//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Fights // Story: Shy and Aggressive // by Johng117 //------------------------------// The days were growing colder for the fall. Soon, snow would cover the town and Junior would have to shovel snow out of the driveway. He did like the cool temperatures of the weather, since it made his nights at sleeping much more satisfying due to having the DNA of a critter that burrows itself to hibernate during the winter. Unfortunately, he couldn't have the luxury of hibernating. School was the beast that continuously challenged him and prevented him from lazing about. It was a blessing and a curse. Junior sat across from Sunset Shimmer in their algebra class. The two stared at each other with intense gazes. Junior looked down at his desk and stared at the paper that was on it. He picked up his pencil and then returned his gaze back to Sunset. Her cold stare dared the Transmutant to back down, but he would not give up so easily. Only a coward backs down from a challenge. Junior smirked as he looked back to the paper and scribbled down the equation. His mind worked to solve the problem that was at hand. When he was finished, Junior raised himself up with a look of confidence and turned the paper around for Sunset to see. Sunset lowered her eyes at the equation and analyzed the Transmutant's work. She then looked back at him with a deadpanned expression. "This is wrong," said Sunset. Junior lost his smile and then went blank in his expression. He sighed in exasperation as he slumped his head down on his desk to lightly bang his forehead against it. "Maybe I should drop out of school and find work as a janitor or something. Maybe some labor work will be good for me," said Junior. Sunset looked at him in disapproval. "Don't talk like that! Not everyone is as fortunate as us to be able to attend school to learn," said Sunset. "Spare me the lecture, Sunset. I'm just considering my options. I rather drop out of high school than be stuck here until I'm in my twenties just to get a diploma," said Junior. Sunset rolled her eyes. "Well, that's why we as students are expected to study our work and apply ourselves. Do that, and the rest of the year will feel like a breeze," said Sunset. "And it's another year of hell after that," muttered Junior. He then turned the paper back over to himself and began to erase his equation. "Can you show me how to get this equation?" asked Junior. "Sure. All you have to do is-" Sunset was interrupted as the bell rang. Junior sighed in disappointment. Sunset gave him a reassuring smile. "Tell you what. I'll tutor you during lunch in the club room and after school, OK?" "Sure," said Junior with a nod. Sunset patted him on the shoulder. "Hang in there," said Sunset as she stood up and left classroom with her bag. Junior place his things back into his back pack and proceeded to leave the classroom. He stopped midway in the hall way and looked down in thought. "I wonder if it's alright if I were to eat in the club room instead of the cafeteria," said Junior to himself. He then shrugged. "Eh. To hell with it. I'm gonna do it anyway," said Junior as he began to make a U turn in the hall. He reached into his back pack and pulled out a brown bag filled with his lunch. The sound of cheering filled Junior's ears. As if they were chants that cried for excitement when watching violence. Junior noticed a small crowd had gathered further down the hall, blocking off his path to the club room. "What the hell?" said Junior as he made his way over to the crowd. He noticed one male student with spiked brown hair and hazel colored eyes. His coat was torn at and his face was slightly bruised as he stood panting in the center of the crowd. Before him were three other male students. Junior recognized them all as other Transmutants due to their inhuman smell. "Eh. It's none of my business. I can just go around," said Junior to himself as he turned. He then stopped as he glanced back. Curious as to why this fight was occurring. The three male Transmutants rushed the male with brown hair, striking him in his gut, his cheek, and his chest. They were coordinated together as fighters against this single opponent. It hardly seemed like a fair fight, but Junior's father taught him that there is no such thing as fairness in combat, only victory. "Whoo! Come on, kill each other!" cheered a male student. Junior scowled as he noticed that the observers were humans. Funny thing about fights in schools was that dozens of students flood over to where a fight is to watch two or more students duke it out, all for their own amusement. It was just like watching boxing, wrestling, or other sports that involved fighting, but on school grounds. However, a fight between Transmutants was rare, given that they mainly stuck together when in a school where skeptical humans were the majority. When a fight between them occurs, some students that hold disdain and xenophobia towards this race show the ugliness of their prejudice. Although unlikely to happen, some students have the gull to call to see blood shed between Transmutants. "Guys, come on. We don't... need to do this," panted the brown haired Transmutant. "Too late, Angirasu. You chose the wrong decision," said the ring leader of the Transmutants. 