hi there welcome to my sad little fanfiction. there arent really many oc stories for ok ko so i though i'd write one for myself and ended up decided to post it here and also maybe ao3 and the ok ko amino app. i dont expect this to get a lot of traction tho so im hesitant.
ive written up to chapter nine but if anyone reading this wants to request an episode im more than happy to write it.
so DK (no relation to donkey kong) stands for double knockdown in the same way KO stands for knock out and TKO stands for total knockout
Anyway for their real names Im pretty sure Kaio is a basque name, so in keeping with the theme DK's full name is Deikun, or just Dei. She absolutely hates it though and prefers DK over it
ive got some pictures of her i drew, just go to aminoapps homepage and copy past /c/ok-ko/page/blog/double-knockdown/8r4Q_RLImuj0bvYeojqpQNmJoZrBGNrDo7
this messes up the timeline some, specifically carols time at POINT. In this, she spent a much longer time there. Ive decided that KO is about 7 years old here hes a little baby, and DK's 17, so carol spent at least ten extra years in POINT. This also means DK remembers Laserblast up to when she was 10.
also i know drupe doesnt started working for cafe at the beginning of the show, just roll with it
i know im not a very good writer but i thought maybe someone else might enjoy this so. here ya go. sorry for any mistakes.
Located squarely in the neutral zone, Lakewood Estates was a relatively small city. It was a place of wide avenues and small places to sit and eat, to relax as people went about their day. The surrounding neighborhood was cosy. Small houses of varying shapes, styles and colors lined the streets like trinkets on a display shelf.
An unassuming, colorful mobile home-esque house sat cradled by long grass within the shade of a thick blackwood tree. The upper story, a small single room, was pressed against a squat wind turbine and two guardian lion statues. A cornflower blue tank car was parked beneath an overhang in the dandelion ridden lawn spotted with garden gnomes.
Inside, the morning sun shone through yellow polka dot curtains on a snoozing family of three, loud snoring coming from the second story room. Up the ladder and through the door is a cramped, messy room. Crumpled clothes gather in a pile atop a wicker hamper, the surface of the dresser hardly visible through the mess of self-care products and makeup.
The lone figure on the bed slept on their stomach with one leg pulled up to their hip and the other dangling off the mattress, a tangle of blond hair stretching over the drool damp pillow. Sun poured through the cracks in the curtains and awaited entrance into their eyes.
The clock turned to 8 AM when the room was filled with the jarring beeps of an alarm coming from the phone laying innocently on the nightstand.
The bed's occupant made a very teenage-appropriate groan, pulling the sheets which were kicked down to the end of the bed over herself. She buried her face into the blankets and inhaled the flowery fabric softener. With a dramatic sigh, she reached out and unlocked her phone, pressing the snooze button harder than was probably necessary. She rolled over, teetering on the edge of slumber and wakefulness as her phone dropped from her hand and landed on the carpeted floor.
Two more snoozes later and she was awoken by her mom's loud voice and her younger brother's subsequent whines. She blearily pushed herself up, puffing hair from her face and looking around her room with a scowl like it was its fault she was being woken up. She hastily rubbed her dreams away from her eyes, looking up when a knock came from her door.
"You up sweetpea?" Her mom asked.
"I'm up." She groaned as she swiveled to sit on the edge of her bed, arms propping up her slumped form.
"Well go ahead and come on down, okay?"
"Okay." She mumbled, leaning down and scooping up her phone from the floor. She turned off her alarm and yawned loudly, running a hand through her hair and grimacing at the number of tangles her fingers caught. Standing and stretching, she gave a contented sigh and walked to her mirror to assess just how bad the damage was.
It was really bad. Her hair, blond and thick like her mom's, usually sat flat on her head unlike the rest of her family's. Now it stuck up in a cheap imitation of a massive cowlick. She pushed it away from her olive toned face only for it to bounce back into position. Making a noise of annoyance, she looked around for her brush, finding it on the floor by her bed stand and getting to work.
When she deemed her hair worthy to be seen by others, she pulled on some sleep pants from the floor so she wouldn't be parading around in her underwear and opened her door, climbing down the ladder that lead to her room and into the TV room that doubled as her brother's room.
"Mornin' sweet girl!" Her mom called from the coffee machine as she entered the kitchen.
