Note: Welp, March has began, and there are a LOT of things that we waited for since January and February, from Spring Break to March Madness. We have even waited for announcements or updates for certain things, such as video games that are scheduled to come out this year. There are even stories on that we hope will be updated. But, I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's move on. Before doing so, I have something to say to two reviewers.
The White Wolf named Alex: Thanks for the review. I hope that you are ready for what's next.
Ron: Sure, the Mighty Loonatics have shown considerable progress, but that's only because they have had help from the Loonatics themselves. The team has yet to fight a villain without help from the original team, but I'm sure that they'll amaze the Loonatics with their efforts.
Now that I've done that, it's time for chapter fifteen.
Chapter 15: European Jewel
On Lexi's final day with the Mighty Loonatics, she watched some old movies with them. A few of the movies were from the 1930s, two were from the 1950s, and the rest were from the 1980s. Concessions, such as popcorn and chips, were on the table, slowly being consumed by everyone. Once they got done watching movies, the Mighty Loonatics saw that it was nighttime.
"Gee, how long were we watching those films?" Lori asked.
"We've been watching movies for hours." Jack said. "It has to be midnight out there."
"Actually," Diane said, looking at the time, "it's almost ten."
"Really?" The young man asked.
"If that's so, then we should get ready for bed." Simon stated.
"Right!" The Mighty Loonatics said.
Getting up from their seats, the new recruits went to do what they needed to do before bed. However, Diane saw that Lexi was still sitting.
"Are you coming, Lexi?" She asked.
"No, I should really be heading back to Zadavia." Lexi said. "Besides, it's time for someone else to hang with you guys."
"Who is Zadavia sending next?" Klara asked.
"She hasn't said anything yet, but she'll tell me when I go back to Blanc." The doe said.
"Then I guess that this is goodbye for now." Jack said, somewhat saddened.
"Yeah," the rabbit said, "but don't worry, we'll see each other again."
"Let's hope so, it gets kinda lonely without the original team around." Teagan said.
As the Mighty Loonatics went to bed, Lexi stepped out of HQ, deciding to use the transportation device Zadavia had given her once she got out. Once she was outside, the doe yawned, feeling tired herself.
"I might head to bed when I get back to Blanc." She said to herself.
Pressing a button on the device, Lexi found herself teleporting all the way back to Blanc. Once she got there, the doe made her way back to base. After doing so, she left the teleportation device by the door, leaving it ready for use by whoever Zadavia selected to watch after the Mighty Loonatics next. The moment she reached her room, Lexi took off her uniform and got on some pajamas. With that out of the way, the rabbit lie down in her hammock, getting covered up. She fell asleep shortly after, enjoying the comfort of the night around her.
When morning arrived on Acmetropolis, the Mighty Loonatics had just finished breakfast. The team waited for the next member of their predecessors to arrive, having gotten no word on who it would be. They sat in the living room and relaxed, knowing that no crime alert was up. However, that was until they heard a knock at the elevator door.
"Welp, there's the next one!" Jack said.
"Who wants to answer the door?" Teagan asked.
"I'll get it out of the way," John said, "mainly because I don't want this to last longer than it needs to."
Heading to the elevator, John pressed one of the buttons, allowing the door to open. Standing in the elevator was Slam, who had a big grin on his face. The Tasmanian devil was happy to see the Mighty Loonatics, letting out a happy chuckle. The new recruits returned his giddiness with smiles of their own. John simply stood by the door, happy to see Slam, but not letting it show on his face.
"Gee, it's nice to see you, Slam!" Jack spoke.
"Yeah, we didn't know you were coming!" Simon stated.
Slam mumbled something.
"Zadavia didn't tell Lexi, didn't she?" Klara asked. "Why did she wait until morning.
In response, Slam gave off a shrug. Frankly, he was just as surprised that he was chosen to look after the Mighty Loonatics as they were. The Tasmanian devil, like the rest of his own team, half-expected for Ace to be chosen to go next. The only one who objected was Duck, claiming that he was better at watching the new recruits. While he had some good qualities, everyone wondered how that were even able to stand the mallard in the first place. Slam wasn't the kind of person to plan or have an opinion, but Duck got on his nerves as well.
Now that he was with the Mighty Loonatics, Slam sat down on the couch, sitting in-between Teagan and Simon.
"So, what do you want to do, buddy?" Simon asked.
Slam mumbled and shrugged, signaling that he didn't know what to do. However, he spoke again, as if he were asking a question.
"We've already eaten, Mr. Tasmanian." Diane stated.
"But we'll eat lunch in the next hour or so." Lori said, touching Slam's arm.
