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Alphared45667: Thanks

Guest 04-26-2024: That's fair. I want this story to be the whole Loud Family show, not just the Lincoln Loud show.

Perseus12: It's certainly an interesting idea. I'll think about it, but no promises.

_

Chapter 2: You're Not Alone

Disclaimer: I don't own The Loud House. I make no money or profit from this.

The family were still talking about Spider-Woman after getting some food and drinks, or using the bathroom. With Lincoln, Lana, and Lynn Jr. talking excitedly, while the others were more subtle about it. Lisa was confident that she could create the Lizard Mutagen without the harmful side effects. However the parents were strongly against this. They still had a hard time believing that monster was once the counterpart of their only son.

"Hey, look at that!" Lola said, pointing to the sky of the pocket dimension. There they saw an orb floating down towards Cobalt.

The android held his hands open and let the orb land on them. The orb was a swirling blue and white with an image of a black badminton shuttlecock on it. Once again, his eyes turned blue before going back to red. He then made his way to join the Loud family.

"Is that the next world?" Lincoln asked, curiously.

"Yes it is," Cobalt replied. "This one is much shorter than the last one. It appears to be a small scene between two individuals."

"Is it as…sad as the last one?" Rita asked hesitantly. Not wanting to see one of her children hurt or dead again.

"No, but it's…" he paused, trying to think of the right words. "...Has a heavy subject matter." The family started to look at each other worryingly. "It's nothing involving death or fighting. It's hard to explain without spoiling something."

"Then what can you tell us?" Lisa asked.

"Well I have to give some background anyways," he started to reply. "This viewing will focus on Lynn Jr. and her being in a school badminton club. She is the only child of Rita and Shintarou Hanesaki. She is half Japanese with Rita being from America. Rita is a badminton professional and met Shintarou while she was in Japan for a competition. The two fell in love and Rita moved to Japan and had Lynn."

Once again the family was shocked at how different this world was to their own.

"So I'm an only child and have a different dad?" Lynn Jr. asked, trying to process this new information.

"That's correct," Cobalt replied simply. "From your reaction, all of you finding out there's only one of you to your parents is surprising. Which it shouldn't be, most families have 1-3 children. Having 11 isn't a normal thing, or at least to the information I have." This had the Loud kids looking at each other with looks of realization, as if just figuring out that they are abnormal. The parents blushed in embarrassment at just realizing the same thing.

"Well it's interesting that Lynn is half Japanese," Luan said, hoping to move onto another subject.

"Back to this world" Cobalt resumed. "Lynn wanted to be like her mother and be a professional Badminton player. However during middle school, she lost an important match. This caused Rita to leave her daughter and Lynn to give up the sport and live with her grandparents."

"Why would she leave her daughter?!" Rita screamed in disbelief.

"I'm not fully sure," their host replied. "I have the reason, but my creator is unsure if it is accurate. Anyways, Lynn only got back into badminton thanks to her childhood friend Erena Fujisawa during their 1st year of high school. The club she joined is at a training camp with other schools attending. The scene you're about to see takes place at the end of that camp. She is confronting this girl because when they talked during camp, she had told Lynn she knew about her mother."

"Why just this scene?" Lynn Sr. asked. "Why not the whole training camp?"

"As I said before, my creator does things without rhyme or reason," he replied. "Now let's begin shall we." He then tossed the orb into the screen and the viewing began.

Lynn Hanesaki had just finished her badminton summer training camp. She had her brunette hair in a ponytail and wore her school's uniform which consisted of a white short sleeve button up collared shirt, and red ribbon blue plaid skirt. She was standing in front of a taller girl. She had long blonde hair in pigtails and was wearing a sleeveless hoodie vest, pink strapped blouse, and a short white skirt. This girl was Lori Christensen, someone she faced in a practice match at camp. During the few times she had talked to the taller girl, she had spoken of her mother, Rita Hanesaki. Unbeknownst to both of them, they were being watched by 2 people. One had long purple hair, this was Erena Fujisawa, Lynn's childhood friend. The other had short spiky brunette hair, this was Nagisa Aragaki, one of Lynn's teammates.