"Morning," She yawned, grabbing a bowl and a box of cereal before sitting down, looking to her brother who was looking intently at a puzzle on the back of his cereal box, spoon sticking out from his mouth as milk dribbled down his chin. "Morning KO," She said as she wiped his chin with the table cloth
"Goo' morni',"
"Pumpkin eat your cereal." Her mom said as she sat down at the table, handing DK a carton of milk.
"Yes ma'am!" He said, holding his spoon up like a weapon before digging into his cereal with gusto.
"All set for your new job?" Her mom asked, sipping her coffee with a grin. "You'll like it at the plaza, I promise!"
"I guess…" DK said as she pushed her cereal around, an elbow on the table supporting her chin.
"Just relax and be yourself, it'll all come together I promise." Her mom nodded to herself, "Everyone's real nice there. And if anyone isn't, you know where to find me."
"Mom'll kick their butt's!"
DK smiled nervously, "Please don't kick anyone's butt."
"Sorry! I have no choice in the matter." her mom said with a tone of finality, "Now eat your cereal before it gets mushy."
"All right, all right."
They fell into a comfortable silence filled only with the sound of spoons clinking against bowls and pterodactyls screeching outside as her mom contently read the paper.
She and her mom looked a lot alike, from the bronze skin and dark eyes to the wavy blonde hair and a stocky build, but the similarities ended there. DK's features were sharper, while her mom and KO had button noses and round faces. Sometimes she got a wistful look in her eyes and commented on how much she looked like her father, not that DK could really remember what he looked like after eight years of not seeing his face. Her mom had either hid or thrown out every last picture of him after he died.
She nearly choked on her cereal when something slammed against the kitchen window.
"Now what could that be." Her mom said, setting down the newspaper and her mug of coffee as she approached the window, peeking out through the curtain before opening it fully, revealing a green slime sliding down the glass.
"Aw, gross!" DK cried.
"The Flu! Level two!" KO called, standing from his seat to point at it.
She watched as the mass detached itself from the window, leaving behind a green film on the surface of the glass. Her mom closed the curtains with a sigh.
"Well, I'll just add that to the list of things I need to take care of…" Her mom muttered to herself as she sat back down.
DK motioned KO to sit down as well, who did so reluctantly.
"Say pumpkin, wanna come to work with me?" She asked.
KO gasped, standing up again, this time on top of his chair and knocking the cereal boxes over. "Really?!"
"Yeah, why not?"
"Oh, thank-you-thank-you-thank-you!" He cried, crouching down and devouring the rest of his breakfast like a starved wolf, "I'll go get dressed right now!"
And with that he was off. DK felt like she had just witnessed a tornado as her mom chuckled.
"What about Judy? She should be coming over in about 30 minutes." DK asked.
"Ah, she's fighting the Flu." Her mom waved her off.
"Again?"
"The flu doesn't stand a chance against Judy!" KO yelled from the other room, "She's, like, the toughest fighter in the neighborhood!"
The flu slammed against their kitchen window again, hard enough to shake the spoon in her bowl of cereal as DK grimaced.
"See?" KO poked his head into the doorway.
"Sorry Carol!"
"Go get 'em, hon!" her mom yelled loudly to the figure of Judy scraping the Flu from their window. She swallowed the remainder of her coffee as she folded up the newspaper, standing from her chair. "We better get out of here before things turn really ugly. You almost ready in there KO?"
KO's head disappeared from the door frame with an "Uh-huh!"
"How 'bout you sweetie, need time to get dressed?"
DK picked up the dishes and took them to the sink. "Not really. I can be ready in a minute."
"Good! Well get ready then. I'll be in the car waiting for you two."
Nodding to her and hurrying to her room, she grabbed some high waisted gray leggings and a cropped shirt from the floor. She stuffed her feet into some sneakers and grabbed her phone and wallet, sliding them into her pants' pockets and checking her hair one last time in the mirror before grabbing her eyeliner and making a B-line for her bedroom door. Sliding down the ladder, she landed with a thump and looked to KO who was pulling his pink legwarmers up his shins.
"Ready?"
"Yeah!" He scrambled up to his bed and grabbed his POW card binder.
DK led them out through the side door in the kitchen that opened up to the driveway, the tank car revved and ready to go with their mom in the front seat. DK and KO climbed in, the latter pulling down the mirror from her spot in the front passengers seat and getting to work on her eyeliner.
