S-Creations

Mario Universe Master List

AvA & AvM - Alan Becker Master List

Dispatch Master List

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“Whoever wished for something to happen, you got it and you’re a piece of shit.”

Sonar frowned, the cigarette paused just before reaching his lips. His internal question to Robert’s announcement was vocalized when Flambae asked, “What the fuck are you on about now?”

“We just got a call, a cave-in at one of the tourist mines. Not a clear number as to how many are trapped. But there’s at least a class of grade schoolers there.” 

“What a way to go.” Invisigal unhelpfully added. 

“We’re going to do our best to try and prevent that. A team from that location is already at the scene, but they need all available hands on deck to get this all sorted out. Malevola, think you could get a portal there?”

“Just give me an address and I’ll see what I can do.” The female demon answered. Already pulling her phone from her pocket as she moved a few steps away from Sonar. 

“Sending the information now. Golem, you have enough room to absorb some rubble?” 

“You know it,” the construct answered, “Sizing might be an issue. But nothing that I haven’t worried about before.” 

“Good. Punch Up, Sonar, you’re rounding out this team.” 

“Aye, loud ‘n clear.” 

“Wait, what?” Sonar tried not to look too nervous as Malevola looked back at him with raised brows. “You sure about that, boss man? I’m not exactly equipped to help out in a situation involving heavy lifting things.”

“You worried you’re gonna break a nail?” Prism asked, tone trying to be teasing but it was clear she was worried. 

Robert gave a verbal reprimand to her before answering Sonar’s concern. “You have echo location. We don’t have a good number on how many could be trapped inside. You’ll need to find as many people as you can with that ability.” 

“Sure, that sounds good on paper, but…” The hybrid’s ear twitched as his ear piece beeped softly. Indicating that Robert had switched over the private line with Sonar. 

“We don’t really have a lot of time to argue about this, so spill. What’s going on in that crypto head of yours?”

“I’m the brains guy, not the brawn guy. You send me on missions that rely on quick wit and paperwork. Especially when I’m in my more ‘normal’ mode,” Sonar started with his words hushed, “Plus, I’ve never used my echo location on a grand scale like you’re suggesting I do. I don’t know how far I’m able to see. It could only be a few feet, a few inches even. That’s not a reliable ability.”

“Sonar, I get that you’re nervous about this. But we really don’t have time to argue. Even if you’re not able to get far with your echo location, you are the last logical person for this job. Prism is already ruffed up from a previous fight and she can’t make copies. Flambae would just want to melt everything. Invisigal is fast and we don’t need speed for this. And Coupé would just stand there. If you can’t move anything, you can at least put in a good word to keep nerves down and everyone calm. Use those sweet talking lawyer skills that you learned in Harvard.”

Sonar held back a groan as he rubbed his temple. “Okay, the logic is there… But I think you’re forgetting one, kind of big thing.”

“Which would be?”

“People are already going to be in a panic. A giant bat guy would just add fuel to the already crazy fire. This vision does not exactly instill comfort.” 

“I’m not going to sit here and lie to you, saying that no one will freak out. But you need to know that comfort comes from action. When people see that you’re doing what you can to help them, they’ll look past your…well, looks.”

“What if I just make it worse?” Sonar’s worry slipped from his mouth before he could stop himself. Wincing slightly as he turned his back towards Malevola. Who no doubt had heard him and was casting a worried glance his way. 

“I don’t think that’ll be possible.” 

“Bobert, I’m being serious here-”

“As am I. Are you going to do your damndest to resolve the situation?”

“I…well, yeah.” 

“Then that’s all you have to focus on right now. Whatever happens afterward, we’ll deal with it. But now is the time for action so that we can have that kind of conversation.”

“But-”

“I’d rather have to defend your sorry ass because you did your best, not because you stood around to worry about ‘what ifs’.” 

Sonar let out a low growl, hating how quickly Robert had swayed him into thinking this was a good idea. Guess being a hero for years came with powerful motivational speeches. “Yeah, fine already, I get it. I’ll go.” 

“Fantastic, great to hear,” the line beeped once more as Robert could be heard by everyone once more, “Malevola, give me some good news.” 

“I can drop us right in the parking lot. We just need the rest to get here.” The demon easily replied back. 

“I’ll send you their coordinates. Just grab them before heading to the parking lot. I’m going dark for now on your end, let you all concentrate. Call over if you need anything. And I mean it. Good luck.” 

Malevola cast a short glance at her phone hearing it ping, Robert’s message appearing, before looking over to her friend. “You alright? Not gonna pass out on me, are you?”

“No,” Sonar grumbled, “Bobert was just treating me to some sage advice to kick my ass into gear.” 

“Good to know someone else can help with that as well. Just take a deep breath, big guy, we’re practically just there for backup.” 

The hybrid merely nodded, following Malevola into the newly created portal. Picking up the other two to round out their team took no time at all. The scene they arrived at was nothing more than a visual representation of a ‘panic attack’. 

A barrier was erected, cutting off the parking lot from the mouth of the cave entrance. Which was blocked in its own way with the pile of large boulders filling in the space. Those in the parking lots ranged from curious, worried onlookers, to frenzied individuals who were no doubt family and friends of those currently trapped. All being held back by a large number of officers and ‘Do Not Cross’ tape. In the main traffic area were a number of heroes. Some healing those who’d been removed from the early parts of the rubble. With the majority of them unhelpfully standing around the entrance as it was clear there wasn’t a plan in place yet on how to proceed. 

Overall, it was a tense and static scene that the group arrived at. 

“Who do we talk to?” Golem asked, hunching over as if trying to make himself appear smaller. 

“Need ta find whoever’s in charge.” Punch Up replied, eyeing the crowd nervously. “Surprised nothin’s happened yet.” 

“We’re not going to get anywhere by standing around like these idiots, come on.” Malevola took the initiative and made her way over to the cave entrance. The rest of the group followed close behind. 

Sonar’s ears twitched, picking up harsh and fearful whispers as the group passed the parking lot. 

A few feet away from the entrance was when they were finally noticed by the heroes. Particularly the only one whose back was towards the pile of rubble. At first glance, they could have been mistaken for a construction worker, as their uniform was heavily based around the design. However, closer inspection would have proven that wrong. Not only were the colors of the hardhat, vest, and overall outfit a garish color combination. But the markings that would normally be used to identify which company this person worked for was nothing more than the hero’s own name plastered everywhere. Eyes that had been scrunched in worry quickly changed to one of relief as the four approached. 

“I’ve never seen someone that happy to see me.” Sonar remarked. 

Punch up snorted and teasingly added, “Not even your dealer?”

“Fair point, I’ll need to rethink that comment.” 

“Straighten up you two, he’s heading our way.” Malevola hissed as the other hero stepped away from his group. 

Said hero was in front of them in no time, shaking each set of hands he could and offering a small fist bump to Golem. “I was told we’d be receiving extra back up from the southern section, I didn’t think you’d get here so fast. Name’s Hardhat, I’m head of this operation.” 

“I’m assuming we’re still in the planning phases?” Malevola asked. 

“Unfortunately, yes. Whatever caused the cave in also made the foundation and remaining structure unsound. One bad move and we could cause more damage than intended. From everyone here, we don’t have a good enough power to just erase the damage we have here.” Before Hardhat could continue, Golem stepped forward. 

The construct paid no mind to the dozen of eyes that watched his every movement. He was more interested in the rubble. Ignore the small calls of ‘Don’t!’ as he reached for the closest boulder. All watched on as the piece disappeared within Golem’s form and instead of allowing the space to be filled back in, made a pocket of space with his own being. Deciding it was sturdy enough, Golem turned back to the awaiting crowd. “Got it.” 

Hardhat shook his head in disbelief, “I’m sorry, what do you have?” 

“I can make a tunnel, it’s easy.” 

Punch Up approached next, looking over the construct’s work before addressing him directly. “Ya won’t be stretched ta thin?”

“Shouldn’t be. The more I take in, the bigger I am.” 

“Equal distribution, brilliant!” Hardhat said as he joined, looking positively gleeful. “I’ll connect with your ear piece so I can direct you on your support placements. We’ll need a few more in there to help with this, since we’ll have a lot of paths to go down.” 

With Golem’s first step in action, a plan was quickly formed. More of the heavy lifters, including Punch Up, would remain outside, supplying Golem with more debris to make sure he had enough of himself to help in creating clear paths. For the actual extraction portion, small teams were formed with those with some kind of structure power leading the way. Having direct communication with Golem to help lead him, since he was basically going in blind. The rest of the teams were filled out with heroes that could lead and carry civilians out once found. 

“And it was…Sonar, right?” Hardhat addressed the hybrid, who only nodded back, “You’ll be on my team. We’ll be in the center portion of the cave. But your Echo Location should be powerful enough to scan any part of the cave from where you are. You’ll be in charge of locating and directing others if they need to go deeper.” 

Sonar’s ear twitched. “I…don’t know if it’ll be that wide of a range.”

“You’d be surprised how much feedback you’ll get when you’re in there. Alright everyone, we have our positions, we’re moving in!” 

His body seemed to tense up at Hardhat’s call, Sonar moving rather stiffly as he followed the other hero and Malevola in. The only light being provided came from the hero’s own hat and the small lights mounted on Sonar and Malevola’s shoulder. They were only a few paces in when Hardhat turned back, giving the signal to Sonar. Nerves still running high, they hybrid allowed the familiar screech to escape his mouth. While he saw the flinches of those around him, Sonar also picked up something new. Something he’d not fully been expecting. 

He could see. His own voice reverberated off of every available surface. In the dark, the forms of every person became an outline of a silver shimmer. And he meant every person. 

Without a second thought, Sonar activated his link to the network linking the rescue teams. “Team A, it looks like you only have a few, about a few feet from where you are. They’re all apparently huddled together. Team B, you’ll have the longer path to deal with, but I’m seeing only 2 people about 10 feet from your location.” 

There were replies of ‘Roger!’ and ‘Understood!’ as Sonar turned to his own team. “I’m pretty sure we’re with the school kids.” 

“Think you could give a guess on distance?” Hardhat asked. 

“The deepest portion yet. About 15 feet.” 

Malevola cursed, “They must have just been making their way back up when this all happened.” 

“Let’s not waste any more time,” Hardhat remarked, “they’re on limited air. Follow me and stick close.” 

Even with Golem doing a fantastic job on clearing the way and providing a path forward, the progress was slow. Sonar was thankful he’d had the foresight to remove his blazer and roll up the sleeves to his button up before entering. But knew the sweat stains that were continuously growing were going to render this outfit trash bin worthy. As well as his shoes. Sonar made a mental note to get a pair that were fashionable and functional.

“Think you could give us another echo call?” Hardhat requested. 

“Sure.” Sonar replied. It only took a few seconds to get feedback, “Good news, we’re really close.” 

“Prefect. Malevola, think you can give us an easy portal out?”

“It’ll be small, probably only one at a time, but doable.” The demon answered back. 

“Hey team.” Golem’s voice suddenly sounded. 

“What’s up big guy?” Hardhat answered. 

“Not to make this more stressful, but I’m spreading myself pretty thin. Think you could do a rush job?”

“We’ll move as fast as we can. Just hold out a little longer.” 

Sonar could just make out Malevola’s frown, “I thought Golem would have enough to go around.” 

“Even with what’s being consumed, there might be limits to what can be put out,” Hardhat argued, “He still has to maintain his original form, or close enough to it, to act as a solid base point. He’s also making the tunnels temporarily stable. If something feels harder to hold up, that’s going to take more of his focus. Regardless, if he’s saying he’s reaching a limit, we need to move quicker than we planned.”

There was only a few feet left between the group and the trapped civilians. Who were currently being surrounded by a pale blue shell of some kind. Grade schoolers staring out at the party of heroes while the lone adult had their eyes shut tight. No doubt doing their best to keep the barrier up. 

“Golem, we’re going to move fast,” Hardhat quickly said over the comm, “You’ll need to spread out to 2.5 feet in front of you. There’s an energy field power that’s currently encasing the trapped civilians. Move around it as best you can.” 

Sonar’s attention flickers up as he watches the thin lines of moving mud slowly inch forward. Instead of absorbing the fallen rock, it acted more of a mortar between solid forms. Solidifying fast enough so that when the barrier suddenly fell away, nothing fell from its place. With some rather awkward maneuvering, Malevola and Sonar were able to trade places in the tunnel. Allowing the demon to create her portal while Sonar and Hardhat shepherd the group out. 

As he flipped the adult around, Sonar’s stomach sank a little reading the shirt the other was wearing. One that was only worn by those working with mines. “Shit, I think this is just the tour guide.”

Hardhat paused in his movements as he took in what the hybrid had said. “Meaning we’re missing the teacher, at least.”  

In a split second, both heroes covered the ears of those remaining to be rescued as Sonar used his ability. Showing that, not even a foot away, sat two more children, with some human-like structure shielding them.

“Fuck, they’re back here,” Sonar activated his comm, “Golem, I need you to spread a few more feet back.”

“I…don’t know if that’s possible.” 

“Come on man, we’re close to the last people being pulled out. But I need a clear opening. You gotta give me something to work with.” 

“...Okay, just…gimme a few seconds…”

Sonar held his breath as he waited for the line to move again. His ear twitches as he picks up movement from Hardhat, the hero getting closer. No doubt waiting anxiously as Sonar was, waiting for the moment to act. Longer than wanted, but truthfully no more than a few seconds, the lines of mud twitches. Every so slowly moving downwards, solidifying around the top most portion of the wall they were currently facing. Sonar could see the creation of an archway, but one they would clearly have to carve out. 

“Gave ya…what I could…” Golem’s voice strained over the comm link. 

“Better than nothing big guy, we’ll take it from here, just hold on.” Sonar followed Hardhat’s lead in pushing and moving the rocks that weren’t currently held in place to the side. A small moment of relief hit when they reached the pocket where the other two children were being held. 

Hardhat, instead of looking at the children, looked up to whatever was helping keep the students safe. Something Sonar believed to just be a large piece of conveniently placed metal. “Would you happen to be Mr. Rasler?” 

The smooth surface suddenly caught the light coming from Hardhat to show an exhausted but relieved looking face. “Y-Yes.”

“Don’t worry sir, we’ll be getting you all out of here in no time. Sonar, help me with the kids.” Hardhat instantly reached in and pulled one of the boys out, silently nodding to Sonar to get the other one. 

A little against his better judgment, Sonar reached a hand in, tentatively offering it to the other student. “Come on, we’re getting you out of here.” 

While the child was hesitant, the clambered out the moment then had a hold of Sonar’s hand. Practically melding to the hybrid the instant he could. Sonar, not minding the sudden weight hanging off of him, leaned back in for the teacher. “You okay to try and climb out?”

“Y-Yeah, just…let me…” It was another part of tense seconds as Mr. Rasler slowly made his way out. Only powering down his powers when he entered into the safety pocket. Practically collapsing, just as the tour guide had, once he wasn’t needed to hold the structure up any longer. Providing zero complaint as Hardhat practically dragged him out. 

On his part, Sonar carefully shifted, being mindful of the child still clinging to him, and started to slowly make his way to the portal. Only to pause when the rocks above began to shift. 

“Fuck- guys! You need to-” Whatever Golem was about to say was cut off when the archway suddenly collapsed. Sonar being in the unfortunate position of having his left leg trapped under the twice fallen rubble. 

“Fu- Shit!” Sonar huffed, trying to ignore the pain coming from his now trapped body part. Brought back to the current situation of how he was still holding a child close. “H-Hey, kid, listen to me. You see my friend over there? She’s made a fun and colorful doorway that’ll take you outside. But I’ll need you to crawl over, okay?” 

The child shook his head, eyes wide. 

“I need you to be brave for me, okay? Here, my friend will even come over to help.” Unsure if that was even an option of help, Sonar looked up to find Malevola had already made her way in to collect. But still, the child would not move. 

