CHAPTER 16: NAILED IT
"For the past 2 chapters, I've been fighting nothing but total losers and just plain weird people as bad guys. Now, I don't know exactly how this Hillwood Effect is supposed to work, but I'm pretty sure I should've had an actual threat by now. I mean, the last chapter, I fought a giant poop monster. Seriously, this writer decided to put that in the story? And don't even get me started with all these weird situations he puts me in with my sisters. I don't know what exactly he's making them do to me, but I know that they shouldn't be touching my swimsuit area like that." Ace Savvy said.
Patrolling the streets of Royal Woods alone, absent of his sidekick One-Eyed Jack and without his new Ace-Mobile, Ace Savvy worked his way through a city patrol on foot, looking to clear his head of all the insane nonsense that the writer (I) put him through. Having just fought a giant monster comprised of human feces, there was only so much that his young mind could take, even with its awareness of the 4th wall.
As you might have guessed from the final portion of the last chapter, this is the point where he no longer fights these morons I whipped up for laughs, and where I actually put effort into the story itself rather than just try to waste your time by trying to come up with the world's stupidest supervillains. Of course, that's assuming you can still read this if you didn't vomit all over your computer or phone screen.
So, Ace Savvy, seeking out his own quiet time to put the chaos behind him, looked for a sense of normalcy to even out the bizarre events that he had put himself through. While he does not quite find a complete sense of silence, he does find something just as comforting to him in his patrol.
Having made his presence known through the city through his defeat of Lars Rodriguez at Dairyland, the Ace Savvy franchise was single-handedly revitalized by Lincoln himself, and everyone had the 'real' Ace Savvy to thank for it. As such, Ace Savvy himself became welcomed to see by every passing citizen, going by either simple greetings and waves or even photo ops. Ace Savvy might not have found peace and quiet, but he found this almost better, seeing his efforts appreciated.
For much of his life, Lincoln Loud had strong doubts about himself as a person. With all his siblings having a sense of identity and purpose, Lincoln never knew who he was, and pondered if he would truly find the answer to that question. Having the eldest of his sisters graduating and moving on with her own life, the question seemed to linger on himself only worse.
Now, as Ace Savvy, Lincoln finally finds the purpose in his life he was looking for; having a true passion in his life and finding approval from others through his actions. Of course, the main goal is to protect and serve the innocent, but no one said that he can't have some fun doing so.
That being said, Ace Savvy still remembered his duties as a superhero, and decided to check in with Lisa to find if any opportunity for a battle showed itself.
"So, Lis, anything on the police scanner?" Ace Savvy asked.
"Nothing sho far. It sheemsh there washn't much opposhishtion to be had ash far as shupervillainsh go. According to the profilesh I read on thoshe you defeated already, all your foesh have been localsh; it sheemsh we haven't had any vishitorsh from out of town." Lisa said.
"Even the Pernicious Pizza?"
"Oh, yesh, actually, that wash a failed experiment of mine a few monthsh back, I forgot about him completely until I read more into him."
"Wait... You made that guy?!"
"Yesh. While it ish not particularly in my nature, I shupposhe it ish fitting I exshtend you an apology."
"But he told me he was from a 1-star pizzeria near a nuclear power plant."
"Yesh. I was doing shome work for a nuclear power plant at the time, and that pizzeria was all there wash to eat in the area. If it helpsh, I didn't eat much."
"Actually, no, that doesn't help at all. It was bad enough moving that thing out of me after I ate him, do you have any idea what it was like fighting him the third time around?"
"Third?"
"I count the bathroom as a battle. It was hard getting all that out."
"Yesh, of courshe, well, I did offer you my apologiesh."
"An apology won't get the images of fighting a huge pile of crap out of my mind, Lisa."
"Never mind that. I asshume that you're on patrol at the moment, correct?"
"Yeah. I'm just hoping I have an actual supervillain fight with someone who can actually put together a matching pair of shoes. At least I don't have any more of the idiots."
"Be careful what you wish for, Lincoln. While everyone you've fought were inexshperienshced at best, you haven't had an eashy time taking care of them. A lot of your winsh were pure luck. Pershonally, I'm not shure you're ready for the big fightsh yet."
"What? So, you're suggesting that I quit?"