"Ah-ah, seat belt missy."
She buckled in wordlessly, turning to make sure KO had done so as well before attempting to return to her eyeliner when a small hand on her arm dragged her attention to KO's POW card binder.
"Look, look. Okay, so Mr. Gar's level 11, so he's way past Sparko's level 3, But Sparko has this really cool power move, so—
DK didn't really know what he was suddenly talking about but nodded all the same, peppering in the occasional "Oh" and "Wow" as he proudly showed her his knowledge of all the heroes and heroes-to-be in his binder.
"Ready to go, KO?"
"Oh, yeah mom!"
DK took the moment of freedom to sit back in her own seat and continue her makeup. She would sooner die than be seen without something on her face.
"I know comin' to work with you mom isn't too cool for a boy your age, but I think you'll enjoy yourself." She said, starting the ignition, "Destination, KO?"
He looked up from his POW binder, smiling widely. "Lakewood Plaza Turbo!"
Their mom floored it and DK barely had enough time to move her hands from her eye before she smeared liner across her face from the sudden jerk. They lived fairly close to the plaza, close enough that she could walk if need be. The large parking lot surrounding the stores was already visible as they turned onto the main road.
She heard KO slap his cheeks. "Can't get distracted. Gotta brush up on my facts in case I meet some real heroes."
"If you train hard enough KO, you could be one too." Her mom said, adjusting the rear view mirror to look at him.
"You're just saying that 'cause you're my mom." He pouted, leaning down as far as the seat belt would set him.
"Ha! Maybe, but remember this, you two: You don't start out as a hero, you become one."
"I can become a hero?"
"Of course you can. If mom says it, it's by law required to happen." DK said, snapping her eyeliner closed as she looked over her work in the mirror with a small smile.
"I've taught you well." Her mom snickered, leaning a hand over to tickle her side.
"Hey!" She laughed, swatting the hand away, "Come on, I'm not a little kid anymore."
"Oh but you'll always be my baby girl."
KO was rambling on behind them, "...Do I get a cool transformation sequence? Or maybe I just need a change of clothes. Or maybe I need… less clothes?"
"Listen, everyone in that binder of yours came from humble beginnings, KO." Their mom pulled into a parking spot outside of Gar's. "I mean, even Mr. Gar had to work hard to become the hero he is today."
They got out of the car, KO lagging behind them. "I don't know about that. I bet he was always Level 11."
"Mm. Not when I first met him."
"You know Mr. Gar?"
"Of course." Ther mom nodded, heading towards the dojo.
"I mean, he runs the whole plaza," DK said, flicking his ear and grinning when he shoved her in retaliation.
"Kinda hard to miss him." Their mom added. She looked up, shielding her eyes from the sun, "Look, there he is now."
They did the same as a car exited through the clouds at breakneck speeds, stopping just above the ground to hover before crashing into the asphalt, kicking up a cloud of debris that left DK coughing. A Leg kicked off the roof of the car, sending it flying as Mr. Gar flipped out.
"EMPLOYEES!" He snapped.
Almost from thin air, two teeegers appeared in front of him and stood at attention.
"Yes, sir, Mr. Gar, sir!"
They were blocked by Mr. Gar's large frame, but from what DK could see it was two people, a dark skinned girl with purple hair pulled back in a short ponytail. She was wearing a blue shredded crop top with white compression wraps over her upper arms and black shorts.
The other was absolutely shredded (no where near Mr. Gar's level though) with turquoise skin and curly teal hair, wearing a similar shirt as the girl with pink leggings and leather boots. His ears were pointed, and white antenni sprouted from his head that ended in small buds.
"We got a stack of last month's magazines to throw out and signs that need changing out in the front! Step on it, people! Let's go, go, go!" He yelled, clapping his hands as the two infront of him were dashing off back to the bodega.
He watched their retreating forms with his hands on his hips.
"Mondays, am I right?" He said lowly to himself, pushing his sunglasses up his nose.
Her mom cleared her throat, waving "Morning, Gar!"
He practically turned to stone, slowly looking over in their directions.
"Ah, uh… morning, Carol."
She tugged DK to her side and picked up KO, who waved to him happily.
"And, uh, Carol's… two offspring."
DK waved as best she could manage, her arms squished together in the grip her mom had around her.
