Tuesday Morning. 06:45. Lincoln was sleeping when he was awoken by a notification sent straight to his IS's communication channel:

Good morning, Mr. Loud.

You have a package waiting for you in the school post office. Please come pick it up before classes start this morning.

—IS ACADEMY ADMIN

"Wuh..." Lincoln groaned, "Oh, this boarding school high school-BLUGH..." he plopped his head back on his pillow.

08:12. After he wolfed his food down, he was given a map of the campus/island.

"Gggg..." but he couldn't understand it and wandered around, "What's with this...too much detail...who designed this map?!"

"You lost or something?"

"Huh? Who's..." it's the twin-tailed girl he saw earlier, "Actually, I was looking for the post office."

"Oh, I wouldn't know where that is. This place is a little big for five hundred something girls. Wait, you're not actually a student here, are you?"

"As a matter of fact..." he pulled out his ID card.

"No way!" The girl exclaimed, "The world's youngest pilot?!"

"Ah..." Lincoln checked the time, "I gotta get going!"

"Wait, How?"

"I...guess I'll ask someone?" Lincoln scampered through the trees and sidewalks.

"Uuuuh, I wouldn't do that if I were you..." and she followed closely behind.

"Why?"

She peeked over her shoulders to see if anyone tried to keep up with them. And she whispered, "One time, during my first day of 6th grade, I got lost and asked for directions to the admin's office. But I was sent on a wild goose chase through parts unknown. I didn't see the light of day until school was over."

"BUH...there's girls like that?..."

"Hey, Chinese middle schools can get super competitive-BPFPF!"

In the midst of all that running, Lincoln's shoelaces came undone; he ended up tripping over and taking her down with him. They smacked themselves in the bushes in front of the building they were looking for.

"My leg..." Lincoln shook himself out of the bushes and brushed himself off.

"Well, at least we found what we're looking for," the girl said, "What are you supposed to get anyway?"

"No idea."

"Uh, so," she said as they walked in, "You're in Ichika's class?"

"Yeah, and it's exhausting," Lincoln said while signing some paperwork, "Those women won't leave us alone..."

"Hm..." the girl thought of something else, "I think I know what'll ease your conscience."

"What's that?" Lincoln received his package, and a note...

Enjoy your new toys, nerd.

-AAdsz

"How about we have a race?" The girl suggested.

Back in Class 1-1, Ichika was waiting for the school day to begin, when he overheard a conversation between his classmates:

"The class league match is coming up soon!"

"Oh, that's right! Have you heard that the representative of Class 1-2 has changed?"

"Yeah. Now, it's that new transfer student, whatsherface."

"A transfer student..." he wondered, "at this time of the year?"

"Yeah!" A classmate said, "Supposedly, she's from China."

"Hmph," Cecilia pumped herself up, "I wonder if she transferred to the IS Academy in order to study my techniques."

"Well, I'm sure curious," Ichika said, "I bet she's good."

"Well," another classmate commented, "the only classes that have students with a personal IS are Classes 1 and 4, so we'll be fine."

"That information is outdated!" The same twin-tailed girl who challenged Lincoln to a race...and won by a long shot...interrupted the conversation to give her introduction, "The Representative from Class 1-2 now has a personal IS as well, so it's not gonna be easy to win anymore."

"No way..." Ichika recognized her right away, "Is that really you, Rin?"

"That's right! I'm Rin Fan, China's Representative Contender!" Rin pointed her finger at him, "And I've come here to declare war!"

"And Ambobbacle Bwah..." Thank goodness no one noticed Lincoln slip past her...or collapse beside the teacher's desk, "Unbelievable...another Representative Contender..."

"Exactly who is that new girl?" Cecilia said, "She seems much too friendly with Ichika!"

But Ichika had other thoughts, "Hah! Good one!" Much to Rin's confusion, "Coming in and acting like a show off! That is so unlike you, Rin!"

"What?!" Rin couldn't believe he didn't hear the R and C words, "Why would you say something like that about me huh?!" Someone planted some knuckles on her head, "GHG! Oww, that hurt..." she turned around and snapped, "WHAT DID YOU THAT FOR-uh..."

Not realizing that it was Chifuyu. "Consider That Your homeroom bell being run," she said a few seconds before the homeroom bell actually rung.

"Chi..." Rin faltered while Lincoln scrambled to get in his seat, "Chifuyu?!"

"That's Miss Orimura," Chifuyu walked in, "Now, go back to your own class. You're in the way."

"Uh, I'm sorry, ma'am..." She bowed before giving her last declaration, "Ok, but I'll be back later, so don't you run away, Ichika! HMPH!" And she stormed off back to her own class.

"I can't believe it..." Lincoln panted, "I just raced a Rep Contender..."

"Loud!"

"Wah!" He zoned out and stood up, "Yes, ma'am!"

The class laughed.

"Ah, no need for you to come to attention," Maya said, "but I just needed to make sure you remembered that question you asked on the first day of school."

"I di-Huh?..."

Lunch was interesting for Lincoln. Aside from the race loss resulting in him having to treat both Ichika and Rin to lunch...

"You could have knocked me over, Rin!" Ichika said, "I can't believe you're Class 2's new transfer! You should've contacted me!"

