I do not own The Loud House. All rights belong to Nickelodeon.

Chapter 24

Lynn's dream

Lucy took Lynn to her hotel room. She visited the town for a book signing event for her latest dark fantasy novel. It was a great success as many people bought her book and wanted an autograph. She was so exhausted that she needed some coffee but had trouble finding a coffee shop. Upon her search, she ran into Lynn. Lucy wasn't a person to be easily surprised, but seeing her long-lost big sister, whom she and everyone else assumed was dead, shocked her.

Lucy went out to get Lynn lunch, but when she returned to the room, she found Lynn chugging the bottle of vodka Lucy had received as a gift from her publisher.

"Lynn?! What are you doing?" Lucy questioned loudly.

"I just need something to numb the pain," Lynn defended.

"Are you fucking serious?! I found you out in the streets, and the first thing you do when you get my hotel room is chug some liquor?!" Lucy yelled.

"Please don't yell at me," Lynn pleaded.

"Give me that!" Lucy ordered.

"No!"

Lucy tried to take the bottle away, but Lynn didn't let her. They struggled for a while, and it quickly got out of hand when Lucy had to yank so hard that Lynn was shoved into the wall. When Lynn got up to try to get the vodka back, Lucy slapped Lynn hard in the face. Then Lucy lost control of herself, and she was hitting Lynn in the head until she was curled up on the floor, holding her head, trying to protect herself.

After a while, Lynn noticed that Lucy stopped. She looked up to see tears streaming down Lucy's face.

"I can't fucking believe you. Twenty years. Twenty years. That's how long it's been since we last heard from you – over twenty years. We searched for you, Lynn. We thought you were dead. We buried you! There was a funeral and everything! There's a tombstone back in Royal Woods with your name on it!" Lucy sobbed.

Lynn stayed on the floor, but she felt her sister's sorrow. Her heart ached to see her like this, adding more shame.

Lynn sat up, "I'm-I'm sorry, Lucy."

Lucy held her face and asked firmly, "Where were you?"

Lynn sighed and explained as they sat on the bed, "After high school, I applied for college, but I failed. Each time I tried again, I kept failing miserably over and over again. I wasn't good enough."

Lynn teared up, and her voice broke.

"I was chasing a dream that would never come true. I was going after something I could never have . . . trying to be something that I'm just . . . not. (sobs and sniffs) After that, I lost my job, my apartment, my car, everything. I had nothing. I hit rock bottom," Lynn continued.

"Why didn't you call us? If you were struggling so bad, we would have helped you," Lucy said.

"One: my phone was inactive when I couldn't pay the phone bill, so I couldn't call you even if I wanted to. And two: I was too ashamed to show my face around you guys. You were all so successful and perfect! And I was just some worthless failure. (sobs) I wanted to prove I could do something great like you and Lincoln. I was so tired of being invisible and excluded. I wanted to accomplish things on my own. So, I chased after the impossible," Lynn explained. She squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her nails into the blanket, "But I kept failing, and now I'm just a worthless deadbeat loser."

Lucy stood up, "You should have called us! We would have helped you! We looked for you everywhere after the college told us you flunked out and weren't living on campus. We had search teams and missing posters; Lincoln offered an award of $100,000 to anyone who found you! We even checked unidentified corpses."

There was a long moment of silence. Lynn wept sorrowfully as Lucy punched a wall and stared out the window.

After a long while, Lynn wiped her tears and asked, "You said you buried me. What did you put in the coffin?"

"Sports gear, photos, some of your trophies, crap like that. Were you really that ashamed of yourself that you'd live in the streets rather than ask us for help?" Lucy asked.

Lynn answered, "I was too humiliated to think straight, and I was so tired of being around you guys and hearing how successful you all were at everything. I was so tired of being in your shadow, especially Lincoln's, because he was climbing to the top of the world. Mom, Dad, and the rest of our sisters bragged about how great he was, how he was . . . the perfect son and brother. I just wished that I could have been great like him and you guys so that—"

"We'd be proud of you? So, that our parents would be proud of you?" Lucy guessed.

"Yes! And so that you would love me as much as Lincoln!" Lynn cried.

Lucy let out a soft gasp as she watched her sister break down into tears. She then wrapped her arms around her, not caring how bad she smelled or that she was damp and greasy. Lynn hugged her back and sobbed into her stomach.

"Lynn, we're your family. We love you no matter what. You had nothing to prove. You should have called us. You could have asked the police for help or borrowed someone's phone. We would have helped you. It's better than living homeless on the streets for over twenty years," Lucy stated.

Lynn continued to cry until the aching pain in her leg. She cringed and let out a small cry of pain before she felt light-headed. Her face grew pale, and she was in a cold sweat.

