NOTE: Hey, been a while. Sorry for not updating, but I needed to...rekindle the fire for this fic. So, hopefully, I'm back in my grove.
Enjoy and Review!
Chapter 5: Lucky Sisters
"Thanks for taking me out, Haruka." Ayako smiles at her big sister as they walk down the streets of Ryukyu. She has a cute green tote-bag with multi-colored heart designs strapped over her shoulder. Inside was an assortment of treats and drinks the sisters had just purchased from the market street. "It's been a while since we've been able to just hang out, the two of us."
Haruka agreed with her younger sibling. "Tell me about it. Between school and being a superhero, I haven't had much time to just chill to myself."
"W-well, I was more so talking about how we're always moving around in a group. But yes, now that you have the watch, things have picked up a lot in our daily lives." Ayako admits. She thinks not just of the crimes around the city that Haruka has stopped but also the supervillains or criminals they've encountered so far. Dr. Animo, the F.O.F, those robots, and Zombozo. Sure, a bunch of Yakuza were one thing but these maniacs they've come into contact with have been far more dangerous.
It was like all of these things only started happening the day that watch fell from the sky.
"You're not wrong, Ayako. Our lives changed a lot recently." Haruka agrees, her eyes staring at the pink and black watch on her wrist. "But don't worry too much about all of that. I'm always going to have time to spend with you guys, no matter what-"
Suddenly, loud sirens started going off nearby. Haruka, Ayako, and the bystanders around them jumped back when the windows of the nearby museum explode violently. The cries of people inside can be heard with the police racing to the scene.
"Oh no! What could possibly-" Ayako turns to her sister only to see Haruka was already running off to find a hiding place. A few moments later, a pink flash is followed by a speeding blur zipping through the crowd to enter the museum. "O-oh, well, right. I guess you're used to jumping in at this point."
Welp, there went their day together…
It did sting that Haruka didn't wait to let her ask if she needed help. But it made sense, none of them had powers like her. The only one in their family capable of even assisting her was Uncle Kaz and even he felt there were times where it was best to leave things to Haruka. Still, it would be nice if she was capable of lending Haruka a hand. She was the 2nd eldest of the kids yet she has done nothing to actually seem helpful to her Uncle Kaz and Haruka.
Kicking her feet dejectedly, Ayako turned to make her way back to the Morning Glory. "I guess you really don't have the time anymore."
Velocity blew through the doors of the museum to see a strangely dressed man in red and black robes with skull paint over his face. He held a long brown staff in his hand and was using it to interrogate the staff of the museum. "Where is the book of spells?" The magician asked.
"R-right there! I-it's in that case!" The terrified staff member answered. Looking over, the magician found the ancient book sitting in the glass display case. He released the staff from capture to focus on his goal.
"AAAHHH!" Luckily, before they could receive a rough landing, Velocity zips forward to use the tapestry to catch them.
"There! You guys need to get out of here, quickly!" She ordered. The staff were more than happy to comply and hurried towards one of the exits, leaving Velocity and the magician as the only two within the museum. "Hey, thief, haven't you heard it's not nice to take what isn't yours?!"
"Au contraire, creature, this book is mine!" He declared as he smashed the glass case to reach for the book. However, a speedy pink blur snatched it away before he could grab it. "You dare…?!"
"Sorry, but I've been raised to not take things illegally!" Velocity quips. She's been working hard to improve her mid-battle quippage by practicing with her brothers. Velocity feels like that was a good one.
"Impudent monster." He raised his staff, the wooden head glowed brightly. Suddenly, Velocity felt the floor liquify itself. Acting quickly, she started to kick her feet to generate speed to avoid sinking below. Dashing forward with a speedy kick, the velociraptor alien struck the magician, or at least she thought, until the man vanished in a puff of smoke.
"What the heck?!"
"Vile monster! I will not be denied in my quest!" She looked up to see the magician floating in the air. He waves his staff, launching a barrage of red crystals at her. Velocity skates around the museum to avoid getting stabbed through. She spins sharply, zipping underneath the crystals to race up the wall. A powerful kick off the concrete wall launched her at the magician, who let out a gasp as her leg struck across his face. He tumbled through the air as she pushed herself off the opposite wall to smash into him again. Velocity repeats her attack pattern to beat the magician down, until he manages to recover. His staff smacks into her stomach, knocking her back down onto the floor, the book falling from her grasp.
The magician lowers himself and reaches for the book. "Now the book of Archamada is mine!"
"Not so fast!" Velocity bashed into him, knocking him away from the book. She starts zipping around the museum to build up speed. Right as the magician got back to his feet, the speed alien smashed the side of her claw against his face, then his back, stomach, ribs, arms, and everywhere as she continued to blitz him. One last kick to his stomach took out the magician, blowing him into the wall.
One of the stone charms on his necklace came loose as a result of the rough impacts. It rolls across the floor, landing right next to the book.
"And that's one history lesson I'm sure you'll never forget!" She chuckles to herself, clearly proud of the line.
After wrapping up the magician in one of the tapestries of the museum, Velocity zips back over to the book and notices the charm. "Huh? What's this?" She picks it up with her claws. "Wasn't this one of that guy's charms?"
Velocity wondered if she should return it or not but figured it would be fine. Her Uncle Kaz took things from the thugs who would attack him repeatedly, so this should be fine. And it wasn't museum property either, so it should be fine.
Maybe she could give it to Ayako as a makeup gift? She did feel bad about suddenly dipping out on their time together. Either way, it was best to leave now before the watch times her out. Velocity sprints out the door to head back to the Morning Glory, leaving the magician in the hands of the police.
Dinner time at the Morning Glory was as loud as ever with Haruka re-telling her battle at the museum to her family. The big sister soaked up the starry eyes of the youngest like a sponge to water. "And then I zoomed like lightning across the museum to land an absolute smackdown on the magic thief!"
"So cool!" Taichi and Koji exclaimed.
"Oh! I wish we could have seen it, right Mame?" Izumi looks at their dog, who happily barks in agreement.
While the other kids babbled in excitement at her exploits, Ayako just sighed into her bowl of salad. Her mannerisms didn't go unnoticed by her caretaker, the Dragon of Dojima looked slightly concerned. "Is something the matter, Ayako?" His question snapped her out of her trance while also getting the others' attention.
