A/N: This chapter will contain a lot of self-thoughts, and a reasonable length as well. Ace is just about to meet this 'kid with powers', how will things go down? Better go find out.
He must had heard wrong, there was no mistaking it; there was no way that what the lady just told him was truth, for there couldn't be any chances of something like that ever happening.
Chances were so very slim, and yet, a part of Ace was telling him that he should believe in her words.
"Powa's?" He repeated in disbelief, his initial shock starting to wear off. "But, how? D'at shouldn't have happened ta him, in fact, it should be impossible!"
Gertrude shook her head. "That's what I keep telling myself, but everyday the proof is right there in front of my eyes. He possesses powers, but he's so young that he can't seem to control them fully, and I'm not capable of helping him." She then sighed. "He had tried to keep his powers hidden whenever a new couple would be interested into adopting him, but no matter his tries, they always showed up. The poor boy had gotten better at it, but still..."
Ace looked down, taking in the information. All he could picture was this boy, struggling with something he didn't even know about; in his own case, Ace remembered how confused he was when the meteorite landed and he gained his own abilities, but back at that time Zadavia quickly reached out from him and the rest of his teammates and they all learned together how to control themselves, and always counted on the other whenever things didn't go the way they planned.
But, if the lady was saying the truth, then this kid had nobody to support him; he was alone because of the same powers that helped Ace save Acmetropolis every day.
A power which, in wrong hands... would lead to even worse things.
He had no choice. Ace sighed, and returned his glance at the lady, speaking with a serious tone. "...Look ma'am. I can't guarantee ya d'at I'll be da best guardian, or a... fa'da figure for d'is kid." He then looked at the door. "But... I'm willi'n ta help him."
Gertrude's face suddenly light up, something that hadn't happened in years. "Oh, oh my." She smiled, so overjoyed. "You have no idea of how much it means for us!" The Loonatics' leader smiled, a bit awkwardly, but she ignored it. "Let's go, you still have to see him."
"Ahh... 'kay." He said. The lady opened the door and entered, and Ace followed behind. Gertrude told him to wait in one small seat near a table that was nearly as small, and he felt a bit embarrassed by how ridiculous he looked on it.
"I'll be right back." She said. "With the robber alert, I told the poor guy to hide. He'll come around when he sees me." Gertrude then left the room through a door in another wall, and that's when Ace let out a loud sigh, and fully dropped his ears.
"What have I gotten into..." He mumbled. But he knew it was too late to back out now, all he could do was to trust that the lady was right about the kid having a power, because if not...
...If not, that kid would lost another chance of being adopted. Groaning at how complicated this was all going to be, wherever one way or another, Ace decided to look around the room he was in, to pass the time somehow.
The place was as old as what he'd seen so far of the wrecked orphanage, but at least it seemed to be standing alright for a a change. His eyes fell on the small toy piano near him, and judging from how there was no dust on it, he realized that it was either new, or well taken care of.
The bunny scanned the walls then, and widened his eyes slightly when he saw pictures of the orphanage when it was still working. He saw many kids around Gertrude, all of them smiling at the camera, making funny faces or poses, which brought a faith smile to his face. He saw how each photo changed, as each year there were either new or less kids, or some that still weren't adopted. But the more he looked, the more he realized the number of children went down, until there were only three.
One of them was a human boy, the other two were Looneys. Ace took a second glance at the pictures and noticed that those two had been in every photo taken, meaning that no one was interested into adopting them ever since they arrived. He couldn't help but find that thought depressing, if not outraging. But Ace calmed down, and realized that if there was a Looney left here, then that meant that the other was taken into someone's care along the human boy, so at least one of them was given the chance.
The bunny, however, didn't know which one of the boys had powers. He looked at the last image again; his eyes fell on the blue ones printed into the pictures.
He heard a door creaking as it opened and saw Gertrude walking into the room, with a smaller figure following her. Ace's ears perked up as his eyes fell once again in those eyes, only they were real now, and they belonged to a black mallard boy that was hiding behind the lady's leg.
"Ace," Gertrude started, and the older Looney turned to look at her. "This is Dante Duck. He's the one I have told you about." Dante seemed nervous, and looked up at the lady. The bunny saw how, without the use of words, Gertrude assured the kid there was nothing to be worried about. After a quiet moment, he nodded, and made his way over Ace, sitting on another chair near him. "Now," She said. "I'll head outside and leave you two to talk. If anything happens, please call me, I'll be near."
And with that she exited the room, leaving them behind.
"..." Dante was still nervous and the silence didn't help much, so he decided to start talking, avoiding eye contact. "S-so... you know about me?" Ace noticed the boy's lisp right away.
