"Stephanie, I know it's Sunday, but one in the afternoon is ridiculous." Melissa Edgley warned her daughter Stephanie.

Stephanie didn't usually sleep till that late, but the truth was she never, in fact slept. She was working all night with her mentor. She was training air manipulation and they started around midnight the night before. And ended at midday the next day. It wasn't that Skullduggery wasn't paying attention, he was, but having a stubborn apprentice like Valkyrie Cain can become, for lack of a better word, exhausting. When she realized it was lunch time she complied. There are some limits for stubbornness, after all. But there was an upside. Her parents wouldn't really suspect anything because she usually looks like she escaped from an earthquake when she wakes up. Apparently that also happened if she didn't sleep. But she did need some sleep, but she couldn't at her house. Not if she wanted her parents to think that she is capable of sleeping 24 hours. No, she would activate her reflection and take a nap at Skull's house. It would take some convincing but if Valkyrie is not convincing, then she's not a girl. Her father was reading the newspaper and he couldn't pass up the chance.

"Oh, honey, you look like a train wreck."

She just glared at him. She went to the fridge and got some leftovers. She was regretting not sleeping already. She promised herself she wouldn't do it again. Ever. Probably.

After she was finished she headed back to her room and called Skull.

"What is it, I was sleeping." Skull said in a slur voice.

"You don't sleep." Valkyrie stated.

"Neither do you apparently."

"Can I sleep at your place?"

"No because, one: Not sleeping is completely your fault. Two: I don't have a bed. Three: It's your fault. And four: What's wrong with your own bed?"

"My parents can't know that I was out literally all night. Aren't you supposed to be a detective and figure this stuff out?"

"I mostly solve crimes missy." Valkyrie heard him sigh on the other side of the line. "Fine, you can come. But you are walking, because I don't feel like picking you up."

"Deal."

After putting on some baggy jeans, a long sleeved shirt and a jacket, she touched her mirror, making her reflection come out of it.

"If you need me, I'll be at Skull's house." Valkyrie told her reflection, who just nodded.

Valkyrie climbed out the window and made her way to Skullduggery's house.

When she arrived, she knocked and Skull answered the door.

"Wow, you really do look like you haven't slept for 12 hours."

He stepped aside to let her in and she charged towards a couch and immediately fell asleep.

"Well, hello to you too." Skull sighed as he closed the door.

0000000000

Several hours later, when the sun was already set, a certain pub started filling with all sorts of shady characters. They drank and socialized, but they did not look friendly at all.

One very drunk fellow approached the bartender, almost falling onto the counter. The hooded man next to him had to pick up his bottle or else the drunkard would've tossed it to the ground in his intoxicated rampage.

"Hey, boss... How about... *hiccup* More black stuff, eh?" He said. Well, slurred.

"I think you've had enough for tonight."

"What did you just say? You want me and my elemental buddies over there fry you?" the drunk guy threatened.

"O-ok..." The bartender complied taking out a cup, a bottle of Guinness and then filling it up.

"That'll be 8 Euros."

"Put it on my tab."

"You don't have one."

"Well, then make one!" the drunkard said almost spilling his beer.

The bartender was obviously afraid so he just jolted down something on a note pad so it seemed legit.

"Glad were in agreement." the drunk guy said leaving the counter. He bumped into the hooded man due to his lack of balance and dropped his cup, making the beer smear across the floor. He looked at floor and then at the man.

"See what you just did? Now, you owe me a beer."

The man turned towards him with a very calm posture.

"Of course." he said calmly. He made a signal to the bartender and he pulled out a cup and a bottle. But before he could open the bottle, the hooded man grabbed it and held it out to the drunkard. He reach for it, but the hooded man flipped it, grabbed it by the neck and smashed the bottle into the man's face. He fell to the ground immediately and the entire pub just froze. The hooded man took off his hood to reveal Alex. He turned to the drunk guy's friends and they stared at each other for a little while. He threw his arms up.

"What are you waiting for?"

The moment he said that, all four of them jumped from their chairs and charged him. The rest of the people there ran outside, fearing that the fight would get out of control.

The first man approached Alex and generated a fireball in his hand. He threw it at Alex, but he only tilted his head. The fireball destroyed the Guinness sign behind him and nearly missed the bartender, who ducked and hid under the counter.

