Greetings, reader.

If you're reading this, then you have not decided to boycott me after a month or so without making any updates. I spent the whole month getting ready to watch Infinite War on the premiere(april 27th), reading comics, watching cartoons and reviewing all the MCU movies, but as I know this is not in anyone's interest, let's get right to the point: this fic.

This is not only the longest chapter so far, but also the chapter in which we will see a little more about some characters and meet characters from The Loud House who live in Royal Woods, but don't know the Loud family personally. Although the Loud family visit their grandfather and spend holidays in the city from time to time, the lifestyle of a wealthy superhuman family would make it difficult for them to meet certain people.

I have also created some original characters for this chapter to emphasize the science fair. In the next chapter, I'll reveal the winner of the science fair, but if you're willing, you can write a review saying who you think that should win (I'm not doing a prank, the winner will be one of the featured students).

Without further ado, let's continue with the story.


DATE: MAY, 2, 2015, ROYAL WOODS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 11H44M

Around the educational institution, several parents and students walk from one side to the other. Some are just passing the time, while others rush to help their children remove their projects from the trunks of the cars, with just a few minutes until Royal Woods Elementary School's science fair to begin.

The science fair was being organized inside the gym, which was full of school desks in which the projects were on display, all covered with white of gray fabrics. The event was open to any student who wanted to attend, and as the school has both elementary and kindergarten, the projects range from small models bathed in glitter to scale reproductions of biomes. Although most students were interested in the prizes for the best projects, some were there for the extra credit (some of them willingly, others out of necessity).

But while the students were eager for the event to begin, most parents went to the bleachers or to the parking lot, feeling a deep boredom or even a bit of disappointment. Of course, most parents would rather be somewhere else on a Saturday than at a school, but they knew they should support their children even at the cost of two hours of boredom.

With less than ten minutes to the start of the event, a limo stopped in front of the school's main entrance, which was empty at the time. As the door opened, several people started to leave, mostly even more anxious than the students inside the school.

As soon as the children left, their parents and Dr. Pym came next, with the scientist and the Loud patriarch wearing lab coats with a name tags on the left side. While one was full of doubts about what was about to happen, the other was happiness in person.

"Are you ready, guys?" The scientist exclaimed, full of enthusiasm.

The other looked at the young heroes, who looked at each other in discomfort.

"I still think that your plan is very risky." Lincoln said, looking around. "If we need to use our powers, people can put two and two and discover our secret identities."

Pym just smiled, waving his hand carefreely.

"Pffft. You worry too much, Link. This town is very peaceful, and the most impressive things here are an amusement park and the local branch of your family's company."

Despite agreeing with his mentor on this point, Lincoln could not help but worry. Although he had the ability to sense danger, he still didn't fully trust this ability, since apparently he could only feel it as he approached the source of the danger.

At that moment, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and was surprised to see his father smiling.

"Don't worry, kiddo. I know I've retired from this, but believe me when I say it's like riding a bike: keep your eyes steady and move on, everything else will happen naturally."

Everyone was surprised to see how Lynn Sr. encouraged the boy, but none of them more than Lincoln himself.

He always felt a certain distance between them, but at that moment he felt something growing inside him, as if his father's words were full of energy. Without even realizing it, he was smiling too, with a determined stare.

"Thanks dad. I'll keep that in mind."

The motivation that Lincoln received seemed to infect the others, who also felt excited. Pym was happy to see that everyone was excited and put his hand in his pocket, picking up four ants. He held out his hand to the young heroes, who were a little surprised.

"Now that you're all motived, let's move on." They extended their hands as well, letting the ants walk up to the back of their hands and then turn invisible. "As I said before, Dr. Loud and I will help the other three judges evaluate the projects while you and the others interact with students. When you come across your suspect, offer a handshake or something like that and the special ant will do the rest. Then you must go to the meeting point with the others and then we will proceed with the plan."

Everyone looked at the hands of Leni, Lynn, Lincoln and Ronnie Anne, still uncertain about the plan. The whole thing seemed so simple that everyone hoped that the scientist had a plan B.

"Well, let's do it." Lynn exclaimed, assuming the tone she used to talk to her team before a game. "Let's give 110%!"


Soon, inside the gym...


Everyone were gathered inside the gym, looking at a bald mustachioed man holding a microphone as he looked at his watch. He had a disinterested look, showing that he certainly didn't want to be there. Behind him were Dr. Pym, Mr. Loud, a rather robust man with a whistle around his neck and two women, one with light skin and red hair and one with dark skin and black hair.

As soon as the clock struck midday, the man with the mustache cleared his throat, then began to speak.

"Welcome to Royal Woods Elementary's Science Fair. For those who don't know me, I am principal Huggins, the person in charge of this school. We thank everyone for attending, blah, blah, blah... I hope you enjoy, blah, blah, blah... If you need me, I'll be in my room."

He handed the microphone to the redheaded woman and left the gym, gaining a series of disapproving looks from the parents.

"W-Well, I apologize for principal Huggins. He's not always like that." She tried to sound excited, but it was possible to see that she had been caught by surprise. "I'm Agnes Johnson, teacher of the fifth grade. Today, me and my colleagues here will be the judges, and we will evaluate the projects."

The other judges stepped forward, waving at the audience.