'Decision? Oh, wait a minute,' thought Junior, recognizing one of the Transmutants. He didn't know the student personally, but he had crossed paths with him at one time and one of his buddies, who had been expelled during his sophomore year. Junior watched as the students ganged up on Angirasu in silence. Angirasu had decided to fight back against his attackers, managing to hit a couple of them. However, their speed and teamwork was overwhelming him. Normally, Junior wouldn't intervene in a fight, but if his guess was correct about the reason of the conflict, it'd be wise to do so this time. Junior sighed as he walked towards the crowd. A girl that was watching the fight gasped as she spotted Junior approaching. "Move!" said Junior as he pushed through the humans, who skittishly backed away. Before the fist of the ring leader could connect with Angirasu again, Junior caught him by his wrist and applied great pressure. "Gah!" cried the Transmutant as he felt his wrist being crushed. "Spinner, good to see you," said Junior in a sarcastic tone. The Transmutant's eyes widened in shock. "Go-Gojira!" cried Spinner. The other two Transmutants tensed while Angirasu sluggishly looked towards his savior in confusion. "Now, what's with all of the violence? You seem to be putting on a good show," said Junior with a glare. "Angirasu... he rejected a proposal that we had for him," said Spinner. Junior hardened his eyes. "What did I tell you about trying to get Transmutants to join your little group? Remember what happened to your older brother?" demanded Junior in a whisper. "What we're doing is for the good of all of our kind!" Spinner whispered back. Junior shoved him away. "So you're going to attack a fellow Transmutant for your goal? Reality check, it's not going to pay off," deadpanned Junior. The other students mumbled among themselves at what the Transmutant could mean. In fact, none of them had even bothered to wonder why this fight had started in the first place. Junior turned to face Angirasu. "Angirasu, right?" asked Junior. "Uh... yeah!" responded Angirasu with a nod. Junior pointed his thumb to the side. "There's some medical supplies in a class room that I'm headed for. Come with me and we'll patch you up," said Junior as he walked to the end of the hall that was blocked. Angirasu glanced at Spinner and his gang and then back to Junior. He shrugged and decided to follow Junior passed the crowd of students. "Well that was anticlimactic," muttered a human student to one of his friends. Spinner growled as he watched Junior leave with Angirasu. "Who do you think you are interfering?!" demanded Spinner. Junior stopped and turned to look at Spinner in annoyance. "Spinner, he's not interested. And before you ask me, I'm gonna tell you the same thing that I told your brother. Fuck off," said Junior. Spinner clenched his fist. "Then I guess we'll have to teach cowards like you a lesson!" said Spinner as he and his group rushed towards Junior and Angirasu, startling the students that were present. Junior rushed towards them as well and tensed his muscles. Spinner sent quick jabs towards Junior, who blocked every single one with his arms. Junior then grabbed Spinner by his black hair and forced his head down to knee his forehead. The Transmutant then punched his second opponent in the gut and kicked away the third opponent that appeared on his right. Students gave cheers of excitement as they watched Ponyville High's most feared Transmutant take on others that could stand against him. Spinner growled as he leaped high into the air and over Junior. He dropped down to the ground and performed a round house kick against Junior's head, forcing him against the wall. The second member of Spinner's group rushed towards Junior and sent multiple punches against his head. Junior's head slammed against the glass window, shattering it. Junior hissed in pain as he felt the glass cut the back of his head. Junior was then kneed in his gut by the third Transmutant and was knocked down to the ground by Spinner, who performed a drop kick on Junior. The students went wild at the fight that was going on, while a couple of them immediately fled. Junior was suddenly being stomped on by all three Transmutants as he lied on the ground. His eyes widened in horror as one of them raised his foot in the air and prepared to stomp on his crotch. 'Oh, son of a-!!' Junior's thought was interrupted as Angirasu tackled the bane to Junior's nether region to the ground and sent strong punches against his face. "Yeah!!" cried a male student with excitement. Junior's eyes widened in surprise at how Angirasu stepped in, but then Angirasu was struck on his back by Spinner. Junior hardened his eyes and raised himself up to his feet as he rammed his shoulder against Spinner and slammed him against a locker, causing the door to cave into it. Junior sent a strong punch against Spinner, knocking out a tooth. He then picked him up and threw him against the second opponent that approached, causing them both to fall to the ground. "Yeah! World Star!!" shouted a student as he and several others recorded the entire fight with their phones. Angirasu looked at them in disbelief. "Are you serious?! You're just going to record this instead of-" Angirasu was interrupted as the third Transmutant that he had on the ground punched him in his face. Angirasu grunted in annoyance as he sent a stronger punch towards his opponent, knocking him unconscious on the tile floor. Angirasu panted as he sluggishly stood up to his feet. Junior grunted in annoyance as he lightly kicked Spinner's rib to see if he was still awake. Spinner groaned as he sluggishly raised himself up. Junior pressed his hand against his forehead and forced him back down onto the ground. "Stay down, dumbass," deadpanned Junior. The sound of cheers filled the air from the excitement that the fight had provided for these students. Junior gave a strong puff of air through his nostrils in annoyance. "What is going on here?!" demanded a feminine voice. The sound of students gasping filled the room. They began to disperse, revealing Vice Principle Luna and five campus officers, armed with Tasers. Her eyes widened as she found the shattered glass, a broken locker, and three students on the ground. Her eyes narrowed as she found Junior and Angirasu standing over the three Transmutants. Junior placed on a nervous smile. "Um... It was self-defense?" said Junior with a shrug, unsure if the woman would believe him. Luna narrowed her eyes even further. "You two. In my office. Now," said Luna in a stern tone. Junior and Angirasu immediately stood at attention with stiff postures. "Yes, ma'am!" said the two Transmutants in