The afternoon sun cast its light upon Junior's back as he lazily sat in the library, looking through a worksheet. As he analyzed a page on his book, he quickly took his pencil and began to answer a question provided in his worksheet. With a relieved sigh, the Transmutant dropped his pencil down and lied his head down on the table.
"Finally. It's all done," said Junior in exhaustion. He just finally managed to finish all of his missed assignments over the course of three days, along with his current homework. He felt well accomplished with all the effort that he had made. Meanwhile, Rodan and Angirasu were sitting at the table with him.
"I think your hard work calls for a treat. Let's go to the cafe and grab a bite," said Rodan as he stretched his arms. Junior looked at him in surprise.
"You're treating me?" asked Junior. Rodan merely snorted in response.
"Hell no, dude. Everyone's paying for their own meal," said Rodan. Junior scowled.
"Then don't make it sound like you are. I could just eat there by myself if that's how it is," said Junior as he placed his work into his back pack.
"Don't be like that. Come on, we haven't hung out since you've started making up your assignments," said Rodan. Junior smirked.
"Hmph. And I was just enjoying the pleasant silence," said Junior.
"That's cold, Goji," said Rodan as he crossed his arms with a look of annoyance. Junior stood up with his bag.
"Alright, let's go. I've been craving one of their pie milkshakes anyway," said Junior. Angirasu smiled brightly at the mention of the beverage.
"You just saved me time on deciding what to order," said Angirasu. The three Transmutants made their way out of the library and down the hall. As Junior made it to his locker and placed his books inside, he noticed Twilight down the hall in his peripheral vision. He turned his head as she walked by. The petite girl caught his glance and merely looked away with hard expression. Junior merely hardened his eyes and looked back into his locker.
"Short-ass traitor," muttered Junior. Twilight stopped in her tracks as her eyes widened. Angirasu bore a look of discomfort as he saw this, while Rodan winced.
"Ooh. She definitely heard that," said Rodan. Twilight glared at Junior's back.
"Excuse me? What did you just call me?" demanded Twilight.
"I didn't call you shit, short stack," retorted Junior as he organized his locker.
"Uh oh," said Rodan. Twilight scoffed as she took on a look of offense.
"Just who do you think you are?" demanded Twilight. Junior shrugged.
"Well, I thought I was your friend. But now I guess we're just strangers," said Junior as he narrowed his eyes down on the girl. Twilight narrowed her eyes back, challenging his stature of intimidation.
"Yeah, the feeling is mutual!" spat Twilight. From the hall, Applejack and Rarity came by.
"Whoa! Whoa! What's going on here?" asked Applejack.
"Shorty here is just hypersensitive about her height," said Junior. Twilight growled in annoyance.
"OK. First of all, no I am not! Second. That is not why I just confronted you. Where do you get the nerve on calling me a traitor? You're the one who's been dishonest!" retorted Twilight. Angirasu tapped Junior on the shoulder with a nervous expression.
"Goji, come on. Let's just-" Angirasu's hand was brushed off by Junior, who lowered himself to meet Twilight's face.
"OK. I'll admit that I've kept a secret or two from you all, but that is my business! Besides, none of them are related to vigilantism!" argued Junior. Twilight scoffed in disgust.
"How can you just stand there and lie to my face?" asked Twilight.
"Because I'm not lying!" said Junior. His frustration at this girl was rising. Applejack quickly got in between the two and pressed them back away from each other.
"Break it up!" said Applejack.
"Yes, before this escalates into violence!" cried Rarity. Twilight crossed her as she glared at Junior.
"Have you met Gojira?" asked Twilight in a sarcastic manner. Junior scoffed as he heard this.
"Ouch," winced Rodan.
"Wow. Just.... Wow. You really went there?" asked Junior. Twilight looked away. She felt herself regretting making that comment. But it wasn't out of fear.
"Don't pretend I'm wrong. You always react violently. Even your ideals hold violence. I mean, not a shred of sympathy for those men?" asked Twilight. Junior crossed his arms.
"I didn't even attack them," said Junior.
"You didn't answer my question," said Twilight, narrowing her eyes. Junior looked away with a scowl.
"I don't need to answer that to you," said Junior. He turned and walked away, while Rodan and Angirasu looked back at the girls before joining him.
"Of course not," muttered Twilight under her breath. Applejack sighed.
