Chapter 39
July 5th, 2010
"Magcargo!"
A plume of fire erupted into the air as she said that, the light of it sending Giovanni, Orca, and my shadows bouncing along the walls and floor of the laboratory.
"So what do you think?" I asked Giovanni and Grace, the question applying differently to each of them.
"It's amazing," Grace said, stunned as Magcargo rubbed her head against my chest. "Her internal temperature is way beyond any of our instrument's ability to measure. She should be turning the city into fireball. But she's just warm to the touch! This level of control… Kahu, I know you said Pokemon evolutions are powerful, but I didn't expect such a drastic difference!"
"Neither did I," Giovanni cocked his head to the side. "I suppose there is precedent for it of course. Alola and Galar have been known to have regional variants of common Pokemon."
"Don't forget the Hisui ones."
"Hisui?" Giovanni asked me curiously.
"Ancient Sinnoh? You know, when they had Arcanine that were fire/rock and Electrode that were electric/grass."
"Really!?" he sounded fascinated. "I had heard rumors, but nothing confirmed by historians. Blaine spent quite a bit of time trying to discover if he could evolve an Arcanine to take on those traits."
"Then clearly he should have done whatever Magcargo did," I rubbed the top of her head, hiding some of my suspicions. Magcargo had promised me her 'benefactor' was going to visit soon.
"Clearly," Giovanni agreed sarcastically. He stroked his chin. "Still, this change does interest me. I'd had suspicions that our Pokemon could be affected by the unusual energies of this world. Having proof of it is gratifying. Still, the distribution of powers is so random I'm against experimenting with it."
"This, from the guy who made a super Mew?"
"After years of failed attempts and constant refinement, yes. I did clone a perfected version of a powerful mystic Pokemon. Which is very different from exposing my Pokemon to Kryptonite just to see what happens."
"...Goddamn it, you have Kryptonite?"
"That's not the point."
"You have Kryptonite!?" Grace asked, turning from her analysis of Magcargo.
"As I was saying, this does interest me. It's not a Mega Evolution, but Magcargo is far more powerful than versions I've seen before. For one thing, no Pokemon but Heatran should be able to know Magma Storm."
"Is that something I should worry about?" Grace asked me.
"Certain Pokemon moves can only be learned by specific types of Pokemon. And I don't mean a fire-type using water-type, I mean super-charged shit that can be used by the strongest beings on earth. Heatran is very powerful, and a good girl."
"A good girl?" Giovanni asked skeptically.
"I stand by that. Point is, she has a move that is supposed to be specific to her, but Magcargo learned to unleash it somehow."
"Magcargo!" she said proudly.
I couldn't help the grin as I scratched my head. "Honestly, the best thing is the level of control she's gained. She hasn't scorched anything she hasn't wanted to since she evolved, and she can stand still without issue now."
"Now I just need to figure out how I can take a dna sample," Grace signed, staring at the massive snail-girl. "It was hard enough when she was just extremely hot. I'm worried anything that could take a sample would melt on contact."
"Magcargo," saying that, my lava girl reached her head around towards her new shell. She took a small piece of the solid stone off with her mouth, then gently laid it in Grace's hand.
"Huh… well, it could work?" Grace lifted up the piece of shell and stared at it for moment. "It's still strange that DNA can exist in things like this."
"The world is larger than our mere perceptions of it," I said. "Giovanni and I are from a different world, but there is a whole multiverse of weird shit. I guarantee it."
Hopefully I didn't end up meeting other versions of me though. That wouldn't end well.
"Would you be willing to trade for her?"
Giovanni's question made me blink.
"Excuse me?"
Giovanni smiled. "In my old life, rarities such as your Magcargo always drew me. I could offer-"
"No."
"Not even going to listen to my offer?"
"Would you trade Persian for anything?"
He chuckled, nodding. "Very well. Then what about this? I've been wanting to ask if you wanted to trade your Gurdurr then trade back."
He changed topics so quickly. As though the first question barely mattered. Magcargo leaned against me, giving me a grateful smile. I rubbed her head and smiled at the cutie before thinking on Giovanni's question.
"I don't know if Gurdurr would be down for that. Plus, I have no idea how the trade thing works."
"What are we talking about?" Grace asked.
"Trade evolution, remember? Something about the energies caused by an official trade of Pokemon makes some of them evolve. I think?"
"Actually, I'm not sure either," Giovanni stroked his smooth chin thoughtfully. "I believe that research into it is ongoing. But then, the question must be asked how Conkledurr's appear in the wild if trading is Gurdurr's only option."
He seemed intrigued now. "Yes… in fact, we may want to avoid that. Let's see how all of your Pokemon adjust. It's possible all or none of them will have such unique transformations."
I kept my thoughts on that to myself.
"Oh, Kahu," Giovanni looked over at me lazily. "You mentioned before that you had need of a consultant for technology? Someone to work alongside you in the field when needed?"
"In case we had to disable bombs or hack computers, yes."
"Well the candidate I recommended to you… has arrived."
The lights went out. I briefly panicked, reaching for my hip. The lights snapped back on.
And he was standing about five feet in front of us. Like he'd teleported into the room.
"Jesus!" Grace stepped back. I reeled back, lifting my fists before me. Music was playing in the background, some kind of… electro swing?
"Ahh right on time as always!" Giovanni waved dramatically at the man in front of us. "Kahu, let me introduce you to your new technical support. He does so love a good entrance."
"They do say first impressions are important," the guy who had somehow appeared in the middle of the room met my eyes. I think. He wore a mask, a steel looking one with a grill over his mouth and more prominently, a pair of clocks over his eye, both displaying the time with a classic little hand and big hand.
I double checked a digital clock on the wall. His eye clocks were exactly correct.
"William Tockman. At your service."
He twirled his cane and strode forward with a confident strut, the cane snapping forward to smack into the floor in perfect beat to the music playing over the speakers. He bowed dramatically, sweeping his hat off his head. "Charmed to meet you all."
I lowered my fists. "Um… likewise?"
He swept the hat back on. Even with the mask, I think he was pleased. I took a closer look at him.
Dapper. That was what his appearance screamed to me. He looked dapper as fuck. A classy looking bowler hat on his head, colored the same soft brown as his long coat. His coat reached down to his shins, covering his white shirt, green vest, and black pants, a pair of very shiny looking shoes completing the ensemble. If it wasn't for the mask he would have looked like a man out of time… Pun unintended.
His cane was interesting too. A thick looking thing, with a black sheen except for the handle, which kind of looked like it had a brass capped grip to it.
The music faded away with a final trill of electro beats. The exact instant that it did, he began speaking.
"I must say, I'm excited," he said brightly. He raised a hand up and removed his mask. His face was pale, and looked younger than I expected. His brown hair framed his looks, and his smile was a bit nervous looking. "I've never been on this side of things."
This side of things? Wait… William Tockman.
