Night Club reached Lincoln just in time to see him about to leave, and warned him about Laura's speech. Following her advice, Lincoln yanked his belongings out of Laura's room and unofficially moved back in with Ichika. And Charlotte, by extension.

The next morning came early for them, as they were all awoken by Lincoln's laptop.

-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-

"*YAAWWWNNNN..." Lincoln was the first up, "Who is it now?..." he propped himself off the floor and opened the laptop, and was greeted by- "THE HARVESTER! AAAAA!" a masked being.

"WAAAHAHAHA-" Ichika jolted up and fell off the bed, accidentally throwing a pillow to Charlotte.

"Mmfff..." Charlotte muffled, "Encore cinq minutes, ma-" She saw the laptop "-MA MIA!"

Once the person behind the laptop removed the mask, "What's with all the screaming-YAAAAAA!"

"SCARY FACE MONSTER!" Ichika, Lincoln, Charlotte, and Leni hit the floor.

Just then, Lucy popped up on screen, "I can assume that you're awake?"

Five minutes later, Leni, Lucy, and Lily are assembled in front of the computer. Lincoln asked them about the flashbacks he had received.

"Oh my word," Lucy said, "That is quite the phenomenon. I've never been one to dwell in psyches like this."

"Well, the weird part is that I don't remember them happening," Lincoln said, "and yet, here's proof that they happened."

"You can ask Leni," Lucy looked above her, "She's right here, and she's the first flashback you have acquired."

"What's that mean?" Leni asked.

"It means, you were there when he got hurt," Lucy reasoned, "and you were there when two people beat him up."

All of a sudden, Leni went from confusingly relaxed to disturbingly disturbed, "Ah... I... don't think it's a brain problem?... or maybe..."

Lily released her thumb from her mouth and looked up at Leni, "You know?"

"What?!" Leni stuttered, "I...did...Oh, Lori's calling me! Something about ironing out her jawline. Ok, bye!"

Charlotte tilted her head, "You said Leni is the ditzy one?"

"Yeah..." Lincoln nodded.

"Well, she must not be that ditzy if she acts like she remembers something you were never meant to know."

"So, something did happen to me..." Lincoln mused, "Maybe I was in a fight?..."

"Guys, Lucy called us," Ichika settled everyone down, "Maybe let's let her talk first?"

"I called to let you know that we are in the midst of preparing for Halloween," Lucy said, "and to say an early happy birthday to you since we will be occupied with so much activity."

"What?" Ichika was confused, "I'm sure you can squeeze some time in to-"

"No, she's right..." Lincoln pointed to his calendar. His birthday is the day of the next Class League match.

"Oh no..." Charlotte said, "That will complicate matters tremendously."

"Ah, well!" Lily piped.

"Aw, what a little charmer you have!" Charlotte cooed, "Voulez-vous jouer dans les fleurs?"

"Flowa! Flowa! AAAAAAAAAhahahahahah..."

"Oh my."

"Moving from that," Lincoln said, "What's going on with Lynn?"

"Well, she's in a basketball game," Lucy said, "All I can do is hope that things will go okay for her."

"So do I," Ichika said, "With all that's come out within the past couple weeks, I can't imagine what she's going through."

"I can," Lincoln muttered.

And yes he could, because while Lincoln was departing for breakfast preparing to implement his Lightning Rod protocol, Lynn was already taking one for the team. The middle of the third quarter. Lynn's team was behind. She was about to pass to a teammate until she slipped, and she tripped and fell, arousing something in her ankle, and earning the ire of her teammates. She had to waddle her way to the locker room and nurse her foot when a coach ran to her.

"What are you doing, Loud?!" The coach yelled.

"I busted my ankle!" Lynn said, "I need some rest!"

"There ain't no time for rest, slack jaw!" The coach yelled, then grabbed a needle, "Here! Take this medicine and get back out there!" The coach was about to inject something into her ankle when a hand slapped the needle into Lynn's hand. Then, the coach was pushed away.

