Another story is back from the dead! I know "The Legend of Korra" isn't the center of a lot of buzz, but I'm really glad to get back in the saddle with my crossover interpretation of what happened after the Earth Empire had fallen. The recap's in the opening words, so let's dive back into "Evolution"!
BOOK FIVE
EVOLUTION
The Earth Empire may not be dead just yet! After an agent infiltrated the reconstruction and expansion sites of Republic City, bombs went off and buildings were destroyed! Though the Avatar and her Omni Force companions were able to rescue all the workers, a chaotic aura has once again begun to spread.
Meanwhile, it seems word of this attack has reached the ears of those in Zaofu, including Kuvira…
CHAPTER TWO
ESCAPE
The red light of a radio went out as Suyin Beifong stood up from her seat at her desk, letting out a deep sigh as both her husband and her eldest son were behind her.
"The good news that there were no casualties and very few injuries," she explained to them, glancing away rather reluctantly.
"And the bad news…?" Baatar inquired, arching an eyebrow out of concern.
"Likely a huge setback," she responded as she turned around and started to walk towards the two, enticing them to move aside and let her pass, "Two years maybe," she added as a suggestion before leaving through the doorway.
"She's going to try and get answers out of Kuvira again," Baatar Jr. realized, subconsciously closing his hands into fists.
"Obviously, that's her only option," his father chimed in, getting his attention, "Everyone else from the Earth Empire forces went through due process and were discharged from prison after interrogation," he told him as he let out a breath of air.
"Including me…" he muttered, sounding frustrated, "I had more information about our forces, the technology we used, and even the members within our empire," he pointed out, "If mom's so insistent on finding out what group is causing this," he continued, looking back at his parent, "why continue to question Kuvira when she already has the answers?" he asked, narrowing his eyes onto him.
"Honestly… I don't think that's what your mother wants to do," he replied, surprising him slightly as he raised his right eyebrow. Down in the lower levels of the estate, Suyin was saluted by her armored guards as she walked into a room lined in silver-colored platinum all around. Her guards closed the door from the outside, showing that there was no handle attached from the inside as the matriarch stepped forward towards the figure sitting against the wall.
"I assume you've already heard about what's happened?" she implied, causing her to perk up as her messy, long, black hair covered half of her face, revealing the right side of it as she narrowed her eye. Back in Republic City, the police station was becoming very overcrowded as people aplenty were voicing their concerns over the explosions that happened earlier. Further inside, several of the workers who were unarmed from the attack were brought in for questioning, while the Omni Force members were waiting outside the interrogation room quietly.
"I'm telling you that I didn't know him!" the foreman shouted from within the room, slamming his fist upon the table in front of Lin and Mako, who both had their arms crossed.
"I'm not convinced," the detective stated after a moment, "Even if this was a voluntary construction project, people still need to give their information and such to the higher ups to know that they're qualified," he explained, causing the man there to sigh deeply.
"There's also the fact that little to no security was present," the chief added, "Aside from the Avatar and her friends," she kept going, looking at the suspect sternly, "there were no police or firemen on hand in case of such an emergency," she told him.
"Huh…" he breathed out, "That's error in judgement, believe me…" he realized, placing his left hand against his chest, "But I'll say it as many times as I need to," he affirmed, standing up from his seat, "I did not know that man," he stated firmly. The two officials shared a glance with each other before nodding. The door to the room then opened, as the foreman walked out first, followed by his interrogators. Korra stood up immediately upon seeing them.
"Anything?" she inquired, catching their attentions as they all stopped.
"I'm sorry, Avatar…" the head of the construction apologized, "I wish I knew more than I did about what happened," he admitted, followed by the short haired woman letting off a slight frown.
"It's all right," she reassured after a moment, "You should go home and get some rest," she advised, enticing him to nod before leaving the hall.
"Was that the last one?" Ash asked, chiming into the conversation the group was about to have.
"Pretty much," Lin replied as she placed her hands at her hips, "All that's left are the witnesses who noticed the event," she explained, letting out a deep sigh.
"What about the reports on the attacker himself?" the South Pole native questioned.
"We couldn't find anything about him," the firebender responded, folding his arms over his chest, "Fingerprint scans from the detonator he had, DNA analysis from the autopsy…" he listed off, "We found nothing out of it," he said, much to the shock of the Omni Force members as they widened their eyes. Rex however, said nothing as he stayed seated and looked at the floor.
"We do know one thing," the chief chimed in, narrowing her eyes, "He's likely a member of a group of former Earth Empire soldiers," she told the others.
"Well that's not much to go on…" the Pokémon trainer pointed out bluntly.
"Pika pi…" Pikachu agreed, hopping up onto his master's right shoulder.
"True," Lin concurred, "but we do have people on file from the Earth Empire after it was disbanded," she explained, turning around and starting to walk off, "Mako, I'll need you to continue the investigation into that man's identity," she told her subordinate.
