This Chapter was Co-Written by brown phantom.
After having dinner with the Casagrandes, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne introduced everyone to Mary, despite an awkward start due to Carlos bringing up the bloody Mary legend. Mary formally introduced herself as the one who had been mentoring them and offered to inform the parents whenever Shazam and Lady Shazam were needed. Later as Lincoln and his parents were almost home, Lincoln felt he was in a better head space than he had been for the past few days.
"Well, son, we're almost home." Informed Lynn Sr.
"Hopefully, the girls are asleep so that we can get to bed without a problem. Said Rita.
"Hey, dad, I meant to ask how are you gonna let people know about the white dragons?"
"Oh, my Orcs, Horks, Wizards, and Porks friends will be stopping by Lynn's Table to play in the afternoon. I'll let them know."
"I think I'll talk to dad so that I can update him on everything; he still has friends in the military that could help Royal Woods. Plus, I think I should tell him about Mary; your Pop-pop likes surprises, but he's too old for those kinds." Rita Informed.
"by the way, son, what are your plans after speaking with the chief?"
"not sure, dad; I was planning on going to Gus's; a new game was opening this weekend.
"That sounds good,"
Finally, outside the house, all three made their way to the door, hoping not to deal with any more problems, but they were wrong. Upon entering, they were greeted by 8 of the girls; Luna was sitting on the staircase. Rita took notice of Luna's face seeing the red eyes and the look of despair on her face; before she could ask what was wrong, Lori turned her focus back to the other girls.
"Mom, Dad, Lincoln, we wanted to apologize for how we acted the past few months."
Lincoln instantly felt his guard go up; he was taken aback by this sudden apology from Lori.
"We had that photo looked over, and now we see that it was fake, so we made you this card to apologize."
"Here you go, Linky." Said Leni handing him the card.
Feeling annoyed by their words, Lincoln took the card and began reading it. Lynn Sr. and Rita could read along with Lincoln at the angle the card was held.
'We were wrong. You're forgiven. No hard feelings.'
That was it; that was the entire apology.
'Seriously?' Lincoln asked himself, getting angrier as he reread it. The parents were also disgusted by their daughters' so-called apology; they looked at their son, seeing him tremble, and they knew what was coming. But they weren't going to stop it.
Looking at his sisters, Lincoln had an expression that was both calm and angry.
"Is this supposed to be one of Luan's Jokes?"
"Lincoln?" asked Lori.
"You forgive me? Do you bitches have your heads so far up your own asses that you seriously think that I'm the one who has to be forgiven? And you expect me to just forget about how you treated me like shit for months because of this? Are you fucking kidding me?!" roared Lincoln as he tore up the card throwing the pieces at them.
The girls gasped, and Lori looked at her parents, expecting them to step in but were met with glares making her nervous.
"Lincoln, what's wrong? We messed up, but we're sorry," replied Luan.
"Are you? Because I didn't see the word 'sorry' anywhere on that card. Take a look yourselves if you don't believe me." Lincoln said, rolling his eyes.
Lisa and Lana gathered up the scraps and recreated the card. Looking it over, they saw their brother was indeed correct; the word 'sorry' was absent. They looked to Lola and Lynn Jr. in disbelief, as they had been the ones to actually write it on their behalf.
On the stairs, Luna sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"Lincoln, little bro, this was all my fault. Be mad at me, not them. I'm so sorry."
"For what? Sorry that you didn't believe me? Sorry that you turned against me and made me a pariah in my own home *again*? Sorry that you ignored my right to basic human decency? Or... are you sorry that you were *wrong*?" Lincoln said as he crossed his arms.
"bro, I."
"tell me right now, why did you choose to get that photo looked over now."
"what?" asked Lori.
"I seem to remember suggesting the same thing a week after this whole thing started, but all of you refused to be part of it. Claiming I'll just get someone to make the photo look fake, even after mom and dad said they'd pay for it. Said Lincoln as both parents remembered that conversation. "so why did you decide to do it now!?" he demanded to know.
Lincoln stared daggers at the girls, making them sweat, zeroing in on Lori; it didn't take long for him to figure it out.
"It was because of Ronnie Anne, wasn't it!?" asked Lincoln causing Lori to rub her arm in shame.
"After we learned that she knew about everything we did in the past, we were afraid that she would start telling bobby and people, and they would start thinking that we were as bad as, *ahem*, you. So we had the photo looked over to prove it was real. We were going to show Ronnie Anne so she'd turn on you, and we wouldn't have to worry about our reputations being damaged.
"Lori. How could you!?" said a horrified Rita.
"How could you girls conspire against your brother like that!? Said a pissed Lynn Sr.
