EMERGENCY OVERRIDE — CONVERSION OF USER'S WILL INTO ENERGY — VALKYRIE TRACE SYSTEM ACTIVATED
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
A desperate cry for help.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
BZZZTZTZZZ-POW!
"Whoooaaaa-ough!"
A lightning storm that trapped the black rain and repelled all who tried to break it.
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 2/100% (CRITICAL)
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"
And a black exoskeleton that has lost all form, decomposing itself into a poisonous sludge that engulfed the pilot that tried to control it.
"Agh! Ugh..." and Lincoln just endured all of it in the span of a millisecond, "Where am..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"Hey! What's happening?!" Lincoln screamed.
"I don't know," Charles answered.
But Chifuyu did. The IS was changing form using a system banned from research and development. "So, they didn't listen to me..." she turned to Maya, "Security alert, level D."
"Yes, ma'am," Maya nodded.
The entire arena was too stunned to say anything. They sat in silence as Laura screamed louder with every second she walked, until she became consumed by her own IS.
"Oh my head...huh?" Ichika shook off the static from his head just in time to see Laura's IS finalize its transformation, "What...is that thing?..."
The IS was in the midst of morphing into a samurai-like statue when an announcement was broadcast, "THIS IS A STATE OF EMERGENCY. ALL SCHEDULED EVENTS ARE CANCELLED. THIS SITUATION HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED LEVEL D AND WE ARE SENDING IN A TEAM OF INSTRUCTORS TO BRING THIS MATTER UNDER CONTROL. ALL STUDENTS, STAFF, AND PERSONNEL MUST EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY."
Rin, Cecilia, and Houki were no less shocked by this turn of events.
Houki saw the stands shutter barriers, "Are we gonna do anything to help them?"
"More like, can we do anything?" Cecilia shuffled her two companions out of the holding area.
Rin saw the static that was eating away at her Laura's body while her IS morphed. "Poor Laura..." she whispered before the holding areas were sealed off.
Ichika just stood there as the static stopped and the IS had stabilized itself into a figure similar to the Uchigane, with one major difference: the right arm. And he recognized that right arm, "The Yukihira?...just like my sister..." The statue had taken the shape and form of Chifuyu at her prime.
"Emergency!" Lincoln tore off his handicap and redeployed, "Everyone, get back out here now!"
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 15/137% (WARNING)
STRONG SUIT — SHIELD 7/15% (WARNING)
NIGHT CLUB — SHIELD 7/18% (WARNING)
HIGH CARD — SHIELD 8/20% (WARNING)
"So, what's the sitch?" High Card asked before looking ahead of her, "Holy shamoley..."
"I'm guessing the Iron Maiden's the 'sitch'?" Night Club murmured.
"She is," Lincoln said, "High, Night, rear guard! Suit, with me!"
High Card opened her disabling app, while Night Club tuned her axe and speaker.
Strong Suit materialized a barbell, "Let's go!"
"NO!" Ichika shouted, "This one's mine!"
"Huh?!" Lincoln stammered, "Can you survive that thing?!"
"Move, Loud," Ichika shoved Lincoln and Strong Suit aside and took his kendo stance, Reiraku Byakuya still active. That prompted the giant grey statue to turn her Yukihira to Ichika.
"Whoa whoa whoa, it's coming this way!" Lincoln threw his cards at it, to no effect whatsoever. Strong Suit tried batting several dumbbells at it, but they were absorbed into the armor.
"This thing's literally iron!" High Card stopped after her apps failed to hack into the statue.
"We can't stop or weaken it!" Night Club stopped playing after she saw the giant dusting itself off.
"I take it back RETREAT!" Strong Suit and Lincoln backed off while Ichika and the statue charged at each other.
Ichika swung at the statue's waist, but he was blocked by a hard swing left, and that was enough to snap his blade in half.
