Superior Knight- DEUS VULT! *Stabs giant pencil into exam papers and essays*
Deadpool- I think you got it.
Pinkie- how was the semester?
Superior Knight- finished it today. I am so done with anything related to science and other curricula! Now, it's smooth sailing with history.
Pinkie- reviews.
Replies to;
Menatron the Angel of Ideas- much appreciated.
HockyfistDJGOD- you have been a good help.
Ashbringer36- well I appreciate your support of this story.
Ryan.w123- well, Dawn of Justice has its flaws but its goods too. Thanks, hermano.
TheOKWriter- you may be pronouncing it wrong. Karaku is Japanese for Clark.
Krytic- not to worry. Korra/Asami won't happen. Which other one? The Rise of the Society? That one is the prequel, still good. The other Legend of Heroes... I am terribly sorry, but it is canceled.
Anon- same reply as with Krytic.
Superior Knight: things have changed since then. When I was first writing Book 1 of Legend of Heroes, Book 2 of the tv series hadn't even come out yet, and I had followed the trend with other writers on this website to jam a whole bunch of heroes into Book 1 and make it work like that. It is a mess. Sorry if there are those who did enjoy it, but I assure this one will live up to my first fanfic. Now...
Deadpool: this is Legend of Herpes- *Bonked in the head by Knight*
Pinkie: Legend of Heroes, Chapter 2. *Looks to Knight* said it right. Can I get that cookie now?
*Knight tosses cookie to Pinkie*
Legend of Heroes
Chapter 2: Fire Ferrets and Meteor Freaks
Republic City…
Late night down tonight in the Dragon Flats Burrow, two officers were patrolling the streets yet again until the next shift change.
"Did ya hear over the radio. The Avatar is in town," one of the officers asked his partner.
"Yea, here in the big city. Shouldn't be too surprised. This was the city Avatar Aang left behind," the partner replied.
"Finally someone's gonna put down those no good triads once and for all," the officer stated.
The officers turned toward one of the alleys; the shadow of crime, criminals would dwell in areas out of the sight of the general wanderer. There wasn't a high chance of finding any crime in progress, but criminal activity had been growing, and Chief Beifong has ordered every precinct in the city limits to be topside on all streets to deter this crime.
"Forget the triads. I just hope she'll be able to put an end to meteor freaks," the partner replied.
"Meteor enhanced, Ping. And you can't mean that about all of them," the officer corrected him.
Officer Ping understood where his partner was coming from, of course not all meteor enhanced people were bad. Some of them could have been victims circumstance, and were all overwhelmed by the changes they underwent from the influence of the seething energy of the meteor rocks. S.T.A.R. Labs scientists had determined that the meteor rocks affected not only the body, but even their minds as well, depending on the ability they gained.
"Yea. They all could be victims of circumstance and they were once human. But that still doesn't stop me from worrying, I'm too afraid to even let the kids walk to school alone. Afraid they might run into one them," the officer said.
Pao shrugged, "Well whatever the case if we start hating on them then we're no different than those Equalist wackos. Now those are the people you should be afraid of."
Ping nodded in agreement when he heard a groaning sound, as if somebody was injured and in pain. The two officers make their way to the sound and somebody on the floor. Judging from the ragged and worn out attire it was a bum, but that didn't matter for the officers. Ping checking the man's pulse, he was gone and Ping shook his head to Pao indicating it.
Pao frowned, "I'll call back up."
They heard a scream further down, and the officers rushed into the shadows. Ping lighted up flames with his firebending to shed some light and also prepare to strike if it was danger
They found a humanoid figure pinning down another unfortunate man to the ground, grasping the victim by the head and an aura of light was seething at where the hands made contact with the man.
"RCPD! Get off that man, now!" Pao shouted at the attacker.
The attacker turned, and to the shock and surprise to both officers; the attacker's skin was dark purple, he was average built but his skin was stretched out as if he was dehydrated and had starved, and the attacker growled revealing his teeth like little sharp needles and eyes completely yellow.
"You are one ugly freak!" Ping growled, automatically assuming the humanoid monster to be a meteor freak, and stepping forward to put down the freak. Before Pao could tell his partner to hold his fire, Ping punched a stream of fire at the monster. But when the flames hit the purple skinned humanoid, the fire was absorbed into the creature.
"Holy…-" Pao breathlessly said, seeing the flames just devoured.
"Firebender… benders… have power…," the creature growled, as he lunges and grabbed Ping by the throat.
Ping felt great pain consume his entire body, like a needles stabbing into his throat and the needles draining any energy in his body. Ping was helpless to the 'parasite', until Pao rushes in with his baton hitting the monster.
The monster growled in annoyance, standing up and facing Pao, and it looked like the humanoid had gained weight and mass, "Didn't your mother tell you not to bother someone eating?"
Pao was also grabbed, and all that could be heard was Pao's screaming as his life was too being sucked out of his body. Zipping in above from the metal cables at the top side, a metalbender officer heard the screaming and quickly swung down. The monster knowing more police officers will be coming, let Pao go and ran off before he could be seen.
The Next Morning…
The sun was coming up, and the light began to enter through the window of Karaku's room. When the light hit Karaku, he tossed and turned trying to get sleep, but his body was now active from the sunlight. Karaku sighed and sat up on his bed.
"Like every morning sunlight," Karaku thought back to every other morning on the farm. At first light of daybreak, the farm boy would be wide awake.
Karaku got dressed, looked at the list of tasks that had been handed to him by an Air Acolyte the previous day. "Time to earn the roof over my head."
Karaku exited the dorms, and found an Air Acolyte that was still awake, who led Karaku over to the stables. The acolyte showed him a damaged pillar.
"One of the bison did this?" Karaku asked.
"No. Master Tenzin's son. He had gotten one of those energy drinks," the acolyte said, as Karaku examined the damage. "You've repaired damage like this before?"
"I can keep it stable for a little while, but it needs to be replaced with new wood," Karaku explained, as he looked at the tools he had available on his belt. "For now, I can work on getting it stable."
"I'll inform Master Tenzin," the acolyte said, leaving Karaku to his work.
Karaku had started working, and while he could finish up the task quickly with his super speed, but with all the air acolytes, white lotus sentries, and airbender family around this island, it would be unwise to use his powers freely without them seeing. It was almost tempting, the only persons in the stables was a juvenile sky bison. Karaku looking at the little woolly creature, who looked back at Karaku with curiosity.
"At least you would know to keep a secret," Karaku said to the bison.
The bison tilted its head, but then scurried off eating some vegetables.
It wasn't long until Karaku finally completed the stability of the pillar, so he checked the time on his father's watch.
"Oh, I made a good time. Breakfast is about to be served," Karaku, already familiar with the daily schedule for the Island's provided meals.
As Karaku made way to the mess hall, breakfast had been served for all the acolytes and the airbender family. Korra sat with Tenzin in the dining room, as she was reading the newspaper's sports section.
"What do you say we head over to the arena? Catch a few probending matches?" Korra suggested to Tenzin.
"That sport is a mockery of the noble tradition of bending," Tenzin stated, indicating a no.
"Come on, Tenzin! I've read all the games and matches in the South, and now I'm only a ferry ride from the arena," Korra said.
"Korra, you're not here to play games. You're here to master your airbending, and to do that you need to be in a peaceful environment free from distractions," Tenzin stated.
