One Year Ago
She shouldn't have let this hurt her.. and yet it was hurting deeply.
Ever since she had discovered her heritage, Narina knew that there might be some racism. Ryuu people were considered terrifying savages by some of the richer community, she knew that. But she always thought that the prejudice would be the same as how those who lived on the top of tree looked at those on the Roots.. after all.. Narin Jousuke was used to that..
But Narina didn't expect the hatred to be this deep.
Narina huddled under the covers of the bed in the guest room, still in her day clothes, not having bothered to even undress. She bit her lip, willing herself not to let any form of emotion creep out. As a former guy, it would be embarrassing to start crying..
It was silly now Narina thought about it. How girls were expected to cry whenever they wanted, and guys needed to hide their emotions to seem more macho.. she supposed now she was female she didn't need to worry about macho appearances anymore.. should she just let the waterworks come on out?
Well.. too late for that.. she only just realized that her cheeks were unusually wet.
She had really and dearly wanted Ezra's family to like her..
She remembered how when she went to Stoor or Nina's houses, their families would welcome Narin with open arms, grinning and clapping him on the back. Even after they found out about Narina's female mishap, they just gave a good natured laugh about how Narin had bumbled up.. and then clapped her on the back all over again..
The people of the Roots and the Privileged rich were very different indeed..
Narina peeked out from under the blankets, hoping that Ezra was standing there, waiting to talk to her.. maybe reassure her.. but nobody was there...
Narina blinked a little, wondering if Ezra would mind being woken up.
Of course she wouldn't.. not after that disaster of a dinner. Anyways, Narina wanted to make sure Ezra knew she would never judge her based on how her mother acted. They were friends through and through.
However, when Narina peeked into Ezra's bedroom, which was filled with posters of famous water based heroes and model guns hanging on the wall, she found an empty bed.
Narina froze. it was 12 midnight.. Ezra NEVER went to sleep any later than 10:30.. it was like an internal clock for her.. she went all exhausted after that time.. no way she would stay up this late.. something felt very wrong..
Narina hurried to the dark dining room to find that the front door was slightly open. Narina felt her heart throb fast as she grabbed her jacket and scarf from the coat hanger nearby and pulled on the new boots that Ezra had recently bought her on their trip to the mall.
She opened the door and found a ring of sizzling burned grass outside.
Fire was Ezra's weakness. if the air was hot enough, Ezra's body began to lose moisture thanks to her body being very water-like in nature.. heat weakened her, making her easier to fight, much like with a fish out of water..
But still, even armed with a flame thrower, one couldn't take down Ezra easily.. it had to be somebody very formidable.."
Narina stooped next to the burned grass to find it wasn't just burned, it was in cinders.. and the ground underneath the grass had turned molten..
"Oh crap.." Narina muttered. "No no no no.."
Narina sniffed the air, using her superior scent to look for the trail of fuel that hung in the air..
She was about to run off, when she heard growl behind her. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"
Mrs. Tobuki stepped out, still in her day clothes too.. had she gone to sleep at all?
"Trying to make off with one of the barn animals out back? I knew you were no good.. you dragons always like to eat the cattle when you get hungry." growled Mrs. Tobuki.
Narina frowned. "You thought I was going to eat cows? Dragons eat sea food mainly... and maybe some other animals.. but cows leave a bad taste in-.. wait a minute... were you up all night waiting for ME!? Are you REALLY that paranoid!?"
"Hmph.. can you blame me? All your scum are alike!" said Mrs. Tobuki. "Now you are to go back to the guest room, and stay there till morning or I'm calling the police to arrest you for theft!"
"Oh my GOD!" Narina exclaimed, now angry. "You are.. such... such a... RACIST!!"
Mrs. Tobuki stared at Narina, fury etched on her face. "How DARE you-."
"Shut up!! I have bigger fish to fry than have an argument with you!" said Narina. "In case you haven't noticed, your daughter is MISSING! you spent so much time watching me, you forgot your very own DAUGHTER never stays up past 10:30... how a sweet, kind, go get em gal like her EVER came out of YOU is beyond me! So if you don't mind.. I'm going to save my friend!!"
Narina stomped off in a huff. However, she only had been walking a few seconds when she heard Mrs. Tobuki running after her in a panic.
