Well, I can tell you this. It feels weird to update a story on Sunday, and have that story not be Chains of Reality: Divinity Reborn.
Also, this story outright exploded in reviews after the second chapter. That spells good news. XD
Speaking of which, let's answer some of them:
1) Guest: Eh, we'll see.
2) Mr. Haziq:
* Yup, that's the gist of it.
* Yeah, that's how it's spelled.
3) Nobody245:
* It's pretty much the same, to be honest. Only with powers.
* The weirdest timeline, natch.
* I might as well add them since the story would be pretty plotless otherwise.
* The greatest juxtaposition.
4) Guest: What a coincidence, because MHA was actually an inspiration for this story.
5) Guest: Given all of the other insane ships with Lincoln the fandom has come up, I thought it wouldn't hurt to bring back what was the OG, non-Loudcest ship.
6) ThanosGaming: We won't go that route, I promise.
7) Guest:
* Yup.
* We'll discuss that eventually.
8) Guest: That's kinda the point.
And now, to the chapter!
The next day came, and as he walked to school, Lincoln thought about what Haiku said yesterday, even checking the paper she gave him while he was immersed in his thoughts.
"Lincoln?"
The boy hastily crumbled the paper and hid it in his pocket before facing the source of the question:
Cristina.
"Oh, Cristina, hi! G-Good morning!" he nervously greeted. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine, just stopped you from crashing into a tree."
Lincoln stopped and looked in front of him, seeing he was a few inches away from a tree.
"Oh... I see, thanks."
"Your welcome!" Cristina chirped, only to frown as soon as she saw Lincoln looking upset. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, it's just..." Lincoln looked at his palm. "I still have no idea what powers my Cliche gives me."
"That's what we have school for!" Cristina said, patting Lincoln's back as she added. "Maybe you'll get to learn what powers you have once we get there?"
Lincoln nodded, and kept the smile up for a little while longer, just enough for him and Cristina to reach the school.
"About time you arrived!" Ronnie Anne remarked as she wrapped her arm around Lincoln, ignoring Cristina's disapproving glare. "What took you so long?"
"His head's been filled with a lot of thoughts lately," Cristina explained as she flew down and leaned closer to Lincoln. "He was about to crash into a tree when I stopped him."
"Really now? And what was he thinking about?" Ronnie Anne grinned. "About how good you'd look naked?"
Cristina pulled back from Lincoln and laughed like a haughty noblewoman, crossing her legs and her arms as she responded:
"It's hilarious how you think such a remark would get a rise out of me, when Lincoln already obviously know how good I look! I got much more appeal than you could ever hope for!"
"Perhaps," Ronnie Anne snickered. "But having lots of sex appeal won't make up for your lack of personality."
Cristina turned red and yelled at Ronnie Anne, who scoffed:
"There's the rise I was looking for!"
"Girls, please, don't start fighting this early in the morning," Lincoln sighed before looking around. "Anyway, have either of you seen Clyde?"
"Hmm, now that you mention him, I think he went ahead to practice at the classroom."
Lincoln blinked twice, and hummed in thought. He and the girls promptly walked to their classroom, Class 1-C to be exact, and entered it.
Inside was Clyde, by his lonesome, staring at a cricket he held in his palm.
"Hey there, Clyde," Ronnie Anne remarked as the trio approached the bespectacled student. "Where did that cricket come from?"
"Oh hi guys. Well..." Clyde tapped his cheek. "How do I explain this?"
The trio tilted their heads in unison, and after breathing deeply, the boy showed them where the cricket came from:
A group of crickets emerged from his afro, each playing miniature instruments as his friends looked in shock. Ronnie Anne even had to hold back a chuckle.
"They appeared on my head this morning, and they've been stuck there since then," Clyde sighed as he put one of the crickets down. "They're pretty hard to kill, too."
Curious, Lincoln slammed his hand down on the cricket... and a few seconds after he let go, the cricket stood up once more, no worse for wear.
"Interesting..."
"Excuse me?"
The quartet turned around, and they saw a familiar raven-haired girl with hair over one eye, sporting a lavender dress with black opera gloves, stockings, and shoes.
Well, the girl was familiar to Lincoln, being Haiku. The rest didn't know who she was, which if her "shush" gesture was any indication, was something she'd like to keep as is.
"Is Lincoln Loud here?"
"Uh, yeah," Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "That would be me."
Haiku flashed a smile, which just didn't feel right with her gothic aesthetic, and she strolled up to Lincoln, all while Cristina hugged Lincoln close to her chest.
"Greetings, Lincoln Loud," Haiku said as she curtsied. "My name's Helga Callisto. But everyone just calls me Haiku."