"Yes, ma'am," he responded with a salute as he saw her go on her way, "We'll try to find out everything we can," he promised to the Avatar, who grinned at him. As he left, she and her multiversal guests sat back down in their seats against the hallway walls.
"Don't suppose we could phone a friend at a time like this?" she inquired to Ash, who shook his head as an answer, "Huh…" she sighed as she placed her hand against her cheek, "Didn't think so…" she concluded, seemingly concerned that there was nothing they could do.
X
"So there was an attack on Republic City this morning?" Kuvira asked from within her cell, still seated against the wall as Suyin had finished her explanation.
"And according to reports from the police and the Avatar," she continued, squatting down to meet her eye level, "he declared himself as a member of the 'true'Earth Empire," she stated, causing her to perk up slightly.
"You're saying it's one of my former followers?" she inquired after a silent moment.
"Is it not?" the Metal Clan matriarch questioned back, narrowing her eyes.
"All my followers and those alike turned themselves in after the end of the fighting in Republic City…" the former dictator pointed out as she remained somewhat despondent.
"Well apparently, one of them didn't," the woman before her stated in response, crossing her arms over her chest, "which is why I'm here to question you about any splinter factions of the Earth Empire that may have split from your goal," she explained, actually causing the prisoner to widen her eyes in surprise.
"I just said that all of my followers had turned themselves in," she argued, closing her hands into fists, "If you think that I'm responsible for a group that dissolved away from my empire's ideals, then-!" She stopped herself as she realized what she was saying, letting her head droop down in shame.
"Whatever you know, you'll tell us," Suyin stated, turning around and walking up to the door. She knocked it twice with her right fist, followed by one of the guards opening it up from the outside to allow her to depart.
"Huh…" Kuvira sighed, sounding defeated by what she had heard and how her former mentor had treated her as if she was the criminal. She kept herself seated as the door to her cell shut once more, leaving her isolated again. Reaching her hands behind herself, she dug her fingers into the wall, starting to rupture it slowly, forming a small opening that led outside.
"Are you sure you're all okay?" Asami Sato asked worriedly through a telephone as she twirled the wire in her fingers nervously.
"Yes, we're all fine," her girlfriend's voice responded through the speaker. She was standing at a phone in the police station, talking into it. "But I think it's gonna be a while before I make it back tonight…" she confessed, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.
"It's fine, Korra," the Future Industries owner replied from her end of the call, "Just get home before Swampert starts to worry," she advised, "I love you," she finished sweetly, causing the South Pole native to blush a mad red.
"Love you, too," she responded, sounding somewhat embarrassed but happy to say that out loud. She then put the receiver back in place, letting out a breath of air.
"Pika, pika?" a familiar voice squeaked, catching her attention to see Pikachu right beside her, hopping up onto her left shoulder and nuzzling his cheek against her own. She chuckled, going with him back over to the waiting area where their friends were still waiting. Another hour passed as the group of sat on the bench for what felt like a silent eternity. No one spoke a word as they awaited the findings of what witnesses had seen from the attack. Finally, the door opened with a bearded man walking past the Omni Force members, apparently being the last of the bystanders.
"So what now?" the Avatar asked as Lin emerged from the interrogation room, seeing her, Ash, Rex, and the Mouse Pokémon all sitting there on the benches.
"Huh..." she sighed deeply, glancing off to the side, "We've got no leads into this," she told the group, making them all blink in surprise, "Even if we had a shred of something, I doubt it'd be enough for us to try and get some intel," she explained, looking evidently distraught, "I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Don't be," the Avatar reassured, "We all knew that there'd be another day where something would go wrong and someone else would be putting us in harm's way," she stated as the rest of her teammates listened on, "I just wished it wasn't something that had to do with Kuvira..." she confessed, causing the evo to tense up as he clutched his jacket, which the Pokémon trainer took notice of.
"Maybe there's another way we can find out what's happening," he suggested, catching the others' attentions as they saw him stand up from his seat.
"Pika?" his partner squeaked in confusion, wondering what he meant.
"How about trying to radio Zaofu and see if they can get some answers from Kuvira herself?" he recommended as the goggled man gritted his teeth, "If she had something to do with the guys who attacked the construction sites today," he kept going, "then she probably knows who's behind all of it," he finished, adjusting his cap.
"Good point," the police chief agreed as she had her arms folded over her chest, "I can call Su and ask if we can come over to help out," she added, trotting off into the halls afterwards.
"Huh..." Rex breathed out, shivering a little as he had caught his teammates' attentions.
"Rex, stop it," Korra advised seriously, "I know this whole thing with Kuvira isn't exactly your cup of tea these days," she noted while seeing him glance away for a moment, "but we're gonna need you if things get worse," she told him.
"Right..." he concurred sarcastically, rolling his eyes, "because me against a metalbender like Kuvira would be a perfect match up..." he muttered, crossing his arms. Without warning, he found himself hoisted up from his seat by the woman, who glared at him menacingly as she held the collar of his jacket in both of her hands.