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
Ichika had just a moment to get off his feet, because the statue used his sister's Full Force technique; in his moment of confusion, the statue brought her blade behind her back, then in a split second brought it down with great speed. Ichika backed away to avoid the sword's full impact, but his left arm got hit. He was rolled backwards, and his IS was forced into standby mode.
"AGH! Gggh..." Ichika gripped his bleeding arm, forcing Lincoln and Strong Suit to defend him.
The statue used the Full Force technique again, but Lincoln was able to deflect it with his wing shield and give Strong Suit a free hit to the shoulders. Suit tried to get to its face, but it easily countered her barbell and cut her down, fizzling her out of existence.
"NO!" Lincoln tried to subdue it with a grapple, but he only managed to make it angrier. He was thrown off her head and slashed with the Full Force strike, losing his IS and gaining a cut from his left shoulder to his right thigh.
SAVVY SUITE — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
While High Card and Night Club rushed to Lincoln's defense, Ichika felt another burning urge to attack. Seeing that statue not only mimic his own sister, but perfectly perform her signature technique twice brought back memories of when she trained him by the sword.
"Damn you..." He growled, "You're copying my sister to fight me? How dare you..." He got up and ran towards the giant, "I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!"
"No, don't!" Lincoln held him back, "You'll get killed!"
"Let me go, dammit!" Ichika struggled, "She's really starting to piss me off! I'll destroy her!"
"There's still a person inside! We can't just destroy her!"
"Stay out of my way!" Ichika tugged extra hard, causing Lincoln's cut to bleed. The pain forced Lincoln to jump and collide into Ichika, pinning the two on the ground.
"Ugh-ow..." Lincoln got off and clutched his shoulder, "The hell is with you, man? What's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten to me...is that she's using the same sword engaging technique as Chifuyu..." Ichika glared at the still Brunhilde statue, "That's my sister's...that technique is Chifuyu's alone."
"I-Uh-gik-THAT'S WHAT YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM IS?!" Lincoln wailed, "NOT THE FACT THAT WE ARE FIGHTING A GIANT KILLER ROBOT GIANTESS WITHOUT ANY GIANT ARMOR?! OR BETTER YET, THAT GIANT MIGHT BE TAKING OVER LAURA'S BRAIN?!"
High Card tended to Charles when she heard the argument, and nothing else, "Well, at least it stopped moving...I wonder why, though..."
"Maybe it's focused on self-preservation?" Charles wondered.
"Then we have time," Night Club approached them, "So, how are we gonna tear that thing open?"
"Well..." Charles stood up, "I have an idea..."
Then, A team of four instructors arrived on the scene and surrounded the giant.
"Oh, good..." Lincoln covered most of his wound with his shirt, "They're gonna handle this...we don't have to do anything..."
"You're wrong about that...you're dead wrong..." Ichika said, "I don't want to fight, but I have to because...because this is about me, too..."
"But what can we do?..." Lincoln panted, "Our ISs are tapped out...where are we gonna get the power?..."
Suddenly, Charles arrived to lend his plan to his two friends, "Actually, sometimes the solution to no power is simply to borrow some." He turned around, "Miss High Card?"
High Card walked to Ichika. "Let me see your bracelet." Ichika put his hand out, and she opened a Bluetooth-like app on her phone, "Now releasing Savvy core bypass." Her signal was strong enough to upload all her energy into the Byakushiki within seconds, "Energy transfer process authorized."
"Energy?" Lincoln gasped, "You mean..."
"Oh, posh," High Card started glowing, "It's not that different from you and Laura." Her cellphone lit up a green check mark, and she started to fade away. "Ok, energy transfer completed. You better not waste it," she said before fizzling out of existence.
HIGH CARD — SHIELD 0 (TRANSFER TO EXTERNAL OUTPUT)
"Dude..." Ichika whispered, "She literally gave her life-"
"Ahh-ts-ts-tsss..." Night Club put her finger on his mouth, "That's a trade secret..."