The girls hung their heads in shame, but it was too late as Lincoln wasn't just angry anymore, now; he was furious.
"let me get this straight you did all this to hurt me? You tried throwing me under the bus and destroying my last friendship just so everyone would keep thinking that you're all perfect!?" he asked, and they nodded. "well, guess what? Not only are you bitches the farthest things from it, I think it's time you finally learn why.
Lincoln stormed over to Lori, giving her a death glare that made her nervous as she looked back.
"You know what the worst part about you is? You're the main reason everyone is so chaotic and aggressive in this house. You're the oldest; we all look up to you and follow your example. And one day, you started telling us that if we want anything from you, we must 'buy' it from you. On the one hand, I agree. Nothing is free, and you're allowed to say no. But somewhere along the line, you got the idea that we weren't allowed to say no to you if you wanted something. Because if we did, you'd deny us any favors later or threaten to rearrange our bodies. And since you could do it, the other girls got the idea to say the same. Everyone seems to think that 'no' only means 'no' when they say it. Think about the last time you told one of them, no, and they didn't fight you on it? Guess what, Lori, they learned that from you. That's the example you set for your sisters."
Lincoln's words were like knives going through her, and Lori was forced to realize everything he said was true. To make matters worse, he wasn't done yet.
"you wanna know an even worse problem? Your obsession with Bobby, you base your whole life around him to the point you get possessive if you're not his main focus. I couldn't keep my big brother friendship with him because you got jealous of us hanging out and tried using Clyde to make him jealous. But the dumbest part of your obsession is you don't care who you have to hurt to keep him interested in you. You didn't even realize that your little plan to "expose me" would've hurt Ronnie Anne, too. And what would you have told Bobby "sorry boo-boo bear, I ruined your sister's friendship with my brother because I was afraid she was gonna destroy our relationship. It doesn't take super wisdom to realize the domino effect you were trying to set off you idiot. But then you'd probably blame me like you blame your shoes cause you can't take responsibility for your farts. "
Lori's eyes widened with the realization that she really didn't consider how this could hurt Ronnie Anne knowing how close she was to Lincoln. Lincoln then looked to Luan, who looked like she was about to be the victim of one of her own pranks.
"You're just a bully. Pranks are supposed to be something the victim can laugh at, but you're the only one that ever laughs at your own jokes. That makes you a bully. We live in legit fear of April Fools Day because of you, numerous rabies shots every year. Because you think rabid animals biting me is funny, guess what it's not, and you're not even funny, to begin with. Puns are the laziest form of comedy, yet they're your specialty. And guess what? Me falling on my ass got more laughs. So go ahead and laugh at your puns and gags; no one else is."
Luan felt as if she got stabbed in the chest by that. She wanted to argue in her defense that she was a good comedian. But it was clear that any defense here would fall on deaf ears or spur him on to get more personal. Lincoln then turns his attention to Lucy, causing the young goth to gulp.
"Lincoln, please don't-" Lucy pled, trying to keep her brother from going on a tirade; she admitted to herself that she feared he'd expose her deep secret.
"What's the matter, Lucy? Can't handle someone else being unhappy? You made me this way; what did you expect me to do about it? Smile?" Lincoln snapped.
Lucy gulped and closed her mouth, hoping he would move on from her now. But he didn't.
"You think you're mistreated? You sit around in black moping and hiding and saying, woe is me? Woe is you? No, if anyone here has any right to walk around depressed, it's me. I'm the one treated like crap by you despite everything I do for you and your sisters, the sacrifices I was forced to make because someone can't take being teased; news flash, Luce, real goths don't care what others think." Lincoln snapped, causing Lucy to shed a tear, finding it hard to do anything else.
"Hey, lay off everyone!" Lynn Jr. demanded, getting defensive over his ranting. "If their apology wasn't good enough for him, that was one thing, but that didn't give him the right to bring them to tears about it."
"Or what? Are you gonna beat the crap out of me? Like you haven't done that before." Lincoln argued back.
Lynn threw a punch at him, not one of her better ones, but she wasn't trying to hurt him, just get him to stop making them feel worse than they already felt. To her surprise, Lincoln dodged effortlessly for once and threw a hand at her; he didn't punch her. But he did slap her across the face. The shock did more to her than the pain, making her fumble to the floor.
"What the hell? You hit me back?" She asked, not expecting that at all.
"Duh! Were you seriously expecting me to just stand there and take it? Were all of you?" Lincoln asked, looking at all his sisters right then. "You're girls, and I'm a boy, so it's okay for one of you to assault me, but I'm not allowed to defend myself? You're all morally superior to me; I'm just a dumb, selfish male that deserves whatever you do to me. Because clearly, you 'nicer and smarter females' know better and couldn't possibly resort to violence and aggression unless the target deserved it. Am I right?"
