Chapter 27
Mahmoud Schahed/Kahu Kia`i
We gathered the unconscious thugs in the largest room, the gymnasium. Well, what used to be a gymnasium, likely from back when this place had been a school. It looked more like images of Chernobyl now. A place that had slowly rotted as time passed. It used to be a basketball court. Now the hardwood floor had rotted apart. The paint on the walls had faded and cracked to reveal the paint beneath. The Dragons had placed some pallets down on the floor in places, with tables atop those covered in laboratory equipment made for making drugs. Or cake for all I knew about cooking.
My bet was drugs though.
I carried two guys over my shoulders before placing them down in the center of the room. I felt my back crack as I straightened, then looked about the room. We'd been laying them side-by-side on their backs so far. The whole facility was now empty, far as I could tell, though some of the baddies could have done a runner when I wasn't looking. We'd take care of them if so.
Mudkip pulled another person next to one of the guys I'd dropped, rummaging in his pocket before passing me his phone. I added it to the box of phones we'd taken from the others while looking over the bodies.
Around 20 guys and gals, all knocked out. That was important. We had the cops and the media looking in on us now. We couldn't exactly kill these guys if we could avoid it. As tempted as I'd felt when I saw the damage they'd done. Mimikyu wasn't the only one who ran into horrors.
I looked to the other side of me, where Gurdurr was eyeing the knocked out gangsters. Behind him, Tyrunt was gently looking over a young woman and man. Tourists maybe. Both were thin and malnourished, covered in bruises. They weren't speaking, just staring around with blank eyes. They were the only living people we'd found.
I sighed, looking back at the people we'd knocked out. Goddamn them all.
"Ma!" a call from the entrance drew our attention. I felt relief flood through me at the sight of Slugma, dragging a certain baddie along.
"Hey!" I ran over to her. She dropped Firefly's ankle and ran towards me as well, jumping up to land in my arms. I grinned down at her, chuckling. "Good job! You kicked his ass, huh?"
"Slugma, Slug Slug!" she proclaimed proudly.
God. She looked so beat. A huge portion of her outer body was gone, making her even smaller than before, and it looked like one of her eyestalks was shorter than normal. I'd been able to feel her through the mental-link, but seeing it in person ws just so… well.
"You won," I said, feeling proud she had gotten a victory, sad she'd been beaten up so much, and happy she had won, all at once. "You want to rest?"
She nodded, exhaustion on her features.
"Kip," Mudkip jumped on my shoulder and smiled down at her, leaning over to nuzzle her nose, which she purred at, while Tyrunt and Gurdurr grinned. I took out her Pokeball and pulled her in, Slugma closing her eyes as she was enveloped in it's light.
As she was pulled in, I turned my focus to Firefly.
Firefly, dude. My second Batman villain, if you counted Grace. So, my first Batman villain.
"Kip?" the little blue dude asked me.
"Hmm. No. He's probably got traps in his suit just in case someone tries to take his stuff off. Just hit him with a bunch of Surfs and Ice Beams if you see him wake up. I'll have Alakazam check over his suit later."
"Kip, kip!" Mudkip hopped down to face the pyromaniac, sat on his haunches with his fin waving behind him like the tail of a dog.
I eyed Firefly for a moment, crossing my arms in thought. I'd done a quick Google search when I'd had the chance. Firefly was Garfield Lynns, much like the one I knew. And just like him, he had a habit of burning things to the ground. I wasn't a fan of peoples homes getting lit on fire for MANY reasons. But he was also a murderer. One who had been in and out of prison, Arkham, and many other places with no signs of rehabilitation. He was no Joker. But he was a menace. If I took care of him…
I turned away, sighing. If I killed him, then I'd have a lot of heat on me. The Hawaiian authorities were already after me for being a mildly violent vigilante, let alone a murderous one. Plus, Batman would likely come after me. If it had happened in the heat of battle, it could have been easier. But here, while he was lying on the floor, beaten, it was harder to justify, both to myself and to anyone who would find him.
Seriously though. Gotham needed to start using the death penalty. Some criminals might be worth saving, but Firefly was among a few that weren't likely to. Then again, maybe Arkham really was under a curse?
I was still musing on that when Alakazam and Mimikyu showed up with-
"Grace?" I asked, dropping my arms at the sight of the orca scientist. "What the hell- did you get shot!?"
She had what looked like canvas pants wrapped around her stomach, where some blood could be seen seeping through the brown material. She smiled a bit sadly at me. "Yeah, it looks like it."
"Oh, fuck me," I groaned. "Alakazam, can you please take her to get checked out-"
"I'm fine," Grace said, cutting me off. "The bullets barely pierced me. I think I'm as durable as you are-"
"Then go to the van. There is a first aid kit in the back," I wasn't able to hold back how angry and worried I was, barely noticing Mimikyu dragging a person behind her. "And we'll talk about this when we get back to the base."
That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Her nose flared, teeth flashing. "You realize you're not my dad or something. You don't have to-"
"This whole mission was already massively dangerous without putting you on the line as well!" I snapped. "Grace, this isn't me pulling some kind of alpha move, so stop flaring your shoulders and listen like a scientist."
She blinked at me, then looked down at herself. She was standing over me, fists clenched, looming to seem big as possible. As she began to realize what she was doing, I continued.
"You were shot by an assault rifle. An ASSAULT rifle, Grace. I was hit by a handgun. You aren't just as tough as me, you're likely tougher. But this is the worst way to learn that. We could have learned that without risking your life. I just-" I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "You should have waited in the van."
"...You all needed help," Grace mumbled. "And I want to make up for what I did."
"First. You did NOTHING wrong," I snapped. "This is a bunch of assholes who are using your research against your will. Second, if you want in, fine. But you can't come in half-cocked. I'm damn glad Mimikyu pulled in on a plan, but where were you before that?"
"I was… going to bust down the wall to the side room?" she said hesitantly.
"For a specific reason?" I asked steadily. "Or just at random, with no idea of your capabilities or the capabilities of the people you might be fighting?"
She sighed. "Kahu, I know I shouldn't have j-just run in like that. But then I saw him," she pointed at the guy Mimikyu had pulled in.
When I looked over, I realized all my Pokemon were silently watching us argue. Mimikyu was sitting on Mudkip's back, wearing scraps of a t-shirt instead of her Batman costume. The guy she'd dragged looked… well, freaky as all hell.
Two legs, but FIVE arms. Not even four or six like a proper spider-monster should have. One of which was insanely longer than the rest. His skin was really a carapace like that of an arachnids, but with odd and mismatched coloration. Pale white like a cave spider in some places, tan like the average Hawaiian man in others, and a strange swirling bunch of sections that reminded me uncomfortably of the Uzumaki manga. He looked like an abstract art version of a spider-monster that had been run through an H.R. Giger machine. Though he'd taken a hell of a beating as well.
"Look at him," Grace walked over, leaning down to gaze at the man. "He's… wrong. My serum was made to work with marine animals. Mammalian ones, specifically. And I'm lucky I'm somewhat stable even then! Him? His body is completely shot. No human is supposed to undergo these sorts of changes. I can't even imagine the state of his organs. He's likely going to deal with medical complications for most of his life."