"Fine. You're the master," Korra frowned, as she took a look at the arena through the window behind her. Then at the corner of her eye, the Avatar sees Karaku entering the mess hall with his plate and beverage and turns to face him. "Good morning, sleepy!"
"I had been awake for an hour. I was stabilising the pillar in the stable," Karaku explained his tardiness.
"Never allow Meelo to get an energy drink," Tenzin breathlessly stated the unsettling experience.
"Hey! What if Karaku goes with me?" Korra asked looking to Tenzin.
"Go where?" Karaku asked, as he drank his cup.
"Korra, no is no," Tenzin stated once more.
"Probending match," Korra finally answered Karaku's question.
"Why can't she go?" Karaku asked Tenzin.
"The airbenders of the past managed to learn the ways of air by detaching themselves from worldly concerns as I'm sure you know. By keeping Korra it will help her connected better with air without the noise and clutter of the outside world," Tenzin explained his reason in detail to Karaku.
"I suppose that makes some sense. You are the teacher," Karaku commented, as he went back to eating his breakfast when he heard Korra say woh, He looked down and saw her reading the Daily Planet. This time it was the news and it didn't look pretty.
"What is it?" Karaku asked.
"Take a look," Korra showed him the story and the picture of two officers on a stretcher, and they looked awful. Each their skin was white as a sheet and his skin around his hands, wrist and arms were so tight you could see his bones.
"What happened? These guys looked like they were super lipoed," Karaku commented.
"Yea, almost to death. They're in the hospital in a coma, on the mend but the doctors say they'll be out for at least six months," Korra read out loud the current condition of the victim.
"Still the doctors and police are baffled. They have never seen anything like it," Korra read out. "Officer Pao, before falling into coma described being attacked by, 'a parasite'."
"Whatever it is, then I'm sure the police can handle it," Tenzin was already assuming what Korra would imply in doing; hunting down a dangerous meteor enhanced individual.
Karaku would like to believe that but due to the story and the photos, this somebody or something beyond any normal criminal. Karaku sighed silently, and finished eating and got up.
"Where are you going?" Korra asked.
"Getting supplies and tools. Other things to fix on the island," Karaku told half the truth, as he walked out. "I'll be back."
"Be careful," Korra said.
"Man of Steel," Karaku responded nonchalantly.
"Meteor enhanced?" Tenzin asked Korra.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Korra tried to give the slip.
"Korra, I know Karaku pushed a man across a street with a shove, and he's not a bender. It's no surprise he's gifted," Tenzin calmly said. "Air Nomads are accepting to all folks; bender, nonbender and the metahuman."
Later...
At the alley where the attack took place, Inspector Jun was investigating the scene of the crime. Looking at where the marker was placed where the victims had been tackled and attacked.
"The third officer responding said he didn't see anything, beside the other two on the ground. Heard screaming before arriving?" Jun asked the officer.
"Yes, sir," the officer informed.
"Just our luck. Triads, radical Equalist Party, and another meteor freak," the feminine voice was heard, as Jun turned to see Chief Beifong enter the scene.
"This one is different from the last meteor freaks," Jun replied, looking around the alley crime scene. "Previous meteor enhanced criminals were motivated premeditated. This one, this was impulsively. Instinct driven. Hungered."
"The number of meteor infected keep rising, and they all keep getting weirder," the police officer said out loud.
"Then you wouldn't last in Gotemu, officer," Lin said, as she looked to Jun. "You think you can find this one?"
"I'm on the case, Chief," Jun stated, as he began to gather all evidence.
Among the press and civilians gathered behind the police perimeter outside the entrance of the alleyway, Karaku stood having listened in on the conversation between the Chief and Inspector. Karaku has had experience with meteor freaks before, and this one in Republic City is a dangerous one that needed to be found and stopped.
Karaku felt compelled to keep on this, and listen in and join the manhunt, just like he did with dangerous meteor freaks back in Smallstone. But then a thought drove up, 'what am I doing? Taking the law into my own hands?'
'I have the power. I have done this before. Smallstone did attract lots of meteor enhanced,' Karaku reasoned with himself. 'But this isn't a small town like Smallstone. This is the big city with an efficient police force. They can handle it. They should handle it.'
Karaku sighed as he walked off, hands in his pocket and feeling the slip of paper with the list of items he said he'd get.
'Is fixing a wooden pillar more important than this,' Karaku asked himself, as kept walking off to get the items.
The bus was driving to the first drop off. All the high schoolers eager to head back home, while young Karaku remained silent keeping to himself.
"Hey, asswipe you heard the game last night?" Peto Rosu called out, walking up behind Karaku's seat hoping to get fun out of irritating Karaku.
"Leave him alone, Peto," A young girl, Lana, tried defending Karaku.
"What are you? His girlfriend?" Peto responded as he pushed Karaku's head. "I want to hear what you have to say. Come on fool."
Karaku shut his eyes tightly in irritation and annoyance, but he knew if he gave in to his anger what would it accomplish. At that moment, the bus' front tire popped, the driver tried to get control of the bus, but going through a bridge the bus fell out and fell into the river.
All the students scream and struggle to get out, as the water began to quickly flood the bus. Karaku remained composed, but he needed to act quickly, while he can survive being in the water his classmate will easily drown. So the farm boy quickly walked to the back where the back exit was.
The bus still sinking and submerging deeper into the river until it finally sunk beneath the surface. All hope was lost, until at the bank of the river, the bus resurfaced being pushed up to the shore. The water in the bus flowed out and all the passengers gasped and coughed for air. Little Lana Lang gasped, and looked toward the back to see Karaku right outside the open back door his hands positioned as if he was pushing the bus. Karaku noticing Lana was looking at him, but Karaku knew somebody else had fallen out of the bus. Diving back into the water, the children rush to the open back door to see what had happened hearing the water splash. Then suddenly, Karaku comes out of the water pulling Peto coughing up for air. Karaku remained silent, keeping his eyes away from all the eyes of the kids looking at him. Karaku exposed himself. Hopefully, nobody saw enough to confirm undoubtedly.
It wasn't long until all the students were taken home by frightened and thankful parents. Back at the Kenta farm, the mother to Peto sat in the living room with her son, who sat humbly.
"My son was in the bus! He saw what Karaku did," Peto's mom stated with amazement.
"I'm sure what your son thought he saw-," Jeung tried to explain.
"Was an act of the Supreme Being, Jeung! This was providence," the mother reaffirmed her son's testimony.
"I… think you're blowing it out of proportion," Marla stuttered, as she poured coffee into her guest's mug.
"Lana saw it too. And the Fordman boy. This is not the first time Karaku has done something like this. I'm not here to persecute him. I know Karaku is nothing like those freaks showing up, he's a good boy," Peto's mom reassured.
Jeung glanced outside the window, to see Karaku sitting outside right by the corn field. After making sure Marla could handle the excited guest, Jeung went outside to check up on his adoptive son.
"I just wanted to help," Karaku solemnly said.
"I know you did, but we talked about this. Right? Right we talked about this," Jeung almost raising his voice, stopped himself and lowered his voice. "Karaku, you have to keep this part of yourself a secret."
"What was I supposed to do?! Just let them die?" Karaku rhetorically asked.
Jeung paused, hearing that Karaku was indeed a compassionate boy who couldn't bear to see others suffer. "... There's more at stake here than our lives, Karaku. You saw what Peto's mom reacted. She was scared," Jeung mentioned. "What you can do affects everyone. What it means to be human."
