#jay roth

By JJ

Summary: An AU where Ted is the town sheriff and Nicky is the one who's always getting into trouble.

(P.S., I was mostly inspired by this post by @acosmicbee .)

👇🏾

(P.P.S., HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @ghostly-writers ! I've had this idea for a while now, but I wasn't sure whether or not I should write it. Now I have the perfect excuse to do this!)

Theodore Peterson was a man. A hardworking man, a man who doesn't take no shit from no one, a family man, a morally gray man.

But a man of patience wasn't the type of man he was.

Peterson was the sheriff of Raven Brooks, and a lot of people fear him, and some respect him.

However, there was one person who didn't fear him or respect him.

Nick Roth.

Whenever there was trouble, Ted would always find himself running into that kid.

Nick was 15 years old. He wasn't very tall, he was skinny, a bit pale, he had most of his hair dyed blue, and he mostly wore hoodies, ripped jeans and a blue baseball cap.

That kid always got on Ted's nerves. He would mostly pull pranks on random people in neighborhoods, skip school, harass the grocery store workers, and vandalize buildings.

And every time, Ted would come to arrest him.

"I can't keep doing this, Nicholas.", he said as he drove back to the station while Nicky sat in the back of the cop car. "If you were an adult, you'd be serving a hefty 6 year sentence with no chance of parole."

But Nick just rolled his eyes and mumbled "Whatever, man.", slumping back into the seat. "And I told you that it's Nick. Not Nicholas. Nick."

Ted just sighed and kept driving.

Every time Nick got in trouble, he would always sit in one of the holding cells while one of Ted's other cop buddies tried to get a hold of his parents.

And every time, they'd never answer.

"This is Luanne Roth. I'm not here right now, but I'll call back. And if it's something Nicky did, please leave a message."

"This is Jay Roth. I'm not here right now, but leave a message, and I'll call back. And please don't let it be about something that Nicky did again."

Why the hell did they sound so annoyed? It's not like they were doing anything to fix Nick's behavior. Because if they were, then shit like this wouldn't keep happening!

Ted would always drop Nick back off at his house with a stern warning, and Nick would always roll his eyes, scoff, and throw a middle finger at him.

But something was different one day.

After Nick was being dropped off again, before he could get out of the car, Ted quickly and carefully stuck a body camera on his hoodie.

This way, he could watch him whenever he got in trouble.

Ted always got tired of the calls about the kid where he got into this, caused trouble with that, annoyed whoever. It always got on his nerves. So he thought that if he stuck a camera somewhere on the kid's things or on his clothes, then he could drive to him before he'd get a call.

It sounded like a perfect plan.

One night, Ted was laying in bed, holding his wife close to his chest, and then he heard a noise, waking him up from his slumber.

It sounded like crying.

At first, he thought it could've been Aaron or Mya, but something was a little different about this cry.

This cry sounded more...

More like it was coming from the computer.

Ted went over to the computer and turned on the camera connected to the body cam he stuck on Nick, and he saw that the kid was rock back and forth in his bed and holding a pillow to his chest.

Did the kid have a nightmare or something?

He must've.

Quickly, the sheriff pressed the record button, making sure to capture this moment in case it might end up being important later.

The next day, Ted was following his map where the body cam was, and he saw that Nick was walking down some other street away from the school he went to.

Ted sighed as he just thought about what this kid could be doing now instead of going to school.

But he wasn't going to arrest him this time. No. He had other plans for the boy this time.

As soon as he got to Nick's location, he saw that the boy had his backpack full of spray cans, eggs, and toilet paper. Definitely for vandalism.

He honked the horn to get the boy's attention, and Nick jumped in the air and dropped his backpack before turning to look at the cop car.

The windows rolled down, and Sheriff Peterson and Nick Roth were staring at each other now.

"Nick..."

"Peterson..."

Nick rolled his eyes and stuck out his hands, thinking he was sly when he flipped Ted off twice with each hand. "I know the drill.", he said.

"I'm not going to arrest you, Nick.", said the sheriff.

Nick looked at him, confused. "You're not?"

"No, I'm not.", he said. "But I still want you to get in the car. Front seat, young man."

Nick got into the front seat, and Ted drove off.

The first place they went to was a fast food burger place, and went to the drive thru.

"What do you want to eat?", asked Ted.