"Don't be stupid," Rin joked, "If I had done that, it would totally ruin our dramatic reunion!"

"Uh-huh. Is that maybe because you still have some issues with my big sister?"

"Wuh?" Lincoln's mind raced back to the time he and Ichika were forced to clean up the mess they made.

"I don't have issues with her," Rin said, "It's just...I don't know how to handle her."

"Bupgh..." Lincoln shuddered at the thought, "Ok, two piping hot ramen bowls on the house!"

"Aw, thanks little guy!" Rin said.

"Wait, you're not eating?" Ichika asked him.

"Oh, I had plenty this morning," Lincoln rubbed his stomach.

Later, when they settled into their meal...

"Not seen each other for a year?" Lincoln exclaimed, "Sheesh, time don't wait for no one..."

"I know! I was seriously thrown for a loop when I heard you and Ichika got into the Academy!" Rin said.

"Think you were surprised?" Ichika ate his bite, "The last thing I expected was to wind up in a place like this."

"I heard you two operated an IS during your entrance exams," Rin wondered, "but how on earth could something like that happen?"

"Uh, we couldn't tell you if our lives depended on it," Lincoln said, and lied about his origins, "All we know is that we got lost and found out by complete accident."

"Lincoln got lost looking for a ball in the woods," Ichika said, "and I got lost in a giant multipurpose facility looking for the right entrance exam room."

"We put one hand on the thing, and it responded," Lincoln said, "and I wet myself when I heard that only females could control an IS." (Liar.)

"Well, a lot of crap happened after that," Ichika contemplated, "Next thing I knew, I wound up here."

"Wow, That is weird..." Rin had something to say...

"Guh..." But Lincoln saw Houki and Cecilia approaching their table, with very stern faces, "Two incoming..."

"Oh boy," Ichika muttered, "Looks like moments are prohibited..."

Four hands slammed on the table, bringing the conversation to a halt.

"Ichika, I think it's about time you gave me an explanation," Houki demanded.

"That's right, you had better explain this!" Cecilia harshly demanded, "Don't tell me you're actually dating this transfer student now!"

"Yep, it's a pattern," Lincoln ducked under the table.

"Wha-It's not like that at all! I swear!" Rin rushed an answer.

"It's true!" Ichika said, "We're just childhood friends, that's all!" And he saw Rin react unfavorably to that, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong," Rin uttered, "I'm fine."

"Is it really nothing?" Lincoln pulled a Lucy and got around to Rin's side. Again, no one noticed and just got into an argument about friendship levels.

"AAAAA! How did you-" Rin was cut off by Lincoln,

"You didn't look fine when he copied what you said."

"Well...You could say that we're more than friends! So..."

"Oh? Then, what's your relationship status, huh?"

This time, Rin gave Lincoln the cold shoulder, "You're being awfully nosy for a measly 11-year-old, you know that?"

"Having to fend off 10 sisters on the daily will do that to you."

"GCKPMHJH..." Rin shivered, "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that..."

"Excuse me?!" Cecilia forced her way into their conversation, "Don't you dare try to tune me out!"

"What's that?" Rin smiled, "I wasn't interested, so I didn't catch that."

"I...I can't believe you said that..." Cecilia was about to blow a fuse.

"Scary faces..." Lincoln slowly backed away from the table, "Really scary faces..." He watched the group squabble over visiting and training and who knows what else, and the only thing he got out of it was that Rin's family owned a restaurant...and something might've happened to the dad. "Why do I get the feeling that there's more loose threads they didn't bother with before they reunite here of all places?"

After school, Ichika and Lincoln made it to the training area, where they, under Kim's guidance, somehow successfully installed AAdsz's package into the Savvy Suite, without breaking anything.

"And then that part goes here..." Ichika played around with the holographic touchscreen.

"Yes," Kim said, "Now, finalize the changes."

"I think this is how it's done," Lincoln clacked away on the control panel.

"Oh?" Cecilia popped in, "Are you two doing some extra credit work already?"

"Sort of," Lincoln said, "I got a package and I'm trying to...uh...aha!" He pressed a button and suddenly a green check mark popped up, along with a list of accepted changes to his IS:

SAVVY SUITE UPGRADE:

CARD PROTECTION - ALLY MATERIALIZATION WILL CONSUME LESS SHIELD ENERGY

EXPANSION PACK - SIMULTANEOUSLY MATERIALIZE UP TO THREE ALLIES IN BATTLE

"Wow," Kim said, "I think you just got a whole lot stronger."

"Heh, if that wasn't obvious," Lincoln quipped.

"Alright, you two better stand clear," Ichika deployed the Byakushiki, "It's about to go haywire."

"What are you on about?" Cecilia stepped in, "I haven't properly prepared myself yet!"

"Huh? I thought we told you, already. Houki's doing the training," Ichika flew out of the pit and met with Houki.

"What the-I do not accept this!" Cecilia ran out into the field.

"Oh boy..." Kim muttered, "Better restore balance before the world implodes again."

"Miss Shinonono!" Cecilia demanded, "Just what in the devil is going on here?! And how did you-"

"I've been given clearance to utilize the training IS," Houki settled herself in the CQC-based training model, "and I'll be using it for Ichika's intensive training."

