Chapter 9 – Three-way-Chat
I was literally ten seconds into writing this one, and I already had a laughing fit just from the title. By the way, I'm not referring to anything inappropriate. I'm making a pun about Three-way-PHONE-chats here. So please don't flag me, a'ight? :D
Story-info: As already established, Manuel is the only one of this stories cast who never gets healed by the Miraculous-Cure. Of course there's a reason behind it, and I'm assuming you already know what that is, but that's not the point. The point is, that this is going to be a serious game-changer in some future-scenarios.
-s-s-s- (Manuel's POV)
Well, what can I say? Living on the street for a while really makes you appreciate a roof over the table. And a nice mattress. And some warm food. And shelter from the wind. Really, even a simple house is just way better than the goddamn street.
But the thing that took some getting used to was mastering superpowers you knew next to nothing about. Have you ever tried keeping absolute, unfaltering focus on several objects with nothing but your pure mind?
Yeah, that's how you use the miraculous of the hedgehog. You'd think telekinetic powers would be super-overpowered, but if your telekinesis breaks the very second anything else just comes to mind, it becomes more of a huge gamble. And if a common side-effect from overuse is the headache of your life, it soon stops being a power and starts being a handicap.
Either that, or I just suck at using it. Probably the latter one, but that's a discussion for another time.
Right now, the pen I had been levitating in the air for practice dropped to ground once more, because I noticed how my lungs started burning. I had kind of forgotten to breathe for these last 30 seconds, in my fruitless efforts to make a pen float with my mind.
"Are you alright? You seem kind of exhausted.", Wayzz, who was supervising my miraculous-practice, asked me, probably worried by my very deep breaths. "Don't worry, I'm fine.", I assured him, before taking yet another pill against my headaches, "Just gotta remember to breathe when making something float."
"Perhaps you should take a break.", Master Fu suggested as he stepped into my new room as well, "You've been at this for three hours now."
Well, what did he expect? I would have to master at least one of these things as soon as possible if I wanted to continue surviving and even correcting each and every episode of this show. "Haven't got a second to waste."
"It's true, that your mission is of vital importance.", Fu confirmed, before putting a hand on my shoulder, "But your own wellbeing is even more so. I could not in good conscience allow you to work yourself to the brink of a collapse."
I considered this thought. If another akuma decided to go haywire today, it would be quite problematic if I was too exhausted to do anything about it.
"Whissp, Spines down.", I commanded, and in a flash of white my transformation fell again. Out of the arm-bracelet on my right upper arm flew the kwami of the hedgehog Whissp. The little guy had cute bright blue eyes and pointy grey ears. Other than that he was entirely white, but the spines running down his back and head were surprisingly sharp. If I ever decided to carry this guy around with me, he'd get a specifically cushioned pocket.
"Okay, I'm getting used to this.", the little guy spoke.
"I'm not.", I replied directly, "Focusing so much on a single object that you can make it float is hard."
"Well, I didn't choose Telekinesis as my power.", the kwami complained about my criticism, which I deflected, "Didn't say so, didn't blame you."
-o-o-o- (30 minutes later)
Let me just save you some time right here. You do NOT want to know how long I had to listen to Alya ramble on and on about how desperately she needed me over at Marinettes.
"Either an akuma broke loose at the bakery, or Alya made one hell of a scoop. Either way, I'm severely underprepared for this.", I thought to myself as I looked at the girl running away into the distance.
-w-w-w- (Narration)
Whilst Manuel was making his way towards the bakery, Alya was already there, giving Marinette Adrien-advice.
"Okay, so we all know improvising is not your strong-suit. Neither is talking to him directly. Or being near him in the first place. Or even crossing paths…", Alya instructed, with Marinette giving an embarrassed groan into her pillow, "You're a great help, Alya…"
"Well, feel free to correct me if anything I just said was wrong.", the wing girl offered to which Marinette replied, "I can still function perfectly fine AROUND him at least!"
Alya looked down from Marinettes balcony, and then called back to her with a smirk, "Then I guess it won't be a problem that a certain blonde guy is walking by right down there."
And just like that, her confidence vanished, "WHAT?! Do you think he heard that?! Ohh, this is so embarrassing, what am I supposed to do?"
"First of all, calm down.", Alya instructed her friend, grabbing her by the shoulders, "Take a few deep breaths and everything will be fine."
Doing as told, Marinette eventually did calm down… even if only a bit. But it was enough to make Alya continue, barely holding her laughter back, "Secondly, look down and say 'Hi' to Manuel."
"What?!" Instantly completely calm again, Marinette looked down, seeing not Adrien but Manuel standing right there, waving up at the two of them. "Alya…", Marinette growled towards her best friend that was having a laughing fit, "Never, EVER do that again, okay?"
-x-x-x-
From all the way down, Manuel could only hear the voices of the two girls arguing loudly, but he couldn't make out any words. "The hell are they doing up there?"
Shrugging that off for the time being, since he was going up there anyway, he simply made his way into the bakery, to be greeted by Tom and Sabine. "Oh dear!", Sabine gasped upon seeing him, "Manuel, it's so good to see you're alright!"
"Thanks, Madame Cheng.", he thanked her by the way, but was quickly pulled into a bearhug by Tom Dupain, "You wouldn't believe how worried all of us were! When you got shocked half to death and then just ran off, I don't want to think of all the things that could have happened!"
"Not to mention, Marinette disappeared all of a sudden as well, blasted away by that horrible akuma!", Sabine continued, which perked his ears a bit, "Wait what? Is that the excuse Ladybug came up with?"
"And then Nadja tried to follow you but ran against an electric wall,", Tom picked up, "And then there was this huge explosion right where you had run off to, and- and it was just a living nightmare!"
"Wow…", he managed to speak between hard breaths from the deep hug, "I'm… sorry for causing you so much worry."
"It's alright, Manuel. You're only trying to help after all…", Sabine accepted with the soothing voice of a mother, "But you need to think of yourself as well. It's no help to anyone if you get hurt yourself."
"Well…", he struggled to speak between heavy breaths, "Then I'm gonna start right now… by breaking free of this crushing hug!"
Taking the not-so-subtle hint, Tom quickly let go of the civilian-hero, "Umm, sorry. I'm… a bit stronger than I care to admit…"
Taking a few deep breaths, he soon managed to reply, "Yep, I'm well aware of that now. Phew… Sure am glad we're friends instead of enemies…"
"Anyway, I'm sure you're here to see Marinette, right?", Sabine came back to the point.