"E-Ezra!? You know what happened to her!? Where is she!?" Mrs. Tobuki stammered.
Narina heaved a great internal sigh. Bigotry or not, this woman was Ezra's mother..
"I don't know.. but something that uses some sort of flame related fuel got her." said Narina. "I'm following the scent of the fuel that stoked the fire.
"You have to save her!" Mrs. Tobuki stammered. "You hear me!? You better-."
"No.. I don't HAVE to save her.. I WANT to save her." said Narina. "So don't order me around like I'm some sort of maid! I'm doing this cause I want to and I'm a hero! Not because Mama Prejudice here gave me a cookie!"
Mrs. Tobuki stared at Narina with amazement.
When the girl had first arrived at the home, she had taken her for a spineless thing, quite easily intimidated, extremely shy and too polite for her own good. But now she was seeing a fierce, rock steady girl, who wasn't afraid of telling off a person much older than her.
Narina hurried down into the forest, following the scent.. leaving Mrs. Tobuki far behind. After about an hour of pushing aside leaves and such, she came across what appeared to be a ruined factory, overtaken by nature.. sitting in a clearing.
Vines were wrapped around it's shattered windows as tree roots pried through it's concrete walls. Bent smoke stacks stood like dilapidated obelisks to an era long gone.
"What is this?" Narina muttered
Narina shifted aside the door to the factory and snuck inside carefully, until she came across a lit portion.. showing a bunch of hastily put together tables with mechanical parts and various smoking beakers of chemicals... and next to hastily put together lab, was a trussed up Ezra. in a chair... surrounded by what appeared to be tanning lights.. sending a large amount of heat into her to weaken her... so much so that the floor around her was melted and molten.. Ezra's eyes went wide and she shook her head, gesturing at Narina to get back.
"ahhh... now Ms. Tobuki.. I must say it's an honor.."
Narina, immediately dove under a table and watched as an individual in yellow and black body armor, with helmet with black goggles, and a breathing apparatus over the mouth piece walked in, his voice distorted by the static of the helmet's speaker system.
"You know.." said the masked man. "Hydro Seeker and I used to go way back, I always felt alive when we played our games.. but when I heard she died.. well.. I lost purpose.... then when I heard some sort of weirdo girl had rebirthed into ol' Water Bitch's body.. I felt.. alive again.. finally I get to play my games once more.
"You're Fire Starter.. Hydro Seeker's arch nemesis back before Rebirth technology was invented.." said Ezra.
"Very perceptive.." said Fire Starter. "Yes, I'm one of the old vintage Super Villains from back in the day. one of the only Classics who was never accounted for.. next to the legendary Dread Commander... you look so much like her... she was around your age when she started her hero career.. ahh.. the memories.."
Fire Starter held a hand up to the air. "I never got my revenge on that girl.. never sat right with me.. but.. now that you have her face.. maybe I can get revenge on her legacy instead.. eheheheheh.. beautiful justice.."
Fire Starter took out a syringe and a scalpel. "So... let's take it slow... shall we? Nice... slow.. and painful.."
"KAZZAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!" Fire Starter suddenly shrieked as a lightning bolt hurled him into the wall.
Narina stepped out into the light.. in full Lunar Valkyrie mode.
"Not on my watch." Narina growled.
"Y-you! Shocker Girl's grand daughter!" Fire Starter rasped, his helmet and armor sparking. "DON'T INTERFERE!!!"
Fire Starter pointed his wrist at Narina, and a massive explosive flame shot out of a nozzle on the wrist.. blasting into Narina..
However, Narina waded through the flames, and while her armor and diamond scales started to turn orange from the immense heat, Narina was able to power through the flaming blast.. grabbing Fire Starter's wrist and crushing his flame thrower with a light squeeze, causing fuel and sparks to jump out of the mechanized glove.
"NO!" Fire Starter screamed. "You don't understand!! THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY MOMENT!!! I NEED THIS!!"
"You need therapy actually.. Shock Therapy.." said Narina.
"BBBBZZZZZZZ!!!" electricity coursed through Fire Starter's body, and he fell onto his back quivering.
Narina destroyed the heat machines while at the same time, coating Fire Starter in a diamond shell to make sure he didn't escape... picking up Ezra in her arms and walking out of the factory.