"Well, see ya Gar." Their mom bid him farewell, letting go of DK and setting KO down, continuing their short trek to her dojo.
"Uh, yes. See you… Carol."
"It was nice to meet you!" KO called, looking back over his shoulder to the sweaty Mr. Gar as DK took KO's hand. He looked up to their mom, "Wow, maybe if I hang around here long enough Mr. Gar's hero-ness will rub off on me."
"You could try that, but I think mom's methods would work better." DK said, tugging KO along as he looked in awe up at the fitness dojo.
Her mom gave her a nod of satisfied approval and a thumbs up.
"That's right!"
DK let go of KO's hand as her mom picked him up and rested him on her hip, pushing open the dojo's doors
"Carol!" Someone cried out, "Don't tell me that's your boy!"
"DK, KO, you remember Gertie, Ginger, and Gladys, don't you?" Her mom asked, approaching her fawning students and handing him off to an awaiting gertie who was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her four arms open wide.
"Of course!" KO said, and by the look in his eyes DK could tell he was ready to lay the charm on thick, "How could I forget my mom's best students?"
They laughed at his response, cooing and pulling his cheeks as DK inched away. She should be getting to her new job soon anyway.
KO wiggled out of Gertie's grasp, landing on his feet and posing proudly
"Guess what? I'm going to become a hero!"
"Aww," Ginger pinched his cheeks once more.
"KO you're too much!" Gladys giggled.
DK had made it to the door and was waving her mom goodbye when—
"Oh my goodness, Carol! Is that little DK?" Gertie suddenly called.
She winced, turning around to face them like she was facing a pack of wolves. The older women immediately swarmed her like locusts.
"Look at you! So grown up! How long has it been?"
"You and Carol look so much alike!"
"Well aren't you and KO just the cutest!"
DK's cheeks were aflame as she laughed nervously, wrapped in the vice-like grip of Gertie's four arms. She looked to KO for help, but he was busy soaking up the attention.
"Ha ha ha, me!" He jumped from one foot to the other, sticking his tongue out while poking his cheeks.
"Okay, we're set to begin class!" Her mom called. She turned around, meeting DK's gaze, "Class?"
DK motioned with her eyes to the open closet that held the wooden boards her mom used during class, notably empty aside from a lone plank.
Her mom smiled and winked at her, swiping the board and setting it up on two cinder blocks. She reeled her hand back and struck the wood with enough force that it practically disintegrated. The noise was enough to shift everyone's attention back to her.
"Oh no! My last plank. Darn it!" She made a show of cocking her hip out and crossing her arms. She walked up to KO, gently pushing him in the direction of the door "KO, I'm gonna need you to go down to the bodega and fetch me some more planks."
She grabbed her purse from the floor and fished out her wallet, handing him a purple debit card and kissing his cheek, "And get a little something for yourself."
"Okay," KO smiled, allowing himself to be led to the door.
"DK sweetie, go with him will you? You've got some time before your job starts, right?"
DK checked her phone, rubbing the back of her neck, "Not much time, but I that's probably fine."
"You get something for yourself too, okay?"
"All right, love you mom."
"And I love you."
She jogged to the door, spotting KO standing in front of the bodega in awe. Catching up to him, he looked to her and grabbed her around the leg, and pulled out POW cards from who knows where. "Look! Sparko, Shy ninja, Nick Army and Joff the Shaolin Monk!"
"I see 'em, bud."
He sniffed, "This is the most beautiful day of my life."
He threw the cards up into the air (along with their mom's debit card) with a laugh and raced ahead. DK just stood there, looking at the fallen laminated screen-like cards on the ground. She leaned down to pick up the purple card, sliding it in her back pocket with a roll of her eyes and a fond smile on her face. KO turned on his heel and hurried back the other direction, picking up the cards from the asphalt and grabbing her hand.
"Come on Sissy! Look!" He pointed to a sign on the door, "'Everything you need to be a hero.' this is it, this is how I become a hero!"
He yanked her to the sliding doors, practically vibrating as he took off like a rocket.
"It's time!" He declared, arms at his side like a cowboy in one of those old movies they would watch at night.
He bounded to a collection of laser swords as she attempted to wander off. She was halted by KO.
"No, no! Look! La-La-Laser sword!" He cried as he swung it around her making whooshing noises.
