//------------------------------// // Chapter 18: Walk // Story: Shy and Aggressive // by Johng117 //------------------------------// It was Saturday morning, almost noon. Junior sat on the couch fully dressed as he watched television involving a series of a man being filmed surviving in a hostile desert. He was amazed at how someone was capable of such a feat. If he were trapped in a hostile desert, he felt that would die quickly of the heat. As the star of the series began to urinate into a snake skin to use later as a canteen, Junior heard the doorbell. Junior stood up and made his way over to the door. "I think I rather go thirsty than drink my own piss," said Junior with a grimace while glancing at the television. As he opened the door, he found no one to be outside. Junior looked around in confusion and stepped outside to look around the porch. He then shrugged as he closed the door. As he made his way over to the sofa, he jumped as he found his father sitting on the recliner with Amber on his shoulder. "Gah! Where the hell did you come from?!" exclaimed Junior. "I went passed you when you opened the door. Thank Amber for making us invisible," answered Senior as he watched the television. "All it takes is a little power from me to keep us out of sight," said Amber as her antennae sparked. Junior slumped his shoulders. "Oh," said Junior. He made his way over to the sofa and took a seat, watching the show with his father. "So... Where's your mother?" asked Senior as Amber fluttered over to Junior and lied herself down next to him. "Bedroom, I think," said Junior. Senior nodded as he got up and made his way down the hall and into his old bedroom. There, he found Miwa lying in bed with a book in her hands as she wore a robe. She smiled as she found Senior in the door way. "Hey, handsome. Come over here," said Miwa as she patted the bed. Senior smirked as he approached the bed and knelt on the side next to his wife. The two locked lips for a brief kiss, which Miwa giggled to. "You have no idea how much I missed doing that," said Miwa. Senior chuckled. "Likewise," said Senior as he brought his forehead against Miwa's. "Did you get those oranges?" asked Senior. "You know it, along with that note. You're such a sweetheart," said Miwa with a seductive tone. Senior raised a brow at her tone and noticed Miwa removing her robe. Underneath, she revealed herself wearing sexy lingerie and black stockings. Senior's eyes widened as his face brightened from his blush. "I've been lonely, baby. Why don't you and I do a little...catching up?" whispered Miwa with a wink. Senior immediately stood up and ran out to the living room. "Junior!" called Senior. Junior turned and found his father looking at him with furrowed brows. "Yes?" asked Junior. Senior pointed to the door. "Take a walk," ordered Senior. Junior looked at him in confusion. "Huh?" asked Junior. He suddenly found himself being ushered out of the house by his father. "Hey! What gives?!" demanded Junior. "You're not spending the day lazing about on the couch watching TV! Go hang out with your friends or something!" said Senior as he got Junior out on the porch. "Oh come on! Dad, this isn't-" Junior was interrupted as his father tossed Amber at him, who gave a cry as she latched herself onto Junior's chest. "Take Amber with you!" said Senior. Amber sighed in annoyance. "Hey! You didn't have to-" Amber was cut off as Senior closed the door. Junior made his way over to it and began to turn the doorknob. His eyes widened as the doorknob jiggled. "He locked us out!" said Junior in disbelief. He groaned in annoyance as he left the porch. As Senior peaked through the window, he heard Miwa clear her throat. He turned and found her against the wall, seductively running a hand on her thigh. "I'm waiting, big boy," said Miwa. Senior smirked as he approached his lovely wife and brought her close. He brought his hand against her thigh and groped it. "Wait no more, my flower," said Senior as he and Miwa locked lips and passionately kissed. He picked the woman up and carried her off to the bedroom, closing the door. Junior sighed as he walked down the sidewalk into town with a scowl on his face. How unfair it was for his father to kick him out on the weekend. He wondered if he even had that authority after being gone for years and barely coming back. Now he was stuck roaming the town for lord knows how long his dad expected him to do. Not to mention that he had to hide a freakishly huge, supernatural talking moth. "It's cramped in here!" said Amber as she poked her head out of Junior's sweater just below his neck. The Transmutant pushed her head back down into his sweater. "Shh! You're