"Now hold on...that's the Japanese production IS," Cecilia noted, "How on earth could she possibly obtain clearance to use the Uchigane?"

Lincoln saw Houki unsheathe the IS's sword, "Oh, poop deck!"

"Alright, Ichika," Houki drew the katana and prepared for combat, "Let's begin!"

"Right," Ichika took his fighting stance-

"You Wait Just one minute!" Cecilia interrupted and deployed, "I'm the one who's supposed to be conducting Ichika's training! Do you hear me?!"

"Whoa! 2 on 1?!" Lincoln arrived just in time to see the others getting ready to argue again, "Don't you think we might be taking this training thing a little too far?!"

"Do I sense hesitation in you, little Loud?" Cecilia said.

"Maybe you'd care to balance things out then-" Ichika joked right before getting hit by Houki.

"Pay attention, Ichika!" Houki shouted, "Your training starts now!"

"Yep, I'm stepping in," Lincoln was about to deploy his IS-

"Hold it!" But Cecilia stopped him, "Remove your handicap at once!"

"*GULP* Busted..." Lincoln remembered the handicap debacle, "What for..."

"If you are a man, you would not hold back against anyone regardless of gender," Cecilia said, "Besides, a small restriction relief won't make a huge difference."

"Well...if you insist..." Lincoln removed the handicap and deployed, "Strong Suit!"

SAVVY SUITE - SHIELD 123/137%

"WHAT ON EARTH?!" Cecilia saw it. It was a huge difference.

"Oh, I remember you, drill shrill," Strong Suit grinned as she materialized a 750 pound barbell, "This ain't gonna go down like last time!"

And that was it for the introduction. The rest of the session progressed as normal; at first, it was Ichika vs Houki, and Lincoln vs Cecilia. Occasionally, they would switch partners to mix it up a little, but the very instant Cecilia released her drones five minutes into the skirmish, all pretense of standard training went out the window. Lincoln was too busy avoiding the drones' endless lasers to notice everything else, and he rammed right into Ichika's sword, in the corner pocket. That caused Ichika the misfortune of being shoved into Houki's chest and suffering a thousand slashes. Houki was too angry to feel Cecilia's drones pummeling her, but she definitely noticed Strong Suit ("MAD DOG!") knocking her across the arena, ramming her into Cecilia's arms. Cecilia's charged rifle misfired and hit a drone, but instead of getting destroyed, the drone went haywire and started blasting whoever was in an IS. From that point onward, it was nothing but bumper car battle royale, if bumper cars could fly.

By training's end, all ISs had disappeared due to having zero shield energy left, and everyone was either on their back or slumped on their face, exhausted and sweating.

Except, of course, Strong Suit, "Wow, y'all's teamwork sucks! There's no coordination or chemistry between any of you, just this superficial attraction-BLECH!"

"How dare you...you scoundrel..." Cecilia pointed something.

"Save it for...solitaire confinement..." Lincoln panted.

"Blah blah blah your needs," Strong Suit dropped her barbell, which shook the ground and bounced everyone upward, "Call me when you actually get some threads in those metal bumper cars you call weapons, ok?" And with that, she fizzled out of existence.

"Ugh...I'm gonna hurl..." Lincoln moaned.

"Can't you do something about that woman?..." Ichika groaned.

"I was explicitly told not to hold back," Lincoln rolled over on his back, before realizing what he just said.

"What?!" Houki turned to Cecilia, "The hell were you thinking?!"

"Well, I didn't want to leave-"

"Guys!" Lincoln shouted, and everyone piped down, "What say we call it an day and head back to our rooms, yeah?"

"Uh-good idea!" Ichika swayed the girl's' opinion, "I'm pooped..." he tried moving his legs, "My legs..."

"Please, you only feel that way because you haven't kept up your training," Houki stood herself and Cecilia up.

"Well, I suppose I'll see you two tomorrow," Cecilia brushed herself off and walked away.

"And what are you still doing down there?" Houki asked, "We should head back, right?"

"Uh...trying..." Lincoln pulled a muscle where he didn't want to, "BOOOOOOOOoooooooogh..."

"I'm a war clawler..." Ichika clawed his way to Lincoln.

"That's it for Johnson and Johnson..."

"Hahhhhh, what am I gonna do with you?" Houki smiled, "Alright, Then. I'll see you tomorrow, Ichika."

Back in the locker room, the boys had ice packs all over their body.

"Dangit...I was this close..." Lincoln prevented the cycle from restarting at the last second.

"At least it's over," Ichika thought he meant the frenzy and sat himself up, "I wonder if it's gonna be this bad all the way to the Class League match..."

"Ohohohooooo, vee ah so sssSCRED!"

"Heeeey, good work out there, you two!" Rin called over, "You're ok with a sports drink, aren't you?" She handed each of them a drink, "Here!"

"Oh, thanks Rin," Ichika popped it open, "Have you really been waiting for me this whole time?"

"Eheheh, You could say that," Rin sat down beside him.

"I knew it," Lincoln groaned still reeling from the pain, "You're more than friends."

Rin growled and said, "Don't you have some other girl to buzz around or something?"

"She's all the way in Michigan..."

"WHAT?!" Rin jumped, "Y-y-y-y-y...you already have a-HOW?!"