Nick looked at Ted for a moment before he said "Number 5."

A while later, Ted and Nick were sitting in the cop car, just silently eating their food.

Once Ted finished his food, he looked at Nick, who was just sipping his drink.

"So how have you been, Nick?"

That sudden question made Nick put his drink down and turn to look at him.

"What're you trying to get at, Peterson?", he asked.

"I'm simply asking how you're doing, Nick.", said the sheriff. "Is that so wrong?"

Nick thought about it for a moment, and he had to say that this was the first time in a long time that anyone's ever asked him how he was doing.

He just shrugged and said "Can't complain. School's boring, the people I annoy have sticks up their asses, including you."

Ted rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but laugh a little. "That's nice, Nicholas. I mean Nick.", he said, correcting himself. "Work has been pretty stressful for me, and you're the main cause of that. You're making me go grey, Nick."

"I wouldn't say grey, I'd say white."

"Har har."

They continued to talk and bicker for a while longer, and then Ted asked the million dollar question.

"How are your parents doing, Nicholas?"

That's when the whole car went silent.

Nick just crossed his arms and looked away from Ted, but Ted wasn't having any of that.

"Nicholas, I asked you a question."

Nick didn't know why, but hearing Ted's stern voice, it made the hairs on his arms and legs stand up.

He wasn't normally scared of this stuck up bastard before, so why did he feel scared now? It's not like he was gonna hurt him or anything. This guy was just gonna cuff him and try to call his parents.

But Nick ended up answering anyway.

"They're fine.", he said. "My mom's working hard to put food on the table, or to bail me out of a situation. My dad doesn't really eat the food Mom makes, normally just sweet shit. I'm just amazed that he's not fat."

"Have they been treating you alright?"

"That's none of your business, Peterson."

"Young man, I do not want to have to arrest you and keep you at the station until I say you can leave."

Nick just turned away from him before he answered, "Sometimes, they forget I exist.", he mumbled.

Ted looked at him with sympathetic eyes.

"I get that they're busy and all, but it would be nice to see them every once in a while. Even if it's just to say hi before they go. Normally, I just wake up to a note on the fridge.", he said.

It's no wonder that Nick was like this. His parents were barely around to teach him right from wrong, and Ted would always catch him doing Hell knows what.

It's no wonder they never answered the calls he tried to make, they basically forgot they had a child. Or maybe they knew and just didn't care.

"Is this why you -?"

"Yeah.", Nick sternly interrupted. "It's why I'm like this. It's why I dyed my hair, why I skip school, why I annoy so many people in town. Anything to get those 2 to just look my way once."

His voice started to choke up a little bit, and even though he tried to hide it, Nick had eyes that looked like he was about to cry.

Ted gently put his hand on Nick's shoulder, making him turn to look at him.

"Why don't we keep meeting up every now and then, dear?", he suggested. "I think maybe I misjudged you a bit too quickly. At first, I thought you were just a bad child, but you've been through so much that I don't even know about."

Nick wiped his eyes.

"I'd like to get to know you better, Nick.", said the sheriff. "But you have to promise me that you'll be on your best behavior from now on."

Nick couldn't deny it, he really had a good time with Sheriff Peterson.

He guessed that even lifelong enemies could make amends.

"That sounds like fun."

So after that day, Ted began driving Nick to school and always picking him up so they could go somewhere and just talk.

Nick would talk about his life, Ted would talk about his, but he'd mostly usher Nick to talk more about his life.

Nick didn't find anything wrong with it, thinking that maybe Sheriff Peterson wasn't as much of a stuck up asshole as he thought.

...Sadly, Nicky still didn't know about the body cam, or about the hidden mic that Ted had in the front seat of his car.

It all came to light one day.

Nick decided that Ted deserved something nice for being so nice to him the past couple of weeks, so after school, he went to the grocery store to buy him some milk since he did mention once that he was almost running out.

When he came back home, he was surprised to see 2 police cars parked outside of his house...

But what surprised him even more was the sight of his parents being dragged out of the house by 2 policemen.

Seeing this, Nick threw the milk down and ran towards the scene, calling out for his parents.

"MOM! DAD!"

But he didn't even get close to them before he felt someone wrap their arms around him and pull him back.

"LET ME GO!", he screamed. "MOM! DAD! LET THEM GO! PLEASE! PLEASE, NO!"