"And this! Fla-Fla-Flame gauntlets—" DK grabbed his arms and shook her head at him just as he was firing. He stopped and pouted, "You're no fun."
"Oh yeah? T-T-Towel!" She grabbed a blue towel from beneath a sign that read 'welcome to towel town!'
"What for?" He asked, tilting his head.
She frowned, "For a cape!"
"Oh! T-T-Towel cape!" He yelled, grabbing it from her and attempting to tie it around his neck. When he looked at her with a whining noise she bent down and tied it securely around him. Not too loose, not too tight.
"Let's get a basket for all of this." DK said, watching KO as he proceeded to drop everything to inspect his new cape.
"Okay!" He waved at her and ran off, holding his arms back and grabbing the towel to make it stick out as though he was flying. She sighed, kneeling down and grabbing the laser sword and fire gauntlets, holding them under an arm.
"Let's see, basket, basket, basket. There it is." she walked up and grabbed one from the neat stack, dumping the contents of her arm into it. She turned into a messy aisle near the back where she heard KO's loud voice. He'd grabbed a pair of orange bouncy boots and was still waving his cape in the nonexistent wind. She caught up to him, taking the boots from his arms and dropping them in the basket.
She inspected the orange boots, looking down at him, "Make sure you check the prices of all these things. Mom said get something, not the entire store."
"Okay! I— Whoa!"
Abruptly, the two of them had slipped and were on their stomach and back respectively.
DK hissed, sitting up and rubbing the back of her head, groaning when she saw the contents of the basket strewn across the aisle. She went to check on KO when a voice caught her attention.
"Oh, great. I spent the last four hours pretending to clean the store and now I gotta do it for real?"
She recognized him from the parking lot, pushing her hair out of her face to squint at his name tag. He seemed to blanch under her attention, ears tinged pink as he looked away with a cough.
"Oh hi there…" KO squinted as well to read his name tag. Man they needed glasses. "Rad. What a rad name!"
He cleared his throat and laughed, kneeling to pick up the fallen goods as he saw DK do the same.
"Ch'yeah, it's short for Radicles. Back on my home planet it's a really cool and rare name, too."
DK stood, helping KO to his feet and halfheartedly listening to their conversation.
"Whoa! You're an alien?"
"Heh, yeah."
"I'm KO! This is My sister, DK." He said, grabbing the hand that wasn't holding their basket and shaking it.
"Hey," DK spoke up, attempting to right her hair. He nearly squeaked, "Could you show us where the lightning nachos are?"
"Lightning nachos!" KO cheered. "Oh please, please can I have some?"
She winked, holding a finger to her mouth as she smiled. "Don't tell mom, okay?"
"I won't!"
She tuned out the rest of the conversation as they walked to the food counter, Rad insisting on making the nachos for them after handing off the basket to her.
"So you two are choosing the path of a hero, huh?" He inquired as he poured the lightning sauce over KO's nachos, DK already eating hers. "I'm pretty heroic myself. Level two, if you must know."
DK didn't bother to correct him that she didn't care either way what she did.
KO smiled at him, taking the nachos from his outstretched hand. "Well anyway, thanks for your help, Rad. We better check out—"
"Oh so you need photographic evidence of my righteous feats?"
"No, no, I believe you—"
"If you insist!" He took out his phone and practically pushed it in their faces, showing them a badly edited photo, "Here's one of me doing my famous power belly flop on a bad guy."
"And here's me getting the drop on the chip damage. Don't worry, we're cool now." He swiped to the next picture, "And here's me—"
"Aw, who's the kitty?" DK asked, smiling a little.
Yelling, he snatched his phone back, face flushed as he turned so his back faced them. "Uh, uh, she's nobody! It's nothing!" He then proceeded to run away from them in embarrassment.
DK couldn't help but smile. Cute.
"Wow. What a cool guy."
"...Sure."
Her phone suddenly vibrated and she slid it out of her back pocket, seeing her alarm for 9:30.
"Oh shoot! I'm gonna be late! KO, can you check out by yourself?"
"You bet I can." He responded seriously, pointing to his chest with his thumb.
"Great, here's mom's card, don't use it to buy anymore stuff, okay? You have enough."
He nodded, and DK leaned down for a hug, simultaneously shoving her lightning nachos into his hands.
