Chapter 9 Captain Metal

The walk back to the store took quite some time for a couple of reasons. The first and probably most important had to do with Roy; Larry went out of his way to carry him as gently as possible (he didn't want to injure him or make his hurting even worse). However, as essential as that was, there was something else that put a hamper on Larry's speed. That being, his happiness.

When Roy called his brother a hero, Larry's heart did things he didn't even know it was capable of doing. It welled with pride and leaped with joy. It ignited something in him, something that made him feel like he was on top of the world. He never would've labeled himself as a hero before, but the fact that he had done something worthy of that title… it made him think. It made him wonder if there was more he could do with his new powers that would be considered heroic. He wondered if there were more criminals that he could stop, more ways to rescue those who were in mortal danger. He hoped there were, and not just because of his wish to be like Titanium Man. Being able to do hero work like this, saving those who weren't able to save themselves, wouldn't just make Larry feel good. It would make him feel excellent.

As such, when he walked back through Amber, he smiled like a clown. His mood only increased with each step he took. It almost felt like the whole town was looking at him and thinking about him in the highest regard. Never before had he experienced this feeling. He didn't even know if it was accurate, but it was just another reason why he seriously considered doing more hero work.

After a long walk, he finally found the Donut Shop. Grinning and keeping Roy securely placed on his shoulder, he sprinted over. The cops were still there, still trying to console the koopa troopa employee. Their presence was the best possible outcome, in a way. Larry had originally been wondering if they had moved forward with their search for the criminals, but their being here was just… well, perfect.

"Yoohoo!" Larry called out. The cops and the employee turned toward him as he waved at them. They all blinked, with some even dropping their jaws. This just made Larry's smile grow bigger. "Bet you weren't expecting to see me again, were you?"

The closer Larry got, the clearer the cops' shocked expressions became, and it made his heart dance like crazy. When he finally got close enough, he carefully set Roy down on the ground and dug around in his hammerspace. If the cops had been shocked before, there was no real way to describe their expressions as Larry dug out the coins and set them down on the ground.

"You… you…" the officer Larry had first spoken to do double take after double take. She looked ready to faint once Larry had finished depositing all the stolen loot. "You got the coins back?"

"Sure did!" Larry wiped his hands together, looking back at the cops with a confident expression. "I tracked down the criminals, and me and my brother made quick work of them." His face fell as he gave Roy another look. "Uh… my brother might need a little bit of help, though."

Even with that sentiment, the cops's expressions still rose. They walked up to Larry, one of them collecting all the coins and another giving him a pat on the shoulder. Larry felt like he was going to explode with glee even before they started talking.

"Young man, this is incredible!" said the officer. They patted his shoulder some more, even going out of their way to squeeze him. "I don't know how you did it, but it's certainly impressive."

Larry chuckled. "It was nothing, really."

"Uh, no," said the store employee. "You saved the day! You tracked down and got all the money back, without so much as breaking a sweat!" They walked up to Larry. "I don't know how I will ever be able to thank you, Mr…." his voice trailed off as he chuckled and scratched his head. "What exactly is your name, young man?"

"Oh!" Larry paused. He didn't know if he necessarily wanted to give his real name, as superheroes had secret identities for a reason. So, he racked his brain for the perfect response to that question before it occurred to him. He had the perfect superhero name, the best thing to call a super robot like himself.

"I'm Captain Metal!"

Everyone did a double take. They looked at Larry in disbelief, with one of the cops even snickering. Eventually, though, the koopa troopa just shrugged.

"Well, okay," they said. They smiled at Larry once again. "Thank you for your help, Captain Metal. It was very much appreciated."

"Of course!" Larry puffed out his chest. "It was all in a day's work for the man of… tin!" (He didn't say 'Man of Steel' because that was copyrighted). He laughed until he heard Roy, groaning on the ground while clutching his stomach. "Oh!" Larry bent down and picked his big brother back up. "Now, uh, if you'll excuse me, I'm taking my bro to the nearest hospital."

"Of course." The people waved at him. "Thanks for everything, Captain Metal!"

Larry gave them one more smile before turning and walking away.

Larry waited in the waiting room of Amber's hospital. He had admitted Roy about half an hour prior, and now the nurses were patching him up. Larry hadn't noticed exactly how bad of a shape he was in until he was literally being dragged away in a hospital bed, and it made him bite his lip in worry. He felt guilty; sure, he had given Roy the option of going back home, an option that he had actively turned down in order to aid the new Koopdroid. But even with that knowledge, Larry felt as if he should've done more. Maybe he should've insisted that Roy go back home. Maybe he should've done a better job of protecting him from and fighting against the thugs. After all, every koopa knew how difficult it was to be on the receiving end of punches and fireballs. If only he had been more careful…

When he had this thought, Larry buried his head in his hands. The minutes dragged by as he waited for the news from the nurses. Would Roy even be okay, or were his (completely preventable) injuries too serious? Would they handicap him, giving him a much lesser quality of life? Oh no, if that was the case, Larry would never forgive himself. Roy was his bro. His happy, awesome bro he didn't deserve to spend the rest of his in a wheelchair with burn marks.

