In a ruins-like area, a purple humanoid figure wearing knight-like armor with small swords in place of arms appeared in a pillar of purple fire. Its purple eyes scanned around silently, not even turning its head.

"About time you showed back up."

The figure turned back to its front to see a white haired teen standing in front, holding his sword on top of his shoulders. The teen grinned, readying his blade.

"This will be our what… tenth battle? No one in the Item World has given me as much trouble as you so far." Lincoln's grin widened. "Not that I expected anything different when I'm this far down."

The purple knight didn't respond, only readying itself as a purple flame appeared atop its head.

Ghost Knight of Fire
Level 50

(OST: Find Your Flame from Sonic Frontiers)

The monster's muscles tensed before dashing at Lincoln with blinding speed. The teen grunted, blocking its double strike with his blade as the two locked up. Suddenly, they broke apart before trading several slashes as their blades clashed with each other.

Lincoln smirked, parrying a slash and sending the knight's arm back wide as he held a hand out. "Blizzard!"

A barrage of ice came forward and slammed against the ghost knight as it curled up to protect itself. Lincoln's eyes narrowed before dashing behind his spell. 'Need to keep on the offensive!'

The knight recovered with a backflip, boots skidding across the ground before dashing towards Lincoln once again as they clashed with another dance of steel and speed.

'Damn, it's fast!' Lincoln thought, gritting his teeth. He blocked another double strike, but was sent flying back into a rock wall from the force. He grunted as he recovered. 'Not going to win this in a straight up sword fight, learned that in the last battle. Need to use magic and range!'

The boy tossed his sword into the air as it disappeared in a blue light as his spear came forward in a golden flash. He grabbed it, twirling it around. 'Should focus on thrusts and keeping out of its main range, going to be easier said than done with its speed however.'

The knight stayed still for a moment before it held up one of its sword arms and was surrounded by purple runic language. Almost as quickly as it had started, it pointed that arm towards Lincoln as a large purple fireball came flying towards the teen.

'Fast spell casting time…' Lincoln thought, flash stepping away from the spot to dodge before noticing the enemy was already closing in on him. However, he only smirked. "You got me with that last time, not again."

Using his weapon's superior range, the boy made multiple thrusts towards the monster, nailing it several times. Pulling back slightly, he yelled as he thrusted right into its torso, sending it back. Feet landing on the ground, he took a small breath. 'That should have done some damage…'

The Ghost Knight recovered before dashing towards him at an even faster speed than before, its blades glowing purple.

Lincoln's eyes widened. 'It's gotten faster?!' The boy dodged its initial swipes before being cut by several more as blood was spilled. 'Shit… not good! It has a pierce effect, it's ignoring my armor!'

With a roar, Lincoln placed his spear behind his head and spun, knocking the monster back. Quickly acting, his right hand glowed green. "Cure!"

A greenish aura surrounded him, his wounds closing as his HP recovered from its forty five percent position to full. He wasn't done, however, and quickly casted another spell. "Haste!"

Movement and Attack Speed have increased by 30%

Smirking, he dashed towards the monster once again, clashing against its blades with his spear. Now being able to match its speed, his superior weapon range began to overwhelm it as he kept the knight from getting too close often.

"Hah!"

A quick stab sent the knight flying back once again as Lincoln landed atop of a nearby pillar, panting.

'This thing is strong, stronger than anything or anyone I've fought to the point except that masked man if he counts.'

The creature slowly got up… before letting loose a loud roar towards the sky that caught Lincoln off guard.

Warning!
Boss Attack and Agility has increased by 30%
Boss Defense has decreased by 30%
Pierce Ability has been applied to all attacks

'It's going all out now since it's HP is low, this is it's desperation move.' Lincoln observed before grinning wildly. 'Let's go then.'

Reapplying another Haste to increase his speed, he flash stepped as fast as he could towards the Knight as they clashed weapons.

'Faster…!'

He grunted as he felt a cut into his side before kicking the monster back.

'Faster…!

He switched out his spear for his sword before parrying a slash and sending the monster's arms out wide. He roared as his blade glowed blue before a blue crescent wave of energy came flying out and cutting into the knight.

'FASTER!'

The Ghost Knight recovered, and before Lincoln could react, retaliated and sliced off the boy's right arm with it still gripping the sword. Lincoln gritted his teeth in pain before shouting. "Activate Berserker's Aura!"

Berserker's Aura Activated
Attack Power has increased by 50%
Defense has decreased by 50%

'That's all I need!' Lincoln thought, uppercutting the helm of the knight and nearly destroying its head completely. Moving quickly, he summoned his spear, grasping it with his lone arm as it glowed gold.

