Rise of the Defender
by StraightedgeEpyon
Summary: Darkness falls upon the earth as the angels begin their attacks. But when there is darkness there is also light as a new Magna Defender rises to fight the darkness and protect the earth
I own nothing
Beta read by TOAT
Chapter ten
Red lights were flashing around the market district in Tokyo-3, with two masked would-be thieves strung up on street a lamp by a black cable, ensuring that they wouldn't go anywhere. The police were in the process cutting them down so they could be booked.
"That's the third robbery I've stopped tonight," said Shinji from his place on a rooftop
"So far, I've stopped three robberies, two muggings, and a break-in. It's been a real busy night." he sighed walking to the other side then jumping across to another building.
Shinji peered down, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, thankfully, just the citizens enjoying the nighttime.
He jumped onto another rooftop and once again, nothing below. A small mosquito fluttered past him, suddenly reminding him of Deceptica and her horde was still out there.
A lot of things were starting to make sense. The creations of Hornet, Steelsting, Mantor, that spider, the insectoids, and the thefts of tech equipment from the University and the plasma from the chemical plant and the attempted theft of the ship's cargo was all her doing. Now it would only be a matter of time before Deceptica launched another attack elsewhere.
"Help me!" a voice shouted.
"Huh?!"
Shinji's thoughts were cut short when cries for help echoed in the night. He quickly saw a familiar-looking, brown-haired woman in a pink dress running down the street, being chased by a group of men in dark suits.
"This night just keeps getting better and better," said Shinji, jumping across another rooftop.
The men had the woman cornered as Shinji got a closer look. He identified her as Rain Kasshu, the school nurse. He crouched down on the edge, silently moving so they wouldn't hear him.
"If you know what's good for you, Mrs. Kasshu, you will come with us," spoke the man with long hair and dark shades. "Our employer wants to have a word with you."
"I refuse!" Rain spat.
"Come now, Mrs. Kasshu. We know you don't know how to defend yourself. Also, he isn't here to protect you, anymore. He was always so protective of you, wasn't he?"
Rain merely bit her lip, her eyes darting from side to side, silently praying for a miracle.
"Our employer doesn't want to hurt you. No, he wants to help you and your son. He'll protect you two from the Marduk Institute."
'Marduk Institute?' thought Shinji, listening intently.
"My son is nowhere near that age yet! Even if he was, I'd never allow it!"
"That won't matter to them or a man like Gendo Ikari."
At that, Shinji grew even more concerned. What connection did his father have to this Institute? Rain took a few steps back until she hit the wall while the four men cornered her, cutting off any chance of escape.
"Make this easy on yourself, Mrs. Kasshu. There is no way out." the man said.
"Except through you!" a voice said.
A dark-armored, caped figure known as the Magna Defender landed behind the four. In response, they drew the firearms and targeted him.
"Not a good idea," he said.
Quick as lightning, Shinji delivered a jumping front kick to the lead man, knocking him down, then he landed an uppercut on a short-haired man, he then hit a one-two roundhouse kick on the other man coming from behind.
The lead man took out his gun and fired, only for the bullet to ricochet off his armor. Shinji disarmed him and punched him in the face, breaking his dark sunglasses, and then hefted him up by his dress shirt and tossed him onto some trash cans near Rain.
CRASH!"
"Ugh," he groaned in pain.
Seeing that all the men present were down and out, he spared a glance at the visibly-shaken woman who looked at her savior.
"You should hurry on home now," Shinji simply said before walking away.
"Wait!" she called, making him stop. "Thank you."
Shinji merely nodded and jumped back up to the rooftop.
Rain slowly stepped over the unconscious bodies and made her way out of the alley. She looked up to see any sign of the caped defender, only to see none.
"Who was he?" Rain asked as she began her long trek home unaware that her savior watched her depart.
"I think it's time to call it a night."
VROOM!
The sounds of a powerful engine followed a dozen police sirens echoed throughout the night. Looking down, Shinji narrowed his eyes to see a street racing car (think of one of the cars from The Fast and The Furious) racing down the street at a furious speed.
"Please tell me that's not Misato," he groused, heading to the scene.
The car was racing into the middle of the town square, running multiple red lights and stop signs, with people on the streets trying to clear the way as they passed.
