Episode 11: Akira Goes Turbo!
Previously on Marvel DISK Wars...
Sandra: Because of Loki's interference, the DISKs that were meant to apprehend villains have been used to imprison heroes instead. Now, six heroes have a mission to retrieve the DISKs that were scattered around the world: Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Thor, Captain America, Wasp, and the Hulk. Together, they create the most famous heroic faction the world has ever seen: the Avengers. Of course, neither of them can do anything without their partners that would D-Smash them: myself, Akira, Hikaru, Chris, Jessica, and Ed. Long story short, the fate of the world is all up to us twelve.
"These are all the DISKs we've managed to retrieve so far." Jamie said as he, Pepper, Thor, Scarlet Witch, Sandra, and Hikaru looked at the DISKs they had recovered. Pepper then closed the case.
"It won't be easy finding the rest. They're scattered all over the world." Pepper deduced.
"And each of them with a hero trapped inside." Hikaru pointed out.
"Or a villain." Thor added. "Let us not forget that Loki is searching for those DISKs as well. He must be planning something."
"So, we must recover the DISKs with haste to prevent him from reaching it." Scarlet Witch finished.
"You're right. But how do we know where to look for them?" Hikaru asked.
"Tony is working on it. And he's bound to come up with something." Pepper replied. "By the way, why are you two the only ones here?"
"Well, um... You see, they've never been to Japan before so they thought they'd might as well do a little sightseeing." Hikaru summed it up.
Meanwhile, in the city of Tokyo, the rest of the group are touring around. Chris is walking in the streets. Jessica is checking out the clothes in a boutique. Ed is inside a comic store, amazed at the Avenger figurines.
"Is Akira with them?" Jamie asked.
"He's at the control room, helping Mr. Stark." Sandra replied.
Meanwhile, in the control room...
"Okay, now insert that panel into C5." Iron Man instructed Akira.
"So that's next to C4, isn't it?" Akira asked as he inserted the panel in the wrong slot.
"No, no, no no! What're you doing?!" Iron Man demanded. "Not that way! There's a horizontal slot right underneath! Horizontal"
"Oh, okay" Akira replied.
"We sure don't envy that job." Pepper mused while Jamie shrugged.
"By the way, we've been willing to ask you this. Have you researched more about Senator Robert Winters?" Sandra asked.
"We looked over his background but didn't find anything particularly suspicious about the man." Jamie said.
"Oh yeah. Well, maybe he used to be." Hikaru said as he pondered, "What if they bribed him? Or they're controlling his mind. Maybe he's not even the real Senator Robert Winters."
"Maybe you two could use a break, too? All of us have been through a lot these last couple of days." Pepper suggested.
"Go on. You guys need to get some fresh air." Jamie added as Thor and Scarlet Witch nodded.
"Okay." Sandra and Hikaru nodded.
Meanwhile, in an unknown cold desolate place...
The Celebrity Six are gathered for a meeting.
"How long are we supposed to wait?" Rosetta complained. "Some of us have celebrity interviews to do."
"Yeah, and I had a big gig to play tonight." Joel chided in.
"Don't worry. No one will miss you." Rosetta argued.
"Hey, watch it, lady!" Joel retorted as he slammed his hands on the table.
"Loki must be out of his mind recruiting these bunch of half-wits." Tim mumbled in exasperation.
"Tell me about it." Angela agreed, "My new article isn't gonna publish itself this week."
"Careful there. Anyway, we all have day jobs to get back to so we just assume Loki got this show on the road." Manino chided. "Am I right?"
"Business is business. I signed a contract and I will honor it." Jubei said.
"Is that so? Well, goody for you." Manino said until they heard a familiar voice.
"Alright, then let's talk about business, shall we?" Senator Robert said as he approached the table. He went behind a column and revealed his true form: Loki. "The Avengers have gone into hiding in Japan. They're no longer worthy of your attention. Focus on finding the DISKs."
"Long as I can get what I've been promised, I'll focus on anything you want." Joel said, "But I'm not clear on what the big plan is."
"I was wondering about that myself." Rosetta nodded. "What's the point of collecting all these DISKs?"