"Wait, is that Lori?" Lana asked, seeing who Lynn was in front of.

"It literally is," Lori answered dumbfounded. She didn't expect to see another version of herself.

"That version really let her hair grow out," Lola commented. "Although the pigtails seem a little childish."

"Lynn's uniform is alright, but it could be totes better," Leni spoke up, focusing only on their outfits. "Maybe a few accessories, change the color of the shirt, and go with a solid color skirt instead of plaid. Lori's outfit though is very stylish and casual." She then looked at the eldest Loud daughter. "You should totes let your hair grow out, Lori, it would look soooo good on you."

"There's literally no way that's happening Leni!" Lori hastily replied. She then started to smooth and pet her hair, as if it was suddenly going to grow longer.

"Before we go I just have to ask," Lynn timidly started. "How do you know my mother?"

"You must be confused," Lori replied with a questioning expression, her voice having an accent. "Rita is my mother."

"Why is Lori saying mom is her mother?" Lincoln asked, turning to their host.

"Yeah and what's with the accent?" Luan joined in. "I thought only dad and Luna did that."

"Also, why are they speaking English? I thought this was in Japan?" Lisa threw in her own question.

"I'll answer Luan's question first," Cobalt started to reply. "Lori has an accent because she is from Denmark. She was a badminton player and exchange student studying in Japan. Second, they are speaking English because I'm translating them for you. I doubt many of you would enjoy reading subtitles." His gaze lingered on Lola, who lowered her head trying to hide. "As for why this Lori is calling Rita her mother, you'll see in a bit."

"What do you mean?" Lynn asked in a disbelief and confused voice. Her expression was static and emotionless.

"She saved me," the blonde told her, remembering her past. "For a moment, I thought I was alone."

"What did she mean by that?" Luna asked, looking at the android.

"When Lori was a child, she was a prodigy," Cobalt started to answer. "Because of this, she was isolated by her peers. When she was at training camp, she ran away and met Rita. That was the start of their bonding and Rita eventually took her as her student and adopted daughter."

"Why did she adopt her?" Rita asked, confused by her counterpart's actions. "I think what she did was sweet, but she adopted another girl while leaving her own daughter."

"I'm not sure," he replied. "My creator believes it to be one of four reasons. She either wanted to train her because she was a prodigy, she wanted to make up for leaving her own daughter, she just wanted to take in a lonely girl, or a combination of the three. My creator believes she wasn't thinking of her own daughter when she made the choice to adopt her."

"I see..." was all Rita could say. She, along with the rest of her family, were unsure how to feel about her counterpart. She did help and adopted a girl that needed her, but she left her own flesh and blood daughter.

"Wait a moment!" The brunette interrupted, expression the same but fear and desperation filled her voice. "Why are you calling her that?!"

"She taught me how to live," Lori replied calmly, ignoring her question.

"You're not making any sense?!" Lynn interrupted again.

"That Lori is a real jerk," Lynn Jr. commented with a frown.

"Yeah, why is she literally being rude?" Lori asked, not liking her counterpart's attitude.

"Now girls, I'm sure there's a good reason why she's acting this way" Lynn Sr. responded, trying to calm his daughters.

Lori then started to dig into her pocket and pulled something out. She then handed it to Lynn, and she opened it to see it was a photo.

It was a photo Lynn had seen before in a magazine. It had her mother and a short-haired blonde girl walking near a grassy meadow, with the blonde kissing Rita on the cheek. Rita is seen smiling at the girl with affection. "This is…" was all she could say. Memories of the first time seeing this picture flooded her head.

"I look pretty cute with short hair, don't I?" Lori commented with a small smile. Taking back the photo.

"That's not good," Lana said, after seeing the photo.

"I can't imagine how hurt Lynn must've been seeing that" Luan said.

"She must've known Lynn would've seen the article," Lucy said.