"Lynn, are you okay?" Lucy asked.

"My leg . . . my leg really fucking hurts. A dog attacked me, and I think I stepped on a nail," Lynn answered.

"What?! Which leg?" Lucy questioned.

"My left leg," Lynn answered, lying down.

Lucy yanked her shoe and sock off. Then she pulled her pant leg up, and what she saw made her gasp, and her eyes widened behind her bangs. Lynn had a deep dog bite on her ankle. The veins on her foot and lower leg were heavily discolored, the bite wound was nasty, and it was obvious that she had stepped on a nail. The skin on her foot was damp, indicating that she had trench foot.

"Oh my God! Lynn, we have to take you to the hospital!" Lucy stated with worry in her voice.

"Okay," Lynn said faintly.

However, when she stood up, she collapsed on the floor.

"Lynn! Lynn!" Lucy called as she shook her older sister.

Wasting no time, she called 911 and brought in an ambulance. Once she got to the hospital, they had to wash and get rid of her disgusting clothing before they could work on her. Lucy waited eagerly in the waiting room. After a way, a male doctor in green scrubs came by and brought her to where Lynn was.

"Is she going to be okay, doctor?" Lucy asked.

"She's in real bad shape. That dog bite got her a terrible infection, but thankfully, it didn't have rabies. And she definitely stepped on a nail. There's rust in her system, which explains the bad blood poisoning," the doctor explained while looking at a clipboard, "You said she's your sister?"

"Yes," Lucy answered.

"Then you need to sign this," the doctor said, handing her the clipboard.

"Why?"

"We need authorization to amputate the leg."

Lucy gasped, "What?!"

"Ma'am, the blood poisoning has reached crisis level. The flesh and tissue on her foot have deteriorated. The foot and shin are dead," the doctor explained.

Lucy was panting as she looked at the clipboard. Her hands were trembling.

She uttered, "There's-there's no other way?"

"I can save your sister's life, but nothing on Earth is going to save that leg. I'm sorry, and I don't mean to rush you, but we're running out of time. It's now or never, but we need authorization. Her life is on the line," the doctor explained firmly.

Lucy panted more but was able to sign the paper despite her hand trembling. The doctor nodded and took it before heading into the room to sterilize himself and prepare for the surgery. Lucy had to sit down because she felt like fainting. She felt lightheaded, and her head felt like it was on fire. She took several deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

After a long while, Lucy was about to calm down, but parts of her body felt cold from her clothes, which were damp from her sweat. She went to the nearest restroom to wash her face. She stared at herself in the mirror, still taking in what was happening. Her older sister was alive and homeless; she found her, but now she's getting her leg cut off, or she'll die. All of it made her gag, and she rushed over to a toilet to vomit. When she was done, she returned to the sink to rinse her mouth. Lucy slumped back in a seat in the waiting room. Then she got a text from Luna. She sent a group text to Lincoln, her other sisters, and her. It was a selfie photo of her, Sam, and their adoptive son, Shaun. They were around a birthday cake lit with candles. Shaun had turned nine, and they looked so happy. Shaun looked so cute with his little smiling face, and his moms were pretty. Sam grew her hair out in a ponytail, while Luna had her hair in an undercut ponytail.

Lucy sighed heavily, "What the hell am I going to tell them?"

Lucy thought it would be better to wait until after the surgery and in the morning. She stayed in the hospital long enough for the doctors to tell her that the surgery was a complete success, but she'll be out for a long while as the meds do their work to fight off the rust and infections in her system. Lucy returned to the hotel room and collapsed on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

When morning came, she showered and took several deep breaths before calling Lori's home phone. She waited patiently, listening to the ringing until Lori's daughter, Laraine, finally answered. Laraine looked like her mother, except she had dark brown hair like her father, Ewan – she was in her early teens. Lori's sons, Henry and Thomas, both looked like their father with blonde hair – both were in their teens. Lori grew up into a beautiful woman. She kept herself in shape. She kept her hair in a ponytail with her bangs out. Ewan also stayed in shape and grew a beard but kept it nicely trimmed.

"Hello?" Laraine spoke.

"Laraine, it's Lucy," Lucy said.

"Aunt Lucy! Hi, how are you?" Laraine greeted keenly.

"Honey, is your mother there? I need to speak to her. Tell her it's an emergency."

"Oh, okay."

Laraine jogged through the house, calling, "Mom? Mom! Where are you?"

"I'm over here, sweetie," Lori called.

Laraine went where she was, to the kitchen. She was baking with her eldest son, Henry. Ewan was in the living room playing video games with their youngest son, Thomas.

"Mom, it's Aunt Lucy. She says it's an emergency," Laraine said, holding the phone.

