Within a few days the Merrysville public works were able to fix most of the damage caused to the Merrysville train station, and the Paradise Line, which ran from Snowman to Merrysville through Reindeer and Spookane, opened to the general public. By raking together what little cash they had, and by selling some of Peel’s old gear to the Twinkle Elementary science department, the two teenagers were able to buy two one way-tickets to the farming town of Reindeer. Although Peel tried to convince Julian to let her sell some more stuff and go to Snowman, Julian insisted that skipping Reindeer might mean missing Ninten, or anybody who might have a clue as to where he was. So, after some quiet bickering, the destination was set to Reindeer and the two children found themselves hopping out of the train station and onto a winding dirt road that would, eventually, lead them into Reindeer.
***
On the outskirts of Reindeer there existed a forest, dark and lonely. The little light that was able to filter through the tops of the trees there cast itself in the form of opaque rays that illuminated tiny patches of dirt on the forest floor. The soft soil was littered with tiny plants and insects, while the occasional raccoon or owl would rustle through the branches. Near the center of the forest there was a tiny stream of crystalline water that ran quietly through.
Adjacent to the stream was a very small cave. The minuscule grotto lay under a tiny hill that wouldn’t be given a second thought if seen from anywhere else. This, of course, was the point, for in this cave there lived someone. Someone who didn’t enjoy the company of humans and preferred instead to hide in this forest and live by himself. He had done so for over four years now, and showed no signs of wanting to ever leave this forest.
The small figure within the cave stirred from his sleep. Slowly, unconsciously, the figure got up and left the cave, treading a few feet into the small stream nearby. A lone ray of light shone down on him from above. Looking to the left, then to the right, the figure stood there for a long time. A sensation of fear crept up his spine; something was coming. Something was going to invade his forest.
Julian stopped dead in his tracks and clutched the back of his head with his hand. Peel, noticing immediately, spun around and looked at him quizzically. “What’s the matter? You got a headache or something? ‘Cause if you do, I have some medicine I can give you.” Julian shook his head. “No, it’s not that. It’s just…I can feel something close to us. A…presence of some sort.” Peel closed her eyes and raised her head as if trying to feel the ‘presence’ as well, or maybe as if trying to sniff it out like a bloodhound, but felt nothing and shrugged. “You got me beat. Think it’s got something to do with your PSI powers? That would be cool!” she started getting excited again, but before she could continue Julian grabbed her shoulder and stilled her. “This presence…it’s very near…” suddenly his eyes widened and his grip on Peel’s shoulder tightened. “Down!!” he cried as he threw her to the floor and jumped to the side, barely missing a ball of energy that hurtled past their previous position and hit the ground a few meters away, scorching the earth.
Julian sprang up instantly and took a fighting stance while Peel got up slowly and drew her wrench. “What was that?!” she asked loudly. “Who’s there?!” Julian pointed to a figure in the distance. “There.” He called out his Aswer and held it at the ready, hovering slowly in circles around him. “Who are you?” Julian cried to the figure. “What do you want with us?”
The figure was a tall, burly man with a green mohawk. His tattered leather vest exposed his hulking bare chest underneath, and his faded jeans were ripped on one knee. He wore big boots lined with metal. He didn’t seem to be very preoccupied with Julian or Peel; instead he stood there with his hands on his hips. After a few seconds of silence, the man spoke. “So you’re that kid that’s been thrashing our Starmen, huh?” he asked, taking a step forward. Julian backed away, but showed no signs of fear. The man continued. “You’re kind of scrawny, kid. It’s hard to believe you could ever destroy three Starmen. Good ones, too.” He cracked his knuckles. “Oh, well.”
Julian smiled slightly. “So you’re the one sending out those Starmen.” The man scoffed. “Catch on quick, don’t you?” he started chuckling. “Well, I guess I should introduce myself, on account ‘a I’m going to kill you now.” He clenched his fist and shook it menacingly at Julian. “I’m Volt Punker! And I’m gonna rock you!” his fist began glowing with energy. Julian lowered himself and his Aswer began glowing as well. “Peel! Let’s get him!”
“I thought you’d never ask!” she yelled, then pulled out a small stick, red on one side and green on the other. “Take this!” she yelled a she launched the stick at Volt Punker and took out a small device. The giant caught the stick reflexively and stared at it for a second. “What’s this?” he said, but before he could say anything else Peel pressed a button on the device in her hand and the stick exploded, covering Volt Punker in green smoke. “Yes! I did it!” she cried, but was stopped as a Beam fired from the smoke and grazed her arm, knocking her back. Julian gasped. “Peel!” he turned to see that the smoke around Volt Punker cleared, and, while his vest was a little charred, he was none the worse for wear. Julian’s eyes widened and the center circle on his Aswer began charging energy. “PK Aswer!” he cried, and the Aswer shot forth a large green ball of energy. Volt Punker put up his hand and tried to shield himself, but the Aswer went straight to his chest and hit him head on, knocking him back. “Aaagh!” he yelled. He slid back a few meters but remained standing.
