CHAPTER 22
"Mr. Publick?" Jonathan looked up from the paperwork strewn across his desk and blinked. It was the new girl, standing in the doorway to his office. Helen? Hayley. "Will you need anything else tonight?"
Jonathan shook his head. "No, no, feel free to head home. I'll lock up when I'm done."
The paralegal nodded and eased his door closed again. Jonathan shook his head and smiled. She was young, and she'd outgrow the nerves soon enough. Coming right out of college and stepping into a role at Avery, Smith, and Wesson was enough to make anyone a little nervous, he supposed. But he had been a partner here for over a decade, and a senior partner for a third of that time. After walking through the same office door for so many years, the sense of awe at working at one of the most prestigious law offices in Clarus City had worn off. Now it was just a day job. And an evening job. And occasionally a late night job.
He went back to marking up the contract on his desk, and by the time his cell phone buzzed, the shadows in his office had lengthened. Jonathan accepted the call and put it on speaker. "Hello honey," he said.
"Going to be burning the midnight oil again?" his wife asked, her voice crackling as it came through the phone speaker.
"Afraid so. You don't mind leaving some dinner in the fridge for me?"
"And put the kids to bed. You know, I'm pretty sure they've forgotten what their father looks like."
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'll find a way to make it up to them. Tell them I said good night?"
"I will. You do what you need to." He could hear the smile in his wife's voice. "What are you working on tonight? The usual stuff, or… pro bono?"
"For now, just the usual, but I've got some pro bono work on the pile too. It's going to be a late night, I think."
His wife was quiet for a moment. "Just stay safe, John."
"I will. I'll see you when I get home."
He kept working until the long summer twilight finally faded into night. When his office was plunged into darkness, Jonathan stood up, stretched, padded quietly over to his office door, and peered out. The rest of the floor was silent, lit only by idle computer monitors. Satisfied he was alone, Jonathan removed his diamond cufflinks and set them on his desk. He opened a small coat closet at the back of his office and removed the garment bag within. He quickly stripped out of his slacks, tie, and button-down shirt, and pulled on the new suit. He paused only to take the pokeball off the window ledge before slipping out to the elevators and riding it up to the top floor of his building. From there, he drew out the spare set of custodian keys he had made and unlocked the small closet that led to the rooftop HVAC access. He emerged onto the roof of the office tower, the noise of the city filtering up from the street thirty stories below.
He slid on his blue and white striped helmet and tossed his pokeball into the air. "All right George, let's go!" His Braviary soared up into the air, beating his wings three times before plunging back down to the roof. Jonathan reached out and ran his hand through his partner's feathered crown and strapped a simple harness to the flying type's back. He secured himself with a carabineer and patted George's neck twice.
They shot out over Clarus City, gaining altitude with each powerful beat of George's wings. The Braviary weaved through the glittering spires of downtown Clarus while his sharp eyes scanned the streets below for any sort of disturbance. As they shot over Foundry Park, a boom echoed through the steel and glass canyons. George whirled in the air and raced towards the sound as sirens started to blare on the surrounding streets. The explosion had occurred on the third floor of a skyscraper, and chunks of masonry and broken glass littered the street. Figures clothed in black body armor had infiltrated the crowd of panicked civilians, led by a woman with a Pyroar crouching at her heels. The woman raised a machine gun in the air and fired several rounds, making people scream.
George shrieked and dove as his trainer disconnected from the flying harness. Jonathan dropped to the street as George soared back up into the air to engage a flock of hostile flying type pokemon. Jonathan seized the gun of one of the men in body armor, wrenched it from his hands, and removed the magazine before using the gun to strike the side of the man's head. He dropped with a groan, and Jonathan whirled on the next foe. When he had similarly disarmed and incapacitated the man, he lifted his fingers to his lips and gave a piercing whistle. "Have no fear, citizens! Captain Unova is here!" He pointed down the street. "Please proceed in an orderly fashion to… oh no." He tackled a woman to the ground as one of the armored men raised his gun. The spray of bullets went wide as George dropped from the sky and struck the man with his closed talons, sending the gunman flying backwards. George pivoted and tensed up the muscles in his wings, sweeping into a Gurdurr and Monferno.