Lori's smile disappeared along with her son's. Lori quickly washes her hands and dries them before taking the phone.

"Hey, Lucy. It's Lori. Everything okay?" Lori asked.

Lucy took a deep breath and spoke, "Lori, I got to tell you something. What I'm about to tell you is going . . . to be real shocking, and there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it. So, brace yourself."

"What is it? What's wrong?" Lori asked.

There was a long and uncomfortable moment of silence. Lucy swallowed a lump in her throat before speaking.

"I found our sister, Lynn. She's alive," Lucy said in a broken voice.

Almost all the blood on Lori's face left her, and her legs felt weak.

"Wha-what?" Lori uttered.

"Lynn. Lynn Loud Jr., she's alive. I found her," Lucy repeated.

"Oh my god . . . you found her? She's alive?!" Lori exclaimed.

Ewan and his son heard her. They looked over their shoulder pensively as they paused the game. Ewan got up from the couch and headed toward his wife as Lori listened to Lucy.

"What hospital is that? Where is it?" Lori asked.

She quickly wrote it down.

"Okay, I'll-I'll-I'll try to be there as soon as possible, okay? I love you, Lucy. Bye," Lori said.

"Honey? What's going on?" Ewan questioned.

Lori hesitantly answered, "My sister . . . Lynn, she's alive, and she's at a hospital. I gotta go see Lucy."

Lucy called her next oldest sister, Leni. Leni grew up as well. She had long, healthy legs and a full figure. Her hair was long and magnificent. She married Gavin, and they had a son and a daughter, James and Emily. James was the youngest, looking like his mother, Leni, with her face and blonde hair. Emily was the eldest, looking more like her father, Gavin, with brown hair tied in a ponytail – Emily was twelve, and James was ten. Gavin still had his handsome looks, stayed buff, and kept his face in a clean shave.

Leni was working on a dress at home. Her husband was cooking in the kitchen while Emily and James ate breakfast. Leni's phone rang, and she saw it was Lucy. A smile emerged.

"Hey Lucy, how are you?" Leni asked joyfully.

However, when Lucy explained, Leni's smile disappeared, and within half a minute or so, she fainted. Her children gasped in fright, and Gavin scrambled to help her.

"Whoa! Leni! Honey, you okay?" Gavin asked desperately as he lifted her.

Next was Luna. She had her hair in an undercut mohawk style. She was sleeping in while her wife, Sam, was making breakfast for their son, Shaun. Sam had her hair tied in a ponytail with the ends of her hair dyed blue. Their son, Shaun, had short brown hair and green eyes – he was nine years old. Luna's phone rang, waking her up, and when she saw Lucy on the caller ID. Luna moaned and groaned as she forced herself awake.

She answered, half asleep, "Hey Lucy, what's up?"

As she listened to her gothic sister, her eyes slowly widened. She roughly and quickly sat up straight and exclaimed, "WHAT?!"

Sam and Shaun were startled by Luna's loud outburst.

"What's going on?" Shaun asked.

"I don't know. I'm going to check on her. Stay here," Sam said before going to the upstairs bedroom.

Luan was next. She was eating breakfast with her husband, Benny, and their twin sons, Ned and Ted – both looked like their parents. Luan's phone rang, and she answered it.

"Hey Lucy, how are you?" Luan greeted.

Her face went pale, and her smile left her as her phone fell out of her hand.

Benny finished chewing, "Luan? Are you okay?"

Lola fainted in her bedroom, and Lana had to pull her truck over on her way to work. She felt like she would pass out after Lucy's phone call. Even Lisa was shocked when she heard the news while at Harvard. They all agreed to meet Lucy at the hospital where Lynn was. However, Lucy didn't call Lily because she didn't want her to worry while in college . . . and she didn't call Lincoln because he was going to take it the hardest out of all of them. She didn't have the strength to tell him by herself. She needed help from all her sisters.

End of Lynn's dream

Lynn opened her heavy eyes. She slowly lifted herself up to sit on the edge of her bed and stared at her left leg. She rubbed while trying not to remember the pain in the nightmares when she stepped on the nail and got bit by a dog. That wasn't as bad as the feeling when she fell in the mud. That feeling of worthlessness is worse than a homeless stray and like an animal. The thought of losing her leg gave her an ungodly chill. She's seen people with only one arm or only one leg, but she's never imagined what it would be like. Who does? How can anyone know what it's like only to use one limb?

Lynn shook her head and said softly to herself, "It's not going to happen. It's never going to happen. Lincoln won't let it happen."

Lynn took several deep breaths while rubbing her head.

"Lincoln is my remedy. Lincoln is my remedy. He protects us. He'll protect me. Those bad futures aren't going to happen," Lynn repeated.