"No, no, not at all. All I'm shaying ish that you should exshershize caution. Had you been put up againsht shomeone like The Freak, you would be dead in shecondsh."
"That guy didn't really have any powers, though. One card blast, and I win."
"You're not lishtening, Lincoln. The entire purposhe that you wished to embark on theshe caped crushadesh wash to complete your shummer school project, and I prefer that we do it with ash little rishk ash posshible."
"And I also wanted to do this because I believe that I actually found who I am by picking up the cape, and I finally know who I am. All of you guys have your own talents and passions, and, after years of not having one, I finally have mine. So, I'm going to risk myself as much as I want, because this is exactly what I signed up for."
"Damn you, Lincoln! Thish ish not a game! People can get hurt! You can get hurt!"
"Oh, so, now you suddenly care if I get hurt or not? Or is that just so you can still do your science crap?"
"What differenshce doesh that make? Either way, if you get hurt, you get hurt! You could die. Ish that what you want?"
"I won't die, Lisa, I've got this totally under control. Trust me. Besides, you said that nothing can hurt me anymore, right?"
"In theory, but that doeshn't mean you're immortal. If my calculashtions are correct, if you shuffer any short of impact to the head, your brain could become damaged to either caushe shome short of mental retardation or even kill you. Alsho, while your shuit ish bulletproof, your shkin ish not. Bulletsh can shtill penetrate your shkin and caushe you shevere bodily harm."
"Lisa, relax, I'm fine. None of that is gonna happen. I knew what I was doing when I stepped in the particle accelerator."
"No, you didn't, you idiot. You could have jusht ash eashily been completely dead. I don't know how you managed to reconshtitute to normal, but it'sh, ash much ash I hate to shay it, a miracle that you're alive."
"Okay, okay, okay, I don't want to argue. Let's just focus on defending the general public, shall we?"
"Fine. If you're really sho intent on looking for shupervillainsh, why don't you try the bank? Ash cliche ash the proshpect shoundsh, banksh are known to handle the mosht cash, and the mosht likely target to strike."
"But aren't most banks just electronic now?"
"Yesh, but thish ish Micshigan. We're a huge shtep behind the timesh."
"True."
Having a new area to protect from any potential supervillains, Ace Savvy proceeded to stop inside the bank, ready to scope the area out for any potential supervillain sightings. Unfortunately, as easy as the prospect sounded, there was one particular obstacle in the way of that goal, one that could potentially expose his secret identity.
Taking a look inside the bank, Ace Savvy noticed Lola, the most money-oriented of the Louds, conversing with her banker. Not wanting to be seen by the 8-year old girl, Ace Savvy ran back against the wall of the bank, staying clear from the window.
"Uh... I don't think the bank's going to be an option, Lis." Ace Savvy said.
"Why not?" Lisa asked.
"Lola's inside."
"Oh, right, I forgot, she makesh all her deposhitsh on Wednesdays. Well, she didn't recognishze you at Dairyland, you should be jusht fine."
"But what if she does this time around? I'd rather not risk it if need be."
"What happened to Mr. 'I knew the rishksh' not a few shecondsh ago?"
"Well, Mr. 'I knew the risks' met with Mr. 'Survival instincts' and their concerns were agreed upon by Mr. 'If we get caught by any of our siblings, they could tell our parents and take away your science and my superherodom'. Get the picture?"
"Fine, fine, you're right. Well, then, jusht change to your civilian clothesh and shtake it out."
"Then how do I explain to Lola why Lincoln Loud is there?"
"You'll think of shomething, I'm shure."
"Oh, can't I just stake out somewhere else, like Burpin' Burger?"
"Shure, you can fight another dumb shupervillain there. I'd be much more comfortable with you fighting another Z-list villain, but if your deshire ish to fight an actual shupervillain and get hurt, by all meansh, be my guesht."
"Okay, sure, great idea."
"What? Lincoln, wait, that wash shupposhed to be revershe pshychology, I wasn't- ...Dangit."
With a quick visit to an alley behind the bank, changing back into his civilian clothes, Lincoln made his way into the bank, preparing to stake it out for a potential supervillain threat. The sight of a 12 year old boy was not particularly easy to hide in a busy bank, and it certainly did not go unnoticed by Lola, who spotted her brother in mere seconds.