"Mimikyu," the little one said cautiously, sending what she was thinking through our mental link.
"Considering what happened to him, insanity of that level is expected," Grace looked up at me. "I just. When I saw what happened to him. When I actually saw what they were doing with my research, I just-"
She didn't say anything else. But I got it. I've been told I have anger issues as well.
"Yeah. Yeah, all right," I sighed. "We can talk about actually implementing you into combat at some point. For now, you're bleeding. And we need to go. Kalini," I said both physically and mentally, reaching out to the man in the van.
"Kid, I swear, I didn't know where she went, but I can get why she-" he began to explain.
"Forget it," I said with a mental sigh. "Call the cops. It's time for phase two. Alakazam, you ready for a bit of a show?"
He smirked just a bit. "I aim to impress after all."
"One thing," Grace got up, wincing. She looked over the laboratory. "I need to take a sample of this man. Maybe… maybe I can cure him. And if not, then I'll be able to stop anything like this from happening again."
I watched her walk away, and couldn't help but feel… I don't know. Acknowledgement? Approval? Whatever.
The cops would be here soon. Time for the next part of this mess.
------
We took care of a couple of things before the media and cops showed up.
Before they got there though, Grace found a couple of ziploc bags, presumably used to transport drugs. Instead, she used them to carefully place samples from Carl the spider-monster. Also, Carl? What was with spider-monster creatures named Carl in comic books?
While she did that, Gurdurr tied up Firefly and hung him up from the ceiling, over the lined up and unconscious bodies of the gangsters. Alakazam took some time to teleport away with the hard drives and phones we managed to steal, but after taking a speed-read of any physical paperwork they had, we placed those on the floor. No need to take them when he could simply memorize their contents.
I was tempted to burn the drugs, but I placed them in a pile instead. Evidence is evidence after all. I took two of the guns that the baddies had though, one regular assault rifle and one modified one, and Alakazam disappeared with them. Best to find out what countermeasures they were making for us.
Then, Gurdurr expertly shattered one of the walls of the gymnasium, then one of the back walls, making sure the light would come in juuuuust right.
With all the busywork done though, Grace and Kalini drove off. Mudkip, Gurdurr, Tyrunt, and Mimikyu disappeared into their Pokeballs. Then I sat on the roof and waited.
Soon enough, the media arrived. I watched three vans squeal into the field that surrounded the gymnasium, bouncing along the uneven ground and coming towards the colorful vigilante waiting for them. I stood up, watching from the roof as they came to a stop.
I knew what they would see. The sun was at my back, rising slowly, allowing my shadow to loom down towards them. The same sunlight was illuminating the gymnasium, aided by the holes Gurdurr had torn out of the walls. They showed off the hanging form of Firefly, the unconscious bodies of the criminals below, and the spider-monster tied up on the floor.
The reporters came out of their van, staring up at me as I leaned over to look at them. Cameramen focused on me as the rising sun lit me up. I took in the sight before me. Sure were a lot of them...
"Hey," I rested my elbow on my knee, looking down at them. "There are drug dealers down there. Murderers. My Pokemon and I stopped them. Any questions?"
Give the reporters credit. They didn't let the weirdness of the situation bother them enough to stop them from doing their job.
"Are you Kahu Kiaʻi!?" one woman yelled up at me.
"That or a very good cosplayer," I replied.
"Why did you change your costume!?"
"Because I felt like a change in my life," I said glibly. "Anything else?"
"Where are your Pokemon?" one guy asked. "And are they capable of speech? Can they be interviewed?"
"They can be interviewed, if I interpret for them," I paused. "And they're here. Watch your step, by the way."
That silenced them. One guy paled, staring down at the ground. That beat was enough for someone to step in and start asking questions of her own.
"What do you want?" the reporters briefly parted to allow a woman to walk forward. She had blue highlights in her hair, and looked like she'd gotten her nose broken and reset badly sometime in the past. But she was mostly just staring up. "Moani Rober, KONA TV. You spoke to my colleague once, John?" when I nodded, she continued, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it as she spoke. "Are you planning to keep doing this? Keep taking on the Silicon Dragons? You've been stopping a lot of other idiots. But our boys in blue are trying to hunt you down too. Can't have vigilantes running around, hunting a gang that literally upguns themselves whenever they face a challenge, threaten to kill more people."
She placed her cigarette in her mouth and took a pull. "So. What is the plan kid? What do you want? Become Hawaii's hero, hell or high water? Or are you just gonna give up if the Dragons start killing more than you can save? Hell, if you can stop them," that part was said with a hint of sarcasm. "Then will you just stop?"
That one kind of stopped me. I raised up, looking down at her. She had red eyes. Weird. But fine.
"I think. If Hawaii still needs help. I'll be here," I said slowly. "The Dragons need to be taken down. After that, I'll step in where I'm needed. If the police can handle something, I won't interfere. But if something comes above and beyond. If people need help and me and mine can stop it, then we'll be there."
"And you aren't worried about collateral damage?" she asked pointedly, tapping some ash from her cigarette.
In the distance, police sirens began to sound. But I ignored their approach, keeping my gaze on Moani's red eyes.
"I am," I said firmly. "But the choice is to take them out or just stop so they go back to killing a few people every day forever while ruining lives. That sounds like a far worse choice to me," I stepped off the roof. The reporters screamed, while the Moani woman's eyes widened. I came to a stop just before landing on the ground, my fall turning into a gentle float to the ground. Thank you, Alakazam. "This place, behind me. It's full of the dead. Men, women, children, killed, tortured, by absolute fucks."
I walked forward, looking around at the reporters. "I'll do my best to prevent the collateral damage. But if the choice is letting people die or actually stepping up to do something, then I'll step up! So here it is! I am Kahu Kia'i. Hawaii's Superhero. Permanent. And if anyone has a problem with that, well…"
Police sirens finally got to us, followed by cars. I watched as the police came out, pulling out guns and aiming them at me.
"Back up, back up!" they called to the reporters, forcing them away. I simply watched. Moani gave them a bland look. She snapped her eyes to me, took a drag on her cigarette, and winked before slowly backing off, slapping away the hands of a cop who tried to force her further away.
Soon I was surrounded by cops. One of them stepped forward, raising cuffs. "Sir, you're under arrest."
"No, I'm not. I'm standing in a field. Later I'll leave. And for the moment, I'm waiting for your boss," I said calmly.
The cop gaped at me. "That's not- you can't-"
"That would be me," one of them drew my attention. I looked at him. A gray suit over a muscular form. A hard edged face and a scowl like thunder. Sam Mokoa.
He strode forward. The cop who tried to arrest me slowly backed up to let Sam take point. The FBI agent glared at me.
"Just couldn't keep things quiet, could you?" he grumbled, looking behind me at the warehouse.
"Not this time," I admitted. I pointed my thumb behind me. "There are people in there that need help. Psychiatric and medical in equal measure."
He didn't hesitate. "Get the civilians out of there," the cops hesitated. "Now damnit! Get them to the ambulances!"
As they ran in, avoiding the unconscious piles of criminals, he glared at me again. "I need to take you in. Something like this… It's good. But it's also illegal."
"Not happening," I told him. We eyed each other. "There are two supers in that warehouse. Firefly and some sort of spider-mutant."