"Twi, why did ya have to go and say that?" asked Applejack. Twilight gave a heavy sigh.
"It just slipped out. He pushed my buttons and I just... Ergh! That jerk!" growled Twilight as she stomped away.
"Twilight, wait!" called Rarity as she followed Twilight. Applejack looked back to where the Transmutants were leaving, slumping her shoulders. Meanwhile, Junior, Rodan and Angirasu were outside of the school and walking down a sidewalk. Junior bore a scowl on his face during their walk.
"Gojira, you didn't have to keep provoking her like that," said Angirasu.
"You're taking their side?" asked Junior in disbelief.
"No, it's not about that. Look, I know that you're hurt about the whole thing. But acting aggressively towards them isn't going to make them change their view of you. It's just going to reinforce what they think of you," interjected Angirasu. Rodan nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, just do what you do best man. Ignore the people that get on your nerves," said Rodan. Junior shook his head.
"For some reason, that's much harder for me to do. I'm just so... Ugh," Junior sighed in annoyance. Rodan patted his back.
"Come on. Maybe that pie shake will cheer you up," said Rodan with a reassuring smile. As the three continued on towards down the side walk, a voice cried out in the air.
"Little Gojira!!" cried Amber. Junior looked around in confusion along with his friends.
"What the heck?" Angirasu looked around. Junior's eyes widened as he found Amber diving down towards them. She abruptly stopped in front of them, startling the three.
"Amber? What are you doing here?" asked Junior in confusion.
"This is important! I need you to come to the lair immediately! With your mother!" said Amber. Junior took on a look of worry.
"Why? Is something wrong?" asked Junior, not liking the frantic tone of her voice.
"No, but this is something you two have to see!" said Amber as she quickly began to fly away.
"Wait, what about us?" asked Rodan. Junior shrugged.
"Well, I guess you guys can come too. She never exactly said that you couldn't," said Junior as he ran down the sidewalk. Angirasu and Rodan followed him, wondering what was in store for them.
It was the next hour. Junior, Angirasu, Rodan, and Miwa were currently walking down the steps down the chasm towards the Guardians' lair. Miwa looked around with slight unease.
"Geez. What could be so important to drag us out here through that forest?" asked Miwa.
"Hell if I know. Ask dad when we see him," said Junior. The group continued through the cave, finding the dim lighting from the Guardians. As they made it inside, Miwa found all the Transmutants that were gathered for her husband’s group. She wondered just how large this group was, and was able roughly estimate about over fifty individuals. This was hardly an army, and was more like a guerrilla militia. She caught a few Transmutants looking her way, prompting her to look away from these strangers. As they made their way further through the cave, they met with Senior as he stood by with a hand under his chin as he bore a slight nervous expression.
"Dad, what's going on?" asked Junior. Senior nearly jumped at his son's call but relaxed. Manda and Kumonga were present, along with a few other female and male Transmutants.
"Son, Miwa. Glad you could make it. I wasn't expecting your friends," said Senior as he looked towards Angirasu and Rodan.
"They just happened to be with me when Amber called me," said Junior. Senior nodded in understanding.
"Gojira, what's going on? It sounded urgent," said Miwa with a look of worry. Senior deeply exhaled in response.
"We uh... We caught X and Night Angel," said Senior. Junior's eyes widened.
"Wait, the vigilantes? Did you say you caught X?!" asked Junior. Senior nodded.
"Yes. Bu-"
"Oh ho! I've been waiting for this!" said Junior as he rolled up his sleeve and walked passed his father and Kumonga. He was going to hurt X badly for putting him through hell.
"Junior, wait!" cried Senior. As Junior approached two figures that were cuffed while sitting on chairs, he popped his knuckles.
"OK, which of you is..." Junior's voice trailed off as he saw the faces of the vigilantes. Before him was Battra and a Transmutant that looked a lot like him, except with white hair and red eyes.
"Gojira?" asked Battra. His eyes widened with a look of dread.
"Battra? Wha- What the-" Junior backed away with a look of shock. He shook his head.
"N-No, no. No, you can't be one of the vigilantes," said Junior as he shook his head, denying what was in front of his eyes.
"Son, you know this young man?" asked Senior as he approached Junior's side along with the rest. However, Miwa hung back next to her husband.