going to be seen!" hissed Junior. Amber sighed annoyance as she remained cramped against Junior's chest. "Why couldn't we just go somewhere more hidden? Like the park. Or even the Everfree," said Amber with a grunt. "I'm not going to the forest. Also, I'm getting hungry right now and I can't go home. We're just going to get something to eat and then we'll go to the park," said Junior as he rounded the corner "Could you hurry? I have six legs and I really need to stretch them," said Amber. Junior grunted in annoyance as he picked up the pace and made his way down towards a fast food restaurant. After getting his order of a chicken sandwich with two orders of fries, Junior was headed back out of town. As the two were in the park, Junior unzipped his sweater, allowing Amber to slip out and fall onto his lap. "Bwah! Finally!" said Amber in relief as she scurried onto the bench right next to Junior. Junior brought out the bag of food and pulled out a French fry. After eating the hot and salty fry, he sighed at the taste. He then reached deeper into the bag and pulled out a box of fries and sat it down next to Amber. "What's this?" asked Amber. "Lunch. Go ahead and eat up," said Junior as he pulled out the other box of fries and proceeded to eat it. Amber tilted her head as she stepped closer to the box. She opened her mouth and chomped on a fry that was sticking the furthest out. After biting off a piece, she began to chew it while her small and long pink tongue picked up the taste. "Oh wow! This is really good!" cried Amber as she consumed more fries. Junior smiled in amusement as he ate his lunch as well. He winced as he moved his aching arm. "I'm so damn sore. I just wanted to relax as long as possible today. But nope, dad kicked me out. What the hell am I to do outside on the weekend?!" asked Junior as he ate with a scowl on his face. "Nom. Nom. Do you even go outside often?" asked Amber after swallowing a fry. "Only to exercise, but not when I'm sore as hell," said Junior as he continued to eat. "Oh! You have friends, don't you? Why not hang out with them?" suggested Amber as she ate another fry. "Eh. I do that enough at school. The weekend is when I get to enjoy being alone," said Junior as he took at his sandwich and began to eat it. "Hmm. That's typical for a Transmutation like you. The species you’re based on were solitary creatures at times unless they had a mate and offspring," said Amber. "Well I wouldn't know about that. I haven't seen how a dinosaur behaves," said Junior. "Dinosaur? You're not a dinosaur-based Transmutant. Well, not exactly," said Amber. Junior looked at her in confusion. "I'm not? But... I thought-" Junior scratched his head. "I said you were based on a creature that predated most creatures on the planet, including the dinosaurs. You and a few so called Saurian Transmutants just happen to bear traits of other animals first before they came to be. All Transmutants are based on these special creatures of every family in the animal kingdom." said Amber. Junior looked down in thought, sorting out this new information. "Then... What creature am I based on?" asked Junior. Before Amber could answer, a new voice came up. "Hi, Gojira," greeted Fluttershy as she approached the bench from behind. Junior immediately grabbed Amber and stuffed her in his sweater, much to her dismay. Junior quickly zipped it back up and faced Fluttershy, who had just approached from the side. "H-Hey, Shy!" greeted Junior with a nervous smile. Fluttershy smiled warmly at him but then noticed his expression. "Is something wrong?" asked Fluttershy. "Wrong? Why would anything be wrong? Things are fine," said Junior as he held his arms over his chest as Amber shifted under his sweater. "Oh. Alright then. Um... May I sit here?" asked Fluttershy. Junior nodded. "Be my guest," said Junior. Fluttershy smiled as she took a seat next to Junior but then noticed the box of fries next to her. "Uh..." Fluttershy held up the box to Junior. "Sorry. I uh... I kinda get two orders of fries when I eat out," said Junior as he took the box with a forced smile. "Oh. I kinda thought you were here with someone. It sounded like you were talking to someone," said Fluttershy. Junior stiffened. He wondered if the girl heard Amber. "Oh that was just... I was talking to myself! Yeah, I do that sometimes out of boredom," said Junior with a nervous chuckle. He cleared his throat as he held out the French fries. "Umm... Want some?" asked Junior, hoping to change the subject. Amber nearly gasped in shock. 