"What are we doing now?" Lincoln asked.
"It's nothing you need to concern yourself with," Charles took his(her) shirt off and used it to clamp down Lincoln's lower wound.
"Uhhh..." Lincoln blushed.
"D'accord, Madame Night Club," Charles gave a thumbs up, "We are ready to battle."
"Roger!" Night Club turned to Ichika, "Ok, dude. Call it out and let's wrap this up."
"Right...I guess I owe you one," Ichika nodded, then picked himself on his feet, "Reactivating Byakushiki in single palm mode." He placed his hand on his bracelet, took a deep breath, and threw his hand up in the air. A small batch of energy gathered around his fingers and scattered throughout his arm. He was soon blessed with his trusted sword and a piece of armor.
BYAKUSHIKI — SHIELD 7/100% (CRITICAL)
"Oh," Night Club said, "It's only good for the arm and the blade."
"That's all I need," Ichika walked out to face the giant statue once more, with Night Club playing a thumping riff that contained the area of impact to just him and the statue. When he saw the statue respond to his movements, he prepared himself, "Reiraku Byakuya, ACTIVATE!"
POWER SYNC 100% — YUKIHIRA NIGATA - REIRAKU BYAKUYA ONLINE
His entire body was empowered by a golden shimmer as he took his battle stance, "Let's do this, you cheap imitation!" He concentrated on his body, and his glow was directed into the weapon, opening the sword and emitting that familiar blue piercing energy.
The instructors didn't move. Lincoln and Charles sat still. Nothing else moved as Ichika visualized his next strike. Then came the deciding moment. Ichika and the statue lunged at each other. Their swords were angled at an advantageous position. When they collided and swung, Ichika's sword recoiled upward while the statue swung laterally, leaving its chest wide open.
Ichika brought his blade above his head, "HAAAAAA-" and swung down with full force. He cut down the center of the chest and opened up the body. The statue was deformed back into a sludge-like substance. And the pilot trapped inside was released from its hold. An unconscious Laura fell out of the giant monstrosity and into Ichika's arms.
SCHWARZER REGEN — SHIELD 0 (EMPTY)
"Pilot is isolated!" An instructor screamed, "Secure the IS now!" The instructors got to work on removing the Schwarzer Regen from Laura's control.
"Man, That was intense," Lincoln laid back now that the fight was over, "I don't think I'll get back into the arena for a couple months."
"You thought you would die, no?" Charles joked, "Even though he technically defeated her the first time?"
"He rushed in because of sibling love," Lincoln quipped, "I do not count the-wait, what?"
"Ichika could have won had Laura's IS not gone haywire."
Lincoln's mind played the connections game...won the first time...transformation...won the second time...
I WILL BEAT YOU! (I WILL CRUSH YOU!)
K.O.! (SLASH!)
WITNESS MY TRUE POWER! (I CAN'T LOSE!)
K.O.! (SLASH!)
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Lincoln screamed, "WE JUST LOST TWICE IN A ROW!"
Charles tried to steady him, "Uh, calm down..."
"CALM DOWN?!" But Lincoln got worse, "HOW DO I CALM DOWN AFTER I LOST THEN SHE LOST THEN I LOST AGAIN AND THEN SHE LOST AGAIN?! HOW DO I CALM DOWN AFTER-I feel light..."
"Oh no, not good," Charles took off both their pants and applied more pressure to the cut, "You're overreaction has caused more bleeding. Please try to get some rest."
"Yeah...I think I'll do that..." Lincoln slowly slipped out of consciousness. The world had gone black again...
The next time he woke up, he was back in the infirmary. But this was a separate room apart from the rest of the school. "Ugh...ow..." his shoulder hurt the most, but he was still able to sit up properly, "Anybody get her num-"
He wasn't alone. He had the company of Akina, Hana, and Kim.
"Why's everyone gathered around me?" He asked.
