Note: Well, it's Thanksgiving month, everyone. But, as holiday-themed chapters are a rarity in my stories, I am not going to focus on it. Rather, expect a few new chapters of the stories that are currently active. A new story is on the way as well, so be on the look out for it. To make a long story short, some might not complete their run for quite some time. Nonetheless, I hope that you like the stories regardless of how long they are.

Now that I've said that, it's time for chapter twenty-five.

Chapter 25: Bark at the Moon

Once Simon and Ace had gotten back to HQ, the Mighty Loonatics decided to have dinner, assuming that their teammate and the veteran hadn't eaten before hand. Jack was in charge of cooking, though Teagan gave him a hand. When everything was done, the new recruits ate whatever was on the table. Dinner consisted of baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and apple crisp. It was a rather large meal, with enough food to feed not only the new team, but the original one as well. Despite that, everyone had gotten their bellies full, leaving behind left overs.

Night rolled around, so the Mighty Loonatics decided to head to bed. Diane, Simon, and Klara took showers, while the rest of the team skipped for the evening. Ace didn't get ready for bed himself, thinking that he would be called back to Blanc. However, he would be there for anyone when they needed him. The new recruits went to their rooms for the night, deciding to get some rest. Well, most of them went to their rooms for the night.

Seeing that Klara was standing in the living room, Ace figured that she wanted to speak to him. The rabbit barely had time to interact with children as he fought evil, so a kid on the team was easier than looking for one who wanted to speak to him. It was rather creepy to do such a thing, and he didn't want to do what many with darker intentions have done. As Klara was near him, the buck only thought about talking to her. If she needed some comfort before bed, then he would give her some.

"Hey, what's up?" Ace asked.

"I just wanted to warn you about something," Klara spoke, "because I don't think Jack and I have told you a whole lot about us."

"Is it how you sleep?" The rabbit guessed. "Do you know any bedtime stories to entertain each other with? Any routines you have that you can use to get a good night's sleep?"

"No, it's not that." The human-Jarlon said. "It's something else."

"Okay, lay it on me." The buck said.

"Well, it's something that demons have a tendency to do under the full moon." The preteen said. "If a demon has a tail, and they look at the moon when it's full, they change."

"You mean like a werewolf?" He asked.

"Not just wolves." She said. "Transformed demons come in all shapes and sizes. Some are as big as a house, while others can be the size of a mountain!"

"Well, tonight's a full moon, but you don't have to worry. After all, it's not like you have a tail."

"Actually ..."

Suddenly, something shot out of the back of Klara's bathrobe. It was large and furry, looking like something you would see off of a feral animal. The appendage was covered in brown fur, with not a bald spot in sight. Ace knew what she and Jack were, but he didn't know that either of them had tails. Tech and Rev hadn't mentioned it to the Loonatics when they came back to Blanc. Clearly, Klara hadn't shown them her tail and, if he had one, Jack hadn't shown his.

"In that case, you should probably head to bed." Ace spoke. "With that tail, you might transform while the moon's out."

"Alright." Klara said. "Goodnight, Ace!"

"Night, kiddo." The rabbit said.

Once Klara was out of his sight, Ace decided to get some reading done. He took out a book containing short stories in the horror genre, some even dating back to the 1800s. Throughout the night, there wasn't a peep from anyone, not even a message from his teammates back on Blanc. After an hour of reading, the rabbit found himself drifting off to sleep. He lie on the couch, deciding to sleep there for the evening. With nothing bothering him, Ace got the rest that he needed.

When morning came, Ace heard chatter and silverware hitting plates. Knowing that everyone was having breakfast, he decided to join them. Everyone was gathered around the table, talking and eating whatever they had on their plate. The food for the meal included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, pancakes, hash browns, and toast. Seeing that, Ace figured that the Mighty Loonatics were thinking that they had a busy day ahead of them, even though there hadn't been a crime alert for a while. He didn't correct them, as a villain could be on the prowl at any minute.

"Mornin', boss!" Simon greeted.

"Good morning." Ace spoke. "You guys must get hungry easily."

"Well, we're in charge of protecting the city." Lori said. "Might as well eat what we can before we're called in for duty."

"By the way," Klara spoke, "thanks for giving me that warning last night. I slept well throughout the night."

