"...oln...Li...n..."

"Mmm...uhhhhh..."

"Hello?...key wa...bre...dy!..."

"Uhhh...who is that...sounds like..."

"HEY, LINKY-DINK! UP AND AT 'EM!"

"AAAAA! What?! What happ...Uh, who are you? And where am I? And what even happening of course?..."

"I'm gonna say 'I dunno' to all of them..."

"Huh?" Lincoln woke up in his normal clothes, in a world of black. And yet he could very clearly see this person in front of him. The person that looked exactly like him...only female...

"Uh," the girl touched foreheads, "Are you ok?"

"I...think so-OOF!"

"Because that was AMAZEBALLS! That one with the flying and the cards, you were all just-PAPAPAPAPAPAPAPPAPAPAPOW! BAM! BLAMO! And you were bobbing and weaving like it was~~~"

Lincoln couldn't understand this girl's rambling. In fact, he couldn't understand the situation at all. So many questions filled his head, questions he knew were never going to be answered...unless they tied to the IS, in which case there would be a lot of incomprehensible technical jargon.

So he just wrote it off as a dream and ran with it, "Um, hello?"

The girl stopped her rambling, "Yeah?"

"Uh...How did I get here?"

"Hm, let's see," the girl thought, "Last I remember, you were conked out, and then you were carried away somewhere."

"WHAT?! AM I DEAD?!"

"Haha, no! If you were, you wouldn't be talking!"

"Guh...that's a relief."

"I gotta know, though. How did you come across that glorious super suit?!"

"Well..." As much as he didn't want to recount that night, he had to, "It was the night I was locked out of my own house...I wanted to blow off some steam..."

"And that's when you discovered...iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit."

"Yeah...boy, do I feel weird..."

"As do I. If it weren't for the bad luck crap..."

"Yep..." he figured something was out to mess with him. Something always was. "Ah, question. Is there such thing as luck?"

"Um, technically, the answer is no. I'd like to think that everything happens for a reason."

"Then...what's the reason for me getting locked out only to stumble upon the IS thing..."

"That was your choice. I think you were done with everything."

"I know... I was done with my own family, but...now I'm..."

"Hehe, lemme guess. "I have to go" just became "I want to go". Right?"

Lincoln felt a mixture of shame, embarrassment, and relief.

"Ha, it's ok!" The girl smacked his back, "It's common for people our age to be all emotionally confused."

"Wait-huh?! Whaddaya mean by that?"

"Oh, that's just a guess. I'm just going by what's going on in your family."

"Uhhh, what?" Lincoln could not believe what he just heard.

"Speaking of, how is your family doing? I mean, when you were knocked out?"

"Well...probably getting antsy. But I've seen it all before."

"But not when you're dead tired, I bet."

"No...no, they haven't," Lincoln realized that this was the first time that someone was actually in danger, "This is different."

"Ironic, huh? You were close to passing out in the fur costume, but you actually passed out in the metal superhero costume."

And a very damaging thought emerged, "Heh... I guess I'll always be a lightning rod..."

The girl saw he was distraught at the possibility of never fully escaping the cycle. She tapped his shoulder, "You know..."

"What is it?"

"I'd like to think there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything, even being a lightning rod. Probably not very helpful, but..."

"...What do you mean?"

"If you really think you can't escape...maybe you could use all that static for something else?"

"Like, what?"

"Just a thought. I mean, you're gonna have plenty of time to think on it, right? There's gotta be a way to channel all that static right back at them."

"Uh, how's this helpful in any way?"

"No clue. Just passing the time, is all."

Lincoln gave a discomforted face and just talking to the girl until...

-BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP ~~~-

"...uhhhh...my everything..." he was in an infirmary of sorts, with his family and friends right beside him, "What...are you guys doing here..."

"Oh my god, Lincoln!" Ronnie Anne hugged him, "You're ok! We thought you were a goner!"

"OWOWOWOWOW-CRAMP IN THE RAMP! CRAMP IN THE RAMP! CRAMP IN THE RAMP!" Lincoln slithered out of her arms, "Agh-ooh...I won't be able to poop properly for a while..."

"You feeling ok?" Ronnie Anne picked him up.

"Yeah-AYY...I think so?" Lincoln steadied himself on his feet, "Ugh... I feel like I just shed ten pounds..."

"Yeah...you kinda look it too..."

"Hm?" Lincoln saw he was still in his skin-tight battle uniform, "AAAAA! NAKED MONKEY!"

"Heheheheh...easy, Lame-o," Ronnie gave him his old clothes, "No cameras here to capture every single muscle."

"Ok... I...where the others?..."

"Outside. They're taking it pretty seriously."

"How serious?"

Ronnie Anne gave him two pieces of paper, "It's your assessment."

