Chapter 6: Confrontation.

This chapter takes place alongside the events of the previous one. While the Loud sisters were having their 'reflection' experience, and then spent a few days on a seemingly dead end search (or maybe not so?) for their brother, Lincoln himself has been adjusting to a new life. Now we will see what Lincoln was getting up to do following the day of his departure. What was he doing when his family were searching the local area for his whereabouts? Well, time to stop bombarding the readers with questions and start providing some narrative answers.

While his family were worried sick, Lincoln had other concerns to deal with. He and his new friends were doing many things together. They were hanging out, sharing ideals, beliefs and opinions in light hearted and entertaining discussions. Lincoln had learned a lot about the views and ambitions of his new friends through the few days he had spent with them. Sure, a few of them, especially Eddie, were a little harsh in their treatment towards Lincoln at times, but he considered that tame compared to some of the stuff he had to put up with at home or at school sometimes. Besides, all in all, these new friends of his just seemed so welcoming and including. So helpful and caring. So… genuine.

Often when with Jake, or Master Viribus, as the other underage ones tended to refer to him as, the group would undertake serious and intense combat training sessions together. The justification being that they all needed to prepare themselves to deal with the harshness and hostility of the outside world. Viribus was a martial arts expert who excelled in many forms of combat such as Boxing, Kickboxing, MMA and Shaolin Kung Fu. Naturally, he had a lot to pass onto his students, and he wanted to ensure they learned as effectively as possible.

One morning, Viribus announced he would take the group to one of the local parks in Royal Woods for one of their sessions. As the group prepared for what was yet to come, they engaged in another of their casual conversations…

Wayne: "So, I wonder what Master Viribus has in store for us today?"

Hilary: "Hopefully, some good old-fashioned sparring. I just get a good feeling out of inflicting pain." She chuckled.

Lincoln would normally be weird out by that comment and consider it psychotic, but he was a changed boy, and was beginning to adopt the same mindset as his new peers.

Lincoln: "Well, it would be nice to let off some steam. All that anger built up inside me, inside all of us, even." He added.

Eddie: "Yeah, well, you better all watch out if we do! Remember that black eye I gave Sid the other week?" he joked.

Sid: "Yeah, well… lucky shot!" he bit back.

Wayne: "Actually if we are facing each other today, it would be your first time fighting us, Loud."

Lincoln: "Hmmm, yeah, you're right. Please don't go too rough on me, first time and all." He said with a hint of nervousness.

Eddie: "Hey, don't expect us to take it easy on you! You gotta learn to toughen up in this world, kid!" he angrily responded.

Wayne: "Hey, that's enough. Don't be too harsh on the kid, he's still new in this group." He said to Eddie before turning back to Lincoln. "Look, kid. We know this is all still quite new to you and you're probably a little nervous, and we won't go overboard, but you do need to work on hiding or eliminating your weaknesses. That's why you're here, after all." He stated as he reasoned with the Loud boy.

Lincoln: "Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I've just never been accustomed to any of this. I'm not the physically active type, and you guys have opened me up to so many new ideas and thoughts these past few days. I guess I've always just been a little different from everyone around me, you know? Eventually I'll learn."

The others then find themselves intrigued by his statement and decide to dig further into understanding him…

Sid: "So, Lincoln. How exactly were you different from everyone around you?"

Lincoln: "Well, I was mainly referring to how I was the only boy in a very large bunch of sisters. All of them ranging in personality and interests greatly, sure, but a lot of the time there was also a strong divide between myself and the rest of them. Sometimes, it even seemed like they all had a hive mind when it came to certain things. But I was often the odd one out. It's like I was different in more ways than just my gender."

Hilary: "Eh, that's not a problem with us. Look at me, I'm the only girl here but I don't feel any different to any of you guys."

Wayne: "Your story seems a little similar to Master Viribus. He also claims he was singled out in life and antagonised because of how different he was."

Lincoln: "What do you mean?" he asked confused and interested in his friend's claim.

