Kihonne: Alright guys, I'm back with another chapter! But first, it's shoutout time!
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Amazingchichi741: I'm so glad you liked it! Please enjoy!
LabGirl2001: I'm glad you liked it, especially the work I've put into Rani. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
GU3ST: I would recommend finishing The Days of Our Lives, as it would make understanding things a little more easier, but yet, Rani is umbrakinetic.
Emc Superbionics: I'm so glad you liked it, especially the way I've written the relationships. I try to make those as realistic as possible – stories are so much more enjoyable when they make sense – so I'm glad you liked them so much. I hope you enjoy the chapter.
Eliteforce12: I know, right? I hated the fact that we never saw them again, and I thought I'd include them for a little bit longer. I mean, obviously, things are going to be a little different after The Attack and Against the Odds, but I wanted to at least give some sort of explanation for where they've been. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter.
SzymonS: Too short? Look at some other fanfictions and you might notice that that is actually a fairly average word count. I do admit that this chapter was short, but I did point out that it was actually half of a chapter, as I had to split one up to stay on schedule. That being said, most chapters will have around 2000 – 3000 words a chapter, because A, they are based solely off my imagination rather than scripted episodes like the Power of Seven, and B, because I'm writing about 10,000 words a week, between both the Power of Seven and Love and War, and simply do not have the time to write much more than that. Moving on, I'm really glad you like Rani and how she's very much in the grey area. I believe that no one is truly evil or truly good, that we have at least a little of both inside us, and Rani is a prime example. And yes, Roman and Riker are back, for now. When the Attack happens, things are going to get a little complicated. As for the crossover, it won't be nearly that big, but it will be significant. I can't say more than that right now, but I think people will be reasonably happy with it. Anyway, I'm glad your practice finals went well, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
MayLeaf2001: I'm glad you liked it. And yes, we get to see Roman and Riker again, though I'm not sure for how long. With The Attack coming up right around the corner, things could get a little complicated. You're sorta on the right track with the crossover, but you'll see what I mean fairly soon. Thank you, THANK YOU for understanding about the short chapters. I've had about three people message me about how short they are, and you are maybe the first person to understand why I'm doing these the way they are. So thank you. As for the academy story, I don't think I'm going to be doing it anymore, simply due to lack of material (I had maybe enough for a couple of chapters and that was it). That being said, I was thinking of going back and doing a story full of flashback one shots to the everyday, random adventures of everyone from all three series. Having more characters to work with, and using a more drabble-like structure would make things easier to write, and I wouldn't have to focus as much on where in the timeline they are. If I do post something like that, it's going to be posted after The Power of Seven, but before Demons. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter :)
Bennyweirlover17: I'm so glad you liked it! Please enjoy the chapter!
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Kihonne: Anyway, time for the chapter!
Barry: Kihonne doesn't own Mighty Med or Elite Force. She only owns her OCs, this story, and anything else you don't recognize.
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Liam's POV
Rani reacted instantly once she recognized the black-haired guy in front of us, shooting two balls of shadow energy at him before she had even gotten back to her feet. She rolled onto the balls of her feet, shooting another ball of shadows when the shapeshifter ducked out of the way of the other two. This one hit him in the chest, knocking him back several feet.
I got to my feet myself, ready to blast the shapeshifter, but he had already turned back into a swarm and disappeared into the shadows. "Where is it?" I demanded, looking around.
"Well, how should I know?" Rani snapped back.
"But you know him?" I questioned. She nodded.
"That's Rune. He-" She was cut off when the swarm burst from the darkness and shot right at her. It hit her in the shoulder, almost knocking her over, before it disappeared once more. I raised my hands, casting a stream of light into the shadows, but couldn't catch sight of the villain. "I hate that guy."
I ducked as the swarm flew straight over my head, shooting a stream of physical light at him. It barely missed. "For once, I don't disagree with you."
We both ducked as the swarm came at us again. "I've got an idea." Rani told me.
"Yeah. No thanks. I've got this." I assured her, blasting a massive beam of light at the swarm. This time, I hit my target, forcing him to transform back into himself. The guy stumbled as he landed on the ground, then turned to me, smirking. He raised his hand and shot a ball of energy at me. I dodged it, then went to shoot him again, but another ball of energy, presumably having been shot right after the last, caught me off guard. It hit me in the shoulder, throwing me back against the wall behind me.
"You sure you don't need my help?" Rani questioned, leaning against the wall and raised an eyebrow at me. I pointedly ignored her, then shot a stream of light at him. He shapeshifted again, turning into a swarm just in time for the light beam to go harmlessly through it. He shot at me, shifting so that the second attack I sent his way was missed completely. I swung around as he came at me, causing him to miss. He reformed on my opposite side and I glared at hi.
Raising one hand, I shot a ball of light at him. At the same time, Rani pushed herself off the wall and raised her own hand, shooting a ball of shadows at the same target as my attack. The two blasts, dark and light, combined and hit Rune at the same time. The force of the blast threw the villain through the wall behind him, the criminal hitting the ground hard.
Rani took a step towards him, but Rune gave her a hateful glare, then transformed into a swarm once more and fled into the hall. "What was that?" I demanded, looking over at Rani.
"Ever heard of twilight manipulation?" She retorted. She rolled her eyes at my blank expression. "Shadow and light, you combine physical forms of their power, like my shadow balls and your light ones, and it doubles their strength. Read a book once in a while, nitwit."