"You should totes style your hair like that, Lori," Leni said. Talking about the Lori in the picture.

"No! I like my hair the way it is!" Lori replied to her sister.

Rita meanwhile had tears building up in her eyes. She couldn't believe a version of herself would abandon her child and replace her with another. Lynn Sr. could only try to comfort his wife, not liking what he's hearing about this version of her.

"You're the Lori…" Lynn whispered out. Her voice is hollow and expression blank.

"Mama's coming to Japan soon," Lori told her confidently, a smile never leaving her face. "Surprised?" Lynn could only let out a choked air of confusion. "She's my family, the most important person in my life. I bet it's the same for you."

Lynn could only stare at her with the same expression. Her mind and heart are trying to process everything she just heard.

"It doesn't matter if you belong to a team," Lori started saying. Her smile was gone and was replaced with a look of determination. "If she doesn't acknowledge you, there's no point in playing badminton is there?"

"I really want to punch that Lori," the athletic Loud growled.

"You and me both," Lori agreed with her sister. She wasn't liking how this version of her was talking with that version of Lynn.

"Why is she acting that way?" Lana asked her family. "She was adopted by mom, so they are sisters. So why is she acting so hostile?"

"It seems like she's jealous of Lynn," Lincoln replied to his younger sister.

"Jealous of what?" Luan asked him. "Mom left Lynn to take care of Lori. It looks like mom favored Lori over Lynn."

"Maybe it's because she has friends," Lincoln replied. "Cobalt did say she was isolated from other kids because of her talent. She did say mom saved her, so it sounds like mom is the only person in her life."

"I'm curious," Lisa said, looking at their host. "Where is Lynn's father?"

"I don't know that," Cobalt replied. "When Rita left, she lived with her father's parents. However both Shintarou and his parents agreed with Rita's plan."

All this talking wasn't helping Rita's emotional state.

The scene changes to a flashback of a child Lynn and Rita. They were practicing badminton in a personal gym. Lynn was wearing a elementary school gym clothes, while Rita wore a white sleeveless top and black pants. Her long blonde hair was tied in the back with a piece of white cloth. Lynn was out of breath.

"You should grow your hair long mom," Leni commented, after seeing her mother's counterpart.

"I don't think so honey," Rita replied, trying to hide her sadness.

"Okay, that's enough practice for today," Rita said, wiping away some sweat from her forehead.

"Please one more," the tired Lynn pleaded with her mother. "If I miss then I promise we'll stop."

"That certainly sounds like Lynn," Luna commented. Everyone agreed with her.

"No Lynn, you said that last time," the mother replied. Her voice is kind yet firm. "Practice is over today. We'll try tomorrow." Rita then turned to leave.

"That's not fair!" Lynn shouted. "I got to keep going! Say it didn't count! Please!"

Rita then stopped and looked back at her daughter. Her face showed a neutral expression. "If you get good enough, I'll play with you any time you want." Her voice was emotionless and firm. She then started to leave again, ignoring her daughter.

Seeing her mother leaving her, she started to run after her. "Don't leave!" Lynn cried, chasing after her. "Wait for me!"

"Why couldn't they play some more?" Lola asked.

"The child version of our sister is obviously exhausted," Lisa started to reply. "It would be best for her to stop there, so not become ill or sustain any injuries."

"Yeah, but she didn't have to sound so…distant with telling her" Luan rebuke.

"What do you think she meant with what she said?" Lana asked.

"I think it's her way to motivate my counterpart," Lynn Jr. answered. "She basically told her if she gets to a certain level, they can play against each other whenever she wants."

"However this may have had a negative effect," Lisa remarked, thinking about what Lynn just said. "Since that version of our mother unit left after she lost an important match, she may have believed her mother stopped caring for her and left because she lost. The fact that she cares for and adopted another girl doesn't help dissolve that misunderstanding."

Hearing this only increased Rita's depression and she silently started crying. She really couldn't understand what her counterpart was thinking while doing everything she had done. Lynn Sr. could only hug and comfort his heartbroken love.