Shinji, with his speed, managed to keep up and jump ahead. He saw that the reckless driver was showing no signs of slowing down or stopping, and was about to plow into a crowded block. He quickly got an idea. It was risky, but if it worked, then he should be able to stop the car and nobody would be hurt.
Shinji stood on the ledge of the roof and waited till the car got close enough, then he unsheathed his sword and tossed it and it embedded itself into the middle of the street, much to the driver's confusion, then the sword sent out a shockwave.
Vroosh!
The car was suddenly propelled into the air and flipping upside-down and crashing onto the ground upside-down, skidding into the ground dangerously close to the crowded street.
Shinji jumped down and retrieved his sword then walked over to the driver's side and ripped the door clean off.
RIP!
The driver and passenger inside were two men in their mid-20s, scared out of their minds from the encounter. They slowly turned to the horned figure.
"Hope you enjoyed your last ride," he said before walking away leaving them to the police. "Now I can call it a night."
( The Next Day )
It seemed to be another normal day in Tokyo-3, and Asuka would be coming from the German branch with her Unit-02 today.
Misato, who had picked up Shinji, who was walking to the train station, was on the road to HQ, eager to welcome her into their ranks, she wondered how Asuka would take to the other pilots. No doubt she would see them as either competition or inferior to herself. She glanced over to the boy, seeing that he seemed very tired for some reason but refused to show it. Turning on the radio, Misato figured some music would cut the silence between them.
("The hot topic of this discussion is the Magna Defender. There were a few sightings of him over the past few days, and we have callers on the line that say they've had encounters with this mysterious figure. Let's put them through now.")
("I was on my way home after picking up my kimono from the cleaners, then I was mugged in an alleyway with a knife at my throat, then he appeared out of nowhere and disabled the mugger. I was still very scared, so I ran. I just kept running and running until I bumped into him again, which was a good thing 'cause I could have run into a truck or worse. He saved my life twice that night. Wherever he is, I just want to say thanks," said a young woman)
("I was at the docks when those insect monsters attacked. I got tangled up in large cables. I was trapped. I thought I was a goner for sure until the Magna Defender came and cut me loose.")
("The guy protects us, you know, he protects the people." another man said)
("I think he's human. He could be a man, could even be a woman." a middle-aged woman said)
'Really? She thinks I'm a woman?' thought Shinji with annoyance.
("It's really great, knowing that he's out there, you know, that someone like that is watching over us.")
'What are we, exactly? Chopped liver?' thought Misato with a little jealously. "But then again, we-Ahhh!"
Misato gave a sudden cry as what looked like a section of a warship crashed into the highway just in front of her car. She turned the wheel like a woman possessed while slamming on the brakes and somehow managed to swerve around the obstruction without crashing into it or flipping her car. She heard the loud booms of artillery firing and the soft 'wooshes' of missiles being launched. Out in the bay, a line of naval vessels were cutting loose with all the firepower they had.
Approaching them was what could best be described as a set of geometric shapes bound together above a series of spindly black legs that were walking along the top of the sea.
"Damn it!" She slammed down on the gas and her car peeled off in a cloud of burning rubber and smoke.
As she did so, her cell phone rang.
"This is Misato!" She answered with a snap.
("Captian!" Shigeru said. "We've just had an alert about an incoming Angel.")
"Thanks for the info! I never would have guessed!"
Out in the bay, six crosses of energy rose out of the water, lifting the ships out of the ocean and tearing them apart as though they were toys.
"I'm en-route to the nearest entrance to the Geofront with the Third Child."
She could get him there in a few minutes, assuming the Angel didn't notice them.
"Unit-02 has already been dispatched," Shigeru told her.
"What?" She responded. "She's already here?"
"Who?" Shinji asked.
(Outside)
Up above, a massive cargo plane was flying with a squad of F-24s for an escort.
"Once your unit is activated, the internal battery will only provide 5 minutes of power," the flight commander spoke through the comlink. "Are you ready for release, pilot?"
"JA!" The red-haired girl shouted in her native German language. "Now, I finally get to show everyone just what I can do!"
The plane's bomb bay doors opened. The clamps and cables holding Unit-02 in place released and the gigantic, red Eva was dropped and sent plummeting down through the sky.
"Yeah!" The girl shouted in pure joy and switched on her Eva's internal power system. Within her plug, a timer lit up at 5:00 and began to tick down the time her unit would be active and able to fight.