“Come on kid, I need you out so I can help Sonar here,” Malevola said softly, “But I can’t do that if you’re still clinging to him. We’ll just take a quick trip outside, yeah?” 

That seemed to be enough to convince as Sonar felt the grip around him fall lax as the child shifted over to hold onto Malevola. There was a silent ‘I’ll be back, don’t die’ from the demon to the hybrid before she turned and disappeared through the portal. While it was only a few seconds he was there, the fact that Sonar was left alone in an enclosed area with only a small light as a way to see, it felt as if he’d been stuck there for hours. His throbbing leg and ankle an unfriendly reminder that this was not some elaborate dream he’d achieved through drugs. Thankfully, both Malevola and Hardhat appeared once more, both utilizing the minimal space as best they could to see the damage that had occurred. 

“Okay, it’s not that bad,” Hardhat said, “We’ll just need to move to get enough space to slide you out Sonar. Malevola, get ready to pull out when I say so.” 

“Kinky.” Sonar winced, unable to put up the filter that reminded him to be professional. Thankfully, the hero didn’t seem to notice or mind. 

It was quick work, with Hardhat moving the rocks he could before giving Malevola the go ahead to slowly pull Sonar free. Which turned into Malevola just pulling Sonar completely through the portal and back outside. A rather blinding experience that had Sonar hissing in pain from it for one moment, then from the feeling of hands on his swollen ankle. 

“It’s just a sprain, thankfully,” a paramedic said as they continuously felt around the inflamed area. Sonar hissed when his ankle suddenly felt as if it was plunged into an ice bath. The sensation only lasted a few seconds before the paramedic pulled away. “I would suggest light activity even for a while. It’s healed, but don’t do anything crazy.” 

“Think I could spin this in a way where I have a few days off?” Sonar asked Malevola as the paramedic continued their round. 

The demon just shook her head before wrapping her arms around him. “You’re a fucking idiot.” 

“Hey-”

“You do realize you could have died in there?”

“From a sprained ankle?” Sonar winced as one of his ears was flicked, “Hey-”

“I mean it, if you were in there for a few seconds longer, the tunnel would have fully collapsed on you. Golem worked double time to make sure it didn’t. But it got uncomfortably close.” 

Hearing the construct’s name, Sonar swiveled his head around until finding the large living mass. Golem, who was far smaller than what he was when this endeavor started, was cautiously consuming whatever was supposed being handed to him. Punch Up positioned nearby as some kind of actual support system. Eyeing everyone with a glare that clearly read he would ruin anyone’s day of Golem was handed something harmful. 

“What happened?” Sonar asked. 

Malevola crossed her arms, “Kind of what Hardhat said in the tunnel, Golem was just stretched too thin. None of the other groups had a demon who could make portals. Meaning they all had to come back out the way they went in. And even with you confirming the number of people to save, there was a call to double just.” 

“So they made Golem’s work twice as hard because they didn’t trust me.” 

“You didn’t trust your ability either. So, yeah, there was a worry of possibly leaving someone behind unintentionally. But I guess now we just need to look at the positive side of everything. We all made it out and you learned that echo thing isn’t just for finding your lost lunch.” 

Sonar huffed, but did nod at Malevola’s comment. “Yeah, I guess so-”

The hybrid was suddenly knocked off balance. Only kept up due to Malevola being right behind him. Slight panic turned into confusion as the child he’d saved before hugged him tighter. Sonar cautiously returned the action as he looked up toward the demon. Who merely shrugged back, but was clearly enjoying the situation if her wide smile was any indication. 

“H-Hey buddy,” Sonar started, voice low and even, “Good to see you’re still in one piece. You feeling okay?”

The child nodded, and Sonar couldn’t feel bothered by the fact that his fur was being messed up. 

The single child suddenly turned into the classroom surrounding both Sonar and Malevola. Each child practically screaming, trying to get their appreciation heard over the others as they marveled at the heroes before them. Sonar felt a little overwhelmed, as sitting down almost made him the same height as them. But he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he was thanked for saving their lives. 

Hardhat joined them, picking a few kids up as he was now part of the ‘thank you’ swarm. “Their teacher is heading to the hospital and their parents have been contacted. My team and I will stay here to make sure everyone gets handed off accordingly. Once your friend has recovered, I would say you are free to head back to your station. I’m sure you lot deserve a break after this.” 

Sonar slowly stood up, doing his best to avoid elbowing any small forms accidentally, and dusted himself off. “Thanks for getting me out of there.” 

“Thank you for the assistance. That ability of yours is amazing, I might be calling on you in the future. You’d be surprised how many cave in like situations that arise in California.” Hardhat held out a hand, one that Sonar shook without a second thought. The hero turned to Malevola next. “And that portal making ability. Goddamn, where have you been all my life?”

“In seedy places that you don’t want to think about.” The demon responded. 

Hardhat merely laughed and shook Malevola’s hand. “Fair. Get back safely, okay? If you’re looking for any references, call me up.” 

With that, Hardhat shepherds the group of now loud and overly energized students away. Allowing Sonar and Malevola to check on the rest of their team. Golem only required a few more minutes of consuming before he determined he was fit enough to move on his own. Arrival back to their headquarters was met with a medical team, Golem and Sonar both pushed down to the lower levels of the building to be evaluated. Even with the hybrid protesting, saying he’d already been looked at on site and that Golem needed the most attention. Not that anyone took his complaints seriously as he was rather forcefully sat onto one of the many medical beds. 

The two heroes in training were down for the rest of the day. Sonar unhappy that he had to be waited on while covered in dust and small pieces of debris as he was looked over. Only gaining clearance when there was only about an hour of the work day left. Which led to Sonar deciding to just call an early lunch. Eating his meal while making his way to the locker room. His fur now crusty from the solidified rubble. 

Just in and out. A nice, quick, wash off before going home to just collapse. 

What Sonar was not expecting, however, was Robert’s sudden appearance. The hybrid practically cornered in the locker room as the dispatcher rushed over to him. “I was told about your injury on the job.”

Sonar was a little taken aback with how closer the other had gotten. His mind taking a few seconds to catch up with the fact that Robert was there. Standing in front of him. All the while, Sonar didn’t have a shirt on. Even with all of this, all he could respond with was. “You’re out of your seat.” 

It was Robert’s turn to falter. The worry on his face flickering to a small moment of confusion before pushing that aside. “Yeah.”

“You didn’t comm because…”

“I kind of panicked when I was told you were hurt. Couple that with your location… Being trapped underground with only a small barrier of something protecting you…it’s not a comforting situation to be in. I just…need to see you were okay in person.”

Sonar bit his tongue to stop himself from saying anything immediately. He’d recalled the situation Mecha Man had gone through that was eerily similar to his. Having been buried under so much rubble after a rescue mission that it took rescuers days to dig the mecha and the man out. The hybrid swallowed that comment down before actually responding with, “Yeah, that wasn’t…enjoyable. But I’m still confused as to why you had to actually be here?” 

Robert rubbed the back of his neck, eyes flickering to the side before addressing the question. “This…dispatcher job… It’s harder than I realized.”

“Sitting on a chair in front of a computer all day is hard?” It was meant to be a teasing remark. Key words ‘meant to’, which Sonar regretted saying as he watched Robert deflate further. 

“In a way. Sure, physically it’s the most low maintenance position I could ever have. But…it’s stressful. Seeing you all out in the field, risking your lives in a job that I have done for years. Even more so in knowing that I’m the one who sent you out.” 

“Wait…are you blaming yourself for my injury?”

“I’m trying not to. It’s especially difficult knowing I gave you that ‘pep talk’ before you went, convincing you it would be okay. I just…really hope I didn’t sour your idea of becoming a full hero.” Robert’s look of worry shifted to a small smile. One that seemed to pierce Sonar directly through his heart. “You did an amazing job out there today, Sonar.” 

“I…t-thank you. I think if anything, this was the push I really needed. I mean, it’s still not something I’m super melding with but…” 

“But nothing, you listened to direction, stepped up when you needed to, and made sure you finished the job. You were also working in a situation that, you even remarked, was an area of focus outside of your expertise. You may doubt yourself and all that you’re doing. I would say you’re off to a great start in becoming a hero.” 

It took every fiber of self-control to not have his fur puff up from the comments. Sonar cleared his throat in an attempt to ward off the choked up feeling rising. “I…I mean… That’s just…”

“Just take the compliment Sonar.” 

“Right, sorry, thank you.” 

Robert gave a small laugh (which did not cause Sonar’s heart to leap) as he shook his head. “You know, for a lawyer type person, you’re really bad with words sometimes.”

“I can be a silver tongued individual when I need to be,” Sonar argued back, “But I normally get to prepare for my comebacks…and I’m not used to…compliments.” 

“You know what, that’s fair. I guess that means I’ll have to make sure I hand them out more frequently.”

“Don’t overdo it, or else they’ll lose their effectiveness.” 

“Alright, then it’ll be a one per day kind of remark.” 

“Let’s not be too hasty now, don’t hold back your feelings on my account.” 

The back and forth continued for some time, small remarks that held little to no heat behind them were swapped easily. Sonar made a mental note that talking with Robert felt as something so casual that, if a stranger passed by, they could have been seen as old friends. The hybrid only had this level of ease with Malevola. It also struck a chord that Sonar wasn’t worried over the fact he was trading jokes with Mecha Man, that a hero was giving him the time of day. Maybe it was easier to not worry fixate on that when Robert did not carry himself like his hero persona. 

Mecha Man was always back straight, eyes wide with a super hero smile plastered on as he addressed with an intense focus. The perfect and no doubt rehearsed version that citizens saw. But Robert was the opposite. Sure, he was just as witty. The biggest difference was that Robert seemed more at ease, more relaxed. The now dispatcher even took to leaning against the wall of locker doors as he waited for Sonar to finish getting ready. It was overall a more casual feel, something that Sonar appreciated seeing. 

He was almost giddy with the idea that practically no one could make the claim they’d been able to see Mecha Man so easy going. A private moment that only he was allowed to witness.

Closing his locker door, Sonar properly faced Robert. “Willing to be seen walking out of the building with me?”

“You make it sound like I’m marking myself into being a social pariah.” Robert laughed. 

“I mean, kind of-”

“I just spent the better part of twenty minutes trying to hype you up. Don’t undo my hard work like that.” 

“Right, sorry.” 

“I don’t mind walking out with you.”

Sonar swallowed down the bubble of excitement at that. “Great. Do you need to stop by your desk?”

“I do need to pick up Beef.” 

“You…have meat at your desk? Or is that an innuendo I don’t know about?”

“If there’s anyone who would be out of touch on new sexual lingo, that would be me,” Robert argued, “And no, that would be my dog. You’re not afraid of pets, are you?”

“That depends, is Beef a hunting dog?”

“No…and now I’m worried about the specification of that.” 

Sonar gave, what he hoped, was a casual shrug. “Just childhood trauma, nothing to major. Let’s go see this little dog of yours.” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on, there’s a story behind that. You have me curious now, what happened?”

“Well…I had a ‘friend’ that decided it would be fun to play the game of ‘hunting party’.”

“I hate this already.” 

“Yeah, the game turned out to be nothing more than me being released onto the family’s private grounds while their actual hunting dogs chased after me. Thankfully, I had gotten my wings the summer before and was able to get up a tree before any real damage had happened. But, yeah, fun childhood memories.” Sonar’s laugh was cut short seeing the look of actual anger that Robert was giving him. 

“That’s…not funny.”

“I know…it’s just easier to laugh sometimes.” 

Robert frown deepened, “Still…I’m sorry that happened to you. Please tell me you stopped talking to that kid.”

“...Well.”

“Sonar.”

“Not right away, and I can see my mistakes on that now. But it was hard to make friends, or at least have people somewhat tolerate me, when I was younger. I was kind of desperate.” 

“That’s a fair point. You still don’t do that, right?”

“Do what? Let dogs chase me down?”

“Put yourself in dangerous situations just to have someone look at you.” 

“No.” Sonar hated how quickly he’d answered Robert’s question. But the other didn’t push further as they arrived at the dispatcher’s desk. Where Sonar was able to see the dog in question and gave a snort upon seeing how chunky the animal was. “Does this guy eat better than you? The weight distribution is crazy.” 

Robert merely rolled his eyes at that, easily lifting the chunky dog up. “Yeah, well, I can always explain my small meals to myself. Can’t explain that to Beef.” 

“Suppose so. But seriously, when do you eat?” 

“You saw me order my meal just the other day.” 

It took Sonar a few seconds to realize Robert was referring to their first interaction. “Are you talking about those twinks you got from the vending machine?”

“I thought I told you, that’s not what they’re called.” Robert mumbled weakly. 

“I don’t care! I’ll call them whatever I want if that’s how you eat!” 

“Sonar, it’s fine. I’ve gone for long stretches of time without eating, it’s-”

“When was the last actual meal that you had? As is, ‘sat down and had a plate full of food in front of you’ meal.” Sonar crossed his arms in clear defiance from whatever Robert was going to say. 

“...We should get you home. You’re still expected to work tomorrow.” Without wasting a second, Robert turned and made for the entrance of the building.

The sudden actions caused Sonar to trip over his feet in an attempt to quickly catch up. Soon matching pace with his dispatcher. “You’re not getting out of this conversation that easily. Seriously, when?” 

“A while ago.”

“Dude-”

“Don’t even. I’m a grown man with grown man responsibilities. I think I know my body and its tolerances better than you.” 

“...That still doesn’t change the fact that you need to have an actual meal.” 

“Sonar-”

“At least once a week, at least!” 

Robert laughed softly at the hybrid’s assistance. “Only if you’re paying.” 

It was meant to be something to put the other off. Which clearly didn’t work when Sonar replied with a fast, “Friday this week, I’m free after work.” 

That got Robert to freeze in his motions, holding Beef a little closer as a look of surprise fell over him. Facing the hybrid, who looked determined in his words and stared back. It was a small moment of connection that fell away just as fast. Robert’s neutral face slipping on. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Thirdston, come on-”

“You don’t know me.” 

“Then this would be the perfect time to get to know you!”

“You don’t want to know me.” 

Sonar frowned at that, “That’s presumptuous for you to assume.”

Robert’s own frown deepened. Lips pursed in a way that Sonar read as being pushed too far. “It’s not… Just trust me when I say, it’s better off this way.” 

“With a wide gap between us?”

“Yes.” With that, Robert turned to their destination and headed off. Not waiting to see if Sonar would catch up. Which the hybrid eventually did. 

The front entrance was rather quiet, a stark difference between the chaos that is the early morning rush. Since this dispatch was low in ranks, there weren’t as many heroes that called this building their outpost. Just a few that could keep the building safe and respond to any nearby events if extra hands were available. Meaning the only people Sonar really saw were the overnight front desk workers and Malevola. The demon looked up when the duo drew closer. 

Her cheer greeting fell away when she saw how tense the two were. Opening the door for Robert to step through, who did so with only a nod of recognition towards Malevola, before turning back to her flatmate.

“So, what happened to him?” Malevola asked in a low voice, which Sonar heard perfectly. 

The hybrid looked a little sheepish before responding with, “I…think I tried to ask him out on a date and it backfired… Kind of horribly.”

“Do I need to kill him?”

“No, just… Let’s just go home.” 

Malevola nodded as the duo finally left the building. Robert had already made his way down the long walkway towards the parking lot. Fully focused on his phone as he looked for a ride home and, more pointedly, tried to tune out the two approaching him from behind. 

“Need a ride, Robert?” Malevola asked, trying to sound casual.

“No.” 

“You sure? I mean, I don’t know a lot of people who would turn down a free ride.”

“I don’t want you knowing where I live.” Robert replied back shortly. 

“We could drop you off somewhere close.” Sonar offered. 