"Thanks for the save, partner!" Jonathan called as he helped the woman to her feet and turned towards the smoldering building. He started to shove his way through the panicked crowd, but the press of people hampered him. He cursed under his breath, knowing that if he didn't hurry, he wouldn't be able to stop Pride from whatever she was planning. "Please, let me through! I need to… I'm sorry, please stand aside so that I—"
A shriek sounded above Captain Unova's head, sharper and more high-pitched than George's call. A red and white blur dropped from the sky into a knot of Pride's enforcers. "Citizens of Clarus City!" someone shouted over the chaos. "The police have set up a cordon one block back! Make your way there to receive emergency medical attention. The CCPD will take things from here!"
Jonathan looked up to where the voice was coming from, and saw a young man in a black and red costume standing on the stone terrace of the Clarus Gazette offices. As the crowd started to hasten back to the cordon, he spread his arms wide and jumped, only for the fabric of his wingsuit to catch the wind and carry him aloft. "As for you!" he shouted at Pride's fifteen or so enforcers. "Get ready for a world of hurt!"
He dropped out of the sky just as his partner pokemon hurled a Croagunk out of the melee. Hawlucha Man drew a pair of batons from his belt and jabbed them into the poison type's back, and an electric current coursed through the amphibian's body. Captain Unova whistled again. "Hawlucha Man!"
The winged hero glanced over at Jonathan. "You're here?"
"Just passing by." Jonathan turned on his heel and grabbed the wrist of an oncoming man, grasping hard enough that he dropped the knife he was holding. With a grunt, Jonathan hurled him into a charging Primeape, and both man and pokemon fell in a heap.
Hawlucha Man sprinted past, his batons twirling. "I was hoping to stop this before the bomb went off, but Hierro and I were too late." He delivered a flying kick to an Electabuzz as his Hawlucha jumped into the air to support George. "The Sins are after something in that building, and they sent Wrath in to get it. I'm hoping to lure him out here before he can do any more damage. After my last run in with him, I hear he's spoiling for a fight to settle the score."
"So the best way to get him out is to put pressure on Pride?"
"Pretty much." Hawlucha Man pivoted to stand back-to-back with Captain Unova. "You willing to back me up?"
"Helping out is what heroes do."
Hawlucha Man grinned. "Awesome. Let's kick some ass."
Jonathan lashed out with a kick at one of Pride's men and signaled to George. The Braviary spun in the air and dropped back towards the ground, using his rigid wings to batter human and pokemon alike, clearing a path for the two heroes. Hawlucha Man and Captain Unova sprinted through the passageway just as a CCPD riot squad arrived behind them. Hawlucha Man spared a quick glance over his shoulder. "Let them handle the stragglers and protect the civilians. We've got to take Pride down."
His Hawlucha partner swooped down and struck its talons together, setting its fists ablaze. It turned on a Cacturne, Weavile and Scrafty that were attempting to flank Hawlucha Man and beat them back with a series of fiery punches and lightning-fast kicks.
George screamed out a warning as Pride turned on the two heroes. Her Pyroar jumped to her defense, only for Captain Unova's Braviary to tackle it out of the air. Jonathan put on a burst of speed, snatching the woman's pistol from her hand and dancing out of her reach as he disarmed the weapon. "I'd never hit a woman," Jonathan said. "But for you, I'll make an exception."
"Damn blowhard," Pride growled, snapping her whip and wrapping the leather cable around Jonathan's right wrist. She gave the whip a yank, dragging Jonathan off-balance, but before she could capitalize on the opening, Hawlucha Man blew by the star-spangled hero. He dropped into a crouch and swept Pride's legs out from underneath her with a spinning kick. The woman rolled backwards and came up with a snarl. "You again?"
"Scared to fight me without your boss backing you up?"
"I don't need any help kicking your insolent ass." Pride cracked her whip. "I seem to recall you having a few more allies last time."
"I've got all the help I need."
Pride's Pyroar yowled as George sent it flying through the air with a powerful blast of wind. Hierro squared off against one of Pride's enforcers, ducking under his guard. The Hawlucha slammed a fiery uppercut to the center of the man's chest before jumping back and delivering a two-footed kick to the same place. The man was lifted off his feet crashed into one of his comrades, and both of them fell to the pavement.
Hawlucha Man barked out a laugh and twirled his batons before leaping at Pride. "Not so tough now, huh?" The woman was forced onto the defensive, giving ground under Hawlucha Man's rain of blows. One of her capos rushed to help her, but Hawlucha Man ducked under his knife and knocked him off balance. "Captain Unova!" he shouted. "Deal with him!"