'Hey! Those are mine!' thought Amber. Fluttershy shook her head in response. "Oh, no thank you. I've already eaten," said Fluttershy. The two were silent for a couple of seconds, but for different reasons. Junior sat anxiously as he felt Amber against his chest. "So... What brings you out here?" asked Junior. "Me? I was just out for a walk. It's a lovely day," said Fluttershy. "Eh. It's alright. I say that because I rather be at home resting," said Junior as he rubbed his aching shoulder. "Oh. You look like you're in pain," said Fluttershy with a worried expression. "Just sore," responded Junior nonchalantly. Fluttershy scooted closer to him as she rolled her sleeves back. "If you want, I can help relieve you of that tension," said Fluttershy. "Oh. Well... I don't know about- ow!" yelped Junior in pain. A pinch on his chest caused him to flinch, much to Fluttershy's surprise. Amber chomped her insect mouth with a small huff that went unnoticed. "Oh, you're in pain! Here, turn around," said Fluttershy as she held Junior's shoulders and turned him away. Junior turned himself more, with his back facing the human. Fluttershy began to gently squeeze Junior's shoulders and apply pressure to them. Junior slightly winced in response. "Oh my. You have a lot of tension. It looks like I'll have to be a bit more... aggressive," said Fluttershy as she bit her lip. "What do you- Ah!" yelped Junior as he felt Fluttershy forced her elbow beneath his shoulder blade. The girl grunted as she forcefully placed her elbow on his other should blade. The sound of joints popping filled the air as Junior yelped in pain. "Sweet merciful God!" cried Junior. Amber gasped in horror as she heard Junior in pain. "It's alright! I have done this plenty of times before!" said Fluttershy. "On what?! A bear?!" exclaimed Junior as Fluttershy wrapped her arms around his neck and started to twist it from side to side, causing more pops and grunts from Junior. 'What in the world is she doing to him?!' thought Amber with dread. After a few more twists and popping of the upper torso of Junior's body, he sighed in relief as Fluttershy firmly kneed his back, causing him to slightly hunch over and for Amber to be cramped even more under his sweater. "You have so much tension going on. You're carrying a lot of stress," said Fluttershy. "Yeah, you can say tha- ow!" yelped Junior. He then growled in annoyance as he slapped his chest. He then felt another pinch again, this time harder. "Ah ha!" cried Junior as he flinched. Fluttershy looked on with even more worry. "Are you alright? I thought I-" "No, it's not your fault! Just not used to a massage!" Junior laughed nervously. At the back of his mind, he was plotting to take care of a certain six legged pest that he was hiding. He cleared his throat as he looked passed Fluttershy. "Hey, what the hell is that?!" exclaimed Junior as he pointed towards a tree. Fluttershy immediately whipped her head around with a startled expression to look where he was pointing. Junior immediately unzipped his sweater and grabbed Amber. "Don't do it, you-" Amber hissed but found herself being tossed into a bush, where she was caught in twigs and leaves. Amber grunted in annoyance. "Jerk..." muttered Amber. Fluttershy turned back to face Junior with a look of confusion. "I didn't see anything," said Fluttershy. "Ah. How about that?" Junior gave a forced smile. Fluttershy bore an inquisitive look as she looked at her friend. "Gojira, are you absolutely sure that you're OK?" asked Fluttershy. "Trust me, I'm fine. Just... You know. A little antsy," said Junior. Fluttershy scooted closer to Junior as she placed a hand on his forehead. "Um... I can't get sick, remember?" asked Junior with a raised brow. "Just making sure," said Fluttershy as she placed her hand back on her lap. Junior cleared his throat as he turned around. "Um... Could you keep on giving me that massage? It feels kinda nice," said Junior. Fluttershy smiled as she placed her hands on his back and applied pressure to the tight knots. Junior slightly grunted as he felt the tension in his muscles being relieved. He began to sigh as Fluttershy went lower, getting a very sore spot. "Agh. Right there," said Junior. "Oh dear," said Fluttershy in surprise as she applied more pressure. She lightly flushed to herself as Junior gave relieved sighs. She felt embarrassed knowing that she was making him feel this good, but it was just a simple massage…nothing romantic about it in the slightest. Still, Fluttershy enjoyed helping Junior feel relief from his pain. "Um... Gojira, I was wondering. Would you like to hang ou..." Fluttershy's voice trailed off as she felt Junior go limp. He began to lightly snore as his head hung forward, much to her surprise. Fluttershy gently lowered his head down onto her lap with wide eyes. "He