Like Weld in Boston, I ended up with a court-appointed guardian, who didn't actually work for the Wards program or the Protectorate. The "neutral" court appointed attorney was of course still very eager to get me into the Wards program, color me surprised. Being only a year away from becoming "eighteen" made it fairly pointless to try and find a family or get adopted and everyone agreed to just go with an appointed attorney.
Power testing was extremely boring, except for the part where I punched their punching machine "as hard as you can" and made it explode. Okay, okay it didn't explode (only the hydraulic cylinder did) but I did make it rip out of the ground and flatten nicely against the wall. Also getting me into position for most of the tests or modifying them so I could reach them became a huge problem which took hours to sort out.
Also the part about Stitch lifting three thousand times his own weight has been somewhat confirmed, the hydraulic press they used for testing out brute ratings didn't go that high, unfortunately. But with the power of math, it's trivial to figure out, I apparently weigh about seventy pounds, theoretically "three thousand times his own weight" is two hundred and ten thousand pounds. Which is an astonishing one hundred and five tons or ninety five metric tons.
A modern Abrams tank weighs in at 65 tons, A small two story house like the one from UP weights in around 45 tons.
The thought that I could throw houses or tanks at people, Scary.
Or fun, well fun for me anyways, everyone else can just bliznak themselves as I toss planes, trains, automobiles and with a bit of straining, their overweight mothers at them.
I didn't bother telling them any of that so my strength is listed as "Broke the strength testing machine" which looked like a common industrial hydraulic press mounted overtop of a very thick press bench and modified with a thick "lifting bar" for the user to press against. They, of course want to reschedule for a later date, after they get a stronger machine.
Whatever, I just know that I enjoyed destroying things while the PRT employees watched. Except the part where they drew blood with a particularly strong and large needle, it came out a bright pink. Also, the famous containment foam sticks to my fur quite well, fortunately for me it doesn't stop my limbs from moving and tearing through it. It just leaves me covered in small broken pieces of foam stuck all over my fur.
Containment foam can't contain me, mwahaha!
More interesting was the tinker test, where they simply presented me with a bench full of tools and a bunch of parts including a few advanced items like energy projectors. I assembled a crappy barely-functional Federation-like energy blaster gun in about ten minutes, which was promptly taken away for testing. Honestly, I don't know where that came from, I think I remember Stitch in the movie repairing and building a few things, but assembling a blaster from miscellaneous parts seemed to be a bit of a stretch.
I low-balled my enhanced hearing during the thinker test portions as it's always nice to be able to overhear people talking about you where they think they can't be overheard. Happily showed off my acute sense of smell. Blazed through advanced math and logic problems like they were checkboxes and showed off my eidetic memory.
I kept the spines in and the antenna and extra arms out. I didn't really need to hide the fact that I wasn't human and the extra arms were just too convenient to leave tucked inside all the time. It's the small things like having four arms and being omni-dexterous which really make up for the negatives. I also liked the idea of making the Protectorate pay to have clothing tailored for four limbed-me.
I never bothered to show them that my arms were retractable. Yes, the PRT/Protectorate will be forced to pay for custom clothing, mwahaha. It's so diabolically evil it scares me.
A few rooms away the PRT employees "were going over the results" and started talking about me possibly being either as strong as or stronger than Alexandria herself, but not as durable. Eh, whatever.
Far more interesting was the ongoing discussion a few rooms down about how to beat me and what ratings I should be assigned. I'm not surprised, I'm sure they have plans for each of the wards or protectorate members in case they go rogue. Honestly, it's all very Batman-esque. They did make a special note to see how well Gallant's emotion beams work on me.
Eventually, I got access to a computer while one of the employee's was filling out some paperwork. Tisk tisk, you shouldn't leave your computer unlocked. A few quick "google" searches about Disney movies and I had an answer to a question that was bothering me. The first thing out of people's mouths should be oh wow look it's stitch. Instead, I got nothing, the answer was simple "Lilo and Stitch" the movies and the cartoon series were never made here or on "Aleph".
Weird.
Guess I'm not going to be a movie star anytime soon.