Alex simply kicked him in the face, making him stumble. Another man approached him and tried to punch him, but Alex caught his hand. He rammed the palm of his hand onto the man's elbow, breaking it. He head butted the man knocking unconscious. The other two men rushed Alex, but he hopped on the counter and somersaulted over the two men, landing on the other side, having only a table separating them. They turned around and before they could react, Alex kicked the table upwards making it flip and then he kicked it frontwards, making the feet of the table hit both men, knocking them unconscious. The first man had almost regained his footing, but Alex grabbed his head.

The bartender heard nothing for a few seconds, then he heard the man screaming and blue lights, illuminating the entire pub. While this happened, every light bulb, the TV screen and the neon signs exploded. Then there was nothing but silence and the smell of something burning. He very cautiously peeked over the counter to find all of the man unconscious. One of them looked like he had been burned. But there was something missing. The boy who did all that was no longer there.

Alex left the pub and put his hood back on. He checked the time and then inspected his surroundings.

"Now, we wait." Alex said to himself. He hid in a nearby alley and waited patiently for the pieces to fall together.

000000000000

Valkyrie was woken abruptly by Skullduggery.

"What? What is it?" Valkyrie slurred.

"Something happened down at a local pub. Mr. Bliss has... offered us an opportunity to investigate."

"My back feel awful."

"I don't think couches were made to sleep on."

Valkyrie stretched her sore muscles and got up.

"So, what exactly are we investigating?" Valkyrie asked.

"A bar fight apparently."

"What, just a normal bar fight? Didn't they have anything more pertinent?"

Skull just shrugged "I'll take what I can get."

Skull put on his scarf, hat and sun glasses and they were on they're way.

They arrived after a few minutes of driving. The only person there was Mr. Bliss. Skull got out of the car and Valkyrie followed.

"Hello, Mr. Bliss. I reckon there's no one else here because it's a case of minor importance." Skull said to Mr. Bliss.

"No. In fact, this case is one like I've never seen. There's no one here yet because I haven't reported it yet."

"Why not?" Valkyrie asked.

"Come inside."

The moment they got inside, Valkyrie immediately noticed all the darkness.

"Why is it so dark?"

Skullduggery generated a fireball and he made it float near the ceiling, making it light the entire room.

"All the light bulbs, neon signs... Even the TV screen seems to have exploded." Valkyrie stated. She noticed that there were five men lined up against a wall. They were all unconscious. "Who are they?"

"The bartender, which owns this pub, said they came here sometimes and caused nothing but trouble." Mr. Bliss explained.

"Then, who did this to them?" Skull asked.

"The bartender said it was a hooded boy. He explained that one of those people was extremely drunk and bumped into the boy, dropping his beer. He demanded the boy paid him a bottle, but he just smashed on into his face. He also said that they were his friends and that they attacked the boy as well."

"Any idea, who or where this boy is?" Skull asked.

"No. But I think it is imperative we search for him." Mr. Bliss stated. He walked next to Valkyrie and pointed to the man who looked like had been electrocuted. "This man is supposed to be dead. If this boy was an adept and he was, indeed, able to disperse electricity, than he is one of a kind. No one can control electricity to this point. And the bartender reported that the light he saw, while he was electrocuting him, were blue. Which is impossible."

Mr. Bliss looked at his watch.

"You need to go, the Sanctuary is going to send someone to investigate and it probably wouldn't be a good idea for him to find you here."

"We're going" Skull said signaling Valkyrie to follow.

They go to the car an put on their seatbelts.

"Well, that was useless. Everything we learned there, he could have just told us over the phone."

"Nothing is ever useless. And Mr. Bliss was very kind in giving us this opportunity." Skull corrected while turning on the car and driving off. After a few minutes of driving, the car started to breakdown.

"The car is breaking down? Seriously?" Valkyrie snickered.

"The car is not in it's... mint condition." Skull answered as he pulled over. They both got out of the car and Skull went to check what was wrong under the hood while Valkyrie leaned her back against the car waiting for Skull.

"That's odd." Skull said after closing the hood. "There's nothing wrong with the engine but the electrical systems were fried. It's almost like some..."

"Short circuited the car with an emp."

Valkyrie looked around to see where the voice came from as she generated a flame on her hand. There was someone standing on top of the car.

"Hi," said Alex with small smile. "My name's Grim Messor, but you can call me Grim."

That's it for this chapter. Hope you liked it, there are more to come.