"With me are not only Coach Pacowski and Ms. Shrinivas, our kindergarten teacher, but two renowned scientists: Dr. Hank Pym and the city's most famous man, Dr. Lynn Loud Sr. in person."

The parents became deeply interested as soon as they heard the name of the Loud patriarch, while the students were shocked. If someone as influential as he decided to attend, then the competition would be very fierce.

"Well, we'll evaluate the projects now, but everyone is free to walk around the gym and see what the students did."

The students began to take the fabrics off their projects as soon as Mrs. Johnson finished speaking, ready to receive the judges.

Meanwhile, the young heroes and their families separated, ready to have fun while they were doing Ant-Man's plan. Everyone was relatively unconcerned about the secret operation, with one exception.

Lincoln looked around, getting a bit tense. There were about forty projects on display, and he had to focus on one person.

"I hope that nothing goes wrong."

.

.


JUDGES


After a brief conversation to decide what they would do, the judges went from project to project with a little guest.

Lisa considered the options she had, and eventually asked to accompany her father and the leader of the Avengers during the science fair. The other judges didn't oppose the request, as long as she didn't interfere with their task.

Still, with the presence a little girl with an unimpressed face and with the judges seriously evaluating the projects, the students felt themselves in a televisioned contest, waitng to be eliminated from the competition .

After looking at some of the projects, they ran into a kindergarten boy. On his desk was a small wooden board attached to a stand, creating a small mural. He also had several balloons on the table, as well as a wool sweater and a plaster bust with a wig with long blond hair .

"What do you have for us, Steve?" Ms. Shrinivas asked, smiling to see that her little student decided to attend .

"An awesome thing, Ms. Shrinivas! I know how to use statistic electricity!" The little boy exclaimed, leaving the adults slightly surprised, while Lisa rolled her eyes.

He picked up a balloon and began to rub against the sweater quickly, and then placed the balloon in the wood. As soon as the balloon had attached itself to the wood, the boy repeated the process with other balloons of other colors until it looked like a small rainbow in the wood.

"When I cause friction in the balloon, it creates statistical electricity, making it sticky !" The boy took another balloon, and began to rub it. "And statistic electricity can do that, too!"

As soon as he was sure that the balloon had been rubbed enough, he placed it on the wig, which immediately get frizzy.

"What do you think? Can I win the first prize?"

The little boy stared at the judges excitedly, waiting to hear what they had to say.

They just stared at each other, thinking what to say. The boy performed a simple project, and despite using the wrong words, he understood the principle behind the experiment.

"Steve, that was really impressive." Ms. Shrinivas said, putting a hand on the little boy's shoulder. "But understand that we have not seen all the projects yet, and some of the older kids have more experience with this kind of competition."

The little boy took a confused look, processing the teacher's words carefully. He then widened his eyes, feeling more enthusiastic than before.

"So, next time, I'm going to make a grown up project! That way I'll definitely win."

Lisa rolled her eyes at this, while the adults were glad to see that the boy would not be devastated if he didn't win the first place.

"I hope we have more children like him here." Mrs. Johnson thought, leading the judges to the next table.

.

.


LYNN


Although the gym was full, there were a pairo f kids that stood out among the others. And those was Lynn and Lucy.

Not that they were very interesting, but their actions and personalities were very different, and the fact that they walked side by side drew a lot of attention. And although that didn't bother Lynn, Lucy felt slightly embarrassed noticing so many eyes focused on her.

But what bothered her most was that Lynn was whistling nonchalantly.

"Sigh. How can you be so calm?" Lucy asked in a monotone.

Lynn stopped whistling, directing a puzzled look to the goth.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dad, Mom and the Santiagos are here to evaluate your team and you're not nervous."

Lynn was surprised at Lucy's concern.

But after a moment's reflection, she smiled and put her hands on Lucy's shoulders, looking directly into her covered eyes.

"You should not worry so much, Luce. Of course, they will evaluate everything we do, but I'm already accustomed to this sort of thing."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am! Do you think it's easy to stay in a field with hundreds of people watching my team play, and this for every sport I do?"

Lucy paused to ponder.

Of course, Lynn seemed to be self-esteem in person in present days, but she still remembers when Lynn became a nervous wreck before an important event. Lynn's current carefree attitude was the result of years of self-confidence being strengthened, and even if she could not admit it, Lucy envied such ability.

" I think you're right." Lucy gave a brief, faint smile, looking into Lynn's eyes. "If you don't mind this, then neither should I."

" That's the spirit, Luce. Now let's score this point."

The girl did not comment, but followed her older sister. Sometimes Lucy herself didn't know why they got along so well.

As Lynn dressed and acted as a full-energy athlete, Lucy was the exact opposite, always acting as if she were going to a funeral. While the room one of them looked like a mix of gymnasium and sports supply store, the other's room looked like a mix of dusty library with funeral home, with several coffins converted into bookcases. One of them was very popular, while the other could count on her fingers how many friends she had. One of them could impress people with her powers, while the other had such sinister powers that it frightened even herself.

And yet, they were extremely close and Lucy could not understand why.

On the other hand, Lynn had no doubt of the reason.

When Lucy was born, Lynn decided she would be a great big sister to her, just as Lori was to the other siblings. And even as the little girl grows weirder as they grows up, Lynn has always been with Lucy to support her, even if she's never been interested in sports. And when everyone was worried about Lucy's powers, she was the only one who was not afraid to be around her, even at the risk of Lucy's "bad luck" affecting her.