"Yeah. Yeah, this is my friend's older brother. Battra Yasu," said Junior with wide eyes.
"Battra?! What the hell, man?!" exclaimed Rodan. Angirasu was in as much shock as his friends, but was unable to translate it into words. Battra looked away as he gritted his teeth.
"I see. Well, turns out that he is the Night Angel. And this man next to him, the one that you were mistaken for, is X. His real name is Xenjira Yamashita. Y-Your older brother, apparently," muttered Senior. Junior slowly turned to meet his father's gaze as he bore a neutral expression. Miwa stared at her husband with wide eyes.
"What?" asked Junior in a calm tone.
"He's... He says that he’s my son. B-But he could be wrong!" said Senior.
"Wrong?! Dad, he looks like me! He looks like you! What are the chances that he would not be related to us?!" demanded Junior. Meanwhile, Zip popped over Junior's shoulder with a curious look. She smiled to herself.
"Oh wow. Seems like those good looks are hereditary," said Zip. Junior sent her a look of annoyance, while Thorn grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her away.
"Come on! This is none of our business!" said Thorn as she dragged Zip, while she moaned in disappointment. Junior went back to glaring at his father.
"You cheated on your wife?!" exclaimed Manda with a look of horror.
"Whoa! Whoa! I have never cheated on Miwa!" said Senior with a glare.
"Dad, you never told us that you had a kid with another woman!" said Junior. Miwa looked at Senior with a hurt expression.
"Honey, why would you keep that from us? You didn't think that we should know about this?" asked Miwa. Senior raised his hands.
"H-Hang on! I didn't know!" said Senior in a defensive manner. Kumonga tapped her rifle with a look of impatience.
"Well someone better start explaining this whole clichéd drama plot twist or it's gonna start driving me crazy!" said Kumonga. Xenjira sighed.
"You're really going to hide the facts?" asked Xenjira. He then scoffed.
"My mother told me the whole story on how I came to be and who my father was. It all started in Neighpon during the eighties," said Xenjira. He drew the attention of everyone nearby.
"You see, my mother had her inhibitor chip damaged beforehand. They were experimental and were susceptible to certain environments at the time. One day, she went to a local bar where she met a scruffy war veteran. Trying to drink away the hell that he had seen and been a part of," said Xenjira. Senior looked down in thought and his eyes widened.
“She decided to have a drink with the man because she thought he could use some company. She mentioned that she found him to be attractive as well. My mother's name was-"
"Kaname Yamashita," said Senior, finishing Xenjira's sentence. Miwa and Junior looked at Senior in shock while Xenjira smirked.
"So you do remember her," said Xenjira.
"I... I just haven't seen her in years. You have to understand that I'm married and that-" Senior was interrupted as Xenjira shook his head.
"No, I'm not trying to get you to get back with her. My conception was quick after all," said Xenjira. Junior bore a look of discomfort.
"Oh. You mean..." Xenjira nodded.
"After a few drinks, the two had gotten drunk. During this time, my mother was experiencing a heat cycle as a saurian based Transmutant, so she managed to convince this man to come to her apartment. And this is where my mother described in detail on the experience that you wrecked the bedroom with your love making," said Xenjira. Rodan and Angirasu's face brightened with a flush while Manda cupped her hands over her mouth with bright red cheeks. Junior and Senior both bore flustered expressions.
"Wow. Nice, Alpha," said a male Transmutant with a chuckle as he and a couple of others gave Senior a thumbs up. Manda and Kumonga both glared at the men in disapproval, causing them to nervously laugh.
"Th-That did not need to be said!" said Senior. He then looked to his side, noticing how silent his wife was. His eyes widened as he found Miwa red with jealousy.
"What's wrong?" asked Senior in a nervous tone. Miwa huffed as she crossed her arms and looked away.
"Hmph! You never destroyed a room when we were together during our honey moon," said Miwa. Junior looked at his mother in disbelief.
"Jesus, mom! I don't think that's the issue here!" said Junior.
"I think she would be paralyzed from the waist down if that were the case," whispered Rodan as he leaned next to Angirasu.
"Ah! I don't want to talk about it!" said Angirasu as he quickly walk away. Battra bore a look of embarrassment as he was forced to remain here and listen to the awkward story.
"So, I was born nine months later, while you weren't around," said Xenjira with a hint of venom in his voice. The female Transmutants all suddenly shot Senior a look of disapproval.