"Is she right? Did the Supreme Being do this to me?" Karaku asked. Only receiving silence, the boy turned to his father frustrated. "Tell me!"
Later...
Returning to the island, Karaku could feel the calmness in the environment, which wasn't surprising considering it was an island for monks seeking peace and balance. A nice place to stay, but it wasn't enough peace for Karau to clear his mind and see himself and seek the truth.
'I'd probably need a getaway in the frozen tundra to find my place,' Karaku thought to himself.
He then came across the training grounds where there was a contraption of fans spinning in high speeds with the airbender children standing by their father. Karaku was just about to call out to Tenzin, until he saw Korra get knocked out of the obstacle course.
"Oof!" Korra grunted.
"That looked like it hurt," Karaku commented out loud.
"Mister Kenta's observation is keen. You need to stop forcing through, Korra," Tenzin said to Korra.
"Let me at it again," Korra said, and she got up running back into the spinning obstacles. Still, getting hit and slammed into the fans.
"Don't force your way through," Jinora called out.
"Dance! Dance like the wind!" Ikki said happily.
"Be the leaf," Meelo waved his hands about.
Until finally, Korra was sent flying out once more, battered and rattled by the constant slamming and bumping. Tenzin sighed while Karaku went over to help her back up.
"Maybe try and be more gentle. You hit hard and it hits back harder," Karaku advised as he helped Korra up.
"Oh yeah, why don't you do it?" Korra challenged with irritation.
"I'm not an airbender," Karaku responded.
"Yeah, well neither am I, right now," Korra solemnly said in defeat.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," Karaku encouraged with a hand on Korra's shoulder for reassurance.
"Yes. You just need to have patience, Korra," Tenzin added. "Let's move on to another training drill. One that doesn't require avoiding moving objects."
"Thanks," Korra grumbled.
Karaku still had work to be done, but gave support, "Break a leg."
"Zip it," Korra responded as she walked beside Tenzin to the next session.
Later…
At nighttime, Korra was still trying to push her hand toward the hanging newspaper with a displayed photo of Chief Beifong. Frustrated Korra, not a single gust of wind.
"Come on! Airbend!" Korra growled.
Karaku came over, sitting back on the step, laying back watching Korra's attempt to aidbend.
"Maybe if you scream, 'airbend' louder, then maybe you can shoot the air," Karaku lightheartedly teased. "In fact, I bet if every fighter just screams out their attack, then their techniques would be more powerful!"
Korra turned back at Karaku with a glare, "Don't make me knock you out."
"I'm sorry. Just maybe some humor could help," Karaku encouraged.
"I need a break," Korra flustered, as she burnt the hanging newspaper. "How's working on the island."
"Not bad," Karaku said. Karaku kept silent with the troubling in his soul, hung up on doing something about the Parasite.
"White Lotus have a radio. They might be listening to something interesting," Korra suggested.
"A Probending match," Karaku stated, his super hearing catching what the radio was playing.
"Oh really! Can't miss it!" Korra ran over to the White Lotus hang out.
Karaku shook his head, as he followed behind Korra. Korra climbing up onto the roof of the gazebo where the White Lotus sentries were settled in and listening to the radio with the volume on high. The Avatar looks down toward Karaku who had followed, and she gestures for him to climb up. Karaku climbed up and sat with Korra, deciding to listen in on the match.
The announcer gave a riveting telling of the current match, between the rising underdog, the Fire Ferrets and their opponent. Korra hooked on the game, while Karaku was more composed but enjoying listening to the match. The climax was underway as the Fire Ferret's firebender was about to make the finishing move on the last standing opponent until it was unplugged by Tenzin who had discovered Korra up on the roof listening to the radio.
"Tenzin, you turned it off on the best part!" Korra complained, having come down from the roof, followed by Karaku.
"You knew the rules. I told you not to be paying attention to this distraction," Tenzin said to Korra.
"Actually, you said I couldn't go watch it, didn't say anything about listening," Korra reminded the loophole.
"Plus it's their radio," Karaku added.
"Y-you know what I meant. Anyways, shouldn't you both be in bed by now," Tenzin flustered with a huff, turning around and walking back to the temple.
Karaku had acknowledged that it be time for bed, much to Korra's disappointment. Karaku had returned to his room, and was preparing for bed, but then he looked towards the city skyline. The island was a good distance away from the city, but Karaku could still hear the life of the city alongside the ripples of the waves of the bay. The farm boy thought, 'a shining example of human achievement. A dream built by a man who lost his people to fear, greed, and pride.'
He immediately stopped what he was doing, as he remembered…
Pulling up the mechanism from the dark storm seller, the dust still on the tarp covering the mechanism until Jeung pulled it off. Dust flying off, as young Karaku looked in awe and confusion at the ship.
"We thought the government or somebody would come looking for it. Fortunately, nobody found it," Jeung explained, as he held out a piece of metal that looked like a sort of key with an emblem at the top. "We took it to professor at a university. He said it wasn't made by any element on the periodic table. It's another way of saying it's not from this world, Karaku."
Karaku placed his hands to the craft, leaning onto it to catch his composure at this revelation. He wasn't human at all. He looked human, talked human, felt human, but he still wasn't human.
"You're the answer, Karaku. You're the answer to whether we are alone in this universe," Jeung declared, as he approached his son placing a shoulder on Karaku for reassurance.
"I don't want to be," Karaku said fearfully.
"I know you don't. This must be a great burden to anybody. But you're not just anyone. I have to believe you were sent here for a reason. One day you have to make choice," Jeung explained, embracing and encouraging his adoptive son. "You have to decide what kind of man you want to be. Whoever that man is, good or bad, is going to change the world."
Remembering when the truth was revealed to him, Karaku reached into his pocket, wrapped in a cloth, was the same key-like contraption his father showed him. Karaku held the key in his hand, looking at the symbol. What the symbol means is lost to Karaku and his parents. But he knew in his bone and gut that it could be used for something good. Something super.
Later…
Triads were bursting into a bank, one of them rushing to a terminal shutting off the silent alarm.
"You know you're way around this?" A Triad commented to their lead thief.
"I'm from Gometu. Too many failures, you got to learn and become perfect," the thief said.
"If any cops come by then we-," one was interrupted by a crash through the front door. "What was that?!"
One of the triad members looked and ready to attack but then was sent flying by a fast force.
"No. No no no! I left Gotemu for an easy place! Republic City is not supposed to have any supers!" the Gotemu born thief growled. Looking for an escape route, the thief didn't see his comrades being picked off one by one. "That's not Batman."
He made it to the emergency exit not caring if the alarm would go off or he just wasn't thinking straight but was then pulled by the back of the shirt and his legs shot forward from momentum and he fell down hanging from his shirt. "Gah!"
Karaku kept his face hidden in the shadows, wearing a red hoodie with his red jacket and blue jeans. The amateur hero tied the men up using a makeshift restraint with a metal pole. Metalbenders could get out of it, but the police would be there before any potential metalbenders among the crooks could regain consciousness. Karaku was sure of it, because he could already hear the sirens nearing the bank. The outworlder quickly made his exit out of the bank before the police arrived.
"What am I doing?" Karaku asked himself. 'I am deciding what kind of man I want to be. What I need to be.'
Karaku leaping to building roof by roof with strength, but he needed to keep eye out for metalbenders traveling by metal cables. Eventually, the amateur hero came across a mugging in progress. A woman being pinned by two assailants.
"Please, don't hurt me," the woman begged.
"What you got to give?" The one pinning her to the wall asked.