As Punker recovered from the blow, he cricked his neck to either side and stared menacingly at the duo. “Enough playing.” He said, then sprang forward towards Julian. As Volt Punker threw a punch Julian deflected it with his arm and jabbed at his face. Punker dodged the punch and brought his knee up to Julian’s stomach, slamming into him hard and sending him back. Immediately, Peel came up from behind and jumped onto his back, planting a small device in his chest, then hopping away. “Take this! Activate Bolt Mine!” she cried. The Bolt Mine beeped to life as electricity began coursing through Punker’s body, making him convulse violently. “This time I’ve got you!” Peel cheered, running over to Julian and helping him up. But she stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Volt Punker laughing loudly. She whirled around to see the giant standing there, the electricity still rushing through him. “You call that a shock?” he asked mockingly. “I’ll show you a shock! I am the master of electricity!” he grabbed the Bolt Mine and threw it aside, then clapped his hands together. His entire body began glowing. He began making a loud, sustained grumble as the air around him ionized and began charging up. “Giga Session!” he cried, and immediately the electric power around him burst out in every direction.
Peel screamed in pain as both she and Julian were enveloped with electricity. Punker smiled evilly as the two teens collapsed on the floor. “Heh. Piece o’ cake.” He muttered to himself, then walked up to Julian and kicked him over so that he was face up. “Never mess with us.” He menaced, then stooped down at grabbed Julian’s face. “Now, where’s the prism?” he demanded. Julian clenched his teeth. “I’m not going to give it to you.” He spat. Volt Punker growled and shook Julian. “Where…Is…The…Prism?” he asked pointedly. Julian smiled weakly. “Never, you sorry…”
“ENOUGH!” Volt Punker lifted Julian by his neck and held him up high. “If you don’t give it to me, I WILL KILL YOU!” Julian grasped Punker’s arm. He chuckled evilly and Punker scowled. “What’s so funny?” he yelled. Julian snickered. “…Gotcha.” Volt Punker raised an eyebrow and stared at Julian, who wasn’t staring back but was instead looking at Peel, who had latched on to Punker again and planted another mine. “What the?” Punker craned his head, and Julian took the opportunity to kick him in the stomach. Punker doubled over and dropped Julian. “Now, Peel!”
“Got it!” Peel gave Julian a thumbs-up and called out. “Activate Incendiary!” The tiny mine exploded and Punker’s vest caught fire. As Punker yowled in pain and tried to reach his back with his hands, Julian charged another spell and put his hand forth. “PK Freeze!” he called, and the icy wind that jumped from his hand enveloped Volt Punker, freezing him over and immobilizing him. Punker froze over and fell down hard as Julian ran over to Peel and grabbed her hand. “Are you okay?” Peel nodded. “We should run away before he thaws.”
“Right. But where do we run to?” Peel asked. “If we go into the city, he might hurt somebody when he catches up.” Julian nodded. “You’re right.” Immediately after finishing Julian felt another presence and clutched his head. Peel grabbed him protectively and looked into his eyes. “What is it?” Julian let his head go and looked away. “There’s something…that way.” He pointed towards the east. “Let’s go!”
***
Half an hour later, the two teens found themselves within a thick forest. Julian had been able to heal their wounds, but they were still very tired. They stumbled through the forest, with Peel holding on to Julian for protection. Occasionally, Julian would whisper things like, “It’s close.” Or, “Almost there.” Peel didn’t feel the presence Julian spoke of; she didn’t even care. All she wanted was to lie down and rest for a while, but she knew the evil Volt Punker would certainly find them if they didn’t keep moving.
Eventually the pair stumbled upon a small stream. Letting go of Julian, Peel rushed up to the stream and bent down, scooping handfuls of water into her mouth. She breathed deeply and let the water trickle down her throat, relieving her dry throat. “Ah, that feels better.” She sighed with content and flopped down on a small patch of grass behind her. “I was dying of thirst.” When she didn’t receive an answer, she sat up and looked around. “Julian?” Julian was standing a few feet away, with his feet wide apart and his hands to his sides, as if in some sort of trance. “It’s here. You’re…here.” He said, then turned briskly to one side, as if spotting something there. “There.” He accentuated.