The nicknames have started getting out of hand, I'm alternately being called "The Tiny Titan", "Mighty Muppet" or "The Incredible Blue Ball" (thank you Clockblocker). Something I had been delaying was picking out a name, I hadn't really heard or read anything I liked. There had already been lists of cape-name "suggestions" that had been shoved under my nose a couple times. Most of them either blatantly pushing my "cute and fluffiness" or pushing for a strength-based name. Frankly, I'm not going with mister "Fluff" anytime soon nor am I going to be the fifth "Atlas" half of which had been ironically crushed in some form or fashion.
Of course, the majority of my suggestions were promptly shot down. Apparently names based on weapons and weapons of mass destruction are inappropriate.
I did eventually get a name out of all of the arguing and back-and-forth suggestions. I went with Six-Two-Six, it was unique and didn't have any connotations attached to it. Frankly, the PRT thought it was marketable enough to use which is where their concern ended. Anyways it's better than the crap they were trying to stick me with while shooting down my own suggestions.
I'm still partial to Fluffy Armageddon or Max 'Splosion as a cape name, just a shame that they shot those ones down.
And "now" my nickname is "Six by Six" Toobaga Clockblocker.
My large muscular opponent started out with an incredibly awkward straight punch downward towards my head. I stuck my feet to the mat and caught his fist in one of my upper hands and pulled. Sending him tumbling towards me. I grabbed his calves with two lower arms and picked him up and threw him behind me.
Turning to face him again I got to enjoy the sight of him bouncing off the safety mats lining the walls before hopping back up unhurt. He rushed back at me before going for a fast low kick at my chest.
Keeping my feet stuck I took the blow and wrapped two arms around his leg before casually lifting him up by it and using it to bash him against the ground. I lifted him back up into the air with him flailing around awkwardly as he relentlessly and viciously kicked my head with his other leg. I ignored the almost nonexistent flash of pain as his foot pounded my nose and my eyes.
"Ow," I said tonelessly before swinging him back down into the ground again.
I swung him back and forth a couple of times using his leg to control most of his body. While he kicked me repeatedly whenever he could. Neither of us seemed to be doing much damage to the other. I threw him towards the opposite wall and its safety mats but he caught himself mid-air and went for a flying double-fisted punch into my face.
The mat on the ground tore under me, the parts of it stuck to my feet tore away from the rest of the mat as I was flung into the air and bounced off of the wall behind me. I held out my hands and landed on them, doing a hand-stand then kicking the large chunks of torn mat pieces stuck to my feet at him before doing a short flip back onto my feet.
"I don't think we're getting anywhere with this." I said, unfazed by the collision with the safety mat covered wall.
Aegis grinned and stretched, "I didn't even get a warm up and you're calling it quits."
Grinning back at him, "I'm a little leery about actually punching someone, the testing machine went splat and broke. Limited to just throwing you around... well I think we'd just tear up the gym before doing any actual damage to each other."
Aegis shrugged, "Fair enough, It is just a spar" and looked over at Battery.
She shrugged, looked over at the others and picked out the lazing clock covered boy, "Clockblocker, you're up."
Fantastic, a chance at revenge for the nicknames. I grinned and cracked all four of my knuckles as Aegis took a seat. Hmm.. how to fight him, grab the mat and throw it on top of him then pummel. Or just juggle him in the air, maybe put him in a full nelson. Don't let him touch you unless you got a good grip on him first.
He sighed and stood up, adjusting his pants before hopping up onto the mat and walking over into the marked area.
"Alright blue ball let's do this." he taunted me with that nickname again!
I stared at him with a vicious toothy smile, "Come on over and join the fun."
Battery spoke up, "You can start whenever ladies, don't do anything dangerous if you haven't been paying attention Clockblocker. Six-Two-Six, Clockblocker isn't a brute, don't throw him too far. It's just a friendly spar."
I grinned, friendly, sure I can do "friendly".
"Of course of course, but what exactly am I supposed to show in this again? I mean he's just like Aegis right, so it's just a matter of who…" he immediately lunged at me with his hands outstretched.
It didn't take much to rush forward under his awkward downward-lunge at me and grab his lower legs.
He shouted out, "I give!"
"Bata Naba Gata!" I shouted in frustration, squeezing his lower calves a little.
"Ow shit! Stop!" he shouted
I sighed and let him go quickly, he rubbed his calves briefly before grinning at me.
"I might have to take the rest of the day off. No, wait, the next few days... Oh oww, the pain... so much pain."