"Uh... hi?" Lincoln tilted his head, burying it deeper into Cristina's bossom by mistake. "Wait, how do you know my name?!"
Haiku giggled. "You're a member of one of the most famous families in Royal Woods, it'd be weirder if I didn't know who you were."
"She got you there, Lame-O," Ronnie Anne scoffed. "Anyway, what brings you here, girl?"
"I was wondering if I could borrow Lincoln for a moment," Haiku clasped her hands together. "It's to talk with him about something important before classes start."
"No!" Cristina snapped.
"Actually, Cristina," Lincoln remarked, getting the redhead's attention. "I don't think it's a problem. Today's the first proper day after all, we're supposed to meet as many new people as possible."
"But... b-but... b-b-but..."
"If it helps, I promise I won't get intimate with anybody," Lincoln said as Cristina hugged him harder. "Now please stop suffocating me with your breasts!"
The redhead sighed and released the boy, allowing him to catch his breath and follow Haiku out of the room.
"We'll be back soon, I promise!"
And with that, they left.
Once at the hallways, Lincoln followed Haiku, the girl folding her arms behind her back as she spoke:
"So, have you been thinking about my proposition, Lincoln?"
"Think about it? I nearly crashed into a tree just wondering what it could mean!" Lincoln chuckled. "But why are we discussing this now, in the open? I thought this was supposed to be a secret?"
"It is. Be patient, everything will make sense soon enough."
Eventually, the duo reached a door marked "out of commission", and Haiku promptly summoned a miniature crystal ball, and cracked it with a clench of her fist.
She then morphed it into the shape of a key, and before Lincoln could ask how she even did that, Haiku used it to open the door and bring him inside.
"I'm back, girls."
It was then Lincoln felt a chill go down his spine, as three girls all locked eyes with him. He'd be so dead if Cristina was there.
One of the girls looked like a clown. As in, she was literally dressed in clown makeup. He figured her Cliche had something to do with clowns, 'cause he couldn't think of another way she'd get away with it.
Another girl had Brown hair tied in pigtails, and sportsy clothing, with Purple shorts and a yellow shirt with the letter "P" on the chest. She was standing on top of a pole, and also had a tail coming out of her lower back.
Finally, the girl in the middle had a black-white stripped shirt with a Purple jacket, pink skirt, and Purple boots, her raven hair styled up with a lavender streak. Really, besides the goggles, she looked like your average punk rock fan.
"Welcome, Lincoln Loud, to Ynovation."
"Ynovation?" Lincoln asked as he scanned his surroundings. "This is it? Just four girls?"
The pigtailed brunette grinned. "Were you expecting more?"
"Well, I mean," Lincoln took out the paper with the symbol on it. "With a paper like this, I figured it'd be, I dunno, more advanced or something. No offense."
"None taken; Haiku's a bit of a fan of theatrics!" the girl with goggles said before shaking Lincoln's hand. "Hi there, I'm Tabby! My Cliche's Time Traveler!"
Lincoln tilted his head. "You just say your Cliche out loud like that?"
"Why not?" Tabby put her arms behind her head. "It's not like anything you learn here's gonna get out of here!"
"Right, this is some sort of super secret club, right?"
"Ohoho, it's more than that!" the monkey-like brunette with pigtails spoke. "Ynovation isn't just a random secret club where nothing happens. It's a club where those who join get the chance to train their Cliches to their fullest potential!"
Lincoln was intrigued. "How so?"
"Well, just to demonstrate..."
Tabby grabbed a piece of cake next to her, saved it inside a bag, and it disappeared seconds after it glowed.
"Where did it go?!"
"I sent it back to the past!"
"Yeah, that's what I thought, I mean where did it land?!"
Tabby smiled cheekily. "Check your backpack."
It was then Lincoln realized he hadn't set his backpack down at the classroom. He checked it, open it... and the piece of cake was inside.
"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Tabby smiled. "And that's only one way I can use my Cliche! Who knows what other ways there are!"
"The same applies to you and your Cliche, Lincoln," Haiku stated. "As you know, it's relatively new when compared to other Cliches, so the possibilities are well and truly endless. We'd like to help you discover those possibilities."
Lincoln folded his arms. "And what's the catch?"
"It's simple, really!" the clown girl chirped. "Just keep the club's existence a secret and we're golden!"
Lincoln hummed. "I can do that..."
"So, Lincoln Loud," Haiku smiled. "Will you join us, and unlock your true potential?"
Lincoln looked around the room, the other three members of the group looking at him with reassuring smiles, as if to say that it would be fine if he turned them down.
And yet, he knew that if there was a chance to make something out of his Cliche, it was with them.
So, he shook hands with Haiku, and stated:
"I'm in."
