The next morning after breakfast, which was provided by Matteo, Brett is ambling down the walkway of the second floor. He still bears the scratches and bruises on his hands, arms, and face from yesterday’s battle versus the Rink Destroyer; his knuckles on his right hand are now bandaged.

He is approaching the staircase to get to the main room when he hears Kailer calling out to him:

"Howden! Howden!"

Brett twirls around to face the scientist, spotting him rushing up to him with his laboratory coat’s tail billowing behind him.


"Whoa!" Brett yelps with wide eyes.

Kailer halts in front of him, breathing laboriously.

"What’s up?"

The small man shoves his hand in his coat’s pocket and pulls it out, holding out a small, black box toward him. "I don’t have enough time to create a new suit for you from scratch, so in the meanwhile, I have created a multi-purpose gun."

With uncertainty, Brett plucks the box from his hand and lifts the lid upward. He peers down at the content of the object.

Inside is a small, black electronic chip.

Brett slowly peers back up at him. "Ummm...thanks?" He cocks a thick eyebrow.

"No, no, no, no—" Kailer waves his hands in front of him. "—put it in your Wrist-Moto."

Suspiciously, Brett picks the chip from the box and holds up his left wrist, revealing his Wrist-Moto over his black-coloured compression sleeve. He inserts the chip into the thin slot on the side of the smartwatch then turns back to the scientist.

"And hold your arm out" —Kailer holds his arm out toward him as a demonstration. "—thinking of a defense. Think angrily."

Brett furrows his eyebrows at his Wrist-Moto. He then snaps his arm out in front of him.

Instantly, a black, metallic gun forms itself from the smartwatch and over his hand, automatically aiming straight at the scientist.

His eyes fly open with astonishment. "Whoa! Awesome!"

Kailer claps happily with a proud smile. "Brilliant!" He ends his celebration. "And think of another weapon for it to change."

Brett eyes the gun with a smirk.

Suddenly, the gun ripples, morphing into a black hairbrush.

He turns to the small teenager with a big grin. "Thanks!" He then turns to climb down the stairs, combing the bristles through his thick hair.

Kailer gawks at him, following him with his eyes. "I did not slave over that for you to fix your hair!"


Brett peers behind his shoulder, not stopping his grooming. "Hey, I can use brushes as weapons, Doc! Don’t underestimate my skill!" He then jumps down the last stair, arriving in the main room.

At the main table, Jake is sitting next to Zeke, his pet raccoon dog, sharing a bowl of chips with him.

"What—?" Brett immediately halts in his tracks and brushing, staring wide-eyed at his partner. "Jake Dog, I’M your bestie!" He strides up to him, stopping behind his chair, which is now occupied by the raccoon dog. "Your raccoon dog is taking my place!"

Jake shifts his body, looking at his bestie. "Well, there’s room right here." With his long leg, he pulls the chair across from him and drags it around the end of the table, placing it to next to him.

Brett holds his hand out to the pet. "But your pet is eating from the bowl."

Zeke is contently grabbing a small paw-ful of chips and nibbling on them.

"So?" Jake looks at Brett with saddening, innocent eyes. "Zeke wants to eat too."

Brett sighs. "I guess it’s better than eating alone." He then settles on the chair pulled around by his partner and grabs a fistful of chips. He begins munching on them as well with his friend and pet.

Kale then passes by the table, eyeing the two and the animal with disgust. "You guys are so weird." He looks away and continues walking.

Brett turns around in his chair, gazing at the defenceman. "Hey, Kale Chips!"

Kale continues marching toward the staircase.

"Kaaale Chips." Brett reaches out his arm toward him, extending a baton over his hand, and pokes his back with it. "Kale. Chips."

Kale whirls around sharply with flashing eyes. "What?"

"Hah!" Brett excitedly retracts his baton with lit-up eyes. "You answered to the nickname I gave you!"

“’Kale Chips’?" Kale scrunches his nose at him in distaste. "Don’t call me that, please."

"But-but-but it’s perfect!" He throws his hands out toward him. "Your name is Kale, there are these things call kale chips—"

"Don’t eat them, they’re disgusting," Jake cuts in.

" —so your nickname is 'Kale Chips’!"

Kale ominously steps up to him and says lowly in a mocking tone, "And I’ll call you Bretty Bretty Boo Boo."

Instantly, a grave expression sweeps across Brett’s face; Brett whips out a large, heavy-duty gun straight at Kale. "Call me that one more time and I’ll blow you to wheat bits," he growls.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

"Good grief!" Kailer is heard yelling from the other side of the room. "Not again!"

Jake turns around, spotting the scientist sitting in the control booth as usual. "Whaaat?"

"Triple-A!" Kailer is madly flying his hands across the control panel.

Brett reverts his attention to the mad scientist. "What?"


Kailer whirls to him, slamming his hands against the panel with wide eyes. "Arena Attack Alert!" He then spins back to the panel and continues typing on it, mumbling, "I just made that up right now…"

"Oh no." Brett gets up and makes his way across the room, striding across the holographic screen, and stops next to Kailer.

Jake and Zeke follow him; Matteo and Jeremy join them through the staircase; Kale and Michael settle by the table.

"Another attack has come upon Moose Jaw," Kailer states ominously, pressing his final button.

The screen zooms in a map, placing a pulsing red dot on the location of the attack with text displaying MOSAIC PLACE.

Brett’s jaw immediately drops with massive eyes. "WHAT?!"

"Oh, Brett!" Jake pulls him into a supportive hug.

Brett mindlessly wraps his hands around him, his eyes glued at the screen.


"WHL!" Matteo snaps his fingers with a slight frown. "I knew it!"

Brett pulls away from the screen and peers at the others. "We’ve got to go there right now!"