"Now die!"

With one final roar, he thrusted the spear right through the Ghost Knight's torso and slammed it into a nearby wall. The monster struggled for a small moment before going completely limp as it disintegrated completely into purple smoke.

(End Music)

Lincoln panted heavily, sitting on the ground as he took a look at his status.

HP: 380/3500
MP: 600/1800

'Just a few scratches away from having to try again. That thing was like a boss from a Souls game.'

Floor Boss Defeated
Floor 30 Cleared
Your wounds will now be healed
EXP has been Granted
You Have Leveled Up
You Have Leveled Up
$1000 has been granted
You have ranked up in Class. You have now earned the title of Prodigy!

"Awesome…!" Lincoln cheered with a fist raised before falling onto his back. "I'm tired…"

'...I can't focus.'

Karin Fantaria released a sigh as she walked down the sidewalk, passing by several stores. She wasn't in her regular clothes, but in a bright blue tracksuit for training.

However…

The girl sighed once again, continuing her walk. 'We only just met, but I can't help but think about Lincoln often. Then there's the fact he's going to the dance with Ronnie Anne… why do I care so much, I just met him.'

The girl released a frustrated sigh, stopping to cross her arms. 'He hasn't come by the student council's office lately either, most likely avoiding Yuna and Renee after what happened this weekend. They didn't seem happy when he said he already had a date.' Her eyes widened. 'Wait… does that mean that they like him too? It makes sense thinking about it, Renee and him have been friends for a long time and Yuna always wants him to team up with us.'

A small frown appeared on the girl's face. She cared deeply for her friends and the thought of possibly fighting over a boy with them did not sit right with her. However, even though she hadn't known Lincoln for a significant amount of time, she could earnestly say she was interested in learning more about him outside of his ability.

It helped that he was cute too…

"Gah!" Karin let out a frustrated groan, running her hands through her hair. She sighed tiredly. "I'm a mess…"

"Who's a mess?"

The kendo specialist screamed as she jumped before turning around to see the confused face of Lincoln Loud. The boy tilted his head with a small smile. "You alright Karin?"

"Um, y-yep! Everything is great, haha!" The girl said, holding a shaking thumbs up with a strained smile as well as blush. "Just getting in an after school workout!"

Lincoln blinked before smirking. "Training even on your off time? Respect, you've always come off as a hard worker."

'Please stop praising me, you're making things even harder…' Karin thought before noticing Lincoln's own state. "What about you? You look like you just got some training done yourself."

"Yep! Cleared a floor in the Item World and unlocked the next stage of my class. I'm a Prodigy now according to the system." The Loud grinned, crossing his arms. "I also need to thank you."

"Thank me?"

"It's because of all the sparring I did with you this week that my swordsmanship improved. You're a really good teacher and it helped when fighting this boss. So thanks Karin, I really owe you one." Lincoln explained, still wearing his grin.

Karin was silent before her cheeks grew even redder, forcing her to look away for a moment. 'He's way too smooth! Darn it, am I falling for him now?!'

"Karin?"

"Ah! It's nothing, Linc!" The girl grinned shakily, feeling the heat on her face. "I'm just glad I could help, but take some credit for yourself. You're really strong despite only having the ability for a month."

Lincoln smiled. "Fair, but still thanks Karin. If you ever need anything, just let me know. That goes for all of you."

"...Anything?"

"Uh… within reason I guess." Lincoln said, scratching the back of his head. "I'll do the best I can…"

"Can I ask for two things actually, one right now?" Karin asked, stepping a bit closer as she felt herself gain some confidence.

Lincoln raised an eyebrow, but smiled. "Sure, what is it?"

"Lay your head on my lap."

"...Eh?"

"Y-You look tired and I want to give you a chance to rest! So… rest your head on my lap!" Karin exclaimed, sitting down on a nearby bench and giving her legs a handpat.

A blush formed on Lincoln's own face. "I… wasn't expecting this to be honest."

"Is it too much?" Karin asked, looking down. She wasn't fully sure what spurred her to make the request. All she knew is that she… wanted to spend a bit more time with the boy she had become infatuated with.

"...No, it's fine." Lincoln laughed, placing a hand to the back of his neck. "I did say you could ask for anything as long as it was within reason."

Karin gulped as she watched the boy lay down on the bench before placing his head in her awaiting lap, causing her to squeak.

"S-Sorry! Did that make you uncomfortable?"