She got up and headed for the bathroom. Lucy waited for her to leave the room before rising from her coffin. She looked down at the headpiece before sneaking into Lisa's room.

"You got it. Did she notice?" Lisa asked, receiving the headpiece.

Lucy shook her head, "No, she didn't. How long will it take for the computer to decode and read Lynn's dream."

"It'll be finished by the time we get back from school. In the meantime, we have to cheer our brother on for his fight," Lisa replied.

Downstairs, where everyone was eating breakfast, and Lynn Sr. was still sleeping, Lincoln was prepping his morning exercise but was using his mother as he lifted her up and down like an overhead press. Rita's pupils were tiny dots as she was in a hunched position while her son lifted her up and down over his head.

"Kids (down, then up) can someone (down, then up) explain (down, then up) how and why (down, then up) my son can (down, then up) lift me in the air?" Rita asked.

"I told you we'd get Lincoln in shape," Lynn said before munching on cereal.

"We helped get him in shape, but Lynn taught him martial arts, and she added some additional exercises to give him strength," Lucy explained.

"And they clearly paid off," Rita commented, "Lincoln, while I am both impressed and proud of how strong you are . . . can you put me down please?"

"Hang on," Lincoln said before tossing her in the air and catching her in a cradle position, "There's something I want to show you."

Lincoln carried Rita, bridal style, and the girls were all amazed at how he carried her without any trouble. He placed his mother on the couch, ran to his bedroom, and returned with a framed picture but kept it covered.

"Okay, close your eyes," Lincoln said.

Rita did, and Lincoln put something in her hands. When she opened them, she saw a beautifully drawn colored pencil picture of Rita holding Lincoln in her arms. Rita gasped, her eyes wide open and her jaw hanging.

"I know it's not Mother's Day or your birthday, but I know how my canvas of the family without you and Dad really hurt your feelings, so I drew you and me. I hope you like it," Lincoln said.

At first, Rita sat there frozen and stared at the framed artwork in awe. She glanced back and forth between her gift and her son. Then tears built up in her eyes, and she cried loudly as waterfall tears rained from her eyes. The sisters in the kitchen were startled and rushed to the living room to see Lincoln holding their mother, and she was hugging him close. She was sitting on his lap as he cradled her.

"What the heck is going on in here?" Lori questioned.

"O-M-Gosh! Lincoln, is this a new drawing?" Leni asked, picking up the framed art.

The girls all gazed upon and were stunned by the artistic talent and skill of their brother.

"Oh, wicked art, bro! Like always, you got skill, dude!" Luna praised.

"It's beautiful!" Lola added with a smile.

"Really brought out the colors," Luan said.

"Wait, I don't get it. Why is Mom crying?" Lana asked.

Rita whimpered and choked at her words, "He-he-he-he-he m-m-made that ffffor mmmmeeee! (loud sobbing) Lincoln lo-loves me!"

"Oh, Mom," Lincoln said, holding her.

"My beautiful baby boy loves me! My little man. He-he-he forgave me! He forgave me! (crying) Oh girls, the art is so beautiful," Rita cried.

Rita's happy sobbing was similar to Charlie's cry when Angel Dust forgave her in the fourth episode of Hazbin Hotel.

"Girls, help me out here," Lincoln requested.

"Mom, it's okay," Leni said, rubbing her mom's head.

"Of course, he loves you. He loves all of us," Lori said.

"Yeah, it's Lincoln we're talking about. If everyone were like him, nobody would feel unloved," Lola added.

"Too right, mate," Luna agreed.

Rita cried for a while longer while her children comforted her until she calmed down. She continued to adore the art he had drawn of her and Lincoln. She looked for a place to hang the artwork while everyone else went back to eat breakfast.

Leni went over to talk to her brother.

"Lincoln, I know that you're strong and you know martial arts, and that's totes cool and all, but can you promise you'll be okay? I just don't want you to get hurt," Leni requested.

Lincoln finished chewing his food and swallowed, "I'll be okay, Leni. I promise. I was half expecting you to say for me to go easy on Crikey."

"I don't care about the kangaroo," Leni said before wrapping her arms around Lincoln in a tight hug, "I care about you! Because you matter. I love you."

"Aw, thanks Leni. I love you, too. But don't worry. It'll be okay. Someone has to teach that kangaroo bully a lesson. I'm gonna teach him the hard way," Lincoln assured.

"Good. Also, I thought of a new mascot for the school. The Royal Woods White Lions!" Leni praised.

Lincoln raised his eyebrow, "White Lions?"

"Lincoln, I don't know if you've been paying attention to the news lately, but that's what people have been calling you. Lincoln Loud, the White Lion of Royal Woods," Lori stated.

"Oooo, I like that," Lynn purred.