"Well, sort of.", he kind of confirmed, "To be exact, Alya asked me to come here to help HER out WITH Marinette. Something about Boy-troubles or something?"
The parents looked at each other for a moment, then gave a short laugh. "Hahaha! I'm sure Alya could use all the help she can get with that.", Sabine agreed with me.
"It's no big secret, but Marinette will probably want to tell you herself.", Tom added, and then turned to the trapdoor leading to Marinettes room, "Marinette! You have another guest here! A certain blond boy wants to see you!"
"I'm not falling for that again!", Marinettes voice called down through the trapdoor before it swung open, and both girls came down the stairs. "Hi Manuel.", she greeted him with a bit of a frown, though not directed at the boy but at the girl next to her.
"Hi!", Alya greeted me between her laughter, making the boy already question his decision to come here in the first place, "What the hell did I just stumble into?"
"Sorry for the drama!", Alya apologized, picking up on his expression but still laughing, "Marinette just had a nervous breakdown when your blond hair came this way."
"You GAVE me the nervous breakdown!", Marinette corrected, "That was just because of your vague description!"
"Seriously, what did I get myself into here?", the boy questioned his consent even more, so it was good that Alya was getting to the point now, "Anyway, it's good that you're here! We need someone to practice on!"
And just like that, Manuel was dragged upstairs.
Marinettes parents looked after the three of them, smiling happily. "Manuel's a nice boy.", Tom eventually took word, "I could imagine him making a fine boyfriend as well."
"Are you sure that's not just because he looks similar to Adrien?", Sabine asked with a smirk.
-w-w-w- (Manuels POV)
"Okay, so I ran for ten minutes straight just to get here and almost got crushed by a baker for you. Care to tell me what I'm here for in the first place?", I asked the two girls standing in front of me, causing Alya to take word, "Right! Essentially, we need you as a training-dummy!"
I froze up for a moment and leaned forward in astonishment. I went through all that trouble just to be a dummy? "…And an ACTUAL dummy wouldn't have done because…?"
"Come on now! Don't be like that! I'll treat you to something afterwards!", Alya tried to coarse me, but the rich breakfast I had this morning really made itself noticeable via a short panic-attack, "Oh hell no! I've had SO MUCH to eat this morning, I REALLY don't need anything until in the evening!"
That did catch Marinettes attention, "Really? How? I thought you ate at the donation-shops."
"I did until yesterday.", I replied, "Let's just say, Akumas tend to bring people together…"
Marinette beamed with happiness for me, "So you finally found him! That's great!"
"Yeah! You must introduce us to him someday!", Alya jumped in as well, which I instantly declined, "Whoa, I don't think that's a good idea! There's a reason he likes to live in solitude."
I probably could have worded that better, given the alarmed reaction of Marinette, "What do you mean? Are things not so good between you two?"
"No that's not it!", I assured them, finally realizing what that could be implying, "He just really doesn't do well with strangers! I should know, we had a bit of an… awkward reunion when WE finally met."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure we'll be able to handle that.", Marinette stayed positive, making me break out a nervous sweat, "Dammit, can she not just drop it?!"
"Anyway, that's not what we're here for right now!", Alya brought them back on track, making Manuel let out a sigh of relief, "Thank god we changed the topic."
"So, thing is: Marinette has a-" "Waitwaitwait!", Marinette interrupted her best friend in a short panic, "Does he really have to know?"
"Well, if he doesn't already, it'll definitely be helpful.", Alya pointed out, but that was when I had enough of all the talking around the bush, "Okay, here's the deal: You either tell me what's happening outright, or I'm going home until you know what you're even doing."
"Wait, hang on!", Alya protested though, positioning herself on the trapdoor out of Marinettes room, effectively blocking my precious escape-route, "You can't just leave now! We still need you!"
"For what?!", I asked yet again, starting to get frustrated.
"As our training-dummy!"
"What kind of dummy?! Are you training martial-arts now as well or something?!"
"No, we're training flirting!", Alya practically yelled, as the conversation had gotten louder and louder, but at least the point was finally getting across.
"Ah, see? Now we're actually getting somewhere!", I praised her sarcastically, "So what in the world do you need a training-dummy at flirting-practice for?"
"Well…", Alya thought about her words, fidgeting with her fingers a bit, but eventually passed that responsibility over to Marinette, "Uhh, why don't you tell him yourself, Marinette?!"
"What?! Why me?!", Marinette panicked again, making me sigh deeply again, "Okay, I'm taking care of this myself then…"
I sat both girls down on Marinettes couch, whilst I took the liberty to take a seat in her desk-chair, positioning myself in front of them, "We're taking this from top to bottom. Alya, you called me here because you could use my help with Marinette."
"Yeah."
"And what we're here for is flirting-practice.", I continued.
"That's correct."
"So, you essentially just need a boy who won't judge and isn't a relationship-goal himself, that you can talk to, so you can get better at it.", I summarized minimalistic, "Now first of all: That shit hurts. And secondly: Give me one of your phones and five minutes and I'll have someone over who can stand in for me instead."
"Wait no!", Alya declined yet again, "If anyone would do, I would have just called someone who DOESN'T have the attention of half the city!"
"Then what the hell do you need ME SPECIFICALLY for?!", I asked yet again, seriously getting pissed off with all the contradictory talking that was happening.
But when no answer came, I just turned to Marinette instead, as she had been notably quiet this whole time, "Marinette, what makes me the only option here?"
"Ugh, fine!", Alya finally accepted, "If you're not gonna pick up on the clues, then I'm just gonna spell it out for you! We need a stand-in for Adrien!"
"Wha- Adrien?", I asked in confusion, "But why me then?" I had just finished asking that question, before the answer practically slapped me in the face, "Ohhhh…"
"Because you're tall – you have blonde short hair – you're well-built – the list goes on.", Alya pointed out all the similarities, and it wasn't until then, that I noticed the similarities in looks he had to Adrien.
They were right, actually, I had to admit to myself, as I looked at myself in Marinettes mirror. If I had the same clothes as him and styled my hair a bit differently (something I was thinking about anyway), I could almost be a dead ringer of the teen-model. The only non-changeable differences were that I was very slightly taller and more muscular than Adrien, and his eye-colour was different. "Holy shit, I've just found something with a lot of potential for future use!"
"Huh… Guess you're right…", I acknowledged their observation, "Honestly, I didn't even notice that."