Jonathan was on him in seconds, delivering a combination of punches that culminated in a roundhouse kick. The man bent double, and Jonathan grabbed his left arm, hurling him towards a charging Granbull. George screamed down from the sky, talons balled up like fists, and struck the canine with a quick one-two jab before buffeting a Scyther with his wings.
Hawlucha Man threw up his left arm and let Pride wrap her whip around his wrist. She tried to jerk him off-balance, but Hawlucha Man pulled back. Neither one had the strength to disarm the other, and they struggled in a stalemate for several seconds until Jonathan grabbed the whip and gave it a sharp yank, jerking it out of Pride's hand.
"Thanks," Hawlucha Man said as he shook out its coils. "Took a bit of a gamble there."
"Don't mention it!"
"We're not out of the woods yet! Wrath's goons, eight o'clock!"
"Leave it to me." Jonathan whistled to George and sprinted towards the anarchists emerging from the smoldering building. By now, he and Hawlucha Man had managed to incapacitate or knock out about eight of Pride's fifteen capos, and it seemed that Wrath had only brought five to reinforce them. Knives flashed in the streetlights as the anarchists braced for a fight, but Captain Unova didn't falter. Without breaking his momentum, he drove his fist into the jaw of one of the men, knocking him flat before he could even summon a pokemon.
George swooped to his partner's defense, tackling a Talonflame out of the air and hurling it into a Weezing. Jonathan jumped up for a spinning aerial kick that dropped a second man. A third rushed in, his knife poised to strike at Jonathan's chest. Captain Unova moved on instinct, sliding his weight back and out of the way before grabbing the man's wrist and applying pressure. When he dropped the blade, Jonathan drove his fist into the man's kidneys and knocked the wind from his lungs. In his peripheral vision, he saw Hawlucha Man's partner diving towards him. He shifted his weight and shoved the man to the side. "He's all yours!"
Hierro descended in a flurry of claws and talons, striking the man from above before he could recover. Pride's remaining men had rallied around her, forcing Hawlucha Man to retreat. He fell back to Captain Unova, his breathing labored. "I may have overestimated myself here," he panted. "They're tougher than I thought."
Jonathan cracked his knuckles. "Between the two of us, I think we can take 'em."
"Yeah?" Hawlucha Man took a deep breath and settled into a fighting crouch. "Well, maybe we can." He cast a glance over his shoulder. "Y'know, some of those combos looked familiar. You a Brycen fan?"
Jonathan beamed. "You recognized them?"
"Brycen's my hometown hero! I grew up on his movies, I know all his moves!"
"See the man on the right there?" Jonathan said. "When I give the signal, go for something like Liepard Stalks in Snow. I'll take the guy on the other side with a Servine Creeps Downward. We'll meet in the middle and go for Pride with a Two Arcanine Subdue Druddigon."
"I like the way you think." Hawlucha Man motioned to his partner. "Liepard Stalks in Snow, on his mark."
Jonathan watched as the Sins' forces closed in. "Okay, now!" Hawlucha Man and Hierro took off at a sprint, veering right while Jonathan ducked left. He extended his right hand, and George swooped down with one talon extended. He seized Jonathan's arm and hauled him up into the air, above the chaos on the ground.
Hawlucha Man and his partner closed in on their mark, feinting left, then right, then left again. As the man tried to track their movements, Hawlucha Man leapt at him and delivered an open-handed strike to the man's chin and followed up with a kick to throw the man back into his comrades' arms. Hierro vaulted over his partner's back to strike the man's Magneton, causing it to discharge its electricity into Pride's ranks. Jonathan was now over his target, and he dropped out of the sky and onto the capo's shoulders, tightening his thighs around the man's neck while the man scrabbled uselessly at his legs. Jonathan boxed the man's temples, and he crumpled as the next man in the formation brought his gun to bear. Before he could fire off a shot, Jonathan had disarmed him and bludgeoned him with his gun.
George dropped out of the sky as Pride's Seviper lunged at Jonathan. The Braviary seized the poison type just behind its head, rendering the serpent's fangs useless. Its tail lashed back and forth, but George soared back up into the air, looping and diving to disorient the poison type before going into a final loop and dropping the Seviper at the peak of his arc.