"You're helping," she said in a threatening tone, "Got it?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay, fine!" he agreed repeatedly as he held up his hands in a placating manner.
"Hey, take it easy you guys," Ash advised, placing his right hand onto the Avatar's shoulder.
"Pika pi chu..." the Mouse Pokémon pleaded. All of a sudden, his ears perked up, causing him to look over and see Lin fast approaching them.
"Lin?" the Avatar uttered in surprise upon noticing, "Did you get in touch with Su already?" she guessed, setting her comrade down gently.
"We have a problem," the police chief stated after a moment, "Kuvira's escaped," she said, making everyone widen their eyes in disbelief.
X
Rex stood up straight rather instantly upon hearing the news. His ex-girlfriend escaping from her prison was one thing, but with the current situation at hand along with her untimely getaway, there were now more complications than fewer.
"How?!" Korra exclaimed, breaking the quick silence amongst the group, "Wasn't she in secure custody in Zaofu?!" she inquired, evidently stunned.
"Apparently not secure enough," the woman before them retorted as a reply, "Details on how can wait until we get to Zaofu," she stated, walking past them, "Come on!" she beckoned, waving for the Omni Force members to follow her. They glanced at each other in surprise before running off after her quickly. Moments later, they all got aboard an airship with a few other officers at the helm as it took off, hovering over the city before zooming off to the east. Within the craft's hull, the group was gathered around a display map of the entire Earth Nation, plotting their course to the well-advanced city.
"How long do you think we'll be?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Probably an hour given the conditions," Lin replied as she placed her hand upon her chin and looked out the window to see that they had cleared Republic City, "If we hurry, we might make it forty-five," she added.
"Then let's hurry," the Avatar advised, closing her hands into fists. Meanwhile, the evo among them remained quiet, inwardly conflicted about seeing Kuvira again.
FLASHBACK
"She didn't want to?" the goggled teen questioned as he and his girlfriend sat upon the steps within one of the estate gardens.
"Yeah," she answered, sounding frustrated, "She said that she'd be seen as a conqueror if she tried taking control of the situation…" she grumbled, glancing away and narrowing her eyes.
"Well… it's not like they have anyone else to turn to…" Rex concurred, looking over the majesty of the city, "Still, who'd take her place?" he inquired, causing the metalbender to perk up, "I mean, she can't possibly take control of the whole Earth Nation on her own AND keep a hold on Zaofu," he told her, noticing the rather despondent expression in her eyes, "Uh… right?" he guessed, arching his right eyebrow in concern.
"She could, Rex," she responded as she stood up, "If she could provide the citizens of the kingdom with the resources of Zaofu along with all the protection from the looters and bandits," she began to explain, "then the entire nation could be brought back to peace," she finished.
"Muchacha, that's a great way to think about it," her boyfriend replied, glancing away nervously, "but think about how Su feels when taking on all that responsibility," he mentioned, "Trust me, it's a lot to take in and try to get a handle on," he stated, causing her to blink in surprise.
"Huh," she huffed afterwards as she turned away, "I should've known you wouldn't understand…" she muttered aloud, making him widen his eyes.
"Kuvira, I-" Before the evo could say another word, he saw her head off in an upset manner. He got up, watching her go with a worried look in his eyes. After a while, he heard word from one of the guards that she was attempting to leave, much to his astonishment. He never thought she would even attempt to defy her superior's wishes after all the time she had spent under her wing. That is until he saw her and the Metal Clan matriarch standing by an airship, with the former about to board it. "Kuvira!" he cried out, catching their attentions as they looked to see him jog over, "What are you doing?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"What Su should be doing," she replied with clenched fists, causing him to blink in realization, widening his eyes, "Rex, I'm sorry that you don't understand the vision I have to save the Earth Kingdom," she apologized, turning around and trotting up the ramp.
"Kuvira!" the Beifong woman shouted commandingly.
"Whoa, easy muchacha!" the Omni Force member pleaded quickly, getting between the two and holding out his hands, "It's not that I disagree with you or anything…" he said as she narrowed her eyes onto him, "but I think maybe you and Su ought to talk this out before-"
"There's NOTHING to talk about!" his girlfriend bellowed, "Su won't take action, but I will!" she declared with a fierce tongue.
"Watch your tone, Kuvira!" her superior yelled, about to stomp up to her until the goggled man formed a large orange gauntlet over his right arm to halt her.
"Okay, that's enough!" he shouted, having had his fill of arguing from both sides, "Let's take a second to think this over and maybe we can- WHOA!" he yelped, interjecting his own statement as he was suddenly flung into a wall in a burst of dust.
"Rex!" Suyin exclaimed in shock, rushing over as the white veil settled to reveal the evo lying against the cracked wall, managing to glance over at his single Smack Hand upon realizing that the former guard captain had bent it to her will.
"Why?" he muttered out to her as the matriarch helped stand him back up.
"You won't understand," she responded, turning herself around and walking into the airship, "You never will," she added coldly. Moments later, the craft took off as the two still at the landing bay watched on despondently.