"N-nothing, Uncle Kaz! I'm just fine!" Ayako waved her hands quickly.
"Are you sure? I know you're usually a worrywart, but even then, you'd talk to the rest of us during dinner." Riona said.
"I-I don't worry that often!"
"Ayako, yesterday you spent the entire afternoon fretting, because you thought Taichi got stuck in the toilet." Mitsuo said, making her blush.
"Okay, I worry sometimes, but that isn't on my mind right now!" Ayako defends herself. "I'm just tired is all." She quickly stands up from the table. "I think I'll turn in early, Uncle Kaz. One of the boys can have my share." Ayako bows slightly before rushing off towards the girls' room of their orphanage.
Kiryu stares at the direction she went to, with worry growing inside of him. He never liked it when one of his kids tried to hide their feelings from him. He was going to stand up to talk to her when someone else beat him to it.
"Don't worry, Uncle Kaz." Haruka gets up first. "I'll talk to Ayako; I think I have an idea on what's bothering her."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, just make sure the boys don't try to eat my share." She replied.
"Hey! We're not that greedy!" Koji exclaimed, with the boys agreeing with him.
"But you are greedy." Riona's comment shot down their thunder. Eri and Izumi giggle at them with Kiryu smirking slightly.
While dinner continued, Haruka reached the girls' shared room. She slowly entered it to see Ayako rolling out her futon. "Ayako, are you okay?" Haruka asked as she slid the door closed.
"H-Haruka?!" Ayako flinched slightly, surprised to see her. She had expected their Uncle Kaz to come talk with her like he usually does, but this was different. Considering what was bothering her, Ayako didn't know if this was better or not. "I-I'm doing just fine."
Haruka sat down next to her sister. "You don't have to lie to me. You're not good at it."
She blushed a bit, since it wasn't the first time she's been told she's a terrible liar. "Still, you don't have to try and pry my feelings out of me. I'm just tired, like I said."
"This is about me ditching our outing, isn't it?" Haruka knew she was correct judging by the way Ayako sputtered.
"W-what?! No, no way! I can't possibly be mad at you for saving people! You had to stop that magician or else he would have gotten away with that book!" Ayako exclaimed.
"Still, I told you we were going to spend the evening together and yet I still left without any hesitation. That was my responsibility as an older sister. I'm sorry." Haruka apologized, making her little sister feel worse.
"Don't blame yourself, Haruka! I'm just being selfish! What I want doesn't compare to what you have to do!" She mentally cried. As much as she wanted to say the words, she knew they would simply hurt both of them. Ayako buried her feelings down in hopes of keeping herself calm.
Haruka, ignorant to the turmoil in Ayako's head, reached into her skirt's pocket to pull out the charm. "Here, something for you." She gently places the charm in Ayako's palm.
"What's this?" Ayako asked.
"Something I knocked off of that magician at the museum. I figured he wasn't using it anymore, so there shouldn't be any problem with me giving it to you." Haruka answered. "Think of it as an apology gift."
"B-but isn't that stealing?!"
"Uncle Kaz uses items and money he gets from beating up the thugs that attack him on the street every day. This isn't any different."
"...True." Ayako accepts. She takes the stone closer to her, the palm of her hand tingles slightly from the warm stone. "What should I do with it?"
"Remember those bracelets we bought?" She receives a nod. "Just stick the stone in one of the gem slots. Trust me, I'm sure you'll look even more pretty."
"Okay, then." Ayako said. She moves over to her bag to pull out some of the bracelets they bought earlier. After quickly scanning through them, the young girl finally settled on the silvery golden "U" shaped brace. Ayako slides the stone in, smiling that it was a perfect fit. "There."
"Nice choice." Haruka smiles.
"Thank you for the gift." Ayako smiles. She's then hugged by her big sister.
"Don't worry about it. Just know that I'll try harder to make time to spend with you and the others.
"I-I know…" Ayako stutters slightly. Even after the apology, she still felt terrible about how selfish she's been acting. She shouldn't be getting mad at Haruka for helping people just because she misses spending time with her. It wasn't fair.
If only she could be more useful, then these feelings would go away. It wasn't fair.
As they hugged, neither girl noticed the way the charm glowed as if it were reacting to Ayako's emotions.
The next day, the Morning Glory was in its usual tussle with the kids scrambling to get ready for school. Outside, Koji, Mitsuo, and Taichi decide to have a quick game of basketball before heading off to school. The three were getting a little too hectic with their playing, especially in such a small yard.
"Pass it here, Koji!" Taichi waves his arm.
"We're playing a free-for-all, Taichi! Why would I pass you the ball?!" Koji yelled. Unfortunately for him, he was distracted long enough for Mitsuo to steal the ball from him. The dark-skinned child dribbles the ball towards the hoop and jumps for a slam dunk.
"Nothing but net!" Mitsuo shouts.
"No way!" Taichi jumps in the way, pulling back his arm to harshly smack the ball from his brother's hand. The ball went barreling through the air away from their game.
On the other end of the yard, Izumi was giving Mame his breakfast. She was too distracted to notice the ball soaring straight for her. The boys panic at the soon-to-be painful impact. "Izumi!"
At that moment, Ayako was stepping out of the orphanage in her black-school uniform. Her eyes widened at the sight of the ball that's about to collide with Izumi's head. Suddenly, the charm on her bracelet glowed briefly. The bracelet girl lunged forward at a pace even she didn't know she could achieve. Ayako jumped into the air and grabbed the ball when it was mere inches from hitting Izumi, she rolled briefly along the sandy concrete before stopping on her knees. "Phew! That was close!"
"HOLY COW!" Ayako jumps up, surprised by the loud outburst. She turns around to see her little siblings crowding her. "How the heck did you do that, Ayako?!" Taichi asked.
"Yeah, I never knew you were so acrobatic!" Koji adds.
"It was so cool!" Izumi squeals.
"Can you do it again?!" Mitsuo asked, excitedly.
Slightly overwhelmed by their excitement, Ayako didn't know how to respond to all of their rapid firing questions, her head steaming with a red face. Thankfully, the rest of the kids and Kiryu stepped outside to see what all the commotion was about. "What's going on?" Kiryu asked.
