Alright. It's time for chapter 9. Out of all the chapters, this is the one I've been waiting to do. For this chapter, it's time for Nick and Judy to make their superhero debuts. So at this point, it's totally different from what happened in the Cloak and Dagger Series. For most superheroes, they start their debut with something small and work their way up. But what happens when our two heroes have to do something big to protect innocent lives? Will they be able to handle it? Let's find out. BTW, I think this will be my favorite chapter.
It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
In the abandoned church where Judy lives, Nick was sitting on one of the benches, waiting for Judy. Judy wasn't in yet. During all the waiting, Nick had headphones on and listened to his music. He then started to get a whiff of Judy's scent, telling him she was near. After taking his headphones off and hung them by his neck, he looked from behind and sees Judy walking down with white plastic bags of supplies.
"Yo!" Nick said greeting the bunny.
"Oh. We're visiting each other now, are we?" Judy said with a smirk.
"Comes with the partnership." Nick stated. Nick then notices the supplies Judy has with her. "What's all that?"
"Just some groceries. Food, some snacks, soda." Judy said.
"You didn't steal those, I hope?" Nick asked.
"All have you know, I haven't stolen anything since meeting you. You affected me with your 'honest fox-ness'." Judy stated. "I got these when I was grocery shopping... with my mom."
"I don't see why you won't just move in with her now." Nick said.
"I already told you." Judy said as she puts down her groceries in the front. "Now's not the right time. Besides, we're still learning the ropes of our powers. I'll move back in with her when I'm ready"
"So long as you're considering it." Nick said. He was then feeling pretty thirsty. "Hey, can I get one of those sodas?"
Judy dug into one of her bags and took out a lemon-lime soda can.
"Catch!" Judy said before throwing the can to Nick.
Nick then grabbed the can using his shadow mist and slowly brought it to himself. Nick had really got the hang of using some of his powers even without the cloak.
"Look at you, mastering your shadow mist." Judy said sounding proud of the fox.
"It's pretty dope." Nick said liking his powers. He then opened the can and started sipping from it. "It's all I can really manage to do without my cloak tho."
"So... assuming you didn't come for soda, why are you here?" Judy asked as she takes a soda for herself and opens it.
"Well, it's been a while now and we both got a grip of our powers. So... I think it's about time we start making our hero debut." Nick suggested.
"Our debut?" Judy asked with her eyes widen. "Now?"
"Yeah. I mean, we both trained enough. You worked on your moves and I was already a strong athlete. Plus with our powers, we can take on anyone." Nick said.
"I don't know." Judy said sounding a bit unsure.
"Come on, Carrots. We have to start sometime." Nick said.
"Start with what exactly?" Judy asked. "I mean, our whole plan was to handle Cooperman and O'Clawdon. Remember?"
"It's still too early. Neither of us has enough to go on. So let's do something else." Nick said. "Besides, those guys are kinda big fish right now. Let's start with the small catches first."
"What counts as small catches? Thieves? Thugs?" Judy asked.
"Somewhere in that category." Nick said with a smile. "Either way, we need to show this city what we can do."
"You're REALLY all in on this 'superhero' thing. It's fine, but remember our goals." Judy said sounding firm.
"I know. I know." Nick said waving his left paw around. "Come on, little bunny. Whether Cooperman or O'Clawdon or anyone else, we'll be ready."
Nick seemed pretty eager to go out on the field. But Nick was the kind of fox that was always ready for action. It's many because of the sports he does. Judy, while a bit more strong-willed than she first was, was still unsure of herself.
"By the way, come up with a hero name?" Nick asked. "I was thinking of 'Dark Fox' or 'Fox Shadow', but those still seem... 'dark'... and 'villainous'."
"You're not villainous. But I can't say anything about the 'dark' part." Judy stated since Nick's power are still darkness based. "Also, to answer your question, no. 'Light Bunny' and 'Knife Girl' aren't exactly good names either."
"Guess that's something we will have to come up with later." Nick said shrugging.
The two finished their sodas and crushed their cans.
"Alright. Anything else you want to talk about?" Judy asked.
"Naw. I believe that's it. Unless you got anything better to do." Nick said.
"Well, since you're already here, how about we just go around town?" Judy suggested.
"Like, the two of us, together? Intentionally?" Nick asked a bit surprised.
Nick and Judy have only really met up with each other at odd times. Even with their partnership, the two haven't 'hung out' just to hung out.
"Why not? Besides, I could go for some grub." Judy said walking up to Nick. "Your treat?"
"My treat? Why do I have to pay?" Nick asked not sounding happy about that.
"I gave you one of my sodas. It's only fair." Judy stated with a smirk.
"Ahhh... you're worse than the guy at the party selling cups for drinks." Nick said looking a bit mad.
"Come on. Be a gentleman and pay for the poor bunny wunny." Judy said while added an innocent look in her eyes.
"Fine." Nick said getting up from the bench. "But take note, it's gonna be something from the Dollar Menu."
Judy responded by giggling before grabbing her backpack and following Nick outside the church. The two were hungry and went out for food. Nick was not joking about the Dollar Menu thing. The two got some veggie dogs from a nearby vendor. They walk and talk as they eat their dogs. The two were getting along quite well now. But as they were enjoying their day, something was going on. As they walk down the street, three cop cars drive past them at high speed with the sirens on.
"Woah! Did you see that?" Nick asked Judy.
"Three cop cars and sirens? That basically says something BIG must be happening." Judy said sounding serious.
Nick and Judy then hear the conversation of two bystanders.
"Hey! Did you hear what happened at that Bank down in Troop Street?"
"Yeah. Apparently, there's a huge robbery going down."
"A robbery?" Nick and Judy thought.
"It's one of the worst holdups ever. 20 robbers with weapons and everything. They even have some of the people inside held hostage."
"Man, those poor hostages."
"For their sake, the ZPD better get on this. But if you ask me, things aren't looking good."
So, a bank is being robbed and hostages were being held. After hearing that, Nick and Judy looked at each other with serious expressions. Nick then pointed at a back alley wanting Judy to follow him. Judy responded by nodding. Two quickly ran to the back alley and made sure there were no street cameras or anyone watching them. After a quick look, they see that the coast was clear.
"Judy, did you hear that?" Nick asked the bunny.
"Yeah. A bank robbery. Seriously, who still robs banks?" Judy asked feeling that bank robbing was outdated. "Also, people are getting held hostage."
"They said that things aren't looking too good for the hostages." Nick stated.
"I know. I know." Judy said with her paws on the sides of her head looking worried.
"Judy, you know what we have to do." Nick said sounding serious.
"Nick, you're not really suggesting that we..." Judy.
"Of course." Nick said. "If we don't do something, those innocent people could get killed."
"But Nick, this is bigger than us. Bigger than anyone." Judy stated thinking that this was a bit too much for them.
"You know what they say, 'Go big or go home.'." Nick said sounding determined.
"Still, shouldn't we just let the ZPD handle this?" Judy asked.