And once Lincoln saw the bottom half of the papers, he knew the world was going to change, big time.

WRITTEN ASSESSMENT: 84 (B)

COMBAT ASSESSMENT: 82 (B)

OVERALL RESULT: PASS

IS COMPATIBILITY RATING: A

"Oh boy... I got in..." once again, he began to feel the weight of his decision, "I've got one day to let them off easy..."

"Easier said than done," Ronnie Anne escorted him out, "I was gonna bash on Lynn for causing all this, but she's in enough pain as is."

"Pain? She didn't hurt herself, did she?!"

"No. When she found out you passed, she just ran outta here. We tried to stop her, but she was too strong...and too pushy. That Ori-woman chased after her."

"Geez..." Lincoln wondered what could've set her off, "Is it the...you know..."

"I think so. I don't know what's in her mind anymore."

"Maybe we should leave her be...give her time to cool off."

"Yeah..." Ronnie Anne sat them both on the small bed, "Hey, are you sure you wanna go?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you're gonna be separated hundreds of miles from us. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Lincoln leaned on her shoulder, "It's not like we'll be apart apart. And I'm never gonna be alone for long, as we already saw."

"Heheh, can't argue with that," Ronnie was about to give his shoulders a much needed massage-

But they were love-squeezed by Leni, "OH, LINKYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"

"OOF!...Nice...to see you..." they grunted.

"I can't believe you're going away and we won't see you again and we haven't even forgive and we justtyyaaaAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"

"Ok...we get it..." Ronnie Anne felt limp, "Can you let...us...talk..."

"Ok, blubberball!" Luna pried her off, "You've said your piece!"

"Guh...has she always been this strong?!..." Ronnie gasped.

"Not usually..." Leni sobbed, "I mean...he's gonna go away..."

"You passed both parts of the exam?" Rita confirmed, "Wow, that's...that's wonderful!"

"Yeah," Lincoln said, "I'm gonna ship out tomorrow. It's a weird feeling for me."

"Us, too," Lana muttered, "I mean, it was amazing how you piloted that thing. But, you also had to think on your toes and punch outta that giant wall and..."

Lana couldn't finish.

"I guess...what we're trying to get at is," his father said, "We're really proud of you." He sat down beside him, "it's still mind blowing how fast it came to us...and even more mind blowing how well you took it. Are you sure you wanna do this?"

"Actually...yeah, I want to do this," Lincoln answered, "it's a whole new rush flying around in that IS. It's scary, but in a good way. I couldn't believe I didn't know about it sooner."

"So, you're leaving us after all?..." Leni whimpered, "Well, what about the...beach, and the game...can you at least say something about it?..."

"Leni, don't," Lori gripped her shoulder.

Lincoln knew what she meant, so he automatically searched his...everything...for the right words. He knew he couldn't say it, but he definitely cannot instill any more anger in them. He repeated Lori's advice to himself until he found a good phrase to use, "I...I don't know if I can..."

Leni buried herself in Lori's shoulders.

"We understand," Luna came up to him and hugged, "We're just happy you're still with us. We got another day to go crazy with you, after all."

"Whose idea was it to make it just one day?" Ronnie said.

"Would you like a week, then?" Maya suddenly popped in.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"Well, there are rules in place for teens," Maya explained, "but Lincoln's only 11. I can get you some more time, if it's ok with you."

Lincoln looked at his family, then back at Maya, "Yeah. I think we'd like that-AGH!" He was double-hugged by Leni and Lola, "Guys, I'm not gone for-"

"We know that!" Lola shouted, "Just shut up and hug us back!"

"Well, looks like someone's in need of an anti-flammatory hug!" Luan squeezed the four of them.

The rest of the family snickered, except Lucy. "Luan?" She groaned, "Are you aware of what you just said?"

"What'd I say?"

"Uh, anyway!" Lori yanked Luan back a bit, "Now that we're all here! What do you think about lunch-"

"Wait," Lucy poked, "Where's Lynn?"

Elsewhere, in a furniture store...

Chifuyu knocked thrice on a shelf, "Lynn? Are you sure it has to be this sturdy?"

"Well, we never know if someone's gonna sneak a pounce," Lynn scanned the dressers for a suitable replacement.

"Namely you?"

"Oh, pshaw! I stopped doing that years ago!"

Chifuyu saw her lifting the dresser and mirror and rearranging them on the cart, by herself, "I feel like my pride's gone down the crapper..." She pushed the bookshelf on the cart and rolled everything down to the registers, "I have never seen anyone run as fast as you."

"It comes with its perks," Lynn said, "Like never having to put up with any more bullies."

"Like how?"

"My first day in middle school, they really took advantage of me. Misleading me and trapping me in parts unknown, Farty McStink Face I think...blech. I toughened up the next day and confronted them head on!"