“How do you know I don’t live close by and I’m just waiting around for people to leave so I can just walk home?”

“...Are you?” 

“I’m not answering that.” 

Malevole tired again, “It’ll be quick and we’ll keep our lips sealed. Nothing to worry about. Come on Robertson.” 

Robert’s phone suddenly let out a ping to notify that his ride request had been placed. With that taken care of, the dispatcher turned and walked further into the parking lot. Namely to where the street entrance was, no doubt going there to wait for his ride to arrive. “Have a good night you two.” 

“You just confirmed for us that you don’t live near here!”

“See you tomorrow!” 

Malevola huffed as they watched Robert’s form get smaller. Turning back to Sonar once their dispatcher found a place near the road to wait. “Think we need to stick around, just in case someone tries to jump him?”

Sonar’s stomach swooped unpleasantly at the scenario Malevola had just created. But ultimately shook his head. “I think that’ll lose use points on Robo’s good side if we do that. Let’s just go home. I think I missed a few spots while cleaning and I would like to crack open that ice cream.”

 “Sure…we’ll have a hero’s meal for you. To celebrate your victory today.” With a wave of her hand, a portal appeared right next to Malevola. The demon stepped through first and disappeared with a small ‘swoosh’. 

“I’m sorry we’re unhelpful in this area. We never felt the need to research the depiction of this piece. Really just thought it was our ancestors telling us about great vacationing areas.” King Olivine finished lamely. Nervously clearing his throat as he watched Wario and Waluigi painstakingly recreate the mural before them. 

Peach offered a warm smile, “You wouldn’t have a reason to, your highness. None of us would even give it a second thought if current events weren’t happening. I’m just happy it’s so well preserved for us to study.”

“We’re glad to offer our assistance in any way possible,” Queen Monazite said, placing a hand on Peach’s shoulder. “We do wish there was more than just this mural in our offered help.”

The conversation between royals was interrupted when Wario let out a noise of complaint,  glaring at his brother. “You drew them too close together.”

“You’re an idiot, this doesn’t need to be a one-to-one recreation.” Waluigi snapped back.

“That’s rich coming from you. You always had to have your schematics perfectly made!”

“Because that was for a physical piece of equipment we were going to be making, dumb ass. If even one part is off, it would have ruined the entire thing. This is just a depiction of something for use to study later.”

“Well, maybe whoever drew this drew it in a specific way to act as marked distances between each location. Huh? Did you ever think of that?”

“Currently, I’m just thinking you’re a dumbass.”

Olivine let out a sigh as the trio of royals watched on, the brother breaking out into a small physical confrontation. “I certainly remember this.” 

“Wario, Waluigi!” Peach called out, “We don’t have time for your squabbles. Do you have everything drawn out or not?”

Waluigi got one last good shove in before dashing out of the room, joining the rest in the hallway. “Yeah, we do. Hopefully these will be enough for Captain Toad to work off of.”

“If not him, perhaps Toadsworth.” 

“I don’t suppose we could convince you to stay for the night? It seems like such a waste of a trip to not relax for a while.” Monazite offered as the group started heading back to the front.

“I wish we could,” Peach answered, “but I don’t think there’s time to do so until this situation is over. We need to move fast while there’s still a chance to catch up.”

“If there’s still time. This mural’s not much in the way of explaining what’s going on, who’s behind all of this, and how we’re supposed to fix it.” said Wario. 

The desert queen frowned but nodded in agreement, “I understand. It’s unfortunate that a disaster had to arise for us to come together. But, it can’t be helped.”

Olivine wrapped an arm around his wife, offering her a warm smile before turning it to the rest. “Please know that our doors are always open, for whatever you need.” 

As they entered the main throne room, which was a buzz with citizens, the trio offered a bow to the royals. Peach smiled as she replied with, “Thank you for your hospitality, from today and in the future. We’ll do our best to keep you aware of the situation. Hopefully, with good news.”

“That is truly all we can ask for.” 

“We’ll give your best to Daisy,” Monazite said, “She’ll be so cross to have just missed you, but she’ll understand the urgency.” 

Departing from the large structure, the trio found a crowd of children gathered around the large center piece fountain. Cries of joy and excitement sounded over the desert winds as a crowd watched on as the younger citizens played. 

“What has them so eager?” Peach asked. 

“I think it has something to do with certain twins dressed in red and green, if my eyes are to be believed.” Waluigi answered. 

Sure enough, among the neutral tones and small pops of yellow and maroon were blurs of red and green. Mario and Luigi seemed to have taken it upon themselves to entertain the younger generation with some kind of chasing game. The trio noticed that one in the large group was leading the chase with the others doing their best to stay away. Whenever someone was caught with just a mere touch, there was a scream of joy and the recently caught became the chaser. 

A silent question of ‘What is going on?’ was shared between them as they reached the end of the grand staircase. 

All reached the edge of the play area just in time for Luigi to join. Or, practically falling into them might have been the better term. Having just missed being caught by using an interesting twisting motion to pull himself away from danger that caused him to tumble into the group. Wario being the fastest out of the three helped to keep the youngest brother upright. 

“Oh, h-hey!” Luigi let out a breathless laugh, “You three done?” 

“You are so sticky right now. What are you two thinking, playing in this kind of weather?” Wario frowned. 

“It’s not so bad. The fountain and wind provides a pretty good splash zone. Plus, we were told it’s one of their cooler days!” 

“Sure, uh huh, are you two at least drinking water?”

“Yeah, we got that.”

“What are you playing?” Peach asked. 

“Oh, it’s tag! An Earth only game, apparently, but it’s really easy to get the rules down. See, there’s always one person who’s ‘it’. If you’re ‘it’, your goal is to touch, or tag, someone else so that they’re ‘it’. Basically, you’re just running around to make sure you’re never ‘it’, there’s really no given end.”

“Sounds like a good lesson on how not to spread illnesses.” Waluigi commented. 

“You’re such a downer. Do you want to play or not?”

“Pass.” 

“If we had time, sure. But we need to get going.” Wario said. 

Luigi’s shoulders dropped in clear disappointment, “Already? Are you sure? The kids are having a lot of fun and-”

His upset expression disappeared when Luigi was suddenly lifted off the ground, arms wrapped around his middle. Laughing loudly as Mario swung his brother around in a tight bear hug. The older brother cheerfully called out, “Got ya, you’re it!”

“Not fair, I was talking! You’re not playing if you’re talking to someone, you know that!”

“And you know not to turn your back on danger.” Mario laughed as he placed Luigi back down. Excess energy used by ruffling his brother’s hair. Only looking over to the trio when Waluigi cleared his throat. “Oh, hey, did you get everything?” 

“As much as we could. We need to get going.” Waluigi answered. 

“Aw, what? Five more minutes, please?”

“Wha- No! We’re not negotiating right now, we need to go.”

“You’re just worried we’d kick your butt in this game.”

“I’m not moving in heat that’s hard to breathe just standing in it, let alone running in it, just to satisfy whatever crisis you’re currently living through. We need to-” Waluigi let out a choked cry of surprise when a hand slammed his arm. Eyes wide with indignation as Mario took a few more tentative steps back, beaming the entire time. Luigi, with the same excited expression, right behind. 

“Come on, you’re it. I know Luigi explained the rules. If you want us to go, you have to tag us.” said Mario.

“...I’m not playing this game. Come over here now so we can- Mario, Luigi!” The moment Waluigi took a step forward to grab the twins, they shot off. Melding into the crowd of excited children. Letting out a strangled cry of anger, Waluigi shot in after them. “When I get my hands on you two, I’m going to kill you!”

Peach just barely held back a laugh watching the lanky brother race off. Raising a brow as Wario gave her a bow.

“Pardon us, your highness,” said Wario, “I believe I’m needed to help wrangle up some troublemakers.”

“Go ahead, I’ll wait for you all on the carriage.” Peach replied. 

Wario gave another dramatic bow before tearing off into the crowd. Giving a large battle cry as he raced after Luigi. Peach merely shook her head before making good on her word. A sigh of relief escaped her as she sat down in the cooled carriage. More than happy to watch the craziness happening outside from behind the closed door. 

_____________________________

“Well, that certainly is…something.” Captain Toad commented as he looked the drawing over. Brows furrowed in concentration as he twisted and turned the notebook to achieve different angles.

Wario nudged Waluigi with a knowing look, adding a whispered, “I knew you drew it wrong.”

“And I know where you sleep, so watch it.” Waluigi hissed back. 

“Do you recognize any of these places?” Peach asked, pointedly ignoring the quiet scuffle that broke out behind her. 

The adventuring Toad hummed softly before giving a sharp nod. “In fact, I do. But just one. The rest are areas you’ve already been to or that I’m not super confident in knowing. Those will need a bit more research.”

Laying the drawing back onto the table for all to see, Captain Toad tapped the depiction of a large, green meadow with strange looking brown growth popping up randomly. “This here is the Petal Meadows. A section of land far, far from the Mushroom Kingdom and a place that has not been visited in centuries. I think it was even avoided during the great war. I’ve only seen illustrations of this area and heard a not so comforting story about some kind of creature living there.”

“Creature?” 

“Eh, you know how it goes. Undiscovered areas need to have some kind of reason to stay away from it. Rumors are sometimes more terrifying than the actual danger.”

“If you’ve never been there, how can you be sure you’re correct in this being the Petal Meadows?” Mario asked. 

“Ah, it’s because of these things.” Going back to the drawing, attention was directed this time to the strange growths. Appearing to be a large, tightly closed pinecone sitting atop a white stick. The entire piece seemed like that of asparagus with a large flowered portion at the top. “These things are called horsetails and they only grow in Petal Meadows. Something about the soil makes it possible. Either way, that’s how I can tell.” 

“Don’t suppose you can provide directions for these four?” voiced Peach.

“Of course!” Captain Toad hopped off from his seat, drawing under arm, and made his way to the wall of maps pinned up. “Give me a few and I’ll be able to provide a clear map, sit tight.” 

“This is going remarkably well.” Mario commented, seemingly unbothered as Wario bumped into his chair while fighting off Waluigi. 

“I’m just happy to think we’re ahead of the game in this endeavor. More so in knowing we’re going into an uninhabited area.” said Peach.

“Should we be worried about this supposed danger?” Luigi quickly added on, biting his lower lip. 

“Well…it is less than ideal. But if this land has a sprite, we need to retrieve it. How about DK goes with you all again to add some extra muscle to the group? I’m sure he’s going to be thrilled knowing he’ll be able to beat something up.” 

“By the way, when is he going home?” Mario asked. 

“When he decides you two have been properly trained. How has that been going?” Peach laughed softly from the double groans of discontentment. “That bad? I thought you said he had lightened up after your Dark Lands adventure?”

“He has, kind of. It’s more that he doesn’t get into the ring with us as often as he used to. It’s still absolutely exhausting.” 

“Regardless as to how the training’s been going, I will feel better if DK was with you all.” 

“Here we go!” Captain Toad announced his return, handing over a rolled up parchment to Mario. Who took it tentatively. “Clear direction, as promised! The problem for you lot is finding that sprite. If it hasn’t awoken and started causing destruction as the other two have, I’m not sure what you’re going to do for locating it.” 

“Guess we’d better plan on this being a camping kind of excursion.” Luigi lamented. 

Mario frowned softly, “Have we even been camping?”

“...Actually, no, we haven’t.” 

“Perhaps Wario and Waluigi could be of assistance in preparing for this.” Peach offered. 

The collective group winced when a heavy thud was quickly followed by the sound of something shattering. All looked back to find Wario and Waluigi, who stared back with faces depicting clear guilt, tangled up together on the floor. Having no doubt fallen there during their physical argument that resulted in them breaking one of the many artifacts lying around. 

“Really? You didn’t have the decency to take this out into the hallway?” Mario shook his head. 

“What, and have you guys miss out on seeing me one up this loser? In your dreams!” Wario retorted with a sharp laugh.

Giving a weary sigh, Peach faced Captain Toad again. “I apologize for whatever they’ve broken. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Nonsense, it was a relatively broken structure already. I was planning on mending it as best as possible in due time. What are a few more pieces to deal with, eh?” The Toad laughed, rolling the map up. “I would suggest heading out soon to deal with this quickly. One less thing to worry about and what not.” 

“Then we’ll inform DK and get this going.” Luigi said, taking the rolled up map with an easy smile towards the adventuring Toad. Only to falter when another crash sounded. Looking back to find that Mario had joined in the unnecessary mayhem. No doubt trying to pull the other two apart. “Okay, well, how important was that?”

“Very important…unfortunately.” 

“And, with that, we’re going! Sorry for the mess again Captain!” With the strength that none of them were ready for, Luigi pulled the squabbling trio out of the room. All of whom had paused in their fighting to watch in amazement as they were removed. 

Peach gently shook her head. “I will help you with mending this.”

“Thank you, your highness.” 

In the hallway, after pulling the group a good distance away from the captain’s room, Luigi finally released the trio. Only to be pulled into a headlock by Wario. “Hey! Why are you like this!”

“Because you interfered in me claiming my victory! You too, Mini-Me, get over here!” 

Mario let out a yelp as he attempted to dodge out of the way from Wario’s free arm. “Don’t you dare, I don’t want to be anywhere near that pit of yours.” 

“How about we actually focus on the task at hand, please?” Luigi called out, “I don’t want to spend more time in a land with an unknown danger than I have to.” 

“Considering the tombs Captain reads, I’m sure those are just exaggerated stories. Talking about creatures they had no idea what to call, but are commonplace today. It happens all the time.” said Waluigi. 

“Still, the sooner we can get this done, the better. Who wants to tell DK about this?” 

There was an immediate cry of ‘Not it!’ that caused Luigi to shake his head. Eventually deciding he would talk to the ape himself, with the others saying they’d focus on packing properly for this venture. DK was beyond thrilled to learn about this new endeavor, even more so when he was told about the possible creatures laying in wait with this land. Launching into an explanation of a new attack he’d made and how he couldn’t wait to use it. Only halting in his excited discussion when Luigi said they needed to prepare what was needed before they could go. 

The following day started with an early morning departure. One that saw a frustrated Waluigi and DK pushing a still passed out Wario into the carriage while the twins handled the travel planning part. Their first stop related to where the warp pipe, which would take the team to this Petal Meadows, was located. Since it was expected to be a dangerous journey, it was decided that the carriages and accompanying Toads would just wait by the pipe for the team to return. With the expectation of the team being gone for a certain number of days. 

If that situation arose, the Toads would return and call for a rescue party. 

“Not that we’re really expecting anything of the sort to happen to you all.” Peach quickly comforted upon seeing Luigi’s bravado cracking slightly. 

The first part of the journey was rather calm. Due to his large side, DK was required to ride on the roof of the carriage while the rest sat inside. But the great ape didn’t seem to care, clearly enjoying the view of a kingdom he’d never explored before. Those in the carriage were quiet as they took in the sights as well, all mentally trying to prepare themselves for whatever they were going to be facing. 

With the arrival of the afternoon, the party was able to locate the sought after warp pipe. Which was truthfully a little hard to spot at first. Not just because the color blended in with the foliage around it. There was also the issue of having vines and other weeds wrapping around it and covering it easily. Something that was easily burnt away by Mario. 

“Give us at least three days before you start panicking over us,” Waluigi instructed to the Toads, “And today doesn’t count, in case anyone was curious. Stay within the denser parts of the trees to shield yourself from any potential hostiles. While we’re still in the Mushroom Kingdom, we don’t know what all could be out here.” 

The Toads gave a salute to the taller brother before moving the carriage to the suggested area. Waluigi, deciding he’d done all he could for that part of the journey, joined the others around the warp pipe. “So, are we ready?”

“About as much as we can be about this,” Mario replied, “Are we sure this can be traveled by? No one’s used it in how many years?”