"Wish me luck."
"Good luck! I love you!"
"I love you too."
Exiting the bodega, the Café lay ahead on the right. There was nothing new or slick about it, no fancy fonts or white etching upon the glass. The tiny café hunched in on itself, the outside spotted with potted plants and tables with green sun umbrellas, the windows lined with flower planters. She followed the sidewalk to it, nervousness building in her stomach with each step closer to her destination. In no time at all, she was standing awkwardly outside the door.
Taking a breath, she pushed, ringing the bell above her and stepping in.
She was met with Square tables, slow turning ceiling fans above, and light music. A small vase of yellow carnation flowers was perched on the counter where customers would pick up their order, the daily specials on a chalkboard at the entrance.
DK looked around, approaching a girl with red skin and black seed-like spots across her body, a green leafy stem on her head under her café visor. She was boredly disinfecting a table. Beneath her apron was a green short sleeve dress and shiny black boots.
"Hey, excuse me. Um, I'm new?" She didn't really know what else to say. That was basically the gist of it, she was new and needed someone to tell her what to do.
"Oh hey, new girl. Welcome aboard the lame train." She said, sounding friendly enough if not incredibly bored. "You're going to wanna get your apron and visor from the back room, I think. Pup should be there, she can help you."
"Right, thanks. I'm DK."
"I know, I saw your name tag come in yesterday. Pup probably has it. Call me Drupe."
"Cool. Uh, I'll see you then?"
"Yeah, see you."
She considered the interaction a relative success; zero to no awkwardness and an overall friendly tone to it.
She ducked behind the counter, peeking through what she presumed to be the door to the back room. Drinking an Iced coffee and tying her apron around herself was a girl with tired eyes and pink fur topped with black dog ears.
"Hi, uh, Pup?"
"Oh! Hello, DK right?
"Right." She affirmed with a nod.
"You're apron and visor are hanging up on the coat stand in the break room, next door over." She smiled, taking a long sip from her coffee as she plucked a name tag from a small metal basket above her, "Here's your name tag, just put it back in there when you're done for the day."
"Okay, thank you," She accepted the small piece of plastic, taking a moment to pin it beneath her shoulder.
Pup was rummaging around in the large front pocket of her apron, making a noise of victory as she pulled a set of keys out. She grabbed DK's hand and pressed it into her palm.
"Here's the key to your personal locker. Put your wallet and phone and any other valuables in there while you work."
She nodded, thanking her again like a broken record.
"Sure thing. Now go to the breakroom and do whatever you need to do." She said, sucking down the last of her iced coffee. "I'm guessing you've met Drupe already, she'll be the one showing you how all the machines work. Don't worry about any customers, we're opening a little later today to show you the ropes."
DK nodded again.
"Right, so… that's it. Go ahead to the break room." She smiled despite the bags in her eyes showing she was anything but happy.
"Gotcha, thanks again." She nodded once, backtracking out of the room and into the shop. She nearly ran into Drupe, who was doing something to one of the machines. She looked up, seemingly unfazed with their near run-in.
"Hey, take your time in there, none of the machines have totally warmed up yet. I'll let you know when they're ready and show you how to work these torture devices of heat and endless pain."
DK laughed unexpectedly, earning a small smile from Drupe. "You got it. Yell for me when you're ready."
"Will do."
She skirted around Drupe and pushed open the door to the breakroom. Stacks of small lockers, barely big enough to hold a soccer ball, were pushed up against the farthest wall beneath a TV, a saggy, yellow couch opposite of it. The walls were a verdant green with zigzag patterns to them, barely visible from under the number of posters and flyers stuck to the wall like a second layer of wallpaper. A mini fridge and microwave along with a small kitchenette occupied most of the room on the far east end.
Tying her dark green apron around herself, she pulled her hair back into a loose braid and slid her visor over her head.
She looked down at the key still clutched in her hand, reading the small metal tag on the keychain loop.
"4A." She read to herself, scanning the lockers and giving a small "aha!" when she found it.
Pulling it open, she placed her wallet inside, debating on whether or not to add her phone as well when it buzzed. It had been buzzing periodically since she left the bodega but her nerves had been so frayed she had paid them little attention. She unlocked her phone, finding a plethora of text messages from KO and a few from her mom.