"You and I both know the ZPD can't do jack." Nick said. "Carrots, I know it might be tough and scary. But if we don't at least try, what was the point in all of this?"
Nick was right. Both Nick and Judy agreed to become superheroes. They would face many challenges big and small. But if they aren't willing to take the first step, then taking on Cooperman and O'Clawdon would be pointless.
"Alright." Judy replied to Nick. "But don't let me regret this."
"Heh." Nick said with a grin. He then pumped his fist. "Don't worry. We got this."
"Okay. Where's your cloak? Did you leave it at your house or something? You can't teleport without it, right?" Judy asked.
"Don't worry. I picked up a little trick." Nick said still grinning. "Watch this."
Nick closed his eyes and looked very focused. He had both his paws up over his head. Then, his black shadow mist started to form around his arms. He then slowly brings his arms down and from around his neck... was his cloak.
"Pretty dope, right?" Nick asked Judy with a smile.
"What... the..." Judy said in shock and awe. "Did you... just summoned your cloak?"
"In a way, yes." Nick said. "It turns out, my powers are more than just teleporting. I found out recently that my body is basically a conduit for my own pocket dimension. So, I stored my cloak there. This way, not only mom and pop can't find my cloak, but I can take my cloak out anytime I need it."
"Huh. That's pretty cool... and handy." Judy said sounding impressed.
Nick twisted his neck a bit before getting ready to put his hood up. As he did, he whispered, "Embrace the dark.". Like before, his body changed black, a shadow covered the upper part of his face, and his eyes turned white.
"Cool." Judy said liking Nick's change. "But what was the deal with what you said at the end? Embrace the dark?"
"It's just to psyche me up." Nick stated. "Alright, go and change into your costume. Or do you need me to take you back to the church to get it?"
"Uhhh... well..." Judy said awkwardly.
"Don't tell me you never made your costume yet?" Nick asked.
"First off, I DO have a costume. In fact, it's even in my backpack." Judy stated. Judy then got down on her knees as she took off her backpack and dug into it. "It's just... compared to your costume... it's plain."
"Whatever you have in mind, I'm sure it will be..." Nick said thinking Judy's costume would be nice enough.
As Judy then took out her costume, plain... was the exact word to use. It was really just a white unitard with long sleeve. No epic design what so ever.
"Wooooow. You weren't not kidding about it being plain." Nick said not impressed by Judy's costume.
"Well, excuuuuuuse me. Some of us aren't really costume designers. Or happen to have someone did part of the work for you." Judy said all fussy.
"Do you at least have a mask?" Nick asked.
"I do." Judy said. She then took out a plain white mask from her backpack.
"Seriously? Even your mask is plain." Nick said.
"Shut up!" Judy said getting mad. "Unlike you, some of us don't have to power to materialize a costume for ourselves."
As Judy said that, Nick started to think about something.
"Actually, maybe you do." Nick said.
"Huh?" Judy asked as she raised an eyebrow.
"Our powers are different but similar. For me with the way I look now, it's because I have my cloak." Nick stated. "Sooooo... if that's the case for me, then the same rule should apply..."
"... to me and my dagger?" Judy said as she gets her dagger out in her right paw and looks at it.
"It makes sense." Nick said.
"How? How does it make sense?" Judy asked in disbelief.
"How do our powers makes sense to begin with?" Nick asked.
"Fair point." Judy admitted. Judy then started to lightly wave her dagger in the air. "Exactly how do I get it to work?"
"Well for me, when I put the cloak on, I just thought of how I wanted to look. Maybe that's the case for you." Nick stated. "Judy, be calm and embrace your power. Embrace your light."
"Okay. But do I have to say that?" Judy asked feeling a bit uncomfortable.
"To psyche yourself up, yes." Nick stated boldly.
"*sigh* Fine..." Judy said not looking too happy. She then lifted her dagger up slightly and said "Embrace the light." in a monotone voice.
"Really, bunny? Like you mean it." Nick said very firmly. "Feel that power inside you and embrace it."
This was going nowhere unless Judy actually put in some effort. So this time, Judy actually took Nick's words to heart. She took a deep breath and was ready.
"Embrace the light!" Judy shouted out as she held her dagger up high.
At that moment, Judy's whole body started to be engulfed in her light. A crescent moon started to form in the right side of her face and then her eyes turned pure white. Next thing to happen, was a flash that nearly blinded Nick. As the flash faded, Nick opened back his eyes and was in awe with what he saw. Judy now had a brand new costume. Her attire was now a mix of grey and white. A The unitard had a collar around her neck, long sleeves, and on her chest was a white mark that formed a downward dagger. This was totally different from Judy's earlier costume.
"*whistle* Now that's a costume." Nick said liking Judy's new look.
"Woah..." Judy says as she looks at herself a bit. "I can't believe it actually worked."
"Told ya." Nick said smiling.
"But is it enough? Do I still have a mask?" Judy asked.
"No. But I don't think you need it." Nick stated. He then pointed at a slightly broken mirror by a dumper. "Take a look for yourself."
Judy then looks at herself in the mirror and sees that not only did she get a new costume, but her facial appearance had changed as well. Her fur had changed to a slightly lighter grey, she had a white crescent moon on the right side of her face between her eyes, and her eyes change to yellow instead of her amethyst purple.
"Lighter fur? A crescent moon? Yellow eyes?" Judy said in disbelief. It was small changes, but enough to make her look like a different person. "I look so different now."
"I can barely recognize you like that." Nick said.
"Guess it's enough." Judy said. She then grabs her bag and hid it behind the dumpster to come back for it later.
"Alright. We got our costumes on. So, let's go." Nick said sounding eager.
"Hold on! We got a problem." Judy said. "You can teleport, but I can't teleport with you. Remember, boom?"
Nick and Judy still can't really touch each other because of their powers. Yet, Nick seems to have a solution to that.
"That's why I wanted the cloak to be the main part of my costume." Nick said to the bunny. "Get close to me."
Judy walked over to Nick, but still stayed a few centimeters away. Part of Nick's cloak then extended and wrapped around Judy's waist. It was like Nick's cloak was alive.
"Woah!" Judy said a bit surprised.
"Remember when I said this cloak felt like it's a part of me? I meant that. Now only does this cloak help me control my powers, but I can control it and can extend its reach." Nick stated.
"Your powers are really amazing." Judy said smiling at Nick.
"Well... yeah." Nick said trying not to boast too much. "But let's face it. I'm more of the defense guy compared to you. We're gonna have to rely on those daggers of yours when it comes to fighting the bad guys. Okay?"
"Okay." Judy said nodding. "Now, they said that it was the bank in Troop Street. Can you take us there?"
"Hmpt! Can't I?" Nick said with a confident smirk.
"Can you?" Judy asked.
"Hopefully. Still getting the hang of my powers." Nick said honestly. "Just hold on. I haven't really teleported with another person before."
Nick closed his eyes and then he and Judy vanished. The next thing to happen was Nick and Judy on top of one of the buildings down in Troop Street. It seems like the two had made it to their location. They then looked down over to the building and could see a huge crowd of people. The bank was barricaded by the ZPD with Police Tape and their cars. The two lean down and made sure not to be noticed from a distance.