"Uncle Kaz! Haruka! You guys should have seen it! Ayako did a super cool move!" Taichi explains.
"N-no, I didn't! It was nothing that big!" Ayako shakes her head.
"Yes, she did! She saved me from getting hurt by the ball after the boys threw it at me!" Izumi explained.
"They did what?" Haruka's eyes narrowed at the three, making them flinch.
"I-it was an accident!" The three defended themselves.
"Regardless, nobody was hurt, so that's good." Kiryu's eyes turned to the boys. "When you're playing around in the yard be sure to be mindful of who or what is around you, okay?"
"Yes, Uncle Kaz."
"And good job being there to protect your family, Ayako." Kiryu compliments, making her blush.
"He's right, Ayako, good job." Haruka adds.
"T-thank you." She nods her head. Ayako didn't want to admit it but their praise for her actions made her extremely happy. She had protected one of her little siblings, which was good, but she didn't really know how she had managed to move that fast.
Ayako sat near the window of her classroom, barely paying attention to the teacher's lesson. Her mind was still stuck on her sudden agility feats back at the orphanage. She was never the most athletic person in any point of her life. She wasn't unhealthy, just scrawny as most middle school girls her age.
"Miss Ayako!"
The second oldest jerked up suddenly after hearing her name called. "Y-yes, Sensei?!"
"I've been calling on you for the past few seconds to answer this question. But I suppose daydreaming out the window is far more important?" Snickers and giggles from her classmates made the orphan blush in embarrassment. "Now, can you answer this question? What is the medical term for brain freeze?"
"What kind of question is that?!" Ayako mentally panicked. She had no idea how to even answer that. So busy mentally cursing herself for slacking in the middle of class, she missed the way the charm on her bracelet glowed once again. Ayako was prepared to face humiliation in front of her classmates until her mouth opened on its own. "Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia."
Silence met her response, none of her classmates continued to laugh at her. Even the teacher was stunned that she answered the question so easily. "W-well, I guess you were paying closer attention than I had realized. My mistake, but please, focus on the lesson and not the window."
"Y-yes, Sensei!" Ayako bowed slightly before ducking back into her seat. The young girl ignored the looks of her peers to focus on what just happened. She didn't understand how she had managed to even answer that question so quickly on her own, especially when she didn't actually know the answer. Regardless, she felt really lucky at the moment having avoided public humiliation. Hopefully the rest of the day could go by without any more incidents.
PANG!
"GWAH!" A girl painfully hit the ground after getting hit in the face by a rubbery ball.
"Never mind. I really can't seem to catch a break." Ayako groaned mentally.
Of course, she had forgotten that they were having gym class today and would be playing dodgeball as their exercise. A game she hated with all of her heart since she'd always get saved for last, an easy target for being the poor orphan girl of the class. Since gym classes were separated by gender, Ayako only had to deal with the girls of her year group for this class period. Unfortunately, that barely mattered when she was now at threat of getting pummeled by the entire opposite team.
"So, Ayako, are you ready for another humiliating lesson?" The snobby team leader twirled the dodgeball on her finger. This was Hana Hoshino, one of the most popular girls of their year, and one of the girls that really enjoyed picking on her. The bullies' friends looked just as ready to take her down.
Ayako mustered up some courage, not wishing to look like a frightened animal. "I'm not scared of you, Hana! I may lose, but that doesn't mean you're better than me!"
"If you're so good, then don't get hit! Fire, girls!" Hana and her cohorts launched their balls at Ayako, who raised her arms to block the onslaught. For Ayako, her mind was burning at Hana's snobby laughter as it echoed in her ears. She really, really, wanted to knock her bully down a peg for once!
Again, the charm glowed once more.
Ayako felt her body move almost on its own, ducking and weaving through the onslaught of dodgeballs. She reached out, grabbing one, and threw it directly at Hana's teammates, nailing the girl in the stomach.
"W-what?!" Hana and the rest of their classmates gasped. Never before has Ayako shown any physical prowess like this. Even Ayako looked baffled by such a fortunate level of prowess. Hana picked up another ball and growled. "You just got lucky, Ayako! We're not going to miss this time!"
"Uh oh!" Ayako froze once again when the next volley came flying at her. The charm illuminated again, pushing Ayako to kick up one of the balls next to her. It went slapped into one of the flying balls, knocking it back to Hana's side to take out another teammate. Then Ayako grabbed another ball to ricochet it off another to slam into Hana's last teammate, leaving the bully all alone.
"No way! There's no way I'm losing to you!" Hana tossed another ball in hopes of taking out the girl she deemed a loser. But much to her shock, Ayako backflipped over the oncoming ball to connect her foot with it. She kicked the ball as if she were some sports anime character, sending it right back at Hana with force she couldn't recognize. The ball loudly smacked into the bully's face, knocking her flat on her back.
Ayako gracefully landed on the ground, utterly baffled by what she just did. Every single person on the field stared at her as if she had just solved the world's hardest math problem. Her face started to light up with redness from both her actions and the stares aimed at her. "I-I-I have to use the restroom!" Ayako dashed away from the field, not even bothering to get permission to leave.
She arrived at the girls' bathroom and shut one of the stall's doors with a loud slam. Ayako turned the lock and placed herself down on the toilet. The young girl was trying to steady her rapidly beating heart. "What's going on with me?! First the increase in speed when I saved Izumi, then my unknowing ability to answer questions I don't know, and now professional athlete-level skills in a dodgeball game?! T-this isn't normal!"
Was she turning into some kind of freak?!
This had never happened to her before! All of this only started happening after Haruka gave her the-
A gasp escaped her lips. Ayako brought the bracelet up to her face. "The charm! That's it! None of this started happening to me until she gave me this magician's charm!" Ayako traced her fingers against the stone. The strange feeling she had felt before when she first got it came back to her. "...What are you?"
"It's called the Charms of Bezel." Shiro said as he turned the laptop's screen to show his family. After returning home from school, Ayako had explained everything to her family about her suspicions of the stone. "These charms are connected to the Archamada Book of Spells, which is what I'm going to assume that magician that Haruka defeated was after. The charm that Ayako is wearing is known for luck."