fell asleep," said Fluttershy. She then lightly smiled in amusement. Poor thing must have been sleep deprived from his stiff muscles. She then stared at his sleeping face. It was honestly cute to look at with his slightly furrowed brows like he was mad even though she could tell that he was sleeping soundly. She then felt her heart race as she continued to stare at his face. His very head was on her lap. Fluttershy gently ran a hand over his hair, feeling it tingle against her palm. She softly smiled to herself as she remained seated with the Transmutant on her lap. Meanwhile, Amber was grumbling to herself as she remained in the bush. Nakawanda Through the early evening, the air was filled with chaos. Gun fire filled the air along with cries of panic from citizens of this Zebrican city in the nation, Nakawanda. As people fled, Transmutant Revolutionaries by the dozens stormed the streets armed to the teeth. Bullets whizzed through the air, hitting those unfortunate enough to be in their path. From the streets, police with rifles were pinned behind armored trucks as Revolutionaries continued to fire upon them. This fight had just started at least five minutes ago. To everyone caught in this conflict, it felt like at least an hour. The recent attack happened near the president's office. Too dangerously close that an all-out war was being waged between human and Transmutant. "These damn freaks! They keep coming!" said an officer as he peaked out of cover and sprayed bullets towards a couple of Revolutionaries that were moving from one protected spot to another in the streets. As the fight continued, a rocket whizzed through the air and crashed into the armored trucks that the police were taking cover behind. The explosion engulfed a few and blew some of them away. Officers lied in agony covered in burns and missing limbs from the explosion. As the Revolutionaries moved up, they killed the downed officers. "Keep moving! Show them the wrath of the Transmutants!" shouted a Revolutionary as he raised his rifle. War cries came out of the terrorists as they moved forward, mowing down anyone that had gotten in their path. As the Revolutionaries moved forward, the sound of helicopters filled the air. Grey choppers with the MONARCH insignia came over the city, where a few soldiers remained just near the open door. "Choppers!" shouted a Revolutionary as a soldier from one of the choppers turned the mini gun at the targets. He pulled the trigger and fired the weapon, which pierced through the air with its loud bursts of fire. The bullets rained down onto the street, chipping away asphalt and catching a few Revolutionaries. As a few terrorists dropped dead, the rest scrambled as they searched for cover. Meanwhile, the chopper continued to fire at any terrorist that was present on the street. Transmutants from the gunner's blind spot appeared out of cover and shot at the chopper, where the bullets merely sent minor damage to the aircraft. The rest of the choppers that were present descended over building rooftops, allowing soldiers that were inside to hop out. "Move! Move!" ordered a commanding officer as he led his squad out of a chopper. The soldiers took their positions over the edges of the roof tops, searching for any Revolutionary. As the soldiers continued down the buildings, a couple bearing sniper rifles remained on top as they scanned for any Transmutant. This is what Onyx was viewing over a few screens from his base. His eyes were hard as he watched live footage of his soldiers move through the town from around the city, displaying the results of their training. Soldiers grouped together as they fired upon Revolutionaries, causing their enemies to hide for cover as they ran down bullets on them while a few of their comrades flanked them. There was even the misfortune of running into Transmutants that had already transformed, wreaking havoc through the streets and to the soldiers. "Have M.O.G.U.E.R.A. engage the targets along with the other infantry mechs," ordered Onyx. "Yes, Director," said a woman from the console. Onyx turned to look at another screen, where a view of humanoid machines marched through the streets, bearing heavy turrets and rockets on their arms and shoulders. They were grey in color, bearing visors, or single optics for eyes. Among them was a much larger mech, standing at over fourteen feet tall, while the others stood to be at least eight feet tall in height. The machines began to move through the streets, where mantises appeared alongside Transmutants that appeared as four legged creatures with thick armored bodies and sharp teeth. The creatures gave cries as they brought chaos onto the