"The Clock King?"
"That I am," he said, though his nervousness seemed to grow. "You've um… heard of me?"
"Sort of. You once fought… Batman?"
"Oh! Uh, no, I've never had the pleasure. I contended with Green Arrow! He beat me rather thoroughly, to be honest!"
"And since then, he has paid his dues to society," Giovanni intruded brightly. "I decided to take him on. He's quite the intellect!"
"I'm proud to agree," he twirled his cane again, grinning this time. "I hope to work well with you, Mr. Kiaʻi."
"..." I rubbed my face, ignoring everyone. "Clock King… a supervillain."
"Former, Kahu. Former supervillain, and only a single outing at that," Giovanni pointed out. "I did him a favor as a bonus for signing up. In return, you have a talented engineer willing to keep your secrets and do some rather dangerous work as well!"
"I'm not judging him. I'm trying to figure out how much of this is you messing with me?"
"Hm… not much, honestly," Giovanni shrugged. "Mr. Tockman is qualified. Would you disagree with that?"
I thought about the Clock King's of other universes. Here he'd fought Green Arrow once. In others he became a real danger at points. Or a joke. But that was all supervillains in one way or another.
"Should you agree then it would be a lot smoother to let him know your identity. He is well aware of what would be the level of my... displeasure should he abuse that."
Tockman shuddered slightly at that, though he held it in well. "Er. Yes. I would understand of course, Mr. Kiaʻi, if you prefer not to. But I would like to work with you. Mr. Giovanni has provided me aid, and in return he requested I do the same for you and your team. You have my loyalty."
He sounded sincere. I held out a hand, which he took. "I'll need some time to trust you with that," I said, shaking it. "For now? Welcome aboard. I'll keep you alive."
"I'll do the same!" he sounded excited.
Giovanni frowned. "Are you sure about not-"
I looked over at him. He let it go with a shrug.
Tockman seemed nice. But I wouldn't have trusted him with my identity if he had been Superman himself.
"You'll join us on patrol next time," I told him. "Get to know us and our team. How are you with efficiency?"
He practically buzzed in place. "Oh believe me. I know a thing or two about that."
I nodded firmly. "Then welcome to the team… it's unnamed right now, but we're workshopping it down the road."
Clock King. Why not?. That would be interesting. And I still had another meeting later on.
An hour later, I waited on a chair by myself in our base. Magcargo had said our visitor was on the way. I'd decided to meet them alone.
So I stared at the door, trying to hide my nervousness as I bounced a small box on my knee, a bottle of fancy alcohol sat next to the chair. A sound behind me made me jump. I spun around, only to sigh in relief.
"You okay?" Grace asked gently. The large whale hybrid woman was wearing a blue sundress, and sat on the floor next to me. Despite that, she was still a little taller than I was.
"Not really. I don't know what's coming up."
"Magcargo told you the person who… I don't know what the word for it is. Her patron?" Grace frowned. "Honestly, I only have you and Giovanni's word her new look is unusual for her species."
"It is unusual," which was an understatement. "And until I meet whoever this is, I have no idea what to call them."
Grace let out a small noise I couldn't quite interpret. Then she noticed the box and booze. "What's up with those?"
"Cigars and booze," I frowned at them. "Alakazam suggested them."
"Why?" Grace asked.
"I have my suspicions, only because we're in Hawaii. I don't know for sure though," I poked at the alcohol, something Amos had passed to me when I told him about those suspicions. The old bastard had said something that sounded immensely dirty, then paled when I clarified things and grabbed the expensive looking bottle out of his office in Giovanni's compound.
There was a knock at the… well, not really door. Whatever you want to call a self-moving wall of stone. I got up and walked over to it. The cave wall separated apart as I approached.
Outside, an old caucasian woman was there, dressed in a red muumuu, her blue eyes just a bit dulled with age. She looked up at me. "Hello sweetie. I was in the neighborhood, and was wondering I could trouble you for some cigars? Maybe a small drink? It's for my health, you see."
"Wha- but both of those things are so unhea-" Grace began to protest.
I snapped a hand up before Grace continued. I smiled hesitantly at the old woman. Her smile faded at Grace's protest, but returned when I held out the cigars and booze. "I don't mind. Here you go, miss."
"Ah, fantastic," she took a hold of them, then grinned at the sight of the booze. "Ooooh. Now that is a wonderful sight."
She looked up at me. After silently staring at each other awkwardly, I stepped aside. "Won't you come in?"
"Ah, mighty kind of you!" she stepped inside.
It was like watching someone 'shrug off' a body. Her transformation was smooth. Almost eerie. Her pale wrinkled skin became a dark and tanned color, smooth as butter. Her frail skinny limbs were replaced with muscular and powerful arms and legs. White hair shifted to become a shiny black like obsidian, flashes of blue-white the color of lightning glimmering through it. Her red muumuu became a red and grey top and a simple skirt of the same color, a bone necklace around her neck and a gold bangle around her left ankle. She was showing a huge amount of skin, revealing her powerful and graceful form.
She also matched Grace in height.
"What the-!?" Grace stumbled back as the woman continued, walking with all of the grace of a queen.
The cave wall shut behind her. The woman walked up to the table and sat on my chair. She leaned back, resting her cheek in one hand. Eyes the color of molten red shone, and lips covered in black makeup quirked upwards. "So. You are Kahu Kiaʻi."
I stood still, unmoving. Her presence was intense. She wasn't just sitting on the chair. It was like… like a black hole. There was a core, a center part that sat before us. And around her you could feel the effect she had on the environment. The room was almost stiflingly warm, right on the edge of being uncomfortable. There was a static charge, just enough to make the hair on my arms rise up.
She was also insanely attractive, but I was getting used to that sort of thing, despite my teenage hormones trying to keep reminding me of that.
"I am," I finally said as I pushed myself to move. I sat down on a different chair, facing her. I looked her over, feeling small. And not just because she towered over me. "I have a guess as to who you are, but I'd rather let you introduce yourself."
"I am Pele."
That was it. No titles, no bombastic voice, nothing else. I am Pele. As though that wasn't a revelation.
I knew, intellectually, that God and Goddesses existed in the DC universe. Hell, I'd been dropped here because of a God of a different universe. Meeting them was very different though.
Pele. Goddess of Fire and Volcanoes. And lightning, dance, war, and a bunch of other things. The creator of the islands of Hawaii, and one of the most important goddesses in the islands. Certainly in her pantheon.
"Should I call you Madame Pele?" I asked as politely as I could.
"Just Pele is fine," she seemed to finish her inspection of me. "Did you know I lived here, when you arrived on the islands?"
"In Kīlauea? No. I know about the myth-" her face twisted at the word. "The rumours," her face calmed. Yeah. Don't call the deity a myth to her face. "But I had no clue. Would it have been an issue?"