"Looks like we really made it." Nick whispered to Judy.
"Yep. All the people and cops just scream 'area of a bank robbery' ." Judy whispered back to Nick.
Nick and Judy then look at the crowd and spotted quite a few officers here. Including Officer Fangmeyer and Chief Bogo.
"Even the big buffalo chief is here." Nick said to Judy.
"Fangmeyer's here too." Judy said pointed where Fangmeyer was.
"The police are keeping people from going in, but it doesn't seem like any of them are going in themselves." Nick said.
"The robbers probably have nothing to lose. If they make one false move, the hostages are as good as dead." Judy stated.
"Damn. Then we got to move fast." Nick said to Judy.
"This is still pretty big for our first thing. Are you sure we should do this?" Judy asked looking a bit worried.
While Nick was sounding eager, a part of him was scared too. But then, he saw a bystander tried to sneak into the Bank. She was a brown female bunny in her 30s wearing a white sweater and brown skirt. She was quickly halted by Bogo.
"Something's going down there." Nick said. "Let's get closer and listen in."
Judy nodded before Nick wrapped his cloak around Judy and quickly teleported. The two went to a nearby alley, and still stay hidden. With her hearing, Judy was able to hear the conversation between Bogo and the brown female bunny.
"Ma'am, we can't let you pass." Bogo said to the bunny.
"You don't understand. My baby boy is still in there." The female bunny pleaded.
Hearing that, made Judy's ears perks.
"Ma'am, I promise you, we're doing all we can." Bogo said sincerely to the mother.
"Then why haven't you done anything to save him? If my baby gets hurt, it's on you." The mother said sounding angry.
After hearing that, Judy looked over to Nick.
"Nick, that woman's a mother and her son is inside the bank." Judy said to Nick.
"What?" Nick asked looking surprised.
"If that boy is in the bank right now, then he might be in huge trouble." Judy said looking worried.
Nick had a very serious look on his face. He really didn't want a kid to get hurt.
"We gonna save him, okay?" Nick said in a serious tone.
"Okay." Judy said nodding.
"I'll get us inside the bank." Nick said to Judy. Nick then wrapped his cloak around Judy again before disappearing with her.
This time, Nick and Judy teleported inside the bank behind one of the counters. As they stayed hidden, the two of them stayed quiet. Nick and Judy slow peaked their heads over the counter window to get a better view of the situation. The two spot the group of robbers. A mix of middle and large-sized, both predator and prey on one side. On the other side were the hostages. Both tellers and regular people. They weren't tied down, but they had their paws and hooves over their heads.
"Those must be the hostages." Judy whispered to Nick.
Nick and Judy then spotted a crying boy bunny at a very young age. His fur was brown and a white circle around his left eye. Nick and Judy took a wild guess and assumed that the young buck was the son of the mother outside.
"That must be the boy." Nick whispered to Judy.
"Shhh! Stay low." Judy whispered to Nick wanted them not to get spotted yet.
"Hey! Someone shut that kid up!" One of the wolf robbers said hating the boy bunny's crying.
"Stay quiet or you won't see your mommy and daddy again." A black bull said threatening the innocent boy.
The boy still had tears flowing through his eyes but covered his mouth so he could be quiet. This really pissed off Nick.
"Tch! Threating kids? These bastards are going too far." Nick whispered to Judy as he gritted his teeth. "These punks are going down. Right, Carrots?" Nick was expecting Judy to respond. But she didn't. "Judy?"
Nick looked at Judy and sees that her nose was twitching. A sign that she was scared. But who wouldn't be? There was close to 20 thugs with guns.
"No way. We're in over our head We can't do this." Judy thought as she starts to feel scared. "They have guns. We're just started. I can't stay here and get killed. I have to ru..."
Judy's old habit of running away was about to kick in. But before she could even finish her thought, Nick's held on to Judy with his cloak. It wasn't like a restraining hold. It was more of a comforting hold. Judy then looked back at Nick.
"Judy, are you okay?" Nick asked quietly to his partner.
"I... don't know." Judy admitted.
"Listen Judy, I get it." Nick said understanding Judy's fear. "This is our first real thing and we are already in over our heads. I get that you're scared. I'm scared too. So if this is too much for you, say the word and I will get you out of here. But right now, the most important thing is that we get these innocent people to safety. So I'm gonna stay here."
"Nick..." Judy uttered in awe that Nick still wanted to say.
"So... want me to take you back?" Nick asked.
Judy was now deep in her thought as she looked down on the ground.
"I'm so pathetic." Judy thought as she was started hating herself. "Nick's scared, but at least he's staying calm. Me, on the other paw, I want to just run awsy... again. Just like always." Judy felt that she was alone in a dark place. "Why? Why do I keep running away? Am I gonna keep running away from everything?"
Judy then started to think about images of her mom, dad, and Nick. People she cared about. Was she going to let her cowardliness make her lose everything? At that moment, every scared feeling that Judy had... every one of them... just vanished. That fear was now replaced with bold and fiery determination. So much that her crescent moon started to glow.
"No. I'm not running away. Ever again." Judy said to Nick getting back into reality. "Nick, like you said, with my powers, I'm better for fighting. Your powers can get everyone out of here. You do that while I'll take on the thugs."
"Are you sure, Judy?" Nick asked.
"I've never been surer in my life." Judy said getting up from the ground. "I'm done running away."
Judy was acting completely different than she was a minute earlier. She was now brave and determined. Nick was really impressed.
"Badass..." Nick uttered.
Judy wanted her presence to be known by the robbers. She walked up to the middle of the bank and shouted out to it.
"HEY! DUMBASS ROBBERS?!" Judy shouted out. This shouted got all the robbers attention. "How about you put the money down, let these people go, and turn yourselves in to the police?"
The robbers all looked at the bunny before all laughing loudly. A tiny bunny in a fancy getup wasn't really something they were afraid of. Judy was expecting that, yet it still pissed her off. Some of them started to point their guns at Judy.
"Are we suppose to be scared of some itty bitty bunny?" A black bull asked.
Judy then jumped high in the air and created a storm of her daggers that disarmed the thugs of their guns. Even broke most of them. As she got back down of the ground. She then pointed her dagger at the bull who made the harsh comment.
"Yes. You should be." Judy said sound serious.
The laughter quickly went away and the robbers realized that they were not dealing with a normal bunny.
"What the... who are you?" The bull asked a bit scared now.
That's right. Judy hadn't come up with a superhero name for herself yet. It was hard to think of a good one on the fly. Then... she looked at the dagger she was holding. After that, the perfect name was obvious to her.
"I am a bunny of pure light energy. My name is Dagger." Judy said boldly and brave.
"Whatever your name is, you're dead, little bu..." The bull went getting angry.
"Oh, shut up." Judy said not sounding impressed as she throws two daggers at the bull.
The two daggers it the bull right at his chest and stook right out. The bull was definitely hurt by them.
