AAOOOSC! Junior Powers!

"Strange: A rink floats off just like a balloon." Kailer turns from the holographic screen to his left. "Why would one do this? It certainly can’t lift off on its own, correct?"

Standing by him are Matteo, Jeremy, Brett, and Jake, who has returned from Boston. They have once again gathered with Kailer, attempting to solve the case of the floating Agganis Arena by the control booth.

"Yeah," Matteo replies unsurely. "We didn’t find anyone around. Most likely we were too late and didn’t catch the person."

Jeremy slides closer to the scientist from the Master’s side. "But who would do this?"

From behind him, Brett throws his thick arm in the air. "The Rink Destroyer!"

Kailer furrows his eyebrows at him. "The who?"

"The ‘Rink Destroyer…,’" he replies in an ominous voice, moving his palms away from each other in downward arc. "It’s the nickname I gave to this person or people, whoever made Jake Dog’s arena float off." He nods toward Jake.

Next to him, Jake has furious eyes ahead of him and bared teeth with a rolling growl. "I hate the Rink Destroyer."

"Ah." Kailer nods his head. "I see."

Jeremy turns to Brett. "Who is this 'Rink Destroyer'?" He turns to Kailer and Matteo. "And why did he—or they—target BU’s arena?"

"Those are all very good questions," Kailer exclaims. "But for now—" He adjusts his American bandana on his head. "—we don’t have the answers to any of them."

"So what do we do?" Brett asks with a slight gawk.

"I advise we wait…" Kailer’s voice fades off for a moment while scrambling for a reason to wait. "…wait for a pattern and a bigger threat. See if this scoundrel strikes again. If not, then we can go on to search deeply for the flown rink." He then carelessly flicks his hand in the air. "But for now, we wait. We have no specific person to fight against and inadequate information to detect him or her."

Matteo gazes at the screen before turning to the scientist. "Is there any power player that has those powers?"

He knits his eyebrows. "Major junior or collegiate power player? No." He shakes his head. "We are the only ones unless the founders released more without notifying us." He tilts his head. "Other power players? Most likely. I’d have to search through the database for that." He pats the edge of the control panel. "But not at the moment, I have some business to attend to." Then in a flash of blue energy, he disappears.

The zap reappears in a large, dim, dark grey room, throwing Kailer into sight. He is in his laboratory.

Behind him is a long countertop attached to the wall with a desk lamp, shining on papers and his tablet. Down the surface are lines of various materials varying from different types of flasks to stick tape rolls to test tubes to pucks to books to notebooks.

Above the countertop in the duskiness are shelves with large scientific equipment and boxes with intimidating labels from HAZARDOUS to INFLAMMABLE.

To his left in front of him is a patient tablet; parallel to him, past the patient table, marked by a bamboo divider is a nook where his own bed is located. To his right is an island littered with more equipment and books. Beyond the island is a single desk with yet more papers sitting in the dark.

Kailer spins around to face the counter, where his current work is located. Yet when he catches sight of it, his eyes fly open. "Oh!"

Leaning against the counter with a smug smile is Michael, with crossed arms and a backward black snapback cap.

"What—?" Kailer gathers himself together, shaking his head with shut eyes for a split second. "Cramarossa, what are you doing—?"

"You can give me cool powers, right?" Michael raises his eyebrows at him.

The scientist dips his head, not tearing his eyes from him. "Yes."

"May you? I’m using good manners." He straightens himself up with a sense of proudness.

"No." Kailer steps back to his counter, becoming parallel with the new member. "You stick with the powers Mr. Harold gave you. I can’t miss with that." He pulls out a black rolling stool and settles on it. "I just can’t." He then snatches his tablet from the counter and begins tapping on it.

Michael throws his hands in the air. "Aw, come on, Doc!" he cries out. "Why not?"

The small teenager does not tear his eyes from the device. "I refuse to, Cramarossa." He then sets his tablet aside and pulls an Erlenmeyer flask and a Florence flask with a rubber stopper toward himself.

Michael leans close to him and asks quickly, "Can I have cool powers?"

"No."

He slides behind him. "Can I have better powers?"

"No."

He zips to his other side. "Can I have great powers?"

"No."

Michael then slams his hands against the countertop, crouching toward him. "But why?!"

Kailer whirls to him a fuming expression. "GREAT POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY!"

He straightens up with a small frown and scrunches eyebrows. "That’s what Spider-man's uncle says."

"What?" The scientist shrugs. "It’s still a great quote."

Michael then jabs his thumb to his chest. "I have great responsibility!" He flashes him a mighty big grin.


Kailer shoots him an unamused look. "I don’t really trust you…"

He then bends his knees, pressing his palms against each other as he makes a begging expression. "PLEEEAAASE…!!!"

Kailer then cranes his head to his right, looking at the entrance on the other side of the room. "Swayman!” he shouts. “Come over here and entertain Cramarossa! He’s bothering me like a fly!"

Michael drops his act and his jaw at him. "Are you kidding me?!"

Suddenly, the whole room shakes as a deafening bam! echoes through it.

Now standing in the open doorway is Jeremy, who looks extremely pleased; next to him is the dented door against the wall.

"Awesome!" The goalie throws his fists into the air, then turns to Michael. "Wanna smash some stuff with me?"

Michael nods his head at him. "Sure!" He then swaggers across the room and joins the goalie.

The two of them exit happily, leaving Kailer in his laboratory all alone.

Kailer gradually turns himself back around to face his work. He then wipes the back of his hand across his forehead with a relieved expression. "Whew!"

Notes