-o-o-o- (5 minutes later)
"So, you see our point, right?", Alya asked for confirmation after, I kid you not, five whole minutes of her explaining this plan in excessively many details, which I gave with a deep sigh, "Yes, I got it after the first minute already. No need to spend five minutes just saying the same stuff over and over."
"Yes!", Marinettes wing girl celebrated already, "That's so awesome of you!" Grabbing the wrist of their stand-in, she pulled me over right in front of Marinette, and instructed her hopeless romantic, "Okay girl! Now, we're going to try a crash-course this time! Pretend this is Adrien and spill your guts to him!"
Marinette just stared at me unsurely, while I merely stood in front of her, not really sure what to expect. The girl in front of me braced herself for a few seconds… but then just deflated in defeat, "Ugh, this is sooo awkward…"
Alya and me just stood there for a few seconds, before the first took word, "Isn't it always when you talk to him?"
"No- I mean, yes- but- this is different! HE'S making this awkward right here!", Marinette called out.
"What did I do?!", I called out, having a sudden feeling of accusation within.
"No, don't get me wrong, YOU'RE doing just fine! But you're not Adrien, no matter how similar you look!", the hopeless romantic went on, "Pretending you're someone else and confessing my crush to you feels SO wrong!"
The room went silent for a moment. Until I spoke up again, "You know, I actually kinda get it…"
Letting out an exasperated groan, Alya eventually just let it slide, "Ugh, okay then… I really thought this was going to work, but I guess I should have seen that coming."
"You know, phones exist.", I pointed out slightly exasperated, "Not quite sure why that's such a problem."
"Honestly, that was the plan after a bit of practice.", Alya agreed with me.
"It was, huh? So I guess we're in Copy-Chat right now.", I connected. This scenario was a bit too specific to be a coincidence.
"Are you kidding?!", Marinette squeaked, "The moment I'm actually talking to him, I'm just stumbling over all of my words! I just can't! I'd only embarrass myself! He'd hate me forever!"
"Girl, really?", Alya spoke up, "The whole phone-thing was YOUR idea. Why are you against it now?"
"Because now I actually have to do it as well…", the hopeless romantic answered, looking at her phone in terror.
So, for the sake of getting a move on, I snatched her phone Marinette-style (how ironic) and called his number, "Too freaking bad, now it's make or break."
"WHAT?!", Squeakynette returned once more, "But I don't even know what to say to him yet! I have no notes! There's no plan! What should I do?!"
"Talk like a normal person, and don't forget to breathe.", I answered simply, before dragging Alya behind the bed with me, "And while you're at it, get the helium out of your lungs…"
"Not gonna lie, a bit of a harsh move.", Alya commented slightly surprised at my action.
"The best way to learn is under intense, life-threatening pressure.", I recited the Spiderman-meme… half-correctly, "Plus, you'd have done the same."
"…Yeah, I would have.", she admitted to both me and herself, though reluctantly.
Staying behind the bed, we watched the horrified Dupain-Cheng listening to the ringing of the phone that she was sure would be her demise. Until… "Hi, this is Adriens voicemail. Please leave a message after the signal."
She breathed a bit easier, but was still super-tense, "It's his voicemail! What do I do?!"
"Keep going!", Alya cheered her on, "Don't improv!"
"Just think of it as an akuma: Do or Die!", I joined in, "Yeah, top-advice. I should become a dating-coach."
Alya slapped me on the back of my head, "What kind of advice is that?"
"The advice of an idiot who flings himself at super-villains on a daily basis.", I answered with the grin of someone who didn't give a shit.
"Are you kidding?! How is this any advice fit for her?! Marinette doesn't fight super-villains like you!", she threw back, to which I replied before even thinking, "You don't know that." "Wait, what the hell am I saying?!"
"I'm pretty sure I do.", Alya replied, and pointed back to her, "I mean, look at her!"
A phone landed on the bed, and a red with embarrassment Marinette slumped into her chair, taking a deep breath and keeping her head lowered with shame.
"…Yeah, I see your point.", I agreed with her on that front, for the sake of making up for my previous mistake.
"…What? What did you expect me to say?", Marinette reacted to our stares, "Did you seriously think I was gonna be like 'Hey, hot stuff! I wanted to ask you out to the movies, but I have such a huge crush on you, that the only way I can talk to you is through this stupid phone! Call me later, lots of love and kisses, bye!'"
"…Have you ever considered a career as an actress?", I asked at the exposure to her drama.
"Very funny, Manuel.", the girl replied, "The only role I could play would be the love-sick fool."
"And you'd be famed for how convincing you play it.", I added, making her groan, "Urgh, you're still not helping."
"Then why did you ask me for help?"
"I didn't."
"She did."
"God, this conversation is a wreck.", Alya sighed.
"We tend to do that.", I didn't even deny that, making Marinette perk up again, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I make meetings awkward for everyone involved, and you frustrate everyone the moment a blond boy is in the nearby vicinity.", I explained.
"That's not true!", Marinette defended herself, "I can think clearly when he's around! I just can't TALK to him!"
"You had a freak-out when I came along downstairs.", I noted.
"Because Alya was talking about a 'certain blond boy'!", she explained herself.
"Correction: This whole meeting is a freaking train wreck.", Alya sighed again.
"If you wish to save your message, press 1.", the phones digital voice cut in, "If you wish to erase your message, press 2. If you wish to hear your message again, press 3."
Marinette jumped up in terror at the realization. "Press the 2, press the 2!", Alya advised her, making her friend launch herself at the phone and press… "Message saved. Have a good day."
That was the point where I couldn't handle it anymore. "PAHAHAHA! Oh my god, this is… Ahahaha!"
"Okay, Marinette, it's not as bad as you think.", Alya tried to calm an ever more paling Marinette down without success.
"No, it's not.", I agreed between laughs, "It's WAY worse!"
"Manuel, this really isn't the time for this.", Alya chastised me, but I just couldn't help it. This here was even more hilarious than the original to me.
"Okay, Marinette, I admit, it's bad. But it can be saved.", the wing girl tried to salvage what little was left of hope for Marinette, "If Adriens voicemail answered, then that means the dude is busy, right?"
"Yeah sure, just comb the whole city for a single boy.", I laughed again, but was cut off by a beaming Marinette who proudly showed off her fully filled Adrien-calender, containing every single activity this guys regular week consisted of, "I know where Adrien is! He is taking fencing-lessons right now!"
We both just stared at her slightly shocked. "You got a serious problem, girl…", Alya eventually just stated with a smile.
"…Where did that even come from…?", I asked instead, looking to the ceiling for anything this calendar was hanging on.