"And why do you think they're in there?" Sam scowled. "The Dragons will keep going. They are going to hire as many supervillains, make as many monsters, as they think they'll need to take you out."
"Like I told Moani over there," I pointed at her, which she gave a 'who me?' sort of look to. "That's bad. But I'd rather try to stop them, rather than let them keep killing people."
"...Did you have anything to do with reports of a masked vigilante that inflicted grievous injuries in the drug dealer den across the island just a few hours ago?" Sam snapped.
That genuinely surprised me. "No. I was busy inflicting grievous injuries here."
He snapped off a curse at that. Then glared at me. "If you showing up on my island leads to more of this shit…"
"Not much I can do about it."
"But there is something I can do about it," Sam said softly. "Shut it down. Let the police handle this. Or else, I'll come after you. With everything I've got. If I have to take down every copycat you summon from hell, if I need to hunt down the Dragons just to find you fighting them-"
"If you had done that from the start, then I wouldn't be doing this at all," I spat out. A bit of real bitterness came with that statement. If the Silicon Dragons had been under arrest from the start, if they weren't running around turning a tropical paradise into a Saw movie, I could have still been in hiding. Instead, this. "How about this? You do your job, and arrest the criminals. And make me obsolete. Otherwise, I'm going to keep doing this."
Sam stared at me. Wow. Some people really do have mastery of the art of glaring. "...I'm going to arrest you now."
"Like I said to your bud," I nodded to the cop who was trying to arrest me earlier. "I'm here. And now…"
There was a flash of light. Just before I disappeared, I heard my voice echo. "I'm gone."
Then I was standing in the small garden where Alakazam had made his teleport zone in Honolulu, Grace and Kalini standing there waiting for me. He circled around me, while Grace and Kalini turned to look at me. Both had been watching on a tablet together. On it, I could see myself from just a moment ago. I teleported in a flash of light. Sam didn't wait, spinning around and shouting at other officers to look for me, his voice faint from the screen.
Alakazam smirked at the screen as Kalini and Grace joined me. "That was a good exit, I believe."
"Thanks," I said.
"I was complimenting myself to be honest, but you are welcome."
"What now?" Grace asked me.
"Same as last time. We keep at it. We take down as much of the Dragons people, resources, bases as we can. Until we get to the last one. Then we finish them," I said firmly. "But for now. We need to get to talking about training you."
Grace smiled a bit nervously. "O-Okay."
"You sure about making enemies with that Sam fella?" Kalini asked. "That kane seems like the kind to hold grudges."
"If holding my ground is going to lead me to make enemies, then it's something I'll have to learn to live with. Now come on," I turned around and started walking. "The night was hard work. But the day is just starting."
And in the back of my mind Sam's comment about the drug den across town kept gnawing at me.
------
At Restaurant Royale
On a tv screen, live footage of the news played. A young female reporter was speaking to the camera as police officers in the background began carting out criminals, the camera getting very nice footage of all of it. Including the officers who were wasting time hunting through bushes.
"-ozens of criminals, many with warrants, all found in various states, including one man found in a basement full of bodies. The latter of whom was found in the fetal position crying about an 'Orca goddess' trying to eat him. Among the criminals, prominent Gotham supervillian 'Firefly' was found hanging from the ceiling, as well as a mutant spider shaped like a man. The vigilante known as Kahu Kia'i is still at large, but online support for the hero exploded when reports of the crimes committed by the Silicon Dragons at this location were leaked online. The controversy has-"
Sitting in front of that TV, Giovanni slowly petted Persian. Man and Pokemon watched the screen smugly. Giovanni was chuckling under his breath, coming just to the edge of outright cackling, the light from the tv playing across his face. He didn't react to Roxy entering the room, the blonde lawyer sighing at the sight of him.
"You realize things like this are why I have trouble convincing people you're a businessman and not a mob boss?"
"Of course. That is why I'm doing it by myself in the dark," Giovanni said casually. "I suppose you saw how everything went down?"
"Yes. Deadshot says he didn't even need to take out any stragglers as planned," Roxy walked over. "Has Kahu contacted you?"
"No. But he will," Giovanni turned in his seat.
"..." Roxy stared at Persian. "A white cat in your lap. Really? Are you trying to be a cliche right now?"
"Peeeeer," the cat in question stretched.
Giovanni continued as though she hadn't spoken. "For the next phase, we have some smaller locations to hit. But, I also have been looking into something else. It seems our young man may have competition."
"Competition?" Roxy asked, confused.
"Another masked individual. He was reported causing some rather immense levels of damage to a drug den in another part of the island," Giovanni rested a hand on his palm. "Sam Mokoa mentioned it. Now that is something we may need to look out for…"
He smiled slowly. "What an interesting time we live in."
------
Last Night, A Drug Den Next To A Port Town
Buttes had been having a good night. He had been taking a shot of heroin, not for the high, but just to test the product, and had been relaxing in the back room with his buddies. They'd had to do a job earlier, kill a couple dumb cashiers, but they were excited to get a chance to relax.
Right up until the sound of the front door being smashed down filled the air.
Now he was running. He'd tried to fight. Tried to fight the horrific monster that was breaking his friends arms and legs like fucking twigs!
But the guy seemed to ignore bullets. They shot him in the chest, the legs and arms, the fucking head, and he just kept going even with bleeding holes in him!
Big Don grabbed a baseball bat and smashed him in the back. The guy fell. They hit him in the stomach, the throat, punched him in the dick.
After letting them wail on him for a bit, he grabbed the baseball bat, got up and turned Big Don into a broken pulp on the floor, breaking the baseball bat as well. And then he just kept grabbing everything around him to destroy them.
Butte left when he ripped the oven door off and started hitting people with it.
Now he was running for the back. Everyone had gone quiet. He was alone. His Glock was behind him. He cried as he ran, the heroin he'd been enjoying now just making him feel worse. But he was making it! He could see the corner to the hallway! All he had to do was turn the corner, run to the exit, and he'd be-
"OH YEAAAAH!" the muffled voice came from his right. Then the drywall smashed apart, a dark figure smashing him in the face with a fist that felt like a sledgehammer.
"Guh!" Butte said around his now broken jaw. He landed on the floor, crying even more. He woozily stared up at the man who had been beating on them.
A fanged smile set in a yellow face stared down at him. Butte had no idea if that was really what the freak looked like, or if it was just the huge amount of drugs inside him, but it was terrifying. A loud voice that sounded like it was coming from the man's pocket echoed as the man raised a boot.
"No running in the halls!"
A size thirteen boot smashed into his face and everything went dark.
------
Mudkip/Mako
When they got back to their hideout, Mudkip went for a swim. After a long fight, he needed to relax and grab some food.
He dived down into the ocean, heading for a spot further away from the islands, and took out an octopus. Then he rested near the bottom of the ocean and started eating, watching the ocean around him as he did so.
It was while he was looking at a group of tuna swirl about above that he saw two shadows in the ocean. He slowly raised an octopus tentacle to his mouth and ripped off a piece, blinking at the sight before him.
The shadows slowly solidified, becoming two bipedal figures. One was wearing an orange long-sleeve scaled armor and green pants of similar material, his blonde hair wavy in the water. The other was wearing a red vest and was shaved completely bald, a pair of what looked like sword handles on his back.