"Why wouldn't we?" Akina said, "You're our friend, aren't you?"
"I know that," Lincoln giggled, "Like I needed constant reminders throughout my battles...where's everyone else?"
"Who do you mean?"
"Laura's in another room with Miss Orimura," Kim said.
"I saw Ichika and Charles at the cafeteria," Hana said, "They weren't too privy with accepting dates."
"Did who when?"
Kim gave him a letter, "It's an official statement from the people in charge."
Lincoln read the letter out loud:
To all students and staff,
after a careful review of the situation that unfolded prior to the rail end of the final match, we have come to an official decision. The situation happened just before the Byakushiki was about to strike the Schwarzer Regen, and the blade did make contact before it was removed from striking range. And the incident was resolved by instructors who isolated the IS right after the Byakushiki struck the final blow.
Therefore, the situation has no effect on the final decision: the winner of the match, and by extension the tournament, is Ichika Orimura and Charles Dunois.
-ISA Admin
...and promptly dropped it, "Well, shucks...now what?"
"There's nothing left but to go out there and face the biased music," Hana said, "The nurse said you need to eat."
"I don't know if I'm ready for that..." Lincoln muttered.
"We're here with you, Linc," Kim rubbed his head, "Through thick and thin."
"We'll be here to guard your cute little white hair," Akina snuggled him.
"AYYY!" Lincoln's shoulder acted up again, "Can we calm the kawaii mangling a little?..."
Actually, he could've used more of that, because the moment the group checked out of the nurse's office, they were greeted by passive-aggressive taunting and bragging. Lincoln and Laura lost, therefore the students saw it as vengeance for ruining their supposed bet. There were whispers all over the school about who Ichika and Charles were going to choose for tomorrow's extravaganza, and they always found a way to shoehorn absolute scorn for Lincoln in their talks. Especially in the cafeteria, where his group was hit with a barrage of cliches in one instant. Every time they approached a table, there was always a group of students ready to occupy that space. Even when there was an open table,
"Oh, there's a spot."
"Sorry! It's reserved for winners."
"But you're a third year."
"Reserved!"
"Oh, fine."
out of nowhere, groups of three came to occupy. Lincoln's group was eventually forced outside.
"See you later, blabblebutt!"
"Hit some branches, why don't you!"
"I do not want him snooping around in my business."
"How's that American hot dog, Hana?"
"I'm replacing that Korean girl as his new girlfriend."
And so on, until they were outside on the grassy overlook, watching the night sky glistening with little stars and a dancing seas of city lights.
"I have to say," Hana was munching on a ramen noodle, "I've never eaten outside at night before, and I can't believe the city view from here."
"Neither can I," Lincoln said.
"I can just imagine the fervor of a night out in Seoul," Kim fantasized, "Karaoke bars with delicately obnoxious singing and merriment, the thrill of swinging in an intersection and spreading joy-"
"What Seoul did you grow up in?..." Akina winced.
"The Well-Versed kind," Kim winked.
"Which would be-" Lincoln was halted by Akina, "Never mind."
"Oh, it's not that seedy!" Kim glared at them, and Hana laughed.
"It is for me," Hana said, "I grew up under a lucky star, raised well, but I was always shy."
"Well, I came from way below the poverty line," Akina said, "And yet, every single day was an adventure. After hunting and making my meals, I would always come out to a river and see these kind of lights."
"You mean, you never ventured into the shopping district?" Hana asked.
"Nah. All that clothing you'll only wear once, and even then it can chaffe your pelvis..."
"Uh-" Lincoln stopped her before she could make it awkward, "How about tomorrow night, we all go down there? We have a free night, so-"
"I am so there!" Kim cheered.
"Sounds like fun," Hana smiled.
"Our own little field trip!" Akina earned herself some giggles.
"For you, Maybe," Kim teased.
Akina snapped her chopsticks, "What's that supposed to mean?!"