"You weren't there when she was pregnant with your son?!" demanded Kumonga.
"You scumbug!" shouted a woman.
"You fiend! How can you call yourself a man?!" Senior stiffened as the women assaulted him with condemnation and criticism.
"W-Wait! I swear, I never knew that Kaname was pregnant! I had already left Neighpon to Equestria a week later!" said Senior. Xenjira shot him a glare.
"You couldn't have at least stayed with her to find out about her pregnancy? You did sleep with her," said Xenjira. Senior was about to argue but didn't. He sighed.
"I... I couldn't. I just... I felt ashamed for what the alcohol did to me" said Senior as he bowed his head. "It didn't feel right for me to stay after taking advantage of her. I was afraid that she would hate me for letting an old man like me into her bed," said Senior. Xenjira stared at him blankly and then looked over towards Miwa and Junior. He analyzed their traits and mentally calculated time and their possible current ages. He then turned back to Senior with a deadpanned stare.
"So, it was proper that you willingly got laid with a teenage not-legal high school student because she gave you consent?" asked Xenjira. Senior's eyes widened while Miwa looked away in embarrassment.
"Oh God," muttered Junior.
"Judging by your reactions, I say that was right on point," said Xenjira.
"W-Well..." Senior was interrupted as Manda looked at him curiously.
"Wait, what are we missing?" asked Manda. Senior sighed.
"Well, back when I was first living in Equestria, I was dating Miwa. Who was... seventeen at the time," admitted Senior. Manda's eyes widened while the rest of the Transmutants stared in shock, some even in disgust. Junior face palmed as he moaned in embarrassment.
"A-Alpha?" Manda felt the heroic image of the man that she looked up to as a leader shatter into pieces, replaced by a cradle robber. Xenjira sighed in disgust.
"You perv!" said a young woman. Miwa sighed in exasperation.
"Yes! We were dating while I was barely legal!" said Miwa. Baragon stood by with a look of interest.
"Hey I don't mean to pry, but I am curious to know a little bit about your story, boss," said Baragon as he opened a bottle of beer.
"I was living around her neighborhood at the time. I found Miwa being harassed by some thugs while on her way home from school. So, I stepped in. It wasn't long after that she would pay me visits. At first it was bring me cake and meals she cooked as gratitude. Then later she started making up excuses. And eventually... well, at Miwa’s insistence, we may have..." Senior cleared his throat as he looked away. Junior face palmed, knowing the story already. Manda slumped her shoulders.
"No way..." said Manda in disbelief. Xenjira's eyes widened as he bore a look of shock. He then glanced at Junior, who hid his face in embarrassment.
"You lived for over 200 years and fought in numerous wars, and have probably seen hundreds of cases where teen pregnancy from dating an older man can screw a woman's life, and yet all it took was a girl, who wasn't even on her 20s, hitting on you to make you sleep with her?!" asked Xenjira. Senior shrugged in response with a nervous smile.
"Kid, I might be over 200 and fought in wars, but I never bothered to learn about modern dating and in my time it wasn’t uncommon for young girls to be married before hitting 20. Plus, I like confident, dominant women and other than a drunken one night stand that I couldn't remember at the time, I hadn't gotten any for decades, so don't judge me for falling prey to her charm," said Senior.
"And I didn't seduce Senior as easily as you think. I was inwardly panicking nearly all the way and I acted like the female lead of one of my mother's trashy novel!" said Miwa in defense. Senior and Xenjira gave her a deadpanned stare in response while Junior moaned.
"Miwa," deadpanned Senior.
"Mom," said Junior in annoyance. Xenjira sighed.
"So essentially, while my mom and I were waiting for Takeshi to find us and make a family to cope with the shitty way the Purists treat us, he decided to chase the skirt of a high school woman old enough to be my sister?" deadpanned Xenjira.
"You cradle robber!" said Kumonga as she shot Senior a glare, who winced in response. She then looked to Miwa in disapproval.
"And you! What were you doing messing with older men?! Do you have daddy issues or something?" asked Kumonga. Miwa crossed her arms as she looked away.
"I-I admit that we may have rushed our relationship. But... OK, I don't really have a good excuse for that..." muttered Miwa as she rubbed the back of her head. The female Transmutants all looked to Senior in disapproval, who sighed heavily.