They came to a stop before him. Mudkip stared at them. Then he swallowed the piece he had been chewing on, and placed another piece of tentacle in his mouth, eating it slowly while eyeing the pair.
"Hello," the blonde one said, somehow speaking in his mind at the same time. Not really the way Alakazam did. It was different somehow. More 'familiar'. "You're new to this ocean, aren't you?"
"Kip!"
The blonde smiled. "Well. I suppose that makes sense… I don't suppose you can talk for a bit? I've been hearing a bit about you. And I'd like to know more."
Mudkip thought about that, then shrugged. "Mudkip."
"Good enough," the blonde man chuckled. "I'm Arthur. This is Kaldur, my protege."
"A pleasure to meet you," the bald one said.
"So. Let's talk."
------
Author's Note: The Aqua duo is here :D Oh, and a new vigilante is running around. Kahu is dealing with Grace's need to punch evil. All sorts of fun stuff this chapter.
I'll try to have the next one out ASAP. Let me know what you guys thought of this one!
Chapter 28
When Alakazam connected my mind to Mudkip's I listened for a good long while. I had been working out with Gurdurr, doing bicep curls. By the time Mudkip finished explaining, the weights were on the floor and I was out of the door, Gurdurr following.
Grace in her lab looked up as I stormed past, but I didn't speak to her. I just headed over to the door to the cave, putting my mask and coat on. Gurdurr hefted his I-Beam.
"Slugma!" when I called her, she poked her head out of the lava pit in the kitchen to look at me curiously. "I need you in your Pokeball. Worst comes to worst, you've got skills I can use."
"Slug!" she hopped out of the lava and ran over, smiling as I pulled her into her Pokeball.
As I left, Alakazam spoke in my mind.
"I will be ready, if you need me."
"If I need you, we might already be dead," I said bluntly. Depending on the universe, we might well be screwed either way.
I headed out to the beach, walking along it. For a moment, I felt a heck of a lot of deja vu. Me, walking down the beach to meet a DC character that Mudkip had found. Except this time, it wasn't a nice whale lady. It was a pair of badasses.
I stopped by the water, simply waiting. Gurdurr came up alongside me, stabbing his I-Beam into the beach and leaning next to me. We stood there for a moment.
"...To be honest dude, I'm getting kinda tired of all these big things happening."
"Gurdurr."
"I just want a routine. A routine. Maybe for a couple weeks. Even if the routine is just us attacking assholes."
He nodded. "Gurdurr."
"Our life has been so crazy recently. And I'll roll with it if I have too but… this needs to be the last crazy thing to pop up in our lives. Because if fucking Batman wakes me up in the middle of the night, or a Boom Tube opens in Honolulu and we have to fight off the forces of Apokolips, I'm going lose it."
Gurdurr sighed, nodding slowly.
"Kip!" a tiny blue dot appeared in the ocean, only visible if you were looking for that hint of orange on either side of his cheeks. Then he came out of the waves, running over to us. Mudkip smiled at me, then frowned. "Mudkip?"
"I'm okay," I lied, smiling.
He scowled. "Mu…"
An honest laugh left my lips. "Okay, yes, I was lying. But I'm just a little tired buddy. Once I have some rest, I'll be fine."
He gave me a skeptical look, but moved to sit beside me on his haunches.
They come out of the ocean side-by-side. Both men were tall, good looking, and muscular as Olympians. Not Olympic athletes. Olympians.
The taller of the men was Aquaman. Classic looking Aquaman, not the one from the movies. I was a fan of both, so it was super-weird to see the blonde man stride towards me in his orange costume, his beard neatly trimmed and water dripping off of him.
The other looked like Aqualad, but the second one, and shaved bald, his dark skin shining wetly. He wore the same red vest as the one from the comics I'd read, and had a pair of sword handles on his back.
The pair slowly came over to me, stopping a respectful distance away. "Hello," Aquaman said calmly, looking me up and down. "I suppose you would be the 'Master' of that little one."
He said the word 'Master' with a hint of scorn.
"Master as in teacher, trainer, coach. Not a slave thing," I said immediately. "Mudkip is my friend. Family."
"Kip!" the little guy agreed.
Aquaman and Aqualad shared a look, the former smiling. "So he said. But I wanted to be sure. I am Arthur Curry."
I cocked my head to the side. "Really? We're all gonna pretend like you're not one of the most famous figures on the planet?"
He grinned. "Honestly, most people don't seem to know much about me beyond that I talk to fish."
"Most people are stupid."
He shrugged. "And you?"
"You're king of 75 percent of the world, you can rip a car in half, control sharks, and you can box with Superman. I'm still stupid though, if we're being honest."
Kaldur smirked just a bit, while Aquaman seemed to relax.
"So," I said slowly. "I suppose I should ask why we're meeting?"
"A few reasons, to be honest," Aquaman looked around. "I don't suppose we have somewhere we can talk?"
I thought about that.
------
"H-Here are your orders!" a very nervous young woman said, placing down orders of Garlic shrimp for us. She stared for a moment.
We were still outside, but had moved to a clearing next to the ocean. A food truck covered in names was sat there, where a pair of chefs were staring at us with wide eyes through the open windows they served food from. I'd moved us over to it, as it had great food and was very close by.
Mudkip was sitting on the table, eyes wide as he stared at his plate of food with drool at the edge of his mouth. Aquaman and Lad took their own plates and placed them in front of them. Gurdurr was sipping at a Bepsi, while I took out my wallet.
"D-Do you need anything else?" the waitress asked us.
"Just bring the other orders over when you're ready," I handed her five hundred dollar bills. She gaped at them. "Keep the change and don't upload anything to social media until we leave. If you do, they'll sign anything for you that you want."
When I gestured to an amused Aquaman and nonplussed Aqualad she nodded so fast her head was a blur. "Y-Yes!"
She ran back to the truck, speaking furiously to the chefs inside, while Aquaman arched his eyebrow. "Generous of you."
"Not really. I'm using an assholes bank account for it."
Aquaman snorted.
We chowed down for a moment, me lifting my mask the barest amount to slip the garlic shrimp into my mouth. Between all of us, we cleaned our plates of the food. Once done, Kaldur sighed happily. "That was very delicious. Reminds me of similar Atlantean dishes."
"It was great," I wiped my fingers on a napkin. "There's another place I hear is pretty good, but it was a bit far. And recommended by someone I'm half-sure was just messing with me."
"What was it called?" Kaldur asked.
"Giovanni's Shrimp Truck," and no, it wasn't a joke. Place existed. Just wasn't sure if the food there tasted good or if the former Rocket leader just thought he was funny. I looked over at the chefs and waitress. All three were still staring at us, but were too far to hear anything.
"Okay, so. Let's talk," I leaned forward.
"Yes, let's," Aquaman rubbed his beard. I felt a bit of jealousy at that. I missed my beard… "As you might know, I tend to come by Hawaii quite often. It's one of many islands I used to patrol in my younger days, and still somewhere where I come to aid those who need help. And recently, when I was preparing for a visit a week from now, I heard from some local sealife of an unusual blue creature hunting in the ocean nearby. Now, that was enough for me to look into things."
Fish are gossipy bitches, I swear.
