And so, here we go again! It's time for more escapades for our favourite superhero!

Many of you have probably noticed I've not been updating as much, to which my simple reply would be: University.

With my usual excuse/desire to cut to the story introduction sorted out, I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter.

Chapter 4: Duality Principle Act 1

Luffy P.O.V

"Alright everyone, class dismissed," Beckman announces loudly at the front of the class. "I'd like you all to check through pages 24-25 in your text books for tomorrow's lesson and I want you to place your homework projects in the red tray at the front of the class."

As usual, half the class has already lost interest in what Beckman has said. Is it really that shocking? Well, not really when you consider the fact that on Thursday, Science is our last lesson of the day and everyone's impatient and wants to get home as soon as possible.

Well, almost everyone…

I've still got to visit Bon to pick up a patched up version of my suit (again, which is something Bon isn't thrilled about either). I really wish that these bad guys would stop exploiting my weakness to sharp objects. Between Predator's claws and Monarch's well aimed shurikens, my costume has been damaged twice in one week. I guess frequent visits to Bon will be yet another result of the sudden rise in the number of super villains in Dawn City.

I enjoyed things so much better when I was the only freak in town.

Quickly remembering that my appointment with Bon was still half an hour away from now, I jump up out of my seat and hoist my bag over my shoulder. I've got something to do first after all. Whilst most of the class makes their way towards the exit, I and some of the other students head towards the front of the class, to drop off our projects. I still can hardly believe Hancock actually trusted me enough to actually hand in the project myself. Last night, after we'd finished working out the presentation at Makino's bar, I tried to tell her that it was better if she had it. Not only does my dual identity tend to be a major distraction but I'm also just naturally bad at keeping things safe or remembering where they are. Never the less, Hancock just laughed off my excuse and said she had faith in me. Despite my momentary lapse of confusion and fear at her house, she still has faith in me.

I'm not sure whether I should be proud of that or ashamed…

Then again, I suppose everyone deserves a second chance. I'm giving her one and she's giving me one too. When you give people that second chance, they might surprise you. I know Hancock surprised me. Our study session was actually pretty fun. We met up at Makino's bar (she apparently knew where it was) and then we got straight to work on our project. Makino, thankfully, seemed to keep out of our way so we could work…but she did keep flashing us this weird smile. I didn't understand why and I still don't so it's best to really not think about it.

After we finished, Makino insisted I walk Hancock home (I told her Hancock didn't live too far and that she was independent enough to walk home on her own but she insisted I walk her, saying something about being a 'gentleman' to my 'date'). I don't get where everyone is pulling this idea of me dating Hancock from. A guy hangs out with a girl for two nights in a row and then *poof* suddenly they've been together for five years and are planning to get married with a baby on the way.

As I approach Beckman's desk, I notice he looks up at me in confusion. Without saying a word, I simply slide our project into the tray.

"I thought you said you weren't going to work with her," Beckman mutters in surprise.

"I thought so too," is all I could think to reply with. Beckman simply nods, probably having been stunned speechless by my statement.

Without waiting for him to regain his speech, I quickly dash out of the classroom. It's an oddly nice feeling when you can actually leave someone completely speechless. I grin widely as I push my way out of the room. Immediately, I'm met with a wall of other students coming out of their classes. I groan loudly as I leap into the mindless cluster, forcing my way through the noise. I fail to make out any familiar faces in the crowd. It seems like all of my friends have disappeared into the crowd in an instant. I glance around the waves of students for a sign of their presence.

I can't spot a long nose poking out of the group.

I can't see a shade of green hair bouncing about.

…I do, however, spot one thing amongst the crowd.

A vibrant and familiar shade of short orange hair swaying in the distance.

Nami!

"Hey Nami! Hey!" I call out, chasing after my orange haired friend.

At first, Nami doesn't seem to notice me, so I call out to her again.

"Nami!"

This time, Nami finally turns around and spots me. However, she doesn't slow down either. Our eyes meet across the room and then she turns back around. I raise my eyebrow at this. What's up with her? Quickly, I speed up, pushing relentlessly through the crowd. It doesn't take long for me to finally reach Nami and when I do, she seems shocked that I caught up with her so quick.

"Nami?"
"Hi…" she mumbles, quickly looking away from me.

This makes me even more confused. Is she trying to ignore me?
"Nami, are you okay?"
"Of course I'm okay," she replies, still not looking at me but instead focusing her gaze at the door ahead. "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
"I don't know," I admit nervously. "It's just that I feel like you've been avoiding me recently."