Wayne: "Jake.. er, I mean, Viribus, told us he was picked on, cast out and looked down on a lot in his younger days because of how he stuck out from the rest of the kids. He had Asperger's Syndrome, which made him socially awkward and made it difficult for him to understand or handle interactions with other people. This made him anxious and timid to have conversations, meet people, or become acquainted with anyone. So, he became an introvert and a loner by his own nature. Then, because he was alone and because he was awkward around others, people perceived him as weird and as a loser, so naturally some of them decided to bully him. Needless to say, he didn't take it well."

Lincoln: "And how do you know this about him?"

Sid: "He explained this to us when teaching us why we need to fend for ourselves. The world is a merciless place, full of cruel people. We are all here because we were wronged by society in some way, and he took us in, took care of us, and gave us the tools we needed to protect ourselves."

Eddie: "Yeah, we owe him a lot, really!"

At that point, their master approached them…

Viribus: "I am glad you have such appreciation for my efforts, my children. But honestly, I saw it as my duty. I couldn't just stand to the side and watch as other young innocents were being subjected to the same cruel treatment by the world that I was!" he declared.

Lincoln: "You know what? I think I can speak for all of us when I say thank you." He said as he began to show a genuine sense of appreciation and respect for the man who took him in during his darkest hour, and made a great effort to seemingly turn around the lives of both himself and these other youthful characters.

Viribus: "Your welcome. Now, let's head out to the park. We have work to do!"

And with that, the group made their way down to the park. That day specifically, Viribus had in mind a series of exercises that would help the kids channel their aggression through violent movements. Think power punches, devastating kicks, strikes to weak points such as kneecaps, throats and private parts, and rough grappling manoeuvres. He had this plan in mind mainly for the sake of his newest pupil, Lincoln, who was still trying to adjust from his usual non-violent nature. Towards the end of the session, as the participants were becoming a little more tired, Viribus decided to give them a cool down exercise before they headed back to the base…

Viribus: "Alright, guys. Before we stretch out, just do a couple of minutes of shadow boxing, for a little technical development!"

The trainees began executing punching combos with some impressive technical finesse. Clearly, these new friends of Lincoln's were well trained for combat, and he had some catching up to do. Of course, he had already improved himself considerably since joining Viribus. He had learned some essential self defence techniques and practices which would come in handy if he were ever attacked. Little did Lincoln know at that moment, his new skills were about to be put to the test.

Hank: "Ha! We destroyed those little runts earlier! What an awesome win!" he gloated, referring to a football game they played from earlier that day.

Hawk: "Yeah! Those little punks didn't stand a chance!" he retorted as the two walked across the park together.

Hank: "Hey, isn't that the little white haired kid from that family who tricked us at Halloween?!"

The pair then looked over and saw Lincoln, recognising him from their previous encounters. They decided they would teach him a lesson.

Hawk: "It is! Let's go and put that kid in the hospital!"

The two then walked over to where Lincoln was training, and began teasing and provoking him. Lincoln ceased in his movements, saw two large shadows looming over him, and then looked up to see his aggressors…

Hank: "Your family ruined our Halloween night! Now, we're gonna ruin your face!"

Lincoln would normally be quick to back down in a confrontation with these two titan teens, but through his recent teachings, he had a new mentality. He was not going to allow himself to be a pushover yet again.

Lincoln: "Look, you punks got what you deserved! You stole our candy and ruined Halloween for everyone else! We just got our own back on you, that's all." He casually stated, before turning away from them.

Hawk: "Hey, you're not going anywhere!" he angrily called as he grabbed the boy by his shoulder and pulled him back around so he was facing them again.

Viribus and the others noticed what was happening, but he wanted to allow his newest student to demonstrate what he had learned.

Eddie: "Hey, Master. Those big jerks are attacking Lincoln. Shall we go over and mess em' up?"

Viribus: "No. I want to see if the boy has learned anything from my teachings. Don't worry, if it all kicks off and he starts losing, we'll step in. I could crush those two overweight runts effortlessly."

Back with Lincoln and the jocks, the conversation was becoming heated…

Hawk: "You know, you got a lot of mouth for someone so small and scrawny!"

Lincoln: "And you got a lot of weight for someone who plays so much sports! You need to stop going to Burpin' Burger every night!"