“Warp pipes don’t wear down like normal plumbing. They’re expected to withstand a lot. If anything, lack of use probably kept it pristine.” Wario said. 

“Guess that’s that then.” Without a second thought, DK jumped in. Giving a small salute before being fully sucked down. After a silent eye roll, the rest followed along. 

Reaching the other side brought along a wide area, filled with tall, vivid green grass that even hid DK amongst the blades that created large meadows. Flowers of various sizes, shapes, and colors mixed in with the lush turf. Waluigi even spotted a new color of Piranha plants, a purple variety that barely grew to the size of his hand. And thankfully didn’t snap at the group as they passed by. While trees were plentiful, they seemed to grow in strange clusters, as if forming islands in the sea of surrounding green. The air was warm and comforting, nothing more than a gentle breeze that caused the grass to flow like water. It was a surprise to find a place so calming in comparison to their previously ventured places. 

“It feels like we’re stuck in Spring here.” Luigi commented, eyes focused on the blue sky above them. 

“It is rather…pleasant. I wasn’t expecting that, considering everyone has avoided this place for so long.” Waluigi replied. 

Wario frowned, looking back to the rest of the group. “Any thoughts as to why this place hasn’t been inhabited?”

“Wasn’t there talk of some creature lurking here? That might have something to do with it.” Mario offered, “There might also be the matter of not needing the space. Why expand if you don’t have to. Especially in a place that you’ve been warned not to approach.” 

“Yeah, speaking off, when are we going to see these so-called dangerous creatures. I’m starting to get bored.” DK called from the back of the group, not bothering to stifle a yawn.

Mario, on his part, glared back at him, “You do realize that is technically the last thing we want to deal with. It’ll be enough of a challenge to find where the sprite could be. We need to focus on that and not try to disrupt this place's balance for our own interest.” 

“Well alright then, geez. Sorry for wanting to have a little fun that didn’t involve Bowser and his stupid kingdom.” 

“That last trip out didn’t fill out your fun quota?” Wario teased. 

DK snorted, “As if. I didn’t want to fight giant spiky worms, I wanted to fight Boswer.”

“Right, as if you could survive against him.” 

“Whatever,” the ape huffed, “I barely got to see any action as is. At least you got to learn something new about that stupid mural of yours.” 

“What mural?” Luigi asked. 

DK faltered at that, quickly taking in Wario’s and Waluigi’s pointed looks before answering with a, “Nothing! Nothing that you have to worry about.” 

Mario frowned and turned to Wario, who schooled his face quickly. “What mural.” 

“You heard the ape, it’s nothing!” Wario practically shouted in his frantic attempt to appear calm.

Waluigi held back a groan as he answered with, “It was just a mural that looked similar to the one we saw in the Desert Kingdom. You know, the one we went to draw and take to Captain Toad. There was just a weird replica in the Dark Kingdom.”

“Oh, that is weird. I wonder why it’s there.” Luigi pondered.

“Who knows, old people do weird things, let's just focus on the task at hand.”

Mario, however, wasn’t going to let this conversation point drop. “Why did you three look so freaked out? If it was something as simple as this same mural in a different location, it’s not that weird to talk about.”

“Eh, think of it more that we didn’t want you to feel like you were missing out on something,” Wario said while dropping his arm around Mario’s shoulder, “Afterall, we were just focused on getting the sprite out rather than anything else. When we saw the same mural, we figured there was a connection. So we followed the hunch to have said fancy drawing act as a map for us.” 

“So…we’re assuming all places marked on the mural are…sprite locations?”

“Yeah, you got it! Nothing major to worry about, promise. Hey, it’s getting pretty late in the day. How about we find a place to set up camp and figure out what our plan for tomorrow is. It’s not going to help if we just wander around in hopes of stumbling across this sprite. Waluigi, go show them how it’s done!”

“Follow me you two, we’ll head for the cluster of trees just up ahead.” Waluigi picked up the pace with Luigi close behind. Mario gave one final curious look toward Wario before following after. As the disturbance in the grass was no longer seen and their voices grew softer, Wario turned to DK with a look of panic. 

“What the hell!” Wario hissed. 

“Don’t get angry with me, you two are keeping a big secret from them!” DK snapped back. 

“We talked about this with you. Not. Yet. We have the promise of 2 more months before we even think about broaching them about this.” 

“No, you should be thinking now what you’re going to say. That agreed upon time is your limit. End of the line type situation. Once you’re out of time, we’re telling them. Even if that means I have to show them the scary secret tunnel. I’m not being idiots like the two of you.”

“Oh, idiots are we? Like an idiot who almost let something slip because they were too busy mocking.”

“Well, it wasn’t my intention and you two cleaned up the issue pretty easily. So I would say we survived this and we can just move on. Let’s go set up camp, I want this day to end.” DK easily pushed past the other and followed the direction the rest of the group took. Wario close behind while glaring daggers at the other. 

“Telling you about the mural was a bad idea.” 

The ape huffed, but didn’t look back. “Yeah, maybe it was.” 

_____________________________

Sleeping on the ground wasn’t really that exciting of an experience. Especially when it left you with a sore back. 

Luigi groaned weakly, slowly pulling out from his sleep. Not ready to open his eyes as he tried to relax in the warmth that surrounded them. The night before had been a learning curve to the twins in figuring how to camp ‘properly’. A highlight being able to see the sky full of stars above them, even if the tree canopy blocked a good portion of them. Still, what a difference it makes to see the sky without looking through a window. 

Sleep wasn’t going to be reclaimed. Between DK’s and Waluigi’s snoring tagged with being uncomfortable, it was a lost cause. Luigi decided it was time to wake up. Pulling himself out of the sleeping bag, the younger twin collected his overalls and silently escaped to more coverage. Leaving the rest of the group to slumber.

Cautiously made his way through the foliage, Luigi couldn’t help but marvel over what surrounded him. Maybe it was because Brooklyn didn’t really have a lot of space for plant life. Maybe it was because this world seemed to be a vibrant place of color, even in the Dark Lands. Whatever the reason was, Luigi couldn’t help but be enamored with the life that surrounded him. Even with the dangers that were known and what was yet to be faced. Something about the quiet calm of nature just put him at ease…

As he was placing the familiar green cap onto his head, a small chirp sounded. One that caused Luigi to tense in slight panic. Head lowering in case that was the call of some bird like creature that was declaring to divebomb him. When a few seconds passed without the worrying feeling of talons, he stood up. Brows furrowed with confusion as he looked around. 

There weren’t any signs of something big coming through. No heavy footfalls or the ground shaking. At the very least he didn’t have to worry about something charging at him through the foliage. Standing very still, Luigi stranded his ears, trying to pick up some kind of noise. Movement, or that weird chirping again. But all was quiet. 

Given a hum of confusion, Luigi bent down to pick up his sleepwear and- 

He froze, spotting two wide eyes staring back at him from under the bushes. Whatever it was, its stature was small enough to fit under the low grown foliage. Luigi quickly estimated that it just barely reached his knee. While they had maintained attention, there was no attempt to charge forward or attack. Appearing to be waiting for the human to respond further. 

“Um…h-hey, little guy,” Luigi whispered out, “You…lost?”

It gave a cry of the same, small squeak from before. Slowly shuffling its way out until it stood in the same opening as Luigi. Wide eyes never leaving, never blinking. 

If he had to guess what he was looking at, Luigi would have said there was a small dinosaur standing in front of him. No longer hidden by the array of leaves, it did reach above Luigi’s knees. But it was clear that it was still a child. Possibly even a baby. Its skin was a vivid green that no doubt helped with its ability to hide in the lush growth. Red, gently curved ‘spikes’ ran along its spin and stopped just before reaching the tail. The same red was found around its feet, Luigi mistakenly thinking it was wearing shoes for a moment. But the short talons corrected that thought. Two small arms were curled close to its chest, providing another indicator of how fearful it was. 

“Oh, wow, look at you… You’re just a little guy, aren’t you?” Luigi smiled as he knelt down. Unbothered when the creature flinched back slightly. “What are you doing out here? Are your parents around? …Do you have parents?” 

It let out a chirp as if to reply. 

“Well, alright then. I have no idea what you’re saying. Are you hungry? Here…” Looking around, Luigi found some fruit hanging above them. Shaped like an apple, but with a red top and yellow bottom. With a well aimed charged shot of Thunderhand, one fell from its perch. Luigi catches it easily and offers it to the creature. “Here you go. Do you need me to cut this up or-” 

He was momentarily stunned when the creature’s tongue shot out. Sticking to the fruit and quickly pulling back into the awaiting mouth. Said creature chewing happily while Luigi looked on in shock. 

“...Okay, sure. Got a long tongue, but not long enough to reach. If you’ve been out here on your own for a night…” Feeling better to play it safe than sorry, Luigi fell two more ‘apples’. Placing each on the ground so as to not rush the creature into eating. “You’re way too young to be out here on your own. And I’m not seeing anyone trying to find you, otherwise you would have ignored me.” 

Luigi tensed slightly as the creature inched forward. Sniffing at the human’s knee before deciding that he was safe and crawling onto Luigi’s lap. Looking up with bright eyes and a wagging tail. “I know we’re on a mission, but I can’t leave you out here like this. Come on, we’ll introduce you to the rest of the gang, yeah? Maybe Waluigi knows what you are…” 

Moving carefully, just in case the creature wanted to run off, Luigi lifted it from his lap and into his arm. It made no attempt to fight back. Merely watched on as if this was a normal thing for them to experience. With everything in hand, Luigi made his way back to the camp. Hearing the others before seeing it. 

Sure enough, Luigi found the rest awake and dressed. Wario and DK focused on their breakfast while Waluigi and Mario packed the supplies away. It was Mario who spotted the younger twin first. Shoulders relaxing as he gave a smile to his brother. 

“There you are,” Mario called out, “Where did you get off to?”

“Just wanted a quiet moment to get dressed. You’ll never believe what I found.”

“Is it the sprite so we can go home?” Waluigi asked as he zipped his bag closed. 

Luigi laughed, “You wish. Nah, I found this little guy. I think he’s lost.” 

Mario was over to his brother in an instant, eyes wide with amazement as the creature. “Whoa, what is it?”

“No idea. Just found them out but theirselves. Think we could add onto the mission and find their family?”

“We have time for that, sure. Hey, have any of you seen this little guy before- um.” Turning to address the rest of the camp, Mario and Luigi were surprised to find them as far as they could possibly manage. Wario held up the frying pan while Waluigi hid behind DK, who looked the most terrified out of the three. “So this is an interesting reaction.”

“Luigi, I need you to answer honestly. Did you see anything else out there when you found…that?” Wario asked slowly, eyes never leaving the creature. 

“Um, no, I looked. They’ve probably been by themselves for at least the night. They were hungry.” 

“And they didn’t eat you?” DK whispered out in fearful awe. 

“Eat- what? No! They didn’t try to eat me, why would they? Look how big they are. They couldn’t even reach the fruit.” 

Mario crossed his arms, “What going on with you three? Why are you acting like this is…I don’t know, a mini-Bowser.” 

“Oh, you wish it was a mini-Bowser,” Waluigi snapped back, “That’s a Yoshi!”

“Uh huh, great… What’s a Yoshi?”

“A terrifying creature! That reaches heights that rival that of the Kong Arena. One that eats anything and everything in sight, no matter what it is. Big, small, poisonous, the very fabric of reality. That thing has been known to destroy civilizations with its appetite!” DK answered, practically screaming at the end. 

Still confused, Mario looked back at the creature. Who only gave a wide yawn in response. “...This thing? Destroyer of civilizations? It barely reaches above the knee.” 

“Well, clearly that’s a baby. But it’s true! Our ancestors had stories, tales of these things that would leave destruction in their path! Their only want is to consume, no matter the cost of the lives they take with it. Not even our best warriors could fall the beast…” 

“I wonder if this is the thing Captain Toad warned us about?” Luigi questioned as he gently rubbed the top of the creature’s head. 

“That would make sense… Wait,” Mario shook his head, “if these Yoshi’s have been here this entire time, why haven’t they destroyed this world then? We’re barely a day’s travel from the Mushroom Kingdom, they should have gobbled it up by your standards.”

That comment got the other three to relax, fear falling way to confused thinking.

“Okay, maybe generational evolution has made it so they're not as hungry,” said DK lamely. 

“How about this as a game plan? I agree with Luigi that we should get this guy home. But, I’m also hearing your guy’s worry over what an adult Yoshi could do. So we’ll go, drop him off, see how dangerous they really are, and quietly leave if they’re a threat. They’ve lived in peace here for a long time, no reason to draw attention to us if there’s a worry they’ll eat everything. We’ll also check off another area for the sprite.” 

“I hate how much that works for a plan.” Wario grumbled. 

“Great, then we’ll finish packing up, eat, and be on our way. Once we figure out where we need to go… Don’t suppose your new companion could show us the way, Luigi?”

Luigi shrugged, “No idea. They might be able to once they’re out in the field.” 

“That’s our best guess then.” 

Breakfast was a bit of a tense affair. Mario seemed to be the only other person comfortable enough to sit near the Yoshi sitting in Luigi’s lap. The remaining three kept a good distance away, as a ‘just in case’ worry. Even with the rather strained nerves, the Yoshi only appeared to be interested in eating whatever was placed in front of them. No fingers being harmed in the process. 

With the morning hurtle out of the way and everything finally packed up, the group made their way out of the small wooded area. Luigi makes a point for the Yoshi to sit comfortably on top of his head, allowing the small creature a better vantage point. 

“Feeling okay up there? Anything look familiar?” A quiet warble of uncertainty was the response. 

“Would they really be able to recognize anything?” Waluigi posed, “With how young they are, they might not really understand the importance of physical landmarks.”

“I would help if they could talk. We’re dealing with a language barrier too.” Mario added on.

Waving his hand as if brushing the issues aside, Wario said, “How about we worry about finding points of interest. Start thinking about where we think the main features of this place lie.”

“Do your stories and lessons have anything about territory related to the Yoshis?” Luigi asked, looking back at DK. 

“Not really?”

“If I remember from the books I read about them, the Yoshis were considered a more ‘nomadic’ species. They didn’t really have a need to settle down. Since they were more concerned with consuming rather than settling.” Waluigi offered, frowning in contemplation. 

Luigi’s shoulders dropped, “Well that’s unhelpful.”

“Maybe I can climb up and see if I spot any large areas of cleared land. That might indicate where the Yoshi’s are set up.” DK offered. 

“What would that prove?”

“This place may be big, but Yoshi’s have to be bigger. I’m pretty sure I’d be able to see large areas of destruction from a high enough vantage point. Destruction equals out to Yoshi, we’ll know where to go.” 

“Wait, weird follow up question, did that book say anything about sizes?” Mario asked. 

“If you’re wanting me to confirm DK’s claim about them being gigantic creatures, yes, that was true.” 

“Anything about babies?”

Waluigi tilted his head, “What are you getting at.”

“Think about it, if these creatures were so large, wouldn’t their offspring be as well? This little guy is, well, little. DK, you even said it yourself at breakfast. Maybe they were forced into this area for some reason. If so, that would mean they would have less areas to eat from, in turn meaning they would have to adapt. Yoshi’s aren’t behemoths anymore so they can hide away and not consume as much as they used to.”

“Interesting theory Mini-Me, but how does that help with our current situation?” Wario asked. 

“Instead of thinking we’re going to stumble across practically giants, we need to focus more on standard wildlife.” Mario concluded.

“So no large areas of destruction?" DK asked. 

“Exactly. We need to think of enclosed areas that you’d be able to hide in easier.” 

Waluigi frowned as he attempted to scan over the rolling grass. “Well, that might make it harder for us to find then. There is enough out-cropping of these clumps of trees that could count as the area we’re looking for. Problem is, even if we’re not looking for size, we might have to worry about quantity. We have no idea how many Yoshi’s would have survived over the years and if they multiplied.”