"Luck…" Ayako stared at the stone. She had to admit that it fit, considering that she was completely lucky to be saved multiple times this day.
"It's a set, right? What are the rest for?" Haruka asked.
"Fire, air, levitation, and reincarnation." Shiro explained.
"Woah! So, Ayako could have gotten a reincarnation stone, like in video games?! Cool!" Koji exclaimed.
"Uh, not cool, meathead!" Riona flicked him on the forehead.
Ayako agreed, she didn't like the idea of dying, regardless if she could come back or not.
Eri turned to Kiryu, confused by his expression. "What's wrong, Uncle Kaz?"
"I was thinking…if that magician wanted the book and if the stones are connected to the book, then that has to mean something, right?" Kiryu turned to Shiro.
"You're right, Uncle Kaz." Shiro adjusted his glasses to continue reading. "It says that when the book of spells and all of the charms are brought together, then the user can achieve ultimate power."
"Then that's all the more reason we need to turn that charm in." Kiryu said, shocking his kids.
"What?! But, Uncle Kaz, you can't just say it should be given up!" Mitsuo argued.
"Yeah! Ayako is super cool now with it!" Taichi added.
"N-now…?" Ayako questioned weakly.
"If that magician decides to come looking for them, we'll be putting Ayako and the orphanage in danger." Kiryu responded back.
"And if he comes back then Haruka can just kick his butt again!" Koji argued back.
"Not just by herself either, Ayako can help her too! With that charm they can be like…superhero duos!" Izumi joined her brothers' side.
"A duo…?" Ayako repeated to herself. She felt the warm stone, a strange sensation crawled through her senses, as if it could sense the turmoil in her heart.
"Well, I don't mind." Haruka speaks up, surprising Ayako. "I think it would be cool to work side-by-side with my fellow big sis!" She said, making the aforementioned girl blush. "And isn't this situation similar to me with the watch, Uncle Kaz?"
Kiryu sighed, knowing that Haruka had a point. It would be hypocritical of him to be fully against Ayako while supporting Haruka's decisions. "Okay, but just like with you, the ultimate decision comes down to Ayako." All heads turn to her, wondering what she would say.
Ayako held the bracelet in her hand, contemplating her choice. If she said she didn't want it anymore, then she could go back to being boring old Ayako that stressed over everything. The girl that hovered over her siblings, the girl that was at the bottom tier of the social ladder at school, and the one that always came 2nd to Haruka when it came to their siblings' affection.
But with the charm? She'd be just as powerful as any of Haruka's transformations, she could vastly improve her reputation at school, and all of her siblings would find her respectable enough to look up to. She'd be able to help Haruka and her Uncle Kaz whenever trouble found them.
She'd no longer be useless.
Ayako steeled her features. "Yes! I'll keep the stone! I want to help Haruka and protect people!" A loud rousing cheer rang out as her little siblings celebrated her decision to become a superhero too.
"So be it. I'll allow it." Kiryu accepted.
Haruka wrapped an arm around her little sister's shoulder. "I look forward to working with you, sis!" She pulled Ayako in for a hug, making her blush. "I guess we'll be spending that time together, after all."
"R-right! It'll be fun!"
Riona, Eri, and Izumi got closer. "And if you're going to be a hero, then you'll need a costume to hide your identity. Haruka doesn't need one since her transformations hide her identity, but you don't have that advantage." Riona explained.
"We'll help put one together for you!" Izumi bounced excitedly with Mame barking in agreement.
"Y-yeah!" Eri nods her head, equally excited.
The boys budge in, almost knocking the girls over. "Hey! If you're going to be making superhero costumes, then we want in!"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, okay! Get off us first!" Riona kicked the boys away.
Kiryu shook his head, smiling softly at the high energy of the kids. While he didn't like letting them get into danger so much, they've proven to be able to handle themselves lately. He felt confident that Ayako would be fine as long as she had them to support her. And that magician shouldn't be an issue since he should be long in prison with all of his stones already confiscated.
They shouldn't have anything to worry about.
A police transport ship could be seen sinking in flames as a singular figure levitated above the remains. His eyes were cold with fury, anger directed at the one responsible for foiling his plan at getting the book of spells. The magician known as Hex flew through the air back to Okinawa to hunt down his target once more.
People inside the bank buckled in fear as a group of armed men held them all at gunpoint. A banker was forced to pour buckets and buckets of cash into the bags the men brought. She was trembling in fear as the barrel of one of the guns was pointed directly at her.
Suddenly, the entrance to the bank was blown open, one of the robbers that was keeping watch outside was slammed against a wall. Everyone turned around to see Wildmutt growling fiercely, but to the surprise of the people of Okinawa, the alien creature wasn't alone this time. Sitting on top of her was a young girl dressed in a dark purple jumpsuit with a four-leaf clover symbol painted on her chest. Her face was covered by a white cat mask with purple markings along the eyes and cheeks. She flipped over the Vulpimancer to stand heroically against the criminals.
"S-stand down, villains! L-Lucky Girl and Wildmutt are here to take you down!" She stumbled on her words, ruining whatever hopeful image she made of had coming in.
"Heh! You think we're scared of some little girl and her freaky dog?! Get 'em, boys!" The leading crook ordered his group to attack. Wildmutt moved to stand protectively in front of her sister. Guns were raised to unleash a storm of bullets at the two, freaking out the newbie hero.
Ayako stumbled back, her foot pulling on the rug with enough of a surprising amount of strength to cause it to shift. The sudden movement caused the robbers to lose their balance, their guns falling out of their grasp. Wildmutt barked to get her sister to act, which thankfully snapped Ayako out of her fear. The two dashed forward to take down the crooks, who did their best to recover.
One of the men took one of the heavy sacks of cash and lunged it at the duo. Wildmutt was about to smack it away until a foot stomped down on her head. The Omnitrix-wearer crashed face first into the floor as Ayako flipped over her and the money sack to land a strong axe-kick into the crook's head. As she touched the ground, another one attempted to attack her, causing the charm to glow again. She ducked underneath his swing to counter with an uppercut that sent him spiraling through the air.