And Tabane popped up in front, "Ohhhh, no no no no no no! This will not do!"

"Tabby?" Lynn stared, "What are you doing here?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here?!" The coach demanded, "Get outta my-uoooo-OOF!"

Tabane forcefully sat the coach on the floor with one finger. Then, she gave Lynn a second needle.

"Uh," Lynn looked at her hands with confusion, "What's in this one?..."

"Nanomachines!" Tabane cheerfully explained, "Long story short, while that..." death glare at the coach "...pain-number numbs the pain..." return to happy "...those tiny little buggers are doing the work your coaches should be doing."

"Are they gonna tear my body up?..."

"That's what this is for," Tabane took the needle the coach dropped and crushed it, "This other one will not only protect your ankle from further damage, it will simply help your body heal itself faster than it can destroy itself! And it's usable while you're out footballing."

"And how can I get them out of my body?"

"Why, right after you are number one!"

("You cannot go number two until we are number one!")

"Uh...right..." Lynn winced as she felt the needle go inside her ankle. And then she wiggled as soon as it left her skin. It didn't nullify all the pain, but it felt like it was being continually massaged. And her ankle mobility was back, "Whoa... is that the-"

"Now, get out there, tiger!" Tabane shoved her out of the locker room and back into the play area, "Drive those poor nut bunnies Lynnsane!"

The game resumed, and already Lynn felt the difference. Every step she took didn't hurt her in the slightest, but rather gave her that pillowy feeling of a bouncing on a bed. And that feeling carried her through to the fourth quarter, when her team stood on a one-point lead.

But the coach was not satisfied, "Move it, Loud! Show me that go-Uhhhh..."

until Tabane showed up, knuckles cracking. "I got my eye on you, jerkoff," she growled, sending shivers down the coach's spine, and walked back to the stands.

By the time Lynn's game finished, Lincoln's was just beginning. He, Ichika, and Charlotte (still maintaining her Charles identity) were walking towards the classroom.

"For your sake," Charlotte rubbed Lincoln's shoulders, "please try not to worsen your relationship with Bodewig."

"Doubt it'll be possible," Ichika said, "Laura hates us."

"All the more reason to keep her away from everyone else," Lincoln mused, "especially when-"

The trio was interrupted by an overly excited student, "I'm telling you the truth! In fact, everyone in the entire school is talking about it! The deal is that whoever wins first place in the tournament is gonna get to date Orimura! I swear it's true!"

"-that."

"*SIGH...* And I didn't know this how?" Ichika was already in the pood, "We need to put a stop to this."

"I agree," Charles (Charlotte) nodded, "although I think it would be problematic if we all chipped in."

"Huh?!" Ichika flinched, "Are you saying that I have to stand in front of the class?!"

"And tell them to stop it," Lincoln said, "You can't sugarcoat it either. You just have to say it."

"Uh...well, I think I'm gonna get throttled," Ichika scratched his head, "but if it means staving off something worse, then...ok. I guess it's on me."

And then, an all-too-familiar commanding voice, "No, it's on all on all of you."

They all froze.

"Isn't there somewhere you three stooges need to be?" Chifuyu demanded.

The class was underway. Attendance check has just been completed, and first period was halfway through. Ichika was fortifying his mind for the incoming chaos. He was so focused on hardening his heart that-

"Hello! Ichika Orimura!" -he didn't notice Maya call him.

"UH! HERE!" Ichika shot up, much to the students' humor.

"I'm sorry for singling you out," Maya said, "but I do need you to answer this problem."

"Oh, right, uh, ok..." Ichika nodded and stared at the hologram protruding from the blackboard, "Huh? Looks like the Equalizer data was put in incorrectly. For this IS, it should be the defensive ICG code, not the long-range expansion."

Maya blinked, "That's...actually correct..."