"You know.." said Ezra with a smile. "If you were still a guy, carrying me this way..I might get the wrong idea."
Narina blushed and stared at Ezra with shock. "Uh-uh.. I wasn't.. I wasn't trying to... this isn't.. uh! If you want me to put you down I-.."
"Hahahahaha!" Ezra laughed. "oh my gosh you're too cute. Easy hero girl.. I'm joking."
Narina frowned. "Please don't do that."
"EZRA!!!!"
Mrs. Tobuki was there, panting.. as if she had run into the forest without slowing down..
"M-Mom.." Ezra said.
"Y-You.." Mrs. Tobuki stammered.
Mrs. Tobuki bowed. "Th-thank you.. thank you for saving my daughter!"
Narina however, just smiled.. and said a few words that Ezra would never forget.. "She's as much my family as she is yours.. Mrs. Tobuki.."
______________________--
Present Day..
Ezra Coughed up blood as she was sent spiralling into the floor with tremendous shockwave filled crash.
"AHA!!" Sentabot did a pose as power hissed from his joints. "ONCE AGAIN! JUSTICE PREVAILS!! YOUR EVIL IS NO MATCH FOR ME!!!"
Ezra breathed hard.. standing up shakily. Why...? Why was she flashing back to that moment? That moment when her mother finally came to terms with her prejudice...?
Then... it hit her.
"Evil this.. Evil that..? Just what do you base your knowledge of evil on?" Ezra whispered. "You're not telling me everything android... just why... are you fighting us?"
Sentabot struck another pose. "THERE IS NO OTHER REASON THAN TO SMITE EVIL!! SUUUUUUPERRRRRRR SENTAI SONIC KICK!!!"
Sentabot shot forward in a tremendous sonic boom, his body enveloped in burning red energy as his foot exploded into an ice shield that Ezra formed on her stomach, cushioning the blow as she was sent smashing through machinery in a powerful blast.
"You remind me.. of my mother.." Ezra said shakily as she stood up. "She assumed all Ryuu were evil.. because of something that happened in the past.. what did the Powers Society.. do to you?"
Sentabot remained silent.
"No... Zenith.. you musn't! The Powers Society is dangerous work!"
Sentabot shook his head "I have nothing to say to you! It is true.. I had a loved one who trusted the Powers Society too much! Their politics.. their blasted bureaucracy.. wait.. I said I have nothing to say to you! I FORGOT! Urgh! Nevermind.. I WILL DESTROY YOUR EVIL!!"
Ezra closed her eyes. She smiled as she thought of Narina. "You know.. my power grows stronger the more at peace I am... it is an ability that truly wields the calm and gentle nature of water... and what gets me at peace now... is a piece of wisdom I shall share with you... Everyone who ever worked for Powers Society I consider my family.. which means whoever you lost.. was as much my family.. as she was yours..."
Sentabot stared.. stunned. "You.. dare pretend you knew her?"
"no.. I dare to say that whether I knew her or not, I would've considered her my comrade and friend.." said Ezra.
"DON'T GIVE ME YOUR LIES!!!" Sentabot launched himself forward, lashing out a powerful kick.
The foot burned with energy as it slashed... right through liquid..
Ezra's stomach.. had turned into pure liquid
"HUUUUUUHHHHH!!?" Sentabot stammered. "WH-what the!?"
"Whoops?" said Ezra, as the center of her stomach reformed in a swirl of water. "That would have been nasty."
"SENTA BARRAAAGGGEE!" Sentabot blasted rocket boosters from his elbows, creating a speedy rocket powered set of multiple punches.
"SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH!!" With each hit, Ezra's body turned into water, and then reformed easily.
"J-just what are you!?" Sentabot stammered.
"Just somebody who loves her family." said Ezra. "Surging Current... GREAT TYPHOON!!!"
Ezra's bottom half turned into water.. becoming a massive swirling whirlpool that covered the entire hall.. turning into a giant surging flood, that blasted with a current so great, that Sentabot was submerged and sent crashing through metal rubble. The current got larger until finally the android was torn in half, his legs flying and splashing into the other side of the ship.
"O-ow... j-justice.. lost?" Sentabot stammered as the flood sank away and returned to Ezra's body.
"No.. " said Ezra. "Family won."