unison. The two officers approached the two and ushered them to follow Luna. The three other officers began to cuff the other Transmutants with glowing shackles. "Beat it kids. Officer Business," said an officer with a stern expression. The students briskly dispersed from the area while they muttered among each other. Junior sighed as he looked down at the ground. The two Transmutants were led into the office of Vice Principle Luna, where they were seated by the officers. Luna sighed heavily as she stood behind her desk. "Gojira Takeshi, do you realize how tired I am of having to have you sit there in that seat over a fight? For once, I'd like to see you in my office for something positive," said Luna as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Uh... Well, that's actually nice of you to say," said Junior awkwardly. "Ma'am, what happened earlier was not his fault. Spinner and his friends picked a fight with me and ended up jumping me. Gojira just stepped in to break it up," said Angirasu. Junior raised a brow. 'Normally I'd be blamed right away,' thought Junior in surprise. "What was the fight over?" asked an officer. "Well... you see..." Angirasu rubbed the back of his head nervously. Junior shook his head. He knew full well what the issue was. Angirasu was likely just afraid to snitch, but this was not something to remain silent about. "Remember Spinner's older brother?" asked Junior. "Silk Spray? Yes, but..." Luna's voice trailed off as her memory came back to her. "Apparently Spinner was trying to follow up in Silk's footsteps. He went to Angirasu to get him to join his little gang. When he refused, Spinner thought that roughing him up would be a good lesson to teach," said Junior. Angirasu looked at him in surprise. "Ugh. Kids today. All they do now is do stupid stuff like making gangs," said an officer as he shook his head. Luna looked down at her desk in thought. "I want to hear what eye witnesses have to say and Spinner's side of the story," said Luna. "Well those kids technically assaulted one of your students. We'll be the ones to question them down at the station and we'll tell you what we learn. These two however, you decide what you want to do," said the first officer. Luna nodded in response. "Thank you, officers," said Luna. The two officers made their way out of the officer, leaving the two Transmutants with Luna. She sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "What the heck is going on in this school? There hasn't been fights like the ones now in over twenty years," said Luna. "With all due respect, I think that's pretty much all schools now. Depending on the environment that students were raised in," interjected Angirasu. "Pfft. Yeah, or the racial tension caused by idiots and social media," muttered Junior. The sound of the door opening filled the room. Junior turned and found Celestia walking inside. Her eyes widened as she saw the bruised and cut faces of the boys. "I heard what happened," said Celestia. She made her way at her sister's side. "It was Spinner trying to follow up with what Silk was doing. He and his gang attacked Angirasu, I jumped in and helped him fight them off. Technically, I was defending him while Angirasu was defending himself. Therefore, we weren't in the wrong and I think it'd be fair if we both could avoid getting expelled or suspended," said Junior as he crossed his arms. He winced as he felt a tiny piece of glass digging into the back of his head. As he plucked it, Luna and Celestia both looked at each other briefly. "Well, I do have to commend you for stepping in for a fellow student," said Celestia with a smile before frowning. "Unfortunately, we can't exactly let you both get off free of punishment," said Celestia. Junior groaned in response. "Why not?" asked Junior. "Well... It's complicated," said Celestia. Junior scoffed. "Either that or the modern school administrators are out of their minds. Why is it so wrong for students to defend themselves from an attacker? That's like condemning someone from killing another person that was invading their home," said Junior. "I have to agree," said Luna. "Gojira listen, I'm just doing my job. It pains me to punish you both, really. But I have superiors too, you know," said Celestia. "God, the school administration is such bullshit," said Junior. Angirasu nodded. "And how," said Angirasu. Celestia looked at Junior in disapproval. "Language…but, I do agree with you," said Celestia. "Perhaps we can inflict punishment that's a lot less harsh than what Spinner and the others would receive, but this stays in this room," said Luna. "What did you have in mind?" asked Angirasu. "You both will serve in detention after school for one day. After that, we can all go on about our lives here. Do you agree?" asked Luna. Junior and Angirasu glanced at each other. "Beats being expelled or suspended," said Angirasu with a shrug. Junior turned back to the two women with a sigh. "I was supposed to meet Sunset Shimmer earlier and after school in the club room for a tutoring session," said Junior. "Sunset Shimmer?" asked Celestia in surprise and a bright smile. "So you joined the Friendship Club after all?" asked Celestia. Junior cringed. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't announce it to the whole school. I'm trying to keep a low profile on that," said Junior. Celestia rolled her eyes as she held an amused smile. "Fine, I guess that tutoring thing can wait," sighed Junior. "Good. You boys go on and get a nurse to look at you. I want both of you in the cafeteria after school," said Luna. "Yes ma'am," said the Transmutants in unison as they raised themselves out of their seats and left the office. Celestia turned to smile at her younger sister. "Told you that he'd join," said Celestia. "Well, let's just see if it'll have a positive impact on his life," said Luna with a small smile. Meanwhile outside of the office, Junior and Angirasu strolled down the hall. Junior sighed in annoyance as he looked at his lunch bag, which was crushed. "Damn it. Sons of bitches made me crush my sandwich," said Junior. "Uh... Hey," called Angirasu. Junior stopped and turned to face Angirasu. "Yeah?" asked Junior. "How... How did you know that Spinner wanted me to be part of his gang?" asked Angirasu. Junior sighed as he rubbed his head. "Tell me, are you new here?" asked Junior. "Not really. I came here last school year as a sophomore," said Angirasu. Junior nodded in understanding. "Ah. Well, a year before that I was a freshman. I built up a reputation of being much stronger than most Transmutants. A force to be reckoned with. That guy that jumped you, his older brother once came up to me and told me how he was part of this street gang comprised of Transmutants," said Junior. He searched the name of this gang in his head, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember it. "Ah. The name escapes me. They were pretty much all about protecting their neighbor Transmutants, but really they were just a bunch of idiots going around attacking humans and Transmutants that didn't agree with them," said Junior. "I never knew that was a group like that in this town," said Angirasu in surprise. Junior raised a brow at him. "You seem to carry a hint of an accent there. You a foreigner?" asked Junior in curiosity. "Yeah, I was actually born and raised in Neighpon for the first six years of my life. My family and I moved to Equestria when I was seven," answered Angirasu. "Ah, you’re from the motherland? That's interesting," said Junior. He then sighed as he rubbed his bleeding head. "Anyway, I turned Silk down. Of course, he didn't really like that but he didn't try anything stupid with me. A couple days after that, I hear that he got arrested for assaulting a pizza delivery guy," said Junior. He shook his head. "That poor bastard. They strung him up from a spider web in the ceiling and robbed him of his car," "I thought I got a creepy crawly sense from them. They were spider based Transmutants," said Angirasu as he and Junior made their way to the nurses office. "That's right. I guess Silk was part of a gang that figured out how to mess with their Inhibitor chips, allowing them to use more of their abilities than they normally could," said Junior. "Is that really possible? I mean, they put those things in us while we're in the womb," said Angirasu. "Evidently it is. It's not located in anywhere like the brain, but I think that's how they're able to mess with it without so much worry. Unlike the Revolutionaries, who either never had an inhibitor chip implanted in them or figured out how to remove them themselves," said Junior. Angirasu hummed to himself. "Hey, Gojira. Thanks a lot for the help. I really appreciate it," said Angirasu with a smile. Junior nodded to him in response. "Sure, no problem. I respect a person that defends himself or herself," said Junior. He then sighed heavily. "Man, Sunset is not gonna be happy when she finds out that I didn't make it to the club room at lunch," said Junior. Later after school... Junior stood in the front of the club room door in silence. He had just left detention. According to the club schedule that Twilight had set, the club was working until five in the evening, where school would be closing its doors. He sighed heavily as he opened the door and found Sunset Shimmer standing with her arms crossed and with a displeased expression while the rest of the girls sat in their seats with wary expressions. "I am not happy," said Sunset. Junior slumped his shoulders. "Shit," said Junior. Sunset scoffed. "Where were you? It would've been nice if you told me that you weren't going to be here!" said Sunset. Junior sighed in exhaustion as he made his way over to an empty seat and sat down. Fluttershy gasped as she noticed the bruises and cuts on Junior's face. "What happened?" asked Fluttershy. "Oh you know. Just got into another fight. Some other Transmutants were jumping another. I felt obligated to step in for him," said Junior. He reached into the back of his head and plucked one last shard of tiny glass and sat it on the table. Twilight's eyes widened. "Did you just plucked a piece of glass from you head?!" exclaimed Twilight. "No, it's fairy dust," said Junior in a sarcastic tone as he rubbed his bleeding head. "The nurse must have missed a couple." Fluttershy made her way to Junior with a medical kit and dabbed a cotton ball covered in alcohol against his head. Junior winced in response. "I really don't need that you know," said Junior. "But you're hurt. You have to have your wounds treated," said Fluttershy as she searched Junior's back of his head for anymore pieces of glass. Junior sighed in response. "I couldn't make it to the club at lunch or earlier after school because I had gotten detention. Sorry," said Junior as he glanced at Sunset. The girl's expression softened. She looked away as she crossed her arms. "It's fine. But I think we should work to avoid another situation like this where one of us waits on the other. Do you have a cell phone?" asked Sunset. Junior reached into his pocket and held out his smart phone. "Good. We can exchange numbers so we can remain in contact with each other," said Sunset as she approached the Transmutant and pulled out her smart phone. "Alright, type away and send me a text," said Junior as he handed Sunset his phone. She raised a brow at him. "I'm surprised you trust me that easily with your phone," said Sunset. "It's not like I have anything to hide on there," said Junior as he crossed his arms. He then hissed as the alcohol damped cotton stung his cut. "Sorry!" said Fluttershy with a nervous smile. Sunset handed Junior back his phone and began to text on her own. "OK, sending you a text now," said Sunset. After a few seconds, Junior's phone vibrated. He opened his inbox and found a phone number with a text message. 'Looks like you finally got a girl's phone number in your phone other than your mother, lol. JK,' the text read. Junior scowled in response. He saved the phone number into his contacts and labeled it under Sunset's name. He then began to text a reply to her. 