"Nick, calm down and get in the car."

That voice.

Nick recognized that voice.

Sherrif Peterson pushed Nick into the front seat of the police car and locked the door before he went to go congratulate his police friends for another successful arrest.

Afterwards, he went back to his car, and Nick was still yanking on the door to try and get out.

"Where the hell are they taking them you bastard?!"

"Nick, I don't know if you know this, but child neglect in this state is a pretty horrid crime. Even some of the baddest criminals in this town would be ashamed of your parents.", said Ted. "I just thought that you'd finally get the justice you deserve."

"You motherfucker!", Nick yelled at him. "So was you being nice to me all of a sudden just a way for you to ruin my life? Is this some sort of sick and twisted revenge for all the stuff I did? Framing my parents for shit they didn't do?!"

Ted looked at the boy for a moment. "Framing? Nicholas, I didn't frame them. I just collected evidence of what they've been doing, and I got what I needed.", he said.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

That's when Ted revealed it all.

He picked the camera off the inside of Nick's jacket, and took out the microphone from the glove compartment.

"Every time you got into trouble, you got on my nerves, because I always had to drop everything and bend over backwards just to catch you. So I thought of an easier way to track you down. Ever since then, I've gotten closer to you, because you had a neglectful family. You've told me all about it, and now I have all of the footage recorded."

All of the color drained from Nick's face, but then his fear turned back into anger when he suddenly grabbed Ted by the collar and started shaking him.

"YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH! I FUCKING HATE YOU SO MUCH, I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!", he yelled. "I SWEAR TO FUCK, YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS YOU SON OF A -"

Ted just grabbed Nick by his wrist and cuffed him against the handle on the car door.

"Nicholas, I do believe I've mentioned that I have everything you said about your parents right here on this microphone and this camera, so what could you possibly have against this solid evidence right here?", he rhetorically asked. "You are just the brat who acts out for attention, and I am the sheriff of this town. People fear me and respect me, but they hate and mock you, because to everyone else, you're nothing but a problem child. A problem child that I will do the honor of taking in and turning into a respectful young man."

"Like Hell asshole -"

Ted raised his hand to Nicky, stopping him from talking. "Nicholas, you have 2 choices. 1, you can do as I say and go quietly as I set up everything for you, take you back to my place and fix you right up. Or 2, I can place you in the nearest foster home or orphanage where you'll end up all alone again and no one will even know your name. And when I do arrest you again, I won't be letting you off with a slap on the wrist and a stern warning."

Hearing all of this, Nick felt like he had no other choice.

He didn't have parents anymore, his sworn enemy had enough evidence to report his parents for child neglect, and he didn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison if he and Ted saw each other again.

Right now, Nick just wiped away his tears.

"Option 1."

"Great choice, dear."

Ted began to start the car, and before driving off, he gently wiped away the stray tears that fell down Nick's face.

"You are going to learn what it's like to have parents who love you, keep their promises, pay attention to you and punish you when you step out of line.", he said, smiling a little, and his voice came out like a growl when he said that last part.

Luanne would cry of joy (his friends too) 🥹⚜️

«For the love, of my life... She's got glow on her face, a glorious look in her eyes... My angel of light, I was all alone... With the love, of my life... She's got glitter for skin, my radiant beam in the night... I don't need no light, to see you...»

The city trembles. Tension hangs in the air like before a storm. And on the arena, in the middle of the shattered streets, they appear. Jay Roth and Valeria Abanante. The school principal and, it seems, the most hated person in the world for each of the kids.

Jay, in his second form, looked like a shadow—a dark, sharp figure with predatory wings, clawed hands, and eyes burning red.

Abanante, in contrast, was graceful and sinister. Her body stretched out, and the feathers on her costume turned into a shiny, dark mass that seemed almost alive. Her eyes, usually a warm brown, now shone with a cold, vengeful gleam.

The voice of the Entity, which had become familiar, announced:

"Fight. Begin."

Jay did not hesitate. He knew that in a fight with Abanante, he couldn't give her an advantage. A concentrated beam of dark energy burst from his hands. Black as tar, it rushed forward, burning through the air.

Valeria, as if anticipating the blow, dodged with ease, and, without losing a second, responded with her own attack. A stream of magma, thick and fiery, burst from her palms, which seemed to carry not only heat but also all her hatred.