To Lynn, nothing was more important than her family, and she was blunt enough to admit that Lucy was her favorite.

Both sisters were a bit puzzled when they saw a table that the visitors were avoiding, and as they looked at the table they saw Lynn's target, as well as several pots full of soil.

Staring at nowhere was a girl a little taller than Lucy, whose long black hair covered part of her face. She was wearing a purple dress that hid her feet and silk gloves that covered most of the arms, and seemed to be even more monotonous than Lucy. She was standing with her arms crossed, sighing in disappointment whenever anyone passed her table.

"I liked her." Lucy exclaimed, admiring the girl as she gave a weak smile.

Lynn ignored what Lucy said, focusing on what the Ant-Man said about the girl. According to his research, Haiku Addams was a goth girl with impressive grades, who seemed to be interested in vampire novels and old films in black and white. The only thing of this century she liked was the online RPG The Battleworld, a weird game in a patchwork planet where she was a 'Lv.136 Archdemon Vampire Warrior of the Final Ragnarok'(whatever that was).

As much as her mentor might suspect about this girl, Lynn could not help but think the girl was more a Lucy than a Lisa.

The sisters approached the girl's table, Lucy with her usual blank expression and Lynn with a neutral expression, trying to appear disinterested.

"Greetings." Lucy exclaimed in a tone that, despite appearing depressed, Lynn could see that she was excited. "My name is Lucy, and this is my sister Lynn. What is your project?"

The girl made no change in her neutrality, pointing to the glass containers on the table.

"I am Haiku, and I have decided to show how deadly and futile mortality is by presenting this decomposition project."

The sisters looked at the pots, and as soon as they saw what was inside they realized why people were avoiding Haiku's project.

There were six glass containers full of dark soil, and within each one a decomposed carcass of rat, from recently dead to extremely disgusting with worms devouring everything.

Lynn immediately felt like throwing up, while Lucy smiled like never before.

"Wicked."

Haiku liked to see someone enjoying her project, totally ignoring Lynn's sick expression.

"I've never saw you guys before. Where are you from?"

"New York. We came with our father, Dr. Lynn Loud."

Haiku just nodded, seemingly not caring about the information.

"My mother works for your father's company. She spends all day surrounded by various toxic chemicals that could easily end her mortal existence. Sigh. Dream job."

Lynn was even more disturbed to hear this, but Lucy beamed.

The athlete wanted to finish her part soon and leave, but there was a problem.

Haiku seemed to be an older and even more darker version of Lucy, and if there was something that Lynn learned about people like that, it's that they don't like physical contact, especially with strangers.

However, she didn't take long to get an idea.

She raised her hand and assumed an excited expression, like someone about to ask a question.

Haiku and Lucy looked at her curiously, but then the athlete's face began to writhe in a funny way.

"Ah... Ah... Ah... Ahchoooo!"

Lynn pretended to sneeze, and as she expected, the reaction of both goths was to close their eyes and turn their faces slightly in another direction. In Haiku's case, she also tried to protect her face with her left arm, creating a perfect opening for the speedster.

In a fraction of a second, Lynn moved at high speed. While Haiku's eyes were closed, the athlete carefully picked up the spy ant from her hand and placed it on the right hand of the girl. She then went back to the exact spot where she was, scratching her nose as if she had really sneezed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She smiled uneasily, making Lucy stare at her in confusion. "I think I'm catching a cold."

Haiku looked at her arm and saw that there was no nasal residue, and that left her satisfied.

"No problem. Just be more careful when you sneeze." She spoke with almost no interest, not bothering about what had happened.

Lucy looked from one to the other, and understood what had happened.

"I think we'd better go." Lucy exclaimed, holding Lynn's arm. She then looked at Haiku, smiling weakly. "I hope we can meet again."

Haiku nodded, also smiling weakly.

"There is always such a possibility. Otherwise, I am sure that we may meet again after we have disposed of our mortal forms."

With that, the sisters moved away, with Lynn feigning a few more sneezes.

When Lucy was sure that they were out of sight of the girl, she let go of Lynn's arm, looking at her in a way that indicated doubt.

"Do you think she's who you're looking for?"

"I don't know, Luce. She didn't look like the kind of person who spends all day in front of a computer." Lynn then folded her arms and raised an eyebrow, smiling smugly. "Why are you so worried about her?"

The goth immediately blushed, turning her face to the other side as she placed her right hand on her left elbow.

" I... I think I liked her. It's hard to find people like me when we visit our vacation homes, and I'd already given up looking for friends in Royal Woods."

Lynn smiled, putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder.

"Well, if she's not who we're looking for, nothing will stop you from being her friend. And if it does not work, you'll always have me."

"Thank you." Lucy smiled back, but then took Lynn's hand from her shoulder. "I think we should go to the meeting point."

Lynn nodded, following her little sister.

For now, everything was going according to plan.

.

.


JUDGES


The judges met another student, and his project immediately attracted Pym's attention.

On the table were a small blue hardcover notebook and three medium-sized ant farms, each with an adhesive glued to the upper left side.

"What kind of experiment did you conducted, Anthony?" Coach Pacowski stared at the boy's project, a little confused.

"I've done an experiment to show how ants are affected by light."

The coach knew Anthony for his good grades and great performance in physical education, so he didn't need extra credit. To him, it seemed that the boy was forced by his parents to do something and chose to do the easiest thing he could think of.