"You gonna open a discotheque or something?" Manino guessed.
"If you needed to know, you'd know." Tim scowled.
"You'll all find out in good time." Loki said.
"Whatever it is, I sure hope it's something good to look at." Angela added in.
"Nowadays, it's all talk, talk, talk." Iron Man said as Akira worked on a yellow tablet. "People take a meeting in order to schedule when they're going to take the next meeting. Nobody wants to do any real work. You gotta do real work, kid."
"Hey, this isn't real work? What do you think I'm doing?" Akira asked.
"Sounds to me like talking!" Iron Man retorted.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" Akira whined a bit.
"Hello? In case you haven't noticed, I'm stuck in a DISK."
"Okay, then why don't you get Pepper or Doctor Gonzales to help you out?"
Iron Man was a little disturbed by this.
"We... had a little bit of falling out."
"Doesn't surprise me."
"Yeah. Just a scientific difference of opinion, that's all."
"My guess is that you try to boss them around. She got mad and told you to take a hike."
This made Iron Man gasp and clear his throat.
"What's it for anyway?" Akira asked. "I mean, what are we even doing here?"
"We're working together like partners so stop asking so many questions and get back to work." Iron Man replied.
"Man." Akira complained as he resumed tapping on the tablet.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Not so fast! Go back to the previous screen for a minute." Iron Man demanded.
Akira resumed fiddling the tablet.
"Wait, what are you doing?! Wrong button! Go back!" Iron Man fretted.
Akira, not knowing what to do, fiddles on the tablet again, causing the machine behind them to go haywire.
"On the right! We need to follow the sequence on the right!" Iron Man exclaimed.
"Which one?" Akira asked.
"You're other right!"
"Okay."
"Not that one."
Unfortunately, this caused more problems as the machine turned on them.
"Great! Now look what you've done!" Iron Man fretted as he and Akira tried to evade the haywire claw-like machine.
Later, back in the main room, Akira lied down on the couch.
"Okay, that's enough research for one day." Akira said.
"Quitter." Iron Man mumbled.
"I hear ya, Akira. Pepper and I know exactly how you feel." Jamie assured.
"Helping Tony with his research can be a thankless job." Pepper added. "He doesn't seem to understand that partnership is a two-way street."
"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Like it's all my fault." Iron Man waved his hands in defense.
"Yeah, that's about right!" Akira, Pepper, and Jamie said.
"And besides, my daughter Sandra is also having a hard life, being a popstar and all. Don't think that being famous makes your life easy." Jamie added.
Iron Man pondered for a moment, until, "I know! We'll trade!"
Later, back in the control room...
"What kind of trade are you talking about?" Akira repeated.
"You'll see." Iron Man said. "Pepper, Jamie, you almost done?"
"Almost." Jamie replied as he and Pepper did their work.
After their finished, Akira was amazed at what they had done.
To Jessica and Wasp...
Jessica is still at the clothes store. She is in a fitting room, with two outfits that she likes.
"So this is the latest style in Japan, huh? It's sort of gothic milkmaid." Wasp was intrigued by the clothes Jessica picked.
"I bet the designer in you is pretty excited." Jessica said.
"Sure is. I wish there's a way I could try all of these on with you."
"Me, too. But I don't think I should D-Smash you here."
"You're probably right."
"This DISK technology is supposed to be top secret after all."
Outside the fitting room, the store clerk was listening to their conversation.
"Are you... alright in there?" the store clerk called out as Jessica came out wearing the Lolita outfit she picked.
"You look fabulous in that!" the woman said.
"Don't I?" Jessica asked as the store clerk examined if there was someone inside the room with Jessica. "I'll take it."
"It's my first sale ever. Thanks!" the store clerk bowed, not knowing what Jessica was gonna talk about.
"It's so Ruban de Jessica!"
"It's so what de Jessica?" Wasp asked.
"It's the fashion line I'm going to start one day." Jessica replied as the store clerk noticed Wasp on Jessica's shoulder.
"Really? Cool! We could collaborate on the designs."
"Okay! We have a deal! And maybe I'll open my first retail store right here in Japan."
