-Two hours later-

The flame wielder looked at a flier on the table. "The Carnival Coral is coming here? I thought it closed down due to… well... a strike and a rumor of a clown… imploded."

Tina shook her head. "That was just a rumor those years ago. Why did I believe that?"

"Right you are. The imploding clown was a rumor." Christina informed them. "Although the strike was true, there was a disagreement between the owners, causing a rift." She furrowed her brows in deep thought. "I think it's a shell of its former self, but the current owner wants to make it work by starting here for some reason."

"That's why we're going to help with the comeback tour." Amy said, but then frowned. "I'm glad it was a rumor. Imagine imploding while doing an act, and then kids cry after witnessing it. That makes me terrified."

"Clowns," Ryu spoke hollowly. "I will go to the Carnival, but after that Halloween night, I will never face a clown with the same happiness again." Ryu said. "Lance and I nearly died that night, and he has had a phobia of clowns ever since."

"Well... those clown sightings were meant to scare people." The aquatic warrior contemplated. "But people are crazy."

The electric teen chuckled with no tone of happiness. "There was some music in the air. Never go down those haunted woods." He smiled with madness as an image of lightning appeared in the background. "Now that I can be Bolt and train. I can investigate and see if it's some chaotic entity." He dramatically stood up. "The balance will be restored!"

"Jake, go with him on Halloween." The light woman pleaded.

"Why me?"

"I don't want to." she whimpered

"That's not a good reason!"

"Come on, bro!" The younger girl gazed at him. "It might be your first Halloween fight against undead horrors."

The flame fighter glanced at her. "A Halloween fight is kind of far-fetched."

"Think about it. We defeat that clown, we might defeat a vampire next." The lightning joker gave a maddening grin. "Then we'll be the ones to bump in the night."

"Hold it." The water fighter spoke up. "You all strayed off topic."

"Oh, right." The light warrior looked at Jake with a smile. "Want to go?"

"Only if you join Ryu and I that night." Jake gave an evil smile. "Don't be a scared little girl."

Amy scowled at him and puffed her cheeks. "Fine, I'll show you and that clown I am a mature woman who can hit you before you can blink!" She thrust her fist in the air.

"Alright!" He thrust his fist in the air.

"Yeah! Team Exterminators!" Ryu pumped his fist in the air.

"Yay, go team." Tina whooped with the same enthusiasm. "Beat that evil clown!"

"You're all idiots." Christina chuckled. "So we're all in agreement. We're going to that carnival?"

"Yes." Amy smiled. "What could go wrong?"

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-Tuesday. Carnival Coral. 10:30 am-

"Amy," Jake said. "Whenever someone says that line, something can go wrong."

"Shut up." Amy pouted.

The carnival itself looked less vibrant, worn down, and less appealing. There were hardly any visitors around. Plus, it was opened in the middle of a field with a highway 50 yards away. The entertainment looked lazy, unimpressed, and just unmotivated. Jake looked perplexed, Amy was saddened, Ryu looked annoyed and Christina facepalmed.

"Too bad Tina declined." Jake looked around. "She might have the right idea."

"We're here ironically now. In the middle of a field close to a highway, just the way I like it." Ryu mocked while snorting in amusement.

"Shut up." Christina sounded annoyed. "Maybe there are appropriate activities here?"

"This is depressing," Amy muttered. "Everyone here looks like they are on their last legs."

"Guess your weight?"

Everyone jumped when a man in a worn-out suit and a twisted mustache appeared before him. He reeked of alcohol. He stared at them with an annoyed expression.

"Uh... okay?" said Jake.

He placed his hand on his head and held his hand in front of Christina. The girl grimaced and crossed her arms, expecting him to do something. Then he shifted his hand to Ryu, to Jake, then to Amy, then back to Christina.

"250, 250, 250, 250"

"Are you kidding me!?" Ryu, Christina, and Jake shouted. Amy lowered her head, feeling insulted and disappointed. A dark cloud hung over her head. She then looked back at him with a glare.

"You're an evil man." She flicked her hair and walked away.

"My job is done." He smiled triumphantly, then skipped away.

"Yep, here just to see dreams die." Ryu shook his head as he walked away. "Wonder what mystery and suspense we'll see next."

"That Rover is not picking us up for another four hours." Christina took out her phone. "We see something terrible, we are leaving early."

Jake sighed. "This is just sad."

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In a trailer, a chubby man with a cigar sat at his desk with his hands on his face.

"What was I thinking? I should've taken that advice from him and abandoned this project. Nope, I wanted to bring the carnival back, but screwed over everyone else. I thought I would get more revenue, but people barely showed up."

Knock knock.

The man looked up. "Door is unlocked."

The door opened, revealing the leotard-wearing red-headed woman. This time, she had an intense look as opposed to the somber look from before.

"Helen? What are you doing here?"

"You... let me go."

"You know why? I couldn't pay you."

"You." She growled as her eyes glowed. "YOU FIRED ME!"