"Oh really?" The man replied, looking at the ants with some confusion. "I don't see how that can be useful."

The boy was about to answer when Pym spoke first.

"Actually, Coach Pacowski, I'm an entomologist in my spare time, and by coincidence, I'm an ant specialist." Pym drew the attention of the other judges, as he smiled sympathetically at the boy. "I know this experiment, and I'd love to hear what the little boy learned."

Anthony blushed a little when he was being encouraged by a professional, but he didn't let it affect him. Taking a deep breath, he looked at the judges and began to speak.

"I have a very large ant farm at home, so I decided to take some of them and do this experiment. I put thirty ants in each observatory, to observe for ten days. During the ten days, the group 1 was in the dark, group 2 was continuously exposed to light, and group 3 spent half the time in the dark and the other half in the light."

He then took the notebook and opened it on the first page, showing the judges some pictures.

"I took pictures every day, tracking the progress of the ants. At the end of the ten days, it became clear that the ants in group 3 performed better, proving that even insects need some balance in their lives."

Pym smiled at the boy's conclusion while the others were impressed. Especially the coach.

"I have to say, that's one of the best conclusions I've heard so far. Sorry for underestimating your project, Anthony."

"No problem, coach." The boy smiled, feeling confident. "My goal is not to impress the judges, but to show others how cool the ants are."

"I think that's a great idea." Pym approached the boy writing something on a piece of paper and handing it to him. "This is a site specialized in ants farms, where I managed to buy some nice ones. Maybe you'll find something that pleases you."

The boy was shocked.

"Wow!" Thank you, Dr. Pym.

The scientist just smiled, following the other judges, who were already heading for the next table.

.

.


LINCOLN


While the others was in little teans, Lincoln chose to act alone. Not that he was having problems with teamwork, but he wanted to think more about the mission.

First Lincoln was a little disappointed to learn that the mission's target was just a hacker. Then he became even less interested by knowing that the hacker was a child. The only thing that seemed to console him was the possibility of the hacker having superpowers, and yet there was not much chance of him having any other skill than super intelligence.

Despite the setbacks, he really loved the last mission, and from his point of view, this seemed to be a huge setback.

Even with his head full of issues to solve, the boy focused on the mission, finally finding his target.

A few feet away was Russel 'Rusty' Spokes, the tall redhead boy full of freckles. His project was a model of the solar system, which could be in better condition. The wires of the planets were crooked, the base was precariously patched, and the sun had several types of repairs, including a band aid. And believe it or not, the planets still spin.

Lincoln took a deep breath, looked at his hand, and approached the boy.

"Hi. My name is Lincoln." Lincoln smiled amicably, raising his hand to him.

Rusty looked at him with some confusion but returned the gesture.

Without noticing the spy ant that was in his hand.

"Hello. My name is Rusty."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rusty." Lincoln was relieved to have finished his task, but he could not leave without talking. Luckily, there was something he wanted to discuss with the boy. "What happened to your project? It seems to have seen better days."

"Oh, yeeah..." Rusty shrugged, without bothering with the question. "Accidents happen, but what matters is that my solar system is working, and as soon as the judges give me my extra credit, I'll keep calm until the finals."

"So... you're here only for the extra credit?"

"Of course. Why else would anyone attend a science fair?"

Lincoln was surprised. He was sure that if Lisa was around, she would be deeply offended by the boy's attitude.

From what Lincoln could see, Rusty could not be a genius capable of deceiving the government.

"Well, good luck to you, then."

Lincoln spun around, leaving the boy without another word.

Rusty just shrugged, waiting again for the judges, feeling a slight itch in the arm.

.

.


Judges


For the fourth time in a day, the judges came across a student who took an animal to school.

But this time, the project was a bit stranger.

On the table were several illustrations of the inside of a snake made of crayon, plus a layer of old skin. But the main event was the immense glass nursery that contained a large beige boa.

Next to the table was a boy wearing Indiana Jones-like clothes who looked like Lana, only with black hair.

As the judges approached, he assumed a firm stance, like a fearless adventurer.

"Good morning, judges. I'm Alan, from the second grade, and I bring you the most incredible project of all: my snake, Mr. Pretzel."

While the other judges approached to see the snake, Mrs. Johnson walked away a little, afraid of the animal.

"Well, it's nice to meet you both." Pym said, holding out his hand to greet the boy. "I'm not very close to snakes, but I can tell you that this one looks very healty."

"Thank you, sir. I take good care of him."

"What is your project, exactly?" Mr. Loud asked, noting how the drawings seemed accurate for a kid.

"I want to show how incredible the snakes are." The boy smiled excited, but then scratched his head with an embarrassed look. "I really wanted to take him to show and tell, but our teacher banned animals. So I thought I'd better bring him here."

The judges paused a moment to think, following the boy's reasoning. In fact, this seemed a good chance to show how much he knew about the subject, and the drawings he did showed how much he knew about the biology of snakes.

Each of them took notes on their clipboards, and as they were about to leave, Pym looked at the boy with some seriousness.

"To be honest, your project is certainly among the best so far. Not only did you bring a live snake to your project, but you also made very accurate illustrations of the interior of a living being, which is surprising to someone your age."

The boy blushed a little at this, but he felt even more determined.

"T-Thank you, Dr. Pym."