streets. The mechs that had arrived spread out and raised their arms to point their targets. A barrage of bullets flew through the air, harming a few of the mantises and knocking them dead onto the ground. The armored Transmutants roared in pain from the powerful rounds that struck them but proceeded to charge towards their enemies. Soon, a few mechs launched rockets from their shoulders, crashing into these Transmutants and causing more damage. Burns and scars were left on these beasts as the rockets exploded upon them. From the far end of the group of mechs, rapid bolts of orange plasma, which penetrated through the armor of these Transmutants. Onyx smiled to himself as he watched the soldiers beginning to outnumber the Revolutionaries. The mechs also proved to be effective against them along with M.O.G.U.E.R.A., the prized mech from Hideki Industries. From the smoke, the mech was shrouded, giving off the sound of wheels rolling on the ground while firing rapid bolts of orange plasma from its optics. Ponyville... It was later into the noon. With all that was going on considering the conflict with the Purists, Battra felt somewhat relieved. It felt nice to not worry about the stress too much and just focus on his personal life at home for a while. As he sat at his desktop with a rough draft of his essay written down next to his desk, he began to type up his final draft essay. As he continued to type, he glanced at the internet tab on his screen. He sighed as he stopped typing and went online. Battra looked through anything in recent news on the internet. He found an article that mentioned the Revolutionaries attacking Nakawanda, another about warnings of a mass extinction coming to the humans, drama from celebrities, and the usual news. He continued to look through the news and decided to type in 'Transmutant vigilante' in the search bar. A lot of results came up, regarding the topic. They carried speculation on him and X, mostly referring to them as some sort of assassins for Purists sent by the Revolutionaries. The guesses couldn't be any further from the truth, but he couldn't speak for X's case. Battra went to the more recent news and found a couple of articles that were posted in the recent hours of the day. He found an article saying that in the west side of Ponyville, over a dozen men that had the stamp of the Purists on their jackets were hospitalized. These same men had an X drawn onto their foreheads by red ink. Battra scrolled down and found photos of the men being cared for by paramedics, with X's drawn onto their foreheads. They were badly bruised and bleeding all around their faces. "These guys weren't even militant. I guess X believes in corporal punishment when it comes to the Purists," said Battra to himself as he finished reading the article. He sighed as he leaned back in his seat. Ever since that he had started putting on a mask, Battra had made it a habit to never kill a Purist supporter that was not taking a hand in killing or physically hurting Transmutants. He thought of them as ignorant, xenophobic humans that would only face his fists if he caught them doing something that warranted a beating. Hell, even if they attacked him once dealing with militant Purists, he only beat them up. But his eyes were locked on the ones who actively posed a threat to Transmutants everywhere. 5 Years Ago... It was a bright morning over Ponyville. The birds sang in the air, cars drove through the streets as citizens made their way to work. Battra, at the age of 14, was standing at the bathroom sink dressed up in his clothes, brushing his teeth. As he brushed, a twelve-year-old Mosura stepped next to him as she quickly joined him to brush her teeth. "Oh man, I should've been up sooner!" said Mosura as she quickly brushed her teeth while Battra spat in the sink. "Mom told you not to stay up late," said Battra as went back to brushing. "I had to catch up on my show after all of that studying! Man, I'm so nervous!" said Mosura after she spat in the sink. She quickly rinsed her mouth and her tooth brush, getting droplets of water onto her shirt. "Relax. You'll do fine, sis," said Battra as he rinsed his tooth brush off as well. As the two left the bathroom, Battra made his way back into his room and made sure that he had all of his school supplies. Meanwhile, Mosura frantically did the same from her room, while counting off test questions and answers from the top of her head. The two made their way out to the living room, where a woman with long black hair stood at the stove, cooking breakfast. A man with white hair sat at the table, reading the newspaper as he ate a slice of toast. On the paper was an article