Jonathan and Hawlucha Man raced towards Pride, but a hulking enforcer stood in their way. "Pansage Conquers Heaven!" Hawlucha Man barked. He and Jonathan both dropped their weight before springing up with a double uppercut, striking the man's chin simultaneously and causing his head to snap backwards.
"Dragonair Encircles the Mountain!" Jonathan said, and slid his knee behind the man's leg. Hawlucha Man did the same on the other side, and together they jerked their feet back, sending the man crashing down on his rump. A Scyther sprang at them, only to be grabbed from behind by Hierro and flung back. The Hawlucha whirled in midair and ignited his fists, descending with a powerful punch that surrounded the Scyther in a brief nimbus of flames. "Beartic Catches Cloud!" Jonathan said with a laugh. "With a twist!"
Hawlucha Man grinned. "He watched the movies with me."
Before they could rush at Pride, an Incineroar tackled Hawlucha Man to the ground. "You again!" someone snarled from behind them.
Hierro shrieked in anger and leapt at the fire type pinning his partner. A flying kick to the feline's chest forced it into a retreat, but before Hawlucha Man could get back on his feet, one of Wrath's anarchists knocked Jonathan to his knees.
"Cap!" Alex snapped as he jumped up and disarmed another of Pride's capos. "Aipom Takes Peach!" Jonathan smirked and drove his right fist up into the anarchist's groin, buying Jonathan enough time to get back on his feet.
Hawlucha Man whirled as Wrath emerged from the bombed-out building. "How's that leg doing?" he called.
Wrath snarled, nearly foaming at the mouth. "I'll kill you, you damned pest!" He raised a plastic remote, and as soon as Jonathan saw Wrath's hand move, he whistled. George swooped down and snatched the device from Wrath's grip, depositing in on a gargoyle several stories above street level.
"I have a plan," Hawlucha Man hissed as the Sins closed in. "You remember the end of Attack of the Dragon Clan?"
"Where Brycen and Mikiko did the—"
"Yeah, and then with the—"
"And finished them off with the, you know—"
"Exactly!"
"That might actually work!"
"All right. You go low, I'll go high."
Jonathan dropped low with a sweeping kick while Hawlucha Man vaulted over his back, slamming his batons down on the shoulders of the closest man. Jonathan rose with an uppercut, sending one of Wrath's anarchists crashing to the ground and clutching his jaw. Hawlucha Man twirled with a series of spinning kicks as he tried to break through to Richelieu, so Jonathan turned his attention on Aukai.
"Go for his right leg!" Hawlucha Man called over his shoulder. "Last time we fought, we got him there, and it hasn't had time to heal!"
Jonathan moved in, only for Wrath's Incineroar to jump at him. Hierro dove and grappled the fire type to the ground. Black and crimson flames erupted from the Incineroar's claws, and Hierro struck his talons together like flints to ignite his own claws. Small explosions erupted from their fists as they clashed. Hierro's leaps and agile maneuvers checked the Incineroar's greater size and reach as the Hawlucha bounded into and out of range faster than the fire type could respond. Their fiery fists cast strange shadows as they battled back and forth.
Hawlucha Man let out a cry of dismay as two of Pride's grunts closed on him and knocked him to the street. Richelieu stalked towards him, her Seviper poised to strike. "Got you now, you little pest," the woman hissed as she reached out to take a gun from one of her subordinates.
Jonathan cursed under his breath. "George! It's time!" He turned his back on Wrath's men and thrust his arms out in front of him, his fists closed. George stooped out of a dive, driving his wings down like Jonathan's fists, then swerving in the air as Jonathan whipped his hands into a sloping diagonal line. Finally, he moved his arms to form two parallel lines across his body. Power surged in his veins, and the light from the streetlamps seemed to grow brighter as he took off at a sprint, a wordless battle cry tearing from his throat. He rammed through Pride's remaining enforcers with a full-tilt, full-body tackle, and used the momentum to leap up into a spinning kick that took out both of the grunts holding Hawlucha Man.
Wrath recoiled. "Those moves look like… no! That's not possible!"
Captain Unova seized the gun in Pride's hands and discharged a shot into the pavement before ejecting the magazine. He stood in front of Hawlucha Man and spread his arms akimbo as George dropped out of the sky and grasped him beneath the shoulders and hauled him up into the air. The Braviary turned three times counterclockwise as they ascended, the sounds of gunfire echoing behind them. When they had ascended to the proper height, George let Jonathan go, and he plummeted towards the ground.