"Hoy..." Lincoln held his breath for that moment, and he relaxed when Ichika gave a satisfactory answer. But he locked up again when Ichika didn't sit down.

"Orimura, you can sit down now," Maya said.

"Actually, I need to say something about the upcoming tournament."

"Oh? Well, I'm sure we'd all like to hear it," Maya played on the sudden curiosity of the students and allowed Ichika the chance to say his two cents.

It felt like two hundred dollars, though, because nobody expected him to come up to the front and be so nervously blunt about it, "Uh...ggg... I don't know this rumor about the winner of the next tournament gets to date me, but it is false! And it has to stop immediately!"

Heads dropped. Hands slammed desks and foreheads. Almost all the girls voiced their disbelief over what they just heard.

"You told me Ichika doesn't know!" Cecilia stammered.

"Well, Yeah!" Kiyoka said, "This was decided by the girls only! How'd he find out?!"

"D'ah! That-th-that there's the problem!" Ichika pointed at Kiyoka, "I did not agree to that at all! How did you come up with such an outlandish contest?!"

"But think about it!" A student piped, "You get to date one of us fashion-savvy women!"

"Not to mention," another student said, "We might let you get our measurements personally."

Ichika cringed at the sound of that, "That's not the problem here."

"Well, it should be!"

"Whoa, Hey!" Ichika flinched, "Are you saying that I should have no say in this matter whatsoever?!"

"That is what it sounded like..." Akina muttered.

"That's how we got this tournament rolling, didn't we?" Kiyoka said, "Now everyone wants to fight!" And started an unnecessary discussion amongst the female population.

"Though I don't think it'd be very manly if he threw the fight right away..."

"I think it'd be nice."

"He should just leave it to us, then!"

"Wait, how did he find out in the first place?!"

"I don't believe that he heard it from us! Someone must've told him!"

"*GULP*" Lincoln was on high alert.

"That's the guy!" For good reason.

"He ruined it!"

"He should've just kept his mouth shut-"

"ALRIGHT! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Chifuyu suddenly entered, silencing the classroom, "Maya, take five."

"Uh...yes, ma'am!" Maya ran out.

"In regards to the tournament prize for first place, I have been made fully aware by the incessant whispering being very clearly vocalized by the student and faculty bodies. That said, we can work out a compromise."

All the students listened in on what Chifuyu had to say.

"So..." Chifuyu sighed, "We'll keep the wager intact and apply it only to all who compete in the Year 1 tournament. Whoever wins first place will get to date any person who participated in the tournament."

The girls squealed with delight, seeing as how Ichika will no doubt participate. Their thoughts were filled with fantasies over how to spend their victory date.

"HOWEVER!" But Chifuyu grounded those fantasies to dust, "If Orimura were to somehow pull off the victory, then he gets sole decision over who he can take to the date. And none of you yahoos are allowed to influence his decision or interfere in his date in any way, shape, or form!"

"Does that include-"

"Especially that," Chifuyu growled.

Charles didn't want to risk her identity being revealed, so she raised her hand, "Miss Orimura? What if I don't want to go along with this wager?"

"All you have to do is win the tournament and say you don't want to date," Chifuyu said, "They'll pester you all they want, but there's nothing they can do."

The girls' hearts skipped a beat, in a bad way. That meant that they would have to put forth an amount of effort they never thought possible, just to secure their date with Ichika.

"So, whoever wins, that person's decision is final," Chifuyu reiterated, "Do I make myself clear?"

The girls grumbled, "Yes, ma'am..."

"I said, DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

The girls re-tried that acknowledgement, "Yes, ma'am!"

Maya suddenly barged in, "Miss Orimura! The core analysis is completed!"

"Just in time," Chifuyu departed, "Please resume class, Miss Yamada."

"Will do!" Maya waved and took the front, "Now, can anyone tell me~~~"

And thus began Lincoln's nightmare. First period was nothing but piercing stares and death glares.

Second period was physical education. More specifically, swimming.