---

The skies are bright with streaked clouds; the morning air is crisp and cool. Yet below on the ground is a mystery to be solved:

In front of the parking lot is a massive slab of concrete with the perfect size for an ice arena.

At the parking lot, by the edge of the vacant area, are Matteo, Jeremy, Brett, and Jake. They all have different degrees of bewilderment and shock shown on their face.

Brett has his hands stuffed in his hair. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" he roars, throwing his hands in the air. "It’s gone!"

Jake whirls to him. "Just like mine!"

"Ummm no…" Jeremy taps his chin with his eyes on the slab’s surface. "…it looks quite different: look at the ground."

The four peer at the empty arena, spotting its surface bearing a strange texture.

Its sides are stretched and sucked into the centre of the rectangular area, displaying a taut line running down the middle.

Brett is now gawking at it. "What the…?"

"Sinkhole that’s covered?" Matteo guesses, scratching his head.

"The earth appears to swallow it up!" Jeremy exclaims, gazing at the others.

Brett turns to him with massive eyes. "WHOLE!?"

Jake rubs his stomach at the sight. "My, the earth was hungry!"

"JAKE!" Brett snaps at him.


The tall teenager immediately drops his act, retracting his hands to his chin in fear. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!"

"Yeah, usually with sinkholes, there’d be a hole left behind," Matteo continues on, holding his hand out at the sight, "but here, it looks like it was swallowed literally."

"Supernaturally, I’m taking it," Jeremy points out.

Jake’s eyes light up as he throws an index finger in the air. "It’s the Rink Destroyer again!"

Brett sucks in a sharp breath with piercing eyes at what’s left of his home ice. "Rink Destroyer…" He instantly whisks out a blade from his Wrist-Moto and thrusts his arm at it.

The blade flies out from his hand, spinning through the air, and stabs the dead centre of the slab, quivering in the crack.

After staring at Brett’s impressive aiming skills, Jeremy turns to Jake. "Is he around here?"

Jake perks his head up, observing the area with narrowed eyes and a working nose. He then turns back to him. "Nope."

Brett has stern eyes on the vacant spot, his jaw twitching while opening and closing his fists by his sides. "This is-this is not right," he growls. He then spins to face the others. "I am going to avenge this! On my own!" He then flounces into the concrete slab.

"Wait, no!" Matteo shouts from behind. He rushes up to him. "You can’t tackle a task like this on your own."

Brett halts in his steps and whirls around, facing the Master. "I want to!" He slams a hand against his chest. "I HAVE to! I know how he looks like! Let me figure this out myself!"

Jeremy steps up to him with concern. "Brett, you saw what he did to the rinks." He halts next to the Master, keeping eye contact with him. "That should give you a clue as to what he can do to you."

"And he’s not here!" Jake adds in, bounding up to his side.

"I don’t care!" Brett peers around the desolated surroundings with a subtle enraged expression. "I just want to finish this. I’m sick and tired of knowing how this guy looks like and there’s nothing I can do about it." He faces the others. "I’m going to fight against him and bring him to you guys and then all this will all be over!"

Matteo shakes his head with disagreeing eyes. "There’s got to be a better way."

"This IS the best way." Brett stomps while pointing to the ground. "Let me do this or I’m literally going to blow up."

Jake pulls him into a side hug, placing his head on his shoulder. "Please don’t do that."

Immediately, Brett softens his facial facials, letting out a heavy sigh and dipping his head. "I’m just so fed up with this…" He then receives his partner’s hug, drawing him into a full hug.

"Trust me, we ALL are," Jeremy points out heavily.

Matteo reveals his Wrist-Moto and scans the vacant area. "Not much Doc can work with here." He retracts the laser then turns to the others. "Let’s head back to the HQs." He then turns around and walks back to the parking lot.

Jeremy follows him. Jake pulls away from Brett and follows the other two. Brett stays still in his place, staring at where his home ice used to be.

Jake is about to step onto the parking lot when he senses Brett far away from him. He spins around with concern, spotting his bestie standing deep in the area.

"Come on, Brett." The goalie swings his arm over his shoulder as a signal to follow him.

Brett flicks his eyes up at him. "I wanna stay here," he tells him solemnly.

From the parking lot, Jeremy and Matteo turn around to face him.

Matteo has a grave expression toward him. "We have to go back."

Brett gives him a worried expression. "Can I stay here? Please?" He holds up his left arm, his Wrist-Moto gleaming in the sunlight. "I’ll keep my Wrist-Moto on."

Matteo peers up at Jake. "Jake, stay with him."

Jake’s eyes immediately light up as he claps and jumps for joy. "Oh, goodie!" He rushes up to him with glee.

Brett holds his palm out at him. "Jake, no."

The goalie instantly halts in front of him, shock and fear overcoming his expression. "Wait...you don’t want me?" He stares at him with wide, dispirited eyes.

With a sigh, Brett grabs his partner’s wrists with both hands, gazing up at him. "I do, I have nothing against you at all. I just need time by myself. I can’t leave this place." He dips his head and shakes it slowly. "I just can’t."

Jake peers down at him with watery eyes. He then pulls him into a tight hug, squeezing his eyes closed. "Be safe."

Brett gives him a firm squeeze. "I will, trust me." He then pushes away, gazing at him intently with a finger at him. "You be safe."

He gives him a sweet, closed smile. "You got it, Brett!" He then slowly turns around and shuffles back to Jeremy and Matteo.

From the parking lot, Matteo points to Brett. "We’ll have our eye on you."

Brett nods his head. "That’s fine."

Then, the three members turn away and disappear in a flash of blue energy, leaving Brett alone in the vast, barren area he once called a second home.

Notes

A sketch of the scene of Brett with Jake eating with Zeke ^^


A visual of the Rink Destroyer^^