel, right; so...why is the White King acting so nice?"

Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's question a little, after thinking back to how many people came to him with similar questions about the character. That's when he decided to give Dana the same reply he gave all of his friends long ago. "It's in his nature, believe it or not" Lincoln stated, "the White King is a bit more chivalrous and dignified, whereas the Black King is more aggressive and prone to violence."

It was here that he said that he got the inspiration for the characters' personalities from the Yin-Yang symbol and explained that when they're both working side by side, the two kinds were a bit more...stable (so to speak.) "That all sounds a little weird, I gotta say" Stella confessed, "but the characters still look pretty awesome." Not long after this, she suddenly heard a voice call out from behind; causing Stella to turn her head slightly.

It was here that she and her friends caught sight of Renee again, who looked a lot more pleasant than how she was mere moments ago. "You think the Kings of the Chess Court look cool, girly; you should see the Full House Gang in action" she said gleefully, "my favorite's a tie between Night Club and Strong Suit." Feeling intrigued by the girl's words, Stella decided to have a quick peek at the comic that first featured the Full House Gang.

When she looked up the image on her phone, she was surprised to see how similar the heroines all looked to Lincoln's sisters (besides the differences in wardrobe.) "Well...the reason for that is because I based them all on my sisters" the Loud Boy confessed, "I've even come up with hero names for my parents, the King and Queen of Hearts." To say that this news both shocked and surprised Stella would be a tremendous understatement.

Meanwhile, Chaz and Dana felt equally surprised by this news; all while mentally scolding themselves for not recognizing the similarities. "I had a feeling High Card looked familiar" the young lady murmured, "but I wasn't entirely sure." Soon after that, she and the rest of the group remembered some of the comments Lincoln claimed his sisters would say to him about his interests in comics.

With this in mind, they questioned how they continued to show such disdain towards Lincoln; after he essentially made them all a household name (in a positive way no less.) "It seems that no matter what I do, my sisters either poke fun at my expense or claim my skills have no 'real world applications'" the Loud Boy murmured dejectedly, "I just don't know what to do anymore." After this was said, all was quiet within the friend group; the only sounds heard were those from the Q&A Panel on stage.

Then, as Dana glanced down at Lincoln's sullen demeanor; she decided to take a chance at trying to cheer him up. "As much as I don't like to say it, Linky; you can't please everyone with your skills...even family" she said bluntly, "but everyone's entitled to their opinions." Sadly, all this seemed to do was make Lincoln feel worse; which the others were quick to remind her of.

Thinking quickly, she added a little extra to her initial point; saying that the important thing to remember...is how one thinks of themselves. "I know that...I know I work hard, do my best and so on" Lincoln mumbled, "I just...I just wish my family respected me a little more." With a depressed sigh, he plopped himself into his chair and it looked as though the black cloud over his head was becoming even darker (if that were possible.)

Not wanting to see his best buddy feel so sad about himself, Clyde took immediate action. He sat down beside him, placed an arm around his shoulders and gave him a fond "bro hug." "I know things have been tough right now, buddy...for both of us" he said grimly, "I mean...since this whole thing with your family started; I felt so worried for your safety, my dads were worried that Dr. Lopez might end up blocking me from her call list after leaving so many messages!"

Understandably so, Lincoln's teen friends were left confused by Clyde's words and they asked just who this "Dr. Lopez" person was. With soft smiles on both of their faces, the boys revealed that she was the McBride Family's go-to therapist/psychiatrist and Lincoln revealed that he had...a bit of a habit of calling her during almost any crisis. Of course, the instant this little tidbit was brought up, the girls realized that Clyde must've been under a great deal of stress; once he learned what was going on with Lincoln.

"The thing is, most common reason Clyde would call Dr. Lopez was almost always a time whenever he had a 'Lori Problem'" the Loud Boy explained, "it...It's a long story, one that I shouldn't really tell; it's more Clyde's thing." Soon after this was said, all was quiet once again but the ladies could clearly see that Lincoln was looking almost as sad as he was before. When Clyde finally noticed for himself, he asked for him to speak his mind in the best way he could.