The store clerk noticed Wasp as the latter hid behind Jessica.
Jessica tried to cover up their secret by asking the clerk, "I've got an idea. Would you like to come and work for my store?!"
To Edward and Hulk...
Edward is looking at some figurines at the comic book store.
"This store's got everything." a boy said as he and his friend noticed a figurine that uncannily looks like Thor.
"Look. The Mighty Thor." the other boy said.
"Yeah. So cool."
"Actually, that's not Thor. It's Beta Ray Bill." Edward said.
"Beta who?"
"Beta Ray Bill. He's a completely different superhero!" Edward explained as the two teenage boys listened. "Yeah. In fact, he's actually an alien cyborg who comes from the planet Korbin. He was the first non-Asgardian to be deemed worthy of wielding Mjölnir, Thor's hammer. At first, they fought over it! But then he got a hammer of his own called Stormbreaker. Oh, and he has a ship called Scuttlebutt."
This impressed the other customers in the store.
"Wow, he's good."
"Amazing."
"It's nothing, really." Edward said as he scratched the back of his head.
"Hey, why don't you talk about Hulk?" Hulk asked, making a presence a dead giveaway to all the other customers.
"What was I thinking? I almost forgot you are still out here!" Edward exclaimed as he pressed Hulk's DISK, causing the Hulk to disappear, much to everyone else's surprise. "Switch to Watch Mode!"
Edward's wristband and Hulk's DISK changed into a simple wristwatch. Edward sighed in relief as everyone else talked about Hulk's disappearance.
"Wanna hear more about Beta Ray Bill?" Edward said, chuckling nervously.
To Chris and Captain America...
Chris is at a Japanese restaurant with Captain America. The two of them are talking to each other while hiding behind a menu.
"Yo, Cap... this was probably a mistake." Chris stated.
"It's just red beans with rice cake. Look, Chris. If you really want to get to know another country's culture, you gotta try its cuisine." Captain America said.
"Yeah, and I'm sure you're right about that. But it's not the food I've got a problem with. It's the restaurant!" Chris looked around and saw many other customers in the restaurant.
A waitress approached with Chris with his order: a sweet red bean soup. "Here you are. I hope you enjoy it."
"Yeah, thanks." Chris replied before he looked at his order.
"You know, I'd be a lot more comfortable with a burger and some French fries, Cap." he said to Captain America.
"Charge in without fear." Captain America answered.
"Are you really giving me orders to eat? I did not sign up for this."
Chris then ate his order, which he found it delicious.
To Sandra and Scarlet Witch...
Sandra is in her and her dad's bedroom, playing her new keyboard and writing a new song in a piece of paper.
"Hey, Sandra. What are you doing?" Scarlet Witch asked.
"Oh, I'm writing a new song." Sandra said. "You wanna hear it?"
"Sure." Scarlet Witch replied.
So, Sandra stretched her fingers and played her keyboard as she began to sing 'What If I Shine'.
I spend too much time thinking about who I'm supposed to be
I play by everybody's rules that don't seem right to me
I'm cool and polite, on the outside
When I get a chance, I run and I hide
If your eyes are closed, it's hard to see
What if I back down now
'Cause I'm afraid of what might happen
What if they turn away
When I show them who I truly am
What if I lose my breath
When I throw those big doors open
Or tonight, just tonight
What if I shine?
Should I even care?
They're all sitting there, and everyone's staring at me
If I step out in the spotlight, maybe I'll be set free
What if I back down now
'Cause I'm afraid of what might happen
What if they turn away
When I show them who I truly am
What if I lose my breath
When I throw those big doors open
Or tonight, just tonight
What if I shine?
I... shine...
I spend too much time thinking about who I'm supposed to be
But what if I sing out loud?
Because anything can happen
What if I stand up proud
And I show them who I truly am?
They're gonna call my name
And I'll throw these big doors open
'Cause tonight, just tonight
I'm gonna shine
I... shine...
As soon as Sandra finished, Scarlet Witch gave her an applause.
"That was amazing, Sandra." Scarlet Witch commented.