And out of nowhere... "It means you're a base woman with horrible taste in life." ...redux.
The group turned around and saw Kiyoka and Sayuka behind them.
"It's done, alright?" Lincoln turned back to the skyline, "I lost. Can we just leave it at that?"
"Why?" Kiyoka taunted, "So your little ears can snoop into more of our business?"
"You're lucky Ichika won," Sayuka pointed at him, "Otherwise, you'd be in so much more trouble."
"More?" Kim took notice, "You mean, there's more on the way?!"
"Oh, honey," a friend of Kiyoka wagged her finger, "We're never done with someone like him. Shall we say, a rumor?"
"Yeah," Kiyoka clapped, "It's how we got our bet on before albino ruined it."
But before any more face rubbing in could take place, they heard a piercing cry from the open ground below them. Apparently, a student from Class 1-3 tried to ask Charles out on a date, "Why?! I thought you would want to go on a date, and here I am asking you out! Why did you reject me?!"
And this was Charles's response, "Well, seeing how badly you treated my dear friend Lincoln, I have to say... I don't want to date any of you."
Kiyoka's mouth dropped.
"That little...he's your friend?!"
"Why, Yes," Charles's confirmed, "In fact, we have shared secrets that to this day have never left our lips."
"But he's...HE'S...WHAT?!"
"Come on, Charles!" Another student begged him to change his mind, "Isn't there anything we can do to make this right?!"
"I would say, "Apologize to him, and I'll consider it," but that would defeat the purpose of the apology," Charles walked back inside, "So, no. You have permanently lost my trust."
"Did...did he just...reject the school idol?!" Kiyoka freaked.
"Calm down," Sayuka said, "He was hesitant, so Ichika wouldn't-"
Inside the cafeteria, well...
"Oh no... I chose Houki," Ichika shut down fifteen requests in one sentence.
To which the girls screamed:
"Why?!"
"What are you saying?!"
"That's not fair!"
But when one student asked, "What's she got that I don't?!"
"Well, Let's see," Ichika really let them have it, "A childhood friend status, clean slate, willpower I haven't seen anywhere else, pure heart, never once suggested anything dirty, and...oh yeah! She never went out of her way to reduce my friends to trash."
"But I'm your friend!" A student grabbed his hand, "I'm your friend, right?!"
At which point, Ichika got very irritated and made his intentions very clear, "Ah, no. You are my classmate. Houki is my friend. Charles is my friend."
"But we never trash-"
"Lincoln is also my friend."
The final straw. The students in the cafeteria became dejected once they heard that line.
"But!" And someone tried to fight it, "But he made things worse for everyone! He ruined a perfectly good bet-"
"A bet that did not have my permission," Ichika shut her up, "A bet that had no business existing, which involved Lincoln Loud, my friend, who had no business being your punching bag."
Kiyoka and Sayuka were heartbroken. To see the last month of hard work and planning go up in smoke...thanks to the one person they thought would follow their plan, only to go against the tide because...because of "insert metaphor with vomit-inducing eloquence here" one boy.
"Are you seeing this?..." Lincoln was just as stunned as the rest of them.
"Yep," Kim whispered, "Now, that's what I call devotion...scary stuff."
"If this is supposed to allude to a moral..." Akina groaned, "...no. Just no."
Hana shook her head...to the point where she saw a familiar, intimidating figure hiding in the shadow behind the lookout. She nudged Lincoln, "She's here..."
Kiyoka suddenly got angry. She dropped her belongings and stormed over to Lincoln. Her friends followed closely behind.
"What did you do?..." Kiyoka muttered.
"Do did what I?" Lincoln gawked.
Kiyoka grabbed his collar and hoisted him over her head, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!"
Only to be interrupted by the Brunhilde, "Kiyoka Aikawa. Sayuka Yorutake."
"Guh?!" The two named individuals turned around, "Miss Orimura?!"