"Hey, Lincoln! Over here!" Lola said.
Having been noticed by Lola in seconds, Lincoln made his approach to his younger sister, seeing what she wanted.
"Oh, hey, Lola, what's up?" Lincoln asked.
"I could ask you the same thing. Since when did you take any interest in visiting a bank?" Lola asked.
"Oh, yeah, well... Actually, I was thinking of... investing! Yeah, investing for college, you know? Never too early to start."
"Is that so? Well, you've come to the right place, Linky. Just take a seat and let mama Lola take you through it."
"'Mama' Lola? You're my little-"
"SIT DOWN!"
After a slight jump back in fear at Lola's outburst of anger, Lincoln promptly took a seat, sitting face-to-face with Lola's banker. Lola's particular banker was about all one would expect from her high tastes; Tall, well-built, well-kept blonde hair, and a sharp-dressed suit, all topped off with a Scandanavian accent.
"Now, this is my banker, Ivan. That's pronounced 'ee-von'. He takes care of my checking, savings, CD's, MMA, and 401(k)." Lola said.
"Hello, there. You must be Lincoln. Lola's said a lot about you." Ivan said.
"I certainly hope not." Lincoln said.
"Ha! And you're just as funny as she says, too. So, your brother has an interest in opening an account with us?"
"So it seems, and, let me tell you, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for the day when I can talk money with little Linky."
"I bet. So, Lincoln, what kind of account did you have in mind for opening?"
"Uh... Well, one where I can put money in."
"Ha! Once again, you never cease on humor. Maybe I should familiarize you with some of our options?"
"Yeah, sure, go right ahead."
"Right. So, first off, we have..."
What was meant to be a simple stakeout at the bank ended up becoming a lengthy lecture on differing bank accounts, and which kind would best suit Lincoln's needs, even though he had barely enough cash to even buy a Yahoo Soda in his pocket. Although the experience was very educational and informative, the discussion ultimately began to take its toll on Lincoln; the talk lasting for nearly an hour.
Fortunately, Lincoln's mind was not the only one going into fatigue, as Lola was finding herself needing a break, too. Being the one to call the shots whenever she could, Lola called for the session to take a break, needing to stop for a drink and a snack.
"Ivan, deary? As much as I'm enjoying my brother getting his financial education, I'm afraid we must take a break now." Lola said.
"Yes, of course, Miss Lola. Lollipop?" Ivan offered.
Ivan held up a cup filled with lollipops; all carefully assorted by color and grouping similar flavors together. As such, Lola opted for a red cherry lollipop, where Lincoln chose a blue raspberry lollipop.
"All the reds set aside for me, just how I like it." Lola said.
"Only the best for the best, Miss Lola." Ivan said.
Heading over to a small stand with coffee and pretzel sticks, Lincoln and Lola began getting snacks and refreshments for their small break, with Lola confirming a few minor details on their set-up.
"So, what are you thinking would be best for you, Linky? With someone who mainly deals in cash, I can't see you needing a checking account that much; you'll only cost yourself in maintenance fees. What altogether were you thinking, something for the future, like college? Maybe a car? Or maybe you want to get yourself a house of your own, set up for when you and Ronnie Anne get married and start making me some beautiful little nieces and nephews?" Lola asked.
Upon hearing the last portion of Lola's question, Lincoln instinctively spat out his coffee, not expecting his little sister to ask that.
"What?!" Lincoln asked.
"You know, how long were you planning to put your money away for? If you put away, say, $5,000 away at a 2.56% interest rate for 8 years, then you'd have-" Lola began to say.
"Not that, the last part. What were you saying about the whole... that?"
"Oh, how you and Ronnie Anne are gonna get married one day?"
"Yeah, what makes you think that's gonna happen?"
"Oh, Linky, you don't have to deny anything, we know you and Ronnie Anne are crazy about each other. I mean, you talk to each other every Friday."
"Well... I mean... Not really."
"What do you mean, 'not really'? Lincoln, what are you not telling us?"
"Hey, what's with this interrogation? Am I not allowed to have a personal life?"
"Of course not, have you lived in our house?"