Mom: Good luck sweetpea! Im right across the plaza if you need me hun
Mom: [1 Image Attachment]
Mom: We're all cheerin for you!
She opened the image attachment to find a picture of her mom surrounded by her students, all giving her a thumbs up. She smiled, quickly texting back a response and checking the messages from KO.
KO: good luck!
KO: [3 image attachments]
KO: Mr. Gar wishes you good luck too!
They were all incredibly blurry photos of Mr. Gar appearing to be struggling for KO's phone. She couldn't help the giggle that overtook her.
KO: GOOD LUCK I LOVE YOU!
KO: SERVE THAT COFFEE!
KO: [1 Image Attachment]
KO: rad says good luckj1!
KO: *luck
Another incredibly blurry photo, this time of an absolutely flushed looking Rad who also appeared to be struggling for KO's phone, who was smiling widely in the foreground holding up a peace sign.
KO: THIS IS ENID!
KO: [2 Image attachments]
Two much steadier photos showed him taking a selfie with a relaxed (or bored) looking girl, who DK recognized as the one from the parking lot.
You: lol i love you KO
KO : I LOVE YOU MORE 3 3 3
KO: [1 Image attachment]
KO: enid took this!
A single photo showed him with all the gear he had purchased from the bodega, posing proudly.
KO: the total was $112
You: NO!
KO: im sorry! :(
KO: please dont tell mom
You: i mean shes gonna see the bill regardless!
KO: please dont tell!
You: but i gotta :( i was the one who let you get all that junk :(
KO: but its not junk! its my hero gear its proof that im a great hero!
You: expensive hero gear!
KO: i can pay her back!
You: KO you dont need to buy crazy things from the bodega to be a hero
You: and no you cant!
An alarm abruptly sounded, scaring DK out of her skin. She slammed her locker closed and rushed out in time to see metal shutters crash down over the windows.
"What's going on?!" She asked Drupe.
"It's just Boxman." She waved her off, scrolling through her phone.
She wasn't sure what a boxman was, but from the screaming outside and the people taking refuge inside the store it couldn't be great news. She looked down at her phone, ready to text KO and tell him to stay indoors when it pinged.
KO: something exciting is happening! come outside with me!
"Oh, no." She groaned, dashing out of the store and ignoring Drupe's calls.
She skidded to a halt on the sidewalk, watching as the clouds grew dark and swirled into each other right above the deserted parking lot. A hole emitting purple light opened up and unceremoniously dropped a squat metal crate into the asphalt with a crash. The dust had yet to clear as a figure stepped out, a cherry red robot with a glass skull and single eye
"I am Darrell, and I've come… to destroy!" He cackled, firing the blaster on his left hand aimlessly above his head.
"Hi Darrell!" She could see KO out in front of the bodega, waving, "I'm KO! Nice to—Ah!"
KO just barely dodged a blast, leaving the tips of his hair singed. Darrell began firing at the people who had yet to take cover, sending everyone running in a panic.
"That's right! Run away, Lakewood losers!"
KO was still waving, albeit his smile was gone. She rushed towards him, cutting past Darrell with little to no regard for him.
She heard the bodega's sliding doors chime as they opened behind her.
"Ugh. Another Boxman Robot." Rad sighed.
"KO don't wave at him! He's evil—and a total nerd."
KO squinted his eyes, turning back to Darrell.
"Evil?" Oh, no. "I have to do something!"
"Whoa, hold up. You don't stand a chance against that thing, KO." DK said, trying to pull him back
"She's right, just leave this thing to us." The girl—Enid, backed her up.
"I think he's got it." Rad stated simply.
DK paused, then turned. "You what?"
"What, you think KO can beat him?" Enid asked, arms crossed.
"Dude he's, like, a little kid." DK hissed.
"Oh. Oh, no, no, no. I mean Darrell's got it." He chuckled. "Heh. that kid's gonna get wrecked."
"Ha! Don't let appearances fool you." KO said, pulling away from DK, "Witness the power of a true hero!"
He punched his fists together then leapt towards the robot before DK could grab him. He charged towards Darrell with a battle cry and reeled his fist back.
"What the—" Darrell turned towards him, rolling his eye then proceeding to reel his own fist back and punch KO. Thankfully not in the face. KO attempted to dodge but the punch propelled his flame gauntlet back into his face. He skidded back, tripping on his towel cape and falling back into his lightning nachos.