"I just...I'm sorry, buddy; I'm sorry that I've been making you feel so worried over me" Lincoln murmured, "I can't imagine what all my family drama has been putting you and your dads through all this time." After hearing him deliver his apology a second time, everyone spotted small tears of guilt trickling down the Loud Boy's cheek. Not wanting to see his bestie feel so down on himself for his sake, Clyde reached out and swiped the tear away; giving Lincoln a reassuring smile.

"Linc...you have nothing to apologize for" he insisted, "I can't imagine what you must be going through; my only hope is that...in the end, you'll come out okay." After that, Clyde enveloped Lincoln in the warmest of bro-hugs he could give; which was just enough to make him smile (albeit only a little.) "We agree with Clyde, dude" Stella said reassuringly, "and we'll all be with you to help out in any way we can."

While doing his best to keep himself in control of his emotions, Lincoln looked around at his friends with tears in his eyes. But before he had the chance to speak up about anything, the boy suddenly felt his body being squeezed even tighter; as both the ladies, Joey and Chaz quickly joined in on the bro-hug. "Shucks, guys...you're all just too much" Lincoln muttered with a light blush, "what did I ever do to deserve friends as awesome as you?"

Feeling mildly shocked by his statement, Clyde let out a dramatic gasp and pretended to faint into his chair. Meanwhile, Jordan and Stella stared at him firmly; giving him a sort of "could you repeat that" look on their faces. As for Becky, she proceeded to ask Lincoln for an explanation behind his words.

"I'm serious, I feel like this is all a dream or something" the boy stated, "after all the mistakes I've made in life, I feel like I don't deserve such awesome friends like you all" he murmured dejectedly, "let alone my family's love and/or respect." Once more, Clyde let out another gasp but this one sounded like the boy truly was shocked. As for the others, Jordan was first to get Lincoln back to his senses...by giving him a swift slap to the face.

Despite however much it hurt, it cleared out Lincoln's mind enough for him to hear what needed to be said. "Look, dude...we've talked about this before" Jordan said with a light groan, "you've made some mistakes but guess what...so have all of us but that doesn't make you any less worthwhile as a person. Stella, Becky and Dana murmured happily in agreement; while Chaz and Joey gave Lincoln two thumbs waaay up in approval.

"As for wanting to be respected by others, we also respect that" Stella stated, "you work the hardest to earn the approval of others than anyone else I've met, even some of your sisters." While he greatly appreciated the warm tone in his friend's voice, a small part of Lincoln told him there was a hidden meaning behind her words. Surely enough, he was right; within seconds, Stella said that no one will be able to get everyone to love them (family or otherwise.)

"But what's important is that you never forget about the people who do love you" Jordan stated, "and you're looking at a small portion of 'em right here." Once again, Lincoln felt touched by the sincerity behind his friend's words and openly thanked her for them. However, the boy continued to question himself on what he had done to properly earn people's approval.

"Think about it...almost everything I do either gets people made, gets them in trouble, gets me in trouble or all of the above" Lincoln grumbled, "name me one time where something I did ended positively." Just as the group started trying to think up a proper answer, Clyde looked up to the stage and saw Bill Buck approaching the panel.

Seconds later, the spotlight suddenly turned on and the light shined down directly over Lincoln; much to the boy's overall shock. Confused by this, Lincoln looked up at the stage for himself and saw Mr. Buck waving; as if signaling for him to come up. After a bit of extra encouragement from his friends, the Loud Boy gathered his courage and made his way towards the stage.

Upon his arrival, he approached Bill Buck and gave him a friendly handshake in greeting; as well as extending a hearty hello to the villains as well. "I'm glad I was able to spot you out in the audience, my boy" Mr. Buck chuckled, "I wanted to meet with you so that I could share something with you." His curiosity piqued, Lincoln asked what it was his idol wanted him to see...all while trying not to appear too eager.

Of course, before he decided to divulge such information; Bill Buck wanted to take a moment and have Lincoln greet the crowd. Upon doing so; the whole room suddenly echoed with thunderous cheers, hooting, excited hollering and applause. This carried on for almost two minutes until Bill Buck politely called for silence from everyone.