"Pick it up, Loud!" The instructor yelled.

Lincoln was struggling with keeping up with the other students, when he suddenly pulled a calf muscle, "AGH! CRAMP IN THE RAMP!"

"Get over it, tattle man!" Someone shouted.

"I can't...gotta get out..." Lincoln tried to escape when he was shoved twice, causing him to extend his cramped leg, "AAAAAAGH!"

"Outta the way!" The swim instructor saw exactly who shoved him and got him out of the pool. She then laid his leg on some fresh towels and called for a student, "Sayuka Yorutake, come here."

"Yes, ma'am," the student didn't take two steps before-

"You and Aikawa, 30 laps in the pool! Now!"

The class shivered as the two shovers were forced to swim without stopping. But by then, word of the new wager placed on the tournament and who was to blame had spread across the school.

Third period was a math class. The students were trying to get several notes right into Lincoln's back, when the teacher called on him to solve a problem. But one of the students got over-excited and flung a note in his hair.

"Ay!" He yelped as the note scruffed his tuft.

"What's that in your hair?" The teacher immediately grabbed the note.

Lincoln tried to dissuade her from reading it, "Oh, uh... I rather not-" he saw her tear it in half "Oy!"

"Loud, study hour," the teacher declared, "Everyone else will follow me to the teachers' lounge. Miss Orimura will want to hear this."

Halfway through the period, Lincoln heard some shuffling and groaning noises and peeled out the window. He saw his teacher egging the rest of the class along for the jog, "2 laps in, and already you're tuckered out?! If you have the time to complain and write notes, then you have the time to do extra work!"

Everyone collapsed in comical fashion as the teacher assigned extra homework to those who did not finish five laps.

The period before lunch was about painting. Houki was with him in this class, and she couldn't help but feel distracted by the classmates flinging bits of paint at him and his canvas, all while he was trying to paint. When the art teacher walked in and observed the students' work, she came around to Lincoln's painting and saw a mess. Not only on the canvas, but on the floor around him.

"Loud, step outside," the teacher ordered. When he was gone, she shocked everyone with her next question, "Care to explain why his work area is splattered with watercolor?"

Five minutes later, the teacher came out and nudged Houki out of the room.

"What are they doing?" Lincoln asked.

"You and Shinonono have early extended lunch," the teacher explained, "Everyone else will clean up your blazer and your work area."

Later, outside on the rooftop...

"Wow..." Kim was fascinated by what happened to him, "They really were that petty..."

"Yep," Lincoln said, "And if that wasn't enough, look at the note I got right before second period." He gave Kim the note...

Komm alleine in die Arena 4.

"The cherry on top," Kim commented, "But this is exactly what you wanted, no?"

"Yeah, but just from her, not from literally everybody else...well, at least I don't have to worry about exerting too much effort."

"Heheh, I suppose not," Kim giggled before she noticed Houki solemnly staring at the rest of the campus, "Hey, What's she doing over there?"

"I don't know, but I am 'extrely curius'," Lincoln nudged Kim to follow him.

Houki was leaning against the railing, trying to come up with a valid reason for how an honest promise blossomed into an ugly parasitic story, "How...how did it get so out of control..." she closed her eyes, "The winner of the tournament gets to date Ichika, but only if the winner is me. It'll be different this time...it'll be different this time..."

"Uhhhh...difference was my life?"

"Uh, Loud?!" Houki swerved her head, "What are you doing here?!"

"You were talking out loud again," Kim snuck up behind her.

"I-what?!"

"By the way," Kim settled down on the railing beside her, "I saw you on the night of the room switch..."

("I came to broker terms...If...if I win the tournament...you...YOU HAVE TO DATE ME!")

"You saw..." Houki gasped.

"Yes. I don't suppose that story had anything to do with the rumor-turned-contest, would it?"

"Well, that's..." Houki stammered before she relented, as she did not want to endure the side effects of withholding her true feelings, "Ugh...There's a good reason why I made that promise..."

