Chapter 25

He knew he was being followed.

Time and time again the kid kept trailing him, like a shadow he just wouldn't leave Zombieman alone! He had no choice but to go into a dead end street and wait there. Reaching into his coat, Zombieman took out a smoke and lit it up. Then, he emerged. From the end of the alleyway, the kid stood. "I told you once, and I will tell you again. STOP FOLLOWING ME!"

The kid came forward, but he tried to smiled off the verbal lashing he was given. "Please, I want to learn! I got so much to learn. My brother and I… we can only get so far on our own. We realized that we have to learn from the source of the power that came from mom… please. Even if it is for a little while…"

Zombieman stared into the face of Draven. The kid was nearly at a point of trembling. "Please… listen to me. My brother and I… we know of this power growing inside of us. My older siblings have managed to tame it, even Goliath has managed somehow, I haven't. We kept using it, strengthen it like a muscle, but now, I find myself unable to contend it with, it's… too much. Mom knows a little of it, but since she hasn't used it for so long, it became stagnant. Mine hasn't… please… help me!" he begged.

There was no look of sympathy on Zombieman, he let out a sigh as he put out his smoke. "Let me be straight with you kid, there's a reason why the S Class hasn't come knocking on your door to teach you about your abilities. You old man ruined that for you. He took out every last one of the heroes when we fought him, when he first turned into a monster and became this 'awakened Garou'. You think any one of us would do anything to help his kid become stronger than that? Not to mention, the more you know about us, the less we have to battle against you with should you go rouge"

Draven gasped at the notion. "If I can't control it, what do you think will happen to me?" he asked. "Zombieman… I don't need help with your power… I need help with Tatsumaki's. Goliath can handle it easily… I can't!"

"Tatsumaki's power?" he asked.

Draven nodded. "I can't control where my thoughts go, Goliath has tried to help me with simple tasks, yet I can't. They go everywhere, I haven't been able to even develop the aura that helps control it… I need help… I need her help!"

This was getting serious now. Even with all that control, Tatsumaki is a loose cannon to say the least in Zombieman's eyes. Yet, the son of Garou having that much power and unable to control it, this is a beyond level dragon threat. One that could devastate many cities if left uncheck. Question remains though, how does he get Tornado to help? Would she help?

"Kid, why come to me to ask Tatsumaki for assistance?"

Draven fell silent for a moment. "Because… out of most of the S Class, you are one of the few that would listen to me. And perhaps, one of the few that could survive her if she is insulted by the request."

'Got to admit, that was smart on the kid's part.' Zombieman thought. He let out a sigh. "I ain't promising much. This isn't my thing to do anyways, but I'll try. If anything her attention needs to be drawn by a strong telepathic pulse. No doubt you could do that, couldn't you?"

Draven nodded. "I can, it's just stopping it after that is the problem…"

"By then, she would take notice. We may not have much choice in the matter." With a sigh, Zombieman began formulating a plan. "I want you to go out to the wastelands in City T." he said. "From there, wait for me, and when I give you the nod. You unleash it, got it?"

Draven nodded. From there he vanished. Running probably as fast as he could out of the alleyway. Zombieman got on the phone and made the call to Sitch. "I need a favor. I need you to send Tatsumaki to City T"

"Zombieman, is something wrong?"

"Let's just say I am hoping to stop something before it starts."

#

City T.

Once a protonate City, yet reduced to rubble and stone. There were no buildings there, nothing but mountains and sand. Draven was grateful in a sense. After all, no one would be harmed if he cannot control what he is about to do. He waited for an hour when a car pulled up and Zombieman emerged. He gave him the nod to do the pulse. Yet, Draven was hesitant.

"What if I can't stop it?!" he called.

"You can, you're Garou's kid aren't you?"

Draven took deep breaths, and then, he began to feel it. The power in his mind surging down through his arms and into his legs. He began to repel off the ground along with anything and everything loose around him. The earth itself began to crack, a crater began to form under his feet as it grew. The car Zombieman came in began to lift off the ground, and then it stopped. Draven froze… he knew what was coming next. His heart raced, his mind panicked as he felt everything around him. All that was under his command began to bombard his senses! "TOO MUCH!" he screamed.

A torrent began to form around him, Draven couldn't stop the things he lifted from orbiting around him, Zombieman tried to scream at him to calm down, but he couldn't. There was so much to control, so many things could go wrong, so much power with nowhere to go!

Draven felt he was going to go mad, it wasn't the first time it happened either. His brother has helped him contain his power for some time, but he knew he can't keep depending on Goliath to do it. This has to be done on his own strength. Draven felt blood oozing from his nose. "No… not again, if I lose conscious, who knows…" he muttered.

Then, everything stopped.

He found his body glowing green as everything he levitated froze.