"Yes. I would have destroyed your base had you been using me to strengthen my little sister. I would have rained down ash for thirty days and nights, then taken your charred bones and shattered them against the stones of my island. The pain would have been excruciating. I promise you that."
I shuddered. She smiled.
"I don't like being used, Kahu Kiaʻi. I do not like being deceived. I love my new little sister. I would hate to destroy her…"
"Partner," I said immediately. "Pokemon and their Trainers are partners."
"Partner," she rolled the word around. The smell of ozone filled the air, a copper kind of scent. "Yes. So then. Why did you decide to make a home next to my own? Why does your gray one dig, while the ancient beast aids him? Why does the master of oceans visit my lands now?"
She glared just a bit. "I am not a fan of water, Kahu Kiaʻi. My sister chased me with it for centuries. My ex-husband destroyed my creations with it. And now you invite it's ruler into my lands."
I gently raised my hands. "Pele. I am not attempting to intrude. Aquaman is my friend, not me trying to insult you. If I have insulted you, I apologize. I can leave, if you want. I don't want to anger you. I just want to keep my Pokemon safe. Nothing more, nothing less."
"Would you leave so easily?" she smiled without happiness. "After all of your work? What if I tell you to leave? Now. If I flooded the base with magma and destroyed your home?"
"...I can't say I'd be happy," to say the least. "But I wouldn't have much choice other than to accept it. Being chased out of a place I tried to make a home out of. I can't stop you."
She froze just a bit. I knew I'd struck a nerve. Like she said. She'd been chased for centuries by her sister. Nāmaka would attack her relentlessly, destroy her homes, force her to abandon them again and again.
"Don't think I don't see what you're doing," Pele warned me. Her eyes glimmered, I began to sweat under the unbearable heat.
"I made a home. I promise to be respectful. If you wish me to leave, I will. That's all this is."
She glared harder at me. I held my ground. Finally she relented. "I have no quarrel with you building here. Place my symbol on a wall, and leave me offerings."
"What kind?"
"More of these will suffice," she gestured to the booze and cigars. "My little sister. She said her name has changed?"
"...Magcargo."
"Magma and escargot?" Pele's face twisted in disgust. "Really?"
"I didn't choose it."
She seemed to decide to let it go. "Very well. She cares for you. And I sense that a portion of her power came from your belief in her. Take heed, Kahu. That and the actions you have taken against the Dragons are all that save you from my wrath."
"The Dragons?"
The goddess smirked just a bit, her brown skin glimmering in the light. "The Silicon Dragons are of Hawaii. But they get no love from I and my siblings. Continue your war with them. You will have no aid from me, but you have my approval."
That tracked. Deities don't help people with their problems so directly nowadays. Perseus had no idea how lucky he had it. Lucky bastard demi-god.
"Is there anything else I need to know?"
"Nothing. I wanted to take your measure. You are lacking," ouch. "But that is fine. All mortals are. You care for my sister, you fight what I hate, and you show respect. That is enough. Continue as you are. Send me offerings weekly. And do not disrespect the name of Pele."
The powerful Goddess of Fire rose up. Then she took notice of Grace, who was staring back at her. "...Are you a water goddess?"
"Um, no?" Grace said hesitantly. "I was mutated. I'm a normal human other than that. I'm Grace Balin."
"Hm… not a child of my siblings? Or one of the Greek ones?" she said with disgust.
"I'm from Gotham."
"That might be worse," Pele shrugged. "Very well. You may remain in Hawaii."
"T-Thank you?"
"You are polite. Good. Kahu. Grace. If you remain respectful, our next meeting will not be for some time. Pray for that to be true."
A hole opened in the floor, swirling with red hot rock. I lifted a hand to my face, fending off the bright light. Pele stepped into the pool of molten spinning liquid, sinking down slowly. "Tell Magcargo to visit me. Our training should continue."
"She loves you, so I doubt I could stop her from visiting you if I tried."
Pele gave me the first honest smile I'd seen from her. "I love her as well."
Then she sank under the waves of magma. After a moment, the hole swirled closed, becoming solid stone once more.
Grace looked between the former hole, then me. Then back again.
"What the fu-!?" she stopped, then rubbed her face. "I don't even know where to start! Was that really a god!?"
"One of them," I said nonchalantly.
"How are you so calm about this!? She said she would kill you if we don't follow her rules!" Grace looked panicked, which was weirdly cute on an Orca face.
I was still sitting on my chair, and I slowly brought my hands together in front of my face. "It doesn't matter much."
"Doesn't matter?" Grace seemed shocked. "Doesn't matter. An ancient deity worshiped by thousands shows up, a woman with the power to make islands, who threatened to kill you at worst and destroy your base at best showed up, and it doesn't matter!?"
"It does matter. Just not much," I thought carefully as I spoke. "I'm glad that we came to an understanding with her. A few cigars and booze are more than worth it for not having her pissed off at us, and I appreciate her being so understanding," if a little bitchy. So hot though…
"Look, Grace, we need to consider that, on the scale of things, finding out Pele exists isn't surprising. Impressive. But knowing deities ancient civilizations worshiped still exist doesn't change the taste of mustard. We need to acknowledge it, then move forward as best as we can."
"...Are you sure you're younger than me?"
"Arguably," depending on how you counted me being in a 14 year old body, pretending to be in an 18 year old one, while having a 28 year old mind. "The point is, I'm planning to respect Pele's boundaries. Now the next problem pops up."
My phone began to ring. I looked over at it. Kaldur's face shone on the screen right above his number and the accept/cancel call buttons. I answered the phone. "Hey Kaldur. What's up?"
"Kahu," Kaldur's voice sounded exhausted. "It is good to hear from you. How are you?"
"Well, met someone impressive today. Other than that, the day has been quiet. How about you, how'd your whole thing yesterday go?"
"...I believe you may have been right about jinxing myself."
"Wait, what?"
"Have you heard of Cadmus? The genetics research laboratory?"
"Cadmus? I heard about them, yeah," I was beginning to suspect where this was headed… "Why do you ask?"
"We ended up having a bit of an interesting night," Kaldur sounded like he was understating things.
"What happened?"
"We met a clone of Superman."
"...Goddamni-" I stopped, groaning while rubbing my face. Damnit. Superboy. I really thought I had until Doomsday killed Supes to worry about that. "Okay, yeah. See, I warned you about jinxing yourself."
"What happened?" Grace asked.
I covered the mouthpiece. "Nothing for us to worry about I think, but Kaldur had a hell of a 4th of July."
"Didn't we fight a full on war that day?"
"I think he's an overachiever," I removed my hand from the mouthpiece. "Okay, clone of Superman," Grace's jaw dropped as I continued. "Is that the only thing, or was there more?"
"Actually, there was something I thought we could use your expertise on," Kaldur said. "We also met some of Cadmus' other experiments. They call them Genomorphs. Mentally controlled genetic creations that Cadmus used as a military force."