"Tell you later..." Lincoln deployed his wing units, "I'm gonna prepare for tomorrow's slaughterfest..."

"Try not to sing so loud this time!" Ichika poked.

Lincoln moaned and flapped his way back to his room, on the way thinking about what kind of sweet talk Rin would attempt to give Ichika now that they were alone.

But when he got back to his room, he received a peculiar email:

I was heckled by my classmates to write a poem about you, so I did. And knowing me, you can probably guess what it was about:

"We couldn't care for you, so we had to lose you.

We used all the luck in the world just to abuse you.

If ever a chance came to say,

it would never make it go away."

I believe that should fulfill the "tragedy " requirement begotten of any superhero.

-Lucy

"I can't find the ends of existence either," Lincoln said as he checked his IS's settings. He noticed three square icons, two empty and one with Lynn's face on it. He moved his finger to the face, and up popped a portrait of "cosplay" Lynn, with some choice words:

ALLY: STRONG SUIT (ATTACK TYPE) - SHIELD 15%

"Heh, I'm getting homesick alright," Lincoln started to type up a response to the email, when he heard a knock on the door, "Uh...come in!"

"Heeeey, got a moment?" Rin popped her head in.

"Rin? You're not gonna ask for a roommate change, are you?"

"Hah, no! Actually...it's more important than that..."

Five seconds later...between the twin beds...

"And that's why we should switch training partners!" Rin said to Houki...while holding Ichika's hand...uy.

"Is your brain malfunctioning?!" Houki shouted, "Why switch with me?!"

"Am I missing something here?..." Ichika muttered while Houki and Rin argued.

"Heck if I know," Lincoln said, "I just got here...what happened anyway?"

"Well, Rin and I were reconnecting. We were talking about some promise I made, but Houki forgot her ribbon and came back. She saw us talking and came at us, and then..."

"Ok, then let's ask someone who's seen it first hand!" Rin said, "Got a moment, Lincoln?"

"Uh..." Lincoln jolted, "helpmeppo?..."

"This." Ichika groaned.

"If you had to choose between me or...Miss Violence Bamboo Blade over there...who would you pick?" Rin forced a hefty choice on him.

"Don't ignore me, you troll up!" Houki screamed.

"Hey, isn't this supposed to be Ichika's choice?" Lincoln shoved it back to Ichika.

"Whaddaya looking at me for?" Ichika said.

"Fine, then," Houki dropped her duffel bag, "Since it's come to this-" and drew out her signature WOODEN BLADE?!

"GOOD GOD, WOMAN!" Ichika shouted.

"Hit the deck!" Lincoln prepared to block the sword-

"Allow me," but Rin got in front of both of them. The instant Houki swung down, Rin deployed just one arm, and caught the blade with her robotic hand.

"Partial deployment?! And so fast!" Ichika whispered.

"You know," Rin said, "you would've severely injured a normal person just now."

Houki was appalled at how a prettier, and more vocal childhood friend could overpower her, and dropped her sword in defeat.

"Well, I'll be off now," Rin withdrew her arm and walked away, leaving the boys befuddled with that last clash of arms.

But then Ichika suddenly remembered, "Hey, I almost forgot! You were talking about some kind of promise. What was it about?"

"Eh? Oh, that's right.." Rin affectionately went back to his side, "Well, you know...it's just...you do remember, Don't you?"

"Let's see...was it that I would eat your Sweet and Sour Pork every day if you became a better cook?"

"Yeah, that's it!" Rin brightened up, while Lincoln blushed.

"And it'd be your treat, right?"

"Wuuuh..." Rin suddenly deadpanned, while Lincoln keeled over.

"That's it! You promised to treat me to a meal every day, right? That'd be awesome since I'm still single a-ACK!" Ichika was interrupted by a slap, "Uh...what was-"

"WHAT A JERK!"

"Oh, my head..." Lincoln propped himself up at a bad time.

"How could you not remember the secret promise you made to a girl?!" Rin went off on Ichika, "You're the most despicable guy ever! I hope a dog bites you to death!"

"I don't understand what the problem is!" Ichika snapped back, "I remembered the promise, didn't I?!"

"But you didn't get the meaning behind it! YOU DIDN'T GET THE MEANING!" Rin sneaked a peek at Lincoln, "See?! Even he gets it! So why in the hell can't you understand it?!"

"Well, maybe you should explain to me what the meaning is!"

"You want me to do what?!" Rin was deeply offended, "Why would I explain it to someone who's so dense?!"

"Because if you don't, I will?..." Lincoln whispered, much to Houki's annoyance.

"How about this then?!" Rin threw down, "Next week's the class league match! The loser has to do whatever the winner says!"

"DID WHO NOW?!" Some weird thoughts ran through Lincoln's mind.

"Sure, why not?" Ichika agreed, "And if I win, I'm going to make you explain it to me!"

"Grrr..." Rin got even more offended, "In that case, you better be ready for it!" And with that, she took her leave of the loud room.

Ichika sighed, worn out by the thought of having to fight an angry woman who's already feisty at heart.

Houki was about to say something, "Ichika?"

"Yeah, what is it now?..." Ichika groaned.

Houki inhaled, "I hope a-HBMBM?!"