-x-x-x-
When we stepped outside, Alya noticed the crowd in the park next door, "Oh that's right! They're unveiling the statue of Ladybug and Chat Noir today! I completely forgot!"
"Ugh, me too…", Marinette sighed, a slight guilt written on her face.
"You were going too?", I asked for the sake of playing my role.
"N-No, I just thought I might tag along with Alya if I have the time!", she squirmed her way out. The one in question was clearly torn left and right now, "Agh, sorry girl, but I gotta be there. We can get Adriens phone after the ceremony, okay?"
"What? But by then Adriens fencing-lesson will be over!", Marinette cried out.
"Ugh, and I really need that footage for the ladyblog. Sorry girl, but this is up to you now.", Alya apologized, whilst already running off, "Just stay out of trouble, and don't improv!"
"…Well, guess it's just the two of us now.", Marinette spoke, still quite confused by this rapid turn of events. But I too had to decline, for I was not about to get involved in THIS side-plot, "Yeah no… If you ask me to assault an innocent citizen under the spell of a magical purple butterfly, I'm totally on board with that, but I'm not gonna help you steal a private phone."
"What, now you're leaving me alone too?!", the girl started panicking again, "What do you expect me to do on my own?!"
"I dunno, but I'm not gonna commit thievery for you.", I declined very directly, "…Plus, I think they're selling some good food over there. Best of luck!"
And with that, I took my leave before she could even stop me.
-o-o-o- (2 minutes later)
Honestly, I never realized how close the events in this episode were to each other timewise. Marinette had just set off to steal Adriens phone, but Chat Noir had already showed up here. Wasn't he supposed to come a bit later?
Well, anyway, he definitely enjoyed the spotlight right now. Wish he could have that much fun in his private life as well. But, of course, that was just the wishful thinking of a fanboy who wanted the best for the precious sun-child. Was it realistic? No, not really. But was it worth hoping for? Definitely.
Obviously, Ladybug grew more and more delayed due to her alter-ego being busy stealing a phone, so the crowd got a little bit… let's say impatient. Or rather, confused.
"Maybe we should commence the celebration.", the mayor suggested, "It might bring her here faster."
"Just a bit longer, please!", the sculpturer, whose name I couldn't really remember, asked, "She's gonna be here, I can feel it!"
Well, someone was in for a disappointment. Poor guy asked for one thing in life and had it denied. Never even realized how realistic this world really was.
-o-o-o- (30 minutes later)
Okay, I'll admit, by now I was getting bored myself. Everyone was just waiting for Ladybug to show up like they got nothing better to do. Was the timeframe between Chat Noirs appearance and the beginning of the ceremony this long in the show as well?
Oh yeah, and did I mention food being sold here? 'cause there's no food being sold here. Not that I was hungry again. I was just looking for anything to kill time with. And with my phone still not being around, food sounded like a good choice.
But with no food to pass the time with either, I soon enough decided to leave instead. The whole reason I was here in the first place was to have a reason to not help Marinette commit a felony.
However, the moment I stepped out of the crowd, I felt a gigantic hand slap me on the shoulder. "Hey there! Manuel the civilian hero!", a deep voice bellowed straight into my ear, "An honour to meet you properly this time!"
I almost punched whoever dared to scare the crap out of me like that right in the face out of pure reflex. But at his loud tone, my instincts chose to cover my ears and focus more on the attention this guy would attract, "Ey, dude! Can you be a little quieter!"
He who was yet to be named was a giant of a man, more than definitely a bodybuilder, dressed in black jeans and a red shirt. He had quite a tan, probably from sports outside, and his hair was bald except for a short brown beard. And judging by the lack of any further detail on his character-model, he was a side-character as well.
"And you would be…?", I asked carefully as to not seem TOO rude, causing him to facepalm himself, "Oh god, of course! I completely forgot you don't even know ME yet!"
"I do not.", I confirmed with a blank face, "And given that you know me, I feel really uncomfortable right now."
"Right! Gimme a moment!", he agreed before taking a step back and fixing his shirt.
But if I was to be introduced to another new character here, I would prefer to do so in a less crowded area. Thus, "Hey, you know what? Why don't we go somewhere with a few less people? Don't need the crowd to notice I'm amongst them."
"Whatever you say.", he agreed without even arguing, "Actually, I know a good place, if you'd let me lead the way!"
I held in for a moment. This guy was… weird in several ways. Definitely not the kind I was comfortable with following around without a second thought. "I'm gonna say this once.", I warned him as a pure precaution, "I'm the civilian hero of Paris. If you try to pull some bullshit, at least someone is gonna notice my absence."
For the children who may or may not be present… or anyone who is present actually: Don't EVER do this, alright? Going with strangers is a huge risk that is most definitely not worth taking.
-o-o-o- (10 minutes later)
So, ten minutes later, he had led me to a kind of new looking sports-centre. "Welcome to Edgars fitness-centre, Mister Gilson!", he greeted me again, smiling bright whilst leading me inside.
The shop itself was rather small, for a sports-centre at least, but no one could deny its organization. Each and every kind of sport had its own section, however small. Sport-shoes of all kinds, ranging from running to biking. Clothes of all categories be it for weightlifting or for martial arts. Equipment for pretty much any indoor-sport I could imagine, even if the selection within the sport wasn't all that far ranging. Really, it was kind of fascinating how much stuff he had on such a small scale without needing to cramp things.
"Uhh… I don't think I've been here before.", I admitted while still looking around.
Stepping behind the counter, he who called himself Edgar before confirmed, "Because you haven't. More precisely because you couldn't. This shop has opened just a few days ago."
Gesturing me to come forth, he picked something up from behind the counter, "So, ever since you've started your heroic act, I've been watching each and every Ladyblog-entry about you very closely."
"Why?", I asked flat out. No reason to hold any punches when I didn't even know him.
"Well, let's just say I feel like I owe you a slight debt.", he explained, and offered me his hand, "My name's Edgar Auclaire."
The most I could give him was a blank stare. One that didn't seem to surprise him in the slightest, "Should've known that name wouldn't mean anything to you. Does Master Fitness ring a bell with you?"
Indeed, it did. "Ohh! That… was you?"
"Yep, the very first akuma that got his butt kicked by you.", Edgar replied with an embarrassed smile while we shook hands, "Quite the odd first place to hold. Anyway, I've decided to learn from my mistakes and sell sports equipment now instead."
