It had been about a month since I'd first joined the team. Maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less. In that time, I'd done a lot of work.
New York City had become a second home to me in a lot of ways. I spent a hell of a lot of time there either training in Ted's gym or patrolling the streets with him. I suppose I could have done the patrols on my own, with my Pokemon. But honestly, spending time with my mentor was great. He had a ton of great stories, he was funny as hell, and the pair of us being a kickass team was great feeling.
PYJ
July 25th, 2010
"So I leaped down on the table, feeling impressive as hell. And I look at this mob boss and his cronies, all terrified at the sight of me. They've been packing their money, clearly running scared after my hours of investigatin'. I'm feeling smug, about to kick them to the curb."
Ted shook his head sadly. "Then I notice the green glow behind me."
Wildcat sat down next to me on the edge of an apartment roof overlooking the city. "Turned out that Green Lantern was on the same trail. So when I turn, there's Alan, looking like a frikkin avengin angel and surprised to see me."
He sighed. "In the end, they didn't even know I was chasing them down! Can you believe it!? A solid week, and they were more worried about Alan! Alan is the nicest guy in the world for cryin out loud!"
I laughed, trying not to sound to humored by the thought. Still, Wildcat gave me an annoyed, but still joking, glare.
"Yeah yeah. Come on kid. City won't save itself."
I sighed, but nodded. Then I clapped my hands. "Come on guys! Time to go!"
From the skies, two things appeared. One, a bird of electricity. The other, a red jetlike bird.
They coasted down to meet us. I smiled, and went for Latias.
And then Zapdos carefully maneuvered in my way.
"What the-? Zapdos! We talked about this!" I looked up at the bird, crossing my arms as annoyance filled me.
Zapdos carefully didn't look at me. Noticeably, Zapdos also didn't move out of the way.
I moved to go to the right of it. Yellow and black feathers got in my way. Left got me an orange beak.
"I have flown with you like seven times already!" I rubbed my head and sighed, trying not to get mad. "Why do you even want me to ride you? You said you don't like me."
Wildcat and Latias had identical smiles on their faces as Zapdos once more ignored me, while pointedly staying in my way.
I finally growled, throwing my hands in the air. "Tsundere freaking… Fine!"
I turned to Latias. "Latias, can you-?"
I stopped when I noted Wildcat climbing on top of her, both chuckling and clearly having a mental conversation making fun of me.
Well. Fair is fair. I'd laughed at him.
Soon enough, the pair of us were flying over the skies of New York on the backs of Pokemon.
PYJ
It made me sad in some ways. In the comics, Batman and Robin eventually split because of their differences. If their relationship was so much closer than Ted and mine, then how much would that split have hurt?
It made me resolve to make sure that never happened in this universe, and that Ted would always have me there to back him up if he needed a guy with a meta-animal army at his back.
That was the fun part actually. Running through New York with a veteran hero was awesome. Doing it with my Pokemon made it better.
For one thing, in a city that hadn't had meta-combat in earnest in years, they were kinda OP.
PYJ
July 27th
As the fire, the third in a week in the same neighborhood, raged, a small child shivered in her closet. She'd rushed in there when she smelled the smoke, terrified by the screams that had sounded through the apartment. She was nine, and terrified, her arms wrapped around her knees and her head in her arms.
Then, the stifling heat around her disappeared. She looked up, confused.
The closet door opened. Outside was a tall man, wearing a black bodysuit. She almost giggled at his mask, with a face like a teddy bears. He looked down at her and smiled.
"Hey sweetheart… you okay?"
He leaned down and took the scared girl gently into his arms. She looked over his shoulder as he picked her up to see a massive four legged red animal with a mask.
"Ah!" She squeaked.
The animal looked up at her, then barked softly. It then ran off. As it did, the fires in the hall flew towards it, absorbed into the animals body.
"That is freaky to watch." The man growled. "Come on. Let's find your parents."
And as they left, rain began to fall against the rooftop.
PYJ
Heatran and Slowbro were damn good when it came to fire rescue. She swam through flames like it was nothing, and simply absorbed them into her body like those rocks she loved so much. Slowbro was able to use his water to create rain in the skies before taking the fire out with careful bursts, allowing me and Wildcat to work with ease.