"...Just what I've been told." Ace was seeming to have problems talking as well, as he wasn't sure where this could all be leading to. "But, y'know? I would like ta know ya betta', so why not tell me 'bout ya self?"
The young mallard finally looked at him, blinking. "Uh, about what? Miss Gertrude said that she explained it all to you..."
Cracking a little smile, the bunny continued. "Well, yeah, but not everthi'n." He then had an idea. "Hey, how 'bout d'is? Ya ask me somethi'n, I answer, then I ask ya somethi'n back, and so on?"
"That... sounds fine." Dante managed to smile a little, he was still nervous, but at least he didn't turn down the idea, which made Ace glad. "Ok, me first... what's with the accent?"
Ace snorted and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Well, it's funny." The mallard shrugged, smiling a bit more now, and Ace chuckled.
"I come from da South part of Acmetropolis, most people there have d'is accent." He answered. "My turn now, how old are ya?"
Dante hummed a bit before answering. "Ten. Gertrude says I look like a boy of six because of my height." He huffed a bit. "But I'm sure I'll grow up a lot!" Ace snickered at that comment. "Don't laugh." The mallard grumbled.
The older Looney couldn't help it, there was something about that unamused tone of voice the boy had that made him snicker louder.
Another huff. "Fine, here goes another one, what's with the weird costume?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, I didn't take d'is thing off." Ace looked at his uniform, then at Dante. "I'm part of da Loonatics, da leada', actually."
"What are the Loonatics?" Dante asked, seeming confused, but Ace held a finger up with a triumphant smile. "Nah-ah, ya betta' wait your turn ta ask."
Dante crossed his arms. "Really now?" But he couldn't help the smile his beak was forming. "Fine then, then ask me something!"
"Hmmm..." Ace faked disinterest, letting his head rest on one of his hands, but hearing Dante making that unamused sound again made him chuckle and stop his play. "Alright then... ya play?" The bunny pointed to the toy piano behind him with his thump, he was curious because he believed it belonged to the boy, and seeing Dante's face considerably light up confirmed his suspicions.
"Yeah! Miss Gertrude gave me that piano for my Birthday, and I have been playing ever since!" He sat up proudly. "And I'm a great player, mind you."
Ace seemed impressed, the kid was seeming more comfortable as each question passed, and he took it as a good signal. "Heh, will have ta see d'at myself." He then smiled. "It's your turn, though I guess I know what it is."
The mallard nodded. "What are the Loonatics? And why do they make you wear a costume?"
"Two in one? Well played. Ya see..." He started. "We are a group of Looneys, literally, it's me and my o'da four teammates. We help protect da city everyday; da uniforms are ta don't be mistaken by da police."
Dante's eyes lightened up in amazement. "Wait, like super heroes from TV?"
Ace couldn't help but smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "Eh, yeah, ya can say d'at... my turn, now." He then looked straight at Dante, his smile dropping.
"...Ya have powa's, kid?"
The mallard's smile was gone as well, and he looked away. "..."
Ace knew he had struck a nerve with that question. "Look, there's nothi'n wrong with d'at. I just want ta know if it's true-"
"For what?" Dante suddenly spat and looked at Ace with a glare, the bunny seemed taken back. "If I say yes you will turn around and leave, so I'll rather say 'no'."
"So d'ats how ya see things..." Ace muttered and looked to a side. He couldn't blame the kid from thinking that way, after all, this was probably nothing new for him.
If he wanted to know what was going on, the Loonatics' leader knew that he needed to win Dante's trust.
He knew what to do right away, and turned to the boy again, who was looking away angrily. Ace cringed a bit at that, but he replaced that with a sly grin. "Hey, ya said da Loonatic's reminded ya of supa' heroes, right?"
"..." Dante glanced at Ace, but said nothing.
The bunny decided to continue. "Tell me, what do supa' heroes have? Aside of weird uniforms."
"...They have... super powers?" The mallard finally said, sounding confused. "Where are you getting with this?"
"Check it." Ace smiled a bit, and he focused. For a second the young Looney saw nothing and thought that maybe the other was messing with him. He was about to protest, but then he caught a glimpse of something-
Dante's eyes widened when he saw the older Looney's eyes were glowing with a blazing yellow light.
"Whoa!" He stood up and stared closer at Ace's eyes, with a mix of both shock and amazement in his own. "Y-you can do that too!? How?"
"So, d'at means ya have some tricks?" The glow in Ace's eyes subdued, and Dante nodded quickly. "I sorta need ta see ta believe."
The mallard thought about it. "Uh, yeah, it's just... I don't know how to control them." He admitted, sounding embarrassed. "I know how to hold them back most of the time, but still..."
Ace hummed. "...Well then, when do they activate? Maybe it's somethi'n ya do?"