The Angel stopped out in the bay.
Out of its weird body, black lines shot out, trying to spear the falling Eva. Unit-02 saw them coming and danced about, avoiding them as it continued to fall. As it continued to drop, a giant canister fell within reach. Popping open, a weapon that looked like a crossbow was revealed. Grabbing it with both hands, Unit-02 took a couple seconds to aim before sending a series of train-sized quarrels raining down.
Four of them struck the Angel's body and the various shapes broke apart and it looked as though it was destroyed.
"Wow!" Shinji said; his worries were momentarily forgotten as he got to watch an Eva vs Angel battle as nothing but a spectator for once. "That pilot is good! It's already dead!"
"No," Misato said with grim certainty, driving as fast as she could. "There's no way it could be that easy."
And sure enough, the various pieces reassembled in midair. This time, black balls were fired from its body. When they neared the red Eva, they exploded, lighting up the AT-Field. Unit-02 opened up with its crossbow. Rather than hitting the Angel this time, they too struck the enemy's AT-Field and fell harmlessly into the ocean.
Asuka directed her free fall so that she would crash right on top of the enemy. Grinning like a madwoman, she kept firing her weapon until the ammunition was spent and then threw it aside. Just as she was about to hit her enemy, she performed a backflip with a gymnast's grace so that she was coming down feet first towards it.
With a thought, she extended a metal spike out of her Eva's left heel. With the full force of her unit's fall, it smashed into the AT-Field, lighting it up and then tearing through it. Ripping through the Angel's defenses, she crashed right on top of it, causing it to wobble on its spindly legs.
As it tried to shake the Eva off, Asuka smashed into the sphere that was the largest of the disparate shapes. Her fists shredded the outer black skin to reveal the Angel's core.
"Burn in hell!" She shouted as she crushed the core in her unit's hands.
The Angel's body fell to pieces and crashed into the sea. The Angel was now dead, the danger had passed.
Still speeding away, Shinji looked out through the back window as the red Eva waded out of the ocean and onto dry land.
"Not too bad," he remarked. 'But I've seen better, and done better too.'
"I know, right? She'll be your new teammate from now on. Hopefully, you two will get along well." Misato said. "Great job, Asuka. I'm glad to have you here."
"Maybe."
(NERV HQ the Eva Cages)
Shinji went down to the cages to see the new Eva being stored there. He glanced below where the smaller equipment was being moved, his eyes scanning for a certain American blonde. She said she had some urgent information that he needed to hear from her. While he continued looking for his friend/mole, he heard a loud laugh from a red-haired girl, still dressed in her red plug suit.
"It was supposed to be yellow, but I told them there was no way I would pilot something that color." The girl walked straight up to him with her chin held high and a confident smirk on her face.
"Shinji, this is Asuka Langley Sohryu, ace Eva pilot from NERV's European branch," Misato introduced them.
"My name's Shinji. I'm not hiding anywhere," he stated, holding out his hand to shake.
Ignoring his outstretched hand, Asuka walked right up to him and peered in close as though he were some bizarre specimen at a zoo.
"So, you're the Third Child? I've heard a lot about you. I was expecting you to be better-looking and not so much of a wimp."
"Excuse me?" He said with a frown.
Ignoring him, she turned to Misato.
"Misato, are all Japanese really so weak and accommodating?"
"Are all Germans so rude and insulting?" Shinji shot back.
"What was that?!" The girl demanded angrily and looked back at him.
Shinji stood his ground and glared back at her.
'So much for good first impressions,' Misato stepped in between them.
"Asuka, it's good to see you again. Before you make disparaging comments about the Japanese people, please remember that I'm Japanese as is the Commander and pretty much everyone you'll be working with."
The girl at least had the good grace to look a little embarrassed.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
"Anyway, please, try to get along with Shinji, as the two of you will be teammates from this point on."
"What are you talking about?" Asuka asked in surprise. "Now that I'm here, you can leave everything to me. You can keep him around as a backup pilot if you want, but I'll take care of all the Angels from here on out."
"Well, that's very generous of you, Asuka," Misato said in a dry tone, "but since the fate of all mankind is involved, you might need some help with that."
"Hey, if she wants to fight the Angels alone, then its no skin off my nose," Shinji said with a shrug.