"Hey, don't make this a gender issue," Lynn told him, getting back on her feet.
"Look me right in the eyes and tell me that me being a boy had nothing to do with your decision on how to treat me." Lincoln challenged; however, Lynn Jr. had no response; deep down, she knew he was right, so she shamefully looked away.
"Figures, if I had been a girl, you would have given me the benefit of the doubt. But I'm a boy; therefore, I'm guilty until proven guilty in this family, aren't I?"
"Lincoln, you know that's not true." Lisa tried to assure him.
"How would you know? You, the 'great scientific mind' here, should have been the first to want proof of what happened. Still, no, you treated this whole damn situation like you were above it, and because I said it first, it had to be a bad idea, right? Because if it doesn't come from you, the one smart person in a village full of idiots, it can't be a good idea now, can it?"
"Hey, don't be so rude to her, Linky. She's just a kid." Leni pled.
"Oh, how convenient that she's just a little girl when she needs to be held accountable but too smart for consequences all other times," Lincoln remarked sarcastically. "And what about you, Leni? I would have expected you, of all people, to at least try and defend me. After all, I defended you when everyone thought you were stealing from your job and got fired. And you know what? No one asked me to do it. I didn't have to be asked, bribed, or threatened into doing something for you because I believed you were innocent. Why? Because the Leni I knew wouldn't do something like that, that's why I worked so hard to get your job back. But apparently, the Lincoln, you know, would try to ruin a relationship. So maybe I don't know you at all, Leni."
Leni looked away, remembering the event in question and how bad it felt to have everyone believe the worst about you. Now she had put Lincoln in that same situation.
Lincoln then looked to the twins.
"And now we get to you two. One's a blackmailing brat who loves her reflection more than anyone else, and the other is a walking contamination hazard. Lana, I hope you realize that you playing in the garbage and bringing in wild animals is half the reason we all get sick in this household. But I guess you'd rather risk rabies and tetanus than find some other way to have fun. And make us risk it too. And Lola, the perfect little princess? Let me guess if you had it your way right now, and no one would know where my body was, would they? You may think you're a queen bee, but to me, you're just a sugar-coated murder hornet that thinks this hive has one person too many in it. So let me ask, if I do disappear, who's next? Said Lincoln making everyone gasp at that.
"Lincoln, do you seriously think I'm trying to get rid of you?" Lola asked.
"You all made me an outcast here at home and in my school, and now you were deliberately trying to turn my one and only friend against me. Does that sound like anyone who wants me to stay?" He asked back. No one answered.
Finally, Lincoln turned to Luna, she was shaking a little, but she knew he was coming for her last.
"AND YOU! This is all your damn fault!"
"Lincoln… Bro…. I."
"Shut up! For the first time in months, you're going to shut the hell up and listen to me for once, Luna!" he growled, causing Luna to cringe. "I thought we had a special bond, despite the fact you helped throw me out of the house for the luck incident. I still tried seeing the good in you even when you hurt me back then. I remember word for word every lullaby you sang to me as a baby, how you made my first concert great, but now I see that meant nothing to you; I meant nothing to you."
"That's not true." Pleaded Luna.
"then why wouldn't you listen? Why would you believe I would do something so horrible when you knew damn well I would never!?
"I was jealous, okay! you and Sam were getting so close, and the stress from the festival Mazzy signed the band up for was getting to me; I'm sorry."
"That's your excuse? You were jealous because I was becoming friends with Sam? Cute, it's Bobby all over again. I was bonding with the rest of your bandmates too, but I guess you were so caught with Sam you didn't notice!" scolded Lincoln.
Luna blinked in surprise; she hadn't noticed her brother interacting with her other bandmates. At least not in any way worth remembering. Had she really been that focused on Sam?
"the only reason I started interacting with your band is because of you. You asked me to help with your band and your relationship with Sam! you asked me to keep THEM out of your business, so they didn't drive Sam away, but look who did." reminded Lincoln. "FYI, Luna, Sam was going to dump you and leave the Moon Goats because of what you said; I was hanging out with her to not just cheer her up but to convince her not to do either and give you a second chance. Because I knew it would hurt you, and what thanks do I get? a black eye, being framed and looked at like I'm some kind of weak-willed perv who can't say no, my so-called sisters treating me like garbage for 3 damn months, my food being spat in. And being told you wish I were a stillborn or a miscarriage because I tried to help."
"I'm sorry."