"Trust me, I'm ashamed for giving in. And it's not just because she was young," said Senior. Xenjira scoffed in disgust.
"You're pathetic," spat Xenjira. Junior sent him a glare while Miwa looked at him in disapproval.
"My father is not pathetic, you piece of shit. Not to mention it was your fault that I was nearly thrown into the vault!" said Junior in anger. He stomped over to Xenjira and grabbed him by the shoulders and held them tightly as he glared at him.
"My friends think I did the things that you've done! They turned on me, along with the entire school! Because of you!" yelled Junior. Xenjira sighed.
"It wasn't my intention to get you into trouble, little brother. I was just eliminating the threat to our race," said Xenjira. Junior hardened his eyes as he released the Transmutant.
"Don't call me that. We are not brothers," said Junior in a low tone.
"Our genetics disagree," said Xenjira with a smirk. Junior scoffed as he stomped away.
"Son-" Senior reached out to his son, but Junior merely shot him a glare.
"I don't want to hear it. I've had a really bad day today," said Junior as he stood by his mother with his arms crossed. Rodan cleared his throat as he glanced at Junior, while Senior looked away from his son in disappointment.
"Um... You guys may have some catching up to do. Since I know this guy on the chair, I'll just take him off of your hands and you can keep X," said Rodan as he approached Battra. Kumonga immediately stood in his way as she held her rifle tightly. Rodan backed away with his hands raised.
"He's not going anywhere. He's part of the problem of vigilantism in this country," said Kumonga.
"Go ahead and let him go, Kumonga," ordered Senior. Kumonga looked at the Transmutant in surprise.
"But-"
"If my son and his friends know him, then I trust that they'll keep an eye on him. But he is not to leave the lair until I say so," said Senior. Kumonga nodded in understanding. She made her way over to Battra and unlocked his cuffs. Battra grunted as he stood up and rubbed his wrists. He avoided eye contact with Rodan as he felt shame building up. As the two left the area, Miwa was shaking her head as she sat on a chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. Senior recognized this, meaning that she was definitely upset. He looked to the rest of the Transmutants in this area.
"All of you please go back to your duties. I believe we'll need some time alone," said Senior. Manda nodded as she began to lead the other Transmutants away, leaving their leader with his wife and eldest son.
"I can't believe you never told me this. All this time, you already had a first born son with a woman before we even met," said Miwa.
"Takeshi is over 200 years old. Did you honestly believe that he spend most of his life celibate before he met you or that he couldn’t commit mistakes like a drunken one night stand?" asked Xenjira with a raised brow. Miwa sighed in annoyance
"Point taken, but that's not the only issue!" said Miwa. She then pointed towards Senior as she glared at him.
"You have two sons that look alike, and your firstborn is old enough for me to count as his big sister! Since you haven't been able to bother about your first son, how about you ask your second son about his life lately?!" shouted Miwa with a look of anger. Senior recoiled in response.
"You know I've been called by his principal about how his teachers and classmates are scared of him because they think he's him?!" demanded Miwa as she pointed towards Xenjira. Senior's eyes slightly widened in response.
"Your son always had trouble fitting in with the other kids. Right when he finally found a group of friends in high school, his social life gets screwed over because he has to keep all of this a secret!" said Miwa as she gestured to the cave around them. As her voice echoed, a few Transmutants turned their attention towards the source. Senior sighed as he looked sadly down at the ground. He wasn't aware of the trouble that his son was having back in school. He had hoped that things would work themselves out. But unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
"I'm sorry," said Senior. Miwa gave a heavy sigh as she allowed herself to cool down a bit.
"Gojira, I understand that there are some things that you prefer to keep to yourself. Especially with all of the years you've been around. I respect that. But as my husband, you have to trust me to tell me about events that concern our family. I've always been honest and trusting with you, right?" asked Miwa. Senior nodded in response.
"You have," answered Senior. He then looked to Junior with an apologetic look.
"Junior, I'm sorry. I wish there was something that I could do to help," said Senior. Junior sighed as he looked away.
"Forget it. I'm mad at the people that I called friends," said Junior. Senior turned to Xenjira.
"How exactly did you find me?" asked Senior.
"I did research on you. Mom talked about how you were a war veteran for Neighpon during the second world war. She had nothing but good things to say about you. And that's what pisses me off," said Xenjira. The Transmutant sent his father a look of disdain.