"Well, being the first supervillain to get beaten by a civilian can't be worse than being the first civilian to do so.", I pointed out, "Gives you a lot of unwanted attention, let me tell you."
He looked uncomfortably to the side, as if he was remembering something. Probably the Paparazzi-episodes. "I… can imagine."
"Well, 'you reap what you sow', I guess. In a way I put this upon myself." Huge freaking lies right there. The sole reason I did this was because of my interdimensional trip I was just pulled along for, and everything that fell to me because of it. It was just one thing following the next, with me not really pulling a lot of strings there.
"And you're quite admirable for it, let me tell you.", Edgar claimed. A claim that I was having none of, "Hell no I ain't. Having zero braincells is not admirable."
"Well, you definitely have enough braincells to come out on top against supervillains.", he pointed out, which I still couldn't confirm, "Nah, they just never expect me to do anything substantial, and I exploit that. Last time they actually tried against me, and I got absolutely wrecked."
As if on cue, Edgar handed me something that seemed like a combat-pole, "Then you'll be happy to have this by your side."
I took his gift in my hand. It was a staff about the length of my arm, made of a very resistant metal. Despite its strong material, it weighed next to nothing, laying perfectly in the hand to swing it effectively.
"I don't exactly sell fighting-equipment specifically, but I've decided to make an exception for you.", he explained as I examined his present, "Given that you fight with weapons similar to Chat Noirs, I thought you should have something that was actually made for fighting."
I gave him a slightly confused look, "You're seriously just… handing this to me?"
"Sure, it's yours now.", he confirmed unconcerned, before continuing to explain its functions, "It can be extended just like your tent-poles, and packs quite the punch despite its low weight. I hope you can make some use of it. Was not an easy task to make that thing."
Testing the extension-feature, I found out that it could reach double its normal length, making it about as long as my body. Useful indeed. "That's… quite the weapon you've constructed there.", I noted admittedly fascinated, "And you're really sure I can just have it? For nothing? Because I'm sure this would also sell for quite a price."
"Well, I wouldn't say for nothing.", Edgar denied, "Consider it my thanks for fighting supervillains. If it ever breaks, just bring it here. I'll see what I can do about it."
I was about to thank him again, when the TV hanging in the upper corner showed some very interesting news about a certain black cat. "Hey… Can you turn that up real quick?"
Doing so without question, as he too had just seen the article, we listened in on what they had to say, "Amateur videos show, that the thief is none other than the famous hero, Chat Noir."
"This painting is the chat's meow!", the feline hero spoke with the Mona Lisa under his arm, before jumping out of the gallery.
"Really?", I thought to myself, "The chat's meow? Is that the best you could come up with? I got nothing better right now, but you'd think a cat could come up with better cat-puns."
"Well, looks like your product is about to get a test-run.", I decided, putting the thing in my backpack, slightly confusing Edgar, "You're not really about to fight a superhero, are you?"
"No, I'm about to fight a supervillain in the image of a superhero.", I corrected, "There's a distinct difference. Plus, identity-theft is no joke. I'm gonna give that guy a butt-whooping for pulling that."
Now the shopkeeper seemed to pick up, "Ahh, so you think Thief-Noir is a faker?"
Thief-Noir. How come no one ever came up with that nickname before? But while on the subject, did he seriously say faker instead of copycat? These people had no sense for puns and a lot of it at the same time.
"I don't just think so, I'm convinced that is a copycat.", I assured him, before walking out of the shop, "If I don't get incapacitated or reduced to ash in this fight, I'll be sure to pay you another visit sometime soon."
"…Okay? You be careful out there!"
-o-o-o- (30 minutes later)
I'll be honest, I may have completely underestimated the size of this city. Mostly because I somehow had gotten everywhere within something like ten minutes. I had not expected to take half an hour to the louvre. Or to be so out of breath by then.
By the time I had gotten here, Ladybug too was just touching down on the plaza, trying to speak to the mayor and officer Raincomprix, "I'm sure there's a simple explanation for this!"
Because I had nothing better to do, I decided to enter the spotlight here as well, "Something along the lines of external control or copy? Yeah, most likely."
Startled by my sudden appearance, Ladybug quickly spun around, "Whoa! When did you get here?"
"About two seconds ago.", I replied nonchalantly, "No way I'm missing out on THIS action."
"Don't even worry, you two.", Raincomprix took word, "Kitty's already in the slammer."
"Now don't even think about-", Ladybug tried to reply whilst walking past him, but the officer blocked her path once more, "Now now, I must ask you to leave this to the experts."
I couldn't help but facepalm, "Experts in execution, but not in logic."
Apparently, my groan wasn't quiet enough for him not to hear it, "What was that, punk?"
"Do you seriously think Chat Noir, the famous hero of Paris who lays his life on the line day by day, who even just got a stature erect in his honour, would pull a complete 180 and turn to thievery within the span of a few hours?", I questioned, not even sure what he would answer to that, "You gotta admit, something about that doesn't add up."
"I was thinking the same thing.", Ladybug held on to my theory, "We all know Chat Noir. A change that drastic doesn't come out of nowhere. If you ask me, someone is probably pulling the strings in the background."
My praises for Ladybug being the only reasonable person present, but Raincomprix just got a call for reinforcements over his walkie-talkie. Using this moment of distraction, Ladybug ran right past him. "Whoa, what the-" And as he was startled by her running past him, I used that moment to do the same. "Wha- Oh come on!", he called after me, making me chuckle a bit, "I'm never gonna hear the end of that."
We soon entered the main hall of the museum, where a bunch of policemen had been beaten down. "Looks like we just missed him.", Ladybug noted, "And judging by the measures he took, he's really getting pushed into a corner."
"You know him better than me.", I took word whilst pacing around the crime-scene to at least LOOK useful, "Any idea on where to find him?"
The heroine looked at her yoyo, "Usually he contacts me immediately when he runs out of options. Since he hasn't already, I'm assuming he's somewhere safe for now."
Now Raincomprix finally managed to catch up, "This is a serious breach of-!" He cut off when he saw the state of his subordinates, "…Well, if he's so innocent, why would he be running away?"
"Might be because you refuse to listen to his side of the story.", I spoke more to myself than him, "Some defenders of justice you are."
I noticed Ladybug running back up the stairs, gesturing me to follow her. "So now I'm an official part of the team, huh? Not too sure how to feel about that."
-x-x-x-
When I had caught up to Ladybug, after finally realizing how fast she actually was when transformed, she wasn't even on that call with Chat Noir anymore but was already watching the cat fleeing from a police-helicopter on the rooftops.