"...!" Dante seemed to have an idea. "When I use the piano! It happened earlier today!" He ran to where his instrument was and, turning it on, looked for another song to play. The bunny got closer and watched, intrigued of how the piano could provoke a reaction within the young Looney's power... if he did have one, that is.
When the mallard started to play, Ace's ears quickly perked up as he heard the music, recognizing it as a song from centuries ago called 'Counting Stars'; the kid wasn't lying when he said he knew how to play, and honestly, the bunny was amazed. He saw how Dante started to lose himself into the song, closing his eyes and moving his head in time with the melody he played, seeming quite happy himself. Ace smiled at this, for a second almost forgetting the reason of why he was there.
Until he saw the orange glow emanating from under the boys' palms.
Dante jumped back and away from the piano and stared at his glowing hands, but at least, he wasn't as panicked as he would be most of the times. "You see...?" He asked Ace, not looking at him.
"Ya bet I do." Ace said as he crouched next to him, shocked to see that it was true all the time. His sight was fixed on the glowing hands, and he looked at Dante once the glow was gone. "...Well, if ya ask me I t'ink I saw enough, we should end d'is interview."
The mallard's eyes widened lightly, then he looked sadly at the floor. The feeling of rejection started to crawl upon him. "Oh..."
"...So, how 'bout ya go get Miss Gertrude? I'm sure there is a papa' I need ta sign first, right?"
The boy gasped and looked straight at Ace, eyes widened. "...What?"
The Loonatics' leader looked back at Dante, smiling in a kind way. "I ain't leavi'n ya here, kiddo. 'Sides," He shrugged. "I'm sure ya would be betta' with- AHHH!" He lost his balance as a sudden weight was lashed at him. Ace fell on his butt and almost took a defensive stand, but when he saw what exactly it was, he froze. Dante was hugging him around the neck tightly, his beak resting on the other's shoulder and face hidden in the side of Ace's head.
The older Looney's ears caught the sound of faint whimpers coming from Dante; Ace felt his heart tightening lightly, and he swallowed a small lump in his throat, before smiling and hugging the boy back. "There, there... it's fine, kiddo." He spoke with a quiet voice, feeling the mallard starting to shiver. "It's gonna be fine..."
"...I..." He said, a bit chocked. "...I'm sorry, I'm just, I'm just... happy."
"Don't apologize, I know d'is means a lot for ya." Ace pat the boy's back a few times, and could feel Dante calming down. "I can't assure ya d'at everythi'n will be a smooth ride, but leave it ta me and my friends, we'll be there for ya from now on, 'kay?"
He felt the mallard nod his head against him, and the boy finally let go from the hug. Dante was now smiling brightly, even is he was drying his tears away with his sleeves. "Miss Gertrude will go crazy when I tell her!" The boy stood up and went to the door, looking at Ace one last time with a smile, before leaving the room in search for the lady.
Ace just sat there, the warm feeling in his chest growing even after that one hug. He knew he had done the right thing, he knew the boy is going to be in a better place.
But the question that grew in his mind made him ponder, and have the feeling cool almost entirely: What about his teammates? They had no idea of what had just happened. The Looney would take Dante with him no matter what, but he thought it would be a better idea to call them before they headed to the base.
It got him a bit worried of what the others would feel, or what Dante himself would feel- what if the boy didn't like the others, or the place he would be at? What if Zadavia disapproves of the team having a kid around, knowing how dangerous it would be for him? What could he do then?
The moment Gertrude entered the room with a folder holding the adoption papers, both her and Dante smiling happily, it was the moment the warmth returned to the bunny.
He reminded himself that he needed to push those thoughts aside if he would become the new guardian of the young Looney.
The papers were all signed, and Dante was officially going to be leaving the orphanage. But there was a thing the leader knew he had to do first.
"Kiddo, I gotta make a call." He looked down and the boy, who looked back at him. "I'm letti'n my pals know d'at ya are comi'n ova', but I need ta do d'at alone."
"Oh, alright. I'll go help Gertrude with my stuff then." Dante gave him a small smile; Ace could sense the mallard felt a bit nervous, but the boy did as told and left Ace on his own.
Sighing quietly and walking out of the orphanage where his flying motorcycle was, he retrieved his communication device, and cringed when he saw there were lost calls from the others. Ace had to shut it off during his meet-up with the boy. He saw they weren't from long ago, barely five minutes, so he knew his friends were not planning a rescue party to look out for him. Yet.
Dialing the number, he waited for someone to pick his call, and he didn't have to wait much.
'Ace?' Lexi's voice came from the device.
"Hey Lex." He greeted back, hearing a sigh from the female member.
'You were starting to get us worried, what happened?' She asked, Ace then heard someone walking in the background.