Asuka gawked at him and a look of disgust filled her facial features.
"What kind of man are you? Don't you even care about who the number one pilot is? I'm here to take your spot!" She jerked a thumb to her chest. "Don't you plan to fight to be number one?"
"You think I care about that? The only reason I'm here is because I was strong-armed into it. I don't know Rei's reason, but if you feel you can do it, then, by all means, go for it!"
If anything, that only made Asuka angrier; she wanted to prove that she was the best; otherwise, the title wouldn't be worth having if it was given to her by default, without a fight.
Misato also looked unhappy with Shinji, though for a different reason.
"Don't start thinking that your part in all of this is done or that Asuka will be the only one fighting from here on out," she sent the girl a sharp look. "We're going to need all of our pilots and Evas to defeat the enemy and save mankind."
"Tch. Whatever, if we're done here, I got stuff to do," he said, walking past the both of them without a word.
Misato just growled at his blatant lack of respect, while Asuka glared at his retreating form.
"Hey, where's the First Child?" Asuka looked around curiously. "There some reason she didn't come to meet me, too?"
"I don't know," Misato said, "but I promise, you'll meet her soon, and I'll tell you what's been going on here during the party."
"What party?" Asuka asked.
"Why, your welcome home party, of course," Misato said with a grin. "You'll be living with me. Maybe after we get you unpacked, we can share a nice hot bath and get reacquainted."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea," a male voice said from behind her. "Any chance I could join you?"
Misato stiffened and felt ice run along her spine. She slowly turned around to see a good-looking Japanese man around her age, standing there, grinning at her. "Kaji! What the hell are you doing here?! You're supposed to be working at the European branch!"
"I've been reassigned," he told her with heartily laugh. "So, how about I come to this little party you mentioned?"
"Sorry," she said in a frosty voice. "It's limited to people I like."
She then grabbed a confused-looking Asuka by the shoulders and led her quickly away.
"I've missed you!" he called out to her.
He saw her back stiffen and she got Asuka to the elevator even faster.
(With Shinji)
'Mankind is in danger, Misato, but not just from the Angels. It's in danger from Deceptica and her bugs, too. The thing is, I don't know if I can take her and her minions on alone.' thought Shinji as he walked through the hallways.
He was so neck-deep in thought that he didn't see a certain real blonde walking up to him with her hat down and hair tucked in.
"Omph." Shinji grunted as he collided into something…or rather someone, causing them to drop their items.
"Sorry- Kendrix."
"Shh…" she shushed him.
Shinji knelt down to help pick up her things while she knelt down, too.
"What have you got?" he whispered.
"For some reason, NERV had collected some of the remains of the insectoids you destroyed at the docks," the blonde woman whispered, gathering her papers.
"Damn, that doesn't sound good. I should have made sure nothing was left." he cursed.
"That's not all. I overheard Dr. Akagi mention something about a Dummy System, something for the Evas, now that they were all here."
"That's something, but the fact that they have insectoid remains still bothers me, and if the movies have taught me anything, it's that military experiments have a habit of going south fast."
"Right, and in the case with some villain's, I don't think you-know-who would appreciate someone using her toys, broken or not."
"I agree. I've not seen or heard anything from her since our first encounter, which reminds me…" he said, standing up.
"Is there any way to strengthen my armor to withstand electrical attacks? Deceptica really caught me off guard."
"Way off guard?"
"Way off guard, and I want to be ready for her next time."
She nodded that there was a way to strengthen his armor.
"I might be able to, but it'll take time."
"I can wait. Thanks, Kendrix, oh, and before I forget, I just met the pilot of the Eva that was just brought in, and remember we were told the story of how Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger, was the biggest, most arrogant jerk ever? This girl definitely takes the top slot in the arrogance department. So, I'd watch out for her."
"Right, and in the meantime, I'll try and get closer to see what they're trying to do with the remains, and then destroy them. You just make sure that you don't leave any traces when they attack next."
(Early evening with Rei)
Rei was at the local convenience store after undergoing an array of tests from Dr. Akagi. She was in the locker room preparing to battle the Angel until the newly-instated pilot of Unit-02 quickly dispatched it while en-route to headquarters, she caught the new pilot's one-on-one battle with the angel, it was a very impressive performance.