'Very funny,' the text read. As Sunset's phone beeped from the message received, she laughed in amusement as she read the text. "Oh! Let me get his number too!" said Mosura as she shot up out of her seat and made her way over to Sunset's side. "Wait, what?" asked Junior. "Well, why not? Club members gotta stay in touch, right?" asked Mosura with a smile. Junior looked away. "Uh... sure, I guess," said Junior. He then gulped to himself. 'Man, mom is gonna have so much stuff to tease me about if she finds out,' thought Junior. "That's a good idea! I'll have to get his number too," said Twilight as she left her seat and began to make her way over to Sunset and Mosura. Junior's eyes widened. Fluttershy stood up from her seat as she took out her phone. "Um... May I have your number too? I mean, if you don't mind that is," said Fluttershy with a shy smile. Junior looked away from her with flushing cheeks. 'Ugh. Mom is definitely gonna give me so much crap,' thought Junior. He sighed in defeat. "Fine," said Junior. "You want in on this, Erika? This is a chance to get a guy's number in your phone for the first time," said Sunset with a coy smile. Erika looked away in embarrassment. "I'm good!" said Erika. After the next minute, Junior was looking at his phone's contacts. All had the names and phone numbers of the Friendship Club, excluding Erika. He looked up from his phone and found all of the girls all looking at him with friendly smiles. Normally, a guy would be going crazy about how he had gotten the phone numbers of multiple attractive girls in one hour. In fact, he could hear Rodan crying out in a jealous rage right now. But Junior wasn't one to think too much into this scenario. Just because these girls had given him their number, it didn't mean that they were attracted him. Thinking so was just a delusion some love sick dork would have. "Can you still tutor me on the homework today?" asked Junior. "Sure thing. Just try to avoid getting into trouble so you can have more time next time," said Sunset. "Pfft. No promises," said Junior. He then noticed the dissatisfied look that Sunset was giving him. "But, I'll try," "That's all I ask," said Sunset with a smile. It was early in the evening. The streets were quiet and the cars were few. A lone figure in a black hood was perched over the city hall in silence. His hellish red eyes scanned the streets as he looked over the town. He knew of the kind of people that lived here. They were mostly a bit more of a country folk, not familiar with customs in the city and rowdier compared to the stuck up citizens of Canterlot. Still, he had no reason to judge them like others who judged him and his kind. So, he takes up living isolated from intolerant people, only appearing in the night for one goal. To eliminate threats of Transmutants. That is what Battra Yasu had vowed to himself and his sister. He raised himself up and scanned the area. His mind was filled with many voices speaking all at once, all chaotic and without order. One person would go insane after hearing this for so long, but he trained himself to handle it as the payoff was worth it. "Where are you, scum?" muttered the figure to himself. "So, what did the big boss say?" asked a male voice. Battra narrowed his eyes. He was familiar with some people referring to someone as, 'the big boss'. It was a common thing that street thugs had done when it came to referring to someone of greater authority. His mind began to focus on this particular voice. "He said he wants us to load up these weapons down over to a warehouse over in Manehattan. He's got big plans for those freaks," said a female voice. Battra hardened his eyes. "Gotcha," said Battra with a smirk. All thanks to telepathy, he was able to read the minds of hundreds in a wide radius. If it was any good use that one could put that ability to, this was it. Battra dashed across the city hall roof and leapt several feet across the street and over towards a nearby building's roof top. He followed the source of the minds that he had scanned through and continued to monitor what they were thinking as they spoke. Some of these words may not have been exactly said as he was hearing it, since these people may have said a different word as they thought of how to respond. Battra continued to run across roof tops for the next several minutes until he found himself in a darker side of Ponyville. Not many people come around this area at night. This is what some may refer to as the ghettos. Trash was scattered throughout yards, graffiti covered the walls of buildings, houses were ragged, and a few homeless people lied in their own filth from a lack of proper hygiene. It was unfortunate for something like this to come to pass in a relatively peaceful town, but Battra thought that these people were at least better off here than in the ghettos of a foreign country. The Transmutant dropped down to the street and strolled across this dark side of town, where the sound of dogs barking echoed into the night. Battra dove behind a wall as he found several men standing outside of an abandoned building. He carefully peeked over the wall and found four men standing outside of the building armed with assault rifles. He sighed as he turned back and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a black ski mask. He then slipped on black gloves. "Can't leave behind finger prints," muttered Battra. He then took a deep breath as he steeled himself. Inside of the abandoned building, there was a scattered amount of shelves. This building once served as an organic produce store, but shut down due to how bad the neighborhood was getting. So, the place became a docking place for the launch pad or receiving pad for arms. So far, the police have yet to be able to find this place. In a small office, a man sat at an old desk as he loaded up his handgun. Multiple bullets lied