"I hope she remembers to set those to stun and not kill." Nick thought being a bit worried.
"Wha... what are these?" The bull asked he sees the daggers sticking on his chest.
"My daggers have many settings. Don't worry. I didn't set them to kill. They won't even leave marks." Judy told him with a sly grin. "I did, however, set them to drain you of some of your lifeforce. You should start feeling the effects of that now."
The bull started to feel woozy. Next thing you know, he was down on his knees.
"There it is." Judy said still having a sly grin on.
"Grrrr! That's it! Get her, boys." A wolf said ordering the others to attack.
"Bring it!" Judy said with a dagger in both paws and looking ready for a fight.
Judy jumped forward as she takes on the robbers. It didn't matter if they were all bigger than her. Judy, or as she calls herself now, Dagger, was willing to face them. A hippo tried to grab Dagger, but she was quick and nimble. Dagger then performed a jump in the air with a turn and throw a dagger at the hippo's right arm. She then went for a double kick to the face. The hippo went down to the ground as Judy did a backflip and softly landed to the ground. She even added a little twirl.
"What is she?! Some kind of ballerina?!" One of the robbers asked.
"In a way, yes." Dagger admitted.
Judy didn't start retaking ballet for anything. She used her ballet lessons to create a fighting style that's a mix of ballet and her rabbit traits. It's both graceful... and deadly. Nick was a bit distracted by Judy's fighting skills.
"Damn, she's good." Nick thought. He then remembers, he had a job to do. "Oh! That's right. I got to save the hostages."
As Judy still continued fighting the robbers, Nick teleport to where the hostages were. He started by teleporting near the little bunny.
"Hey, kid." Nick said to the young buck.
"Ahhh! Ahhhh!" The boy wailed out. Nick looked very scary to him.
"Shhh! Shhh! Please stay quiet!" Nick whispered to the boy. "I know. With the dark cloak, the white eyes, and the fact I'm a fox, I look like a bad guy. But I swear, I'm one of the good guys and I want to help get you and these other people out."
The boy stopped crying, but he still looked scared.
"That bunny outside, that was your mom, wasn't it?" Nick asked.
"My mommy?" The boy uttered.
"She was really worried and wants you to be safe." Nick said to him. "You got a name, kid?" The boy seemed afraid to answer." Come on, kid. Your name, please?"
"Ethan." The boy answered.
"Hi, Ethan. Listen, see my friend over there?" Nick said pointing at Dagger fighting off the robbers. "She's fighting the bad guys while I get everyone out. I can get you to your mom real quick. All you have to do is trust me... even if it's only for a second. Can you do that?"
Nick held his paw out wanting the boy to hold it. Ethan was still just a little boy. This was probably the most scared he has ever been in his life. Yet, after looking at Nick again, he felt that he could trust him. So he did. He then held on to Nick's paw.
"Let's go." Nick said.
Nick then teleported with Ethan from inside the bank to the outside where the huge crowd of people and police officers were. No surprise, most of the freaked out a bit when they saw the fox pop out of nowhere.
"What on... Earth?" Bogo went.
Ethan looked a bit surprised to see that got outside so fast. Nick then lightly pushed the boy.
"Go to your mom." Nick said to him.
Ethan nodding before running and shouting out "MOMMY!". Even though he saved the kid, the police didn't seem to think that was the case. A few of them pointed their stun guns at Nick and shouted out "FREEZE!"
"NOT NOW!" Nick shouted out implying that he wasn't done.
Nick then teleported back to the bank. Nick disappearing in front of everyone's eyes made them even more confused. On a light note, Ethan ran back to his mother, the same bunny from earlier. The mother hugged her son tightly, glad that he was safe.
"My baby boy! Thank goodness you're alright." The mother said happily that her son was okay.
"Boy, did that fox in the cloak hurt you?" Bogo asked.
"No! You're wrong. That fox saved me." Ethan replied.
"What?" Bogo said a bit stunned.
Meanwhile, as Nick teleported back inside the bank, he was ready to get the next person out.
"Alright, who's next?" Nick asked the group of hostages.
The hostages were all willing to let Nick get them out. Not even being bothered by his appearance. Nick then teleported a female deer next. The second he got her outside the bank, he quickly teleported back to get the next person out. Then the next person. Then the next one. Then the next one. In less than a minute, Nick was able to save over 20 people, which was a shock to the officers of the ZPD.
"That fox... in the cloak... he's saving the hostages." Fangmeyer said in awe.
As Nick teleported back into the bank again, he was ready to help the next person.
"Okay. Who's next?" Nick asked the hostages.
Next to come up was an old male gopher. He was holding his paw on the left side of his body.
"Let... these other young'uns go next, boy. I'll... go last." The old gopher said sounding a bit weak.
Nick then looked at the gopher's side and could see some blood coming out of him.
"Sir, are you... injured?" Nick asked looking concerned.
"One of the robbers grazed him when they threw a warning shot." A female otter stated.
"What? Why didn't you say anything, sir? I could have got you out of here sooner." Nick asked sounding very concern about the old man's safety.
"I'm... an old man. I already have one foot in the grave. It's more important to save all these other younger people first." The old gopher said before dropping on his knees.
"Sir, as honorable as that is, it's also stupid." Nick said.
Nick thought it would be too dangerous now to teleport the old man with that wound. So before teleporting anyone else, he shouted out to Judy.
"Ca... I mean, Dagger!" Nick shouted out to his partner making sure to call her by her hero name. "One of these guys is injured really badly. He could even bleed out."
"Leave it to me!" Dagger said boldly as pushes back another robber."Let's switch places. You handle the robbers while I'll take care of the old man."
"Okay." Nick said agreeing.
Dagger stopped fighting the robbers and dashed to help the old man.
"Hey! You get back here." A weasel said about to chase her.
A second later, Nick appeared in front of the weasel.
"No. You're dealing with me now." Nick said sounding threatening.
"Another one?!" The weasel said shocked by Nick's appearance. "Don't tell me you can create knives too."
"No. I can't." Nick replied. He then teleports behind the weasel and grabbed him with his shadow mist. "I just can go places fast."
Nick then threw the weasel at two other robbers, knocking all three of them out. Now the robbers knew they weren't just dealing with one superhero.
"Damn it! As if the bunny was enough. Now we have the prince of darkness who can freakin teleport?!" A rhino said clearly hating today.
"Yeah. You guys REALLY should have stayed at home." Nick said to the robbers.
"Just get him!" A moose shouted out.
As some of the robbers charged at Nick with crowbars and bats, Nick stayed calm. In fact, he just smirked. One of the robbers tried to smack Nick with a bat. He quickly disappears before it connected. Nick went over the bear's head and gave him a kick to the face. He then quickly teleported in front of him, used his shadow manipulation to trip the bear, then he teleports up and goes for a screw kick, combined with his dark powers, that hits the bear hard on in his gut.
"GAAAHHH!" The bear grunted in pain.
The kick was enough to put the bear in a state of shock and cause him to pass out. Nick then teleported in front of the next thug.