"I've not been avoiding you!" she snaps, finally turning to face me.

The rage at being accused is clear in her voice but I refuse to back down from the subject.

"Well, you didn't wait for me at lunch like usual and you wouldn't talk to me during today's lessons. Heck, the last time we spoke was when you gave me that orange you had," I explain, tilting my head slightly as I offer her a sad frown. "Are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit…"
"A bit?" Nami urges me to continue with a raised eyebrow.

I bite my lip nervously at Nami's strong gaze.

"…Angry." I finally reply.

At the word, Nami seems to realise she's actually starting to glare at me and backs away slightly.

"Sorry."

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask once more. "Is something wrong?"

Nami doesn't reply for a moment, so I press the issue further.

"Have I done something bad?"

"What?" Nami questions in return, looking at me in confusion.

"Have I done something bad?" I repeat. "Are you mad at me for some reason?"
"No!" Nami insists, holding out a hand to me, instructing me to calm down. "No, I'm not mad at you Luffy."

I give a sight of relief. Thank Oda. I thought Nami not talking to me meant that she hated me because of something I've done…though unfortunately, saying no only narrows things down a bit.

"Then what's wrong then?" I ask once more. "It's not nice to keep secrets."

I can't believe I of all people just said that…

Then again, Nami's secret can't be as dangerous as mine. She's not a super heroine…

…I think anyway…

She's pretty incredible but I don't think she dresses up every night in skin tight spandex to fight crime...even though that would be pretty cool.

"Luffy, I'm fine!" Nami insists. "I just…I've been thinking recently."
"Thinking? About what?" I question with a raised eyebrow.

"Just thinking about things," Nami explains, though that still doesn't explain anything really.

I frown at her cryptic words.

"Nami, you should cheer up. I don't like it when you're all mopey."
"I'm not 'mopey'," Nami counters "and I'm pretty sure that isn't even a word."
"Well, it should be," I mumble. "My point is that you shouldn't think too much, it hurts your head."

"You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" Nami murmurs, casting a small smile my way.

Despite the playful insult, I take Nami's smile as a sign of victory. I don't like seeing my friends unhappy, so Nami's change of mood is a welcome sight. Maybe I'm also feeling good though, because I feel like I'm getting my own problems off of my chest. I've been thinking a little too much recently too, doubting myself when I'm Scarlet and whether or not I've done the right thing.

"If you spend all your time thinking, then I guess life might just pass you by."

"You think?" I jump slightly, realising I was speaking out loud accidentally.

"Yeah, I guess," I say under my breath, not having much confidence in just a random thought.

Honestly, I haven't gotten used to looking before I leap yet, or talking before I think about what I'm going to say.

Never the less, Nami actually seems pleased with my answer.

"I guess you're right. I just can't help but think about things recently."

"Like what?" At the question, Nami appears hesitant.

She turns to look at me for a moment, before smiling.

"None of your business," she responds, sticking out her tongue.

I can't help but laugh at that.

"There's the Nami we all know and love!" I announce happily, placing my arms behind my head and closing my eyes as I laugh.

I look over to Nami once more but this time, Nami is looking away from me. Was it something I said? She seems to have fallen quiet at my words.

I open my mouth to change the subject but suddenly get interrupted as a pair of arms wrap around my neck, pulling me into an awkward hug as I'm tackled from behind.

"LUFFY!" a voice calls happily as her arms squeeze me tightly.

It doesn't take much guessing to know who it is.

"Hancock, what have I said about personal boundaries?" I choke out. Immediately, Hancock stops hugging me and jumps backward, giggling loudly.

"Sorry," she says softly. "I'm just a little excited!"
"It's okay," I reply, taking a deep breath to start the blood circulation again, before turning to her with a look of confusion. "Wait? Why are you so excited?"

"We finished that project today!" Hancock shouts happily. "That's a pretty good reason to be excited right?"

I shrugged.

"I guess…"
"I had a really good time with you yesterday," Hancock suddenly comments, her smile so wide it's almost stretching off her face.

"Er…yeah, me too," I admit. "It was a lot of fun."
"We should definitely do it again sometime!" Hancock insists, once more latching onto my arm.

I'll give her this much, she's persistent in being friends with me again. Then again, I like people who are persistent. All of my friends are like that.

Zoro.

Robin.

Sanji.