"Me too," Lana added.

"I wonder if I can make a song on that. It's got a good ring to it – the White Lion of Royal Woods. The Lion in the Woods," Luna said while tapping her.

"Yeah, it does," Luan agreed, and then Mr. Coconuts said, "You could say that Lincoln's king around here. Might as well call him the Lion King."

"Wait. Leni, are you naming the mascot after me?" Lincoln asked.

"Yeah! And I've had an idea for what the mascot could wear. Instead of a whole costume, just wear a fake lion's head and mane with some makeup and fake whiskers. Kind of like what Luna Lovegood wore in Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince during the quidditch match," Leni explained.

"Okay, that is a good idea," Lori said.

"Lincoln does protect us like a lion protects his pride of lionesses. So, he kind of is a lion at this point," Lucy said.

Lincoln shrugged, "Eh, you could say that. Although, in a pride of lions, the women in the pride do all the hunting. They're kind of the ones that do all the work. Male lions are lazy."

"Not quite so, Lincoln. While lionesses are often the primary hunters in the pride, male lions play an important role. They safeguard and protect the pride, including the cubs, mark territories, and hunt with the lionesses during whole pride hunts. They're not as lazy as they seem," Lisa corrected.

"Oh . . . I didn't know that," Lincoln said.

Later

The gym was prepared and ready for the fight. It had a fighting ring with ropes and everything. It was the last week of school. After today, it was only a few days before summer vacation. Almost everyone in school was there to watch it, including Lincoln's sisters, his girlfriend, and all his friends. Luan's boyfriend, Benny, Luna's girlfriend, Sam, and Leni's boyfriend, Gavin, also showed up. Everyone was cheering for Lincoln. Lincoln had hand wrappings around his hands, knuckles, wrists, and forearms. He wore UFC fighting gloves, his black karate Gi with ripped sleeves, the tiger on the back, and his red headband bandana. Crikey was wearing his red jacket and yellow boxing gloves.

"I don't know about this," Gavin said.

"Relax, dude, Linky's got this," Luna said.

"I'm on Gavin's side. I don't know how to feel about Lincoln fighting a kangaroo," Benny said.

"Benny, trust me. Lincoln is going to mop the floor with that oversized rat," Luan stated.

Sam crossed her arms, "I hope you're right."

"It's Lincoln's fight. Someone has to stand up to that bully kangaroo, and Lincoln feels it has to be him. I'm not worried about it. Lynn taught our brother really well," Lori stated.

"Lola, what's with the baseball bats?" Lana asked.

"It's just a precaution," Lola answered.

"For what?" Lucy asked.

"You know, in case we need to pay Crikey a visit after the ring."

Lincoln was sitting in one corner of the right with Lynn massaging his shoulders while Crikey was in the corner across from him with Coach Keck.

"Crikey, don't you lose this fight! I got money betting on you! Turns out having Hans massage my back and shoulders ain't cheap," Coach Keck said.

Crikey chugged two energy drinks before crushing the cans and then howled.

"Don't forget, Lincoln, he's a kangaroo, and you're the White Lion . . . and lions are apex predators. Make him your prey," Lynn stated.

"Show him what you're made of, Linky!" Stella cheered.

Lincoln pulled out a heavy chain and bit hard into it, chewing it like a machine. Then he gritted his teeth, showing that the chains were braces without a single tooth out of place or even with a chip. When he bared his teeth, there was a loud metal shing sound, like from sharpening a knife – he spat them out before putting on his mouthguard.

Liam announced on the speakers, "Ladies and gentlemen! The moment you've all been waiting for is about to begin! In this corner, all the way from the land down under, he chugs energy drinks faster than he can hop . . . Crikey!"

Everyone booed him, making him so angry that steam was coming out of his nostrils.

"And in the other corner, the man with the plan, you know him, you love him, the Hero and Lion of Royal Woods. Let's hear it for . . . Lincoln Loud!"

Everyone cheered and chanted his name. The two fighters met in the middle of the ring, and the referee stated the rules: no biting, no eye gouging, and no hair pulling. They went back to their corners and waited for the bell to ring.

Once it rang, the fight began. Lincoln remembered everything Lynn taught him as he stayed light on his feet. A good defense is a good offense. As predicted, Crikey was impatient as he attacked first, swinging his fists left and right. Lincoln dodged and parried each one. Crikey threw some punches, but when he threw a hard right hook, Lincoln blocked with his right, spun around, elbowed Crikey's gut with his left, kicked his leg with his right, and then kneed him in the face with his left.

"Get up, Crikey! Come on!" Coach Keck shouted.