It returned to the present with the 2 teen girls. "I'm going to beat you one-on-one," Lori said to her with confidence. "To prove to mama I'm worthy of her love." She then started to leave. "We'll meet again soon," was the last thing Lori said to the shell shocked girl. Both Erena and Nagisa could only watch on in silence and pretend they saw nothing.

"I literally hate that version of me," Lori grumbled.

"No kidding dude, she's got major beef with Lynn," Luna commented with a frown.

"Why is Lori being so mean?" Leni questioned with a sad frown. "I mean they are sisters, they should get along."

"It's not that simple Leni," Lincoln replied to his older sister.

"Lincoln's right," Lucy added in. "From what Cobalt told us, this is their first meeting." She looked to him for confirmation, which he nodded. "Lynn sees Lori as someone who replaced her. While Lori sees Lynn as someone to overcome. Both are in a battle for mom's love and attention."

The parents only continue to feel worse the more their children speculate on why all this was happening.

The screen changed to Lynn sitting on a bus with her teammates and club mates. She was sitting hunched over, staring down at the ground. Erena was sitting beside her and looking at her worried. "Hey, so um…" she started asking nervously. "...Did you talk to that Lori girl about your mom?"

Lynn slowly started to raise her head, but only enough for Erena to see her face. Her expression changed from worry to shock and concern. Lynn's eyes were dark and hollow, her face was emotionless, but with a small dark smile. "What does it matter?" Lynn started to reply in a soft, quiet, dead, emotionless voice. "I don't need a mom."

The screen turned off and Cobalt walked in front of it. "That's it for this world, so your thoughts?"

The Loud clan were taken aback from the last scene, not expecting something like that.

"I never thought I would see such darkness come from Lynn," Lucy replied with a bit of fear in her voice. "Now I wish I never did."

"Dude! Lynn looked and sounded like she was ready to kill!" Luna screamed at their host.

"It seems like all the years of neglect had finally reached its limit," Lisa replied, shaking from the look of Lynn's face and voice. "Lynn had, as some would say, gone completely bonkers."

"I never imagined I would see a darker Lynn than Lucy," a terrified Lincoln responded. Lola and Lana were hugging his sides.

"Okay now I'm literally afraid for my other self," a nervous Lori replied, while comforting Leni.

"Okay even if I could, there's no way I could make a joke of that," Luan replied with a nervous expression. "I don't think any of us saw that coming."

Rita was now openly crying. Seeing one of her daughters acting like that and knowing her counterpart was responsible for it. "What was the reason she left?" Lynn Sr. asked, hoping that might comfort his wife.

"From what my creator found…" Cobalt started to reply. "...It was because Rita didn't want Lynn to become dependent on her. However, my creator doesn't believe that. They believe it was something similar to what your Lynn said, motivation to get better. My creator thinks Rita left to try to drive Lynn to get better so they could play against each other again. However this backfired and caused her to quit while mentally and emotionally scarring her. As for adopting Lori, they believe she had no ill intention and just wanted to help a lonely girl that may have reminded her of her own daughter."

"What a load of bullshit!" Rita shouted, making her family jump in fear. "Even if one of those is the reason, it doesn't make it right!"

"Didn't you all do something similar with the bad luck fiasco?" Cobalt asked the family. This question made everyone flinch and look down in shame. "Putting that aside, my creator had informed me that later she does acknowledge what she did wasn't right, but seems to show little to no remorse for her actions. That's just how she is."

This did nothing to comfort the family and only made them more ashamed for some of their past actions. "Does Lynn do anything…drastic?" Lincoln asked.

"No she doesn't" the android replied. "Any more questions?"

"Can you please make the next world happier?" Lynn Sr. asked him.

"As I said before, it is my creator who picks the worlds," Cobalt replied. "However I will pass this message onto them, they might grant your request." He then went to stand off elsewhere to wait for the next orb. The family meanwhile huddled together to comfort one another.