"I got her yuan. Let's bail," his partner said.
"She's pretty," the assailant said.
"N-no, please-," the young lady about to scream, until it was the attacker himself was screaming.
Karaku had dropped down to the ally, grabbed the mugger that had the woman and threw him across the alley. Karaku heated up his eyes, glowing red to give off light and conceal his face in the dark. He glanced at the other mugger who held the woman's money.
"Monster!" The mugger dropped the yuan and ran off.
Karaku turned back toward the woman, "Are y-."
The young woman screamed in terror at the hooded strong being with glowing red eyes like the flames of hell. So she ran off to the nearest crowd of people.
"... Beating up criminals but also scaring people. All I need is black and a cowl," Karaku sarcastically said to himself. As he jumped off before the police officers arrived.
Next morning…
Korra stretched as she headed for pigeonhole hole that held the newspaper. She looked at the headlines and almost choked on her tea. "Republic City's Guardian Angel or Vengeful Demon?". It said how a mysterious vigilante saved a woman from an attack and stopped five men from robbing a bank. She only knew one person who was capable of doing that. There was a photo of a man, it was a blur but from what she could see he that was around Karaku's height and body build. He looked like he was wearing a red cloak though the photo was in black and white.
"Karaku. You're in trouble," Korra said silently with a mischievous smirk.
An hour later, Korra was sitting at the table eating and still reading the paper. Karaku came in drying his hair with a towel, he sat across from her and filled his bowl with rice.
Karaku greeted, "Morning."
Korra responded, "Morning."
The farmer then dug into his food. While Korra continued to drink her tea and stared at him with a mischievous grin. He looked up from his food with bits of rice stuck to his face and asked, "What?"
Korra then decided to let it out, "After Tenzin told us to go to bed last night, I heard someone sneaking in last night around 12ish. Where did you go?"
Karaku remained nonchalant, "I just went for a run."
"Oh really," Korra asked rhetorically, as she slid the paper over to him, Now it was Karaku's turn to choke on his tea. His face turned pale as he looked back at Korra who was suppressing her laughter.
Korra trying to keep a straight face, "Karaku. Something you'd like to tell me?"
Karaku stuttered, "Uuuuuh. That could be anybody."
Korra then looked at the newspaper report, "Who else could take on two muggers and five bank robbers in short time frame in a long distance between each other?"
Karaku could try and say it could just be a meteor enhanced, but then he figured; No point pulling the wool over the eyes of one who knows half your secret and what you're capable of.
Karaku asked pointing at the paper, "Has Tenzin seen this?"
Korra answered, "Not yet."
"Are you gonna tell him?" Karaku asked.
Korra simply replied, "Nope."
Karaku gazed at her confused. Not because of what she said but how she said it, calm and with no humor. If she was his sister she could have used this to blackmail him but instead, she continued to eat her breakfast like nothing happened. "Okay, now I'm confused. Happy but confused."
Korra looked at Karaku and said, "Dude. Before I came to this city Tenzin was meant to come train me at the south. But he couldn't because he was apart on the city council and things we're very unstable, Not just with the Equalist but crime too. This city has gone far too long without a hero or something to believe in since the Justice Society."
Karaku never knew she was passionate about this type of thing. It shocked him to hear the hot-headed yet well intending woman give a heartfelt commentary.
"I believe you're the hero this city needs. Maybe even the whole world," Korra added.
"Wow. Korra I never knew you felt that way." Karaku commented.
"Growing up in the south Katara used to tell me stories about her time as a hero. Those stories got me through the toughest parts of training. I used to have dreams that I would be apart of it one day," Korra confessed.
Karaku stared at her speechless, hearing her speaking of her passion made his heart skip a beat. He felt as though he was flying high above the clouds. Something he had never felt before with anyone. Korra looked back at him and gave him a small smile. He felt his whole face heat up. And a quick thought popped in his head, 'Spirits she's cute.'
He then felt his eyes beginning to heat up. Then they started to burn like fire. Karaku has felt this sensation in his eyes before, and he thought, 'Oh crap! I thought I got passed my heat vision from reacting to this.'
He covered both his eyes with his thumb and index trying to make it stop.
Korra looked in confusion, "hey you okay."
The burning stopped as soon as it started. Karaku looked back up then back at Korra.
Karaku quickly answered, "Yea, Yea I'm fine. Hey, let's not talk about me, how's your training?"
Korra's face dropped down to irritation, the heartfelt passionate girl was now gone. All there was disappointment and frustration.
"Uh, not good, I guess," Karaku deduced.
"This whole airbending and meditation aren't kicking in," Korra said.
"You just gotta be patient and keep at It. Don't give up," Karaku encouraged.
"Yeah… sure," Korra solemnly said.
Later…
Night had come, and another day of trying to airbend or hone the airbending skills, yet Korra still remained stuck. Feeling disappointed, Korra looked across the bay where the skylight of the city shinned. And at the edge she could see the arena also shining with its lights. There were probending matches playing, and Korra couldn't stay being cooped forever. So she decided to go. The Avatar was about to jump out the window to get out secretly, but then she thought about another way of getting to the arena unnoticed.
Karaku was putting away a few tools after fixing the wooden pillar in the stables and was about to call it a night. Still reflecting on how to approach people on his next hero run.
'Masks are a no go. Especially scary kind. Don't want people to get scared of me as they already are,' Karaku thought to himself. 'But have to conceal my identity somehow.'
Karaku was interrupted, as he was walking back to the dorms, Korra ran into him.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Karaku asked.
"You and I are going to the arena," Korra said.
"We are?" Karaku asked in confusion, and then shook his head to comprehend himself. "Wait, what?"
"The arena. Probending night, now," Korra stated, point over the distance toward the city and the arena.
"Um, Didn't Tenzin say no to that?" Karaku asked rhetorically.
"Come on, what's the harm in it? What Tenzin won't know won't hurt him," Korra compromised.
"That maybe so for one time-," Karaku was about to finish his reply to that usual argument of lying and keeping secret, but Korra interrupted.
"Great! Then let's go," Korra kept insisting.
Karaku was about to protest once more, but then looked at Korra who was still all the more eager to go. She showed energy and persistence, and adding onto her cute face, Karaku couldn't deny.
"A-alright fine. But I'll throw you under the bus if we get caught," Karaku pointed out.
"Well you really?" Korra asked, crossing her arms unfazed by Karaku's statement.
"... No, probably not," Karaku confessed.
Karaku couldn't believe he was doing this, breaking the rules for a girl. Karaku swam rapidly with a combination of his strength and speed, through bay water. When they got right next to the arena that was on the edge of the city to the bay, Korra used waterbending to get them up to an open window. The Avatar then bended herself dry and bended the water off Karaku too.
Korra then looked around the hallway they entered, "I can't believe it. We're in the bending Arena. Awesome!"
Karaku winced at Korra's squeal, as he quickly raised his finger to his lip in a gesture of silence, "Keep your voice down. Somebody might hear you."
"Relax," Korra scoffed.
They walked down the hall until they came to the opening leading into a gym. Korra was impressed by the top-notch equipment; there were weights, dumbbells and even earth discs for practice.
Korra asked, "Isn't this cool?"
Karaku still anxious quickly answered, "Yea it is." The farm boy looked to the Avatar, "we really shouldn't be here. If Tenzin finds us missing he'll kill us."
Korra crossed her eyes at Karaku's protest,"Just say it was my idea."
