#mutant ko

"POWEEERR FIIIIIIISSSST!!" A youthful's voice rang out, thrusting out an arm with a bright blue, flaming fist that shot out of it at full speed. The incoming attack was making its way towards a large serpentine creature, complete with blondish white messy hair and yellow green eyes. With a smirk on its face, the cretin had its paws spread out wide and caught the attack in the nick of time, with a little bit of force as its feet were firmly planted on the ground. Tamaris, who the female monstrous mutant was properly known as, performed a counter clockwise twirl and lept at the boy with a fierce roar. KO shielded his face for the impact, but instead found himself pinned, before grabbing a peak at her unbelievably close face with one eye.

They spent the next 10 seconds gazing at each other, and the next thing they knew, the human and the beast started to laugh, having the time of their lives.

"Hahahahahaha, that was an amazing sparring session, Tamaris!" the child laughs, folding his arms behind his back.

His chimeric creature of a comrade couldn't agree more, with a nod and affirmative grunt. It was quite a good learning experience for the two in order to put their abilities to the test. Needless to say, she was impressed how far the hero in training had come with his innate powers had come, glad he has pals to help him out every step of the way.

With that said and done, it was high time for something to munch on as a reward, and since there was no Beardo in sight, who's humble abode was back at Lakewood, they settled for the next best thing they could find, and that was Weirdo's at the Danger Zone. Sure, the food he had was for a lack of better term, questionable. But Tamaris especially was hungry, so she was in a mood for a burrito. It resembled one of your run-of-the-mill wraps the original made, but it wasn't really any concern for her, being part monster. Ah, how she enjoyed the taste. Not only was it a favorite food for her, but it was also one of the only things to return in a more humanoid state she prefered. So as she took that bite of her meal, she diminishes a little in size, reverting into said form.

KO however, couldn't help but take in the scent, he was pretty parched after the workout. Then without warning, he hopped up momentarily and bit Tamaris' food, gulping it down. Her face paled at this, and instinctively pulled a little further away. "KO!" she exclaims, trying to hide her frightened expression to the best of her ability. "Oops." He said, rubbing at his head sheepishly. "The burrito smelled too good to pass up. Sorry!"

"It..." She wanted so bad to give him a bit of a scolding, but taking her glance upon her mutant saliva covered burrito bite, Tamaris had no other option to set that aside for a later time, after all. She gives a smile that didn't reach her cheeks all the way. "You know what, it's totally fine. Maaaaybe I forgot to pack you a snack beforehand."

"No worries! I'm having some spaghetti when we get back!" KO chimed in, with a smile of his own that was more playful and genuine. Tamaris gives a sigh from her nostrils. Hopefully things won't turn upside down at least. The two start their walk back to Lakewood Plaza, not taking into account that KO seemed to scratch at his head.

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Several minutes later, the duo arrives back to their destination, just a couple footsteps into the bodegas' parking lot. Tamaris had finished her meal while KO on the other hand... still kept at his incessant scratching from earlier. Did he have lice or something? He had no clue.

"You know you've been going at the itching on the way home, how about a break so it doesn't get all red?" his silver blonde haired pal asked him. "I have?" He took a minute to finally slow it down, moving his hands away from his hair. Two or three of his strands rested on his fingers, and he waves them off.

"So correct me if I'm wrong, but is this usually the part of your day where something drops down from thin air for a battle?" Tamaris asked, using a sleeve to wipe her mouth.

KO was about to answer her question, but he was interrupted when the signature Voxmore box had manifested from the sky, then plummeting downwards the concrete. Once making impact, it opens up all four sides, revealing Darrell and Shannon, with mischievous grins on their faces and combat ready poses.

"Ding-dong, mop face, it's us!" The orange, shape-shifting bot, Shannon cackled, her saw blades out and Darrell's arm cannon was at the ready.

That's when Tamaris decides to take a glance at the two fighting machines. They must be one of the kid's opponents he clashes with almost daily. "I take it these are the bucket of bolts you fight from that building over there?" She inquires, pointing at the Voxmore factory building, which just happened to be across the street from where they were.

"Sure is!" was the child hero's reply, already assuming a battle stance at his advasaries.

"Hey, at least Shannon's head here isn't even an actual bucket, thank you very much!" Darrell seemed a bit miffed by the comment while her sister exchanged a look of annoyance. "Do you seriously have to go there?"

It got a silent giggle from the mutant-shifting woman, before her too, takes a combat ready pose just as the level 3 hero did. "Why don't you go on ahead and be the first to start the battle? I wanna see what we're dealing with."

KO got pretty stoked, starting to hop in excitement. "Really? OKAY!"