Nami…

"Er, yeah we should definitely do it again sometime," I begin, gently easing my arm out of her grip "but right now, I really need to get going. People to see, things to do, you know what I mean."

Hancock's smile suddenly vanishes at my words.

"Sure…"

"But we should definitely hang out more!" I call back in the hopes of cheering her up. "I really enjoyed last night!"

Hancock smile returns once more at my shout and she waves me off.

"I enjoyed it too! I'll see you later Luffy!~"
"Yeah…see ya…" I reply half-heartedly.

I'm not too focused on Hancock right now after all. It's my orange haired best friend that's captured my interest right now. I quickly turn back around hoping to see her walking alongside me.

"Shit." The simple word escapes my lips and I start running as quickly as I can through the crowd of students towards the exit.

Nami has disappeared.

Nami P.O.V

Why?

Why did he have to say that?

Why for Oda's sakes did he have to say that?

The Nami we all know and love!

I understand Luffy isn't trying purposely to get on my nerves but I won't lie when I say that those words cut deep...or really, two of those words cut deep.

We and Love.

I wasn't even sure why either of the words are irritating me so much. There wasn't anything mean spirited about them and Luffy said that with his usual goofy smirk on…

His usual brilliant calming smile.

I sigh loudly and angrily, walking straight through the front exit to Dawn High. I started walking at triple speed the moment Luffy started speaking with Hancock. I don't understand why he's suddenly being friendly with her now all of a sudden. Maybe he…

I stopped in my footsteps.

Maybe he likes her…

Instantly, I shake my head.

No, that's impossible. This is Luffy! Even if Luffy ever really showed any interest in any girls, he definitely wouldn't be in love with some self-absorbed arrogant bitch…

…Right?

I force myself to nod along with my own thoughts, needing to convince myself that I'm right about Luffy. However, another question annoyingly clung to my mind.

"Why do I care?" I mumble out-loud.

I honestly didn't have an answer to that question. Why do I care who my best friend likes or what he does? Usopp, as much as I hate to admit it, was right when he said who Luffy talked too wasn't any of my business…

But for some reason, I feel like it is.

Luffy's always been my friend, that goofy little kid who always followed me around. Honestly, I'm not sure how we ended up so close. Makino once said that Luffy used to always tail me in the playground and drag me off on adventures. Bellemere, however, explained that little girls like 'mothering' little boys and apparently, I had chosen to mother Luffy. If that was true, then it looks like I never really stopped mothering him. He'd always been a little dopey and even though we're all in high school, he still seems to be a little slow on the uptake. We've always been there for each other though, catching the other if they should fall. He was my…

Friend…

WHY DID THAT WORD ANNOY ME SO MUCH?

Luffy IS my friend, so why am I so irritated when I call myself that?

I sigh loudly, slightly glad that I had this time to think by myself…

I'm not alone for long however.

Quickly, the sound of quick footsteps and frantic shouting cause me to realise I am being followed.

"Nami! Hey Nami!" I bit my lip, conflicted about what to do now that Luffy had tracked me down.

Would he be mad I walked away from him before? Should I stop and wait for him? Things are just far too confusing right now. My mind is running away with itself and I just can't think properly.

"Calm down Nami, calm down," I whisper as Luffy falls into step beside me.

I turn to look away as he pants loudly.

"Hey!"

"Hey…" I reply.

"What was that about?" My eyebrow rises.

"What was what about?"
"You walking off there. I thought something had happened to you or something. I was worried…"

A small smile plays on my lips at Luffy's expressed concern. He's kind of cute when he's being all protective of his friends…

Cute…Friend…

"Sorry," I mutter shamefully. "I just…have to get going…I've…I've got a lot of homework to do."

I clenched my fist. It felt bad lying to Luffy but right now, I felt like I had to think about some things. First and foremost, I want to consider exactly what these new feelings about Luffy meant. The butterflies in my stomach become even worse when Luffy just smiles in understanding.

"Yeah, Professor Clover gave us that essay, didn't he?" Luffy groans, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

Then, almost without warning, Luffy jumped over in front of my vision and grinned at me.

"Do you think we could work on it together?"

My initial shock at Luffy pushing his face in front of mine quickly disappears.

"Luffy, you have to do the essay on your own…"

"Yeah and I will."

Luffy catches me rolling my eyes and frowns at me.

"I will! I will!" he insists childishly. "I'll write it by myself...but I just wanted to see if you wanted to do it together. You said yourself that we haven't been hanging out too much recently, so I wanted to see if we could change that."