"I'm sorry, Rex…" the Beifong woman apologized to the man beside her as he placed his hands into his pockets.
"No," he responded as he started to walk away, "I should've been the one to do something…" he grumbled before leaving.
END FLASHBACK
"Rex, you're gonna be okay," Korra's voice chimed in, catching his attention as he looked over to see her giving him a reassuring grin. He wanted to do the same, but his current feelings kept him from doing so as his frown remained.
"Pika pi…" Pikachu squeaked worriedly from Ash's shoulder, as both he and his partner shared a quick glance with other before staring back at their friend. A long while passed before the airship finally arrived at flower-like, metal city of Zaofu just as the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. At the landing bay, Metal Clan guards bent out cables from cranes to hoist onto the craft, slowly reeling it in as it gently touched the pad. Its docking bay then opened, allowing for Lin to exit first as she was followed by the Omni Force members. The guards then bent out an intricate staircase for them to saunter down, connecting it with the ramp.
"Whoa…" the Pokémon trainer uttered out of amazement by the majesty of the city, having never seen it before until now.
"Pika pi…" his partner squeaked, sounding just as awed by the place's beauty.
"Where's Su?" Lin suddenly asked the guards, snapping the duo away from their thoughts as they looked over at her.
"She's waiting for you at Kuvira's cell," a male soldier responded to get her attention, "We'll be escorting you," he offered with a salute.
"Thanks," the Avatar replied in gratitude, following him with the others onto the docking elevator, which went down as soon as everyone was aboard it. A while later, the entire group sped along a rail line within a tram car, as the raven haired man and his Electric type teammate looked outside to see the magnificence of the city they were traveling over.
"How long has it been since Kuvira got out?" the police chief questioned as she folded her arms over her chest.
"Two hours, tops," a female guard answered, causing her to look over at her, "We've had guards searching the entire city ever since word broke out that she got loose," she told her.
"She couldn't have gotten too far either," another one chimed in, "The valleys here get dangerous at night with what's roaming about," he mentioned as he narrowed his eyes onto the mountainside that overlooked the area.
"So there's a chance we can get her back?" Ash guessed, arching his eyebrow.
"We will get her back, Ash," Korra corrected for him, making him blink in surprise before giving off a serious look as a sign of understanding.
"First things first," Lin chimed in to get their attentions, "We have to know what happened from Su," she stated as the tram car drew near the estate of her half-sister. A while passed after they arrived and disembarked from the transport, hurrying to the stronghold at the lower levels of the area. The guards with them bent the access open, allowing for the police chief and the Omni Force members to enter as they ventured into the complex, with torches lighting the way the farther down the steps they went.
"Are you sure this is a good place to imprison people when they could bend their way out of it?" Ash questioned, noticing the rock all around them.
"The earth here is only so stable enough that even earthbending a little of it in any escape attempts could cause a collapse," the female soldier from before explained as a reply, "However, that's not where we keep the more dangerous criminals," she mentioned, causing him to raise his eyebrow before glancing over at Pikachu.
"Pika pi…" he squeaked with a shake of his head, not sure as to what that meant. All of a sudden, they arrived at what appeared to be a dead end to the tunnel. One guard stepped forward and threw out his hands, making the earth open up for him and the others inside to see the several cube-shaped structures lined up that looked like small building just a dozen yards away from them.
"Those… are prison cells…" the Avatar realized as they walked past the numerous cages that only had small openings for air to circulate into them. The group made its way to the largest one in the complex, where Suyin was waiting as she donned a set of armor over her form.
"Thank you for coming," she said in gratitude, embracing her relative in a quick hug.
"Was anyone hurt?" she asked quickly.
"No," the matriarch responded, "In fact, I think she just took off the moment she was free," she told them, gesturing for the group to follow her into the domain as she opened the door.
"Former lackeys got her out?" the police chief inquired while arching an eyebrow.
"That's the theory so far," her half-sister replied as they ventured onwards, "We're just trying to figure out how," she admitted, causing the group to glance at each other in confusion. The door to the escaped prisoner's room was opened, revealing to the group what had happened.
"Whoa," Korra uttered, evidently surprised from the large hole looming in front of the group. It was sized wide and tall enough for a person to get through by crawling.
"Pika, pika," Pikachu said as he jumped off of his master's shoulder and walked up to it, able to fit through as well as he tested it.
"Plasma saws maybe?" Lin suggested as she placed her hand onto her chin.
"It's possible," Suyin agreed, "but the hole itself doesn't seems like it was cut…" she noted while glancing away for a moment in thought, catching Rex's attention.
"They could've used one of those mecha suits to pry it open," Ash chimed in as an idea.
"I don't think so," the Avatar responded while looking over the damage, "A mecha suit in broad daylight would've made a lot of noise and get caught right away," she pointed out, not noticing the evo squatting down by the opening and putting his goggles on.
"We can worry about how she got away later," the matriarch stated as she was about to exit the cell, "If she gets beyond the mountain range by the time the sun goes down, we'll have less of a chance of finding her," she explained, heading outside.