Chifuyu walked out into the moonlight, which caused the entire mood to intensify. She looked at Kiyoka, who suddenly dropped Lincoln onto Hana, then to Sayuka, who was trying to hide her notebook. "Play-acting as usual, I assume?" she demanded.
"Oh, yes!" Kiyoka quickly answered, "Just like usual, heheh, right Loud?"
Lincoln said, "Uhhh..."
"Not right," Chifuyu stopped him, "He was hanging by your hands a few seconds ago."
"I can explain!" Sayuka tried to talk, "We we're trying to-"
Chifuyu put her hands up to silence Sayuka. Then, she stated an unusual punishment, "You two will start the final exams with a -25 penalty. On. Every. Test."
"WHAT?!" The two exclaimed their disbelief.
"And as a special thanks for providing the rumors that circulated in the weeks leading up to the tournament," Chifuyu continued, "the IS Academy will now extend its Open-Door Policy to foreign students only."
That really hurt Kiyoka and Sayuka, "WHY?! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?!"
"Weren't you insistent on sewing his every opening shut?" Chifuyu brought up that line.
Kiyoka sank.
Sayuka stepped back, "What... I don't...who-"
Chifuyu walked away to hide her smirk, "One of the standby instructors heard you from halfway across the stands. And now, every single person knows," Chifuyu waved them good night and went inside, "Enjoy your newfound popularity. You've earned it."
No one moved. No one said a word. No one dared to twitch until Chifuyu was gone.
Kiyoka and Sayuka went pale. A school-wide policy change on account of their own blabber mouths. And the worst part was that the one person they hate...he was just a bystander. He didn't do anything except tell someone they were infatuated with, someone who was friends with the person they hated... and that was the point where they couldn't process any more feedback. Lincoln had broken every single mold of the typical 12-year old foreign male student.
Sayuka slowly spoke, "Uh... we can forget about this, right Lincoln? There's no need to...you know...take it that far?..."
("Ok...I forgive you.")
("I forgave them too early...")
("Forgiving you was a mistake...")
He heard it all before. Someone would make a mistake, then apologize and learn their lesson. And then, bygones would be bygones until the next mistake came around. It's the curse he had to live with back home. He didn't want to bring it here to Japan, but it ended up following him. The strange thing was, it was amplified here. The mistakes were amplified to the point of absurdity. And there was always an apology; if not from him, from someone else. If not the word, it was an object.
It happened again...
Why did it happen like this?...
I've had enough.
He wanted no more part of it. He wanted it all to end. And he was going to end it, no matter how long he has to break his standard behavior. "Come on, let's go," Lincoln signaled his group to leave the lookout. And they followed him out, but they left without him...
...because Kiyoka grabbed his hand and halted him, "Can we just call it off and pretend we didn't know each oth-"
Lincoln yanked his hand away, "Ow..." and turned back to face her and Sayuka, "I will never forgive you." He then walked back inside, "Not that you really needed it, right?" He opened the door for Kiyoka and Sayuka to run back inside.
But their friend stopped in the doorway to give him a dirty look, "Are you stupid?!"
"I was," Lincoln responded, giving her the death glare he learned from Lori, "Now, I've smartened up."
The friend knew what he meant and fled in terror. She zipped past Ichika, Houki and Charles when they were meeting with each other.
"What's the matter with her?" Houki asked.
"I don't know," Ichika said, then he remembered what she promised him, "Oh, you know that promise you made to me last month?"
"Oh? Uh...what about it?"
"Well, since I won the tournament," Ichika flipped the script, "I figured I would ask you out on a date. So...you wanna goOGH?!"
Houki grabbed him, "Are you really sure about that?! Do you honestly mean that?!"
"Uh, well, I don't mind g-"
"WAAIII-I mean-" Houki pushed him off before regaining her composure, "Please explain your reasoning to me."
"Well, you're my childhood friend, right?" Ichika reasoned, "And we haven't hung out in over six years, so it doesn't make sense not to!"