Chesnaught ended up being my enforcer, a role he relished.
PYJ
July 31st
Mob boss Paul Vitti had seen a lot in his life. Enough that he was one of the oldest mob bosses in New York, a title that was testament to his survival instincts.
He'd seen men wreathed in green flame turn buildings to ash, had hired hitmen who could control shadows, and believed in the magic held within a helmet of gold.
But as he stood in a warehouse full of fellow made men, and watched a wall shatter inwards, he found himself once more surprised.
But then, who in their right mind could expect a giant bear with a fitted red SWAT vest to break down a wall.
The massive bear seemed to be smiling. It opened its mouth.
"Oh yeaaaaah!"
For one ridiculous moment, Paul was convinced that the bear had said that. Then he saw a man in a red hooded jacket step around the animal, his eyes shaded by a baseball cap.
"Sorry," The man patted the bear on the shoulder, a wide grin on his face. "I always wanted to do that."
"Drop him!" Vitti was surprised to realize he was the one who'd yelled. At his order, the thirty plus men reached for weapons.
"Roar." The man in the hood said simply.
The bear's mouth opened. "▄▅▄▅▂▂▃▃▄▄▅!"
The sound that came from the animal was indescribable. The windows shook under the force of that noise. It was too loud, too deep, too forceful. The sound practically struck you all on its own.
The group of mobsters stood in fear.
That's when a flood of water burst into the room, followed by the familiar (To Vitti) form of Wildcat leaping down from the ceiling to smash his fists into two men as the rest were blown back by a wave of water.
Vitti had enough time before the water hit him to see its source. A big pink… thing sending the torrent outwards. With a grey shell on its tail that had eyes.
As the Wildcat, the man in the hood, and the bear began to treat his men like bongo drums, Vitti simply curled up into a ball and tried not to have a panic attack.
PYJ
Going 'Kool-Aid Man' became my new favorite tactic, as very few people could see a bear break down a wall and not want to give up.
The first time we did it, Chesnaught couldn't stop laughing throughout the fight, which really just made me, Wildcat, and Slowbro laugh too.
The police were just as amused when we left the mafia or mob guys (could never tell the difference) handcuffed with the greatest wedgies in history (Chesnaught's idea of course).
Jirachi and Chansey were my recovery experts.
PYJ
August 1st
The nine year old girl had been staring at the shell of her former home since she'd been saved by Wildcat. The big burly man had given her a kind smile and a pat on the head.
But he had no time for anything else. The superhero had rushed back into the apartment. People stream out, some with severe burns, others unharmed but clearly horrified by the burning down of their home.
As the nine year old girl watched, she could see the hopelessness, the fear in the faces of those people. And felt her own despair deepen, in the way that all children feel despair, as a deep ocean with no walls to hold it back.
What happiness could exist in a world where everything you knew could change in an afternoon?
One day she would learn of course. That happiness and sadness are necessary. That the loses of today can make the wins of tomorrow that much more meaningful.
But today, she was on the brink of tears.
Hi!
And then a voice came into her head. The nine year old girl turned around. And her eyes widened.
Jirachi smiled as she floated before the girl, flying over to her. I'm Jirachi! Who are you?
The girl tried to speak even as her hands flexed at the sheer to desire to hug thecute.
"I-I'm Krissy."
The little doll-like being smiled a bit wider. Then Jirachi's smile turned sad.
You okay?
Krissy's earlier despair returned. "…No." She stubbornly wiped at her eyes. "My room. It had my video games… daddy got me them."
Jirachi's face turned contemplative. After a while, she nodded.
Um, you shouldn't be sad! Jirachi seemed to think a bit harder. No, you can be sad! But, only as long as you want! But you should also try to feel better! Because you lost the video games, but now you can get new and better ones! Life is like that.
Jirachi waved her arms outward. This world is so, so big! And it has all the mountains and the rivers and cakes. So, yes, this was not good. She nodded firmly, as though she had dropped a serious truth. But… there are still lotsa good things Krissy! And even if those good things leave, you still remember them, right? So they never really leave, they just become a part of you.
Jirachi floated closer and tapped the girls head. This time her 'voice' sounded high and reedy, like she was mimicking someone. Luminous beings are we! Not this crude matter!
She stopped and cocked her head. I don't think I said it right.