"Yeah… I don't think… I can keep up with that.", I had to admit between heavy breaths, "Any idea where he's going… so that I can take a shortcut?"
"None yet.", Ladybug denied, "But he's probably going after that impostor."
I mentally slapped myself for not thinking of that sooner. Why wasn't I just cutting this all in half by going directly to the guys workshop?! "Oh right, because I don't know where that is."
Thankfully, Ladybug was considerate enough to not just leave me to chase after them yet another time. Instead, she took a concerned look at my exhausted figure, and suggested, "Maybe you should take a breather. Chat Noir and I will find a way to buy you enough time."
And with that, she swung away yet again. Forget what I just said, neither of these two had even a single second to spare.
"…Guess it's back to the drawing board for me…", I sighed, but before I could even get moving, a familiar voice caught my attention, "Well, you're looking a tad bit worn out. Are you doing okay?"
"Quick question:", I interrupted, "How the hell did you even know I'd be here?"
"Are you kidding me?", Soleil laughed, "There's news about Chat- freaking -Noir robbing the museum! OF COURSE you'd be here!"
I gave her a blank stare. "Fair enough…", I just accepted. I really couldn't bother questioning her right now. "You wouldn't just so happen to know the artist of the statue that was unveiled today, do you?"
Hey, the chances were slim, but it was worth a shot. "You mean Theo? Theo Barbot?", she asked for confirmation. I had to do a double-take on that one. What were the odds?! "What?!"
"The guy's a good friend of my caretaker, so we occasionally meet up with him.", Soleil explained nonchalantly, "My parents don't really like him – say he's too 'middle-class for me' whatever the hell that means – but he's a pretty chill dude."
"Yeah, except when he's committing identity-theft on Chat Noir.", I briefed Soleil in in the laziest way possible. If whoever was writing this script was gonna rush this part, why shouldn't I?
"Ahh yes, I figured something like that was going on.", my partner sighed, "Wouldn't have expected HIM to be the culprit though. Need to find his workshop?"
"Yes, please.", I accepted, and simply followed her as she took the lead right away.
-o-o-o- (45 minutes)
Jesus christ, was this city already this big 3 episodes ago? 'Cause I'm pretty sure it wasn't! Usually I got from A to B within about 10 minutes! How did we just take 45 minutes to get to this workshop?!
"Okay, so…", Soleil spoke when we stood in front of the door to Theos workshop, "It took us a little longer than expected, but we should be ready to kick some ass."
"I… appreciate… your enthusiasm… Uff…", I responded out of breath, "Really wish… I could share it."
I took my new weapon out, whilst briefing in Soleil on the newest updates, "So, fair warning, there's probably gonna be more than one impostor in there."
"What makes you say that?", she asked confused.
"Because those fancy rocks have a new defence mechanism.", I kept it short, "Essentially, they can now replicate the current akuma, with all its powers, whilst boosted."
I'm not sure how to describe Spleils expression here, but I think 'stunned' is an appropriate word. "You're kidding, right? Tell me you're joking right now!"
"Really wish I was.", I replied, "Would make my job a whole lot easier."
Let me spare you these 10 seconds of freaking out. I'll just skip to the part where she recomposed herself, "Just wished I had known in advance. Could have written my last will."
"It'll be fine.", I lied straight to her face, before telling her the last piece of information, "They poof away when we destroy the stone."
"Oh great, that's great news!", she called out with faked happiness, "If we're lucky, we'll be able to actually grace that thing before we get turned into ash!"
"Time to find out how lucky we are!", I called out, and prepared to storm the workshop, "3-2-1-GO!" Kicking the door open with weapon at the ready, I charged at the first thing I saw: A pitch-black Chat Noir-silhouette (Pfft, haha!).
"Die impostor!", I shrieked, getting a surprise-hit on the head in, which smashed the shadow on the ground. When I tried to get a second hit in though, the thing rolled to the side and kicked me straight into the wall. "Yeah… That was a bit optimistic of me…", I spoke with a raspy voice. Pretty sure I inhaled a bit of dust right there.
"Are you freaking insane?!", Soleil called after me as she came to help, "What were you thinking?!"
"That's my secret…", I replied as I freed myself from the wall, "When thinking doesn't net me a plan, I don't do it at all."
"Oh thank god you're here!", one of the Chat Noirs called out to us, whilst fencing against the second one, "Care to help me out here?!"
"Don't even think about it!", the other Chat replied angrily, "That you're fooling M'lady is bad enough! You're not pulling in civilians as well!"
"Look out!", Ladybug called out again, as she pulled me away from the punch of the shadowy clone, which absolutely obliterated the entire wall instead. "Holy shit… That could have been me…"
"Manuel, what's going on?", Ladybug asked me stressed out, while she was struggling to keep Dark Noir at bay, "Why are there two of them?!"
Still kinda pissed about it, Soleil took the liberty to explain herself, "Essentially, the dark stones now replicate the current villain as a self-defence-mechanism."
"Yeah, that's kind of a thing now.", I confirmed carefully, as I rushed in to help against Dark Noir too, "They're just as strong as them when boosted, and have all the same abilities. But they can only take a limited amount of damage, I think."
Turns out, I couldn't do shit against Dark Noir, as he parried my very first strike, and punched me straight into the opposite wall.
"You think?", Soleil repeated shocked, as she was barely able to dodge the dark clones strikes, "YOU FREAKING THINK?!"
"I've only fought against one of them up to now!", I defended myself as I picked myself off the ground, "YOU try to find a pattern with just one example."
With my entire body sore, I had to take a time out for a moment. Instead of fighting, I chose to try and find a strategy. Because, seriously, without one hell of a gambit, we would get outright crushed here.
Chat Noir could barely fight one boosted Copychat, and he only held his own because that one was still kind of human with recognizable and exploitable patterns. He was still thinking for himself and had a typical way to do so.
Dark Noir on the other hand had nothing human about him. This… thing was all instinct, and it showed. Dodging, countering, parrying, this thing was perfect at all of it. And with the power of a miraculous-copy and the vissaxum, he turned into an absolute fighting-machine.
"Come on, Manuel…", I urged myself in all this stress, "Think of something! Anything! Use that useless brain of yours for once!" That sticked with me. Useless brain. "That's it! Dark Noir is powerful, but not intelligent!"
I picked up my weapon yet again, and this time, instead of fighting my own respective villain, I launched myself at Copychat. Before he even noticed I was targeting him, I swept his feet of the ground with my baton, allowing Chat to knock him against the wall.