"N-No, just caught me off guard…" Karin laughed, relaxing as Lincoln did the same. She leaned back on the bench. "This… isn't uncomfortable for you is it?"

Lincoln was silent for a few moments before answering. "Kind of? First time someone outside of my family has given me a lap pillow."

"Oh…" Karin muttered, her face turning a bit downcast.

"But." The girl perked up to see Lincoln smiling at her. "It's not a bad feeling at all, I'm enjoying it. You have pretty soft legs and the fact that a cute girl is doing this for me makes it all the better."

Karin's face had never felt hotter than before at the moment as she could almost hear steam coming out of her ears. She poked the laughing boy's cheek, pouting. "H-Hey! Don't tease me like that!"

"Sorry, Sorry, couldn't resist!" Lincoln laughed as the swordswoman continued to pout which only made him chuckle once more. "I couldn't help myself."

"Hmph!" Karin scoffed, turning away as her cheeks still burned red. "Well if you're really sorry, you can make it up to me later with my next favor!"

"Understood milady!" The boy said as Karin went back to poking him in the cheek harshly, causing him to laugh once again. "Alright, I'm sorry! Stop poking me."

"Someone's having fun…"

Both teenagers looked behind where they were sitting to see a young latina teenager standing there with a glare on her face.

Lincoln's face grew notably a bit nervous. "Oh… hey there Ronnie Anne."

"No. No. No. Man do I have anything I can wear to the dance?"

Renee Mason released a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms as she stood in her walk in closet. 'Pretty sure wearing normal Ace Savvy clothes is a no go if I want to impress him. The problem is that it makes up most of my clothing.'

"Renee, is everything okay up there? I hear you moving around a lot!"

"Yeah mom, just going through my closet is all!" Renee hollered back, picking out a red shirt that thankfully didn't hold the Ace Savvy symbol. 'This looks nice…'

"Oh, Renee's got a date~!"

Renee's face turned into a glare as she stuck her head out of her closet to shout at her laughing younger brother. "Oh shut up and mind your own business David!"

"Enough you two, you're going to wake up Katie!" Their mother sounded, ending the two's argument as they both knew how difficult it was to get their baby sister to stop crying.

Renee took a breath, before looking at the clothing she picked out. 'I really don't want to have to compete with Ronnie Anne or Yuna over Lincoln like this but…"

The girl thought back to how she met the white haired Loud. They had first met each other around the age of ten at a local comic book shop. They had hit it off pretty well over their shared interest in the Ace Savvy comic book series.

Then she punched him in the face in an argument over a limited edition of the Deck the Halls comic…

She couldn't help but feel embarrassed thinking back on it. Her mother, when she found out thanks to her younger brother ratting her out, had ripped a new one verbally and grounded her for a week. She was also forced to go and apologize to the boy when she found out who he was. She was fully prepared to take a verbal beating.

Only to be shocked when Lincoln grinned, accepted her apology, and offered her the chance to hang out with him and some other friends of his.

"I mean, it's not like I was innocent in that fight either. So if you're willing to let bygones be bygones, I am too."

Renee was surprised, not even fully acknowledging her mother accepting on her behalf, but she was happy. No, she was ecstatic. She had always had trouble finding someone willing to accept her admittingly tomboyish interests, and here was this boy who she had just met with similar interests to hers offering her a chance to hang out. As they hung out, they found themselves becoming closer, often spending time at each other's houses; reading comics, playing video games, or watching anime or tv shows.

It wasn't long afterwards however that Renee began to look at her friend in a different light. She was a tomboy, she'd admit that, having a love for video games, comics, and other boyish interests. However, she was still a young girl who enjoyed cute things and looking at boys.

Lincoln, being the closest boy to her outside of her brother by a wide margin, started taking up most of her thoughts. He kept up with her interests, didn't judge her over them like some in the past have, and was cute on top of it. It only became worse when puberty began to hit and they started to change in body.

'Okay, calm down Renee…' The girl thought, a dark red starting to creep up on her face. 'You really don't need to start having fantasies over him… again.'

Sighing, the girl looked up at the ceiling of her closet. 'To think he has a Natural Ability though, and a powerful one at that. He's already as strong as the rest of us, if not stronger. I can't help but be worried for him though…'

She was slightly jealous of the strength of his Natural Ability. Her own, despite being a very useful form of card manipulation, didn't hold a candle to his in terms of versatility. However, once Lincoln truly started getting in the dealings of the Abyss she couldn't help but be concerned on how he would handle it.