I barely hold back the sudden urge to give a large grin at Luffy's words. It has been too long since we last hung out…but…

"That's a sweet offer Luffy, really sweet."

It was.

"But I'd rather sort out things out on my own."

As Luffy's smile drops into a confused neutral expression, I feel a twinge of pain in my chest. It looks like I've completely crushed his hopes.

"It's okay," Luffy says, however. "We could hang out some other time then?"

I smile at the offer.

"I'd really like that."

Once more, Luffy's smile is back with a vengeance.

"Cool."
"Luffy," I suddenly interrupt. "You do realise you don't live this way right?"

Instantly, Luffy stops walking and stares at me bemused. For a moment, he considers my words. He glances back over his shoulder, then back at me. He shrugs.

"Oops…"

I shake my head with a laugh.

"Monkey D. Luffy, when will you learn?" I ask mockingly.

Luffy pouts.

"Eventually," he mumbles, before turning around and heading back up the road. "I'll see you around sometime then. Okay Nami!?"

"Yeah, sure. See you around…" I mumble, watching Luffy bouncing off happily into the distance.

I sigh loudly as he waves back at me. Once more, my stomach is doing back flips.

"Luffy…" I find myself mumbling with a sigh. "What's happening to me?"

Luffy P.O.V

"MY SWEET CREATION! WHAT…"

"Not my fault," I speak up suddenly from where I sit before Bon can accuse me of defacing his 'baby'. "A guy with sharp pointy ninja stars ripped it up when he attacked me."

Bon turns around from studying my destroyed suit and gives me an odd look.

"It's true!" I shout loudly. "I don't seek out villains who use sharp objects!"

"Maybe not but the fact they keep coming after you is making my job harder," Bon mutters, examining the torn costume with a frown.

"Technically, this isn't a job. You volunteered to help fix my suits, remember?"
"Ah yes, the romantic dream of the superhero,~" Bon swoons to himself. "Knowing that I can help you protect people in any way I can is just…AMAZING!"

"And make me look good doing it," I comment.

Bon grins.

"That goes without saying my friend. After all, no matter what you do, you have to do it…IN STYLE!~"

I laugh as Bon adopts a ballerina pose, twirling happily on his heel. That's one good thing about Bon. He always manages to put me in a good mood. It makes it easy to forget about that weird masked magnet man in that odd outfit with that freaky hover board from the other night…though admittedly, as much as I try, I can't quite manage to get the image of Monarch flying away into the night whilst I'm in free fall out of my head.

I think it's the first time I've ever let a villain get away. Even when Predator beat me, I had gone searching and found him quite easily again for a rematch. Monarch, however, seems to be playing things quiet for the moment. There's no mention of him in the paper. Heck, according to the Grand Line Times, nothing was even stolen from the warehouse. So why was Monarch there then if he wasn't going to take anything? Or did he just take something no-one would notice?

Of course, the fact that nothing was taken didn't stop Shiki from branding me a criminal. I grimace at the sight of the most recent copy of Grand Line Times sitting on Bon's desk. At the top of the page, in large black letters, the headline screams out 'SCARLET WIND STRIKES POLICE CAPTAIN: SMOKER UNAVAILABLE FOR COMMENT'. Bon seems to have noticed my irritation as he looks away from stitching my costume back up and gives me an awkward grin.

"Trust me, I only get that trash to keep up on recent events and read the comics," he explains with a laugh. "Those 'Adventures of Norland the Liar' strips are hilarious!"

I nod supposedly in agreement but honestly, I'm not too concerned with how funny the adventures of Norland are.

I'm more worried about Smoker. As much as I hate to admit it, I don't think I've seen the last of Smoker. If anything, my escape from his forces the other day is only going to make him more eager to capture me. Without meaning to, I had embarrassed him in front of his men and punched him in the face. If he wasn't entirely convinced I was a criminal before, then he's definitely got me at the top of his list now. Personal hatred tends to be stronger than duty after all but now, Smoker had both and that made him dangerous. I sigh loudly. Did someone just decide my life was going too easy? Because suddenly, it seems like the world is out to get me. The bad guys are getting meaner and nastier; the good guys are suddenly gunning for me and, even worse, Makino seems to have gone from being concerned for my well-being to being deeply afraid.