"Thanks. You know, cancelling my tour just gave me other advantages besides making friends." Sandra said.
"Really?" Scarlet Witch asked.
"Yeah. I finally had time to do things that I want to do, like writing new songs and going to other places like the park or the mall." Sandra replied.
"So, being a popstar is really hard, huh?" Scarlet Witch said.
"Hard? It's more than hard! Being a popstar is a pain. It's always work, work, and more work. I barely had time for fun, even with my family and friends. At first, I always thought that I needed that fame but it is not fun being the only one at the top. That's why I cancelled my tour in the first place." Sandra said.
"I see..." Scarlet Witch pondered.
To Hikaru...
Hikaru and Thor at the local park, sitting on a bench.
"You seem troubled, Hikaru." Thor noticed Hikaru's being sad and all, "Are you not happy to be in your homeland once again?"
"It's just that I can't help thinking about the battle ahead." Hikaru said.
"It frightens you." Thor stated.
Hikaru hung his head as he said, "Yeah. It's Akira that worries more than anything. He gets enough trouble when things are normal."
Back to Akira, Iron Man, Pepper, and Jamie...
Akira is skating around the room in his in-line skates (which Pepper and Jamie tweaked and added with boosters).
"So this is the trade-off, huh?!" he asked. "Rad! You've turbo-charged these rollerblades my dad gave me!"
"Yeah! Installed a whole new power unit." Iron Man, who is riding on Akira's helmet, replied. "They're 'Booster Skates' now!"
"Alright!"
"Yeah, well, I'm pumped that you're pumped. But don't I even get a word of thanks?"
"Actually, we were the ones working with the computer." Pepper and Jamie said.
"I was the one working my brain." Iron Man retorted.
"So, I get to keep 'em?" Akira asked.
"I told you, it's a trade. You get the skates. I get your help at the lab." Iron Man's words fell on deaf ears as Akira actually enjoyed riding on his booster skates. "Hey, whoa whoa. Slow down, Akira, what are you doing?"
"Better get out of the way, Pepper. You, too Dr. Gonzales."
"That's enough. Yeah, you had your fun. We have work to do." Iron Man noticed the door opening as Pepper and Jamie stepped out of the way and Akira skated out of the building and into the street. "You're not going outside?!"
From her room window, Sandra notices Akira skating.
"Wow! Look at him go." she said, before turning to Scarlet Witch. "Hey, Scarlet, wanna see what Akira and Iron Man are doing?"
"Why wait?!" Scarlet Witch replied as she and Sandra headed outside.
"Pretty cool, aren't they, Akira?" Pepper asked from Akira's ear communicator.
"Cool is not the word!" Akira replied.
"Alright, alright! 1 hour. 1 hour to goof around." Iron Man angrily and exasperatedly said. "Then it's back to work at the lab. You got that."
"It's a deal!" Akira exclaimed with joy as he didn't listen to Iron Man again. He skated along the streets but he noticed that he needed to stop. "Okay, so how do I make them stop?"
"How you stop on regular skates. The same with these babies. Adjust your weight backwards over your heels and the reverse thrust will automatically kick in."
Akira did so, but he didn't stop or, at least, slow down.
"It's almost as if the word 'defect' in the module calibration." Iron Man pondered.
"Can you try that one more time in English, please?" Akira asked.
"Yup. There is a defect in the module calibration."
That made Akira gasped.
"Don't look at me. That was Pepper and Jamie's department." Iron Man continued.
"Come on. It was your design, Stark." Jamie replied from the ear communicator.
"Okay, okay, whatever. I'll just D-Smash you and you can stop me!" Akira said.
"You sure you recharged it already?" Iron Man asked.
"Oh, I totally forgot! We ran all those D-Smashing tests this morning!"
"Well, don't worry. They'll stop when they run out of energy."
"Oh. Yeah, why didn't I think of that?"
"And how long will that take?" Pepper asked.
"Best guess: about 3 hours." Iron Man said, which made Akira surprised.
Meanwhile, Sandra and Scarlet Witch tried to follow Akira, but they couldn't find him.
"Are you sure he went this way?" Scarlet Witch asked.