She floated just over his head. "Let me get this straight, out of all the brats he had, YOU can't figure this out? Figures!"

Everything dropped to the earth, including Draven himself. Tatsumaki came down from the skies with her arms crossed. "What the hell is he doing out here? Trying to make a mess?" she demanded of Zombieman.

"He's trying not to kill anyone. I see his worry though. Unlike you and the others, he doesn't have that aura surrounding his body…"

"Humph! Figures, that's your first mistake freak boy" She paused and took a good look at Draven. His scales were rough with some strong ridges like on Snek's back. His tail appeared to be confused as it shook its head and tried to regain its balance. "So… you need help huh? What's in it for me?" demanded Tatsumaki.

"What do you want?" asked Draven.

She smirked to him. "Beg me."

"Tatsumaki…." Warned Zombieman.

"I want him to beg for help…" She froze as Draven went on to his knees. He looked at her before falling face first into the ground, pleading.

"I can't control this… I need all the help I can get. I don't want to hurt anyone… please!" he wept.

When he rose again, he found his tail was even pleading!

Tatsumaki sighed. "Fine… first thing is first, your aura is out of line, something is blocking you. You fix that, this should be easy for you to handle. But that's the reason why you can't control your actions. You have no perception to what is around you and the thoughts of others will influence your own actions without that barrier."

"H…How do I make one?"

"Please, that's basic! You can't do a basic barrier?"

"Tatsumaki! Quit insulting the kid and help him damn it!"

"Keep your shirt on! Don't you got somewhere else to be?" she demanded.

Zombieman peered down at Draven gave him a nod to go. "Fine… I'm out… damn… my car…" The car was totaled. "Guess I'm walking…"

#

He spent hours trying to form the barrier Tatsumaki explained. Yet, each time he tried, he felt it repel. He couldn't form one. Something kept blocking it. "Come on, this is easy! What the hell is your problem?!" she demanded of him.

Draven was sweating bullets over it, try as he might, he couldn't form it. "Something else is happening. I can't explain it but I can feel the hindrance in this… I don't know how to overcome what blocks me," he wept.

She rolled her eyes. "Well crying isn't going to solve it any faster" she said. "Come on, try it again, let's see where you're blocking yourself…"

Draven tried to meditate on the notion. His eyes closed as he attempted for form the aura around his body. He could feel it, a light sensation cascading over his body, only to have it stop at a certain point. The block would prevent him from getting any farther… "GAAAHHH!" he roared. The attempt would stop as he collapsed to the ground once more. Breathless with the notion, he couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. However Tatsumaki stared at him oddly.

She appeared startled more than anything. "You're kidding me!" she demanded.

"What? Do you know what's wrong?" he asked.

"Yeah, and it's right behind you!" Draven turned and saw his tail. "THAT is what's blocking you!"

"M… my tail?" he whispered. "But, how?"

Tatsumaki glared down at it. "How often do you use that thing?"

Draven thought it over, ever since he grew one, he hasn't really suppressed it, if anything he's been training it for better control and ability. "I know how to use it, and it responds well to my needs. Why?"

"IT has esper powers!"

Draven turned and saw in the middle of its forehead an eye form. He has seen the same one on his father a few times, and even his brothers! Draven felt the middle of his forehead and yet felt nothing there. He didn't have one like his family. "Ugh, you are hopeless! Your tail has that other half of the esper power you got from your freak of a father, Garou! While you are summoning my power, your tail is using Gyoro Gyoro's! The powers are clashing against each other!"

He froze to the news, he has two esper powers and yet, they are fighting within himself? "What do I do?"

"What can you do with your tail? Ew, I can't believe I asked such a question."

With deep breaths Draven used his tail and tried something small. From there, it began to flow a strange dark color and levitated a small stone near by. "Oh sure that thing can make an aura!"

"But, why can't I? Or can only one be made?"

"I never dealt with this before, figure it out, if the tail makes one see how far it goes!" she ordered.

He tried it again, and this time, he felt the surge grow gradually. It was like a calming wave cascading over his body until he felt his whole body aglow! It was his tail doing that, not him! "So… it has it's own power, weird…"

"Now, try using your own, you got the barrier right?"

Draven then tried again, his focus turned to Zombieman's wrecked car. He could lift it without problem and emitted a light brown aura in doing so. He smiled to his accomplishment. "LOOK! I DID IT! I DID IT!" he said gratefully. The car dropped and yet, he paused. "Why couldn't I do this before? I mean this is all so strange to me…"

"Beats me freak boy. Looks like your tail is a lot more conscious than I give it credit for. Best talk to your freak father about that." she sighed. "This was a waste of my time, you owe me!"

With that Tatsumaki took off. Draven still grateful for her help, but has yet to figure out how these two powers within him were clashing against each other…