'No.' The girl shook her head, a resolute expression on her features. 'He'll have us with him and we'll be there for him. I'll be there for him. It's going to be okay.'

For now, she should focus on something to wear to knock his socks off at the dance.

'Sorry Ronnie and Yuna… but I'm not going to lose to you two!'

You Felt a Murderous Intent

'Yeah, no shit…'

That was the lone thought of Lincoln Loud as he watched as Karin Fantaria and Ronnie Anne Santiago stood across from one another, glaring at each other.

"So want to explain why you had Lame-O's head in your lap just now?" Ronnie Anne asked in an even tone.

"I had Lincoln's head in my lap to give him a chance to rest since he was tired. I'm not sure what it has to do with you." Karin retorted in an equally as even tone.

Ronnie Anne took a glance at the albino before turning back. "He looks fine to me, doesn't need to be babied by you."

"And who said I was babying him? Maybe I was just trying to be nice."

"So laying people's heads in your lap is your way of being nice?"

"If they're friends, sure. Once again, what does it matter to you?"

"Ladies, Ladies, you're both beautiful." Lincoln interjected, causing both to glare at him whilst also blushing. "I believe introductions are in order; Karin, this is Ronnie Anne Santiago, a long time friend of mine and Renee. Ronnie Anne, this is Karin Fantaria, another friend of mine and Renee, and someone who's been helping me with what I told you about."

"You mean that Natural Ability you said you developed?" Lincoln nodded as Ronnie Anne crossed her arms. "Huh, so I'm guessing she has one too."

"More like techniques passed down from my family." Karin corrected, before turning towards Lincoln with a frown. "You're sure you wanted her to know about your ability?"

Lincoln shook his head. "Ronnie's one of my best friends, I trust her. So I saw no reason to hide it from her any longer when I felt the time was right."

The latina blushed from the boy's words, turning away from him which he noticed. Karin noticed the reaction as well and pouted.

'Guess this Harem Aura ability is coming back to bite me in the ass…' Lincoln mused with a small sigh.

He felt a tug to his side and turned to see Ronnie Anne linking his right arm with both of hers. The girl grinned at Karin, who looked shocked.

"So Linc…" The Santiago girl grinned up at him, her expression being a bit flirtatious. "We have a little time before the streetlights come on, why don't we hang out a bit?"

'She's being direct…'

"Lincoln!" The Loud suddenly felt a tug on his left arm, causing him to swing his head and see Karin grasping it with a determined look. "I have something else to talk with you about!"

She pulled his arm a bit closer, causing Lincoln's hormones to take notice of a certain sensation. 'Soft… wait, focus Lincoln!'

"So, just friends huh?" Ronnie Anne asked, glaring with a raised eyebrow.

Lincoln sighed.

"Lincoln!"

Lincoln flinched as he was about to walk out the door of the house. 'Crap, so close…'

Turning around slowly, he was forced to face nine of his sisters grinning at him with looks of excitement.

"So…" Lori started, a smile growing on her face. "Going to meet Ronnie Anne at the dance?"

"Yep… we're going to meet up there as we decided. I'm catching a ride with Clyde and his dads and she's getting a ride from Bobby."

"Clyde's going to the dance too?" Lynn questioned with a raised eyebrow as Lincoln nodded.

"Yeah, he and Penelope are going together." The boy smirked towards Lori. "He's officially given up on you, so you can relax now."

Lori rolled her eyes with a small smile. "About time, the last thing I wanted was for Bobby to fight him." She shook her head. "But that's not important, what's important is we need to make sure you're ready to sweep Ronnie Anne off her feet tonight."

'And this is what I was trying to avoid...' Lincoln thought with a grimace as he saw smiles growing on his sisters' faces. 'Need to think of somet-.'

"Girls, leave your brother alone." The children's mother, Rita, said as she walked into the room with Lily in her arms. "It's his business if he wants you all to get involved or not."

"But mom, we need to make sure he doesn't mess it up with Ronnie Anne!" Lola yelled, getting agreements from the rest of her sisters.

Lincoln's eyebrow twitched in annoyance at his younger sister's words. "Okay one, I trust myself not to screw it up with someone I've known since elementary. Two, I don't think I even want you guys help after what happened with Christina. I still haven't forgotten that."

The sisters flinched at the memory and the embarrassment they made their brother go through as a result. Lori gave a small uneasy laugh. "C-Come on Lincoln, that was trial and error."

"Then feel free to try again with someone else instead of your brother." Lincoln dryly retorted before a car horn blew outside, letting him know that Clyde and his dads had arrived. "Anyway, I'm out of here. I'll see you guys later."