The man instantly became fearful of his life. He backed away as red smoke generated from her. "Hey, wait!"

"DIE!"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

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"The food sucks." Ryu held up a tray of nachos with green cheese. "That fortune-teller kept telling me 'never eat nachos'. So, it's this!" He tossed the tray in the trash. "Jake, they ruined nachos."

"No one should." Jake tossed his tray in the trash. "The corndog smelled rancid. What happened?"

"Life happened." The redhead groaned. "You think we can transform and bury this place? It would be mercy."

"We're not doing that."

"Guys!" Christina walked up with Amy. "These shirts." She held a tiny shirt that read 'Love Carne.' "It says 'love meat', and it's too small."

"The games are bad." Amy looked at the dunking booth. "That dunking booth is green."

"So... what have we learned?" Ryu asked. "That traditional carnivals are dead."

"Call the Rover." Jake said. "Or we could ask Pilot to teleport out."

Suddenly, a strange sensation slammed into their senses. They looked around, slightly spooked.

"That's..." The light wielder gasped. "Is that?"

"A monster." The fire teen said as he narrowed his eyes. "Did Mistress M lure another victim?"

"Alright!" The electric boy jumped in excitement. "We get to take our frustration out on this monster."

"It's over there." The water girl pointed in the direction of the monster.

Just as she did, something exploded. Causing everyone still around to look at her general direction. Jake frowned. "Quick! Hide and transform."

"But there's no one here?" Amy said.

"Still, cameras." The raven-haired teen spoke up. "Just humor me."

Christina shrugged. "Fine, let's go."

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Laying on the grass, the man was bloodied and in pain. He opened his eyes at the woman standing before him with an intense look. He looked over and groaned fearfully at the lanky 7-foot-tall monster with puffy hair and a black jumpsuit. It then picked up some debris and started juggling them. It glared at the man with the same intense fury as the woman.

The man figured this would be his end, and it was a strange way to die. He closed his eyes, fading into unconsciousness.

The monster tossed the debris at the man, only for Blaze to appear and kick it away. He dropped in front of the monster, standing between it and the man.

Helen's eyes widened, then narrowed her eyes. "She warned me of you. Radiant."

Blaze gazed at her. "You hate him that much?"

"You don't know anything."

"Like what?"

Helen looked behind her, noticing Aqua landing behind her. "The Carnival didn't go well that year. You were a part of it, right?"

Bolt landed beside the fire warrior while Lumina landed behind the monster. Helen noticed the rest and smirked. "The Radiant of fire, light, lightning, and water. You're all here! All of you! YOU ARE GETTING IN THE WAY!"

"Uh..." The Radiant of Lightning gazed at the woman worriedly. "Is it money? Are you raging about that? Money is fine and all, but."

"SHUT UP! I gave my all to this dump, and now I have been cast aside because of his stupid conditions."

"Oh?" grimaced the orange warrior. "But... maybe you could try something different?"

"Shut up!" The woman's eyes glowed. "You all are going to get it! STUPID! STUPID! ANNOYING BRATS! KILL THEM! KILL TH-." Reinstar appeared and knocked her out with a tap on the neck.

"Yep, good night." The lavender shinobi grabbed the woman before she could fall.

"Reinstar!" Aqua gasped. "You got here quickly."

"Yep," The shinobi turned to leave. "Take care of this."

The monster proceeded to juggle the air for a few seconds before balls of energy started forming. Once they fully formed, the monster's juggling speed increased. The fire user snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the man on the ground. "I..." He turned to the others. "We need to move this guy... right?"

"He's injured." The blue warrior shouted. We might hurt him if we do?"

The yellow warrior frowned. "Simple, we move it further away!" The lightning user ran off while grabbing a rock and chucked it at the beast. The beast glared at Bolt moving further down the field. The beast gave chase. Blaze sighed and chased after them, with Lumina and Aqua not far behind.

The beast leapt in the air and tossed the energy balls at the Radiant. The ball landed behind the lightning user by an inch, exploding upon impact and making him fall off his feet. The other three stopped and gasped as the balls flew at them. They moved away before they were hit. Aqua rolled close to the monster and grunted upon landing on her back. Unfortunately, the monster grabbed her and began to juggle her, along with debris and rocks it found.

"HEY!" She cried as the beast was juggling her.

"Oi!" The lightning warrior gathered power to form his attack. "Let her go!"

"Wait! How good is your aim?" the orange-haired warrior shouted. "You might hurt her."

"Try a different approach." The warrior in red shouted.

Bolt grunted as he stopped gathering energy and raced after the monster. "Then I'll punch."

Aqua growled and shouted as she was tossed into the air. She growled and aimed her finger at the monster as it was distracted by the approaching warriors. She kept her finger on the monster as she descended while upside down.

"Aqua Gun!"

The shot struck the beast in the eye, causing it to shriek in pain. Bolt grinned and jumped, catching his teammate before landing on the ground.