"Who else wants some?" Nick said feeling ready for more.
Judy wasn't the only one working on their fighting style. With his athletic abilities, Nick came up with one himself. He combined his fox traits with a brawling style and his shadow powers to make a fighting style of his own. He learned, with his shadow manipulation, he can pull any mammal, no matter the size. As well as amp up his punches and kicks. So he was just as capable in fighting as Judy is.
Still, even with his powerful skills, it didn't stop the robbers from trying to take him out. As Nick fought more of the robbers, Dagger went over to the old gopher, who was down on the ground.
"Sir, are you alright?" Dagger asked.
"I'm... fine... for now." The old gopher feeling that he may not have much time left. "Don't... worry about me. Just get everyone else to safety."
"No way." Dagger said firmly. "This is our first time out and my partner and I are NOT losing anyone. Not on our watch." Dagger then lowered herself down. "I'm not sure my healing power can heal physical wounds, but it's worth a shot."
Both of Dagger's paws started to glow brightly. Dagger placed her left paw on the right side of the gopher's head and her right paw near the wound.
"One paw to keep you calm mentally, the other paw to heal the wound." Dagger said before closing her eyes and letting her powers do its thing. It actually seemed like her healing was working, but she would still need a minute or two.
Nick was still putting up quite a good fight. The remaining 8 robbers couldn't even touch him. He just kept teleporting out of the way and delivered a punch, kick, or trip.
"Give it up, already. You can't touch me." Nick said to the robbers.
"Damn it! Why did we have to get the freaks today? The wolf robber asked himself.
The wolf knew he probably couldn't hit Nick with anything. But then he looked at the ground to one of the gun that was still intact and the group of hostages. As well as Dagger still healing the old man. The wolf then had a grin on his face.
"I may not be able to hit you..." The wolf said to Nick. He then rolled to collect one of the rifles on the ground and pointed at Dagger and the hostages. "But what about your partner and these people?"
Dagger and the hostages turned around when they realized they could be in trouble.
"NO!" Nick shouted out in a fear.
The wolf had his finger on the trigger... and pulled it. Dagger and the hostages covered themselves and closed their eyes as they hear the gunshots. As the shots stopped, everyone opened their eyes expecting someone to be hit. Lucky for them, it seemed like no one was hit. But as Dagger looks in front of her, she sees why and starts to feel horrified.
It was Nick. He had opened up his cloak in front of everyone and used himself as a shield. It meant... he took the bullets.
"Nick..." Dagger thought starting to tremble.
The wolf smiled sinisterly on the fact that he finally got him. Was that it? Did Nick about to be on his deathbed after only one mission? Nick then uttered these words. "That was uncool, you dick."
"Whaaaaa... what?!" The wolf said surprised. But it wasn't just him, everyone else was surprised too.
"Seriously, going for the defenseless? That's really low." Nick said looking mad.
Unbelievable, Nick took the bullets, yet he seemed fine. Scared out of his mind, the wolf fired more bullets at Nick. Dagger still flinched expected Nick to be really shot this time. Except, when the wolf stopped shooting, Nick was still perfectly fine. Since the spree of bullets seemed over, Nick closed back his cape and had a serious look on his face.
"Before you try shooting me again, look at this." Nick said to the wolf. He then took out his black arm and dropped a bunch of bullets down to the ground. "These were the bullets you shot at me. Since I'm still standing, what does that tell you?"
The wolf and some of the other thugs started to shake now at the sight of Nick now.
"What does that tell you?" Nick asked again.
"That... bullets don't work on you?" The wolf answered looking frightened.
"Very good. Meaning: You're screwed." Nick said with a smirk.
It seemed that Nick had yet another new power. Thanks to him being a conduit to his own dimension, Nick was able to make himself intangible to most objects. This included bullets. Nick was completely unharmed.
Nick teleported to the right side of the wolf and grabbed him by his arm.
"For trying to kill me, my partner, and the hostages, guess what I'm gonna do to your arm?" Nick asked the wolf.
"Break it?" The wolf asked looking frightened.
"Yep." Nick said before elbowing the wolf's arm definitely enough to break the bone.
The wolf let out a mighty howl in pain of his arm being broken. Nick then teleported over his head and gave him a punch in the face that knocked him down to the ground. Judy was now the one impressed.
"Nice! A little much breaking his arm, but he had it coming." Dagger said. As she did, she finished healing the old man. "Oh. I think I've done the best I could."
Dagger wasn't able to completely heal the wound, but she was able to close and stop the bleeding. She then helps the old gopher get back up on his feet.
"Well, guess I won't be kicking the bucket today. Thank you, young lady." The gopher said as he patted Dagger on the shoulder.
Being thanked by someone made Judy felt warm inside. Something she hasn't felt in a while.
"You're welcome, sir." Dagger said with a smile. "Now I got to go help my friend."
Dagger then hopped over to Nick's after he took out another robber.
"You know if I could slap you, I would." Dagger said firmly to Nick. " You know you had me worried for a minute there."
"Aww! You worried about me." Nick said with a smirk at his partner.
"Seriously, you could have told me you were basically bulletproof." Dagger said.
"Where's the fun in that?" Nick asked with a sly smirk and a shrug. That's how Nick was in the outside. In his head, he was like "OHTHANKGOD! ITHOUGHTIWASDEAD THERE! THANKYOUPOWERS! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!"
Just because Nick was intangible to the gunshots, doesn't mean he's invincible. Nick was only able to become intangible because of his cape and he activated his powers at the time by instincts. If he didn't do that as he did, he would most likely be dead by now. But lucky for the fox, he wasn't. The remaining robbers were starting to get really scared of the duo.
"This is ridiculous! Just who are these freaks?!" Asked a zebra robber.
Nick realized that he still didn't come up with a name for himself. But after looking at his cloak, he finally had the perfect name.
"I'm the master of shadows, space, and even dimensions. I am Cloak." Nick said in a serious tone.
"Perfect name." Dagger whispered to Nick liking the name. "That's right. We are the dynamic duo, Cloak and Dagger." Her left paw then glowed brightly with her light. "Day and Night!"
"Darkness and Light!" Cloak said with his right paw emitting his shadows.
First hero's name and now a perfect catchphrase. Nick and Judy, or Cloak and Dagger, were really getting the hang of the hero thing. Cloak then grabbed on to Judy's waist with his cloak.
"Ready, Dagger?" Cloak asked.
"Do it, Cloak." Dagger said nodding.
Cloak then threw Dagger at one of the robbers. As he did, Dagger got out her dagger and jabbed one of the robbers with it. After that, she backflipped again and three more daggers at him. Draining him enough to make him fall. As Dagger lands on the ground, she looks back at Cloak.
"Cloak, get the rest of the hostages out of here." Dagger said to her partner. "I can handle these punks."
"Fine. Just don't be too cocky." Cloak said with a smirk before vanishing.
Cloak teleported over to the front of the hostages. Taking a good look, there were about 20 people left.
