Note: Now that it's July, I feel like accomplishing a whole lot of stuff. Not only do I feel like continuing on with my stories, but I feel like taking on the world. Lots of people probably feel like that, so this feeling is not original. Despite that, I hope that everyone is doing okay. I'm doing okay myself, but I hope that things will be much better. I'm rambling here, so let's just get it on with the next chapter. It's time for chapter twenty-three.
Chapter 23: Big Fish
In the morning, the Mighty Loonatics were sitting around the table, eating breakfast. Ace had yet to join them, but he didn't mind that they had already begun eating. After all, the new recruits needed to eat in order to keep their strength up. He knew this as well as they did, but he felt like reminding them. The rabbit held his tongue, deciding to let them carry on. It was his turn to hang out with them, so he refrained from being a huge stickler about rules.
"So, what do you want to do today?" Simon asked.
"I was hoping to take a look at my father's blueprints." Diane said.
"And I was just going to get some reading done." Lori said.
"I've got nothing going today, so I'm free." Jack said.
"Me too." Teagan stated.
"Well, I'm not free." Klara said.
Ace sat down at the table with the Mighty Loonatics. He figured that he would join in on their conversation as well. The new recruits weren't talking about anything major, just what they were planning to do for the day. If there were to be a mission, then their priorities would have to change. They were, after all, superheroes, so they had to go on missions when there was a threat on the horizon. While they had been on missions prior to today, Ace knew that the team had yet to have one that was much more complex and difficult.
"Hey, do you know what today is?" Ace spoke.
"Is it your birthday?" Jack asked.
"Or one of your teammates' birthdays?" Klara asked.
"Or the team's anniversary?" Simon asked.
"It's none of those, guys." Diane said. "Go ahead and tell us, Ace!"
"Well, today's the anniversary of the discovery of Crimson Jaw." Ace said. "I figured that you would want to see the old boy himself."
"Crimson Jaw?" Lori asked.
"It's the fish who looks like it's covered in blood, particularly around its mouth." John said.
"That's right." Ace said. "And he's waiting for us."
"You want us to go see a fish?" Jack asked.
"We'd love to!" Diane said. "Besides, I've always wanted to see Crimson Jaw myself."
"Great!" The original Loonatic said.
Once that was out of the way, Ace walked away from the Mighty Loonatics. While the group was willing to call him back for a moment, they knew that he had to contact Zadavia every so often. The other Loonatics had done so during their time with the new recruits, so it was nothing new. However, given how Ace was the leader of that team, he had the most responsibility out of all of them. The Mighty Loonatics had yet to decide on a leader for their team, as the original team had been watching after them. Hopefully, Ace was willing to help them out with that.
After breakfast, the Mighty Loonatics followed Ace to where Crimson Jaw lived. The rabbit had been there before in the past, so it was a given that he had to take the new recruits there. It wasn't that far from HQ, but it was relatively hidden in Acmetropolis. By the time the group had reached the end of the sidewalk, Ace had them turn left. They were on foot, so it was rather meandering to travel to their destination. However, they swallowed their pride, as Ace clearly wanted them to see Crimson Jaw.
"Alright, we're here!" Ace said.
Upon stopping, the Mighty Loonatics saw they were standing in front of a lodge. Ace opened the door, letting the new recruits into the lodge before he went in. Once they were inside, the group went down a short hallway, with an arrow pointing to where Crimson Jaw was. As they turned that direction, they could see that there were several pictures of different animals. Each of them had a plaque that said when the animals were encountered. Some came from the 28th Century, while others went further back, with the oldest being from the mid 20th Century.
After a little bit of walking, the Mighty Loonatics soon entered a room where they were greeted by an enormous piece of taxidermy on the wall. It was a massive catfish that dwarfed others that were currently in the water. While there were plenty of big catfish waiting to be found, this one made them look like ants. Around its mouth was a red blotch, which made it look like it had been bleeding from that area. There were even red spots on its body, each being smaller than the last. It didn't take long for the Mighty Loonatics to see that this massive catfish was Crimson Jaw himself.
"Impressive sight, isn't it?" Ace spoke.
"It's definitely not what I was expecting." John said. "I half-expected it to be a shark or swordfish."
"Honestly, it's a little disappointing, considering how Crimson Jaw is dead." Teagan said.
"Yeah," Ace said, "but the story of Crimson Jaw being caught is interesting."
"When was the big guy even caught?" Jack asked.