"And how'd that turn out?"

"I was winning until the school bully...he was held back a couple years...he started getting the better of me. Then, his friends got the jump on me, and I was stuck to the ground. When he was about to...finish me..."

Chifuyu noticed that she stopped moving. She saw a sad smile on Lynn's face and knelt down to her eyes, "Lemme guess...Lincoln Ex-Machina."

"Yeah..." Lynn suddenly got bashful, "He ran in screaming, teachers and parents running after him, and... he just took the punch for me."

"Whoa...does he remember any of that?..."

"Heheh, no," Lynn teared up a bit, "That bully made Lincoln forget with one punch...but no one else did. He's still in jail, but..."

"You think that started this whole "shove it off to him" business?"

"Well..." Lynn didn't know how to respond. It was tempting to say no, but she remembered every single moment since that day that he took the heat, "I wanna say no, but..."

"Hey, Hey, it's ok. Come on," Chifuyu walked her out, "We can talk more in the van."

When Chifuyu and Lynn checked everything out, they went for a short drive around the town.

Lynn was eyeing all the places she and her family have visited.

"See anything good out there?" Chifuyu asked.

"Nah...just places...that's all..."

"And memories, I bet."

"Yep...this is the street where I took him on his first bike ride. He was so jumpy, yelling out 'Faster! Go faster!' all the dang time."

"I imagine. The wind in your hair, the cool crispness on your pits..."

Lynn giggled a little, but went back to somber, "...You know what the worst part about that fight was?"

"What's worse than..." Chifuyu's high-processing brain stopped her, "Oh, you cannot tell me he thought that far ahead."

"Good news: he didn't. Bad news..."

Nearly three years ago...Lynn's first day of sixth grade was the worst she had ever suffered, so she vowed to never again show any weakness to her friends, and especially her bullies. She returned the next day to stand up to them, but the school bully demanded she learn her place. When she refused to do so, the bullies challenged her to an after-school brawl. That was when Lincoln and Clyde came back from their second day of third grade and saw Lynn getting pummeled.

("Clyde! Get help! Get everyone here!")

("What are you...are you crazy?! You'll get hurt!")

("And if I don't, she'll get killed!")

That was also the day Lincoln developed his first real plan: he knew they couldn't beat the bully, so he planned to take the blow and have the bully caught doing it. The end result was the bully getting four years in juvenile for two counts of aggravated assault; his accomplices getting orphaned and publicly humiliated; and Lynn getting permanently scarred into her brash personality.

This remained the family secret. When the doctors checked him out, Lincoln had absolutely no recollection of that event, or any event that day. Everyone convinced him that it was a stray baseball that knocked him out, and Lynn suffered a sports injury. The family was instructed to never reveal to him the events of that day, under any circumstances. The problem was that they went along with it so well, they had all but forgotten that little tidbit of the past...

("WE SCREW UP! WE APOLOGIZE! WE LEARN OUR LESSON! THEN THE NEXT DAY COMES...WHAT SCREWUP?! WHAT APOLOGY?! WHAT LESSON?!")

...until that other tidbit happened. The family was force-fed everything they said and did to him in the past three days.

"Jesus..." Chifuyu lost her speech, "so that day with the bad luck crud..."

"I honestly don't know what to think anymore," Lynn said, "I couldn't own up to the loss... and even then, my team is going to the finals, which means that loss is even more petty."

"Add to that Lincoln's going away...after he almost...why's he going again?"

"Beats me."

"Huh?" Chifuyu parked in the driveway, "Odd. No one's home yet."

"More time for us," Lynn hopped out to get the furniture inside.

"Wait," Chifuyu held her back a little, "Why don't we try to vent everything out first?"

"Uh, why?"

"So when he does come home, we can take it a little easier."

"Oh..." Lynn scratched her elbow, "Well...sure. We can do that a little..."

Three hours later, Lincoln and his family came back home to the worst possible display of power differences.

Chifuyu and Lynn got into an arm wrestling contest, "GO!"

They maintained their steely gaze and pushed forward, not giving any thought to the bewildered faces that saw a fully grown woman struggle against a prepubescent teenager.

"Ngh...holy...where does your strength come from?!" Chifuyu had barely held on for 15 seconds.

Until Lynn powered up to the max and toppled the Brunhilde and the table. "BOO-YAH! ULTIMATE VICTORY!"

"Ugh...what did I say about my pride?..." Chifuyu propped herself on the couch, "Do you even need an IS?..."

"Not really," Lynn jumped on Chifuyu's torso, "I just love to get moving." She dragged her off the couch, "Come on! We gotta see how the bed looks!"

"Hey, easy!" Chifuyu was dragged all the way to Lincoln's room, "I still can't-" BONK "-MY SHIN!"