Pride's Seviper lunged as he fell, and Captain Unova drove his fist into the serpent's face, knocking it back down just as he landed. The force of his impact splintered the asphalt and knocked Pride's enforcers from their feet, sending several tumbling head over heels.
Pride had been knocked to her knees, and Hawlucha Man had regained his feet and his batons. He pressed one to the back of the woman's head, his hand on the button to activate the electric pulse. The winged hero glanced at Captain Unova as the star spangled fighter stood up and dusted off his costume. "That wasn't a Brycen move."
"No, but I thought it was time to lay my cards on the table." Jonathan took a deep breath and steeled his nerve. The fight wasn't over yet, and he had just enough left in him for one more. "My grandfather was stationed in Alola back in the war. The locals taught him a few tricks, and those secrets have been passed down my family for generations."
Wrath shoved through his men. "You don't deserve those moves!" he spat. "The kahunas denied me my culture, my heritage! So why does a thieving Unovan like you get to use them?!"
Jonathan took another breath. "Hawlucha Man, stand back. I'm going to finish this."
"By yourself?"
"Yes. George!" His Braviary swooped once more, and the streetlights grew in intensity for a third time. Jonathan adjusted his stance and threw a quick series of jabs in front of him, drawing on the last of his power. His muscles tensed and he sprang forward as the Sins' men bore down on him. With a single punch, he lifted one man off his feet and flung him backwards towards the smoking building, and sent another woman airborne with his other hand. He put his weight on his back foot and pivoted, lashing out with a kick that hit one man and sent him flying back into a leaping Mightyena and a Typhlosion, taking all three out of the fight. Two more punches took out a Mienshao and a Drapion, and then the final grunt was in front of Jonathan, a towering brute of a man that was at least six and half feet tall and nearly as wide, all of it wrapped up in corded muscle. He drew his fist back and launched it at Jonathan's face, and Jonathan seemed to watch it in slow motion.
Jonathan settled into his stance and brought his hand back. Time for a finishing move, the kind of thing that got a two-page spread in his kids' comic books. "SKYARROW!" The man's strike came in, but Jonathan was faster, and slammed his fist against the larger man's. "SMASH!"
He heard the bones in the brute's hand splinter and crack, and watched as the force of the blow travelled up the man's arm, shattering every bone all the way to the shoulder. The power of Jonathan's punch exploded outwards in a shockwave that launched the man backwards. Wrath ducked under his subordinate's unconscious form and darted forward with a knife. "Those moves aren't yours, Unovan! They belong to me!"
Jonathan moved with superhuman speed, twisting around Wrath's strike and grabbing his wrist. "Do you know what makes Unova so great? The thing that makes up the bedrock of the region?" He squeezed, making Aukai gasp in pain. "It's built by people from all over the world who came together and decided to make something more than themselves. Everyone who comes to Unova pours of themselves into it, right into the very foundation. Those Unovans of old decided that culture is better when it's shared, rather than walled off and kept in boxes. Unova is a tapestry that the entire world wove together, in an effort to create something so much better than the sum of its parts." Jonathan felt the power within him waning, and knew he didn't have long. "I came to Clarus City because I saw the same potential here. The tapestry isn't finished yet, and I'll be damned if I let you unravel it!"
He pivoted and threw Aukai forward, forcing the anarchist to land on his injured knee. "Unova is in my blood, but Clarus City is my home!" Jonathan clenched his fist and swung out with a punch. Aukai winced and closed his eyes, waiting for a blow that never came. There was a pop as air rushed into the space Aukai had occupied only a second before. Richelieu vanished in a second pop, followed by Wrath's Incineroar and Pride's downed pokemon. Hawlucha Man whipped around to see what had teleported the Sins away. A Gothorita pirouetted in the center of the carnage once before winking out of existence.
"Dominion," Hawlucha Man hissed as the CCPD rushed in from their defensive perimeter to apprehend the downed Sin enforcers. Jonathan sagged as the last of his power burnt out, and Hierro appeared by his side to help him up. George fluttered down, cooing deep in his throat as he tried to take stock of his trainer.
Jonathan reached out and smoothed his partner's feathers. "I'm okay. Just overdid it a little."
Hawlucha Man helped him to his feet. "I think you're done for the night, Cap. We'll leave the cleanup to the police. Got any place safe you can go?"