"Well that sounds all kinds of joyous. How mentally controlled?"
"Not as much as they hoped. They are entirely sapient," Kaldur said in a heavy sort of tone. "I thought of your Pokemon when I heard about that. I thought you and Grace could provide some perspective of the social and medical kind."
"And Alakazam making sure they aren't still carrying some kind of mental lock in their head?" I added. "Maybe the same for Superboy?"
"He doesn't like that name," Kaldur sounded amused. "That may be something we'll need, though it didn't occur to me until you mentioned it to be honest."
"Really? First thing I'd think of is to clear the minds of everyone involved with that project."
Kaldur hmmed through the phone. "I'll approach Batman about it. In the meantime, I wanted to reach out to you and let you know about what happened. How about you? You said you met someone interesting?"
"Pele, the Goddess of Volcanoes."
"...Seems we've both had quite a day."
"You more than me. All she did was threaten to kill me."
"That seems to be the norm for divine beings."
"How about you tell me your story first. Mine is gonna be shorter."
I leaned back to listen while Kaldur gave the slip on his wild night in Cadmus. I was right. It was a longer story. A pretty fun one too.
Worth a couple episodes at least.
Author's Note: So to be clear. One of the other Pokemon is gonna get an alternate form. ONE. I like a lot of their normal forms, and the only reason I'd give them a new form is because I want to make a plot point that moving to the DC universe has more effects than just a change in location.
Chapter 40
July 7th, 2014
Sam Mokoa
"Kona TV, Special Report!" In a small office, a TV shone, the Kona TV symbol shining in a moving graphic before solidifying into the faces of a pair of news anchors. They were unsmiling as the camera moved in on them.
"Good evening. I'm (Name)," said the male anchor.
"And I'm (Name)," said the female anchor.
"We're continuing our special report on the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor," the woman almost snarled the words, her professionalism fading a bit. "Killer Frost, one of the perpetrators of the attack, is still in custody, and is awaiting the decision on where her trial will take place, with many advocating she face justice on Hawaiian soil, while others argue the mainland has better resources to contain and try a superhuman."
"The debate is ongoing," the man said. "In the meantime, many of the Silicon Dragons captured in the aftermath of the attack have been imprisoned. Our experts say their trials will take some time to go through due to the sheer number of men and women arrested, with many calling them out as terrorists."
"Cleanup in the aftermath of the attack is also ongoing," the woman continued. "The ice left in the remains of the attack has long since melted, leaving damage totalling in the millions and rising even further. The USS Arizona Memorial sustained much of the damage, while the USS Missouri sank into the harbor. Donations from around the country have already begun to pour in to support the rebuilding and injured."
"No matter the monetary damage however, with over a dozen fatalities including soldiers, civilians and police it's the lives lost of those attacked by the Dragons are far more important. In the wake of the attack, Rocket Unlimited was the first company to offer aid to those in need after the attack, putting forth millions in rebuilding costs, funerals, and offering their revolutionary medicines to those injured free of charge."
"And yet, even with philanthropists like Giovanni Giovanni," the woman stumbled over the name but persevered. "The damage will take some time to recover, and the losses will be felt for some time."
"Other cities in the United States faced similar attacks by ice-themed villains the same day Killer Frost did. Mr. Freeze in Gotham, Captain Cold in Central City, and Icicle Junior in Star City, however, none have done the level of damage that Killer Frost and the Silicon Dragons have," the man leaned forward just a bit, distaste appearing past the veneer of professionalism. "No word yet on why this attack was so different, though speculation has been rampant. Social media is filling with theories debating if this was part of a larger coordinated ice villain plot, and if so why the Pearl Harbor battle was so destructive. "
"Many blame Kahu, claiming that his war with the Silicon Dragons caused them to escalate beyond the norm, with some requesting police step up efforts to arrest him as well as the Dragons, while others have called for Sam Mokoa, the infamous FBI Agent who joined the battle against the Dragons, to begin a partnership with the-"
Sam shut off the TV. He placed the remote down and leaned back. Then he grabbed his phone and took a look at it.
A single text message rested there. From Kahu Kiaʻi. All it said was that he was going to call in five minutes. That was around four minutes ago.
The phone rang. Sam answered. "Punctual."
"I try to be," Kahu said simply. "Working together is going to be a tough prospect isn't it?"
"You saw the news."
"I saw the news."
"Then yes. We'll have to keep things close to the chest. You promise to end your vigilantism once we take them down?"
"I'll apply to the Police Academy the day after, work on my Micheal Winslow act-"
"Fine, save your sarcasm for later. You patrol every night?"
"When I'm not working on something else."
"We'll coordinate then. The Dragons may have had more numbers than we thought, but this recent attack must have depleted them a bit. We'll hit them from every side. You and your band take some targets, we'll take others. There is something else… Have you heard about the vigilante copying you?"
"You did mention something about that. But no, I hadn't heard about that," Kahu sounded confused.
"He's been beating the hell out of criminals across the island. Witnesses say he wears a mask. I thought it was you, but he wears a… smiley mask."
"You serious?"
"As a heart attack. It's not some children's fun look. He looks like a goddamn demon. I've seen him get shot full on by an Uzi and break the arms of the woman who did it."
Silence on the other end. Sam continued. "I'm working on tracking him. But I think I'm going to leave that to you," Sam growled, just a bit angered at the prospect.
"Doesn't seem your style."
"I catch him, I need to arrest him. I'm considering another option. This guy isn't just a vigilante. We're talking someone who hates criminals. He's been taking down operations and leaving… I don't want to say carnage. Nobody is dead. But they'll spend more time in the hospital than they will in jail."
"You want me to recruit this guy!?"
"No. Legally, I don't know you. I don't know what you're doing. I am currently doing everything in my power to bring that man in."
"...I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"I can tell you hate this. A lot. I don't want to say I understand, but I know you have a code of honor that you're having to push aside. Much more than-"
"Enough. I'd have quit this job if I wanted your sympathies."
A long sigh came from the other end. "Fine. Send me what you got. I'll start hunting down this guy. I can't promise he'll want anything to do with me. Whoever he is. What do you know about him?"
"Some kind of enhanced durability. Strength. Wears a mask and biker gear. Doesn't talk, but we've caught footage of a recording device playing voice lines for him. Demented stuff. He's about 6 feet."
"Where's he operating?"
"Used to be Waianae. He pops up at random all over Hawaii, but that's where most sightings took place. Lately though-"
"Honolulu."
"Everything is converging there for some reason," Sam said bitterly.
"I'll find him."
"One last thing. A rumor. Something my guy Donald found out."
"Donald?"
"My mythical expert. He heard something… You ever hear about the Night Marchers?"
"No?"