"It happened two-hundred-and-fifty years ago, long before any of us were born." The rabbit spoke. "At that time, four fishermen were out at sea, hoping to catch crabs and lobster. One of them released the net, hoping to get something and bring it to the surface. However, what the net caught was something much heavier than your usual cast of crabs. The moment the fishermen brought the net back up, they saw something they recognized from a different underwater creature: the barbels of a catfish. Once the catch was in front of their eyes, they saw the red blotch surrounding its mouth, so they called him Crimson Jaw."
"Well, how did it get stuffed?" Simon asked.
"The fishermen brought Crimson Jaw back with them, having him put in an aquarium." The buck said. "He lived there until the end of his days, where two workers at the aquarium had found him at the bottom of his tank. They had a taxidermy expert remove all of his innards, then they had him stuffed."
"How do you taxidermy a fish?" Lori asked. "Wouldn't that be hard?"
"Yeah, you can't do taxidermy on stuff that came from the sea." Diane said.
"And why was Crimson Jaw in the sea?" Klara spoke. "Catfish live in fresh water, not salt water."
"The story has a lot of holes in it, I'll admit that." Ace said. "We weren't there, so we can only speculate on whether it was true or not."
While his teammates spoke with Ace, Jack looked at Crimson Jaw. He marveled at the fish's size, being among one of the biggest catfish in history. It looked like it would rival a shark in how big it was. Of course, Crimson Jaw would be food to the more predatory creatures in the sea. Bigger didn't always mean stronger, it sometimes meant more mass. Whatever predator caught a fish of this size would have to let the others eat it as well.
By looking at Crimson Jaw, Jack couldn't help but think of the times he went fishing. When he was younger, his uncle would often take him down by the river, so that they could fish. The young man often caught bass, but he would also catch a catfish every so often. None of them could match Crimson Jaw when it came to size, however, and it made Jack a little jealous. If only he could catch a fish that would put the massive catfish to shame. All the Jarlon-human had to do was convince the Ace and the Mighty Loonatics to go fishing with him.
"Impressed by that thing, aren't you?" John spoke, making Jack jump.
"You scared me!" Jack said.
"I don't see why the fishermen who caught Crimson Jaw brought him back." The stag said. "None of them must've thought about taking a photo of it."
"People wouldn't have believed them if all they had was a photo." The Jarlon-human said. "We wouldn't need a photo if we caught something larger."
"What do you mean by that?" The buck asked.
"Alright, everyone, let's get out of here!" Ace spoke. "I think that other people would like to see Crimson Jaw."
"That, or they're happy to see that you're back home." Teagan said.
Walking out of the lodge, the Mighty Loonatics began to follow Ace back to HQ. As that happened, they had a conversation.
"So, what did you think of the big guy?" Ace asked.
"Crimson Jaw was certainly a marvel of Acmetropolis." Diane said. "You have to wonder how the fishermen got him on land."
"It would have been more fun to see him alive, though." Simon said. "Seeing him move around would have been cool!"
"The story does raise a few questions." John said. "What was a catfish doing in the ocean when it should have been in a river? How did the fishermen manage to catch it when they were looking for crabs?"
"They say that a magician should never reveal their secrets." Ace said. "In other words, you might not get an answer for your questions."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other fish like Crimson Jaw in the sea." Jack spoke.
"What do you mean by that?" Simon asked. "Are you implying that we should go fishing?"
"Well, yeah!" The Jarlon-human said. "I know that we're supposed to be heroes, but that doesn't mean that we can't look for a fish that could rival Crimson Jaw in size."
"Fun as that sounds, where would we even get a fishing boat?" Lori asked.
"Our uncle, Daisuke, owns a pier where he lends people fishing boats." Klara said. "Most of his customers catch normal fish, such as bass or salmon."
"But, if we put in enough effort, we can find something that's just as big as Crimson Jaw, if not larger!" Jack said. "Who's with me?"
Seeing as they had nothing better to do, Ace and the Mighty Loonatics decided to head to the pier. As Jack and Klara knew where it was, they took the lead. The new recruits and the veteran traveled down road after road, getting closer to their destination. The walk was rather grueling, but they knew that they would probably miss the pier if they were up in the sky. Because of that, they respected the Nova siblings' wishes, continuing to walk through town. That was until Jack stopped in his tracks, gesturing for everyone to do the same.
"We're here!" Jack said in a singsong voice.