"I can send out Charizard to search from the skies," the Pokémon trainer offered as he pulled out a Poké Ball from his belt.
"Good idea," Korra agreed as they all walked out, leaving the evo behind as he continued to observe the hole in the cell. He had activated the infrared function of his goggles to see the fingerprints that were not apparent to the naked eye. Upon understanding what this meant, he took off the specs, looking out towards the mountain range where the former dictator may have gone.
X
A while had passed as dusk had fallen over Zaofu and the rest of the mountain range, with stars appearing in the sky that was a dark blue with a shade of pink from the disappearing sunset. Three squadrons of Metal Clan soldiers were formed, each being led by their superior, the police chief, and the South Pole native into the valley in search of the escapee. The raven haired man of the group had summoned the Flame Pokémon from his containment, mounting onto his back with Pikachu and flying overhead. Rex did the same by forming a jetpack with a pair of wide orange turbine wings, scanning the area from above.
"Is there a trail we could try to pick up on?" the short haired woman asked her group as they began traversing the cliffs carefully.
"Maybe," one soldier answered as he and the others shimmied along the path, "The only way anyone could climb these mountains without risking a rock slide or a total collapse would be to use metal cables," he explained.
"But Kuvira shouldn't have any metal on her, right?" another inquired, arching an eyebrow.
"Let's just hurry and find her before she gets too far," the Avatar advised as they continued onwards. As the light in the sky grew dim and darker, the groups that were separate stayed closer together in order not to get lost. The evo in the air looked around, trying to pick up any form of a heat signatures with the infrared function of his goggles.
"Nothing…" he muttered out after a long moment of searching, about to head elsewhere for any clue of his ex-girlfriend. Just then, he heard the sound of tumbling rocks, enticing him to look over and see a figure entering a clearing with the forest ahead as it had come down a cliff. Narrowing his eyes, the Omni Force member was able to make out the messy, long black hair that was the prisoner's, grinning in relief. "Bingo," he said before zooming down. As the woman was about to enter the wooded area, he suddenly landed hard in front of her, causing a flurry of dust to blow about the area. As it settled, she looked out and gasped to see that it was him, reforming his back from the Boogie Pack while morphing his hands into the Smack Hands.
"Rex…?" she uttered, evidently stunned to see him there.
"Muchacha… just listen for a sec," he recommended as he held out his transformed arms in a placating manner, "I don't wanna fight you," he stated, noticing that she had metal armor over her arms, shoulders, and chest.
"All evidence to the contrary," she retorted, folding her arms over her chest. The goggled teen blinked in confusion before realizing that she meant the build he had just made, causing him to grimace in realization.
"Look, this is just a precaution…" he admitted sheepishly, not noticing the former dictator getting into a ready stance, "I'm just trying to- WHOA!" he yelped as his arms suddenly pulled him forwards and past her towards the cliff, "GAH!" he yelled in pain as he found himself up against it, upside down, "Ugh…" he groaned, falling to the ground in a heap as his arms deformed from the Smack Hands.
"What do you think you're doing here, Rex?" the metalbender asked as she approached him, readying her armor as she bent out blades from the metal on her arms.
"Ergh…" he grunted as he hopped back onto his feet, turning around to face her, "Just trying to stop my girlfriend for old time's sake," he said jokingly, letting light blue lines streak along his right arm, "and take her back to her cell in Zaofu," he added seriously while forming the B.F.S. over his limb, pointing it at her. She sighed deeply, having her own blades retract.
"You're wasting your time…" she muttered, waving her arm. Suddenly, the evo felt his build tremble as it started to move uncontrollably.
"Wh-Whoa, oh!" he stammered in surprise as it sliced through the trunk of a tree and then a rock, with the former of the two about to fall onto him. He shut his eyes, bracing for the impact of it. However, he then heard two separate thuds afterwards, causing him to look up and see that his weapon had cut the remainder of the large sapling in half, with both pieces lying on opposite sides of himself. He quickly reformed his right arm, rubbing it at the wrist with his left hand. "Uh, thanks," he uttered in gratitude upon realizing that Kuvira had likely made sure he did not get pinned down by the tree, seeing her walk off towards the forest.
"Don't follow me," she advised to him as he pulled his goggles up onto his forehead.
"Hey, you're the one who broke out of prison!" he pointed out while folding his arms over his chest, "I'm just trying to make sure you come back without having to start a fight!" he told her, causing her to come to a stop and take a deep breath through her nose, exhaling from her mouth seconds later. She then turned herself around, facing her ex-boyfriend. "So are we gonna talk?" he inquired as he arched his eyebrow, "Or are you just gonna swing me around like a ragdoll some more?" he implied to her, tilting his head to the side.
"Huh…" she sighed again, "I'm on my way to stop Ryuto," she stated, causing him to perk up in surprise upon recalling the name from the bomber in Republic City.
"Ryuto?" he uttered in confusion, "Is that the guy who started the mess in Republic City with that attack?" he inquired curiously.
