Bryce's eyes, previously tired and half-lidded, sprang open, and he sat up with a speed Rich was afraid might hurt him. "Richard Rice?"
"Yeah. I came to visit you. Bryce, do you have any idea how you got here?"
The boy frowned thoughtfully and sat back in his hospital bed. He looked to the side and examined the bouquet Rich had brought him. "I can't believe the first person to bring me flowers is another boy. It's not exactly the fantasy, you know?"
"Yeah," Rich agreed. "Yeah, I guess not." In this world, boys dreamed of girls bringing them flowers. He'd been thinking like he was back in his old life. "If you don't like them..."
Bryce shifted on the bed and held up a pale arm. Rich found his eyes drawn to the thin wrist joined to a hand with long, delicate fingers. Boys in this world were really built differently. The sheer stress of being mutated by Stinger must've taken a lot out of him. "No, that's okay. It's sweet, actually, that somebody remembered me."
There was something in his tone that Rich interpreted as saying, "I didn't think anyone actually would remember." No. This was the last time, Stinger's last victim on his watch. Rich would remember each and every innocent they'd harmed, and avenge them all. "You're worth remembering, Bryce. Nobody deserves to go through what you did."
Chubby cheeks blushed prettily on Bryce's face. Everything about him, from his facial expressions to his carriage, was so soft and understated, as if he hated attention and taking up space. "Come on, Richard, you're just saying that."
"No, I'm really not," Rich assured him. "Please, tell me the last thing you remember."
Bryce didn't reply immediately, instead sinking deeper into the pillow he was propped up on. He looked away. "It's embarrassing."
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You're a victim here, Bryce. Take all the time you need. I could even come back later if you want."
"No, I'm fine, really. When I woke up, I was just tired and hungry. It's just...it's about you...kind of...tangentially."
Rich raised an eyebrow in interest. "Oh?"
"Yeah." Bryce could no longer meet his eyes. "It's just, I was so jealous of you, the way you've got Julie Cohen wrapped around your finger. Like, you walk into school with two months left in the year, and by the end, you're the top popular boy. You made it look so easy."
This was news to Rich, what with all the irons in the fire he had. There was school, training Becca, karate, dating Julie, his job at Chili's, and Future Hero stuff. When could he have ever found time to notice what other people thought of him? There weren't enough hours in the day.
"What does that have to do with Stinger?" he asked.
"Stinger?" Bryce sounded genuinely puzzled. "I don't know anything about Stinger. The last thing I remember was taking weight-gainer supplements."
In his old world, yes, Rich would've said Bryce could use some bulking up, but what did a chubby reverse world boy want with gaining weight? "You wanted to gain weight?"
Honest laughter nearly shook the hospital bed. "I know, right? But I've struggled trying to lose weight for years, then I saw you. Maybe mollygirls are the new trend, and you're just the first. If I had muscles like yours, then maybe girls would like me."
First, Rich was popular, and now he was starting trends? When were people going to tell him? "Listen, if you wanted to build a body like mine, you only needed to ask me. I know how." He gestured to his muscles. "Diet, exercise, I'm an expert. I trained my sister, you know."
"I saw. She looks great by the way," Bryce complimented. "But it would be too awkward to just go up to you and ask for advice. We live in different worlds. Anyway, Azure Abrams offered me a nutritional supplement from her mom's company. It was some kind of gross bug juice. Guess it made me sick. Serves me right for looking for the quick fix," he said bitterly.
Azure Abrams. Rich's blood ran cold. Wasn't she just bold as brass to lie to his face like that? The blue-haired girl was working for Stinger, had to be. Disgust welled in his stomach. He'd arrived just in the nick of time! The bitch came to finish the job and murder poor Bryce right here in the hospital. Yeah, that sounded like something Stinger would do. Julie would be sad, but Rich had no choice. Azure Abrams had to go.
"Listen, buddy, I've got to run a very important errand, but when you're feeling better, feel free to talk to me at school or any time you see me. I can help you lose weight, build muscle, whatever you want. Kind of short on boyfriends just now. How'd you like to be the first?" He extended his hand.
Bryce gasped. "You, friends with me?" he asked incredulously.
Rich clasped Bryce's hand in what he hoped was a feminine, er, masculine gesture. "Of course, we can be friends." The boy's hand was cold like death. Bryce DEFINITELY wouldn't die!
Don't worry, kid, I'll punish the one who hurt you. Future Hero was here now to protect everyone.
They exchanged contact information and Rich was out of the hospital and back on the hunt. After a thorough search of the hospital hallways to make sure Azure wasn't around to strike, Rich went back to his truck and powered up the corrupt energy detector.
"Nothing." The whole damn hospital was clean. Either Azure was clean or she was gone. Either way, he'd spent enough time here.
Plano was starting to look really familiar as he divided the city into a box search pattern. It was thirty minutes before he'd gotten a whiff of corrupt energy.
"There!" A bright spot on the screen of his detector bloomed to the northwest of his current position. Rich pulled over and continued the pursuit on foot, only to run right into Julie.