"Bed? Leg?" Lincoln said, "What did they do?!"

"I didn't make the bed yet," Lana thought. She and Lincoln rushed to his bedroom to see if any damage was done. They found the opposite.

"You don't suppose that first aid kit has anything for shins, do you?" Chifuyu rubbed her leg.

"Nope. You just have to tough it out," Lynn dropped a book on her shin, and didn't flinch, "Nothing to it."

"Keep telling yourself that..."

"Hahahaaa, are you in need of training?"

"No, I ain't!" Chifuyu tackled Lynn and got into a tickle fight.

Lincoln and Lana were amazed at how well the two got along. Even more amazed at how they put together new sleeker furniture, without breaking anything, "Did you do this?..."

Chifuyu and Lynn stopped at the sound of his voice, "Uhhhh...maybe?"

Chifuyu hoisted Lynn onto the bed, then escorted Lana out, but not before sneaking in his ear, "By the way, this was her idea."

Lincoln's eyes widened, "Really?!" He walked inside, "Lynn? This was all you?"

"Emptied out my allowance, too..." Lynn said, "Though she helped a little..."

"Oh..." Lincoln sat down in front of her, knowing exactly why she did it, "I mean, I could just bunk in with one of you, so..."

"But...you're not worried about your own stuff?"

"Yeah, but that's not... what happened with the furniture-"

"I can't say it anymore," Lynn slid off the bed and met his eyes, "I wanna say it so bad, but I can't."

"Lynn...you don't have to beat yourself up any more. This isn't-"

"Yes I do...This is the third time I almost got you killed...I'm just happy you're still here."

"I could say the same for you. No one knew where you went, so..."

"I have that habit...but I couldn't help that you're gone next week. I just...maybe I could-"

"Actually, I wanted to leave you a present," Lincoln propped himself up.

"Really?" Lynn was surprised, "Even after all that?"

"Yeah. I guess I'm just that kind of guy," he took her hand and led her to the front yard, "Come on! Let me show you!"

"Uh, show me what?"

"The reason I've been gone for thee hours. And let's just say, it turned into a short-term business."

"What do you mean?" Lynn stopped at the porch.

Lincoln steadied himself on the concrete, "Hop on!"

"Huh? What's this about?" Lynn acted like she didn't know where this would go, but she was actually a little scared.

"Trust me," Lincoln grinned, "I think you'll like it."

"Um, ok," Lynn climbed onto his back.

"Ok, Ace!" Lincoln released his IS, "LET'S RIDE!"

Lynn felt a warm light encompassing both of them. When the glow subsided, she was surrounded by two metallic wing units that acted as a secure fastener. "No way..." she figured out what he was going to give her, "Did you give everyone a ride?!"

"Almost," Lincoln levitated off the ground.

"AAA!" Lynn hugged him to keep herself on.

"You hanging in there?" Lincoln positionedhtt himself like a wave board.

"I think so..."

"Yeah, this is a bit too complicated for words now. It's better if I just show you."

"Uh...ok..." Lynn hunkered down.

"You ready to do this, Lynn?"

("You ready to do this, bro?")

Lynn took a deep breath, "Yeah. Yeah, let's go!"

("Yeah! Yeah! Let's go!")

Lincoln steadied his gaze to the horizon that lay before him, "Takeoff In 3! 2! 1!"

("Takeoff in 3, 2, 1!")

Lincoln eased them out of the yard and slowly worked his way up to flight speed. With every second that passed, Lynn took in more of the sense of speed and thrill. She threw her hands up in the air and felt the wild winds brushing against her body.

"This is amazing!" She screamed and laughed, "I feel like I can fly anywhere!"

("This is amazing! I feel like I can go anywhere!")

"We can jack up the speed, too!" Lincoln said.

("Wanna see how fast we can go?")

"Come on, bro! Go faster! Faster!"

("Come on, Lynn! Go faster! Faster!")

"Alright, Lynn! Hang on tight!"

("Alright, little bro! Hang on tight!")

But the real thrill ride was after Lincoln crossed into the city area. As soon as they reached the tall buildings, he ascended on a steady angle. Lynn was already enjoying the ride until she looked to her side. She saw dozens of streets pass by her, each time giving her a small beam of the sunset. She also caught glimpses of the reflection in the buildings, reminiscent of the bike ride she gave him the weekend after her big scuffle. But whereas the highlight of the bike ride was the long stretch of open road from the neighborhood to the park...

"Hehey! Check out the view!"

("Dude...check out the view!")

...this ride went to the open sky. The sun setting on the city skyline. The whole of Royal Woods was open for just the two of them. They could see the fields, the forests, the other cities, and the mountain range that lay beyond.

"Whoa...dude, this is wonderful..."

