After getting shocked from the last viewing, Lincoln's family is holding him back from strangling Watcher, who was laughing his ass off.
Lincoln: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN BET ON MY LOVE LIFE!?"
Luna (struggling to hold him back): "Bro, calm down!"
Lincoln: "NOT UNTIL HE STOPS LAUGHING AND ANSWERS ME!"
Watcher: "Hahah ahaha hahaha!"
Lincoln doubles his efforts as his family is slowly being dragged behind him.
Lincoln: "RAAAA!"
Lana: "We need help over here!"
Soon, the Casagrandes, McBrides, and the Moon Goats also step in to help. After about 20 minutes of pulling, raging, and shouting, Lincoln finally calms down slightly.
Winnie (rubbing her ears): "Ouch, he sure can yell…"
Phanty: "I guess he's living up to his last name."
Many chuckle at that.
Rita: "Lincoln is usually the second-quietest, right after Lucy."
Wolfman (rubbing his ears too): "I find that hard to believe."
Watcher: "She's right. But when he needs to be loud, he is LOUD."
Creature: "Thinking back to when he calmed everyone down… he did make the whole place rattle slightly with just a yell."
Tsuki: "Must have a nice set of pipes then. He was almost as loud as Dad when he roars."
Godzilla snorts in agreement.
Miss Grimwood: "But I wonder why they would place bets on his love life?"
Watcher: "A great question—and one that I shall answer, if you will all go back to your seats."
Everyone returns to their seats. Lincoln throws one more glare at Watcher before sitting down.
Gram-Gram: "Can you now tell us why they're betting on Lincoln's love life?"
Watcher: "Of course! It's because it's the most entertaining thing in the Multiverse."
Lincoln's scowl deepens, while others look confused.
Dana: "Can you please explain?"
Watcher: "The romance, passion, drama, and humor make it great to watch—but the biggest factor is the uncertainty."
Milly (slightly intrigued): "The uncertainty?"
Watcher: "Yes. He's a great guy to date, but it's always uncertain who he'll end up with. Usually, there are a few girls competing to date him."
Frida: "Really?"
Watcher: "Yep. The standard is usually five."
Everyone: "FIVE!?"
Although Lincoln is still peeved about the betting, he can't help but blush. The thought of even one girl liking him makes him red, but five makes his whole face turn bright red.
Watcher: "I said standard. It could be less—like two or three—or it could be eleven or twelve."
Milly: "But what do they mean about him being 'dense'?"
Watcher: "Well, all the different versions of him across the Multiverse have a hard time figuring out if someone likes him."
Lincoln: "Okay, now I know you're joking. I'd be able to tell if someone liked me."
Watcher blinks, genuinely wondering if he heard that right.
Watcher: "What did you say?"
Lincoln: "I said I'd be able to tell if someone liked me."
Watcher throws his head back and starts laughing.
Watcher: "HAHAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA HAHAHA!"
Watcher falls to his knees, banging the floor as he continues to laugh.
Watcher: "I can't breathe! HAH AHAHAHA! Take notes, Luan, because that's how you tell a joke!"
Luan (confused and offended): "What's so funny? I tell great jokes!"
Watcher: "Because he actually believes that!"
Dracula: "The boy can't be that bad, right?"
Watcher: "Oh, trust me. When you see it, you'll know our pain."
Vanna: "Pain? I thought you all enjoyed it?"
Watcher: "We do, but there are times when it hurts to watch how clueless he is."
Lori: "Well, it doesn't matter, because he already has a girlfriend."
Lincoln (sighing): "No, I don't, Lori. Ronnie Anne and I are just friends—and you can't say otherwise."
Ronnie Anne (looking slightly upset but glaring at Lori): "He's right. You have no say in the matter."
Lori: "Well, I know what's best for him, and since I'm the one in a relationship, I know love when I see it."
Watcher: "Okay, I'll say this, Lori: no one cares about your relationship—it's gross even for us Watchers."
Lori (face turning red with rage): "Excuse me!?"
Watcher: "It's over-obsessive. All you think about is Bobby. You're willing to do anything for that relationship—even using, threatening, or hurting your siblings. Especially Lincoln."