"You're welcome, son. Keep it up and you can be a great expert one day."

Although the judges retired, the boy stood still, a grin on his face. At that point, he started to consider if he should do the same project next year.

.

.


LENI


If there was anyone that worried all the Loud family, that one was Leni.

Everyone was already accepting that Lynn and Lincoln could be superheroes, but none of them was 100% according to the fashionista's presence in the team.

Because of this, both Lori and Lola decided to go with her to make sure nothing would go wrong.

While Leni stared absently at the projects, the other blondes felt slight concerned, both certain that Leni didn't even remember the mission she had.

Soon, they arrived where Leni's target was, and both Lori and Lola were watching their sister like hawks.

There was a group of children around the table, and in front of them was Leni's target, Jordan.

From the files presented at the meeting, she was a girl whose only concern was the environment and her social life, and because of this she was part of several virtual communities to preserve the environment, in addition to playing Battlewolrd as a Lv.122 humanoid tree called Groot.

At the moment, she was wearing a white t-shirt with a polar bear picture, which, combined with the friendly smile, gave her the image of a totally harmless girl, and who was just giving some pamphlets to a group of students right now. She smiled friendly and said goodbye to them as they headed for the next desk.

The sisters approached her, and before they could say anything, the girl received them with a broad smile.

"Hi. I'm glad you came." She took some pamphlets, and immediately handed over to the sisters. "My name is Jordan, and my project is to teach people how to help the environment."

Lola was a bit taken aback by the girl's enthusiasm, but she accepted the pamphlet, as well as the others. Looking closely, she saw that there were some recyclable boxes under the desk, apparently full of pamphlets.

On the table were more pamphlets, plus a huge black board attached to a small digital clock. There were large cardboard sheets on the table, which were full of motivational posters.

Lori and Lola were a bit confused about the girl's project, while Leni looked intently into the pamphlet, completely mesmerized by the information the girl was sharing.

"What is this thing?" The fashionista asked, pointing to the plate.

"Glad you asked!" Jordan took another pamphlet, and handed it to Leni. "This is a solar panel, and I've put my project here because of that window." The girl pointed to the side, and the sisters looked briefly at the gym window. "This panel absorbs solar energy, and thanks to that this clock works."

The sisters looked from the large solar panel to the little clock, and both had the same impression.

"Does this really work?" Lori asked, raising an eyebrow. "I mean, it looks like a big panel for such a small watch."

The sisters looked at the girl with some concern, but were surprised to see that she had not bothered with the question.

"Pfft. Don't be ridiculous." The girl just waved her arm, carefree. "This is just a homemade version that I made at home." The girl looked around, and then approach and whisper so that only the sisters listened. "My mother works at Loud Industries, and her version manages to energize an entire sector of the complex."

This aroused Lola's curiosity. If her mother was so smart, maybe she was the hacker. After all, although Jordan looks like a sweet and friendly girl, she knew from herself that some girls can fake that sort of thing perfectly.

Lori, on the other hand, began to think of other ways to harness solar energy. Who knows, perhaps, to power an underground base under a restaurant?

Leni, however, looked closely at the girl's posters, becoming dazzled by one of them.

"Awww... Where did you get that?" She asked, pointing to the poster.

The others looked where she was pointing, and just as Lori and Lola looked they understood what was going on.

"Awwwwww..."

On the cardboard wall, there was the picture of a super-cute polar bear cub, with the phrase 'Have a heart, do your part'.

"That?" Jordan looked at the teenager with confusion, not understanding the reason for her reaction. "It's a project the fifth-grade classes did."

"That's so cool! Do you think I can get one at our school?"

Jordan was struck by how much Leni appreciated the poster.

It was then that she remembered something.

"Wait a sec." She said, before going under the table.

The girl began to search the boxes hastily, focused on her task. It was not long before she found what she was looking for, looking at Leni with a triumphant smile.

"Here!" she exclaimed, giving Leni a rolled poster.

Leni took the poster and unrolled it, becoming deeply joyful to see another poster of the polar bear cub.

"Oh, thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-you! You're, like, totes awesome!"

To Jordan's surprise, Leni wrapped her in a powerful hug. It was almost as if a real bear was hugging her.

Worried, she looked at Lori and Lola, but was even more disconcerted to see that they were even more astounded by the fashionista's reaction.

"Leni, could you please give her some space?" Lori exclaimed, gently placing her hands on the shoulders of her younger sister.

Leni looked at her confusedly, but then shrugged and released the girl.

"Thank you so much for the present, Jordan. I hope the judgments give you a good prize."

Lori and Lola facepalmed, while Jordan was confused.

"W-What?"

"She meant judges." Lola clarified, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry, she does that all the time."

"Well, I guess we have to go." Lori shook Jordan's hand, then turned away.

Smiling uneasily, Lori and Lola pushed Leni through the gym, past the door to the hallway and then into the nearest room.

As soon as they entered, Lori used her powers to make sure they were alone and then looked reproachfully at Leni, followed shortly by Lola.

"Leni, what's wrong with you?" Lori asked, being almost as severe as their mother.

"Yeah, that was very unprofessional." Lola added, emulating Lori's attitude. "How you managed to not be kicked out from your team yet?"

They both expected Leni to admit her inability to be a hero, but instead she turned her head, looking at the two in complete confusion.

"What are you talking about, guys?