The crowd cheered as the kangaroo stumbled backward. Once he regained his balance, he attacked again. After attempting a left uppercut and straight right punch, Lincoln grabbed his right arm, punched him hard in the ribs with his left, punched the kangaroo in the face with his right, and then with his left hand, he swept Crikey's legs, making him fall on his back. However, what caught Lincoln off guard was Crikey, who spun on the floor using his tail, making Lincoln fall.

"Watch that tail!" Lynn called.

"Get at him!" Coach Keck ordered.

Crikey got up first to attack. Lincoln rolled backward to get back on his feet, but Crikey was at him. Lincoln kept his guard up as Crikey punched at him, mainly hitting his sides.

"Get out of that!" Lynn called.

Luna held her head, Luan bit her fingers, and Lori paced back and forth with her hands on her hips. Crikey kept punching until, finally, he leaned back on his tail to kick with both legs like kangaroos do. Lincoln dodged it and shot a back kick at Crikey, which he blocked as he fell to his side. Then the bell rang, and they went back to their corners.

"You gotta watch out for that tail, Link. He can use it for offense and not just so he can double kick you," Lynn said.

"I'll keep my eyes open," Lincoln nodded.

Lynn looked over her shoulder at the kangaroo, "You're doing good, though. You see? He's already bleeding out of his nose. Keep at it."

Lincoln nodded as he sipped some water. Coach Keck talked to Crikey while soaking his face with a wet sponge. Not sure if the kangaroo is going to listen to anything she says. The bell rang, and they went at it again. This time, Crikey was able to land some punches, but Lincoln always punched and kicked him back – he even did a few shoulder throws, slamming Crikey on the ground.

"Come on, Lincoln!" Lori cheered.

"Kick his butt!" Leni cheered.

"Block! Left! Jab! Uppercut!" Gavin called.

Lincoln landed an excellent uppercut right at the kangaroo's kisser, making everyone cheer.

"Yes! Yeah!" Sam cheered.

"Yeah! Hit him! Hit him!" Benny called.

Meanwhile

Lynn Sr. was out of the hospital and able to walk using crutches. He was able to go to the campus to learn up close. He stuck close to his friend Kevin. He helped Lynn Sr. with the daily assignments and activities. However, Kevin noticed that Lynn Sr. was looking pretty down. He waited until lunch to talk to him.

Lynn Sr. had a glum look as he munched on his food.

"I'd ask if you're okay, but it's obvious that you're not. What's wrong?" Kevin asked.

Lynn Sr. left a long pause before replying, "I envy you."

Kevin raised an eyebrow, "Me? What do you envy me for?"

"Your wife loves you."

Kevin's eyes widened.

"So does yours," Kevin said.

"I don't know about that," Lynn Sr. replied before half chuckling, "I mean, hell, she thinks my son is more of a man than I am."

"How do you know that?" Kevin asked.

"She and my daughters bragged about his greatness in front of me," Lynn Sr. answered before scoffing, "You should have seen the way they looked at me . . . and hear their voices."

Kevin remained silent. Then he rubbed his chin while looking away, thinking.

"You know . . . when I'm feeling down, I think of all the things I'm grateful for. That makes me feel better. I got stuff that I'm grateful for. I'm grateful that I found someone who loves me so much that she asked me to marry her," Kevin spoke.

"She proposed?" Lynn Sr. asked.

"Yeah!" Kevin smiled, "It was amazing. She had it all planned. She took me to my favorite arcade and had the manager and staff hang the prizes in the shape of words to spell out: 'Will you marry me?' I almost cried. I'm grateful for that. I'm grateful for my dad and my brother. I'm grateful for my friends, for my home, and that I've been given the opportunity to help save lives. So, come on, Lynn. There's gotta be things you're grateful for."

As Kevin explained, Lynn Sr.'s anger and frustration boiled. Kevin literally had things that he felt he was losing.

Lynn Sr. snapped at him, "Grateful? Grateful?! Oh yeah, I have a ton to be grateful for! I have daughters who don't want to be seen with me in public and barely talk to me! And a wife that won't let me be anywhere near her, let alone touch her! And a son who's so ashamed and disappointed in me that he feels like I'm a total stranger to him!"

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, man."

"Sorry, it's just . . . my little motorcycle stunt made my father more than angry. He chewed my ass out in the hospital, and my brother (scoffs) my brother threatened to take custody of my son if I mess up again . . . and right now, you're probably the only friend I got."

"Well, okay, there's something to be grateful for. You have a friend and a new one. That's one thing. Now, come on, think. What else do you have to be grateful for in this world? There's gotta be something."

Lynn Sr. thought momentarily before speaking, "I'm grateful that my wife and I aren't in prison."

"There we go. What else?"

"I'm grateful that my son saved my life."