involving a news report on a recent Transmutant Revolutionary attack on a city in the Hooviet Union. As he read, the two children sat at the table and ate breakfast. Mosura appeared stressed as she ate, eating while she mentally ran the test questions and answers in her head again. Their mother took a seat with the family and began to eat. "Honey, put that paper down and eat!" scolded the mother. The father sighed in response as he sat the paper down. He then noticed Mosura's expression as she ate. "Mosu, sweetie are you alright?" Mosura sighed heavily as she placed her fork down. "No, I'm freaking out! We have this big test coming up and I just don't know if I can pass it. It's worth a big chunk of our grade," said Mosura with a mopped expression. Her mother placed a hand on her shoulder with a reassuring smile. "Mosura, you are an intelligent girl. You work hard just like your older brother. I know you can pass your test. Just try to remain calm," said the mother. Battra snorted. "Yeah, or else you'll fail for sure," said Battra. Mosura scowled at her brother in response and then stuck her tongue out at him. "Real mature, Mosu," said Battra. As the children finished eating, they were said their farewells to their parents as they walked out the door. The two walking down the road together from their house on this morning. As cars passed by, the two walked close together. Mosura took calm breaths as she mentally went over her studies for the hundredth time. She then gasped as she found a familiar face standing in the corner of the street. "Good morning, Goro!" greeted Mosura with a wave. Battra turned his attention to the side and sure enough, found the Transmutant standing by. He greeted the older Transmutant with a smile of his own. "Oh. Hello, children," greeted Goro with a smile and wave as he approached the kids. "Off to school, I see," said Goro. "Yeah. Mosu's stressing out of her mind because she has a big test today," said Battra. Mosura sighed in annoyance. "Thanks, I just got myself to calm down and now I'm freaking out again," deadpanned Mosura. Goro chuckled in response. "Well, I bet you'll do fine, kid," said Goro. Battra looked at the Transmutant curiously. "Hey, what brings you out here to the neighborhood, Goro?" asked Battra. "Car's in the shop. So, your father was kind enough to give me a ride to work until it was out," said Goro. Mosura gasped as she tugged at Battra's sleeve. "Bro, we need to hurry up or we'll be late!" cried Mosura. Battra nodded in response. "Sorry Goro, but we really gotta go. See ya!" said Battra as he and his little sister began to run down the side walk as they waved to Goro. "Bye kids! Be safe!" said Goro with a smile as he waved to the two. He began to make his way down the road and over to the Yasu household. At the end of the school day, Battra was leaning against the wall just down the hall. The Transmutant stared at his cell phone as he read through a text. He yawned to himself as he placed his phone away, looking for his little sister. He found the girl jogging down the hall as a couple of girls remained behind. She stopped as she slightly panted. "Hey, bro do you think you could do me a favor? I left my phone at home and I need to text mom and dad that I'm going to be at my friends' place for a while," said Mosura. Battra sighed as he took out his cell phone and handed it to Mosura. "Here. Keep this on you until you come home. Mom and dad may want to get in touch with you," said Battra. Mosura nodded in response as she gave her brother a hug. Battra chuckled as he ruffled her hair. "OK, love you!" said Mosura as she quickly ran off to join the other girls, while Battra held his hands in his pockets as he left. He continued out of the neighborhood where his school was located and moved on through the streets. He mentally thought back to the text message in his head, which stated that he was to clean his room when he got home. Battra mentally sighed in annoyance at the thought, considering how he just wanted to laze about today at home. As Battra continued home, he noticed a couple of sirens filling his hearing. He turned his head and found a couple of police cars driving down the road with their sirens blaring. Battra shrugged it off as the police passed by. He continued down the road until he rounded a corner to his neighborhood. His eyes widened at the sight in front of him. Just outside of his home, a few police cars parked on the sidewalk. A few people who were from the neighborhood were standing behind a perimeter that was made around the house. He stood still as stone as he found officers standing outside as they spoke on their radios or kept people back from