"no, you're not; none of you are sorry for how you treated me, only that you were wrong and did all that for nothing. That's what you are sorry for. If you hadn't gotten the picture looked over, you would've all kept doing it and kicked it up a notch at some point. And now you think a card means you're off the hook. I bet not a single one of you had any plans to do anything else for me after that, did you?" Lincoln said, causing the girls to look down. "that's what I thought; well, guess what I'm done with all….I…I."
Lincoln suddenly grabbed his head, feeling a tingling in his brain. At first, he thought it was the stress from telling off the girls but suddenly started seeing visions of somewhere he needed to be as if he was being called there.
"the historama!"
"Linky, are you okay?" asked Leni reaching out for him.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he snapped, making her jump back. "Mom, Dad, I gotta go."
"We understand, son," said Lynn Sr.
"use the backyard, and please be careful." Said Rita.
"go where?" asked Lori.
"hmm..."
Lincoln hurries outside into the backyard, pushing past his sisters, the best place to avoid any potential passerby. He opens his mouth, ready to say the literal magic word, but he hears the door open behind him and the shouting of multiple girls. This time, they don't sound overwhelmingly angry or antagonistic; they just want his attention.
"Dang it, I can't transform right here in front of them.' The white-haired boy rued, then raised an eyebrow. 'Or can I?"
In a split second, dozens of thoughts raced through his mind. It would be easy for someone like Luna, Lola, Lynn, or even Leni to spill his secret to others, accidentally or otherwise. Wouldn't it be best for him if they didn't know the secret? But then again, perhaps the risk wasn't that great. After all, these girls had been telling everyone how horrible, weak, and unlikable their brother was for the past months. And that hadn't even been the first time they did it. If they suddenly changed their tune and told everyone that their brother was now the local superhero, who would honestly believe them? Who could any of them tell would take them seriously without proof? Could they blackmail him? Knowing Lynn, Lola, and even Luan and Lisa, they could try, but he had magic on his side. He could destroy any videos they might acquire and a smile formed on his face.
"I'm a superhero; I saved people from a crashing plane, for crying out loud. I don't need the Courage of Achilles to not be afraid of them."
"Shazam!"
A lightning bolt came down, making the girls gasp seeing their male sibling struck. Then the flash cleared, and a tall, muscular Adonis of a man in a red suit and white cape stood in his place.
Every jaw dropped, every eye widened, every arm slacked and hung low. The only thing the girls didn't do was faint.
"Li... Lincoln?" asked Luna.
"You're Shazam?!" asked Lola.
He smirked. "Now, who's weak?"
He then took off into the air before they could get their brains to function again.
"This... this is..." Lori sputtered.
"I... I'm at a genuine loss for words for once." Lisa managed to squeak out.
"No freaking way," Lana noted.
"Now you know." Said Lynn Sr.
The girls turned around and saw the stern expressions of their parents by the door, standing there watching. Lynn Sr had his arms crossed while Rita's hands were on her hips.
"Wait, you already knew?" Luna asked. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"do you girls really believe you had a right to know, especially after that so-called apology."
Before the girls could think about that, their neighbor Mr. Grouse stuck his head out the window to call them.
"hey, Louds, turn on the news; something is going on at the bridge." He said before sticking his head back in.
Both parents rushed in, with the girls following a second later. On the news was Katherine Mulligan reporting on a strange glowing under the great lake that had shaken up the bridge with quakes.
As Lincoln flew, his mind was split. He wanted to focus on whatever threat, but he couldn't stop thinking about the girls. After 3 months of treating him like dirt, their only option to make up for it was to forgive him.
"not even a damn sorry."
The part that angered him the most was that they did it to ruin his friendship with Ronnie Anne; while he knew it wouldn't work, the mere thought of them sinking that low to hurt him enraged him. Lincoln contemplated telling people about the luck incident; he knew that would ruin their reputations, love lives, and lives forever. But it would also hurt his parents and Lily in the long run.
"Damn it."
Suddenly a pillar of light shot up, snapping Lincoln out of his thoughts of revenge, making him realize he needed to move faster. As the people on the bridge watched the pillar, the water started to boil as the shadow of something rose up from below within the pillar, something huge.
Did Godzilla come to Michigan without anyone noticing?" asked one onlooker, hoping that whatever was surfacing was, in fact, not the king of the monsters.
Fully risen, the shadow was much taller than the bridge; suddenly, the pillar disappeared, revealing what was inside. A giant mechanical robot stood in front of the bridge, and the bystanders looked shocked.
"uh, maybe it's friendly."
"humans, my name is Mr. Atom. I am here to conquer in my name; your attempts at resistance will be as meaningless as your lives. I will prove this by destroying this bridge.