Krissy giggled. She didn't really understand what Jirachi was saying, and suspected even Jirachi didn't understand.
But simply by being there, and trying, Krissy felt much better.
Suddenly, a green light surrounded Krissy. The girl gasped as she felt her pained lungs feel better, her scrapped knees pain disappear.
Krissy turned to see a pink blob, as cute as Jirachi in a diferent way, smiling at her.
"Chansey." The pink blob said. Then she patted the stunned girls head and waddled away to heal a young couple next, who simply stared at the pink being in shock even as their burns knit themselves.
"Woooow." Krissy said quietly.
PYJ
They could kick a lot of ass of course, and Chansey was disturbingly ready to turn New York's underworld terrified of the color pink. But they were most useful when it came to treatment. Kids loved Jirachi. I can't tell how many times I found her playing with them, smiling giddily as they danced or simply smiled together even after whatever tragedy struck their lives.
And Chansey's tough love nature made her a hit with the parents. She had a knack for talking down people who were losing their minds with grief, and she was always there with a healing hand or soft 'Chans'. I have no idea how she knew which was needed over the other.
Latias, like Jirachi and Chansey, was also great at healing people. But where she shined was in carrying us around the city. With her, we could cover three times as much ground as usual, and had the benefit of air support if needed. Anyone who thought we were easy prey quickly found themselves sniped by the eldritch energy of a Dragon Pulse attack.
If anyone surprised me though, it was Zapdos. It had turned out… well…
Zapdos is a tsundere.
God help me.
Still, I don't care who you are. The sight of your buddy getting blasted by electricity and purple energy followed by Wildcat and a guy in a red hood leaping into your midst to start kicking ass, while a freaking bear smashes through a wall in a red vest followed by a lava monster, a pink cat and blob, and a floating cute doll thing cheering happily while it slams into you?
That's enough to turn most men into jelly, if only for sheer ridiculousness.
Of course, patrolling New York alongside the famous Wildcat had its side effects.
It wasn't too long before reports of a man in a red hood and beard with strange creatures at his command following Wildcat began to flood the net. After that came the Paparazzi.
How cool is that man? I was a minor celebrity!
Very minor. Exactly one newspaper had asked for photos of me, at a price even Peter Parker would have turned down. Turns out gangsters, junkies, and such aren't inclined to share that animals that look like Latias, Jirachi, and Chansey kicked their asses.
Still, I'm famous.
PYJ
Of course, I'd also spent time with the Team. Mostly M'gann and Superboy, as the other three were usually off doing their own thing, having their own mentors and schooling to follow.
The day after my first patrol, M'gann was waiting for me in the cave.
PYJ
July 25
I entered the cave at a slow pace, my body aching. The gauntlet of running, punching, getting punched, lifting, and jumping had turned my muscles to mush.
Forget the military. Superheroics is the real workout.
Even with the pain though, I entered the cave feeling pretty good about my life.
That ended when M'gann walked up to me, looking cute as button as always. She seemed nervous, clutching at her shirt between her hands.
"Hey Red?" Huh, she'd started calling me that quick. "Can I talk to you?"
"Sure." I was curious as to why she was asking, but this was M'gann. She was by far the sweetest person I'd ever met. I can't help but want to do things for people that nice.
Hope that doesn't bit me in the ass later.
Regardless, she motioned for me to follow. A bit of walking took us to the empty dining room, where she had a notebook set up.
"I um, showed Superboy some of the names we came up with for the team!" She lifted the notebook. I couldn't help the small smile I sprouted when I noted the sighing lilt when she said Superboy's name.
Girl had it bad. Question was, should I help? What if, like in his own universe, he ended up having a thing for Cassie Sandsmark, AKA the second Wonder Girl? Sure, this Superboy was very different from that one, but I didn't want to end up derailing a relationship as strong as that for that for something that might end in less than five years.
That was the problem with having your memories tampered with. No clue what to do next.
I ignored the questions of playing interdimensional Cupid for now.
"So, what did our tall, brooding, and handsome young Kryptonian think?"
The young girl pouted. "He didn't like some of them. All the ones you picked actually."
"What!?" I couldn't help the wounded feeling that knowledge brought. "What's wrong with mine?"