AND just to put the cherry on the cake, now Nami is acting weird. She was blanking me during lunch and lessons and when I tried to talk to her about it, she seemed angry…yet then she said she wasn't angry at me and then later on, she agreed we could hang out sometime. Shanks said that women were one of life's great mysteries and I've never understood that until today. Maybe she was just thinking like she said. I hope she starts acting normal again soon. If my life has to keep getting crazier, then I'd rather at least Nami stayed the same. I really couldn't imagine my life without her.

"Nami…"
"Did you say something Scarlet?"

I almost fall off the chair as Bon calls over but quickly grab hold of a nearby table. Suddenly, I feel pain shoot out from my shoulder and wince. Of course, it's the wound on my shoulder from last night. I should really not be moving my arms so quickly.

"Scarlet?" Bon asks in concern, walking over.

I grit my teeth and grip my shoulder, forcing a smile to my face.

"I'm fine, just…"

Bon doesn't listen, however, quickly racing over.

"What's wrong?" he questions.

"Nothing," I reply as Bon fights to get a good luck at my shoulder. "Get off!"

Despite my protests, Bon succeeds in pulling back my hoodie enough to spot the soft patch of crimson. Spotting the deep shuriken wound on my arm, Bon's expressions morphs into one of concern.

"Scarlet, you're really hurt."

"Tell me something I don't know," I growl, pulling my hoodie back into place.

"That looks serious though," Bon comments with a sigh. "You might want to see a doctor about that."

Me? See a doctor?

"Yeah, that'll go over well," I mutter, before adopting a polite tone. "Hello good sir, could you please stitch me up? I was in this fight with this nefarious super villain you see and he cut me across the shoulder. Of course I'd be happy to give you all my personal details!"

Bon is not amused by my sarcasm.

"I'm just saying you need to get yourself fixed up," Bon explains with a sigh. "If you tally up enough of those kinds of hits, you're not going to be around for much longer."

"I'm fine," I reply, holding up my hands in defence.

I wince as my shoulder aches. Bon gives me a pained look.

"Scarlet, fine is not the same as good."
"I can't go to a doctor and get this thing checked," I assert, pointing to the scratch on my shoulder. "I've got a secret identity to think of! Besides, I heal quick.

"Not quick enough," Bon notes. "Your wounds from your fight with Predator aren't going away too quickly. You are healing faster than the average person, I'll give you that, but at this rate, you're going to kill yourself."

"Well, could you stitch me up then?"

Bon seems panicked by the suggestion.

"What? Stitch up your injuries?"
"Yeah, you stitch up stuff all the time!" I argue, pointing to a series of dresses resting on the worktop. "Look!"

Bon sighs.

"Skin is a lot different from fabric my friend. I'm afraid if I messed with it I'd make it…worse…"
"I've got a giant bloody scar on my left shoulder," I comment with a grimace. "Exactly HOW could this be any worse?"

"I don't know, I'm not a doctor!" Bon shouts back. "Which is my exact reasoning for why I shouldn't be stitching you up, I'm not qualified. Isn't there anyone you could possibly go to get 'off the books' medical aid?"

An image of Chopper's dad instantly pops into my mind and I quickly shake my head.

I'd rather take my chances than have Hiriluk try another one of his 'unique' cure methods on it.

"Nope, there's no-one I trust like I trust you."

"AH!~ Such words of comradery my friend!~" Bon swoons, pirouetting happily.

I hold back a laugh as he spins.

"So come on, you design the clothes I wear, why not stylise my skin?" I question.

Bon finally turns serious once again and shoots me a concerned look.

"If you're not going to see a doctor on your own then as your fashion consultant and your friend, I guess I have no choice but to help," Bon says with a frustrated growl. "After all, blood is definitely not chic."

I don't even know what chic means but I trust Bon and just nod along with his comment.

"Alright then," I mutter. "How do you want to do this then?"

Bon stares at me for a second before sighing.

"You're really up for this, huh?" he sighs. "Alright then, strip off your top and lie on your back. I'll see what I can do to patch you up"

"Thanks Bon," I call happily, already beginning to tug off my hoodie "I owe you one!"

"I'm sure you owe me more than that," Bon corrects but the smile on his face shows the comment has no ill intent. As I pull my hoodie over my head, it rubs against the wound on the back of my shoulder and I wince. Those ninja stars hurt like hell. Hopefully, I can get some rest tonight without any more super villains causing trouble.

I mean, considering all the crap that's been going on recently, how the heck could things get worse?

Usopp P.O.V

The walk back home from Dawn high school was fairly boring. Usually, I'd try and walk back home with Luffy seeing as we lived fairly close to one another but recently, Luffy seems to be avoiding walking home. I've barely seen the guy since the start of last summer and now we've gotten back to school, we seem to see each other even less. It's like he has a secret double life that none of us know about.