Pulling his fist back, the people on the bridge began to panic as they ran in both directions to escape. As Mr. Atom through his punch, the people could only brace themselves for death. However, Mr. Atom's punch stopped mid-way but not by his choice; someone caught his punch.
"I don't think so," said Lincoln, who had been the one to catch Mr. Atom's punch.
Everyone cheered upon seeing Shazam, but he quickly informed them to evacuate the bridge.
"damn it, where is Ronnie Anne?"
Mr. Atom looked down at lincoln, noticing he was the one to stop his attack on the bridge. He saw how his costume, realizing the outfit was familiar, but the person inside it wasn't.
"so the sins were telling the truth."
"the sins? What do they have to do with this?"
"they informed me that the Wizard was finally gone, and a new champion had taken his place. And offered me part of this world for doing them a favor, but this is most opportunistic."
"Yeah, how so?"
"Why should I share with them and their champion? Once I've killed you, there will be no champion, meaning I can claim the rock of eternity's power for myself. And use it to merge the other magic lands into one under my rule.
"magic lands?"
Before Lincoln could think about what he's learned, Mr. Atom threw another punch, but he caught it too. As the two fought to push each other back, Lincoln felt his strength finally being tested for the first time. Pushing himself harder, Lincoln won the struggle knocking Mr. Atom back a few steps away from the bridge. Lincoln then flew in, delivering blow after blow to the robot's face forcing it further from the bridge before flying into its stomach with his fists forward.
"you nat, I'll crush you!"
Mr. Atom began swinging his fist to hit Lincoln, but due to his larger size and Lincoln being faster, he could not land a blow. As the battle continued, Katherine Mulligan and her team were still broadcasting and reporting from the helicopter to everyone watching, including the Louds, who were joined by Lily
"that's my boy!" cheered Lynn Sr. after watching Lincoln punch Mr. Atom in the back of his knee.
"go get him, sweetie." Cheered Rita.
"Lincoln hero!" cheered Lily.
The rest of the girls wanted to cheer too but stayed silent, watching their brother fight a metal monster. Knowing how bad they messed up with their not even half-assed apology but a quarter-assed apology. Angered by the beating he was getting, Mr. Atom took a stance before opening dozens of missile silos on his body and firing multiple missiles at Lincoln. Thinking fast, Lincoln began flying around as the missiles chased him, using his electro blasts and his staff to destroy and deflect the attacks. Seeing his attack be bested on angered Mr. Atom more, but then realized a way to win.
"impressive new Shazam, but let's see you stop this." He said unleashing more missiles
Lincoln was prepared to take them on again, but to his shock, they avoided him and headed to the bridge.
"NO!" said Lincoln flying after them.
Lincoln started blasting as many as he could. Still, he was running out of time, thinking he flew ahead and created a wall of electricity that managed to destroy the remaining missiles except one. One managed to slip through, continuing to head to the bridge before Lincoln could go after it. Mr. Atom appeared behind Lincoln and grabbed him in his massive hands, preventing him from stopping it. Struggling to get free, Lincoln watched as the missile was seconds away from hitting the bridge that still had people on it. Suddenly, another electro blast shot down, destroying it.
"What!?" said Mr. Atom.
"About time." Said Lincoln
Suddenly another blast hit Mr. Atom in the hands forcing him to let go of Lincoln before Lincoln delivered an uppercut, moving him backward. As Lincoln to a safe distance, Ronnie Anne lowered herself by his side, confusing.
"it appears Lady Shazam has entered the fray. Announced Katherine Mulligan.
"oh, good, Ronnie Anne is there now too," said Lynn Sr.
"Lynn!" scolded Rita for blabbing Lady Shazam's secret.
"Whoops, sorry, honey."
"Ronnie Anne?" thought Lori
All the girls were shocked to learn that Lady Shazam was Ronnie Anne, horrifying them even further.
"what took you so long?"
"long story Lame-O, I'll tell you later."
"what two champions? How can this be? The Sins said there was only one!?"
"The Sins?"
"I got my own story to tell you."
"Okay, what's the plan?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"I need you to hold back and watch the bridge evacuation."
"We should be double-teaming this guy."
"I know, but people are still trying to get off the bridge. Once everyone is safe, then we can take him down. Besides, you're faster than me. You can get the missiles faster than me if he tries to blast the bridge again."
"Okay, but save some for me."
Agreeing, Lincoln flew back into the fight; as he moved to punch Mr. Atom, his face suddenly turned into Lori's.
"he's literally always causing us trouble."
"what?" asked Lincoln stopping mid-punch confused.
Taking advantage, Mr. Atom backhands Lincoln knocking him back though he managed to stop himself. Flying back to counterattack, Lincoln was hit with another disturbing sight as now it was Leni's face.