"KO!" DK called, running towards his prone figure and leaving behind Rad ad Enid to deal with the robot. His body was buzzing lightly from the nacho sauce most likely soaking through his cape.
Oh, she knew those lightning nachos had been a bad idea. She should have never let him have those. Undoing the towel's knot, she heaved him off the crushed snack. His left cheek was red and puffy.
"Is he okay?" a voice came from her right. She looked up to see a caped skeleton kneeling next to KO, shaking his shoulder.
"Uh—I don't know. I-I think?"
Out of nothing but sheer sisterly fear, she held a hand to his mouth to check his breathing, sighing when she felt the gentle inhale and exhale.
"Kid. Hey, kid," The skeleton said, gently prodded the forming bump on his forehead where his sweatband was sliding up. DK slapped his boney hand away.
"Don't do that."
"Sorry."
"KO, KO come on get up. Snap out of it." She shook his shoulder, then very lightly slapped his uninjured cheek.
His eyes slowly creaked open, mumbling weakly as she shook his head.
"Wha, wh—What happened?" He asked quietly.
"Geez, where do I start with this? Well, okay—"
"You tripped on your towel and fell back into your lightning nachos." DK She said sadly, sliding his sweatband back into place.
"After you got punched in the face." The skeleton added unhelpfully. She sent him a look. He ignored her. "You tried to block his punch, but he just knocked your gauntlets in your face knocking you out. As you fell back, you tripped over your beach towel and fell butt-first into your lightning nachos. Actually pretty funny."
DK pushed him, sending him a glare and a motion to zip it.
"Th-that's what really happened?" KO looked down, allowing DK to help him sit up.
"I recorded the whole thing if you want to check it out."
She made a swipe for his phone but he just stood up and held it out of her reach. Damn her short stature. She did the only thing she could do which was take her visor off and repeatedly smack the side of his skull with it
"I can't believe it." KO sniffed, watching Enid and Rad fight Darrell, "That fight felt so intense, but it wasn't real. Just like my big dream."
DK ceased her full frontal assault and knelt back down, placing a hand on his back, her eyebrows knitting together.
"I thought I'd already become a hero, but all I did was wear stuff and get my butt kicked. Who am I kidding?" He kicked off his bouncy shoes and shed his flame gauntlets, eyes welling up, "I'm not even close to being there yet."
DK pulled him in for a hug, letting him grip her shirt as he trembled with unshed tears.
"Hey," She started, "You know what?"
He hiccuped, "What?"
"I think you are close to being there. You're already on the right track, you can admit your mistakes to yourself and you always meddle in things. And isn't that a hero's number one job? Just meddling where people don't expect them?"
"I guess…" He muttered, "I still got pulverized, though."
"So what if you got your butt kicked? I get my butt get, Enid and Rad are getting their butts kicked as we speak!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, look." she pointed to Enid shaking Rad's face down body, yelling something to him.
A sharp whistle caught all of their attention. Mr. Gar was poking out of the clouds. DK could practically see flames around him as he shot like a bat out of hell and pointed his elbow down over Darrell, pile driving it into his body with an explosion.
The smoke cleared to show scraps of red painted metal mangled beyond repair. Both of you watched in awe as he punted the robots intact head to a large factory across the road.
"You two!" He gruffed, pointing to Rad and Enid, the latter holding the formal bridal style. "Get this mess cleaned up!"
"Yes sir!"
Mr. Gar made a grunting noise that could have been a laugh, "Mondays, am I right?"
DK stood up with KO, holding his hand as the boy reached into his back pocket and took out Mr. Gar's POW card.
"Man. Mr. Gar's pretty cool, but like, how'd he even get up there?" Rad inquired.
"He's level 11 dude, come on." Enid said bluntly, handing him a broom.
KO was still sniffing, scrubbing at his eyes as he spoke up, "DK."
"Yeah, bud?"
"I want to become a great hero." He began, "I won't wake up as one, or transform into one. I can't become a hero right away, so I'm gonna learn how by working here at the plaza just like you and mommy."
DK smiled at him.
"Yo Enid, check out the squirt." Rad laughed, "Nice face, right?"
KO sniffled, chin wobbling as he held in tears and looked dramatically into the distance.
"Eh, I don't know. I could get used to it."
nice feedback is always appreciated