"C'mon, Lola, I don't want to talk about-"
Before Lincoln could retreat any further from the conversation, Lola grabbed him by the throat, pulling his face right up to hers. Taking her lollipop in hand, Lola pressed the stick against his trachea, using it as an improvised shiv.
"YOU'RE GONNA TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON BETWEEN YOU TWO OR I'M GONNA STAB YOU IN THE TRACHEA!" Lola shouted.
"Okay, okay, I'll tell you, just let me go!" Lincoln said.
With Lincoln ready to answer her question, Lola released him, allowing him to speak unrestrained.
"Look, I don't want to talk about this at all, but, if you have to know... I... I'm not..." Lincoln stammered.
"You're not what?" Lola asked.
"I... I don't think I'll be talking to Ronnie Anne that much anymore."
"What do you mean? You're not breaking up with her, are you?"
"Lola, her and I were never really a thing to begin with."
"Oh? Then what's this?"
Lola pulled out her cell phone, displaying on the screen a picture of Lincoln and Ronnie Anne kissing at Jean Juan's on their first date.
"What-?! Where'd you get that?!" Lincoln asked.
"Lori took a picture and sent it to me. You know she has it framed on her wall?" Lola asked.
"I was forced into that whole thing. I only went through all that just to make Lori happy, and look where it got me."
"You two were still pretty close after that, though. Also, if I'm not mistaken, you also kissed her before that after she put that gum in your hair. We knew right from the start she liked you."
"Enough about Ronnie Anne! I'm not interested in her that way, and even if I was, I'm not anymore. I'm seeing Stella now."
Upon hearing this confession from her brother, Lola dropped her cup of coffee, barely able to process what she heard from his lips.
"Oh... My... God... YOU'RE CHEATING ON RONNIE ANNE?!" Lola asked.
"Cheating?! How would it even be cheating?" Lincoln asked.
"You said you hadn't broken up with Ronnie Anne, and now you're seeing another girl. In my book, that's called 'cheating', and that goes in every other girl's book, too, you know. You think Ronnie Anne is gonna be all that happy when you tell her that next Friday?"
"Lola, listen to yourself, I just told you that Ronnie Anne and I weren't together, and, now, you're going off claiming that I'm suddenly cheating on her. We were never together, okay? So she won't care."
"Well, then, you won't mind if I tell her myself, then."
"Wait, what?!"
Lola took her cell phone and proceeded to call Lori, having her as a more direct line to the Casagrande's.
"Simple. If you're really not cheating on her, then I can just let her know that you and Stella are together now, and she won't mind a bit, as you said. She might even be happy for you, who knows? Only one way to find out." Lola said.
Trying to prevent the call by whatever means he could, Lincoln began begging and pleading for Lola not to make the call, dropping to his knees in desperation. Lola, as cold-hearted as she was, paid no mind to his pleas, continuing on her call as if nothing was happening.
"Lola, please, I'm begging you, don't do this! I'll do anything you want! Free pedicures for life! Take half my shower time and add it to yours! Have an all-expense paid visit to the Royal Woods Spa! Anything you want!" Lincoln begged.
As Lincoln's pleas were ignored, Lola's call towards Lori was answered, with the firstborn of the Loud children answering her phone.
"Lola? What it is?" Lori asked.
"Oh, hello, dear Lori, are you at the Casagrande's right now?" Lola asked.
"Yeah?"
"Then could you please do me a favor and put Ronnie Anne on the-"
Before Lola could finish her sentence, an explosion set off at the front door of the bank, sending pieces of shattered glass and rubble flying across the lobby. With none expecting an attack, the bankgoers all screamed in fear, each taking cover behind some compromised means of shelter.
One large piece of rubble made its way towards Lola's head, knocking the young girl out cold. Although he was spared from a problematic and complicated conversation with Ronnie Anne, he now had an unconscious sister to protect and a supervillain to fight. Upon seeing this particular supervillain, Lincoln soon knew that this would not be any wannabe, and his wish for a legitimate supervillain was finally granted.
Standing in the exploded doorway was a man dressed in a bulky black and yellow suit of armor, his face covered in a large helmet and mask. Laid across his body were various grenades and other explosives, and at his wrists grenade launchers, emitting a trail of smoke from having been used. Stepping among the rubble he had created, this new threat began looking among the frightened crowd for his target.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, sorry to bomb on your festivities. Would any of you be so kind as to tell me where I can find the bank manager? I have a very large withdrawal to make." The villain said.
