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*****
After school that afternoon, Gwen summoned Luke and the others to her house.
She opened the door, waved them in, said a quick word to Mike, and then bolted upstairs.
"Uh—Mr. Kent!"
The four kids stood at the entrance, suddenly very stiff in front of the disguised Mike.
Well, of course—they were facing Mike Kent, the man who brought a planet, the one called the Man on the Throne.
Every time they pictured Mike seated on that throne, their eyes couldn't help but shine.
If only they could be that strong someday—how great would that be.
"Hey now! Since when are you calling me Mr. Kent? Weren't you calling me Uncle Mike before?"
Mike teased, then said to the four, "Go on—call me Uncle."
The four lit up and chorused in unison.
Mike chuckled, pleased.
"Uncle Mike, could we… maybe visit Planet Kent sometime?"
Harry finally couldn't hold it in.
Mike lowered his voice to a whisper. "They're building a city on Kent right now. We'll go once it's finished."
"Okay!"
Without realizing it, the four mimicked his hushed tone.
"What are you guys doing down there?"
Gwen shouted from upstairs, "Hurry up! I have something important to discuss!"
Mike nodded toward them. "Go on."
The four dashed up the stairs, grinning.
Mike watched them go, then—under Raven's curious gaze—rushed straight into the kitchen.
"What are you up to?" Raven asked, seeing him busily setting out snacks.
"I'll use the chance to bring up juice and… listen to what they're talking about," he said, slipping on disposable gloves and grabbing an orange in his palm, squeezing hard.
In a flash, bright orange juice streamed into the cups.
"You could just use your powers to listen."
Raven, exasperated.
"That would be eavesdropping. Bringing juice is honest listening," Mike said solemnly, hands flying as he filled several glasses.
Raven poked his forehead, took a cup, and left.
Meanwhile, upstairs, the five little conspirators were conducting a very serious vote.
"Alright, let's vote."
Gwen wrapped up the discussion.
They glanced at one another, about to raise hands—
Knock, knock.
Mike came in carrying a tray.
"Hey, kiddos—have a snack!"
He set things down as he spoke.
Gwen sighed. She turned and hissed, helpless, "Dad! Couldn't you wait a minute?"
"Ah—right, I'm going," Mike smiled, then—curious—asked, "So, what are you talking about?"
Gwen: _
"Um, we…"
"Don't you dare!"
Gwen blocked honest-to-a-fault Peter, shoved Mike out the door, and locked it.
Mike: "…"
Well then!
This kid… has grown up.
Smiling, he headed downstairs.
Inside, Gwen and the others resumed their vote.
Unanimous approval.
Gwen punched the air, excited. "Then I officially announce—the Titan Squad is established!"
The five cheered, clinked their cups, and dove into lively planning over snacks and drinks.
"Titan Squad" was the idea that sprang to Gwen at school after hearing about Berry.
She suddenly realized crime was right beside them. She had to learn from her family—she had to do something. And the starting point would be to end school bullying.
For now, Gwen would be the field agent; the other four would handle logistics.
"I'm planning to take action tonight," Gwen said in a low voice.
"Berry?"
"Right."
Gwen nodded, face set. "If she really ruined a girl's face, she must pay the price."
"I agree!" Mary Jane spoke first. "A girl's face is one of the most important things!"
"Then first, we need to confirm whether it's true," Gwen said, pinching her chin like her father and brother would. She felt it looked cooler saying important things that way.
"Then we should get moving!" Peter blurted.
"Split up and gather intel. Once we're sure it's real, we act."
Gwen clenched a fist to seal the plan.
The four nodded, stood to leave—then collectively turned back to finish the snacks and juice.
"You guys…"
"Uh—these are made by Mike Kent. We can't waste them—and they're too good," Mary Jane said with utmost sincerity, earning the other three's emphatic agreement.
After saying goodbye to Mike, they hurried out.
—Night.
Gwen slipped out her bedroom window and dropped to the yard below.