"He um… said they didn't make sense. Like this one." She opened the notebook to it's first page. "Team Rocket." She gave me an adorably confused look. "Why would we call ourselves that?"
I winced. "Okay, in my defense, that's kind of an in-joke from my world." I rubbed my neck. "Sorry. Sometimes it's weird getting used to the different things culturally. Watching TV and reading books about it doesn't help as much I'd thought."
M'gann's confusion became something between surprise and empathy. "O-Oh. I forgot. T-That you're from another world I mean."
I grinned. "Yeah. I guess I have the advantage of my world being just like this one. Just no Pokemon." Technically true. The franchise didn't exist in this universe after all.
"It gets lonely sometimes though." I rubbed my neck. "Don't get me wrong. My Pokemon are here for me. And they have my back. But having someone of my own species, one of my brothers or my sister, to share this with would be nice."
"…I feel the same way sometimes." M'gann pulled her hands back into her lap. She was smiling. But it was a sad kind of smile. "I learned a lot about Earth from Mars by watching TV from the planet. And when I got here, I thought it would be the same way."
She lifted a hand up to rest her face against it. "People are so different from what I expected. Some of them are really mean too. Like Bane, and Kobra."
"Yeah well," I leaned over to ruffle her hair, getting an adorable pout as I did. "Don't forget that for every ten bad guys, there's one good guy willing to kick butt."
"Those aren't the best odds." She reminded me with a wry smile.
"Nah, they're perfect." I chuckled. "Maybe if they had another five or so, things would get close to even."
I stopped chuckling pretty quickly. As much of an idiot as I can be, I could tell M'gann was hurting in a lot of ways. I racked my brain for some way to make her feel better.
Finally, I gave up. I'm not good at speeches. I might as well say how I feel.
"People are screwed up everywhere." M'gann looked up at me. "Seriously. Everywhere in the galaxy, there's some jerk trying to take power, or kill others, simply because they feel it's their right. On my world, a lot of people hated on guys like me because of things like the color of our skin, our political and cultural differences."
I rubbed my neck. "But it's like I said. There's always the good people. And while superheroes are kinda outnumbered by supervillains, there are hell of a lot more people living good, normal lives. They're the ones who create the world you and I like. The good people who see the world for what it could be, what it is."
"We fight for that hope M'gann." I rubbed the back of my neck a bit self-consciously. "I'm kind of rambling. But I'm just letting you know you're not alone. And you should never let the uh, the worst things about the Earth, or the things that confuse you the way they do me, ruin all the amazing things about it. Not for someone as great as you."
She blushed and smiled happily. Even so, I knew there was still something that she needed.
I knew what she was. A White Martian. Horrific looking. In the original comics, they'd been a species of psychopaths. And M'gann had been one who tried to rise above that tradition of violence.
She was keeping it secret from me. She probably thought I would fear her, hate her.
How could I… Oh. I knew how.
"Did you know I'm a Muslim?"
She cocked her head. "No. Isn't that a religion here on Earth?"
"Islam is the religion," I corrected with the ease of practice. "Muslim is a practitioner, like a Christian."
I waved my hand. "But that's not the point. See, on my world, and this one too, Muslims like me, especially ones with my skin color, are seen as monsters by those who don't know better."
Damn. It hurt everytime. Talking about the whole thing. But I pushed on.
"My people… some of us come from what you would call 'bad neighborhoods'. Not all of us, or even most of us. But some. And they end up in a bad way. A lot of it is political, cultural, and going to deep into it requires a huge discussion on the various groups, sects, and nuances of my worlds history. But some of us use Islam as a justifier for acting on their fears."
I sighed, and ran a hand across my face. "Because of these people, the whole of my religion and it's followers have been vilified. Most of us, like I said, just want to live in peace. I'm a normal dude. I want to write stories, hang with friends, get superexcited for nerd things, and now, hang with my Pokemon and fight bad guys."
I ignored the fact that neither of the last two were normal by any means.
"And despite that, to some people… I'm a monster."
I looked into M'gann's eyes. I tried my best to convey the truth of what I was saying to her. "So… I know a thing or two about being treated like something horrific because of my appearance and background. So I can understand why others would feel the need to hide it."
M'gann stared at me. She seemed resigned, and a bit scared. Finally she looked down at her hands.