"You know, my mother always talked about how one day that we were going to be together as a real family? She believed that you were coming back. She had feelings for you. And she died believing that," spat Xenjira. Senior's eyes slightly widened.
"Died?" asked Senior. Battra stopped as he heard this. He turned back, drawing a look of curiosity from Rodan, who wondered why he had stopped.
"I never had an inhibitor chip implanted in me. My mother had lost her home trying to support me, so we lived in the woods of Neighpon. I was at the age where young Transmutants experience as forced transformation as part of puberty. When I transformed, that grabbed the attention of local Purists. Next thing I knew, I wake up in the middle of the night with my mom rushing me through the woods as I hear gunfire in the air," said Xenjira as he closed his eyes. He recalled the horrific sounds of the gun shots in the air, and the cold air from the dark night.
"Mom hid me in an abandoned fishing house and told me to remain there. She went off to draw away the men that were chasing us. She could have taken them on and was in the process of transforming when she suddenly dropped to the ground. It wasn't until a minute later that I realized that she was dead," said Xenjira as he recalled how his mother had dropped onto the grass, lifeless.
"She was shot in the head by them. It was the quickest way to prevent her from transforming any further and from killing them all," said Xenjira as he looked down at the ground. Miwa stared with a look of pity while Junior kept his same scowl, though it began to soften a bit. Senior stood by with a look of sadness as he listened to his story. Battra stood by with a light frown as he looked down. He noticed how similar that his story was with Xenjira's. Both had lost a loved one to the Purists, except Battra didn't have to witness his parents being murdered before his very eyes.
"I spent the next few years alone, surviving on my own and hoping that you would come back and take me away from that place, butut you never did. Instead, I trained my body to take on any threat that was out there. When I was fifteen, I set out to find the Purists that killed my mother and I returned the favor. I knew where they lived, and they were history. Something that you seem to not be doing very well," said Xenjira.
"What do you mean?" asked Senior.
"Well we were fending for ourselves out there, against the bigotry of the humans and the unjust treatment of MONARCH, you've been out here having the time of your life with your own family. You may have all of these Transmutants under your command, but you aren't properly wielding your power. You have the strength to destroy the Purists for all that they've done along with MONARCH. Yet you just hide in this cave rarely doing anything to put a dent in the Purists," spat Xenjira. Senior merely kept a neutral expression. Xenjira sighed heavily as he shook his head.
"I hate you. I hate how you made my mother live the rest of her days with a dream that would never come true. A dream that they managed to live," said Xenjira as he gestured to Miwa and Junior. Miwa's frown deepened in response. Senior sighed.
"Xenjira, I never intended for any of that to happen. If I could, I would go back and take care of you. But I don't regret leaving Kaname. If I didn't, then I would never have met Miwa," said Senior as he lowered his head. Xenjira merely narrowed his eyes at his father in response.
"Hmph. I figured," said Xenjira. Junior then glanced at his father.
"So what now? We know who X is and we heard his story. What do we do with him?" asked Junior. Senior didn't answer. He instead approached his eldest son's chair and unlocked his hand cuffs. Xenjira looked at him in confusion as Senior backed away.
"I assume you have nowhere else to go," said Senior.
"What's it to you?" asked Xenjira.
"You may stay here for as long as you'd like. I just want you to stop this vigilante business. The both of you," said Senior as he looked to Battra.
"We'll handle any Purist activity that comes up," said Senior. Battra nodded in response. Xenjira merely hardened his eyes.
"You're going to take that away from me?" asked Xenjira.
"It's for everyone's safety. Including your own," said Senior. Xenjira scoffed.
"Spare me your concern. You’re over twenty years too late," said Xenjira as he made his way over to Junior. He patted him on the shoulder.
"Come on little brother, why don't we do some bonding?" suggested Xenjira. Junior scowled in response.
"You have a lot of nerve trying to play nice with me after what you've put me through," said Junior. Battra and Rodan began to follow them away, leaving Senior and Miwa alone. The male Transmutant sighed heavily.
"That was the most awkward moment in my life," said Senior with a scowl. Miwa nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, no kidding."
"Miwa," called Senior.
"Yes, dear?" answered Miwa.