Aquaman rubbed his chin. "It doesn't take the detective skill of Batman to find out about you. You've created quite a stir in the area. And more recently, a dolphin pod I know told me a strange version of their Orca cousins was seen in the waters. With that, as well as the news reports, I decided to speed up my visit and get the measure of you."
"Gonna bring me in for vigilantism?" I asked. I wasn't being sarcastic or anything, I genuinely wanted to know.
Aquaman smirked. "If I did, I would need to bring in many members of the League. We may be sanctioned to operate in certain countries under the UN Charter, but we all started by just helping who we could help."
Well shoot, that must have been useful.
"Chalk it up to curiosity I suppose," Aquaman said with a shrug. "I would like to believe that you are a hero. That you are trying to help people. But I have been fooled before."
The last was said in a bitter, almost dark tone.
Kaldur spoke up. "We were also wondering about the woman that the local sealife spoke of. An Orca Atlantean. Is she someone you met through Mudkip?"
"Yes, I met her through Mudkip. But she isn't Atlantean," I said slowly. "I'm not going to explain what she is or how things went down though. That's up to her to say."
Aquaman frowned, though he didn't seem too surprised. He'd likely seen much weirder. "May we meet her?"
I reached out mentally. Alakazam, currently hiding close by, relayed my message to Grace.
Of course I had Alakazam waiting nearby. Not a chance I wouldn't have my strongest ally waiting. If Aquaman had decided to arrest me, Alakazam would help us escape. Not beat him. Escape.
He was fucking Aquaman, no way would we win a fight with him.
"I've asked her," I said calmly.
"Thank you," Aquaman then leaned forward. "Now… The Silicon Dragons."
Kaldur frowned. "My king, have you fought them before?"
"Rarely. Despite my best efforts, my focus has needed to be spread across the ocean," he said regretfully. "I've taken down some of their larger operations, but I've always needed to put my attention on larger issues."
I scowled. "Damnit. I don't blame you. Just wish the problem didn't exist in the first place."
"Sorry," Aquaman said with some guilt. "I do have to ask. While I wasn't familiar with their policy of escalation before, the news has started talking about it obsessively. And the Dragons creating a monster, hiring a villain, specifically to attack you? That's worrying."
"I'll have to deal with it either way. That's what this stuff is like. Bad guys do things, heroes stop them, bad guys try to kill heroes, fail, upgrade and try again, rinse and repeat," I rubbed the back of my head. "The Silicon Dragons try to claim their rule makes them special. But every two-bit bad guy with a grudge and just a hint of intelligence would do shit like this. You can't tell me Black Manta hasn't been upgrading himself from the second he first fought you."
"...Who are you?"
I blinked at Aquaman. He smiled just a bit. "Who are you, Kahu Kia'i? Not your secret identity. I mean who are you? Why are you in Hawaii, trying to be a hero? Where did you, and these friends of yours," he looked at Gurdurr and Mudkip. "Come from?"
I thought about that. I didn't want to tell him everything. That I came from a world where he was fictional.There are a couple of things people shouldn't share, if only to have an advantage others couldn't predict. But… just a bit should be okay.
"I come from a world of Pokemon. Where creatures like these are as common as animals are here. More so really. And in that world, I was hunting down a group of villains known as 'Team Rainbow Rocket'."
Aquaman quirked an eye at that.
"Yeah, dumb name, I know. But they were causing issues and they had something I wanted. So I didn't feel bad about hunting them down where I could and shutting them down. However, at one point, I got shoved into this world through a dimensional portal they made."
"Oh, so, world as in an alternate universe, not another planet," Aquaman clarified.
"Ah, yeah, alternate universe. Sorry, forgot to specify. Anyways, they dropped me here. And my plan, to tell the selfish truth, was to keep my head down. I didn't want to cause trouble if I could help it. It didn't work though, because we ended up fighting crime again anyways," I sighed. "Right now, one of our goals is to find a way back home. But I don't want to go without making sure to take out the bunch of assholes that are literally killing children."
Both mens faces became stone, anger flickering in their eyes. Kaldur shook his head. "In that case, I would like to help you. My king?"
"I agree," Aquaman smiled at me. "If you wish for assistance, you can ask for it."
"I'm good for now," I said, surprising the two. "Right now, the Silicon Dragons don't know what I can really do. They think they do, and they're preparing for that, but the fact they underestimate me is keeping them from being as much of a threat as they could be. But you two are somewhat known quantities. If they find out Aquaman and Aqualad are available to help me, then I might end up dealing with things way over our power level before we can be ready to hit it."
"You may be overestimating how well known I am, though," Kaldur said humbly.
"You have a fansite dedicated to your abs."
He blinked, staring at me. "...I do?"
"I looked up every superhero I could when I got here. You may not be super famous, but you do have a couple fans," I frowned thoughtfully. "I'll think about it though."
"You realize I could simply start fighting them on my own?" Aquaman pointed out.
"Have at it," I said with a shrug. "But I'm likely going to be the permanent presence in Hawaii, so let's avoid the Silicon Dragons dropping A-List threats on my D-List ass."
Kaldur snorted at that, but otherwise nodded.
"She says she would like to meet them," Alakazam whispered to me mentally.
"My Orca friend would like to meet you," I got up from my seat, Mudkip hopping onto my shoulder. "We'll teleport over to my base."
"You have a base?" Kaldur asked.
"It's honestly just a cave," I admitted.
"Oh?" Aquaman grinned. "You know, you remind me of a friend of mine."
I refrained from joking about how my cave wasn't as sweet as Bruce's. After all, how would a random dude like me know that?
"I just need to introduce you to someone," I looked to my left. From the woods, Alakazam floated down to join us. His eyes were on Aquaman and Kaldur, nodding to them. "This is Alakazam."
"Good morning," Alakazam said in our minds. Kaldur flinched, not used to the sensation, but Aquaman only cocked his head to the side.
"Interesting. Psychic?"
"Indeed I am," Alakazam bowed grandly. "A pleasure to meet you both."
"I suppose you have your own Justice League," Aquaman joked as Alakazam joined us.
"Kip," the little guy said proudly.
"You haven't shown up in any footage seen of Kahu," Aquaman noted, looking over at me. "Why is that?"
" Same reason you don't show your trump cards in Poker."
"That's not how poker works," Aquaman said.
"Point is, he's a trump card that kicks ass," one of a few I had. "Alakazam," I said. "Port us in please."
"Of course," he looked Aquaman and Kaldur over. "I assume you both are familiar with the discomfort similar transportation can cause?"
"A little bit," Kaldur said.
"Then be prepared," he closed his eyes. And we disappeared, leaving a very confused group of food truck employees.
------
When we reappeared in the cave, Aquaman blinked. "Huh. Martian Manhunter hasn't done anything like that."
"He may have remarkable raw power as a psychic, but I believe I match him in terms of flexibility," Alakazam said with a hint of smugness.
I rolled my eyes at that. Then I remembered something and cursed aloud. "Damnit, I forgot the orders I asked for for everyone else!"
Everyone turned to look at me. Alakazam smugly raised a bag he had been holding behind his back, the smell of Hawaiian delicacies coming from it strong. "What would you do without me?"