Lori rolled her eyes.

"(Sigh ) Leni, did you pay attention to what Dr. Pym said?"

"Sure! He told us to put those paparazzi ants on the suspects, and I, like, did a great good job with that."

"You did?!" Lori was puzzled, looking at Leni in complete confusion.

"Of course." Leni smiled happily, feeling victorious. "Why do you think I hugged her? She certainly didn't notice when I put the ant on her shoulder."

Lori and Lola's jaws dropped.

Leni had really acted like a spy, and they didn't even suspect it.

The fashionista turned and opened the door, then turned her face slightly and looked at her sisters with a smug smile.

"If we're done, I think we'd better go to the meeting point."

She then left, humming merrily as Lori and Lola remained in stupor.

After they were alone, they stood still, until Lola turned and looked at Lori with concern.

"Lori, I'm starting to think she's not as dumb as she looks."

The older girl nodded, not looking away from the door.

"Me too. And that literally chills me out."

.

.


JUDGES


As they approached the last students, the judges could already imagine which were the best projects. Still, they were ready to rethink their conclusions if they found anything impressive.

Unfortunately, this was not the case with the next student.

A fifth-grade boy was waiting for them with a frown, clearly wanting to get the extra credit and go home soon.

On the table was a watch that was being powered by a potato, as big as an orange. The judges were not very impressed, since that was the third time they saw this today.

According to the students, a student of Mrs. Johnson's class called Liam provided the potatoes, although he himself didn't attend the event.

Mrs. Johnson approached, trying to sound nice.

"This is very interesting. What were you thinking when you did that?"

"To be honest, to finish as soon as possible." The boy replied without showing any emotion. "The only reason I'm here is the extra credit I need not to attend summer school."

The teachers sighed at this, while both Lisa and Dr. Pym were a bit offended to see that the boy showed such disregard for science.

Still, not only did the project work as his report was acceptable, so he got what he wanted to.

When the judges started to walk away, Lisa lightly tugged Pym's coat and then gestured for him to go to her level so she could whisper in his ear.

"I know I promised not to interfere, but I don't think this kid deserves the benefits of this event."

"I understand your point, but he accomplished with the school's requirements and I can not prevent the teachers from giving extra credit to him. But you don't have to worry." Pym smiled, giving her a little wink. "I know that nothing in this school compares to what you can do."

Lisa smiled, blushing at the compliment.

"Dr. Pym?" Mrs. Johnson called. She and the other judges were already at the next table. "Are you joining us?"

The hero looked at the little genius, who had already recovered from the blush.

"We're coming."

.

.


RONNIE ANNE


Ronnie walked nonchalantly through the gym, hands in the pockets of her hoodie and whistling quietly. She radiated the sense of extremely high confidence, impressing or intimidating those who saw her.

She only looked away as she glanced at the cheerful little girl beside her, smiling briefly whenever she did.

Despite being just a guest, Lana was so excited that she was almost skipping over the floor. Not only would she watch a superheroe mission in first-hand, but she would also have the chance to see a fight between heroes and villains.

Truth be told, since the Beetle attacked the Loud tower*, she was fascinated by the world of the superheroes. Before, she saw it as a cliché way of using superpowers, but now she could not stop thinking about it. And the icing on the cake was the tour at the Watcher. After seeing all that technology and equipment, the little girl realized that it would be perfect for her.

Don't misunderstand, she was not a genius scientist like her father or Lisa, but when it came to machines and engineering, she was better than either of them (which usually put her in trouble by dismantling the tower). The fact is that Lana wanted to be part of it, even if only to dismantle and reassemble the entire ship.

And if the parents really approved this after the mission, then maybe-

"It's showtime, Lana." Ronnie said, catching the little girl's attention.

Lana looked in the same direction as Ronnie and saw the kid they were looking for, the shorter redheaded boy, Zach.

The boy was presenting his project to the judges, and even if they were some yards away, they could see that he was very nervous. The judges looked confusedly at his project, which consisted of a clock energized by a potato the size of a melon. Clearly, they were more surprised at the size of the potato than at the project itself.

Soon, the judges and Lisa finished the with him and went to the next project, making the boy sigh in relief. He stood with his back to Ronnie and Lana, and this gave an idea to the young spy, who waved to Lana to go with her .

They marched decisively, and as they approached, Lana could barely contain her excitement, while Ronnie remained calm.

Because, of course, there was no reason for her to worry.

Zach Wimpyman was a short boy, wearing a striped shirt and wearing monolense shield glasses that looked like laboratory equipment. For Ronnie he certainly looked like a nerd, but he also had a silly face, which made him look dumb.

Still, she was taught by her parents never to underestimate someone by appearances.

Coming from behind, she tapped the boy on his right shoulder and waited for him to turn around, then cast an intimidating glare at him.

The boy was confused to see a complete stranger staring at him in such a way. He tried to speak, but no sound was emitted as she take a tight grip at his shoulder, making him terrified.

Lana watched closely, until Ronnie turned and looked at her.

"Hey, is that the redhead who broke your toy?"

The kid was confused for a moment, until she understood what was happening.

"N-No." She gotvery embarrassed, looking at the boy with shame. "It was not him."

"Dang it!" Ronnie growled, dropping the boy and taking a neutral expression. "Sorry, kid."

She started walking, followed by a still embarrassed Lana.