"Positive. Akira may be too fast for us to catch up but I was able to detect his whereabouts thanks to the wristbands." Sandra said as she tried to calculate Akira's coordinates until she got something. "He's right by the park, where Hikaru and Thor are."
"Then, let's go!" Scarlet Witch replied as she and Sandra continued the chase.
At the park, Hikaru and Thor are still talking.
"I understand your concerns about Akira." Thor said. "I, too, have a younger brother."
"Loki." Hikaru revealed.
"Yes."
"I don't mean to get too personal, Thor, but is it difficult fighting against your own brother? I mean really fighting."
Thor didn't answer.
"Sorry. Of course, it's difficult. That was a stupid question."
"You have not only a brave heart, Hikaru, but a kind one."
Just then, Hikaru and Thor heard the former's brother screaming and skating uncontrollably.
"Brothers." Thor sighed. "They are a burden indeed."
"Hikaru!" Scarlet Witch called out as she and Sandra approached Thor and Hikaru.
"Did you see Akira pass by here?" Sandra asked between breaths.
"Yeah. We better go after him." Hikaru said as he, Sandra, and their partners continued to find Akira.
"Where'd he go?!" Hikaru wondered before his phone rang. "Hello? Ms. Potts?"
"Oh, good. Hikaru" Pepper called.
"What's happening with Akira?"
"Tony turbo-charged his skates and they're out of control! Jamie tried to contact the others but nobody's responding."
"And where is Akira right now?" Sandra asked.
"Pepper and I will send you the coordinates right away!" Jamie said.
So, Sandra and Hikaru readied Scarlet Witch's and Thor's DISKs.
"Mighty Thor, D-Smash!" Hikaru said as he threw the DISK on the ground.
"Scarlet Witch, D-Smash!" Sandra said as she threw the DISK on the ground.
Hikaru, Sandra, Thor, and Scarlet Witch jumped from building to building, until Hikaru finally saw his brother.
"Hang in there, kid." Jamie called from Akira's ear communicator. "Thor, Scarlet Witch, Hikaru, and Sandra are on their way to help you."
"Fantastic!" Akira said in relief.
"Oh great. Just hope Goldilocks and Red Riding Hood doesn't try to stop us with that potato masher and those magic bullets!" Iron Man said as this made his partner scared.
It turns out that Iron Man is half-right. Scarlet Witch wasn't gonna blast fireballs at Akira but Thor was gonna throw his hammer.
"Whoa! Thor, hang on! What happens if your hammer hits Akira or some innocent bystanders down there?!" Hikaru exclaimed.
"Hikaru's right. You wouldn't think of hurting anyone, would you?!" Sandra said as Thor put his hammer down.
"Let's just get ahead of him and grab him." Hikaru added.
"Okay." Thor nodded.
Hikaru, Sandra, Thor, and Scarlet Witch stood in front of Akira... only for him to avoid them.
"What happened?" Akira wondered in confusion.
"Crash evasion auto sensors. They detect an imminent collision ahead and change course accordingly." Iron Man explained. "Nice feature, don't you think? That was my department"
"What, did they give up? You see where they went?" Akira said before he noticed a sign that said 'Road Closed' up ahead. He tried to turn around, but couldn't, and went skating along the road even though the sign says so.
"Well, look on the bright side. The road's deserted. At least we won't run into anything." Iron Man assured.
Jamie called from the communicator, "I don't think you understand! That overpass is still under construction!"
"Wait, what? We're like a hundred feet up, at least!" Akira exclaimed, expecting the worst.
"You've got about 10 seconds to find a way to stop yourselves." Pepper added.
As Akira waited for his inevitable demise, he and Iron Man noticed Hikaru, Sandra, Thor, and Scarlet Witch over them.
"Hikaru! Sandra!" Akira yelled.
"Perfect timing!" Iron Man exclaimed.
Hikaru, Sandra, and their respective partners landed by the end of the unfinished road and in front of Akira.
"It won't work! The skates' crash evasion system will just kick in again!" Akira fretted.