"Have fun and be safe honey!" Rita said, waving as her son walked out of the door. She then smiled amusingly at her daughters. "Well girls, both your brother and father are out for the night. What do you all say to a 'girls movie night'?"

The brightening expressions on their faces caused her to chuckle.

The car trip to the school didn't take long at all, mainly due to the fact the Loud residence wasn't far from Royal Woods High. However it had felt longer for Lincoln due to how nervous Clyde was for his upcoming date.

"What if she doesn't really like me Lincoln? What if I mess up somehow? What if I have a panic attack? What if-"

"Clyde." Lincoln said as he stopped walking along with Clyde, turning to his friend with an annoyed expression. "Take a deep breath."

Clyde did so.

"Now relax, Penelope likes you, it's obvious at this point. Don't overthink it, just go in there with the intention to have fun and show her a good time."

Clyde let the words process for a moment before nodding with a smile. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks Lincoln and sorry about that."

"Don't sweat it, I just don't want you to have a heart attack out there." Lincoln laughed along with Clyde as they shared a fistbump and proceeded with walking towards the gymnasium. "I won't front though, I'm a bit nervous with Ronnie Anne myself. I've known her for a long time, but… we never did anything like this before."

"I'm pretty sure it'll be alright with you two Linc, after all you have ten sisters. You should know a lot about how girls think."

"Having ten sisters doesn't make me an expert on women themselves Clyde. Everyone is different." Lincoln chuckled as Clyde only smiled awkwardly.

Eventually the two made it to the gymnasium and looked inside to see the dance was already well underway with multiple students interacting.

"Lame-O!"

Hearing his familiar nickname from one person, caused Lincoln to turn around to find his date only for his eyes to widen.

"Hey, don't stare that much." Ronnie Anne said, her cheeks becoming red. She was dressed as usual, but her ponytail was undone, unraveling her long hair that was neatly brushed. She also had a small amount of makeup applied giving her a glow.

"..." Lincoln was speechless for a moment before shaking his head as he chuckled. "You look great."

"T-Thanks, my mom wanted me to dress up more but backed off when I told her it's just a dance." The latina explained, looking to the side to avoid having the boy see her blush. "You look nice too…"

Lincoln smiled, looking down at his khakis while running a hand through his combed hair. "Yeah, I thought I'd clean up a bit myself, even if it's just a little."

Ronnie Anne smirked, punching Lincoln in the arm. "Well, it looks good on you, even if you still look like a nerd."

"I prefer the term intellectual." The two shared a laugh before Lincoln held out an arm. "Well, would you like to join me Ms. Santiago?"

Ronnie Anne smiled, linking her arm with his. "Lead the way, Mr. Loud."

"Ah, Lincoln, good to see you." A familiar voice from the boy's side greeted as Lincoln turned to see a brunette with long hair and brown eyes. The white haired teen raised an eyebrow.

"Um hello… who are you again?"

The unfamiliar girl only giggled. "Not surprising, this is the first time you've seen me like this after all. Perhaps this should help you better recognize me." She pulled out a pair of round glasses from her pocket before placing them on her face. "Look familiar?"

Lincoln blinked before his eyes widened. "Hazel?!" The secretary nodded with a wide grin. "Dang, you look almost unrecognizable!"

"Well, I thought I'd clean up for the dance. I'm guessing it worked then." Hazel explained with a smirk as she put her glasses away. "I see you came here with your date. My name is Hazel Stresa, pleased to meet you."

"Ronnie Anne Santiago, good to meet you too I guess." Ronnie Anne greeted back with an impassive stare, hands in her pockets. "Let me guess, you're part of the Student Council as well?"

"Correct, the secretary in fact. I'm also a natural ability user as you might have guessed."

"Hey, Hazel, sure it's alright to admit that here?" Lincoln questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Hazel merely shrugged. "The music's loud enough that no one should really hear our conversation. Not to mention, she already knows you and Renee have natural abilities, so it shouldn't be difficult for her to guess the rest of us have them."

"It was pretty easy to figure out." Ronnie Anne added, smirking at Lincoln.

Lincoln smirked before feeling another tap on his shoulder.

"Yo Linc!" The teenager turned to be face to face with Renee who grinned at him. "Fancy seeing you here!"

"You too Renee…" Lincoln responded, looking at her attire with appreciative eyes. Instead of her usual Ace Savvy theme clothing, the girl had opted to wear a red tank top and black skirt which only served to emphasize her curves, which the boy definitely noticed.