"Hey, baby!" His girlfriend scooped him up like a child and hugged him close. They were nose to nose, and people were staring. "What are you doing out here?"
"Just running some errands for my dad, picking a few things up," Rich lied easily. He would protect Bryce. He would protect Julie. He wouldn't fail.
Julie set him down, then her eyes widened like she just remembered something. She looked a little guilty. "I have a bit of a confession to make, please don't be mad."
Jesus, Rich really didn't need this right now. "Anything, Julie, I'd never be mad at you."
There was genuine fear in her eyes. "You know I'd never cheat on you, right? This was an accident."
Okay, that actually kind of sounded bad, but Rich was great at emotional regulation. "What happened?" he asked, keeping his voice carefully neutral.
"I let a boy touch me!" There were...there were tears in her eyes. Rich's mouth hung open. This was so out of character for her.
"W-what? Who?" he stammered.
"That bastard Future Hero! I swear I didn't mean to, but he picked me up and carried me off the field the other day. It was embarrassing as fuck. My teammates have been teasing me relentlessly about getting saved by a boy, but it all happened so fast! I swear I'll kick his ass if he ever comes near me again. You've got nothing to worry about. Please believe me!"
That's all? It took every bit of Rich's self-control to keep from laughing. He snaked his arms around her shoulders and pulled his girlfriend into a gentle kiss. "I believe you," he said when their lips parted. "I trust you absolutely. There's no way I'd overreact over a misunderstanding like that."
"I love you so much, Rich. You're the best boyfriend ever." Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and the promise of devotion. They had a nice little moment until he remembered what he was out here to do.
"I love you too, but I've got to get some things. What about you? Why are you out here?"
Julie stiffened. "I, uh, just came from a meeting. Work meeting, very boring. Nothing that would interest you."
Rich tilted his head. "I didn't know you had a job."
She held up her hands. "Not a job! More like, uh, volunteering. My mom is running for mayor, you know, special election in two months. Yeah. They've got me volunteering and everything."
Oh. That sounded interesting. "Let me know if you need any help, honey. I could bake something!" he offered.
Julie nodded furiously. "Great. That's great. Gotta go now, love you. Bye." Those long legs of hers carried her away and out of sight before Rich could reply.
Dating the mayor's daughter? That might be fun, but first, Stinger!
Rich brought up the detector and noticed two signals, one weak and one strong. The weak signal was in the direction Julie left; hopefully, she wasn't in danger. He decided to pursue the strong signal.
He walked until he didn't need the detector anymore. Corrupt energy positively bled off the dingy warehouse. This was it. Stinger was here.
Time to crash the party. He raised his ring:
"From a future dark
To a post not set,
Stinger hasn't won just yet,
With Pureheart Power, a noble mission,
Come forth! Future Hero! Henshin!"
No guards barred Future Hero's way. Even the door was unlocked. If anything, that put Rich more on guard.
Dim, uneven light filtered down into the warehouse through dirty windows. Frankly, the place looked abandoned. This was Stinger headquarters?
Still, the oppressive aura of corrupt energy was unmistakable. Future Hero stepped lightly and kept to the shadows as much as he could.
Remnants of rotting vegetation lined the walls; ivy, fungus, and worse things stained every surface. It was the only evidence that this place was inhabited at all. Future Hero cut through a particularly stubborn area of growth where damp leaves clung to the Endram Armor. From there, he passed into an open area, finding one person. Only one.
"Oho, Future Hero, or, should I say, Richard Rice? So nice of you to join me!" Azure Abrams's blue hair was unmistakable even in the limited light. Her outfit was a form-fitting battle dress of electric blue, a techno counterpart to Nyte's goth style. She turned and smiled.
"I won't let you hurt anyone else, ever again. You picked the wrong team, Stinger girl!" Future Hero's words were ripe with challenge.
Azure raised an eyebrow. "Let? You're in no position to let me do anything. Look at you, pathetic. They send a boy to do a woman's job."
Rich sank into his combat stance. "You can't win, Azure. You've made your last mutant."
Azure just smiled. "Call me Kleia!" Then the fight was on.
It was unlike anything Richard had ever experienced. Azure, or Kleia, could jump ten feet in the air, cling to the wall, then kick off and launch herself at him. She was fast. She was strong.
Future Hero pushed himself just to keep up. He tried to dodge-
SHWACH!
Kleia's clawed fingers swiped across his chest, striking sparks and sending Rich tumbling. Scrambling to his feet, Future Hero pretended to be more hurt than he was, baiting the blue woman into over-committing.
Rich answered with a punch to the solar plexus that had Kleia wincing in pain, but did not deter her pursuit for long. She danced around him, spinning like a top, tumbling like an acrobat, all to dazzle him and baffle his defense. The combat stance Future Hero learned at the foot of Alice-sensei provided few openings, though, and Rich was for the most part able to fend off her teasing jabs and thrust kicks.