("Wow! This is wonderful!")

They flew high into the sky, counting the trees, lakes, houses, and shops they could remember. They took in the silence of the wind, allowing them to focus on the moment, and the memories. They spent a good part of two hours over the earth, sometimes hearing a bystander yell out,

"It's him! It's the hero of Royal Woods!"

("It's her! She stood up to those nasty bullies!")

Not only did Lynn enjoy every second of the breathtaking flight, she got a good understanding of why Lincoln was going away. He actually wanted to go. He didn't care about the events of yesterday anymore. He had the means to contribute to the family, on his terms. And he wanted to experience more of the freedom that she was feeling. Freedom from all that emotional baggage, freedom from the grudges of yesterday. Freedom from worrying about who would be the next lightning rod.

And she was compelled to oblige.

She tightened her grip around his waist as they flew around the region. During the return trip, she fell asleep. Lincoln looked behind and saw the satisfaction on her face. He couldn't resist a smile. He made a slow descent and took them back home, where he saw Chifuyu and Maya take part in a backyard game with his family. He snuck his way inside, retracted his IS, and carried her all the way to his bed, where he fell asleep in her arms.

The next morning, Lynn was the first to wake up. She didn't know how she wound up in Lincoln's bed, or why he slept with her. But she didn't care. She hugged him tighter and buried her face in his hair. She muttered that phrase over and over until he woke up.

"Mmm...uhhhhh...Lynn?..." He was dazed, "What are you doing here?..."

"You carried me here, remember?"

"Oh...oh, yeah... I forgot..."

"It happens a lot," she admitted, "but probably for the worst..."

"No, not like that..." Lincoln had trouble expressing himself, "it's just something that happens."

"Oh... that's no fun..." Lynn had even more trouble, "then again, what's it even mean..."

"I don't know. Why don't you say it?"

"Naw, you say it!"

"I wanna hear you say it!"

"Nuh-uh, you first!"

The exchange slowly worked up to a small playfight. They had fun rolling around in his bed and trying to get the upper hand on each other. They kept going at it for a few minutes before they felt hungry. As in, their stomachs growled at the same time.

"Uh..." Lincoln wondered, "Oh, that's right! We didn't have dinner yesterday."

"Right, that woman said something about a celebration," Lynn recalled.

"Huh..." he got up and out, "Better find out what her deal is."

"And Leni 2.0 while we're at it," and she followed, "Hey! Wanna have waffles? I'm making 'em!"

"Really? You can do that now? Oh, let me help you with-"

"Nah, you just relax," she winked, "I got this."

"Uh...ok," he had to oblige. But they barely touched the living room carpet when they were startled by a-

"SURPRISE!"

"AAAAA!" Lincoln deployed the wings and arms, and Lynn grabbed a hidden barbell, "OYOYO!"

"Stand down!" Maya screamed, "We're not hostile!"

"Oh... that's...buhhh..."

"Hey, champ," Lynn Sr. said, "We were just getting your celebration on."

"You wanna join in?" Leni asked.

"Uh, what's..." Lincoln was about to ask before Chifuyu and Lori came out of the kitchen.

"Oh! Lincoln!" Lori said, "We weren't expecting you until later."

"I think it's safe now," Lana and Lola carried a huge table outside.

"Wait...I thought I got another week before I had to go," Lincoln said.

"You do...but this is a different kind of party," Chifuyu approached him, "a week-long one."

"Ohh...oh, yeah, I guess that would-"

"Come on, bro," Lynn punched his shoulder, "We won't see you again in a long time. At least try to act like it's friggin' insane."

"But it still feels so bizarre, though."

"Hey," Luna patted him, "If push starts shoving, we'll hold down the fort, no problem."

"Besides, we'll be in constant communication with each other," Rita said, "You're never really gone."

"Heheh, ok," Lincoln smiled, "I'll be in touch. And we'll have each other's blessings."

"Soopah HEROOOOOO!" Lily shouted, and everyone cheered.

"Alright, now we just need to kick this party off properly," Luan said, "but how?"

"I do," Chifuyu gave her a camera, "Just need one more interview with him."

"Really?" Lincoln cocked his head, "What else could there be?"

"Well," Chifuyu walked everyone over to him, "your family is still pretty shook by everything that's happened in the past three days."

"And they do need your blessing to call the threads tight," Maya said.

"Yeah..." Leni muttered, "We didn't get any sleep over that..."

"I have to deal with some big issues, too!" Lola said, "And we thought...maybe you could help work them out."

"And I wanna give you some tunes to send you off with," Luna said.

Lincoln flat out didn't know what to say, so he turned to Lori for any advice she could offer.

"Hey, it's just advice," Lori told him, "Not like you have to follow through."

