Like a Thunderbolt

Hello Misfit fans! L1701E here! I hope you like this new one-shot. It's basically a look into the head of one of my most popular creations, the hot-tempered loud-mouthed Boston-born mutant Kyle Wildfire, aka the Thunderbolt. Enjoy the new one-shot!

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters except Thunderbolt and any others I created. And here's your quote: "Tuck off!" - Norm MacDonald as Bob Dole, Saturday Night Live

Author's Note: If you notice something strange about Kyle's talking, don't worry. Kyle mostly refers to himself in the third person when he's speaking out loud to other people.

Malibu Base

A young teenage boy sat on his bed in his room, watching a wrestling match on TV. He was dressed in blue jeans, white socks, and a red Hulkamania t-shirt. His eyes were bright blue, and his semi-long brown hair was in a ponytail. This was Kyle Wildfire. He was the youngest member of the West Coast Misfits. A mutant, Kyle had the ability to generate, harness, and manipulate electricity, gaining him the codename of Thunderbolt. His room was covered in wrestling posters and he had a lot of wrestling merchandise.

Ahh, wrestling. The Thunderbolt loves wrestling. Kyle thought to himself, a smile forming on his face. I can't imagine myself liking anything else. I was born and raised with this stuff alongside my brother Jake. I really can't imagine myself wanting to be anything else but a wrestler. My biggest dream is to one day headline WrestleMania in my hometown of Boston. I want to raise the heavyweight championship in front of my family and friends. My dad was world champ, and my grandpa was champion, too. That's a lot of legacy to live up to. A lot of pressure.

Kyle looked at several stacks of white boxes in a corner of his room. Those boxes contained his comic book collection.

I collect comics. I guess I also had another fantasy as a kid. I wanted to be Captain Nebula, my favorite superhero. I wanted to save the universe. So, when my powers came to light, I knew what I wanted to do with them. To be a hero, like my brother is a hero, and my dad and grandpa are heroes to millions of fans. However, there were times when I felt I was betraying my family legacy.

Kyle turned his head back to his wrestling match.

If I did go into this costumed hero life, could I also live my other dream? All my life, I wanted to wrestle and be a legend like Dad and Grandpa. I want to live up to the legacy. I want to be part of the Wildfire Wrestling Dynasty. But, I learned from my comic books that I had a responsibility to use my powers to help people. That's why I joined the West Coast Misfits. To live up to that responsibility. I'm a lot of things, but irresponsible I'm not. But…is it possible to have both worlds? Can I have a wrestling career and a superhero career?

He looked at a picture of the West Coast Misfits sitting on the stand near his bed.

It's not easy being the youngest. In my family, I'm the baby. In the West Coast Misfits, I'm the baby of the bunch. I can't stand it. When you're the youngest, you get ignored a lot. I don't like to be ignored. I got feelings, too. I guess that's how I became so known for my mouth. I became a cocky smart-alec because it got me noticed. As for the temper…

Kyle smirked at a photo behind the West Coast Misfits photo. It was of a man in a Navy uniform, with black hair and the bright blue eyes all Wildfires seemed to have.

My Uncle George. I admired him as a kid. To me, he was awesome. He never was afraid to express his opinions, he feared nothing, and he was a loyal guy. He also had a temper. Sometimes, he'd fight at the drop of a hat. My Dad would constantly try to keep me away from Uncle George, saying he was a bad influence. But I loved his Navy stories. I guess he's a bigger influence on me than I thought. Jake constantly groaned that I was like a young Uncle George. I guess he has a point. Uncle George had his flaws, but he was a good guy. He was loyal to his friends, he was willing to risk his life to help his friends and family.

He looked up.

I have history. I have history of getting into fights all the time. My Uncle George taught me a lesson that I always kept to heart: Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is with your fists. Growing up as a son of a pro wrestler's not easy. I didn't mind that people did not like the family business. I grew up around wrestlers, so I was used to that. But my blood boiled whenever people would start calling people who did love the family business 'rednecks' or 'morons' or something like that. My blood would really boil when they started insulting my dad for his choice of career or other wrestlers for doing this. Sure, wrestling is staged in some aspects, but those men are real athletes, people do get hurt. What right does a person have to judge my family's choice of business? At we ain't in the Mafia. I don't mind if someone just says "I don't like wrestling". That's cool. I can live with that. But if you start making comments about my family and showing disrespect for the business, then prepare to lose some teeth.