As soon as they left, Zach fainted.

The girls then left the gym, going to the meeting point. They walked through the halls, and when they were almost there, Lana looked around to make sure they were alone, then poked Ronnie.

As soon as the older girl turned around, she saw a confused face that was absolutely cute.

"What's up, Lana?"

"Why did you do that? He was terrified."

Ronnie was confused for a moment, but then realized that Lana didn't expected such an attitude from her. She then stood on one knee and placed her hands on the little tomboy's shoulders, looking straight into her eyes .

"(Sigh) Lana, do you remember what was my mother's function when our parents were superheroes?"

Lana was taken by surprise by the question, but after a moment she remembered the answer.

"She... she was a spy."

"Exactly. She taught me a lot about it, and the lesson I value most is to divert attention. That boy was so frightened of me that he didn't notice the spy ant, and I doubt he'll be suspicious."

"But-"

"Listen. At the moment, he's a suspect, and we can not care about him. If at the end of the mission we discover that he is not who we are looking for, I will immediately apologize to him. Deal?"

Lana smiled, though she was still a little upset.

"Deal!"

"Great! Now, let's meet the others."

.

.


JUDGES


Finally, the judges arrived at the last table. The last student was at the side of his desk, the project covered with a gray fabric.

The boy stood out not only because he was short, but also by his lab coat and the wide glasses he was wearing. He had black hair that was combed, and like Lincoln, he had freckles on his cheeks and a chipped tooth. He seemed to be the same age as Lisa, and like her, he had an air of superiority.

The boy caused several reactions in the group.

Pym remained neutral, and while Lynn Sr. was slightly surprised with the mature attitude of the boy, and the teachers seemed a little bored seeing the boy. Lisa, on the other hand, was curious to see him. She didn't know what, but something about him seemed to caught her interest.

At the same time, David himself blushed slightly, averting his gaze as his eyes met Lisa's.

The girl was curious about such a reaction, but before Lisa could say something, Ms. Shrinivas started talking to the boy.

"I 'm glad to see you, David."

"I could not miss the opportunity, Ms. Shrinivas." The boy adjusted his glasses, feeling confident. "This is the perfect opportunity to show the value of my intellect."

The visitors were a bit surprised to hear this, while the other teachers rolled their eyes.

"Shall I presume that we are facing a prodigy?" Pym asked, looking curiously at the boy.

"Well, David is... how top ut in words... a... special student." Ms. Shrinivas replied, a little embarrassed. "He has a brilliant mind, but some of his experiments have caused acidentes in our school."

"Interesting..." Pym glanced briefly at Lisa, making her a little embarrassed. "I've seen cases like this before, and I must admit, they are extremely rare."

Lisa looked away, feeling a little embarrassed.

Lynn realized that his daughter was embarrassed, and decided to act.

"(Coff, coff) Well, what have you prepared for us today, little boy?"

David took a firm stance, looking at the judges with superiority.

"My dear judges, I kept my project covered so far, for you are the only ones whose assessment really matters. After working on several experiments, I realized that the most unpleasant thing to be accomplished is cleaning, and in some cases it is extremely difficult to remove unwanted residues."

He pulled out the fabric, revealing a transparent spray bottle filled with a green liquid and a cookie tray covered by a thick layer of dirt.

The boy took the tray and a metal spatula, and tried to scrape the dirt with the spatula.

Of course, the dirt didn't even shake as the spatula bent in the middle.

The judges were a bit confused by the boy's purpose, until he replaced the spatula with the spray.

"Now, witness the greatest discovery of the chemistry of all time!"

David sprayed the tray for a moment, seemingly without reaction. However, a greenish foam began to form on the dirt, similar to the effervescent effect of mints in soda. After a few seconds, the foam dissipated completely, leaving the tray shiny and without any trace of dirt.

Both the judges and Lisa were speechless.

The only thing they could do was applaud, still not sure what to say.

"I believe this is satisfactory for you." David smiled victoriously, performing a brief bow. "I'll wait for your decision."

The judges congratulated the boy, leaving soon after.

But after the judges walked away, Lisa approached the boy.

She was blushing, and she had no idea what to say.

Still, she could not fight the urge to talk to him.

"Your project is really fascinating." She tried to keep a impassive face, but could not stop blushing. "I have no doubt that your project will receive the first prize."

The boy blushed too, feeling uncomfortable with Lisa's presence.

"T-Thank you. I-I've worked h-hard on it." David looked into Lisa's eyes, and realized that she had the same eyes he had: the serious stare of someone thats more mature than appears. "I suppose you're the young genius Dr. Pym referred to?"

"Exactly." Lisa reached out, a little more confident though still blushing. "I'm L-"

"Lisa Loud." The boy accepted the handshake, trying to contain the embarrassment. "Two times winner of Junior Nobel Prize and the first five-year-old kid to receive a doctorate in physics."

Lisa was speechless.

"Have you heard of me!?"

"Affirmatively." David took a tablet that was on the table, and blushed even more to show to Lisa that his wallpaper was a picture of her that had been used on the cover of a famous periodic. "I am a great admirer of your work, and I am honored that you appreciate my project."

If there was something the whole Loud family knew about Lisa, it was that the easiest way to get something from her was to massage her ego. And David not only did this, but also made all of Lisa's embarrassment disappear.

"Well, it's my pleasure to meet someone so talented." Lisa reached into her pocket, taking something and then handed to him.