"I suggest you look it up. Because he says there are some," Sam struggled to find the words. Goddamnit, he wasn't made for this magic bullshit. "Portents? Look, he slaughtered a chicken and it told him that a Night Marcher was walking the land."
"What's that mean?"
"You think I know anything about this stuff? A Night Marcher walks the land. Some kind of ghost or spirit… thing. And it's been following the same path as this guy."
"...I might have someone for this then."
"You want me to have Donald reach out?"
"Maybe. Let my girl do her thing first."
Mimikyu
While she was sewing together a new mask for Tyrunt, Master knocked on her door.
Mimikyu looked up at him curiously from her workbench. "Mimikyu?"
At her question, Master smiled. "Hey girl. I need you to do something for me. Might need to go out on your own a few times. You up for that?"
"Mimi!" she hopped up and down excitedly.
"Good… I think we're gonna need you to go ghost hunting."
"Kyu?"
Oh my. Maybe it was a new friend!
Anita Fite
At the same time Mimikyu was getting the details on her new assignment, Anita Fite was watching her father hang up the phone. She was at the dining table of their new home in Hawaii, reading a textbook, but she ignored it now to watch him at the counter where a landline phone rested. The middle-aged man sighed, sagging slightly.
"You okay, dad?"
Donald smiled, glancing at her before looking at the refrigerator, where he'd placed some chicken to marinate before the phone call. "Yeah. Yeah, just… Sam has me looking into something. But I'm having trouble with it."
"What is it? Maybe I can help?"
Donald chuckled. "Nope. You have homework."
"I finished my homework."
"Then you have chores."
"What, you want me to wipe up imaginary dust?"
"Sarcasm-"
"'-is the refuge of the childish and insecure', I know."
"If you know, then follow that adage, sweetie."
Anita rolled her eyes, but still eyed her father. "What's wrong, dad? Really?"
He pursed his lips thoughtfully. Then he ran his fingers across his bald head before moving them through his beard. "Okay. Anita. You remember our lessons about Hawaiian spirits?"
"I've been looking them up again."
"Good girl. Well. Night Marchers are one of those spirits. Tell me about them."
It was something they often did. Little tests to make sure she was listening. Anita thought carefully. "Warrior spirits, right?"
"Partial answers, sweetie."
"Hold on, I'm thinking!" Anita furrowed her brow. Night Marchers… "Their real name is huaka'i pō. They are the vanguard for sacred royalty. Spirits of ancient warriors who come from ancient Hawaiian battlegrounds. They move in darkness. And any mortals who see them will die if they aren't related to them."
"Weaknesses?"
"Living cordyline fruticosa!"
"And?"
"I think they often travel with Hi'iaka? The goddess of sorcery."
"Good… now I'm going to say something. This is something different," her father rubbed his eyes. "It is a Night Marcher. The old spirits call to it. But it isn't acting the way my texts say. It's leaving people alive. Targeting specific people and leaving others untouched. It has no drums to call to it, but still uses sound with it's actions. And it's in a tangible form. It's as if… it's been changed."
"Maybe it has?" Anita asked. When her father simply crossed his arms, she knew he was asking her to continue her line of thinking. "Well… you told me magic is about the mental. The thoughts that are attached to action. Maybe the reason it's acting that way is because of a combination of things. The spirit that made it, the battleground it came from, and the world around it when it appeared?"
"Night Marchers acted the same way for centuries."
"The world was the same for centuries," Anita pointed out. "But the closer we come to the modern day, the faster things change. Maybe the Night Marcher only began to match its environment because-"
"Because its environment was different," David snapped to his feet. "I think I can-Anita, I'll be back tomorrow!"
He rushed to his office, grabbing a bag then running back to kiss her cheek.
"Dad!?"
"Tomorrow! Thank you sweetie!"
Her dad rushed out, pulling out his phone. "Sam! I might have something. It'll just take a bit."
Anita frowned, before sitting down. Her father slammed the door behind him, and the sound of the car rushing off filled the air before fading away. Then she saw a folder on the floor.
"Yooo. Now what is that?" Anita hopped off her seat and grabbed the folder. Inside the manilla confines were a series of notes in her dad's almost mechanical handwriting. He really was anal about his penmanship…
"First spotted in Waianae… Huh."
Anita moved to her room and looked up the dates around it's first appearance on her computer. There was an obituary listed about a week after the appearance… No. A list.
A lot of people seemed to die there. She thought Hawaii was all sunshine and beaches. But then, a lot of places were like that. Tourists didn't visit dangerous places. Well, normal ones.
There had been a small gang there that had been wiped out… wiped out. In a warehouse. Lots of bullets there, lots of death. Nobody found the other gang but… A battle had happened.
She sat back, thinking. Royalty. That was one of the things Night Marchers needed. So maybe the place the warehouse was sat had been tied to royalty somehow? An ancient battle ground. New blood spilled. But what about the rest of it-
She jumped forward again, typing. Kahu Kiaʻi's first outing… and it had nothing to do with it. His first appearance and the battle had been days apart. Too far for him to have anything to do with it.
"Damnit, I really thought maybe… huh," she stroked her chin thoughtfully. Then she leaned back, tugging at one of her dreadlocks. "Well… maybe it's nothing… I should wait and tell dad…"
Thirty minutes later, the door to the Fite household slammed shut. The sound of a motorcycle starting up filled the air, and a helmeted figure rushed out into the streets.
Kahu Kiaʻi/Mahmoud Schahed
"Mimikyu, you don't have to-"
"Kyu!" a belligerent and adorable voice responded as she hopped up to Alakazam. We were in my base, and
He gave me a look. "If it is what she wants-"
"Al," he looked a bit annoyed at the nickname but gave a huff when I gave him a look and stepped back.
"Mimikyu," I kneeled down and held out a hand. I took a hold of one of her shadow tentacles when she held it out to me. "If you want to do this, then make sure you stay safe. Al…akazam, will be in telepathic range of you."
"If I sense anything that requires another hand to aid you, I will give you a bit of a… helpful hand," Alakazam said smugly. Then he looked at me. "Is this 'Al' thing going to keep happening?"
"Better than 'Zam'."
"Ugh," my alien-looking psychic-type was not impressed.
"Fine. Mimikyu. Go find our mysterious stranger's origins. If you find him, then I'll join you. Got it?"
"Kyu, Mimikyu!" a pair of shadows hugged around me, a face under her Pikachu mask pressing to my chest. I smiled, rubbing her back before she let go.
"Also, going old school?" I asked, noting her original Pikachu suit, rather the various superhero ones she wore often these days.
"Mimikyu!"
"Yeah, guess the classics never go out of style… stay safe. Okay?"
"Kyu!"
Alakazam and her stepped away from me. Then, with a shift of light, they disappeared.
"...what do I do now?"
Mudkip was out with Grace. Tyrunt and Gurdurr were building underneath the base. Magcargo was visiting Pele (what a sentence that was).