Seeing that she just took down two of the crooks singlehandedly, Ayako allowed her confidence to increase more. The sounds of a gun clicking made her turn around to see that one of the men had picked up the fallen weapons. Instead of panicking, Ayako decided to replicate what she had done the day before in gym class. She kicked up one of the fallen gift baskets and backflipped into the air just as the gun was fired. Lucky Girl dodged the bullet gracefully while rotating in the air to kick the basket, but that was when Wildmutt appeared. The Vulpimancer was trying to save her sister from getting shot but somehow mistimed her tackle, thus getting the empty basket to fall right on her eyeless face. Ayako's foot ended up connecting with her head, knocking her right into the armed criminal.
Lucky Girl winced slightly. "Sorry about that, Wildmutt!"
"Why you little shit!" She turned around to see the leader of these crooks trying to attack her. She ducked underneath his swing, kicked his feet out from under him, and slammed him into the wall with a punch that would have made her uncle proud.
Silence seeped through the bank as everyone watched in amazement as this young girl single handedly stopped a bank robbery. But nobody was as surprised by the chain of events as Ayako who was trying to slow down her beating heart. Suddenly, she was bombarded on all sides by all of the civilians and employees in the bank.
"That was amazing!"
"You saved our lives!"
"How can we ever repay you for this…uh…?"
"Lucky Girl!" Ayako clarified. A swell of confidence and strength burst through her chest as she stared at the starry eyed people. "I'm Okinawa's very own Lucky Girl!" This was it! This was exactly what she wanted! To feel like she was useful, that she could be the one people looked towards!
Wildmutt gathered her bearings and got up off the floor. She watched as Ayako was surrounded by praise and applause, the newbie hero was sucking it up like praise. However, Wildmutt was more focused on something else, her own performance in today's action. Sure, in the beginning of her heroic adventures she would stumble, but this was just embarrassing. Never had she made such a fool of herself in front of people or failed to help anyone. But she was at least proud that her little sister managed to do great! Hopefully, the next crime they stop will go better.
The next few days would not be better…at least for Haruka.
When it came to Ayako, these were some of the best days of her life.
Over the course of their crime stopping adventures, Lucky Girl would steal the show in the eyes of the citizens of Ryukyu and Okinawa! Her stunning acrobatics and strength utterly stomped the criminals that crossed her path! She even managed to stop a car chase while showing excellent driving skills for a young girl her age.
On the other hand, the aliens that had been the talk of the town were left humiliated after each encounter. Heatblast got herself locked in a freezer where her flames were snuffed down quickly, Velocity got stuck in a tar trap that prevented her from running fast enough for the car chase, Crystal Girl failed leaping across the rooftops and landed face first in a dumpster, and Nemuri got stuck in a flytrap.
On the civilian side of things, Ayako's popularity at school had increased after her stunning performance at the dodgeball exercise. The charm had granted her the physical boost to even compete with some of the more athletically gifted kids in her year. It's lucky power made her avoid any pranks from her bullies, causing them all to backfire on the mean girls hilariously. She knew it was wrong to laugh at people's misfortune but it was great to see Hana and her groupies soaked in muddy water from their own prank going wrong.
Ayako had even been approached by the coaches of the girls' sports teams to try out! Her, of all people, being the star player of her school's team was mind blowing! With her sudden confidence boost, there was no way she was going to turn it down!
Everything was turning up lucky!
Back at home, her little siblings were swarming her like flies. No longer were they complaining about her being overbearing or calling her lame, boring, and nagging! Koji and the boys would ask her to play wrestling or basketball with them, while the girls would ask her for advice far more than they ever did before.
The only ones who weren't singing her praises were Kiryu and Haruka, they seemed a lot more subdued after the events of the past few days. Specifically, when it came to Ayako's sudden change in behavior. The 2nd eldest was acting far too cocky and big headed for her own good, and it was all due to that charm she refused to take off.
The dinner table at the Morning Glory was as loud as ever, but this time it was Ayako leading the conversation. She was retelling her recent crime-stopping escapade to her little siblings. "And then the crook's pants fell to her ankles, causing her to trip over her own two feet!" The younger kids all laugh at the tale.
"What about Haruka? Wasn't she with you too?" Izumi asked.
Ayako tapped her chin, thinking the scene over. "I think I remember seeing her time out on her way there. She ended up landing butt first on a cactus outside of the store, while I did everything again." She answered without an ounce of regret. She didn't see the way Haruka's face was turning red, whether it was from embarrassment or anger, nobody could tell.
"Wait, is that why she's not sitting down?!" Taichi and the boys took a look to see that Haruka was sitting on her knees rather than on her behind like usual. Their laughter just made the situation worse, and it caused Haruka to finally hit her breaking point.
With a loud slam on the table, she shot to her feet. "What is up with you?!" Haruka yells at Ayako, surprising her siblings. It was rare to see Haruka get angry like this, much like their Uncle Kaz.
"What do you mean?" Ayako asked.
"You know what I mean! Ever since you got that charm you started acting differently! You're walking around school like you're some queen of the earth, acting like some celebrity when we're out patrolling, or making me look like a bumbling idiot in front of everyone!" Haruka ranted. "This isn't like you!"
Her words struck a chord inside of the lucky child, causing an unusual swell of anger to come out. "Not like me?! This is just like me, the real me! You're only saying all of this, because I'm the hero now!"
"Excuse me?" Haruka's eyes narrowed.
"Uh…maybe you guys shouldn't-" Shiro tried speaking up, but neither girl could hear him.
"You heard me, Haruka! You're always the one in the spotlight, the one who gets favoritism and praise from everyone! Especially once you got that watch and became some superhero!" She pokes her finger into Haruka's chest, almost knocking her over. "But now that someone else can finally step up and show what she's got, you're jealous! I should have figured that you'd be just like the rest of those bullies at school! You're nothing more than a big jealous jerk!" Ayako shouted, shocking everyone.
Haruka should have stopped herself, but she allowed herself to fall into anger. "What kind of hero?! All I see is a girl too caught up in her own glory to worry about protecting people for the sake of it! I never should have given you that charm!"
Ayako flinched back, hurt by Haruka's words. The rest of the kids watched uncomfortably, unsure of what to do to stop this.