Lincoln covered her mouth and blurted, "Code White, Level 4."

"Eh?" Ichika was confused at first, "Code White-ULP!" The gears in his head started to turn, and in a few seconds he connected the dots. He promised Rin to eat her signature dish every day if she became a better cook. A woman cooks for a man...a wife cooks for her husband every day. White means purity of love...

He realized... he was so dumb, he couldn't tell a marriage proposal from a coupon for free food.

"Sorry, but can you please step out for a little bit?" Ichika pushed Houki and Lincoln out.

"Hey, what are you-" Houki stammered.

"You're not gonna take long, right?!" Lincoln stuttered.

"I need two minutes," Ichika shoved them into the hallway.

"My stuff is-" Houki didn't have time, as Ichika already closed, locked, and bolted the door shut, "What the heck is wrong with him?"

"He knows the meaning behind the promise," Lincoln said.

"Really..." Houki didn't believe him, "and just what does he think it means, hmm?"

"Well, it-"

"NOOOOO, GOD!"

"What the..." Lincoln jolted back.

"Unbelievable," Houki facepalmed.

"NO, GOD, PLEASE, NO! NO!"

"He's taking it well..." Lincoln gave her some earplugs.

"NO!"

"I'm training him extra hard tomorrow," Houki growled while they both protected their ears.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~~~~~"

Later that night, while on conference call with Ronnie Anne and Bobby who both had days off...

"BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH~~~"

"Had I known what that promise really meant, I would never have said yes..." Ichika muffled through the pillow.

"How did you miss something like that?!" Bobby really lost it and rofl'd.

"Honestly," Ronnie Anne calmed down, "you might be an even bigger lame-o than Lame-o here!"

"So, uh...any way out?..." Lincoln asked.

"Nope!" Ronnie Anne said, "She said that the loser has to do whatever the winner says, right?"

"Ohhhhhhh, no," Ichika knew what that meant, "No, no no no no!"

"You have to win this," she said, "and get her to call off the prommmmAAHAHAHAHAH-ok, ok, ok, whew...let's just..."

"It's not like you have a lot to lose, right?" Bobby got all his laughter out of his system, "Besides, you didn't know what it meant, and she refused to explain it to you. So, it technically doesn't count!"

"Whoa, That is harsh," Lincoln muttered.

"I can't just say to her, "Forget I ever made that promise because I'm a dunce." She'll never let me live it down," Ichika rubbed his head.

"Knowing her," Lincoln mused, "I'll bet she'd probably spread some vicious rumor and guilt-trip you into it or something..."

"Ehhhh, I don't think she would do that..."

"Well, you're deep in the rabbit hole now, Ichika," Bobby said, "Might as well put up with it now."

"Are you sure?..."

"Trust me, I've been there before. If you don't do now, while things are mildly bad, you're gonna have to do it later when things are insanely bad."

"Can't argue with that..." Ichika didn't have a choice, "Alright... I'll ask Houki and Cecilia to help me with the upcoming match."

"Sounds like a plan!" Bobby said, "Well, nini, I gotta head off to work now."

"Huh? But I thought you had today off," Ronnie Anne stammered.

"Gramps broke his back with those milk cartons. Besides, the Bodega never takes a day off," Bobby left her alone.

"I'm gonna head off to bed, too," Ichika patted Lincoln, "You have fun with your girlfriend." And he stretched and made for the toilet.

"Ok, Lame-o," Ronnie caught that last bit, "What did you tell them?"

"Hey, I'm trapped here with way more than ten girls...who keep calling me their little brother...I had to do something!"

"Haha, I get it. But still, you could be more subtle. I heard the students over there are all girls who are totally clueless about boys."

"What, is there a study group on males I should know about?"

"Dear god, I hope not."

"Well, I better get going. Bedtime's completely off by a few processes now."

"I hear that. Smell you later, Lame-o."

"Not if I smell you first!"

"Smell me where, boyfriend?" She winked-

"Wuh-HAH?!"

-before shutting off the connection, "HA I SAID IT!" End transmission.

Lincoln got uncomfortable, "So, who else is gonna forget that I'm only 11?..."

The next day, Ichika was cited for causing a loud disturbance in the residence hall. As punishment, he has to attend Saturday morning training with Chifuyu herself.

Saturday morning, and it was a nutty morning, to say the least. The rules for the class league tournament were announced: only the class reps and the top students from each class could participate in a bracket-style tournament, meaning Lincoln got off easy. He was engaging in a family call from home.

"...and that's why ISs aren't that different from MMA uniforms," Lincoln said.

"Now, I'm gonna wanna try to move one of those things!" Lynn said, "If I'd known that it was this action packed, I'd have jumped the shark sooner!"

"But all that work, though...do you really need to know all that?" Lana asked.

"Oh, this is just to be a pilot..." Lincoln groaned, "You have to be smart, fit, and very clear minded to even take a step in it. Not to mention there's researchers, mechanics, operators, and PR Firms."

"Ew, gag. But the mechanic part, though..."

"Wait, what happened to being an astronaut?" Lynn asked.

"Oh, the world got all power-hungry and grabby-greedy," Lincoln said, "They're scared it'll be used as a weapon for war, so now it's being used as a weapon for sport. We basically DragonBall'd the Infinite Stratos into oblivion."