"Walk a lot more. Maybe get a helicopter," I said, trying to poke his ego a bit. The uncaring way he continued walking told me I'd failed.
"Mudkip!" the little guy told Aquaman and I before running off.
"Not a bad base," Aquaman said casually, looking around as he did, noting the kitchen and the pool of lava within. "Reminds me of an old one the League worked out of. Just smaller."
"I'm probably going to expand at some point," I said, nodding to Gurdurr, who gave Kaldur and Aquaman a look. Then, to my amusement, he pointed at his eyes with two fingers, pointed them at the two Atlantean-human hybrids, and walked away.
"Does he not like us?" Kaldur asked me.
"He doesn't like people he doesn't trust. As far as he knows, you two are unknown superhumans walking around our base. Can you blame his paranoia?" I asked Kaldur.
"And you don't feel the same?" Aquaman asked me.
"I do for most people. But I'm going to guess joining the surface world, kicking ass for the side of good, joining the League, was not all some long, convoluted, over the top plan to somehow gain my trust," I thought for a sec. "Which is a long way of saying your rep precedes you."
As I'd been saying that, Mudkip was coming back. And Grace followed him. "Kahu, Mudkip pulled me over here. Did you need something...? Oh. Wow."
Aquaman and Kaldur turned to see the tall Orca woman enter. They didn't seem shocked by her appearance, instead smiling just a bit. Grace was wearing a plus-size purple sweater and jeans. She walked up nervously. "H-Hello."
"Greetings," Aquaman said, stepping forward and holding out his hand. "I am-"
"A-Aquaman!" she grabbed his hand, shaking it up and down. "I know! I'm such a huge fan! I based a lot of my work off of theories on Atlantean evolution!"
"Your work?" Aquaman asked.
"Grace is a scientist, working on her doctorate," I said. "And a smart as fuck one, too."
"A scientist," Kaldur walked over to shake hands with Grace as well. "Is that how…?"
"I became Shamu?" Grace joked, though there was a hint of bitterness to it. "Yeah. Before this I was trying to use samples of Orca tissue in my research on spinal cord regeneration. But then,"
She gave the duo a breakdown of how everything went, explaining how the Dragons had attacked and forced her to use her serum to keep it out of their hands. I let her talk while I went to the kitchen and released Slugma from her Pokeball. She looked up curiously at me.
"Slugma?"
"I don't think so. But stay near just in case," I'll be honest. Even as I said that, I felt like a heel. Aquaman was a hero. And here I was getting ready to have Slugma hit him with fire if need be.
I pushed that thought away. Even if it made me feel like scum, I'd need to be prepared. Better safe.
Aquaman's reputation did precede him. The reputation of the multiverse, including the ones where he declared war on mankind. And the ones where he was just kind of a dick. This one seemed nice, but better not to take chances.
I made coffee as Slugma watched calmly.
"May I help you?" Kaldur asked behind me.
"FUCK!" I jumped, spinning to look at him. "Dude! Don't sneak up on people."
To his credit, he did look a little chagrined. "My apologies. I was hoping I could aid you in making the coffee."
"Yeah… yeah, sure thing," I pointed at the drawers we'd gotten. "If you can grab the cups and what not, that would be great."
He nodded seriously and walked over to do as I asked. It was interesting, watching him out of the corner of my eye. He was around my body's age, but he felt more mature than that. And the way he moved reminded me of some friends who had gone on tour after high school. Still young, but hardened, disciplined by a life of battle.
Soon enough, I had the coffee fixed up, as well as tea, since Grace preferred it. After setting up the table, Kaldur went to get everyone. As he left, Mudkip entered. He hopped up onto the counter and looked at me.
"You seem pleased," I said with some sarcasm.
He shrugged. "Kip."
"Yeah, I guess they were looking for you. And if you tried to run, they'd follow," I mused. "Still. Maybe next time, direct them somewhere other than the beach and hold back on the info you give."
Mudkip frowned, pursing his lips. Finally nodded. "Mud."
"Are we interrupting?" Aquaman said, walking in with Kaldur, Grace, and Alakazam.
"Nope," I gestured towards the table, which they all sat at. I joined them, taking a cup for myself. "So. What's the verdict?"
"As of right now, none," Aquaman said with a sardonic grin. "I'm not a scientist or a magician, so I'm not sure what to make of Ms. Balin's transformation. Still. I do know some people who are currently doing research on the methods Atlanteans used originally to transform us to our current forms."
"I'd like to meet them," Grace told me. "Maybe, if we can get our heads together, not only can we get a cure for me, but a cure for anyone that the Silicon Dragons turn into monsters! I might even be able to complete my previous research!"
She had a wide and pure smile on her face as she spoke, before a hint of nervousness appeared in her eyes. "But um, we might need to invite them here? Or I would have to go to Atlantis."
"Hn," I grunted, taking a sip of my coffee. "More people in my cave… I don't like it. Even if you guys don't technically know where it is."
"You really do remind me of Batman," Aquaman said humorously.
"Batman could beat me like a rented drum and steal my girlfriend while he's at it," I snarked, placing my drink down. "Look, we'll set up some way to pass information then. Maybe meet at a secondary location. Worst comes to worse, we can have your people visit here. I guess," I grumbled. "What do you want in return?"
"Mostly to help," Aquaman said, getting serious. "I don't really need anything in particular. If you two are part of the effort to protect Hawaii, then this is part of it now."
Hn. Fine, that was fair.
"Well, if you end up running into any cool swords or anything you feel like tossing my way, let me know," I joked lightly.
"Mudkip!" the little guy said.
"I don't know if we have guns like that," Aquaman said while I glared at Mudkip. He chuckled. "I'll let you know if something comes up."
Alakazam spoke up then. "We may need to trade some lines of communication. Do you have access to the surface's internet?"
"We do," Kaldur said. "I can give you my email and other information. And of course," he looked over at Aquaman, who nodded. "Feel free to call on me, if you ever have need of someone on a mission."
I raised an eyebrow. That could be useful… I'd do my best not to though. Like I'd said earlier. The second the Dragons thought Atlantis was at my side, they'd upgun enough that I really might need to call the League for help. Better to keep to my original team for now.
Still, if some other fuckers showed up that we couldn't handle, Kaldur was first on my list.
"There is also something else," Alakazam said. "We may have a lead on our other project…"
------
Grace Balin/Orca
Earlier, while Kahu and Kaldur were making coffee
"I'm glad, Mrs. Balin, that you are doing well," Aquaman said with kindness in his eyes.
AQUAMAN. Grace had to physically stop herself from freaking out. He was a superhero! A celebrity! And his pecs were screaming at her to stare at them.
She kept her cool as best as she could though. "I am. It took a lot of getting used to. But Kahu and everyone else have helped me a lot."
He raised a hand to his chin, scratching at his beard. "Yeah… about that. Do you want to stay here?"
"Huh?"
Aquaman lowered his hand from his beard. "I wouldn't mind having you in Atlantis, if you wanted? We have more than enough experience in housing those with mammalian mutations, so you don't need to worry about breathing underwater. You can stay, research, and keep out of fighting."
Grace stared at him. What he was offering her was an immense opportunity. Marine biologists had dreamed of visiting Atlantis ever since it became confirmed fact. Working with Atlantean scientists, living under the ocean and seeing the wonders of an ancient city of creatures and people no one ever had!