"Hello there Renee…" Ronnie Anne said, stepping in between the two with a slight glare on her face. "Nice to see you showed up."

Renee frowned, returning her friend's glare. "Nice to see you too, Ronnie Anne."

Lincoln looked between the two of them, almost seeing sparks fly between their eyes, chuckling sheepishly. 'Well hopefully it doesn't get worse.'

"Lincoln!"

"Lincoln!"

'Son of a…' The boy turned around to see Yuna and Karin approaching him as well, both garbed in more casual clothing. Yuna even was without her trademark glasses and headphones, showing her dark brown eyes.

Yuna smiled, grabbing one of his arms. "Good to see y-." She frowned as she took notice of the rest of the girls. "Oh…"

"And what do you mean by 'Oh' huh?" Ronnie Anne questioned, glaring. She gave her date a questioning look. "Seriously Lame-O, what's going on here?"

"Ahem!" Lincoln coughed into a fist, taking his arm from Yuna. "Guys, this is Ronnie Anne Santiago. Like I told Karin, she's a friend of mine's and Renee's." He then gestured towards Yuna. "To my left is Yuna Woo, the student council president."

Ronnie Anne's eyes widened in realization as stared at the brunette. "Oh yeah, I heard about you. Heard you were a Grade A student and some type of prodigy."

"...Yeah, please don't call me the latter. I'm not a big fan of that." Yuna sighed, causing Lincoln to raise an eyebrow. "Either way, it's good to meet you."

"Good to meet you too, want to explain why you're interfering in our date?" Ronnie Anne snarked with a frown. "As a matter of fact, why are all you girls clouding around Lame-O anyway?"

Silence followed the Latina's comment as all the girls turned towards Lincoln, who flinched at their stares. Ronnie Anne's frown grew as she crossed her arms. "What's going on Lame-O?"

'Might be on my way to that Nice Boat ending after all…' The white haired teen thought as he tried to think of his next words, feeling even more stares on him from bystanders.

"Hey…" Everyone turned towards Renee who grabbed one of her arms. "Don't get mad at Linc, Ronnie. It's not like he's trying to two-time you or anything."

"She's right, we came here by ourselves." Yuna added as Karin nodded from her side. "One because we're technically the student council, so we have too. And two, because…"

"...Because?" Ronnie Anne repeated as the three girl's cheeks only turned red. Her eyes widened as realization hit her. "You're kidding me… all three of you?"

Lincoln wasn't any better, his cheeks turning red as he looked away. 'Well… tonight isn't going like how I planned.'

"Lucky bastard…!" Lincoln heard, turning to see Rusty glaring at him in jealousy before being punched in the gut by his date, Polly Pain. He then saw the rest of his friends looking at him as well.

"Lincoln." The Loud turned to see Hazel giving him a whimsical smile. "I don't suppose a change of location wouldn't be out of the question?"

Lincoln only laughed awkwardly.

"So… all four of you huh?"

Four blushes were Lincoln's answer as he stared at the four girls sitting in front of him. Following Hazel's advice, the group had left the dance to avoid drawing anymore attention and get some privacy. Thankfully, the local arcade was nearly empty allowing them to converse.

Speaking of Hazel…

"Wham, Wham, Wham, Wham that shit…!"

Lincoln was positive he had never seen anyone as good as DDR than the secretary of Royal High's Student Council, considering the girl was getting a perfect on every hit whilst also dancing to the beat.

All with a completely straight face.

"I guess we do huh…?" Renee laughed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Though… Yuna and Karin really caught me off guard considering they've only known you for a couple of weeks."

Yuna and Karin only looked down, both of their faces red.

"And you guys thought it would be a good idea to try and interrupt our date because of that?" Ronnie Anne asked, annoyance in her tone as the three girls flinched.

"S-Sorry about that…" The apology came from Yuna who adjusted her glasses as she looked down.

Ronnie Anne stared before sighing. "Forget it, it's not like the two of us are together anyway." She smirked mischievously, however, at Renee. "Still Renee, didn't expect you of all people to come looking like that."

Renee's face turned red. "W-Well… I don't have a lot of other clothing that's not Ace Savvy stuff and I wanted to look my best so…!"

"Pretty sure you did that and more Renee. Quite daring I might add." Yuna teased, grinning at the brunette's face.

Renee pouted before a smirk formed. "Oh? Then what about you Miss President? I see you decided to wear your good clothes today and ditch the glasses."