And yes, this worry did make the joy of being a hero even less enjoyable. In fact, now it felt as though Larry had been ungodly selfish. He decided, right then, right there, that the next time he went to do hero work, he was going to do it all by himself. No reason to get his siblings caught in the crossfire.

After another ten minutes of whimpering with his head in his hands, the nurse came out to Larry. He lifted his head, feeling like he couldn't breathe as she looked at him.

"Well?" he asked, his heartbeat picking up.

The nurse sighed and put on a smile. "He's perfectly fine."

Oh wow, was that a relief! Larry put his hand to his chest, thanking every lucky star in the sky. "Thank the Lord!"

"Yes," the nurse said. "He does have a few bruises and burn marks, but neither of those are serious enough to be permanent. He'll make a very speedy recovery."

It felt as though Larry's insides were dancing. "Good. Very good. May I go see him?"

The nurse nodded and started to lead Larry toward Roy's room. As they walked, the good mood that Larry had been in returned. In fact, it increased. He felt as though he had the strength to track down a giant, beat them up, and stand on top of their corpse in victory. Sure, he still stood by the idea of not getting Roy (or any of the other Koopalings) involved in his hero work. Even still, with the relief and joy soaking his soul, it felt as though he could do anything. It felt as though he was the very definition of "invincible."

As such, when they finally got to Roy's room, Larry actually smiled despite everything. He walked into the room, wearing his grin in a way that he hoped would rub off on his older brother. And thankfully, that's exactly what it did. Roy looked beyond ecstatic to see Larry as he sat up in his hospital bed.

"Hey, Larry."

"Hey Roy." Larry giggled. "I hear you're in tip-top shape!"

Roy nodded. "Yeah. Or, at the very least, I will be." He sighed and adjusted his position in the bed while looking at the nurse standing in the doorway. "Thanks for patching me up, by the way."

"Of course!" The nurse smiled. "Anyway, I'll let you guys have a moment of privacy."

With that, she closed the door and left. When she was gone, Larry studied his brother. He probably wouldn't have believed Roy had been hurt if he hadn't been there, because he looked close to perfect. He looked like the same tough, cool, bodacious dude that Larry had come to know and love throughout his entire life, and Larry couldn't be more thrilled. He walked closer to Roy, completely forgetting about the horrible guilt that had claimed him less than five minutes prior.

"You know, you seem to have a superpower of your own." He giggled. "You can walk away from even the worst beatings without a scratch!"

Roy snorted. "That's not a superpower, Larry. That's just a symptom of being a koopa."

"Eh, true." Both Koopalings laughed for the better part of a minute. Larry gave his brother a sparkling look once they finished. "Anyway, everything is officially good now. The criminals learned their lesson, the money had been returned to the store, and everything is going to be reset back to normal." He beamed. "So, on top of the fact that you won't be dealing with any too-serious injuries, I would say that our mission was a success."

"Well, that's good!" Roy cleared his throat and readjusted his position in bed once again. "Helps that I'm going to be discharged in a little bit."

"Yeah!" Larry exclaimed. "It's… it's incredible, if I were to be honest." Almost instantly, he felt a pang once again, and it caused him to shrink back. "I… I'm really sorry you got hurt at all though. You definitely didn't deserve that."

"Oh." Roy stayed silent for a few minutes. The silence in the air was painful; it was the first thing that hurt Larry since he got turned into a robot. Both Koopalings looked away from each other, with Larry's guilt tripling. He wanted to disappear; that would seriously be the best superpower to have right now.

"It's okay, man," Roy eventually said. "I chose to help you. Besides, as you can clearly see, I'm not in too bad of a shape." He smiled. "So, any sin you might have committed is completely forgiven in my book."

Larry let out a breath. "Thanks, man." He stepped closer to him. "See, this is why you're my favorite brother."

"Oh, I am, aren't I?" Roy laughed, the sound loud and hearty. "Well, thanks! I'll wear that on a T-shirt." He chuckled. "Or at least, I would if I didn't mind getting beat up by the others."

"Sounds good." Larry smiled and shook his head. This… this really was turning out alright. He didn't know if he would say that he was shocked, but at the very least, he was extremely grateful.

"So," Roy said, his smile growing bigger. "Captain Metal?"

"Oh, you heard that?" Larry scratched the back of his head once Roy nodded. "Yeah, I figured that would be the most thematically appropriate superhero name."

"Superhero name?" Roy asked with a blink. "You mean that this mission wasn't a one-time thing?"