"he totes could've resisted."
Hearing that made Lincoln hesitate again; this allowed Mr. Atom to throw two straights at him, but he snapped out of his hallucination in time to catch them. As the two struggled, Lincoln became distressed. His issues with his sisters were affecting his mind, and he hallucinated his sisters and the hurtful things they've said. To make matters worse, it was done as he was now seeing Luna's face.
"you white-haired, chip tooth bastard! Why couldn't you have been a miscarriage or a stillborn!?"
Hearing that caused Lincoln to buckle as Mr. Atom started to push him back while Lincoln struggled. Lincoln tried to focus, but his sisters were deep in his head, and now, he was seeing Luan's face.
"him and Sam, that has to be a joke, Ha. Ha. Ha."
Lincoln once again buckled, being tossed in the air past Katherine Mulligan's copter, missing the blades.
"it seems this Mr. Atom is more powerful than initially believed as he's giving Shazam a run for his money. Said Katherine Mulligan.
Rita and Lynn Sr. knew something was wrong; every thought told them to go to the bridge, but they knew they would get in the way. Flying down, Lincoln charged to retake the fight but was met by Lynn Jr.'s face.
"don't choke stinkin."
Instead of hesitating, Lincoln became furious as he delivered a blow to Mr. Atom's face. Seeing this shift, Ronnie Anne knew something was wrong and wanted to help but knew she needed to stay put for now. Lincoln was angrily laying into Mr. Atom, who he now saw wearing Lucy's face.
"*sigh* he brought another dark cloud on our family again."
'shut up!' he thought, punching Mr. Atom.
Lincoln began surging with power becoming more unstable every time he punched so much that it started to go out of control. As a lightning bolt almost hitting the news copter. Lincoln's anger kept rising as he remembered each hurtful thing his sisters had said and was not faced with Lana.
"we finally found out what he's good at, making things worse for us."
"Shut up!"
"I hope he knows how to sleep with his eyes open." Said the hallucination of Lola
'damn you!' he yelled in his head as he was now looking at Lisa's face
"Lincoln, do you really expect me to waste my intelligence on such an irritating matter? This is your mess, male sibling; clean it yourself."
"DAMN YOU ALL!" he said, about to punch Mr. Atom.
Lincoln really started to surge with power as he expelled lightning from his body; Ronnie Anne saw this and knew she had to intervene as she flew, catching Lincoln's fist.
"Linc…. Shazam, it's me; you have to calm down."
Hearing that voice seemed to work as Lincoln started to calm down, and power stabilized.
"dude, breathe."
Lincoln started coming down from his rage; as he did so, Mr. Atom recovered from the blows received from Lincoln's blind rage and was ready to attack again. Seeing them both distracted, he decided to launch a counterattack. Quickly his eyes began glowing brightly before blasting an energy beam at them. Despite being shaken, Lincoln noticed the oncoming attack coming. Lincoln pushed Ronnie Anne out of the way, saving her but took the blast himself sending him flying into the lake.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it appears after taking that massive blast, Shazam may be down for the count." Said Katherine Mulligan.
"oh, Lynn!" said a scared Rita.
"don't worry, honey, he'll be just fine," assured Lynn Sr.
The girls were even more afraid, fearing that this might be the last time they saw their brother. Ronnie Anne wanted to go after Lincoln but was stopped by Mr. Atom, who tried to attack her. Unfortunately, she was faster than expected as she dodged him before delivering counter hits. However, Ronnie Anne's blows were not as strong as Lincoln's. Realizing this, she began hitting him with her electro blasts which were doing better damage.
"curses, this body was not designed to battle such speed, and the damage it's taken has reduced its usefulness; there has to be some way to slow her down."
Mr. Atom then noticed the news helicopter flying around; believing it worked before it could work again, he shot a missile at Katherine Mulligan's copter. Ronnie Anne took off for the missile catching it and tossing it to the sky before telling them to escape the scene. Unfortunately, that distraction was just what Mr. Atom needed as his hand extended to grab Ronnie Anne, pulling her down towards him.
"now I have you. Once I finish you off, I will make sure the other one is down too; then, I will claim the rock of eternity."
Ronnie Anne fought to break free, but his grip was firm. As she tried figuring a way out of this mess, her thoughts turned to Lincoln, hoping he was okay. Laying under the water. Lincoln was lamenting how he allowed his sisters to get in his head like that.
"maybe the Wizard was wrong; perhaps I'm not worthy of being Shazam,
"Lincoln Loud, you are indeed worthy."
Lincoln's eyes opened to his surprise; he wasn't underwater. He was floating in space above earth, back in his true form. Lincoln wasn't alone as the Wizard was there too, seemingly much healthier than the last time Lincoln saw him.