Slam smiled and mumbled happily, showing that he was excited. The moment John sat down, the Tasmanian devil shuddered. He sensed the dark energy coming off the stag, making him somewhat frightened. However, the marsupial put that aside, as his ears picked up a young man's voice. Behind him was Jack, who was talking on the phone. Slam furrowed his brows, as the young man wasn't speaking English.
"Lie, Junko Obasan," Jack spoke into his phone, "watashi wa komatsu te i mase ne, watashi wa kanzeri ni daijobu desu!"
Curious, Slam patiently watched as Jack continued on with his conversation. The young man spoke in Japanese, but Slam was able to make out a few of the words he was saying. Back when he was a wrestler, the Tasmanian devil faced an opponent who hailed from Japan, with his team being some personal friends. The marsupial was unable to understand what his opponent was saying, as he didn't speak a lick of English, but he figured out a few of the words that were being said. Slam hoped to learn other languages after a match, but the match he was fighting in was on the same day the meteor crashed into Acmetropolis. From there, his plans were put on hold.
Upon seeing Jack speak on the phone in Japanese, Slam was waiting to see how it played out. Given the reassuring tone in the young man's voice, the Tasmanian Devil assumed that he was clearing something up. From that, the marsupial was thinking that the Jarlon-human was talking to a family member, presumably a distant relative. Now, Jack was calm, meaning that whoever he was talking to was going to get off the phone.
"Minna ni yoroshiku?" Jack spoke. "Arigato. Sayonara!"
Hanging up, Jack put his phone in his pocket. After that, he walked towards the couch, where he saw Slam looking at him with curious eyes.
"What?" Jack asked. "Is there something wrong?"
Slam grumbled out a question.
"That was my aunt, Junko." The young man said. "She gets really worried about Klara and I, despite the fact that she doesn't visit us in Acmetropolis."
Curious, Slam spoke to Jack, wondering why he was speaking to his aunt in Japanese.
"She doesn't live in the city like my mom, so I speak to her in Japanese." Jack stated. "She knows some English, but it's mostly basic stuff, from greetings to fruits and vegetables."
"While our mother came to live here," Klara said, "the rest of her family lives in Japan."
Slam asked another question, wondering if there was more information they could tell him.
"Mom's half-Japanese, as our maternal grandfather is Korean." Jack said. "Along with Japanese, Korean, and English, she knows a little French, and has taken lessons in German."
"She left the family before Jack entered college, but she still calls and writes letters." Klara said. "Mom doesn't video chat, though, as she's pretty camera shy."
"So, does your dad know Japanese and Korean?" Simon asked.
"Not a whole lot of either." Jack stated. "Mom mainly spoke English around him when they were married."
Slam grumbled out a question, asking Jack and Klara what their father's ancestry is.
"He's part-Jarlon, like Jack and me, but mom is a full-blooded Jarlon." Klara said. "While the Jarlons hail from Mozunia, the human part of dad's family has Scottish blood and Italian blood. There's even some Arabic blood in our paternal family line."
"Is there any chance we could meet your family?" Diane asked.
"We'll visit them when we have a chance to." The preteen said.
"Anyway, what would you like to do first, Slam?" Jack asked.
Slam didn't answer. In fact, he was not in the room with the Mighty Loonatics. Alarmed, the team looked around for where he could be.
"Slam?" Simon called out.
"Mr. Tasmanian?" Lori asked.
Diane wasn't looking around like the others, as her telepathy knew where Slam was at. Noticing this, John went up to the Arctic fox.
"Are you gonna tell them where Mr. Purple is at?" He asked.
"I shouldn't have to." Diane said. "After all, knowing Slam, it should be obvious where he's at now."
All of a sudden, there was a crash heard down the hallway. This got the attention of the Mighty Loonatics, who were somewhat startled by the sound.
"What was that?" Jack asked.
"Sounds like it came from the kitchen." Teagan said.
"But where's Slam?" Simon asked.
"Where else? Getting a bite to eat." Diane spoke.
Upon hearing that, the Mighty Loonatics went to the kitchen. As they went down the hallway, the noises they heard from before got louder. The moment they were at the door, the new recruits saw Slam eating whatever was available. However, they didn't go unnoticed by the Tasmanian Devil. In fact, he stopped eating and grumbled something, as if he were giving an apology. However, none of the Mighty Loonatics were offended.
"It's okay, pal, we don't mind." Jack said.
Slam grumbled and gave them a quizzical look, tilting his head.
"Do whatever you need to feel your belly." Diane said. "After all, it was probably a long trip for you."
In response, Slam only shrugged, then went back to eating. The Mighty Loonatics went back to the living room, deciding to pass time. Jack took out his laptop, choosing to do what he wanted on it. After going to the main page on a browser, the young man looked through the news, checking if something interesting was on it. So far, there was nothing. Undeterred, the Jarlon-human continued to look on the main page.