“What about distance?” Luigi asked, “Would a baby Yoshi even be able to travel that far away from their home? This little guy was kind of slow.” 

“Probably because he was terrified as to who you were.” 

DK let out a groan before breaking away from the group. “Okay, I’m done with words for a moment. I’m just going to climb up and see if I can spot anything.” 

“And what would you be looking for?” Wario asked as the great ape walked past.

“I don’t know, something out of the ordinary, I guess.” 

“Which would be…”

“Why are you being an ass right now?”

Wario froze, looking like he’d just been slapped. “Wha- I’m not. I’m just trying to figure out what you think going up is the solution to this?”

 “If we don’t have some kind of action plan then we’ll just be stuck here talking in circles.” 

“What good is looking up there if everything looks the same?” 

“So you want to go wandering around aimlessly for hours until we’re lost.” 

“No, I would like to find a better solution out of this!”

“That’s weird coming from you,” DK snarled, “Looking for a solution doesn’t really seem like your style.” 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“That for all your big talk, solutions aren’t really your priority. You’re more of a ‘sweep it under the rug and worry about it later' kind of guy.”

Wario’s face turned red, eyes narrowing. “And you think you have the best solution to all of this?”

“Well at least I’m trying something instead of just dancing around everything.”

A small chirp of worry sounded from atop Luigi’s head. The younger twin reaches up quickly to pat the Yoshi’s head in hopes of calming them down. “T-They sound really tense.” 

“Yeah. It also doesn’t sound like an argument about the current situation,” Mario quietly agreed before calling out with, “Hey, guys, how about we just take a step back and think about this for a moment? Snapping at each other isn’t going to help. Where’s this animosity coming from anyway?”

“Oh, I would love to include you in this conversation Mario. But these two aren’t really big on that.” DK answered, not looking away from Wario. 

“What are you talking about? What is he talking about?” The red cladded hero looked over to Waluigi, who was pointedly staring at the ground.

“You’d better shut your mouth before I do it for you.” Wario warned, his voice low. 

“As if you could even reach it.” DK shot back. 

“Would you two stop this, we don’t have time! Whatever is happening with this we can talk about it later, but right now we need to-” Luigi’s words were cut off, the ground starting to violently shake. Causing the group to lose their footing, all huddled as they waited for the tremors to subside.

Their worries only seemed to grow when an explosion sounded not too far from where they lay frozen. Against his better judgement and the frantic calls from the rest of the party to ‘Get back here!’, DK made his way towards the nearest tree. Climbing it with ease and achieving a wider view of the plains. 

Among the shades of greens a plum of thick, black smoke stood out. Wafting up from the ground as an ominous beacon. 

“I see it!” DK called back to the group, “It’s a good distance that way!” 

Pulling out the map, Waluigi quickly worked out where they were to the direction the great ape was pointing to. “That’s East of us, nothing’s out there.”

“Nothing’s anywhere here!” Wario argued back, “Yet something is interesting enough to set off whatever that is!” 

“D-Do you t-think it’ll stop o-on its own?” Luigi asked, gripping onto his hat, the Yoshi, and Mario’s hand tightly. 

“I doubt it, we’ll need to see what’s going on. Come on!” Without a second thought, and keeping a good grip on Luigi’s hand, Mario took off. Doing his best to move forward while trying to remain upright as the tremors continued to shake. With the yelps and curses he heard behind him, Mario could only conclude that Wario and Waluigi were trying to keep up. 

There was a small moment of panic when DK joined them. Suddenly appearing from above as he kept up with the humans. Never slowing, Mario called out, “Did you see anything beyond the smoke?”

“Nothing,” DK said, “which I can’t really tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” 

“I’m going to take a guess that it’s a bad thing.” 

It was a fight to keep their balance in check. If the violently shaking ground wasn’t enough of a concern, running through the tall grass ran the risk of getting their legs tangled in everything. All the while only able to watch as the sky began to darken from the continuous flow of smoke emitting from the area. 

“That can’t just be a normal fire,” Waluigi pondered out loud, only his brother able to hear him. “We should see flames, a glow at this point. But there’s nothing. But it can’t be magic either because there wouldn’t be this much smoke, and I can’t think of a spell that would shake the ground like this. So that would mean…” 

Wario frowned, eyes darting over to Waluigi when his brother fell silent. “I’m not liking the dramatic pause.”

“It’s a machine! Whatever we’re running to, it has to be some kind of machine!” Waluigi cried out to the full group. 

“But something that causes this much damage, shouldn’t we be able to see it?” DK questioned. 

“I would think so, but I also don’t know what the build for this would be. But we’re reaching a different issue. If it is a machine, we don’t have that much power to take it down. The only one here who’d be able to fall it would be Luigi.” 

“M-Me!?” The younger twin replied back in disbelief. 

“Yes, Mr. Thunder, you should be able to short circuit any machine with a large enough charge.” 

“Wouldn’t that depend on the size too?”

“Yeah, it would. So I would suggest starting your charge up now.” 

“I don’t think-”

“We got something incoming!” DK interrupted, the group faltering slightly from his sudden warning. All expecting Bowser’s army to suddenly appear through the tall grass. 

Instead, above the sound of the shifting world, came a steady beat of foot falls. A large amount indicating a crowd of something heading their direction. At first, it was a green smear. One that Wario barely got out of the way from as it was next to impossible to really see. A red soon followed, then blue, then numerous colors rushed by the group. Creatures of some kind escaping from whatever was causing the ground to shake. 

“What are they?” Mario called out, trying to make himself and Luigi a smaller target to run into. 

“Don’t mind them!” Wario shouted back, “If they’re not hurting us, then we can focus on what we need to, keep going!”

As the smears continued to pass them, the group left behind the tall grass and entered into a large collection of trees. Now having the added difficulty to dodging around trees and whatever was running past them. 

Sooner than what any of them were expecting, the foliage opened up into a cleared area. The tall trees replaced with, what the group assumed, were domed huts. Ones made from thick mud and sturdy branches that were now in pieces strewed around. The ground itself supporting numerous cracks from whatever was attacking the area.

“If it weren’t for the smoke, I’d assume the Sprite had done this. It looks like that happened in the Dark Lands.” Waluigi commented as they slowed their progress. The group looked around at the damage with curiosity and concern. 

“Yeah, but this all looks fresh, and that Sprite took its time,” Wario replied back, “It also helps that we know this was caused by something else.” 

“That begs the question as to where this machine is even if that’s what caused all of this.” DK added. 

Mario frowned, “Good point, where is it? I doubt something that could cause this much damage could just disappear.”

“And that ground’s not shaking anymore,” Waluigi muttered, “How would that even be possible-” 

In a split second, the ground broke apart, separating the group. DK, Waluigi, and Wario on one side with the twins on the other as a large, worm-like machine bursts forth. Showering the area with rock and remnants of the homes that stood there. The ‘mouth’ of this towering machine was nothing more than a giant drill, one that powered down once it was free from the dirt. Atop the machine was a domed piece of glass. The group just barely made out three small forms crammed in there. 

Not a moment of peace was granted when the domed glass opened up. Bickering immediately being heard above the hum of the machine. Three figures could be seen, each around the same height, wearing a similar outfit that only varied in color. The main thing standing out was a giant ‘X’ splayed across their font as some kind of marking. 

“I’m telling you, it’s not here!” One cried out, wearing colors of white and red, their ‘X’ a standard black. 

“Well, it’s a good thing that I’m in charge here because you’re being an idiot," another shot back whose outfit was red and black with a white ‘X’, “See this color combination? That means I’m in charge and I’m saying we’re not leaving until we’ve torn up every inch of this area!”

“Oh, just like in the last two places which resulted in, wait for it…NOTHING! You may have the ‘colors’ but you certainly don’t have the brains.”

“How dare you! Wait until Lord Crump hears what you called me!” 

“You can’t be serious about that. Did you forget that we’re on an unauthorized mission? If Lord Crump finds out where we’ve been with stolen machinery, he’ll have our heads for this!” 

“Uh, guys?” The last figure spoke up, dressed in blue and white, the ‘X’ the same shade of black as their red counterpart. 

“WHAT!?”

“I think we have company, and not of the good kind.” 

“Hello!” DK called out, waving his hand. “Mind explaining what all of this is?”

There was a scrambled panic up where the trio were, heads poking out over the side as they took in the hero party below them. 

“Shit!” Black and Red cried out, “When did they get here!? Why are they here!?”

“Hey, maybe instead of questioning that, you threaten them or something!” Red and White shot back. 

“Oh, right! Ah, um, s-stand down you lot! We’re on official business and shan't be stopped by the likes of you!”

“‘Shan’t’?” Wario frowned, “Who says ‘shan’t’ these days?”

“Ah…well…I-I do! You have no business being here, so you need to leave.”

“And what if we don’t?”

“Uh, um…good question-”

“Oh Grambi above, would you just move.” The white and red snapped as he pushed the supposed leader of this group out of the way. “If you’re not out of here in like a minute, then we’ll use this thing to tear up the ground and your bodies!”

“A minute? An actual full minute? You’re going to give us that long to run?” Mario asked, “Is this your first time threatening someone?”

“And so what if it is! You should be happy I’m being so merciful!” 

Wario snorted, “Yeah, okay, this is your first time.”

“S-Shut up!”

“You wouldn't happen to be searching for the Sun Sprite possibly?” Waluigi called up this time. 

Blue and White leaned over and offered a rather cheerful, “Yeah! How’d you know?” Which was met with outcries from his companions, who tackled him to the ground quickly. 

“Good guess would also be that they haven’t found it yet,” Mario muttered to Luigi, “We could take them out now.” 

“I-I’m not charged up enough. I kind of l-lost it when they burst out from the ground.” Luigi confessed.

“Then I guess we’re going to have to play the long game for a little longer. Go take cover while we distract them.” Mario waited for his twin to hide among the nearby foliage before joining the rest. “Alright, here’s the deal. Luigi needs to charge up, meaning we’re playing interference until he’s ready.” 

“How much of the area are we trying to save?” Wario asked. 

“I, unfortunately, think that’s a lost cause. We’ll just have to clean up as best we can afterwards.” 

DK smirked hearing that, “Maximum damage then?”

“Let’s not be that reckless.” 

“Oi!” The group jumped hearing Red and Black shouting down at them, “You’re not planning something, are you?”

Letting out a disgruntled noise, Waluigi activated his hammer and approached the nearest segment of the machine. “You are incompetent and annoying. If you think you can actually stop us, then you are dumber than you look!” 

With a hefty swing, Waluigi hit the machine hard enough for said segment to hold a decent side dent. Which, in turn, caused a commotion up top. With the three figures rushing around like crazy as their dome covering came back up. The group on the ground had just enough time to dodge out of the way as the machine drilled back down into the earth. 

“Do we have a way of knowing where they’re going to be popping up from?” Wario asked as he pulled out his own hammer. 

“Just keep your eye on the ground as best you can,” Mario answered, “If anything else, if we can turn off the machine through the cockpit, then we could possibly end this faster.”

“I’ll focus on the covering to see if I can crack it.” DK said. 

“Don’t hurt yourself.”

“Good to know you care.” 

Time was not on their side as the ground opened up once more, only a few feet away from where the group stood. The segment that Waluigi had damaged appeared to have been dealt more with that dive down. An opening was appearing, with a clear look of a strong internal structure of a metal skeletal frame surrounded by gears and wiring. 

Waluigi let out a whistle, “Yeah, we’re definitely going to need Luigi to fry this thing.” 

Not wasting another second, DK leapt up, grabbing onto the side of the machine before climbing his way up. The situation became a little dangerous when said machine started rocking from side to side. As if those piloting it realized what the great ape was doing and in turn were trying to throw him off. 

“We can’t let them go back down,” said Mario.

“How do you expect us to stop them?” Wario asked. 

“If Waluigi’s hit allowed for that much damage, then they might realize going under would just make everything worse.”

“I guess that’s our best option right now.” Wario huffed as he and Waluigi charged forward. Hitting to wherever they could reach and watched as the plating started falling away. Both doing their best to avoid the tail of the machine as it started to whip around. 

On his part, Mario kept an eye on DK’s progress. Silently thankful that the other was able to make it up. But realized a problem with DK’s hits weren’t causing any damage. Not even a crack or dent was showing to the dome. Something that the great ape eventually caught onto as well. 

“Okay, maybe my idea wasn’t the best!” DK called down, now forced to grab onto whatever he could to remain on top. 

“Can you tell what the material is?”

“I don’t know! Not glass and not something I can see through, that help?” 

“Do you think fire could weaken it?”

“I don’t-” DK’s comment was cut off as the head of the machine suddenly dropped. The area hit the ground hard, causing DK to tumble off and collide into Mario. Both tumbled over each other until being forcefully stopped by impacting the ruins of a hut. 

Wario and Waluigi were just as unlucky. While they’d been able to cause significant loss to the outer shell of this thing, it wasn’t actually slowing anything down. Worse, they were growing tired. Their limbs became heavy and their coordination lacked to the point where the machine’s tail finally landed. The two let out noises of distress as they were launched into the air. Painfully landing close to where the other two lay.

“Okay,” Wario wheezed out, “I think we can agree… Machines…not the easiest thing to fight.” 

“Metal is a harder material to deal with than flesh, that’s for sure,” Waluigi added, “Any bright ideas? Because I’m not sure how much longer we’ll be able to hold off while waiting for Luigi.” 

“That casing is tough, I wasn’t even able to lift it up or break it,” said DK.

“Sounds like it’s electronically locked in place with enough power to stop you. That’s not great to hear.” 

Talk quickly fell aware when the machine reared up, all eyes widening as it towered over them. The drill started back up. Reaching full speed before the head pulled back further, as if winding up before delivering the final blow. There was a panic scramble to get away as the machine’s drill headed straight for them and-

The machine was suddenly lit up with green bolts of electricity. All of it lasted for a few seconds before it died down. There were a few seconds of silence before the machine let out a groan, beginning its descent down, falling to the side, and landed hard enough for the ground to shake. The group was stunned, only turning back hearing the small chirps of Yoshi. Who was still sitting atop of Luigi’s head. The twin in green offered a sheepish wave as attention was brought to him. 

“Could you be a little faster next time,” Waluigi grumbled, “I really don’t like how close you cut that.”

“I-I’ll work on it.” Luigi replied as he joined them. Not arguing when being pulled into a tight hug by Mario.

“Ignore him,” the red-claded hero said, “You did great. Took them down in one shot, I knew you could do it.” 

DK and Wario didn’t join in the conversation. Instead, they headed towards the dome, which DK was able to pull off without an issue this time around. Inside were the three from before, just a bit charred. Each letting out a groan of pain from the jolt they’d just received. Wario wasted no time. Reaching in to grab Red and Black by the front of their uniform and hauling them up to face the older brother.

“D-Don’t hit me!” Red and Black squeaked. 

“Oh ho, don’t tell me what to do, you little shit.” Wario snapped, “You tried to bury and maim us, you don’t have the room to make requests. Now, talk. Who are you working for and why are you after the Sun Sprites?”

“I won’t tell you, and I don’t know!” 

“I suggest you start thinking real hard for a better answer. Because my friend and I here don’t need a machine to inflict pain.” 

As if to prove a point, DK slammed a fist into the ground with enough force to create a dent. 

“Lord Crump is our boss, but we all report to Grodus, he’s the leader of the X-Nauts! A-And I swear, I don’t know why they want a Sun Sprite, but we keep hearing about it in meetings and we figured we could go find it on our own!” 

Wario raised his brows, “Wow, I didn't think you’d crack that soon. You’re…really bad at this.” 

“Compromised! Don’t worry, I got this!” The figure dressed in Blue and White suddenly sprung to life. Seeming to have forgotten about their burnt uniform and the fact they’d technically been a part of a fall. 