Lincoln approached Houki, "I...didn't ask for another background story, but...ok."

"Oh..." Houki sat down, "Well...remember how you figured out that I went into hiding for six years?"

"Yes," Lincoln and Kim dully blurted out.

"Well, that's because my sister created the IS," Houki started her story, "People saw it as a dangerous weapon that could easily be abused, and I was pulled into a protection program, moving my family place to place in secret. Before I knew it, I was living separately from my parents, and I didn't have a clue where my sister was."

"Guh..." Lincoln winced, "When did that happen?..."

"It was before the national kendo championship, so...during late elementary school?"

"Lincoln, control your mind," Kim Warner him against the connections game.

"I know," Houki continued, "but despite being under constant surveillance and continually asked questions about stuff I knew nothing about, I still kept up my kendo training because it was the only connection I have to Ichika."

("My sisters have done some pretty impressive stuff to get in here...and then there's me.")

Lincoln's mind played the connections game and somehow connected that to his skill set, being the jack of all trades but master of none. Kendo was the only thing keeping Houki from losing her sense of self. Lincoln felt like he already lost his and was trying to find it using the one thing he had a leg up on his sisters, "Kim, too late."

"Heh, yeah, it was too late for me," Houki bounced off of what he just muttered, "They say swordsmanship is a reflection of your inner self. Well, by the time I realized that, I had beaten up several...a lot of training partners to the point of emotional scarring. I was just using kendo to take out my frustrations on the world."

("You might not have a reason. But I do!")

("YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MAKE LOLA MAD!")

("If you make us lose, Lincoln, you'll be an outcast!")

("You might as well throw your social life out the window!")

("It wasn't about strength or skill...it was raw violence and rage.")

("The key is to find something you're really good at, and it turns out for me that thing is...is taking a pie to the face.")

And thus the game comes full circle. Lincoln was instantly reminded of how at the end of every single day that had something happen to him, he came to his room desperately needing to scream and shout and vent everything out. But something always prevented him from doing so, usually his sisters already venting out in another room.

But here in a new world he dared to venture into alone, there's literally nothing keeping him from venting out. Not even the Academy's rules and regulations could stop his venting. And the students here just gave him a hefty tank of gas.

"But this time is different for me," Houki said, "With this tournament, can I win? And can I do it without losing myself in the process?"

"Yes, You can!"

"Eh?"

"Ah, I mean..." Lincoln just sputtered it out without thinking, "I can't say anything about winning...but you can get through the tournament with your self intact!"

"What do you mean?"

"Truth be told, I didn't come here just to be a pilot...or to stop a cycle that I just found out can't be stopped. I actually came here to get away from something."

"I thought you had a good family," Kim said, "at least until...the incident."

"That's true, but so did she," Lincoln said, "I chose to pull myself out of the loop. Houki didn't have a choice." He turned to Houki, "Just take it easy, ok? One step at a time, but you do have to say something, anything to Ichika. At least until the tournament."

"Say something?" Houki repeated, "But... I have so many things mixed in me-"

Lincoln put his hand up, "Please try to relax a little bit. You need to know that it's all in the past..."

"Well...it-that-"

"Oh, I understand," Kim said, "It's too much for her to get it all out over time because of her scarred psyche."

"Hey, no! That's not it!" Houki protested.

"You'll be fine," Kim nudged her, "If you can't talk to Ichika, then surely you have friends you can talk to."

"But...well, I have been talking to Cecilia more and more recently. But I really want to talk to Ichika."

"Well, What a coincidence!" Rin-ing the moment! "So do I!" Rin said while lopping her elbow on Lincoln's shoulder.

"Uh-" Lincoln propped his arms on the ground to keep himself steady, "The heck are you doing here?!"

"Thought I'd check up on my little munchkin," Rin toyed with his cheek.

Lincoln pushed her away, "Your true intentions are not at all hidden."