"It Is Your Idea," Karaku plainly reminded her.
Korra tapped his nose teasingly, which Karaku made him pull back and glare back at Korra. 'This woman. She's going to get us into trouble. I swear, I'll make true on my promise in throwing her under the bus!'
Karaku kept thinking to himself plotting contingency against Korra, distracting him from minding his surroundings. Until a gruff voice shouted from the shadows, "Hey!"
"Yai!" Karaku panicked.
A burly stout old man with a top knot approaches them with a face of annoyance, "What are you two doing in my gym."
Korra stuttered, "Uh. We were looking for the bathroom and we got lost."
"Ah the old I had to pee excuse. You know I'm tired of you kids sneaking in here without paying I'm taking both of you to security," the gym manager declared pointing at the two.
Things looked bad until Karaku chimed in to stop the old man. Raising his a hand with index finger up, "I'm sorry sir. We didn't mean it intruded but we're reporters for the Daily Planet."
Korra looked to Karaku, "We are? I mean yes we are!"
Toza eyed them suspiciously. Karaku knew they we're trapped now because they had no evidence to support them, but hoping to wing it and chance it, he explained, "As my coworker just said we we're looking for the bathroom and we got lost. We were actually trying to find someone for directions."
Toza wrists his hands across his chest, "Where are your press passes?"
Karaku gulped, this old man was wise. He wished he had thought of a better lie. All seemed bad until a voice shout out from the doorway, "There you guys are. I've been looking everywhere for you two."
They all looked to see Bolin, who was wearing a red pro-bending uniform and carrying a red helmet.
The pro-bender approaches, "You guys are from the Daily Planet right? Well I'm hear for the interview. So it's okay Toza, their with me."
Korra quickly tagged along, "Yea we're with him. And I'm sorry for this we must have left our press passes at the office again. Right Karaku?"
"Yes. You know us reporters. Busy lifestyle, so you tend to forget the small things," Karaku explained.
Toza rolled his eyes at them, "I don't care what you are. I've got work to do."
While Toza went back to working in moving equipment, Bolin gestured his hand and the both of them to the door, "Right this way, people."
Korra accepted, "Ah Thank You sir."Seriously, thanks," Karaku whispered sincerely.
The earthbender responded, "No problem."
The pro-bender lead the two to the locker rooms, that lead to greatest thing Karaku had ever seen in his life. They stood before the ring which was set on tall pillars in a giant pool of water.
"What do ya think. Best seats in the house huh," the pro-bender asked desiring to hear first-time visitors.
Korra awed, "Wow. It's more than I imagined."
The pro-bender finally names himself, "names Bolin by the way."
Korra replied, while still looking at the arena, "Korra."
Karaku, on the other hand, looks to Bolin answering, "Karaku."
Just then, Mako entered the room wearing the same gear as Bolin. He went to his locker and put on his arm band pads. Bolin went over to him when he called his name, "I thought I told you. You gotta stop bringing your crazy fans here before the matches. Get them out of here."
Bolin frowned, "Ah come on Mako. Look I kind of promised them they could stay but I got a feeling there's something special about them. I just know it."
He then went back to introduce his brother, "Hey guys, I'd like you guys to meet my brother Mako."
Korra smiled seeing a celebrity, "Mako. Wow I heard you play on the radio."
Instead of acknowledging Korra, Mako just walked pass her putting on his helmet. "Come on Bolin we're up," Mako said.
"Or I could meet him later," Korra commented, while Karaku said, "rude much."
"Sorry about that. My brother just gets really focused before a match. Well, I gotta go so wish me luck. Not that I'll need it," Bolin gave his final word before following his brother and another teammate.
Korra supported, "Okay. Knock em Out."
"Bring home the gold," Karaku added.
It was an intense match, back and forth match against near even teams. The Fire Ferrets waterbender, Hasook, was not doing so well getting hit. Bolin was giving his fair share as a teammate, but Mako was exactly his element, fire, for he was scoring many points and knockouts.
On the last round, Mako managed to save the match after Hasook and Bolin were thrown off the ring. He got into a slugfest with the opposing earthbender and was able to defeat him with a hat-trick. Bolin came back cheering, "Wooo! One more win and we're in the championship tournament."
Bolin looked to Korra and Kadaku, "so guys what did ya think? Bolin's got some moves, huh?"
"What did I think? What did I think?!" Korra rhetorically asked in amazement, and grabbed Bolin by his shirt and pulled him close to her beaming. Bolin was a little shaken by this. "That was amazing!"
She then pushed him backward tumbling, but Karaku managed to catch him before he fell on the floor. Bolin looked to Karaku, "What about you Karaku?"
"It was a load of fun," Karaku gave a composed response compared to Korra.
Mako and Hasook were coming back also. Mako was fuming at their waterbender,"You did more damage than good out there. It almost cost us the match!"
"We won didn't we," Hasook replied aloofly.
"Barley!" Mako responded.
"Get off my case, pal," Hasook irritated said and he threw his helmet to the ground and stormed out.
Mako stared back at Hasook leaving,"Useless."
Korra, keeping the mood up, commented,"You guys were incredible out there." Korra looked at Mako, "Especially you Mr. Hat Trick."
"Oh you two are still here," Mako ignored Korra's praise.
"Oh you're still a jerk," Korra replied with a scowl.
Karaku commented, "I've seen Pig-cows with better manners than you."
Bolin ooed Korra and Karaku's double burn on Mako.
"Anyway. I've been Amherst in bending all my life but I never learned to move like that, It's like there's a whole new style. Think you can show me some a few tips," Korra asked the Ferret brothers.
Bolin happily replied, "Absolutely."
Mako sighed, "Right now. Come on Bolin."
"Just ignore him," Bolin said to Korra. "Yeah, I can show you basic's. I just don't know how my earthbending will translate to your waterbending."
"No problem. I'm actually an earthbender," Korra said.
Bolin looked at her confused. Karaku, on the other hand, snickered under his breath.
"No I didn't mean to assume. I just thought with your water tribe get up, that you are a water tribe gal," Bolin quickly corrected himself.
"No, you're right. I'm a waterbender and a firebender," Korra answered.
Bolin began to reflect at what Korra was saying," Hmm… Okay, I'm really confused right now."
Karaku then began to laugh, This was all too much for him. Once he stopped he put his hand on Bolins shoulder. He then gestured to Korra. Karaku spoke when he stopped laughing, "She's the Avatar."
Mako, who couldn't help but overhear as he put his gear up, realized the error of his behavior, "And I'm an idiot."
Korra smiled, "Both are true."
Bolin stood there stunned, "No Way. The Avatar."
Only a few moments later, did they end up at the arena's gym. Karaku and Mako watched Korra and Bolin earthbending the disks. Bolin inspected Korra's attack, hitting the net that would catch the earth discs.
"Nice! Great power. But in a real match you'd be a sitting turtle duck, not so uptight and flat footed," Bolin instructed, as he then demonstrated; taking a stance with his toes light on his feet. "Stay light on your toes right until the moment that you need to dig in a strike. Then Pow, Pow."
Bolin gave a one two combo, shooting two earth discs. While Korra nodded, "Okay let me try again."
She danced lightly on her toes and did the same thing. Only this time both disks hit the net at the same time with way more force than before. Karaku had never seen the bigger deal of Korra's bending. So he was amazed at how quickly she could adjust to Bolin's style of earthbending.
"Nice adjustment. You're a natural," Bolin pointed at Korra with a compliment.