But soon, her thoughts dwelled on Shinji for some reason. He had a certain way about him, a way that was much different from the commander's. And the things that he did, the way he acts, all started to plant seeds of doubt in her mind, making her doubt the commander, which made her ask herself when did she start thinking about him. She knew of his spared glances at her.
She, too, had mimicked that action, although she was far more discreet than he was. Picking up some Bok Choy and some lettuce, Rei proceeded to head to the register. Just as she got in line, her thoughts drifted to Shinji again.
'Shinji, why am I constantly thinking of you? What have you done to me?' thought the blue-haired girl.
"Hey, Rei!" a voice called out to her.
Looking up, she saw her CO with the Second Child, with bags of groceries along with a basket of beer.
"Fancy meeting you here," she said.
"Captain Katsuragi," Rei addressed.
"Asuka, this the First Child, Rei Ayanami, and she will also be working with you." Misato gestured.
"This is the First Child?! The Third Child has more personality than her! She's so pale and doesn't-" Asuka began to rant.
"Asuka, be nice." Misato scolded her.
Rei immediately knew that this girl would be difficult to work with.
"Is that all you're getting, Rei?" asked Misato, glancing her vegetables.
"Yes, I do not eat meat," the First Child replied.
"Then you're what the Americans call a vegan wussie."
"Asuka! Behave." scolded Misato again. "Come on, Rei, all of that can't possibly fill you up. Come on, I'll show the best produce."
"That is not necessary, Captain," said Rei.
"Oh, but I insist. Don't make me make it an order."
Seeing that was no alternative, Rei nodded, and Misato took her by the arm to the instant food section.
CRASH! BANG!
Cars on the outside were suddenly being tossed and turned over and people were running for their lives.
"It's another monster!" a person screamed.
"Huh?!" the trio said.
Outside, another insectoid monster was running amok. This one looked like a humanoid ant with a large blade for a left arm and a chest laser on the thorax.
"Rrahhh!" it roared.
The creature flipped more cars over and began fire lasers, causing massive property damage.
"Run, puny humans! Run!" it said.
"M-Misato! What the hell is that thing?!" demanded Asuka.
"Insect monsters that have been appearing as of late, obviously they aren't connected to the angel attacks, but they are just as bad," Misato explained.
While this was going on, Rei spotted a little girl crying because she was separated from her mother in the midst of the chaos of the ant creature's rampage. In that instant, her thoughts began to dwell on Shinji and what he would've done in a situation like this.
'Not everything in life is about duty,' Shinji's words echoed in her mind. 'There is good in this world worth protecting.'
Rei didn't know why, or what she was feeling deep down inside, but her feet began to move towards the crying child.
"Rei, get back here!" Misato cried.
"Is she crazy?!" Asuka exclaimed
Rei ignored her CO and kept going until she scooped up the girl and brought her out of harm's way, and brought her to the nearest corner. Luckily, the girl's parent, her mother, was there to retrieve her. But unfortunately, that put her in the crosshairs of the ant terror. The monster took aim at the blue-haired girl and fired.
Zap!
Bing!
"Gragh!" the ant grunted in pain as the shot was bounced right back at him.
"Wha-"
Rei gasped in awe, standing in front of her, cape flowing in the wind, sword out in all, was the Magna Defender.
"It's him," Rei whispered.
"Misato, who the hell is that?!" Asuka shouted.
"That's the new guy that's been a buzz all over town, the Magna Defender," Misato answered.
"Who are you supposed to be?" the warrior questioned.
"I am Antdrax, and I am your end!" the creature stated.
"Steelsting said the same thing, and that didn't work so out well…for him."
"I am stronger! Yah!"
Antdrax charged straight at the Magna Defender, swiping at him while he ducked underneath each attempt, cutting off one of his legs and causing him to go off balance.
The Defender went in and struck close-range, crossing his blade with the Insectoid's.
Antdrax began to push back the Magna Defender using his strength. They separated briefly before clashing again (Injustice 2-style)
"So far, I'm not impressed," said the Defender.
"I will tear you to pieces," replied Antdrax.
Magna Defender slipped to the side and hit two roundhouse kicks to the thorax, but Antdrax prepared to fire off his chest laser. The warrior quickly thrusted his sword into his chest.
STAB!
"Gagh!" Antdrax screamed in pain as his body began to surge with electricity.