"Aw! Am I that easy to read?..."

Suddenly, Cecilia entered the group, "Pretty clear as an open picture book, though Lincoln would give you a run for your money," and stared at him with eyes of vying.

"What are you all doing here?" Kim asked.

"Just wondering if Old Man Loud here's up for a practice match," Rin answered.

"That came outta nowhere!" Lincoln said.

"Yes, I am also curious to see how much he's improved since our last encounter," Cecilia stood right behind him, "You won't have any issue testing your mettle against mine, no?"

"Well, I have a-"

"Come on! What's the deal?!" Rin plopped herself on his head, but flipped herself over and stuck the landing when he tried to get her off.

"I'm fighting Laura after school today!" Lincoln shouted, "That's why!"

Houki, Rin, and Cecilia's spines tingled.

"Laura? Bodewig Laura?!" Houki exclaimed.

"That German brat who slapped you and Ichika?" Rin growled.

Lincoln knew they would mistake his coming battle as a chance for revenge, "I don't know what that has to do with it, but...sure?"

"Are you sure you're up to the task?" Cecilia asked, "I'm fairly certain that I would be more suited for your-"

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Really?" Rin said, "'Cuz I'm more concerned about the fact that you said 'fighting', not 'battling'..."

"I can tell that Laura's heart is a nastily tangled up strand of blugh," Kim said, "I can see how a fight would ease a little bit of tension...if you can match her ferocity."

Lincoln suddenly flashed back to the "bullying" moments before he officially met Ronnie Anne, and the moments after he met Chandler; they had one thing in common, and it was the same thing that the students' retribution shared. "Oh, I got that covered," he said as he got up and left to prepare for the next period.

For Laura, it was an advanced combat training class. But for Lincoln, it was a free hour, meaning he had more than enough time to put his lightning rod to good use. And he didn't have to do anything except walk around the halls and listen in on the gossip circulating throughout the school:

"It's him."

"That's the guy that spoiled the tournament!"

"I bet he's spoiled that incident with the unmanned IS."

"Laura's his roommate? I feel sorry for her."

"How much you wanna bet that Squirrel Boy's fake?"

"Or better yet, that's one of his sisters!"

"Man, how did Ichika put us with this guy for three and a half months?!"

"They lived together before school started?!"

"Ugh, I cannot imagine that nightmare."

"He ain't the guy for girl advice or saving up, that's all I'm saying."

Lincoln could feel the rage building inside him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to confront the girls did him wrong today. But he knew that what he felt was nowhere near enough to survive the looming fight against a teenage supersoldier. "That's right...keep 'em coming..." he kept walking until it was time to dismiss for the day.

An hour and a half later, Lincoln was joined by Akina in holding area 4-4.

"This Lightning Rod protocol..." Akina said while running diagnostics on his IS, "... I think we're gonna have to make some tweaks..."

"Hey, it got me a one-on-one with Laura, didn't it?" Lincoln commented.

"Yeah, but she's the strongest in the German army. How on earth are you gonna compete with that?! We don't know anything about her IS!"

Lincoln had already formed a plan, "I'll just take a few hits and then go from there." Sort of.

"You know, this is making me wanna go for several face pies...Hello? Hey, Chain Linc?"

Lincoln didn't pay any mind to her from that point on. He just concentrated on the raw violent static power he had been gathering this past afternoon, bringing it to the forefront of his emotions and preparing himself to vent out for the first time ever.

Meanwhile, Houki was shuffling her feet towards Arena 4. She didn't know what it was about what Lincoln said in response to her struggles to maintain her own self, but his words have piqued her interest just enough to witness his own words in action.

"Oh? Miss Houki?" And Kim was tight alongside her, "What brings you to Arena 4?"

"Apparently, I'm gonna be taught a lesson..." Houki responded halfheartedly.

"What kind of lesson could an 11-year old and a German nut job teach?"