Yuna looked down at her black dress before blushing slightly. "Blame Sigret for this. 'You have to look your best, young mistress.' I kept telling her that it's just a dance."

Renee and Karin both laughed, knowing of their friend's maid's eccentric and overprotective behavior at times, whilst Ronnie Anne and Lincoln looked amused at the explanation.

"Hey, stop laughing! It's not funny!" Yuna whined, only causing further laughter. She groaned, placing her head in her hands. "You all suck…"

Ronnie Anne chuckled, giving the girl a sympathetic look. "Trust me, I know a bit about overbearing family members. My mom wanted me to wear a dress coming here, but I managed to convince her otherwise."

"Lucky you…" Yuna drawled before everyone at the table laughed which made her pout.

Lincoln smirked as he began to walk away. "I'll get us something to drink, you guys can keep talking."

"Don't take too long Lame-O!" Ronnie Anne called getting a wave in return.

"Why do you keep calling him Lame-O? It sounds like an insult…" Karin questioned as Yuna nodded from beside her.

Ronnie Anne cracked a small grin. "I started calling him that we were smaller since he was a big nerd even back then. I don't mean any harm by it and he knows it."

"I can vouch for that." Renee added with her own grin. "After all, Ronnie's known Lincoln longer than I have."

Ronnie Anne nodded before frowning. "Hey Renee…" The brunette turned back to her as the latina continued. "I like Lincoln, a lot. But I don't want him to come between our friendship, you're one of the coolest girls around our age I know."

"Same here." Renee admitted, placing a hand to the back of her neck. "I really like being friends with you Ronnie Anne, but I really like Linc too. I don't want to have to choose between you two like that."

Yuna and Karin shared a worried look between the two of them as well, knowing their similar feelings on the matter.

"Then just share him between you four."

The four girls snapped their heads back to see Hazel standing behind them with a neutral look. The secretary shrugged. "If the four of you like him so much, just share. It's not like it's the craziest thing to do."

Renee's cheeks lit up red. "Hazel! That's-!"

"Not too bad of an idea actually…"

The card user's turned towards Yuna who held a hand to her chin. The genius noticed everyone staring at her, causing her to blush. "I mean… it's not like there aren't crazier things in the world, and polygamy is nothing new! I say we should give this a shot!"

"...She does have a point." Ronnie Anne said with a shrug of her shoulders. "I know I just really started talking with you guys, but you all are cool and Lame-O seems tight with you guys. So… I guess seeing where it goes would be worth it."

"I guess…" Renee relented with a sigh. "As long as there's no bad feelings between us if it doesn't work out."

"However, would Lincoln be okay with this? If we're going to share him and he's going to share us, we need to make sure he's onboard with it." Karin interjected as the four shared uncertain looks.

Hazel took a glance to her right. "Well, you'll get a chance to ask him. Here he comes."

Lincoln smiled as he placed some drinks down on the center of the table. "Here you go ladies, six drinks for all of- is something going on?"

The four girls who held affection for the Loud only looked down at their laps in an attempt to hide their red faces. Hazel on the other hand, grabbed her drink and turned away as she started to sip out of it.

"Lam- Lincoln…" Ronnie's tone and sudden change from her nickname for him caught the boy off guard. "You know we all like you, don't you?"

'...Okay, I was not expecting that.' A slight blush formed on Lincoln's face, causing him to scratch his right cheek. "Y-Yeah… I know how to take a hint. Not to mention, you girls were pretty obvious with it."

"Good!" Yuna piqued suddenly before speaking in a much lower tone. "Then… we have a suggestion if you're okay with it."

Lincoln gulped. "Are you guys saying…?"

"We… the four of us can all be with you, if you're okay with it." Renee ended, before placing her face in her hands. "I can't believe I said that…!"

"Oh…" Lincoln muttered before his eyes widened. "Oh! Damn… I was not expecting that."

"So what do you say Lame-O? You want to try and make it work?" Ronnie Anne asked, looking into the Loud's eyes. "We already agreed that there'll be no hard feelings between any of us if it doesn't work out. We're all on board with it."

Lincoln took his time to look at each girl. "Are you all okay with trying this? There'll be no hard feelings if we can't make it work? No bad blood or anything?"

Each girl nodded.

Lincoln stared for a few more moments before chuckling. "Alright, let's give this a shot!"

The girls smiled as Hazel discreetly did a fist pump that no one could see.

"And now that's decided…" Yuna started with a mischievous grin before suddenly standing up and locking lips with Lincoln who stepped back in surprise.

"Hey!"

"No fair Yuna! I was about to do that!"