"Wizard?"
"yes, child."
"But I thought you were?"
"my body, yes, but my spirit has ascended to a higher plain; now I am with my family, but I have been watching over you and Ronnie Anne. I planned on waiting a while before revealing myself, but it seems I am needed now."
"I'm sorry I failed you."
"you did not fail Lincoln. I understand your anger, but do not be consumed by that anger, lest you become like your predecessor." Assured the Wizard.
"how do I let go of this anger when I have so much?"
"if you cannot let this anger go yet, then channel it into something you can use to protect others."
"I promise I will work harder to be worthy of this title."
"thank you… now awaken Ronnie Anne needs your help."
"wait, you told me to rebuild the council; the thrones were waiting. What did you mean?"
"for the time being, do not worry about that. They are not ready to stand by your and Ronnie Anne's sides." Said the Wizard walking away.
"wait, who are they?"
Before Lincoln could ask any more, he was hit with a bright light that blinded him before waking up underwater. Taking a moment, Lincoln took a moment to collect himself, still feeling that anger. Lincoln did what the Wizard instructed and channeled it causing his eyes to surge with power. As Mr. Atom charged up his blast to hit Ronnie at point blank, Lincoln shot up like a lightning bolt smashing through Mr. Atom's arms, severing them and freeing Ronnie Anne. Ronnie Anne watched as Lincoln began smashing through Mr. Atom multiple times, although all she could see was a blur, creating various entrance and exit wounds, before calling out to Ronnie Anne to finish him. Making a massive ball of Lightning in her hands, Ronnie Anne threw it at Mr. Atom. Mr. Atom screamed in pain as his body began short-circuiting due to his body taking all that damage.
"curse you both. I will return in a much stronger body and take this world as my own!"
Suddenly Mr. Atom's eyes shut off before his body became limp, dropping into the lake, half of his body submerged in the water. Everyone who was watching cheered seeing the defeated giant robot. As Lincoln and Ronnie Anne landed on the bridge, Ronnie Anne went to check on Lincoln but was hit with a huge shock.
"bah… bah… BAH!" babbled Ronnie Anne
"what's wrong?"
Ronnie Anne couldn't say anything but point at him; Lincoln noticed what she was murmuring. To Lincoln's shock and embarrassment, he was nearly naked. While the blast from Mr. Atom hurt him a little, his costume took most of the damage, disintegrating most. Leaving just enough to resemble compression shorts and his mask. This left a slew of mixed feelings; while the girls blushed, the women became aroused seeing Lincoln's nearly naked adult body. Rita blushed too because she found it embarrassing to see her son like that.
"Oh BABY... what…. a …. SEXY…. BODY! MAMA LIKE!" Said a visibly turned-on Katherine Mulligan. "I mean, uh, Mr. Atom has been neutralized thanks to Shazam and Lady Shazam. Cut, please!" Katherine Mulligan said embarrassingly, making a cutting gesture to cut the feed.
Ronnie Anne was the most affected. While her mature but still child mind made her blush, she was physically aroused like other adult women. Lincoln managed to snap Ronnie Anne out of her trance before flying off. Landing in the playground, the two reverted back to their mortal forms. Luckily his regular clothes were undamaged, and the transformation healed Lincoln as he and Ronnie Anne started to talk. Lincoln told Ronnie Anne everything that happened from when he got home. Hearing how they tried to manipulate her enraged Ronnie Anne.
"I can't believe them; they did all that just turn me against you and that BS apology, I know you asked me not to, but I'm telling Bobby everything in the morning."
"I understand, and I'm not going to stop you. but I feel like Lori should be the one, not you; you shouldn't have to deal with that."
"well, you can tell Lori if you want, and she can tell either way Bobby is gonna find out."
Ronnie Anne nodded, knowing Lincoln was okay with it but needed to explain why she was late. Ronnie Anne explained that as she sensed trouble, Mary appeared, asking her to guard the rock of eternity, fearing someone might attack it. While the two had a brief argument, Sid and Ronnie Anne's family offered to do it and contact Ronnie Anne if there was trouble.
"so I was able to help,"
"I see."
"Mary explained the rock of eternity creates a veil that separates all the magic lands and earth from each other."
"let me guess; there are ways to punch holes in it."
"that's why Mary wanted me to guard the rock; with the Wizard gone, the veil weakened. She said that the veil can develop temporary, weak spots. While the veil is strongest around the rock, even there can become vulnerable.
"I'm guessing we'll be seeing more breachers."
"Yup."
The two sat there thinking over the trouble coming their way but knew they had to face it. Lincoln knew to face it; he had to make a change to be a better champion.