For the first time in a while, I was sans Pokemon. I didn't have an appointment with anyone, all my friends were doing other things, I'd done my workout as Amos directed, the kitchen had food so I didn't need to buy groceries.
I snapped to my feet, blinking.
"I… have a free day."
What the hell do people do with free time?
"I guess I should go out?"
Silence.
"I'm talking to myself."
More silence.
I left the base and headed out on the town[a][b].
Across the Big Island, the major players made their moves. Sam and Donald spoke to each other about ghosts and spirits. Mimikyu and Alakazam appeared in Waianae in a flash of light. A teenager rode her motorcycle along the highway.
And in a dark room, a man sat at a desk. He was bare-chested, revealing rippling muscle covered in dozens of scars, fresh wounds, and a simple tattoo on his right pectoral, scarred over with an old burn wound, though the letters 'USM' could be read.
He lifted a stapler and brought it to a fresh cut on his left arm. It looked like a knife slash. He stapled it once, then again and again. He never flinched. Once done, he wrapped it in bandages, the same kind of rough cloth that covered portions of his face, stomach, and bare legs. He tapped a hefty looking MP3 player that looked like black brick with buttons resting at the same desk.
"The doctor is in the house," the walkman said cheerily.
He rose up and walked over to a mannequin in the corner. The mannequin was womanly in shape, with a mask resting on it. When he removed it, the face beneath had been covered with paint and slash marks.
Piece by piece, he removed the clothes from the mannequin and put it on. Tough biker pants that had been heavily used, a white shirt followed by a black biker jacket. His movements were steady. Calm. Almost eerily mechanical. He placed a black ski mask on.
"Preparation, is the essence of-" the cheery female voice began before another voice cut in, a deep and booming one. "BRUTALITY."
He took the mask. It was mostly yellow, pitted with small marks, the paint on it rough. A pair of black mesh eye holes in it. A large smile rested across the front of it, made from white scales of some sort glued across its surface. As he placed the mask on, the recorder played on.
The sound of drums boomed out from the modified device. It seemed to echo in the room, a rhythmic 'boom, boom, boom', haunting the air.
Chill followed the man in his wake. He took a hold of the device, placed on a pair of thick gloves with old blood streaked across the knuckles.
And the sound of drums followed in his wake as he marched into the night.
Author's Note: So yeah. This is an OC. But I based him on a combination of different things, he's a big fucking super dude, and he's gonna be fun.
Basically, he's a ghost-powered Jacket from Payday 2.
[a]Maybe he can stop by to see how Amy and Akami are doing (the mom and son he saved from the abusive husband).
Go exploring some of the tourist or nature attraction points.
Get to a beach and try some of that 'addictive surfing' Giovanni was talking about
Do some recon on suspected Dragon fronts/businesses
[b]Go see that shop he visited when he arrived with the old grump reading the newpaper outside. XD
Chapter 41
I rode my motorcycle for a few miles before entering Hilo, the town I'd originally met Kalini in. It was night now, so I wasn't going to find too much to do. Farmer's Market was closed, same with a lot of the parks and other attractions.
Still, that didn't mean the town had no activity at all. I parked my motorcycle (a civvie one, not the tank made to carry Grace and my soon-to-be giant Pokemon) next to the side of the road.
I put my helmet away (an actual helmet, not my skull mask) and walked away swinging my keys. This late the normal tropical heat was fading away. I could smell the ocean in the air, almost impossible to get away from in Hawaii.
I felt like I was at a loss. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been on my own just finding something to do.
I went into a small store and grabbed a bottle of water, a protein bar, and some coffee with a mermaid emblem on it.
Then I just walked around for a while. My thoughts were a bit spacey. After so long doing nothing but training and patrolling or fighting, I finally had a moment to think.
Of course, as always, those thoughts went to my Pokemon and the DC Universe as a whole. I couldn't help it. Say what you will about the way my life was going, at least it was interesting. Blessing wrapped around a core of curse.
Still, my thoughts were tied to a bunch of things. Back in the Pokemon world, I hadn't wasted time on theories. My one focus was finding a way home. I'd gathered a team as best as I could, fought alongside them, taught them, and fed them as much as I could. But I'd never gotten into things the way a trainer would in that world.
In the Pokemon world, training was something more akin to the brutality of becoming a samurai, Roman legionnaire, or a knight. Day in, day out, forcing yourself to understand combat in every level. I'd gone into it with all the practicality of someone learning it for survival. But there was a spiritual side too.
I ended up on a hill overlooking the ocean and beach, next to a tall palm tree. I leaned against it as I continued thinking.
The spiritual side of Pokemon training. It wasn't something I'd put a lot of focus on. But back in that world, there were running theories on it. On why psychic trainers often had mental abilities of their own. On why fighting and rock type trainers were often stronger than normal people. More importantly, why Ace Trainers were so adaptive in combat.
I hadn't done much training. But I'd seen some clips of what a really good Pokemon trainer could do. It was… stunning. Giovanni had gone easy on me, but I could guess he was at the heights of the legendary.
I didn't know how much he shared with his counterparts, but Team Rainbow Rocket had taken over his world. The entire world. In a place without Red, he'd still become so powerful even Blue, Lance, Cynthia, and far more, had been beaten by Giovanni. So he had to be insanely powerful.
Which meant he was a top dog. And thus capable of the same as the best in the world. Something about being a trainer… the spiritual side of it. There was something there. Some reason certain people in that world became so personally strong.
Ash Ketchum hadn't won every championship he went to. But he'd gotten top cut every time, usually with teams he'd made nearly from scratch.
But was that the Pokemon world being different, or just a product of humans in general? It's said that most people never have more of an impact on the world than the dirt moved to bury them. It's not true of course, but the analogy makes sense. Some people, though, just rise above. Some become legends beyond the rest of us, so powerful they become iconic. That's a power of its own. So maybe if I worked on it, I could make myself and my Pokemon just as iconic, so powerful that we couldn't be touched.
Of course, that was just me musing without real thought. I sat down against the tree and enjoyed the chill breeze as I enjoyed the view of the starlit ocean.
The DC universe was wide and wonderful. I'd only seen a small portion of it, but it was enough to make me think. Magcargo had gained a new level of power from encountering and allying with Pele. Who was to say my other Pokemon couldn't do the same. Who was to say I couldn't? We'd need more power anyways. Even with Alakazam in my back pocket, I knew there were powers that could break him. Somewhere in those beautiful stars above me, Apokolips, Warworld, and more horrific places rested. Even on Earth, there were monsters.
God. I was supposed to rest, right? Why was I thinking all this foreboding stuff? Hell, my thoughts had meandered so much. Where had they started? Something about the spiritual side of Pokemon? Why trainers and their Pokemon could reach such insane heights of power, to the point I was sure Lance or Red could win fistfights against most assassins in the DC Universe?
Must have been worse at relaxing than I thought.