Hank: "He called us fat!"

Hawk: "Son of a…" he tried to say before he was interrupted.

Lincoln: "Just get out of here! You should spend less time picking on guys like me and eating pies in your mom's basement, and more time jogging in your sweatpants so you actually look like presentable athletes!"

Hank: "Okay, you little runt! THAT DOES IT!"

With that, Hank tried to throw a punch at Lincoln, but he slipped passed it and threw a cross of his own, landing on the nose of the jock, busting it open.

Hank: "Argh! The little kid got me right in the nose!"

Hawk: "I'll get him!"

Hawk then charged towards Lincoln, but he executed a low kick to one of the larger boy's knees, injuring him and taking him to the ground. He then kicked him in the stomach for good measure.

Hank: "Get over here you little pipsqueak!"

As Hank attempted a tackle, Lincoln jumped over him and Hank slipped over onto the floor. Hank then went for a haymaker punch, but Lincoln blocked the strike, then used the jock's weight against as he impressively managed to pull off a hip throw against the larger opponent. Lincoln then went for a strike to the genitals to finish him off. Finally, as Hawk was beginning to recover, Lincoln got him with a kick to the face before he could get back up. The two bullies beaten and lying on the ground, Lincoln was restrained by the other kids as Viribus went over to send a powerful message to them.

Viribus: "Let this be a painful lesson for you little vermin! We are NOT to be messed with! If either of you low lives pick on Lincoln Loud again, you will have us to deal with. We are taking a stand against the likes of you and others like you. Bullying and oppression will not be tolerated anymore. Not as long as I have something to say about it! Is that understood!?" he aggressively asked.

Hawk and Hank: "Yes, yes! Please, we're sorry!" they begged and pleaded.

Viribus: "Good, now get out of my sight!" he demanded.

The two bullies then ran for their lives, not wanting another piece of Lincoln or the rest of the group. Lincoln was then congratulated for his victory against the two thugs.

Eddie: "That was awesome, dude! You're one of us, now!" he said as he lightly and playfully punched Lincoln in the arm.

Sid: "Gotta admit, buddy. That was really something!"

Hilary: "You taught those two bullies a lesson!"

Wayne: "You earned our respect there, bro!"

The gang then lifted Lincoln onto their shoulders and cheered for him as he demonstrated he had learned his lessons from Viribus and applied them effectively, earning him a victory in a fight against two recurring bullies of his. Lincoln actually began to feel a sense of pride and triumph as he had conquered one of his vices, according to what his friends had told him. He stopped being a pushover and a doormat to everyone he came across. He actually had the ability to fight back. Not just to scheme behind everybody's backs or to hide away or even to simply give into pressure. No, he was an assertive individual, according to them. And he LOVED it.

Lincoln (to the audience): "That felt so good. I know I've been told violence is never the answer, but… that just seemed so right to me. Those two jerks had it coming! Now I can finally stand up for myself and stopped being used and abused all the time."

Viribus: "That was admirable and impressive, Lincoln. See what I've been teaching and telling you all along? This is how you need to be to take on the world out there. People are cruel and merciless and you must be ready to deal with that. Now, whenever somebody has a problem with you, you won't feel the need to give in so easily or resort to non-violent, ineffective measures. Sometimes, just dishing out some pain and punishment honestly is the answer. Don't listen to any delusional moron who tells you otherwise!"

As Lincoln was put down and they all began to walk home, having concluded their training session, a figure in the distance was looking at them. It was none other than the eldest sister of Lincoln, Lori Loud. She had just seen Lincoln and was now onto his trail…

Lori: "Mom, Dad. I think I just spotted him. I'm going to follow the group he's in back to wherever they're going and then I'll call you back." She communicated before ceasing the call on her phone.

As of uploading this chapter, I've just finished my reactions for this week's wave of new episodes, so now I shall resume the task of writing for this fic. The next chapter will finally see the Louds interact with Viribus as well as Lincoln again following his departure. Three guesses as to how that's going to turn out. Anyway, I'll probably get the next chapter uploaded in about a week or so, depending on my schedule for the near future. Until then, peace…