the house. Battra's heartbeats were quickening as he saw the officers wrapping their yellow tape just around the entrance to the house. Battra immediately dropped his bag and sprinted towards his home, his heart pounding in his chest from his fear. As he passed the police, they called out to him and chased after the Transmutant. Battra ignored them, everything around him was forgotten except the fear that was on his mind. As Battra burst through the tape, he found himself in the living room, where furniture was knocked over. He found spots of blood staining the carpet and bullet casings on the floor, while a few humans wearing latex gloves and jackets took samples from the crime scene. Battra's eyes widened in horror as he found a couple of men standing over two bodies as they took photos of them. The world around him moved in slow motion as he stared at the lifeless eyes of his father, who lied on the ground with blood staining his clothes and his face beaten. Camera flashes came over his parents' corpses, which were covered in blood and bullet wounds. Battra's eyes welled up with tears as he gave a cry of despair, startling the individuals that were in the house. Battra was pulled back by the officers, struggling to keep the Transmutant back as he attempted to get to his dead parents. "No! No!" cried Battra in despair as his cries filled the house. He was growing distant from his parents while the arms of the officers pulled him back from the crime scene. Before he was pulled out of the house, Battra caught a glimpse of a symbol. On the wall was a white spray painted skull with a DNA helix on the forehead. The very same symbol that Transmutants have learned to fear. Present Day... Battra remained seated at his desk with a light frown as he stared at a photo that rested on the side. It was a photo of himself, his sister, and their parents. It felt like yesterday when his parents were whisked away from him and Mosura. He wished that he could go back and prevent their deaths from ever happening. However, he learned that even the good people of the world will die at the hands of the bad people. He never learned who was the Purist was that had killed his parents, nor did he hear anything about him or her being found. He did know that the media neglected to bring up the story of his parents' murder as it was hardly popular to spread news of a Transmutant being murdered those few years ago. It wasn't until a few months ago that Battra had enough of the wrong doings of the Purists and decided to take matters into his own hands, considering how humans were rallying behind the Purists' actions. Battra turned his eyes away from the photo and glared at a news link that was covering a celebration on the Purists' so called, 'heroics'. Battra scoffed as he exited out of the tab and looked back at his completed essay. As he printed it out, Battra glanced back at the picture of him and his family. Battra bore a firm expression as he focused his eyes on Mosura in the picture. He sighed as he stood up from his seat and made his way out to the living room and found Mosura sitting on the couch, watching television. Battra took a seat next to her with a tired sigh. "You finished?" asked Mosura. "Almost. I will need to take the printed essay out to college to see if I have any mistakes that need to be corrected. But I'm done for now," said Battra as he leaned back. Mosura smiled in response. "That's good," said Mosura. Battra wrapped in arm around Mosura's shoulder and brought her close against his chest. "Hey wha-!" Mosura was interrupted as Battra began to ruffle her white hair. "Stop that!" said Mosura in annoyance. Battra chuckled as he released Mosura. "Sorry. Remember when I use to do that?" asked Battra. Mosura crossed her arms as an embarrassed look was on her face. "Yeah. When we were kids," said Mosura. She then looked at Battra with a light frown. "You stopped after..." Mosura cleared her throat. Battra sighed. "Well... I guess I kinda forgot," said Battra as he held his hands against his lap. Mosura leaned against Battra's shoulder and sighed. "I... I miss it. It makes me feel nostalgic," said Mosura. Battra lightly smiled in response. "Well, maybe I'll show you that kind of affection again sometime," said Battra. Junior and Fluttershy were sitting across from each other at the cafe. Fluttershy slightly fidgeted in her seat while Junior bore a look of embarrassment. "Hey, sorry for falling asleep on you. It's just your massage was really relaxing," said Junior. Fluttershy stopped fidgeting as the Transmutant broke the silence. "Oh, no. That's OK. I'm glad that I could make you comfortable. Hehe," chuckled Fluttershy as