With a sigh, I climb the steps towards my house, rubbing my long hair with a free hand. Today had been a long day. Pell set us a pop quiz on everything we'd read about Frankenstein and considering I wasn't even sure what the guy who made Frankenstein was called, I probably failed that horribly. Beckman also had this huge lecture prepared that we had to take notes for. Seriously, I think my writing hand is pretty much dead now. I could really do with a nice nap now.

With a yawn, I stick my house key into the front door, unlock it and then yank it open.

"Hey Mum, hey Dad!" I call as I walk inside "I'm home."

I can't help but jump as a mysterious figure suddenly dashes out of the kitchen and grabs me in a massive bear hug.

"Well, here's my favourite nephew now! How are you doing Usoppun!?" my eyes open at the familiar voice and I push myself away from my uncle's large belly.

"Uncle Heracles!"

"Usoppun! It is good to see you again!" he yells happily, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"What are you doing here?" I ask with a laugh of joy.

Uncle Heracles rarely visits us!

No, wait, scratch that, he NEVER visits us!

Now that I think about it, this is the first time he's ever visited us since the move, which is sad because him and me were always close when I was a kid. Uncle Heracles was just a barrel of laughs and he could instantly make you feel better about yourself. However, that was before he got sent away on business.

You see, Heracles, he's a scientist.

YEAH! I KNOW A REAL SCIENTIST!

And a good one too!

Apparently, the reason he left was because he was chosen for this super secret experiment (which isn't really that super secret because apparently, nothing stopped Uncle Heracles from telling us that was why he was leaving). However, he did leave out the details of his secret experiment and when we tried asking, he was adamant about telling us anything.

But now he's back!

"Well, I got some leave time and thought I'd have a little tour of the country," Heracles explains "Then, I remembered as I was passing through Jaya that my favourite nephew and my only sister lived here, so I thought I'd come and check on you guys, make sure you've not been getting into any trouble."

I can't help but smile at his explanation. Between Kaya's latest crush and Luffy's recent aloofness, I really need something like this to make me laugh.

"Dad, why didn't you tell me Uncle Heracles was coming round?" I suddenly ask, snapping my head around the table.

Dad laughs as he takes a sip of coffee.

"I'm not physic you know, I didn't know he was going to be here until I opened the door and he almost crushed my lung with a bear hug. Besides, I thought you specifically told me that you didn't want me to drive you home after school, something about your old man being 'embarrassing' and 'ruining your street cred'."

I roll my eyes.

"You try to get some independence and they hold it against you for life," I mutter so only Heracles can hear.

He gives a small smile of understanding.

"It's what parents do," he murmurs softly in reply.

"Usopp, the door!" Mum shouts, peeking her head round the corner.

Quickly, I glance round, my eyes finally meeting with the sight of the still open door. I shut it and I hear a soft sigh of gratitude from my mum.

"Dinner will be ready soon," she says. "Usopp honey, do you mind helping carry Heracles stuff up to our room so it's out of the way?"

I look down and sure enough, about four large duffle bags and one neatly shaped suitcase are sitting in the the way of the stairs.

"It appears he wanted to bring the whole office back with him," Dad calls in agreement.

Uncle Heracles gives a light hearted chuckle in reply.

"Let the boy rest, he's just got in from school," he argues.

I shrug my shoulders.

"I don't mind."

Slowly, I bend over and reach for the nearest item to me. My fingers barely touch against the handle of the suitcase, before Uncle Heracles suddenly snatches it out of my hand. I glance up at him in confusion, only to be met with a serious stare. I shake under my uncle's gaze but soon, it softens.

"Thanks for the help Usoppun," he says in a low voice. "Some of this stuff is just very important, work related. You understand, right?"

I didn't actually understand completely why Heracles had suddenly snapped but never the less, I nod my head. Immediately, Heracles starts to smile.

"Good, then let's take this stuff upstairs."

I didn't say anything in response.

It took three trips to get all of my uncle's stuff up into a corner of my mum and dad's room. As I dragged the last bag in, Heracles was inspecting the insides of his suitcase. Sadly, he opened it with the lid facing me so I couldn't look inside and tell what was there. The moment I stepped inside the room, he pushed the lid down on the suitcase and smiled at me.

"We all good here Usoppun?"
"Yeah," I reply calmly, trying my best to forget about his sudden almost aggressive reaction to me grabbing the suitcase before.