Karaku was about to give his support, but Mako beat him to it with a simple and aloof toned, "Not Bad."
Hearing the boredom in Mako's tone, Korra didn't take it lightly. Looking at Bolin, "What does it take to impress this guy?"
Karaku added, "probably something something that folds."
Mako scowled, "What I said not bad."
Korra pouted at him and Karaku just shook his head. Bolin looked at his brother, shrugging indicating for the older brother to try and loosen up. Mako wasn't opening up though, "You know what, It's getting late. I think I'm gonna turn in. Nice to meet you Avatar Korra." Mako walks off.
Korra responded, "Yea been a real pleasure."
"See you upstairs, Bo," Mako said to his brother, as he left.
"Up stairs? You guys live here?" Korra asked puzzled.
Bolin answers, "Yep. In the attic. It's not much but we got some great views."
The mention of an upstairs dwelling with a great view, reminded Karaku of his loft back home. In the barn, on the second level, Karaku made the extra space his little study area and personal hangout. Everyone was welcome, of course, but Karaku's father would sometimes call his fortress of solitude because he spent most of his free time alone up there.
Bolin asked Karaku, "So Karaku. Do you bend."
"Bending? Nah," Karaku simply answered.
Korra, thinking of helping Karaku break out of his shell, decided to add, "but he's very strong!"
"Yeah, he's got size," Bolin agreed. Karaku dwarfed the earthbender where Bolin only reached to Karaku's chin.
"No, I mean strong. He's from Smallstone," Korra informed. Karaku looked at Korra, picking up on where she was going with this. It was well known that Smallstone and the surrounding region was land with the most meteor showers with special meteor rocks that had enhanced normal people with special abilities.
"You mean he's a meteor freak?" Bolin asked in astonishment. But then regreted what he just said, Bolin gasped with a stutter, "I-I mean meteor enhanced! Sorry. I didn't-!"
Karaku, seeing Bolin wasn't a prejudice individual, obviously, decided to tag along with the half-truth, "Don't worry about it. Actually, I'm kind of glad I got Korra to help me out in sharing my little quirk."
"So you're, like, super strong? Can you demonstrate!" Bolin, very eager to see a superhuman in action with his own eyes, stepped back pointing at the earth discs.
Karaku walked over to the disk and pick two of them up. He then crouched and focused on the net. He then spun around like an earthbender and releases them both. From the way they flew you would never had guessed they had been thrown by hand. They hit the net but with the force the net stretched out further and the disks shattered on impact with the wall. Karaku dusts off his hand and looked back at the others. Bolin's jaw dropped to the flaw, stunned at how anyone could be that strong. Korra on the other hand smiled, knowing that Karaku was yanking Bolin's string. For she knew the real reason why Karaku couldn't bend.
"Oh my spirits…," Bolin was in awe seeing a superhuman in action. Stronger than even an earthbender's attack.
Korra smirked and crossed her eyes, "show off."
Bolin shook his head to regain composure, as he then looked to Korra, "well, how about we see your throw again, Korra."
Korra happily obliged, as she shot more plates at the net. Karaku smiled seeing Korra was handling herself well, remembering to give thanks to her for helping him open up about his secret. Keeping secrets from friends and those one cared about, Karaku had gone through stress and strains in relationships due to it. The farmer felt inspired to go back at what he had started the previous night. Be the hero. "I'm taking off, Korra. I'll see you at the island."
Korra turned and gave Karaku a wave goodbye, which Karaku nodded in acknowledgement. The man from the stars gave his goodbye to Bolin, and then took off.
'Okay. Gotta be careful this patrol. Try and be nice and not show danger. Give a little smile. Yeah,' Karaku thought to himself, as he took off to the island to change into his hero outfit. 'Future reference, wear my hero outfit underneath my regular clothes.'
With that, Karaku prepared another night of saving lives and stopping crime.
Meanwhile…
He then looked around to see if anyone was looking and leaped on to the nearest building. He was amazed when he was flying through the air feeling he could touch the sky but all too soon he had to come back down.
Karaku had reached down town at the Dragon Flats Burrow, also known as the wrong side of the tracks. Triads like the Triple Threats, The Red Monsoons and The Agni Kai's were stationed here. But all Triads mentioned were dwarfed in comparison to another gang that is above all the worst; the Intergang and they were also known to employ both benders, non-benders, and meteor enhanced. Karaku had to watch his back, cause who knew who or what might get the jump on him.
Karaku cametos a vantage point where he had visual on an alley, two Republic City police officers stepping forth meeting three men. Karaku recognized the other men; the same men he and Korra fought when they arrived at Republic City. 'They must have made bail.'
"You weren't followed?" one officer asked.
The waterbender, by the name of Viper, replied, "You think us as chumps? Please. You got the gold?"
"Dirt on Chief Beifong. Yeah we got it," one officer said, holding up an envelope with whatever information on the police chief.
"Is it good for something?" Viper asked.
An officer dropped the envelope to the ground, and using earthbending slid the envelope over to the triad members.
The firebending triad member picked it up and opened it, looking and found photos. The gangster gave a whistle, "wheeooo. The city chief has been a naughty lady."
Viper looked at the photos, and gave a sturgeon expression, "Not bad. Thought she played for the other team, to be honest."
"Now give us our money," the crooked cop demanded.
"Chill out chill out. We're good here," Viper told, as he snapped his finger and his earthbending companion. The earthbender placed it in the ground and using earthbending to slide over a suitcase, and the crooked cops opened it and saw the yuans there.
"Pleasure being of service to you, fair citizen," one officer jokingly said, satisfied with the amount of yuan. The officer's turn around to return to their vehicle, but they see a tall figure wearing a brown trenchcoat with a fedora
"Shame on you, public servants of Republic City. You should have high standards," Jun said, as he grabbed an earth disc from the cops' own car that was for the earthbender, flinging it forward like a frisbee.
The earthbending cop kept his guard up protecting himself, but the force of the disc sent him flying and falling back hard losing consciousness. The second cop couldn't react in time for Jun who rushed in, and what seemed like a tap to the head from Jun's finger, actually was enough to knock the crooked cop out.
The earthbender gang member was about to attack, but Viper stopped his companion by raising his hand up, "Forget it. Bail."
They rush the way to make it to their muscle car, same one that was banged up from Korra knocking it into a shop. But stomping down on top of it, was Karaku stood with his eyes glowing red and rushing with his speed he knocked the triads off to the side with a push, each hitting a wall and were banged up.
Viper groaned as the file fell from his hand and onto the ground. As that had happened, Inspector Junzu had grasped the head of each of the pair of cops that were making the deal. Jun shut his eyes, concentrating, wiping away the cops knowledge on whatever dirt was on Beifong they knew.
Jun stood back up once finished, and then looked over to the good samaritan. Karaku picked up the file, but before he could do anything else, the Inspector called him out, "Appreciate the hand-."
Jun stopped speaking when he saw Karaku's eyes glowing red, and his red and blue attire, with a red hood over his head, Jun quickly deduced this to be a vigilante superhuman. The Inspector then said, "Drop the file, now, and put your hands over your head. Make this easy on you."
Karaku compiled by dropping the file, but Karaku only put one hand up toward Jun, "I mean you no harm. I'll go my way, and let that be the end."