I chuckled a bit, feeling the rough texture of the palm tree against my back, taking a bite of the protein bar. What did people think about to relax? Well, I was a teenage boy now. Maybe I could think about sex?
The thought was dismissed before I could even really consider it. My body was fourteen, but my mind was 30… I think? Lost track of time. Point was, my brain and body were at odds when it came to that kind of thing. I'd see Roxy, Grace, and Pele, my hormones would kick in. Then reality would shut those down. I just didn't have time to consider those things.
I hadn't watched any movies or read any books that my Pokemon hadn't pulled me into watching or reading.
Hilarious. I had a lot of good things in my life, but no clue how to relax. I should have called Kalini. That old reprobate knows how to party.
There was the old thought. How to get back home. All my research into that was stalled. But I could find a way. This universe had dozens of ways to create portals to other realities. It was all a case of finding a way through. Then I could introduce my family to my Pokemon. My brothers would lose their minds over that.
Ah, I was thinking of serious things again.
Then again. Despite what I was thinking, I was actually feeling good right then. I finished my protein bar and coffee. Sipped the water. The waves below were crashing against the sand in a rhythmic sound. The peace in the air drew you in, the warm night and chill breeze from the ocean mixing and flowing around me, carrying the salt scent with it.
I'd wake up around four hours later, still resting against the tree. My phone was ringing. I picked it up as it buzzed and blearily stared at the number there. Alakazam?
Uh oh. What had happened!?
Mimikyu
Four hours before the call
Mimikyu moved in the shadows, dipping into the darkness. The city she was in was called Waianae, but it wasn't where she'd started. She'd been tracking her quarry for some time. Master had told her that a vigilante was following the path of a ghost. She was confused at first, because she followed Master, Master didn't follow her?
She felt a little embarrassed when Master told her he was talking about a different vigilante.
Mimikyu had her mission though. Go out to the last place the vigilante had been and track the ghosts energy. Alakazam had dropped her off in a random alleyway that smelled like violence. Very sweet and tangy in the spiritual plane.
From the alleyway, she'd entered the shadows. It was easy. Someone else had gone there. Like some walking across through snow, leaving a path to follow.
She dipped in and out of the shadows, following the path. Violence's sweet smell permeated through that path. It was pain, anger, fear, excitement, the idle emotions that joined together with it.
She found herself in Waianae after some time. She stopped on the rooftop of a house to look over everything from above. The city was right next to the ocean. So just like everywhere in Hawaii. It was a small town however, with no really tall buildings, so you could see the mountains in the distance.
Mimikyu looked down at the streets below, and felt something strange. Not the ghost she'd been following. This called to the other side of her.
"Kyu?"
Curiously, she hopped down and landed gently on the cement below, moving quickly. This second energy was pulsing a bit. She felt it wash over her and the sensation tingled across her body. How fun!
Mimikyu turned a corner on a street called Manunūnū St. It was wide, and a house rested on the corner, painted blue on the first floor and white on the second. Behind the house was a large empty parking lot. Empty except for the motorcycle.
Approaching slowly, the tiny costumed Pokemon felt another pulse. She stopped as she saw a head poke up over the motorcycle. The head's eyes stopped on her. Mimikyu stared back.
The owner of the head was very pretty! She had long brown-red hair pulled up into a ponytail, dark brown skin, and bright brown eyes. Mimikyu did her best to seem non-threatening as the girl in front of her, around her masters age, stared back at her.
She smelled like a Fairy Pokemon. Not quite. There was a hint of Dark to her. But she was mostly Fairy. The same smell was coming from a beat up old backpack resting on the motorcycle.
"Um… hello?" the girl said hesitantly.
"Mimikyu!" She said back with a small wiggle, the Pikachu costume on her head flopping about slightly.
"Are you… Aumakua? One of Kahu's spirit monsters?"
"Kyu," she nodded at the girl.
"Wow," the girl muttered, slowly coming around the motorcycle. She looked fascinated. And was holding a pair of golden sticks in her hands. Sticks that felt like Fairy-type power as well. She kept her distance, but lowered down a bit to meet Mimikyu's gaze. Well, her costumes gaze at least. "I knew you were a spirit, but I didn't expect… well, to feel you like this."
"Kyu?" Mimikyu hopped closer, the young girl stepping back in surprise. Hm. This girl. She felt like Fairy power. But while master might be interested in that, it wasn't the mission tonight. She had to track down that ghost and vigilante."
"Maybe you and I are on the same mission," the girl mumbled under breath. But Mimikyu heard, zeroing in on that.
"Mimikyu?" she said imploringly.
"Oh, uh," the girl lowered the two sticks in her hand. "My dad. He's been tracking someone for his boss. A Night Marcher, we think. But a weird one. An evolved one, maybe."
Ghosts could evolve here too?
"So I wanted to help him, and I came out here…"
"...Kyuuuuuu."
The girl flinched at the disapproval in Mimikyu's voice. "Hey, it's fine! I've done things like this before!"
"Mimi."
"Why do you sound like you don't believe me?"
Because she didn't.
Before they could continue, a loud sound filled the air from a few streets over. A clanging sound.
"An alarm?" the girl said.
Mimikyu turned to face it, but hesitated. Should she just leave this girl behind-
"Oh no, you aren't leaving me!" the girl reached into her backpack and ripped it open, pulling out a purple face mask trimmed with gold. She put it on, and Mimikyu noted the feeling of Fairy-type energy again. She spun the sticks in her hand. "I'm Anita, by the way."
Mimikyu cocked her head at the girl, then turned and zipped towards the direction of the alarms.
"Ah. Right, you can't say my name," the girl mumbled with some chagrin. Moments later, she was following Mimikyu.
The two costumed girls ran together, Mimikyu just a bit ahead of the human. The building the alarms were coming from was close. They ran for almost three minutes before reaching it. It was a simple one story building with a rudimentary sign labeling it 'Spicy House: Thai Food'. The smell of happiness, hunger, tinges of annoyance, and a lot of pride.
People loved this little restaurant.
The Freshest smell from it, now entering Mimikyu's senses, was fear.
"Kyu!" she hopped over a fence and approached the doors. They were wide open despite the lateness of the time. The girl, (Anita she'd called herself?) followed quickly.
They got to the door in time for a man to come stumbling out. The girl panicked at the sight of what was in his hands.
"Gun!"
"Wha-"
Before he could say anything, Anita leaped forward and smashed the gold sticks in her hand into the man, the left stick smashing the handgun out of his grip, while the right broke his jaw with a wet thunking sound. The man screamed only to get a kick to the chest that dropped him onto his back with a sound like beef on marble.
"...Mimikyu."
"I know, that was scary," Anita mumbled.
Actually, Mimikyu was saying the man had clearly been running. He'd already had a black eye, was hobbling like he'd broken his ankle, and looked terrified. But the girl was so cute that Mimikyu decided to let it go.