"You're welcome." Ace said. "And that's great to hear, kiddo."

"Are you going to ask us how we all slept?" John asked.

"Of course not," the rabbit said, "just go ahead and eat, everyone."

The Mighty Loonatics continued eating, with Ace joining them soon after. Once they were done, the team went to see if there was a crime report at the moment. Diane had Teagan and Simon check the surveillance cameras, so that they could find something the team could do. If a villain was out, then they would have to go and fight him/her. If not, then the new recruits would just relax for the day. Of course, they would do something for Ace, as his time with them would run out in a few days.

While the Mighty Loonatics were checking for crime, Ace went through the hallway. It was nostalgic for him, given that the original Loonatics left behind their original HQ when they relocated to Blanc. The rabbit felt like he was dreaming, even though he knew everything around him was real. He wondered if his teammates felt the same, considering how they had spent time with the new recruits before him. For now, that did not matter. Someone would likely call for the buck at any moment, primarily for a crime report.

By walking through the hallway, Ace saw that one room had an open door. Prior to the Mighty Loonatics making HQ their home, the room had belonged to Duck. Now, it belonged to one of the new recruits, though Ace didn't know who had taken it. He hadn't checked throughout the time he had spent with them, so he was unsure on who was the current owner of Duck's old room. In fact, the rabbit felt as though it would be intrusive of him to go through each room while the new team was distracted. But, if a door was still open, then something was wrong.

Going up to the doorway, Ace looked inside Duck's old room, and was shocked by what he saw. In the middle of the room was a trashed bed and claw marks on the walls. By looking at the rock posters on certain parts of the room, the rabbit was ready to assume that one of the male members of the new team had taken it. That was until he saw a picture frame on the nightstand. It had a picture of a baby human, the baby's features clearly being female. From that, Ace knew whose room he was in.

"This is Klara's room!" He said.

"She must've seen the full moon last night." A voice rang out.

Turning around, Ace saw Jack standing in the doorway. He looked a little shocked, as if he had seen something absolutely horrible. Given that Jack and Klara were siblings, Ace figured that he would know when his younger sister was affected by the full moon. However, it appeared that the young man didn't know that she could be destructive during a full moon night. Did he only watch the preteen transform and leave before she began to destroy her surroundings? Could the two Jarlon-human hybrids change when the moon was full, or was Klara the only one?

"You knew?" Ace asked.

"Believe me," Jack said, "this isn't the first time this has happened."

"I could tell by your expression." The rabbit said.

"How long did she look at the moon last night?" The Jarlon-human asked.

"She didn't look for long, only a few seconds." The buck stated.

"It still affected her then!" The young man said. "Even if it was for a few seconds, it was able to trigger her transformation!"

"Jack, calm down. She might've transformed last night, but at least she didn't attack anyone."

"That doesn't mean she won't be able to change for the next few days. They're full moon nights as well, so we'll have to keep her from looking at it. If you think the damage here is bad, it will be worse if Klara sees the full moon in a more open area."

"I'll try to keep her from seeing it. Head back to the others, while I get one of Tech's cleaning robots to clean this up."

Nodding his head, Jack went off to join the others. Ace managed to get a Service Droid Tech had made to clean up Klara's room. It repaired the damages done to the walls, and replaced the bed. Once that was out of the way, Ace worried about letting Klara see the full moon, given that it would cause her to transform the moment she laid an eye on it. With no crime alert, the Mighty Loonatics could relax, though that would change if the preteen transformed. Even if she did, Ace hoped that they would be able to turn her back to her humanoid appearance.

Hours went by, and the Mighty Loonatics hadn't gotten a single crime alert. They had checked every part of Acmetropolis, even the areas that weren't known for their crime rate. With no criminals or supervillains in sight, the team was ready to do whatever would satisfy them for the evening. However, Ace decided to keep an eye on Klara, wanting to keep her from changing once she laid an eye on the full moon. Jack was intent on doing the same thing, even if he had to cover the windows of HQ. All it would take was for the preteen to get a single glimpse of the moon, then she would start changing.