"Nice safe.", he complimented me, "One on one, each of these are absolute beasts."
No time for chit-chat. I had very limited time. "Chat, I need a distraction!", I commanded him, "Literally ANYTHING that causes destruction will do!"
"You actually have a plan here?", he asked fascinated, whilst getting back into a fighting stance due to Copychat getting back up already, "And here I thought that was M'ladies specialty. Seems it's not unique to her."
"It is.", I denied stressed out as hell, "I'm just putting everything on a single card and pray to god it pays off."
"Thanks for letting me know then.", Chat chuckled menacingly, before sweeping my feet off the ground as well, and slamming me down with his staff, "Gonna have to look out for that."
I mentally slapped myself for being such an idiot. "Ohhh god, did I seriously just attack the wrong one? Ugh, I'm such a freaking idiot…" "But, wait… How come he even sounds the same? Last time I checked, they're supposed to have slightly different voices."
"Now then, I think you've done quite enough for this city.", Fake Noir spoke darkly down to me, whilst keeping me pinned down with his baton, "Time for you to have your well-earned rest."
"Cataclysm!", I heard TWO Chats call out at the same time. The one keeping me on the floor was slowly moving his hand of doom towards my face, whilst the other one… did something, I dunno. Couldn't see him on the floor right now. Wait a minute, hadn't he already used that thing to try and break the chains? Or was Dark Noir really messing with the flow of battle that much?
Apparently Real Noir touched the walls, given that the whole freaking building came down on us the very next moment. And, I mean, yeah, that was perfectly adhering to my plan. Good to know he still listened, even when I wasn't talking to him.
-x-x-x-
So, eventually the great collapse came to an end too, and I was able to fight my way out of the rubble. Quite the hard task, when your arm was probably downright shattered from a gigantic piece of debris that decided to slam right down on it. I didn't feel nothin', probably due to the cartoon-physics, but I definitely wasn't able to move that arm.
"That shit better get healed by the cure…", I growled to myself, as I tested the non-existent functionality of that shattered limb, "I'm righthanded, I can't even write anymore."
I searched around for my new baton for a moment, couldn't find it immediately, and therefore decided to pick up a piece of debris the size of my fist instead. A clunky but heavy weapon was better than no weapon. And I was on a time-limit right now.
It only took me a second to spot Dark Noir in all the chaos, and he was crouching down, clutching something tightly, more than likely the vissaxum. "Initiate phase 2."
Parkour-jumping over the destroyed house as fast as I could, I took a single leap of faith, and smashed my weapon right down onto the shadows head. Seems I landed a critical hit as well, given that it dissolved instantly.
"Look out!", I heard Ladybugs voice call out, and I just barely saw her kick Fake Noir away with a flying kick, who called out hurt, "Why me?! I'm the real deal!"
"…Whoops, sorry… Reflex.", Ladybug apologized carefully.
"Urgh, I thought we had gone over this…", he replied, but then another him arose from the debris a few metres away from him, "Stop doing the same old trick! It's starting to get annoying!"
As the two Chats got into yet another rumble, with Ladybug joining in shortly after, I didn't even bother to watch them. I had a dank rock to find. "Got it!", I called out happily moments later, since it laid right where I just murdered Dark Noir. It really was clutching that thing.
"Now you die, you little shit!" Smashing it in my non-wounded hand, the actual Fake Noir got stunned for a short moment, and with his power-boost gone, Real Noir straight up smashed his head into the ground, effectively knocking him out. Ladybug searched his pockets real quick, found a photograph, tore it apart, and caught the akuma.
-x-x-x-
Throwing her lucky charm, which I'm assuming she summoned and used while I wasn't looking, into the air, the cure instantly rebuilt the building, and healed everyones wounds except mine. "Guess I'll learn to write with my left hand then…", I just sighed. At this point, I was already getting used to always pulling the short straw.
But my apathy was quickly replaced by incomparable pain all the way through my entire right arm. If I were to understate it massively, it felt like a boat-load of glass-shards were scattered all through my arm. "Ohh crap, that hurts like hell… Guess it was the adrenaline-rush that kept me from noticing that sooner, rather than the cartoon-physics…"
"Pound it!", Ladybug and Chat Noir called out, and bumped fists before looking at me. "Come on, waiting on you.", Chat invited me, so I joined in with a forced smile, "Yay…"
"…You missed.", Soleils voice pointed out right next to me, making me jump a bit, "Jesus, I need to put a bell on you!"
Entirely ignoring my comment, Soleil just asked, "Can I join in on this? I have done my fair share of fighting. Against the dark clone, no less!"
"Sure!", Ladybug accepted with an amused smile, "All together now! POUND IT!"
I missed yet again, causing Soleil to groan, "You're ruining it, mate."
"Hey, I'm righthanded, okay?", I threw back slightly pissed while I gripped my shattered arm again, "Not my fault I'm always the only one with permanent damage."
"Huh…?", Ladybug spoke up confused, "But… Shouldn't my cure heal you?"
"According to all we know, it should.", I agreed, "And yet it never does. And it's a REAL problem now, because I actually broke something this time!"
"Sucks, doesn't it.", Soleil sneered next to me, "Imagine if it was your leg."
Giving her a confused look, I couldn't help but ask, "What's gotten into you all of a sudden?"
"I dunno, it's probably just that your brilliant gambit BROKE MY LEG when the building came down!", she yelled at me, "What were you thinking, you moron!"
"Hey, I just needed destruction!", I pointed out, "Never said it had to be the whole building!"
"You know what they say.", Chat laughed a bit, "Go big or go home."
"Well, you certainly did go big ON the home!", I threw back, before turning heel, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go to the hospital and get my diagnosis!"
"Wait!", Ladybug called after me, "I do realise that this is also in part my fault, so…" She picked me up and laid my arm over my stomach, "At least let me get you there."
"Are you sure you still have that much time left?", I asked carefully, "Your earrings are kind of starting to beep already."
"I hate to say it, but I'm afraid we will have to split.", Chat Noir agreed with me, before quickly getting out himself, "Sorry! Wish I could do more!"
Now hearing the beep herself, she put me back down, but still not quite alright with herself, "I'm sorry… I'll make it up to you someday, I promise!"
I looked after the two heroes jumping out of the workshop, "You just keep being heroes. That's enough for me."
"Really wish I had filmed that moment right there.", Soleil noted by the way, killing the poetic atmosphere again, "Would have made an epic scene worthy of Hollywood."