She wanted to say yes so badly. But…
"I'd like to visit," Grace said diplomatically.
"Not live there?" Aquaman immediately understood.
Grace shook her head with a small upturn of her lips. "I have to stay here. I'm going to fight. Hawaii may not be where I was born, but it's my home now. Plus, the Silicon Dragons are using my formula to make supersoldiers."
"You know that's not-" Aquaman began to protest, only for Grace to chuckle.
"Sorry. It's just, everyone has been telling me that for a while. Kahu, Alakazam, Gio-A friend of ours," she cut herself off before she finished Giovanni's name. "They all say I shouldn't blame myself. But even if I didn't feel responsible, I'd still want to help. And Kahu is the only one who is really fighting them."
She lifted her hands and clenched them into fists, looking down at them. "So I'll stay here. Do my research and fight until the Dragons are finished."
Aquaman looked at her. For just a moment, Grace felt like she was standing in front of her professors. Getting judged in some way she couldn't understand. She straightened up, something he seemed to notice. Aquaman smiled.
"Well, that's fine. Open invitation for now. If I have Kahu Kiaʻi read right, he's probably going to be willing to work with me," he smiled just a bit. "He's a bit… rough around the edges, isn't he? Especially for someone who looks like they should be in high school, or college."
"He is," Grace said fondly. "But he's a lot nicer than he pretends to be."
"So Mudkip told me," Aquaman chuckled.
Before they could continue speaking, Alakazam entered the room. He walked in, rather than doing that floating meditative stance he seemed to prefer for movement. He looked up at Grace and Aquaman.
"Is there something you need, Alakazam?" Grace asked curiously.
"...Perhaps," he said mysteriously. "Aquaman. Do you have any familiarity with interdimensional travel? Or know of anyone who does?"
Aquaman raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "I might know a guy."
Alakazam slowly smiled, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.
------
Author's Note: So yeah, Aquaman! :D To be fair, he and Kaldur won't be regulars. The story's focus is still going to be relatively tight, but they'll show up a bit, especially to give Kahu backup if the worst happens.
This is good for Kahu and team, but will also have some unintended consequences they can't see just yet.
Next chapters, some rest and routine. Kahu has had way too many revelations recently. Time for some version of normal.
Chapter 29
After Aquaman and Kaldur left, trading phone numbers with us, I sat back and got ready for the next big thing. For life to throw me another curveball. Except… that didn't happen. Instead, the next night, we went out to Honolulu. Fought some criminals. Arrested them. Went home and worked out, ate together around a table, then went to the Restaurant Royale and trained with Amos and Giovanni. Which was also nice and boring. Intense, yes, but no strange revelations, nobody dropped out of the sky or came from the ocean. We had what I would have considered a normal day.
That was how the next day went as well. I hung out with Tyrunt, worked out with Gurdurr, drew with Mimikyu, played with Mudkip, then ran through some plans with Alakazam.
Grace was still doing her research into a cure or counter for the Silicon Dragons mutations, but she also began looking at my Pokemon. She wasn't doing too much there, since the priority was the Silicon Dragons, but she was immensely curious about them and the world they came from.
We spent some time chatting about that.
------
The Kitchen Of Kahu's Base
"Keep in mind, that the world as a whole has been raised alongside Pokemon their entire lives," I told her as I took a sip of a can of energy drink, Grace sat across the table from me. "They don't know any other way to live. So culturally, Pokemon are a part of everything. All fiction involves Pokemon in some ways. Apocalypse stories still involve Pokemon, for example, even if it's that Pokemon were taken out in a disaster. Comic book heroes are involved with Pokemon. And then of course, every business involves Pokemon in some way."
"Even say, a waiter?" Grace asked me.
"Plenty of people work alongside their Pokemon, so yes. Hell, I once went to a cafe where a shop owner had nothing but Pokemon working there. There's some places that have extra room for Pokemon battles as well."
"Now, that is the biggest thing I want to ask about," Grace sipped at her tea before continuing. She was wearing a sundress over a swimsuit, having just come in from the water around… an hour ago? Had we been talking for that long? "Pokemon battles. You mention it constantly. At first, I thought it might be something like dog fighting rings or cock fighting rings in our world, but the more you mention it, the more it sounds like a fundamental aspect of the culture of your world."
"It is," I acknowledged. "I have some theories about it. One is that Pokemon are fighters at the genetic level. While there are peaceful ones, a huge number of them love fighting, love challenging each other. And I can tell you, any trainer that forces their Pokemon to battle, abuses them, tends to end up with a Pokemon ready to leave them, and they're ostracized by most of society," I thought of Paul or Damien. "In the end, battling is closer to if MMA or UFC was a fact of everyday life for almost everyone. Plus, everyone in that world has access to Potions like the ones that Giovanni sells."
"So the consequences wouldn't be as dire," Grace said slowly.
"Keep in mind, there is still a lot of debate about this kind of thing. While groups like Team Plasma ended up being more like hypocritical ecoterrorists, a few people do argue against it," I chugged my drink back before continuing. "And I wouldn't let my Pokemon fight if they didn't want to."
"I know," she gave me a soft smile, then got more serious. "That world sounds fascinating though. I can't even imagine what the scientific community must be like."
I shuffled a bit. "I uh… wasn't exactly the most scientific kind of guy. But I do remember a few things scientists were trying to study. Like the phenomenon of Mega Evolution."
"Mega…" she blinked. "What is that? You explained Evolution to me, but nothing about Mega."
"Because it's not really relevant. But basically, there are a series of stones that have the power to let specific Pokemon awaken higher levels of power. Temporarily, and it does exhaust trainer and Pokemon afterward, but they can boost them massively. Gives them a new form, sometimes new abilities. But only a few Pokemon can do it. And they need a stone specific to them. Like Alakazam would need Alakazite."
"...Alakazite?"
"Hey, I don't name them."
"Is it some sort of radiation they emit?" Grace placed her tea down, leaning her head on her hand. "Can it be replicated?"
I hadn't thought about that. "I don't know. I haven't heard of it, but maybe? Could be worth an experiment down the line."
Grace let out a small cute huff noise, then perked up. "Oh! Why does Mega Evolution tire out the trainer?"
"Because you need more than just a Mega Stone for the Pokemon. You also need a Key Stone for the trainer. There's a sort of… connection, I guess, that takes place. Then the Key Stone and Mega Stone resonate. But there's a lot of research that goes into the process. Pokemon may have been around for forever, but the mysteries around them are still pretty hefty."
I put down my drink. "Like, why do Pokemon get stronger with a trainer than they ever would in the wild, even if a wild Pokemon and a trained Pokemon undergo the same diet, lifestyle, and basic battles? Why do some Pokemon evolve, why do some only evolve once?"
I grinned at her a little. "Sorry. I'm not as helpful as I want to be."
"No, that's okay! This is great actually!" she waved a hand as she spoke. "I'm actually kind of glad to know I'm not treading over old ground. And hey, who knows! Maybe I'll discover something about Pokemon even you don't know."
"Grace, you're a super-genius. You could write libraries about the things I don't know," I said with some sarcasm.