"Right."
"And after we finished our date," Uh oh, "maybe we could go visit your relatives? I mean, it must be hard for-GUAGH..."
Houki right hooked his gut, "Rrgh, Why'd you have to bring Tabane into this?!"
"Hey, I never said-YOW!" He blocked a kick.
"I NEVER-wha-uhh..." Houki very quickly realized her slip up and tried to steer Ichika away from it, "I'll see you at the station tomorrow, then...and you better give me the best date ever, you hear me?!" She turned away and ordered two deluxe ramen bowls for herself.
"Whew..." Ichika sighed, "At least I didn't screw up..."
Lincoln tapped Charles's shoulder, "What'd you say to him?"
"I just gave him some advice," Charles winked.
"Nice," Lincoln shared a fist bump with Charles before offering one to Ichika, "Hey, way to score some points, bro!"
"Is that what you call it?" Ichika fist bumped Lincoln, "So, how's your shoulder doing?"
"About as well as you'd expect," Lincoln revealed his entire torso and chest to be trapped in bandages.
"Oh my," Charles saw it, "I see you've discovered the secret to a flat chest?"
"Is it that noticeable?" Ichika scanned both upper bodies.
Lincoln quickly covered his body, "Only when you're on it like that!"
Ichika and Charles laughed at Lincoln's moment of embarrassment, when Maya came along, "Orimura! Loud! Dunois! I've got some wonderful news!"
The trio stood still.
"I know you've been through a lot earlier," Maya cheerfully told them, "So, I thought you'd like to know that we've finally managed to get the three of you a wonderful place that will reward you!"
The boys went
"Huh?"
"What place?..."
"Oy vey."
Maya threw her hands up in grand fashion, "That's right! It's a new men's bathhouse!"
Lincoln couldn't go because of his body still healing, so he opted for the massage chairs just outside the pool area, "Ahhhhhh...nothing beats a clean and tough fight like a loose soft wind down..." the chair hit a good spot "Ohhhhh, this is life, I tell you what..." From a nearby window, he saw Charles(Charlotte) enter the pool and come close to Ichika. Without her chest covererer. "Nope," he shut the chair off and left.
Lincoln took one step inside the residence hall, and already he felt a drastic change in the atmosphere. He saw the reason for the change on the digital bulletin board beside him:
It has come to our attention that a first-year student has been the target of secondhand harassment and bullying from students of all years, nearly all of them Japanese students. This is unacceptable. This also violates several rules and regulations, and is the subject of an ongoing investigation that, to our dismay, was initiated during the Class tournament. We must remind you that as future leaders of the next IS generation, you are expected to maintain the highest standards of conduct, especially when it comes to the world community as a whole.
-ISA Admin
Lincoln was disheartened. He knew that this drew from his own conflict this past month. He thought the announcement would make his relations with the students worse, by singling him out as the primary source of all impact of the rumors and rude gestures. Which, unfortunately, wasn't entirely wrong.
He shook his head and walked into the hallway. Students were still mingling, but they quieted themselves once Lincoln walked by them. They knew as well that he was put in the center of the investigation, as well as any changes that would take place. He didn't pay any mind to them and walked by Kiyoka and Sayuka's room and heard a light sobbing, followed by what sounded like four girls inside. He decided to listen to the conversation.
"ONLY FOREIGN STUDENTS?!"
"Yeah...Miss Orimura said so herself..."
"That's not fair! On account of him?!"
"Big mistake! Absolutely not! They're gonna give him way too much power!"
"What are we gonna do, Sayuka?! Everything we worked for is-"
"Done. I'm withdrawing."
"What?! Why?!"
"I'd rather keep some of my dignity than lose it all to that American."
"Don't say that! We can still-"
"NOTHING WORKED! EVERY TIME WE DO SOMETHING TO HIM, HE ONLY GOT STRONGER!"
"But...but..."