A flash of flame kindled under her feet; she landed lightly in the backyard. Summoning the Night Hawk, she shifted into her Spirit of Vengeance form, mounted up, and shot into the sky.
At the same time, Mike opened his eyes, watching that blue streak of fire, and sighed.
"Go on," Raven nudged him.
Mike kissed her forehead. "I'll be right back."
"Mm."
Raven nodded.
Mike left the house, trailing Gwen from afar.
He watched everything—start to finish.
She disciplined the vicious girl, recorded a video of the girl admitting her wrongdoing, and then taught the girl's father a lesson, too. She found the drugs hidden in their home, tied the unconscious pair together, called the police, left the evidence—and even thoughtfully left a note.
The whole operation was so smooth Mike almost wondered if this wasn't her first time.
Watching Gwen's retreating back, he couldn't help but sigh again.
"She really has grown up."
...
"You've grown!"
Rocket measured Groot's height with his hands, unable to stop himself from marveling.
Groot narrowed his little eyes and grabbed a handful of Rocket's beard.
Rocket grimaced, then warned carefully, "Don't run around. In a bit, you hide in a corner, got it?"
"I am Groot."
Groot answered, while craning his head to look all around.
"Everyone, get ready. They said it's a big one," Star-Lord said, holding a palm-sized box that measured the spatial signal strength when the creature appeared.
They were already on Sovereign, having accepted the mission from the high priestess Ayesha.
The Sovereign possessed a kind of adamantium-titanium battery with massive energy reserves.
Lately, some creature had taken a liking to them.
It came from another dimension, and every time it appeared, it devoured a ton of those batteries.
Vain, petty, and quick to anger, the Sovereign felt every bite taken out of their batteries like a slap to the face—no way were they swallowing that humiliation.
But risk injury to handle the monster themselves? Absolutely not.
So the job landed on the Guardians.
Now they stood upon a high platform in the main city of Sovereign.
The platform shimmered with pale gold light, and at its edge were several power units stuffed with adamantium-titanium batteries.
According to the Sovereign's scans, the creature's next target was this platform.
"Eric, don't move at first. If we make it look too easy, the Sovereign will think the monster wasn't worth what they're paying," Star-Lord warned, eyes glued to the device.
Eric nodded indifferently. He glanced at the golden batteries, then down at the city—and thought of those gold-skinned Sovereign. He shook his head lightly.
This trip truly broadened his horizons.
"It's here!"
Star-Lord growled, staring at the flashing alarm on the device, then looked up.
The others slipped on flight transposers Rocket had made.
Space rippled—energies bursting like fireworks.
With a roar, a giant beast plummeted from the sky.
Its head was enormous, a mouth packed with ranks of needle teeth, its body beneath the head a bloated mass propped up by a forest of tentacles.
Eric let out a low whistle. As it barreled toward the power units, he scooped up little Groot and stepped back.
A heartbeat later, Star-Lord's blasters stitched several energy shots across the creature's hide—and the fight was on.
Tentacles lashing, beams crisscrossing—it was almost… pretty?
The Guardians' weapons, whether gun or blade, barely scratched the beast's hide—leaving marks at best, and often nothing at all.
Meanwhile, they were the ones getting swatted around, stumbling through the creature's rainbow energy squalls.
"I am Groot!"
Groot shouted, waving at the monster.
Eric watched their performance, helpless.
"Eric! A little help! This thing's disgusting!" Star-Lord yelped, dodging a tentacle that still clipped him.
His guns were doing zilch.
Eric blinked, a wicked smile flickering in his eyes. "You're really committing to the bit."
"I'm not—"
Wham!
Before he could finish, a tentacle smacked Star-Lord flying.
Chuckling to himself, Eric set little Groot aside and rose toward the fray.
Metal from all around ripped free at his call. Under his control, it braided into chains that snapped around the beast and its tentacles. With a sharp spread of his fingers, the monster flattened like a pinned specimen, plastered to the platform.
Eric smiled slightly and tilted his chin at the others.
"Go on—finish it."
Star-Lord and the rest bared their teeth and charged.
(End of this chapter)