"If there's such a thing as reincarnation and we both replay the same circumstances as during our first encounter, let's agree to keep sex off the table until after your reincarnation graduates...or use birth control to avoid unwanted pregnancies," said Senior.
"Okay, take a pill and a condom on the next life," nodded Miwa.
Meanwhile, Junior was sitting outside of the lair just beside Rodan, Angirasu, Xenjira, and Battra. Junior bore a look of annoyance as his 'brother' sat beside him. He didn't know how to handle this entire situation. He had a sibling, something some people would yearn for during their younger years; Junior never really cared for having a sibling, especially if it was the same man that had gotten his friends to turn against him and nearly get him locked away. Junior clenched his fist as he suddenly swung it towards Xenjira, who caught it with ease. Junior's eyes widened in shock as Xenjira held a calm expression as he kept his eyes forward.
"No need to get physical, little brother," said Xenjira. Junior grunted in annoyance as he attempted to swing his other fist towards his doppelganger, but found himself shoved down into the dirt.
"So brash," said Xenjira with a chuckle.
"Screw you," coughed Junior as he shot his head up and brushed the dust off of himself. Junior turned towards Battra, who kept his eyes down on the ground.
"So you're really Night Angel?" asked Junior. Battra sighed heavily as he nodded.
"Yes. Um... I appreciate your father for letting me go," said Battra. Junior turned forward.
"He's not unreasonable, but he does stuff that are beginning to irk me. Still, I think my respect for you just shot up ten times," said Junior. Battra turned to look his way with a look of shock and confusion.
"You weren't one to take shit lying down from the Purists. I admire that. However, I assume that Mosura doesn't know," said Junior as he glanced at Battra. Rodan chuckled.
"She will as soon as I-" Rodan pulled out his cell phone, but was interrupted as Battra snatched it out of his hand. He threw the phone far away across the chasm, much to Rodan's shock.
"Dude! Totally not cool!" yelled Rodan. Battra furrowed his brows as he looked to the younger Transmutants.
"Mosura is not to know about this! Nobody should know! You have no idea what kind of consequences that this could have on my family! Or how it would affect my relationship with my little sister!" said Battra in a stern tone. Junior raised his hands.
"I was only asking if she knew or not. I'm not one to give away dark secrets," said Junior. Rodan sighed in exasperation.
"You could have just said that instead of throwing my phone!" said Rodan as he stood up and ran to where his cell phone was thrown. Angirasu looked at Battra in curiosity.
"So, what caused you start doing this?" asked Angirasu.
"Well, I assume that Xenjira's motivation for vigilantism is in his past," said Battra.
"Damn straight," answered Xenjira.
"You could say that I had a similar experience and reason. Years ago, I had found that my parents were murdered by Purists," said Battra. Xenjira raised a brow while Junior furrowed his.
"Our home was broken into while my sister and I were in school. We were lucky, but my parents weren't. Just a year ago, I had decided that I had enough with the threat the Purists posed to Transmutants. So, I thought that maybe I could protect others and Mosura from that group, taking them out anywhere that I could find them in Ponyville. However, I've been having doubts lately. They've seem to be more coordinated and they just keep coming. With police getting involved, I've realized that I may have made a big mistake," said Battra. He glanced to Junior.
"You were nearly arrested because of X, who was careless on his own. If I were to be caught, my sister would hate me. She would even be in danger if they were to find out that we were related," said Battra. Xenjira scoffed at being called careless.
"I see. But why didn't you stop sooner if that was the case?" asked Junior.
"I found out that the Purists were planning something big in Ponyville. I don't know what, but they are getting their hands on equipment from Hideki Industries that are used to counter attack Revolutionaries. I can't sit around knowing that I could be doing something to prevent whatever it is they plan to do," said Battra with a heavy sigh.
"Hmph. Well it's no longer your problem. The old coward has pretty much ordered us to not do what we do best," said Xenjira.
"Stop calling him a coward," said Junior as he glared at Xenjira.
"Don't you think he is? I mean, he has the strength to take on all of the Purists. Yet he's playing house in this damn cave," said Xenjira as he points to the cave.
"While I agree that he can take them on, it doesn't mean that he should. They have to stay here because they're needed here," said Junior. Xenjira scoffed.
"No, they're needed out there. For the other Transmutants," said Xenjira. Junior sighed.
"On an unrelated note, you're going to prove me innocent to everyone at my school," said Junior. Xenjira snorted.