"Aw, that sucks!" Lynn said, "Imagine a space battle with lasers and rockets and energy blades!"

"I think we'd blow up the world while trying to save it..."

"SNEAK ATTACK!" And suddenly, Rin! With her blindfold around his eyes.

"AAAAA! What's happening?! Who broke the door again?!" Lincoln flailed around until he got the thing off, "Guh...what is with you, woman?!"

"Hey, not my fault you're always wandering into the Twilight Zone."

Lynn slapped her forehead, "That's what I've been saying! The guy takes one look into his own conscience...while running...and he rammed the bathroom door down like a foam picket! Into the sink."

"Usually, water blasts him out," Lana added, "He got very luuuuuaaaa-fortunate! Yeah, he was very fortunate that I came to fix it!"

"That's nothing compared to the 2 on 2 he had earlier. He was zoned in so much he smacked into the White Form. It ain't white anymore!"

"Is it orange and blue now?" Lynn piqued.

"With a hint of gray."

"Haaaahahaha-man, I do not understand how the others have to cross arms and pick up the cans!"

"It takes a special kind of intuition, something you cannot be born with-"

"Ok, bye!" Lincoln pushed Rin away from the laptop.

"Hey, what's the problem?"

"What are you even doing here?"

"Looking for Ichika."

Lincoln facepalmed, "Training with Chifuyu."

"Eh?!" Rin jumped, "Wh-wh... I know their siblings, but why her?!"

Lana snickered, "Lori was right...your manners are deteriorating, man."

"I think an etiquette course could clear that right up," Lynn laughed.

"Ok, it's official," Lincoln slumped, "I have assimilated into the high school collective."

"If that's what you're going for," Rin commented, "you're missing a few...dozen...steps."

"Alrighty, we have to head out," Lana waved, "Have fun with your new playmate, bro!"

"Ok, now we're off the deep end," Lynn ended the connection.

"Buh..." Lincoln sighed, "heheh, I'm getting homesick."

"Feeling's mutual...sort of..." Rin said, "but why would Ichika be off with the Brunhilde?"

Lincoln winced at the many reactions she could have, considering the misunderstood promise fiasco, "Hey, are you hungry?"

"Ok, weird...what's the punchline?"

Breakfast time was very tense. After Lincoln explained why the special training and why the noise, Rin was angered to the point of wordlessness. She unwittingly snapped her chopsticks in half and had to misappropriate his. He plucked the broken pair out of his tuff of hair and used those to eat, while Kim and Akina consoled Rin.

"I can't believe he did that!" Akina said, "No warning, no plea deal, just a straight up no!"

"That lousy good-for-nothing friend-handling jerkface!" Rin slurped her ramen, "When I see him in the class league match, I'm gonna pound him into putty!"

"Aren't you overreacting a bit?..." Lincoln asked.

"What do you know, pipsqueak?!"

"Nothing...nothing."

"Well, it happened to you," Kim made it worse, "Who's to say that it won't happen to anyone else?"

"I'm wondering what other promises he made to that Hokey whatsherface," Rin growled, "if he even remembers any of them!"

"Surely there must be a way to get back at him," Kim said.

"Wait, didn't you make a bet with Ichika?" Akina made Lincoln spit his mouthful at the plants.

"Bet?" Rin remembered the bet she made...and the people who witnessed the bet she made, "Hmm..." then diverted one eye to one of those people.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I better scurry off to weekend tutorials-" Lincoln quickly deployed his wing units-

"HOLD IT!"

"EEK-AaAaAaAaAaAaAaOOOooooogh..."

-but Rin deployed her arm and grabbed them, causing him to spin up and down until he was sat hanging from the table, "Didn't you fight alongside Ichika at the Class Rep Runoffs?"

"*GULP*...yes?..."

Rin dragged him to Arena 3, where they hid in the stands to spy on the Orimura family training.

"I don't know what's more disturbing," Lincoln whispered, "the fact that we're spying on family matters, or the fact that the construction guys ripped off the Saiyan body armor just to make Arena 5."

"Shut it, lame brain!" Rin whispered, "We're just doing reconnaissance work! This is just for the tournament!"

"So she says..."

"Shh! They're doing something!"

Ichika was in the Byakushiki, and he managed to activate the Yukihira Nigata's Reiraku Byakuya, "So, is the Yukihira Nigata the only weapon that the Byakushiki has?"

"And I won the championship using only that," Chifuyu pointed her bamboo blade at the energy sword, "Just one swing is good enough to win."

"You know," Ichika said, "I really wish you wouldn't put me in the same category as a world champion-GUH!" He heard her slam the blade to the ground.

"If you wanna be realistic, an amateur like you has no chance of winning a shooting battle," Chifuyu said, "Do you know anything about recoil control? How to distance yourself from the bullet line? One-Zero stop? Absolute turns? What about ammo characteristics? Atmospheric conditions? Or even the intellectual aspect of battle, such as the influence caused by an opponent's equipment?" Each word she spoke made him feel more and more unsure about himself, "And that's only the beginning, so can you handle all that?! Well, can you?!?!"

Ichika drooped his upper body down. He didn't know what to say to all that, except, "I'm sorry..."