"I think not." Thor said as he slammed Mjölnir into the pavement, sending a few shock waves that caused the area around him, Hikaru, Scarlet Witch and Sandra to crack. Eventually, it caused pieces of the pavement to form a ramp-like shape that causes Akira to fly up.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Akira demanded.
"The idea is that evasion system won't kick in if you're airborne!" Hikaru deducted as Thor and Scarlet Witch proceeded to catch the airborne skater. Unfortunately, they were about to be sent back to their DISKs.
"Oh great. We're running out of time here, too!" Sandra noticed.
Hikaru then proceeded to catch his brother. He grabbed Akira by the hand as the latter is now precariously hanging from the end of the unfinished road. Sandra is holding Hikaru by the left foot, just to make sure Hikaru doesn't fall, too.
"Akira, I can't hang on." Hikaru said, straining on his grip.
"We can't pull you out like this. You have to do a D-Smash right now! Please hurry!" Sandra reminded.
"I'm not recharged yet." Akira said. "See, we were waiting to-."
Just then, Hikaru and Sandra suddenly felt like they are starting to slip, the former saying, "There's no choice! You gotta try anyway!"
"Yeah. It's not like we have anything to lose, Samurai Boy." Iron Man replied.
"Hurry. Go on, I know you can do it." Hikaru said.
"So do I." Sandra added.
"Don't think about! Just do it!" Iron Man said as Akira reached out to Iron Man's DISK with his free hand until Sandra accidentally lost her grip on Hikaru as he and his brother fell off the edge.
"Iron Man, D-Smash!" Akira then threw the DISK on the scaffolding below him.
He then caught the Akatsuki brothers and let Sandra hitch a ride as they all went back to Stark Tokyo Building.
Later in the afternoon, Jessica and Wasp return to try on the clothes Jessica brought.
"Well, what do you think?" Wasp asked as she was wearing a pretty Lolita dress.
"Wasp, that is so cute!" Jessica squealed.
"Yeah?" Wasp smiled as Edward, Chris, and Captain America arrived.
"Yeah. I love it!"
"I do to."
"What is that?" Chris asked.
"It's my new Wasp suit!" Wasp answered. "What do you guys think?"
Chris and Edward are impressed by Wasp's new threads as Captain America said, "Not to be insulting, Wasp, but it hardly seems appropriate. I think you'll find that it restricts your mobility in a battle. If you insist on wearing it, at least raise the hem."
"He really thinks you're serious." Jessica whispered to her partner.
"No sense of humor." Wasp replied before she turned to Chris. "Chris, what's that all over your face?"
What Wasp said was right as Chris had a red stain near his mouth. He frantically wiped it off.
"Could be anything. He ate practically everything in the restaurant, 5 helpings of zenzai, 3 of anmitsu, 2 of those..." Captain America said before Chris sent him back to his DISK to cover up his embarrassment.
"Yeah, I don't think anyone wants to hear all that!" Chris sighed.
Jessica laughed at this, while Edward noticed Sandra and Hikaru sitting on the couch, the former fanning herself and the latter sleeping.
"Hey, Thor. What's up? What's with Hikaru and Sandra?" Edward asked.
"Well, we all had quite a busy day. A long story as you mortals would say." Thor said.
"I better go get a drink." Sandra said as she got up, not bothering to ask the others what happened to them or even notice them.
At the control room, Pepper and Jamie are repairing the once out-of-control machine while Akira is sleeping on the desk. Once they finished, they noticed the sleeping kid.
"What do you know? Sleeping like a log." Jamie said.
"And it's no wonder after the crazy day he had." Iron Man agreed. "Okay, come on. Let's fire this thing up!"
Pepper then typed on the computer as 'Activating D-System' appeared. After that, a hologram of everything they work for appeared.
"The D-System's online and operational." Pepper said.
"Finally. Now we have a chance of finding them. All those DISKs stuck out there, randomly popping into our world from interdimensional space. The D-System should be able to predict when and where they will appear." Iron Man replied.
"Okay. Well, let's see what we got." Pepper said as she pinpointed the next DISK they need to find.
"We're gonna be busy starting tomorrow." Jamie said.