"You know, if you're gonna keep voluntarily fighting with me, you could at least try not to give me shit about it.", I scowled at her, "I mean, the only one who keeps getting screwed over at these operations is me anyway. Your leg got healed within a minute. My arm is gonna be another eight weeks or so."
Soleil let out a deep sigh. "Right, you're right… Sorry.", she apologized, her head hanging low, and in her voice I heard a slight sadness, "I'll admit, when you told me that we would be forced to fight supervillains sooner or later, I didn't think battles would get so intense."
The girl picked up one of the stray shards of the vissaxum, "I mean, before these stones appeared, the villains were more a bunch of powerful goofballs rather than heartless killers. They just messed around with people, spreading chaos rather than suffering. Of course, you wouldn't know that, since you haven't been there back then."
"Oh, I'm perfectly aware.", I replied in my mind, "Probably more than you even."
In her frustration, she threw the shard back on the ground, "But things have changed since these things showed up. These recent villains, they aren't messing around anymore. Not under the influence of these stones. They don't rely on relatively casual means anymore. They're willing to KILL to achieve their goals now! In fact, they WANT to kill whoever gets in their way and it's scary!"
As her voice got progressively higher as she lost herself more and more in her emotions, perfectly understandably mind you, she also started to shrink into herself further and further, getting even smaller than she already was, "I just… can't help it. It scares me to think they would be perfectly fine with killing me. And the fact that there's apparently damage that even Ladybug can't fix… What if I just die in one of these battles? Could Ladybug bring me back? What if I stayed dead?"
"Really, that's something I should be concerned about…", I thought my part, but saying it out loud would have just been an ass-move, so I stayed quiet.
I just watched her start to slightly sob in her emotional outburst, not quite sure on how to react. "She's kind of like me.", I recognized in the meantime, "She prefers to bottle up her emotions instead of sharing them. And she covers it up with hostility." I waited for a moment, granting her relief of all the fear she had pent up.
Eventually though, I just knelt down to her, and placed my good arm on her shoulder, "You don't have to do this, you know."
She looked up at me, small tears still forming in her eyes. "Huh?"
"Believe me, I get it. Partially at least.", I assured her, "All this scares me too. Every time I have to go fight, I get a certain chill running down my spine. The knowledge, that they are perfectly able and willing to end my life the moment I stand in their way is… terrifying. And in my case, if I did die, it would probably be over once and for all for me. So, I understand that you don't exactly like battling. But unlike me, you still have a way out."
Wiping her tears out of her eyes, she looked back at me more serious this time, "What do you mean?"
"I'M the only one with the sixth sense around here.", I took simpler terms, "There's nothing I can do about that, no one else I can leave this task to, so the best I can do about my situation is suck it up and deal with it.
YOU, on the other hand, are in no way obligated to join in on my fights. There's nothing about you, that forces you to be the one to fight. If you don't want to do this anymore, I won't force you to. I'd just ask, that you'll stay safe yourself then."
Sniffling one last time, she wiped away her tears, and then replied more determined than I had ever heard her, "No. I will not stay on the side-lines when I KNOW that you're fighting for all our lives while risking yours."
"Huh?!" That sudden change in attitude caught me so of guard, I didn't even know how to react, "What are you…?"
"Listen, I'm sorry about that meltdown right there, but I'm fine now.", she assured me, "I'll admit, I STARTED doing this, because I thought it would be a cool time and a great way to get to know you. But I understand now that this is WAY more than just some adrenaline-induced hobby. This is a battle of just as great importance as Ladybug and Chat Noirs."
Standing back up, and this time putting her hand on my shoulder, she reaffirmed, "I apologize for being so foolish up until now. I didn't understand the gravity of the situation. But from now on, I WILL fight as your partner. Always at your side, whenever you need me, just like Ladybug and Chat Noir."
The next moment though, her expression changed to something a bit more… warning, as her grip on my shoulder tightened up, "But in exchange, you'd better keep me updated on any changes at any time, got it? No matter what happened, I want to know about it!"
"Then I'll start right now.", I forced out between pained whines, "You're gripping my broken shoulder and it hurts…"
Letting go of my shoulder in an instant, she started apologizing right away, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I honestly just completely forgot about that!"
"Understandable.", I sighed while trying to get my hurting arm in a more comfortable position, "If everything else was repaired, it's easy to forget about the one thing that wasn't."
Still having an uncomfortable look on her face, Soleil offered, "How about we get that checked out in the hospital, huh?"
"Sure.", I accepted without hesitancy, "But first I gotta go home real quick."
Caught off guard yet again, Soleil just groaned in frustration, "You're making it really hard to help you, you know?"
"I just gotta tell my gramps where I'm going, okay?", I explained, "Plus, I have no clue where the hospital is in the first place!"
"Fine then!", Soleil accepted yet again, before… "But I'll be damned if you're going on your own!" The girl decided that carrying the guy that was almost twice her size was a good idea. And it was an honest to god shocker that she was actually able to do so!
"Holy shit, girl. How often do you work out?", I asked her fascinated, as I was being carried bridal-style, to which she replied while trying to run carefully, "I usually prefer running, but when the weather is against it, I'm usually lifting weights in my room. Gotta get that pent up energy out somehow. I will admit though, I did not realize I had gotten this strong."
"…Works for us, I guess. Keep at it, girl."
-e-e-e-
So, there we go, another chapter down, and it only took me like half a year. I am the most unproductive person on the planet, aren't I? Well, either way, hope you enjoyed Dark Noir the fighting-machine, and I definitely hope you are at the very least… fine with the white hedgehog-miraculous and its telekinetic powers. 'Cause that one's gonna have a lot of screentime, and if it everyone hates it I'm gonna have to reimagine a lot of future scenarios…
Also, if you're up for it, check out my fanfiction to Rising of the Shield Hero as well! It's sort of similar to this one, as it also revolves around one original character who is just trying to make his way through life, but everything in the world tries to mess it up. It's only two chapters in so far, but the first one is over 12.000(!) words long.
Shameless self-promotion aside, feel free to leave constructive criticism in the reviews, let me know what you think of the new elements, and I'll see you next time in something like a year or so!
Next time on Superheroes and Animation: Having a broken right arm really sucks when you're righthanded. And if you're a regular in the superhero-business, it might as well be a death-sentence. Manuel should be taking care of his arm, of course, but it's kind of hard being reasonable, when a nurse in the very same hospital he stays in decides to go full supervillain on him…