Chifuyu relaxed herself and chuckled. "Look, I know you pretty well, and mastering one technique is pretty more your style," she said, "After all, you are my brother, right?"

Rin and Lincoln looked on as the training progressed.

That afternoon, they reflected on everything they've seen...while dueling in a Lacrosse Club session.

"Even in a production model, Chifuyu still got the better of him," Lincoln said.

"How in the heck did he get the same weapon that she used?!"

"No idea-Wuh-Hey-AGAK!" Lincoln managed to catch the ball, "Maybe someone on the inside has connections?" He was about to toss the ball when Rin contacted him.

"Figures it's all shade-WAAAA-OOF!" Rin toppled them both out of bounds-

"*TWEET!* Foul! Other team gains control!" Kim shouted.

Shortly after the game resumed, Rin was maneuvering the ball into play, "So, what do you know so far about Ichika's IS?"

"Not much," Lincoln tried to block her way, "All I know is the sword can-WAHAHAA!" He missed the ball being thrown to someone on her team and chased after it, with Rin right on his tail, "It's Barrier Void, meaning Absolute Defense be darned!"

"Yeesh, that sounds like it would hurt!" Rin fought for a clear path to the goal.

"Oh, it does! It penetrated my nether regions!"

"I guess that's why groin cups were invented!" Rin caught the ball and pushed Lincoln back, then took the shot. But Lincoln's stick slipped off his hands, deflecting the ball out of bounds, "Wha...Dangit!"

"Whooaaaaadadadaadada-OOF!" Lincoln dropped his stick and tripped on it, falling on the grass and somehow flipping the stick up to -BONK!- land on his head, "Owww..."

"Hihihihi!" Rin helped him up and brushed his hair off, "Hanging in there?"

"I think so..." Lincoln shook his head to stop the eye roll.

But his lucky play couldn't change the course of the game, as his team lost 2-0.

After the game, the lacrosse club sat under the shade tree sipping on water and the cool fall breeze.

"What am I doing here..." Lincoln groaned, once again feeling every single muscle in his body struggle to keep pace with the demands of the intramural team.

"Oh, get over it," Rin stretched and leaned against the tree, "Your body's just kicking out all the weaknesses."

"Give it a few years," Kim spread her legs, "Your body will adjust to the pain."

"Blehhhh..." Lincoln hung his tongue out to dry, "I ain't holding my breath..." Just then, he saw Ichika begging for Houki to be slightly more articulate with her explanations, and Cecilia to be less eloquent with hers, "Sounds like he's having fun."

"Yeah, with an old friend and a newbie," Rin muttered, "She barely even knows him!"

"It was the manner in which he was about to attack that won her over," Kim said, "or, so I hear."

"What?...what is she, a masochist?..."

"Where'd That come from?!" Lincoln said.

Rin saw Houki and Cecilia drag him all the way to the arena. "Puh...I guess I can't be too angry with him. I wonder if his mental density has landed him in trouble yet."

"Not that I'm aware of..." Lincoln crawled his way up to standing, "I'm gonna turn it in..."

"Ok, see you Monday, Lincoln!" Kim waved.

"Don't let the wings smash through any more door frames!" Rin joked.

Wednesday. The tournament was scheduled during after school activities. Lincoln met with Ichika after homeroom, near the lockers.

"So, she knows about the One-Hit Kill Weapon," Ichika said, "Does she know what it takes to even turn it on?"

"Nope," Lincoln responded, "Apparently, she's too occupied with the bet."

"I can imagine. I'm positive she had to have heard my little freak out."

"How are you gonna go about it if you win?"

"Dunno...I guess I just have to tell her. Don't sugarcoat anything."

"Uh...are you sure that's the best way?...other than to win?..."

"Come on, have a little faith in me. I'll see it to the end, no problem."

"Ok...but in case you-"

"And, speak of the devil," Ichika saw Houki and Cecilia standing to his left, and Rin standing to his right.

"Huh...convenience," Lincoln said.

"Oh, what brings you here, restaurant girl?" Cecilia taunted.

"I'm out!" Lincoln tried to stuff himself in his locker.

"I came to wish you and Ichika the best of luck, is all," Rin walked over and yanked him out, "and to remind him about that bet."

"Hasn't left my mind since...ever," Ichika said.

"Come on, Ichika," Houki yanked him over, "It's time to prepare for battle."

The boys went "Uh-oh..."

"Yes, I do hope my training has fitted you properly for the conflict ahead," Cecilia said.

"You mean, mine," Houki said.

"How could your sound effects help him in the slightest?"

"For one thing, they're not flowery gibberish."

"And your spastic motions are any better?"

Lincoln sighed, "How long are they gonna go at it?"

"Don't know. Don't wanna know," Rin put him down, "Where are you off to?"

"Drawing. I know there's no clubs now, but I don't think I'm ready to trap myself in a room full of girls..."

"Fair enough," Rin walked towards the Arena.

Lincoln followed her to a shade tree, "So...on the off chance he wins..."

"What's that mean?..." Rin tilted her head.

"Ah, I saw the bracket. The very first match."

"Oh, yeah, that," Rin scratched her head, "Well...even though it's a tiny possibility, I'll just have to swallow my pride and accept it."