Lincoln smiled. Of all the things he wanted to do, dropping off the bad luck baggage at the ends of existence was at the top of his list. He gave one quick thought to his family's actions and words.

Finally...the cycle can stop...

"Ok," he got everyone in a big hug, "I forgive you."

He was able to let it go. At the cost of one more apology from every single person, including Lily, Maya, and Chifuyu. But Lynn couldn't bring herself to apologize for five minutes straight, so they had to settle with a five minute hug.

At the end of it, Chifuyu sat him on the couch, "Ok, are you ready to continue with the interview?"

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Alright...has your decision to attend changed?"

"No," Lincoln said.

"Has your decision been influenced in any way?"

"No."

"And, last one...have any of your reasons changed?"

Lincoln looked at his family, who all just looked on with curiosity. Then he turned back to Chifuyu, "Heheh...I'm gonna have to delete a reason."

"Incredible..." Maya whispered, "To think he's this resilient..."

"Who's the one teaching whom?..." Chifuyu felt embarrassed. She regained her composure after hearing everyone giggle, "Ok! Anyway..." She stood up and extended her hand, "Lincoln Loud, on behalf of the IS World Community, it is my honor and privilege to welcome you to the IS Academy Class of 20XX. Congratulations on your acceptance."

"Glad to be a part of it all," Lincoln shook her hand, and his family cheered.

The next week was all merriment. Bobby, Ronnie Anne, and Clyde joined the weeklong family block party, and all the activities that came with it. Several people heard the joyful noise and joined in on the fun, provided they surrender five bucks to Lola for a ride around town. Luna and Luan spent time recording two songs, while Lynn and Lana provided the necessary roughness to make the games exciting. Chifuyu and Maya stopped by daily to get a feel for the family antics, and to give Lori and Leni the "younger sibling" experience. Everyone else, including Lincoln, made this week the most fulfilling week of their lives. The day before departure, Lori took the remaining siblings around town for a shopping spree. The night before departure, the entire family had a big hurrah in the park, with the entire Royal Woods staff.

Finally, the morning came. Everyone gathered at the airport for one final goodbye.

"Did you pack your clothes? Toothpaste and brush? Extra undies?"

"Mom! I'll be fine!" Lincoln assured her, "I'm not gone forever."

"I know, but still," Rita gave him a hug, "I don't want you to be without the best."

"I'll make it back home by December. Promise."

Meanwhile, Lynn Sr. and Lori were conversing with Chifuyu.

"I can't thank you enough for looking after him," Lynn Sr. said, "It sure feels weird saying that, but... I owe you."

"Don't worry, Mr. Loud," Chifuyu said, "He's under the protection of the best pilots in the world. We won't let anything happen to him."

"And if something does happen to him," Lori said, "remember, he's a fighter."

Lynn Sr. gulped, "That's even scarier."

Chifuyu and Lori laughed.

"Hey, bro," Luna handed Lincoln a flash drive, "Here's the songs I...would've put more into, but..."

"Yeah, I know. Can't rush these things."

"I just remade both tunes with my own little spin on things," Luna ranted, "But I had to have Luan sing the first song! Her natural voice was just right for it!"

"And I regret it," Luan said, "That song was so cheesy, I could make a whole months worth of Mac and Cheese! Just that one song!" She laughed when Lincoln laughed.

"The second one..." Luna scratched her head, "I did my best. Just know that the very last line will make no sense whatsoever."

"I couldn't ask for anything else," Lincoln hugged them both.

"You think you'll be able to stop by again?" Leni asked Maya.

"Probably not, but you're always welcome to stop by our place," Maya said, "Plenty of fashion boutiques in Shibuya."

"Hihihiiiii!" Leni hugged her, "I'm looking forward to it!"

"Heheh...ok, easy, girl..."

After Lincoln went through Lily, Lisa, Lucy, Lana, and Lola, he finally came to Lynn.

"Well...this is it..." Lynn said to him.

"Yeah. I'm still at a loss for words. But we can finally put it behind us, right?"

"Especially since I got the softball championship series next week! I know I'm gonna smoke them! And I don't need no stinking voodoo luck this time!"

"Good to hear!" Lincoln highfived her, "Though I actually might."

"Haha, getting cold feet already?"

"As if!" Lincoln laughed with her. Then, he cracked his neck, "But, seriously... I need all the help I can get this time."

"Hey, you're always the Man with the Plan!" Lynn slapped his shoulder, "You'll find a way! You always do."

"Lynn!" Rita called, "It's time to go!"

"Oh my..." Lincoln said.

"Yep...we need to let loose," Lori nudged them, "Wrap this up. We gotta go wrote things get too sappy."

"Right!" Lynn said, "Well, I'll see you when I see you."

"Same here," Lincoln said, "Wish me luck."