Instead, with rather quick movements that the group wasn’t prepared for, the smaller figure tore off a loose piece of the machine and launched it at DK. Which landed directly on the ape’s forehead. Causing DK to let out a noise of complaint as he stumbled back. Wario, stunned by what was happening, received a direct blow to the side of his head. He released his prisoner in surprise. As Wario reached up to assess the damage as best he could, Red and Black scrambled their way back into the control area. 

The remainder of the group attempted to act as some kind of back up. Each giving their desperate cries to what was happening. All of it provided no help as the hull which had been forced open snapped closed once more. A panic if needing to fight again rose quickly as the machine hummed back to life. But that quickly subsided as the attack, for some reason, turned tail. Rushing away from the group as it skittered across the damaged pieces of the village and disappeared into the trees. 

A few minutes was given to make sure everything was truly over before they began to relax. 

“That was weird.” Waluigi said, putting his hammer away. 

Mario rubbed his face, giving a heavy sigh. “We’ve done so much, but I don’t think we really accomplished anything.”

“We know the name of who’s been messing with us,” Wario countered, “I’d call that a victory.” 

“Have you heard of them before?”

“Can’t say that I have.” 

“They left such a mess,” Luigi sadly commented, “and all for nothing on their end.” 

“Think those things that were running past us before were living here?” DK questioned. 

“That would be a safe guess,” Waluigi replied, “If they’re coming back, hopefully they won’t blame us for the mess.”

Luigi tilted his head up hearing the Yoshi sitting on his head let out a cheerful chirp. The silent confusion grew as the Yoshi practically launched themselves down from their perch, almost knocking Luigi over. The group checked on the younger twin as their smaller companion raced over to the edge of where this village once stood. 

DK reacted first. Muttering a small curse as he pulled the rest of the group behind him. The disorientation experienced due to the sudden movement fell away as the rest saw what was approaching. 

A herd of Yoshis, different colors, all reaching the same height as Luigi, were cautiously making their way into the village. Holding features that were very similar to the younger version the group had been traveling with, just with further growth. Brighter colors, larger talons, wide eyes taking in the group, the damaged village, and their younger counterpart rushing towards them. 

“Okay, they don’t appear hostile.” Mario whispered. 

Wario argued back with, “That might just be because they’re in shock from the damage that’s happened to their home.” 

“There are so many of them.” DK added, all noting a small tremor in his voice. 

“Do we plan on fighting them or…?” Waluigi's voice faltered. 

They collectively jumped when their travel companion raced back over. Gently biting down on Luigi’s sleeve to pull him away from the group. A hushed exchange of words of full panic didn’t halt the younger twin’s walk forward. Leading to Mario breaking away from the group this time. Joining up with Luigi as they were met with a full grown Yoshi, a light blur version. One that peered curiously as the twins. 

“So, who’s going to tell Peach we lost her heroes to wild animals?” DK asked. Faltering when Mario pinned him down with a hard glare. 

The light blue Yoshi was uninterested in the exchange of words. Instead focused solely on the two beings before them. They lowered their head as if to get a better look at both Mario’s and Luigi’s faces. Eyes actually narrowing in clear contemplation while they slowly began to circle around the twins. Nose occasionally twitching as they gently nudged at human’s sides. 

All of a sudden, as eyes landed on the monogrammed hats, the uncertainty fell away. Quickly replaced with joy and excitement as the light blue Yoshi practically wrapped themselves around the twins as best they could. Chirps that weirdly sounded like they were saying their own name came spilling out as they released the twins. The Yoshi looked around at the rest of their herd while waving arms eagerly to the clearly confused humans. 

Whatever was being said was convincing enough to make the rest not only relax, but rush forward in excitement as well. The group watched on in slack jawed amazement as the twins were basically passed around. Each Yoshi was given enough time to look the twins over before reconfirming what the light blue one had deemed so important. 

“What the hell is happening?” Wario hissed, “I’m glad they’re not being eaten alive or anything, but I’m getting weird out by this.”

“Why are they all acting like they know them?” DK added his own question. 

Waluigi huffed and stepped around the great ape. Straightening himself out as he replied with, “We’re not going to get any answers just by standing here. Let’s establish if they can even understand us and move forward from there.” 

“They could still attack us!”

“Then it’s a good thing we have a Kong Warrior to get us out of the situation if it rises to that, but I don’t think we’re in danger with the Yoshis.” With Waluigi leading the way forward, the trio met up with the twins. The surrounding Yoshis seem to take no issue with the rest stepping forward. Even tilting their heads in interest at the newcomers to the gathering. 

“You two okay?” Wario asked, putting an arm around Luigi while patting Mario’s back. 

The red dressed hero nodded. “They don’t seem dangerous. But I have no idea why they’re so excited to see us.” 

Waluigi cleared his throat. Not at all bothered when every pair of eyes landed on him. “I don’t suppose you lot can understand what I’m saying?”

“Yosh!” A pink Yoshi spoke up, nodding at the question with the rest following suit. 

“Okay, great, doesn’t mean that’ll make this conversation easy. We’ll just stick with ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions for now. Do you know who these two are?” Waluigi asked as he waved a finger to the twins. 

Another nod.

“I see…how recent was this meeting?”

“That’s not a yes or no.” DK argued. 

“Let’s just see where this takes us.” 

The pink Yoshi, seemingly not bothered by the change in answering requirements, knelt down slightly. Holding out their hand right next to the smaller version of themselves. Looking up at Waluigi with an expectant look. 

The mechanic, however, was taken aback. “Wait, you’ve known them since they were…little?”

Instead of a nod, the Yoshi’s head swayed side to side while wearing a look of uncertainty. 

“I…don’t really understand.  So you know of them as a child, but you didn’t actually meet them as a child?”

“Yosh!” 

“Well, that’s not at all dumb or confusing.” Wario grumbled. 

Waluigi quickly waved his hand, brushing the comment aside as he continued on. “If you didn’t meet them as a child, how did you learn of them?”

A quiet wave of ‘Yosh’ drifted around the group before they were pushed forward. Past the destruction, further into the forest, deeper in until the growth became a thick canopy of leaves. Even as it became difficult to see the path, they all continued on. Until the opening of a wide cave appeared on the trail. There was a quick moment of quiet panic in wondering if continuing on was a smart idea. Which led to nothing as they walked past the opening and into the cave itself. 

Now inside, the pathway was alight with small torches. Providing enough illumination to show where rocks and other debris lay, but not much else. 

“How long do we keep playing this game before we just leave?” DK asked in a hush tone.

“I thought we decided they weren’t going to hurt us.” Luigi countered. 

“I don’t remember voting on that, when did we reach that agreement?”

“Would you shut it,” Waluigi snapped, “I’m not thrilled with how this looks either. But if the Yoshis, somehow, know about the twins, we need to figure out why. We’re also in need of finding a Sprite, in case you’ve forgotten.” 

DK’s comment was physically halted when Wario clamped a hand around the ape’s mouth. Muffled protests were cut off with a ‘hush’ as the eldest brother, whose ears were twitching. “...Do you hear that?”

The rest tilted their head, attempting to hear over the crunching of the dirt underneath their feet. Sure enough, a steady rumble could be heard. One growing louder the further they went. As it was just the sound and the ground wasn’t shaking again, it was understood that it wasn’t the machine from before. 

“Is that…snoring?” Mario asked. 

Their answer came as soon as the group reached the furthest part of the natural structure. In a domed alcove, with torches lining the entire wall by being stuck in the soft dirt, rested a Yoshi. But not one of the ones the group had been following. This one was large, almost filling up the entire space if not curled up in the tight ball that it was in. Their skin was a deep green, almost black, color, with dulled red claws that were almost the same size as DK. The snoring allowed short viewing of a mouth filled with elongated teeth that were no doubt dangerously sharp at one point. But were now rounded down due to wear and tear. 

“Oh fuck, maybe DK was onto something,” said Wario. 

Time to panic over the situation wasn’t granted when the pack of Yoshi they had followed in all unanimously shouted their name. The sound reverberated to the point where the group had to cover their ears to try and offer some protection. The deep rumbling associated with snoring came to a halt and the behemoth Yoshi slowly opened their eyes. Accompanying their awakening with a wide yawn that allowed further viewing of their teeth along with the sheer size of their mouth and tongue.  They were slow to move as they positioned themself to sit up a little more on their arms and hind legs, getting situated before turning their attention to their guests. 

Their sleepy demeanor vanished in an instant the moment their eyes landed on the twins. Both of them tilted their heads in confusion when the larger Yoshi started producing a sound akin to purring. Which in turn caused the large tail to start hitting the ground in a slow but rhythmic way. 

“They’re…happy,” Luigi weakly commented. 

“But why?” Mario asked, turning to look at his brother as if the younger sibling would suddenly hold all the answers. But Luigi merely shook his head. 

“You two didn’t happen to go on an adventure where you met these guys then just forgot about it?” DK suggested. 

“No, why would we? We never had a reason to leave the Mushroom Kingdom, and I very much doubt we would forget these guys.” 

The quiet conversation had apparently gone on for too long as the larger Yoshi let out an annoyed growl. Head flopping down as if pouting that the twins hadn’t rushed forward to greet them. That got Mario and Luigi pushed forward by their counterparts, both of whom looked back at the rest with glares. Only to be met with waving hands and ‘Go on!’ mouthed to them. 

Still recognizing the risk this situation posed, the twins walked forward cautiously. Optimism grew when the large Yoshi’s excitement returned. They greeted each twin with a very gentle nudge of their nose before settling their head back down, tired eyes watching on. Mario, emboldened by the fact they hadn’t been hurt, reached up to pet the highest portion of the Yoshi’s noise he could reach. Earning the return of the rumbled purring. The tail wagging starting up when Luigi joined in. 

Waluigi frowned and turned to the Yoshi that had led them in. “I hope you know this answers nothing about how you lot know about the twins.” 

There was a round of ‘Yosh!’ as the large group separated into two. One led the remainder of the heroes to the back wall while the rest traveled deeper into the alcove. Wario, Waluigi, and DK were commanded to stand in one particular spot upon reaching the wall. The Yoshis shifted around until what they were standing in front of had a line of torches at the base of it. Confusion turned to shock as they were met with a mural. One without Sprites, but a depiction of a horde of Yoshis, all shown to be the larger variety that now rested behind them. The lush nature that waited for them outside drawn on as well. But what truly caught their attention was who was drawn riding on the back of these enormous Yoshis.

Mario and Luigi. Not as adults, but as babies. While the style was very basic, it was easy to make out the age of the two depicted here. Even their signature hats were there, the emblem of  ‘M’ and ‘L’ standing out strong with the majority of the mural showing some aging. 

“What the fuck?” Waluigi whispered out. 

DK shook his head, suddenly looking more upset than surprised. “I hate this. I hate murals. This is a nightmare.” 

Wario had the wherewithal to turn back to the Yoshis, directing his comment to a lilac colored one. “Mario and Luigi haven’t even been here, here in this world, for a year yet. How…How could you have possibly met them as babies? That’s not…physically possible.” 

The Yoshi merely shrugged before pointing back to their larger counterpart. Whose eyes had closed, no doubt falling asleep while the twins were still treating it like some kind of pet. 

“Wait, they met the twins? How old are they?” 

“Old,” Waluigi answered, already examining the mural. His fingertips hovering over the carvings as they traced over the lines he could reach. “I’m talking prehistoric. Around the same era that this world was created.” 

“So they met actual dinosaurs when they were babies. Cool, cool, that makes no sense whatsoever.” 

“I don’t think we can add sense to this at the moment.”

“Then what is our next step?” DK asked. 

Waluigi pulled away from the mural. While his face wore a heavy scowl, there was a clear layer of panic held in his eyes. “I don’t know. We have too many pieces, and I don’t think they all go to the same puzzle. I couldn’t even tell you what any of this is supposed to answer for us. We just keep getting new and fucking useless information without a way to help solve the problem.”

“Waluigi-” Wario faltered when pinned down by a harsh glare from his brother. 

“What do we even do with these Sun Sprite things, huh? Do we have a plan, or are we just gathering useless shit because it’s something to hold onto? We just learned the name of our possible enemy and they make things that only one of us can take down. What the fuck are we doing-”

Waluigi’s voice faltered when arms wrapped around him, air being squeezed out as he was practically engulfed by Wario. Who was doing his best to have as much of a hold as he could manage on his brother. 

“It’s fine,” Wario eventually said. Soft and even, trying to keep his breathing slow in hopes that Waluigi would match it. “We’re going to be fine. We’ll figure it out.”

“We can’t be fine, not with all of this…” 

“We are, we will be, just…just stick with me. Okay?” 

All of the tension seemed to melt off of Waluigi. His entire form relaxed, but his eyes still held transparent fear. “...Okay.”

DK, who’d watched the transaction between the brothers, had his attention pulled away when a Yoshi gently tugged at his arm. The ape looked over with a raised brow and answered, “Yeah?”

The same Yoshi pointed behind them, towards the direction where part of the Yoshi group had run off to. Where the same group was now rolling forward a giant egg, one that almost rivaled the towering Yoshi in height. It was an off-white egg that held murky green spots that were randomly placed around. 

“What the hell is in there?” DK whispered in awe as the egg stopped before him. Answering came in the form of physical instructions. The Yoshi pantomiming the action of hitting the egg as they looked expectedly back at the great ape. Shaking off his shock, DK stepped forward and delivered a quick and direct punch to the side of the egg.

The crack formation sounded like a whip. Loud and echoing as the impact spot spider-webbed out. The egg only started to fall away when the cracks reached the top and bottom of the structure. DK, Wario, and Waluigi watched on as pieces fell to the ground, shattering to dust on impact. At first, the grand reveal wasn’t anything. No large structure was found inside, meaning the size of the egg only represented who had laid it and not what was actually contained. 

When the base of the egg was all that remained, the trio’s amazement grew as they found a Sun Sprite sitting inside. Floating just enough to touch the bottom. But showed no signs of destabilization they had been known for. Instead, the Sprite just stared back as if expecting the group’s arrival. 

Rolling his shoulders, Wario stepped in. Aware that his own footfalls were not breaking the egg, even though said egg has just proven how fragile it was. Wario tucked that question away as a worry for a later time. Instead, he focused on collecting the Sprite. Said item no longer floating, resting heavily in his hands as he made his way back out. 

“They knew we’d be here,” Wario said as he met up with the other two. 

“How the hell could they have known?” asked Waluigi. 

“This is all thanks to that big guy back there,” DK answered, “They knew about the twin, are arrival, knowing that we needed this.”

“Yoshi were known for being nomadic. But they clearly settled down, because they knew we would be back here. Or at least knew the twins would be.”  Wario added on as he carefully warped the Sprite up before putting it in his bag. 

“This is…fucking weird…” Waluigi rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes. Wario unsure if his brother was trying to relieve stress or intentionally cause himself pain to numb everything else. 

The trio’s conversation was interrupted hearing the twins calling out in a panic. All three rush over to find Mario and Luigi doing their best to wake the larger Yoshi. Whose entire form had become slumped. Eyes closed, head tilted, their entire being holding no weight. 

“They’re not breathing.” Wario whispered to the other two. 

Waluigi nodded weakly, “They were, what, thousands of years old? They lived long enough to see the twins one last time and to help out where they needed to.”

“Holy shit,” DK choked out, "and now they’re just…gone?”

“Looks that way.” Reaching down, Wario patted the spot in his bag where the Sun Sprite was resting. He peered around the area to find the rest of the Yoshi’s mourning their loss. All the while, Mario and Luigi were heard trying to bring the larger Yoshi back, no doubt feeling as if they’d lost a friend they never knew they had. 

I AM VERY SORRY FOR HOW LATE THIS IS!