"Now then, everyone; I'd like to ask you a question" he began, "how many among you have enjoyed the additions of the Full House Gang, the Chess Court and all the other new characters?" Almost immediately; the room, once again echoed with the loud and thunderous applause. It became so loud that Lincoln had to cover his ears with his hands...but it did little to dampen his overall amazement.

As he took a glance out into the crowd, Lincoln could see all kinds of people dressed like the characters he made. Eventually, Bill Buck asked for the crowd to quiet down; which they happily complied with. "I suppose the answer should be most of you, then" he chuckled, "now...who among you have been enjoying or have just got started reading the Checkmate series of Ace Savvy stories?"

For the third time that day, the room echoed with applause...but it sounded so much more tolerable this time around. Upon seeing and hearing this response, Mr. Buck sense that the time had come to get to the main point of the matter. "To all you fans out there, I have a very big surprise for you...in a rather 'small' package" he said with a light chuckle at the pun, "here with me on stage is the boy responsible for bringing all the new characters to life; everybody, I'd like you to meet...Lincoln Loud!"

With that simple declaration, the spotlight shined down upon the stage; revealing the timid form of young Lincoln Loud. A profound silence followed, after that; broken only by the sounds of soft drinks being sucked through straws or people munching on snack food. Then, everyone saw a boy heading up towards the stage; holding a copy of the Checkmate No.1 in his hands.

He looked about a year or so younger than Lincoln, had shaggy blonde hair, blue eyes and was wearing his own kind of Ace Savvy costume. When he was granted permission to come up on stage; the boy shyly approached Lincoln, gave his cape a light tug and held up his comic to him. "Uh...C-Can I, uh...Can I have your autograph, Mr. Lincoln" he murmured, "I...I love the Checkmate stories, read them all three times."

This scene caused everyone in the audience to either chuckle or coo adorably, including Lincoln's friends. Becky and Dana in particular thought it was cute that their buddy had his own set of fans. Speaking of whom, Lincoln felt as though the whole world had gone topsy-turvy; he was so shocked. For the second time that day, somebody wanted his autograph and it was over something he created.

"This has to be some kind of dream" he thought to himself, "I've gotta pinch myself real quick to see if I'm right." With this thought in mind, he moved his right hand towards his left forearm and gave it the tightest pinch he could muster; causing him to yelp loudly with pain. When he recovered, seconds later; Lincoln saw that the little boy was still standing with him on stage.

"Well, I guess I'm not dreaming" he muttered sarcastically, "otherwise, that little pinch wouldn't have hurt the way it did." With that matter settled; Lincoln looked down at the young fan before him, smiled and took his comic in hand. "I'd be happy to sign your book, lil' hero" Lincoln said in his best Ace voice, "who should I make it out to?"

Before answering, the boy took a moment to giggle and bounce with glee; something the audience thought was rather cute. When he finally calmed down, he told Lincoln to make the autograph out to Simon Sharp. "Sharp...Sharp...something about that name sounds so familiar to me" pondered the Loud Boy, "nah...I must be thinking of something else."

With lightning fast moves, Lincoln wrote the words "to my pal, Simon; have fun reading. Sincerely, Lincoln" on Simon's book and handed it back to him. As a bonus, he offered to take a selfie with the boy; which Simon happily welcomed. "Thanks so much...for everything" he said giddily, "my sister is going to flip, when she hears about this!"

As Lincoln watched Simon hurry back to his seat like a giddy clown, he soon noticed several other fans approaching the stage; all of whom wishing for autographs, selfies and other things from him as well. Despite however surprising this all seemed to him, Lincoln happily welcomed the attention and vowed to attend to as many fans as possible.

(Line Break)

After signing his name on one final comic from a fan, Lincoln took a seat at the Villain Panel table and shook his hands vigorously; trying his best to get the feeling back into them. For the past twenty minutes or so; he had been signing autographs, posing for pictures and answering questions from the fans (or even the villains themselves;) he had more than earned himself a small break.