As the villain made his way towards the podiums to seek out the bank manager, Lola's phone was still active on its call, with Ronnie Anne reaching the other end.
"Hello? Hello?! Lola, what's going on?" Ronnie Anne asked.
Realizing what had to be done, Lincoln collected Lola and her phone, taking her into the women's bathroom to hide her from the fight. Hanging up the phone and making a subsequent 911 call, Lincoln prepared backup for his fight before making his own entrance.
"911, what is your emergency?" The operator asked.
"This is Ace Savvy calling from a civilian phone. There's a supervillain attacking the First National Bank of Royal Woods. I'm on the case to dispatch the supervillain, I'll get him ready for you to put away." Lincoln said.
"Acknowledged, police are on the way. Thank you for the update, Ace Savvy. Do your best."
Heading into a stall for privacy, Lincoln began changing back into his super-suit, readying himself to fight the new foe he was placed against. No longer in his persona of Lincoln Loud, the boy gave way to Ace Savvy, dressed for battle against the supervillain. Before heading out to battle the bank robber, Ace Savvy stuck his tongue against a wall socket, absorbing a few hundred volts of energy for his fight. While his sense of taste was a little worse for the wear from the action, it would return to normal soon enough.
Now, there only laid the concern of the supervillain. Heading back into the lobby of the bank, Ace Savvy watched this new villain grab the bank manager in his hand, requesting out of him information regarding the bank vault. Not able to risk the life of the manager, Ace Savvy stood by and waited for the supervillain to drop the manager, leaving him clear of the fight.
"Make it easier on yourself, tell me where the vault is and I'll let you go unharmed." The supervillain said.
"You can't open it without me, and I won't let it be taken by someone like you." The bank manager said.
"I'll worry about opening it. You, on the other hand, should show a little more concern for your life. Is a few million dollars, all insured, really worth risking your life over? People like you, the bank probably couldn't care less if you live or die, so why bother?"
"Okay, okay, it's just past that closet, just don't hurt me!"
"I'm a man of my word, I won't hurt you. The ground, on the other hand..."
The supervillain tossed the bank manager to the floor, sending him sliding across it and out of his line of sight. Aside from having suffered a small fall, the bank manager was unharmed. More importantly, being out of the hands of this new supervillain, this meant that fighting against him would be all the more easier for Ace Savvy.
As the supervillain made his way towards the vault, his approach was stopped by a set of cards flying towards his feet; all exploding upon impact. Turning to see the thrower of the cards, the supervillain was met with the hero he was hoping to run into: Ace Savvy.
"Well, you got here faster than I thought. Guess you're better than I made you out to be. Wait a minute, you're Ace Savvy? Man, I figured you must've been young, but, damn. What are you, 11?" The villain asked.
"12, but who's counting? Now, who are you? And what are you doing here?" Ace Savvy asked.
"Well, the name's Nailbomb, explosives extraordinaire, but, you look like a smart guy, so, I'm gonna let you take a guess as to what I'm doing here."
"Although that's the coolest supervillain name I've ever head, I know what you're doing here. The question is, why are you doing it here in my city?"
"Hey, it's a free country; I wanna bomb some city for cash, I'm free to pick anywhere I want for it, right? You, my friend, should be a little more concerned about what happens to you now."
"Oh, really? What's going to happen to me now?"
"Oh, not much, a little something like this."
Aiming one of the grenade launchers on his wrists, Nailbomb fired a grenade towards Ace Savvy, knocking him back several feet away. Surviving the blast in full, Ace Savvy returned back to the villain, not even seemed to be scathed by the grenade's explosion. Where his eyes were a red from absorbing energy from the wall socket, his eyes were turning more towards orange now.
Brushing the rubble and dust off his suit, Ace Savvy looked back at Nailbomb after the explosion, showing a lack of impression to downplay his attack. Not having seen any enemy take on a full grenade blast like that and survive, Nailbomb began to show a look of surprise and confusion, not quite sure how to process the event.
"Hot damn, no wonder you made it this far. You can absorb explosions?" Nailbomb asked.
"And I can redirect their energy, like so!" Ace Savvy said.