Karaku quickly turned and leapt up with his strength, but then, something sudden happened. Something grabbed his ankle while he was in the air stopping him. In that split second Karaku thought, 'What the Hell!' Kenta was then pulled down slamming him into the ground. Karaku quickly turned himself over to look from the ground he had been slammed to, and he saw the inspector holding Karaku's ankle. This cop grabbed him and pulled him down despite Karaku's own super strength. The alien young man looked in awestruck for a moment, "Who are you? What are you?"
"I'm a cop, and you have the right to remain silent. I suggest you use it," Jun said, but in his thoughts. 'This vigilante is a superhuman from the strength I needed to use. Wait… something else.'
Jun was distracted, and Karaku clapped his hands forward releasing a strong enough shockwave to knock the inspector back. Karaku dragged himself up, and was on alert.
Jun shook his head to shake off the ringing in his ears and his banged up head. But just before the shockwave, Jun sensed something from his contact with this mystery man. "You're not a meteor enhanced."
Jun rushes forward at Karaku, and Karaku lunged back out of the way from Jun's reach. However, in what seemed like a second, Karaku swore he saw Jun's arm elongate two extra feet, grabbing Karaku's head, "Arrgh!"
Karaku then felt pain go through his head, as if someone was digging through his brain. The young superhero grabbed ahold of Jun's hands, and then spun with fast speeds and strength swinging the inspector and flinging him away crashing into the dirty cop's car, smashing it. Karaku grasped his head soothing the headache he had, but got back on defensive stance as Jun got to his feet ready to fight again.
"I can do this all night," Karaku bluffed, hoping it may deter the cop into backing off. But considering that this cop was as strong as him, Karaku was still alert ready to fight his way out.
Surely enough, Jun responded, "So can I." Then, Jun lowered his fists and his face softened, "But I have no intention to, now."
Karaku raised an eyebrow, puzzled at the inspector's deterrence from force, "What…? Are you like… a metahuman?"
Jun couldn't help but chuckle, so he shook his head answering, "No. You can say I'm not from around here. Just like you."
"What are you implying," Karaku asked, still remaining defensive.
"I couldn't read thoughts, until I made physical contact with you. You're not of this world," Jun answered.
Kenta tried his best to keep his face stoic and not to give any reaction. Inspector Junzu sensing the uneasiness in Karaku then reassured, "Don't worry. I have no intention of exposing you or harming you."
"How can I trust you?" Karaku asked.
"I could keep trying to bust you and drag you to downtown for vigilantism and everyone sees what you are," Jun put perspective on the circumstance. The inspector gave a comforting smile, "Just know that your not alone, just as I now know."
Jun turned around picking up the file that had been dropped earlier, "I'll be in touch. Oh, and by the way, you should make way out of here just as I should. These files." Jun raises up the file that the dirty cops nearly gave out. "Nobody else should see these. Police will be here. So, best scaddle." Jun the proceeded to walk toward a wall.
Karaku watched in shock as the inspector went transparent and walked through the wall like a ghost. Karaku had no idea what had just happened. All he knew was that this thing wasn't human, not even a metahuman. No metahuman could even do the things this inspector could do. For some reason his instinct told him that he should trust this thing, maybe he could be the answer he had been looking for all his life. Are there others like him. He then heard s crumble beneath his shoe. He then looked down and picked up something brown and crumbling, "a choco cookie?"
As Karaku had made a run out of the ally before the good cops showed up, Jun had walken out into the street unnotied, and approached a pay phone, dialing it and let the phone ring until it was answered. "It's done, Chief."
"You dealt with it?"
"Yup. All evidence removed and no loose ends. Nobody's destroying your reputation while I'm around."
"That's my stud."
Next Morning…
Karaku had returned in the middle of the night. Immediately returning and sleeping on the scuffle he had an encounter he had.
How Korra was triumphant the previous night, she wasn't feeling it this present moment. Korra looked straight into the fans spinning rapidly, and ran straight in.
"Concentrate," Tenzin urgently stated, watching Korra getting whacked around.
Until finally Korra popped and then blasted the fans with her firebending. Roaring with frustrated rage, Korra destroyed the contraption.
Karaku, who was helping repair a bench a just a short distance away, hearing the roar of the fire and Avatar. The farm boy gave a shocked expression seeing what had escalated.
"... That was a two-thousand-year-old historical treasure… what… what is wrong with you?!" Tenzin yelled.
"There's nothing wrong with me! You know what, I bet you're the problem!" Korra accused Tenzin.
"Korra, I think you should take a breath-," Karaku tried intervening.
"Mind your damn business, farm boy!" Korra growled, as she stormed off in anger.
Tenzin sighed as his daughter hugged him to console their father, while Meelo looked to Karaku and with his hyperactive child innocence said and pointed, "Yeah, mind your damn business, farm boy!"
"Meelo!" Tenzin gasped, as Meelo had already run off scrambling through the wreckage of the contraption.
"It's fine, Tenzin. I'm just more concerned about Korra," Karaku said.
"I suppose best let her cool down. She's upset," Tenzin advised.
Karaku looked at the wrecked and remains of the panels. "That's an understatement."
Later…
Karaku was out looking for Korra when it had already passed enough for her to cool off. He couldn't find her on the island, so Karaku took to the arena.
'She's a big girl. She can handle herself. I should be out helping people,' a conscious debate came up, but Karaku still arrived at the arena. Given a pass card by the Fire Ferrets last night, Karaku could enter the arena on game nights. As he was entering, he could hear the announcer through the intercom of the arena.
"And this next match with the Fire Ferrets is a go. With Hassok quitting, the Ferret brothers found a new waterbender replacement. But can she give the brother the chance at winning this match?" the announcer commented.
Korra had taken off to cool off and arrived at the arena, and this time was given a pass by the Ferret brothers without needing to sneak in. Arriving she learns that the Fire Ferrets waterbender was a no-show, and the team was in danger of forfeit without a waterbender. So Korra, needing the blow off steam from frustration in failure of airbending and her good nature to help people, Korra immediately volunteered as their replacement waterbender. Much to Mako's protest and pride, Korra was already getting on her probending gear and uniform on.
Karaku was about to enter the arena, until he then heard something with his super hearing. It sounded like an attack;
"Keep away from me!"
"Earthbenders. That'll do. Benders are satisfying."
Karaku quickly assumed this to be this so-called Parasite, if not, then it was still someone hurting somebody. Korra had to wait, for Karaku needed to answer the call of duty to save a life and stop evil.
The young traveler from the stars rushes to where his hearing was listening. Running from the front of the arena, Karaku went towards the docks and with his super speed arrived in time. In time to find a humanoid figure standing above a customs official to the docks on the ground.
"Delicious," the creature growled hungrily.
"Get away from him!" Karaku charges and rams into the purple-skinned humanoid.
The parasitic monster yelped as he was sent crashing into a wall. Karaku was just about to attack the once more Parasite, but then Karaku heard the customs official groan weakly. "H-h-help…"
Karaku looked at the weakened man, and then looked back at Parasite who was getting back on his feet, "Strong… you must be strong. I'll drain you dry!"
'This has to be meteor infected that had attacked the power plant. But this officer is nearly dead, he needs to get to a hospital,' Karaku quickly thought to himself.
As much as Parasite was too dangerous to be let go, Karaku couldn't allow for this man to die. So Karaku carefully picked the customs official up and then made a run for it.
"Where are you going!" The Parasite screamed, as he tried to catch up to Karaku leaping forward. Thanks to the recent appetite from the earthbender, the meteor freak used earthbending to propel his leap.