But despite however tired he felt, Lincoln was having the time of his life and so were his friends. However, during the time they saw him mingling with his fans; Jordan couldn't help but feel...a smidge jealous of all the affection some of the older female fans were giving Lincoln. Thus, it took all the self-control she had to try and not interfere in the fun.

At one point, Bill Buck returned to the stage and revealed he had one final surprise left in store for Lincoln. "You see, my boy; there's a reason why I asked you to come up on stage with me" he stated, "it wasn't just to cater to the fans of your work." After letting out a light chuckle, Lincoln decided to take a few fun guesses at what the Mr. Buck had in store for him.

"Is somebody making an Ace Savvy movie, a TV show...no, wait; is it a web comic" he asked eagerly, "those are about the only ideas I can think of, Sir...what's the announcement?!" Bill Buck chuckled heartily at the boy's enthusiasm, reached his hand into his pants pocket and started fishing about inside; as if searching for something.

"It's in here somewhere...give me just a moment" he murmured, "I knew I'd placed in my pocket before I left...AH, here it is!" In that moment, all time seemed to slow down; as Mr. Buck held his hand up high to reveal...a small envelope. At first, everyone felt that the buildup was all for nothing; including Lincoln and his friends.

But Mr. Buck shook his head slightly and assured everyone that what he had in the envelope was something very important. "Due to the popularity of your Checkmate series and all its characters, Mr. Loud; my publishing company wishes to split some of the sales proceeds unto you" he explained, "therefore, in this envelope is a check signed out in your name...a check worth up to $10,000." At first, Lincoln thought he might've misheard Mr. Buck; thinking all the earlier cheering cost him his hearing.

But then, when he opened up the envelope and saw the balance written on the check; he came close to falling off the stage in shock. Thinking quickly, some audience members caught Lincoln mere seconds before he fell over and helped him back on the stage; all while extending their heartfelt congratulations unto him.

"So...wait, this is for real" the boy murmured in shock, "this check is real, the ink's not gonna fade away on me or something?" Mr. Buck and the audience shared a hearty laugh, after hearing the boy's questions; which almost made Lincoln think that this was a joke. But then, one of the actors dressed as Card Shark told him that everything "was as real as the dice on Snake Eyes' face."

"What he means, my boy is...this isn't a prank nor is it a trick" Bill Buck assured, "this is all quite real." He then said that while the check didn't have a great deal of money, it could still help him out on his path towards becoming a professional comic creator. It took quite a while for Lincoln's mind to properly register all of this, truth be told.

But when he was finally able to find his voice again, the first thing Lincoln did was thank Mr. Buck and the fans sitting before him for their support in his ideas. "I can't promise you that my next idea will be an immediate success" he confessed humbly, "but I will put all my heart, imagination and dedication into it; no matter how long it takes!" After that statement, the crowd of fans started clapping their hands like crazy.

As he stood up on stage, soaking in all of the applause; Lincoln soon found himself experiencing a state of mind he rarely ever felt before...true blissful euphoria. But then, within seconds; he suddenly found himself being playfully dogpiled on by his friends...but Lincoln didn't really mind. "Congrats on the check, dude; you deserve it" commented Joey, "what do you plan on doing with all that money?"

At first, Lincoln didn't really know how to respond; aside from the usual things like setting some cash aside for college or possibly helping his family...he couldn't think of any other ideas on what to spend ten grand on. That's when he looked out at the crowd and spotted Renee, who was happily clapping her hands. He was then reminded of their earlier encounter and how disappointed she looked at losing the Q&A challenge. "I should go and see if she's okay" Lincoln said to the viewer with a sullen frown, "I...just hope she's open to talking with me."

With that in mind, he said his goodbyes to the cheering fan group and made his way over to Renee's seat. At first, he expected the girl to chew him out for what happened earlier on (verbally speaking.) But much to Lincoln's surprise, she not only smiled but also offered up her congratulations; both for winning the challenge and the success of his Checkmate stories.

"Thanks for that, Renee and...sorry about earlier and for what happened when we first met" Lincoln stated, "I think I know a way to make up for both of those moments." Before Renee had a chance to question the Loud Boy, he simply asked to see the text message that he sent to her phone earlier. Despite feeling a tad skeptical, at first; she ultimately agreed and handed Lincoln her phone.