After clicking on a few links, Jack found an interesting article. The article in question detailed a dark green gemstone that was found in the 22nd century. Those who found it claimed that there were voices coming from the gem. Once it was taken to researchers, they studied it, only to find that there were ethereal forces tied to the gem. These forces dated back to the 18th century, appearing to be the souls of the deceased. As no one could figure out a name for the stone, those who were responsible for its discovery simply named it "European Jewel".
Eager to find more information on it, Jack kept reading the article. Near the end of it, the location of European Jewel was currently the Acmetropolis Science Museum. It was located in the geology section, being in with the gemstones. Intrigued, Jack spoke up, hoping to get the attention of the others.
"Guys, you better come see this!" He said.
"What is it?" Simon asked.
Once the Mighty Loonatics were together, they saw the article about European Jewel. Jack slowly scrolled down, allowing them to read it. From the history of the gem to its current location, the new recruits didn't take their eyes off the article. While most of them were intrigued, John wasn't. In fact, the stag was stone-faced, as if nothing interested him.
"What's with you?" Jack asked.
"There's something fishy about this article." John said. "That gem has been at the Science Museum for fifteen years now."
"What makes the article suspicious to you?" Lori asked.
"He's not the only one suspicious about it." Teagan said. "For one, the article was written by someone who hasn't posted an article in the news before. Not to mention that the author sounds oddly excited about this so-called European Jewel."
"Maybe he or she is just really interested in it." Jack said. "They might have just wanted to make their first article interesting."
"I don't know, something feels strange about the article." John stated. "It's one thing to get excited about a gem, but to write a news article about it? Even if it's the fifteenth anniversary of that crystal being at the Acmetropolis Science Museum, something tells me that the article was written by someone who is far too interested in it."
All of a sudden, the crime alert rang out. Upon hearing it, Jack closed up his laptop, getting up from the couch to see what the crime alert was about. His teammates surrounded him, eager to see what the big deal was. As if by pure coincidence, the crime alert was concerning an attack at the Acmetropolis Science Museum.
"Could the criminals be after that gem?" Jack asked.
"I don't know, but we'll figure it out once we get there." John stated.
Slam came into the room, grumbling questions.
"We've got a crime alert, Mr. Tasmanian!" Diane stated.
"And it's at the Science Museum!" Klara added.
Hearing that, Slam cracked his knuckles, ready for a fight. He led the Mighty Loonatics to the lab, which was full of gadgets that the team would need for the mission. Upon getting what they needed, the new recruits raced out of HQ, deciding to hurry to the Science Museum. No matter what happened, the team wanted to be there to save the day. Little did they know, something different would happen once they got there.
At the Acmetropolis Science Museum, civilians were hiding from the criminals who were attacking. The crooks were wielding semi-automatic guns, eager to shoot those who stood against them. Earlier in the day, one of them had hacked a news website, writing an article under a pseudonym. The article concerned the gemstone known only as the European Jewel. When that was out of the way, he joined his fellow criminals in heading to the Science Museum. Their goal was to steal the European Jewel and sell it on the black market.
"Alright, boys, we want to be out of here as quick as possible!" The lead crook said. "Shoot anyone who dares to stand up to us and grab the jewel when you find it!"
The others nodded, continuing on their way through the Museum. Upon reaching the geology section, they sheathed their guns and got ready to grab the European Jewel. The leader waited outside the area, keeping an eye out for anyone. What he didn't expect, however, was that he would be victim to a sneak attack. In fact, he found himself levitating uncontrollably. Before he could say anything, the crook's mouth got covered by a dark energy blast that became an impromptu gag.
Alarmed by the sound, one of the criminals turned his head back to the entrance.
"Did you guys hear that?" One of them asked.
"Ignore it," another one said, "we'll check it out later. Let's just get that gem!"
Once they were near the European Jewel, the crooks were ready to grab it. However, a blast of energy threw one of them back. Before another one of them could check on him, he found his arms being bound by an unseen force. The remaining two took their guns out, ready to shoot whoever was attacking them. Before they could, they heard a familiar grumbling voice. Turning around, they saw Slam standing near the entrance.
"One of the Loonatics is here?" One crook asked.
"What are you doing here?" Another one asked, looking at Slam. "Shouldn't you be with your friends?"
Slam only grumbled, saying that he came alone. However, the crooks then heard footsteps approaching them. Near one of their allies, they saw Lori becoming visible. After that, Teagan, Diane, and Simon stepped out, having hid behind display cases. Jack, John, and Klara walked in through the entrance.
"Hello, gentlemen." Diane greeted.
"Wait, there are more Loonatics?" One of the crooks asked.