"Huh...that's awfully-"

Rin suddenly deployed her arms, "BUT IF HE TRIES TO WEASEL HIS WAY OUT OF THE PROMISE, I'M GONNA TURN HIM INTO PLAY-DOH!"

Lincoln sheepishly grinned, "Does anybody need to go to the bathroom yet?..."

The start of the Class 1 League, and the first match was underway. But Lincoln chose to stay within his sketchbook in the comfort of the park. The faint clanging of the blades didn't deter him from tracing his sharp lines across the paper.

And Akina was right behind him, "Hey-o!"

"Oh my-whew!" Lincoln flinched, "Oh...Hello, Akina..."

"Wow, you're very stylistic in your drawing," Akina commented.

"I do draw a lot," Lincoln flipped through his sketchbook, "I figured that if I didn't become an astronaut, I'd be a comic book artist."

"Or a mangaka. I mean...nationality shouldn't matter if it's, you know, authentic..."

"I suppose..." Lincoln saw her scanning his latest panels.

"Oh boy...mirror dimension plot line?"

"Yep."

"Are you sure you're not talking about yourself?"

"Nope," Lincoln stretched, "I'm starting to see other people acting like my sisters back home, and it's kinda disturbing. Rin's getting on it like Lynn, Cecilia has Lola's narcissism, Chifuyu is an upgraded Lori, Maya and Leni are dangerously identical in dress, demeanor, and tone, and...well, you can figure out the rest."

"Is this homesickness that's creeping up on you?"

"Maybe," Lincoln plopped down on the grass, "Wow, this is more complicated than I thought."

"Can't say I expected anything else. You're 11, for Christ's sake."

"I'm too young to start up with this crap..."

"Hey, it'll get better. Just needs time."

"Yeah. I hope so...even the clouds are starting to look like..."

No they weren't. Something was off about them.

"...like they're...in a blender..." Lincoln saw a small dot in the sky slowly getting bigger.

"That's not a bird...or a plane..." Akina muttered as they saw two giant arms and legs closing in on their position, "It's an IS?!"

Lincoln stood up, ditches his handicap, banged his fists together, "Time to deal out some justice!" On command, he was enveloped in a bright light, "Akina-san, you have to let everyone know what's going on." Wiithin a few seconds, he was in the Savvy Suite, flying upward to confront the trespasser.

Akina fled the park to warn the other students who decided not to attend the match. The mysterious IS came to a halt and met Lincoln at his height.

"You in the weird golem IS!" Lincoln shouted, "Identify yourself!"

The IS didn't respond.

"I said, identify yourself!" Lincoln shouted while checking its stats, "Hm? There's no identification on it...is it locking me out somehow?"

"What'd you find out?!" Akina commed over her phone to his IS.

"It's a brand new, never-before-seen IS!" He said, "And its pilot is a complete mute!"

"How the heck is that possible?!"

"Make sure everyone stays inside," Lincoln disconnected before readying two hands of cards, "I see you're not the talkative type, but you're the thickheaded type."

The IS got into its fighting stance.

"Fine by me, Gorilla Bane," Lincoln said, "Get set to get decked!"

He threw all of his cards at it, but the IS simply blocked his shots and fired back with rapid-fire blasts. Lincoln quickly moved out of the line of fire, but it caught up to him and threw a brutal right hook. He was able to block it and return a few punches, but when he threw a pair of cards at its torso, it clapped a pair of fists at his side and knocked him down with a hammer fist. He skid backwards a few feet on the grass before recollecting himself and flying back to it. It saw him and pelted him with a few rapid fire shots, then got him with a full on laser blast.

"GAAAAAAAAAA-UGH!" Lincoln felt the impact of hitting the ground hard.

"Lincoln!" Akina ran out to him, "Hey, what happened?!"

"It's too powerful..." Lincoln groaned, "that's what-"

They saw in horror as the IS blew out a max-power laser blast at Arena 5 and rammed itself through the deflection shield.

"Oh, that's not a good..." Lincoln prepared to fly, "That is not a good..."

"Gimme a boost up!" Akina hopped on his back.

The two made for the arena and saw a darkened cloud envelope the field.

"Strong Suit!" Lincoln called.

"Incoming!" Strong Suit materialized and, together with Lincoln's cards, slammed her barbell at the exact spot the IS entered the arena, but she couldn't get through at all, "How did-the thing's fixed already!"

Lincoln touched down in front of the main entrance and withdrew his IS, "What's the doors say?!"

"Let me check!" Akina just knocked on the door once, and a notification spread across the wall next to it:

SECURITY ALERT: LEVEL 4 DEFLECTION SHIELDING

ALL DOORS ARE SEALED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

Strong Suit jumped off and saw the big words, "You're kidding..."

Lincoln had the idea to get additional help, "We gotta warn the teach-"

Until he heard-

"HELP!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"

"WE'RE TRAPPED!"

"HELP US!"

"IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?!"

-screaming. Cries for help. Fear. The feeling of being cornered. That brought back some bad memories. Just like how he routinely felt cornered when his sisters would gang up against him, that feeling has now transcended upon the students here in Japan. Done in by one individual.

But whereas he found ways to survive, these girls have no way out. And if that IS were to...say...shoot a laser at the walls...