"Okay. You guys still hanging in there?" Cloak asked the hostages.
"Who... exactly are you two?" A female panda asked.
"We're... Cloak and Dagger. We stated that a minute ago." Nick said to the panda.
"Either way, you two are freaking AWESOME!" Said an overexcited male ferret.
"We'll take any and all compliments AFTER we save you all." Cloak said. "Okay. I'm gonna try teleporting all you guys at once. I haven't done it before. That's why I didn't do it earlier. But now's the perfect time to try. Everyone, get close."
Cloak then extended his cloak to surround all the hostages. Once everyone was gathered around him, he teleported them out of the bank and back outside. Cloak was able to get everyone out. This really shocked everyone around the area. The public and the ZPD.
"Everyone okay?" Cloak asked.
Everyone thanked Cloak for saving them and said how cool him and his partner were. The old gopher went up to Cloak.
"Young man, I have to thank you for saving us. Also, I would really like to thank your young ladyfriend for healing me." The gopher said to the fox.
"I'm glad you're ok. I have to go back and help my partner." Cloak replied.
"Be careful." The gopher said.
Cloak nodded before teleporting back into the bank. As he did, confusion went on more and more for the ZPD's chief, Bogo.
"How... is he doing that?" Bogo asked still in disbelief.
Cloak made his way back inside the bank, ready to help Dagger.
"Alright. Who wants to..." Cloak said sounding eager to fight more. But as he looks in front of him, his face is in shock with what he sees.
There were only 4 thugs that haven't been knocked out yet. An ox, a sheep, a white tiger, and a black bear. The black bear was holding Dagger with a strong bear grip.
"Sorry, Cloak. I got too cocky." Dagger said with droopy ears.
"Dagger!" Cloak shouted out.
"Uh uh! You wouldn't want me to snap this little bunny's neck, would you? " The bear asked with a sinister grin as held Dagger tightly.
A small part of Cloak started to snap. Seeing his friend in danger didn't sit well with him.
"Let go of her..." Cloak uttered quietly.
The sheep took out a handgun. He then pointed the gun at Dagger. Nearly enough for a bullet to hit her, but far enough not to hit the bear.
"You may be bulletproof, but I bet your little partner isn't." The sheep said with a smirk.
"Tch!" Dagger went looking angry, yet her nose was twitching. A sign of fear.
More and more of Cloak's anger started to fill up and bottle up until... he released it.
"I SAID LET GO OF HER, YOU SCUM!" Cloak shouted out in rage.
Not even a nanosecond later, Cloak's shadow mist started to come out from his body and then it grabbed ahold of all four of the remaining robbers. Lifting them all up in the air. His shadows surrounded their arms, legs and/or necks. Now each of them was in total shock. No. Not shock. Fear. Total fear. Except for Dagger. Cloak then moved them all closer to himself.
"Drop. Her. Now." Cloak said firmly to the black bear still holding Dagger.
The bear immediately let go of Dagger. Dagger then got behind Cloak. Cloak's shadows still got a hold of the robbers. Cloak was calm, but still very mad.
"You know, bastards like you really piss me off." Cloak said to the robbers. "I don't know what's worse. The fact you rob a bank, hurt innocent people, or the fact that you enjoy it." Nick's shadows gripped tighter on the thugs. "My partner told you that you should be afraid. Are you afraid?"
"Y... y... yes!" The robbers all uttered very scaredly.
"Are you very very afraid?" Cloak asked them.
"YES! YES! VERY AFRAID!" The robbers said in total fear.
"Good. Good." Cloak said with a smirk. "Remember that feeling, don't forget it, and NEVER do this again. Cause if you do, I'll be watching you all from the shadows and strike you when you least expected it. I will make sure every day you are all living in a world of fear and darkness. Do I make myself clear?"
The robbers all rapidly nodded their heads. Clearly, Cloak's words shook them all to their very cores. But he wasn't done with them yet. He wanted to get one more hit it.
"Now, step off!" Cloak shouted.
He then controls his shadows and slams the robbers into a wall with great force. The force was strong enough to leave a few cracks on the wall. The robbers then fall to the ground knockout. Cloak's shadows then started to subside and come back to him. Cloak was a bit out of breath, but fine. Dagger was quite. She didn't think Nick was holding back such a strong move.
"You okay, Carrots?" Cloak asked Dagger.
"Yeah..." Dagger replied. "You?"
"Yeah..." Cloak said.
"I didn't know you could do something like that." Dagger said.
"Neither did I." Cloak said honestly.
It looked like the two heroes had just finished things up. All the criminals were out cold after the beatdown. The only one getting up was the wolf that got his arm broken by Cloak. Knowing that he was completely outmatched, he tried to limp away. Dagger, with her rabbit ears, could hear him and alerted Cloak. He then teleported himself and Dagger to the front of the wolf. The wolf looked pretty spooked.
"I give! I give!" The wolf said lifting the arm that wasn't broken. "Please, no more."
"Dagger, should we go easy on him?" Cloak asked his partner.
"Well, he DID shoot at us earlier." Dagger stated.
"He did, didn't he? In that case, care to do the honors?" Cloak asked allowing Dagger to get the last hit.
"How about we both do the honors?" Dagger asked with a grin and her right fist glowing brightly.
"I agree." Cloak said grinning with his left fist surrounded in shadows.
The two then punched the wolf in the face. Knocking him 7 feet away and ultimately knocking him out cold. Now Cloak and Dagger were finished with all the robbers.
"Oh..." Cloak went with a grin.
"... yeah!" Dagger said smiling.
Outside, everyone was wondering what was going on inside. The ZPD were wondering if they should finally go in or not.
"Sir, what should we do?" Fangmeyer asked Bogo.
"If that fox in the cloak doesn't come out in the next minute, we are all going in there." Bogo ordered.
A few seconds after he said that, a huge cloud of black mist appeared and as it subsided, there was a pile of all the robbers and the two heroes on top of them.
"Officers, we believe these are your criminals." Dagger said boldly and proudly.
Seeing the bad guys defeated, everyone around cheered for their new heroes. Especially the ones that were held hostages.
"Those are the two that saved us."
"They are so amazing."
"You all should have seen them take on those crooks."
"They are real heroes."
Cloak and Dagger were both liking the attention. The cops of the ZPD started cuffing all the crooks. As the hostages started shaking paws with Cloak and Dagger for saving them, officer Fangmeyer walked over to them.
"Hey, you two?" Fangmeyer said to the two heroes.
"Umm... yes, officer?" Dagger said a bit nervous. She was hoping that Fangmeyer didn't recognize her.
"Who are you two?" Fangmeyer asked. It looked like she really didn't recognize Judy.
"Cloak and Dagger, ma'am." Dagger replied.
"Heroes of darkness and light." Cloak added.
"Well, whoever you two are, you seem to handle the situation well." Fangmeyer said smiling. "You save these people and took care of all the criminals. I'm surprised they're a fox and rabbit with your skills, if not anyone."
"We're on a league of our own." Cloak said proudly.