After eating dinner, Jack noticed that it was seven o'clock at night. With that in mind, he hoped that there wouldn't be anything the team had to do. Of course, Klara would've also changed when she was getting ready for bed. Given how her room had been trashed, Jack dreaded her changing out on the battlefield. If the preteen turned into her demon form, she would wreak havoc. While Jarlons could train to control their demon forms after transforming, Klara was not trained to do so.

Before he could head to his room, Jack heard an alarm go off. Knowing that it was a crime alert, the young man went to check out what was wrong. It turned out that Massive had escaped prison. He was one of the Loonatics' most dangerous adversaries, though he was bested by their technology. With that in mind, Jack hoped that he would be in an indoor area, especially due to how Klara could change when exposed to the full moon. While she could probably beat the villain when transformed, that didn't mean she wouldn't attack the others as well.

"What is it, J?" Ace asked.

"One of the villains you fought has escaped from prison!" Jack said. "It's the big guy!"

"Massive, eh?" The rabbit spoke. "Well, let's go get him! Mighty Loonatics, let's jet!"

Upon hearing that, the Mighty Loonatics went down to the garage, where the ship was. Knowing that the full moon was out, Ace and Jack knew they had to be cautious. As such, they had John teleport everyone to where Massive was. The stag had to focus his dark energy beforehand, as he needed Diane to use her telepathy to locate the villain. Once she had done so, a portal opened on the back wall. Seeing it, Ace and the Mighty Loonatics walked through the portal, intent on taking down Massive.

After going through the portal, the Mighty Loonatics found themselves in a military base. On the floor were several soldiers, who were being held down by Massive's gravitational manipulation. There were even a few people on the walls and on the ceiling. With that in mind, the team agreed to be cautious around their enemy. As far as they knew, their uniforms could not defend against Massive's powers, which put them at a disadvantage. However, he hadn't faced the new recruits, so they might have it in the bag.

"Well," a voice spoke, "looks like the Loonatics got recast!"

Turning around, the Mighty Loonatics saw Massive standing nearby. Ace got in a defensive stance, while the others had offensive positions. Even if the new recruits hadn't fought the villain before, they were ready to fight with everything they had. Massive was a little surprised to see the newer members of the team, but he was happy to oblige.

"You newcomers must want a fight." Massive said. "In that case, come and get me!"

Ace lead a charge against Massive, advising everyone to use their powers against the villain. The Mighty Loonatics already had their abilities charged, planning to combine them all for one massive attack. Once they were face-to-face with their enemy, the new recruits unleashed the attack upon him. While it did propel Massive back, it did not seem to damage him. Rather, it only made him laugh at the team. He wasn't really a villain that was easy to take down, so it would've taken more than what they threw at him.

Nodding at each other, Ace and Diane decided to combine their attacks. Together, they fired an energetic blast that was increased by Ace's Laser Vision, having more destructive potential. Massive was knocked down by it, but he countered by firing a gravitational attack at the new recruits. Using his dark energy, John created a field that stopped him and his teammates from falling victim to the manipulated gravity. With that out of the way, the Mighty Loonatics fired whatever they could at Massive, hoping that it would be enough to turn the tide of battle. They even did a few attack combinations, albeit decreasing the power so that there were no casualties.

Focusing his pyrokinesis, Jack created a fireball, then had Ace strengthen it with his Laser Vision and Diane gave it additional speed with one of her energy blasts. With the combination created, they launched the empowered blast forward. Seeing that another attack was coming his way, Massive moved to the side, letting it hit the wall. This caused a hole to be formed in the military base, exposing the night sky. As such, Jack and Ace wanted to keep Klara from going near Massive. If she saw the moon, she would lose control.

Standing her ground, Klara used her powers to throw a few stones at Massive. They started out as pebbles, then they became boulders. While the first few didn't phase the villain, the last ones did. In fact, the last stone thrown at Massive knocked him down. He immediately got back on his feet, ready to attack the preteen Loonatic. She only glared at him, intent on attacking him with a far larger stone.

"Come here, little lady, and join the party!" Massive spoke, using his powers to ensnare Klara.

Little did Massive know, Klara had gotten a glimpse of the moon the moment he zapped her with his powers. Her eyes started glowing red, and her canines became sharp. As soon as the preteen was brought closer to Massive, her transformation began. She let out a bestial growl, which soon gave way to an inhuman screech. There was lightning crackling around the human-Jarlon's body and it was starting to disperse Massive's attack. It was compounded by Klara's body beginning to change.