scattered on the desk right next to a couple clips. The sound of knocking on the door reached his ears. "Come in," said the man. The door opened, revealing a woman with her hair partly shaved off from the side, bearing a tattoo of a skull with a double helix on the forehead. The tattoo was also located on her right shoulder. "We're about ready to roll out to Manehattan," said the woman. The man nodded in response. "Alright, Riley. Get the boys ready. Make sure nothing is left behind here," said the man. Riley nodded in response. Suddenly, the sound of shouts reached their ears. "Shit, where did he go?!" exclaimed a man from outside. Riley and her superior looked at each other with wide eyes. They both took out their weapons and rushed out of the office. At the further end of the produce store, they spotted multiple members of their gang scrambling towards the door with their weapons. Their guns blazed through the darkness, causing multiple flashes of light. At the center, a figure in black appeared with every flash, evading the deadly bullets. This figure moved quick like a shadow, hiding behind shelves for cover. Suddenly, one of the shelves was blown off of the ground and landed on several members of this gang. Battra leaped into the air and over four other gang members. He dropped in between all of them, where they whipped around with a panic. The Transmutant kicked the rifle out of one of their hands and then yanked a shot gun out of another's hand and swung it against another human's rifle. He then rushed towards the last gang member as he raised his rifle. Before he could shoot, Battra brought his fist down on the end of his weapon and forced it out of his hands. He then brought his other fist up and slugged his opponent in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The Transmutant then dodged a punch by one of his other opponents, slipped behind him and kicked him in his back, causing his spine to break. Afterwards, he performed an uppercut on one of the two remaining gang members in the jaw, sending him up a couple feet into the air. He then grabbed his leg and swung him towards the last opponent. Battra turned and found Riley and several other gang members at the far end of the store. His eyes then began to glow violet. "Oh shit! This mother fucker got some glowing eyes!" cried one of them gang members with a lack of proper grammar. "It's the Night Angel!" cried another one of the gang members as he trembled in place with his gun barely focusing on the Transmutant. "That's no angel! There ain't no such thing! Waste this fool!" shouted the leader of this gang. He then pointed to Riley. "You! Take the others in the garage and get the hell out of here!" "Got it!" said Riley as she took off from the room and made her way over towards a door in the store and rushed through the garage. Three other men jumped in surprise as she bore a frantic expression. "Guys, get in the van! We need to get out of here with the guns!" cried Riley. "What's going-" one of the men were interrupted as Riley grabbed him by his jacket. "I said get in the fucking van!!" screamed Riley. The sound of muffled gun fire filled their ears along with shouts. Cries of agony muffled from behind the door. "Shit!" said Riley as she rushed over towards the van. The rest of the men piled into the van, with Riley sitting in the passenger seat. The van's engine roared to life as the headlights flashed on. The sound of the door being knocked off its hinges reached their ears. They turned and found Battra walking out of the shadows with his eyes glowing violet. "Go! Go! Go!" cried Riley. The driver slammed his foot on the pedal, causing the van's tires to screech as it attempted to flee. Battra slowly walked out of the garage after the van as it turned the corner. As he reached his arms out, the van suddenly halted as the back of it felt as though it was elevated into the air. "What the hell are you doing?! Drive!" cried Riley. "I am! I have my foot on the gas pedal right now!" cried the driver. The van suddenly rocked as it was raised into the air. Battra strained as he held his hands up as he mentally thought of the van rising into the air. "Oh shit! This guy is a witch or something!" cried one of the gang members that sat in the back seat of the van. Suddenly, the sound of steel creaking reached their ears. The van began to cave in on itself, bolts popped out of place and the glass windows shattered. "Oh my god!!" cried Riley. The sound of pained cries reached Battra's ears. The Transmutant grunted as he slammed the van into the side of the abandoned store, crashing into the office. He panted as he stood by as the smoke from the debris filled the air. The wind blew against him, causing his jacket to ruffle. He hardened his eyes as he slowly walked up to the crushed van. He placed his hands on the back double doors and grabbed the handles before yanking on them, causing them to come off of the hinges. He tossed the doors to the side and peaked inside of the van. The people that were inside all laid scattered in the van, unconscious and injured. As Battra was about to reach for one of the weapons that were packed inside of a broken box, Riley popped out from the front seat with a pistol drawn. The weapon gave a loud pop as it fired. Battra cried out in pain as the bullet struck him in his chest. Riley fired more shots into Battra's chest, causing him to stagger back from the bullets. As Riley pulled the trigger again, the gun clicked. She panted as she waited for the Transmutant to drop down. Her eyes widened in horror as Battra gave a chuckle. "Clever girl. Unfortunately for you, I was prepared," said Battra as slightly unzipped his jacket, revealing a body armor vest. "I got this from a cop that you guys smoked a month back, may he rest in peace," said Battra. He raised his hand and telekinetically pulled Riley out of the front seat and out of the van. He threw her against a trash can. Riley groaned in agony as she clutched her side. Her