I was kind of stupid and decided I wanted to make an art change for when Yellow entered into the Minecraft world and...that might have been a mistake. Because it took way longer than it should have.

Robert loves his father. 

Being a hero was a tough life, Robert had lived through it for so many years. It was hard to think about what his own father had to go through when it came to juggling his hero life and his home life. Something that Robert had never even considered when he took up the mantle because he knew he wasn’t built for it. Solidarity was his way to move forward and he gripped onto it like the lifeline it was. He respected his father and all that he’d built up before losing his life. 

Robert loves his father. 

But that didn’t make the forced distance hurt any less.

It was a punch to the gut hearing Royd talk about Robbie the Second. How they’d apparently had a long talk, one that set Royd on the path towards working on the heroes side. Having more words exchanged between them than Robert ever had with the old man. Having Royd being one of the originals from the Phoenix Program during the first attempt. One that also fell away when the higher-ups didn’t see the value in it. Still, the one hour conversation was enough to keep Royd on the right path that eventually led him to this moment. Carrying the Mecha Man suit in through the SDN’s back door so he could start working on it. 

Actually carrying the largest unit he could get his hands onto. Because Robert’s way of taking everything apart was pointless since Royd could lift who knows how much. Walking around with a mecha suit that weighed tons like it was just a bag of rice. Making Robert’s weekend work obsolete, the dispatcher having a few seconds of mourning the time lost before forcing himself back to the current situation.

The news about the missing Astral Pulse brought Royd’s optimism down for a second before stating that building a new one wasn’t going to be an issue. “Large power in a tiny body. Sound impossible, but it been done bafore, can be done again.”

“I’ll trust you on this,” Robert said, “At least you have the advantage of working on this without the hassle of a nosy kid running around. Building Astral Pulses doesn’t leave much time to be with your son.”

“Eh?” 

“Well, I mean, I assumed you didn’t have a kid? My bad if that’s not the case but-”

“Nah brudda, that not the point.” 

“I don’t understand.”

“Okay, breakdown time. There’s gear heads and there’s science nerds. One kind garage, the other kind lab, you know?”

“...Sure.”

“Yo faddah a good gearhead, upkeep the Mecha on his own. Lotta skill there. But I just can’t see how he make something like da Pulse. He no science nerd.”

Robert shook his head, “That’s…not possible. Dad’s always had the Pulse, or had it for as long as I can really remember. He at least had it before the Brave Brigade had been made so…I don’t know who else would have made it.”

“Just sayin’.”

“How would you know this? You only talked to him once.”

Royd ducked down beneath the monitors to offer a knowing smirk. “I can tell difference cuase I’m both.”

Robert couldn’t help but jump when the room suddenly became dark. The windows that had a clear view of the front hallway were suddenly blocked by heavy duty steel sheets. Momentary blindness gave way to an ethereal blue glow that started from the ground and rose up. The back wall lifted up to show a wider, more advanced room of equipment. Machines already moving with a number of different schematics shown, one on each monitor. Royd was walking further in, placing glasses on his face as Robert caught up. 

“That one ovah der, that suit, that your faddah’s.” Royd said, “We gonna make dis new one da ‘Robert’ suit.” 

“Holy shit.” Was all Robert could say as holographic projections of Royd’s designs appeared. Eyes traveling over every detail he could find. The sleek design that paid homage to the suits before but made the overall appearance more modern. Reports listed off the materials that were going to be used. Materials that Robert had only dreamed of getting his hands on before. Another menu showing the weapons, the defenses, everything that was going to make this suit better. “This is…incredible, Royd.” 

Scratching at his feet clued in that Beef had followed his owner and was now begging to be lifted up. Which Robert was more than happy to do. Placing the chunky dog on the countertop. 

“I hope you like it, bruddah.” Royd could keep the smile off his face as he watched Robert take it all in. More than happy to give a few pats to Beef’s head when the dog waddled over. 

“Royd, I don’t know what to say… Thank you. Thank you is what I need to say, this is unreal! This is more than I could have ever dreamed of doing on my own.”

“We make da man mecha again.” Royd held out his fist. Robert wasted no time and completed the fist bump with a smile on his face. 

“You’ll have your work cut out for you, that's for sure.” The dispatcher commented, eyes traveling back up to the hologram. 

“Rathar be here than in your chair. How is Z-Team treating you?” 

Robert’s excitement faltered slightly. “Eh, only two days in and I’m not dead, I’ll count that as a victory. I just wish there was a better way to connect with them. One that didn’t involve certain phrases or alcohol. Don’t suppose you have any advice?”

Royd shrugged, carrying the mecha pieces to the back section of the room. “They scared, that fo sure. Neva had someone in their corner before. And this…isn’t working out the best for them.” 

“But they’re also not understanding what it means to be a hero. This is just something to keep them mildly entertained until they’re bored and go back to old habits. Hell, I had a full conversation with Sonar, about trying to put the needs of others before you. He shot back that someone can’t help if they’re struggling themselves. So my point was stopped short and I’m back to square 0.”

“Square 0.5, how about? Both sides can be true. Maybe your example wasn’t the best?” 

“Talked about money and how some mecha billionaire was spending it all on himself instead of giving back to the community in some non-selfish way. I was informed that spending ‘hard earned money’ on oneself was not a bad thing. And he’s not wrong but…”

“You need ta show being a hero is a good purpose,” Royd recommended, “Show that doing good while still being themselves is not a bad thing. They still see themselves as villains.”

“Which they are.” 

“When you’re workin’ on something big, if the pieces don’t fit, take a step back. Find a different way forward. Ya can’t make a workin’ machine if you break it.” 

Robert frowned as his phone alarm went off. Giving a sigh as he slipped the item into his pocket. “Well, I’m not sure if this was constructive towards my dispatching issue. But at least I know you’re on a good head start with all of this. You got it handled from here?”

“Not a prob, bruddah!” Royd answered with a wide smile. 

“Guess I’ll leave you to it then.”

Placing Beef back into his carrying box, Robert gave a final wave to Royd before he departed from the room. The elevator was thankfully empty as Robert made his way to the upper floor. His mind bouncing between the excitement in knowing his suit was finally being worked on, and the stress that the weekend provided no help in his path forward. 

“Can’t make a working machine if you break it,” Robert muttered, “What if you’re not given all the pieces?” 

The elevator dings, announcing his arrival to the top floor. As he exited, Robert’s phone went off once more, a reminder that he’d not actually turned off the alarm that called him to work. Shuffling around so he could keep Beef stable in his box carrier, Robert fished around in his pocket to get the device out. Becoming so focused on getting the alarm off that he, somehow, missed it when Golem turned the corner. The dispatcher fumbled but inevitably lost the phone in the nearby trash can. Which was thankfully empty. 

Without even turning around, Golem grumbled out, “Kobe.” 

There was a momentary raise in frustration as Robert, still carrying Beef, dug his phone out of the trashcan. That rise was enough for the dispatcher to turn around as if to yell back at Golem. But it faltered when Robert took into account how large the other actually was. The construct actually having to duck a little to traverse the hallways. That snuffed out the spark that Robert was going to use to yell at the other. 

“I doubt he did that on purpose,” Robert asked Beef, “right?”

He received a rather slobber filled lick to his cheek. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” 

Momentary frustration pushed away, Robert continued towards his desk. His smile grew slightly seeing that Chase was already at his desk. The older was distracted as he was deep in a conversation with another hero as Robert approached. On his part, Robert entered into his cubical space, placing Beef and the box he was being carried in on top of the filing cabinet. The round dog was still content to just stare around the new environment without having a clue as to what was happening.

Robert paused in his clock in process, finding a note resting on his keyboard. Already seeing extensive water damage done to it to know that it was Waterboy’s work. The dispatcher carefully peeled it off as he wasn’t sure how close it was to just completely falling apart. While the paper was fine, the actual writing was hard to decipher with how many water splotches were on there. But Robert could make out ‘thankful’, ‘I’ll be a hard worker’, and ‘thanks to you’, which was enough for him to piece together what was being said. 

Making sure it was properly dry, Robert carefully pinned the note to his wall before clocking in. 

Hearing the hero walk away, Robert called out to his cubical partner as he grabbed the pillow that made Beef’s bed. “Hey, Chase. I need a favor.” 

Robert had knelt down to place the pillow somewhere on the floor before Chase replied. But he already knew that the other’s face was screwed up after hearing, “Favor? It’s not enough of a favor gettin’ you this job, workin’ with those stupid ass pieces of-”

There was the sound of shuffling and Chase’s rant was cut off as a coo of absolute delight sounded from the other. Robert had to bite his cheek to keep himself from laughing. 

“Who’s this, huh? Who’s this little guy?” 

“His name’s Beef and he’s the favor. I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m going to be spending a majority of my days here. So I wanted Beef close to make sure he was eating and being taken care of. But I’m also worried something might happen here considering who all works in this building. Think you could help me keep an eye on him?” Deciding the bed was sufficiently fluffed, Robert stood. Needing to bite down harder to keep himself quiet upon finding the adorable set up of Chase holding Beef like a baby. 

“Robert, I would let literally everyone here melt in eternal Hell, including you, before anything happens to this dog.”

“That’s…comforting to hear.” 

“Oh, who’s this?” Blonde Blazer seemed to appear out of nowhere, a giddy smile on her face as she scratched Beef’s stomach. “What’s your name, little guy?”

“My name’s Beef and I’m naked.” Robert’s attempt in humor by using a weird voice to speak on Beef’s behalf fell short. Not only did Chase look absolutely offended that Robert would even think to use such a horrible voice. But Blazer’s face twisted to one of absolutely disgust. 

“Oh no,” the superhero shook her head, “I refuse to believe that’s what he sounds like.”

Robert rolled his eyes, but a smile was on his face. “He’s my dog.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re right.” Chase argued back. 

“Regardless, this is not what I came over here for. Robert, I need to talk to you for a second.” Blazer said while nodding her head to her office. 

“Oh yeah, sure.” 

Receiving a nod from Chase, who held Beef closer, Robert was able to get a few head scratches in on the dog’s head before following the superhero. On his end, Robert watched as Blazer’s rather casual demeanor slowly shifted to one of tense frustration. Even if he couldn’t see her face, Robert could tell whatever this conversation was going to be about wasn’t a good topic. He walked into the superhero’s office as Blazer stepped to the side. The door closed as soon as they were both in. 

Robert stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed as he looked at Blazer, “What’s up?”

“First, I would like to talk about the other day. With Phenomaman.”

Ah, right. The awkward conversation between SDN’s poster child and the washed up hero, what a great time that was. Robert didn’t think anything of Phenomaman’s comments as the other was from another planet. A full grown adult when arriving to Earth, so there were no doubt some things that Phenomaman wasn’t aware of when it came to ‘polite’ conversation. The superhero was probably doing his best with what he knew about common interactions.

Robert was also thankful he had not given into the internal whispers that had told him to kiss Blazer when they’d first met. On that billboard ledge. Because the awkward situation would have been far worse upon learning that Blazer and Phenomaman were together. Robert may be desperate for contact of some kind. But he wasn’t a homewrecker. Regardless, the dispatcher had a lot of things to think through after that interaction. 

“Oh yeah, how was dinner? I’ll say sorry on Phenomaman’s behalf for inviting me without talking to you first about it. I have no doubt he’s just a guy wanting to make everyone feel welcomed in some way. He just doesn’t know where to draw the line.”

“Thank you for that. If it was going to just be a casual get together, I wouldn’t have minded. But I knew that dinner was going to be awkward. That’s why I didn’t want you to come.”

“What happened?”

“Phenomaman and I broke up.”

Robert blinked, momentarily stunned. “Over…Tokyo dream sushi? Was it that bad?”

“Yes…well, no, that’s not the full reason. It’s just part of it.” Blazer began to slowly pace around her office. Robert had the decency to lean on the desk to keep out of the superhero’s way. “Phenomaman is not a bad guy, I just want to get that out of the way right now. But…he tends to think that he knows what’s best for everyone. Or, well, I should say what was best for the relationship. He thought since we were both superheroes, and well known ones at that, we should do the biggest things with the most attention on us. I think Phenomaman likes knowing there are eyes constantly on him…”

“But you don’t.”

“He’s a good guy…but he doesn’t really understand the whole ‘listening to your partner’ thing. Or, at the very least, doesn’t understand why I wouldn’t want to do something.”

Robert frowned, “...Did he ever…”

“No! Oh God no, not even once. He is rather ‘innocent’ in that regard. It was more of…he wants to be in the spotlight and I would like my personal life to be a little more…personal.”

“I’m sorry to hear it wasn’t working out. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. But this isn’t the full reason I wanted to bring you in here. I wanted to warn you that this might cause a shake up within the company.” 

“Okay…why?”

“Phenomaman is the face of SDN, with me being the secondary in that category, and together we made a power couple. Since I broke it off, this will probably cause a lot of controversy and…gossip to start spreading. Which could look bad on our end.”

Robert slowly nodded, frowning softly. “I still feel like I’m missing something here.”

“Because of my position and, more importantly, my connection with the Phoenix Program, this break up may cause some retaliation from the higher ups.”

“You think they’re going to scrap the program.”

“Not right away, but yes. They’ve already made it well known to me that they think this idea is a bit of a joke. If anything, they’d rather put the money towards something different. I’m just warning you because I want you to really decide if you’re in the long haul for this. Because if you’re staying and my gut feeling turns out to be right, you’re going to be brought into this. So you need to decide now. Are you going to stay?”

“Absolutely.” 

Blazer laughed, one that sounded nervous but also relieved. “You didn’t even think about it.”

“I don’t have to.”

“Robert-”

“I’ve had two working days and a weekend to think about this. I’m not backing down just because there’s a new threat. That’s not what heroes do.” Robert was a little stunned when he was pulled into a hug. 

“Thank you,” Blazer whispered, “You don’t know what that means to me.”

“I have a pretty good idea. Plus, if they are really going to hurt this team just because you made a personal decision to make yourself more comfortable, then they can suck it.” 

“Yeah…they can suck it.” Blazer pulled away, placing her hands on Robert’s shoulder as she gave him a warm smile. “Still, it makes me feel better knowing I have you in my corner.”

“I’m sure the Z-Team would back you up too if they knew.”

“Speaking of, do you have a plan moving forward with them?”

“Tough love while learning to know a bit more about each member. There’s not much after that really.”

“At least it’s something.” 

“Yeah…it’s something.”

“I’ll let you go.” 

Robert nodded as he headed towards the door. Opening it just a crack, he paused before turning back to Blazer. “We’ll make this work. You know that, right?”

Blazer offered a weak smile, “I…really hope we can.”

With that, Robert left the office, closing the door behind him. The already heavy burden of getting this team to become heroes became a heavier weight with each step that he took. There was a small bit of relief finding Beef settling in on his bed pillow. The chunky dog’s head perked up when Robert sat down. The dispatcher provided a few pats, then faced the computer. 

Said computer warmed up, providing the jingle that was becoming more familiar, with the screen flickering slightly as it displayed the designated map of Torrence. The Z-Team member’s pictures appeared at the bottom. 

“Good morning everyone,” Robert raised a brow as he received moans and groans from a good majority of the team, “I’ll take that as we haven’t recovered from our weekend binging.” 

“Fuck off.” Flambae snapped back. 

“Thank you for proving me right. If you can’t handle your liquor, then don’t drink the day before you go to work.”

“You’re not my mom.”

“You’re right, I’m not worried about your well-being if you do something stupid. I’m worried about everyone else’s safety.” 

“You fucking baby- Would it make you feel better if I told you I can handle today just fine?”

“It would make me feel better if you weren’t an idiot, but I’m not holding my breath for that one.” Robert allowed a small smirk to form hearing the ‘Oooo’s from the rest of the team. “Enough. Anyone who’s stupid enough to put themselves into a position of having to work with a hangover, you’d better pray we have a somewhat quiet shift.” 