"What is going on in here?!" Everyone turned to see Kiryu return to the dining room, having stepped out to handle something. He had heard some violent shouting and raced back to check on his kids. "Haruka, Ayako, what is-"
"Nothing, Uncle Kaz." Haruka responds, her eyes cold as ice. She matches eye contact with Ayako. "I'm suddenly not hungry anymore." She pushes past her little sister and marches off towards her room.
"Me too. I'm not hungry anymore either." Ayako leaves the dining room as well, marching off towards the beach.
After both girls leave, Kiryu looks back to the younger kids to see the scared and uncomfortable looks in their eyes. "Tell me everything that just happened. Now."
"Stupid Haruka…!" Ayako threw rock into the water, watching it skip along the surface. She couldn't believe her own sister would say all of that to her. Of course, when everything was finally going great for her, someone had to get jealous and ruin it!
All I see is a girl too caught up in her own glory to worry about protecting people for the sake of it!
"And what does that matter? Don't act like you're better than me!" Ayako spats bitterly. She was special. She was finally able to contribute, but the person she wanted to help the most couldn't even see that.
As she walked back towards the orphanage, one of their neighbors' radios suddenly changed to a breaking news report.
"BREAKING NEWS! The Okinawa Prefectural Archaeological Center is suddenly under attack by some…some magic man?! If something isn't done quickly, then I'm afraid of what's to come next!"
Ayako's eyes widened. A magic man attacking a museum? That sounded pretty familiar to the incident that Haruka had stopped a few days ago. She should hurry up and let the others know about-wait… "No, why should I tell them? They don't believe in me." She looks down at her lucky charm. "But you do, don't you? With you, I can take down that creep and finally prove to them-to Haruka-that I'm important!"
But the problem now was getting there, running wasn't going to work out here. Then she noticed a lone bike outside of their neighbor's lawn. Well, as long as she returns it later then it'll be fine. Ayako quickly took the bike and peddled as fast as she could towards the museum.
She was unaware of Izumi, who had been walking outside to try and find her. The little girl gasped from both the news report and Ayako's decision to head out on her own. She raced back inside to tell Haruka and her Uncle Kaz.
"Haruka?" Kiryu stepped into the girls' room to see his surrogate daughter holed up in the corner with the blanket over her head. As mature as she usually acts, the childish side of her would always be present. "Haruka, are you-"
A sniffle was heard underneath the blanket, answering that question. Kiryu carefully approached, gently pulling back the blanket to see Haruka's crying face. "U-Uncle Kaz…!"
"It'll be okay." He pulls her into his arms, allowing her to cry into his shirt.
"I-I said terrible things to her… I-I'm a t-terrible sister…!" Haruka cried.
He shook his head. "That doesn't make you a bad sister."
"But I-"
"You are not perfect, Haruka. Your emotions got the better of you, it happens to the best of us." Kiryu gently rubs her back, helping her calm down. "Even me, there were times where my emotions got the better of me when I was younger." He thought back to his actions during the Empty Lot incident and how his brash nature turned him into the number 1 enemy of the Tojo clan for a time (Even if most of that wasn't directly his fault).
"Still… I shouldn't have said those things to her. I-I'm just so…so mad! I don't care if she's more famous than me or more popular with everyone else, I just hate seeing her acting like someone other than herself!" Haruka cried.
"Then let's tell her that." Kiryu said, surprising her. "Sitting in here and crying about it won't solve anything. Go down to the beach and tell Ayako what you're telling me right now. But this time, with a more level head."
Haruka nodded her head and dried her tears. "You're right, Uncle Kaz! I don't want to lose Ayako to whatever mess is going on in her head! I have to help her, even if it causes her to keep getting mad at me!"
"That's right." Kiryu said as they both stood up. "Talking through your issues is the only way any of this is going to be solved. Let's hurry and-"
"UNCLE KAZ! HARUKA!" The two stopped their conversation to see Izumi and the rest of the kids running towards the room, looking scared.
"What is it?! What's wrong?!" Kiryu asked.
"I-it's Ayako! That magician from a few days ago is back and she's gone after him!" Izumi explained.
"WHAT?!"
The Okinawa Prefectural Archaeological Center was in complete pandemonium at the moment as Hex tore the place apart. His magic created a swirling turbulence of wind that kept people from escaping the museum. This was all to achieve his two goals: The first was to find the Archamada Book of Spells, which he currently possessed, that had been transferred to this museum, and the second was…
SLAM!
"Have no fear, everyone, for Lucky Girl has arrived!" The magical girl of Morning Glory announced her arrival, which brought a wave of relief through the terrified tourists and employees, and a sickening smile from Hex as his eyes landed on the charm on her wrist.
"Seems the newly born star of the island has finally made herself known." Hex cackled slightly.
"And if you know what's good for you, you'll surrender now! I want the picture from the press to capture my good side when I kick your butt!" Ayako declared.
"Arrogant, child. Allow me to show you something truly magical." Hex raised his staff, swiping it along the air. Suddenly, the second level of the building crumples to become arial projectiles thrown at her. Lucky Girl jumps over each and every one of them with athletic grace to reach the magician. She leaped off the final one to strike him with a flying kick, but he countered with a burst of flames from his staff. The charm activated, allowing her to latch onto a piece of the upper floor, and throw herself out of the way of his attack. She sprinted across the stone floor to avoid Hex's onslaught of magical attacks.
Outside of the museum, a family sized van pulled up in front of the curb. Stepping out of the front seat was Haruka and Kiryu with the rest of her family filing out of the back. "I'm really happy you invested in this van, Uncle Kaz! I didn't have to waste any charge time getting here!"
"Agreed! Now let's focus on the big picture!" Kiryu responded.
"Right!" Haruka turned to her family. "You guys focus on getting all of the people inside to safety!"
"But what about you?!" Riona asked.
The hero activated the Omnitrix, turning the dial until she landed on her desired option. "I'm gonna knock some sense into Ayako and that magician!"
FLASH!
"TORA!" The Appoplexian roared fiercely.
"Kitty!" Izumi cheered.
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, IZUMI! I KEEP TELLING YOU THAT MY NAME IS TORA!" The female feline shouted, earning a giggle from the young girl. Tora groaned, then turned away. "WHATEVER!" She rushed forward with the others following behind her, smashing through the entrance of the museum to announce their arrival.