They had a brief handshake and closed with a hug.

"I'm not gonna stop apologizing, you hear?" She whispered in his ear before separating hands and walking back to the van.

"And I won't stop forgiving," Lincoln waved to the family slowly driving away from the airport.

One hour later, the nonstop flight bound for Narita Airport had left Michigan. Lincoln had been staring out the window.

"You doing ok, traffic cone?" Maya asked.

"Yeah," Lincoln said, "But...everything's changing. I wonder how everyone back home will be able to move forward."

"They'll find a way. They always do."

"Hehe, thanks, Maya."

"Ok, here's OJ for Lincoln," Chifuyu tossed them their drinks, "and sweet tea for Maya."

"Oh, thanks," they both caught their beverages and drank. But Lincoln reacted gleefully, whereas Maya...

"Oh...Ugh...Chi...what did you do?!"

...had to empty out her large intestines, "What did you do?!"

"Laxatives," Chifuyu smirked, "Payback for blackmailing me at the game."

"What is wrong with youuuUUUUU~~~"

When they landed in Japan, the staff headed back to the Academy, while Lincoln was given a small tour of the local area before being driven to the Orimura residence.

"This is the place," Maya said, "You'll stay here until the school year officially begins."

"You still have some stuff to work out?" Lincoln asked.

"Plenty," Chifuyu unloaded the taxi, "You go on in. He's waiting for you."

Lincoln rolled his suitcases inside. When he opened the door, he noticed something familiar about the house.

"Hello there!" He heard a male teenager call to him, "How do you do?"

"Oh! Uh, fine! And yourself?"

"I'm good, thanks. I'm Ichika Orimura."

"My name is Lincoln Loud."

"No way! My sister told me all about you!"

"Really? What'd she say?"

"A mouthful. She said you had to deal with ten sisters!"

"Oh, that's just a slice of the chaotic life we have to balance. What about your sister being the strongest pilot in the world?"

"It comes with its own set of annoyances, like how the media won't even give you the privacy to empty your bladder."

"It's that bad?..."

"Being a guy that can use a girl's weapon makes it worse!"

And the two boys just kept up the conversation while carrying Lincoln's stuff to his temporary room.

And Chifuyu and Maya heard it from the front door.

"A new world, indeed," Maya whispered.

"I think he'll be alright here," Chifuyu nodded.

"But I won't...Gotta go again..."

"Seriously?! Ugh...ten minutes!"

Maya ran inside, "I NEED THIRTYYYYYYYYYYYYY-" -SLAM!-

"No, really. Where is this going?..." Chifuyu mumbled as she started to prepare for the upcoming year.

Some time has passed, and Lincoln had begun to feel like he was part of an extended family. He was already spending time with them, exploring the neighborhood around them, and even getting to know some of the locals. The most fun he had, oddly enough, was at a government building. With so many eyes peering at him, he almost felt like a celebrity.

Three days before school started, he received his first video call from home.

From Lynn, "Hey, Dude! How's it hanging?"

"Hanging pretty swell!" Lincoln responded, "I watch that grand slam you pulled off a week ago!"

"I couldn't believe it myself! That game 7 was bug nuts until Margo planned everything out. Not only did we win, we're now the team to beat going into the state league!"

"I can feeeeeeel the pressurrrrrrrrre..."

"Can it, low brow!" She laughed, "Is that guy giving you a hard time?"

"Actually, quite the opposite..."

—(BEGIN FLASHBACK)—

For all the antics the Loud House had to endure, none were at the degree of outofplaceness of a recent event. Two days ago, Chifuyu asked Ichika to prepare dinner.

"What'cha making?" Lincoln asked.

"A classic," Ichika said, "Miso Chashu Pork ramen...but the broth is killing me right now."

"Maybe I can help?"

"Yeah, thanks!" Ichika gave him a footstool and the ladle, "Just keep skimming for like a minute or so, until it's time to add the inners."

"Right," Lincoln watched the soup while Ichika went to the noodles, "So, does it get lonely being by yourself?"

"Sometimes, yeah. Thankfully, there's plenty of stuff around town to keep me busy."

But that one line cost Ichika his concentration. He wasn't watching when the noodles slipped off the basket. They splashed in the pot, causing the hot water to strike at Lincoln's back.

"YOWCH!" Lincoln flinched, causing him to drop ladle, and splash some hot broth on Ichika.

"HOLY monkey..."

"Ah, sorry about that!"

"No, it's my bad..."

And that...somehow flipped both their switches.

"So...what goes on in a day?" Ichika asked.

"Uh...playfights?" Lincoln answered, "A lot of playfights..."