"Yes," the former dictator replied, sounding somewhat ashamed, "He was one of my head scientists in the development of the spirit cannon and the Colossus project alongside my ex fiancée," she explained to him.
"That so, huh?" he concurred, wondering what the man was planning until a thought crossed his mind, "Wait, ex?" he questioned in confusion, surprised by such a detail. Suddenly, the earth rose up beneath his right foot, causing him to stumble and fall onto his back in a yelp. "Ow…" he groaned in pain, sitting up.
"Pay attention," the metalbender advised sternly as he stood on his feet, "Since he's now trying to 'revive' the Earth Empire," she began to say, "it's my job to put a stop to his plans," she told him, closing her hands into fists as she glanced away for a moment, "It was my mess to begin with…" she added, sounding frustrated as the evo blinked in astonishment.
"On your own?" he inquired, getting a mere nod in reply from her, "Yeah, like I'm gonna let that happen," he stated sarcastically, going up to her and grabbing her left arm with his right hand.
"Don't try to stop me," she demanded while yanking her limb away from him, "I'm doing you and everyone else a favor," she declared, narrowing her eyes.
"By trying to take down an entire empire by yourself?" Rex questioned back rhetorically as a retort, "What makes you think we can't handle it ourselves?" he asked, getting no response as she looked down ashamedly, "Kuvira, please," he pleaded, "I wanna put a stop to that guy, too," he confessed, placing her hands onto her shoulders, "And if you can tell us what you know about him," he kept going, "we can find him and take him down," he finished reassuringly, "You don't have to do this for us…" he mentioned as she perked up slightly, "We can handle it," he affirmed confidently. His ex-girlfriend just looked back at him amidst the shining light of the full moon overhead in the night sky, developing a somber expression before moving her head down again.
"Rex… I-" All of a sudden, her remark was interjected as a plume of flames was about to rain down upon them, as the luminosity of it had caught their attentions. They jumped away to opposite sides to avoid them as they struck the ground and dissipated into embers.
"Rex, are you all right?!" a familiar voice cried out, causing the evo to grimace in realization as he looked over to the top of the cliff to see Ash alongside Pikachu and Charizard, with the latter's tail flame burning brightly.
"Great…" he muttered in realization.
"Kuvira!" another voice exclaimed, making him perk up as he knew who it was as well. Out of the trees, Korra leapt up and landed in front of the former dictator, sending dust and dirt flying across the area. Once it cleared, it revealed a plethora of Metal Clan soldiers gathered alongside her, with Suyin and Lin among them as they readied the cables attached to their belts. The Avatar then bent out water from the small sacks she was carrying upon her back, forming them over her arms and freezing it into a pair of ice blades. "Give up, Kuvira," she advised seriously while narrowing her eyes, "You're outnumbered," she mentioned as the Pokémon trainer and his team came down from the cliff to join them, with the former activating his lightning cloak as it sparked wildly. The opposing metalbender shot a quick glance towards her ex-boyfriend, who held up his hands in a placating manner.
"Maybe we can still talk?" he suggested with a nervous grin.
"I don't there's anything to talk about," the escaped prisoner responded, bending out blades from the metal over her arms once more to prepare to face everyone against her.
END
Oh boy! Now it's Kuvira VS Everyone and the plot thickens into what will happen in the future! Frankly, I'm excited to try and get this done, but I do know that there are finals coming up and I have only one other story chapter that I want to get done before studying seriously.
That next story is going to be "Traitor", and for those of you who have not seen the sneak peek or the trailers for it, here you go.
SNEAK PEEK
'I wonder why All Might never told me about Widowmaker...' Izuku wondered as he sauntered into his bedroom, picking up the lone dumbbell with his right hand and starting some curls, 'Guess she was another negative legacy he wanted to forget about...' he realized inwardly, looking at the posters of the famed hero who had become his mentor. When he heard of his exploits as an Omni Force squadron leader, he had expected incredible stories of his numerous adventures alongside his fellow members. Instead, the one that appeared to stand out the most and was constantly talked about was the disbandment of Overwatch, which led to the infamous assassin becoming a mercenary that went against everything the multiversal group stood for. After another curl, he put the weight down, going over to his desk. He did not notice that outside upon one of the buildings beyond his dorm was a familiar figure readying what appeared to be a sniper rifle. Her lips curled into a grin as her infrared mask allowed her to see through the curtains to lock onto her target, who sat down in his seat and pulled out his hero notebook, which was his twelfth edition. He opened it up and flipped through the pages, seeing the several names and powers of heroes he had jotted down, including the woman he had just been thinking about. Stopping to look at the page more closely, he noticed that he had written down his own questions: 'Who is she?' and 'What happened to her?'. From what he learned today, nothing would be answered as it seemed.