A small figure stepped out from the shadows. It was a small boy, not more than ten years old. He wore a simply tan-colored shirt with a beige pair of pants and leather boots. It seemed as though he had made those clothes himself, and there was a wild, untamed air to him. Julian and the boy stared at each other for a long time in silence, while Peel looked from far away. Eventually, the boy spoke. “What are you doing here?” he asked plainly. “You do not belong in this place.” Julian nodded. “I know. But we need to hide here. We…” the boy shook his head violently. “No! Leave my forest, now! You’ll destroy it!” His fists clenched. “If you don’t…I’ll fight you!” Julian raised his hand. “We don’t want to fight you.” The boy frowned. “Leave! I’ll attack you!”
Peel sprung up from her patch of grass and ran up to the boy. “We don’t want to fight you!” she began, but the boy put up his hand and stopped her dead in her tracks. Peel didn’t understand what the boy was playing at, but then she felt her body become very light and begin to lift off the ground. As she stared at the boy she then realized that this boy could use PSI. She began flailing her arms and grabbing at her neck as if to break free, but the boy held her up. “Leave. Now.” He said softly.
Suddenly, the boy let go of Peel and whirled around. Peel crashed onto the floor and scrambled onto her feet, then ran back to Julian. “What do we do? This kid uses PSI, and now we have to worry about two people attacking us! We’re sunk!”
“Quiet!” the boy snapped from behind Peel and began darting his eyes back and forth. “There’s something coming.” Julian nodded. “It’s Punker.” He turned to Peel. “We have to hide.” The boy whirled and sneered at Julian. “You! You brought it here! Now my forest is going to be destroyed!” Julian nodded. “I know…and I’m sorry. But right now we need to hide before he comes!” The boy growled and ran towards them, then grabbed their arms and led them to a small cave behind a nearby hill.
The large figure of Volt Punker lumbered onto the stream, splashing loudly. His vest was in tatters now; his stomach was sore where Julian had kicked him. He had underestimated the children, but never again. This time he would finish them off for good. First, though, he would have to find them. He began looking over the forest scenery around him, checking for any visible hiding places. Meanwhile, the three children hid in their cave. The boy looked at Julian and Peel crossly. “This is your fault.” He said. “You did this. Now I’m going to have to get us out of this.” Before Julian could stop him, the boy ran out of the cave. “No! Wait!” Peel hissed, but the boy paid no mind and ran off.
“Hey, you!” The boy stood dwarfed against the gigantic Punker, who had turned to face the boy and looked at him condescendingly. “Get outta the way, kid.” He threatened. The boy curled his fists. “Get out! The forest is no place for you!” he said. His fists began glowing. Punker smiled. “Oh, I see we have another playmate!” he squealed, delighted. His hand shot forth and he fired a Beam. “Die!” he cried, but before the beam reached the boy his body began glowing with a yellowish hue and his entire figure vanished. Volt Punker gasped. “Teleportation?!” he cried, and whirled to see the boy reappear behind him in a flash of light. The child raised his hand and pointed towards the sky. “It’s my turn!” he yelled. “PK Fire!” a tiny flame erupted from his fingers and grew slowly. When they were big enough, the boy lowered his hand and the flames shot forth, enveloping Punker, who had his arms in front of him in an attempt to shield the blast.
Julian and Peel rushed out of the grotto and spotted the two as they fought. Peel took out a small dart gun and loaded a dart. “If you can distract him,” she began as she cocked the gun. “I can hit him with this paralysis dart and you can finish him off.” Julian nodded. “Okay. I’ll try.” He ran up to the boy and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Hey,” he began, but the boy broke off. “I don’t need your help!” he yelled, then raised his hand again. “I can beat him alone!” His hand began glowing. “PK Thunder!” Punker smiled and dropped his arms. “Bring it on.” He whispered.
“No!” Julian gasped. “Not that!” he watched helplessly as a bolt of thunder shot down from above and onto Volt Punker, who raised his arms and felt the energy revitalize him. “You can’t electrocute me!” He taunted, absorbing the energy. The water he was standing him conducted the electricity throughout and back into him, feeding him even more power. “Ha ha!” he laughed maniacally. “Now I’m going to finish you off!” Julian’s jaw dropped as he saw Punker stretch his arms and clap his hand together. “Get ready for the shock of your life!” As quickly as he could, he stepped in front of the boy and put up his hands, placing all the energy he could into a shield. The dome materialized, then concentrated itself in front of Julian’s hands, forming a seemingly-solid, translucent block that he held. Volt Punker laughed and electricity began to crackle.