“Well, now ye just jinxed us.” Punch Up grumbled. 

“Only if you believe in shit like that. Look alive, or as best as you can, we have our first call coming in.” 

Perhaps there was a higher power watching over them as that morning was relatively quiet. The calls that came in were of minor disturbances, ones that asked for at least one hero to deal with. Creating a relatively calm starting shift that leads to a rather unforeseen circumstance. That being the Z-Team becoming bored with having to just wait around for something to actually happen. 

“I swear if someone moans about being bored one more time, I will hunt you down and kill you.” Robert grumbled. 

“I would like to see you try.” Coupé said softly, a warning tone just hidden underneath the monotone delivery. 

That got a small rumble of chuckles rolling through the Z-Team, Prism adding on. “Seriously, you and what powers, Mr. Dispatcher?” 

“Ye look like one stiff wind’ll be knockin’ you down hard.” said Punch Up. 

“I’m not that bad.” Robert argued back.

“The twigs you call arms would like to disagree.” Flambae said, Robert actually heard the smirk stretching on the fire user’s face. 

“I’m going to ignore that in favor of going back to the previous topic.”

“We have nothing to do right now and we’re bored, so sue us. Don’t tell me you’re all that happy with nothing going on.” Invisigal said after a heavy sigh. 

“I’m happy to know the city is relatively safe right now.”

“Or we’re just not catching it.” Malevola unhelpfully added. 

“The point being that you all need to do something to keep your interest up with having the need to go out on a job. You’re going to have slow days, that comes with the territory. What do you all normally do when it’s slow?”

“Bet.” Golem answered. 

“Right, the current one is about me staying. How’s that working out for all of you?” 

“Golem’s already out,” Invisigal took over the conversation once more, “Idiot said you’d be out by this Friday and clearly that didn’t happen.” 

“Anyone have it marked down as to why I would be leaving? Or are we just working with the date?” 

“Have it where ye’ll be pissin’ someone off and get your clock punched.” Punch Up said. 

Flambae snorted, “Forgot about that. I have it where you just throw a piss baby temper tantrum cause you won’t be able to handle us and our big personalities.” 

“I suppose something has to be big on you, Flambae.”

“I will cook you alive if you keep-”

“Anyone else?”

“Bitch! I ain’t done-”

“I have it down you’ll just be bored with us.” Sonar answered quickly, making it unclear if his intention was to cut Flambae off or not. 

“Get bored with you? I don’t know about that. You all have such riveting commentary, that’s something I’d hate to miss out on.” Robert replied, hoping he was able to hide how hurtful that comment was. 

He could understand Flambae’s point, no doubt previous dispatchers couldn’t handle the Z-Team’s big personalities. But the possibility of being bored? Robert had a feeling that was more than just a general Z-Team consensus with that comment. But how to offer comfort for a comment that’s vaguely personal to the person who said it. 

“Novelty can only hold someone’s interest for so long.” 

“Who said anything about being a novelty?”

“You saying you actually want to see our ugly mugs practically every day?” Malevola asked with a slight chuckle. Something that Robert saw right through immediately. The demon and Sonar were friends. She was probably seeing where Robert’s intentions were. 

“You have to deal with my commentary the same amount of time I have to look at all of you. I’d say we’re even.” When no one responded to that, Robert cleared his throat and continued. “Besides betting, what else do you all do?”

“Not much else.” Invisigal replied. 

“Alright, not exactly the answer I was looking for.”

“Well, I’ve made the suggestion before,” Prism said with a sneaky undertone, “But I was downvoted fast the last time.”

“What was it?”

“Truth or Dare.” 

“We ain’t teenagers anymore, no reason to play a rather demanin’ game.” Punch Up grumbled. 

Coupé gave a hum of agreement, “I’m not a fan of sharing any personal information or doing a stupid challenge for the benefit of others.” 

“What if we change the rules a little bit?” Robert asked. 

“Lad, you’re not fallin’ for this idea, are ya?” “I didn’t hear any ideas from you. At least hear me out.” 

“Fine.”

“No dares-” Robert paused to allow a whine of disappointment from Prism, Flambae, and shockingly Sonar at this first change. “We provide an option for two truths, but they have to be different requests. You don’t get to reword the same question. The person being asked has to pick one of the options and answer as much as they’re willing to offer. Further, every one has to be asked once before a previous person can be picked again. That way no one person is gangged up on with so many questions.” 

“You’re just trying to play hard to get,” Invisigal laughed, “But fine, I’ll play by your stupid rules.” 

“Same.”

“Aye.” 

“Works for me.”

“Whatever.” 

“I’m down!” 

“Yep.”

“Better than nothing at this point.”

“Alright, glad to see we can play fair. Prism, you’re up first since this was your idea.” 

“Demon girl, I’m coming your way! Okay, let’s see…my questions are… Does your sword have a name and…are you really 6 feet, 6.6 inches, or is that to just play into your character?”

“Give me a bit of a challenge if you’re wanting to have any fun. I am actually the height that I have written down, it’s not a clever addition I made up. I just look off because you’ve only seen me in heels.” 

“Damn, I was really hoping for the sword name.” 

“Guess I get to ask someone,” There was a hum from the other side that was partially interrupted as Robert checked the live feed, just in case. “Punch Up.”

“Aye?” 

“What is the one thing you will never eat in your life, and this can be something that you’ve tried before and absolutely hated. Or…were you and Coupé really in a relationship?”

“Ah, that last one be an answer for the lady, not meself. I hate anythin’ that’s sour. It makes me tastebuds tingle. Ain’t for me.” 

“Guess I know what kind of candy to never get you.”

“I’ve never heard someone describe eating sour food like that.” Robert commented. 

“Best way ta do so. Coupé.”

“Yes?”

“How many people have ya killed or what’s somethin’ ya can’t live without.” 

“My knives, obviously.” 

“Dude, you are such an obvious knight in shining armor,” Invisigal snorted, “Of course you’d ask her so no one else could bother her until the next round.”

“Fuck off.”

“Well Invisigal, if you want to talk with me so much, let’s see what secrets you're hiding.”

“Fire away, I’m an open book.”

“I doubt that.” 

“I’ll agree with Punch Up on this, fuck off.’ 

“What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done or have you ever regretted hurting someone?”

“That’s the same question, you can’t do that!”

“I don’t think a ‘dumb’ incident can fall under ‘hurting someone’. A dumb decision could just affect only you.”

“Could be for her.” Flambae butted in. 

Invisigal groaned, “Fine, bend the rule, asshole. Yes, I do regret hurting someone.” 

“Are you going to give a name?”

“Dispatch man said we only have to answer with what we felt like, so no, I won’t give a name. It’s my turn and I’m coming after you, hothead.”

“Ooooo, I’m so scared.”

“Are your farts flammable too or where did you lose your V-Card?”

“Invisigal, you can’t be-”

“My innocence was intentionally taken in the back of white BKM in the parking garage. You think I wouldn’t flaunt that? I can even tell you how fast I was able to-”

“Just ask someone else Flambea, you answered all that you really need to. Don’t continue for everyone’s sanity.” 

“Don’t be such a prude. Whatever. Batboy.” 

“Yo.”

“Does it hurt to transform to your bigger, creepier version or which way do you actually swing?”

“I’m straight dude, I don’t hide that, that’s a loss of a question for you.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

“Golem, big guy!”

“Sup?”

“What was it like being born or…what non-food like item tastes the best?”

“For sure lead paint. It’s like candy.”

“You can eat that? No side effects?”

“Nah, I’m all good.” 

“We might need to see if there’s a clean up committee that needs help getting rid of any lead paint.”

“I’m down. That shit tastes awesome. Okay, boss man.” 

Robert paused in lifting his coffee cup up to take a sip, “Yeah?”

“Your turn.”

“Oh…right.”

“What, you thought you’d get out of this?” Invisigal asked, her voice teasing. 

“I just thought you wouldn't be interested in my life considering I’m the person who tells you what to do. The less you have to hear from me, the better.”

“And miss an opportunity to learn something humiliating about you? As if.” Flambae added quickly. 

“Joy… Well, ask away, big guy.” 

“Why did you want to be a hero or what made you give up being a hero?”

“Those are kind of big.” Robert leaned back in his chair, chewing on his lower lip as he thought about which question would be the least invasive in how he answered. The first one could give too much away, not a lot of heroes have ‘family heritage’ to rely on for a reason to start. Plus, he would have to word it in a way that didn’t sound like he inherited anything from his dad. 

“Giving up being a hero isn’t exactly accurate,” he started slowly, “It was more of a force, hopefully temporarily, retirement. I took a pretty bad beating from someone, it knocked me off course so bad that I couldn’t move for awhile, and I’m now trying to get back onto my feet. I’m going to do everything within my power to get myself back out onto the field.” 

“What if you can’t go back?” Sonar asked. 

“Hey, wait, I don’t think I get to be asked again right away.”

“You just said that everyone had to be asked one before we started again. That didn’t mean we couldn’t immediately start back up with you.”

“Fine, of course the lawyer would use my words against me. If you’re going to pull that card, then you all need to agree to what the question is.” 

“That one.” Was the unanimous answer. 

“You all fucking assholes.” Robert huffed, leaning further back into his chair until he was looking up at the ceiling. The angles of the natural light telling him they were nearing noon, and more importantly their lunch break. 

“Any day now.” Prism broke the silence. 

“Just give me a second, alright? That’s kind of a heavy question because you’re basically asking what am I going to do if I can’t go back to the one thing I know how to do.” 

“One trick pony.” Flambae muttered. 

“Pretty sure this pony could knock you out easily, so don’t test me.” 

“Sure, sure.” 

Robert fell silent again, trying to ignore the knot that had settled into his stomach. An uncomfortably familiar fog falling around him, feeling his ears with the sound of static that kept growing louder. The more he thought about it, the more he was brought back to that night when it all ended. To the conference where thousands of eyes were on him, judging him, judging his actions and mocking him for being so human. To the alleyway behind the bar where his next action was dependent on someone else coming to find him. 

It’s never been about Robert, it’s always been about Mecha Man. 

No one wants Robert.

Get up.

“Oi, lad, ya still with us?”

Robert blinked, wincing slightly with how dry they’d gotten. Rubbing them a bit to desperately help in some way, he looked down at the clock on his screen. He’d been out for at least 5 minutes. “Uh, yeah, sorry.”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” said Coupé. 

“No, I can…”

“I can ask something else.” Golem offered. 

“It’s just not something I really want to think about,” Robert suddenly started, “Because being a hero is all I know what to do. It’s not just my livelihood, it’s who I am, who I was raised to be. The thought of doing literally anything else has never entered my mind because…”

Because I was supposed to die that night. 

“Becuase I don’t have much of a skill in anything else. This is probably my only option if being a hero is completely off the table for me.” 

“That’s fucking depressing.” Prism whispered. 

“Yeah, well, it’s my life…apparently.” 

“You really want to go back to being a hero don’t you?” Sonar’s question hit harder than he probably meant it to. 

But it was enough to have Robert lower his head into his hands. Squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to control his breathing. Because he wanted nothing more than to be out on the streets, doing all he could to help instead of feeling like he was withering away behind a desk. 

“More than anything. More than I can’t put into words… More than any of you could ever understand.” 

The bell rang for their lunch break. Robert numbly watched as each of Z-Team’s icons flickered off one by one, until he was just staring at the map of Torrance. His head still trapped in a fog. 

~~__________~~

“Alright, my explorers! Make sure you clean up your lunch area before lining up. We’re about to head into the mines and we can’t do that if there’s a mess out here!” Nathan Rastler watched with a smile on his face as his class scrambled around the picnic area they’d been using. The grade school class a chatter of excitement as they did as requested. The wooden tables soon cleared of any garbage and each student in their correct placement in line. 

Nathan was happy to see all the beaming faces looking back at him. 

“Looks like we’re all ready to head out. Now, before we head into the mines proper, we’re going to have a bit of a pop quiz! Who can tell me what item was dug out from this mine?” 

“Ooo!” A girl with her curly red hair tied pigtails raised her hand. “Gold!” 

“Very good, Madison! And before any of you get any smart ideas, this mine has been cleared out for years. So don’t think about digging around in there for some quick treasure! These mines have been inoperable for years and are now used as a historical site. So that we can see how resources were gathered before the use of big tools and powers.” 

“Ms. Rastler! What…what’s inopnerably mean?” A sandy brown hair child asked, his head tilted to the side in curiosity. 

“Inoperable means that it’s no longer in use. Either because it’s too old to use or there’s no use for it. This is not a bad thing as we can look at it as a growth for us! Having us working towards better tools to use for the same job. Or that we’ve grown beyond the needs for this area. Now, before we go over the rules, are there any questions about the mines?” 

Nathan waited a few moments as his eyes traveled from child to child. Only finding eager faces staring back at him. “Very well! Remember, keep your hands at your sides. You don’t touch anything unless given permission from me or one of the workers here. If you have a question, raise your hand. And do not wander off by yourself, you stick with the group. Does everyone understand? …Alright, let’s go then!” 

Hand in hand, the trail of students followed after their teacher. The group was greeted at the entrance by one of the tour guides, who offered a brief introduction to the creation of the mines before they walked in. The tunnels were rather big, allowing the children to walk side-by-side in pairs instead of in the long line. Each enamored with the cool rock walls and the way the lantern’s light appeared on the rough foundation. All the while being offered new bits of information from the excited guide. 

“Hey, Billy.” 

Billy, one of the few students bringing up the rear, looked to his walking partner. His best friend, Anthony, had a wild look in his eye. One that was notorious for spelling trouble. Something that Billy had no issue with joining in on. “Yeah?”

“You said your power is like shaking things, right?”

“Mom says it's a vibration, yeah.” 

“Yeah, that! I was thinking, there has to be some treasure left in here, right? It’s not like all those old people could get to everything. They didn’t even have powers to help out!”

“You really think there’s some left in here?”

“Only one way to find out. Think you could vibrate a crack open more to see inside it?” 

“Yeah, I’ve been practicing.” 

The duo hung back more than normal, making sure to add an inch of distance each time the group stopped to look at something. It wasn’t until they were making a loop back to the front that they got their opportunity. Anthony slowed his steps, Billy following his actions, until their class was a few feet ahead. 

Silently, Anthony pointed towards one of the smaller cracks in the rock foundation. Billy nodded in quiet agreement before reaching forward. Placing his hands on either side of the crack, his tongue poked out in concentration as he recalled that kind of numbing sensation that came with his powers. Smiling slightly as the crack started to stretch a little more.

“Put more power into it!” Billy hissed, his smile eager. 

Nathan’s professional smile slipped away when he felt a weird tremor on the ground he was standing on. The vibration quickly followed with small flecks of debris falling from the ceiling above them. As the class started to fall into worried murmurs, Nathan looked around frantically for the cause of it. Quickly taking note that he was down two students. 

Who were a few feet away and messing with the walls of the tunnel.

“Billy and Anthony, you get back with the group right now!” Nathan called out. 

That did the opposite of what he intended. Instead of the two falling back in with the group, Billy panicked. The sudden spike of fear between being found out and being yelled at caused him to lose control only for a split second. But that was enough to break the stability in the foundation. The small imperfection Billy had been working on split wide, traveling up and around the entire tunnel until all chunks of rock started to fall away. 

Nathan broke away from his class, the guide’s own ability kicking in to form a protective bubble around the students as their teacher ran off to collect the other two. Having just enough time to reach the two and pulling them into an unseen force field that kept the falling rocks at bay. For the moment, anyway. 

Outside of the mine entrance, the crowd watched in horror as the opening suddenly gave way to the violent tremors. Workers immediately sprung into action, calling out to their fellow workers who were now trapped inside with guests over their walkies. Shepherding those who were outside further away from the danger while those with powers attempted to start clearing out the damage.