"What?!" Hex was confused by their appearance.
Lucky Girl paused in her summersaults to stare shocked at her family. "H-Haruka…? What are you guys doing here?!" She seethed slightly.
"Quick! Let's focus on the people!" Kiryu pulled his kids' attention to the cowering crowd. "Everyone! Follow us to the exit!" The kids were helping people to their feet if it seemed like they were struggling to stand.
"Tch…! Insects!" Hex attempted to blast the Morning Glory family until the big orange cat tackled him out of the air. "W-why you…!"
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, MAGIC MAN! NOBODY ATTACKS TORA'S FAMILY AND GETS AWAY WITH IT-GAH!" She was suddenly kicked away from Hex by none other than Lucky Girl.
"Out of the way, Tora! I don't need you butting in!" Lucky Girl yelled. Then she felt a burst of power explode in front of her and gasped at the aura of purple radiating off of Hex.
"Foolish, child!" A lethal torrent of energy blasts surged from the staff, forcing Lucky Girl to dodge out of the way. She reached for something to block his attacks, but Hex used his powers to flick the debris away from her. However, the charm glowed once more to protect her, allowing Tora to appear and punch Hex into the opposite wall. Then she rounded on her little sister.
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, AGGRAVATING LITTLE SISTER THAT'S BEEN ACTING OUT-OF-CHARACTER, YOU'RE THE ONLY PERSON TORA IS GOING TO LET GET AWAY WITH THAT!" Tora loudly declared.
"Why do you keep getting in the way?! I can handle this! I don't need you hogging my glory!" Lucky Girl yelled.
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, LUCKY GIRL! BEING A HERO ISN'T ABOUT GLORY OR ATTENTION! IT'S ABOUT-" Before Tora could finish, the ground beneath her started to crack. Then a massive piece of the roof crashed down on top of her, smashing her through the bottom floors of the museum.
"Tora!" Lucky Girl shouted in concern.
"That creature was simply in the way!" Hex declared, clearly pissed off. "Give me that charm now, girl! Final chance!"
Ayako refused to give up her power, her chance at being something more than average. "No way! I'm a hero, so that means I'm going to stop you!"
"You are no hero."
She charged forward to land a kick to his face, but the magician grabbed her leg and held her in the air. Lucky Girl attempted to attack with her other one, but he pushed the appendage aside. When the charm glowed in an attempt to save her, Hex's magic interfered, surging into the magic stone. "Just an arrogant child playing around with things she doesn't understand."
"H-hey?! What are you doing?!" Lucky Girl demanded as her wrist was burning from the heat.
"Taking back what is mine." Hex answered, coldly.
There was nothing Lucky Girl could do as Hex tore the charm from her bracelet, stripping her of her powers. The powerless heroine was thrown into the ground as the charm of luck joined back with Hex.
"YES! YES! FINALLY, ULTIMATE POWER IS MINE!" Hex announces, his magical powers increasing by the second. In an explosive burst, the magician shot through the roof to leave the museum. Floating above the ground, he outstretched his arms into the air to command the clouds to join together. The darkening clouds transformed into a terrifying storm, lightning striking the city below, mass panic ensued immediately. "NOW, THE WORLD IS MINE-GAH!" Hex is interrupted by a trash can smacking into him, almost knocking him out of the air. "Who dares…?!"
Down below, glaring up at him, was Kiryu Kazuma. The Dragon of Dojima made a 'bring it' motion with his hand. Snarling at the ex-Yakuza, Hex unleashed his magic on the surrounding area. The trees were brought to life by the magic, transforming into twisted monsters of destruction that approached the dragon.
Kiryu didn't look scared at all. He simply cracked his knuckles and prepared to take down monstrous trees.
"GRAAAAH!" Tora finally emerged from the hole, landing on the first floor of the museum. She looked around for the magician but didn't find him inside. Looking up, she could see Hex floating up in the sky, laughing maniacally. Tora was about to jump after him until she heard sniffling to her side.
Ayako was curled up on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Tora approached her sister, but didn't say anything at first. The magic-less child looked up at her feline sister with regret and fear. "H-Haruka…?"
Tora didn't say anything.
"I-I'm sorry…!" Ayako, now faced with the consequences of her hubris, apologized. Because of her own selfish actions, the bad guy was now unstoppable, free to do whatever he wants. "I messed e-everything up! You were right! I'm not a hero! If it wasn't for me t-then…then…!"
"Let me tell you something, Ayako." Tora spoke softly for once. She knelt down to place a hand on her shoulder. "We all make mistakes, me included, we're just human. But as long as we can stand up to fix those mistakes, do what is right, and never lose sight of who we are, then that is what makes us heroes."
Ayako stared at her big sister, blown away by her words. Haruka was right, they all made mistakes from time-to-time, and she had allowed her own to cloud her judgment. But now wasn't the time to wallow in her own pity, not when people were in danger because of her. She dried her tears and grew determined. "Y-yes! Let's do what's right!"
Kiryu took a metal pole and smashed it against a tree monster, bashing it across the concrete. He then jumped off a fire hydrant to spin kick another one away from him. Charging forward, Kiryu jammed the pipe into the mouth of the third tree monster, then he punched it through the creature's body to impale it. Unfortunately for Kiryu, the several wooden monstrosities just got back up from his onslaught. Whatever magic was controlling them wouldn't stop unless they were completely destroyed.
Hex chuckled at the foolish man that dared to oppose him, knowing that soon he'll grow too tired to continue fighting. "HA! Soon enough the world will be under my rule! Nobody will be able to oppose me!"
"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, MAGIC-MAN THAT MADE MY SISTER CRY!" Hex turned around to see the furious face of an Appoplexian diving right for him. "TORA IS GONNA TAKE THAT STAFF AND SHOVE IT UP SOMEWHERE THE SUN DON'T SHINE!" Tora tackled him out of the air and dragged him along the ground with her foot. She then picked him up by his robes and smashed him through a tree.
Tora was about to continue beating him down until she saw her Uncle Kaz fighting the monstrous creations. "HOLD ON, UNCLE KAZ!" She rushed forward on all fours like a tiger. With a ferocious roar, she smashed her fists through one of the monsters, tearing it apart without mercy.