“Giga Session!” Julian began straining as he felt the incredibly powerful blast of electricity hit his shield. The block began to wane as Punker pumped more power into the technique, using the water as a conductor. Julian dropped to one knee; he was losing this battle, and wouldn’t be able to keep the shield up for long. Slowly, he felt the shield weaken, then begin to flicker out of existence. “I…can’t hold it!” he cried. “It’s too powerful!” The boy, who stood behind Julian, gazed with awe at the events unfolding before him. He stared at Julian, who, despite his hostile treatment, was still protecting him…and they shared the same powers…
The boy stepped up to Julian and placed his hands over Julian’s. “I’ll help you!” he said, then began channeling PSI energy from his hands into the shield, strengthening it. Now that two people were holding the shield instead of one, the shield began solidifying. Volt Punker tried to strengthen his attack, but the shield was canceling it out quickly. “Gghh…Aaahhh!!” Punker began screaming as he reached his threshold. He gasped for air, then finally let the attack go. Gasping, he dropped to his knees as the Giga Session disappeared. Julian dropped the shield and stood. “We did it!” he looked over to the boy, who was also panting. The boy looked back at Julian with determination. “Let’s finish this!” he cried. Julian nodded and extended his hand. “PK Freeze!” the icy energy burst from his hand and froze the entire stream, locking Punker in a kneeling position within the lake. He turned to Peel, who had been hiding until now. “Do it, Peel!”
“No problem!” Peel responded and aimed her dart gun. “Eat this, lunk head!” she yelled and fired the dart, hitting Punker in the arm. Punker drew in breath sharply and clutched his arm. He turned to fire a Beam at Peel, but the boy teleported over to her, then teleported back before he could fully fire the Beam, and the attack hit nothing but air as the three children grouped. The boy let go of Peel and stepped forward. He extended his hand, palm up, in which tiny particles began to glow. The particles of light flew off from his hand and towards Punker. As they did, they made a slight buzzing sound. “They’re bees.” Julian mused as he watch the tiny particles, which did in fact resemble bees, fly over to Volt Punker and blanket him. The boy waited until all the ‘bees’ were in place, then brought up his hand. “PK Swarm!” he yelled, and the PSI-generated bees buzzed loudly, then exploded. Punker howled in pain as his body was racked with explosions. The boy breathed deeply and turned Julian. Julian nodded and placed both hands forward, and slowly green swatches began forming in thin air, until the Aswer was fully materialized. As it began drawing energy, Julian turned to the boy. “I need more power.” He said. The boy nodded and placed his hand behind the Aswer, making it glow brightly. After the Aswer finished collecting energy, Julian thrust it forward. “PK Aswer!” The gigantic ball of energy fired out of the Aswer, knocking him back slightly. He dug his feet into the ground and held himself steady as he watched Punker take the full blast of the attack, knocking him free of the frozen stream and onto dry land. As he collapsed, Punker’s body began crackling with electricity, making his body convulse. After a few moments he was still.
“Yay! We beat him!” Peel jumped up onto Julian and hugged him, while Julian held her, so as not to drop her. In the meantime, the boy stepped up to Punker’s limp body and put his ear to the fallen giant’s chest. Surprisingly, there was a pulse. “He is still alive.” Mused the boy as he stepped back. “Amazing.”
“Yes it is, isn’t it?” a voice came from out of nowhere and interrupted everyone’s celebration. Julian and Peel took up fighting stances again. “Who’s there?!” called Peel. The disembodied voice chuckled. “I’m not here to fight you. At least, not yet. I just need to pick up my homie.” A figure stepped out from the shadows. It was a black man with a shaved head and sunglasses. He wore a white T-Shirt and large, baggy jeans that sagged below the waistline, exposing his shorts. His rather elaborate sneakers made no sound as he walked forward and bent down to pick up Volt Punker. Despite his medium build, the man was able to heft Punker onto his shoulder. “Yo, kid!” he called to Julian, who dropped his guard to look at him. The man smiled. “You got some mad stupid powers, G! I’ll look forward to when we get down! I’m Rapper Flamesart!” he then vanished into thin air.
The boy ran up to Julian and looked him straight in the eye. “We have to leave.” He stated. Peel scoffed. “Yeah, we know. ‘Get out of my home’, right?” the boy shook his head. “No! I…want to go with you.” He looked down. “I’ve never met anyone with powers like me. I’d…like it if we became friends.” Julian nodded. “Okay. You can come if you want, but I guarantee that we’ll see those two again.” The boy nodded energetically. “I know! But…I want to see other places now. The forest can take care of itself.” Peel smiled and bent down, placing a hand on the boy’s head and petting him. “In that case, we should introduce ourselves. I’m Peel and this is Julian.” She motioned at Julian, who waved. The boy looked up again. “I’m…Joshua. That’s my name.” Peel nodded. Then, together, the now-threesome left the forest.