The male under the rose mask looked behind him. The rose figure waited for only a minute before he had lost patience that the icy heroine did not follow him. Nowhere in sight he turned round.
"I'll have to do it myself then."
Following the dealer from his own hometown the rose fighter had yet to make a reputation for himself here. One of the dealers henchmen snitched on his boss in his city when the masked character stopped another deal. Apparently since Veilstone City has become such a hotspot for people with extraordinary abilities the cops would be too busy to chase a simple drug trade rather focusing resources on capturing danger that was in sight.
The one dressed in a rose motive arrived at the casino he told the one with ice powers of what's happening here tonight. The neon lights of the place could be seen from a street or five away. The power needed to light it was paid by people with delusions of getting a gamble right and making it big. As he predicted he barely saw any police as he traversed the rooftops of this new city he journeyed too to chase the one who he sees as his arch nemesis.
"Come on boys! We need those barrels for the next batch!"
Looking down into the place where supplies like refreshments and snacks were brought in to keep the guests fed he saw a truck with a large trailer adorned with the logo of the casino. Multiple men dressed in green jump suits unloaded pallets with giant white cloths over them and brought them inside through the loading bay.
"The most legal place to illegally make money."
From both his hands which were hidden by the roses he was carrying he raised his arms and aimed for the tires on one side of the truck. From the center of both roses green sharp and thin sticks shot out of them falling downwards to their target.
A huge pop on the tires warned the people who were un packing in the bay alerted them. Due to the amount of pressure that truck tires usually were pumped up the bang was louder then whenever a car tire had a leak.
"Check it out."
The casino guards equipped with assault rifles with their safeties off slowly rounded the back of the truck. Pointing their rifles where they heard the pop they saw where it came from. Something green was stuck in the rubber of the tire that had deflated it. The man that checked it out immediately warned his colleagues.
"Shoot on sight! Shoot anything that moves!"
Having an unwanted person in the dock everyone suddenly was on guard in what was supposed to be an easy night of discharging.
"We have a possible intrusion in the discharge area. Be advised." One of the armed man grabbed his radio and phoned in the disturbance. Patrolling the area in teams of two they went looking for anything that looked out of place.
"What the!?" They suddenly heard one of them scream before it got quiet. Everyone left raced over there trying to find their colleague.
"ARGH!"
Everyone looking around wildly two they heard more bodies dropping.
"Shoot it on sight!" Warning that there will be no mercy from top of the truck a green silhouette fell on another knocking him out. He quickly rolled underneath the truck and swept another guy's leg who fell down and got kneed in the chin making a whiplash effect knocking him out.
From his left hand a green long stick erupted piercing the hand of the last remaining guard and knocked the rifle out of it. The man holding the rifle before suddenly felt a sharp pain in his thigh. Losing all support on his left leg he fell down in pain screaming and clutching it.
Blood started to seep out from it. Not enough to be a lethal wound but enough for the man to feel agonizing pain. Down on the ground in pain he looked up seeing something which isn't human.
"What are you!?"
"What's his hideout in this town?"
"WHO?"
The rose fighter from one of his hands extended a long green stick. The tip of it shone underneath the lights warning the seated man how sharp it is. Pointing it to man who's down on the ground he lifted his chin up with the tip of his blade. Pressing slightly against the man's jugular he started to whimper and choke. Any more pressure and either the saber will pierce through his throat or he'd pass out and die from suffocation. The fencer pulled his blade away allowing the man to breath again.
"I'll pierce your throat if you don't tell me." He raised the crooks chin up again this pressing the long sword against his chin so he felt the blade slowly move across towards his throat.
"He's hiding at the old bottling plant out of town! Fitz Productions!"
"Why come all the way here just to get rid of these chemicals while that site is more secure and actually build to dispose waste water?"
"Don't know! Don't know! He tells us the bare minimum! I don't understand why we moved here with all these freaks running around the city!" Seeing the guy looking down on him with his presence changing not saying anything the criminal realized he messed up.
"NO PLEASE! I DIDN'T.." Begging for his life the rose fighter turned the saber quickly round using the blue hilt of the weapon to knock the man out. Seeing what he caused all around him it set back Cacturne's operation quite a bit. Looking for a more permanent shutdown of the drug dealer business would have to wait for now. With his interference here tonight Cacturne was probably already making to relocate his business.
With the deal stopped he vaulted onto a lamppost and jumped away. Heading home he had to check himself up so that after a few days he'd go into mass gatherings again and keep his daily live into normality without people he's going to see were not suspicious off his actual identity, abilities and powers.
And to make sure this town has proper order since the other superpowered people here seem to fail at it.
Ash and Riley already were at Lila's office and their secret training room. Today they'd decorate it but more to make it a suitable secret base. Having brought some blow up beds along with sleeping bags it had to be low budget until they could smuggle larger items like closets or the materials needed for them.
"Morning guys! How did it go?" Dawn greeted them home. It was quite an exciting day for a multitude of reasons. Ash noticed she looked real happy. Apparently his little teasing afterwards was already forgiven and Dawn was pretty much bouncing.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Stay right there!" Dawn went down off the secret ladder to Lila's penthouse. Leaving the hole open two blue boxes were tossed up out of the hole and landed next to it. Riley and Ash raised an eyebrow as Dawn climbed back up and to show off her agility stood on two hands as she reached the edge and vaulted forward as she grabbed the boxes with her hands standing straight up.