"I better get back home. I have to get everyone out of the rock."
Shazam!
In a flash, Ronnie Anne was powered up again and flew off back to great lake city, wishing Lincoln good luck. Lincoln decided to walk home to take time to think; ultimately, he decided just as he got to his door and walked in. Lincoln was immediately embraced by his mother wanting to ensure Lincoln wasn't hurt. Lincoln assured her he was okay before apologizing to her and Lynn Sr. for making them worry. However, Lynn Sr. assured him they were proud of him and how he saved everyone. Lincoln then turned to his sisters, minus Lily, who was taken to bed earlier, and approached them.
"Lincoln, please, we're sorry."
"no, Lori, because of what you all did, I couldn't focus on the fight. My anger got the best of me; if it wasn't for Ronnie Anne, whom I'm pretty sure you all figured out is Lady Shazam."
"yes."
"well, many people could have gotten hurt because my anger was messing with my head. As I walked home, I realized what I must do to be a better hero. I need to let go."
"Does that mean you forgive us, Linky?" asked a hopeful Leni
"no, Leni, I'm letting go of all of you."
"Lincoln," the girls said.
"I'm letting go of the lie that I have a place among you other than being your punching bag, that you see me as family and that you love me."
"Please, we do love you."
"no, Luan, you don't, and I made peace with that. Live your lives however you want, but I don't want to be part of it anymore, and I don't want you part of mine either; I'm done with all of you except Lily. She's the only sister I have; as for the rest of you, I don't want anything to do with any of you ever again."
The girls were shocked; their brother had just disowned them; before any of them could say anything, Lincoln walked past them up the stairs making it halfway before Luna called him.
"bro, please don't do this."
"Answer me this, Luna. Were any of you a little happy learning I was innocent, or were you upset that you were wrong?" asked Lincoln but got no response. "that's what I thought goodbye, oh and Lori. You should know Ronnie Anne knows about tonight and will tell Bobby everything, so consider this the last piece of advice you'll get from me. You might want to tell him yourself; either way, he will find out. Who tells him is up to you." Said Lincoln leaving.
Lori felt her whole world shattering, and so did the other girls as they looked at their parents for help, but Rita and Lynn Sr. simply walked away into their room. Everyone left just stood there, not knowing what to do; they were on their own.
"what do we do now? We lost our brother, and mom and dad aren't going to help us get him back." Asked Luan.
"I don't know." Said a sad Lisa trying not to cry.
"uh guys, I know I'm not the smartest of us, but I might have a suggestion." Said Leni holding up the pictures.
Later that night
After everyone went to bed, Lori was still awake, looking at her phone. After consoling a crying Leni, she stared at her phone, afraid to call Bobby. Ultimately she knew Bobby would find out, and it would be better if the truth came from her instead of Ronnie Anne. Calling his phone, Bobby quickly picked up, happily greeting Lori as usual.
"Hey, babe, what up?"
"Well, for starters, boo-boo bear, I know Lincoln is Shazam, and Ronnie Anne is Lady Shazam now."
"you do?"
"yeah."
"thank goodness I'm happy Lincoln told you; I hated keeping secrets from you."
"Bobby, I need to tell you something. It's about me, my sisters, and Lincoln."
"what is it, babe?"
Elsewhere
As Morag sat in her room, she seemed annoyed at the turn of events, having observed the battle between the champions and Mr. Atom.
"two Champions, how can this be? You said there was only one!"
"While this is an unfortunate turn of events, our plan I still sound." Replied the sins.
"How so?"
"thanks to that fool Atom, news of the Wizard's demise will soon spread throughout the other magic lands, and with the veil weakened, they will come to take this land. Leaving these champions no time to search for us."
"I see; either way, we win. They'll kill these champions or keep them busy long enough for me to master my power. Whatever happens, we'll ultimately win."
"correct."
"I must say, you Sins are much better tactician than I thought."
"enough flattery tomorrow; your training intensifies."
Morag smiles as she closes her eyes to sleep; unknown to her, she is being watched by Lucille Loud, Lucy's ancestral counterpart, who oversaw the one-sided conversation."
"what are you up to, Morag."
End Of Ch 9
Author's Notes
Well, it happened the girls have dug their holes.
Lincoln has officially disowned 9 of his sisters.
Lynn Sr. and Rita feel no pity for them, seeing they brought this on themselves.
The Sins created the perfect distraction to speed up Morag's training
Who else is coming through? Not sure yet?
While the sins know there are two champions now, they still believe they have the upper hand while acknowledging their potential. They are still no Wizard.
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter; I might take a break from this for a while to catch up with my other work.