Zircon City

Earth

Day

Joe backed away from the murderer slowly.

"Listen man," he began. He had little hope of this working, but he needed any chance he could get. "I'm sorry for looking at your sister. How about we forget all this and I'll never look at her again, okay?" Mako slammed down his crowbar, disintegrating the till Joe was behind with pure force.

"I have a better idea," Mako grinned. "Instead of killing you, I'll take your eyes. That way you'll be confirming your side of the deal." He suddenly thrust the crowbar forwards and Joe dipped his head back to avoid the sharp end of it hitting his eyeball. "What's the matter? Scared? Or do you really want to keep staring at her?!" He fully extended the crowbar and Joe ducked as it penetrated the wall behind as if going through a biscuit. Mako dragged it down through the wall and Joe charged forwards, ramming into Mako's midriff. He heard the latter grunt in pain and bolted away, rushing to the door. He slid on the red blood on the ground, collapsing to the ground. Mako was already over him, the crowbar raised over his head with both arms. Joe rolled over as he smashed it into the ground, sending a large crack along the ground that shook several buildings ahead. Mako raised the crowbar again and Joe took his chance, swinging his leg upwards, striking Mako in his most sensitive area. Mako let out a howl, but at the same time he felt his leg crunch horribly as vivid pain blossomed within it. Mako had landed a hit. Joe bit his lower lip and forced himself up.

He limped out onto the street, stumbling with every second step. Mako would be here any second, he didn't have time to waste. He heard the wind whistle and dived to the ground as a brick flew past him. It struck a building behind him, tearing a gaping hole in the wall. Through the hole, Joe could see a woman sitting limply on her couch, the back of her head split open. He grit his teeth. This Mako guy was definitely one of the people these Yatoga guys were meant to deal with. This monster was insanely powerful and murderous.

"Hey!" Mako roared. "Wanna see something really interesting?!" Joe could only dread what "interesting meant" Mako turned to a large building. His teeth suddenly grew sharp, three grooves appeared on either side of his neck and his muscles bulged, small shark fins appearing on his elbows and spine. Exerting muscle power, he tore the building right out of the ground, raising it into the air.

"What the hell is this monster?!" Joe whispered to himself. He could hear the screams of people inside. Children. Mako was really willing to kill all of them just to get him? Fury filled his bones. "I can't just run away and let him get away with his atrocities." He needed something…anything that could protect both him, beat Mako and save those people. As he thought this, a massive, spiked shield appeared in his hands out of nowhere. As he raised it, a blue, translucent hexed forcefield surrounded him. The building was obliterated into stone shards as it hit the forcefield. People, however, slid through it as if it was a globe of water, landing gently on the ground. All of them were staring at him in shock and confusion. Was this…his power?

"You survived that?!" Mako asked incredulously. "Then I'll do it myself!" He rushed forwards, and the people he was guarding screamed with fear, but the spikes on Joe's shield ejected from it, rocketing forwards, trailing smoke. They hit Mako all at once and exploded, knocking the monster out cold.

"What is this?" Joe stared at the shield as the people around him screamed in joy and relief. Joe himself couldn't smile. Not after seeing those two people die without him being able to do anything. He could have saved them. He lowered the shield and the forcefield vanished. Then he dropped the shield itself and it vanished before even hitting the ground. He was aware of the people around him staring. A red flash distracted them as all of a sudden, Joe saw the last person he expected to see. Cheeta.

"Joe! You're here?" She gasped. She looked around at the destruction, the unconscious Mako, the saved civilians, and Joe. "Looks like you beat me to it." She walked over slowly towards him. But for some reason, Joe wasn't pleased to see her.

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"Some Yatoga you are!" He roared. "Where the hell were you when this guy was tearing up buildings and killing people? Where? WHERE?!"

"Joe, I-"

"No! I don't CARE about your Yatoga bullshit anymore! The one guy left that I actually know in this shithole is dead! Yatoga couldn't save him! Yatoga couldn't save that woman there!" He pointed to the building with the massive hole. "Fuck your Yatoga! I wish I could forget you and all of it now!" He stopped, breathing heavily. Everyone besides Cheeta was giving him odd looks. She crouched down, her hand lit with green flame, and touched his broken leg. The second the flame touched it, the pain vanished and was replaced by a warm sensation.

"Flames of healing," Cheeta said quietly. "They may not be able to bring back the dead, but I can burn away pain and injury." She removed her hand, extinguishing the flame and Joe looked at his leg. It was good as new.

"That's some handy ability," a random man remarked. "You could be a doctor with that."

"So you were the one that healed me before."

"You wanted to know where I was? I was in another city far away, fighting a beast that was destroying it. Hundreds of people died, but I was able to save millions more. I'm not just bound to this city."

"Oh." Joe immediately felt bad for his outburst.

"Saving everyone all the time is extremely unlikely, if even possible. But even if you can save one person, you absolutely should. That's why I'm grateful to you for saving these people. Thank you."

"Uh…you're welcome?"

"If you still really want to forget everything about the Yatoga and what happened, then keep your eyes open."

"What?"

"If not, then close them." Cheeta raised her hand. Joe shut his eyes. Through his eyelids he could see grey flashes. "Flames of amnesia. Burns away memories. You can open them now." Joe opened his eyes again. The civilians around them had blank expressions.

"Core Restoration." Cheeta's hand now glowed white, pale glowing energy flowing from it. They went through all the destruction and rubble, lifting it off the ground, placing the once desolation into place and restoring the buildings to perfect condition.

"How'd you? Is that another-"

"As the name suggests, that was a Core ability. I can mend any non-living thing to its previous states as long as all the parts to it still exist."

"Wow…" Joe thought of all the uses of such a power.

"It's not much," Cheeta admitted. "The Legendary Lumerion's version was way, way better."

"Better than anything I could do."

"What are you talking about?" Cheeta frowned. "Your Parabone ability just awakened and you're self-esteem is still so low?"

"So it was that."

"Yeah, you have the power to create any sort of weapon you imagine into reality, from the looks of it."

"That's…awesome."

"It is!"

"So…" Joe began slowly. "Does that mean I can join the Yatoga?"

"After everything you said to me earlier?" Cheeta asked coldly. Joe's heart sank. He should have guessed. But then she smiled. "I'm just kidding! I chose you as a Yatoga from the moment we met!"

"But…you said…"

"That was all a test," Cheeta dismissed. "I wanted to see if you wouldn't give up after being told no. I wanted to see you manifest your ability. And you've definitely qualified!"

…

"Great White? May I come in?"

"What is it, Whale?" A very large, balding man with podgy white skin and brown hair, wearing a white shirt that was straining at the buttons and a black blazer stomped in. His toothless mouth was open in a permanent grin.

"It seems the girl, Cheeta has recruited another one of those Yatoga. He has already taken down Mako and was involved in the killing of Hammerhead. It's the same guy who stole our rib and it appears he now has an ability from it."

"I see," a large, muscular man, silhouetted by the shadows rose up. "Send Bull after him. After all, it's easiest to hunt fishies when they're young."