Tora flipped through the air with her superior agility to kick another one away from her father figure. She shifts on her feet to stand back-to-back with the Dragon of Dojima. Father and daughter are surrounded on all sides by the magical monsters. "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, NATURE FREAKS, TORA AND HER UNCLE KAZ ARE THE STRONGEST!"
The trees roared at the duo and lunged forward to strike to tear their master's enemies to shreds. Tora roared, punching out at the same time as her Uncle Kaz to take them down.
POW!
"ANTARIAN ARM BAR!"
BAM!
"POLARIS PILEDRIVER!"
WHAM!
"OPHIUCHUS FACE-PLANT!"
SLAM!
"SIRIUS BUTT-KICKING!"
The final tree monster was blown to shreds by Tora's devastating kick, ending the short lives of the magician's creations. Tora stood in the remains of her enemies, pulled back her head, and released a war-cry. "RAAAAAH!"
FLASH!
"-Raaaah!" Haruka's more high-pitched voice slowed down the cry. She relaxed her body, feeling the aggression and anger of Tora vanish from her system. She placed her hands on her knees to let out some tired breaths. "Seriously…! Why is Tora always so tiring?!"
Kiryu just chuckled. "Good work, Haruka."
At the same time as their battle draws to a close, Hex starts getting up from the ground. He glared hatefully at the ex-Yakuza and the hero, pointing his staff in their direction. "Enough interference! I'll finish you all off right now!" Hex would never get the chance to fire his spell as a smaller figure tackles him to the ground. "What in the…?! YOU!" His hateful shout was directed at Ayako.
The powerless girl met his glare with her own. "Yeah! It's me!"
"What do you think someone as weak as you could possibly do to me?!" Hex shouted. "Your luck has run out already!"
She gripped his necklace, causing him to gasp. "I don't need luck to beat you!" Ayako started yanking on the jewelry, eliciting a surge of magical energy to sizzle from his body. Hex tried to fire at her, but his body's magic was going haywire from her interference.
"S-stop it, you fool! Can't you see that I finally have everything I could ever want?!" Hex shouted at her.
Ayako felt her heart sting at those familiar words, understanding his feelings on believing power could grant you whatever you wanted. "I know that feeling…the thoughts of being able to achieve whatever you want with power! But if it ends up changing you and hurting the people you care about…!" She kicked her leg against his chest to get the last burst of strength needed to finally tear the charms away from him. "THEN IT'S NOT WORTH IT!" Ayako stumbled back, rolling across the dirt with the charms in her grasp.
Hex coughed and wheezed as the ultimate power drained away from him, taking away his strength. "No...! No…! NO! I can't lose it now! Not when I'm so close!" His eyes stared hatefully at the girl in front of him. "Give me back those charms!" Before he could reach her, Hex was yanked back by his robes.
The very last thing Hex would see before losing consciousness was the pissed off expression of Kiryu Kazuma.
"Heh! Not so tough now, huh?" Koji cackled at the tied up and beaten Hex.
After knocking the magician out, Hex had been left tied to a tree. Kiryu had snapped his staff into pieces, while Haruka held onto the book of spells to turn into the police. Right now, the Morning Glory family watched as Ayako held the five Charms of Bezel in her hands.
Haruka placed a hand on her shoulder. "What do you plan to do with them, Ayako?" She asked, hoping for her sister to make the right choice.
"I could keep them. I understand how dangerous they are now, and that they should be used responsibly. I could stay as the most popular girl in school, achieve so many different accolades, and help so many people…"
She looked back at her family, especially Haruka, and remembered just how much the charms had messed with her head. Then her gaze turned to Hex, who had gone crazy in order to achieve ultimate power.
"...But these charms are too dangerous to be left intact." She picked up a rock on the ground, then started smashing the charms to pieces. Purple mist ascended into the air as the magic power within the stones was released. "Besides, I don't need these things to be helpful or to make anyone proud. I can do that with the family that I'm lucky enough to be blessed with."
Proud smiles are seen on the faces of Kiryu and Haruka. The father-figure placed a hand on Ayako's shoulders. "You never had to prove yourself to us in the first place, Ayako."
"Uncle Kaz is right. Sure, I have the watch, but you guys have helped me out a lot still. Powers or not, we're all a team." Haruka said. Her words brought smiles to all of the kids' faces. Then she rubbed the back of her head. "And I'm sorry for not hanging out enough with you and for making you feel like you have something to prove."
"No, I'm sorry for letting my own feelings get in the way of our bond." Ayako apologized. "I've been far too rude to you lately."
"I guess it wouldn't be too bad to take a break from superheroing for us to have some sisterly outings together. I'm sure the police can handle car chases and break-ins without me." Haruka held out her arms. "Forgiven?"
"Forgiven." The girls hug one another tightly.
"Group hug!" Izumi announced, prompting the rest of their siblings to dogpile on top of them. Kiryu just smiled, pleased to see that everything worked out in the end.
Of course, Ayako couldn't just put a ribbon on this story and call it a day. Since she no longer possessed the lucky charm, her physical and mental attributes were back to what they used to be. Which meant…
BAM!
The 2nd oldest of the Morning Glory fell ungracefully to the ground as the dodgeball smacked into her face, knocking her out of the game, and causing her team to lose the exercise. Hana stood proudly over her, soaking in the sight of order being restored.
"Not so lucky now, are you, Ayako?" She mocked.
Ayako groaned softly before giving her bully a proud smile, confusing the mean girl. "Nope! I think I'm the luckiest of all!" She declared, thoughts drifting to her amazing family and the life she's living right now.
Chapter End
NOTE: I hope you all enjoyed! Ayako was the focus of this chapter, so she got to be Lucky Girl. I don't plan for her to be an Anodite or anything, but she'll likely learn how to use magic in the future.
It is said that she and Haruka have a close bond due to them being the oldest of the kids. So, I figured it made sense that she had some inferiority issues buried since she feels like she doesn't do as much as Haruka, and the kids look up to Haruka more than her. Tack that together with her not being seen as relevant at school, then you have someone who goes on a power trip once they get a taste of it.
Haruka is still a child, so she can still lose herself to her temper. She's the most mature but has her faults too. Both she and Ayako learned from this experience.
Have a great day!