"Good," he says with a smile. "Come on, we better get back down before your mother ends up shouting us."
"Give me a sec, I need to chuck my bag in my room," I reply.

Heracles nods, placing the suitcase to one side and standing up off my parent's bed.

"I'll see you downstairs then, okay?"

As he passes in the doorway, he ruffles my hair and I push him off with a chuckle.

"Sure" I mutter.

Heracle's footsteps echo down the stairs before fading out into silence. For a moment, I stood where I was. My room was opposite my parent's room, so it was easy to just fling my bag inside…

But…

Slowly, I turned to look at the suitcase resting on my Uncle's bed…

I wonder what's in there…

Before I realise it, I'm walking into the room. When I finally realise what I'm doing, I'm already sitting on the bed with the suitcase in my lap. I blink. What the hell am I doing? This is my uncle's private work! It's what he's been working on for eight or so years now. Whatever it is, I should respect his decision and not want to look, despite my curiosity.

But then I look down and realise that the suitcase hasn't been closed properly. The latches that usually pin the case shut aren't applied and Uncle Heracles even forgot to lock it properly…

My fingers trembled.

"Don't do it" I heard myself whisper "Don't do it, you'll regret it, don't…"
I flicked open the suitcase.

I was met with a truly odd sight indeed.

Inside, the suitcase was padded, protecting five small vials filled with a bright green liquid. Across each, someone had quickly scribbled two words in black marker on some sticky white paper.

Pop Green.

Third person P.O.V

"So…Doc, what are you going to do to me again?" the timid red nosed man finally spoke up.

Dr Vegapunk sighed loudly, fiddling with his thick rimmed glasses for a moment before turning to look at his latest test subject.
"Well, Mr Palazzo, was it?"
"Call me Buggy Doc," the red nosed man demanded with a grin. "Everyone else does!"
"I see…" Vegapunk muttered calmly under his breath, once more flicking through the notes on the clipboard he was holding.

"Well…not really everyone calls it me. Some people call me big nose…or Rudolf…or…"

"Mr Palazzo!" Vegapunk interrupted, glaring at his latest test subject, whom he had quickly learned was in fact quite talkative, particularly about the things he hated, which to Vegapunk's knowledge currently included dairy products, someone named Shanks, a variety of TV shows, ducks and, of course, the Scarlet Wind.

Buggy clamped his mouth shut instantly.

"Well…my point is that my friends call me Buggy, Doc," he explained.

Vegapunk ignored Buggy's explanation.

They were certainly not friends.

"Mr Palazzo, you were offered to come here in order to obtain enhanced abilities or, if you're searching for a more simple explanation, you're going to be given super powers."
"Like Galdino?" Buggy asked.

Vegapunk simply nodded.

"Not exactly the same thing of course, but you will be given special abilities to help you pursue your main objective."
"Get rich quick?" Buggy's suggestion was shut down automatically as Vegapunk turned to glare at him.

"The complete destruction of the Scarlet Wind," the scientist growled.

He was losing patience quite quickly with this man. Buggy laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I knew that Doc, I was just pulling your leg."
"Besides," Vegapunk suddenly spoke up, leaning in closer to Buggy's face. "If you do kill him…why then you can steal as much as you like, can't you?"

Buggy thought about this for a moment and then smiled.

"I see what you mean Doc," he shouted happily. "It looks like everything's coming up Buggy!"

"Indeed," the scientist mumbled, turning back to his notes.

"I mean, when Spanda' approached me with his flashy offer, there was no way I could…"

"I will give you a moment to compose yourself," Vegapunk announced standing up from his seat. "When I return, I want you to be prepared for the procedure to begin."
"Sure thing Doc," Buggy announced with a salute.

"Strip to your waist," Vegapunk called as he pulled the door open. "I'll be back soon."
"…Er…is that necessary Doc?" Buggy shouted after him.

"Why of course," Vegapunk replied, turning to face Buggy with a grin. "How else am I supposed to judge the effects of my highly volatile and dangerous chemicals if I can't see what they do to you!?"

Buggy nodded for a second but instantly faltered.

"…Dangerous?"

Vegapunk had already closed the door, however, and as he exited the room, it clicked to show it was locked. Vegapunk quickly straightened his lab coat and began walking. Swiftly, he climbed the clean white stairs until he eventually reached the observation platform.

"How's it going in there Doc?" a familiar voice asked him.