"Adieu, Symbol of Peace..." the female outside whispered aloud before pulling the trigger of her weapon, firing a sharp bullet aimed for the boy's head. Suddenly, a plume of flames arose just in time to incinerate it, causing everyone inside the dormitories to perk up instantly upon hearing the sound, including the messy haired boy as he was the first to see the fire. "Ah!" the sniper gasped, frustrated that she had been foiled as she looked down to see Shoto standing there dressed in a white shirt underneath a navy blue jacket and black sweatpants.
"Who are you?!" he asked loudly as fire flickered from the left side of his body. She merely turned away and appeared to jump off the building, making him grit his teeth angrily.
"Todoroki!" a voice cried out, catching his attention as he looked to see Tenya running up to him alongside Mezo, Eijiro, Momo, and Rachael, "What's going on?" he questioned to him immediately.
"Trouble," he responded as he blinked, "I think someone's trying to-"
"Look out!" the masked teen yelled, tackling the Half-Cold, Half-Hot quirk user to the ground to avoid a flurry of bullets coming their way. The class representative ducked as well, while the other three shielded themselves, with the male hardening his arms to deflect the projectiles as the other two equipped metallic shields to defend against them. Once the bullets stopped coming, the group heard the sound of footsteps slowly approaching them, enticing them to all get into ready stances and onto their feet if they were down.
"Who is it?" the Hagane girl asked, requipping a sword into her right hand in a flash of light. Meanwhile, Izuku, Ochaco, Natalie, Alice, Raya, Fumikage, and Tsuyu all ran outside to join their classmates, with the former of the group widening his eyes in fright to see who it was.
"Widowmaker..." he uttered out, subconsciously closing his hands into fists as she came out into the light, revealing herself as the blue skinned woman with the long ponytail and the slender figure in her outfit, holding the same weapon she had, which had morphed into a machine gun. She smiled at the sight of the freckled boy.
"Now we'll do this the hard way..." she stated in a cold and menacing tone, as everyone grimaced a little.
END SNEAK PEEK
TRAILER#1
Widowmaker: When I was a girl, I had a fear of spiders...
Cut to her performing her duties as an assassin, even shooting down criminals for her teammates on the Omni Force squadron she is a part of.
Widowmaker: I was told that they felt no emotion... that their hearts never beat...
Cut to her becoming a mercenary, working alongside Reaper and Doomfist, followed by a scene where she shoots All Might's right arm.
Widowmaker: ...but I know the truth...
NF PRODUCTIONS
Cut to U.A. High, where Class 1-A is learning about Widowmaker from Midnight.
Tenya Iida: What could possibly compel an Omni Force member to turn out that way?
Cut to Izuku Midoriya looking through his own notes on the assassin, wondering who exactly she used to be.
Katsuki Bakugo: It doesn't matter if she used to be an Overwatch agent or whatever. It's a pro's job to bring her down before she tries anything.
Cut to Widowmaker at the U.A. dormitories one night, attempting to kill Izuku, but is foiled by Shoto Todoroki, followed by most of the class arriving to confront her with him.
Widowmaker: This party is over...
Cut to her out-maneuvering Class 1-A altogether before making her escape.
-Insert "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde-
Izuku Midoriya: We have to stop her!
Shota Aizawa: Midoriya, this isn't your fight.
Cut to him fighting against the assassin, only to be taken down at the hands of Sombra.
Shota Aizawa: I've told you before, you can't go against my orders unless you want yourself expelled...
Izuku Midoriya: Ergh... *closes hands into fists*
Cut to him meeting with All Might.
All Might: Widowmaker was certainly an interesting teammate.
Cut to a time in the past where they met for the first time.
All Might: I don't know if Overwatch disbanding caused her to act this way... but I feel as if there's still a chance for her...
Cut to Widowmaker meeting Izuku on the roof of a building in downtown Tokyo.
All Might: If I could... I would speak with her again...
Izuku Midoriya: Then let me do it for you.
All Might: *widens eyes in shock*
Cut back to the scene on the roof.
Izuku Midoriya: What do you want from me?
Widowmaker: *chuckles* Oh, it's not about what we want...
Cut to Reaper suddenly appearing behind Izuku, frightening him a little.
Reaper: It's more about what we gain from seeing you dead. *readies his twin shotguns*
Izuku Midoriya: *activates Full Cowling* You picked the wrong people to mess with...
Cut to Katsuki using his explosions to propel himself into the air as he's being pursued by Reaper.
Cut to Tenya and Shoto having to dodge bullets from Sombra's weapons.
Cut to Izuku getting blown back by Doomfist after he strikes the ground in front of him.
Widowmaker: When I was a girl, I had a fear of spiders.
Cut to her having a fight with Izuku upon one of the roofs of the tallest buildings in the city.
Widowmaker: I was told that they had no emotions... that their hearts never beat...
Cut to her knocking Izuku down and stomping her right foot on his head.
Widowmaker: But I know the truth...
Cut to her readying her rifle as she's about to shoot him in the head.
Widowmaker: At the moment of the kill... *readies trigger* they are never more alive...
TRAITOR
All Might: It's time we talked... Amélie...
Cut to Widowmaker standing in front of him, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.