In one particularly successful exchange, Future Hero nailed Kleia with a spinning back fist and sent her careening into a pile of empty boxes. There was murder in her eyes when she got up.
Kleia licked blue blood off her lips and grinned evilly. "I like it when they play rough!" An insectoid appendage hanging from her back sprang forward and struck Rich in the shoulder, making a burning sensation lance through his whole body.
Even in pain, even outmatched, Rich fought on. Future Hero glowed with Purple Pureheart Power. He remembered all the evil Stinger did, and all the people who were counting on him, and suddenly he could match Kleia in speed and strength.
They battered one another with cruel blows. She jumped up and smashed his face with a flying knee. He spun with a roundhouse kick that clipped her jaw and had Kleia walking on wobbly legs. It was his chance to pursue!
Hard pressed as he was, Future Hero could now take the fight to Kleia, and he was winning! Kleia tried the insect arm trick again, and Rich caught it in both hands, ripping it right off her back.
"Aiyeee!" Kleia's scream was not anything human. She wasn't human! Blue blood spurted everywhere, and Future Hero had to be careful not to slip.
"End of the line, Azure." Rich started gathering Pureheart Power in his fist for the finishing blow, but something was wrong. The strong-burning purple energy shone brightly for a second before flickering and guttering out. He tried to summon it again, but the flames wouldn't respond. A sensation of vertigo overwhelmed him.
"Finally felt the drain, did you?" Kleia walked over, not even bothering to take a combat stance, before lashing out with a claw strike that took Future Hero off his feet. "I'm known as Tick Queen Kleia, by the way. One of my lovelies has been on your back, sucking your dry this whole time."
Now that she mentioned it, Rich could feel an odd tight sensation between his shoulder blades, a pressure that shouldn't be there. He tried to reach back and tear it off, but his arms were too heavy. Everything was too heavy.
"Rich, lovely Rich. Who knew Julie Cohen's mollygirl beauty had such a secret? Corrupting you will be my greatest achievement. Just think of it! Those powers of yours, bent to our purposes. Why, the world could be ours!" She leaned over, running a lecherous finger over his supine body. "I'm sure Jellyfish Hitler wouldn't fault me for having a little taste. Julie rides you hard, I have no doubt. Why should she have all the fun?"
Jellyfish Hitler? Who the hell was that? Rich laughed out loud at the absurdity of the name, which was the wrong thing to do, in retrospect. That clawed hand found his throat.
"Shut up!" Kleia commanded viciously. She squeezed. Rich's vision went black at the edges. If he lost consciousness in this woman's grasp, chances were he'd never wake again, at least not in any form he would recognize.
The one they called the Tick Queen straddled him, and one hand at his throat became two. "Shush, shush, go to sleep now, beautiful boy. Kleia will take good care of you!" she purred cruelly.
Rich tried to buck her off, but it was no use. There was...
The detector!
With a last, desperate ploy, Future Hero channeled the dregs of his Pureheart Power into the corrupt energy detector. Reka's machine gave off an awful high-pitched whine and started vibrating in the Endram Armor's storage pouch.
"What the hell is-"
An explosion blinded them both.
When Rich opened his eyes, he half expected to be in a quarry again, but not this time.
Richard Rice and Azure Abrams were lying there, in their street clothes, side by side. The pure and corrupt energy must've cancelled each other out, leaving only the humans behind. For a while, they both stayed down, trying to catch their breath and reorient.
Sluggish and lethargic, Rich was able to eventually pull himself to his feet, and Azure followed him.
BANG! Azure's fist connected with his face. Taking hits outside the armor hurt a lot more.
Rich fought back, his karate training moving his exhausted body on pure instinct. They exchanged blows one, twice, three times. No pretense of defense was made, just slamming fists and feet into each other. Only, Rich was getting the worst of each exchange. This was a reverse world, and women were stronger.
Azure punched him one last time, and he couldn't stay upright anymore.
"Stay down, boy! You're only making this harder on yourself! Just submit! I'll make you perfect!"
Her blue hair was slick with blood as she loomed over him. That face, twisted and mocking, shifted into a manic grin. She knew she'd won.
Rich groaned and tried to shy away from her intense gaze, but there was nowhere to escape. "Don't worry, baby, it won't hurt at all~" Her sweet, sing-song voice terrified him more than her threats. He couldn't. He wouldn't become one of her monsters.
The ring, he remembered.
Azure took his hand in hers and examined it. "A fascinating piece of work, actually," she said in a detached clinical manner that reminded Rich somewhat of Reka.
I have to use the ring.
Rich saw his dead mother's face. Just as Azure brought his limp hand to her eyeline for closer inspection, the ring glowed like a beacon, blinding her.
Azure recoiled, clutching her face in agony. The ring only burned hotter. It burned and burned until Rich had to look away. There was nothing but purple fire behind his eyelids.
When the burning stopped and he could finally open his eyes again, Azure was gone. Only a faint cloud of blue mist remained until it, too, faded away.
End of the summer arc. Fall semester arc begins next episode.