Vegapunk smiled.

"Good, I suppose," he mumbled, before turning to face Spandam. "I'm not sure how effective he'll be against Scarlet though…"
"And why is that?"
"He's an absolute moron," Vegapunk explained with a sigh.

"So was Galdino," Spandam argued.

Vegapunk shook his head.

"Galdino was a coward. Cowards underestimate themselves. That is more fear than stupidity," Vegapunk said. "True stupidity, however, is to have no fear, to charge boldly into the face of danger without a simple consideration for how out of depth a person is. That defines Mr Palazzo rather nicely."

"The guy is still suitable for your experiments though, right?" Spandam spoke up, still looking at the nervous Buggy through the two way mirror.

"Definitely," Vegapunk mumbled, once more reviewing his charts. "Beggars can't be choosers and despite his less than healthy lifestyle, I believe that he will be a suitable lab rat. He merely needs some guidance."

As if to illustrate this, Vegapunk suddenly grabbed a small microphone from nearby and activated it with a simple flick of the button.

"Mr Palazzo. When I said I wanted you to strip to your waist, I meant the top half."

A groan of acknowledgement was made from behind the glass. Vegapunk shook his head.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder where you find these people."
"Wherever we can," Spandam responded simply. "I'm not sure whether or not you've noticed Doc but people aren't exactly lining up to become freaks."

"Now that my dear Spandam is where you are mistaken…"

Spandam gave Vegapunk an odd look but refused to comment on what he meant by the statement. At that instant, Vegapunk's coat pocket vibrated. The scientist glanced down with uncertainty.

"My apologies Spandam, I have to take this."

Spandam's eyes widened.

"E-excuse me?"

"Your ears still function quite well do they not?" Vegapunk retorted, casting the man a sly grin. "I said I need to take this call. Do you mind waiting here for a moment?"

Spandam looked confused by the request but nodded.

"Fine, just hurry up. Mr Zero…"
"Wants this fine man made into an opponent for the Scarlet Wind, I am well aware," Vegapunk interrupted. "And I will do my best to prepare him for the role of such. However, I do have something I need to attend to. I shall return soon."

And with that, Vegapunk left the main lab and Spandam behind him. Once outside, Vegapunk let out a small sigh and plucked the phone from his pocket.

"Hello?"
"I got your message," the voice on the other end of the phone responded.

Vegapunk smiled.

This man was very too the point. He liked that.

"Good and what are your thoughts?"
"You're bat shit crazy doc," Vegapunk laughed.

"Perhaps," he admitted.

For a moment more, there was silence over the line.

"But…can you do it? Can you really do it?" Vegapunk smiled. The tone of urgency and curiosity in the man's voice implied that he had found his latest test subject.

"I believe so. After the last few…errors in my plans," Vegapunk muttered the final few words in disgust, before once more adopting his usual jovial voice. "I have decided that I need to take a different approach. After all, the Scarlet Wind is indeed powerful…but as the old proverb says 'fight fire with fire'" the voice on the other side of the line was silent.

"…What?" Vegapunk rolled his eyes.

Uncultured youths.

"Never mind," Vegapunk pressed on with a smile. "The point is that, in theory, I should be able to find a way to replicate the Scarlet Wind's powers that allow him to manipulate his body."
"In other words, I get super powers," the voice chuckled loudly "but…why would you tell me about this?"
"To further expand the horizons of science," Vegapunk responded simply. "Plus, you and I share a common goal. The destruction of one crimson wearing costumed calamity. It is a problem I believe you share with Mr Zero"

A growl was the reply that greeted Vegapunk's ear.

"Bastard. Guy thinks he runs the whole town."
"To be fair, he does," Vegapunk admitted with a shrug. "But, think about this. If you were to take this operation, gain similar abilities to Scarlet AND then best him in combat…why, think of what that would mean for you? He is becoming quite the thorn in Mr Zero's side and defeating something even Mr Zero has failed to deal with will make other gang leaders rally to your cause. You could become the next big crime lord my friend."

Laughter echoed down the phone and Vegapunk knew he had won. The ambitious and avaricious were easily manipulated pawns and Vegapunk knew that better than anyone.

"Tell me Mr Hyena, would you like to help me bring down the Scarlet Wind?" the scientist asked.

On the other side of the line, Bellamy grinned.

"Yes. Yes I would."

To be continued in Chapter 4: Duality Principle Act 2

Until then I'm Shadowonthewall and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please review. Positive criticism is welcome.