END TRAILER #1
TRAILER #2
Izuku Midoriya: Who is Widowmaker?
Cuts to a scene of her performing her duties as an assassin, shooting her targets as both a member of Overwatch and the Omni Force before it shifts to her taking out Ana Amari's eye and then assassinating Tekhartha Mondatta in King's Row.
The scene changes to show that Izuku is sitting in an office with All Might, hearing his story.
All Might: When I first met her, I knew something wasn't right.
Cut to him getting shot in the arm by her in the past, followed by her narrowly escaping him as she ducks into an MPG portal, which closes before he can reach it.
All Might: It turns out my fears were realized.
The scene changes to show her gathering with her fellow Talon agents: Sombra, Reaper, Moira, and Doomfist.
All Might: Talon turned her into a living weapon. A weapon meant to not only take out Overwatch... but the Omni Force from the inside out...
Cuts to Izuku looking very stunned, struggling to stay stoic as his lips quiver and his fists shake over his legs.
NF PRODUCTIONS
Insert "Zeitgeist" by Colossal Trailer Music
Cuts to Izuku in the classroom taking notes on Widowmaker.
Izuku Midoriya: It's not like she was the only Overwatch agent to go rogue...
The scene changes to Widowmaker infiltrating U.A., heading for the freshmen dormitories.
Ochaco Uraraka: Why didn't the rest of the Omni Force do something about her?
Izuku Midoriya: Maybe they tried... but...
Cuts to Widowmaker readying her rifle from atop one of the buildings, aiming for Izuku.
Izuku Midoriya: I don't think it's that simple...
Cut to a bullet being fired from the rifle of Widowmaker, intended to strike Izuku until it is incinerated by Shoto Todoroki's flames that erupted from the courtyard below.
Shoto Todoroki: Who are you?!
The scene changes to show Mezo Shoji, Denki Kaminari, Momo Yaoyorozu, and Rikido Sato all getting shot by the team of Widowmaker and Reaper.
Widowmaker: *sees Izuku Midoriya standing beside Eijiro Kirishima* There you are... *starts shooting at them*
THIS WINTER
Cut to Izuku standing up from his seat in the teacher's lounge.
Izuku Midoriya: As your successor, I should be the one to put a stop to her, right?
Cuts to him getting dressed in his hero costume.
All Might: Young Midoriya...
The scene changes to All Might seeing Widowmaker looking over the grave of her husband.
All Might: I've told you that not every person in this world... or any other for that matter, can be saved.
Cuts to him meeting Widowmaker atop the roof of a police station.
Izuku Midoriya: That doesn't mean we can just give up!
Cuts to him having to activate Full Cowling to jump away from the oncoming bullets from Sombra.
Izuku Midoriya: Every minute she still has that MPG in her hands, she and her comrades are closer to destroying the Omni Force!
Cuts to Natalie Dragneel getting blown back into a car by a punch from Doomfist. The scene then shifts to the freshmen dormitory lounge where about half of the students have gathered.
Katsuki Bakugo: I'm in.
Cuts to him blasting the ground apart in order to make Reaper fall back.
Shoto Todoroki: So am I.
Cuts to him holding onto Momo's hand in the hospital, hoping that she will be okay. The scene then changes to him attacking Sombra with his flames, trying to hit her before she suddenly teleports herself to be right in front of him.
Tenya Iida: There's no way any of us can stand aside at a time like this. That criminal attacked our friends and is after others!
Cuts to him and Alice Fullbuster narrowly dodging energy beams produced by Moira.
Natalie Dragneel: Screw the rules this time. Let's get these bastards.
Cuts to her activating Dragon Force and grinning before rushing out at Doomfist. That is followed by a scene of Rachael Hagane drawing forth a sword to slice up one of Sombra's guns, while Shoto prepares to shoot fire at her. Next, Raya Dashilee Tennyson carries Katsuki as they pursue Reaper into the city's alleyways, while Izuku and Eijiro are with Laura Eucliffe and Ken Tennyson as they look for Widowmaker.
All Might: Young Midoriya, this may be the greatest failure I made that now falls onto you...
Cuts to the foursome encountering Widowmaker attempting to break out the criminals in the prison known as Tartarus.
All Might: If you try to bear this burden...
The scene changes to her releasing the hero killer from his cell, gifting him with a blade.
All Might: ... then you... and your friends will all be in harm's way.
Izuku Midoriya: *stands up* That goes without saying.
Cuts to him leading his team into the rainy weather as he closes his hands into fists.
Izuku Midoriya: Either we bring her back, or we get the MPG.
Shifts to All Might letting off a small grin.
TRAITOR
Cuts to Izuku meeting with some of Overwatch's oldest members.
Jack Morrison: So how much power you got control over?
Izuku Midoriya: Um... eight... percent?
-Everyone groans loudly in frustration-
Izuku Midoriya: I can do twenty! For a bit anyway...
END TRAILER #2
So that's what you have to look forward to next. You're welcome!