"Who… Did Uncle J'onn tell you?" Her voice was so quiet. Small. It broke my heart.
"No." I scratched my chin, feeling the bristle of my beard. "But I know. And I don't care." I smiled, trying to ease her fears. "I know what you are M'gann. And you're the sweetest person I've ever met. You're appearance doesn't change that. Green, white, mauve, or turquoise. You're my friend. And I'll always have your back."
I grinned. "Besides. It would be hypocritical of me to love my Pokemon as much as I do and just treat you badly."
She smiled at that.
Then, she looked around. For a moment, I felt her thoughts brush mine. In that moment I tried to push as much of my own feelings towards her as I could. It probably didn't work. I'm not psychic after all.
But it seemed to be enough. The world shifted. And then I was in another room. Her room. Things felt muted, and yet much clearer at the same time. Objects were hazy, but some of them seemed to radiate emotions.
The bed 'felt' like sleep. Two photos on the right dresser, one of J'onn J'onzz in his full Martian form, the other of a huge amount of other Martians, radiated with love and happiness. Her family.
One thing that was kind of funny was the shirtless poster of Superboy on the wall. As I cocked an eyebrow at it, I heard a squeak.
M'gann sped past me to grab the poster and quickly tear it up. As it disappeared into motes, she turned and chuckled nervously. "Heheh! How did that get there?"
I smiled knowingly, to which she nervously coughed. "So um… this is my mind."
Whoa. "That's… heavy." I looked around again, feeling a bit awed. Being in the mind of telepath, 'truly' in their mind, is a privilege. I didn't know that fully. But I had some suspicions.
I'd read enough Jean Grey stories to know that.
"Who is that?" M'gann looked over my shoulder.
When I turned, a tall, incredibly hot, and almost sad redhead with green eyes was there. She gave us a smile, then disappeared.
"What the hell!?" I stepped back, shocked. Jean Grey? In here?
"It's all right." M'gann patted my shoulder. "We're in our own minds, remember? Things like that happen a lot."
I tried to keep calm. I turned to M'gann, only to feel a rope binding my wrist. Looking down revealed that I was not in m normal costume. Instead I was in a lighter red version, with no body armor, and the jacket ended at my hips instead of my knees. Around my body winded a golden rope. It took me a moment to realize what was going on.
I was wearing Red's costume. The original Red. And wrapped around me, was the Lasso of Truth.
Psychologists would love this.
I looked at M'gann. She seemed, on some level, to realize the significance of what my appearance meant. She smiled sadly, but soldiered on.
"I… I figured if you knew about it… it might be safe to show you. But I wanted to do it here, so no one else could see."
Not a word came from me. I didn't want to scare her.
She took a breath. Slowly, green skin changed color. Red hair shifted inwards. Limbs grew and thinned, while her torso and head widened.
Soon, she stood before me in her true Martian form. Taller than me. With more teeth than a T-Rex. Or a Tyrantrum.
Until then, I had no idea how much being around my Pokemon had shifted my perspective. Looking at M'gann, I should have been terrified, even knowing who she was. At least, I should have been disgusted.
But my Pokemon were also pretty scary. Well, not Jirachi. But Heatran looked horrific to people. With her massive metal mask that had jaws of blunt unforgiving metal. Her bright eyes, boiling with fire.
Unless you knew her like me. Say her shudder in fear at meeting new people as she hid behind me. The way she burbled with joy when I kissed her mask and called her a sweetheart. Her barks as she swam in the earth, joyously becoming one with molten core.
I loved Heatran. My adorable baby. Because I knew her. I could see her emotions in every movement, every blink.
And looking at M'gann, I saw something similar. The form had changed. But the way she shuffled nervously, the way she grabbed her left arm at the elbow with her right hand. It was sweet M;gann under there.
"I am so disappointed in you." I finally said, putting on my best angry face.
She winced, and fear emanated from her.
"You have a crush on Superboy and you never told me?" I grinned. "And a shirtless photo? Now M'gann, you bad girl."
Eep! Her hands came up to her face. D-Don't tell him!
"I think I should." I lifted a hand to his beard. "Maybe he'll simply listen to me, nod, and sweep you off your feet for a kiss. Like in the movies."
If you've never seen a White Martian blush, you should. Its hilariously cute.
Nooo!