Jay parried the magma with a wave of dark energy, which instantly cooled and knocked it out of the way. Then he soared into the air, gaining altitude and maneuvering so that he was directly in front of the sun. Abanante, unable to react, was forced to close her eyes to avoid being blinded.

This was a mistake. And Jay took advantage of it. Like a battering ram, he crashed into Valeria, plunging his sharp claws directly into her waist.

A scream of rage burst from Abanante's chest. She growled, and a green, poisonous cloud erupted from her mouth, enveloping both of them. Dizziness immediately overcame Jay. His grip weakened, and he began to lose concentration.

Valeria used the moment to push him away with a powerful beam of dark energy, and, not giving him a chance to recover, "seasoned" the attack with a stream of magma. The magma burned Roth's arm, and he groaned in pain, but, clenching his teeth, he sank his teeth into Abanante's shoulder. The clawed fangs pierced her flesh, and she screamed in pain.

Enraged, Valeria threw the poisoned man away from her.

She rushed at him, not stopping her insults:

"Traitor! You were never loyal to the Crowfaces! That stupid reason why you helped us... Who puts the life of some simple son so high?!" her voice sounded as if she was trying to tear apart not only him but also his beliefs.

Jay snapped back, throwing a sphere of dark energy at her that knocked Abanante back. He shouted:

"Attachment is not a weakness. It's what makes us, humans, stronger!"

He lunged at Valeria, but she was faster. The school principal intercepted his hands, which were weakened by the poison, and then released a poisonous cloud directly into his face. Jay screamed. Valeria took advantage of his momentary weakness, releasing a stream of magma from her hands that hit the man directly in the chest. And then, using his inertia, she flipped him over and slammed him into the ground.

Not giving him a chance to even get up, she immediately fired a beam of dark energy, finishing Roth off.

A moment later, the Entity announced:

"Winner—Abanante!"

Jay Roth, like the other losers, disappeared, becoming a hologram, and was imprisoned in the red sphere.

Abanante is teleported up, clearly proud of herself.

And the reaction was immediate...

"You... BITCH!" Luanne's scream could probably be heard for a couple of kilometers, she had already switched to her second form.

The woman actively clung to the bars of the cell with her claws, wanting to tear them apart.

"I'LL GET TO YOU, I'LL KILL YOU!" threats flew from her mouth.

Abanante just yawned, clearly unconvinced.

"And what will you do? Pounce on me like your worthless husband? You only have two abilities—flight, dark energy. And one transformation into your second form. I have magma, a poisonous cloud, and teleportation in addition." a self-satisfied chuckle escaped the principal's lips.

Maritza, however, decided not to be silent:

"Be so confident, old lady. But believe me... when we fight, I'll leave nothing but a wet spot. No one messes with Aunt Luanne." the tomboy growled.

Finch confidently supported her:

"Yeah. Like... Nicky almost beat you, and he barely even had control of his power back then. Believe me... your stay here will be extremely short." the scout smirked.

Trinity self-righteously crossed her arms over her chest:

"Right. 4 of yours have already been eliminated. And you're all roughly on the same level. If anyone should be scared, it's you." Bales threatened.

Ivan, Aaron, Michael, and Delroy remained silent.

And then the words of the Entity:

"Next fight. Quentin versus Theodore."

The journalist and the criminal exchange glances. And Aaron looks between them.

"Da-" he doesn't get to finish as both men disappear.

Everyone immediately looked down...

The city seemed doomed to eternal ruins, and this grim scenery became the perfect backdrop for the next fight. Quentin and Theodore Peterson appeared in the arena, their gazes met, and the air instantly became electrified.

Aaron, watching from above, clenched his fists. Too much depended on this fight, and he couldn't look away.

Theodore spoke first, his voice was cold as steel:

"You don't understand anything. You're a nobody who will only bring Aaron misery."

There was a deep, twisted conviction in his words.

Quentin didn't fall for the provocation. He responded calmly and confidently:

"Aaron is happy with me. I didn't keep him in a basement. I gave him what he needed: genuine, undistorted care." the journalist took a step forward, his eyes burning with determination.

"He was lucky he ran into me. Without me, he wouldn't have survived. His beloved 'father' wasn't there."