she looked away. "What?" asked Junior. "It's just... Did you know that you look mad when you're sleeping?" asked Fluttershy. Junior looked away. "Oh. Do I?" asked Junior with a grimace. Fluttershy nodded. "Mm hmm. Your brows kinda furrow when you sleep," said Fluttershy. "Well, I guess I have a permanent scowl on my face. No matter, the fiercest creatures are like that," said Junior. Fluttershy giggled in amusement. "Well, that's one way of looking at it from the bright side," said Fluttershy. Junior glanced at his side and found Amber fluttering around outside. Her power seemed to have kept her hidden from everyone since no one was reacting to the giant insect flying around like a raving lunatic. 'I wonder if she's mad,' thought Junior with a grimace. She suddenly dove down towards the window and remained stationary. Her emotionless eyes glared from behind the window. "You left my fries! Of course, I'm mad!" Amber's voice reached through Junior's mind, much to his shock. 'Wha- How?!' thought Junior in alarm. "I'm psychic! And this fairy is really upset with you! Those fries were so good!" whined Amber from her mind. Junior scowled in response. Psychic abilities weren't something he was going to question considering how the supernatural was already in his face. Still, never did he think a spirit could be such a pest. 'Alright, fine. I promise to make it up to you. Just meet me at my house,' thought Junior. Amber sighed as she fluttered away. "Gojira? What's wrong?" called Fluttershy. Junior immediately faced her. "Nothing. Just looking outside," said Junior in a calm tone. As the two shared a short conversation, a man requested the television to be turned up. As the volume was raised, everyone was able to hear the news report. "And as you can see, MONARCH is pushing hard against these Transmutant terrorists. So far, casualties have been reduced thanks to Hideki Industries' mechs and other weaponry. Now, it looks like the human race will be able to win this fight," said the news anchor. Aerial shots and military cameras took footage of explosions and gun fire for the news. "Yeah! Show those terrorist bastards!" shouted a man. A few other people shouted in agreement. Junior slightly turned forward as he looked down. He tapped the table as he anxiously sat. Suddenly, he found a claw grazing the table. Junior gasped as he found his clawed and scaly hand. Fluttershy gently held her hands over Junior's and gently caressed it. Junior began to slightly relax and found his hand returning to normal. Fluttershy gave him a kind smile as she held his hand. "It's OK," whispered Fluttershy. Junior nodded slowly in response. Back in the Takeshi household, there was silence. Miwa lied under the covers of the bed, cuddled next to Senior. She was locked in bliss as she nuzzled his neck. The Transmutant gently caressed her head as the two were locked in each other’s' warmth. "Mm. You still got it," said Miwa. "And you still know how to be forward. You haven't changed," said Senior with a chuckle. "Oh come on, you like it when I'm forward with you. You found it sexy," laughed Miwa as she traced a finger along Senior's chest. Senior sighed in response in a tired manner. "Miwa, I don't want you to think that I didn't come back just to... You know," said Senior with a cough. Miwa smiled in amusement. "Yeah," nodded Miwa. "I really do miss you both. But I wouldn't have left if it wasn't important," said Senior. "But... Why you? Why couldn't have been someone else?" asked Miwa. "Because... Well, Amber believes that I have enough strength to defend the artifact. And she showed me what would happen if it was activated. Something horrible," said Senior with a grave tone as he got up out of bed. "Gojira?" called Miwa. "Um... I'm just going to take a quick shower. We better get cleaned up before Junior decides to come home," said Senior as he made his way to the bathroom. As he entered it, he turned out the hot water, allowing steam to rise into the air. The Transmutant entered the shower, allowing the warm water to drench his body and relax his muscles. He gave a sigh as he felt the warmth of the water. Then, he began to see memories of what Amber had shown him years ago. Great cities reduced to rubble and ash. The skies dark and flames rising high into the air. Civilization, completely collapsed with only people struggling to make it around alive. But the most terrifying thing of all was what had caused these disasters. He saw shadows of great beasts, as tall as mountains. These very creatures he knew were related to artifact and all Transmutants. It would be disastrous if the artifact was left unguarded and at the hands of the wrong people.