"See? There's more than one thing. What else? It doesn't have anything big. You can be grateful for little things like TV shows or certain foods we have here that other places don't," Kevin said.

Lynn Sr. listed, "Let's see . . . I'm grateful for the show Dessert Storm. I'm grateful for Starbursts. I love that hard gummy candy. I'm grateful for cherry blossoms. They're very beautiful. I'm grateful that I had Vanzilla for so long (groans while rolling eyes and grumbles) before my wife sold it while I was in the hospital."

Lynn Sr. and Kevin listed and discussed what they're grateful for. They told story after story until their lunch break was over.

Meanwhile

Lincoln and Crikey continued their fight for four more rounds. Even with knowing fewer fighting styles than Lincoln, Crikey could really take a hit. He rebounded, and Lincoln was now bleeding from the side of his head over his left eye, had a bruised cheek, bruises on his sides, and his nose was bleeding. Lincoln was drenched in his sweat from head to toe. His skin shined in the light.

Crikey looked a lot worse. His left eye was swollen shut, and his nose was broken. He also had bruises on his face and his torso. However, at the end of the fourth round, after the bell rang, Crikey threw a sucker punch at Lincoln, and that made the whole crowd angry. They roared and booed Crikey, throwing stuff at him. One guy threw a hard plastic bottle that hit him right in the back of the head.

Then, the fifth round began, and Lincoln stayed on the defensive. Crikey threw some quick jabs toward his face, but Lincoln blocked and waited to hit him in the side. Crikey threw a fast jab that hit Lincoln's nose and then uppercut him right in the chin. Lincoln fell and landed on his back.

"No!" Lynn called.

"Lincoln!" Stella cried.

The referee started counting. Crikey grinned a confident smile and howled. When Lincoln looked up at him at that moment, he saw something else. He saw Lynn, the old Lynn, and he heard her voice. Time slowed down, and all the noise fell away as her voice echoed.

"You can't even beat this chump? It's no wonder you're nothing but bad luck," Old Lynn said.

Lincoln's eyes widened, and one of his eyes twitched.

"You can't beat him because you're too weak! All you do is screw up! Honestly, things would be better for all of us if you just weren't around," Old Lynn continued.

Lincoln felt a spark ignite, and a red, hot feeling of anger began to boil.

"The only thing you do is screw up. You give bad luck! You're a jinx!" Old Lynn jabbed.

Lincoln slowly started panting, and his eyes glowed red. The red-hot feeling increased with each passing second, feeling him with rage.

"I know I would be better off without a brother like you, Stinkin! We all would! I wish you were never born!" Old Lynn stated.

Then, the fire turned into a roaring flame. Lincoln gritted his razor-sharp teeth and growled fiercely while flexing his hands as he got up. As he growled, Lincoln breathed the fire and steam out of his lungs. His vision was blurry, and all he could see was Old Lynn. Behind Lucy's bangs, her eyes widened as she saw Lincoln's sudden change.

"Six! Seven! Eight!" the referee counted before Lincoln was back on his feet.

The crowd cheered. Crikey turned around to see Lincoln standing. He shot a glare at Lincoln before huffing and puffing as he hoped. However, when Lincoln growled, and Crikey howled again, Lincoln let out a thunderous lion-like roar that gave everyone chills – even Crikey looked at him wide-eyed. Then, he steeled himself and attacked Lincoln. He threw a right hook, but Lincoln dodged it and spun around to deliver a hard spinning back kick with his heel hitting him in the ribs, cracking them. Crikey cried in pain before he tried to strike Lincoln with his tail. Lincoln caught the tail, barely skidding on the floor, gripped the tail hard, and swung Crikey around in the air before slamming him hard on the ground, shaking the area. The crowd cheered at that.

"Yes! Get him, Lincoln!" Lynn called.

"Kick his butt!" Stella cheered.

Everyone was cheering Lincoln's name, but Lucy was worried as she watched Lincoln's rage take hold of him. In Lincoln's mind, he wasn't seeing or fighting Crikey at all – it was Old Lynn. For a second or so, Lincoln saw flashbacks to all the visions involving the bad luck incident and all its different outcomes. Each flashback fueled his anger.

Crikey rolled over and was back on his feet again, but Lincoln kicked him in the chest, making him stumble back into a corner. Crikey threw a right punch, Lincoln ducked and punched him hard in the gut, and then threw a hard left hook at his face. Crikey threw a left hook, but Lincoln dodged that and sent dozens of quick punches to Crikey's side, hitting his ribs. Then Lincoln punched with his left, then right, then left, then right again, breathing each time. He sent a hard punch to Crikey's gut, making a gasp and bowing his head forward. Lincoln shot a hard right uppercut to Crikey's face, causing him to lose his mouth guard and send blood in the air as his head shot backward. While stunned, leaning back against the corner and the ropes, Lincoln spun around and delivered a hard spin roundhouse heel kick to Crikey's face.