David looked at what she gave to him and got speechless.

In his hand was a small plastified green card with golden letters.

Not a simple card, but a professional business card, the kind that a doctor or lawyer usually hand over to important people. Huge gold letters wrote the girl's name, and, to a lesser extent, her private phone number.

The boy could not believe what was in his hands.

"I think we should keep in touch. That way, we can do some experiments together the next time I'm in town."

Lisa said good-bye to David, leaving the boy with a silly grin on his face.

He did not even care about the science fair anymore.

Lisa Loud's phone was already the best prize he could earn.


Meanwhile, on the other side of the school...


After walking through the gym, Lincoln grew tired of watching the science fair and decided to explore the school. He began to wander the by the halls, and he didn't see much difference between this school and the one he attended, except for the size of the building.

"I think it would be nice to study here." He thought absently.

He kept walking down the hallway until he saw a sign indicating the exit to the field of the school. He decided to compare it with the field of his school.

He went to the door and opened it, then heard the sound of something falling.

"Ouch!"

Lincoln quickly looked forward, seeing a boy lying on the ground. He wore glasses and had dark skin, freckles, and black hair in na afro-style. He wore a striped shirt and black pants, which despite of the fall seemed impeccable.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He approached the boy, extending his hand to him. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"No problem, dude. I should not have stood in front of the door for so long." The boy replied, accepting the white haired boy's help.

Lincoln looked at the boy, feeling something strange. He didn't emit danger, but Lincoln still sensed that there was something different about him.

The boy got to his feet and began to dust his clothes. He didn't seem upset about what happened and took off his glasses to clean the lenses.

Despite being relieved for not hurting the boy, Lincoln could not help but feel that the boy's tranquility was not normal.

"I'm sorry for asking, but what were you doing in front of the door?"

"Oh, I was waiting my friends." The boy raised his head, putting his glasses up to the light. "We've decided to play some games after the science fair, but I just got tired of waiting in the gym."

"Well, then that make two of us."

Lincoln relaxed a little, but that didn't last long.

As soon as the boy put the glasses back, he froze as he looked at Lincoln. He pointed his finger at the white-haired boy, his mouth open and no sound coming out.

Lincoln began to wonder if he should be worried until the boy finally got a word.

"Y-You... You are... Lincoln Loud!"

Lincoln looked at the boy in complete confusion.

"Do you know me?"

"Of course!" The boy extended his hand, smiling uneasily. "My name is Clyde. It's a pleasure to meet someone so famous."

Lincoln shook his hand, blushing slightly.

"I didn't know I was famous."

"Are you kidding? Your photo is at the top of the wall of fame at Gus' Games and Grub, in a golden frame."

"Oh, is that still there?" Lincoln asked, feigning humility. "It's been almost a year now."

"What!? You've broke the records of fifteen games in a single day!" Clyde Lincoln stared in full adoration, as if you were in front of a celebrity. "This must be the most incredible thing that ever happened there."

"Please, Clyde, don't overdo it." The white-haired boy began to blush, feeling embarrassed by Clyde reaction. "It was nothing exceptional. I bet someone had broke my records."

"Don't be modest. There are few gamers with such concentration and skill." Clyde paused for a moment, thinking he had the best idea of all time. "Hey, what if we both played a little later? It would be an honor to play with a gamer who likes games as much as I do."

Lincoln cheered on the proposal, smiling briefly. But then he remembered the mission and got sad.

"I'm sorry, Clyde, but I don't think I'll have time. My family and I have issues to deal with later, and I have no idea when we will finish."

"Oh... sure." Clyde smiled uneasily, trying in vain to conceal his disappointment. "Well, maybe we'll meet again."

Lincoln realized how much it disappointed the boy, and he was sad as well.

Although he had just met him, the white-haired boy felt he could have fun with Clyde. He paused to think and then remembered something important.

Smiling, he reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone.

"Wait a second. I had an idea." He began to touch the screen with skill, searching the contact list. "If you give me your phone number, I can call you the next time I come to the Royal Woods."

"Are you serious?!" Clyde was euphoric, taking his own phone. "That would be great!"

The boys then changed their cell phones and began to give their numbers.

Lincoln finished creating the new contact and waited for Clyde to finish, but then both were taken by surprise when Lincoln received a message, his phone still in Clyde's hands.

They both looked at the screen, and saw a message sent by Dr. Pym to Lincoln and three more contacts.

We and the other judges have finished evaluating the projects.

Come see the results.

"Do you know this guy?" Clyde asked, surprised to see that the boy knew the other guest judge.

"He's an old acquaintance of my parents. In fact, it was he who called my father to come here."

Clyde looked at the boy confusedly, making Lincoln feel a little suspicious.

"Well, if you do, I'd better get you back to the gym. I still have to find my friends." Clyde smiled again, extending his hand to Lincoln. "Well, I hope we can meet again soon."

Lincoln smiled, returning the gesture.

"I'm sure we will."

They separated and went their separate ways, both thinking about how good it would be to talk a little more.

Maybe sooner than they expected.


TO BE CONTINUED ...


Next, our heroes will make a shocking discovery.

If all goes well after the Infinity War, I will continue this without much interruption, but if I fail then it will be a sign that the movie affected me in a way that would blow my mind.

*: Home Alone arc (chapters 8 to 10)