"We failed...he's going to payback us...I'll withdraw as well..."
"Typical," Lincoln hissed softy so that no one could hear him, "You're too cowardly to admit that you screwed up." He walked away and entered his room, where he saw Laura standing outside in the balcony looking up.
As expected, Laura was the first to act, "What took you so long?" She said with a much softer tone.
He walked over to her, "Uh...hello again."
"Who am I?" Laura suddenly asked.
"Entschuldigung?..."
"That was the question Mentor asked me when I was down. She came to me and demanded to know who I am."
"Uh-huh...and what did you say?"
"That's the thing... I couldn't say anything. I couldn't look at her directly in the eyes."
"Was the question that important?"
"All my life, I only had one purpose: to fight, as the ultimate soldier in all types of combat. My strength was drawn from the very best of the best. Discipline, duty, and pride. And here you come, from a place I detested, from a place I considered to be my Mentor's weakness... and yet you stand on equal footing with me."
"I wouldn't say that," Lincoln sat on the rail, "I still couldn't tell a double split kick from a ballet twirl."
"And yet you were able to take out Dunois."
"Oh...that...well, that was just-"
Laura walked back inside and changed from her school uniform to her army uniform, "Let's get this right: I'm not going to abandon my goal, no matter what."
Lincoln hopped back inside, "And what is your goal?"
"To be the strongest."
"Uh..." Lincoln was stumped, "Why are you telling me this now?"
"Because I have gotten as far as I could by myself, but I can go no further," Laura finished changing and looked at him, "I believe you will help me move further in my path."
Lincoln knew exactly what she meant. She still clung to the purpose she was given at birth because that was her identity; that was all she knew. To upend that purpose by telling her that there's far more to life than strength would cause an identity crisis way worse than his own when he deigned himself to taking pies to the face, or embarrassing himself on a nationwide scale. He was able to adjust to it because he already was, and he knew who his friends were.
Laura knew who she was...sort of. She was a soldier, a veteran, a pilot. But strip all that away...who was she?
Lincoln realized that tomorrow was a free day, so... "Why don't we take that first step together?"
"Hm?"
"I mean...ugh, how do I say this, ummm..." Lincoln scratched his head, "When Miss Orimura asked you who you are, and you couldn't respond...what did she say afterwards?"
"She said...
("If you're no one, then that's perfect. From now on, you are just Laura Bodewig. But remember...you will never be able to become me.")
... and that's that."
"And I thought Lisa's tests were cryptic..." Lincoln rubbed his eyes, "But...whatever. She just means you need to discover yourself outside of the army. Outside of being the best."
"I suppose...the army is all I knew until I made the choice to come here."
"And now you know a little more?" Lincoln got on the bed beside her, "We can build on that and ease you into the world around you. And maybe then, you'll be able to see where Ichika's and Miss Orimura's and my strength come from."
Laura's interest peaked, "You mean, go out to mingle with others?"
"No, just the two of us," Lincoln turned off his brain, "We have a free day tomorrow, and there's no future events scheduled, meaning no training or studying. And something tells me you don't want to stay inside all day."
Laura thought about it...really thought about it. She told him that they were constantly at war. And even then, he didn't care, just as long as he could learn together with her. And learn he did, as he ended up making her stronger in the process.
"Besides," Lincoln added, "It helps to know yourself and know your friends, right?"
There was more to power than Laura thought. And she wanted to know, "We will depart tomorrow, 0640 sharp."
"HAA?!" Lincoln flipped, "We've been doing that forever! Why do I-"
Laura placed her heel on his shoulder, "Is there a problem?"
"*GULP*...no, ma'am..."
"Good," Laura took her belongings and went to the shower.
"Haahhhhhhhh..." Lincoln pondered the potential consequences of what he had just done. And knowing the speed of rumors among high schools worldwide... "Yep...Ronnie Anne's gonna kill me..." He got his laptop out and prepared a lengthy email.