"My office. It's only a few blocks away." Jonathan started to rest his weight against Hawlucha Man, only for the younger hero to wince in pain. "Oh, sorry!"
"It's okay. I've had worse."
They limped into an alley, and Jonathan shook his head. "You don't need to do the stiff upper lip thing with me. If you don't take care of yourself, you'll pay the price down the line. I've got a first aid kit in my desk; we'll get you patched up there." Hawlucha Man started to protest, but after a stern glance from Hierro, the younger hero just nodded instead. Jonathan turned to George. "You scout ahead. We're going to slip in through the parking garage. If there's anyone around, I need you to make a distraction." The Braviary bobbed his head in a nod and shot off into the sky.
Hawlucha Man glanced at Hierro. "Watch our backs, buddy."
As they picked their way through the access roads and alleys between the downtown skyscrapers, Jonathan probed his side. He'd have a bit of a bruise in the morning, but nothing he couldn't hide. It looked like Hawlucha Man had taken the heavier blows. He hid it well, but Jonathan could tell he was hurting. While they paused in an alcove as a police patrol screamed by, Jonathan turned to his companion. "You usually cover Avenbrooke, right? Downtown Clarus is a little far from your usual beat. What are you doing in my neck of the woods?"
Hawlucha Man studied Jonathan's face for a moment before replying. "Have you heard from Sasaki recently?"
"Nope. Haven't really run into any other heroes since Nimbus Tower."
"So you're out of the loop, huh? Okay, let's see if I can bring you up to speed. Oh, hang on! Let's go!" They crossed a small square, empty except for a few homeless tramps camped out on benches. When they were in the next back street, Hawlucha Man held up a hand while he probed his ribs. With a hiss of pain, he straightened and motioned for Jonathan to continue on. "I've been doing some work for Jiro lately. Like, legit daytime work for Sasaki Industries. So I'm in midtown during the day.
"I've also managed to establish contact with a highly-placed mole in the Sins' organization, and he's feeding us intel on their operations. I pass that along to Jiro, and he lets the other heroes know so we can put a stop to it. I got word that Pride and Wrath were planning something tonight, so Hierro and I staked it out, figuring it was something we could nip in the bud." His Hawlucha glanced up at him and huffed out a breath. "Yeah, we definitely underestimated what we were up against. This isn't the first time we've gotten in over our heads. If you hadn't shown up, we would have been totally screwed."
"Like I told you, that's what heroes do."
Hawlucha Man smiled. "You're all right, Captain Unova."
"Thanks!"
"A bit of a blowhard, but you're all right."
"Hey!"
When they reached the entrance to the underground parking structure, Jonathan returned George to his pokeball and led Alex into the subterranean complex. Hierro bristled as they descended, but Jonathan only took them one level down, where they took an elevator up the skyscraper to Jonathan's firm. He unlocked the door to the law offices of Avery, Smith, and Wesson and motioned Hawlucha Man through. When they reached his personal office, Jonathan removed his helmet and fetched the first aid kit from the bottom drawer of his desk. Jonathan gestured with his chin to a small coat closet on the opposite wall. "I keep some gym clothes in there. Help yourself to whatever you need." When Hawlucha Man started to protest and say that he needed to go back out on patrol, Jonathan shook his head. "You're at least as exhausted as I am, and in no shape to do any more fighting or acrobatics tonight. Besides, it will be easier to patch you up if you aren't in that onesie. You can't take care of Clarus City if you aren't taking care of your own well-being."
After a moment's hesitation, Hawlucha Man quickly stripped out of his costume and pulled on a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants emblazoned with the crest of Castelia University's law school. Jonathan couldn't help but stare at the mostly-faded patchwork of bruises on Hawlucha Man's torso as he pulled the sweatshirt on. "Doesn't that hurt like hell?" He set a bottle of rubbing alcohol, some cotton swabs, and a hot patch on his desk.
Hawlucha Man shrugged. "You get used to it." He picked up the hot compress and affixed it under his shirt with a hiss. "The suit protects me from the worst damage, but it doesn't stop blunt force trauma. What do you use?"
"Kevlar, mostly."
"Nice. Jiro made the new suit with carbon nanofibers They're damn impressive, but they don't do much to stop impact damage. Still, it's better than the nylon and padding I used to use."
"Just nylon? Seriously?"
"Had to keep the suit lightweight, or I couldn't fly."