That night, Chifuyu came home to blaring rock medleys. "Uh oh...I knew this was gonna happen." She heard the music from outside the yard. When she opened the front door, "...oh my." the house was an absolute wreck. None of the furniture was broken, but messed with. And the speakers were set to 12 to accompany the ongoing struggle between Ichika and Lincoln, who hopped over the railing while dodging silverware like he was in the Matrix. Lincoln landed on the table, but rolled away in time to avoid Ichika's Axe Kick, which broke the table. The two swung pillows at each other.

"You got some nerve walking into my territory, Ace!" Ichika screamed.

"My obligations don't end at the borders of my city, Silver Samurai!" Lincoln responded.

Chifuyu wanted to join in, but she knew that there was business to take care of, and there's always another play time in the future. So, she did the sensible thing and called them to attention. She unplugged the speakers.

The music...and the hooligans...stopped.

Lincoln suddenly became unhinged, "Uhhhh...did you invite anyone over?"

Ichika started sweating, "Everyone I know is out of town..."

Two minutes later, the two were forced to clean up the entire house while Chifuyu cooked dinner. And they wouldn't be allowed to eat until the place was spotless.

They smelled a pleasant aroma that overpowered their senses.

"That smells good, Chifuyu-nee!" Ichika piped.

"Is that Kung Pow Chicken?!" Lincoln asked excitedly.

"Clean up or shut up," she growled.

They whimpered and went back to cleaning.

—(END FLASHBACK)—

"That woman's Lori 2.0..." Lincoln murmured, "She could kill you with just her eyes..."

"And she's gonna be your homeroom teacher?!" Lynn said, "That has to suck hard."

"Hey, what's worse than fifteen kids and one teacher ganging up on you for having ten siblings?" He quipped.

"True. A couple of your old classmates just now got the nerve to talk to you about that. I told them to go swim over to you!"

"Hahaha! That's...Boy, I needed that."

"Really? Dang, you're building some major cojones, aren't ya?"

"I'm about to go into high school...in a land where everyone is over expressive. Gotta toughen up somehow."

"I heard you also needed to smarten up?"

"Look at this...it's the reference book for the Infinite Stratos. I got it the instant I stepped off the plane. I just finished it."

"BLUGH...you couldn't pay me a hundred trillion dollars to read that thing!"

"I guess that's why I'm reading it!"

"Hahahaaa...ok, Lincoln! I gotta get going."

"Ok. See you soon, Lynn!" Lincoln disconnected.

Ichika knocked on his door, "Hey, Lincoln. You busy?"

"Nope," Lincoln turned to him, "What's up?"

"Just wanted to see if you wanna walk."

The two male pilots ended up walking all night in the local park, enjoying the serene peace and gentle wind for what could be their last time.

"Damn..." Ichika said, "In mere hours, we won't be kids anymore. We'll be pilots."

"Yeah...scary. Say, Ichika?"

"Hm?"

"Are you hopeful for anything?"

"Well...gee, I dunno. That one night Chifuyu-nee finally came home, and...she was mad, then she made an even bigger ruckus. That's all I wanted. Other than that... I'm more scared than hoped."

"Really? Oh, right...no guys..."

"A few, but they're just regular teachers, outnumbered by female staff 50 to 1."

"Yikes. Though... it does make it all the more exciting."

"What?! How do you figure that?"

"We're gonna be the talk of the town. Everyone and their grandma's going to want to see us in action!"

"You mean, like a superhero duo?"

"Yeah, exactly!"

"Um," Ichika wasn't sure on what to make of that, "can I see your IS?"

"Sure," Lincoln deployed his IS in less than a second.

"Yeah, that explains it." Ichika laughed.

"Explains what?"

"Nothing...just, none of the IS I saw looked so...comic-al? Eh?"

"Haha, good one," Lincoln recalled his IS, "but, yeah. My mind is all action-y, and they said that it reflects that."

"Really...What are the chances I'm gonna get my own companion."

Lincoln sensed a slight discomfort and quickly changed the topic, "Um...question. How'd you know about Ace Savvy?"

And Ichika was more than happy to change, "Oh, I was out for A-Con a year ago m, and then I actually met Bill Buck! That was also when I saw...our rendition of Spider-Man..."

"Oh...eeeehehehehehe..."

"Oh, don't you go down that route."

"No, just...I caught wind of Machine Bem Toothache Alligator, but all I heard was MA SHIN BEMMMMMARE YOU SO ANGRY?!"

"Hahahahaaaa! That show was simultaneously campy, edgy, cheesy, and depressing in all the wrong ways!"

And they just kept going into each other's psyches, trying to dig out as many memories as possible before they're forced to face the music.

And yet, Lincoln didn't have a single worry. In fact, he had a feeling in the back of his mind that, even with all that he's about to endure...even with all the hassles of being the youngest pilot in the world...

...he'll like it here.