Lori (rolling her eyes): "Name one time."
Watcher (smirking): "How about I show you?" Looks at Bobby. "Hey Bobby, remember that one time you and Lori broke up?"
Bobby (confused, raising an eyebrow): "Yes, what about it?"
Watcher: "Watch this." Snaps his fingers.
[The screen begins to play]
Lori is shown wearing a blue sweater with a wolf on it, mascara running down her face as she throws a nightstand table at Lincoln.
Needless to say, everyone was shocked. Even the other Loud sisters turned to look at Lori with horrified expressions. Lori flinched at all their looks.
Lynn Sr/Rita/Pop-Pop: "LORI MARIA LOUD!"
Lori (nervous): "I-I can explain!"
Lynn Sr: "What's there to explain?! Did you or did you not do this?!" He points to the screen.
Lori: "I-I did, but he made Bobby break up with me by making Ronnie Anne cry!"
Ronnie Anne's and Bobby's eyes widened in realization, both wearing guilty looks.
Tanis (looking confused): "But he seems so nice… so why would he make her cry?"
Lori: "Because he's a selfish, self-centered litt—"
Pop-Pop: "One more word, young lady, and you're grounded for six months."
Lori: "But Pop-Pop—"
Pop-Pop: "Six months it is, then."
Lori slumps in her seat. Pop-Pop looks between Lincoln and Ronnie Anne.
Pop-Pop: "Now, what happened? And I want the truth."
Ronnie Anne: "W-well, at the time… I-I used to bully Lincoln, and he just snapped at the teasing his friends were doing and said some hurtful… but deserved words."
Lola: "But he made you cry!"
Sibella: "Did you go over the fact that she bullied your brother?"
Leni: "But isn't that how a girl tells a boy they like them?"
Vanna: "No. Who told you that rubbish?"
The Loud sisters all pointed at Lori, who chuckled nervously while scratching the back of her head.
Rita: "When all of this is over, we are having a talk, young lady."
Lori crossed her arms, not seeing why she was in trouble.
Maria (looking at both her children): "We'll have a talk as well—especially you, Ronalda."
Ronnie Anne nodded, head down.
Bobby (turns to Lincoln, looking regretful): "I'm sorry… If I had known—"
Lincoln: "But you didn't know. So it's okay, Bobby."
He smiles at him, and Bobby smiles back.
Watcher: "Now that we got that out the way… time for the next viewing!"
(Lincoln's POV)
As I slowly open my eyes, I notice something is different—that I am different. Everything in my room stands out, like when you wake up and find yourself in a new place.
"Why would this feel like a new place? It's my room," I say to myself.
Haiku: "So that rules out it being a dream."
Sid: "I thought we established that already?"
Haiku: "I know. Just… still trying to get used to it all."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
I glance at the mirror over my work desk and look into it. I still look the same, but my eyes… they seem different. Older.
I look down and see a note. It says—
Dear Lincoln,
If you're reading this note after just looking in the mirror, then congratulations—that means it was a success.
By now, you've probably realized everything seems strange to you. So we left this for you for four reasons.
First, everything looking different is normal because for your whole life you were practically half asleep. This is your first time truly being "awake."
Second, this is to let you know it wasn't a dream. Otherwise, Red and Shade would "remind" you by using Red's idea—by beating it into you.
Some shake their heads while others chuckle at the memory of Red's "idea."
Third, we wanted to let you know the gifts we're sending will arrive by the end of the day: magic items, spell books, books with languages unknown to your world, several martial arts manuals, and the histories of the worlds they come from. Gold added a card with $100,000 as a starting fund. But from now on, you'll have to earn your own.
Lisa/Milly (interested): "Unknown languages and history?"
Sibella/Vanna/Lucy (excited): "Spell books and magic items!"
Lynn/Winnie/Gila (intrigued): "Martial arts books!"
Lola: "Are we going to ignore the $100,000?!" She yelled as the Louds all looked at Lincoln, who rolled his eyes.
Lincoln: "Yes, I got it—and no, you're not getting a single cent from me."
Lynn (groaning): "Oh, come on! You're just going to waste it on comics and video games. At least we could put it to good use!"
Lincoln and Watcher laugh.