A loud noise came from inside the restaurant.
"More people?" Anita prowled forward, dropping to lower her stance. Mimikyu hopped onto the girl's shoulder. She jumped in surprise, looking at Mimikyu, then continued forward.
Anita froze at the sight before. A woman with a silver dragon tattoo across both forearms. Both broken forearms, twisted around entirely. She rested in the remains of a table, unmoving. Her left leg was bent badly, and her nose was broken.
"Holy…" Anita looked at the next person. A man who had been shoved upward into the ceiling, his legs dangling limply below while the rest of him went upwards into the hole. A bit of blood dripped rhythmically off his boot to land on the floor. He groaned, the only indication he was alive.
Another woman rested on the counter where hungry patrons would usually order food. For her, she was staring vacantly forward, vomit on her shirt. A broken baseball bat was resting on her stomach, the print of a boot across her face, her fingers twitching.
"Who did this?" Anita whispered.
"Kyu…" that sweet scent again. It filled the air.
A sound came from the back. Anita rushed towards it, Mimikyu holding on tight and getting a Protect ready.
They entered the kitchen. The sound of a knife entering flesh filled the air.
"AHHHHHHHH!" a man screamed in pain with his hand nailed to a wooden cutting board by a thin knife. He was huge, around three hundred pounds of muscle. And he was blubbering like a scared child. "Please, please, please!"
A cheery recording of a woman played from a black blocky recorder on the counter where the man was being stabbed. "We respectfully request an answer."
"The-the girls are getting shipped out tonight, maybe!?" the man screamed when the knife twisted. "I don't know man, I don't know, we were robbing this place! I don't have anything to do with the shipm-'' another violent twist. "-EEEEEEEENT! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!"
The man twisting the knife noticed Anita and Mimikyu then. The three costumed people met eyes. Mimikyu noted the large size of him. The yellow mask with an insane grin stretched across it. The leather outfit, beaten from use. And most importantly. The feel of a fellow Ghost. It soaked into him. He wasn't human. Or not entirely. Something had entered him. Something filled with blood soaked rage.
Maybe he was a new friend!
"Mimikyu!" she said cheerily.
Anita snapped her head to look at Mimikyu, as though she was surprised that Mimikyu was trying to be nice. The man cocked his masked head to the side in confusion. And the Silicon Dragon being stabbed sobbed.
"..." the man in the smiling mask reached slowly out and tapped at the black box. It let out the same cheery female voice from earlier.
"The following presentation has been approved for mature audiences only."
"What the hell is this!?" Anita finally said, sounding horrified. She seemed to be staring at the blood on the floor, a small gagging sound leaving her.
"Mimikyu," the Pokemon pointed at the man with a shadow tendril.
"Yes, I know it's him! I'm asking what he's doing!?"
The man tapped the recorder again. The voice that came out this time was male, dry and unimpressed sounding.
"I'm just doing my job. You give me that "juris-my-dick-tion" crap, you can cram it up your ass."
"Wha-" Anita blinked. "Was that from the Matrix?"
The masked man raised a thumbs up. His other hand was still on the knife.
Mimikyu hopped off of Anita's shoulder, moving over until she was on the counter next to the hand of the man being stabbed. The man was weeping. "Please let me go. Please."
"Just let him go alrea-"
The masked man tapped the recorder.
"It's human trafficking."
Anita stopped. She stared at the masked man. Then at Mimikyu. Mimikyu had ignored the others to reach out and grab the man's phone, holding it carefully, then grabbing his wallet next.
"...How do you know?" Anita still sounded horrified, but a hint of worry joined it.
Another tap. The voice was female again, but a different one, with a hint of an accent to it. "Look, I've been working on this case for months now…"
The purple masked girl hesitated. Then, swallowing, she approached. Despite the mask, a sense of fear and disgust emanated from her. Even so, she walked closer and leaned down to look the Silicon Dragon in the eyes. "You said something about tonight?"
The criminal hesitated. The man in the smiling mask cocked his head, tightened his grip on the knife, and pulled it out. The criminal gasp, then screamed when the knife slammed into a new spot in his hand, the blade shivering where it impaled the wood beneath. Anita flinched heavily, clenching her gloved hands around her sticks, but the white eyes of her mask stayed on the screaming man.
"Okay, okay! I can text them! Let me text the boys! I'll tell them I want to help out, get the location! PLEAS-"
His phone bounced off his face, Mimikyu letting out a small 'Kyu'.
"Okay… can you let my hand go?"
Anita hummed, looking at Mimikyu. The Pokemon shook slightly, which Anita seemed to understand. "You can text with one hand."
The man sobbed, but dutifully grabbed the phone, lifting it up to begin typing.
The smiling mask looked between Mimikyu and Anita, befuddled. Then he tapped his recorder again. "Why are you helping me?"
"Who is that, Shia Lebouf?" Anita said confused, then shaking her head. "Before this I just wanted to find you," the man pointed at himself questioningly. Anita sighed. "Yes, you. But now I… if people are getting trafficked tonight, I need to help them. I can't just watch them get hurt."
Mimikyu vibrated happily hopping onto Anita's shoulder and snuggling into her neck. "Kyu, Mimikyu!"
Anita was a good girl!
The human chuckled, rubbing Mimikyu. She still sounded scared. Nervous. And she was still staring at the display of violence in front of her. Even so, she was petting Mimikyu and her breathing was calming down. "All right, all right. God, you're adorable for a creature of darkness."
"Mimi!"
The man in the mask watched, apparently not knowing how to feel about the sight before them. Anita seemed to notice. She coughed.
"So… I'm A-...aaaaaaaaaaaaaah," Did she forget her name? As Mimikyu watched curiously, the girl looked at the criminal, then at the masked vigilante, then desperately around the kitchen. Her eyes landed on a box in the corner, the kind that would hold disposable cups or plates. A single logo rested there.
"Empress!" the girl said, looking back at the masked man. "Call me Empress! And this is Aumakua," Mimikyu looked around to see who Anita was talking about. "How about you?"
The man pointed at his mask.
"...That's uh. Not an answer."
He pointed again.
"What? You're a Smiley face?"
The man shook his head, pointing again.
"...Okay, can I just call you Smiley?"
He thought about it. Then tapped his recorder.
"Sí, entiendo." The robotic female voice said.
"Okay, what is with the recorder?" Anita asked.
"Right?" the criminal agreed.
Mimikyu, Anita, and the newly named Smiley all looked at the Silicon Dragon. He coughed and kept typing.
"I'm going to regret this," Anita mumbled.
"Mimikyu!" No way! Beating up bad guys was fun! Tonight would be amazing!
Smiley gave them a thumbs up.
"Also, please pull the knife out of that guy already," Empress said, sounding like she was having trouble saying it for some reason. "I don't want him to bleed out."