"Nice fish girl."

"Thanks. Are you going to call me every single name related to water?"

"Yes."

"Whatever." She rolled her eyes. Then looked up and gasped. "Dodge."

The lightning user looked in her direction, widened his eyes, and leaped away from getting struck by the monster's fist. Bolt tossed her away, earning a yelp in surprise, then gathered his adroit and launched his lightning Strike. The monster leaped over while tossing an energy ball in response. Bolt crossed his arms before he was struck. The ball collided, exploded, and sent him flying back. Aqua caught him before he landed.

"You, okay? Why didn't you dodge?" chastised the girl.

"I... wanted to see how strong I was." The boy sheepishly said.

"Uh-huh." She shook her head in disappointment.

The fire warrior turned to the light warrior and smiled. "Come on. When the time is right, you hit point blank."

Determined, Lumina nodded. "Yes."

The two ran toward the monster.

The Light Radiant glanced at the fire user briefly before focusing on the monster. Being in a team made her have courage, but when they have to face a threat alone. What will she do? Right now? Focus on this one.

The monster faced the two as they approached. He growled as it tossed two energy balls at them. The Radiant jumped away from each other, barely avoiding the spheres as they flew right by while one grazed the warrior in red. Blaze grimaced at the pain, but still kept the momentum. He jumped up and delivered a punch to the monster. The monster grunted at the punch, then tried hitting him, only for Blaze to dodge. While the monster began to attack him, Lumina moved to the side and fired her adroit at it. The shot struck the monster, making it roar in pain and fall to the floor. The monster proceeded to get up only to have a surge of electricity course through it.

Bolt smirked at striking it again and chuckled when he saw Blaze gathering fire in his fist. Blaze jumped at the dazed beast with his fist covered in flames.

"Blazing Fist!"

Striking in the chest, the fire exploded and burst through the creature. It roared in pain as it exploded in smoke. With the monster no more, the team breathed a sigh of relief. Blaze turned to Lumina and smiled. "That worked."

The light user nodded and smiled. "Yes."

"Our first boss monster defeated! We are victorious!"

"Don't let it get to your head." Aqua lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Remember what Pilot said."

"Yeah, yeah." Bolt said. "'High arrogance will get you killed.' Yes, he drilled into my head."

"Yeah." Blaze looked at them. "In a sense, like with sports teams, we can't let the wins get to our head, or we'll outright lose."

The lightning user nodded and saluted. "Got it boss."

"So, is everyone okay?" The light woman turned her attention to the Carnival. "Do you think any of that power struck them?"

"Look at it." Bolt raised her hands at the park. "I'm sure anything that damages it is nothing new to them."

"Let's just check on the director."

"No." A voice spoke up. "I already called the... health services. 911 right?"

The group whirled around to see the shinobi of Galvania standing before them.

"Huh." The lightning user blinked twice in surprise. "You were right. She is surprising."

"I'm starting to get used to her sudden appearances." The fire user sighed. "Good, you called them. We need to leave; Rover won't pick us up for another few hours. This place is terrible."

"Obviously." The lavender-haired woman grimaced. "The conditions would need an extreme change."

"How is the woman?" The orange girl asked. "Is she okay

Reinstar sighed. "She's alive, but she is unhinged."

"Unhinged?" The red warrior seemed surprised. "Do you mean she is still ranting?"

"Correct." The ninja crossed her arms. "She's still ranting, raving, wanting to kill the director. Her pupils have shrunk, and her mouth is foaming." She narrowed her eyes. "The man you met after you first transformed is fine, but in jail for his former supervisor's death. The athletic men were just knocked out for a few days." She looked at each of them. "Could prolonged exposure have them lose their mental state, or does it vary between people."

"That's not good." The water woman said.

"Shouldn't beating the monster make them normal?" The electric teen sounded disappointed.

"Sometimes... beating the threat can break whatever spell is on a person. Destroying or sealing an artifact can do that, too, depending on the situation. Other times, the person will have lasting conditions. In this woman's case, she lost her sanity. Who knows if she will regain it."

The Radiant of Light frowned at the information. "That means we failed, right?"

"Did we?" The Radiant of Fire sounded dismayed.

Reinstar looked at them. "Look, no one said this will be easy or simple. I get it. You want people to magically get better. Sometimes that happens when you break a curse or someone's hold on the victim. We'll monitor the woman, but I want you to know this. You can't save everyone, but you can damn sure neutralize the threat before it worsens." She gave a reassuring smile. "It's one of our motto's."

"We don't know where that pink woman is." Aqua muttered.

"No, but the time will come when she wants to face you directly. That's why you train." She heard sirens in the distance. "Let's go."

The group was teleported away before the authorities arrived. The teens will have to reflect on this day. Despite a victory, there was a reality of the woman in pink's power.

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Mistress M looked at the red energy, the size of a red golf ball, in the palm of her hand. She sighed. "Not close enough... yet."