"Lila finished your outfits last night!" Walking with each box in hand a note was attached to it that spelled their hero names. Ash took the Greninja box while Riley took the one with Lucario.
"Well? Get changed already!" Dawn wanted to see their costumes. She promised Lila to send her a picture of the two wearing the designs she spend most of her free time on. The Umbreon design was a well done in her repertoire as she sometimes repaired Johanna's outfit but never made such suits for males.
Dawn turned around and waited for them to get changed. Umbreon telling her they were done changing clothes Dawn spun on her heel.
Ash's suit was mostly dark blue with a yellow chest, a light blue four-pointed star on each thigh. The mask hid the lower part of his face behind a large, pink scarf that gave the illusion of his tongue sticking out that wrapped around his neck and extends outward behind its head. Running down the middle of the mask is a fin-like extension, and there is a similar fin on each side of the mask. There is a large, white bubble-like bump on each elbow and knee which after feeling felt like protective pads.
Riley looked like bipedal, canine-like creature, with fake fur that is predominantly blue and black. He had a short, round spike on the back of each forepaw, in addition to a third on its chest which he could pull out at any time. The mask gave him a long snout and ears. When its mouth is open, two pairs of fake pointed teeth, one in the upper jaw and one in the lower, can be seen. It possesses cream-colored fur on its torso, and blue fur on its thighs that resembles shorts.
"So why the four things on the back of my head?" Riley's mask had four black appendages hanging from the back of his head.
"I'm still not sure about the scarf. Can't I take it off?" Ash trying to find a good spot for the pink scarf that just floated loosely. He was afraid it made an easy target for people to grab if he had to perform a flip or it night get stuck if he had to navigate a tight corridor with sharp objects.
"You'll learn to work with them. The four things on your mask Riley actually helped extend your ancestors search reach. They aren't made from the same material they wore but it fits the look."
"As for your scarf Ash it has to be authentic. Ninja's actually used that thing as a weapon and if you can control it can function as to blind your opponent or even strangle him."
"Quit complaining guys!" Hearing someone higher up May dropped from the ceiling. Entering through the secret hatch she saw the guardians being dressed up. Her backpack full of important things she had to show them later.
"They look good on you two! Blue is really your color!"
"Lucario. Greninja." Glaceon called them by their new names.
"That's us…I think." Riley said as he kept trying to get a feel for it by stretching his arms with punching motions. Like a pair of shoes it had to be worn in but with their patrol planned to find the necromancer hoped it be fast. Starting his aura training with Ash he just wanted to help people. He never would've thought he'd be a real life superhero with identity and all.
"It will take a while before you're used to the names but they'll become as important as your abilities."
"Thanks for the costumes girls. I really hope they have the effect you say it has." Ash said while thinking about his suit. It certainly was an upgrade on his former outfit despite the scarf. Most kids would dream about being a superhero but with what he's been through already it didn't get to his head.
"They will."
"How did it go on your side last night?" Ash asked May.
"Before we start, I got to show you guys this."
May held out a newspaper from her backpack. On the front page was only a small piece that covered the meteor site event on a few pages in while in large black letters and a picture of a red rose petal in the middle of a lot of bodies. The other three read the headline.
"Roses and pins discovered among pile of bodies and chemicals at Veilstone Casino."
"I know who did that." If the rose motive wasn't enough to convince May the location pretty much guaranteed it. She took out a red rose from her bag and showed it to the others.
"A guy in a rose costume. I don't know his name but I know what he looks like."
"Rose costume?" All of them surprised to hear that May and Glaceon already encounter him.
"He ordered May to go with him. Something about a drug deal at a casino. Apparently the meteor site event was a false post to redirect the attention of the police to there leaving them a more open field to play in."
"So we've been tricked."
"Right now there are too many threats to the city to focus on our normal lives. It's best we keep our other commitments short and spend as much time being our alter ego's. The only excuse you have for not being on patrol is school and homework." Riley told them with all of them agreeing.
"What about Dawn? How did your match go?" May wanting to know how well her 'sis' stacked up against an aura guardian. Ash told them quite calm about how it went.
"I beat her."
"No surprise there. We mean how well did she hold up?" Glaceon telling him to skip the obvious bit. As much as she loved her sister she wasn't asking any illusions about Dawn sneaking out a win somehow. The blue haired girl hopeful he was impressed enough that he gave the others a vote of confidence in her skills.
"She's not ready yet."
"OH COME ON!" Dawn yelling so loud that she was convinced that even Lila could hear her if she was in her penthouse.
"I am ready!"
"No you're not. You're still missing something."
"How do I know I'm missing something if you don't tell me!?Guys?" They all looked somber. May was the first to apologize.
"Sorry Dawn. But I off all people here know better than to argue with one of them."
"I don't know much but it was her call." Riley keeping her out as well it left only Ash. From the way he looked she didn't even had to ask knowing his answer will be the same as May and Riley's. Despite all the hours of sweat she put in she doubts she'll ever be ready at this rate.
"Good luck at least. Stay safe." Dawn said without any emotion in her voice. Walking with her head down she went to the ladder that went up to the roof. She was going to be a bother in their preparations anyway and needed the comfort of her real home away from any type of hero business.
As the three more experienced fighters looked to see her Ash was the one who felt the worst. Knowing what Dawn can do she's more than ready for her first encounter with a criminal skill wise. But just having the skills and power isn't good enough when you're going to risk your life going into a fight.
"Sorry Dawn. But you won't ever be ready until you do it on your own."
I'm slow with this one.
A million times sorry but man times are rough.
See you around.