"Nitwit?" I repeated, mildly offended. Suddenly, a set of footsteps came from the hall. Both Rani and I prepared attacks, then stopped short when Angela and Barry ran in.
"I'm guessing you guys got attacked too?" Barry guessed. Rani nodded.
"Rune. He's a shapeshifter that works for one of Dr. Wrath's partners." She explained. Angela nodded.
"Riker was waiting for us. I told you about him." She added, nodding at me. "You guys alright?"
"We're fine." Rani replied, crossing her arms. "But he got away. Probably ran off to tell Dr. Wrath we were here."
"Same with Riker." Barry nodded.
"Hey!" Alivia's voice came over the comms. "We're with Alan and Melody now. We got attacked by a pair of shapeshifters. Could be that Roman and Riker that Dani warned me about."
"That's a negative, boss." I told her, turning on my comm. "Crossbow and Arciere just dealt with Riker. Me and Rani tussled it up with another shapeshifter, named Rune."
"So, they're not working alone." Melody mused. "They got away from us, but keep a lookout. They could be back."
"Copy that." Angela replied. She sighed. "Alright, we came down here when we heard the sounds of fighting, but we're not done our floor. We should get back to that."
"A little change of plans though." Rani interrupted. I looked at her sharply. "Arciere, you and me switch. I think I've had about as much as I can stomach of Lightbulb here."
"Sure." Barry agreed with a shrug. Rani pushed past him and stalked down the hall towards the stairs, Angela following closely behind. I sighed irritably, rolling my shoulder. Barry looked at me. "What did you do to piss her off?"
"I told her why I didn't trust her. She didn't like my response." I replied, giving the room I was in one last look. "This one's clean. C'mon."
"Cut her some slack, would you? She's not an idiot; she knows this is her best chance to save her brother." Barry reasoned as we moved onto the next room. I opened the door, revealing a small bedroom with deep purple walls, a desk, a dresser, and a stripped bed. Light shone in from an open window.
"If her brother is really in trouble." I added. He gave me a look as we began to check the room. I immediately went for the mattress, tipping it over to see if anything had been left behind. "You weren't a hero yet, but Rani, her brother, and their best friend Chaz managed to manipulate their way into Mighty Med to find a way to bring Dr. Wrath back from the dead. This mess is their fault; I don't get why we're helping her fix it."
"Because Dr. Wrath is one of the most dangerous criminals in the world, and he's teamed up with two other potentially really dangerous villains." Barry commented, pulling open drawers. "He's a problem for all of us. The ends justify the means, right?"
"Not always." I mumbled, checking under the bed.
"Either way, we should give her the benefit of the-huh." Barry cut himself off, pawing under the desk. I looked over at him in time to see him pull a large, ratty old book out from under the desk. He held it up to the window to get a better look. "I've never seen writing like this. What is it?"
He handed it off to me and I flipped through it, frowning. It was a weird book, with odd drawings of plants and astronomical charts, the writing completely unfamiliar. After a moment, it dawned on me what it is. "Hey, I bet this is Rani's spell book."
"The one she used to bring Dr. Wrath back?" Barry questioned. I nodded.
"This must be her room." I realized. Huh, I was expecting something a little more…dungeon-y. I looked back at the book, considered contacting her over the comms to let her know we found it, but then I thought about how powerful it would make her. "Hey, don't tell her we have this."
"What?" Barry looked at me, confused.
"I'm serious. This thing could be dangerous. Let's keep it to ourselves until we know for sure if we can trust her." I insisted, shoving it into the bag he'd brought with him. He sighed, but nodded.
"Alright. If you say so." He agreed reluctantly, just as Alan's voice came over the comms.
"Hey, Rani, didn't you, Gulliver, and Chaz each own a 2D gun?" He questioned.
"Yeah. Why?" Rani replied.
"We found one." Melody told her.
"There should be a letter on the bottom. What is it?" Rani questioned sharply. There was a brief pause.
"It's a G. It was Gulliver's?" Melody guessed. When Rani replied in the affirmative, Barry and I looked at each other.
I smiled. "If Gulliver's being held by Dr. Wrath, can we use it to find them?"
"The connection should be strong enough." Lily confirmed.
"Good work. Let's get out of here." Alivia ordered.
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"A little cramped, isn't it?" Rani commented as we walked into Melody's apartment.
"It was my aunt's." She explained with a shrug. "I know it's small, but she didn't really have company over very much."
"Here it is." Alan pulled the 2D gun out of his bag. He handed it over to Lily, who turned it over in her hands. "Well? Hurry up and find Dr. Wrath."
"I'm afraid it's not that simple. I have to search for his aura over the entire planet. It's harder than it sounds." Lily explained, frowning.
"And less crazy, I assume?" Angela questioned.
"I'm sure Lily knows what she's doing." Alivia assured the others. She glanced at Lily. "You do know what you're doing, right?"
"Of course I do." Lily replied, waving her hand dismissively. Rani nodded.
"Great. How long?" Rani questioned. Lily shook her head.
"I don't know. It's not an exact science." She replied. "Could be hours, could be weeks."
"Then I guess we should settle in." I commented, dropping onto the couch. "We could be here a while."
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Kihonne: Anyway, don't forget to let me know what you guys thought of it. Oh, and because I want to put a lot of effort into the 2-part season finale of the Power of Seven (The Attack and Against the Odds), there will NOT be a chapter next Friday, though I do highly recommend checking out those two chapters. I will be updating this story on May 12th, so I'll see you all then.