The force from his kick spent Crikey spinning as he fell. Lincoln got on top of him and continued to punch him repeatedly. Crikey barely had any strength left to defend himself. He tried to raise his arms to keep his guard up, but it was useless. It wasn't long until he stopped resisting. In a fiery rage, Lincoln unleashed his anger on what he thought was the old Lynn. The one that bullied him, picked on him, belittled him, called him names, and made him feel stupid and worthless. The one that would start the whole bad luck incident in the first place and poison the entire family against him. Lincoln ended it with one last hard punch to the face that knocked out several teeth.

Lincoln stood up, staring down at the old Lynn on the ground, black-eyed, bruised, and bleeding. Once the bell rang, Lincoln was zapped back to reality. All noise could be heard, including the crowd cheering, the referee counting to ten and announcing Lincoln as the winner, his sisters and friends chatting his name, and Coach Keck groaning and whining in defeat.

The referee raised Lincoln's arm up, "The winner, Lincoln Loud!"

Lincoln looked around and remembered where he was. He looked down to see Old Lynn gone and Crikey on the ground – bloody, bruised and beaten. At that moment, Lincoln felt a weight off of his chest. Whatever leftover anger he had buried deep down was gone. Lincoln turned to see Lynn climbing into the arena with her arms. She had a joyful smile and happy tears escaping her eyes. She jumped onto Lincoln, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him a hug. Stella was close behind her and embraced Lincoln in a tight hug. They didn't care that he stank.

"Lincoln! You did amazing!" Stella said joyfully.

"I'm so ding-dang proud of you, Linky! I'm so happy to be your sister!" Lynn said so happily that a tear ran down each eye.

Lincoln felt his heartstrings tug. He smiled and hugged Lynn and Stella back. He looked upon the crowd and saw his other sisters cheering. He saw the pride and joy on their faces. Lincoln's heart was filled with love and happiness for his family, his friends, and his sisters. They changed for him. They went the distance for him as he has for them, and he knew without any doubt that they'd do it again for him as he would for them. The old Loud family that would neglect, abuse, and abandon him were long gone. This new Loud family would die for him.

When Lincoln looked back at Crikey, who was being looked at by the school nurse, he felt a chill and a feeling of sorrow as he glanced at Crikey and at his hands. There was still some of Crikey's blood on the gloves, and he remembered the feeling of rage he had when he beat him. It wasn't for Crikey; it was for the old Lynn.

'Am I a monster now?' Lincoln thought.

He remembered before his powers, he wasn't capable of such anger. Did his family bring that out in him?

'I don't want to hurt my family. Why is there a part of me that did want to?' Lincoln asked himself, 'I don't feel angry anymore. Was it because I imagined that Crikey was Old Lynn?'

Lincoln suddenly remembered a saying that Clyde told him that he had heard from Dr. Lopez:

"Sometimes you have to let it out so you can let it go."

'Is that what I did? I let out the remaining anger I had deep down inside out. Was that a coping technique? Is that why I'm not angry anymore?' Lincoln asked himself.

He looked down at Lynn in his arms, still hugging him. He glanced at his sisters in the crowd. Like Lynn, their faces had so much pride and joy – pride and joy for him.

'They're proud of me. They love me. I mean that much to them,' Lincoln thought as a tear escaped his eye.

Lincoln held Lynn and Stella tighter. His heart was filled with happiness and love. Lincoln felt like he made a mental breakthrough. All the times questioning whether or not his family could be trusted and whether the bad futures would happen – now there's no doubt at all. There's no way the future would change from good to bad, not by them. At this point, they couldn't do those bad things even if they wanted to. They love Lincoln too much, and that made Lincoln so happy that he could cry.

'I love them. I love them so much!' Lincoln thought.

More kids from the crowd climbed the ring and held Lincoln up on their shoulders as they cheered his name. Lincoln held his fists up in victory and let out a cry of victory. Then, someone who looked like an official had the microphone. He was holding a golden belt with little jewels in it. The belt looked like a championship belt for fighters, wrestlers, and boxers. This one was smaller and less decorative. It said 'State Championship.'

The official said, "Ladies and gentlemen, Lincoln Loud has defeated Crikey—the kickboxing champion of the state of Michigan. Because he beat the best, and since we recently discovered that Crikey cheated in some of his previous fights, we decided that Lincoln Loud is the new champion of Michigan!"

The crowd cheered again as the official handed Lincoln the belt. Lincoln held it up high for everyone to see. Everyone was filming and taking so many pictures. Lincoln felt lighter than air as if he were at the top of the world.