"We're glad we were able to help." Dagger said looking happy.
"Help or not..." Said Bogo as he walks to the fox and rabbit. "... what you two did was reckless. You getting involved with a situation like this and possibly putting these people in danger."
"They were already in danger, Mr. Chief. We just made sure they got out of it." Cloak stated. "We even healed the old man."
"While your intentions were good, it was still the wrong way to handle things." Bogo said firmly. "As chief of the ZPD, I would like to take you both in for answering a few questions."
"Thanks for the invitation..." Dagger said as she and Cloak took a few steps back. "... but we both know where this is going."
"So, we're just gonna see ourselves out." Cloak said.
"Cloak and Dagger out!" Dagger added with flair.
"Peace out, y'all." Cloak said giving the peace sign.
Dagger then summoned her dagger and created a flash of light that blinded everyone. Once the flash subsided and everyone could see again, Cloak and Dagger were gone. Cloak must have used his power after Dagger created the flash.
"They're gone..." Bogo went.
"Guess questions them isn't happening today, Chief. " Fangmeyer said to the buffalo.
Bogo let out an angry snort before saying "Just... get all these criminals to jail.".
"Sir, yes sir." Fangmeyer said with a hint of sass.
The ZPD took things from here. Meanwhile, the duo teleported back to the alley where they started. Cloak looked around to see that the coast was clear. Once that was the case, Cloak took off his cloak and send it back to his pocket dimension. He reverted back to his regular self, Nick. Dagger summoned her dagger one more time and started reverting back to her normal self, Judy. After that, her dagger disappeared. The two had some mixed feeling after their battle.
"That was epic. Can you believe it, Judy?" Nick asked looking happy. Judy didn't respond. "Judy?"
Nick looked at Judy and sees that her back is turned as she gripped her arm. Her ears were drooping too. It looked like Judy was upset about something. Nick had a good guess why. The crooks were threatening to shoot her earlier. She was close to death.
"Judy, sorry that you almost got... you know." Nick said feeling bad about it. "Even if you said you wanted to, I should have..."
"Nick, after that dangerous situation, I did a LOT of thinking... and I have one thing to say." Judy said in a firm voice. "That... was..." Judy's tone then changed to a thrilled one as she turned to Nick. "... AMAZING!"
This was not the reaction Nick was expected.
"We just took on crooks that several times our height and weight like it was nothing. Saw those flips? My dagger throwing? I felt so much adrenaline." Judy said happily. " And the best part, ZERO CASUALTIES! We saved everybody!"
"Yeah. We did it. We actually did it, Carrots." Nick said happily.
"We proved that we could be superheroes." Judy said happily.
This was a huge first step for Nick and Judy. They were not only able to save a lot of people, but they were able to prove that they can be heroes and use their powers for good.
After that, the two were pretty drained. So they decided to head back to their homes. Nick made it back to his house and closed the door behind him.
"Yo! I'm home." Nick shouted out.
"Nick! Thank goodness you're ok." Frankie said walking over to Nick. John was behind her.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Nick asked.
"We heard that there was a robbery that happened." John stated.
"Yeah. But I was nowhere near there. I was with a friend." Nick said coming up with an excuse. "I did hear some... weird thing happened."
"Get this. Apparently, two superheroes save the day." John stated. "REAL superheroes. With superpowers and everything."
"Wow! For real?" Nick said still playing along as if he didn't know anything.
"I also heard they were a fox and rabbit." John said.
"Really?" Nick said sounding surprised. "Huh? Guess in Zootopia, anyone can really be anything. Even a fox and rabbit becoming superheroes. Anything else?"
"Nothing else yet." John said. "Expecting to hear more from the news later today."
"Still find it hard to believe." Frankie stated.
"There are harder things to not believe." Nick started. "I'm gonna head up to my room now."
As Nick walks up the stairs, he couldn't help but smile. News about Cloak and Dagger had already traveled fast. Nick was planning on staying in his room for the rest of the day. After all the fighting, Nick felt drained. After looking at the ballerina shoe he kept from Judy and then a picture of him and David, the fox laid on his bed. He was intending to take a bit of a nap. But a few seconds later, his cell phone rang with an upbeat ringtone. Nick looks at the Caller ID and sees that it's Judy. He decided to answer.
"Hello? Judy?" Nick said waiting for a response.
"Hey, Nick. How fast can you get here?" Judy asked. " Actually, saying that now, it's a bit of a joke. Just get over here now. You got to see this."
Curious, Nick decided to meet up with Judy again. Back at the church, Judy was tapping her foot as she waited for Nick. She knew with Nick's powers, it wouldn't take long, but she was still a bit impatient. A few seconds later, Nick popped up in his cloak. Once he was there, he took his cloak off and sent it back to his pocket dimension.
"Yo!" Nick said greeting the bunny.
"There you are. About time." Judy said to the fox.
"It's been less than a minute since you called." Nick said firmly. "So, what's up?"
Judy took out her phone and showed Nick a video.
"We are trending!" Judy said before starting up the video.
The video was titled "Superheroes in Zootopia?!" A was a news report from the ZZN on the events that happened today. The reporters were a moose named Peter Moosebridge and a snow leopard named Fabienne Growley.
"Superheroes in Zootopia! That's what everyone is saying." Moosebridge said.
"Not long ago today, there was a bank robbery in the Zootopia National Bank in Troop Street. There were over 20 convicts and nearly 30 to 40 hostages." Growley stated.
"Things were looking grim until some heroes showed up. I'm not talking about the ZPD. I'm talking about ACTUAL superheroes." Moosebridge said.
"The two heroes were described as a fox and a black and blue cloak and a rabbit in a white and grey unitard." Growley stated. "We now go to what some of the freed hostages had to say."
The first person who spoke on the news feed was little Ethan. The rabbit boy that Nick saved first.
"I was super scared, but then the fox in the cloak came to me. He seemed very scary first, but he was actually really cool. He said he would get me out and he did super fast." Ethan said sounding a bit excited.
The second person was the old gopher Judy healed.
"The young bunny used her power to heal me after I was injured. I feel fit as a fiddle now. I'm in her and the young fox boy's debt." The gopher said.
Next was a female otter.
"One of the crooks tried shooting at us and the fox with the cloak shielded us all. The bullets didn't even work on him. He had such a brave soul." The otter said.
Next was a male ferret.
"Yo! That bunny was awesome! She was doing backflips, frontflips, and turns like she was at a ballot. She summons these daggers out of thin air and threw them at the bad guys. It didn't matter if they were rhinos or hippos, BOOM! BOOM! She took them all down. She was pretty hot too." The ferret said.
Last was a deer, who was one of the bank tellers.
"Those two were amazing. If they weren't here today, some of us may not have made it." The deer said looking relieved.
The screen then went back to Moosebridge and Growley. They also had an artist's sketch of Nick and Judy in their hero costumes on the right corner.
"The hostages said the fox's main ability is teleporting while the rabbit's main ability is shoot daggers of light. The two heroes are calling themselves 'Cloak and Dagger'." Growley said.