Tossing an energized card straight towards Nailbomb, Ace Savvy landed an explosive impact into his chest, sending the foe back. Unfortunately, Nailbomb, being dressed in a bombproof suit, was not sent too far back, only by a few inches. Where his other foes would go down with a simple attack such as this, it was clear that Nailbomb would not go down as easy.
"Nice try, but not nice enough. I learned the hard way not to be prepared for bombs, when one went off a little too early and burned off most of my skin. You might be able to absorb explosions, but I'm not too certain that the rest of these people can take it. Wanna see what happens?" Nailbomb asked.
Aiming his grenade launchers towards two separate groups of people, Nailbomb fired off both rounds, each one heading to a different target. Having nearly no time to react to one, handling both was an impossible task. That being said, Ace Savvy still thought of a plan to handle both, saving both groups of people.
Leaping in the flightpath of one grenade, Ace Savvy took the full impact of the explosive, absorbing the energy of the explosion before it could even expand. In the process of absorbing the one grenade, Ace Savvy tossed a card towards the other grenade, aiming to detonate it prematurely. With luck on his side, the card made its impact, detonating the grenade early and saving the civilians it was heading towards.
Unfortunately, while the civilians were saved from the grenade, the combined explosion of Ace Savvy's card and the grenade was too much for the structure of the building; causing the ceiling to come apart and fall down. The resulting falling rubble and ceiling put a barrier between Ace Savvy and Nailbomb, preventing him from reaching his enemy.
"Nice going, kid, but it looks like you're not getting any luckier this time around. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a vault to blow." Nailbomb said.
Unable to allow the villain to make his way to the bank vault, Ace Savvy began crawling his way through the rubble, pushing through to reach Nailbomb and prevent him from gaining access to the vault. As he worked his way through, Ace Savvy called up support from Lisa, needing more information on the villain in hopes of defeating him; his bombproof suit impervious to his cards.
"Hey, Lisa, any info on this guy?" Ace Savvy asked.
"I'm looking into all filesh regarding thish 'Nailbomb'. According to what I can find, he ish an exsh-army E.O.D. (explosive ordinance disposal) expert who shuffered a rather nashty exshploshtion reshulting in his shkin being badly burned and giving him almosht complete immunity to any shenshe of pain." Lisa said.
"Oh, that's nice. Now, could you please tell me something useful, Lisa?"
"Not much I can find that would help. Apparently, he went on a mad bomber shpree following hish inshcident, and got a deal with the Department of Jushtishce in their rehabilitashtion program which gave him that shuit and exshploshivesh."
"Again, I requested something helpful, Lisa."
"Well, that shuit of hish may be bombproof, but maybe you can tesht that, if you get what I mean."
"No, I don't, a little more clarity, please?"
"You can redirect energy into any onbject of you chooshing. Try and get closhe enough to redirect energy into his shuit. If you do that, you can blow a hole in hish defenshesh and have a meansh of attack."
"Oh... Okay, I like that idea."
Working his way through the rock and rubble, Ace Savvy made his way back to the other end of the bank, approaching Nailbomb to make his next attack. Nailbomb, preparing to blast his way through the vault, did not immediately notice Ace Savvy until he had stepped forward, charging another card in his hand.
"Guess who's back?" Ace Savvy asked.
"Oh, hey, kid. Say, you wouldn't happen to know how to blow open a bank vault, would you?" Nailbomb asked.
"I wouldn't know, because anyone who tries that goes straight to jail, just like you're about to do!"
Ace Savvy tossed another card towards Nailbomb, aiming it straight for his head. Having an idea to dodge the attack, Nailbomb ducked under the incoming card, allowing it to pass over his head and hit the vault door. While Nailbomb was about to use some of his own explosives to open the vault, Ace Savvy's card had blasted it open inadvetently.
"Hey, thanks, kid, you just saved me some cash on more C4. I owe you one." Nailbomb said.
"Oh, crap!" Ace Savvy said.
"What?" Lisa asked.
"I just opened the vault for him by accident."
"What?! How do you help a bank robber 'by accshident'?"
"I- I threw a- Never mind."