"Hey, kid, what's happening to you?!" Massive shouted.

"Klara, no!" Jack shouted.

As soon as Massive attack was gone, Klara's face began to take on a canine appearance. Her hands and feet were slowly turning into claws, and she was growing fur on certain areas on her body. The preteen began to grow, with her voice getting deeper and more monstrous. Once she fell to the ground, her body had taken on the appearance of a bronze wolf the size of an elephant. Jack was on edge, hoping that the now-transformed Klara wouldn't cause endless destruction. She had no training to control her demon form, but there were instances where a Jarlon could regain their consciousness while transformed.

Facing Massive, Klara let out a low growl, then arched her back. The growl then turned to a powerful bark as a light gathered in her mouth. Before the Mighty Loonatics could do anything, they saw Massive get thrown out of the military base by a powerful blast. He landed on the ground outside, hard enough to knock him out. Looking down at her foe, the bronze wolf charged up another blast, intent on annihilating him. After that, she would destroy anything that got in her way.

Knowing what Klara was about to do, John used his powers to create a portal that would instantly send Massive back to prison. Diane used her telepathy to guide him, so that he could be sure. Once that was out of the way, the stag fired at the transformed preteen, trying to get her attention. The bronze wolf growled, turning around and facing her teammates. With her eyes focused on the Mighty Loonatics, she was unable to think of them as anything other than food or enemies. Likewise, the team had to find a way to get her back to normal, but needed to do it without killing her.

Rushing towards the Mighty Loonatics, the transformed Klara let out haggard growls. Ace had them spread out, so that they could find a way to get her back to normal. He had the Guardian Strike Sword on hand, so that he could cut off her tail. If that didn't work, then the team would have to find another way. Diane, Teagan, and Jack were keeping the bronze wolf distracted with their powers, while John, Lori, and Simon were trying to wrangle her. They were trying to get her in a position where she couldn't escape, but their efforts wouldn't last forever.

"Ace, go for her tail!" Jack shouted. "That's usually what turns a demon back to normal after they change!"

With no time to spare, Ace rushed towards the transformed Klara, his sword in his grip. Taking a swing, the rabbit was able to cut the bronze wolf's tail off. It seemed to work, as she stopped in her tracks. Suddenly, the preteen-turned-wolf began to shrink, with parts of her fur falling off. Realizing that she would be naked when she turned back to normal, Ace got out a medical blanket, wanting to cover her up. Klara was almost her normal size by the time he got it out, so he immediately wrapped the blanket around her. Once she was covered up, the buck laid the human-Jarlon on the floor.

"Hopefully, we've got spare uniforms at HQ." Lori spoke.

"There should be plenty of them in storage." Ace said. "One of you, take Klara back to the ship, while I talk to Jackie Boy!"

Diane was the one to pick up Klara from the floor, holding the preteen over her shoulder. Most of the team followed the Arctic vixen to the ship, leaving Jack and Ace by themselves. The young man knew that he would have to explain himself to the original leader, especially regarding the secrets of the Jarlon race. There were some things Klara hadn't told Tech and Rev, and he hoped that Ace would understand.

"Let me guess," Ace spoke, "you had to cut her tail off every so often?"

"Yeah, but it grows back occasionally." Jack said. "There have been instances of a demon's tail being permanently removed, but it's rather rare for that to happen. I couldn't put Klara through it, though."

"I understand." The rabbit said. "There are just some things you want to help your siblings with, but you fear doing permanent damage to them."

"You know what it's like?" The young man asked.

"Of course I do." The buck said. "My sister is on the team, after all."

Smiling at each other, Jack and Ace had come to an understanding. They then went to join their teammates on the ship, having gotten the mission done. Once they got back to HQ, Jack would tell everyone the secrets Klara hadn't told them. After all, they were a team, and they needed to know certain things.

Note: If you're wondering why Jack doesn't have a tail, it's a long story. Will he be able to tell the Mighty Loonatics the secrets behind his ancestry? What will the team's last few days with Ace be like? Have the original team discovered the truth behind the message yet? Will the new recruits wind up working with them? Is it just a coincidence, or is there something sinister at work?

Until next time, guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!