Karaku was still running until he heard the wind whistling from the incoming human shaped missile that was this Parasite. The farm boy quickly side stepped to his right to avoid getting jumped on, and before the Parasite could grab Karaku, Karaku looked and fired beams of heat from his eyes hitting the Parasite. Unfortunately, the heat looked to have been absorbed straight into Parasite.
"Graaaaaa!" The Parasite was overwhelmed by the power. "Wow! What a rush!"
Karaku needed to move quick, as he then squats down pushes against the ground leaps up into the air.
"No! Get back here!" The Parasite roared, as he earthbended a pillar of earth to launch him up to follow Karaku.
Both landed on the roof of a warehouse, the Parasite gave chase after the ameteur superhero. Karaku was about to pick up his super speed, but before he could super sprint, he felt a sharp burn and strong force hit him from behind knocking him down. The Parasite had fired the energy that Karaku had shot at him, so the energy vampire was even more hungry. Karaku still had the customs official over his shoulder, so Karaku shoved the man forward as quickly yet gently as he could. The young man flipped to his back, and the Parasite lunging at him but the Karaku lifted both his feet up and used his legs to knock the Parasite back.
The Parasite growled like a rabid and hungry critter, stalking its prey while Karaku remained as calm as he could against a dangerous foe.
'If he touches me, then who knows what he will be able to do with my powers. I need to make sure he doesn't reach the agent,' Karaku quickly thought to himself.
The warehouse roof they were on was a metal sheet roof, so Parasite couldn't use earthbending, which was good for Karaku, but Karaku still had to get the official out. But then, a great sound was heard in Karaku's ears, and it wasn't his enhanced hearing, but it was really close and moving in. The police siren.
A metalbender airship floated in above the warehouse, spotlights shining down at the Parsite and Karaku. Fortunately for Karaku, his hood still kept his face hidden and with no option but to glow his red eyes to conceal his identity.
On the airship, Inspector Jun Junsu had the bullhorn ready. Having catching the pattern of the Parasite's hunting sticking to solitary or off-hour areas, and then notice of two individuals exhibiting enhanced abilities from a 911 caller, Jun quickly took the lead. "Republic City Police! Do not move!" Jun hollered into the horn.
Metalbenders shot down from the airship ,and metalbenders from the side of the warehouse pouncing up from their positions. The Parasite growled furiously trying to rush at the nearest metalbender, but was instead caught by metal cables from different angles.
'Thank the Supreme Being! That parasite is caught,' Karaku takes a look at the official. 'His heart rate is stable. Police can get him to hospital.'
Karaku then pressed down with his feet and then sprinted off the roof with his super speed, before any metalbending officer could say, "freeze."
None could see the alien young man run off, all except for Jun Junsu, who remained composed watching the direction Karaku ran off to.
'Not alone, fellow off-worlder,' Jun thought to himself, as he stepped on a lined cable with a stand and then lowered down from the airship to the roof. He looked at the unconscious official, who officers were already tending to, so Jun looked at the Parasite who was being tied up in metal cables. "Caught you."
All the Parasite could mutter was, ''The power… Find… The power… feed… on the power…"
Meanwhile…
After making he had lost anybody following him, Karaku had returned to Air Temple Island. He had heard passing by radio that the Fire Ferrets had won with their new waterbender, the Avatar.
He would have also arrived sooner, if Karaku hadn't checked up on the officers seeing they certainly had Parasite in custody. It had left the alien farm boy in shock seeing the meteor infected being able to absorb his heat vision like that. Karaku had dealt with meteor enhanced before, but this one could potentially be the most dangerous he's ever encountered. Fortunately, the Parasite was under arrest, so Karaku could rest his soul.
Karaku was walking toward the mess hall, hoping to find Korra there, but as he was on his way there, he ran into finding Korra jogging away from where Tenzin was overseeing acolytes replacing the airbending training contraption.
"Karaku, hey!" Korra said, immediately stopping to speak to Karaku.
"Heard on the radio. Playing with the Ferret brothers?" Karaku asked.
"Yeah… listen, I'm sorry for yelling at you like that," Korra apologized.
"Don't worry about it. You were upset. I know it must be upsetting to be expected to do something, but unable to do it," Karaku accepted the apology with compassion.
"Actually, Tenzin saw me play. I was doing the moves like an airbender!" Korra happily informed.
"Really? That's great!" Karaku congratulated. "When's your next game?"
"Tournament is in a few weeks. Anyways, Where have you been?" Korra asks.
"Well… had a run in with that meteor-infected," Karaku told the truth.
Korra gave a concerned look, and while she could have easily shouted in surprise hearing Karaku just fought a life draining freak. But all things considered, Korra then said, "... next time you're going on a patrol, I'm coming with you."
Karaku smiled and nodded. Korra then points a finger at Karaku, "you're still telling me everything."
"I'll tell you that this guy is a Parasite. One touch and he'll start to drain me."
While Karaku was retelling what had happened…
Meanwhile…
The police had the Parasite in pure platinum-lead encasing, as they were preparing an immediate transfer. Detectives Gang and Lu were tasked with overseeing it and were supposed to go a clear route, but instead took the fast route in a dead zone where no radios could be transmitted. The prison transfer caravan was riding out to a STAR Labs built a prison for the meteor enhanced. Driving in their Sato Mobile, Gang was on the wheel while Lu gorged on doughnuts.
"Typical. Inspector Junsu makes another big-time bust, and we gotta do grunt work," Lu complained, as he was snacking on a sweet bread.
"Chief wanted him to get on top of finding that other meteor freak they saw," Gang said, as he then looked ahead of the road. "What the?"
Ahead, there was a flipped over cargo truck in the way of the road. Gang rolled his eyes, "Ah, come on!"
Driving up, Gang and Lu exited their car with the caravan right behind them. The detectives approached who what seemed to be the driver of the truck, trying to futilely push the truck.
"Hey pal! You drunk or something? How could you flip this thing ov-," Lu called out, but the trucker then turned around, an ax in hand and then with one swift swing with the blunt side of the ax struck the two incompetent detectives knocking them unconscious.
From the side, men in masks shoot canisters through the windows of the police cars and prison truck with knockout gas. The officers that managed to get out quickly were taken down by the overwhelming number of attackers and knocked unconscious. The 'trucker' put on a metal helmet covering his head with the ax still in hand walking toward the truck, while Equalists were also approaching the prison truck where the Parasite was being held. The Equalists opened the truck, where the Parasite still remained in encased. "Don't know what Amon wants from you, but he's got plans for you and it is big."
"Find… The power… find the power…"
Deadpool- hey, DC's Rogue is here! If Rogue was purple, and had razor sharp teeth, and looked funny, and had a-
Pinkie- shh! Who is that guy with the ax?
Superior Knight- Persuader. Not a popular villain, but someone who can be used for this book.
Pinkie- but I want to see Deathstroke and Deadshot.
Deadpool: you don't need them. I'm here. I already got 'Dead' in my name.
Pinkie- so what comes next?
Superior Knight- what comes next is I try to update my other stories. More openings for me too. Because Christmas time is here!
Deadpool- hey! You're supposed to say, Happy Holidays! That's the PC way! Pinkie here celebrates Hearth's Warming Day, not Crhistmas!
Pinkie- actually, I don't mi-
Deadpool- hush, my little pony. I will protect you from biggoted hate!
Superior Knight- Ni!
Deadpool- Argh!
Superior Knight- I'll be in touch.