That's my opinion, but then again, I have a lot of opinions on things. Many people think that because I'm the baby of the bunch, I'm the most immature. I have some opinions on stuff…I think our current President is out of touch with the voters, for example. That's right, the Thunderbolt can pronounce words that have more than two syllables and can understand what they mean. Many people believe that I think that the best way to solve a problem is with my fists. Well, I'm just being realistic.

He looked at a picture of the East Coast Misfit team.

The East Coast Misfits. They're alright. That Pietro is an idiot, though. And the Starchild is a bit oblivious, to be perfectly frank. I don't really dislike anyone on that team…well, except for Dragonfly. I never understand her. I don't really think she understands what goes on around here. She thinks problems can be solved through talking. I remember when I was eight. A classmate of mine said my dad sucked. I punched him right in the mouth. I got detention for a week, but the kid never made fun of my dad ever again. When I was ten, a big kid called me shorty. I kicked him in the groin, and he learned his place. I hold a record in school back home for causing more fights on my first day than anyone else on Earth.

Dragonfly doesn't seem to understand that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is through physical force. Also, if you have superpowers, you should never stand on the sidelines when bad guys attack. That's not what superheroes do. They go in there and take it to the bad guys! Captain Nebula never beat Lord Asteroth by standing around, waiting to heal up injured people! I never understood what Blob saw in her, but then again, the guy ain't too bright, so I'm not surprised. In my opinion, if you're not going to face off against the bad guys in a super-team, then super-heroing is not for you. As far as I'm concerned, she's in a world that clearly has no place for her.

I don't think pacifism is a bad idea, just outdated. It's like legwarmers or lava lamps, just a relic of a past era. I believe it is human nature to fight. People enjoy fights, whether it was the gladiatorial games of Ancient Rome, or the professional wrestling matches of today. Fighting is a thing all people do, and pacifism won't work because it's trying to rebel against a natural reaction of people (Fight-or-flight). Try telling a fish not to swim or a bird not to fly. I'm a fighter. Always have been. If I don't fight, I have no purpose. I'm nothing without fighting. I really don't think Lina's a coward. She just is oblivious and unrealistic. She's a minnow in a world of sharks. Lina will need to use her fists someday. She can't go through life avoiding confrontation. I don't know why those East Coast clowns keep her around. She's the biggest pity case I ever saw in my life. My Uncle George would definitely not want someone like her around. A friend of his died because another friend who was a pacifist refused to fight. They had a falling out.

I can't help but think about when Darkbolt took me over and impersonated me when I think about Dragonfly. I beat that jabroni like a dead horse. I don't know what happened to him, and quite frankly, I don't care. That's my opinion on that.

Kyle then watched the end of the match.

That's my goal right there. To appear right there on that screen, in front of thousands in a stadium and millions watching at home. Kyle "Thunderbolt" Wildfire, WWE Champion. Standing in the middle of the arena at WrestleMania, holding the title over my head. The latest in a long line of champions. Alexander "The Burner" Wildfire…to Eric "Blazer" Wildfire…to Jake "Red Dragon" Wildfire…that's my dream. That's my life. The wrestling world is a huge part of who I am and what I am about. I'm different from my family in a lot of ways. My dad, older brother, and grandpa all have bright red hair. Mine's brown. I always thought that was funny. They also had fire-based names in wrestling, and my brother has fire-based abilities. My nickname and powers are about thunder. My dad, grandpa, and older brother are calm and cool. I'm a born hothead.

But then again, I never liked being like everyone else. I've always preferred being my own person anyway. Sure, I do want to be a part of the Wildfire Wrestling Dynasty, but I also want to be known as a Wildfire who also did things h is own way. I also am a member of the West Coast Misfits, and again, I want to be known as a "star" in the group.

Kyle snickered at the TV.

Man, Viscera cleans up pretty good in a suit, heh heh. Who would've thought? But then again, I did meet the guy a couple times. He gave me an airplane spin, and I still get dizzy when I look back on it. I did puke on Sushi once. It was worth it. Ahhh…life is good…