'Lexi, is that Ace?' He heard Tech, and then Rev piped in. 'Oh-that's-a-relief! Where-is-he? Is-he-OK?'
Lexi chuckled. 'He hadn't told me yet.'
"Agh, sorry for worri'n ya guys." He mumbled. "But uhh, it's good ya are all in da same spot. Listen, I gotta tell ya guys somethi'n important..."
'Hrm?' Was Slam's comment, and Ace could picture them all looking directly into the device, it didn't help at all.
'You alright, chief?' Tech's comment sounded concerned, so he hurried to respond.
"I'm fine, no scratches. But it has nothi'n ta do with da robber. It's somethi'n d'at happened afta' d'at..."
Some mumbles. 'Like-what?' Rev asked. 'Don't-leave-us-hanging-here-Ace! What-happened?'
Ace took a deep breath. "..." This was it.
"So I adopted a kid." He nearly blurted out.
'WHAT!?' Was the collective answer he got, making him cringe.
"Signed papa's and all, I'm taki'n him ta da base." Ace tried to keep his nerves still, but the confusion and shock from his friends were having a light effect on him. "L-look guys, I know it sounds completely nuts, but ya gotta believe me when I tell ya d'at da kid must be with us."
'But Ace, a kid? In our team?' Lexi questioned him. 'What is he going to do here? It's not safe for him.'
'I'm with Lexi here.' Tech commented. 'Ace, why didn't you call us first? A kid is an immense responsibility...'
'Why? I-mean-it's-very-sweet-you-adopted-a-kid-but-I-don't-get-why.' Rev sounded nervous, and Ace groaned lightly.
"...Look, I just wanted ta tell ya d'at I'm headi'n there, with him, and I need ya guys not freaki'n out when we arrive." He said seriously. "I will explain once I'm there, because it's not somethi'n I can say through d'is thing."
'...' There was silence coming from the other side of the link, but then he heard another sigh from Lexi. 'Fine.' She said. 'We'll see when you get here... how's the boy called so we know?'
"Dante."
'Alright, we'll be waiting for you guys.'
Ace nodded. "We'll be there right away. Ace out." He cut the communication and glanced to the entrance, and felt a bit heartbroken.
Gertrude was there with Dante, the two were hugging each other close. Both of them were crying, but they were happy. Once they separated, the lady dried the mallard's tears and set him back on the ground, next to a box that had all his belongings. The two walked, holding hands, to where Ace was, who quickly helped them with the box.
"...Ya got everythi'n?" He asked the boy.
"Piano included." Dante nodded, and looked back at Gertrude, who was standing right behind them as Ace put the box in his motorcycle. "...Um, Ace?"
"Hm?" He looked at the boy.
Dante kept looking at the lady. "...Miss Gertrude will be staying here, so I was wondering... can I come see her once in a while?" He looked at the older Looney, with begging eyes.
Ace quickly nodded his head. "Sure, why not?" He looked at Gertrude. "If she doesn't mind it."
"Of course I wouldn't." She chuckled softly. "It will be lonely without him here and his piano plays, so I will be very happy if you ever stop by."
"Then we'll be seei'n ya soon." The Loonatics' leader put his hand on her shoulder and smiled kindly. "Ya can swear on it."
Gertrude smiled at Ace and nodded faintly. "...You take good care of him." She then said, seriously. "You are his new guardian, and he'll look up at you. Remember that."
"I will." He said, and then stepped back. "Well... it's time ta go." Ace looked at Dante, who gave Gertrude one last hug, before following Ace to his vehicle. "Hang on." Ace got in first and then picked Dante, setting him safely next to him, and started the motorcycle.
Dante looked outside the window and waved goodbye at Gertrude, who did the same, until they were off sight.
The young Looney kept looking out, amazed by the sight of the skyscrapers that started to appear once they left the western side of Acmetropolis, and headed north. "...Ace," He started, quietly. "what did your friends say?"
"Eh." He searched for the right words. "Well, they were shocked." Ace then smiled lightly. "But d'at won't change a thing. All they gotta do is ta know ya."
"Is it?" Dante turned to him.
Ace nodded. "Well, and see ya powa's too."
"Called it." The mallard boy said flatly, and the older Looney couldn't help but laugh a bit.
Once he stopped, he let out a faith chuckle. "In any case," He glanced at Dante, smiling lightly. "I will be by your side, kiddo."
"...Thank you." He smiled. The rest of the ride was quiet, both thinking how things would turn out once they arrived.
Ace the most.
A/N: There you have it! Aw, wasn't that sweet? But what will the rest of the gang think once they arrive? Again, you will have to wait for the next update, so until next time!
~DreamerAwaken.