"What are you kidding?" asked Xenjira.
"No I'm not kidding! You owe me for the trouble you got me in!" said Junior. Xenjira shook his head.
"I don't think so," said Xenjira.
"That's cold man. Come on, can't you do it for your brother?" asked Rodan.
"Nah. I think this will be a good learning experience for him to grow thicker skin against bigots. Besides, I'd just be putting myself out there to get arrested," said Xenjira. Junior growled angrily.
"I don't need to grow thicker skin when I already have it thick enough! I just want you to clear the air so I don't have to deal with some assholes trying to play the hero to assault me!" said Junior. He wanted to slam Xenjira into the ground so that he could drag him to his school.
"Tell you what. When I feel the time is right, I may show up at your school to clear your name. But you gotta do me a favor. I'll let you know what it is when I figure it out," said Xenjira. Junior began to grind his teeth as his brows twitched.
"Wow. You have a lot of nerve to pull that with him," deadpanned Battra. Junior shot up from his seat.
"I'm going to get my mother. You guys be ready to leave," said Junior as he stomped into the cave. As he entered, he found Zip making her way over to his side.
"So... Awkward day?" Zip shrugged.
"Understatement of the year. I just want to go home and rest before I kill that son of a bitch out there," said Junior with a scowl.
"Hey now, he's your brother. You might end up bonding with him," said Zip with a smile.
"I don't care. I don't want anything to do with him. In case you've forgotten, I was nearly locked away because of him," deadpanned Junior. Zip gave a titter as she rubbed the back of her head.
"R-Right. My bad," said Zip. She cleared her throat.
"So... I was wondering. You doing anything this coming Friday?" asked Zip.
"No, why?" asked Junior. Zip flushed to herself.
"So like, you wanna hang out somewhere? It'd probably help get your mind off today," said Zip. Junior looked to the side in thought.
"You're not gonna tease me are you?" asked Junior in reluctance.
"Only if you want me to," said Zip with a wink. Junior looked away in annoyance.
"It won't just be me. Thorn will be coming along too. We just wanna hang out in town since we haven't been near one in years," said Zip as she held her hands behind her back.
"Then I guess it's alright," said Junior. He was more comfortable around Thorn since she never constantly flirt with him. Zip smiled brightly.
"Awesome! It's a date!" said Zip as she left Junior. The male Transmutant lightly flushed to himself.
"Date? Ugh! Don't think too much about it," muttered Junior to himself. He felt foolish for getting flustered over the phrase.
Battra was just on his way home from the Guardians' lair. He was dropped off by a van while blind folded so that he wouldn't be able to know where it was. He didn't plan on returning to begin with. He had been gone all evening previously and all day today. It was six in the evening right now, and the street lights were turning on. As Battra had made it to his apartment, he opened the door and found Mosura lying her head down on the table, asleep. Battra smiled to himself as he approached her and caressed her head. Mosura stirred awake, finding her elder brother beside her. She shot up immediately with a glare and slapped Battra's shoulder.
"You jerk! Where have you been all day?! I've been worried sick!" cried Mosura.
"I'm sorry. I told you that I've been studying late, haven't I?" asked Battra with a shrug. Mosura looked away as she crossed her arms. “You didn't even answer my text messages," said Mosura with a frown. Her brother's lack of response had worried her to no end. Battra sat next to her and pulled her into a hug.
"I was... Busy on my studies that I hadn't notice. My phone died before I could reply. I'm sorry little sis," said Battra in a soft tone. He hated lying to his little sister, but he knew that the truth would worry her terribly and that just made his stomach tight.
"Just keep your phone charged at all times bro. I worry about you sometimes," said Mosura. Battra smiled in amusement.
"I could say the same thing about you," said Battra as he ruffled Mosura's hair, which she giggled at in response. Everything that Battra was risking just to act as a lone vigilante against the Purists was no longer worth it. It was getting much more dangerous and there was the chance that he would slip up and endanger his little sister. Not to mention that he couldn't take keeping secrets from Mosura. Judging by how committed Gojira Senior was to stopping these Purists, especially by witnessing the base that they had destroyed, he could rest easy knowing that there were people out there handling them. Now, Battra just needed to focus on his personal life. However, he was worried about Xenjira, considering how he was a loose cannon and hoped that Junior's father could keep him on a leash.