She blushed, but seemed pleased.
------
After that, Grace did approach Alakazam to ask him more. The supercomputer Psychic apparently gave her a lot to work with, because she started coming to me with a lot of questions. I didn't mind. It was fun to have someone to chat to about the Pokemon world.
Of course, there was a dark spot in my life. Namely, the Silicon Dragons were still upgunning to fight us. And that was starting to show in the streets.
------
Pearl City, Hawaii
One day, Gurdurr and I were running after a group of Silicon Dragons who had been trying to get protection money from some of the stores in the area. Alakazam had managed to find out about it by tracking their phones. It was part of an overall hack he did.
First, by 'phishing' using the phones we'd stolen from the Dragons in the warehouse after Giovanni's own tech experts managed to get into them. Basically, he acted as a lot of the Dragons' friends sending them links to things Alakzam guessed they'd be interested in. Then, when they clicked the links he sent something… happened… that let him access the phones.
Look, I don't understand hacking. It sounded somewhat reasonable when Alakazam explained it to me, so that was enough. Even he admitted that most of what he did was based on rote memorization rather than any real skill at hacking. But it worked.
Anyways, he turned on 'Find My Phone' after finding out what they'd be up to, and thus Gurdurr and I were on their asses.
There were four of them, one woman and three men, who had been trying to intimidate people. We sprinted into a building after them, Gurdurr smashing the door down with his I-Beam to see a flight of stairs heading upwards.
"It's the fucking Roid monster!" one Dragon shouted, a woman with greenish hair. She spun around to fire an UZI at Gurdurr as she ran up the stairs.
"Grah!" he spun his I-Beam around to deflect the bullets, rushing up the stairs. I followed.
"You can't run you fucks!" I shouted. I admit. I was pissed. I fucking hate running. "If I cramp a leg up I'm going to shove it up your ass!"
"Run!" one guy shouted.
The girl who had shot at Gurdurr aimed at him as he approached. "Take this you piece of-!"
A single swipe. The sound of metal cracking. The girl pulled her UZI up to see that all that was left was the handle. Gurdurr ran past her, and she had half a moment to show relief on her face.
Then I grabbed her by the face and smashed her head into the wall, the plaster cracking apart. As she passed out, I continued following Gurdurr, panting heavily.
We reached the top of the stairs and Gurdurr busted the doors down, revealing we'd gotten to the roof. Across from us, two guys aimed their pistols at us. I ducked behind Gurdurr and ran behind him, bullets spanging off his I-Beam.
"Gurdurr, hit 'em both!"
"Gur, Gurdurr!" he sped forward, his I-Beam twisting around so that he held it horizontally. The pair of gunmen stared at the charging Pokemon, shooting at him. A bullet scraped past my chest before Gurdurr's I-Beam hit the two in the stomach at the same time, folding them in half as one of them dropped his gun. They flew back twelve feet, landing and rolling until they came to a complete stop.
"Daaaaayum," I whistled, feeling a bit of pity for the pair. They were lying on the floor, groaning in pain as they clutched at their stomachs. I walked up to Gurdurr, looking around. Two guys. But… where was the third one?
A whirring sound, like gears spinning and grinding, came from behind a crate on the roof. Gurdurr and I faced the crate.
The wooden crate exploded apart, sending chunks of shrapnel everywhere. And a man ran at me, rearing back a metal fist. I raised my arm to block, but Gurdurr was faster. He swung his I-Beam to intercept the fist. A loud 'clang' sound filled the air. And Gurdurr staggered back, eyes wide. The guy staggered back as well, shaking his fist in pain. I eyed him quickly.
The guy's fists were covered in a sort of grey gauntlet that glowed with red energy along the linings of the gauntlet. A long metal section ran along his arms, with joints at key point, up until it got the shoulders. I could see a glowing red piece of metal on his back. I mentally reached out to Alakazam.
"Interesting. Some sort of power armor?" Alakazam mumbled as he looked through my eyes. "A prototype perhaps? I remember seeing something more primitive being used by gangs in Metropolis. I'll begin research. Be careful."
"Always am," I said aloud.
The guy, a pale-skinned white man with scraggly blonde hair, swung his fist up, then down, glaring at us. "You freaks are about to meet your match!"
"Man, dude gets some shitty armor and suddenly he thinks he's god," I said to Gurdurr, raising my fists. Still… That armor might be a problem. "Mind testing him out?"
"Gur," he said seriously in response. Gurddur twirled his I-Beam and raised it. Then he slammed it into the roof, letting it stand there. Gurdurr lifted his fists into a classic boxing stance, waving one forward. He smirked, just a bit. An obvious and simple challenge.
Gurdurr used Taunt. Not literally, but you know what I mean.
"I'm gonna push your shit in!" the big dude came forward and punched down at Gurdurr.
Gurdurr took the blow to his raised arms, grunting as he was sent back a step. He ducked around the next punch, then blocked a right cross on his left forearm. The smirk left his face, replaced by concentration. I stayed back, watching carefully.
When the guy punched at him, again, Gurdurr stepped aside, letting his punch hit the roof instead. A quaking blow shook the roof, the guy pulling back his fist to show that his fist had dug in three inches.
"Yes!" The guy rushed in, swinging wildly. "Hahaha!" his fists landed on Gurdurr's forearms again and again, a loud laugh leaving his lips. "This is power! Real power!"
Gurdurr stilled. A punch landed on his chin. He snarled. "Gurrrrrrr…"
The guy's next punch was caught in a fist. Grey skin tightened, and the pink veins on Gurdurr's arms pulsed. He squeezed down the fist, then pulled. Steel squealed. The guy staggered to his knees.
"What the fu-!"
Gurdurr pulled, the joints on the arm of the gauntlet pulling apart as the nuts and bolts that held it together were unable to withstand that much force. He pushed the guy back as he pulled the gauntlet off his opponents fist, looking at me as he tossed it aside. "Gurdurr."
"I see," I mumbled seriously, thinking. Gurdurr was usually pretty good about assessing two things. Fighting strength and basic construction. If he said the armor was pretty tough, I'd take his word for it.
"Gaaaaah!" the guy clenched his fist, his armor letting out a loud beeping sound. "You fuck!" he lashed out with another punch. Gurdurr ducked around it, hopping over to his I-Beam. Wielding it with all the skill of a dock worker about to beat some heads, he moved in.
The guy swung at him. Gurdurr swung his I-Beam, the red frame meeting the green glowing metal. The guy screamed as Gurdurr's full power crumbled up the fist underneath the metal. Gurdurr grabbed the 'elbow' of his power suit and pulled, ripping the joints again, then swung his I-Beam at the guys back, shattering the power pack there, before coming around to gently bonk the dude on the head with a closed fist, knocking him out.
I walked forward as Gurdurr stood over the guy. He looked up at me with a proud smirk. "Durr!"
I grinned back at him, trading a fistbump. "Nice job bud!"
Still… I'd make a note about this. Power suit used by some random guy. Not a good sign, if a small one.
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Author's Note: As I mentioned before, the next chapters will focus on the day to day of the characters for a bit. Everyone from Kahu, to Kaldur, to Sam Mokoa. Not to say that some good old fights and crazy updates won't happen, but the story needs a small break before some other wildman shows up.