Lincoln: "If you girls had that money, you'd spend it all in a week—buying tickets to Paris, sports gear, rare signed merch, expensive clothes, makeup, exotic animals, and who knows what else."
The Loud sisters try to deny it, but their parents cut in.
Lynn Sr: "Look, girls. Lincoln already said no. And who knows? I'm sure he's going to make smart, responsible deci—"
Lincoln: "I'm not giving you or Mom any of the money either, Dad."
Lynn Sr. slumps down. Rita tries next.
Rita: "Lincoln, that's a lot of money for an 11-year-old, so maybe we can put it in a sha—"
Lincoln: "I said no. End of discussion."
Rita (hands on her hips, not liking his tone): "Lincoln Loud, you will watch that tone—"
Pop-Pop: "Rita, enough. Lincoln already said no. I know it's a lot for someone so young, but it's rightfully his. And this is the past. That means he's been responsible with it—you never even discovered he had it."
Rita sits back down in embarrassment, feeling like a little girl being scolded by her father.
Many people frown at what they just saw. But The Phantom looks the most displeased.
Phantom (whispers to Frankenteen): "I don't like the feeling I'm getting from the boy's family."
Frankenteen (whispers back): "I know where you're coming from… but let's just wait and see."
Phantom nods, but keeps a close eye on the Loud family.
(Note continued)
As a bonus, Shade is making you a driver's license that'll make it legal for you to drive—even at 11. In his words: "So you can one day rub it in Lori's face." Along with that, you'll be receiving special skills—abilities separate from magic.
Lori (in disbelief): "You're kidding, right?"
Lincoln (pulls out his license): "Nope."
Lori grits her teeth in anger, glaring at Lincoln.
Lastly, the most important thing: Because of your connection to your other selves, you might receive flashes of our memories, habits, or hobbies. On rare occasions, you may go through what we call "The Purge," which may change you physically.
There is a book that explains it all, including what changes could happen.
That is all. Please live your best life. That is all we wish to see.
—Sincerely, Silver
After reading the note two more times, I sighed.
"So it was all real."
As if waiting for those words, the note evaporated into light, disappearing from my hand.
Before I could process what just happened, a voice shouted:
"Kids, time for breakfast!"
Hearing that, my stomach growled. "Guess I'm hungry."
I took one last look around my room before walking out the door.
(Luna's POV)
My sisters and I were all sitting at the table eating a big breakfast—stacks of pancakes, sausages, bacon, and all kinds of eggs since we all like them differently. Dad's restaurant, Lynn's Table, had been doing pretty well lately, so he decided to go all out today.
Winnie (mouth watering): "Just looking at all of that makes me hungry."
Watcher: "Did I forget to mention you can have any food you want if you wish for it?"
Lynn: "Really?" She wishes for a spicy meatball sub, and it appears on a plate in her lap. "It works!"
Luan: "Well, this spices things up—Ha ha! Get it?"
Everyone groans while wishing for snacks of their own.
Mom (shouting upstairs): "Lincoln, come downstairs before the food gets cold!"
Lori: "Ugh, that twerp better start apologizing for what happened yesterday, or else."
Lynn: "Yeah, he should've stopped the twins from fighting. My ball got ruined because of it."
All the sisters nodded except Lucy and Lana, who shook their heads in disapproval.
Me: "Why were you guys fighting yesterday anyway?"
Lola: "Lana had her disgusting frog near my tea set."
Lana: "Hey! Don't call Hops that! He thought the butterfly design on the cup was real!"
Just as Lola was about to snap back, Lincoln entered the dining room. He looked around with a strange expression before noticing the empty seat next to me and sat down.
Dad: "Hey sport, you sleep okay?"
Lincoln: "I slept rather well, thank you for asking."
He didn't sound like himself at all.
Dad: "Well, go grab your plate and take whatever you like."
Lincoln stood up and headed into the kitchen. A minute or two passed before he returned—with a plate piled with food, even more than Lynn or Lana would take—and a mug of coffee.
Harold: "My goodness, that's a lot of food."
Rosa: "Sí, though I'd love to see how much of my cooking he could eat."
Carlos: "You do end up cooking too much sometimes, Mama."