These words were the final straw. Theodore roared, his face distorted with rage. Without warning, he lunged at Quentin. But the journalist was ready. Time slowed down around him, and Theodore froze in motion. At that moment, Quentin created a steel fist and punched Peterson directly in the temple, throwing him aside.

Before Theodore could recover, another blow followed, and then another, and another, and another.

Quentin gave him no respite, attacking him again and again, until a wild, deafening howl rang out. It was even more powerful than Trinity's "Sonic Howl." The sound wave threw Quentin back, and blood flowed from his ears.

Upstairs, Trinity exclaimed in horror:

"Where did he get my ability?"

Michael, with a pale face, answered:

"Father adopted abilities from everyone who has a Chaos stone. And each of them became even stronger."

Trinity, Maritza, Ivan, Delroy, and Finch exchanged frightened glances. Now the psycho has one ability from each of them.

Down below, Theodore, having recovered, made an instant dash without warning, overtaking Quentin, and delivered a powerful blow to his back. The journalist flew to the other side of the city, breaking through the wall of a ruined building.

Delroy up above whistled in amazement:

"That's... like my strength, only strengther..."

"It’s stronger." Ivan clenched his fists. He hoped that Theodore hadn't gotten the intellect.

Theodore began to run swiftly toward Quentin, his acceleration and mobility were almost instantaneous, surpassing Maritza's acceleration/mobility/speed gain.

«He... accelerates faster than me?» the tomboy thought, gulping.

Quentin, having managed to get back on his feet, jumped into a mirror, entering the Mirror World. Theodore stopped abruptly.

Around him were buildings with mirrors. He realized the trap:

«Damn...»

At that moment, Quentin flew out of a mirror and began to beat Theodore with a steel bat. Then he made a dash and delivered a decisive blow, throwing Peterson back.

But Theodore quickly recovered. He made a return dash, surpassing Quentin in speed, and attacked him... with an energy hand, exactly like Nicky's. Blue.

The blow hit Quentin directly in the stomach. He fell to his knees, clutching the spot where he was hit.

Theodore raised his hand, and dark clouds began to gather over the city. A moment later, lightning struck Quentin. Theodore could control the weather.

...

"And you're telling me that Nicky and Enzo escaped... before you arrived?" Jay raised an eyebrow, looking at Murtaugh in the other sphere.

"Yes. And it seems they did it before they..." he pointed at the Crowfaces.

"...woke up. It's unlikely they broke the cells with simple force, perhaps Nicholas managed to short-circuit them with his lightning." the teacher suggested.

"My son is so smart... but where is he now?" Jay looked around.

Nicky was nowhere to be found.

"He's probably exploring the island." Gerda's voice came through.

"Or he abandoned us, the little bastard..." Dale muttered.

Jay just lowered his gaze. He hoped that Nicky was okay.

But he was also worried about something else... if they were all here... then Alicia was alone in the real world, at home...

He clenched his fists, he wanted to go home so badly.

...

The rage of Theodore Peterson in the arena seemed to be the only thing that had not yet collapsed under the onslaught of the fights.

The lightning he unleashed on Quentin tore through the air, and everyone upstairs, including Aaron, tensed up. The dust slowly settled, and in its place, in the middle of the melted asphalt, a silhouette appeared.

It was Quentin. But not in his usual clothes. His body was now covered in a steel, turquoise-glowing armor.

Ivan's eyes widened. He instantly realized that Quentin had awakened the "Steel Boost." Now his physical characteristics had increased fivefold, and his control over steel was absolute.

The shock on Theodore's face was quickly replaced by rage, but Quentin didn't give him a chance to recover. He grabbed him by the leg, forcefully threw him to the ground, and then created many tiny steel balls, similar to bullets.

A hail of steel projectiles rained down on Theodore. He tried to defend himself by creating an energy paw, like Nicky's, but it wasn't enough.

Taking advantage of the moment, Quentin ran into a mirror, transporting himself to the mirror world.

Theodore, having recovered, was immediately knocked down by a huge black and white elephant. It was a drawing, but it was alive, three-dimensional, and steel armor shone on it.

Theodore roared with rage, punched the drawing in the face, and threw it back. But immediately, he was attacked by a drawn horse, which hit him from the side.

Next, a hawk appeared and carried Theodore into the air. And then he saw Quentin flying toward him on the same hawk. The journalist delivered a powerful blow to his face, and Theodore began to fall.