"I don't know why I bothered..." Houki saw Laura standing on the edge of 4-2, "Oh boy...there's her IS..."

"Very intimidating," Kim commented.

Back in the holding area, Lincoln had already deployed and was waiting for Akina's go-ahead.

"Schwarzer Regen, the German's prototype Gen3 model," Akina said, "Currently, it has no prospect for mass production, which is why Laura has been chosen to test it out in Japan."

"And ironically," Lincoln added, "I just might be the case that greenlights it for her."

"Hadn't thought about that..." Akina giggled, "Anyway, that cannon is all we know. Allow yourself to take the first hit, but get away from her right after."

"Got it," Lincoln closed his eyes and brought forth all the rage he had stored inside him. Then, he walked toward the open field.

"What? No catchphrase today?" Akina quipped.

"I'm fighting against my roommate," Lincoln sighed, "What can be said right before I punch kick a girl my height." He then jumped into the arena floor at the same moment when Laura floated out to meet his gaze.

There were many spectators who were witnessing a pivotal moment, in that the two black sheep of the first year students were about to face off. And most of them couldn't be any more jovial:

"Come on, Laura! Kick his scrawny little behind!"

"Shut him up for good this time!"

Houki was distracted by those shouts of rage, "Definitely reading too deep into this..."

"Pay attention, Houki," Kim said, "You're about to see what happens when you keep everything bottled up inside you."

Even though the stands were emitting shouts to demoralize Lincoln, none of them ever went past the invisible barrier separating the students from certain death. It was just Lincoln and Laura in the silent open.

LAURA BODEWIG (15) — SCHWARZER REGEN (SHIELD 100%)

LINCOLN LOUD (11) — SAVVY SUITE (SHIELD 137%)

And Laura drew first words, "I don't know how you were able to commandeer an IS, but whatever foul methods you used will not help you now!"

"I already told you, I ran into it," Lincoln drooped, "What more do I have to do to get you to stop with the prickly words?..."

"You're four years too early to think that you stand a chance of being my equal! What makes you think-"

Lincoln had enough and took off after her. Laura had barely managed to stop talking when he flew at her at full speed. When he was inches away from punching her out-

"BGAK!" all of a sudden, he was completely frozen. He was trapped in suspended animation, all due to a barrier emitting from her right hand, "Rrgh...can't...move..."

This was the first time Laura was caught off guard. She genuinely did not expect him to take the initiative and launch a preemptive strike. What surprised her even was that it was nothing more than a simple bombrush. No one in her army company would even think about flying at her so recklessly in a fight...

...unless they needed firsthand experience with an enemy they knew nothing about. And when recon is needed about a certain enemy...

"That's new," She just realized that her act of using her Active Inertia Canceling barrier told him everything he needed to know.

"Puh?!"

"You rushed me just to take the hit, didn't you?" Laura figured him out, "This first exchange would give you all the information you needed to develop a counterattack against my arsenal."

"Wuhhh?..." Lincoln sidetracked after the first five words, "I'll just assume you knew what I was going to do..."

Laura...smiled...uh-oh, "I'll admit... it is not something that I would normally do."

"Oh," he quipped, "Well, I do that on the daily."

"Too bad for you..." She readied her railgun and aimed at him, "...you will not see the AIC again." The moment her railgun finished charging, she released her barrier and fired point blank at him.

SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 109/137%

Just the bullet itself dealt a huge amount of damage to Lincoln's IS, but the impact afterwards sent him flying across the floor and smacking himself into the wall, "AAAAAAAAAAAA-PLBGH!"

SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 99/137%

He winced from the shock, then slid off and teetered twice before he was able to regain his composure, "Ow-ok... I got her attention...What do I do next?..." He readied a pair of cards while Laura revealed a pair of arm-mounted beam sabers, "Uh-oh indeed." He stood up just as Laura was walking towards him.

"Now come, Lincoln Loud," Laura said, "Show me your power," as she fired on him.