Okay, here we have the next chapter! Phew, almost didn't make it!
Now truth be told, I've been wondering how to continue this story moving forward. Because unlike Chains of Reality, I have yet to think of some big goal for Lincoln, and thus the story, to work towards.
Sure, I could always focus on him finding new ways to use his Cliche, but that's more in the general sense.
But now, I think I know how to continue: and let's just say, you might find it… haunting.
Anyhow, let's answer some reviews:
1) Guest: Is this Observant Guest, from Chains of Reality? I dunno why, but your reviews remind me of them.
2) Nobody245: Something exciting is coming up, alright ;)
3) Mr. Haziq: *Megalovania intensifies*
4) Guest: It was totally unintentional. XD
5) Guest: Yup, wanted to try something new for once.
And now, to the chapter!
"Why do people who think outside the box get arrested?"
That was the question Lincoln posed to the Ynovation club, who were currently having lunch with him in their clubroom. They all exchanged worried looks until Polly, the monkey-like girl, answered:
"It's because they fear chaos might reign again."
Lincoln tilted his head. "What does that mean?"
"You were already told about the Originality Wars and the centuries of uncertainty that came afterwards, right?" Tabby asked, earning a nod from him. "Those centuries put lots of people on the edge of their seats, to the point that they'll cling to any sense of peace and quiet they can get."
"Yeah, Haiku mentioned that," Lincoln said before staring at the girl. "But she also mentioned there was another, much worse reason."
Tabby rolled her eyes. "Another one of her conspiracy theories."
"It's the truth of the world, Tabby," Haiku hissed.
"Yeah, it's probably as right as the idea that Giovanna here was born a clown," Polly scoffed.
"I really was! And call me Giggles!" the clown girl, Giggles, snickered.
"I don't care if it's a conspiracy theory, I wanna hear it!" Lincoln stated. "Anything to try make sense out of the idea that creative people could get sent to jail!"
And as if on cue, the bell rang.
"Huh, looks like the school doesn't wanna hear my theory," Haiku sighed before she stood up. "Sorry, Lincoln. Looks like I'll have to tell you some other time."
And with that, one by one, the Ynovation girls got up and left, leaving the guy with over a dozen questions.
Once lunch break was over, the first class afterwards was P.E., so the students switched to their gym clothes and went to the gymnasium, with their teacher, Coach Pacowski, standing in the middle of the area.
"Excellent, everybody's here!"
"Uh, Coach Pacowski," Ronnie Anne blurted. "Weren't we supposed to go on an obstacle course or something?"
"Yeah, you were! I was just getting ready to summon it!"
The coach put his hands on the ground, and in the blink of an eye, a large obstacle course sprouted, holding several platforms, a couple of monkey bars, and other things you'd see in a P.E. obstacle course.
"Did he just summon an obstacle course from the ground?" Lincoln asked in disbelief.
"Well, his Cliche is Obstacle Course."
Recognizing the voice, Lincoln slowly turned around, and to his shock, the Ynovation girls stood with the other group of students, Giggles, Tabby, and Haiku waving hello while Polly finished:
"It'd be weirder if he couldn't do that."
"You're here too?!"
"You know them, Lame-O?" Ronnie Anne blurted, sending a chill down the guy's spine.
"Uh, yeah," Lincoln shrugged. "Haiku showed them to me back on the first day."
Ronnie Anne snickered. "I thought Cristina was your girlfriend. What, she doesn't satisfy you anymore?"
"N-Not at all! They're just friends!"
Ronnie Anne chuckled while jabbing Lincoln's shoulder, healing him in the process. "Relax, Lincoln, I'm just teasing you. That's kinda my thing, remember?"
"Right…. Right…"
"Besides, everybody knows I'm the main girl."
Lincoln squeaked and turned around, immediately coming face-to-face with Cristina, who leaned closer towards him with a cheeky smile.
"I'm your main girl, right, Lincoln?"
"Be careful, Cristina," Clyde remarked, adjusting his glasses while focusing on the obstacle course. "Any higher and you'll end up flashing everybody."
The students, both male and female, shouted "high-er!" repeatedly with excited expressions, all while Clyde shook his head unamused.
"Alright, everybody pipe down!" Pacowski exclaimed, getting everyone's attention. "Now, let's start with the obstacle course! The first one to go will be… Lincoln Loud!"
All eyes fell on the snow-haired edgelord. "Me?!"
"Well, I figured it was better to start with the students whose Cliches are either weak or unknown. And given what your Cliche is…"
"You're gonna do fine, Lame-O," Ronnie Anne said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Just stay focused and you'll get through it alright."
She pushed him towards the course soon after, the boy flashing a look of disapproval at her as he walked, the tomboy simply shrugging and flashing a smile in response.
Once at the start of the course, Lincoln stretched and prepared himself…
"And, begin!"
As soon as the whistle was heard, Lincoln bolted forward, hopping through the moving platforms until he reached the other side.
At that point, however, he was sucker punched by a giant toy hammer, sending him right back where he started.
"Fifteen seconds," Pacowski said with a smile. "A decent start, Loud."
"If you say so," was all Lincoln could muster before losing consciousness.
Once he regained consciousness, everybody else had already gone through the course, with mixed results: the girls did fine, and Clyde was the first student to complete the course in full, but everybody else had a mixed bag of good, bad, and dumb runs.
"Alright, to end our class, we're gonna have a little dodgeball match!"
The students groaned in unison.
"Ah come on, you saw this coming, didn't you?"
The students groaned again, nodding their heads this time.
"And Cliches are permitted for today's match-"
"Oh come on, that's just unfair!" Ronnie Anne snapped before pointing at Lincoln and Clyde. "Some of us don't even know what our Cliches do, or have Cliches that don't help at all!"
"Yeah!" the boys snapped in unison.
"Doesn't matter, no gym class is ever complete without a dodgeball match," was what Coach Pacowski's argument boiled down to. "Now go get to your positions!"
Both classes took one side of the now-clear middle of the gym and sighed as a set of balls rolled into view.
Lincoln stretched yet again, looking slightly miffed at the fact that the Ynovation girls all stood by the opposite team.
Granted, that team was made of their classmates, but it didn't give the guy much hope of winning either way.
Nevertheless, he crouched down, and grabbed a ball, sporting a look of determination as Pacowski shortly after said:
"Ready… set… whistle!"
Everyone faced the coach in confusion.
"Oh, sorry, I get them mixed up once in a while. Ready, set, go!"
As soon as the whistle was blown, a barrage of balls flew all over the place, some hitting students while others hit the walls and floor, bouncing everywhere as far as the eye could see.
Indeed, it was a miracle that Lincoln hadn't been hit by the balls a single time, though this was only a small comfort as once he looked around, Haiku winked at him and threw a ball at him.
Then, in a moment of panic, it happened.
Lincoln glowed white before dashing to his left, dodging the ball entirely.
And as everybody looked at Lincoln in shock, the guy flashed a confident smile, ready to use his newfound power to his advantage...