He starts out by running towards Darrell, reeling back his right arm, a bright neon blue glow manifesting in a flame. "You hungry? Cause I've packed a POWER FIST SANDWICH JUST FOR YOU!" he calls out, thrusting the arm at the one eyed robot, launching the signature attack. Darrell, was, as always, prepared to counter whatever his opponent could dish out, so with a single shot from his cannon, blasts it away at the last second. He gives a snicker at this, while KO growls irritated, shaking the arm he just used. Dangit, that was no good. Gotta give it another try. Attempt number two, he brings out the left arm now, about to unleash the same attack again. This, however, made him stop a moment when he started to feel a strange tingling sensation in said arm. KO glanced at it, wincing a little, inhaling air slightly from his teeth.

This didn't take long for Tamaris to notice from a few feet, as she watches with uneasiness bubbling up in her being. KO stands there, seeing his forearm become an acidic green color, small, pointed claws sprouting from each fingertip. Four spike-like growths were digging out, one by one. He showed a sign of discomfort, giving a suprised yelp at the sight.

"K-KO?" Tamaris asked rather quietly. This looked exactly like what was happening. Oh Cob. As much as KO wanted to ignore this and just attack already, he was distracted, witnessing the right arm undergo the exact same changes as before.

"Tamaris? Is it me, or do I feel kinda funny?" He asks with a small frown, moving one arm to rest at his forehead. His fingers nearly felt like they were poked at, so upon feeling around more, KO would discover that longer, pointed spikes grew from his head, about four or five of them. The boxbot siblings didn't dare to move, watching the scene before them. Shannon was perplexed while Darrell did nothing but shake a little. Was he... afraid?

Alright, this was getting concerning to watch for Tamaris. She had a troubled look that was clearly written on her face, should she stop this? She wasn't sure.

"Buddy, uh... are- are you, doing okay, over there?" She hesitated to ask. KO's ears grow into what exactly resembled her mutated form's ears. This cannot be happening...

"Fine, Tam!" he managed a thumbs up with all the changes. "I'm fine, really. I..." His situation said otherwise, the stinging feeling now progressing into bodily aches. From his shoulders, which sprouted blades from them, to his toes growing claws. He got cramps all over his frame, wanting so badly to get right back to attacking, but it just kept at it, it wouldn't stop. Even giving his darndest to make a Power Fist interfered with this. KO couldn't concentrate, this was proving to be too much for him. It was distracting to continue further. Once Darrell made sense of what was going on with KO, he shakes in fear, then letting out a high-pitched, frightened scream, hiding behind his sister. KO however, was getting more fearful than him, stammering, unable to make proper sense what was happening to him. "Aaaa, uh. Uuuhhhhh...." he moaned, looking around his surroundings. "Uuuuuuhhhh, no! Don't look at me!" He shouts, covering his face. The mutating hero couldn't bear to let anyone else witness what came next, he immediately retreats towards the bodega to hide inside, stumbling clumsily along the way.

All Tamaris could do is watch him desperately obscure himself from the public, she knew too well what that felt like. Confusion and worry was brought upon her. After what was a few seconds of the two opposing sides gazing at each other, trying to process everything, she takes it upon herself to use part of her mutant abilities and tear apart Darrell and Shannon on her own. Once she reduced them to scrap after, she runs off to the bodega in search of KO.

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Not too long after heading inside, Tamaris could only search for her child comrade in what was said to be the most mysterious, potentially perilous parts of the bodega, and that was: the back room. She ventured inside on her quest to retrieve him all the while keeping a watchful and cautious eye of potential mimics, creatures that can assume the form of virtually anything AND anyone. Being careful not to make sudden sounds, she scanned the area left and right, and with one of her mutant senses, sniffs for a scent. There has to be a sign from the boy, he could be anywhere, all miserable and in pain, Tam couldn't bear to think of what might've happened. Just by then, she finally picked up what faintly sounded like a quick, pattering noise of feet and hands, starting to follow the source of the sound in pursuit. This had to be him, she could feel it!

With a torch now on one hand, so she would see around a little better in the room and a spray bottle with the other, she ventured in more, striding in her steps where the running and skittering noises increase. Tamaris was prompted to get closer, but two mimics in the form of a levitating book and a baseball bat made sudden impact with her, letting out a grunt. Guess she'd have to ward these pests off along the way. The shapeshifting beasts gave a hiss at her while she made a growl back. It felt like a distraction with those hostile obstacles in the way, but made quick use of disposing them with tearing up the mimics with her sharp, pointed teeth and a fraction of her mutant strength to throw them against a wall as hard as she could. With that, they were out of her sight, yelping away.