Lynn: "You sure you can eat all that, Stinkin'? You know you shouldn't grab more than you can eat."
Lincoln (calmly): "I wouldn't have grabbed it if I wasn't planning to eat it."
Then he started drinking the coffee. We all expected him to spit it out—like last time—but no. After a few gulps, he let out a satisfied sigh and began eating his mountain of food…which he finished in record time.
Wolfman: "I'm guessing he used to hate coffee."
Me: "Total understatement, wolf dude. He couldn't stand the stuff."
Me (concerned): "Whoa, you alright, little dude?"
Lincoln: "Yes, I'm fine. Just hungrier than usual."
Mom: "Well, does anyone have plans for today?"
Lori: "I was thinking of taking us on our regular trip to the mall."
Me: "Sorry, guys, but I have to bail."
The others started groaning.
Me: "I know, I know! But I have rehearsal with my band. We've got a new speaker system to set up, so it's going to take the whole group."
Lincoln: "Do you need some help?"
Everyone turned to him.
Lincoln: "You said it would take your whole group, so it must be a lot. Want some help?"
I looked at him, confused. Normally, yeah, he'd help—but something was off. He wasn't acting like he had a plan or a secret—just… strange. And normally I can read him like a book, but now? Nothing.
Me: "Sure, thanks for the assist, bro." (still skeptical)
[Cut to band rehearsal]
Luna (groaning at the memory): "Real glad he offered to help."
Sam: "Seriously, thanks for coming. We would've never gotten that thing set up without you."
Lincoln: "No problem. Glad I could help."
Sully (chuckling): "It was more than help."
Chuck: "Little Loud saved the day with that one."
Mazzy (teasing): "He did something else that day too."
The Moon Goats all smirked teasingly at Lincoln, who blushed in embarrassment.
Phanty (curious): "What happened?"
Watcher (grinning): "Spoilers!"
Back at the Loud House
Mom: "That was sweet of you to offer, Lincoln. Now, your dad and I have to leave for work. Be back before 7:30 PM and call if you need anything."
Everyone: "Yes, Mom."
Me: "Go get ready, little dude. My friend Chuck will be here soon to drive us to Sam's."
Lincoln just nodded, took his empty plate to the kitchen, then headed upstairs. We all stayed quiet until we heard his door close.
Leni: "Does anyone else think Linky's acting strange?"
Lynn: "Yeah! And did you see how much he ate? It was more than me and Lana combined, and that's saying something!"
Lisa: "Well, our male fraternal unit is about to enter his adolescence stage of development and is probably consuming a great deal of sustenance to compensate for it."
Everyone: "Huh?"
Even the audience watching tilted their heads in confusion.
Lisa (facepalming): "Ugh, he might be going through a growth spurt and he's hungry to support it."
Everyone: "OHHH."
Lori: "Well Luna, since he's going to be with you, keep an eye on him. For all we know, this could be part of some scheme he's planning."
Me: "You got it, sis."
Still, I couldn't get the look in his eyes out of my head. Before I could dwell on it, we heard a car horn.
Me: "That must be Chuck. I'll call you guys if anything comes up."
They all nodded. I walked to the door and saw Lincoln already there, dressed in his usual blue jeans and orange polo. Nothing weird about his clothes—except that same unreadable look in his eyes. It was strange. Normally he's easy to read, but now? He was more unreadable than Lucy. Maybe even more than Lucy.
Me (thinking): "Could something be bothering him? Was it the fight yesterday—or something else?"
He opened the door and stepped through. I followed right behind him.
[Back at the Viewing Room]
After making sure the screen turned off this time, the group began to discuss again.
Miss Grimwood: "My word. The more we watch, the more it entices us to keep watching."
Frankenteen: "I believe we all feel the same. But I can't help but wonder—why must we watch this… unless—"
Wolfman: "Unless what?"
Dracula (picking up the thought): "Unless something is coming. Something big. And it's centered around that boy."
As the adult monsters shift their focus, most look at Lincoln. But Phantom watches the Loud family closely as well.
Rita: "Now we can have that talk, Lori."
Lori gulps, having no idea just how badly she's already messed up—or how much worse things might get.