But Quentin wasn't finished. He created a steel spear and threw it directly at the falling Theodore. The spear pierced the man's shoulder, and he screamed in pain.

Theodore looked up and saw Quentin falling directly on him, with his fists forward. Theodore's face was pierced by hellish pain as Quentin's steel fist drove into him again and again.

He, despite his wounds, again let out a deafening howl that threw Quentin back. Without losing a second, he made a dash and with a powerful blow, slammed the journalist into the ground.

Then he raised his hand into the air, and a tornado began to form above them. It sucked Quentin in along with a lot of rubble.

Inside the vortex, Quentin was literally being torn apart, the current was too strong, and sharp objects were constantly flying at him.

Suddenly, the tornado disappeared, but the sky was again covered with clouds. It started to rain.

Ivan's and Trinity's eyes widened up above as they understood Theodore's plan. Raindrops fell on Quentin, and at that same moment, lightning struck him directly. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity.

After the explosion from the lightning strike, everything was enveloped in dust.

When the dust settled, Theodore stood over the defeated Quentin.

He had won.

Aaron's eyes widened at what he saw...

"Winner—Theodore Peterson." the entity announced, and the man was teleported to a cell.

Quentin suffered the same fate as the other losers... he disappeared.

Up above, in the cells, most of the heroes looked at Aaron, who had shrunk in the corner of the cell.

Theodore was the first to say something:

"Aaron... son. How-" Theodore began.

"SHUT UP!" Aaron's scream interrupted him.

Theodore froze. The surprise on his face was genuine, as was that of everyone else who was watching. He tried to take a step toward his son, to reach out a hand through the bars.

"Aaron... son. I..." he began.

"SHUT UP!" Aaron screamed again, his voice breaking into a snarl. He covered his ears with his hands, trying to block out everything that was happening. He didn't want to hear anything.

The heroes in their cells gave Theodore angry looks. Trinity clenched her fists so hard her knuckles turned white.

Among the Crowfaces, however, sarcastic laughter was heard. Abanante, Leslie, Tavish, and Harold began to mock Theodore, saying that even his son had turned his back on him.

"So lame, huh?" Abanante said with a laugh.

"Poor guy..." Tavish's childish voice said.

"Someone missing their sonny boy?" Leslie mocked.

"Someone wants to play the game 'Lock your son up so no one can find him'." Harold wiped away a "tear."

Theodore, who had just a few minutes ago won a crushing victory, instantly switched his attention to them. He let out a low, menacing growl that made them fall silent.

"Soon every one of you will die," he gritted through his teeth, and a cold, insane fire flashed in his eyes.

The Crowfaces immediately shut up, taking a step back. They were afraid of him, and it was obvious.

Theodore turned his gaze to the heroes.

"None of you will stop me from getting back the only living person I hold dear. No one." his voice sounded like a verdict.

"Yeah, old man. You won't get any of us without a fight!" Maritza shouted.

"Mind your language!" Luanne's voice cut in.

"Who gives a f#ck? I want to beat him up!" Delroy raised an eyebrow.

"And you very well could, if you get to the next round..." Ivan said.

Michael in his cell clenched his teeth. He felt his irritation building. Was he invisible? Not good enough for his father? Was he just a tool to get Aaron back? These thoughts burned inside him.

The verbal exchange was interrupted by the voice of the Entity, which sounded louder and colder than usual:

"Next fight. Luanne versus the Hooded Man."

Both fighters immediately disappeared from the cells.

The city greeted them with an eerie silence, broken only by the hum of the wind blowing through the ruined streets.

"Mrs. Roth!" Trinity's scream cut through the air.

"That guy is weird! He can do at least two things: transparency and... something like knocking people back!"

Luanne listened to the warning without losing a second. Her body immediately stretched out, and she transformed into her second Crowface form. Dark wings spread behind her back, ready to lift her into the sky at any moment.

The Hooded Man, as if he had heard Trinity's scream, just sighed heavily. He didn't attack directly. He just stepped into a shadow, and everyone gasped in surprise—his body dissolved as if he had never been there.

Luanne felt something solid hit her in the back. She fell forward, thrown back by a strong kick. Turning around, she saw the Hooded Man, who had come out of her own shadow. But before he could deliver the next blow, Luanne took flight, spreading her wings.