Good. That takes care of that. Tamaris takes off once again as she at last reaches a corner area further in the room, and hears a shuffling sound of tail and feet, along with small grunts and yelps, clear indication that she's even closer where the noise had shifted direction, then stopped. Thank Cob, finally, the beast in human form thought to herself. Immediately, she flashed the flames' light at the squirming shape, but it quickly turned away.

"KO? It's me..." Tamaris softly called out to who was hopefully in front of her, wanting to take a peak at him. The shape barely budged. But it seemed to give it thought. Seconds later, it turned back to face where Tamaris stood. The creature in the shadows was then revealed to be none other than KO himself. But he appeared to look somewhat... different. His full attention was caught, staring at her and his surroundings wide-eyed.

"Oh. My Cob." The original mutant-shifter was, understandably, shocked at the sight. Her newest friend, with the same ailment she had, she was really dumbfounded. Only he still looked human at most, physically. But the mutant attributes were clearly there.

This was insane, she had to get a better view of him from head to toe, so she called the now currently mutated KO to meet ground level and meet up. "Hey bud," Tamaris called out. "You mind if you just come down here quick? I only wanna see how you're doing!"

KO's response was uttering a small growl, holding at his forehead with a green paw. He moved to hop from where he sat, but ended up tripping himself with his own tail. He tumbles and crashes back on solid ground in a rough landing, crying out when he made impact.

Tamaris came to his aid, holding his claw as she helped him back on his feet. "There we go, KO. You alright?" He had regained composure, shaking his head. "I guess so... I feel fine now," was his reply. At least he sounded like himself, no alterations to his voice whatsoever, so that was a good thing. He rubs at his prickly head with the same arm that begun the change, then stopped to take a look at it. "Wha?" he murmured, his clawed feet and tail then coming into view. He grew confused and curious, hoping what he saw was a mere illusion only he could see. Was it...?

"Tamaris... what happened?" Ooohhhh boy, this was a bad time to break the news. She became practically nervous, tapping her index fingers. No pretending that he got sick, took a hallucinating substance or anything. She really had to do this. Tamaris made a hesitant groan, grabbing a nearby large, wheeled, rectangular mirror. It'd be better if he saw for himself.

Well, that answered his questions and interest. In his reflection, he saw traits in himself that clearly resembled Tamaris: prehensile tail, clawed fingers and toes, spikes and blades peaking out of the skin and the like. KO jumped backwards, with a scream in fright and surprise. "I'M -- YOU!! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" he practically yelled, freaking out now. Tamaris was doing the same as him.

"Aaaaggh, I know! This is a disaster! It's my fault, I made you into what I am, I could've stopped this from happening! I should've warned you about that burrito before and got you a healthy one to have instead!" She was beating herself up so hard right now. Cob, this was awful, just awful.

KO still hollered, running around in a clockwise circle, waving his arms about frantically. After what felt like longer than a minute of being rattled at this turn of events, the mutant child hybrid at last calmed himself and slowed down for a second to meditate, breathing in and out, closing his eyes. Focus, KO. Stop and just focus... Alright, good. He finally regained composure, walking towards where Tamaris still panicked, paying mind to his tail. He rested a hand on her... leg. Not big enough to reach her shoulder, but this'll do. "Hey, hey... Tammie. It's okay... It wasn't entirely your fault."

"No, no! It was, KO. You're this thing I'm stuck with now all because of me!" Tamaris objected at this. How could he possibly have any part of this?

"Well..." KO began, folding his arms behind his back with a sheepish look. "Maybe I might've stopped first to check if the burrito looked okay to eat, then I wouldn't turn into... this."

Tamaris was rather embarrassed, probably as much as he was. "Yeah, hahahah... that had my mutagentic saliva on it. I wanted to tell you, but..."

Wait. That's how he became the scaly thing now. Oopsie whoopsies...

Her and KO both join in after the exchange with awkward laughter at their own expense, then sigh.

Tamaris, exhaled, running her fingers through her messy hair, "Ah, this is gonna suck." She had no idea how he was gonna live through this.

"I dunno," KO chimed in, taking another glance at his new appearance. "I think it won't be as terrible as it may seem. Besides, now that I'm probably gonna stuck like this for who knows how long, that won't probably stop me from what else is coming my way." A pause, blinking twice. "I hope."

His female, mutant-shifting friend shrugged, although not taking exactly what he stated sincerely.

"Ooorrrr," the hybrid thought aloud. "I'm dreaming all of this up and I'll wake up tommorrow morning less thorny and normal!" Or so he thinks. Unfortunately that wasn't to be the case. Tamaris was living in a worst case scenario she can't escape. This should be a fun experience, yes siree.

~~THE END...?~~