Clockblocker said mockingly before limping away in an exaggerated fashion.
Battery rolled her eyes at him "Walk it off, baby."
"No, can't you tell I'm crippled for life!" he whined before plopping back down on the floor.
"I'll never play basketball or soccer again!" he said while looking completely unconcerned.
Battery buried her face in her hand, "You don't play either of those sports, as is. Gallant, you're next!"
Clockblocker leaned back against the wall and feigned interest "I just announcing my retirement as a professional basketball and soccer player ahead of time. It has no relationship to my recent career-ending injury. I wouldn't want the ladies to be too concerned about my health."
"Just…" she cut off her own reply and sucked in a deep breath and shouted out "Gallant get over there!"
I heard her mutter very quietly under her breath, "Goddamn brats, just one more month, just one more month."
Gallant stretched briefly before stepping onto the mat. I chuckled a bit at Battery's woes. I think I heard rumors of her and Assault getting penalized for something. I assume that means that they are on "babysit-the-kids" duty.
I spoke up as Gallant got into the starting area, "So, this spar session is basically just everyone line up and try beating up the new guy?"
Gallant replied with a soft chuckle, "Hmm pretty much, everyone has to work alongside you and the quickest way of getting to know your capabilities and powers personally is to have to fight you. Knowing what everyone's power is on paper isn't the same as having to actually fight them or fight alongside them."
"Whenever" Battery shouted out, signaling the informal start of the match.
Gallant fired a beam very quickly and directly at me, shoving me backward slightly with the unexpected force.
What... is this some sort…
"Phh... Hahahahah!"
I couldn't help myself, it was the funniest thing. What a weak little tickle beam of "death". What does he really think he can defeat me with this nonsense?
"Ha-Ha-ha Hah Ha-ha" I rolled around on the ground laughing and pounding my fists against the mat. Until I was gasping for breath. Suddenly the beam cut off and it wasn't nearly as funny as it had been.
Well, so... that happened. Gallant chuckled and helped me up.
"Ur... Good match" I said weakly.
"Don't worry about it, powers are funny like that. You never quite know how some of them might interact until you try them out."
"Vista!" Battery called out
"Good luck," said Gallant cheerfully before heading back to the others.
The twelve-year-old skipped over to the mat and wagged a finger at me. "You should try dodging next time."
I rolled my eyes
"Whenever," said Battery tiredly.
I rushed at Vista, a quick attack before she can stretch space... and. yep, that's some Alice-in-wonderland like effect there. I'm not making much progress towards her... how about to the side. Nope... fantastic already inside of her warped space.
She just giggled.
Alright, she's just a twelve-year-old... cute attack go!
Widening my eyes, I fell to the ground, whimpering at all of the weird stretched out space around me. I looked over at her and made the saddest of faces with my large ears drooping down behind me. I slowly started curling up into a poor defenseless ball of despair and fear.
She cracked and space unwarped before she rushed over to give me a hug.
I grabbed her with all four arms, "Gotcha!"
Her face turned an interesting shade of red, "You... you tricked me!" she said with all the indignation and anger a twelve-year-old could produce. Before she punched me alongside my grinning head.
"It's just a spar, calm down." I said as she rubbed her fist with her other hand.
"Fantastic, finally over, everyone take a shower and then let's go have some dinner." Battery shouted.
I could feel Vista's anger and her shock at being betrayed settle into my stomach like a cold hard lump. I felt like a lump of bliznak.
"Help me... my legs, they're oh so broken, Aegis. Aegis carry me! Be my shining knight in shining armor!" said Clockblocker, rolling onto his stomach and crawling on the ground towards him, reaching out to grasp his leg.
"Nope," said Aegis as he dodged Clockblocker's outstretched hand and sprinted for the showers.
"Oh woe is me, my teammates have abandoned me!" wailed Clockblocker.
Everyone else shuffled to their feet and headed to the shower areas, avoiding Clockblocker's prone form on the floor. I went ahead and grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind me.
"Ow ow, goddamn you got some sharp claws on those hands. Sheesh let go, already."
"Fine" I dropped his arm.
He quickly smiled, tagged me with his hand, and the entire gym emptied instantly.
Bliznak
I had to wait for one of the showers to open up, the water was cold and by the time I got out the room was empty.