Larry shrugged. "I mean… it doesn't have to be." He thought about this some more. "I… I really liked going on this mission, despite everything. And… well, what would be a better way for me to use my new powers?" He looked Roy right in the eye. "In my mind at least, it makes perfect sense."

Roy didn't look too terribly convinced, unfortunately. "You sure? I mean, this mission was a little tough on both of us. Do you think that's the best idea?"

"Um… yes?" Even when he said that Larry didn't sound too confident, so he decided to try and justify his viewpoint. "I think that using my powers in this way would be good for a lot of people. Sure, there's always a risk, but that's true of everything. And it's especially true in the world of superheroes. Like, I've read several issues where even Titanium Man straight-up lost some of his battles. So… yeah." He bit his lip. "Even with that said though, it's something I want to do. I want to be a hero. I… I think that would be cool."

Roy blinked. "But you're already cool. You don't need to risk your life to prove that."

Larry's face grew warm. "Thanks, man, I appreciate that. But… I don't know, doing it in this way just feels right." He stepped closer to the bed. "Besides, Iggy is always saying that things happen for a reason. Maybe this is the reason why my wish was granted? To make something out of myself?"

Roy raised an eyebrow. He turned away from Larry, clearly thinking long and hard about this. During this time, he stole another glance at his brother, as if studying him and assessing if what he said would prove to be true. Eventually, he nodded.

"Well, okay. If that's how you feel, then I'm willing to trust you." He took off his glasses. "Just promise me that you'll be extra careful when you're doing this."

Larry smiled. "Oh, trust me, Big Guy. I will be extremely careful." He chuckled. "I can't stand the thought of you losing me."

Roy snorted. "How nice of you." He put his glasses back on. "Well… okay then. So, since you want to be a superhero, what is going to be the first thing you're gonna do?"

Larry thought about this for a second. He mulled over the options before something occurred to him. "I'm gonna need a super suit."

About two hours later, after Roy got discharged, Larry walked into a costume store in Stonebrim by himself. He browsed the selection, really taking in everything. There was just so much here, so much that looked so appealing to wear and so much that really fit the category of "visually appealing."

Even still, he couldn't get distracted by all the selections. He needed to find something specific, something that really gave off that "strong and tough superhero" vibe. If he were to be absolutely honest, he didn't know for certain what that looked like. He figured this would be a situation where he would know it when he sees it.

So, he browed through the costumes. He studied them multiple times, even going so far as to look at some of them with one of his different vision modes. Unfortunately, that didn't help. Nothing really stood out to him quite yet. Nothing really told him that it was worth wearing.

"Need help finding something?" the goomba store employee asked.

"Eh… not yet?" Larry responded. He continued browsing, but unfortunately, this task only proved to fill him with frustration. Seriously, was there nothing in this store? Was there nothing that could grab his attention in the way he hoped? Man, what a rip-off! This place advertised itself as the biggest, most expansive costume store in the whole Koopa Kingdom! If it didn't have anything… well, to be fair, if it didn't have anything, nothing was really stopping Larry from checking someplace else. Even still, he definitely didn't want to do that. Once again, this place advertised itself as the very best. It wouldn't make sense to go somewhere that was clearly inferior.

So, he continued searching for about half an hour. By the time that half hour was up, he felt frustrated enough to cause some serious damage. He even almost got out his new laser cannon to blast the place down (or, at the very least, leave some permanent marks in the walls).

"Are you okay, young man?"

Larry turned back to the goomba, who now stood directly besides him. He then figured he might as well ask them for help. Sure, he had seen nothing, but that didn't necessarily that there was nothing, right?

"I'm looking for a superhero costume," Larry said after clearing his throat and putting on a serious face. "Something with a cape and mask and a cool color scheme; you know, all the cool shit."

"I see, I see." The goomba thought about this some more. "What kind of color scheme did you have in mind?"

"Um… maybe blue with white accents?"

The goomba nodded and, without another word, gestured for Larry to follow him. Curious, Larry did so. When they got to the door that led to the back, the goomba told Larry to wait and went in. As such, Larry stood still for about half a minute, fidgeting and wondering what was going on back there. The goomba returned within record time, and in their hold they had…

"Is this what you had in mind?"

Larry's jaw dropped. A mask, a cape, dark blue with white accents, the most amazingly comfortable types of boots one could possibly wear… oh, it looked amazing! What's more, it was in Larry's size; it would fit him perfectly!

"That's perfect!" he exclaimed. He took the suit, handing over all the cash in his hammerspace that he had. Once the suit was in his possession, he smiled and giggled in a way he never had before. Seriously, this was too good! This was too perfect!

"Well," he whispered to himself. "Looks like my career as Captain Metal is off to a great start." With that, he made his way over to the changing room.