Heading his way into the vault, Ace Savvy proceeded to head after Nailbomb, ready to amend his mistake and prevent the villain from leaving with the money. As Nailbomb had already collected two large bags in the short time frame, it was near time for him to make his way out, having collected what he came for. Hearing the sounds of sirens make their way outside, his escape would be expedited quickly.
"Well, kid, it's been fun getting to know you, but I've got money to spend. Same time next week?" Nailbomb asked.
"I don't think so. You're not going anywhere except through me." Ace Savvy said.
"Is that so? Then, tell me, what do you plan to do to stop me? So far, you haven't harmed me once, and I've got plenty more experience with explosives than you."
"If there's one thing Ace Savvy always has, it's an ace up his sleeve."
Grabbing onto Nailbomb's suit, Ace Savvy began projecting as much energy as he could into the suit, setting it to explode. Not understanding what he was doing, Nailbomb began to grow confused and nervous, unsure what to expect from this trick.
"What the-?! What are you doing, kid?!" Nailbomb asked.
"That suit's bombproof, so how about we see how it holds up against being a bomb?" Ace Savvy asked.
As the energy transferred to the suit, the metal and fabric began to glow and heat up, nearly cooking Nailbomb from the inside. Even with someone with dead nerve endings, the experience of being broiled alive inside his own suit was a harsh assault on his being, leaving him barely able to stand it.
Acting in sheer desperation, Nailbomb began ripping pieces of the suit off of himself, tossing the parts right back at Ace Savvy. His first few dodges of the pieces spared him the attacks just fine, but Ace Savvy soon found his luck to run out with one final piece hitting him in the chest, exploding on impact.
Being sent back by his own explosion, Ace Savvy collided with a desk; his head facing the worst of the brunt. Unfortunately, while his body was able to absorb the impact, the force itself still jostled his brain, leaving him to become dizzy and disoriented. With no more Ace Savvy in his way to rob the bank, Nailbomb began making his way out of the building, preparing to move out and retreat through the back door.
"It's been fun, kid. You're good, but you're not good enough." Nailbomb said.
Retreating out of the building with the stolen money, Nailbomb made his escape from Ace Savvy, leaving the boy to fend himself off on his own. Having no more energy left in his body nor any mental strength to rise from the ground, Ace Savvy seemed to be done for; his secret identity soon to be discovered and his entire path of superherodom gone.
But, no, he could not allow that.
Working in a desperate means of preserving his secret identity, Ace Savvy began ripping his own suit off and tossing it in a nearby wastebin, saving it to be retrieved later. No longer having his civilian clothes underneath, Lincoln Loud, now out of his alter-ego of Ace Savvy, was left naked and barely conscious on the floor; his secret identity preserved, but the rest of him left exposed and vulnerable.
Now, all there was left to do was wait for paramedics to take things from there. With hope, Lola would soon wake up as well; her own head injuries tended to.
Not too long later, at the undescript warehouse base of the supervillains, Nailbomb made his arrival back to his comrades, bringing back with him large amounts of money, but also a destroyed suit.
"Holy hell, what happened to your suit? I thought nothing could blow it?" One supervillain asked.
"Damn kid's better than I thought. When his little card tricks didn't work, he apparently set my own suit to blow." Nailbomb said.
"What? How'd he manage that?!" Another supervillain asked.
"Apparently, this kid's power is that he can absorb energy and redirect it into anything he wants, making it blow up. Gotta admit, I'm extremely jealous."
"Yeah, yeah, but what else did you find out about him?" A different supervillain asked.
"Like I said, he's just a kid, can't be any older than 12. He's definitely got the enthusiasm and energy, but he's not that experienced. I think we're looking at an amateur here."
"Even more perfect than I could've hoped for. I take it you dispatched him easily?" The head supervillain asked.
"Not that easily, but, yeah. He hit a desk and went out cold. He's out of the picture, he's not a concern anymore."
"Don't be so sure, Nailbomb. I've seen the young ones in effect, need I remind you I have one of my own?"
"Oh, no, boss, we'd never forget that. We know how much you love your kid."
"That's right. The fact is, the younger these supers are, the more volatile they are. Guessing from what I've seen, he should be back on the streets in a week's time."
"You sure about that, boss?"
"I'm counting on it. For now, you can relax and use your downtime to make yourself a new suit. Now, next up for fun, let's say... Icebreaker."