After finding the text in question, he spotted the link to the fansite and clicked on it; where he proceeded to purchase the Ace Savvy themed chessboard that was on display. "There, I'll use some of the money from my check to pay for this on my account" Lincoln explained, "then, I'll have it delivered to my house and I can either send it to yours or give it to you at school...is it a deal?" After taking a moment to properly register what just happened, Renee chuckled at the Loud Boy and shared with him the "secret fan handshake;" thanking him for his generosity.

"Seriously, dude; thanks for all this" she stated, "especially after what happened...sorry about all that, by the way." Lincoln smiled at her a little and assured Renee that there was no bad blood between them, he even went as far as to claim that he was just as big of a jerk on the first day they met. "Still, I'm happy we could work things out properly" he stated, "after all, we Ace fans always stick together."

With a hearty laugh, Renee shared a high five with Lincoln and shared one final thank you before heading off to meet some other friends in the convention. As he watched her walk off in the distance, the Loud Boy took a brief moment to mentally recap all the great things that happened today. "Had a fun day at the convention, got a new chess set, found my own fan club, found out my stories have become pretty popular among them and I gained a new friend" he said wistfully, "this all feels too good to be true."

No sooner had he said this, Chaz suddenly appeared from behind and caught Lincoln in a playful headlock. When he finally released him, the teen reminded Lincoln that everything that happened this day was all as 100% real. "I know that...really, I do" murmured the Loud Boy softly, "I just...I've got this feeling in my gut telling me that things will suddenly get worse, just as they start getting better."

Surprisingly; no one questioned, doubted, or challenged anything Lincoln had just said. As much as they didn't like to think about it; after everything he'd been dealing with, it was only natural for him to feel so uncertain. However, they didn't want Lincoln to let these feelings spoil the rest of his day.

"I hear you didn't get the chance to visit the Fun House of Cards yet" Joey chuckled, "wanna go in for a stroll while the day's still young?" Without the slightest bit of hesitation; Lincoln, Chaz and all four ladies cheered loudly in agreement to the idea. Once that was settled, they made an immediate beeline for the activity area.

"My friends are right, I've gotta enjoy myself while I can; no matter what" Lincoln said to the viewer, "still...why do I have this feeling that something really big and bad is about to go down soon?"

(First AN: Good question, Linc; what do you all think will happen next, in the future? Will some bad mojo come along to wreck Lincoln's fun, will the Loud Sisters' fight continue on till the end of Break and what will happen when they find out what their brother's been up to since leaving the house?

For answers to these questions and more, tune in next time for the next installment of Gal Pals)

(Second AN: I have never been to a convention before; therefore, I wanted to try my best to think up activities that Lincoln and Co. might enjoy there. I hope they were appropriate and that they all made sense to you all)

(Third AN: The "Checkmate" series of Ace Savvy stories that everyone talks about in this are a reference to my first ever Loud House fanfiction entitled Ace Savvy and the Full House Gang: Checkmate. I hope this didn't feel like a shameless plug to you, guys. But to those unfamiliar with the story, I recommend checking it out.

Bear in mind, it's one of my first attempts at writing fanfiction; so...if you find any punctuation errors, sentence errors or whatever else; I'm sorry. My writing has improved a lot, since then and I hope you'll enjoy Checkmate; in spite of those mistakes)

(Fourth AN: In case anyone felt confused, Renee's character was first introduced in the episode "Back Out There;" where Clyde, Rusty, Liam and Zach were trying to set Lincoln up with a new girl. Sadly...his meeting with Renee did not turn out very well and her presence in this chapter is my way of fixing what happened)

(Fifth AN: In the show's canon, it's unknown if Chaz and Dana actually are related; much like with Becky and Paige. But at the request of crafordbrian17; for the sake of this fanfic version of the Loud House Universe, they are)

(Final AN: The moment where Lincoln successfully tames and befriends Carol's pet corgi, Alistair was lightly inspired by a scene from Disney's Tangled; specifically the moment where Rapunzel does the same thing to the horse, Maximus)