But he didn't end it there. He charged up his sword, reverse-gripped it, and slashed quickly, cutting the monster's lower body in half. The Magna Defender turned away while Antdrax exploded.
BOOM!
"I've always hated ants," mused the Defender, sheathing his sword.
Shinji had saw that he still had onlookers with their phones out, all coming out of hiding, and he noticed Rei among them. As he arrived, he saw what she had done in putting herself at risk to save that little girl. Walking over to her, unaware of a swarm of small green insects crawling towards the remains of Antdrax, while ignoring the people and the gaping Misato and Asuka, he stood in front of the blue-haired girl, his frame dwarfing hers. She was unsure of what to say to her savior, but he spoke.
"I saw what you did earlier," he said to her.
"Y-you did?" Rei stammered with red tinting her cheeks
"You got heart, kid." he praised.
Before he could leave, a large surge of energy suddenly emitted from the spot where Antdrax was destroyed. It began to glow brightly while growing or rather re-growing something. The light dissipated and in its place was a resurrected and now-enlarged Antdrax.
"Rarggh! Bigger is better!" his voice echoed throughout the city.
"Get to safety, now!" he ordered the trio. "Torozord, charge!"
The large, black bull stomped his way towards his master, ready to fight alongside him. It transformed him at his command. Then transformed into Defender Torozord.
Antdrax fired off chest lasers at his equal in size adversary, pushing him back a little bit. Shinji retaliated with a one-two jab punch with a cross punch. Then a knife-hand, then a backhand stumbling the now giant monster.
Antdrax slashed at the arm of the Defender, but couldn't ding the thick armored gauntlet. In frustration, Antdrax fired wildly into the city damaging the buildings around them.
"PEW PEW PEW!"
"That's enough of that!" Shinji said materializing his talons
Shinji quickly stabbed at the chest laser, pushing Antdrax back rendering him without his main weapon again, then hit a few more strikes on his thorax. The Defender thought to end this quickly, gathering lightning energy into his twin talons, spinning around very fast as he moved towards Antdrax, cutting through him horizontally causing sparks and fire to fly out of him.
"Argh!" he screamed before exploding to pieces
"You're exterminated!"
(Deceptica's lair )
From her hidden base of operations, Deceptica along with her generals viewed the Defender's battle with Antdrax from a large screen, in the center of the room. Although Antdrax was defeated, the Insectoid creator didn't seem at all bothered by it. More like she expected it to happen.
Hornet on the other hand was studying the Magna Defender's movements, for the eventual day when they would do battle. Moldarach was pleased that his growth experiment was a complete success, and knew that his mistress was also pleased. Tarantulas was just chomping at the bits to get his opportunity at the Magna Defender.
"Well done Moldarach, I am very pleased with the results of your work," said Deceptica from her throne in the middle of the room with her generals Hornet, Tarantulas, and Moldarach kneeling before her.
"Thank you, my mistress," he said
"Growing our monsters is only the beginning, our numbers are continually increasing, soon the Magna Defender and NERV will be overwhelmed and defeated."
"Mistress, what of NERV? They just received a new pilot, how should we respond?" Hornet asked
"The more the merrier, as they say, the more resources for us my dear Hornet. We'll strike at them when they least expect it," she said
"Understood."
"All goes according to plan soon this world will be ours!" declared Deceptica standing up from her chair
End chapter
End Notes: You all wanted it, Asuka is here and as an added bonus I had her kick-ass instead of her ass getting kicked and shown up by Defender Torozord. How'd you like that? Rei is starting to show some qualities in being a Ranger, her journey will begin shortly probably in the next chapter. Also, I know I said things will revolve around a soon to be member of Team Defender, but I couldn't fit all this person's story here, it felt too early but I will. I got the idea of the remains of the Insectoid's being collected by NERV from a certain author, not saying who this person is, but I've always considered him to be the Batman to my Superman. If anyone has seen any sc-fi movies when the military experiments with alien tech or biotech it always goes wrong. I apologize for the delay, but life hits hard, and nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. As for the next chapter, it is up in the air, let me know what should happen, another angel attack? Rei and Shinji getting closer? Misato tries to get Shinji to live with her? Let me know what should happen, also a new poll on my profile(pulling for Gambit's powers) thanks to TOAT for his beta reading, read and review and be cool.