"Quite fitting names for our new heroes." Moosebridge said with a smile. "Question is, what will these two do next?"
"Does the city have new protectors? These anchors for one, welcome the new heroes and hope they help the city more with their actions." Growley said happily.
Judy stopped the video there. She then showed Nick the number of views it had. It was 2,327,104 and growing.
"Over 2 MILLION views!" Judy stated to Nick loudly. "Can you believe it? Everyone loves us."
"Told you going big would pay off." Nick said proudly.
"It wasn't just going big." Judy said before getting closer to Nick. "We saved a lot of people and gave them some hope."
"Look at you. You sound like you are loving the superhero more than I do now." Nick said smiling.
"Maybe I do." Judy admitted. "When I healed that old man and he thanked me for saving him, it made me feel something I haven't felt in a long time. For the longest time, I only wanted to help myself. But when I helped that old man, I felt good. Better than helping myself."
"You did a good thing, Carrots. Thanks to you, the old man can probably see his grandkids some more and tell them a hell of story." Nick stated happily.
"Yeah." Judy said smiling. "This was a big first step. But it's still the first step. We both still have more work to do."
"Right. Finding a way to bring O'Clawdon and Cooperman to justice." Nick said with his fist up.
"As well as helping others that need it." Judy said with her fist up.
"Yeah. That's gonna be our thing. Cloak and Dagger. Fighting for injustice and righting wrongs." Nick said eagerly.
When Nick mentioned 'righting wrongs' Judy's ears drooped. Even with her being a superhero now, he did commit quite a number of wrongs. But that didn't mean it was too late to start righting them. Judy then dashes to her drawer.
"Carrots, what's up?" Nick asked as he tilted his head.
"If we are really gonna be heroes and right wrongs, I need to start righting my own." Judy said as she dug into the drawer. She then takes something out. "Starting with... the first wrong I ever committed."
Judy slowly walked over to Nick holding the black hoodie that she always sleeps with. Nick was a bit confused by it at first. But after a good look, he knew what it was... and had a really shocked look on his face.
"Is... is that..." Nick asked shook a bit.
"It is." Judy answered. "It's your hoodie. Or... to be exact, it's David's hoodie. I stole it from little you. It was the first thing I had ever stolen."
Nick then took the hoodie from Judy. It looked exactly the same as the day he lost it. Not even any tears, rips, or a faded color. Signs that Judy really took care of it.
"This was the last thing I ever had to remind me of David. I thought I lost it. You really had it this whole time?" Nick asked Judy.
"I did. I'm sorry." Judy said feeling bad.
"Why didn't you say anything about this before?" Nick asked.
"The truth? I lost my dad, I was alone, and I was cold. I kept it because I needed it. I really REALLY needed it." Judy answered.
"And now?" Nick asked.
"Cause I don't need it anymore. But I bet you might." Judy replied. "If we are gonna be partners now, I want you to completely trust me. Cause I completely trust you."
Judy wanted to earn Nick's trust. That's why she gave him back his hoodie. Nick slowly put the hoodie on. To Judy, it was a sign that Nick forgave him.
"*sigh* I'm so glad that I finally told you." Judy said looking relieved as she turns away to close her drawers. "I actually felt that I should have given it back to you sooner, but I needed to know if I could..."
As Judy turned back around, she sees that Nick is gone.
"Nick?" Judy called out. "Nick? Oh no..."
Judy then started to tremble. It looked like Nick left. Maybe he didn't forgive Judy.
"No... I waited too long." Judy thought about to cry.
Judy believed that for waiting too long, she may have ruined their partnership before it even started. That was... until Nick popped back up. He had the hood of his hoodie over his head.
"I'm back!" Nick said.
"AHHHH!" Judy screamed.
"Sorry! Sorry! Apparently, my hoodie works the same way as my cloak." Nick stated.
"Nick! That wasn't cool." Judy said mad at the fox.
"I said sorry. I had to go back to my house and get something." Nick said having something behind his back.
"Whatever it is, you better have a good reason to..." Judy said sounding pretty really steamed.
A second later, Nick pulled out a little white ballerina shoe. The shoe Judy left behind on the beach after the storm. Judy immediately recognized it.
"Is... that..." Judy asked.
"It is." Nick answered. "It the ballerina shoe you left on the beach."
Judy walked closer to Nick.
"After I took your hoodie, I just ran. I didn't even bother to get this back." Judy stated. "But Nick, why did you take it?"
"You weren't the only one who felt alone and needed something that day." Nick said. "I remember holding little you's paw. I kept this to remind myself that she could still be okay. You're a bit of a mess, but alive." Nick then wanted to hand Judy her shoe. "I know you may not need it anymore and it probably doesn't fit you anymore. But still..."
Judy reached out for the shoe and took it from Nick. She looked at it and could see it was a bit dirty. But it still reminded her of a better time.
"Did I ever tell that I loved ballot?" Judy asked Nick. "I fell a few times, but I always got back up. My teacher always said out of everyone, I had the most determination. But when dad died... I stopped and slowly forgot who I used to be." Judy then held her shoe by the side of her face. "Maybe if I still had this at the time, I would have..."
Judy didn't want to start crying again. So she held on to her tears.
"Nick, I never should have left you on that day." Judy said. "If I stayed there, when we were still little kids, we could have helped each other, unlock our powers sooner, and I would never have to..."
"Hey. Hey." Nick said stopping Judy from saying anything else. "None of that matter anymore. What matters is the now. We're partners now. Remember that?"
"No, Nick. You're not just my partner. You're... my friend." Judy said with a warm smile.
"Hmm. Right." Nick said smiling as well.
Even after everything, Nick and Judy still chose to stay friends. Nick didn't even hold a grudge that Judy had David's hoodie this whole time. But he did have one more question for Judy.
"Hey, Carrots? Be honest, did you worried when I was gone, it was for good?" Nick asked with a smirk.
Judy reacted by blushing a bit.
"Nooooooo. I just... would like a heads up next time." Judy said all red-faced.
"Oh my gosh. You WERE worried. Sweet little Carrots, I didn't know you cared." Nick said messing with Judy a bit.
"Shut up! Knowing you, you were bound to come back anyway." Judy stated firmly as she turned her head away from Nick.
"Either way, thanks." Nick said with a smile. "Thanks for giving me David's hoodie back."
"I... should be thanking you, Nick." Judy said still blushing. "Thanks to you, I'm a new person. I... own you a lot, Nick."
Nick then went over and hugged Judy. They were actually able to hug... for a second. The next second,... BOOM! A force and light and darkness energy pushed the two of them back to opposite sides of the church. Both of them were okay as they clung to the walls.
"SORRY! TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT THAT!" Nick shouted out to Judy.
"WE REALLY GOT TO FIGURE OUT A WAY AROUND THAT!" Judy shouted back at Nick.
Even after that explosion, the two looked at each other and started to laugh. The best laughter that either of them has had in years. Cause Nick and Judy weren't just partners. They were friends. Friends that completely trust one another.
End of Chapter 9