Turning around, the Mighty Loonatics and Ace saw the pier that Jack and Klara had been talking about. It wasn't anything special, as it looked like any pier that a boat captain or fisherman would park at after a long time at sea. However, Jack gestured for them to follow him through the area. They were soon met with a man, who spoke to them in Japanese. Jack and Klara were immediately on it, speaking to the man. Not only did they speak in Japanese, but Korean as well.
"Alright, we got a boat!" Jack said, looking at Ace and his teammates.
"I apologize!" The man said. "I had no idea that a Loonatic was in the company of any of you! You can use any boat you want!"
"Thanks, mister!" Diane said.
"Anything for the Loonatics, especially since they're visiting Acmetropolis again!" He said.
"You don't owe us anything, sir." Ace said.
"My name is Daisuke Jeong, but you can call me Mr. Jeong!" He said. "The boats are ready for usage, just be careful with them!"
Continuing on through the pier, the Mighty Loonatics and Ace saw the boats that were currently parked there. Picking the right boat was rather hard, as they couldn't tell which one was in the best condition. Even with Diane and Teagan's telepathy, they had a hard time telling what condition each boat was in. Not even telepaths could detect for any hidden damages on a machine or vehicle. The team looked at each boat they came across, and they all looked brand new. Finding the right one was easier said that done.
"Guys," Jack spoke, "over here!"
Upon hearing his voice, the Mighty Loonatics went over to Jack. They saw him and Klara standing next to a white fishing boat with a motor and a red roof over the pilot house. It looked rather old, as certain areas of the boat seemed to be yellowing. However, the motor looked brand new, as if it had never been used before. If it hadn't been used before, then the Mighty Loonatics hoped that the boat would work. If it didn't, then they would have to use a different one.
"I told you that my uncle would let us use a boat!" Jack said. "Hopefully, this one is the best one we can use!"
"Will it fit all of us?" Ace asked.
"Of course it will!" The human-Jarlon said. "It can hold ten people at once! Climb onto the boat, everyone!"
With nothing else to do, Ace and the Mighty Loonatics got on deck. Jack climbed onto the boat soon after, heading to the pilot house. By doing so, he was able to start the boat. The young man steered it off the docks, intent on taking it out of the pier. As that happened, the boat entered the ocean, which reflected the sun on its waters. Once they were far from the pier, the Mighty Loonatics and their mentor at the moment knew that today was going to be interesting.
As the boat was now in the ocean, Jack stopped it from moving for the time being. The Mighty Loonatics and Ace were surrounded by water and sea life, meaning that their fishing trip had only just begun. However, as Jack had wanted to find something that would be much bigger than Crimson Jaw, this was not going to be a fishing trip. Rather, it was going to be a hunt for a mythological creature, like how one would look for Bigfoot. But, in the very least, Bigfoot was never proven to be real. The creature that the veteran and the new recruits were going to catch? It was going to be real.
Stepping out of the pilot house, Jack was greeted by Ace. The leader of the original Loonatics seemed to be intrigued by what the new recruits were doing. Diane looked like she was using her telepathy to sense for any underwater life. As for the rest of the team, they were looking at the ocean itself, trying to see if anything were to jump out of the water or swim by. While Ace trusted that the Mighty Loonatics could do anything, he intended to give them a hand. After all, that was what his teammates had been doing as well.
"What's the plan, Captain?" Ace asked.
"If you want to know," Jack spoke, "I planned on having Diane and Teagan using their telepathy to detect something interesting in the water. If they do, then I could release the net to catch it. If they don't, then there's that!"
Upon seeing Jack gesture back towards the pilot house, Ace could see what he was talking about. Near the steering wheel seemed to be a GPS. Given that the Mighty Loonatics were in the ocean, the device was likely going to be used for searching for sea creatures. As such, it seemed pointless to have Diane and Teagan use their telepathy. There was already a GPS in the boat, so having them use their powers to act as said device was a little much. Jack had something planned, but Ace hoped that he could carry it out without fail.
All of a sudden, something caused the boat to shake. It nearly caused the Mighty Loonatics and Ace to fall over, being that strong. The GPS beeped rapidly, indicating that it had caught something. Diane held her forehead, acting as if she had a headache. John and Teagan rushed to her aid, although the latter was also visibly in pain. From what the other could tell, both Diane and Teagan had sensed something with their telepathy. Question is, what did they sense?