adrenaline ran out, allowing her to feel her broken ribs. "That's about as bad you Purists killing innocent Transmutants that have nothing to do with a terrorist organization," said Battra as he raised Riley up and forced her against the wall. His red eyes glared into the human's soul. Riley spat on his face, getting blood on the mask. "Fuck you, freak! It's because of your kind that my sister is dead!" spat Riley. Battra scoffed. "My condolences, but I'm not one of the ones that terrorizes people. I just take out trash like you, who hurt my kind," said Battra as he forced Riley towards a car's bumper. He levitated a chain out towards her and bounded her body to the car. She trembled in place as Battra's glowing eyes stared down at her. He levitated a blow torch towards his hand and levitated a metal item. "Now, this is going to hurt a lot," said Battra. Riley's eyes widened in horror as the blow torch heated up this metal item. Battra grabbed Riley by her shoulder and forced her to turn around. Battra tore part of the back of her shirt, exposing her upper back as he slowly lowered the hot metal towards her bare skin via telekinesis. The sound of Riley's agonized screams echoed out into the night, waking up people across the neighborhood. Birds flew away, startled by the screams. Police cars gave off their loud sirens as they raced through the neighborhoods and out towards the ghettos. The police arrived at the abandoned produce store. They drew their weapons and rushed inside only to find unconscious and dead street thugs. "Geez. What the hell happened here?" asked a male officer. "These guys must have had a turf war or something," said a female officer. "Everyone sweep the area! Stay on guard!" said the male officer. The police searched all around the dark store, vigilant for any of these thugs to be awake. An officer gasped as he arrived at the office room, finding that a van had crashed through the wall. He found the driver to be slumped over in his seat with his face bleeding. "I got something over here!" shouted the officer. Soon, the police were all over this van. They shined their lights over the mangled vehicle and the unconscious thugs. "Whoa. These guys were definitely packing," said a female officer as she picked slightly picked up an M60 machine gun. "These are military grade weapons!" said another officer as he looked over the weapons. "God, these guys looked like they were ready for war," said another officer. "Over here!" shouted another officer. The rest turned and found part of their squad making their way over towards a car, where Riley was chained to. She was trembling, covered in sweat and scratches. She panted as her eyes were filled with tears. She groaned as she gritted her teeth in pain. The officers all cautiously approached her and found that part of her shirt was torn in the back. An officer shined his flash light on the woman's back and found a mark on her. She bore the branding mark that appeared to have been made by heated metal. This mark was all too familiar to this officer, for it resembled angel wings. "He was here," whispered the officer. "Who was?" asked a female officer. The male officer that shined his light over Riley's back turned her around and found her tattoo on her shoulder. It was the tattoo of the Purists, the group of terror against Transmutants. "The Night Angel," said the male officer. From the shadows, Battra remained perched over the rooftop. He kept a cold gaze onto the scene below him. As the officers called their station, Riley was cuffed and unchained. As a female officer turned her gaze his way, Battra quickly dove deeper into the shadows. He continued to run across the roof tops, leaping every time that he had run out of roof. It was just another night of doing something dangerous and reckless. But, it was all worth it if it meant that she would be safe. Later... Battra leaped over onto the roof of a building and remained perched near a chimney. He found an apartment building just sitting ahead. Lights were lit, brightening up the area. Compared to the area that Battra had found himself in, this place was a lot nicer. The streets were clean, not as much crime was committed, and anyone that was homeless here was treated much better. They were offered warm meals, a blanket, and some money to help them move on. Of course, Transmutants were still discriminated against by these people, thus making it necessary to hide the I.D. mark from the public and to avoid stores that did not offer service to Transmutants. Battra sighed as he turned to the apartment and ran across the roof. He jumped into the air and landed into the alley in between the apartment and another close building. The Transmutant gazed up to the wall and found an emergency escape ladder. He jumped and brought the ladder down and proceeded to climb up. After pulling the ladder back up, Battra did a quick scan to see if anyone was watching him. Fortunately, there was no one, so he rushed up the stairs for a few floors until he had neared the midsection of the building. He peaked through a window and found the room to be empty. He carefully raised the window open and quietly stepped inside of this dark bedroom. Battra sighed in relief as he safely made his way inside. He then took off the mask and tossed it on the bed along with his leather jacket. He then removed his gloves and armored vest and placed them on the floor. He carefully pushed them underneath the bed where no one could see them. He winced as he felt his chest bruise up from the impact that the bullets had on his vest. The sound of knocking caused Battra to jump and forced him to turn towards the door. "Big bro! Are you awake?" called a feminine voice. "Uh... yeah! Just give me a second, sis," said Battra as he quickly closed his window and placed his mask underneath his pillow. The Transmutant made sure everything was in order. He nodded and proceeded to make his way over towards the door. He opened it, revealing Mosura. "Hey, sis. How's it going?" asked Battra with a calm expression. Mosura sighed in annoyance. "Battra, you were supposed to take the trash out earlier," said Mosura. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I forgot," said Battra with a nervous chuckle. Mosura shook her head in response and gave him a smile. "Well, dinner is ready. Let's go eat," said Mosura. Battra nodded as he followed his younger sister out. The two walked through a hallway and made their way over to a kitchen table in the room. A television set sat nearby in the living room; where the table was partially part of. The two sat across from each other at the table, where a couple of dishes filled with food were present. Battra served himself chicken with a side of rice while Mosura did the same. She then looked at him in disapproval. "Hey, don't forget to eat your veggies!" said Mosura as she pointed to a bowl filled with salad mixed with tomatoes and cucumbers. Battra chuckled. "Of course," said Battra as he served himself some of the vegetables. As he took he bite, he sighed to himself. "You did good, Mosu," said Battra with a smile. Mosura smiled brightly at her elder brother's approval. "Thanks! I was worried that I may have overdone the chicken," said Mosura. "No, it's perfect," said Battra as he continued to eat. Mosura sniffed the air and cupped her nose. "Ew. Battra, when was the last time you had a bath?" asked Mosura in disgust. "Sorry, I can take a quick shower right now," said Battra. "Ah! No, that's OK. I'm sorry, that was mean of me. You can go ahead and finish your dinner first," said Mosura. "You sure? It's not a problem," said Battra. "No, it's fine. Now eat up before it gets cold," said Mosura as she began to eat. Battra shrugged and ate as well. The sound of a ringtone filled their ears. The ring tone was that of a woman singing some pop music in Neighponese. The two weren't opposed to listening to the music in the west, but Mosura really liked the song that she wanted it to be her ring tone. Mosura pulled out her phone and began to look it over. She smiled to herself as she typed a reply. "Hey, Battra. I don't think that I'm going to be home tomorrow," said Mosura. Battra raised a brow. "Why not?" asked Battra. "Well, Sunset Shimmer just invited me over to a party that's coming up tomorrow night and I was thinking of going," said Mosura. Battra looked at his sister worriedly. "A party? Tomorrow at night? Wait, do I know this Sunset Shimmer?" asked Battra. Mosura scoffed. "Battra, you met her! She came over to study with me, remember?" "Oh, you mean the girl with the hair that looks like ketchup and mustard about to be mixed together?" asked Battra jokingly. Mosura chuckled, much to her shame. "Brother, that's mean!" said Mosura. "I'm sorry. But, is she the one? Isn't she also the one with that one guy for a boyfriend? Brad or some shit?" asked Battra. "Flash Sentry," corrected Mosura. "Yeah, that douche," said Battra. Mosura looked at him in disapproval. "Battra!" said Mosura. Her brother shrugged in response. "What? Have you seen him? He's like your typical high school pretty boy that plays guitar. He's only popular because he's good looking, but he seems arrogant," said Battra as he took a bite of his meal. "Battra, he's a nice guy!" said Mosura. Battra scoffed in response. "Yeah, I bet that's what all the girls say about posers like him," said Battra. "He acts like hot shit when it comes to Transmutants, but I bet he can't take the heat. He keeps talking the way he does, he'll find himself six feet under." "Battra!" said Mosura. "Alright, I'll stop. But still, how can you hang out with someone like him?" asked Battra with a frown. "I don't. I sometimes hang out with Sunset. But now that I'm part of this club, I'm hanging out with other human girls," said Mosura with a soft smile. "But they don't know about you," said Battra. Mosura looked away and sighed. "No," said Mosura. "Sis, you can't keep that a secret forever. Why are you ashamed to let the world know of what you are?" asked Battra. "You're one to talk! You hide it too!" said Mosura with a glare. "That's true, but for your sake. Mosu, I keep my true self a secret because I want you to be happy. I'd have no problem showing off my I.D. code," said Battra as he revealed his wrist, showing a tattoo that read 'Y-0132'. Mosura glanced at her own wrist, which appeared to be bare. She gently began to rub it and partially revealed a tattoo that read, 'Y-0314'. She sighed heavily. "But you asked me not to. And as your older brother, I honored your request. Mosu, I just want you to know that things that are in the dark, eventually come into the light. No matter how hard you try to hide something," said Battra. He then mentally sighed. 'That's the pot calling the tea kettle black,' thought Battra. Mosura nodded in response. "Thanks, big brother. I'm sorry," said Mosura with a light smile. "No problem. Hey, can you pass me the salt?" asked Battra. Mosura nodded. She raised her hand over towards the salt, causing it to levitate into the air and over towards Battra. He took it from the air. "Thanks sis," said Battra. Mosura nodded in response. "By the way, I'm coming with you to that party," said Battra. "You won't embarrass me will you?" asked Mosura in a worried tone. "I'm just going to make sure that these hormonal boys don't try to defile my baby sister before she gets married," said Battra in a humorous tone. Mosura scowled. "I'm not a baby! Besides, I'm not one who gives into that kind of stuff! Gross," said Mosura. She then looked at her phone and then looked at her contacts. She lightly smiled as she found the contact under, 'Goji'. A picture of the Transmutant scowling was displayed on her phone's screen. She worked hard to convince him to let her take a picture of him. "What are you smiling about?" asked Battra. "Hmm? Oh, nothing," said Mosura. Battra raised a brow in response. Mosura merely hummed to herself as she went back to eating. Battra shook his head in response.