Jonathan whistled through his teeth. "You're one crazy bastard." He sank into his leather swivel chair with a groan while Hawlucha Man and his partner sat in the two chairs opposite the desk and started rubbing the cramps out of their muscles. Jonathan reached for the other items in his bottom drawer. He set the bottle of scotch and two glasses on the desk and poured himself a generous measure before glancing at Hawlucha Man. "Don't let the other senior partners know I've got this. It's against company policy."
Hawlucha Man laughed. "I think your secret is safe with me!"
"Care for a drink?"
"Well, you did say I should call it a night. Why not?"
Jonathan poured Hawlucha Man two fingers of scotch and passed a bag of dried fruit across the desk to Hierro. The Hawlucha seized a handful and happily munched away while Jonathan and Hawlucha Man drank in silence for a moment. Finally, Jonathan set his glass back on the desk. "Do we know what the Sins were after?"
"The target was a package of documents. To the best of my source's knowledge, the dossier has information on the tests the government performed on Dominion years ago before the esper program shut down. Wrath's guys were going to take whatever else they could get their hands on to muddy the waters, but I already passed my intel along to the police." Hawlucha Man shrugged. "I don't know why Dominion wants that information, since she's the one who lived through the tests. Our best guess is to keep it out of our hands so we can't use it against her. Honestly, stopping the robbery wasn't my top priority. I knew Pride and Wrath were both going to be out in the open tonight, and I thought this was going to be the best chance to take them down."
"All by yourself? For Arceus's sake, taking on two of the Sins on your own is virtually to suicide!"
"Wouldn't be the first time I've gone toe-to-toe with two of them at once. Besides, I needed to keep my knowledge of the operation quiet. If I tried to contact the other heroes or the police for backup, word could have gotten back to Pride that I knew what they were planning. I thought Hierro and I could handle it."
Jonathan scowled and plucked a business card from a stand on his desk. He flipped it over, scribbled a phone number on the back, and held it out to Hawlucha Man. "Take this. It's got my office line, and I just gave you my personal cell number. If you're ever in a situation like this again, I want you to call me in for backup. With George, I can be anywhere in the city in a flash. We Unovans have to stick together."
"I… thanks." Hawlucha Man glanced down at the business card. The rich cardstock was embossed with thick letters in gilt ink, and read "J. Q. Publick Attorney at Law, Avery, Smith and Wesson, LLP" followed by a phone number and extension. Hawlucha Man glanced up at the law diploma from Castelia University hanging on the wall and then back to Jonathan. "Wait a minute. Your name is John Q. Publick?"
"I've gone by Jonathan since I was a teenager. But technically yes."
"And you've got the whole Unovan stars and stripes thing going on."
Jonathan spread his hands. "Yes, that's pretty self-evident."
"And your name… your literal, actual name, is John Q. Publick."
"Yes…?"
"Arceus, really?" Hawlucha Man scoffed and raised an eyebrow at Jonathan's blank expression. "Wait. You really don't see it?"
"See what?"
"Uh, you know what? Never mind. Forget I said anything."
Jonathan shrugged and stretched in his chair. "I think the excitement from earlier starting to catch up to me. I'm going to head home before I crash at my desk again. Let me call you a car to bring you home."
"Oh, you don't have to do that!"
But Jonathan had already picked up his phone and dialed. "Really, it's no trouble. It's a long road back to Avenbrooke, and at this time of night the subways have stopped running. Not that I'd make you take the train anyway. The firm keeps a car service on retainer for when we work late nights, and they operate twenty four hours a day. We'll just say you're a paralegal who stayed late, and you can go home and get some sleep."
"Thanks, Cap."
Jonathan ordered the car, and was told that it would arrive in just a few minutes. Hawlucha Man gathered up his costume, and Jonathan gave him an opaque shopping bag to keep it in for the ride home. He walked Hawlucha Man down to the building lobby, and they saw the hired car idling outside. Jonathan stuck out his hand. "A pleasure working with you, Hawlucha Man."
"You too, Cap."
"Until next time, then?"
"Count on it. Next time I need to bring the fight to the Sins, I'll let you know." He walked towards the door of the building, but before he stepped outside, he turned back to Jonathan and struck the iconic Brycen pose, back ramrod straight, arms outstretched and with one leg bent at a ninety degree angle.
Jonathan immediately mimicked the pose, and the two heroes shared a laugh before Hawlucha Man and Hierro stepped out into the night, got in the car, and drove away.