By looking at the GPS, Jack saw a red dot representing what sea creature was near the boat. It was a bit bigger than the boat itself, dwarfing it by an inch. Whatever creature this was, it was going to be hard to get it to the surface. Knowing this, Jack hoped that his teammates would be able to help him get it out. He did not want anyone to die while getting it out, so having them use their physical strength was out of the question. It was going to take something more than that.
Walking to the pilot house, Ace saw that Jack was thinking of a plan. There was a massive sea creature next to the boat, and the Jarlon-human was planning on bringing it to the surface. He ran out on deck, signaling for the Mighty Loonatics to come near him. Ace joined them as well, knowing that they would need his help. Bringing the creature to the surface was going to be a team effort, which meant that all of them needed to work together. It was something they all knew, as the creature wasn't coming up without a fight.
Jack told Diane to shoot an energy blast at the water, which hit an area near the mystery creature. Afterwards, Ace used his Infrared Vision to detect how far it was from the boat. He signaled for Lori to use her force fields to bind the creature, preventing it from swimming away. John and Simon released the net, hoping that it would wrap around its target. Teagan and Diane were able to tell that it was caught due to being telepaths, but had Jack use his psychokinesis to make sure it didn't escape. In order to help her brother, Klara began to control the soil underneath the massive creature, slowly bringing it to the surface.
With all their powers and efforts, Ace and the Mighty Loonatics brought the mystery creature to the surface. It turned out to be a bass, much larger than any bass than had been seen, let alone one that had existed before. It had ash gray gills, looking like it had been made of the remains of a fire. Its eyes looked directly at the team, as if it were curious about them. They only marveled at the size of their catch, finding it to be bigger than how they expected. It only stated back at them, not even trying to break free of the net.
"Now THAT'S a big fish!" Simon said.
"From what I can tell, it's an inch larger than Crimson Jaw." Diane said. "It's also three inches wider!"
"Someone get a camera!" Jack said. "We gotta take a picture of this sucker!"
"Way ahead of you, buddy!" Ace said, pulling out a camera.
Upon taking out a camera, Ace took a picture of the bass, making sure to get its entire body. After that, the Mighty Loonatics looked at the photo, liking how it came out. While that was happening, the bass was trying to get out of the net. It was proving to be hard for the fish, as the net was somewhat tight. Seeing its opportunity, it decided to speak to its captors. The sea creature cleared its throat, hoping to get their attention.
"Why did you catch me?" The bass spoke, having a man's voice.
"Who said that?!" Lori asked, startled by the voice.
"It was the bass!" Diane said.
"Indeed, my friends, it was I who spoke." The bass said. "I was asking why you have caught me in your net."
"Well, we saw an exhibit of a massive catfish known as Crimson Jaw, so we felt tempted to search for a fish that could rival it in size." Klara said.
"Needless to say, that's why we caught you." John said.
"That's not nice, now is it?" The bass asked. "How would you like it if someone heard a story about someone else and captured you to try and one-up that story?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Bass, we weren't going to take you back into town or eat you." Jack said. "We were only interested in finding out if there were any creatures under the sea that were as big as Crimson Jaw, mainly the ones that shouldn't be as large."
"I understand." The fish spoke. "Curiosity is a trait exhibited by all sorts of creatures, even insects and plants. I myself can be curious sometimes. For instance, I am curious as to how we can achieve true peace and harmony."
"Well," Ace spoke, "I don't know how we would do that, but if we do find it, we'll live in peace and harmony. Not today, but someday."
"I hope so, my friends." The bass said. "Now, if you'll release me, I will go back to my home. However, I promise, we will cross paths again."
"Before you leave," Jack said, "what should we call you?"
"Major Tom." He said. "I wish you farewell, my young friends."
The Mighty Loonatics loosened the net, allowing Major Tom to head back into the water. After that, they took the boat back to the pier, where Jack and Klara promised their uncle that they would visit him occasionally. Once they got back to HQ, Ace and the new recruits agreed to hold onto the picture of Major Tom for the time being. While they wanted to give it to the lodge where Crimson Jaw was being held, they chose to keep it until then. Ace even said that he would give it to the owner of the lodge when he had the time. For now, he and the Mighty Loonatics decided to get some rest after a long day.
Note: This chapter was a bit of a breather, mainly because I want the story to take occasional breaks from major storylines. What could be waiting for the Mighty Loonatics next? Can Ace help them with it? What could the original Loonatics be up to? Are they up against a new villain, or are they still investigating that mysterious resignation letter? What is going to happen next?
Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!