"Aw man, she got the first kiss!"

The guild leader only gave a peace sign back to the rest of the girls as Lincoln inwardly sighed, enjoying his first kiss.

Congratulations! You have reached the Romantic Partner stage with Ronnie Anne, Renee, Yuna, and Karin!

'...Screw it, just enjoy it Lincoln.'

A dark SUV parked in front of an official looking building before turning off.

"Alright, road trip over, everyone out!"

"You say that like you were the one driving…" A teenage male voice complained as the door opened and a young brown haired boy stepped out. He yawned loudly as his eyes began to droop. "And isn't it against the law for teenagers to be driving this late anyway?"

"Oh stop complaining Lots! The drive wasn't that bad!" A young woman with long blonde hair that came down to her back chastised, glaring at the boy with her green eyes.

The boy only gave her a tired deadpanned look. "Says the loudest snorer in the car… at least you kept me up all the way from the airport, Lidica."

Lidica blushed in indignation, before pulling out a blade. "What was that?! Would you like to settle it with a duel?!"

"Come on guys, let's not fight. We had enough excitement while we were in Arizona handing that rogue guild." A dark skinned girl chastised, placing her hands on both of Lidica's shoulders to calm her down.

Another woman carrying a noble air stepped out, placing the tip of her fan to her chin. "Speak for yourself Rin, I grew bored with those weaklings. Though the spa at the hotel was quite nice, wasn't it Sez?"

"Hm, I guess. There was a lot of tasty food…" A blonde haired man answered the noble looking woman as he also left the car.

Lots sighed, before turning to the last occupant in the car. "Hey Aramintha, is everything alright?"

The red haired woman didn't respond at first, appearing to be in thought before smiling as she finally stepped out of the vehicle. "Yes, as alright as everything can be at the moment. On that note, good job driving us here Lots."

"Oh, uh thanks Captain…" Lots answered back, flustered by the woman's words.

"Yep, you're almost as good of a driver as my husband! He could drive well even if he was drunk!" The redhead boasted with a laugh as the rest of her guild sighed, knowing this was one of her moments. The redhead suddenly stopped, adopting a serious look. "Back on topic, however, now that we're back in Michigan I'll need to handle that business of mine."

"You said it involved the son of some old friends of yours, correct?" Rin asked, causing Aramintha to nod.

"Yes, I never even met the kid. So I don't even know what he's like…" The redhead confessed, placing a hand to the back of her neck.

"If you don't mind me asking, why haven't you been a part of his life Aramintha?" Bellona questioned.

Aramintha chuckled. "Well, I didn't want him to get wrapped up in our world if he didn't have too. His parents… made a lot of enemies along with allies."

"The way you talk about them, are his parents…"

"I… really don't want to talk about it right now Rin." The woman stated with a solemn look as the dark skinned girl went silent after apologizing. "Either way, I want to meet the kid and see if there's anything I can do for him, especially if he's developed his own Natural Ability. I owe that to his parents, they were like family to me."

"Ara…" Rin whispered, the whole group staring at their leader in concern.

The red haired woman noticed their looks and smile. "It's alright Rin, I'm okay." She suddenly grinned. "Let's stop and grab some food eh? I'm pretty sure some places are still open this late."

"I approve of that plan." Sez said in agreement.

"Of course you do Sez…" Bellona snarked with a small smile. "Well, some food does sound nice. As long as it's nothing too heavy…"

"Well, there's a Burpin Burger in the area that just opened up recently, I could go for a cheeseburger right now and they do have other stuff." Lots muttered with a hand to his chin.

"Sounds good to me Lots! To the Burpin Burger everyone!" Aramintha stated, already walking away.

"...You don't even know where it is or the fact it's about a good mile away."

"...Into the car everyone, Lots is driving!"

The brown haired boy merely looked dumbfounded as everyone started to load up in the vehicle again. He sighed exasperatedly as he got in the driver's seat, knowing Aramintha was expecting him to drive. "Me and my big mouth…"

And with that, we're done with pretty much the first Act of the fic. Thank you to those that are still sticking with the story, I know my updates have been sporadic so I appreciate you all being patient.

The harem has started, but there's still relationship development to be done so do expect more romance later. There's also one other girl I plan to add.

I'm going to leave this fic alone for a little bit to focus on Phantom Gamer as well as another fic I've started writing, but don't worry it'll be back. Been having a blast writing this haha.

Anyway, happy 2023 to you all. Please do fav, follow, and, review. Last but not least, you all have a good one.

Jacula