She didn't wait for him to disappear again. A beam of dark energy burst from her palms, which threw the Hooded Man back.

The man slid along the ground, braking with his heels on the concrete, as if the very air was preventing him from falling.

He quickly recovered. His body turned, and in the next second, he soared into the air. He wasn't flying like a bird, he was just gliding, disappearing behind a warehouse, as if he had become the wind.

But Luanne was too slow to react. A fist hit her head, and she fell to the ground. The Hooded Man delivered another blow, breaking the asphalt.

Pieces of concrete wounded her, and she screamed in pain. But he wasn't finished. The man grabbed her by her black hair and threw her to the ground, and then began to kick her again and again.

Up above:

"Damn! Aunt Luanne, come on!" Maritza encouraged her.

"Come on, Mrs. Roth, you can do it!" Finch shouted.

"...that guy." Abanante gritted her teeth. Remembering their only two clashes.

Who was he?

Down below:

Groaning in pain, Luanne gathered all her strength and released a wave of dark energy. The blow threw the Hooded Man back, giving her a short reprieve.

Now he was in the air, and the woman began to shoot beams at him. But the man dodged every attack, as if he was controlling the air itself. He moved quickly and unpredictably.

Then he disappeared again, dissolving into a shadow. However, Luanne anticipated his maneuver. She a

swiped her claws lightning-fast, scratching the spot where he should have appeared. And she guessed right.

A claw tore the hood, and everyone saw the face. Shocked looks pierced the air. Aaron, Trinity, Finch, and Maritza instantly blushed.

It was Nicky. Only older, about 35-40 years old. His hair was spiky, and his beard was messily shaved. His eyes looked tired, and his nose was longer. He was wearing an unbuttoned plaid shirt, under which a red and white blouse was visible. There was a brown watch on his wrist, and red and white sneakers with a star on his feet. The buttons on the pockets of his blue jeans were decorated with skulls.

Luanne barely managed to say:

"S-son..." but before she could finish, she received a lightning bolt directly to the face.

"I'm sorry..." the man said.

The adult Nicky didn't give Luanne a second's rest. Blue energy tentacles emerged from his back, they flew forward, wrapping around her body and throwing her into the air.

Next, he himself soared into the sky, using his flight, and delivered a powerful, lightning-infused punch directly to her stomach, which made her fly even higher.

He overtook Luanne, positioning himself above her, and formed a "Fear Attack." A blue sphere of energy appeared in his hands, and he plunged it directly into her, not giving her a chance to shoot.

Luanne was slammed into the ground.

Her body froze. Nicky had won.

"Winner—the Hooded Man, or rather, Nicholas Michael Roth from a previous timeline."

Nicky winced at these words, he clearly didn't want anyone to know that.

Luanne quickly disappeared just like the others.

Nicky, now known as the Hooded Man and the winner, was teleported to his cell. All eyes were on him, and his friends, former friends, couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Ivan was the first to break, his voice was cold as ice:

"Hooded Man. Or... Nicky? What do the Entity's words mean? 'From a previous timeline'? What are you?"

The others' questions were more personal, more emotional.

"Who are you?" Maritza shouted, her usually sassy tone replaced by confusion.

"You don't look like our Nicky. Are you... him?"

"Are you a clone? Why are you here?" Finch whispered, her eyes full of horror.

"You... you couldn't just become like this... Why are you doing this?" Trinity asked, gripping the bars of her cell.

Aaron just watched silently, his gaze full of pain and betrayal.

The adult Nicky, without raising his head, just said:

"I won't say anything. Not now."

His voice was devoid of emotion. He sounded as if he was tired of everything.

This wasn't the Nicky they knew. Not the boy who always tried to be a hero. This was a man, broken and hardened.

Theodore tried to talk to him:

"Nicholas?"

Nicky didn't even look toward his cell.

Theodore continued to try to talk to Nicky, but he paid him no attention. The man was clearly puzzled, as was everyone else.

Nicky, who was a complete Theodore-phobe, now acted as if he didn't even exist.

Usually, Theodore's mere presence would cause the young Roth to become anxious, and the mention of the basement would cause genuine fear. But now everything was different. The adult Nicky seemed to no longer consider Theo a significant threat, which surprised everyone who knew him.

…

Why in the ever living fuck do their dads look similar??!

Are Nicky and Lucy cousins????