"Of course, stupid!" The other one said. "They formed a new team under the orders of that blonde lady!"
"And we already took care of your leader!" Jack spoke, handcuffing the crook who was taken down by Diane. "He's in jail, which is where the rest of you are going!"
"Over our dead bodies!" One of the crooks said, aiming his gun at the Mighty Loonatics.
Upon seeing the crooks aiming their guns at them, ready to fire, the Mighty Loonatics jumped out of the way. After that, they engaged the criminals in battle, John having teleported their bound allies to jail. The new recruits were able to kick their guns out of their hands, so they were able to use hand-to-hand combat. The criminals obliged, choosing to use their hands and feet to fight. Now that they were fighting fair, the Mighty Loonatics were ready to take down the criminals.
But no one would have expected what happened next ...
Without warning, Slam found himself kicked towards the European Jewel. The moment he was near it, the Tasmanian Devil was struck by a beam of light that came off the gem. This caused him to fire two tornadoes at the remaining criminals, which made them dizzy. Once they were down, John used his powers to teleport them to prison. When that was out of the way, the Mighty Loonatics went to talk to Slam. They didn't notice him backing away from the European Jewel, looking puzzled.
"Nice one, Slam!" Simon said.
"You really took them out!" Lori said.
Slam grumbled in confusion, as if to explain that it wasn't him when he disoriented the two criminals.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked. "Firing tornadoes is a power of yours, isn't it?"
As Slam tried to explain what happened, Teagan approached the European Jewel. She stood a few inches back from it, trying to be careful. From what the mallard could tell, there were odd energies coming off of it. Said energies floated around the gem, looking like flames. Looking back at Slam, and remembering what the article said about the European Jewel, Teagan put two and two together. She spoke up, getting the attention of her teammates.
"I think I know what happened." Teagan said. "Whenever Slam was near the European Jewel, the ethereal forces that the article mentioned might have caused his powers to work in a different way."
"That means the European Jewel can either change powers, give you new powers, or take powers away, is that right?" John asked.
"Another option would be that it causes your powers to spiral out of control, causing you to use them in a way you wouldn't normally use them." The mallard stated.
Walking towards the European Jewel, Jack took a closer look at it. An ethereal force flew at him, but he moved out of the way.
"This gem would be dangerous in the wrong hands!" Jack cried.
Upon seeing a museum worker walking by, Simon went up to him.
"Excuse me, is your boss nearby?" He asked.
"He's in his office at the moment." The worker said.
"When you speak to him, tell him that you need to keep the European Jewel in an area that's better than a display case." Simon said. "If that gem fell into the wrong hands, something bad could happen."
"I'll tell him." The worker nodded.
After that, the Mighty Loonatics walked out of the Acmetropolis Science Museum, Slam staggering behind them. Seeing that, the new recruits went back to HQ with him. Once they got there, they had the Tasmanian devil lay down and rest. He was somewhat reluctant, but he wanted to feel better. As he went to lay down, the Mighty Loonatics did what they wanted for the rest of the afternoon. When evening came, they would have dinner with Slam, as means of making him feel better.
Meanwhile, outside of the Acmetropolis Science Museum, a mysterious figure watched the Loonatics' HQ.
"So, there's a gem that has certain effects on people with superpowers?" He said to himself. "Perhaps I should take it when the time is right? But, a problem I have on my hands is that the staff might put it in a safer place. I'll have to come up with a new plan. In the meantime, I hope that the Mighty Loonatics enjoy their next few battles."
He flew off of the roof, moving out towards the horizon.
Back on Blanc, Zadavia felt a strange force surging. Unnerved, she wondered what the cause of it would be. That was when she remembered hearing about a gem known as the European Jewel. Having been found during the 22nd Century, the gem had been kept in storage, where it wouldn't be touched. Touching it didn't matter, as the Jewel would be surrounded by ethereal forces that would leave strange effects on those who came into contact with it. It was said to even have an effect on individuals who had strange abilities.
Zadavia sat as she thought about the European Jewel, having been shaken by the forces that she believed came from it.
I hope that no one was put under the effects of that accursed thing. She thought to herself. As much as it pains me to think about what would happen if it fell into the wrong hands, it pains me even more to wonder if anyone got a hold of it!
Note: Who knew that such a gem would be dangerous? And it looks like even Zadavia has heard of it. How did she hear about it? Is there any advice she can give on it? Looks like we won't know until she decides to do so. And let's hope that she doesn't wait until too late.
I have become interested in outsider music now, so I might wind up making references to it every now and then. In fact, the titular gem is named after a song by Jandek, a rather reclusive outsider music who has made some frightening songs. I hope that all of you are doing well. Until next time guys, this is Newcomer24, signing off. Peace!